Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Monday, December 6, 2010
H-ahhhhhhh-lidays!!!!!!!!!
It's this time of year that I run around screaming "eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek!!!!"
I know, I am a three year old :) I LOVE the holidays and I'm going to keep it that way!
I honestly love just about everything about the holiday season. The food and the family are my favorite parts. Some people get distracted and stressed by the gift giving, especially on a budget. I really think it's unneccessary. The Regas have been on a very tight budget for the past few years and we still manage to enjoy ourselves. It's all about budgeting and knowing your limits. I am someone who wants to give something to everyone so I figured out a way to do that.....CHRISTMAS BARK!!!!!!! Greatest way to get in the holiday spirit even if you aren't a baker, and believe me, I'm not a baker. You can get kind of creative or keep it simple, either way it gets scarfed down by your loving recipient just the same! It keeps well in the fridge though honestly it never seems to stick around long!
I'll list some of the faves below I'll even sketch out some instructions, but they'll be short and sweet, and best followed whilst licking the spoon covered in melted chocolate :)
S'mores Bark: teddy grahams, mini marshmallows, milk chocolate
Peppermint Bark: crushed candy canes, white chocolate drizzle w. peppermint extract, milk chocolate
Oreo Bark: mini oreos, white or milk chocolate
Toasted Almond Bark: toasted slivered almonds, dark chocolate
Cranberry & White Chocolate Bark: dried cranberries, white chocolate drizzle, milk chocolate
Peanut Butter Cup Bark: mini reese's pb cups, milk chocolate
Basic Instructions
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups toppings of your choice
Place 1-1/2 cups chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high in 30-second increments until just melted. Be sure to stir well after each 30-second interval. Stir in remaining 1/2 cup of chocolate chips until all chips are melted and chocolate is smooth. At this point I like to stir in some of the toppings so that they're fully incorporated. Pour chocolate mixture on baking sheet lined with parchment paper (or wax paper) and spread into a 1/2" layer. Sprinkle with remaining toppings. If you want to have an alternating color drizzle, melt the new chocolate in a different bowl, following the same procedure. Pour it into a ziploc bag and snip a tiny piece off the end. Now get creative!
Allow chocolate to cool and harden. I find it helps to stick it in the fridge. Just be sure that it's resting evenly to avoid uneven bark. Cut into pieces. I have tried breaking it but I find that it starts melting really fast! Just be sure to use a non-serrated knife so you don't leave teeth marks all over it.
Makes 40-50 bite-size pieces.
xo
H
I know, I am a three year old :) I LOVE the holidays and I'm going to keep it that way!
I honestly love just about everything about the holiday season. The food and the family are my favorite parts. Some people get distracted and stressed by the gift giving, especially on a budget. I really think it's unneccessary. The Regas have been on a very tight budget for the past few years and we still manage to enjoy ourselves. It's all about budgeting and knowing your limits. I am someone who wants to give something to everyone so I figured out a way to do that.....CHRISTMAS BARK!!!!!!! Greatest way to get in the holiday spirit even if you aren't a baker, and believe me, I'm not a baker. You can get kind of creative or keep it simple, either way it gets scarfed down by your loving recipient just the same! It keeps well in the fridge though honestly it never seems to stick around long!
I'll list some of the faves below I'll even sketch out some instructions, but they'll be short and sweet, and best followed whilst licking the spoon covered in melted chocolate :)
S'mores Bark: teddy grahams, mini marshmallows, milk chocolate
Peppermint Bark: crushed candy canes, white chocolate drizzle w. peppermint extract, milk chocolate
Oreo Bark: mini oreos, white or milk chocolate
Toasted Almond Bark: toasted slivered almonds, dark chocolate
Cranberry & White Chocolate Bark: dried cranberries, white chocolate drizzle, milk chocolate
Peanut Butter Cup Bark: mini reese's pb cups, milk chocolate
Basic Instructions
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups toppings of your choice
Place 1-1/2 cups chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high in 30-second increments until just melted. Be sure to stir well after each 30-second interval. Stir in remaining 1/2 cup of chocolate chips until all chips are melted and chocolate is smooth. At this point I like to stir in some of the toppings so that they're fully incorporated. Pour chocolate mixture on baking sheet lined with parchment paper (or wax paper) and spread into a 1/2" layer. Sprinkle with remaining toppings. If you want to have an alternating color drizzle, melt the new chocolate in a different bowl, following the same procedure. Pour it into a ziploc bag and snip a tiny piece off the end. Now get creative!
Allow chocolate to cool and harden. I find it helps to stick it in the fridge. Just be sure that it's resting evenly to avoid uneven bark. Cut into pieces. I have tried breaking it but I find that it starts melting really fast! Just be sure to use a non-serrated knife so you don't leave teeth marks all over it.
Makes 40-50 bite-size pieces.
xo
H
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
The Beginnings.....of Fall
It's here. The chill. I am kind of enjoying it, but I'm sure it's novelty will fade pretty quickly. It usually does. I'm a summer girl to the core, but I always love the first few weeks of any season. Just the difference in smells is enough for me.
I've been pretty quiet the past couple of weeks, just trying to buckle down at work and running from one thing to the next at home. Not a lot of time for creative endeavors but I've managed to sandwich a few in there.
First was the surprise early arrival of the Hess family's little guy! We delivered the freezer meals on Saturday, and by Tuesday he had arrived! This seems to be a trend as our first freezer meal recipient also had her little peanut only days after we delivered the loot! If this trend continues maybe I'll be able guarantee a baby within one week of freezer meal delivery to help me get some new clients :)
I designed the labels, had them all ready to print, and of course the color printer decided to take a vacation. Enter Plan B. Good thing I have a duck obsession and have a duck stamp just laying around for emergencies like this! Not to shabby for a last minute fix, if I do say so myself!
I teared up a little when I found out that not only did the Hess family enjoy their homemade lasagna, but it was the dinner they chose to eat on their first night home from the hospital with their little one. I seriously smiled for like an hour :)
We got to meet the new addition the next weekend and I was smitten. He is just perfect. Seeing the new mom and dad in action was so awesome. They're total naturals.
That weekend also happened to be Halloween weekend! Time for a party! We just had a few people over, and I busted out a couple of old favorites, and a new contender as well. The old standbys are my broccoli cheese dip, and my mini meatball subs. The new guy on the block was a Warm Cheddar Beer Dip with Hot Pretzels. It was quite delicious for something I had A) never made before, and B) had no recipe for. Success.
The only thing that didn't get consumed in mass quantity were the super adorable mini cupcakes. They were one chocolate with orange frosting and about the size of a mini muffin. Adorable. Somehow the sweet stuff never moves at our parties. I will have to remember that for next time.
Cheetara, The Perpetual Hostess (of course!), & our resident Indian Princess!
Jeff & Arvin as each other
They. Are. Creeps
Zombie.
Bear tried to lick the blood.
My next culinary adventure was a Beef Stew. Now this might not sound too exhilarating, or scrumptious for that matter, but I was determined to make something classic and hearty for Sunday dinner.
I failed. Miserably. And I sulked. Ask Mr. Rega.
The flavors were perfect, the ingredients were fresh, but I was stingy and bought a cut of beef that was far too lean. I knew it but I hoped that I could pull it off. Me and my sore jaw have learned a very important lesson. There is a time and a place for a nice fatty piece of beef. One should not attempt to buy something else simply because it's on sale. One's jaw will suffer.
Despite that sad attempt, I really was happy with the layers of flavor I managed to pull together. I think it was rather good for someone who didn't look at a recipe and just used what made sense at the time. Lesson learned. The next one will be better.
My Mom and Brother came to visit, and stayed for the weekend. I had a recipe from a chef at work for an insanely delicious White Bean Spread that I was dying to make for them. As a teaser, it includes white beans, garlic, grape tomatoes, basil, and bocconccini mozzarella, among other things. I will post the recipe below. It's not very photogenic so I'll settle for not posting any pics at all. Wouldn't want you to judge it by the photo. Make it, trust me :)
I also need some feedback on a few things business related, if anyone's feeling particularly chatty. I definitely want to get this little venture off the ground and I'm feeling a bit lost about how exactly to accomplish that. Because it's such a personal service, and there isn't exactly anyone else doing this that I know of, I'm struggling with the first steps.
Here are my thoughts: The business cards are first. I plan to hand them out to just about everyone I know in small stacks so that they can give them to anyone they think might be interested. I'm fairly sure that word of mouth is going to be extremely important. My next step will probably be to start advertising on Craigslist.
Can you think of any other ways? I feel like this won't be enough but I am clearly working with severely limited funding so anything I do has to be almost free. Any suggestions are welcome :)
xo
H
White Bean Spread
2 cans of white beans
1oz of panko bread crumbs
3 cloves of garlic finely chopped
3/4 cup evoo
1 bunch of fresh basil
1 pint of grape tomatoes cut into quarters
1/2 cup grated romano cheese
1 pint of boccoccini mozzarella
2 tbs heavy cream
salt & pepper to taste
Method: Take a 1/4 cup of the evoo and place it in a saute pan. Add the garlic and cook until the garlic is a very light brown. Take off the heat as the garlic will deepen in color, set aside. Drain one can of beans and reserve the liquid. Place in a food processor and process until smooth. Add bean liquid as required for a smooth mix. Drain the other can of beans and break up the beans by hand unitil you have a chunky mix. Add all the beans together and put the toasted garlic and a little of the olive oil into the bean mix. Finely chop the basil and add it to the mix. Add the rest of the ingredients a mix well. If the mixture looks dry add more evoo and some bean liquid to the mix. Enjoy.
RECIPE COURTESY OF LEONARD CENTONZE
H
White Bean Spread
2 cans of white beans
1oz of panko bread crumbs
3 cloves of garlic finely chopped
3/4 cup evoo
1 bunch of fresh basil
1 pint of grape tomatoes cut into quarters
1/2 cup grated romano cheese
1 pint of boccoccini mozzarella
2 tbs heavy cream
salt & pepper to taste
Method: Take a 1/4 cup of the evoo and place it in a saute pan. Add the garlic and cook until the garlic is a very light brown. Take off the heat as the garlic will deepen in color, set aside. Drain one can of beans and reserve the liquid. Place in a food processor and process until smooth. Add bean liquid as required for a smooth mix. Drain the other can of beans and break up the beans by hand unitil you have a chunky mix. Add all the beans together and put the toasted garlic and a little of the olive oil into the bean mix. Finely chop the basil and add it to the mix. Add the rest of the ingredients a mix well. If the mixture looks dry add more evoo and some bean liquid to the mix. Enjoy.
RECIPE COURTESY OF LEONARD CENTONZE
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Freezer Meals for New Moms & Dads
So I started making freezer meals. Freezer meals for moms and dads that will soon be consumed with little tiny things that take up a whole lotta time....BABIES!!!!
I think it's so important for food and eating to be a relaxing experience but from what I understand it falls way down on the list of priorities when the little one only sleeps in tiny snatches of time.
Only have 15 minutes to devote to making dinner? No problem when you have a homemade lasagna in the freezer. Heat up that oven, throw it in, set the timer, and I think you'll still have about 10 minutes to spare. I'm sure you'll find something to do (nap probably) with that extra 10 minutes :)
I've offered this service to a few friends of ours recently and was shocked by the surprised responses I got. I seriously thought this was something everyone did, and I even worried that they might already be inundated by offers and that mine would be declined! Happily I was taken up on both of my offers and have just started planning the Hess freezer meals that I will deliver this weekend.
On the menu are:
Beef Meatballs
Basil Pesto
Chicken Noodle Soup
Breakfast Burritos
Beef Lasagna
Basil Pesto
Chicken Noodle Soup
Breakfast Burritos
Beef Lasagna
I even designed a little label for them :)
I know they might seem like kind of mundane meals but it's hard to beat homemade comfort food when you barely have time to shower, let alone construct a lasagna so I'm betting they will be received quite well.
Think I should add this to the list of services I can provide as The Perpetual Hostess??
xo
H
H
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Business Card Input....
So I am serious about this little side venture. Check out the business card mock up below and let me know what you think. I'm going for a 2 sided card, hence the 2 pics below....
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)