Saturday, November 30, 2013

what to do with your thanksgiving leftovers

turkey croquettes

2 tbsp. butter
1 small onion chopped
2 sage leaves torn
1/2 cup cream
saute onion in butter with sage for about 3 minutes
add 1/2 cup of cream (this will make the mixture a bit thick)
saute about 2 minutes longer

mix in
2 cups chopped leftover turkey
1/2 cup mashed potatoes
1/2 cup stuffing
sprinkle with a little salt and pepper

mix all together

form small meatballs size circles roll them in panko bread crumbs
place in refrigerator for about 10 -15 minutes.

heat oil (about 2 inches) in saute pan
fry croquettes for about 2 minutes on each side until golden brown.

serve with some left over warm gravy.



if you are extra ambitious you can make some dessert ones as well.

in a food processor whip
2 cups of left over mashed sweet potatoes
with 1/2 cup cream

then add

1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg

mix all together

heat 2 inches of oil in a saute pan
using an ice cream scoop place in hot oil saute about 2 minutes on each side.
drain on paper towels
then toss the croquettes in some more cinnamon sugar mix,
sprinkle with powdered sugar
serve with maple syrup for dipping.



love sent, xo

thanksgiving

thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. a day to just enjoy the food and each other. a spacious day of togetherness where nothing else is expected.

there is nothing more comforting to me than to be surrounded by all the people i love. one theme i’ve become aware of during the holidays is the way things cycle, around in circles, back and forth like tides, waxing and waning like the moon. we all have stories to tell, words and thoughts that recur, the familiarity that makes us a family.  lots of things change, the menu, the table, the people around the table change too, but the love remains and each of us are creating our own memories. i hope you made some wonderful memories too.

 















i read once to "pay attention and your life will be rich."  this becomes more apparent with every passing year. 

i hope you had a wonderful thanksgiving too!


love sent, xo

Friday, November 29, 2013

Happy Happy Birthday Mom.

love you to the moon and back and everywhere in between.  can't wait for you to come home next week so we can celebrate.  92 years YOUNG...  xo


(summer 2013)


love sent, xo

Sunday, November 24, 2013

moments..

i will be hosting thanksgiving this week so i am sure it will be a little crazy..
all my plans to get organized this weekend got shifted a bit.  so many other things ended up taking center stage.  and you know what?  i am so glad they did.  all of the moments the weekend was filled up with are things i wouldn't trade for anything.  now it's just the two of us, one of my favorite songs is playing in the background and i know that even in these exhaustion filled shreds of time everything will get done.  all the things we did this weekend add texture to our lives, they may seem small but they are quite major. 

there was:
buying awesome bagels at the farmers market.

witnessing the christmas trees arriving at the farm stand we frequent, it's coming so quickly.

watching gus score a touch down against chelmsford - sweet


spending time with the sweetest family ever.

eating perfect cold weather food.


sorting through pictures .
happy birthday love.


drew's birthday breakfast


hanging out with the family.

 staying warm on this freezing cold day

 
best friends forever
 
 
matty's own cheering squad
 
 
 watching matty score 4 goals.
 
unplanned family reunion
 
 
 
and this little guy was hiding in the picture above.
 
 
most of my happiness exists in the ordinary stuff. 
                                                                    



love sent, xo



update:  and an overtime win for the Patriots!!!  what a game!!!



 

Friday, November 22, 2013

happy weekend.

man, sometimes i feel like i can find a million things to complain about and this week i think i did.
work was super stressful and i am soo glad it's friday.  but the whole week of stressful work stuff made me realize there is so much power in people rallying around each other.  sometimes you just can't do it alone.  i have some super friends that are always there to remind me what matters.  i am surrounded by the people i love,  i have a roof over my head and there is beauty all over the place -  sometimes it's just easier to see than other times.   
                   i am blessed, truly blessed, that i can count on so many good things in life.

                                   hope you start off your weekend with some love.

    i started mine off on this rainy friday with some chicken soup, a cozy blanket and a good book.



love sent, xo

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

wow





and i love, love, this.  it's really what christmas is all about.

Thursday, November 14, 2013

tonight

there was an amazing autumn sky.  breath taking.   hard to put into words.


it is up to us to live each day fully because we cannot go back. we must open our eyes and notice things.

all our days are filled with tiny gems that can get buried if we don't take notice of them.

one of the main characters in my life.  deep deep love.


such a special night.  i love you michaela. xo


love sent, xo

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

pear tarts and updates

there is nothing better than curling up with a good book,  hot chocolate,  and a cozy blanket on a cold night.
and it's especially helpful  if you want to tune out all the things jockeying for space in your brain.  i fall in love easily with books and songs.  i can devour written words in spare moments and hang on to every word.  i hear a song i love and  i play it on repeat for days on end.  i am a very porous person. this can be good and also be bad, i feel deeply and hurt easily.  i remind myself daily to open my eyes and notice things.  everything. so i am not that good at blocking things out.  work is a bit in turmoil at the moment and honestly i should be used to this by now.  change is constant but i never take to it with ease.  even if it doesn't effect me directly (at least at the moment) i can feel the tension.  i close my eyes and pretend i am back up north surrounded by the mountains and the silence and that brings me peace.

once again i remind myself there is always space for gratitude and disappointment, and of course, for baking.

pear & cream cheese tart




ingredients

1 stick of butter, softened
1 cup sugar, divided
1 cup flour
1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
3 thinly sliced pears, peeled

 preheat oven to 425.
 beat butter and 1/3 cup sugar until light and fluffy. (i do this in my kitchen aid mixer.)
 add flour, mix well.
 spread firmly onto bottom and up the sides of a spring form pan

 beat cream cheese and 1/3 cup sugar in same bowl.
 add egg and vanilla, mix well.
spread evenly over crust.

 combine remaining 1/3 cup sugar with cinnamon and nutmeg.
 toss sliced pears with sugar mixture until covered.
 arrange pears in concentric circles on top of cream cheese filling, starting with the outside and working in.

bake 10 minutes then reduce to 375 and bake 25 minutes or until golden brown at edges and the middle is set.
 cool on wire rack.
 remove outside of spring form pan.
 refrigerate tart for a few hours until cool and well set.
































love sent, xo

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

11-12-13

happy tuesday.

the mornings are so dark.
this morning there were snowflakes.
it is officially socks and boot weather.
i am looking forward to enjoying dinner with some very special people tonight.
i love to celebrate things.
small things.  ordinary things.
i believe in lighting candles every evening.
i believe in trying to make every day special.

i believe a life of celebrating can be a rich one.

love sent, xo







Sunday, November 10, 2013

eat well, travel often, appreciate every day.

another weekend is almost over.  i know for some lucky folks tomorrow is an extra day off, but it is a work day for me.  i am so grateful for another awesome weekend spent with loved ones, sharing some great times. we had to squeeze in some road trips in 2 days rather than 3 but it was fun just the same.
 it is amazing how relentless change is, how unpredictable.
you can be totally immersed in something one minute and in a moment it is over.  last week there was spectacular autumn foliage and now the beautiful foliage has given way to gray cold afternoons.  just a week ago the trees outside my office were a blazing red, a  spectacular sight.  when i left on friday it was cold and rainy and not a leaf was left on those trees.  but, like everything in life, change propels us forward forcing us to  release our hold on what is over. 
but there are so many gifts, offered to me daily in so many ways.  there is the gift of family, which i have been so blessed to have.  the gift of marriage, which is constantly evolving and changing, helping me be my best self.  i have been so blessed to have an amazing partner to share this life with. the gift of friendship, i am so lucky to have so many special friends.
it often seems as if my life is full of stops and starts,  as i pull myself together, i get turned around, and choose another direction.  there is always something to look forward to and always something to be grateful for.  and i always know that gratitude is a good way to go. 

 i know its crazy .. but we are still eating lobsters.  pretending it's still beach time.
                                    (thanks elaine and michael for such a fun night)

                              
                                        a weekend is not complete without potato pancakes
                                                                       (my favorite).
                           thank you mr nargi, you are the most thoughtful person on the planet



                              the last of the fall beauty.  it snowed up north this weekend.  



such good food.

hope you had a grateful weekend as well.





"Dining with one’s friends and beloved family is certainly one of life’s primal and most innocent delights, one that is both soul-satisfying and eternal.” — Julia Child





love sent, xo