It's all Greek to me!!!

This past Saturday, I went with my girlfriend, Kathleen (Mrs. Nolan to those of us who love her), to a small market in the heart of Peabody, MA that specializes in fresh cuts of meat, home cooked delicacies, out of the ordinary condiments and all foods Greek. I never saw so many olives in one place! Some items were very expensive and others extremely reasonable. It was evident from the warm hospitality of the place that this was a family run operation.


Mrs. Nolan had been told to make sure to purchase some of the unbelievably fresh Feta cheese as it was deemed, “the best ever”! Now I’m not a huge fan of Feta; only on the occasional Spinach Salad with Bacon, Shrimp & Warmed Dijon Vinaigrette… but that’s a recipe for another day! This Feta cheese however… was the BOMB! There were 3 different varieties and one of the butchers let us taste them all. We both opted for the strong imported one and each bought a pound of it. Mrs. Nolan purchased a few other things and as we drove away I was quite pleased with my purchase. When I got home, reality set in… “What the hell am I going to do with this huge block of Feta cheese?!!”

The next day while my Sunday Pot o’ Sauce was workin’ on the stove and the Patriots were workin’ on the field, my hubby & I cracked a couple of cold beers and were looking for something to nibble on. I remembered the block of cheese that was taking up so much room in my fridge and scouted around my kitchen for something to add to it for a quick-n-easy snack. This is what I ended up with:

Maria Aphrodite Bruschetta


6 thick slices of dense whole wheat bread like Ciabatta or Tuscan Pane (toasted)
Olive Oil for drizzling
¼ lb. of Feta cheese (crumbled)
6 slices of roasted red peppers
6 thin slices of tomato
1 handful of fresh basil (torn into pieces)
1 handful of Kalamata olives (coarsely chopped)
Shaved Romano cheese

Arrange toasted bread slices on a serving dish; drizzle with olive oil. Divide the Feta cheese between the toast and press down a little to keep it in place.  Then stack on the roasted pepper slices, the tomato slices, the basil and the chopped olives. Drizzle again with olive oil. Using a vegetable peeler, shave the Romano cheese over the top of the bruschetta.

These were so simple yet SO DELICOUS! Who would have known that when Italy teamed up with Greece they would create such a festival of flavors in your mouth? Ottimo!

Lasagna; from Holiday to Everyday!

I went to see my hairstylist, Sir Charles the other day. That dark haired cutie has a nice svelte little physique that makes him appear to live on nothing but fish, chicken and veggies. However, when I asked him what his favorite food was he said, “Pasta baked with lots of cheese” and being the foodie that I am, he got me thinking about my comfy sweats, nesting with my husband on what was to be a rainy Sunday; a little wine, football and a big pot of sauce… what could be better than that? How about my 3 cheese spinach & sausage Lasagna? Now, you know that I pride myself on easy entertaining but Lasagna is such a long process and therefore I am not ambitious enough to make it very often. My mom (the one who doesn’t cook) used to make it when we were kids; always for our Christmas dinner. Therefore, it always seemed like “Holiday Food” to me.



With the smell of simmering meatballs & a rich, thick sauce swimming around my senses yesterday, I started to get a little lazy. “There must be an easier way to make the Lasagna”, I thought. Now some things you just don’t tamper with; they now sell “no boil” pasta sheets which are very thin, taste like paper and extremely expensive. I like my Lasagna noodles sturdy enough to stand up to the mountains of cheese & spicy crumbled sausage so these no boil gizmos are not for me. Then it came to me… why did I have to boil the Lasagna noodles anyway? Maybe I could just use a little extra sauce and bake it just a smidge longer. And that I did… No standing by the huge pot and continuously stirring so they don’t stick together or the incessant testing to make sure not to overcook them. No lining my entire counter top and kitchen table with them while waiting to build my masterpiece. I just layered them uncooked with the sauce, cheeses, spinach and sausage like usual, covered it tight with foil, baked it at 375° for an hour & a half, uncovered and baked it for another 30 minutes and voila’… it was my best Lasagna to date! Just ask my husband… and the other 20 people that benefited from the fact that I cook for an army!


So, although I didn’t elaborate entirely on my recipe (why would you buy the cookbook if I did?) I did, however, give you a tip that will save you so much time & effort while preparing this Italian classic as hearty and delicious as your great grandmother’s was… NO NEED TO BOIL... MANGIA!

There’s a fungus among us!

After selling my catering business in New York and before I moved to Boston, I worked for a steel erection company which had a New York office but was based out of Pittsburgh. There were only a few of us who worked in the actual office; most of the employees worked on separate job sites all over the city. I quickly became really good friends with some of them; most who were young engineers, far away from their homes and families. They used to share the rent on multiple bedroom apartments and, as they didn’t know many people outside of work, would spend most evenings & weekends together. Every once in a while they would come to my upstate home in Newburgh for a home cooked meal or I would go into the city & stay with them for the weekend… we ALWAYS had a great time together! This one time in particular…


I had gone down to the Bronx after work on a Friday to stay with my friend, Tim and go out with the crew to their favorite Irish pub for drinks. I remember it being about a mile from Tim’s apartment; it was in the spring but a slight chill still lingered in the air and the walk was refreshing. I remember sitting on a barstool drinking Vodka Gimlets for hours. The air was a lot more “refreshing” when we left the pub that night and it was the only thing that kept me from tossing my cookies! Needless to say, the next day we were all pretty hung over. Tim & I went to the mall and chowed down on cinnamon buns and coffee before going clothes shopping for the remainder of the morning. By the time we were heading back over the Tappan Zee Bridge, I had decided to stay for one more night and had offered to cook dinner for the whole gang. I have so many fond memories of that day… fresh bread from the bakery and cappuccino & pastry on Arthur Avenue, the outdoor vegetable stand where we got tons of huge mushrooms and also going to the Italian butcher to get the most gorgeous chicken breast that I had ever seen. Yes… food can be gorgeous! It would have been a perfect afternoon had I not seen all of the dead animals hanging in the window; talk about tossing cookies!!!

There ended up to be about 20 of us around the dinner table and the menu was:

Mandarin Orange Salad with Sweet Citrus Dressing
Fresh Bread with Garlic Butter
Triple Mushroom Chicken Marsala
Horseradish Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Oven Roasted String Beans

Everyone had a blast however… before, during then after dinner drinks… we were loaded… again! Tim was supposed to go into work at 11pm that night on one of the NYC bridges but he was passed out on the floor. I didn’t want him to get in trouble so I decided to “call him in sick”. I knew his supervisor, Pat so I disguised my voice when I said, “Hello, this is Tim’s mother. I’m afraid that he’s not feeling well and will not be able to make it in tonight.” Pat asked what was wrong with him and I said that I didn’t know. He proceeded to hound me for every gorey symptom or ill sign that Tim had. He badgered me for so long that I became frustrated... Did he know it was me? Pat asked, “Well… what did he have for dinner? Maybe he has food poisoning!” At that point I exploded at the thought of my cooking being insulted and said the only thing that came to mind, “He had Chicken Marsala with lots of mushrooms, you moron… he’s got a yeast infection!!!” Pat hung up on me; Tim got in trouble on Monday morning.

Lesson learned… don’t do anyone any favors when your own brain is soaked in Chardonnay!

Asparagus & the unflattering side effect… Who knew??? He did!!!

I must tell you that I work as the Executive Assistant to one of the “Big Cheeses” in my company and he is, by far, the coolest boss that I’ve ever had! (Please don’t tell him; I’ll never live it down!) In the almost 2 years since I have worked for him he has taught me so many things about the Corporate Communications industry, introduced me to a boatload of people, made me laugh everyday and also practices quality of life within the workplace like no executive I have ever met; he is a very intelligent, nice man and I am very fortunate to have this job. Being so “worldly”, he knows a little bit about almost everything and each conversation that I have with him is a (err-umm) new adventure. As an example…

I tend to always cook for an army and my boss reaps the rewards from this; I bring in leftovers whenever I can. One sunny Sunday afternoon, after previously marinating my chicken and while my husband was on the golf course, I decided to throw together the ingredients for a new recipe that I had been thinking of and serve it to my hubby that evening with a nice Bombay Sapphire Martini when he got home. The recipe is called Lemon Chicken & Asparagus Bundles. It has a nice presentation, it’s light and very easy to make. Dominic LOVED it!

On Monday morning I brought some in for “Mr. Cheese” to have for lunch. When I put it in front of him, he glanced at it and said, “Did you know that asparagus makes your pee smell funny?” Horrified that he would even know this little tidbit of information, I told him to stop making things up and taste the delectable bundle of chicken. I left his office and ran straight to my computer to Google this new and fascinating information. It happened to me all of the time but I had no idea what it was from… I eat this crisp green veggie at least twice a week! As I scanned through some of the sites that had come up I learned that he was once again correct… asparagus DOES make your pee smell funny!!! I felt like a weight had been lifted off of my shoulders and was very grateful to my clever and oh-so-informative employer!  I had thought there was something wrong with me and was procrastinating calling my doctor for fear of bad news!

He liked the chicken by the way but I try not to give him asparagus very often... it sends my mind to a place where I don't want to be!!!

Lemon Chicken & Asparagus Bundles

1 bottle of Honey Mustard Dressing

Juice of 1 Lemon

½ cup Dry White Wine

2 lbs. Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast

(pounded or filleted very thin)

1 med. bunch of Asparagus

6 thick slices of Swiss cheese

Zest of 1 Lemon

Salt & pepper to taste

Pour dressing, lemon juice and wine in a plastic re-sealable bag. Place chicken breasts in the mixture, squeeze out any excess air and seal the bag. Knead the bag with your hands to marry the ingredients and wake up the marinade then chill in the refrigerator overnight.

Trim the bottom of the asparagus stalks about an inch. Place stalks in a steamer or pot with just a little water & steam just until they become bright green in color. Drain them then run them under cold water to prevent further cooking. Set aside.

Remove chicken breasts from bag and shake of any excess marinade; discard the rest of the marinade. Lay the chicken flat on a large cutting board or clean work surface (yes; this will be a little messy). Top each breast with 1 slice of cheese then place 4 or 5 stalks of asparagus on the cheese at the end of each breast closest to you. Starting with that end, roll each piece of chicken & cheese tightly around the asparagus and secure with 2 or 3 toothpicks.

Preheat grill to a medium setting. Place chicken bundles seam side down on the grill and cover for about 5 minutes. Carefully turn them and cover for another 5 minutes. Check & make sure they don’t burn. Cook uncovered for another 15-20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and juices run clear.

Remove bundles from the grill & place on a cutting board. Let stand for at least 5 minutes. Carefully remove the toothpicks & slice into 1” pieces; revealing the asparagus & melted cheese inside. Arrange on a platter and top with the lemon zest, salt and pepper… ZING!!!

This entrée is pleasing to both the palate and the nose!!!


Enjoy!

But the Butt is your Best Bet!!!

When I was in my early 20’s, I shared a two story apartment with my friend, Jake. We had a perfect agreement; he would pay the bills and I would buy the groceries, cook & clean. I thought it was working out great until I realized that my idea of cleaning and his idea of “dirtying” were on opposite ends of the spectrum. Let’s just say that his bathroom floor closely resembled the untamed tresses of Don King on a bad hair day! I feared I’d have to use a lawnmower to get through it! I have since become a much tidier housekeeper…
It was during this time that I discovered just how much I loved to cook. I was not very good at it but I enjoyed it and picked it up pretty quickly. One crisp Autumn Sunday morning, I decided to try my hand at real Italian “gravy”. I figured Jake would be home for dinner that afternoon; I could let it simmer yet it would be ready when he came home. The one thing that I did know about making a good sauce was that you had to put pork in the pot and let it cook for a long time. Since it was my first time and I wanted it to be perfect, I went to the butcher and bought about a dozen of the leanest center cut pork chops I had ever seen… not an ounce of fat on them and boy were they expensive! I browned them in the oven then threw them into the pot with the rest of the ingredients. It was just about 2pm; I put the flame on simmer and decided to dive into Jake’s bathroom… how hard could it be to clean? A gag-filled 3 hours later it was spit-shined and I was happy. The smell of tomato sauce wafted through the apartment; it was 5pm… Jake would be home any minute. The table was set; I opened a bottle of Chardonnay, poured a glass and turned on a movie. 6pm… no Jake… another glass of wine. 8:30pm… still no Jake… another glass of wine. Two movies and 2 bottles of Chardonnay later, it was time for bed. I stirred the sauce, made sure the top was secure, turned it off and left a note for Jake to help himself to it and the loaf of Italian bread on the counter to sop it up with. At around 1am I heard Jake fumble for his keys, come into the apartment & shut the door behind him. I was certain that after he ate he would put the now cooled sauce into the fridge… I slept like a baby that night; dreaming of a quaint villa on a beautiful Italian hillside (that part’s not true… but it sounded good!)

When I went into the kitchen the next morning for my coffee I noticed that the pot was still on the stove; uncovered, the loaf of bread was gone except for what was on the floor, there was an empty 2 liter bottle of soda in the sink and the backsplash of the counter was drizzled in red. When I started to ladle the leftovers into a container I kept coming up with bones; no meat attached; just bones. I was THRILLED!!! My Italian gravy came out perfect… the meat was so tender that it fell off of the bones! I couldn’t wait to hear what my roomy had to say about how delicious it was!!!

I was quite disheartened when he told me (honestly but not to hurt my feelings) what had REALLY happened and that they were the worst pork chops he had ever eaten! He had come home after being over-served in one of the local pubs and he was famished. He ate every bit of meat off of every single bone then threw the bones back in the pot so I wouldn’t notice!!! He said that the meat was so dry & shriveled up that it took him the entire bottle of soda just to wash it down and had he been sober… he never would have touched it! Cooking tip – FOR TENDER SLOW COOKED MEAT, ALWAYS USE A CHEAP CUT OF MEAT THAT HAS LOTS OF FAT RUNNING THROUGH IT LIKE PORK BUTT!

I do laugh about it with him sometimes today… but only because I can confidently say that I now make the best damned Italian gravy this side of Palermo; always loaded with Pecorino Romano cheese, spicy meatballs, tender sausage and pork butt that melts in your mouth!

Gusto Dell'Amore (Taste the Love!)

Let them eat cake!!! (Chocolate cake, that is…)

My birthday is August 15th and my friend, Jess celebrates her birthday that week as well. Jess was away on vacation this year and I was sick with the Swine-ish Flu and out of work for a whole week. Little did we know that there was a celebration that had been planned for us by our colleagues while we were out which had to be cancelled. Neither of us ever thought twice about it. Last Thursday, September 17th, Jess & I were called into a meeting downstairs in one of the conference rooms. When we walked in we were greeted with a hearty, “Surprise!!!” from a room full of people! There were platters of cheeses & crackers, crudités, fresh fruit with dip, Buffalo wings, nachos, creamy pizza dip & cookies; it was wonderful! There were two gorgeous hydrangeas festively decorating the table as well; one for each of us. Then I spotted them… like a blood hound sniffing out a fox… like Jimmy Durante in a pastry shop… CAKE!!! There were two huge cakes on the table; one was all vanilla and one was head to toe chocolate. To my extreme delight, the chocolate one was for me… yippee!!! The first bite sent me into a semi-comatose contented bliss which led to me eating two huge pieces and I enjoyed every calorie, carbohydrate and gram of fat in each delectable bite!!! Someone after the fact admitted to me that they were apprehensive about entertaining and cooking for me because I do it well. This was probably the 10th time I’ve heard that said recently so I thought I should address it.


The best ingredients put into any gathering are the people who attend; the food is simply the glue that unites them. The thoughtful preparation and presentation on that day were blatant… these people put caring and friendship into everything they prepared and ordered! There were many different conversations going on and as I glanced around the room; everyone was laughing, smiling and relaxing… mission accomplished! Having only been in Boston five years so far, a week ago I would have told you that I had just a handful of friends and lots of colleagues. Today it’s a different story… I feel very blessed and want to thank all of you who participated.

So anytime you’d like to have me over… cook for me… make burgers… order pizza or Chinese… it doesn’t matter; I will cherish the time as I cherish all of you…

One quick hint though… If you serve CHOCOLATE CAKE I will love you forever… YUMMY!!!

Keep an eye on the peas…

I don’t know about you but I love nice, plump, sweet peas. Fresh, frozen or canned… they’re like the burst of a melodious choir dancing on my tongue! My older brother, Larry, not only does not like peas but I don’t think any of his six gorgeous kids have ever had them… I’m pretty sure he has forbidden them from his wife, Linda’s grocery list and from his home in general. I remember one time when he was about 8 or 9 years old…



Our cousins had just moved to New York from Albuquerque and were staying with our grandparents until their house was ready. We were all so elated that they moved close to us and spent lots of time there with them. I have so many fond memories of that time; sliding down a banister that I now realize is only about 3 feet long… the sound of my grandfather’s steps approaching as Janet & I pretended to sleep; hiding under the covers of the bed we just broke by jumping on it… picking string beans from the garden for my Aunt Joan to prepare for dinner… and Uncle Billy’s huge dog, Teddy in the yard next door. One memory that stands out in my mind is one of the many times we were all sitting around my grandmother’s kitchen table having dinner; if Grandpa was home that made about 18 people! Money was tight and it was an unspoken rule that we finish every bit of food on our plate. When everyone was just about finished, my mom noticed that the measly 20 peas that she had put on Larry’s plate were still there. She told him that NONE of us were allowed to leave the table until his plate was clean. After many dirty looks shooting his way we all got engrossed in other conversations and soon heard Larry proudly announce, “I’m done!” As we were very anxious to go outside and catch the last bit of daylight before bedtime… we all bolted up from the table in delight! Just then you heard my Aunt Joan bellow, “Hold it! No one moves until Jeremy cleans his plate!!!” Jeremy sat right next to Larry; Jeremy had a measly 20 peas on his plate… Larry had none.


I always wondered if Larry would resign to eating peas if I could find a way to prepare them that would knock his socks off; like this easy recipe below:


Easy Creamy Carbonara


1lb. package of Fettuccini

1 bag of Frozen Peas

2T Olive Oil

1 medium Vidalia Onion (chopped)

½ package of Pre-Cooked Bacon (chopped)

1 stick of Butter

1 pint of Half & Half

½ container of grated Pecorino Romano Cheese

Salt & Pepper to taste


In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook Fettuccini using package directions until just short of done; pasta should still be a little firm.


While the pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil in a skillet on medium heat; add onion and cook until opaque, then add the bacon. Stir for 3 or 4 minutes then remove from heat.


During the last 5 minutes of cooking the pasta, add the frozen peas. Drain Fettuccini and peas in a colander. Place butter in the hot pot and top with the pasta & peas. Stir until the entire stick of butter is melted. Pour the onion & bacon mixture into the pasta and peas. Add the Half & Half, stirring constantly and then the grated cheese; the cheese will thicken the liquid. If it’s not thick enough for your liking, just add more cheese. Season with salt & pepper.


Can you say, “Come to mama!!!”? This took longer to write than it takes to cook… you’ll love it! LARRY WOULD TOO!!!

Boost your roots... YIKES!

For those of you who don't know me, I can typically be picked out of a crowd by my (clear throat) “boys” and for my sometimes crazy hair. I LOVE funky hair and though I am an old lady, my hairstylist, Sir Charles is clearly not. When I first met him he said, “Honey… I know what you want! I’m gonna make you look FIERCE!!!” ... and fierce I am!  He’s a great guy and always makes me feel like a hot, young chick while I’m in his chair; he’s not bad on the eyes either guys; and I DO mean guys.

I always complain because my hair is so thin and it takes me a long time to style so I bought something yesterday called “Root Booster”. This morning, I followed the directions and sprayed it directly onto my roots while my hair was damp then proceeded to blow dry my hair upside down. When I lifted my head & looked in the mirror… I had so much hair that I scared the crap out of myself!!! I spent more time trying to tone it down than it normally takes my thin hair to style. Lesson learned…
I was thinking however… can you imagine how cool it would be if there was a root booster that was digestible? I could turn a lame burger patty into a quarter pounder… or penne pasta into manicotti shells! It’s really too bad that I didn’t know about this product at the beginning of the summer… maybe it could have helped my poor hubby’s tomato garden this year! God bless him though; he tries!  Guess it's a good thing that I'm a magician with various products on my refrigerator door because although there are so many tips & tricks of the trade; there clearly are no magic root boosters!

As for the root booster & me… that relationship is over. I think I’ll send it to my brother, Tommy; he needs it MUCH more than I do!

Montgomery Molly Strikes Again!

If you live anywhere near the Hudson Valley in upstate New York; and parts of Florida & Mass now that I think of it… you are well aware that I did not get the gift of flavor from my mom. She’s an ace with Hot Dogs and she also makes a mean scrambled egg but she absolutely DESPISES cooking… that’s why I weigh about 50lbs. more than she does! She does like to eat however but only if someone puts it in front of her. If you take her out for pizza, it’ll take her an hour to eat one piece but when you reach into the fridge the next day for the leftover 3 slices… they’re mysteriously gone!

Quite a few years ago my brothers gave her the name of “Montgomery Molly” because they failed to see the charm in her enthusiastic disco moves… kind of like Willy Nelson meets John Travolta on steroids! Just kidding, Mom… we all love you and your dance moves!  She's just very... "country" I guess you'd say. She almost had a cow when I told her that John-Boy was caught with Grandpa backstage on the set of the Waltons with their overalls down around their ankles!  And let's not even go into my rendition of "Fairy on the Prairie"!!!

My mom does not, nor does she want to own a computer but my cousin, Janet, who is visiting with her for a few days let her read my blog for the first time yesterday on hers. A little while later, my phone rang and on the other end I heard, “Hello, is this Chicken Cozy Cooking?” I said, “Mom… it’s CHIC… you know, sheik!” She just said, “Oh.” And when I hung up the phone after she told me that she was proud of me, I could definitely hear their wine glasses clinking and the faint sound of “On the road again” in the distance!!!
Thanks for always standing behind me, Mom… and Janet!

Lobsters & Champagne… Happy Anniversary!

Yesterday, September 13th was Dominic & my 1st wedding anniversary. As we had a party to attend yesterday, we had made the decision to go out to a really nice restaurant in Boston to celebrate… being sure of course, to take a taxi so we could drink our Martinis of choice. Many of you may not know this but I enjoy eating out as much as I enjoy cooking! Hmmmm… guess I just enjoy eating in general! When we woke up on Saturday morning it was raining pots n’ pans outside and by 3:00pm we knew that neither of us felt like getting out of our sweats. What to do, what to do? Well… we ran down to our local fresh seafood shack & bought 2 2lb. lobsters. Add a quick appetizer, a salad, some candles and a bottle of Moet Brut Champagne to the mix and voila’… a dinner truly fitting for the occasion was born! We also dove into the top layer of our wedding cake which my mom had kept in her freezer for us for a year. Believe it or not… it still tasted great! Dom says our wedding cake tasted like the best Devil Dog he’s ever had and he’s correct!

As my anniversary gift to you and so you’ll always have something on hand for unexpected guests or occasions, this is what I served as a quick appetizer before we dove into the lobsters…

1 Block Cream Cheese
¾ Cup of Ketchup
1T of Prepared Horseradish
1 Can of Tiny Shrimp

Place the block of cream cheese on a small platter keeping it in tact. Mix the ketchup and horseradish together to make cocktail sauce (yes… it’s just ketchup & horseradish- no need to add anything else!). Pour the cocktail sauce over the block of cream cheese. Pack the shrimp on the top. Serve as a spread with some nice sturdy crackers like bagel crisps. You could even go crazy and add a snip of parsley or a wedge of lemon as a garnish!

If you always have these 4 ingredients on hand, you’ll always have something you can whip up quick!

Happy Anniversary, Dom… I love you!

An “Ahhh Hahhh” moment with a naked wheel of brie…

About a month ago I was in my local grocery store and like most of my shopping excursions; I had a nice wheel of Brie in my carriage. What would I create with this smooth & buttery embalmed bundle of cheese this time? As I roamed the aisles contemplating my choices; pesto, fruit preserves and the like, I happened to spot the cans of Apple Pie Filling on a shelf in the baking aisle… needless to say the sparks started flying around in my head!!! Now, I never use canned filling to make apple pie (there are some things that are simply just unspoken rules) but it seemed like an effortless way to make a warm & gooey appetizer.
My dad and his girlfriend, Holly came to visit my husband, Dominic & I the next day. After adding just a handful of spices, butter and maple syrup to the pie filling, I heated the concoction, smothered the brie with it and popped it in the oven. In about 30 minutes my house smelled like an apple pie baking on a crisp autumn day. When it started to bubble I took it out of the oven and generously sprinkled crushed walnuts on the top. When I placed it on the table with a basket of buttery crackers… no one knew what to do with it! It smelled awesome but it looked like a big, gooey glob of something foreign. Dominic finally stuck a knife in the center and the warm creamy cheese flowed out, married the apple topping and practically danced onto his cracker! Yes… it was a marriage made in Heaven!

When I finally finish the book, you will see the recipe for this and also many more suggestions of how to cover a naked wheel of brie!

I used to be represented by radishes!

I owned and operated a small catering business about 12 years ago; it was supposed to be my big dream. SIMPLE PLEASURES was the name of the place and my logo was a self-designed bunch of radishes… boy, I loved that logo! I served a take-out lunch to the local businesses during the week and did off-premise catering at night and on the weekends. The only staff that I had were wait staff… my dad worked behind the counter during the week and I also had a couple of girlfriends who helped out with the order taking and delivery. I did every bit of marketing, cooking, styling, finances, menu design and floor-scrubbing myself; it all came straight from my heart and I loved it!

It only took me a few years to figure out that my heart was too big to run a business; I never charged enough for my services, immensely overpaid my wait staff and put all of my focus into targeting the client who could not usually afford a caterer. I had the knack of garnishing & arranging so I could make something like a simple veggie platter look like colorful blossoms of crudités nestled in a country wicker basket… and again, I loved it! It seems you can’t make money being kind… THAT’S WHERE THE COOKBOOK COMES IN! I can still share my love, my skills and my gift of FLAVOR, make a little money on it and still hold down my day job!

Here's hoping I can pull it off!!!

How did I get myself into this???

Last winter I mentioned to my friend & colleauge, Aida, that I was writing a cookbook; not gourmet though... this would be a book that you would find in the kitchens of these women:

"I like to entertain but I'm not a good cook!"
"I always have unexpected company!"
"I'm sick of chicken fingers and frozen French fries!"
"I don't have the time to cook!"

I then mentioned the phrase, "Be a Guest at Your Own Party" to her as a possible theme for my oh-so-un-gourmet book and next thing you know... HERE I AM... blogging about trying to write an amateur cookbook that my family & friends anxiously await but that I have no idea how to do!

Thanks, Aida!!!