Wednesday Recipe: Bajadere

Around Christmas time I found a couple Croatian cookbooks online and ordered them. Andre and I have been married for almost 9 years, and I've never cooked anything from his native country so figured it would be a nice gesture to have a couple cookbooks with recipes he grew up with translated into English.

While looking through the book, he came across a recipe for Bajadere (a.k.a. Chocolate Walnut Bars) and asked me if I'd try to make this sometime. Looking at the recipe, I thought it looked difficult and didn't really want to risk it. But, this weekend we had a baptism at church and everyone was supposed to bring a Croatian dish, so I decided it was time to attempt it. Surprisingly, it was fairly easy to make. The transcription from "The Best of Croatian Cooking, Expanded Edition" follows:

This is a very easy and economical recipe to make. It is served in small thin slices, as it is very rich! The alternating layers make this recipe look more difficult than it is. A great addition to your holiday treats selection! Once you make these you will definitely do so again! The name actually comes from that of a famous layered chocolate treat produced by Croatia's top chocolate company.

Not exactly the "small thin bars" the recipe says to cut it

 in, but you get the general idea.

Makes approx. 4 dozen

Ingredients
2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/4  cup (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, creamed
3 cups ground tea biscuits
3 cups ground walnuts
3 squares (3 ounces) semisweet chocolate, grated
1 teaspoon rum extract (optional)

Glaze
3 tbsp milk
2 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tbsp butter
6 squares (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate
chopped walnuts (optional)

In a medium-sized pot, bring 1 cup of water to a boil and add sugar, simmering until thickened slightly. Then add the butter, tea biscuits, and ground walnuts. Mix all ingredients well, until dough forms. Remove from heat and divide into 2 equal halves. Knead the grated chocolate and rum extract into one of the halves of dough.

Press the chocolate dough into a greased 11x13" baking dish. Sprinkle some water on your hands to keep the dough from sticking to them. Spread the lighter batter on top of the chocolate, press eveningly covering chocolate.

GLAZE: in a small saucepan on the stovetop heat the milk, sugar and butter. When the butter has melted add the chocolate squares. When the glaze is smooth, pour over top of the dough in the baking dish. Sprinkle finely chopped walnuts over top. Refigerate for at least 2 hours. cut into small thin bars.

The recipe was surprisingly  easier than I thought it was going to be, but it did take a little while to put together. Like it says, it is very rich. However, it is not very sweet. It is definitely something we will make again, but not something I'd necessarily want to have all the time. For these reasons I'm giving it a rating of B. Hope you enjoy!

Our Amazing Italian Feast

This weekend was a culinary treat! Saturday four of us got together for our dinner & a movie date that we have every couple of months. Last time it was Julie & Julia, and of course we made dinner with recipes from Julia Child's The Art of French Coooking.

This time around we watched Under the Tuscan Sun, and the recipes were from Giada de Laurentiis. The meal was fabulous. And, in true Italian form we took our time with it. Enjoying each other's company, laughing and drinking lots of good wine.

Our first course was a simple cheese and crackers plate with a side of grapes. We had three different cheeses (forgive me I don't know what type) accompanied by sesame crackers and grapes. Of course we had this with Presecco (an Italian sparkling white).

This was followed by appetizers. Apps were my department. I am used to desserts or main courses, so having to choose anything else is often mind-boggling to me. And let's not forget that I've been on a "I don't want to make any decisions" kick lately, I was really afraid I'd let the girls down with my apps.

For apps I served Goat Cheese Toasts and Watermelon, Tomato, Basil Skewers. Both these recipes were easy to make. The toasts were baugette bread lightly toasted in extra virgin olive oil, then spread with a mixture of goat cheese and herbs, topped with chopped kalamata olives and chives. YUM! My other app, I was a little leary about. Who ever heard of pairing watermelon and tomato? Much less putting balsalmic vinegar on it? I am not a huge fan of tomatoes by themselves, an only eat them in small doses. But let me just say - OMG! Giada is a freakin' genious. This was a light appetizer which was refreshing on the palate. The contrast of textures, the smoothness of the watermelon paired with the acidity of the tomato and crispness of the basil - very good. Top that with the reduction of equal parts balsalmic vinegar and sugar, it was just so refreshing and left you ready for the rest of the meal. Definitely something to make for spring/summer time get togethers.

Our next course was salad. Colin prepared an Artichoke and Tomato Panzanella, in which she grilled artichokes and mixed them with toasted  bread, olives and tomatoes,along with a few herbs. So tastey! Especially as I'd never had grilled artichokes before. We all agreed that grilling them adds a bit of sweetness to their flavor. This is one salad I'd prepare again, and even enjoy just as a light meal by itself.

   Our next course was soup. Again, this was Colin's department (bless her heart, one of our members cancelled so Colin picked up and took over 2 courses. She's originally just planned on soup but provided us two great courses to our meal)! She chose a Ribollita. What she describes as "A simple tuscan style soup". It is very similar to what we are used to as minestrone. But has spinach mixed in and is served over toasted ciabatta bread. This soup was so good I had to restrain myself from having seconds (or from licking the bowl). It could also stand by itself as a light meal.

Now for the main course! Kirsten stunned us with a twist on Chicken Marsala. Now, I have to admit when I heard we were having chicken marsala, I was like "Really? Great." It's not one of my favorite Italian dishes. I guess my days waiting tables at Olive Garden in college kind of turned me off from it. I served it so many times that I got to where just the smell of it kind of churned my stomach. However, this recipe had an interesting twist, Chicken with Mustard Mascarpone Marsala Sauce has a nice creamy sauce unlike any Marsala I've had before. The cremini mushrooms give it a nice earthy taste against the sauce, which is sweetened up a bit by the addition of mascarpone.

And finally, what meal isn't completed by a wonderful dessert? Caroline wowed us with Pears Poached in Red Wine. Anyone who knows me, knows that I have an undying sweet tooth. But of late I've traded in my love affair with chocolate for a love affair with fruit. Pears Poached in Red Wine, satisfied this affair immensely. First the pears were cooked in the wine with cinnamon sticks and lemon slices, then the extra ingredients were removed and the wine was reduced to a thick syrup. Marscarpone was mixed with heavy cream to creat a dollop of creamy sinfulness to accompany the pears. I was in heaven. I truly think this was one of the best desserts I've had EVER. And, that's saying a lot.

Finally, in true Italian form a "Digestivi Liquore" was served as at the end of the meal. Colin's homemade Lemoncello was excellent. I've had many variations of Lemoncello ranging from smooth and creamy to so stout it would grow hair on your chest. Her's was a smooth mixture, light and crisp on the palate. A perfect end to an amazing meal!

*note I have recipes to all the courses listed above. If you are interested in trying these for yourself feel free to let me know and I'll gladly send them your way*

Weird Weather

Sorry for the absence. It's been a weird week. Two days this week were spent at J's bookfair. And, well, the rest of the week I was basically just too absent minded to sit down and blog. Of course the fact that I've got "blogger's block" isn't really helping any, either.  Nothing happening here seems too terribly interesting to blog about these days.

I say that as I look over my monitor window into the back yard and wonder about this climate, yesterday was tornadic today it is a rain/snow mix. Who ever heard of a tornado followed by snow? I thought we had weird weather in Arkansas. I'm starting to think it's weirder in Colorado, just not as "severe". I hope my second observation stays true. Everyone knows I hate HATE severe weather. It gives me panic attacks, and since I'm not on such a close acquaintance with my doctor here as I was with my former doc back home, the use of Xanax anytime a tornado siren goes off is now an impossibility.

Yesterday was an interesting day. Started out slow and boring enough. I was at the bookfair, and we were relatively quiet. So planning for next year was underway (apparently I'll be chairing it next year, we *think*). A little after lunch we were completely dead and I was considering leaving early if it didn't pick up (we had 4 other volunteers there, so I wasn't shirking my duties. Plus I'd been there since 8 a.m.). That's when the sirens went off.

So, off to a little "closet" to the side of the library we go. Us and a classroom of kids. Now when I say closet, it was more of a storage unit. An actual room, just very small. Not like a coat or broom closet. There we huddled for about an hour while hail loudly pelted down on the roof. No, we didn't actually have a tornado here, just a strong possibility of one, and a funnel was observed south of us. We did get hail. On the side of town by H's school I heard one lady say it was enough hail that they got the plows out and plowed Chick-Fil-A's parking lot so traffic could go through. And apparently her neighbor's car windshield was broken by it? I don't know, it wasn't that bad by me - but that's what she was saying?

It was enough that flashbacks came. I remembered that day in January a few years back when I huddled with a group of friends in  their dorm at HU. Luckily this time, while huddled in my son's library closet, the lights didn't go out and sprinklers didn't come on. I really think e HU storm experience is what has made me prone to the panic attacks of late. Once everything was over, normalicy resumed. The bookfair continued. And, turned out to be a hectic/busy/profitable day. Maybe we need storms more often? The parents had to come inside the school to pick them up instead of just going through carpool line and the little stinkers got them to buy books while they were inside.

Update: Curse of the phones

Customer service is sending me a new, new phone. ha ha. We'll see... they are also giving me a small credit on my bill for my inconvienence, so I won't complain. At least not until the new, new phone doesn't work.  ;)

The Curse of the Phones

It's safe to say, I'm fairly addicted to my blackberry. I use it for everything, so when it began acting up about a month ago I wasn't terribly thrilled.

It started innocently enough. The roller ball in the center just quit working one day. There are other ways to navigate around without the roller ball, so I made due. Then, one day the thing worked again. I didn't question it. I was just thrilled to  not have to navigate the long way.

However, now my camera doesn't work. Anytime I open the camera application it kills my phone. Literally, I have to power it down and take the battery out for a while before it functions again. And it doesn't hold it's charge like it should. Very aggravating.

So, I went to my retail store. They were very nice, said they'd replace it through my warranty. I'd have a new one within a couple days as they have to ship it from the warranty department. Fine. I wasn't thrilled to have to wait, but understand they have their processes. They did say I could go to the warranty department and pick it up if I didn't want to wait - but it's in a part of town I'm not familiar with and didn't care to become familiar with.

So, new phone and battery arrive this week. Great, I think. I charge everything up and get ready to transfer my info. Nope. Won't work. New phone doesn't have anything on it to allow me to set up email. Weird. I go to the retail store again. Guy is confused. His manager is confused. Three people look at it, they are all confused. Said they've never seen anything like it before. Ask me if I have my old phone with me. Of course, I don't. They then explain that I can try do to a transfer through the computer by hooking both phones up to it and that should work. So that's the plan for today - once I find my box of blackberry accessories (the computer cord is something I haven't used since we moved here).

It should be noted that we have, but do not use, a landline phone. The only reason we have it is for the alarm system on the house. I don't even know the phone number without looking it up in my blackberry. So, since we use our cells almost exclusively for everything from talking to internet to gps we typically have a fairly large bill each month. In fact the sales rep informed me we were considered a high value client, and that I could probably use that knowledge as leverage if the warranty department became difficult to work with. I find this tidbit interesting. So far no complaints about their customer service, but we'll see...  here's hoping today's fix works and "Evil Beth" will not have to make an appearance and demand a new phone or take business elsewhere. Yes, I'm petty like that.

Phase 2: Bathrooms

Phase 2 of our home renovation has begun. Do you have any idea how difficult it is for a family of 4 (not counting the baby because he isn't mobile yet) to use one bathroom? It's no walk in the park, that's for sure!

This weekend started off with a quick trip to Lowe's & Home Depot. The floor we are putting in the master bath had to be ordered, so that's taken care of and will arrive sometime in the next two weeks. But the floors we're using for the other two baths were in stock. Purchased that, and all the things that we thought we'd need (of course not everything, as I've made probably 3-4 trips back since) and headed home to get started.

I wish I would have taken before shots so you'd know just how tacky the bathrooms were. Awful white carpet is throughout my house. Err, let me rephrase that... Awful carpet that should be white is throughout my house, including the bathrooms. We bought this house as a short sale. The 300 people who lived together as renters prior to their landlord going broke reaked havoc on the floors. The flooring everywhere is getting refurbished, but in baby steps. This phase is just the bathrooms.

We are currently in the "the tile has been laid, but not grouted" stage. Hopefully the grout will go in this afternoon and the bathroom accessories can go back in very soon. Right now it's somewhat like going to the DMV - take a number, you'll get service when your number is up.

I know, the settlers two hundred years ago didn't have bathrooms, and had to share an outhouse. But, I'm not a settler two hundred years ago. I do not share bathrooms well. Especially not with angsty teenagers who wake up before I do and are loud and obnoxious when getting ready for school.

Tune in for pictures, at some point everything will be back together and I'll share "after" pics, even though you can't have "before" pics.

Diplomatic Immunity

Yesterday, I posted on Facebook about the idiot low level diplomat who was detained and questioned after joking about igniting his shoes on a flight from DC to Denver. You can read the latest on his story here.

As more and more details emerge, I get angrier. At first I thought he was just an idiot. Then I wondered if maybe there was a language problem, he got flustered and said/did the wrong thing (even though diplomats typically are well trained in the language/customs of the country they are visiting). Afterall, it's my understanding that some foreign airlines allow smoking on their flights, so maybe the guy thought it was ok to light his pipe in the bathroom. When questioned he motioned to his shoes like he was lighting a match. So maybe he was just trying to explain, right?

Then, I read the above article and realized that this guy was on his way to speak to a Qatari national who is sitting in prison here for plotting terrorist schemes. hmm.... he obviously knows the punishment for such behavior.

Diplomatic immunity or no, this type of thing should not be allowed. Yes, it's great and wonderful that he's being sent home and shouldn't be returning to the USA, but some things just shouldn't be joked about.

On my FB page yesterday I was asked if I'd feel the same way if it was an American diplomat who made the mistake overseas. And, quite frankly, yes - I would. When you are on someone else's turf you should respect their rules/regulations/laws. If you don't you should suffer the consequences to the fullest extent of the law. Sure, everyone makes mistakes but can you honestly tell me that in this day and age someone would think it's ok to get on a plane and joke about lighting anything on fire.

I remember in 1994, there was an American kid in Singapore who screwed up. He spray painted and threw eggs at 18 cars. The punishment by law in that area was to get lashed with a rattan cane (here's his story). Sure there was outrage, but hey, the kid lived in Singapore for several years before committing his crime. He knew they weren't going to say "no biggie" and let him get away with it, yet he broke the law. And then he suffered the consequences.

I think the same should have been dealt to this guy on the plane. At the very least someone (other than my tax dollars) should have to pay the U.S. Government for the expense of scrambling a few F-16's to escort his flight into DIA.

Let's face it, some things can be overlooked; but when someone makes a joke as serious as that they are putting not only themselves, but the other 150 or so people on the plane at risk. If the marshalls had thought he was serious, what do you think those fighter pilots would have done? They aren't there for show, they are there to shoot before thousands of people on the ground are harmed, you know  the sacrafice a few to save many concept is what they are trained to do.

I saw one of the passengers on the Today Show yesterday and he thought the situation was handled well on the plane that night. Nobody was alarmed, in fact, only a few people who happened to be seated near the marshalls knew what was going on. I wonder if he still feels the same. Sure, it sounds like everyone did their job that night, but what in the days since? What do you think would have happened to this schmuck if he were you or me? Would we get to go home and not pay a penalty? Why should he? I think these circumstances definitely have warranted a look at our "diplomatic immunity" policies.

Wednesday Recipe: Red, White & Blue Potatoes

Last week, I complained that I had no clue what I was going to cook for Easter dinner. I asked for suggestions, much to my surprise nobody gave me any. So, I was left to my own devices on putting together a menu. Whilst browsing through Foodnetwork.com I stumbled upon "Red, White & Blue Potatoes", sure it's probably more of a 4th of July theme but I made it for Easter - go figure.

I'm not a huge fan of blue cheese, so I was a little afraid to try this. But after much deliberation, I decided it couldn't be too bad, and took the chance. I was pleasantly surprised. The use of heavy cream instead of the usual milk I've always used gave the potatoes a nicer texture. Also, gorgonzola isn't as tangy as the typical blue cheese I'm accustomed to. The recipe turned out to be enough for leftovers, which my kids actually ate without complaining for 2 days following Easter. I'm taking that as a pretty good sign, too. While, it's not anything I'd want on a regular basis, I liked it well enough to give it a B+, and will probably make it again in the future.

The recipe is as follows:

Ingredients

2 pounds red new potatoes, quartered
2 cloves garlic, smashed
5 to 6 strips bacon
1/4 pound Gorgonzola cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup heavy cream, room temperature
1 tablespoon butter, room temperature
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Add potatoes and garlic to a medium pot and fill with enough cold water to cover the potatoes by an inch. Season with salt and bring water to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until potatoes are soft, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, fry bacon in a skillet until crisp. Set aside on a paper towel to drain. Roughly chop and reserve.

Drain potatoes and garlic and place them back in the pot with the cheese, heavy cream, butter and chopped bacon. Roughly mash, adding more cream if needed. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Hope you enjoy it. I know we did!

Finally Read "The Help"

After hearing everyone rave about "The Help" - and being on a waiting list at the library for it for several weeks and never moving higher than # 315 on the list - I bought myself a copy at Sam's last week.

You would not think this was a debut novel by Kathryn Stockett. It's tone and flow are wonderfully written. She easily transports the reader to the early/mid-1960's. As you read you can smell the food cooking, easily visualize the characters, and feel the emotions they encounter throughout.

This was an emotional book. I found myself happy, anxious, sick-to-my stomach, and joyous as the main characters narrated their way through their journey.

I had originally bought the book thinking it was about a bunch of Junior League ladies taking credit for all the hard work and good deeds that the League did in their town, when in fact it was done by their maids. The book is much more, it's very telling of what it was like to live in a very racially segregated town in the south during the civil rights movement. While fictional, the book references many actual events that happened in Mississippi during that timeframe.

It follows three amazing women (two african-american, one white) as they begin to work together to write a book. Their book highlights the relationships (both good and bad) between maids and their employers.

I definitely think it's a must read, not only for the entertainment value but for the perspective it gives. I don't know if it will be made into a movie or not, but I'm hoping it does. I would love to see these characters come to life.

Evil Beth Strikes Again

I am writing this late, and whilst very angry, so I am sure there will be typos. I apologize in advance. :)

My daughter has been asking harassing me for a while now to allow her to get a second hole pierced in her earlobes. She is 14, almost 15, I don't see much harm in it. Most people in her age group (and mine, too for that matter) have two holes in their ears. So, tonight after we finished Easter shopping she starts in on me. We are still on mall  property, so I tell her if the store is still open we will get it done. We walk in 15 minutes before they close and they say no problem they will do it.

It's easy enough. She picks out what she wants put in (thankfully just a simple CZ stud on a white gold post, not some of the ridiculous things they have to choose from). The girl marks her ears and the piercing begins.

Now, let me say this: they go through a whole big schitck about keeping them clean. How they are just so particular about everything being sterile. They have to sterilize their hands in front of me, lay everything out, put gloves on, sterilize all the tools, take out clean studs, etc. All this is shown to us... I have a gazillion places to sign saying everything is sterile, yada yada yada.

The first hole goes great. Then it's time for the second. I admit, I'm squeemish. Anyone who knows me well, knows I get sick easily when it comes to anything related to bodily functions that are not my own. So the thought of watching a stud being punched through my 14 year-old's earlobe was not something I wanted to see. I watched the first one go smoothly, then I started wandering down the aisle looking at some of the jewelry they had.

That's when I hear it... CLICK of the gun... groan of the assistant manager (who was doing the "procedure")... "That's not good," she says. WHAT?! I come back up the aisle very quickly (I'm only about 3 feet away, so I can still see what's going on - I'm just trying not to front and center watching).

Dear Daughter is doing fine, the stud is in her ear, but the back of the stud lays on the floor by the assistant manager's feet. I pick it up. I put it on the counter. I wait to see her next move.

This is where I should probably say that just a couple minutes prior she had marked dear daughter's ears to show me where the studs would be inserted. I touch her lobes to see if they look even. Now, my hands are clean. I'd just washed them. However, I was scolded because nothing "unsanitary" can touch the lobe prior to the piercing. Her ears had to be "re-sanitized" and re-marked.

Back to the earring back picked up from the floor. The girl doing the piercing calls the manager over... "that fell on the floor, what do I do?" Manager: "clean it and put it on her ear."

WHAT????!!!! Enter a person I like to refer to as "Evil Beth." Evil Beth hasn't made an appearance in a while. She's been somewhat tamed over the years. However, she still can pack a pretty nasty growl when necessary. And the thought of that dirty earring back going on my daughter's ear was enough to awaken Evil Beth from hibernation.

I am standing there staring at store manager. In something we'll call a restrained growl a very authoritative voice (it should be noted that I am probably at least a couple years older than the store manager, and the assistant manager can't be more than 20/21 herself) I tell her that in no way is that thing going on my daughter's ear.

"Well, there's nothing we can do. She has to use it, otherwise we have to categorize it as damaged merchandise, then damage another set to get a new one out," the manager informs me. This sets Evil Beth into a rage. I see red. The manager is now a big, glowing bullseye waiting for my daggers to pummel her in the heart.

Again, very restrained, I tell her in no uncertain terms is that thing going on my daughter's ear. I tell her that I will take that waiver I just signed and rip it to pieces, I will take my one ear-pierced daughter out of the store and somewhere else before I let that thing touch her. I ask why there's such an emphasis on sterilization when they are going to put something that just came up from the ground on her head. I ask if they even know what's been on the floor? I mean people are walking out in the street, stepping on cigarette butts, walking in public bathrooms/urinals, etc. and then walking into their store. I myself have on a pair of tennis shoes that have walked countless miles around the neighborhood not just in nice weather but in awful, grimy blackened snow. Sure they look brand new, but Lord knows what's touched the soles of these shoes, I was in a public restroom less than 20 minutes prior (and a department store dressing room with a dried booger on the wall *gag* so no telling what was on the floor, but that's another story all together) and I walked across that very same spot where the earring back lay. No way in hell is that thing going on her ear. Take my business or leave it. I do not care. But if you want me to pay, you'd better put a brand new stud and brand new back into that gun and repierce her ear.

You know what they did? They did exactly what I told them. They apologized profusely, took out another (sterile) stud and repierced the ear (come to find out it didn't go all the way through the ear the first time because the gun jammed, if the idiots girls had been paying attention instead of harassing me, they'd have realized this and the argument would not have occurred).

So, in the end, Evil Beth went back into hibernation. The store gave in and did what she told them to do. My daughter has vowed to tell her friends to go somewhere else, or take a stern bodyguard with them, when they go get their ears pierced. I asked her if I embarassed her. And, for once she said, "No. I'm glad you were there. I probably would't have spoken up and my ear probably would end up rotting off."

I'm gonna have to teach that girl to stick up for herself. She's a sassy thing to me, gotta teach her to give it to people who deserve it.