Use your pretty things

This morning I was putzing around the kitchen, putting some things away, getting a few things started for Easter dinner. I opened the doors of the tiny cabinet above the microwave to remind myself what was in it. I had to use a spatula to open the doors, of course, because I can't actually reach the doors themselves. Which is why I store the china up there.

I actually have two sets of china, both of which my Mom gave to me. One is the set I remember from my childhood. It has a pretty rose pattern on just a side of the plate, in a soft silver. I would share a picture of it, but as I mentioned, I can't actually reach it, so...

The other set I have also brings back special memories. Every year at Christmas, my Dad loved shopping for everyone. And every year, he had to make that one last trip to a store to get just one more thing, usually for Mom. One year, it was a new set of china. It is also pretty, in a more modern way than the traditional flower pattern. This set is decorated by a simple silver border. What I remember most about it is not the many holiday meals we used it, but the pure joy my father displayed in buying and giving to Mom.

As I was looking at the cabinet from (far) below, my son asked why we never use the china. (The flowered set is in the cabinet and the other set is in storage in the house). I pointed out that we do, on special occasions. We then decided that our Easter dinner counted as one, even if it was just going to be the three of us tonight. We're having a pork loin with a balsamic reduction glaze, a pineapple casserole and roasted carrots with rosemary, by the way.

I also got this set of Pioneer Woman bowls for Christmas from my mother-in-law (who knows me well). It's not quite the pattern I would usually gravitate toward, but I had previously assured her that I truly loved the patterns and colors in this line. I often joke about being close to losing my 'girl card,' but sometimes I do like to use pretty things. And why not? Why do we have pretty things if not to enjoy them? Dig out the china, use the special glasses, mix lemon bar filling in the pretty bowl likely meant for display only. Enjoy your life and the things in it, and share them and the the things you make with the ones you love. They're worth the effort. And so are you.

It all started with mozarella

The other day I took advantage of a BOGO and got two balls of fresh mozzarella. Yep, Bel Gioioso. I wanted some cheese to pair with baby heirloom and other tiny tomatoes for breakfast. Unconventional yes, but it's at least not a carbohydrate-loaded meal.

Anywho, I had this mozzarella in the fridge and was thinking what to do, what to do, and I settled on naan bread pizzas. We really like doing individual pizzas on naan bread. It's light and just the perfect size for a personal pizza. This was a quick dinner, so I bought pesto rather than make it. Just a small spoonful on each bread, topped with thin slices of mozzarella, about 5-6 per pizza, a little grated Parmesan and some torn prosciutto. I baked them on sheet pans at 350 degrees until the cheese was melted and bubbly (didn't time it, sorry, but it was probably between 10 and 15 minutes).

I knew we needed a side dish too, so I got some hummus and we had carrots, zucchini and red bell pepper slices for dipping. All in all, a good, quick, and not terribly unhealthy dinner. Of course, then we had some chocolate chip cookies, so....

Fall vegetables?

Tomatoes and bell peppers are a summer thing, right? Not at our house.

We had some really nice herb plants this year -- Rosemary, chives, thyme and parsley (no, no sage). And we had some container tomatoes and bell peppers. I wasn't sure how they would do in containers, but the plants really flourished. At least the pepper plants did. The tomato plants did great until the squirrels discovered them. They took one whole plant from the pot. And then they took all the tomatoes. And finally, they denuded it so all that was left was a sad looking stem. Sigh. 

The peppers were still in the game though. And the herbs too. Then we went to Asheville and were gone for 5 days in the hottest, driest part of summer. The peppers we had on the stems - dead. The herbs? Completely dried up and dead. But the pepper plants still looked good. And the tomato stem, well, it was still green-ish. So I kept watering them. And now this happened. There are flowers on the tomato plant. I mean, look at that stem! It was sheared in half, and still this thing is growing. And we might get tomatoes after all. We might need to invest in some fine mesh screening to surround it and protect it from the squirrels. There are also nine bell peppers growing. Nine! I have always thought that our yard has some kind of weird growing vibe and that plants flourish despite my care for them, and now I think I have proof. Let's just hope they give us some veggies before our fall trip. 

Fig jam and pork

A friend recently gave me a jar of fig jam. I knew I liked figs, but I wasn't sure about the fellas. Turns out one does and one is not sure.

I also wasn't entirely sure what to do with fig jam. It has all the typical fruit jam uses, and I hear it is really good on toast. But it seems to be more...substantial than a berry or apple jelly or jam. So I decided to make a sauce for pork chops.

Now look. I know this is a food blog. But I am terrible about writing measurements down. And I only got one picture of the final product. And the boy photobombed it. But I am a writer, so I can tell you all about it. Here's how it went down.

I sauteed boneless pork chops in the cast iron skillet. I seasoned the chops with salt and pepper and paprika. You could use your favorite grill seasoning or garlic instead.

After the chops were done, I removed them and kept them warm. Then I started with some olive oil and onions. I used a red onion, sliced in thin half moons. A little salt and pepper and then let them get happy, as Emeril would say. You want them pretty soft, nice and caramelized. Deglaze with white wine. Then add some apples, thinly sliced. I used 2 Granny Smith apples, and I didn't bother to peel them. I added a little dry thyme at this point. A little more wine to keep things moving in the pan.  

Next came the fig jam. I heated it through and then added a little more wine to thin out the sauce a little. I tasted the sauce and didn't think it needed anything else. Except a little butter. Sauce always needs a little butter.

Plate the chops, spoon the onions and apples on top, add a little more sauce. Baby carrots with a just a little butter, salt and pepper made a nice side dish and voila! Dinner was served. Oh, I almost forgot the biscuits. Jeffrey had mentioned a couple of times that he was really hungry. And I had made him help clean out my car, so I made biscuits. No muss, no fuss, just the Hungry Jack recipe here. No cheddar, so I used mozzarella and garlic seasoning instead.

John is not necessarily a fan of the fig jam I think, but otherwise, this dinner was a big hit!

I just want some S and P

We Americans will accessorize anything. Need some new kitchen towels? There's probably a different color and theme for any possible decorating style you can imagine. The same goes for plates, and utensils.

And boy is it true for salt and pepper shakers. A friend of mine who is certified as a nutritionist made me switch to Pink Himalayan salt. I did, and I'm fine with that choice. Still tastes good, and if it will be better for me than regular salt, great. My only objection is that I use a grinder, and it's hot over a pot of boiling water! So I thought I would look for a salt box, and get some already ground pink salt that I can use for just such an occasion. Today, I was surfing through Wayfair, and decided to look there. Side note - this blog is not a criticism of Wayfair - I have found some really good deals there and this same phenomenon is probably universal. 

There were 1,125 hits for salt and pepper shaker. I looked, because I was curious. Of the 1,125 to choose from, 31 of them were in the 'greater than' $125 price category. Seriously? Who needs a Waterford crystal salt and pepper shaker set? 

We actually have a few sets ourselves. One set belonged to one of my Grandmothers, so while I have no idea if they're antique or valuable, I am glad to have them. And one set was a very cool gift from some friends. It is a house and the witch's legs from 'The Wizard of Oz.' That set is also sentimental, as our family worked on a local production of that show several years ago. 

After looking around Wayfair for a while, I got the idea for this blog, and now I will still have to do the 'ow, that's hot' dance when I salt boiling water to make pasta or rice.  

The weather outside is frightful, but at least there's oatmeal cremepies

When foul weather looms, people gather supplies, and food is often at the top of the list. In Pennsylvania, where I grew up, bread and milk were the top two staples when a snowstorm was on the horizon. But here in Hurricane Alley, we skip the milk -- the last thing we want to do is pack the fridge with more perishables when we might lose power. We do go for the bread though. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are always comforting.

My family has its own traditions when it comes to stocking up for tropical wether. I think it was in 1999 when we first had Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pies during a hurricane. I was pregnant, very pregnant, and close to my due date. So when Hurricane Floyd was bearing down on the NC coast, we decided to stay with friends in Wilmington (NC) to be closer to the hospital. No one wants to be stuck on an island, in labor, during a storm, after all. Of course we pooled resources to prepare. They had young children, so they were probably the ones who bought the oatmeal creme pies. We were there for what seemed like weeks as the storm slowly made its way through the area. Really, it was just overnight. I don't even remember why the oatmeal creme pies became a "thing," but they did. It was our inside joke from the whole experience. And to this day, this chewy, sweet snack food is still on our list of needed items when preparing for a storm.

This weekend was no exception. Tropical Storm Hermine was passing by, due to be gone by Saturday morning. Of course we all worked on Friday. Though school was released early, the boy was called in to work a couple of hours late that afternoon. And being the excellent child he is, he brought home the oatmeal creme pies as directed, the large back-to-school pack even. 

Fortunately, Hermine was only a Tropical Storm, but we were fully prepared in any case.   

The most amazing burritos

We're headed out to the big city (Wilmington, NC) for a little last minute school supply shopping tonight. Our son needs just a couple things -- a couple new binders and some pens. Otherwise we're ready. These are certainly things we could get without driving to the big city. But Jeffrey asked if we had any reason to go to Wilmington this weekend. He specifically suggested that we might need to go shopping (I know, right?). Then the real reason came out. He was craving some Flaming Amy's.

This little gem of a restaurant serves the most amazing burritos. They're huge. And you need to expand your definition of burrito to truly understand their menu. They have a cheeseburger burrito, one with tuna, one with shrimp....you get the idea. They also have build-your-own quesadillas, which is my go-to choice. I like chicken, roasted red peppers, corn, feta, any of the above or whatever else looks good to me that day. The burritos and quesadillas are amazing, but then there's the salsa bar and their homemade chips for dipping. There's traditional salsa of course, and there's pineapple jalapeno. My personal favorite is the ginger peach.

The restaurant's decor is as eclectic as its menu. There's a velvet Elvis, a flock of flamingoes overlooking the main dining area, and a score of similar decorations. There's a special discount one night for displaying your tat, but the place is also frequented by professors from the local college, soccer moms and everyone in between. It's just good food, with a good atmosphere. The slogan is Hot, Fast, Cheap and Easy, and they don't disappoint.

So we'll drive an hour to get those last minute school supplies (school starts Monday after all), because Jeffrey wants a burrito :-)