French Fridays and the Super Moon

What better way to moon gaze than a french friday patio dinner....even if it is Saturday! Some of our recipes for March were so good and easy! They demanded a repeat!  I know many fellow french friday cooks didn't care for Beggar's Linguine but I loved it and wanted to try it with homemade pasta.  My pasta was light, tender and delicious but with this dish I think I prefer the chewier texture of packaged dried pasta......at least until I can figure out how to duplicate the texture at home.

For dessert it was salted butter-breakups! This time I served them with chocolate sauce for dipping.

We drank Amorosa, a light California Champagne that's easy to drink....and easy on the budget!

FFwD - Salted Butter Break-ups

Buttery, salty, slightly sweet.  What else needs to be said. We loved it and will make it again and again. Dorie recommends sel gris but all I had was pink Himalyan salt. The pink salt made me think of David Lebovitz's Strawberry Frozen Yogurt and I had one bag of strawberries left in the freezer from last year's strawberry harvest. The cold tanginess was the prefect backdrop for the salty sweetness. Stop by the French Fridays site to see what everyone else has to say!

FFwD - Beggar's Linguine

This recipe was a huge surprise! I couldn't picture nuts, dried fruit and pasta....and cheese? It didn't register on my taste buds! But Dorie hasn't led me astray yet so I jumped right in. I was cooking for myself (sorry my usual FFwD eaters) so I halved the recipe.....another thing I like....a recipe that's easy to half. I made up the dish and as its coming together taste it. I feel it needs a little kick. So I add dried red pepper flakes. I plate it up and take pictures but its looking so damned good I have to put down the camera and start eating! That's a first. Yummmm!
Check out French Fridays with Dorie and see what everyone else is doing.

FFwD - Savory Cheese and Chive Bread

This could be called clean out the cheese bin and throw in whatever herbs you need to use up bread because that's what I did. Dorie gives several options for additions which gave me the courage to use up what needed to be used. For cheese it was cheddar and the unknown hard white cheese I've been working on for several weeks. For nuts I had almonds. For herbs the bit of leftover thyme and the new chives fresh from my garden...don't you love spring?! It was a warm, sunny day with little wind (always a consideration in Oklahoma) so we sat outside with one of our favorite beers, Birra Morreti, and our cheese and chive bread and felt quite sophisticated.  Also took some to the neighbors and they reported back that it was delicious and could they have the recipe please. I call that success.  Be sure to check out the experiences of everyone in the French Friday Group!

Stylish Blogger Award

Thank you Allison at French Whisk!

Allison sent me a Stylish Blogger Award today! Really made my morning! Now for the hard part....I'm supposed to share seven new things about myself.  Here goes!

  1. I am a rower.  The year my youngest son went to college I needed something and I found rowing. Through rowing I've gained


 friends, fitness, confidence and peace.

  2. My mother died last year. This blog started because I had something to say about my mom. It was my first post Mom's Birthday Apple Tart.

  3. I cry easily.

  4. Favorite book - Razor's Edge by Somerset Maugham

  5. My husband is an airline pilot. We call him Captain Gary because of a wonderful video he made for our daughter in law's 2nd grade class. He begins by introducing himself and his crew. When he says 'Hi. I'm Captain Gary' the entire family falls a little more in love with this kind and generous man.

  6. I garden like its my job!

  7. I am a Fly Lady:)

I want to pass on this award to

 Life on Autumn Trail
Mixed Grill Favorites

Hard Hat Area - Under Construction

Please forgive the mess as I struggle with a rebuild!

FFwD - short ribs in red wine and port

Step One - go to your bank and arrange financing.  Short ribs are $6.59 a pound and we need 9 pounds plus a bottle of wine for the ribs, a bottle of wine for the cook, and a bottle or two for dinner, and don't forget the port!

Luckily this is so good you'll be glad you invested the money and the time.  This is very easy to make; just chopping and time in the oven.  Be sure to invite someone special to share it with!

Dorie suggests making the ribs the day before if you have time and I think its an important step.  Short ribs have lots of fat and allowing them to chill overnight makes it much easier to remove most of it.

What elevates this recipe to amazing is the gremolata.  This was new to me.....an Italian condiment consisting of citrus zest, garlic and parsley or cilantro.....and it complements the robust flavor of the meat and gives it all a wonderful freshness.

Our good friends Al and Mary shared this with us and I think we were all in agreement.....it was amazing!  Something I'm trying to figure out is how to get good pictures of the food with a house full of hungry people.  Anyone have any solutions to this?

You'll want to read the other reports of the french friday cooks.

Vacuum Sealers

I think I need one. I know I want one. Wonder which one I should get....not the $400+ one that's for sure! Anyone have any ideas?

FFwD - Pancetta Green Beans

How could I have made these three weeks ago and still be late with my post?  My excuse?  I was out of town attending the baby shower for my first grandchild!  His name is Beckett and he will be here around May 22.  We're all a bit baby obsessed these days:)

When a recipe calls for pancetta I normally use bacon as until recently pancetta wasn't readily available in our grocery stores and when I could find it I didn't want to pay the price!  But for this recipe I used pancetta and I'm so glad I did. The sweet, smokey, salty taste was excellent with the crisp tender green beans. We loved this recipe and I'll make it again and again and again.

Be sure to visit the french friday site and check out everyone else's post.
french fridays with Dorie

Sisterhood of the World Bloggers Award!

Sisterhood of the World Bloggers Award

This is so exciting!  Lola Kitchen's first ever award!  Thank you so much to Kathy Copy and paste, and pay it forward to as few, or as many SISTER bloggers that you feel deserve it. No rules apply...just mention who it came from: Thanking you in advance!


1. dancewhileyoucook
2.  inpursuitofhobby
3.  Life on Autumn Trail