Homemade Applesauce!

I am a little bit of a canning convert, discovering the joys of having quality food on my shelves all winter with local, trusted, and delicious sources!  The primary push was last summer for tomatoes.  There are not many items in my house that are typically purchased canned.  Living in California we are afforded fresh, and often local, produce pretty much year round, of an outstanding quality.  I never realized how truly blessed we were until I lived in Boston for a year and was flabbergasted at how horrible even the supermarkets offerings were (and this was before my interest and belief in local sourcing).  Anyhow, canned tomatoes are a regular part of my winter repertoire since we love a good italian meal- anything from roasts to bolognese to soups to a simple pasta pomodoro.  As many of you know, canned tomatoes as they sit in grocery stores are simply not ideal.  The actual metal cans react with the acid of the tomatoes, leaching yuckiness into our food.  Very technical description I know. =)

Anyhow I had determined last summer that I wanted to buy the fresh local amazing tomatoes we are advantaged to have at our local farmers markets, and can them for myself for the winter.  Benefits?  Aside from the tomatoes being local (yay!) and delicious (double yay!) "canning" at home uses glass jars, not metal (minus the lid which is coated anyhow), and so eliminates the whole metal leaching issue.  I got together with my mother in law, her mom and her sister and together we canned something like 240 pounds of tomatoes between us (I forget exactly what the final poundage was).  This was my first foray into canning.  The results were fantastic and despite having 16 quart jars, I ran out before the year was over!

This year we decided to can some more tomatoes.  We did that a couple of weeks ago, though may catch the tail end of our tomato season if we can to grab a few more jars.  I can't wait to indulge in the many recipes I get to enjoy with them.  But I also decided that I wanted to can some other things this year.

Last week I took my daughter and mom out to a local apple farm to pick our own apples.  It was a lovely day and we had quite a bounty to bring home.  I knew we wouldn't eat all the apples, and had the brilliant idea to can my own applesauce with these delicious, local apples.

I followed the instructions found here.  Mostly.  I didn't add anything to the sauce at all since I personally like my applesauce plain and sugar free.  Plus, you can always add spices like cinnamon later, but you can't take it out!  The result was delicious!  I meant to take pictures along the way (whole apples, chunks, sauce, and cans) but as usual I forgot until a little farther along...  So here's the sauce in the pot:

And here's the fruit of our labor!  (ha ha ha)

I did primarily half pint jars for a couple of reasons.  The first is simply because I had them.  The second is because I don't know about you, but when I buy the good applesauce at the store, I find that the sauce goes bad long before I can eat it all because the jars are simply too big for my family.  So I love the idea of having petite servings that will be just enough for a few servings as a side, or along with some delicious meal.   Mmm I can't wait until I'm no longer pregnant and can enjoy this delicious sauce!  (Double bonus?  When this baby is old enough, I can give him this applesauce knowing exactly where the apples came from, and that there is NOTHING else in it!)

Baby Boy's Nursery

Instead of duplicating posts, I decided I would just share a link when I post something on one of my blogs that also fits on the other.  So if you are interested in the details of our expected baby boy's nursery, you can find it here!

http://ourgauthierfamily.blogspot.com/2012/09/the-nursery.html

What's for dinner?

Tonight as I was prepping dinner I had the idea that as I make more basic foods for dinner (not new or special recipes that I think need to be shared), I would do posts called "what's for dinner".  This is where I will just share what we make on those "basic" nights.  Usually I will try to include a picture but tonight that didn't happen.

So tonight- what was for dinner?

Baked salmon with olive oil, lemon, dill and garlic powder
Rice (plain old white rice- I know, I know)
Brussels sprouts sauteed with Santa Maria seasoning and a dash of white balsamic vinegar and olive oil

Costco had whole fresh wild coho salmon on sale today so my sister and I went ahead and bought a whole fish to split.  It was fresh and delicious and tasty and definitely served its role of quick and easy.

What did you have for dinner?

Dirty Thirty

Again, this post was written for my personal blog and I have edited it to fit more appropriately here.  I'm sure it will be wonky but this party had SOOO many details I had to share!

Last year was Nick's big 'dirty thirty' birthday party bash!  It was themed "Nick's Favorite Things", which made for quite an interesting party! We used rooms and stations to give the party some flow (and not look like we were just crazy!). I'll explain in pictures below because it really came out awesome. Most importantly though, this party really had that "magic" that the best events have. You can plan for the food, the decorations, and even the guest list, but at the end of the day, some events just have that special something that make them the most fun. For me- this was definitely one of those events. I was beaming ear to ear all day. We had around 60 people show up for the event (maybe more?) including friends, family and even our neighbors! I'm pretty sure everyone that attended enjoyed themselves. If you missed it- here is your chance to live it through pictures!

The living room was the baseball/dodger room. It featured a slide show of over 300 pictures of Nick through the years.

 

Then the dining room was the "dirty thirty" room- which really wasn't dirty at all because it had all the food in in it! Here is the day's menu-
Appetizers: Sushi from Yu Shang: Volcano Roll, Firecracker Roll, Spicy Crunchy Tuna Roll, Bonsai with Maguro Roll, Cucumber Salad a la Yu Shang, Spinach Patties by Karey, Garlic Rolls by Marie, Focaccia by Liguria Bakery, Steak Tartar by Gerry & Gerlando, Taquitos, Fried Cheese, Zucchini Sticks, Chips and Salsa with Queso Dip
Dinner: Tortilla Casserole by Lorraine, Babyback Ribs by Gerry & Gerlando & Lorraine, Vegetarian Taco Salad by Comforts, Chicken Okasan by Comforts, Philly Cheesesteak by Italian Delight, Deep Fried New York Steak
Dessert: Cheesecake by Lorraine, Birthday Cake: Vanilla Chiffon Cake with Whipped Cream Frosting and fresh strawberries by Polly Ann Bakery, Home Run Pies, Oreo Cookies and Milk, Piñata Candy

The table is set!

Most of the dinner is out!

The Rock Band Room was well used for an all night rock band party!

We used silly wall covers and a personalized sign ordered through Shindigz for decorations along with Nick's extensive collection of band/artist t-shirts.

 

My sister Sarah created the most amazing Cuban Cigar Lounge for Nick which included a fully stocked bar as well as some excellent cigars for those smokers in the crowd (not actually cuban).

 

 

Also Sarah (and her husband Alex) created a "dive bar", also known as Nick's Silver Viking, which included a popcorn machine, a kegerator that featured Pabst Blue Ribbon, and Jaeger and Rock Star.  You'll notice more t-shirts here too, most of which were booze brands to match the bar theme!

It was a fantastic event that had magic in all the best ways!  The food was eaten, the games were played and the decorations blew the theme out of the water!

Hawaiian Luau

This post was written after my daughter's second birthday party in July.  I have edited it to be more appropriate for this blog but the format may still be a little wonky. =)

The theme of the party was Hawaiian Luau, inspired by a box of party gear that we had leftover from various events.  I wanted to use them and get rid of them!

First things first, we did a little photo shoot of Bella in her party gear so that we could have it printed for the party. Here is my Hawaiian princess.

This was printed as a 16x20 image (cheap at Costco!) and hung up as a part of the decorations.  A nice personalization for the birthday girl.

Here are the details of our luau party! I went a little crazy even while trying to keep it under control, but it really did turn out great!

A pinterest find! Watermelon turtle serving dish for fruit salad created by my mother in law Lorraine and her sister Pam!!

Pineapple cream cheese! Yummy! Two packages of cream cheese, one cup of sour cream, one small can of crushed pineapple and some dijon mustard. I used the juice too which made it too runny. I had to freeze it to form the log, but boy it sure did taste delicious! I would do exactly the same recipe and put it in a bowl if presentation didn't matter. I would cut the sour cream and juice a bit to form it in the shape too. Halved pecans make the pineapple skin and the top of an actual pineapple makes the top!

I had a whole box of plastic leis when I discovered that I actually had fabric leis in a bin from the past. So I needed to do something with the plastic leis knowing that they wouldn't be worn by anyone. I came up with the idea to string them together and make a garland for our fence! I put them in rainbow order for extra theme appropriateness. It turned out SO cute and I was very pleased with the result!

My mom found these plastic shell containers at goodwill! She put some leaves and a fake flower in each and it gave a lovely tropical feel! (My brother in law and Nick's uncle showcase them nicely, don't you think???)

Another pinterest find! Water bottles wrapped in decorative duct tape. If you need over the top personalizations like this for an event, it is quite easy to find and do, and inexpensive to boot. Otherwise, a huge waste of time (even if super adorable). The punch was 1 part pineapple juice, 2 parts orange juice, 3-4 parts ginger ale and ice. Add booze (malibu rum seemed to be a hit) for those who prefer to make it an adult party!

We found some inexpensive shells and decorated the tables with them. I also picked up some dyed daisies to add color to my tables!

Some palm fronds from a family members yard added some extra tropical flair!

We found nets at the party store and hung them on the ceiling holding the larger shells (large starfish were the best). It was so cute!

Fresh pineapple and tuberose added both beauty and fragrance to the party! You can also see the very bottom of the picture that we had enlarged (16x20 costco- $6!) of Bella in her hula skirt. So adorable and I can hang it in Bella's room now that the party is over.

An attempt to show the tiki torches we put up around the deck. On theme, fun, and added not only ambiance at night once lit- but bug protection since they are citronella!  We've kept them up which has made a really nice (and functional) addition to our patio!

Hawaiian rice- delicious! Two cups of jasmine rice, one can of regular coconut milk, 1 1/4 c of liquid (I used the juice from a small can of crushed coconut plus chicken broth for the rest, you could also use water or veggie broth or whatever suits you), and salt to taste. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce to lowest heat and cook for 20 minutes. Leave the lid on and let rest for 10 more minutes. Add the crushed pineapple, taste for salt and pepper. You can also add soy sauce (instead of salt), toasted sesame seed oil, green onions, crushed peanuts, you name it. Whatever floats your boat. I left it plain and it was DELICIOUS!

My own little creation. A combo of Kahlua pork and Cha Siu (Chinese BBQ pork). Delicious! I will post the recipe separately for this one because it is a little more involved, but it was so yummy, especially served on rice, or as pork sliders on Hawaiian rolls!  Uh oh... I'll have to remember what I did since I never did write up my recipe!  Hopefully this new blog will keep my inspiration going!

Same marinade as the pork on chicken skewers that were then bbq'd. It was a wonderful alternative for those who don't eat pork. You could probably cook it in a different method and serve it shredded just like the pork.

Yet another pinterest find- flip flop nutter butters! I give myself an F for presentation, but they really are super cute. And I really didn't do a very good job since I used the wrong tools late at night on this project. Easy and cute way to have a great kid friendly treat (and lets face it, adults love nutter butters too) that are so on theme!

The beautiful cake for little miss. The cake place actually completely messed up the decorations relative to what we ordered (the green in the middle at the top is supposed to be a sea turtle) but it was still delicious and very cute.

It was a truly wonderful day. I am so lucky to have so many amazing people in my life, and Bella too. Fun seemed to be had by all. Often people don't look forward to "kid parties" but I hope that we are able to prove them wrong every time we host an event. You can have a party that is family friendly and this was one of them!  I'm sure as our kids get older the parties will be less adult friendly (more kids, bigger opinions) but anything I throw and invite adults to will hopefully always keep people entertained at all ages!

Pesto Prosciutto Chicken

My final month of pregnancy, suffering from gestational diabetes, has left me desperate for new foods that are carb friendly and anything other than a salad!  My diet actually requires me to eat some carbs, but limited, and most importantly I need a solid amount of protein.  In an effort to try something new, I came up with the idea to make what I'm calling Pesto Prosciutto Chicken.  Eventually I may get more specific with my recipes, and show pictures along the way of my process, but for now, you get end results and general "how tos" on the food. =)

I took four chicken breasts and created "pockets" by slicing them in half but not all the way.  Okay, actually my husband did that part for me. =)  Then I placed a spoonful of pesto inside the pocket and brushed it all over (I used Armanino brand which is in the freezer section of most grocery stores, but you could use whatever your preferred pesto is).  Then I placed one slice of prosciutto to line the pocket, and one layer of mozerella cheese (I used fresh in water because it is always my preference, but you could really use any cheese here that you like).  Then I folded the pocket over so the breast was a "whole stuffed" breast.  I then took another spoonful of pesto and brushed it all over the top, flipped it over, placed it in an oiled baking pan, and coated the last side with another spoonful of pesto.  Finally I placed a little leftover sliced mozerella on the top, with a small piece of proscuitto to finish it off.  I thought it would look prettier this way. =)

I then baked the chicken at 350 for about 35 minutes, and finished it under the broiler for another probably 2 minutes to brown the top.  Here is my end result:

(Yeah, okay I realize I need to take better pictures, as in, not blurry and probably not with my phone... I'll get there!)

My chicken breasts were not fully defrosted so I ended up with a surprising amount of liquid in my pan.  Lesson learned, I should have them fully defrosted and pat them down before filling.  I imagine I would have gotten a better golden brown without the broiler this way too.  I also suggest if you are a better cook than me, to bake these using a meat thermometer to your preferred level of doneness.  I fully admit to often overcooking meat because that is how I like it. =)

Overall, I was very happy with the result.  It can stand for improvements for sure.  You will see that though if you decide to follow this blog- I love improving upon recipes and if I really find a great way to do it again, I will post that.  I have no need to show perfection because I find it rarely (if ever) happens in cooking.  Other than the abundance of liquid, I think I could have perhaps done these as a roll with pounded chicken breast and gotten more of the salt from the prosciutto, which would have been good.  I also felt like it needed some acid.  Tomato perhaps for those of you who like cooked tomatoes!  I served it alongside a caprese salad and the vinegar on my plate got on my chicken, and made me think perhaps I could have done a light balsamic marinade on the chicken before the rest of the process.  That might have been tasty too.

Here are some more pictures of the whole meal.  I served pesto pasta (using the remaining pesto from the chicken), caprese salad, and spinach patties (a family recipe that I will share someday).  It was good for my mouth, good for my tummy, and good for my blood sugar!

Mangia Bene!

Introduction

I never considered myself a foodie, until several years ago my coworkers informed that I was one.  I was the go to person in the office when someone needed a new restaurant, or wanted a suggestion for food.  I came to realize that it was sort of true only in that I really do love good food.  Not necessarily high end (I really can't stand foie gras or pate and mushrooms make me gag), but solid, delicious food.

I was exposed to a lot of different foods growing up, so as I became an adult I already had discerning tastes.  I love all sorts of ethnic foods (though admittedly still have a relatively limited scope in reality) and increasingly am interested in trying new things.  Mostly I get tired of getting "stuck in a rut" when it comes to cooking foods for my family.  I have many foods that we all love and I could put in a weekly rotation easily, but I like variety.  I am also terrible at following recipes. =)  Well okay, that isn't entirely true, but I rarely look at a recipe and think "gee, this sounds perfect exactly the way it is"... So although I borrow inspiration from others all the time, usually the end result is my own creation. 

That's where this blog comes in.  I started to realize that many of my creations deserve recognition (and frankly will help my memory too!).  Okay, truth be told it is Pinterest that inspired me to start giving my own creations some recognition.  I see all of these fabulous things that inspire me and often think "oh I could do that" or "I've actually done that before" or even still "I could do that better"...

On top of my love of food I also love to throw a good party.  I mostly document these on my personal blog but realized that the end results deserve recognition of their own too from an event planning perspective.  Lots of fun crafts and decorations, and of course, more food!

So there you go.  My foodie festivities are all things food, festivities, family and fun.  For the personal stories I will still maintain my family blog (my daughter is entirely too cute to not document, and I have no doubt her baby brother will follow suit), but this is where I will keep track of my recipes, meals, crafts and events.  Hopefully it will be interesting enough to follow!  I welcome comments, ideas, suggestions, and even better- if you take one of my ideas and do it yourself, tell me what worked, didn't work, and how you improved it!  Imitation is of course the highest form of flattery!