Bread, Bread and more Bread

Getting up early sure is productive. It's 8:35 pm and I just finished baking my last loaf of bread for the day. I made another sandwich loaf, 2 cranberry loafs (should have been 1 loaf.... note to self... don't split the dough) and 2 french baguettes.

The sandwich loaf.... perfect.... cranberry loaves... while next time I won't split the dough but use it for just one loaf, the cranberry bread is still quite tasty, with a very nice texture. YUM! The baguettes... well.... they don't look so good.... but a piece of crust broke off when I was taking it out of the pan and it tasted really yummy.... so.... I'll know tomorrow how they are... will report back. I have watched the french bread show several times and Julia's bread didn't look all that nice either... so maybe I have it right. All I know is, it sure is nice to have fresh bread in the house again.

Out of town again this weekend... no cooking... good thing I didn't put myself on a timeline! I'm really wanting to make a Charlotte Malakoff... but... it is a big dessert and Joe is out of town all next week, so I have to wait til I have several around to eat it. Plus it takes 2 days to set in the refrigerator before it is ready to eat, and you have to make the lady finger cookies prior to making the Charlotte. It sure does look good tho!

When I finally get aroud to making the Charlotte, it will be my first real lesson in 'un-molding', which I hear is quite a booger to master. I think the key to un-molding is patience, and talking out loud to yourself... like when you enter a dark scary place and you talk to yourself out loud! LOL LOL Anything that has to be un-molded likes to be verbally coaxed and cooed out of the mold.

Long day... got a lot done... I feel very tired but accomplished. A really good feeling!

Til Sunday night...

French Bread Flops

OOPS!!!! Re-do! : )

My french bread was a flub from the start. It took 6 hours to rise to the first knead... it should have taken 4 hours. It took 4 more hours for the 2nd knead... it should have taken 2 hours or less. It was goopy and gummy and then.... I thought I had rescued it with the 3rd knead and it was gonna at least turn out some bread.... but by that time, it was going on midnight and I had to go to bed.... so I left it over night and in the morning.... it was a soggy mess! LOL It was soooo pitiful looking! Gonna go back and re-watch the DVD, and try it again. And am going to make another loaf of sandwich bread at the same time.

I made another cake though..... VIP cake... the VIP cake show just happened to be on right after the french loaf show, and so while my poor dear french bread was trying to rise the first time, I watched the VIP cake show, got inspired and baked it. Quite yummy!!! My favorite part is the orange glaze sauce that you make to go in the middle and around the sides. It is a 2 layer cake... on the first layer you spread on that really super yummy glaze and then put the 2nd layer on top and brush that yummy glaze all over the sides and pat on crushed pecans. Then you make this fondant icing (powdered sugar, lemon juice and a tbsp of cognac) to spread on top and then... you shred some chocolate over top. It's the prettiest cake I have made yet and very rich.

In Lexington tomorrow having a 'girls day' with my eldest daughter... she is about to start back to school on her masters in nursing.... "Nurse Practitioner", I believe is the proper term. And I really want to get back to "Saul Good" for more of that seasonal peach pizza! Might just have only desserts for lunch tomorrow!!! They have a chocolate bar too, and I saw the Chef dipping strawberries in chocolate that looked way too yummy to pass up..... so..... since there are no rules on 'girls day'...... I'm thinking dessert for lunch works for me! And..... I'm betting any other lady on here reading this will totally agree with my logic!

Today.... root canal, errand shopping.... and OK!!!... so I found a couple of cute workout tops and hoodies in Target..... THANKS JESSICA!!!!... but mostly it was 'errand shopping'. Home to layout a bit by the pool... then off spontaneously to the movies with Jessica and Winston to see "Inglorious Basterds".... which I had already seen and loved and knew they would love too. It isn't a movie for everyone, especially the squeamish and easily offended.... but.... it is a typical Quinten Tarantino movie and he is one weird but hilarious dude! Joe had a biz dinner, I got home from movies 1/2 hour before he got home from his dinner. I have to be at Dr. appt. at 7:00 am for my results from the colonoscopy/endoscopy I had done a month ago... then off to Lexington! So for now.... it's off to bed and hoping to dream of peach pizza!

Not Cooking with Julia, Golfing with Julia

Even though today is August 23, it feels like fall with the weather. It was an overcast day, cool and breezy... not bad when the sun was out, the high was only 72... and that was around 5:00 pm, but in the shade and with when the breeze would kick up.... it was just down right chilly!

Joe and I went out to play a round of 18 at 11:30, but the golf course was playing soooo slow today, we quit after only 9 holes... which was fine by me, since my energy pooped out after only 2 holes. Darn.... I still don't quite have the energy or strength I need to play through a whole round yet... but the practice was good. And did you know that golf was Julia's favorite sport!? It certainly was! So even though I didn't spend the day in the kitchen with Julia, I still felt like I spent the day with her playing her favorite game.

On the way home, Joe decided I needed new grips on my clubs (which I do.... they are 15 year old clubs with their original grips) and as we were driving down mall road, I spy the big antique mall... and ask if we can stop in. Joe ends up dropping me off at the antique mall and then he scoots to the golf store for the grips. After his errand, he came back to fetch me, but... I had only wandered down 2 aisles and was having way too much fun to go home on such a dreary cool day to sit and watch tv. So.... he again left me to my musings and 2 hours later, came back to fetch me and all my treasures.

I didn't have any particular item in mind when I decided I wanted to stop and shop at the antique mall, I just knew I was looking for any kind of cooking utensil, casserole, and any kitchen gadget in general. Well... by gum... I scored on the very first aisle and had an armful by the time Joe caught up with me after his errand. Thankfully a nice gentleman came and took my collection, gave me a number and then kept checking in with me while I shopped, to continue to unload my arms, freeing me to continue to gather! I didn't buy anything big.... just a bunch of little things, but much needed things.

Like.... I found the perfect wooden 'pounder'... just two days ago when I was trying to make aoili sauce... I needed one, didn't have one and tried to make do with something in my kitchen, but... didn't really find anything suitable. So... score #1 for the wooden pounder... then I found 2 McCoy casseroles, spoons, mashers, tiny tin molds, a copper round mold, a tiny sifter and the cutest little wooded chef holding a spool of note paper (the roll kind of paper you find in an old adding machine)... and of course.... I just had to have that!!! I'm ALWAYS looking for a piece of paper to jot something on. Came home and hung that sweet little treasure on my wall right next to the phone! I can tell it is just sooo happy to be there!!! Any hooty... I came home with a box full of loot and a smile on my face you couldn't wipe off.

Joe... bless his heart... showed up at the antique mall to collect me and my box full of treasures... shook his head at me and all my 'must have' stuff and even carried my box full of new old junk to the car for me. I think secretly he is already picturing the delights my new old gadgets are going to produce for his tummy.

As a Thank You for being such a sweetheart and understanding my complete joy in wandering around the antique mall all day... and for re-gripping my golf clubs for me (including the cutest pink ribbon grip for my putter!) I made an italian sausage pasta dish for him for dinner. I made the sauce from scratch, using our own homegrown grape tomatoes as well as plucking the herbs straight out of my garden, then I threw some fresh mozzarella cheese on top and browned it under the broiler, made some toastettes to go with it.... and YUM!!!

Great weekend, tuckered out and turning in... Bon Appetit

Magical Mount Adams

Yesterday was just one of those special summer days that has a hint of 'magical' in everything you do and every place you go.   

I made another Julia's "Genoise Jelly Roll" for our friends Kay and Steve.  We were gathering for date night to tweak and finalize our plans for our trip to Southern France, and I just thought it would be fun to take them a "French" dessert.  

Last night we met Steve and Kay in Mt. Adams for a pub/bistro crawl.  Mt. Adams is this quaint and very old tiny town at the edge of the KY/OH state line border.  The town has very narrow and hilly streets, old shotgun style buildings with 'old style architecture' that hold an array of the cutest and coolest boutiques as well as the yummiest and coolest restaurants, bistros, and pubs.  We started out in a beer pub, "Monks Cave", had a libation or two, Kay immediately tore into the Genoise Jelly Roll cake, so we had dessert first!  And then we crossed the street to the "Wine Cellar", where we enjoyed a sampler of fine cheeses, sausages, and grapes with wine.  It felt like we were really in a wine cellar and it was just delightful.  After sitting, chatting and nibbling (and lots of people watching) there for an hour or so, we meandered up the street to "Teak" (a Thai and Sushi restaurant).  We sat outside on the wood deck patio that had a creek rock wall behind it with all sorts of plant life growing on it.  Twinkle lights were strung romantically through the trees and the decking.  And the weather last night was 'summer perfect'.... nice breeze, warm air, not muggy, and the perfumes of the late summer flowers that were in pots everywhere mingled with the interesting smells of the delish foods being served. We had edame (one of my favorite snacks), spring rolls, sushi and sake.  After another lingering hour or so over those nibbles, we hit the now 'young people' crammed streets and found our way to the "Blind Melon", which is yet another pub/bistro that had live music playing.  All the tables outside on the brick patio were full, so we were ushered inside to a table just behind the guitarist where the doors were flung wide open, and we actually had the best seat in the house! The guitarist would turn around after each song and ask us our request and chat with us for a moment.  We sat there another couple of hours, enjoying more libations and conversation before heading home.  It was midnight when we started making our way home, and Mt. Adams was just starting to really get cranked up!!!  All the 20-30 year olds were just getting out and about, having a great time!

It was one of those nights of long conversations, ranging over several topics, reliving many memories from our abroad trips we have taken together... the pace of the whole evening was slow and easy, both of us couples strolling arm in arm from place to place.  It almost felt like we were actually in Europe and strolling along the streets and stopping in the cafes and coffee shops after a day of site seeing.  

We didn't really eat 'dinner' at any place we stopped at along our pub/bistro crawl, instead we nibbled and appetized our way through the evening, and while our bellies were bulging full after the evening, we sampled so many culturally different foods, out tummies and palates were completely satisfied.  It was all 'just enough' food, but never 'too much' food.  And at the end of the evening.... we still had Julia's Genoise Jelly Roll to enjoy.... which is absolutely scrumptious!!!  

Bon Appetit!

Note to Julia

Julia..... I did it!!!  I ate fish last night.... or at least I nibbled at it.  Your influence has been an amazing transformation for me, I promised myself I would taste everything I made... even the seafood/fish recipes.  I may not eat the actual seafood/fish, but I do try the sauces and broths, and I at least make an attempt to eat some of the fish.  

Last night I made your Bourride Aoili and your Sole Meuniere.  I ate several bites of the sole meuniere and was surprised.... it didn't taste fishy at all... it tasted creamy, buttery and yet light.  I served the fish with french green beans... simple, yet fresh and the beans complimented the fish dish nicely.  I 'could' eat this dish again and actually get to like it!  WHO KNEW!!!!  That is a HUGE revelation and this comment alone would make all my friends and family fall over on the spot!!

I did try the broth of the bourride aoili, but did not eat any of the actual soup, it was fishy and not something I would eat, but it did have a good flavor profile.  I had to make the aoili 3 times before I got it right.... I definitely need a large mortal and pestal.  (To my family who may be reading this blog.... that there is a gift idea off the top of my head!  Tee Hee!)  Sorry Julia, but I have to note these things when they come to me or I forget and then my children/husband get mad at me for never telling them what I need or want, but just go buy it myself. 

I finally understand the concept and the execution of that darn aoili sauce..... but..... don't think I will make it often... my husband isn't fond of that much garlic taste.  I had to use dry bread crumbs instead of grating up my own fresh toasted/dried french bread and I think using the store bought made a huge difference in trying to get this sauce to come together.  URG!!!!  I kept getting dry bread crumb and olive oil paste.... but..... I kept trying and I'm so happy with myself that I didn't give up but figured it out, without a temper tantrum too!!  (Sorry Joe for dinner being so late last night... it was the darn aoili!)

I'm still just hankering to get back to the bread baking.  I need to figure out a good schedule for bread baking at least once a week.  I have been entertaining visitors or have not been home myself the past few weeks, which is why I haven't been able to bake bread...  I've been having fun instead.  School is getting back under way again, and for some reason that signals the end of summer and businessmen, housewives, mothers, children, we all seem to get back into a more 'routine' type schedule.  I think once I get a schedule established, it will be easy  and natural to keep homemade bread on hand at all times as well as fresh cakes and treats.  

Dinner tonight with Kay and Steve.... gone from the house running this afternoon... but it is a beautiful day to be out and about.  Housework done, laundry done... off I go!  

Thank you again Julia for inspiring my passion and introducing me to french cooking.  I'm having even more fun than I did going to culinary school!!  I feel like you are with me in my kitchen every time I cook/bake one of your recipes, and that makes me feel so relaxed, yet jolly too.  I seem to smile a lot when I'm in the kitchen and I easily see the humor in flops, plops, and flubs... just like you did!  

Bon Appetit from a lively and completely contented student!

HUGS!!!  Little Chef V

(I believe in HUGS.... A LOT!!!!!)

Saul Good

Yesterday I toodled up to Lexington for dinner and a movie with Amber and her nursing friends who had also read the book of the movie we were going to see.  "The Time Travelers Wife".  We started out in this little restaurant called "Saul Good".  Was not what I was expecting.  I was thinking pub type food... but was surprised it was more 'bistro-ish' type of food.  Was hooked the moment I discovered they have a wood-fired oven!!!!  EVERYTHING tastes good that comes out of a wood-fired oven..... especially pizza's!  

I ordered the 5 cheese/tomato pizza.  YUM!!!!!!  AMAZING!!!!!  I haven't had pizza since I started with my medical issues in January.  Every time someone suggests pizza... I just can't even think about eating the goopy, soggy, greasy pizza's that our local eateries offer.  I prefer a really crispy crust, tasty sauce (just a suggestion of sauce, not gooped on) and light cheese.... more like how pizza is made in Europe.  The pizza last night was absolutely perfect!  

Amber convinced us we needed to order the "Peach Pizza" for dessert..... so we did..... and..... OMGOODNESS!!!!!  Seriously the best pizza I ever eaten in my life!!!  WOW!!!!!  UMMM UMMMM UMMMMMM!!!  I ate more last night in one sitting than I have in a year.  It was good to have an appetite and good to satisfy the tummy and palate all at once.  I wanna drive back to Lexington today and go have more of that peach pizza.  We were so full from dinner, not one of us ordered a single thing from the  concession stand at the movies.  It was a truly lovely night, spent with wonderful ladies, eating FABULOUS food, watching a chick flick and all of us crying our eyes out!  

I wonder if Julia and Paul had been assigned to Italy instead of France, if she would have fallen in love with the Italian food as much as she did French food and if so, what would she have done to Italian cooking.  I just finished watching "Top Chef Masters".  The top 3 Master Chefs are all known for cooking different culture foods.  One Chef is French, One is Italian and One is Mexican.  They all 3 make you want to learn more about the foods from their cultures, especially Mexican.  And it just made me wonder..... if Julia had lived in any other country than France, what foods would she have introduced us to?  But then..... I think that Julia and France were as perfect a match as she and Paul were.  

All I know is that last night..... it was Saul Good!!!!!!

French Onion Soup

I miss it when I am not playing in the kitchen with Julia, but... I also enjoy it when life calls me out of the kitchen to enjoy other activities with family and friends.  I've been in the kitchen a lot lately, but not working on my Julia recipes much, but last night... I made Julia's French Onion Soup..... YUM!!!!  Another two thumbs up A!!!!  

I'm not a really big fan of onion soup and eating just a couple of bites is enough.  But last night, I nearly ate my whole bowl!  It took much longer to make than I anticipated, but it was pretty easy and worth any effort it took.  I made french bread toastettes to float inside the soup and cover with cheese to brown on top.  This soup was soooo good, soooo rich and filling, it could have been the meal instead of an appetizer.  It was soooo good, I didn't have a single drop of soup left... every drop was eaten.  Definitely a repeat dish!

I'm still learning lots of lessons as I am playing in the kitchen with Julia.  Timing is one area I am improving in but still need lots of work in too!  I seem to take an hour longer to prepare and serve these dishes than I anticipate.  But I am learning to have nibbles ready as appetizers before the meal so my dining guests won't starve waiting for the meal to be finished.  It's really hard to wait for the dinner to be finished because the wonderful smells that perfume the house while cooking these Julia dishes drive you crazy wanting to taste the food that accompany the aroma.  

Am heading to Lexington this afternoon/evening, going to the movies with Amber and some of her friends.  We are going to watch "The Time Travelers Wife", which is a book we have all read and feel it is our favorite read ever!  Am sure the movie can't compare to the book, movies never do, but.... it will be fun to see all the same.  We ladies are going to dinner before the movie, which means Joe is all on his own tonight... but he is very resourceful and will be just fine.  

Making the Reine de Saba cake three times now, makes me want to bake more of Julia's desserts.  That cake doesn't last more than a couple of days because it is just sooo good and I hate seeing my cake plate empty now.  I have this adorable Charlotte pan that is just waiting for me to use.  I think that will be on the menu soon!  

Day Off

Amber, Ben and Grand-puppies left this afternoon, I had a late afternoon dental appt. and then spent rest of the afternoon poolside.  Joe had a business dinner this evening.... so it was literally just a day off.  

Pilates in the morning... ironing and watching Julia in the afternoon, which will inspire 'what's for dinner' tomorrow night.  However... I did just get my 'onion soup bowls' that I ordered a couple of weeks ago.... so..... just might be french onion soup.... hmmm.... if not tomorrow, it will be on the menu soon.

Au Voir

Clambake!

CLAMBAKE!!!!  

That is what we had for dinner last night.  Which it being Julia's Birthday yesterday .... I think she would have thought it the perfect Birthday feast!

We had clams, shrimp, scallops, cod, corn on the cobb-ettes, and potatoes all steaming in a pot full of flavorful goodies.   It was the perfect summer evening to enjoy such a poolside feast.  It was a dump and serve meal.  We dumped the pot full of goodies into a HUGE aluminum pan and everyone just dug into the mound of deliciousness and slurped, swallowed and ummmmed their way through dinner.  We had french bread for sopping up the juices and a big ole bowl for the shells and such.  

To top the clambake feast off..... I made yet another Reine de Saba cake.  The one I made for Amber's birthday somehow disappeared in one day and we all wanted another.  I actually think this last cake is my best yet by gum!  I had raved about this cake sooooo much to my dear friend Angie... who also made this cake Friday for her son's birthday!  Happy Birthday Brandon!!!  I think you are ooh la la handsome and I hope you had a good Birthday too!!!  LOL LOL  Any hooty.... I'm curious to see what Angie and Brandon thought of the cake... can't wait to chat with her about it.  And I have decided that this is now my "signature" cake.... you know.... the one that you take to 'bring a dish/dessert' gatherings.  

Joe just gave me a new book as an early Birthday surprise.  "Julia's Kitchen Wisdom", which is a book comprised of her own personal notes from her notebook that she herself referred back to often through her years of experimenting with recipes.  I have heard about this book and am delighted to have something new to read from Julia.  

Today we are heading out to see the Red's baseball game and since we will be gone all afternoon, no time for anything elaborate from "The Little Chef's" kitchen today.  Tonights dinner will most likely be 'clean out the refrigerator leftovers' kind of cooking!  And we still have some Reina de Saba cake left for dessert!  

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JULIA!!!!

Today would have been Julia Child's 97th Birthday... she died 5 years ago... 2 days before her 92nd birthday, and I think she had a wonderful long life.  Wonder what her Birthday dinner request would have been?  I have decided that after having made Julia's delicious Reine de Saba cake twice now.... it has become my official 'signature' cake!  Thank you Julia!  I never have had a 'signagure' cake before!  

Last night for Friday night date night, we kept it simple and enjoyed the spendor of the evening outside on the patio, beneath a gorgeous twinkling, star filled cloudless sky!  All of us (Joe, myself, Jessica, Winston and Amber) were exhausted from the week.  It wasn't a bad week, it was just one of those hectic, go go go kind of weeks that catches up with you and you feel like you have hit a brick wall.  

We had ribs, wings, roasted potatoes (new potatoes and sweet potatoes), a salad and leftover Queen of Sheba cake.  It was all delicious and we literally snarfled it up.  We were all starving, so there was no conversation while we ate, we were all busy with our ribs and wings, but the conversation picked right back up and kept flowing after we finished eating.  Simple, common, no-fuss food.... but oh soooooo good too!

No one wanted to guss up or go out, I didn't want to cook a big production again last night,  and the patio is,  and always has been our favorite spot! Amber's boyfriend Ben is getting in from TX today, and we might possibly have a repeat patio food-a-thon performance tonight.  I sure hope so!!!!  Bless his heart.... Ben was supposed to arrive last night at midnight.... after having had a 4 hr layover..... but...... got bumped off the plane and had to spend the night and fly in this morning.  

Whatever we cook/grill for dinner tonight, it will be tasty and simple.... it's another gorgeous day, cloudless sky and I'm looking forward to another evening with my daughters and their fellas.  Bon Appetit

"Bon Appetit" Challenge Dinner

I've been talking about cooking the entire "Bon Appetit" Julia Child Challenge for 2 weeks.... have been studying, reading and watching her DVD's in preparation for the big meal.  I started at 1:00pm and finished at 8:00pm.... one full hour after my 'projected' dinner serving time.... but...it all worked out well because my daughter and son-in-law had a car snafu anyway.  They arrived perfectly on time, just as it was ready to serve.  

I did exchange the salad on the menu with scallops... scallops being harder and more labor intensive, left off the salad because there was just too much food to fit it in.  I started the family off with the scallops (Coquilles Saint-Jacques) and a Pissaladiere Nicoise (pie crust/tart w/carmelized onions, anchovies and black olives), then Poulet Saute aux Herbes de Provence (Chicken stewed in butter, wine, and herbs) and Ratatouille (eggplant, zuchinni, green peppers and tomatoes cooked in herbs and butter til very tender)...salad was supposed to come next... but there isn't any skills needed in making a salad and I had substituted the scallops instead.  And of course we finished it off with the Reine de Saba cake (Queen of Sheba cake).  

Scallops, Chicken and the Cake all got two thumbs ups and yums from everyone.  The Ratatouille and the Pissaladiere Nicoise we all enjoyed tasting, flavors were excellent.... however... my husband isn't an onion fan and I'm not an anchovy fan, thus... I wouldn't make the tart or the ratatouille for just the two of us.  The ratatouille was way better than I anticipated, but.... it is still mushy cooked veggies and I'm not a fan of mushy veggies either.  Can't believe I actually tried both dishes... but I did and am glad I did too.  Nice to know how things actually tastes after so much labor involved in making them.  I'm making progress in trying new dishes... in the past I would cook it for others and then turn my nose up and refuse to even nibble a taste.  In this area I'm growing leaps and bounds, which is not easy for "Picky Vickie".  

It was a LOOONNNGGG day yesterday cooking.  I had an absolute ball and was totally exhausted and spent afterwards.  I have no clue how Julia cooked everyday like that and experimented with all those dishes for 10 years writing her first book, and then did the same for all her other books.  And so far.... all that hard work she put into these cookbooks and testing and tasting and revising recipes to create "a flawless standard recipe", was worth her efforts because truly.... I have not failed at a single recipe thus far, and I'm cooking things I would never have cooked before because I was afraid only 'professional chefs' could really make such dishes.  I'm sooo amazed!  If you read the recipe all the way through first and then go back and do step by step, just like she instructs.... everything comes out perfectly delicious!  Not everything comes out looking pretty, but she has shown how to recover a dish or how to turn the dish into a different dish when flops happen.  And as soon as you see or taste your final results with her recipes.... you know you have actually succeeded in making that recipe.  They all sound and look hard, but really... it's just having the time to do the steps correctly.  

In summary... the "Bon Appetit" menu was truly a CHALLENGE!!!  Glad I did it and hope others give it a try.  Yesterday was the 5 year anniversary of her death.... I never met the person Julia Child, but I sure do miss her!  I'm just sooo glad there are sooo many books and preserved papers, notes and letters from her, to help future generations come to know and love her too.  She remains such a delight in my life!  THANK YOU Julia for inspiring me to go further and deeper into the world of culinary and to feel comfortable that... I feel HEY!!!  I can do that!  And then I do!

How do I get a countdown for the recipes I have left to do?  Does anyone know how to get a countdown clock application on blogs?  

Today I'm gonna chill out poolside with my visiting daughter and just enjoy a quiet relaxing, refueling day!  It's Friday night Date night, Jessica/Winston and Amber will be here for dinner tonight.  Don't know what we are cooking yet.... but you can be sure at least one of Julia's recipes will be part of the menu.  It's a HOT HOT HOT day, so it sounds like it's a "grilling ribs" night tho!  

Bon Appetit!  

Happy Birthday Amber and We Miss you Julia!

I have lots to chatter about tonights dinner.  Tonight I did the "Julia Challenge" from the magazine "Bon Appetit"... as in the entire menu!!!  

Tonight was my daughters b-day and this was her celebatory dinner (as well as my homework) and I think she enjoyed all the foods more than anyone.  Everything turned out wonderfully... I had mistakes and things I had to scramble to correct, but it still deserves and A for effort and an A for delicious dishes!  

However, I've been cooking for 8 hours, celebrated my daughters birthday, cleaned the ktichen and am heading to bed.  Can't wait to tell you all about it tomorrow, when my brain isnt' a sauteed mess!  LOL  Promise to give full details in the morning.  Tonight I'm gonna sleep on it and smile my way through good dreams.  

It was a wondeful day, I had a ball and I'm VERY pleased with my results!  So "Bon Appetit"..... I DID IT...... AND.....I GOT AN A!!!!!  WOO HOO

To be continued in the am! 

Girls Day Out... Girls Night Out...Part Deux

Rarely do us ladies get a 'real' day out and/or a 'real' night out... and even more rare is doing both in the same 24 hours. However... that's exactly what Amber, Jessica and I did yesterday and today.  

We hit the pilates studio at 10:00 am for 'jump' class...  cardio... pant, pant.... cardio!!!  WHEW!!! But "Momma"... held her own with these two 'younguns'!  We ran a couple of very quick errands after, and then we went out of our way to get 'authentic' Mexican food for lunch.  Literally a hole in the wall place... but the BEST food!!!  This little Mexican place is actually a tiny store that has a couple of simple tables in the back, but it is friendly, quiet and 'an experience'.  We all left with happy tummy's.

Spent the rest of the afternoon poolside... chatting, floating, napping... BEAUTIFUL day!!!!!  All our beloveds are either out of town or working late, so..... us lady's went to another 'hole in the wall' eatery, with AMAZING food!  It looks like an empty building, forgotten about... weeds growing high and unattended behind it... inside are several tables arranged in rows in a sqauare room without decoration.  Each table has a hole or a 'well' in the center and a waiter/waitress delivers a hot bucket of charcoal and wood bits, sets the bucket into the well and places a thin grill like grate on top.  The customer helps themselves to two soups, sticky rice, vegetables (onions, zuchinni, peppers, lettuce), meats: spicy pork, spicy chicken, ribeye, short ribs, tongue...  and seafood:  clams, scallops, shrimp, mussels, octupus... as much as you can possibly eat!  2 hours later, with bellies full and dragging the ground, we headed for home.  Amber and I took the Grand-Puppies on their nightly jaunt and once again.... we are now snuggled up in bed... both on computers!  

The past two days, I have been out of the kitchen and I miss it dearly.  However... life called and I answered and spent two lovely days with two of my daughters!!  I just know that Julia would indeed understand.  I did finish her book today and feel like I already miss her sooo much, that I have researched and ordered 3 more books she wrote.  I'm finding the more I read and learn about her, the more I just HAVE to know... just like the more I cook the more I HAVE to cook!

Tomorrow is.... THE BIG DAY!!!!!  TA DAH!!!!!  My eldest turns 29 (sorry Amber for calling you out on your age.... but I for one have ALWAYS embraced my age and each birthday with full gusto... and feel you should be proud of each year) and HERE'S to your last year in your 2o's! May you meet all your goals and roll into your 30's feeling like you are 25!!!  CHEERS!  

I'm cooking the menu in Bon Appetit - August 2009 for her birthday celebration dinner tomorrow night.  I've been looking forward to this day for weeks!  I hope things turn out like the vision in my head, but... I realize... they may not, and either way, I'm certain it will have LOTS of flavor.  And here is the menu..."challenge" for tomorrow.

Pissaladiere Nicoise baked in a pate brisee tart crust

Poulet Saute Aux Herbes De Provence

Ratatouille

Green Salad with Sauce Vinaigrette

Reine De Saba... (aka... Queen of Sheba Cake)

Wish me luck!!!  It will be fun and I'm truly looking forward to the challenge.  Julia always says the most important ingredient to any dish is "love".... this dinner is to celebrate my daughters birthday and "love" will be the main ingredient!  

Girls Day Out... Girls Night Out

This afternoon I went with my two daughters (Amber and Jessica), and with my dear friend Sheila to see the "Julie & Julia" movie... I enjoyed it as much this time as I did the first time I watched it, and am ready to walk into the theater to watch it again.  They too enjoyed it as much as I did.  

One of my dear friends from culinary school lost his Dad last week and the viewing was this afternoon, funeral and burial late this afternoon.  After the movie, Amber, Jessica, and I went to the funeral home in support of my friend.  He just turned 20 last week, right before his Dad passed away.  I'm soooo touched the girls went with me in support of me.  

After the visit to the funeral home, we had to dash to Kroger to get ingredients for the spinach lasagna rolls I had to make and take to Bunco.  It is a Giada De Laurentis recipe and a family favorite.  I would have LOVED to have taken a Julia dish, but... I was not responsible for the menu.... I was told it was an 'Italian" theme... thus.... I took Giada and left Julia home.  

After the jaunt to Kroger, we dashed home to actually prepare above dish, as well as fruit salad (or actually different kinds of cut up fresh fruit mixed together), ceasar salad and french bread toastettes.  It was a scurry in the kitchen with the 3 of us focused on our assigned tasks, but it was such fun to have us all together, getting it done, and just chattering away.  Then off to Bunco!

The ladies enjoyed the lasagna and the fruit salad, but they LOVED the toastettes that Jessica made.  We had a great time, I won 3rd place... a divided serving dish that comes with a stand... it's perfect and I love it!  Jessica won 'Boobie'... a cheese tray with domed glass lid... she too loved it and thought it perfect.

Soon as Amber and I dropped Jessica off and got home ourselves, we took the Grand-Puppies for their walk, which they immensely enjoyed and now Amber and I are all tucked in for the night.  Pilates in the morning.... jump board pilates..... Amber should love it, Jessica and I will simply endure it.  LOL  

I miss you Julia.... but like you said in your book... family and friends are top priority... so.... we will get together again soon.  Until then... Bon Appetit

Coquilles Saint-Jacques

Today was one of those days of grand intentions and barely any follow through.... but... a great save!  

I had planned on baking bread again today, but... long weekend finally caught up to me and I slept in later than intended... thus.... I just felt tired all day.  Should have forced myself up an hour earlier.  Oh well... must have needed the rest!  So... sleeping late equals.. plan B, no bread baking!

Decided I needed to attend to some house chores before I scooted out of the house on 'had to do' errands.  Accomplished all tasks (both house chores and errands) in less time than thought!  YAY!  Found some gadgets and such at Target today and bought me some big ole jars with lids.  The kind that Julia Child and Ina Garten keep their flour in.  Now I can just dip, scoop, level off and plop flour/sugar in bowl... less mess, less fuss!  LOVE THEM!!!

Went Krogering as my last stop.  Poor little "Miss B Haven" (my sassy convertible) was loaded down and nearly dragging her bumper on the ground she was so heaved full of shopping from both Target and Kroger.  It's such fun to shop and be excited over the smallest of purchases.... but.... unloading the car...  what a workout!  LOL  

Finally... pooped from errands, and it just being a typical Monday and stormy too... I decided to go easy tonight and just do Coquilles Saint-Jacques!  Scallops sauteed in olive oil for a couple of minutes, then herbs/flavorings added, then butter, then some white wine, reduced for a minute... then placed in dish, topped with fresh chopped parsley, a pinch of shredded swiss cheese and a drizzle of butter, then popped into the broiler for a minute or two... serve and wait for the ummmmm!  Just like Rice Crispy's when you pour the milk and then wait to hear the popping, crackling and snapping! 

Scallops being 'from the sea'... picky Vickie (as I'm well known for and referred to as "Sally Albright-Meg Ryan, from "When Harry Met Sally", whenever I place my order at a restaurant!)... delightfully cooked them for my husband.  He LOVED them!!!  I got a "ummmmm" from him at his first bite.... ummmmm's are wayyyy better than an A!  Although... he did give me two thumbs up, plus an A too!  Guess they were good!  They looked and smelled delicious.  

My daughter Amber is coming home tomorrow for a few days.  Her birthday is Thurs (Aug 13) and I am doing the "Celebrate Julia" menu from "Bon Appetit - August 2009" for her birthday meal.  I'm sooo excited about making the Queen of Sheba cake for her.  

Husband out of town for a couple of days, Bunco tomorrow night, so no cooking for the next day or two.  Hopefully making stock and bread on Wednesday.  Still reading Julia's book about her life in France.  Wish I could just curl up and read til 'the end' without disruption, but.... it is still summer, and when life calls to play, one should indeed go play... winter is (EGAD!!!!) just around the corner and then there will be plenty of time for curling up and reading til hearts content.  Hopefully tho, this year I will be busy cooking all winter and have no time for reading.  

Au Voir

Pleasant distractions

I'm still trying to finish the book about Julia and Paul Child living in France from 1949-1954, but this was one of those busy weekends full of distractions.... the delightful kind!  I've had the weekend off from the kitchen, and while I have enjoyed the rest, I'm impatient to get back to cooking too!  

Saturday I ran errands all dagum day... my own fault.... I had put them off all week because I couldn't tear myself away from Julia... so my procrastination finally caught up with me! Rushed home and gussied all up for our dear friend's, daughter's wedding... which was beautiful and we were seated at 'The Rowdy" table.... and it was!!!.... it was just a hoot and a hollar, we danced, we sang.... ahhhhhh what a night!  

Drug our butts home after midnight, and I had to be back up at 8:00am to make chicken salad, shower, dress, and drive to Lexington (an hour drive) to attend and help my daughter with her best friends baby shower and another friend from work.  Dual shower, both friends 2 weeks apart in delivery.  Again.... lots of fun, I really enjoyed chatting with the other Mom's.  Was fun to see the '2o's/30's' group of women and the adorable babies in attendance, don't know who was cuter....the women or the babies!  Baby showers are WAYYYY better than wedding showers....everything is so soft and cute and tiny!  

Got home around 6:0oish... totally pooped.  Read a couple of chapters in my book, did a full French lesson... I just can't say "Il boit".....  tried for an hour.... going to bed, will try again tomorrow.  Wonder if Julia felt this frustrated when she was learning french.  I know I'm saying it right.... dang headset just doesn't understand my southern diction!  LOL LOL LOL  And I'm sure in France they will know exactly what I mean!  LOL LOL  

Ramond's Hong Kong Cafe chinese take-out for dinner.....YUM!!!  Joe's suggestion (he golfed 36 holes today and it was..... like...... in the 90's and really humid), he knew I was tired from the late night, early morning, long drive, and the party.... he's such a sweetie.... he knows Raymond's is my favorite!  Julia....you would LOVE Ramonds!  

Back to the Kitchen tomorrow!  Nitie nite...I'm gonna go 'dream up' (pun intended) an inspiration for tomorrow's menu.  

Friday Night Date Night - The Julia Movie

Today was a very special day!  The Julie & Julia movie came out and... of course it just happens to be "Friday Night Date Night" too... so the combo was the PERFECT night!  Joining Joe and I on our Friday date night ritual were 2 other couples, which was bonus fun.  

But ummmm.... how can I possibly, honestly, and objectively rate this movie?  I don't think I can be objective.... I ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT!!!!.... I swooned through the entire movie, crying in parts where I'm sure no one else thought it a teary moment, but... for me I was just so touched by the story.  I was truly just overcome with the pure joy of watching the movie.  I think Meryl did a stupendous performance, one that I'm sure Julia herself would have been honored to watch.  But mostly I laughed through the entire movie.

Amy Adams also gave a wonderful performance, but the character in general grated on my nerves just because the kitchen just isn't a place for prissy pants or pissy fits.  The movie could have left out the whole Julie blog part and filled those cut out parts with more of Paul and Julia's lives, up until their deaths.  No offense to Julie.... I'm doing the same thing you did with the cooking my way through Julia's cookbook and blogging about the experience, and I'm glad that I feel you did become a better person because of your experience and inspiration with your Julia Project, but I'm twice your age and have been cooking twice as long as you and I just don't fear anything about cooking anything, therefore, I have no patience for the waste of energy on temper tantrums because something didn't come out like you wanted/expected.  You just deal with it, fix it, or .... do over.... simple as that.... as someone once said... cleaned up version!  Ha Ha!  "Pooh happens!!".    

Beautiful summer night... good friends... much anticipated movie, meeting and/or exceeding expectations... tasty nibbles and delightful conversation at pub after movie... Friday night date night with the one you love!.... PRICELESS!!!!!!

Priceless Treasure Discovered

OMG!!!!  Just by reading Julia Child's book "My Life In France" yesterday, led me to find a truly unique and priceless treasure of my own.  She mentions a book that a 'true French native' lady gave to her to study by, which Julia refers to as her 'cooking bible'.  As soon as I saw the title of the book and the description of the book, I literally gasped out loud and thought... 'I think I have that book'.  So I dashed to my cookbook library and yep......there it was!  A priceless treasure that I just thought was a really cool and really old cookbook and had actually displayed it on my recipe rack just for decoration.  I am thrilled beyond words!!  It's like going to a yard sale and buying a painting you really like and finding out it is really a Da Vinci!! However... it isn't really a 'priceless artifact' to the average person, just to me because of my fascination with Julia.

The book I'm reading, is about her life in France during 1949-1954, and is so interesting because she is seeing and experiencing France still war torn and fraggled.  Julia and her husband Paul spent many weekends just jaunting around the back streets and discovering all of Paris's off the beaten paths and secrets, and of course their wanderings took them to places like Lyon and Marseille as well.  Joe and I have been to many of the places she talks about in the book, but the way she describes France while living in it during it's time of recovery after the war is simply fascinating!!  

During the time Paul and Julia lived in France, they wrote many letters to Paul's twin brother (Charlie), who lived in the United States.  They described in great detail about all of the places they had visited, the foods and wines they were experiencing and what daily life was like in France.  Charlie saved every single letter and the idea of the book came from a family member when they found all those old letters.   Paul's Great-nephew (Alex Prud'homme) co-wrote this book with Julia, by having many conversations with her, and from the words in their letters to Charlie.  

I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in France and/or Julia Child.  It's a mini-history book, travel guide, and love story, all rolled into one and written in a delightful 'diary-ish' style.  It's the most intimate and personal view of her life that Julia Child ever gave to the public.  And.... it's just such a witty and charming read even if you aren't interested in France or Julia Child.  

Oh and..... THANKS BUNCHES to my Mom and Aunt Edie who rescued this book from the yard sale for me!  What a treasure you gave me!  HUGS, HUGS, HUGS!!!!  

Julia vs Chef V

I just started reading "My Life In France" by Julia Child.  I'm only in the first chapter and already I can't read quick enough to satisfy my current unquenchable thirst to know more about this truly amazing woman.  And already I see how similar in nature the two of us are, yet, there are vast differences in us as well.  I guess that is why I have such a fascination with her... I so completely understand and relate to who she really was... Gosh I sure wish I could have had an opportunity to meet and dine with her.  Other than my husband and my girls, no one has ever inspired me that way Julia does.

We both have height challenges... she was 6' 2" and needed cooking stations adjusted for her height to allow ease and comfort during her long hours in the kitchen.  I am 4' 11" and also need stations adjusted for my height, yet on the other end of the yard stick... literally!!!  Can you imagine the two of us side by side in the kitchen?  If I were in her kitchen, the tippy top of my head is all you would likely see behind her work station!  And if she were in my kitchen, she would be on her knees!!!  

We both are absolutely passionate about cooking, following the 'rules' of cooking, while keeping our minds completely open to 'tweaking' recipes or trying different versions of any recipe.

We both married the loves of our lives, men who shaped us into the women we are and both our husbands encouraged us to follow our cooking quests with as much zeal as we can muster on any given day!  Probably because both her husband Paul and my husband Joe have (had in Paul's case, since he died in 1994) highly developed taste palates and enjoy good food and wine from all over the world.  They both truly appreciate the labor and love of good food.  Both our husbands took us traveling abroad and introduced us to other foods and cultures.   Both our husbands encouraged us to go to culinary school, however.... I've cooked all my life, Julia was 37 before she first entered a kitchen.  

I must admit I am obsessive, compulsive and passionate... I do not think this is a disease or a disorder, and instead of being labeled "OCD"(Obsessive, Compulsive Disorder), I prefer to refer to myself as "OCP"(Obsessive, Compulsive, and Passionate).  Julia was definitely anything but OCD.  I think she was just OP.... obsessive and passionate in learning anything and everything she could about cooking and the French culture... she was not compulsive nor was she 'anal', in fact she was a 'mucker' (Vickie verbage meaning, a sloppy frump). I have a reputation for being quite anal... I just like things neat and orderly at all times.  Chaos is not in my language.  Chaos drives me absolutely crazy!  Chaos makes me quite cranky actually!  

Both Julia and I are quite adept at turning 'mistakes and/or flubs' into something presentable so that none of our eating guests would know the difference.  Neither of us have any fear in the kitchen and both of us have that 'go with the flow' attitude.  Rarely is anything we cooked so disastrous that it needs to be tossed and started over, yet... if it needs to be tossed and started over, we both would gleefully do so without a thought about it.  Cooking is unpredictable on any given day and flubs lead to new creations and ideas... and flubs should be expected and should be thought of as nothing more than a really good lesson.  I heard a quote once (by whom I can't recall) that said failures are only lessons to be learned and Thomas Edison made over 100 light bulbs before he got it right, but if you give up and have not learned from the mistake, it truly is a failure.

Julia describes herself as a large, loud and an unserious Californian.  I would describe myself as a tiny, yet loud, unserious Southern Girl, who would rather go barefoot any day than to have to wear shoes!  Both our husbands are milder in manner, quieter and more serious in nature, but always making us laugh with their priceless constant humor.  A perfect blend for both of us!

I'm sure to find many more similarities and differences as I continue reading this book, but I find I'm very comforted by the similarities in our nature and personality.  I'll never be the legend Julia Child is, but whenever I am compared to her, I will consider it the highest of compliments!  I would love to inspire just one person the way she has inspired millions.

The 3 Ladies

Last night I had the 3 Ladies for dinner.  Steak Diane, Potatoes Anna and Crepes Suzette. While dinner was DELISH, there were several lessons learned in today's cooking session.  

Steak Diane is actually a very simple and uncomplicated dish to prepare and can easily be made in 1/2 hour for a quick dinner.  It is made with rib eye steak that gets pounded to 1/8th inch, quickly sauteed in butter to 'rare' doneness, then taken out of pan and put aside while you make the sauce in the same pan.  Sauce making took all of ummmm 5-10 minutes, then you dip the steaks back in the sauce, cook for 5 minutes or less (depending on how well done you like your meat.....it is supposed to be medium rare in the center) remove steaks to platter, pour sauce over steaks, top with some chopped parsley and viola...a very tasty dinner is served!  One ribeye steak easily feeds two people made this way.  

The potatoes Anna were truly DELISH, but....very buttery and greasy....similar to very softly fried potatoes with a crispy top.  The potatoes started stove top to brown the bottom potatoes, the dish is layers of thinly sliced potatoes between layers of drizzled melted butter and salt and pepper, repeat for 3-4 layers.  Then take the potatoes off the stove, cover them tightly and bake in oven for 20 minutes, remove cover, drain off some butter and bake in oven for another 20 minutes uncovered.  After removing from the oven the 2nd time, unmold potatoes by flipping the pan onto your serving dish, so that the top is now the bottom and vice versa, making the crunchy bottom now the crunchy top.  This dish is really good but really greasy,... however the potatoes went very well with the Steak Diane.  

I had a light salad to accompany this meal (not a Julia recipe, just something I threw together) and I made my own bacon/mustard vinegarette for the salad.  I also took a couple of thin slices of the cranberry bread I made the day before, brushed them with some olive oil, sprinkled some kosher salt on top, toasted them in the oven for a few minutes and served them with the salad.  Better than croutons any day!   

Moving on to the Crepes for dessert.  The crepes themselves were perfect, the orange butter sauce in which the crepes were cooked was perfect.....but then.....came the flambe part, which actually went well as far as flaming the liquor and the presentation....however.....me thinks Julia liked the flavor of the liquor more than Joe, Jessica and I did.  It was VERY strong in alcohol flavor....TOO strong....as in burned your throat strong ......tasted like you just took a shot of cognac!  So......this recipe is also a 'do over' to be repeated with using less than 1/2 the liquor for the flambe.  

Lesson 1...my daughter Jessica came over yesterday to play in the kitchen with me on her day off from work.  We always start out by watching Julia cook from the DVD, usually the show where she cooks what is on the menu we have planned for the day, and Jessica happened to see her make potato pancakes and thought it sounded good to make for lunch.  Julia is very careful to specify the type of potato needed for each recipe because a baking potato is starchier and mashes better, where a boiling potato holds it's shape better.  Jessica was in charge of the potato pancakes, this was her dish to make and play with.  Taking great care to get the correct potato, she got them confused and used the wrong one, she used a boiling potato, but the recipe requires a baking potato and she chopped the guyere cheese instead of grating it.  The pancake tasted absolutely delicious, but they stuck to the pan and were a mucky mess to look at.  So the lesson from this dish is the correct potato really makes a difference, and you really need a non-stick pan which at the time I didn't have, but ran up to Kroger and bought one immediately, and the cheese melts better if it is shredded vs chopped.  Julia's big thing is flavor and taste, so for flavor and taste Jessica still gets an A.  This recipe is a repeat, do over also, but next time will go much easier and will come out of the pan much easier with the non-stick pan, thus looking prettier.  The potato pancake would also have been a good side dish for the Steak Diane.  

Lesson 2....it took about 6 crepes before I mastered the technique of getting the batter into the pan correctly and then tossing them.  But.....once I mastered it, it was easy from there on out.  It is a feel thing, that you have to keep doing til you get the feel right.  I made sure to have plenty of batter to practice with.  Jessica also mastered crepe making.  We had lots of fun trying to learn how to toss them....a few ended up on the floor, a few ended up in a muddled mess in the pan....but then....you figured out the correct flip of the wrist and viola!  The instant you 'get it', each crepe magically comes out perfect.  And the whole experience caused much giggling between Jessica and I.  

Lesson 3... I am not known for sharing my kitchen space well.... or 'playing nicely' in my kitchen!  LOL LOL  But I'm really and truly working hard on doing better!  I love having company while I cook to chatter with... that is... as long as they stay out of my space!  LOL  I promised Jessica that the next 'kitchen play date' we have she can be the Executive Chef and I will be her Sous Chef, since apparently I was quite bossy yesterday! Sorry Jessica!!!  MUAH and HUGS!!!  Here's the thing....I know what I am doing in my kitchen, I have it all planned out in my head and choreographed like a dance, and usually no one else knows the steps to my dance, therefore, I'm always stepping back on someone, I need to get in the drawer right where they are standing in front of, I try chopping and don't have enough elbow room....the list goes on... but if you have ever tried cooking and have a flow going, just one mis-step can throw the whole routine off...it's all about timing and once the dance has begun... just stand back out of my way.  

When cooking, I spin around from chopping board to stove to throw ingredients into pan, I shuffle down the counter to reach for this or that, I back up to the sink to drain this or that...it is constant movement and I just hate anyone being in my way, especially when I have to say....excuse me, I need in that cabinet, excuse me, I need in that drawer, excuse me I need in the frig,... watch out!... hot pan!!, etc.... what I really want to say is GET THE HELL OUTTA MY WAY!!!  LOL LOL  But.....people just wanna help and I understand that so I just grit my teeth and keep excusing myself to move them from spot to spot.  I have also learned to have everything possible done ahead of time before anyone arrives so that in the case of those who wander into my space to peek in my pans, try to nibble a bite of this or that or just to stand and chat, I can accommodate my dance around them.  

And... speaking of peekers, nibblers and wanna be stirrers.... don't you cooks just hate that! Don't lift my lid or open my oven unless I ask you... sometimes lifting a lid or opening the oven at the wrong time can deflate whatever is cooking, and... keep your nibbling fingers out of my ingredients/dishes and to yourself because everything is exactly measured... and last but not least...never ever stir my pots!  EVER!!!  I have had my dumplings ruined several times by well meaning folks who wandered in my kitchen, saw a pot simmering on the stove and they just had to stick the spoon in and stir it about, which is the one thing you NEVER do with dumplings!  So see......I definitely have kitchen sharing issues!  Or as my family loves to say.... I have control issues period!  LOL LOL  Which... is true.... I do!  But... I also make really good food that people like to eat and for food to be good, one must have complete control!  LOL LOL  I think maybe I should just write a 'proper kitchen etiquette for guests' book! LOL LOL  

Tonight is my night off from cooking because we have tickets for the Reds game tonight.  The past two days of all day long cooking has been more fun than I can remember, but I'm glad to have a night off too.  Tomorrow.... I plan on making beef and chicken stocks.  Not sure what is on the menu for tomorrow night yet, but I'm sure something will inspire me.  Until then....other house chores are calling!  

"Sisters Under The Skin"

My goodness.....whew..... I'm elated, excited, exuberanted, and exhausted.  I was VERY productive today.  Didn't intend to be quite so productive, but... one thing led to another and... so forth.  It started with the homemade sandwich bread and the cranberry bread that was supposed to be raisin bread, however, I didn't have any raisins, but I did have dried cranberries, and I thought the switch would be a better choice anyway... and it was!  WOW!!!!!  Now THAT'S bread!!!!  AMAZING!!!!  I hope to NEVER buy bread again, but hope to always have a homemade loaf on hand.  It wasn't that hard, it did take all day, but there were long spurts of rising time in between.  I was watching the bread episode of one of  Julia's earlier shows and as I was waiting for the bread to rise, I watched another episode which was "Queen Of Sheba Cake"... so I made that cake while the bread was doing it's first rising... then I saw another episode that was on vegetables and all 4 recipes looked quite easy and tasty, then I saw the episode of "Sisters Under The Skin" (Coq Au Vin-Stewed Chicken in Red Wine Sauce and Chicken Fricassee-Stewed Chicken in White Wine Sauce)... so I dashed off to the store to gather ingredients.  By the time Joe got home for dinner, I had made both Coq Au Vin and Chicken Fricassee (because in her episode Julia suggested when you are learning this technique you should do both at once to see how both chickens are cooked in the same method, yet with completely different flavor profiles), I also made braised carrots, french green beans, a loaf of sandwich bread, 2 loafs of cranberry bread, and a chocolate cake.  All were beautiful plated up... bright colors in the green beans and carrots... sauces were perfect texture and thickness, both chickens were 'fall off the bone' tender... but the breads and the cake are the bombdiggity and absolutely wonderful!  I truly think Julia would be sooooo proud of my enthusiasm and efforts, as well as, my results.  I think I even managed to impress my husband, which is really hard to do because he has been used to my cooking since the day we said "I do" and has seen/tasted the difference in my cooking skills ever since I started attending MCI (Mid-West Culinary Institute), so... impressing him is definitely a measurement of success.  

It was a really, really, really good day!!!!  What fun!!!!  Lots of pots, pans and dishes messed up!  I forget that Julia had a staff to wash up after her after all her cooking performances!  LOL  And as always....the more I cook the more I want to cook.  It is a pure addiction!  I'm sitting here typing this and noticing that I smell like butter and thinking I can tackle french bread tomorrow and while I'm waiting for it to rise, I saw an episode on braised lettuces and steamed artichokes that look like lots of fun to do.  I think I'll have the '3 Ladies' for dinner tomorrow; Steak Diane, Potatoes Anna and for dessert, Crepes Suzette!  

First "Official" recipe

Woo Hoo hooty hoot hoo!!!  I can say I officially started on my Julia Project today!!!  The journey has truly begun!  It was a simple dish, and one that my husband had Friday night at that quaint little French restaurant where we dined with our traveling abroad friends, Kay and Steve.  The dish was mussels cooked in wine (lots of it), butter, fresh herbs (fresh picked from my garden moments before their bath with the mussels) and shallots.  The mussels were snarfled up in less than 10 minutes by my husband Joe, daughter Jessica and son-in-law Winston.  Lest one forget... I am... picky Vickie... not a fan of mussels, but I watched the others enjoy them, and enjoy them they did!  It was Winston's first mussel experience... he was instantly addicted.  I am quite pleased that my first official recipe was a HUGE success... but honestly they pretty much cook themselves.  All you have to do is measure the ingredients in a big pot, bring to boil, add mussels... cook for 5 minutes covered... occasionally shaking the pan to cook mussels evenly.  Then... VIOLA!  Perfectly cooked mussels in 5 minutes flat!  Sprinkle some fresh chopped parsley (again fresh from my garden) on top and serve with some good bread for sopping up the juices and you look like you cooked all day.  

Tomorrow my plan is to tackle homemade bread.  Sandwich bread!  From scratch!!!  I focus most of my attention on cooking and very little on baking.  I bake the annual Christmas cookies and the occasional pan of brownies or a pavlova in the summer... but other than that, I rarely even think about baking.  But I'm not the least bit intimidated because I bought plenty of flour and yeast and plan of making bread til I get it right.  Once you get it right, it's a breeze!  You just need to know how it is supposed to look and feel.  Feel being a keyword.  I'm so excited for really good sandwich bread, it's been a long time since I have eaten good sandwich bread.  I have no clue what they have done to the standard sandwich loaf, but no matter what brand I buy, the bread has a flat flavor and too firm of a texture... nothing like I remember from my childhood.  I think they have changed either the recipe or technique on how they bake bread today.  Maybe they add more chemicals now to prolong the shelf life more than they did back in the 20th century...  I grew up in the 20th century, and bread was really good back then... as in... I could easily eat an entire loaf in one sitting, just because it tasted good and was soooo soft!  If nothing else... the house sure will smell good tomorrow with all that rising yeast and fresh baked bread!!  

Bread or bust!  Bon Appetit!

A touch of France in Evendale OH

Last night my husband (Joe) and I went to dinner with our dear friends and traveling abroad buddies (Kay & Steve) to a tiny little french restaurant that sits at the end of a strip mall, called  'La Petite France'.  On the outside, it looks unassuming, but the inside has bits of France everywhere.  It is a small family owned/run establishment with several absolutely gorgeous custom made stain glass windows.  The largest window has over 4000 pieces of glass and depicts an actual small town from where the owners lived in France.  The food was authentic and DELISH!!!!  I think we just stumbled on and found our new 'favorite' place!  

The four of us have been traveling abroad for the past 6 years, and we decide where our next destination/adventure will be each Jan 1st, then the men plan the trip for the next few months.  The four of us get together during the year several times to discuss site seeing options, lodging and such.  Mostly... the men plan it, Kay and I tag happily along and enjoy each day as it unfolds and presents itself.  The men plan the trips down to the tiniest detail and typically these are more like working vacations than relaxing vacations.  But... there is always soooo much to see and do and try to squeeze in 10 days, so we hit the streets in comfy walking shoes starting at 8:00am and walk an average of 10+ miles a day... SERIOUSLY!!!!... and finally plop into bed each night around midnight totally exhausted but completely satiated from lots of site seeing, exercise and really good food and wine.  These trips are always PRICELESS!!!!  

Last night's dinner was to finalize our upcoming trip to the south of France in Oct.  Which of course you should do so in a restaurant that serves foods similar to what you will be experiencing on the trip.  OMG!!!!!  The food last night!!!  AMAZING!!!  I now want to go do an internship with this restaurant.  Isn't it funny how life can seem so... well... coincidentally orchestrated?  My passion with Julia right now perfectly coincides with our trip to France in a few months.  Which is another reason why I am so anxious to get started on my Julia project so that I can have an idea just how I am doing compared to authentic french cooks/chefs.  By the time we go on our trip to France, I will have had 8 weeks of cooking with Julia, then I can get a real sense of comparison when we are traveling and I am eating true typical french fare.  How cool is that!?? Joe and I are also studying the Rosetta Stone - French CD's before we go.  This is the first time we are studying a language of the country we are visiting.  We may not speak it well and certainly won't be able to speak it fluently but hopefully we can get the basic questions down that will help us on our journey.  I'm sure to find myself in places that perhaps Julia herself visited and browsed around in, and you can be sure I will have my eye out for all sorts of cooking utensils and gadgets I hear her talk about and mention often in her cooking shows.  

Anyone in the Evendale OH area, please check out the "La Petite France" restaurant.  The food was tongue slapping your brains out good and the service and hospitality was wonderful too.  Enjoy... Bon Appetit!