New Year...Fresh Start

I've been a very poor blogger the last couple years.  I want to correct that in 2016 and get back to at least a weekly update.  This should be easier to do because I've made the tough decision to end my short career as a real estate agent.  It just wasn't the fit that I hoped it might be.  I'm not sure what my next adventure will be, but I'm working on finding that next window of opportunity.

This year...I'm hoping to blog more about...

Cooking (these are treats from the holidays)

Gardening

 Crafting

 as well as a few of my adventures with my grandkids

More to come.  Happy 2016 everyone.

Roasted Winter Squash Soup

I made a pot of squash soup the other day and it turned out to be absolutely delicious.

I adapted this recipe from Ina's Winter Squash Soup recipe.  Just tweaked it a bit to fit my taste.

I decided to use a couple different kinds of winter squash as I had been given a buttercup squash. I already had a butternut squash from my garden.

I've never used a buttercup squash before, so this seemed like a great opportunity to give a whirl.  They look like this:

This isn't my photo.  I forgot to take a photo before I started.  Bad me.

Anyway…I took out my good knife. The one that cuts the butternut squashes with ease.  Barely a dent.

So then I tried the cleaver.  That made a cut, but I couldn't move it any further with my own strength.  So out came the hammer.

I know it should have been a wooden mallet, but I don't have one.  After extensive pounding, I got a couple good chunks off the sucker.  Sliced off the outer layer and managed to dice them up.  Holy cow.  I ended up with a bruised palm from holding the cleaver.  Ouch.

Now that I'm done complaining, let's get back to the recipe:

Ingredients:

Olive Oil
S&P
1-2 Butternut squash - peeled and diced into 1 inch chunks
1 other type of winter squash - peeled and diced into 1 inch chunks (optional)
1 15 ounce can of pumpkin puree
1 medium to large onion - diced
2 medium carrots - diced
2 celery stalks - diced
4 cups chicken brother
1 cup half and half
1 Tbl butter

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Place diced squash on cookie sheet.  drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Mix well with your hands.  Place squash in oven and roast until fork tender and lightly browned.  Stir halfway through cooking process.  Approximately 20-30 minutes.  May take longer if you do larger pieces.

Meanwhile, put 1 Tbl olive oil in your favorite soup pot.  Add onions, carrots and celery. Season with salt and pepper.   Sauté until onions are tender and translucent.  Add the roasted squash, chicken broth and pumpkin puree.  Bring to a light boil and then reduce heat to simmer and cover.  Cook until carrots are tender about 20 minutes.

Take pot off heat and using an immersion blender, puree the soup mixture until smooth.  (You can also use a blender, but be careful with the hot soup.  Take out the center piece of the blender top and cover with clean dish towel before you blend.  Blend the soup in batches.)

Add the half and half and pat of butter to finish the soup.  Taste and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Happy Eating!

The Ultimate Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup

Every now and again, when the Food Network magazine arrives, I find so much inspiration that I can't wait to start cooking.  The October Edition was a perfect example.

It just arrived yesterday and this evening I made Tyler Florence's Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese sandwich…page 127.

It was great and as I made a double batch, it was a great way to use up 4 pounds of tomatoes from the hoop houses.  And I have two full jars in the fridge.

The sandwich is grilled cheese with bacon and apple slices.  So yummy.  Highly recommend!

As BW brought home about 15 pounds of tomatoes…. I peeled, chopped and crushed the remaining 11 pounds and I now have 7 more bags of crushed tomatoes in my freezer.  

Very productive day.

Stuffed Green Peppers

There is the rumor going around the family, that I only make foods that I like.

I want to use this venue to provide proof to the contrary.

This is documentable proof, that I can and do make things that I don't like:

Green peppers (strongly dislike them) stuffed with beef, sausage and rice (strongly dislike rice).

(My mother strongly dislikes the word hate, which is what I first typed and then corrected myself.)

My sweetie ate them all gone!

Two Peas in a Pod

These two are my first peas pods of the season.

So happy.

Black Bean Soup

Made this soup last night and it got thumbs up all around as it was delicious. Best part was it was quick, easy and I had all the necessary ingredients.

Here's how I made it:

Ingredients

10 slices of bacon, diced
1 medium onion, diced
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 can (28 oz) tomatoes, crushed (or diced if you like chunky tomatoes)
3 cans (15 oz size) black beans, rinsed
1 TBL chili powder (or a little less if you have someone sensitive to heat)
2 TBL ketchup
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Garnish with lime juice, cilantro or parsley, diced green onion and sour cream if you like.

Cook the bacon in a large heavy pot.  Cook over medium heat until the start browning.  Stir in onion and cook until translucent (5 minutes or so).  Add garlic and cook for about 30 seconds to 1 minute.  Just until you start to smell it.  Season with S&P.

Add the broth, tomatoes, ketchup, Worcestershire and chili powder.  Give a good stir.  Add the beans.  Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes.  Done.

We had this with a salad with fresh lettuce and greens from my garden.  Great dinner.

What's in Your Camera??

I finally got around to transferring my latest batch of photos out of my camera.  Here's a little of what's been going on around the old farm.

I am completely obsessed with eggs at the moment.  Poached eggs in particular.  When in doubt…this is what's for dinner and I couldn't be happier.  (How happy am I that the I was able to capture the steam rising off the eggs.  Marvelous.)

We took care of Luke and Logan for a few days, so there were lots of these photos:

Luke is such a sweetie and he had a little cold too.

Logan sitting still.  A small miracle.

Logan found a new game.  Turn water on…turn water off.  Over and over and over.

Note Joey's location.  This is his favorite spot during lunch time.  He always knows to sit by the youngest member.  He gets a lot of snacks that way.

And here is another food adventure.  Barbecue chicken salad.  Yummy.

And finally, a moment with Gigi and Luke.  He is explaining "Pokeman" to Great Grandma.  She has no idea what he's talking about, but you'd never know that by her attention level.

Note to self…turn up the heat.  Mom looks like she's freezing.

Firehouse Rules

My favorite sandwich place has officially been replaced.  Firehouse Subs have taken over that corner of my heart that loves a hot sandwich.

It used to be Potbelly's, but they just don't measure up to Firehouse.  Since there is one is Rochester, I have now officially become a regular.  Even talking about it make me hungry and I just finished dinner.

I'm not exactly sure how many franchises exist…but if you get a chance give it a try.  Yum!

Salmon BLT

The July/August edition of Food Network Magazine came in over the week-end and it is full of yummy things.

I made the Grilled Salmon BLT Club for dinner on Monday night.  Although I just made it in a sandwich...I didn't feel the need to add an extra piece of bread to make it a club.

It was just delicious and very easy to make.

Here's how my version looked right before I bit into it.  It was messy to eat but well worth it.  Salmon, bacon, avacodo, lettuce, tomato, grilled red onions and a dill parsley mayo.

You can find the recipe here.  Great summer dinner.

Homage to Salted Caramel

So...have you hooked into the salted caramel trend??

I have.  Up to my ears and loving it.

I had my first taste of Salted Caramel in ice cream when we went to the Western and Southern Open Tennis Tournament down in Cinci this summer.  I cannot remember the brand, but it was divine.

Just the other week, my sister brought over 5 pints of Telneti gelato.  Two of them were salted caramel. I fell in love all over again.   She brought the extra pint of salted caramel for me to eat all by myself.  Which I unfortunately did, although I did stretch it out over 4 nights. So yummy.

I then found that Nonni's brand Biscotti had a new "Salted Caramel" flavor.  I picked up a box and kind of forget about them for a week or so.  I remembered them two nights ago and oh my goodness.  Fabulous and only 100 calories.  So it is a great little treat to help satisfy my evening sweet tooth.

Would love to hear your thoughts on salted caramel.  Have you tired it?  Love it or hate it?

Let me know.

Calabrisella Ristorante

We just went over to Windsor on Saturday for the So You Think You Can Dance show at Caesar's, Windsor.  Krissy in her infinitive wisdom chose Calabrisella Ristorante for our dinner.  Brilliant choice.

Calabrisella is located in the "Little Italy" area of Windsor, just a short easy drive from Caesar's.  Walking in was like a step back in time.  The restaurant is feels like that little neighborhood Italian place in New York or Chicago.  And when Toni greets you at the door, you feel like you are actually part of the neighborhood.

There were four of us for dinner (Krissy, Caity and Tonya...who could easily be part of the family) and we all were interested in sharing our dinners.  After hearing the table next to us ask Toni to order their dinners, some of which was spoken in Italian, we opted for the same pleasure.

We started with a delightful antipasto of salami, marinated artichokes, roasted eggplant and cheese.  The main entrees were two chicken dishes and two sea bass.  They were all spectacular.  I can't remember all the names, but two were with red sauces, one white sauce with a bit truffle oil and one with with light oil sauce.  She also recommended a wonderful Malbec wine to go with it.  We ended dinner with a couple expressos and a cappuccino.  We were having such a wonderful time that we almost didn't care about getting to the show.

But we did, although a few minutes late.  The show was great and we all had a great time.

As we were heading to the tunnel back to the US, I checked in my purse for my passport.  It's not there.  Krissy pulled over and we start searching the car and my purse.  I am panicking.  Cold sweat...the whole deal.  Finally, someone says...let's call the restaurant.  Tonya quickly calls them (thank you Toni for giving us all your card) and believe it or not, they had it.  It must have fallen out when we were paying for dinner.  We rushed back to the restaurant where they were waiting with my passport.  Whew!  Hugs all around to Toni and the folks at Calabrisella Ristorante.

I can't wait to go again, but I think I need to get that enhanced license so I have back up.

For those Detroit area readers looking for a special and delicious night out, think about crossing the river and heading to Windsor and Calabrisella.  You won't regret it.  (Check out Trip Advisor for more reviews.)

(Photo from Trip Advisor.  Hope the originator doesn't mind me using it.)

My Salad Trick

I've been making a lot of quick and easy salads lately.  I start by buying one of those containers of Spring Mix greens.  I wash and dry it in my salad spinner.  I then just grab a handful or two and toss it with a homemade lemon vinaigrette.                                         

For the little group that frequently read my blog, you might remember I HATE anything to do with vinegar.  But did you know that a vinaigrette doesn't have to have vinegar in it.  (Thanks Ina...you're the best)  

A vinaigrette is a dressing made with an oil and an acid.  The acid is frequently vinegar, but it can also be lemon.  Yeah lemon.  (So most of you probably already know this, but it was a revelation to me.)

Here's the recipe I've been using.  Super light and refreshing.

Lemon Vinaigrette
3 TBL Olive Oil
1 tsp Lemon Zest
1/4 cup Lemon Juice
1 TBL dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients.  (Whisk together or if you got a brand new immersion blender for Christmas...you can use that.)

I put the reminder of the greens in a tupperware container and just grab a handful to go with the next dinner.  Feel free to add some shaved parmesan or feta.  I've done both with great results.

Something Cool

If you've been visiting my little blog for awhile, you might remember a post about Krissy, Austin and my trip to Oregon.  It had a awful ending, one that we will never forget...but the beginning was amazing.  Including eating at a wonderful restaurant called Farm to Fork, located in the beautiful Inn at Red Hills.  So we were so excited when we received this in an email:

It seems the November issue of Travel and Leisure found our little restaurant and proceeded to give it great reviews.  I'm so happy to finally read one of these restaurant reviews where I can say "I've been there".  Yeah!

I still haven't gotten over their Croque Madame.  In fact, I spent a considerable amount of  time this week googling for  Croque Madame recipes.  The kicker is I want one with a Béchamel sauce cause that's how they make it a Farm to Fork.  I have a couple I need to try.  If I find success. I promise to share.

Girls Gone Up North

I've been a little absent from the blogging world lately.  All because I've been very busy.  Busy doing what you may ask....

Where to start this story.  Several months back, I had this idea that I wanted to gather up all my favorite girls and go somewhere.   OK...some of us haven't been girls for a long time, but I'm not letting a little thing like that stand in my way.

I find great joy and comfort in the company of my girlfriends and the thought of sharing a long week-end indulging in food, wine and laughter seemed just what I wanted and needed.

I quickly pulled together a list of all my favorite ladies and emailed them to see who might be interested.  Fortunately, I got a very positive response.

The next big decision was where to go.  But when you live in Michigan, that isn't really a hard decision....the best place to go is always "Up North".

So I searched the internet and found this beautiful log home on Lake Michigan in the Leelanau Peninsula.

House from Lake Michigan side

Our view from the deck and from the living room

Living Room from the loft

Kitchen from the loft

Dining Room from the loft.

Front entrance

View from the front porch

Even though the color was not at it's peak, there were still areas of bright glorious color.

After unloading the cars...we got down to business.  Cooking dinner!

This is me getting ready to start on the Salmon (oh and I'm talking...it's actually hard to get a picture of me NOT talking and with my eyes open).  

It was a beautiful piece of Salmon.  Better yet, let me show you.

I cedar planked it with a Maple Ginger Glaze.  Quite yummy.

The next morning we had a delicious frittata with warm apple bread made by Kathy.

We then headed out for a day of wine tasting.  For those not familiar with the Western part of Northern Michigan, it has a climate well suited for growing grapes and there are probably some 30 wineries in the area.

Here we are at 45 North: 

Mary and Rebecca

Myra and Sue

Caitlin and Marlene

Kathy and Me

And this little guy came too. (He will be so happy his Muma put him in this hat one day)

We visited Circa Winery next (forgot to take pictures) and then we had lunch at The Knot where we also were able to catch the end of the Michigan State / Northwestern game.  There may have even been some singing of the MSU Fight Song.  I'll never tell.

Sunday morning after we ate a delicious breakfast of sausage strata made by Caitlin (again forgot to take pictures), many of us headed off for a 3 mile hike at the Leelanau State Park.  I can't even begin to explain the beauty we saw on this hike.  My camera does a much better job.

We ended up at Cathead Bay where we hike across some small dunes to Lake Michigan.

We had the added benefit that both Mary and Rebecca are horticulturists or "co-horts" as they liked to be called.  They provided some color commentary as we walked along...although they didn't always agree.

The hike was an unexpected treat for all of us.

Sunday evening was spent eating (yet again) this wonderful Chicken Broccoli Bake that Sue and Myra made.

Cait and I were then able to introduce the group to two of our favorite games, Wits and Wagers (once Kathy got the hang of the wagering, we were all done in) and Pit.  Nothing like a rousing game of Pit to enliven the troops.

It was a fabulous week-end and I need to thank each and every member of our group.

Thanks Marlene for making Mary laugh harder then I have ever seen her laugh and for the yummy Ice Cream Sundaes

Thanks Rebecca for the incredible back rubs.

Thanks Mary for helping us weave our way around the back roads and leading some of the group to Leland for scarf shopping.

Thanks to Myra for just being an all around great help. I'd vacation with you anytime. 

Thanks to Sue for turning Luke into giggle man and for all the cookies

Thanks to Caitlin for being my right hand and for showing us the "running man"

Thanks to Kathy for my first yoga class and for making me laugh so many times

And finally...thanks to Luke for just being the sweetest little guy in the whole world.  

Do you think he knows it?

And this is for you Cait...

Yes...this was hanging from the beams.