ALL WE ARE SAYING.......AND AU REVOIR!....

(Thanks for this, Miss Robin!)

It's officially time for my Spring Blogging Break, but before I go, I wanted to wish you a very Happy Easter....hoping your feast looks a little something like THIS.....

We're taking a little hop, skip and jump across the pond, to HERE......



WE'll be staying HERE.....

(Isle St. Louis)

And seeing HER........

(our American Skippy-loving girl...)

I hope to have many wonderful photos and tales of Willard family Hi-jinx to share....

Until then.........

AU REVOIR!

Leslie

XXX000

(Oops--almost forgot! Please check out my latest time-sucking obsession.....

So very addictive! So very inspirational!

You can see my inspiration boards by clicking on the Pinterest logo, located in the upper right margin of this here blog....check it out!)

A TOUR: MY PRETTY LITTLE KITCHEN.........

Just so you know, I'm seriously having a "Shlumpa-dinka" kinda day today....the kind of day where I don't want to wear anything except this ancient old stained hoodie and comfortable yoga pants.........

Not my best look, I know...but it's a Sunday and I haven't been feeling my best lately, and the weather outside is just BLEEECH...not quite snowing, not quite raining.....

HEY MOTHER NATURE: HERE'S AN IDEA FOR YOU! PICK A WEATHER TYPE, AND GO WITH IT, FOR CRYIN' OUT LOUD!

Ahem....here's the view from my front door....it's only 30 degrees outside today. Deceiving, isn't it? I guess I should just be thankful that we're not buried under feet of snow, as we can SO be here in upstate NY this time of year........



So since I'm not going anywhere, and don't plan on cooking much of anything (prolly just a boring chicken and rice casserole for dinner that would make you yawn and vow to never look at my blog ever again), I thought maybe I'd give you a little "tour" of the semi-remodel job we had done on our kitchen last year.

I know, you've seen snippets of my kitchen on this blog for awhile now, but I've never given you the "GRANDE TOUR" of the "palace"...so today's the day, lucky viewer!

Please let me preface all of this by saying that YES, our home is still on the "newish" side, being only 9 years old this summer. So before you go ahead and judge me as crazy or just easily bored (and very spoiled) for redoing a nearly-new perfectly fine kitchen, well, I need to 'splain something.....

Men designed my former kitchen, and I hated it more than words could say. It made me hate cooking, and I'm a girl who loves to cook.

And that's all I'm gonna say, lest I start to sound whiney.

First thing Wink and I did was to decide, along with our builders the fabulous Mike and Roger, to move the existing kitchen sink and counter surrounding it to another wall, thus opening up the space completely. HUGE difference. We also replaced HORRID, HORRID white tile with gorgeous recycled granite countertops. I will never, ever again use white tile, anywhere. Especially when one lives on top of an old swamp and one's house keeps shifting, causing the horrid white tile's grout to crack along the backsplash. Again and again and again.

I almost lost my ever-loving mind over that.

Here's the granite we chose...pretty neutral, and ZERO upkeep....

(yes, it was expensive, but it should last forever...)

So here's a view of the majority of our new kitchen layout, minus the refrigerator wall and door to the back porch....

We saved a lot of money by using our existing cabinets and appliances, which are stainless steel. Our good friend and neighbor Roger is an incredible cabinet maker, and he built us not one, but TWO new pantries to match our old cabinets, thereby substantially increasing our storage. Here's the closed food pantry he designed...

And here it is, open...a little bare right now, as we're getting ready to go out of town...(believe it or not, this cupboard is usually a LOT more cluttery)....

Across the kitchen, there's another pantry to the right of our refrigerator...we use this for cookbooks, pet foods and appliances that I don't want on the countertops...what did I EVER do without this, I want to know??..........

Here's the cabinet we had built around the refrigerator (the door to our back porch is to the left)....LOVE the cookie sheet/muffin tin/cutting board racks Roger built!............

Here's what's next to the stove...funny story about this Boos cutting block that my mom sent for Christmas a few years back. She instructed me (you have to know my mom) to NOT NOT NOT open the cutting board box when the UPS man dropped it off, but instead to wait until Christmas to open it along with her other gifts. I, ever the impatient one, couldn't wait, cut the box open in a hurry and proceeded to drop the 15 pound cutting board right smack on my big toe. I actually BROKE 2 toes and hobbled around for a month, shoeless, because of my foolishness...lesson learned, Mom!........If you look closely, you can still see the blood on the corner of that cutting block...APRIL FOOLS!........

You might notice that we have a lot of fresh fruit lying about....that's to encourage us to actually EAT it!.......

One of the best decisions we made was to under-mount our sink..cost a little bit more, and we had to buy a new sink, but I'm so happy we did, as now it's so easy to sweep crumbs off of the countertops. You might also wonder WHY we didn't have a window knocked in the wall over the sink. That was my decision, as I HATE snow (pitiful, living in the Adirondack mountains, I know..), and really didn't want to stare at it for 6 months of the year while doing dishes. That's my rationale, and I'm sticking to it.....

My mindset is: when somebody buys our house someday, THEY can do whatever they like.

Anyways, I chose to hang this pretty framed picture my mom gave me, 500 years ago....LOVE the woodsy light fixture we picked out to hang above it....

Here's the message center of the kitchen: where I keep my grocery list and any other pieces of paper we have floating about, in a somewhat organized fashion. This is also where our animals are fed, so I have to tidy up this area at least 5 trillion times a day....

Somebody would like a little bowl of cream, me thinks....

Last but not least, we turned our old farm table into an island of sorts, so that I have unlimited workspace when I'm tackling my latest cooking extravaganza (like decorating 75 cupcakes for a party). To do this, we ordered these pretty wood and stainless casters online...these raised the table up to counter height, necessitating new barstools for eating (so funny how expenses snowball when you decide to make a few little changes!)...

Ooops--almost forgot one of my favorite things to show you! Found these new country-french chandelier shades for a song at Lowe's, and added lots of twigs and a bird's nest from the forest outside, just to add a little more woodsy-ness to our home....



So, now you've seen where all the "magic" happens in our home (ha ha ha, besides the master bedroom, that is! Get your mind out of the gutter--sheesh!).

I have to say that I LOVE cooking in our new kitchen now.  This is the 4th home Wink and I have owned in our married life...in that time, I've cooked in BIG kitchens, TINY kitchens, but this one here in the Adirondacks, on the medium side, feels just right!

Thank you so much Mike Risley and Roger Parent!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Leslie

(P.S. if you'd like this home for your very own, it IS for sale, you know...you can check out our website, through Coldwell Banker, HERE. If you decide to make an offer, I will gladly throw in a few cats....)

DEBBIE'S LEMON BROWNIES AND THE TOP 10 REASONS WHY I ADORE MY HUSBAND!....

Before I get all into the business of THESE...........

(I mean really, can you even STAND it? Check out that lemon zest!)

......I would like to take just a brief moment of your time to chat about why I love my Wink!...........

TOP 10 REASONS WHY I ADORE MY HUSBAND....

(Halloween, 2008--gotta love a man who's not afraid to wear black lipstick!)

1. He's a better father than I could have ever dreamed up for our daughter--his support of her is "unwavering", in Abbie's sweet words.

2. He's put up with ME and my crazy schemes for 25 (come August) married years now--he's the Ricky to my Lucy!

3. He's my biggest cheerleader, and never lets me forget my hopes and dreams.

4. He is kind to all animals and children.

5. He loves his chosen career, and has created a very comfortable life for his family, because he's just so GOOD at what he does.

6. He cares about his health more than most men I know, and has even recently started (yikes--can you say KNEE REPLACEMENT?!) running!

7. He keeps me on my toes--who else would encourage me to get out of bed with him at 5 a.m. on a freezing winter morning to go and "kill" myself at the gym? Because he CARES about my butt not getting too huge!

8. He's funny! Wink does funny "jigs" around our home when he's feeling giddy, and he mixes up commonly used expressions all the time: just the other night, he told a friend of ours that he heard a "BONE curdling scream"! (Not laughing AT you, Wink--laughing WITH you!). Do bones even curdle?

9. He's FUN--never afraid to dress up for Halloween (see above), and is the world's BEST travel companion, always up for a wild adventure!

10. He tells me how pretty I am and how thin (did I mention he has terrible eyesight?) I am just about every single day--SHOOT--I think I might just keep him for another 25!

 I LOVE MY WINKIE WILLARD!!

(crappy I-phone photo)

************

Well, with a husband like that, you'd better believe I try to be nice to him, as often as I can! Last night, I knew Wink would be tired after 3 days of meetings, plus driving home from Rochester, so I planned to have his favorite dinner waiting for him (he begs me to make this Italian Sausage and Lentil Soup for him, all the time--you can find the recipe, HERE) when he got home. Plus a special, surprise dessert.

(I think that's one of the reasons we have such a happy marriage--we like to do nice things for each other! Wink cooks for me often when he knows that I'm tired, and never grumbles about it. Hey, maybe I should make that number 11 on my list....)

I've mentioned my friend Debbie's blog here before--it's called Mountain Breaths. Debbie lives in nearby Utica, and often features tempting recipes. WELL, when I saw her recent post on Lemon Brownies, I just knew I had to try them out, because there is nothing Wink loves more than a lemon dessert!

But wait--don't brownies need to be BROWN, and include chocolate, you ask? Well, I thought so too, but then my darling Aunt Jan reminded me of "Blondies", which I do believe are white chocolate brownies. Anyways, I think the name "brownie" is apropos here, because the texture is the same as a moist chocolate brownie...and if you love lemon and butter, then these are just for you!.............

(I used salted butter, because the recipe didn't say NOT to, and they came out just fine, FYI)

First thing to do: line the bottom of a baking dish with Parchment, then spray with Pam. In a mixing bowl, stir together flour, sugar and salt.....add butter..............

(I used my mixer, because Debbie didn't say NOT to!)

Stir together eggs, lemon juice and lemon zest; stir into batter.........

Spread batter in prepared pan............

Bake as directed...when cool, mix up glaze ingredients (powdered sugar and lemon juice); drizzle over brownies and sprinkle with additoinal lemon zest..........

Mmmm-hmmmmm..........

Oh SISTAHMAMAFRIEND--these are just glorious!

You can find this amazing recipe and Debbie's amazing blog, HERE.

Thank you so much Debbie for sharing this with my loyal readers--you are such an inspiration!

TODAY I'M SO GRATEFUL  FOR.....

***the fact that I have 10 reasons to love my husband, plus many more that I won't bore you with!

***that it is supposed to warm up again here soon--it was 12 degrees here yesterday morning!

***My kitchen--since our mini-remodel last year, I just love cooking in it now! I plan on giving you a tour of what we had done, very soon!


 



OPRAH'S BAKED RISOTTO AND A LITTLE SPRING FLING!........

So, you know me.....it's a new season, and where do I head first? Yes, that's right...my favorite shop on the planet, and possibly the whole wide Universe, Old and Everlasting in Cazenovia, NY. Picked up my girlfriend Lori D. on the way (our husbands are both country club general managers, and she came to New Orleans with us for our annual conference--Lori only gained 4 pounds there, to my SEVEN, and that's why we can no longer be friends) and what a pleasant day we had, shopping, having lunch, having coffee....all the things we girls love to do!

 Isn't the bunny in the above photo just the cutest THANG, ever? You can check out Old and Everlasting's blog, HERE (called Everlasting Notes), or any time you like, just by clicking on her blog listing, which is handily located in the right hand column of my blog. Marianne's blog is a wonderful source of decorating and spiritual inspiration to many. (She ships everywhere, you know.......)

Also found this darling little nest for $1.89 at a spectacular furniture store called Johnny Appleseed (found HERE) in nearby Nelson, NY.....the store is actually located in the midst of a huge apple orchard! I mean really, could YOU pass this little nest up?.....

Here it is, nestled into my coffee table's centerpiece.....

The chickens are laying eggs like crazy in my kitchen............If my collection keeps growing, Wink's going to have to build me a coop!...........

I seem to be using terra cotta pots more and more these days....just love the garden-ey feel they bring to a room.............

I made these Springy bird's nest cupcakes, using toasted coconut, for some dear friends the other day.....aren't they sweet?..........

****************

We'll be leaving for Paris, France (not Texas) two weeks from Tuesday, and we're in a frenzy around here, trying to learn a little basic Francaise! We've had a few people tell us that French people are just rude, rude, rude....but our daughter, who has been living in Paris for quite a while now tells us that if tourists just TRY to speak a teensy weensy bit of their language, that the locals truly appreciate it and can be quite accomodating. Which got me thinking (uh oh!)....

Imagine if you worked in, say, a Burger King restaurant in this country. A group of French tourists come into your restaurant and ONLY speak French when trying to place their order. Not even trying at all to use any basic English. You can't understand a thing they're trying to say, and the line grows long behind them. Wouldn't you be a bit put off, being that service person behind the counter? We EXPECT tourists coming to America to try to speak some our language, at least minimally...shouldn't we show the same courtesy when we travel? I, for one, do not wish to continue spreading the horrible stereotype of the typical egotistical American tourist, who dresses poorly, is loud and believes that the whole world should revolve around Americans...

Wink and I are using flash cards, which Little Miss Thing thinks is super cute. Hey, whatever works, no? I'm also using subtle hints around the house to jog our memories....check this new addition out...........



******************

Our little town is officially on Spring Break...school is closed here for 2 weeks and most families go somewhere warm, on vacation.  I am not exaggerating when I say that our town turns into a ghost town, with tumble weeds blowing down the main street. I hate it, I really really do. It's quite an eerie feeling, being the only human being at home in the whole neighborhood! We used to go away also, when our child was in school here, but these days we tend to travel whenever we want, not being  tied into the school's schedule.

We fancy ourselves footloose and fancy-free--WHEEEEEEE!!!

Wink is away in Rochester on business for 3 days this week, so it's just me, the dog and the cats holding down Fort Willard. Even though I'm a little bit lonely, I'm going to try to take advantage of this quiet time to myself by reading all that I want to, watching, guilt free, Real Housewives marathons (Don't hate--I know it's a stupid, brainless addiction!) and taking long walks. Oh yes, and enjoying having the whole big bed to stretch out in. Maybe sleep in a little bit, too. And you know that after a few days of all this me-time,  I'll be missing  my guy, sumpin' FIERCE!

*******************

Here I go again, tearing recipies out of magazines...this one from Oprah........

Unfortunately, I don't think the print in this photo is large enough for you to comfortably read, so I'll retype it for you at the end of this post.....Wink and I love to make traditional Risottos...especially this time of year with fresh spring peas or asparagus. HOWEVER, Risotto can take a LOT of  time, stirring and adding broth, butter, cream until the consistency is just perfect. Which is why I was so curious about this recipe....BAKING Risotto? How on earth would that turn out?

I'm here to tell you that this recipe is absolutely to-die-for....comfort food at it's very best! All you need is a sturdy Dutch oven or ovenproof pot. We served our Risotto as the main entree for dinner, but it would certainly be a fabulous side dish (for some grilled fish, perhaps). 

To begin, cook some chopped bacon over medium heat in a Dutch oven, then set aside (I always place mine on paper towels, to absorb the fat).........

Add the chopped onion to the pan drippings and cook until tender. Add Arborio rice.......

and stir to coat with bacon drippings..........

Stir in wine...add broth, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Cover and bake for aboutg 25 minutes. Stir in frozen peas (alwaysssss in my freezer) and basil......



Return to oven for another 5 minutes. Remove from oven and stir in butter (a much smaller amount than traditional Risottos!) and Parmesan cheese. Add bacon and season to taste.....

If I ate this as my very last ever meal here on Earth, I would die a very contented woman, smacking my lips all the way to Heaven....I'm just sayin', it's THAT GOOD! Gotta give this one a try...........

Here's the recipe.........

OPRAH'S BAKED RISOTTO WITH BACON AND PEAS

Serves 4 to 6

4 strips bacon, chopped

1 onion, chopped

1 1/2 cups Arborio rice

1/2 cup dry white wine

4 cups chicken broth or water

1 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

1 cup frozen peas

1/2 cup chopped basil, plus more for garnish

2 to 3 tblsp. unsalted butter

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Using an oven-safe, straight-sided saucepan or Dutch oven with a lid, cook bacon over medium-high heat. When cooked through, remove bacon and set aside, reserving fat in pan. Add onion and cook, stirring, until soft and translucent, about 3 minutes. Add rice and stir to coat with bacon fat. Stir in wine and cook until it has evaporated, 1 minute more. Stir in broth, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Cover and bake 20 to 25 minutes; check the risotto. Most of the liquid should be absorbed and the rice just cooked. Stir in peas and basil and return to oven, uncovered, for 5 more minutes. Remove risotto from oven and stir in butter and cheese. Add reserved bacon, season to taste with salt and pepper, and spoon into bowls. Shave additonal Parmesan over the top and garnish with basil.

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

***The courage I mustered up this week, somewhere: I learned how to self-inject medication into my stomach (which will be every week, from now on), AND had another Melanoma removed, all on the very same day. And then, because a girl's gotta eat, went out to a fun dinner after it was all over. That's just how I roll!

***Bunny corn

***The robins on my front lawn, reminding me that Spring is truly here!

GIADA'S TILAPIA FISH TACOS, AND PATIENCE, MY DEAR!...........

(Do you rip out recipies from magazines as carefully as I do? Pitiful, I must say...)

*****************

It's March. In upstate New York. Normally the coldest place on the planet. It's 80 degrees in the shade, with nary a leaf on a tree. Super freaky...but nice! Spent yesterday cleaning up my flower beds...this is what they look like, 'bout now.........(see if you can find the little kitty, jumping off a rock in this photo).....



BEEYOUTEEFUL, right? Ugh...this is what is usually left under all the snow.....and so hard to believe it will all end up looking like this, in a few months time.....BRING IT!.....



That's the thing about gardening...you can't rush it. Which is so hard for an impatient person like myself....I want my eye candy, and I want it, NOW!!!

**************

In anticipation of our daughter's return home for summer break, I've been trying out new Vegetarian/Pescatarian recipes again, just so I don't have to hear the kid whine about having nothing to eat! And it's official--she IS NOT eating meat again...just spoke with her (phone reception, even via Skype, SUCKS from France, just so you know) a few minutes ago, and she seemed excited to try out the recipe I made for dinner, just last night. From Ladies' Home Journal mag, doncha know....Giada's delicous Tilapia Fish Tacos with Arugula.

I totally forgot to take any photos until I was actually putting the tacos together, so this is all I have for you...you'll have to take my word for it: these tacos are FANTASTIQUE! I think I love the mango/avocado/arugula salad on the tacos most of all......and also the Wasabi cream sauce.  I do wish somebody would tell me WHY my photos are so blurry lately--so sorry!.........

You can tell that Wink didn't like his, not one little bit............



Here's the recipe, if you'd like to try them for yourself (and I do hereby promise to get with it, once again, regarding my photography!)......

TILAPIA FISH TACOS WITH ARUGULA

Serves 4

6 tblsp. olive oil

6 tilapia fillets (about 1 lb), cut into 3/4 inch pieces (I do believe haddock would be good in these, also)

1 tblsp. plus 3/4 tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. ground pepper

1 ripe avocado, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1 mango, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

2 tblsp. chopped cilantro

3 scallions, white and pale green parts, finely chopped

2 cups packed baby arugula, coarsely chopped

1 tblsp. fresh lime juice

1 cup creme fraiche or sour cream

2 tblsp. wasabi powder (found in the Japanese foods section)

8 6-inch corn tortillas

In a large, nonstick skillet heat 3 tblsp. olive oil over medium-high heat. Drizzle tilapia fillets with 1 tblsp. olive oil and season both sides with 1 tblsp. salt and the pepper. Arrange half the fish in a single layer in the pan and cook until the flesh is flaky and cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Repeat with remaining fish. Set aside to cool slightly. In a medium bowl, combine avocado, mango, cilantro, scallions and arugula. In a separate bowl, whisk together remaining 2 tblsp. olive oil, lime juice and 1/4 tsp. salt. Drizzle over avocado mixture and toss to coat. In a bowl, mix creme fraiche, wasabi powder and 1/2 tsp. salt until smooth. Warm tortillas by heating in batches in a dry skillet, turning occasionally until warm. Divide the mango-avocado salad among tortillas. Top with fish and some wasabi creme fraiche.

TODAY I AM SO GRATEFUL FOR....

***The trip I'm planning to California this August, to help celebrate my parent's 50th wedding anniversary--God bless 'em! I also plan on helping my daughter settle into her senior-year living situation, and hopefully spend lots of quality time with relatives and friends.

***The opportunity to exercise around here almost every single day again...3 days at the gym, the rest of the time walking fast with friends outside in the fresh spring air!

***The hour long conversation I just had with my beautiful, hilarious daughter--chatting with her always makes me so happy!