Easiest Shrimp Pasta You will Ever Make!
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Living in the beautiful state of Montana. By day, I am the head of the QA department for a web-based software company that specializes in online scheduling and e-mail marketing called Schedulicity.com. By night, I love coming up with new culinary creations that dazzle the senses, warm the heart and tame ravenous tummies. Sometimes the creations work, others I would change but regardless I always have a great time.
Cheers!
Give me a beet...
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Warm (almost Winter) night...
| Well as my friend Bryon always says "Wooo...tonight is one of those nights where you're happy you don't have to sleep on the ground." It has snowed in Montana today and not for an hour or two, it snowed pretty much all morning and through the middle of the afternoon. I didn't think I was ready for winter but now I am slightly more excited especially since we have a fireplace. So after my Monday evening yoga class with Colleen, who BTW is bad to bone, I came home, started a fire and poured myself a glass of bubbly. I also grabbed a little bit of cheese and some walnuts to have a little snack before my husband makes dinner. As I was gazing into the dancing fire I starting thinking about walnuts (of all things) so I decided to look up more information and eating walnuts is way better for you than I even remember! Walnuts are incredible. They can help reduce the risk of heart disease, lower your cholesterol, prevent high blood pressure, help you prevent dry skin and even have been known to help your hair grow aka reduce the chances of going bald. That's crazy! I didn't know all this. Not that I am exactly concerned with going bald but you know what I mean. I looked for some contraindications and the only one that seem to be a bother is that walnuts are high in calories so eat them but not a whole lot of them. This is kick ass information about a food. I think it is so amazing that this is something that grows out of the ground. I realize that several foods grow out of the ground but how often do you think about it. Most people don't even realize that they are eating let alone what they are eating. So anyway, sit by the fire, relax and eat your walnuts. |
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Big Day...Huge! Gary V. likes PLONK
| Just when I thought the day couldn't get any better my husband ran into my office (yeah, we work together) and told me some wonderful news, that he and his partners had their wine reviewed on Wine Library TV with Gary Vaynerchuk. Even better, Gary liked it. Of course, I'm not surprised that he liked it even with all the wines available in the market these day and it isn't just because I am biased.
I was introduced to Gary at the Blog World Expo last year in Las Vegas. Unfortunately I didn't get to meet him personally but my husband recorded his presentation and I loved Gary! He was one of my favorite presenters. His enthusiasm blew me away. The great thing is that he has a job where he gets to talk about wine, taste wine and sell wine. Three of my favorite things :). Anyway, check out the review.
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Whew...uh...it's been awhile
| So I wish I could say that I was learning Spanish on the Mediterranean beaches of Spain, dancing in Buenos Aires, learning cooking techniques from French culinary geniuses in Provence, hiking in the Himalayas, meditating with Buddhist monks or hanging out in the forests of the Northwest. Unfortunately, I have committed the crime that so many others have committed I started out strong and then left my posterous to lay and collect dust for many months. Well, I have dusted off the reigns and have taken control once again! I am making a concerted effort to once again join the race of humanity...well at least those contributing online. So giddyup folks, here it comes... |
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How to make Crostini...
I find it interesting that every time my husband and I are invited to a party our friends always ask me to make crostini. Crostini essentially is toasted bread. I am always surprised of this request because I am always more than willing to put in a day's work just to cook for the pure enjoyment of it.
I mean think about crostini, that's all you have to make. It reminds me of those friends in college that would come to pot-lucks and bring the bag of chips and a jar of store bought salsa. Of course, they always hunkered down on the homemade stuff. I suppose it is good that those friends knew there strengths and weaknesses. Cooking apparently was not a strength.
Without further ado, here is how I prepare Crostini.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Coarse Salt Turn the oven on Broil. Lay the slices of bread on a sheet pan. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with salt (use as desired). I like to use coarse Kosher salt because it looks pretty and you don't have to use as much. Flip the slices over, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.
Put the bread in the oven for about 5 minutes. I would at least check it at this point. Depending on how hot your oven is, it may take more time.
After one side is nice and toasty, turn the slices over and put them back in the oven for about 2-3 minutes until toasty brown.
That's easy enough. I guarantee that if you bring these over to a friend's party, they will ask for the recipe. These little crostini bites are crunchy, chewy, salty, creamy, yummy goodness. Enjoy!
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Saturday Afternoon Thai
MMmmmm... I love having a late lunch on a rainy Saturday afternoon. I was craving something warm but spicy. A vegetable red curry is what I decided on.
A friend of mine has an organic farm about 30 miles outside of town. We decide to sign up for her CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) this season and I am so happy we did. The last drop off had some greens, red cabbage & potatoes, amongst other things, so I combined those with some cauliflower, coconut milk, some home-made red curry paste and of course some chopped serrano chilies. With the red curry yumminess, I made some steamed Jasmine rice and chopped some roasted cashews. No late saturday afternoon lunch is complete without a chilly glass of Pinot Gris. The tiny bit of residual sugar goes well with the spicy food. It was most definitely a nap-maker. Here is to celebrating life's little pleasures whenever you get the chance. Cheers!
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Five days & Counting...
Two of my very dear friends and I very soon will have the pleasure of attending a performance by the Dance Troupe MOMIX. I am taking my girls for their respective birthdays. When I lived in St.Louis I was lucky enough to have attended several performances of this nature (Thank you Eric, wherever you are!) but ever since I moved to Montana, it has been few and far between. I am very excited to see MOMIX in particular, mostly due to the fact that one of my good friends, who is a dancer, has told me about them for a couple of years now. She has been fortunate enough to attend a couple of their performances in New York.
MOMIX is known for their illusionist dance style that pushes the edge; combining props, lights, shadows and of course the human body (paraphrased from Wikipedia). For those who love dance I would hope that you would have the pleasure of seeing them as well. (Listen to me, I haven't even see them yet & I already love them)
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Yoga and Dinner...
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Every week my girlfriends come over, we practice yoga and then cook together. We drink wine, be merry, ...all that jazz. Last week, Zucchnni Cheescake. Now to some this does not tantalize the tummy but for me it is like a beautiful symphony of flavors and aromas. The young and talented Ms Heidi Swanson threw this one at me, through a subscription to her 101 Cookbooks site.
Like all recipes, I changed it a little. I have been cooking for such a long time that I can't help it. Plus, I don't really like dill in anything except potatoes... oh, and cream cheese with lox and capers. Sorry, I didn't mean to go too far off in a tangent, but hey, it happens to us all.
Instead of the using dill and lemon zest, as called for in the recipe, I decided on fresh thyme. OOoooo...it was so delicious. Served with a small mixed green salad, olive bread crostini and a yummy glass of cava.
If you decide to make it you will be in heaven.
The regular recipe can be seen from the link below.
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Schedulicity Commission Work (title: "Yesterday's Future")
So not only do I work for an online scheduling software company but I also am a painter. I recently was commissioned by Schedulicity to paint a picture for one of the offices. I brought up the idea to my boss a little while ago that I would love to fill some blank wall space in the office with a much needed piece of art. I hadn't ventured into the world of painting in a couple of months just because I had been so busy. Anyway, I presented the idea and he said absolutely; Go for it. When I asked him what the subject should be, he gave the answer that all painters love "whatever you want...do what you feel."
I created some preliminary designs of several things but I wasn't happy with them. Then one day I went into the Salvation Army. I can't remember why; probably because my husband wanted to look for something; he loves that shit. Well, we walked past the "technology" section which consisted of, what most people in the technology world consider, as not much ...very vintage. It was a little sad. Computers that were heavy and klunky. There was an boombox, a cassette player, maybe even an 8-track player. That drab beige color that reminded me of the computer bus that used to come to my grade school on computer day.
Since I work for a company that specializes in being the "next big thing" in the technology department, I started thinking about the people who designed & created those computers, electronics and whatnot. How they thought "this is the next big thing". And it was... forever ago. Because of that trip I started sketching old school computers and parts and the like. I finally came up with a design I was happy with, stretched an 8 ft by 4 ft canvas and went after it. Voila. Here is my attempt at conveying forgotten technology - "Yesterday's Future"
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