Why My Love Endures for BBC

I’ve been enamored with BBC shows since 1995. What happened in 1995, you ask? Well, if you need to ask you don’t know me very well.

In 1995, this obsession began…

And so my love affair with BBC began.

Later there was this flirty little show…

After Coupling, we went on hiatus for a little while in our relationship. I started seeing other shows on other networks…let’s not forget the WB years when the teen trifecta was on air (Gilmore Girls, Felicity, and Dawson’s Creek if you’re wondering).

But then last year this happened…

And love is back in bloom, baby! My obsession is extreme. Not only has this lovely show worked its way into my heart, but now we have this…

omgthisshowissofreakinggood!!!

Yeah, obsessed. I <3 BBC. Over and over and over again.

A Sparkling Stove

I don’t know if you’re anything like me, but one of my least favorite chores is cleaning the stove grates. For some reason, we must be incredibly messy chefs because our stove gets dirty incredibly fast. I feel like I clean the grates at least once a month and it’s always a dreaded experience — soaking in the sink, scrubbing till your elbows burn, still not getting very far. Ah, the frustration!

So when I stumbled across this pin on Pinterest, I knew I had to put it to the test. The original cleaning recipe came from this blog and seemed pretty straightforward.

Here’s what we started with:

Pretty bad, right? Told ya we are messy chefs!

I found a giant bottle of lemon-scented ammonia at Target and went to town. We used giant Ziplock bags (one for each of four burners) and added 1/4 cup ammonia to each bag, then sealed up tightly and placed outside overnight. Good thing we did, since three of the bags popped and that would NOT have been a good thing indoors.

The grates needed mild scrubbing to remove any outstanding stains, but nothing like the elbow grease of yesteryear. Check it out!

Huge shiny difference! Now I just need to do the pans…gonna need some bigger bags.

Balsamic Pasta Primavera

This became one of our favorite recipes last fall and we’ve made it several times since. It’s a great way to use up extra veggies and clean out the fridge at the same time. Plus, it’s delicious! The balsamic and roasted vegetables are a perfect flavor combo. My mom passed on this recipe to me and it’s quickly become a new favorite. Easy, healthy, delicious — holy trinity!

Balsamic Pasta Primavera

1 package whole-wheat penne pasta

1 yellow squash, chopped

1 zucchini, chopped

1 carrot, julienned

1/2 red bell pepper, julienned

1/2 pint grape tomatoes

1 cup fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces

5 spears asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces

1/4 cup olive oil, divided

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

1/2 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

1 tablespoon butter

1/4 large yellow onion, thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

2 teaspoons lemon zest

1/3 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup grated Romano cheese

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook 10 to 12 minutes or until al dente; drain. In a bowl, toss squash, zucchini, carrot, red bell pepper, tomatoes, green beans, and asparagus with 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt, pepper, lemon juice, and Italian seasoning. Arrange vegetables on the baking sheet, and roast 15 minutes, until tender. Heat remaining olive oil and butter in a large skillet. Stir in the onion and garlic, and cook until tender. Mix in cooked pasta, lemon zest, basil, parsley, and balsamic vinegar. Gently toss and cook until heated through. Remove from heat and transfer to a large bowl. Toss with roasted vegetables and sprinkle with Romano cheese to serve.

Sewing Project: Child’s Apron

I finally felt brave enough this year to sew homemade holiday gifts for a few people. After a bit of trial and error, most everything worked out pretty well (phew!). Without a doubt, these child-size aprons were my favorite projects to work on — especially since they were gifted to two of my favorite pint-sized little girls.

After a bit of googling, I settled on this pattern for a wee apron. What I love about the pattern is that it’s Montessori and so geared toward helping kids independently put the aprons on themselves, with the help of a Velcro waist strap and elastic neck strap to easily lift over the head.

 

 

Hope the apprentice bakers enjoy their new threads!

December Roundup

I’m a bit late on this as it’s already a few days into January but I’m putting it up anyway. I’ll be back soon with more January posts!

December was busy as usual but a really fun month around here. I didn’t get to document even half of it somehow, but I have a few pics to show for it!

final baby shower of 2011 / Disneyland Christmas / delicious beer / volunteering @ Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery cleaning headstones / rock climbing / Sockers game / girl time / volunteering @ Community Resource Center organizing clothes

Leftover Turkey Pot Pie

Thanksgiving is always my favorite holiday. Partially because there are no gifts, no pressures, just a (generally) relaxing day spent with family and friends and feeling thankful. And partially because of the delicious food. What? I’m a total foodie at heart.

This year we did three Thanksgivings. The last one was just for us. We decided to get a big turkey and cook it up for the fun of it and for the leftovers. Instead of the 12-pounder we got last year, I came home to find a 20-pound bird in my fridge. Yes, 20 pounds. Who was coming to dinner, you ask? Dozens of people, surely. Nope, just a happy foursome and a wee one who doesn’t yet have teeth so didn’t get to partake in the poultry.

Once again, as last year, we went with Bobby Flay’s turkey recipe. It creates the crispiest, tastiest skin and moist, light turkey. Yum!

So, needless to say, we had three delicious turkeys throughout Thanksgiving week, and somehow ended up with leftovers from four turkeys. But no one was complaining. Turkey leftovers are a favorite around here! We’ve made turkey enchilada pie, turkey tetrazzini, and … time for turkey pie!

I went directly to the best source for this one and used Sam the Cooking Guy’s recipe for Turkey Pie — with a few small adaptations.

Isn’t she a beaut?

Turkey Pot Pie

Recipe courtesy Sam the Cooking Guy (somewhat adapted)

1 ready to bake refrigerated pie crust
2 cups diced, cooked turkey
3 carrots, sliced
8 ounces pancetta, diced
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 small onion, diced
1 tablespoon sage
3 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons butter
2 cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Preheat oven to 450 F. Saute onions, carrots, celery, sage and pancetta in 1 tablespoon of the butter until softened. Add turkey to mixture and put into pie plate. In same pan, melt remaining butter while stirring in flour. Stir in broth slowly to make a thick sauce and add Worcestershire. Pour over turkey mixture. Top with crust and brush top with milk. Bake until top is golden brown, about 20 minutes, and serve.

Best Chocolate Chip Cookies Ever

I came across this recipe on Pinterest (where, it seems, I find everything lately) and the original pinner had written: “The fluffiest, chewiest, most amazing chocolate chip cookies.”

Well, that seems like enough for me! I knew I had to try these out at once. And I can say that the recommendation was totally true. These really are the best chocolate chip cookies. I am hanging onto this recipe forever!

So good I couldn’t resist a bite!

Best-Ever Chocolate Chip Cookies

Recipe courtesy Apple a Day, who adapted it slightly from Anna Olson, Food Network Canada

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips (I used semisweet)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Using mixer, cream together butter and sugars until fluffy and light in color. Add egg and vanilla and blend in. Mix in flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt. Stir in chocolate.

Drop dough onto a prepared baking sheet.  Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until barely golden brown around the edges.  Tops won’t be brown. Don’t bake longer than 10 minutes (this ensures that delicious softness). Cool, on the sheet, on a wire rack for 5 minutes.  Remove from baking sheet and let cool completely.

Bacon Cheddar Potato Soup

My Vitamix recently turned one year old and in celebration I decided to (finally) share this delicious Vitamix recipe. Even if you don’t have a Vitamix, it would be pretty easy to do with an immersion blender or mixer or any other type of high-powered blender. It was super easy (and fast!) to make, and really thick and creamy. My favorite kind of potato soup!

Bacon Cheddar Potato Soup

Makes 2 servings.

2 cups skim milk
2 mediums potatoes, baked
1/3 cup shredded low-fat cheddar cheese
1/4 small onions, sliced, sauteed
1/2 teaspoon dill weed
1/2 teaspoon rosemary
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 ounces turkey bacon, cooked, crumbled

Place milk, one potato, cheese, onion, dill, rosemary and salt into blender in order listed and secure lid. Turn on and quickly increase speed to high. Blend 4 minutes or until heavy steam escapes from vented lid. Reduce speed to low. Remove lid plug and drop in remaining potato and bacon. Blend 10 seconds, until chopped.

Chocolate Donuts

Recently, I’ve had quite the obsession with baking donuts. I even went so far as to buy a donut pan. Obsession. I have pinned a jillion recipes on Pinterest and tried out a few (but with so-so results). Then I found this recipe on All Recipes and…we have a winner! These were yummy and cakey and oh-so-chocolatey. But, really, when do you ever go wrong with chocolate? They were delicious and now I’m on a donut roll (haha, get it? Roll? Yeah, that was bad.). More to come I’m sure!

Chocolate Buttermilk Cake Donuts

1 1/2 cups cake flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 425. Spray donut pan with cooking spray.

In mixer, sift flour, cocoa, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add buttermilk. Stir. Add butter and vanilla. Stir.  Add eggs one at a time, stirring in between each egg. Beat until just combined. Fill each donut mold about 2/3 full.

Bake for 7 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool while you make the chocolate glaze.

Chocolate Glaze

3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

3 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon light corn syrup

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a bowl combine chocolate chips, butter and corn syrup. Microwave in 30 second increments, stirring between each time until smooth. Do not overcook. Frost donuts, add sprinkles, and eat!

Christmas at Disneyland

Christmas doesn’t really start around here until after our annual Christmas trip to Disneyland. Needless to say, the seasonal celebrations can officially begin!

Disney in photos….

Small World / Hidden Mickey / Tron Pinball / best corndog ever / more Small World prettiness / Rocket Rods / Dig Dug @ Flynn’s / Peace on Earth

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