Foodie Friday

Pull up a chair and join us for the second Foodie Friday.

Kielbasa with Sauteed Red Onions


Salad with strawberries, red onion, toasted walnuts,and bacon.


Bakery bread and my diet standby, Walden Farms Bacon Dressing (0 calories, 0 carbs, 0 fat--and majorly delicious).

Kielbasa with Sauteed Red Onions

• 2 packages Kielbasa
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 large red onion (cut into 1/4" slices)
• 1/4 teaspoon red-wine vinegar
• fresh rosemary
• salt, pepper
• cast-iron skillet

Heat sausage in oil, browning on all sides, and remove from pan. Add onions (medium flame) and stir until onions are wilted and translucent. Add vinegar (optional--sometimes I skip this part) and cook a minute or two. Season to taste with salt/pepper. Make sure you scrape the bottom of the pan, stirring together all of the onions so they are deliciously caramelized. Add sausages. Garnish with rosemary. Simmer 7 minutes or so.

Serve with Irish coffee...and mark your calendar for an early St. Patrick's Day party on Friday, March 13th.

If you are participating in Foodie Friday, type in your name, then add your permalink (click on your Foodie Friday blog title and cut/paste the link into Mr. Linky). For more information on this event, CLICK HERE.

A Bird-Themed, Spring Brunch

The cold, winter morning cried out for a springish touch.
I started with the twig flatware, the white chargers, and the blue-gray dishes from last week's tablescape. Then I spotted the birdhouses that I found a few weeks ago. I grabbed a blue dish and ran around the house, looking for inspiration.
First, I lined a black tray with moss (to contain the fall-out). But let me digress: I wanted to show you the little nest...see the white eggs? Two years ago, we found them at the barn--we couldn't figure out the culprit, since we didn't have guineas at the time. I saved them. And I keep them on a little stand. They mean a lot to me. :-))

Next, I used a cookie cutter to make Bird-shaped biscuits.



And eggs that we'd gathered at the barn.

Pineapple juice and coffee...

A very egg-centric tablescape, to be sure. :-)

Candlelight at brunch? Why not? :-)




I added Bethany Lowe bird dishes. Each plate is different. Here's one..

And another...

And another.


A little birdhouse with a glass knob "perch."

A closer look at the wee, mysterious eggs.

Gilding the Carb

After accidentally eating 50,000 icing carbs, what's the harm in 6 more?

I'm showing half a picture because the calories and carbs have been sLaSHed.

Nothing new, but oh, it hits the spot.

• 1/2 cup Carb Smart vanilla ice cream (4 net carbs)
• 2 medium strawberries (1/39" diameter = .92 carbs each--I used more)
• whipped cream (Reddi-whip Extra creamy (less than one gram, unless you are like me and Gild the Carb).

Variations:

• chopped nuts
• sugar-free chocolate syrup
• sugar-free strawberry jam
• fine dusting of espresso powder
• blueberries, raspberries, blackberries

7.6 net carbs (ice cream plus 3.6 carbs in 1/4 c fresh blueberries)

Foodie Friday Post-It Note

You are cordially invited to an early St. Patrick's Day Potluck at "Foodie Friday" on March 13, 2009. From shamrocks to Irish coffee to cock-a-leeky soup, join the party! I'm going wild with green icing and sprinkles. :-) There will be door prizes, too. Click HERE for details about Foodie Friday.

The second "Foodie Friday" is just a few days away, Friday, February 27th. I can't wait for another round of food, fun, and recipes!

A drawing will be held for a wire cake stand:

See you at the potluck!

Breakfast for the Bandwith Bandit

I've been playing again.

Kitchen experiments are more fun when the kitchen is wrecked. So, this morning, when Young Bandwith requested pancakes, I leaped at the opportunity.

Right off the bat, he asked for "normal" pancakes, which was a good idea, because of the inevitable bloopers. After I sprayed the cookie cutters with Pam, the troubled ended.


Butterflies for Bandwith's Second Breakfast


Buttery butterflies garnished with chocolate chips.


Our Araucana chickens lay blue eggs (which has nothing whatsoever to do with pancakes, but I wanted you to see it).




Milk & Pancakes = Happy Bandwith


Butterflies skating on squiggles of Mrs. Butterworth.

Icing Angst

Teeny Jackson is a character in my new book. She's a "cake lady," so I have been doing intensive research in my own kitchen. Armed with a rolling pin, a tube of cookie dough, and cookie cutters, I went to work--again.

The one in the center looks like a coat hanger.


I made one cookie that looked great. Even Dr. Gollum liked it. When I attempted to transfer it to a platter, it flipped upside down. Splat!
I got pink icing in the Yorkies' fur, and Young Bandwith thought they'd been injured.


Well, these were supposed to be pocketbooks! I went wild with the rosettes.

Jain's sister said that Judith Leiber has nothing to fear from Gollum. :-)

I didn't have to worry about anyone eating the cookies before I took photos.

"This is a handbag?" Dr. Gollum asked.
"Yes," I said, "with a bug on it."

Right about now, I'm wishing Teeny was a salad chef. :-)

When all else fails, bring out the cute dishes.


And put a bug in the bottom.


When my granddaughter comes for a visit this May, we'll bake all kinds of cookies.

Oops, the little moth flew in crooked.

That's the main reason I'm eager for spring...

... playing in the kitchen with Annabel.

Note: My kitchen has been deliriously happy all weekend.

Simple Food: Tinkering With Grocery Store Cookies

I bought a little box of chocolate chip cookies at the Publix bakery, then I came home and "doctored" them.


After melting the chocolate and peanut butter chips, I dipped & drizzled the cookies.


I dipped the rest of the cookies in chocolate, with more frenzied zigzags.


What You Need:

• Store bought cookies (or homemade, of course!)
• Microwave dipping chocolate
• peanut butter chips
• squeeze bottle (a clean mustard bottle will work--or a fork, if you have a steady hand).
• waxed paper

Melt the chocolate according to directions on the container. Melt the peanut butter chips in the microwave (I add a bit of milk after microwaving until the mixture reaches a "spreadable" consistency.

Dip each cookie, just the edge. Alternate chocolate and peanut butter. Place remaining chocolate into a squeeze bottle. Set on waxed paper and drizzle.

Cookies for breakfast, Dr. Gollum?

That sounds good to me. :-)