Yeah, I Cook and Eat
Fiona’s Coming Out Party
We celebrated Fiona’s arrival last weekend with a few close friends. An opportunity to share her and entertain. I’d forgotten how much we enjoy throwing a party. And I wanted to prove that I still have it. Even with the wee Fi hanging off me, I managed to make most of the food ahead of time. And decorate enough to make myself happy. Terry, Fiona, and Me Mark and his Aunt Barbara Aunt Annette and Uncle Paul Eamon got some presents too while Fiona was a hot potato Fiona was the Belle of this Party Eamon read to little Carolina...
read moreOver the Bridge
Here on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, when we say we’re going over the bridge, it usually means a 45 minute drive west over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge into Annapolis, MD and destinations beyond. A grand adventure since the big cities beyond, Baltimore or Wash DC, are way more exciting than out little rural town of Denton. But when I said to my husband, “I’m going over the bridge for lunch” last Thursday, I meant I was strolling over our town’s bridge over the Choptank River to the West side to lunch with...
read more“Economy” Beef Stroganoff
This is the recipe for one of the many fabulous meals I received from my friends while I was baby befuddled. And let me tell you, if you remember this old school favorite, you won’t be disappointed. It’s creamy and chunky and fab. Thank Nancy Sawyer for this. Economy Beef Stroganoff from the Betty Crocker Cookbook, 1980 1 1/2 lb stew beef, cut into 1/2 inch cubes 2 tablespoons margarine or butter 1 1/2 cup beef broth 2 tablespoons catsup 1 small clove garlic, minced 1 teaspoon salt 8 ounces...
read moreMealbaby
The lovely Mrs. Emily Cranwell had her baby Linden a year ago. When I got pregnant, someone suggested that I do what she’d done and enlist the support of fellow church members, family, and friends to bring my family some meals throughout the delivery weeks until I was back on my feet. The site is called Mealbaby. Here’s the Facebook page. What the heck is that all about? Well I’ll tell you. It’s a website where you register and create a calender for your needed meals to help you through a time when help is necessary....
read moreMessy Potatoes
Otherwise known as scalloped potatoes or Gratin Dauphinoise, messy potatoes are my favorite ‘go to’ potatoes for a side with dinner. I have a mandolin. It’s a vegetable cutting guillotine that’s perfect for slicing potatoes thinly. Unfortunately, and no surprise here, a plastic part exploded rendering the guide useless. So I am back to using my knife skills, which are pretty decent, while I decide the de Buyer’s fate. I suspect it was bought from Wiliiam-Sonoma. And I have issues with them. I have yet to write...
read moreWhen the Recipes Need to Go
I have issues with stuff that goes missing. I eventually found my expired passport. I decided my pink camera must have been stolen. And I’ll be paying for another kid’s library book on the 19th. I looked and looked. It just wasn’t in the recipe box or the plastic sleeves in my Household Binder where I kept my “go to” recipes. My buttermilk biscuit recipe was MIA. So I looked up another buttermilk biscuit recipe in the Joy of Cooking. Later, as my husband and I were eating our biscuits for breakfast, he says, “Is this a different...
read moreTrouble at the Table : Part 2
This is the second part of a two-part post entitled Trouble at the Table, in which I review and summarize Karen Le Billon’s book French Kids Eat Everything. It was actually one of those reads that changed my life and my kid’s by default. I hope I do it justice. Neither his food pickiness nor my astonishment over it seemed to diminish as my child grew from a three to a seven year-old. “Do you know what a good cook your Mom is?” my husband kept asking him. This justified my dismay but did nothing for his food fears. I have...
read moreTrouble at the Table
My family’s tomato soup episode was one of those final moments when I knew we were in trouble at the table. I had heard the husband strike a bargain with our 7 year-old Picky-a-saurus. Whatever treat the child was requesting could be had after he ate and finished his cream of tomato soup. OK, the kid says. And I know this will not end well. Sure enough, there were tears aplenty and extra drama( partly from hunger) all for the fear of this unknown food. And it was one of the most uncomfortable un-enjoyable meals I have ever endured. It was a...
read moreI Found It
Luck has been my lady tonight and this morning and last week. Three lucky happenstances I want to share with everyone. Tonight I found the recipe that I had misplaced. On a hunch, I searched the gourmet.com site leading me to epicurious.com and I found my beloved Fresh Salmon Salad with Chickpeas and Tomatoes here. Happy dance! Love it! While on the hunt, I also printed some Moroccan themed chickpea dishes that sound fun and are vegetarian. On November 8th, I attended a “Sip and Shop” at Joviality, a lovely shop in town...
read moreA Warm Salad?
I’d promised to pass along my recipe for a yummy warm salad with garbanzo beans (aka chick peas), orange zest, tomatoes, and salmon to my friend. Having pulled the recipe out of the box, it was last spotted with a pile of papers in the office area. That was about a week ago. I seem to have misplaced the recipe card. I have searched for it under my chair, inside my books, and even online but to no avail. And thinking about it gave me the appetite to have it in my belly immediately. So this was my solution with what I had on hand. Warm some...
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