canarygirl.com

HELLO!!!!!!!!

OMG first of all, let me say how much I have missed all of you!  Holy crap…I’m telling you…It’s been a bit of a ride these last couple of weeks. 

First, my son…darling boy that he is…broke my laptop screen.  Yes.  He did go there.  Does this look like a kid that would do something like that?

After I finished hyperventilating (which had followed the yelling), I figured, well…it’s insured, we can get it fixed, and in the meantime, I’ll use the pc.  HA.  “Sure,” the fates said.  “Sure you will.”  It turns out that our internet connection for the pc is a piece of total garbage…it’s also a wireless connection, but the thing is, is that our router and whatever that other machine is called are in the living room.  Having concrete walls apparently is not conducive to internet reception, so it’d just crap out constantly.  I couldn’t even read anything, because pages took like 6 years to upload.  Ya, ok, you betcha.  Like I have time to wait for that.  I’m sure my darling boy would love it…I mean, THINK of all the things he could break while I sit on my bum in the bedroom waiting for internet pages to load. lmao 

So.  I ever so sweetly asked my dear hubs if he would consider moving the pc to the living room so I could at least get some work (and READING–Addicts *need* their food blog fix in the morning, dammit!  ehem) done.  Guess what?  The damned thing broke.  I’m not even kidding.  The on/off switch thingamajig disconnected itself or some weird thing like that, so we can’t turn on the pc either.  I give up. 

Anyway, it was time to go on vacation!  Which I would have told you about had I any internet, either with the laptop or the pc.  We spent a glorious week overlooking the sand dunes of Maspalomas, in the southern part of our island.  Frolicking in the pool, shmearing on sunblock like there was no tomorrow…well, that’s not exactly right….more like there *is* a tomorrow and we don’t want skin cancer on that morrow. 

Now we’re back home, and dear hubs….miracle worker that he is…tech God…has made me a special ghetto computer to get by on until we get the two fixed.  I have thee most pimped out set up here….you’d all be jealous, and probably are thinking of stealing this idea for your own selves, but I will share anyway. lmfao  I have the pc monitor hooked up to the laptop.  Supa-fly, I’m tellin ya.  Ok, ok, QUITIT!  It isn’t *that* funny.  Or maybe it is.  I have to admit, I am  sort of giggling myself at the fact that truth is, indeed, stranger than fiction.  I’m SO happy to be back, and can’t wait to find out what you’ve all been cooking!!!   Signing off for now from the world’s most Ghetto computer evAH….canarygirl MUAC!

Ya know…I always knew that I counted on blogging and sharing recipes and funny stories and friendships to get me through the day to day…that creative release that doesn’t seem to fit anywhere else…it’s what I strive for, what I crave. 

As you may or may not have read in my ‘about’ page…planning food, cooking food, photographing food, and sharing food are some of the major ways I deal with stress and depression.  You guys visiting and commenting on the crap stuff that I write and cook and photograph, is like…like…I dunno…Amazing.

By now, everyone knows about the demise of Tastespotting.  It was, like, OhmyfuckingGawd…NO…WAY!  SHIT!  Let me be so shallow as to say that *every* time my photos made it, I was filled with satisfaction…with glee and with utter validation that I was worthy.  But.  BUT.  The majority of the pics didn’t cut it.  Which led to a fervent desire to do better…to capture that perfect shot….get that perfect lighting and style that food the way artists would (sadly, I rarely accomplish any of those, but I keep. on. trying!)  Thank you, TS for being the catalyst to but one of my obsessions.  But the best thing about TS, was finding all of YOU!  There are so many inspiring photos that have been filed away in my brain…so many gorgeous dishes just waiting to be recreated according to you.  So, it is with that thought in mind that I direct you to FoodGawker.com.

Chuck, is one of those food bloggers that I check every freaking day.  Seriously.  He has some Damned good recipes…you have GOT to check out his with nuoc cham….pure nirvana.  AND?!  He has the technical smarts to create something so wonderful…so necessary…so ingenious as FoodGawker.  So THANK YOU! Chuck!  My hat is off, and my thanks goes to you, and your ‘hungry bear.’  I will be frequenting your *new* site often, my friend. MUAC!

 Anchovies! Jeez those little suckers are good. I love them fresh, flash fried or marinated in olive oil, garlic and vinegar, or even from a tin. They’re great on pizza, or canapés, and stuffed into olives. But, perhaps the most common way to have anchovies (at least in the States) is in Ceasar Salad. Their deep flavor and salty goodness are what makes the Ceasar the King of the salads. The dressing is a snap to make, and homemade croutons just really give it that added crunch that push it into perfection.

 

Ingredients:

1 large bowlful of mixed greens
Dressing:
1/2 cup mayonaise
2 cloves garlic
6-8 anchovy fillets
1 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
pepper to taste
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
Croutons:
1 baguette, cut into cubes
3 tablespoons butter, melted
garlic powder to taste
salt and pepper to taste
a bit of oregano

Preparation:

Prepare the croutons first.
Toss all ingredients together, then bake at 400ºF/200ºC until golden (about 15 minutes).
Cool.
Wash and dry greens and reserve.
Add all dressing ingredients to food processor, reserving some of the Parm to garnish.
Buzz it all up until thoroughly combined.
Toss greens with dressing and top with croutons and extra Parmesan…and probably some more cracked pepper.

Ensalada César

Ingredientes:

1 bol grande de lechugas variadas
Aliño:
1/2 vaso mayonesa
2 dientes de ajo
6-8 filetes de anchoa
1 cucharadas vinagre de modena
1/2 cucharadita salsa Perrins
pimienta negra al gusto
1/2 vaso queso Parmesano
Picatostes:
1 baguette, en dados
3 cucharadas mantequilla derretida
ajo en polvo al gusto
sal y pimienta al gusto
1 pizca de orégano

Elaboración:

Preparar los picatoses primero.
Verter todo encima de los dados de pan y mezclar bien, y después hornear a 400ºF/200ºC hasta que estén dorados.
Dejar enfriar.
Lavar y secar las lechugas y reservar.
Añadir todos los ingredientes del aliño al robot de cocina, reservando algo de Parmesano para adornar después.
Procesar hasta que esté cremoso.
Mezclar las lechugas con el aliño y adornar con picatostes y parmesano…y algo más de pimienta negra.

The very lovely and kind Valli at More than Burnt Toast has tagged me to post my 10 favorite food photos. What a fun tag! I loved going through all the old posts to find the ones that really stood out. I also had a laugh at some of the err, FAILs. lol While going through the pics I noticed that the best ones were generally taken with a happy heart…which probably means the sun was shining! lol Here they are, in no particular order:

Wontons

Chocolate Pudding

Dawn’s Pickling Spice

Banana “Nutella” Muffins

Organic Baby Watercress

Almond Joy Truffles

Allie’s Authentic Italian Sauce and Meatballs

Tex-Mex Dip

Zen Chef’s Risotto

Seafood Stew

 Now, who to tag?  Anyone who wishes to participate is more than welcome!  This is a bit of a time consuming tag, so I’m not going to name names…though I would love to see all of your favorite shots! :D  So, consider yourself tagged if you’d like to participate!

Hi guys!  Just a quick reminder, if you haven’t posted a comment on the Give-away post, go and do that! 

                                                   

Today is the last day to enter the Cookbook Giveaway, and on Tuesday, I’ll pick the winner and announce who they are! :)  Good Luck!

(insert balloons, streamers and confetti here) Time to Par-tay!

Canarygirl.com is one year old!  It seems like just the other day when I started off on my own in the blogosphere…I had been blogging at Vox for quite a while, and before that had just shared recipes and photos on various sites across the web.  So now, a few hundred recipes later, and almost as many posts, I’m proud to celebrate my anniversary with you!  Thank you all so much, dear readers…your comments and encouragement have meant (and mean!) the world to me, and I am always inspired by your wonderfulness. (yes, I invent words when I feel it’s necessary. lol)  There are so many of you I look to for my morning food blog fix!  I am so thrilled to be celebrating this anniversary with you that I’ve decided to Have a contest on the site!  I’m going to give away one of my hardcover cookbooks to one of you awesome readers. 

All you need to do to enter the contest, is leave me a comment, letting me know you’d like to be entered, along with your email address (this will remain private–just fill it out before commenting) so I’ll be able to contact the winner. :D  This will need to be done before Monday, May 19th (that gives you 2 weeks, kids).  On Tuesday, May 20th, I’ll randomly select a name from the bunch and that person will receive a copy of Cooking With Canarygirl.  Good luck! :) 

Recently, I have had the enormous pleasure of being nominated for not one, but TWO awards!  I cannot even tell you how happy I am, how absolutely humbled and honored I feel that there are folks out there who think my little old blog is award worthy.  It just seriously blows my mind.  THANK YOU! :D  From the bottom of my heart and soul I thank you so much for thinking of me when nominating.  You are the absolute best!

First off, both Amy at Dinners for a Year and Beyond and Gaga at Gaga in the Kitchen have nominated me for a Blogging with Purpose Award!  Both of these girls have fabulous blogs…Amy is personal chef that shares recipe ideas to last the whole year through!  Gaga is another fab blogger that shares delicious recipes from around the world!  Check out their blogs, you will be happy you did!

Basically, this award is designed to commend blog writers that are thoughtfully sharing their insights with the rest of the world.

I’d like to nominate 5 more bloggers for this award:

Shaye, over at Smarter than Pancakes just began her own blog, though has also been blogging at Vox for quite some time.  Shaye’s blog is all about living a healthy lifestyle, eating delicious foods that are not processed, or loaded with chemicals or high fructose corn syrup.  She has a lot of vegetarian selections, so be sure to check her site out!

Elle, at Elle’s New England Kitchen is one of my favorite blogs on the web.  Elle and I have practically the same tastes when it comes to food, and I can honestly say that every single recipe I have tried of Elle’s has been absolutely fantastic.  She’s an adventurous eater, so go and check out her latest delights!

Mark, over at Manggy is one of my favorite food writers.  He’s always got a great story to tell, and you should just see his desserts.  I don’t know how many times I have simply fainted into my keyboard looking at his ice-creams and cakes!  People often wonder about those square bruises on my forehead, btw.

Bellini Valli, over at More than Burnt Toast is such a joy to read as well.  She has such a big heart, and amazing recipes.  If you haven’t tried her English Muffin Bread yet?  I recommend that you check it out!  That recipe is a keeper, folks.

And, Noble Pig, over at Noble Pig is my latest food blog find!  She is super funny (read the “Get your fat pants out” post! LOL), and Oh my GAWD the recipes!  I think I might even have a crush on her or something.

Congratulations Winners!  You truly deserve this award, my friends.

These are the rules: 

1. Awarded parties must nominate five people who have not received the award.

2. The blogs that receive the award must serve some purpose.

3. In their post about the award they need to link back to this entry.

4. Awarded parties must post the award banner on their site. The banner must remain linked to this site.

Next up, the lovely Bellini Valli at More than Burnt Toast  (see her name above in the nominees for Blogging with Purpose!) and Diva, at the Sugar Bar Diva’s blog not only has delicious food, she also writes about delicious Art, and other interesting things.  I’m so happy to have found her site!  These lovely ladies have both nominated me for an Arte y Pico award!  Thank you, Val and Diva!

This blogging award is meant to showcase those blogs that really touch us in some way with their creativity, design and interesting material.  I’m taking the liberty of nominating some non-food blogs for this one, because there are a few blogs that I simply must read every day…they have captivated me with their wit, their heartfelt stories, and their genuinely fantastic personalities.  So here they are, folks:

Flutter, at Flutter.com is an amazingly talented writer.  She tells such heartwrenching stories with an eloquence that is so rarely seen.  She will have your eyes brimming with tears, only to throw you a curveball and say something so incredibly funny, that the tears of sadness turn into tears of laughter–belly busting laughter even.  She is awesome, and I recommend you read her beautiful words.

Crystal, over at Boobs, Injuries and Dr.Pepper is another incredible writer.  I have been reading her site for the last few months, as she tells the story of her past.  With each installment, Crystal fully captivates you with not only the story she tells, but the amazing talent with which she writes it.  She can also make you laugh so hard your sides hurt.

Van over at Furiousball is a great writer as well…he tells his story, day by day, of his life as he lives it.  The good, the bad, the ugly, and the hilarious.  He’s a musician, web designer/fixer guy (you’ll have to tell them your real title, Van lol) and dad.  His kids are so darned cute, too.

Anne, at Anne Nahm, is a wonderfully talented and funny blogger who writes about the joys (and suckitudes) of being a mom and wife.  I love the way she writes, always insightful and funny!

Lotta, at Mom-o-Matic is a super funny and talented mom who writes about her experiences as a wife and mom, as well as her journey with weight loss and sanity checks with her “Gin in your apron pocket” segments.  She also makes beautiful handcrafted jewelry that she sells at the online store Etsy.

Here are the rules: 

1)You pick 5 blogs that you consider deserve this award with their creativity, design, interesting material, and also contribute to the blogger community, no matter what language.

2) Each award has to have the name of the author and also a link to his or her blog to be visited by everyone.

3) Each award-winner, has to show the award and put the name and link to the blog that has given her or him the ward itself.

4) Award-winner and the one who has given the prize have to show the link of “Arte y pico” blog , so everyone will know the origin of this award.

5) To show these rules.

 

 

 

 

And just shy of my 1 year anniversary.  What a freakin way to celebrate.  Thank God and the fabulous techs at BlueHost for helping me mostly fix it!  WHEW! So, you may or may not know that I am the world’s biggest sofa king.  My wordpress was hopelessly out of date, and desperately needed upgrading.  So What do I do?  I try to do it myself.  Doing it yourself is not generally a good idea.  I’m serious.  (there was crying…and I mean actual sobbing involved when I thought I had completely lost my whole entire site and all those posts I worked so hard on) The text is still a little wonky, what with all these Â’s all over the place…I still have to see if I can figure out how to mass edit that…any idears? hehehe  And then.  THEN!  Apart from that, I almost lost my bird, Sesame, while cleaning out his cage.   I swear I have got a case of the bad karma today my friends…you might not want to get too close.  Everything I touch seems to turn to sheeeeeeeeit.  Fair warning.  For now, the best thing may just be to whip up a nice pitcher of Sangria, and hide out on the patio.  Or something.  I dunno.  I’m askeert to touch anything else.  :-/