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  1. <?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?><rss xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:openSearch="http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearchrss/1.0/" xmlns:blogger="http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008" xmlns:georss="http://www.georss.org/georss" xmlns:gd="http://schemas.google.com/g/2005" xmlns:thr="http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0" version="2.0"><channel><atom:id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3368220217936810824</atom:id><lastBuildDate>Wed, 13 Mar 2024 00:38:37 +0000</lastBuildDate><category>chicken</category><category>apples</category><category>san diego</category><category>Mexican</category><category>pie</category><category>Italian</category><category>chocolate</category><category>pork</category><category>Christmas</category><category>artichokes</category><category>birthday</category><category>breakfast.</category><category>cake</category><category>espresso</category><category>rice</category><category>saltimbocca</category><category>strawberries</category><category>Halloween</category><category>Thanksgiving</category><category>Valentine&#39;s day</category><category>banana cream pie</category><category>candy</category><category>carne asada</category><category>coconut cream</category><category>cream cheese</category><category>farmer&#39;s market</category><category>flautas</category><category>french toast</category><category>fun</category><category>gelato</category><category>green beans</category><category>guacamole</category><category>holiday</category><category>noodles</category><category>pics</category><category>pizza</category><category>salad</category><category>salsa</category><category>shrimp</category><category>tiramisu</category><category>Adams Avenue</category><category>Applebee&#39;s</category><category>Bandera</category><category>Beach</category><category>Brunch</category><category>Cabrillo</category><category>Cantina</category><category>Chargers</category><category>Corona del Mar</category><category>Dana Point</category><category>Eibrot</category><category>Greek</category><category>Japanese</category><category>Katsu</category><category>Kensington</category><category>Kono&#39;s</category><category>LL Bean</category><category>La Jolla</category><category>Little Italy</category><category>Mayahuel</category><category>Minnesota</category><category>Mona Lisa&#39;s</category><category>New Year</category><category>Old Town</category><category>Pat and Oscars</category><category>Phil&#39;s</category><category>Ponce&#39;s</category><category>Spanish Rice</category><category>Sports Arena</category><category>Sunday</category><category>University Heights</category><category>addiction</category><category>aioli</category><category>airline food</category><category>autumn</category><category>bbq</category><category>berries</category><category>black raspberries</category><category>breadsticks</category><category>butterscotch</category><category>candy cane</category><category>cherry</category><category>chinese</category><category>chips</category><category>chow mein</category><category>coffee</category><category>cookie</category><category>crisp</category><category>crumb top</category><category>cutlets</category><category>deli</category><category>dinner</category><category>dip</category><category>dressing</category><category>eggs</category><category>enchiladas</category><category>fall</category><category>family</category><category>fiesta</category><category>flying</category><category>food</category><category>french cookies</category><category>frosting</category><category>garlic</category><category>gravy</category><category>ground beef</category><category>hamburger</category><category>hillcrest</category><category>homemade</category><category>iced drinks</category><category>icing</category><category>individual desserts</category><category>katsudon</category><category>lighthouse</category><category>lime</category><category>lobster</category><category>maine</category><category>margarita</category><category>marshmallows</category><category>mascarpone</category><category>mashed potatoes</category><category>melon</category><category>midwest</category><category>mock chow mein</category><category>mom</category><category>mousse</category><category>onion rings</category><category>pancakes</category><category>party</category><category>pasta</category><category>pate</category><category>peanut butter</category><category>peppermint</category><category>photos</category><category>pomegranate</category><category>produce</category><category>props</category><category>pumpkin</category><category>quesadilla</category><category>queso</category><category>ramen</category><category>recipes</category><category>red peppers</category><category>ribs</category><category>rocky road</category><category>shallot</category><category>snap peas</category><category>snow</category><category>soup</category><category>spaghetti</category><category>spring</category><category>stir fry</category><category>stuffed shells</category><category>stuffing</category><category>sunset</category><category>swiss steak</category><category>tacos</category><category>tamales</category><category>tequila</category><category>tonkatsu</category><category>travel</category><category>treats</category><category>turkey</category><category>vegetables</category><category>waffles</category><category>winter</category><category>yellow beans</category><title>Eating San Diego</title><description>Eating San Diego: A small corner of the web dedicated to, yes, you guessed it! FOOD! I have two goals for this: First, to review (and maybe get reviews) some of the many fine--and not so fine--dining establishments here in our fair city. Second, because I love to cook and bake myself, I will also be including some of my favorite recipes, food buys, and great kitchen tools. Manga!</description><link>http://eating-sandiego.blogspot.com/</link><managingEditor>noreply@blogger.com (kimbery)</managingEditor><generator>Blogger</generator><openSearch:totalResults>58</openSearch:totalResults><openSearch:startIndex>1</openSearch:startIndex><openSearch:itemsPerPage>25</openSearch:itemsPerPage><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3368220217936810824.post-3344148674236693321</guid><pubDate>Wed, 11 Mar 2009 11:01:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2009-03-11T05:15:19.986-07:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">cake</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">gelato</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">spring</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">strawberries</category><title>Strawberries!!!</title><description>&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYA8zw1zClkoBtYPygDUUXIPoJ_pq-N3b1kb5TwX-q9uUnlPPtFQ9OrOelbO4pd2oMRuDXl2RHtHh36FkIrXJ2FwVje7nOu-W9scnx96bboZdsChSdYsf1JqJOw2S4rtzKICeJB-fiutQ/s1600-h/Strawberry-Shortcake.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 239px; height: 320px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYA8zw1zClkoBtYPygDUUXIPoJ_pq-N3b1kb5TwX-q9uUnlPPtFQ9OrOelbO4pd2oMRuDXl2RHtHh36FkIrXJ2FwVje7nOu-W9scnx96bboZdsChSdYsf1JqJOw2S4rtzKICeJB-fiutQ/s320/Strawberry-Shortcake.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311899943812263986&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxDfmuXGeiiZCq8gfRdP-XDF4b7TGV04u0jKRdYsMNDBclGgGE0prLqk_Hxg0D7KGKxiNeA9cWGLcoshIph7HeW2h-qtQelv2avKCLwoUrF4kzmyk_KOEY4TjcoNq0sZgwZW_fLSfeTB4/s1600-h/Strawberry-Gelato.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 270px; height: 320px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxDfmuXGeiiZCq8gfRdP-XDF4b7TGV04u0jKRdYsMNDBclGgGE0prLqk_Hxg0D7KGKxiNeA9cWGLcoshIph7HeW2h-qtQelv2avKCLwoUrF4kzmyk_KOEY4TjcoNq0sZgwZW_fLSfeTB4/s320/Strawberry-Gelato.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311899940485545842&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-OsiO6S2VOBHR0sdOJVnmRzamSc7Xn3tH8y7HmfAG_Cnuuf8VPP39yHEhOIB46ZTMA4OM88UX4ekEFIU2fjXLmhTrlJQgiqUhw1cD0CLvfR55mg2jGsTIRQvrQyc_SCtZ4V7zeeaIDuQ/s1600-h/Strawberries.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 217px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-OsiO6S2VOBHR0sdOJVnmRzamSc7Xn3tH8y7HmfAG_Cnuuf8VPP39yHEhOIB46ZTMA4OM88UX4ekEFIU2fjXLmhTrlJQgiqUhw1cD0CLvfR55mg2jGsTIRQvrQyc_SCtZ4V7zeeaIDuQ/s320/Strawberries.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311899942689132050&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So, about a week or so ago, I decided, on a whim, to see if my favorite strawberry stand was open. We&#39;d had several warm, sunny days, and it seemed like the perfect time for some berries to me, so I drove on up to Encinitas. It was a lovely drive with my daughter and her BFF to keep me company. We listened to some Earth Wind &amp;amp; Fire as we cruised up the I-5, our hopes sailing high. For a second, as we dropped down the slope that would lead to our exit, I thought my hopes were dashed, but then, as we passed the large tree that was partially blocking the view, I could tell it was open. Yay!&lt;br /&gt;This particular stand has been one of my favorites since we owned out automotive shop in Encinitas years ago. My sister in law and I used to pick up a 3 pack and have berries for lunch as we worked! They are the sweetest, most flavorful strawberries I&#39;ve had since I was a child eating wild strawberries in my Grandma Ma&#39;s kitchen. This current crop is no exception. We bought a 3 pack and headed back to the truck, each of us picking a berry to taste along the way. One bite into the juicy, sunny flavor, and we did an immediate about face to buy more. Half a flat later, we were back in the truck, red lips and smiles on our faces.&lt;br /&gt;So, you may be wondering what I did with those berries? A lot! Aside from eating out of hand. I made strawberry waffles for breakfast, and two desserts: Strawberry Creme Cake and Strawberry Gelato. The Strawberry Creme cake is simple: White cake, layered with sliced strawberries and whipped cream. The whipping cream came from Trader Joe&#39;s. I love their heavy whipping cream, because it has a higher fat content than that of regular grocery store brands, so it stays stable much longer once you whip it.&lt;br /&gt;The Gelato is a favorite around here. I make gelato often in the summer months; it&#39;s quick, easy, and delicious - and it&#39;s healthier than ice cream! Can&#39;t beat that!&lt;br /&gt;Here&#39;s the recipe for the Strawberry Gelato:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;about 2 baskets fresh hulled strawberries&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;3/4 cup sugar (superfine works best, but granulated is fine)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;2 cups milk&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;1/2 cup heavy cream&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;1 tsp fresh lemon juice (I use Meyer lemon, because it&#39;s what I have in the yard!)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In the blender, combine the strawberries, lemon juice, and sugar. Add the milk and blend. Pour into a bowl and add the heavy cream, stirring to combine. Chill for 4-6 hours, until very cold. If you have time, chill overnight for best flavor.&lt;br /&gt;Transfer to your ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer&#39;s directions. When it reaches the consistency of soft serve, you can serve it immediately. Freeze any leftovers in an airtight container.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;I&#39;ll post the Strawberry Creme cake recipe if anyone requests it. Enjoy!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://eating-sandiego.blogspot.com/2009/03/strawberries.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (kimbery)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYA8zw1zClkoBtYPygDUUXIPoJ_pq-N3b1kb5TwX-q9uUnlPPtFQ9OrOelbO4pd2oMRuDXl2RHtHh36FkIrXJ2FwVje7nOu-W9scnx96bboZdsChSdYsf1JqJOw2S4rtzKICeJB-fiutQ/s72-c/Strawberry-Shortcake.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>4</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3368220217936810824.post-4817034204894216654</guid><pubDate>Tue, 24 Feb 2009 17:50:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2009-02-26T11:29:36.447-08:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">espresso</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">individual desserts</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">mascarpone</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">tiramisu</category><title>Individual Tiramisu - Easy and Elegant Dessert!</title><description>&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;If you have a sweet tooth, desserts are probably a large part of your cooking repertoire. In most foods, I prefer there to be some kind of texture, some crunch or crispness. But sometimes, I just want something creamy and yummy and good...and that&#39;s when I crave Tiramisu. Loosely translated, the name of the dessert is Italian for &quot;Pick Me Up&quot;...and with the espresso, it&#39;s not an unfitting title, believe me! Almost like a trifle, Tiramisu consists of layers of espresso soaked Savoiardi (Italian crisp-style lady fingers) with a mascarpone cream that is out of this world good. I leave out the alcohol, but that is a personal preference. I am happy with the rich coffee flavor, and I am usually serving at least a couple of kids, so it&#39;s just better for me to leave it out. If, however, you prefer to add it, you can add 1/4 cup of whatever liqueur you prefer, be it brandy, Kahlua, whatever, to the espresso before dipping the lady fingers. Some recipes also call for a couple tbsp to be added to the mascarpone. I use vanilla.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLvnHXmOhXE538QASvqrm6JiNRI29lnbV05ofKor6hKJiqFj2Nog6ldSzQxk9G-NH44fLoELaMkF6J8X0xsa9dJLAa0Z0RHovP5aWoiUsjmrxRs35-aFy4NG08LHms0R_xF-d0flMvTIk/s1600-h/Adding-Mascarpone-to-Yolk.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 112px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLvnHXmOhXE538QASvqrm6JiNRI29lnbV05ofKor6hKJiqFj2Nog6ldSzQxk9G-NH44fLoELaMkF6J8X0xsa9dJLAa0Z0RHovP5aWoiUsjmrxRs35-aFy4NG08LHms0R_xF-d0flMvTIk/s200/Adding-Mascarpone-to-Yolk.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307181769144572658&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAze5smMFKxU2-Fw_GjcsOP7j0fRN7iY2LLj97rCBH05V0ZktuThoxnf1t4RiJFIlWptct4ID6_NdRnzo1SUmuT1Mz-OPc_CI0IaWLibwtkTVx-xJLajw8QGNjjdOX0M96FiNcdozzCec/s1600-h/Adding-Mascarpone-to-Cream.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 112px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAze5smMFKxU2-Fw_GjcsOP7j0fRN7iY2LLj97rCBH05V0ZktuThoxnf1t4RiJFIlWptct4ID6_NdRnzo1SUmuT1Mz-OPc_CI0IaWLibwtkTVx-xJLajw8QGNjjdOX0M96FiNcdozzCec/s200/Adding-Mascarpone-to-Cream.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307181771045488402&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;To begin with, you&#39;ll need 6 egg yolks. In a double boiler over simmering water, whisk the yolks with 1/3 cup of sugar until thickened and lemon colored, about 5-7 minutes. Transfer to a mixing bowl and use the whisk attachment, beating until lightened and fluffy. Add softened mascarpone (remove from refrigerator 20 min prior to use), and use the slower setting to combine it with the egg yolks and sugar. Add 2 tsp good quality vanilla extract. Transfer to another bowl for the time being. In the mixing bowl, whip heavy whipping cream and 2 tbsp sugar just to soft peaks. Do not over-whip. Add the mascarpone and egg yolk mixture back to the mixing bowl.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBBVV_TKVR0tFt3rJcfwLINhheT2YdScZYncusXC2MqzQhAGCshqfCncBlKG91qeFLAr2Y0pmE7_QVDH6DmDCl9t3eYxaYAOCgkyAXmHZhehFt7QUiGpBfnrJvbG4BrTbxrPm-gCBjRiE/s1600-h/Mascarpone-n-Yolks.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 112px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBBVV_TKVR0tFt3rJcfwLINhheT2YdScZYncusXC2MqzQhAGCshqfCncBlKG91qeFLAr2Y0pmE7_QVDH6DmDCl9t3eYxaYAOCgkyAXmHZhehFt7QUiGpBfnrJvbG4BrTbxrPm-gCBjRiE/s200/Mascarpone-n-Yolks.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307181412602587714&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOlQWlN34M8gWx8Ny-YkforcylrOiy-H8VS8n-X3-66ZWJSysXI-v9vcWzgdXWEZfB25tNlbZlbeT9iGDmFsndZn6IKpZglqAyjmM-w7tbnbvOK1niUb8f7-ekD0hXzEd59eWmwxfzLow/s1600-h/Espresso.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 112px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOlQWlN34M8gWx8Ny-YkforcylrOiy-H8VS8n-X3-66ZWJSysXI-v9vcWzgdXWEZfB25tNlbZlbeT9iGDmFsndZn6IKpZglqAyjmM-w7tbnbvOK1niUb8f7-ekD0hXzEd59eWmwxfzLow/s200/Espresso.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307181768303828338&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Turn the mixer on the lowest setting to fold the mascarpone into the whipped cream without overwhipping the cream and making butter. When it is uniformly colored, turn up to medium for about 30 seconds, to aerate a little more. Make espresso. If you have an espresso maker, wonderful. I make 8 two ounce shots, and add a little vanilla bean simple syrup. If you don&#39;t have an espresso maker you can use instant espresso or very strong brewed coffee.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxzy6sBulHET0MegUZP56XS8NLksxZplSmBw4IeY0uO5c_L9uvbtVrpatAYarlQr6oaNBpPAtEM_zoDuIDiDD3ek7r0_rVca30WCGwpFaYxyBISjnAion2nEl3I2_8S1iqsNLFB3wdQVU/s1600-h/Layering.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 112px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxzy6sBulHET0MegUZP56XS8NLksxZplSmBw4IeY0uO5c_L9uvbtVrpatAYarlQr6oaNBpPAtEM_zoDuIDiDD3ek7r0_rVca30WCGwpFaYxyBISjnAion2nEl3I2_8S1iqsNLFB3wdQVU/s200/Layering.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307181412174854018&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcYoaV3UUyThFYjH1swkQgGZoAY4tboAkRyRfKBpCFzxLNMX_0InK2EX4-nRZF-EE13ZxfWT7BWorPf3EElGdAhjOqosj9GVPB0PtzK-uwz6IG9MzAZ2XgxfhmxS1AkGorzhDEK7o0ce8/s1600-h/Second-Layer.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 112px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcYoaV3UUyThFYjH1swkQgGZoAY4tboAkRyRfKBpCFzxLNMX_0InK2EX4-nRZF-EE13ZxfWT7BWorPf3EElGdAhjOqosj9GVPB0PtzK-uwz6IG9MzAZ2XgxfhmxS1AkGorzhDEK7o0ce8/s200/Second-Layer.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307181412681205634&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Now comes the fun part. For these individual version of this classic Italian dessert, I am using martini glasses. Because of the smaller vessel size, I cut some of the Savoiardi into smaller pieces. Dip the ladyfingers in the espresso for a count of 2 and place in the martini glass to make a layer on the bottom. Top with some of the mascarpone mixture, then another layer of the ladyfingers.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz1rkahsIujYvfFayd29eztf4rzKa5dVA3saKp4ZETf9wFov1GZCElstH033P-Pluc5u0BQWULwpvo38Xk21psSsyMVoJyhH7XYXfkHVL95iROQvGz4INtk4SXnNNmZHgdoweXdfvn3wk/s1600-h/Side-Tiramisu.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 112px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz1rkahsIujYvfFayd29eztf4rzKa5dVA3saKp4ZETf9wFov1GZCElstH033P-Pluc5u0BQWULwpvo38Xk21psSsyMVoJyhH7XYXfkHVL95iROQvGz4INtk4SXnNNmZHgdoweXdfvn3wk/s200/Side-Tiramisu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307181410073769234&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmwPiRmztyzz5KXlbcjFBQDZGbylVK8W8fsrcKyDCNiUBHqQQME_1fXww12FZnLd_Fn0KaaqrjGg9E7p5yF2lYS0yWRtHjRbHUIFVAutPlO4e8QW3zKkCrvgmfZWk2GiSFuGqLA0tR0bQ/s1600-h/Finished-Tiramisu.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 112px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmwPiRmztyzz5KXlbcjFBQDZGbylVK8W8fsrcKyDCNiUBHqQQME_1fXww12FZnLd_Fn0KaaqrjGg9E7p5yF2lYS0yWRtHjRbHUIFVAutPlO4e8QW3zKkCrvgmfZWk2GiSFuGqLA0tR0bQ/s200/Finished-Tiramisu.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307181409547876114&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0ZjkSMwNwTmM23tktsEfN0BJUSvqZQdU1sy7OovnYYWC5a8A2pD7uLh7HJfesdxIBMuOM7eJw6_htHXaR_43r4PgaDm0xX_XeZkzsJr5ajDXWgN1TF6TT6qoNGGpgnwFufEwcbj126BU/s1600-h/Dessert.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 112px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0ZjkSMwNwTmM23tktsEfN0BJUSvqZQdU1sy7OovnYYWC5a8A2pD7uLh7HJfesdxIBMuOM7eJw6_htHXaR_43r4PgaDm0xX_XeZkzsJr5ajDXWgN1TF6TT6qoNGGpgnwFufEwcbj126BU/s200/Dessert.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307181771841028914&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;When you&#39;re finished with the layering, top with a dusting of cocoa powder or some finely grated bittersweet chocolate. As you can see here, I went for the chocolate. My daughter and her friend could hardly wait to assemble their own! It&#39;s an easy and fun dessert to make with your kids too!&lt;br /&gt;And there you have it, Individual Tiramisu, served in a martini glass. Of course, you do have to chill it after assembly; 2 hours if you&#39;re really craving, up to overnight. Here is the recipe:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;6 egg yolks&lt;br /&gt;1/3 cup + 2 tbsp sugar&lt;br /&gt;2 tsp vanilla extract (I use double strength, but you can use regular)&lt;br /&gt;12 ounce carton mascarpone cheese&lt;br /&gt;2/3 cup heavy whipping cream&lt;br /&gt;espresso, brewed or instant, or very strong coffee (fresh espresso being the preferred choice)&lt;br /&gt;Savoiardi (Italian style crisp ladyfingers)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In a double boiler over simmering (NOT boiling) water, whisk egg yolks and 1/3 cup sugar until heated, thick, and lemon colored. Transfer to mixing bowl and, with whisk attachment, beat until lightened both in color and texture. Add mascarpone cheese, and vanilla, using low setting, until thoroughly combined and uniform in color. Transfer to another bowl. In the mixing bowl, beat the heavy cream with 2 tbsp sugar just until it reached soft peaks. Add the mascarpone mixture back into the mixing bowl with the cream and use the low setting again, until thoroughly combined. Turn to a med setting for 30 seconds. Set aside while you make espresso.&lt;br /&gt;Follow the instructions above for individual Tiramisu, or layer in a glass baking/casserole dish to serve family style. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://eating-sandiego.blogspot.com/2009/02/individual-tiramisu-easy-and-elegant.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (kimbery)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLvnHXmOhXE538QASvqrm6JiNRI29lnbV05ofKor6hKJiqFj2Nog6ldSzQxk9G-NH44fLoELaMkF6J8X0xsa9dJLAa0Z0RHovP5aWoiUsjmrxRs35-aFy4NG08LHms0R_xF-d0flMvTIk/s72-c/Adding-Mascarpone-to-Yolk.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3368220217936810824.post-3527655207818493298</guid><pubDate>Mon, 16 Feb 2009 23:57:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2009-02-16T16:25:42.176-08:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">aioli</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">artichokes</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">chicken</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">garlic</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">holiday</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">saltimbocca</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">shallot</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Valentine&#39;s day</category><title>Chicken Saltimbocca with Cappellini &amp; Roasted Artichokes</title><description>&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size:100%;&quot;&gt;So, like I said, for Valentine&#39;s Day, I made a menu of Chicken Saltimbocca&lt;/span&gt; with Cappellini (angel hair pasta) and Roasted Artichokes. Saltimbocca is one of those dishes that take a few steps to make, but none of them are particularly difficult, and the end result is definitely worth the effort!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;To begin with you need a few ingredients. Chicken breasts, of course. I like to slice them through the middle to make them an even thickness. Hold your hand on the breast flat, palm side down, and slice parallell to your hand until you can open the breast like a book, then finish separating into two pieces. You&#39;ll also need good Prosciutto, a good Italian cheese (I used Asiago, but you can also use Provolone), sage, flour, butter, olive oil, shallots, garlic, white wine, and chicken stock. Angel hair pasta can be purchased fresh or dried, whichever you prefer. And for the artichokes, you&#39;ll need the chokes themselves, a nice balsamic vinaigrette, lemon, basil, olive oil, more garlic  and egg.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjndOZSQ1bqu7dBCC8BoSEXUFaLspCdQrVlEwgxYDc0muwjvlpmrQqxhvub9nCO6wOt76F93SQRTy8mMg7gIaMy4rYgg8HZMjPSEoWUgwRxIkYsyERJM8tbXcJkBiwjtXRD7unSTSdvlts/s1600-h/Sauteeing-Chicken.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 133px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjndOZSQ1bqu7dBCC8BoSEXUFaLspCdQrVlEwgxYDc0muwjvlpmrQqxhvub9nCO6wOt76F93SQRTy8mMg7gIaMy4rYgg8HZMjPSEoWUgwRxIkYsyERJM8tbXcJkBiwjtXRD7unSTSdvlts/s200/Sauteeing-Chicken.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303549705762701778&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW4Qlpyh1fHIgdoUUeCIndIoTCiEfzcRa71SEmGxeNdr8bYowi7MoLBy_e3uziWKpOYuTpzC3tHh0-j4WcpAvlEaNgXV3WuG-d2VmqXxpLInQScaSdfnwDdhfIbO9H-0iAvZRawWtDZnQ/s1600-h/Sauteeing-Chicken-2.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 133px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW4Qlpyh1fHIgdoUUeCIndIoTCiEfzcRa71SEmGxeNdr8bYowi7MoLBy_e3uziWKpOYuTpzC3tHh0-j4WcpAvlEaNgXV3WuG-d2VmqXxpLInQScaSdfnwDdhfIbO9H-0iAvZRawWtDZnQ/s200/Sauteeing-Chicken-2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303549705492979986&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Season about 1 1/2 cups of flour with celery salt (or just salt), rubbed sage, and fresh ground white or black pepper (I used both). Dredge the chicken, dip in a beaten egg wash, then back into the flour. Don&#39;t toss the flour yet, you&#39;ll need some for later.&lt;br /&gt;Heat olive oil and butter together in a large skillet. As soon as it stops sizzling, begin adding the chicken. Don&#39;t overcrowd the pan, or the chicken will be overdone before it browns. Quickly saute the chicken until both sides have good color. Don&#39;t worry about it being cooked through, as it will be finished in the oven.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb57k5pIzYEU9ofz_oAS6K2cSoqUFVl-McqlZa21GL0tJzjMdz00Rh0Ic7YZGsCdEQGsHvdQjNEKJ9qJQycjZ_p54dpu0bj1c2KUeJptoIUGARg7s71XxcaOgFjKl5Jxtjh_s6ytfBSl4/s1600-h/Chicken-with-Prosciutto.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 133px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb57k5pIzYEU9ofz_oAS6K2cSoqUFVl-McqlZa21GL0tJzjMdz00Rh0Ic7YZGsCdEQGsHvdQjNEKJ9qJQycjZ_p54dpu0bj1c2KUeJptoIUGARg7s71XxcaOgFjKl5Jxtjh_s6ytfBSl4/s200/Chicken-with-Prosciutto.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303549237210121186&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkgQpBxXtpiC8Z4S-QqAOitzJKLduLhFsYidqydMJXLIoSgC8klx4mxXxgw4tVo-C9QI_ocBox6vUN-ht2CxQSN6miyFFJ5r0kLZqumncdjMxQIPM-UfDJPss3qF7XGrMYwGrkSVrTAVs/s1600-h/Add-Asiago.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 133px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkgQpBxXtpiC8Z4S-QqAOitzJKLduLhFsYidqydMJXLIoSgC8klx4mxXxgw4tVo-C9QI_ocBox6vUN-ht2CxQSN6miyFFJ5r0kLZqumncdjMxQIPM-UfDJPss3qF7XGrMYwGrkSVrTAVs/s200/Add-Asiago.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303549237443060226&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;As you pull the chicken from the pan, place it on a foil lined baking sheet. Top each cutlet with a slice of prosciutto. When they&#39;ve all been added to the sheet, top each cutlet with a single sage leaf and a handful of shredded Asiago (or a slice of provolone).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkq6jjRjNXoXCREhhQijqDMetQU1PlkkLD119ssR1YjuOgEoXVtqQWMJK87HAsWrGRRcuVmp2yVX4KxfT22B-Eao_ShYKz3y8cuo1Xqr1aQ7xB6fvKGkW6sYahTpw1I1eZhy6tDgwb9FE/s1600-h/Shallots-n-Garlic.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 133px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkq6jjRjNXoXCREhhQijqDMetQU1PlkkLD119ssR1YjuOgEoXVtqQWMJK87HAsWrGRRcuVmp2yVX4KxfT22B-Eao_ShYKz3y8cuo1Xqr1aQ7xB6fvKGkW6sYahTpw1I1eZhy6tDgwb9FE/s200/Shallots-n-Garlic.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303549711038292706&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjieUSr9BJsYrFFQXjsTbl47v6wtD65JeFitB6gZ-BvqoQ0j2vVaFwSn89mmLvWequV1rrewXWOGP-nEkzpAQoo5EeO6zOufCpXzsKAvSmBzUlRiwqdMLBsP6WVJeO9WsKMc6_2RYWvvP0/s1600-h/Pan-Sauce.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 133px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjieUSr9BJsYrFFQXjsTbl47v6wtD65JeFitB6gZ-BvqoQ0j2vVaFwSn89mmLvWequV1rrewXWOGP-nEkzpAQoo5EeO6zOufCpXzsKAvSmBzUlRiwqdMLBsP6WVJeO9WsKMc6_2RYWvvP0/s200/Pan-Sauce.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303549708942798482&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;To the skillet you sauteed the chicken in, add 1/2 cup thinly sliced shallots along with 3 cloves of garlic, chopped relatively fine. Add a bit more butter, and saute until the shallots begin to caramelize. Add some of the flour that you used for the chicken--about 3 tbsp. Whisk in 1/2 cup white wine, and 1 1/2 cups chicken stock. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook, whisking, until thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYyi-UxEb8u49nqbTxYLWPp1zwneSMze1g8lrhQ1nmXUqvcsUB4ftRQGeMmnNi_gYyu0Rk-gvCE1ok58hjzV2xpLLbl0wVqUzDaf4Q3eXs4CwxlPFRGylOH8k4Tqz7DueZjpCdfzbEsVg/s1600-h/Add-Sauce.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 133px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYyi-UxEb8u49nqbTxYLWPp1zwneSMze1g8lrhQ1nmXUqvcsUB4ftRQGeMmnNi_gYyu0Rk-gvCE1ok58hjzV2xpLLbl0wVqUzDaf4Q3eXs4CwxlPFRGylOH8k4Tqz7DueZjpCdfzbEsVg/s200/Add-Sauce.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303549238385702242&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUxi-iZdhQuAQFw_n1U1h0vdwGlZDB9THZai83jRSvM47XV8fw_QYyBOEhGrmf0IaTf9q8jYH-FCJEMkhs6sdz6O6pZtkLI3YGlhajiFE1Ju4RHtNg4NtqFchr4afyfmv0S0_7DRmlEzA/s1600-h/Put-in-Oven.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 133px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUxi-iZdhQuAQFw_n1U1h0vdwGlZDB9THZai83jRSvM47XV8fw_QYyBOEhGrmf0IaTf9q8jYH-FCJEMkhs6sdz6O6pZtkLI3YGlhajiFE1Ju4RHtNg4NtqFchr4afyfmv0S0_7DRmlEzA/s200/Put-in-Oven.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303549239955222226&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Pour over the chicken cutlets and put into a 400*f oven for 10-12 minutes, until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbling. Remove from oven and let sit 5 min.&lt;br /&gt;Prepare pasta as you would normally. For the artichokes, which will be roasted before and during the time you have the chicken in the oven, clean and quarter the chokes, and steam in lemon water until almost tender. Drain well. Place on a baking sheet and drizzle with vinaigrette. Place in 400*f oven for 20-30 minutes, until edges have browned and flesh is tender at the heart. Prepare garlic basil aioli by combining 1 egg, 2 tbsp fresh basil, 3 cloves of garlic (peeled), salt &amp;amp; pepper in your blender. Slowly drizzle in 1/2 cup olive oil, and continue to process until thick and creamy.  To serve, place 1/2 cup or so of pasta on the plate and add a chicken cutlet beside it. Top with the sauce from the baking sheet. Serve with the roasted artichokes and aioli.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOeYJKytiEtYWOy0A9Z4pe11GGoTkKCRHug_v6PqPIZ3NLBQDj1qOfiIvwHI5CXBXdgqTcoaV1TnMx9OI8yl0Jlbd1Jxd-VFOnyrUGn58sGTtPYfp0VXq1LrnFgCwQvZwfyGXxQgADkvE/s1600-h/Finished-Plate.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 133px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOeYJKytiEtYWOy0A9Z4pe11GGoTkKCRHug_v6PqPIZ3NLBQDj1qOfiIvwHI5CXBXdgqTcoaV1TnMx9OI8yl0Jlbd1Jxd-VFOnyrUGn58sGTtPYfp0VXq1LrnFgCwQvZwfyGXxQgADkvE/s200/Finished-Plate.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303549239597145026&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd2VkO_1__UPmmpHhiVzp_7RRcX0d0fGZoHsb4cQY85xvR8locTEBP9O2sJGDJjfTrugv-7CWD_wvrLimSINh7FaS19KZ0IiASOW6b6D-YpQXUXb9Bi7fyLTnhsFOCDm68QdpThE46F9k/s1600-h/roasted+artichokes.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 133px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd2VkO_1__UPmmpHhiVzp_7RRcX0d0fGZoHsb4cQY85xvR8locTEBP9O2sJGDJjfTrugv-7CWD_wvrLimSINh7FaS19KZ0IiASOW6b6D-YpQXUXb9Bi7fyLTnhsFOCDm68QdpThE46F9k/s200/roasted+artichokes.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303549943399261330&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://eating-sandiego.blogspot.com/2009/02/chicken-saltimbocca-with-cappellini.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (kimbery)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjndOZSQ1bqu7dBCC8BoSEXUFaLspCdQrVlEwgxYDc0muwjvlpmrQqxhvub9nCO6wOt76F93SQRTy8mMg7gIaMy4rYgg8HZMjPSEoWUgwRxIkYsyERJM8tbXcJkBiwjtXRD7unSTSdvlts/s72-c/Sauteeing-Chicken.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3368220217936810824.post-8591398877507912350</guid><pubDate>Sat, 14 Feb 2009 15:20:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2009-02-14T07:58:33.279-08:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">artichokes</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">deli</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Italian</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Little Italy</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Mona Lisa&#39;s</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">saltimbocca</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Valentine&#39;s day</category><title>A Valentine&#39;s Day Meal to Steal Their Hearts!</title><description>&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size:180%;&quot;&gt;Happy Valentine&#39;s Day!&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;For me, there&#39;s not much else I&#39;d rather eat on Valentine&#39;s Day than a homemade dinner, and what better than a delicious Italian meal to make you smile?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;There are plenty of place you can buy Italian ingredients these days. One of my favorites is Mona Lisa Italian Foods in Little Italy. It&#39;s across the street from what may be the best pasta source in the state, Assenti&#39;s Pasta (which I&#39;ll review at a later date). Mona Lisa&#39;s is split into two places, really...A great Italian Deli &amp;amp; shoppe, and a restaurant. This post will concentrate on the Deli portion, because that is where I went to shop for our Italian dinner of Chicken Saltimbocca, with cappellini and roasted artichokes.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh83ThykWB_LYgyjpltKJnIDJhDm0CjvyP3FOGcZS4TQTHmeYXomPtIo5dtKgy2oZ-BHu5GO1lZ7Iw8_5UKjD3RT5f2rUsdGPI61b7_eP2oMUnwZ9f4KzJ7CfFKJIOwNK0BX2mmqMkSKRY/s1600-h/ML-Storefront.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 133px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh83ThykWB_LYgyjpltKJnIDJhDm0CjvyP3FOGcZS4TQTHmeYXomPtIo5dtKgy2oZ-BHu5GO1lZ7Iw8_5UKjD3RT5f2rUsdGPI61b7_eP2oMUnwZ9f4KzJ7CfFKJIOwNK0BX2mmqMkSKRY/s200/ML-Storefront.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302673825718181938&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Drive down India Street in Little Italy to the north end, and you&#39;ll easily spot Mona Lisa&#39;s, with it&#39;s big red and green lettering and painting of Mona Lisa&#39;s facial features. The traditional Italian color combination of red, green, and white carries on throughout the entire face of the store. There are two sets of red doors, and the one on the left leads you into the Deli side of the establishment, where you&#39;ll usually find a crowd gathered in front of the display case.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUhUd_X2X4lypAkSDOeEI7qmcu4JiOa8X03IKvUEP0eGC0g4xg9JW2yxhbzE7UzHVpswEGGVkshu0eNMVV_9fLzULi1HSltF-hhe8wkDcYRM2zXumVzyqX88eDhpkRuS8k4KR20g_n_-Q/s1600-h/ML-Waiting-in-Line.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 133px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUhUd_X2X4lypAkSDOeEI7qmcu4JiOa8X03IKvUEP0eGC0g4xg9JW2yxhbzE7UzHVpswEGGVkshu0eNMVV_9fLzULi1HSltF-hhe8wkDcYRM2zXumVzyqX88eDhpkRuS8k4KR20g_n_-Q/s200/ML-Waiting-in-Line.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302673806418572418&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRPBs3j85hWifRayDMiZQXUGn2Jteb9u5pyPjAwbDJ0h4L2hGCCCeEpEWqq6ace_Ej2biBhhjIol7xmAye9yvNzsq0MkA7GXpNMOiqSRryL_oY6NIZxflD_6AQcdyB5Kz3WtoBstLKR5U/s1600-h/ML-Olives-and-Artichokes.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 133px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRPBs3j85hWifRayDMiZQXUGn2Jteb9u5pyPjAwbDJ0h4L2hGCCCeEpEWqq6ace_Ej2biBhhjIol7xmAye9yvNzsq0MkA7GXpNMOiqSRryL_oY6NIZxflD_6AQcdyB5Kz3WtoBstLKR5U/s200/ML-Olives-and-Artichokes.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302673809592035810&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;You can order any one of a number of sandwiches, all made on fresh crusty bread with great ingredients straight out of the deli case. Everything from a simple, but wonderful, Caprese sandwich with it&#39;s beautifully soft and delicious mozzarella, to the Deluxe with all it&#39;s fabulous, authentic Italian meats and cheeses. Your sandwich is made as you wait, with bread from the well-known Solunto&#39;s bakery down the street and the finest ingredients both from here and Italy.  The line may seem overwhelming sometimes, but the service is surprisingly quick!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The deli case itself is filled with meats and cheese, each one more delicious looking than the next, as well as ravioli and other fresh pastas. On the right is a selection of olives that would rival any other place in town, along with marinated artichokes, mushrooms, and giardinieri.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH_DRnqUuRhFbKG87ADEgaCp5lq0dWx2Fih23nD6-_RfcOPpaFt_P5fgslV5hSyUT3_r4mGJd37eZFWdchyphenhyphenNFKsEyCGcqLixi4XEKdxsfi007W1eU1yeE5Vh17puk3BJuoCU1zS4vh9b8/s1600-h/ML--Meat-and-Cheese.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 133px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH_DRnqUuRhFbKG87ADEgaCp5lq0dWx2Fih23nD6-_RfcOPpaFt_P5fgslV5hSyUT3_r4mGJd37eZFWdchyphenhyphenNFKsEyCGcqLixi4XEKdxsfi007W1eU1yeE5Vh17puk3BJuoCU1zS4vh9b8/s200/ML--Meat-and-Cheese.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302673818440460610&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiff5z-_pR7Ax3FMCx98OMnZypmA1aGWYlnI-Biexsoh7CGq4QtRN-a8x4luxHz4WrME8ptqFwo_x4sJZjT43V2xsuvqplbELg9c6LFNtbU4YPRThLNuJpSfPh_G-FLKUd-n_UBkb8cTBU/s1600-h/ML-Tiny-and-Crowded.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 133px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiff5z-_pR7Ax3FMCx98OMnZypmA1aGWYlnI-Biexsoh7CGq4QtRN-a8x4luxHz4WrME8ptqFwo_x4sJZjT43V2xsuvqplbELg9c6LFNtbU4YPRThLNuJpSfPh_G-FLKUd-n_UBkb8cTBU/s200/ML-Tiny-and-Crowded.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302673808095197954&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Around the left side, you&#39;ll find cheeses, salamis, cured meats, and their delicious house-made marinara and meat sauces all packaged up and ready to take home for your own feast. Looking for mascarpone cheese to make your honey some tiramisu tonight? It&#39;s here. Some Parmesano Reggiano for that Al fredo? Got it. How about a nice soppressata for that antipasto?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The store itself is small, and often crowded, but everyone is delightfully friendly and polite, so it doesn&#39;t seem as small when you&#39;re inside! There&#39;s a nice selection of Italian liqueurs, spirits, and espresso to the right as you walk in the door. Beyond that is nearly everything you could hope to find in an Italian market. Imported beverages, tomatoes, oils, vinegars. Anyone who&#39;s ever made Sunday Gravy knows that you can&#39;t find a more flavorful tomato than the San Marzano romas...and here you&#39;ll find them in abundance! There is also a large selection of dried pastas, which I do so enjoy, even if I do love the fresh ravioli in the deli case the best! &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;My purchases for tonight&#39;s dinner included a wonderful imported prosciutto, a hunk of Asiago cheese, some cappellini (angel hair) pasta, and marinated artichokes that will be so delicious when they&#39;ve been roasted to perfection and served with aioli! Recipes and photos to come later!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Happy Valentine&#39;s Day, everyone. May yours be filled with happiness, sunshine, and love!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://eating-sandiego.blogspot.com/2009/02/valentines-day-meal-to-steal-their.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (kimbery)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh83ThykWB_LYgyjpltKJnIDJhDm0CjvyP3FOGcZS4TQTHmeYXomPtIo5dtKgy2oZ-BHu5GO1lZ7Iw8_5UKjD3RT5f2rUsdGPI61b7_eP2oMUnwZ9f4KzJ7CfFKJIOwNK0BX2mmqMkSKRY/s72-c/ML-Storefront.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3368220217936810824.post-6334150927258507492</guid><pubDate>Sun, 08 Feb 2009 01:18:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2009-02-07T17:57:16.899-08:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Cabrillo</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">La Jolla</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">photos</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">pics</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">san diego</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">sunset</category><title>The beauty that is San Diego</title><description>&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:georgia;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size:100%;&quot;&gt;San Diego, February 5th &amp;amp; 6th, 2009&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;So today I was itching to get out of the house and spend some time by the ocean. This on and off rainy weather of the last few days always makes me want to go to the ocean for some reason. Most people flock to the beach when it&#39;s hot and sunny, but my favorite time to go is during and right after the rain. Over the last few days we&#39;ve been going to La Jolla and later to Point Loma &amp;amp; Cabrillo National Monument to hang out, enjoy the ocean breeze, relish in the weather. And take pictures. We took lots of pictures. It was fun, and cheap too! Plus it was good Mama/daughter time...lots of time to talk and just be.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEx5jG8ghinr6aeLumERjjZ8FHuv1Qo7FK04Bo56yZOr4DFU2SBlvzbTTinsuzkBeL22SYaJ14wA56K16N0sjycC-mEXCldRowFqBJczhlTeBhyP03lJ2Q6Cm9OqLfTgfkXPKlOCUBRKU/s1600-h/Small-island-off-Point-Loma.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 133px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEx5jG8ghinr6aeLumERjjZ8FHuv1Qo7FK04Bo56yZOr4DFU2SBlvzbTTinsuzkBeL22SYaJ14wA56K16N0sjycC-mEXCldRowFqBJczhlTeBhyP03lJ2Q6Cm9OqLfTgfkXPKlOCUBRKU/s200/Small-island-off-Point-Loma.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300230779655981394&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhACcFo72ENechKifcfIAyovuvLm5r0NVvfn3R1p1so914kfkC7OFhW3aV2aKYAXfs8SuXCTWZhWJ2BaxCSAi1xcmGsSDMPBRo9qMMy4rbhxWfkTCs1J5OI_6t348_n4bf2WsLlIHBvcqo/s1600-h/Small-Isle-of-Point-Loma.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 133px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhACcFo72ENechKifcfIAyovuvLm5r0NVvfn3R1p1so914kfkC7OFhW3aV2aKYAXfs8SuXCTWZhWJ2BaxCSAi1xcmGsSDMPBRo9qMMy4rbhxWfkTCs1J5OI_6t348_n4bf2WsLlIHBvcqo/s200/Small-Isle-of-Point-Loma.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300230247887499682&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;These shots were taken at the top of the hill at Cabrillo. Passes for the state park are $5 for the day, but only $15 for the year, so an annual pass was what we got. I knew the moment I laid eyes on the view that my daughter would be dying to take pictures here. I mean, just look at it! With the rain having stopped only minutes before, the air itself seemed as clean and clear as I&#39;ve ever experienced. There was a bit of wind, just enough gusts to keep it interesting.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc4VuMGOWzzlKtsaH84ChUxV2Mv8y2Yt_utP3pQa1xDIRhky0JcGfCThJMUqUlHzt3gwZyB2kip4RNup03VNz74T4xzJHGL168PnMs8PgxICmbmQ58x0FKbUWuqODIoQzDZFpbU2HCpRI/s1600-h/Cabrillo-Seagull-01.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 133px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc4VuMGOWzzlKtsaH84ChUxV2Mv8y2Yt_utP3pQa1xDIRhky0JcGfCThJMUqUlHzt3gwZyB2kip4RNup03VNz74T4xzJHGL168PnMs8PgxICmbmQ58x0FKbUWuqODIoQzDZFpbU2HCpRI/s200/Cabrillo-Seagull-01.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300230248428028370&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6wHO0BWMVjnj_zjH2Pq6whC-CeT-5B7X_H3qhYsvene7kG6N3uDlpVcqw44UVwNar_-WNUSdwkES5NWl8PBugG_gLUhr70oHjeJ1xeHmwfmSpIKaKC4wuILBwLkO2G-tdsLQhbJfYiZQ/s1600-h/Cabrillo-Crab-2.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 133px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6wHO0BWMVjnj_zjH2Pq6whC-CeT-5B7X_H3qhYsvene7kG6N3uDlpVcqw44UVwNar_-WNUSdwkES5NWl8PBugG_gLUhr70oHjeJ1xeHmwfmSpIKaKC4wuILBwLkO2G-tdsLQhbJfYiZQ/s200/Cabrillo-Crab-2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300230249153128578&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I even made some friends! lol...The gull was maybe 18 inches from me when I took this shot. I was standing there, watching some pelicans getting ready to take off, when this little guy landed right beside me. He seemed very curious about what I was up to when I started snapping photos of him. Not shy in the least. Much more shy was the little crab I found down by the tidepools. I had an enormous amount of fun just watching him skitter around, dashing away from shadows and hiding amongst the rocks.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ4E0oLGbkLFH6WiC1Th1YyFt1m83-ndNvWl7MnIrphPg60mODbnkDKU_59FW0_b7Yt-XYStTNiDgjV3dmNsV_6AakAPZ6zkvqL3IbF-A8ZwhVEYGS95I-EvC5FTjjVFCmSyw47tIqhM4/s1600-h/Dr-Seuss-Tree-2.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 112px; height: 200px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ4E0oLGbkLFH6WiC1Th1YyFt1m83-ndNvWl7MnIrphPg60mODbnkDKU_59FW0_b7Yt-XYStTNiDgjV3dmNsV_6AakAPZ6zkvqL3IbF-A8ZwhVEYGS95I-EvC5FTjjVFCmSyw47tIqhM4/s200/Dr-Seuss-Tree-2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300238245961060450&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgWxUTh-XG6yxpN-PlDUwdmNCqf4IBectGWJ7p-7WYdBLL72VsKMsRqzHkeXV7ey2ryCsrj1PGDXjK4JeIoUDZjwzaowtJ53hVKb0lYyC69kOa7Eg6MYRGlAz3jdNU8W7c1cMAgJ0ta28/s1600-h/Dr.-Seuss-Sneetch-tree.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 112px; height: 200px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgWxUTh-XG6yxpN-PlDUwdmNCqf4IBectGWJ7p-7WYdBLL72VsKMsRqzHkeXV7ey2ryCsrj1PGDXjK4JeIoUDZjwzaowtJ53hVKb0lYyC69kOa7Eg6MYRGlAz3jdNU8W7c1cMAgJ0ta28/s200/Dr.-Seuss-Sneetch-tree.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300238247314892818&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;These shots were taken in La Jolla, at what we like to refer to as Dr. Seuss Park. One look at the trees here and it is easy to envision any one of the books by Dr Seuss. Who knew those illustrations were more realistic than you could imagine! hehe! The second one above always reminded me of a Sneetch...all it needs is a star on the &quot;belly&quot;!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6oxFwZn1YKmPxd16h9Z1qeliym6qnZ9SqilQyYKybmPUJHx3xT8BO38ioj1U8ozM3lytAfkH6dkYMFK_OwYwy8wQl2kEERTGC3-XP7b4I23e4fjqzn9b59GKsRm2Z0t_sK1E0LBSNTXA/s1600-h/Play-Day-in-La-Jolla.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 133px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6oxFwZn1YKmPxd16h9Z1qeliym6qnZ9SqilQyYKybmPUJHx3xT8BO38ioj1U8ozM3lytAfkH6dkYMFK_OwYwy8wQl2kEERTGC3-XP7b4I23e4fjqzn9b59GKsRm2Z0t_sK1E0LBSNTXA/s200/Play-Day-in-La-Jolla.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300230776307525682&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAgRlqi1mjOCjJs5Vxdmi4ZYTdUyIfAvirHs8-wIYSSk7yzhVex6pGcgfOFwweFxxEPCgAjT4oNX7dAcpaGoNIq59uheiG8NvJNkfUuCFy46Oo04C4v1C_pjM975RiCjz0BBKv_EEF7BE/s1600-h/La-Jolla-Sunset.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAgRlqi1mjOCjJs5Vxdmi4ZYTdUyIfAvirHs8-wIYSSk7yzhVex6pGcgfOFwweFxxEPCgAjT4oNX7dAcpaGoNIq59uheiG8NvJNkfUuCFy46Oo04C4v1C_pjM975RiCjz0BBKv_EEF7BE/s200/La-Jolla-Sunset.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300230776828617154&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt; These are also in La Jolla, closer to Children&#39;s Pool where the seals are &quot;pupping&quot;. Sadly, it wasn&#39;t warm enough to see much of them..but we did see a couple of the pups and one very boisterous mama! I haven&#39;t finished resizing the pics yet, but I&#39;ll get them up soon. I thought it would be nice, meanwhile, to share with you these two photos, taken about a block and 2 hours apart. What a sunset, eh?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://eating-sandiego.blogspot.com/2009/02/beauty-that-is-san-diego.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (kimbery)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEx5jG8ghinr6aeLumERjjZ8FHuv1Qo7FK04Bo56yZOr4DFU2SBlvzbTTinsuzkBeL22SYaJ14wA56K16N0sjycC-mEXCldRowFqBJczhlTeBhyP03lJ2Q6Cm9OqLfTgfkXPKlOCUBRKU/s72-c/Small-island-off-Point-Loma.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>1</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3368220217936810824.post-3378472828520616217</guid><pubDate>Sun, 01 Feb 2009 08:56:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2009-02-01T01:14:00.171-08:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Applebee&#39;s</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">chicken</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">fiesta</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">lime</category><title>Sudden cravings!</title><description>&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn-ZGVpQOzZZF79JJBxuVj190j2mP9_vTIhLzk9MLZKaxHQBQbgDDo7hpDsaUtOF6ARmu8vVY6oY4u_LD4SSaCfghiBXvSI4eIFesltPQkLIGVIWS_QfYukGETLK1ovAFUTK0Wyfc4_RQ/s1600-h/fiesta+lime+chicken.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 141px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn-ZGVpQOzZZF79JJBxuVj190j2mP9_vTIhLzk9MLZKaxHQBQbgDDo7hpDsaUtOF6ARmu8vVY6oY4u_LD4SSaCfghiBXvSI4eIFesltPQkLIGVIWS_QfYukGETLK1ovAFUTK0Wyfc4_RQ/s200/fiesta+lime+chicken.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5297752086324185842&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size:100%;&quot;&gt;I was a bad girl today. It all started with this sudden craving. Remembering a time some 10 or 15 years ago when my husband and I were hard pressed to find something decent to eat on a trip. It was late, and we were not quite in the middle of nowhere, but you could see it from there.&lt;br /&gt;We stumbled upon an Applebee&#39;s. Not my favorite place, to be sure, but I was hungry, and didn&#39;t see anything else..so we went in. Hmm, something new on the menu. Tequila Lime Chicken. Sounded okay. Chicken breast, marinated in a tequila-lime marinade, topped with a Mexi-ranch dressing and cheese, served atop crispy tortilla strips with a side of Fiesta Rice.&lt;br /&gt;So here I was today, and all the sudden I am craving this chicken. I could have went out and bought all the stuff for the zillion copy-cat recipes online, but it was already 4 pm, and having been sick the last few days, I was just not up for that...so it was into the car for my daughter and I , for a trip to the &quot;Neighborhood&quot;. Applebee&#39;s, that is :)&lt;br /&gt;I had a hard time finding the Tequila Lime Chicken...mostly because it is not called Tequila Lime Chicken any longer. It is now called Fiesta Lime Chicken. Why, I do not know. In any case, I was assured by our server that it was the very same dish with a new moniker.&lt;br /&gt;Although the portion size has changed (and I am not complaining- two halve breasts was too much, I recall!), the dish is surprisingly unchanged. The chicken was tender, the Mexi-ranch sauce and the cheese were melted and gooey, and except for the corn in the rice, it was actually a pretty satisfying dish, and took care of my craving quite well.&lt;br /&gt;My daughter&#39;s dish, that was another story. She ordered the 3 Cheese Chicken Penne, and though she loved the chicken part of the dish, the noodles were overcooked to the point of mush. We let our server, Christine, know and she offered to bring something else after we assured her we didn&#39;t want her to remake the dish. We asked to see a menu. While we were waiting, the manager, Joe, came to the table to apologize and asked if he could &quot;buy&quot; her some dessert or maybe a different entree. Guess what she ordered? Yep, Fiesta Lime Chicken!&lt;br /&gt;Between the chicken, and the &quot;Dessert Shots&quot;, which are various desserts served in &quot;shot&quot; glasses, it was not a bad meal at all...and the service was good too. Not bad for a Saturday night.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://eating-sandiego.blogspot.com/2009/02/sudden-cravings.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (kimbery)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn-ZGVpQOzZZF79JJBxuVj190j2mP9_vTIhLzk9MLZKaxHQBQbgDDo7hpDsaUtOF6ARmu8vVY6oY4u_LD4SSaCfghiBXvSI4eIFesltPQkLIGVIWS_QfYukGETLK1ovAFUTK0Wyfc4_RQ/s72-c/fiesta+lime+chicken.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>1</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3368220217936810824.post-9098083173962175110</guid><pubDate>Tue, 20 Jan 2009 22:18:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2009-01-21T01:48:33.219-08:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">chicken</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">flautas</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Mexican</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">rice</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Spanish Rice</category><title>Dinner in 30: Chicken Flautas</title><description>&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOlnBTgp7qz9w-_LbHyHABV43x6QE_ngS4XRr1BCLw6yS7n0YwJPrNdT1PTYAZ-pyRSikX6_dkkrqK_3Nt1YE2m0a8DYigt8K5gsgXXwbXzo6UGa88WOmZZLD7dPbFsolNkPCjxNpO77Y/s1600-h/flautas+shredded+chicken.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 146px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOlnBTgp7qz9w-_LbHyHABV43x6QE_ngS4XRr1BCLw6yS7n0YwJPrNdT1PTYAZ-pyRSikX6_dkkrqK_3Nt1YE2m0a8DYigt8K5gsgXXwbXzo6UGa88WOmZZLD7dPbFsolNkPCjxNpO77Y/s200/flautas+shredded+chicken.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5293678112880575906&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEqhTCB_TpxLsHCxprTGNm7EBLeWwSU3H1XSOwo0In4oqORDCGt6hItI86Kbpx8x-SNFDVeEivPeprgwIOYpWcq8TRnktysm79eHbwU_W9V8_DMAK2-gUHX8PkoIog7YwUVv9xRhAwNJc/s1600-h/Flautas2.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 211px; height: 146px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEqhTCB_TpxLsHCxprTGNm7EBLeWwSU3H1XSOwo0In4oqORDCGt6hItI86Kbpx8x-SNFDVeEivPeprgwIOYpWcq8TRnktysm79eHbwU_W9V8_DMAK2-gUHX8PkoIog7YwUVv9xRhAwNJc/s200/Flautas2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5293678114959090002&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;From start to finish, chicken flautas is one of the easiest, and tastiest meals you can make. All you need is some boneless, skinless chicken, flour tortillas, oil, and your condiments! Of course, you may want a side or two: I like to make a quick version of Spanish Rice to go with these cylinders from heaven. First, the rice: All you need is some chicken stock (I used Trader Joe&#39;s for both the flautas and the rice), some tomato bouillion, dried minced onion, ancho chili powder, and the rice. Toast the rice quickly in a little butter, then add the bouillion, onion, chili powder and broth or stock. For 2 cups of rice, I use 2 cubes of bouillion, 2 tbsp onion, and 2 tsp of chili powder to 4 cups of broth. Bring it to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, and cover tightly. Cook for 18 min, then remove from heat, still covered, until ready to serve.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;For the Flautas:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;ul style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;li&gt;4 boneless skinless chicken breasts&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;1-2 tbsp Better than Bouillion, chicken flavor&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;1 yellow onion, quartered&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;enough chicken broth to cover the breasts in the pan&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;flour tortillas&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;condiments: guacamole, sour cream, salsa, hot sauce as desired&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Optional: lettuce (shredded) and cheese (shredded)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;Place the chicken breasts in a large skillet or fried chicken pan. Add the onion and the broth to cover, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to keep it at a simmer. Cover and let cook 8-10 min, until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken from pan to a cutting board.&lt;br /&gt;In the pan, add the Better than Bouillion, and let the stock reduce. Remove onions and discard. Keep stock until ready to use.&lt;br /&gt;Shred the chicken using two forks. Return to pan with stock and simmer until chicken absorbs liquid, about 1-2 min. Meanwhile, warm flour tortillas to prevent tearing while rolling and heat about 1 inch of oil in a large frying pan. Roll about 3 tbsp of chicken mixture in each tortilla.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;Fry each flauta about 1 min on each side, until deep golden brown. Drain on paper towels and serve hot with sour cream and any other condiments you desire.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Enjoy!</description><link>http://eating-sandiego.blogspot.com/2009/01/dinner-in-30-chicken-flautas.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (kimbery)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOlnBTgp7qz9w-_LbHyHABV43x6QE_ngS4XRr1BCLw6yS7n0YwJPrNdT1PTYAZ-pyRSikX6_dkkrqK_3Nt1YE2m0a8DYigt8K5gsgXXwbXzo6UGa88WOmZZLD7dPbFsolNkPCjxNpO77Y/s72-c/flautas+shredded+chicken.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3368220217936810824.post-133700608720981395</guid><pubDate>Wed, 14 Jan 2009 04:27:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2009-01-14T04:20:33.994-08:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">airline food</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">cake</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">chicken</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">chocolate</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">flying</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">red peppers</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">strawberries</category><title>A far cry from airplane peanuts, or Is This a Sign?</title><description>&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvAtkK5k_CsgmYHFidAieYFBHIl_lhg_PFtb5flmC5_RS2eAwowD-gJ4sjdkHCHwJ096VgtCntmbSuq1KsH4Ir-AIXBxgGdO39w1y_w46vM8kG2Od_wsrpMHGn_ML5oUFV1YjYeZzLbvU/s1600-h/First-Class-Meal.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 239px; height: 135px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvAtkK5k_CsgmYHFidAieYFBHIl_lhg_PFtb5flmC5_RS2eAwowD-gJ4sjdkHCHwJ096VgtCntmbSuq1KsH4Ir-AIXBxgGdO39w1y_w46vM8kG2Od_wsrpMHGn_ML5oUFV1YjYeZzLbvU/s200/First-Class-Meal.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5291033936787326178&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So, as I was saying in my last post, we recently spent some time in Maine. We were flying home on New Year&#39;s Day, and I was not looking forward to that flight. I figured, being a holiday, it would be crowded (it was) and hectic (it was) and a pain (it wasn&#39;t!) Long story short, we got bumped to first class and discovered a whole new world!&lt;br /&gt;The best part may have been the meal. Instead of the cellophane bag of airplane peanuts, we were instead treated to chicken in a roasted red pepper sauce, roasted potatoes, creamed spinach, Cesar salad, a dinner roll, fresh fruit and a flourless chocolate cake for dessert!&lt;br /&gt;The chicken was surprisingly tasty, and the red pepper sauce was equally good on the roasted potatoes. The salad was accented by thin slices of parmesan, dressed in a tasty and light Cesar dressing. The roll was warm and soft, an unexpected treat. But what took the cake (no pun intended!) was the flourless chocolate cake. Rich and decadent, it was deeply chocolatey. The strawberries and black grapes were a perfect foil.&lt;br /&gt;I would like to say I&#39;ll never fly coach again, but until I hit the lottery, that&#39;s not likely.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://eating-sandiego.blogspot.com/2009/01/far-cry-from-airplane-peanuts-or-is.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (kimbery)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvAtkK5k_CsgmYHFidAieYFBHIl_lhg_PFtb5flmC5_RS2eAwowD-gJ4sjdkHCHwJ096VgtCntmbSuq1KsH4Ir-AIXBxgGdO39w1y_w46vM8kG2Od_wsrpMHGn_ML5oUFV1YjYeZzLbvU/s72-c/First-Class-Meal.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3368220217936810824.post-1906238774445470455</guid><pubDate>Thu, 08 Jan 2009 20:56:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2009-01-08T14:08:33.108-08:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">apples</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">breakfast.</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">pancakes</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">strawberries</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">waffles</category><title>Breakfast: The most important meal of the day</title><description>&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhShVI-UO-dKAHEiSCR9fXEcImYjqb9SbHuTpDCMJM-eiLAydHYDCKb_22DB1WqVDVz2FV_yh3ajGQ8SboSYdem-m8ULopXGKNvfClUvN4qcDKUWp2espk_QB_F4jmMBleJR8s4x0VpuEE/s1600-h/richard-walkers.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 221px; height: 150px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhShVI-UO-dKAHEiSCR9fXEcImYjqb9SbHuTpDCMJM-eiLAydHYDCKb_22DB1WqVDVz2FV_yh3ajGQ8SboSYdem-m8ULopXGKNvfClUvN4qcDKUWp2espk_QB_F4jmMBleJR8s4x0VpuEE/s200/richard-walkers.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5289047104094080578&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Richard Walker&#39;s Pancake House in Downtown San Diego&lt;br /&gt;I never used to be a breakfast person. It&#39;s only in the last few years that I have come to appreciate breakfast in the more traditional sense of the word. As a teen, spaghetti was my take on breakfast! I would make a pot on Monday, and have a little bowl of it for breakfast before school each morning. Kids, whatta ya gonna do??&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Since becoming a more traditional breakfast eater, I&#39;ve been on a little bit of a quest to find places that can do it right. So far, at the very top of my list is Kono&#39;s...between the food, the service, and the atmosphere (the beach!!) you can&#39;t go wrong there, really.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Recently this quest has brought me to Richard Walker&#39;s Pancake House in downtown San Diego. It&#39;s located at 520 Front Street, and it&#39;s easy to spot out because there is almost always a long line heading out the door. Don&#39;t let this dissuade you from visiting, as it usually moves pretty quickly, or at least moreso than most places.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The interior of the restaurant is beautiful and almost frenetic in it&#39;s energy. The staff is fast moving, carrying plate after plate of delicious looking (and smelling!) food to the tables. It&#39;s not a huge location, to be certain, but it&#39;s not clausterphobic as some smaller places can be.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I took a friend with me, figuring between the two of us we could take a wider sample for review...next time I&#39;ll bring more! There is so much to try! From pancakes to waffles, omeletes to salads. And for those of you who still don&#39;t care for breakfast foods, you can always grab a BLT and a bowl of Ribble Soup! I can&#39;t vouch for the soup just yet, but I will be back and I&#39;ll try it then. Now, for the first visit, I wanted to try the &quot;Signature&quot; of the house: Walker&#39;s Apple Pancake.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKd4ZQ3xN2JV6c7bae9Beaf7cUqQHnhDFKzzk98AuzlrmZA_qZpRwfqhpaJ6p6FW_TB3QSzYIiTuVwfPm7y_JTuWr6YUnWDwd6K1d41opLBuf63h1r3YqaxldzG60EnCVQZ4pqWriSKVg/s1600-h/rw+apple+pancake.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 148px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKd4ZQ3xN2JV6c7bae9Beaf7cUqQHnhDFKzzk98AuzlrmZA_qZpRwfqhpaJ6p6FW_TB3QSzYIiTuVwfPm7y_JTuWr6YUnWDwd6K1d41opLBuf63h1r3YqaxldzG60EnCVQZ4pqWriSKVg/s200/rw+apple+pancake.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5289047113229935618&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The most popular item on the menu, much hyped in the press, it lived up to its reputation on sight, at least visually. An impressively large twelve inch pancake, smothered in tender-tart baked apples and exotically scented cinnamon, it was certainly a sight to behold. I was worried, though, because I&#39;d seen other examples of this particular dish that were dense, heavy, and soggy...so I was pleasantly surprised to find that the pancake itself was light, almost airy. Moist, but not too much so, and richly flavored with egg and cinnamon and vanilla notes. The aroma of decadence wafted up from the plate as I cut into the Granny Smith apples, each coated with a generous sprinkling of Saigon cinnamon and sweetened with a hint of sugar. I&#39;m surprised I didn&#39;t drool.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The best part is, it tastes as good as it looks and smells. The apples were cooked just enough; not too soft, not too crisp. Tart-sweet with just enough sugar and well, you can never have too much cinnamon in my book! Add the pancake in with the apples, and it&#39;s near nirvana. Near, I said. Nirvana comes when you wash it down with a cup of hot, black coffee. Sweetened coffee would have definitely put it over the top.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdJGFMO_KCKv869tLtCX3XXGqx7mceaboOo886Ct9BoGaPVWEjJEWcCIioFy8GGzQSPBPXQkjhGkZXZvpjZxyarf1Skr5zx1Ih51Av0-EHnieBziSMUulbH-Z0-WNoelpZ3CLvnjQ8eUw/s1600-h/rw+waffles.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 227px; height: 161px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdJGFMO_KCKv869tLtCX3XXGqx7mceaboOo886Ct9BoGaPVWEjJEWcCIioFy8GGzQSPBPXQkjhGkZXZvpjZxyarf1Skr5zx1Ih51Av0-EHnieBziSMUulbH-Z0-WNoelpZ3CLvnjQ8eUw/s200/rw+waffles.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5289047126571020530&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;My friend, who is not a fan of apples (can you imagine!?) decided to sample the waffles instead, and added an omelette to her order, so she&#39;d have something to take home for her man. Although tempted by the Blueberry Flap Jacks, which boast wild Maine blueberries in the batter *and* a blueberry compote topping, she decided instead to go with the Strawberry Patch Belgian Waffle. Unlike many places that use frozen berries, this waffle was topped with fresh, sweet berries, along with whipped cream and a dusting of confectioner&#39;s sugar. Light, toasty and sweet, it was a perfect accompaniment to the Double Cheese omelette, which features both Swiss and cheddar cheeses.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Half an hour and a second cup of coffee later, we are both sated and happy and certain we will be returning to try some of the many other choices on the Richard Walker&#39;s Pancake House menu.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://eating-sandiego.blogspot.com/2009/01/breakfast-most-important-meal-of-day.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (kimbery)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhShVI-UO-dKAHEiSCR9fXEcImYjqb9SbHuTpDCMJM-eiLAydHYDCKb_22DB1WqVDVz2FV_yh3ajGQ8SboSYdem-m8ULopXGKNvfClUvN4qcDKUWp2espk_QB_F4jmMBleJR8s4x0VpuEE/s72-c/richard-walkers.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3368220217936810824.post-772336826498227015</guid><pubDate>Sat, 03 Jan 2009 15:53:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2009-01-03T09:58:40.169-08:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Christmas</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">lighthouse</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">LL Bean</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">lobster</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">maine</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">New Year</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">pizza</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">travel</category><title>The Maine Thing</title><description>&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTCzXyITz8MgUhgzHA1pHgfV4uHgX867YtVXWIBooo-WbgWMWy3sDIVS0LZGiRgtenTCi5iRFPFUfgqt03fqWndToYMZ8d6e1UbDVWDo37J2nj2w_Mvtg47yhBb1Brn7-DsAMeknWqNxI/s1600-h/Nomads-in-Sunset.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 190px; height: 112px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTCzXyITz8MgUhgzHA1pHgfV4uHgX867YtVXWIBooo-WbgWMWy3sDIVS0LZGiRgtenTCi5iRFPFUfgqt03fqWndToYMZ8d6e1UbDVWDo37J2nj2w_Mvtg47yhBb1Brn7-DsAMeknWqNxI/s200/Nomads-in-Sunset.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287121759091745586&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7dwIf3iXmAjanst06fOyTDZAEne8HYb6s9QFWk3N9lg74KH_0z-fv-1Z_p8M2CYYfXHwOA3SjY7f2-_SJ1NX3c88iwLxD29wUvmrNEL0-KHHi3-LY7-TkrpnnaNMufyKqRlrzFnEk6co/s1600-h/OOB-Sunset2.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 185px; height: 112px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7dwIf3iXmAjanst06fOyTDZAEne8HYb6s9QFWk3N9lg74KH_0z-fv-1Z_p8M2CYYfXHwOA3SjY7f2-_SJ1NX3c88iwLxD29wUvmrNEL0-KHHi3-LY7-TkrpnnaNMufyKqRlrzFnEk6co/s200/OOB-Sunset2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287121752722139058&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-uF_qjkIU9zccMjASKz3kg7Eq01650Rlv1Li2dWNtIiat9k24si-ESI_8-lxQ0M7sdmQk76DWPRHHtS6us-eKcGTKDyVXo6Iv_dljKlRQR1I6gEbMiyVWfogvuJH-p0s4joe1P20w_kA/s1600-h/Christmas-Tree-2008.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 184px; height: 112px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-uF_qjkIU9zccMjASKz3kg7Eq01650Rlv1Li2dWNtIiat9k24si-ESI_8-lxQ0M7sdmQk76DWPRHHtS6us-eKcGTKDyVXo6Iv_dljKlRQR1I6gEbMiyVWfogvuJH-p0s4joe1P20w_kA/s200/Christmas-Tree-2008.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287121393174529602&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;I&#39;m still sorting photos and all that goes along with that, but I wanted to jump on and post because it&#39;s been a long time and I&#39;m just feeling antsy to get working on this blog again!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie0b4m614OCi8-au2CTScEzoDRMmDCbaVHSDf2Xm1dsFE1ZQPhY8HwV9YND8zhyphenhyphenYl95jVFoaOKRvOrBxCPBNLTNS1pDbXPrLVTBm8sCWHPESk8-0mBkKyYeSMAqSxggeqmcdfkeDM3cOY/s1600-h/OOB-Christmas-Tree.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 104px; height: 167px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie0b4m614OCi8-au2CTScEzoDRMmDCbaVHSDf2Xm1dsFE1ZQPhY8HwV9YND8zhyphenhyphenYl95jVFoaOKRvOrBxCPBNLTNS1pDbXPrLVTBm8sCWHPESk8-0mBkKyYeSMAqSxggeqmcdfkeDM3cOY/s200/OOB-Christmas-Tree.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287121418706869922&quot; align=&quot;left&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;The first few photos are some of my favorites from OOB, Maine. There&#39;s some amazingly beautiful sunsets on the east coast, I can tell you. This surprised me, since the sun sets in the west, so I wasn&#39;t expecting the sunset to still be reflecting over the ocean waters...but as you can see in the pics (click to enlarge), it does so, and wonderfully. Our Christmas tree was a beauty, such a comforting sight on a cold winter night...but it was dwarfed in size by the OOB tree that overlooks the ocean! It was probably 25-30 feet tall, and seeing it the night I took this photo, in the snow, was a sight to see for certain!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7pVBxQuKb7nnNEoML-nzAAKkYh4hFhPHoe6beAO21IzuepTCRHqHRmtCaQGtZZ422_oC8UmTaFOx9aE7uSU00zra-XfQriXEfGjWq1D67tfZLnQGSdk_MsonXozbPnar6iA1ew4MGuVQ/s1600-h/Side-by-Side-Snow.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 112px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7pVBxQuKb7nnNEoML-nzAAKkYh4hFhPHoe6beAO21IzuepTCRHqHRmtCaQGtZZ422_oC8UmTaFOx9aE7uSU00zra-XfQriXEfGjWq1D67tfZLnQGSdk_MsonXozbPnar6iA1ew4MGuVQ/s200/Side-by-Side-Snow.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287121794495094626&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdc8fisPtXZItmw9GD7lUVmoFltu8pY17pfRNtVty3XgWP06UATWrT5Dfi0vtCy2iJhs5lSkG42jMvwG_bNb342nHXgidybi6mQoSwz9GXGA6A4f48wXZGEfe0bXqiaQzb4fnpzFJ3cUs/s1600-h/Side-by-Side-Snow-2.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 112px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdc8fisPtXZItmw9GD7lUVmoFltu8pY17pfRNtVty3XgWP06UATWrT5Dfi0vtCy2iJhs5lSkG42jMvwG_bNb342nHXgidybi6mQoSwz9GXGA6A4f48wXZGEfe0bXqiaQzb4fnpzFJ3cUs/s200/Side-by-Side-Snow-2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287121799581489218&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This was the snowfall in a matter of 4 hours one afternoon. It began with light flurries around 8 am that morning, and quickly turned to fat, fluffy flakes (say that 5 times fast! lol) by noon. By the time the sun had set around 5 that evening, it was piling up quite well. It was a gorgeous site to see, a White Christmas after 20+ years in Southern California, where all Christmases are green. Everything was layered with a thick coating of marshmallow fluff :)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVX_2K-4hdW9bXS4OeQGbq6AcUbB7csOuIC2RguE4Q7189V_T79d1W8B1Ns6n3pUS9YSF_XkZ732BbtXcWqkyTG1Rvst3bHqjOxr1gbHeixmGnIj-QVi-1IC-EkZ8YMhhOZa-MMUp_hxs/s1600-h/LLBean-Village-1.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 112px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVX_2K-4hdW9bXS4OeQGbq6AcUbB7csOuIC2RguE4Q7189V_T79d1W8B1Ns6n3pUS9YSF_XkZ732BbtXcWqkyTG1Rvst3bHqjOxr1gbHeixmGnIj-QVi-1IC-EkZ8YMhhOZa-MMUp_hxs/s200/LLBean-Village-1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287121752911894626&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTF_ws8aeoB8IQ7-aE_nqwCZBiKLIOnlpcOyebXyznGM1G2-ZmKj0SqKFA_vh6ioHfSxXh0vi8ZlyaVyJ-uTqHIXAUWnF5Yg2H8BOjs1W22JCQ5rq_qpyTyJTOrdSTvVZCgBfyIkT7tQs/s1600-h/LLBean-Village.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 112px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTF_ws8aeoB8IQ7-aE_nqwCZBiKLIOnlpcOyebXyznGM1G2-ZmKj0SqKFA_vh6ioHfSxXh0vi8ZlyaVyJ-uTqHIXAUWnF5Yg2H8BOjs1W22JCQ5rq_qpyTyJTOrdSTvVZCgBfyIkT7tQs/s200/LLBean-Village.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287121410066737634&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;One of the many places we visited was the LL Bean village. I was expecting a large store, to be sure, but not an entire village! There are half a dozen LL Bean stores surrounding a courtyard that, for the holidays at least, was decked out in brilliant, colorful lights, anchored by a huge brightly lit tree. It was a site to see, for certain. And, they&#39;re open 24 hours!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE0LHskoQG3Q9RyO3Zy57q4qA3sS3SP3syecxdYXCkqTptR4SM1kucmg6g4RqRaS6eVgKWFJUoQhkBS25r1cKPA5wELr6xmGS28oWvRX7nU7hMr4x77Y-0w3b6OOHcdvkyjvJ_USs8VMY/s1600-h/CE-Lighthouse-1.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 112px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE0LHskoQG3Q9RyO3Zy57q4qA3sS3SP3syecxdYXCkqTptR4SM1kucmg6g4RqRaS6eVgKWFJUoQhkBS25r1cKPA5wELr6xmGS28oWvRX7nU7hMr4x77Y-0w3b6OOHcdvkyjvJ_USs8VMY/s200/CE-Lighthouse-1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287121389708199682&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4HcvZZhoH-HrOtN9u_9auoEdaUOHj4i6iGUQT8ILpUcZJn2Un9gdjhC_eDEO5ht7fvVZ-LSqPzLyB0X2I_jXGIDssdaMxI-AsiV8lFVGc_4_tpgqnhyphenhyphenL0hNFodQDzl03nbb9DZRM20ms/s1600-h/CE-Lighthouse-OS.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 112px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4HcvZZhoH-HrOtN9u_9auoEdaUOHj4i6iGUQT8ILpUcZJn2Un9gdjhC_eDEO5ht7fvVZ-LSqPzLyB0X2I_jXGIDssdaMxI-AsiV8lFVGc_4_tpgqnhyphenhyphenL0hNFodQDzl03nbb9DZRM20ms/s200/CE-Lighthouse-OS.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287125714769879394&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;We did a lot of driving while we were there, up and down the coast. From Bangor to Penobscott Bay, from Kittery to Kennebunkport, from Portland to Boston. As I get through the photos I&#39;ll post a few more here and there, but two of my favorites were in a single location: Cape Elizabeth. Just outside of Portland, Maine, this quaint area boasts some spectacular views. Especially lovely is Two Lights State Park, where you can see the two Lighthouses in the photos above. I can&#39;t wait to go back and see them in the summer when they&#39;re surrounded by sunshine and greenery...but they are absolutely breathtaking in the winter I assure you.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Now, I know I haven&#39;t mentioned much in the way of food...I will, don&#39;t worry :) I&#39;ll post about some of the places we ate, and I have a couple pics of someo of those too. One thing I can tell you right now: I was surprised how many pizza places there were! When I think Maine, the first thing that comes to mind is seafood: Lobsters, Clam Chowder, etc. And, to be certain, there was plenty of that. But there were more pizza places than I know of here in San Diego!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This post is a little all over the board, and I&#39;m sorry for that. I guess I&#39;m still sorting through my brain as well as my camera! lol But I&#39;m glad to be posting, glad to be back. I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and that 2009 proves to be a joyful, prosperous year for you all!!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://eating-sandiego.blogspot.com/2009/01/maine-thing.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (kimbery)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTCzXyITz8MgUhgzHA1pHgfV4uHgX867YtVXWIBooo-WbgWMWy3sDIVS0LZGiRgtenTCi5iRFPFUfgqt03fqWndToYMZ8d6e1UbDVWDo37J2nj2w_Mvtg47yhBb1Brn7-DsAMeknWqNxI/s72-c/Nomads-in-Sunset.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3368220217936810824.post-2935425098795925417</guid><pubDate>Sun, 14 Dec 2008 15:41:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-12-14T08:40:48.669-08:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">artichokes</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">candy</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">candy cane</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">chocolate</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Christmas</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">cookie</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">cream cheese</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">dip</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">french cookies</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">holiday</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">pate</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">peppermint</category><title>Family Traditions in Food....</title><description>&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;The not quite a cookie exchange cookie exchange party!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So, every year I host a cookie exchange, and everyone brings anywhere from 8-12 dozen cookies to be exchanged, and everyone leaves with a variety of goodies to take home. This year, I was going to have a party, but not ask everyone to bring cookies...just an informal gathering of friends and family to celebrate the upcoming holidays and being together. I&#39;d serve appetizer type foods, and a dessert, and that would be that. Well, since I had to make dessert anyway, I decided to go ahead and make cookies (ok, well, certain people who shall remain unnamed were begging me for cookies! lol). Next thing I knew, Mom was making cookies too (my favorites!), and my sister in law was making fudge, and my friend brought over more appetizers...we ended up with a whole lot of goodies! So, in the spirit of giving inspired by the season, here are some recipes for you! Merry Christmas!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG-51pBCYL7BUySFaaWTJobNIJHD5W2IKVeH-tzixAkG6WD-QEsQRYQ9yDHo65TzF0LqM1solB07g8rSrmDv-79R2VLNR3MlcTXn94XI9YfHcSD2ZpD7ihh0g7t4clsWuJZaWKN716Q4U/s1600-h/Artichoke-Dip-ready.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 112px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG-51pBCYL7BUySFaaWTJobNIJHD5W2IKVeH-tzixAkG6WD-QEsQRYQ9yDHo65TzF0LqM1solB07g8rSrmDv-79R2VLNR3MlcTXn94XI9YfHcSD2ZpD7ihh0g7t4clsWuJZaWKN716Q4U/s200/Artichoke-Dip-ready.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279674672346410642&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRk62rXDTqgQDKLNIGp5IOFQZsuCAifrBjbh-RYfv7Sd6ApIpMEUHEPwE-8zIP009Pk-Zu6RuFaqlboxg-8D3Gw4cKsuHbqs_WT8ZmCoYzGkLfW74ikEM3GRibrbZQdjUsuThwBe6np-4/s1600-h/Artichoke-Dip-raw.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 112px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRk62rXDTqgQDKLNIGp5IOFQZsuCAifrBjbh-RYfv7Sd6ApIpMEUHEPwE-8zIP009Pk-Zu6RuFaqlboxg-8D3Gw4cKsuHbqs_WT8ZmCoYzGkLfW74ikEM3GRibrbZQdjUsuThwBe6np-4/s200/Artichoke-Dip-raw.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279674676814699474&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;First up: Artichoke Dip. I came up with this version, because all of the recipes I found called for spinach, and I wanted a dip that focused solely on the delectible artichoke hearts. It&#39;s a quick mix and bake recipe that everyone loves.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;ul style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;li&gt;1 cup mayo (I used the olive oil kind)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;8 oz cream cheese&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;2 small jars marinated artichoke hearts&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;1 cup Quattro Fromaggio (a 4 cheese blend: parmesan, asiago, provolone &amp;amp; fontina)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;1 1/2 tsp fine ground white pepper&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;1 tsp paprika&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;Combine everything except the paprika and spread into a baking dish. I used a 6x9&quot; glass dish. Bake at 350* for 30 min. Sprinkle with paprika, and serve with thinly sliced pieces of baguette, tortilla chips, or crackers (or all of them!)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoMF5kT55NQUiTypcCK5JCgkW305KKX-XWIbd4NFwKqm5m9Q0OdNMmHuXN_EHNokzlpMLhSV-9KYErprTRAIJfDYzTDWBXlUISx3OMYefbJ48wOllQK3r_Z0XPM8mGYCCSRrXUK0rXvgQ/s1600-h/Veggie+Pizza.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 163px; height: 163px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoMF5kT55NQUiTypcCK5JCgkW305KKX-XWIbd4NFwKqm5m9Q0OdNMmHuXN_EHNokzlpMLhSV-9KYErprTRAIJfDYzTDWBXlUISx3OMYefbJ48wOllQK3r_Z0XPM8mGYCCSRrXUK0rXvgQ/s200/Veggie+Pizza.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279673747828906498&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This is a Veggie &#39;Pizza&#39;. It&#39;s a really simple appetizer to make. You just use Pillsbury crescent rolls, baked flat in a single sheet. Combine 8 ounces each sour cream and cream cheese with your favorite ranch dip/dressing seasoning and spread that over the crescent roll base, then top with an assortment of fresh veggies. Tasty and simple, what more could you want? :)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6kJO4s6DLQcOYARVCl3nRsxhx5RDkHRBz-517w5rEfi3uozZzVK1bwlMjHykUKOouSwaZScFBfHm4wdLCf2UkvBzcidZzH8weOKWiBAOnZeDaytCC1AkcGfZQSSLoWrPeVno7oL5X2Ck/s1600-h/Pate-OnO.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 112px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6kJO4s6DLQcOYARVCl3nRsxhx5RDkHRBz-517w5rEfi3uozZzVK1bwlMjHykUKOouSwaZScFBfHm4wdLCf2UkvBzcidZzH8weOKWiBAOnZeDaytCC1AkcGfZQSSLoWrPeVno7oL5X2Ck/s200/Pate-OnO.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279673743032365666&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0EuhTwqHX0uyMU5Bhgi2TcCEGRBw6_ZSXjOYO_68akCAibNx83jQvShITQPIXTqrrOME9GMaBHak9zenKWHGT-A03LBT_tMH4NI-X1XaPXBTYbcKyEqNreBSX_mIOtncfjT6QhPix2oI/s1600-h/Pate-base.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 112px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0EuhTwqHX0uyMU5Bhgi2TcCEGRBw6_ZSXjOYO_68akCAibNx83jQvShITQPIXTqrrOME9GMaBHak9zenKWHGT-A03LBT_tMH4NI-X1XaPXBTYbcKyEqNreBSX_mIOtncfjT6QhPix2oI/s200/Pate-base.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279673735445309570&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzxUd5oK7-p4DCGFPIkFrH4oLqXVFaZygv6pBR4ZfeOAOoYf6oHk44xf5hm1fSqH337LeQq6jt1cHv7e5YYFZxIW49RWM2XDduMfR4R0_g_yhnvEfqkuvLdv3Vy49zOLDFtIjtOfplEI4/s1600-h/Pate-finished.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 112px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzxUd5oK7-p4DCGFPIkFrH4oLqXVFaZygv6pBR4ZfeOAOoYf6oHk44xf5hm1fSqH337LeQq6jt1cHv7e5YYFZxIW49RWM2XDduMfR4R0_g_yhnvEfqkuvLdv3Vy49zOLDFtIjtOfplEI4/s200/Pate-finished.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279673730695400194&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Here we have a dip that is a family tradition going back a couple generations. It&#39;s an easy take on pate that my Mom made every year on New Year&#39;s Eve, and my family loves it too!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;ul style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;li&gt;8 ounces braunschweiger&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;8 ounces cream cheese&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;1 cup chopped green olives (with pimientos)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;1/2 cup chopped green onions&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;2 tbsp worcestershire sauce&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;Combine the braunschweiger and cream cheese until thoroughly mixed. (I use the paddle attachment on my stand mixer for this). Add in olives, green onions, and worcestershire to taste. Transfer to a crock, cover with plastic wrap and chill for several hours to allow flavors to meld. This can be made a couple days in advance. Remove from fridge 15-20 min prior to serving.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbiCl3-7Va2TQ5p2FgW9E6IUvdGRFYXk1dXOeyCC8I_4yj91fcciAauxDRcq1HODRTYLERWCEgvk0dH3jbwG4Jaju22tmV1F3v_H6rRLYgIMEsJBuMZo7hx4UYlyNK9a6_pV5UKtT0gc0/s1600-h/Love-Bites-rolling.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 112px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbiCl3-7Va2TQ5p2FgW9E6IUvdGRFYXk1dXOeyCC8I_4yj91fcciAauxDRcq1HODRTYLERWCEgvk0dH3jbwG4Jaju22tmV1F3v_H6rRLYgIMEsJBuMZo7hx4UYlyNK9a6_pV5UKtT0gc0/s200/Love-Bites-rolling.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279673434555156722&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUVIHWbVQPYZNiMZPD70PtIgo577ZulYm3VaCpIFRdu9AqvYRGC8eNygWaXbCs4KXXkDPilfNBSrthlTUMqgtw3_MxKZewGEZzs3vAAGhBGhQ5ZmIFPQ-y5pgkCv7EBYoTVT-4oE5nsfI/s1600-h/Love-Bites-ready.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 112px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUVIHWbVQPYZNiMZPD70PtIgo577ZulYm3VaCpIFRdu9AqvYRGC8eNygWaXbCs4KXXkDPilfNBSrthlTUMqgtw3_MxKZewGEZzs3vAAGhBGhQ5ZmIFPQ-y5pgkCv7EBYoTVT-4oE5nsfI/s200/Love-Bites-ready.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279673430651236226&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Next up, Cappuccino Love Bites! These are a buttery cookie that&#39;s been rolled in a combination of turbinado sugar and instant espresso, baked, then topped with a Hershey&#39;s Hugs. Tastes like a drink from your favorite coffee house!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2GZj5YP2k5LhBMz7TYQfPBmps9ExqBNa5StiHhOrhaDbxgxOMDsnVy0pBfkcfU2dBhaxxEDKefPRkxMZs-AoZ-aSf9vYSgqIBnk2FTDrqR1eRr_ZuTR1A4HlHMFw0R6RmrmiyZNJTXdY/s1600-h/Love-Bites-swirl.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 112px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2GZj5YP2k5LhBMz7TYQfPBmps9ExqBNa5StiHhOrhaDbxgxOMDsnVy0pBfkcfU2dBhaxxEDKefPRkxMZs-AoZ-aSf9vYSgqIBnk2FTDrqR1eRr_ZuTR1A4HlHMFw0R6RmrmiyZNJTXdY/s200/Love-Bites-swirl.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279673427852098994&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWHFMu5vqGcC4-w55ZME36ir88CDODzL3BqtAdPSfISeLt_astX9j5XsGMqq8B8Hw5mw2gNDpcRRWjcgJDzXBTrX7BjyQhdvFFt6-QHsxkWp7qdP5XCq7sAIwoyz0NstwVOMEEFtpI0IE/s1600-h/Love-Bites-done.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 112px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWHFMu5vqGcC4-w55ZME36ir88CDODzL3BqtAdPSfISeLt_astX9j5XsGMqq8B8Hw5mw2gNDpcRRWjcgJDzXBTrX7BjyQhdvFFt6-QHsxkWp7qdP5XCq7sAIwoyz0NstwVOMEEFtpI0IE/s200/Love-Bites-done.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279673427655064130&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;ul style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;li&gt;1 cup butter, softened&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;1 cup sugar&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;1 tsp baking powder&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;1/4 tsp salt&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;1 egg&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;1 tsp vanilla&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;1 tbsp espresso or milk&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;2 1/4 c flour (all purpose)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;1/2 cup turbinado sugar&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;1/2 cup instant coffee or espresso&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;48 Hershey&#39;s Hugs, unwrapped&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;Cream butter &amp;amp; sugar until light and fluffy. Whisk together flour, baking powder, &amp;amp; salt. To the butter, add the egg, vanilla, and milk or espresso; beat just until combined. Add dry ingredients; beat just until combined. Don&#39;t over-mix. Spoon dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap, and roll like a log. Chill 1 hour or until firm. Divide dough into 1&quot; balls. Combine turbinado sugar and instant coffee; roll balls in mixture. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet (spray is fine), and bake at 350*f for 10 min. Tops will crack slightly. Don&#39;t allow sides to color. Immediately top each cookie with a Hug, and, if desired, swirl the hug with the tip of a spoon or knife while still warm.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimTLdrl6xQ1mKUowh8tyXoZ6zK8gpFRLlXpzreunCPRODkqHsxkHaHeroDDOjblU-adEhyphenhyphen4AFCxgv93Fwy3xudPIa0mp5HRngQW1MmuWu8Kl5ziqLkiROIScmm-0toldcWOToqZw_6aB4/s1600-h/CC-Meringue-close.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 112px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimTLdrl6xQ1mKUowh8tyXoZ6zK8gpFRLlXpzreunCPRODkqHsxkHaHeroDDOjblU-adEhyphenhyphen4AFCxgv93Fwy3xudPIa0mp5HRngQW1MmuWu8Kl5ziqLkiROIScmm-0toldcWOToqZw_6aB4/s200/CC-Meringue-close.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279673420702557122&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-ZbC4YfrH79u-knA13z3eyjVXQzmbYH1LnXpW8r-3H16AI7reDWMBneEJYbTM_LUFG3lmfY18_7eBY6RPq976z-gOsWTlS3QswkYoxvfm-EJJ81XVrKR8CvQxzfFwa6dxSsFImQaxcmY/s1600-h/Lacies-02.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 112px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-ZbC4YfrH79u-knA13z3eyjVXQzmbYH1LnXpW8r-3H16AI7reDWMBneEJYbTM_LUFG3lmfY18_7eBY6RPq976z-gOsWTlS3QswkYoxvfm-EJJ81XVrKR8CvQxzfFwa6dxSsFImQaxcmY/s200/Lacies-02.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279672989165475698&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Candy Cane meringues are something I started making a few years back, and they are hugely popular with our clan! Make a basic meringue and flavor it with peppermint extract. Be sure to use extract, not oil. Pipe onto parchment lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with crushed candy canes. Put into a 225*f oven for about 90 min, or until perfectly dry. When completely cooled, dip bottoms into melted dark chocolate. That&#39;s it!&lt;br /&gt;Next to the meringues: Lacies. A simple mixture of 1/2 c brown sugar, 7 tbsp of butter, 3/4 c flour and 1 cup chopped almonds. Spoon onto buttered cookie sheet and bake at 375*f until thin and deep golden, about 10 min. Sandwich cooled cookies with melted chocolate..yum!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijPftd6GfJTf5DHIbVyfF_wNd89nO15DYLeAeR1WVmwU1boE3GkHdNe-Exd5NDac2wXhE628Ra8WB0S17nQzmPuYVW7b6wsco6oM4vcWuG_aCOmJ73-Nb6gII7ExGHl5byYJb_mvTu79E/s1600-h/French-Cookies-cups.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 112px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijPftd6GfJTf5DHIbVyfF_wNd89nO15DYLeAeR1WVmwU1boE3GkHdNe-Exd5NDac2wXhE628Ra8WB0S17nQzmPuYVW7b6wsco6oM4vcWuG_aCOmJ73-Nb6gII7ExGHl5byYJb_mvTu79E/s200/French-Cookies-cups.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279672980430265762&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD8ndLSuRBLROHDhAU4M0_DyeczpYtvfki5s3Q4Y1GADyRITEYMbBo2gH6inBapSiY3uQOfyDu6YQwTd4bwmw8riRel1T9hx9cH6gtO9h6MAHd-daeCIBVsnTlTUb9ojvkF_iYW1VZpHs/s1600-h/French-Cookies-batter.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 112px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD8ndLSuRBLROHDhAU4M0_DyeczpYtvfki5s3Q4Y1GADyRITEYMbBo2gH6inBapSiY3uQOfyDu6YQwTd4bwmw8riRel1T9hx9cH6gtO9h6MAHd-daeCIBVsnTlTUb9ojvkF_iYW1VZpHs/s200/French-Cookies-batter.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279672973627373810&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Last but definitely *not* least! I saved them for last because they are the best! French Christmas Cookies. These little morsels are decadent and delicious. The combination of flavors works so perfectly together, you&#39;ll wonder why you hadn&#39;t thought of it sooner! And the best part about making them at Christmas is the recipe makes dozens and dozens of cookies, so you have lots to share with your family and friends!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFG0puJu8FFuE_JTE0HyJKXgWGyWdWac9v53ocp-9tI8STwxcheAPaAsswPgSZT0o242cehucl6f7RqOcNzEPlRH40ygH7hsp2m-r9prI7scFHJt8xdBwC7IKyUB1U49iBMlAgNPYlmK0/s1600-h/French-Cookies-baked.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 112px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFG0puJu8FFuE_JTE0HyJKXgWGyWdWac9v53ocp-9tI8STwxcheAPaAsswPgSZT0o242cehucl6f7RqOcNzEPlRH40ygH7hsp2m-r9prI7scFHJt8xdBwC7IKyUB1U49iBMlAgNPYlmK0/s200/French-Cookies-baked.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279672963890089426&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuOKLgaGtTg0cK3kUjwgWMKrv0OP_dRPNXa4hdY_dS-OHId0splenmjemHOYPo7ZHumZPRuaYjQSau2YvEBV1u1jEOLpvXXkRvNL8-LMVzi21qee53LmoboNVDInlmIP6DSOSySeGPTfo/s1600-h/French-Cookies-done.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 112px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuOKLgaGtTg0cK3kUjwgWMKrv0OP_dRPNXa4hdY_dS-OHId0splenmjemHOYPo7ZHumZPRuaYjQSau2YvEBV1u1jEOLpvXXkRvNL8-LMVzi21qee53LmoboNVDInlmIP6DSOSySeGPTfo/s200/French-Cookies-done.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279672959154452082&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;40 Graham cracker singles (2 packs from a box)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;1/2 cup butter (1 stick)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;1 cup packed brown sugar&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;2 cups finely chopped pecans&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;1 (12 ounce) bag mini chocolate chips&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;1 cup half &amp;amp; half&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;Heat oven to 375*f. Line a baking sheet with candy cups (smaller than mini-muffin cups, these are available at crafts stores like Michael&#39;s or at candy/cake making supply stores).&lt;br /&gt;Place the graham crackers into a ziploc bag, and roll over them with a rolling pin. You want them crushed, but not to a powder.&lt;br /&gt;Cream butter and sugar. Add crushed grahams; mix. Add pecans &amp;amp; mini chips; mix. Add half &amp;amp; half, mix until thoroughly combined. Fill each candy cup 3/4 full. Bake for 10-12 minutes; just until set. Do not overbake!&lt;br /&gt;For the icing:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;1 (12 oz) pkg chocolate chips&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;1 (12 oz) pkg butterscotch chips&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;1/4 cup peanut butter&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;Combine and melt together, stirring often, until completely melted and smooth (except for nuts if using chunky peanut butter! lol). For ease and speed, fill a baggie with this mixture and snip a small hole on one corner and pipe the icing onto the cookies.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;There you have it! Recipes for some of our traditional family favorites for the holiday season! I hope everyone has a wonderfully Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanzaa, Happy Hannukah...just a Joyous Season! Oh, and Happy New Year too!!  Enjoy!</description><link>http://eating-sandiego.blogspot.com/2008/12/family-traditions-in-food.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (kimbery)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG-51pBCYL7BUySFaaWTJobNIJHD5W2IKVeH-tzixAkG6WD-QEsQRYQ9yDHo65TzF0LqM1solB07g8rSrmDv-79R2VLNR3MlcTXn94XI9YfHcSD2ZpD7ihh0g7t4clsWuJZaWKN716Q4U/s72-c/Artichoke-Dip-ready.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>1</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3368220217936810824.post-8455118792772988245</guid><pubDate>Mon, 08 Dec 2008 05:34:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-12-07T21:51:04.861-08:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">butterscotch</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">chocolate</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Christmas</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">marshmallows</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">peanut butter</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">rocky road</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">snow</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">winter</category><title>I&#39;m Dreaming of a White Christmas....</title><description>&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1eLzk9PVCAc-uPRtVjO1UC5xjuZ5o0q0sTHpt0PUZZceD2XBNuipBmUbObri9_8wNYnv0wqlT28F50TeXZecQF_exXFJh79JlR_ez_wxzWpF59bGjX32h9W22qD_fxmdALOE1adPiZHQ/s1600-h/A-Snowy-Day.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1eLzk9PVCAc-uPRtVjO1UC5xjuZ5o0q0sTHpt0PUZZceD2XBNuipBmUbObri9_8wNYnv0wqlT28F50TeXZecQF_exXFJh79JlR_ez_wxzWpF59bGjX32h9W22qD_fxmdALOE1adPiZHQ/s320/A-Snowy-Day.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277290384916920082&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;....And if it keeps up the way it was today where I&#39;m headed, it looks like I will have one! FINALLY! After 20 some odd years in California for Christmases, GREEN Christmases. I know this isn&#39;t really food related, but to make it up to you, I will share a recipe that I love at the end of this post. In the meantime....doesn&#39;t it look beautiful???&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;When I was a kid, every Christmas was a white one and I didn&#39;t really know that it could be any other way for a long time. It takes some getting used to, these green Christmases. One year, it was 78 degrees! On Christmas! Crazy, I tell you! Some people thrive on it, I know...but I like the Norman Rockwell, Bing Crosby, White Christmas! Ok enough about that. As promised, here is a recipe, one that will surely become a family favorite for many, as it has for us.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Rocky Road Bars&lt;br /&gt;1 (12 ounce) pkg semi-sweet chocolate chips&lt;br /&gt;1 (12 ounce) pkg butterscotch chips&lt;br /&gt;1 cup chunky peanut butter&lt;br /&gt;1 bag mini marshmallows (white or, for the holidays, they often have colors)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Line a 9x13&quot; baking pan with aluminum foil, and spread a very thin sheen of butter.&lt;br /&gt;Melt the chips carefully in the microwave or in a bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Stir in the peanut butter until thoroughly combined. Stir in the marshmallows. Immediately pour into the buttered pan, spreading to the edges evenly. Chill to set, 1 hour. Remove from refrigerator at least 20 minutes prior to cutting, or you will be there all day! :) Cut into small squares, this is rich stuff! But it is a tasty alternative to fudge (or accompaniment, depending on your sweet tooth!), and everyone who tries it usually ends up asking for more!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Happy Holidays! More recipes to come!!</description><link>http://eating-sandiego.blogspot.com/2008/12/im-dreaming-of-white-christmas.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (kimbery)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1eLzk9PVCAc-uPRtVjO1UC5xjuZ5o0q0sTHpt0PUZZceD2XBNuipBmUbObri9_8wNYnv0wqlT28F50TeXZecQF_exXFJh79JlR_ez_wxzWpF59bGjX32h9W22qD_fxmdALOE1adPiZHQ/s72-c/A-Snowy-Day.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3368220217936810824.post-3100172416484193617</guid><pubDate>Tue, 02 Dec 2008 01:01:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-12-01T17:22:53.502-08:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">apples</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">crisp</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">crumb top</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">pie</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">pomegranate</category><title>Apple Pom Pie by Alexis</title><description>&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size:130%;&quot;&gt;Alexis Bakes Her First Pie&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBIefbWHKAmpMGFi_7o6daXZOPHzXANFdN2a_PykRipalNNExc7uQlaRYHw8hh2QNO__yi_Hb_zA4mMl7N2cY0bBdP_UV-i68Udm_dCmr9Ms0BOHNU6LUQcZXmBT7PocXwZaZT1NJmDMU/s1600-h/Apple-Pom-Pie.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 112px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBIefbWHKAmpMGFi_7o6daXZOPHzXANFdN2a_PykRipalNNExc7uQlaRYHw8hh2QNO__yi_Hb_zA4mMl7N2cY0bBdP_UV-i68Udm_dCmr9Ms0BOHNU6LUQcZXmBT7PocXwZaZT1NJmDMU/s200/Apple-Pom-Pie.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274992465926885378&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Jv_qVFXQznI0IGQ2CEb1A5mi4x86m5Z0d_Jl9G7T0EL2pLPhA5XYFhmB2QxNdN1AA0d_9sSwdnia-954prxErg4VgLCdnxOHrTS7IrdMkE5vMRwvn-S_Uz4fNqpfDySS3QamfG03qf8/s1600-h/Apple-Pom-Pie-2.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 112px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Jv_qVFXQznI0IGQ2CEb1A5mi4x86m5Z0d_Jl9G7T0EL2pLPhA5XYFhmB2QxNdN1AA0d_9sSwdnia-954prxErg4VgLCdnxOHrTS7IrdMkE5vMRwvn-S_Uz4fNqpfDySS3QamfG03qf8/s200/Apple-Pom-Pie-2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274992468321057922&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;Here is the recipe as requested by several people for the Apple-Pom Pie that Alexis baked on Thanksgiving. It was her first pie that was all her own from start to finish, and I&#39;m very proud of her for trying something completely new. The pie was delicious warm, with a scoop of ice cream (cinnamon, yay!). It was also delicious warmed up the next day! The pie crust recipe below is my standard go-to crust that I got from my mom and it works for almost any pie.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;2 1/2 cups pastry or all purpose flour&lt;br /&gt;1 cup cold butter, lard, or Smart Balance shortening&lt;br /&gt;1/2 tsp salt&lt;br /&gt;1 tsp sugar&lt;br /&gt;2-4 Tbsp ice cold water&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Whisk together the flour, salt &amp;amp; sugar, then cut in the butter. You can use a pastry cutter, two knives, or a processor...whichever method you&#39;re most comfortable with, until the mixture is crumbly and the pieces are no bigger than a pea. Add 2 tbsp water, and mix lightly with a fork. If needed, add more water, 1 tsp at a time, until the dough comes together when squeezed in your palm. Shape into a disk and refrigerate.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Apple-Pom Pie&lt;br /&gt;8-10 apples (see **note), peeled, cored and sliced&lt;br /&gt;1/4 cup fresh pomegranate juice&lt;br /&gt;1 tsp lemon juice&lt;br /&gt;1 cup sugar&lt;br /&gt;4 tbsp quick cooking tapioca&lt;br /&gt;2 tsp cinnamon&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;**Note: For the best results, use a variety of apples like Granny Smith, Empire, Pink Lady, Ida Red...local apples are terrific in pies!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Combine all of the filling ingredients, tossing with your hands or a large spoon. We used a fresh pomegranate, pressed through a fine mesh strainer, to get the juice, but a bottled juice would work if you don&#39;t have fresh available.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Prepare crust as directed. After 20 min chill time, roll crust to fit a 9&quot; - 9.5&quot; pie plate, with enough around the rim to create a nice fluted pattern. This will  not only look good, but also help keep everything *in* the pie! Fill with apple mixture, then prepare topping as below:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;for the topping:&lt;br /&gt;3/4 cup brown sugar (light or dark)&lt;br /&gt;1 stick butter&lt;br /&gt;3/4 cup flour&lt;br /&gt;1/2 cup rolled oats&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Combine with your fingertips, rubbing the butter in, until it resembles coarse crumbs. Carefully top the pie, lightly pressing with the palm of your hands to keep in place.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Place pie in the oven at 400*f for 15 min, then reduce heat to 325*f and bake for another 40-55 min, or until top is deep golden brown and apples are fork tender. Place on a wire rack and let set for at least 30 min before serving.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Enjoy!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://eating-sandiego.blogspot.com/2008/12/apple-pom-pie-by-alexis.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (kimbery)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBIefbWHKAmpMGFi_7o6daXZOPHzXANFdN2a_PykRipalNNExc7uQlaRYHw8hh2QNO__yi_Hb_zA4mMl7N2cY0bBdP_UV-i68Udm_dCmr9Ms0BOHNU6LUQcZXmBT7PocXwZaZT1NJmDMU/s72-c/Apple-Pom-Pie.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3368220217936810824.post-6585111179579393090</guid><pubDate>Sun, 30 Nov 2008 05:40:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-11-29T21:55:20.055-08:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">coconut cream</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">pie</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Thanksgiving</category><title></title><description>&lt;span style=&quot;font-size:130%;&quot;&gt;Coconut Dream Pie&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size:100%;&quot;&gt;1 recipe 9&quot; pie crust (use your favorite), baked &amp;amp; cooled&lt;br /&gt;2 1/2 cups milk&lt;br /&gt;1/2 cup half &amp;amp; half&lt;br /&gt;1 pint heavy cream&lt;br /&gt;1/2 cup cream of coconut&lt;br /&gt;2 tsp vanilla&lt;br /&gt;1 tsp coconut extract&lt;br /&gt;2 cups coconut, toasted (350*f oven for 7-10 min)&lt;br /&gt;8 egg yolks&lt;br /&gt;1/3 cup cornstarch&lt;br /&gt;2 tbsp melted butter&lt;br /&gt;1/2 cup sugar&lt;br /&gt;2 ounces chocolate, chopped&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In a small dish, melt chocolate in the microwave, stirring until smooth. &quot;Paint&quot; the chocolate all over the inside of the baked pie crust. This will not only make a decadent addition to your pie, it will keep the crust crisp and flaky after it&#39;s filled! Sprinkle with 1/4 cup of the toasted coconut, and allow chocolate to set.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghQk7Uo8DowIcYcPlw_ytbYo_qvhDlYP4Qfh4xIGJETmNjV3KRaXlJrqh5G-Ctkq5E15BMlZaF4k5j2GKBSlDkyosx8Fyje6JGkrkkgZxw1QrpnuB2aW-LfyhIZ9XlSTVMRWXD-h5B1xY/s1600-h/CC-Pie-Shell.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 112px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghQk7Uo8DowIcYcPlw_ytbYo_qvhDlYP4Qfh4xIGJETmNjV3KRaXlJrqh5G-Ctkq5E15BMlZaF4k5j2GKBSlDkyosx8Fyje6JGkrkkgZxw1QrpnuB2aW-LfyhIZ9XlSTVMRWXD-h5B1xY/s200/CC-Pie-Shell.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274321519339432450&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuWZKP6gpgvk4cKnC9H-QikNRi4Go1fJrROFfSp6mAFZ7CwHLrvz9C7-mlKV7e5OG3LCNXGJP_PQRHGoWTmYWw4E4ulwvdlbF6fjz5u8VSxAz4tuKPCweHEK0lxuGZ6-50xQKoayFzlfI/s1600-h/CC-Pie-FIlling.jpg&quot;&gt; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuWZKP6gpgvk4cKnC9H-QikNRi4Go1fJrROFfSp6mAFZ7CwHLrvz9C7-mlKV7e5OG3LCNXGJP_PQRHGoWTmYWw4E4ulwvdlbF6fjz5u8VSxAz4tuKPCweHEK0lxuGZ6-50xQKoayFzlfI/s1600-h/CC-Pie-FIlling.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 112px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuWZKP6gpgvk4cKnC9H-QikNRi4Go1fJrROFfSp6mAFZ7CwHLrvz9C7-mlKV7e5OG3LCNXGJP_PQRHGoWTmYWw4E4ulwvdlbF6fjz5u8VSxAz4tuKPCweHEK0lxuGZ6-50xQKoayFzlfI/s200/CC-Pie-FIlling.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274321503624584466&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;Next, make your filling. Beat the egg yolks with the sugar until pale yellow in color, and fluffy. Add cornstarch and melted butter, mix to combine. Heat milk and half &amp;amp; half to scalding, and whisk in vanilla, coconut extract, and cream of coconut. Slowly add to the egg yolks, with mixer on low (or while whisking). Return to the pan over med heat until it reaches a full boil. Cook 1 minute, and remove from heat. Press through a fine mesh strainer to remove any lumps, cover with plastic wrap (directly on the custard), and chill. It will seem very thick, but don&#39;t worry, that&#39;s deliberate! When it is completely cooled, whip 1 cup of the heavy cream to soft peaks, and fold into the custard until well combined. Next, fold in 3/4 cup of the toasted coconut. Gently scoop into the pie crust; cover and chill.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5DlKMbEJzFwtgRoA_7qtdzDGJz-dfLLAPxTf9v76l5mdFUXEyarGU99EbIrz6rfYDKj-6gPA-rps0I-9G9CTYW1Ce0-7xUEy4DNyTbqSnhuzuzhsDJ0hQbtuH7zDKrTzrPmk1ZgQieV8/s1600-h/CC-Pie.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 112px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5DlKMbEJzFwtgRoA_7qtdzDGJz-dfLLAPxTf9v76l5mdFUXEyarGU99EbIrz6rfYDKj-6gPA-rps0I-9G9CTYW1Ce0-7xUEy4DNyTbqSnhuzuzhsDJ0hQbtuH7zDKrTzrPmk1ZgQieV8/s200/CC-Pie.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274321506274834626&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0yy-w-mpXg_apBqXkhaaFwu2n9y6XRnd6Ux4ie8vaNT6YIJFH7ST9AsAxy-KcVmI_D4SdFj3GxwDy0s2De1qCyDgPbq22zQOEulhaO9i_UlzR5E_a472o6WH4FVj3ahVoa3wGojWxlDA/s1600-h/CC-Pie-Done.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 112px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0yy-w-mpXg_apBqXkhaaFwu2n9y6XRnd6Ux4ie8vaNT6YIJFH7ST9AsAxy-KcVmI_D4SdFj3GxwDy0s2De1qCyDgPbq22zQOEulhaO9i_UlzR5E_a472o6WH4FVj3ahVoa3wGojWxlDA/s200/CC-Pie-Done.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274321526035519634&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;Just before serving, whip remaining heavy cream, adding 1 tbsp sugar when it reaches soft peaks. Spread over custard, and top with remaining toasted coconut. Serve chilled.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://eating-sandiego.blogspot.com/2008/11/coconut-dream-pie-1-recipe-9-pie-crust.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (kimbery)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghQk7Uo8DowIcYcPlw_ytbYo_qvhDlYP4Qfh4xIGJETmNjV3KRaXlJrqh5G-Ctkq5E15BMlZaF4k5j2GKBSlDkyosx8Fyje6JGkrkkgZxw1QrpnuB2aW-LfyhIZ9XlSTVMRWXD-h5B1xY/s72-c/CC-Pie-Shell.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3368220217936810824.post-1226881556687553925</guid><pubDate>Sun, 30 Nov 2008 05:14:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-11-29T21:40:25.338-08:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">apples</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">banana cream pie</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">cherry</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">coconut cream</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">dressing</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">mashed potatoes</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">pumpkin</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">stuffing</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Thanksgiving</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">turkey</category><title>A Lot to be Thankful For</title><description>&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Thanksgiving is all about being thankful, and I have a lot to be thankful for. My family is not the least amongst those things. They are amazing, every one of them.&lt;br /&gt;This year, due to circumstances beyond our control, my daughter and I were unable to be with her Daddy for Thanksgiving, so instead we did something I haven&#39;t done in a long, long time...we went to my parents&#39; house for the holiday. We weren&#39;t alone, my brother Jim and his family, my brother Rick and his wife, and my brother Brian and his girlfriend were all there as well. And though it was an exhausting, busy day (heck, week!), it was also a lot of fun, and very filling!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiweead0_jV1wXVO4KUTwImRlBybP_JcshzstT962bT0G5VJTKuJeOpeqB9NiAhJivndsIgHLKd0Lqa-yEG4r6ZgKAiCKlEmcVaLQ7jMciAK3Sjzu5g6JaKocrpsIexSODHyVdXnTqVTA/s1600-h/Stock.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 112px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiweead0_jV1wXVO4KUTwImRlBybP_JcshzstT962bT0G5VJTKuJeOpeqB9NiAhJivndsIgHLKd0Lqa-yEG4r6ZgKAiCKlEmcVaLQ7jMciAK3Sjzu5g6JaKocrpsIexSODHyVdXnTqVTA/s200/Stock.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274315373166125314&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyXj9HIs7SlYxRpIVW7g_Zn_WQoPreQw2qw-BOqrVIqdABdkmisL-vpVa-0NDhuNHB7Uvx7MyRiKnUsbLzOkP8Rxv8D73hgPicyuQ4sSJhFN8B5vJG9kEZo3iOGnTl_U-nca1sxa0Annw/s1600-h/Butternut-Squash.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 112px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyXj9HIs7SlYxRpIVW7g_Zn_WQoPreQw2qw-BOqrVIqdABdkmisL-vpVa-0NDhuNHB7Uvx7MyRiKnUsbLzOkP8Rxv8D73hgPicyuQ4sSJhFN8B5vJG9kEZo3iOGnTl_U-nca1sxa0Annw/s200/Butternut-Squash.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274315390324395746&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv18h2MPWELUHR5KgsZFX0VAp-T25pVhLL0evaj7VffXQ07xCPvNeS7b1TyEe6wvzR9ogvEPtQ2wobUpX21mbjKqth60N96wqbAhIOtp_amSZZDVyGbzGfDt0gk-L35i3jbmoFndzi6Ik/s1600-h/Mashed-Taters.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 112px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv18h2MPWELUHR5KgsZFX0VAp-T25pVhLL0evaj7VffXQ07xCPvNeS7b1TyEe6wvzR9ogvEPtQ2wobUpX21mbjKqth60N96wqbAhIOtp_amSZZDVyGbzGfDt0gk-L35i3jbmoFndzi6Ik/s200/Mashed-Taters.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274315388311664114&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Another reason to love Thanksgiving is the food. The Thanksgiving meal of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and more is one that I look forward to each year. It is a lot of work, and worth every second when things go as they should! Now, as I mentioned before, I am a gravy loving girl, so the gravy is a hugely important part of the meal for me! So, I want to do it right. I went to my butcher (Iowa Meat Farms), and got my hands on some turkey necks and wings, which were added to a stock pot with some onion, celery, and carrots to make our turkey stock. Everything was roasted before simmering, for extra flavor, and I used chicken broth instead of water, so the flavor was rich and heady.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;My sister in law, Carrie, made a mashed butternut squash dish which was similar in texture to mashed potatoes, and decadent with melted butter and fresh ground pepper. Mashed yukon gold potatoes were also given a butter and black pepper treatment before being served.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdBqXseCTA18y_2Gh9kmQMFXYAeDoys2VqZzAcVWNc1wp0Jm4QAayLHSdO5Lgl9sNZ91U0iV4oP5UaMF-prAJxx2OCtpEHUzvxliduoN-LCGWpO3SCxjzZQhyphenhyphenuI9st7hW2DBaloRLPcNY/s1600-h/Turkey.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 112px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdBqXseCTA18y_2Gh9kmQMFXYAeDoys2VqZzAcVWNc1wp0Jm4QAayLHSdO5Lgl9sNZ91U0iV4oP5UaMF-prAJxx2OCtpEHUzvxliduoN-LCGWpO3SCxjzZQhyphenhyphenuI9st7hW2DBaloRLPcNY/s200/Turkey.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274315397634664802&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyONmMEykBnehJNpCM3F1BPoKk1jay1dn_j_7pv4JN3DnbLB_rlsbIZTpwMw-VJiTuWnhtO3U9wQeiChgtRQAJISJ6j4RGgt8ulm1vAvV_BiHuPx5fhNlgdnjQIsXGBNfr9BxdBzI-W7I/s1600-h/Turkey-Carves.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 112px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyONmMEykBnehJNpCM3F1BPoKk1jay1dn_j_7pv4JN3DnbLB_rlsbIZTpwMw-VJiTuWnhtO3U9wQeiChgtRQAJISJ6j4RGgt8ulm1vAvV_BiHuPx5fhNlgdnjQIsXGBNfr9BxdBzI-W7I/s200/Turkey-Carves.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274315618584216354&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmCMmYQW32KbDDYrjWRwT4yvYSXzbJQ2YfhLkE9OLRYHbyhF-xax3vyPN8VvTIIkSGL2cyTqBp0PCJLsGzT_ZlXBz4Np-AQDVFr5AEszNqVopcoyAKu0cYwsqgbY3cOkQf8yq3PyZcLlA/s1600-h/Dressing.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 112px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmCMmYQW32KbDDYrjWRwT4yvYSXzbJQ2YfhLkE9OLRYHbyhF-xax3vyPN8VvTIIkSGL2cyTqBp0PCJLsGzT_ZlXBz4Np-AQDVFr5AEszNqVopcoyAKu0cYwsqgbY3cOkQf8yq3PyZcLlA/s200/Dressing.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274315378674864322&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Of course, the star of the show is the turkey! A roasting bag helped to ensure this turkey was moist and flavorful. Look at that yummy golden skin! I know, I know, it isn&#39;t good for me...but it sure tastes delicious! Didn&#39;t Dad do a great job of carving and serving the turkey? I thought it looked terrific! And what&#39;s turkey without the dressing? Next to the gravy, the dressing is my favorite. We are traditionalists...you&#39;ll find no fruit or oysters in this dressing. Bread, celery, onion, and turkey stock are the basis of this luscious side.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT0JsfaGSA2zC67fojx0hOXVsDTFuhw3s24RNfktlP50xP4qKIRGiKntsR-RB9R-d59FL0MQLE4GUhyphenhyphencpT30_uX5-mLwDnI1SFlR0dOYSebASaWcjitfP_RvB-cz12oGtMKwaI0xkIUX0/s1600-h/Cherry-Pie.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 112px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT0JsfaGSA2zC67fojx0hOXVsDTFuhw3s24RNfktlP50xP4qKIRGiKntsR-RB9R-d59FL0MQLE4GUhyphenhyphencpT30_uX5-mLwDnI1SFlR0dOYSebASaWcjitfP_RvB-cz12oGtMKwaI0xkIUX0/s200/Cherry-Pie.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274315019478045922&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWxF3AIjbZYFg05BJ7ux9quKy3bDjO0p4HmL7Z9POMB_2T8sVzrDssAvv3ptxFcccLYa6AlaRfWoD1OktjYjaBxDtf_mYDD4snciol105eUIJ9P6oYiYIKmTUKfdcQqUEDaJnapIBLYGQ/s1600-h/Punkin-Pie.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 112px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWxF3AIjbZYFg05BJ7ux9quKy3bDjO0p4HmL7Z9POMB_2T8sVzrDssAvv3ptxFcccLYa6AlaRfWoD1OktjYjaBxDtf_mYDD4snciol105eUIJ9P6oYiYIKmTUKfdcQqUEDaJnapIBLYGQ/s200/Punkin-Pie.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274315014658784578&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;And then, there are the pies. We had a total of 7 pies! I know it sounds like a lot, but believe me, everyone wants pie to take home, so it&#39;s not too much. Pumpkin and apple, traditional choices, were just the tip of the iceberg! Cherry was next on the list, being a favorite of both mine and my brothers. And this year was a special treat because this was the first time my daughter made a pie. She did everything herself, with the sole exception of the crust, which we got at Trader Joe&#39;s (very good, by the way!). She made an apple crumb pie, but added a secret ingredient: fresh pomegranate juice! It added a tart-sweet flavor that was such a great contrast to the crumb topping! It was equally good, hot and cold- I should know! I tried it both ways :)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy7Su8ZtPvcTv52Y_N6t67-OVSELAGhUXT2tTwmcld9Ed8hd3d-U1PfcRMADa78SmQrTigk0T6-R0qBlFUOvLuj8Fxt5sqN1H_Qi_RNGHk9nHVs0Afm3iepd4JTZ126Kf_FzmTnGhe114/s1600-h/Apple-Pom-Pie-2.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 112px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy7Su8ZtPvcTv52Y_N6t67-OVSELAGhUXT2tTwmcld9Ed8hd3d-U1PfcRMADa78SmQrTigk0T6-R0qBlFUOvLuj8Fxt5sqN1H_Qi_RNGHk9nHVs0Afm3iepd4JTZ126Kf_FzmTnGhe114/s200/Apple-Pom-Pie-2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274315012068970594&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijnzx6QGnw7CjGCnHABgzlp5jxPjPwZF_YmuFSGl0fX13zbFHN_FDNieHD0Fq4hNHThoGWaOPwEgDa0RQkvow74qhLoui5hErogaqXtFifuQKvy-fGXDu8JiVMJhLlGVXgSkBJVGOwCxk/s1600-h/Cherry-Pie-Slice.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 112px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijnzx6QGnw7CjGCnHABgzlp5jxPjPwZF_YmuFSGl0fX13zbFHN_FDNieHD0Fq4hNHThoGWaOPwEgDa0RQkvow74qhLoui5hErogaqXtFifuQKvy-fGXDu8JiVMJhLlGVXgSkBJVGOwCxk/s200/Cherry-Pie-Slice.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274315013212372146&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCnU_WUAwwm02EO2wrwXsSmOfstUUTph156IFJbABdSJZS7Uz6I4JbSNsjg4UM8m_c9188zAFkXSb2D8wRAO29ABUVjnwDzeN_Pc_t2A0sjMGpAwll6xmG8f1SheDEdqxuBLag1WxIiaQ/s1600-h/Apple-Pie.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 112px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCnU_WUAwwm02EO2wrwXsSmOfstUUTph156IFJbABdSJZS7Uz6I4JbSNsjg4UM8m_c9188zAFkXSb2D8wRAO29ABUVjnwDzeN_Pc_t2A0sjMGpAwll6xmG8f1SheDEdqxuBLag1WxIiaQ/s200/Apple-Pie.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274315007681967314&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Also served: Coconut Dream Pie, my own invention (which I&#39;ll be posting, both recipe and pics) and fruit salad, plus both fresh and jellied cranberry sauce. It was enough food to feed an army, and the leftovers are terrific! And the best part is, later this week I get another of my favorite comfort foods: Turkey Pot Pie! Don&#39;t worry, there will be pics and recipe forthcoming for that one too!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Here&#39;s hoping you all had an amazing, delicious Thanksgiving and that you had a lot to be thankful for on this special day.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://eating-sandiego.blogspot.com/2008/11/lot-to-be-thankful-for.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (kimbery)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiweead0_jV1wXVO4KUTwImRlBybP_JcshzstT962bT0G5VJTKuJeOpeqB9NiAhJivndsIgHLKd0Lqa-yEG4r6ZgKAiCKlEmcVaLQ7jMciAK3Sjzu5g6JaKocrpsIexSODHyVdXnTqVTA/s72-c/Stock.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3368220217936810824.post-4327794323568140650</guid><pubDate>Mon, 24 Nov 2008 09:42:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-11-24T02:24:29.606-08:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Italian</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">salad</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">stuffed shells</category><title>The Family that Cooks Together....</title><description>&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivDSI3e2hdfO7v2WPkCYr6xpZs76-2EG0peOh4tms5zHDf2UNyV36_r2VC-V3OHlyCoitdQAWBgYiEam7BE1K_laDrsnbxkStDNXCo_rM0ANAYRHbkJWvLMhB-MtxORluOp5hzNhG5Eew/s1600-h/stuffed-shells-2.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 112px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivDSI3e2hdfO7v2WPkCYr6xpZs76-2EG0peOh4tms5zHDf2UNyV36_r2VC-V3OHlyCoitdQAWBgYiEam7BE1K_laDrsnbxkStDNXCo_rM0ANAYRHbkJWvLMhB-MtxORluOp5hzNhG5Eew/s200/stuffed-shells-2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272162739866444402&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEqRJGr7Vx6pIvwQ0c8Xyx8a0Sxat3AopijovWIHjuVcvjXOnwrk0bkyP8M_gkbe0f9wC6m_kBIaoCmCYMqAty21IllW4U3yOKYmg4Xjy6BQmlLELTZHw9XMd1Q32kR6tI0AIlEia-2GM/s1600-h/stuffed-shells.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 112px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEqRJGr7Vx6pIvwQ0c8Xyx8a0Sxat3AopijovWIHjuVcvjXOnwrk0bkyP8M_gkbe0f9wC6m_kBIaoCmCYMqAty21IllW4U3yOKYmg4Xjy6BQmlLELTZHw9XMd1Q32kR6tI0AIlEia-2GM/s200/stuffed-shells.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272162739760514402&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Looks delicious, doesn&#39;t it? Not too long ago, we went to my brother&#39;s house for my niece&#39;s birthday and dinner was one of my all time favorite meals: Stuffed Shells! Luscious ricotta cheese, mozzarella, parmesan, pasta, tomato sauce...what is not to love?!&lt;br /&gt;Stuffed shells are one of those meals that look terrifically complicated when done and give the impression that you spent hours in the kitchen...yet they&#39;re simple to make and so easy to change up to suit whatever mood you happen to be in that day. A basic cheese stuffed shell can be made ahead as well, so when you&#39;re ready to serve them, you just pop them in the oven and bake until all the cheesy goodness gets hot and yummy!&lt;br /&gt;To make a simple ricotta filling, you&#39;ll need:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;1 tub (pint size) ricotta cheese (whole or skim milk)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;1 cup shredded parmesan cheese, divided&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;1 cup asiago cheese, divided&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;1/4 cup dried parsley flakes&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;salt &amp;amp; freshly ground white or black pepper&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;2 eggs&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;pkg dried large pasta shells, cooked al dente and drained&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;6 cups or more meat sauce&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;In a bowl, combine the ricotta cheese with 1 3/4 cups of the mozzarella, 3/4 cup parmesan, 3/4 cup asiago, and the parsley. Add a little salt and some fesh ground pepper. I like white pepper for this, as I do for cream sauces. Stir in the eggs until thoroughly combined. Place the mixture into a piping bag (the kind used for cake decorating) or a quart size zip loc bag, and snip the corner.&lt;br /&gt;In your baking pan (I like to use a glass baking dish for this, sprayed with olive oil spray, but you can use a regular baking pan as well) put about a cup and a half of the meat sauce in the bottom...just enough to create a thin layer that covers the entire bottom of the dish or pan. Holding a shell in your palm, use the piping bag (or baggie) to pipe in the cheese filling. Place into the sauce and repeat until you&#39;ve filled enough to fill the entire baking dish in a single layer. Add more sauce over the top of the shells, being sure to cover the pasta. Combine the remaining cheeses, and sprinkle over the top of the sauce covered shells.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;At this point you can cover with both plastic wrap and foil and freeze, or you can put directly into a 375*f oven for about 35-40 min, or until heated through and the cheese on top is melted and golden. I like to put a little extra sauce on when I am plating, but you don&#39;t have to..I&#39;m just a fan of Italian tomato sauces. Serve with a salad and your favorite bread for an easy meal that&#39;s both fun to make and delicious to eat!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;And if you&#39;re curious, the salad was a simple mixture of greens (lettuce &amp;amp; spinach), heirloom tomatoes, mozzarella, and julienned red and orange bell peppers, dressed simply with a balsamic vinaigrette. Taste and quick, what more could you want? Enjoy!!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://eating-sandiego.blogspot.com/2008/11/family-that-cooks-together.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (kimbery)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivDSI3e2hdfO7v2WPkCYr6xpZs76-2EG0peOh4tms5zHDf2UNyV36_r2VC-V3OHlyCoitdQAWBgYiEam7BE1K_laDrsnbxkStDNXCo_rM0ANAYRHbkJWvLMhB-MtxORluOp5hzNhG5Eew/s72-c/stuffed-shells-2.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3368220217936810824.post-7094346455036739545</guid><pubDate>Sun, 16 Nov 2008 19:27:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-11-16T11:32:42.438-08:00</atom:updated><title>Hello, Again, Hello</title><description>&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBUTjqXrKmrKAKWsWkEgdWFQbzGY0d60yZB1KPl06P-KjCejL8CAdSUoP2in6TwUruonnwXN6AkVcRjlDJFD6wxpCp9C4pJXHEcxs4EwgP-h6KhDxKPy__2j751gJodc4NRcGEdGqXMm0/s1600-h/Coming-up-roses.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 113px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBUTjqXrKmrKAKWsWkEgdWFQbzGY0d60yZB1KPl06P-KjCejL8CAdSUoP2in6TwUruonnwXN6AkVcRjlDJFD6wxpCp9C4pJXHEcxs4EwgP-h6KhDxKPy__2j751gJodc4NRcGEdGqXMm0/s200/Coming-up-roses.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269339685864732882&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Hello, Friends! I am so sorry it&#39;s been so long since I updated..it&#39;s been a busy couple of weeks with lots of back and forth, so I haven&#39;t had a lot of time to myself at all. I am here to tell you, that&#39;s over! I will be posting new reviews soon: Antique Row Cafe, Ciao!, and more. I will also be posting some of my favorite recipes for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday this week. Dry-brined turkey, dressing, cranberry sauce, Aussie pie and more! I am looking forward to sharing again, and I promise not to go so long again without an update!! Well, unless I can&#39;t help it :P&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://eating-sandiego.blogspot.com/2008/11/hello-again-hello.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (kimbery)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBUTjqXrKmrKAKWsWkEgdWFQbzGY0d60yZB1KPl06P-KjCejL8CAdSUoP2in6TwUruonnwXN6AkVcRjlDJFD6wxpCp9C4pJXHEcxs4EwgP-h6KhDxKPy__2j751gJodc4NRcGEdGqXMm0/s72-c/Coming-up-roses.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3368220217936810824.post-150751544297446144</guid><pubDate>Tue, 28 Oct 2008 23:23:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-10-28T17:04:37.699-07:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">candy</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Halloween</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">pics</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">recipes</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">treats</category><title>Eat, Drink, and Be Scary....</title><description>&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size:180%;&quot;&gt;Happy Halloween 2008!!&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXfAcEteQ3aDFj-BLDDWFbBata6_zqOxwHniy4iWl7NuXjXr4OAIJgsf1xfjQaUsusnY1PXjJTcQF2e3CVQYA0nGSuZfjpazO9GHQUK3aekt9tUbuNVV49hVLTJ1COvMn5XAofZGW4gOY/s1600-h/Scarecrow.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 112px; height: 200px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXfAcEteQ3aDFj-BLDDWFbBata6_zqOxwHniy4iWl7NuXjXr4OAIJgsf1xfjQaUsusnY1PXjJTcQF2e3CVQYA0nGSuZfjpazO9GHQUK3aekt9tUbuNVV49hVLTJ1COvMn5XAofZGW4gOY/s200/Scarecrow.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5262349782812069154&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6eCjjRZjVcS5z8jl-PMQCwX0i4a05rbZ1WzAep3ctTJ3HkF291_rbbOlILwF5HnQBxl0_vqrn8LIFr0yafzfyjGK7om0FM3GBp_Aqoh_g9frkqIzKk0LXMMarcHkK6JQin46_9jR75ww/s1600-h/Scary-Lady.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 112px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6eCjjRZjVcS5z8jl-PMQCwX0i4a05rbZ1WzAep3ctTJ3HkF291_rbbOlILwF5HnQBxl0_vqrn8LIFr0yafzfyjGK7om0FM3GBp_Aqoh_g9frkqIzKk0LXMMarcHkK6JQin46_9jR75ww/s200/Scary-Lady.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5262349789664920066&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgB2jS1KP7Ulbgv-jr2NtP9EDexw8vtEt2jDouXTz3ZcZO7gVdw04OFwENjMDg1uE10_yrahjMDaQq0-Xoz9INx1G1a_e8KjsbxG9CAFm8xxy8DH9O7gNBbOBDhcnYFs9EULYvWpxiDvE/s1600-h/Billy-Full.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 112px; height: 200px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgB2jS1KP7Ulbgv-jr2NtP9EDexw8vtEt2jDouXTz3ZcZO7gVdw04OFwENjMDg1uE10_yrahjMDaQq0-Xoz9INx1G1a_e8KjsbxG9CAFm8xxy8DH9O7gNBbOBDhcnYFs9EULYvWpxiDvE/s200/Billy-Full.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5262349775558491026&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Just a few glances around my yard and it is easy to see that Halloween is one holiday that we take seriously around here! There are ghouls and goblins galore, spread throughout a yard that, suiting us perfectly, seems to have been made for Halloween and all that is scary. Cactus flowers set off hideous hanging heads while spike Sago palms reveal their own treasures. One even has a giant spider crawling from it&#39;s depths!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyL0OD-siEHmlf3FilxQVac2q3gwNHmBC2RFjhbkf54keK07N4xT9w_LhZQ7oZO74jTe6PzaAUhbh7ytdCZQil7tDegBPDAUkhMmzxeqAm9x_1jP4s7tXIjuCD-jXAqa2oKM1KP20RoAY/s1600-h/Face-Ripper.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 112px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyL0OD-siEHmlf3FilxQVac2q3gwNHmBC2RFjhbkf54keK07N4xT9w_LhZQ7oZO74jTe6PzaAUhbh7ytdCZQil7tDegBPDAUkhMmzxeqAm9x_1jP4s7tXIjuCD-jXAqa2oKM1KP20RoAY/s200/Face-Ripper.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5262349778784376658&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEVLnHKfxBuudeu6rwQNwgrBv1FGh-xyqkMEpwRPP8_l1tn1_t8v71lfynnZiSjJMyJVsLmDgm69icuU0LpJtbl-luxTQDTjP80K01HZbPLe2Nwy1ZrGN2KDho6WY990s3lCVjp1ZFSe0/s1600-h/Werewolf.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 112px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEVLnHKfxBuudeu6rwQNwgrBv1FGh-xyqkMEpwRPP8_l1tn1_t8v71lfynnZiSjJMyJVsLmDgm69icuU0LpJtbl-luxTQDTjP80K01HZbPLe2Nwy1ZrGN2KDho6WY990s3lCVjp1ZFSe0/s200/Werewolf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5262350086387515650&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;These are a few of my favorite friends, which you can find in their resting places throughout our yard and on the front porch. On Halloween night, the dead come to life and our monsters are freed for an evening of havoc wreaking fun! It is a blast to watch peoples faces as the fog rolls around, hiding one monster only to reveal another even more horrifying than the first.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpW6Kl3Cz4lZlRttuxlFxA4DUfywydsooUzo24eJs8GjqGtd-M1Bnx6_fcLAO4k_dMKoP4wHPoo3xr4LGlX5u4eS7xaUfnmygIl9oMXxQ6pOd-zcmzOgM01rGtTpRLw8uS87_KJbMPF9o/s1600-h/Demon-Right.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 112px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpW6Kl3Cz4lZlRttuxlFxA4DUfywydsooUzo24eJs8GjqGtd-M1Bnx6_fcLAO4k_dMKoP4wHPoo3xr4LGlX5u4eS7xaUfnmygIl9oMXxQ6pOd-zcmzOgM01rGtTpRLw8uS87_KJbMPF9o/s200/Demon-Right.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5262349777906965362&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIdadgU0Ta_sRDF2_qLP8bBp1m-VGsdehlvnrhsYcrX9RbG6fi5vhkGfOb5N8qhnzyN-PvlYUX1JdDhplNtS2t2jdKPUgTPgb80m8sq4V51wiZp5l7FZBi1Q5Zt0PWecit3l-BrAUFJ1E/s1600-h/Vampire.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 112px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIdadgU0Ta_sRDF2_qLP8bBp1m-VGsdehlvnrhsYcrX9RbG6fi5vhkGfOb5N8qhnzyN-PvlYUX1JdDhplNtS2t2jdKPUgTPgb80m8sq4V51wiZp5l7FZBi1Q5Zt0PWecit3l-BrAUFJ1E/s200/Vampire.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5262350079883827234&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Seen in all it&#39;s glory with the lighting and the fog on the scariest night of the year, it is something to behold. Like my brother Rick once said to me, &quot;It&#39;s all in the atmosphere!&quot;&lt;br /&gt;A couple of my favorite Halloween recipes:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: rgb(204, 0, 0);&quot;&gt;Brains on Crackers&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;8 ounces regular cream cheese (not whipped or spread)&lt;br /&gt;8 ounces braunschweiger&lt;br /&gt;3/4 cup chopped green olives (with pimiento)&lt;br /&gt;1/2 cup finely minced green onion&lt;br /&gt;2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Combine all ingredients until thoroughly mixed. For an extra special Halloween treat, scoop 1/2 of the pate into a ziploc or decorators bag and cut off the corner. Mound the remaining pate on a plate in an oblong dome shape, and then pipe the pate in the bag in squiggly lines to resemble a brain. Add 2 whole olives (with pimientos) for eyeballs near the base. Serve with a variety of crackers.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: rgb(204, 0, 0);&quot;&gt;Don&#39;t It Make My Buckeyes Blue:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Ingredients&lt;br /&gt;1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter&lt;br /&gt;1/2 cup butter, softened&lt;br /&gt;1 teaspoon vanilla extract&lt;br /&gt;4 cups sifted confectioners&#39; sugar&lt;br /&gt;6 ounces white chocolate chips&lt;br /&gt;2 tablespoons shortening&lt;br /&gt;chocolate chips&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Directions&lt;br /&gt;Line baking sheet with wax paper. Set aside.&lt;br /&gt;In a medium-sized bowl, mix peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and sugar with hands to&lt;br /&gt;form a smooth stiff dough. Shape into balls using 2 teaspoons of dough for each ball.&lt;br /&gt;Place on prepared pan and refrigerate.&lt;br /&gt;Melt shortening and chocolate in the top pot of a double boiler over simmering (not&lt;br /&gt;boiling) water. When chocolate mixture is smooth, pour into small bowl. Remove balls&lt;br /&gt;from refrigerator. Insert wooden toothpick into each ball and dip into melted chocolate.&lt;br /&gt;(not all the way) Return to wax paper, chocolate side down and remove toothpick, replacing&lt;br /&gt;with a chocolate chip, pointy side down, for the pupil.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If you like, a toothpick dipped in red gel food coloring is great for adding veins!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Refrigerate for 30 minutes or more.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://eating-sandiego.blogspot.com/2008/10/eat-drink-and-be-scary.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (kimbery)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXfAcEteQ3aDFj-BLDDWFbBata6_zqOxwHniy4iWl7NuXjXr4OAIJgsf1xfjQaUsusnY1PXjJTcQF2e3CVQYA0nGSuZfjpazO9GHQUK3aekt9tUbuNVV49hVLTJ1COvMn5XAofZGW4gOY/s72-c/Scarecrow.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>3</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3368220217936810824.post-4556976942052926143</guid><pubDate>Sun, 26 Oct 2008 00:20:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-10-25T17:36:32.865-07:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">chicken</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">chow mein</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">pork</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">snap peas</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">stir fry</category><title>20 minutes to Tasty</title><description>&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Kimberly&#39;s House Special Stir-Fry&lt;br /&gt;One of my favorite meals is stir-fry. Fast, easy, and delicious...that&#39;s the trifecta, right? With so many variations, it never gets boring, and by playing mix &amp;amp; match with the ingredients you can get a new dish almost every time you make it! Mom &amp;amp; I came up with the idea for making this Wednesday when my brother and his kids were joining us for dinner, rounding out the total number of people to 10...another reason stir-fry is such a great meal: add some rice and you can feed plenty of people for a reasonable cost.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOtWna-6LSeqMPxd0d4x5De73Zziia49hwhWAE1xKAyWs1N_8w2pC8Q176Oz2FPvegdT59zP0sGVU7_V3IS3bfkyXJ33wfC_D3UwHh9SfdTqNNEboRpHLk3SLdQnUvppxmyLtgB1IUSjs/s1600-h/Stir-Fry-Veggies.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 112px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOtWna-6LSeqMPxd0d4x5De73Zziia49hwhWAE1xKAyWs1N_8w2pC8Q176Oz2FPvegdT59zP0sGVU7_V3IS3bfkyXJ33wfC_D3UwHh9SfdTqNNEboRpHLk3SLdQnUvppxmyLtgB1IUSjs/s200/Stir-Fry-Veggies.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5261251166379627698&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI2mLIMZyhPsLSRoghhDL_MVso15J9DERSEJivn79DujwbGYIbPZO4rVlB6SQfo2DEksaNSxcJLKzyhz8an4_C_KZVXdl42WG04pXnBVbA1wlDis-XARbNqgm20AhrhmKc1BZCdWCQeWI/s1600-h/Stir-Fry-Brown-Sauce.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 112px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI2mLIMZyhPsLSRoghhDL_MVso15J9DERSEJivn79DujwbGYIbPZO4rVlB6SQfo2DEksaNSxcJLKzyhz8an4_C_KZVXdl42WG04pXnBVbA1wlDis-XARbNqgm20AhrhmKc1BZCdWCQeWI/s200/Stir-Fry-Brown-Sauce.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5261251227060730594&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I like to use whatever veggies sound good on any given day :) No hard and fast rules here! This time we used snap peas, water chestnuts, and broccoli &quot;slaw&quot;, which is really just shredded broccoli and carrots. I would have preferred more water chestnuts, but that is just because they are my favorite stir-fry veggie! So crisp! Next was the sauce. Now, there will already be plenty of flavor because the meat is marinated for a time in equal parts hoisin sauce, oyster sauce, and soy sauce....but I love a good sauce, as I&#39;ve said before, so I made a quick Chinese style brown sauce to go with the stir-fry and rice (and chow mein noodles, gotta have those!!). The sauce is easy:&lt;br /&gt;6 tbsp light brown sugar&lt;br /&gt;6 tbsp soy sauce&lt;br /&gt;5 tbsp corn starch&lt;br /&gt;3 cups water or chicken broth&lt;br /&gt;That&#39;s it! Just combine in a sauce pan, and bring to a boil, whisking occasionally so the cornstarch doesn&#39;t clump and form a lumpy sauce. Boil 1 minute, then remove from heat. This is spooned over the stir-fry or the rice, or both. I prefer to have the stir-fry atop the rice, then a bit of sauce atop that. Oh, and then sprinkle on the chow mein noodles. Liberally, please :)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic6g0Wnc3BLqxiAbgl7ucDJTBCi4nxkoqzPA0I4vWYqTQFQJ1fL6s0EAjFQym2mT1iZ_Qkfjuq9mXoJBV8fX2kzcURKfVx5-oA25uuEB_ZLXQE1aeNfOIk9I0oso3o_LrJx6FLHdnxQjA/s1600-h/Stir-Fry-Chicken.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 112px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic6g0Wnc3BLqxiAbgl7ucDJTBCi4nxkoqzPA0I4vWYqTQFQJ1fL6s0EAjFQym2mT1iZ_Qkfjuq9mXoJBV8fX2kzcURKfVx5-oA25uuEB_ZLXQE1aeNfOIk9I0oso3o_LrJx6FLHdnxQjA/s200/Stir-Fry-Chicken.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5261251168493684018&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Rk43s0fiNKnf8fmA2DpPYOKHCoZTywZKhs9tboAJIvH8qx5YyLuQQiCRSg_W8JZjBDdFeRukWZ2SK-IPy72ydjW20q4JRGQZ-ay4SVHX4MOS2K2_xioXVlBpX4K_vISanbgH9pnHVmg/s1600-h/Stir-Fry-Pork.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 112px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Rk43s0fiNKnf8fmA2DpPYOKHCoZTywZKhs9tboAJIvH8qx5YyLuQQiCRSg_W8JZjBDdFeRukWZ2SK-IPy72ydjW20q4JRGQZ-ay4SVHX4MOS2K2_xioXVlBpX4K_vISanbgH9pnHVmg/s200/Stir-Fry-Pork.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5261251161014031010&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Ok, as I mentioned the meat was marinated with the trio of sauces. You don&#39;t have to do this for long, just 20 min. or so will be plenty. You can use just about any meat you like...this night we used both chicken (boneless, skinless breasts) and pork (loin chops). Stir fry quickly, in batches so you don&#39;t overcrowd the pan. When all the meat is done, stir fry the vegetables, adding a bit of soy sauce and a bit of sesame oil. This adds a lot of flavor very simply. Once tender-crisp, toss with the meats. Here is how it looked when finished:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifYBKHbfL8ExwcnfkL1sKoLCaaqjM-cXGmt2Xa5r5MH_AqVn67aP2UGFutPs0I-YRxpwSBewGjRvbYU2i3WWuEbIzgeW1yqDsf9LjGEnq9zrOJXGXjWKz3cUb7NI-lgK3eLpK_ecomUS8/s1600-h/Stir-Fry-Done-2.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 112px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifYBKHbfL8ExwcnfkL1sKoLCaaqjM-cXGmt2Xa5r5MH_AqVn67aP2UGFutPs0I-YRxpwSBewGjRvbYU2i3WWuEbIzgeW1yqDsf9LjGEnq9zrOJXGXjWKz3cUb7NI-lgK3eLpK_ecomUS8/s200/Stir-Fry-Done-2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5261251160688792018&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpMP1A4WnhNx_KUgqQC-k2wvYo2h7S0jCkVR3XCVz3TaKmeH0j96bEKexyNdVEl_d-SddpeB5ggHg0UYM30sdq5U8gkLoUH9jaaPA9CYLfVf7YIM07862uK6G3LCsO6Jw9LaNcZTCy_8s/s1600-h/Stir-Fry-Done.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 112px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpMP1A4WnhNx_KUgqQC-k2wvYo2h7S0jCkVR3XCVz3TaKmeH0j96bEKexyNdVEl_d-SddpeB5ggHg0UYM30sdq5U8gkLoUH9jaaPA9CYLfVf7YIM07862uK6G3LCsO6Jw9LaNcZTCy_8s/s200/Stir-Fry-Done.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5261251163740600018&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;And there you have it! Easy, fast, and delicious! I didn&#39;t take pics of the rice and chow mein noodles, because I&#39;m sure you&#39;ve seen them before :) You can also serve this with Yakisoba (stir fried soba noodles), in place of the rice or along with the rice, your choice. Enjoy!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://eating-sandiego.blogspot.com/2008/10/20-minutes-to-tasty.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (kimbery)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOtWna-6LSeqMPxd0d4x5De73Zziia49hwhWAE1xKAyWs1N_8w2pC8Q176Oz2FPvegdT59zP0sGVU7_V3IS3bfkyXJ33wfC_D3UwHh9SfdTqNNEboRpHLk3SLdQnUvppxmyLtgB1IUSjs/s72-c/Stir-Fry-Veggies.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3368220217936810824.post-3406121501803660554</guid><pubDate>Thu, 23 Oct 2008 06:26:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-10-22T23:35:05.972-07:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">apples</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">birthday</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">farmer&#39;s market</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">green beans</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">pie</category><title>Happy Birthday to Mom, part deux</title><description>&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Mom&#39;s Birthday Dinner&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyMSn8_XPvx7susBoTQxXWwONRwqUFLLXbBBBligkzZoKpNHh8XT5sQlTQ6cDAYpDfQZ1OM4VkZDh9UiqmVSC_LX82Eb184EZRjDQ7gnDC-XCaaQZGKapBINT9P6CVuXoWLPtWREVJYyI/s1600-h/Moms-Bday-Tomato.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 112px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyMSn8_XPvx7susBoTQxXWwONRwqUFLLXbBBBligkzZoKpNHh8XT5sQlTQ6cDAYpDfQZ1OM4VkZDh9UiqmVSC_LX82Eb184EZRjDQ7gnDC-XCaaQZGKapBINT9P6CVuXoWLPtWREVJYyI/s200/Moms-Bday-Tomato.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5260232079606598082&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0Pdh7AZzNQqgMbDcQlbnxEgYWbgCYkR6iyNGuAYl1q9dbVCVKjSNOqm99oP8kltyWzN9GMLqbuPP9oB4-wA6-ae8aldiXXxi8FNqJnk69CIb1hqxZnO2jH6ECchnVtQaqd_z_xE4h_JM/s1600-h/Moms-Bday-Green-Beans.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 112px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0Pdh7AZzNQqgMbDcQlbnxEgYWbgCYkR6iyNGuAYl1q9dbVCVKjSNOqm99oP8kltyWzN9GMLqbuPP9oB4-wA6-ae8aldiXXxi8FNqJnk69CIb1hqxZnO2jH6ECchnVtQaqd_z_xE4h_JM/s200/Moms-Bday-Green-Beans.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5260232072091360258&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Being raised on a farm in the midwest, it isn&#39;t not surprising that my mom would choose a simple, but tasty pork chop dinner for her birthday! Fresh sliced tomatoes &amp;amp; fresh green beans from the farmer&#39;s market. Baked Yukon Gold potatoes. And of course, grilled pork chops!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8FG-o5PRkl_eEncE6ifSfi3fNxBGAaS31t10gtMAs-z2lBM1g9opjbz-66JCbgcMvzxOqM2kma7nOeMJD2TSdcm7pAKm_APhvdAIAvJLk754gmdkj5wU1BETBNToD4Qqe6R4WYAIwcDQ/s1600-h/Moms-Bday-Taters.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 112px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8FG-o5PRkl_eEncE6ifSfi3fNxBGAaS31t10gtMAs-z2lBM1g9opjbz-66JCbgcMvzxOqM2kma7nOeMJD2TSdcm7pAKm_APhvdAIAvJLk754gmdkj5wU1BETBNToD4Qqe6R4WYAIwcDQ/s200/Moms-Bday-Taters.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5260232070615381666&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1GRzBQdjyXoLddLgrI8mFZLs_LncnKcAVXtordrZOThUVt2QcVAO0rD7tkzDShzszay_trsEx5a_GzXgROLVqjHRfQY2SvW3rQCetDILmyYSJxLB8hXU49pWm6Td0cjvPgEqpP6Ho2Wc/s1600-h/Moms-Bday-Pork-Chops.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 112px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1GRzBQdjyXoLddLgrI8mFZLs_LncnKcAVXtordrZOThUVt2QcVAO0rD7tkzDShzszay_trsEx5a_GzXgROLVqjHRfQY2SvW3rQCetDILmyYSJxLB8hXU49pWm6Td0cjvPgEqpP6Ho2Wc/s200/Moms-Bday-Pork-Chops.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5260232071355669986&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Everything was prepared pretty simply, which was the beauty of the meal. I rubbed a little toasted onion avocado oil on the pork chops, then dusted them with salt and Worcestershire black pepper from McCormick. Color me a convert, I LOVE that stuff on pork and beef! If you haven&#39;t tried it, it&#39;s only a few bucks a can, and has really nice flavor.&lt;br /&gt;The beans were steamed, then Smart Balance, salt &amp;amp; pepper were added. The potatoes were baked and finished on the grill so the skin was nice and crisp and tasty! I love potatoes with a little butter (or Smart Balance, as the case may be when visiting my folks!), a little salt, lots of fresh ground pepper, and the secret ingredient: paprika! Yummmm!&lt;br /&gt;And for dessert:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsZ0DUQYBwADOFCeM07_lLIt31293QzaOwgO4wcwLlahVBthzl6V_7mguLQ2aULTElKqyuq46Uvu8QQz6WRzo2u5vyK0K0rwEc0bd_-6Y87QP8co5Ctjez1npoJZFcRy1PT4h2Fy8CkJI/s1600-h/Moms-Bday-Pie2.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 112px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsZ0DUQYBwADOFCeM07_lLIt31293QzaOwgO4wcwLlahVBthzl6V_7mguLQ2aULTElKqyuq46Uvu8QQz6WRzo2u5vyK0K0rwEc0bd_-6Y87QP8co5Ctjez1npoJZFcRy1PT4h2Fy8CkJI/s200/Moms-Bday-Pie2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5260232071098604594&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;PIE! I only got a picture of the apple, but we had apple, pumpkin, and key lime!&lt;br /&gt;Ok so, I promised I&#39;d post the rest of the food stuff from that day and here it is. Enjoy :)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://eating-sandiego.blogspot.com/2008/10/happy-birthday-to-mom-part-deux.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (kimbery)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyMSn8_XPvx7susBoTQxXWwONRwqUFLLXbBBBligkzZoKpNHh8XT5sQlTQ6cDAYpDfQZ1OM4VkZDh9UiqmVSC_LX82Eb184EZRjDQ7gnDC-XCaaQZGKapBINT9P6CVuXoWLPtWREVJYyI/s72-c/Moms-Bday-Tomato.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>1</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3368220217936810824.post-7858471206694815934</guid><pubDate>Tue, 21 Oct 2008 03:43:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-10-20T20:45:00.584-07:00</atom:updated><title>Remember When....?</title><description>I know this has nothing to do with food, but I have been talking with my daughter about all of the things that are different these days, and thought I&#39;d share....&lt;br /&gt;Remember when:&lt;br /&gt;nobody was prettier than mom&lt;br /&gt;popsicles came with two sticks so you could share&lt;br /&gt;playing kickball/dodgeball in the street until the streetlights came on&lt;br /&gt;jumprope and hide &amp;amp; seek and red light, green light&lt;br /&gt;your mom or dad on the porch yelling/whistling for you to come inside&lt;br /&gt;endless summer days and hot summer nights with the windows open&lt;br /&gt;saturday mornings with fat albert and schoolhouse rock&lt;br /&gt;spiderman and batman underoos&lt;br /&gt;first day of school, with brand new shoes&lt;br /&gt;swinging on the playground swings..you knew if you did it long and hard enough you could go all the way over&lt;br /&gt;a 13 inch tv in room with no remote meant you were rich&lt;br /&gt;laughing so hard your stomach hurt&lt;br /&gt;being tired from just goofing around&lt;br /&gt;work meant doing dishes to get an allowance&lt;br /&gt;Koolaid was the drink of the summer...so was a swig from the hose, and we didn&#39;t even die&lt;br /&gt;field trips to the museum with soggy sandwiches for lunch&lt;br /&gt;almost everybody&#39;s mom was at home when the kids got home from school&lt;br /&gt;any parent could discipline any kid or feed them or ask them to carry groceries, and no one, not even the kid, thought anything of it.&lt;br /&gt;being sent to the principals office was nothing compared to the fate that waited for you when you got home&lt;br /&gt;we weren&#39;t in fear of drugs or gangs...our parents were a much bigger threat&lt;br /&gt;getting a foot of snow was a dream come true&lt;br /&gt;worst embarrassment being picked last for a team&lt;br /&gt;water balloons were the ultimate weapon&lt;br /&gt;brothers &amp;amp; sisters were your worst tormentors, but also your fiercest protectors&lt;br /&gt;it wasn&#39;t odd to have 2 or 3 best friends&lt;br /&gt;race problems meant arguing about who ran the fastest&lt;br /&gt;mistakes were corrected by simply shouting do over!&lt;br /&gt;big decisions were made by saying eenie meenie minie moe&lt;br /&gt;and the worst thing you caught from the opposite sex was cooties&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;sports figures were actually someone to look up to&lt;br /&gt;you didn&#39;t worry when a kid said he had some coke...it was only cola&lt;br /&gt;teachers used rulers and no one sassed back&lt;br /&gt;the man at the bank knew your name, and always gave you a penny for the gumball machine&lt;br /&gt;all the fun that could be had on a warm summer evening just by catching lightning bugs in a jar?&lt;br /&gt;step on a crack, break your mother&#39;s back (I still don&#39;t step on cracks!!)&lt;br /&gt;the curly cord that attached the phone to the wall&lt;br /&gt;making ice cream from snow&lt;br /&gt;you knew all your neighbors, and they all knew you&lt;br /&gt;when you got gas, not only did they pump the gas, but they also &quot;served&quot; you, by washing the windshield, checking the oil, and your tires&lt;br /&gt;you could watch anything you wanted on t.v. ...as long as that was what your father was watching.&lt;br /&gt;a single tennis ball meant weeks of fun playing stoopball, stickball, handball and off the wall&lt;br /&gt;badminton&lt;br /&gt;running through the sprinklers...which didn&#39;t pop up out of the ground, but were set out on the lawn and swished back and forth in a big arc&lt;br /&gt;building snow forts and igloos for the ultimate snowball fight&lt;br /&gt;Campbell&#39;s tomato soup was 9 cents a can and didn&#39;t contain high fructose corn syrup&lt;br /&gt;It was ok to call the Christmas parade by it&#39;s name, and not December Nights or Holiday Parade&lt;br /&gt;cooking from scratch&lt;br /&gt;shaking hands was as good as a 20 page contract&lt;br /&gt;waking up in the morning and heading out the door...and not returning until dinner time, not because of work, but because of fun&lt;br /&gt;shag carpet, bean bag chairs, 45&#39;s on the record player&lt;br /&gt;hoola hoops, pogo sticks, and jump ropes&lt;br /&gt;kindergarten was fingerpainting, snacks, naptime and storytelling&lt;br /&gt;no matter what, everyone was home for dinner, and we ate it together at the table&lt;br /&gt;and we behaved for fear that whatever we were thinking of doing would end up on our &quot;Permanent Record&quot;!</description><link>http://eating-sandiego.blogspot.com/2008/10/remember-when.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (kimbery)</author><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3368220217936810824.post-6070901731908117994</guid><pubDate>Mon, 20 Oct 2008 21:53:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-10-20T16:23:47.855-07:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">birthday</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">eggs</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">family</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">french toast</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">fun</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">melon</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">mom</category><title>Happy Birthday to my Mom!!</title><description>&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size:130%;&quot;&gt;Happy Birthday to Mom!!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size:100%;&quot;&gt;Today is my wonderful, beautiful Mom&#39;s birthday...but since it is also a work day for most of us, we decided to celebrate yesterday, Sunday. My brother Jim, his wife Carrie and their children (Ashley, Emily, Ian &amp;amp; Hunter), as well as my brother Rick and his wife, Van were all there along with myself, Mom, Dad, brother Brian and his gal Deniece. Breakfast was the first plan of the day, so Jim &amp;amp; Carrie set to work on the stuffed French toast, bacon, sausage, eggs, and juice.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Now, let me just say, my brother and his wife share my love of cooking, so it was sure to be a delicious meal with all of us there, the progeny of such a wonderful cook herself, Mom!  &lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix01hfzK56C3pHzAX3h71eTjLigapABoNYVLNo9Z7KA7ZK4xSCeX28CKew2sChWqZyQ2xe8q0gcAIQw0nZZrX2-AxdfzvMQzXn2wVWusq906KmR6qvbTmx2wNgiM6OydkC3tforfH0rEw/s1600-h/Moms-Bday-Batter.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix01hfzK56C3pHzAX3h71eTjLigapABoNYVLNo9Z7KA7ZK4xSCeX28CKew2sChWqZyQ2xe8q0gcAIQw0nZZrX2-AxdfzvMQzXn2wVWusq906KmR6qvbTmx2wNgiM6OydkC3tforfH0rEw/s200/Moms-Bday-Batter.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259357887803399922&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhncn0HwzvB_QrOp0-HgGKferNfFxl73atCHo70fTPRv0WmMAuHlkoRvmIxbN9_f17obiANcZuuBo06mIij69s3bAw4KY8qAocxTszqH6yuHblx9boPhYwjOU49VOg9jZeeT-2ZHDVSV8s/s1600-h/Moms-Bday-Filling.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 113px;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhncn0HwzvB_QrOp0-HgGKferNfFxl73atCHo70fTPRv0WmMAuHlkoRvmIxbN9_f17obiANcZuuBo06mIij69s3bAw4KY8qAocxTszqH6yuHblx9boPhYwjOU49VOg9jZeeT-2ZHDVSV8s/s200/Moms-Bday-Filling.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259357897605406114&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Carrie made the egg batter for dipping the French toast using a dozen eggs, some condensed milk, vanilla, orange zest, and a tiny bit of sugar. The filling was Ricotta, cream cheese, sour cream, and a little vanilla sugar, divided then combined with peaches on one bowl, apples in another. The only left to prep was the bread itself, 2 loaves of French bread.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpNKvoZLdUU0pNEMosdYEsMgRpri4soCwIlEEimTywWM8UoAkIlCblorLP3Yz6ZDiZZmUser7NKS3m_uPor6RbSOoKLWeNoYM1PtjZCDrzPl4LZgL0PY9w7MhJKQ9pytUmBz2bfxkN_Oo/s1600-h/Moms-Bday-French-Toast.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpNKvoZLdUU0pNEMosdYEsMgRpri4soCwIlEEimTywWM8UoAkIlCblorLP3Yz6ZDiZZmUser7NKS3m_uPor6RbSOoKLWeNoYM1PtjZCDrzPl4LZgL0PY9w7MhJKQ9pytUmBz2bfxkN_Oo/s200/Moms-Bday-French-Toast.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259357901294269170&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Sa6dbItwbxquIF1u-TAwZV6l-k6COMU1O6u8yCnlF5yadbsRX2Zr3H0mW00wvZ8WHibZD03BQssLTT4aVQ-GaB_833rYlqO05aZ5dVL2PdiX5bZ31N4pamRVxcZnmVQKaenxfsUFsoI/s1600-h/Moms-Bday-Melon.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Sa6dbItwbxquIF1u-TAwZV6l-k6COMU1O6u8yCnlF5yadbsRX2Zr3H0mW00wvZ8WHibZD03BQssLTT4aVQ-GaB_833rYlqO05aZ5dVL2PdiX5bZ31N4pamRVxcZnmVQKaenxfsUFsoI/s200/Moms-Bday-Melon.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259357908245818466&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;As you can see, it turned out beautifully. There was both stuffed and unstuffed, along with the breakfast meats, eggs, etc...and of course, we had to get some fresh fruit in there too! Cantaloupe and Honeydew melons, served sliced as you see above. The scent of the cantaloupe filled the air, combining with the sweet scent of the French toast, whetting everyone&#39;s appetite.&lt;br /&gt;Later in the week I will get the recipe with measurements for the fillings, and post them. Also, I&#39;ll psot about the dinner we made after us gals returned from shopping! Happy Birthday MOM!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://eating-sandiego.blogspot.com/2008/10/happy-birthday-to-mom-today-is-my.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (kimbery)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix01hfzK56C3pHzAX3h71eTjLigapABoNYVLNo9Z7KA7ZK4xSCeX28CKew2sChWqZyQ2xe8q0gcAIQw0nZZrX2-AxdfzvMQzXn2wVWusq906KmR6qvbTmx2wNgiM6OydkC3tforfH0rEw/s72-c/Moms-Bday-Batter.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>1</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3368220217936810824.post-5815813885918596485</guid><pubDate>Sat, 18 Oct 2008 00:59:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-10-17T18:15:45.358-07:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">breadsticks</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Greek</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Italian</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">pasta</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Pat and Oscars</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">pizza</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">salad</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">san diego</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">spaghetti</category><title>Pat &amp; Oscars....revisited</title><description>&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size:130%;&quot;&gt;The Festa Italiana, Pat &amp;amp; Oscar&#39;s Style...&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Anyone who&#39;s been to Pat &amp;amp; Oscars will know how it works. You can get a combo meal for 2, 4, or more people, and it will include some combination of ribs, chicken, pizza, pasta, and salad. For a limited time, however, Pat &amp;amp; Oscars has been offering something they call the Festa Italiana, which is what we decided to try on our recent visit. There are several San Diego locations, we chose the once closest to us, in Mission Valley, just north of Mission Valley Center mall.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju7cd40d59zoVp6DIrF_fvdymMZpUqPbv0WRWAaWDIKNDE-_o-CRABLz2Dxo4yW8bOGcGL_O4ll5YEE0rjIQ-jw7r1-i6KMFUemn3TYZukv2PElToKGgmxhEWlM5qiDcHV9rc_CGWFDgw/s1600-h/Oscars-breadsticks.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju7cd40d59zoVp6DIrF_fvdymMZpUqPbv0WRWAaWDIKNDE-_o-CRABLz2Dxo4yW8bOGcGL_O4ll5YEE0rjIQ-jw7r1-i6KMFUemn3TYZukv2PElToKGgmxhEWlM5qiDcHV9rc_CGWFDgw/s200/Oscars-breadsticks.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5258292533117463090&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2JhSHHlXy3QFExVwRe83JWzxztA92K2cQxsLFx-KCZSBQ1Dqdh_OcgaBZOd4b8BOXk9vci8k24EzhDfI6AgYarV80ctZQT1xMmz44VuUWUSYz1n37a6591ii2Kuz3mzNWzxVd0SPachU/s1600-h/Oscars-Greek-salad.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2JhSHHlXy3QFExVwRe83JWzxztA92K2cQxsLFx-KCZSBQ1Dqdh_OcgaBZOd4b8BOXk9vci8k24EzhDfI6AgYarV80ctZQT1xMmz44VuUWUSYz1n37a6591ii2Kuz3mzNWzxVd0SPachU/s200/Oscars-Greek-salad.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5258292534714099826&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Like almost all of the meals at Pat &amp;amp; Oscars, we started with breadsticks and salad. You can choose a Cesar salad or a Greek salad. As you can see in the photo, we chose the Greek because my husband and daughter both are feta fiends! The breadsticks are almost always served hot and fresh and tasty with their little sprinkling of garlic salt on the top. The salad, though a little ice cold for my tastes this time around, is tasty, with pepperoncinis, kalamata olives, tomato, red onions and feta cheese...and of course, romaine lettuce!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwCDSSil8X_3axgWE9u9apysnwk0ICPMmjZPpNlOo7j0Vbzff7dxIHb0t43M4yXOBBVoQThK4ofQ8iE_wpVcgKO9mk-x0m1IoiSbxaWdjXHelgfeZVlio0VO3VwE-wvqCAHNMKDsJPUi4/s1600-h/Oscars-meatball-pizza2.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwCDSSil8X_3axgWE9u9apysnwk0ICPMmjZPpNlOo7j0Vbzff7dxIHb0t43M4yXOBBVoQThK4ofQ8iE_wpVcgKO9mk-x0m1IoiSbxaWdjXHelgfeZVlio0VO3VwE-wvqCAHNMKDsJPUi4/s200/Oscars-meatball-pizza2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5258292531136680178&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGsumJGxXxE8k2DCJVCPip6-kszSmkikWhde3Wtla9_NnvFR92en9wVoVnpTogtncYcwnqO1qdd3ZvIq_1pOHhZyn7FtLrEooC1qq4pSdYDubimwJm7cieFcUIoKFUvyz2LwymRvk8hH0/s1600-h/Oscars-spaghetti-meatballs.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGsumJGxXxE8k2DCJVCPip6-kszSmkikWhde3Wtla9_NnvFR92en9wVoVnpTogtncYcwnqO1qdd3ZvIq_1pOHhZyn7FtLrEooC1qq4pSdYDubimwJm7cieFcUIoKFUvyz2LwymRvk8hH0/s200/Oscars-spaghetti-meatballs.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5258292527174191602&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO5Q0pfIr9qqLVXO-i6yPokrzqkawPehHOkLD85yDhSWCAwBwXLmfCHfB51J8ibAhtsMKQWIXjswWuBMG7L9gMxIqoBWkEl76s3UYd1f33o98YGj8SMfHXY4BFLyGEaNtM39_-9mIBaeo/s1600-h/Oscars-meatball-pizza.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;cursor: pointer;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO5Q0pfIr9qqLVXO-i6yPokrzqkawPehHOkLD85yDhSWCAwBwXLmfCHfB51J8ibAhtsMKQWIXjswWuBMG7L9gMxIqoBWkEl76s3UYd1f33o98YGj8SMfHXY4BFLyGEaNtM39_-9mIBaeo/s200/Oscars-meatball-pizza.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5258292529718606434&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;After the breadsticks and salad, the rest of the combo meal comes out. Meatball pizza, and spaghetti &amp;amp; meatballs. Now usually my daughter begs for the tomato-fredo penne, but even she enjoyed the meatballs served in the spaghetti and on the pizza. You can choose the pasta shape and sauce at no extra charge, so if you&#39;re not into spaghetti, you can order the penne instead with the marinara, meat sauce, or tomato-fredo...with or without the meatballs. We stuck with the original combo, and enjoyed it. The pizza featured sliced meatballs, sliced roma tomatoes and fresh basil. The first one came out (on the left) and wasn&#39;t quite cooked all the way, but that was quickly remedied and a fresh pizza made and brought to the table. Rich with gooey mozzerella cheese, and full of bright, fresh flavors, it was worth the extra wait, though we&#39;d have preferred to have it done right the first time! All in all, it was a good meal, and there was plenty of leftovers to take home for the eldest manchild to take to work for lunches for a couple days.&lt;br /&gt;Mangia!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://eating-sandiego.blogspot.com/2008/10/pat-oscarsrevisited.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (kimbery)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju7cd40d59zoVp6DIrF_fvdymMZpUqPbv0WRWAaWDIKNDE-_o-CRABLz2Dxo4yW8bOGcGL_O4ll5YEE0rjIQ-jw7r1-i6KMFUemn3TYZukv2PElToKGgmxhEWlM5qiDcHV9rc_CGWFDgw/s72-c/Oscars-breadsticks.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3368220217936810824.post-3334921787253837891</guid><pubDate>Wed, 15 Oct 2008 07:20:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-10-15T00:35:44.235-07:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">ground beef</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">hamburger</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">midwest</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Minnesota</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">mock chow mein</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">rice</category><title>Childhood in a bowl...</title><description>&lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuU9QF0a83Q2ay-VOLE5nmXWVcIWVmNl7N0r2V75axKrIpexf28gRZAabz5_yLd_dkk1CLKHtG_CXOekPHhVeTOR-jbivgfYLlRktaxZN34TLceeRatcjvC-Gu9TFxG5-IKxr5w-uT0CU/s1600-h/mock-chow-mein.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5257277598341405570&quot; style=&quot;CURSOR: hand&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuU9QF0a83Q2ay-VOLE5nmXWVcIWVmNl7N0r2V75axKrIpexf28gRZAabz5_yLd_dkk1CLKHtG_CXOekPHhVeTOR-jbivgfYLlRktaxZN34TLceeRatcjvC-Gu9TFxG5-IKxr5w-uT0CU/s200/mock-chow-mein.jpg&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_X-j8Qog_Z39AhyphenhyphenU9TY98D15DwPr8wrce5O3hf9imO2wEbARuenwL0RD4LGIb3vzEseV2RxGS_tSe38A7zmyf1KTzwn519BhpNcNYSG7uhJ7alTePwypiu1lHpZubneZXoQJRtxQGXh0/s1600-h/mock-chow-mein2.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5257277606080573906&quot; style=&quot;CURSOR: hand&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_X-j8Qog_Z39AhyphenhyphenU9TY98D15DwPr8wrce5O3hf9imO2wEbARuenwL0RD4LGIb3vzEseV2RxGS_tSe38A7zmyf1KTzwn519BhpNcNYSG7uhJ7alTePwypiu1lHpZubneZXoQJRtxQGXh0/s200/mock-chow-mein2.jpg&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;This is the most inaccurately named dish I can remember eating as a child, but it is a childhood comfort food that I and my siblings all love to this day. My friends, I give you, Mock Chow Mein.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;Now, about the only resemblence this dish has to chow mein on any level at all is the rice. But, that&#39;s okay with me, I don&#39;t care what you call it as long as it&#39;s made right! &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;Mock Chow Mein is a Minnesota hotdish, brought to many a church supper, get-together, pot luck and winterfest. It is classic in it&#39;s ingredients: ground beef, canned soups, and of course, rice. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;To start with you need bell peppers. Since I am not a fan (and that is putting it *very* mildly) of green bell peppers, I choose to use red &amp;amp; yellow...and sometimes orange. These brighter colors look splendid in the dish, and don&#39;t have the tendency, as green bells do, to overpower every other flavor in the pot. Dice up the peppers. 2 will do. Dice up an onion, and a bunch of celery too. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;Brown up your ground beef, a couple pounds should be enough. Add the veggies, and saute until they&#39;re tender. Now you have a choice. You can either move this to an electric roaster or a roasting pan. If using a roasting pan, you&#39;ll be using your oven. Either way you&#39;ll want it to be 350*f. Combine the beef &amp;amp; veggies with a couple cups of rice, and the following canned soups: 2 cans cream of mushroom, 2 cans chicken gumbo and 1 can cream of celery. Of course, if you&#39;re not feeding half of the Midwest states, you&#39;ll probably want to cut all of my measurements by half. Add about 3/4 can water for each can of soup, and stir. Cover and let it do it&#39;s thing for about an hour and a half, stirring occasionally, until the rice is cooked and most of the liquid is absorbed. Don&#39;t over-cook, or it will be nothing but mush, so start checking the rice at about 1 hour. There you have it. All the comforts of childhood, cheap and easy and tasty to boot!&lt;/div&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;left&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_X-j8Qog_Z39AhyphenhyphenU9TY98D15DwPr8wrce5O3hf9imO2wEbARuenwL0RD4LGIb3vzEseV2RxGS_tSe38A7zmyf1KTzwn519BhpNcNYSG7uhJ7alTePwypiu1lHpZubneZXoQJRtxQGXh0/s1600-h/mock-chow-mein2.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijsJQUqlexDpYSxOmSwOQduuwKV_H7p6Kr6pBFTvK-JxD5EMt8F5b027cDDDMiJHsLmefb3SmQrUK2YukxHX1sVY9LjWQwROMztg6EQ7-xbsZU1H92QPzcbT1JpRggliNDb2_HW16d2_k/s1600-h/mock-chow-mein.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;</description><link>http://eating-sandiego.blogspot.com/2008/10/childhood-in-bowl.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (kimbery)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuU9QF0a83Q2ay-VOLE5nmXWVcIWVmNl7N0r2V75axKrIpexf28gRZAabz5_yLd_dkk1CLKHtG_CXOekPHhVeTOR-jbivgfYLlRktaxZN34TLceeRatcjvC-Gu9TFxG5-IKxr5w-uT0CU/s72-c/mock-chow-mein.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3368220217936810824.post-4787931219461596983</guid><pubDate>Tue, 14 Oct 2008 05:53:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-10-14T00:33:27.839-07:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">carne asada</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Chargers</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">guacamole</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Mexican</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Old Town</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">quesadilla</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">salsa</category><title>Remember the Alamo...?</title><description>&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUQYbnt0NLBAAUB4ajnmw6VBycEPO89mIOq_m01ec5yS1PPizFdoJy-zDKZ9hHIOveSMSlxwV9Qm4eHFLM730xPkmdv3awjggrjqHzrQjKwMxBUGn3isWhY7vEwHzysjQJjNQAbqX6gMQ/s1600-h/Alamo-Remember.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5256904529800341346&quot; style=&quot;FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUQYbnt0NLBAAUB4ajnmw6VBycEPO89mIOq_m01ec5yS1PPizFdoJy-zDKZ9hHIOveSMSlxwV9Qm4eHFLM730xPkmdv3awjggrjqHzrQjKwMxBUGn3isWhY7vEwHzysjQJjNQAbqX6gMQ/s200/Alamo-Remember.jpg&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;span style=&quot;font-size:130%;&quot;&gt;Remember the Alamo....&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Old Town has changed. After losing the lease on much of the traditional Old Town restaurants and shops, Bazaar del Mundo was forced to move on. So many changes made in a relatively&lt;br /&gt;short period of time. That&#39;s why it was nice to walk down the&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVrOTDloRQ2RDn1NSA9xssR7qNTrwyQ3G0JweOhew21AFeKwEpwvRUEWqwN0AYOqWHgdCsjgyD7lsxeRSYNiVPyhtwQHEtWp4DF092JxiaexEmtUCHJRtFaPkNmVwervaon1WjafSUJkI/s1600-h/Alamo-fiery-margarita.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5256905417121124290&quot; style=&quot;FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVrOTDloRQ2RDn1NSA9xssR7qNTrwyQ3G0JweOhew21AFeKwEpwvRUEWqwN0AYOqWHgdCsjgyD7lsxeRSYNiVPyhtwQHEtWp4DF092JxiaexEmtUCHJRtFaPkNmVwervaon1WjafSUJkI/s200/Alamo-fiery-margarita.jpg&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;main drag and see The Alamo. Brightly lit and festive looking,&lt;br /&gt;The Alamo is a fun place for a casual meal.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The seating here is all outdoors, so if you&#39;re going to be going in&lt;br /&gt;the fall or winter seasons, be sure to bring a sweater! If you&#39;re lucky, you can snag one of the two tables that have their own little&lt;br /&gt;firepits in the center! On our last visit, we were lucky enough to&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPr9JbLhn7B91ZKUo0QIrQhV6U7999JRY2Oth2g9qYG08SAiyfr8jKLQakJyN-s4vJS5AcsAnRHjyGcDjgv3SsiMP0hr2ba0EsEZkPuIMl7X5zM9TtGE5LYZYWZ_-PjCk9qiJLEfKuEYA/s1600-h/Alamo-chips-n-guac.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5256903612613444482&quot; style=&quot;FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPr9JbLhn7B91ZKUo0QIrQhV6U7999JRY2Oth2g9qYG08SAiyfr8jKLQakJyN-s4vJS5AcsAnRHjyGcDjgv3SsiMP0hr2ba0EsEZkPuIMl7X5zM9TtGE5LYZYWZ_-PjCk9qiJLEfKuEYA/s200/Alamo-chips-n-guac.jpg&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt; snag one of these for ourselves.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;There was a chill in the air, a Chargers game on the t.v., and lots of people relaxing with a margarita and some salsa. We added some guacamole, and had ourselves a little party! :) The margaritas are tasty and come in a variety of flavors...but we enjoyed the traditional lime. The guac is fresh and tasty, and the salsa, though&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKspHtU1-cz3iPFoXAMSeH75p3AReLgb_JcLCB5JB9WlYruZo7T04Y8mJ-hV8L0Lm8-YYTEpOIY2yHxgPa-8N1jvD-N5wF9rOeJ3ex4ufDaPNnjUNyu0nUg82mTRNH9JQdoCE6Uoimbl0/s1600-h/Alamo-carne-asada.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5256903607762316274&quot; style=&quot;FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKspHtU1-cz3iPFoXAMSeH75p3AReLgb_JcLCB5JB9WlYruZo7T04Y8mJ-hV8L0Lm8-YYTEpOIY2yHxgPa-8N1jvD-N5wF9rOeJ3ex4ufDaPNnjUNyu0nUg82mTRNH9JQdoCE6Uoimbl0/s200/Alamo-carne-asada.jpg&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt; a little spicy for my sensitive taste buds, was bursting with tomato&lt;br /&gt;flavor.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;For an entree, I chose the carne asada burrito, by which I judge many Mexican restaurants here in San Diego. As you can see, this one is huge! Stuffed full of tender, flavorful beef, pico de gallo and more of that delicious guacamole, this burrito delivers!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgK-jxBhzLR1idTAD89bWEJ6KS4T5bHnl_CldFW6JRu2L_zYCBGOsi2bYF3QjOi9LIrGhxaqtjp5IdpMCYT7dDm9UBCLGx7cOLtds0lTraZvdDi4Csq71HfBwTbDGRjOocZYva2C1mySE/s1600-h/Alamo-enchilada.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5256903611174878850&quot; style=&quot;FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgK-jxBhzLR1idTAD89bWEJ6KS4T5bHnl_CldFW6JRu2L_zYCBGOsi2bYF3QjOi9LIrGhxaqtjp5IdpMCYT7dDm9UBCLGx7cOLtds0lTraZvdDi4Csq71HfBwTbDGRjOocZYva2C1mySE/s200/Alamo-enchilada.jpg&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;My husband chose a quesadilla and an enchilada, something which he judges places by himself! The enchilada, though tasty, was on the small side. Not the best enchilada, but certainly not bad!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I know what you&#39;re thinking. You&#39;re thinking, quesadilla? How hard is it to make a cheese filled tortilla? You&#39;d be surprised how&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgimlxpprgo7lF7pWJVCDxSlWVdIXDbjlvhVvwW3pMLpBtrdlr7w37KBrWXBOifl4k8dg8S_aKfhFoDQF4hRG_ML9spvcks2qGSqVDp2dwPKUaM0USLN6txrAjOC2Mnu5ItjTJ4ko3yZus/s1600-h/Alamo-quesadilla.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5256903610635002354&quot; style=&quot;FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgimlxpprgo7lF7pWJVCDxSlWVdIXDbjlvhVvwW3pMLpBtrdlr7w37KBrWXBOifl4k8dg8S_aKfhFoDQF4hRG_ML9spvcks2qGSqVDp2dwPKUaM0USLN6txrAjOC2Mnu5ItjTJ4ko3yZus/s200/Alamo-quesadilla.jpg&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt; bad they can be! Greasy messy yucky stuff. This one, however, was none of those things. Light, crisp edged tortilla, with nicely melted cheese in the center. A little of that guac and it&#39;s golden.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The next time you find yourself wandering around, wondering what to have for dinner, head over to Old Town. Yes, a lot of things are gone. Yes, there&#39;ve been a lot of changes. But there are still good finds to be had, and more importantly, there are still good times to be had too!</description><link>http://eating-sandiego.blogspot.com/2008/10/remember-alamo.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (kimbery)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUQYbnt0NLBAAUB4ajnmw6VBycEPO89mIOq_m01ec5yS1PPizFdoJy-zDKZ9hHIOveSMSlxwV9Qm4eHFLM730xPkmdv3awjggrjqHzrQjKwMxBUGn3isWhY7vEwHzysjQJjNQAbqX6gMQ/s72-c/Alamo-Remember.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>1</thr:total></item></channel></rss>

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