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December 27, 2007

happy holidays…..

the past week in photo form:

lunch with the family at greens:

view from my seat  greens restaurant, sf wine for lunch neat packaging eggplant & pepper pizza black bean chilli again with the bread! i ordered the sampler coconut marquis pine nut tart

dinner with my family at zuni:

dinner with family at zuni. worth quitting atkins over caesar salad anchovies seafoods bruschetta with cannelinni mash, mushrooms & oil roasted chicken with bread salad mmmmmm i ate like half of these effers. two hands! two hands! aftermath.  disgusting i know.  but so good! pecan cornmeal biscotti

finishing decorative touches around the house…..

glow and show your tackyness to our neighbors! the mantle at night

over-extending myself in the kitchen…..

overly ambitious.  my kitchen was a disaster last night. rugelach

last minute wrapping…

to: dad to: emma to: angie to: henry

-Christmas Eve dinner at my parents (too busy to take pics! sooo sad!)

-Christmas Day with the hubbie’s family

xmas dinner presentation the flowers horse gets pestered i'd sit here every night if i could

-Day after Christmas–family portraits taken at the beach…..

getting ready for the family portrait i wore converse! my ears are cold what are these called?

– dinner at my house with husband’s family (made two soups)

-made it to 100 posts on this blog!!!   (thank you for all your kind words & support!  It’s been fun!)

and……a lot of other stuff happened too…but we finally have some down time….and I have three new magazines to devour.

more soon….

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December 24, 2007

Merry Christmas!

to: linda

Merry Christmas!  Wishing you all the best! 

May your Christmas be filled with sweets & goodies.

xoxoxox

Tracy

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December 22, 2007

Easy Peppermint Bark

I was in such a zone while making this, that I forgot to take pictures along the way!  When does that happen?  Oh holidays, I love you—but please hurry up and be over soon!

So here’s a peak of what they *looked* like:

the last of the peppermint bark

They are incredibly easy, light & tasty…..with the perfect crunch!

peppermint bark all packaged up

It’s like mixing a rice krispy treat with a candy cane!

Peppermint Bark


(makes about 35 pieces)

Recipe from Everyday Food

  • 1 pound white chocolate, chopped (do not use chips)
  • 2 cups puffed rice cereal
  • 1 bag (7.5 ounces) hard peppermint candies, unwrapped
  • Nonstick cooking spray


  1. Spray a 10-by-15-inch rimmed baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray; line with a piece of waxed paper. Crush candies in a Ziploc bag—strain out the powder.
  2. Place white chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over (not in) a saucepan of simmering water. Heat, stirring occasionally, until smooth, 4 to 6 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in rice cereal.
  3. Transfer mixture to prepared pan; with a spatula, spread to edges of pan.
  4. Sprinkle with crushed candy; with a piece of waxed paper covering the entire surface, press in gently (paper prevents hands from sticking to candy and chocolate). Chill until firm, 20 to 30 minutes (no longer, as candy will begin to soften).
  5. Peel waxed paper off. Break bark into 2-inch pieces. Store at room temperature in an airtight container, up to 1 week.

They are just as good as those Trader Joe’s Candy Cane Joe-Joe’s!

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December 20, 2007

Make your own Truffles!

I can’t believe that Christmas is only a few days away.

I now have a pounding headache to prove it.   *joy*

I stayed up til midnight making these babies:

my loot

In this batch you will find…..

Peppermint Infused Truffles Rolled in Candy Cane Bits:

peppermint infused truffles with candy cane bits

Bourbon Infused Truffles rolled in Trader Joe’s Sweet & Spicy Pecans:

bourbon truffles with sweet/spicy pecan topping

and those same bourbon truffles rolled in Chopped Roasted Pistachios….

bourbon truffles with pistachio topping

Plain Truffles smothered in Cocoa Powder:

plain truffle with coccoa powder dusting

And something festive, cuz you know-it’s that time of year- or something:

plain truffle with festive sprinkles

ok so on with the recipe….

Chocolate Truffles

(Makes about 30)

Recipe from the back of Martha Stewart Treat Packaging

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb. bittersweet chocolate chopped
  • 3/4 cup  heavy cream
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) butter-unsalted & softened
  • 2 tablespoons of flavored liquor (optional)
  • 1-2 cups of the chopped topping of your choice

1. Heat chocolate and cream in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally, until chocolate is melted and mixture smooth. Remove from heat, add butter  and liquor/flavoring if your heart desires (do it).  Stir until butter is melted.

2. Pour mixture into an 8 inch square baking dish.  Cover with plastic wrap and stick it in the fridge for about 2 hours.

3. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a very small (about 1 inch diameter) ice cream scoop (or melon baller), drop balls of chocolate in whatever coating you wish.  Roll to coat.

Store in an air tight container in the fridge until ready to serve.  They keep for up to 2 weeks.

For the Bourbon Truffles, I poured in 2 heaping tablespoons of Maker’s Mark.

For the Peppermint Truffles, I poured in 2 heaping tablespoons of Peppermint Oil.

Each one of the Martha Stewart Boxes I bought fit 4:

inside truffle package

Adding something festive….

truffle central

Stay Tuned for the Peppermint Bark recipe!

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December 16, 2007

Blueberry Muffins

i froze you at the end of september. now you've come back to make me breakfast. egg love  flour and sugar caught making out i really like measuring baking powder for some reason i ended up making a mess.  go figure trying not to make a mess....not working stirring those babies UP im paranoid that they will stick fresh outta the oven im a huge fan of butter

“How To” Blueberry Muffins

Recipe from Donna Hay Modern Classics 2

(Makes 12)

Ingredients

2 cups plain (all-purpose) flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup sour cream
2 eggs
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon rind
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1-1/4 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl. Add the sugar and stir to combine.

Place the sour cream, eggs, lemon rind and oil in a bowl and whisk until smooth. Stir the sour cream mixture through the flour and sugar mixture until just combined.

Sprinkle over the blueberries and stir once. Spoon the mixture into 12 x 1/2 cup (4 fl oz) capacity nonstick muffin tins until two-thirds full. Bake for 16 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer.

For tender muffins that rise well, stir the mixture evenly and only until just combined. Do not overwork the mixture.

***husband approved.  will be making these again.  next time i will be putting some sugar on top for a nice crispy crust***

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December 16, 2007

To Do List (typed on Friday)

-mail the rest of the xmas cards (yes,done)-sleep in! (Saturday-not really/Sunday-yes!)

-make a dessert? (made blueberry muffins from a Donna Hay cookbook)

skip to the good part

-post a recipe (hold your horses- i’ll do that in a sec)

-figure out which cookies to make for xmas (umm good ones? gingerbread ones?)

-take some photos (well yes of course, but here are a few more)

i like this tunnel.  dont hold your breath though, it's long rainbow tunnels & prius land 45mph lady. texting on the bridge next to a hot woman....real smart

-finish laundry (3 loads down, two more to go)

-wrap xmas presents (almost done)

-squeeze cats (yes- but maybe more before bed)

-buy xmas presents for the dudes in the family (one dude down, three dudes to go)

-have a cocktail (i’ll get on that now)

-go to grandmas house for lunch/dinner on Saturday (yes and here’s proof)

getting ready to dig in sausage & meatballs in *gravy* mmmmm *gravy* round 1 i'm not drinking fucking merlot! grandma done!

-watch the season finale of Dexter (done! wow! I will miss you, dex!)

– go to Target (yup! what a zoo! frightening!)

-watch some Flight of the Conchords (watched 3 episodes)

sorry jemaine

-straighten up craft room (doing so now)

-work out (yes! feeling the burn, baby!)

Not on the list:

-went to Borders

-made a yummy Potato Leek Soup with croutons (recipe soon)

Now, it’s time to finish straightening up my craft room, wrap some presents with a cocktail, post a recipe, take care of laundry and unwind….. Happy Sunday everyone.

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December 10, 2007

The calm before the storm

Started off this past weekend with a bang (food wise).

I had a long Lunch at Slanted Door with co-workers:

ED is in rED ginger limeade! rib my favorite item: spring rolls (no pork) green papaya salad imperial rolls- crispy

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