Tag: family

Blue Ribbons

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Before we delve into today’s post, it’s time to reveal the results of our poll. The votes are tallied and it was a CLOSE race. We had two clear leading contenders for our next cooking destination taking about 60% of the votes. And the winner is…Cuba! Cuba took Argentina by just one vote! Thank you to everyone that participated. We’re looking forward to our Cuban cooking adventure.

However, before we get to Cuba we have a few posts to share first. Today is a taste of our adventures from the State Fair.  Continue reading →

The FTC – Gettin’ Figgy with It

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We were at the farmer’s market a few weeks ago and got some wonderfully ripe peaches and black figs. I had never seen figs at our farmer’s market before, so I snatched them right up. Believe it or not, those little gems are hard to come by. In fact, one time, Miss A and I hit five, yes five, different grocery stores to try to find them. It was an epic journey that included a down pour, stopped freight trains and a grumpy woman that literally blocked us from the figs with her cart and took every last one of the pints (and there were at least 10!). Now it’s become a running joke that we need to grab the figs before “figgy lady” finds them. (Miss A was certain she emptied out the first three stores too!)

So on our way home from the market I started thinking that the figs and peaches might be pretty good together. Then I remembered that I had clipped a bit of my mom’s sage the day before…my wheels were spinning. A quick internet search and I saw a recipe for seared figs and peaches with balsamic vinegar. Then it hit me – French toast! Continue reading →

Follow the Leader

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It’s hard to believe, but this is our last post from Down Under. This tour seems to have gone by rather quickly, or maybe it’s just me. I really enjoyed our adventures with Aussie cuisine and have a feeling a few of these recipes will stick around (especially the Pavlova) for years to come. However, before we get to the final recipe, I thought we’d play a little game of follow the leader.

You see it’s my turn to pick our next cooking around the world destination, but I’m feeling a bit indecisive. So I thought I’d leave it up to you to decide where we go next. You lead, we’ll follow. The poll will be open until next Sunday evening. So tell us, where should we go? Click your choice in the poll below.

Now on to our last Australian dish and we’re heading back to the barbie. This time we’re going with seafood and a recipe inspired by the Sydney Fish Market, a Grilled White Fish with Lemon Rocket Pesto. The original recipe called for the use of lemon myrtle, an ingredient I had never heard of before. So after consulting good ol’ Wikipedia, I learned that it’s a flowering plant and a well-known “bushwood” flavor. I then had to learn what “bushwood” meant…it traditionally relates to any food native to Australia. Continue reading →

Tiny Dancer

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I was feeling reflective this past weekend. Perhaps it’s the start of the new school year, or my approaching birthday, or just the song in the background.

Whatever the reason I was reflecting on the kids. When you have children, you know it’s your job to teach them – right from wrong, common sense, values, etc., but the one thing I don’t think they tell soon-to-be or new parents is how much your children teach you. It is amazing how much my children have transformed me, how much better they have made me and how much more I appreciate everything about my life. Children shift priorities and they show you the world through different lenses.

From the time Mr. N and Miss A were born they have each had a definite and distinct presence. Mr. N, well, he’s my old, sage soul. His ability to ask big questions, to see the world beyond his own and to have such a confidence in his place – well, it’s simply beyond his years. Don’t get me wrong, he’s still an eight-year old boy who whines, fights with his sister, gets lost in his video games and forgets to put on at least one article of clothing every morning, but deep inside lies this wonderfully empathetic soul that ponders deep questions, understands complicated concepts and loves beyond measure. tracing Continue reading →

Perfect Balance

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First I have to start by complimenting my dear husband. He got up last Friday in the wee hours of the morning, when it’s still quite dark, to start the 14 pound brisket in the smoker. I admit that I was skeptical. We had done some reading about smoking a packer brisket and it sure sounded complicated. There are so many things to consider…things I had never even heard of before. So to say I was nervous would be an understatement. We had a backyard full of people to feed after all.

Well, I ended up worried over nothing (Isn’t that usually the case for us natural born worriers?). Mike’s brisket was cooked to perfection – pink on the inside, crispy on the outside and oh, so juicy! There was only a morsel left (You know the last piece no one takes because no one wants to be the person to take the last piece.). And I would be remiss if I didn’t give a shout-out to all of our wonderful friends that brought the tasty side dishes to share. Each one was delicious! Sadly, I was too busy to take a photo, so you’ll just have to use your imaginations. You can flashback to our “Chopped Challenge” from New Year’s to see the rub Mike used though. Great stuff!

Now back to our Australian adventures…As we adjust to being back in our school routines, it’s all about finding that perfect life balance – or at least some semblance of balance. You know, trying to find the right balance of time for work, family, exercise, marriage, volunteer work, the kids’ activities and heck, even blogging! Some days it all comes together and others, well, you just have to muddle through. Those are the kind of days when a little comfort food is in order. Like an Aussie Meat Pie. We started with a pie crust. Continue reading →

Fire Up the Barbie

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Well, school kicked off to a good start. Mr. N survived his first full day of school. He did come home a bit hyper and over-stimulated, but that will cease in a week or two. There’s always that adjustment period. Most importantly though, he seems happy. His nerves are gone and it’s all old hat again.

Miss A had her first day as well. No nerves for her. She was raring to go. Unlike her big brother, she didn’t come home bouncing off walls though. She was exhausted and will definitely sleep well for a few weeks while she adjusts too.

Now that the summer is winding down, birthdays and anniversaries are past, it’s time to get back to cooking around the world with Miss A at the helm. After much consideration and at least three destination changes, she arrived at Australia. So over the next few weeks we’ll be sampling some recipes from Down Under and I gotta say, we’re pretty excited. Australia is high on our list of places we’d love to visit someday, and what better place to start than in our kitchen (or on our patio). Continue reading →