01 | January | 2016 | Bewitching Kitchen

FLOWERS

First of all, I’d like to wish all my readers a wonderful New Year! To start things off on a great note, I join the virtual party started by Celia and now hosted by Maureen from The Orgasmic Chef, sharing a little bit of what goes on around one of the most important spots in any home: the kitchen!

GIFTS GALORE!

I have quite a few gifts to share with you, starting with a wonderful surprise I got in the mail shipped all the way from Australia. Celia, the angel behind In My Kitchen sent me this gorgeous letter opener. It sits right by our cork wine screw board, because I always open my mail right there in the kitchen. I love it! Not only because I am fond of all things shiny, but because Celia made it herself. THAT makes it ultra super special. Thank you, Celia!

From a friend from KSU, a batch of home-made macarons, wrapped in a beautiful package and delivered right to our door! Can you spell lucky? Lucky Sally? Yeap. That just about sums it. They were beyond delicious, my favorite was the pink one filled with strawberry jam. Jam made from scratch, in case you are wondering.

From my stepson and his wife, C & C also known in the blog as “the coolest couple in LA”, a custom-made apron. Not just any apron, mind you. This is a Hedley & Bennett apron. Oh, my….. I can only hope I can make it justice. One thing is certain, I am not baking any cakes wearing it.

From my dear hubby, a new food processor was my Christmas gift! My Cuisinart was 18 years old and started acting his age, almost failing on me as I was making hummus for one of our recent receptions. I love this 7-cup model from KitchenAid, very smooth to operate, the plastic bowl is quite sturdy. Made perfectly sliced potatoes for a gratin in seconds, allowing the mandoline to stay in the cabinet and my fingers stay unharmed.

Also from Phil, another find from his adventures on ebay, two cute coffee cups, mini-tiny size, perfect for a shot of espresso or what we call a “mini-ccino”. From a favorite artist, Mary Rose Young. That woman loves color almost as much as I do…

Finally, from our dear friends from Brazil, Vanda and Claudio, a wonderful platter they brought with them all the way from São Paulo (as you read this we are having fun in the ski slopes of Silverthorne, hopefully with all the bones in correct alignment).

In our kitchen….

A new, shockingly red pie plate that was on sale at Bed Bath and Beyond last month. I have a hard time resisting things that are bright red, as you know by now….

In our kitchen…

Have you ever heard of a pie bird???? I had not until I saw this apple pie recipe from Alton Brown. I had to have one. The pie bird works by allowing steam to escape from the inside of the pie as it bakes. Plus, it looks simply adorable. Here you can see its shape better.

After getting it, I found out you it can also be used in savory pies. Any pie that calls for slits cut on top can be instead made with the little bird in the center.

In our kitchen….

Since we are on the subject of pies, I finally upgraded from a bag of beans (which I’ve used for 6 years straight) to real pie weights. Also found on sale at Bed Bath and Beyond. Haven’t tried them yet, but intend to do so in the near future.

In our kitchen….

This is actually several months old, but for one reason or another I forgot to include in previous IMK posts. When I started watching America’s Test Kitchen on TV, I could not help but notice they use this pan all the time. It is their number one recommended non-stick pan and I must say it is awesome! I don’t have enough adjectives for it, See it in action working on a batch of zucchini noodles…. This particular recipe won’t be in the blog until I tweak it a little, though.

In our kitchen….

Duck legs and rendered duck fat from d’Artagnan… for a duck confit made for Phil’s Birthday dinner… on the blog sometime in the near future, I promise! It was quite likely one of the best meals I cooked in 2015.

In our kitchen…

A very odd-looking egg… no idea what happened with this egg, in fact if anyone has an explanation for its wavy shell, please let me know in the comments. I ended up discarding it, as when I broke it the egg yolk did not look quite right. Better safe than sorry.
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In our kitchen….

A batch of Yorkshire pudding that was our side-dish at Christmas Eve… made by my dear husband, who also prepared a Mexican-Style Prime Rib Roast (already on the blog, click here for recipe).

In our kitchen….

A new cookbook! How could I resist it, when it was written by John Amici, the man behind a blog I’ve been following for a long, long time? The book is just like John, classy and warm, and showcases authentic family recipes he’s been collecting over the years. You need it. Did you know that? To order, click here.

And finally, in our kitchen…

Great friends! Great times!

But, as usual, our pups are anxious to say hello….

Chief had a few health problems, so he prefers to be left alone to rest this month. I am sure he will be back next time to join the fun…

Buck shows off his style and elegance in authentic holiday mode…

Whereas Oscar shows a slightly different concept of style and elegance….

And he definitely does not learn from his mistakes. Here he is covered in burrs, once again having to go through the complicated process of combing them off. Quite a bit of whining and complaining, as if Daddy was skinning him alive (eye roll to the ceiling).