The first being a great new idea of making baquettes on the grill, and the second being a cute little proposal story invovling some of my favorite cookies from Levain.
Enjoy mon amis!
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Bread and love, things are as they should be!
For those of you who aren't my facebook friends I recently posted these two things on my wall.
The first being a great new idea of making baquettes on the grill, and the second being a cute little proposal story invovling some of my favorite cookies from Levain.
Enjoy mon amis!
The first being a great new idea of making baquettes on the grill, and the second being a cute little proposal story invovling some of my favorite cookies from Levain.
Enjoy mon amis!
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Mascarpone Cinnamon Ice Cream and a Birthday for me!!!
Oh, did I mention it was my birthday? It was, and good things happened.
I didn't have to do chores all day long.
I got to work out with my sisters...and for a very short period of time : )
I ate good food
I watched the last Harry Potter...is was cheesy and sad, and people in the theater cried...so I laughed.
I had a BBQ with lots of family around
We played charades and bananagrams, and I dominated
Even though none of my ducks are in a row...heck I don't even see any of the darn ducks...somehow by the grace of God alone I had a wonderful day!
I have had many dreams about making and eating mascarpone ice cream, and finally my dream came true. It was as wonderful as I always hoped it would be! As I type this I am in my pajamas eating mascarpone ice cream for breakfast...wish I could share!
Mascarpone Cinnamon Ice Cream
Please read over the whole recipe before embarking upon this journey...you need to know where you are headed in order to get there : )
In heavy bottomed saucepan heat the following over medium heat, do not boil, and stir every once and a while:
2 cups whole milk
2 TBS granulated sugar
After the milk is heated...in a separate bowl whisk together the following really really fast...do not stop whisking...if you do the sugar and yolks with clump and you will get bumpy ice cream...whisk 3 minutes
4 egg yolks
3/4 cup granulated sugar
Once yolks and sugar are whipped slowly add about a 1/2 cup of the warmed milk...whisk whisk whisk so you don't get scrambled eggs. Once combined, add another 1/2 cup of the milk to the egg/sugar mixture, whisk whisk whisk. Once combined pour the contents of the bowl into the remaining warm milk in the saucepan and whisk whisk whisk. Continue to cook over medium heat and whisk until mixture is thickened. You will know it is ready when you dip a spoon into it coat the back, run your finger down the back of the spoon drawing a line...shake the spoon slightly...if the line stays your mixture is ready! Remove from heat and stir every once in a while.
In a separate bowl whip the following for about 30 seconds:
1 cup room temperature mascarpone cheese
1/8 vanilla bean paste or 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp cinnamon
Once whipped slowly pour in your milk/egg/sugar heated mixture and whip until smooth...be careful this might splatter, whisk slowly. Once smooth pour into container and chill for a few hours. Once chilled process in your ice cream maker.
Me on my birthday with my puppy Flopsy and her new best friend, Diesel man...my sister's dog
Among my gifts one of the stand out ones was a Jimmy Fallon collection of his classic "Thank you notes"...so thus I now bring to you a thank you...
"Thank you...the word prescient. I'm not exactly sure what you mean, but I try to slip you into conversation when I don't think the person I'm talking to knows what you mean, either. I knew they didn't know what I was talking about-it was the perfect example of being prescient. By the way, I got you a birthday prescient."
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Eating my way along the coast...one calorie overload at a time : )
During my vacation we ate at so many fabulous places, just ask my belly it will confirm this fact. Speaking of my belly I made up a song one night while I was lying in bed trying to remember all the food I ate that day.
After being on vacation for 15 days my belly has turned to jelly,
My arms have turned to mush,
And 10 extra pounds have been added to my tush.
The end.
Hello gym my old friend, please be kind.
Let's start at the beginning which is always a good place to start...
Florida
Canopy Road Cafe
Tallahassee, FL
We were looking for a breakfast place on our way to HHI and came across this place on accident. It had a long line, and the menu looked good, so we waited. We were able to sit outside in the nice weather with our puppy alongside us. The food was nice and fresh tasting, and the service was great. Next time we pass through, we will go back.
Hilton Head Island, SC
The French Bakery
This little gem was hidden away in a shopping center. We ate here twice during our stay, and would have eaten here everyday if possible! Our favorite was their ever popular Almond Croissant. It was perfect! Not too greasy, not too dry...perfect almond filling, and nice toasted almonds on top. The first time I went in I bought 1, the second time I went in I bought 6...get the picture? The second time we went in we got their chicken salad that is made with apricot cranberry bread...talk about a-mazing! Going here is officially going to be part of our yearly trip to the Island.
The Market Street Cafe
We grabbed a quick lunch here one day and were pleasantly surprised. This place is located in the busy shopping plaza, Coligny Plaza. We shared a Gyro wrap, and it was perfectly seasoned and perfectly priced.
Delisheee-Yo
We have always said there should be a good smoothie place on the Island, and finally there is! This place is located slightly away from the busy hustle and bustle of the major tourist traffic in the Village Exchange shopping center. They sell frozen yogurt made from Greek Yogurt! It is nice, light, and slightly tangy. They have one base flavor and you can pick from a plethora of toppings. They also have wonderful smoothie options that can include ground up oats, acai, and many other healthy additions. Our all around favorite was the peach smoothie made with local peaches, frozen Greek yogurt, and mango nectar, cinnamon...and maybe some honey. We also enjoyed their vegetarian wraps, and their Fatoosh Salad...all delicious, fresh, and healthy!!! Thank you Chef C for setting up shop on the island! We discovered this place late in our trip and went there 3 times in 4 days...yes, you have our stamp of approval!
Savannah, GA
Harris Baking Company
We stumbled upon this place as we were trying to find a recommended coffee shop in the area, Gallery Espresso...which turned out to be an over crowded average coffee shop. We had just finished breakfast at J Christophers, which panned out to be not so great after all...just your basic diner breakfast...maybe not that bad, but I wouldn't go back...the service was great, but the food was lacking...sorry guys : ) Anyways, we were full from breakfast, but have never been known to pass a bakery and not go in. This bakery was bright and cheery, full of light and wonderful smells, and a giant real life Husky dog lay at the entrance door as if it was the guardian of its precious contents. We entered and as soon as we saw our options we were severely sad that our bellies were already full from breakfast. We picked out a nice variety of pastries and lugged them home for our second breakfast at noon. The staff was extremely nice, and chatted with us for a while. Next time I am in the area I plan on stopping in before breakfast this time! There were mixed feelings about the pastries we brought home. The blueberry Financiers were delightfully scrumptious. The Palmiers were nice and crisp with just the right amount of sugar. My Mom really enjoyed the Wedding cookie, and didn't share so I couldn't tell you my thoughts. The cookies unfortunately were a let down. They looked beautiful, but were dissapointing. The chocolate chewy cookie was either stale, old, or over baked...it was so hard we couldn't even bite into it with out hurting our teeth. The oatmeal cookie wasn't as bad, but it had some added citrus like flavor that just ruined it for me...an avid hater of all things citrus in desserts : ) Sorry. Overall, we enjoyed the shop, the display case was beautiful, and the service was excellent...we will be back again and promise to stay for breakfast this time!
Newburyport, MA
Sip
I already mentioned this in my last post, but I feel as if my review didn't do it justice. : ) Ever since we arrived back home in Houston my sister and I have been talking about how much we are craving their coconut cacao coffee smoothies. What can we do to make you relocate and open up shop in Houston? My very pregnant sister and her husband who live in Newburyport love their smoothies and juices...and so do we! If you are ever in the area it is well worth the stop...get some...and thank me later : )
Not your averagae Joe's
I really didn't want to eat here,but I was out voted and we ended up going here anyways. The food wasn't bad, actually quite good. Overall it had a chain like feel to it, and that is what I didn't like about it. The end.
Joppa Fine Foods
Every time we visit Newburyport we pay a visit to Joppas. We are a cheese loving family, and their selection of cheese is divine and mouth watering. This time we also got some salted Caramel ice cream, and some cookies...all from places I can't remember the names for...but delicious all the same!
New York City
Petite Abeille
Kudos to the little sis for finding this place. We arrived late morning on a Thursday for breakfast. Unfortunately they were sold out of their croissants, muffins, and scones...NOOOOOO...next time, next time. I immediately liked the place when I saw all their Tin Tin inspired decor. Tin Tin was a childhood favorite series, and it immediately brought back fond memories. We shared a Belgian waffle, Brioche French Toast with maple syrup, and Cocotte...eggs with goat cheese,tomatoes, bacon, and gruyere. Our hands down favorite was the French Toast, made with their very own house made bread...perfectly cooked! My only complaint was it was eaten too quickly and I wish there was more on the plate!
Mercat
We went to this swanky little place based on the recommendation of my brother-in-law's co worker...THANK YOU! This is a Tapas restaurant, and it was sa-weet. Just check out what we ate, doesn't it sound divine? Our favorite was the cauliflower : )
COCA D'ANEC
Coca Bread topped with sliced Duck, Pears, Spinach and Hazelnuts
PEBROTS FARCITS
Piquillo Peppers stuffed with Short Ribs and Green Lentils
BOMBES
Chicken, Beef and Pork meatballs topped with Aioli.
COLIFLOR
Fried Cauliflower with Hazelnut Aioli, pumpkin seeds and fried Leeks
SOUFLE DE XOCOLATA
Chocolate Souffle with toasted Almond Ice Cream
XURROS AMB XOCOLATA
Homemade Churros served with chocolate
Sweet Revenge
I had high hopes for this place...it was a great looking little cafe. We ate there on a beautiful day, they had all the windows open, and it was quaint. The cupcakes were dissapointing, really dry. They looked great and rustic, but failed to impress taste wise. Darn it all.
Serendipity
Yes, it is true we fell for the tourist trap and ate at this over priced place after seeing a broadway show. I actually liked the frozen hot chocolate that they are famous for. We also shared some potato skins which were nice and not sweet.
Good enough to Eat
We actually didn't even eat here. We got there and the line was out the door with an hour long wait. We were so hungry that we ate across the street at a place that wasn't good. We were there for and hour and the line to this place only got bigger and bigger...next time we come to the city we are camping out before the sun rises to get into this place!
Well folks, that about sums it up. I am sure I am missing something, but really at this point I am full all over again after reading all the food we ate.
After being on vacation for 15 days my belly has turned to jelly,
My arms have turned to mush,
And 10 extra pounds have been added to my tush.
The end.
Hello gym my old friend, please be kind.
Let's start at the beginning which is always a good place to start...
Florida
Canopy Road Cafe
Tallahassee, FL
We were looking for a breakfast place on our way to HHI and came across this place on accident. It had a long line, and the menu looked good, so we waited. We were able to sit outside in the nice weather with our puppy alongside us. The food was nice and fresh tasting, and the service was great. Next time we pass through, we will go back.
Hilton Head Island, SC
The French Bakery
This little gem was hidden away in a shopping center. We ate here twice during our stay, and would have eaten here everyday if possible! Our favorite was their ever popular Almond Croissant. It was perfect! Not too greasy, not too dry...perfect almond filling, and nice toasted almonds on top. The first time I went in I bought 1, the second time I went in I bought 6...get the picture? The second time we went in we got their chicken salad that is made with apricot cranberry bread...talk about a-mazing! Going here is officially going to be part of our yearly trip to the Island.
The Market Street Cafe
We grabbed a quick lunch here one day and were pleasantly surprised. This place is located in the busy shopping plaza, Coligny Plaza. We shared a Gyro wrap, and it was perfectly seasoned and perfectly priced.
Delisheee-Yo
We have always said there should be a good smoothie place on the Island, and finally there is! This place is located slightly away from the busy hustle and bustle of the major tourist traffic in the Village Exchange shopping center. They sell frozen yogurt made from Greek Yogurt! It is nice, light, and slightly tangy. They have one base flavor and you can pick from a plethora of toppings. They also have wonderful smoothie options that can include ground up oats, acai, and many other healthy additions. Our all around favorite was the peach smoothie made with local peaches, frozen Greek yogurt, and mango nectar, cinnamon...and maybe some honey. We also enjoyed their vegetarian wraps, and their Fatoosh Salad...all delicious, fresh, and healthy!!! Thank you Chef C for setting up shop on the island! We discovered this place late in our trip and went there 3 times in 4 days...yes, you have our stamp of approval!
Savannah, GA
Harris Baking Company
We stumbled upon this place as we were trying to find a recommended coffee shop in the area, Gallery Espresso...which turned out to be an over crowded average coffee shop. We had just finished breakfast at J Christophers, which panned out to be not so great after all...just your basic diner breakfast...maybe not that bad, but I wouldn't go back...the service was great, but the food was lacking...sorry guys : ) Anyways, we were full from breakfast, but have never been known to pass a bakery and not go in. This bakery was bright and cheery, full of light and wonderful smells, and a giant real life Husky dog lay at the entrance door as if it was the guardian of its precious contents. We entered and as soon as we saw our options we were severely sad that our bellies were already full from breakfast. We picked out a nice variety of pastries and lugged them home for our second breakfast at noon. The staff was extremely nice, and chatted with us for a while. Next time I am in the area I plan on stopping in before breakfast this time! There were mixed feelings about the pastries we brought home. The blueberry Financiers were delightfully scrumptious. The Palmiers were nice and crisp with just the right amount of sugar. My Mom really enjoyed the Wedding cookie, and didn't share so I couldn't tell you my thoughts. The cookies unfortunately were a let down. They looked beautiful, but were dissapointing. The chocolate chewy cookie was either stale, old, or over baked...it was so hard we couldn't even bite into it with out hurting our teeth. The oatmeal cookie wasn't as bad, but it had some added citrus like flavor that just ruined it for me...an avid hater of all things citrus in desserts : ) Sorry. Overall, we enjoyed the shop, the display case was beautiful, and the service was excellent...we will be back again and promise to stay for breakfast this time!
Newburyport, MA
Sip
I already mentioned this in my last post, but I feel as if my review didn't do it justice. : ) Ever since we arrived back home in Houston my sister and I have been talking about how much we are craving their coconut cacao coffee smoothies. What can we do to make you relocate and open up shop in Houston? My very pregnant sister and her husband who live in Newburyport love their smoothies and juices...and so do we! If you are ever in the area it is well worth the stop...get some...and thank me later : )
Not your averagae Joe's
I really didn't want to eat here,but I was out voted and we ended up going here anyways. The food wasn't bad, actually quite good. Overall it had a chain like feel to it, and that is what I didn't like about it. The end.
Joppa Fine Foods
Every time we visit Newburyport we pay a visit to Joppas. We are a cheese loving family, and their selection of cheese is divine and mouth watering. This time we also got some salted Caramel ice cream, and some cookies...all from places I can't remember the names for...but delicious all the same!
New York City
Petite Abeille
Mercat
We went to this swanky little place based on the recommendation of my brother-in-law's co worker...THANK YOU! This is a Tapas restaurant, and it was sa-weet. Just check out what we ate, doesn't it sound divine? Our favorite was the cauliflower : )
COCA D'ANEC
Coca Bread topped with sliced Duck, Pears, Spinach and Hazelnuts
PEBROTS FARCITS
Piquillo Peppers stuffed with Short Ribs and Green Lentils
BOMBES
Chicken, Beef and Pork meatballs topped with Aioli.
COLIFLOR
Fried Cauliflower with Hazelnut Aioli, pumpkin seeds and fried Leeks
SOUFLE DE XOCOLATA
Chocolate Souffle with toasted Almond Ice Cream
XURROS AMB XOCOLATA
Homemade Churros served with chocolate
Sweet Revenge
I had high hopes for this place...it was a great looking little cafe. We ate there on a beautiful day, they had all the windows open, and it was quaint. The cupcakes were dissapointing, really dry. They looked great and rustic, but failed to impress taste wise. Darn it all.
Serendipity
Yes, it is true we fell for the tourist trap and ate at this over priced place after seeing a broadway show. I actually liked the frozen hot chocolate that they are famous for. We also shared some potato skins which were nice and not sweet.
Good enough to Eat
We actually didn't even eat here. We got there and the line was out the door with an hour long wait. We were so hungry that we ate across the street at a place that wasn't good. We were there for and hour and the line to this place only got bigger and bigger...next time we come to the city we are camping out before the sun rises to get into this place!
Well folks, that about sums it up. I am sure I am missing something, but really at this point I am full all over again after reading all the food we ate.
Monday, July 18, 2011
Finally a Winner is Named!
Hello my long lost readers. You may think I went into hibernation mode, but really I just went on vacation for 3 1/2 weeks. The last few weeks went something like this...
Houston->Lafayette, Louisiana ->Hilton Head, South Carolina ->Savannah -> Jacksonville, FL -> Boston, MA -> Manchester, NH -> Newburyport, MA -> NYC -> HOME.
So many things happened, and so much food was consumed! If I filled you in on every detail of my trip you would be bored out of your mind. To spare you from over sharing here are the top 15 moments of my trip:
1. Seeing my older sister uber prego...first sister to have a baby...it was also very satisfying to see that she is only 5 pounds away from my weight, and with a month to go I have high hopes that my skinny sister will finally be fatter then me...praise God for answered prayers : )
2. Cousin wedding, outdoor reception with beautiful weather and insane dance moves, reuniting with all my wonderful cousins, aunts, and uncles! Big families are the best!
3. Tennis on Hilton Head with the sibs and friends, good times, oh how I missed the courts! Who needs to keep score, everyone is a winner when no one is good : )
4. Finally going to a Cirque Du Soleil show! Zarkana was awesome! Finding really great seats for good price makes it even better! I think I am going to change my career path again to acrobat extraordinaire.
5. Lugging my massive suitcase and my Mom's massive suitcase throughout Boston and NYC...made me feel strong and young, but then weak and old the next day.
6. Running into Meg Ryan in a hotel bathroom...strange moment, confusion, trying to remember what my favorite movie was with her in it...mind blank...sarcastic comment, foot in mouth, smile and walk away, act cool Meeting Danny Meyer, famous restaurateur...eating at one of his restaurants
7. Going to the farm where my sister and brother in law get their food, awesome, eating that food for dinner, even better.
8. Coconut Coffee Cacao smoothies from Sip in Newburyport, be still my beating heart...I am already counting the hours until I can have another one : )
9. Cookies from Levain, NYC trips wouldn't be complete without them...PS. Dear Lord, my birthday is in a week, please make Levain cookies part of my day : )
10. Fresh Peach smoothies with frozen Greek yogurt from Delisheee Yo on Hilton Head...so refreshing after a long day bike riding in the sun!
11. Gelato with the little sisters and brother in Law...never realized how loudly we all talk when together!
12. Renting bikes to ride through Central Park...deciding we want to leave central Park...riding on the streets of NYC on bikes while carrying precious box of Levain cookies...bad idea, never again...I choose life, always.
13. Thinking our cab to the airport would cost $40...getting there and realizing it cost $90...haha, goodbye scammers of NYC!
14. Getting to our hotel in NYC, couldn't get in the room the bed was too big...running around looking at other rooms for an hour...finally deciding to just stay with the sister and bro in law.
15. Getting home exhausted, brushed my teeth with hair gel on accident, found a roach in my room, welcome home.
Keeping in line with the 15 theme...it just so happens that random.org decided that the 15th
comment would be the winner of the Artisan Bread in 5 minutes a day give away! So congrats to comment 15, Lilly Bermudez! Contact me at whiskedaway2@gmail.com to claim your prize!
Thanks to everyone for participating, and stay tuned for another give away in the future!
Houston->Lafayette, Louisiana ->Hilton Head, South Carolina ->Savannah -> Jacksonville, FL -> Boston, MA -> Manchester, NH -> Newburyport, MA -> NYC -> HOME.
So many things happened, and so much food was consumed! If I filled you in on every detail of my trip you would be bored out of your mind. To spare you from over sharing here are the top 15 moments of my trip:
1. Seeing my older sister uber prego...first sister to have a baby...it was also very satisfying to see that she is only 5 pounds away from my weight, and with a month to go I have high hopes that my skinny sister will finally be fatter then me...praise God for answered prayers : )
2. Cousin wedding, outdoor reception with beautiful weather and insane dance moves, reuniting with all my wonderful cousins, aunts, and uncles! Big families are the best!
3. Tennis on Hilton Head with the sibs and friends, good times, oh how I missed the courts! Who needs to keep score, everyone is a winner when no one is good : )
4. Finally going to a Cirque Du Soleil show! Zarkana was awesome! Finding really great seats for good price makes it even better! I think I am going to change my career path again to acrobat extraordinaire.
5. Lugging my massive suitcase and my Mom's massive suitcase throughout Boston and NYC...made me feel strong and young, but then weak and old the next day.
6. Running into Meg Ryan in a hotel bathroom...strange moment, confusion, trying to remember what my favorite movie was with her in it...mind blank...sarcastic comment, foot in mouth, smile and walk away, act cool Meeting Danny Meyer, famous restaurateur...eating at one of his restaurants
7. Going to the farm where my sister and brother in law get their food, awesome, eating that food for dinner, even better.
8. Coconut Coffee Cacao smoothies from Sip in Newburyport, be still my beating heart...I am already counting the hours until I can have another one : )
9. Cookies from Levain, NYC trips wouldn't be complete without them...PS. Dear Lord, my birthday is in a week, please make Levain cookies part of my day : )
10. Fresh Peach smoothies with frozen Greek yogurt from Delisheee Yo on Hilton Head...so refreshing after a long day bike riding in the sun!
11. Gelato with the little sisters and brother in Law...never realized how loudly we all talk when together!
12. Renting bikes to ride through Central Park...deciding we want to leave central Park...riding on the streets of NYC on bikes while carrying precious box of Levain cookies...bad idea, never again...I choose life, always.
13. Thinking our cab to the airport would cost $40...getting there and realizing it cost $90...haha, goodbye scammers of NYC!
14. Getting to our hotel in NYC, couldn't get in the room the bed was too big...running around looking at other rooms for an hour...finally deciding to just stay with the sister and bro in law.
15. Getting home exhausted, brushed my teeth with hair gel on accident, found a roach in my room, welcome home.
Keeping in line with the 15 theme...it just so happens that random.org decided that the 15th
comment would be the winner of the Artisan Bread in 5 minutes a day give away! So congrats to comment 15, Lilly Bermudez! Contact me at whiskedaway2@gmail.com to claim your prize!
Thanks to everyone for participating, and stay tuned for another give away in the future!
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