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

Blue Monday ~ LuLu time

I went to Charlotte for a little LuLu time . . .Is this the most beautiful BLUE post you have ever seen?
Notice she has a very serious look on her face. . . and that thumb isn't far away!

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

PhotoHunt ~ Flat

The PhotoHunt for this week is 'Flat'We must be talking pizza crust!Add your favorite fresh ingredients... That's yummy~
Check for all the other Flats on The Saturday PhotoHunt
Happy Hunting y'all~
Sandi

Flavors ~Bananas~ 'Sailor Jerry's Spiced Bananas'

Y'all have heard of Bananas Foster. . . the great southern treat. I am going to improve on a tradition by using the suggestions in The Flavor Bible. If such a thing is even possible. The flavors that are recommended with bananas have been capitalized.
First, I am using Sailor Jerry's spiced rum ~ pick this up the next time you see it on the shelf. It has a unique spicy flavor with hints of vanilla. The name comes from Sailor Jerry~ who is apparently a famous Tatoo artist. Every label has a replica of one of Jerry's tatoos.
Sailor Jerry.
Not our Flavors' Jerry.

Sailor Jerry's Spiced Bananas
1 stick BUTTER
2 bananas, not quite ripe
1/3 cup BROWN SUGAR
4 Tbs spiced RUM (recommended Sailor Jerry's Rum)
2 Tbs COFFEE
1/4 tsp ground NUTMEG
1/2 tsp CINNAMON
VANILLA ICE CREAM
In a medium saute pan melt butter. Slice the firm bananas in half and half again. Add bananas, cut side down and cook until lightly colored. Remove the bananas and set aside.
In the same pan, over low heat, add sugar, rum and coffee. Let simmer for 2 minutes (if you are brave... tilt the pan to side to ignite the rum). Add cinnamon and nutmeg. Simmer until the sauce is thickened.
Add bananas back into pan and ladle sauce over bananas to coat. When serving, spoon sauce evenly over a generous scoop of ice cream and bananas.
The addition of just a bit of coffee, nutmeg and cinnamon only add to the spice of Sailor Jerry. This is a quick dessert that never fails to impress.
Join us for the ride on Facebook and our blog Flavors.
Happy Cooking y'all~
Sandi

Cooking Light ~ Smoked Gouda Mac and Cheese

For the month of February, our Cooking Light Virtual Super Club decided to have a meal of comfort food. Something that would cozy us up on a cold winter's night. Being a good southern girl. . . I immediately thought of Mac & Cheese. Of course, I wouldn't be finding any recipes with Velveeta (the creamiest thing ever created by man!)
I did, however, find a 'gouda' recipe on Cooking Light!
Smoked Gouda Mac & Cheese
1 (1-ounce) slice whole wheat bread
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups fat-free milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded smoked Gouda cheese
1/3 cup (about 1 1/2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
5 cups coarsely chopped fresh spinach
4 cups hot cooked elbow macaroni (about 2 cups uncooked)
Preheat oven to 350°.
Place bread in a food processor, and pulse 10 times or until coarse crumbs measure 1/2 cup.
Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and garlic; cook 1 minute. Add flour; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Gradually add milk, salt, and pepper, stirring constantly with a whisk until blended. Bring to a boil; cook until thick (about 2 minutes). Add cheeses; stir until melted.
Add spinach and macaroni to cheese sauce, stirring until well blended. Spoon mixture into a 2-quart baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs (I left this off). Bake at 350° for 15 minutes or until bubbly.
Now let's see what everyone else has brought for our Winter Comfort Meal (is this REALLY all cooking light?)...
Jerry has a Tuscan White Bean Soup
Val is bringing a Caramelized Onion, Gruyere and Bacon Spread
Roz has our main course Sirloin Steaks with Mushroom Sauce and Chive-Garlic Potatoes
Giz is bringing a pumpkin flan for dessert.
Don't forget, that y'all are welcome to join in our virtual supper with the blog hop!
Y'all enjoy~
Sandi

Traveling Tuesdays ~ Edinburgh

Rob and I have been comparing our trips to Edinburgh. I stayed in the up-scale and swanky Scotsman Hotel ~ fabulous!He stayed just down the Royal Mile at the Edinburgh Youth Hostel . . . at about 1/10th the cost. After that, our trips were very similar. We both agree that our favorite restaurant is Amber We each wandered the Royal Mile. ~OK, I may have stopped in a few more shops than he did.We were awed by the beauty of the open aired chapel at Holyrood.A place we both would love to go again.
After hearing a few stories, I have decided that those youth hostels are for the young :-)

Now . . . where is everyone else traveling this tuesday?
Y'all enjoy the ride~
Sandi

Blue Monday's ~ Fritatta di Verdura

I'm glad my blue teapot was in the photo ~ So I can post this on Blue Monday.
This is our traditional sunday morning breakfast. ~ Call it a 'clean out the fridge fritatta'. Fritatta di Verdura in Italiano . . . doesn't that sound so much better? It does when David Rocco says it.

So . . . in cleaning out the fridge I found ~ A hand full of spinach, 4 mushrooms, diced onion, bell pepper and pepperoni. 6 eggs and some parmesean cheese. This is his recipe, although I make it my own from week to week.
Fritatta di Verdura
5 large eggs
thinly slice 1 potato
thinly slice 1 red pepper,
thinly slice 1 onion
1 cup freshly grated Grana Padano cheese
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
In a bowl, beat eggs with freshly grated cheese. Salt & pepper to taste.
Heat olive oil in a non-stick pan. Add veggies.
Cook for 5 minutes, or until vegetables are soft.
(consider that some things will need to cook a little longer than others. Add fresh spinach toward the end)
Pour egg mixture into frying pan. With a fork, evenly distribute egg mixture.
Cook over medium head for approximately 3 - 4 minutes without stirring.
Place under the broiler to finish the top.

Bene, Bene, Bene
Don't forget to check in at Smiling Sally for more blues.
y'all enjoy~
Sandi

PhotoHunt ~ Fluffy

The PhotoHunt for this week is 'Fluffy' I found pictures of a beautiful wedding couple~ next to their 'fluffy' wedding cake.The bride is in her fluffy dress, with fluffy flowers in her hair.And of course. . . these custom Wedding Cake Toppers are available through Gimme Some Sugar at Etsy!
Check for all the other fluffy photos on The Saturday PhotoHunt

Happy Hunting y'all~
Sandi

Flavors ~Beef~ 'Beef Roast with Chocolate Sauce'

Beef!
Y'all know that this week is Wide Open! I hope that we see a variety of recipes for beef.
I saw in The Flavor Bible, that chocolate is a flavor that goes well with beef.
Hmmmm ~ Red wine goes with beef, and we know that chocolate goes with Red wine. Why not give it a try?? I have capitalized all the flavors that are recommended with beef.
Beef Roast with Chocolate Sauce
1 (2-pound) beef tenderloin roast
1/4 tsp SALT
1/4 tspn freshly ground BLACK PEPPER
2 Tbs OLIVE OIL
1/2 cup chopped SHALLOTS
1 small CARROT
1 stalk CELERY
2 cloves GARLIC, minced
2 cups dry RED WINE
2 cups low-sodium beef broth
2 Tbs TOMATO PASTE
1 BAY LEAF
1 sprig fresh THYME
2 Tbs COCOA POWDER
1 teaspoon chopped fresh ROSEMARY
Preheat the oven to 425°
Rub the meat with course salt, pepper and 1 Tbs cocoa powder .
Transfer the meat to a rack set on a baking sheet. Roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part registers 140° for medium-rare, about 30 minutes, or to your desired degree of doneness. Remove it from the oven, cover with aluminum foil, and let rest until the sauce is nearly done before slicing.
While the meat cooks, make the sauce.
In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, Add the diced shallots, carrot and celery until softened. Add the minced garlic and cook for a couple minutes more. Add the red wine and broth and stir in the tomato paste. Add the bay leaf and thyme and bring to a boil. Simmer until the liquid is reduced to about 1/2 cup, about 40 minutes. Strain through a fine mesh strainer into a smaller pan. Stir in the cocoa and rosemary and season with salt and pepper. Serve on the side with the sliced tenderloin. The beef roast was perfect (but that is hard to ruin unless you over cook it) . . . the sauce gave an interesting flavor. Subtle chocolate ~ perfect! It was great with some rosemary roasted potatoes.

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

Happy Cooking y'all~
Sandi

Traveling Tuesdays ~ la Dolce Vita

I am in Travel planning mode ~ my favorite time of the year!
We are planning our Great Escape in May.
I've been looking over hotels and have decided to go back to what I know. Residenza Canali is my favorite hotel in Rome. It is small and the location can't be beat. It is only one block from the Fabulous Piazza Navonna!
The only draw back is this flight of stairs . . . but I am counting on Paulo to carry my suitcase.
Every trip after that . . . I will be walking off another scoop of gelato from my favorite shop, Gelateria del Teatro.
~ and an afternoon of hanging in the neighborhood.
Enjoying la Dolce Vita~

Share your favorite travel spots.
Y'all enjoy the ride~
Sandi