Happy Fourth of July!

This fourth of July my friends Suzanne, Tracey, Mary E, Ben, Tyler, Katie, Jared, Clifford, and I went swimming Ben's house. His family was very generous to let us all come over and swim at their house (and eat their boiled peanuts)! The picture above is of Mary E and Ben at Clifford's house where we went for a cookout after we swam and cleaned up before the fireworks that evening.



Clifford and Brent (who joined us for the cooking out) grilling like men for all of us. The food was DELICIOUS !



For dessert, Suzanne and I made a flag cake with a white sheet cake layered with strawberries and with blueberries as the stars (there were more like 60 "stars" as Tracey informed us).



We went to our church lawn to watch the fireworks that were shot from the park a little down the road from the church. They were very pretty considering our small town.


(Pictured above left to right: Clifford, Suzanne, and Tracey)
To finish off our weekend, I made a rosemary roasted chicken, mashed potatoes, rolls, and butter beans for Sunday lunch after church. Sadly, the chicken was a little overcooked because church went a little long this week and so the over just kept 'acookin'. We had left over cake and some decaf coffee to finish it off. This was a very nice weekend!

Blueberry Pancakes

Blueberry Pancakes

Ingredients

• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 stick butter or margarine, melted and cooled
• Approximately 1 cup whole milk (I used buttermilk instead)
  
• 1 cup fresh or thawed and drained frozen blueberries (about 8 per pancake)
• Vegetable oil or butter, for cooking
• Serving suggestion: maple syrup and additional butter

Directions

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. In a medium bowl, lightly beat the eggs then whisk them into the flour mixture. Combine the butter and 1 cup of milk in the medium bowl then gradually whisk this mixture into the batter. The batter should be slightly thicker than heavy cream. It the batter is too thick, add a little more milk.

Heat a seasoned griddle or a large heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat. If the pan is not well seasoned, add a little oil to prevent the pancakes from sticking. Spoon or pour about 3 tablespoons of batter onto the griddle to form a pancake. Repeat forming only as many pancakes as can fit on the griddle with 1-inch or so of space around each. Drop 7 or 8 blueberries on each pancake. Cook until bubbles form on the pancake surfaces then flip and continue cooking until the second sides are golden, about 3 minutes longer. (Recipe from Rachel Ray's $40 a Day in Portland, OR)

Blueberry Reduction

Ingredients
1/2 c. white Zinfandel
1/4 c. sugar
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
3/4 c. fresh blueberries (smashed or blended with a little juice)

Directions
Bring wine and vinegar to a boil. Add sugar and turn heat down so that the sugar melts down. Add smashed or blended blueberries and stir and simmer.

I made these this morning and would have taken more pictures along the way but I was pressed for time. I topped mine with a little butter so that it would melt on top while the pancakes were piping hot and then poured the blueberry reduction sauce over the top of it. These are DELISH and taste even better with a cup of french press coffee and a glass of cold orange juice.

Yummy Food, Tex Mex Omelet

Here are the ingredients you will need: turkey bacon, Mrs. Dash chipotle seasoning, eggs, cheddar cheese, milk, jalapeno, black pepper, tomatoes, and corn (if I had black beans I think I would add them too...oh, and diced green onion!).

First, cook the bacon and chop it into little strips. Then, dice the jalapeno (I use only half and cut out the seeds), add the seasonings, crack the eggs, pour in a slash of milk, and all of the other veggies. Scramble them really well, being careful not to whip the eggs too much and mix the vegetables in really well.


I pour the omelet mixture into the pan that I just cooked the turkey bacon in so that it is already "buttered" aka "greased" and cook it, flip it, cook the other side.

Flip it onto your plate and top with a good handful of cheddar cheese and a dollop of sour cream. I sliced a kiwi to go along side it to cool off the spice and had a nice glass of Simply Orange Juice. It was very delicious! You should try this recipe. You can switch out any of the ingredients or add more. Let me know what you think!

Attempting to be a domestic diva

A few things that I don't think I can live without any longer:Jadeite bowls on sale at etsy.com here. No house should be without pretty china of some kind, whether it is super-casual or something as gorgeous as this jadeite which I am considering taking out loans to buy a lifetime supply of for my house.
Mercury glass candlesticks also on sale at etsy, they can be found here. Simplest fabulous centerpiece possible, candlesticks with pretty tapered candles and pretty table linens, particularly if they are mercury glass and fabulous like these!
I can't explain how much I love this....I think I might cry. I wish I could have this Le Creuset cookware!!! It is impossibly beautiful and can you imagine how fun it would be to cook with this stuff?!
must....have....dress... Cinched waist, 'nuf said.
If you haven't ever smelled a cake candle, then you are truly missing out! This is one tip that I just have to share with my friends who maybe don't have a domestic bone in their bodies. I am admittedly not the best in the world at being a "domestic diva", but I am striving to be one! Nothing makes a dinner party, small get together, or just a regular night feel special, warm, and inviting quite like a pleasant smelling candle. I don't know about you but a really flowery smelling candle can be choking and rather than replacing unpleasant scents with lovely ones they can seem to mask the odor by adding to it.
If you get a cake candle suited for the season (such as this lemon delight for summer, or cinnamon orange for fall/winter) light it about fifteen minutes before company arrives, your house will smell inviting and delicious making people feel at ease. People generally appreciate the little things that let them know that you thought a little extra for them, it's not a fussy detail but it is something that adds that little extra attention that really matters.

This was a little scattered and maybe not as domestic as I had originally planned. My mind is all over the place tonight. I'll be posting a picture and follow up post about my tomatoes (I know you're on the edge of your seat for that one!) because I have one tiny baby green tomato and I plan to nurture it to adulthood, can't wait!

Fried Green Tomatoes and Basil

Ok, so this isn't a recipe for fried green tomatoes and basil. I bought a patio tomato and a small basil plant to keep in terracotta pots on my back patio (had to move them to the ground to maximize sunshine time). It's very exciting to have plants growing and I can't wait to get to cook with them and eat the "fruits of my labor" so to speak.
I'm afraid that in this heat (the heat index has reached 120 here!!!) they will fry on the plant before I can even get any ripe tomatoes...but here's hoping they'll make it and I'll be able to update you with some beautiful, plump red tomatoes! However, my thumb is usually not so green, any tips?
I also would like to add that this basil smells sooo good it's all I can do not to gobble it up as it grows!

My Snuggle Buddy

Doesn't she makes the cutest and cuddliest pillow you've ever seen?! "The Tato" doing what she does best.

Green Eggs and Lobster

On the occasion of Father's Day Mama and I made a big fancy meal for Daddy. We got lobster tails for each of us and grilled them on the Big Green Egg grill along with a small steak for each of us and happily for us, the lobster tails and steak were on special at Publix. We also steamed some asparagus, sliced some tomatoes, baked potatoes, and toasted some bread. It was SO yummy! We also had some white wine (is that allowed when you're also having steak?) The whole meal was very delicious and we celebrated in style! Sadly, Daddy grilled his own lobster tails and steak on Father's Day but Mama and I didn't exactly know what to do as far as getting that giant grill going.

I gave Daddy two pieces of my pottery that I got back from my class for his Father's Day gift and he seemed to really like them! It was a good day, one of celebration! We celebrated Father's Day and then Sara Jane came home from Trinidad!!! Check her blog for details of the trip they should be coming soon along with some excellent pictures.