Cook. Craft. Enjoy.

A Little Different

How many cooking magazines do you subscribe to?  I think my list is down to about 4 but still one of my favorites is Eating Well.  It's not the biggest cooking magazine out there, and unfortunately it's not published monthly, but usually the recipes are pretty down to earth and look delicious.

A few weeks ago I felt like something a little different and chose their Middle Eastern Chickpea Platter. 

A salad made of eggplant, garlic and chickpeas in a tahini based dressing, add some Kalamata olives, feta cheese, tomatoes and pita bread and you've got a light, healthy delicious meal for summer.

The big question is how did everyone like it ... Travis, my brother and I really liked it.  Don I don't think was crazy about it and Adrienne and Liam didn't even give it a shot (good thing they like pasta with parmesan cheese!).  I'm not sure I'd make it again anytime soon (mainly because I hate having to make multiple meals) but it's something to keep in mind when you're looking for something light, fresh and tangy.

Lisa commented about yesterday's post and asked what I served the dip with -- they're Plantain chips from Trader Joe's (what was recommended).  And by the way, I tried the leftovers yesterday and they just weren't good straight from the refrigerator.  I think the tang of the cotija mixed with the slightly metallic taste of cilantro clashed.  So if you are going to make that dip, I don't think I'd save the leftovers.

Spread or Dip?

My mom went home last night and it was sad to see her go -- we had a wonderful time while she was here (even if we didn't do much) and G-d willing she'll be back again in November to spend another couple of weeks with us.

For her "going away" dinner, we invited my brother over as well and started with an interesting appetizer I found on Rachael Ray's Everyday Food website - Chipotle Artichoke DIp.

It was an interesting combination of cilantro, garlic, chipotle, artichokes and cheese -- I couldn't decide if I really liked it or it was just so-so.  My mom thought it could use some creamy base -- like maybe sour cream and my brother suggested a fresh jalapeno (or habanero) or two.  Me?  I think it would taste good on some toast points broiled to melt the cheese.

In any case, I don't think I'll be making it again -- or maybe switching it up and making this a warm dip instead of a cold one.  All I know is it's good to be back to blogging again.  :-)

No, I Haven't Quit

I've had a couple of people ask me if I've given up on my blog and the answer is a definite "no".  I think I needed a little break when I wasn't feeling well -- and now my mom has been here for the past 2 weeks (with one more week to go) and we've just been enjoying her while she's here.  What else have we been doing?

Well, for the last 6 or 7 weeks we've had our backyard in a disaster but to a good end ...

Yep, we had a pool built.  The backyard landscaping is almost done -- and should be finished by Monday.  Hopefully I'll get some more photos so I can show it off. 

Grandma's had an exciting week too ... she went and had an item checked off her "bucket list" and got a tattoo ...

It's on the outside of her leg slightly above her ankle.  For those who don't know, the teal cancer ribbon symbolizes the fight against ovarian cancer.  My mom was diagnosed with stage IV over a year ago and has fought against it with some great medical care and the "nothing will beat me" spirit she's always had.  I admire her strength and determination and am glad she can wear this badge of honor -- for she truly is a survivor.

My final "share" for this post is the newest member of our household ... Elsa.

My mom and Adrienne went to the shelter yesterday and brought Elsa home -- she's a 5 year old sweetie (though much to my dismay not housebroken!) and it will be fun to have her in the house.

As for my plans for the blog?  Once my mom goes home next Tuesday I should be able to start my postings regularly again.  I want to thank everyone who has stuck with me on my absence (and those that have emailed me wondering what was up!) -- and hopefully I'll be bringing you some yummy food and fun crafty projects soon. :-)

On a Short Break ...

Just a quick note to let you know I probably won't be posting much in the next week or so.  I haven't been feeling great so my energy level is close to nil.  Hope everyone is having a wonderful summer and talk at you soon! :-)

Away

Happy Independence Day!  For those of you that are celebrating today, anything fun going on?

Wednesday I took the kids down to California and we're here until Monday.  Yesterday we went to Disneyland (one of my favorite places!) and today we're just going to hang out and have a bbq with our good friends.

Yesterday's Disney day was HOT! HOT! and I feel like we melted a bit during the day.  One of the neatest things, though, is we got to ride on the new Toy Story Ride.

The idea of the ride is you wear 3-D glasses and get to play carnival games for a score.  The "car" you sit in has a small "gun" type device mounted in front of you and you pull a string back and forth to fire off whatever it is you're shooting.  It could be as different as pies, darts, balls or rings and your job is to hit the targets for the most points.  We had a great time -- and had it not been so hot we probably would have waited in line again for it.  (The wait wasn't bad .. maybe 30 minutes.)  If you get a chance to get over to DCA, I'd recommend checking it out.

Let's Not Repeat These Meatballs

If you've been reading my blog for any length of time you know I love to try new recipes.  Sometimes they're weird, sometimes they're normal, but I enjoy having something different for dinner all the time.  This past weekend I opted for a recipe on the Food Network that was showcased on Emeril Live - Sausage Meatballs with Red Gravy.  Apparently this recipe is one a New Orleans firefighter feeds to the crew of his firehouse.  The recipe states it serves 4 (plus enough) but it really serves more like 12.  We had 6 people eat and more than half was left.

The one good thing I have to say about it is that Travis made it (mostly) by himself -- and did a great job keeping things in order while he did it.  The not so good thing?  They tasted weird and not in a good way.  The recipe (link above -- I'm not going to post it) uses ground beef, mild Italian sausage and hot Italian sausage mixed together.  While I can see the novelty of doing such a thing, the execution just didn't work for me.  (Though in all fairness we froze the leftovers so Don can have them this coming week as leftovers.)

Guess we'll stick to either meatballs or sausage and not a hybrid of the two.