Hotel living

Since today is day 33 of living in this hotel with no end in sight, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't starting to lose it a little bit.  In honor of this, today's post is all about what I miss most about having a normal living situation - the kitchen.  Our life would be a million times easier if only we had a regular, fully functioning kitchen.  Not only would we be able to save so much money, but we would also be feeling healthier, and I would have something to actually look forward to in the evenings.  It turns out constant restaurant eating isn't actually as fun as they make it look on Sex and the City.  

Here's a picture of the "kitchen" in our hotel room:

That right cabinet you see there is actually the refrigerator.

And here are some kitchens I dream about on a daily basis:

Guest Blogger Tuesday

Today's guest blogger is my very own one in a million mother! Along with many other great traits, she raised me with unreasonable expectations when it comes to food thanks to her amazing skills in the kitchen.   For this post, she is going to detail an Easter favorite - grilled rack of lamb!  Read more to find out how to make this elegant meal in your own home - no expensive trip to a restaurant necessary!

Summer Grilling

Some of my favorite recipes are so simple, yet elegant enough to serve to guests.  I had the good fortune to introduce my son-in-law Colin to his first taste of grilled rack of lamb a la Kathleen.  I know he was squirming and wishing he could go out for pizza when he heard what we were having for dinner, but with a simple marinade and perfect grilling we ate some of the most succulent lamb.  After that I do believe Colin understood why Kristin looks forward to her mama’s rack of lamb.

We’ve had the first taste of beautiful warm weather here in Portland, Oregon and it’s time for a get together with good friends!  Michelle has become one of my dearest friends, favorite grilling partner, Sous Chef and hostess extraordinaire.  Not to mention that fact that I’m in love with and godmother to her English Bulldog “Swayze” and so enjoy the company of her partner Rodney. I love them all and this will be the first of many joint-grilling experiences documented this summer for the blog.

Michelle and I decided on a menu of Marinated Grilled Rack of Lamb with Garlic Shrimp and Whipped Potatoes. Of course, you need a veggie to balance out the protein and the starch, so I suggest grilled asparagus drizzled with olive oil, salt & pepper.

You can safely assume that 1 rack of lamb will feed 2 people, however on this night we decided that with the addition of  1 ½ lbs of (12-15 count) shrimp, 2 chops per person and sides, would feed 4 hungry adults.  Double the marinade recipe if making 2 to 3 racks.

Marinade

1 cup red wine (I use either a pinot or a cab)

1/3 cup EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)

2 tablespoons chopped rosemary + 2 sprigs

3 cloves chopped (or crushed) garlic

¼ teaspoon garlic pepper

½ teaspoon coarse sea salt

Combine all ingredients (except 2 sprigs of rosemary & 2 crushed garlic cloves) in a jar with a tight fitting lid and shake well. 

1 Rack of Lamb (trimmed leaving a small cap of fat and frenched*)

1 large plastic ziplock bag

Rub the rack with the 2 remaining cloves of garlic and a sprinkling of salt & pepper.  Shred the remaining 2 sprigs of rosemary into small clumps and place on the top of the seasoned rack.  Add to plastic bag and pour in the well-shaken marinade.  The meat can be refrigerated from 2 hours to overnight.

All dressed up and ready for the marinade!

Make sure to remove the lamb from the fridge at least 1 hour before grilling. The meat should be at room temperature to assure even cooking. Preheat your grill to 400 degrees (high) for a quick sear.  When ready, place the rack meat side down on a lightly oiled grate to sear for 2 minutes, flip and sear the backside for 2 minutes.  Reduce the heat to 350 degrees and grill for approximately 6-8 minutes per side until done.

Using an instant read thermometer  to gauge interior temperature of the meat assures proper cooking of your lamb.  Here are some in varying price ranges via Amazon.com:

Internal temperatures for lamb
Rare - 120°F

Medium Rare - 125°F

Medium - 130°F

Testing the internal temperature

Let rest for 10 minutes and cut into individual chops for serving.

The finished product!

* Frenching a rack of lamb is removing the meat, fat and membranes that connect the individual rib bones that gives the rack a clean look for an elegant meal and is a butchering technique you can do at home with a little practice. With a sharp knife trim the meat and fat from around the exposed rib bones starting from the point closet to the meat and working downward to the tip. You should be left with clean exposed rib bones.  For a more thorough and easy explanation click here.

And that's it folks! One scrumptious rack of lamb dinner!  So fancy, yet easily made in your own home.  For the sake of space, click in to read mom's recipe for the barbecued shrimp!

Feeding the movers

With the move approaching fast (I know I have been going on and on about it, but I'm just so excited!), I've been thinking a lot about what to feed these guys.  They are going to be here for three days (2 to pack, 1 to load), so just the regular old donuts and pizza isn't going to cut it three days in a row.  The only other time we've had the packing spread out like this was when we moved from Corvallis to Charleston, and they were out before lunch on the second day.  When we moved to NY, our packers stayed for over 12 hours, so we fed them donuts, pizza, and five guys (there were only 3 of them). 

The thing that makes this so tough is that I will be here alone, and don't really like the idea of leaving them in the house while I run to get food.  Whatever I feed them has to be something I can order in, or have prepared the night before. 

This is where you come in - I need suggestions!  What meals do you have ready for movers when pizza just isn't going to cut it? If you were a mover, what (inexpensive) food would you like to receive on the job?  Help!

(Image courtesy of thelonestarmover.com)

Creative Kitchen Crafts!

This week I started a little project for our new kitchen (premature I know, but I saw something similar online and it looked fun!).  For the original project I saw, they took a simple metallic tart pan, and placed a recipe printed out on fancy paper in the middle.  Then, voila!  Wall art that's fun and functional!

I like the idea, but after looking at different tins I decided to change it up a little bit.  The metallic looking ones didn't really fit with the idea I have for a more country kitchen feel, and the ones that did were way too expensive to hang on a wall.  So, I bought three different size cake pans and a giant paint brush and went home to get to work!

All the supplies!  Ready to rock and roll!

Over the last day and a half, I painted each one a different color using paint I already had - one red, one yellow, and one brown.  It took about 4 coats of paint with an hour to dry in between each one.  I would definitely suggest using some sort of spray sealant on the pans once you've painted them so that nothing chips off.

Next, I picked recipes we often use and Colin always requests whenever I ask him what he'd like for dinner :)  I picked a fun font, and printed them out!  I saved the informational papers from the inside of each tin so that I knew how big to cut the circles.  I wish I had nicer paper to use, but our Walmart is currently under construction and has limited sections open.  Of course - crafting isn't one of them.  Unfortunately, we don't have any other crafting stores in Glens Falls.  Sad, right?  I'm thinking I may change it out once we move and have more of a selection.

Finally, all you have to do is add a picture frame hook on the back with super glue, and you've got yourself some functional wall art!

The finished products!

After $6.50 for the small cake pan, $7 for each large one, and $2 for the paint brush, I was able to get everything I need for only a little over $20!  Keeping in mind I already had the paint and the wall hooks.  It would also be a fun ongoing project to search thrift stores for different size pans, and continue adding to a recipe wall.  Functional art is the best!

In honor of this fun project,  I've decided I'm going to share these recipes with YOU! So click in to read more.