Ringing in the New Year!

Traditionally, New Year's Eve at our house involves steamer clams, chocolate fondue, and plenty of champagne. The clams are ordered from the fish market in Boise and last year the chocolate for the fondue came all the way from Spain!

Over the years we have started the night out with cocktails on the town and ended the evening by watching the ball drop in Time Square. Make sure everyone eats exactly 12 grapes at midnight to bring good luck to the coming year.

Cocktails at Mark Anthony's with Cora

This year we will be attending a party at a friend's house but you can bet the outfits will still be fancy, the champagne will be flowing and the mood will be festive.



New Year's Eve 2010



Have a safe and happy New Year!



 

A Brunch for a Bride

Our good friend recently got engaged and we felt like that called for a celebration. We didn't think there would be any better way to celebrate than with a champagne toast at a champagne brunch.

For the table setting we wanted to do something feminine and delicate. We used the newest addition to our dish collection, lovely china decorated with blue and pink flowers.

China Garden Print from Prestige China

While we had some very traditional menu items including freshly baked croissants, a bacon and spinach quiche, coffee, and mimosas, we wanted to do something unique. To the menu we added a cold strawberry breakfast soup. It was so delicious that we will be adding it to our recipe book. If you would like the recipe click here.

Cold Strawberry Soup in an Antique Soup Terrine

Congratulations Lindsey on your upcoming wedding. We were delighted to have you over to properly congratulate you.

No! Thank You!

We love this time of year!  The holiday season officially starts for us with the first list we make for our Thanksgiving dinner. There is so much to be thankful for: our family, friends, our health, and having a safe and warm place to call home.  We try to be mindful of these things all year long. A lot of time and effort goes into our Thanksgiving preparation and we enjoy every minute of it except dish washing!

The Place Settings

Place cards are a necessity.  There are at least seven of us! How would we know where to sit? We are always trying to come up with new ideas for place cards.  This year the original idea was a paper weight with a monogrammed leaf on the inside that we had seen in a magazine.  We took that idea and came up with our own version using things we had on hand: baby food jars, leaves gathered by Cindy on her and Goldie's afternoon walks, and plenty of hot glue!

Hot glue your scene, place the jar over it, cover the lid with canvas, and secure with twine! 

The Table

Our Thanksgiving table was adorned with the colors of fall, a centerpiece that utilized dry winter wheat, and we topped the table cloth with brown paper instead of individual place mats.  This creates a streamlined look that makes cleanup very simple.  After the party is over simply remove and toss in the recycle.

by Kerry Moosman

Winter Wheat

The Table



The Food

When it comes to the food we focus on variations on the traditional and it is always from scratch.  You will not see any cranberries or yams from a can at our celebration! Our menu this year consisted of a herb stuffed turkey, apple sausage stuffing, mashed potatoes and lump free gravy, citrus cranberries, romaine salad with vinaigrette and thankful rolls. On day number two we added these candied yams to keep the dinner feeling fresh. Of course the night would not be complete without a miniature pumpkin pie baked by Skylar!

The Turkey

With the turkey we keep it very simple by stuffing it with fresh herbs, onions, celery, and garlic. The outside is rubbed with unsalted butter and sprinkled with sea salt and course ground black pepper.

Stuff with Fresh Herbs

Time to Carve

The Stuffing

Apple and sausage stuffing has been a family favorite for years. The key to crispy stuffing is to start with very stale bread. We do not put the stuffing inside the turkey, but bake it separately and toward the end of baking top it with some of the pan juices.

The Ingredients

The Rolls

The thankful rolls were new to our table this year. The paper message is wrapped in aluminum foil and baked right in the roll.  People came up with some very thoughtful answers to why they were thankful for others.

The Message

Thank you to all of our family and friends for all the joy you bring us all year long!

                                                           

Hailey, Idaho: A Birthday Getaway

Birthdays, for some, after the age of 18 are just another day in the year.  Not for us! We like to celebrate for the week, or maybe more!  This year for Abbie’s birthday we went to Hailey, Idaho for the weekend.  We stayed at our favorite bed and breakfast, The Spruce Inn. When we venture to the Wood River Valley we always like to visit The Wicked Spud for their $5 lunch special, a made to order cheese burger and fries.  Don’t forget Happy Hour at the Sun Valley Brewery; pints for around $3.  The stout is always a good choice.  This trip we gave the restaurant Fresshies a second chance.  The first visit, last year, was a miss.  The dinner we had this trip was great.  The place was packed, typically a good indication.  Our selections were the steamers off the appetizer menu, which were served in a flavorful broth with a baguette, the house made mac and cheese, and Cindy went with the chicken chili. Everything was delicious.

When we are visiting different towns one of our favorite things to do is to check out the grocery stores.  It may sound strange but we do it wherever we go and this area is packed with wonderful ones.  The newest one in this area, to us, is Roxy’s Market  in Ketchum.  This market has a great wine and beer selection, tons of deli items and a wide variety of organic products. We also like the Atkinson’s stores.  We purchased some wine, cheeses and organic salami for an afternoon spread to enjoy on the balcony.

The trip would not have been complete without a prime rib dinner at the Pioneer Saloon, where the service and food are always top notch.  Overall, the birthday trip was perfect and only a mere two hours away from home.

Breathtaking View from our Balcony

Hailey on Dwellable

Pumpkin, Pumpkin, and more pumpkin

If you thought that pumpkins were only good for carving you were way off. Pumpkin puree makes the perfect ingredient for a variety of dishes (both savory and sweet). We had never made anything from an actual edible pumpkin so this year we thought we would experiment with  several new pumpkin recipes. First, if you decide to make your own pumpkin puree you need to make sure you get the right type of pumpkin. Some common names you might see are Pick-A-Pie, Baby Bear or Sugar pumpkin. These small varieties weigh 4-6 pounds and will yield 1 ½ - 2 cups of pumpkin puree. To make pumpkin puree you prepare it the same way you would a squash. Cut the pumpkin in half, clean out the seeds and place on a baking sheet.They have to bake at 350* for about 1 ½ to 2 hours or until soft.

The first pumpkin creation we tried was pumpkin pasta and it was delicious. The pumpkin recipe we used was this, but you can find several variations online. Since we don't all love sage we substituted for basil and it turned our really well.   

We then decided to get a little more traditional with a simple pumpkin pie recipe. Unfortunately, the actual pie was gone before any pictures could be taken. As many of you know, nothing can make or break a pie faster than the crust. However, this really is the prefect pie crust and super easy.

Next came pumpkin ice cream. Not too sweet and a hint of spice served with a ginger snap. Once again, there are so many recipes to pick from. We picked this one.

Finally, our pumpkin extravaganza came to a slow down. While we still have so many pumpkin recipes to try we decide to take a little break from pumpkin. Not before we make homemade pumpkin scones with spiced glaze though. Recipe here. They went perfect with morning coffee.

For a little extra flavor, a dash of real maple syrup was add to the spiced glaze.

In the future we have pumpkin bars, pumpkin bread, pumpkin muffins with cream cheese frosting, and so much more. That's all the pumpkin for now though!

A Fall Dinner Party in the Mountains

In the Kitchen



We found ourselves in Atlanta, Idaho this fall.  There was a chill in the air, the colors of autumn were all around, and we received an invitation to an impromptu dinner party at the Quartz Street Cookhouse.  The invite came from our good friends Frank Brooks and Jack Penix who were just off the dusty trail.



Potatoes on the Wood Fire Stove



On the menu: pork chops straight from the grill, freshly sautéed cinnamon apples, boiled potatoes, copious bottles of wine, good friends, and fresh out of the oven cookies!

 

The Chefs






Dishes

 

The Guests

A good meal, lively conversation, and a warm fire.  A very nice way to spend a fall evening!

Final Days of Fall

With the time change and the days getting shorter it is important to soak in the last moments of sunshine. There are few moments more enjoyable than looking at the changing of the leaves. Before the holiday season goes into full swing take a break, grab a drink, and make a fall snack…apples are in season right now and pair nicely with cheese. Relax!

                                      

Abandoned apple orchards and wild apple trees can be fun to find and pick heirloom apple varieties. They are much smaller than what you find in the grocery store and are often misshapen and oddly colored. Don't let that fool you though. These apples have some of the sweetest flavors and are perfectly crisp.  

                                      

These heirloom apples, that would have just gone to waste, paired perfectly with Spoon Tongue beer from a local brewery and truffle and salt cheese from Ballard Family Dairy.

Halloweens Past

We thought it might be fun to share a few photos of our past Halloween costumes. Hope everyone has a Happy Halloween.

                                       

Good and Evil Fairies--- Very telling of the truth.

                                                            Luchador & Fairy

Devil and Go-Go Girl