It’s Monday, Again…Already?

Wow has time flown by!

Yes, stuff is happening at the Funny Farm, but mostly boring Winter stuff. Hopefully I can get back in posting mode this week.

Meanwhile, please visit me over at Homemakers Who Work today.

Things About Me #11

I can’t swim.

I love to cruise.  I’ve been on so many cruises I’ve lost count.  Days and days at sea, no land in sight.   I’ve snorkeled with stingrays.  I’ve spent days from dawn to dusk in a little fishing boat on a big lake with my father. I taught my brothers how to swim.  I didn’t say I don’t know how to swim, just that I can’t.

I took a swim class once with my sister, as an adult (and this was several years after I taught my brothers to swim).  I did fine, could actually swim underwater from one side of the pool to the other, ONLY IF the water wasn’t over 5 feet deep.  I am 5′6″ tall. When the graduation day (or day of reckoning) came, and I had to jump in the deep end in order to receive my certificate of completion, I couldn’t do it.  No way.  No amount of coaxing from the hot instructor guy standing in the water saying he would be right there to grab me when I came up.  No siree.  Failed swim class.

On another note – Please join me over at Homemakers Who Work today for a look at female friendships, my point of view.

Food Friday

Today is Food Friday because I have something luscious to share.  I’m not sure yet whether every Friday will be.

I hosted Bunco at my house last night, and I provided dinner beforehand, and dessert at the mid-way mark.  This dessert is so worth sharing.  I don’t remember exactly where I got the recipe, but it was in a newsletter sometime during the holidays (possibly Southern Living).  It is definitely a keeper for me.  It’s quick and easy and great for entertaining.

I love my bunco group and wanted to do something extra special for them (they’ve been very tolerant of me, allowing me to skip hostessing because of house building for the past year and a half).  So I selected special ingredients, but the ingredient for this could vary.

It’s a dark/white chocolate raspberry trifly thing. 

There aren’t many ingredients, and it’s quick and easy to make.  Make ahead and let sit in the refrigerator for 24 hours.  I do love make-ahead food.

Ingredients

Five or 6 ingredients, plus topping, that’s it.  I didn’t use the liquer in this one.

Ingredients

1 package of your favorite cookies
3 1/4 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 (4 oz) bitter sweet chocolate
1 (4 oz) white chocolate
1 tsp. vanilla
2 (6 oz) containers of fresh raspberries – or frozen
raspberry glaze
mocha liquer (optional)

Break bittersweet chocolate into pieces and put in a bowl. Microwave 1/2 cup of cream for about 30 seconds to 1 minute…don’t boil. Pour over chocolate to melt.

Break white chocolate into another bowl. Microwave 1/4 cup of cream until hot but not boiling, pour over white chocolate.

Mix 1/2 tsp vanilla into each bowl.

Let these bowls sit and cool for 20 minutes, while also letting 2 1/2 cups of cream come to room temperature.

After 20 minutes, beat 1 1/2 cups of cream at medium high speed until medium peaks form. Fold in 1/4 of this into the melted bittersweet chocolate. Once this is folded in well, fold the remainder in.

Beat 1 cup of cream at medium high speed until medium peaks form. Fold 1/4 of this into the melted white chocolate until folded in well. Fold in the remainder.

Crush 6 or 7 cookies and spread them over the bottom of a lightly greased 9-inch spring form pan. Layer 1/2 of the bittersweet chocolate mixture over this.

Arrange cookies around sides of pan (about 19 cookies). Spread white chocolate mixture over bittersweet chocolate mixture.

Crush remaining cookies, and sprinkle over white chocolate mixture in springform pan. Drizzle with liqueur, if desired. Spread remaining bittersweet chocolate mixture over crushed cookies. Cover and chill 8 to 24 hours.

Remove sides from pan. Mound raspberries in center of trifle; brush with Raspberry Glaze. Serve immediately.

At this point I should have a picture of the removed trifle with the raspberries and glaze topping…it was quite pretty, but I was so engrossed in serving and eating that I didn’t get a picture.  Just trust me, it was very good, and I’ll definitely be making this again.

I used Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Baking Bars, Ghirardelli White Chocolate Baking Bar, Pepperidge Farm Distinctive Entertaining Cookie Collection and frozen raspberries. This could be varied many ways, I will experiment next time with different cookies and fruit, maybe different chocolate. Also maybe do something like nuts in between layers.

YUM.

Things About Me #10

I love grocery shopping.  It’s the only shopping I do like, I didn’t get the shopping gene, which my husband is extremely thankful for.  But I love grocery shopping.

Going to the market for me is not just buying food, it’s  an experience.  I take my time.  I linger, looking at everything and reading labels, even of things I have no intention of buying.  Touching and smelling the food.  Yes, I know that by now you are all agreeing with my husband that this is odd behavior. 

I know it’s because of my love of cooking.  I’ll see something new that I’m not familiar with, go back home and research recipes, etc. and end up trying it later.  We’ve discovered many new wonderful things because of this.

My husband and I have always made these outings together, which we still do if we are going to the farmer’s market or specialty grocery stores, but when it’s a normal weekly shopping trip I tell him I’ll just run to the store and pick up what we need.  He knows why.  He is so fast up and down the aisles with his list in hand, and he knows I just can’t do that.  And he just doesn’t understand my enjoyment in taking my time and exploring. But he doesn’t have to, he indulges me and lets me go alone.

Weekend in Review – Baby It’s Cold Outside!

Wow, it was COLD in the South this past week. We aren’t used to hearing the weatherman say it MIGHT get to a high of 20 degrees during the day. Needless to say we spent the weekend inside as much as possible, with the exception of Mike having to spend a half a day under the house in town working on busted water pipes. Not good.

But, the rest of the time we spent snuggled up next to the fire, eating soup, getting a lot of reading done, and I got to do a lot of what I love…planning. Planning meals for the week, planning the garden for the Spring, you name it, I’ll plan it.

It’s a little hard to imagine the garden right now, but I’m trying.  These are some images from the weekend.

Seriously.

We’re just not used to this.  The city actually went a little nuts, as usual, closing everything just in anticipation of snow.  And as you see, it isn’t that much.  Except to us.

Some of us got a little stir crazy and spent a good bit of time in doggy time-out.

Some of us just chilled out in front of the fire all weekend and behaved.

Hubby was a little under the weather, but overall it was a wonderful weekend.  We are feeling very blessed and grateful that we have such a peaceful sanctuary in which to spend our time regrouping at the end of a day, or week, and getting prepared to go back out into the real world.  We come to the giant wooden house and our worries and anxieties just melt away.  We could never have asked for anything more.

What are you feeling grateful for today?

TGIF

Boy it sure is difficult going back to work after the holidays and several days off.

Today I’m writing over at  Homemakers Who Work.  I hope you will come over and see what I’m cooking up.

Things About Me – #9

I have a secret love.  Cheese.

Any kind of cheese.  All kinds of cheese.  Soft cheese, hard cheese, mild cheese, strong cheese.  Cheese goes on or in almost everything…appetizers, bread, soup, eggs, casseroles, desserts (I made apple cheese cobblers all summer long), you name it.  This makes my 2010 challenge of reducing dairy especially challenging.

I have a drawer just for cheese in my fridge. Yes, a drawer just full of delicious, beautiful cheese.

I let an occasional bottle of wine in there, but that’s still about the cheese.