Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween from our home to yours!

Hope everyone has a fun and safe holiday!

City of Angels

New York was a blast, but I'm glad to be home!

Bye New York!

Home: such a beautiful and comforting sight

Oktoberfest in a Treasure-Filled Apartment - II

I was going to include the following pics in the previous post, but I changed my mind and created a part II. I felt that KF's adorable apartment deserved a post of it's own. The apartment is an amazing space filled with all sorts of treasures. There are so many unique and special items that you could really spend hours looking at everything. Which is saying a lot considering the size of most New York apartments. But even in the modest space, she has managed to arrange everything just so. It is almost too perfect, like a set of a photo shoot, which is sort of what I turned it into!

Oktoberfest in a Treasure-Filled Apartment - I

Middle Sister and I helped a friend, KF, throw a surprise birthday party for her boyfriend. We went with a Fall theme and planned a menu of sausages, chili, warm soft pretzels, puff pastries, meatballs, and beers from all over the world. We wanted to go with something tasty, but casual. I love party planning and was eager to see what KF had planned for food and decor and she did not disappoint! It was obvious that KF spent a lot of time thinking out every detail and it was all perfectly executed.

Click on the pictures below to zoom in.

Pizza Night in NY

While in New York, of course I had to see how the Middle Sister and ML did pizza. Pizza is my favorite food and although I love plain cheese the best, I enjoy trying other peoples' homemade creations. We each made one. See what we came up with! The above creation is ML's white pizza with clam and garlic topped with arugula. I usually avoid clam pizzas, but this one was amazing!

Middle Sister created a delicious sausage, peppers and corn topped with basil. Then I created a pizza which I will call miscellaneous. I used the leftover toppings and not enough cheese. It also had a big bubble in it, which I strategically covered with basil. With the pizza we enjoyed a refreshing Riesling they had bought on a recent trip to the Finger Lakes.

As my Middle Sister would say as a kid, "It was a good day. The End."

Perfect Popcorn

I love good popcorn and often enjoy it as a snack at home. But I really don't like movie theater popcorn or microwave popcorn. Don't get me wrong, I'm definitely not above bad-for-you snacks with chemicals, but there is something about the strange artificial taste that turns me off. I loved the air popper our Grandpa gave us when we were kids and I still enjoy that same air popper as it was on our registry and given to us by my Sister-in-Law. It makes popcorn taste good even without toppings. It's a great way to snack guilt free!

Of course my Middle Sister and her boyfriend, ML, have their own version of how to make this treat special. ML is a great cook himself and gets a lot of his good ideas from Chef Alton Brown. He uses Brown's method of cooking popcorn, but made it his own by mixing two different types of corn and his own concoction of spices. You really can't go wrong, so have fun making this your own.               

Happy Popping!

New York

New York, New York!

It is an exhilarating city and I love visiting. The energy, the shopping and of course the food is so amazing. I'm visiting with the Middle Sister and will be blogging from her apartment for a week. Isn't her view beautiful? This is really lucky for you guys because she is a true gourmet, maybe bordering on gourmand. She is the go to person for recipes, dinner menus and wine pairings. She always has good ideas about what to serve on what occasion. I'm hoping to learn a few things while I'm here. During my stay, Middle Sister and I will also be helping a friend throw a themed party which I will definitely be blogging about. This particular friend is also a little Martha Stewarty and so I can't wait to see what she has planned.

Here are some things that my sister has been making:

Katsu Curry

She mixed Korean Curry Powder with onions, potatoes and carrots. To prep the pork cutlets she dipped the cutlets into flour, egg and then panko flakes. She then pan fried them in peanut oil  (because it has a higher smoking point). She served it with a side of cabbage slaw over a bed of white rice. She paired the dish with a glass of sake. 

Sausage Ragu over Spaghetti

In a dutch oven she added onions, carrots and celery to warmed olive oil. Then she added a mix of hot Italian sausage and sweet Italian sausage. When browned, she stirred in a cup of dry red wine and then added crushed tomatoes and tomato paste. After an hour of simmering, she topped it off with fresh basil and freshly grated Parmesan. She paired this dish with a California cabernet.

Now if only I could get her to write up a recipe!