Traveling Tuesdays ~ Click my heels

We saw 'Wicked' here in Birmingham last week. What can I say but ~ AWESOME ~
If you haven't seen it . . . you must!
I reminded me of the first time (yes, first time) I saw the show in London. It was particularly fabulous because Harrods was also in on the story line.
Harrods was dressed as the Emerald City~
All lit up in Emerald Green.
After all ~ where else would you go if you were looking for a pair of Ruby Slippers?
I would own a pair if I thought I could click my heels and take off~~~~~>

Y'all enjoy the ride~
Sandi
*for those of you who played the linky with me . . . you'll notice I no longer have the subscription*
We can still travel together.
Leave a comment and we'll visit!

PhotoHunt ~ LOUD ~

The PhotoHunt for this week is 'LOUD'
For years, a part of the thrill of going to the WhistleStop Cafe, has been the trains.

The Norfolk Southern line runs right in front of the cafe. The kids love to grab a seat by the window so they can watch the trains rumble by while they eat their fried chicken and plates of veggies.~ And the adults who line up outside the door . . . plug their ears.
It's LOUD!

Check for all the other Loud things on The Saturday PhotoHunt
Happy Hunting y'all~
Sandi

Flavors ~Lentils~ 'Lentils with Mediterranean Flavors'

Y'all can probably guess that I am not a huge fan of lentils. Lentil soup . . . that is just a way to use a leftover ham hock.
So . . . my mission was to find a new way to serve lentils, using the Flavor Bible.I wanted to include fresh flavors, and add a little spice. Citrus, Kalmata olives, and garlic seemed like a good place to start. They say that Green lentils are more flavorful (maybe that has been my problem in the past).
Lentils with Mediterranean Flavors
1 tablespoon extra-virgin OLIVE OIL, plus 3 tablespoons
1 CARROT
1 small ONION
2 GARLIC cloves,
1 1/4 cups dried green lentils
4 cups CHICKEN STOCK
1 BAY LEAF
1 cup long-grain white rice
1/2 cup pitted kalamata OLIVES
1/2 cup fresh Italian PARSLEY
1/2 cup baby SPINACH
1/2 cup cherry TOMATOES
1 tablespoon chopped fresh THYME leaves
3 SCALLIONS
2 Tbs LEMON zest
Salt and freshly ground BLACK PEPPER
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large saucepan. Add the diced carrot, onion, and garlic and saute until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the lentils. Add 2 1/2 cups of broth and bring to a boil over high heat. Decrease the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer gently until the lentils are just tender, about 15 minutes. Drain well. Transfer the lentils to a large bowl.
Meanwhile, cook the rice with bay leaves and remaining broth until it is tender and the liquid is absorbed. Fluff the rice with a large fork. Transfer to the bowl with the lentils. Add the chopped olives, parsley, thyme, and lemon zest. Toss the rice mixture with the remaining 3 tablespoons oil to coat. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Serve warm or at room temperature.
It makes a fresh and flavorful base for grilled Salmon.
It was even better the next day as a salad!

Join us for the ride on Facebook and our blog Flavors.

Happy Cooking y'all~
Sandi

Traveling Tuesdays ~ Let's Go!

I am craving a little Sunshine . . . ~ and the sound of the waves.
Me thinks we need a trip to the beach.


Y'all enjoy the ride~
Sandi
*for those of you who played the linky with me . . . you'll notice I no longer have the subscription*
We can still travel together.
Leave a comment and I'll visit!

Let the Good Times Roll~

'Laissez les bons temps rouler!' ~ Let the good times roll ~
This year it was a party at The Club.

Ash Wednesday will bring an end to Mardi Gras (which is french for Fat Tuesday) We celebrate the season of Mardi Gras~
and look forward to Spring!
y'all enjoy~
Sandi

Photohunt ~ Point

The PhotoHunt for this week is 'Point'Have you ever cooked artichokes? They can poke you!The first step is cutting off the pointy ends and rubbing it down with lemon to keep it from turning brown. That leaves the yummy leaves and tender heart. Steam them until tender.
Yummy!
Check for all the other Pointy Photos on The Saturday PhotoHunt
Happy Hunting y'all~
Sandi

Beyond the Pasta

Have you read Beyond The Pasta ? It is Mark Leslie's account of living with an Italian family. He spent a month with Nonna and her family, learning to cook and speak Italian. Last night we went to a cooking class Birmingham Bake and Cook ~ my favorite shop for all things Kitchen! Susan does a great job of keeping the place stocked with those hard to find items.

It was fun to watch Mark make three kinds pasta and the sauces to go with them in 3 hours. He was not only roling out the dough . . . but telling funny stories all along.
Allorah ~ What a Hoot!

We both agree'd that Italian cooks are Absolute about their recipes. Having cooked 'with' Marcella Hazan ~ I know that for a fact! Only fresh Italian ingredients, and then only in a certain order . . .

He whipped up several batches of 2 egg pasta ~ and then one with spinach for fettuccini.

I jumped in to help with the rolling . . .

check the total concentration . . .
Mark made it look very easy ~ and didn't even break a sweat. Nonna would be proud!
If you haven't read the book ~ it is a must. The recipes are there, but the best part is the southern guy living the life in Italy. I can relate to so many of the stories !

Ciao Y'all ~
Sandi

Flavors ~Rabbit~ 'Rabbit in Thyme Sauce'

Only because of Flavors . . . we are branching out with rabbit.
Just this once.
The only reason I could even do this . . . is because it came in a cellophane wrapper from Piggly Wiggly. I just pretended it was chicken.
Rabbit in Thyme Sauce
1 lb Rabbit
2 Tbs OLIVE OIL
1 cup flour
2 Tbs cracked PEPPER
2 Tbs fresh THYME
1 Tbs fresh TARRAGON
1 BAY LEAF
2 cloves GARLIC
1 cup WHITE WINE
1 cup chicken stock
1 Tbs MUSTARD
1/2 tsp MUSTARD seed
Drench boneless rabbit pieces in flour and sprinkle with pepper. Brown in olive oil. When browned evenly: add diced garlic, and herbs. Allow to cook for another minute, then remove from heat and add white wine. Continue to cook covered over low heat for another 45 minutes-1hr. Turn up the heat and add Dijon mustard and extra broth if needed to make a smooth sauce. Serve with RICE . . . and just pretend it's chicken.
Join us for the ride on Facebook and our blog Flavors.

Happy Cooking y'all~
Sandi

Traveling Tuesdays ~ The Language of Love

We have all heard that Italians speak the language of Love.
I saw this post- it note stuck to a Vespa on a side street in Florence . . . How sweet is that?
This is as 'sweet' as I get while in Italy.
I do have a beautiful ginormous boquet of roses on my kitchen counter ~ That's Amore !

Happy Valentines Day Y'all enjoy~
Sandi
*for those of you who played the linky with me . . . you'll notice I no longer have the subscription.
Long story, made short ~ I cancelled*
We can still travel together.
Leave a comment and I'll visit!

Blue Monday ~ Stitches

Now I can show off some of the projects that have been keeping me busy.That is ~ now that I have such a precious model.
This little baby poncho kept me busy while I was flying to London back in September. A crochet hook and ball of yarn are easy to pack and I've never had trouble getting them on an airplane.
I think I would throw a hissy fit in the security line if they tried to confiscate a pair of knitting needles in the middle of a project.
This finished up quick and easy . . . and Hope can wear it with her little blue jeans.

Don't forget to check in at Smiling Sally for more blues and BetweenNapsonthePorch for more Metamorphosis.
y'all enjoy~
Sandi

PhotoHunt ~ Heart ~

The PhotoHunt for this week is 'Heart'.
I would ♥ a little time at the beach ~
Check for all the other ♥ on The Saturday PhotoHunt
Happy Hunting y'all~
Sandi

Chocolate Ginger Cookies

I'm glad to see that Gina DePalma has a blog. I have her cookbook and it has been well loved (and well used)
This is a recipe that is similar to My Chocolate Ginger Cookies . . . only I will admit, these are B E T T E R! I did use dark chocolate and candied ginger ~ only the best for a valentine sweet!
Chocolate Chewy Ginger Cookies ~ By Gina DePalma
2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 ½ teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
4 teaspoons dutch-processed cocoa powder
1 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1 large egg
Freshly grated zest of one medium lemon
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
¼ cup molasses
Raw sugar for coating the cookies
6 oz. semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
Preheat the oven to 325°.
In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, spices and cocoa powder well to remove any lumps and thoroughly combine them and set aside.
In the bowl beat the sugar and vegetable oil together until well combined and fluffy. Beat in the egg, followed by the lemon zest, vanilla and molasses, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Add in the dry ingredients and chopped chocolate until well combined, forming a firm dough. Let the dough sit for 15 minutes before shaping and baking. (At this point, the dough can be wrapped tightly and frozen, or stored in the refrigerator in a plastic, air-tight container, for up to a week)
To bake, pinch off enough dough to roll into one-inch balls with your palms. Roll the balls in the additional raw sugar to coat the surface evenly and place them on the cookie sheets, spaced about an inch apart.
Bake the cookies in batches for 12 to 14 minutes, or until they are puffed, cracked, and firm at the edges. Let the cookies cool on the sheet for three to four minutes before transferring them to a rack to cool completely.
Store the cookies in an airtight jar or container to keep them soft and chewy.
Grazie Gina De
That's a Friday Favorite for y'all~
Sandi

Flavors ~Broccoli~ 'Broccolini a la Flavour'

Y'all have seen a variety of recipes for Broccoli. I wanted to find the perfect recipe for Broccolini.
If you aren't familiar... Broccolini is a fusion of Broccoli and Asian Kale. It is tender and slightly sweet. Here I have combined the perfect 'flavors' and enhanced our favorite veggie. It is light, and easy to throw together in a couple of minutes.As always the recommended flavors have been capitalized.

Broccolini a la Flavour
1 Tbs OLIVE OIL
LEMON ZEST
2 cloves GARLIC
1/8 tsp RED PEPPER flakes
1 bunch broccolini, stem ends trimmed
Kosher SALT and freshly ground BLACK PEPPER, to taste
1/2 cup water
juice of one LEMON
In a nonstick fry pan over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add garlic and red pepper flakes and heat, add the zest of one lemon. Stir constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the broccolini, tossing well to combine. Add the water and lemon juice, cover and steam for about 3 minutes. Uncover and continue cooking until all the water has evaporated, about 2 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.This is the perfect flavor for Salmon . . . my 'go-to weeknight meal'.

Join us for the ride on Facebook and our blog Flavors.
Happy Cooking y'all~
Sandi

Traveling Tuesdays ~ Dish

This weekend I took a special road trip to Charlotte for a quick road trip. We decided we needed to try out Dish.
It is a local 'meat and three', similar to the WhistleStop Cafe ~ with a twist!
Guy from Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives recommended it . . . So I thought I'd better give their Fried Green Tomatoes a try.
Just the right amount of batter and a kicked up Horsey dip.
Awesome!
The chicken fried steak, meatloaf, and salmon patties were all great. The special side dish of deviled eggs are their signature.
Hope was the only one in the building who was not impressed.
We'll be going back again and again.

Y'all enjoy the ride~
Sandi