A Day Late and a Dollar Short

Yes. I haven't had time to write posts, visit all of your blogs or do much cooking lately. I have been soooo busy still catching up to the post NY show stuff and scrambling after those dollars too. Above is one of my new designs that I just proofed this morning on press at the printer. It will be in stock by mid to end of next week. Then I will be busy packing some of the orders that were requested on the new pieces. Busy busy busy.

But please! Don't forget I will be out of the weeds soon so keep checking back though as I have taken some shots of a few decent things I've made and hope to post them soon.

For now, have a little salad. My version of spinach salad with bacon. And YES I do use some of the bacon fat/grease for the dressing. Hey, what can I say? I tastes GOOD like that!

La Crème de la Crème

Wow! I have been busy. I have barely had time to throw food at my kids let alone create something interesting. And blog about it? Forget it! Not when you feel this under water!!!!! Now happily I have gotten a couple of things out the door to my reps, made some calls and the new designs are at the printer so I can rest take a VERY quick breather before starting to get sample packets for another rep group and trying to market some more.

So let me take you back a few weeks. I hadn't left for New York yet and had time to visit all of your blogs but not really time to cook or eat and I came across something on Jaime's site that made my ears perk up. Garlic Cream Chicken and Rice. Excuse me? Did you say garlic? Did you say cream? These are two things I cannot resist hearing. Pour cream into any sauce or soup and it becomes a rich heavenly dish that never fails to impress. But then I had things to do and SOMEPLACE to go!

Finally a week or so ago I decided I had to make something more interesting than salad, chips, sandwiches or Mac and Cheese for dinner. So I went back to Jaime's blog. But of course I didn't quite follow her directions. I was in a hurry, glanced at her ingredients and came up with this because I had a lemon sitting there staring at me and fresh asparagus too. Asparagus just seems to say "lemon". And something about Dijon and cream is just so delightful and I hadn't done Dijon chicken in a while. Note that this particular recipe does not have too too much of the French mustard so it is a subtle flavor. If you want it to taste more like Dijon chicken, add another tablespoon or two to the sauce.

Garlic Cream Chicken with a touch of Dijon

Source: Adapted from Jaime's Burnt Toast, which she adapted from Elizabeth's Cooking Experiments, which she adapted from www.adamandmonika.com
how's that for a string?

6-8 cloves garlic finely chopped
4 boneless chicken cutlets (or a number of chicken tenders)
salt & freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 Tbsp. butter
1 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 cup chicken stock
juice from 1 lemon
1 Tbls. Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp. flour
1/2 cup heavy cream
salt & pepper to taste

Season chicken liberally with salt & pepper. Heat the butter and oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Sauté chicken until nicely browned on each side and cooked through. Transfer to a plate and set aside.

Add garlic to the pan at medium heat, and sauté until soft and beginning to color. Be careful not to burn the garlic. Add stock and bring to a boil. Add lemon juice and dijon until incorporated.

Mix the cold cream and flour in a dish until well blended and flour is dissolved. Add the cream to the pan and cook until lightly boiling and sauce begins to thicken. Return chicken to pan and heat through. Salt and pepper to taste.

Serve over rice or pasta.

Ideally you should garnish this with some parsley as Jaime did but I didn't have any and was in a hurry. Also note that all measurement for me are approximate. I just start throwing things in on this kind of dish and pay very little attention to how much I use. I will try to be better about it for you in the future.

Bon Appétit!

A day in the life... A day in the year...

That was me 40 years ago! Still a baby... I was only ONE. (And it looks like I am waiting for FOOD!) Now today???? 29 again! Woo hoo! Unfortunately I was ACTUALLY good at math in school and these numbers just don't gel. But I am creative right? So somehow.... ? Maybe I can make it work out so that the numbers do make sense. I certainly don't feel that OTHER number. And most would say I don't look it either (I hope they are telling the truth)!!!

This is me a little younger with my VERY much younger mom! She was only 24 then! Soooo much younger than me. Isn't she cute?

Not sure what today will bring other than the usual. Make lunch for the kiddies. Pick Danielle up from preschool. Take Nicholas to the park. Work on allllll the rep decks and samples and labeling and getting the new designs to print and all the Miss 'N Nick things.

Maybe I will go to my parents for dinner... maybe just stay home. We will see. As I get older I can less and less about have a big "ta-do". At least it is already a bit better than last year's bday. But I am more tired and more busy than then.

Hopefully I will eat something tasty and drink some fermented something or other. Red or white... I don't care. This is a delicious meal I made a couple weeks ago. Smoked salmon with fresh ripe avocado, chives and a squeeze of lemon. Add a glass of chardonnay and it is one fine meal. I LOVE it! Would you like to join me?