Thursday, November 29, 2007

Work

My supervisor got fired today. Oy vey.

Friday, November 23, 2007

Marscapone stuffed dates

Saw some fresh dates in the store last week and decided to try this recipe for Thanksgiving. Its adapted from the dish at Komi, where that super hot chef Johnny Monis works.

Marscapone stuffed dates

8 fresh dates
1/4 cup marscapone (actually that will probably be too much)
1/4 cup Good quality extra virgin olive oil
Sea Salt to taste

Preheat oven to 350. Place the marscapone in a small baggie, and cut a small hole in the tip, or using a pastry bag. Using a small paring knife, gently push the pit out of the date. Place the tip of the baggie into the remaining hole and squeeze the cheese into the date. Pour the olive oil over the finished dates. Season with sea salt. Place in the oven for 10-15 minutes.

Pure heaven! Oh, and I just realized that Johnny is making the dates in the picture on the Komi website.

500 Mammograms

The Breast Cancer Site is looking for clicks! They are 65 percent towards reaching their goal of funding 500 mammograms for the month of November. If they reach that goal, they will donate an ultrasound machine to a hospital in South Africa. Click daily: http://www.thebreastcancersite.com

Monday, November 19, 2007

Getting ready for Thanksgiving

I've decided to start making a few things early this year for Thanksgiving. It looks like there will only be four of us, and one person is a vegetarian, so there will be lots of meat. I'm thinking of the following menu.

Apps:
Vermont Cheddar (already purchased)
Marscapone-stuffed dates
Candied spiced pecans (will make either Monday or Tuesday night)

Main Course
Turkey (have to defrost)
Mashed potatoes, using cream cheese and sour cream
Stuffing (have to make a veggie option of that too)
Roasted veggies (veggie friend bringing)
Cranberry sauce (already made!)
Homemade wheat rolls (yes, I'm crazy, as I've never made bread before, at least not by hand. I'll probably start the dough on Tuesday)
Gravy

Dessert

Pumpkin pie with homemade whipped cream

Don't you wish you were at my house for Thanksgiving?

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Wandering Women (and Matt)

Tonight, I hosted my first ever author talk with Stephanie Elizondo Griest, and I'm pleased to say that it was a success! I contacted her in the spring after I read her book Around the Bloc: My Life in Moscow, Beijing and Cuba. Actually, I have to say that I was surprised that she wrote back to my little fan letter. But it turns out that she was promoting her latest book, "100 Places Every Women Should Go," and agreed to come give a workshop called "Traveling Sola: Tips for Wandering Women."

We had 34 women attend the talk, plus Matt. It was kind of funny because he was the only guy in the room, and some women (and the author) kind of gave him a funny look when he came in, but nobody seemed to mind, and I think he enjoyed it too. He was especially useful when it came time to clean up, too.

Stephanie is a very outgoing speaker, and I would encourage anyone to go see her if she shows up in your town. You can check out her tour schedule at her website http://www.aroundthebloc.com.

Also, speaking of wandering women and Matt, check out my trip journal from my latest trip! We just came back from New Hampshire and Vermont. I've got lots of great pictures too, so just email me if you want to see them.