Author Archives: Lucky Rhino

October Surprises

This has been a cooking marathon. Contests, a bake sale for charity, Halloween 1, 2 and 3. I’m exhausted. What’s that? I need to start planning Thanksgiving. After I nap.

First, Soup-A-Palooza. A refined competition between members of the Legal Department where each day, for THREE WEEKS, a person brings in a homemade soup for everyone to eat. And then we select a tribute for each soup and have them fight to the death. Well not exactly, we vote. My soup tied in my week. I will leave you in suspense as to whether I accept the results of the upcoming tie-breaking election.

I made Smitten Kitchen’s Cream of Tomato Soup. The only thing I did differently is reduced brandy to 1 TBSP and used vegetable stock to make it vegetarian. Honestly, I’ve done it both ways and it was better with the vegetable stock. Also, to make enough for the whole department, I had to make four batches. I don’t need no stinkin’ batches (name the movie).

On the side were cheesy croutons and basil. Just toss bread cubes with olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic powder and bake at 375 until crispy (about 10-15 minutes) and then finely grate some white cheddar and gruyere cheese over the warm croutons.

Then we had the first Halloween outing for Al’s 8th birthday. Here’s the crew

I made S’mores Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars from How Sweet Eats and Pumpkin Bread in the Williams & Sonoma Fall Cakelet Pan.

Click the How Sweet Eats link for the s’mores cookies, but here’s my super secret pumpkin bread recipe. Ready?

Yep. I’ve roasted and pureed and seasoned pumpkin to make bread. To which I get “yuck”. But Trader Joe’s mix – beloved. See, even I give up sometimes.

Next up was the charity bake sale at work for Bright Pink. Made more pumpkin bread and these Browniest Cookies from Smitten Kitchen.

We raised $2,700 for breast cancer research. Here’s the spread. This Legal department can bake!

Next up was Halloween 2 – Pizza Night (you thought I was going to say “the return of Michael Myers”. Nope, just pizza night).

Lt. Dan was a creepy clown before creepy clowns were cool.

The Mother of Dragons stopped by as well as cats and sports fans.

And Ron Swanson.

The quote on the cup is “You have accidentally given me the food my food eats”, one of our favorites. No disrespect Salad! The gang was ready for some drinks and spooky treats from Mbork.

And Jen from Pastries So Tasty made these awesome cakes.

I made this smoked salmon terrine.

Smoked Salmon Terrine
inspired by this recipe from Bon Appetit

WHAT YOU NEED
8 oz nova lox
6 oz cream cheese
4 oz goat cheese
2 tsp lemon zest
1 TBSP horseradish
2 radishes finely minced
1/2 cup finely minced red onion
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill

WHAT YOU DO
Line a six inch diameter ramekin (or any other flat sided dish or cake mold) with plastic wrap bringing it up the sides. Blend the cream cheese, goat cheese, lemon zest and horeseradish with a hand mixer until smooth. In another bowl mix the onions and radishes. Flake the lox with a fork and make an even layer on the bottom of the ramekin, covering it completely using about a third of the salmon. Dollop half of the cream cheese mixture and spread it gently but evenly (an offset spatula works well here). Sprinkle half the onion/radish mixture on top, pressing gently on them so they stick. Repeat the layers but then end with a salmon layer. Cover with plastic wrap and press down gently on the whole thing. Chill for at least an hour. Serve by taking the plastic off the top and inverting on to a scary skeleton platter, then carefully peel the plastic off. Top with the fresh dill. Serve with bagel chips and party rye.

And then finally on to actual Halloween. Where we never got a picture of the boys together because Guitar Boy had stage crew until 5 and then went trick or treating with his friends. So please enjoy this picture of Drummer Boy as Bigfoot with his friend as…well, you be the judge.

Oh, and one more thing.

CUBS WIN CUBS WIN CUBS WIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If you haven’t seen it, go watch this Budweiser commercial. Grab a tissue before you do.

Working on practice Thanksgiving tomorrow. Didn’t everyone spend their Friday night dehydrating Craisins? Yes, I do know how cool I am.

Have a great weekend everyone.

It’s Beginning to Look a lot Like Autumn

My sister made fun of me because I bought this cute little mustard mug at Cost Plus World Market last weekend

Then decorated for fall with Skunk the Cat (#nothelpful).

and then arranged a whole Oktoberfest dinner around the mustard. Is that so wrong?

Mostly, I just wanted fall to begin and by using my condiment talisman, I was successful. So successful, in fact, that it was 44 degrees at Drummer Boy’s soccer game Friday night. Let me know if anyone needs any spells cast. Because I’m on it. And, speaking of witches, HALLOWEEEEEEEN time!

So what’s new this year?

Lots more skeletons in the yard.

This guy!

Not new but still fun for cats to bite the tails

Accidentally went to TJ Maxx/Homegoods and came home with this skull

and his friend (helpful cat for scale).

Did I mention Skunk the Cat sleeps in a shark head now. Yep. But only if it’s on a pillow. He’s got cable in there, but I didn’t get him HBO. That’s where I draw the line. #notspoiled

Oh and some fun swirling ghost lights, but they are really hard to get a picture of what with all their haunting. So if you are in the neighborhood, swing by and take a look.

But what to make, now that we can turn on the oven again?

I have always wanted to try to make Momofuku’s Compost Cookie because I see it referenced so many places on the internet. However, the recipes posted are vastly different. The most common one calls for using a 6 ounce scoop to form the dough. That is almost a cup of dough per cookie! Seems a bit much. So I kind of borrowed from this recipe from Amateur Gourmet and this one posted by the original chef. The point is to use up whatever you have a little bit of, balancing the sweet and the savory.

The Momofuku Milk Bar Compost Cookie

WHAT YOU NEED
1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1 TBSP corn syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp Kosher salt (note: Adjust if your savory ingredients are extra salty)
1 1/2 cups total mini chocolate chips and crushed KitKats
1 1/2 cups total your favorite salty snack. I used potato chips, pretzels (crushed with my hands so there were still large lumps of pretzels) and Rice Krispies.

WHAT YOU DO
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Combine the butter, sugars, and corn syrup in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment and cream together on medium-high for 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the egg and vanilla, and beat for 10 minutes. I’m serious, don’t skip this, let it go 10 minutes. It will get all puffy.

Reduce the speed to really low and add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix just until the dough comes together, no longer than 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Pour in the sweet items and mix on low just until broken up a little and combined. Then add your salty ingredients and mix by hand until incorporated.

Now here’s where some experimenting comes in. Some recipes said to chill as scoops, some said press down lightly. Some said freeze, some said refrigerate. I did both. The scoops (as pictures below left) didn’t cook in the middle. And the pan you cook it on also needs to be cold. And the first batch burnt on the bottom (I say burnt, Fake Sister’s dad says they are just crispy – so that batch goes to him!)

Here’s what I did: Heat oven to 375 degrees. Using an ice cream scoop, portion the dough onto a parchment-lined sheet pan. Flatten the scoops into a disc like the one on the right.

Cover tightly with plastic and put in freezer for 30 minutes. Remove and put in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or up to a week. You have to cook these from cold or they dissolve.

Arrange the chilled dough a minimum of 4 inches apart on parchment or silicone baking mat-lined sheet pan. To prevent burning bottoms, I put one sheet pan on top of another. Bake for 15 minutes turning the pan at the middle mark. The cookies will spread a lot. You want them browned on the edges but looking almost not done (but yet done). You can add a minute or two if not done. Cool completely on the pan.

And voila! Ginormous sweet/salty cookies.

I made this Autumn Bliss Salad with Stuffing Croutons from A Beautiful Mess. The only thing I did differently is that instead of cooking the celery I put it in the salad crispy and cold, but added 1/8 of a teaspoon of celery salt to the crouton mixture. You could seriously serve these croutons as a snack and no one would judge you. Certainly not me!

I also added two squirts of honey to the dressing. I would suggest dressing the lettuce before adding pumpkins seeds and cranberries, otherwise they sink to the bottom when you toss.

I’m thinking maybe next up some apple loaves are in order. And in honor of the fall weather we’re having Soup-a-palooza at work, so this coming weekend I need to make two gallons of creamy tomato soup. You say prizes, I say how many gallons you need?? More on that later.

Over the weekend we made a mandatory pumpkin farm visit.

But didn’t get any big pumpkins because (a) last year they all rotted almost instantly, with a black moss type thing growing in them, so those strobe lights in there were sacrificed to the Pumpkin King and (2) they were out of wagons to carry them. Grocery store pumpkins it is!

There will be both a costume October birthday party and a costume pizza night coming up, along with actual Halloween. So don’t think this is the end, because the Halloween storage bins, they are CALLING FROM INSIDE THE HOUSE!!!!!!

Have a great rest of the week everyone.

A Very Tardy End of Summer Post – In Poetic Verse

Editor’s Note: It’s better if you sing it to the tune of Gilligan’s Island.

We went on vacation to Michigan City
With a quick stop in Grand Beach
We drove home for bit, 12 hours to be exact,
Then South Bend we did reach
Then South Bend we did reach.

We came back home and went to camp
Practiced instruments for a singing señora
Because with sBork now joining the band
We rocked out in Aurora
We rocked out in Aurora.

Then me and mBork made a feast
for the post-show rock and roll crowd
With so many families here at once,
The children were really loud,
The children were really loud.

And next thing you know the Second Set
Was turning ten years old,
With Drummer Boy
and Miss M too
the Big C and his smile
A movie star
Baby D and a Nemo hood
Here on Lucky Rhino!

Vacation

Sweet house we rented:

Sweet kids we took:

Sweet drumsticks I made:

I made these Honey Teriyaki Drumsticks from Skinnytaste. Doubled the recipe, didn’t use sesame seeds (Drummer Boy has a bad reaction – and you never know when he might actually enjoy the food I cook!). These got thumbs up all around from those who do eat food. Served with white rice with extra sauce spooned over. Yum!

Since it was vacation, it begged for dessert. Begged, wouldn’t shut up about it. So if you are going to do dessert, go big, go YUGE, go Pioneer Woman’s Easy Peach Dumplings. Turn this

Into this:

You feel like a horrible person while making these. So much butter! Soda! Processed dough! Trust me, you get over it when they are done and topped with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. FYI – I used one of the tiny cans of Sprite you can buy at Target. 6 oz. maybe, but not a regular size one.

Unfortunately we had to go to South Bend for Kevin’s dad’s memorial service. There are lots of places on the internet to read about how great Bill Guilfoile was, but here is one from Kevin.

Even though the circumstances were sad, the cousins enjoyed getting together. It’s probably been about 4 years since we’ve all been in one place. So logically, we played a card game (Mafia) where people had to gang up on each other and accuse each other of crimes. Natch.

The Big Show

The boys and sBork did a great show for School of Rock. They represented the Austin City Limits festival with B-52s, Weezer and Billy Idol.

So we has a Aprés Rock Show get together for those who came to the show. With an Asian themed dinner party. Just like all the hep bands do.

I made this Asian Chopped Salad also from Skinnytaste. It’s a great salad, colorful and crunchy.

And mBork made these Dragon Noodles which were ah.maze.ing.

She also made Asian Marinated flank steak and I did a basic grilled chicken with an lightly spiced brine.

Grilled Chicken with Asian Brine
Heat 8 cups water with 8 TBSP salt and 4 TBSP sugar, 1/2 tsp ground ginger and 3 splashes of low sodium soy sauce. Heat only until salt and sugar dissolved. Once cool, place chicken parts (we used boneless breasts) in bag or covered bowl with brine to cover and put back in the refrigerator. Boneless – brine up to 6 hours before, bone-in could probably stay in longer. Take out, dry off and grill as you normally would. Discard the brine.

The Big 1-0

The Second Set are all turning 10 within sixteen days in August/September so we had the family party.

I made Olympic themed goody boxes with my Avery template that I’m always going on about. Filled them with Cheetos, pretzels, red/white/blue Hershey’s kisses – you know, the snacks of champions.

I was in charge of salads so I made a Zippy Orzo Summer Salad from Pinch of Yum. Spinach, fresh corn, garlic, cucumbers. A bowl of summer. The only thing I did differently was I did not add chicken and I sautéed the baby spinach with the corn and garlic.

Also made this Nancy’s Chopped Salad from Smitten Kitchen. Didn’t use chickpeas because although I like them pureed (hummus) or fried crunchy (Vistro restaurant in Hinsdale, check it out), I don’t like them whole. Go figure.

And then we had a majority of the Expensive People* over for Pizza Night (*so named because the first time we went out over 16 years ago, it got a leeeeetle out of hand food and drink-wise at the restaurant).

And now it’s back to school.

Back to the daily grind, the piles of homework, soccer practice and certainly cut down on the parties. Well, until the next Pizza Night!

Have a great week everyone!

Warm Weather Appetizers But Not Hot Weather, Because Gross

Our neighbors (with babies** – yay!) invited everyone down for a last minute “just because” appetizer and dessert party. I took stock of what was in the fridge and took my cookbook collection to tell me what to make.

Can’t go wrong with Ina Garten at the Barefoot Contessa. You can assume that because as you can see on the right, I have 6 of her books. But they have literally never failed me. (P.S I’m lying about this collection – there is another set of shelves full of cookbooks. And two binders worth of ripped out magazine recipes. OK..four binders. OK.. four binders sorted by meal course and color coded. Sigh.)

I went with her Roasted Shrimp Cocktail. However, I took the suggestion of “Robert Y” in the comments on the same recipe at the Food Network site and brined the shrimp, tossed in olive oil and Old Bay seasoning and preheated the pans so the undersides cooked without having to flip a bunch of shrimp – genius!. Turned out great. In fact, I’d urge you to make this sauce instead of picking up a jar the next time you need a seafood sauce. It is easy-peasy and the taste if soooooo much better than jarred.

But I had cherries and nothing in my bajillion books was inspiring me. To the internet!! I decided on a sweet/savory Cherry Crostini two ways. I adapted it from Bon Appetit’s Savory Cherry Crostini recipe and Heather Christo’s Roasted Cherry Crostini.

Cherry Crostini

WHAT YOU NEED
2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
3 cups pitted, halved cherries (I used Yellow Rainer)
1/4 tsp dried thyme leaves
pinch of salt and pepper
pinch of sugar
log of goat cheese
best ricotta you can find
balsamic glaze (I used this one from Trader Joe’s)
extra thyme leaves
sea salt
skinny baguette, sliced and toasted

WHAT YOU DO
Heat the olive oil in a saute or frying pan over medium heat. Once hot, add the cherries, thyme, sugar, salt and pepper. Saute until soft and just beginning to brown (3-5 minutes) but not completely mush, you want them to look like cherries. Remove from heat and cool. I actually put it in the refrigerator for use later.

When ready to go to, spread some of either the goat cheese or the ricotta on the toasted baguette slices. Top the goat cheese one with a spoonful of cherry mixture, a sprinkle of additional thyme leaves and pinch of sea salt. Top the ricotta one with the cherry mixture and drizzle just the tiniest bit of balsamic glaze over top.

**By the way, to me babies = anyone still talking in a tiny voice. So thanks for the party, guys!

Have a lovely week everyone.

Turns Out They Don’t Make Candles That Say 103

So my grandmother turned 103 this month. Passed her drivers test. Still lives in her condo. Still likes to go to parties. Still needs help with the iPad. Still better dressed than me.

So we had a 103rd birthday party. Which required (yes, required) commemorative menu cards.

Made easier with the Avery template design tool. I also used it to make the cake topper signs.

So, let’s get this party started with a cocktail. An Orange Crush Cocktail from Kitchen Konfidence to be precise.

In an official Pittsburgh Pirates Old Fashioned glass. It’s the right thing to do.

The only thing I changed was to double the orange juice and add sliced oranges. I used the suggested Olmeca Altos Tequila and though I’m not usually down with the brown liquor, it was very good. Those with more discriminating palates than mine thought it was good neat as well.

As you can read from the menu card, we had roasted beef tenderloin which I discuss in this post. Though I didn’t use the garlic, just rubbed with olive oil and cracked pepper before putting it in the oven and made a herb sauce. We also had Waldorf Salad Cups where I used the recipe for the salad, but then used whole butter lettuce leaves and spooned some salad onto each leaf. People were hungry so we ravaged and thus, I forgot to take a picture. Oh, well, just imagine it looked delicious.

Made this Jeweled Tabbouleh side salad.

Jeweled Grain Tabbouleh
Adapted just barely from A View From Great Island

WHAT YOU NEED
4 cups cooked grains. I’ve used quinoa (keeps the dish gluten free) and freekeh (the picture is freekeh). The original recipe called for 2 cups each cracked wheat and wheat berries.
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
1 large bunch minced fresh parsley, stems removed
1 small bunch of fresh mint leaves, finely chopped (I used half of one of those grocery store plastic containers)
1/2 English cucumber, finely diced
1/2 medium red onion, finely diced
1/2 cup raw pistachios, rough chopped
1/2 cup dried apricots, finely diced
1/4 cup slivered almonds
1/4 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup Craisins or dried cherries

WHAT YOU DO
Mix the dressing by shaking the olive oil, lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and cracked black pepper to taste in a jar. Pour it over the grains and toss to combine. Mix in the the minced parsley, mint, cucumber, and red onion. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour. Mix in the nuts and fruit just before serving.

And cake from Kirschbaums, because that’s how we roll in the Wes’ Subs.

A little help from some of the great grandchildren.

Baby D recommends the frosting as a side dish. And a way to power through no-nap all the way until 9 p.m.

But the true frosting on the cake was GG’s grandchildren and great grandchildren teaching her to use Snapchat. This is her skeptical reaction to seeing this essential piece of technology:

But then she got more comfortable breathing fire.

But perhaps most disturbing was the face swap with P.

But, in the end, everyone was satisfied.

Very satisfied.

Have a great week everyone.

And, it’s Summer.

So, the last couple of months were a blur. Grab a beverage of your choice and let’s catch up.

So, as promised lo’ those many months ago, the photo from the TV Trivia Night school fundraiser. Our table’s theme was Saturday Night Live and I think we can all agree, we brought it!

Including the wine labels made just for the occasion.

Made this dish about four Sundays ago. It’s Smitten Kitchen’s Sheet Pan Chicken Tikka and it couldn’t be easier. I highly recommend it if you are looking for a dish with minimal oversight and mess.

The only thing I did differently is subbed carrots for cauliflower. Because cauliflower is one of the few vegetables I just can’t stand. Yeah, that’s right all you “but you haven’t tried cauliflower pizza crust yet – then you’ll love it” people. No, I won’t love it because I’ll pass out from the smell of grinding it into a “dough”. So just leave it alone. We’re done here.

I’m in a big tumeric phase. It’s a great, natural anti-inflammatory and since I had pneumonia a couple of weeks ago (yep, why catch any old cold when you fly. Go big, I always say!!!) I’ve also been making this tumeric “tea”. Very soothing.

Tumeric Tea

Combine 1/8 tsp ground ginger, 1/4 tsp tumeric, 1 TBSP honey, juice of 1/2 a large lemon (or to taste) and 6 oz. boiling water. Stir to dissolve everything. And when you are home by yourself, no one argues with you about who got the Yoda mug “last”.

We had another successful School of Rock show – Aerosmith. With a special appearance by a Duxbury Cousin.

Drummer Boy’s tattoos still haven’t worn off. Should I be concerned about what those are made of?!

So within two months it went from cold and rainy, one day of 60 degrees (aka, Spring) and now it is summer. And not just any summer, last day of elementary school for Guitar Boy. Off to junior high next year *this computer got something in my eyes again*

But the last day of school was followed quickly with the hallowed tradition of Pet Parade! We’ve been making Drummer Boy and Singer Girl take the same picture every year since they were babies.

They have been getting only marginally more tolerant of it in the last 9 years.

So what was on deck tonight?

Making the Greek Flank Steak and Hummus Platter from How Sweet It Is. Made it a couple weeks back and liked it so much we’re doing it again.

The only thing I did different is no olives (see also, cauliflower) and I made some homemade Skordalia. It’s delicious thinned out as a dip for naan, as I did, or leave it a thicker mash as a side dish.

Skordalia

WHAT YOU NEED

2 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters
1 tsp kosher salt
6 cloves garlic (I used Trader Joes crushed and frozen)
3/4 cups slivered almonds
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 TBSP Champagne vinegar (you could probably substitute white wine vinegar)
2 TBSP fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup water or reserved potato water
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.

WHAT YOU DO

Place peeled potatoes in a pot and cover with water. Add the teaspoon of salt and bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Simmer about 20-30 minutes or until the potatoes are completely tender. Reserve 1/2 cup of the potato water if you can. Let potatoes cool.

Put almonds, garlic and olive oil in a food processor and process to a paste.

Mix, mash or put potatoes through a ricer (that’s what I did). Add the oil mixture, lemon juice, vinegar and mash. Add water or reserved potato water a little at a time until you get the consistency you like. Mix in salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with grilled naan or pita chips as a dip, or just like mashed potatoes as a side.

And you see that cup in the lead picture. I may have accidentally gone to Tuesday Morning where they had these Napa Style cups. So I then accidentally made a Strawberry Basil Mule.

Strawberry Basil Mule

WHAT YOU NEED (for 2 drinks)

1 cup frozen strawberries
3 oz vodka (I used Tito’s)
Juice of 1 lemon
1 TBSP Agave nectar or simple syrup
6 sliced fresh strawberries
10 oz chilled ginger beer or ginger ale
2 springs basil

WHAT YOU DO

Tear off a leaf of basil and tear the leaf. Run it around the rim of the glasses to release the oil.

In a cocktail shaker, combine the frozen strawberries, a handful of ice cubes, the lemon juice, the agave and vodka. Shake until cold and combined then strain into two glasses. Add fresh strawberries and top with ginger beer. Add the remaining basil sprigs.

And summer vacation begins. As Phineas and Ferb say, the annual problem for our generation, is finding a good way to spend it. Find your best way.

Have a great week everyone.

A Delayed Easter Recap

It’s been a long two weeks. It all started Thursday night (Maundy Thursday – who knew?!) with a work-related ladies poker party. Once we got someone from the Audit Department in there, the rules were official…and then I started to lose. But completely fun nonetheless.

cards

We moved immediately into Good Friday Pizza Night with a visit from Grandma and our Duxbury Guilfoiles.

dux Then onto, of course, The Block’s Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday.

egghuntsign Here they come.

egghunt1

And there they go.

egghunt2 Remember that scene in the movie Parenthood where Rick Moranis’ kid knows French and Steve Martin’s kid is all “he likes to hit things with his head” with a bucket on his head? Yeah, well, welcome to my world.

buckethead Easter was a lot of the same food as seen in past Easter posts.

sign

Hint: Pasta Blanco is just plain butter noodles but thanks to Uncle Tom I learned how to class the joint up a bit. But there was the addition of this Crunchy Spring Salad from The Kitchn.

salad

Super bright and springy. I added thinly sliced carrots too for color. Of course, we busted out some new desserts. Well, there were three planned, and two more showed up. As it shall be. I mean really, there are 30 people, you need at least 5 desserts right?

sign2

If you need something simple, this Chocolate Toffee Trifle from Or So She Says is super easy as you used boxed cake mix and Heath pieces.

dessert Bunny Garden Pudding (bottom right) is just bunny Peeps in Smitten Kitchen’s Best Chocolate Pudding Ever in graham cracker tart shells. Some of the bunnies fainted from the deliciousness.

And lest we forget a new cocktail! Grapefruit Daiquiris from How Sweet It Is are delicious, not too sweet and would be fantastic if the weather here ever warms up (to quote my friend Laura T. with respect to this weather – “Mother Nature, I think you are drunk”).

final1459975419941

Table favors were teeny, tiny succulents from Mountain Crest Gardens in bunnies.

succulent

And my new purple highball (yep, I said highball) glasses from Crate and Barrel.

table1 table3

And then, of course, our own McNamara/Guilfoile/Kuhn Easter Egg Hunt with these fabulous ladies.

mia

alfab

molly Egg won’t fit.

eggdontfit

But D don’t care.

And all the cousins in a selfie taking process (which makes for a better picture when they don’t know we’re watching).

selfie

I don’t mean to bring the post down, but we ended on a sad note Monday when my step-father Jim passed away. What can you say about a guy that has five daughters and marries my mom who has four more?

McGovern wed

Only that he was a strong, strong man who loved us all very much. We will miss you Jim.

And so we don’t end that way, and now this.

And this is picture of me trying to write this blog post tonight with “help”.

help

We’re going to a trivia contest fundraiser this weekend that involves TV related costumes (which was NOT disclosed to me in advance of me writing the check). So you have those pictures to look forward to.

Have a great rest of the week.

Let’s Pretend It Will Last

What unbelievable weather. I guess it took bazillion-mile an hour winds that knocked out power lines yesterday…

…to blow in 60 degrees, sunny, make-me-buy-tulips, kids-wash-the-car weather today.

I know this weather won’t stay around past tomorrow, but for now – to the deck! Let’s grill!

I made Mark Bittman’s Blowout Rib Eye where you start them on the cool side of the grill and then flip them to the hot side. Worked out well.

With the following sauces: Blue Butter, Bourbon Balsamic Syrup, and Tomato Nam Prik (now, now!).

Wasn’t planning on another red meat night so soon, but I must be craving iron. Because last Sunday for Valentine’s Day, I decided the theme would be Steakhouse-Light. OK, I know it’s still steak and potatoes, but keep reading. Lighten up, Francis (name the movie).

Garlic Beef Tenderloin

WHAT YOU NEED
3-4 pound beef tenderloin
2 TBSP kosher salt
2 tsp Italian seasoning (or combo of oregano, basil, parsley)
2 cloves garlic

WHAT YOU DO
Place beef on a metal rack on a cookie sheet. Rub the kosher salt all over the beef and then put it in the refrigerator overnight uncovered. This seems so wrong, but it seriously does make for the juiciest meat.

Take beef out of refrigerator about an hour before cooking to bring to room temperature. Heat oven to 425. Slice garlic really thin (or borrow my tiny garlic mandolin. What?! No, I don’t have too many gadgets thankyouverymuch). With a paring knife, make small slits in the beef and push a slice of garlic into each hole. Rub meat with Italian seasoning. Bake roast on rack until desired degree of doneness, at least 125 degrees for rare. Should take anywhere from 30 minutes to 50 minutes.

By the by, this is my favorite meat thermometer. It makes a huge difference to have an accurate thermometer and this one is super fast and will shut off when you close it or after it is idle a few seconds. There I go, talking gadgets again.

What is beef without a Wedge Salad with Parmesan Ranch from The Pioneer Woman.

It’s actually supposed to be parmesan peppercorn ranch, but I don’t really like black pepper in large quantities. That’s right, I said it and I’m not sorry. Sticking with the steakhouse-light theme, in the dressing I used lower fat mayonnaise and greek yogurt instead of sour cream.

I made Ina Garten’s Baked Potato Wedges – baked, so no frites in sight. The food theme crescendos into Michelle Obama’s No Cream Creamed Spinach. Aaaaand..scene.

But wait, you know how sometimes in a movie there’s that scene after the credits roll? LIke Ferris Bueller telling you to leave, or the Avengers eating shawarma in a diner or Howard the Duck after Guardians of the Galaxy, or, oh…,sorry #Nerdfoiles. ANYWAY, after Steakhouse-Lite came this end of credits, decidedly non-light, moment.

This is a very easy, throw together ice cream cake. Drummer Boy helped make it. Soften three flavors of ice cream you like just a little, you don’t want it soupy. Take a frozen pound cake (like Sara Lee) and slice it horizontally into three even slices. Put plastic wrap in the foil pan it came in with the sides overhanging (so you can lift it out later). Put the first slice in and spread the first ice cream on it, top with next slice and so on. End with the last ice-cream on top. Cover in Magic Shell and sprinkle on whatever candy you like. We used crushed Valentine’s Day M&Ms. Cover the whole thing in plastic wrap and freeze.

Lest you think we were Valentine’s Day gluttons with all this food, it was dinner for 10 people. Only 6 that ate anything besides buttered noodles and apples, but enough people to justify the ice cream cake!

Oh well, tomorrow we’ll be back to the cold weather. But for tonight, a window stays open a bit longer.

The Night is Dark and Full of Appetizers

If I have to wear football gear, you can be sure I’m gonna nerd it up, Game of Thrones style.

For today’s festivities, I supported the Broncos because their colors are the same as the Bears. And I have orange shoes already, so…allegiance formed!

Most of the people I follow on Instagram are food bloggers and you can tell everyone was getting ready for the Super Bowl yesterday because there were hardly any posts all day. And this morning – BAM – wings, dips, treats galore. Here’s what I chose to make:

Things We Dipped in Chocolate. Recipe: Melt chocolate, dip various things in it.

But, BUT, you need to make these Potato Chip Cookies from Smitten Kitchen first.

They are delicious, lightly sweet and salty. The only thing I did different was that I omitted the added salt (because I used Ruffles not Cape Cod chips) and I used another 1/2 cup of crushed potato chips in lieu of pecans. Because Drummer Boy helped and if he saw the nuts go in he never would even try them. He’s not a guy who likes sweets, so he immediately asked for…

Chex Mix for dessert. I just use the back of the box recipe except that I add an extra two tablespoons butter. And this time we didn’t use wheat Chex because they just burn, everyone leaves them behind anyway in a puddle of sadness. So we doubled the Cheerios and pretzels. But if you could find good gluten free pretzels, without the wheat Chex it would be gluten free.

On the healthier-ish side, we have this Greek Spinach and Kale Dip from How Sweet It Is. Made it the day before so flavors could meld. I reduced the kale to 1/2 cup because it was looking uncomfortably green.

And finally, Pepperoni Pizza Rolls from Two Peas and Their Pod. Dough and I have a complicated relationship (in that Dough hates me) so I just used Pillsbury pizza dough in a can. Big hit.

I’d like to pretend that’s my manicure, but my stubby nails could never support what MichCC can handle.

This is how 2016 children watch the Super Bowl. By ignoring it and playing games on their own devices. Left to my own devices, I probably would (name that band). Never mind, no one is going to remember. It was Pet Shop Boys.

Wide retriever. Heh.

Have a great week everyone.

Trying to be Organized

Inspired by, but nowhere near as cool as Shutterbean’s Meal Prep, the last two Sundays I have tried to pre-prep a number of items so that I would be all “Weeknight dinner ready in 10 minutes boys!” during the week. Erp. Didn’t exactly go down that way. But, I did shave some time off my game.

As much as I like to cook, I have a confession. I can’t stand leftovers. There, it’s out there. Once it is cooked and eaten, I really don’t want that dish again for a long while. Thankfully Kevin likes leftovers, so there is no waste. But it also means I don’t tend to repeat the same meal within a month. So I have also tried to use Sundays to make a big meal where I can freeze half for another time at least a month later. That should save some time during the winter blahs in terms of getting a decent dinner on the table.

Enough yakkity-yakking.

The first Sunday, I made Short Rib Pasta Sauce from How Sweet It Is. Divine!

Added bonus: Pizza Mike made The Pioneer Woman’s Molten Chocolate Lava Cakes. He did the batter and home and brought it here to cook and it worked just fine. An awesome treat with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream (which I would have a picture of, but every time we topped one – swipe! it was gone).

Froze half of the short rib pasta sauce for another day. While that cooked, I made garlic confit (garlic cloves roasted in 2/3 cup grape seed covered in a dish in a 250 oven for 1.5 hours – cool completely and store in airtight jar in fridge for a week), chopped parsley and cut up vegetables for salads.

Next day, used oil and half the parsley in Garlic Walnut Pasta.

Garlic Walnut Pasta

WHAT YOU NEED
4 TBSP garlic olive oil or just regular olive oil
1 cups walnut pieces
2 cloves minced garlic (one if you used garlic olive oil)
1/4 tsp dried basil
1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley
1/2 cup grated parmesan
kosher salt to taste
3/4 lb linguine

WHAT YOU DO
Prepare pasta to al dente, reseve 1/4 cup of the cooking water and drain. Heat oil in a frying or sauté pan. Add walnuts and toast, stirring, for about 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and basil and stir until softened, about 2-3 minutes. Add pasta to the pan and toss with tongs to coat. Add cheese and stir and finish with the parsley.

Then two days later, I used the parsley and some chopped basil to make a salmon dish

Parmesan Herb Crusted Salmon
adapted from Add a Pinch

1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil
1/2 cup grated parmesan
1 tsp garlic oil (or olive oil plus a dash of garlic powder)
salt and pepper to taste
2 6 oz salmon filets

WHAT YOU DO
Heat oven to 425 and line a baking sheet with foil. Place salmon skin side down on the foil and salt and pepper to taste. Cover loosely with either foil or parchment (preferred) and bake for 10 minutes. Combine first four ingredients in a bowl until they hold together. If too loose, add a dash more oil.

Remove salmon from oven and take cover off. Press the cheese mixture onto the top until it adheres. Put back in oven for about 10 minutes more or until fish is cooked through and top is all melted. If you would like the top to brown a little more, feel free to put it under the broiler for a few minutes. Me, I’m afraid of the broiler. I feel like if I take my eyes off of it for three seconds BAM!, burnt. But you do what you need to do.

Then the next Sunday I became all things tomato. I made Pioneer Woman’s Stuffed Shells and froze half. I cooked chicken breasts.

Then I took the chicken off the bone and shredded it. Helpful hint from How Sweet It Is. If you ever need to shred a bunch of chicken, put it in a bowl and use your hand mixer. Yep, pinky-swear it works.

Used the shredded chicken to make tacos (mix with cumin and chili powder or just package of taco seasoning and a dash of chicken stock if your chicken is too dry). Add some cotija cheese or queso fresco, lettuce or slaw of your choice and a squeeze of lime and wrap in a toasted corn or flour tortilla). Using many of the same ingredients, made a slow cooker batch of The Pioneer Woman’s Chicken Tortilla Soup and froze half (without the tortillas or cheese in it).

And since the slow cooker was out anyway, and by now I had bronchitis and a sinus infection – I’m so pretty!!! – I only wanted more soup so I made Two Peas and Their Pod’s Creamy Tomato Soup with Orzo with grilled gruyere cheese sandwiches. Freezer’s getting full!

Used the various precut vegetables in salads or as sides. Used orzo as a side to the salmon, froze the extra and then used in the soup. Froze a lot of rice too. So in February I’ll have some freezer meals ready to go.

Speaking of February, if your potted Christmas tree from the grocery store is still going strong, rewrap that baby, add some cookie cutters and make that poor shrub feel seasonal again!

Yep, those are cat paws to the right. Skunk the Cat – always helping.

Have a great week everyone.