{feasting on the fourth}

Yesterday was Independance Day....and it was such a great day! Our friends (John and Erin) threw a grand party at their chic loft near the water. After eating up all the hors d'oeuvres, we headed to the roof top for a front row seat to the amazing Seattle fireworks show. A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! (...and quite romantic - as it was the first 4th of July my husband and I have spent together!)

I love to bake. And...I'm loving to cook, as well! After becoming a wife, I really had to fast foward into cooking. I've always liked the "idea" of it, but never "needed" to do too much. Well, I've learned quite a bit these past few months, but mostly, I've learned to LOVE the process of it all...and creating yummy things is a bonus! It's really the reason why I started this blog. It's a great place to jot down recipes and keep me pursuing cooking...and baking of course (since it's my first love)!

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  The following is a little photo documentary (w/ recipes) of my cooking experience yesterday for the party.
  
  

Artichoke Dip w/ Crudites, Blue Chips and Pita slices...

*2 cans (14 oz) - Artichoke Hearts (in Water); drain, rinse, coarsely chop *1/2 C - mayo *1/4 C, plus 1 Tbl - Parmesan Cheese; grated *1 Tbl - lemon juice *1 garlic glove; coarsely chop *1 scallion; minced, plus more for garnish *Crudites (choose your fave! I used raw peppers)  *Oven 425  *Place 1/2 artichoke hearts, mayo, parmesan, lemon juice & garlic in food processor. Process till smooth. Add scallions and remaining artichokes. Pulse to combine. Transfer to baking dish and top with parmesan cheese. Bake till golden and bubbling. 30-35 minutes. Garnish with scallions and serve!

Proscuitto-Basil Crostinis *1 baguette (thinly cut on the diagonal) *3-4 Tbl Olive Oil, plus extra *2 Tbl coarse salt *Fresh ground pepper *12 Fresh basil leaves *6 oz Proscuitto (thinly sliced)  *Oven 400  *Lightly brush both sides of cut baguette with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Toast about 7 minutes till golden (put on baking sheet).  *Remove from oven and cool completely. Once cool, top with basil, proscuitto, a bit of olive oil and cracked pepper. Serve and enjoy!

Pate Brisee (Pie Dough): for mini quiches

*this is officially my FAVORITE DOUGH to date. It makes 1 dbl crust or 2 singles. It's perfectly flaky and just so yummy!  *2 1/2 C - flour *1 t - salt *1 t - sugar *1 C (2 sticks) - unsalted butter (cold!!! cubed) *1/4 - 1/2 cup ice water  *In the bowl of the processor combine flour, salt and sugar. Once mixed, add butter. Process till mixture resembles coarse meal. *With machine running, ad ice water through feed, slowly. Start with 1/4 C. Once combined, pulse any extra you need. Want the consistancy to be "together", but not wet or sticky.  *Divide dough into 2 equal portions. Flaten into disc. Cover with plastic wrap and refridgerate at least 1 hour (2 hours is best). Dough can be frozen for up to one month.

Mini Quiches: Asparagus & Gruyere; Italian Sausage & Swiss

*1 bunch pencil asparagus *Coarse salt & ground pepper *1/2 C milk *1/2 C heavy cream *2 large eggs *1 large yolk *Pinch nutmeg *Flour - for surface *Dough (1/2 of pate brisee recipe) *3 oz Gruyere Cheese *2 oz Ham  *Oven 375  *Boil water. Cut 3" from asparagus tip ends. Add salt liberally to water. Boil asparagus till tender (about 2 minutes). Drain. Cut into 1/2" pieces. *Whisk milk, cream, eggs, yolk, and nutmeg. Season with salt and pepper. Strain through sieve into bowl. *Rolls out pate brisee to less than 1/8" thick (basically thin). Cut 24 rounds (about 2 3/4). (I used a scalloped cookie cutter.) Fit into mini muffin molds. *Divide gruyere between all 24 cups. Top with ham. Divide milk mixture. Top each with several asparagus. Sprinkle with remaining gruyere.  *Bake till puffed and browned - about 30 minutes. Serve and enjoy!

Blackberry-Raspberry Cream Cheese Tarts



*2 blocks of cream cheese *2 eggs *1 C sugar *1 t vanilla *12 Vanilla Wafers *favorite choice of pie filling *Fresh berries for garnish *12 paper cups  *Oven 350  *Place paper cups in muffin pan. Add one vanilla wafer to each cup (flat side down). *Mix cream cheese till soften. Add sugar and vanilla and mix till creamed. Add eggs one at a time (mixing thoroughly after each). *Divide cream cheese mixture between the cups. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and cool.  *Top with filling and fresh berries. Most of all enjoy this delicious and way too easy dessert!

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All in all the day was a success. Credit goes to my dear husband for helping me get everything together, especially the dessert!! I needed him since I really didn't start cooking until 3p and we left just a couple hours later! (yes...I already know I'm a procrastinator!)

Happy Weekend!

{independance day in Seattle}

We had a splendid Independance Day! But, it didn't start with celebrating...not really at least. That happened at the end of the day. Anthony and I were invited over to John and Erin's chic loft, for a fun party. There were going to be several people there - some we knew; some we would meet for the first time. Per a request and per an offering, I decided to bring some hors d'oeuvres. Yeah, I get to cook for people! Only thing is that I didn't get started till quite late in the day. BUT, it all turned out (luckily the party wasn't till later), and thankfully I had my husband to help! (Thanks babe!)

So for the food, here's a little "picture documentary"...

It was a fun spread of yummies (including: Artichoke Dip w/ Crudites and chips; Proscuitto-Basil Crostinis; mini quiches: Asparagus & Gruyere, and Italian Sausage & Swiss; Blackberry-Raspberry Cream Cheese Tarts). I made all of these for the first time, and was happy with them all! (Phew). If you're looking for the recipes (collected from various cookbooks, martha stewart and the foodnetwork, check out my kitchen blog by clicking on the following link, Belle.Chic.Cuisine.

As far as the party goes....

Ok. So there were more pictures were taken of the food. haha. I'm so weird.

After eating and hanging for awhile, we headed to the roof top to experience a front row view of the amazing Seattle fireworks over the water. (Thank you - Thank you John and Erin!!!) Someone took a picture of us, so we're hoping to get that soon. (Yes, I forgot the camera downstairs...It was dark, and honestly, I don't think a photo would do the setting justice. Gosh.) It was quite romantic sitting up there with Anthony (after all, it was our first 4th of July)!

OH! I forgot to mention that I got a sad eye infection. Ouch. Anway - I'm sporting glasses for a few days. Joy-Joy.

Hope you all had an amazing Independance Day! Much love from our home to yours!!

{getting ready for the 4th!}

I love being an American. Really, I do. The 4th of July is especially wonderful. People always seem to be happy and there's always excitment in the air...and I'm not just talking about the fire works - though, they're definitely exciting! Oh...and did I mention the wonderful food? Well, there's that too!

It's always been a "plan" to one day spend this holiday with me and my "eventual husband" and my dear friend Erin and her "eventual" husband. Well, we're both married! And it's our first 4th of July being married. AND...to top it all off, Anthony and I just moved to the city where Erin and her husband live!

How crazy. Life is amazingly crazy sometimes. All that to say...we're celebrating together tonight! It'll be so fun.

I'm making up a bunch of goodies and can't wait to share the fun recipes with you! The list incluedes: homemade mini quiches, Artichoke Dip with Crudites (I'm using a variety of peppers), Prociutto-Basil Crostinis and individual blueberry cheese tarts. Yummy!

I seriously have to get moving! I still have much to do...but luckily the party isn't till 8p! Enjoy this splendid day and take time to give thanks for our freedom!

*Goose Bumps! I just got them, thinking about my dear husband and being an Army wife this 4th of July!

**We're so grateful for all of our friends and family and wish we could celebrate close to you! But, know that we're thinking of you all and love you dearly!

{home sweet home}

We're home. What a wonderful feeling to "feel at home". Sure, we still have boxes (which I strategically edited from the following photos), but we're home.

I mentioned that as soon as I found my camera, I would give you all a little view into our new place. Well, I found my camera yesterday...perfect timing for the game actually. So, this morning I got to clicking. Though not all of the rooms are fully shown, I think you'll get the idea of where we reside. Now, by "idea"...I'm not referring to the same "idea" that I blogged about yesterday. I'm just meaning that you'll be able to piece together the place in which we call home.

The top left corner photo is of our back yard area. Yard? Hmm...not so much, but it serves it's purpose. This photo is actually old. I have flowers back there now, and a funky new mat.

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The enterance. Yes...I still have work to do! The room you see in the back is our guest room. But, do you remember the photos of the boxes I took a few days ago? Currently those fill the guest room. Gotta get moving! Here is the first floor, guest bathroom.

On the middle floor is our living room and kitchen.

You've already seen some pics of the kitchen, but here it is again.The powder room on the middle floor is a perfect place to display my turtles (from my meme)!Upstairs is our bedroom...

Our bathroom...And our sitting room...or TV room rather...

Hopefully you get the idea of our place through these photos. I still have much to do, little things to get, and pictures to hang, but the place is coming along and feels like home! I'll post more pics as I get more done. I dearly wish we could have ALL of you over, but until then, hopefully this gives you an idea!



Much love from Seattle!