Every Christmas my Mom has a classic emotional moment in which see says “girls, I think this is the best Christmas tree we have ever had” and my sister and I immediately start mocking her about the numerous years she has said it. This Thanksgiving we had a first – after a couple glasses of [...]
Entries from November 2009
November 23, 2009
Off Mendenhall – New Bern, NC
This weekend, my best friend from college had a dinner party and served my roast chicken or “Chicken Pants” recipe from July 23rd. From the sound of her email and the looks of her photos it turned out to be a hit. While I was coaching her through a couple steps on Saturday afternoon we remembered that [...]
November 17, 2009
Chipping in
A couple days ago I got a message from Triad Health Project’s Executive Director asking if board members could bring a bag of non perishable food to the meeting tonight. Sadly, I can’t make tonight’s board meeting because of a work committment so I decided I would try to make up for it in canned food. [...]
November 16, 2009
Cleaning Up and Breathing In
I’m not quite sure what exact moment I said it out loud - maybe around the time of flying beef rib bones (I’ll skip the story) or the gagging moment of taking the trash out with the dead squirrel Winston brough home for supper or when I melted two Tupperware containers in the oven and filled the house [...]
November 13, 2009
Tommy’s Breakfast Burritos
Tommy made these Breakfast Burritos when I was in Chicago several months ago. They were the perfect meal for the morning after a wild night out. I got a kick out of Michael eating eggs too – since prior to Tommy he would have preferred eating bacon and potatoes only. I asked Tommy to walk [...]
November 12, 2009
Grapefruit and Avocado Salad
I think Grapefruit and Avocado Salads are a perfect complement to a Cuban fiesta. Now a days, you can find both grapefruit and avocados in the grocery store anytime. So, enjoy this salad year-round – although it is probably best in the winter. I tend to eat this salad in December and January when my mom’s grapefruit [...]
November 11, 2009
Cuban Pork Roast
This recipe could not be more easy, unique and satisfying! I grew up eating this frequently and always looking forward to making Cuban sandwiches with the leftover pork (pork, ham, swiss cheese, pickles on cuban bread = best sandwich ever). This is perfect for a dinner party – people leave satisfied and emailing for the recipe [...]
November 10, 2009
Black Beans and Rice
My recipe for Cuban Black Beans is adapted from Clarita’s Cocina. One pound of dried black beans turns into way too much for one dinner party so I advise purchasing tubs to freeze about half for your next party. I love doing this because this meal is often requested but requires some prep time. If [...]
November 9, 2009
Michael & Tommy’s Visit to North Carolina
A couple weeks ago I was lucky enough to have my friends Michael and Tommy in town from Chicago. Michael and I have known each other since we were 8 years old on the Florida Aquatics swimteam (Michael went on to being the top in the state and I quit and joined the band – so very [...]
November 7, 2009
Off Mendenhall – Poppers Party in Chicago
I’m happy to hear that both friends in Greensboro and Chicago made my jalapeno poppers (from this past Thursday’s post) last night! Michael and Tommy sent me pictures this morning from their Poppers Party. They also sent me a great tip that Tommy learned on Top Chef. They soaked their cut jalapenos in ice water [...]
