a picnic at midnight

My grandma's frosting is the whitest, glossiest thing you will ever see...

So, in honor of the annual Dinah Shore weekend (the white party), I was going to make it for the girls. I thought I would add turquoise sprinkles. Is there anything better than a chooey sugar cookie, dreamy frosting and brightly colored sugar crystals... (okay, fine, I have had a glass of wine tonight, so I guess sugar crystals does seem a bit dreamy, but I am Jodi.)

Back to the illustrious night- after hitting the town, a picnic seemed to fit the spot. "Turn on the grill, turn on the oven and pour me a glass," she says. After baking potatoes with heavy cream, horseradish sauce and sharp cheddar cheese; grilling romaine hearts; and blending a fresh chimichurri sauce, I poured myself a glass of magistrate (my new favorite cab-go get some!) we set the table on the floor (more fun!) and passed the salt and pepper. It was to be a meal of epic proportion...alright, fine, we were high on life...aka buzzed!! the food was amazing. However, I think the group was tired of me professing my love to the chimichurri...still giggling at this thought!

One might think that after a bitchin' dinner after midnight that there was only one logical next step...yep, you guessed it!!?!?! crashin' in bed...NOPE!!!! It was time to make my grandma's frosting!!!!! ha ha ha ha ha ha still laughing ha ha ha...actually everybody was laughing...but, remember, i am jodi!!

first batch, i threw in all the ingredients...NOPE

second batch, i let some of the egg yolk slip in...NOPE

third batch, i added too much vanilla...NOPE

Now, at this point, you might think- GO TO BED! You can't make frosting, stupid head...but then again, I am very determined. "I'll do it," were my first words.

fourth batch, it was perfect

Everyone gathered around...the love languages had been discovered; the wrinkle room had been explored; the jokes of the night had been shared; the jackalope had been admired; the comedy/irony of Dinah Shore singles and couples had been analyzed and smirked at; and the golf balls had been hit over the pond, it was now time to lick the spoon, and play with the best frosting ever!!

After a few cookies and ridiculously full bellies, it was determined that this perfect Saturday in the desert (with more women that could be counted but spent with only a few special ones) was, well, perfect just the way it was. I guess a good bottle of red, a great group of confident women and a passion in the kitchen equals the right kind of contentment...it is surely all I will ever need.

Make this recipe when you want something that is sweet, but not too sweet; something that is dreamy, but doesn't promise anything; something that loves you back but doesn't expect anything; something that is easy but seems so hard; something that is the prettiest one at the party but doesn't even get it. make this frosting and spread it on something you love...or someone you love...you won't be disappointed.

On a total side note, I crack up when I think that I was going to be the modern girl to my grandma's kitchen...she has shown me up to the point that I am truly humbled at how bitchin' she was...but, I digress, I think she would've liked my picnic at midnight and she would have thought my chimichurri was pretty good!!! ha ha ha I only hope wherever she is that she knows that today, yesterday and tomorrow she is my hero, my inspiration and my guru in the kitchen. My kitchen where, I know she would agree, it wouldn't matter if you were young, old; gay, straight; black, white; modern or experienced; or knew saffron existed or not...it would and should only matter that you want to cook and share good food with the people you are happy to know on this big beautiful planet...

By the way, the chimichurri is great on bread the next day...Dinah would approve- it is an effigy to the greens! ha ha

as it stands~
guests- 4
emotions- joy sprinkled with dismay
meltdowns- 1 ( i was going to run out of eggs!!!)
mistakes- i think you know!!
recipes- 1
recipes to date- 20

The Recipe

White Frosting

2 egg whites
1 cup light corn syrup
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 cup sugar

Beat egg whites and salt until soft peaks form. Mix corn syrup and sugar in saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring, until sugar is completely dissolved and mixture just comes to a full boil. Beat in hot syrup to the egg whites, a little at a time. Beat in vanilla. Continue beating until the mixture holds still peaks. Makes enough to frost tops and sides of 2 8" or 9" layers.

if you halve the recipe it is good for a dozen sugar cookies or a great decorative topping for your significant other...your choice...

gooey, cheesy goodness and an introduction...

I have the day off and all I can think about is planning a fabulous evening for my new girlfriend. Candles, music, flowers, and delicious food. I think it's time to introduce Maria to my grandma's recipes. And, the flavor on my mind was Mexican. Digging through Grandma's box always leads to something fun...something unexpected...something special. I found a recipe for baked rice and the ingredients were rice, sour cream, green chilies, and cheese. I think, with these ingredients, it has to be amazing.

The menu will be homemade chipotle shrimp tacos with cotija cheese and cilantro, baked rice with a cilantro dressing, and a Mexican Caesar salad.

For the rice, it needed to be cooked for the recipe. And, as I start to prep everything, the first big belly laugh of the evening lets loose. It called for 3/4 cup cooked rice. Really, Grandpa? Really? 3/4 a cup, that's one serving. And, before you know it, Maria and I are joking about it. I had to explain to her that my grandpa has made some mistakes. (just a couple mistakes! ha ha) We decided to make a bit more; 4 servings which was 1 cup of uncooked rice. I used jasmine. Now, to prep it for the oven, I needed a square casserole dish. Big belly laugh number two- Maria didn't have one. So, the search began. After playing with a few dishes, we decided on her prized "meatball dish." Yes, that's what she called it, but she is Italian so she has liberties!! The dish was a perfect fit. I took half the rice and blended it with the sour cream. Because I cooked more rice, I knew I should just add enough sour cream to balance it out. I spread that in the bottom and then layered it with 4 whole green chilies. Then came a few big handfuls of the Mexican blended shredded cheese. I totally fudged on the recipe but, because all the ingredients would taste delicious no matter what, I knew it would come out smashing. I placed the rest of the rice on the top. I spread it like I would spread frosting on a cake. I then added a handful of cheese on the top. You can never have too much cheese! ha ha! I threw that in the oven and, after a few sips of my Corona, flittered off to make the table pretty.

While listening to Spanish music, I arranged my red flowers, lit the candles, sipped my beer, kissed my girl, placed the dishes, kissed my girl, folded the napkins, and stood back and smiled as I witnessed another great evening being born.

I roasted the shrimp in my homemade chipotle sauce, threw together the salad, and plated the sauces. As everything was coming together, I smirked because I was so happy. I can't believe how lucky I am...I have found an amazing girl and she loves my cooking and my giddy pleasure in the small things...like a homemade chipotle sauce that will knock your sombrero off. ha ha

By the way, the baked rice was unbelievable. It was gooey, cheesy goodness! You have to make it! Seriously! Hurry up! Make it tonight!!

Oh, and Maria loved everything. She even took pictures! I think my favorite shot of the night was definitely the one where I was washing the shrimp! ha ha! Too funny! But, honestly, I loved everything too...especially the sweet smiles and sounds that come from eating yummy food with someone special. Mmmmmmm!!

One final recommendation, take a walk in the moonlight after a meal like this...and ask yourself, "How do you like to hold hands?"

As it stands~
guests- one, but a very special one
emotions- only joy and laughter
meltdowns- none
recipes- 1
recipes to date- 17

The recipe~

Baked Rice

3/4 cup cooked rice (I made 1 cup uncooked; yields 4 servings)
1/2 lb Monterrey Jack cheese
1 lb green chili peppers
1/2 cup grated Jack cheese
butter (I didn't add this.)
2 cups sour cream (I added enough to cover the rice.)

Blend the sour cream with the rice. Salt to taste. Put half in the bottom of a casserole. Cut 1/2 lb cheese to to the size of a domino. Wrap each piece in 1 strip of green chili. Place on rice. Cover with remaining rice mixture. Sprinkle the grated cheese on top. Dot with butter. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

A couple notes- you can follow this recipe but the way I cooked it was delicious and easier. Also, you could make a huge batch of this and it would be perfect for a large party.

Experimentally Delicious

It was a Christmas to remember...
All you could hear from the kitchen was laughter...I mean serious laughter! My mom and I were on our third bottle of champagne, the "hot and cold" game of finding a childhood memory present was over and it was time to start experimenting! That's right, experimenting. My mom and I decided to try some new stuff...a turnip and sweet potato gratin and, of course, one of my grandmother's recipes, Spaghetti Squash Fritters. Now, the turnip recipe had excited both us as we were pouring over magazines and cook books in preparation for this exciting family Christmas; however, today, as we looked at the odd root vegetables in front of us and noticed the 60 minute cook time (we promised brunch at noon and now it was looking more like 3ish! ha ha), we were a bit trepidatious to say the least. It only got more interesting when my mom said that she couldn't cut it and would have to ask my dad for help. I squealed at the thought!!! "Mom, we can't let them come in here because they will freak out about what we are making!!" She did agree so she told my father to come help, but he couldn't ask any questions or make any comments! ha ha My father is an amazing husband and so he obliged, but not without a few odd looks and suspicious "hmmmm's." Meanwhile, for g-ma's recipe, she wanted me to use a spaghetti squash. Of course she did because that just sounded weird and, as I stated before, this was an experimental Christmas. My mom told me to throw the squash into the microwave for 5 minutes and then check. "Not done," she says with a squeeze. After another 5 minutes, it was plenty squishy so I pulled it out to rest. By this time, my brother sauntered in. This was not a good sign! Mom and I quickly scrambled to cover up the title on the recipe and stand in front of the cut up turnips and sweet potatoes. It was ridiculous how we were both trying to distract him from the stuff. I just kept saying, "WE HAVE HAM!!" That seemed to quiet the masses. Truly what made it so entertaining was that we had the giggles! We were very suspicious. I guess you can't begrudge my brother and father for coming in and checking on us...we were supposed to be cooking and all we were doing was laughing. Oh, and I forgot to mention that I only had one knife. So, to cut the onions for spaghetti squash fritters, I had to use a little cheese knife, ridiculous.

On to cooking the fritters, I put the onions and garlic in an oven safe pan and started to soften them. Meanwhile, my mom cut the squash in half lengthwise and scraped out the seeds. Using a fork, she dug into the flesh. It pulled up like strands. It was pretty cool and, I must say, quite delicious. We added it to the pan. I scrambled 11 eggs (the recipe called for 12 but I needed one for the cake, who cares!?!), added freshly grated parmigian reggiano, bread crumbs (I used panko because they are so much better!! yum), and a splash of water. All that was added to the pan and cooked.

Time for more champagne! It was all coming together beautifully.

The turnip dish was done, the ham was done and the asparagus was grilling as we high-fived in the middle of the kitchen. All I had to do was pop the fritter dish in the oven to finish cooking through and we were going to be table-bound. That, of course, is when things go awry! My mom is scrambling to finish the traditional Christmas Cake, my dad is carving the ham, my brother and I are arguing about how to get the egg fritter dish out of the pan, and the dog is running through the kitchen. Okay, so maybe there wasn't a dog!! ha ha!! It just made the scene seem more exciting. Anyway, the ham got sliced, the cake got mixed, and the egg dish flopped out of the pan...with a big divet! I guess you can't win them all. I scraped the rest out and played Picasso as I creatively recreated the masterpiece. Let's be honest, I just threw extra parmesan and some green onions in the hole!

Now, it was truly time for the table. Everything was delicious; however, a few dishes became the big topics of the table. Yes, we have some skeptics...don't act surprised. I truly enjoyed the turnip dish as did my mother. I think I will make it again but it definitely needs some doctoring. As for the egg dish, it was the favorite. Well, I have be truthful here- I asked people their favorite dish, but made them choose something other than ham. I know it sounds kind of unfair, but who is going to pick anything other than the ham!

I asked each person to think of one word to describe the meal...my dad needed four he says, "I'm not done yet." I said, "experimentally delicious!" My mom said, "unique." And, my favorite was by my brother, "country." It made me think of us sitting at a big rustic table in the Italian countryside. "Mmmm, that's nice," we all say. And, before we can keep dreaming, I say, "I think something is burning!" My mom and I look at each other and, in unison, say, "THE CAKE!" All we could was laugh!!

By the way, eating chunks of "unburnt" cake from the middle of the dish with our fingers, was a glorious way to end one of the best Christmases I have ever had.

As it stands~
guests- 3
emotions- 1 (joyful laughter)
mistakes- 1 (the masquerading divet)
meltdowns- 0 (anything that went wrong became sheer comedy!)
recipes- 1
recipes to date- 16

The recipe~

Spaghetti Squash Fritters (basically a frittata)

1/3 cup of oil

1 onion, minced

1 clove of garlic, minced

1/4 cup of water (I thought this was a little too much)

3 cups cooked squash

12 eggs

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs (I used panko)

Heat oil. Add onions, salt, pepper and garlic. Cook until tender. Stir in squash. Beat eggs thoroughly. Add cheese, crumbs and water to blend. Stir in egg mixture into sauteed vegetables. Cook slowly, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens. Gently lift. When bottom is browned, put under a broiler and cook top. Invert omelet onto platter.