Inspiration

I adore 2 movies about music education: Music of my Heart and Mr. Holland's Opus. Studying music was a large part of my childhood and teen years. I was a self-proclaimed "band nerd", playing first the piano, then flute for many years. These movies give me the warm fuzzies and I find their stories inspiring--driving me to continue learning and growing in my love and appreciation of music and myself.

Do any movies inspire you?

A "What Not to Wear" Drinking Game

One of my Friday night ways to unwind is with an episode of "What Not To Wear". However after several years of watching the show, you start to notice certain trends. Thus, a "What Not To Wear" Drinking Game is born.

A shot or in my case a sip of wine (haha!) when the following happens on "What Not To Wear":

- Stacey says "Shut Up!"
- Nick gestures for a hug after finishing the hairstyle
- Carmindy mentions Crest White Strips
- Stacey and Clinton hold hands
- The makeoveree cries during their confession tape between shopping day 1 and 2
- Stacey and Clinton ambush the makeoveree on day 2

With my low tolerance, I would be on the floor after one episode!

Long live Clinton and Stacey!

Sharing the Goodness (of these recipes!)

I'm finally got around to uploading my pictures onto my laptop. I found pictures of some of my favorite recipes. 'll try to include the recipes I used but truth be told, I made up some of them!


Plum Tart


Orzo with Lemon, Basil, and Feta Cheese


Butternut Squash Risotto


Rigatoni with Pumpkin and Goat Cheese



Zuppa Toscana

What I am Thankful for

Happy Thanksgiving Eve! I have been very blessed this year and am thankful for...

(1) My family
(2) A warm home
(3) Enough food to eat daily
(4) A job and co workers that I adore
(5) Friends from all parts of my life

What are YOU reading these days??

Hello blogging friends--I'm in need of some book recommendations! Please share some great reads for me to curl up with during the cool winter months!!

I'm currently reading Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri--a great collection of short stories!

Save me from hours of mindless TV watching!!

Thanks Diana!

Wahoo! My first Blog award! Thanks Diana at The Chicago Blogger!


According to the rules, I need to list 6 things that make me happy!

1. My husband
2. My family (Mom, Dad and Sis)
3. A stack of books that I haven't read yet
4. Good friends
5. A perfect glass of wine
6. A successful recipe

So here are the rest of the rules!

List 6 things that make you happy (done!)
Pass the award on to 6 bloggers for Kreativ.
Link to the blogger who gave you the award.
Link to the blogs receiving the award.
Notify the recipients.

Here are my nominations (some of them may have already been nominated!)

Sweet. Southern. Spirited
The Sum of Awe
The Vogt Family
The Brantley Family Blog
Pretty Random Thoughts
Single Girl in the South

Happy 6 month anniversary!

Today is our 6 month wedding anniversary! We celebrated with a Ravens win and a delicious meal at home. I made Bow Tie Pasta with a Tomato Cream sauce and Chicken Sausage. I used the following recipe from AllRecipes.com. The dish was quite the hit! I will definitely add it to my growing list of good recipes. Alongside the pasta, I served roasted pole beans and foccacia bread, both purchased from the Green Market at the beach. I'm settling in for the evening with 60 minutes, The Amazing Race, and Mad Men (If I'm not snoozing on the couch by then!).

Tagged by Neighbor Lindsay!

A. Attached or single? Yes, married for almost 6 months!
B. Best friend? My sister and husband
C. Cake or pie? I liking eating cake and baking pies!
D. Day of choice? Saturday
E. Essential item? eyeglasses
F. Favorite colour? blue
G. Gummy bears or worms? Worms!
H. Hometown? Orange Park
I. Favorite indulgence? Organic produce and meat
J. January or July? January--love the reprieve from hot weather
K. Kids? Hopefully in the next few years
L. Life isn’t complete without? Good friends and family + good food and wine
M. Marriage date? April 19
N. Number of magazine subscriptions: Everyday Food, Real Simple, Domino, Reader's Digest
O. Oranges or apples? Oranges
P. Phobias? drowning
Q. Quotes? Be the change you want to see in the world - Gandhi
R. Reasons to smile? my husband, successful cooking experiments, catching up with friends, silliness with my sister
S. Season of choice? Spring
T. Tag 5 people. Andie, Diana, My sister
U. Unknown fact about me? Hmm, I'm addicted to Sunday Puzzle on NPR Weekend Edition
V. Vegetable? Asparagus (keeping this Neighbor Lindsay), Zucchini, Red Peppers, Peas-anything fresh really
W. Worst habit?Excessive sneezing but I can't help it!
X. X-ray or ultrasound? had both--both uneventful.
Y. Your favorite foods? Sushi, cheeseburgers, tortallini alla panna
Z. Zodiac sign? Pisces

Why we should all clean out our wallets!

I got a big desire to organize this fine Friday evening. I decide to tackle all that unread mail and ended up shredding most of it. I also decided to clean out my wallet. What a bonanza in unused gift cards!! I found...

A Bed Bath & Beyond Gift Card with a balance of $10.01
An American Express Gift Card with a balance of $14.81
A Wiliams-Sonoma merchandise credit for $32.05

Holy Cow--I can't believe there was $56.87 just hanging around in my wallet! I plan to have a little fun with my new found "money" tomorrow!!

Old City Farmer's Market

My friend, her son and I took a little field trip on Saturday to the Old City Farmer's Market in St. Augustine. We had heard about this farmer's market from the vendors at our regular market--it is one of the larger markets in the area and besides produce and bread, they have a variety of artists on display also. Plus they have prepared food stands and activities for kids!

It was a great way to spend a Saturday morning. It is finally cooling down in Florida so I didn't sweat to death while perusing the stands. Here is a picture of most of my goodies (sans the big container of peppercorns):



The greens in the bag are arugula leaves. Tasty! Quite the bargain at 2.50 per bag compared to 3.50-4.00 in the grocery store. In the jar is fig jam. YUM! I made crostini with fig jam, caramelized onions and parm-reggiano cheese today.

Shopping at the Market on Saturdays has made me look forward to preparing dinner on Saturday nights. Saturday nights used to be a "going out to dinner" night but it has turned into "enjoying fresh produce from the market" night.

Today I decided to take the delicious plums and make a rustic plum tart. I love pies and tarts as they are tasty but much easier than cupcakes and cakes!! Check it out:




Waiting for dinner to finish cooking and then it's a busy TV night for me (exciting I know): The Amazing Race and Mad Men! Wahoo!!!

Really? 5 months already??

My hubby and I have been married 5 months as of Friday. Can't believe time has flown by so quickly!

We unintentionally celebrated with steak sandwiches and an amazing bottle of 2006 Phantom Blend by the Bogle Vineyards. Married life has been amazing so far. I lived with my husband before we got hitched, but it does feel different for the better now that we are married!

Otherwise the weekend was jam packed! I went to an Obama rally with my friend Neighbor Lindsay and her sister. Then I had an amazing reunion dinner with 3 friends from high school.

Sunday was spent cooking, watching football with my hubby, and reading new magazines. Bliss!

Weekend Update!

I didn't have any huge plans this weekend and that has been a godsend. I spent the weekend doing my favorite things: Green Market with my neighbor (Hi!!), Reading through my stack of books from the Library, Watching Football and Cooking with my husband. Gone are the weekends of drinking WAY too much and waking up when the day is half over. I personally love being up early to enjoy the quiet of the morning or cook breakfast. This morning, I did the latter as my father in law was over to help us put in a new toilet (thanks Mom and Dad!) and the men needed the bacon and buttermilk pancakes to keep them working!

Now it's time to prepare for Monday ...and for the new episode of Mad Men! Woot!

Loving my Library

I know I have said this before, but I love my library. The staff is very friendly and the library itself is kept up well. I came home with a bunch of books that I can't wait to read. Here is what I got:



Jeffrey Steingarten is my favorite judge on Iron Chef America. I've never read his work before though so I am looking forward to reading this book.



I stumbled upon this book while on my way to check out. I haven't heard much about it however the story sounds compelling. I love memoirs, biographies etc.



I feel I have been on a 1960's kick--with watching Mad Med, Doris Day movies (okay that is more 50's but stay with me here), Across the Universe. This looked like an interesting read and I like the female perspective.



I'm no fine dining expert by any means, but I've enjoyed my fair share of dining at some pretty fancy schmancy places. Was it always the best meal I had ever had? Not in the least, but the experience is something I enjoy from time to time.




Elie Krieger is one of my faves on Food Network. I like that she educated you on the nutritional aspect of the food she prepares--like what vitamins are present etc. Plus her baked onion rings recipe (with some slight modifications from me) is my favorite non junky junk food.

I'm deciding what to read first. I'll probably start with the Starbucks story! Have any of you read these books before?

New Blogger!

Hello dear readers! MartiniGirl is a new blogger who is sharing her life as she approaches 40. She is just getting started, so if you get a moment, please stop by her blog!

http://martinigirlispushing40.blogspot.com/

Okay, off to watch Mad Men (Andie, hope you are watching too!!)

Passing Time during the storm

My boss told me not to come in on Friday due to high winds from Tropical Storm Fay. What does one do with unexpected time off?

In my case, I try out new recipes! I picked two very easy recipe based on what I already had in the refrigerator or pantry.

The first one is Baked Zucchini Sticks. I had picked up some lovely zucchini from the market last week and wanted to try something other than the normal Zucchini boats I usually make. I also had half a large can of whole tomatoes leftover and decided to make a homemade marinara to accompany the "sticks". Here is how it turned out!



Since we were eating something somewhat healthy, I wanted something sweet to go with it. I had half a bag of leftover frozen peaches and some pie dough so I decided to make this. I love pies since they are not as labor intensive as cakes :)

I didn't have enough filling or peaches for the original recipe, so I ended up folding over the pie crust and it ended up looking like a rustic tart. See for yourself:



The only major substitution I made was vanilla extract for almond. This turned out to be pretty darn delicious!

Other than trying new recipes, I was pretty low key over the weekend. The hubby and I ventured out on Saturday to pick up groceries. We made a very nice dinner on Saturday night, complete with amazing ribeyes from Fresh Market. Yum and definitely a once in a while treat! I also cleaned, did laundry, etc etc.

Today I went to Target to pick up the newish Emily Giffin book "Love the one you're with". I tried to hold out and check it out from the library, but it is always on reserve for someone and I couldn't wait any longer. It is an easy read and a good story. I can see it appealing more to married women than the twenty something single. However, I recommend it for a quick read.

Time to get ready for the new week. I hope you all have a great one!

Edit: on the zucchini recipe, I substituted Whole Wheat Panko Breadcrumbs for the regular italian breadcrumbs. I tossed in some garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, oregeno and basil to jazz up the pankos.

I <3 fresh produce

for the past month, I've been getting the majority of my produce from the local Green Market held in a local park near the beach. At first, I used to go with specific goals in mind (like I have to get 2 tomatoes). However, going to a local farmer's market with a shopping list is not very productive. It's better to wing it and make decisions based on the selection. Then based on what you get, develop your menu. I feel that I made out with some superb produce yesterday, spending a grant total of $18. I came home with:

1 huge green bell pepper (which was used today to make beef fajitas)
6 ears of sweet corn (3 of them were served for dinner tonight)
6 medium zucchinis (2 served this evening -- using my favorite stuffed zucchini recipe)
6 huge tomatoes (1 used yesterday to make a tomato sandwich on italian whole grain)
2 lbs of green beans
1 huge italian eggplant (will be used tomorrow along with the tomatoes to make roasted eggplant, tomato and mozzarella stacks---and also to be used on Tuesday to make paninis)
1 lb of Muscadine grapes (I had never tried these before, but very good!)

Can't wait to see what I will get next week!

So good to be back!!

I'm blogging today from a River North hotel room...getting ready to have tea with 2 of my favorite ladies! We did make it to Bongo Room for Brunch and it was well worth the wait. Shopped a little in Lincoln Park..enjoyed the gorgeous and perfect weather...pretty much having the perfect Sunday! Details about tea to be shared later!!

I'm a bad blogger

I know, I've been quite the neglectful blogger! Work has been unbelieveably crazy and I've been working hard just to keep my head above water. However there is a reprieve. I'm headed to Chicago this weekend! Well in actuality, I will be in Indiana, however I get one blissful day in the city. I am excited to soak up a little Chicago flavor. I'm hoping to drag my sister to brunch with me at the Bongo Room. I want to have high tea at the Peninsula Hotel. Some of you may remember my high tea experience at the Drake. So excited!!

The main purpose of my trip is to celebrate my bestest cousin's wedding! My cousin is 3 months younger than me and we grew up together (albeit we were separated by many miles). Love that we both got married in the same year we turned 30! :)

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

What I've Been Reading

You may remember that I love to read cookbooks as actual books. I don't cook from them too often but boy do I love to read them. Typically I find them inspiring and may use a technique or flavor combination based on a recipe I read. The two most recent cookbooks I've read are compliments of my public library. Cookbooks can be very expensive so I love having a way to still enjoy them without the extra cost involved.

The first one is...



I think Dave Lieberman is a doll. I love the idea that you can entertain and prepare meals without breaking the bank. The book is a very easy read. He categorizes the recipes by occasions such as Casual Sit-Down dinner, dinner for two, tailgate party and more. The recipes are very accessable.

The second one is...



Sara Moulton's shows were some of the first ones I watched on the Food Network. I loved Cooking Live. Sara is definitely more a cook than TV Personality but I liked that about her. I have prepared many recipes of hers and they are very successful. My Baked Chicken Enchiladas are one of her recipes and my hubby adores them. The cookbook is geared towards uncomplicated weeknight meals without the crazy abbreviations and such (Sorry Rachael Ray--but I still love you!).

Overall I would recommend both these books for the home cook who would consider themselves at a high beginner to moderate level of ability. Bon appetit!

Just like a big Reese's Peanut Butter Cup

I've made the below pie twice now and it has been quite the hit. I love no bake pies in the summertime. No need to make your home hotter than it already is!

Double Layer Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie (From www.allrecipes.com)


Ingredients

* 1/2 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
* 1 tablespoon white sugar
* 1 tablespoon cold milk
* 1 cup peanut butter
* 1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
* 1 (9 inch) prepared graham cracker crust
* 2 (3.9 ounce) packages instant chocolate pudding mix
* 2 cups cold milk
* 4 peanut butter cups, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

Cooking Instructions

In a large bowl, mix cream cheese, sugar, 1 tablespoon milk and peanut butter until smooth. Gently stir in 1 1/2 cups of whipped topping. Spread mixture on bottom of pie crust.

In a second bowl, stir pudding mix with 2 cups milk until thick. Immediately stir in remaining whipped topping. Spread mixture over peanut butter layer.

Scatter peanut butter cups over top of pie. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours.


Now when I made it, I made the following substitutions:

Sugar Free Cool Whip for the frozen whipped topping
Splenda for the Sugar
Sugar Free Instant Chocolate pudding
Keebler® Ready Crust® Graham 2 Extra Servings Pie Crust (a bit bigger than the 9" pie)

This is super easy! I hope you like it!!