Domestic Diva! - Gazpacho

So the other day my sweetie and I were munching on Flatout Flatbread Crisps, when my sweetie mentioned that he thought they would be great with Gazpacho.

Hmm.  I've never made this before.  So after a bit of research I found a recipe on Pioneer Woman that I thought I could make.  I really love checking out her site.  She has so many wonderful ideas.

You'll need:

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 whole red onion, diced

1 whole large cucumber, diced

5 whole tomatoes, diced

1 whole zucchini, diced

2 celery stalks, diced

1 dash of salt, to taste

1/4 gallon tomato juice

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/8 cup red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons sugar

6 dashes Tabasco, or less to taste

1 dash pepper, to taste

Fresh Veggies!  Yum!

First mince the garlic finely.  I'm lazy, I admit it.  I used 2 teaspoons of the already minced garlic.  Next cut your red onion in half and then peel.

Then dice...  I used less of the onion.  I'm not big on onion and tried to keep my pieces small.  It's all about personal preference though.

Next cut the cucumber in half lengthwise.  I hope you can halve yours better than I can.  

Then dice them up.  A helpful hint is to cut the long vegetables into match sticks.  It does make it a bit easier.

Use this method on the zucchini too.  Okay?  Great!

Next dice up the tomatoes.  I'm using 2 large ones for this batch.  There are only two of us so I don't want to go over board.  And it's going to make a lot!

Finally dice up some celery stalks.  I know Pioneer Woman recommends using the leaves as well, but mine had no leaves since they'd been cleaned earlier.  It's all up to your preference.

Next you blend up the garlic with half the tomato juice and half the vegetables.  I had to do it in smaller batches because I have a small food processor, but you get the idea.

Next pour in 2 cups of the tomato juice.  Or whatever your food processor can handle.

Then add 1/4 cup olive oil.  I highly recommend using extra virgin olive oil here.  Next add the vinegar.  It doesn't have to be red wine vinegar, but it's what I like.  And you can use as much as you want.  I just didn't want the acidity to be too high.

To counter both the acidity of the vinegar and tomato, add some sugar.  I added only 2 small spoonfuls, but you can do more.  Just keep tasting.  I'm not one for sweet soup so that's why I only did a little sugar.

If you want to spice things up you can add a few dashes of Tabasco or more.  I actually forgot this steps, so mine has no spice or heat to it.

You can also add the salt at this time.  

Now blend!

Please note that we are not making this completely smooth.  It'll have a nice texture and pretty flakes of color in it.  I love those pretty flecks of green from the cucumber and zucchini.

Next pour into a large bowl and add the rest of the tomato juice.  At this time you can add 1/2 of the remaining vegetables, this will give you more texture.  I'll admit I didn't do this, so I have lots of veggies left over for topping.

Cover the bowl and chill a couple of hours.  Not only do you want the gazpacho cold, but you want to give the flavors time to meld.

Domestic Diva Strikes! - BLT Bites

So I've come to the realization that I'm going to be attending more functions that require me to bring a dish or two to it.

Color me panicked!

I've never claimed to be a good cook.  So I started looking for things that are easy to make.  And then I came across this wonderful things called Pinterest.  Oh the hours I can waste on this site.  But I have found some helpful things.

And so I thought I'd share.  I had a social function (which was SO much fun) that I need to bring something to.

I made BLT bites that I discovered through Pinterest at this wonderful site.  It's easy to do, doesn't take all that much time to make and it is yummy!  I came home with an empty plate.

You'll need:

16 small cherry tomatoes (I used cocktail tomatoes)

1/2 pound bacon, cooked and crumbled (I used a whole package)

1/2 cup mayonnaise, not Miracle Whip

1/3 cup minced green onion, white and green parts 

2 Tbsp. minced romaine lettuce

Ingredients

I actually used cocktail tomatoes.  They are bigger, which makes them easier to scoop out.  Also I used an entire package of bacon, because there is no such thing as too much bacon (in my opinion).  And one final note, I think ice burg lettuce will work fine, I just happened to have romaine on hand.

Directions:

Cut a thin slice off the stem of each tomato, then scoop out and discard the pulp.  This is why I said to get the bigger tomatoes.  You'll thank me, I promise.

Drain the tomatoes, cut side down, on a paper towel for at least 10 minutes.  I did it for a bit longer because my tomatoes seemed really juicy.  You can judge for yourself though.

While the tomatoes are draining, mix the remaining ingredients in a bowl.  Stir gently to mix.  I actually went a little lighter on the green onions because I was a bit worried they would overpower.  They didn't.

Spoon the mixture into the tomato.

Refrigerate, covered, at least one hour, but not over night.  Serve chilled.

Granted, mine are larger than the other blogs because I used grape tomatoes, but I think it works well.

An easy dish that takes 1 1/2 hours give or take.  Is easy.  Doesn't require a lot of prep and is quite yummy!

Now go try it!

Memory Lane

So while I'm here for my dad's surgery/recovery I've also been able to do a few other things.  My parents encouraged me to see friends and do things.  I think they needed space.  I may have as well.


So on Wednesday, after spending two 15 minutes visits with my dad (he was still in recovery) I headed out to Wood River to see my buddy from high school, Sheila.  We were able to meet up at Mama Mia's in Wood River.  I was able to meet her two lovely children, Allison and James, and we had a very nice time catching up.  I had a blonde moment and forgot to get a picture of the two of us together.  Ugh!  The very reason I brought my camera.


Thursday I got to meet up with my buddy, Mindy.  Yes, once again I forgot to get a picture of us together.  *sigh*  So after getting to visit with my dad for a while in his hospital room (Yay!  He's out of recovery), Mindy picked me up to take me for lunch at Cheddar's.  Mindy works in Springfield and was gracious enough to give me her lunch hour.

A yummy Jack in the Box lunch.

So Friday I spent with my brother Tim.  We went to some wineries, which you can read about on Rosatodi.  But before we headed out we had Jack in the Box for lunch!  YUMMY! We don't have Jack in the Box back at my house, so this was quite the treat.  I got to have egg rolls and chicken strips.  I know if the hubby was along he'd have gotten the tacos.  It may not be the best food in the world, but it's a good memory for me.  And when you can't get it where you are, it makes it seem all the better.

While I was headed back to my old stomping grounds, I had to stop and take a photo of this sign.  It's been there for as long as I can remember.  And I know the minute I come across it I'm getting closer to my destination.  At least when my parents still lived in the area.  What can I say?  Nostalgia hits me every time.

And I could be in my home town and not stop for a Humm Dinger at Hit and Run. Something I used to get all the time in high school but had almost forgotten about. It's a size, 32 ounces to be exact, of the drink. You can get whatever you want in it.


Needless to say, I didn't need much else to drink for the day.  


Good memories all around!

Birthday Celebration

So on Wednesday I met up with some friends at the Melting Pot for a birthday celebration. Jack Jack turned 13 and he decided he wanted the Melting Pot. It's something neither he nor his sisters had been to so I thought it was a GREAT idea.

Now I will admit, I didn't take most of the pictures on this blog. I have to give the credit to Super Freak, because she brought her little camera and all I had was my camera phone. Which didn't do well in the dim lighting.


Now this one I did take a picture of. It's their Yin Yang Martini. Very yummy and very cold. If you sip to quickly you can get brain freeze.

I only had one of these. I'm more for liquid than slush. :-)


I thought this one was pretty funny. Super Freak was, well freaked out, by the lobster. They had sliced up the lobster meat and placed it back on the tail for presentation.

So there was a LOT of goofing off with that. Their lobster tail even got a name. So I thought it appropriate that there was a picture of Super Freak and Larry the Lobster.

And Super Freak was nice enough to get a picture of me and her mom, Deborah.

I had a fantastic time. And was glad to be included in the celebration.

Happy birthday Jack Jack!

Passion: The Cooking Class

So the other night I went with some of the wardroom wives for a cooking class. I'd never been to Passion's before and had no idea what I was getting into. I've had a hard time figuring out how to describe this experience. It's like sitting at the chef's table. The chef told us about each dish and answered any and all questions.
This was a four course meal.

The first course was White Truffle Risotto with Asiago Cheese and Parmesan Cheese Crisp. I LOVED this. I'm a big risotto fan and the truffle in it was just so yummy! It was paired with Kung Fu Girl 2009 Riesling. The label gave me a chuckle and I thought the pairing was very nice. A bit of effervescence on the tongue and nice and crisp.

The second course was Fried Soft Shel with Bercy Sauce and Seared Asparagus. Originally they were going to pair it with Craggy Range 2007 Chardonnay, but the wine steward wasn't happy with the wine so they switched to a Petit Chenin Blanc by Ken Forrester. It went nicely with the crabs. I have learned that I'm not a soft shell crab fan. Although it was good, I just wasn't into it. I'm glad I tried it. Lesson learned. I think another factor was that it kind of creeped me out. I don't really care much for the look of crabs. They look like mutant insects.

Brandy, who was sitting to my right, has a seafood allergy and had Chicken Francis instead of the Fried Soft Shell. She was kind enough to let me try her chicken. Thanks again Brandy!

And of course the asparagus was fantastic. I don't think I've ever had asparagus that I don't like. It was crisp and still that pretty green color. So I was extremely happy with the veggie portion of this dish.

For the third course we had Crispy Skinned Seared Duck Breast with a Ginger Plum Sauce, Brocollini and Garlic Mashers. They paired this with a 2008 The Stump Jump Shiraz. I wasn't a big fan of the wine, but the duck was fantastic. Duck is either done well or poorly. This was done well. And I loved the sauce with it. I will admit I'm a bit of a potato snob, but the garlic mashers were so smooth and creamy that I could have made a meal out of them. Then again I am the carb queen. Also I'd never had brocollini before, so that was a first. And it wasn't bad. I actually had them box up most of this course because I was filling up and I definitely want to keep that yumminess for later.

The fourth course was Strawberry Passion - Macerated in Orange Cognac and Flambe with Fresh Mint. We cheered, of course, when Chef Barner lit the cognac. I'm not much for ice cream, but this was yummy! They paired this with Elyssia Pinot Noir Brut. Which was very nice. I always love the sparkling wines and the lovely pink color of the wine was a nice compliment to the dessert.

Of course I can't finish this blog without a picture of the chef. The evening was wonderful and Chef Garett Barner did a fantastic job. This is DEFINITELY something I will do again and suggest to as many friends as possible. I had a fantastic evening!

Girl's Only Lunch

Normally I'm hesitant to post photos of myself. I never like the way I look. Yes I know, I'm vain. Get over it.

But Clare's mommy got this one while we were having lunch at Panera's. And I think it's pretty good. She caught me as I was giving Clare a smooch upon those adorable cheeks.

So go ahead, soak in the cuteness of Clare. I'll wait.

You didn't go into cute overload did you?

And if you were really observant you'll notice that Clare is featured as my photo entitled 'Untouched Laughter'.

So Becky thanks for passing along the beautiful photo.

And that was from her phone. Aren't these new cell phones awesome?

I had a great time with you girls. We need to start doing this on a more frequent basis.

No Fear

So over the weekend the hubby and I were able to get together with some friends that the two of us haven't seen in quite some time.

We went to Cheeseburger in Paradise for lunch on Sunday. It's kid friendly and serves very good food. We had fried pickles, something I'd never had but found quite tasty, and spicy queso and chips to start out with. Of course Greta and I had a few of their tasty drinks. Everyone was happy with their burgers. And we shared their chocolate nachos for dessert. Very yummy!

So I know you're looking at the pictures and going what does this have to do with the price of tea in China.

And what's up with that title?

Fear not that was the appetizer, now I will get to the meat of the matter.

How was that for a pun?

What don't I even get a chuckle for that? A smile at least? Geez tough crowd.

After lunch we went to Blue Bird Gap Farm so Colten could run off some steam. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

That's where the peacock comes in. I thought I would get a picture of the bird. For some reason I find the animal not only lovely, but intriguing. I was hoping to see the white peacock, but he was no where to be seen. I stayed in one spot and the bird approached me. Fearless little shit. I'm sure he thought I had food and was looking for said hand out. He was sorely disappointed.

And I had to get this shot of Colten and Steve feeding the deer. Another animal that hadn't shown any fear when the three year old ran up to his area.

But that's how most of the animals are at this farm. Very used to people and always up for a hand out. Which is fine by me. The place runs on donations. I think it's a worthy cause.

If you're in the area, stop by, check the place out and make a donation.

A Tasty Treat

What does one do after visiting a mansion? Why go have gelato of course!

We went to Cold Fusion after the tour. My parents had not had gelato and I thought on a hot day it would be a nice treat.

Mom had Raspberry and Mudslide. As you can see she enjoyed it thoroughly and was able to finish it all. It was quite good. I think I would follow her choice of flavors in the future.

Dad had Rum Raisin and Pana Cotta. I think I know where I get my attitude from. =) Each flavor is good in their own right, but Dad didn't really care for Rum Raisin once he'd gotten it. Even though he did sample it. The two flavors combined just did not do well.

I had Chocolate Amaretto. Which actually tasted like a chocolate covered cherry. Which is good, but not my cup of tea. I should stay with fruits. I liked the prickly cactus pear that I tried. Their servings are huge and I'm not a major ice cream eater.

Chowdah!

That's right! Say it like a local! Forget your r's.

So Saturday was the Great Chowder Cook-Off here in Newport, Rhode Island. Luckily I'd purchased our tickets ahead of time. So we avoided that hassle. We were smart, this time around we parked near a friends house so we didn't have to pay for parking, which can get ridiculous as the season progresses. Thanks John and Ruth! We walked from their house to the event. Much closer than our house is. Props to you guys!

We tried a variety of clam chowders, seafood chowders and something called creative chowders. Jim had his favorites in the seafood chowder and I had mine, but we pretty much agreed in the clam chowder category. The creative category was a bit wonky. Most were more like soups than chowder. I like my chowder to be of a more creamy base than a soup consistency. I know I'm weird. Oddly enough the one we liked the best was one from a place in California. It's kinda cool that they came all that way to be in a cook off.

We got there early, thank goodness. Because by mid-afternoon it was getting really hot, so we decided to bug out. As we left we voted for our favorites and noticed how bad the lines were getting. Yikes! Crowds plus heat plus us does not equal a good thing. I'm not exactly sure who won, but it was lots of fun tasting all the different chowders. If you click the link they should update their site sometime soon. Hopefully they'll post the winners soon. I'm hoping for the Blue Mermaid to have done well in the creative category. Thanks to Bruce for pointing us in that direction. It was quite tasty.

And of course watching all the interesting people was fun. We saw lots of our friends there. It's always good to see your friends out of the work environment as the hubby would say. A giant clam was wondering about. At his own peril I might add. Hey it was a chowder cook-off. You never know when someone might need some more clams. :-) And, Colten you'll love this, there were a group of pirates wandering about. I managed to snap a picture of one of them, but haven't downloaded the photos yet. Hopefully I'll get them soon.

I was exhausted after that. We'd eaten, had a beer, been in a large crowd and had a bit too much sun. Hey I'm pink again. When will I learn to put sunscreen on?

Whoopie!

My buddy, Greta, used to wax poetic about whoopie pies. At first I was confused by this. What the heck was a whoopie pie? To this Midwestern girl it looked like an overgrown Suzy Q. Only they were round and not as messy. I didn't have much of a sweet tooth at the time, so I didn't see the big deal.

Apparently she couldn't get them in Norfolk and I don't recall ever seeing them when I was growing up in Illinois. She had family in Maine that would send them to her. And she was ecstatic when they arrived. Would go into a near sugar high over them.

Moving to Rhode Island I found whoopie pies in the store and it made me think of my buddy. So I purchased one just to see if it was as good as she said it was. I know she'd shared them with me in the past, but can't remember much about them. Guess your taste buds change over time.

I now see the appeal. Yum! So sweet and moist. It can be very addictive. I'll have to be careful or else I'll be gaining a LOT of weight from those tasty treats.

Good Food, Good Friends, Goodbye Margarita's

I just found out on Friday that a restaurant that the hubby and I enjoy will be closing it's doors tonight. So we decided one last yummy dinner was in order last night. The outside may not be much to look at, but the food is excellent. Wish I'd gotten a better picture, but I forgot to take one when it was light out.

And what better way to send the restaurant on it's way than with good friends. So we stopped by my work to let them know what was going on and see if anyone was interested in joining us. Of course our buddy Phil was up to the challenge. We even got a great table on the porch. The night was fantastic for dining outside. Not to warm and a gentle breeze.

Linda and Neil were also able to join us for one last meal at this great restaurant. We had some nice conversations and of course great food. And here's to hoping the owner decides to reopen Margarita's in the Spring!

We were even lucky enough to be invited to a sort of farewell party that the owner is throwing for his regulars. Great thing about small towns is they do start to recognize you after a while. The only thing the boys wished for was a cigar to end the evening. Oh well you can't have it all.

How Did We Manage That?

August 9th was supposed to be a day of rest from the battle fields. We were supposed to go to Washington's birthplace, Lee's birthplace, the winery I work at, and do a brief visit at Fredericksburg battlefield. And possibly go downtown Fredericksburg to take in some of the history there. Stay out of the heat since it was to be a scorcher that day. That's not how it happened though.

We went to the Fredericksburg battlefield first. Don't get me wrong, it's interesting. But I think I've done this battlefield three times or more since we live near by. It should have only taken us an hour, maybe an hour and a half. But it took us much longer. Most of the day in fact. Now I will admit we did get a late start, but still. . . We also decided to do the driving tour. Which was nice since we got to be in the air conditioning. Note to self. Bring a book. Although we did stop for Chipotle's for lunch. Yum!

Once we finally got away from that we headed for the other activities that had been scheduled for the day, but due to time constraints we could only do two. We went to Washington's birthplace first. Something neither the hubby or I had done. We got there near the end of the day so the park ranger didn't even charge us. I thought that was really nice of him. It is a beautiful area. We were able to go to the location of where the house stood and stroll the grounds. Luckily we left just before the storm hit.

Luckily for us the winery that I work at is on summer hours and stays open until six. Well until Labor Day that is. So we were able to do a tasting. I got to see some people that I hadn't seen from work in a while. Which was nice, but also a bit distracting. Also found out which wines Sarah and Derek enjoy. Needless to say they have very good taste. They like the black label wines. We were also able to give them a tour. Unfortunately our wine maker had already left for the day so I couldn't introduce them and pick his brain. I tend to do that a lot.

For dinner we headed out to a place called Good Eats in Kinsale. It's a bit of a hoof, but we thought it was worth it. It really doesn't look like much from the outside, but remember the adage 'Don't judge a book by it's cover.' The place looks like it could have been an old gas station at one point in time. The inside is nice though. The only term the hubby and I can think to describe it is chez country. And we don't mean that in a bad way. The food is fantastic. Derek and I split a bottle of Malbec. They do carry Ingleside wine, which makes me happy, but I really wanted Malbec with my prime rib. I'd say Derek must have liked the food since he did finish off the rest of my steak and Sarah's. I was so full that I fell asleep on the way home. Bad hostess.

One thing I did learn so far this week. I have camera envy. I want a new digital camera!

Holy Cow Batman That's A Lot Of Meat!

Today we went to Texas de Brazil with our friends Derek and Sarah. It was quite the experience. If you have a place like this I highly recommend it. The service was fantastic! The atmosphere lovely. And the food was to die for. Did I mention that the company was beyond pleasant? It can be a bit pricey, but is oh so worth it!

Our friends just arrived at the Richmond airport and to celebrate their arrival we decided to try this resturant that a co-worker of my hubby's had recommended. Notice it took some friends coming for a visit for us to try the place. Holy cow was there a lot of meat there. I swear I could feel my arteries hardening as soon as we sat down. There was beef, chicken, pork and lamb. And thier wine selection was to die for. I didn't even get to look through the entire thing. I did choose a 2006 Argentinian Malbec that went quite nicely with the various meats that they served. Later I asked for a dry white and our waiter, Tre, found me a wonderful Chardonnay that wasn't too oaky. I'm kicking myself because I didn't get the names of the wines. I just wished they'd had some nice Virginian wines. But I guess that would have been pushing my luck huh?

We capped off the evening with some decedant desserts. The hubby and I both had to get our desserts put in a to go box. I swear I thought I was going to pop!