It happened just days before Christmas of 2013.
I was perusing the isles of my favorite Asian grocery store when I took a double take. There in front of me, all lined up in a row were tiny individual packages of black truffles.
“Black Truffles? Really?” I thought to myself. I could hardly believe my eyes. Continue reading »
How much do I love this heavenly green concoction I’ve called Pesto? Well let me just count the ways :)
I love it gently swirled into a deep bowl of delicate angel hair pasta — B thinks it’s even better with his eggs over easy and I won’t forget hubby’s favorite way — straight out of the jar (naughty, naughty).
But today I enjoy it this way — on a Tartine :) which means, “open faced sandwich,” in French :)
This style of eating is one my favorites :) and B’s favorite too.
A slice of toasted French bread smeared with a generous helping of peppered ricotta followed by a nice dollop of the pesto and a thin slice of proscuiotto followed by a grand finale of perfectly roasted tomatoes.
Perfection.
Pesto is what I first called it — but upon further consideration it could easily merge into the category of Heavenly Deliciousness taking any meal to higher levels :)
You may remember this trip we took when I first created this recipe. I realized I had forgotten the real Italian pesto at home :( So, using what I had onboard I introduce you to our new favorite pesto/sauce/heavenly concoction ♥
My next thought for this? Atop a hot baked potato with a dollop of sour cream ♥
If you do try this, please let me know — I would love to hear what you think xo
Bon Appetit xoxo
~ Monica
| Step 1 | |
| In a food processor (I used my trusty little 3-cup capacity food processor I keep on board the Airstream) put the chives, almonds, cheese, lemon zest and give it a whirl. Add your olive oil to it - a little at a time until your desired consistency is met. | |
| Step 2 | |
| Add salt and pepper to taste at the end. Hubby said I should bottle this stuff and sell it. I also think next time I may add some garlic . . . | |
| Step 3 | |
| In addition to topping eggs with this, I imagine it would be delicious with pasta or on sandwiches :) ♥ | |
Welcome to a beautiful Sunday my friends :) For 2014, I’ve decided to add another feature/category to J5MM named: Snack Sundays :)
This feature idea came from the fact that every day, when I come home from work, hubby and B are asking me (as soon as I walk in the door) “We’re starving! What’s for dinner?!” Seriously. Oliver is jumping all over me begging to be picked up, my coat is still on and I usually have an armful of something either groceries for dinner or files from the office that I can barely hang onto.
It’s a tradition to celebrate Christmas Eve at my brick and mortar home and have the Bennett family come over. As usual, my sister-in-law and I get wrapped up in heavy conversation about cooking, growing veggies, sewing and so much more. I simply adore her — she is such an inspiration.
Such an inspiration in fact that I could hardly wait to try a bread recipe that she’s been baking now for quite some time in her dutch oven at home. She made it sound so easy (she doesn’t even measure!) but the basic premise is baking bread at a high heat in the dutch oven as to replicate the “steaming” process that takes place in the higher end ovens found in fancy bakeries.
This loaf of bread you see below was my first attempt — I too did not measure and it came out delicious. But tonight as I sit here typing this, my home smells so Heavenly as I made a second loaf so I could measure my ingredients this time around and share the recipe with you.
There is something about the Fall season that simply warms my heart and gets me thinking about the cooler weather ahead.
Our Airstream, which currently happily waits for us on our piece of property in Eastern Washington sits amongst heirloom apple and plum trees surrounded by this new season.
And it never fails — with the abundance of those late summer fruits — apples and plums — that I’m continually tempted into my silver kitchen to cook . . .
. . . and to escape the everyday hustle and bustle of corporate America.
For me, this is my refuge. Continue reading »
Located right in between Challis, ID and Stanley, ID — along the Salmon River off Hwy 75 is where you will find one of the most picturesque campgrounds ever. It’s called the “Salmon River Campground,” and we could hardly believe our eyes at the sites here. They are all big and spacious sites but best of all, they are located along the Salmon River. Right there! If you love fishing or just relaxing by a river — this is the place for you. Continue reading »
There is nothing I enjoy more than coming home from corporate America and preparing dinner in the Airstream on these beautifully sunny Seattle days. Except for of course, preparing dinner in our Airstream when we are actually on the road – on vacation, lol :)
Oh beautiful Oregon. How I love you and how much I realize a trip back is in order. Our trip visiting with you last Spring was one we will never forget . . .
We were sad to be leaving Kahneeta. We had such a wonderful time spending our days hiking, swimming, golfing and just relaxing. We will forever remember the good times we had there.
Like anything else in life, it was time to move on. We had a schedule that we needed to stick to if we truly wanted to visit all of the places we had in mind in Oregon.
So off we went. Our next stop was Smith Rock State Park in Terrebonne where we would be able to see some rock climbers in action.
When we arrived We pulled the Airstream into a nice big spot and had a picnic lunch of prosciutto, feta and tomato tartines accompanied with Burrata.
Oh that Burrata.
Today was a rainy (and chilly) day in Seattle. Shocking, I know :)
With the sound of the heavy raindrops outside, I always get the urge to bake and today was the perfect day! I’ve been inspired now for quite some time to bake since our recent trip to McCall, Idaho. During our trip I met many people who raved over “Stacey Cakes,” which is a sweet little bakery run by Stacey Kucy. I couldn’t visit because I became sick but she was so thoughtful to send me some goodies in the mail wishing me well because she heard just how badly I wanted to visit.
{Chef Bill Messick – Coho Restaurant, Friday Harbor – San Juan Island, Washington} Continue reading »
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