Wednesday, April 29, 2009

welcome baby declan...

congratulations to leonor, pat and cam on your new little addition. what a beauty!!




declan burke daley



and the proud godfather eric.






Monday, April 27, 2009

i hope your weekend was filled with laughter and beautiful weather. i am still smiling from vacation. i can't believe we waited 4 years to go back there. we are now determined to visit again next year.

Sunday, April 26, 2009

book your trip now...

and head to aruba. i want to write for days about how much fun we had and how relaxed it can be there... but i am to tired so for now i will give you this
snapshot.

vacation was...

AWESOME..... will be back with pictures soon. wish it didn't end so soon. while we were away the weather here turned from winter to summer.. we skipped spring but i hear it is getting colder later today so i am heading out to enjoy the 90 degree weather before we get back to normal. the laundry can wait right????

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

post easter must make...



Serves 8

Ingredients
All-purpose flour, for dusting
Pate Sucree
2 recipes Lemon Curd
1 cup creme fraiche
1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar
1 cup blueberries, washed and picked over
3 tablespoons apricot jam
1 tablespoon Candied Lemon Zest, dredged in granulated sugar
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly flour a clean work surface. Roll out pate sucree to 1/8-inch thickness. Place dough in the bottom of an 8-inch tart pan with a removable bottom; place in refrigerator about 30 minutes.
Place tart pan on a baking sheet. Using a fork, prick crust all over. Carefully line pastry with parchment paper, pressing it into the corners and edges, and weight with beans, rice, or pie weights. Bake about 20 minutes. Remove the paper and weights, and continue baking until crust is golden, about 10 minutes more. Transfer to a cooling rack. Spread lemon curd in tart shell, and return to oven until curd is set, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack, and let cool to room temperature.
Place creme fraiche and confectioners' sugar in a medium bowl. Whisk until stiff peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes. Dollop in the center of cooled tart.
Place blueberries in a small bowl. In a small saucepan, warm apricot jam over medium heat, and add 2 teaspoons water until thin, 3 to 4 minutes. Using a fine sieve, strain jam directly over blueberries. Toss blueberries until coated with jam mixture. Pile blueberries on top of creme fraiche. Garnish with candied lemon zest, and serve.
In this case raspberries were used instead of blueberries !! Enjoy!!

Monday, April 13, 2009

lacrosse

when you sit in the boston garden and you look up at the rafters you can see the many years of history. when you grow up near boston and have visited the garden often for many sporting events the thoughts that you could one day get a chance to play in that arena would be impossible to believe. but even though you aren't a professional athlete one day you get the chance and it's something you will never forget.... ever. then the icing on the cake is your team wins the game.



Mark, Eric and Andrew



The WarPigs - Great Job !!!

Sunday, April 12, 2009

happy easter, happy spring

hope your day is filled with egg hunts, chocolate bunnies, jelly beans, lots of togetherness and happiness xox

Saturday, April 11, 2009

here it is

Saturday again. i know i have been away a lot - life is getting the better of me.
work has been crazy with all the changes that have happened over the past weeks.
this week was better - we will all get there eventually. this week brought several visitors from our other offices for training which was really intense but i think everyone was happy with the outcome of the overall week. i joined this group in January so had not met many of the folks from the other sites yet. the week included a pizza party, dinner, and having a chance to finally meet face to face the people I speak to on the phone so often. lots of folks travel in from europe and it's pretty interesting to hear their stories. having pizza at 5:30 was a challenge for our
friends from france they aren’t used to dinner until 8pm. i love france and that’s just one more reason i can't wait to visit again. i am really happy talking to friends, drinking wine, and savouring dinner well into the evening. the europeans know how to slow down and enjoy life.


bring me back...

Sunday, April 5, 2009

almond cake

1 - 9 inch cake

Time
15 minutes to assemble
20-22 minutes to bake
Total time: 35-37 minutes

It's hard to believe a cake so rich can be made without butter. I think you'll agree, with a minimum amount of effort, this cake delivers a maximum amount of flavor!

INGREDIENTS

1-7 oz box Almond Paste, grated
1/4 cup sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature
1/4 cup all purpose flour
Pinch of salt
Optional:
1-2 tablespoons confectioners sugar

1 9" cake pan
Wax paper

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease pan. Line bottom of pan with wax paper and grease paper.
Add Almond Paste, sugar and eggs to a mixing bowl. Mix on medium speed until well combined. Turn speed to high, and mix for 3 minutes.
Add flour and salt to almond mixture. Mix on a low speed until just combined.
Pour batter into pan. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean.
Cool cake in pan on wire rack for 15 minutes. Invert on plate or wire rack, peel off wax paper. Invert cake back onto wire rack (so top doesn't get lined) to finish cooling. Dust with confectioners sugar if desired. This cake is also pretty topped with fresh summer berries and whipped cream.

kitchen update......



i am really excited on the kitchen progress... the floor is in and I love it !!!!!


best buddies...

Last night we got together for a fund raiser for the Best Buddies Organization. My brother- in law, my nephew and some close friends will be riding again this year. The Best Buddies Challenge: Hyannis Port it is a five-star cycling experience that takes place on Saturday, May 30. This will be the tenth Audi Best Buddies Challenge. Open to all ages and abilities the event, with a 100 or 20-mile bike ride, participation of celebrities and professional athletes, gourmet clambake and private concert, has something for everyone. More than a ride, it's an experience. It's truly "the only five-star ride". Start your summer off with a bang by joining Best Buddies on the road to Hyannis Port. Join celebrities, professional athletes, and hundreds of riders with and without disabilities and cap your summer off with a bang by joining Best Buddies on the road to Hyannis. Encourage them along their way and offer your support. If you can't make it think of donating to a Best Buddies rider and help make a difference in someone's life.




The team of riders, you go guys!!!!
you are the BEST !!






Wednesday, April 1, 2009

hump day.....


i love this picture. i wish this were my bed. today was a really weird day i got sick very unexpectedly - a vertigo episode that was awful. in any case i am still pretty wiped out from it. i guess there are lots of bugs going around, hopefully that's it for me and tomorrow will be a better day. off to dream land i am going. maybe that's why this picture looks especially inviting.