Cooking
For Christmas eve day, we drove to North Carolina to spend time with my mom, step-dad & 'baby' sister. We had a lovely brunch, watched Alex get spoiled with Lego's, played with Jack & new puppy Max, and finished up with a guided tour of the Biltmore.
My mom's a pastry chef at the DeerPark, one of the restaurants on the estates. And we not only saw that, but various spots on the grounds (Alex had great fun meeting all the animals, including a retired pair of ENORMOUS work horses), the gift shop at the winery where my sister works, and a few other spots.
We also toured the Biltmore house, itself. Oh, my...gorgeous. And big. And full of steps! I don't think my knees have recovered yet (as I'm sure the Wii would be happy to tell me).
No photos allowed in the house, but I do have shots of the stables, the 'farm', and other spots. What I share with you, however, is this beautiful gingerbread house my mom & the others in her restaurant made. Isn't it lovely?
There's an even more impressive gingerbread building, of the Biltmore itself, on the lowest level of the estate. Again, no photos. Mom's promised to send a picture soon. It's...massive. I think I got a cramp in my hand just looking at all the detail work they did on that thing.
Time to unpack your grass skirt, and gather your coconuts, because for our 42nd get-tether, it's Tiki, Two here at Blog Party!
Hope to see you there.
- Cookbook Review: The Sweeter Side Of Amy's Bread
Pecan Sticky Buns, the Original Version Revised On the advice of a friend who also happens to be a trained pastry chef (hi, Katherine!), I picked up the original Amy's Bread cookbook last year. Having overcome my yeastaphobia seven or so years ago,...
- Chile Cashew Chicken
Not much to say here. A nice little stir-fry type recipe, another Donna Hay. Ginger, onions, red pepper, chicken (or in this case, Quorn), rice noodles, chilies, cashews. Good. Time to unpack your grass skirt, and gather your coconuts, because for...
- Smoked Chicken, Lime & Avocado Pasta
This was such a pleasant surprise! Another Donna Hay recipe, it's pasta tossed with a dressing of olive oil, lime zest & juice, salt & pepper, and a bit of sugar. To this, add thinly sliced smoked chicken (or in our case, smoked Boca 'chik'...
- Souper Sundays: Chipotle Chicken Tortilla Soup
Another Sunday, another soup. Another chance to join up with Deb & Souper Sundays. This soup was all for Matt. I think the name explains all. I used this recipe, with a few changes. First, for the broth, I roasted the chicken beforehand, giving it a...
- Balsamic & Thyme Chickpea & Chorizo
We don't really set resolutions in our house, although we do think of goals for ourselves, and the family. One thing we want to do is add more ethnic & flavorful dishes to the menu. It also helps if these dishes use only a few ingredients, good strong...
Cooking
What I did on my Christmas Vacation
For Christmas eve day, we drove to North Carolina to spend time with my mom, step-dad & 'baby' sister. We had a lovely brunch, watched Alex get spoiled with Lego's, played with Jack & new puppy Max, and finished up with a guided tour of the Biltmore.
My mom's a pastry chef at the DeerPark, one of the restaurants on the estates. And we not only saw that, but various spots on the grounds (Alex had great fun meeting all the animals, including a retired pair of ENORMOUS work horses), the gift shop at the winery where my sister works, and a few other spots.
We also toured the Biltmore house, itself. Oh, my...gorgeous. And big. And full of steps! I don't think my knees have recovered yet (as I'm sure the Wii would be happy to tell me).
No photos allowed in the house, but I do have shots of the stables, the 'farm', and other spots. What I share with you, however, is this beautiful gingerbread house my mom & the others in her restaurant made. Isn't it lovely?
There's an even more impressive gingerbread building, of the Biltmore itself, on the lowest level of the estate. Again, no photos. Mom's promised to send a picture soon. It's...massive. I think I got a cramp in my hand just looking at all the detail work they did on that thing.
Time to unpack your grass skirt, and gather your coconuts, because for our 42nd get-tether, it's Tiki, Two here at Blog Party!
Hope to see you there.
- Cookbook Review: The Sweeter Side Of Amy's Bread
Pecan Sticky Buns, the Original Version Revised On the advice of a friend who also happens to be a trained pastry chef (hi, Katherine!), I picked up the original Amy's Bread cookbook last year. Having overcome my yeastaphobia seven or so years ago,...
- Chile Cashew Chicken
Not much to say here. A nice little stir-fry type recipe, another Donna Hay. Ginger, onions, red pepper, chicken (or in this case, Quorn), rice noodles, chilies, cashews. Good. Time to unpack your grass skirt, and gather your coconuts, because for...
- Smoked Chicken, Lime & Avocado Pasta
This was such a pleasant surprise! Another Donna Hay recipe, it's pasta tossed with a dressing of olive oil, lime zest & juice, salt & pepper, and a bit of sugar. To this, add thinly sliced smoked chicken (or in our case, smoked Boca 'chik'...
- Souper Sundays: Chipotle Chicken Tortilla Soup
Another Sunday, another soup. Another chance to join up with Deb & Souper Sundays. This soup was all for Matt. I think the name explains all. I used this recipe, with a few changes. First, for the broth, I roasted the chicken beforehand, giving it a...
- Balsamic & Thyme Chickpea & Chorizo
We don't really set resolutions in our house, although we do think of goals for ourselves, and the family. One thing we want to do is add more ethnic & flavorful dishes to the menu. It also helps if these dishes use only a few ingredients, good strong...