FIVE HUNDRED!!
This is my 500th post! Wow. FIVE HUNDRED. A lot has happened in the past 4 years on this blog. I challenged myself in the kitchen, met a lot of great people, had some wonderful conversations, and ignited my passion for all things food! I also inspired a lot of people to try new things in their kitchens, and for that I'm most proud!
I've been wanting to do some tweaks & additions to this site because I've got a lot of ideas floating around in my head! I'm definitely going to add a FAQ page to this site. One of the most common questions is, "What camera do you use?" I'm currently using a Canon 40D. So there's one question answered! If you have any questions you'd like me to answer, please leave a comment!
Thank you for helping me get to 500! If it wasn't for your support I would have never made it. So here's to another 500!
First hike of 2011
I'm keeping a promise I made to myself- Be more active in 2011.
This morning we took a short hike over at Windy Hill.
Here's what we saw!
Happy New Year! 2011
Hope you had a wonderful New Year's Eve! We sure did.
We spent it with my family in San Francisco. It's our tradition!
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i’m stuffed!
Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Ours was super low key & fun!
My dad busted out some great red wines & we played with Cooper all afternoon.
This is what our table looked like:
We started off with my Mom's Green Salad. Always a favorite.
And here's my plate! Stuffing, turkey, green beans, mashed potatoes, roasted sweet potatoes & gravy.
I fixed Cooper a plate of all the good stuff but he wouldn't touch any of it! He missed out.
He did like blowing out my mom's fancy candles, though!
I'm still stuffed and looking at these pics don't help. Totally looking forward to eating lighter this coming week!
Thinking there might be a lot of soups & salads in my future.....What about you?
A Fave Food Memory: Pasta Making
Thank you to everyone who posted one of their favorite food memories so far for my FIRST GIVEAWAY!!
It ends tomorrow, so you still have a chance to enter!
I thought I'd share one of my many favorite food memories with you while we are on the subject! Over a month ago, I was in my grandmother's kitchen learning how to make pasta from scratch. She was moving back to New York, so I had to quickly make plans to see her before she left. I had such a wonderful time and learned A LOT in the process. If I hadn't come up with my 31 comes before 32 list, it might not have happened. So, hooray for motivating lists!
When I walked into my grandmother's kitchen, she had everything set up for us to make pasta! I could tell that she was a bit stressed by the move, but our time together was a welcome relief for her. In the back of my mind, I knew it could be the last time we cooked together (at least for awhile) so I soaked it all in and appreciated every second of the experience. I also snapped as many pictures as I could! She went to use her hand mixer, and I pushed it aside and told her that I wanted to use my own hands. I wanted to feel the dough and see what it took to make it. She looked up at me proudly and patted me on the back. That was my favorite moment.
I left her house with two trays full of big fat scrumptious cheese raviolis, a few stories of her younger days, as well as THEE pasta/polenta board her father made her over 30 years ago. I am truly blessed. It's a big deal that I have it now.
What I have taken away from the experience is that putting in the effort to make things from scratch REALLY makes a difference. When you make something by hand-- with love, it shows. My grandmother has always inspired me to grow my arsenal of cooking techniques. She taught me to pay attention to what I eat and figure out what's in it and how I can replicate it at home. She has always made things from scratch, even when her hands began to fail her and for that I am thankful.
When I talk to my dad about his favorite food memories, he beams. He always goes back to the time when my grandma made a ridiculously HUGE batch of potato gnocchi. There were soo many of them that she had to use every available surface in the house to set them. Their beds were covered! I love that story just as much as I love seeing his face when he tells it.
Food memories are sacred; especially when they reference the love that someone put forth to create them. So if you keep that in mind when you are cooking for others, I'm pretty sure it will help your cooking! You are not just making food, you are making a memory. Even if you burn the chicken, it's a memory!!
I'll post our "pasta recipe" soon! I just need to figure out what my handwriting says!
Oh and btw, we can cross these two things off the list now!
26. Learn a recipe from my grandma.
27. Make pasta from scratch. (maybe with my grandma?)
Happy Halloween!
Hope you all had a wonderful Halloween! We sure did!
Cooper was a Red Sox player. We TRIED to get him to wear a hat...but no dice.
He always takes them off the second we put them on him.
I was all spidery. My neighbor made me a spider hat! Isn't it cool?!
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lessons in gardening…
The other morning Cooper & I were hanging out in the backyard and he kept running up to me saying "Green ones, green ones!" I assumed he was referring to his trucks so I brought them out for him to play with. My assumption was wrong. A few minutes later he turns the corner, runs back to me with a proud look on his face and yells, "GREEN ONES GREEN ONES!" It was then that I realized he was talking about my GREEN TOMATOES waiting patiently to ripen on the vine. Little bubbs then says "Grapes! grapes! grapes!" He proceeds to smoosh them in his hands and then runs away. Whoa. I was stunned. Goodbye green tomatoes. I worked hard all summer for you....I now see why my grandparents were super pissed when my brothers and I would pick off buds from their plants. GAHH!!!
So let's talk about the current status of my garden.... Continue reading→
Interview @ B R U N C H!
Happy Thursday, Friends!
Wanna know why I'm obsessed with food? What inspires me? My tips on food blogging? What I love for Brunch?
You can eavesdrop on the conversation I had with my dear friend Christine. She's got a new blog --- Brunch!
I'm pretty sure you're gonna love her new space. I must tell you it's soo dreamy for a graphic design admirer like myself!
Please check it out!
And a big thanks to Whitney for taking my action shots!
Here I am working our the Scrambled Egg Turnovers!!
