Sunday, December 26, 2010

Culinary Accomplishments - December 19th to December 26th

I think it is a well-known fact that I like to cook, and I enjoy the company and help of my sous-chef also known as DH while in the kitchen.  I decided to make some treats that I call "cake truffles" as an incentive for my friend K, she is trying something new and to keep her motivated I bribe her with anything chocolate.  Since I wasn't in the mood to make brownies (which she really likes), I tried these.  You can make them with whatever kind of cake you like, these had chocolate cake and cream cheese frosting and then were covered in milk chocolate and then drizzled with more milk chocolate, don't they look great?

We had extra ones that I let DH decorate, someone went a little nuts with these... let's just say these were the ones that stayed home and DH was given to eat as a treat.

We decided to make a "breakfast pie" yesterday morning, guess who went a little nuts "decorating" the dough with little figurines?

Filled with eggs, milk, cheddar cheese, link sausage, salt and pepper.
Topped with hash browns - pretty tasty!

And then dinner last night.  We have the tradition of doing the Feast of Seven Fishes.  Although it is traditionally done on Christmas Eve we made it last night because DH worked late on the 24th.  It is a nice way to incorporate my grandmother's Italian heritage, my Costa Rican heritage and DH's grandfather's Swedish heritage all in one meal.  On the menu last night was Spicy Crab Cakes with a sweet salsa served on top of a yummy salad and Lemon Seafood Pasta.  In the end we didn't cook 7 fishes even though we had them, we just didn't feel up to cooking so much food (something we struggle with each year) and then being exhausted, but the end results were perfect for us.
Crab cakes pre-cooking ready to be covered in panko breadcrumbs
Crab cakes in the pan, one side looks delicious while the other side cooks
Crab cake plated on the salad; crunchy, spicy and overall delish!

Scallops for the pasta and bacon to top the pasta with...
Finished product: Lemon Seafood Pasta which included shrimp, scallops and lobster.
If you see anything you like and want to try don't be shy about asking me for the recipe, I am happy to share!

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Restaurant Review - Shanahan's Steakhouse

One of the reasons I started this blog was at the suggestion of DH.  We love to go out to eat, but DH has the memory of a gnat or something else that is teeny tiny and would have no memory whatsoever.  Therefore when we go to a "repeat" (restaurant that we've been to before) it is my responsibility/duty/chore/burden to remind him if there is something he ordered last time that he didn't really enjoy so as to not make the same mistake twice, this is why it would always behoove DH to make sure I am happy with him at this point in time, otherwise his additional memory might "forget" about a dislike and allow him to make that mistake, yet again.  So one evening as we are finishing a dinner out he says: "we" (meaning me) should start a blog about the places we visit and then rate them and keep track of likes and dislikes, etc. as a reference guide.  Well, here goes...

Last Sunday was our 8 year wedding anniversary and we chose on a whim to go to Shanahan's Steakhouse.  The restaurant in and of itself has a feeling of modern luxury with over sized light fixtures, soft leather furniture, wine display and fireplace.  It has that typical mood lighting of a steakhouse but has been engineered so that noise is kept at a really low volume, so much so that when we were at the hostess table we thought the restaurant was empty but low and behold once we were taken to our booth there were plenty of full tables and three full party rooms housing at least 75 people but you would have never known it.  Additionally, you get to gawk up close at 3 Super Bowl trophies, several rings full of bling and pictures of Shanahan with luminaries of all sorts.

Our server Jason was polite and helpful but right away you are put to the test in the form of: "I would like to tell you that we offer Dom Perignon by the glass, we are the only restaurant to do that in all of Colorado".  This my friends is a pitfall, if you like champagne and are celebrating you are completely lured by the idea of having a glass, after all it isn't as if you are buying *gasp* a bottle.  Well, that little gem comes at $36 a glass, I know, we fell for it.  However, I would say that was the only real mishap of the experience.

As soon as we opened the wine list the sommelier pounced upon us excited to be of service.  He had lots of ideas to offer and I think we had a hard time keeping up, but he was very, very friendly.  The wine that we ultimately ended up with was one that neither DH nor I really liked but, eh, this happens sometimes.

Nevertheless, the food.  We ordered an appetizer of Ahi Tuna Tartar to share at the insistence of DH, which I was skeptical of because it really just sounded like sushi or sashimi and it pretty much was but elevated into a pretty dish served with all the sushi accouterments of rice, wasabi, ginger, soy sauce and some crispy wonton chips as a bonus.  Overall the dish was tasty but not something I would necessarily order again.  If we ever do go again I would prefer to order the Kobe Beef Carpaccio, now that sounds moo-licious!

We split the Tomato Burrata Salad.  Even though tomatoes are out of season these had a good tomato-y taste with basil pesto and in the center this soft, almost melted and gooey burrata cheese with the flavors of mozzarella with drizzled balsamic syrup on top.  The dish was flavorful even for out of season produce and I can only imagine how good it must be in the summer, and that balsamic syrup is something I could bathe in, it was so good.

For our main course I had the Surf and Turf, an 8oz filet mignon with a lobster tail (hard to find it as it's mentioned in an obscure part of the menu and only served on Sundays but well worth it) and DH had the Signature Bone-in 14 oz filet with shared sides of steamed broccoli florets and truffle cheddar mac n'cheese.  Our steaks were so perfect they melted in your mouth like butter and even though my lobster came with clarified butter I forgot all about dipping into it because the chef had seasoned and cooked the lobster in such a flawless and delectable manner that there was no need for butter.  The broccoli was a good compliment to our meal and the mac n' cheese was crunchy, creamy and cheesy: all good things, yet it also had a little too much truffle flavor which didn't do it for me but didn't stop DH from enjoying it all.

Overall, just thinking about this meal has me salivating and my fingers are crossed that they will participate in Denver Restaurant Week 2011 so we get the chance to eat there again at a much lower price.  I would say this is a place you go to for a very special occasion, not for a regular Friday date night.  And don't worry about going with someone who doesn't appreciate nature's gift of cow because the seafood was definitely on par.  However, aside from salad there really weren't any options for vegetarians, but who knows, this may be the place to get them to drink the cow flavored Kool-Aid.

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Bah, Humbug!

Yep.  That is how I feel this year towards all the holiday.  Don't get me wrong though, I'm not feeling Grinchy, angry or mean-spirited, just not feeling it period.


Not exactly sure of why that is... it's probably a combination of everything going on (and not going on) right now.  I have a pretty bad cold, I'm not getting as much sleep as I need/crave, things are busy at work (I need to get stuff done ASAP and instead I'm doing this), simply not knowing (that is a BIG one) what's in store, and the list goes on. 


So, I actually Googled "Christmas Spirit", because I feel like I am truly lacking that this year.  The first link takes me to an eHow page, as in "How to get into the Christmas Spirit".  It writes about things like shopping early for presents, wishing people a happy holiday with a smile, playing Christmas music, watching Christmas movies, decorating, volunteering or doing something nice for someone.  


Well, money is tight so I don't want to shop for people, plus lately I feel like people are never really happy with what you give them or that I don't get that wonderful feeling of happiness by giving something they will truly enjoy/cherish/like, etc (selfish, I know).  


And in this country, it is extremely hard to wish anyone a "happy holiday" because it has become such a point of contention.  For example: Yesterday, I went to Party America to shop for a few little things would but some cheer into our End of Year Celebration at our Neighborhood Watch meeting.  I found these really cute snowman plastic tablecloths and napkins and thought *perfect* because it represented winter with happy colors and would be a joy for everyone present: Latinos, Bhutanese, Burmese, Karen... the cashier asked: "Are you having a Christmas party?" and I answered that it was an end of year celebration.  She made some off-hand remark about it really being a Christmas party, I smiled sweetly and said: "Well, we have people from all over the world attending who are Hindus, Muslims and such, so no, it really is a end of year celebration."  She replied with a condescending smile, it didn't make me want to wish her a "happy holiday", instead I wanted to tell her to "bite me".  


As for a Christmas movie, I was watching a Christmas TV show when I realized that I had no spirit this year, so that didn't really help... 


Doing something nice for someone, really?  Not that I am tooting my own horn, but I do nice things for people ALL YEAR ROUND.  I don't save it up for Christmas AND I also do it for a living (not just in my spare time), that doesn't help my Christmas spirit, that helps my spirit as a person in my daily living, so... no.


Since I left home, every year I would carefully comb the stores for THE Card I would send out that year, buy a couple of boxes and start working on them the day after Thanksgiving.  I was always so excited to wish people a good and happy holiday season and all the best for the new year, but, like I said - just not feeling it (so don't be surprised if the year comes and goes and you get bupkis in the mail from me).


But as I sat here and wrote this I realized that this lack of feeling in holiday spirit started last year.  I cried as I wished my mom a Merry Christmas on the phone (crying at that time was a first for me), hearing her tell me about what they were doing with my nephews and niece to get them into the mood for the next morning (releasing balloons with their lists into the sky), and realizing that I haven't spent Christmas with my family since 1999.  We vowed to each other that the next year would be better, good things were to come and were in store for us (and I believe they really are), and that just maybe we would be spending this holiday together.  You see, my family can be dysfunctional, annoying, irritating, hurtful, insensitive, frustrating as all get out and may make me want to pull my hair and scream BUT they are also playful, funny, a food-appreciating bunch, complimentary, supportive, loyal and loving.  I miss Christmas with them... any and all of them.  


I would love a Christmas where:
- my sister Juli and I look for recipes, choose a menu and then cook all day
- I get to bake cookies and decorate them with the kids (while their mothers are in another room so as not to balk at the mess we make)
- I get to give my sister Cappy that one present that she wants but everyone else has forgotten to or decided not to give her
- I can hug Carolina as many times as I want until she finally gives in to how good those hugs make her feel and seeks me out to hug her again 
- I can roll my eyes at things (or people) with my nephew Jose
- see Jorge enjoying my food
- while having DH (dear hubby) at my side to sneak kisses with and 
- look at the smile on my mom's face


I don't think we'll be spending the holiday together this year, at least right now, it isn't looking like that will happen (but you never know).  So, if you find that you have oodles, and oodles of holiday cheer and can spare some, maybe you can send some my way?  Or at least be understanding when you go on and on about the holiday and just for this year I reply: bah, humbug!

Sunday, November 14, 2010

I don't need more crazy in my life

Last night DH and I had a conversation that went something like this:  

DH: Wouldn't it be cool to live near our old neighbors?

Me: Hmmm, not really, no. I realize you and the guy neighbor have become good friends but I'm not really friends with his wife anymore, I just didn't need more crazy in my life.

DH: Right, guy neighbor did mention that the reason I got the baby email is because you deleted his wife as a Facebook friend...

Me: They are having another baby?!?!?!?

DH (looking at his phone for the email): Uh, yeah it says another boy due in April.

Me: Geez, due right around the first boy, cause he was born in May.

DH: How do you remember things like that?

Me: Well, he was born on Mother's Day so that is kinda easy to remember...

DH: Again, how do you remember things like that?

Me: *shrug* 

I don't know how I remember things like that, maybe if I could forget those things my brain would have more room to, you know, be better at other things but whatever.  Still, the conversation haunted me late into the night as I took care of our dog (recovering from surgery earlier this week) and DH lay asleep... Why did I delete her from Facebook?  Why did I just stop emailing, calling and getting together with her?  It seems from the comment her husband made to DH that she was upset and hurt that I deleted her, not really my intention to cause that but I should have just hidden her from my newsfeed or something along those lines, right? If I could go back I would most likely do that, not because I want her in my life but because believe it or not I actually don't like to hurt people's feelings if I can avoid it.

So, I know you are wondering what kind of crazy she was that I no longer wanted to deal with it, here it is (and this is just my opinion, you don't have to agree):

-Doesn't like any vegetables of any kind, especially not asparagus (Are you kidding me? Asparagus is in my top 5 list of veggies), but I guess not so crazy...

-Did not want to get her 1st born vaccinated because Jenny McCarthy has a point and she must know what she is talking about since she has an autistic child, hello???

-Did not like leaving 1st born with his dad, because really only she knew how to properly care for him, hmmm...

-Could not find a daycare nor a nanny good enough for her 1st born, so instead of returning back to a relatively good job, (which she worked really hard for and sacrificed so much to get a degree and then get the job) she quit, loosing awesome state-paid insurance for their family in the process

-Because her husband's business was already struggling and they needed her job to make ends meet, they had to file for foreclosure and husband now works 18 hour days while she stays at home, something they really can't afford (and now another baby on the way?!?!?) 

-The first and only time I visited after they had 1st born she told me she didn't want me holding the baby because she could tell how much I wanted one of my own and it made her uncomfortable (yeah, not really hooked on the idea of one of my own, not then, not now), but then: sent me monthly picture updates of said 1st born

And this is just crazy after the baby was born, not even getting started on the pre-baby crazy... Justified? Maybe not, but definitely not something I wanted to deal with on an ongoing basis and yet still feel guilty about hurting her feelings... *sigh*.