Adventures in granola making

I had never made granola, that is until I found myself with a huge surplus of rolled oats that I was not sure what to do with. What inspired me, you might ask? Well it was an article in Cooks Magazine about making your own granola. In the past this idea had never appealed to me. I always thought, why bother. But after going on a binge at Cosco (as the guest of my friend Marti) I found myself with an abundance of rolled oats, brown sugar, and maple syrup. I guess I thought these would be handy items for bartering in case of a national disaster. You know, the kind of disaster we were always preparing for, at least those of us that grew up during the Cuban missile crisis. Anyways, the recipe called for all three items so I thought, why not!
The exercise was a huge success. The version I have created is not too sweet, a little salty, and contains a yummy surprise. I think I could even go national with the variation of the recipe I have made. My husband who is an avid granola eater (every morning he tops his cereal with it) loves it and only wants my own special version. The best part is that now I know what I am giving everyone for Christmas next year.

More photos from chocolate making

More adventures in chocolate

I have long been a fan of the fine boutique chocolates made by Artisan Confections in Arlington Virginia.
With my sisters current fascination with chocolate, I found myself signed up for a chocolate making class with her there.
I must say, I rank an evening of eating fine chocolate and drinking red wine right up there with some of my most favorite culinary adventures.
The class consisted of a brief introduction on where chocolate comes from (which was really interesting), some demonstration, and then just enough hands on.
At the beginning of the class we were greeted with a glass of wine and some samples of their wares. At the end of class we took home a ton of chocolate that I could not imagine eating having already consumed more chocolate than I normally eat in a year.

Lickety Split at Restaurant Eve

After visiting La Cuisine and the chocolate bar, my sister and I went to Restaurant Eve for lunch where we enjoyed their Lickety Split menu, available in the bistro/bar.
For our first course my sister delighted in the antelope scrapple with poached egg and hash browns, while I enjoyed the sweet potato bisque. Then we both had the special salad of mixed greens, lentils with shaved young garlic, accompanied by a side of very rich salmon moose and crouton. As you will read and see in my next post, my salad was beyond special, at least in presentation.
www.restauranteve.com

Adventures in chocolate

My sister has been fascinated in chocolate lately. She has even talked about opening a chocolate shop in her neighborhood. (Not seriously however, just in whimsical fantasy.) As a result of her latest fascination, I joined her on an adventure to La Cuisine, a shop known for their "chocolate tasting bar". The chocolate bar was basically a section of wall with small drawers containing chocolate couverture from France, Belgium, and other parts of the world.
La Cuisine also had many other fabulous things to offer, my favorite being the 1lb container of diced orange peel from Switzerland that only cost $12.00.
www.lacuisineus.com

A salad that made me blush

I wanted to entitle this entry... "For a good time visit Restaurant Eve", but I think the photo will speak for its self.
Restaurant Eve is located in Alexandria Virginia and is a very popular spot with an excellent reputation. They have a really sweet deal in the bar/bistro where for $15.00 you can get any two
Items off of the Lickity split menu.
But diners beware, your foods presentation could make you to blush.

More photos from cooking class