For my birthday last month, mom took me to lunch at Gertrude’s in Old Colorado City.
They have good food and the art work on the walls is for sale.
I had such a lovely birthday. I am truely blessed by my family and Tech Hubby. We had dinner with mom and dad last night then went to their house for peanut butter pie with home made chocolate sauce. My gift to you today? -the recipes for both! I apologize in advance for not giving credit where it is due for the recipe source. I asked mom where she got the recipe and she said, ‘from a lady at work years ago’. This recipe has been seen at birthdays for many years now so who knows at which job or through what lady it was discovered.
PEANUT BUTTER PIE (makes 2 pies)
1/2 gallon vanilla ice cream
1 C peanut butter
1/2- 3/4 container of Cool-Whip (c)
Marie Calender’s pie crusts.
Cook and cool pie crusts according to directions on package. Allow the ice cream to melt. Combine ice cream and pb. Add Cool-Whip (c) last gently stirring. Fill pie shells and place in freezer until solid.
HOME MADE CHOCOLATE SAUCE
1 C sugar
1 heaping, and I do mean heaping TBS of Cocoa powder.
1 small container of whipping cream-must be whipping cream, not table cream
dash of salt
2 TBS butter
Combine all ingredients and cook over med. heat whisking constantly. Boil for exactly 2 minutes remove from heat and add 1/2 to 3/4 tsp vanilla.
Try hard not to eat right out of the pan!
I hope you enjoy this recipe. I sure do!
Thank you to all of my dear internet friends for the wonderful emails and comments for a happy birthday!
Sometimes, a gift, wrapped in pretty paper and a bow are just what is needed. A treasure you couldn’t imagine indulging yourself with (for me found at the Antiques Mall) is always a welcomed treat, but this year, I wanted to treat myself to a few luxurious experiences. Now, those of you who have been reading my blog for awhile know I firmly believe in using your ‘good stuff’ as everyday stuff;china, linens, pretty candles, etc. I don’t believe that pleasure, in the proper context, should ever be labeled as a guilty pleasure. That said, here’s what I have done so far for my birthday.
Tech Hubby gave me one dozen long stemmed roses, a creamy white color with pink blushes. I combined them with the status from my garden and made a lovely bouquet. Last night I, with birthday money, picked up a container of caviar and a bottle of ‘pink champagne’. This morning, I enjoyed a champagne breakfast of caviar on toast points. I was going to make blinis, but I wasn’t feeling well enough to stand in the kitchen for so long. I also indulged in a bowl of Rainer cherries. For those of you who live where they are cheap and plentiful may not understand why they would be such a treat, but here in Colorado, they are $8.99 a pound. I found some on sale and snatched them up! The picture above features one of my most favorite candy bars ever. I don’t usually buy them as they are a bit pricey but again, I’m going for an experience this time rather than a trinket. Mozart bars are :Finest pistachio marzipan and hazelnut nougat in a crispy milk chocolate.
Yes, it is just as good as it sounds.
Then, there is this little guy from Whitman’s, filled with fine artist designed chocolates. This one might become a more frequent indulgence, especially when I have a tea party. These cute chocolates would look perfect on a three tiered tray laden with sandwiches, scones and fruit. Don’t you agree?
So now, I must go and get ready for lunch with mom before the tourists crowd up the place where we are planning to meet.
Have a wonderful day everyone and whether or not it is your birthday, find away of enjoying something today you wouldn’t normally do for yourself, that would be my gift to you!
I purchased a Broyhill chair at a garage sale yesterday. It needs some TLC, but when I’m done, it will go nicely in my office. So for today at least, have a nice cuppa and a cookie and we’ll resume Chesterton next Monday.
Happy Sipping!
Remember yesterday I told you about the shop next door to HoC? Here it is…Savory!
What is it about hard wood floors that is so charming? The two things HoC and Savory have in common is that they are both located in older buildings, charming thing #1, and they both have hard wood floors, charming thing #2. Tile floors feel too cold, clinical and utilitarian. Maybe that is why I feel like I’m walking into a vet or hospital when I enter stores with tile floors. Wood floors seem to say ‘Welcome, you are now a part of history and intertwined with all the other people who have walked across me over the many years past.’ Tile floors seem to say, ‘hurry up and get out’.
I immediately felt welcomed and comfortable upon entering Savory. I was greeted by a friendly and knowledgeable woman by the name of, Shantelle. I quickly felt like a welcomed guest.
As you can see from the above pictures, they have quite a selection. You can buy a little or a large amount of each spice. I purchased a few 1/2 and 1 ounce packets to sample and see if I wanted larger amounts later. I have already used my Capital Hill Seasoning Blend to make omelets yesterday. I love the dried shallots in the blend. Last night, I sprinkled some of the Paris Cheese Sprinkle blend on fresh popped popcorn. What a delight! I also made off with a jar of vanilla sugar, a packet of black sesame seeds, the Tarragon Shallot Citrus Seasoning, Lemon Grass, and a Cambridgeshire Celery Seasoning. I already have recipe plans for the Tarragon seasoning but I can’t reveal them just yet. A word of advice on the vanilla sugar. It does contain real bits of vanilla bean. If you are going to use it in your tea or coffee, I recommend adding it to your beverage in a separate vessel and decanting it into your cup or different container from the first, while pouring the liquid through a fine mesh strainer, a tea strainer to be exact as my kitchen strainers have too large of holes to effectively keep the vanilla bits from getting into my cup. The bits aren’t an issue when they are small, but when they absorb the liquid from your drink and swell, it’s a bit unsettling (for me any way) to have them get stuck in your teeth. It is, however, well worth the tiny bit of extra effort to strain the bits. Think of it as a Zen exercise if it helps.
Savory also has a a myriad of salts, curries, extracts and sauces just to name a few of the wonderful things you will find on their website and on their store shelves
Savory can ship your order to you, you don’t have to drive to Denver or Littleton in order to fulfill your need for exotic spices and adventurous cooking. One quick phone call or computer click and soon, you will be your own Mistress of Spice.
Click on any picture to make it bigger.
www.houseofcommonstea.com
Jessica’s website is down right now but please do visit it soon and often and if you find yourself heading to Denver, please do visit her. Here is her address:
2401 15th St
Denver, CO
303-455-4832
Here is how you get there going North on I-25. Take exit 23. You will pass by the aquarium which will be on your right. Keep on the road and follow it around without turning. Cross over 15th street. House of Commons is on the left about 3-4 doors down, just past the bar and grill. I had had a terrible morning in down town Denver. Homeless men by the droves kept coming up to me and begging for change and breakfast (perhaps Gov. Ritter should do something about cleaning up the downtown area instead of passing bills that rob the majority of the populace of privacy in the bathroom.) Feeling completely unsafe(one man in particular seemed to be everywhere I was. It was too coincidental to be random.) and harassed, I left the downtown area to spend my money elsewhere.
After visiting the Denver Art Museum (no panhandlers there!) I went to find the House of Commons. I didn’t realize how far south I had gone (I’m not so good with directions) I thought I would drive a bit to the mall and eat there but then changed my mind again as I really wanted to spend money on small business owner. I know that not every person in the mall is part of a large chain store, but there is just something appealing and satisfying about spending money outside the mall where all the stores look the same and carry the same thing everyone else does and I didn’t want fast food which always seems to make me sick to my stomach.
I turned my car around and off to House of Commons I went. It took some doing and I got a bit lost because I exited too soon but a nice Denver police officer (sorry again to have disturbed you on your lunch break!) pointed me in the right direction. I found it! By the time I arrived, the streets were quite busy and I had to park a ways away. I ended up parking across form a green belt that ran the length of a river. there were nice sized trees offering shade and many park benches. I decided to come back to that spot to while away the rest of the afternoon until it was time to pick up Tech Hubby from his meeting.
Once inside the HoC, I ordered a pot of Lady Grey and a curry chicken salad sandwich. Both were quite delicious. I visited with Jessica, the owner, telling her about my previous visit (sad to say (wishing I could go more frequently) it was about three years ago, shortly after she opened). She was delighted I had come back- how could I not? -and recommended some local shops to me. I thanked her and left and promptly went next door to, well, you’ll have to see in tomorrow’s post. You won’t want to miss it. We definitely need one of these in my city. I’d open on up tomorrow if I had the money and I think it would do well.
p.s. I gave Jessica my introduction card. She asked me what I speak about and I told her about the things I do involving hospitality. She said she used to open her restaurant every Tuesday to moms with new born babies. It has waned over the years but she said while it was going, it was a great group.
‘See’ you tomorrow!
While at Aunt Barbara's home, she fed us home
made bread from her bread machine and this
wonderful gooseberry preserves from Hero, a
Swiss company. I'm usually a strawberry or
plum kinda gal when it comes to things I like
to spread on bread. Although nothing really beats
Nutella, this new-to-me flavor definitely comes in a
close second.
geisha 2 bento, originally uploaded by Sakurako Kitsa.
Go to Flickr to read the notes about what all was done to create this mini master piece.