working on it still

I have been up way before the sun this morning thinking about our tasting party, and I still can't get the idea of fondue out of my head.  I think that I am obsessed with fondue, I even like to say fondue.
Yeah....fondue....yummy.  My sister, Jenn, would love to have fondue, so I think that it kinds of settles that, we will have fondue.  Maybe just a cheese fondue would be enough.  Then I think about chocolate fondue, everyone loves chocolate fondue. 


Caramel fondue.....it just popped into my head, what about caramel fondue?????  I must check this out.....

Wow....there are others that think like me.....I think that this is something I would really enjoy.....

We went to one of my favorite stores, I get the best things at HomeGoods, Marshall's, and TJ Maxx, and I found a new cheese grater, not that I grate cheese all that much though, it is pretty awesome.  Andrew gave it a whirl, he said it was great.

The best part of it is that it has a suction base that adheres to the counter top, it came with 3 different graters, and Andrew said that it saved him some skin, literally.  He liked it so much that he has used it twice already.  It is really neat.

It is Friday and I am looking forward to a fantastic weekend.  I will finish up the menu for the tasting party, and I think that they said that we were in for some more snow, I hope not. 

I am thinking meatballs, Swedish Meatballs.....

A simple celebration....

Yesterday was  Glenette and Anthony's birthday.  Carol and Mike brought the cake, Kiki brought Carol and Mike, and Anthony drove the car.  So it was a group effort.

We made Split Pea Soup.....I soaked 2 pounds of green split peas overnight.  I wanted to make it with yellow peas, but they did not have any at the Hmart.  I went to the grocery store twice to buy the peas, both times I got a whole bunch of things that I did not need, and forgot to buy the peas on each trip.  Phew, sometimes I think that I am brain dead.  I am so brain dead, that I forgot to ask Kathy and Mike to come, Kathy does not eat the chicken thighs, but I bought chicken cutlets, to make on the side, but I forgot.  Mike, I am pretty sure does not eat Split Pea, it's green, and Mike doesn''t eat green.  I was just so clear-headed, that I forgot.  I am going to make it up to her.  I am so very sorry.

We used the Staub "BabyBath", as we call it.  I think that it is 13.5 quarts.  Kathy gave it to me two Christmas' ago.  She bought it when she, Gabriella, and I went to Salem, MA.  We popped into the Wrentham Outlets.  They have an awesome William-Sonoma outlet.  I just love that store.

 Dinner was the Peach Whiskey Chicken, I think I have to stop making it for a couple of months.  I have made it at least once a week for like a month and a half.  Pretty soon Andrew is going to wrinkle his nose at it.  It is just soooo good, I can't help myself.

I decided to make Milanese risotto.  The last time I made twice as much risotto, it was a total failure.  I did not know what happened but I failed miserably.  I gave it another try, and it seemed to all come together.  I enjoy risotto, all kinds of risotto, even mushroom risotto.

and this is how it looked when it hit the plate.....

Yes, I added peas.  Andrew loves peas.....

Life is good, life is very good.....life is great.  We are happy, very happy

in a secret location......

As if....the only secret location I have, is the other side of my head, you know the part of you that answers your questions.  Truth be told, I have been kicking around the menu for the Tasting Party.
I have thought about having all chocolate dishes, then I think fondue....I love fondue.....I have multiple fondue pots.  Kathy gave me a white one that she was never going to use or so she said, and a beautiful copper fondue pot that was given to me by Donna, she had brought it home with her from Germany.  I have a cast iron fondue pot from Staub, that I bought two years ago, that I have yet to use.  I am thinking that maybe it is a good idea to have fondue.  A fondue tasting party...I think that it sounds like a delicious time...But then I think...we could have paninis & bellinis.....that sounds yummy, I just don't know, but I need to get my act together and figure this out.

I sent myself on an assignment, and on my way home I decided to stop at Delicious Orchards, I almost had to leave a kidney as payment, I bought Carrot Salad, two Ugly Tomatoes, and a loaf of cheese bread.  We ate the Carrot Salad, it was delicious.  So I decided that it could not be that hard to make, and I made it.  Yes, it was easy and it came out fantastic. 

I peeled about 8 carrots, and shredded them in the food processor, while I emptied a can of pineapple bits in a mesh strainer to drain.  I cleaned and chopped 3 scallions finely.  I put about 1.5 cups of raisins, scallions, pineapple, carrots into a bowl and then folded in .5 cups each of mayo and sour cream.  I then put in salt & pepper.  It was good, but I did not like the mayo undertaste, so I added a teaspoon of sugar.  Next time, no mayo only sour cream with a bit of milk.

I sent some to work with Andrew for lunch.  He gave it to the guy he works with, he had never had carrot salad before.  He said that he liked it.

I was thinking that it would taste amazing on a pulled pork sandwich.  So boys and girls, can you guess what else I made......I just happened to pick up a pork shoulder,  I thought that I would cut it up into pieces, and brown it, don't do that, ok....don't cut it up.....leave it whole, and cut off some of the fat. 

I chopped 2 medium shallots, 6 cloves of garlic.  I browned the approximately 7# of pork butt in  olive oil and butter, there really wasn't any fat to drain, so I sauteed the shallots & garlic in what was left in the pot, then added 4 peeled, cored, and chopped Granny Smith apples, cooked them for about 4 minutes, added 2 cups of apple brandy, scraped all the browned heaven from the bottom and sides of the pan, cooked till it reduced a little, then added 12 ounces of BBQ sauce, and 18 ounces of apple jelly, 2 tablespoons of worcestershire, put the pork and juices back into the pot, put the lid on, and put it in a 275F oven for about 4 hours.  This is what I got....we sneaked a piece....life is good.  Oh, yeah, I used apple smoked salt and pepper on the pork before I browned it.

I decided to make it this way because I was channeling the Peach Whiskey Chicken that I am currently enamored with.  I love that chicken......

We will have the pork on Friday with the carrot salad.

Now if only I could make that Tasting Menu, all would be right in my world.

Muhaahaaahaa........

Staying home.....

Never let it be said that I don't enjoy going out to eat.  I love to go out to eat things that I or we don't find ourselves cooking.  We very rarely go out for Italian, I don't care for red sauce from anyone, with the exception of pizza, from most.  It gives me agita.   Mrs. Gallo, my mother-in-law, made the best red sauce, actually all of her sauces were the BEST.  That woman could cook, man oh man, could she cook.....  If we go out for Italian, I usually get macaroni with oil & garlic, or macaroni with clam sauce.  When we go out, it is usually for some sort of Asian, whether it be Sushi or Thai, and when we go for Thai, I never get anything with curry, I cook curry, so it is usually Pad Thai.   No matter how many times, I simply cannot make Pad Thai, I try, try, try and try.  I just can't do it.  It never tastes as good.  So I will leave it to the master's of Thai.

Our long weekend was great, although the weather did thwart some of our plans, it was all good, very very good....  We had a beautiful NY strip steak and salad dinner on Saturday, Andrew rubbed the steaks with meat rub, grilled them to absolute perfection, and the salad that he made was fantastic. 

I love croutons in my salad, sometimes I think that I would be happy with just the croutons, but.....

Dinner was delicious.  Goodness, I love that man....He can cook for me anytime....It was the best Valentine gift...

While Andrew was making our dinner. I was making the Peach Whiskey Chicken, yes, again...we were to eat it on Sunday....

 

I used applewood smoked salt on the chicken, it added depth of flavor.  We were glad that I made it early, the sauces really permeated the chicken.  I made cheesey polenta as a side for Monday night's dinner.

Donna made stuffed cabbage for us for Sunday.  I neglected to take pictures, but I will in the reruns...

Stay forever mine....