Tuscan White Bean Soup - A Favorite!

We had our favorite soup the other night...Tuscan White Bean Soup which I make all the time in the fall and winter. Click here for the recipe!

Chicken and Grapes with Creamy Mustard Sauce and Couscous

I found this recipe in my Rachel Ray cook book recently. I've looked at the recipe before, but it never grabbed my attention until recently. I decided to try it, and we loved it! I know it sounds unusual, but it's really delicious.

Chicken and Grapes with Creamy Mustard Sauce and Couscous

3 tbsp flour

1 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp butter

1 1/2 lb chicken tenders

salt and pepper

1/3 cup white wine

1 cup half-n-half

1/4 cup grainy stone-ground mustard

1 cup seedless red grapes, halved

2 cups chicken broth

2 cups couscous

Place flour in a shallow bowl. Place a large skillet over medium-high heat; add 1 tbsp olive oil and the butter. Dredge chicken in flour; season with salt and pepper. Add chicken to skillet and cook until browned, 7 or 8 minutes. Add wine and scrape up browned bits as wine comes to a bubble; cook the liquid down, 30 seconds to a minute. Combine half-n-half and mustard and pour the mixture over the chicken. Add grapes to the pan and shake to coat chicken and grapes in sauce. Reduce heat to low and simmer 3 to 5 minutes more.

Meanwhile, make the couscous. Bring chicken broth and olive oil to a boil. Add couscous. Remove pan from heat and cover. Let couscous sit 5 minues, then fluff with fork.

Serve mounds couscous with chicken and grapes alongside or over the top.

Tribute in Light

Two beams of light were lit last night from Ground Zero to remember those who died on 9/11/01. I took this picture last night on my walk with Georgie. This is where the two towers would be standing if they were still here today.

Favorite Things in Black & White

Pretty white flowers from John...














and a deliciously scented black peach candle.

Washington Square Park

Here are just a few pictures I took on my walk with Georgie through Washington Square Park today. This is one of our most common destinations. I love this park so much!

























































I love that I caught a gay couple taking pictures of each other in my fountain shot!
















This is George's Dog Run where I sometimes take Georgie.

My Walk to the Grocery Store

This is the community garden that lines the street on my walk to the grocery store. Walking past the garden is always the highlight of my walk to and from the store.











These pink flowers were just so beautiful, I couldn't resist taking a picture. Just as I was snapping the picture, this bee flew right into the shot with perfect timing!










I was able to get one more bee-on-flower shot...okay, now time to grocery shop!

The Perfect Omelet

For years I have tried over and over to make the perfect omelet, but have never been able to figure out the secret to that perfection. I always burn or over cook the bottom of the omelet and I can't stand the smell or taste of over-cooked eggs.

After recently reading about omelettes in "Julie & Julia" and then getting Mastering the Art of French Cooking (where omelettes are explained in full detail for many pages complete with illustrations) I was inspired to seriously try to learn the secret of the omelet. I've made about 6 attempts in the last few weeks and I think I've got it down!

First, melt 1 tablespoon butter in a hot pan, rotating the pan to coat all edges. Then pour in 2 beaten eggs seasoned with salt and pepper, hold the pan at a 45 degree angle with one hand and stir the eggs quickly and constantly with the other hand. Keep shaking the pan back and forth and lifting the edges of the eggs with a spatula. The filling can be sprinkled in just before the eggs are done. Then holding the pan over a the plate, lift the edge of the omelet farthest away from the plate and begin rolling it like an enchilada so that it rolls off the pan and onto the plate.

I guess the secret is all in the way you hold the pan and keep it constatly shaking. And it's also amazing what a tablespoon of butter can do to food. Unfortunately, omelettes are not photogenic, so this picture in no way conveys just how fabulously delicious it really was.

I've been making herbs and parmesan omelettes with rosemary, scallions, thyme, and fresh grated parm.