Happy Halloween

It's Halloween..... and I'm looking forward to all the spooks, ghosts, goblins, witches, princesses, action heros and other costumed younguns that will ding dong on my doorbell this evening as they trick or treat through the neighborhood.  Poor dears..... tonight is supposed to be rainy, it is supposed to rain all day and night.  I'm hoping they get a break and the rain ends this afternoon.

In my current neighborhood most of the trick or treaters get door to door service via golf carts driven by their parents.  And many of these golf carts have kids piled in them and hanging on the outside.... as in 6-8 kids in one golf cart!! Some parents still bring a mini-van/SUV full of youngsters and drop them off at the top of the street and wait for the trick or treaters to make the rounds and then zip them off to another street/neighborhood..... but...... the number of golf carts whizzing around the neighborhood all evening is amazing!

In my current neighborhood we get a good steady stream of 'younger' trick or treaters for about an hour..... then it slows down to a trickle of treaters for 30 more minutes..... then we get a trickle of 'big/older/teenagers' who are out being silly and looking for chocolate too.  My thinking is this..... I'm a grown adult, I gladly accept chocolate anytime it is given, by anyone who wants to give it to me, therefore...... I think as long as these older teenagers are out just having fun, not being destructive or rude, I will gladly give them some chocolate.  Like last year for instance...... I had the highschool swim team (all guys..... about 8 of them) show up wearing nothing except for their speedo's and goggles.... and yes, it was very cold last year.  They were hilarious..... freezing, but hilarious!  How could I not give such brave souls some chocolate?  I sure hope they come back this year!!!!  LOL LOL

What happened to the good ole days of walking???  OK..... so we actually ran.... no matter how many times our parents yelled at us to "be careful.... watch where you are going...... take your sister's/brother's hand...... and NO running!!!!"...... we ran anyway, forgot our little siblings and had to be first at the door to push the doorbell and scare the beegeezees out of the candy giver!  I of course was always the 'little sister'..... therefore...... it was my hand that got dropped and me who got forgotten as my brother ran over me to get to the next house first..... and it was me who ALWAYS tripped over my costume and/or a tree stump and spilled my candy all over the dark yard and bushes..... but I still managed to haul in quite a heap of candy by the end of the  night.  And didn't it seem like we were out trick or treating for hours, when it was actually not even a whole hour?!????

When I was young and when my own children were young, we made our costumes from whatever we had lying around the house.  It was the one time a year we were actually allowed to play with my Mom's makeup... and my daughters only time of the year to play with my makeup too.  We never had a costume planned more than a week in advance, usually it was last minute... as in day of Halloween.... but we always pulled something together and off we went to gather the goodies and treats.

And then...... once you got home the fun really started!  As a youngster and when my children were young, the thing to do is come in and dump your candy in a big pile and start sorting and counting!  Tongue stuck out the side of your mouth in deep concentration as you hoped to have more chocolate and  gum and less of the candy you didn't like.  And then...... came the bartering with your siblings, cousins and friends (whoever went out with you trick or treating) to exchange as much of the unwanted candy for better candy items.

I have to admit...... I was always a candy thief of my girls loot after they were fast asleep!  Then they got old enough to count how much they had of this or that and I started getting caught!  LOL  And then they got old enough to know I was going to loot their candy anyway (I'm a confessed choc-aholic), so they started giving me my own little pile from their loot!  LOL LOL  Now that we are empty nesters..... I just get whatever is leftover from giving out of the candy, and I learned quickly that you don't buy anything you don't want to get stuck with when the trick or treaters are all done.

And of course I can't forget the traditional Chili dinner.  I think this tradition started back when we lived in Smyrna TN....... my girls were 7, 3 and my youngest still in the womb and we lived in this AWESOME neighborhood where everyone felt more like family than they did neighbors or friends.  Several of us families would gather to have a quick bowl of chili, which I think started because it was the quickest and easiest meal we could get our younguns to eat in the midst of all that excitement, costume donning, makeup tweaking and typical hectic chaos that occurs before the youngsters can get us parents out the door and on the way to candy haven!  Us Moms would dress up and pass out the candy and the Dads would take the youngsters "spooking", which is what our children called trick or treating.  Then afterwards we would all gather at one of our houses as the children sorted, counted and bartered for about an hour.  So for the past 20+ years chili has been Halloween dinner.

Wishing all a Happy Halloween, and may many adorable ghosts and goblins grace your house this evening with all their eagerness of gathering yummy loot!

Taking Julia To Greece

I went to the library a few weeks ago.... and no matter how old I get, or how long it's been since I was last in a library..... the moment I step into one...... all those comfortable smells hits me like childhood in my face.  Ahhhhhh...... there is just something sooooo comforting about being in a library..... you just feel soooo safe and cozy!  I even love the quietness of a library.... and for those who know me...... quiet isn't usually associated with the mention of my name!  LOL

Any hooty...... I digress..... I checked out a couple of books.... a Julia Child cookbook (The Way To Cook), a Paul Bocuse cookbook (Regional French Cooking), and a biography of Julia Child (An Appetite for Life).  I have been trying to read the bio on Julia Child for over a month now and am still only half way through it.  It is a very 'wordy' book and goes into great detail...... both which I love and find annoying at the same time.  So..... between traveling, house chores/errands, dr./dental appts., and life in general clopping along with increasing speed..... it's been one of those put down, pick up books, that you enjoy each time you pick it up, begrudgenly hate to put down..... but easily forget about when 'life' sweeps you up and carries you along.  I have renewed this book twice already and when it comes due (Nov. 19), I HAVE to turn it in, so it is going along with me to Greece.  I'm taking Julia to Greece with me by gum!!!

I love it each time I pick up this book and hear the crinkle of the thin plastic cover over the book jacket....  I love seeing the tape sideways holding the book jacket and plastic coating snuggly in place.... I LOVE the smell of the book when I open it.  New or old.... any book that has gone through the doors of any library.... attains that 'library smell'.  I love how cool it looks to be toting around a real library book.

The book itself is perfect.... all the information I have been searching for about Julia Child and more.  But... like I noted earlier.... it is quite 'wordy'.  It starts at the beginning.... at her birth and follows her life up thru her late 80's..... she died at age 92, and she was aware of the writing of this book.  She was quite the hoot from a small child to a full blossomed adult Child (play on word intended!) and her love affair with Paul is priceless and precious!  It's been like reading her private dairy..... you pick it up and read bits of it, feeling so familiar with her, then having to put it aside for another day when you can get lost in it's pages again.

I think I'm actually kinda glad I am only half way through this book.... it will be nice having something good to read on the long flights and on the 3 hour layover in Paris.

Pork Chops, Pork Chops, Easy, Easy

Every time I hear someone say 'Pork Chops'..... my brain automatically hears this little cheerleading cheer.... Pork Chops, Pork Chops.... Greasy, Greasy..... We'll beat your team.... Easy Easy!  LOL LOL  When my girls were young I used to Co-Coach the community cheerleading squad they were on..... and that was just one of those favorite cheers 6 -10 year olds just love to do!

Here is a really super simple, but super yummy pork recipe, perfect for this time of the year and is wonderful served with the potato gratin recipe.  And this recipe can easily be altered for any amount of guests you are serving, even for just two people, it is quite easy and simple.  All you need is a thick boneless pork chop per person (unless your family/guests are 2nd helpers, then you might need one or two extra).  Boneless, skinless chicken breasts may also be substituted for the pork chops.

1.  Dry pork chops with paper towel, salt and pepper each side

2.  Dip pork chops (one at a time) into either a beaten egg(s) or egg beaters (if you are counting calories), shaking off all excess egg

3.  Dip pork chops (one at a time) into seasoned bread crumbs, shaking off all excess bread crumbs

4.  Saute the pork chops in a hot skillet that has about an inch of oil (oil of your choice, either vegetable or olive oil, or canola oil if you are counting calories) until slightly browned.... about 2 minutes per side

5.  Thinly slice an onion or two (depending on how many pork chops you are preparing) and punch out the individual rings.  Place the onion rings in the bottom of an un-greased casserole dish

6.  Place the sauted pork chops on top of onion rings,  then place a lemon slice on top of each pork chop

7.  Bake un-covered in 350 oven for 30 minutes.

Pork chops are tender and juicy and have wonderful flavoring from the onions and lemon.  I personally don't eat either the onions or the lemon, but they can be eaten if desired.  And of course you can take any drippings, and make a sauce or gravy to pour over the pork chops, but they are so good on their own, I do not make a sauce to pour over them.  This is such a quick and simple dish to make, it takes about 45 minutes from prep to serving.  All you need is a nice salad to go with the pork and gratin potatoes for a well balanced and low calorie meal.

This is actually a very old weight watchers recipe that I have been making for about 10 years, but is soooo easy to make.  My oldest daughter makes it so often that the recipe has become known amongst me and my other daughters as "Amber's pork chops"!!  How funny is that!???  How she gets to claim credit for this dish is beyond me...... but...... we all refer to calling them as Ambers pork chops when we girls are talking about making that dish and we all know immediately what dish is being discussed.

Hope you enjoy!

BEAN SOUP!!!!!

I have had a 'hankering' for a good ole pot of bean soup for over a week, but.... I had to use the ham I cooked, to get to the bone, in which to make the bean soup with.  Amber and Jessica were home this weekend, so of course, I sent them each as much of this ham home with them as I could.... thus expediting my way to the ham bone!  LOL  

Usually I have to do the 'quick soak' of the dried beans when I make bean soup, but this time, I have been sooooo ready and prepared, I actually 'over night soaked' the beans.  Then yesterday I cooked them slowly...... all day long...... with that big ole ham bone with the beans.  When the beans had cooked to tenderness, I removed the ham bone and strained the soup to get all the icky fatty pieces out of it, then I removed whatever bits of ham that was left on the bone and added that back to the soup.  And before I put the ham bone in with the beans, I had removed as much of the ham on the bone as I could and put it aside.  After straining the bean soup, I cut up the other reserved ham from the bone, chopped that up and added it to the soup.

I didn't want the ham to get overcooked while the beans were simmering all day, which is why I added the ham at the end and just warmed it up in the soup for about 20 minutes before serving.  And of course I made cornbread muffins to go with the bean soup.  After Joe finishes his bean soup, he immediately gets a glass of milk and crumbles a corn bread muffin inside and eats it like dessert.  It's his favorite thing!  I do not like mushy and/or wet bread, so I think this is quite gross..... but he absolutely loves his cornbread in a glass of milk.  My father used to do the same thing, except he put his cornbread in buttermilk, and he too thought this was the best dessert ever!  And to the buttermilk version..... I say a DOUBLE EWWWW!!!  LOL LOL

The bean soup was exactly what I had been wanting for a week.  Joe is out of town all this week so I get to enjoy the rest of the bean soup all by myself..... which isn't a bad thing since we all know that bean soup will give you the toots and well...... it's nice not to have to worry about that issue when you are alone!  Tee Hee!!!  And the fiber that is in the beans is sooooo good for you, a great source of protein too.

When I don't have a ham bone available in which to make bean soup, or if I don't have time to make bean soup..... Bob Evan's has a wonderful bean soup that you can buy and take home with you.  I have even purchased bean soup from Bob Evans, brought it home, made some cornbread muffins, and fried potatoes and called that dinner.  Bob Evans has big chunks of ham in their soup too...... and it is the ham from a whole ham, not processed ham cubes, but real genuine ham.... which makes it soooo good!

Happy and satisified...... thinking of my next hankering that needs to be fulfilled!

Toots to you!

Floating Ghost and Uncle Fester

Last night Joe and I attended a Halloween party..... costumes required.  My husband Joe is not the most enthusiastic person when it comes to putting him in a costume.... especially if make-up of any sort is required.

We received this invitation 2 months in advance, we know about the party several more months in advance than before we get the invitation..... and still, last night, as I was putting on the teeny bit of make-up my husband's costume required..... I swear he was acting like a whinny 6 year old!  LOL  As I was blotting on some light powder on his face, he is asking me if we could go as something else!  A HALF HOUR before we are leaving for the party!!!!  I'm thinking....... where were your clever ideas when I was running all over town for the past 2 weeks looking for all the items needed to complete our costumes???????  So..... in the end, I just told him to sit there and behave nicely!  LOL LOL  He sat there and let me finish..... but...... honestly, this grown man whinned the whole time!  He was Uncle Fester and thus, all he wore was a long black robe with a fur collar, with dark circles around his eyes and a very light dusting of white powder over his face and bald head..... he was comfortable, neither costume nor makeup impeded his movements, all was good!  LOL

I was a floating ghost.... and I gotta say....... I too looked pretty good!  I made a hooded robe out of a bolt of netting, painted my face white with darkened eyes and black lips.  I wore a long white skirt, a long sleeve white tee shirt with gloves underneath the 12 layers of netting and it truly looked as if I were floating.  However....... my costume was not the most comfortable for getting around tight places or for drinking and eating.  I must rethink the costume ideas for next year..... I definitely need less material for my costume!  LOL

My daughter Jessica went as Alice in Wonderland (a costume she purchased along with a blond wig), her husband, Winston, went as the Mad Hatter (costume pieces were found in the Good Will store, make up was done by Jessica..... excellent job!) and my other daughter, Amber, went as the Queen of Hearts (her costume was also pieced together by the Good Will store, she did her own makeup, after we watched a video on how to do it on the internet and she too did an excellent job).  In fact..... they did such a good job on putting their costumes together and on the makeup, the 3 of them won the First Place Prize!!!

We all had a great time...... this party is beyond anything you could imagine!  The hosting couple decorate their house for an entire month...... EVERYTHING is decorated for Halloween..... even their pull strings for their lamps, the hostess makes all the food herself...... and they have about 150 folks who attend this party.

I haven't decorated a thing for Halloween yet...... well..... I did buy two beanie babies today at Kroger..... a bear pumpkin and a bear skeleton that were just too cute to pass up.... so now they are sitting on a small table in my kitchen and that is all the decorations I have out thus far.  And since we are traveling abroad the day after Halloween..... I doubt I do much else other than buy some candy for the trick or treaters.  I need grandkids!!!  LOL  Somehow having grandkids (or just having children around in general) brings out the holiday decorating spirit...... or so I have been told.  And I have to admit..... since we are empty nesters, there is no thrill in decorating for any holiday other than Christmas, which is a chore in itself now that the house is empty.

Uncle Fester and the floating ghost costumes are now officially retired to the 'dress up storage bin'.... Alice in Wonderland, The Mad Hatter and The Queen of Hearts will make a return visit this weekend when they all head to another Halloween party in Lexington.

Happy Halloween!

Ham and Gratin Potatoes

Two nights ago we had leftovers for dinner with that yummy ham I baked, and instead of making a ham and potato casserole, I warmed up a few ham slices in some leftover ham juice, and then I made gratin potatoes as a side dish, along with some green beans which had also been seasoned with leftover ham juice.  I served a mini-tuscan loaf of bread that had been warmed up in the oven..... yummers, yummers, yummers!  It was the perfect fall meal.... it tasted sooooo good and it made you feel nice and homey.

I thought the gratin potatoes were the rustic element that turned plain leftovers into a more upscale meal.  Instead of making one big casserole for the two of us, I used two separate ramkin dishes... these are of a bigger scale, each dish is meant to feed two people.... they are fluted, oval in shape, about 6"long, 2" deep, and made of a ceramic/porcelain material.  This makes two ramkins, build each layer in each ramkin at the same time.

1.  Heavily butter the ramkin dishes, then coat them with grated parmesan cheese.... same method as when preparing a cake pan.... coat with butter toss grated parmesan cheese inside, being sure to coat the sides of the dishes, tapping out left over parmesan.

2.  Lay a layer of the very thinly sliced potatoes (I used a mandolin to slice my potatoes) overlapping each other in a pretty pattern on the bottom of the dishes on top of the parmesan cheese, lightly salt and pepper each layer of potatoes.

3.  Toss a light layer of grated guyere (or swiss) cheese over potato layer

4.  Repeat from step 2 and 3..... except this time the layer of cheese is grated parmesan cheese instead of the guyere (swiss)

5. Lay last layer of potatoes on top, cover with a piece of foil and press potato layers down firmly with your knuckles.... remove foil..... then lightly salt and pepper, with a mixture of half parmesan and half guyere (swiss) toss cheese on top, dot top with butter.  Mix 1/2 cup heavy cream and 1/4 cup milk (all milk can be used instead of cream), add a tiny pinch of nutmeg, mix well and gently pour over potatoes.  Place in 350 oven for 1 hour.  Tops will be brown and bubbly.  Let set 5 minutes before serving.  Serve, then lick the plate!

The only other perfect dish to go with ham is my Mother-in-laws pineapple casserole, which is sooooo super easy, and so unexpectedly good, all new tasters approach the dish with a cautious snear, but after tasting they usually head back for seconds.  And..... it has only 4 ingredients, is mixed, baked, and served in the same casserole dish.... taking less than 5 minutes preparation prior to baking!

Break 3 large eggs into 9X9 baking dish, add 1/2 cup sugar, mix eggs and sugar together with fork til well blended, add 1 can of crushed pineapple with juice (packed in natural juice, not syrup) and mix well with a fork, add 4-5 slices white bread torn up into bits, (or cut up into cubes) mix well with fork.  Place in 350 oven for 30 minutes, top will be slightly browned.  This is so easy and so inexpensive to make..... you should give it a whirl, it is sweet and kinda like a bread pudding, goes perfectly with pork, especially ham.  Or can be served as a dessert with a dollop of ice cream on the side.

Ham that has been baked on the bone, is one of those leftover items that is yummy every single serving..... like leftover Thanksgiving turkey and all the Thanksgiving 'fixins'!  Ham sandwiches for lunch today and it's getting closer to bean soup with the bone time!

Au Revoir

A Flipping Experience

Our schedule (Joe and mine) has been so crazy lately, either one of us is not home for dinner (usually him) or neither of us are home at all.... which makes cooking and getting lost in my kitchen a hard thing to do.  My desire is still strong to get in the kitchen and cook all day, but I have to settle for watching Julia's DVD's and reading her biography instead, which is also quite enjoyable too.

Last night was a rare night when both of us were home for dinner and I was home most of the day, allowing me to cook a more labor intensive meal.  I have been wanting a good ole pot of bean soup, and the best bean soup MUST be made with a ham bone..... so I bought and cooked a bone-in sliced spiral ham for dinner last night!!!  YUM!!!!  It was perfect!  Joe immediately asks... "why did you cook this big ham for just the two of us?"..... and I replied..... "because I want some good bean soup, and trust me.... this ham will get eaten!"  To go with the ham, I made some mashed potatoes, french green beans (I've gotten the technique for french green beans mastered!), had a loaf of artisian bread to go with it and for dessert..... I had made a Tarte Tatin (Apple tart/pie) from Julia's cookbook.

The Tarte Tatin is an unside down dessert, thus 'flipping' is involved.  If you have never tried to flip a pan full to the brim with food.... it is quite a tricky thing to do!  You just never know for sure if it will flip out properly, fall out making the dish that you have spent hours babying end up looking like a big messy pile of muck.  This dessert is made in a cast iron skillet, with the butter and sugar on the bottom, the first layer of apples arranged in a pattern on top, more butter and sugar and then the rest of the apples piled on top, then covered with a pastry crust (which is also made from scratch).  The tarte then needs to cook on top of the stove for 3 minutes to caramelize the sugar and butter on the bottom before it gets placed in the oven for baking.  After baking, it needs again to be cooked stove top for a couple of minutes to finish caramelizing the bottom, thus to release the tarte easily from the pan.  So....... with tongue sticking out the side of my mouth (for balance!) I inserted a knife around the edges, gave the pan a little wiggle and place the plate over the pan and ........wham...... I flip the pan and hold my breath..... then I instantly scream VIOLA!!!!!!  I did it..... the perfect beautiful tarte sitting quite happy on it's plate just like it is supposed to.

My first thought was..... OMGOSH!!!  Julia did it again..... her instructions were so precise that I flipped a baked dessert that was perfectly caramelized on the top, with the crust on the bottom. It was as tasty as it looked too..... but I used granny smith apples, which I think gave it a 'tart-er' taste than a golden delicious apple, which would have given it a sweeter taste.  Joe likes the tartness of the granny smith apples, I prefer the sweeter taste, so next time I will try the golden delicious for the tart.

Nothing gives a Chef/cook/baker a bigger smile than when the 'flipping' and/or  the un-molding goes well.  From start to finish when working with a recipe that you know has to be flipped or un-molded for presentation, you feel the tension of NOT doing all this work for it to be a mucky mess at the end.  Of course, Dear Julia has shown us several examples of what to do with the mucky mess should this disaster happen (which it does without prediction) and it may not be the presentation you were planning, but you can save it and turn it into something different because it still tastes really really good!  However.... when it turns out perfectly, just as you had imagined it would..... that is the GREATEST feeling..... you just have to shout out VIOLA!!!!  I served my warm tarte with a big dollop of chocolate chip ice cream next to it.  Had intended to make some 'creme fraiche ' from scratch, until I noticed it needs to set in the refrigerator for a couple of days!  OOPS!!!  Ice cream was just as good and a bit more American!

Out to dinner tonight (biz dinner), then bean soup tomorrow and for the weekend!!  Bean soup, corn bread, fried potatoes, baked ham....... it may not be very french or foo foo eating..... but..... my 'peasant food' is just as tasty anything the french can offer!

Au Revoir

Racing Weekend..... My Turn

WOO HOO!!!!!  I cannot wipe this smile off my face!  Boy that sure was fun!!!!

Joe and I took the porsche to the track this weekend for a "Drivers Education Event", which really means you are learning to drive your car on the racetrack, without speed limits, but under very controlled supervision, safety is the first rule, and regulation helmets are required for both students and Instructors.  And it really is racing!  WOO HOO!!!!

There are 5 Class levels.....

Instructor level - gets to drive on the track all day Friday (all other classes only drive on Sat and Sun), and other than when he/she is driving with their student, they can drive in any session.

Class A - do not have Instructors riding with them or assigned to them, but only can drive in the Class A sessions.

Class B -  has an Instructor assigned to them, but can be signed off to drive solo and can only run in Class B sessions.

Class C - has an Instructor assigned to them, can only drive in Class C sessions, but can be signed off to drive solo on Sunday runs.

Class D - has an Instructor assigned to them for the entire event, this is the novice class

Class levels B, C and D have two 1-hour actual in the classroom sessions with another Instructor both on Sat and on Sun.  There are LOTS of rules, all common sense and safety rules.... and like in golf, there are also rules of respect.  So while it is 'racing' your car, it is also very hands on teaching you how to handle your particular car and drive it to it's absolute peak.  And what you learn in these classes and events carry with you on everyday street driving.  Plus..... it is just SCREAMING fun, both as a spectator and as a participant.

This was my first 'participant' experience, but I have been a spectator at many events.  LOVED it!!!!  My only expectation was to go out and learn how to really drive Joe's porsche..... did not expect to pass anyone, expected everyone to pass me..... didn't expect to drive solo, and I didn't expect to feel so calm when I was driving.  But I DID pass several people, and I DID drive solo on the last session on Sunday, at my Instructor's request, and I WAS sooooo calm the whole time.  I did very well, surprising even myself.  It was soooo much fun too!!!  Even solo I was calm and having fun.  The highest speed I got up to on the back straight was 100 MPH, Joe gets up to 140 MPH.  I am sooo ready to go do this again!!!!

Each driving session is 20 minutes long, but it feels like only 5 minutes before the checkered flag comes out.  Everyone is disappointed when their driving session is over, and all can't wait for their next driving session to begin.  For safety reasons, you have to drive with both the drivers window and the passenger window wide open, rain or not!  Thank goodness for hinnie heaters!!!!  However..... being as cold and windy as it was, you are concentrating and focusing soooo hard on driving the right line, you don't notice either the rain, wind or cold..... amazingly!

It was sooooo BRRRRR cold this weekend too..... 47 degrees being our highest temp.... it rained all day Saturday, making the track slick and wet, causing 17 spinouts, which I think was a record, but no one was hurt and no cars were hurt.... they have the track well padded and lots of sand traps to prevent injury or car repairs, but it has happened before that cars got damaged.  I drove it exactly as my Instructor said and I did just fine, but that experience taught me how to drive on wet and/or slick roads in everyday driving.  I am completey stunned that I actually passed a few people and that my Instructor wanted me to drive solo on my last session.  Having an Instructor is priceless, but once you have learned the track and the line to drive (there is a different line for driving when conditions are wet and for when the track is dry) driving solo is really super fun!

There is just nothing like feeling the car slide around a curve or the sound of the screetching tires as the car takes sharp curves and KNOWING you are in full control of the vehicle.  WOO HOO...... that about sums it up....... WOO HOO!!!!

During the 2 hour breaks in between driving sessions and when I wasn't in the classroom, I was reading the biography of Julia Child "Appetite for Life" which is finally a book about who she was from birth to her late 80's..... the book was written prior to her death.  Wonderful book..... exactly what I was looking for.  Her and Paul's story is truly an amazing tale and one that includes many, many, many well known people, from dignitaries, to celebrities, and to other Chef legends.  Fascinating!

Au Revoir

Fall - Winter cravings

The weather today where I live is BRRRRRR cold!!!!  It's only mid-October and it feels like mid-winter.... something tells me it's gonna be one of 'those' winters.  Good thing I have plenty of cookbooks on hand just waiting for me to try their yummy recipes inside to keep me busy and my mind off the weather outside.  And I'm thinking about soups..... lots of hearty soups and stews!  This weather makes me crave for a pot of good soup.

Potato soup is not only my favorite, but all 3 of my daughters favorite soup too.  My husband..... not so much.... one of the few things he would prefer not to have for dinner.  My Mom always made potato soup, and instead of chicken soup when we felt icky or puny, she would make us a pot of potato soup.  Now my own daughters request that soup when they feel under the weather.  And like all cooks with all recipes, I have tweaked my Mom's original recipe to make it my own, but the foundation/base is still the same as my Mom's.

I made a pot of chili last night for dinner because my husband was out of town, not sure when his flight was getting in and not sure if he would be hungry or not and figured just having a pot of soup ready would be the perfect solution.  As it turned out, neither me or my husband ate the chili last night, thus making dinner all ready for today!  YAY!!!

My cousin's family was in town yesterday and stopped in for a visit, that turned into them taking me out to dinner!  It was a rare and special treat to be in their company without all our other family members present, and a lovelier dinner couldn't have been had.  They have the most well behaved children.... polite, respectful, absolutely delightful to chat with and totally comfortable chatting with adults.  And..... did I mention they are adorably cute as well????  While the meal was delish, I wayyyy enjoyed the company more!  This visit with my cousins gets filed under 'priceless moments', cause it certainly was!

Joe and I are out of town this weekend, and will be out in the boonies, so there is very little food choice options between the only two restaurants in town..... we have been there several times and it's ok food at it's best.  I will just have to dream about a big ole pot of beef stew or bean soup until we get home.  If anyone reading this blog makes or enjoys a bowl of either beef stew or bean soup while I'm gone this weekend, think of me!!! I will be drooling!!!  LOL

Bon Appetite

Return from Southern France

Ooooohhhh La La!!!!  and Bon Gout (taste good) are the two phrases I spoke the most while in France.  My expectations for the yummy food to be found in France that I have heard and read Julia talk about for the past several months were absolutely spot on.  The sauces...... everything has a sauce to go with it, on top of it or painted on the plate of everything you eat, from meats, cheeses, vegetables and desserts, and it was the sauces that made every spectacular dish over the top spectacular!  My tummy and taste buds are well pleased and begging for more!

We had such a wonderful trip all around, including many hilarious moments of life 'just happening'.  One such moment would be when our rental car broke down on the side of the road in St. Tropez.  We were very fortunate that we had just left the tiny windy road and had just hit town when the fuel pump died.  We were stranded for 3 hours waiting for the repairman/tow truck, which the car couldn't be fixed, so we were literally stranded 2 hours from our hotel on the side of the road in France without any transportation.  The rental company ended up sending us a taxi (another hour wait) to take us to the rental office to pick up another vehicle (another hour), so we lost our entire day at St. Tropez, but...... none of us got excited, we all laughed about the incident from start to finish and we just relaxed and enjoyed sunbathing road side instead of beach side!  LOL  And of course there are several photo's of the car broke down on the side of the road, it being hoisted onto the tow truck bed and us just sitting by the road side waiting.  And at the end of the day, we still arrived back in time for another delicious dinner at our hotel's bistro....... where...... I met the Master Chef, bought his cookbook that he autographed for me and took a photo with me.  However...... when I started reading his page long inscription to me..... he wrote it to "Virginia"!  LOL LOL  How funny is that!  And he even drew a daisy flower beside my name.

We had meals in stuffy places that cost too much money, but the food was amazing....  we had meals in quaint 'unfussy' places that were just as amazing,  and we even bought food from street markets and ate in a park, which too was amazing.  Fresh food, prepared food, it didn't matter one lick..... it was all amazing!  And yes, the French do LOVE butter and lots of it!  No wonder Julia fell in love with the foods of France.

A couple of weeks prior to this trip, I had made a "French meal" to compare my cooking skills to true authentic french cooking, and the couple we traveled with came to dine with us so we could all have the experience for comparison on our trip.  Well....... I must honestly say that I think my cooking is equal to what we ate in France.  I am truly my own worst critic, but was quite impressed that my sauces taste as delicious as the sauces we ate in France at both high end and low end eateries.  But being the Chef, I kept these thoughts to myself, until the others spoke up and proclaimed that my dinner did equal in quality and taste to the true French cooking we ate on our trip.  I'm must admit, I am quite proud of myself and can't wait to keep on cooking and working with Julia's cookbooks.  But then again...... both Julia and I were both classically trained from reputable cooking schools, and it just proves that correct methods and techniques are the key.  I can cook as good as any French Chef using products now available in most local grocery stores.

The bread was soooo good everywhere we went, and that is the one thing I can not yet do like the French do.  But then..... French homemakers/cooks do not make their own bread either because there boulgangeries (bread/pastry shops) on every street, usually several on a street.  No one cooks their own bread in France, and you will see the locals all carrying their loaves of bread home for dinner after work. Everywhere you look, someone has a bag of bread they are carrying.  I am about to start my last class (Baking 1) needed to earn my Chef Certificate in Nov., and I'm hoping what I learn in this class will help me with my bread baking issues.

So nice to be home..... no matter how far we travel and how wonderful the trip..... there really isn't any place like home..... or the good ole USA!!!  My study of the french language before our trip turned out to be quite helpful, and quite inspiring to learn more.  Wish I could have spoken it better, but was delighted to be able to read it and understand it as well as I did.  How cool it will be when I can say I am bilingual or multi-lingual (I plan on learning Spanish after I learn French).  It is not only common among the Europeans to know several languages before graduation from high school, but expected.  Most Europeans can speak French, Spanish, Italian, and English, and communicating with others in their native tongue is just the coolest!

Lots to catch up on after being gone for 10 days and another trip (Greece) in just 2 short weeks, busy times, but good times!

Bon Jour

Julia's stomping ground...... here I come!!!!

Oh my goodness..... I can't believe it has been a week since I have had a chance to catch up on my blog.  WOW..... that week flew by with hectic busy-ness and now here it is time for us to leave for our France trip.  Joe and I are soooo excited, we have read travel guides, studied maps of France, and even the language itself.  We didn't have a single thing packed until last night, but managed to get it all done and in bed early too.  


I didn't sleep well last night, but then.... I never do before a big trip.  My body rests, but my mind just won't shut down... and that is with the help of sleeping aids too.  We have a very long flight (8 hours) so we have plenty of time to be well rested when we land.  And the weather in France for the next 10 days is supposed to be in the high 70's and sunny!  WOO HOO!!!!


I have an autobiography of Julia to read on the plane, which will only add to the excitement of landing in France.  I still have plenty of reading material about her when I get back from this trip too.  It's been hard to put Julia, cooking and my blog aside for the past week, but sometimes life really is that busy and the best you can do is just hang on for the ride!  


I am sure to have plenty of material for my blog when I return from this trip.  I will not have my laptop or my cell phone with me, so it will be another 10 days before I blog again.  We have several nice restaurants on the itinerary to write about, and we always find the most wonderful little pastry shops, coffee shops, cafe's, food markets and such to grab out breakfasts and lunches from and the food is soooo fresh and yummy.  And I certainly hope to be nibbling on a flaky croissant this time tomorrow!


Au Voir