#flowertherapy might be right up there with #water #flowertherapy might be right up there with #watertherapy.  Love passing the time in secret wildflower patches. As you do. 🌸
I remarked how pretty that tiny sliver of the moon I remarked how pretty that tiny sliver of the moon was on the way home tonight, and my friend pulled over right away so I could grab a photo. That’s when someone really knows you! It was just too beautiful to resist. 🌙
Weekend photos in review, old school style. ✨ C Weekend photos in review, old school style. ✨ 
Context: 1/ picture perfect weekend, 2/ threw together a quick meal w udon noodles, steak and broccoli, so good, 3/ the sun reflections on this painting struck me today, looked like a cross 4/ it takes all afternoon but nothing like Sunday Gravy, 5/ six months old, 6/ when he wants some serious zzzz’s, he covers his eye with his ears, the cutest, 7/ breakfast pastries at @coniglios
I have plenty of reusable shopping bags since New I have plenty of reusable shopping bags since New Jersey banned the plastic ones last year. But when I spied this beauty for a buck, how could I resist? It just is so darn happy, which makes me happy. The little things aren’t so little. 💛
Cheers to the weekend! This may look like a staged Cheers to the weekend! This may look like a staged photo, but Lola just has ZERO boundaries and Clifford is exceptionally patient. 😂
I’ve been on a smoked salmon kick lately (it’s I’ve been on a smoked salmon kick lately (it’s so good for you), so when I saw that a local patisserie has a smoked salmon croissant available (weekends only), I added it to my list of things to seek out. I popped into @chocolatinenj early on Mother’s Day and was rewarded with this deliciousness. Layers of soft flaky croissant dough, tender smoked salmon, light whipped cream, thinly sliced red and green onion slivers and dotted with capers… it was every bit as amazing as you’d imagine it would be. If you’re local, don’t sleep on this one. 😋
Weekend photos in review, the belated edition. 1/ Weekend photos in review, the belated edition.

1/ hit up a few yard sales and snagged this beautiful pasta dish from Italy with my favorite color for a buck, 2/ and one of these printer trays came home with me too, 3/ pre Mother’s Day celebrations with 30 local moms, 4/ finished the weekend supervising furniture assembly
Today would have been my friend Cathy’s 53rd bir Today would have been my friend Cathy’s 53rd birthday. Unfortunately she’s not here to celebrate because she died suddenly at age 49. I think of her often … every Mother’s Day because we spent most of them together since her husband worked weekends … when I discover a new food adventure (we once did a day long donut crawl) … when I’m sharing a special time with my kids knowing that her then-11 year old is growing up without her. Before she passed, I always appreciated every day, but since then, even more so. You never know what the next day can bring, so relish in the sunshine, surprise rainstorms, making wishes over railroad tracks and all the wonderful randomness life can throw your way. Don’t waste a single second, say yes, live on the outskirts of your comfort zone, laugh often, tell people you love them, give eight second hugs, and squeeze every ounce of joy you can out of life. Do it for the people who can’t. ✨
  • Home
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Press
  • Writing
  • Contact

Sweetnicks

Food and Life

New (to Me) Blogger on the Block Thursday #24

May 19, 2006 · Narrative

Dinner’s ready! The surest way to see if spaghetti is done is to throw a strand on the wall. If it sticks, it’s done. Can’t get simpler than that, and it saves burning your tongue on hot pasta. Drives The Husband nuts though, since invariably, I throw it on the wall, see that it’s done, plate dinner and off to the dining room we go, of course, forgetting about the spaghetti on the wall. He usually picks it off the next day for me, when it’s all dried up, and he’s having his morning cup of coffee. Ahhh, that little quirk just makes me, me.

Dinner tonight was a little bit of crockpot cooking at its best. I made an old tried-and-true, Melt in Your Mouth Sausages, served over spaghetti. It could not be simpler to make and the sauce tastes like you slaved all day over it. Although it DOES cook all day, there’s certainly no slaving over the stove here. For a starter, I tried two new recipes, both spreads for crostini. The first one was Pear Gorgonzola Butter from Cooking Light. It was a snap to pull together and tasty, though not a WOW for either me or The Husband. The second one was from Veggie Mealsby Rachael Ray, as part of my Rediscovering My Library segment for this week.

Veggie Meals was originally published in 2001 and was her fourth cookbook. This is actually the first recipe I’ve made from this cookbook, and I definitely should be trying others in this one. Filled with 120 pages of a wide variety of recipes, it’s a perfect primer for ARF/5-A-Day Tuesdays.

And very befitting of the cookbook I chose today, this week’s New (to Me) Blogger on the Block is all about Rachael Ray as well. Everything Rachael Ray is quite simply that. Whether it’s a cookbook or recipe review, a Rachael Ray article sighting or announcement, you’ll find it all on this site. Perfect for a fan like myself.

Alright folks, that’s a wrap for tonight. Until tomorrow…

A year ago today… the Costco Restaurant.

Wild Mushroom Spread
24 crimini mushrooms (baby portobellos)
12 fresh shiitake mushrooms
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 cloves of garlic, crushed
coarse salt and black pepper, to taste
1/2 cup dry sherry
handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley

Wipe mushrooms with damp paper towel and coarsely chop. Heat a skillet over medium to medium-high heat and add butter, olive oil, garlic mushrooms, salt and pepper. Cook mushrooms for 10 minutes, until tender and dark. Add sherry and allow liquid to reduce for 1 minute. Remove from heat and transfer to a food processor. Let mushrooms cool 5-10 minutes before adding parsley and pulse grinding into a paste. Serve with bruschetta.

Pear Gorgonzola Butter
This butter is a nice staple during the holidays on crackers, baked potatoes, or muffins. Make it a few days before the party, and store in the refrigerator.

1/2 cup chopped canned pear halves, drained
1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
1 tablespoon (1 ounce) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened
1 (8-ounce) loaf French bread baguette, cut into 12 slices and toasted

Combine all ingredients except bread in a small bowl; mash with a fork until well blended. Serve with bread.

Yield: 12 servings (serving size: 1 tablespoon butter and 1 bread slice)

NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 78(22% from fat); FAT 1.9g (sat 1.3g,mono 0.5g,poly 0.0g); PROTEIN 3g; CHOLESTEROL 6mg; CALCIUM 27mg; SODIUM 186mg; FIBER 0.8g; IRON 0.6mg; CARBOHYDRATE 13g

Lorrie Hulston Corvin
Cooking Light, DECEMBER 2005

Print Friendly, PDF & EmailPRINT

Posted In: Narrative

Comments

  1. Madeline says

    May 19, 2006 at 2:38 am

    Thanks, Cate! I am glad you found Everything Rachael Ray. And I am not just new to you – I am just plain new! I started my blog in March because I always got so excited about Rachael Ray stuff and had no one to talk about it with (I am the only crazy Rachael Ray fan I know). So it is wonderful to have a place to chat about all the Rachael Ray stuff in the news and to share the recipes I really like. Veggie meals is one of the only RR books I don’t own. You have inspired me to give it a try! Thanks, again.

    Reply
  2. Ruth says

    May 19, 2006 at 3:56 pm

    Mushroom spread looks awesome. Thanks for sharing and I’m glad I dropped by for a visit.

    Reply
  3. Cate says

    May 20, 2006 at 6:00 pm

    Madeline – I’m right there with you on Rachael Ray. Thanks for dropping by. Sent you a follow-up e-mail. ;)

    Ruth – it was pretty darn good and so easy to make.

    Reply
  4. doodles says

    May 24, 2006 at 10:00 pm

    whoa…….that pear butter is a killer…….as you can see I tried and and well received.
    http://pbetouffee.blogspot.com/2006/05/you-must-try-this.html

    thanks for sharing

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

CommentLuv badgeShow more posts

Storytelling…
Through photos.
Words. And recipes.

Archives

Categories

Instagram

#flowertherapy might be right up there with #water #flowertherapy might be right up there with #watertherapy.  Love passing the time in secret wildflower patches. As you do. 🌸
I remarked how pretty that tiny sliver of the moon I remarked how pretty that tiny sliver of the moon was on the way home tonight, and my friend pulled over right away so I could grab a photo. That’s when someone really knows you! It was just too beautiful to resist. 🌙
Weekend photos in review, old school style. ✨ C Weekend photos in review, old school style. ✨ 
Context: 1/ picture perfect weekend, 2/ threw together a quick meal w udon noodles, steak and broccoli, so good, 3/ the sun reflections on this painting struck me today, looked like a cross 4/ it takes all afternoon but nothing like Sunday Gravy, 5/ six months old, 6/ when he wants some serious zzzz’s, he covers his eye with his ears, the cutest, 7/ breakfast pastries at @coniglios
I have plenty of reusable shopping bags since New I have plenty of reusable shopping bags since New Jersey banned the plastic ones last year. But when I spied this beauty for a buck, how could I resist? It just is so darn happy, which makes me happy. The little things aren’t so little. 💛

Pinterest

#flowertherapy might be right up there with #water #flowertherapy might be right up there with #watertherapy.  Love passing the time in secret wildflower patches. As you do. 🌸
I remarked how pretty that tiny sliver of the moon I remarked how pretty that tiny sliver of the moon was on the way home tonight, and my friend pulled over right away so I could grab a photo. That’s when someone really knows you! It was just too beautiful to resist. 🌙
Weekend photos in review, old school style. ✨ C Weekend photos in review, old school style. ✨ 
Context: 1/ picture perfect weekend, 2/ threw together a quick meal w udon noodles, steak and broccoli, so good, 3/ the sun reflections on this painting struck me today, looked like a cross 4/ it takes all afternoon but nothing like Sunday Gravy, 5/ six months old, 6/ when he wants some serious zzzz’s, he covers his eye with his ears, the cutest, 7/ breakfast pastries at @coniglios
I have plenty of reusable shopping bags since New I have plenty of reusable shopping bags since New Jersey banned the plastic ones last year. But when I spied this beauty for a buck, how could I resist? It just is so darn happy, which makes me happy. The little things aren’t so little. 💛
Cheers to the weekend! This may look like a staged Cheers to the weekend! This may look like a staged photo, but Lola just has ZERO boundaries and Clifford is exceptionally patient. 😂
I’ve been on a smoked salmon kick lately (it’s I’ve been on a smoked salmon kick lately (it’s so good for you), so when I saw that a local patisserie has a smoked salmon croissant available (weekends only), I added it to my list of things to seek out. I popped into @chocolatinenj early on Mother’s Day and was rewarded with this deliciousness. Layers of soft flaky croissant dough, tender smoked salmon, light whipped cream, thinly sliced red and green onion slivers and dotted with capers… it was every bit as amazing as you’d imagine it would be. If you’re local, don’t sleep on this one. 😋
Weekend photos in review, the belated edition. 1/ Weekend photos in review, the belated edition.

1/ hit up a few yard sales and snagged this beautiful pasta dish from Italy with my favorite color for a buck, 2/ and one of these printer trays came home with me too, 3/ pre Mother’s Day celebrations with 30 local moms, 4/ finished the weekend supervising furniture assembly
Today would have been my friend Cathy’s 53rd bir Today would have been my friend Cathy’s 53rd birthday. Unfortunately she’s not here to celebrate because she died suddenly at age 49. I think of her often … every Mother’s Day because we spent most of them together since her husband worked weekends … when I discover a new food adventure (we once did a day long donut crawl) … when I’m sharing a special time with my kids knowing that her then-11 year old is growing up without her. Before she passed, I always appreciated every day, but since then, even more so. You never know what the next day can bring, so relish in the sunshine, surprise rainstorms, making wishes over railroad tracks and all the wonderful randomness life can throw your way. Don’t waste a single second, say yes, live on the outskirts of your comfort zone, laugh often, tell people you love them, give eight second hugs, and squeeze every ounce of joy you can out of life. Do it for the people who can’t. ✨

Copyright © 2023 Sweetnicks · Theme by Vicki Harrison Design