Tag Archives: food

fargo & good food: oxymoron?

23 Mar

up until this week, the only thing i ever thought about when i heard the word “fargo” was this:

but i actually went to the real fargo, north dakota this week with the CEO of my agency:  harold and beth out of the minneapolis/chicago office and mark from our media partner, usim.  we went for a meeting and had some time before our flights to check out the town of fargo.  we discovered the most unbelievable restaurant.  do you like how i said “we”?  if beth, harold and mark are reading this, they are saying to themselves “fulford, you didn’t discover anything…poser”  THEY discovered it the night before and we all went back for lunch.  this place belongs in austin, chicago or minny – not fargo! 

don’t get me wrong i’m not dissing fargo.  from the 24 hours i was there it seemed like quite the place.

but still – this place was off the hook good.

SIDENOTE:   isn’t life so much more grande when you work with fun people?  we had quite the team in fargo and not only did we all feel great about the work we did and the great people we met but the laughs at lunch made it an all around enjoyable experience.  it’s so important to not take yourself TOO seriously and have the ability to enjoy the company of people you work so hard with together.  ok, now back to the food.

here are some great pics from our lunch yesterday.  we got to meet the chef nicknamed “Dirty” who was this young, local fargoian cooking up unbelievable goods.  harold even bought us all tee-shirts –

Harold and Mark

Amy, Harold, Beth

so that was our lunch in fargo.  lovely being there but for me, not lovely getting home!  storms in the big d prevented me from getting home so i flew straight into cleveland and just got home last night.   talk to you soon.  always appreciate good, healthy food and hard-working, fun people.   XXOO

Tags: , , , ,

breakfast for dinner, “off-limits” tv shows & kat

3 Nov

breakfast for dinner – the ultimate comfort food

by kathrine glass – friend of the appreciator and wanna-be mayor of her house!

ever have one of those days when you want something for dinner that is really satisfying but not too high in calories; something quick and easy to make with an equally easy clean up; something to de-complicate dinner instead of adding to the stress of your really long day?  oh – and something that the whole family will love? of course you have!

while I fancy myself a pretty good cook, well, recipe follower, i love a good dinner that needs no real recipe and takes me back to my childhood days.  this one is a favorite! my grandmother evelyn use to make me this dish when i would stay overnight with her.  the two of us would sit around her huge dining room table, eat “breakfast for dinner” and watch “off-limits” television shows i wasn’t allowed to watch at home.  two things that felt a little risky and rebellious to me.  what fun!

not only does the dinner conjure up fond memories of being with my grandma, it also really makes me feel good!  kind of like a big bear hug does.  what could it be? grandma evelyn’s breakfast for dinner, of course!  basically it’s canadian bacon, hashbrowns, swiss cheese, eggs and some salt and pepper.  pretty simple stuff but when you put it all together i guarantee it’s an adult and kid pleaser alike!

what you need:

–       canadian bacon or ham slices. now days i often use honey ham thinly sliced.  i like the extra sweetness and think the thin slices of ham are better than it’s thicker canadian bacon cousin.  i usually use two – four slices per.

–       thinly sliced baby swiss, mozzarella, monterey jack or provolone cheese.  i prefer the baby swiss for the little extra bite and it balances out the sweet ham very well.  but it really doesn’t matter. just use whatever light, white cheese you have in the fridge. i usually get the pre-sliced kind and use one and a half slices per.

–       hashbrown patties. i prefer ore ida but i am sure any will do. i use one and a half per.

–       two eggs per.

–       salt and pepper to taste or use paula deans house seasoning, which i prefer. it’s good on just about anything.  that recipe to follow.

–       and feel free to make yourself a mimosa or go with your usual red or white wine.  it is dinner, after all!

what to do:

–       begin to cook your hashbrowns according to the package instructions. make them crispy so they can stand up to the layers of ham, cheese and eggs.

–       heat your oven to 450.

–       about 3/4ths through the cooking time of the hashbrowns start cooking your eggs. i like mine poached with the yolks a little runny.  i have these great little things called poachpods which have made my life super easy when cooking eggs. no more egg whites all over! and the more pods you have the more eggs you can cook at one time.  they won’t stick together!  love those little pods!

–        your hashbrowns should be done just a few minutes before your eggs.  take one of the hashbrowns and cut it in half.  lay one full hashbrown with the half hashbrown to make a supersized hashbrown. season to your liking.

–       take one piece of cheese, cut it in half and layer both pieces on top of the hashbrowns so that it connects the two pieces.

–       layer the ham on top of the cheese.

–       take the extra half of slice of cheese and layer on top of ham.

–       put into the oven until the cheese begins to melt.

–       gently place the two eggs on top of the hashbrown stack.

–       i usually pop it back in the oven for a minute or two just to make sure everything is heated up nicely.  seems like my timing is always just a little off so a last minute touch up works well.

–       season with salt and pepper and/or paula deans house seasoning.

–       add a bowl of fruit, apple sauce or other favorite side and serve! i try to always keep pre-packaged fruit in it’s own juices and natural apple sauce, both with no sugar added on hand for busy days and exhausted nights!

Paula Dean’s House Seasoning

–       1 cup salt

–       1/4 cup black pepper

–       1/4 cup garlic powder

Mix ingredients together and store in an airtight container for up to 6 months

Tags: , , , , , ,

5 lovely links (you’ll love!)

4 Oct

so you thought i’d forgotten a post, huh?   not me! 

tomorrow, my team and i are putting 35 bloggers in 35 chevy dealer diamond white chevy traverses’!  and…at the texas state fair, no less.  who knew this idea which was created around a table at a cafe by the galleria (the name which escapes me) over 6 months ago would come to fruition?

only chevy dealers as bold and cool as the north texas chevy dealer (and next week, the houston chevy dealers) would do something like this.  i love that they are reaching out to connect with women in the local market.  this should be fun…

in honor of all the blogger power we will have going on tomorrow, I’m linking you to 5 of my favorite blogs to read.  have fun!

BLOG = web log.  web log of fun, that is.

link #1

for some amazing food recipes click here

link #2

just read their description of blog #2.  click here to go there…

link #3

hands down one of the funniest, oddest websites out there.  tell me you didn’t giggle.  click here

link #4

love this blog.  that’s it.  that’s all i can say. because it’s great (and i’m tired)

and last one…

link #5

forget everything else.  the photography in this blog is to DIE FOR.  i wouldn’t really die for photography but you get the point.  it’s good.  real good.

Tags: , , , ,

5 lovely links (you’ll love): tailgating recipes

20 Sep

happy tuesday!

another day, just aiming towards friday.  i hope you’re doing well.  today is tuesday, so you know what that means…i find links and you click on them.  it’s really that simple.  for some reason lately, i always have food on my mind.  it’s just wrong.  i think it could be stress.  but that’s another blog post all together.

since i’ve been on this fall kick (and if you must know, i am a full fledge cowboy fan) and it’s time to talk tailgating.  here are some links to some good ones.

LINK #1 cheddar blt burgers with tarragon russian dressing

cheddar burger with tarragon russian dressing

LINK #2 italian chicken soup

i think this is great to pack in a thermos and sip while the burgers are being made!  thanks ree

Ingredients
  • 1 box Ditalini Pasta (very Short Macaroni-type Pasta Noodles)
  • 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
  • 1 whole Cut Up Fryer Chicken
  • 8 cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth
  • 1 whole Medium Onion, Diced
  • 2 whole Green Bell Peppers, Diced
  • 2 stalks Celery, Diced
  • 2 whole Fresh Jalapenos, Diced
  • 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
  • 1 can (28-ounce) Can Whole Tomatoes
  • 2 cups Heavy Cream
  • ⅓ cups Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 4 Tablespoons Minced Fresh Oregano
  • Salt And Freshly Ground Pepper, To Taste
  • Parmesan Cheese Shavings, For Serving

preparation instructions

Cook pasta in a pot according to package directions, being sure not to overcook it. Drain and rinse in cold water to cool. Toss in 1 tablespoon olive oil and set aside.

Place chicken in a large pot or dutch oven and cover in chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then simmer chicken, covered, for 30 minutes. Turn off heat and leave covered for 30 minutes. Remove chicken from pot and shred meat. Discard bones and set meat aside.

Dice canned tomatoes and return them to their juice. Set aside.

Heat a small skillet over medium high heat. Add olive oil and oregano and turn off heat, stirring over the next minute to keep oregano from burning. Set this aside.

Either pour off chicken broth into a separate container or use a new pot to saute onion, green pepper, celery, and jalapenos in 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat until tender and golden brown, about 10 minutes. Add chicken broth, shredded chicken, and tomatoes with their juice. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Add cooked pasta, cream, and all the oregano and olive oil from the small skillet. Stir to combine. Turn off heat.

Serve with lots of Parmesan sprinkled on the top–the more the better! Crusty Italian bread is good, too.

LINK #3: traditional southern deviled eggs

i’m not usually a fan of paula deen just because that accent drives me BONKERS but these eggs will be the hit of your party or tailgate.  just pop them in a tupperware dish and throw on the table.  BAM! oh, wrong chef.

LINK # 4: amy’s party ideas

check out these great and cute ideas for a theme party on the sidelines…

LINK # 5: carmelized onion dip

gotta have a dip!  check this one out from southern living (click above)


     

Tags: , , , , ,

5 lovely links (you’ll love!): entertaining

29 Aug

no one likes to entertain more than me. 

maybe martha stewart.  i guess you could say that ROF and i like to do that more than anything.  there is nothing we like better than having good friends, good food & wine and of course, music.  almost every weekend we have people over if not all three nights!  we love to plan, shop, bake, cook and i love to put together playlists and table settings that are just perfect.  or close.  be sure to check out my montage below.

here are some fantastic entertaining links for today’s regular feature “5 lovely links”:

1. hit up ‘smitten kitchen’ for some party food:  click here

2. the ‘hostess with the mostess” blog has some awesome theme party ideas.  make sure you scroll to the bottom.  i love the “scotch & chocolate 40th birthday party” check these out (and there are a million ideas – great kid ideas too!)

from hostess with the mostess blog

4. everyone knows, the best place to get party decorations (of the cool kind) is on luna bazaar online

5 lastly, but not leastly…music.  look here!  food & wine magazine found the pros behind awesome vibe restaurant music  and check out all the playlists!  so excited i found this

Tags: , ,

pretzel jello salad

24 Aug

hello. 

my name is katie krause.  ” the appreciator” is my favorite older sister.

ok, she is my only sister.

but she is still my favorite.  other than my parents, she has taught me what unconditional love means.  i’m very appreciative of her.

let me first start off by saying that this is very hard to write all in lower case.  you see, i’m a compulsive capitalizer.  i’m known for capitalizing words that should not Be capitalized. (side note: i’m grateful for the appreciator for pointing this out.) this is a great lesson in self control.

the recipe I chose is the jell-o pretzel desert.

i chose this because it’s been a staple at our thanksgivings and Christmas’ for as long as I can remember.  we all LOVE this dish.  When things were upside down for the holidays and we didn’t make a big dinner, my brother jim would always say, “can we at least make the jell-o?” and so we would.  This dish signifies HOME for me.  one year, one of the children (who will remain nameless because this is her blog and I wouldn’t want to embarrass her) tried to make it and the jell-o never set.  you would think that the world was ending.  it ruined Christmas! (j/k)

where this recipe differs from the other similar recipes on the internet, is that instead of using 2 cups of boiling water, use 2 cups of boiling pineapple juice.   i also used 1/3 less fat cream cheese and lite cool whip.   OOHH sooo good!

the recipe:

2 c. crushed pretzels (katie side note: don’t use fancy choppers, pound your stress away with a baggie and a can!)
3/4 c. butter, melted
3 tbsp. sugar
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese
1 c. sugar
1 (9 oz.) carton cool whip
1 (6 oz.) pkg. strawberry Jell-O
2 c. pineapple Juice
2 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen strawberries in juice

mix crushed pretzels, melted butter, and 3 tablespoons sugar together. press into a 9×13 inch pan. katie note: use a clear pan so you can see all the layers!

bake at 400 degrees for 8 minutes. cool.

combine cream cheese, cool whip, and 1 cup sugar. mix well and spread onto the cooled crust.

mix jell-o with pineapple juice, then add frozen strawberries. stir until berries soften and jell-o starts to thicken. gently pour or spread mixture over cream. refrigerate.

thanks for letting me share my memories and my favorite dish with you.  enjoy!

Tags: , , , ,

so much food, only one weekend

22 Aug

friday, we drank.

i mean, um,  celebrated.  saturday, we ate.  boldly,  i cooked this weekend and you can see everything i cooked here on my board at pinterest.

green beans with herbs, sage chicken, banana cream pie and the roast was awesome good.

in addition

to these goodies, ROF and i woke up a bit hungry saturday morning and got some small breakfast burritos from taco y mas down the street.  hands down, best breakfast tacos around.  check out these morsels of goodness gracious:

now it’s monday and back to work.  and maybe a diet is in order.

Tags: , , , , ,

smarty pants- smart apps for your smart phone

31 Jul

hi.  my name is amy and I’m an appaholic. 

if you have an iphone then here are some must-have apps for it.  who uses a phone for just talking nowadays?  they come in real handy if you are at, say, jury duty or somewhere there is a lot of waiting.  or for a sunday afternoon as you plan your week.  these can help.  and some are just plain fun.

food apps.

there are a ton of great recipe and food apps.  they make it real handy for you to put together a quick dinner and have your shopping list populate right there on your phone.  search for these 2 in particular:

1. cooking light app.  here you pick a main dish click on ‘suggested menu’ and it pulls together suggested sides, veggies and dessert.  you can change out any of those too.

2. you already know i’m a fan of martha – here everyday food app has FRESH & EASY recipes

Continue reading →

Tags: , ,

meat loaf, gin & ina

14 Jul

i want to be like ina garten.  aka the barefoot contessa. do i really need to explain why?  she is perfect and that is what i strive to be.  well, not really, but you know what i mean.  her effortless way of putting recipes together, arranging flowers, helping gweneth in the kitchen, celebrating jeffery.  you all know jeffery, i assume.   i love that she can talk her way around her kitchen, nyc and paris.  but i think what inspires me the most about her is that she had a career in the white house but turned around and bought a specialty food store without having any experience.  she pushed herself and had tons of support.  i love that.  just the thought of breaking out of routine inspires me.  For example,  i actually like turbulence on airplanes because they shake me out of my day-to-day trance. i appreciate them.  Continue reading →

Tags: , , , , ,

%d bloggers like this: