Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Trapped!


Not really trapped but take a look at the icicles in front of the sliding door to our deck! Quite a storm we had.



Also, here's a photo of my snowman after shoveling some snow on Sunday.

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Thanksgiving


Dinner went very well. A good time was had by all. A full review after I get some rest. I hope you all had a fabulous Thanksgiving! Frenchy

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

T (Thanksgiving) Minus 1 and counting...

Oh Boy!!

The house is clean, the groceries are bought. The linens are ironed and the in-laws are on their way. I have all of the batteries for the cameras (still and video) charging. Attendance is confirmed for all but the King-Wirtses, but I'm sure that is not a problem. I am going to start the cooking this afternoon after Mom-in-law arrives so she can participate if she'd like to. I think we are "good to go" on our Thanksgiving dinner party. I will post some photos later of the food prep as the day progresses. Wish me luck!

In the meantime, enjoy this old chestnut from a couple of years ago. It is still a scream.



Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Pastry Shops

One of the things I miss from living in Providence is that there are so many wonderful pastry shops in the city. Growing up I used to shop at Scialo Brothers on Atwells Avenue with its Art Deco design and bins of Italian candies and sugared almonds and of course there was The LaSalle Bakery across from LaSalle Academy. They are the kind of bakery where you could buy bread, cookies, pies, cakes, egg and wine biscuits, bread-and-tomato only pizza strips wrapped in waxed paper, and of course pastries. There is nothing of the like that I have found on the Cape. I miss that kind of place so much that I did make a pilgrimage last year to Ladurée while I was in Paris to pay homage to the muses of flour and sugar but that place is, in the words of L. Frank Baum, a "horse of a different color".

Last week, I went "off Cape" with The Contessa and we went to visit Crate and Barrel at the Derby Street shopping center in Hingham, where there is a bakery/pastry shop called White's. We went in for a look around and I felt like I was a child again. Cakes, pies, brownies, hermits, "lobster tails", ricotta pies, rum cake slices and strombolis were in abundance. It really was a great "memory blast".

Well Mr. B and I went back to Hingham to visit the Apple Store in the Derby Street location as he wanted a new mouse for his computer and lo... the bakery swept me up in its Siren's song and I couldn't resist going in for a macaroon or two. I ended up getting a couple of cookies and a few cupcakes just to have around the house in case anyone was hungry, you understand. The cupcakes are still in the fridge but I am not guaranteeing that any or all of them will make it to November 17th but I can tell you they look damned tempting.

Give White's a look-see and let me know of your bakery memories.

T (Thanksgiving) Minus 10 and counting...

A new cooking method for the turkey has been sent in by Linda, La Reine du Barbecue, from LJ's BBQ in Pawtucket, RI. It does sound intriguing. It calls for wrapping up the turkey in foil and baking it at 450 degrees. What do you think?

From Linda:
I expect you will get an avalanche of turkey recipes, but I am SOLD on this method. I have continued ever on and it produces consistently the best ever turkey with moist (yes!) white meat and the foil removed at the end for browning and curb appeal.. Because it is cooked at high heat and less time, you also aren't a slave to the thing. The only tricky part is that it can be so moist that upon transfer to platter at the end it can literally fall apart(legs from body), but you were only going to have to cut it up anyway to serve it, so who cares!

Happy T-Day dahlink!!!

Linda

Foil-wrapped Turkey
8-10# 450 degrees 2 1/4 - 2 1/2 hrs
10-12 # " 2 1/2 - 3 hrs
14-16 # " 3 - 3 1/4 hrs
18-20 # " 3 1/4 - 3 1/2 hrs
22-24 # " 3 1/2 - 3 3/4 hrs
Place trussed turkey, breast up, in center of greased, wide heavy duty foil. Bring ends of foil up over breast; overlap fold and press up against ends of the turkey. Place bird in shallow pan (no rack). Open foil last 20 minutes to brown turkey.

Anyone else tried this one?

Monday, November 16, 2009

How pumpkin pies are made...


Hilarity from a tiny island in Washington State. Thanks MD!!!

Thanksgiving "prep"

Thanksgiving is little more than a week away and I am in full "gay nerves" mode. We are, once again, hosting my in-laws for Wednesday and Thursday night this year as well as the usual suspects for Thanksgiving dinner. They would be Bob, Tobe and The Contessa di Pomodori. That makes 7 for dinner.

In preparation, I have already taken down the drapes and sheers in the living and dining rooms, washed and ironed them, and rehung them. Dusted all art and tchotchkes. Also, the silverware is polished, although I noticed the coffee service needs just a little more care. The table linens have been washed, ironed and refolded so that I won't have to work on them next week. Mr. B and I have also given the living and dining rooms "the big clean" too.

So far the menu looks like this:

Hors d'oeuvre:
Shrimp, crostini varie, asparagus with proscuitto.

Dinner:
Roast Turkey (Cook's Country method, see below)
Sausage and cornbread dressing (my own recipe)
Mashed potato casserole (America's Test Kitchen recipe)
Green beans "Elegantes" (Dr. Joe's recipe)
Puree of Turnip & Carrot (Mom's recipe)
Cranberry sauce (Direct from the can. I made a "scratch" version last year and it was nasty. Plus I got a serious "bead reading" from my side of the family over it, so I am just going to take a can of Ocean Spray Whole Berry sauce and "doctor" it up with some orange zest.)
Squash Rolls (from B&T)

Dessert:
Apple Pie (Mom-in-Law's baking this)
Pumpkin Cake (from the Contessa)
Canoli (also from the Contessa)


Recipes have been pulled and printed from cookbooks and I have also been gathering diverse methods of turkey cooking as my efforts last year were a little lacking. Last year the turkey was as dry as a buckwheat fart but no one complained. (I do have good friends and relatives, don't I?) I am trying to narrow down the method from 3 that I have garnered. The first is just a standard "rub with butter and herbs and toss in the oven" method (Bobby Flay). The second involves brining the turkey, rubbing the skin with a mixture of salt and baking soda to produce a crispier skin and roasting (America's Test Kitchen). The third, which I saw on Cook's Country TV" on Public TV, has a layer of salt pork draped over the breast and leg meat, covered with water-soaked cheesecloth, and roasted (with the cheesecloth/pork on for a little while and then removed). I am leaning toward the third method but I need to decide soon. I haven't purchased the turkey yet so I do have a little time left.

That's it for T (for Thanksgiving) minus 11 days and counting. If you have any tips, ideas or suggestions for me or for any of my readers, please make sure you enter them in the comments section.

Monday, November 09, 2009

Lemon Ice Box Pie

I had a wicked craving for Lemon Ice Box Pie this week and I thought I had Mom's recipe for it, but alas it was not there. So I went to America's Test Kitchen's site and looked to see if they had a recipe. They did not, however they did have a recipe for Key Lime Pie. I knew that they were almost identical in their taste profile so I went with that one substituting lemon for lime in the recipe, and boy was it delicious. I am going to post the recipe here so you folks can enjoy it too. It's a little more complicated than the old lemon juice and condensed milk recipe but it is remarkably delicious. (P.S. For the concerned citizen who's upset that I didn't take credit for a photo or recipe I didn't compose myself, I would like to state 3 things; 1. I did not take the photo of the pie in this post. 2. I did not compose the recipe, just altered it to make a lemon pie, rather than lime, and 3. Go fuck yourself honey... go troll someone else's site.)
-->
Key Lime Icebox Pie
Serves 8 to 10.
Be sure to use instant pudding that requires no stovetop cooking for this recipe. We use regular supermarket (Persian) limes-tasters thought bottled lime juice lacked depth of flavor. We much prefer our easy homemade crust to store- bought versions.

Ingredients
Crust
8
whole graham crackers , broken into smaller pieces
2
tablespoons sugar
5
tablespoons unsalted butter , melted
Filling
1/4
cup sugar
1
tablespoon grated lime zest
8
ounces cream cheese , softened
1
(14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1/3
cup instant vanilla pudding mix
1 1/4
teaspoons unflavored gelatin
1
cup fresh lime juice from 6 to 8 limes
1
teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions
1. For the crust: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Pulse crackers and sugar in food processor until finely ground. Add melted butter in steady stream while pulsing until crumbs resemble damp sand. Using bottom of dry measuring cup, press crumbs firmly into bottom and sides of 9-inch pie plate. Bake until fragrant and browned around edges, 12 to 14 minutes. Cool completely.
2. For the filling: Process sugar and zest in food processor until sugar turns bright green, about 30 seconds. Add cream cheese and process until combined, about 30 seconds. Add condensed milk and pudding mix and process until smooth, about 30 seconds. Scrape down sides of bowl. Stir gelatin and 2 tablespoons lime juice in small bowl. Heat in microwave for 15 seconds; stir until dissolved. With machine running, pour gelatin mixture, remaining lime juice, and vanilla through feed tube and mix until thoroughly combined, about 30 seconds.
3. Pour filling into cooled crust, cover with plastic, and refrigerate at least 3 hours or up to 2 days. To serve, let pie sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before slicing.
I hope you enjoy this.

Hilariously Tacky Wedding Alert!!

Why will this make it into the "Tacky Wedding Hall-of-Fame"? Is it the "mini-me" kids dressed as the bride and groom? Is it the neon orange bridesmaid showgirl dresses? Is it the plastic see-through pumpkin coach? Or is it the ridiculous bride's outfit? Or something else? You decide.

Thanks to tackyweddings.com for this show stopper.

uno

Didn't I see John Leguizamo as drag queen Miss Chi-Chi "I've got more legs than a bucket of chicken" Rodriguez in "Too Wong Foo" wear that same hat?

dos

Yes I did!

tres

Yeah, Mom, get a nice handful of bosom for the family photo op. Don’t be shy, go for it.

quatro

cinco

seis

seite

Oh man, oh man, oh man….

ocho

Seriously, WTF.

nueve

dies

bridengrmm

Wednesday, November 04, 2009

Cape Cod Organic Farm "CSA" Review

As some of you may know I participated in the Cape Cod Organic Farm CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program this summer which promised (according to their website):
A $500 summer membership provides a family of four with a weekly box of vegetables picked as they ripen throughout the season. Box pick-up is every Thursday from 10-5 at the farm stand and each box is topped with a pretty bouquet of freshly cut flowers. As of September, each box will include a dozen farm fresh eggs! The summer CSA season runs from June 18th -November 19th.
Now I have been posting photos of the produce that has been received from the program (see links below) and I can honestly say that the amount of produce never lived up to the "family of four" test. In the beginning I ascribed that to the fact that we had an unusually wet spring and that there were bound to be delays in getting a large box of produce. There was always a huge bag of mesclun greens (at least 1 pound) but until the potatoes started arriving none of the vegetables offered to us amounted to enough for a family of four, even for one meal. This was very disappointing for us as we had hopes of doing some canning and preserving of whatever was left over at our little nest (there is only Mr. B and me here). I really felt as though we were getting the "fuzzy end of the lollipop" in this program.

Well, 4 weeks ago (I wanted to wait until I was not angry anymore) I went to pick up my veggies and I was told that the CSA had ended and that the current week was the last week. The person at the stand told me that emails had been sent to all parties and I was asked if I had email to receive the notices. I told them that I did indeed have email and that I received no notices of the early end of the program. The program ended 7 weeks early!

Now I am a pretty patient person but I do not like being told "stories" about lost emails and I don't like being sold a bill of goods either. When I went to the farm the next week to inquire about why the program ended I could not get a definitive answer, however I did notice that there were vegetables for sale in their farm stand.
I would hope that next year, should they offer this program again, that they plan things better, communicate better, and stick to their promises. They will be doing so without me.

CSA 1 CSA 2 CSA 3 CSA 4 CSA 5

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Ahhh... Married Life!

You know you've made it into the family when you get an email like this from your Mother-in-Law:

Hello
try this web site for pork I am going to make Pork and Parmesan tonight
theotherwhitemeat.com/porkrecipes

xoxoxoxo
mother

Pork recipes... the In-Law relationship barometer. Hope you don't mind I posted this Mom ;-).

Love, Frenchy


Stella appears on CBS News

It looks like our friend Stella (Anne Marie to me) has gotten herself on the TV. During a report on Nick Xiarhos, the son of a Yarmouth police lieutenant who died in Afghanistan this past summer, Stella was asked for her thoughts. Watch the video below.



Watch CBS News Videos Online

Thursday, September 10, 2009

STILL not well!

Still not feeling well. My doctor says I should be on my feet soon.
The worst part is laryngitis. I have not been able to speak above a
whisper since Saturday. Mr B seems to be enjoying it though.

I will be returning to my blog as soon as I feel better. Thanks for
all of your kind "get well" wishes.

Frenchy

Sent from my iPhone

Saturday, September 05, 2009

Sorry

Hi kids! Sorry I haven't been blogging more. I have had a fairly bad case of the flu and am just now feeling like sitting up after 5 days in bed. More fun soon...

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

RIP Senator Edward M. Kennedy


Well, we all knew it was coming but it is still a sad day for all Americans. Senator Kennedy passed away at the age of 77 from brain cancer. Every person in America owes Ted a debt of gratitude for his tireless work for the people in our society who have experienced discrimination, want, or the need for better healthcare. We at Frenchy's House Party wish Teddy's family and America at large our condolences.

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Lunch at Chew

Here's the sandwich I had at Chew. It's called The Alsatian; roast beef, boursin, caramelized onions, roasted peppers, and arugula on onion foccaccia. F-ing delicious! Get Down here for some fab lunch! Frenchy



Sent from my iPhone

Frenchy's House Party Live from Cafe Chew

Cafe Chew is now open! I am at Chew now and there is a bustle going on here. It really seems like this is going to be a hit! There are lots of smiling people and the sandwiches are flying out the door. The Contessa di Pomidoro is helping out at the door to get people used to the "flow" of the place and Bob and Tobin are behind the line making sandwiches and salads. Here are a couple of photos from the scene.




Monday, August 24, 2009

RIP Preston Stephen Ambrose



Today, we at Frenchy's House Party are mourning the death of our good friend and kitty-boy Preston Stephen Ambrose. Preston died comfortably in his sleep at Pleasant Bay Animal Hospital at the age of 15 years. Preston was predeceased by his brother Leo Felix Ambrose and is survived by his Mummy Frenchy and his Daddy Buzzy.

Preston was born on April 12th, 1994 at Scargo Stoneware Pottery in Dennis, MA and lived there until he was old enough to come home to us at 8 weeks. He was a very good cat and a wonderful friend to us. We will miss him sorely.

We at Frenchy's House Party would like to thank everyone who knew Preston that sent their best wishes.

In lieu of flowers contributions may be made in Preston's name to the Animal Rescue League of Massachusetts in Brewster, MA. Funeral arrangements are private.

Preston and Leo are now back together in Kitty Heaven.

Sunday, August 23, 2009

Cafe Chew Update

Cafe Chew, the cannot fail to be, new hot spot in Sandwich is set to open on Tuesday the 25th of August at Merchant's Square. The boys (Tobin Wirt & Bob King) have been killing themselves getting ready for the opening of their new cafe. From what I have seen (and tasted) the place is a "sure thing". I stopped by today and Bob was busy in the prep kitchen, Tobin working on the "working menu" (that's kitchen talk girls) and the Contessa di Pomidoro was working out on the cappuccino machine.
Here's a photo and the menus for the restaurant.


Let's all wish them "Buona Fortuna" and we'll see you at Chew!





Friday, August 21, 2009

Provincetown Carnival Parade 2009

This Thursday was our annual pilgrimage to Provincetown for the Carnival Parade down Commercial Street. This year's parade seemed to be 70's/Flower Power/Woodstock and the costumes bear that assumption out. Notables in the parade included Bruce Vilanch the commedian/writer and the nation's first out newsman, Randy Price (late of WHDH), now of WCVB, Channel 5 in Boston. Enjoy the fun


Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Hit n Run Hula

You may remember the troupe that did the dance to the tune of "Do-Re-Mi" from "The Sound of Music" in the train station in Belgium posted at FHP earlier this year. Well led by a drag queen, the Nā Lei Hulu I Ka Wēkiu hula troupe last weekend performed a "hit n run" piece at the corner of Castro and Market in San Francisco. The music is by the Propellerheads featuring Shirley Bassey singing "History Repeating". Hele mei hoohiwahiwa (Come celebrate)!

Kvetch

What the Hell is wrong with the Dems?

I'm going to make this short and sweet as this subject really doesn't need more than a few words to get to the point. The electorate decided in 2007 to elect a majority of Democrats in the House and Senate and to put a Democrat who, among other things, promised to make healthcare reform a priority, into the White House to preside over us. The President and the Democrats in Congress have healthcare plans that would help to make quality healthcare affordable to ALL Americans and the Republicans in the Congress have come right out and said that they will not support any change in healthcare as it is apportioned today. The President and the Dems in Congress have offered to drop the single-payer option, and have now, it seems, have come around to offering to drop the public option from the plan in order to attract Republican support. Why are they doing this?

The Republicans have made it clear that they are too far up the asses of the drug, insurance and healthcare companies to want to upset the gravy train and we have the so-called "Blue Dog" Dems who are in the same place who wish to obstruct the President's plan for healthcare reform.

Now listen people... No matter what you offer the Republicans for their support, you are not going to get it, so why offer it? The President and the Democratic leadership should make it clear to the "Blue Dogs" that they will lose all support from the DNC if they do not toe the line with the President on this issue. Pass the healthcare reform bills without bipartisan support as you weren't going to get it anyway and make the people of the US see that the Democrats mean business when the people speak at the ballot box. The caveat here is that we will need to make sure that during the mid-terms in 2010 we will need to get out the Democrat vote like never before in order to keep the Republicans from dragging us back into the Dark Ages of GWB and the Republican obstructionism that will make our nascent hopes of a more free and equal society wither and die.

It's that simple people.

Barney Frank calls 'em as he sees 'em!

During a "town hall" forum in Dartmouth last night Rep. Barney Frank is confronted by a woman who asks him why he supports "this Nazi policy" of a public option for health insurance for Americans. His response is classic Barney:

Monday, August 17, 2009

Please file under "About F-ing Time": Obama Administration/Justice Department moves against "Defense" of Marriage Act

From Huffington Post:

The Obama administration filed court papers Monday claiming a federal marriage law discriminates against gays, even as government lawyers continued to defend it.

Justice Department lawyers are seeking to dismiss a suit brought by a gay California couple challenging the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act. The administration's response to the case has angered gay activists who see it as backtracking on campaign promises made by Barack Obama last year.

In court papers, the administration said it supports repeal of the law.

It's about time the Obama administration did something about the discrimination against same sex couples in the US. Let's see where this leads, if anywhere.

Photo from our wedding

Why am I fat?

3 Guesses...

Fool’s Gold Loaf Sandwich A loaf of hollowed out bread filled with creamy peanut butter, a jar of grape jelly, and a pound of bacon. (Submitted by Nkg via wikipedia)

Fool’s Gold Loaf Sandwich: A loaf of hollowed out bread filled with creamy peanut butter, a jar of grape jelly, and a pound of bacon.


Stonner Kebabs Deep fried sausages wrapped in doner kebab meat and battered served on a bed of french fries.  (via thesun)

Stonner Kebabs: Deep fried sausages wrapped in doner kebab meat and battered served on a bed of french fries.


Double Bypass Burger A burger topped with five slices of bacon, four slices of cheese, two fried eggs, mayo, lettuce, tomato, and onion between two grilled cheese sandwiches. (Submitted by Kyle Korchran via thevortexbarandgrill)

Double Bypass Burger: A burger topped with five slices of bacon, four slices of cheese, two fried eggs, mayo, lettuce, tomato, and onion between two grilled cheese sandwiches.


Oreo Stuff Dip Oreo cream centers removed and melted into a dip. (Submitted by Jeff Rubin)

Oreo Stuff Dip: Oreo cream centers removed and melted into a dip.


Tempura Bacon Bacon strips battered in Panko bread crumbs then deep fried and served with soy sauce. (via lthforum)

Tempura Bacon: Bacon strips battered in Panko bread crumbs then deep fried and served with soy sauce.


McDonald’s Mega Tamago A McDonald’s Big Mac with egg and bacon. (submitted by Sage via mcdonalds)

McDonald’s Mega Tamago: A McDonald’s Big Mac with egg and bacon.


Cap’n Crunch Donut (Submitted by Inklesspen via voodoodoughnut)

Cap’n Crunch Donut


Ultimate Biscuits Three biscuits topped with ham, pork sausage, bacon, cheese, two over easy eggs, and gravy. (Submitted by Amy Kauffman via breadwinnerscafe)

Ultimate Biscuits:Three biscuits topped with ham, pork sausage, bacon, cheese, two over easy eggs, and gravy.


Breakfast Pizza  A sausage pizza with bacon and eggs, topped with mozzarella cheese and country gravy as sauce. (Submitted by Jason Wilbanks)

Breakfast Pizza: A sausage pizza with bacon and eggs, topped with mozzarella cheese and country gravy as sauce.


The Baconcado An avocado filled with goat cheese and wrapped in bacon. (Submitted by Phil Marks via baconjew)

The Baconcado: An avocado filled with goat cheese and wrapped in bacon.


Great Balls Of Fire Deep fried mashed potato balls infused with bacon, garlic, and Sriracha with cheddar cheese centers and covered with gravy. (Submitted by Jason Tran)

Great Balls Of Fire: Deep fried mashed potato balls infused with bacon, garlic, and Sriracha with cheddar cheese centers and covered with gravy.


Corn Corn  Corn on the Cob on a stick, covered in corn dog batter and deep fried. (Submitted by Arwest)

Corn Corn: Corn on the Cob on a stick, covered in corn dog batter and deep fried.


The Jack Tripper A burger topped with bacon, cheddar cheese, bbq sauce and onion rings. (Submitted by Kim T via reaglebeaglechicago)

The Jack Tripper: A burger topped with bacon, cheddar cheese, bbq sauce and onion rings.


Bacon Chip Nachos (submitted by Adam Rindy and Olley Chon via flickr)

Bacon Chip Nachos


The Uruguayan Chivito A roast beef sandwich with lettuce, tomato, cheese, basil garlic mayo, hard boiled egg, pickles, red peppers, green olives, onions, ham, and bacon on a white bread bun. (Submitted by Phillip Penix-Tadsen)

The Uruguayan Chivito: A roast beef sandwich with lettuce, tomato, cheese, basil garlic mayo, hard boiled egg, pickles, red peppers, green olives, onions, ham, and bacon on a white bread bun.


Oreo Cupcake With Built In Milk Cup (Submitted by J. Pollack via cupcakeproject)

Oreo Cupcake With Built In Milk Cup


Corn Dog Pigs In A Blanket Fried corn dogs wrapped in American cheese and biscuit dough. (Submitted by Laura Flowers)

Corn Dog Pigs In A Blanket: Fried corn dogs wrapped in American cheese and biscuit dough.


Corn Cheddar Bacon Pancakes (Submitted by The Michael Roma via vanillakitchen)

Corn Cheddar Bacon Pancakes


The Rubix Cubewich (via insanewiches)

The Rubix Cubewich


The Hurler Burger A burger topped with Easy Cheese in a jelly donut. (Submitted by Bob Phillips via trouttowers)

The Hurler Burger: A burger topped with Easy Cheese in a jelly donut.

Thanks to ThisIsWhyYoureFat.com