Fall Dinner Party

My Fall Tablescape

What's better? I don't know where the affinity for cooking and hospitality came from, but I surely do enjoy it. If only I could entertain every weekend, I wouldTonight we are having over a couple who has had us over several times, and finally we are returning the favor.

Here's what's on the menu (pictures to come later):

Roasted Pears with Blue Cheese
Except I'm doing it with feta..

Pumpkin Ravioli with Gorgonzola Sauce
I made the raviolis last night. I'm a little nervous about this one, because the short cut (since I've never made pasta and I'm a litter nervous to try on guests) includes using wonton wrappers. The texture may be a bit different, but we'll see how they turn out.

Tangy Slow Cooker Pot Roast
To combat some of the sweet flavors, I'm opting for a salty, tangy-er pot roast. This is super easy, and it's guaranteed to at least be super tender, and I don't have to worry about it until I'm ready to serve! I did make a few modifications (using some of the review recommendations): Used chicken broth (low sodium) instead of water, doubled most of the ingredients (except I cut back on the sugar, only about 2 Tablespoons).

For dessert....
Sea Salt Caramel Gelato and Walmut Brownies
I made the gelato last night. I was super nervous about this, but it really is divine! I followed the directions to a tee except I halved the recipe (don't need that much gelato for 4 people!). I also don't have an ice cream maker, so instead, I put the plain gelato mix in the fridge for 30 min, added the melted caramel (I melted some caramel candies-it hardened at the bottom of the gelato mix, but it still gave the gelato a nice caramel flavor. I won't serve the caramel bc it could break your teeth!). Then I placed the caramel gelato in the freezer and checked on it every hour for 3 hrs. I stirred it and stuck it back in the freezer. This morning it looks beautiful!
I'm cheating with the brownies, I just got a duncan hines mix. But I am going to add a little bit (couple tablespoons) of black coffee (left over from my morning coffee) to the chocolate. This enhances the chocolate flavor (according to Ina Garten).

So we'll see how it all turns out. Like I said, I feel like I'm taking a risk with a few of these, so we'll see.... pictures and reviews to come!

pears and crock pots.

So I'm home early from work, being that my client is sick (10 year old little girl). And what was the first thing I wanted to do? Look up recipes! What did I put on the tv? The Food Network! Then I remembered this blog, and thought I should give it one more try... 


Nope, I don't really have time to blog. But I do need a creative outlet, and cooking and writing typically serve me best in that avenue. 

So, I'm currently eating a pear. Pears are my new favorite fruit. There is something divine about pears. They seem to me to represent hospitality and wealth. I don't think pears really represents those things (I think the pineapple is a symbol for hospitality, actually), but that's how pretty green pears make me feel.


(I looked it up and the Chinese used to believe the pear symbolized immortality. That's kind of cool, I guess...)


I'm going to attempt to make glazed pears this weekend.Recipe I'll try and post how they turn out. This summer we painted our office with a color called "Glazed Pears." It's kind of a cream color. Hopefully the edible glazed pears turn out as nice as our office walls look. It sounds yummy, doesn't it?



ANYWAYS, since I am a working woman, a grad student, and a wonderful wife, cooking usually takes a back burner during the week (hehe, get it?). 


But really, it does. 


Either Shawn cooks, we get fast food (ew), or a cardboard frozen pizza (double ew).
But this week, I'm going to try and use my crock pot at least 3 days out of the week. Today I started with homemade chicken noodle soup. Currently my kitchen smells amazing. Who wouldn't want to come home on a cold Fall day to some homemade soup? Shawn's lucky. :) Or blessed rather.



Below is the recipe I'm using-SUPER easy:


Chicken Noodle Soup- Crock Pot Style
Ingredients:

• 3 skinless, boneless chicken breast
• 3ish cups water
• 1 cup of chicken stock
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped 
• 1 12 oz. bag of frozen mixed veggies (corn, beans, carrots, whatev)
• 1/4 tsp of Thyme
• 1/2 tsp Parsley
• 2 Bay leaves
• 1/8 (a pinch or so) of cumin
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 (12 ounce) package egg noodles

Put all ingredients (except egg noodles) into crock pot. Keep on low 7-8 hrs (on high 4-5 hrs). During the last hour, take chicken breast out and shred into small bite sized pieces. Leave chicken out (somewhere he'll stay warm) and turn crock pot on high. Put in egg noodles until tender and add chicken. Adjust seasoning as needed.

Tip: Try and keep your crock pot about 2/3 full of liquid. It cooks better that way. Also, keep stirring to a minimal. Every time you open the lid, you let out lots of heat and that's not great for effective cooking. 

I'll let you know how it turns out. What is your favorite crock pot recipe? 

The Market District-Part 1

Today we visited The Market District in Robinson, PA. The Market District strives to provide a new way to experience grocery shopping brought to us by the wonderful Giant Eagle (local grocery chain located in Western PA/OH).

The Market District opened a few months ago, but this was the first visit for this young hungry couple. We arrived around 12:45pm on a Saturday, not exactly a prime time for one-on-one interaction with the store. Even so, parking wasn't bad, and although it was quite busy, we were approached by many passionate employees. They provided us with basil brie, ginger brew beverages, and sugar cane to suck on.

We arrived hungry, excited for experiencing lunch from large cafe' area. After reviewing items from the open salad bar, crepe station, and others, I spotted what made my mouth water at the Asian Food Cart Fare. A yellow curry and coconut chicken curry with a side of jasmine rice. Shawn opted for a more "manly" selection- beef brisket with baked beans. The cost was also enticing at just $5 and $6 respectively.

We ate upstairs in their open cafe', accompanied by a folk musician playing guitar. A nice atmosphere, we almost forgot we were in a grocery store. The meals were decent for the price, I was a little disappointed in the quality of chicken (I'd prefer chicken breast), but the yellow curry flavor was brilliant.  Shawn says his was decent, the brisket could have been more tender, but again for the price the meals were worth it.

Tomorrow I'll continue this post and our meeting of the oil and vinegar connoisseur!

Something New

Sometimes a new hobby is nice. Well, this is more combining two hobbies of ours (blogging and fooding) into something we can share with others.  The next post will include what we did today...

Thanks for stopping by!