Tag: Exit 51

Dessert, Main Course

Flashback Friday – I Am

by Wendi5 Comments on Flashback Friday – I Am

Flashback Friday

The following originally appeared on 7/14/08 at Exit 51.

I Am

My own worst enemy.  There I’ve said it.

In anticipation of a crazy week, and because the line at the deli had twenty people ahead of me, I tried to cram several cooking projects into one short Sunday.  By the time the lower fat, vegan friendly, deep chocolate cake came out of the oven, I was well into pasta sauce for baked pasta, and had yet to begin the chicken or mushroom cream sauce for a casserole (think chicken and cream of mushroom soup bake with rice…only WAY better).  Somewhere between assembling the baked pasta and furiously trying to reduce the creamy mushroon sauce, I lost all enthusiasm and most of my patience.  And the cake had yet to be dressed. Continue reading “Flashback Friday – I Am” →

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Flashback Friday – Today’s Count

by WendiLeave a Comment on Flashback Friday – Today’s Count

Flashback Friday

The following originally appeared on 7/2/08 at Exit 51

Today’s Count

If you read my July 1st post, you are already aware of my problem when it comes to collecting recipes.  Just to illustrate how in need I am of an intervention, I thought I’d share with you the recipes I found today. Continue reading “Flashback Friday – Today’s Count” →

Breakfast/Brunch, Main Course, South Beach Diet

More Cowbell

by WendiLeave a Comment on More Cowbell
image from http://www.istockphoto.com

While I’m away on my imaginary vacation, I’m leaving the pantry stocked with posts from Exit 51 that would have been part of the Flashback Friday series. The following originally appeared on 6/10/09 at Exit 51

More Cowbell

I love the Saturday Night Live skit with Will Ferrell and Christopher Walken about the rock band and the cowbell.

The point is that while what the band was doing was good, it would have been even better with more cowbell.  Do you ever have days like that?  Days where you’re in a groove, doing your thing, and you just know that if you could have a little something extra it would be phenomenal.  Yeah, you need more cowbell.

More cowbell can be anything – a steady breeze on a balmy day, all green lights on your way home, a leisurely nap on a lazy Sunday afternoon – anything that puts whatever you’re doing over the top.  The French have a phrase for it – je ne sais quoi – literally meaning I know not what.  Because sometimes, it’s something you can’t quite put your finger on.  Other times though, you know exactly what that cowbell would be. Continue reading “More Cowbell” →

Random

Wordle

by WendiLeave a Comment on Wordle
image from http://www.istockphoto.com

While I’m away on my imaginary vacation, I’m leaving the pantry stocked with posts from Exit 51 that would have been part of the Flashback Friday series. The following originally appeared on 6/17/09 at Exit 51.

Wordle

For the life of me, I cannot remember how the world used to burn up billable work time before the Internet.  I mean, you can only make so many “cheeky” xerox copies.  Now, there’s Facebook and Youtube and Hulu.  And don’t forget about Wordle.

wordle

What’s Wordle, you ask?  See that picture?  That’s my very own Exit 51 translated into Wordle.  Mosey on over to wordle, enter text or provide a link to a blog site, and create a Wordle of your very own.  The possibilities are endless.

You can thank me later, when you should be updating some TPS Report.

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Tool Time

by Wendi9 Comments on Tool Time
image from http://www.istockphoto.com

While I’m away on my imaginary vacation, I’m leaving the pantry stocked with posts from Exit 51 that would have been part of the Flashback Friday series. The following originally appeared on 6/29/09 at Exit 51.

Tool Time

The kitchen here at Exit 51 is kind of small.  When I say that I’ve stayed in hotels with bathrooms bigger than my kitchen, that’s not an exaggeration.  It took a lot of creative thinking when we renovated to try and balance maximized storage space with everyday functionality.  And even after all that, it’s still a struggle to keep things in check.

Laugh if you like, but I think it is necessary to have three separate pairs of spring loaded tongs. If I had my way, I’d have every conceivable kitchen gadget on the market.  Well, maybe not every one.  But I’d definitely have more.  Because even though gadgets and gizmos won’t make you a better cook, they can certainly make it easier for you to be the best cook you can.

Continue reading “Tool Time” →

Soup

Dreamy

by Wendi10 Comments on Dreamy
image from http://www.istockphoto.com

While I’m away on my imaginary vacation, I’m leaving the pantry stocked with posts from Exit 51 that would have been part of the Flashback Friday series. The following originally appeared on 7/1/09 at Exit 51.

Dreamy

I’ve been looking at a recipe for creamy crab bisque nearly four years.  I figured it was finally time to either test it or get rid of it.  Guess which one I chose? This is the recipe that SFC’s mother makes.  Just say the words cream of crab soup to him and he gets this dreamy, far away look in his eyes.  Kind of like I do when I hear the words bacon or Andy Nelson Barbecue. Continue reading “Dreamy” →

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Flashback Friday – On Probation

by Wendi9 Comments on Flashback Friday – On Probation

Flashback Friday

The following originally appeared on 7/1/08 at Exit 51.

On Probation

I’ve got a secret, I’m addicted to finding new recipes to try. So far, I haven’t found a program to help me overcome this affliction. Instead, I try to keep it hidden away in folders and binders in dark corners of the house. The problem is that on this information superhighway, there’s no shortage of rest stops that tempt my demons. I have folders stuffed with pages from websites, magazines, and even some newspapers.

To balance this habit, I rarely buy cookbooks. I’m still trying to get through recipes I pulled years ago from Cooking Light, so how can I justify spending money on a book full of recipes I would have to put in the test rotation? At that rate, my folders would overflow like the loaves and fishes. Continue reading “Flashback Friday – On Probation” →

Dessert, Sweets

On Call

by Wendi4 Comments on On Call
image from http://www.istockphoto.com

While I’m away on my imaginary vacation, I’m leaving the pantry stocked with posts from Exit 51 that would have been part of the Flashback Friday series. The following originally appeared on 7/3/09 at Exit 51.

On Call

The moment I picked those berries, the clock started ticking.  One reason the strawberries you buy at the grocery store taste so blah is because they’ve been in suspended animation.  They get cold stored which prolongs their shelf life.  Fresh picked berries, however, have essentially been removed from their life support system.  The morning after harvest, the berries I had set aside from the mega batch of jam were already starting to dry out and wither.  Their once shiny exteriors were flat and dull.  I needed to get these berries into the kitchen stat.  Luckily, the recipe on call that day was Strawberry Frozen Yogurt.  I was asked to assist. Continue reading “On Call” →

Sweets

Berry Good

by Wendi8 Comments on Berry Good
image from http://www.istockphoto.com

While I’m away on my imaginary vacation, I’m leaving the pantry stocked with posts from Exit 51 that would have been part of the Flashback Friday series. The following originally appeared on 6/19/09 at Exit 51.

Berry Good

The notion of eating fresh relies heavily on eating what’s in season. Those strawberries you see at the market in the dead of winter…not so much in season. But the ones I just picked at Baugher’s Farm? Most definitely so.

What do you think a strawberry is supposed to taste like? After eating so many of the mass produced, genetically enhanced, grocery store giants, I had forgotten the beauty of a fresh strawberry. Right from the plant, it is warm from the morning sun. The skin is vibrant; bright, and shining red and the flesh is firm but gently yielding. Bite into a mega farm berry and you get a little sweet, a lot of bland with the texture of cardboard. Bite into a just picked berry and it’s an explosion of freshness. Sweet and bright all at the same time and then the flesh just sort of melts away in your mouth. Continue reading “Berry Good” →