Betsy Bailey

B loves to cook! Here she is making brownies (with some help from her Grandma!

Mixing up brownies

Into the pan

The best part of cooking…

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Well, I think I'm in this pregnancy for the LONG haul. Scott and I celebrated our second anniversary (we were married 7/6/5 last night at this super amazing restaurant. OMG, it was AMAZING. It was food art. No wine, alas – I believe it would have been FINE to have just a glass, but didn't want to risk the looks I'd get imbibing in public at 38 weeks pregnant!

For the curious, here's a link to a review of this place. It's officially the nicest – and most expensive! – meal I've ever had.
Anyway, I figure if my water didn't break at one of the nicest restaurants in Phoenix, it ain't gonna anytime soon!

We went for it and had the seven-course tasting menu (a leisurely 3 hour dining experience). At the end of the meal, they presented us with cards congratulating us on our anniversary and the details of our meal, which went as follows:

Amuse
Tomatillo Carpaccio, Baby White Asparagus, Mexican Crema & Caviar

Wood Grilled TOCA Squash Puree
Aji Amarillo Scented Cotton Candy, Wild Boar Bacon Nuggets, Rio Zape Beans & Maitake Mushrooms

Lettuces Hand Picked by the Children of Gila River Crossing School
Locally Picked Tiny Greens, Artisan Date Cake, Timbale of Heirloom Tomatoes & Sobrasada, Ash Goat Cheese & Blood Orange Vinaigrette

Dried Mango & Sandalwood Dusted Lion’s Paw Baja Scallops
Slow Roasted Salsify Root, Ojo de Cabra Mud, Wilted Field Mache & Fennel Pollen Drizzle

Slow Braised Lobster Tail
Butter Basted Lobster Tail, Lobster Coral, Avocado Mousse, Tear Drop Tomato Salsa on Third Generation Fry Bread

Intermezzo
Berry & Wheatgrass Sorbet

Kurobuta Pork Tenderloin Rubbed with Toasted Ground “Fair Trade” Coffee & Pueblo Hatch Chiles
Tian of Pan Flashed Chard Leaves, Dried Fruit Crostini, Crisp Plantains & Natural Juices

Dry Aged Snake River Farms Filet Mignon with Cabrales Queso Crumbles
Posole & Desert Succotash Hash, Golden Raisin Compote & Cabernet Reduction

Cheese Course

Fire Roasted Local Corn Brulee & Warm Fry Bread
Cuitlacoche Biscotti, Candied Pecans, Carmel and Strawberries

—————————————

Absolutely everything about this feast was delicious – my non-adventurous palate even experienced the lobster and scallop (seafood is something I typically avoid). Scott and I agreed, however, that should we return we would absolutely select the pork tenderloin for our main courses. The flavors of that dish were orgasmic. Mmmmmm.

I also particularly loved the squash soup and the greens. I'd like to try the Mexican Chocolate Souffle next time – it seems to be a really popular choice. Not on the menu is the tasty traditional flat bread (made with ancho chilies) served with our meal – accompanied by olive oil made from olives harvested on the reservation and pressed locally.

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The kids LOVE this. One of these casseroles feeds 6-7, and you can usually count on some leftovers, too. I like to double the sauce and freeze half so I have an easy dinner backup plan on hand…

Cheesy Spaghetti Bake

Ingredients

Directions
Grease 9"x13" pan. Brown meat and onions; drain. Add spaghetti sauce. (Here I like to doctor it up with some olive oil, crumbled basil and red wine to taste. Simmer. If I've doubled recipe, I prep half of the sauce for the freezer and let the rest simmer a bit.

Break spaghetti in thirds, cook, drain and rinse. Stir cooked spaghetti into prepared sauce.

Melt butter in small pan. Stir in flour. Slowly add milk. Cook until thick. Add 1 cup of cheddar cheese and Parmesan cheese. Stir until melted.

Smooth one-half of sauce/spaghetti mixture into baking pan; spoon the cheese sauce on top and then add remaining sauce/spaghetti mixture as top layer. Top with remaining cup of cheddar cheese. Bake at 350F for 20 to 25 minutes.

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This is a great summer recipe. I make it all the time for potlucks – it's also keeps for about a week in the fridge, so sometimes I just make a huge double batch and lots of yummy lunch leftovers throughout the week! You've got your protein, your veggies, your carbs – it almost makes a meal.

Tortellini salad with artichokes

Ingredients

• 1 package three cheese tortellini, refrigerated or frozen
• 1 cucumber, peeled and diced into large chunks
• 1 red pepper, cored and diced into large chunks
• 1-2 jars marinated artichokes
• Your preferred Italian salad dressing (I like Newman's Own Italian)

Directions

Prepare cheese tortellini according to package directions. Drain, rinse and refrigerate until completely cooled. Stir in remaining ingredients (I always add the dressing right before serving so it doesn't get all soaked up into the pasta. I also keep some dressing on reserve to touch up the leftovers later.

Optionally, of course, you can also throw in other veggies of your choice, olives (ew, not me), some shredded mozzarella or fresh grated Parmesan.

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Ohhhh, just saw this posted on a pregnancy message board:

I made some amazing cinnamon rolls from scratch and froze them so I can take them out and bake them the morning after the baby comes.

Remind me: I want to do this!

Yum.

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I like the part of pregnancy where I LOVE eating again.

Lately, I really want to have this (among lots of other things) every day:

Preparation of this dish is key. Pour heap of BBQ potato chips onto plate. Drape with 2-3 pickle spears, dripping pickle juice generously over the top of the chips.

Yummmmmmm.

And, yes, it appears I am a walking [not enough, though - need to work on that, especially given the topic of this entry] stereotype. We got a Coldstone postcard in the mail yesterday and I can't stop thinking about it. I'm planning to get me some of this SOON:

Mmmmm Coldstone: Rocky Road Trip

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Betsy loves Scotty 4ever

When you go out to eat, how do you pick where to go?
Submitted by Kristine.

Scott: "Where do you want to eat tonight?"

Me:  "Ahhhh, I dunno. What sounds good to you?"

(Translation: How about you make a bunch of suggestions and I'll shoot them all down?)

It's amazing how land mine-infested this simple decision can be! Especially if we're actually hungry by the time we've arrived at this point. Munching on protein bars while discussing the problem is usually well advised.

It's all much easier when we're taking the kids out to eat. Then it's all about affordability!!

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Show us symmetry.

What I got on Saturday:

What I'm eating on Sunday:

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Audio: Share a song that fits the moment you're living right now.
Inspired by cherè.

This song hasn't been released so I couldn't find a video of it with good production qualities. Here's my copy of the album version – I just adore this song, and this artist:

01 Life Is Wonderful

And here's a live performance of the song:

Life Is Wonderful – Jason Mraz

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