Absent

I'm just writing to let you know that I'm still here. I haven't updated in a while because 1) we went on vacation for a few days and 2) my computer died. I'm giving Bill some time to work on my computer and hopefully get it up and running again before I continue blogging. If he can't get it working, I'll see about writing some blogs using his laptop. So, I'm still here and I'll post updates as soon as I can. Don't go away!

Onion Soup

Tonight I made another recipe...again. I made Onion Soup with Croutons. It started with caramelized onions, which I'm not a fan of, and included wine, which I'm also not a fan of...so I didn't have high hopes for this soup. But, the final product looked good - just like the picture. I also made the croutons that the recipe called for. The final verdict for the soup was just OK. Bill really liked it...he said it was "extremely tasty"! I was surprised that I didn't hate it. The best part was by far the croutons. They were delicious and so easy to make. We will definitely have the croutons again and maybe even the soup.

the recipe

the ingredients
the onions

the final product

Cookies

One of my colleagues celebrated his birthday last weekend. I asked him what he would like for his birthday and he said Chocolate Chip Cookies. I glanced thru the cookbook and noticed there was a recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookies, so it worked out perfectly. He received a plate of delicious cookies and I crossed off another recipe - everyone wins!

the recipe

perfect sized cookies
don't they look good?!?

Flavor of the Month - Boozy

This month, the Flavor of the Month is Boozy. My problem is that I don't have a lot of recipes that include alcohol...in fact, I couldn't think of a single one. (Mainly because I don't like the taste of most alcohol/liquor.) But, I glanced thru the cookbook that I'm currently cooking thru and found a few desserts that included booze. We bought our first bottle of brandy and I made a recipe that used 1 Tbsp. Not a lot, but it still counts. This afternoon, I whipped up a batch of "Rich Chocolate Mousse". And even though it's not a favorite old recipe, it was pretty good. However, I must warn that it is definitely not a late night dessert. It is very rich, as the title states. The hint of brandy is just enough for me in this tasty, decadent dessert.

the recipe

we used the good chocolate - and it was intense
yummy chocolate
yummy melted chocolate

it may not look very pretty but it was rich and delicious

Rich Chocolate Mousses

10 1/2 oz. semisweet chocolate (at least 70% cocoa solids)
1 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter

1 Tbsp brandy

4 eggs, separated

Unsweetened cocoa, for dusting

Break the chocolate into small pieces and put into a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water. Add the butter and melt with the chocolate, stirring, until smooth. Remove from the heat, stir in the brandy, and let cool slightly. Add the egg yolks and beat until smooth.

In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks have formed, then fold into the chocolate mixture. Divide 4 stainless steal cooking rings between 4 small serving plates, then spoon the mixture into each ring and level the surfaces. Transfer to the refrigerator and let chill for at least 4 hours until set.

Remove the mouses from the refrigerator and discard the cooking rings. Dust with unsweetened cocoa and serve.

Burger & Fries

Yesterday we made yet another cookbook recipe - 2 actually! (I feel like I'm making a lot of recipes, but really I'm not...I have a long ways to go.) There's not much to say about this - it was Hamburgers and French Fries. The fries were more like oven-roasted potatoes...they were really good, they just didn't taste like fries. And we didn't follow the burger recipe exactly because we cooked them on our spiffy new BBQ instead of a grill pan on the stove. They were really tasty!

the first recipe

the ingredients
raw potatoes

another recipe

yummy ingredients

the fries look dark, but they were good...
the burgers are smothered in melted cheese!

dinner!

Pesto

Last week, I crossed off another thing on my list of Goals. I completed #19: Learn how to make pesto. After living in Italy, I've come to appreciate pesto. In fact, I love it! It's tasty and it goes with everything. People in Italy make their own pesto all the time but that always seemed intimidating to me. I finally resolved to try it and I discovered...it's not that hard! It was a bit of a challenge to find pine nuts here, but once we found them I was out of excuses. So, I toasted up the pine nuts, chopped up the nuts and basil, drizzled in the olive oil, added the parmesan cheese and stirred it in to the pasta. It was so delicious!! We even had some left over that we used on our garlic chicken pesto pizza. So good! Now that I know how to make pesto, I plan to make it often. I've heard it freezes well.

I can now cross off #19 and I can honestly say that my pesto was a success!

toasty pine nuts clean basil
nuts and garlic all chopped up
with the basil, oil and cheese added
delicious with pasta (we even added sun dried tomatoes)

Basil Pesto:

1 small clove garlic, minced
1/3 cup pine nuts, lightly toasted
1 1/4 cups fresh basil leaves (packed)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 cup parmesan cheese, grated
Salt and freshly ground pepper

In a food processor, pulse pine nuts and garlic together until finely ground. Add basil leaves and process until the leaves are finely chopped. With processor running, add olive oil in a steady stream. Add parmesan cheese and process until completely incorporated and the mixture is paste like. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Mac & Cheese

A few weeks ago, I made another recipe from the cookbook...I made Macaroni & Cheese. I've never been a big fan of homemade mac & cheese. I like the fake, yellow stuff in a box - it just tastes more fun! But, I've had good homemade stuff too so I thought this recipe had potential and it could have been a new "family favorite". Unfortunately, it wasn't as good as I hoped. On the other hand, it wasn't that bad. When I was making it...it didn't look good. The stinky cheese was not appealing to me. So, after tasting it - I was kind of surprised that it was OK. It wasn't great but it wasn't horrible either. It was OK. We actually ended up eating most of it. So, another recipe down...and many, many more to go.

the recipe the ingredients
making a yummy cream sauce

delicious, crusty top