It's Official............

....and my re-entry back to the blogging world deserves some sort of celebratory dinner - don't you think?!  

          *Grilled Tuscan-Style Veal Chops
            Basmati Rice Medley
          Steamed Broccoli Florets
And of course, a lovely glass of Italian Red!

 

(*With thanks to my sister for the inspiration to revisit this fabulous recipe)

It does feel great to be back!

Back to Blogging!

I'm back....with thanks to my lovely niece in North Carolina who sent me an email recently notifying me that she is now an official follower of my blog.  She also sent along the link to her beautiful blog! I so enjoyed reading her entries and catching up on all of the daily news that family tend to miss out on when they are are separated by distance. I discovered that it has been nearly eight months (!!!!)  since my last entry! It made me realize how much I have missed writing.
So Miss Jessa....with thanks to you my dear, additional entries shall follow.  Stay tuned....

St. Valentine's Day...Part Two!

St. Valentine’s Day….February 14…..it holds a special place for people who are in relationships. It is the ultimate holiday for lovers – your devotion and intentions are clearly articulated either through food, gifts or other expressions of raw emotion.

Eddie and I have spent 32 Valentine’s Day together…..last night was no exception. We had celebrated over the weekend with Deb and Don with a lovely trip to Stowe to tour our future home – the HGTV Dream Home! We also had a lovely, romantic dinner at Toscano’s in Richmond. However, I just felt like I needed to create a very special dinner for my husband on this ultimate day of LOVE. The foodie in me, once again, prevails.

When Ed arrived home from work, he was greeted by a lovely candle lit table…all set for the very first course. A lovely green salad filled with mushrooms, and red peppers, and carrots, and the most luscious tomatoes that I could find, given the fact that it is the middle of February and we do live in Vermont! ;-( The maple balsamic vinaigrette was the icing on the salad….so to speak! The wine was a lovely pinot noir for Ed and I enjoyed a crisp pour of pinot grigio.



And then the main course…..Scallops Provencal…..fresh sea scallops seared and sautéed in a sauce of shallots, garlic, butter, parsley, and white wine. Served with herb basmati rice, roasted sweet potatoes, and slices of perfectly grilled NY Strip Steak. A surf and turf kind of Valentine’s meal.



And then the dessert course….. luscious bites of Lake Champlain strawberries coated in decadent chocolate and a lovely BITE of chocolate éclair with a dollop of Ben and Jerry’s chocolate fudge brownie ice cream!




Heaven on earth….pure sugar nirvana. It was clearly worth every hour that all of that chocolate kept me up and about last night! On the upside, I must say that I used the sleepless hours well….I was very productive.

It was a lovely Valentine’s Day with my sweetie……Happy Valentine’s Day Eddie….I look forward to 32 more! 3!!!!!!

The ULTIMATE St. Valentine's Day Surprise!

When I arrived home from work today, after a long day of subbing at my school, a crowded trip to the grocery store, and unloading a ton of fixings for a dinner that I was about to prepare for Ed on St. Valentine’s Day, - I walked into my kitchen to THIS! (Warning....I'm about to happily and so proudly, take a mom's liberty here with this post and completely and utterly brag on my son, my first born, my only....)



My kitchen smelled so heavenly and so welcoming….similar to the wafting and welcoming smells of a florist in the middle of winter! There is just something magical about smelling fresh flowers in the middle of a New England winter. Sitting in a lovely vase were a dozen of the most gorgeous, most fragrant, pink roses, grown on this earth!

And beside the vase, this note……the best note that a mother could ever receive from her son.


AND WAIT....There is more..........

THIS was the reference that Bryan steered me towards when he mentioned to check out what was in the fridge!!!




Wow……WHAT A TREAT!!! Lake Champlain, long stemmed, strawberries, coated in luscious chocolate. OH MY! This, my friends, was the first part of our dessert tonight….. the strawberries were pure heaven on earth.
I am so blessed and so moved, that my son of 22 years, could be so thoughtful, so kind, so creative, so giving, and so thankful for his mommy! It doesn’t get much better than this……thanks Bry P. - you made your mother’s year! I love you! xx oo

Happy Birthday Judy!

On February 14, my oldest cousin Judy will turn 60! I know she will not mind me stating her age in my blog...since she looks like she is 40. xx oo!

A few days ago, I had the pleasure of hosting a dinner in her honor...to celebrate the years gone by and the many, many, more to come.

The menu included Deb's wonderful appetizer of cream cheese with red pepper jelly and a homemade mustard sauce, Chicken Tetrazzini, Sandy's famous Baby Blue Salad with a fabulous Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette, and for dessert Lori brought Aunt Betty's, ( her beloved Mom's), FAMOUS AND SO DELICIOUS white cupcakes with chocolate frosting - a favorite of many, especially Judy.

Lori...our Martha Stewart party planner....provided Judith with her lovely crown (!!), that will be passed down as we all hit the magic number of 60, and a very fun and engaging game entitled "How well do you know Judy"? Leave it to Lori, the queen of games, to come up with a very fun way to celebrate our dear cousin. And we all knew that either Kerry or Sandy would win....and Kerry did! :-) She clearly knows her Mother well.

It was a lovely evening filled with a couple batches of fabulous frozen margaritas, lovely wine, (thank you Kerry!), scrumptious food, and amazing gifts!

I love getting together with my cousins.....

Happy Birthday Judy....Happy Birthday to you!

The Rev!

One week ago, today, our dear friend of eighteen years, Paula B. Gile, became our dear friend Reverend Paula B. Gile.

We were both privileged and honored to attend her ordination at the Malletts Bay Congregational Church - United Church of Christ. It was a beautiful service, creatively and spiritually crafted by the Reverend, filled with love, friendship, joyful music and spiritual reverence. It was a divine culmination of a destiny that we wholeheartedly believe was pre-written for Paula. A destiny that has beckoned her for years. She is, and will always be, a constant source of inspiration to all who know her. We are so proud of her and love her dearly.

As stated in the Ordination Service Acclamation:

"We will, the family and friends of Paula B. Gile, support her in the ministry of Christ"

After the service was completed we enjoyed celebrating with her at a Church sponsored reception and when the formalities concluded, we continued the celebration at Paula and Bill's - where the Asti Spumante was flowing! ;-)



Nothing like great friends to share the most wonderful moments in life...




Jane and me..... loving on the REV!! :-)


Paula....love filled wishes to you as you begin a new chapter in your life....Associate Pastor at the Lanconia Congregational Church.

Congratulations Paula....Godspeed!

Superbowl Party for Bry......

(photo courtesy of the Bry Guy!) The foodie mom forgot to take a photo! ;-(

2 Batches of Chili, Check!
2 Batches of Pulled Pork, Check!
1 Batch of Coleslaw, Check!
2 dozen Kaiser Rolls, Check!
A pan of brownies, Check!

Just part of the "fixings" for a super "Superbowl Party" for Bryan and his friends. Check, Check!

....With loads of love included - CHECK, CHECK, CHECK, CHECK!!!!

I love playing "caterer" and providing the guys with a bit of football food on game days. It's just one of those things you do when you're a foodie mom and you love to cook and you have a very willing audience!!

I have a year to figure out how to send massive amounts of pulled pork to Virginia for Superbowl 2012!