30 Easter Basket Stuffers for 2024
1 month ago
Friday, April 29, 2011
.Amy, you rock.
In the past few months I've posted on the upcoming babies from two of my favorite female comedians {Maya Rudolph & Tina Fey}. Their fellow SNL alum, Amy Poehler, is not in fact pregnant but she has done something that I deem blog-worthy. When asked to speak at the Time 100 gala she didn't thank or pay homage to fellow actors or comedians; instead she sincerely thanked the women {nannies, I assume} that help her with her children so that she can be both a mom and have the career of her dreams {she was fantastic on SNL and is even better on Parks & Recreations which might just be one of the greatest shows on television}. I must admit, her gratitude and the subject matter made me a little teary and happy and proud to be a woman and mother. Way to go Amy!
.TGIF.
In honor of today's magnificent wedding {yes, I got up at 2:00am PST and went back to bed at 4:30am so that I could watch the whole thing and yes I am so happy that I did} our Friday cocktail recipe is the Kate Middleton English Rose Cocktail.
The Kate Middleton English Rose Cocktail
In a Champagne flute, add:
1 Sugar Cube
3 drops Orange Bitters
1 oz. Drambuie
Slowly top with:
4 oz. chilled Blanc de Noirs Champagne
Splash Campari
3 drops Rosewater
Garnish with a thinly-sliced strawberry fanned and floated on top.
1 Sugar Cube
3 drops Orange Bitters
1 oz. Drambuie
Slowly top with:
4 oz. chilled Blanc de Noirs Champagne
Splash Campari
3 drops Rosewater
Garnish with a thinly-sliced strawberry fanned and floated on top.
.The gals.
One of my closest friends, Kristi, moved to Mexico about a year & a half ago. She's missed very very much by her friends & family back here in Oregon but luckily for us she came up for a visit this week & will be coming back this summer {she's an English teacher so her vacations revolve around school times}.
Last night Kristi, Meegan {another one of my best friends}, & I all went out for drinks in NW {our old stomping grounds} an it was fantastic but bittersweet {yay I get to see you...boo that you're leaving in a day}. The three of us met & became friends when we all worked together at a local catering company & restaurant. It was great catching up & gossiping - within minutes we were back to the exact same roles like no time at all had passed. Kristi leaves for Mexico at 5:00am tomorrow, I'm going to miss my friend but I'm already counting down the days until she comes back in June.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
.The wedding.
After months of being totally indifferent about the Royal Wedding I've been bitten by the bug and am getting caught up in all of the excitement {what's weird - for those that know me - is that it wasn't until just this week}. I'll admit it, even though on any given night I feel like I'm not getting enough sleep {even though in reality i get 9 solid hours a night} and even though I know that Amelia will get up at the same exact time that she aways does {7:00am sharp} I will be setting my alarm for 1:00am & getting a pot of tea then heading upstairs to the family room to watch Wills & Kate get married. Friday's going to be rough but i know I would regret it more if i slept right through it.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
.Recipes of the week.
Choosing to share my Easter menu with you one item at a time via the "recipe of the week" posts made picking recipes to share so simple that I've decided to go the same route with a Cinco de Mayo menu. Cinco de Mayo is a pretty big celebration in Portland with a festival down on our waterfront and such. However, between having a little one and it being on a Thursday this year I think we're going to keep our celebrations low-key with some good food and maybe a few friends. Since we're so close to Cinco de Mayo I'm doubling up on recipes per post. Enjoy!
Guacamole
Ingredients:
2 to 3 garlic cloves, peeled
Hot fresh green chiles to taste (I’d choose 2 serranos), stems removed
3 ripe avocados, preferably the black-skinned Hass
A couple of tablespoons chopped fresh Mexican herbs (such as cilantro, pipisa or papalo)
1 small white onion (fresh knob onion—green tops still on—is best), finely chopped
Salt
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
A little crumbled Mexican fresh cheese (queso fresco) for garnish
A sliced radish or two for garnish
Directions:
1. Finely chop the garlic and green chiles, and scoop them into a bowl.
2. One at a time, run a knife down through each avocado, starting at the top, until you reach the pit; continue cutting around the pit until you reach the point you started.
3. Twist the two halves of the avocado apart. Remove the pit and discard. Scoop the flesh into the bowl with the chiles. Mash coarsely with the back of a spoon or an old-fashioned potato masher.
4. Add the herbs and onion, stir to combine, then taste. Season with salt (usually about a teaspoon) and lime juice. Scoop into a serving dish and garnish with cheese and radishes.
Ingredients:
2 to 3 garlic cloves, peeled
Hot fresh green chiles to taste (I’d choose 2 serranos), stems removed
3 ripe avocados, preferably the black-skinned Hass
A couple of tablespoons chopped fresh Mexican herbs (such as cilantro, pipisa or papalo)
1 small white onion (fresh knob onion—green tops still on—is best), finely chopped
Salt
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
A little crumbled Mexican fresh cheese (queso fresco) for garnish
A sliced radish or two for garnish
Directions:
1. Finely chop the garlic and green chiles, and scoop them into a bowl.
2. One at a time, run a knife down through each avocado, starting at the top, until you reach the pit; continue cutting around the pit until you reach the point you started.
3. Twist the two halves of the avocado apart. Remove the pit and discard. Scoop the flesh into the bowl with the chiles. Mash coarsely with the back of a spoon or an old-fashioned potato masher.
4. Add the herbs and onion, stir to combine, then taste. Season with salt (usually about a teaspoon) and lime juice. Scoop into a serving dish and garnish with cheese and radishes.
Pico de Gallo
Ingredients:
1 medium tomato, diced
1 onion, finely chopped
1/2 fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
2 sprigs fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1 green onion, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
Directions:
In a medium bowl, combine tomato, onion, jalapeno pepper (to taste,) cilantro and green onion. Season with garlic powder, salt and pepper. Stir until evenly distributed. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Ingredients:
1 medium tomato, diced
1 onion, finely chopped
1/2 fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
2 sprigs fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1 green onion, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
Directions:
In a medium bowl, combine tomato, onion, jalapeno pepper (to taste,) cilantro and green onion. Season with garlic powder, salt and pepper. Stir until evenly distributed. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Carnitas
Ingredients:
1 (3 1/2-to 4-pound) boneless pork butt , fat cap trimmed to 1/8 inch thick, cut into 2-inch chunks
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 small onion , peeled and halved
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons juice from 1 lime
2 cups water
1 medium orange , halved
Directions:
1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Combine pork, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, cumin, onion, bay leaves, oregano, lime juice, and water in large Dutch oven (liquid should just barely cover meat). Juice orange into medium bowl and remove any seeds (you should have about 1/3 cup juice). Add juice and spent orange halves to pot. Bring mixture to simmer over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Cover pot and transfer to oven; cook until meat is soft and falls apart when prodded with fork, about 2 hours, flipping pieces of meat once during cooking.
2. Remove pot from oven and turn oven to broil. Using slotted spoon, transfer pork to bowl; remove orange halves, onion, and bay leaves from cooking liquid and discard (do not skim fat from liquid). Place pot over high heat (use caution, as handles will be very hot) and simmer liquid, stirring frequently, until thick and syrupy (heat safe spatula should leave wide trail when dragged through glaze), 8 to 12 minutes. You should have about 1 cup reduced liquid.
3. Using 2 forks, pull each piece of pork in half. Fold in reduced liquid; season with salt and pepper to taste. Spread pork in even layer on wire rack set inside rimmed baking sheet or on broiler pan (meat should cover almost entire surface of rack or broiler pan). Place baking sheet on lower-middle rack and broil until top of meat is well browned (but not charred) and edges are slightly crisp, 5 to 8 minutes. Using wide metal spatula, flip pieces of meat and continue to broil until top is well browned and edges are slightly crisp, 5 to 8 minutes longer. Serve immediately with warm corn tortillas, lime wedges, queso fresco, pico de gallo, & radishes.
Ingredients:
1 (3 1/2-to 4-pound) boneless pork butt , fat cap trimmed to 1/8 inch thick, cut into 2-inch chunks
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 small onion , peeled and halved
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons juice from 1 lime
2 cups water
1 medium orange , halved
Directions:
1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Combine pork, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, cumin, onion, bay leaves, oregano, lime juice, and water in large Dutch oven (liquid should just barely cover meat). Juice orange into medium bowl and remove any seeds (you should have about 1/3 cup juice). Add juice and spent orange halves to pot. Bring mixture to simmer over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Cover pot and transfer to oven; cook until meat is soft and falls apart when prodded with fork, about 2 hours, flipping pieces of meat once during cooking.
2. Remove pot from oven and turn oven to broil. Using slotted spoon, transfer pork to bowl; remove orange halves, onion, and bay leaves from cooking liquid and discard (do not skim fat from liquid). Place pot over high heat (use caution, as handles will be very hot) and simmer liquid, stirring frequently, until thick and syrupy (heat safe spatula should leave wide trail when dragged through glaze), 8 to 12 minutes. You should have about 1 cup reduced liquid.
3. Using 2 forks, pull each piece of pork in half. Fold in reduced liquid; season with salt and pepper to taste. Spread pork in even layer on wire rack set inside rimmed baking sheet or on broiler pan (meat should cover almost entire surface of rack or broiler pan). Place baking sheet on lower-middle rack and broil until top of meat is well browned (but not charred) and edges are slightly crisp, 5 to 8 minutes. Using wide metal spatula, flip pieces of meat and continue to broil until top is well browned and edges are slightly crisp, 5 to 8 minutes longer. Serve immediately with warm corn tortillas, lime wedges, queso fresco, pico de gallo, & radishes.
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