I finally have a day off, though despite a delightful start, EVERYTHING has gone wrong! I watched last week's Master Chef competition in disbelief, where the critical decision was made by the creation of Eggs Benedict. It's really a simple dish I've made many times, and decadently enjoyable – poached eggs placed upon crisp ham on an English muffin – all lovingly smothered with hollandaise sauce... Since this show was a franchise of Gordon Ramsey, who's recipe should I use but HIS? Back to my title – my gas stove does not seem to be working correctly. Either it is on full blast or the flame is off (yet there is still gas pouring out...)? And THEN, when I prepared my twice broken hollandaise sauce (control of the temperature is kind of crucial, but I don't seem to have that right now), I found out that my camera just simply wouldn't work?!!?? So you're spared the “see – I make mistakes, too” photos... New camera is charging, and if I can figure out what the blazes is going on with my stovetop, I'll do it again. Oh, gosh – being FORCED to eat Eggs Benedict twice in a week?!? Ok, my Doc might not approve, but I DO!!!

I liked this combination of ingredients – but the instructions were lacking, just a touch, and perhaps not the best. I started the dough, which was pretty straight forward. I started to saute my Italian sausage, added the garlic... Then I used my food processor to grate my cheeses – and then I realized some seasonings were asked for, but it never said when to add them? So I tossed them into the cheese blend... Oh, for Pete's sake, I'm making Italian Sausage Bread. THREE cheeses : Moz, Provo, and Parm – and I used SPICY Italian sausage, with about 10 oz of chopped spinach – whenever I use spinach, I ALWAYS add some nutmeg... The recipe says to do it in two layers, but I mixed the cheese with the cooled meat, etc.., The dough takes a long while to rise - seriously, I have done a TON of bread in my time, and this one takes WAY too long. My suggestion would be NOT to add the salt until ALL the other ingredients have been fully combined. YET - I still didn't have enough dough for two rolls (as the recipe suggests). I used the entire batch of dough after FIVE hours, and only used half the filling. That's NOT a bad thing. So, silly me, I made one loaf that seemed right to me, and then froze the other half of the filling? Two, maybe three hours later (after the second rise), I took it out of the oven... The cheese flavor is delightful, the hot sausage provides just enough spice for an enjoyable contrast, and the spinach... well, it just adds a touch more nutrition, because you really don't taste it A filling snack on its own, and even better dipped in some warm marinara sauce... The bread itself was worth the wait – nicely flavored and textured, and still lets the “stuffing” shine through. Think I'll change it up for the remaining stuffing, though - maybe some of those "pockets" I always keep on hand? Or maybe a twist on a quiche? I'll let you know.

I rarely have time to cook these days, so when I do, I've been trying to combine some of my favorite things – this one is kind of perfect! Chicken, bacon, shrooms, cheese... OH YEAH! I've seen a few versions of this, but I'm deferring to Todd Wilbur's Alice Spring's Chicken, a la Outback Steakhouse. Yeah, right. Chicken from a steak house? I've never ordered it there myself, but this looks yummy, and so much more fun to make it yourself. There's really nothing to it – if you must, you can even buy your shrooms sliced and your cheese grated... but please don't. You've got two hours of marinating time to get all the other stuff prepped. I chose to saute the mushrooms in the bacon fat with a touch of butter, then removed them to another plate while I sauteed the chicken... I don't know if it's like the original or not, but next time (oh, yeah, this one's a keeper!) I'd pound out the chicken breasts so they're flatter, and hence, able to hold more of the other good stuff!

My life has been kind of crazy lately – started a new job almost 4 months ago, and now I'M training the newbies?!? Went from part-time to overtime REAL fast! Bear with me, guys? So I've had a bad head-cold and not many fresh ingredients in the house, so I opted for an orange and cream cheese kind of cross between bread and pound cake. I have a LOT of oranges from my caring neighbor since my throat started to die on me last week... So here's the thing – told you I hadn't gone shopping... Had cream, not milk. Pecans, not walnuts... Butter, not shortening... Why the heck am I apologizing?!? This sounds better than the original... Ok, it baked a little darker than the original, but I see no problem with that – not a touch of 'singe' or other such evil stuff. And... OH MY! It is good!

How are THESE for cupcake toppers?

It’s a three-day weekend for most – the “un-official start of summer”; full of parades, family get-togethers, good food, blockbuster movies, fireworks…

I’m taking a different path today, and will not be providing any cooking tips or menu suggestions – we all know how to throw a picnic or cookout, and I hope yours is a huge success. But my goal today is much simpler.

Please take a moment of quiet somewhere amidst all the gaiety and grilling to recognize what the day is really about – remembering those who have served, and are currently serving our country. Raise the flag, say a prayer – but in some way honor all those men and women that we owe so much to. Saying “thank you” is the least we can do, and a responsibility we should live up to.


(originally posted May 2008 - it warrants repeating)

So, since my success this past winter with brie, I've usually kept some in the house. Another staple is apples – in a pinch, an apple with some peanut butter makes a somewhat healthy snack that can satisfy a sweet tooth... So when I saw a chicken dish that put the two of them together (apples and brie, that is), I was enticed! Super easy and quick to assemble as well. Saute some chopped onions while you chop some apples (I left the skin on). Add the apples, some seasoning, and apple cider. Don't despair if that ingredient isn't 'in season' – apple cider is simply apple juice that hasn't been filtered. They're not looking for the fermented, or 'hard' cider here After the apples have softened, cool, and add your chopped brie. Pretty as a picture, no? Here's the fun part – you 'stuff' your chicken breasts by gently lifting the skin and sliding all that goodness inside. The flavors are readily absorbed by the meat as it is held in place by the skin, which gets slightly crispy. Adding some additional cider to the drippings, and you have a beautiful glaze as well. I thought collard greens were a perfect side for this meal – no need for much else other than a knife and fork! Slightly sweet, tart, nutty, deliciously moist... yeah, good stuff.

This past winter and working in superheated dry air has really taken a toll on my skin. While I still protest that I have no wrinkles, at times I have actually used an antibiotic ointment to heal areas that actually cracked under the strain! I mentioned this on a recent doctor's visit, and she asked me if I used a moisturizer. I told her 'yes', and mentioned the brand. To roughly quote her, "As a doctor, I can tell you that is a good brand, and is one I'd be inclined to recommend. As a person, I'd prefer not to add petroleum products to my body." Her next question confused me for a moment: "As a rule, do you feel hot or cold?" For me, the answer was quick - HOT! I have little tolerance for higher temperatures - perhaps it's from those years living in the North Country of New York state, when my blood MUST have thickened a tad (I distinctly remember it hitting 35F - BELOW ZERO!!!). She told me to buy some sunflower oil. If I had said "cold", she would have recommended extra virgin olive oil... Apparently different oils have different healing properties. Wait a sec - I remember mentioning that before... Well, DUH! She was giving me my own advice - some that I apparently had forgotten. Don't let the photo fool you - it is absolutely clear. A 12.75 oz bottle at my local grocer cost less than seven dollars - ladies (and gents), please compare THAT price to what you pay for your current moisturizer. And a little goes a long way... See how little is missing from this bottle? I've been using it daily, not only on my face, but upper body, arms and hands as well - for at least THREE WEEKS! Legs and feet are getting pampered my next day off... In just a couple days I couldn't believe the difference! Her advice was to massage it in before taking a shower (and to only use soap on the 'smelly' places )- but I was SO dried out that I've been using it AFTER a shower with great success. NO scent, absorbs in seconds, NO oily feeling... OH - and you can use it as a shaving agent - no need for those chemicals to dry you out further. Thank you, Dr. T! Try it - if you don't like it, you can always use the oil in cooking. Absolutely NO waste with this suggestion.

I had a dentist appointment – not only on a Sunday, but on Mother's Day Sunday! What ELSE could I make that day but hard candy I had seen this recipe for Chocolate Covered Maple Sponge Toffee, and it was time to give it a try. Measurements go back and forth between metric and “U.S.” measurements, which I followed with no problem for grams and temperature (14 gr=1Tblsp when talking butter, 150C=300F)... However I failed when I got cocky regarding the size of the pan - I mean, EVERYONE knows how to convert centimeters to inches, right? Read on. Incredibly simple, basically you're just watching sugars bubble – but it took me a bit longer than the 7-8 minutes mentioned to reach the temp previously mentioned. While waiting, I was reminded of one Christmas when I had made massive amounts of peanut brittle as gifts – and then it hit me! I had pecans in the freezer Maple and pecan? Sounds like a match to me. So I chopped up about 2/3 cup of pecans and stirred them in after the baking soda. I did NOT get a picture at this point, because I had no desire for the molten foam to escape its saucepan. Make sure you use a large one – I cut it close with a 2qt and didn't add the soda until the original bubble had subsided... But here's where I goofed – 20cm x 30cm does NOT equal 7”x9” - CLOSE, but please, err on the larger sized pan! Probably a 10"x13" would have been MUCH better. I had hoped once I poured it that the bubbles would subside, but nope - I ended up with 2cm THICK brittle?!?! NOT exactly the thin wafer I had sought. I thought about skipping the chocolate, but what fun would that be? So I got a work out with my Chinese cleaver, vented some frustrations, and chopped it up into somewhat bite-sized pieces Still quite enjoyable, and the pecans are a delightful addition - though for a true “brittle”, I would add a bit more next time. I share my mistakes, and I'm darn proud of them – heck, how else do we learn?

Once the water comes to a boil for your pasta, this is done in a snap! A bit of cooked chicken, and a few other ingredients you SHOULD have in your fridge, dinner will be served in a few minutes. Guess what? It's a 'skinny' recipe as well, using greek yogurt instead of the usual heavy cream. I don't follow those usually, but it doesn't hurt to save a few calories here and there... I used whole wheat penne along with the rest of the healthy ingredients... Ok, this is good. VERY good. And the longer it has sat, more flavor has developed... Definitely a 'do again'. YOU should definitely check it out!