Elizabeth's in Fairhaven

Daniel and I went to dinner a few nights back at Elizabeth's. Personally I love this place and usually receive great service and great food at a reasonable price.
We went about 7:30 and the place was packed. we were not greeted at all and chose to sit at the bar. the bartender was attentive and brought me the drink menu when asked. I ordered an orange creamsicle martini, Dan had a coke. Elizabeth's is known for their martinis and has a substantial list, so given that it was understandable the bartender had to look up my drink. The cocktail was good but the lime garnish did not go well with the orange drink and added to the bitterness from watery orange juice.
We asked the bartender for a table when one opened and he gave our name to the hostess. 3 parties were seated before us after coming in off the street. We did finally get a nice table beside the kitchen where it was warm. very nice.
Daniel and I ordered the clam chowder which was disappointing. it was watery and bland with an overpowering flavor of dill. in fact we found a stem from the dill in our bowl. after adding some salt and pepper it was palatable.The chowder had large pieces of clams and potatoes which could have made the chowder very satisfying.
We were then told that most of their main entrees and specials were no longer available. luckily my broiled lobster with potato pancake and sherry sauce was still available. Daniel could not get his steak however, so he opted for the almond and pesto haddock.
The entrees came and were nicely presented. the sherry sauce and potato pancake were very well done and complimented each other nicely. the large chunks of potatoes were a welcome addition to the texture of the dish and really quite pleasing. The lobster was overcooked and mushy however. It was also served without a lobster pick or a anything to crack the shell of the claws. When I asked the server for them I was informed there were none in the restaurant and to just break it with my hands. I was undeterred, considering my love of lobster. The waitress was pro active in bringing me a wet towel in a bowl to clean my hands as needed, I was grateful.
The Haddock was AMAZING and flavorful. the almonds on top were toasted perfectly and went so well with the garlicky pesto. chunks of garlic and fresh herbs were obvious in the pesto.The fish was cooked perfectly and was sweet and fresh. The vegetables (zucchini) were mooshy as was the rice.
We then ordered tiramisu which was delightful! thick and rick with real whipped cream. fantastic and my absolute favorite item of the night. I also ordered a cloud9 which is hot chocolate with Godiva white and dark liquors. This drink is fantastic. Daniel got coffee and was quite pleased with the smooth cup he received.
Our service was great and the food was decent. the bill came out to $ 55 and change.
on a scale from one to ten
greeting -2
service -9
food -7
cocktails -8
price -10
-----------------
total 36/50

more cuppies!

I made my standby banana cupcakes. My kids love them and they taste as good cooked as they do as batter. found here.

http://howtoeatacupcake.net/2008/02/banana-cupcakes-with-banana-coconut.html

This time I added 4Tbs chopped sweet chocolate to the batter. the result was amazing. i frosted them with a chocolate cream cheese frosting.
1 package cream cheese (softened)
4 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
4 Tbs cocoa (unsweetened,it cuts through all the sugar)

my turkey

I bought a local farm raised organic pasture fed 22.5lb turkey. Holy crap the difference in taste is AMAZING! I like turkey. it isn't my favorite but it is great on Thanksgiving. But this turkey was so moist and juicy, flavorful and just all around AMAZING.

i flipped it over and put it back in when the breast read 170* on the meat thermometer since the dark meat underneath wasn't done enough yet. that is why it's upside down.

green bean casserole

2lbs green beans (trimmed)
3 cups cream
4Tbs butter , divided
2Tbs olive oil
2Tbs flour
5 portobella mushroom tops chopped
1 medium onion
6 cloves garlic
salt & pepper
1 tsp thyme
dash cayenne pepper
1 can artichoke hearts (drained well and chopped)
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
fried onions


blanch the green beans and then add them to an ice bath to stop the cooking
saute mushrooms,onions , and garlic with 1/2 the butter and the olive oil until tender
put aside
melt remaining 2 Tbs butter add flour. cook to a light caramel color
add half and half
add mushroom mixture
simmer and stir until thick (like melted ice cream)
add to cooled green beans and mix well
add seasoning and artichoke hearts
top with Parmesan cheese
top with thinly sliced fried onions
bake at 350* until hot throughout and green beans are tender

lost my camera

thanksgiving! yay good food. fun to cook. panic that I wont get it done.

my grandfather's stuffing
roche (pronounced RO-shay)
essentially a giblet stuffing

2 loaves crusty bread (broken up and dried out)
1 package chicken liver
1 package giblets (not just the ones with the turkey, the actual package of them from the store)
1 medium onion
2 stalks celery
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp assafrua(safflower)
6 eggs
3Tbs Bells seasonings
salt and pepper


soak bread in water with a small amount of salt
brown the onion and the giblets and liver.
add celery
cook until softened
cover with chicken broth and water set to simmer
drain bread squeeze out as much water by hand as you can.
mix the eggs in by hand
add seasonings

remove the simmering pot from the stove.
run it through the food processor to chop it as much as you like
add to the bread mix
bake in the oven, covered with foil
375* until set but not dry

lamb stew

I love soups and stews this time of year. In fact my entire family calls this time of year Bowl Season. So I decided to make lamb stew last week. Sadly I forgot to take a photo and by the time I remembered my family had eaten all of it.

Last Easter I had made an entire leg of lamb. I froze the bone in a vacuum seal pouch for "Bowl Season" I also went to the butcher and bough mutton to add to the stew, fingerling potatoes, and baby carrots

i filled a large stock pot with filtered water and added the lamb bone set it on medium heat. I allowed it to come to a boil and then lowered the heat to simmer for 4 hours. In a skillet I added
2 TB butter
2 medium shallots(diced fine)
1/2 purple onion (diced fine)
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 Portuguese allspice
and 2 lbs mutton for stew cut by the butcher doused in flour(i used rice flour so Sammy could eat it)

i sauteed the onions,shallots,butter and seasoning until they began to soften then added the mutton chunks. I browned them and set them aside. I removed one cup of broth from the stock pot and added it to the pan to get all the bits and pieces off of the pan. I added that to the stock pot.
I then added the sauteed mixture to the stew with carrots and potatoes and let it simmer until the vegetables were tender. I added
1 bay leaf
in the last 20 minutes of cook time and removed it as soon as the stew was done

I served this with ciabatta bread cut into large chunks.

everyone was happy

rosary party

every month my friends and i get together for a potluck dinner and we say the rosary together. it's always a wonderful time. we all make a desert and a main course.

so i made a gluten free pasta with butter,garlic,pea pods,mini heirloom tomatoes and shallots.

this was the close up

puff pastry sticks with cinnamon and sugar

baked brie with philo dough crust w/ homemade crostini crackers and kashi 7 grain party crackers

i had also made a gf chocolate dip but never took a picture of it. i served that with apples

lemon angelfood

a recipe from Cupcakes! by Elinor Klivans

I am a novice. this recipe showed me just how new I really am to the world of cupcakes.

I thought these sounded easy enough and after making creme brule the night before I had a ton of leftover egg whites.So I figured I would give it a whirl.I made mini cuppies and well the first batch burned on the bottom. They were still tacky and pasty white on the top though. I lowered the temp a bit and started over.

flour and lemon zest

eggwhites beaten into submission. I love the way beaten eggs look.

the second batch was much better. I would have liked a stronger lemon taste but I LOVE lemon anything so I guess i am not a good judge. I covered them in icing made with just powdered sugar,vanilla and lemon juice.

finished product. yummy!

home made eggnog

my family can't have most of the commercial eggnog out there since most have artificial flavor or color or something crappy in them. my husband LOVES eggnog. he even puts it on his Christmas list every year. so I make it at home. You have to cook this version. that way no one gets sick
I made a double batch. so yummy!this is my grandfather's recipe

2/3 cup sugar

8 egg yolks (beaten)

3 1/2 cups whole milk

2 cups whipping cream

3Tsp Nutmeg

1tsp cinnamon

1tsp cardamon

1tsp cloves

combine the milk and eggs and sugar and cook on low just until it coats the back of a metal spoon. DO NOT BOIL IT. if you do (like I did accidentally) it will be a little grainy. still yummy though

Nate helped stir

and monkey see monkey do. Sam helped too. (look I am Dr. Seuss)

let the cooked mixture cool slightly then whisk one cup of the egg mixture into the cream.slowly add the cream into the egg mixture. add the spices and chill for at least 4 hours. you may have to mix it again when you serve it.

doesn't that look yummy!

banana cupcakes strike again

I made banana cupcakes again. I love the recipe from howtoeatacupcake found here http://howtoeatacupcake.net/2008/02/banana-cupcakes-with-banana-coconut.html

this time I added walnuts to one batch


and peanut butter cups to the other.

I also tried to make a meringue frosting. wee that was a huge fail!

I screwed something up. It never got thick and then when I added the butter it broke.

I ended up adding a ton of powdered sugar to make it thick enough to use. total bummer. I have to try it again.

they didn't look great after being frosted , so I skipped the finished photo. crap.

welcome, please come in

welcome to my new cooking blog. From my grandmothers' kitchen is all about the fantastic food we eat that has roots in the cooking tradition of both my Nana and Vavoa(sometimes even my Vavoo). both women were equally inspiring, equally talented, and amazingly loving and patient.
my Nana was the baker. she made wonderful treats for my brother and I. cakes that dripped of honey and cannoli filled with white clouds. everything that woman made was amazing. She could cook of course, she could bone a turkey like no one else and she made the best potatoes with Munster cheese. Despite that, the thing I remember most, from my Nana, was the boxes of cake and cookie supplies she gave me each holiday. the old fashioned cookbooks,egg separators and one year a cookie press. i still have that press and I use it every Christmas. then I sit down with my warm eggnog some cookies and a few tears.
my Vovoa cooked. Every Sunday we went to her house for dinner. It didn't have to be anything fancy. In fact it was most often simple, but the tastes that came together in the dishes she made often left me wondering about the magic she had in her shaker bottles. As I got older my Vavoa and Vavoo began allowing me into the kitchen to help. My grandparents taught me to make sublatha(a sauce) vinha douls( a marinade) and of course the Portuguese beans. My Vavoo taught me to make eggnog, and i still make it every year.