time off is good

Day 2 of my 3-day hiatus and all I can say is it's been good for my soul to be off of work.  I have been filling my days with all things wonderful.  I had so many things worked up in my head earlier that I wanted to say but it's all left my overfull brain and this is what I am left with.

Yesterday I spent the day with 'the husband' yesterday.  We had breakfast that we had cooked together

 I know, the photo makes the food look a little sick, sorry.  I used Lo-Mob again trying to make it look appetizing but even the original photo looks a bit off.  I swear it is amazing though, promise!

By Everyday Food via Seattle Times

Corn-Tortilla and Egg Scramble
Makes 4 servings
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
6 corn tortillas, torn into small pieces
1/2 white onion, diced small (1 cup)
1 large poblano chili, seeded and diced small (1 cup)
1 medium tomato, diced small (1 cup)
Coarse salt and ground pepper
8 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese (2 ounces)
Salsa or hot sauce (optional), for serving
1. In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Add tortillas and cook, stirring frequently, until golden and crisp, about 6 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain. Discard all but 2 teaspoons oil from skillet. Add onion and chili and cook until onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Add tomato and cook until it begins to break down, about 2 to 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

2. Add eggs, tortillas and cheese and cook, stirring constantly, until eggs are set, about 3 minutes. Serve with salsa or hot sauce if desired.  [I serve it with my awesome homemade salsa via Pioneer Woman]

Nutritional information per serving: 391 calories; 26.4 grams fat (7.4 grams saturated fat); 18.9 grams protein; 21.9 grams carbohydrates; 3.3 grams fiber

We then we went antiquing on the square where more of my childhood memories were conjured up because of this:

 (circa 1969 date stamped on back)

That pumpkin decorated our home for years as I was growing up.  I have no idea where it is now, or if my mom even still has it, but Eric told me to buy it if I wanted it and even my sister said I should get it.  I have not yet gone back to get it because I'm not sure I can part with the 23 big ones it has on the price tag but when my eyes caught sight of that little fellow I was taken back just as if I were a little girl yesterday.  The only thing he needs is a light popped into his back to illuminate him as he was missing the original.

Antiquing was followed by an afternoon snack of portobello mushroom fries on the patio at Sauce on the Square.  We met up with a friend and then spent the evening watching a movie called Winter's Bone, winner of the 2010 Sundance Film Festival's Grand Jury prize as well as catching up on Sons of Anarchy.

Today I spent the day running around gathering supplies for a class I am taking over at Stephanie Lee's blog called the Homesteader's Metalsmithing E-course.  Jumping off my box and taking a leap of faith hoping that this will be something great.  A few other friends of mine are also taking the class so it will be fun to see how we all progress.  Another friend from our art club has already taken the class and her work is beautiful.  I hope mine turns out half as good as hers because she is amazing at everything she does.  I do still have a few more items to locate and then I will need to get "the husband" out in the garage so we can get it cleaned up and I will be able work on my workbench without anything in the way.  I'm really not too swift when it comes to knives and scissors....let's hope that doesn't also crossover to fire, heat and torches.  And I can finally make some creme brulee since I now own a small torch.  I never thought it too cool to bring in the old, fat and nasty one from the garage to cook with.  It just seemed so unsanitary and surely the city food inspector would frown upon it if he were inspecting us at that very moment I was using that to harden my sugar atop my yummy, creamy concoction.  So glad we actually did make creme brulee in cooking class a few weeks ago at Williams-Sonoma.  Doesn't seem as hard as I thought it was.  Why do I always make things harder than they really are?

So I leave you with one more recipe:

source

This was heavenly just as the recipe reads which is how we ate it.  Chef BJ Harms, the chef for our local Williams-Sonoma said to firm the custard up a bit you can use 2 egg yolks and 1 egg.  Personally I don't really think it needs to be thicker so it's simply personal preference. 

 

Creme Brulee courtesy Williams-Sonoma

A classic dessert, vanilla crème brûlée should be experienced in its purest form before embellishing it with additional ingredients. You might try steeping lemon or orange peel with the vanilla bean, or adding a pinch of cinnamon, nutmeg or cardamom. Either way, this simple recipe will produce a smooth, velvety custard with a delicate caramel topping.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 vanilla bean
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 3 egg yolks
• Pinch of salt
• 1/4 cup plus 4 Tbs. sugar

Directions:

Preheat an oven to 300°F. Have a pot of boiling water ready. Line a baking pan that is 2 to 3 inches deep with a small kitchen towel.

Using a paring knife, split the vanilla bean lengthwise down the middle and scrape the seeds into a 2-quart saucepan. Add the cream, stir to mix and set the pan over medium-low heat. Warm the cream until bubbles form around the edges of the pan and steam begins to rise from the surface. Remove from the heat and set aside to steep, about 15 minutes.

In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, salt and the 1/4 cup sugar until smooth and blended. Gradually add the cream to the egg mixture, whisking until blended. Pour the custard through a fine-mesh sieve set over a bowl. Divide the custard among four 5- or 6-oz. ramekins and place the ramekins in the prepared baking pan. Add boiling water to fill the pan halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Cover the pan loosely with aluminum foil and bake until the custard is just set around the edges, 35 to 40 minutes.

Transfer the ramekins to a wire rack and let cool to room temperature. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to 3 days.

Just before serving, sprinkle 1 Tbs. of the sugar evenly over each custard. Using a kitchen torch, melt the sugar according to the manufacturer's instructions. Serve immediately.

Serves 4.