Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Thanksgiving 2009 Menu

The Prelude (mini lunch)

warm brie drizzled with clover honey
served with bosc pear and fresh baked bread

caramelized onion tart with a golden pastry crust

crostini alla romana
(toasted fresh baked bread with thin sliced
prosciutto and fresh mozzarella drizzled with sage butter)

crudités

simple seafood seasoned sauteed shrimp
with class cocktail sauce and lemon


The Main Attraction

fresh spinach salad with wine, honey, fresh herb roasted bosc pears
and a pan juice vinaigrette

brined herb butter golden
roasted turkey
with herb pan gravy

freshly made apple cider cranberry sauce
with a touch of ginger

roasted sweet potatoes topped with a
streusel marshmallow topping

velvety buttery yukon gold mashed potatoes

brown butter and fresh sage sauteed sweet corn

simple blanched green beans
with garlic and a touch of butter

apple and herb stuffing


The Sweet Stuff

freshly baked brown sugar apple pie
with a traditional pie crust
(french vanilla ice cream optional)

freshly baked pumpkin pie
with a homemade graham cracker crust
and freshly whipped cream


Washing it Down

locally made apple cider

gewürztraminer

zinfandel
(tasted in the wine store -
the woman doing the tasting was even impressed by it)

pinot noir

sparkling pomegranate-apple cider

cranberry and lime italian soda




Hoping you all have a great holiday,
Cait

Monday, November 2, 2009

Been Busy

So, I've been busy with some different things and I haven't updated in awhile. I actually started writing an update a few weeks ago and never finished it...

This is just a bit of a quickie update and I'll post a real one later.

People haven't been around for dinner on a regular basis the last few weeks, so I haven't been able to really plan meals. I did make a few great big family and friends kind of dinners though. I made an amazingly juicy falling apart pot roast with roasted root vegetables (carrots and parsnips) with creamy mashed potatoes one week. Then the next week I made roasted salmon with roasted rosemary and thyme baby red potatoes and sauteed green beans. And this past Thursday for my boyfriends birthday I made apple braised turkey thighs with roasted rosemary and thyme baby red potatoes (he loved them the week before) and sauteed asparagus along with a roasted bosc pear salad with goat cheese and homemade balsamic vinaigrette.

However, tonight I'm making pasta with sauteed chicken and a light cream parmesan sauce with sun-dried tomatoes and basil along with a simple spinach salad with sweet cherry tomatoes and sliced cucumber with homemade honey white wine vinaigrette.

I'm not sure what I'll be making for the rest of the week because I'll probably be eating alone several nights. When I eat alone I do like to cook myself something nice, but it's sort of depressing to plan out and since it's just me - if I decide I'm in the mood for something else - it's no biggie to change it up. My mother has been craving the shrimp and corn chowder I made a month or so ago - which is funny because I thought of that the other night too. I might end up making that sometime this week - but fresh corn season is pretty much done in my neck of the woods (I think anyway).

In arty kind of news... There's a lady who puts on some country style craft fairs for the holiday season. I'm not really sure my jewelry or fine art prints would exactly fit in with the kinds of things that are typically sold at these things - but verity would be a good thing in my mind. I was gonna call her to find out if I could get in on the action so to speak. I'm really not sure how people find out about small craft shows like this before they are around the corner...

Also, I made a bunch of pairs of "itty bitty" earrings. Which are sterling silver ear wires with semi-precious gemstone dangles. I also have a piece that combines sterling silver and paper that I've been toying with and I need to finish a few knitted fine silver pieces. I also need to photograph a bunch of stuff including a ton of flat work fine art matted prints, and a few prints that are extra large. I'm debating on how to send the extra large prints because I can cut mats for them, and a few of them already have mats cut... But sending them flat would be expensive compared to sending them rolled in a tube.

Oh, and the new Kurt Halsey calander for 2010 is for sale at Art Star in Philly - on their website and at the actual shop. It'll be on my Christmas list. I've gotten a Kurt Halsey calander every year for a few years now. I love them.


Hey, got any tips on finding local art/craft fairs?

Hugs,
Cait