here are the ingredients for my christmas toffee. the only thing missing is a pinch of salt.  

4 sticks butter

2 cups sugar

pinch of salt

about 4 cups of nuts.  i use old bay flavored peanuts to add a little baltimore to mi

melt 4 sticks of butter over medium heat.

add the sugar to the melted butter and whisk until combined.  you will be bringing this mixture to 300 degrees.  

after the butter and sugar reach 300 degrees add the nuts.  any kind will do.  just use your favorites.  sometimes i mix and match.

now the toffee has to cool down.  once it's cool, i break it into small pieces and box it up.

this is the finished product.  in person the bird is really pretty and sparkly. 

the next post will be for the ladies in norfolk!  i'm going to make toffee and something special for dinner.  keep your fingers crossed for the dishwasher!

i know i haven't been posting lately.  my dishwasher is broken, and the new one doesn't come until the middle of the month.  i hate doing dishes, so we've been eating sandwiches these days.  i will post something later today.

the meat course was peppers, onions, and potatoes cooked along with some italian sausage.  it looked pretty good.  i have to admit that this was not the healthiest of meals i've ever served my family.  vivre la salade!
i made a different macaroni and cheese last night.  a good friend graciously gave me the recipe used at one of his restaurants here in baltimore.  it was insanely good, but i like it better at the restaurant.  i guess not having to clean up has something to do with it.

close-up of the front door.

cute boy.
scary boy.

i picked up some rotisserie chicken from poulet in green spring station.  it's too greasy for me, but everybody else loves it.  i got some side dishes of mac n' cheese, scalloped potatoes, and tomatoes and cucumbers with oil and vinegar.   these sides are pretty gross because they look like stomach bombs, but my kids like them.  i guess i should wean them soon.  okay, i have just decided no more gross side dishes from poulet.

salad course

romaine lettuce chopped course

mushrooms, as much as you like.  i like, so i added two packages.

large purple onion chopped course

1 package grape tomatoes.  i really miss the heirloom tomatoes this time of year.

toss together and add dressing to lightly coat.

caesar salad dressing adapted from the foster's market cook book.

2 large eggs

5-7 garlic cloves

2 tbsp cider vinegar

juice of 1 lemon

as much tabasco as you like.  i use about a tsp.

1 tsp salt

1 tsp fresh black pepper

about a tsp of dry mustard, sometimes more.

1 cup canola oil

1/2 cup olive oil

1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

add the first seven ingredients to a blender and let 'er rip.  when it's well blended, slowly drizzle in the oils until the dressing becomes emulsified.  now, add the cheese and blend until combined.  this is a terrific salad dressing, and would be great as a dip on a crudite platter.

what a joke!  i ordered  a toasted bagel with cream cheese at eddie's of roland park, and this is what i unwrapped upon arrival home.  hey, i know i could stand to lose a few, but, REALLY?

i made chili on sunday night with all the fixins.  the big bowl is for russ, the little one for booker.  nicky and i don't eat chili because we think it's really gross.   it went down okay...but booker was sick the next morning and had to stay home from school.  apparently russ also had some gastrointestinal issues, so i had to chuck a ton of leftover chili, because i only know how to cook for an army.  oh well, at least i don't have to make chili for a long, long, time.

another terrible picture, but you get the idea.  the top photo was what was leftover.  we still have some in the fridge.  personally, i'm kinda sick of it.

i made chicken noodle soup because russ wasn't feeling well.  i did it a little differently this time, and i think the stock came out richer and more flavorful.

chicken noodle soup

4 lbs thighs and breasts (i know this sounds like a lot of chicken, but you don't have to use all of it for soup.  some of it i just save for another recipe)

2 lbs carrots

2 bunches of celery

2 big yellow onions

2 boxes chicken stock

water

noodles

1 to 2 teaspoons better than bouillon (it's a brand of concentrated stock. it's really good.)

handful of thyme (fresh, please)

salt and pepper

remove the skin from the chicken and discard it.  put the chicken in the biggest stock pot you own.  put the boxed stock in the pot, and enough water to cover.  add a handful of peppercorns and the thyme, and set the pot on high heat.

once the pot comes to a boil, turn the heat down to low and just let it gently simmer.  cook for about 20-30 minutes on very low heat until the chicken is just about done.  i usually just go by feel.  when the flesh is firm, it's done enough.  remember, you are going to cook it some more when it's reheating, and you don't want it to dry out.  

remove the chicken to a large platter and let cool.

add half of the celery, carrots, and onion.  just rough chop them, this step is to flavor the stock and we are going to discard them later.

set the heat to simmer, and simmer away.

when the chicken is cool enough to handle, pull as much of the meat off of the bones as you can.  save the bones, cause those are going back into the pot.

anyway, put the bones into the gently simmering stock pot and cook for as long as you like.  at least one hour.

in the meantime, shred the chicken with your hands.  some of it may look underdone, but don't worry, it will get cooked again.

strain the stock through a metal strainer lined with cheese cloth. discard the solids.

dice the rest of the vegetables so that they are about the same size.

return the strained stock to the pot and add the veggies.

bring to a boil and add the noodles.  cook until the noodles are done and then add the shredded chicken back to the stock.

eat and enjoy!

i was really into mini things at one point.  i loved playing with my dollhouse when i was little, so maybe it was a little of that.  i especially like the tiny gun and bust.

this is in our dining room.  it's the sideboard.  lots of crazy stuff.  i'll get into the details later.

booker and i went to this totally awesome korean supermarket today.  9 avocados for $6!  pretty sweet.  lotsa limes and japanese eggplants.  i don't know what i'll make yet, but i'll post  when i know.

i had a bunch of cheese left over from dad and daisy's visit so i made mac and cheese for dinner.  i think it was a little too cheesy.  it looks like cheese soup with a few pieces of pasta and ham.  everybody ate it, so i guess it was pretty good.

the boys had thursday off because of yom kippur.  i probably spelled that wrong, sorry.  anyway, booker and i went back to the same diner for lunch.  this is booker's lunch.  his drink is a ginger ale.  i just had tea because i was still really sick.

a very satisfied boy.  messy, but satisfied.

this is booker's breakfast.  he almost finished it all.  wow.

this is my breakfast.  i have a bad cold so i just wasn't feeling it.

my angel baby boy.  nicky is my angel baby boy as well, he's just not as accessible.  i had to take the car to the dealership this morning for a check-up, and afterward we went to a diner.

this is my lego jumbo jet.  it took forever, but it was worth it.  it used to be on a stand, but booker was playing with barru and barru broke my plane.  very sad day.  it was one of those things that can only be repaired if i was willing to take apart much of the original structure.  obviously i wasn't  willing.  behind the plane is a ferris wheel that was supposed to turn.  i must have done something wrong in the beginning because i could never get it to turn no matter what i did.  i made lasagna last night but i forgot to take a picture.  it was really good.

we also had my pesto pasta salad.  the recipe is in a previous post.  the edamame in the upper right corner are for me.  

dad and daisy are in town for the weekend.  this was my take on a caesar salad.  

one head of romaine lettuce chopped course

one heirloom tomato (only a few more days for these babies) roughly chopped

homemade croutons (actually eddie's made them)

sliced mushrooms

one red onion diced

shredded parmesan cheese

i put the dressing on the side so that we could choose the amount we wanted

i usually make the dressing from scratch...this time i bought a bottle of caesar dressing at whole foods (it wasn't as good as mine, but it was already made and tasted pretty good)

i have been drinking 2 ounces of wheatgrass juice every day for about a week and it is curing my chronic eczema.  at first i couldn't believe it, i've been to countless doctors over the years, done light therapy, a million different creams and anything else available.  it's a miracle.  

this is my latest painting.  it was done for a couple getting married on saturday.  it was done for my best friend janie in nyc.  i hope they like it.  

a strange view of our dining room.  one day i will get better at shooting with a digital camera.  i can't get used to not looking through a view finder.  i keep changing the chandelier by adding postcards and pictures that catch my eye.  i love the black and white of the baby.  the basket in the middle is from somalia, africa.  hand beaded, it's gorgeous.

so this is the bottom.  pretty exiting.  all those wires on the floor are a mystery to me.  i just don't have the guts to just cut them away.  someone please tell me if i can just cut them away.

inside the bedside table:  brass owl, porcelain skull, real alligator head, picture of my boys a long time ago, mouth guard so i don't grind my teeth at night, inhaler for asthma(even though i don't think i have asthma)(i think my allergist is a turkey), and the living man which i bought for the boys and have since reapropiated(it's really cool, the major organs pop out and you have to figure out how to fit them all back in correctly).  oh and duh, a couple of books.

this is the top of my bedside table.  i made the lamp shade about 2 years ago.  i just strung a bunch of babies together and wrapped it around the shade.  i think i could have done it more elegantly by using something other than ordinary twine.  i guess i could sew them on individually with fancy thread, but that would have to wait until at least one boy is off to college.  

this is how retarded i am.  i just realized that by clicking on the photo, it enlarges.  i feel like a kindergardener.  so, if you want to see the photos big, click on them.

i know my pictures suck and i am working on improving them.  any ideas anyone?

this is the awesome eiffel tower i built out of legos.  i built the base 3 times before it occurred to me to use some kind of glue.  next up...the taj mahal.  really, i mean it, when i get around to it.

this is an awesome sculpture that was just one of many in a piece made in the mid-80's.  it's just palm sized.  sometimes holding something solid and heavy is just what i need to do to calm down.

this is my crazy dresser.  droog design.  all of the boxes are separate and can be rearranged at any time.  of course, i never rearrange it.  who has that kinda time?

dinner on wednesday

i make a great pasta salad that everyone in the house likes, including picky nicky.  

1 lb short pasta cooked al dente

1 1/2 cups homemade pesto (really, i didn't make the pesto.  but in a perfect world i would have.)

1 lb broccolini with garlic from whole foods.  (use whatever veg you like.)

1 lb steamed asparagus cut into 1 inch pieces

2 1/2 cups grape or cherry tomatoes (i used heirloom tomatoes, but they are not always available.)

1 lb fresh mozzerella cut into small cubes (try to get the freshest mozz you can find.  it does make a difference.  and never use the pre-shredded stuff.  it won't melt properly.)

2 bunches of scallions chopped about the size of the mozzerella.

pinch red pepper flakes

optional- toast some pine nuts in a dry frying pan until just browned.  these little suckers burn on a dime.

mix it all together and voila! dinner.  

this is a great recipe for a buffet.  i think my dad and daisy have had a version of this every time they've come to visit.

contents of rockin' bag.

god, this is really hard to figure out.  the last picture was of my rockin' pocket book.  my boys (all three) gave it to me for mother's day.  i love it.  the only problem is that there aren't enough dedicated pockets for things like cell phone, ipod, blackberry, etc.  other than that, no complaints.  marc jacobs is my favorite accessories designer.

cauliflower soup.  recipe to follow pictures.