BIG DADDY'S BROCCI-SLAW!!

I don't have too many photos of Big Daddy in my blog, because he's a little bit camera shy--believe it or not. BUT, here's one I just have to share with you all, because it's absolutely PRICELESS.......we call this masterpiece "Frenchie".......

See, winters can get loooong and boring here in the Northwoods, and when cabin fever sets in, we like to pretend we're somewhere else....this particular night, we were in Gay Pareeee! By the way, that is not an actual cigarette dangling from Big Daddy's lips, but a Bic pen. And we used my eye pencil to fashion his stylish moustache and divot, AND that's an actual beret he's sporting.....waddya think? He just cracks us up....

Before I get started on my favorite subject....FOOD....I just have to share with you my latest Willow House acquisition, the Maribel Tabletop Clock......

Here's another photo, with maybe a little bit better lighting.....

Isn't it just the cutest thing? The color is really a soft sage green, not the apple green my camera decided it would be--aargh! I really needed a nice looking, about  10 inch tall clock for my computer desk, and I got this little number for FREE, just for hosting my Willow House party! That, and other products, too. The hostess incentives with this company are insaaaannnnee. Anyways, if you'd like to have this clock for your very own, you can order it (item number 41464, $39.96) by calling me directly at (315)369-5210, or by going to my website, located at the top righthand margin of this blog, or by going HERE! One other thing--if you have not checked out the Outlet store on my website, well, you are just really missing out, sistahs! Incredible bargains to be had, some at over 70% off. Just ask my mom--she just ordered a gorgeous red casserole AND a Calphalon-style roasting pan for just pennies! So, check it out when you have un momento!!

So far this summer, we have actually had to pretend it's SUMMER here in New York, because it's been raining, almost every single day. Last night was no exception....cold and rainy, and all we wanted to do was BBQ and eat outside! But, we stoic Willards BBQ'd anyways, and I whipped up a quick batch of one of our favorite side dishes, Big Daddy's Brocci-Slaw. In case you're wondering what Brocci-Slaw actually IS, well, it's just like Cole Slaw, but made with shredded broccoli stems (the part of the broccoli that I usually don't eat--what a waste). Super good for you, and a crunchier texture than the traditional cabbage slaws. Here's what it looks like, right outa the package......

First thing you'll want to do is mix some Mayonnaise, milk, apple cider vinegar, horseradish, and sugar........

Add salt and pepper to mayo mixture, to taste......

Pour mayo mixture over broccoli and mix well. Cover and chill in one of these bad boys for at least 3-4 hours, stirring once or twice.....

Serve with whatever you're grilling....last night, we enjoyed some marinated flank steak with our Brocci-slaw.....MMM MMM Good!...........

(this is Big Daddy's plate--I ate only half that much, really!)

Here's the recipe...

BIG DADDY'S BROCCI-SLAW

Serves 4

1 package Shredded broccoli (found in the produce aisle)

1 cup mayonnaise (lowfat is fine)

2 tblsp. milk

3 tblsp. apple cider vinegar

1 tsp. prepared horseradish (or more, if you like it spicy)

2 tblsp. sugar

salt and pepper, to taste

In a bowl, whisk together mayonnaise and all remaining ingredients. Pour over broccoli and mix well. Cover and chill for a minimum of 3 hours, stirring once or twice. Serve with a slotted spoon.

TODAY I'M SO GRATEFUL FOR.....

*The fact that I finally learned to text about 6 months ago, so I can chat with my husband and daughter, no matter where they are!

*My friend Lynn in Omaha, who came through a pretty hairy surgery just fine, despite still being pretty uncomfortable. I am so proud of your strength, Lynn!

*My darling friend Jimmy O., who sent shivers up my spine yesterday, telling me ghost stories for HOURS! Can't wait to do our psychic reading together, Jimmy.

*

FABULOUS PANZANELLA SALAD FOR YOUR SUMMER BBQ'S!

So, my girlfriend Lisa flew back to California yesterday (sob--I miss her so much, already!!), and did we ever have a great time. Lots of hanging out, drinking coffee, drinking gin and tonics (thanks, Big Daddy!), walking  in the woods, eating in our local restaurants and SHOPPING, but of course! We also got a chance to cook together, which I totally love more than anything. Between raindrops (looks like yet another rainy New York summer), we did some BBQ-ing, and were actually able to dine outside. One night, we grilled some nice salmon fillets, and prepared one of our favorite side-dishes, a fabulous Panzanella Salad. Which is also called "bread salad" by some. Well, whatever you call it, it is always deee---LISH, and is the perfect accompaniment to any grilled meat.

I put this girl to work, browning the cubed whole grain loaf in some olive oil.......(I know you've seen this photo before, but isn't she pretty?)..........

Next, I cubed up some beautiful red, green and yellow bell peppers, and thinly sliced some red onion. You will also add diced tomatoes and cucumbers.....

I have fresh basil growing just outside my kitchen door, so I threw some in...........

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl, then whisk up your vinaigrette (I SO know I didn't spell that correctly!) and toss it all together...............

Let "rest" on your kitchen counter for at least an hour, then serve.............

Really, really good! Hey, before I give you the recipe, I want to give a little shout-out to my baby girl (she took this photo of herself--geek!), who is vacationing in coastal South Carolina / Georgia, as we speak. Mama misses you!.............

FABULOUS PANZANELLA SALAD

Serves 6

1 / 4 cup olive oil, divided

1 / 2 loaf day-old French bread, cut into 1 inch cubes

1 tsp. salt

2 ripe tomatoes, cut into 1 inch cubes

1 / 2 red, 1 / 2 yellow and 1 / 2 green bell pepper, cut into 1 inch cubes

1 / 2 of 1 cucumber, sliced into 1 / 2 inch thick slices, then halved

1 / 2 medium red onion, thinly sliced

handful  of fresh basil, thinly sliced

salt and pepper, to taste

Vinaigrette:

1 / 2 tsp. garlic powder

1 / 2 tsp. dijon mustard

2 tblsp. vinegar

1 / 4 cup olive oil

1 / 2 tsp. salt

1 / 2 tsp. pepper

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add cubed bread and salt to skillet; saute until golden (about 10 minutes), tossing often and adding remaining oil as needed. Mix all remaining ingredients in a large bowl (except salt and pepper); add bread and toss. Whisk together vinaigrette ingredients and toss with bread mixture. Add salt and pepper, to taste, if desired. Let stand, unrefrigerated, at least 1 hour before serving.

TODAY I'M SO GRATEFUL FOR....

*My new friend (and avid blog follower!) Debbie, who I met at the most awesome Old And Everlasting this weekend. Your words were so kind and sweet--thank you!

*My Willow House customers--I should have all of your orders to you in the next couple of days!

*The sweet blueberries that are available in all of the stores this month---I love to eat them just like candy!

ROAD TRIP!!!

Well, my very fun visit with my very fun friend Lisa is coming to an end, but not before we hit one of my very favorite places on earth--THIS place.....

That's right, dear friends, Old And Everlasting, in Cazenovia, NY. If you have never been to my friend Marianne's incredibly awesome shop, boy OH boy are you ever missing out! You can check out everything at Old And Everlasting by checking out Marianne's blog and website, HERE!!

And, next weekend is Old And Everlasting's Barn Sale--an event NOT. TO. BE. MISSED.!!!!! Customers travel from far and wide for this event, every year (Lisa and I are a week too early--sigh).

See you soon for a delicious Panzella Salad recipe, just perfect for your summer BBQ's!

TODAY I'M SO GRATEFUL FOR.....

*My sweet friend Lisa Marie Presley Boom Boom Schultz, who came all the way from sunny California to see her old friend Leslie in (frickin'!) super RAINY New York!

*The Frey family, for taking our daughter for a much needed vacation on Edisto Island, which I do believe is right off of Savannah, Georgia and Charleston, South Carolina. Have a blast, girls! Eat some grits for Mama!

*My amazing husband, Big Daddy, for giving us such a wonderful life. I love you!

TEMPTING TREATS!

Sooo, just had my big Willow House Kickoff Party at my home last week, and boy oh boy was it ever fun! Lots and lots of really great friends and neighbors stopped by, and I'd have to say the response was PHENOMENAL! I was a little concerned with the price points in the catalog, but once my friends saw the absolute quality of the items, and realized the fabulous deals to be had, well, people kinda went NUTZZZZ! My best selling item of the night? This bad boy.......

And no, the cupcakes don't come with the stand, silly goose! This French Wire Tiered Stand is Willow House's best selling item, OF ALL TIME, and I know why. It's 3 tiers, but can be taken down to 2, or even 1, and can be jazzed up so very easily--you can see in my photo that I used some beautiful ribbon, with coordinating cupcakes, to set a "theme"--and let me tell you, the options are endless! Having a girl's birthday? You could use pink ribbon; Christmas? use green and red check! Heck, The Fourth of July is coming--Red, white and blue ribbon with coordinating appetizers or baked goods displayed inside. So much fun! This item retails for $51.96, BUT REMEMBER--if you spend over $40 with Willow House, you get any item under $40 for half price. A pretty great deal! In case you'd like this French Wire Tiered stand for yourself, you can order it at my website, located in the upper right hand margin of this blog, and the item number is 41374.

I modeled this cute little number during the party, and it was a hit also......

The colors in this apron are so fresh and pretty, and the ruffles make you feel just like a kitchen GODDESS! This Continental Kitchen Ruffled Apron has a triple-ruffled dot and damask pattern, and retails for $24.96. The item # is 41455, in case you'd like it for your pretty little self.

That's all for now.....ooops, one more thing: If you'd like me to bring my Willow House show to YOUR home (and you should let me--you'll receive LOTS of free stuff, and have so much fun with your girlfriends!) I will bring the cupcakes! All you need to do is make a pot of coffee....seriously. All right--really gotta run now and pickup my girlfriend at the airport. See you soon!

TODAY I'M SO GRATEFUL FOR.....

* The nice weather we've been experiencing around here lately....just perfect!

*My mom, for supporting me in my Willow House business.

*The chance to wear sundresses, finally. Happy First Day of Summer!

LISA'S VISIT, AND TINA'S SALTED NUT ROLL BARS!!!

Today I am cheating a little bit, because I'm getting ready for this pretty young lady to come and visit, day after tomorrow........

This is my dear girlfriend Lisa, and she lives in the Central California Sierra foothills region. She's riding her bike alllll the way here to New York to see me! Well, not really--she's flying on American Airlines...but still, I'm SO excited for lots of coffee and wine time with her, and to show her our little neck o' the woods. Which, I must admit is breathtakingly pretty 'bout now. Anyways, I'm trying to get a lot of stuff done around here, so that I can just kick back and chill-ax with Lisa, so I haven't been snapping too many photos of fabulous foods, because, well, there haven't been too many fabulous foods around to snap photos of! But you are in such LUCK, because my friend Julia, who has an amazing blog about the disease we share (her blog is called Reasonably Well) has allowed me to steal one of her recipes...and boy oh boy is this a good one! It's got all the necessary ingredients for a super decadent treat--a little sweet, a little salty, a little bit of nuts, and a lot of marshmallows and peanut butter chips. Oh my goodness. If you'd like to check out the rest of her super informative blog, you can do so, HERE. Otherwise, here's the recipe.....thank you so very much, Julia, for making my life a little bit sweeter AND easier.......and the title of her post just slays me!..........

Friday, June 17, 2011

Don't Make This Recipe

I've had this recipe card for almost thirty years. My friend Tina gave me the recipe, and then about fifteen years later, my daughter decided to illustrate it with smiley faces. Awwwww. 

If you're trying to eat healthily by reducing fat and refined sugars in your diet, DO NOT READ THIS POST. 

Don't say I didn't warn you. 

So I offered to bake some cookie bars for my friend Susan's upcoming party. Today was baking day, and I decided to get out one of my favorite really-horribly-bad-for-you recipes: salted nut roll bars. It's basically a very large candy bar in a 9x13 inch pan and mmmmm, mmmmm good. 

You start by mixing a dry yellow cake mix, an egg, and some softened butter together. Pat in a cake pan and bake until lightly browned.

Take the pan out of the oven and cover cake layer with a bag of miniature marshmallows. Return to the oven until the marshmallows are puffed, about five minutes or so. 

Let the cake and marshmallow layer cool. Meanwhile, melt together corn syrup, peanut butter chips, butter, and vanilla in a saucepan. Stir in peanuts and crispy rice cereal. 

Drop by teaspoonfuls over cooled marshmallow layer until evenly covered. Chill. 

Cover pan with foil and run - don't walk - over to your neighbor's house with these cookie bars. Do not attempt to cut into them unless you want to find yourself eating the entire pan. You think I'm kidding? There's a good reason why there is not a picture of a piece of these cookie bars cut and arranged enticingly on a pretty plate in this post. 

Dangerously good. Here's the recipe - but whip up a batch of these at your own risk.

Tina's Salted Nut Roll Bars

• One box dry yellow cake mix
• One egg
• 1/3 cup softened butter

Mix together and pat into a 9x13 inch cake pan. (If you look closely at the picture of Tina's recipe card, she calls for a larger pan, but my family likes them a bit thicker.) Bake at 350 degrees f. for 10 minutes, or until lightly browned. 

• One large bag miniature marshmallows

Sprinkle marshmallows over baked crust. Return to oven and bake until marshmallows are puffed but not browned, about five minutes.

• 12 oz. peanut butter chips
• 2/3 cup white corn syrup
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Melt over low heat until blended. 

• 2 cups salted peanuts
• 2 cups crispy rice cereal

Stir cereal and peanuts into peanut butter mixture. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto cooled marshmallow layer until surface is evenly covered. Chill. Cut into bite sized pieces. 

 

 

LIME FREEZER PIE AND A LITTLE BRAGGING ON MYSELF!!

I have JUST the perfect summertime pie for you today! But first, I must attend to some BID-NESS, and I'm gonna do it in bullet points, because I can..............

*Just need to toot my own horn a little bit, because just this morning my sweet little blog received......get ready for it.......its TEN THOUSANDth hit! Which means that people have clicked on this address that many times. Which totally blows my mind! Guess y'all DO like food, and really crappy photography, after all.

*My first ever Willow House partaaaay event is tomorrow night, and we're getting ready over here on Spruce Drive. Cooking and decorating, just waiting for you to stop by! You can call me for directions if you need them (this is such a small town; everyone knows where everyone lives!) at (315)369-5210. Food. Wine. Decorating inspirations, abound--hope to see you there, and bring a friend!

*SPEAKING of Willow House--I'm very smitten with my newest acquisition, my Hawthorne Hurricane!......

So versatile, so sturdy, so stylish! You can, of course, use it with a candle, but you can also use the hurricane as a vase for branches or longstemmed flowers, or even for a trifle dish. I've loaded mine, here, with split green peas, but another stylish look is to use clear, blue or green seaglass as a filler--be creative! In case you'd like one of these for YOUR home, it can be had, easily, by clicking on my website, located in the upper right hand margin of this here blog. The Hawthorned Hurricane retails for $39.96, and is item #41395.

*One other thing--anything you see for sale from Willow House that retails for over $39.96 is really a great deal, BECAUSE you will get your second item, $39.96 or less, for half price. Just so you know!

Now back to the really important stuff--dessert! I've made this pie forever and a day--it is the perfect dessert for a hot summer night, when you just need a liiiitttttlllleee something sweet, and also want something sorta light. This dessert also looks a lot more difficult to make than it really is--gotta love that.

I always make my own graham cracker crusts--just so much better than the store-bought variety, although one of those would be perfectly fine here, in a pinch. If you DO make your own, just follow the directions on the graham cracker crumbs box, bake and let cool completely.......

In a large bowl, combine sweetened condensed milk and lime juice.............I still think this juicer is one of my favorite kitchen devices, ever.......

Add 2 drops of green food coloring to the milk mixture....don't worry if it looks freakishly neon green at this point, as it will all be diluted with whipped cream.......

In a mixer with a wire attachment, whip 2 cups of heavy whipping cream until light and fluffy and does this on your beater......

A little at a time, GENTLY fold the whipped cream into the milk / lime mixture. Spoon into crust and use spatula to smooth top......

Freeze overnight, or at least 6-8 hours before serving. Remove from the freezer 10-15 minutes before you'd like to serve. Garnish with lime zest or a slice of lime, placed "just so", like I did..........

Super deeeee---lish! Here's the recipe:

LESLIE'S LIME FREEZER PIE

Serves 6-8

1 can (14oz.) sweetened condensed milk (NOT evaporated milk)

6 tblsp. fresh lime juice (NOT from a bottle!)

2 drops green food coloring

2 cups heavy whipping cream, whipped

1 graham cracker crust, from scratch or store-bought

Lime zest or slices, for garnish

In a large bowl, combine milk and lime juice. Add food coloring and blend well. Gently fold whipped cream into lime mixture a little at a time, until all whipped cream is incorporated. Spoon into crust. Cover and freeze overnight. Remove from the freezer 10-15 minutes before serving. Garnish with lime zest or slices.

TODAY I'M SO THANKFUL FOR......

*Our visit with my husband's sweet mom and dad, and for my father in law's ever-improving health

*Feeling so much better, myself!

*The Knotty Pine Restaurant, for being open tonite so I don't have to cook!

MY B.S. MEDICAL SITUATION AND A SPINACH ORZO SALAD FIT FOR A KING!

  Okay, just because I've had so many friends kindly ask lately, I'm gonna fill you all in on what the FAT is going on with me, healthwise. Of course, you can skip this part if you find it boring (like I do, really!), or you are squeemish (I'm that, too).

So I think I mentioned a few posts back about starting a immunosuppressant/chemotherapy drug for my stupid autoimmune thing (Sjogren's Syndrome and Lupus and Vasculitis, to be exact), because the Prednisone just wasn't fitting into my lifestyle (as it wouldn't fit into anybody's lifestyle, I am sure!). I was on my new medicine for about 3 weeks, with none of the dreaded side-effects that can come with it, like hair loss (noooooo!!) and nausea and up-chucking. So I was being pretty smug, saying to everyone I knew how freaking awesome I was feeling, and how this drug wasn't gonna kick MY butt, ho no! Well, pride goeth before a fall, I've been told, and I am here to tell you that week 4 on the drug really kicked my arse. Like, violent barfing sessions (sorry for the visual), severe 24 hour nausea and unintended weight loss. Which, to some might seem like an up-side of the Azathioprine, but not to me--believe me when I tell you that is NOT the way I wanna lose pounds.

To make a long story short, after calling my most excellent doctah, I was ordered to go into our convenient little lab IMMEDIATELY for blood work, which I did, good patient that I am. Next day, phone call from my most excellent doctah (and believe me when I tell you that a call from your M.D., him or herself, is never, ever a good thing, at least in my experience) telling me to STOP the drug, a.s.a.p., because I have suffered some serious liver damage, and will have to be tested weekly to see if what I've done to my liver has been reversed. Kinda scary. So now I'm babying my poor sickly self in what I'm calling a "Detox", which is kind of ironic, because except for the occasional glass or two or wine, I am about the most devoutly healthy eater I know. I follow all the rules--limited sugar (believe it or not, I give 95% of the desserts you see here away) and NO processed foods, lots and lots of fruits and vegetables and whole grains and lean proteins, and lots and lots of exercise, even when I feel like S*#t.

In a nutshell, I (and my family) am worried and a little tired of all of this monkey business, but hey, waddya gonna do? Carry on, and move onto the next promising med when I'm able. But for now, all I want to do is focus on the good--like my sweet in-laws coming tomorrow (Big Daddy's family has a camp in Sebago Lake, Maine, and they like to stop here on the way from CA), my dearest girlfriend Lisa next week, and my fun Willow House party in a few days. And the good-est thing of all....cooking and this blog. Because I love to cook good food for everyone I love.....like this Spinach and Orzo Salad!

Can I just tell you that I have made this recipe for about 7 years now, and I always, always get asked for the recipe. I also always double it because we like to eat it for days--I think it just gets better the longer it sits in da fridge. Have a graduation party or BBQ to attend? This is a great dish to bring, because it feeds a crowd, and can sit out all day long (no mayo!). So here's what you do....Cook the orzo pasta (looks like rice) in salted water, then drain..........

Set aside. Toast some pine nuts (I know these are pricey, but they are soooo worth it in this recipe, adding a nice piney taste) over medium heat. Keep an eye on them; they burn quickly!.............

Take half of your spinach and puree it in a food processor or blender, adding one tablespoon of olive oil, until a paste like consistency appears (hot tip--use the oil from your sundried tomatoes here--the flavor from this oil is PRICELESS!)......

Rough chop the rest of the spinach. Mix the puree in with the cooked orzo until pasta is well coated.......

. Gently mix in the chopped spinach, red onion, pine nuts, feta cheese and sundried tomatoes.....

In a jar, combine remaining olive oil, balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar, mustard, basil and tarragon. Pour over orzo and gently mix until well incorporated. Just look at this bowl of goodness!...................

 Chill for at least one hour, then serve. I like to serve mine on a bed of red leaf lettuce, and sometimes, when little Miss Thing (vegetarian) isn't around, we'll go nuts and add cooked chicken.

Here's the recipe:

SPINACH AND ORZO SALAD

Serves 4

8 oz. orzo pasta

salt

1 / 4 cup pine nuts

6 oz. feta cheese, roughly crumbled

3 / 4 cup sundried tomatoes, packed in oil, chopped

4 oz. baby spinach

1 / 2 of 1 red onion, chopped

3 tblsp. olive oil

1 tblsp. balsamic vinegar

1 tblsp. red wine vinegar (you can also use lemon juice)

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

pinch dried basil

pinch dried tarragon

salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Cook the orzo in salted boiling water as per package directions. Drain and set aside. Toast pine nuts in a small skillet on medium heat, stirring occasionally until pine nuts are lightly browned. Careful---these burn easily! Take half of the spinach and puree it in a food processor or blender, adding one tablespoon of the olive oil. Roughly chop the other half of the spinach. In a large serving bowl mix the spinach puree  in with cooked orzo until the pasta is well coated. Then gently mix in the remaining spinach, the red onion, feta cheese, pine nuts and sundried tomatoes. In a small jar, combine the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and all remaining ingredients. Shake well to combine. Pour over orzo spinach and gently mix until well incorporated. Chill for at least one hour before serving.

TODAY I'M MOST THANKFUL FOR......

*Our beautiful daughter, who makes me laugh and smile every single day.

*Our funny mutt Wee Willy Willard, who makes me laugh and smile every single day.

*My handsome husband, who makes me laugh and smile every single day, and is my biggest cheerleader in life AND my best friend.

I am so blessed!