Decorated Table

I just decorated with crafts this year

My magazine tree which I did not glitter with Christmas crackers.

I don't want to by more craft stuff tillI have used up all my paints etc.

The crackers are what I am giving to friends this year! :)

Co-op

I started my volunteer at the co-op
It was so cool
I never worked in such a place before. Selling things and being in a shop or something like that.
It was a strange experience.
I had a good time with the supervisor.
We talked a lot and made membership cards etc
YAY!
I love it there.
Pics soon
I am too lazy to post.

Christmas Food

On the day itself
I'll probably eat eggplant.
Like last Christmas.
I miss last Christmas.

Ok Ok Ok

People are going to think I like this guy for all the shallow reasons.
But that is soooo not true.

When I first saw him on Chef Academy I didn't think much of him.
Then I heard him speak, and I started to look at him.
I heard how he talked about food, and how he prepared it and I saw how good his food was, and how nice he was to everyone.
He is just kind and talked to everyone and so willing to help. I just like when people are kind. I am immediately drawn to anyone who is kind.
His passion for food and cooking made me like him regardless of what he was doing a his past career. That is is past.
So I dearly like him
Emmanuel Delcour (plus his name is hot lol)
Yay! :)

J

J posted this in his album and I laughed when I saw it

So cute

Dinner

So we had to meet up again
The girls had this stuff
Tuna with pear

Eggplant

Salmon
It looked good. We had a great time talking.

Taste like cake

This drink tasted like cake.

It's called Nuts and Berries and it was just soooo good.

I felt like I was drinking a cake.

Sweet Dessert

This was pretty cool

Sweet potato with caramel and ice-cream

I really enjoyed this.

At home

I steamed these up yesterday.
I didn't like the filling.

Eh...
I dunno about this meal.

I took a bite but then I didn't any of these.

Fail!

OMG
This was one of the worst dishes I ever made
I am trying all kinds of vegetarian things just to make sure I can do it all the time and not revert to meat when I feel lazy.
So I tried this soup.
Its a baby bella and white bean soup.
Sounds like it might work right?
WRONG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I sauteed the mushrooms till they turned brown and added the white beans. Then I added seasonings, oregano, pepper, salt, parsley, etc.
I added water and simmered.
Then I put it through the blender and added a little gorgonzola.
In theory this should work
This thing had the worst smell. It was the baby portabella mushrooms! I think I had to cook them longer.

Like really cook them so their juice extruded and they absorbed all the flavor of the seasonings I put in. Usually when I cook this type of mushroom it always comes out so perfectly delcicious.
I know I didn't cook it enough

Added to that:
The white beans have no flavor on their own.
And beans are not my fav

So it tastes like this MASS of goop that has great seasonings but the underlying flavor sucks!!!!!
It's enough to make me want to give up. But I will try again!
I will not be beat by soup!
ps. I am really ill right now and wanted soup to help me heal.
Too bad it did not work. I haven't been able to eat much these past days.

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.