Our house in early April:
And in mid-May:
(shot from roughly the same vantage point as picture #1...ours is the one with the lamppost in front)
And here's a close up:
Pretty much all that's missing (structurally) is a roof!
Sunday, May 15, 2011
All That's Missing is a Roof
What a difference a month makes!
Our house in early April:
And in mid-May:
Our house in early April:
And in mid-May:
Monday, May 9, 2011
Menu Monday
Another week, another week's worth of dinners to plan. Here is what we've got going on this week:
Monday: Chicken patty pockets
Tuesday: Asparagus and feta frittata
Wednesday: Leftover chicken patty pockets
Thursday: Linguine with shrimp,pesto and cherry tomatoes
What do you have planned for this week?
Monday: Chicken patty pockets
Tuesday: Asparagus and feta frittata
Wednesday: Leftover chicken patty pockets
Thursday: Linguine with shrimp,pesto and cherry tomatoes
What do you have planned for this week?
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Spring Risotto
It's hard to believe that only a year ago I was totally intimidated by the idea of risotto. Today I feel like I can safely say I've got it down pat. I barely need a recipe anymore! I just decide what kind of flavors/ingredients I want to use and I go for it.
Normally risotto is the kind of dish I reserve for the weekend since it is not necessarily quick and easy but I decided to bend my own rules a little bit given that I worked from home for a few hours on Wednesday (Jason and I left work a little early to attend a pre-construction meeting at the home site....assuming all goes as planned, we're about 90 days out from closing!). This time around I went for something springy--lots of green, lots of crunch and very fresh. Overall the risotto came together faster than I remembered and was creamy and delicious. Fennel, leek, asparagus, zucchini, chives and peas....very spring indeed.
Spring Risotto
Inspired by previous risotto recipes from Ina Garten and Smitten Kitchen
Ingredients:
1 TBL olive oil
1 zucchini, chopped
2-3 stalks of asparagus, chopped
4 cups of low sodium chicken broth
1 cup of water
2 TBL olive oil
TBL butter
1 leek, white and light green parts chopped
1 fennel bulb, core removed and chopped
1 1/2 cups arborio rice
1 cup white wine
1 cup frozen peas
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
juice of one lemon
1/3 cup chopped chives
salt and pepper
1. In a large saucepan, heat 1 TBL of olive oil. Add zucchini and cook for 3-5 minutes until it starts to soften. Add asparagus and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove to a plate.
2. Add chicken stock and water to same saucepan and bring to a low simmer.
3. Meanwhile, heat 2 TBL of olive oil and butter in a large pan or dutch oven. Add chopped fennel and leeks. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until soft, about 5-7 minutes. Add arborio rice. Stir constantly until rice is coated with the fat and vegetables--about 2 minutes.
4. Add wine. Cook, stirring constantly, until rice has absorbed almost all of the liquid.
5. Add chicken stock, two ladles at a time, stirring rice almost constantly until almost all of the liquid has been absorbed. Repeat until rice is thick and creamy (it should take most of the stock)-- about 15-20 minutes total.
6. When rice is almost done, add frozen peas. When rice is done and peas are warmed through, add zucchini and asparagus and stir.
7. Remove risotto from heat. Add in Parmesan cheese, chives, and lemon juice. Check for seasonings and serve.
Normally risotto is the kind of dish I reserve for the weekend since it is not necessarily quick and easy but I decided to bend my own rules a little bit given that I worked from home for a few hours on Wednesday (Jason and I left work a little early to attend a pre-construction meeting at the home site....assuming all goes as planned, we're about 90 days out from closing!). This time around I went for something springy--lots of green, lots of crunch and very fresh. Overall the risotto came together faster than I remembered and was creamy and delicious. Fennel, leek, asparagus, zucchini, chives and peas....very spring indeed.
Spring Risotto
Inspired by previous risotto recipes from Ina Garten and Smitten Kitchen
Ingredients:
1 TBL olive oil
1 zucchini, chopped
2-3 stalks of asparagus, chopped
4 cups of low sodium chicken broth
1 cup of water
2 TBL olive oil
TBL butter
1 leek, white and light green parts chopped
1 fennel bulb, core removed and chopped
1 1/2 cups arborio rice
1 cup white wine
1 cup frozen peas
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
juice of one lemon
1/3 cup chopped chives
salt and pepper
1. In a large saucepan, heat 1 TBL of olive oil. Add zucchini and cook for 3-5 minutes until it starts to soften. Add asparagus and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove to a plate.
2. Add chicken stock and water to same saucepan and bring to a low simmer.
3. Meanwhile, heat 2 TBL of olive oil and butter in a large pan or dutch oven. Add chopped fennel and leeks. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until soft, about 5-7 minutes. Add arborio rice. Stir constantly until rice is coated with the fat and vegetables--about 2 minutes.
4. Add wine. Cook, stirring constantly, until rice has absorbed almost all of the liquid.
5. Add chicken stock, two ladles at a time, stirring rice almost constantly until almost all of the liquid has been absorbed. Repeat until rice is thick and creamy (it should take most of the stock)-- about 15-20 minutes total.
6. When rice is almost done, add frozen peas. When rice is done and peas are warmed through, add zucchini and asparagus and stir.
7. Remove risotto from heat. Add in Parmesan cheese, chives, and lemon juice. Check for seasonings and serve.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Roasted Salmon
It's Cinco de Mayo which means I am blogging about....salmon? Well, yes. Yes I am.
Monday I made roasted salmon with dill yogurt sauce which is one of our favorite spring/summer meals. In fact, I'm surprised I haven't blogged about it before. It is one of those great recipes that is easy enough for a weeknight by polished enough for entertaining. Pair it with roasted fresh (and local!) asparagus, and it is a great way to start (or finish) the week....happy (almost) Friday!
Roasted Salmon with Dill Yogurt Sauce
Adapted from Everyday Food
Ingredients:
2 6-ounce fillets of salmon
1 cup of plain yogurt
3 TBL chopped fresh dill
1 1/2 TBL chopped fresh chives
1 teaspoon lemon zest
Salt and Pepper
1. In a small bowl combine yogurt, dill, chives, and lemon zest. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place salmon fillets (skin side down) on top of it.
3. Generously top with yogurt sauce and bake for 15 minutes or until salmon is cooked through.Serve.
Monday I made roasted salmon with dill yogurt sauce which is one of our favorite spring/summer meals. In fact, I'm surprised I haven't blogged about it before. It is one of those great recipes that is easy enough for a weeknight by polished enough for entertaining. Pair it with roasted fresh (and local!) asparagus, and it is a great way to start (or finish) the week....happy (almost) Friday!
Roasted Salmon with Dill Yogurt Sauce
Adapted from Everyday Food
Ingredients:
2 6-ounce fillets of salmon
1 cup of plain yogurt
3 TBL chopped fresh dill
1 1/2 TBL chopped fresh chives
1 teaspoon lemon zest
Salt and Pepper
1. In a small bowl combine yogurt, dill, chives, and lemon zest. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place salmon fillets (skin side down) on top of it.
3. Generously top with yogurt sauce and bake for 15 minutes or until salmon is cooked through.Serve.
Monday, May 2, 2011
Menu Monday
Menu Monday is back! Here is what I've got planned for this week:
Monday: Salmon with a dill yogurt sauce and roasted asparagus
Tuesday: Thai beef salad (and oldie but goodie)
Wednesday: Spring veggie risotto
Thursday: leftover risotto
Friday: dinner out?
Hope you have a good week!
Monday: Salmon with a dill yogurt sauce and roasted asparagus
Tuesday: Thai beef salad (and oldie but goodie)
Wednesday: Spring veggie risotto
Thursday: leftover risotto
Friday: dinner out?
Hope you have a good week!
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Key Lime Pie Redux
Another year, another key lime pie for my father-in-law's birthday! It's been such a hit I think it will be an annual event :)
Same recipe with a couple of tweaks-- 1) less sugar in the crust (2 TBL...down from 1/4 cup) and 2) served with whipped cream on the side instead of topped. (I actually broke out the food processor this year so the crust looks as it should!) Next time I make it I might use my fluted tart pan instead.
A good spring/summer treat if you are looking for a quick and easy crowdpleaser!
Same recipe with a couple of tweaks-- 1) less sugar in the crust (2 TBL...down from 1/4 cup) and 2) served with whipped cream on the side instead of topped. (I actually broke out the food processor this year so the crust looks as it should!) Next time I make it I might use my fluted tart pan instead.
A good spring/summer treat if you are looking for a quick and easy crowdpleaser!
Since I've Been Gone
You may have noticed I took a little blogging break.... we've had a lot going on at work and on the weekends lately and blogging has just taken the back burner. But I'm back and excited to share what's been going on since I've been gone.
First and perhaps most exciting:
Our house is starting to look like a house! We took Jason's parents by the model yesterday and were pleasantly surprised to see how much progress had taken place in the last few weeks. We have a pre-construction meeting this week (a misnomer given that construction has clearly begun) and I'm hoping we'll get an update on when it will be complete.
I've also spent the last couple of weeks having a bit of a reading renaissance. I've always been a big reader but haven't really felt like I've had the time to devote to reading these last several years. But over the last three weeks or so I've devoured three books...all of which I'd happily recommend.
1) Bossypants by Tina Fey It's a quick read and incredibly funny. I mean, come on....it's Tina Fey! What do you expect?
2) The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman A collection of vignettes describing life at floundering English language newspaper in Rome and the quirky characters who work there. In some ways it is more an interconnecting collection of short stories than a novel. Engrossing and at times heartbreaking.
3) A Visit From the Goon Squad by Susan Egan. This Pulitzer Prize winning book is this month's book club pick. It was interesting that I read it immediately after The Imperfectionists as they are structured very similarly. Like that book, A Visit from the Goon Squad is a collection of vignettes (told in the first, second, and third person depending on the chapter--one is even told completely through powerpoint!) that looks at the lives of a number of music-loving people who have crossed paths with one another over the course of a number of decades--both past, present, and future. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I'm now on the look out for other good books--any suggestions?
First and perhaps most exciting:
Our house is starting to look like a house! We took Jason's parents by the model yesterday and were pleasantly surprised to see how much progress had taken place in the last few weeks. We have a pre-construction meeting this week (a misnomer given that construction has clearly begun) and I'm hoping we'll get an update on when it will be complete.
I've also spent the last couple of weeks having a bit of a reading renaissance. I've always been a big reader but haven't really felt like I've had the time to devote to reading these last several years. But over the last three weeks or so I've devoured three books...all of which I'd happily recommend.
1) Bossypants by Tina Fey It's a quick read and incredibly funny. I mean, come on....it's Tina Fey! What do you expect?
2) The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman A collection of vignettes describing life at floundering English language newspaper in Rome and the quirky characters who work there. In some ways it is more an interconnecting collection of short stories than a novel. Engrossing and at times heartbreaking.
3) A Visit From the Goon Squad by Susan Egan. This Pulitzer Prize winning book is this month's book club pick. It was interesting that I read it immediately after The Imperfectionists as they are structured very similarly. Like that book, A Visit from the Goon Squad is a collection of vignettes (told in the first, second, and third person depending on the chapter--one is even told completely through powerpoint!) that looks at the lives of a number of music-loving people who have crossed paths with one another over the course of a number of decades--both past, present, and future. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I'm now on the look out for other good books--any suggestions?
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)