Doctored Up Fresh Direct Macaroni Salad

I bought some macaroni deli salad from Fresh Direct. Normally I don't get deli salads - they are never as good as what you make at home. But, I had bought some Chicken Curry Salad, and it was *really* good. So good I bought it again the next week, and tried this macaroni salad.

Well, it was an experiment. The salad was made with what seemed like mayo, elbow macaroni, and a few carrot shreds. Very bland and very over dressed. I seriously think there was more mayo than macaroni.

So today, after reading a bit of Skinnygirl Dish, I took Bethenny's idea of use what you have. I figured adding chopped cucumber would water down the mayo and loosen it up a bit. And I like many more veggies in my macaroni salad, so I chopped up a carrot, a couple celery stalks, half a cucumber and a 6 oz bag of radishes and added it to the mix. It's still not as good as homemade, but it's a lot better than it was :)

A joyful read - Judith Jones Cooking for One

I have wanted to read this book since it's launch not long ago, thinking that if I cooked less, we'd eat less. And it's easier to double a recipe for 1 than to quarter a recipe for 8. On my recent trip to NH I figured I'd thumb through it on the bus trip. I brought a few books with me, but actually I read this one from cover to cover. I genuinely enjoyed Judith's voice, her approach, and her ideas for leftovers redux. If you are cooking for 1 or for 2, I highly recommend this book for ideas of how to use those larger cuts of meat, and just taking time to prepare something nice just for you.

New Dishes New Year

I just finished watching the Martha Stewart show, which I feel bad about because she trash talked Rachael Ray, but anyway Martha was talking about her trip to Thailand. She had Tadashi Ono as a guest who did Japanese Hot Pots. He was excellent at "handling" Martha - he make me chuckle :) Anyway, the Japanese Soups he made were very low in carbs. Or, leaving out the noodles would still leave a substantial and flavorful dish. So, I'm interested in trying some of these new soups. If you are too, his book is Japanese Hot Pots: Comforting One Pot Meals. Check it out :)

Preparations for Vacation

Soon we'll be on our way to South Padre! I'm starting to pull together stuff to pack, and starting to surf to determine what we'll be doing, and what we should do before we leave.

I made brownies today - oh yum they are so good! I've been perusing recipes to decide what I'll bring to Thanksgiving dinner with the group (we'll be joining my parents for a turkey day feast at Skip and Linda's at Indian Lake). I've enjoyed going through all the recipes :) The good news is that if I feel like being a slacker, I can, since Mom is all set to bring 2 things :)

I ordered a bunch of books for vacation - lots of trashy beach reads I've been saving just for this occasion!

Riced Cauliflower

I learned about this rice substitute when reading Living Low Carb by Fran McCollough. This was the first low carb book I ever read, and I enjoyed the foodie perspective and the amazing ideas, like this rice.

Take a head of cauliflower, run it through your medium shredding disk in the food processor - the result looks like rice :) The key to riced cauliflower is to be sure that you don't over cook it - then it will be mush - you want it to be cooked but have a little bite so it acts more like rice :) I usually nuke it in a large pyrex measuring cup for 4 minutes or so. Also, I cook it as I need it - I rice the whole cauliflower, then keep raw "rice" in the fridge until time to cook it (unless it's incorporated in a casserole).

The bonus is that a cup of brown rice is 218 calories and a cup of cauliflower rice is 25 calories!

Christmas Sugar Cookies

When I got my Christmas Care Package, I was wondering if I still even had a rolling pin. Ann told me - just use a glass. Poof. Rolling pin. My glasses are short double old fashions, so I started looking around for something a little more efficient. Ho, Ho, Ho! Rick's Grey Goose bottle is not only a nice long shape, but it is also even up and down! Poof! Rolling pin!

I don't have my cook books here in the city, so I didn't have Roses's Christmas Cookies with me. This book is a wonderful source of cookiedom. Given Rick is also known as the cookie monster, it's a great book to have :)

I found a sugar cookie recipe on Epicurious, and the dough was one of those that can be used for multiple cookies, so I figured I'd give it a shot. It suggested that if you use Plugra butter, the results are even more amazing. I figured, hey, it's only fifty cents more a pound here in the city - worth a try.

I did cheat on the chilling part of the dough - I was supposed to wait 3 hours, and I only waited 1. The resulting cutouts showed that I should have been more patient.

The good news is that they tasted quite nice, and even better the next day :)

Ina Garten's Book Signing at Crate and Barrel

Today was the only book signing in Manhattan for Ina Gartens new book, Back to Basics, so I made my way to Crate and Barrel. I waited about 45 minutes in a line that snaked around the outside of the entire store on 59th and Madison. When I spoke to Ina, I forgot to ask the question Rick had - "Does your husband Jeffrey get jealous when you have parties for your friends who are boys?" Instead I raved about the coconut cupcackes. Ah well. I guess I was a little star struck. She was very gracious, and it was a pleasure to meet her.

One of the employees at Crate and Barrel offered to take pictures of us while we talked, so that is me talking to her :) The store handled the signing very well - there must have been 70 employees on the floor to help people find their way. I heard there were 600 in line when I left at 4:30, and I think Ina may need some advil for her writers cramp tonight.

I'm looking forward to trying these new recipes and enjoying this beautiful book :)

Vacation Reading in South Padre

Next week at this time I'll be in South Padre, TX. Woo! I'm ready for the beach, and the sand, and some relaxing down time. I ordered a bunch of books this morning from Barnes and Noble to test out the "Same Day Delivery In Manhattan" deal. My order went in at 7:15 or so this morning, and no books yet. Good thing I ordered early. (update - 6:68 pm - the books arrived! Yay!)

Here is what I'm taking - not sure if I'll read them all, but probably will and wanted some options incase one or more of them wasn't what I was in the mood for...

Most is new stuff I've never read before that may turn into an interesting series - or maybe not. We'll see.

Agnes and the Hitman by Jennifer Crusie, Bob Mayer

Post trip notes: Finished this one on the plane (started it at home). Entertaining and humorous. I loved Cranky Agnes and her voluptuousness, cooking ablility - gathering her friends around, and her personal discussions with herself - as well as her relationship with the hitman :) Very much a sit back and enjoy the ride - no thought required.

Plum Lovin' (Stephanie Plum Series) by Janet Evanovich

Post trip notes: One of those series so many have read that I don't need to say much - just what you'd expect in a shorter version of the usual - Loved it :)

On What Grounds by Cleo Coyle, Cathy Gendron ( Illustrator) , Rita Frangie ( Designed by) , Kristin de Rosario

Post trip notes: Interesting story, though all the coffee facts interspersed in the story were sometimes a little distracting. I'd read the next one if I didn't have any of my regular faves.

The Outlaw Demon Wails (Rachel Morgan Series #6) by Kim Harrison

Post trip notes: I forgot this one on the trip - I'll review once I'm done.

Postmortem (Kay Scarpetta Series #1) by Patricia Cornwell


Post trip notes: Rick actually picked this one up when he was finished all his books, and the Tess Garritson. Hasn't finished yet.

Deja Dead (Temperance Brennan Series #1) by Kathy Reichs, Kathy Reichs ( Illustrator)

Post trip notes: I'm still reading this one - pretty good so far!

The Surgeon by Tess Gerritsen


Post trip notes: Rick picked this up while we were still at SPI (he needs to bring more than 4 books next time). He thought the descriptions of how women were treated was disturbing. I didn't read this one yet.

Freakin' Fabulous : How to Dress, Speak, Behave, Eat, Drink, Entertain, Decorate, and Generally Be Better than Everyone Else by Clinton Kelly

Post trip notes: This is a hilarious afternoon read - I doubt those folks who need the grammar lessons actually understood them, but the example thank you notes were worth the price of admission :)

The One Hundred : A Guide to the Pieces Every Stylish Woman Must Own by Nina Garcia, Ruben Toledo ( Illustrator)

Post trip notes: Boring enough that I left this one behind as a contribution to the "library".

Sedona Method : Your Key to Lasting, Happiness, Success, Peace and Emotional Well-Being by Hale Dwoskin, Jack Canfield ( Foreword by)

Post trip notes: Light reading, but heavy exercises - still working on this and probably will for a while. Good to have some positive thoughts inserted along the way.