Grilling Portabellas

My brother-in-law, Tony, makes awesome Portabella mushrooms.  I have to admit, I should have called him to get a few tips, but I didn't.  The entire time I was preparing, William kept asking, "are you sure you know what you're doing; are you sure you don't need a recipe?"  I ignored him. 

Honestly, I was just trying to act confident, while secretly having no clue what I was doing.  I forged ahead.

I drizzled the Portabellas, on both sides, with olive oil, sea salt and pepper.  This picture was prior to the realization that I maybe needed to pull the stem from the middle of the mushroom.  I'm still not really sure, but I removed it anyway.

I sauteed the spinach in olive oil spray and mixed it with part skim ricotta cheese and minced garlic.

I chopped grape tomatoes and fresh basil for the top.

William grilled the mushrooms, top down, for about 5 minutes.  He flipped them over, and I spread the ricotta and spinach mixture on the mushroom.  I topped it with a little mozzarella, grape tomatoes and basil.

It actually turned out really well regardless of the fact that I felt lost the entire time.  We probably should have left them on the grill a little longer.  The portabellas weren't as tender as I would have liked, and the cheeses not quite hot enough.  However, the blend of flavors was perfect. 

Per Rico's request, I would serve this with a glass of Yellow Tale Cabernet-Shiraz blend.  In fact, I think I will have a glass now.  Cheers.

Meeting the Prince...of Tides

I remember being a little girl on our annual summer vacation to Fripp Island.  The beach house was swarming with cousins, aunts and uncles, Grandpa, and friends.  Sandcastles were built, crabs were caught near the bridge, cards were played, golf carts driven, even haunted houses were created (I guess we were bored or maybe just creative?) and a lot of memories were made.  It was our trip together, every July. 

One particular year, I remember being asleep and hearing a loud knock on the door.  I have vague memories of chaos ensuing amongst the adults in the house.  I found out the next day that the producer of "The Prince of Tides" knocked on the door, informing my parents and the others, that they would be filming a scene with Nick Nolte and Barbra Streisand on the front steps of the house we rented at Fripp.  Because of the tide and needing the perfect moon light, it had to be done in the middle of the night.  The movie was filmed, I believe, in 1991, meaning I was 7 years old. 

Little did I know that, one day, I would read and love the novel, The Prince of Tides.   

Saturday, was a day I won't ever forget.  I met and talked with Pat Conroy, the author and one of my favorites!

He was doing a book signing in Beaufort.  It was actually a signing for John Warley's first novel, Bethesda's Child, but Pat Conroy wrote the Preface to the book, so he was there, as well.  

It was such an awesome experience.  This world-renowned author has an incredible passion for words and story-telling. 

We talked for a few minutes; however, it was so loud in the room, I couldn't hear everything he was saying.  He, being a former teacher, was interested in talking about teaching.  He wanted to know what it was like to be in a classroom these days.  His words were encouraging as we spoke, from one teacher to another, about education.  He told me about his new book, My Reading Life, coming out next week.  He said it was a tribute to all great works of Literature, English teachers, and those who love to read.  I can't wait to get my hands on it!

He was so animated and seemed genuinely interested in our conversation.  It was as if he forgot about the winding line of people and really took the time to connect with me.  

He signed the book, "To Eve, For the Love of Teaching.  Pat Conroy."  I walked out with chills.

Just the Highlights

We had a great weekend relaxing on the coast!  Here are just a few of the moments captured on camera.

Picking crabs Friday night was a family affair.

We all enjoyed coffee on the front porch Saturday morning.  I think my "Mornings" post inspired a few new early risers. 

Meet Belle's Boykin pups.  Five brown dogs is a lot for one weekend, but they LOVED hanging out with each other.

Round Two at Luther's.

Dad made an awesome Sunday lunch.  He stuffed flounder and red fish, and it was amazing! 

I am saving a surprise for tomorrow!  I had the chance to meet and chat with someone special!  Get excited!

Speechless

Sometimes, there are no words.  

Three Years Later, and I Love my Mixer!

My mom gave me my mixer for Christmas, three years ago.  I hate to admit this, but it was still in the box.  Sorry, Mom.  But hey, today was like Christmas all over again, except this time, I was actually excited about the mixer. Really excited. 

She knew I would love it one day; she was right.

I pulled this beauty out of the box not really knowing where to start and already hyperventilating about where to store it when I'm finished.  We are completely out of cabinet space.  But I didn't let that stop me.  I was on a mission.

I'm sorry about my pumpkin experience, yesterday.  But I can't hold it against all pumpkins.  After all, they are one of my favorite parts of Fall: pumpkin spiced lattes from Starbucks, pumpkin seeds, pumpkin pie.

We are headed back to Land's End this weekend.  This is our actual family trip for Fall.  William and I just happened to sneak in last weekend.  I can't wait to spend some time with Kristen and Tony and my mom and dad. 

I'm going to surprise them all; actually, surprise may not be the appropriate word.  Perhaps, SHOCK would be better.  I've never brought a baked good to our trips.  I'm usually in charge of toilet paper or paper towels.  But not this time.  I'm putting my faith back in pumpkins and bringing.....Paula Dean's PUMPKIN BARS.

Okay, back to the kitchen.

My first thought, what do you do with this thing?

I gathered all of my ingredients.  I've been surprised by how little I have to buy to bake.  Most of the ingredients are already in my cabinet.  The only purchases I made were pumpkin and powdered sugar for the icing.

Help!  Which one do you use?  Eeny, Meeny, miny, moe?

I combined the eggs, sugar, oil, and pumpkin in my mixer.

Then, stirred the dry ingredients together in a bowl.  These were flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda.

I added the dry ingredients to the mixer.

This is the only part of baking I've ever been exposed to...standing over the sink, licking whatever this thing is called.  I would fight for this part. 

Into the pan, it goes.  With a few lumps.  Oops. 

It cooked for about 25 minutes on 350 degrees.  I began the icing.

I blended the cream cheese and butter, added the sugar, and vanilla, and spread it on the cooled pumpkin bars.

The outcome was amazing.  Really, the picture doesn't do it justice.  Pumpkin bars are the perfect treat for a cool fall day.

Thank you, Pumpkin, for restoring my faith in you. 

Smile

I sent a care package, tonight, to a good friend.  She lost her mom, unexpectedly, a few weeks ago.  Although I love to write, and I love words, sometimes, in moments like these, they are hard to find.  Whether I'm happy or sad, these things make me smile.

They're simple, really.  But they're my favorite, and I'm learning to trust the power of simple moments and experiences like these.

All bundled up and ready to be shipped.

What makes you smile?  Does it always have to be a huge promotion, a new car, or a bigger diamond? 

Why not smile when you hear the crunch of the fall leaves under your feet, or your husband offers to do the dishes, or you see a picture and remember a good friend from college, or your sweet dad sends you a good morning text, or the weather is perfect for the sunroof to be open. 

Sometimes we fail to realize, but these are the moments worth smiling about.  :)

Warning! Disaster Ahead!

Don't worry, everything was fine with the chili.  And the fire was perfect.  The pumpkins are another story. 

Let's start with the good news.  William got the fire going.  It was so pleasant outside and such a great night to sit outside and enjoy one another's company.

We chopped green pepper, onions, and browned the hamburger meat.

We added dark kidney beans, garlic, diced tomato, and tomato sauce. 

We seasoned with a package of chili seasoning, chili powder, cumin, garlic, and oregano. 

Topped with cheddar cheese and light sour cream, it was delicious!

If it were up to me, I'd end the post here.  If I weren't trying to blog the triumphs of trying new things, as well as the challenges, I'd stop here and not mention another word to another soul.

But, I will proceed.  Try not to fall off of the chair in laughter.  Seriously, it's not funny, yet.

I had all intentions of carving a witch.  Yes, I knew it would be a challenge, but how hard could it be?  Finn and I were excited and ready to go. 

The pumpkins were cleaned, and I got to work.  I knew from the start that I had a problem.

William asked if I would like to use a sharpie?  I agreed.  Then looked over to see him using a watercolor marker.  He sabotaged me!  His lines wiped right off.  Mine?  Well, of course you can see all of the black lines of the terrible drawing that I was unable to even cut close to.

However, I will not blame him.  It was a bad idea.  Too detailed and too much for my first pumpkin carving experience.  I mean, why didn't I choose a ghost?  Or just a witch hat for that matter?  He carved Finn's head.  It wasn't the best; his nose fell off.  But, it was leaps beyond mine. 

I will leave you with the outcome. 

I'm glad that's over with.  Obviously I don't know anything about pumpkin carving. 

The only positive of the pumpkin experience was delicious roasted pumpkin seeds.  I placed them on a baking sheet that I sprayed with cooking spray.  They were topped with sea salt.  I roasted them on 325 degrees for about 25 minutes.  They came out perfectly toasty, warm, with just the right amount of salt, and delicious.

This is how the night ended.