pleasure in simple things

homemade (better than bailey’s) irish cream recipe

June 12, 2012

homemade father’s day gift

A photo of Homemade (better than Bailey’s) Irish Cream recipe packaged in personalized bottles for Father’s Day.

Father’s Day is Sunday! Do you need an idea for a special homemade gift? I have an easy and delicious gift you can make. Homemade Irish Cream! Packaged in a personal way, I think it makes the perfect gift for your special guy.

In my opinion, this homemade version tastes better than the popular brand you purchase in the liquor store. I suspect that is because it uses fresh dairy, rather than the substitute that must be required to ensure a long shelf life for the ‘real’ stuff.

First, get yourself some bottles – these can be repurposed or purchased. I found the ones pictured here at the store Homegoods…two I bought empty and one was filled with Italian soda; but was priced the same as the empty ones. You may already have something you can use at home…check your cabinets and refrigerator for possibilities, use an old canning jar, or check out the home and craft stores.

To make the gift personal, I selected some old, favorite photographs to create labels for the front of the bottles. I love old black and white photos, and I chose three favorites of my dad and I together to print onto a sheet of labels. If you only have color photos; no worries. You can easily turn your color photos into nostalgic looking black and white or sepia prints using your computer or photo software. (If you don’t know how to do this, send me a message. Better yet, ask your children…they are certain to know how to accomplish this.)

I simply printed the photos on a sheet of regular office shipping labels – nothing fancy. And, because they were black and white, a color printer was not required. I trimmed the labels and affixed them onto the bottles. Then, I finished with some ribbon scraps tied onto the necks of the bottles. Of course, I had to tie a sand dollar to the neck of one of the bottles. Do you see the one that says ‘I love you?’ I used a piece of scrapbooking paper I bought for 10 cents (this paper is sold by the sheet in any craft store) and used it as a backing for one of the photos; cutting it slightly larger than the size of the photo to create a frame around it.

A photo of homemade Irish Cream in personalized bottles.

Homemade Irish Cream Recipe

3 eggs

1 cup rye whiskey

2 Tablespoons chocolate syrup

2 – 3 teaspoons vanilla

1 pint half & half

1 14oz. can sweetened condensed milk

Blend eggs for 3 minutes. Add all other ingredients. Blend 2 minutes more. Keep refrigerated . Will keep as long as the expiration date on the half & half…if it lasts that long.

Use a funnel to fill the bottles . Your Homemade Irish Cream is ready for giving! (Or, if your Dad is more the bourbon guy, you might want to try making him one of these: Bobby Flay’s Vanilla Bean Bourbon Milkshake)

Try pouring a little in your Dad’s brunch time coffee ;) Remember to save some for yourself!

9 comments

top ten coolest people i met countdown

June 9, 2012

friday field trip

A photo of Star Jones – #2 on my ‘Cool People I Met’ countdown.

So many exciting people to meet and fun things to do in New York City this past week! I really couldn’t pin down a Friday field trip, so I decided to do a countdown of the ten coolest people I met on my three day field trip to NYC. Are you ready?

#10. #9. #8. Hercules, Mercury, and Minerva

Yup, I am talking about the gods! Hercules, Mercury, and Minerva are the three gods depicted on the statues surrounding the clock on the facade of Grand Central Station facing 42nd Street. I actually took some time to look up and notice the clock…it definitely fits in the cool category (I know, I know…these three are not exactly ‘people’, but it’s my list :) ) I can’t believe how many times I have been in and out of Grand Central in my lifetime and have never really taken the time to notice the details on this amazing piece of work. At the time it was unveiled in 1914, it was considered the largest sculptural group in the world! Cool!

#7. The Hawaiian Airline Dancers

Hawaiian Airlines has staged a little piece of Hawaii on the streets of Manhattan as a part of a promotion to celebrate the start of direct, non-stop flights from New York to Honolulu. Hula dancers performing to traditional Hawaiian music really set a mood of the tropics, but it is the fragrance of all the real flower leis that just put the whole sensory experience over the top for me! Like many others passing by, I could not resist stopping to enjoy…and, I put my name in to win a drawing for free flights to Hawaii…aloha!

#6. Keenan Cahill

Keenan is an internet celebrity that became famous from lip-syncing popular songs on YouTube. If you don’t know who he is, you probably don’t know who ‘David going to the Dentist’ is either. He lipsynced his first YouTube video in 2010 to Katy Perry’s Teenage Dream. He has had some big name singers (rapper 50 cent for example), join him in his videos. He lives in Illinois and traveled to New York City this past week to speak at a social media conference, giving advice to a roomful of techies on how to achieve what he was able to at 14 years old. What is supercool about Keenan? He put himself out there and did what he really wanted to do, in spite of what anyone else thought or advised. In the process, he became an internet sensation by combining genuineness, a love for music, and a great sense of humor. His confidence and spirit get him on my list as #6. Keep singing Keenan :) !

A photo of internet celebrity Keenan Cahill. #6 on the “Cool People I Met” countdown.

#5. Ina Garten

With so many celebrity chefs today, Ina stands out as someone that ‘keeps it real’. Always cooking great food, simply and deliciously prepared, joining Ina (via Food Network) in her home to watch her cook for her husband, Jeffrey, or some of her friends, is always a treat. As lovely in person as she is on her television show (with a face full of adorable freckles), it was definitely a thrill to meet Ina Garten (who grew up and was married in my home state of Connecticut) and she comes in at #5 on my cool people list.

A photo of Ina Garten – #5 on my ‘Cool People’ countdown.

#4. Tim Gunn

Always impeccable and oozing with swag, Tim Gunn is #4 on my countdown of cool people I met this week. He was cool when he mentored young talent on the television show Project Runway (as a former faculty member of Parson the New School for Design) and he remains cool now, in all he does. You can catch him on daytime television giving “Timterventions” on his show The Revolution. You got it going on Tim!

A photo Tim Gunn – #4 on the countdown.

#3. Roble Ali

This hot, young chef is currently starring in the show Chef Roble & Co. where he and his team cater events for big name clients and celebrities in NYC. But, that is not why he receives #3 on my ‘cool’ countdown of the week. He attains this honor for judging the Teen Battle Chef LIVE in Harlem last Wednesday night. Teen Battle Chef is a program where young people learn to cook and explore culinary careers, nutrition, food systems and gardening education, while ‘battling’ obesity and chronic disease. Chef Roble helped confirm to the students that it is ‘cool’ to be interested in preparing and eating healthy food.

#2. Star Jones

Star Jones also gets on my cool list for supporting the Teen Battle Chef event in Harlem. She served as the emcee for the evening and did an amazing job of conveying the importance of eating right by speaking candidly about her own personal story of being overweight (over 300 lbs.) and requiring open heart surgery. Kudos to Star for using her personal story and her no-nonsense demeanor to help inspire others, while lighting up the evening with her sense of humor and sparkling personality.

Photo of Star Jones at Teen Battle Chef in Harlem – #2 on my ‘Cool People I Met’ countdown.

I am blessed with some really great friends…one of them works in health and wellness and invited me to attend Teen Battle Chef that was being held in Harlem this past week, sponsored by her employer, Emblem Health. I had never before spent any time in Harlem and hadn’t heard about the event I was attending, but it seemed to contain all the ingredients I love: celebrity chefs, education, and the chance to meet new people. I was in! I managed to negotiate my way to Harlem (thanks sweet, young girl from the performing arts high school that I met on the subway) and find my destination.

#1. Harlem students participating in Teen Battle Chef.

There is no question that the coolest of the cool I met this week were definitely the students that participated in the Teen Battle Chef in Harlem (I couldn’t pick just one) and they came in as #1 in my countdown. What a fun night I had with them all! I was lucky to get the chance to sample the creations in the appetizer category and the students were eager to explain the nutritional value of each ingredient. (Send me an email if you would like me to send you the recipe for my favorite – “Carribbean Salsa”.)

Every person that helped create and implement this program (an extra-curricular activity at school) and competition is #1 in my book…this includes Lynn Fredicks (founder of FamilyCook Productions), Former First Lady of New York State Michelle Paige Paterson (sparking the idea for bringing the program to Harlem), and all those that supported it – including Former Governor of New York, David Paterson and celebrity chefs Walter Hinds and Marcus Samuelsson. Bon appetit!

A photo of #1 on my ‘Cool People I Met’ countdown – the Harlem students committed to learning about healthy eating.

Congratulations to the students of Harlem for their committment to help their friends and family make healthier food choices to prevent unhealthy weight and associated diseases! Super cool!

Hope you enjoyed the Top Ten Coolest People I Met Countdown for this week’s Friday field trip!

3 comments

book giveaway winner for may!

June 3, 2012

state of wonder by anne patchett

May’s free book giveaway is State of Wonder by Ann Patchett. Ann was in Connecticut this past month and I had the pleasure to meet her when I attended one of her appearances with one of my bookgroups.

May’s winner of the free autographed signed book is Lauren P. who blogs on The Well Crafted Home. Congratulations Lauren! I know you will love the book!

For more details on entering to win next month’s book, 22 Brittania Road, click here: https://pleasureinsimplethings.com/book-giveaway/

Her are some photos of Ann from the appearance I attended.

Ann Patchett, the author of eight novels, including “Bel Canto” and “Run”

Ann, now a bookstore owner as well as an author, speaks to a packed house of over 400 in Connecticut.

Next month’s giveaway book:

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signs of summer…castles in the sand

June 2, 2012

friday field trip

It has been a really crazy week and I can’t believe I even have time to post, but I couldn’t let a Friday go by without a Friday field trip! Here in Connecticut, we have been having some really hot weather…I think we had a day with a record breaking temperature…it really is starting to feel like summer :)

What better way to start gearing up for summer than to attend a sandcastle competition? So, I decided to attend a local competition and post some photos to help get you into the summer spirit. No better way to feel happy about the beach….except maybe to listen to the Beach Boys… or watch an episode of Sand Masters.

Here are my two favorites…

How about this ‘dude?’ Gotta love him :) Look at the hair!

Has anyone else out there discovered the show Sand Masters on the Travel channel? I am enthralled with the show. There are people out there that call themselves master sand sculptors and basically make a living out of creating things in the sand. Sand Masters showcases these professionals. If you live in an area that is hard-pressed for a sandcastle competition and my pictures aren’t enough…try checking out the show…you can watch it on the Travel channel or on line…here is a taste:

http://www.travelchannel.com/video/the-shark-bar-reborn

Hope you enjoyed Field Trip Friday…and a little taste of summer from here in Connecticut :)

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spiked milkshakes for memorial day

May 28, 2012

bobby flay’s vanilla bean bourbon milkshake

A photo of Bobby Flay’s Vanilla Bean Bourbon Milkshake for Memorial Day.

Here in Connecticut, it is a beautiful weekend, in spite of the weather reports leading up to this glorious Memorial Day. I planned on planting myself in front of the computer all weekend because of the stormy predictions…instead, I don’t want to come in from my backyard!

I did manage to come into the house long enough to make a wonderful Memorial Day treat to celebrate our good fortune with the weather! A spiked milkshake! A vanilla bean bourbon milkshake! Yup…the one Bobby Flay serves at Bobby’s Burger Palace. The same one I fell in love with when my daughter took me to his restaurant on her campus in Philly for the first time.

The bourbon I used to make Bobby Flay’s Vanilla Bean Bourbon Milkshake.

I am not going to take much time to post since I have a date ;) with that comfy empty chair sitting on the grass in my backyard , BUT I am just stopping long enough to give you the recipe for Bobby’s shake in case you too would like to add it to your Memorial Day menu!

A photo of the delicious Vanilla Bean Bourbon Milkshake I made for Memorial Day from Bobby Flay’s recipe.

It may not be a complicated recipe, but like everything Bobby Flay creates..it tastes incredibly delicious! There are plenty of other shake recipes in Bobby Flay’s Burger, Fries & Shakes book if you want to pick up a copy.

Bobby Flay’s Vanilla Bean Bourbon Milkshake

yield: one 16-ounce milkshake or two 8-ounce milkshakes

Ingredients

1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 fresh vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped (reserve pod for another use)
11 ounces premium
vanilla ice cream (about 1 3/4 packed cups)
1 ounce (2 tablespoons) bourbon

To make:

Combine the milk, bourbon, and vanilla bean seeds in the blender and blend until combined, about 5 seconds. Add the ice cream and blend until smooth, about 10 seconds.

For those of you that may not like or want bourbon, it is equally as yummy without it.

Enjoy your Memorial Day and Bobby Flay’s Vanilla Bean Bourbon Milkshake! Back to my chair…

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fleet week nyc and other excitement

May 25, 2012

field trip friday

I am one lucky girl! I toured Food Network! There aren’t many things that would get me as excited. Not since meeting Khaled Hosseini, has my heart beat so fast. Even more exciting was that a friend and I were given a personal tour by a high school classmate who I would have enjoyed spending time with no matter where I was….the combination of the two sent my happiness through the roof :) Adding to the excitement of the day…it was Fleet Week! Fleet Week is a United States Navy, United States Marine Corps, and United States Coast Guard tradition – active military ships recently deployed in overseas operations dock in a variety of major cities for one week. On the walk to Food Network, we were able to witness the Parade of Ships that signaled the start of Fleet Week NYC 2012. Check it out:

A picture taken while walking along the Hudson River on the way to Chelsea, we got a great view, even with the overcast day, of the Parade of Ships marking the start of Fleet Week – a tradition in New York City since the early 1980’s.

Another photo of the NYC Parade of Ships for Fleet Week 2012.

Watching the Parade of Ships signaling the start of Fleet Week creates such a patriotic spirit!

Three of the 6,000 men in uniform descending on NYC for Fleet Week. Does this remind you of a particular Sex and the City Episode :) ?

(See pleasureinsimplethings facebook page for more Fleet Week photos – click the facebook icon on the homepage)

How cool! Now, off to Food Network!

A photo of a view of the Food Network set from ‘behind the scenes.’

I got the chance to not only see the inner workings of the network, but so much more. My former classmate is a senior executive and his insight into, not only the Food Network (and some cool history about the buildings in Chelsea), but the industry and the future of media, was totally fascinating. The technical aspect of the station is overwhelming, the physical space is visually interesting, and the people that work at the network were all so fun to talk to…all happy to explain their roles and answer questions posed by a ‘groupie.’ I think that is probably what I am…a Food Network ‘groupie’ (some may say ‘junkie’)…or maybe they just call me crazy?

The Food Network kitchens sign really got me breathing heavy :)

A photo of the Food Network kitchens.

A photo of the Food Network set. Standing on this set, where so many I have admired have stood before, was definitely a highlight for me!

On the visit to Food Network, Melissa d’Arabian was filming a promo for Ten Dollar Dinners.

The Food Network is located above Chelsea Market, an enclosed urban food court and shopping mall located in the Chelsea neighborhood of the borough of Manhattan in New York City.

The Chelsea Market has so much history surrounding it – dating back to the 1890’s and the National Biscuit Company complex.

A photo of the salad I had for lunch in a little organic restaurant located in Chelsea Market.

After the walk TO Food Network from Grand Central Station and witnessing the ship parade, I never expected the walk BACK to be as interesting, but I was wrong – my Food Network friend suggested we check out The High Line as we were leaving the Network building and it ended up be a really cool walk back as well. It was reminiscent of visiting a botanical garden.

The High Line is basically the recycling of the former elevated New York Central Railroad into an urban park. It was redesigned and planted as an aerial greenway. It runs from three blocks below West 14^th Street in the Meatpacking District, up to 30^th Street, through the neighborhood of Chelsea to the West Side Yard, near the Javits Convention Center.

A photo taken on The High Line walk…notice the old train track in the lower left corner.

This was a tough post to edit. I had so much I wanted to include. Fleet Week, Food Network Tour, and The High Line…what a fun day!

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cold cous cous salad recipe

May 20, 2012

a recipe for 2012

It is hard to imagine eating some of the “Betty Crocker” type meals I ate as a kid. Creations like casseroles made out of canned soup, jello salads, and shake and bake chicken were common meals, but I would never think of making them today. I own a copy of the Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook (circa 1963) with the red and white check cover. I love looking at some of the photos of the tablesettings and picnics from the 60’s…wow! How things have changed! Just as interesting as the food and tablesetting decor, are the outfits people wore to backyard events…according to the photos, dresses and pearls were the dress code for women attending picnics in the 1960’s!

Picture of cold cous cous salad for 2012.

When I was young, my mom would bring potato or macaroni salad to the picnics we attended. Or, a jello salad made in a Tupperware mold. I have never brought any of these salads to a picnic. When I first started bringing food items to picnics, potato salad was updated with a cold wild rice salad, macaroni salad became tortellini salad, and jello salad became fruit salad – maybe with an added yogurt dressing.

The dressing is made with fresh lemon juice, garlic, and extra virgin olive oil.

As the decades changed, so did my cookbooks….I went from the old Better Homes and Gardens to Julia Child to Martha Stewart to Bobby Flay. Today, cooking trends happen so much faster and there are networks full of cooking shows instead of the one or two that were shown in my mother’s time. Cookbooks are no longer a necessity since countless recipes are so easily accessible by way of the internet. Instead of a cookbook, I am usually carrying my iPad around the kitchen to look up new recipes or to research other cooking information.

A more recent salad update happened after attending a friend’s party…she was

serving a tortellini salad made from a recipe I had shared with her years earlier… it seemed so out of date…I realized the tortellini salad had seen its day. Do you need a salad intervention? If you are still making the same old salad, why not try something new? Here’s one of my current favorites…

Move over tortellini…

Cold Cous Cous Salad

Cook 2 cups cous cous as directed and rinse with cold water.

Add to cous cous:

1 cup corn (I use frozen…no need to thaw)
1 cup peas (same here)
1 1/3 cup craisins
1 cup chopped dried apricots
2 cups chopped fresh spinach (I make the salad ahead and add this when ready to use so it won’t become too wilted)
5 scallions, chopped
1 cup shredded carrots

Dressing:

½ cup extra virgin olive oil
2/3 cup fresh lemon juice
2 cloves minced garlic

Mix all ingredients and keep cold.

8 comments

ice cream nostalgia

May 17, 2012

field trip friday

Yes, I do love ice-cream. And while so many others post photos of crocuses to show the change of season, I gauge its coming by when Dairy Queen opens its windows. In the same way, while others look forward to a green bagel or green beer to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day every year, I can’t wait to have the celebratory Shamrock Shake. Summer for me is marked by the moment I step foot into our local Baskin and Robbins each year. The young boy I know that works there starts preparing the scoop of bubblegum in a cup before I even attempt to place my order.

When I look back on why I enjoy these ice-cream moments, I realize it is not as much the taste of the ice-cream, as the memories of these three places. Dairy Queen was a place I would walk to with my grandmother as a very young girl. My grandmother didn’t drive and we would walk to the Dairy Queen on the main road a few blocks away – all the while she would hold my hand in a death grip. The Shamrock Shake came later….I worked at a McDonald’s when I was 16 and was so proficient at the register I was proud to attain the coveted ‘highest cashier of the hour’ award. This meant you had the most sales of any cashier for a specific hour. In essence, it meant that you were able to work the register and pack the food faster than anyone else. (I won’t say how long ago that was, but prices from that time are etched into my brain, and I know the hamburgers were 30 cents back then) It was at this job that I was introduced to the Shamrock Shake, and even if it didn’t taste all the wonderful, it held the significance of being part of my whole employment experience…… Baskin & Robbins bubblegum ice-cream was my treat when I was a kid for completing the 15 mile bike ride from my home to the closest Baskin & Robbins store. We did not have a Baskin & Robbins in our town, so I would make the ride to the town my grandmother lived in to purchase the limited edition bubblegum flavor. It was only sold for a short time in the summer, so in my mind, it quickly became associated with summer.

The nostalgia, not the taste, is what really drives these ice cream purchases. Truth be known, I am actually very much an ice-cream snob. Other than the few nostalgically motivated choices I mentioned, my ice-cream selections are pretty much exclusive to the natural variety. My favorite being handmade and served from a little shop located in a small neighborhood by the shore. The best flavor? Lavender & fig. Hard to believe the same person that would eat a Shamrock shake could truly appreciate the subtlety of lavender and fig, but it is certainly the case.

Walnut Beach Creamery’s ‘sandi annie’ ice-cream – blue vanilla, graham cracker sand, and chocolate covered pretzel goldfish

The International Ice Cream Association has vanilla, chocolate, and butter pecan as the top three ice-cream flavors – with vanilla way out in front. This would not be true in the little shoreline community where Walnut Beach Creamery operates. The current bestseller is cupcake. What is your favorite ice cream flavor to celebrate the season?

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oozing with inspiration

May 14, 2012

terrain’s opening

Since I have been anticipating the opening of Terrain in Connecticut for quite some time, I was thrilled to find out the official opening was scheduled for Mother’s Day weekend. I decided that would be a perfect treat on Mother’s Day morning – to visit the new store. Owned by Urban Outfitters, Terrain is a home and garden store, that up until this weekend, only existed in Glen Mills, PA. The store has that same hip vibe as Anthropologie (also owned by Urban Outfitters), but with a gardening aesthetic. An old car dealership in Westport, CT was transformed into a 16,000 square foot retail space, a restaurant with an outdoor patio, a coffee bar, and an outdoor nursery…Terrain.

Relief prints by Connecticut artist Bryan Nash Gill

It was hard to resist not calling in sick to work on Friday to attend the opening day of the store. I had been driving by occasionally during the construction process and was very excited to finally see the store completed. I could not wait to look around inside. Finally, I was able to check it out and I soon found out that I would not be disappointed.

Free sessions in container planting – this one was with herbs.

The store is oozing with inspiration. I especially love the beautiful hand blown glass terrariums by Vermont artisan Simon Pearce. They can be planted by one of the Terrain staff, tailor-made to the purchasers tastes… when I was there on Sunday, many were being created to bring home to a mom on her special day. I vowed to put a Terrain terrarium on my birthday wish list so I could someday put one on my desk at work. There would be no reason not to smile every morning with a work of art like that in your workspace.

The frame of a 1920’s green house is used in the decor.

The knowledge of the barista at the coffee bar was extremely impressive and I am sure the 7:30 am opening time will make it a popular spot for locals to make a quick stop before heading off to work. I didn’t take the time to sample the menu, but the café boasts a Food & Wine “Best New Chef” of 2011 on staff and provided both a visually interesting indoor seating area as well as seating on an outdoor patio.

Terrain’s website is: www.shopterrain.com

5 comments

pez…no question about it

May 11, 2012

field trip friday

PEZ…an iconic candy from my childhood, I haven’t thought about it in years. I don’t really notice it in stores anymore…maybe that’s just because I’m not looking for it. The PEZ factory has been located in Connecticut since the 1970’s, but only recently has it been open to the public. I had to check it out. PEZ was a staple in my candy repertoire back in the day… right up there with turkish taffy, button candy, and the huge round individually wrapped sweet tart. PEZ was always more about the dispenser than the actual candy…for me, anyway. I checked out the website recently to look up the visitor center hours and discovered that the dispensers are listed by the year introduced…so, if you remember your favorite, you can look up the year it was introduced …great way to feel your age!

The visitors center houses more PEZ dispensers than you can possibly imagine. Yes, they still produce PEZ and in many more flavors than years ago. The visitors’ center is not very big, but worth the trip down memory lane. I was happy to find out that the tour included a PEZ tasting, but somehow the candy just didn’t taste the way I remembered it.

I was very disappointed that I was not able to see the PEZ themed chopper built by Orange County Choppers on my visit. The chopper is a regular exhibit at the center, but it was on loan to a candy convention the day I was visiting. It was built in 2006 when PEZ introduced the first living people on a PEZ dispenser – the Teutel Family…Paul Sr., Paul Jr. & Mikey!

I guess another generation of PEZ lovers is being created, but their first dispenser will most likely be one of the super heroes from The Avengers, and not Popeye or Tweety Bird.

“If I could only have one food for the rest of my life? That’s easy-Pez. Cherry-flavored Pez. No question about it.”

-Vern in the movie Stand by Me. Dir. Rob Reiner. Columbia Pictures, 1986.

To find PEZ dispensers listed by year released: go to www.pez.com Click on ‘collector’s corner’, then ‘dispenser archive by year.’ P.S. Happy Nurses Week

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my friends & favs

homemade (better than bailey’s) irish cream recipe

top ten coolest people i met countdown

book giveaway winner for may!

signs of summer…castles in the sand

spiked milkshakes for memorial day

fleet week nyc and other excitement

cold cous cous salad recipe

ice cream nostalgia

oozing with inspiration

pez…no question about it