The good, the bad, and the ugly

OK so I may not post the ugly but the last 24 hours have not been very good to me.

First I arrived home Tuesday with the mail.  A letter in the stack said that my CT driver's license was suspended because my insurance company told them I was no longer insured as of Oct. 28, 2010.  First, I was always insured.  Second, it took almost 4 months for the state to notify me of this error.  To make matters worst, it took 3 different phone calls to get the insurance company to send me the write information with the right dates.  What a hassle!

While all of this was going on I noticed this...

Really?!?!  That brown spot is not part of the design; the felt ripped in two places.  These shoes may be a bit old fashioned but they are so comfy and warm, and easy to put on.  I thought Birkenstock last forever.  I guess not these.  Do they fix felt?

The good....

A part of my Valentine's Day gift came in the mail.  One of three food tasting boxes from Foodzie.com.  I love it.  I am not trying any till Jordan comes home to sample with me. 

I also looked at fun catalogues: LL Bean, Garnet Hill, Pottery Barn, and Viva Terra.

I want theses.

And some Good Wife OnDemand.

How are you spending your Wednesday night?



Crockpot Creation: Herbed chicken

I hate going out to eat on Valentine's day.  Jordan and I had a very bad experience once and I will be tainted forever.  Normally we just go get takeout, about 3 years in the running has been the "Love Boat" from our favorite sushi spot.  This year we are not near that sushi spot.  We have also been going out to eat quite often due to our schedules.  We happily decided to dine in this year.  Since Valentine's day fell on Monday and all we were not ready for some big to-do dinner.  Instead we relied on the Crock Pot.

Herbed Garlic Chicken
Ingredients:
1/8 C butter, softened
8 cloves garlic
1 Tbsp herbs de Provence
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
chicken pieces (we used 2 legs, 2 thighs, and 2 breasts; you can use a whole chicken)
1 C chicken broth
2 Tbsp lemon juice
6 small red potatoes, halved
2 Tbsp chives


Directions:
1. Cut up potatoes and place in bottom of crockpot.

2. In a small mixing bowl, combine the butter, garlic, herbs, salt, and pepper.  Rub this butter mixture on the chicken.

3. Place chicken in crockpot over potatoes.   Pour chicken broth and lemon juice over chicken.

4. Cover; heat on low for 8 hours or high for 4-5 hours.

5.  Remove the chicken and potatoes with spatula.  Garnish we chives.  

We finished off the meal with gigantic brownie sundaes.  More on that tomorrow!  I am looking forward to the warmer temperatures that are suppose to finish off the week.  Melt snow, melt!

Amazingly delicious Baked Alaska

There is always one certainty when Jordan and I visit Maine: we will eat well.  This past weekend was no exception.  Here is our dessert, Baked Alaska. It was amazing and the only disappointment was that due to the ice cream I could not bring any back to Connecticut with us.  

Baked Alaska

Ingredients:

For the Ice Cream Cake:

1 brownie boxed mix, made as directed for 9 X 12 inch dish
1 gallon vanilla ice cream, softened (you can use different ice cream flavor)

For the Meringue:
1 cup egg whites (about 6 large), at room temperature
Pinch of cream of tartar
1 cup sugar

Directions:

Make brownies from box mix.



 

Make the ice cream cake: Using a spring form pan, layer softened ice cream on bottom of pan. Place a piece of plastic wrap on top of the ice cream; press down to close the gaps between scoops and even out the surface. Remove the plastic wrap, cut out brownie to completely cover ice cream. We used the bottom of the spring form pan to trace the brownie piece. Re-cover with the plastic wrap, pressing gently. Freeze until set, about 30 minutes but up to 1 week.

Make the meringue: Whip the egg whites and cream of tartar in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until foamy, about 2 minutes. Gradually beat in the sugar on high speed until the whites are glossy and hold stiff peaks.



Remove the top layer of plastic wrap, then invert the cake onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. (If necessary, let the cake stand overturned until it slips out.) Remove the rest of the plastic wrap and cover the ice cream completely with the meringue, making the dome-shaped top slightly thicker than the sides. Form swirly peaks in the meringue using the back of a spoon. Immediately put in hot oven or freeze for at least 3 more hours.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Bake the cake until the meringue peaks are golden, about 7 minutes. Serve immediately garnished with chocolate fudge and raspberries. Freeze any leftover.

The name Baked Alaska originated at Delmonico's Restaurant in New York City in 1876, and was created in honor of the newly acquired territory of Alaska. An Englishman (George Sala) who visited Delmonico's in the 1880s said: "The 'Alaska' is a baked ice....The nucleus or core of the entremet is an ice cream. This is surrounded by an envelope of carefully whipped cream, which, just before the dainty dish is served, is popped into the oven, or is brought under the scorching influence of a red hot salamander."  We ate at Delmonico's not so long ago so I felt the need to put this in.