Cinco de Mayo Randomness

Gelato from Gnam Gnam in Greensboro, NC

1.   Whole Foods.  It just opened in Greensboro a few of weeks ago. THANK YOU Corporate Director of Marketing and Demographics for seeing the potential, opportunity and need here in Greensboro! Amazing croissants. Liked their olive bar. The bright green olives are my favorite I will get the name of them next visit. Cheese counter was smaller than expected BUT they had nice variety and carry types you cannot find anywhere else in Greensboro. And they carry Bailey Hazen Blue! Their Bakery cakes were pretty and unique. Floral department rocked. Loved all the tulips. First time I’ve seen a Granola bar. They even had Gelato. Sorry, not impressed with their Gelato. I think we’ll stick to Gnam Gnam.   Now if the Demographics and Marketing Gods could just see their way to bringing a Trader Joes here, I would be a happy girl.

2.  If I was having a Cinco de Mayo Party today, and I’m not, I would have thought ahead and ordered these decorations.  ($11.99 for all 6 from Celebrateexpress.com!)   Instead, I am thinking about trying a new recipe for these Margaritas.  

3.  I think it’s very strange, ironic, and unsettling that when you boil a pot of eggs for hard boiled eggs they make a chirping sound. 

4.  Mad Men.   Zou Bisou Bisou. 

5.   Wedding in Chicago this summer at Navy Pier. Looking forward to it.

6.  I was listening to NPR on the radio in my car the other day and Marilu Henner from Taxi was the guest.  She is one of 12 people in the world who has something called HSAM: Highly Superior Auto-biographical Memory.  It is the rare and incredible ability that allows her to vividly recall every detail of her life since childhood.  She even remembers what day of the week her memories took place.   To listen to her was fascinating.  She has a new book out called Total Memory Makeover where she talks about her incredible memory and how you can enhance your recollection of the events in your own life.  Might be fun to pick this one up.

7.  Husband snores.  Becoming a problem.  Can you help?

Flower Urns and Happy Dogs

Today I found a pair of urns at Tuesday Morning that I just love.  I first saw them in a sale flyer they sent to me in the mail.  I knew I wanted them right then.  So,  I went to my local Tuesday Morning and there were no urns to be seen.  I asked the store clerk and she told me they wouldn’t be in until the following Tuesday on May 1st.  Hmm…so that’s why it’s called Tuesday Morning.  :)  Well, I forgot all about them and then today as I stopped at a sandwich shop I noticed a Tuesday Morning right next door to the shop.  In I went and out I came with two of these beautiful gold urns.  The sales flyer showed three colors; gold, red, and a bright green.  I wanted the green.  They were a bright lime/French green but the store I was in only had the gold and one red one.  The red was a VERY dark burgundy color.  So, I picked up the more practical gold urns and now that I have them home I am happy I did.  And if I decide I want to got the French green route someday, there’s always spray paint.    These are a great buy at $24.99 each and they are huge.  And they are made of fiberglass so they are  extremely light. 

After I got home with them, I changed out of my work clothes and headed to A&A Plants and picked up some red geraniums, lobelia,  ivy, and some spikes.  (Do spike plants have name?)  Each urn took almost a whole bag of Miracle Grow Potting Soil.  I was going to put one of each side of my front door but they are so tall and large it was almost too much.  So, I placed one on my deck and kept one next to the front door.  I like the look. 

It’s only May 3rd and I hate to complain about the heat already but lord it was hot today!  Even Oakley needed to be hosed down to cool her off.  That dog loves nothing better than to be hosed down with the icy cold water from the hose.    And after her cool down, she did a the Happy Dance on her back.

 

One of my favorite flowers is blue Lobelia.  Each year I plant it in my planters and by the end of June they are cooked.  So this year the nice people out at A&A Plants suggested I try a new variety of Lobelia that they had that is more heat tolerant.  So I brought 4 pots of the new Lobelia home with me and I am hoping I can get them through the summer.  I’ll let you know how it goes. 

 

Lobelia has the prettiest color blue.  So delicate looking and I love it when they spill out of a flower pot.  All of my pots are finally planted.  Feels good to have that done!  How about you?  Have you finished all your planting yet?

Greek Salad

 
This Greek Salad takes me back to my high school days in Michigan every time I eat it.  There was a restaurant on Cass Elizabeth Lake Road  called Mitch’s and their Greek salad has both ruined me and put me on a quest.  Ruined because no Greek salad tastes like I remember their Greek salad did and ever since I have been searching for a substitute.  But like a Porsche...there is no substitute.  And the sad thing is,  Mitch’s is gone.  It think someone told me it burned down and they never rebuilt it.  Tragic.
My girlfriend’s and I would make Mitch’s a destination once we all got our driver’s licenses.     Sometimes a whole group of us would get a table and munch down on their breadsticks and salad.   They had good pizza too but the highlight for me was always the salad.   Other times we would get carry out and sit outside on a hot, summer, muggy, Michigan night and happily pick around the bright red beets and inhale the rest of that salad.  It was especially near and dear to my friend Karen A’s and my heart.  More than once we sat in her car Meyer (yes, we used to name our cars) eating that salad.  It was a destination when we came home on break from college (she from Michigan State and me from Central Michigan) to get our Mitch’s Greek Salad fix, balancing the round foil container on our knees, laughing and catching  up with each other about all the crazy things that we were doing at school.   I remember feeling a wee bit jealous when our friend Meghan actually got a summer job there.  Why couldn’t I find a job with a built in perk like that? 
 
I make mental notes every time I see a Greek salad on a menu. Does the menu list beets? What about the olives? What kind are they? I insist on real Kalamata olives. I’m a bit of an olive snob now too. Should I try it? Do I risk disappointment once again?  No restaurant has ever come close.  So instead, when I am feeling the Greek salad urge and sometimes when I am feeling a bit nostalgic, I’ll get the ingredients together and make my own salad.  Minus the beets.  They just don’t taste the same as I remember when I put them in.  Give this salad a try.  It really is delicious and the beets are optional.
Greek Salad
Salad Ingredients:  (All of these quantities are flexible.  Use more or less of the ingredients you like.)
1 head of ice burg lettuce ( a mixture of Romaine and ice burg is nice too.)
3 tomatoes diced
1/2 cucumber, diced.  (I like English cucumbers when cucumbers are not in season.)
1/2 red onion, sliced very thinly.
1/4 cup of Kalamata olives (whole or sliced)
4 oz. feta cheese
Chop up the lettuce and put it on a large platter.  Top the lettuce with the tomatoes, cucumber, and red onion.  Add the feta cheese and the Kalamata Olives.   Add the dressing a few minutes before serving. 
Dressing:
1/2 cup olive oil
2 large cloves garlic, pressed
1 lemon, juiced
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/8 tsp. salt
a couple of shakes of ground black pepper
I usually mix my dressing up in a Pyrex measuring cup.  Start with the olive oil, add the garlic using a garlic press.  Add the juice of the lemon careful to catch any of the seeds.  Add the sugar and whisk together.  Add the oregano, salt, and pepper and whisk again till well combined.  Taste it.  If it is still too sour from the lemon juice, carefully add a bit more sugar till the sharp sour taste is gone.  I like to then put it in a Mason Jar and keep it in the refrigerator until it’s time to serve. 

It’s not the same as Mitch’s but it’s darn close and I will continue on my quest for finding it’s clone.  Something tells me I’m not going to find it down here.   Ooops!  Did I just say that?!  Well, shut my mouth!

Coconut Shrimp from Steamy Kitchen

   Not wanting to get in the car and drive aimlessly around Greensboro with my husband and  saying things like, “What do YOU feel like having tonight?” or “what are YOU in the mood for?”  “Do you want a salad?”   “A sandwich?”   “Pasta?”  “Mexican?“  “Feel like having a nice steak? “ “ Seafood? “   “Should we do Chinese?”,  I decided that we were staying in and I pulled out my copy of The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook by Jaden Hair and decided that I was finally going to make her version of Coconut Shrimp. Do you do that too?   Drive around town looking for inspiration to hit you as to what and where to have dinner?  I can’t tell you how many times we do this.  I think it’s because we have pretty much exhausted visiting all the restaurants in Greensboro.  That is one of the drawbacks to living in a smaller town I guess.  

 

  Anyway, the Coconut Shrimp was absolutely wonderful.  Jaden writes in her book that if there was one recipe that she wanted you to try first in her book that this would be it.  It really was amazingly delicious. 

Coconut Shrimp From Steamy Kitchen

1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut.  (I used sweetened and left out the sugar at the end of the recipe.)

1 Tbsp. High –heat cooking oil

1 pound raw tail-on shrimp, deveined, and patted really dry.

2 Tbsp. butter

4 green onions (scallions), cut into 2 inch pieces

1 Tbsp. finely minced garlic

3 Tbsp. cognac (I used Captain Morgan’s Spiced Rum.)

Generous pinch of salt

3/4 tsp. sugar

In a wok over medium heat, toast the coconut till golden brown being careful not to burn it.  . Remove from pan and set aside on a plate to cool.  Wipe the wok and set over high heat.  Add the oil and then added the shrimp to the wok keeping them in an even single layer.  Fry for about 1 minute and then flip and fry for an additional minute till almost cooked through.  Remove the shrimp from the wok and set aside. 

Turn the heat to medium and add the butter, onions and garlic.  Fry for about 30 seconds careful not to burn the garlic.  Add the cognac (Captain Morgan’s Spiced Rum), the salt, and the sugar if you are using unsweetened coconut.  Add the shrimp back into the pan and stir till the sauce thickens a bit and the shrimp are nicely coated.  Remove for the heat and sprinkle with the toasted coconut.   

I served it with Jasmine Rice.   

I swear the secret ingredient that puts this over the top is the Captain Morgan’s Demon Spiced Rum.  If you don’t want to invest in a big bottle , see if your liquor store sells the mini bottles.  One mini bottle is exactly the 3 tablespoon measurement called for by the recipe.

Or go ahead and invest in the larger bottle.  With the summertime coming up, it makes a great slushy drink that is handy to have in your freezer.  My husband is actually the one who likes to make the Captain Morgan’s Slushy Mix.  I’ll have to get him to whip up a batch soon and will post the recipe when he does (and after I find it.)

So, back to the Coconut Shrimp.  It’s delicious and the the Steamy Kitchen cookbook comes highly recommended.  Have a nice weekend!

Chocolate Cookies with White Chocolate Chips

I made these today after the guilt set in for not buying any candy for Easter this year.   That’s right.  Not a single chocolate bunny, marshmallow egg, peanut butter cup, jelly bean, or peep.  The family all told me not to buy it this year and the one time I actually listen and do what they ask, everybody has a long face and is poking around the kitchen looking for treats.  These got me off the hook but I think next year I’ll have to invest in a chocolate bunny or two. 

These will cure any cravings for chocolate you might have and they are delicious.

Chocolate Cookies with White Chocolate Chips. 

1 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup sugar

2 tsp. vanilla

2 large eggs

2/3 cup cocoa

2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 bag white chocolate chips

Cream the butter and the sugars until light and fluffy.  Add vanilla and the eggs and mix well.  Add the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt and mix on low until just combined.  Do not over mix.  Fold in the white chocolate chips.   

I like to use a big cookie scoop for jumbo size cookies. (You could also use an ice cream scoop or a large rounded tablespoon.)  Line your cookie sheets with aluminum foil and drop the cookies onto the sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.  Cool slightly and transfer to a cookie cooling rack to cool completely.    Enjoy.

Randomness in the Spring Time

Most shampoos sting when they drip into your eyes when you are taking a shower. But, Head and Shoulders has to be the worst on the pain scale.

I am late to the Mad Men party. I am currently watching the earlier seasons on Netflix and trying to catch up before season five starts on Sunday night . I am only on season 1, episode 8 so far. So much Mad Men-ness to look forward to.

I was doing well in the March Madness Basketball Pool at the beginning. But, I am now officially out as I picked Michigan State to go all the way. Not an easy pick for someone who lives in a NC Carolina Tarheel home. Now that Michigan State has been eliminated, I am totally cheering for UNC . Go Heels!

I might be getting the braces off of my teeth in 3 weeks. 3 weeks!!

Pinterest is actually changing some of their terms. It appears as though they actually listened to us users who were concerned with their terms agreement. I still have to read the new agreement but I am feeling better about keeping my account and feeding my pinning addiction.

Boston Ferns at Lowes’ are only $7.50 right now. And they are big, round a full. Such a deal. I bought three. Two for the front porch and one for the back deck.

I love my Kindle Fire. It is becoming my constant companion. I can check email, check the weather, google, peruse Pinterest, Facebook, play Free Cell, watch Mad Men and other movies on Netflix, listen to music, read blogs, and of course, shop for and read books. I have read more books this year than I have in a long time. And I finally found a cover for it that I love.

I am a bit of a Jane Austen freak and I finished watching the movie Lost In Austen on my Kindle Fire from the comfort of my bed. I watched a little bit each night over the course of a few days. Nice way to wind down. Loved that movie.

We have had the air conditioning on up stairs for the past week. I never thought we would ever turn the AC on in the month of March! I am not complaining though. I have loved the mild winter and early spring. I just hope the summer isn’t monster hot this year.

Enjoy the weekend!

It’s a Good Time to Buy Cheese

Busy day in the cheese caves today.  This is one of many displays that we started to build.  Take five wheels of Parmesan Reggiano, each weighing in at about 80 pounds and close to a $1200 price tag each, add lot’s of cutting and wrapping, and I am a tired girl.  Tomorrow there will be chunks of wrapped cheese cascading down this display and it goes on sale  at your local Harris Teeter for $9.99/lb.  Now that’s a deal.  Time to stock up.

And look how pretty this wheel of Gruyere is.  It begged me to take its picture.  So I did.