I have been a total slacker this summer. I stopped working out, went to far too many happy hours, and spent all of August taking care of The Gimpster after yet another ACL surgery. Don't even get me started on how much I want to pull a Shane Stant on the jerk that maliciously took out his knee...
That being said, I promise to write all about new fantastic barb-e-que foods, the White Party, this year's wine tasting mini-bus, vanilla pudding shots (seriously, amazing), and more. Starting this weekend - so by Monday there will be a new post.
xoxo,
Little J
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Friday, June 3, 2011
A Perfect Date
Gimpy starts his new job on Monday, so we decided that we should do something fun together, and I should take a vacation day this week. We settled on Thursday, and I arranged for the day off. Wednesday night we mapped out our strategy, and decided that we would go to two new wineries - one of them just opened May 1st - and go hiking.
We got up early yesterday, and went to Fairway to get some bread, cheese, fruit, tomatoes, and pack my little wine picnic basket. Then we got on the road!
The new winery we went to was called Paradise Hills. It was a beautiful new building, but they were getting their growing pains out. One of our favorite things is being able to collect a signature glass from each winery we visit, but sadly they were out of glasses AND their most popular wine. I guess we'll have to go back!
I unpacked our picnic while I sent Gimpy in to deliver a slice of my new favorite cheese (Parrano) to the ladies who helped us. It was a beautiful day, and a delicious spread.
We stuffed ourselves silly, and then went hiking for a little over an hour. When we got home, exhausted, we had some sushi and went to see The Hangover II. Hysterical. If you haven't seen it yet, GO!
I hope you all have a great weekend!
We got up early yesterday, and went to Fairway to get some bread, cheese, fruit, tomatoes, and pack my little wine picnic basket. Then we got on the road!
The new winery we went to was called Paradise Hills. It was a beautiful new building, but they were getting their growing pains out. One of our favorite things is being able to collect a signature glass from each winery we visit, but sadly they were out of glasses AND their most popular wine. I guess we'll have to go back!
From there we went up the street to Gouveia Vineyards, because we knew they'd be an amazing place to have a picnic, and we weren't disappointed! There were several places we could sit and overlook the vineyards, and I was in heaven.
I hope you all have a great weekend!
What's the big deal? You just call a bunch of bars and show up...
"What's the big deal? You just call a bunch of bars and show up..."
A friend of mine said that last night at softball when I was stressing out about the Preppy Pub Crawl next weekend. You see, now that I know we'll be over 115 people (we have 104 confirmed so far), it requires much more planning than the first year when we were 35.
Where we live, there are a lot of bars, and the great thing is that most of them are in close enough walking distance to have a successful pub crawl. The bad thing, is that some of them have a maximum occupancy of about 200 people. When you are bringing 120-130 people with you, you need to make sure that they will have the capacity, the staffing, and the drink specials. It's a bit of a balancing act to make sure that you are going to the smaller places earlier in the night, avoiding the ones with a busy dinner crowd at dinner time, and making sure everyone can get in!
With that being said, I am totally stressed out. I had ordered the koozies and planned my outfit, but then the outfit came and looked awful on me. I had planned out timing of bars and then started arranging drink specials. Then, I got a new dress... and called two of the early evening bars. First bombshell hit!
Butterface has a comedy show and can't accomodate us unless we start there - which we aren't doing. The Showgirl informed me that they really, really, really wanted us to come, but their dinner crowd started at 6, so we would need to be gone before then. I thought about things a lot during a run on Tuesday night, and decided I was going to move things around a little to accomodate. We're starting at 3:30 this year, and were going to go to Crabby until 4:45 - it's on the water.
Luckily, I don't have dinner plans until about 7 tonight... so I am going to do some mental shifting again during my run. Hopefully I can get it all worked out.
A friend of mine said that last night at softball when I was stressing out about the Preppy Pub Crawl next weekend. You see, now that I know we'll be over 115 people (we have 104 confirmed so far), it requires much more planning than the first year when we were 35.
Where we live, there are a lot of bars, and the great thing is that most of them are in close enough walking distance to have a successful pub crawl. The bad thing, is that some of them have a maximum occupancy of about 200 people. When you are bringing 120-130 people with you, you need to make sure that they will have the capacity, the staffing, and the drink specials. It's a bit of a balancing act to make sure that you are going to the smaller places earlier in the night, avoiding the ones with a busy dinner crowd at dinner time, and making sure everyone can get in!
With that being said, I am totally stressed out. I had ordered the koozies and planned my outfit, but then the outfit came and looked awful on me. I had planned out timing of bars and then started arranging drink specials. Then, I got a new dress... and called two of the early evening bars. First bombshell hit!
Butterface has a comedy show and can't accomodate us unless we start there - which we aren't doing. The Showgirl informed me that they really, really, really wanted us to come, but their dinner crowd started at 6, so we would need to be gone before then. I thought about things a lot during a run on Tuesday night, and decided I was going to move things around a little to accomodate. We're starting at 3:30 this year, and were going to go to Crabby until 4:45 - it's on the water.
We'd then go to The Showgirl, hit my least favorite bar in town, and then head to a cute Irish pub before continuing our crawl. Perfect. I call the Showgirl's manager back, and he is excited, until he tells me that he has too many dinner reservations at 5, so we can no longer come there.
ARE YOU KIDDING ME???? I JUST MOVED MY ENTIRE PUB CRAWL AROUND FOR YOU!
Needless to say, I wasn't happy. Then I went to softball with this weight on my shoulders, trying to decide what to do. I pretty much had decided I would discuss with a beach bar next to Crabby to fill in my now vacant slot, when I went to the Grizzly for drinks with my softball team. The manager told me that Hula Skanks (huge, open spaces) would no longer be closed for renovations, as they are waiting till after the summer. So of course, now I don't know what to do!
Luckily, I don't have dinner plans until about 7 tonight... so I am going to do some mental shifting again during my run. Hopefully I can get it all worked out.
Friday, May 20, 2011
We're Going Out for Steak
So Gimpy tells me the other day that he and some of our guy buddies got this really great deal for a steak restaurant in the City. They had to use it by the end of June, and so they were going to go in the night before the Preppy Pub Crawl and enjoy these amazing steaks.
Everyone who knows me, knows that two things are true.
1. I LOVE food. I look at restaurant menus for fun, and when I go out to eat I try to make dishes at home that I've enjoyed.
2. I'm absurdly insecure. Always worried that Gimpy is going to find someone prettier, skinnier, just all around better.
Keeping these things in mind, I asked Gimpy what the name of the restaurant was. I was thinking it would be fun to send over a round of drinks for these boys - since I adore them all - so I looked it up to find the location and check out the menu.
I thought he was getting this
Here it is.
"Roberts may sit a balcony of the Penthouse Executive Club, and be filled with flirtatious strippers, but it serves a steak that is above reproach." Um.....
Apparently he's getting this
The insecure little girl in me immediately goes to one thought - "Oh, so now I understand why he didn't want to come over tonight because he doesn't know how late he'll be home because he'll be too busy motorboating strippers and getting bernaise sauce on their g-strings."
And I decided I wasn't drinking tonight??
Everyone who knows me, knows that two things are true.
1. I LOVE food. I look at restaurant menus for fun, and when I go out to eat I try to make dishes at home that I've enjoyed.
2. I'm absurdly insecure. Always worried that Gimpy is going to find someone prettier, skinnier, just all around better.
Keeping these things in mind, I asked Gimpy what the name of the restaurant was. I was thinking it would be fun to send over a round of drinks for these boys - since I adore them all - so I looked it up to find the location and check out the menu.
I thought he was getting this
Here it is.
"Roberts may sit a balcony of the Penthouse Executive Club, and be filled with flirtatious strippers, but it serves a steak that is above reproach." Um.....
Apparently he's getting this
The insecure little girl in me immediately goes to one thought - "Oh, so now I understand why he didn't want to come over tonight because he doesn't know how late he'll be home because he'll be too busy motorboating strippers and getting bernaise sauce on their g-strings."
And I decided I wasn't drinking tonight??
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Dinner for Twenty
My dear friend V will be meeting her new boyfriend's extended family in June, and they are up for cooking dinner for all twenty people that will be staying at the house. She asked me for some ideas on what she could cook for a big group - so I figured I'd come up with some for her here!
The first thought I had, was that she should have a Mexican theme dinner. Nothing is easier than throwing together fajitas, nachos, guacamole, queso, salsa, margaritas, and sangria. It's a crowd pleaser, and you can have something for everyone by getting chicken, steak, and shrimp and throwing them all on the grill. You can even get a few portobella mushroom caps if you have any vegetarians. I know V can make some serious margaritas and sangria!
Another idea I have for them, is to whip up a lasagna or two. You can do a veggie one with spinach, mushrooms, peppers, and a creamy bechemel sauce and do manicotti with a meat and red sauce. Pair that with salad, garlic bread, and it's always a crowd pleaser!
You can do an old fashioned bar-b-que too! Make some ribs and bar-b-que chicken, cole slaw, potato salad, and baked beans. Grill up corn on the cob, and add a festive beach element to it by doing mussels or steamers in a white wine garlic sauce.
Any of these are great options when you have to entertain a large crowd and give you something for even the most picky eaters.
The first thought I had, was that she should have a Mexican theme dinner. Nothing is easier than throwing together fajitas, nachos, guacamole, queso, salsa, margaritas, and sangria. It's a crowd pleaser, and you can have something for everyone by getting chicken, steak, and shrimp and throwing them all on the grill. You can even get a few portobella mushroom caps if you have any vegetarians. I know V can make some serious margaritas and sangria!
Another idea I have for them, is to whip up a lasagna or two. You can do a veggie one with spinach, mushrooms, peppers, and a creamy bechemel sauce and do manicotti with a meat and red sauce. Pair that with salad, garlic bread, and it's always a crowd pleaser!
You can do an old fashioned bar-b-que too! Make some ribs and bar-b-que chicken, cole slaw, potato salad, and baked beans. Grill up corn on the cob, and add a festive beach element to it by doing mussels or steamers in a white wine garlic sauce.
Any of these are great options when you have to entertain a large crowd and give you something for even the most picky eaters.
Monday, April 25, 2011
Salmon Shells in a Creamy Tomato Sauce
A few weeks ago we had free biometric screenings at work. The good news, is that everything about me was wonderfully healthy except my good cholesterol levels were low - they told me I need to eat more salmon! Gimpy and I love salmon, but it's one of those things that I feel like I have to buy the day I'm going to cook it. So, on Good Friday I stopped at Whole Foods and picked up some salmon fillets and made a creamy tomato sauce with shells and salmon.
Salmon Shells in a Creamy Tomato Sauce
2 salmon filets
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 Tbsp tomato paste
15 cherry tomatoes, cut in half
2 cups small shells
Spray a sautee pan with a little olive oil and heat to medium. When the pan is hot, add the salmon filets. Make sure your pan is hot, or the fish will stick! In the meantime, bring salted water to a boil and cook your pasta.
Salmon Shells in a Creamy Tomato Sauce
2 salmon filets
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 Tbsp tomato paste
15 cherry tomatoes, cut in half
2 cups small shells
Spray a sautee pan with a little olive oil and heat to medium. When the pan is hot, add the salmon filets. Make sure your pan is hot, or the fish will stick! In the meantime, bring salted water to a boil and cook your pasta.
In a small bowl, mix the heavy cream until it gets foamy and doubles in size. Mix in the tomato paste. Cook your fish about 3 minutes per side, until they turn more opaque. Remove the skin, add in the tomato halves, and chop the fish into small pieces. Add the pasta.
Once the pasta, tomatoes, and salmon are mixed together, add the cream sauce, toss together and add salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with a little parmesan cheese and enjoy!
Friday, April 15, 2011
You've Been Invited to a Dinner Party
You've been invited to a dinner party. Your hostess is known for how much she loves to cook, entertain, and being your only friend that has a dining table that extends to seat 12 comfortably. It's a major religious holiday, and she's stressed several times that she'd like you to bring wine. Wine only. Please, please don't bring anything but wine. I'm serious, all she needs you to bring is wine. You know that stuff that they mostly make from grapes that's got an alcohol content and comes in a pretty bottle? Yeah... that stuff.
Do not bring:
The things you can bring as a hostess gift to a dinner party are pretty simple
Do not bring:
- Any side dish
- She's probably got that covered
- Any appetizer
- Chances are this hostess already has appetizers planned
- If you've asked her if you should bring it, and she says no, don't bring it
- Anything to be consumed that night that she hasn't specifically requested
 |
| Flowers Brought to me for Thanksgiving - Great Idea! |
- A nice bottle of wine or champagne for them, not something you're going to drink at said party, but actually a gift for your hosts
- Flowers. Flowers are always welcome and nice
- A gift basket - you can bring them cheeses, crackers, jams, coffee, etc in a gift package for them - JUST NOT TO BE SERVED AT THE DINNER PARTY
- A thoughtful gift for their house
- If you must bring something edible, bring a dessert. Italian cookies, brownies, etc. Something simple.
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