Guess what

This is gonna get built

Candy

Icing

Cookies
What could go wrong??????!!!!!!!

Meaty Days

R is really good at barbeque.

I think his secret is all the marinade for the meat

Chicken- lemon butter and garlic marinade

Ribs- Vietnamese homemade marinade

Shrimp- salt and sugar solution- skins are on but when you peel them, so tender!

We had vegetables too- Corn and Potaotoes

Then Dessert- SMORES :)

It was all sooooo good!

I like this

I spent a fair amount of time talking to filmmakers recently. One who does documentaries almost exclusively explained that I shouldn't stage shots.
I didn't TOTALLY stage this one :)

I really like it

French things

French was in order for a long time
So we felt like doing this. Drinks with ice-cream and all sorts of decadence :)


This

This

This

Yeh I did it

Ok so this one required meat because it was to feed people who would miss it if I didn't (Maybe)
So I got the mashed potatoes and layered with meat and potato again and then cheese.

It was a good casserole. I sprinkled the top with ParmPlus

I'll just put a pic of the casserole because when I look at a pic of the meat it looks kinda gross. even for me to look at.
Next time I will just use eggplant but I'd forgotten to buy it in the store yesterday :(

EVES

Well we went out because we wanted to go somewhere nice and calming so we could just relax and talk and talk.

I don't drink often at all, so I feel loopy after just one
This was a black cherry martini

It was so yummy like juice or something but packed a punch after a while!
Have mercy.
This is me after...I look so normal right?

Hahahah my head is hurting!
There was wine around too!

State Menu

Ok let me see if I get what was on the menu right for the state dinner.
Meatless menu
A mix of Indian and American favorites, including some African-American standards.
Collard greens and curried prawns, chickpeas and okra, nan and cornbread
Arugula from the White House garden
Pumpkin pie tart
Potato and eggplant salad,
Red lentil soup and roasted potato dumplings
Pear tatin with whipped cream and caramel sauce made up the dessert; the pears were poached in honey from the White House beehive.

This is the official

The State Dinner Menu

First
Potato and Eggplant Salad
White House Arugula with Onion Seed Vinaigrette
2008 Sauvignon Blanc, Modus Operandi, Napa, California

Red Lentil Soup with Fresh Cheese
2006 Riesling, Brooks "Ara," Willamette Valley, Oregon

Entree
Roasted Potato Dumplings
with Tomato Chutney
Chick Peas and Okra

or

Green Curry Prawns
Caramelized Salsify
with smoked Collard Greens
and Coconut Aged Basmati
2007 Grenache, Beckmen Vineyards, Santa Ynez, CA

Dessert
Pumpkin Pie Tart
Pear Tatin
Whipped Cream and Caramel Sauce
Sparkling Chardonnay, Thibaut Janisson Brut, Monticello, Virginia

Petis Fours and Coffee
Cashew Brittle
Pecan Pralines
Passion Fruit and Vanilla Glaces
Chocolate-Dipped Fruit

For a thing

Then there was a thing and I had to go on and make a casserole which was very well liked.
It's one of the easiest things to make besides sandwiches any time you are invited to a party or a 'thing'.

I layered mashed while potato, cooked minced veges and sweet potato with pepper jack cheese and potato chips smashed on top.

I ate some of it and savored every bite because it had been so long since I had eaten potato.
So good!

Day One

After this happened the day after I made the cheesecake, I cut it all up and wrapped the pieces in wax paper, then put them in the freezer.

I haven't touched it since.
Good thing too because it's too yummy to resist :(

PS

I forgot to mention I got burned while baking


My arm touched the side of the oven and there it went.
It stings!

Finally

I finally made the sweet potato cheese cake.

Granted I had my sis on the phone guiding me through the process but it worked out for the best.

Let my cream cheese soften (3 of the 8oz blocks)

Add powdered sugar (I use powdered because its easier to cream into the cheese) 1 1/4 cup.

Cream together

Add one of the three eggs

Add one pound of sweet potato...

I had two pounds so I will use the rest to make pancakes or something.

Add the other eggs and some lemon juice (to cut the freshness of the egg)

Mix that all together so it combines. Don't mix to incoporate air because since you have eggs in there, if you have too much air incorportaed, strange things happen in the oven and your mixture will rise then fall and crack.

Then you are outta luck :(

Add vanilla essence if you want (I didn't)

Pour into crust (I bought a graham 10 inch crust to save time but next time I will make it myself)

Place in preheated 350 degree oven. Bake for about 45 mins

Take out and cool, then refrigerate for at least three hours

Then yum yum yum.

This was sooo easy to make!

Next time I am using an oreo crust.

Whipped Butter

Is one of my favorite things.
Whenever they serve whipped butter without you having to ask for it, know that you are going to get a good meal.

Spread it on the warm bread and feel it dissolve and disappear on your tongue then taste it on your lips afterward.

Likey

I saw this vegan cookbook at that place that is so informal that they ask you what you want to pay for things.
I couldn't believe it. They have prices on the books and things and they say you can just pay what you think is fair.

This is not good for a person like me, because then I start to feel guilty, like I am taking food from someone's mouth and then I am tempted to OVER pay.

But I didn't buy the book. I was so tron over the price I just looked through it, and then put it down.
However I really did like the book, the food, and the illustrations.

YAY!

One of my articles got published at halogentv and they want me to send some more!


I feel so happy.
http://www.halogentv.com/slow-food-in-the-city/

Vegan Vegetarian

I suspect that I will be attending more potlucks of this nature if I am to go to more of the movie screenings about Sustainable Agriculture.

The array of vegetarian/vegan food that they had at the potluck was great.
I didn't eat anything because I wasn't hungry, but I was really impressed at everybody bringing something tasty and the hosts bringing dishes and cutlery from home so that there would be no wastage of paper plates.

I talked to Kai is Kai (media and vegetarian lifestyle) and Keesh (environmental protection) a lot before the screening

Kai makes documentaries and offered help anytime we need it.

I was like YEH we may need.

So it's really going to happen

I like how friendly and helpful people are being.

I didn't think it would be this way at all!
I thought that filmmakers would be stingy with their knowledge or expertise...

I've only run across one such so far

I am so happy about the way things are going.

Domo

We had the first workshop and then two hours in between the second and we were hungry
So we went back to that place with the song.
Mister.

She had this

I had this

The ginger sauce was amazing.....
This was on the table of the people across from us....

Grill Master

Well there was 'a game' (i.e. excuse for cooking)
So R got all grilly with the grill and did meat and potatoes

We had workshop so I got these just as C as finishing getting her clothes etc.

Soooo yummy.

I love when people love good food and cooking.