Telescopes & Microscopes and.. TGIF!

Wooo! Here we are... one step closer to the weekend... FRI DAY! FRIIII DAY!!! FRIII DAYYYYY!!! Yeayyyy!!! Tonight I will attempt to make a gluten free pizza. The dough is made and ready to go. It is chilling in the fridge until I get home from work tonight. I think I will either try to make that pear and walnut topping I mentioned here, or maybe I will chicken out and stick with marinara sauce, low-moisture mozzerella, and fresh basil leaves... decisions, decisions....

In other news, I bought a food dehydrator yesterday. Very excited to use this. Funny, for the past several months I've been eyeing up all sorts of wacky raw recipes that require a food dehydrator... and now that I have one... I can't seem to locate one off the bat! What the? I'll have to keep a peep out for some wonderful dehydrator snacks and post them in UdoUncooked.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch... the transition back to raw is beginning to pay off in other areas. I've lost 2lbs this week and (if you count back since Christmas) I've lost 6lbs total! The 6lbs have been coming and going over the past 4 weeks so I'm not officially counting it as a total loss... I'm not even really trying to lose weight really, just changing up some of my eating habits to include more fresh fruits, fresh juices and fresh green smoothies, more raw... mid-raw, eh? Certainly not high-raw... (yet) but I hope to venture back that way again in the coming months. And trying to leave out white sugar and flour... hence, the gluten free goodies and sprouted snacks.

Of course this in no way indicates that I won't be gleefully stuffing my pie hole with the REDICULOUS and AMAZING Dharma Initiative cake I am making (read: having someone else make!) for my husband's LOST Season 6 Premeire party in 2 weeks.... Weeee!

Onward! To a wonderful weekend!!! I feel like we are on the verge of something beautiful... something magical is in there air... I hope that you will embrace that feeling too this weekend... and keep a sense of anticipation about you!

Today's quote:

Love looks through a telescope, while envy looks through a microscope.

Ponder it.
Practice it, even if just for today. 

Please share it.

Enjoy!

XXOoxoXO <3>Udo

Gluten Free Pizza and Avocado Ice Cream!

Stopped at the health food store on the way home from work tonight and picked up some wonderful gluten free pizza dough. From what I understand gluten free also digests like a vegetable just like sprouted... is this correct? I must research this further... The man at the store said that gluten free products digest like vegetables. He asked me if I was moving away from a flour based diet... and I said... I wasn't sure what I was doing yet but I was definately incorporating more sprouted products into my diet. We talked about flour and how it is very binding and clogs up your digestive system... just like GLUE! Flour and water together are the same things we used to make paste in kindergarden, remember?

At any rate I am thrilled and excited to make this gluten free pizza on Friday! I also picked up some organic succutant, some more sprouted spelt and sprouted spring wheat flours,an additional bag of sprouted poppy seed bagels, and these mind blowing vegan spice bars... I have to find out how they were made- OUTRAGEOUSLY DELICIOUS!

For dinner tonight we had a delicious bowl of chicken pot-au-feu. It was light, airy, and very filling! Recipe is found on page 89 of the food network magazine in the Jan/Feb 2010 issue.

Dessert was a bowl of banana avocado icecream topped with agave nectar chocolate sauce!!!

Banana Avocado Ice Cream
3 frozen bananas
1/2 avocado
1 dash of organic vanilla extract
3 soaked dates

Process in food processor until smooth and creamy. Serve in a small beautiful china bowl and top with agave nectar chocolate syrup... (make this by swirling two tablespoons agave nectar in a small bowl with a nice big dash of dark organic cocoa, thin with a teeny bit of water, swirl with spoon and drizzle over ice cream). AHHHHHH!!! SOOO GOOD!! and so good for you! ;)

Weee! Xoxox <3>Udo

Get ready to raw and roll!

Woo! Get ready to Raw and Roll! In the middle of my LOST Season 5 marathon with my darling hub-bub, I decided to branch off Udo Umami into other areas of interest... check out the latest blog addition to the Udo family: UdoUncooked.

Ok- so it's not just a blog dedicated to raw foods, nor is it a blog strictly about vegan or vegetarian related topics... but it IS a fun new blog about all things healthy, vital, and full of nutrients! Stop by the Udo Umami sister blog for great recipes and products that feature health and wellness. It's sprouted grains, it's grass-fed beef, free range chicken, and breads and soups that are all chockful of vital, life-giving nutrients. Mmm! It's UdoUncooked!

Enjoy!
XoxoX <3>Udo

30 savory soups~

WOw! Check out this great resource for making 30 savory soups in no time! So delicious and fun! Don't you just love soup in the winter months? It's a great way to stay healthy, warm, and low cal! Enjoy! XOxox <3>Udo

Handbook for 2010

Passed along from an email... Love it!

Health:

1. Drink plenty of water.
2. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.
3. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.
4. Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy
5. Make time to pray.
6. Play more games
7. Read more books than you did in 2009 .
8. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day
9. Sleep for 7 hours.
10. Take a 10-30 minutes walk daily. And while you walk, smile.

Personality:
11. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
12. Don't have negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
13. Don't over do. Keep your limits.
14. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
15. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip.
16. Dream more while you are awake
17. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need..
18. Forget issues of the past. Don't remind your partner with His/her mistakes of the past.

19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don't hate others.
20. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.
21. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
22. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
23. Smile and laugh more.
24. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree...

Society:
25. Call your family often.
26. Each day give something good to others.
27. Forgive everyone for everything..
28. Spend time w/ people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6.
29. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
30. What other people think of you is none of your business.
31. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

Life:
32. Do the right thing!
33. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
34. GOD heals everything.
35. However good or bad a situation is, it will change..
36. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
37. The best is yet to come..
38. When you awake alive in the morning, thank GOD for it.
39. Your Inner 'most' is always happy. So, be happy.

Here's to 2010... the BEST YEAR EVER!!!! Weeee!

Enjoy!

Xoxoxoxox <3>Udo

Apple, oat, walnut muffins

First and foremost, pardon this nasty, blue-tinged picture. Gah! So annoying! Had to take pic with my cell phone as my digi cam was drowned in aqua a few weeks ago. What a rip. Hope to get a new one in the coming weeks... til then... smurf tinted pictures will have to do!

Apple Oat Walnut Muffins

• 2 apples peeled and cored, diced finely
• 1 cup of walnuts chopped coarsely
• 1 cup of kefir (or yogurt)
  
• 3/4 cup of brown sugar
• 2 cups of organic wheat flour
• 1 cup of old fashioned oats
• 1 egg slightly beaten
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1 tsp all spice
• 1 pinch of nutmeg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp of sea salt
• 1/2 stick of butter at room temperature

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
2. In a bowl combine the egg, brown sugar, and kefir. Set aside.
3. In another bowl mix the dry ingredients: flour, oats, spices.
4. Add the dry ingredient bowl to the wet mixture.
5. Fold in the apples and walnuts.
6. Pour into muffin tin sprayed with Pam
7. Sprinkle the tops of the muffins with brown sugar and sugar crystals.
   
8. Bake for 10 minutes at 450 and then reduce the heat to 400 and bake an additional 5-10 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
9. Cool in tin for 5 minutes and then transfer muffins to a wire rack to cool completely.
10. Serve warm with lashings of country fresh cream butter.

This recipe emerged from 2 left over apples that were sitting on my counter. Diced apples in the muffins adds such a lovely texture- moist and fluffy. You can use this recipe to also make a fabulous cranberry, walnut, oat, and apple bread. Simply add 1 cup of chopped dried cranberries to the mixture and pour into a greased bread pan. Bake for 10 minutes at 450 and then lower the heat to 400 for 10 more minutes. Cool in pan for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.


Enjoy!
Xoxox <3>Udo

So Many Posts!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!! Weeeee!!! Oh how I've missed you all!!!! Hrmph. I've made so many delicious fun treats these past few weeks and I haven't been able to post about a single one of them because my Sony Cybershot took a tumble with my water bottle in my LV a few weeks ago (funny story- not really) BAH!!!!

Now y'all know I don't like to post anything without pretty pictures and lord knows that last post I did on the Pieroghi Casserole was bad enough (took that picture with my cell phone). I'm hoping to hit a holiday sale over the next week or two, grab a new Cybershot and get back on the Udo Bandwagon!

Here's what we've missed lately from Chateau Udo:

• pulled pork sandwiches on pretzel bread with homemade coleslaw and cranberries
• a whole roasted free range chicken served on organic cous cous with holiday stuffing
• Christmas cookies out the wazoo (tadales, italian pepper cookies, thumbprints, etc.)
• whole grain apple, oat, walnut muffins
• whole grain apple, oat, walnut, cranberry bread
  

and in the non-food aisle:

• handcrafted jewelry (for Christmas presents)
• handcrafted soaps (for Chrismas presents)

Ah well... all the more reason to bake again over the holiday break! And while the holidays might be over for some - for others they are only just begingging!!! YAHOO! Get ready to gear up for January 6th (the second Christmas) a.k.a. Epiphany in Italy given by our very own La Befana the Christmas Witch! Weeeeee!!

Xoxox <3>Udo

Udo's Famous Pierogi Casserole

Casseroles? Naught things those! But what the heck- its the holidays and it's so easy to make or take! I made this casserole for a work function today. Prepared everything the night before, layered it, refrigerated it and then stuck it in the oven for 40 minutes when I got to work the next day. It was a big hit! If you like Pieroghi you will FLIP OUT over this dish... if you don't like Pierroghi- you must try this- the texture is incomparable and the taste is extraordinary!

Udo's Oh So Good Pieroghi Casserole

• 1 box of instant mashed potatoes
• 1 bag of wide egg noodles
• 10 large onions diced (yes - 10! don't freak out it's actually quite subtle once cooked)
• olive oil to taste and to sautee the onions in
• sea salt
• black pepper
• 2 packages of Cracker Barrel Vermont Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese (white)
• milk for the mashed potatoes
• buttah (that's butter) country fresh cream butter! (use in sauteeing and in the mashed potatoes)

Directions:

1. Prepare the bag of noodles as directed. Drizzle olive oil over so they don't stick. Set aside.
2. Prepare the box of potatoes as directed. Slice in a few tablespoons of butter. Set aside.
3. Dice the onions and sautee (in batches if necessary) in butter and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
4. Shred the cheddar cheese using the largest slot on a hand held shredder. If you use a smaller shred slot the cheese will become too thin and will clump together. Use the biggest slot.

Layer the ingredients from the above steps in a casserole dish as follows:

• mashed potato
• onion
• noodles
• cheese
• onion

Repeat the layers ending with cheese and onion on top. Cover with foil and refrigerate until you are ready to cook or cover with foil and bake for 35 minutes at 350 - until cheese looks melted and gooey. Serve warm. So yummy!!

Enjoy!

XOxO <3>Udo

Pears, Proscuitto, & Arugula

Had some wonderful friends over for the weekend and what better way to greet them after one had a (6 hour!) drive and the other a 3 hour bus ride. With some cold beer (courtesy of my favorite Stella Artois) and some hot appetizers (courtesy of Rachel Ray) mini tuna melts, portabella mushroom pizzas, arugula and pear wrapped in,  we were ready to quieten those rumbling bellies and give some much needed rest to our traveling nomads. This was of course, only a snack to tide us over- as we were to hit the town later in the evening for a sushi e proscuitto xtravaganza! Enjoy! XoxO <3>Üdo

Pears, Proscuitto, & Arugla
Ingredients

• 
  
  1 bundle arugula leaves
• 
  
  1 ripe bosc pear
• 
  
  1 lemon
• 
  
  1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, finely chopped
• 
  
  Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
• 
  
  Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 
  
  8 slices prosciutto

Directions
Place arugula in bowl. Quarter the pear lengthwise and remove the core. Cut into quarters and then in half again. Dress the pear with the juice of 1/2 lemon, thyme leaves, olive oil, salt and pepper. Place a few leaves of dressed greens on each slice of prosciutto with a slice of pear and roll up into a tight bundle. Cut each bundle in half, to make 16 pieces. Recipe from Rachel Ray

Enjoy! XoxoX <3>Udo

Portabella Mushroom Pizzas

Had some wonderful friends over for the weekend and what better way to greet them after one had a (6 hour!) drive and the other a 3 hour bus ride. With some cold beer (courtesy of my favorite Stella Artois) and some hot appetizers (courtesy of Rachel Ray) mini tuna melts, portabella mushroom pizzas, arugula and pear wrapped in proscuitto we were ready to quieten those rumbling bellies and give some much needed rest to our traveling nomads. This was of course, only a snack to tide us over- as we were to hit the town later in the evening for a sushi extravaganza! Enjoy! XoxO <3>Üdo

Portabella Mushroom Pizzas

Ingredients

• 6 large portobello mushroom tops, stems removed and gills scraped
• Extra-virgin olive oil, for liberal drizzling plus 1 tablespoon
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound Italian sweet sausage
• 1/2 pint grape tomatoes
• 1/2 cup cream
• 1/2 cup basil leaves, shredded or torn
• 1/2 cup shredded Parmigiano

Directions

Preheat broiler.

Dress the mushroom caps with liberal drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Broil the portobello mushrooms 5 minutes on each side until tender.

While caps are broiling heat 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat, add sausage and brown and crumble the meat, then add tomatoes to skillet and cook another few minutes until they burst. Add cream to skillet and reduce 2 to 3 minutes more. Remove the sausage from heat and fold in basil. Fill mushroom caps and top with cheese, place under broiler to brown 2 to 3 minutes then quarter caps and serve. Rachel Rays recipe.

Enjoy!

xOXox <3>Udo

Mini Tuna Melts with Rosemary

Had some wonderful friends over for the weekend and what better way to greet them after one had a (6 hour!) drive and the other a 3 hour bus ride. With some cold beer (courtesy of my favorite Stella Artois) and some hot appetizers (courtesy of Rachel Ray) mini tuna melts, portabella mushroom pizzas, arugula and pear wrapped in proscuitto we were ready to quieten those rumbling bellies and give some much needed rest to our traveling nomads. This was of course, only a snack to tide us over- as we were to hit the town later in the evening for a sushi extravaganza! Enjoy! XoxO <3>Üdo

Mini Tuna Melts

Ingredients

• Italian tuna in olive oil, lightly drained
• 1 small shallot, finely chopped
• 1 large sprig rosemary, leaves stripped and finely chopped
• Black pepper
• 4 slices provolone cheese, deli sliced
• 16 rounds sliced sesame baguette
• 2 tablespoons butter

Directions

Mash tuna with finely chopped shallot, rosemary and black pepper. Quarter the sliced cheese. Build mini sammies of bread, cheese, tuna, cheese, bread. Melt butter in skillet over medium heat. Grill sandwiches on both sides until golden. Remove from skillet and serve. Rachel Ray's recipe.

Enjoy!

XoXo <3>Udo

Breakfast Brushetta

Bruschetta in the morning?! You betcha! Especially if it is a breakfast bruschetta. Take some cherry tomato slice in half and saute in olive oil with diced garlic. Set aside. In a small bowl combine a diced avocado with the sauteed tomato and garlic. Add a little olive oil and lemon juice. Toss gently in a festive looking bowl and set aside to mingle. Take a baguette that you've sliced on the bias (cut diagonally to make for a larger surface) toast in a toaster oven and dab with country fresh cream buttah. Top with the bruschetta mixture, garnish with sweet sea salt and enjoy! XOXO <3>Udo

Wild Boar Bacon

Wow! In the mood for a "LOST" breakfast? Want to eat what John Locke, James Ford, and Kate Austen eat? Chow down on this Sayid special! Guaranteed to be caught at the bare hands of Ben Linus himself! This delicious breakfast treat is made from free-range wild boar... yields a lean, richly-flavored meat because of the boar's unique diet of grasses, roots, acorns and heather.

Serve it for breakfast or use it as a substitute for traditional pork bacon whenever you want an added dimension of flavor. This meat from feral swine is bred using all vegetarian feed, no antibiotics ever, no growth hormones, no animal by-products, no preservatives, nitrates or nitrites added. Learn more about D'Artagnan Wild Boar Bacon here.

Soooo good you'll go hog wild! ::snickers::
Enjoy!
XoOXxO <3>Udo

Awesome Holiday Gifts on a Budget!

Know what this is?? I bet you don't! It's an old cassette tape case that was made into a business card holder!! How cool and budget friendly is that?! Neato! Check out this awesome link to Better Homes and Gardens where there's a plethora of fun, fabulous, frugal gift ideas for you to make and share with friends and family over the holidays!

Enjoy!
XOxoxo <3>Udo

Udo's Bangers and Ravs

Fall fun continues! We took a nice long drive today in search of a new home and on the way stopped at the most delightful pizza place. To say the pizza was a VICTORY is an understatement. Oh goodness... nobody does pizza like NEPA that's for sure! Dinner time is near and what to make with what we have on hand? Whipped up some sausages and ravioli with a glass of pinot grigio... can't beat that!

Udo's Bangers and Ravs

• 1lb of sweet italian sausuage
• 1 bag of frozen chopped onions and green peppers
• 1 bag of frozen ravioli
• garlic
• olive oil
• all spice
• sweet sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• white wine
• country fresh cream butter

Sautee the onions and peppers in the olive oil. Meanwhile boil the salted water for the ravs. In a separate pan cook up the sausage as you like (whole, cut up, shredded) and while it is cooking in its own olive oil add some all spice and dried tarragon to season the sausage. The all spice is quite lovely and really adds a hint of autumn to the sausage. Tarragon is a must IMHO when cooking sausage... it really brings out the umami. Add the cooked ravs, and the onions and peppers and garlic to the pan with the sausages. Add a drop or two of white wine to bring it all together and shred some pecorrino on top if you desire.

Enjoy!

Xoxoxo <3>Udo

And an homage to Bang Bang (bangers) from Brothers Bloom

"Grown Up" Hot Chocolate...

Oh yeahhhh. Hot chocolate never tasted so good, nor was it EVER this relaxing... weeee! Enjoy! XoxoOX <3>Udo

Nigella's Grown Up Hot Cocoa

Ingredients

• 2 cups whole organic milk
• 3 1/2 ounces best-quality semisweet morsels
• 1 shake of cinnamon
• 2 squirts of honey
• 1 teaspoon or so of brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons dark rum or more to taste.. hehee

Directions

Put the milk into a saucepan with the chocolate and add to the milk along with a cinnamon, honey, and sugar and heat gently until the chocolate is melted. Stirring with a wooden spoon.

Add the vanilla and mix with a small hand whisk and still whisking, add a spoonful of the rum first and taste to see if you want more. Add more sugar if you want this sweeter, too. Take out the cinnamon stick and pour into 2 cappuccino or caffe latte cups.

For more great recipes like this, visit the Food Network online!

XoxoXo <3>Udo

Pasta with Walnut Sauce...

Ahhhh! Soooo good!

Nigella's Pasta with Walnut Sauce

Ingredients

• 6 ounces shelled walnuts
• 1/2 clove garlic, minced
• 1 slice bread, crusts removed
• 2/3 cup whole milk
• 1 ounce grated Parmesan, plus more for garnish
• 3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil (preferably Ligurian)
• Salt and pepper
• 2 pounds any flat short pasta
• 1/2 cup chopped Italian parsley, for garnish

Directions

Put a large saucepan of water on to boil, and toast the walnuts in a dry frying pan until they begin to make a nutty aroma. Put the bread in a bowl and cover with the milk. Put most of the toasted walnuts (reserving about 1 ounce for garnish) into a blender along with the garlic, bread soaked in milk, and Parmesan. Blend until it turns smooth and creamy, then pour in the oil and season well with salt and pepper before blending again.

Pour into a bowl, and set aside.

Add pasta to boiling water with salt and cook for the required amount of time. When pasta is al dente, reserve a cup of the pasta cooking liquid and then drain the pasta, but put it in to a large bowl while it's still dripping slightly with water. Sprinkle a little olive oil over the pasta to prevent it sticking together, and then add the walnut sauce, mixing it into the pasta (splash in a little pasta cooking liquid to make the sauce less thick if needed).

Roughly chop the remaining walnuts and toss them over the top along with some more Parmesan and the chopped parsley.

For more great recipes visit the Food Network Online!

Enjoy!

XoOXox <3>Udo

Piping Hot Shepard's Pie

So warm and delicious on a crisp fall day!
Start off with your mashed potato layer...

Then add your seasoned veggies...

Add your beef that was browned and mixed with sauteed mushrooms

Top it off with a layer of biscuit mix (or use your pancake mix instead!)

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until the top turns golden brown... serve warm!

Paul Deen's Shepard's Pie

Ingredients

• 1 small onion
• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
• 2 (8-ounce) cans tomato sauce
• 1 1/2 cups mixed vegetables or niblet corn, prepared
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 8 to 10 medium red new potatoes
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 12 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 cups instant biscuit mix

Directions

Beef Layer: Saute onions in 2 tablespoons butter. Add ground beef. After beef is browned, add tomato sauce; Mix in vegetables. Add salt and pepper, to taste.

Potato Layer: Peel and slice potatoes 1/4-inch thick. Cook in boiling water for approximately 15 minutes or until fork-tender. Whip potatoes with electric mixer; mix until moderately smooth. Don't over beat them; a few lumps are nice. Add 1/2 cup heated milk, 1/2 cup butter, and sour cream. Salt and pepper, to taste. Whip until mixed. Adjust thickness by adding more milk, if desired.

Biscuit Layer: Combine biscuit mix and 1 cup milk. The mix should be thinner than normal biscuit mix but not runny.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Spray a 9 by 9 by 2-inch pan, or any similar casserole dish. Layer half way up with the mashed potatoes. Next, spread a layer of mixed vegetables or niblet corn on top of potatoes. Then add a layer of the meat. Pour biscuit mix over meat. Melt 4 tablespoons of butter and drizzle over top. Bake for approximately 35 to 45 minutes until top is golden brown.

Visit the foodnetwork online for more great recipes!

Enjoy!

XXoxoXOo <3>Udo

Cornish Hens with Apples and Shallots

Sunday dinner is always fun to make because I start cooking at around 8am and keep going until noon. Usually I'm able to whip up a loaf of bread or two for the week, maybe some muffins and brownies for lunches and whatever the dinner of the day is.

I like to keep Sunday a big pasta day and draw out the process of making the sauce from scratch using Grandma P.'s recipe (which includes homemade briciolli and meatball) Oh so good. But today I went the way of autumn and decided to get all medieval with a cornish hen or two (which we will wash down later with some stines of grog (or some pinot grigio) ::imitates a pirate wench at a Rennasiance Faire:: Arrrrrrrr!

Now I have to tell you, I totally winged this one (get it, winged?) and changed up a recipe I found from an old Martha cookbook. I think her recipe called for grapes and shallots but I'm fresh out of grapes and heavy on the apples so I subsituted the fruit. I also found this recipe online and thought...hmmm this is a fun take on spicing up that little cornish devil so let's give this a whirl too! Right. So here's my take on it:

Udo's Cornish Hen with Apple and Shallot

• 2 cornish game hens
• olive oil
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Rosemary bits
• country fresh cream butter
• the juice of half a lemon
• dried cranberries
• chopped walnuts
• 3 or 4 apples cored and cut up into pieces
• 4 shallots halved and quartered

All of the following spices to taste (tt)

• Paprika
• Cinnamon
• All Spice
• Nutmeg
  

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Stuff the hens with the cranberries and walnuts. Season both sides of the hens with olive oil, some lemon juice, and all of the seasoning and spices. Tie the legs together and nestle the birds into a cookie sheet where you have spread out your chopped shallots and apples. Drizzle olive oil over the apples and shallots. Season all with a few grinds of salt and pepper. Cook the birds until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh (avoiding the bone) reads 160 degrees. Continue to occasionally baste the hens with the juices in the pan. Serve with smashed baby red potatoes. Yum!

Enjoy!
XOoXoxO <3>Udo

Ok- so it's not a cornish hen, but it's about as big as one!

Pancakes and Penelope

Ok ok. So it was a strange, strange Saturday- that's for sure. Between a crazy bout of house hunting and then jaunting around a bit with my mommah to do some errands I managed to come home to greet a sleepy hubby who went in to work for some overtime earlier this morning. About 5pm we both collapsed on the couch only to wake at 8:30pm with growling tummies. What to do? What to eat? Lucky for us it is indeed Saturday night and that means we can stay up as late as we want...fun!

Speaking of fun... there's a blu-ray copy of Volver that's been camping out on our coffee table for the past week... can't quite seem to hit the right mood to watch it... and luckily Netflix is in no hurry to get it back from us. I have no idea what its about.... except that I know the director is incredibly talented and it's supposed to be good and Penelope Cruz was nominated for an Oscar because of this film.

Hungry too, the both of us are, but not so much for regular food... so it's time to make some home made pancakes (yes from scratch!) oh my goodness did they come out great! I used a teeny bit of country fresh cream butter on each cake and topped them off with some sliced bananas, sparkly sugar crystals (diamond jimmies) and powdered sugar... AHHHH!!! One could lose control while eating these- they are THAT good. Sooo now, we are eating our pancakes, drinking ice cold glasses of organic whole milk, and watching the Volver. Gracias!

Here's the recipe... update on pretty Penelope later... enjoy!
XOxoXoXOXo <3>Udo

Homemade Pancake Mix

• 7 cups flour
• 1/3 cup baking powder
• 2 tsp. salt
• 8 tsp. sugar
• 1 c. Crisco

Using a wire whisk or pastry cutter, cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse meal. Store sealed in pantry or refrigerator. To make pancakes add 3/4 cup of milk to 1 cup of mix.

For you Volver fans out there...


PS: The movie was FANTASTIC!