Grilled salad

I promised that I would share this salad with those that have asked. Not only is this incredibly delicious, it's very easy to make.

Grilled Romaine Salad with Blue Cheese
{adapted from Alex Guarnaschelli}

Dressing:
6 cloves garlic, peeled
1 teaspoon kosher salt ~ I don't use because the anchovies and capers are salty enough for my taste.
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon capers
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon hot sauce
1 teaspoon anchovy paste
1/2 to 3/4 cup good quality olive oil

Salad:
3 romaine hearts, halved lengthwise, washed and dried
20 basil leaves
1 cup crumbled blue cheese
kosher salt
1 lemon juice

Preheat grill to medium

In the blender, combine the garlic, lemon juice, capers and vinegar. Blend until smooth. Add the Worcestershire, hot sauce, anchovy paste, and 1/2 cup of olive oil. Blend until smooth. Taste for seasoning. Adding the remaining oil if desired. Set aside.

In a large bowl, toss 4 of the romaine halves in a little olive oil and season with a sprinkle of salt. Put them in a single layer on the grill and cook for 3 minutes. Turn and cook on the other side for an additional 3 minutes. The romaine should feel slightly warm and tender. Transfer the halves to a large platter. Spoon a little dressing on each. On a flat surface, finely chop the rest of the romaine and add it to a medium bowl. Add the remaining vinaigrette, a touch of lemon juice and the basil leaves. Toss to coat the romaine.

Top the grilled romaine with some of the chopped, dressed romaine. Garnish with crumbled blue cheese and serve.

~ I don't dress the entire salad with dressing so that a portion can be saved.
~Add a little grilled chicken and it makes for a great lunch the next day.

Due to my limited kitchen equipment at the moment, our meals are on the quick and easy side these days. This evening I'll be grilling so this was a perfect choice of salads.

I should also admit that I've made it 3 times since my sweet husband introduced me to it on Valentine' Day.

Yep, it's that good! Hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Visit Saturday Swap for a few more yummy ideas.

Leave A Comment

Together time

You may remember a few weeks back when I shared my goals for the year. One of them was to spend more quality time with my husband and get reacquainted.

Well, this afternoon we did just that. I'm not sure a romance novel has ever been written about two lovers standing on ladders with matching spackle knives, gazing into each other’s eyes over a spray bottle while scraping white gunk off their ceiling. Probably not for good reason!



 It wasn't exactly the romantic afternoon together that I had envisioned but, we were side by side sharing many laughs. Sort of. When I wasn't busy removing spackle from my hair or what had fallen down my shirt. I know, sexy!

By the time we were finished, it looked like a flour bomb had gone off in our kitchen. The dust and globs had covered everything including us.



Who invented popcorn ceilings?
Why?
They are hideous!

I will NEVER buy a home with them again.

We agreed that now was the time to remove the nasty white nubs while the kitchen is under repair. I'm willing to pay someone when we move onto the living room.

This will all be a vision of the past in a few short days.

My new granite counters will be here in no time, my ceiling will be a pristine white and I'll be enjoying my new gas cook top. I can't wait.

Feel free to stop by for dinner.

Leave A Comment

Feeling the love

Showering those I love and care for …

Gifts and goodies wrapped in pink and red.

Homemade truffles.

Sourcream sugar cookies with cream cheese frosting

Gift bags and packages decorated in hearts and flowers

The gift every mother gets teary over ...

Roses from her sweet son!
He had them delivered to my school ~ litle does he know that he made my day, week, and month!
I was the talk of the school ~ he impressed the entire staff with his sweet gesture.

I am one lucky mother ... thank you Nicholas!
They mean more to me than you'll ever know.

The gift of relaxation from my husband ...

He poured me a glass of wine and told me to relax while he prepared dinner.

Pure heaven!

I didn't know what to do with myself :)
This is such a TREAT that I now look forward to each year well in advance!

 

Dinner ...

Grilled romaine salad with blue cheese {SO good!}
Stuffed lobster tail
Porterhouse steak with maitre d' butter

Hope you felt a little love on Valentine's Day!

Leave A Comment

Weekend recap

This weekend just flew by at record speed. I did manage to get quite a bit accomplished and I'm feeling pretty good heading into the new week.

Saturday was spent in showrooms making (trying to make) final decisions on new granite for the kitchen. I'm trying to keep it light in color as the back of the house, where the kitchen is located, gets little natural night. At first, I wanted to go with marble but we've been talked out of it by many people. We cook A LOT in our home and marble just didn't seem to fit in with our lifestyle. We've narrowed it down to two colors and I have to make the final decision this week as our new cook top has been ordered and is on its way. Did I tell you I'm being treated to a new one? Last week, while making dinner, I also provided a fireworks show. Yep, always a party here in our home. I shorted out two of the four burners! How you ask? I have NO idea! Thankfully my husband was home so no real damage occurred. After a long day of looking at stone, we met up with friends at our favorite sushi spot for a fun and relaxing evening.

{the white spots are from the kitchen lighting}

Thoughts?

Along with millions of others, we hunkered down Sunday evening with high caloric, but oh so good, game food and watched the Super Bowl. This years gathering was on the smaller side and most enjoyable. It was a good game but I'll be honest, I'm really in it for the food, friends and commercials : )



We ate well!

Back to healthy eating today.

Leave A Comment

Snow day ~ take 5

Bright and early I awoke to another 18 inches {but who's counting at this point} of white wonder. It is rather beautiful and certainly does provide for some lovely photos.

I noticed something rather comical from the inside the warmth of my home {and still in my jammies} on this particular snow day.

There is a dress code for snow blowing.
It must be highlighted in the owner's manual.
It reads: The individual operating the snow blower must wear a red jacket, black snow pants, black hat and gloves.
Every husband on our cul-de-sac was wearing the required garments in the offical colors. This is probably a good idea with the amount of snow were getting this winter as we might just lose them in a snow drift if they wore white.




When it snows; I bake. It's a rule!

I made a batch of these AMAZING cookies. They are chewy, chocolaty, and heavenly all in one bite! Warning ... they won't last long!

You must visit Bakerella. She has some of the most adorable ideas.

For a few other yummy recipes visit Kim.

Once the roads were clear I ventured out to run a few errands.

I found these lovies at Michaels. What a fun way to perk up my winter blahs.

*The journal in the top photo was just what I was in need of for my Bible study.

*The shoe folders and pencils have been put to good use in  my reorganization flurry.

*I'm going to use the tags for labeling binders and to hang from white gift bags.

*Lastly the adorable purse and shoes note cards ~ a girls best friends.

*The pink and green paisley peeking through is actually my new ironing board cover that I picked up on my trip to Michaels.


I'm not sure of the last "normal" week I've had. This past week consisted of



    1 delay
+
    1 early dismissal
+
    1 snow day                     
total chaos in the classroom

My poor little guys are SO off schedule, I am too for that matter. At the end of the day on Friday, I telling my students to have a nice afternoon and I'd see them tomorrow. Thankfully we haven't racked up enough snow days, yet, to warrant the need for school on Saturday.

Leave A Comment

Weekend with Jack

Jack Frost was our host this past weekend in Vermont.  He was the perfect gentleman and did his very best to insure that we were chilled to the bone during our entire stay. In fact, he went out of his way and dropped the temperatures to a balmy -30 with wind chill just for us. Such an invigorating treat!


However, we weren't about to let this spoil our fun. Despite the frigid weather, we prevailed and treated ourselves to all the winter sports and fun that Stowe had to offer. Thanks to a snow day here in Connecticut, our trip began earlier than expected.

With a few extra layers packed in our bags, we eagerly hit the road with childlike anticipation.


* Warning ...
Bad hair and Weeble Wobble lookalikes ahead.


Growing up in Michigan my family had snowmobiles. Almost every weekend our friends and family would go up north to our cottage for skiing and snowmobiling. Being back in this mode brought back some really great memories. I had to include the photo of the snowmobile parking lot at the restaurant. You just gotta appreciate a place that offers areas for vehicles and snowmobile parking. The food was fabulous as well. If that isn't your choice of transportation, there is also the option of skiing in for dinner. I love the photo of the tree with skis parked right next door.


Please note the fashionable outfits and hair styles. One must wear half their winter wardrobe for the weeble wobble look. In order to master the flat lifeless hair style, you must don a helmet for several hours in a row ~ dedication I tell ya!  Jealous, I know :)


I haven't laughed {to the point of tears} so hard in a long time. There was always something that put us into fits of laugher. The best one was Courtney riding along on her snowmobile and then falling over into a snow drift. We still have NO idea how she accomplished this difficult task but she did. With grace; nonetheless. We had to laugh when she came back with a map at lunch trying to explain the tricky terrain of our tour.


My photo does not offer justice to the Von Trapp Family Lodge. It was gorgeous! There are several buildings on the property all dressed up for their winter guests. It is a winter wonderland.


We ate and drank at some amazing places. There is almost nothing better than stepping into a warm room with a roaring fire and a host offering you a beverage after being out in the elements all day. The entire weekend we ran with the theory of play hard during the day and sit back and relax during the evening. What a treat!


We ladies did manage to find a few spare minutes to hit a couple of the sweet shops in town. I think my husband was rather proud that I continued my quest of stimulating the economy with a few fun purchases. Hope you're picking up on the sarcasm here :) I am very excited with my new antique champagne vessel. It’s much larger than anyone I’ve seen before. I’m not exactly sure what I’m going to use it for but one thought is a planter for spring bulbs.


No trip to Stowe, VT would be complete without a stop at the Ben and Jerry's homestead. Oh so yummy! They have flavors there that I haven't seen here in Connecticut. I tried my hardest to convince my husband we needed purchase a cooler so that we could bring some home. I came home empty handed ... next time I'll go prepared.


 


The winter weather isn't going away any time soon so I guess I'll just continue to find ways to enjoy the snow covered festivities!

Leave A Comment

Work in Progress

I'm not one to make resolutions. In the past I've tried, failed and then felt horrible for not seeing simple {what seemed at the time} tasks through to fruition.

This year I wanted to make some changes in my day to day life. Nothing drastic, just simple subtle changes to better myself.

So, I'm claiming 2011 as the year of me!




1.Reorganizing and decluttering

This process is in full swing. I listed out all the areas of our home in need and posted them in my Agenda. The hope is to accomplish 1~2 tasks each week. Each area was purposely divided into manageable amounts of time so that I can accomplish them and not feel stressed. I'm the type that "grows"  projects until I'm in over my head and the project has taken on a life of its own.  I've allowed for a couple days each week as catch up days in the event that a certain area takes longer than anticipated.

2. Bible study

I've joined the Beth Moore 10 week study. I'm loving it! There are 5 sessions each week that I view online. She is an amazing teacher and even through a computer screen, she is able to reach out and grab you. By the end of the session, I feel empowered and alive! I highly recommend this as well as many of her books that I've read.




3. Photography

Over the past couple of years I've dabbled here and there reading a few books, articles and blogs covering this subject. It's time to get serious. Just in time, Lisa is proposing two options that I'm very interested in taking. Funny how things have a way of working out just when you're in need of them. I've also just begun Project 52. Simply put, I take a photograph a week for 52 weeks. I'm fashionably late to the party but I'm fine with that.  I wanted to keep this project seperate so I created a new blog, Simple Elegance.  Doing this will also allow me to view my progress as well as create a book at some point if I'm interested.



4. General Ed Certification

After much thought, time and consideration I've decided to switch certifications. I begin classes in a few weeks. I'm really looking forward to this challenge and sitting in a seat rather than standing in front of the classroom. Well, for part of the day anyway.


5. Getting to know my husband

We are very comfortable in our roles and routines. I have no real complaints and in all honesty, I'm very happy. However, we've become complacent and predictable. I think this is true of many marriages that are years old. My husband has been on travel A LOT the past 7 months, we both have busy careers, on-going home projects, and various volunteer committees. I want to hone the focus back on "us" and find activities that we can share together and get to know the man I married again.  My first proposal is working towards a 5k next fall.



The first month of the new year is off to a great start. I'm not feeling overwhelmed, stressed or pressured with my goals. This is a good sign!

I'll post my progress in a few months and let you know if I'm still on task.

Leave A Comment