still on vacation (in my mind)

hi everyone.  boy, it's been a while since i have blogged.  there have been a few reasons.  1)  i need a break.  2)  i have been ridiculously busy with work.  3)  the holidays have been insane with the amount of casseroles and pies i have made.   4)  i need a break.  5)  i just got back from a long and needed vacation in miami - i think i was so happy about not being in the kitchen for 4 days, that i just couldn't help myself!
and with that being said, i am going to take the rest of the week off and will come back to this blog next monday, charged and refreshed.  stay with me!

weekday leftovers

poor brian.  he used to have this line he would say to people, when they asked about my cooking.  "i eat better than anyone in the world".  he doesn't say that much anymore.  during the week, i am focused on what my clients are going to eat, not us.  i will sometimes have a little bit of this or that,  leftover.   we rarely sit down to a full meal on the weekdays.  i just don't have it in me to come home and cook us a meal.  and, while i am cooking during the day, i don't want to add two more "clients" to my plate, so to speak.  i always intend on starting off the weekends with a great meal for us.  but by the time friday rolls around, i ain't interested.  at all.  i mean, when my work week is over on friday, the last thing i want to do is come home and continue to work.  but, i also don't want to go out.  and of course i want to eat (i can't recall the last time i skipped a meal...).  so, that's where this photo comes in.  this was our dinner.  a few leftover saltines, one baby cucumber, some kalamata olives, onion, and two slices of havarti.  but wait, i did spice it up with some texas pete!  it sure wasn't bad, but it sure as hell wasn't memorable.  well, i guess that's not entirely true either or i wouldn't have posted about it...  some of my most memorable meals (trust me, this is not one of them) have been when there is no game plan.  when you just stand in front of your open fridge and pantry, and create.  my mom was always great about that when i was growing up, must be where i got it from.  now that i think about it, she used to make similar snacks for us, and any neighborhood kid that would come over after school.   i remember triscuits with a side bowl of dijion mustard, some sliced dill pickles, sliced onion,  and cheese if we were really lucky. 

picked from my parent's garden!

how cool is this? a home grown watermelon in the city!  who knew.  my parents live on a lake and they planted a watermelon patch near the lake line.  i have a feeling that had something to do with the success of this beauty!  while they were out of town recently, i went over to their house to pillage, i mean tend, to their garden.  i picked two watermelons, a ton of cherry tomatoes, a few cucumbers, and some basil.  by the way, cherry tomatoes are a real pain in the butt to pick.  they are so small and hide all in the vines.  i don't think i will be planting any of those in the near future.  back to the watermelon.  there must be some way to tell if the melons are ready to harvest.  clearly something i don't know.  i was going to make my client a watermelon soup and had boasted to her about the watermelon i picked from my parents' garden.  how it was going to be the best watermelon she has had...i was so proud.  but when i cut into it, it was white!  so i cut into the second one i picked, white!  i sorta felt bad that i stripped this watermelon of fulfilling its only purpose in life. am i weird?

obsessed

not with my dog (well, maybe just a bit, she is adorable), but with washing my hands.  the reason i chose this photo is because i didn't want to post a picture of my hands, a bottle of soap would have been boring, and because i can't even give my cute dog a biscuit after i have been out shopping, without washing my hands.  yes, it's true.  i wash my hands non stop.  do you?  i hope so.  if your in the kitchen cooking, at least.  i wash my hands first thing in the morning before i make breakfast (an egg white sandwich on whole wheat - every single day), i wash after i have separated the yolk.  i wash my hands always before i unload the clean dishes from the dishwasher.  i wash my hands after i check the mail ( remember the postman has touched the mailbox handle - do you know where his hands have been?  do you?).  i wash my hands instantly when i get home from the market, before i unload the groceries, after i have put them away.  i wash, wash, wash.  and i love it.  i can feel rest assured that my clients are not getting ill with these hands.  no way.  i would never send out any food that i wouldn't put in my mouth.  i hope that is how all people in the industry think, and those of you who host people for dinner.  am i obsessive/ compulsive you ask?  yes, i am.  and proud of it!

eat more fruit

i cooked all day today for a political fundraiser, and i am worn out and going to bed.  i will fill you in tomorrow as to what i prepared.  it was a hit.  my blt bites were so darn good. you will want to serve them at your next get together - they scream summer.  since this photo is self explanatory, i just wanted to remind everyone to eat more fruit. this photo also has nothing to do with what i prepared tonight, just too tired to blog.  good night.

so psyched!

this just thrills me! i was asked to cook for a client of mine who was having people over for a wine tasting. he asked that i make a pasta dish using one of the wines they would be enjoying. so, what did i turn to but of course, a bolognese. the head count was 12, so i needed a pan large enough to hold all of the sauce without having to make 2 batches. i have a few le creuset dutch ovens, but not one large enough. i went to william sonoma to invest in a 6 quart le creuset dutch oven. after 45 minutes or so of kicking around the reality i was about to drop $300, i went ahead and pulled the trigger. a bit of buyers remorse came over me, but i quickly got over it. on my way home i stopped by target to grab a few items and what did i see...giada de laurentiis has a line of cooking products. and guess what? yep, she has a beautiful 6 quart dutch oven. for a mere $89. i know what some of you are saying, especially those of you who have and use le creuset. "you get what you pay for" but, come on, how could i resist? needless to say, i made a trip back to willliam sonoma. i have only used it once, but it worked beautifully. it's incredibly heavy, great quality and it's at a fantastic price. i'll keep you posted on how it stands up after a few more uses. she has several fantastic kitchen wares that i can't wait to get my hands on.