“When I go to a country, I go to flea markets and antique stores. I am always looking for something.” ~Ursula Andress Gracie and I went on a little thrift store/antique shop excursion today and I found lots of fun things. A couple items I’m going to share with you were found on earlier expeditions…
~baguette pudding~ Using baguette for bread pudding instead of plain bread elevates this humble dessert into something really special. While I was busy in the kitchen creating this recipe, Jeff asked, “Whatcha’ makin’?” I said, “I’m making up a bread pudding recipe using baguette.” He squinched his nose at me. I said, “I know. You…
Although I am not a huge fan of malls in general, I do enjoy the occasional day trip to Minnesota’s own Mall of America in Bloomington. Today we were there celebrating Gracie’s birthday and we met up with our friend Jana. It was a fabulous, tiring day and fun was had by all. Now I’m…
When I see an old soul soaking up life like a sponge full of dirty dishwater— still managing to breathe— I am in love with humanity all over again. Life can feel like a betrayal some days, like a kindred spirit lover who took a wrong turn somewhere. I want to thrash about on the…
~day zero update~ Remember the Day Zero Project? Well, I’ve checked 33 out of the 101 items off the list! The most recent: #31- Visit Hollywood sign #32- Go on a quest for the ultimate fish taco #33- Visit Venice Beach #34- Visit Manhattan and Redondo Beaches #45- Pay for the person behind me at…
~chicken enchiladas~ Mr. Flugelman: “Do you know what ‘nada’ means?” Dusty Bottoms: “Isn’t that a light chicken gravy?” ~from the movie The Three Amigos This is a recipe for chicken enchiladas that was adapted from Tyler Florence’s version. I tweaked the seasonings, substituted cornstarch for flour for thickening, omitted the corn and added several toppings.…
~love & nectarines grilled chicken~ My balsamic strawberry chicken was such a success, I thought I’d try making another grilled chicken dish featuring fruit this week. The peaches and nectarines have been perfect this summer, and I had a couple left over after making my rose geranium cake. So, I got to work creating a…
~The Tastes of Summer~ What flavors make you think of Summer? farmer’s market produce? heirloom tomatoes? fresh herbs from your garden? iced tea and homemade lemonade? berries melting on the vine, just begging to be baked into a flaky pie crust and topped with real whipped cream? grilled steaks, chicken and fish? zucchini? popsicles, creamsicle…
~Byerly’s wild rice chicken salad~ The deli counter at Byerly’s grocery store is a favorite lunch spot for a lot of people I know. This salad is what they return for. It’s creamy, sweet, crunchy, and filling. It’s full of wonderful flavors: earthy wild rice, fragrant tarragon, crunchy cashews, and green grapes. What can I…
~tasting~ creamsicle shakes 1 bottle Stewart’s orange cream soda 1 cup orange sherbet 2 cups vanilla ice cream 1/2 cup whole milk Mix all in blender until smooth serves 2 ~hearing~ the lawnmower ~smelling~ rosemary, lavender and lemon that I just used to make this scented water ~seeing~ nectarines ripening on the counter to top…