This Stop Willoughby

Due to the continuing problems with Blogger, I have extended the deadline for my Novica giveaway to Monday, June 6, 2011.  Thank you for your patience! Willoughby

We celebrated my dad's birthday, yesterday, with a French Bistro inspired dinner.  Without a doubt, the star of the show was this Steak au Poivre.  Traditionally, Steak au Poivre is made with filet mignon, coated in coarsely cracked black pepper, seared on the stovetop in a smoking hot pan then finished in the oven and served with a cognac infused cream sauce.  Our preparation puts a little spin on the dish in that we sear it on the stovetop, but finish it on the grill.  The smokiness of the grill pairs nicely with the black pepper and enables you to prepare enough steaks at one time for a small dinner party.  We also put our own riff on the sauce by using dry vermouth instead of cognac. This is a perfect dish to make together because one cook can finish grilling the steaks while the other cook prepares the sauce.  Grab a partner (because the whole point is to have fun cooking with someone you love), ...

I can't remember exactly what I thought motherhood would be like before my children were born.  I know I pictured snuggling with cooing babies wrapped in fuzzy blankets, and reading bedtime stories to toddlers in footy pajamas.  I looked forward to first words and first steps and visits from the Tooth Fairy and Santa Claus.  I don't think I ever thought it would be easy, but I'm sure I never realised how hard some of it would be. I never thought about how heart wrenching it would be to leave a crying child behind on their first day of preschool, even if it was the right thing to do.  I didn't think about how badly I would wish to trade places with them when they are sick or how my heart would ache when someone hurt their feelings.  I certainly didn't know how hard it would be to watch them become independent and need me less.  Time goes by so much faster than you think it will.  Somehow, I t...

I'm posting our "Cooking Together" feature a little later than intended this week, but I hope you'll agree that it was worth the wait.  It is a complete menu for an elegant dinner party, from the main course through dessert.  It may look complicated, but with two cooks and a little time management, it's not difficult (see checklist and tips at bottom).  We served this to celebrate my mom's birthday, but it would also be nice for an anniversary or engagement dinner.  It has a lovely presentation.  You can expect to serve 8 - 10 guests generously. Here is the menu:  Click to enlarge. Grab a partner (because the whole point is to have fun cooking with someone you love), pour a few glasses of your favorite beverage and turn on some great music. Let's get cooking! Herb Roasted Pork Loin For the pork: 1 4 lb. boneless pork loin, rinsed and patted dry 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon olive oil, divided 6 rosemary sprigs 8 large thyme sprigs ...

Weekends are never long enough, are they?  Whether I have a million things to do or just want to relax and do nothing, the time goes by far too quickly.  It makes me wonder who came up with the idea that, of the seven days in any given week, only two should be reserved for the weekend. I'm proposing that we change the calendar.  We'll add a day, to make a total of eight days per week.  Then, we'll split the days equally into "week days" and "weekend".  To clarify, that means every week will have a four day weekend.  What do you think?  Would this work for you?  The only problem I can see is that the year will be longer by 52 days, so that will eventually mean Christmas will fall in the middle of hot summer weather.  We could solve that problem by dividing the year into 46 eight day weeks,  but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.  I guess we'll need to come up with a name for that extra day, too.  I'm leaning towa...

At one time we had a house full of family pets. We had a dog, two cats, three hermit crabs and dozens of fish. Now we have none. I wasn't terribly attached to the fish or the crabs, but it was difficult to lose Molly, our 17 year old dog, when she died six years ago. Shelley, our 16 year old calico cat, was hard, too, when we lost her 3 years ago. Most recently, our 21 year old cat Chester curled up, went to sleep and never woke up. I still think I hear him plodding up and down the stairs at night. I miss him.  I miss all of them. We don't want to get any more pets. Not right now, anyway.  Luckily, we have a yard full of wildlife to enjoy. In a shrub near the back porch we have Momma, the mother robin. The four tiny blue eggs in her nest just finished hatching yesterday. She gets upset if we get too close, but we can sneak a peak in the nest when she leaves to find a meal. In the overhang of the porch roof, a mother black bird is also raising a family. They're not in a ...

I know, I promised I would post some fantastic recipes and then I disappeared for a few weeks.  Well, I'm back now and ready to cook.  Grilling season is upon us, so it seems fitting to start with a recipe for grilled chicken. If you make grilled chicken from time to time, you know the trick is to cook the chicken thoroughly and still end up with a juicy and tender result.  You probably also know that it's not always as easy as it sounds.  About a year ago, we made the most beautiful chicken.  We followed a recipe that called for marinating it and then brushing it with a sauce while it cooked.  It looked and smelled great when we took it off the grill, but we were disappointed to find it rubbery and nearly flavorless.  Using a brine, as this recipe does, makes all the difference, so don't be tempted to skip that step.  The chicken only needs about an hour in the brine (a little more or a little less than an hour is ...