Scenes From a Baby Shower....

Today we celebrated the impending birth of a dear friend's little girl.  It was a bittersweet time, as the parents-to-be will be moving back to Spain on Tuesday.  We had a fun time playing games, sharing, saying goodbye, and of course, eating.

We were allowed to select a onesie and decorate it for the new baby.  There were some really cute creations!  There was a baby trivia game - did you know the largest baby was over 23 lbs when born and that the most children ever born to one woman was 69?  I don't see how either of those are even physically possible, but what do I know?

Miriam and Jonathan have lived in my in-laws basement for the four years that they have attended [and subsequently graduated from] the bible college.  Jonathan will be a pastor in a Spanish church and they will welcome their baby girl in May.  We will miss them greatly, but are excited for this new chapter in their lives.

When Miriam and Jonathan first moved here, Emma was three years old, still pretty much a baby, and Josh loved to wrestle with Jonathan.  I've never met a couple [who didn't have children of their own] who were more patient and loving with rambunctious kids.  Fast forward four years - Emma and Kate pillage through Miriam's closet for her boots to dress up in and Josh still loves to wrestle Jonathan.  They'll be amazing parents!

we really surprised her!

chicken, cheese, and black bean quesadillas with salsa and guacamole

hot crab dip

Almost Easier Than Opening a Jar...

This is the Pioneer Woman's recipe for restaurant-style salsa.  Honestly, the most time-consuming part involves opening all of the cans.  If you have a food-processor, you can have homemade salsa in less than five minutes. 

Ingredients

• 1 can (28 Ounce) Whole Tomatoes With Juice
• 2 cans (10 Ounce) Rotel (diced Tomatoes And Green Chilies)
• ¼ cups Chopped Onion
• 1 clove Garlic, Minced
• 1 whole Jalapeno, Quartered And Sliced Thin
• ¼ teaspoons Sugar
• ¼ teaspoons Salt
• ¼ teaspoons Ground Cumin
• ½ cups Cilantro (more To Taste!)
• ½ whole Lime Juice

Preparation Instructions

Combine whole tomatoes, Rotel, onion, jalapeno, garlic, sugar, salt, cumin, lime juice, and cilantro in a blender or food processor. Pulse until you get the salsa to the consistency you’d like—I do about 10 to 15 pulses. Test seasonings with a tortilla chip and adjust as needed.
Refrigerate salsa for at least an hour. Serve with tortilla chips or cheese nachos.

Here is the original link.  I didn't read the recipe again while I made my salsa - I forgot to add cumin, sugar, and I used canned jalapenos (1/2 of a small can) - I also didn't wait to taste it until I refrigerated (for an hour).  It's still amazing!  I think it would be divine with the tortilla chips "with a hint of lime".   

Two-Hour Delay

It really is the best of both worlds - the kids get to sleep in, we don't have to rush around (trying on 50 different outfits, in the girls cases), and we can mosey down to the bus stop at 10:15. 

I'll admit, I think the school was a little premature in declaring this "inclement weather" as the automated voice told me at 5:50 this morning, but we're rolling with it. 

I had been feeling guilty about leaving our outside Christmas decorations up, but now I'm kinda glad I've been lazy this week. 

Favourite Thing Friday

 A fat-free dessert!

I'm happy to be participating in Mrs. P's first Favourite Things Friday of 2011!  

In honor of the New Year - I offer you this simple dessert.  I'm sure I'm not the only one trying to detox from the holidays.  I dug this recipe out of the archives of 2009.  I apologize for the low-quality pictures - this was obviously before we invested in a decent camera.  Hopefully you get the idea.  I think what I'll have to do is revisit some of my old posts and recreate them with decent pictures!  I'll keep you posted. 

 A few little ingredients can yield an impressive and delicious dessert. Egg whites, cream of tartar, sugar and cocoa (optional) whipped into a fluffy and marshmallow-like nest. Top with fresh berries and you have a healthy low-calorie treat. We also included fresh whipped cream and ice cream, but these additions are definintely not fat-free.

Meringue Nests
3 egg whites
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
6 T sugar
2 T cocoa

1. In large mixing bowl, whip whites and cream of tartar until foamy.
2. Add sugar, one tablespoon at a time, until soft peaks form.
3. Add cocoa and continue to beat whites until stiff and glossy.
4. On a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, create "nests" (basically, drop 1/2
cup meringue onto the parchment paper and using the back of a spoon, create a well in the center).
5. Bake at 250 degrees for one hour. Turn off oven and allow meringues to rest in the oven for an additional hour and 15 minutes.
6. Top with berries and serve.

Brookgreen Gardens

While we were enjoying Pawleys Island, SC, I tried to find interesting things for us to explore with our kids.  I scoured the internet, searched the "things to do folder" in the condo [where we stayed] and Brookgreen Gardens was listed everywhere. 

Here is an excerpt from the website of Brookgreen. In 1931, Archer and Anna Hyatt Huntington founded Brookgreen Gardens, a non-profit 501(c)(3) garden museum, to preserve the native flora and fauna and display objects of art within that natural setting. Today, Brookgreen Gardens is a National Historic Landmark with the most significant collection of figurative sculpture in an outdoor setting by American artists in the world and has the only zoo accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums on the coast of the Carolinas. 

Obviously, we visited in the winter and even accounting for the lack of green - it was stunning.  I would list Brookgreen Gardens as one of the most beautiful places I've ever been.  

I don't have a thorough knowledge of sculpture, but to see all of the pieces interspersed in natural settings throughout the gardens was gorgeous.  Many of the sculptures have been acquired from museums and personal collections, but a large portion are pieces that the owner herself created.  Anna Hyatt Huntington was an active artist until the end of her life, creating her last piece in her mid-90's.  

The piece of sculpture that stands at the entrance to the gardens is made of aluminum.  It is entitled "Fighting Stallions".  I'm not sure if you can fully appreciate the detail included in the work, but in person it is impressive, to say the least.  

 

standing in front of the Brookgreen Creek - isn't the lighting just gorgeous?

 The 10,000 acres comprising the former estate of the Huntingtons includes three plantations.  One of the plantations shared the name of the creek at the back of the property, Brookgreen.  Many of the travel and shipments arrived via the creek - due to the violence that occurred on the highways.  The many slaves that lived on the property toiled for long days planting and harvesting rice. 

this grove of live oaks were the entrance to Brookgreen plantation some 250 years ago

We enjoyed our time at Brookgreen, also visiting the small zoo and the slavery display.  Sadly, we didn't have time to walk the path that corresponded with an audio tour detailing the history of the plantation and the lives of the slaves that made the plantation successful.  We hope to return in a subsequent trip, possibly when the gardens are in bloom and the surroundings are green and lush.

bronze sculpture of Diana, by Anna Huntington

poetry inscribed on marble is interspersed through the gardens

statue of Pegasus, carved in NC in a granite quarry and shipped in three pieces

I will never make quiche again....

I received some really thoughtful gifts for Christmas.  My parents always spoil me with things I wouldn't normally buy for myself.  My sister and her husband are great gift-givers.  My aunt bought me a new Wusthof.  You already know about the skillet.  My in-laws always come through with new sheets and gift cards! 

But, this year my mother-in-law really changed the way I'm going to bake.  She bought me a tart pan.  Do you have one?  I used mine for the first time last night and I'm in love. 

I've made this quiche many times before and tried to call it a tart - but I always made it in a pie plate.  I think my mom found the original recipe in a Parade magazine or something.  Of course, I've made so many changes over the years, it has morphed into something fairly original. 

I've seen many menus featuring leek tarts, thinking they're very similar to a quiche. 

And then - and then I made my standby recipe using my new tart pan.  Rob and I were trying to figure out why it tastes so much better.  My evaluation is that the crust benefits from the darkness of the tart pan.  Rob thinks the result is due to the fact that the baking process is more even.  Whichever of us is right, I really don't care. 

If you like bacon, leeks, and goat cheese (sorry, Marg) - you have to make this. 

The process is rather simple. 

Make your favorite pie crust - I use a mixture of butter, shortening, salt, flour, and cold water.  

Pat the crust into the tart pan - you probably could roll it out, but I was running short on time and like to chill my dough if I'm going to roll it out.  The results are the same.  

In the meantime, fry your bacon in a skillet.  Remove the bacon but reserve some drippings.  Saute sliced leeks in the same skillet, utilizing that delicious bacon fat.  

Mix the chopped bacon and leeks and place into the tart shell.  Top with crumbled chevre. Sprinkle kosher salt and freshly ground pepper over mixture.  Lastly, mix 4 eggs with about 2/3 cup of light cream.   Pour into shell and bake on the bottom rack at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes or until filling is set and browned. 

One of the best things about my new tart shell is this.  It is removable.  I slid the tart out of the pan, placed it onto a cutting board and served our dinner.  

The reviews - Rob and I loved it.  Josh was pinching himself (in a comedic way) to make sure he was awake - he thought it was that delicious.  The girls - not so much.  Oh, well, you can't win them all! 

As the title suggests, I will be making tarts from now on - bye, bye, quiche. 

Another Use for Stewed Eggplant...

I keep thinking with each post on stewed eggplant (buranee banjan) that it will be my last mention.  I keep hoping that I can convince some of you to love it, too! 

My latest creation - eggplant pizza.  Convinced yet?

How about now?  I simply topped the PW pizza dough with my stewed eggplant  I laid a few slices of fresh mozzarella, sprinkled some parm and baked at 415 degrees for 15-20 minutes.  I think it was even better for lunch the next day!