Homemade Orange Cranberry Sauce, yo.

Posted by Ruby on November 22, 2010 1 comment

So, this Thursday…yeah, exactly. It’s sorta my Christmas. The reason is mainly because our Christmas is smaller and less chaotic. The scale of our Thanksgiving is always bigger, better and baller. I am not joking. We take it very seriously over here at Casa de Romanik. I do all the shopping a week before. We order our turkey from a local farm. We. Have. A. Thanksgiving. Recipe. Folder. And if you know me in real life, you know that I am NEVER EVER EVAAAAAAAAH that organized.

So, the shopping is finally done and now, it’s time to cook. I somewhat intend to reveal our complete menu with recipes. But, as you can imagine, things here can get a little cray-zay. So, grin, bear it and we’ll see if I can manage to share the whole meal with recipes. Cross those fingers.

Now, confession time: I am not the hugest cranberry sauce fan. I know that some people (cough, cough RON) feel that cranberry sauce is practically the cornerstone that holds the Thanksgiving meal together. I, however, could care less. For me, it’s all about the gravy, baby. More on that part later. But for now, the cranberry sauce.

I am not going to dip my toe into the canned jelly version versus the homemade version. I will say that when my Aunt Sara comes from North Carolina, we have the canned on hand since that is her preference. At the end of the day, I don’t really care. The whole point is, homemade is not hard to make…at all. The best part is that you can make it WAY before you even start cleaning your house. Side note: my house is clean.

All you need: sugar, fresh squeezed orange juice and whole cranberries. Observe:

I use 2 packages of fresh cranberries, 1 cup sugar and 6 whole oranges. I put it on in a pot on low. I stir, I wait until the cranberries all pop and/or explode. Then when it’s sorta red-ish looking and cooked down, I pour the mixture into a bowl  and refrigerate until dinner time on Thursday. Observe:

There you have it! Tomorrow is baking day! Get excited, people!

Oh, No! Risotto!

Posted by Ruby on November 10, 2010 1 comment

I know. You are freaked out. Risotto can be really intimidating. In fact, I have made this recipe 4 or 5 times now and even I some times hit a wall during cooking where I think, “What the hell have I gotten myself into?” But you know what? This. Is. So. Worth. It. YUM.

You can find the amazing recipe here: RISOTTO IS AWESOME!

Some fun risotto tips:

1. Stir, Baby, STIR! and just when you start to get tired, STIR SOME MORE.

2. Have some one help you. Ron chops the mushrooms and sautes them for me.

3. Drink the wine after you add the amount to the pan. It makes everything more enjoyable.

This recipe consists of butter, butter, butter and sugar.

Posted by Ruby on November 7, 2010 1 comment

Behold. The Pioneer Woman‘s Famous Cinnamon Rolls! You can find the recipe laid out step by step by clicking here: CINNAMON ROLLS! It’s a super duper easy recipe. All I did was mix the dough and let it rise the night before. Then, I stuffed in my fridge and did the heavy lifting (ahem, rolling) this morning. The only complain I have about this recipe is the high yield of cinnamon rolls. There is really no good reason for 2 people (3, if you include my mother-in-law) to have 5 large pans of warm cinnamon rolls. The silver lining is that I got to share them with neighbors, which gave me a great excuse to see them. Not that I need an excuse. They like me. I swear.

The other issue with the original recipe is the maple-coffee icing. Ron is not a huge coffee fan, so all I did was up the milk and butter and mixed in vanilla bean paste instead of maple. It was pretty tasty. Ron said these were the best cinnamon rolls he had ever eaten. I said, next time, cream cheese frosting is happening and I could give a damn if you like it or not. Okay, maybe I didn’t actually say that.

This is also a good time to mention that if you aren’t reading The Pioneer Woman‘s blog or her cook book, we cannot be friends. Seriously.

And another thing, I intend on making these for my family on Thanksgiving morning. Yes, that’s right. :)

These were delicious. Special thanks to my handsome husband for helping me photograph the process while I was up to my elbows in butter and flour! Now, we are off to Costco (aka my favorite store ever.) Then, I am attempting to cook The Pioneer Woman’s braised short ribs. Yes, 2 of her recipes in one day. I may just die of happiness!

The Bitch is Back!

Posted by Ruby on November 5, 2010 1 comment

Y’all! I am so sorry that I have been gone so long! But fear not! I am back and in full force. In fact, I have 4 dinners planned over the next five days to blog about and share. As you may or may not know, I was away due to my work on a political campaign. It was hard work and it some times is even harder when you lose. But, as a friend of mine once told me, no matter what happens, the sun will come up again tomorrow.

So, now what? Well, first on my agenda is getting my act back together. My house has not been the tiddiest lately. My fridge was in need of a cleaning. And, in case you don’t own a calendar, the holidays are coming up fast and furious. This can be both good and bad. Bad because of how busy it gets, but good because the holidays are all about the food. And, in case you did not notice, I kinda LOVE food.

Tonight, I made a recipe from one of my favorite bloggers, Sabrina. This recipe is from her auntie and it is delicious. I don’t know about you, but after eating a bunch of junky fast and processed food (for convenience sake) during the end of the campaign, I am ready to get back into the kitchen and make some yummy homemade food. In fact, I am even shunning jarred pasta sauce. I know! Crazy things are happening out here in the sticks! Hide your kids, hide your wife, ’cause I am making homemade spaghetti sauce!

Don’t be scarred, this recipe is so easy! You can find the entire recipe here: Auntie D’s Bolognese Sauce

All you need: olive oil, onion, ground beef, kosher salt, ground pepper, white wine, flour and a canned whole peeled tomatoes.

Oh, and pasta. Duh!

First, you heat up a chopped medium onion in the hot olive oil.

Then you add the beef. Sprinkle with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. (Did someone say peppa?!)

Brown the beef.

Add the flour, add the white wine.

Then, add the blended tomatoes.

Cover and cook on low for 60 minutes.

Viola!

Fall Days

Posted by Ruby on October 24, 2010 0 comments

I know, I know. I disappeared. But here are a bunch of pretty photos to hold you over until I return from the black hole of the midterm election. The pictures of my dinner do it no justice. IT. WAS. OUTSTANDING. I was screaming oh. my. god. during the whole meal. SO DELICIOUS! You can find the full recipe here.

Tomorrow is going to suck.

Posted by Ruby on September 19, 2010 5 comments

I have been waiting for the right time to write this post. i was waiting for inspiration and context. I think I finally have it.

Ron and I have been trying to get pregnant for 2 years now. We have been under a fertility specialist’s care since September of last year. We have had some loss and a lot of waiting for the next month when we will finally get pregnant.

A few things, first, I am not looking for pity or people to feels sorry for me. This process sucks. It’s depressing and extremely frustrating but overall, I have a wonderful life. I have 2 amazing parents who are supportive and loving. I have hands down the most amazing husband. I want for nothing. I eat well. I do yoga. I love my dog, my house and I live in a gorgeous area. It’s not that I don’t get sad or upset, it’s just that I don’t need any pity. I have a great life. Second, I am 25 and in great health. I walk everyday. I eat well. I take pretty decent care of myself. My infertility is considered unexplained. I also go to a regionally recognized doctor, who possesses the most up-to-date and cutting edge technology. Additionally, he has the best personality and thinks I am hilarious. Lastly, if you are my friend and you are pregnant, I am beyond happy for you. Don’t feel shy about sharing your joy with me. I am just jealous. I want getting pregnant to be that easy for me, too.

So, tomorrow. UGH. I was not looking forward to it to begin with, but when we didn’t get pregnant last month, I called the doctor’s office, as is the usual, but they told me that this month we are going to be moving into the super-sonic realm of injectable fertility drugs. We also already planned a visit to the hospital for IVF counseling. So, tomorrow, Ron will be learning how to inject drugs into me. Then, we are going to the IVF center for orientation and a tour. This is totally stressing me out. I mean, I know that I am not having success getting pregnant on my own or with the oral drugs, but this just feels like a huge leap into the serious shit. I am also deathly afraid of needles even when a trained professional is welding them. And while I love my husband, he is not a trained healthcare professional. Yikes!

So, I hope that in the coming months, you’ll indulge me as I try to interpret my fertility experiences. This ride has already been really emotional and hard, but it seems that the journey is going to continue. I am just extremely thankful for my family and friends. You all make this as bearable as possible. I am hoping that soon, I will be able to share the happy part of this experience.

Think of us tomorrow, we need all the prayers we can get!

My Saturday in Pictures

Posted by Ruby on September 11, 2010 0 comments

All taken on my iPhone.

Ouchie.

Posted by Ruby on September 8, 2010 1 comment

Y’all, I did something not good to my foot. I am not talking about missing a pedicure appointment for over a month.

I pulled a huge tendon in the bottom of my right foot. It’s called Plantar fasciitis. It doesn’t really matter what it is called though, it hurts like hell and it really harshing my mellow right now.

How did I do this to myself? I think it was during one of those awesome hikes that Ron and I go on. I also think that not resting it and walking as much as I do did not help. Neither did the revolving door of cute flip-flops and sandals I have been wearing. I also think yoga doesn’t help the situation any.

So, today, I did not walk my dog. I sat on my couch all day doing work. NOT FUN.

Let’s hope this get resolved soon. Ugh.

BBQ and Art

Posted by Ruby on August 22, 2010 1 comment

Today was the first time in a long time that Ron and I went to Philly. We love it there but things during the summer get so busy!

We went down with two goals: eat Texas style BBQ and see the “Late Renior” exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Mission accomplished.

Percy Street BBQ more than lived up to the hype! It was so damn delicious. Ron ordered a beer and it came in a mason jar! I ordered a delicious blackberry mint julep. Yes, please. Ron got the pork spare ribs with a side of jalapeño corn bread. I got the (amazing) beef brisket with corn and Cole slaw which I shared with Ron. SO GOOD! The homemade sauces were all delicious but ultimately unnecessary. The smokey flavor in the meat was so delicious we didn’t want to cover it! For dessert we split a root beer float which also came in a mason jar! We will definitely be going back there!

Mercedes E350 Adventure Weekend

Posted by Ruby on August 15, 2010 2 comments

This is my friend, Frank. I have known Frank since kindergarten. Frank lives in NYC and works in PR. Frank is part of a focus group for Mercedes-Benz called Generation Benz. Frank got this beautiful Mercedes E350 for the weekend. He decided to come visit me.

So, what is a gal to do when you are asked to take your city friend and city brother, Ryan, on a country tour?

Well, obviously, you start at the farmer’s market.

Then, you go to a pub. A gen-u-wine British pub that was built across the pond and brought, by boat, to Reading, PA.

We had crab cakes and black and tans to celebrate.

Then, we needed to do the right thing. We needed to toast the beauty of German engineering. And, while it is perfectly acceptable to toast with Guiness, the proper and more “Mercedes” thing to do? Go the winery that produced the only Gold Star Champagne in America.

Enter, J.Maki Winery in Elverson, PA. Yes, they really are the only champagne makers in America to receive a Gold Star rating IN FRANCE. In case you didn’t know, they are VERY picky about their champagne in France.

We toasted.

Then, we were hungry. We needed organic, local yumminess. It’s a good thing that Lancaster County is just a pleasant drive through farm country away. We found ourselves at John J. Jeffries.

John J. Jeffries is AH-MAY-ZING! There really is nothing better than local, seasonal food. NOTHING.

Except maybe being driven around like a movie star in Mercedes.