Courage, Hope, Love and Success

Merry Christmas from our home to yours.

We send you warm wishes on a cold and wet Oregon morning.  It's that time of year when we feel rushed and joyous all at the same time -as we spin in circles preparing for the wonderful memories that we will share with our family and friends.

Which made me want to share some food for thought...

Yesterday I was reminded by Darren Hardy (publisher of Success magazine) That all gifts don't come wrapped with a bow.

He said; Think about the things you want more of in life... then GIVE those things.

He made it perfectly clear that he's not talking about an Xbox or George Foreman grill.

He went on to say...

Want Courage? Encourage.

Want Hope? Give Hope.

Want Love? Give Love.

Want Success? Help someone else become successful.

and he ended with... You will be surprised at how the giving process initiates the receiving.

He stated so simply what we all seem to complicate.

  

We send you Courage, Hope, Love and Success this holiday season and look forward to sharing these gifts in 2015.

Oreo Turkeys

Happy Thanksgiving 2012

I had to share this with you!

Trader Joe's Mini Croissants

Trader Joe’s does it again!  You know how the picture on the box always looks better than what you get inside?  Well, after these are proofed and baked.  They look exactly like the picture!

Pepperoni Chips

It all started with some leftover pepperoni hanging out in my deli bin waiting for me to acknowledge them…

Seriously, leftover - leftovers can be stressful, because you don’t want them to end up in the “trash” (waste not, want not).  And for that exact reason I am guilty of creating entire meals out of a few leftover boiled potatoes.  That’s how I came up with this idea.

Bread in a Can?

My friend Dave asked me if I have ever had bread in a can.  My response was, No, and that I had never heard of it.  I laughed at the thought and never considered investigating it myself.  The next thing I knew, I had a box of canned bread sitting at my front door.  Thanks Dave, new things keep life interesting.

How to Cook Pasta in a Frying Pan

WATCH THE VIDEO

My friend Dave sent me this video that showed me how to cook pasta in a frying pan.  I liked the idea immensely, mostly because I didn't have to wait for the giant pot of water to boil or clean it afterwards.

It looked too good to be true.  How could this possibly work?  Wont the pasta be too starchy or gummy?

Really Fresh Broccoli

It’s officially the first day of summer and to celebrate my husband is harvesting our first head of broccoli and it’s a beauty.

My Blog is a Year Old

February marks my one year anniversary blogging.  I made it!

I take thousands of pictures of food but none of myself.  So I must send out a big thank you to my friend Dave for the great photo that he took of me in La Bastide de Moustiers, France that I plan to use over and over again.  It takes me back to a once in a lifetime experience that included an exceptional meal and great company.  That simple photo represents so many reasons why I blog which matches perfectly with the plaque that was a gift from my friend Bonnie that hangs in my kitchen and reads "Good Food, Good Friends, Good Times"

Fruit Cake

Have you ever made fruit cake?  I haven’t, and after reading this recipe I don’t think I ever will.  Take a look at the recipe and let me know if you will give it a try.

My aunt June sent me this recipe years ago and I printed it and put it in my collection of recipes. Every Christmas as I am digging through my recipes I bump into it and get a good laugh.  I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I have.

Sweet Bread Rolls

When I was making the Hawaiian Sweet Bread I pinched off some dough to make 6 rolls.  Because my oven is so small I had to put them in the fridge until the sweet bread had finished baking and freed up my oven.  I took them straight from my fridge and place them in a 350 degree oven for 28 minutes.  They turned out beautifully.  Another lesson learned…  GET THE RECIPE!!!

Your Best Recipe

BIG announcement to all food bloggers.
Join in the fun!!! Spicie Foodie wants you to submit your best recipe each month for all too see. It's not a contest just another avenue to share your wares and see what other foodies are cooking up.

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP

Feather Rolls for Dave

Today I received a disheartened email from my friend Dave who had a disaster story about his attempt with my feather roll recipe. The first thing that came to my mind was that I wished I lived closer to him so I could pop in and give him a quick personal tutoring on baking these rolls.

That wasn’t possible. So I pulled up my blog on feather rolls to reference and to make sure the measurements were correct. Then I armed my husband with the camera thinking that a picture is worth a thousand words and started mixing and measuring.

Feather Roll Update

The experiment continues…

Happy 16th Birthday Lindsey!!!

This will be the third and the last 16^th birthday bash that Kono and I will have to host.  Each of the kids had their own idea of what their theme would be and surprisingly enough they were all different.  K.C. chose a casual dinner party, Cecily had a wild costume dance party and Lindsey has decided on a camping theme.  It will be a late night for the elderly pumping ourselves with caffeine till the last boy leaves.  All the girls are staying for a sleepover and we can only hope that they calm down before 2am.  I’m getting to old for this late night stuff.

Fettuccine and Meatballs

PRINT MEATBALL RECIPE

No, this is not a gourmet’s delight but it sure does sub well in a pinch.

Tonight I tossed together a fast pasta dinner. I always keep a couple of bottles of ready made pasta sauce in my cupboard that can quickly become dinner. It seems to be the theme these days. A full and busy day followed up with a fast ready made starter and “viola”, a delicious and satisfying dinner.

Perfectly Marbled New York Strip Steaks

There is a confusion about what a well marbled steak looks like. A novice cook might confuse a fatty steak for a well marbled steak and pass on it just for that reason.

A well marbled steak is a thing of beauty and looks like the picture above.

Eating My Way Through Chinatown, NYC

Everyone has their own idea of what they want to do and see once they land in NYC. Go to a Broadway show, shop on 5th Avenue, take a stroll through Central Park, spot a few celebrities or indulging in a meal at one of the famous top chef restaurants. All these things are at the top of my list when I think about visiting NYC.

But at the very top of my list is a visit to Chinatown. I can feel my ancestors stir in me when I immerse myself in the culture, pushing and shoving my way through the crowds and feeling comfortably confused listening to the boisterous language of the Chinese that sounds more like shouting than talking. Attempting to blend in with the crowd choosing not to speak too often and give away my American roots.

The Belnord Hotel, NYC

BELNORD HOTEL, NYC
CORNER OF 87th & BROADWAY


The first thing I said when I opened the door and looked into the room was; “This can’t be right? I’m sure I reserved a room with a bathroom.” When we stepped into the room and closed the door we discovered a little bathroom built for one that was completely hidden by the front door. This was a relief. The next observation was that there were no closets or dressers for our clothes.

Getting to New York City from Eugene Oregon

EUGENE,OREGON

In a couple of days our daughter Cecily will be graduating with honors from Barnard College in NYC and we are excited to witness this momentous event. All the plans have been made and we will be there in time to join her for dinner.

It didn’t work out quite that way.

Julie & Julia

If you haven’t seen Julie & Julia, I encourage you to rent it.
Last night I sat down with my take out dinner and watched Julie & Julia for the second time. The first time I saw it I was inspired only by Julia. I related to her zest for life and love of food. I immediately went out and bought her book “My Life In France” and dug right into it. But, I didn’t get into Julie’s character that well.
When I watched it again last night I saw it in a different light. I was relating with Julia as I did the first time, but this time I was a blogger, and understood the role of Julie a lot better. I laughed out loud and giggled along the way as I watched with a new perspective.