Versailles

On this day one year ago my husband and I were gallivanting through Paris and hopped a train out to Versailles for the day.  It would be safe to assume that I would like to be there right now instead of sitting in my kitchen thinking of what to make for dinner, how the grass needs mowed and staring at a mound of laundry that needs folded and put away.  Oh well, reminiscing will have to do for now.

the hall of mirrors

If you haven’t been and ever go to Paris, you must schedule a day to travel out to the countryside and visit the Royal Palace of Versailles where King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette graced the hallways in the height of French indulgence just before the terror of the French Revolution.

Hameau de la Reine (Marie Antoinette's Petite Village)

The palace is the epitome of indulgence and luxury though now it is showing it’s wear and age.  To me it is a very real reminder of how riches fade.  Nevertheless, the fountains and gardens alone are a beautiful sight and well worth the trip.

Be sure to call ahead and make sure the gardens will be open and the fountains will be running during your visit.  They occasionally have special reserved events or down times and you want to get the most out of your visit.

Click here for more photos from our day in Versailles.

mother’s day brunch, southern style

I need to apologize for my blogging absence, but we have been enjoying time away in Charleston, SC this past week/weekend!  We had the opportunity to be a part of a fun wedding celebration, but was also able to spend time with my mom on mother’s day!  Charleston has got to be the best city in America for a good weekend brunch.

This past weekend we celebrated Mother’s Day at Magnolia’s on East Bay Street.  You will never go wrong with anything on their menu.  I had a simple egg sandwich with sweet potato fries and it was so good I will have a hard time not ordering it again, though the eggs benedict or bananas foster french toast are always delicious.

If in the area, check out some of my favorite local venues for an amazing Southern weekend brunch….you will NOT be disappointed!

• High Cotton
• The Boathouse
• Fleet Landing
• Vickery’s

monday monday monday

Do you ever have one of those days that everything seems to be almost working out, but NOTHING actually works?  That was my day.  I waited way too long to do some essential shopping for the coming week and everything I came across seemed to ALMOST be perfect….except for some random little thing every time.

I started with dress shopping, which is always a chore when you need something in a tight deadline.  All the dresses I could afford just didn’t seem to fit quite right or be quite suitable for the event.  Then of course the dresses that were absolutely perfect were way out of my price range.  After a long tiring day scouring every store imaginable I finally hit the jackpot!  I found a dress that would work perfectly, fit just right, AND it was on clearance!  All my hard work had finally paid off….or so I thought.  As I stood in line at the checkout I suddenly noticed a stain front and center of the dress and a small snag on the side – WHAT!?!?  NO!?!?  Of course it was the only one in the entire store.  I knew it was too good to be true.  By that time I was so over it that I agreed to pay an extra $12 to have another store overnight ship a dress to me just so I could quit searching.

Unfortunately I wasn’t done shopping so I moved on to looking for a specific gift I knew I wanted to purchase.  At least that one, I thought, would be easy.  Again, WRONG.  Every store I went to had almost exactly what I wanted and when I did find exactly what I wanted they happened to have just short of the quantity I needed (which I would find out after standing in line for 20 minutes because I couldn’t ever find anyone on the floor who could check the stock for me).  AHHHH. Just not my day apparently!

(image: source)

Weekend Fiesta Menu

Ok, one day left before the big Nacho Libre Fiesta and I think I’ve narrowed down the menu.  If you’re thinking of doing a Cinco de Mayo party at all this week here are some recipes and menu ideas I’ve rounded up that may be helpful.  We will have about 20 guests total.  I’ll post a follow-up next week to show how things went!

Taco Bar

• Carne Asada (steaks thinly sliced and set in this marinade for 24+ hours)
• Shredded Chicken (chicken breasts  in Chipotle Lime marinade for 24+ hours)
• Ground Beef with the typical taco seasoning
• Crumbled Mexican Queso Fresco
• Shredded White Blend Mexican Cheeses
• Tomatoes, Onions, Lettuce, Cilantro
• Corn and Flour tortillas from our local Mexican market
  (check and see if you have a local Mexican food market – the quality is MUCH better & they are generally cheaper)

Chips/Salsa Station

• Tostitos lime chips (my favorite)
• tortilla chips
• Pace Black Bean & Roasted Corn salsa
• tomatillo salsa
  (tomatillos (halved, face down) and corn roasted under broiler, tiny bit of jalepeno, lime juice, onion, garlic, salt, pinch of sugar)
• mango salsa
  (1 diced mango, can sweet corn, chopped red onion, chopped tomato, cilantro, lime juice, pinch of sugar)
• guacamole (courtesy of Kelly)
• chile cheese dip (block of velveeta melted with 1 can hormel chile no beans)

Sides

• Elote (mexican corn on the cob) as featured in Nacho Libre
• Black Bean Cakes
• Fried Plantains with garlic salt (best if plantains are still a bit green but just starting to yellow)

Desserts

• Flan (if my friend Laurie is up for making it)
• Mexican Chocolate Fondue

Drinks

• Margaritas
• Diet Coke with Lime

What a great way to celebrate the first day of May (we will be heading out of town so could not host it on Cinco de Mayo)!  Anyone else doing any Cinco de Mayo festivities?

(image: source)

5 Days in May

Don’t forget!!  Starting tomorrow you can be part of a movement that will directly save lives! Choose to drink water to give water May 1-5 and donate the money that you would have spent on other drinks during that time to provide clean water to the community of Lumban Ginabean in Indonesia!

girl in the community of Lumban Ginabean who needs clean water

This little girl in Lumban Ginabean has these sores on her face from drinking the contaminated water. The average person spends about $43.75/week on drinks (coffee, soda, bottled water, drinks at restaurants).  $43.75 could give 5 people clean drinking water for the rest of their lives. If 600 people participate, this entire community of over 3K people can have a permanent source of clean water.

This is their current water source

HOW TO HELP

1. Join the facebook event to let them know you’re in on the cause!
2. Drink only water for the next 5 days and save the money you’d normally spend on drinks.
3. Donate that money to the community of Lumban Ginabean. (Donation link also found on www.5daysinMay.com)

The people of Lumban Ginabean will be forever grateful – their lives will be drastically changed! Thanks for making a difference!
For more information, visit www.5daysinMay.com or follow it on twitter.

(images: source)

the grocery chore

Does anyone really like grocery shopping?  I suppose sometimes I do, like when I was sick for 3+ weeks back in January and hadn’t left the house….the grocery store became a fun outing.  Most of the time though, when there is nothing left in the house and I have put it off so long that it’s a necessity, I dread heading out to the grocery store.  It may be due to the constant crowds and 30+ minute drive that I have to make to go to the commissary that puts the pressure on to not forget anything and make sure my list is complete!  I always try and keep a notebook in the kitchen to write down items as I run out or think of them while cooking, but inevitably I sit and rack my brain, scour the pantry 8 times and still feel like I’m forgetting something. (which is why I think I should try the grocery list pad from knock knock)!

I realize this isn’t entirely normal, but I am the type of cook who likes to have EVERYTHING I could possibly need in stock at all times.  I hate wanting to make something and being out of it so fortunately we have space at this house to have created a mini-mart in our basement complete with a deep freezer.  I get jokes that our house is the place to be in case of an emergency or natural disaster, but I just hate not having what I need for a recipe!  We also do a lot of entertaining and keeping a stocked pantry assures than at any time I can whip up a great last minute appetizer, dinner or dessert should I find out only hours before that guests are on their way.  Here are a few of the random things that my pantry can’t seem to live without:

• Boone Hall Farms natural peanut butter (from Charleston, SC) – I stock up on this stuff every time I visit and panic if I run out!
• chicken broth
• olive oil
• cereal, of course
• spicy brown mustard
• vinegar
• craisins
• lime juice
• jasmine rice
• whole grain rolled oats
• honey
• dark (60% or higher) chocolate
• diced tomatoes
• almonds
• and last but not least……popcorn kernels!

Do you have a foolproof method for keeping your grocery list?  What random things do you always make sure to have in stock?

Thai Chicken Satays with Peanut Sauce

We have been working so hard in our garden that I’ve had no time to get creative on the blog, so I apologize, but figured I would keep posting recipes as people ask for them.  Today is one of my ALL time favorites, something we created after spending our honeymoon in Thailand.  We could NOT get enough of their food!  This is an extremely mild American-ized version of a classic Thai satay.  Enjoy!

Thai Chicken Satays with Peanut Sauce

• 20  chicken tenderloins
• 20  bamboo skewers

marinade

• 1 can coconut milk
• teriyaki sauce  (appx 1/4 – 1/2 cup?)
• honey  (appx 2 Tbsp)
• 2 cloves garlic
• steak seasonings or your fav seasoning mix  (sprinkle it over marinade)
• lime juice  (appx 2 Tbsp)

mix all marinade ingredients.  Pour over chicken tenderloins in a sealed container or ziplock bag and marinate at least 4-6 hours (preferably overnight).

at least 1 hour prior to cooking, soak bamboo skewers in water to prevent scorching on grill

most amazing peanut sauce in the world

• 1/3 cups natural peanut butter
• 1/4 cup chicken broth
• 2 Tbsp dijon or spicy brown mustard
• 1 Tbsp. teriyaki sauce
• 2-4 Tbsp. honey (to desired sweetness)
• a few drops of hot sauce or chili pepper sauce (as desired)
• 1/2 tsp. fresh ground ginger
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tbsp. lime juice

before cooking chicken, make peanut sauce
mix natural peanut butter, chicken stock, teriyaki sauce, dijon mustard, honey, chili sauce, garlic, ginger and lime juice together in mini food processer until creamy.  Adjust thickness with chicken stock and heat with chili sauce as desired.
Store in refrigerator until ready to serve.

————————-

Skewer each tenderloin and grill to desired doneness, brushing with reserved marinade to keep moist while cooking. TIP: arrange chicken skewers so that the ‘handle’ rests on top of the tenderloin next to it on the grill to further prevent them from scorching.  Serve with peanut sauce and jasmine rice!  Delicious both hot or cold!

Stamp out Hunger – May 9, 2009

What easier way to donate nonperishable food items to people that are hungry than filling a bag and taking it to the end of your driveway??  There’s not one!  Mark your calendars to round up food for your bag on May 8 and place it by your mailbox on May 9.  Your local mail carrier will collect the food items and deliver them to a local food bank or hunger relief agency.

To find out more about the annual Stamp Out Hunger! effort in your community and if your local post office is participating, ask your letter carrier, contact your local post office or visit www.helpstampouthunger.com

Theme Party Planning: Nacho Libre

So my husband and a few of his work buddies decided they wanted to have a Nacho Libre theme party and what better time to do it than Cinco de Mayo?  I was informed of this decision just a few days ago, less than 2 weeks before the supposed event…and we, of course, are hosting it.  We LOVE theme parties and generally look for any opportunity to have one, but with this one I’m not quite feeling it yet. No use trying to change their minds though; several grown men have already rushed out and ordered their very own lucha libre fighting masks for the festivities!  wow.

Rather than fight their excitement I am attempting to get inspired with some creative Nacho Libre/Cinco de Mayo ideas and menu options.  Despite my husband insisting that we don’t have to “go crazy” on this one, it’s just not in my nature to do a theme party 1/2 way.  We recently re-watched the movie (which never fails to make me laugh) but other than setting up our large rectangular trampoline as a lucha libre fighting ring, there’s not much coming to mind at the moment.  We will of course do a taco bar as it is extremely easy and can be fancied up with a variety of ‘fresh ingredients.’

Here are a few inspirational ideas I’ve found so far:

• Bean Dip in Champagne Flutes
• Mexican Chocolate Fondue
• Black Bean Cakes with Guacamole

The countdown is on so ANY ideas, photos, recipes, etc are welcome! PLEASE HELP!

(Images: source1, source2)

i *heart* bamboo

You hear a lot about bamboo when it comes to going “green.”  There are endless uses for the plant, be it housing, flooring, clothing, bed sheets, dishes, instruments, food, medicine, etc.  I personally love using a shoot of bamboo as a long curtain rod and have it over many of the windows in my house.  Did you know bamboo is one of the fastest growing plant on the earth which makes it an amazing renewable resource?

In honor of earth day I wanted to highlight the bamboo that has a special place in our home here in Maryland (yes, Maryland).  Half of the area behind our fence is a dense bamboo grove, which makes a beautiful natural barrier against an unsightly and noisy road nearby.  The amazing part of bamboo is that it stays green ALL year!

still green in the snow

Before you decide to grow your own bamboo, do your research as to the type of plant and conditions that you have to make sure it will grow and that it will not grow out of control (it can be tough to contain), but definitely consider the option.  Once it spreads along our entire back fence we will not only not see the nearby road, but be surrounded by a tropical oasis so dense that we will feel miles away from the noise of traffic.  A great way to use a sustainable resource as a natural outdoor barrier!

Happy Earth Day!  Here are some GREAT tips from the EPA on how to reduce/reuse/recycle!