March 25, 2014 by Andrea

It’s Spring (and Spring Break)

It’s spring and while I say it every year, it is definitely true – teachers and staff look forward to the break from school more than the kids do. I, amazingly, finished almost all of the IEPs and meetings, completed my reevaluations and managed to get caught up on most everything. Just in time for testing season to begin. I think I’m testing between 24 and 28 days over six weeks. Sigh.

We decided to stay home this week in part because we couldn’t agree where to go, or where we wanted to go was cold, and because Bob just doesn’t have the time off. So I’m hanging around the house and prepping for my certification exam on Friday.

Yes, I have to take a test. Despite my 200 hours of inservice points and everything else I have to renew my certification, I have to take a content area test. I won’t go into details but I am not happy about this as it was the fault of the district and some incorrect information (or they just changed their minds again). I am not happy about having to do this, but it should be fine – I got a 90-something on the practice test. I am brushing up on Geography and Ancient History. Not my favorite subjects.

But as I study this week I have some very cute furry creatures to keep me company.

The kitties have been hanging around the house lately. Even Gracie has not ventured too far. We think it is because of the neighborhood cats that have been hanging around. Whatever it is I am very happy to not be woken up at 2 am when she decides to come home. Now she just wakes me up at 3 for cuddles.

Jessie looks pretty good for an 11 year old dog. She still loves her walks and she adores laying in the sun. The last few days have been too rainy for her to go outside but she will go as often as she can. As you can probably tell from the plant, that was taken a few weeks ago – the bougainvillea has way more flowers on it now! It likes the backyard and the pot apparently.

I love this plant. I loved it the first time I saw it at the nursery. The leaves, the flowers, the color. I had almost given up on it when we moved it to the back. It makes me so happy to see it blooming so fully.

Bob and I did start my vacation right – we did a cheese class at our favorite cheese shop. Yes, we talk about this place a lot, and we are slightly obsessed with good cheese (although in all fairness I’m obsessed with good food, not just good cheese). But cheese is a simple food and the variety is amazing and it just tastes so good (and pairs really well with some wine) that its hard not to love. Well, for me at least.

This cheese class focused on American Cheeses. Not American Cheese or, as much as it pains me to admit that I like it on occasion, cheese product, but real Artisan Cheeses produced right here in the USA. As much as I get into local food movements and knowing where your food comes from, I was surprised at the range of American cheeses. Pleasantly so. We went through ten cheeses from very soft fresh cheese to the I won’t eat it but Bob loves it blue. We found lots to love, but narrowed our take home choices to three.

First is the Oma.

This cheese is from Vermont and the Von Trapp (yes, those Von Trapps apparently) Farmstead. This is the cheese Val gushed over at Christmas and it is still that good. I was surprised when the lady sitting next to me took only one bite of this one – it is really just about a perfect cheese. Mild in flavor, great texture, but with enough character to let you know you are eating real food. I almost asked if I could have the rest of hers, but I thought that might be a little rude.

This little gem is a Wisconsin sheep’s cheese called Dante. Yes, that is a sheep cheese. Doesn’t look like it, but it is probably one of the best sheep cheeses I’ve had in a long time. It has a crumbly texture and deep, deep flavor. The rind looks like wood grain which is pretty darn cool in my book. Bob and I both liked this one so we picked up a chunk that we can eat throughout the week

And last, but not least was this one. This is a Utah cheese (who knew) that is rubbed in espresso and lavender. Barely Buzzed is its name and it is really hard to describe. Obviously if you eat the rind area you get coffee – lots and lots of coffee, but as you eat into the cheese you get more lavender and more put cheese taste. Again, I can’t really compare it with anything else, it is unique.

I did make the chicken pie the other week, but forgot to take pictures. It wasn’t too pretty either. I’ve been doing some cooking, but nothing terribly exciting. Bob is putting up with my vegetarian experiments or tried and true veggie dishes and I occasionally reward him with BBQ chicken or sausages. I’m pretty sure the food portion of this blog is going to be in a sorry state for the next few weeks, but hopefully I can get one interesting dish in before the end of the school year. I also hope to have a few minor adventures to share – we are doing the Wine Walk at the Ca’dzn mansion this week, so if I can get a few pictures I’ll make sure to post them. All in all life is pretty much the same here, and that is pretty darn good.

Hope everyone is making through the (hopefully) last snow storm of the season.

March 20, 2014 by Andrea

March Cheese Box

It’s not that I’ve forgotten to post the last week or two. Really, I do remember that I should when I’m falling asleep on the couch, waking up to a cat wanting attention at 3am or in the middle of a meeting at work, but none of those are good times to sit down and write.

I did make the chicken pie last week, and it turned out pretty good. For using what I had in the fridge, it was darn good. Do I remember what I did? No. Can I recreate it later? Probably not. But that’s ok because it will give me an excuse to try again soon.

What we did do this weekend was our cheese box. Now regular readers will note we have more than three cheeses in this month’s selection and that is because we had company and I decided to pick up two more for the cheese dinner. John came down from Orlando and Leta came from work for thus month’s cheese box. We sat outside, ate good cheese, drank pretty good wine and just relaxed. Relaxing is underrated.

We started out with two soft cheeses – Green Hill from Sweet a Grass Dairy and Magnolia from … I’m not sure anymore. Both were soft, bloomy cheeses that had great taste and texture. The Magnolia was salty, almost too salty, but paired with a jam or honey it was beautiful. We had two Italian cheeses – a Pecorino Romano and a Toma that were great examples of their kind, but more cooking cheeses, although I did eat the rest of the Toma for lunch this week. The star of the show this month, however, was the cloth bound cheddar from Jasper Hill and Cabot. Cabot is a huge cheese producer and Jasper Hill is a tiny cheese producer. Combine these two and you get a cheese that is distinctive, tasty, easy to eat and will surprise you at every bite with how good it is.

Obviously I am a huge cheese fan, but really I am a good food fan more. I like things that are interesting and different and even if I won’t go back for seconds, I can appreciate that it is good food. I’ve done this with entire dinners – love the experience if not every bite of food. I think this is why I love the Magnolia so much, it was different. Smooth and creamy but salty and tangy. It wasn’t what I expected so I enjoyed it more.

Spring break is next week and I am so grateful to have a week off it isn’t funny. Once I head back to school it will be all testing until the end of May. I think I have the schedule worked out, but am waiting on final approval. Pretty much, I won’t see or speak to … Well, anyone, until the end of May. I might go stir crazy, but at least I won’t be near phones or email for a while.

Hope everyone had a wonderful first day of Spring. I’ll refrain from including Dad’s spring poem. It’s better for everyone that way. Happy Spring!

March 8, 2014 by Andrea

Chicken

I started out last week determined to cook a few more experiments. I wanted to focus on vegetarian options since our box generally contains meat. I started out well with a farro risotto with sweet potatoes.

I went with roasted onion and sweet potato and cooked the farro risotto style, coating the grains initially, deglazing with wine and slowly adding broth.

It seemed to be going well, so I added some shelled edamame I had on hand (well. I had the edamame but had to shell them myself – it was kind of fun).

I kept cooking until all the liquid had been added, the mixed in the roasted veggies and some finely grated cheese. I *think* I used the Swiss from the last cheese box, but I can’t exactly be sure. All in all this was pretty good. I do think next time I need to cook the farro in the regular style in broth and just mix everything together at the end. Bob liked thus dish and didn’t seem to mind the lack of meat.

Then Monday came and all my plans and good intentions went out the window. Monday started a icky week where I got sick and work got insane. I was sure it was a full moon on Tuesday, but nope. Just regular old insanity. This being the case, I went easy for dinner. I picked up a chicken at the store (yes, pre-cooked) and used it as my base for Butter Chicken. I love the food at the Indian place near us, but most of the time I look at recipes and want to weep. Tons of spices that I just don’t keep on hand, and I few I’m not sure where to find. I managed to find a recipe that wasn’t too hard and managed to have things I had in the house. So … I managed to put together a dinner (with a few changes, obviously) that was pretty good and not too difficult.

For Tuesday, when I really started to catch whatever was going around, I wanted simple, fast and mild. Not tasteless, but something that wouldn’t kill my stomach. So I took a quarter cup of honey, a quarter cup of soy sauce, a few tablespoons of sherry vinegar. two cloves of garlic and some ginger and mixed it up. I sautéed onions, carrots and red peppers together in peanut oil and shredded some more of the chicken. I boiled up some soba noodles (big fan of those) I added the chicken and noodles to the veggies, poured the sauce over it all mixed and cooked for another minute.

I loved this dish for two reasons – it was fast and super simple and it was really tasty. I too the red peppers and gave Bob most of the chicken

and both of us were happy. Bob told me to put this one in the rotation, which does say a lot.

I’m back to feeling normal and counting down to spring break where I can, hopefully, get some things around the house done.

March 2, 2014 by Andrea

Almost 40

I’ve never worried about getting older. I never feared the number and had no issues turning 30 or 31 or 35. Heck, when I started teaching and parents would ask me how old I was I would reply with, “would you believe I’m 30?” With a lot of time to reflect, yes, I was young and yes, I looked very young, but I was competent (not a great teacher, no one is their first year) and very willing to learn and adjust.

But this year, I’m almost 40. I was going to just start saying 40 because, really, if you say 39 everyone assumes you are 40. But I find myself not exactly able to say 40. Oh, I can at work for some strange reason, but in private, I’m hesitant to say 40. Maybe because 40 is twenty years into a career; maybe because 40 really is past having children (no, I’ve never wanted to be a mother, I still don’t, but 40 is the big risk increase so it is pretty much a non option even if I did want it) or 40 just seems very adult. It’s like recognizing that the 1990s were two decades ago, not one. Who knows, but I’m not sure I’m totally ready to say I’m 40.

Thankfully Bob recognizes that I am still 6 years old inside and has no problem letting me celebrate my birthday at Disney. We intended to spend the day at the Magic Kingdom then do dinner, spend the night and explore Animal Kingdom the next day. Best laid plans …. I managed to pull a muscle in my back at work Thursday, so wandering a park and going on rides was just not happening. But, we went up, checked into our hotel and had a fabulous dinner and saw the fireworks display.

Say what you want about Disney – they are a giant corporation that brands everything, gets lots of information about its customers and uses that information to make money. But I don’t care. Disney, for all it’s faults, does things right. They make the experience of being there wonderful and easy. The new Magic Bands? They are amazing. Room key, credit card, park admission and fast pass all in one wristband. Add a clock function and they would be perfect. The hotel? Even the less expensive ones? Detailed, comfortable and well thought out.

We stayed at Port Orleans this time (because Bob wanted the Magic Bands) and it was lovely. It felt secluded even though it’s in the middle of Disney. It’s well thought out, comfortable and very inviting.

Dinner. I’m sure I’ve mentioned one of my favorite places at Disney is the California Grill atop the Contemporary hotel. It overlooks the park and you can see the castle from most tables. John joined us for dinner and it was wonderful as always. We started off with sushi. Yes, I did sushi. But it was a pork belly sushi.

The pork was seared to perfection and the sauce was pretty amazing. Bob and John went with the goat cheese ravioli next

while I went with the apple and kale salad.

We also picked this incredible wine.

Ok, Bob picked it. California Zinfendel, organic and grown with no irrigation. Dangerous in California, but the taste was amazing. Long complex flavors and the palate changed as you tasted it. We liked this one so much I’m thinking about ordering a few bottles even though they are more than I tend to spend on wine. Keep a few for special occasions.
For main courses, I went with sweet potato gnocchi

while a Bob did the bison

and John had the seafood stew.

As we finished dinner

it was just about fireworks time, so we went to the observation deck to watch the show. Not only did we have a clear view of the castle and the show (my cell phone just could not capture it well) they had the music and character commentary piped in so you could hear it as well as see if.

Like I said, Disney does it right.

I start my last year of my 30s well. Great dinner, wonderful atmosphere and excellent company. I think Miss Erin needs to join us next year so we can take the leap back to 23 together. Maybe get Anne, Val and Emmie there too … Although that might be a touch dangerous. Anyway, I hope everyone survived the February snow storms and your weather warms soon. Your reward will be all the amazing flowers I can’t grow in a Florida – crocuses, tulips, lilies, etc.

February 25, 2014 by Andrea

Farro “Risotto” with Sweet Potato and Edamame

I cooked! Some days I feel way too tired, or my shoulder is too sore or whatever bug is going around is creeping up on me and I just can’t get it together to cook. I’ve been relying on our weekly boxes for creative food ideas lately, but I got a little creative today.

I started with a sweet potato and half an onion. I diced the potato, coated both in a little sesame oil and balsamic and roasted them at 400 for about 25-30 minutes.

Meanwhile, I took about 3/4 cup farro, toasted it in some sesame oil then deglazed the pan in a shot of white wine. Then I cooked the farro in a risotto style – slowly adding warm vegetable stock and letting it cook into the farro before adding the next round of stock.

Towards the end of cooking the farro, I added some edamame and let it cook with the risotto.

Once the farro was cooked, I stirred in the sweet potato and onion, then added about a cup of really finely shredded cheese. If condensed down, it would probably be about a half cup. I used the Swiss we had left from our last visit to the cheese shop and mixed it all together.

The final result was a really flavorful, slightly salty dinner that was packed with texture. The farro had a nice bite to it and the edamame are probably the one bean I don’t have too much of a texture issue with. Bob didn’t mind that this dish was sans meat, but that would be one of my favorite parts of it. It could improve a little with a traditional cooking if the farro and adding some pumpkin seeds or chopped nuts. But overall, I loved this dish.

February 23, 2014 by Andrea

Tallahassee

This past week I had the opportunity to do a Social Studies workshop in a Tallahassee. I haven’t taught history in almost a decade (hard to believe I’ve been out of the classroom that long) but I regularly want to go back to it. As good as I am with Special Education stuff, I am a history teacher at heart, so this was a nice way to reconnect with that part of my brain.

Tallahassee is an interesting place; it is home to FSU and FAMU as well as the state government. Beyond that, however, it is very much an old southern town. On of my favorite things about Tallahassee is the parks and the canopy lined roads. The huge, old live oaks with Spanish moss hanging down from them makes for lovely evening strolls.

The other great part about being in a college town is the plethora of good, cheap food. Mom (who came with me to help with the night driving that I really should never do) and I found a great deli and, to our surprise, a Japanese cafe that had incredible food. Jasmine’s Cafe has apparently been around for fifteen years; this doesn’t surprise me as the food was that good. I went with a tofu bento box for dinner. This place would do well in NYC or LA or any other “food” town.

I ate everything in my box except for a few green beans and was thinking about trying to locate a coffee shop or bakery when I found out they have desserts. I went with the tiramisu. Yes, an Italian dessert in a Japanese restaurant. Odd, but oh so good.

Turns out the owner’s mother makes the desserts for the restaurant. I ate way more of this than I should have (which is a nice way of saying, the entire thing … By myself … after eating dinner) but it was worth it. Now I want the recipe and may have to search for some good ones.

If you ever find yourself in downtown Tallahassee, head near the Capitol area and hit College Street between Monroe and Adams. You will not be sorry.

We also too the opportunity to see Bob’s parents one night. Suzanne and the boys were down, so we had a chance to hang out a little with everyone. Suzanne made a great dinner with a fantastic pork loin for the main dish. It was odd being in a kitchen and not cooking, but she made a fabulous, well cooked meal that we all enjoyed. I also got to make Bob jealous since his mom made the famous Woodville Delight for dessert. I’m just sorry I didn’t take any pictures.

It’s back to the normal grind this week. Tigger is still being nice to Gracie and Jessie seems happy to have me home. Spring has arrived in south Florida, so if you see food pictures taken outside, yes, we are going to enjoy the weather while we can.

February 16, 2014 by Andrea

February Cheese Box

After thinking last week was the cheese box week (and being wrong) Bob and I had a nice mini cheese night last week with the Winnimere, the Midnight Moon and the Scharfe Maxx. This week we added the actual cheese box cheeses, had a few people over, and made a mini party out of it.

When I picked up the box on Friday, Louise did tell me we had a substitution since the regular box had a blue cheese in it. I’m not complaining in the least, but Bob would have liked a taste of the blue. I’m pretty certain the Bijou, a Vermont goat, was the substitution. I like this cheese. It is a classic, mild goat cheese. Soft and pairs well without being overpowered or overpowering.

In addition to the Bijou we had an a English Cheshire. It looks like cheddar, but is so mild in flavor with a crumbly texture and a pretty orange color, I can imagine cooking with this one more than eating it plain. I may need to make grilled cheese or macaroni and cheese tomorrow to use it up. It did go well with some fig preserve I picked up, but while good, it was not on my must have again list.

The clear favorite of the night, by everyone, was the Taleggio. Soft Italian cheese that was creamy, smooth and had a ton of subtile flavor. It is not a hit you in the face cheese, like the Winnimere, or a tangy cheese like the Midnight Moon, but it is something I’m going to look for again. It was so good, I had more of it for dinner tonight. Just cheese and crackers and I’m a happy little girl.

Since we were having company, I also made dessert. I found a recipe for a flourless chocolate cake that looked incredible. The original recipe calls for a chocolate meringue to top it, but I went with basic whipped cream. The cake was good, but not great. I forgot my major problem with flourless cakes – the texture. They tend to be crumbly and slightly dry and this one was no different. I ate my whole piece, and I think the cream was a good choice, but the Belgium brownie it was not.

I brought Tigger home Friday too. Poor baby did not like the car ride home from Mom’s and he cried and cried and tried to get out of the carrier for the whole trip home. Jessie was glad to have him back, and he has been nice to Gracie since returning, but he is a little disconcerted at the moment. He also looks a little beaten up as his nose is scraped from his attempts to unzip the carrier with it, and it is a little black and blue. I’ve been trying to baby him a little and I think he had forgiven me for putting him in the car, but we shall see how long the good behavior lasts. Hopefully a long time.

February 12, 2014 by Andrea

Winnimere

Yes, it’s a cheese post; no, it’s not the February Cheese Post. That should be this weekend.

But … I did stop by the cheese shop this past weekend thinking it was the cheese box week and because Bob wanted to try a particular cheese from the newsletter. (Yes, we get a newsletter from our local cheese shop in addition to our monthly cheese box, but hey – it’s a hobby.) The description was fascinating and slightly weird and Bob actually asked me to pick up a round. Before I did, I read a review or two and fully admit I was a little uncertain. So, bright and early Saturday morning, after the farmer’s market Mom and I stopped by (thus discovering my inability to correctly read a newsletter or calendar before coffee) the cheese shop to pick up a round of Winnimere.

First, let me say this cheese is heavy. It is larger than two people would need and I hesitated just a touch when I realized you can’t split the round. (Clearly the coffee had kicked in) but Bob specifically asked for it, and it was washed in beer, so okay, I’ll get it. As a treat for myself I got more Midnight Moon, which is my favorite cheese, and one more to round out our cheese night.

So how did it go? Well … This is a very distinct cheese. The smell is pretty stinky (feet or old socks) which means I hesitated to try it, but it’s cheese. I love cheese. And most stinky cheeses don’t actually taste like they smell. So I scooped out a little (it is very runny) and put it on some French bread I made

and gave it a go. I have to admit it was really, really good. Unless I got the rind – that was pure beer bitter to me so I just did not like that part. Bob did. He gushed over the cheese. All through dinner and even after. He raved, and gushed and ate lots of cheese. We are saving some for this weekend – we are having a few people over for the cheese box night this weekend so we are kind of excited.

On a side note, I took a Tigger to Mom’s this week. Temporarily. The last week or two he has gotten really bad with Gracie. What was an every now and then pouncing turned into five days in a row of him going after Gracie, pouncing on her and rolling her. Monday she was favoring her back leg and then he went after her while she was hanging out on the back patio Tuesday morning (and managed to bend the screen door just enough to make it difficult to open). So … I asked Mom and Dad if he could visit with them for a few days. I made sure he had everything he needed (although I did forget to bring a bed for him) and plopped him in the carrier and into the car. If anyone remembers any of the vet stories, or the story of driving from Jersey to Florida with him will know he does not like cars. I did record him for a few minutes, but it is painful! You would think I was torturing him. In his mind a car ride is torture so I still feel bad. But Gracie needs a break and if I take her to Mom and Dad’s I’m afraid he will just get worse when she comes back. He’s fine. Mom assures me he is okay and not totally hiding halfway under the couch (he didn’t exactly fit totally under it). I’ll bring him home soon, but for right now, the girls are enjoying the break – especially Gracie. I, of course, feel like the worst pet mother ever, giving her “child” up, but I know it is temporary and necessary. And Val assured me if Mom and a Dad do keep Tigger, she has another orange kitty I can have.

February 9, 2014 by Andrea

Soup and Biscuits

A lot of times I find multiple recipes and combine them with changes based on what I have in the house. This time, I found a recipe and flat out stole it. I follow a couple of food blogs and My Favorite Pastime is one of the good ones. Now the original recipe did call for ham, but I left that out. I started with cheddar and chives, flour, butter and buttermilk. I think my favorite part of this was mixing it with my hands.

I rolled out the dough, cut them up and baked them. They were fantastic.

To go with these I made Potato Leek soup. I tried a different version than the typical creamy soup, and I always trust an Emeril recipe. I was skeptical at first because of the beef stock in this, and I didn’t have chicken stock and I totally forgot the thyme and cream. But I have to say, it worked. It was a nice, light soup that was also very filling. This combination really worked.

On a totally non-food note, I took my pretty bicycle to the grocery store today. It was really a nice ride down, but I had issues getting home. Bob rigged a milk crate to the back and it worked pretty well except for corners. So … He had to come pick up the groceries so I could ride home. The eggs didn’t make it, but everything else was fine. I just need to get my basket for the back before I take it to the grocery again.

February 1, 2014 by Andrea

It’s Like Riding A Bicycle

When I moved to Florida five years ago, I told Bob I wanted a bike to go to the grocery store. The grocery is two, maybe two and a half, miles down the road. In either direction as it happens. Just a little too far to walk with groceries, but it generally feels like a waste to take the car. I’ve talked about getting a bicycle, I’ve looked at bicycles and finally, I bought a bicycle.

We have a great little bIcycle shop down the road. I started this year off by looking at their website and going through the bikes from manufactures they carry. Some were just way more than I wanted. $8000 bike anyone? Not me. I didn’t want anything with power assist or twenty gears, I wanted a basic, cute bicycle for grocery runs.

I found one that I thought was adorable. It is called the Amsterdam. By a company named Electra. They designed it as a commuter bike and made it reminiscent of the bikes in Europe. They have a very basic line, a very top of the line line, and a ‘fashion’ line. You can tell which one I went with.

I fell in love with the look of this bicycle on the website so we stopped by the shop a few weeks ago to see if they carried it. They didn’t have it in stock so I looked at a few others. I came close to going with a different bike from the same company, but as soon as I looked at the picture if the pretty flowered bicycle, I just decided to get the one I really liked. After all. If I’m going to be riding it every week, I might as well be happy with it.

Bob and I went out to lunch today and we stopped by to pick up the bicycle while we were out. I saw it as soon as I walked in the store and it looks better in person than it did in the picture. My basket isn’t in yet. Yep, I got a wicker saddle bag basket for the back for groceries. Welcome back to 1900. The gentleman at the store told us he sold two more with mine sitting there. Apparently they used to stock one or two, but they didn’t move fast, so they stopped. But, with mine on the store floor for two days (I wasn’t riding home on the bike in the rain at dusk, I have a little more common sense than that) they sold two. I was happy to hear that. Support local businesses!

It has been two decades since I rode a bike. I use to ride my bike to and from the library for work in high school but have not ridden since. And the old saying really is true. I hopped on, wobbled a little and rode home with full confidence and ease. I love my bike!

Sixteen Paws

The random adventures of Andi, Bob, and four furry creatures