A Fresh Start to the New Year

Happy New Year Friends!

I'm here to announce the lucky winner of the Kindness & Salt Cookbook, and share some snippets of our 2019 happenings. In the photo above, I was cross country skiing on California Road (seasonal), which is about an hour north of where I live. We have very little snow at our house, so I have to go find it for my outdoor activities. 

As luck would have it, I had all the ingredients to make Limoncello for New Year's day. We put a splash of it in a glass of Sanpellegrino sparkling Blood Orange beverage and it is so tasty. 

This little princess has stolen our hearts. Our seven month old grand niece Lily. Joe and I were lucky enough to spend New Year's Eve with her and her parents. She is special beyond words to us. 

And this little guy, our grandson Xavier, was the ring bearer in our son's wedding (his Uncle Cory) on January 5th. He makes my heart go pitter patter, and cracks my husband up. He will be three in March. 

I only have phone photos of the bride and groom (Cory and Maria). The winter wedding was beautiful, in our Catholic Church, the altar decorated with white and red poinsettias. I promise to show pictures soon. They are moving to San Antonio, TX, and I am very thankful for airplanes.

Sausage and Bean soup, another tasty recipe that we love from the Beekman 1802 cookbook. I am still cooking my way through the cookbook. Come back in December 2019 to see the progress. LOL

We started the New Year being naughty. We ate whatever we wanted, and got our fix. These mustard and butter pigs in a blanket are fantastic. I'll make them again for the Super Bowl, that's how good they are. Thank you Jenna at Painted Apron for sharing this recipe. They are like crack! 

Mustard Butter Pigs in a Blanket
• 
  

1 can, 8 count crescent roll dough

24 little smokies or any smoked sausage pieces

1/2 cup melted butter

2 Tablespoons brown sugar

1 Tablespoon dijon mustard

1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Unroll dough, separate triangles and cut each triangle into 3 dough pieces.  Roll up each sausage piece in a dough piece and place into a small shallow sprayed casserole dish, with a small space in between them.  Mix sugar and mustard into melted butter along with Worcestershire sauce and stir to combine.  Slowly drizzle butter sauce over sausage stuffed dough in the pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes until puffed and golden.  Serve warm

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We have TWO winners of the Kindness and Salt cookbook. I wish everyone that left me a comment could have received one. It's fabulous! 

Monique from La Table De Nana 

and 

Susan (Checkered Sox) 

Please send me your address, and the company will ship the books to you.

xoxo

Deb

Every great meal starts with kindness and salt

Wishing us all an amazing 2019! We enjoyed a quiet New Year's eve with my sister and her family, and a seafood spread!! My sister is an amazing cook, and so very generous. When you receive an invite, even at the last minute, you never refuse. lol

I just love the title of this cookbook that I received to review, and am pleased that I can provide two giveaway copies for my U.S. and Canada readers. All you have to do is leave me a comment letting me know that you would love to win the cookbook, and I will pick the winner on January 13th. Secondly, the cookbook was written by the owners of two of Brooklyn's most beloved restaurants who believe that every great meal starts with two essential elements:  kindness and salt. "Kindness is the spirit of warmth and hospitality that underlies every meal at their restaurants." 

 Decided to make pancakes on an overcast Sunday morning and my photo did not come out that great so I shared their photo =) I like their suggestion of putting all the dry ingredients in a bag overnight, so all you have to do is add the liquid when you are ready to make them. Makes it very easy if you have overnight guests.  Next I will be trying the Buttermilk Fried Chicken with Cheddar Waffles that the New York Times pronounced "the best in NYC."

• Pancakes - https://www.grandcentrallifeandstyle.com/cookbooks/pancakes

 KINDNESS & SALT—a home cook’s handbook with all the buzz of Brooklyn and the delicious, welcoming comfort food you expect from your favorite neighborhood bistro—from the owners of two Brooklyn beloved restaurants, French Louie and Buttermilk Channel. In KINDNESS & SALT, Crowell and Angelo expertly guide cooks, through the preparation of simple, satisfying bistro meals at home, using techniques refined in their restaurants over ten busy years.

Crowell and Angulo share more than 100 recipes for the dishes and drinks that draw passionate fans from around the corner and around the globe. Here you'll find the Pecan Pie French Toast and Bloody Marys that Brooklyn lines up for, the perfect Steak Frites, and the Buttermilk Fried Chicken with Cheddar Waffles that the New York Times pronounced "the best in NYC." Plus, they've included a guide to putting together a home bar and inventing your own signature cocktails, and tips for choosing, serving, and pairing cheese, wines, beers, and ciders. 

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Ryan Angulo was born and raised in Rhode Island, where he attended the Culinary Arts Program at Johnson & Wales University. Ryan has traveled throughout the US, working at restaurants in Rhode Island, California, Atlanta, New Orleans, Hawaii, and New York. In 2008, he opened Buttermilk Channel with Doug Crowell, and serves as its executive chef. In 2014 he opened French Louis as chef and co-owner. His take on American cuisine has been featured in the New York Times, Bon Appetit, Time Out New York, Food & Wine, and on the Food Network.

Doug Crowell is a native New Yorker and a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America. He worked in the kitchens at a number of restaurants in Boston and New York, including Picholine and La Grenouille, before moving to the front-of-house to run several of Manhattan's largest and most popular dining rooms. In 2008 he opened Buttermilk Channel and followed by French Louie in 2014.

Thank you for stopping by! I hope you enjoy this cookbook as much as I do. Wishing you a wonderful New Year. 

xoxo

Deb

Let there be light ♥ 2019

I look forward to more light to take blog photos again, and found this alfresco post that I started in the summer and never got around to publishing. But ahhh, wintertime (for me) is a wonderful time of the year. Yes, we don't like salt on our boots and it's not much fun driving through a blizzard but winter puts me in a dreamy suspended state as we grab our snowshoes and skis and head to the woods for a few hours. And all our cares are put on hold for a while as we prepare for spring and summer again.  

I recollect enjoying rib eye steaks from the local farm on a beautiful summer evening as I started cooking my way through another winning cookbook from Beekman1802. There is a Winter Chapter that I will start working on soon. Our life has been a whirlwind ever since Joe retired...LOL. 

Sharing one of the weekly poems that was sent to me by "Digger". Time to start making a list of seeds I want to plant. My daddy taught me how to garden :-) As the first born child, I reaped the benefits of being daddy's little helper. 

Through the Quiet and the Cold 

In the darkness

I learn

to see again.

To pay attention.

To trust.

Through

the quiet

and the cold

My plans forgive

to the turning

of earth

And the seeds within

begin to stir.

Like beautiful dreams,

awaking 

into spring.

~ Digger

Wishing you all the good things...love, joy, family, happiness, health and especially peace. Happy New Year dear friends.

xo

Deb

Merry Christmas from Mountain Breaths

The Winter Solstice begins at 5:23 PM on 12/21/18 with 9 hours of daylight. We go up from here! The light will return to us again! The word solstice comes from Latin sol "sun" and sistere "to stand still. In the Northern Hemisphere, as summer advances to winter, the points on the horizon where the Sun rises and sets advance southward each day. 

It's hard to believe that on the first day of winter that our temperatures will be the highest we have had in a long time, and may even set a record. 

My Christmas wish for you, my friends

Is not a simple one

For I wish you hope and joy and peace

Days filled with warmth and sun

I wish you love and friendship too

Throughout the coming year
Lots of laughter and happiness
To fill your world with cheer

May you count your blessings, one by one

And when totaled by the lot

May you find all you've been given

To be more than what you sought

May your journeys be short, your burdens light

May your spirit never grow old

May all your clouds have silver linings

And your rainbows pots of gold

I wish this all and so much more

May all your dreams come true

May you have a Merry Christmas and Happiest Holidays 

And a happy New Year, too .. 

I love decorating my mantel with nutcrackers, and usually do this every other year. 

If you haven't even thought of baking, here's an easy, festive cookie recipe for you. I have not been sharing any foodie photos due to the darkness in the evening.  We have been eating well however :-) 

Thank you for stopping by! Light the fire, wrap up in your favorite throw, and enjoy a cozy winter.  

xoxo

Debbie

It's beginning to look at lot like Christmas

  We went to New York City for the day on Saturday, and then to the movies on Sunday to see Bohemian Rhapsody and enjoyed the preview for Jennifer Lopez's new movie "Second Chance"  that starts in our theaters on December 21. I loved the NYC scenes and seeing the Christmas tree at Lotte Plaza at the end of this clip Lotte Plaza Christmas Tree. 

I was grateful to have four days off from work at Thanksgiving time to get the house in order and start decorating for Christmas. I haven't done a darn thing since then, except participate in holiday festivities. 

This little guy (Xavier) is getting so big. He was freezing getting this Christmas photo taken :-) I love this age, and the way he talks to me. When he sips tea from a tiny espresso cup I have, he exclaims "delicious" pronounced dee-wish-us. 

"I wonder if the snow loves the trees and fields that it kisses them so gently? And then it covers them up snug, you know, with a white quilt; and perhaps it says, 'Go to sleep, darlings, till the summer comes again.'"

- Lewis Carroll

A quick trip to Magnolia Bakery for cupcakes, and I spotted this festive cake.

I attended an English Tea at a local bed and breakfast Oak and Ivy, and it was delightful. 

We got lucky and just happened to walk down Bleecker Street in New York City where they had these fabulous storefront windows decorated with flowers for "Love, Bleecker'. The area is alive and kicking, once again. #lovebleecker

My family thinks I plan these black and white photos LOL. I got a kick out of my cousin messaging me this :-)  I think only you can go someplace and find that black and white theme. It's like you call ahead of time and say I'm going to be there around 12 noon please have a black and white display out so I can do a photo shoot.

Thanks for stopping by! 

xoxo

Debbie