PENSIEVE

(Word-)Kiss(es for) the Cook

I like to cook; and nothin' makes me wanna cook for YOU more than a good compliment.  Two of my favorites?

Just last night from a first-time guest, a high school junior guy--

(Smiling Cheshire big)  "That banana puddin' just hit the back of my mouth and forced me to smile...I couldn't help it, it was an involuntary response....

And always from my friend Julie--

"Your macaroni and cheese is the ONLY mac and cheese in the world worth the calories!"

 

Blow that kind of air up my skirt and I'll prepare a kingly feast for you.

 

 

Hotel shower caps are not just for your head...

According to my sister-in-law, they're perfect bowl covers for your leftovers.

Brilliant!  A total V-8-"Why-didn't-I-think-of-that?" moment!

And if you DO have need to protect your stylish coiffure, why you've got just what you need for that, too.  

And maybe a snack while you're at it ;).

THIS JUST IN:  Amy passed along another fantastic idea:  use your shower cap to cover the "other" half of a watermelon you aren't yet ready to eat.

The brilliance is without end, I tell ya!

{Photo credit 'cause I didn't have enough sense to take a piccha at the time...!}

Mouthwatering Monday? You betcha!

In my quest to not only try new recipes monthly, but to incorporate them into my culinary arsenal, I'm bound to have a combination of hits and misses.  While Southern Living's "Easy Chicken & Dumplings" was an out-of-the-ballpark winner for our family, the "Slow-Cooker Pork Chops" met with mixed approval, and all of us were disappointed in the Sizzling Flounder""; sizzling anything sounds delicious but I'm afraid paprika ruined it for me.  

We went to Carrabba's with friends the other night and I tried a new dish:  Polla Rosa Maria.  

Oh.  My.  Word.

The yummilicity factor on this one is off the charts!  Chicken stuffed with fontina cheese and prosciutto, then topped with mushrooms in a basil lemon butter sauce?  Slap-me-nekkid-and-hide-my-clothes, it was so stinkin' good my husband stole my plate and licked it clean enough to stack back on the shelf!

Then he had the audacity to suggest I cook it for dinner.  

At first I thought he was crazy, but with a lee-tle Al Gore-invention called the "internet", I realized he was CRAZY LIKE A FOX!  We found a copycat recipe in two clicks, and ladies and gentlemen--it might not be a Southern Living recipe, but oh-my-LANTA, it's SCRUMPTIOUS!  My very picky kids even devoured it, so this one makes the cut.

It sounds a little intimidating--i.e., butterflying chicken and stuffing it?--but I promise, it's EASY and downright fancy.  Try it...you'll like it!

 

Pollo Rosa Maria (a Carrabba's copycat recipe) 

Ingredients:

• 4 boned, skinned chicken breast halves
• 4 slices prosciutto ham
• 1/2 cup fontina cheese
• 1/2 cup clarified butter - see Notes, below
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 sm. yellow onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms (I used baby bellas)
• 4 Tbls. butter
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. white pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh sweet basil (use FRESH, much better!)
• Juice of 1 lemon

Butterfly chicken breasts (they'll do this for you in the meat department) and grill over hot coals for 3-5 minutes per side, or until cooked through; remove from grill and allow to cool.

Holding a breast in your hand, opened like a taco shell, stuff each breast with one slice of prosciuto and 1/8 cup fontina cheese.  Secure breasts closed with toothpicks.  Set aside and keep warm.

In a large skillet over medium heat, sauté garlic and onion in clarified butter until tender.  Deglaze pan with wine.  Add mushrooms, butter, salt, and pepper and sauté 1-2 minutes, or until mushrooms are tender.

Stir in basil and lemon juice.  Top stuffed chicken with prepared sauce.

Enjoy!

Notes: To make clarified butter, melt butter over low heat; remove from heat and let sit until the milk solids settle to the bottom; skim the clear butter from the top; discard sediment.  **Don't get hung up on this; I think I messed it up but it STILL tasted wonderful!

It's as good a reason as ANY to have a party!

I'm hosting a party on Friday for one of the silliest reasons on the planet.

Once upon a time I would buy anything if it was on sale for at least 75% off.  With great enthusiasm I would justify rationalize explain to my husband "BUT-HONEY-LOOK-HOW-MUCH-MONEY-I-SAAAAVED!!!" while he would just shake his head and praise God that at least I wasn't a retail price binge shopper. 

I swear it was like a druggie getting a fix, the "high" directly proportional to the percentage off.  Once at the Hallmark store, I found decorative clay vases and urns for ONE CENT and flipped in-store cartwheels for HITTING THE MOTHER LODE while the employees--thrilled to get the blasted inventory OUT OF THEIR STORE AND INTO MY CAR and unconcerned it was probably some accounting glitch in their system (Why in the world would they sell ANYTHING for a single penny???)--assured me I wasn't doing anything "wrong" or peculiar by buying a dozen clay vessels.  

I got them home, put 'em in my "sale closet" smugly satisfied that Christmas shopping was done for a few people; though in mid-July I didn't even know who I'd give them to.  

That was inconsequential.

On another visit to the same Hallmark store, I hit the lottery again, this time with a 75% off jackpot. 

 

I found a dozen soup and sandwich trays reminiscent of blue and white delftware, marked down to $2.50!  Originally $10, I scooped up every one of them!  Imagining my future, I envisioned monthly get-togethers with my girlfriends just for the sake of using the darling plate-trays and soup mugs.  And,
s u r e, to enjoy my friends' company, too.

I've used them once in the decade-plus I've had them.  I'm sure that's a sin of some sort.

Soooo...when my beloved blog sistah, Amber, began encouraging others to host a girlfriend party, the wheels started turning in my head.  She reminded me that nurturing friendship requires intent; I realized it had been a long, long time since I hosted a gathering in my home for "no reason" other than the sake of investing in others' lives.  Sowing friendship; reaping tenfold the same.  

While I love The Matrix the blogosphere and my imaginary friends the wonderful writers I've met in person--and the ones I've yet met but whose blogs I adore--I realize it's way too easy to invest in those friendships at the expense of the women who will pick up my kids from school when I'm in a pinch, bring me dinner when I need it, or hug me when I need the touch of kindred soul.  And much more important, how will I know when they need a kind word or touch or dinner when they're too sick to get out of bed if I'm not in on-going relationship with them?

So, yes, on one hand I'm hosting a party on Friday for one of the silliest reasons on the planet:  to use my soup tray-plates & mugs.  But on that other hand?  It's to share life with special friends...just because it's passed time.  For both :).

YOUR TURN:  How are you investing in the lives of your friends?  How have your friends surprised or blessed you lately? 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wanna host your own Sister Party?  Visit The Runamuck for details.

Cambria Cove ~ a feast for the senses! {REVISED WITH WINNER!}

CONGRATULATIONS TO Stacey at Tree, Root & Twig!!!

Thanks to all who commented, tweeted, facebooked and/or stumbled--you're all winners for having discovered Cambria Cove, right? (keep them in mind for future shopping!).  BTW, I loved your stories about "favorite gifts" so much, I'll be blogging about it soon :).

During the Blog Hop a few weeks ago, I learned about a wonderful site that had eluded me prior:  Cambria Cove.  They wrote me to ask if I'd be interested in sharing their site with PENSIEVE readers (and Blog Hop hoppers).  Though I didn't broadcast it then, I was traveling that week, so I wasn't able to investigate Cambria Cove until later.

Oh...my...word...it's the kind of shopping that sends me into HappySensoryOverload!  The more I looked the more I liked and I noticed something:  this ain't the bargain basement.

But, then I noticed something else:  Cambria Cove wants to distinguish itself as a retailer that offers remarkable products that will never be found at the end of an aisle marked 75% off.  Their offerings are artisan crafted; there's a story behind every item. 

When you give or receive a gift from Cambria Cove, it's not only about the product itself, it's about memory, inspiration, thoughtfulness; it's gift-giving (or personal reward?? :) ) that communicates value to the receiver. 

In an economy when many are forced to evaluate every purchase, you have to know you're getting what you're paying for.  Beginning with the way products are packaged and shipped, you'll find immediately care has been tended to your purchase.

To give me a taste of their products, Cambria Cove sent a beautiful box full of lovies for my kitchen or dining room:  a colorful table runner, lime green napkins and four beaded napkin rings THAT I SWEAR YOU COULD WEAR AS BRACELETS!  It's like Cambria Cove was a BFF of mine and they knew just what make me squeal :).  We typically reserve cloth napkin use for special occasions, but now I find myself wanting to plan a special occasion around the napkin rings--how crazy is that?

Cambria Cove is a high-end retailer but there are products in most every price range; you can buy a darlin' set of "Fabulous Friends" notecards for $30 or if you have a lee-tle bit more to spend, this Mandarin Burst set of correspondence cards starting at $320 (yikes!).  For forty bucks, I'm considering this personal stamper to replace my return address labels--two words:  Dar.  Ling! 

But this is only the beginning; to see their full range of product and gift items, it's worth a few minutes of your time to check out Cambria Cove's site.  If you like what you see (and I don't see how you won't!), I'll be giving away a $100 shopping spree to one lucky reader!  To enter, after visiting their site, comment how you might spend $100 if you win (<--- must be done to qualify for additional entries --->).  Additional entries may be earned by:

• Tweeting this post/giveaway using this link: http://bit.ly/LD7bu  Then comment the URL for your tweet.
• Sharing the above link with your Facebook friends then commenting the link to your page.
• Stumbling, Kirtsying or Digging this post {does it not seem like bloggers speak their own language??  Geez...!}
• Commenting about the favorite gift you've ever been given and why {<-- I like this one...it's about you, not about me, and though the other requirements are a means to an end {{introducing Cambria Cove to a broader audience}} if you do one {or more} of those, I might just show favoritism to those who do this one.  That's random, right??
• Entry deadline is 11:59 EST Tuesday, 8/25/09.  Bloggers & non-bloggers are invited to enter!

Okay people, enough from me...time for YOU to giddy-up!!

 

Say it with me class: "Mmmmm!" (Chicken Noodle Soupstew)

With Winter sticking her nose into Autumn's business, I found it necessary to bring out the big guns:  a delicious, stick-to-the-bones comfort food that warms from the inside out.

Gravy on this "cake"?  It's got to be the easiest recipe on the planet!

Ingredients:

• 4 cups cooked chicken (I used 4 breasts)
• 5 cups broth (the residual from when I simmered the above)
• 1 large or 3 small cans of Campbell's Cream of Chicken Soup
• 16 ounces wide egg noodles
• salt & pepper to taste

After chicken is cooled, shred or cut into cubes (I find texture is a matter of preference; I like cubes in this but shredded in Noni's Chicken Stew--go figure).

Cook noodles least amount of time according to package instructions.  Drain when done. 

Combine 5 cups broth with cream of chicken soup (I whisk to quickly remove the chunkiness--yuck!).  Add noodles and chicken, then stir til well mixed.  Simmer on stove until heated through.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

 

Click over to BooMama's who, with all the grace and charm of a Southern belle, is hosting one whale of a Souptacular/Crockpotalooza.  The name is as full as my stomach's gonna be! :)

 

Splashes of black

When I began looking for spots of black in our home suited to Anna's photo challenge, I had no idea how many objects I'd find.  If you didn't know better, you'd think my house was something straight out of Gotham City!

Topping off The panels that accompany this topper were featured in Project Green; the curtains hang both in our kitchen and in the sitting room opposite it.

Blacktop

One of the most daring, dramatic and, thankfully, satisfying home improvements undertaken the past year was painting not one, but two, of our ceilings BLACK (our entrance foyer and downstairs bathroom).  Please forgive the dizzifying angle here; it was the best way to give you a peek at the ceilings in context of the room (plus, the walls feature more black themselves!).

My precious I'm addicted, not proud.  Until I sip my morning ritual,
you may not want to run into me.



Night-time sleep aid, may be habit forming Originally bought to use at the beach when late-night revelers threatened my dreams, we liked it so much it's come as constant of a companion as Aussie; whose mid-night barking, incidentally, is drowned out, too.


Big Time

No matter where you sit in our kitchen, you'll always have plenty of time :).

Light shadows

I walked past our dining room one morning and thought the lights were on; I guess they were in a manner of speaking--the sun was peeking in, casting shadows of everything in its path.  This is one of a pair of lamps in the room, black with pineapple gold accents.

 

While I've been partying at BlogHop '08, I've missed a few days of writing and finding subjects for my favorite photographic projects.  I'll be back to normal this week (no snark allowed) and I'm please to announce Pensieve's Poetic License will return.  In the meantime, please visit Anna Carson for more Project Black participants or to post your own.

When you REALLY wanna play, there's more than one way to skin the cat!

If I'm being perfectly honest--and why would I be anything else--I miss my camera almost as much as I missed my boys when they were at camp last week.  How many times have I seen something that NEEDED to be captured on film in digital?!  Pictures help me remember the little things (and the big) that I might just forget otherwise :/.

I found our old Olympus point-and-shoot, re-charged the battery, and even though it's hardly in mint condition, at least it's better than nothing. 

Anna concludes Project Blue today, and because I was compelled to, durn it, here are some images from my kitchen this morning.  My apologies in advance for the quality for some of them, no matter how hard I tried to be still, it looks like I'm still a little shakey :).

I have no idea why, but I'm Dawn loyal; add some rubber gloves and I'll wash dishes for days.  Just don't ask me to dust or iron (can I hear an "Amen!"?)

One of these blue bowls is always used for ice cream, the other for cereal (can you guess which is which?); it's an unspoken "rule".  Funny how culinary (dietary?) traditions evolve in a family.

Because I AM a choosy mother, I believe there is no other choice besides Jif!  Two of my kids prefer smooth peanut butter, so there's always a red-lidded jar or Jif in the house, too.  

"Nothin' could be finer than to be in Carolina" ANY mornin'...!  This pillow from cat studio cost a small fortune, but I HAD to have it!  Nearly EVERY landmark embroidered on the cover has significance for us.  We might be livin' in Tennessee, but on the inside?  In our hearts?  South Carolina, baby! :)

Please visit Anna Carson Photography if you'd like to add a Project Blue of your own.  It's never too late to start, even if she IS concluding her series today.

Because Pioneer Woman "needs" my "help"

Ree asked for kitchen advice, so instead of a thousand words, I'm posting a few pictures just for her.  If anyone else finds this "hidden" post, can you see me **waving and smiling**?  :)

For perspective--

• Click here for before kitchen renovation.
• Click HERE during (I actually never posted the pictures from the "during"...entirely too discombobulated).
• Click HERE for a kitchen feature that gives me the warm tinglies :).

And below are some shots taken VERY QUICKLY just now, to share with my favorite Ranch Diva, you know, because she "asked" ;).

I included this shot because a) it shows the adjacent keeping room which has buttery walls and a red ceiling; plus, I lurve the red pendant lights separating the rooms.

I took this angle to show our mixed-use countertops--
black granite for the raised bar, the rest solid surface.

Last, here's a closer view of the distressed cabinet doors; our painter provided samples with more sanding/distressing, we opted for the "more is less" option.  And never-you-mind the smudges and fingerprints--I toldja I took these quickly!!(And mercy knows, you gotta keep it r.e.a.l....R I G H T??)

Ree, if you "need" any more decorating advice, you know where to find me (on the other side of Bloglines ;) ).