Fallen Souffle

* I have determined I have like zero pictures of my Mom, so this picture will have to do…I gotta get more pics of her*

Mother’s Day is a mere 2 days away so if you haven’t sent your card yet, well…send an email, your card maybe not get there in time.

My Mom is the best. No really. She wins the prize. Not only is she loving, kind and caring but she has acquired a very good sense of style (no more “Mom jeans” for her!) and she is FUNNY! I really think she has gotten funnier as my sister and I have gotten older. I think my witty sister is rubbing off on her

In honor of Mother’s Day I thought this site was appropriate. My Mom sends great emails and many from this site could have been sent from her.

Site is here and I found it from this article.

I love you Mom! I am sad I won’t be there on Sunday but know that I love you lots and am thinking of you. Hopefully Steph will make you a non-vegetarian breakfast

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

I do love holidays like this because it gives me an excuse for a themed dinner! I love Mexican food too, anything with cheese and tequila is going to be good! I plan to make some homemade salsa, fajitas and margaritas for dinner. YUM! I am still searching for a mango margarita as we speak but here are some of my favorites, you must try the salsa, you will NEVER go back to the bottled stuff!

You’ll Never Go Back Salsa

1 can Rotel, drained
1 onion (I used half of a large sweet white onion)
1 large tomato, seeds and juice squeezed out (or a can of diced tomatoes, drained)
1 bunch of cilantro (just add to taste really)
1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper
2 garlic cloves chopped
juice of half a lime

1. In the food processor add garlic, onion, cilantro and fresh tomato. Pulse until there are no longer large chunks of tomato. Add Rotel, salt, pepper, and lime juice. Pulse until desired consistency.

2. Chill for about 30 minutes and then enjoy.

**Jen’s note: I found the salsa to be a bit on the watery side (probably due to the fresh tomato), so I chose to drain a bit of the juice off after I made it.

Fajitas Marinade
Enough for 2 pounds of meat

1/4 cup lime juice
1/3 cup water
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke flavoring
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1. In a large resealable plastic bag, mix together the lime juice, water, olive oil, garlic, soy sauce, salt, and liquid smoke flavoring. Stir in cayenne and black pepper.

2. Place desired meat in the marinade, and refrigerate at least 2 hours, or overnight. Cook as desired.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

At 26 years old, my Mom still makes me an easter basket/bag I was in Va Beach last weekend for my Dad’s birthday and since I wasn’t going to be able to make it back for Easter she sent me back with my easter “bag” and under strict instructions was told not to open it until the morning of. So first thing this morning (after preheating the oven and starting the water for fresh bagels) I opened the Bed Bath and Beyond bag tied with the Bath and Body Works ribbon (Mom is so creative on the fly) and there it was, in all it’s glory….plastic easter grass, Reese’s eggs and loose M&M’s which were all over my counter Nonetheless, it was awesome to still have a piece of childhood even when I can’t be with my family today.

I have been baking a lot this weekend, in addition to the bagels this morning I made Potato Rosemary Rolls for tonight and Honey Ricotta Orange Cheesecake. I also made some Banana Walnut Bread last week. It’s nice to be back in the kitchen and back into baking. Recipes to come, the bagels are calling me now! Have a great easter!

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Happy New Year!

So much has happened during the last year and I am excited to have a fresh clean start with this new year. My resolution list is hefty but I really think it will lead to an overall happiness and a healthier life.

1. Take care of myself. I’ve started the Abs Diet which I am loving because I don’t feel guilty about eating snacks during the day I want to get my body back, with all of the stress of life I have let myself go so I want to be bikini ready again, even if it is 35 degrees outside now. I started working out again a few weeks ago so I am happy that’s on the right track. I do think I may start training for a half marathon. I have contemplated this in the past but have decided I just need to do it. I am looking at the Shamrock Half Marathon in Va Beach in March, you get free beer when you finish…how fun! I think I could work in a massage the next day before heading home!

2. Stop caring about what other people think. I think this has held me back in the past but I am at a point in my life where I don’t need to prove anything anymore. I have done a lot with my life so far, I haven’t screwed up too much and I have shown that I am pretty strong. So I just need to go with my gut on things and do it, regardless of other’s opinions.

3. Cook more. Duh, I had to include something cooking related But not only cook more, but blog more! I have been trying more recipes now I just need to post them. more to come, I promise.

I hope your 2008 is off to a great start! Looking forward to a great year!

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

I am embarrassed that I have not posted this earlier. Our family and friends really showed their love to Evan and I this Christmas by getting us gifts that were edible. Evan and I are definitely foodies and we take it very seriously. So we dedicated one night to celebrating our Christmas gifts…oh it was delish!

We started with a nice beer selection from our friend Cory and his wife who also included a set of lovely Guinness glasses. For an appetizer, we baked up some rice balls from Brooklyn Pork Store which were absolutely heavenly. Rice and cheese and as assortment of Italian meats all rolled into a nice ball and fried…what could be better! For the main event, Evan expertly grilled some Omaha Steaks and I added a side salad with dressing from my Uncle’s Italian restaurant in Greenville.

This was quite a spread, so much so that I don’t even think we had dessert that night! Nonetheless, we thoroughly enjoyed our food gifts and are thankful to have friends and family that know us so well!

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

As of Monday, Evan and I will be hosting Thanksgiving for his side of the family. This was a last minute change in plans due to his brother and family moving from Georgia to Wilmington, NC and his parents doing some renovations to the house. So we are throwing a last minute meal at our place. I am excited and stressed at the same time…10 people over and a full Thanksgiving spread, and because I am such a perfectionist everything must be perfect. So the menu is:

Roasted Turkey
Ciabatta Stuffing with Pancetta
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Whipped Sweet Potatoes with Carmelized Apples
Roasted Broccoli
Fresh Cranberry Sauce
Yeast Rolls

Pumpkin Roll with Caramel Sauce

Because I don’t want to be running around all day Thursday I have made a plan to do a few tasks each night. Last night was the all important grocery shopping which Evan and I did at 9:30 last night. It was kinda strange going in that late to do our Thanksgiving shopping but then again it was great because there were only 4 other people in the whole place. I did feel bad for the guy behind us in the checkout line (you know they only keep one open) he has a gallon of milk and some lettuce and as were halfway through unloading our cart before I realized him, otherwise I would have totally let him go.

Tonight, after a meeting, I came home and baked the two largest sweet potatoes I have ever seen, they weigh almost 2 pounds each no joke. They will probably take 3 hours to bake. I am also roasting the garlic for the mashed potatoes and I made the caramel sauce for the desserts. I must say food is a cool thing, if you are ever bored, go make yourself some real caramel sauce..it is fun and easy!

Tomorrow I will make the dough for the rolls, bake the cranberry sauce, and set the table. If I am feeling ambitious I will prep the veggies.

My biggest concern right now is the bird. We wanted to smoke it because that would be different and would keep the oven free. But because it has been so windy and cold, and is expected to continue the smoker can’t keep the temperature up so we are afraid it will take too long to cook. So I am dusting off my portable roaster and will be roasting it in there. I have never cooked an entire turkry but I imagine with Evan on basting duty we should be ok.

So that’s what my week has been like. Be sure to stick around the day after to see the result…because I will NOT be out on Black Friday this year. My Christmas shopping is almost done

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Thanksgiving is next week…I know it totally crept up on me too. I am so looking forward not only to a short week of work but also the enormous amount of food that will be waiting to be eaten on Thursday.

So it got me thinking about a dinner party I had last year for 9 poeple…on a thursday night…yeah it was a bit stressful but totally worth it. Everything went off great until we got to dessert, after taking a sample slice of creamy pumpkin pie, I realized i totally left out the sugar. In my haste I totally looked over one of the most important ingredients. So to try and play is off, I insisted everyone add lots of sweet whipped cream to the top. No one said anythign btu I always wonder if anyone knew of my mistake.

So now it’s time for your confessional, let it out, let me know what you have done during the holidays that may not have been so domestic goddess-like…but more of a Fallen Souffle

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

It’s true, I turned 25 yesterday. It is the first birthday that really got to me. I am no longer the young, free spirited girl I used to be (Ok I was never really free spirited but play along) now I am a mature, sophisticated woman (stop laughing, keep playing). I did alot of reflection on the past 25 years, I have done alot and been alot of places but am I really the person I want to be? There are things I like and don’t like about myself and I have decided this is the time to do something about the things I don’t like.

I also want to focus on some goals of mine; I feel like I am in a good place in my life, I have a wonderful husband, a house, two great dogs, a great relationship with my family and a job that I take pride in. So now it’s time to take the next step towards self improvement. I recently completed a list of 101 things to do in 1001 days. I won’t post it right now, I need to sort it and make it look pretty, but is essentially a list of 101 things I want to accomplish in 1001 days (a little over 2 1/2 years), Yesterday was day one so we will see how the list goes.

I had a pretty low key birthday, I didn’t do any housework the entire weekend, I did a little shopping and made a cheesecake (recipe to come) and pretty much relaxed. This is probably the first birthday I have had that was this relaxed but it was nice. Evan and I decided not to exchange birthday or Christmas presents with each other, instead we will save our money and go on a nice trip- hopefully around our anniversary in March Though he did buy me flowers and made an amazing dinner followed by cake at my in-laws. And today a beautiful bouquet was delivered to my office (a perk of working a real job!) from my parents.

So overall, I realized I am quite blessed and have many things to look forward to in the years to come.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

I am thankful everyday for those that have fought and perished for the freedoms that we have today.
I have a great respect for those that volunteer to protect our country and aid the world.
I am grateful for growing up in a military family.
I remember those that we have lost.

Please take a moment today to remember those who currently serve and have served our country, regardless of your political views we must be thankful for all they do and have done.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

We leave tomorrow for the beach, but not before one more early morning at the bakery (I have to get up at midnight to go into work-yikes!) So I wanted to make something extra special for our Easter dessert so ofcourse I opted for a chocolate cupcake. Unfortunately I cannot comment on the taste of them yet because we have one more day of Lent but I will be sure to let you know how they are. I used Nic’s recipe for chocolate espresso cupcakes and chocolate frosting. I also used the Reynold’s baking tins that have been popular among other bloggers.

I used up some marshmallow fondant that I made for the cancelled cupcake order and I think they turned out pretty cute. I will post the recipe for that next week as I seem to have misplaced it.

I hope you all have a wonderful Easter! See you next week!

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!