Thursday, June 30, 2011

What To Do When Your Box of Wine Springs A Leak

Monday morning I woke up to find a puddle of Pinot Grigio in my refrigerator. My first thought was....what would Ramona do?


I decided that Ramona would drink that box of wine as fast as she could so that none of it would go to waste.

Then I remembered that it was 8am.

I thought about it for a few minutes as my fridge continued to fill with wine and I had my A-Ha moment!

Leaky Box of Wine

I turned that frown wine upside down!

Friday, June 24, 2011

Grand Marnier Zabaglione

We spent Father's Day at my brother in law's house eating our weight in deep fried and grilled fresh fish from his recent fishing trip to Alaska.

I made a couple dishes to go with it that I was not happy with. I'm planning to rework the recipes before sharing them because I think they have the potential to be great!

For dessert...I wanted something light and creamy. This fit the bill and was super simple and fast.

By the way...if you're wondering, Grand Marnier does come in a small bottle. It's not cheap so I'm going to looking for more ways to use it.


Grand Marnier Zabaglione

Grand Marnier Zabaglione
 adapted from Epicurious and Bon Appetit Magazine June 2009

Serves 4

Strawberries, Raspberries or Blueberries
6 large egg yolks
6 tablespoons Grand Marnier or other orange liqueur
4 tablespoons water
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoon sour cream
4 fresh mint sprigs (for garnish)

Whisk egg yolks, Grand Marnier, 4 tablespoons water, and sugar in medium metal bowl. Set bowl over large saucepan of gently simmering water. Whisk until mixture becomes thick and foamy, for  3 minutes. Remove from heat; whisk 1 minute longer. Whisk in the sour cream and pour warm zabaglione over fruit. Garnish with mint sprigs. Serve immediately.

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Pho Duy 6

I've been hearing about Pho (FAH) for a while now and I was curious. I've never eaten Vietnamese food before but I love trying new things so it was on my list of *things to eat before I die*.

In doing a little research....I discovered that many people that eat Pho, fall in love and want to marry Pho.

I was on a mission to find out if Pho and I were compatible. Would it be love at first sight?

I get together every six weeks or so with a group of local bloggers for some good food.  I thought this group would be the right people to have my Pho experience with and I was right.  A couple of us were Pho Virgins.

What Bloggers Do
Jolene, Rachel, Aimee
Jolene, Rachel, Aimee
Not Pictured: Ratna and Denise

We met in Broomfield at Pho Duy 6.  It is located right next to the Pacific Ocean Market Place....I'm told it is the most complete Asian market in the north Denver area.  I can't tell you if that is the case for sure....because I was too busy having happy hour drinks at 3 Margaritas.

Back to the Pho.

I ordered the Beef Pho (the non tripe one) in a medium.  It was more than enough food and I should have ordered the small. A plate is brought to the table containing Thai Basil, Bean Sprouts and Lime. Throw it all in your bowl....along with some of the sauces, some sweet, some spicy.  Heaven!

Beef Pho

I adore Bubble Tea (they called it Boba) so I ordered that too. It was wonderful and I just love those little tapioca balls. There were many *ball* jokes thrown about. I do love balls.

Mango Boba

Because I'm a glutton for punishment and my eyes are much bigger than my stomach. I ordered Shrimp Spring Rolls. They were good...but not great. I still say that Talk of The Thai in Lakewood has the best ones...but they call them Summer Rolls.

Shrimp Spring Rolls

I enjoyed my meal at Pho Duy very much....even though our server insulted me for being old. This place doesn't have a liquor license and when one of my friends asked why...he said they don't like to embarrass people by asking for their identification. He gestured around the table, saying that he'd have to card all of us but then pointed towards me and said well....except for you. Awesome.

I really would have loved a beer with this meal so next I'll be trying out Pho Pasta in Denver. It's closer to my house anyway.

I found this funny video about Pho. I feel the exact same way!






Pho Duy 6 on Urbanspoon

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Tuna Salad

This recipe is from the 20 Years Younger book and it's turned out to be my husband's favorite meal.  It's perfect for summer because it requires ZERO cooking. It's also worth noting that 50% of my children like it. And ask for more.



Tuna Salad
This is for ONE serving.  Increase amounts accordingly.

4oz tuna (i use water packed Albacore)
1 teaspoon capers (i chop mine)
1 medium tomato, diced
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1/2 cup diced cucumber
1/2 cup diced celery
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 cup romaine or arugula

Mix all of the ingredients together and serve on a bed of  lettuce.  Serve with a whole wheat roll and fruit.

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Easy Kale Salad

I want to like Kale. It's only $1.29 a bunch and when cut up....makes a large amount of greens. Once you get past the fact that Kale kind of looks like a weed...you find that it's very nutritious and has anti-inflammatory powers. Kale is high in beta carotene, Vitamin K, Vitamin C and Calcium.

Kale can block the growth of cancer cells! My husband is always afraid that he's getting cancer so I plan to make him eat as much Kale as possible.

I found this recipe and thought it sounded really good and since it has apples in it...my kids might eat it. I was right! Everyone liked it. I loved it.  I recommend cutting this recipe in half if you are feeding a family of four.  Unless you want to eat Kale Salad for the next three days.

Kale Salad

Easy Kale Salad
adapted from Irreverent Vegan

1 bunch of kale, chopped
juice of one lemon
1 avocado, chopped
1 apple, chopped
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped or crushed
salt and pepper to taste

Put the chopped kale in a large bowl then add the lemon  juice.  Add salt and avocado pieces.  Massage mixture together.  The salt and oil in the avocado will soften the kale.  Throw in the apple, walnuts and salt and pepper and toss salad with tongs.  Chill in the fridge for a half hour before serving.