Orange Chocolate Scones, yum!

Here they are! The famous Decadent Orange Chocolate (mini) Scones with an Orange Glaze. I had an absolutely wonderful Bridal Shower a few years ago that my sister planned and brilliantly executed. As made obvious by previous posts, we love to cook here at Chateau Snow. I had a beautiful kitchen shower complete with crock-pots, cookbooks, gadgets and gizmos a plenty. My favorite gift of the afternoon was The Lovebirds Cookbook. All the guests brought a favorite recipe to share and place in a binder to give me! It was so special and we have been working on the recipes here and there - savoring the surprise if you will. When I came across the scone recipe I was tickled pink! It was supplied by an Aunt of mine - whom I love dearly - and the whole recipe was an inspired Victorian masterpiece. So girly, delicate, thoughtful and delicious! The real surprise is that the scones are moist, fluffy but still hold to their true "biscuit" nature. I have made them for church functions, fundraisers and simply personal enjoyment and they are delicious every time! Dramatic you say? You should taste these scones and you would completely understand. Sadly, being a part of my family recipes and all, I won't dare divulge the ingredients or recipe. Simply take in the photo and find a recipe of your own. Sorry folks, this one's just because they're so delicious, I had to share!

Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Tomato Salsa

Another new recipe from Real Simple! It was sooo easy and delicious! It lacked about 10 less ingredients than we normally cook with - including our favorite garlic - but I went ahead and prepared as directed and we were pleasantly surprised. We are a fan of freshly grated parmesan - and usually parmesan reggiano because of the added bite - but Kraft is the better choice because of the creaminess it adds to the stuffing; which in turn holds the entire piece of chicken together if you managed to cut entirely thru the piece while preparing. Again, don't worry if this happens. Each piece cooks for 7 minutes on each side - to perfect doneness - and the stuffing never fell out. I always thought making something stuffed, other than a Thanksgiving turkey, was a hassle. Nope! This proved to be much easier than I thought. Onward and upward!

Source: Realsimple.com

The side dish was less than delicious...the shallots were sooo strong raw that we had to pick them out, brush our teeth, rinse with mouthwash and hope that the smell would dissipate by morning. The concept was there, tomatoes, olive oil, s/p, red wine vinegar...but the shallots were too much, avocado would've been a more subtle choice considering the chicken flavors. Next time, I'll put shallots where they belong: in a sauce with white wine, garlic and butter.

3 Day Weekend + Snowday Part II

It won't stop snowing! We've had quite the string of snow days here and it's made for several Redbox stops. This time we only went for two as we've had a painting job with all the added moving, stacking, etc. as well as shoveling and catching up on sleep. We always search the Redbox alphabetically and quickly decide what to watch with whatever catches our eye. This time we chose:

Source: Amazon.com

Despicable Me
We loved it! We weren't expecting the entire second half of the movie because for once the trailer didn't give it away (we are also faithful followers of Front Row and all the trailers it has to offer on a regular basis). It was funny, silly and filled with humor. We immediately thought of my nephew and how much he would love the flick! We laughed and laughed throughout the whole thing! Go rent/netflix it!

Source: Amazon.com

Knight and Day
Also a good choice. It was your typical Mission Impossible, Tom Cheesie movie but entertaining nonetheless. Neither one of us is a huge fan of TC or Cameron Diaz (CD) but still I always manage to like their movies. The explosions were a bit much for the degree of bad guy vs. good guy but CD's reactions, facial expressions and girly sillyness was appreciated. All in all, it was pretty good.


Most of these movies are a nice way to relax, laugh and enjoy some popcorn...not every movie is going to be Dark Knight.

What's Black, White and Red all over?

Source: personal library

We had (have) a bright red office. We're talking cherry, fire engine, get mad every time you walk in the room red. Two years ago - much like right now - I was dying for projects related to design (having recently graduated with a degree in Interior Design, this was completely natural). Choosing red, really dumb and unnatural. I was so ready to dive into a project with the sweet husband - newly married and an apartment to ourselves - I chose some pretty crazy colors for the house. I thought it would be a bold, exciting statement for our second bedroom/office. So wrong. We've been living with the room set-up and color because re-painting is a pain, I had to admit to the mistake in color choice in order to move on :p, aaaand extra costs. Also, the lack of time we had to organize our compiled papers, projects, music/musical instruments the room was a mess.
Not anymore! I need a place to work and as an organizational extremist I just couldn't ignore it anymore. 

Source: personal library

The current blazen color is beautiful but considering the lack of natural light and shape of the room it just made you feel closed in. Over the weekend we primed the walls with a heavy duty interior wall and trim white. It's heavier than a primer and quickly covered the crazy red. The samples I put on the wall were seamless and totally covered the previous coats. Now we have to decide which color(s) to go with! Stay tuned to find out what color we chose and the completed project! I'm also thinking of adding some painted details to various corners/wall sections...we'll see if I can hone the once art student in me?!

Keurig

Source: personal library

Yep. We did it. We caved and bought ourselves a Keurig (from this point on referred to as 'K' I think the spelling is weird). I was completely skeptical at first and entirely un-interested in putting another appliance in our kitchen. Oh yes, especially since we already have/had a one cup coffee maker, french press AND a very nice Cuisinart 12-cup, programmable coffee maker.
The husband has this thing with the search for the next great cup of coffee...we usually find it at our local Dunkin Donuts but not in our kitchen. We've tried everything: filtered water, unfiltered water, less grinds, more grinds, freshly ground grinds, bolder coffee, flavored coffee (huge mistake), more sugar, less sugar. Terrible. We stink at making coffee. We also found that if we did the same exact thing every morning sometimes we got a great cup of coffee and sometimes it tasted like gopher pee. It was becoming a regular thing to get up and drive to Dunkin (not me mind you) and get a cup of coffee. I was getting really tired of that (and our gift cards from Christmas ran out). So! On a Sunday afternoon we were browsing through our local 'get everything here' store and somehow the K found it's way into our cart. Voilà! Delicious cup of coffee for the past week. 
Today I am sampling some English Breakfast Tea...not so good. Extremely weak. I prefer my tea to sit a steep for a decent amount of time before consuming. Considering my upbringing and heritage this could only be my preference/problem. I've also had hot chocolate with the K and ick, mine is way better.  Considering it's many functions, coffee seems the best so far. Which brings me back to my slogan from the dairy-free blogging days: This is life on earth, you just can't have everything. 

3 day weekend + snowday

With the combined inability to return Netflix and no postal delivery on Monday we were forced to Redbox it instead of continue with our queue. Here are the some reviews on the movies we watched over the past 3 days. Usually I leave the movie/music reviews to my more qualified and in-tune best friend but I haven't watched this many movies in one weekend since high school. Here it goes:

source: Amazon.com

Salt
I absolutely loved it. Kinda Bourne, kinda Bond. Real action packed and even though you can get an idea for what is probably going to happen, you want to keep watching. All the little things that you don't see coming are great and the hand-to-hand fighting was intense. Not to mention nice to see a woman taking on that role and doing it well. I really liked it and plan to make it part of the DVD collection! 

source: Amazon.com

Eat Pray Love
Pretty good. Really loved the photography of the film and of course the locations. I didn't feel there was that much to the movie content wise as most of it felt like a lot of skipping around. On the bright side you could feel a total sense of a woman facing her issues and fears and I'm sure a lot of the movie was relatable. Sad to say I didn't read the book, is it worth it or better?

Source: Amazon.com

The Other Guys
Absolutely one of the worst movies of the weekend...and the last few years. Sweet husband and I were dumbfounded that we continued to watch after the first hour. We kept waiting for something to happen, nothing. The comedy was weak the action completely weak and all the funny points are in the trailer. Don't redbox, remove from your Netflix queue - it'll be on streaming soon enough if you really want a glimpse.

source: Amazon.com

Grownups
This movie was pretty good. Madison productions so all the same faces you expect to see with Adam Sandler. It was medium on comedy, low on drama and generally like a downgraded Click - learning what's really important - old friends and family, new friends, etc, blah-blah. It was good, some laughs but I had a hard time staying awake.

source: Amazon.com

Dinner for Schmucks
Hilarious. I usually find some of the humor associated with these movies corny - or only the husband laughs at - and tend not to laugh but the play between Carell and Rudd was priceless.  Nothing super hilarious just classic facial expressions and clearly actor inspired takes. It was a good laugh and thankfully it was the last one watched after The Other Guys and Grownups. 


So, enjoy the rest of your snowday (if you got one), update your Netflix queue or make a redbox run. Mail was resumed today so we're all set!

Linguine!!

Source: mariobatali.com

So, I was wandering through my bookmarked blogs and re-found Cupcakes and Cashmere on the day she posted Mario Batali's Bologonese sauce...mmmm. I have been avoiding trying to make this dish because my Uncle Mattar used to have a killer tortellini bolognese on his menu when Frank was the chef - I mean absolutely scrumptious, long before he became Mattar's bistro. Side trip: I've been eating at Mattar's since he opened so Tortellini Bolognese probably runs through my veins, along with his out of this world Calamari (I believe I drew him a picture when I was just a kid that said, "Best Calamari in the Universe." Pretty sure it was his first award. So, first real point is that I've been avoiding trying to make it because how can you beat the best? My sweet husband has been requesting Spaghetti Bolognese for quite some time and I finally decided that MB was probably a good source. Second side trip: Never trust a skinny cook. 
It was absolutely delicious. Quite a lot of work in the chopping and dicing category but after an hour of simmering in my saute pan the house smelled like Frank's kitchen = heaven. He had promised to show me how to make his coveted Bolognese sauce and decadent Key Lime Pie but the opportunity never arose. When he opened his own restaurant (he has since retired to the upper confines of some mountain) I would regularly make a trip to the kitchen to say hello and get a glimpse at the inner workings of a gourmet kitchen.  Imagine my excitement when Ratatouille hit the theaters...
So the linguine (apparently this was a compromise between tortellini and spaghetti) and bolognese sauce was a hit and probably the best thing I have ever made. Pair it with a nice red wine and sweet peas as a vegetable and you have yourself a wonderful, filling and delicious meal!

Snowflakes

Snowflakes.Ice.Snow.Winter. I really do love this time of year!

Pasta Carbonara

I've never had Pasta Carbonara before so we made it for dinner! Well that and we've been watching way too much Man v. Food and saw the simple dish made on one of his stops.

Considering his massive portions and food challenges you'd think it would be the worst thing to watch while trying to trim the waist line but actually if you watch it after dinner for an evening wind-down, it's tolerable. If I have to even make this point: don't watch in the middle of the day when you haven't made any plans for lunch and/or dinner because you will end up marching down to your local hole in the wall for something in the hamburger family.

Either way, this dish is extremely easy to make and you can actually lower the content of fat and cholesterol by using less bacon and egg yolks. The recipe I used called for 6 strips of bacon and 4 egg yolks for an entire pound of pasta. *Good tip here: Save the egg whites for an omlet the next morning, you'll feel a lot better about your choice over a whole egg breakfast sandwich* We had angel hair pasta with about 3/4 of the box left so in turn I only made 4 strips of bacon and used 3 egg yolks - oh and went super light on the bacon drippings when tossing the pasta - yea. It was like a refined breakfast at my favorite Italian restaurant.


Let's make something clear, my portion was enough to taste what I've been missing and I made a decent salad to pair with baby arugula - the best - splash of peanuts, tomatoes, carrots, craisins and balsamic vinegar dressing. So either way, this dish isn't exactly heart healthy but it was yet again fun to try something new and put my Real Simple binders to good use.


Oh and please use fresh parsley, you won't regret it.

Preview all songs

I am having the hardest time deciding what to buy with my iTunes gift card! I have over 25 albums in my wish list that at various moments - usually the ones where I want to buy clothes online...  - I buy and have a new album or two before I am thirsty for a new one.

I still remember pacing up and down stores like Sam Goody and well, nope only remember Sam Goody at the moment, picking up a CD case (if I say cassette tape would you know what I was talking about?) looking at the cover, the back and all the names of the songs and deciding with how much of my chore money was I going to spend on music by Britney, DMB, Third Eye Blind and/or Sublime. Such an array of artists but that was the best part of my decade, a lot of music to choose from and a quick separation from big haired rock bands of my previous decade.

Either way, I have several over-due items to buy and find that I barely know any of the artists on the top charts - except when Britney or Eminem peak their head back into the biz. And well, I think that phase was outgrown around the same time I went blonde for a while.

I've got the iPod connected and ready, gift card entered and now I just have to decide if I want a soundtrack or John Mayer's 2009 album...

Best. Workout. Ever.

Seriously, second post of the day because I managed to have the best workout ever:

First: Pre-Surf Session from Yoga for Surfers I (Peggy Hall)

[I've been doing this with the sweet husband because I found that the first time I did the below work-out (this year) I was actually out of breath half-way thru, I mean like wheezing out of breath. Super, super awful thing to realize just how out of shape you are - hence the tiny, little letters. Peggy Hall really lays out the breathing, core strength info and the right way to stretch your muscles (back, legs & arms). It has been an excellent asset to my routine.] 

THEN: Boot Camp Level 1 and Cool-Down from The Biggest Loser: The Workout (Boot Camp: 6-Week Program for Maximum Weight Loss - Bob Harper)

THEN: Post-Surf Session from Yoga for Surfers I (Peggy Hall again).

It was lovely. I had a yogurt before the workout (before walking the dog) then 3/4 of an orange and a tea cup size of plain corn flakes and milk. I'm telling you, couldn't be a better start to my day...I mean it's 1pm and all but I was up late playing Angry Birds (for the first time) and chatting it up with my best friend. Small steps here. Tomorrow I'll try to work-out before 9am...good plan? Hey I'm off the couch and out of my sweatpants. It's a good day.

The secret of sweatpants.

Don't stay in them all day. No matter what. I find that if I get up when the alarm goes off and attempt to put together an outfit - even if I don't have to go somewhere - I am more likely to be productive. Now, there could always just be somewhere you have to go everyday but if you're not getting paid, why would you?

Today was a lot more productive, even though I didn't put on make-up *mascara doesn't count, that's my lifeline* I still felt ready to go.

Sewing projects have been completed - some repairs and upgrades that have been sitting around for a while. It only reminded me how badly I need to tackle the office tomorrow. So! Out the label maker comes and probably a trip to Staples that I can't afford - who can? Between ink prices and general labels who has the money to stay organized, and it's my favorite thing!

Not my favorite thing: working out. I wouldn't call it a New Years Resolution because as I believe I've said before, I don't make them. I think the New Year is a better time to look forward at the big picture - without any predictions or champagne induced goals.
For instance, I made a New Years List this year chocked full with little and big projects that I want to complete (most of which I of course think will be completed by St. Patrick's Day) and it ranges from unfinished scrap booking all the way to - wait let me look - re-painting the office and living room.

So, working out. Off to it I suppose. At least tomorrow it's Yoga, half of that is lying down on a squishy mat, right?

Spicy Coconut Noodles

This was an absolute hit. One, As a throwback to my dairy-free blogging days and two, a move forward to another ethnic food group. We have been cooking Korean and Thai for a few months now and with all the expensive ingredients readily available in our own fridge we are cooking machines.

This recipe is once again from Real Simple and I found it while looking for something new in my Real Simple binders - more on that at another time, I'm not sure we know each other well enough yet.

Follow the directions but be sure to get Rice Noodles (usually in stick form) and cook them according to the package directions for "Stir-fry." Don't just toss the noodles with the sauce but continue to cook for about 4-6 minutes longer with the toasted coconut (covered) then toss with basil, scallions and bean sprouts.  Keep an eye on it as you don't want the sauce and noodles to burn. You'll notice that the noodles will begin to soften and flex when ready. It's a nice lite meal without any meat and also gluten free if you buy the right rice noodles! Next time we plan to add some chopped peanuts to add a little something extra. The texture is just wonderful and the spice is latent so no worries about the chili pepper and paste, it's not enough to make a difference.

We added it to our favorite recipes and plan to enjoy it for lunch tomorrow as well. Making another project: Try [more] new recipes adjust grocery list to suit and cook fearlessly!

Well...

...as my mother would say, "It's a deep hole."  I can't think of a better time to start writing [in/for/on] my blog again. It is the start of a new year and instead of boring you with New Years Resolutions - which I don't make - we can rather get down to the issues surrounding my current projects:

T-shirt quilt(s) - I have no idea how to make a quilt, so this is probably going to be more known as the Blanket Project(s). I have made several memory blankets but none that required actual measuring, stitching and all things pins & needles. I'm a creative sort but with slight OCD tendencies to make things square...we'll see how it goes. Today I sorted all the T-shirts, cut a few logos out (with plenty of room for hems) and plan to attack this sometime after I get an instructional book and/or pattern. I really like that particular site because it uses the shape of your logos/t-shirts rather than forcing your shirts to fit a 12x12 square.

Serious amounts of scrap booking - Sometimes it just doesn't make sense to continue with the act of spending more time putting pub coasters and concert tickets next to photos than actually taking them. So, instead I am going to wrap up the scrap booking [SB] left from college & my wedding & honeymoon and let iPhoto take car of everything else. Although, I did start a book for Las Vegas and will probably continue to SB for large vacations with plenty of SB loot ready for the taking from the local hotels, restaurants and general touristy spots. Here's a scary thought: I hope I spend more time taking in my vacations than looking for things to remember them by...

These are really just projects to continue while I look for that dream job, re-paint our apartment, organize grad school applications [just organize for now], do the laundry and practice my dusty instruments (voice included). How often will I work on the above instead of the pressing? Depends on how many cups of coffee and Bob Harper I kick back before 7am.