Summer Snapshots

There is only one thing I love more than summertime and that is summertime in Rhode Island. It's the beaches, yes, but it's also Del's lemonade, clam cakes and chowder, bonfires, and of course, time with the family. I miss my family to bits living way out here in the Midwest, and summer is one of the two times of year I get to spend lots of time at home. One of my favorite things to do is hang out with my nephews, with whom it is pretty clear to everyone, I am obsessed.

Not that I need an excuse to share photos of these cutie pies, but I got one in my email box today anyway. Uprinting.com, lovely hosts of my first giveaway, are sponsoring a summer photo contest. You should remember that UPrinting.com is a leading online provider of business cards, color brochures and mailing postcards.

Now the photo contest asks for one photo submission, but how can I choose? The above photo was taken of Nic in the backyard during Charlie's first birthday party. He's being attacked by the sprinkler, and I just can't get over his face! Actually, it's a volcano sprinkler, and he is sitting on it, so that may explain his reaction! I'll consider that photo the "official" entry, since it looks a little more photojournalistic, I guess. I can't resist showing you more though!

The next two were taken last summer at Sand Hill Cove, where we spent our honeymoon. Yes, we invited friends and family to the beach house the entire week of our honeymoon, and we had so much fun I wouldn't have had it any other way. This is Charlie taking a break in the shade, munching on a very juicy nectarine. That pout puts Derek Zoolander to shame!



This photo is of Nic's first time on a borrowed boogie board. Once he got on that thing it was impossible to get him out of the water! I love how it almost looks like he's surfing in this picture!



Thankfully, the countdown is on for our summer trip home! I can't wait to stuff my face with clams, chug D&D iced coffee, fight off a sunburn and get sand in my bikini. See you guys in July!

"All I need is food and creative love" Part Deux

I am a bargain hunter. When it comes to shopping for food, clothes, even nights out on the town, I plan ahead. I clip coupons from the newspaper, print them online, read grocery fliers, and keep my trusty Sam's Club card close. Unfortunately, even my best made plans often go awry. We eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables in our house, and the selection is usually determined by what's on sale. Sometimes though, I buy way too much. Eric often has unplanned meals out with clients, which can sometimes blow my dinner plans, leaving a bag of slowly wilting salad greens or a pint of mushy raspberries to rot. Nothing irritates me more than throwing away spoiled food. I'm now on a mission to never do it again. The "never" may come back to bite me, but I'm working on it. I'm getting good at creating recipes that include produce that has seen better days. Now, we're not talking fuzzy mold or slimy ick here. If you see that in your vegetable drawer, by all means, chuck it and fast! I'm just talking about spinach that is a little too wilted for a nice salad, or fruit that has gone a little soft. Here are some ways you can use up produce that is just past its prime.

If you have:
Spinach:
Yes you can always saute it up with a little olive oil and serve it as a side dish, but that gets old. I used a big bag of baby spinach and adapted a Martha Stewart Recipe for this Spinach Quinoa Bake. I added more vegetables and cut out several of the prep steps to simplify things. It was really delicious, and a fantastic vegetarian option. It was also a good way to help me figure out what the heck to do with quinoa, since I bought it for one dish and then felt lost. Now I love it!

Vegetables:
If you have carrots, peppers, squash, or even more spinach, soup is the easiest way to go! This recipe works well for leftovers as well as the stuff in the bottom of your crisper. Since it is pureed, you can use anything you want. Plus, its vegetarian, so you can please all of your friends with this one.
If you aren't into soups, Scrap Wraps are the way to go. All you need are some sandwich wraps and creativity. Saute up any veggies you want in a little olive oil. Then spread a whole wheat wrap with a little hummus, mayo, or anything you like and go crazy with toppings. I love whole wheat wraps with garlic hummus, sauteed onions and mushrooms, and roasted red peppers! You can even do sweet wraps when you have too many apples. Slice and saute them in a pan and wrap them with peanut butter and walnuts, yum!

Berries:
Overripe berries are the bane of my existence, since they can be very expensive and are often cheaper when bought in bulk. It's easy to toss them into a blender with some yogurt and whip up a smoothie, but a little more time and effort can give you more impressive results. A pint of quickly softening strawberries was turned into the Strawberry Key Lime Muffins you see above. They are so moist and sweet I'll be sending the rest of them to the office with Eric to stop myself from eating the whole batch. I then used a half pint of raspberries for the frosting of these Sweet Crescent Rolls. I'm a little late to the crescent roll party, but better late than never. I know people have used them forever and ever, but I'm just lately discovering their versatility. I also love that they are now available in a reduced fat version! We used to wrap them around hot dogs or ham and cheese to make lunches for Delaynie, but I like them sweet! The extra raspberry frosting can be refrigerated in an air tight container for several weeks, so you can use it for fresh fruit, vanilla cupcakes, or my favorite, brownies.

Test Kitchen: Roasted Red Pepper Fougasse

My friend Kay is getting married in August, and I am lucky enough to get to help in putting her bridal shower together. There's nothing I love more than parties! The invitations are all printed and sent, so now it's just on to the food. I've decided to make a couple of varieties of stuffed breads for the party, now that I am newly addicted to that no-knead dough. I have been dying to try out the Roasted Red Pepper Fougasse posted on the Artisan Bread in Five Blog, so this week I put one together as a test. I wanted to add a few more flavors though, since the recipe is pretty basic. It turned out beautifully, and Eric and I devoured the whole thing within 24 hours. Test kitchen success means this version will definitely be going to the party!

If you'd like to make a fougasse my way, you will need the following ingredients in addition to those called for in the ABin5 recipe:
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup shredded Asiago or Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup fresh basil, torn
kosher salt
dried oregano

- Follow the ABin5 recipe to prep your dough and roast the peppers. If you don't have time for the peppers, you can use jarred roasted red peppers. However, you want to dry them very well on paper towels first!
- Spread minced garlic over the bottom.
- Sprinkle cheese over garlic and top with a layer of red pepper strips.
- Tear basil over peppers before folding the dough over and sealing the edges.
- Brush the outside with olive oil and sprinkle it with oregano and kosher salt.
- Bake as directed. Note: I skipped the "pan of water" step and had no problems with my bread being dry. This could be because I used jarred red peppers, though, so they up the moisture quite a bit. I suggest following the recipe the first time to see how your oven will do!

I think I'll do something with caramelized onions for the next version... maybe with goat cheese? Mmm mmm good!

Congratulations!

Congratulations are due to Janet and Maya, who were chosen at random as the winners of my first giveaway! Janet and Maya have won an 18"x24" poster print of any photo of their choice from Uprinting.com, and just in time for Father's Day. You can visit them for all of your printing needs, from canvas printing and poster printing to business cards. Thanks also to all of you who took the time to visit and enter the giveaway. I appreciate that you stopped by to read my little blog! Keep an eye out for future giveaways... I love giving free stuff as much as I love receiving it!

Cupcake FAIL

We've all had those moments in the kitchen when things just go terribly wrong. I'll never forget the first time I tried to bake brownies without any adult help. I was probably 8 or 9 and I thought it would be simple. Just follow the directions on the box! Unfortunately I didn't know about oils back then, so I poured half a cup of olive oil into the bowl and baked up some of the most disgusting brownies you could imagine. They looked and smelled like delicious treats, but then we ate them. Revolting.

I've had lots of kitchen mishaps since then, but I am only upset by it on rare occasions. Those occasions are the ones when I have what I think is a fabulous idea, but it turns out to be, well, half baked.

Such was the case with my bloody Twilight Chocolate Cherry Chip Cupcakes. Since we've all read Stephanie Meyers' book (really, you don't want to get me started on that series!) and hadn't seen the movie, the girlfriends and I decided to have a little viewing party. Bloody Blackberry Pomegranate Martinis and my cupcakes, what could be better? My fabulous idea was to bake chocolate chip cupcakes with a cherry cordial in the center, so that when you bite into it, it will bleed. Genius right? I should have thought through the logistics a bit more. After baking, the chocolate inside melted completely, and the cordial soaked into the cake, leaving a sticky, gooey mess stuck to the cupcake wrappers, the sad little cherry sitting alone right in the middle. Grr.

I shouldn't have worried about it really, since they tasted lovely and we were too distracted by Robert Pattinson to really care about the cupcakes, anyway. He's almost gorgeous enough to make me think reading all four of those books was worth it. Almost. Anywho, I'm looking for suggestions for the next time I bake these cupcakes. I thought of putting a chocolate wafer cookie in the bottom before pouring in the batter, but the cordial will still melt. What I need is to put a filling into the cakes after baking them, but it will need to be liquid in order for it to really spill out. That liquid will have to be encapsulated in something to prevent it from soaking into the cake, but I'm at a loss. Ideas, anyone?

My First Giveaway!

Everyone loves free stuff, especially when the economy is in the crapper and we are all dealing with shrinking budgets. The first things we have to do without are obvious novelty items, but we also have to get creative with gift giving and celebrating on the cheap. While I pride myself on being able to make fabulous parties and presents out of almost nothing, a little help doesn't hurt. That's why I am so excited to get to host my first giveaway, just in time for Father's Day!

UPrinting.com just contacted me with the chance to offer one of their 18″x24″ poster prints for giveaway to one lucky reader, and so here we are! While I haven’t used UPrinting.com’s services for myself yet, a quick scan of their site showed me I likely will be soon. Their greetings cards are so tempting! I’ll be able to order my own 18″x24″ print soon, and I’m so excited! I'll be using mine for a long overdo hanging of our wedding photo! If you visit the UPrinting.com site, you’ll see that they do more than just poster printing and canvas printing: everything from business cards, door hangers, letterhead, and more. Just a note of warning: if you are a paper junkie like me, you may start drooling.

If you’d like to win this 18″x24″ poster print from UPrinting.com, all you need to do is leave me a comment on this post telling me how you’d use a 18″x24″ print. A portrait of you and your dad? Your children and your hubby? Maybe a shot taken at favorite vacation spot or sports venue? For an extra entry, blog about this giveaway (and leave an extra comment with your blog link!), linking back to this post and www.uprinting.com (you must have both links to be valid). Don't forget to leave me your email address so that I can contact you in case you win!

This giveaway will end at midnight (EST) Friday, June 5. The winner will be drawn at random, will be posted here at go ahead and snicker, and will be notified by email.

PLEASE NOTE: per UPrinting’s rules, the 18″x24″ print is only open to residents in the U.S. and Canada!

Good luck to everyone!
p.s. Check out many more giveaways, including the 1st Birthday Carnival over at The Giveaway! Watch out though, stalking the site can be addicting!

Red Alert!

or What to do in Detroit during the Western Conference Finals

Ok, so I'm not a hockey fan. Let's just get that out of the way. I've already made it very clear that I'm not a Detroit fan either, but when you live in Michigan, you at least have to pay your respects. Detroit is a fantastic sports city, which sounds blasphemous coming from my die-hard-Boston-fan mouth. But, it's true. Even if the unemployment rate has skyrocketed, businesses and residents are running for the hills, and the buildings look like they are crumbling around you, Detroit knows how to host sports fans. While the Lions continue to be one of the biggest jokes in football, Detroit still has the Tigers, Pistons and yes, the Red Wings. And you should see these fans.

Eric got us tickets to see the Red Wings at the Joe (that's the cool people's name for the Joe Lewis Arena), for game one of the Western Conference Finals against the Chicago Blackhawks. From the moment we got out of the car, it was obvious that the hockey nuts are insane here. Screaming curses and taunts at the few Blackhawks fans they could find, or even at their own friends in red jerseys, they were the loudest, most bearded and monochromatic hockey fans I've seen. The nice thing about the Joe is that you get right off the highway and drive into a parking garage, then walk directly through a tube to the arena, where beer awaits you. No need to walk or even drive through the city, which allows fans to ignore the desperate homeless and filthy streets while handing over $8.75 for a jumbo can of Miller Light. Woohoo! Everyone was drinking and milling around and hollering random chants until we got to go inside and find our seats. They turned out to be amazing.

As we settled in, I figured everything would continue like any normal hockey game. Nope. After a show full of pyrotechnics, huge banners and flags, and ear splitting noise, the National Anthem was sung by a tiny blonde with big pipes. Just before the end of the song, fans threw an octopus onto the ice. Then another. And another. I'm talking a real octopus here. Now maybe this isn't a surprise to other people, but I don't follow hockey aside from occasional highlights on Sports Center, so I was a little taken aback. The octopus seems to be the Red Wings mascot (who the heck came up with that?) so I guess it is acceptable, even admirable to toss seafood onto the ice at the end of the song without appearing disrespectful. Everyone went nuts and the screaming only got louder as each new octopus came flying through the air. Whatever floats your boat people.

The game itself was exciting in typical fast paced, body checking hockey style. We immediately realized it is impossible to get good pictures when everyone is whizzing by you at the speed of light, but extra large beers and Cheli's nachos made up for it. That and a very intoxicated young lady fighting with the guys behind us provided ample extra entertainment. She actually tried to climb into a seat occupied by a man twice her size who was with eight friends. She even came back for more after being escorted away by an usher. Just another example of why girls out drinking together must always follow girl law: Never let anyone out of your sight after consuming large amounts of alcohol! Especially not when she is young and cute and wearing a mini skirt.

In the end the Red Wings won the game in overtime, but we didn't get to see that. We left in the third period, while Detroit had a lead. Eric had to work in the morning and honestly, we were getting tired. Real hockey fans would probably say that the tickets were wasted on us, but to them I say, "Pbbllt!" We had a great time, had a new experience, and while I doubt we'll become true Red Wings fans ourselves, at least we earned an appreciation of them and their odd fish wielding ways.

I'm a Convert

Over the past year or so I have heard lots of buzzing about this amazing no-knead bread recipe that was changing the way bakers everywhere will make bread. Being a person who had never made bread and honestly, had no plans to do so, I wasn't all that interested. I love bread, but baking it just wasn't something I'd ever really gotten into. That is until I watched a video segment featuring Jeff and Zoe. I loved how simple and versatile it looked, so I decided to give it a try this week. Turns out, this is the bread recipe my librarian friend Lauren gave to me weeks ago, after she raved about it at lunch one day. She had made some alterations and lots of notes, so I went with Lauren's version for my first try.

The Master Recipe, Lauren's Way:
2 packets granulated yeast (approx. 4 tsp.)
1 Tablespoon kosher salt
3 cups lukewarm (about 100 degrees) water
6 1/2 cups all purpose flour

In a large plastic resealable container (I used my ancient Rubbermaid Cake Carrier!) mix yeast and salt into water. With a wooden spoon, mix in flour until uniformly moist and no dry patches remain. It will be moist and cling to the container.
Cover (not with an air tight lid! I just used a towel) and let stand at room temperature for between 2 and 5 hours. I know this is vague, but it really depends on the heat and humidity in your kitchen! You'll know it is ready when the dough has flattened or begins to collapse on top.

At this point you can cover and refrigerate the dough for up to two weeks, pulling off portions and baking it any time you want fresh bread. When you are ready to bake, sprinkle a little flour on the dough, your hands, and work surface. Cut a grapefruit sized ball of dough from the container with scissors. Turn dough in your hands, pulling dough gently to form a baguette. Dust well with flour.

Place dough on a cookie sheet and let rest uncovered for 40 minutes. Using scissors, cut 1/4 inch deep parallel slices into the top of baguettes and place on middle rack in a preheated 450 degree oven. Place a roasting pan beneath the bread and quickly pour in 1 1/2 cups of warm water, shutting the oven door quickly to trap steam.

Bake for 20 minutes. If your baguettes are not golden brown, crack open the oven door to release steam and bake another 5 minutes until tops are crusty.

I let my dough chill overnight and then baked off three small loaves in the morning. It was so delicious, I ate most of it myself, including the sandwich I powered through at lunch. Then I went to Barnes and Noble to look through the book. The only thing that stopped me from buying it was the unfortunate lack of photographs. I want to know how a recipe is meant to look when it is completed, plus I just love great food photography. I put the book, full of lots of interesting adaptations on the Master Recipe, back on the shelf and went back home to my trusty computer. I found Jeff and Zoe's blog, which offers many of the variations found in the book, along with gorgeous photos and even corrections for some of the mistakes printed in the book. They are also working on a second book, which I hope is fully of glossy images and fewer errors. Next up for me is the Roasted Pepper Fougasse, but I think I'll add some parmesan and fresh basil.

Chit Chat and Chocolate and Cheese

If you have read any of my past posts, you may have noticed that clicking on the majority of my links will lead you into a special little place that I adore. It's warm and inviting and smells like vanilla. It's about time that I dedicate an entire post to Bakespace, to help out those of you whose lives are, unbeknownest to you, a dark, empty void.

Yes, it's an online community, yes, it's a recipe sharing site, but it is even more than that. It's a place to find cooking mentors, inspiration, and advice. You can find a perfect recipe, get tips from the author on how best to execute it, and even learn the background story. It's those stories that got me hooked on Bakespace from the get go. I'm a sucker for sap, and when I started reading about a girl who lost everything in a fire and was trying to recreate her grandmother's famous cake from memory, I about lost it. The site is full of food rock stars like piday and krrispy (who I actually watched win a Bake Off on Food Network way before I found her on Bakespace!) and also lots and lots of regular people looking to share some ideas and a love of food. You can sign up for monthly newsletters, which takes me back to the reason I was inspired to write this in the first place.

This month's newsletter focuses on food photography, a subject and art about which I have much to learn! I have a cheapy little digital camera, and I have never even read the manual. Usually I just turn off the flash, set my dish near a window, zoom in close, and pray. Apparently, that technique is not all that bad, since the site's creator, Babette, has included three of my photos and recipes in the Bakespace newsletters (Chocolate Cheesecake Cupcakes in February's chocolate issue, Peanut Butter Fudge Bars in the brownie issue, and Scrap Wraps this month) and I just found my brownies on her blog, too! I'm such a goofball that I get excited when people like what I make, but even more so when other people go out and try it for themselves. I love it I get an email from a member whose family enjoyed one of my recipes. Makes me warm and fuzzy.

I'm not the only one who has noticed how much Bakespace rocks, by the way. The site has been nominated for a Webby again this year. The Webby Awards are like the Oscars for websites, and will bring tons of buzz and attention to the site if they win! So get your butts over to Bakespace and sign up, post some recipes, make some friends, and then go vote!

What's for Dinner?

After the butchering debacle of Easter ( I mean I love meat, don't get me wrong, but there is something about carving a whole leg!) I knew I had to do something with the 7 lbs. of leftover meat in my fridge, or risk feeling guilty for being wasteful and impulsive. I didn't want the poor little guy to have sacrificed himself for naught. Plus, lamb ain't cheap! I knew there was a way to eat lamb for days on end without becoming bored, sick, or worse. The fact that this week was also spring break helped immensely, since I get really bored when I don't work and I need projects to keep me busy. Therefore, I decided to give myself a little dinner challenge for the week. It looked like so:

1. Create five meals for the week using up all of the remaining lamb.
2. Lamb can only be the main ingredient of one meal
3. Round out each meal only with items already in the pantry and refrigerator
4. All meals must be healthy and designed to feed 4 (that way E could take the rest for lunch the next day)
5. No repeats!

It turned out to be pretty easy, since I also wanted to use up ingredients I had purchased for Easter dessert and side dishes, but I did have to get a little creative to keep from getting entirely sick of meat. I started with the aforementioned 8 lb. leg of lamb, 1/2 tub of ricotta, 1 bag arborio rice, 1 c. Greek yogurt, several lemons and a bunch of mint. These ingredients led me to make the following dinners:

Monday: Grilled Marinated Lamb
This is essentially what we ate on Easter Sunday.
Marinade:
1/2 c. red wine vinegar
1 c. olive oil
3 cloves garlic
2 Tbls. dijon mustard
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. fresh thyme
1 tsp. fresh oregano
juice of 1/2 lemon

Pulse 1/2 oil and remaining ingredient in a blender to combine. While blending on low speed, add remaining oil in a thin stream until marinade is thickened. Set 1/4 cup marinade aside and pour the rest over lamb. All of the lamb was marinated overnight, then grilled for 3-5 minutes per side. We served with a salad of mixed baby greens, grape tomato, and green onion tossed with remaining marinade.

Tuesday: Spiced Lamb Pita Pizza with White Bean Hummus
This meal was inspired by the lamacun I used to eat when I worked in a Turkish restaurant in Rhode Island. It was one of my favorites. Lamacun is just a meat pi, but the hummus and yogurt sauce made this really tasty. I've made hummus many times, but all I had was white beans in the pantry, so that was a first. The texture and flavor were both really similar to hummus with chick peas, so we didn't really notice the difference! These pita pizzas were so good, we had to stop ourselves from eating before we got sick! I will definitely be making these again.

Wednesday: Sauteed Vegetable Risotto
After making lamb stock on Sunday, I used it for this risotto. I always try to cook at least one "vegetarian" meal per week. Heart health and carbon footprints and all that jazz! You can really make this with anything!

Thursday: Lamb Ragu with Polenta
I made the Ragu with the remaining grilled lamb, pulsed in the food processor until finely chopped. Therefore I skipped the browning step in the recipe and just added wine and the lamb at the same time. I served this over polenta with a side salad. Mmm... polenta.

Friday: Vegetable Lasagna
Okay, so arguably this is not the most creative way to end the week, but it was Friday and I was over it! The leftover ragu became part of the sauce for this dish.
Filling:
1 c. ricotta
1 c. shredded mozzarella
1/2 c. shredded parmesan
1 egg
1/2 c. bread crumbs
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
Beat all ingredients to combine.

Sauce:
2 cups lamb ragu
2 large cans of crushed tomato
1 cup of cooked chopped spinach
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 c. sliced mushrooms
2 tsp. basil
1 tsp. oregano
1 clove garlic, minced
olive oil
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Stir ragu, spinach and tomato in a large sauce pot over medium heat. Saute onions and mushrooms in a little olive oil until tender and add to sauce. Simmer on low heat for 30 minutes.
To assemble lasagna, pour 1/2 cup sauce in the bottom of a 9 by 9 glass pan. Layer two sheets of Bertoli no-boil lasagna. Top with 1/4 filling and 1/2 c. sauce. Repeat 3 times. Top final sheets of lasagna with sauce and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 50 minutes.

Overall, the challenge was a success, especially since E had no idea we were eating lamb half the time. Everything was delicious, everything was health conscious, and it's all gone. I don't think I'll be buying lamb for quite a while though!

Easter for Agnostics

Easter weekend is not usually one I consider to be all that exciting, as far as the holidays go. We don't go to church any more, haven't for years; I'm now realizing J.C. never even appeared in our conversations. Ah, the loss of faith. Alas, since there are also no presents to buy, it's really only about the food for us. I'm happy as long as I get at least one Cadbury egg. This year Easter weekend happened to be one full of nice surprises, however, including...

Free Tickets to Tigers Opening Day: E has never been one for surprises or having exceptional luck, but things are looking up for him in both categories. Not only did he score us Cubs tickets for Jessica's visit to Chicago (more on that at a later date!), but he also nabbed tickets to opening day at Comerica Park. Now, as you all now, we are not Tigers fans, but we never say no to a ball game. A ball game on Good Friday that marks the start of the season? Even better. We plunged headfirst into the dirty D with some friends after several mimosas and were met by riotous drunkenness and snaking lines. Sweet. We ended up at the Fillmore, if only because it had the shortest line. The placed was mobbed and the crowd control was so frightening that the security guards closed the restrooms. Apparently they thought forcing drunk people to hold their pee would make them go party elsewhere. It worked for us. Note to Self - next year, arrive before 9:00 AM if you wish to get into a decent bar without bribery, personal injury or criminal behavior. Overall, I figure being psyched for Opening Day in Detroit only really makes sense if you like Detroit.

Then there was WhirlyBall: Two of our friends had birthdays this past week, and they celebrated after the game with a party marked by sake bombs, confetti cupcakes, and yes, drunken WhirlyBall. Having never even heard of this before, E and I weren't quite sure what we were in for. It's basically like lacrosse and basketball blended and played in bumper cars in a venue that allows alcohol and smells like a bowling alley. Oh, how I love a bowling alley! If you're going to play here in Ann Arbor, get ready for awesome 80's era neon carpet, classic video game machines, a diesel jukebox and some painful hip bruising. It reminded me of our curling expedition, in that we were clueless and left with a mark. It certainly takes a little practice if you want to get good at it, but otherwise, twirling around in a bumper car after many beers is just as entertaining if you aren't all that competitive.

Last but not least comes food: My parents decided to make the drive out to A2 for Easter, so it was really nice that we didn't have to spend the holiday alone! It was our typical affair, which means the food was slammin', the guys fell asleep, and the dogs were under everyone's feet. Not all that exciting on the blog-front, but the new recipes are certainly worth sharing. Dessert was an experiment inspired by one from a Martha recipe. It turned out so well I may have to make it every year. The Ricotta Rice Pie is sort of a mix of rice pudding and Italian cheese pie and worth every fattening calorie. We also bought an eight pound leg of lamb since that was the smallest the butcher had, and most of it was marinated and grilled a la Tyler Florence. The enormous bone and the remaining meat became a lamb stock and stew, and we'll be eating it all for weeks. Check it out in the event that you happen to have some giant bones lying around and a few hours to kill. I'm off to spend my week of vacation with my Wii Fit and some Bravo marathons. Nice.

When the luck runs out...

as it surely will, some patience and tact are required. Neither of those make my "Top Ten List" of personal charms. However, I think my mother would be proud of the fact that I have taken the high road in light of several disappointing and also frustrating recent events.

I read lots of blogs: food blogs, fashion blogs, craft blogs, random slices of everyday people's lives blogs, whatever. One thing I have noticed is that some bloggers like to be very revealing. While I enjoy some personal details, going too far is the first way to get me (and I'm sure others) to never read a blogger's posts again. I'm talking about "trashing your boss and mother-in-law while criticizing your sister's parenting skills, fat thighs, and fashion sense" too far. I wonder if these people don't find themselves soon out of a job, or at least in family therapy. Griping to the world about your anger, while it may make you feel temporarily unburdened, will also come back and bite you in the ass. It's reminiscent of that classic video that everyone and their mother emailed around a few years ago. I feel saddened by these posts, and often wonder if the bloggers have no sense of professionalism or really just have no other outlet for their feelings. I, on the other hand, have chosen to deal with my lack of luck as of late with healthier, while not very exciting, alternatives.

Thrift Therapy - I have always been a huge believer in retail therapy. Nothing could lift my spirits better than a trip to Nordstom and a new pair of strappy sandals. However, thanks to my recent loss of real income, my old mantra (Beat the blues! Buy more shoes!) has lost its ring. Now, it's off to Value World with my 50% off coupon. I never knew thrift stores had coupons, but now that I'm broke I'm catching on. Last week, for a grand total of 25 dollars, I bought three scarves, a cardigan, a skirt, a dress, a sweater set, and two slips with the tags still on. All name brands, all in fabulous condition, and all a big surprise to me. While I'm not entirely new to the world of thrifting, I had heard that Ann Arbor was not a great place for it. Too many hip college kids scoring all of the loot before we old people could get to it, that kind of thing. Happily, this was incorrect. I left the store with stuffed bags and a lifted spirit.

Boredom Baking - While baking is something I do often anyway, baking to avoid boredom is one of my favorite things. This is when I try new recipes, play with old ones, or make up my own. It is also the time when I usually create the things that become the stuff of legend, at least in my own mind. Ask anyone at Eric's work about the Irish Car Bomb Brownies and you'll see my point. Today was a pretty simple recipe day, as far as creativity goes, but I'm still pleased with the results. I adapted a Quaker Oats scone recipe to make Cranberry Orange Scones first. They are buttery, flaky, and melt in your mouth, which is really all I want from a scone. I ate two for breakfast, so I have a date with the Wii Fit later. It's also cold and cloudy today, making it a perfect soup day, thus inspiring the Mushroom Barley Soup I made for lunch. I've yet to decide what is on the menu for dinner, but I'm thinking Cuban sandwiches. This has kept me busy for most of the day, so I've had little time for thoughts of murder.

If neither of these strategies appeals to you, you can go out for a run, do some yoga, paint a room, do a pub crawl all afternoon (just make sure you call a cab!) or whatever it takes to keep you from getting so depressed you feel the need to ditch your smarts and vent online. Unless you want to lose your chances of maintaining gainful employment and a happy relationship, bitching in your blog won't get you anywhere. :)

Holiday Goodness: Part Deux

I love never-ending holiday celebrations! Due to our hectic holiday travel schedules, we didn't get to celebrate Christmas with Aimee and Sky until last night. We had made plans for the week before Christmas, but Aimee had a sudden death in the family and had to fly to Florida. We left for Rhode Island when she returned to Michigan. When we were finally in the same state last weekend, a blizzard got in the way of our plans again. It's been ages and their yummy gifts have been waiting patiently in our refrigerator for over a month now. Finally the snow held off long enough for dinner, although it was cold enough here for school's to be closed (25 below zero windchill!).

I spent my day off roasting lemon rosemary chicken and baking cupcakes. I really wanted to test out these silicone cupcake liners that Eric gave me for Christmas. They were in my stocking with a mini frying pan that fries only one egg. Last year my stocking included E6000. You know you are a crafty nerd when Santa brings utility strength adhesives and baking tools. I was really excited about these liners, though, because you don't even need a muffin tin! They can withstand heat up to 500 degrees and are machine washable, so no more wasting paper liners. Sadly, the first test did not go as well as I had hoped. The instructions call for lightly greasing the cups before filling, but I think heavy greasing is probably better. The cake got so stuck that we had to scrape the middle out with our fingers, while Eric flipped his inside out and used his teeth. It could also be a cake issue, since I used the old Betty Crocker Silver White cake recipe from 1950. It's my favorite white cake recipe (so fluffy and light thanks to egg whites!), but it may be too soft of a cake for these liners. I do think these will have lots of fun other uses, though. Giant Jell-o Shots, anyone?
After we stuffed ourselves like gluttons, we moved on to the next and most important part of holidays: getting presents. Aimee and Sky gave what is now officially my favorite gift of the season (Don't tell Eric. We went to Ruth's Chris for our gift this year, so it doesn't really count :P). Anyway, I got lots of Lush! I adore good bath products, but all-natural, socially conscious bath products? Can it get any better than that? These gals know me too well. There was more than what is pictured above, but the Massage Bar is already in my shower. It is heavenly, by the way. The Charity Box (now sadly out of stock) is a gift set of fabulous fair trade, natural products wrapped in 100% recycled or recyclable packaging, and 100% of the cost goes to charity. My gift helped out Odd Squad Productions, check 'em out! The packaging even goes so far as to tell you who made your products, along with a happy Lush employee mug. So Thank You, Nic and Susan, thank you (and thanks again to Aimee and Sky!). Your smiling cartoon faces will make me happy every time I shower. I feel nice and soft and I smell much better now. My husband will appreciate your efforts.

Lucky New Year

Happily, I get to start the new year off with a bit of a good news blog. The month of January has kicked itself off on a bright note, which is lovely and also unexpected. I have a history of crappy luck. Besides, the holidays can get crazy when you live away from home, turning what should be an enjoyable visit into a nightmare of buying, eating, driving, cooking, screaming mayhem. Thankfully, Eric and I got to spend two whole weeks back in R.I., so we were able to be lazy and casual about the whole thing. We also spent a good amount of time on D's new Wii Fit. This allowed us to begin the new year feeling optimistic about our selves, our new health goals, and our soon-to-be-renewed, svelte girlish figures.

We returned home to the first lucky gift. Free things! We all know I love free stuff, and it has nothing to do with our crumbling economy. Eric calls me the klepto, due to my habit of walking off with soap and showercaps. He will tell you that I will pocket anything that isn't nailed down, but that is only true if the "anything" is sample sized. So anyway, somehow I won a cookbook, and since cookbooks in all forms make me fabulously happy, I was thrilled. It is Hello, Cupcake!, quite possibly the cutest cookbook ever printed. I spent at least an hour reading it, pouring over the adorable creations I could whip up on a whim, and then realized that any such whipping would destroy our svelte-ness. I quickly hid the book between copies of The South Beach Diet and Biba's Italian Kitchen.

Then I got an email from Babette of Bakespace, letting me know that I won a holiday contest, for which I will receive a bunch of crap from some Christmas movie starring Debra Messing and John Leguizamo. The appearance of the latter means I will probably never sit through that movie. That voice is almost as painful to my ears as Owen Wilson's. Shiver.

The next bit of luck is only half lucky, since I don't yet know how it will pan out. I have been working as a long-term substitute since the beginning of the school year, and the full-time position finally opened up. I've been groveling around the community looking for support and any tiny edge I can get. I don't have much, since I don't know anyone in this town, but lo and behold... I called the mother of one of my students to ask if she would write a recommendation for me. She said, "You called the right woman!" Two school board members go to her church, the Superintendent is her neighbor, and another board member goes to her gym. Sweet. Now I just need to cross my fingers, since the job posting closes today. If the luck holds out, I'll score the job, and we all know what that means... Baby fund! But if my husband asks, it's for the big screen TV.

The Holiday Spiritus

Being a Christmas Eve baby makes holiday spirit almost like a genetic trait for me. I am usually the person making holiday cards in October, and gathering cookie recipes and listening to Christmas carols by mid-November. This year has, sadly, been a bit different. Thanks in part to Eric's hectic business travels and my crazy school life, the holiday spirits have been running a bit, well, low. I didn't pull out my "Christmas with the Rat Pack" CD until a week ago! For shame! We did however, get in a bit of fun, including an Ugly Christmas Sweater party that helped us practice for our annual rowdy game of Catch Phrase at Jessica's. Watch out guys, because Eric is comin' for ya.

I have also found time to make a few batches of cards and some sweets, even if I am not eating any of them myself until Christmas. They are both very easy and quick projects that anyone can do, including kidlets. I also went through a bunch of my cookbooks hunting for new cookie recipes. My aunt basically told me that I have to make the Mascarpone cookies I made last year, but man were they a pain in the ass! Gorgeous and delicious, yes, but soo time consuming! I may have to do them again anyway, but I'm thinking these recipes look very promising:
Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies, reminiscent of the ones Lyndsay makes. She still won't give me her recipe, so this new one will have to do! Cold Tea Gingerbread with Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting which basically sounds like heaven to me, and Holey Moley Dark Mexican Chocolate Dulce de Leche Brownies. In the words of the ridiculous and infamous Zoe, "I die."

Crafty and not so crafty giveaways!

I love giveaways, because free is for me. I enter contests constantly, and never win anything. Well, that is not entirely true, because I accidentally entered and won a book contest a few months ago. I got a copy of a Christian book called Daily Worships in the Name of Christ Our Lord and Savior To Keep You From Burning in Hell. If you know me, you can probably figure out what I did with it. Some of the best giveaways are on crafty blogs and mommy blogs, because I guess, mom's and crafty people like and need free things. I've heard that babies are expensive with all of those diapers and rash creams and such.

Here are some fun ones for you to waste a day off work entering:
Tropical Tree Frog Costume GIVEAWAY!!!!
Free books!
Visit Mommy Bits for free baby stuff and Christmas gifts perhaps?
Free boots at An Island Life
And you can get the same ones here!

After you have filled out all of these entries, get off your lazy behind and GO VOTE!

Hangin' mit zee Germans

So fine, I am a crappy blogger... It's just that occasionally, this thing that I have called a life actually gets hectic and requires my full attention. It's the new job really, which is thrilling since I was so terribly afraid I'd have to return to the old one in September! Honestly, almost any job would have been an improvement over Nameless Academy of Insanity, but the new one is even better than that! No more unprofessional staff, fraudulent business people, or bus drivers who sit you down in meetings to demand that silent reading be stricken from their children's language arts class. I love my new job!

That said, I am incredibly busy with it, but there has still been a wee bit of time for fun times. Eric and I hosted our first tailgate a few weeks ago, when U of M took on Michigan State. We did it right. Eric was up at the golf course setting up at 9 AM, with our backyard grill, an immense pot of chili, and a stuffed car. There was so much food it was a little ridiculous. At least 30 people showed up, and we still had leftovers. The chili was a bit hit by the way, so you should check out the recipe for your next football party! And p.s., that game we simply call "bean bags" back home? Yeah well, they call it "cornhole" in Michigan. Cornhole. For real. Didn't anyone out here watch Beavis and Butthead?

And of course, since I am crazy about dressing up for Halloween, here is another gratuitous costume shot. Eric's lederhosen were actually our wedding gift from his friend Gunther. They arrived months ago, after a lot of emailing, hinting, and confusion. We thought we were getting a case of wine, then the pants showed up on our doorstep. Somehow, they fit Eric like a glove. I suspect late night drinking and secret measuring may have occurred. I knew right away they'd have to make a public appearance, and our Halloween costumes were born: Dieter und Katja Julia Stefi von Dukenstein. His name was chosen because he bought me a stein with "Dieter" painted on it as a joke one year, and he could use it to accessorize. My name comes from the fact that 90% of the German girls we know are named Katja, Julia, or Stefi. Eric bought me the dyrndl when he was on a business trip last month, so we were 100& authentic. This is the first costume I have ever worn that didn't require any crafting at all, but I'm ok with it since it was not pre-fab and in a plastic sleeve! Eric's hat came from Target and his scarf is mine, but the rest is all bought in Germany, even the mini stein he has on his belt. We planned on using them for shots of Jager, but then we remembered I don't do shots of Jager. We still partied hard enough to make our namesakes proud, arriving home at 3 AM with Eric's favorite thing besides bacon, free Taco Bell. Mmm...

Finally!

Just a quickie update to note that our photos from the professional photographer are finally here! I was praying they'd come in so that I could have our album finished before the new school year began, but alas. You can check my favorites out here if you are so inclined. I'm very happy with them, but wondering what happened to some of the photos I know were taken. What about the shots on my Grandmother's steps and pinning on her corsage? And all of the photos of our friends on the balcony lighting sparklers? Hmm... I may have to make a phone call. In the meantime I will just laugh at these:

Meet the Mrs.

Yep. It's official. I am now a Mrs. Of course that had noting to do with the ring exchange, vow renewal, or the big party, but the fact that my dear friend Jessica (far right) was finally there to witness it. You see, she swore my marriage was a fraud until she could see it with her own eyes. Happy now, Jess?

All jokes aside, I can't actually believe it! All of the work and planning that went into the party was so worth it! Everyone had a fantastic time, and we got so many compliments on the little things. Of course, those are the things I worked hardest on, so I was thrilled that they were actually appreciated by our guests. Here are some of our favorite things that made the evening really special for everyone:

Frozen Del's Lemonade. We served virgin and alcoholic versions as our signature drinks with a little slice of lemon. They were a huge hit! Of course these are a R.I. tradition, but no one serves it at a wedding because we drink it all of the time at home. Being far away made me crave it, though! Plus they fit the color scheme, and matched the cake flavor, 'cause we're good like that.

Mini African Violets. The favors were another favorite! Did you know violets are Rhode Island's state flower? I had actually forgotten that trivia bit until I was hunting unsuccessfully for a supplier online. It made them even more fitting for our party, and they played double duty as centerpieces. I just hope some of them survived!

The Sweets. Monica at Ferns and Flowers is the best. I handed her a photo of a monstrosity of a cake from a magazine, and she made me a smaller, more homemade version for a fantastic price. It was beautiful and everyone devoured it. So often wedding cake looks lovely, but is dry and tasteless, but not hers! It was amazing, and I recommend F&F highly! The cookies my mother and I made were also worth all of the extra time. They pretty much disappeared!

The music. I sent emails to most of the people on our guest list asking for their Top 5 Must Have Wedding Songs. As was to be expected, I got tons of responses asking for every lame line dance known to man. Those were rapidly deleted. Sorry people! What we did get was a great mix of some fun ideas, and we sent them all on to my friend Peter, who offered to be our DJ for a steal. We also chose a huge mix of songs for the cocktail/dinner hour that reflected a summery feel, everything from Jack Johnson to Seals and Croft to Stevie Wonder. We were announced to "Signed, Sealed, Delivered" which seemed apropos considering we've been married a year and a half. For anyone looking for wedding songs that are not disgustingly cliche, feel free to borrow ours:

Matron of Honor Processional : "Here Comes the Sun" Instrumental by Fred Benedetti and Peter Pupping
Bride's Processional: "And I Love Her" The Beatles
Recessional: "You're My Best Friend" Queen
First Dance: "The Way I Am" Ingrid Michaelson
Cake Cutting: "Icecream" Sarah McLachlan

Let it be known that I did cave after several drinks and allow the Cha Cha Slide to be stricken from the No Play List. However, it was a tremendous disaster, as only three or four people knew it. The rest of us staggered around the dance floor like idiots while complaining loudly that the dance was moronic and too confusing. Actually, that may have just been me.

All in all, I'm sad it's over! I can't wait to get the photos back, all of which I will be linking here. Right now there are only a few teaser photos, stolen mostly from Jessica and Libby! Afterwards, E and I spent an amazing week at a little beach house at Sand Hill Cove, complete with visits from friends and family and perfect beach weather, got to Fenway to watch the Sox kick some butt, and basically relaxed. It was the best vacation ever. I just don't know what I'll do with all of my free time now! Anyone want help planning a wedding?

It's Crunch Time!

Or How to Not Have a Breakdown When Your Wedding Day is Rapidly Approaching

Wow, I can't even believe that we have almost two weeks left until the big day! Luckily for me, yesterday was the last day of school, so I have lots of free time on my hands. It's a good thing, too, since I still have quite a few things to get done! Most of it will need to wait until the week before when I arrive in RI (can't wait!) since I can't exactly ship ten handmade cupcake stands. Being busy should keep me from getting too stressed out. Plus, we're already married, so it's not like we can get cold feet!

Instead of worrying about the people who have yet to RSVP, the random family dramas, or the possibility of thunderstorms, I've been:

Whipping up test cookies. My mother and I are making four kinds of cookies to serve as dessert along with the cake, so I've been trying out new recipes. In addition to a family favorite, we'll be making:
White Chocolate Cherry Shortbread



Outrageous Chocolate Cookies



Coconut Macaroons


Making the boutonnières. Actually, these were very simple, and didn't take me longer than an hour once I settled on a design. I've posted a tutorial here if you want to try your own! Plus, most of the materials were in my stash. The only new things I had to buy were the florals, and they only cost me a few dollars. I love cute and cheap!

Finishing the dress! Actually the first dress has been finished for a while now. And no, I'm not going to show it to you. I did however have to wait for the second dress to come in, which finally happened this past week. Second dress, you say? Since my gown is long and doesn't bustle, I'm terrified that someone is going to step on my train and tear it off. The dress means a little too much to me for me to allow its destruction! This is where the second dress, or the "dancing all night/going away" dress comes in. I bought something short, but equally amazing (yes Ralphy, it's amazing!) for the evening. And no I'm not going to show it to you.

Making playlists, photo lists, lists of lists. I'm a list maker. Lists make me happy. You won't be surprised to know that I have sent a list of songs to the DJ, a list of must have photos to the photographer, made my cookie shopping list, crafts-still-to-do list, stuff-still-to-buy list, stuff-to-pack list, and so on. I don't want to forget anything!

I think the best thing to do to avoid pre-wedding breakdowns is to be organized and to be ready for curveballs. Considering our luck, I wouldn't be at all surprised if a drunk cousin falls into the cake, or if the gazebo gets hit by lightening. I'll just have to breathe and tell myself it will make for some awesome photos. And breathe some more. "Just keep swimming, just keep swimming..."

Random Photo Fun

As I'm a tad hungover and Eric is still sleeping, I need to pass my time this early AM with mindless flickr fun. I found this on Girl Land's blog and thought it would be fun to try out, so here we go!

The Questions

1. What is your first name? Joanna
2. What is your favorite food? Mom's spaghetti and meatballs
3. What high school did you go to? Pilgrim
4. What is your favorite color? Turquoise
5. Who is your celebrity crush? Jude Law
6. Favorite drink? Frozen lemonade
7. Dream vacation? Fiji
8. Favorite dessert? Chocolate Cake
9. What you want to be when you grow up? An astronaut
10. What do you love most in life? Family
11. One word to describe you. Excited!
12. Your flickr name. jmgallo

The Concept

a. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.
b. Using only the first page, pick an image.
c. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into fd’s mosaic maker.

Here's what I ended up with:


This is interesting because the top left photo (my only result from the "jmgallo" search) is a photo of my friend Sarah in a dress she made which I now own and adore. My search for "turquoise" turned up a photo by Judy Scott, an artist whom I quietly worship, and the "chocolate cake" search found a photo from Christine who is in the same recipe share group as moi. Hmm. So try it, it's kind of fun.

The Windy City

Shop (and walk) 'til you drop or What to do in Chicago in the summer

Ok, ok, so I've been laaaazy lately! Somehow in the craziness of spring, I've neglected to post for two entire months! It's been so busy here with traveling home for my best friend's wedding, working on wedding planning, and finishing up the school year that I've been completely distracted. Jenny's wedding was gorgeous (how could it not be when you are on the beach in Newport?), and the most fun I've had in a long time! It was so fantastic to be home spending time with my friends! Just one more wedding to go... Luckily, things are really coming together in that department and I only have one more week of school!


In the meantime, I'll post some photos of our long weekend in the Chicago area, visiting my parents. Chicago is just about my favorite place to visit in the United States, so here are some of my highlights for Chi-town in the summer:

- Visit all of the usual Chicago landmarks: The Bean, the Botanical Gardens, Millennium Park(especially the amphitheater and the Crown Fountain), the John Hancock, and the Skydeck. Oh, and the Magnificant Mile (or anywhere really!) for some shopping. You can't visit this city without doing at least a little shopping, even if the sun is shining down on you. Take a break from your walking tour and retire to the AC at Nordstrom, you'll feel recharged :)

- Check out the Navy Pier. Just don't plan on spending lots of time there. It's very commercial and plastered with corporate logos, but it's classic. Spend the six bucks to ride the ferris wheel because the view is beautiful, grab a beer, walk the length of the boardwalk for people watching, and you'll be done with it. Or at least we were!

- Food. Period. Every time we visit Chicago we eat like kings. This time we went for lunch at my parents' favorite pizza place Pizano's and later went for French at Brasserie JO. I recommend both highly! If you want dessert after dinner, just skip the Godiva next store. Although the ice cream is delicious, it is not worth the 45 minute wait (yes, 45 minutes for a cone!) and the service is embarrassingly bad. I think they hand out free chocolate at the door so your mouth is too full to complain. Have pastries at the restaurant instead!

- Festivities Galore! If you plan accordingly, you can hit any of the huge summer events. We happened upon symphony practice for the Memorial Day concert at the ampitheater, but had to catch a train before the real event! I'm also bummed that we won't be able to get out there for the Taste of Chicago, which is supposed to be fab, but you know, I'm getting married that weekend.