Natural Italy
I am recovering from my car accident today, so I will simply share these beautiful pictures from the Italian countryside. They bring such peace to my heart. 🙂
We made tisane with this scrumptious lavender.
Accident
Dear ones, I’m afraid my post will be short and sweet today. Although I had a lovely weekend with my dear friends, I also got in a car accident that has left me with much pain. I am fine, but will be very sore for a while. I go to the chiropractor and doctor in the morning, and they should help me get back to my old self soon.:-)
I leave you with one of my favorite photos from a beautiful lake we happened upon in Bosnia.
Looking Forward
Last Friday I wrote about planning one thing every week to look forward to, and this week I had a doozy! 🙂 I kept catching myself grinning at work, while puttering away at my chores or out on my walk, simply because today I get to head down south to spend a whole weekend with one of my very besties – Trish!! Her hubby is such a luv, totally cool with us having an utterly girlie weekend of movies, reading, eating whatever suits our fancy, and of course, talking our heads off. 🙂 I can’t wait!! 🙂
My contribution to our feasting is, of course, dessert! 🙂 Inspired by finding my missing old-fashioned jelly molds (yay!), I experimented with another gelatin creation.
Since the latte version was such a hit last week, I had to try it again, this time layered with creamy blackberry. Mmm. It was great using my coppery molds for the first time, and I think the results are so fun – like something out of Dr. Seuss or Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory. 🙂 I thought I got all the gelatin dissolved, but when the finished product shlooped out of the pan (yes, it did make that sound :-)), I realized I did not. It looks like I added toasted coconut to the bottom of the mold. 🙂 We’ll just pretend I meant it to look like that. 🙂
Fake toasted coconut or not, I love the flavors of this dessert. Made with half water and half fat-free evaporated milk, the texture is smooth and creamy, the flavors rich but not too sweet. Yum! 🙂
Last night I thought I was having company, but work intervened at the last moment and they weren’t able to come. Sadness. 🙁 On the bright side, I have a beautifully set table and heaps of fab leftovers so I won’t have to cook for days. HUZZAH! 🙂
I started with Balsamic Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Toasted Pine Nuts. Ever since seeing them on Kevin’s blog the other day, I simply had to try them. So I popped in the next dvd in the Churchill’s Bodyguard series and set to work. 🙂
Ooeee – how I love the caramelized sprouts drenched in the zingy dressing and sprinkled with beautifully browned nuts. Delish. 🙂
I also made one of my favorite salads – green bean with feta and basil. Mums found the recipe years ago and every time I see bundles of fresh green beans I want to make it. The beans are lightly steamed until they’re bright green, immediately dunked in ice water until cool, then drained, dried and mixed with feta cheese, basil and a dijon vinaigrette. Mmm – such perky flavors!
I served both dishes with fresh kalamata olive bread from the bakery, warmed in the oven and dipped in fruity olive oil. Delectable! 🙂
Now I must go pack: flannel pjs and woolly socks, too-tall-stack-of-books-to-read, ipod with old time radio mysteries for the drive down, yup! I’m ready to go! 🙂
Happy Weekend, dear ones! 🙂
Mum’s Green Bean Salad with Feta and Basil
Ingredients:
3 pounds green beans, trimmed
1 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 4-oz package Feta cheese, crumbled or grated
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, cut in ribbons
Directions:
- Place beans in steamer basket over boiling water. Cover and steam 4 minutes or until crisp tender. Plunge in ice water. Drain.
- Whisk together Dijon mustard and next four ingredients in large bowl.
- Add beans, feta and basil. Toss gently to coat.
Balsamic Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Toasted Pine Nuts
(From Closet Cooking)
Ingredients:
2 pounds brussels sprouts (trimmed and halved)
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup balsamic vinaigrette
1/4 cup pine nuts slices (toasted)
1/4 cup parmigiano reggiano (grated, optional)
Directions:
- Toss the brussels sprouts in the oil along with the salt and pepper.
- Arrange the brussels sprouts in a single layer on a baking sheet.
- Roast in a preheated 400F oven until they start to caramelize, flipping them once in between, about 30 minutes.
- Toss the brussels sprouts in the balsamic vinaigrette along with the pine nuts and garnish with the parmigiano reggiano.
Latte Gelatin – posted here🙂
Blackberry Gelatin
Ingredients:
1 box blackberry Jell-O
1 cup boiling water
1 can evaporated milk
Directions:
- Pour Jell-O mix in bowl, add boiling water and stir until granules are dissolved. Let sit until lukewarm.
- Add evaporated milk and stir until incorporated.
- Pour into mold and chill for 2 hours.
A Bit o’ Rain
After days of glorious sunshine, our beautiful Washington rain is back, gentle and refreshing. Even though we still have frost on our windshields in the morning, it feels like spring is so close! On my morning break at work, I stroll through the neighborhoods of the little Dutch town where my office is located. Yesterday I meandered through back alleys and down side streets, delighting in budding branches, twittering birds and the first greens of spring. There are actually snowdrops blooming! And crocuses!
Tonight my dear friend Kat is coming over for dinner (yay!!) and because she loves veggies as much as I do, I’ve been plotting some marvy vegetarian dishes such as Kevin’s Balsamic Roasted Brussells Sprouts with Toasted Pine Nuts and Mum’s Green Bean Salad with Feta and Basil. I think Latte Gelatin will do nicely for dessert. 🙂
Today I want to share some of the beauties of rainy Washington. 🙂 There is an abundance of new growth in my heart these days, and these pictures delight my soul and remind me that after a hard winter the healing rains come and what seems dead is in fact green and full of life.
Nooksack River
Aren’t those ferns so vibrant?
I absolutely love this stark bit of moss against those burgundy leaves
The mist over the mountains is pure fairytale and I want to snuggle under a quilt with a fabulous British novel – John Buchan stories would do the trick nicely. 🙂
Thank you for bringing joy to my life, dear ones. 🙂
A Little Italian with a Dash of Oysters
After missing two weeks of CEC 🙁 I was so happy to be well enough to go this week! YAY! 🙂 Twas so splendid to see all my foodie pals, and hear their familiar banter and teasing.
The theme was Italian, but was adhered to rather loosely. 🙂 I started things off with antipasti of roasted yellow bell peppers, dilled green beans, Kalamata olives, and artichoke hearts.
Darren cubed a selection of fabulous cheeses including one aged with whiskey. Yum!! Selwyn made wonderfully chewy and buttery garlic bread sprinkled with roasted garlic, parsley and parmesan cheese. It disappeared in short order, especially when Deb set out a pan of piping hot pizza dip layered all manner of cheesy, tomatoey ooey, gooey goodness.
The Main Course folks were running late, so the rest of us sipped wine, looked through Darren’s cookbook collection, and visited contentedly. We also plotted ideas for the next few weeks and I’m so excited and can’t wait to share them with you. 🙂
Kat and Cameron arrived and Kat hustled to the stove to make a divinely creamy Alfredo sauce to go with the bits and bobs being assembled in the smoker.
Cameron disappeared into the woods for a bit, returning with just the right branches to impart the best smoke flavor.
Darren wrapped prosciutto around scallops while Cameron shucked oysters, and Kat chopped bell peppers and onions while Toby chopped Italian parsley and Mike stirred Kat’s Alfredo sauce.
Kristin and Noah arrived with beaming smiles and bottles of Italian wine and Selwyn served us Chicken Parmesan bites – yummy little nibbles with a crispy, cracker coating topped with tomato sauce and provolone.
Then the back door opened and Cameron entered bearing platters. The Main Feast was ready! Smoked salmon drizzled with Alfredo sauce, tender scallops with salty prosciutto, oysters on the half shell, smoky and briny, and shiny smoked vegetables providing a sweet balance.
It’s good to be back. 🙂
Deborah’s Hot Pizza Dip
(From Pampered Chef)
Ingredients:
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1 tsp dried Italian seasoning
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
3/4 cup parmesan cheese
1 8-ounce can pizza sauce
2 Tbsp green pepper, chopped
2 Tbsp green onion, sliced
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Combine cream cheese and Italian seasoning and spread into an 8″ glass pan.
- In a small bowl combine mozzarella and parmesan. Sprinkle 1/2 on top of the cream cheese. Spread pizza sauce over the cheese mixture. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Top with bell pepper and green onion.
- Bake for 15-18 minutes.
- Serve with French bread or fresh vegetable dippers
Selwyn’s Chicken Parmesan Bites
Ingredients:
4 Chicken Breasts
Pasta Sauce, Sliced Provolone
2 eggs
1 cup breading of your choice (in this case I used about a cup of crushed gluten free crackers)
1 tsp of granulated garlic
1 tsp of Italian seasoning
1/4 cup of freshly grated Parmesan
Directions:
- Cut the chicken into half dollar size pieces.
- Dip in egg then breading.
- Place on baking sheet and cook at 350 for 10 minutes on one side. Turn pieces over, cook another 10 minutes.
- Top with a tsp of pasta sauce and a quarter of a slice of provolone and broil until you get a nice golden brown color on top.
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