Dinner With A View

What a treat to be in a special place with the Hubby for a long weekend, make some new friends, listen to fabulous jazz artists, who we got to meet “up close” at the Artist’s Q & A session, AND, as if that wasn’t enough – to be surrounded by the totally impressive grounds of the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, CO.

Now is the time to plan for the April 2014 ”Earl Klugh Week-End of Jazz,” which is (can you believe this??) almost sold out already. Make that call today, and we can all meet there next April. Fun!!

Since Saturday’s concert featuring Earl Klugh ( be sure you open this link and listen to the fabulous music that plays) and then Take 6 started at 8 pm, we knew that dinner pre-concert was a must. Lucky for us, we scored a reservation at 6pm at Charles Court restaurant.  Even more fun was that we met some super folks,  (Belinda and Bob) who just happened to be staying in The Cottages – two doors down from us – who had reservations at 6:15 pm. (Say “Hi” to Bob and Belinda!)

Why, Yes! - we made plans to all sit together for dinner.

How about a table, outside in the perfect Spring weather, with a calming view of Cheyenne Lake? Did I mention the swan who glided so gracefully across the lake? Or the sight of the lights as they softly warmed the evening’s glow? Ahhh…..sounds good, eh?

Of course, what’s not to love about a pre-dinner specialty cocktail? Hubby and Bob had the Smokin’ Peach..and Belinda and I had this vision of cocktail-ness…oops, forgot its’ name….

 

For a taste of what was on our plates, just take a look.

Mouth-watering for each of us. Now off to the show!

Don’t Fear The Tofu!!

When tofu is mentioned, some people just give me an “it is icky” kinda look…scrunch up their nose…and say “but it has no taste”.

People - You Know Who You Are! 

This recipe is ideal for All Of You. It combines the best traits of a week-night meal:

1. Quick
2. Tasty
3. Healthy
4. Inexpensive

Plus, you probably have all of the items in your pantry and fridge. Just need that one elusive ingredient – tofu!

Using firm tofu from Whole Foods, we drained it, then used paper towels to dry it thoroughly prior to cutting.

Beat the egg…mixed together the dry ingredients….and Presto! – ready to cook.

While this simple prep is happening, open a jar of marinara and heat on the stovetop.

While the tofu got it’s brown on, we popped open a bag of fresh haricot verts from Costco, added a bit of water to a bowl, placed the beans in the bowl, and covered it with plastic wrap. In the microwave it went, and 4 minutes later beans are ready. Drain, plate, and sprinkle slivered almonds on top and a drizzle of EVOO – Can you say “side dish” in 5 minutes or less?

Here’s the final result – Rachel Ray has nothing on this 13 Minute Meal! LOL!

Thanks to my friend Liuba, at the Unwind Cooking blog, for the great idea and recipe for Tofu Parmigiana with Marinara Sauce. This one will be a Repeat for us. Hope you like it, too!

Fundraiser Fun at Olde Blind Dog Irish Pub

As part of North Fulton Community Charity’s (NFCC) “Have A Heart” fundraisers, Olde Blind Dog Irish Pub hosted an event. Much fun was had by all, indeed!

We dropped in with our friends, David and Rochelle, around 8pm and the crowd was amazing.

 Executive Director, Barbara Duffy, was there enjoying the fun with friends.

Knowing that a percentage of sales went to NFCC made it a worthy cause, for sure - seeing all of the people who chose to come by in support of the event was outstanding.

Vonda Malbrough is to be commended for her efforts in raising the community’s awareness of NFCC through the coordination of such fun fundraising events. Thanks for a good time!

Leftover Buttermilk Was Calling My Name

Do you find that sometimes ingredients in your house seem to beg to be used to their full potential? This is what happened to me and that partially used container of buttermilk in the ‘fridge.

Remember those Nutty Muffins that we made a few days back? Well, there was just enough buttermilk leftover that I would have felt guilty to  just watch it glug glug glug disappear down the disposal..know what I mean?

So, what’s a girl to do, but whip out the new Cooking Light magazine and discover a healthy recipe for Fluffy Buttermilk Drop Biscuits - that just happens to use the exact amount of buttermilk that yours truly has on hand.

Serendipity? You might say that. Plus, they were darn good, really quick, and no rolling involved. My kinda breakfast!

Nutty and Nutritious Banana Muffins

Bananas always seem to disappear before they are ripe enough for us to actually cook with them. So when there were 2 overly ripe ones just waiting for the right recipe to come along, that recipe did indeed appear.

Cleveland Clinic has a “Daily Dose” newsletter (you can sign up here) that has really great healthy recipes – recipes that are both tasty and unique in use of ingredients. For instance, these Nutty Banana Muffins include ground chia seeds.

The muffins have just enough sweetness to satisfy your sweet tooth.

We enjoyed them warm from the oven, with a small dollop of non-fat Greek yogurt and a sprinkling of fresh (frozen) cranberries.

(FYI - We did not have white grape juice concentrate, so Greek yogurt was substituted. Just added enough to keep the batter thick yet moist. Also added some Craisins.)

Hope you enjoy these soon!

Alpharetta Community Garden “Opening Work Day”

Last Saturday brought beautiful (if not a bit chilly) weather for Saturday’s “Opening Work Day” at the Alpharetta Community Garden. These little ladies, dressed in pink, were there to jump right in!

And much work was done by all who attended.

 

New members received a warm welcome,

Planting beds were cleared of last year’s growth, grass was mowed,

Mulch was applied to insulate newly planted beds, and errant weeds were pulled – all to make way for the new season’s transplants, just waiting to be planted.

Warm weather will soon be on order each and every day here, so this refreshingly cool day was enjoyed by those of us who know that soon, very soon….Spring will allow Summer to take over. With it comes those hot, dry days that will encourage the season’s crops to dig in deep and produce the tasty results that we all are looking forward to enjoying later in the season.

Let’s say “Hello” to those eager gardeners, who once again tamed those weeds!

Thanks for your hard work, happy smiles, and shared knowledge.

Now, it’s up to those transplants to grow, grow, grow!

Healthy Home Cooking – At Someone Else’s Home!

One of the pleasures of cooking is sharing food with others. I’ve been doing just that for my friends, who allow me to come over to their home every other week and prepare meals for them to enjoy at home – as a family, around the table, and just relax at the end of their hectic day.

Here’s the results of the latest cooking session:

Vegetarian Bolognese with Whole Wheat Penne Pasta from My Recipes.com – this one makes a BIG batch, so freeze some for later.

Fall Vegetable Curry  from Cooking Light. Looks like lunch for the next few days…

Spicy Szechuan Chicken Stir Fry from my buddy, Laurie, over at Simply Scratch blog. Since this one is their dinner that night, I cooked the chicken first and transferred it to a large bowl. Next, I cooked the veggies and stored them in the ‘fridge separate from each other. That way, it’s a simple matter of gently reheating them tonight.

Happy eating!

Thanks To All 203 Of Our Blog Followers!

You know how excited you felt when you ____________? (Please fill in the blank here.)

That’s EXACTLY how we both feel today. You see, blog friends, the 203rd follower signed up for our little blog this week. How cool is that?

Never did we expect to have so many readers who would view, “like”, and comment on our blog – much less learn there are others like us all over the world:  people who love to cook, eat good food, travel to interesting places, take photographs, and share memories and good times with others.

Since we launched “Our Kitchen Inventions”, over 10,000 views have been recorded. This totally amazes both of us.  To know that so many people from so many different countries share in our journey really astounds both of us.

Yes, the world does indeed seem smaller, as we’ve gotten to be “friends” with our readers. I’ve shared dinner in Italy, attended wine events, met fellow bloggers’ friends, and widened our circle of friends – just by reaching out to some of these folks who are just like us.  

 

So, here is a “shout out” to our blog followers: Thank You so much for your continued viewership.

We hope that you will continue to enjoy our escapades as seen from your screen!

Shades of Green

When someone says the word “green”, what comes to mind? Green like grass? Green like that of a traffic signal? Or something more like the color of money? How about green like plants in the garden?

The Hubby and I decided to take a stroll on our patio last night, and here are some of the shades of green that were waiting for us to enjoy.

Once upon a time, this was a mere rosemary plant…now, it’s a rosemary shrub. Each year, we have a steady supply of fresh rosemary for our cooking. This year, the purple blooms seem to be a sign that the plant is totally happy to share its bounty with us!

Look closely – the bloom on the right “hanging” in mid-air is attached via a spider web.

How pretty are the Japanese Maples as the leaves are freshly open in the Spring? Not yet stressed under the heat of Summer.

This “snail” seems to be happy in his perch.

The iris can barely contain themselves..look at the bud formed on this one.

Here is some “fire engine red” to finish things off. Still, there is plenty of green out there!

Post Concert Dinner

After a spectacular Friday night of jazz, listening to Fourplay and then Chris Botti, we decided the ideal way to complete our special evening was to stroll over to The Summit restaurant for a late night dinner.

For your viewing pleasure, here are some creations from their “small plate” late night menu.

The Hubby opted for this delish stuffed chicken, mashed potato, and spinach dish…it was a melt in your mouth pleasure. Me? How’s about some Lobster Mac ‘N Cheese…yeah, baby!

With food THIS great, we must go back to taste some of their really big plates during our next visit, don’t you think?