Tag Archives: bon appetit

Valentine’s Day is Amateur Night

Posted on by LeAnne Notabartolo

Many people call New Year’s Eve “amateur night”, but not in this house. Here Valentine’s Day is for amateurs.

I know there are lots of people out there that think a romantic dinner out on the town on VDay is the way to go, but other than last year’s trip to San Francisco and eating at RN74, we haven’t dined out on VDay in ages. There are a LOT of reasons for that, but basically it’s because I don’t want to deal with the crowds and all the OTHER people. (Moment of Truth – On most days I can’t stand OTHER people, I only like MY people, especially when OTHER people are driving…). Because this has been a trend in my house for more than 10 years, I was really happy to see that Bon Appetit jumped on my bandwagon in their February issue this year with an entire section starting on page 17 about staying home and cooking together.

Each year I have made a surprise dinner for John (and Jack when he was home). It was always something we don’t normally eat at home, or something extravagant I had never cooked before. Lobster Thermidor was the biggie. When you are used to simply steaming or grilling a lobster, this seemed to take all damn day! Now I know why it is so expensive when you order it in a restaurant. This year, because VDay falls on a Saturday, there is even MORE reason to dine at home if you live in a big tourist city like Vegas. We set a fancy table, with crazy napkin folds and one year I even MADE the table runner and napkins. We’ll be using them again this year.

Panettone French Toast with Strawberries. Don't judge, the pic was taken with my old camera.

Panettone French Toast with Strawberries. Don’t judge, the pic was taken with my old camera.

Because John will be home and there is little or no way to really surprise him, I enlisted his help. As you know, if you have been following along, we love craft beer here at Casa Nota and to this end, I gave John the menu items and asked him to create a beer pairing to go with each course. Here are the courses, and yes, if I remember pics will be posted to Instagram:

  • Braised Oxtail Tortelloni (bigger than tortellini) served en brodo and yes, I am making my own pasta
  • Mixed green salad with Lemon Vinaigrette (and maybe a poached egg)
  • THIS Oyster and Scallop Pan Roast stew from Andrew Zimmern
  • Cajun seasoned Duck Breast with Andouille gravy and dirty rice
  • Salted Caramel Budino

Yes, it’s rich. Yes, it seems a little like overkill, but this is the only day of the year when I cook to this level of extravagance. Keep in mind those recipes will be cut in half and we’ll have some leftovers.

What beers would you choose? Skip the wine suggestions – John doesn’t enjoy it and I can’t enjoy it (sulfites dammit!).

Wanna see what and where I am eating? Follow me on Instagram or Twitter. And while we’re on the subject of Valentine’s Day, I LOVE it when you share my blog and share my page on Facebook. FYI – that’s a pretty broad hint to do both! In fact, invite your friends to follow along and subscribe to this blog – you’ll get a once a week email with ALL the posts from the previous week in one digestible mailing.

Happy Valentine’s Day – may everything you eat be spectacular!

 

Shop-a-Holic – What to Get for the Foodies on Your List.

Posted on by RedFlair14

It’s that time…you know…you gotta get gifts and get them NOW so you can get them wrapped, shipped and there on time.

All too often when shopping for a foodie or a cook, you MIGHT think that the cool, new gadget is THE thing to buy…um yeah, NO!  Not unless it is really useful or specifically asked for.  Here’s a short list of what NOT to buy:

  • Any special formed baking pan – especially if it can only be used once a year. You know those muffin top pans, Xmas tree pans, whoopee pie pans?  Leave them in the store for some other sucker unless the giftee has asked for them
  • With VERY few exceptions, never buy a woman anything with an electrical cord unless she asks for it by name
  • Unitaskers with few exceptions are not good ideas. If you find one that is SO friggin’ cool you have to buy it, buy it for yourself and see how often you use it before buying it for others.

So here is my list of things to buy NOW for the foodies in your life:

  • Cookbooks – based on subjects your Foodie enjoys.  One of my fave gifts from Hubby is a signed copy of Pickles, Pigs and Whiskey. He found out where the author was doing a book signing, called the store and asked for their help and they had the author sign it and then they shipped it to me.  Word of advice, you will probably get that type of service from an indie bookstore, not a big box retailer. These are my faves right now and YES, they are all signed!

    Carnivore and Souvenirs were signed in person, Feeding the Dragon was sent to me by the Authors' Mom - a dear friend.

    Carnivore and Souvenirs were signed in person, Feeding the Dragon was sent to me by the Authors’ Mom – a dear friend.

  • Maldon salt tins make a fab stocking stuffer! Travel size Maldon for your purse/pocket!

    Available at Sur la Table for about $2

    Available at Sur la Table for about $2

  • THIS pan from The Pampered Chef® – because it is two in one. The nonstick cast aluminum base can be used stove-top or oven, with or without the glass lid.  The tempered glass lid can be used on its own (oven only) as a separate baking vessel for side dishes!  Bonus – the glass lid flips and stores IN the metal base.
  • A subscription to a great magazine – right now I love Bon Appetit and Imbibe
  • A fab Foodie Shirt –  Go to The Chivery and get my fave pig shirt, or try these on for size

     

  • Remember that we LOVE to eat, not just cook, so a gift of food is ALWAYS welcome. ANYTHING from Dean & DeLuca is a great choice, but also think about a gift card to a local restaurant.
  • Support small business when you can. I like Plymouth Artisan Cheese – their delivery is a bit on the slow side sometimes, so order this now for your New Year’s Celebrations!
    My three faves from Plymouth. When you order online tell them LeAnne sent you!

    My three faves from Plymouth. When you order online tell them LeAnne sent you!