maggie makes

weekend in pictures - part 2

mexican hot chocolate

Snow always makes me think of hot chocolate! Unfortunately my store was out of my favorite kind so I had to wait till today to get some. I love mexican hot chocolate. The cinnamon just makes it a whole new experience, one way more tasty then the usual. If you haven't tried it before, you must! Make some for your sweetheart this Valentine's day or make yourself a cup for dessert.

Hot Chocolate Syrup

• 3 rounds Ibarra Chocolate
• 1/8 cup boiling water

Chop your chocolate into small pieces. Place bits in blender and add boiling water. Mix until liquid. Add more water if necessary. Store in airtight jar.

Mexican Hot Chocolate

• Hot Chocolate Syrup
• Milk

Add milk to pan and heat over medium high. Add 2 Tbsp of syrup for each cup of milk. When heated, pour and serve.

If you like it spicy, add a little heat with ground chili's.

one of a kind

snow day

Today we had a snow day, which turns out to be just a funny way of saying "working from home". We got out and about a little though. Taking Abby on walks to the park so she can run around like a nut with a snow mustache. She loves the snow just like Maggie did, which makes me so happy because I LOVE snow too! In fact I stayed up most of the night on snow watch waiting for it to start!

It was also good to be home with Julia. Her surgery went very well. The swelling and bruising were gone in a few days and she was starting to put weight on her new knee. Until Saturday afternoon when she had an accident running to the window to bark at someone going by. She slipped going around the sofa and injured her knee. We spend Sunday and Monday at the vet having her looked at and getting x-rays. The good news is the plate and pins are all where they should be. The bad news is she is in a lot of pain, so we are doubling her medication and she has become zombie dog. Poor little girl!

puttanesca sauce

One of my all time favorite pasta sauces is puttanesca. It is salty and spicy with a nice punch from the pickled capers and marinated artichokes. The ingredients are mostly canned or jarred so it is a good pantry prepared dish. Or if you have a pantry the size of a shoebox like mine, you can make a double batch and freeze some to use later.

Serves 4-6

• Olive oil
• 1/2 chopped yellow onion
• 3 sliced garlic cloves
• 28oz whole peeled tomatoes (San Marzano)
• 1/4 cup chopped pitted kalamata olives
• 1/4 cup chopped pitted cerignola or picholine olives
• 3T pickled capers
• (2) 6.5oz jar marinated artichokes hearts, drained and chopped
• 1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
• 1t red pepper flakes
• Parmesan, for topping

1. Saute onion and garlic in olive oil until soft.
2. Add drained whole tomatoes and crush with spoon or hands.
3. Add olives, artichokes, capers, parsley and red pepper flakes.
4. Simmer sauce 15-20 minutes.
5. Serve and top with grated Parmesan.

pretty things

I have been spending more time over on Etsy lately combing through the thousands of things people are offering. Usually I get frustrated and give up before I find anything that I like, but lately I have had better luck. Probably too good of luck since my favorites (aka wishlist) is getting long!

A few of the items I have been pining over is this pitcher by Tertulla with its unglazed outside and transparent matte white inside and these pineapple air plants in urchin shells by peacocktaco. If I hadn't just killed my last plant, I would probably own these little guys by now.

weekend in pictures - part 2

 

wrap it up

I am so happy that Leah Duncan has come out with a new line of wrapping paper! I lover her patterns and would by pretty much anything that she makes with them. The flower one on top I hope she makes into fabric.......please, please, please!

cabbage & sausage pasta

This is one of my favorite pasta dishes we make. I love cabbage for its sweetness and the vinegar gives if just the right kick. We don't eat meat so we make ours with Field Roast - Smoked Apple Sage Sausage. It is also good with their Mexican Chipotle if you are looking to add some spice.

Ingredients (serves 4)

• Pasta for 4
• one green cabbage (small)
• 3 sausages
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 4 Tbsp white vinegar
• red pepper flakes (to taste)
• salt/pepper (to taste)

1. Bring salted water to boil to cook pasta.
2. Halve cabbage and remove core. Slice cabbage halves into 1/2 inches strips.
3. Remove casings from sausages and slice in 1/2 inch rounds.
4. Heat oil in pan over medium high temperature.
5. Add sliced cabbage and stir until wilted and slightly caramelized, usually 5-10 minutes.
6. Add fresh pasta to salted boiling water and cook 4-5 minutes.
7. Add sausage rounds and cook another 5 minutes.
8. Add white vinegar, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper.
9. Strain cooked pasta and add to pan with cabbage and sausage, stir and coat thoroughly.
10. Serve.

If using real meat sausages. Start by cooking sausage rounds in pan. When thoroughly cooked remove sausage and cook cabbage in left over fat. Add cooked sausage to pan when you add the pasta.

weekend in pictures - part 2