Happy Birthday, Princess!

Nicholas’ girlfriend turned the ripe old age of 3 today. That’s right, he’s been seeing a younger woman. Hard to believe that they’ve been referring to each other as “boyfriend” and “girlfriend” for over a year now … too funny! Nicholas was looking forward to going to her party today, so much so that he woke me up at the ungodly hour of 6 am to get a jumpstart on the day. So much for sleeping a teeny bit late…

This afternoon, I headed over to the Gourmet Food & Cooking Festival. There was a pretty good sized crowd and about 5 rows of assorted vendors … everything from New Jersey wineries and Tupperware consultants to salsa companies and local breweries. There was a bookstore set up there as well, with a plethora of cookbook selections, and I managed to restrain myself. I know, surprising, right? Never fear, I made up for it during a stop at the bookstore on the way home (details on my paydirt score tomorrow).

So back to Ted Allen. If you’re not familiar with him, he’s the food/cooking guy on Bravo TV’s Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. He gravitates towards organic produce and superfresh ingredients, making a habit out of shopping at Whole Foods. He was personable, down-to-earth and really took the time to talk to everyone. During his demonstration, he made White Bean Crostini, Pan-Roasted Salmon with Sweet Tomato Vinaigrette, Roasted Green Beans and an Apple Tart. Not a bad menu for about half-an-hour’s worth of work, huh? Since I’m just coming around to liking salmon, I have yet to eat it by itself. After seeing his recipe this afternoon, I think I might take the plunge and make it sometime next week.
Of course, I already have his The Food You Want to Eat: 100 Smart, Simple Recipes cookbook at home, but I forgot to bring it, and didn’t want to pass up a chance for an autographed copy and a chance to meet and talk with Ted. So that being said, if anyone wants an unsigned copy of the cookbook, I just listed mine on Amazon – your chance to grab a bargain now.

Alright folks, all for tonight. Tune in tomorrow for the Weekend Dog Blogging round-up and see what hits the grill for The Neighbors Dine Over Sunday — I’ve got 5 new recipes planned.

Until then…

Nicholasism Today: “Mama, for peas sake!” He’s so cute when he gets mad!

A year ago today … one of my favorite brownie recipes.

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