A Real Happy Cow...

...would be saved from the cold Canadian confines of wolf-bait territory.





Vote for Kirsten!!!!



In all seriousness, I think this fresh new take on the "Happy Cows Come From California" campaign is really well done. And timely with its election concept.

Don't Vote??!!?!? What? Do Vote????

Help! What should I make to go with my pumpkin pie?

A glorious photo by endless beauty on Flickr; one of my new feasty-favorites.

To celebrate Halloween, we're going to have a pie contest here in the office. I'm going to make a Gingersnap Pumpkin Pie (soooo tasty). I was going to make Bourbon Vanilla Whipped cream to top it, but now I'm wondering if I should make some Pumpkin Guinness Ice Cream to go with it instead?

Decisions...decisions...


What do you think? I need to make the goods tomorrow night.

Bringin' Turkey Dinner Back

Thanksgiving's around the corner and I thought it would be good to note last year's posting of these gorgeous Thanksgiving Dinner Cupcakes.


If you make them, let me know! Share pictures!

Last Week's Supper Club

I love and am embarrassed by the fact that my friends know me as the food-partying-entertaining gal. I love good food. I love to cook, I love fine dining and I love, love, love wine. What’s not to love about a great bottle of wine?

Lately, it’s been brought to my attention that many of my friends have been enjoying reading my status updates on Twitter and Facebook. And by “love” I really mean they often despise my updates because I make them hungry.

Last Tuesday, October 21st, I Twitted/Updated that I was going to Cooking Light Supper Club for an evening of food and wine. I definitely got some envious replies, and I also got some inquiries the day after – “how was it?”

So here it is…the answer to “how was it,” while rating the overall evening and the different courses with a five star rating system (1 = “It made me gag,” and 5 = “I died and went to heaven”).


Date: Tuesday, October 21st, 2008

Location: Fairmont Miramar, Santa Monica – Starlight Ballroom (4 stars)

Description: Cooking Light Supper Clubs, French Bistro Evening – a reader appreciation party hosted by the publisher and its advertising sponsors Eucerin (?), Mountain High yogurt, Kerrygold Irish Cheese, Tillamook Cheese, Gnarly Head Cellars, Potatoes Goodness Unearthed, Mahatma and Carolina Rices, and Tylenol. In the formal setting of the Fairmont Miramar, our Supper Club setting provided a convivial evening of food, wine led by the event planners of Cooking Light and Chef Billy. The Chef entertained us on an upscale cooking stage where a whiz-bang camera operator allowed us to view his tips and tricks via a wall-sized viewing screen. While Chef Billy cooked and meandered through the crowd to visit and get us excited, we sat at our linen-dressed tables while waiters helped take us through the four-course meal. Each course had a Gnarly Head wine paired with it.

Station appetizers (pre-dinner demonstration): Before the demonstration and sit-down meal started, there were a few food stations outside in the ballroom’s foyer. We only stopped at one – the Kerry Gold station where they served Warm Irish Cheddar and Artichoke Dip with toasted pita (5 stars), and Irish Cheddar and Garlic toasts (3 stars).

And now the sit-down portion of the evening…

First Course - Table Appetizers: Mixed Olive Tapenade with Toast (2 stars – not any different than the stuff I can buy at TJ’s), and Country Chicken Pâté served with coarse brown mustard and gherkins (3 ½ stars). Up until this evening, I never had pâté before. I have to say, it was darn good. Unlike my hubby, I had almost all of it. With this starter we were served Gnarly Head’s 2006 Chardonnay (0.5 stars) – I just can’t stand Chardonnay.

Second Course: Caramelized Pears with Blue Cheese salad with a Ginger Gastrique (3 stars). It was just okay. The dressing needed more acid. With this we had Gnarly Head’s Old Vine Zin (3 ½ stars).

Third Course – Dinner Entrée: Pan-seared Beef Filet with Green Peppercorn Sauce (4 stars – AWESOME!) – cooked to a perfect, perfect medium-rare. On the side we had Haricot Verts with Champagne-Shallot Vinaigrette (3 stars), and a Potato Gratin with Goat Cheese and Garlic (4 stars of AWESOMENESS). With this course we had a Gnarly Head Cabernet Sauvignon (3 stars – just really not as good as the previous Zin).

Fourth Course – Dessert: Cinnamon Crepes with Peaches and Cream Cheese (2 stars). First of all, the crepe was just below room temp. Second – according to my hubby – the walls were too thick. The Loredona 2007 Viognier paired with this dessert was odd. The Viognier wasn’t sweet enough for the course – I think a more appropriate pairing would have been Loredona’s 2007 Riesling. Who was asleep when this pairing was made up??????


OVERALL SCORES:

*Venue: 4 Stars

*Food & Wine: 3 Stars (not a fan of the wine)

*Company: 8 STARS! ;)

*One of the reader-guests puking from too much wine in front of the hotel by the valet stand: Priceless. 5 STARS!!!!

Today's Lunch: Corn and Bacon Pie

While perusing through Epicurious.com last night looking for St. Patrick's Day recipes, I came across this delectable recipe for Corn and Bacon Pie. It didn't catch my eye because it was appropriate for the upcoming green holiday. It did catch my eye because it was the featured Recipe of the Day, AND most importantly it had my favorite five letter word, "bacon." So I made out my grocery list. Knowing my husband would give me a hard time about the bacon, I opted for turkey bacon instead. And, accidentally leaving off the required red bell pepper, I found a smiling jar of Trader Joe's julienne sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil in my pantry.

[TRADER JOE'S SIDEBAR: I love Trader Joe's. I feel sad for those who 1) have never experienced the joy that is TJ's, 2) now live in another city/state without a TJ's, or 3) have been living under a rock and have no idea what TJ's is; when there's one nearby.]

I work from home, and thought this would be easy to make after breakfast and then cook in time for lunch. Boy, was I wrong. It was more time consuming than expected. But that's okay because my house smelled wonderful during and after it baked.

Eagerly awaiting the 30-minute cooling period after I took it out of the oven, I whipped-up a simple Dijon sherry vinaigrette to have with some lovely mixed greens and teardrop tomatoes. So I dug into the warm, heavenly scented corn and bacon pie and arranged it onto my plate with my heaping mound of salad.

First bite, amazing. Exactly what I thought it would be. Roasted sweet corn and turkey bacon gave it an amazing smoky taste. Wasn't too egg-y; perfect. Heft of the crunchy cornmeal crust matched the weight of the abundant filling.


























Do I want another piece? Yes. Will I grab another one? No; I'm going to be good.

Will I make this again? Abso-freakin'-lutely. :) Should you make it? Yes.

When I make it again, I might try to make it southwestern:

• Use red bell peppers and a diced jalapeno.
• Instead of turkey bacon, consider using chicken chorizo.
  
• Instead of Gruyeres, use pepper Jack cheese.
• Stick with TJ's roasted frozen sweet corn kernels.
• Instead of Worcestershire sauce, use my favorite Tapatio or Chipotle Tabasco sauce.

This One's For You...

...T.S. You know who you are!!!!

My friend, and former colleague, T.S. reminded me today over a brief IM conversation that it's been AGES since I have posted to my blog. So, I dedicate this post to him.

I have a lot of former colleagues like T.S. - we have all gone our separate ways for one reason or another career-wise, but we always seem to stay in touch now and then. It's nice. Those of us who haven't scattered to the East Coast, Northern California or New Zealand (whut???!!!), do get a chance to get together now and then for a lovely imbibing.

I must say, that most of my best friends now are those whom I have met within the past eight years of living here in SoCal. And really, they're the most diverse group of friends I have ever had. So if any of my friends are reading this (and you know who you are because we stay connected on IM, Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, e-mail, phone or get together for dinner/movies/drinks/Rock Band) - thank you.

Y'all keep in touch, you hear?