✌🏻 ✌🏻
About last night … we spontaneously decided to m About last night … we spontaneously decided to make a @crumblcookies run at 8:30 and snagged a front seat to Mother Nature’s show. 😍
I took five books with me when we went on a little I took five books with me when we went on a little vacation in May, and got through two of them, one of which was The Magnolia Story. You are, no doubt, familiar with Chip and Joanna Gaines, but you might not know how they became so popular or how their business exploded. This book, told by both of them, shares their journey from their dating stages to just a few years ago. It’s quite amazing how their path unfolded, with the universe seemingly guiding them every single step of the way. Every time they hit a crossroads, they received clear signs to continue to point them in the right direction. It was interesting to learn more about their story, and a great reminder that you need to trust in yourself and follow your passions, and everything really does just fall into place. Chip has his own book out too, Capital Gaines, which I added to my list after I read this one. If you’re curious about their story or just need confirmation to continue to chase your dreams, read this one. ✨ #catesbookaweek 6/52
“And above all, watch with glittering eyes the w “And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it.” – Roald Dahl ✨
We’ve been dog sitting Gracie while my sister an We’ve been dog sitting Gracie while my sister and her family were away. She has settled into a new routine here (ours 😂), and now doesn’t get up until after 9 am, stays up until well past midnight, eats a very late dinner, knows that the kitchen is where the magic happens and sits for a treat after her morning backyard visit. We’ve broken her in nicely but she will be returning with her continued bad habit of suffering from #fomo, playing tag with the cats, and barking every time she hears a door open or sees someone go up the street. We did our best. 😇
The rewards of a weekend of farmers marketing! Gar The rewards of a weekend of farmers marketing! Garlic butter and bleu cheese butter from @njgarlic (the bleu on steak! 😍), empanadas from @catalina_empanadas_2017, half sour pickles from @pickleculture and the quiche and bread were from a vendor I forgot to get the name of. This was all from the @bernardsvillefarmersmarket. Today I hit the @denvillemarket and added full sour pickles from @pickle_licious and a roasted garlic and duck fat loaf and cheese biscuit from @bobolinkdairyandbakehouse. Basically give us all the bread, cheese, butter and pickles and we’re happy campers! Did you hit up a farmers market this weekend? What’d ya get?
Sometimes rules are meant to be broken, and so it Sometimes rules are meant to be broken, and so it is with the gnocchi from Trader Joe’s. Skip what their directions tell you and pan fry them in olive oil, add some of their 4-green bag of vegetables, salt, pepper, drizzles of pesto and a sprinkle of parm. So freaking good and dinner on the table faster than you can order take out. 🤤
✨As far as first day of summer sunsets go, this ✨As far as first day of summer sunsets go, this one is pretty alright. ✨
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Sweetnicks

Food and Life

Weekend Dog Blogging #77

March 19, 2007 · Narrative

Guests are gone and the kitchen is back to normal. One more load to go in the dishwasher, and I am done. I feel like it’s been awhile since I spent so much time cooking, and I definitely made up for it this weekend. Two dinner parties, and six new recipes. Not too shabby.

For tonight’s menu, I stuck with tried-and-trues, with a lean towards comfort food. Only one new recipe, the rest were long favorites.

One of of my favorite go-to salads, which is perfect for entertaining but super simple to make, is Barefoot Contessa’s Red Leaf Lettuce Salad with Balsamic Onions. The most time consuming part is the onions part, but other than that, it’s quick work and presents nicely. For the main course, I went with John Zaccaro’s Penne with Vodka Sauce and Stuffed Garlic Bread. Dessert? Creme Brulee, which I haven’t made in awhile, and a batch of Big, Fat, Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies. The cookies were a new recipe and while the yield may be off, the name does not lie. I got about 18 cookies out of the batch, but because they were called “big,” I used an ice cream scoop when doling them out onto the cookie sheet. They were slightly crispy on the outside, and slightly chewy on the inside, delicious and definitely will be a repeater. The recipe comes from a new food blog I stumbled on last week, Technicolor in English.

All in all, a simple but satisfying meal, and a nice close to an incredibly busy weekend. It’s almost going to be more relaxing to have Monday and work roll around again, but it was a good kind of busy.

Before I forget, tonight’s pasta is perfect for Ruth’s weekly Presto Pasta Round-Up, since I keep forgetting to join in. Check out her site for weekly round-ups of pasta inspiration.

And now for the pups. Not many this week, but all adorable. Until tomorrow…

First up this weekend is newcomer Peanut and Goldie from Ash Lane Farm:

Bessy from Pulau Yue-Li is back, and things are finally on the upswing:

Two more newcomers this week, it’s the very adorable twosome, Beefeater Maximus and Sequoia, from Plants and Animals. How cute are they?

And even more newcomers, this time it’s a pair of snow-covered pups from Shrike and Whozat:


The trio from Rob Wonton enjoy some fresh sunshine and clear, blue skies:

And lastly, our own Eli. Only in New Jersey can we have this kind of crazy weather, and even for us, it’s a little odd. Wednesday, it hit 80 degrees, and I was seriously contemplating putting the air conditioners in the windows. But a mere two days later, this is what it looked like … seven inches of snow. Eli and Nicholas sure were happy though.

Big, Fat, Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Recipe courtesy of Technicolor in English blog

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 white sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips or chunks

Preheat the oven to 165ºC/325ºF. Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.
Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside. In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended. Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy. Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon. Drop cookie dough onto the prepared cookie sheets. Cookies should be about 7cm apart. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes or until the edges are lightly toasted. Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

Makes 38-40 cookies

Red Leaf Lettuce Salad with Balsamic Onions
Recipe courtesy of Barefoot Contessa

3 small red onions
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons good balsamic vinegar
1 cup good olive oil
1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 tablespoons minced shallots (about 2 large)
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/4 cup good red wine vinegar
2 heads red-leaf lettuce, washed, spun dry and torn into pieces
Crumbled blue cheese, for topping

Preheat oven to 375. Cut onions in 1/2 and slice 1/4-inch thick, place on a baking sheet and toss with 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar, 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until onions are tender. Remove from oven and toss with 2 more tablespoons balsamic vinegar and cool to room temperature. Whisk together shallots, mustard, red wine vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper in small bowl. While whisking, add 3/4 cup olive oil until emulsified. To assemble, toss enough lettuce for 6 people with dressing, to taste. Place the lettuce on 6 plates and arrange onions on top. Sprinkle with the salt, pepper and crumbled blue cheese. Serve.

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Posted In: Narrative

Comments

  1. Claire says

    March 19, 2007 at 3:07 am

    I saw those cookies, too. They look good and make me think of the famous chocolate chip cookies around my home town. I can’t wait for my one year blogiversary, because I’ve saved that recipe for then. Should be fun! Glad you had such a successful weekend.

    Reply
  2. girl from florida says

    March 19, 2007 at 12:42 pm

    I just found your blog while searching for some Key West food posts, since my husband & I are moving there in August and I’m obsessed with food! I stumbled across your KW post and am totally hooked… love your food pictures, descriptions & kiddos. I will be back!

    Reply
  3. Willa says

    March 19, 2007 at 1:37 pm

    You can have that kind of bizarre weather in PA, too!

    The cookies look great- my husband made some oatmeal chocolate chips ones this weekend, but they turned out very strange.

    Reply
  4. Patricia Scarpin says

    March 20, 2007 at 6:07 pm

    Hi, Cate!
    What a lovely way to mention my blog, I appreciate it.

    Your cookies look amazing!! I love their color, it was that I was aiming for when I made that recipe.

    Your blog is fantastic, too. I’m glad you left a comment there, so now I found you too!

    Hugs from Brazil,
    Patricia.

    Reply

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✌🏻 ✌🏻
About last night … we spontaneously decided to m About last night … we spontaneously decided to make a @crumblcookies run at 8:30 and snagged a front seat to Mother Nature’s show. 😍
I took five books with me when we went on a little I took five books with me when we went on a little vacation in May, and got through two of them, one of which was The Magnolia Story. You are, no doubt, familiar with Chip and Joanna Gaines, but you might not know how they became so popular or how their business exploded. This book, told by both of them, shares their journey from their dating stages to just a few years ago. It’s quite amazing how their path unfolded, with the universe seemingly guiding them every single step of the way. Every time they hit a crossroads, they received clear signs to continue to point them in the right direction. It was interesting to learn more about their story, and a great reminder that you need to trust in yourself and follow your passions, and everything really does just fall into place. Chip has his own book out too, Capital Gaines, which I added to my list after I read this one. If you’re curious about their story or just need confirmation to continue to chase your dreams, read this one. ✨ #catesbookaweek 6/52
“And above all, watch with glittering eyes the w “And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it.” – Roald Dahl ✨

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✌🏻 ✌🏻
About last night … we spontaneously decided to m About last night … we spontaneously decided to make a @crumblcookies run at 8:30 and snagged a front seat to Mother Nature’s show. 😍
I took five books with me when we went on a little I took five books with me when we went on a little vacation in May, and got through two of them, one of which was The Magnolia Story. You are, no doubt, familiar with Chip and Joanna Gaines, but you might not know how they became so popular or how their business exploded. This book, told by both of them, shares their journey from their dating stages to just a few years ago. It’s quite amazing how their path unfolded, with the universe seemingly guiding them every single step of the way. Every time they hit a crossroads, they received clear signs to continue to point them in the right direction. It was interesting to learn more about their story, and a great reminder that you need to trust in yourself and follow your passions, and everything really does just fall into place. Chip has his own book out too, Capital Gaines, which I added to my list after I read this one. If you’re curious about their story or just need confirmation to continue to chase your dreams, read this one. ✨ #catesbookaweek 6/52
“And above all, watch with glittering eyes the w “And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it.” – Roald Dahl ✨
We’ve been dog sitting Gracie while my sister an We’ve been dog sitting Gracie while my sister and her family were away. She has settled into a new routine here (ours 😂), and now doesn’t get up until after 9 am, stays up until well past midnight, eats a very late dinner, knows that the kitchen is where the magic happens and sits for a treat after her morning backyard visit. We’ve broken her in nicely but she will be returning with her continued bad habit of suffering from #fomo, playing tag with the cats, and barking every time she hears a door open or sees someone go up the street. We did our best. 😇
The rewards of a weekend of farmers marketing! Gar The rewards of a weekend of farmers marketing! Garlic butter and bleu cheese butter from @njgarlic (the bleu on steak! 😍), empanadas from @catalina_empanadas_2017, half sour pickles from @pickleculture and the quiche and bread were from a vendor I forgot to get the name of. This was all from the @bernardsvillefarmersmarket. Today I hit the @denvillemarket and added full sour pickles from @pickle_licious and a roasted garlic and duck fat loaf and cheese biscuit from @bobolinkdairyandbakehouse. Basically give us all the bread, cheese, butter and pickles and we’re happy campers! Did you hit up a farmers market this weekend? What’d ya get?
Sometimes rules are meant to be broken, and so it Sometimes rules are meant to be broken, and so it is with the gnocchi from Trader Joe’s. Skip what their directions tell you and pan fry them in olive oil, add some of their 4-green bag of vegetables, salt, pepper, drizzles of pesto and a sprinkle of parm. So freaking good and dinner on the table faster than you can order take out. 🤤
✨As far as first day of summer sunsets go, this ✨As far as first day of summer sunsets go, this one is pretty alright. ✨

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