I heart Petit Fours

Something I love: So my hubby and I were delighted yesterday by a little package in the mail from my brother/sis-in-law/J/D/G/P {yes, they have 4 beautiful children}. Petit Fours!! Very sweet of them to share these scrumptious little treats with us. They are from Williams-Sonoma {made exclusively for them by Dragonfly Cakes in NorCal}.

They look so perfect I didn't want to eat them...but I did. Not all of them though I'm saving the rest until tomorrow when I can share with whole family! Here are the details on the little guys: Each is handmade with three layers of light, moist vanilla sponge cake enriched with marzipan and buttercream, coated in chocolate and topped with a delicate, hand-cut marzipan leaf. The assortment of diamond-shaped cakes includes three fillings: vanilla, chocolate and caramel butter-cream. {If you must know I did copy and paste the description from the W-S website}

The reason I love them so is because they are a super sweet gift in more ways than one; they are a piece of art; you can pop one in your mouth in one bite; they make me feel good about eating them because they are a small portion--that is if I stick to just 1 or 2; and finally they are just cute as a button!

Sweet Potato vs. Yam

So last night I went to the store to buy my sweet potatoes for Thanksgiving dinner this Thursday and all of sudden it hit me, "Is a yam a sweet potato or vice versa?" I instantly felt stupid in the produce section, people whirling about getting all their fixings for Turkey day and me standing there like a lost puppy. I also felt embarrassed--I mean I consider myself a pretty good cook and fairly knowledgeable-- so I called Holly. You know when you ask a question out of the blue and normally the person would know the answer but since you asked them point blank their mind goes blank? That's what I did, I threw her off and then she really started to question herself and what she bought already. I decided I would give up the fight, get my turkey and run home to google this. My MIL called before I was done shopping so I asked her and she said yams=sweet potatoes. They are the same thing, I said NO WAY--and bought 5 of them.

On my way home I called Holly again, she started the google search and we have come to learn an awful lot in the last 12 hours about our beloved sweet potatoes. It turns out that sweet potatoes and yams that we find here in the States are really all sweet potatoes. What we think of as yams are called this by mistake. It started long ago when the slaves were brought over and identified sweet potatoes with the “nyami” from Africa. The name stuck and we’ve been eating a misnomer ever since. To further the complication, neither of them are really potatoes at all! They are both tubers, although not even related to each other. In fact, the sweet potato is a cousin of the morning glory flower. There are about 200 varieties of true yams, of which none grow in the States. They are all different colors and sizes, the largest measuring almost 7 feet!!

So this Thursday I will be making a sweet potato side dish even though I purchased "yams" from Fry's! I will post pictures of my efforts:)

Extraordinary Desserts

Dining Destination: Another San Diego hot spot recommended by my dear and wonderful sister-in-law but I prefer to just call her sister. Karen Krasne Extraordinary Desserts has two locations and an online store but we visited the 7,000 square feet Little Italy one and it was hopping--at like 10:30 pm {another reason proving I was not in Wellton anymore:)} We went so I could indulge in some champagne and dessert. My hubby has a sweet tooth more and more lately but he wasn't too into it on Friday night. I'm totally depressed I forgot to take a picture of the huge dessert display cases but it really was packed and people's faces were stuck to the glass.

I just loved the sleek modern-ness of it all. The frosted glass bartop where we sat the gorgeous flowers that decorated everything. Even my glass of prosecco was adorned with a flower petal--as every drink was. I mean it just encompassed a happening city which San Diego is and it made it so fun for this little Wellton girl to enjoy. Don't get me wrong I love Wellton and don't want to be anywhere else {except maybe an even more isolated ranch} but I do enjoy getting to a city now and then to keep my cultural awareness in tact:)

Finally, I will show you my dessert I picked out {I of course picked something with too much resemblance of strawberry shortcake of which my hubby is not a fan of} totally scrumptious, right?! Now for my confession: I cannot for the life of me remember what it was called so I'm searching their website trying to find it and I have 2 cakes that describe what I think I ate. #1: Ivoire Royale-An exquisite torte made of fine layers of vanilla bean soaked pound cakes and creamy white chocolate mousse. Bursting with fresh raspberries, strawberries, blackberries and blueberrIes, this delicate mousse torte is hidden by white chocolate shaving dusted with powdered sugar. #2: Fraisier Triple Berry Torte-A Parisian favorite!Luscious kirsch-moistened sponge cakes are layered with raspberry-boysenberry buttercream, whipped cream, sliced strawberries and raspberries.

So forgive me for not being able to remember what I got. I totally would go back here again they did also have appetizers and regular food {I believe} and a gorgeous atmosphere.

Giving Thanks Today

It's the time of year where we are all reminded to give thanks--I want to be more thankful year round and hope to work on that. First and foremost I am thankful for a living God who gives unconditional love and grace to me. Secondly, I am thankful for American ranchers and farmers who provide an abundance of safe, healthy and afforable food. A few quick notes about them:

• 85% of the land used for grazing food animals is unsuitable for growing crops
• 1 American farmer feeds 144 people
• 97% of beef farms and ranches are actually family-run
• Americans spend about 10% of our disposable income on our food while the rest of the world is anywhere from 15-75%

Just a little something to think about as we eat everyday and especially during this holiday season where we tend to eat A LOT!

Third and finally I am thankful for the American Soldier. I truly try to thank any member of our armed forces when I see them. While in San Diego we visiting Point Loma we were priviliged to see Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery, here is a picture I took, it takes my breath away. I am thankful for the lives that were so unselfishly given and I am happy they were given such a beautiful resting place.

I will leave you with this final thought as we say thank you: A mother asked President Bush, "Why did my son have to die in Iraq ?" Another mother asked President Kennedy, "Why did my son have to die in Vietnam ?" Another mother asked President Truman, "Why did my son have to die in Korea ?" Another mother asked President F.D. Roosevelt, "Why did my son have to die at Iwo Jima ?" Another mother asked President W. Wilson, "Why did my son have to die on the battlefield of France ?" Yet another mother asked President Lincoln, "Why did my son have to die at Gettysburg ?" And yet another mother asked President G. Washington, "Why did my son have to die near Valley Forge ?" Long, long ago a mother asked, "Heavenly Father, why did my Son have to die on a cross outside of Jerusalem ?" The answers to all these are similar - "So that others may have life and dwell in peace, happiness, and freedom."

Haiku Sushi

Dining Destination: I have been craving sushi for weeks and I just knew once I got to San Diego my dreams would be fulfilled. Finally after a long week of meetings me and my hubby got to eat some sushi. He had picked out a place called Mr. Sushi in Pacific Beach but when we arrived it wasn't open. Fortunately right where we parked and across the street from Mr. Sushi was another joint called Haiku Sushi. Really you can find a sushi joint in San Diego on nearly every block and I'm sure it's all delightful and I will do my best to try as many as I can but today I will show you what made our visit to Haiku so delicious.



I love a good Las Vegas roll so of course we ordered it. The difference between this one and others I've had would be that this one was more deep fried than tempura which is lighter and more flaky. And the kicker was this LV roll was topped with salsa. Yeah I said it--salsa. He basically sprinkled some pico de gallo on top and surprisingly it was awesome. Above is an up close and personal picture.




We always try and have a "house special" because it's a nice local experience. We chose the special calamari roll: deep fried calamari, cucumber, avocado, spicy crab, crunchy kobo carrot and eel sauce. It had a nice spice to it which I always love in at least one of my rolls {normally I get spicy tuna}. I do have to tell you I didn't always like sushi but I worked at acquiring the taste and I absolutely whole heartedly love it. So if you think you don't like it I recommend you give it a try and go with someone who knows what to order and they can help you out. I hope I can get to SD more often and try all the other places!

Sammy's Woodfired Pizza

Dining Destination: First I'm so sorry I've been completely MIA! Well, not really I have been in San Diego wining and dining and have quite a few restaurants to post about, not to mention I have some new recipes!! So while in beautiful SD I got to dine on the best pizza in the area and I am telling you from the bottom of my heart it truly was the best pizza I have ever eaten. Honest to goodness I have been a pizza hut girl through and through but I am so over that! Sammy's Woodfired Pizza has converted me and I am positive I will be making many more trips west to visit:)

First we started with the Edamame-tossed in sesame with ponzu dipping sauce. I normally wouldn't get Edamame outside of a sushi joint because I think they go hand in hand however this has a very nice flavor and the sauce was delish {Ponzu basically means various citrus juice. The sour sauce made with citrus juice, soy sauce, vinegar, mirin, dashi stock.}

Then came the pizza and salad. The three of us chose the New York Style {homemade tomato sauce, with sauteed mushrooms, salami, pepperoni and Italian sausage}; the "small" Balsamic Grilled Chicken Salad-which was not small by any means {mixed greens, toasted walnuts, marinated chicken breast, Gorgonzola and balsamic basil dressing} it was seriously heaven and finally my pick was the Vegetarian Pizza + Pepperoni. I'm sorry but I can't allow the veggies to get all the good toppings! I often do this when it comes to sandwiches and pizzas because of the great array of vegetables then just add a protein:) The VP+P consisted of grilled eggplant, onions, zucchini, bell peppers, red onions, tomatoes, fontina, roasted garlic sauce and of course pepperoni! MMMM...doesn't it look tasty?!

Finally we finished the night with a really low fat, low cal dessert...NOT! Apparently they are known for this divine chocolate sundae called Messy Sundae {totally a registered name}. Vanilla ice cream, brownie, chocolate sauce, walnuts, more chocolate sauce, caramel sauce, whipped cream and more chocolate sauce! I hope you are understanding me=there was A LOT of chocolate sauce and considering I'm not usually a big fan of chocolate they did it right because I really really enjoyed this sinful concoction.

Fried Tuh-maters

Recipe: In my drive home today I thought of a little experiment for the stove top. I had 3 vine ripened tomatoes hanging out on the counter--I had already consumed their cousins and these 3 friends were about 3 days from being tossed out. So, I thought about baking them with a little crust top like I've done before but my oven was busy cranking out a pork loin, butternut squash and mystery rolls. {The MR were blissful simply heaven}

Instead I sliced them up, dipped/rolled/drenched in balsamic vinegar {which had kosher salt and peppercorns in it} then patted in a mixture of bread crumbs and a "dipping mix" of rosemary garlic and finished in the pan with some super hot vegetable oil. It may not look all that great but I'm telling you it was genius! Perfect side or appetizer--for mater lovers only though!

The One, The Only--PIONEER WOMAN!

Something I Love: As I mentioned me and my friends met P-Dub the other night. She was fantabulous, sweet, kind, funny and just plain perfect in every way! Got my cookbook signed and I am a happy camper.

My friend Shauna totally laid claim to having her book signed saying, "to my best friend Shauna" I wanted to go with BFF. Her idea totally, I just jumped on the bandwagon, but I was first to get mine signed so we took some fun pictures with our books! A little battle between the besties...

Thanksgiving Wine

Something I Love: So I haven't posted in a few days :( So busy at work and last night...*sigh* last night me and some of my dearest friends met our BFF. Yes, I said it our bff. Pioneer Woman! Pictures to post soon!! First, though I must tell you that I have 2 favorite wines at this point in my life. One being this Mirassou Pinot Noir. It's delightful and pleasant. I have given some to non-red wine drinkers and they enjoy it so it's a wine for all types. It's in the $8 range at the grocery store but I have gotten it for $6-7 at Sam's Club before {yes, I bought 2 at once}

This Gewurztraminer of Fetzer is a sweet delicious wine that anyone can drink. It's also in the $8-9 at the grocery store I believe. Nonetheless, I always like to keep one in the fridge if I can so if someone comes over and they want a sweet wine I can pour a glass.

My reasoning for posting about these two today though is because in the most recent Everyday Food Magazine {of which I've been subscribed to for over 3 years--Thanks Mom!} they talked about both of these kinds of wine and pairing them with your Thanksgiving Feast. I thought that it was convenient that my 2 favorites showed up on the list.

Here is what they had to say: Which Reds? Medium-bodied reds with a bit of intensity are your best bets. Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, and Syrah have distinctive flavors--think jammy fruit and peppery spice--that echo those in the food. Cotes du Rhone, Rioja, and Beaujolais are also good choices. Which Whites? Rich, bold whites, such as Chardonnay and Viognier can flatter Thanksgiving recipes just as well as reds. Riesling and Gewurtztraminer are also elegant options. Sparkling whites such as Champagne and Prosecco can cut through richness and work particularly well with sweetness, and their effervescence will lend extra cheer to the gathering.

P.S. I cooked a turkey on Saturday getting warmed up for the big day since my fam is coming to Wellton for Turkey Day!! So excited to post on my experiments!

Buttercream Frosting

Recipe: Happy belated Halloween! On Friday I made some cupcakes for my co-workers because I had previously bought Halloween specific sprinkles and if I did not use them I was going to be annoyed {OCD, maybe...} So of course I made some cupcakes just your standard yellow cake and then decorated with butter cream frosting. So simple and easy to make anyone can do it. I remember getting this frosting recipe from my grandma in Montana while in college.

All it takes is 1 stick of unsalted butter {softened}, 1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar, 1-2 tsp. vanilla and a pinch of salt. Cream together in mixer or with whisk if you're feeling frisky! Of course if you do not have unsalted butter just use salted and eliminate the pinch.