March 4, 2014 - Primary Voting Day & Chicken Pot Pie

It is very cold in Houston today.  The cold rain has been falling all day, and there was an ice advisory this morning for all drivers.  It is also Primary Election Day and I'm wondering how many people will brave the elements to go cast their vote.  We have a lot of heated contests in Texas this round.  I'll be watching election returns on TV tonight to see how it all turned out.

In the meantime, I used some chicken I cooked yesterday and lots of fresh vegetables with a homemade chicken gravy to make a wonderful Chicken Pot Pie.  Everything from scratch.  The crust is made with homemade cheese biscuits instead of the usual pie shell.  It is sort of "cheating" really.  But it tastes delicious.  A perfect hot dish for a cold day.  Isn't that tasty looking?

NEW YEAR'S EVE DINNER 2013

Enjoyed dinner with friends... ate a wonderful meal surrounded by a beautifully set table.

 Candlelight and tulips grace the table.

 Homegrown Romaine lettuce makes a delicious salad!

Mushrooms in wine sauce to top off our steaks.  Yummy!

 Steak AND lobster! A real feast fit for a New Year's Eve celebration!

 After the meal... all gone.  We're "stuffed!"

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!

American Thanksgiving

The table is set, the water is poured... just waiting for the turkey and fixings.  Embroidered and appliqued napkins from long, long ago, gold accents, candles, and chargers.


















A golden turkey and an empty pie shell tell the tale of a delicious meal yet to come.





                                                                                              
      A Beautiful Plate of Thanksgiving Plenty.

 Hand-made place cards add to the festive feel of the table settings.  Fall leaves, pumpkin themed ribbon, leaf cut-outs at the bottom and the simple phrase, "Give Thanks" with the name below.

 Homemade cranberry sauce, with some cinnamon and orange flavors.

                                                                              

                                                                                A table setting from around the world... porcelain bread and butter plates from England, France & Germany, gold-rimmed glasses from the USA, dinner plates from Korea, porcelain salt and pepper shakers from Chile, glass bowl & pressed glass dish for the cranberry sauce from the USA, gold-flecked flatware from China, crystal hot toddy glass from Scotland, wine from Australia.  Table and chairs custom-made in the USA. 

Valentine Vignette To Inspire

It's that time of year again, when LOVE is in the air!   Often it is a wonderfully romantic time, otherwise, obviously filled with the commercial cards, candy and flowers.  If you are a lucky one, it is a day of romance, love and a touch of delicious food.  Perhaps a day of forgiveness.  Perhaps a day of gratitude.  For some, it is a painful time.  It is a reminder of love lost or love never realized.  For others, it is a reflection of unrequited love.  Whatever your situation, remember, the most important person in the world is YOU.  So, stretch your arms out wide, and then slowly bring them in to embrace yourself.  You always have you forever.  You are the one person you can always count on.  Why not set a romantic table?  Set it for yourself.  Use your best china, crystal, silverware.  Spend a few dollars at the grocery store and buy yourself a nice bouquet.  Give all that love you have stored up to yourself.  You deserve it!  Or, make a special effort for the one you love.  Either way, you are special, so make someone else feel special, too.

Red, Always the Color of Valentine's Day!

A Valentine Tree

Romantic Miniatures

Celebrate YOU on Valentine's Day...

Skinny Pizza

Have fun making your own version of "Skinny Pizza!"  All you need is a flour tortilla, you pick the size.  Sprinkle with garlic powder, Italian herbs and parmesan cheese.  Put in a 425 degree oven for just a minute or so.  Then add your toppings (I use chopped fresh veggies, salt and pepper optional) and top with low- fat mozzarrella cheese.  Back to the oven for 10 minutes or so, but keep your eye on it, so that it doesn't burn but the cheese melts.  Enjoy!

A Perfect Day and Green Corn Tamales!

 

Here are my homemade green corn tamales, steaming in the big pot.  They steam for about 45 minutes to an hour.

 

 The tamales, after cooking.  Notice the string and empty corn husks - couldn't wait to eat one (or two)!  I use cooking string instead of the traditional little slice of corn husk to tie them up because the string is so much more reliable.  After scrubbing the outside of the corn with a vegetable brush, I cut a little off the top and the bottom of the cob.  Then I carefully peel off the corn husks under cool running water.  That is just the first step.  It's a process but really worth it.  My tamales don't look perfect, but they taste divine!

Green corn tamales... nothing more delicious.  I make my own by my own recipe which takes me 3 hours, that does not include time spent picking out the corn at the grocery store, nor the cleanup.  I turn to this food whenever I feel ambitious and in the mood to spend a lot of time in the kitchen.  But... the reward is so great!

It's been raining today, and I have been listening to my CD from the original soundtrack of "The Mission," music by Ennio Morricone, as I work.  The haunting, recurring melody of what is now known as "Nella Fantasia" is interwoven throughout.  It is such a perfect day... rain, beautiful music, and making green corn tamales.  Wish you were here!


PS You can find both Russell Watson's version and Sarah Brightman's version of "Nella Fantasia" on YouTube.

Potstickers and the Three "P"s

 It takes a lot of preparation to make potstickers.  Here's the beginning...

 This is a photo of the delicious filling.

 The second "P" in making potstickers is patience!

 And lastly, it takes a lot of precision, as in timing the browning and steaming, and the attention to detail to make a delicious potsticker.

Here they are!  Enjoy.  Wish you were here!