Craft Time!

Happy Friday everyone!  So in my last post I hinted at an asparagus tart recipe and a fun craft project!  Nixed the asparagus tart, I didn't have the chance to take pictures and it didn't turn out to be very good so I'll have to give it a shot another time to share with you!

As a marketing professional I feel I work the "creative section" of my brain at work every day so even though I love crafting sometimes I don't have the creative umph to do it.  This week I decided to finally get to work on one of the many craft ideas I've pinned on Pinterest.  Title Coasters!  These are actually pretty simple all they take is a little time to account for drying.

Now I've seen blogs that use paper print outs, scrapbook paper, photos or cocktail napkins as the decorative aspect of these coasters.  For my first try I decided to use cocktail napkins and printed paper.  I have an abundance of cocktail napkins so I figured I should be able to find SOMETHING in my drawer that I could use.  Then I decided to use some of the old pages from my Lilly planner.  My friend Krista made some with pictures of Miami, hers turned out really nice!  She also painted the sides black which makes them look a lot sleeker and sophisticated, classy touch K-Cap!

DIY Decorative Coasters

This is actually the step where they are drying after a coat of
Mod Podge, I guess in going through my pictures I don't
have the final product?  

Supplies:
- Mod Podge
- Ceramic tiles (you can find these at home improvement stores for cheap, cheap, cheap! I got mine for 16 cents at Lowe's)
- Cork or felt (I found some cork at JoAnns that were already cut to coaster size)
- Cocktail napkins (or photos or printed paper)
- Foam brush
- Acrylic sealer
- Glue/adhesive (I used Gorilla glue because I didn't want to mess with a hot glue gun)
- Scissors/paper cutter

Instructions:
- Lay out your titles on a flat surface, make sure you have some newspaper or a paper towel underneath them.  Dust off any excess dust/dirt.
- Cut napkin or paper to size, you'll want it a little smaller than the title itself, set aside.  You can cut the napkin so you only have one or two layers to cover up rather than four if you leave it as one napkin.  I elected to cut the napkin in half after opening it up.
- Brush a thin layer of Mod Podge on top of the tile.
- Place napkin/paper on the tile let dry for a minute or so then brush another layer of Mod Podge over it.

- Let dry completely.
- (Optional Step) Paint the sides of the title to better match your print or picture, let dry.  (I didn't do this for mine but Krista did)
- Spray with acrylic and let dry.  (Make sure to do this in a well ventilated area, aka outside because it is mighty powerful stuff)

- Glue cork/felt to bottom of title and let dry.  (Krista used cork with self adhesive already on it so she didn't have to mess with glue.)

- Once they are completely dry you are all set!  You can give these as gifts or create a variety for your home!  Since they are pretty inexpensive you can even make some for each season!

This weekend Chris and I are heading to Detroit to see our friend Matt from college and to go to the Lions v. Colts game.  Chris is a Lions fan and I'm a Colts fan so it should be pretty fun!  For our five year anniversary we got each other new jerseys to wear!

Up next, we're switching it up and making a little treat for the four legged friends in your life!

Cheers!
Steph

Local Foodie Moment!

Since I haven't done much cooking this week I thought I'd share a good restaurant find!  When my dad comes to town for work we get together for dinner to catch up.  One of the last restaurants we went to I featured in my first "Local Foodie Moment!"  Last night we went to Sushi En.  We've actually been here previously and used to frequent another one of their restaurants, Sushiko for their half price Tuesdays.  Sushiko has since changed their half priced Tuesday specials and we noticed a little lag in quality of service last time we went so we sought out a different place for our sushi cravings!

Keep in mind I'm not a huge seafood lover so it took me quite some time to warm up to the idea of sushi.  I usually get veggie rolls but have started branching out to some that include seafood (baby steps!).  Anyways, Sushi En has half price on select rolls (all veggie ones are part of this deal, yey for me!) from 3 - 6pm Monday- Thursday.  We did a pretty bang up job yesterday ordering only rolls on special and got our order in just before the special was over.

Sushi for three VERY hungry diners!

The sushi is great here, usually my eyes are bigger than my stomach and I end up taking some home for the next days lunch.  The restaurant is clean, has a good staff and they seem to add little details that make your sushi more of a dining experience than just dinner which I think makes them stand out among the crowd!  They do have a room where you can sit on cross legged on cushions for a more authentic experience.  They also have a side room for larger parties.  Another little detail, they serve sliced oranges after your meal, which I'm guessing is to cleanse your palate but could be wrong, was unsuccessful in finding an answer with my quick Google search.    

Last night I tried a cucumber and plum roll for the first time and it was pretty interesting!  It was tart but sweet and crunchy with the cucumber, my dad said that's a new addition to the order for next time.  I love their veggie rolls because they put sprouts in them, I have cream cheese added as well.  Another roll that I hadn't seen before that's become one of our favorites is a sweet potato and cream cheese roll.  I'm not a big fan of sweet potato at all (blech yuck) but this is actually pretty delicious!  Daddy also gets one with walnuts and eel that's not too bad as well.  All in all if you're near the Polaris area and in the mood for sushi I'd definitely give this place a try!

Up next, an asparagus tart appetizer and a fun craft project!

Cheers!
Steph

Turkey Week Wrap Up!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!  I hope you all had a very blessed and wonderful holiday!  The abundance of mashed potatoes and gravy aside, Thanksgiving is one of my favorite times of year.  It's wonderful time to remember how incredibly lucky and blessed I am to have amazing family and friends in my life.  And it signals that Christmas and New Years aren't too far behind!  This past week went by fast but we packed in a lot of fun, good times!

I traveled home to my parents on Wednesday with my brother.  My mom was in charge of pies and I was in charge of a Thanksgiving cocktail so we got to work on that when I arrived so we could catch up with family friends later that evening!  Like I told you in my last post I decided to make Apple Cider Sangria so I put that all together to chill in the fridge overnight (recipe below).

Wednesday night we went over to our family friends' house, the Tassis, Holly is one of my best friends from high school and our families always try to get together when us girls are home for the holidays.  Holly now lives in Chicago where she works for Diageo, (talk about a great post grad gig!) she is also my birthday buddy having a birthday the day after mine! Our families have been through the ups and the downs together so its always nice to catch up on everyone's recent happenings over some cocktails!  Holly also would be joining me later in the week in Columbus for the Ohio State v. Michigan game!  Here are some fun pictures of Holly and I over the years (I'm sure she'll greatly enjoy this little blast from the past as I only told her she'd be featured in the blog not what content I'd be using, love ya Hollybelle!)

On our last day of high school

Homecoming, Senior year

Our trip to Columbia, SC to visit our other bestie, Coco!

My most recent trip to Chicago this summer!

Holly told me earlier in the day that they had a yummy surprise for us so we were to come hungry!  By the time the pies were all baked we were just that!  Turns out she and her mom made sushi for us for dinner!  Talk about a yummy surprise!  It was just delicious!  We were so impressed (I mean look at that pretty stuff!) since sushi is pretty notorious for its tricky to assemble nature.  They filled us in on their culinary trick, Sushezi, which is an apparatus that's easier to use than the traditional rolling mats.  They had rolls made with smoked salmon, spicy shrimp and firecracker beef all with different combinations such as with cream cheese, avocado, cucumber, etc. They even made sides of wasabi and spicy mayo for topping.  They paired it with ginger cocktails, talk about perfect planning!  Well done Tassi ladies, VERY well done!

Homemade sushi courtesy of the Tassi women....YUMM!

After a fun evening with the Tassis we woke up early to go to Pennsylvania to see both my parents sides of the family.  We had 18 people at our Thanksgiving table, a family record!  Everything, especially the mashed potatoes and gravy, was delicious it's a major perk coming from a family of fantastic cooks! 

18 people squeezed around one beautiful table of delicious food!

The sangria was a hit as well!  I'm very glad I made a double batch as it was all gone before we got up from the dinner table.  Here's how to make it.

Apple Cider Sangria
(this recipe is doubled, which served 12-18)

Ingredients:
- 2 bottles pinot grigio
- 5 c. apple cider
- 2 c. club soda
- 1 c. brandy (original recipe called for ginger brandy, I couldn't find that at the store)
- 2 honeycrisp apples, diced
- 2 pears, diced

Instructions:
- Combine all ingredients in a pitcher and chill for over an hour in the refrigerator (I usually do it overnight) before serving. 
- Enjoy! 

It's as easy as that!  This was perfect for fall, next time I may add a cinnamon stick while it chills to give it a little spice since I didn't have the ginger brandy.  Also note so many sangria recipes call for WAY too much fruit and it ends up just going to waste.  I used less fruit than the original recipe called for and it still turned out good.  Although the booze soaked fruit is a tasty treat I always end up tossing it on the compost pile since it doesn't get eaten.  After eating and drinking we cleaned up then played some hilarious rounds of Catch Phrase!  A great day with family! 

On Friday we relaxed and celebrated my mom's birthday which is next week.  My brother and dad went Black Friday shopping for a little bit but no one was feeling the wake up early with the crazy people vibe.  We usually end up celebrating Momma's birthday early because it is so close to Thanksgiving.  We went to a local Italian restaurant that was delicious per usual!  Definitely had a week of good eats! 

I came back to Columbus with plenty of leftovers for the week and enough time to enjoy an Ohio State win over Michigan!  Holly and I bounced around from bar to bar on campus while Chris went to the game with friends, nothing like rivalry football to get a city excited!  With the abundance of leftovers from both mine and Chris' Thanksgivings it doesn't look like I'll have to cook much this week, maybe I'll feature a new craft instead?  Better stay tuned! 

Cheers!
Steph

Thanksgiving/Michigan Week!

Happy Thanksgiving week everyone!  Its a short work week with Thanksgiving (one of my FAVORITE holidays, could it be the abundance of mashed potatoes?  Probably!) then Saturday the Buckeyes play the "team up north" (for those of you who are unfamiliar with the rivalry that team is otherwise known as Michigan).  The traditions around this game make for quite a week of excitement!  The Tuesday night before the students go home for Thanksgiving they all jump into Mirror Lake.  Yes, they jump in a cold lake in the middle of November.  As much as I don't like the cold I pled temporary insanity last year and did the jump with my friends and brother.  I'm not sure anyone will be successful in convincing me this year, it was fun but its a one time deal for me.  Here are some pictures from our jump!

Our jump group!

O-H!

Anyways, after the hoopla of Mirror Lake, the students go home for Thanksgiving and return for Saturdays BIG game!  Tickets for this game are hard to come by as its one of the biggest rivalries in college football!  "The 'Shoe" will be electric with energy and excitement!  Although I'm not going to the game, my friend Holly and I are going to go to campus for the festivities surrounding it, nothing like tailgating in Buckeye Nation!

So before the mashed potatoes and gravy, the turkey and pies and all that goodness I decided I wanted to make some Arancini (fried risotto balls) with my leftover risotto from last week.

Arancini
(This recipe made about 16-18 arancini)

Ingredients:
- leftover risotto (chilled in refrigerator, I had a little more than a cup left)
- 1 egg
- 1 c. grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 Tbsp. dried parsley
- 1/2 c. finely ground bread crumbs
- vegetable oil (enough to fill pot to deep fry)

Instructions:
- Take leftover risotto out of the refrigerator, mix in egg, cheese, salt and parsley until well incorporated.  With the cheese you may or may not need the whole cup, add a little at a time and see how well its binding (sticking together).  If its too dry add more egg.  You want it to stick together enough to keep its shape.

- It is easier to form the arancini with damp hands so keep that in mind.  Form balls with a spoon and your hands (I used my cookie scoop), about 2 inches in diameter, with the asparagus in the risotto sometimes it would make it tricky to form perfectly shaped balls.

- Place arancini onto a plate that you'll put back in the fridge before frying, you want them to keep their shape as much as possible.
- Place breadcrumbs in a bowl or on a small plate to prepare to roll the risotto in it.
- Heat oil over the stove, if you have a cooking thermometer then heat it to 350 degrees, if you don't (like myself) put it over medium high heat and test it with a few small bits of risotto to see if it floats up and turns brown.  I used a small pot so I wouldn't have to use as much oil, this meant I could only fry three or so arancini at a time. 
- When the oil is ready, take the arancini out of the fridge and roll in the breadcrumbs then CAREFULLY drop a couple into the oil.

- Let fry until very golden brown (2 or so minutes).

- Take out of the oil and place on a plate with a paper towel, sprinkle with salt (I didn't do this, I forgot).
- Enjoy!  (carefully though, the veggies inside get very hot!)

Chris and I both really liked these, for a first try they turned out very well!  (I don't think the picture does it much justice but I suppose I was having an off foodie photo day.  I served it with a cucumber and tomato salad along with tortellini soup to balance out the rich nature of the arancini.  These are something you will want to serve immediately or as soon as you can, I let mine sit in an oven (on very low temp) to keep warm for a few minutes till I had the rest of dinner prepared and they dried out a little more than I thought they would.  You can serve these with warm marinara as a dipping sauce but I had forgotten about that and thought they were just as delicious without.

Up next is Apple Cider Sangria!  I'm in charge of making a Thanksgiving cocktail for our family this year, last year we made the caramel apple shots I featured previously.  With all the fall themed cocktails floating around on Pinterest I really wanted to give this one a try!

Have a happy and safe Thanksgiving everyone!

Cheers!
Steph

Cold Weather Comfort Food

Well Mother Nature is at it again!  We had a beautiful weekend last weekend of above 70 degree temps then in the matter of one day it dropped to 37 degrees.  When the weather turns like this I always enjoy putting my sweats and slippers on and making some comfort food!  Since I can't subsist off of mashed potatoes and gravy (my all time FAVORITE comfort food, family members that have had the pain of hosting me for Thanksgiving can attest) for the whole winter there's a couple other substitutes that make my cold weather comfort food cut.  Today I'm going to feature comfort food that I learned in a Williams-Sonoma techniques class, Risotto!

On a side note, WS has many great techniques classes offered each month and they are FREE!  They typically have a couple that go along with the season (i.e. prepping and cooking turkey for Thanksgiving, holiday dishes, etc.).  I have taken a couple of these since graduating college because I wanted to learn new things but I didn't want to sacrifice my paycheck.  They have other demonstrations and classes as well as book signings (depending on your local store) each month.  The techniques classes have been just right for me when I find something of interest.  They are informative and helpful while being brief as the class is only an hour.  I'd definitely recommend them to anyone who has the desire to learn a little more about cooking or baking!

Now risotto is sometimes recognized as a tricky food to prepare because you don't want it soupy and you certainly don't want the other side of the spectrum where its gluey and is better suited for spackling purposes.  Some restaurants hardly do it justice but when you find one that does, boy does it change your foodie loving life!  But why wait to find the restaurant with risotto perfection when you can accomplish it on your own at home?  I will say that this isn't really an easy weeknight dish, so plan to make it on an evening or day when you have at least 40 or more minutes on your hands.  When it comes down to it, risotto really isn't a complicated dish its just a little time consuming is all.  I happened to be on my own for dinner as Chris had a work dinner so I didn't mind taking a little extra time for such a yummy dish.

Vegetable Risotto
(I halved the recipe that WS gave me and it makes well over 4-6 servings, keep in mind some of the extra comments I've included weren't necessarily part of the WS class but just things I've learned along the way)

Ingredients:
- 3 cups low sodium chicken stock plus some extra just in case
- 2 Tbs. butter
- 1 Tbs. olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion or half of a medium sized one, chopped (I always have onion in my freezer so I just used a couple handfuls of that)
-  1 c. white button mushrooms, rinsed clean and sliced
- 1 c. Arborio rice
- 1/4 c. dry white wine
- 1 Tbs. beef demi glace (this is essentially super concentrated stock, cooked down into a thick paste, its a little pricey but lasts a long time and can be used for soups, stews, sauces, etc.  A cheaper substitute could be those new Flavor Boost packs although I have yet to try them.)
- 1/2 c. frozen green peas, thawed and cooked
- 4 to 6 stalks asparagus, cooked and chopped in one inch pieces
- 1/2 c. grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (try to avoid the pre-packaged grated cheese, buy a reasonably priced block in your artisan cheese section, you don't have to use it all at once, it can be wrapped in plastic wrap and frozen so it won't get moldy before using it up)
 - salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:
- Heat chicken stock in a saucepan over medium heat till it just barely simmers, reduce heat to low and keep warm.
- In a different saucepan, melt 1 1/2 Tbsp. butter with oil in a large saucepan over medium heat (the oil helps prevent the butter from burning since it is more tolerant of higher heat).
- Add onion, cook until tender and translucent (about 5 minutes).
- Add mushrooms, cook till just wilted, stir occasionally (about 2 minutes).

- Stir in rice, stir and cook until grains are hot and coated with the oil mixture (about 2 minutes).  This is a very important step in the process, by coating the rice with the oil it allows it to cook slowly (which is the whole point and art of risotto) rather than letting it suck up the liquid immediately like it would if we boiled it in liquid.  The oil helps that starch to slowly release and cook.
- Add wine, stir often until liquid is absorbed.  I use the mini bottles of wine for this so as not to have to open a whole large bottle, it just so happens the amount used for risotto leaves just enough in the mini bottle for a glass for the cook!  (Can't deny a recipe that let's you cook AND drink wine!)
- Add 1/2 c. of stock at a time, stirring often (most recipes say constantly, I like multitasking in my kitchen so I don't stir the whole time) wait until all liquid is absorbed before adding more liquid.

-The risotto is done when the rice grains are creamy on the outside and firm yet tender to the bite (you'll have to get out a tasting spoon and give it a try), usually 20 to 25 minutes total.  You'll notice the rice grains will have fluffed up a bit in size.  (In the picture you'll see it looks a little soupy, it should be thick, not really runny but it will tighten up when you add the cheese, butter and demi-glace.)

- Remove pan from heat, stir in 1/2 Tbs. butter, demi-glace, cheese, peas and asparagus.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

 

  
- Serve immediately.  Enjoy!

Note: I tweaked WS's recipe a little by not only halving it but adding some veggies.  I've made it with peppers as well and that was equally delicious!  Adding the veggies seems to make it a more substantial side although it can be served as a main dish.  I usually make a pan roasted chicken breast to go with it so as not to go into "carb/starch overload".

So there you have it, not terribly complicated but definitely worth the time!  Heads up, with my leftovers I'm going to give making Arancini a try!

Cheers!
Steph

Local Foodie Moment!

So I've had a rather lazy cooking week this week, Monday I tried happy hour at J. Gilbert's (yum!  Didn't take pictures for the blog though, sorry!  Maybe I'll feature it another time).  Tonight I had dinner with the top three guys in my life: my daddy, my brother, and Chris, lucky me!  Daddy was in town for work.  We decided to give Greek Street Tavern a try.  I had heard and read many good things so I was intrigued to see if it was the real deal or not.

Mitch and I got there first and decided to try an appetizer, the Combination Platter which was samplers of tzatziki sauce, spinach feta and their twisted feta (a combination of roasted red peppers and feta to make a dip) with delicious grilled pita for dipping.  Mitch and I thought this would be a good way to see if they have good tzatziki sauce since we wanted to order gyros.  This was really tasty, I preferred the tzatziki and twisted feta over the spinach feta.  The guys seemed to like all of them but they preferred the spinach feta.

I gave the Traditional Gyro a try.  Additionally, they offer tater tots as a side in place of fresh cut or sweet potato fries.  This was very well received by my dinnermates and I, who doesn't love tots?!  (Thanks Napoleon Dynamite for launching this simple food into the pop culture stratosphere)  The portions are more than substantial and the prices are very reasonable. 

My Traditional Gyro with a side of tots

Their menu consists of mostly Greek with a couple Italian entrees and desserts.  I had heard previously that the original concept was to provide the best of both cuisines but seems the Greek side has won out.  I'll have to give the Italian dishes a try although it might be hard to pass up all the yummy Greek goodies they have!  The service was good, the food came out in a very timely fashion and I particularly liked some of the "house tunes" they had going.  It was probably just an XM radio or something but they were playing some good 80's hits!  If you like Greek or Italian cuisine then you should definitely check it out on your next night off of cooking, I'm certainly glad we did!

Tomorrow I'll be featuring some cold weather comfort food, (yes I'm actually cooking this week!) so make sure to click back!

Cheers!
Steph 

New car and football (even on a bye week)!

Well friends I have taken one step closer to being a "big girl".  Try as I might the world somehow forces me to grow up every once a in while!  This weekend was the step of buying my first car (yikes!), for those of you who know or even can guess by the nature of my blog I'm two of many things, indecisive and not a huge lover of change.  So things like car shopping strike fear in me to my very core, make? model? color? features?  TOO MANY CHOICES and what's wrong with my 12+ year old car!?  But I suppose it was "Little Lex's" time to move on to a life with another driver.  Hopefully a driver who has a diversified music collection taking full advantage of her sound system and moonroof.

Little Lex with her Miami girl sticker, she also still had her Heritage Commons parking pass (circa junior year)

After some research and finding the right dealer I decided on the Chevy Sonic, in victory red (how fitting for a Miami grad right?).  Big thanks to my brother Mitch, my parents and Chris for helping me with my research and decision!  It made the daunting task of car buying much easier!

In addition to being indecisive and adverse to change I'm also a big believer in "signs" so when we walked in the dealership and there was a life sized Peyton Manning (as a Colts fan, of course I LOVE him) cardboard advertisement AND the key fob they gave me had a pink label (my favorite color) I knew it was fate!  (Crazy?  Probably but you can't ignore good buja!  <--pronouced boo-jah, not sure where I picked that up but it's along the lines of good omens)

Just hamming it up with my boy P-dog

New Car!

In true WWSV fashion such life moments called for a cocktail!  What could be more celebratory than a champagne (I refer to it as champs) cocktail?!  I always have a few small bottles of champs in the fridge because more often times than not, who doesn't want champs?!  Originally I wanted to make some bellinis (which actually call for prosecco but given my excitement I wasn't going to split hairs) but I forgot to take some of the frozen peaches out to thaw SO I had to put on my thinking cap.  How about a Kir Royale?  Sounds fancy but is super easy.

Cocktail fun fact!  Historically a Kir is made with white wine and creme de cassis (blackcurrant liquor), the Kir Royale is a variation of the Kir.  For more background on this drink, click here.  

Kir Royale

Ingredients:
- dry champagne
- raspberry liquor (i.e. chambord or razzmatazz)

Instructions:
- Pour champs in a glass about 3/4 full.
- Add splash of raspberry liquor.
- Enjoy!



 This cocktail makes having champs seem even more festive!  Definitely a good one to keep in your holiday repertoire!

So even though the Buckeyes had a bye week this week Chris and I still had some football to attend to this weekend!  Sunday was Chris' team's football banquet, a great evening organized by great families of our parish.  The team had a great season, they went undefeated and won the diocese championship!  The last time the 8th grade team won the championship was when Chris played, now he has TWO championships under his belt! 

I've always been proud of Chris for taking on the task of "non-parent" coach and volunteering his time to be involved.  But being able to see the team, fellow coaches, and parents' gratitude towards him was so nice!  Almost every boy on the team came up to Chris afterwards and thanked him for a great season, it was beyond precious!  From the brief interactions I have each week with the team at games and at this banquet I can see these boys really look up to "Coach Mo".  Hopefully he's taught them a thing or two that will stick!  Plus the parents just couldn't say enough good things about him, half the time I have to ask them if we are talking about the same Chris! Haha! 

One things for sure, "Coach Mo" has had a great couple years of coaching some really great kids.  The things they say are too funny!  On picture day one offered to be Coach Mo's kid so he wouldn't be the only coach without a son in his picture!  That's not even the half of it with those goofballs!  The banquet was a good time to hear some of their funny stories and quotes.  Now that Chris' team will be moving on to high school we will see where his coaching will go, it all depends on his work assignment at the time.

"In his name we are...St. Paul!" - last team huddle!

The coaches gift was pretty cool, mini helmets customized to look like the team helmet and a picture from the championship game that all the players signed!  Hopefully we'll make it to some of the boys other sporting events (a lot of them play basketball or other sports) throughout the year and hopefully we'll see their names on the high school rosters in the next four years!

Well that's the majority of the weekend!  Did a little weeding and work on our patio (more on that another time) and got supplies for a fun craft to feature this week!  Stay tuned!

Cheers!
Steph