So, it seems as though I might live in a tiny bit of a bubble. A few months ago, my Chief Culinary Consultant and I were watching an episode of Rock Center with Brian Williams and they were running a story about how so many people in our society live in a bubble. They were featuring an author who had written a book on the subject, and who also created an online quiz, called “How Thick Is Your Bubble?” As soon as the segment was over, my Chief Culinary Consultant hopped on his computer and I jumped on my laptop to take the quiz. “Of course I don’t live in a bubble, fun quiz time!” is what was bouncing around in my head. Twenty questions later, I hit the submit button and was presented with my results. It said that my bubble is so thick that I don’t realize I’m even in one. Whaaaaaaat?? Talk about BURSTING a bubble!

That’s not all. How many of you watch Parks and Recreation? I’m convinced that Ron Swanson is, by far, the most awesome character on TV right now. Everything that comes out of his mouth is gold. My Chief Culinary Consultant coyly mentioned during the season finale that there are some similarities between me and Ron Swanson and while I feign insult, the truth is, it’s pretty spot-on. Bubble? Check. Not big on change? Check. Avoids public masses? Check. I suppose there are worse TV characters to be compared to ;-)

When I started thinking about recipes for Memorial Day weekend, which is usually all about cookouts and picnics, and my Chief Culinary Consultant suggested quiche, I almost fell over. What? Quiche for picnic food?! Quiche is brunch food. Holiday brunch food. Baby shower and wedding shower brunch food. Definitely not picnic food. Picnic food is hot dogs, hamburgers, corn on the cob, baked beans, watermelon, and a dessert that invariably involves Cool Whip. He disagreed, and set out Googling. Turns out, apparently, that quiche is a pretty common item on a lot of picnic menus, and it seems to be especially popular for picnics in the UK. Okay, so I live in a bubble. I concede. I’ll make that quiche, and I’ll raise you some bacon and cheese.

Continue reading ‘Bacon and Cheese Quiche Tart’

Welcome to another weekend! I hope yours is looking as sunny as ours here in Pittsburgh. It might be the best weekend forecast of the year so far! Sunny and in the 80′s – you can’t beat that in mid-May. What do you have planned for the next couple of days? I am going to be helping my mom plant a raised bed garden tomorrow, which I’m super excited about. I’m looking forward to homegrown produce! I’ve done herbs in containers the last few summers, but have yet to do any vegetables. Fingers are crossed that one of us inherited my grandfather’s incredibly green thumb. On our planting list: tomatoes, mixed greens, romaine lettuce, red peppers, jalapeno peppers, broccoli, zucchini, and pickling cucumbers. We’ll see how it goes!

Do you remember last Saturday when I mentioned that my mom and I were going to a Mario Batali cooking demo and autograph signing? We had such a blast. Actually, I think my mom may have had even more fun than I did; I’m so glad that she enjoyed it. We watched him cook two dishes from his new cookbook, and then got our copies autographed. Afterward, my mom and I hit up a local bakery for a casual lunch. It was a wonderful Saturday afternoon! Here are a few photos from the event:

Mario cooking:

Here I am, getting my cookbook signed. I was telling Mario that I watched him on The Haney Project. It’s true, I watch golf shows. I love Feherty!

Next up was my mom, she was having so much fun:

Finally, I got to spend the entire event hanging out with Jessica, who many of you know from How Sweet It Is. We both hail from Pittsburgh, but live in different areas, and this was our first opportunity to meet and spend some time together. We should have had a Terrible Towel in the picture, now that I think about it ;-)

As always, you’ll find a recap of what was posted to the site this week as well as some bookmarked recipes from other blogs. Enjoy!

Continue reading ‘The Weekend Dish: 5/19/2012′

Mocha Brownies

May 18, 2012 | 38 Comments | Email | Print

For most people, brownies are a cozy, heavy dessert that are baked primarily during the cooler winter months. I buck the trend. I start to crave brownies most when the birds start to chirp, the sun stays up until 8pm, and it’s shorts and bathing suit weather. Totally irrational, and probably not smart, but the [...]

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Chicken Fried Steak with Sawmill Gravy

May 17, 2012 | 36 Comments | Email | Print
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Chicken Fried Steak. Also known as Country Fried Steak. Did anyone else meander through life at the very least slightly confused the first time you heard this recipe’s name? Was it chicken? Was it steak? Did you fry chicken and steak together? What on Earth was going on?! At some point along the way, I [...]

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Key Lime Pie

May 16, 2012 | 67 Comments | Email | Print
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For as much as I love pie, you’d have thought that I would have been all over key lime pie by now. The truth? I ate key lime pie for the very first time when I was in Florida back in March. As in, two months ago. The first time in my entire life. At [...]

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Colossal Reese’s Pieces Chocolate Chip Cookies

May 15, 2012 | 75 Comments | Email | Print
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My infatuation with the combination of chocolate and peanut butter is very well-documented here on the site. You put the two of them together and I’m completely unable to practice any sort of restraint. The good news? I know I’m not alone. I’ve been thrilled to hear from all of the other chocolate/peanut butter fanatics [...]

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GIVEAWAY: Pampered Chef ‘Help Whip Cancer’ Baking Sets

May 14, 2012 | 4,313 Comments | Email | Print
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UPDATE: The five winners of the Pampered Chef ‘Help Whip Cancer’ Baking Sets are: #2,887 – Laura L: “Following you on pinterest now too.” #1,694 – Stephanie R: “I already follow you on Pinterest!” #173 – Mary H.: “Last night I ate roasted asparagus my daughter in law picked from her garden.” #4,223 – Sarah [...]

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The Weekend Dish: 5/12/2012

May 12, 2012 | 8 Comments | Email | Print
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Happy Saturday! I’m always amazed at how quickly the weekends pop up, and at how much I’ve managed to do (and not do) between each one. Today I am spending some pre-Mother’s Day time with my mom at the new Market District in Pine Twp. for a Mario Batali cooking demonstration. How fun! Tomorrow we’re [...]

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Hummingbird Cupcakes

May 11, 2012 | 37 Comments | Email | Print

I have been hearing about hummingbird cake and hummingbird cupcakes for quite a few years now, but never took the time to do any serious investigative work. I guarantee that had I done so when I first heard about it, these cupcakes would have been made eons ago. Hummingbird cake is very popular in the [...]

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Strawberry Cream Cheese Crumble Tart

May 10, 2012 | 64 Comments | Email | Print
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When it comes to dessert, I am always a cheesecake-first gal. My taste buds are fiercely loyal to that smooth, creamy, cream cheese filling, and they usually refuse to be swayed in any other direction. Running a close second to cheesecake is anything topped with crumbs. Dutch Apple Pie and Crumb Cake rank right up [...]

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