Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Friday, January 3, 2025
Albert's Birthday
January 3, 2025
A couple of weeks ago, Lisa, Bree, and Danielle and I went to a friend's house to make tamales. I'm not sure how we came into the tradition of having tamales every Christmas, except that opportunities for purchasing homemade Mexican tamales are plentiful at Christmas time, particularly in the Central Valley. Because of my fondness for them and easy access, my kids always grew up knowing that we'd have tamales at Christmastime--it's one of our traditions. When I happened to mention it at Thanksgiving to a friend, she offered to have us all over for a tamale-making day. I've always heard that it was a long day, tamale-making, and it was! However, with many hands and a few steamers, we were able to make about 18 dozen chicken, pork, and vegetarian tamales among all of us. (We talked, of course, and had the requisite singable songs going, which made the process much more fun.) I can confidently say that they turned out pretty well! Rafe suggested that we take some to his dad when we celebrated his birthday, which is today. Although I admit to a little trepidation about taking my homemade tamales to someone who grew up in a traditional Mexican household and whose mom used to make him tamales, we decided we'd go to Tulare for dinner and treat him. Rafe made beans and Albert made rice, and I must say we sat down to a very tasty meal together! Both of his parents thanked us and gave us the stamp of approval for the tamales, which made me feel good. I love visiting Albert and Cyndi because they are always so welcoming to me, so it really was a great birthday visit. :)
Friday, February 25, 2022
Chef Throwdown at Chukchansi Park
February 25, 2022
On Friday night, Rafe and I went to a local chef's throwdown at Chukchansi Park. It was an event to raise funds for CASA. Rafe had heard something about it on the radio, and thought it sounded like something fun and different to do for a date night. It was a beautiful night at the ballpark. There were six chefs from local restaurants who each provided a taste of a signature dish. There were bison sliders, curried shrimp, and crispy pork belly dishes, just to name a few. Local breweries also served at the event, and there was live music. Best of all was the company. We had a wonderful evening! (Oh--and he brought me flowers-I love flowers!)
Monday, January 22, 2018
New Recipe
January 22, 2018
I tried out a new recipe this weekend that I really loved. Actually, I usually cook by looking at several recipes and then creating an amalgamation of them, which is what I did here. It's simple, really, and delicious. I'm not going to post a picture, though, because the picture simply doesn't do it justice (and truth be told, might turn someone away from trying it). It's not especially pretty, but it's good nonetheless. All you do is take a wheel of Brie cheese, spread fig jam over the top, and then top that with some cooked bacon and toasted pine nuts. Bake it until melty, and then serve with crostini bread. Super easy, super tasty appetizer!
I tried out a new recipe this weekend that I really loved. Actually, I usually cook by looking at several recipes and then creating an amalgamation of them, which is what I did here. It's simple, really, and delicious. I'm not going to post a picture, though, because the picture simply doesn't do it justice (and truth be told, might turn someone away from trying it). It's not especially pretty, but it's good nonetheless. All you do is take a wheel of Brie cheese, spread fig jam over the top, and then top that with some cooked bacon and toasted pine nuts. Bake it until melty, and then serve with crostini bread. Super easy, super tasty appetizer!
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Turkey Sausage, Mushroom, and Spinach Quesadilla
June 26, 2012
Great for any meal! Tasty and quick. I love how many things I can sneak spinach into.
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Summer Lunch
June 21, 2012
It's too hot to cook, but the kids just keep on getting hungry right around lunchtime anyway. Here's my happy alternative to cooking for today: Veggie and cheese kabobs: mozzarella cheese, cherry tomatoes, basil leaves, artichokes, and black olives, all drizzled with balsamic vinegarette. Yum! Danielle thought it was delicious. Nicholas liked it quite a bit, too, but would like to see me add some kind of a protein next time--salami or ham, perhaps. A fair request. I think we'll have this one again a few times this summer.
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
A Pinterest Kind of Summer
June 19, 2012
Every summer when I'm on break from school, I vow to shake things up a bit by trying new craft projects and new recipes. Often, though, good intentions fall by the wayside, victim of inertia and routine. This summer, however, I have Pinterest to spark my motivation. It's not that there's necessarily ground-breaking stuff on there; as a matter of fact, probably a lot of what's on there is common fare for most people. I go to the boards and think, "Hey-I could make that! It doesn't look hard at all!" And so, I have resolved once again to change things up in the kitchen and in the home--try out some new things which, perhaps, can move into the regular rotation once the school year kicks into gear again.
Here's today's lunch, courtesy of Pinterest. It was delicious, by the way!
Every summer when I'm on break from school, I vow to shake things up a bit by trying new craft projects and new recipes. Often, though, good intentions fall by the wayside, victim of inertia and routine. This summer, however, I have Pinterest to spark my motivation. It's not that there's necessarily ground-breaking stuff on there; as a matter of fact, probably a lot of what's on there is common fare for most people. I go to the boards and think, "Hey-I could make that! It doesn't look hard at all!" And so, I have resolved once again to change things up in the kitchen and in the home--try out some new things which, perhaps, can move into the regular rotation once the school year kicks into gear again.
Here's today's lunch, courtesy of Pinterest. It was delicious, by the way!
Grilled Caprese Sandwich
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Still Not Edible
March 21, 2012
Whenever I travel out of town, especially on my own, I try to step out of my comfort zone a little. At dinner, I often try to order a dish I wouldn't normally order, and I've had some pretty tasty dishes this way. At tonight's dinner, Seafood Pasta was on the specials menu. It had several ingredients I really like: artichoke hearts, spinach, angel hair pasta, tomatoes, shrimp, and a white wine sauce. Sounds pretty good, right? This dish also came with pieces of salmon as a highlight of the dish. Now, salmon and I aren't particularly good friends; I am not a fan of the fishy-fish unless they're swimming around in a tank. (Okay, let's be honest; even then, I'm not a fan. At best, I'm a distance acquaintance. You know--you run into them every once in awhile, nod and smile vaguely, and move on. Yeah. That's fish and me. That's the kind of relationship we have. But I digress....) So. The special of the day. I figured, "Hey, how bad can it be? I probably won't even notice all the salmon with all that other good stuff going on in the dish, right?" Not so much. It turns out, no matter how many wonderful flavors are going on in a dish, if you add chunks of salmon, you're really still just adding what amounts to high-end cat food to the plate. It's just not appetizing, even a little bit. The good news? The rest of the meal was delicious, and the serving size was so big that I could pick out the kitty kibble and still have a sizable, filling, and tasty meal.
Whenever I travel out of town, especially on my own, I try to step out of my comfort zone a little. At dinner, I often try to order a dish I wouldn't normally order, and I've had some pretty tasty dishes this way. At tonight's dinner, Seafood Pasta was on the specials menu. It had several ingredients I really like: artichoke hearts, spinach, angel hair pasta, tomatoes, shrimp, and a white wine sauce. Sounds pretty good, right? This dish also came with pieces of salmon as a highlight of the dish. Now, salmon and I aren't particularly good friends; I am not a fan of the fishy-fish unless they're swimming around in a tank. (Okay, let's be honest; even then, I'm not a fan. At best, I'm a distance acquaintance. You know--you run into them every once in awhile, nod and smile vaguely, and move on. Yeah. That's fish and me. That's the kind of relationship we have. But I digress....) So. The special of the day. I figured, "Hey, how bad can it be? I probably won't even notice all the salmon with all that other good stuff going on in the dish, right?" Not so much. It turns out, no matter how many wonderful flavors are going on in a dish, if you add chunks of salmon, you're really still just adding what amounts to high-end cat food to the plate. It's just not appetizing, even a little bit. The good news? The rest of the meal was delicious, and the serving size was so big that I could pick out the kitty kibble and still have a sizable, filling, and tasty meal.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
One of My Favorite Times of the Year
January 29, 2012
Recently I found this picture on the internet:
I'm pretty much right there. I love the time of year when Thin Mints make their arrival back on the scene. Sure, there are other cookies, but Thin Mints are the gold standard. I'm a little addicted, but I don't like people to know exactly how addicted. People judge--I know they do. They say, "Sure, I love Thin Mints as much as the next guy." But take a look at their faces when you tell them that you've ordered sixteen boxes from the neighborhood Girl Scout. Oh yes, they judge. So I buy only four boxes from the neighborhood Girl Scout. And two boxes each from my nieces--you've gotta be supportive, you know. (Thank you, Lisa, for putting all three girls in Girl Scouts. You probably didn't do it just to be an enabler, but it worked out like that, anyway.) And then, for good measure, I go to two or three different grocery stores, just as if I'm going into the stores to buy fresh produce or some other healthy food. I make my purchases, then I wander out the door nonchalantly, as if I didn't notice the Girl Scouts exercising their entrepreneurial skills outside the store. How could I say no to girls who look so earnest and hopeful in their endeavor? Certainly I'll buy a couple of boxes. At each location.
All of that is the easy part in hiding just how many Thin Mints I need to purchase each year. The hard part is finding hiding spots in my house, so that my kids (and the hubby, for that matter), don't dip into my private stash. Did I mention I also buy Oreos for the family, just to throw them all off the scent of Thin Mints? Seriously--stop judging.
Recently I found this picture on the internet:
I'm pretty much right there. I love the time of year when Thin Mints make their arrival back on the scene. Sure, there are other cookies, but Thin Mints are the gold standard. I'm a little addicted, but I don't like people to know exactly how addicted. People judge--I know they do. They say, "Sure, I love Thin Mints as much as the next guy." But take a look at their faces when you tell them that you've ordered sixteen boxes from the neighborhood Girl Scout. Oh yes, they judge. So I buy only four boxes from the neighborhood Girl Scout. And two boxes each from my nieces--you've gotta be supportive, you know. (Thank you, Lisa, for putting all three girls in Girl Scouts. You probably didn't do it just to be an enabler, but it worked out like that, anyway.) And then, for good measure, I go to two or three different grocery stores, just as if I'm going into the stores to buy fresh produce or some other healthy food. I make my purchases, then I wander out the door nonchalantly, as if I didn't notice the Girl Scouts exercising their entrepreneurial skills outside the store. How could I say no to girls who look so earnest and hopeful in their endeavor? Certainly I'll buy a couple of boxes. At each location.
All of that is the easy part in hiding just how many Thin Mints I need to purchase each year. The hard part is finding hiding spots in my house, so that my kids (and the hubby, for that matter), don't dip into my private stash. Did I mention I also buy Oreos for the family, just to throw them all off the scent of Thin Mints? Seriously--stop judging.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Literary Food Festival
November 24, 2009
Every once in awhile, my students ask to have a little party in class--you know, to break the monotony, take a break from the stress of all the work. Mostly though (I'm not fooled even a little bit), it's because they try anything to exercise Advanced Senioritis. (My freshmen ask for parties, too. Senioritis starts quite early with some of these children.) Anyway, I have a hard time justifying having a random party, but honestly sometimes I'd like a little break too, especially with my A.P. students. Instead of a party, we have what I call a Literary Food Festival.
At the Literary Food Festival, students can bring in any food to share with the class, but they have to tie it in some way to a piece of literature. They each have to do a mini-presentation on what they brought, and why. See? We're learning about literary allusions and symbols, but deliciously. I tell them the allusion can be to any book, from children's books to pop fiction to classics. In a less creative year, we'll get lots of plates of cookies, alluding to If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. Tasty, but not so much thinking outside the box. This year, I was quite impressed with some of the offerings:
Breakfast at Tiffany's--(Breakfast=Pancakes. Tiffany's=Turquoise Packaging. Turquoise Pancakes!)
Harry Potter Cupcakes
Harry Potter--Golden Snitch Cupcakes
Alice in Wonderland--The cookies she ate that made her shrink
Lord of the Flies (A bit of a stretch, but great effort. Had the boys been left to their own devices--had they NOT been rescued, goes the explanation, they might have resorted to cannibalism. Check out the cookies: hand-shaped, foot-shaped, tongue-shaped, kidney-shaped, intestine-shaped, etc.)
And finally, the winner for both the most creative AND grossest has no corresponding picture but is worth including by explanation. We had just finished reading Oedipus Rex, so we were served two small scoops of vanilla ice cream. On each scoop was one chocolate-covered raisin, representing Oedipus' eyes. And over the top? Ooey-gooey strawberry syrup. Get it? Oedipus' eyes after he plucked them out with his wife's brooch!
Every once in awhile, my students ask to have a little party in class--you know, to break the monotony, take a break from the stress of all the work. Mostly though (I'm not fooled even a little bit), it's because they try anything to exercise Advanced Senioritis. (My freshmen ask for parties, too. Senioritis starts quite early with some of these children.) Anyway, I have a hard time justifying having a random party, but honestly sometimes I'd like a little break too, especially with my A.P. students. Instead of a party, we have what I call a Literary Food Festival.
At the Literary Food Festival, students can bring in any food to share with the class, but they have to tie it in some way to a piece of literature. They each have to do a mini-presentation on what they brought, and why. See? We're learning about literary allusions and symbols, but deliciously. I tell them the allusion can be to any book, from children's books to pop fiction to classics. In a less creative year, we'll get lots of plates of cookies, alluding to If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. Tasty, but not so much thinking outside the box. This year, I was quite impressed with some of the offerings:
Breakfast at Tiffany's--(Breakfast=Pancakes. Tiffany's=Turquoise Packaging. Turquoise Pancakes!)
Harry Potter Cupcakes
Harry Potter--Golden Snitch Cupcakes
Alice in Wonderland--The cookies she ate that made her shrink
Lord of the Flies (A bit of a stretch, but great effort. Had the boys been left to their own devices--had they NOT been rescued, goes the explanation, they might have resorted to cannibalism. Check out the cookies: hand-shaped, foot-shaped, tongue-shaped, kidney-shaped, intestine-shaped, etc.)
And finally, the winner for both the most creative AND grossest has no corresponding picture but is worth including by explanation. We had just finished reading Oedipus Rex, so we were served two small scoops of vanilla ice cream. On each scoop was one chocolate-covered raisin, representing Oedipus' eyes. And over the top? Ooey-gooey strawberry syrup. Get it? Oedipus' eyes after he plucked them out with his wife's brooch!
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