Blueberry Ever After

Beautiful England

2:02 PM | Labels: travel

Well I am back home from a 9 day visit in England and I miss it already. Now that I have finally been over I can see why Jay gets homesick. It is so beautiful there! We spent most of our time on the South coast in Brighton, which is where Jay grew up. It reminds me a lot of San Francisco. The streets are very hilly, filled with brightly painted row houses, and it is right on the sea. All that is missing are the trolley cars! Fortunately for us, the weather was gorgeous the whole time we were there, about 75 and sunny, which was a huge relief from the 95+ temperatures in NC. We got a sunburn walking around Brighton the first day because it was so pleasant out we didn't even think to wear sunscreen.

Of course Jay took me into London one day so I could do all sorts of cheesy touristy things there. We had a whirlwind day, cramming in his paperwork at the US Embassy and then Buckingham Palace, Hyde Park & the Diana Memorial Fountain, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben & Parlaiment, and finally the London Eye. London was fun although it was a very jam packed day. I would love to go back and see more on the next trip.

We went down the coast to Worthing one night for take away fish & chips, and we sat on a sea wall overlooking the ocean while we ate. It was so lovely and relaxing.

The last weekend there was Brendan & Nikki's wedding in Great Staughton, near Cambridge. We got to ride on the busiest motorway in the world, the M25, thanks to Kate and her KA! The farm country out near Brendan and Nikki was so pretty and the good luck with the weather continued for their wedding day. Beautiful blue skies and sunshine, a pre-wedding drink at the local pub, and a getaway car that blew bubbles out the back made it a day to remember for everyone. Congratulations to the new Mr. & Mrs. Sturgeon!

On Sunday after the wedding, we met up with Uncle Paul (George's brother) and Auntie Geri in Horsham. Jay's cousin Sam and his wife Debbie opened their lovely home to a whole lot of us for a great Sunday cookout, complete with yummy grilled bananas. It was so wonderful to meet Jay's extended family, and they all made me feel very welcome. The invitation is open to any of the family who are able to make to the states to come and stop with us in NC. We would love to have you!

On my last day there, we were back in Brighton and Matt took us for a walk on the pier and to see the shops at the lanes. We had one last meal of fish and chips and I went to the grocery store and bought all the biscuits I could fit in my suitcase to bring home with me! Now I am just waiting for Jay to get home so we can go on our 1 year anniversary cruise. I also see many more trips to England in our future!

Jay and Matt on Brighton Beach. We stayed with Matt for over a week. It was so nice of him to let us crash his flat for so long. Thanks Matt!

Jay looking out at Brighton Beach from the seafront.

My toes in the English Channel!

More of Brighton Beach. There is no sand on the beach. It is all stones. Not so comfortable for walking barefoot, but they are nice and warm to lay on!

We ate fish and chips at this place overlooking the Brighton seafront twice. They were definitely worth going back for!

View of the ocean from our walk through the city.

A flowerbasket in Hove, the next town over from Brighton. We walked all the way there!

An old church in Hove.

The Royal Pavilion in Brighton. This is a palace that was originally built for a prince to live in, but is now a historic site.

Inside the Brighton train station on our way to London.

Obligatory London red phone booth.

Buckingham Palace

Statue in front of Buckingham Palace.

Guard at Buckingham Palace. They did not have the big fluffy hats on because it was "too hot" to wear them! Also there was no changing of the guard the day we were there.

London tube stop near Hyde Park.

Double decker bus!

Westminster Abbey

Look kids! Big Ben!

Big Ben and the London Eye

Parlaiment

Riding the London Eye

The London Eye

Chipwick's fish and chips in Worthing. Jay's favorite! They have been in business 25 years.

Yummy!

View of Worthing sea front....we ate dinner overlooking the sea.

Houses on Worthing sea front.

Brendan & Nikki's church...dates back to the 11th century!

Brendan and his Mum, Ivy.

Brendan's parents.

Heather & Jay enjoying a pre-wedding drink at the pub!

Here comes the beautiful bride!

The happy couple!

The getaway car that blew bubbles all the way to the reception!

Pub in Horsham

Street in Horsham

Cookout at Sam and Deb's house.

Aunt Geri, Davina and Jay

Neil and Niamh

Abby (and Chelsea the german shepherd).

Uncle Paul, Neil and .....

Palace Pier in Brighton

Matt and Jay on Palace Pier

Heather & Jay on the sea front.

The lanes are historic, pedestrian-only streets full of shops, which Matt walked us through on the last day in Brighton.

Matt's dog Theo.

This is my favorite picture from the trip. It is Matt's street, and his flat is on the far right. This picture reminds me of walking around Brighton and the beautiful weather we had for the whole trip. It makes me want to go back!

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Introducing Parker Calhoun

2:31 PM |

This weekend, Jay and I went down to my hometown with Allyson, John and Elizabeth to go and visit our friends Rebecca & Kris and meet their newest addition to the family, Parker. He is such a cutie! Everyone seems to be adjusting very well, including a very energetic and proud big brother, Austin. Austin had fun attacking Jay (aka. Mr. Ants in your Pants) while Rebecca gave us a tour of their beautiful new home. It was a lovely day and a fun visit. There is nothing better than catching up with old friends on a Sunday afternoon. Congratulations Rebecca, Kris & Austin! Parker is a sweetheart.

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Wine Night with Laura

10:36 AM | Labels: recipes

Laura's hubby is in Brazil this week for work, so I went over to visit her and miss Sarah last night. When Sarah went to sleep we cracked open the chardonnay and talked and talked and talked....just like old times. I didn't get home until midnight and I am very sleepy today but it was so fun catching up! In between all the talking we managed to cook up a tasty new recipe, Brie with Shallots and Bacon. It was so good that I would eat it for dinner again tonight, but of course there wasn't any left after we got through with it! Here is the recipe:

Shallot & Bacon Brie
(courtesy kraftfoods.com)

2 slices OSCAR MAYER Bacon (we used 4 because why not?!)
2 shallots, thinly sliced
2 tsp. Honey or Dijon Mustard
1 wheel Brie cheese (8 oz.)
Crackers

Cook bacon in nonstick skillet on medium heat until crisp. Drain bacon, reserving drippings in skillet; set bacon aside.

Add shallots to bacon drippings in skillet; cook until shallots are tender, stirring frequently. Crumble bacon into small bowl. Add shallot mixture and mustard; mix well. Spoon over cheese in microwaveable serving dish.

Microwave on high 45-90 sec. or just until cheese is warmed. Serve as a spread with the crackers.

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Yummy Summer Dinner

9:26 AM | Labels: recipes

I decided to try out a new recipe from my Food Network Favorites cookbook yesterday, Angry Shrimp with Citrus Spinach Salad. It was quite tasty if I do say so myself. Of course, we were starving so probably anything would have tasted good by the time we ate dinner, but I do think I will make this one again. And Jay made us some yummy baked potatoes to go on the side, because we can't not have potatoes on Sunday at the Newberry house!

Angry Shrimp with Citrus Spinach Salad

(courtesy Michael Chiarello, foodtv.com)

Flour Mixture:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tablespoons California chili powder

1 tablespoon gray salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Salad:

2 blood oranges, peeled and sectioned, pith removed

2 tangelos, peeled and sectioned, pith removed

2 grapefruit, peeled and sectioned, pith removed

Salt and pepper

Extra-virgin olive oil

2 pounds (16 to 20 count shrimp) 4 per person, peeled but with tail on

6 large cloves garlic, thinly sliced

2 serrano or jalapeno peppers, thinly sliced

1 1/2 cups basil leaves, stemmed and cleaned

1 tablespoon orange, julienned

1 bunch basil, cleaned
3 cups pre-washed spinach, stems removed

Mix the flour mixture for shrimp: Combine the ingredients and set aside in container. This step can be done the day before dinner.

Peel and cut the citrus fruit into sections over a plate. Drain the juice from the plate into a bowl. Season liberally with gray salt and black pepper. Whisk in olive oil to form a vinaigrette (it should be in proportion, about 2 parts juice to 1 part olive oil).

Season citrus sections with salt and pepper. Drizzle a little of the vinaigrette on them to marinate and put them on a platter.

Season shrimp liberally with salt and pepper. Preheat a saute pan on high. Dredge the shrimp in the flour mixture. This will give them a nice crust and allow them to stay crispy and fresh at room temperature. Add olive oil to the pan and put in 1 layer of shrimp. You want them to caramelize, so don't toss or move them. Add a little more oil if the flour absorbs what's in the pan. After about 3 minutes, turn over the prawns. Let it caramelize, toss and turn out onto a cookie sheet. Add about 1/4 cup more olive oil to the already hot saute pan.

Drain pan juices from the cookie sheet into the saute pan. Add sliced garlic and let it get light brown. Add chiles and let them get soft. Add the basil and stand back - there's a lot of water in basil and it will pop. Let it get crispy, less than a minute. While this is happening, arrange prawns over the citrus salad. Add the orange zest to the basil/garlic/chile mixture in the saute pan. Season with salt and pepper, then spoon basil/garlic/chile mixture over the prawns.

Toss the spinach with the citrus vinaigrette and mound on top of the prawns. Serve.

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Panthers Preseason Party!

2:06 PM | Labels: football, party, recipes

Our Panthers Preseason Party on Saturday turned out to be a huge success! We had tons of friends over, with babies and food galore...the only snafu was that we ran out of hamburger buns, but of course our crew was not shy to improvise! We'll make sure we buy extra next time everyone, promise. :)

I tried out two tasty new recipes that seemed to be a hit so I will share:

Chocolate Hazelnut Ravioli
(courtesty Giadi De Laurentiis, foodtv.com)
16 wonton wrappers 1 egg, beaten to blend
1 cup chocolate-hazelnut spread (recommended: Nutella)
Vegetable oil, for frying
16 fresh mint leaves
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
Granulated sugar, for dredging
Powdered sugar, for dusting

Line a baking sheet with plastic wrap. Place 1 wonton wrapper on the work surface. Brush the edges of the wrapper lightly with egg. Spoon 1 tablespoon of chocolate-hazelnut spread into the center of the wrapper. Fold the wrapper diagonally in half over the filling and press the edges of the wrapper to seal. Place the ravioli on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining wonton wrappers, egg, and chocolate-hazelnut spread.

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F. Add enough oil to a heavy large frying pan to reach a depth of 2 inches. Heat the oil over medium heat to 350 degrees F.

Working in batches, carefully add the ravioli to the hot oil and cook until they are golden brown, about 45 seconds per side. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the ravioli to a plate lined with paper towels to drain. Then, transfer the cooked ravioli to another baking sheet and keep them warm in the oven while frying the remaining ravioli. (The fried ravioli can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cool them completely, then cover and refrigerate. Before serving, place them on a baking sheet and rewarm in a preheated 375 degrees F oven just until they are heated through, about 7 minutes.)

Spray the top side of the mint leaves very lightly with nonstick spray. Working with 1 leaf at a time, dredge the coated side of the leaves in sugar to coat lightly.

Teriyaki Chicken Wings
(courtesy Tyler Florence, foodtv.com)

Teriyaki Sauce:

1 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1 cup grapefruit juice
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
2 fresh red chiles, halved
5 garlic cloves, halved
2-inch piece fresh ginger, whacked open with the flat side of a knife

Chicken Wings:
2 dozen chicken wings, about 3 1/4 pounds, rinsed and patted dry
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted, for garnish
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped, for garnish

Prepare the teriyaki sauce by combining the soy sauce, grapefruit juice, hoisin sauce, ketchup, rice wine vinegar, brown sugar, chiles, garlic, and ginger in a pot. Bring to a slow boil and cook, stirring, until thickened, about 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Season the chicken wings generously with salt and pepper. Lay the chicken wings in a single layer on a sheet pan. Bake for 20 minutes or until the skin gets crispy. With tongs, dip the wings in the teriyaki sauce and return to the oven for 10 to 15 minutes to glaze. An impressive presentation is to serve these chicken wings family style; arrange them on a large platter, pour the remaining sauce over them and sprinkle with sesame seeds and cilantro. Don't forget the wet naps!

Lastly here are some party pics...and for those of you who didn't make it to the end of the game, the Panthers won!

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House Guest!

10:42 AM |

We puppy sat for our friend Crista back in July and I am just now getting around to posting some pictures of our house guest, Maggie. She and Roux got along really well and we think he still misses her! Daisy pretty much slept through Maggie's whole visit, except for a few attempts to eat her food, but what's new? And not surprisingly, the toy you see in the pictures did not survive Maggie's stay at the Newberry home (sorry Crista!).