Category — Random

So you may recall that back on December 1st, for her birthday, we gave Marissa a gift certificate to go skydiving. You may also recall that part of the gift was that I would dive with her… well today was the day. The fact that I am posting this lets you know that we survived and in fact thrived! It was a blast and we have photos, t-shirts, and certificates to prove it.  One thing I will say though-  the g-forces put upon your face when you are free-falling are not kind to faces over 30, as evident in my photo compared to my 22-year-old daughter’s young, tight, sweet, and gorgeous face! Love you, Marissa!!!

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Today I am busy prepping for a Girl Scout cooking class for sixteen cute little 2nd grade girls who are going to earn their cooking badges this afternoon – fun! On Tuesday of next week I’ll be out at the Wigwam Resort in Litchfield Park, AZ (about halfway to San Diego!) for an American Egg Board event I’m the food stylist for. And the day before that, on Monday, March 1st, I’ll be on TV with Tram Mai again on the Valley Dish. So set your DVR or TiVo to Channel 12 at 4:30 PM, if you so choose. Also on March 1st, the new summer schedule for Les Petites Gourmettes will be mailed, emailed, and posted here on the “Classes” page… right over there <—- on the left.  Big Darn Day!

To celebrate Valentine’s Day, Dave and I went out to the Queen Creek Olive Mill for their special “Olive Affair” lunch in the olive grove. The Mill offered three different packages, we chose their “Ciao Bella” (Antipasto), which included roasted vegetables, sausage, roasted garlic, artichoke, sun-dried tomato tapenades, a French baguette, tuxedo strawberries, candied pistachios, pistachio bark, a bottle of Chianti and more. It all came beautifully packed in a lovely “Olive You” bag with a corkscrew, high-quality clear plastic stemless wine glasses and plates plus a cute red-heart tablecloth. They had live music, it was a gorgeous day outside, and the place was packed! I highly recommend you treat yourself and your loved one next year. Until then, I’ll treat you to recipes for candied pistachios and pistachio bark. I decided to use the candied pistachios in the bark, but plain pistachios may be used instead.

The candied pistachios call for an ingredient you may not be familiar with, Turbinado sugar. The first pressing of the sugar cane yields Turbinado sugar, which is considered to be healthier since it receives less processing than granulated sugar. One teaspoon of Turbinado sugar contains 11 calories, while granulated sugar contains 16 calories. Because of its higher levels of moister, it should be stored like brown sugar, in an airtight container. One of the most popular and easy-to-find brands of Turbinado sugar  is “Sugar In The Raw.” A fabulous use for Turbinado sugar is on crème brûlée because it melts and caramelizes easier than granulated sugar.

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We are all born for love…it is the principle of existence and its only end.
~ Disraeli

To fear love is to fear life, and those who fear life are already three parts dead.
~ Bertrand Russell, Earl Russell

Love is the master key that opens the gates of happiness.
~ Oliver Wendell Holmes

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Alex Glueckler is the winner of the bagful of my Trader Joe’s favorites! ….. “Alex, here is what you have won” (be sure to say in an excited “game show host” voice!)…

One reusable “Arizona” Trader Joe’s bag (we love being GREEN), Veggie & Flaxseed Tortilla Chips (yummy and healthy), 1 liter Extra-Virgin Olive Oil (have to have it!), 1 pint Heavy Whipping Cream (theirs’ is the best and the best bargain), Organic Blue Agave Nectar (healthier and just as tasty as honey), Roasted Piquillo Peppers (find recipes on this blog using them), TJ’s Dijon Mustard (so much better than Grey Poupon and actually made in Dijon France -unlike Grey), Light Coconut Milk (so versatile for desserts, Thai, and Caribbean cooking), Olive Tapenade Spread (good on Everything! – OK, not desserts, but Everything else!), TJ’s English Toffee (heaven on earth in a little plastic box- super scone recipe found here- use the cream for those too!), 1 pound Teeny Tiny Yellow Potatoes (oven roast them with just olive oil “I know you have that!”, salt, and pepper and thank me later!), 0% Fage Greek Yogurt (THE best fat-free yogurt known to man), and…. my all time favorite item… Frozen Crushed Garlic cubes (nothing I can say except – I love these!).

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Today I had to put my sweet dog, Tanqueray, down. He was such a love – Dave, Marissa, Connor, and I will miss him so much. Rest in Peace, beautiful Tank. xoxo

Today at 4:30 PM, a new weekday half-hour show is debuting on Channel 12 (Phoenix NBC) called Valley Dish. Host, Tram Mai, will be cooking with a chef/cook each evening. “The new local lifestyle program will spotlight the best of Arizona people, places, and pets. The cornerstone of the show will revolve around cooking up simple, creative dishes viewers can easily make at home.”

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Today I am not grocery shopping, chopping, dicing, sautéing, roasting, grilling, taking food photos, formatting those photos in Photoshop, typing a recipe, and then posting it all. Instead, I’m doing this super quick post and taking a “personal day”.  Why not? I am self-employed and yet, for whatever reason, I have been imposing this “daily blogging” rule on myself. Don’t get me wrong, I love it, love the creativity and satisfaction of it, and I do it daily, because…I love it! But I need a little rest.

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Kitchen Christmas Tree angel topper

There will be no recipe today, because if I don’t finish getting this house decorated today, well, it’s not going to happen! How it is even possible that Christmas Eve is only 10 days away, I do not know! So instead, a few pictures of the decorations I have been able to get up so far.
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