Tasty Tuesday: Spinach Pie

If you find yourself in attendance at any of my family parties, I can all but guarantee that this dish will be featured on the menu.  It's been a staple since my mother was my age.  It's a wonderful take on Spinakopita and while I haven't mastered the speed in which my mother completes it, the flavors are all there and OH. MY. GOD.  Your tastebuds die from ecstasy.

This, too, is from the Moosewood cookbook, which if haven't already picked up, you probably should.  Here, this might help.  While it may be known by other names or more official titles, in my family, it's simply known as "Peggy's Spinach Pie."

2 cups feta cheese

1 cup finely chopped onion

1 tsp oregano

5 eggs

1 lb ricotta cheese

2 lbs spinach

2 tbsp flour

1 tsp basil

1 pkg Phyllo dough

1 lb margarine or butter

1. Cook and drain spinach.  Sautee onions in 2 tbsp butter.  Mix spinach, onions, cheeses, eggs, spices.

2. Melt butter and brush bottom of 11 x 18 baking pan.

3. Carefully spread 8 layers of phyllo dough (brushing each layer with margarine/butter).  Spread half of the spinach mixture on top of the phyllo gough.  

4. Add another 8 layers (brushing each layer with butter/margarine), then top with remaining spinach mix.  

5. Top with another 8 layers of phyllo dough (once again, brushing each layer with butter/margarine), making sure the top layer is thoroughly coated as well.

6. Bake at 375F for 45 minutes.

This works GREAT as a make-ahead meal.  You can make it the night before and just bake it right before you need it.  Soooo good.  It's flaky, it's buttery, it's cheesy, and good golly the spinach and onions taste so amazing.  I'm not a big onion fan, but you can't even taste them, all you get is flavor and you can't help but close your eyes and just savor.  It's that good.

QUESTION OF THE DAY: What's your favorite make-ahead meal?  OR What's a dish that seems to be served at all of your family events?  

**I keep meaning to get a picture of this delicious display of wonder but it's usually cut into and served by the time I remember.  I promise to upload one as soon as the next family party rolls around.  We have them often, so it shouldn't be long**

Now What?

Thanks to the growing popularity of Tasty Tuesday (yay! so glad you guys like it!), a serious question has been brought to my attention: what the heck do you do with the leftover ingredients?  The most prominent example is the (exaggeration alert) ten thousand pounds of random yet delicious cheeses used in the Spinach and Artichoke dip.  Since the grocery stores have yet to figure out a way to package and sell smaller quantities of asiago and romano cheese, here are a couple options that might solve your leftover problems (and free up space in your refrigerator for next week's Tasty Tuesday creation).

Above Photo Courtesy of http://mydatinghangovers.com

Leftover Cheese:
Add it in an omelet.  I can speak from personal experience that adding a little asiago cheese to an omelet is one of the best things that has ever happened to me on a Saturday morning.

Make some delicious 'artisan' bread.  Try this recipe for Sun Dried Tomato and Asiago Cheese bread from allrecipes.com:  http://allrecipes.com/recipe/asiago-toasted-cheese-puffs/detail.aspx

Add it to your favorite pasta.  Why is everything always topped with parmesan cheese?  Why not switch it up and mix the parmesan with some asiago and sprinkle that over the carb-riddled delicacy of your choice.  Or you could take it one step further and actually put it in the pasta.  Add a couple handfulls to the ricotta in your lasagna or in a homemade vegetable ravioli.

Make a homemade Fancy Shmancy Mac 'n Cheese.  Melt the cheese with some cream, pour over cooked macaroni.  Spoon into casserole dish, sprinkle bread toppings over it.  Bake for 10-15 minutes at 325-350F.  For an added bonus, you can use the bread you removed from the boule as the topping.  Toast the chunks of bread, then put them through a food processor until you have coarse crumbs no larger than a grain of rice, sprinkle over the top of your macaroni, et voila!

Make a quesadilla.  Two tortillas with some cheese.  Done.  For added flavor, I like spread barbeque sauce on one tortilla.  Sooooo good.

Leftover Spinach Dip
There shouldn't be any.

Leftover Veggies
You've made a veggie tray because you found an awesome dip recipe (ahem: upcoming Tasty Tuesday post? Perhaps) and now you've got four pounds of fresh cut veggies to use up.  Make a stir fry.  Toss the veggies in a skillet with some olive oil and soy sauce, toss in some sesame seeds (and the meat of your choice, if desired).  Let it sautee for a while and boom.  Instant yumminess.

Make a salsa.  Dice up some peppers, throw in a couple tomatoes, add a dash of vinegar and some onions.  Boil so everything simmers and melds together.  Trust me, it's easy and yummy.  You can even get some cheap mason jars at your local hardware store and bottle it up for easy storage.

Healthy snack.  Separate the mixed veggies into smaller portion sizes and bag them up.  You have snacks to last you for a while, so when you're feeling like you want something crunchy, you reach for your pre-packaged veggies rather than the chips.

Leftover Creams
A common problem for me but easily remedied.  Make your own whipped cream.  Add some vanilla (or the flavoring of your choice) and some sugar.  Using your electric mixer on high speed, whip the cream until soft peaks form.  Nothing says light and satisfying dessert like fresh berries and homemade whipped cream.   **Soft peaks means when you turn the mixer off and raise the beaters out of the cream, the cream will follow upwards and maintain it's shape.**

Above photo courtesy of www.about.com (direct link here)

Add the cream to tomato soup and it instantly becomes a bisque.  It makes it creamier and, quite frankly, just plan yummier.  You can use the cream as a base to tons of soup recipes.  

Make your own butter.  No, I'm not kidding and yes it's incredibly easy.  Put two cups of heavy cream and 1/4 tsp of salt (optional, it adds flavor but it's not vital) into a blender or food processor.  Let the cream "churn" for 10 minutes or until it starts to separate.  Pour out the liquid, then press the butter into a container with the back of a spoon to push out even more liquid.  If you're feeling fancy, you can add a little bit of honey before you pack it into the container.  Stir well, then pack as normal.  You've just made honeybutter, which tastes great on an english muffin or a biscuit.

The options for leftovers are endless.  It's just about using your imagination.  If a recipe you try doesn't come out well, don't just shove it off and never try it again.  Think about what you didn't like and what you could change to make it more to your tastes.  That's the fun part of cooking: everything is an experiment.  

Question of the Day:  What's your favorite leftover recipe?

Remembering Means Honoring

I typically don't post things like this, but there's just been so much negativity, I can't really keep my mouth shut.

This day, ten years ago, was a very big deal.  There's no sense in ignoring it.  Whining and quibbling about the abundance of coverage marking the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks is more than just a little rude.  Regardless of how you feel about the country's handling of the aftermath, thousands of people died that day.  When you make comments degrading the coverage or blatantly state you're ignoring the day's meaning, you're basically throwing a giant pile of garbage on the memories of those people.  If you're so gung-ho about not participating in any activity to memorialize the 10th anniversary of September 11th, then just go about your business as normal.  There's no need to make any remarks or derragatory comments.  Let those who choose to participate honor the fallen in their own way.  Yes, some will take it to the extreme but so what?  How does that impact you?  Does it impede your life so much that you have to make it your facebook status?  I'm guessing no.

I'm not exactly the hugest supporter of war or any of former President Bush's tactics (weapons of mass destruction, anyone?), but I do support those men and women who choose to serve their country and fight.  Plenty of my friends are members of various military branches and I support the efforts they make to maintain my rights and my freedoms.  I support the fact that they willingly put their lives on the line to make sure the world knows America is a force to be reckoned with.

Those who choose to honor the memories of the soldiers, firemen, police officers, and every day men and women who lost their lives because of what happened that day, let them.  Whether you choose to acknowledge it or not, what happened 10 years ago changed our country forever.

Tasty Tuesday: The Best Cheesecake You'll Ever Eat

Despite my love of making them, I've never really been a big fan of cake.  While I enjoy the creativity involved of making and enhancing flavors beyond basic chocolate and rudimentary vanilla, the fun stops there.  Cheesecake, however, has always been the dessert that I go to when my tastebuds need some happiness.  The variations are endless (Turtle cheesecake is a delight, as long as you don't have any sort of nut allergy).  There's one restaurant in town that serves a Vanilla Bean cheesecake that, no matter how full I am, it always makes its way into my meal choice.  But even that one, on its best day, pales in comparison to the cheesecake my mother makes.

One day I asked my mother where she got the amazing recipe and she said it was a wedding present.  Before she and my father got married, someone gave her the Moosewood Cookbook.  I'm sure 30+ years ago, it was in much better shape, but even without the cover or binding, even with the butter and oil stains, the dried dough particles marring random pages and forming a primitive adhesive, that book is her go-to bible for all things culinary.

And with that, I share THE Best Cheesecake You'll Ever Eat:

Crust

Crumbs from 16 graham crackers

1/2 stick butter

1 tbsp honey

1 tbsp flour

Filling

16 oz cream cheese

1/3 cup sugar

4 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 lemon (juice and grated rind)

Topping:

1 pint sour cream

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 375F.  Mush up graham cracker crumbs, butter, honey, and flour with fingers and press firmly into bottom of spring form pan.

2. Blend the cream cheese, 1/3 cup sugar, eggs, 1 tsp vanilla, and lemon until smooth and creamy.  Pour on top of crust and bake for 25 minutes.  Allow to cool completely.

3. Blend sour cream, 1/2 cup sugar, and 1 tsp vanilla.  Pour on top of cooled filling and bake for 5-8 minutes.

4. Cheesecake must set in refrigerator for AT LEAST 12 hours before it will be firm enough to slice well.  If you get impatient and cut before it is completely set, the top will be runny.

**Disclaimer: neither Eugene nor her mother came up with this recipe.  It came direct from the Moosewood Cookbook, available for sale here and other retailers.**

Blasts from the Past

Found one of my first blogs and came across these magnificent paragons (hello GRE flash cards):

Keep in mind these were from three years ago when I was working in a restaurant.

Love and such,

Eugene

Detox or Faux-tox?

There's been so much talk about "detox diets" that one can't help but be slightly curious.  Beyonce Knowles lost 20 pounds on the Master Cleanse detox diet for her role in "Dreamgirls," the sisters Duff (Hilary and Hailey) swear by it.  But the idea of willingly ingesting nothing but lemon juice and water flavored with cayenne pepper for a week just doesn't seem that appealing...or healthy.  People talk about the incredible results you get from this wonder diet.  Well, you're starving yourself for a week, if not longer, so I would be floored if you didn't lose any weight at all.  What they don't talk about is how this is NOT, I repeat NOT, a diet.  It is a detox.  So when you come off the detox and start eating food again, you gain at least half of the weight back.  And if you're a binge-eating defeatist, chances are you'll gain all of it back and be right back where you started from.

Having vented to my mother about my dissatisfaction with my weight and appearance, and then, mistakingly, bringing up the aforementioned detox wonder diet, she hopped into fretting mother mode and made me swear never to try it because it was ridiculously unhealthy.  I had to laugh and walk away because, as I'm sure you are already aware, you can't really talk with moms when they're in "the zone."  A few minutes later she apologized for getting so "uppity" as she called it, and then told me about this new juice detox diet.  It's the same basic concept as the Master Cleanse except for one key factor: you're not starving yourself to see the results of a clean system.  You're getting the vitamins, proteins, and nutrients your body needs to not only survive, but more importantly, what your body needs to thrive.  It's called the Martha's Vineyard Detox Diet, and it promises 21 pounds in 21 days.  Well, we'll see, I guess.

My mother and I are going to be starting it soon, and while, yes I'm not the typical person who goes on these sorts of diet (I'm 24, five foot nothing, and only about 7-10 pounds over what I would like to be), and while I get a lot of grief from people (my mother, my boyfriend, my friends who weigh a bit more than  I do) when I say that I need to lose weight, it's something that I'm not happy with.  And since I'm not about to go under the knife for some lipo anytime soon, this seems to be the happy alternative.  I'm not looking for a quick fix.  I want to be healthy and eat what I should be eating.  Now, that being said, I do go to the gym 5-6 days a week.  I do at least 30 minutes on the treadmill, reaching about 2-4 miles each time, burning anywhere from 200-500 calories.  I do a series of ab workouts every other day.  I don't eat fast food, I love vegetables, and we only eat organic foods.  So my frustration comes from the fact that no matter what I do, I can't seem to lose these 10 pounds and it's driving me insane.  I've had issues with eating disorders before and I'm trying to get over that.  I'm hoping that if I document this diet, unsightly pictures and all, that the proof will be in the pudding and I can really see the progress I'm making.

So, with all that said, let's start preparing and see what this baby can do!

MONDAY, JULY 21, 2008

Growing Up Doesn't Have to Mean Growing Apart

It's been over two years since we've been in college, and almost a year since my last visit to said college, and suffice it to say that a lot has happened in the time between then and now.  There have been births, deaths, weddings, road trips, drunken stupors, job changes, relocations, and just about everything else.  And while some may say that I've been avoiding the 'real world,' I'd like to think that I've just been following my own path to happiness.  I've been criticized by just about everyone for not facing reality and trying to maintain some air of irresponsibility.  But, while they've been criticizing, I've been building my life.  I've found the one person I want to be with for the rest of my life, I've been making new friends that I can rely on and depend on, and I've finally found a job that makes me happy (both professionally and personally).  So when the time came to celebrate this new chapter in my life, I thought those who have encouraged me for the past six years would be the first ones to congratulate me.  I was wrong.  The very same people who chastised me for not "acting my age" were the ones who isolated themselves because they didn't approve of my new friends.  While you were off getting drunk, yet again, and delaying the inevitable first 'real' job, I was making a life for myself.  I have a real life and you don't.  For the first time in our friendship, I was seriously disappointed in you.  And for the first time in our friendship, I've reached a point of maturity you have yet to discover.  I'm trying not to hold it against you, I'm trying not to revert to "how dare you" and "i can't talk to you" and I'm trying to rise above.  But you did not make it easy.

These people may not fit your mould of what my friend should be like, but I enjoy their company.  They make me laugh, they include me in their jokes, and I can call on them in almost the same way that I used to be able to call on you.  This is my life and I like it.  Just because you don't get it, doesn't mean it isn't right for me.  And how dare you make me think otherwise.

The Bucket List

I'm sure that everyone at some point or another has made a list of things they want to do in their life.  Backpack through Europe, learn another language, go skydiving, etc.  I made my first list when I was 15, then another one at 18, right before I left for college.  The lists were usually made in journals, or in notebooks that should have been dedicated solely towards literature class notes.  In the midst of some spring cleaning, I came across these lists, sadly noting that I had not accomplished as much of them as I would have hoped.  So, as my therapist says, making yourself accountable for your actions requires a little help sometimes.  And with that in mind, I feel that if I put my goals out into the world, I'm somewhat forced to take some action, otherwise, I'll be all talk, which is something I fear I'm becoming.  That said....here we go.

1. Learn to play the guitar

2. Learn Italian

3. Learn Spanish

4. Go skydiving

5. Act in a full-length play

6. Learn to drive a standard

7. Read at least two books a month

8. Volunteer at an animal shelter

9. Learn to play the piano

10. Learn to play the violin

11. Get married in my backyard

12. Go to pastry school

13. Go to culinary school

14. Travel through Europe

15. Travel through Asia

16. Travel through Australia

17. Travel through South America

18. Travel through Canada

19. Drive cross country

20. Watch AFI's Top 100 Films

21. Start my own business

22. Sing Karaoke

22. Watch the entire series of Sex & the City

23. Live on my own

24. Run a marathon

25. Throw a New Years Eve party

The rest to be determined at a later time...

TUESDAY, JUNE 17, 2008

You'll Sit There and You'll Like It

Is it me, or have people just started to suck a lot lately?  Maybe I'm just upset because, as previously blogged, my post-collegiate life isn't everything I hoped it would be.  Or maybe I'm projecting my fear of reaching the mid-20s onto unsuspecting people who have no connection to my life whatsoever.  Or maybe I'm just bitter because they get to enjoy fine, quality seafood and I get to stand around for ten hours, covered in ketchup and clam juice, sweating like Rosie O'Donnell when she wakes up in the middle of the night and realizes she's just a big, scary lesbian with little to no fame at all.  Whatever the reason, I've noticed an influx of baby-boomers and the slightly younger yuppie generation who really just, honest to blog, suck at life.

When you go out to eat, you're basically saying to the world, "I don't feel like cooking tonight.  I want to treat myself to a nice meal and just enjoy my evening."  Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't that imply you should be in a good mood?  Shouldn't you be projecting an air of happiness out into the world?  I don't expect rainbows to miraculously start shining out of your ass, but I would think, at the very least, a smile would be visible.  So why is it that every other person or couple who comes into the restaurant I work in seem to have the worst case of hemorrhoids ever.  They walk in like their anus is bleeding and I have the magic cream and some latex gloves.  Oh here, let me rub that on there for you.  How's that feel?  Better?  Oh nay nay, my little maggots, that is NOT my job.

I have the lucky task of showing these muff-chomping ingrates to their table, and then, the real fun begins.  It starts out like any normal relationship--with a pleasant greeting, a smile, and usually, a slight tilt of the head.  "Hi, how are you?"  If they respond and then ask how I am, it's usually a good sign.  Of course, working in the heart of a tourist town, getting any sort of acknowledgement of my humanity is slim, at best.  People are too wrapped up in their own pathetic, dreary lives to even realize that when you go out to eat, you're actually going to someone else's office.  Once we've established how many are in their party, and they've debated a good twenty minutes on whether or not they want to eat outside, and then another ten to thirteen minutes on sitting in the sun versus sitting in the shade, I offer them the actual table they're going to be sitting at.

Then comes the first fight in our relationship.  It's awkward and weird, and you're not really sure how far to push the boundaries.  You try to keep it civil and polite because you're really not trying to be mean, you're just trying to explain that you're doing all you can and you really do care about them and their well-being.  But do they acknowledge that?  Of course not.  Apparently, the whole world revolves around them and their crunchy hair (hi, yeah, the 80s are gone and they were ridiculous while they were here, that's why Vh1 made a nine hour special dedicated solely to mocking the stupidity of their fashion trends and hairstyles).  The table I bring them to isn't the one they picked out during their three second stroll to the hostess podium.  Explaining why I don't have that particular table available when it's empty and all set up is a tricky thing.  Basically, when I'm telling you it's not available, it means I just sat three tables in that server's section and I'm trying to give them a break.  Hey genius, there's a reason I didn't put you at that table in the first place.  Think about it.  I know it hurts and you can't really juggle walking AND thinking at the same time, god forbid we throw in a little gum chewing and a hair flip.  Sit in the stupid chair, take the damn menu, and leave me alone.

Once they've finally settled in and I've explained, slowly and using small words, that the specials are on their table and the wine list is in the back of their menus, my job should be done.  I should just head back to my podium, mark down which table they finally ended up at, and then wait for the next group of teet-suckling jerkoffs to show up.  But no.  Oh no.  After waiting all of about twenty-seven seconds, they decide it's too cold to sit outside, they'd like to move inside, but not near the windows because it will be too sunny, and not near the door because it will be too breezy.  But not around the corner away from the breeze and the door because there's no view.  Ok.  Look around, dillweed.  Although we make incredible use of the space by cramming in as many tables as we can, it's not a very large restaurant.  You tell me, given your criteria, where you think you should sit, because no matter where I put you, you're going to point out at least four other tables that you think would be better, and then we're just going to have to repeat the first fight all over again.  And then, for the nine millionth time, I'm going to have to explain to the intellectually incapable that they can't give me their drink orders because I'm not their server.  I'm the hostess.  I'm the chick who tries to tell you where to sit.  Your server is the one wearing all black and carrying a tray of waters towards your table.  Talk to them about getting a Box O' Wine on over to your table right quick.  

I roll my eyes as I walk away, apologizing to the waitstaff for giving you to them, and mutter something about you probably being from Connecticut.

TUESDAY, APRIL 1, 2008

Don't fill up on idealism, kids, leave room for dessert.

From the very beginning of our academic career, we're given necessary goals to achieve.  In the younger grades, we learn to color in the lines, then to read and write.  As we progress through middle school, our main goal is to get to high school with as little embarrassment as humanly possible.  Then, we struggle through the next four years just to graduate and make it to college.  We're told that without a college degree, the likelihood of succeeding in today's world is minimal at best.  The four years of college (give or take a few semesters) prepare us for.....what exactly?  A return to the thankless minimum wage jobs we held in summers between school?

My college years were spent pursuing a degree, I was told, would help me "change the world."  I mean, correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't my generation the one who's going to solve all the problems the baby boomers created and GenX ignored?  But how, may I ask, are we to do that if we're not getting hired?  After the joy of graduation and a completed education had subsided, the harsh reality set in.  Hundreds of resumes were sent out, each receiving the same response, "We appreciate your interest in our company, however at this time, you do not possess the necessary experience to fill [insert desired position here]."  Ok, let me ask the obvious.  How can I gain the necessary experience if no one will hire me?  

The post-collegiate idealism has all but faded into oblivion and we succumb to the nauseating realization that we must return to the retail and food service businesses we thought we triumphantly left behind.  We smile grimly and say, "Hi, how're you doing today," knowing full well the answer we receive will be nothing more than a "Fine," without even the courtesy of making eye contact.  But what's the alternative?  Sitting in an over-air conditioned office, wearing less than comfortable 'business casual' attire, referring fellow employees to the latest memo on inter-office fraternization?  Clearly, the fervent encouragement of our responsibilities as 'young adults' was misleading.  We admit defeat, hang our heads in shame, and file in line at the copier, debating whether or not onyx is the appropriate shade of black for our resume.  

"Thanks for coming.  Have a great day."

Tasty Tuesday: Margarita Pizza on a Honey-Wheat Crust

I'm a pizza fan.  I love the concept of it: hot, melted cheese on top of deliciously crispy dough.  I love the execution of it: the smell of the sauce permeating my kitchen as its cooking time dwindles down.  I love the versatility: you can put ANYTHING on a circle of dough and call it pizza and chances are, it will taste amazing.

One of the biggest catalysts for creativity lies within the abundance of choices for toppings.  But for me, I think the true test of culinary ingenuity is found in the crust.  I don't care how delicious the plethora of toppings you chose are, if that crust is burnt, I'm not eating it.  

Most places you go do the standard yeast-water-flour combo, which is fine, it serves its purpose.  But when I found this delightful sweetened take on the traditional whole wheat crust, I was floored.  It was so simple but it tasted sooooo good.  It didn't overpower the rest of the flavors in the pizza but it didn't fade into the background either, complacent enough to just peacefully coexist.  It seemed like the two competing sides, the crust and the toppings, had somehow formed a symbiotic relationship, bringing the other to its richest offering.  Suffice it to say, I was quite the happy little pizza maker.

So, to honor our Tasty Tuesday (even though it's Wednesday), I give you my favorite pizza to make (and eat) with a much more delicious crust.

(and yes, if you're going to make pizza, you HAVE to make your own dough too, it's just good practice)

Margarita Pizza on a Honey-Wheat Crust

1 (.25 oz) pkg active dry yeast

1 cup warm water

2 cups whole wheat flour

1/4 cup wheat germ

1 tsp salt (I usually leave this out since family members are on low-sodium diets)

1 1/2 tbsp honey (you can lower or increase this to suit your tastes)

16 oz fresh mozarella, thinly sliced

5-6 fresh tomatoes, thinly sliced

1. Mix yeast with warm water, let sit for 10 minutes.  In a large bowl, combine flour, wheat germ, and salt.  Make a well in the middle and add the honey.  Then add the yeast mixture.  Stir well to combine.  Form dough into a ball, cover bowl with plastic wrap, then set aside until it doubles in size.

2. Preheat oven to 350F.  Punch dough down, then knead for 2-3 minutes.  Roll out onto floured surface until it's about 1/4 inch thick.  Using a fork, perforate the dough in a few sections to give allow air to flow through (prevents those giant bubbles, and allows for even cooking).

3. Alternate tomato and cheese, overlapping each other, to top the dough.  Drizzle with a little olive oil, sprinkle fresh chopped basil (if you want).

4. Place either on a regular baking sheet or (if you have one) a pizza stone that has been sprinkled with cornmeal.  Cook for 8-10 minutes.

And Voila!  Yumminess has been achieved.

Temporary Shift

due to technical difficulties...or the simple fact that my computer and all my recipes and pictures are sitting in the repair office of my local apple repair shop, tasty tuesday has been temporarily moved to wow thats yummy wednesday.

i promise its worth it.  and please excuse the horrible punctuation. blogger doesnt like my droid.

Tasty Tuesday - Spinach and Artichoke Dip

Here at the Diaries of Eugene, we love sharing.  And by we, I mean the singularly solo person who writes this blog and posts adorable pictures on tumblr (shameless plug alert).  One of the things I really love sharing is recipes.  If I have something incredibly yummy, whether at a friend's house or at a restaurant, I immediately have to have the recipe and will probably go home that night and try to recreate it.  It's a compulsion that I just can't (and quite frankly don't want to) stop.

With that in mind, I'd like to share one of my favorite, and most requested, recipes.  It's the famous Spinach and Artichoke dip recipe.  It's a combination of a couple different recipes that I found online (allrecipes.com) and one that my aunt made.  While all the recipes I tried were good, there was always something missing or just slightly off from making them GREAT.  It took me two years to finally get the right combination of ingredients and voila!  Perfection has been achieved.

Eugene's Spinach & Artichoke Dip
10 oz pkg chopped frozen spinach, cooked and cooled
13 oz can artichoke hearts, roughly chopped
4 oz can diced green chiles
1/2 pint heavy cream
8 oz sour cream
1/2 cup asiago cheese
1/4 cup romano cheese
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1/3 cup mozzarella cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.  Lightly coat 13x9 inch baking pan with a non-stick spray.
2. Cook the spinach as normal, let it cool.  Take small handfuls and squeeze out the extra water.
3. Roughly chop the artichokes, then add to the spinach.
4. Add in the chiles, heavy cream, sour cream, asiago, romano, and parmesan cheeses, then stir until thoroughly until well-combined.
5. Spread evenly into prepared pan, then sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top.
6. Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes.  Stir and serve immediately.

For me, it's all about presentation, which I why I'm a big fan of the bread boule.  Slice off the top, hollow out the boule, toast it and the top in the oven until just before crispy, then let it sit out so it hardens.  Not only does it make for easy clean-up, but when you bring out a boule into a roomful of hungry party people and remove the top top to reveal a delicious pile of awesomeness...I believe the "Glee" kids call it "Theatricality."  To put it simply, that's a big, giant win right there.

What's your favorite recipe?  Why?  How did you come to find it?

*I know it's not a great picture but the dip is usually gone before I can actually take a good photo of it.

Can This Just Be Mine?

When you meet new people, one of the first natural inclinations is to ask about their hobbies, what they like to do for fun, their social habits.  I jokingly tell people I'm an old lady because the things I like to do are akin to the habits of the blue-haired beauties you see at the pharmacy counter every Wednesday afternoon. I like to knit and crochet, I scrapbook with pizazz, I watch "Wheel of Fortune" and "Jeopardy," and I like to bake.  These are things I like to do for me.  The fact that most of these hobbies (television programs not withstanding) usually result in a product that benefits someone else as well, that's just an added bonus.

I gave almost all of my cousins hats and scarves for Christmas last year (still working on Devon's blanket, my goal is to have it done by December 23rd).  It gave me something to do instead of staring at my phone and email inbox, impatiently waiting for job interview requests that I knew would never come.

I have made a scrapbook for every year of college (and I actually might finish my senior year by the end of summer...five years after graduation).  It's fun to look back and see photos not just haphazardly shoved behind a piece of plastic, but arranged with flare and decorative purpose atop of colorful background.  Because of this natural inclination towards unnecessary paper accessories (and a whole lot of time on my hands), a friend asked if I could turn her wedding guest book into a scrapbook, something she might actually look at more than once after her actual wedding day.  I accepted the challenge, with enthusiasm and excitement, of course.

I started baking because Food Network made it seem so fun (and easy).  One thing that I loved most about it was you had to be precise.  Everything had to be measured out otherwise your cake will fall, your dough won't rise, or your cookies will taste like molasses instead of gingerbread.  You can't force your dough to rise before it's ready.  Cook the bread at too high a temperature because you think it'll cut the baking time in half, and you end up with a loaf of hard, burnt, charcoal.  Yuck.  You have to take your time, it forces you to relax, breathe, and just enjoy the process of turning many seemingly innocuous ingredients into one delicious piece of flavorful comfort.  And because of the joy I take in this, and I guess a modicum of talent, my cousin asked me to make the cake for her wedding day.  No pressure.  While I wasn't entirely pleased with the final product, my cousin and her (now) husband were overjoyed.  I don't think I'll ever forget the look on my new cousin-in-law's face as I showed them their cake, the pastillage toppers I made to represent them, and the porcelain figurine (bearing an uncanny resemblance to their puppy) that was theirs to keep.

But if this last forray into the world of pastry arts has taught me anything, it's that I would not last one day in a professional cake baking/decorating setting.  While I will be more than happy to offer my cake-making services to anyone who asks, it's something I do for me.  Taking that pure love of a craft and turning it into a money-making task would ruin it for me.  I wouldn't find the fun in it anymore.  I wouldn't get excited by my finished product.  I'd just box it up, push it aside, and start on the next one, like an assembly line automaton.

Which brings me to the Question of the Day: If you love something and/or you're good at it, does that mean you should/would make it your job?

Oh Come On, It's Not THAT Bad

I think today qualifies as a big giant poop stain on my week.  My car is STILL in the shop despite being told at 11am that it would be ready in an hour.  My computer is hanging out in the back of a store, waiting impatiently to be fixed because it somehow fell off my bed in the middle of the night.  While it turns on and works just fine, the casing is precariously clinging to only three of the four corners of the screen.  My family have all left the area, leaving me by myself, singularly alone.  Work was, to put it simply, four hours entirely devoid of reason and sanity.  I spent the hour immediately following the end of my work day eating my feelings and, quite frankly, I don't feel guilty about it. 

Since I was using a borrowed car and my brother was originally going to take my car camping, he is now taking my borrowed car and I'm left without transport.  Thankfully, my family has stepped up, as they always do, and made sure I knew they had my back.  Hopefully, my car will be fixed and ready to go tomorrow morning, my computer will be an easy and cheap fix and will find her way back into my life by the weekend, and my family enjoys their respective vacations (none of which I am a part of).

A day like this sends me directly over the edge, clinging to whatever semblance of normality I can get my hands on.  But I have to remind myself, it's not really that bad.  I've had conversations with several friends recently who are dealing with much bigger issues.  While the combined trifecta of no car, no computer, no family may feel like too much to handle, Car RamRod will eventually get fixed.  My Dear Prudence computer will eventually be repaired.  And my family will eventually come back home.  Work will probably always be a little crazy, but some of my coworkers feel my pain and rise above and beyond what they should ever be asked to do.  I will eventually find my sanity.

It will, eventually, be ok.  In the meantime, there's wine and beer and the anticipation of the new season of "Dexter."