Girls Love Pink, Hearts and Sparkles.

Happy (almost) Hearts Day! My valentine this year is a little black dog name Zeuggie. I'm pretty sure he is going to get me something small and sparkly tomorrow. Rule for all boys, men and doggies out there - you can never go wrong with small and sparkly for your valentine.  Wait I take that back, I'd rather have a new flash for my camera or a new pair of ski boots.
 
Since most girls love pink, hearts, sparkles and bubbles, I hosted group yesterday for a little crafting and champagne. Ribbons, stamps, fun papers and glitter provided the activity and was an outlet for everyone to express there one "Tarte and Parcel-esque" creativity.

The menu was equally whimsical. Based on the theme: "Love is sweet and a little savory" snacks included:

* My Heart "Beets" for You Hummus
* Shot of Love Shrimp
* Apple of My Eye Ravioli 
* Be(ef) Tender to my Loins Bruchetta
* Making Whoopie Pies
* Cupid Cakes 

My favorite of the bunch was the"Shot of Love Shrimp" inspired from a Bloody Mary. Here are the instructions! 


Shot of Love Shrimp

* Ingredients * 
1 lb cooked prawns
1/2 lb cherry tomatoes 
1 14 oz can of tomato sauce 
1 cup Absolut Pepper Vodka 
3 tablespoons Tabasco 
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
Pepperoncinis
Celery 
Coronichons (I love mini pickles!) 

* Instructions *  
1. Marinate shrimp and cherry tomatoes in next 5 ingredients overnight. 
2. Alternate shrimp and tomatoes on skewers with celery, pepperoncinis and coronichons.


As an aside, the marathon is at long last finally a commitment. I am running the San Diego Rock and Roll Marathon in June. To help with the training I have joined, Team in In Training and raising money for cancer research. If you have a need for dessert or apps for your next shower, luncheon, dinner or party I would be happy to exchange any culinary skills  for a donation. Fight cancer and eat well... I'd say it's a double win. :) 

Eat. Drink. Be Merry.

First blog post in a while. Been working really hard and well, while I have done lots of creative things - parties, monkey hats, mini mac and cheeses - I haven't had the time or the gum shone to blog about anything. But, I thought today about how much I love my blog and for the 33 people who like me on "the Book" you mean the world to me. Seriously. One click and you win my heart. 

I was told today to be more modest. Kinda funny since many times I have been told that I sell myself short all the time. Maybe I just need to find a happy medium. I made 3 of the desserts below. (Not perfect out of the box.) Just to get it right - before I took the picture. (Only a perfectionist about my creative side.) When I delivered them - I got a text that read "I sent a picture to Martha with the caption the bar has been raised, bitch." (Yep... that's bragging. Also, I apologize since my mom told me not to swear on my blog.) I also burned my face on a curling iron this week. (Clumsy.) I make a crap load of mistakes. All I can do is try and apologize when I screw up. 

This weeks recipe... peppermint chocolate trifles. For those of you who missed Rachel's trifle experiment on Friends, trifles are not made with beef. Instead, they are a lovely layered dessert (sans protein).  To make your dish look more elegant, I always think it is a good idea to serve your food in individualized portions vs. family style. For this event, I chose champagne glasses on Wedgwood saucers. (Party tip - buy glassware at IKEA. $0.75 a glass vs a $1.10 to rent.) And well, after you read the recipe you will realize that the right serving dish can make the simplest of desserts look elegant. 

Peppermint Chocolate Trifles 

* Ingredients * 

1 box of chocolate cake 

3 eggs

1/2 cup vegetable oil 

1 1/4 cups water

1 box chocolate pudding 

3 cups whole milk 

2 cups whipping cream 

1/2 cup powdered sugar 

3 Tablespoons Peppermint Schnapps 

12 candy canes

Mint for garnish

* Instructions * 

1. Bake cake as instructed on box. Let cool completely. Using a serrated knife, cut into 1 inch squares.  

2. Cook pudding as instructed on box. (Yep... I told you this was stupid easy.) 

3. Beat cream in blender into stiff peaks. Add in sugar and liquor. 

4. Put 6 candy canes into a plastic Ziploc bag. Crush with spoon. 

5. Layer ingredients as desired. Garnish with mint and extra Candy Canes. 

Spicy, Scary Squash

Want to freak out your kids, neighbors, puppies this Halloween? Forget about the witches, ghouls and zombies... be a squash. Geez. Not much must be going on in my life that I am wrote the last sentence.

I did use to be scared of eating squash. No more - it's actually quite delicious. Still scared of beets and rutabagas, however. Another thing to conquer I guess.

Last night I made a spicy squash bruschetta. This recipe has a little bit of everything - sour, sweet, spicy and crunch. I would be perfect to service with a ghoulish cocktail or even as a turkey-day appetizer.

Spicy Squash Bruschetta 

* Ingredients * 
1 acorn squash
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup fresh cranberries
1 tablespoon honey
3 tablespoons walnut oil
2 tablespoons salt
Asiago cheese, shredded
Baguette

* Instructions * 
1. Halve and seed squash. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place squash in roasting pan. Fill pan with water - 1 inch deep. Sprinkle squash with olive oil and nutmeg. Roast for 90 minutes.
2. Let squash cool. Cut into bite size pieces.
3. Toss with other ingredients and heat on cookie sheet for 10 minutes.
4. Serve on baguette slices with Asiago cheese.

Desayuno in a bite!

I don't often cook Mexican food --  so this truly one of the times I am experimenting. Most of the time I think burritos, enchiladas and the like are more in the "gut bomb" vs. fine cuisine category. (I know Rick Bayless would disagree...). However, recently I have been a little more excited about the breakfast Mexican style. 

Since I don't have any power breakfasts coming up, but I am doing cocktails for Cinco de Mayo. 

(Sidebar: do people in Seattle really have power breakfasts? Hmmm. I think that east coast habit may have gone the same way as the power suit. Seattle might be more about the power bathing suit. At least in my circle...)

For today's recipe and as a compliment for my Mexican cocktail hour (Viva Zapta!), I decided do to a Huevos Rancheros as an appetizer. Not only are these more fun than chips and salsa or your basic 7-layer dip, but they also are healthier too!   

The secret to making this dish is a small egg. You want something that people can eat as finger food, not with a fork and knife. I opt'd for quails eggs. A poached quail egg allows you to get a whole egg in one bite. Quail eggs also are a low calorie option - 15 calories vs. a 70 calorie chicken egg.

In Seattle, the best spot for quail eggs is Pike Place Market Creamery. Outside of Seattle, these also can be found at Whole Foods or speciality markets. 

* Huevos Rancheros Bites *    

* Ingredients * 
1 tablespoon olive oil 
8 Corn Tortillas, trimmed into 24 3-inch rounds using a pastry or cookie cutter 
1 14 ounce can tomatoes in juice 
1/4 cup chopped onions
1/8 cup chopped cilantro 
1 tablespoon chopped canned chipotle chiles in adobo
1 clove garlic chopped
1/2 cup black beans 
1 dozen quail eggs 

* Instructions * 

1. Heat olive oil over medium heat. Stack 2 rounds of tortillas and toast each side. Approximately 2 minutes per side. Remove frying pan and set aside. 
2. Place tomatoes, onions, cilantro, chiles and garlic in food processor. Pulse until pureed. Heat in pan used to cook tortillas until warm.
3. Poach 12 quail eggs. 
4. Assemble on plate, placing tortillas on bottom and top with sauce, beans and eggs. Garnish with cilantro. Serve warm.   

Be Very, Very Quiet...

... we are hunting for rabbits! Happy Easter.

Here are 5 chance facts about me, rabbits and Easter: 

1) My oldest dog is named Haasenpfeffer. In German that means "Rabbit Stew."

2) As a child, my friend's mom used to use the phrase "quick, quick like a bunny" when she wanted Kristen and I to hurry along. I still use this today. Sometimes, I get strange looks at work. 

3) A kid in 4th grade brought in rabbit bones to look at. He said it was for science. Mrs. Fraley (the teacher) was not impressed. 

4) Back to the dogs. My boys used to love to chase the bunnies at Woodland Park. There are no more bunnies for them to chase. Thank you hippies. 

5) Lapin is rabbit in French. Pâques is Easter in French.

I love bunnies and I love France. A few people have asked why I love France so much. I don't know - memories of great times in Paris, Nice, Chamonix? Watching Amelie one too many times? Or maybe it is how good the Parisians are to their dogs? I gotta love any city that will sit a pooch at a table in a 5-star restaurant. I can't even get Zeuggie into The Attic.

For this years Easter dinner, I opted for a feast devoted to France. 

Decor: 

• For France, the Eiffel Tower.  A Marshall's $5.99 find. 
• For Easter, Stargazer Lilies. One of my faves.Instead of a large bouquet, I opt'd for small glasses with blossoms closers to the table.  
• A green table cloth - said fresh and spring! 

Menu:  

• Baguette
• Salade verte a la vinaigrette aux noix et echalotes (Salad with Walnut Shallot Vinaigrette)
• Daube d'agneau printanier au champange et aux fevres (Spring Lamb Daube with Champange and Fava Beans) 
• Gallette des Pommes (Apple Gallette)

Since I had limited time, I wanted to put my focus on the lamb. Baguette was from the local bakery, salad green from a bag and in a move that would for sure get me kicked off Top Chef, I used puff pastry for the gallette. 


Spring Lamb Daube 


* Ingredients *
4 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon peanut oil
3 pounds lamb shoulder, cubed
2 cloves garlic, shooped
2 cups Champagne 
12 small, red potatoes
1 14.5 ounce can beef broth
4 small turnips, peeled quarted
12 ounces baby carrots
3 cups fresh or frozen lima beans 
2 tablespoons flour
2 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh tarragon 


* Instructions *    
1. Heat 2 tablespoons and peanut oil in Dutch oven. Brown lamb with garlic for 5 minutes. 
2. Add Champagne. Braise for 60 minutes 
3. Add potatoes and beef broth. Simmer for 30 minutes. 
4. Add turnips and carrots. Cook for 15 minutes.  
5. Add lima beans. Cook for 15 minutes. 
6. Stir in flour. Cook for 10 minutes. 
7. Sprinkle with fresh tarragon. 

The Egg and I

My first play in high school was called "The Egg and I." I played Joanie - the boy-crazy younger sister of a family that moves to an egg farm on Olympic Peninsula in Washington. Recently, on a way home from a great visit to Port Townsend, I saw that there is even a road called "Egg and I Lane" off of Highway 20. It made me smile and brought back a memory or two. 

My role as Joanie led to an illustrious high school drama career as a character actor. I never played a leading lady - just the odd ball, goof with a funny accent stage left. When I was a awarded "most dramatic" of my senior class, I was shocked. First of all, I didn't think that anyone knew my name in high school. Secondly, should an award really go to a girl with ripped jean shorts, 16-eye Doc Martens and a slight shade of violet in her hair? 


Although I have grown up a bit now, I still appreciate the brilliant, lovely egg. No better time to celebrate the egg than Easter. The Easter egg represents the renewal and abundance that spring brings.  For my celebration of eggs, I adapted 3 ideas from one of my faves - Martha. Often, making a idea your own sometimes can be as gratifying as the original idea. 


My goal for this craft was to end up with decoration for a centerpiece or something a little larger for my sideboard. The foundation of my idea stated with The Willow Tree. I used an ice bucket as a vase. Floral foam held the willow branches purchased from my local market. 


Eggs Adorned with Paper Cut-Outs and Marbleized Eggs created the ornaments. I chose a blue and white theme to match the colors of my living room. I used white paper cut-out flowers decorated with fine prism glitter for the solid eggs. 


While the instructions for each of these crafts are on the MS website, I can provide you some  tips and tricks that I learned along the way... 

1) Get an egg blower. I don't know anyone that has enough lung capacity to empty 24 eggs. An egg blower can empty one in about 30 seconds. Just be prepared for the instructions in German. 


2) Marbleize eggs last. I tried to dye the solid and marbleized eggs at once. Mistake. The oil use in marbleizing gets everywhere.  


3) Glue ribbon perpendicular. Like Christmas ornaments the eggs like to turn inward. Gluing the ribbon at the top of the egg perpendicular to the design you would like to showcase can help minimize this. 


Happy egg-dyeing everyone! 

Pot O' Gold

Happy St. Patty’s.

Today is all about the positive. Irish Jig – check, done it. Pint of Guinness in Ireland on March 17th  - check, done it.  Baking cupcakes to win an Irish food contest – half check. I haven’t won yet.

Along time ago, I heard a story about kitchen sink windows. Why does every house have them? So through the misery of washing the dinner dishes, you can see beautiful sunsets.

I have amazing friends. They are my beautiful sunsets. They take me to the Attic, plan adventures, let me know they are right across the alley, call me doodles, buy steamed apple juice, hold elevators to give me hugs and take IOUs for amazing shows.  Never in my life have I been surrounded by so many phenomenal people. Thank you. I will never be able to pay you back – even if I had all the pots of gold in the world.

So the cupcakes… pretty awesome right?

I started with the recipe for the cake, that got the most accolades – Birthday Cake ala  Beer. I added 2 shots of Jameson just to Irish it up bit.

Pot of gold was made from a donut hole, filled with gold dragees. Frosting is your basic cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar and a little Baileys. I said we were Irishing it up, right?

Erin go bragh! Cheers to Ireland and may you find you own beautiful sunsets through challneging times.

V-Day... The Baking Recap

Well if you don’t have pink paper around to do fancy gift boxes that get ripped open, you still have an option to bake in wash of pink.

I did two projects this year for Valentine’s. The first (and perhaps a bit of an after thought) was pink and red cupcakes for people at my office. Unfortunately, they flew off the plate. Next time, I might need to create some sort of ticketing system based on sugar need. LOL.

A fun add-on to cupcakes is paper shapes glued to toothpicks. Of course, for this batch - it had to be hearts.

Next up on the baking “to do” list was a strawberry cake with cream cheese frosting for my first Valentine’s day dinner. (I get 2 this year. As I explained to my favorite valet this morning, my Valentine’s Day is gonna be spread out.).

I was on a bit of a time crunch this year so I adapted the cake recipe from this one on Allrecipes. My suggestion, add a full cup of the strawberry puree. A half a cup doesn’t add enough flavor or texture.

My big effort in this cake was the candy hearts. These were made by melting Wilton Candy disks and then piping them into the desired shape. Since they don’t offer pink… or at least the store was out, I melted red and white together in the microwave to get the color combo that I was looking for.  

Alright, I am going out to watch a baskeball game or run around in combat boots or something. All this pink talk has me feeling entirely too girlie, princess.

All *Wrapped Up*

OK. So first of all – 2011 resolution update. Doing so-so on the marathon hopes. I got training partner. Unfortunately, we have only trained one time together. But, I’m up to 6 miles without much strain. I hoping by the summer races that I will be in good shape.  

Doing much better on the skiing pledge. So far this season, I’ve hit up Whistler, Baker, Crystal, Mammoth, Big White and Revelstoke. Revelstoke is the big winner – great mountain, friendliest people and all and all an awesome trip. The season still has a lot of skiing left to be done and hope to hit up a couple more hills. Suggestions?

Blogging has fallen a bit by the way side. Funny how you can’t type while skiing or running…
This week I’ve gotten back to some activities around the only holiday that lets you freely decorate in pink: Valentine’s Day.  

Overall, I am not a Valentine’s Day fan. For the couples, do you really need a holiday to tell someone that you love them? That should be done daily. Well, I guess boys need the occasion to express themselves. :)

For singles, this holiday might as well be called “Throw salt in my wounds” day or "I have awesome friends" day. 

For either group, it is a good chance to take a trip back to the 3^rd grade a do a little decorating with paper. I even whipped out my elementary school bunny scissors for the night.

Playing with paper doesn’t always mean cards made with doilies or eating paste.

I used the occasion to wrap some small tokens for the special people in my life. Some red card stock and a little wire mirrored a Chinese food delivery box. Woven ribbon topped pink wrapping paper. Finally, in a throwback to Mrs. Moore’s placemat project, I wove 1 inch x 1 inch strips of paper to create a quilted gift box.

Seem like too much effort? Don’t worry. These boxes can be used year after year.     

FYI, perfect soundtrack for your V-day craft night : Country Strong Soundtrack.  Yep, that’s right. I now like country music. Still “eh” on Gwyneth Paltrow.

Warm and Festive: Two Ways

Today is December 1st. This means two things…

Number One.  It’s getting a little bit chilly outside. This is exciting for me. It means ski season is right around the corner. (For me, corner = Friday. Pretty exciting! )

Number Two. Christmas is right around the corner. Twenty-five more days of festive fun.

Since obviously today I am into enjoying the cold and being merry and I guess the number 2, I am going to share two ideas that will both keep you cozy and celebrate the best Christmas color: green. (Sorry red… you are just way too played out, too close to Coug crimson in Apple Cup week, and green is my second favorite color anytime of the year.)

Project One: A Green Scarf
A super easy project with just a few basic stitches! Plus scarves make the perfect gifts – something fashionable and something homemade.

For those of you new to knitting, try “Learn to Knit” on About.com. Lots of good pictures. I have used it as a reference many times when getting started.

* Pattern*
With size 15 needles, CO 12.
Even Rows: K1, K2 tog, YO,  K2 tog, YO, K2 tog, YO,  K2 tog, YO,  K2 tog, YO,  K1. 
Odd Rows: K1, P10, K1.
Repeat pattern for approximately 24-36 inches.
BO 12.

* Abbreviations *
CO: Cast On
K: Knit
P: Purl
YO: Yarn Over
K2 tog: Knit 2 together
BO: Bind off

Project Two: Spicy Green Chili with White Beans and Turkey 

* Ingredients *
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound spicy turkey sausage, casings removed
3 cups chopped onions
4 large garlic cloves, chopped
2 pounds turkey cutlets, cubed
2 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 cup drained canned diced tomatoes
1 14.5 oz can, white beans, rinsed and drained, mashed
2 14.5 oz can, white beans, rinsed and drained
1 can green enchilada sauce 
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons chili flakes 

* Instructions *
1.  Heat oil in large stock pot. Brown sausage, breaking with wooden spoon. Add onions and garlic. Cook for 5 min.
2. Season turkey cutlets with salt and pepper. Add to pot. Sauté for 5-10 minutes. Add remaining ingredients. 
3. Simmer on medium-low for 45 minutes.
4. Serve with shredded Monterrey Jack cheese and chopped cilantro. If it’s a little spicy for ya, add a dollop of sour cream. If this is too much food for you, do what I did  - freeze it. Frozen soups can easily be de-thawed  for a yummy homemade lunch.

Hey… it’s still November...

My mom asked at Thanksgiving dinner if everything was “ok.” When I said, “Great, why?” she replied, “Well, there haven’t been a lot of blog posts lately.”

Blogging has fallen off a tad. I am going to blame the snow. Actually the snow had nothing to do with the lack of posts, but everyone else is using it as an excuse for everything so I thought I’d jump on the bandwagon.

Anywhoo… while it is still November and before everyone is fully in the Christmas rush or for those of you who just want to extend America’s toast to gluttony, I thought I’d share a recipe for Cranberry Pumpkin Cupcakes with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting.

These cupcakes were adapted from a cookie recipe so they can be a little dense. If you are making them for folks with small appetites, a mini version may be a better choice.

* Ingredients *
For the Cupcakes…
1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 cup solid pack pumpkin
2 1/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup fresh cranberries, halved
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Zest from 1 large orange

For the Frosting…
8 ounces cream cheese
1/2 cup butter
3 3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon orange extract
1/4 cup frozen orange juice concentrate

* Instructions * 
For the Cupcakes…
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease muffin tins.
2. With an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar. Add egg, vanilla and butter.
3. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Slowly add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture.
4. Stir in cranberries and orange zest.
5. Spoon batter into muffin tin. Fill each cup 3/4 full.
6. Bake for 15 minutes. Cool in pan for 10 min, then move to wire racks until completely cool.

For the Frosting…
1. With an electric mixer with a wire attachment, cream cream cheese and butter. Add remaining ingredients. Beat slowly until smooth.  
2. With serrated knife, split cakes. Add frosting to middle and sandwich to halves together. Top with additional frosting.

Chalkboard Pumpkin

It’s time to start getting serious about my absolute favorite holiday – Halloween. Today is going to be dedicated to costumes and getting the house spookafied.

Here is one if my projects -

Pumpkins can add festiveness to your porch, mantle or table. On my walk yesterday,  I noticed many pumpkins were already out on doorsteps but not carved. Jack O’ Lanterns are fun, but carving pumpkins too early can lead to a rotten, moldy mess way before Halloween.

For those wanting to add a little early October festiveness, try this idea… chalkboard paint and chalk!

Pick out your favorite pumpkin and paint with chalkboard spray paint. I used Rust-Oleum Black, but green might be an interesting choice as well.  Then use chalk to create a scary face or saying.  If you goof or change your mind on the look, simply wipe with a damp cloth and start again.

For my art, I did a traditional version and then a vampire schnauzer for Haasenpfeffer. (He’s a crazy little dog and now just obsessed with the Twilight movies.)

Note: these pumpkins are best to keep dry. Set undercover to avoid a rainy day ruining your masterpiece.

31 Days O’Halloween

October is my favorite month of the year because it means my favorite holiday… Halloween. Maybe I love it because nothing is better than playing dress up. Maybe I love it because spiders make awesome pets.  Maybe I love it because I am *a little bit* evil.

To kick off the season, I am starting going with ghost cupcakes. It feels a little silly to writing up the instructions, because these babies are just way, way simple. So simple they would make a perfect Halloween party activities for kids… or adults who are like me and act like a kid.

Things you need to get going with this project –

·    Cupcakes… pick your favorite kind and bake them in white liners. I went with milk chocolate cake (Yes, made from scratch Rob) and chocolate chunks because I have recently been informed men love chocolate… which is odd because I was always told women love chocolate and that since I don’t really care for chocolate that I was crazy. C’mon people… I am crazy, but pick a better reason than I don’t like chocolate. OK… back to what we are doing.

·    Frosting that is pipe-able. Martha’s Buttercream  is an excellent option.

·    Chocolate chips, raisins or black frosting for the eyes.

*Instructions *

1.   Fit your pastry bag with a starburst tip. Load up your pastry bag with frosting.

2.   Create an arc over the top of the cupcake.

3.   Extend the arc down for long loops off the side of the cupcake. I think it looks best when there is a little bit of space between the loops, but up to you.

4.   Place 2 chocolate chips for eyes.

5.   Enjoy!