Spades!

So how was your weekend? I hope you did something fun and relaxing for the holiday...I had a great weekend, great food, great company and great fun! We learned how to play Spades this weekend! What a game, I feel like I've been living in a closet! Do you know how to play Spades? Great, great, great fun...I can't wait to do it again! And yesterday I taught a really good friend of mine how to cook clams. She doesn't really cook well yet because she doesn't know how...but we're working on it! I also found out she is an avid Sopranos fan who doesn't have HBO! I can't have any friend of mine, for that matter, out in the cold...so I'm going to start inviting her over to watch with us on Sunday nights or as we call it in my house, Italian night!

Exhausted!

I'm so tired! I think I'm actually going to be in bed and ASLEEP before midnight tonight...I know, I know, take out a full page ad in the newspaper! This only happens but once a century! ha! I've been writing recipes all day long and I'm just tired. But hopefully this will all pay off and sooner rather than later you will get to enjoy my collection of delicious and unique recipes. I think I will be trying them out this weekend on my victims...I mean, friends and family! Are you ready for the holiday weekend? Do you have something special planned? I'll let you know how it goes.

Alive

Don't ask yourself what the world needs; ask yourself what makes you come alive. And then go and do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.
~Howard Thurman~

Foodie Language

macerate \MAS-uh-rayt\ verb

:to soak a food (usually fruit) in a liquid in order to infuse it with the liquid's flavor. Usually brandy, rum or a liqueur is used as the macerating liquid. See also marinate.

Example sentence:
Before plating my famous Banana Split Cheesecake, I macerate the berries in brandy and sugar for a few minutes.

Ask The Chef - Spirulina

And before you ask "what is spirulina?" I thought I would beat you to the punch and answer your questions...because I know when my mom reads this she's gonna ask!


"Spirulina is a type of blue-green algae found in most lakes and ponds. It has been consumed for thousands of years by Mexican (Aztecs, Mayans), African, and Asian peoples. Spirulina is considered a complete protein because well over half of it consists of amino acids -- the building blocks of protein. It is also a rich source of other nutrients including B complex vitamins, beta-carotene, vitamin E, carotenoids, manganese, zinc, copper, iron, selenium, and gamma linolenic acid (an essential fatty acid). In fact, at least one laboratory study has demonstrated that the iron level in spirulina is equivalent to that contained in beef. Because of its apparent ability to stimulate the immune system, spirulina may have antiviral and anticancer effects. Test tube and animal studies suggest that spirulina may also help protect against harmful allergic reactions. More research is needed to fully understand how spirulina truly benefits people."
~UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND MEDICAL CENTER~