Monday, January 16, 2012

A Few Favorite Christmas Gifts

This year I received a few Christmas gifts that I have just loved and wanted to share with you all. Most of them were surprises and I think that is why that have stood out to me. In no particular order...

Kindle Touch
Brian had noticed that I had been reading a lot more lately and surprised me with my Kindle. I never really thought I would want one of these. People rave about them but I have been in the group who thinks reading a book without actually holding the book would feel weird. Boy was I wrong. I LOVE my Kindle! It is so convenient! I prop it up against my legs, pillow, on my treadmill and I do not have to fight with the pages to stay open. I have already read one full book (The Hunger Games) and I am on book #2 (Catching Fire). More on the books in another post ;-)

Bissell Little Green Proheat Handheld Carpet Cleaner
Call me domestic or just call me getting old, but I received this gift from my Nan-nee and Gran-dee and I have raved about it to everyone. This little light-weight carpet cleaner works like a charm. I cleaned all the carpets in our house, both upstairs and down, in no time and all (yes I said all) of the stains came up easily.

Costco Membership
Who doesn't love going to Costco? If for nothing other than the free samples, I can get lost in here for hours. Brian's mom has graciously taken us a time or two and allowed us to use her membership in the past. She must have known how much we appreciated it and Brian's parents gave us a year's membership. We have already made a trip and loaded up. Our goal is to go once per month to stock up on some common essentials (toilet paper, power towels, dish and laundry detergent) and bulk food (frozen meats/veggies/berries, cereal bars, coffee) and then to only go the grocery here and there for fresh produce. I will let you know if all is going well after a few months.

Fontanini
This gift was not exactly a surprise but brings me tremendous joy. My mom started Brian and I this set when we got married and each year at Christmas she give us another piece to add. Ever since I was a kid I loved my mom's and would insist I was the one who put Baby Jesus into the manger.

Brian and I had a very special Christmas. It is not only about the gifts. The thoughtfulness behind each of these is what makes these so special to me.

I would love to hear what gift(s) you received and are thoroughly enjoying...

Monday, January 9, 2012

{Pinterest} BAKING: Gingerbread Cheesecake Bites and Mason Jar Monkey Bread

Each year during the holidays, I do a little baking for my co-workers, our neighbors and to have for special guest. This year I ran across these two recipes on Pinterest and had to give them a try. Both were delicious and will be making an appearance again.


Gingerbread Cheesecake Bites

1 (30 oz) package Pillsbury Gingerbread Cookie Dough (refrigerated section)
4 oz cream cheese (room temperature)
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Roll two teaspoons of cookie dough into a ball for each cookie. Place balls of dough into paper liners mini cupcake/muffin pan. Make a well/indentation into each ball of dough with a flour dipped mini rolling pin or the back of a measurement teaspoon.
Beat room temperature cream cheese with powdered sugar. Stir in vanilla. Place filling into a piping bag, cut off edge of bag. Place one teaspoon or so of filling into each area of cookie dough.
Bake at 350 degrees for 9 minutes or until cookie tested with tooth pick comes out almost clean.
*Don’t over fill the cookies with filling as they will rise when baked.
Let cool before removing from cupcake pan.

Meghan's Notes:
I was not able to find the prepared Gingerbread Cookie Dough, so I used a package of Duncan Hines Cookie Mix and prepared according to the instructions. The mix was super sticky so I also had to put this into a plastic bag to pipe into the muffin tins. Prior to forming the indention for the filling, I had to chill mine in the frig for about 5-10 minutes to make the dough more firm.

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Monkey Bread
{baked in 8 ounce mason jars} Makes 4 servings
What you’ll need:
10 refrigerated biscuits – cut into quarters
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray mason jars with cooking spray and place them into a deep sided baking tray.
2. Into a bowl, add: sugars, and cinnamon. Whisk together to combine. Place cut biscuits pieces into sugar mixture. Toss to combine and coat well.
3. Evenly distribute coated biscuit pieces between the jars. Adding a little extra of the sugar mixture as you go. Fill only 3/4 of the way up the jar {to allow for bread to rise and not overflow}
4. Bake for approximately 10-15 minutes until monkey bread has risen and is golden and bubbly. Allow jars to cool slightly prior to serving.

How precious are these? I tied a fork onto each jar so they were always ready to eaten!
My Notes: I was surprised this recipe did not call for butter. And you really did not miss it but adding a little butter never hurts either right? So feel free to slip some in if you want. I might also suggest cutting your biscuits into smaller pieces than directed- just a personal preference.

Let me know if you make either of these and if liked them as much as I did. Hope you enjoy!

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Livingston's New Years 5 Course Tasting Menu

Some of you were interested in the menu we were served at our New Years Party at the Livington, so I will show pictures of what I have and share my personal thoughts.

Chef Zeb Stevenson’s Five Course Tasting Menu


AMUSE BOUCHE: Smoked Scallop
grapefruit / pink pepper / avocado

Forgot to snap a picture of this one. It was not my favorite. It had a really nice flavor however, the texture of the smoked scallop was a bit much for me.
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APPETIZER: Shrimp Dumpling
fragrant broth / wagyu beef

The dumpling was very tasty -I wish there would have been 2- and the broth made it like a soup. Wagyu beef, by the way, is served rare- eww, no thanks. I threw mine on Brian's plate when I waitress was not looking.
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NEXT: Local Apple
endive / mascarpone vinaigrette / hazelnut

One bit of this dish we were pulling out our phones to search what endive is. It is actually a leaf vegetable belonging to the daisy family; can be cooked or used raw in salads. Honestly it tasted like a super salty onion. And the name of the dish was super deceiving. The three pieces on the side of the plate are dried apples. Again not my favorite and had to pass on most of this one.

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FISH: Northwest Rockfish
broccoli greens / chinese black bean

I LOVED this dish and cleaned my plate. The fish was seared to perfection and the black bean puree was slightly sweet which complimented everything very well.

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ENTREE: Roasted Lamb Loin
sweet potato / coriander / red wine

Another one I forgot to snap a picture of. I am not a red meat fan- I will eat it on occasions when it is served to me but is not something I would ever order. However I honestly enjoyable this dish a lot. The sweet potato/red wine/coriander added the perfect flavor to the meat. Brian loves lamb and said it was one of the best he ever had.
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DESSERT: Coffee “Crema Fritta”
cinnamon sorbet

I rarely find a dessert I do not like- this girl has a serious sweet tooth. I did not know that "crema fritta" was actually fried cream custard until just now. The outside was sweet and crunchy with a soft, cool center. It was all severed over a delicious caramel sauce that I wanted to dip my finger in the remaining bits on my plate.

The kitchen was super accommodating and offered Brian any dessert off their menu since this dessert was prepared near or on a table were nut were used and did not want to risk serving him some. Brian's dessert was incredible!
Apple Stack Cake:
fried waffle, sorghum swirl ice cream


And because i am sharing here is my special celebration beverage.
Ponce Pomm Fizz:
van gogh pomegranate vodka, pomegranate & lime
served: rocks

Delicious! Cheers to 2012!!

Monday, January 2, 2012

Ringing in 2012 at the Livingston

Happy New Years to all!! This year Brian and I celebrated the New Year extra special. Along with our friends Dave and Jennifer, we went to the New Years Eve Party @ Livingston Restaurant + Bar in the Georgian Terrace Hotel across the street from the Fox.

Ring in the New Year in good taste...Chef Zeb Stevenson & his team have put together a sublime 5-course New Year's Eve Tasting Menu $55 complete with optional wine pairings $35. After your meal, head over to Livingston Bar & Lounge where we will be showcasing LIVE music by the Justin Borgman Band, drink specials, and NYE party favors. Stay with us as the clock strikes midnight with a Massive Balloon Drop and complimentary Champagne Toast!

We had a wonderful evening, dressing up in fancy cocktail attire, dining to exquisite dishes (maybe a bit fancy for our simple group), laughing enjoying fellowship with sweet friends, and singing and dancing to the awesome band until we all counted down the new year. Here are a few pictures from our big night out.









HAPPY NEW YEAR !!!