Momma Says “Red Meat and Chocolate!”

 

I may officially be turning into my mother. When we used to go on mini-vacations {every other month or so} our treat to each other would be red meat and chocolate… Tonight, that is exactly what I wanted! And, let me tell you, that is exactly what I got! Now, my mother and I differ on how we like our meat cooked. She will send a steak back if it even remotely “moo’s” at her … I on the other hand, like it to “moo” at me, I just don’t want it to run off the plate!

 

 

You’re viewing the best meal I’ve cooked in months!! Medium-Rare Filet {ok, the foodie bf grilled that for me}, creamed spinach, and garlic whipped potatoes. And, yes… I’m too lazy to wash wine glasses, so those are good ol’ juice glasses. Wine tastes the same no matter what glass it comes in!  And, further back is a nice basket of warm french bread. Who’s a good domestic goddess? Yes, that would be me! And, to top it all off .. I’ve got brownies baking in the oven with some Vanilla-Bean Ice Cream in the freezer waiting to be added to the bowl! Goodness… I deserve and award tonight! {ha ha}

 

Anyhow, I hope you all are enjoying your weekend. I have to tell you, it is so nice to relax and be lazy and enjoy this beautiful weather we are having right now. I can only hope that full-spring gets here soon, soon, soon! I’m ready to put the top down, put some big sunglasses on, turn the girly music up, and sing at the top of my lungs!! Night ya’ll

 

By the way … you can find recipes for the potatoes and spinach on my blog  HERE and HERE … Enjoy!

Seafood Saturday

 

According to my mother, when I was a toddler I loved shrimp. Loved them to the point of eating an entire popcorn bowl of them while spending the afternoon with my dad on the couch. Today, I can’t really picture myself doing that. I don’t hate shrimp, but I wouldn’t sit with a bowl of them. A few as an appetizer, sure. I go no further.  Then, there is salmon. I didn’t start eating salmon until about 2 years ago. I found a great pre-marinated kind at Publix. They’re  fresh filets, not frozen, and are pre-marinated with a bourbon sauce. They are delicious cooked in the oven and served with rice and asparagus. Yummy. But, even salmon I can only stomach once in a blue moon. It can be too fishy for me.

 

So… you’re wondering where I’m going with this. {I do have a point, I swear} My affinity for seafood is not very strong. Like I said before, I can stomach it … but I wouldn’t eat it every night. Tonight, however, I’m in a full-on seafood mood. We’re having mussels in a garlic/white wine sauce. Mmm, the joy. I’m going to serve them with a ton of french bread {I can’t get enough bread} and we’ll probably snack on some Port Salut and dry salami … oh gosh, and don’t forget the wine!

 

I’ll try to get some pictures up for you later tonight! Hope you are all having a peaceful and restful weekend & enjoying the snow {Seeing as how 48 states have snow right now, I’m betting on the chance YOU have snow!} … Chat again soon, friends!

 

Duck, Duck, Dinner

 

Time management may not be my best skill.  While visiting my family, I thought one of the best ‘presents’ I could give them would be to make a few meals while I’m here. The premise: I enjoy it and they will love {hopefully} eating it. However, undertaking a meal of Holiday proportion and timing everything exactly right may take a little more practice on my part. I started this morning around 11 am and made a tray of my Bacon, Egg and Toast Pods. They turned out really well, and got rave reviews. I’ve said it once before… but I’ll say it again… ah’mazing, easy, and a big hit!

 

After a quick shower and trip to Target, it was back to cooking. Washing and boiling spinach, cleaning a duck, mixing a sweet potato souffle, and chilling a cream cheese chocolate ball. …{backtrack, I said cleaning a duck! Just picture that for a second}… I did pretty well getting everything prepared and got about an hour break before it was time to get the duck in the oven. Two hours of gracefully dancing around the kitchen, followed by an hour-long mad dash at the end… we have dinner:

Crispy Duck, Creamed Spinach, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, and Sweet Potato Souffle. Click the names if you’d like to read my blogs about these dishes. I’ll be adding the sweet potato and cheese ball in the next few days!

 

The meal turned out fantastic. And, my family {who had not previously tired duck, or had it in the last few years} gobbled up a whole 6 pound duck. Go me! I’d say it was well worth a day of cooking and preparing. Drop in tomorrow for a picture tutorial on the Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Ball! De’lish …. Night Ya’ll!

Tzatziki, Hummus & Flat Bread = Heaven

 

Everyone has the one joke that ‘haunts’ them at family get-togethers. Mine… well… mine is about food. {shocker} I lived with two brothers and my sister, and according to my mother I could eat all three of them under the table … combined! My mother loves to remind me that the grocery bill once I moved on to college dropped nearly in half. Still to this day, I can sit down and eat an entire tray {Costco sized tray, mind you} of Bagel Bites in one sitting! Perhaps my metabolism will catch up with me one of these days… I am approaching thirty {I can’t bare to utter that word} … but until then, I vow to continue snacking until my heart is content. And today, I had a GREAT idea for a snack. Now, I did not cook a single thing. I opened containers and used the oven for approximately three minutes. Domestic? Hardly. But, I literally moaned when I put this snack in my mouth. If you have even the smallest hunger, head out {run} to the grocery store and pick up the following:

 

1. Tandoori Naan {Indian Flat Bread}

{Package looks like}

2. Tzatziki Sauce/Dip

3. Garlic Roasted Hummus

4. Carlo Rossi: Pisano {BIG bottle} wink wink

 

I’m telling you … I was moaning. Clearly, I have a food problem. I brushed the flat bread with some olive oil and then heated it in the oven for about 3-4 minutes… ripped it into pieces and served with the hummus and tzatziki sauce and a good ole’ glass o’wine. Deliciousness. I ran out of the flat bread, or I’d be eating this as we speak .. crumbs on the keyboard and all. Please check for these items {or similar} at your grocery store. Ah’mazing!

The Best Garlic Mashed Potatoes: Julia Child and Jacques Pepin

 

I’d like to share my ‘secret’ to the most amazing Garlic Mashed Potatoes you have ever put in your mouth! This is adapted from a Julia Child and Jacques Pepin recipe from their book: Cooking at Home.  Which I just learned was based on a PBS television series they did from 1999-2000. {I definitely added that series to my Nettflix queue!} If you aren’t a garlic lover, beware.

 

The Best Garlic Mashed Potatoes

 

You will need:

Peeled and Cubed Yukon Gold Potatoes (Approx 2 pounds)

Salt

Pepper

Milk (Approx 2/3 cup)

4 TBSP of Salted Butter

2/3 to 1 cup Heavy Whipping Cream (I use Stonyfield Organic)

10-15 cloves of garlic

 

Here’s what to do: (In total, this takes about an hour to complete)

The key to this recipe is the garlic and whipping cream. You will want to start this process about 20 -30 minutes before the potatoes begin to boil. Peel the garlic and place in a small sauce pan. Next, pour in the heavy whipping cream until the garlic is covered. Heat over low-medium heat, watching periodically. You want the garlic to become so soft it ‘mushes’ when you touch it with a spatula. This takes at least 20-30 minutes, and only gets better the longer you can wait. I usually cook mine for approximately 45 minutes. You will be able to tell it is ready when you have a creamy consistency and the garlic is ‘mushy.’ About 20 minutes into this process, you can start the potatoes. Remember when boiling your potatoes to add some salt to the water. Let them boil until they too are ‘mushy.’

 

Once your potatoes and garlic/whipping cream are ready, it’s time to put it all together. Drain potatoes AND PUT THEM BACK IN THE POT so you can burn off a bit of the moisture that remains. Add the 4 TBSP’s of butter and mash the potatoes very well. While you are doing this, heat up approx 2/3 cup of milk in the microwave. Next, you want to take your garlic/whipping cream and put it into the pot through a mesh strainer. Make sure you get all the cream out of the pan, and press most of the garlic through the mesh strainer with a spatula or spoon. Next, take the hot milk and add it a little bit at a time while whipping the potatoes (a whisk works well for me) until you get a creamy consistency. Finally, add salt and pepper to taste (I tend to use a good deal of salt and also prefer to use Sea Salt).

 

If you didn’t already catch on, you are basically making regular mashed potatoes with a few extra steps: the garlic whipping cream creation, and for some people hot milk is different. I really think these two steps make them extra creamy and obviously garlic filled! I’ve heard of people whipping them with an electric  mixer, but I don’t have one .. so the combination of a masher and whisk work great for me!

 

Hope you enjoy the potatoes. I know that my house could NOT survive without some form of potatoes. If you make these, I would love to hear how they turn out! Oh, and here is a picture of the cookbook I was talking about. It’s a GREAT one to have in your home!

 

Merry Christmas!

 

Merry Christmas! I hope you all {whomever you are out there} had a wonderful day and took some time to celebrate and enjoy your family. Our house was nice a quiet for most of the day. We all slept in, then mid-afternoon sat down to watch Julie & Julia. What a great movie! It really was inspiring. I loved the idea of cooking and blogging your way through a whole cookbook. {Mind you, I’m not sure Julia Child would be the first thing I attempted to tackle} In a way, it reminded me of my own blogging, and how good it feels to share recipes and things I enjoy with others. Even though I don’t know all the people who read me, I feel like they’re out there. Even if it is just a figment of my imagination, {and there is really no one reading me} how good it feels to be able to ‘share.’

 

Christmas dinner was wonderful. Not the traditional Turkey like I am use to though, tonight it was Prime Rib Roast. It turned out quite well paired with some garlic mashed potatoes {I’ll share a secret for these one day} and some corn shaved from the cob with butter and salt. And don’t forget the vino and bread! I was so consumed with cooking and eating that I didn’t even take any pictures of the meal like I had been meaning to do. So {readers} there is no visual stimulation for you tonight. A shame I know.

 

Brownies are in the oven. Vanilla Bean ice cream in the freezer. Blueberry streusel muffins for breakfast tomorrow.

I LOVE HOLIDAY FOOD!

Night ya’ll!