Pesto Cream Sauce

Last summer, I picked up a basil plant at my local farmer's market for a mere $2.50. If you've ever bought fresh basil at the store, you know a package is around $2 or more. So this was a great deal. I planted it in a pot on my back deck and it really flourished until around the end of October when the cold got it. I will definitely be getting another one as soon as it gets a bit warmer, as it was great to be able to walk out the door and grab as much fresh basil as I needed. One thing we used it for was this pesto cream sauce to top some pasta. I adapted a pesto recipe and then decided to make it into a cream sauce. It was pretty tasty and I would certainly make it again.

Pesto Cream Sauce

1 cup lightly packed fresh basil

1/4 cup toasted pine nuts

2 oz grated fresh parmesan cheese

1/4 cup olive oil

2 garlic cloves

pinch of salt

Toast the pine nuts in a skillet over med/lo heat, about 5 minutes or until you can smell them toasting. Wash and dry the basil leaves and place them in the bowl of your food processor. Add the toasted pine nuts and pulse until you have a coarse paste. Add in the grated parmesan and garlic cloves. Pulse again until all ingredients are uniform. With the food processor running, slowly pour in the olive oil. Taste for seasoning and add the salt if needed. This will make approximately 1/3 cup of pesto. Transfer your pesto to a small saucepan and heat it on medium heat. Add about 1/2 cup of cream. This can be adjusted to your tastes...you can add more or less cream depending on how strong you want the pesto flavor to come through.

Source: adapted from The Pampered Chef Basil Walnut Pesto

Rocky Road Bread

I found this recipe on one of the blogs that I follow and thought it sounded interesting, so we gave it a try. I thought it was fairly tasty and my husband thought it was just OK. It is something that needs to be eaten fairly quickly...after a couple of days it wasn't as moist. If you like rocky road, you might just like this.

Rocky Road Bread

2 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 tablespoons sugar

½ teaspoon salt

¼ cup butter or margarine

1 cup mini marshmallows

1/4 cup toasted almonds (I used pecans instead, as that was what I had on hand)

¾ cup milk

1 egg, slightly beaten

1 cup chocolate chips, lightly dusted with flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease well a 9x5x3” loaf pan. Mix dry ingredients in a bowl and cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in mini marshmallows and toasted almonds; mix well. Combine milk and beaten egg; pour into flour mixture and stir just to moisten. Fold in chocolate chips. Turn into prepared pan. Bake 40-45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in pan 10 minutes and turn out onto wire rack to cool.

Source: Amber's Delectable Delights

Fall 2009 Fashion Week

This past week was Fall 2009 Fashion Week in NYC. Due to the economy, a lot of designers scaled back their shows and moved them to more intimate venues around the city rather than show their collections under the tents at Bryant Park as usual. There was still plenty to see though and it was easy to tell that some of the trends that are already in place will continue into fall. Keep buying feminine pieces with ruffles and boyfriend cardigans, as both were seen coming down the runways. There was also lots of big jewelry. The colors were somewhat somber, given the economy and that it is fall after all, but there were definitely pops of purples, royal blues, deep orange, red and even some neon yellow and pink. As with most fashion weeks, not all of the ready to wear things coming down the runway were something any of us would ever wear, but some collections did include items that could be translated into the normal life of a twentysomething woman. You have to remember that most of this is what inspires the designers who create the clothes for you and me though, so I think it is always worth a look. I thought Zac Posen's collection was particularly wearable as is, especially if you had a need for a gown for an event. Speaking of which...J. Mendel, Badgley Mischka and Oscar de la Renta put out some absolutely gorgeous gowns. I won't be surprised if we see some of them on the red carpet at future award shows. What I didn't think was at all wearable...the handbag hats by Isaac Mizrahi. Not sure what he was thinking.

Anyway, if you'd like to check out all of the collections in depth, I'd recommend checking out Women's Wear Daily and Style.com. They seem to have the best round up of photos and reviews from the week. If you'd like to see the Pantone report that predicts the top colors for fall, you can check that out here. I particularly like the Majolica Blue. In fact, I already own a cocktail dress in almost that exact shade. I think the American Beauty is also quite lovely.

Fashion Post #1--Wardrobe Basics

It has been a long time coming, but here it is...my first fashion post for the "style" part of the blog name. I figured for my first post, talking about fashion basics would be a good idea. Wardrobe staples would be the best term for it and is what every woman should have in her closet (sorry guys...I'll have to touch on you in another post). There are different lists that float around, but I think Tim Gunn's (of Project Runway fame...thanks Time Warner for FINALLY getting us Bravo) list is great.

1. Little Black Dress
2. Trench Coat
3. Classic Dress Pants (black, navy or gray)
4. White Shirt
5. Jeans (dark preferred)
6. Cashmere Sweater
7. Skirt (something versatile is best)
8. Day Dress
9. Blazer (fitted)
10. Sweat Suit Alternative (read: sophisticated casual outfit)

When he presented this list for In Style, he also added Trend Items, though recommended not spending so much on those. I agree. If it is going to be out of style in a season, it is not worth spending a lot on. The top 10 though, are worth investing in. Buy the best quality you can afford so it will last. I'm happy to say that I own all of these items, though I hate my current trench (and got an unremovable stain on the sleeve) so I'm looking to replace that in the next few months. How about you?

I also have a few other things I consider wardrobe staples that aren't on Tim's list: black heels, a pair of dress boots, party shoes (such as strappy metallic heels), comfy and stylish flats, good quality fitted short and long sleeved tees in basic colors, black and white camisoles, and good bras. How about you? What else do you consider a wardrobe staple?

Happy Belated Blogiversary to me!

Well it has been just over a year since I started this blog and I've enjoyed getting to share recipes with the world. I promise this year I'll try to keep the blog a bit more current and will expand into the style portion of the name. Thanks to everyone who has read my posts over the past year and I hope you'll stick around for 2009 for lots more yummy recipes and my fashion musings. Happy New Year!

Cheesy Ziti Florentine

In an effort to get the blog completely updated before the new year (and thanks to some vacation time) you should start seeing posts more frequently as I recap my fall cooking. Here is the first...a yummy take on baked ziti. This is a good baked ziti and a nice way to incorporate your vegetables for a one dish meal.

Cheesy Ziti Florentine

1 lb ground beef (we used ground turkey)
1 onion diced
2 cloves of garlic diced
1 jar of good marinara sauce (or homemade)
3/4 cup water
4 oz (1/2 small package) of frozen chopped spinach (defrosted)
1 lb of ziti pasta
1 8 oz container of ricotta cheese
1-2 cups of mozzarella
1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese grated
1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper
2 teaspoons of salt (more to taste)
1 teaspoon of pepper (more to taste)
1/2 cup of whatever red wine you have on hand (if you don't have any, simply omit--we did)
1 tablespoon of Mrs. Dash
1 teaspoon of dried oregano

Start by browning your ground beef in a large pan. Drain any excess grease, add onions and garlic. Saute until onions are tender. Meanwhile - boil your pasta, make sure you season the water with salt well. Undercook the pasta by about 1-2 minutes. Add the wine to the ground beef, onions and garlic- allow to simmer for 5 minutes. Add the marinara sauce and the water- I like mine to be a little saucy and not as thick. Add your defrosted spinach. Stir in your salt, pepper, Mrs. Dash (or any nice salt free seasoning blend you prefer), crushed red pepper and oregano. Season to taste at this point. Drain your ziti noodles and put back into the hot pan. Make sure the pan is off of the heat. Stir in ricotta cheese until well incorporated with the noodles. Combine your sauce and noodles in the large noodle pot. Stir well. Once in the pan, top with shredded mozzarella cheese and bake at 375 covered for 20 minutes. Uncover the dish, add the Parmesan cheese and allow cheese to brown ( 5-6 minutes).

Source: Everyday Gourmet

2nd Annual NC Nestie Tacky Sweater Party

For years I've enjoyed chatting with the fabulous married ladies that frequent The Nest and the NC girls are the best. They are funny, caring, and just all around wonderful. This year was the 2nd annual NC Nestie Tacky Sweater Party, hosted by the fabulous Beth Anne (who always has a beautifully decorated home for the party). The idea...everyone dons the tackiest Christmas sweater they can find, shows up with an appetizer or drink, and we have a great time chatting, eating and drinking. There is also a cookie exchange at the end of the night...each girl brings 6 bags of 6 cookies each and each girl goes home with 6 different bags of cookies. Yum! The food and cookies were delicious. I had some requests for my Chocolate Chip Cheeseball/Dip recipe that I took to the party (I serve as a dip), so I thought I would share that as well as the recipe for the cookies I took to the party. Thanks to my mom for loaning me the first Christmas sweater she ever bought to wear to the party...it was a good one! Merry Christmas!


Chocolate Chip Cheeseball/Dip

1 8oz package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter (no substitutes)
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
3/4 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup finely chopped pecans (optional)
Graham cracker sticks

In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla until fluffy. Gradually add the sugars and beat just until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. If serving as a dip, it will be ready at this point. If you wish to serve it as a cheeseball, remove from the refrigerator and place cream cheese mixture on a large piece of plastic wrap and shape into a ball. Refrigerate for at least an hour and then just before serving, roll the pall in pecans. Serve with the graham cracker sticks for dipping. Yield: 2 cups

Source: My friend, Kati

Chunky Peanut Butter and Oatmeal Chocolate Chipsters

3 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg (I use pre-ground)
1/4 tsp salt
2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup peanut butter--chunky or smooth (but not natural)
1 cup sugar
1 cup (packed) light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
9 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped into chunks, or 1 1/2 cups store-bought chocolate chips or chunks

Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats. Whisk together the oats, flour, baking soda, spices and salt. Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter, peanut butter, sugar and brown sugar on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each addition, then beat in the vanilla. Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly add the dry ingredients, beating only until blended. Mix in the chips. If you have the time, cover and chill the dough for about 2 hours or for up to one day. (Chilling the dough will give you more evenly shaped cookies.) If the dough is not chilled, drop rounded tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto the baking sheets. If the dough is chilled, scoop up rounded tablespoons, roll the balls between your palms and place them 2 inches apart on the sheets. Press the chilled balls gently with the heel of your hand until they are about 1/2 inch thick. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes, rotating the sheets from top to bottom and front to back after 7 minutes (my oven is more in the 10 minute range for these). The cookies should be golden and just firm around the edges. Lift the cookies onto cooling racks with a wide metal spatula - they'll firm as they cool. Repeat with the remaining dough, cooling the baking sheets between batches (I don't really do this). Storing: Wrapped airtight or piled into a cookie jar, the cookies will keep at room temperature for about 4 days. Wrapped and frozen, they'll be good for 2 months. Makes approximately 60 cookies.

Source: Baking, From My Home to Yours, by Dorie Greenspan, page 73 found on Proceed with Caution

Party Pictures

All the girls, being silly

Beth Anne geting ready to try the first bite of Sarah's beautiful cake (it was delicious!)

Everyone is starting to grab the cookies they want to take home

The best shot I have of my sweater (that's me in the white)