junk drawer

week of color: orange and red and pink

I'm back from the Big Easy...Otis and I had such a good time.  It was just what we needed before the last big push before the wedding. Words can't explain the joy of that city. New Orleans vibrates. It seems like the city was built for the sole purpose of having fun.

I'm happy to report that this year felt much more ALIVE than last year...a very good thing indeed.

But now we're back...back home in Philly.

And I'm back on hiatus again too.  Which, while it stinks not to be bringing in some dough, is a very good thing at this point in "operation wedding".

In addition this little break will give me one more week of quiet before I start a very exciting new gig that will have me all OVER the place.  Should be fun.

Today I just puttered around the house and settled out of vacation mode.  It was so quiet around here...after 4 raucous days down south and it was just what the doctor ordered.

Above is a red/ orange shot.  The pattern on the left is a new rug I got from Anthro.  Lovely.

And here is a shot I snapped last week for the macro challenge.  It was the last of the blossoms. When we got home yesterday everything is pretty much green.  All settled in...just like I'm trying to be.

I'll be back tommorrow for the last day of week of color and with some snaps from my trip.

peace

Gratitude

I have fully recovered from what really wasn't so difficult after all.....

16 people sat down at one very LONG table in our not so big row home last Saturday night and we feasted.

Friends.  It was great.  The two families got along (again) and everything tasted good...we drank and ate and were merry.  HA

I was a wee bit busy and neglected my camera. (note: next year I must take 2 minutes to record food and table prep.)

But, photography aside, everything went swimmingly.

Now Otis and I are up to our eyeballs in leftovers...and with that, I give yee, the greatest post thanksgiving, "I have more food in this house than I shall ever know what to do with", "who the hell needs all this gravy?", "I don't want to be eating turkey sandwiches for the rest of my life!" turkey soup recipe that ever walked the face of this earth.

Turkey Posole
from foodtv.com

2 tablespoons vegetable oil, 2 turns of the pan
2 medium onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely chopped
1 tablespoon ground cumin, a palm full
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme leaves, eyeball it, 5 to 6 sprigs
Coarse salt and pepper
1 cup beer
16 tomatillos, peeled and coarsely chopped or coarsely processed in food processor
1 (15-ounce) can hominy (looks like jumbo corn and found on specialty food or canned vegetable aisle)
1 quart chicken stock
any leftover gravy in the house (up to 2 cups)
1 1/2 to 2 pounds light and dark cooked turkey meat, chopped*
1 lime, juiced
Finely chopped cilantro leaves, for garnish
Corn chips of choice, to top soup or dip

 Heat a medium soup pot or large deep skillet over medium high heat. Add vegetable oil, 2 turns of the pan, then add the onions, garlic, jalapenos, cumin, thyme, and salt and pepper, to taste. Cook 5 to 6 minutes to soften onions then add beer and cook it off, 1 minute. Stir in tomatillos and cook 5 minute more then stir in the hominy, chicken stock, any leftover gravy (up to 2 cups) and the turkey. Heat through, adjust salt and pepper and simmer the posole 10 to 15 minutes over low heat. Stir in lime juice and remove from heat. Garnish soup with cilantro and serve with corn chips to top or dip.


PS- I got a job! much to be thankful about.

the end and the begining

Fall is in full swing.  I can see it in the trees, feel it in the wind, smell it in the air.

Last weekend Otis and I headed up to the little farm in the city for our last visit to the market stand till next spring....an ending.

This week I also found out that my project from the summer (aka: my job!) has finally come to a close as well...and as of this posting I have nothing else lined up.  It's a little stressful to think about, especially with the holidays coming up (these winter months are notoriously slow in the TV biz) and since I thought that maybe (just maybe!) the project was to continue for a few months more....oh well.

The time off, however, couldn't have come at a better time. This Saturday O and I are hosting both sides of our family for "fake" thanksgiving as it's been dubbed by O's nieces and nephew.  I've got LOADS to do.

(sigh)

So all is well. Just send some happy job hunting thoughts my way.

As I like to think, closed doors always open to new beginnings.

PS - If you live in philly and you want a free range organic turkey you must check out the L Halteman country stand at reading terminal market.  I put my order in yesterday and they were a TOTAL pleasure to work with and pretty well priced. Amish=good in my book.

Blog Action Day

Today is blog action day...an idea that I really took to heart.

In preparation for this post I had to examine my life and see what changes I am making/ have made in my lifestyle.

Listen, I'm no saint. I don't live in a geothermal heated and cooled, solar powered, wind turbine lovin' household.  But there are little things that I do on a daily basis that help a little bit (I hope)

-we run the dishwasher at night (cheaper and less stressful for the grid)

- I use washcloths that I hand knit, instead of sponge. that way we can reuse them instead of throwing them away.

-I use eco friendly laundry detergent

-I use eco friendly surface cleaner

-I walk to work, I drive as little as possible

-Sometimes that means shopping at my local Asian market which is along my walk home from work, instead of getting into my car and driving to my local mega mart.  This leads to more culinary creativity.

-I try to buy LOCAL produce, not just organic produce.  In some ways I think that local trumps organic because less CO2 is released during transport.

-I am desperate to join a CSA (next year, next year), until I belong, I shop at local markets to support local farming.

-I use refillable water bottles.

-I use cloth grocery bags and try to minimize my plastic usage.

Like I said, I'm no saint, and no expert.  But I certainly believe and know that every little bit counts.

do you do anything at home to try and make a difference?

::The above pictures are from my weekend culinary endeavors and our trip to New Jersey to buy pumpkins for next weekends pumpkin fest.  fun fun!::

music to a bloggers ears...

Otis: "This looks delicious. You should take a picture of this meal! Good god!"

me: "um - no. seriously it's just monday nights dinner."

Otis: "come on take a picture!"

me: "ha ha! no, dude, just eat dinner."

Otis: "this looks too good, I am not going to eat until you take out that camera and document this meal. You know you want to post it on your blog.... "

me: "hurumph. ::click::click:: wow! that does look good."

Otis: "see!"

Lemon Chicken with avocado and corn salsa

And that is one of the many reasons why I love this man.

Recipe found in this months Martha Stewart Living.

dinner...is served

Last night was special.

I went to an incredible intimate dinner party hosted by my friend's Ron and Sara. It was Sara's birthday and Ron, her boyfriend, hired a Master Chef to come to their house to cook for us. Sara worked with me on that cooking show and is probably one of the best cooks I have ever met. She effortlessly creates dishes that are amazing. I can only hope to someday cook like her!

Needlss to say the food was delicious and so much fun!

So what to make for this very special birthday girl? Why an apron of course!

The flowered fabric is a thirfted table cloth, and the sash and ruffle are from the Philly sewing collective fabric swap.

3rd project in 3 weeks. I'm on a roll!

My 'hood

Sometimes I'm just overwhelmed by how cool my neighborhood is.

This weekend was the annual Itlaian Market Festival and since I had never been before, Otis and I went on both Saturday and Sunday. yummy!

::9th street in the heart of the market. notice the smudge on the photo...time for a new camera. Can anyone out there recommend a good one?::

::What isn't shown in the photo is the two bottles of red wine sitting open two tables open with the traditional drinking glass of choice; short juice tumblers, stacked next to them::

::A great local band - Mountain man. Check them out here::

::Only in south philly::

Enjoy your week!

new housemates

::parsley::rosemary::basil::cilantro::oregano::

We added several new members to our family over the weekend. Up on the roofdeck, where the suns shines down all day long, lies our new little herb garden where tiny plants are taking root in new pots and while we wait patiently for them to grow strong enough to make an appearance in our kitchen.

{not pictured: tomatoes, peppers}

Last year I planted Coleus on the deck, which thrived and looked pretty, but really served no purpose. Since we don't spend a ton of time up there...I thought it might be spiffy to make that space work for us. So far, so good.

Bon Appetit!

luck o' the irish

St. Patty's day really isn't a big deal at our house...but for whatever reason I felt like whipping up a big batch of soda bread on Saturday.

I love Soda bread. It's so simple to make and just delicious. Most versions you buy at the store or recipes you see on the web include caraway seeds, which I am not a fan of. This version actually tastes a lot more like my favorite scones from McMillan's Bakery in New Jersey.

folks- it is delicious! And yes, I know, St patty's day is long gone, but, you should really make a batch next weekend.

In order to make this recipe into scones, follow the handy instructions below and then make small little loaves and replace the sugar on top with an egg wash...I would cook them until the outside just turns golden brown.

This is a great recipe that should be enjoyed all year round!---perhaps at an upcoming spring celebration brunch? (i will be throwing one of these just as soon as the pesky snow melts)

Irish Soda Bread with Raisins
from Bon Appetit

Nonstick vegetable oil spray
2 cups all purpose flour
5 tablespoons sugar, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3 tablespoons butter, chilled, cut into cubes
1 cup buttermilk
2/3 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray 8-inch-diameter cake pan with nonstick spray. Whisk flour, 4 tablespoons sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in large bowl to blend. Add butter. Using fingertips, rub in until coarse meal forms. Make well in center of flour mixture. Add buttermilk. Gradually stir dry ingredients into milk to blend. Mix in raisins.

Using floured hands, shape dough into ball. Transfer to prepared pan and flatten slightly (dough will not come to edges of pan). Sprinkle dough with remaining 1 tablespoon sugar.

Bake bread until brown and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Cool bread in pan 10 minutes. Transfer to rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes 1 loaf.

Today is the Day!

Everyone please tune in to the food channel tonight at 10pm and 10.30pm EST for the back to back premiere of:

After months of production this baby is finally hitting the airwaves, and as one of its producers, I couldn't be more thrilled.

The show is awesome and exciting, a short culinary action thriller if you will.

I've already learned so much about cooking just by working here and watching our Chef cook...I mean he's cooked for the Queen, Charles and Diana, the past four presidents and loads of other folks in between.

please please please tune in...tell your friends...and set your TIVOs.

And as always let me know what you think!

Bon Appetit!