Shrimp, Tomato and Basil Linguine with Goat Cheese Rounds

Okay, here's the best thing about this recipe. See that circle of cheese right above the shrimp? The one with the brown crunchy edge? That, my friends, is a warm, crunchy on the outside, creamy on the inside, little circle of goat cheese that has been dusted in bread crumbs, baked in the oven just until it is soft and wonderful, and then tucked into the middle of this pasta dish. So when you cut into it it falls apart easily and bits of warm goat cheese get all tangled up in the pasta as you twirl it around your fork....

Sorry. I got lost in a pasta dream for a second.

Anyway, this is a lovely, quick dinner that is great for both a weekend night or a special dinner for friends and family. The sauce is a speedy one made with fresh tomatoes, onion, a little garlic and shrimp. All you have left to do then is cook up some linguine, toss it with the sauce and some fresh slivered basil, pop a warm goat cheese round on each one, and there you have it. Elegant, easy, goat-cheesy perfection.

SHRIMP, TOMATO AND BASIL LINGUINE WITH GOAT CHEESE ROUNDS, adapted from Cooking Light

• 1 slice white bread
• 1 4 ounce package log-shaped goat cheese
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 minced garlic cloves
• 3 cups chopped plum tomatoes
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon red pepper
• 1/2 pound shrimp, peeled
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 6 cups cooked linguine (12 ounces uncooked)
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced basil

1. Preheat oven to 400.
2. Pulse bread in food processor to fine crumbs. Spread on baking sheet and bake until golden, about 10 minutes. Transfer to plate and let cool.
3. Slice goat cheese into 4 rounds. Press each round into crumbs until coated. Bake at 400 for 10 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and saute for 5 minutes. Stir in tomato, water, sugar and pepper and cook 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Add shrimp and salt, cook 4 more minutes or until shrimp are done.
6. Add cooked pasta and basil to tomato sauce, toss to combine.
7. Divide among 4 plates, top with goat cheese round.

Click here for printable recipe

Bulgarian Scientists Converse with Aliens

I could not resist musing on this story I found in the Telegraph news since I am always posing the question about how humans would react if aliens made first contact with us on Earth and now we have this story about Bulgarian scientists claiming that extraterrestrials have been answering questions posed to them, and the answers are in the form of crop formations. Well, my first reaction was to laugh because of the inclusion of the crop formations. I was expecting some form of electronic communication, or an actual confidential conversation with an alien revealed by an anonymous source, but the scientists claim to have asked 30 questions to the aliens and the answers were being given through 150 crop formations. Don't get me wrong, I love to think that aliens are living among us, I have a Star Trek concept about it in terms of we all do not look that much differently from each other and they wish not to interfere in our development, I could believe that governments would cover up alien contact such as in the Stargate series, and I do believe that alien life does exist in the universe, that is why Contact by Carl Sagan is one of my favorite stories.
So my reaction to this story, then is skeptical, but I like that the scientists are insisting that alien life exists, I would like to know more about the 30 questions that have been asked, how they were asked, and how they have been interpreting the answers given by the aliens and how the aliens call themselves. I hope one day we can make first contact and not try to blow the aliens away, conquer, enslave, or quarantine them, but we shall see, we have enough trouble treating each other with respect right here on planet Earth.
Here is a link to the ARTICLE.

November in pictures

On November 1st I started a 365 photographic project, basically a photo every day for 365 days.So here are the fruits of my first 30 days... I definitely picked random subject matters.

November in pictures

Each photograph is individually found in my Frapto Archive, with an explanation about each subject found here-  Frapto Archive . Frapto is basically a photo blog, that I share with a group of others taking the 365 challenge.
The challenge for me, is not only to take a photo a day, but also to improve over time. This is especially important for my sisters wedding in May, as I have mentioned briefly that I am the photographer. So for the time being, if you want a daily fix of me, check out my photos on the frapto site. 

This is what my desk looks like when I am doodling

Nature surprises

alameda clutch.

alameda clutch by redMade usa.

reMade usa bags are upcycled from used leather jackets.

alameda clutch.

alameda clutch by redMade usa.

reMade usa bags are upcycled from used leather jackets.

key ring.

key ring by cecilia felli.

key ring.

key ring by cecilia felli.

Teriyaki Steak and Sesame Noodles

Just in time for the holidays, I have a great recipe and an equally great cookbook to give away! Those of you who read my post on Pork Dumplings with Chili Sauce know that I am a big fan of Jaden Hair and her Steamy Kitchen blog. Jaden is an amazing cook, an incredibly talented photographer, a really nice person, and the author of THE STEAMY KITCHEN COOKBOOK, which is where I got the recipe for the teriyaki steak that you see above. This cookbook is jam-packed with fabulous-looking recipes that I am going to work my way through...just as soon as I get it back from my mom, who took one look at it on my kitchen counter and borrowed it.

But not before I had made this rocking good steak, which is marinated in a balsamic teriyaki sauce that is Out Of This World. Jaden makes it with a skirt steak, but says you can use the steak of your choice, so I took her at her word and used my all-time favorite cut for grilling: the flank steak. The Southern husband and I made the teriyaki sauce the night before and marinated that bad boy overnight until it was good and soaked in that amazing marinade. By the time dinnertime rolled around, there was nothing left to do but grill the steak and heat up some reserved marinade to drizzle over the steak.

Along the way, it occurred to me that the perfect accompaniment to this fantastic steak would be the Pioneer Woman's Sesame Noodles, which I have now made about one million times. And they were indeed perfect! Which brought all of this full circle, because those sesame noodles were the topic of my first cookbook giveaway...that one is over, but now I have a copy of Jaden's beautiful cookbook to give away next!

So here's what I need: leave a comment at the bottom of this post telling me your favorite food blog, and that will enter you into a random drawing for a copy of THE STEAMY KITCHEN COOKBOOK. (For my peeps who subscribe on email -- click on the recipe title up top and it will take you to the web page where you can comment. I love you guys!!) It is a perfect holiday gift...if you can bear to part with it, that is! I will announce the lucky winner at 7pm on Saturday, December 5. And in the meantime, give this scrumptious teriyaki steak a try, and visit one of MY favorite food blogs, Steamy Kitchen!

**THANKS EVERYONE -- Contest is now over, but please look for the next cookbook giveaway, coming your way soon!**

GRILLED STEAK WITH BALSAMIC TERIYAKI, from The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook

• 1 pound skirt steak, or steak of your choice
• 2 tablespoons cooking oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 minced shallot
• 2 minced cloves garlic
• 1 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/4 cup beef, chicken or vegetable stock
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon mirin (sweet rice wine)

1. To make the teriyaki sauce, melt the butter in a saucepot over medium low heat. When it starts to bubble, add the shallots and garlic and cook for 3 minutes or until soft, watching to make sure they don't burn.

2. Pour in the vinegar and bring to a boil. Turn heat down to medium low and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes or until reduced by half. It should be thick, glossy and coat the back of a spoon.

3. Add the sugar, stock, soy sauce and mirin, stir well and bring back to a boil. Then turn the heat down to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Let cool and reserve 1/2 cup sauce for marinating and 1/4 cup for serving.

4. Place the steak and 1/2 cup sauce into a large sealable plastic bag. Marinate 2 hours or overnight in the refrigerator.

5. Thirty minutes before grilling, remove the steak from the fridge and let it sit at room temperature. Discard the marinade and pat the steak very dry with paper towels.

6. Preheat grill to high, or set a large frying pan over high heat on the stove and add oil when very hot.

7. Grill steak for 3-5 minutes on each side for medium rare. Let steak rest for 5 minutes and the slice across the grain. Serve with reserved 1/4 cup marinade to pour over the meat.

Click here for printable recipe

I May Be Crazy

There is a good chance that I may be slightly insane.

See, I got up at 3:30am yesterday morning to go stand in line just so I could buy this -

Yes people, Casa De Laurendy now has it's own 32 inch HDTV. Welcome to the future. I'm still not so sure about it. It seems a bit large for my comfort. But at least I can not get rid of the horrible metal shelving unit that is currently housing my trusty but oh so bulky old 19 incher. I hate that shelving unit, which is pretty much why I never show you all the other side of my "great room".

I haven't taken the new tv out of the box yet, so there is still a chance that I may return it. We'll see. Being able to watch the Christmas claymations in HD may be worth it in the end.

Blogging at Over 10,000 Feet

Well, this is a Thrift Shop Romantic first, I must say. This would be my premiere post composed at over 10,000 feet in the air!

Yes, I'm heading home to Pittsburgh from Thanksgiving and being the thrifty gal that I am, I couldn't resist taking advantage of the free holiday WiFi on the plane.

It's this WiFi, that allows me to efficiently bring some photos of the Florida Keys to you all today. Then Wednesday I'll be back to our normal treasure-hunting and decorating with a new Treasure Box post.

Here we have some feathered friends hunkered down in the strong breeze following a stormy day...
This is in Islamorada outside the Whale Harbor Inn, a seafood buffet where my father and I enjoyed entirely too much Thanksgiving feast.

Did you know the pelicans in Florida are required by the State Waterbird Aquatic Traffic Bureau to swim in "V" formations?...
Yes, they get licensed to make sure they know the rules of the surf, and they have to have it renewed every five years. They are, of course, billed for this service. :)

Right now you can just hear the trio above saying, "Okay, Peter, Penny, you take flank. I'll take point. Let's triangulate!"

Funny that with so much wind earlier in the day, the water could be so glassy...
And this, this just made me laugh. Originally, I had only wanted a shot of the sign because of "Captain Ron." (Anyone familiar with the film of the same name starring Kurt Russell will know why it's funny.)...All around are largish fishing vessels, which tourists can charter for a day of fishing adventure. However, Dad and I soon realized, Captain Ron's boat for hire was perhaps just a little bit, um, more budget-oriented than the ones around it...Okay, maybe a lot more budget-oriented. It's not easy being a swashbuckling pirate when you're also a little dinghy...Anyway, what trip to the tropics would be complete without a few shots of Mother Nature in all her beachly glory?...
And with this, we dock yet another holiday for the year...
If you missed last Wednesday's post, with some humorous looks at vintage Thanksgiving, click here.

This Wednesday, we'll dive into some Florida thrifting and yard saling. Hope to see you then!

Blogging at Over 10,000 Feet

Well, this is a Thrift Shop Romantic first, I must say. This would be my premiere post composed at over 10,000 feet in the air!

Yes, I'm heading home to Pittsburgh from Thanksgiving and being the thrifty gal that I am, I couldn't resist taking advantage of the free holiday WiFi on the plane.

It's this WiFi, that allows me to efficiently bring some photos of the Florida Keys to you all today. Then Wednesday I'll be back to our normal treasure-hunting and decorating with a new Treasure Box post.

Here we have some feathered friends hunkered down in the strong breeze following a stormy day...
This is in Islamorada outside the Whale Harbor Inn, a seafood buffet where my father and I enjoyed entirely too much Thanksgiving feast.

Did you know the pelicans in Florida are required by the State Waterbird Aquatic Traffic Bureau to swim in "V" formations?...
Yes, they get licensed to make sure they know the rules of the surf, and they have to have it renewed every five years. They are, of course, billed for this service. :)

Right now you can just hear the trio above saying, "Okay, Peter, Penny, you take flank. I'll take point. Let's triangulate!"

Funny that with so much wind earlier in the day, the water could be so glassy...
And this, this just made me laugh. Originally, I had only wanted a shot of the sign because of "Captain Ron." (Anyone familiar with the film of the same name starring Kurt Russell will know why it's funny.)...All around are largish fishing vessels, which tourists can charter for a day of fishing adventure. However, Dad and I soon realized, Captain Ron's boat for hire was perhaps just a little bit, um, more budget-oriented than the ones around it...Okay, maybe a lot more budget-oriented. It's not easy being a swashbuckling pirate when you're also a little dinghy...Anyway, what trip to the tropics would be complete without a few shots of Mother Nature in all her beachly glory?...
And with this, we dock yet another holiday for the year...
If you missed last Wednesday's post, with some humorous looks at vintage Thanksgiving, click here.

This Wednesday, we'll dive into some Florida thrifting and yard saling. Hope to see you then!

Kate's Taco Salad

Okay, I love love love this taco salad, and here's why. Not because it is ridiculously easy to make (and it is). Not because it tastes ridiculously good (and it does). It's because -- unlike 99.9% of most taco salads -- the crunchy part of the taco salad is actually worth eating. You know what I am talking about. Usually you order a taco salad and it comes in a giant tortilla "bowl." You say to yourself, Self, I'm just going to eat the salad part, and you work through all that good stuff in the bowl. The spicy taco meat, the avocado chunks, the chopped tomatoes, the cheese (ah! the cheese!!) and pretty soon your taco salad is gone and the only thing left standing is the tortilla bowl.

So you break off a piece of the side of it, and honestly? It's not that good. It's okay....but it's kind of bland and not that tasty...but it's there on your plate, and pretty soon you have picked off most of the sides of it. And so your awesome taco salad has ended with a whimper.

But in MY taco salad, my friends, that tortilla bowl is transformed into Fritos, which are added to the salad at the very end and tossed right into the salad along with everything else. So every other bite contains a hit of salty corn chip wonderfulness along with all the other taco salad taste sensations. Now there are those among you out there (my oldest friend? are you listening to me?) who will say Fritos are the work of the devil. And maybe they are...but DANG! they are good. And all I have to say is, if you are going to eat the taco salad bowl -- and you KNOW you are -- let's at least make sure it tastes pretty great going down.



These pictures show the ingredients before the tossing (and the lettuce is underneath all that other good stuff) just because it is more photogenic that way, but let me be clear -- you should be toss, toss, tossing all those great ingredients together so that each bite is a mixture of all those rocking taste sensations. So for all of you who like to walk on the wild side with the Fritos, here is my favorite taco salad recipe.

KATE'S TACO SALAD

• 1 pound ground beef
• Taco seasoning mix
• 1 head iceberg lettuce, chopped
• 3 chopped tomatoes
• 2 chopped avocados
• 1 cup shredded cheddar
• 2 cups Fritos
• Whatever else you like in your taco salad. Corn, beans, onion, etc etc.

1. Prepare taco meat with ground beef according to taco seasoning mix directions.
2. Combine all ingredients except Fritos in large mixing bowl. The taco flavoring in the meat juices will serve as the "dressing" for the salad.
3. Add Fritos and toss again.
4. Throw caution to the wind and have seconds.

Click here for printable recipe

Asimov and Socionomics

Image via Wikipedia

I obviously love science fiction and I have a great interest in the economy, trends in general, and I occasionally receive e-mails that combine those topics.
Isaac Asimov wrote a trilogy of novels entitled the Foundation Series with his main character being Hari Seldon a mathematician who develops the concept of mathematical sociology: a way to predict future events using the law of mass action.
From the article:

In the 1940s, renowned science fiction writer Isaac Asimov began writing a trilogy of novels called the Foundation Series. Asimov’s protagonist discovers and develops “psychohistory,” a mathematical science that statistically predicts the general course of future events for large groups of people.

As it turns out, Asimov’s idea was actually science, minus the fiction. In the 1930s, a decade prior to Asimov's initial Foundation stories, Ralph Nelson Elliott made a discovery that became key to the development of socionomics, a new science of social prediction.

This leads us to the Elliot Wave which is used to predict social mood trends that affect changes in history and culture.

The foreword to The Wave Principle of Human Social Behavior (1999), Prechter's explication of socionomics, summarizes that:

Social mood trends represent changes in human attitudes. Changes in social mood trends precede compatible changes in history and culture, indicating that the former causes the latter. Thus, there is powerful evidence that the pattern of mood change produced by the social interaction of men is the underlying engine of the trends of social progress and regress... The relationship of the pattern to Fibonacci mathematics suggests that the Wave Principle is another manifestation of a type of growth pattern found throughout nature in processes of growth and decay, expansion and contraction.

Nowadays, Socionomics and the Elliot Wave are tools being used to predict peaks and valleys in the stock markets but on a broader scale, these models can be used to monitor and predict changes in human thought, habit, and ways of life that will then lead to major shifts historically and culturally.
Right now with massive unemployment, for example, we are facing a social mood trend change on a mass scale. When you are out of work, short on cash, and hungry, your outlook on life and what is really important begins to shift.
I love science fiction that deals with these kinds of ideas and even though fiction is mixed in, there is still that degree of truth that makes me sit up and think about life differently and observe current events more closely. People I talk to on a daily basis perceive our current economic situation in different ways:
1. They think recovery is around the corner.
2. They know this is the worst "recession" they have ever seen.
3. They recognize we are entering into a new way of life even more different than the first depression and permanent in nature.

I am in camp number three. Even though people hope and wait, it is obvious that people are making major lifestyle changes and some not by choice. These changes are being made by massive numbers of people but the outcome is happening in slow motion. So I expect that the changes historically will also take time and when we look back years from now we will be amazed at the changes. One thing for sure, going through these lifestyle changes is painful but I hope at the end we will have more peace in our lives.

This is the ARTICLE in full.

Happy Thanksgiving

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

The Empire State Building lit up for the occasion.

Desserts and lots of them!

My main blog is now here

Here's Your Turkey

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Chocolate Brie and Basil Panini

Since I am not going to blog tomorrow, with it being Thanksgiving and all, I wanted today's post to be something a little special and out of the ordinary. Something for you to have in your back pocket for the day AFTER tomorrow, for when you are totally saturated with turkey and stuffing and cooking giant quantities of elaborate holiday fare. Something that is quick and simple and still festive. Something that will make you feel merry on the inside.

I adapted this recipe from GIADA'S KITCHEN, and I did follow her directions by making this in a panini-maker. However, if you are panini-maker-less, you could certainly make a version of this the old-fashioned grilled cheese sandwich way. If you do, I would still brown the bread front and back on your stovetop, just like I did in the panini-maker, since once you are into the second stage with the chocolate and the brie it will go very fast. Too fast to both brown the bread and melt the cheese and chocolate.

I made these sandwiches last weekend for the Southern husband, who is always totally up for a culinary adventure, no matter how off-beat it sounds, and they were simply amazing -- a surprising, decadent, luxurious treat.So with thanks to all of you, who have made ME thankful to have so many wonderful, supportive, creative readers...happy, happy Thanksgiving to you and yours, and here is my newest favorite treat for you to try.

CHOCOLATE, BRIE AND BASIL PANINI, adapted from Giada's Kitchen

Makes two sandwiches

• 4 slices good quality bread
• 4-6 slices Brie cheese
• 1/4 cup good quality chocolate -- chopped or chips
• 1/4 cup fresh sliced basil
• Olive oil

1. Brush both sides of bread with olive oil. Grill in panini-maker until golden brown, 1-2 minutes. If using stovetop skillet, cook on both sides until both sides are golden. Transfer to work surface.

2. Lay 2-3 slices cheese on bread. Top with 1/8 cup chocolate and 1/8 cup basil. Place remaining bread slice on top.

3. Return to panini-maker or skillet and grill an additional 2 minutes. Remove, cut into quarters and serve.

Click here for printable recipe

Laurendy Gift Guide '09 - Vamps

1. Buffy's Cross
2. Buffy's Conversations With Dead People Board
3. Sunnydale High School Tee
4. Vampire Diaries Tee
5. New Moon Necklace
6. Esme's Cuff
7. Bella's Dress
8. New Moon Cuff
9. Eric's Necklace
10. True Blood Soundtrack
11. Merlotte's Mug
12. Light of Day Institute Tee

laptop pocket.

kelly and i launched our newest product, the laptop pocket, after hurriedly receiving samples from our manufacturer and photographing it at 8 last night. its designed specifically for the 15" macbook pro and comes in 4 limited edition colors. we're making small runs of each color so when they're sold out, they're gone!

and tomorrow's thanksgiving and i'm flying tonight (like every other american lacking any common sense) to wisconsin so i won't be posting for a couple days. but happy, happy thanksgiving!

laptop pocket.

kelly and i launched our newest product, the laptop pocket, after hurriedly receiving samples from our manufacturer and photographing it at 8 last night. its designed specifically for the 15" macbook pro and comes in 4 limited edition colors. we're making small runs of each color so when they're sold out, they're gone!

and tomorrow's thanksgiving and i'm flying tonight (like every other american lacking any common sense) to wisconsin so i won't be posting for a couple days. but happy, happy thanksgiving!

Laurendy Gift Guide '09 - Just For Fun

1. Hot Pink Coo Coo Clock
2. Mid-Century Stickers
3. Make Your Own Dog Treats
4. Russian Doll Pillow
5. Warhol In A Box
6. Mr. Bacon's Big Adventure
7. Ice Cream Light
8. Rock Tumbler
9. Sleep Mask

Treasure Box Wednesday: Turkey Temptations

There was something in the Treasure Box this week-- only I can't show it to you yet!

Yes, the power of Christmas gifting thrifting means the items I bought are for a buddy who happens to read the blog. She's getting a little nifty thrifted basket o' fun for the Christmas season, and I will entirely spoil the surprise by sharing the finds with you.

I promise to do so once the gift's been sent her way.

That said, I certainly don't want to leave you good folks-- who've come all the way over here-- empty-handed today. So since I have so many new readers this year, who probably have not perused past pages of the publication... I offer you two previous T-day posts-- both of which might give you a good holiday chuckle.

• The first was last year's entirely made-up tour of my yearly Thanksgiving setting-- the Florida Everglades-- all of it told through vintage postcards and cheerful fibs. Yes, see how I would celebrate the holiday if I actually hung out with Seminole Indians and narrowly avoided being chomped by alligators... and in Technicolor, too! Click here.

• The second contains cards from my Victorian Thanksgiving postcard collection. I love the images they used back then, and I believe you will, too. Click here for that.

Oh, and for those who didn't get a chance to check out my somewhat early Christmas decorating so far, you can view that post here.

That said, I will see you all Sunday with a post inspired by my holiday adventures-- where ever they may take me.

Pace yourselves on the turkey, American readers. :) And to folks outside the U.S., I hope you have yourselves a great rest of the week.

Treasure Box Wednesday: Turkey Temptations

There was something in the Treasure Box this week-- only I can't show it to you yet!

Yes, the power of Christmas gifting thrifting means the items I bought are for a buddy who happens to read the blog. She's getting a little nifty thrifted basket o' fun for the Christmas season, and I will entirely spoil the surprise by sharing the finds with you.

I promise to do so once the gift's been sent her way.

That said, I certainly don't want to leave you good folks-- who've come all the way over here-- empty-handed today. So since I have so many new readers this year, who probably have not perused past pages of the publication... I offer you two previous T-day posts-- both of which might give you a good holiday chuckle.

• The first was last year's entirely made-up tour of my yearly Thanksgiving setting-- the Florida Everglades-- all of it told through vintage postcards and cheerful fibs. Yes, see how I would celebrate the holiday if I actually hung out with Seminole Indians and narrowly avoided being chomped by alligators... and in Technicolor, too! Click here.

• The second contains cards from my Victorian Thanksgiving postcard collection. I love the images they used back then, and I believe you will, too. Click here for that.

Oh, and for those who didn't get a chance to check out my somewhat early Christmas decorating so far, you can view that post here.

That said, I will see you all Sunday with a post inspired by my holiday adventures-- where ever they may take me.

Pace yourselves on the turkey, American readers. :) And to folks outside the U.S., I hope you have yourselves a great rest of the week.

Bay Scallops Gremolata

So, do you know what gremolata is? Nope, I didn't either before I found this gem of a recipe in Sarah Chase's COLD WEATHER COOKING. Gremolata, my friends, is a mix of lemon, parsley and garlic, which you could probably mix up with anything and it would taste good. But in this recipe, it is absolutely, exquisitely perfect, and makes a lovely, easy, totally reliable dinner party entree for that holiday dinner you have been stressing about. Or even a wonderful weekday evening dinner that you can toss together in two shakes.

Basically all you are doing is chopping up red potatoes into small diced pieces and sauteing them in a little olive oil. Think of it as a red potato hash. This is going to be a bed for a quick saute of bay scallops (those little ones, not the big sea scallops), which you sear quickly and then toss with the gremolata. A little lemon juice, a scattering of parsley and that is it. Dish it out, serve it with a tossed salad on the side and some really nice french bread and butter, light some candles, put on some jazz, and your significant other will never know what hit them. Gremolata. You learn something new every day. (At least, I do!!)

BAY SCALLOPS GREMOLATA, adapted from COLD WEATHER COOKING

Serves 2

• 1 large red skinned potato, cut into tiny dice
• 5 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 pound bay scallops
• 1 tablespoon fresh grated lemon zest
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• Salt and pepper
• Lemon wedges and parsley for garnish

1. Heat 3 tablespoons oil in skillet over med-high heat and add potatoes. Saute until golden brown, 10-15 minutes. Remove from skillet and set aside.

2. Add remaining oil to skillet and heat over medium high heat. Add scallops and cook, stirring constantly, until they are lightly seared, 2-3 minutes.

3. Add lemon zest and garlic and cook 1 minute more. Return potatoes to skillet with parsley and stir to blend. Add lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.

4. Serve at once garnished with lemon wedges and parsley for garnish.

Click here for printable recipe

Laurendy Gift Guide '09 - The Perfect Couple

Top Row:
Log Pillow Kit
Modern Elephant
Table Topics
Santa Platter

Center Left:
Boot Stand
Pictorial Webster's Stamp Set

Center:
Drop Vase

Center Right:
Snow Globes
Ceramic Note Pad

Bottom Row:
Holiday Prep Bowls
Musical Fruit
Dart Board
Faux Bois Throw

Winter Nips, Olbas and Memories

At this time of year, I reach for the Olbas more frequently. It use to be a seasonal thing, but my addiction has deepened, or my sinuses have become more stuffed over the decades, so now it's an all year round habit. The Olbas addiction started in early childhood, when the Grandma Lil use to shove an olbas inhaler up my nostrils before heading out to school on a cold morning. It was only in later years, did I realise that the olbas inhaler was passed between the sisters and I, never wiped in-between (gross). That olbas inhaler had to be ancient, I never saw a new one, ever.When the ye olde ancient olbas inhaler wasn't about, a few drops of pure olbas oil was put on a hanky and stuffed in my pocket. They say that your olfactory (sniff sniff) senses link up directly to your memory, so sniffing a wee bit of olbas whooshes me back to days of duffel coats and hugs off Grandma Lil.

Another childhood memory that goes in hand in hand with the olbas, is a handful of Winter Nips, before you get excited, the nips I am talking about, are the sweets you see in the picture above..Not the scenario doodled below....

I loved  those sweets, they are small black herbal flavour boiled sweets, which don't actually sound that nice, but I assure they are! They warm up your mouth and as a kid, I was convinced that they magically warmed up your whole body. So when I saw a bag of them in the supermarket, I had to buy some! Nom nom nom nom!

So do you have favourite childhood sweet? What childhood smell tickles your olfactory senses?

minä perhonen exhibit.

minä perhonen exhibit at audax textielmuseum tilburg. wish, oh i wish i could go to this.