Thursday, December 24, 2009

Salami Wrapped Snacks

First let me wish you all Happy Holidays~!

A friend of mine sent me this message,
and I feel it says my wish for all of you better than
I can put into words.


christmas card picture 1



I wish you joy, I wish you all the pleasures The world has to give,
Pleasures of a pure heart
And soul I wish you the exhilaration Felt atop mountain peaks,
I wish you the cool comfort Of a shaggy, shady oak
I wish you the thrill Of watching your children
Grow up and blossom Into a loving, caring maturity I wish you all the passion
That a love for the ages, A nurturing, spontaneous love,
Can generously give I wish you never know loneliness,
Never know pain and sorrow To excess or extremes,
And if you do, It gives birth to future joys I wish you good health Of mind, body and spirit,
That your journey through life Be a peaceful one I wish you friendship
The kind that supports you, Sustains you,
And makes you stop to smile I wish you love and friendship,
Comfort and peace, I wish you joy!

christmas presents

Because I love all things Italian, I asked my Italian friend to write
me the Italian version...in full he did, Thank you Gio.



Ti auguro la gioia di avere sempre qualcuno con cui dividere ogni cosa... Mostra tutto…
Ti auguro di avere dei bei ricordi cui ritornare col pensiero nei brutti momenti…
Ti auguro una tra le migliori piccole gioie quotidiane:
aprire un libro che ricordi bene, lasciarne le pagine, leggere le prime parole famigliari…
Ti auguro la primavera e la meraviglia di constatare che è sempre migliore di quanto avevi osato sperare…
Ti auguro la felicità di un regalo da un bambino:
- un mazzo di denti di leone appassiti, - una caramella succhiata a metà - una rana - un bacio …
Ti auguro che tu possa, anche se solo una volta nella vita, vedere qualcosa di infinitamente raro, strano e bello…
Ti auguro la malinconia di un giardino in inverno e, dopo mesi d’attesa, i piccoli, verdi vegetali della primavera…
Ti auguro di rimanere affascinato dall’infinita varietà della vita animale…
Ti auguro la fiducia di una creatura selvatica, conquistata con pazienza e amore…
Ti auguro che tu possa non dover comprare l’amore al prezzo dell’umiliazione…
Ti auguro che tu possa sempre trovare le parole giuste per mantenere al loro posto gli spacconi e avere abbastanza forza nelle ginocchia per camminare con dignità…
Ti auguro che tu possa avere un cuore pieno d’amore e giudizi accorti…
Ti auguro la gioia di essere desiderata, e di trovare il regalo perfetto, sentire il profumo della terra, dal prato aperto…
Ti auguro lettere: con una calligrafia che riconosci immediatamente, con una calligrafia che non vedevi da anni…
Ti auguro lettere piene di elogi, piene di incoraggiamenti: lettere di gratitudine e di amore.
Ti auguro lettere sciupate, macchiate di inchiostro, scritte tutte storte coperte di baci.
Ti auguro la felicità di dimenticare il passato e di trovare nuovi inizi.
Ti auguro la felicità delle idee, l’eccitamento della ragione, il trionfo della conoscenza, lo schiarirsi della vista, l’acuirsi dell’udito,
il protendersi verso nuove scoperte, il trarre piacere dal passato così come dal presente.
Ti auguro la gioia della creatività.
Ti auguro felicità… ma non la felicità che si ottiene chiudendo fuori il mondo.
Nemmeno quella di rinnegare il tuo sogno per amor di agiatezza.
Ti auguro la felicità di fare quello che fai nel migliore dei modi.
Di correre il rischio di tentare, di correre il rischio di dare, di correre il rischio d’amare.
Tratta la felicità con gentilezza: è un prestito.
BUON NATALE..


Christmas isn't only about the Christmas cookies ...

Someone shared this little tidbit of a snack with me
and I'm going to share it with you.

Seriously I had my doubts, I thought its going to be "okay"
Yawell it was beyond okay, it was GREAT.

Salami Wrapped Snacks

IMG_4140a


Thinly sliced salami
Thinly sliced havarti cheese with dill
Chicken in a Biscuit.

Layer as shown in the photo.
Fold and eat.

Small bite, big flavor, nice crunch.




IMG_4143a


Wishing you all a wonderful Holiday season.








One Love. One Peace. Always and all ways.

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

La Creme de Soupe de Champignon

Come join the fun at the My Baking Addiction and GoodLife Eats 
Holiday Recipe Swap sponsored by Le Creuset
 Voting is now open. I sure hope you'll vote for me!  
I'm # 27 and #28  
 Voting will end on December 19th.  
CLICK THIS TO GO TO THE VOTING PAGE




145_1929aa




I love James Beard. 
He's one of my absolute favorite chefs.


I have over 500 cookbooks.
His book American Cookery, is one I reach for time and again .
Don't think I have a big head about my collection.
I know there are people out there with thousands.
And my mom keeps me humble by
reminding me with a couple of credit cards
she could outdo my collection in a matter of minutes.

This was the one book I got from my Granny.

Until today,  I hadn't noticed her handwriting there on the page.
She is one of my favorite "comforts"
Makes me smile and remember.
I love her script.
.
Sharon is her daughter and my mother.
My mother is another favorite "comfort"
: )

On with the food yes?



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



Cream of Mushroom Soup


black and white mushrooms



Ingredients:

1 pound mushrooms
1 quart chicken broth
2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons sherry or Cognac (optional)
2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon Tabasco (I say optional)


I also added:

shallots
garlic
and a dash of nutmeg



Preparation:

Mushrooms. I used white button.That's what I had in the frig.
Note that this is only a base recipe, use any and all mushrooms you like.
More mushrooms the better, a variety of shrooms
will add depth to the flavor of your soup and different textures are a good thing.



It's recommended 
you clean your mushrooms 
with a dry towel, 
or a mushroom brush.

Remove the stems, set those aside.
As for the mushrooms,
mince them. slice them...


Mr. Beard wants you to melt equal parts butter, and or olive oil
and flour, add mushrooms saute, add broth, cream and season.

I say,
instead of the roux,
(yes I dare to disagree with the master of all things culinary)
do the butter/olive oil.
lightly saute the shallots and garlic,
 deglaze with sherry.

Toss in the mushrooms,
add pinch of salt,
cook until they are softened.
set aside.



oh hey those mushroom stems?
Add those to your chicken stock. I use what two or three cups if that?
You want to steep these in the broth, until the mushroom flavor is imparted.
40 minutes or so.

Strain the mushrooms using cheesecloth.
Pour the strained liquid into the stock.

Grab your mushrooms....
Into the stock they go...
Add your cream...
*if you choose to skip the roux,
use enough stock to barely cover the mushrooms,
then add the cream.

Let it sit on low for a bit. 
Garnish with parsley, pinch of nutmeg. salt. pepper.


On a cold wintry Sunday afternoon, there's nothing more comforting for me ...







Note from the Cook:
Do your sauteing and deglazing in a heavy bottomed dutch oven/soup pot. I love and use Le Creuset
Then all you have to do is add your home made chicken stock and cream to the cooked mushrooms,
 with no major clean up, it can all be done in one pot.

While you're at it ...

Come join the fun at the My Baking Addiction and GoodLife Eats Holiday Recipe Swap sponsored by Le Creuset















One Love. One Peace. Always and all ways.

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