Guilty pleasures

{CAUTION: chips have been known to enlarge the size of your caboose}

You’ve no doubt heard people blame satan for dreadful world events.  Well sometimes I think he resides in the little things … like potato chips.  If you’ve ever tasted one of Archer Farms Greek-Inspired chips you know what I’m talking about.  They’re so good they’re positively sinful. 

Oh sure, they look innocent enough.    Just like any other thick-cut potato chip.  So you try one.  And before you know it, you look down, the tenth bag is empty, your butt no longer fits in the chair, and you’re wondering what in the hell happened! 

Now I’m not telling you forgo such a treat.  No sir, I am not.  As a matter of fact, I do believe I’ll serve them for lunch today.  They’ll go perfectly with the turkey, avocado, and Jalapeno ranch sandwich my friend and I will be eating … before we attend a matinee of the movie that shan’t be named.

All I’m saying is do proceed with caution; you just can’t be too careful with things like this … especially on a day like today. 

And with that, my friends …

Lazy man’s fruit salad

{special thanks to my mum for coming up with this delectable assortment!}

Fresh summer fruit has a lot going for it… it’s bright and colorful, sweet and refreshing.  Best of all?  It’s never persnickety.  Simply round up a few friends–say, apples, blueberries, blackberries, and strawberries.  Throw in some mandarin oranges to keep the apples in line {after all, black apples are only good if you’re reading the blog}. Go round and around and around with honey; stir in a good dose of cinnamon and–Voila!–you’re done.   

So quick; so simple.  Leaving plenty of time for those lazy days, of which summer is well known …  

The finer things

Saturday, late in the morning, my friend Mandi hosted a cooking class at her home …

{Chuckling, myriad photos, and still she smiles}

Her husband and boys hit the road; us girls took over.  And it all began with these…

{bea-u-tiful place mats; click here and I'll direct you...}

“These,” my friends, are Mandi’s famous vanilla scones. They’re so good you just might shed a tear.  Add a mug of fresh brewed coffee and you’ll be hard pressed to imagine anything better. She lured us away from such delectable delights, with fresh ingredients, all chopped and ready to be made into Wild Mushroom Risotto …

{shiitake mushrooms--otherwise known as fungus--and carrots}

{Arborio, or short grained, rice and onions}

{fresh thyme, Parmesan, and garlic}

As Mandi walked us through the recipe, we chatted tips and tricks {remember, the moment you chop an onion, is the moment it would behoove you to be a mouth-breather} … the merit of real butter … and the importance of enjoying your food.  Before we knew it, we were sampling the warm, creamy goodness–and wondering if maybe, just maybe, making your own chicken stock might be worth the effort…

{chicken stock, olive oil, and dry white wine for that hint of cream}

As if it weren’t sweet enough, Mandi topped it off with Pots de Creme–a divine concoction of chocolate chips, butter, and warm milk, topped with fresh whipped cream. It was a little piece of heaven right there in the glass… 

{sadly, the one thing guaranteed to be made again}

In the end, we came away with new recipes, maybe even a new technique or two.  It was the perfect way to start a weekend … with women of all ages, from various backgrounds, sitting around a table talking, laughing and yes, enjoying our food. 

I guess you might say we also came away with a tangible reminder of why we make such food–that it’s not simply to feed our bodies, but to nurture our souls…

To doughnuts…

Hip-hip-HOORAY!  Hip-hip-HOORAY!

That’s right, my friends, today is National Doughnut Day.  And a day with a donut-in-hand is a very-good-day indeed.  

Speaking of this fabulous holiday, did you know:

• The Chicago Salvation Army started the holiday in 1938 as a funraiser–and to honor the women who volunteered to make homebaked goods–including donuts–for the men on the front lines during WWI;
• Donuts made on the front lines were often cooked in a solider’s metal helmet, filled with oil–let us hope the helmet had yet to be used;
• Krispi Kreme is giving away free donuts TODAY; click here for a list of participating stores;
• TODAY Dunkin’ Donuts will give you a free donut with the purchase of any beverage; and
• Fried sugar is actually good for you.

Okay, I may have made up that last bit–but I like to think it’s a fact they simply have yet to discover.  So with that, go forth and enjoy one of life’s more sinful pleasures … and may your weekend be the sweetest of sweet!

Mmmmm… windmills

I’m wanting to lose some poundage, get myself in shape and all that, so what do I do?  I bake me some Rhubarb Banana Windmills,  naturally.

It couldn’t be helped really. After all, our wee plant produced enough rhubarb to fulfill a recipe. Such an occasion calls for celebration!

We harvested the ‘barb … 

Found a recipe, here. Not only did it make good use of our rhubarb, but an “iffy” banana that had been lying about on the counter {win-win!}. And how lovely is rhubarb cooking? It’s like a party in a saucepan…

The recipe claims “these windmills are very easy to make and kids would have fun making them.” Sure, sure. It might have been helpful if I actually had kids around, then I could have said, “Look kids! A ghost!” And pretended I did it on purpose … rather than the brain freeze that it was, because SERIOUSLY how hard is it to fold a windmill?!

Wait, don’t answer that…  

Nonetheless, they were oh-so-tasty; and at least a couple turned out as planned–though I must say, I think they look more like pinwheels…

And pinwheels, my friends, are sure to add cheer–even on the cloudiest of days!