Girls Day Out.... Grandma Style

Yesterday Jessica, Lauren and I went to Louisville so Lauren could visit with all her Grandparents while she is home on break from LA.

We started at my Grandmother's (Grandma G), and had lunch with my Mom and my Sister-in-law.  My Mom made homemade tomato soup that was quite good and I made grilled cheese sandwichs.  My Mom also brought some chips and I brought some left over cake and we had a really nice meal.  However, it was the conversation around the table that was most delightful.

It is always good to spend time with my Grandmother (who is 88 years old), especially when she is having a pretty good day.  My Grandmother ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS is dressed and groomed.... this is VERY important to her.  She always has her jewerly on as well as her makeup and a co-ordinated outfit.  She is and always has been such a sweetheart...... EVERYONE loves my Grandmother.

After lunch, the girls and I drove over to my Mother/Father-in-law's for a visit.  My Father-in-law has been struggling with health issues the past several months, and it was good to see him looking better too. He is tired (I totally understand that.... I too am still struggling with exhaustion and it's been 8 months since my surgery) but his color was good and he participated in the conversation.

It was a really nice day all around.  Lauren rarely gets to see any of her Grandparents because she lives in LA, so it was a big treat for her.  Since we had dinner with just women at my Grandmother's, with my Mother, making it two Grandmothers for my daughters, we decided to call it "Girls Day Out.... Grandma Style

Girls Day Out... LA Lauren Fashion Styling

Today Amber, Lauren and I had a grand girls day out...... SHOPPING!!!!  Lauren loves helping you look great and helping you spend your money..... and she is so good at what she does.... so you just HAVE to buy the things she has picked out because they make you look and feel GREAT!

We all slept in, so we got off to a bit of a late start, but we sure did fit in (pun intended) a bunch of shopping and errand running in the few hours we were out and about.  We started at this mexican restaurant, which is actually a teeny tiny hole in the wall mexican market that has a couple of bench tables in the back for dining in.  But.... WOW.... the food is sooooo good because it is authentic and sooooo inexpensive.

After filling our tummies with tamales and tacos, off we jaunted to Ann Taylor Loft where we all enjoyed 50% off everything thanks to Lauren's discount.  Amber desperately needed some fall clothing, Lauren needed more socks/leggings, and I went along just for the fun of it and for the good company.  However.... dang Lauren found some really cute stylish things I found I just absolutely needed.... so...... I too became a shopper.  Not that it was much of a stretch for me to join in at all!  I just need the tiniest of encouragement!  LOL

After an hour in Ann Taylor Loft, we scooted right next door to White House/Black Market...... just to see this one dress hanging in the window Amber was admiring.  After another hour in that store trying on many many things.... and a smart jacket later (for me.... very Coco Chanel-ish looking) we were done with the shopping..... it was such fun to have an actual stylist (who truly had our best interests in mind....not someone trying to sell us something no matter how it looks) we all felt quite proud of our purchases and how we looked in them.  And you just gotta love the discount!!!!

On the way home we stopped for some chinese take-out and ended the day/evening with hot and spicy chicken stir fry (me), hot and spicy vegetable lo mein (Lauren), and hot and spicy pad thai (Amber).... really yummy!  Our tummies are full, our wallets are empty and we are all ready to climb in bed totally exhausted.  Why is shopping so exhausting?!??

Wonderful day.... and even tho it was icky, rainy, cloudy, and gloomy all day.... we found the sunshine..... or maybe just really bright store lights!  LOL  Either way.... we felt the sunshine of happiness of just spending the day with each other, giggling and shaking our booties in the 'fat mirrors' of White House/Black Market.

Au Voir

Welcome Home Lauren

Lauren... 'our baby'.... arrived in Kentucky this afternoon from LA..... it's always nice to have her home for a visit.  She is on break between school terms.... when she heads back to LA next weekend, she begins her final term of fashion school.... WOO HOO!!!!

So of course I HAD to make a spectacular dinner for her first night home, especially since all she has heard me talk about since her last visit in June has been about Julia and all her recipes I have been preparing.  Joe's buddy from Michigan also happened to be in town this afternoon and he came to dine with us as well.

The original menu started out being salmon on the grill, my frissee salad, veggies and the queen of sheba cake.  However, it started raining at 7:00am.... rained all day, so I went into comfy "Sunday Dinner" mode and decided to make Julia's chicken fricassee w/mushrooms and petite onions instead of the salmon, and kept the rest of the menu the same, which was, fennel frissee salad, french green beans, and roasted potatoes.  All was amazing... Julia never fails me!

Today's dinner only took me 3 hours to cook.... big improvement over the Julia dinner that took 12 hours to cook.  I love hearing the yumming, umming, and the scraping of eating utensils in constant movement, as well as seeing empty plates clean enough to just put away in the cupboard.  As Joe said this evening.... "you know the food was good when everyone at the table used their bread to slop up the sauce on the plate after eating every morsel".  And that is exactly what we all did.

So nice having baby Lauren home.  She looks great, she looks happy and that makes Momma's heart sing.  All the girls (and Winston) were here this evening to be with Lauren on her first night home.  We are all ready for a crazy week trying to fit everything in during this short visit, that we all know will fly by.  She is like an appetizer this week.... knowing she will be home for good in Dec.

Bon Appetite and Au Voir

Epiphany.... New Day, New Ideas

All my "Julia" reading materials arrived... by mail and from the library.  I am now officially out of my Julia funk...... thank goodness!!!  In fact, I now have more stuff to read and less time to read it in, but.... as life keeps me busy, the books will wait for me to return, and I like having something always to look forward to.

I feel like Carrie Bradshaw in a designer shoe store...... I want to read everything at once and choosing where to begin has been quite difficult.... so I decided to just read them in the order in which I received them.  But as I was reading the dust jackets of each book as I tried to decide just where to begin.... I discovered that Julia herself emerged into a whole new cook herself as she wrote each of her 9 cookbooks. She ALWAYS stayed true to correct methods and techniques, but.... as the world innovated itself and became more modern, Julia not only went with the changes, but she was a leader in new techniques and methods.

So..... my epiphany is this.... I don't need to prove myself by cooking my way through her first cookbook, because as I have been cooking from her cookbook, I realize I already know how to do it like she does because, I did go to a culinary school that taught the 'classic' french culinary methods and techniques just like Cordon Bleu taught her.  She has so many other interesting cookbooks with modern techniques and methods and I now feel like I should just enjoy cooking from all her cookbooks.  Also.... I do have a standing 4.0 GPA in my culinary degree with only 1 class left to go (Baking 1), which I will finish in Jan. 2010 for my Chef Certificate.  I think the epiphany is that, I have already proven myself to myself and now just want to continue my learning by cooking, experimenting, and enjoying my way through all her cookbooks with her.  Just like in the DVD shows I have watched of her and saw how she herself changed and evolved..... from black and white to color.... from the age of 50 to the age of 90..... from doing everything by hand, to using new equipment.  And I do agree with Julia that there are just some things that are best done by hand..... I think it is the added love and attention that makes it taste better!  :  )

The main focus of this blog will still remain on Julia, but will incorporate all of her... all 40 years she was in the public eye, all 9 of her cookbooks, all 40 years we felt we knew her and she was our friend and would come for coffee or tea if we asked her over.  In her cookbooks and cooking show series, she cooked with many different chefs and cooks of all sorts, so I too am broadening my spectrum to include other cooks, chefs, cookbooks and recipes I find interesting along the way.  And of course on some days.... it will be just about life in general.

Back to my reading!

Au Voir

Waiting on Julia

I'm in such a Julia funk!  (exasperated sigh here!)...... last week was a short 'holiday' week and everything last week just felt 'off'...... good thing I had my phone programed with my schedule because, it would ding, I would show up...... in my mind I was a day behind all week..... any hooty.... I digress..... because of the hectic-ness of the past couple of weeks, I haven't been able to emerge myself in anything about Julia and I just miss her!

So..... I am waiting on two new biography books about her to show up on my doorstep Wednesday!  Knowing I don't have time to play in my kitchen with Julia again for a few weeks.... it will be hit or miss until 2nd week in Oct (if you can believe that!!!  I actually just said the word October and it is literally just a couple weeks away.... YIKES!!!!)... I needed something to at least read about her to feel her presence again.  She's become my little kitchen buddy and I have learned to chat right along with her as she demo's her show.  But then..... maybe I just need to get out more!  LOL LOL

One reason for the kitchen hiatus is that our 'baby', Lauren is coming home this weekend for a week's visit on her break between terms.  She is here from Sun 9-20/Sun 9-27, Sun afternoon we put her on a plane to head back to LA for her last term of school!!!!  WOO HOO!!!, and then we just have 3 days before we put ourselves on a plane for France for 10 days.... so..... really.... I don't have time to get jiggy with Julia in the kitchen until we get back.  I'm sure I will make a couple of her dishes while Lauren is home, but I'm not planning on making anything new.  Plus.... the weekend at the end of her stay we have company visiting from Michigan for the weekend (their visit was planned prior to her visit).

I'm sooooo excited to see Lauren and have her home for a week.  I can't believe her nearly 3 year stint in LA is almost over.... truly seems just like yesterday that I was moving her in to her first apartment in LA.  I can definitely say she is not the same chica she was back then.  LA is a very eye opening and maturing experience for the "fleeing of the nester".

That's why I really needed a Julia fix and ordered the two new books.  I even went to the library to see if they had any of the books on my list, which they didn't, but I found this other book about Paul Bocouse, who is currently THE reigning chef in the world, and was also a close friend and worked with Julia (back in the day), so the accidental stumble upon this book lifted the disappointment from not finding the Julia books on my list.

In fact...... we are going to Paul Bocouse's restaurant while in France, and there are behind the scene folks working on our behalf for us to have a meet and greet with Paul Bocouse himself in person.  OK!!!!!! I must admit..... I'm pretty stoked about that 'possible' opportunity!  But even if we do not get to meet the Grand Chef, his book is really interesting and I already have a list of recipes I want to try from his book.

When we return from France, and after having eaten true Southern France cuisine, I'm sure to get lost in my kitchen for weeks afterwards, wanting to duplicate the yummy dishes we ate on our trip.  But.... I will only have a couple of weeks before we head to Athens (biz trip this time) for a week and when we return from that trip, I hope to be starting my last and final class to earn my Chef Certificate.

In reflection about my summer with Julia..... it was summer time..... it was magical...... it was a reunion of two similar souls.... who, forever will be connected in mind and spirit, but realistically, life and it's schedule will keep our play dates sporatic until Feb, when hopefully we can hunker in and spend the rest of the winter together making hearty comfy french dishes!  I'm still hoping that PBS will release more DVD's of her shows.  I think there were 158 shows (give or take a few.... I just read that statistic somewhere) and only 48 shows of her original "The French Chef" series have been released to DVD.  I want more!  :  )

Au Voir

Pork Butt..... YES!!! it takes 8 hours!!!!!

My middle daughter Jessica wanted to cook a pork butt for her carnita's tacos.  She called and asked me how to prepare and cook it and so I gave her all the instructions over the phone.  Which took me way back in time to the many phone call conversations I used to have with my Mom, Grandmother and Aunt when I was learning to cook as a newlywed.

The last pork butt we cooked for a gathering here at the house, I wanted to put the pork butt in the oven to cook all night, knowing it needed to cook for 8 hours on 275.  Joe disagreed with me, he was going to smoke the cooked butt afterwards and felt it would be over cooked if I cooked it 8 hours.  I argued that it did indeed take a full 8 hours to cook, but.......  he insisted it would be over cooked.  Here is the problem...... I'm a Chef, Joe is a career 'Meat Man'..... sometimes we disagree on how things should be 'properly' cooked.  He was so insistent, so I only cooked it 5 hours like he suggested.  Well.......  because the meat had not cooked long enough in the oven, it took twice as long on the grill to smoke it and complete the cooking, and still.... it just wasn't as tender as it should have been.  Lesson learned..... we both now agree it does take a full 8 hours to cook.  Yep..... I REALLY wanted to gloat with "I told you so"..... but just let my sly smile do my talking!  LOL LOL

After the above experience, I know you just can't rush pork butt.  So when Jessica called wanting cooking instructions, I told her she needed to cook it in the oven 275 for 8 hours.  She says...."I planned on putting it in the crockpot and it says to cook only 6 hours".......I say "I think it should still cook for at least 8 hours on high in the crockpot or 8 hours in a 275 oven, preferably in the oven".  Jessica is sure this is going to over cook it and dry it out and I keep telling her to use the oven vs the crockpot.... but...... she wanted it to be perfect and therefore thought trusting the crockpot would be her best option.

After it had cooked in the crockpot for 6 hours, I got another phone call..... "Oh my gosh Mom, it is burnt and over cooked.... what do I do?"  I'm thinking..... really!?!  it's over cooked?????  HUMMMM!  She begged me to stop over and look at it and help her figure out what to do.  I would love to just crack up at this point, but.... having been a newlywed myself and not knowing about roasting meats at that time.... I just smile with fond memories of my own roasting woes!  When I got there, the pork butt was NOT burnt, in fact.... it was barely cooked at all.  By this time she is near tears until I told her.... "honey, it's not ruined, it's just not done yet".  I told her it would take at least another 2-4 hours to finish cooking and she again would not believe me.  So..... I stayed with her for the next 3 hours it did take to finish cooking, and when it was done, it was absolutely perfect!

I helped her take it from the crockpot to the oven and set the timer for 45 min.  We played backgammon, chatted and had a nice visit while we waited.  Both Joe and Winston were working late on this particular evening and she really wanted to have the roast ready for when Winston got home.  Did I mention that it was 7:00 pm when we started the oven roasting!?  When the buzzer dinged after the first 45 min, we went to check the meat.  It was starting to cook, but still needed another couple of hours, so we set the timer for 30 minute intervals and checked the meat every 30 minutes.  I showed her what it should look like and how it should feel.  And at 10:00 pm the pork was finally finished cooking and was pure perfection.  She was soooo relieved and soooo proud!  Winston literally walked in the door just as we removed the meat from the oven and had started shredding it.  Jessica made him a piping hot fresh taco and handed it to him just as he came into the room.  The timing really couldn't have been more perfect.

I kinda felt like Julia teaching a pupil how to see, smell, feel and taste when meat is done.  Jessica now knows when she checks on meat cooking, just how long it still needs to cook just by feeling it with a fork.  The reason she thought the meat was burnt was because when she tried to put her fork into it, it was really firm and the fork couldn't pierce into it.  It actually was quite fun to stick and feel the pork with a fork every 30 minutes to feel the texture changes that the meat goes through as it cooks.

Conclusion........ it takes 8 full hours to cook pork butt...... don't rush the pork butt!!!!  Now that I have not one, but two incidences to reflect back on that I am right on how long it takes to cook a pork butt...... I'm saying........ I TOLD YOU SO!!!!!!!  nana nana boo boo!!!!!   LOL LOL LOL

Labor Day Lull

This is the 'short week' after the Labor Day weekend, soo....... not much going on in or out of my kitchen this week.  Joe and I are still nibbling on the delish leftovers from "Dinner Julia Style".... which continues to get better with each bite.  All but the cake that is...... no cake..... cake all gone!  Time to make another!

We had a family gathering on Sunday, which is always potluck, so I took the Queen of Sheba cake.... it was a big hit!  Of course it was!!!!  How could it not be a hit?!?  : )  Monday Joe and I went to an intimate gathering with 4 other couples, and I was assigned to bring an appetizer.  Was a bit bummed that out of all the dishes assigned, I got "appetizer"..... I just felt it was not very challenging.... but...... by gum I took a good one and had very little left to bring home.  I decided to make an elaborate cheese tray knowing that wine and cocktails would be served during appetizers.  I had five gourmet cheeses, grapes, strawberries, pecans, walnuts, peanuts and almonds on the tray and I had a separate tray filled with toastettes.  I had small porcelain name tags in each cheese with the name of the cheese written on the tag.  I piled the grapes in the center of this huge platter with strawberries on top, around the fruit I had arranged piles of the sliced cheeses, in between each cheese I had a pile of nuts.... almonds in one pile, pecans in another.... etc.  It was absolutely beautiful.  And the toastettes...... are always such a hit.  The cheeses I used were (5 spice, Manchego, 5 yr aged Gouda, White Cheddar, Edlewiss Swiss......the same cheeses I used for the Julia dinner on Sat. night).  I had the platter all arranged and ready to go and while I thought it was pretty.... it needed a pop of color, so that is when I put the strawberries around on top of the grapes.  PERFECT!!!!  It was the perfect appetizer for cocktail hour.

As I was going into the kitchen to prepare the appetizer dish, Joe asks me what I was making/taking.  I replied... "a cheese tray"...... he then says..... "A CHEESE TRAY????  Just a cheese tray????" ....... to which I replied.... "yes dear.... just a cheese tray..... but wait until you see my cheese tray, you will see"..... he honestly was quite vexed and perplexed that I being a chef would take a measley cheese tray to a party where his co-workers would be in attendance!  HOW EMBARRASSING!!!!!  LOL LOL  But after I made the toastettes and he saw the cheese tray, he was actually quite proud!  When will he learn to just trust me!!!  I DO know what I am doing and I have been professionally trained!!!!  I find it quite amusing that after 31 years of marriage and good cooking the whole time, he would dare to question my choices, and that he thinks I need 'direction' in presenting a good pot luck dish!  If I had been asked to bring 'any' dish to pass.... I would have presented a more labor intensive dish, however...... an appetizer is a hard thing to do when it isn't at your own home and you can't really heat or cook it before serving (which most appetizers tend to need to be served hot) and we had to travel with the dish which is why I thought the cheese tray was the absolutely perfect choice..... and it was!  LOL  I love it when I am right...... again!  LOL LOL LOL

My husband is a GREAT boss..... just not my boss..... especially in the kitchen!  LOL LOL  Although he would say he isn't being bossy, just offering helpful suggestions!  No matter how well planned and organized I am when it comes to preparing food for guests.... he always has 'input' and questions about what I'm doing.... I pretend to listen and uh hummm him out of the kitchen and then proceed to do it my way!  LOL LOL LOL  Anyone with me on this one.... about the pretending to listen and uh humming them out of your way???  Not that he doesn't have good ideas, food is his business so he does know a lot about food, but..... when I have a game plan in my head..... I can clearly see the end results and don't feel I need direction.  His famous all time quote is..... 'you are making too much food...... we don't need to have so much food'....... and yes, we do usually have too much food, but.... we always have plenty which is my goal!  Never want to run out!  I'm not man/husband bashing here.... Joe is a very dear man, his wisdom and ideas are priceless and we do merge ideas often, but when I have a vision, I pretty much stick to it.

So this is the Labor Day Lull week.  Joe has had late meetings and biz dinners, I have bunco tonight (his only night home all week) and neither of us have been home together all week.... the only time we have seen each other is, as we are climbing into bed...... or I should say..... as I'm climbing into bed and I see him already asleep and in full snore mode!  Tomorrow he heads to Indianapolis for a boys weekend racing, I'm heading to Columbus with middle daughter Jessica for a girls weekend with our friend Tara and for our other friend's wedding

I haven't been watching, cooking or studying Julia this week either, but I have been studying my french for our trip.  Joe and I decided we should learn french before the trip, so we are using the Rosetta Stone DVD's to learn it.  We won't be able to speak it fluently, but this will be the first time we have attempted to learn a foreign language before a trip.  I can already read it quite well.... so no matter how far we get with our french lessons before the trip, whatever we learn will surely be a help in communicating or even just menu reading.

Au Voir

The Comparison Dinner

In just 3 weeks Joe, myself and our dear friends and traveling companions leave for our trip to Southern France... so.... Saturday night I cooked a french dinner, Julia Style.  I wanted to set the mood for the trip and to have a dinner that we could compare my cooking with Julia against the authentic French cooking we will eat on our trip.

It was a complete success.... I'm still smiling from the positive feedback and reactions I received from my guests.  The looks on their faces when they are eating or enjoying good food tells the whole story.  There were moments of snarfling, followed by uncontrollable ummmmmming, followed my moments of complete awe and silence before the snarfling began again.  

I am so proud of that dinner, and catching Joe's eye across the table several times while we were eating, I saw he too was so proud of me.  Catching Joe's eye and seeing his pride in my accomplishments is the BIGGEST compliment I could ever get.  I was so giddy with excitement with what I saw and heard around the table.... I just wanted to squirm a chair jig undetected in my seat!  LOL LOL  And trust me..... a Chef and/or Cook ALWAYS knows without words being said, just by watching peoples expressions as they eat, or what is or isn't left on someone's plate, and by the amount of food left (if any) in the serving dishes if the food was good, adequate or simply just bad.

The menu was... a Cheese Plate Appetizer, Fennel and Frissee Salad, French Onion Soup, Beouf Bourgingnon (French Beef Stew) and of course Queen of Sheba Cake.  I cooked from 8:00am - 7:00pm, they ate from 6:30-8:30.  Joe served delish wines throughout the dinner to go with each course.  I was completely spent and exhausted after that 12 hour cooking jag...... but I was so blissfully happy for those 12 hours, I had no idea I had been cooking for 12 straight hours...... and Joe will verify.... I truly cooked for 12 straight hours.

For the cheese plate, I had a small square 5" plate (red) with a different slice of cheese in each corner (Gruyere, Manchego, Hot Spice, and 5 yr aged Gouda) , 5 grapes clustered in the center, with a tiny dollop of two different flavors of honey on opposite sides and then 2 pecan halves and 2 walnut halves on opposite sides.  I made some french bread toastettes to go with.  I had these nibblet plates set table side for the guests to enjoy with their first glass of wine as I finished up the last touches to dinner.

The Fennel and Frissee salad I made up on my own, but was inspired from a salad Joe and I had at the restaurant Via Vita on our anniversary.  I used the same square 5" square plate (yellow) and in the center I had a fist size mound of chopped frissee lettuce, topped with thinly sliced fennel bulb, 2 mandarin oranges on top, a few pine nuts scattered on top of that, and for a garnish I placed a stem of the fennel leaf on top.  I made a lemon citrus vinagrette that I spooned on top.  It was soooooo light and fresh.... I could eat this salad all day long!  However...... the only thing I would do over with this salad, is.... I would have served it after the french onion soup instead of before.  It was such a fresh and cleansing of the palate kind of salad, it would have been better served between the two heavy dishes of french onion soup and the beef bourgingnon.

The French Onion soup......  was simply...... WOW!!!!!  This is the 2nd time I have made this soup, this time was better than the last because I made the beef stock from scratch instead of using canned stock.  This soup could and probably should be served as a meal all on it's own because it is so rich and hearty.  It takes an hour to cook the onions down to the right consistency.  Then it takes another hour to simmer with the broth, then another 30 minutes in the oven after you have composed the soup bowls and then 5 more minutes under the broiler to brown the cheese on top.  To compose the soup bowl, place two french bread toastettes in bottom of bowl, place a couple slices of swiss cheese (I used gruyere) on top of toastettes, ladle soup on top to brim of bowl (you must use an oven crock kinda of bowl..... thick, heavy and preferably with a handle), then you pile up..... and I do mean PILE UP..... grated swiss cheese on top of the soup from edge to edge, so that when the cheese melts down the sides of the bowl it creates a seal.  After baking in the oven for 20-30 minutes in the middle of the oven at 350, place the bowls on top rack of oven, crank oven up to broil and brown the cheese for about 3-5 minutes.  The soup itself is like a very rich creamy and cheesy beef broth with a hint of sweet onion.... does not taste like a mouth full of onions at all.  It simply melted in your mouth!

The Beouf Bourgingnon was made with chuck roasts I chopped up (Julia's suggestion) which was browned, then braised in the oven for 4 hours in beef broth (which I made from scratch).  I put baby carrots (the fancy kind with the tiny stems on top) on top of the beef stew so that when it was finished cooking, the carrots on top were beautiful and tender and had soaked up some of the broth flavors.  I removed the meat pieces onto the center of a large serving platter and ladled on the gravy sauce over the beef.  While the beef was cooking, I roasted some new potatoes, braised baby onions, sauteed mushrooms, blanched and then sauteed fresh green beans in butter with a squirt of lemon juice and sprinkle of kosher salt on top.  After placing the meat in the center of the platter, I arranged the rest of the vegetables around the meat making a very colorful presentation....... the carrots at one end, mushrooms next to carrots, onions on other side of carrtos, green beans on side of onions, potatoes on the opposite end of platter from the carrots.  I placed this platter in the middle of the table and we served ourselves 'family style'.  I had a gravy boat full of the sauce from the beef stew and french bread to go with the dinner.  It was like Sunday dinner french style! It looked sooooo BEAUTIFUL.  I should have taken a photo!!!!  Oh well..... was too busy thinking about digging in instead of photographing the display!  LOL

And then of course...... dessert was the now famous Queen of Sheba cake, which...... each cake I make is better than the last one!  I actually made an interesting discovery this time when I made the cake.  I had been using a 9" cake pan, not realizing that the 'standard' cake pan size differs.  While watching her DVD of the Queen of Sheba cake show the other day, I noticed that her cake looked smaller round but higher on the sides.  After some quick reference research, I discovered she used an 8" cake pan.  So I went out and bought a couple of 8" pans, made the cake and ........ what do you know!......... the cake was smaller around, but thicker and the center was finally the perfect consistency I had been trying to produce by adjusting my oven temp and cooking time.  While my 9" cakes were bombdiggity...... the 8" pan made a SIGNIFICANT difference and the bombdiggity level went to bombdiggity-diggity!  LOL LOL

Julia made each recipe in her cookbooks several times..... as in at least 10-20 times before she would give her final approval for the methods and ingredients used.  Just making that one tiny adjustment in the Queen of Sheba cake, made me 'get it' with all the repetition on trying recipes.  I'm still a fledgling learner in the baking department, and baking is certainly more 'exact measure' methods vs cooking which is just a pinch of this and that and measurements don't have to be exact at all.  Now if I can only master the dang french bread making..... it continues to be a challenge!  But until I do..... thank goodness for the artisian breads available in your local Krogers!

Final comments..... honestly.... this meal, the taste of the flavors and the beautiful presentation of each dish.... you would have thought you were in a 5 star restaurant..... it really was that good and it was really picture perfect pretty.  Julia..... I think I see you smiling down on me..... I think you saw my complete joy in preparing this meal and my complete joy in presenting this meal to people I wanted to make feel very special.  Thank you sooooooo much for your inspiration, your constance guidance and introducing me to the world of french cooking!  

Bon Apetite

Birthday Day

Yesterday was my 51st birthday, and it was one of those birthday years that was 'just another birthday year'.... you know... some birthdays have significant meaning and are the "Special" birthday years, but most are just fun 'It's my birthday' years.  And my birthday this year (a true first!) fell on a day that my entire family was out of town and/or working til closing, so for me, it was just gonna be a quiet day doing what I wanted to do, knowing we will celebrate my birthday this weekend when the family is all together.

Joe is in LA on business (but getting to see our youngest Lauren while there), Amber is back in school, (and correction on her schooling.... she is in the Doctorate Program... Not the Masters Program) working and waiting on her best friend to have her baby any day (which Amber is going to help deliver), Jessica had to work closing shift yesterday and I didn't get to see her early in the morning (she offered to take me to lunch) because I was in pilates class and had a massage after (a gift from my Dad.... THANK YOU soooo much for that Daddy!) so we missed each other with our schedules... Lauren of course is in LA, my Mom is in Alaska with my Aunt and Uncle.... so it was just me.  However..... it was one of those really unexpectedly GREAT birthday days!

I slept in, had several phone calls in the morning wishing me Happy Birthday as well as several FB posts and emails wishing me Happy Birthday.  I went to pilates, there were only 2 of us in class.... the other lady in class (Bonnie) just happens to be my favorite lady to take classes with, so we had a super class with Gayle.  I went immediately from pilates to my hot stone massage appt.  Which.... was absolutely DELICIOUS!!!!  (I'm a very tactile person.... I have to touch and feel EVERYTHING!!!! and I LOVE being touched and massaged too) but..... the massage was soooooo good that I came home and passed out on the couch for an hour nap.  Then I took a long bubble bath and got dressed for dinner.  My girlfriend Sharon and I went to the club for dinner  (her husband is also out of town) and we had such fun at dinner, we closed the place down!

I had phone calls all day long, Joe left my gift for me in his car as a surprise (a new FABULOUS knife set!).  He called me and told me to go find my gift in the backseat of his car..... that was soooo thoughtful.... I didn't expect any gifts yesterday because we ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS celebrate my birthday over the Labor Day weekend, so I was really super surprised to have a gift yesterday.  Then he also sent me a GORGEOUS bouquet of roses in an assortment of colors..... just BEAUTIFUL!!!  And again..... very unexpected!  There was also a box of Belgium chocolates with the roses.  Then my girlfriend that I went to dinner with gave me this beautiful platter and apron.  My family went out of their way to make sure my day was special even tho none of them could be with me.  That alone is the most priceless gift of all!  Nothing money can buy can ever compete with plain ole LOVE!!!!!  I am not, and was not upset about my family not being able to be with me yesterday.... life is what it is and I totally understand that and prefer to just go with the flow.  But...... my heart is soooooo touched that they were all upset they couldn't be with me.

What was expected to have been just another ordinary (yet always special in it's own way) birthday day, turned out to be an absolutely SPECTACULAR day!  Weather included!!!!  Thank you to everyone who made it special!  I love each and every one of you BUNCHES!!!!!!!

And now..... I'm 51 years old!  WOW!!!!  REALLY!!!????  SERIOUSLY!!!????  I'm 51?????  Ok..... so here's to the next 50!

Shout Out to Cousin Nancy

Nancy Jo!  I LOVE YOU!!!  You are the BESTEST!!!!!!!

This blog post is just for you!  I finally figured out how to view my comments....yours being the only one... and it was PRICELESS!!!!

THANK YOU.... THANK YOU.... THANK YOU!!!!!

Sending you a big ole blogger HUG!!!!!!!

50....hummmm

Today was the last day of my 50th year.... on reflection of this past year.... it was my worst year ever.... yet.... it also has been one of my best years too.

Pooh side (get the bad over with first, end on the good!) was the whole health ordeal... what a wake up and reality call that was... I mean really... the only way to explain how bad that was requires bad language, which I will spare you, so.... I'll just leave it to your imagination.

Good side... Jessica and Winston got married. I got a new sassy car. Life offered me an opportunity to see a lot of good in a lot of people. Life showed me I can not control many things, and those things I truly can not control, I have to just let it go and continue to focus on myself and finishing up this recovery period. I have found lots of inner peace and happiness. I've been humbled. I've been VERY loved and cared for, and I got to spread the love back.

Physically the health ordeal was beyond any pain I have ever known and it truly sucked the life out of me. Mentally, I reflect back that I always felt positive, knowing the only way to get through it was to take each day one at a time, which I did. I had Joe with me every day, who tenderly cared for me no matter how exhausted he was from a 12 hour day at the office. Mr. positive... and even tho he knew it would cause some pain, he would make me laugh every day. And most of all, he just understood. Those moments of raw emotion between you and your partner of many years are precious and priceless.... blazened in my memory forever.... will cherish them forever. THANK YOU Joe for all you have done and all you continue to do for me! I sure hope I have another 50 years with you!!!!

As winter finally passes and spring arrives, I'm feeling better and I feel like a toddler on a first adventure into the grass barefoot! Joe and I attended many weddings this summer, each special and beautiful, nights full of love, happiness and wedding day bliss! Then summer arrives and it has been a FUN summer! I started on my Julia project (and this blog) and both have been rewarding and the best fun I have had since I was a kid playing field ball all summer with Joe and my cousins. Then I started back into pilates classes, re-connecting and chatting with my lady friends and getting awesome workouts from Angie and Gayle. When I reflect back and remember this summer, I will remember lots of butter and all the yummy dishes I've made and how much I have enjoyed getting re-aquainted with Julia Child through all her books and DVD's and recipes. Autumn is nearing and I continue to gain strength and energy and keep taking one day at a time. Autumn brings traveling abroad trips, my last class of culinary school, and many, many, many more days in the kitchen with Julia.

I would still have to give my 50th year an A! Au Voir 50.... Bonjour 51.... what surprises do you have waiting for me?

Racing Weekend

This past weekend Joe and I took his car 'racing' at Mid-Ohio. It's really called DE (Driver's Education) and the sole purpose of these DE events is to teach and train sports car owners how to drive and handle their vehicles on a real race track, in all kinds of conditions and to drive as fast as possible in the safest of controlled conditions.

First off..... no one wants to ding their precious sports car baby... 2nd of all, they all want to drive REALLY fast! LOL So it really is a controlled environment with lots of rules and spotters and instructors. There are 5 levels.... Instructor, Class A, Class B, Class C, and Class D. Classes B, C, and D all MUST HAVE instructors ride with them. Joe started doing these DE events a year ago and of course you start off in D class until your instructor feels you are ready to move up. As you move up in the classes, the cars in those upper classes, run much faster and have more skill taking the turns and such. Joe was thrilled to see he was moved up to Class C this weekend, and then after the event, he was scored by his instructor who is recommending that he be moved up to Class B next event..... which is only 2 weeks away. Joe wants to make it to Instructor level. And once he is moved up to B, A or Instructor, I will then get to start racing in the D class because we will then be able to share his car. I'll have to get me a helmet, cause I'm gonna start racing that sweet baby too!

It was a fun, a real hoot and a holler weekend...... even tho the weather felt like November and it was still August. We seriously had on 2 shirts, sweatshirt hoodies, windbreak rain jacket, footies on both my feet with my flipflops and on my hands and thank goodness I had my big ole fleece blanket. Every time we have been to this event (this was our 3rd time) it has been the same exact weather..... URG BRRR!!!! But..... it's like going to a tailgate and football game in that kind of weather.... somehow.... it adds to the experience. And actually it is better on the cars and the tires because the track doesn't get too hot.

I had made lots of bread the day before we left on our weekend, so I took a whole fresh loaf of cranberry bread with me to nibble on in between races. We had two other fellas that had gone with us and when I broke out that bread around lunch time.... everyone snarfled it up. Then... later after the concession stand was closed and we were starving.... out comes the other 1/2 of the loaf leftover from earlier and it was inhaled snarfled up! It was delish and made me feel like I had my little friend Julia with me.

Missing Julia lately. I've read all the good books on her, am currently reading "Julia's Kitchen Wisdom", which is a good book, but it is more of a cookbook about her notes when she was doing her shows than actual biography type of reading. It is still a good book, but.... when I was reading her biographies, I just felt soooo connected to her... kinda like we were chatting each day and she herself was telling me about her wonderful stories and adventures.

I just finished listening to "Julie & Julia" on CD.... thanks to my very sweet and adorable cousin Nancy.... THANK YOU BUNCHES!!!! for letting me listen to it! It was as I expected and, all the critque remarks that were written about Julie Powell's blog book..... well..... they were spot on. She is a whinner, she had constant meltdowns..... her mother completely annoys her, and well just about anything can cause her to have a meltdown temper tantrum fit. She is a good writer, or she has good writing skills... but... she is sooo negative and egotistical. Julie ... should you ever read this, this isn't anything personal, you don't know me, I don't know you, this is just observations from your book. I felt that the idea Julie had for Julia's project was a really good one, and she did put a time line on her quest making it more of a real challenge. And I sure Julie knows really good food and is an amazing cook herself..... having said that tho...... I was miffed that the project was less about doing something for yourself for the pure joy of accomplishing it, but more of a 'hey look at me, and what I'm doing' kinda of thing'. I felt like you were constantly trying to get attention, but always negative attention. The challenge became a maniac chore for you instead of a true journey with a wonderful witty lady. The language.... yes... I know it is more accepted in your age group, but... being a writer, I would think you would have better word choices and phrases that you could use to make your point stand out, with humor instead of sarcasm and F bomb language. And when I got to the place in the book where you thought you "had to go on with this project, you couldn't stop.... because 'your bleeders' as you like to refer to them.... couldn't wake up and go about their day if you had not posted a blog!..... so then the project came about being your blogger/bleeders savior instead of sharing this wonderful journey. You seem to have a cynical view on things and I have a pollyana view on things. Just one small person's opinion and I am sure if you read my blog, you would have equal critique about mine. Which is fine.... that's why it's out there.... for comments, thoughts, but mostly and hopefully for inspiring and encouraging anyone interested in discovering their cooking talents to pick up a pot and spoon and cookbook and go for it and have fun doing it.

So in summary.... since I have read every other book about Julia other than the Julie Powell blog book, it was nice to have the full story from both sides. Julie Powell said she felt like Julia saved her from drowning in a mundane life. Julia is like that..... she does have a very inspiring way about her, she actually saved herself by finding her niche in life when she discovered cooking. Her passion for cooking, eating and french culture exudes from her in such a bubbly breathy delivery, you can't help but fall under her spell. You can see in her face how truly good whatever it is she is making tastes when she samples it, and well.... it makes you want to have that same bite...... I find myself thinking...... I want some of that!!!!

Fall feels like it is here with both the schools back in session and this weird cold weather. I have a really crazy calendar from now til after the holidays, plus I need to go back for my last class to earn my culinary certificate, so while I hope to be cooking Julia as much as possible, it will be somewhat sporadic until Jan. Will be interesting to see how many of her yummy dishes I can get made between now and then. French bread..... gotta conquer that dadgum recipe. I should shelac my first attempts just so when I finally master french bread, I can have these poor flop loaves to compare it too.

Joe out of town again this week.... won't be a lot of cooking since it's just no fun cooking and eating alone. But I have my DVD's to watch to get my Julia fixes! LOL