Well, not really. But geez would I like to – back to the city, where it’s safe. (If you just want to read about food, hop down to the Food, yay! header.)

Yesterday afternoon/evening was, in a word, stressful. I battled bumper to bumper traffic to get to Will’s daycare by 5:30 (I got there at 5:31), which always leaves me stressed. Then it took about 15 minutes to drive the one mile or so from daycare to my house.

To ease the nerves, Will and I broke out some cheese and were sampling different varieties (more on that later) when I heard Snoopy bark. Now, I know for some dogs that’s a normal occurrence – hell, Scrappy barks all the time. But Snoopy? His bark is kind of like a big foot sighting – you think you heard it but it’s so rare that you have to listen intently for more.

More came, except it was a bark I had never heard from him before – something between a yelp and a growl. I rushed to the back door and saw a gigantic deer (like HUGE) nosing Snoopy up in the air and dropping him. It looked like it was going to charge him or something, perhaps spear him with those enormous antlers.

I ran, down the stairs and across the yard, barefoot and yelling at the beast to “GET AWAY FROM HIM.” Instead of running, it turned and started to come at me. Before I could budge or find something to throw, Scrappy came dashing outside, down the stairs and got between us. The deer went after him and nosed him to the ground too. But then, amid all my yelling (because I was still yelling) and all of Scrappy’s barking (and Snoopy’s too), it finally turned and ran off into the woods.

Now I wonder, should I be concerned about playing or cooking in my yard? I wouldn’t want Will to be attacked by the monstrous deer. I hate nature.

(Don’t worry, everyone is okay.)

I did end up cooking in my yard though last night. It was in the plan, and far be it from me to deny the plan (especially when it’s MY plan).

Anyway, I had picked up a delicious twin pack of Chef Bruce Aidells’ sausage at Costco last weekend (Mango and Sun-Dried Tomato flavors). Costco had set up a little tasting station and it was good stuff, so I grabbed a pack. It’s chicken sausage, and these flavors are gluten-free and dairy-free. Though my family isn’t on the gluten- or dairy-free track, maybe yours is. I decided to cook up some Mango for dinner last night since I am not sure that Shawn will go for the Sun-Dried Tomato.

It was delicious. And since it’s precooked, it only took about 8 minutes on the grill. How easy is that? Will loved it so much that he ate two whole links. That’s my boy!

The one funny part is that I have since discovered that the links are in fact breakfast links – LOL, but served with roasted potatoes and corn, they made a good dinner. They are larger than your typical breakfast sausage, but smaller than your average dinner sausage. Ooops.

As for the roasted potatoes? Sorry no pictures. They were simple and tasty as well, but looked a little naked to me. See, Cate (of Sweetnicks fame) and I were having a conversation about organics the other night and she went off about how non-organic potatoes are ranked high (number 10, was it?) on the list of worst non-organic produce in terms of pesticide retention. These were perfect  red potatoes, but they weren’t organic and I couldn’t get the idea out of my head. So I did something I NEVER do – I peeled them.

8 small (or new) red potatoes, peeled if they aren’t organic
2 tbsp olive oil
a generous amount of Kosher salt
a generous amount of pepper
a generous amount of paprika

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

Quarter the potatoes. Place all ingredients in a plastic Ziploc bag and shake until evenly coated.

Spread potatoes out on the baking sheet and cook for 30 minutes, turning once about half way through.

I can’t believe it’s Memorial Day already. Yea for warm weather, swimming and lots of beach time! Boo for overpriced gas and higher electric bills. Can’t have it all, can we?

Tomorrow, we are heading to the beach for a family day and probably a barbecue. Nothing quite compares with sand, surf and family on a holiday. I am just hoping that Will can get over his sand aversion to have a lot of fun tomorrow (it took several hours last time we went to the beach, which was a month ago). What are you doing for Memorial Day?

So I figured I would bring along a tasty salad or two for the barbecue. Of course, being the procrastinator I am, I am still deciding what to make. I do have an idea for a roasted potato salad that I might have to try out. In looking through my archives, I also found several delicious recipes that would be great for salads on Memorial Day. I will probably post a few new ones over the next day or two as well.

Simple Fruit Salad (Click Title for Recipe)
This is a super refreshing salad that is great on a warm day. The addition of a bit of Romano is something that I just love. Fruit and cheese go very well together.

Greek Salad (Click Title for Recipe)
This salad is very tasty and the vinaigrette is great for outdoor eating since you don’t have to worry about spoilage or anything. If you aren’t adding chicken to the dish, use half the amount of dressing (the other half will keep in the fridge for at least seven days).

Broccoli Slaw (Recipe Below)
This is one of my favorites and it always draws rave reviews. Trust me, the time it takes to make it is well worth it. Just be sure to keep it chilled until just before serving, since it contains mayonnaise.

Cost of 2 movie tickets for Friday night: $22
Cost of 2 sodas, one popcorn and one nachos at the movies: $21
Total cost of my husband and my first night out alone in nearly a year: $43

Seriously. I mean seriously. WHY DOES IT COST SO MUCH TO GO TO THE MOVIES?!?

I thought the ticket prices were awful when I bought them online (truth be told, I could have saved $2 by buying them at the theatre, but since it was the opening night I wanted to be sure we got them for the time we wanted).

But the food. Oh, the food. Once upon a time, movie theatre food cost a fraction of the price and was made on the premises. You would get hot nacho cheese, just popped popcorn, etc, etc. These days, everything comes out of bags and plastic containers. In fact, they don’t even put the butter on the popcorn for you anymore. Geesh. We are paying for less quality, less work by the workers and convenience. It’s a scam.

How to save money at the movies:

1) Bring your own food. Nachos and cheese? No problem. Ortega sells these handy little tubs of nacho cheese in four packs (check the Mexican food aisle at the grocery store) for about $3. Take one, and a baggy of tortilla chips and hide in your large purse. For drinks, bring your favorites – water, flavored waters, even sodas – in your purse. But wait till the lights dim to whip them out. Even popcorn can be popped at home and brought with you.

2) Go to the matinee. Yea, it’s fun to see movies at night. But it’s more fun to not spend an arm and a leg doing it so save a few dollars and go in the afternoon on a rainy day. Your wallet will thank you.

3) Only see what you can’t wait for. Don’t go to the movies just to go to the movies. Go when it’s a movie you are dying to see that you cannot wait for. Otherwise, save the money and wait for it to come out on video – you can either spend about $5 and rent it or spend $15 and own it. Both cases are less than the cost of two movie tickets.

. . . and now I have. (You can read about my decision here.)

Goodbye melamine!

Hello Corelle!

Will and I were driving, planning on running a few errands, yesterday when we first glimpsed the dark – almost black – storm clouds. We headed home instead. Fat raindrops began to fall around us as we went inside. By the time I reached the rear of the house to let the dogs out, rain was coming down in swirls, pounding the house and the ground. The storm had come on very suddenly. Wild winds tugged at the trees and branches outside.

Thunder rolled in, with intermittent flashes of lightning. I dashed through the house, shutting the windows as raindrops burst through the screens on all sides of the house. And when it was all over, only sporadic rain, darkness and silence remained. No power, no familiar hum, nothing.

I never imagined a 4 p.m. power outage would last more than a few minutes, an hour at the most. After all, the fierce storm blew in and out with relative quickness. But the outage remained through the night and into today.

Yesterday, Will and I played, unable to leave the house for wet conditions. And time wore on and on. I called the electric company once, twice, three times, with no clear picture of when our power would return.

Dinner sat, partially cooked, in the Crock-Pot. That wasn’t meant to be. Finally I called for a pizza, learning that the pizza parlor was serving pies and salads only. Fortunately, a pie was all we needed.

Driving through town was an eerie ride. Darkness was everywhere – stoplights extinguished, businesses closed, houses unlit. Even the pizza parlor we went to sat in darkness (thank goodness for alternative power sources for the pizza ovens).

Across town, things were worse. Trees tugged at power lines and over a dozen roads were closed. Travel was near impossible. We returned home, thankful I’d gotten cash back at the grocery store that morning. The pizza hit the spot.

Another call to the phone company revealed an estimated return of power – 11 p.m., today, more than a day later. Will headed off to bed in semi-darkness leaving me alone.

Our house isn’t prepared for instances like this. Candles are few, and hidden. Matches are nearly non-existent. I rounded up supplies for the darkness, wishing that the recording got it wrong. Then I rushed around, clearing spots on tables and removing obstacles. A dark night would be a tough one in our rural home. Then I stepped out onto the still-light porch and did something I don’t do often: I read. For hours I read, first on the porch until the last lights died away. Then later on our bedroom which I lit up with dancing flames on wicks around the room.

And all I could think last night was how grateful I was to the staff of My Place for dishing out the pizzas without power so people like us could still eat dinner. And how grateful I was for living in a town where the drivers were so considerate of each other, taking turns and not rushing through intersections when the lights were out. It’s a good place to live.

So yesterday was the first time I ever tried a Rachael Ray recipe. I know, she’s been huge for several years now, but I managed to remain under the radar … or something. Anyway, this French Dip Panini was amazing. I made a few changes: I added salt and pepper to the sauce, caught out half of the butter (the other half was to butter the bread, but I felt like 1 tbsp of butter per serving was excessive and the bread didn’t need it.), cut the roast beef portion in half and switched up the pepper jack for Swiss cheese.

Anyway, it turned out moaning-while-you-eat good. I will definitely be making this again.

2 tablespoons butter
1 shallot, minced
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 cups beef broth
salt and pepper
1/2 pound good quality sliced roast beef
1 baguette, cut into four portions and sliced open
1/4 lb sliced Swiss cheese

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the minced shallot and cook, stirring frequently, until softened and translucent (this takes about 2 minutes). Stir in the cornstarch and cook for an additional minute.

Add the beef broth, stirring vigorously until well blended with the cornstarch mixture (Rachael said to use a whisk, but both of mine were in the dishwasher. This method worked fine). Taste the sauce and add salt and pepper as necessary.

Separate the slices of roast beef and add to the sauce. Cook over low heat until the slices are warmed.

Preheat your grill or griddle pan on the stove over medium heat (don’t forget to heat the panini press too). You should do this for at least 10 minutes before using it.

Divide the cheese and roast beef evenly among the baguettes. Reserve the sauce.

Place the sandwiches on the preheated pan and press down with the panini press. Cook for two minutes on each side.

Serve the panini with a bowl of the reserved sauce and enjoy!

Dinner tonight was a pretty quick combination of recipes. First, I threw together Rachael Ray’s French Dip Panini (with a few minor modifications). Then I whipped up a two-minute caprese salad (which coincidentally is a perfect inclusion for Sweetnicks’ ARF/5-A-Day Tuesday).

Honestly, I dare say this is the first Rachael Ray recipe I have ever made. I came across it while looking at recipes on Everything Rachael Ray today and it just stuck in my head. So on the way home I made a quick stop at the store for the ingredients. Whipping it up was simple and easy. And the flavor was awesome. It was definitely a good first taste of her cooking. I might just have to try some of her other recipes too.

While at the store, some deliciously ripe plum tomatoes and bright green basil caught my eye. Next thing I knew I was slicing a plum tomato and mini fresh mozzarella balls and tearing up basil for a super-quick salad.

Here’s the caprese salad recipe. I will post the panini recipe on the flip-side.

1 plum tomato, sliced into six slices
2 mini fresh mozzarella balls, cut into three slices
2 large basil leaves, torn into pieces
olive oil
sea salt

Layer tomato slices and then mozzarella slices on a plate. Place the torn basil in the center of the slices. Drizzle with olive oil and then sprinkle with salt.

Serve immediately.

On April 6, 2006, I wrote a post titled “I dream of” that listed several items I wanted to successfully make. Over the past year, I have made some of the items, rejected making others and pondered the difficulties of still others. I thought it might be time to revisit the list, see what I have done and revise.

So check it out, this is the original list (the ones in bold have been accomplished) with my notes:

1. - Chocolate croissants – I have thought about making this several times and even gathered the ingredients. I did make some with puff pastry that were good. But from scratch is still very daunting.
2. - Napoleons – Mmm. Need to sit down and do this.
3. - Black and whites – See above.
4. - A delicious and super creamy strawberry milkshake – Tried and failed, so far.
5. - Tortillas (soft) – Check out my method for this here.
6. - Red clam sauce - The recipe for this isn’t on the website yet, but geez who knew a weird throw together concoction could be the best red clam sauce I have ever had? It was.
7. - Brown basmati rice that is cooked all the way through (it’s a big problem for me with this type of rice) – I don’t even like brown rice.
8. - Palek Paneer – This one is really ambitious, since I will have to make the cheese too. And I don’t think I am ready for that.
9. - Garlic knots (NY pizzeria style) -I tried this, but haven’t perfected it yet.
10. - Flan – Not sure why this was on here. I am not really a big flan fan.

Now, to revise the list, I am pulling out the ones that have been accomplished as well as the ones I changed my mind about (brown rice, palek paneer, flan) and adding some new ones to the mix. Hopefully this year I will have a better success rate.

Here it goes:

1. - anything from Julia Child’s French Chef Cookbook
2. - sandwich bread
3. - Chocolate croissants
4. - Napoleons
5. - Black and whites
6. - A delicious and super creamy strawberry milkshake
7. - strawberry jam/preserves
8. - canning
9. - a good, light and fluffy homemade pancake
10. - Garlic knots (NY pizzeria style)
11. - panna cotta