A Very Long Time Ago

A very long time ago I posted on my blog. I have been baking or at least creating sweets lately. Some I have gotten from the www.recipeboy.com recipe site. The last I made was a reeses cup inbetween a double stuffed oreo minus the 2 chocolate wafers. Here's a picture of one that I took a bite out of.

Turkey Salad that I have to share

I also posted this over at delish but you have to try it yourself well, after you have roasted a turkey or a turkey breast!

Recipe from Alton Brown...

Here's the recipe:
1 lb Roasted Turkey meat
1/2 c mayonnaise
1/2 small lemon freshly squeezed
2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
1/2 c pecans, toasted and roughly chopped
1/4 c dried cranberries, roughly chopped
2 TBSP fresh sage, chiffonade
1/4 tsp kosher salt
black pepper, to taste

Combine everything in a large airtight container. Refrigerate for 1 hour before serving. Store in the fridge for 3 days.

I normally don't like fruit mixed with my meat. But this was great. I think the fresh sage really added a lot to this salad.

Reporting Back

Well I have made some changes. I bought a wii and the EA Active 2 "game". I have enjoyed the variety of the workout since it does seem to different every time although not the entire workout since each workout is based on a variety of strength training and aerobic exercises. If you have a wii and are looking for something check out EA Active 2! I also invested in WII fit plus. Wow they really developed some interesting new games since they came out with WII fit. I especially like the kung fu (sp?)

I'm not working out everyday but do hit at least 5 days a week so it has given me a good change. Hoping to keep it up as we go along.

Now if the weather would just warm up that would please me a great deal! :)

New Beginnings

I haven't been writing on this blog as much but would like to change that for 2011.

Other changes I need to make in my life:

1. Add regular exercise to my daily life

2. Find and obtain a new job hopefully in event/meeting planning this year.

3. Discover and visit interesting spots around Minnesota and Wisconsin.

4. Find time to see friends and family near and far.

5. Send more snail mail to others...everyone enjoys getting a letter in the mail.

6. Take more pictures maybe doing 3 and 4.

List to continue

Happy New Year everyone.

Holy Cow

Holy Cow. It has been a really long time since I blogged last.

What have I done since I last posted?

Still working both jobs but am now doing the bank job during the day instead of second shift. Feels so good to be able to get back to my bookclub as well as feel like a normal working person or at least the typical with the usual hours.

I had a road trip adventure driving from the twin cities area to Lancaster, Pa. I tried to divide it up within two days but ended up spending a third night in Ohio near Sandusky, thanks to tornadoes and massive rain. Glad to say that the journey back was much faster and I had less storm issues.

Promise to update more often.... I do have lots of postcrossing postcards to post if anyone wants to see them ;)

Long Time No Post

Well the good news is that I have been working. I have been working a retail job and been working a second shift job as well. I like the second shift job a bit more but I'm not looking forward to working retail during the holiday season though. But the discount will be nice.

I have some postcrossing cards to post but I haven't scanned them yet either.

Postcrossing Postcards from the last week or two

Here are some postcards I have gotten recently.

Recipe: Buttermilk Bacon Corn Salad

I made this as part of dinner last night. I admit I used vegetable cream cheese instead of goat cheese since I'm not a fan.

I found this recipe at www.seriouseats.com

About the author: Tara Mataraza Desmond writes about, cooks, and eats food for a living. She blogs about food and life through words and pictures at Crumbs On My Keyboard)


Buttermilk Bacon Corn Salad Tomatoes

- serves four -
Ingredients

4 jumbo heirloom or beefsteak-type tomatoes, or 6 to 8 plum or Roma tomatoes
4 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
2 tablespoons olive oil
5 ears corn, shucked and kernels cut from cob (4 cups of kernels)
2 jalapeños, stemmed and chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/4 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
4 scallions, chopped
1/2 cup buttermilk
4 ounces soft plain goat cheese
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
Procedure

1. Core the tomatoes and cut a wide opening in the middle from the core. For plum or Romas, cut the tomatoes lengthwise and scrape out the seeds. Set the tomatoes aside.

2. Add the bacon to a hot sauté pan over medium heat. Render until crisp, about 7 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Pour the bacon fat from the sauté pan and wipe it clean (unless you prefer sautéing in the bacon grease).

3. Add the oil to the same pan and return to medium heat. Put the corn kernels, jalapeños, and garlic in the pan and sauté for 5 to 7 minutes.

4. While the corn cooks, combine the buttermilk and goat cheese in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.

5. Transfer the corn mixture to a large mixing bowl and add the buttermilk dressing, stirring to coat all the ingredients. Add the cilantro and scallions and stir to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

6. Spoon the corn salad into the tomatoes. Serve immediately. If serving later, let the corn salad chill and stuff the tomatoes just before serving.

Made way more than just four servings!

Long time no post

One photo I took at the St Paul Winter Festival will be included in an online guide. Check it out!

See the widget on the side.

But here's the picture that will be in the guide.

Happy Independence Day

Happy Independence Day

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDA9NbPAK8o

Franconia Scuplture Park & Pot Holes

Went to Franconia Sculpture Park with some College Friends 3 of whom I hadn't seen for 19 years or so. Wow. This park is pretty much in a corn field in Northern Minnesota. I think it was pretty interesting. Maybe it wasn't art you wanted in your living room but I think it was fun to see it in this type of setting.

Here are some pictures.

I forgot to add the pot hole pictures. Will do that tomorrow.

www.franconia.org

Postcrossing Postcards from the Past Month

I've been bad about scanning lately. So here's a bunch of postcards I have received from other postcrossers over the past month.

Which one is your favorite?

I have a few favorites: The strong man, the Moomin (hippo) card, the robot,

Looking to Use Public Space for an Event?

I have been working with a nonprofit to find locations to hold a walk next spring. It has been a challenge to find space that might be good for about 200 people and have a pavilion and have availability in March, April, or May 2010. What I have discovered is St Paul doesn't reserve park space until January of that year. Not any sooner. I don't see how that could work for brides planning weddings but I believe what I was told on the phone.

Since it might be cold here one of these three months I also looked at possible indoor facilities, like the sky ways in St. Paul and the Metrodome.

I think it would be cool to have a walk in the sculpture garden outside the Walker Museum but I'm not sure if it is possible.

Thinking about a New Collection

I've been thinking about collecting globes. Of course I'll have to wait until I'm working full time again. But I like the looks of the ones here that I found online. I don't know what it is about maps and globes for me now. But I have enjoyed collecting map based postcards and want to expand into the globes or maybe snow globes too.

What do you collect?

Recipe: Pasta Puttanesca

I made this tonight for dinner. I really liked it and it was as easy as they say in terms of the speed to put everything together. I just served some bread along with it.

Pasta Puttanesca Gourmet | June 2008

by Ian Knauer

Our take on this dish, famously named for the fact that Italy's "ladies of the evening" quickly made it between clients, is just as fast and easy as the original and requires nothing more than some everyday items you probably have in your pantry already.

Yield: Makes 6 servings
Active Time: 10 min
Total Time: 30 min

1 pound dried spaghetti, spaghettini, or linguine fini
5 garlic cloves, forced through a garlic press
2 teaspoons anchovy paste
1/2 teaspoon hot red-pepper flakes
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes in juice (preferably Italian)
1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives
2 tablespoons drained capers
Pinch of sugar (optional)
3/4 cup coarsely chopped basil

Cook spaghetti in a pasta pot of boiling salted water (2 1/2 Tbsp salt for 6 qt water) until barely al dente.

While pasta boils, cook garlic, anchovy paste, red-pepper flakes, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper in oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until fragrant and pale golden, about 2 minutes.

Meanwhile, purée tomatoes with juice in a blender.

Add tomato purée to garlic oil along with olives and capers and simmer, stirring occasionally, until pasta is ready. Stir in sugar if desired.

Drain pasta and add to sauce. Simmer, turning pasta with tongs, until pasta is al dente, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle with basil.

Lemon Meringue Pie

I made Betty's Lemon Meringue Pie today. Do you know Betty of Betty's Pies. Maybe its just a Minnesota thing? Here are some pictures.

This was a hit with 5 out of 6.

Two pieces left. Wonder who's going to claim one first?

Postcrossing Postcards Received

I guess I have been busy or something. Sorry I haven't posted postcards in a while for those of you who like them ;)

Here are some I received in the past week or two from postcrossing.

New Purse

I've been wanting a new purse for a while. I found this one at TJ Maxx. And it was only $20.00.

Mini Greek Lamb Burgers

Mini Greek Lamb Burgers
I got this recipe from Martha Stewart and Every Day Food.

Ingredients

Serves 4.

• FOR TZATZIKI
• 1/2 English cucumber, peeled, seeded, and grated (3/4 cup)
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt, preferably whole milk yogurt
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh mint
• 1 small garlic clove, minced
• Salt and pepper

• FOR LAMB BURGERS
• 1 1/2 pounds ground lamb
• 1/2 small onion, minced (1/4 cup)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano, or 1 teaspoon dried
• Salt and pepper
• 4 pieces pita bread (6 inches each)

  Directions

• Heat grill or grill pan to high. Make tzatziki: In a medium bowl, combine cucumber, yogurt, lemon juice, mint and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Cover, and refrigerate until ready to use.
• Make burgers: In a medium bowl, use a fork to gently combine lamb, onion, parsley, and oregano; season with salt and pepper. Gently form mixture into 16 small patties, about 3/4 inch thick. Grill until medium-rare, 2 to 3 minutes per side.
• To serve, warm pitas on the grill or directly over a gas burner, turning occasionally. Halve pitas, and fill with lettuce, burgers, tomato, and tzatziki.
• Iceberg lettuce, for serving
• 2 medium beefsteak tomatoes, sliced, for serving