Non-foodie Nugget: The Iron Lady

And the Oscar for Best Actress goes to...

It should go to...

It simply must go to...

What an amazing performance this was.  Streep does not disappoint.  Her ability to transform into a character mesmerizes me.  Just as I forgot she was Meryl and believed she was Julia, I sat in the theater fully convinced I was watching Margaret Thatcher maneuver her way through British politics.  Even her teeth were Margaret's.  There simply was no difference.  Told through a series of flashbacks, the constant thread of the film is Thatcher's present-day battle with dementia.  I always appreciate a non-traditional story line, not to mention insightful, poignant writing.  My favorite lines are in the scene below:

How true.  I have much to learn from those words.

While I do not intend on adding this film to my collection, I highly recommend it, both for Streep's performance and its historical merit.  You can definitely wait and  Red Box it (I just made that a verb...phew), or if you want to be a credible voice during the Academy Awards, stop by your local theater before February 26.

Have you seen it?  What did you think?

High Five for Friday

Thanks to Lauren and Elise, I'm jumping on the link party train.  Peer pressure wins again.

1. Tennessee's Jarnell Stokes.  He's a stud.

2. Seeing The Iron Lady with girls from my small group on Sunday.  Will Meryl's Margaret Thatcher outdo her Julia Child?  I'll let you know.

3. Spending Sunday afternoons with my dear friend Michal.  We laugh, we cry, we drink tea.  She is an amazing wife, mother, Christ-follower.  I am graciously allowed to sit in the front seat of her life, and from that seat I am both challenged and encouraged.  She points me to Jesus often and much.  Grateful doesn't begin to describe how I feel about this friendship.

4. Second semester began this week.  I'm taking solace in morning cups of coffee, first period planning, and the cartoon below.

5. It's a small world after all.  My former student Lauren interviewed my friend Kate for Lauren's dad's business blog {grow}.  Six degrees of Kevin Bacon has nothing on me.

I like this High Five for Friday train.  I'm going to make this a weekly trip.

Baby Lovin'

One of my dearest friends had her second child last Monday.  As I have observed the last few years, the second child is a game changer for the family.  For some, the first child is mild and easy, and then second comes along like the Tasmanian Devil from Looney Tunes.  For others, the first is more Tasmanian and the second compliant and peaceful.  I am not sure what will become of this little boy in comparison with his precious older sister, but I do know this:  He's cute.  Very cute.

And cute babies have parents who need to eat.  This particular couple is of the vegetarian variety, so in steps the following menu:

Rosemary and White Cheddar Biscuits

Lentil Soup

Raisin Pecan Oatmeal Cookies

This is my second attempt at a lentil soup recipe, and Giada's is the clear winner (sorry Alton Brown).  I actually made two batches at once.  I figured that if I was already chopping up carrots, celery, onions, etc. for one pot, I might as well double the ingredients and make some for myself.  The only difference between the pots was one used vegetable broth while the other had chicken.  The veggie broth made the soup a darker color and had a slightly different flavor.  Vegetarian or not, this soup tastes fabulous, especially with the freshly grated Parmesan on top and crusty biscuits on the side (ready and willing to be dipped and/or dunked into the soup).

These biscuits were the perfect complement to the soup.  I've made rosemary bread for these friends a few times, so I thought I'd venture out and use rosemary in a different, carb-loving way.  Enter Tracy, the foodie blogger behind Sugarcrafter, my newest food blog find.  I saw her recipe for these rosemary cheddar biscuits and I was sold.  The general assembly of the biscuits was easy, though after using two knives to blend the butter into the dry ingredients, I am reminded again that my kitchen needs a pastry blender...it's just easier.

And finally the cookies.  Oh my.  These are perfection.  I've made this recipe before (no blog post to verify as I had baked them during the final days of my old Dell computer), and I'm glad to share this Ina Garten feat with you.  The combination of white and brown sugar, toasted pecans, and chewy raisins is unbeatable.  Well, adding some chocolate chips wouldn't hurt.

I have received feedback from this new family of four, and thumbs are up all around.  Even better?  My own batch of lentil soup has already provided five meals (with one still left for tomorrow's lunch @ school), and I have a roll of cookie dough in the freezer for whenever I have another cookie craving, which might very well be next week. Or this weekend.  Perhaps tomorrow.  They are just that good!

Looking for an online meal schedule planner? Try TakeThemAMeal. Super user-friendly and easy to set up.

Non-foodie Nugget: Downton Abbey

My friend Emily told me, my sister Ashley told me, and my anglophile soul told me that I would love PBS's Masterpiece Classic Downton Abbey.  And they were all right.

Thanks to my new subscription to Amazon Prime, I marathoned my way through Season One of this captivating mini-series (Is it really a miniseries? Can a miniseries have multiple seasons?).  As embarrassing as it is to admit, I watched the entire season in one weekend.  Yes, one weekend.  I watched hours and hours of the distinguished Crawley family plow its way through various drama, the ins and outs of the servant's lives beneath the gallantry above, and the please-won't-they-make-it-work romance between Mary and Matthew.  Hooked?  I am way beyond that.

My favorite part?  The setting of World War I has its obvious draws, not to mention the social class disparities simultaneously accepted by Mr. Carson and rejected by Thomas, and goodness, the costumes.  The costumes are amazing (I gasped when Sybil debuted those pants!).  All of those entice, but it's Maggie Smith as Violet, the Dowager Countess of Grantham, I find most compelling.  Creator Julian Fellowes has bestowed much wit to her lines, and while other actresses would undoubtedly garner a smirk with such wit, it is Smith's delivery of those lines that establishes the true genius of the character.  She is both lovable and irritating, charming and appalling, tender and coarse.  Bravo Maggie Smith.

And now Season Two has arrived.  And what a start!  The opener a couple of weeks ago was practically a full length feature film, and this past Sunday's episode has me all up in arms over Mr. Bates and Anna.  What will happen next?  Come join me, fellow anglophiles, and let's find out.

Downton Abbey is on PBS, Sundays @ 9:00 (through February 19).  You can also watch full episodes online.

Salt Strikes Twice

In December I did it.  Now I've done it again.

Yup, I've sprinkled more salt on cookies, and the result is absolutely divine. I might need to change the name of my blog to "Allyson, Salt Ranger."

I've slightly adapted this recipe from Jenny at Picky Palate, a fabulous food blog that focuses on feeding the pickiest of eaters.  Ok, yes, that begs the question what was I doing on this site as I am about as far from picky with food as tomatoes are from being vegetables.  I really don't know how I found the site, just know I did, and below is one of the best cookie recipes I've made.

Double Chocolate & Pretzel Peanut Butter Cookies...with Sea Salt
adapted from Picky Palate

1 stick softened butter, 8 tablespoons
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup white chocolate chips, to melt
1 1/4 cups creamy peanut butter (reserve 2 tablespoons)
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup broken pretzel pieces*
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. 
2. Melt white chocolate chips and 2 tablespoons peanut butter over a double boiler until melted.  (If you don't have a double boiler, simply put a glass bowl over a saucepan of boiling water...just make sure your bowl doesn't make contact with the water.  It should simply sit on top and be heated by the steam of the boiling water).
3. Add melted chocolate chips and remaining peanut butter to beaten butter and sugars.  Beat in egg and vanilla.
4. Place flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl; mix to combine.
5. Add to wet ingredients, a third at a time, just until combined (do not overmix!). Pour in pretzels and semisweet chocolate chips and allow paddle to stir until mixed throughout.
6. With a cookie scoop, scoop cookie dough onto a silpat or parchment lined baking sheet.  With the palms of your hand, gently press down each cookie to about 1/2" thickness (dough will be crumbly, so "gently press" is key).  Sprinkle each cookie with a touch of sea salt.
7. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until edges become golden and slightly crisp.  Let cool for 10 minutes on baking sheet before removing.

yields 3 dozen cookies

*I used Trader Joe's Honey Wheat Pretzel Sticks.  I broke them by placing a good handful into a ziploc bag and pressing a rolling pin over them till they were sufficiently crushed.  In doing so I also exploded the bag and created a dusty mess...you might want to cover the plastic bag with a towel to avoid said mess.

17 Lessons Learned

Last summer I bought my roommate a subscription to Real Simple for her birthday.  Elizabeth is one for multi-purposing, organizing, and the like, so this magazine fits her to the proverbial "T."  Ok, yes, there's a rather wonderful bonus to that gift: I also get to read it.

So this month the mag featured an article entitled "How to Fix 17 Basic Cooking Mistakes" by Melissa Clark. Do you identify with any of the pictures below?  If you do, prepare to be schooled.  In a good way.

 

Too many people out there consider cooking to be some kind of elusive magic art that will prevent them and their loved ones from enjoying a good meal till the end of time because they simply didn't get the right wand at Olivander's shop (hello HP fans).  Is that you?  If so, you must read through this list.  As I have ventured into the kitchen the past few years, I can attest that these are fatal kitchen errors, and learning from them will make you think twice about the lack of a certain wand and produce in you more confidence to make good decisions in the kitchen.  Look at the list below and see if any apply to you, then click on the article's link and be befuddled no more.

1. Boiling pasta in a pot too small
2. Using the wrong knife
3. Using a tiny cutting board
4. Storing tomatoes in the refrigerator
5. Putting good knives in the dishwasher
6. Overcrowding the pan
7. Choosing lean ground beef
8. Overmixing doughs and batters
9. Cooking with a cold pan--and cold oil or butter
10. Searing meat over too-low heat
11. Adding garlic too early
12. Tossing cooked pasta with oil to prevent sticking
13. Using a nonstick pan for everything
14. Turning meat too often or too soon
15. Baking with cold eggs and dairy products
16. Slicing meat immediately after it's cooked
17. Measuring dry ingredients in a liquid measuring cup

 I also just realized that I am posting these 17 lessons on January 17.  [ just patted myself on the back ]

The Big Chill

Some cold weather blew through Raleigh on Monday and Tuesday.  Granted, for most people of the Northern and Midwestern varieties, the 30s are not all that cold, but we were enjoying 70 degrees on Sunday, so anything under 40 degrees left me with no other option but to burrow under quilts, all the while wearing sweatpants, a fleece, and my amazing Wicked Good mocs (I've had these for over six years...they are phenomenal!).

Freezing temps tend to inspire me in a soup direction, so I found myself with a dutch oven full of goodness last night.  Another Giada recipe has found favor with me:

Winter Minestrone

Yum, yum, yum.  All the classic ingredients create a most flavorful base--celery, carrots, onions, and garlic.  The Giada-touches come from pancetta, a sprig of rosemary and a parmesan rind (what a great trick and wonderful way to use an otherwise disposable item).  I served it with freshly grated parm on top with some pieces of crusty bread (perfect to dip into the soup).  A number of friendly palates enjoyed it with me: fun-loving city gal Jen, recently married roommate-for-a-week Elise, and usual roommate of staggering beauty Elizabeth.  We all liked it so much that I had just enough for lunch today.

This one's a keeper.