Rosemary-Rubbed Duck Breast

This was DELICIOUS. The recipe is from Cooking Light magazine and can be found here. I used the frozen duck breast fillets from Bell & Evans and really liked them. They are super easy to use and thaw very quickly.

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This was DELICIOUS. The recipe is from Cooking Light magazine and can be found here.

I used the frozen duck breast fillets from Bell & Evans and really liked them. They are super easy to use and thaw very quickly.

My new favorite drink

Classic Dry Martini 1/4 cup gin (The better the gin, the better the martini. I like Tanqueray #10 or Bombay Sapphire.) 1 tsp. dry vermouth 2 good olives (I like big ones, stuffed with bleu cheese) Shake gin and vermouth with ice cubes in cocktail shaker. Strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with olives. … Continue reading “My new favorite drink”

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Classic Dry Martini

1/4 cup gin (The better the gin, the better the martini. I like Tanqueray #10 or Bombay Sapphire.)
1 tsp. dry vermouth
2 good olives (I like big ones, stuffed with bleu cheese)

Shake gin and vermouth with ice cubes in cocktail shaker. Strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with olives.

I was introduced to these by my buddy, Eileen. Having really good olives is key.
Yummy, but these pack quite a punch. You know the old saying:
Martinis are like boobs; one’s not enough and three is too many.

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Quite possibly the most OCD/Martha Stewart/over-achiever thing I’ve ever done……

I made these cookies to sell at the concessions stand at the school musical that Girl was in. The show (“Into the Woods”) features all of the fairy tale characters, so I made cookies to represent all of the characters: a Witch (green hat and dress), Little Red Riding Hood (the red “cape”), “Milky White” … Continue reading “Quite possibly the most OCD/Martha Stewart/over-achiever thing I’ve ever done……”

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I made these cookies to sell at the concessions stand at the school musical that Girl was in. The show (“Into the Woods”) features all of the fairy tale characters, so I made cookies to represent all of the characters: a Witch (green hat and dress), Little Red Riding Hood (the red “cape”), “Milky White” the Cow, several princes and princesses (the crown with candy jewels), Jack (of Beanstalk fame) and his magic beans, the Hen that Jack stole from the Giant, Cinderella (the white sparkly slipper), Rapunzel (the blue dress), and a Baker and his wife (the bakery). The musical notes and stars are all purpose. The black bowler hat was a costume worn by our narrators and the black spangled, fringe-edged T-shirt was worn by our “Movement Chorus”.

I used my standard sugar cookie recipe with Wilton Meringue Powder (recipe on the box) royal icing. Make the thick version of the icing and use it to pipe a “dam” around the perimeter of each cookie, then thin it with a little water and blend to incorporate, then use that to fill in the rest of the cookie. Decorate with any desired sugar or sprinkles before the icing dries. If you want to pipe over it in another color (like the word “bakery” in blue on the house-shaped cookie), then let the base coat of icing dry first before piping over it.

Sorry for my absence….

I’m so sorry that I haven’t posted in such a long time. Thanks to Staci and Trish for spurring me on to get going again. I have been cooking some, and have even been taking some photos, but just haven’t had the time to upload or type recipes. I’m going to play a little “catch-up” … Continue reading “Sorry for my absence….”

I’m so sorry that I haven’t posted in such a long time. Thanks to Staci and Trish for spurring me on to get going again. I have been cooking some, and have even been taking some photos, but just haven’t had the time to upload or type recipes. I’m going to play a little “catch-up” tonight – brace yourselves!

This is what has been keeping me busy:

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Trip to New York with my friend, J, and our daughters (her three, my one).

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Boy broke his arm riding his bike (on April 15th), pictured here with the “Bounce Back Soon” cookie bouquet that Hubby’s office sent.

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We are installing tile in our master bathroom (OURSELVES!!!). Do NOT try this at home! We’re almost done – we just need to grout.

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Girl played “Little Red Riding Hood” in her school’s production of “Into the Woods”.

Night-time Breakfast Tacos

I made these tacos for dinner tonight. Boy is out of town (in San Diego with his grandparents) and the remaining three of us (me, Hubby and Girl) are having a casual at-home night. These were a big hit and will definitely become a part of our weekend breakfast rotation. We had burgers (courtesy of … Continue reading “Night-time Breakfast Tacos”

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I made these tacos for dinner tonight. Boy is out of town (in San Diego with his grandparents) and the remaining three of us (me, Hubby and Girl) are having a casual at-home night. These were a big hit and will definitely become a part of our weekend breakfast rotation. We had burgers (courtesy of Hubby’s employer and Omaha Steaks) for dinner last night and had some leftover french fries that were perfect to mix into these.

Tacos

6 eggs, scrambled
1 link (about 1 ounce) small, dried chorizo sausage, diced
1/2 of a 15 oz can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
about 1 cup cooked potatoes, chopped into bite-sized pieces
(whatever leftovers you have on hand, or you can prepare the appropriate amount of frozen hash browns)
1/4 cup finely chopped onion (white, yellow or red)
1/4 cup chopped tomato
6 tortillas, slightly warmed (the homemade ones from here are REALLY good)

Cook the onion and chorizo together in a large saute pan until the onion is soft and the chorizo is releasing its oil. Add the eggs, beans and tomatoes and cook like scrambled eggs, until cooked through and fairly dry. Fold in potatoes and cheese. Spoon into tortillas – roll up and eat!

These are great with a little bit of fresh salsa or pico de gallo.