It's April vacation week in our state, so the kids have had a relaxing week. With no school there also has been no gymnastics, no track practice, no conditioning sessions, no dinner has to be served at an exact time to meet our schedules' needs. Of course, that doesn't mean that it was a quiet week here. When you have a teen and almost teen in your house, time off from school equals time spent with friends. So, for three of the four weeknights there were sleepovers either at our house, a friend's house, or both.
On the fourth night, in
Oster Professional Series Blender
by TT April 28th, 2010 | Equipment Reviews
Most mornings I am a creature of habit. Without the aid of an alarm, I am awake at 6:00. By 6:15 I am starting that day's workout. Some time after cooling down, I make my breakfast. Typically, this breakfast is an egg white wrap or a fruit smoothie. The egg white wrap never was a problem; cook a few eggs in the skillet, throw them in a wrap, and add some spinach or veggie sausage and cheese, and breakfast is ready. The smoothie, however, was a bit of a problem.
I've owned a few blenders, and all of them have
I've owned a few blenders, and all of them have
A Great Farm to Table Restaurant
by TT April 26th, 2010 | Restaurant News
I had an interview scheduled with Ed Aloise last Monday at 10:00 a.m. Ed is the co-owner and restaurant manager of Republic in Manchester, New Hampshire. I arrived at the designated time and was informed that Ed was not there but would return shortly. My initial impression was that perhaps he had forgotten the interview. However, after a few moments waiting, I received a phone call from Ed; he hadn't forgotten. However, his restaurant had had a greater crowd than anticipated over the weekend. Therefore, he was trying to restock before Monday's lunch diners arrived.
When Ed arrived a
When Ed arrived a
Oven Baked Burritos
by TT April 21st, 2010 | Main Dishes, Recipes
One of the great things about having access to a grocery store with a fabulous butcher is the amazing variety of meats we can purchase. When we first visited this grocery store, we were excited to see sections for lamb and veal, each of which were as big as the chicken section in a typical store. With a department this big and only two freezers in which to store our purchases, we experimented with new cuts, seasonings, and meats in each shopping expedition.
The variety of sausages available there is just as amazing as the rest of the butcher department. They
The variety of sausages available there is just as amazing as the rest of the butcher department. They
Yogurt & Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
by TT April 19th, 2010 | Breads, Recipes
Sometimes recipes are created because of the ingredients that happen to be in my kitchen. This recipe is the perfect example of that. Yesterday afternoon I noticed that the two bananas remaining from a recent shopping trip were very ripe. I also knew that most likely they wouldn't be eaten plain in the next day or two. The bananas became the starting point for my recipe.
I could have made a banana bread using a tried and true recipe. However, when I got butter out of the refrigerator for the recipe, I noticed that we had vanilla yogurt. The yogurt led
I could have made a banana bread using a tried and true recipe. However, when I got butter out of the refrigerator for the recipe, I noticed that we had vanilla yogurt. The yogurt led