Happy Halloween

"Mom! Mom! Mom! Mom! Mom! Wake up! It's Halloween!!!!! I've been waiting all year for today!!! I get to go trick or treating and get a million candieeeeeees!!!!"

"Yeah, super fun day Buddy. Wow it's 6am."

"Wake up Mom, we have a lot to do."

As my little pirate walked away, I heard the scariest thing of all. He started singing "Rudolph The Red Nose Reindeer."

Tomorrow's NOVEMBER!

The Holidays are here!

AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!


Happy Halloween.

Saddle Ranch - Ride that Bull!

Fresh muffins with honey butter

Amidst all the craziness happening right now, I have to tell you, I rode a bull.

A mechanical bull.

And I tipped the guy 5 bucks to go easy on me.

We took Neighbor Wife out on her birthday to the Saddle Ranch.

There were fresh muffins an awesome Rib Eye so big I had to split it and a mechanical bull.

I signed a waiver, put down emergency contacts and rode that sucker....until I fell off.

(The secret is, you have to stay on.)

Cotton Candy!

It was good clean fun.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Joyeux Dimanche - ASTIER de VILLATTE

Photo by Cool Hunting

Cool Hunting loves them, and we love them too!

Red Quinoa Salad

Red Quinoa Salad

I've been researching this crazy super food, Quinoa, lately and I'm determined to incorporate it into our life.  It's not only high in protein, it's a complete protein. What does that mean? A complete protein supplies all nine essential amino acids. It's got a whole bunch of other good things but the real question is, can we make it taste good? Because if it doesn't taste good no one will eat it. 

I bought some Red Quinoa and dove in. It only takes about 20 minutes total to cook. I made it with vegetable broth instead of water. Once it was done cooking, I put it in a bowl and  added......

Cherry tomatoes, halved.

Toasted pine nuts.

Onion chopped.

Lots of garlic.

A couple tablespoons of olive oil.

Freshly squeezed lemon juice.

Fresh Basil and Italian Parsley from my herb garden.

A little salt. 

Here's the truth. Hubby walked in, looked at my Red Quinoa Salad and in a horrified voice asked, "What is this? It looks like something from the planet Zolderfron."

"Don't eat it yet! I have to add the herbs."

"Oooo I'm holding myself back."

"It's a super food. Tons of protein and extra goodness."

Once I finished the salad, Hubby (Mr. Snoopy Pants), walked back in and tried a bite.....then another.......then another. He won't admit it, but he liked it. 

I'm going to add a little goat cheese to it for lunch. 

Bon Appétit!

Joyeux Dimanche - Boo!

I signed up to make cupcakes for the upcoming Halloween fund raiser at school. I was inspired by angry witch cupcakes made by the awesome Martha Stewart.

Last night, Neighbor Wife and I did a cupcake test run. They were really easy. A little green food coloring in white frosting for the face. The hair is licorice, the eyes are mini M&M's, the noses are candy corn and the hats are ice cream cones.

Who's your Mummy?

Then we got creative. 

 The hungry spider.

Boo!

Happy Sunday!

Pierre Hermé

Shaboom writes to us from Paris, France:

La Durée is not the only place for macarons. I had to take Cashew to Pierre Hermé today to solve an argument.

Cashew claimed that macarons are crap. I asked him if he ever tasted the salted butter caramel variety, which he hadn't. Now he has. Guess who won the argument.
























Booyah.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone 4

When it all falls down

White Bean and Garlic Soup

Friday night I started losing my voice, Saturday was worse and by Sunday I was down for the count. Monday morning I went to the doctor to get the magic pill that makes it all better. I had never met this doctor before but I swear she looked like she should be on T.V. The gorgeous doctor that looks good at 7am, wears the latests designer outfit and is definitely "the good guy".  The kind of doctor that you still like even though she says "You have a virus and I can't help you, but I wish I could!"  The kind of doctor that has an amazing bedside manner and explains that my Kindergardener probably brought this home but because we take such good care of him and his only stress is deciding what crayon to use for his Dracula Jack-O'-Lantern picture, his immune system is in a little bit better shape than mine. 

So Hubby's been waiting on me hand and foot for the last 4 days. He has made me 3 different kinds of soup and finally brought out the big guns: White Bean And Garlic Soup. This should definitely kick this virus in the arse. 

Meanwhile, I heard from Shaboom. Apparently she accidentally impaled her calf with a knitting needle, which made it impossible to go into the Carlsberg-owned Kronenbourg brewery in Strasbourg, what with all the bleeding and limping she was doing.  So she and her boyfriend had to go to the quick mart and buy a couple of double deuce Kronenbourgs which they drank sitting on the curb. So romantic! 

It is safe to say that Shaboom and I are a bit of a mess. But  here's what I learned this week, if you want a great soup to kick the %*#@ out of that cold or flu try the White Been and Garlic Soup recipe, go to The Rich Life On a Budget to find the best technique for pealing garlic, and don't go to Strasbourg with knitting needles. 

Happy Tuesday!

French Design Wall Soap

Photo borrowed from the internet

French Design Wall Soap

For more information go to Core 77 Design Magazine & Resource .

Happy Monday

Potato Leek Soup

Potato Leek Soup

It's deliciously rainy and cold today. A perfect time for this hot soup along with warm French bread and sweet butter. 

Hot coco and a nap make for the ultimate rainy day. 

Alton Brown's Potato Leek Soup Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 pound leeks, cleaned and dark green sections removed, approximately 4 to 5 medium
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• Heavy pinch kosher salt, plus additional for seasoning
• 14 ounces, approximately 3 small, Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced small
• 1 quart vegetable broth
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
• 1 tablespoon snipped chives

Directions

Chop the leeks into small pieces.

In a 6-quart saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the leeks and a heavy pinch of salt and sweat for 5 minutes. Decrease the heat to medium-low and cook until the leeks are tender, approximately 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the potatoes and the vegetable broth, increase the heat to medium-high, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and gently simmer until the potatoes are soft, approximately 45 minutes.

Turn off the heat and puree the mixture with an immersion blender until smooth. Stir in the heavy cream, buttermilk, and white pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning if desired. Sprinkle with chives and serve immediately, or chill and serve cold.

Happy Wednesday!  

Omelet

Omelet 

One egg cheese omelet with one cherry tomato from my garden. Flower from my friend, Mac's, enchanted garden. 

I feel like I've finally perfected my omelet. The key for me was to melt the butter first and to cook it at medium instead of medium high. 

Have a wonderful Tuesday!

Green Olive Pasta With Pancetta

Green Olive Pasta With Pancetta

Happy Monday! Neighbor Wife was sweet enough to invite us over for dinner this weekend. She made this delightful Green Olive Pasta with pancetta, artichoke hearts, olive oil and parmesan. It was my first time eating Green Olive Pasta and I loved it. Needless to say there were no left overs. 

I'm on week 2 of switching out green tea for coffee. I did sleep walk once last week so I don't think it's the ultimate answer for me. But I'm going to stick with it for 5 more weeks. 

Here's to a wonderful day!

Joyeux Dimanche

 Piet Mondrian

Broadway Boogie Woogie,

1942-1943

5 and I were reading "How Artists Use Colors".

"This is an abstract painting."
"I know mom, we had an art teacher come into class last week and I know all about abstract.........It reminds me of the Ms. Pac Man game."

Happy Sunday