Baby Ducks and Fauxhawks

The baby ducks arrived last night!  Little mama and her six tiny babies have been 'cruising the strip' in the stream in front of our house.  The fuzzy little golf ball sized ducklings are darling and are keeping up with their mother. 

My own little ducklings were in desperate need of a haircut and as Daddy (who usually does it) is out of town, it was up to this little mama to make it happen. 

Brad is pretty meticulous about the whole process.  Their little crew cuts couldn't look better even if they'd been done by a professional.  I, on the other hand am not so good at it.  This time, they asked for Mohawks.  I'm not much of a Mohawk fan, but we settled on modest fauxhawks.  They were thrilled!  I'm confident I didn't do it right, but they're none the wiser and were more than happy to let me snap a few pictures before bed.

According to the little one, Jacob looks like a Rock Star!

Lilacs

These are just beautiful and I wanted to share them with you.  I mowed my friends lawn yesterday while she was out of town.  In trade, she gave me some of lilacs and a little rhubarb from her property.  Every time I walk by my table, I get a deep breath full of this lovely smell. 

Pretzel Crusted Chicken with Dijon Dill Dipping Sauce

Over dinner at our favorite restaurant recently, my husband told me that he'd be more interested in cooking with me if he had cool old music to listen to.  Something like Frank Sinatra.  Done and done.  We now own a Frank Sinatra collection.  He sat down at the dinner table with my fat folder of random recipes and started piling each one into categories.  After a few minutes of deliberation, he came up with a fantastic meal for us to make together for his family the following day. 

Heaven!  I love having him in the kitchen with me and this was a rare treat.  True to his style, he was cool and confident as he prepared salted bistro fries with minced bacon, pretzel crusted chicken with Dijon dill dipping sauce and creme brulee.  We also made Blood Maria's which is essentially a Bloody Mary with tequila instead of vodka...not my favorite...don't try it at home.

The chicken, however, was incredible.  Flavorful.  Juicy.  Crunchy.  And that sauce....oh the sauce.  He finely chopped the dill as deftly as a professional chef, adjusted flavors so it was just right and made sure the presentation of the whole thing was classy.  I stood in awe of it all as I had no idea he could do such things in the kitchen.  Fortunately, all it took to bring out the inner chef was a little Frank Sinatra...my new favorite CD.

Pretzel Crusted Chicken with Dijon Dill Dipping Sauce
Fine Cooking

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 large eggs
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
3 cups salted pretzels
3 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 1 1/2 lbs)
Freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill
1 teaspoon honey
1/2 cup vegetable oil

Put the flour in a wide, shallow bowl.  In another wide, shallow bowl, lightly beat the eggs and 1 tablespoon of the mustard.  Process the pretzels in a food processor until a coarse flour forms, about 30 seconds.  Transfer the pretzel flour to a third wide, shallow bowl.  Line up the flour, egg, and pretzel bowls in that order.

Put the chicken on a cutting board, and holding your knife parallel to the cutting board, split each breast in half horizontally.  Sprinkle both sides of the chicken lightly with pepper.  Dredge both sides of the chicken in the flour, then the egg, then the pretzel flour, coating well and shaking off the excess.  Transfer to a baking sheet and refrigerate 5 minutes. 

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix the remaining 1/4 cup mustard with the mayonnaise, dill, honey, and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper; set aside.

Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat.  When the oil is hot but not smoking, add three of the chicken breast pieces.  Cool until the first side is medium/dark brown, about 2 minutes.  Carefully flip and cook until the chicken is cooked through and the second side is golden brown, about 2 minutes more; if the chicken seems to be browning too fast, reduce the heat to medium.  Transfer to a clean cutting board and cover to keep warm.  Repeat with remaining chicken.

Slice the chicken on the diagonal.  Divide the slices among four dinner plates and serve with the dipping sauce. 

Note:  Reheat leftover chicken in the oven the next day and serve on buttered/toasted hoagie rolls with more of the dipping sauce.  Killer.

It's a Great Day to Play!

My Garden...2011

The last two years have been a bust in the garden department.  Between potty training, traveling and puppies, I just didn't find the gumption to do it.

Besides, the last time I tried to grow anything, my tomatoes never ripened.  I was so excited about the hundreds of green tomatoes weighing down my plants until the doggone frost came and took them all.  Despite covering them at night, they never did ripen.  I still remember the day...shoulders sagging and feet shuffling I drug myself out the the backyard to pull out the plants and put them in the garbage.  It still hurts, can you tell?

This year will be different, however.  I am a determined woman this spring.  Now that we finally have some good weather, I purchased two tomato plants.  One is a Sweet 100 Cherry and the other is an Artctic Maxx.  Usually, folks around here suggest Early Girl plants because they take fewer days to ripen.  According to the Hmong lady at the Farmer's Market, Artctic Maxx plants take even less time.  Sold!

She recommended chicken manure as a supplement to the soil.  At first, I thought 'chicken poop, where am I going to find chicken poop?'  Lord knows I certainly wasn't going to spend money on some.  Fortunately, I remembered my friend, Amy.  She was gracious enough to scoop some out of the bottom of her coop for me.  That's a good friend right there!

So, the plants are in the ground now with chicken wire to protect them (also courtesy of Amy).  Any other tips anyone wants to share with me?

I'd love to be able to can some tomatoes as well as make and can some salsa late this summer.  Speaking of, I also planted some tomatillos, a couple pepper varieties and cilantro.  Along with some onions starts I have yet to plant, I just may have the makin's of my very own homegrown salsa.  Stay tuned!

There's also an herb pot with sage, marjoram, chives, parsley and oregano (I still need to find some basil)...

...a lone mint plant on the front porch specifically planted for mojitos...It sits on the broken porch swing I intend to fix so I can drink my mojito on it...

...a sad, lonely cucumber plant.  He needs some friends...

...and of course, some Johnny Jump Up's because they remind me of my grandmother.  We called her Da.  No, I'm not growing a pretzel plant...they were abandoned by the boys.  Roman will be delighted to find a snack in the yard though.

So there you have it.  Nothing too impressive.  Just a tiny garden to go with my tiny house and tiny yard...just the way I like it.  

Picadillo Tacos

My new friend from out of town, Sandy and her daughter Cielo visited us this past weekend.  After a fun afternoon at the carousel and park with the kiddos, Sandy offered to make dinner for us.  Sandy is the youngest of 10 kids from a traditional Mexican family, so of course I was expecting some rockin' tacos.  I wasn't disappointed. 

It was so much fun to have Sandy in my kitchen.  She made herself right at home and had dinner on the table in no time at all. 

 

The boys adore little Cielo and were both super sad to see her go.  

Sandy also taught me that orange San Pellegrino and Pinnacle Whipped Vodka (or Absolute Vanilla Vodka) tastes just like an orange creamsicle.  Just add a couple ounces of vodka to a tall glass with ice.  Pour the San Pelligrino over the top and give it a quick stir.  So simple and seriously tasty. 

Notice I didn't take much time with my photo presentation here...I was waaaaayyyy too excited to eat it. 

Picadillo Tacos

2 small carrots, sliced thinly

1/2 onion, diced

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 pound ground beef

3/4 cup peas

3/4 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Saute the carrots and onion about 5 minutes over medium heat. 

Add garlic and cook 2 minutes more. 

Add ground beef and cook until brown. 

Add remaining ingredients, reduce heat to simmer and stir occasionally for 10 to 15 minutes.

Serve with warmed corn tortillas, sour cream, jalapenos, grated cheese, salsa and guacamole*.

*Sandy's guacamole had diced onion and tomato as well as chopped cilantro and a squeeze of lime.  Salt and pepper to taste.   

Mint and Strawberry Spritzer Cocktail

I've had a Marcus Sammuelsson recipe saved in 'my favorites' for several weeks waiting for just the right day, just the right moment, just the right company and well, frankly...just the right ingredients. 

Today was the day.  If for nothing else than strawberries were $1.50 a pound and I had some mint in a pot on the front porch.  It was 'hot' today too.  The thermometer reached all the way up in to the 60's today!  Considering how f-f-f-freezing it was yesterday, today was absolutely a heat wave in my book. 

My ducklings aren't here yet.  I was hoping to perhaps save this cocktail recipe to celebrate their arrival.  I'm not that patient, however, as I decided to Google the incubation period of a duck egg today.  It's 28 days.  This recipe needed to be made to-day!  Why the sudden urgency?  It struck my fancy, that's why.

I called up a couple gals and we toasted our nice warm day with our new fun cocktail.  I made them stand in the sun shining through the window first though.  I'm pretty sure they think I'm loony tunes.  The little things really should be celebrated.  So many of life's best moments pass without recognition.

My mother and her husband toasted the installation of their new toilet with some Courvoisier.  If anything should be celebrated, it should be indoor plumbing. 

Cheers!

Mint and Strawberry Spritzer Cocktail

Makes 2 drinks

3 ounces ginger liqueur, divided
2 teaspoons raw sugar
¼ cup mint leaves, divided, plus for garnish
4-6 strawberries, stems removed and sliced, plus 2 for garnish
Ice
Soda water

Divide the sugar, mint leaves, and strawberries evenly between two tall glasses. Muddle with a long spoon and then top off with ice. Pour the ginger liqueur over the ice in each glass and stir with a spoon. Top off with soda water and garnish with a strawberry on each glass.

Pineapple Kiwi Salsa

Spring has been dragging it's heels here in Western Montana.  We're all well aware that we live in the mountains of Montana and we should expect such things, however, it has been unseasonably cold, rainy and still even snowy.  Needless to say, Little League is not my favorite event these days.  'Keep your eye on the ball!' is tough advice for children who can't open their eyes because of the horizontal hail blowing right in their faces.  One day, our coach said 'just aim for the biggest snowflake coming at you!' 

Call the game already, I say. 

My mom and I decided that despite our yearning for fairer days, we are grateful not to be experiencing tsunamis, earthquakes and tornadoes.  A little dose of perspective like that goes a long way. 

The mallard ducks who come to nest every year on the stream (aka irrigation ditch) in front of our house are always my indication that spring is soon.  Yesterday I spied the male and female approaching us.  Though Christian stood still beside me, he couldn't control the giggling.  He couldn't have been more pleased that they came so close to us. 

I assume the females must be nesting now as today, I only saw the males.  Four of them were hanging out together as though in the maternity waiting room.  I'll post pictures of the ducklings as soon as they show their cute fuzzy little faces.  They love to hang out on our porch and driveway every year.  I keep a close count on the babies and watch them grow throughout the season.  Simple pleasures.

The weather was not atrocious today.  Hallelujah!  I actually put on one of the cute sundresses I've purchased over the last few months.  Christian and I sat in the back yard for over an hour in the sunshine.  I read a book and he cut the grass along the fence with safety scissors (his idea, not mine...no child labor laws were broken). 

The sunshine was so inspiring I decided to make some fun salsa, which I ate in the backyard in the sun.  After all, it is Cinco de Mayo and I had to eat it before it started snowing again.  Actually, it hasn't started snowing again...yet.

This morning on the way to school, the neighbor boy asked me if I knew what yesterday was.  I said 'what.'  His reply was 'May the 4th be with you.'  I've been giggling all day about that one...then again, perhaps I have an immature sense of humor. 

Pineapple Kiwi Salsa

Mix together:

1 cup diced fresh pineapple (canned would work off season)
1 kiwi, peeled and diced
1 small jalapeno, finely diced (mine was on sale and cost me a whopping 3 cents)
2 tablespoons cilantro, roughly chopped
1/4 teaspoon cumin
salt to taste

The Wedding

The day we'd all been waiting for finally arrived last Saturday.  Our friends, Delani and Christian, were married.  They'd asked me in December to make the cake for their special day and I've been nervous about it since then.  I've never made a stacked tiered cake not to mention worked with black filigree.  I cannot express my relief when I finished it and they were happy with it. 

The best part of the cake was that it was tasty too.  The sweetness of the frosting and fondant was balanced with the sour cream in the chocolate cake and the tartness of the raspberry cream.  Thank goodness the bride and groom allowed the wedding party to have a piece first!

Delani has incredible, classic taste.  The whole day was absolutely lovely.  From the bride's gorgeous hair and gown to the heartfelt vows to the hilarious dancing at the reception.  We all sighed a deep breath of happiness when our dear friends walked off together hand in hand and man and wife. 

Face lift

As I'm sure you've noticed, I have a new template for my blog.  So far, I like the look, but it's giving me some headaches.  Please bear with me as I try to get archives and whatnot sorted out. 

I have an update on the wedding cake I practiced a few months ago I'll post in the next day or so.  Victory or disaster?  Stay tuned!