Pictures | Cut Copy

"To walk the right road is to look for beauty in all things."
-- Unknown



Valentine's Day Lasagna

Some pictures just don’t have relevance in a post; even though they are pictures that I am proud of- less is oftentimes more. So I thought I would share these little gems to tie you over for the week.

I am off to Mexico Thursday morning, to escape the misery that winter is and continues to be. Stay warm friends; I’ll see you on the flip side!



Afternoon Delight


Oscar Quiche



Oscar Quiche

Food | Oscar Quiche

“A girl should be two things- classy and fabulous”
Coco Chanel



When I was in culinary school and we made Quiche Lorraine- the classic quiche of bacon, green onions and cheddar- it made me think of the Nat King Cole song " Sweet Lorraine"; I know I annoyed my teachers and classmates by singing "My quiche Lorraine, Loooraine"; likely because I sound nothing like Nat King Cole and because I only know the hook. Repetition can be rather annoying, and I think a belated apology is in order- sorry guys.



And Quiche, like the King himself, is a classic. When I was in the catering business, my partner and I catered a luncheon for my Nan, my 89 year old Nan and all her college sorority sisters; and what is a classy luncheon with the golden girls without quiche? As we prepped the quiche Lorraine, I quietly hummed the Kings song to myself!



But I digress.

When my friends and I decided to have an Oscar party, without hesitation I declared that Quiche would be my contribution; classy, bite sized and always a star- the perfect addition to a classy Oscar affair.



For our gala gathering, I decided to make the classic Lorraine and to be a little nouveau a kale and feta rendition. And as expected, they were stars; bite sized, classy and effortlessly delicious. And because Quiche Lorraine has such a catchy name, I thought my vegetarian option deserved the same- so I named it Quiche King Cole. Cute and completely fitting!




Quiche Lorraine
6 rashers of bacon, cooked and crumbled
½ cup cheddar cheese, grated
6 green onions, sliced
12 mini tart shells

Quiche King Cole
1 head of Kale, chopped
½ cup feta cheese
12 mini tart shells


Egg mixture
6 eggs
¼ heavy cream
½ cup chives, chopped
1 ½ tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, whisk the eggs, cream, chives, salt and pepper together.

Quiche King Cole
Heat 1 tsp olive oil in a pan on medium high heat; add the kale and toss for 1 minute or until the kale is wilted. Remove from heat and toss with feta cheese. Allow to cool- about 5 minutes- then fill each tart shell halfway with the kale mixture. Fill with the eggs mixture.

Quiche Lorraine
Combine the cheddar, crumbled bacon and green onions together. Fill each tart shell halfway with the bacon mixture; then fill with the egg mixture.

Brush the edges of the tart shells with heavy cream. And arrange on a baking tray and bake for 14 minutes, or until the eggs have set. Remove from the oven and cool- Quiche can be served at warm or at room temperature.



Speaking of Oscar, Melissa Leo stole the show- the F bomb was legendary! And best dressed, hands down, Michelle Williams; she looked like an angel!

Food | Valentine's Day Lasagna

“All you need is love.”
John Lennon and Paul McCartney



What is love? I find myself pondering that on many occasions, but obviously more on this day in particular. I have a love/hate relationship with Valentine’s Day- I mean, if you wait 364 days to show the apple of your eye what they really mean to you, well then I think trouble is a brewin’; but who doesn’t love an excuse to be wholly and completely dedicated to love? In truth, I have never been in a relationship when this holiday comes around; I’ve either been completely single or in a complicated situation, so I have never indulged or been indulged in the excess that is Valentine’s Day. But I have very high hopes!



Every Valentine’s Day I like to reinvent my thinking and look at it simply as a love day- and in this re-evaluation I realize how truly blessed I am to have so much love in my life. I have a great family- who I love and appreciate more and more as the day’s progress- and great friends who inspire me to be a better person. Yesterday while sitting around the table enjoying a lovely meal with friends, I felt fulfilled and completely happy. Could it have been the lasagna that I doted over lovingly for hours? Or maybe it was the three glasses of wine I enjoyed? Likely it was the company I was keeping. Either way love- the love between friends, the love of food and the love of life- was in the air!



Today of all days is the day to sit and reflect on the love we all have in our lives; and today serves as a reminder to us all to say loud, proud and often, to the people who mean the most- I love you!

Happy Valentine’s Day!



Valentine’s Day Lasagna
Serves 8
For the sauce
5 Italian Sausages- casing removed
1 cup canned crushed tomatoes
1 cup canned diced tomatoes, drained of half their liquid
3 cloves of garlic, minced
For the filling
1 ½ cups ricotta cheese
2 cups Crimini mushrooms, sliced
2 stalks of Swiss chard- sliced into strips
1 box lasagna noodles
½ cup oregano
½ cup Asiago, for topping
2 ½ tsp salt
1 ¼ tsp pepper
4 tbsp olive oil
In a pan heated to medium high heat, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil; add the mushrooms and cook for 3 minutes. Add the Swiss chard and cook for another 1 minute. Season with 1 tsp of salt and a ¼ tsp of salt. Remove from heat and add the ricotta. Set aside.

Meanwhile, in a pot of boiling salted water, cook the lasagna noodles until they are pliable enough to roll- about 6 minutes. Drain and toss with 2 tbsp of olive oil, to ensure they don’t stick while cooling.
In another pan, heated to medium high heat, add 1 tbsp olive and add the minced garlic and sausage meat. Cook for 8-10 minutes or until the meat is almost fully cooked. Add both the diced and crushed tomatoes; season with 1 ½ tsp of salt and 1 tsp pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, add the filling to each lasagna noodle and roll it up. And preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Once the sauce is ready, spoon enough sauce to cover the bottom of the baking dish. Arrange the noodle rolls closely in the dish and sprinkle the oregano evenly over the noodle rolls. Generously spoon the prepared sauce over the noodle rolls, until they are completely covered. Sprinkle the Asiago over the sauce and cover with foil.

Bake for 15 minutes covered. Then remove the foil and change oven setting to broil and cook until cheese is golden and bubbling- about 3 minutes. DO NOT WALK AWAY DURING THIS TIME, IT WILL BURN!!!!

Food | Afternoon Delight

Oh what a week- I cried on Tuesday and Wednesday bore some really upsetting news; not even Orchids could make me feel better. Sometimes life comes in full force and I wish I could press pause and regroup- but we all know that time stops for no one and life waits for who? No one!

All day yesterday I was in a foul mood; and I thought to myself, how can I turn this day around? I thought of shouting from the rooftops like a tigress in heat- but I didn’t want to startle the neighbors; and barring getting on a plane and flying far away from here, the only thing left was booze. Now I find it problematic to have a stiff vodka soda at noon, but disguising a libation in a tea cup garnished with oranges and cinnamon sticks- now that’s genius! I took once sip and immediately felt better- all warm and fuzzy on the inside; and, truthfully, it was exactly what I needed to take the edge off a really challenging week.



This drink can be made with any type of tea and any type of liqueur, I used Kahlua because it’s what was in my pantry- but I probably would have used turpentine by that point. In any case, this drink did the trick; and if you need a quick mid afternoon pick me up, I suggest you try this!


Afternoon Delight
1 tea bag
¼ cup Kahlua
1 cup hot water
1 orange round, halved
2 cinnamon sticks
Steep the teabag in hot water for 3 minutes; remove the tea bag and add the Kahlua. Add the orange and stir with the cinnamon sticks.



And I will say this, I don’t have a drinking problem- I’m a problem drinker. HA, kidding! Let’s cheers the weekends arrival, because that certainly deserves a toast ;)


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