Highlights from the week:

Monday, I made Pistachio-crusted Halibut. Result: FAIL. Complete ridiculous failure. I was hopeful about this recipe, very hopeful. And I am a pretty good cook, so this was very disappointing. I was so upset with the halibut, I didn’t even take a picture of it. Here is the recipe, incase you have better luck with it. 

Pistachio-Crusted Halibut with Spicy Yogurt
Four servings, from www.epicurious.com
For Halibut:
- 4 (1 1/4-inch-thick) pieces skinless halibut fillet (about 6 ounces each)
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/3 cup shelled pistachios (preferably Turkish), finely chopped 
- 3 tbsp. cornmeal
- 3/4 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. black pepper
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

For Spicy yogurt (I used Tzatzki that I had in the fridge):
- 1 cup thick Turkish or Greek yogurt (8 ounces)
- 1/2 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and finely diced (3/4 cup) 
- 2 tbsp. chopped fresh dill
- 1 tbsp. finely chopped onion
- 1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
- 2 tsp. dried maras pepper
- 1/2 tsp. salt, or to taste 

Put fish in a shallow baking dish, pour milk over it, and chill, covered, turning over once, 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, stir together pistachios and cornmeal in a shallow bowl. Remove fish from milk, letting excess drip off. Transfer to a plate and sprinkle all over with salt and pepper, then dredge lightly in cornmeal-pistachio mixture. Transfer to a clean plate as coated. Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté fish, turning over once, until golden and just cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes total. While fish cooks, stir together all ingredients for spicy yogurt. Serve fish with spicy yogurt on the side.

Cooks’ note: If you can’t find Turkish or Greek yogurt, use regular plain whole-milk yogurt drained in a sieve or colander lined with a double thickness of paper towels, chilled, 1 hour.

After the dinner failure, I focused my efforts on my Thursday night dinner party. On the menu:

Gougeres

Home-made Rustic Bread

Salmon baked in parchment with spinach, potatoes, shallots and caper/parsley butter

And for dessert: a Flight of Ice Cream which included Coffee Heath Bar Crunch, Vietenamese Coffee, Roasted Pistachio, Strawberry-Raspberry, Honey Nougat Provencal, Chocolate Mint-Infused Chocolate Chunk. 

It was a wonderful dinner party celebrating a new engagement. You can read about the proposal here.

I didn’t have a chance to take pictures of the salmon because everyone consumed it too quickly. It was a very successful dinner party and Boyfriend and I are looking forward to traveling to Boston sometime next year!

Last Friday, Mom arrived in town! She is out on Whidbey Island this week taking a weaving class. I am hoping the good weather will continue for her. We spent most of the weekend working on a secret project for a certain pregnant friend. I will be able to share the surprise in a few months, right around the time the pregnant friend has the cupcake baby. 

After a long week and a busy weekend, Boyfriend and I have been enjoying an evening of TV, pizza, wine and ice cream!

Here’s to a great week!

- Formed a new company and started a new job.
I am working again! I officially started a day job this week as a Event Producer on a upcoming conference for Intel. For the next six months, this will be the majority of what fills my life. To start working, I formed a new company so I could officially become an independent contractor. Very very exciting and overwhelming all at the same time. I have a business license, filled the paperwork with the secretary of state and submitted my articles of formation for the LLC. I already developed the logo and an invoice template. All I need now is a business banking account and a paycheck. (minor detail of course!)

It should be known that for however much I complain about work for the next 6 months I am thrilled to be working again. My role has not be set in stone yet but we are getting close. Either way, I know I am lucky to working again. And, my own company!!! That has been the scariest part of the whole bit.  I spent more time over the logo and invoice template than putting the time to research how to really set all financial stuff up. Oye, well we learn as we go. Right?!

Oh, and for anyone interested, the name of my new company: Silver Spoon Creative, LLC.

- Used up my hard boiled eggs.
You may remember my hard boiled egg story from last week. Well, I made egg salad sandwiches this week. And they were YUMMY.

6 hard boiled eggs diced mixed with 3 tablespoons of mayonnaise, 1 1/2 teaspoons of dijon mustard, salt and pepper to taste. Served on whole grain bread, it was a wonderful lunch. I am hoping Boyfriend remembered how Oma made hard boiled eggs because I might be craving another egg salad sandwich soon. 

- Haircut
I was able to get away on Friday for something I love and dread at the same time – a hair appointment. I only get my hair cut about twice a year (maybe three, if I didn’t plan my appointments correctly). I had a bad haircut experience a few years ago and it has made me a nervous nelly ever since. I will admit I found a wonderful man named Vernon who I adore and does a great job on my hair. He spends extra time massaging my head and does a great blow dry job at the end.  It was the most wonderful hour Friday afternoon. I don’t think anyone could really notice that I cut my hair but I did and I am very happy about it. 

- Snow!

It snowed last week. A nice thick dusting everywhere in our neighborhood. Today though: High 70 degree with no clouds. I don’t get Mother Nature! I just don’t get it!

- Ice Cream making bender
Not sure what has gotten into lately but I have been an ice cream making machine. Last week I made: Coffee Heath Bar Crunch (for my friend who is coming for dinner this week), Chocolate Ice Cream with Mint-infused chocolate chunks, Honey Nougat Provencal (with lavender, honey, orange, almonds and pistachios) and Vietnamese Coffee. Still on deck to make this week is Roasted Pistachio and Strawberry-Raspberry Ice Cream. Thank goodness we have a second freezer. 

- Its not a competition! (I continue to tell myself!)
My friend Bari was really the one who insisted I start a blog. She has been a roll lately with blog posts as she goes through the trials and tribulations of pregnancy. You can read them here. Now I know its not a competition as to who posts more, but if it was, she completed beat me last week! 

- Top Gear
Has anyone ever seen a BBC show called Top Gear?! If you haven’t I can’t make a strong enough recommendation. You can catch it on BBC America here in the states or they have episodes of the show on iTunes. They have a great segment where they put stars in a regularly (piece of shit) car and make them go around the track. They got the London mayor to come on the show and his segment is pretty funny. I am not a car person but this show is hilarious.

It has also introduced to a song called “Grounds for Divorce” by a band called Elbow. I am completely addicted to it. Also addicted to the song “Her Morning Elegance” by Oren Lavie. Can’t get enough of that one either. 

Happening this week: Pistachio-crusted halibut for dinner tonight, dinner party Thursday, and Mom in town on Friday.  We also went on our first Geo Cache adventure this weekend and I hope to share the stories and pictures this week. 

Happy Monday everyone!

But the real excitement of the morning was making deviled eggs with Boyfriend’s Oma (grandmother in German). I should admit that I can’t make hard boiled eggs. I can make everything else in the world – difficult breads, cakes, tough recipes, etc. I would like to think of myself as a decent cook but with hard boiled eggs – I HAVE NEVER BEEN SUCCESSFUL. Ever.  So Oma was in charge of making the eggs. My job included peeling the shells and cutting the eggs in half. That is all I was to be trusted with. So sad, I know. So here’s my handy work:

And the finished product:

Do I have a recipe for what she did? No, but I do know she put some mayonnaise, ranch dressing, yellow mustard, salt and pepper in with the egg yolks. Other than that I was just trying to keep up. She was also not thrilled that I did not have a deviled egg tupperware carrier. I fear that I will be receiving one from her around the holidays. 

But here is a recipe I do have to share. Super yummy, light and crumbly Chocolate Brownie Cookies. A big hit last night after dessert.

Chocolate Brownie Cookies
found on Sanctuary for the Mad World

Ingredients:
35 g all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
2 large eggs
135 g sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
30 g unsalted butter
140 g semisweet chocolate, chopped 

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375ºF/190ºC. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. 

In the bowl of an electric mixer, briefly whip the eggs to break them up. Add the sugar and vanilla and beat on high for 10 minutes, until thick. 

While the eggs are whipping, melt the butter and chocolate in a double boiler and stir them until smooth. Gently fold the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture until partially combined (there should still be some streaks). Add the flour mixture to the batter and carefully fold it in. If the batter is very runny, let it rest until it thickens slightly, about 5 minutes. Drop the batter by the teaspoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheets and bake until puffed and cracked, 8 to 9 minutes. Cool on a wire rack before removing from the sheets.

The rain has increased since I started writing this post and the donkey has only grown increasingly loud and obnoxious. And there is still a long line to get a up close peak of the grey donkey. 

Best wishes to everyone this holiday weekend. 

The best part of the photo booth was the monitor outside the booth. Many in the beginning didn’t know that your actions INSIDE the booth were broadcasted for everyone to see. 

And on the list of things to do this week: April header for the blog. Promise I will get to it soon!

Yeah for Thursday – the weekend is in sight!

I do have this though: a sore right foot/ankle, a ridiculous stack of mail (yeah for Magazines!), no food in the house, piles of laundry and a new job to start tomorrow.

I will leave you with this though, from Design*Sponge, which describes everything I feel at this moment! Happy Monday!

Ever wonder why maple syrup is so expensive? It takes an enormous amount of sugar water (that is what they called it) to produce syrup. And the process is exhausting. It could take 12-14 hours to boil the sugar water collected from about 170 trees down to syrup. I met one producer who makes the amber syrup the old fashioned way using a cast iron kettle from 1865 that has never been washed and the only thing it has ever been used for is to make maple syrup. Not to mention the season to extract the water from the trees sometimes only lasts 6 weeks. And by time we arrived on Sunday, there was no more sugar water in the whole county – the trees had “dried” up.  25 to 30% of their annual income can come from syrup sales which helps support their real livelihood – cattle, chicken and other livestock farming.

We continued on to tour two additional maple farms – more commercial than our first stop. Bought a small container of syrup and maple doughnuts, apparently very famous in the area.

From the maple festival we drove deeper through the country and into West Virginia on our way to Lost River. The drive was beautiful – rolling mountains, lush valleys and quaint country homes. Although it is officially spring, the landscape was still bare. Throughout the drive we commented how nice the drive would be in the fall or in the summer. The one thing that did reflect spring was the livestock – baby cows and baby sheep were everywhere. It was an awesome sight that was throughout the whole drive. (I learned over the weekend that these parts are not good for farming – the soil is too rocky. So most raise cattle, sheep and chickens – lots and lots of chickens.)

Around 2:45pm on Sunday we reached our much anticpated destination – Lost River Modern.

This wonderful pre-fab is about 2 hours from DC and a wonderful retreat. Tucked up among the trees, the view was wonderful and total quiet was even better. Upon arrival, appetizers were prepared, wine uncorked and drinks poured. I soaked up the warm sun (on a very brisk spring day) on the deck.

Following my bask in the sun, my step father insisted I come with him on a short hike for the photo opportunities. My step dad is a outdoor enthusiast (borderline obsessive, I think). He is into fishing, hunting, hiking, long runs in the park with his dog and really anything else that is outdoors. I however am not fond of the outdoors – bugs, hills, rocks, dirt, etc… Not a big fan but I followed along. So along the way, I found a rock that looked like a foot:

The hike was all downhill and fairly enjoyable. The problem was the trek back to the house. Being the complete non-outdoors, non-athletic type by the time I reached the house, I thought I was having a mild coronary. So not pleasant.

Following a much needed nap (after the awful rollaway bed from the night before!), we trekked back out to dine at the Lost River Grill. In the email we received from Lost River Modern’s owners, they mentioned this is a hot spot among the gay community on Friday and Saturday nights but they are always “straight friendly”. When we arrived on Sunday for dinner, the place was half empty but the food looked interesting. They had a wonderful variety of salad and even a crab cake entree. I choose the Sunday Night buffet which included pretty good chicken pot pie. With the nice, friendly staff, I would venture back if ever in the area again.

When we arrived back at the house, game night commenced. A few years ago Mom taught me and Boyfriend how to play Mexican Train dominos. They are regular players (very competitive as well I might add) and play often with their friends. After 12 rounds of ridiculously bad dominos to play, I EMERGED AS THE WINNER! Ah sweet sweet victory!

This morning we woke, had small snack (left over maple doughnut holes and awesome local cheddar cheese we picked up in Warm Springs, VA) and hit the road – a 3 hour drive back to Pearisburg was looming.

All in all it was an adventurous trip. Lost River Modern was wonderful and I am thrilled we were able to go. And driving through the countryside, going to the Maple Festival – things I will probably never do again but totally worth it this weekend. But I am exhausted (still not on east coast time), my butt hurts from spending so many hours in the car today and looking forward to falling asleep this evening.

Saturday began with helping man the booth at the Blacksburg Bridal show. After spending three hours in heels, forced conversations with budding brides and chit chat with the surrounding vendors, my feet and smile were exhausted. It was interesting to learn that despite the economic situation, all the brides I met are planning big weddings – 100 people or more. Some even said they were planning for 300. (I don’t even know 300 people!)

From the Bridal show we drove about two hours through Virginia country side to Inn at Gristmill Square in Bath County Virginia. While dinner at the Inn was pleasant, I would absolutely not recommend staying here. It was awful. Partly because we were stuck with the absolute worse room in the place – above the office. The walls were so thin, I could hear the phone ring from downstairs. And ring it did! It was amazing how much the phone rang throughout the night and early in the morning. I also had to sleep on a rollaway bed as I was a very last minute addition to trip. It was awful. The pictures on the website are a complete misrepresentation.

After a ridiculously lacking breakfast consisting of stale cold croissants, 1 tiny jar of jam, OJ in plastic containers (like the ones the airlines would serve on planes, when they used to serve food), butter, coffee and tea, I was absolutely ready to get out there. (side note: why would they serve butter if the croissants were too cold to even melt the butter! UGH!).

We did pass the Jefferson Pools in Warm Springs, VA. Built in 1761 around crystal clear 98 degree water (and why the city is called Warm Springs and not Hot Springs), Jefferson spent three weeks in the area in 1818 – apparently, “soaking his weary body in the gentleman’s spa.” And yes there are separate buildings for men and women. And here’s an interesting fact: clothing is optional after 1pm. While I did not go into the buildings to witness this first hand, I did hear it from another tourist. Fascinating what happens out in the country.

From Warm Springs we traveled deeper into the country for the Virginia Highland County Maple Festival.

The rest of the story will continue in another post.

Tonight we are planning to dine at the Lost River Girll which claims they are “straight friendly” on weekends. Should be another great experience to add to the weekend.

Will post more about my weekend adventure soon. Hope you are having a wonderful Sunday afternoon!

Yesterday and today have been non stop working to get everything ready for the Briday Show on Saturday. Mom really gave no indication before I arrived that there was SO much work to do. And although it has been rough spending two full days in doors the view is not that bad. It certainly helps keep me going when I have gorgeous mountains to stare at.

I gave myself a 15 minute break this morning and here is just a peak into the view from my room.

Love and appreciate all the women in your life.

found at Heidi Claire

I am headed to Virginia on Wednesday to spend some quality time with Mom. Two weeks of country living, visits to Wal-Mart, a Sugar Maple Festival, a trip to West Virginia, a quick stop to Atlanta to see the Brother and manning a booth at the Blacksburg Bridal Show for the Inn! It will be non-stop but I am very much looking forward to it! Now back to the endless laundry piles….