President Obama dives head first into his first day as leader of our nation! This video is just a look at what he has to deal with or is dealing with today & the photo... well, it's awesome! I guess he's hard at work, knee deep or maybe up to his elbows in crap by this time! Let's hope & pray that he is as able to lead us into this "new birth of freedom"!
Showing posts with label President Barack Obama. Show all posts
Showing posts with label President Barack Obama. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
And the work begins...
President Obama dives head first into his first day as leader of our nation! This video is just a look at what he has to deal with or is dealing with today & the photo... well, it's awesome! I guess he's hard at work, knee deep or maybe up to his elbows in crap by this time! Let's hope & pray that he is as able to lead us into this "new birth of freedom"!
In this post, you'll find:
First day as commander in chief,
President Barack Obama
President Obama does "The Bump"
At least I think that is the name of that dance from like 1970 LOL! My mom & I used to do that when I was a little girl! I remember her saying I was so skinny that my little hips used to hurt her legs LOL! Ahh, memories! Anyway, enjoy the video! If you pay attention, you can notice our Commander-in-chief has little rhythm, as he sidesteps, sways & plucks his fingers off beat LOL!
In this post, you'll find:
First Lady Michelle Obama,
inaugural ball,
Inauguration Day,
President Barack Obama
A Night to Remember - Video
In this post, you'll find:
inaugural ball,
Inauguration Day,
President Barack Obama
More on the First Lady's Style
In this post, you'll find:
First Lady Michelle Obama,
Inauguration Day,
President Barack Obama
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
A wonderful end to a fantastic day!
As the President & First Lady continue to dance the night away & celebrate not only their first day as the First Couple, but also a new beginning, I must bid everyone good night! It's 11:15pm for me & I've had a busy day posting & with "real life"! I hope you enjoy the Inauguration Day coverage. Here are the latest videos I found: Commander-in-Chief Ball & the Neighborhood Ball! Until domani, good night & enjoy!
In this post, you'll find:
Commander in Chief Ball,
First Lady Michelle Obama,
inaugural ball,
Inauguration Day,
Neighborhood Ball,
President Barack Obama
Senator Ted Kennedy released from hospital tomorrow
Senator Ted Kennedy, who collapsed earlier today at the Inaugural Luncheon in Statuary Hall, will be released tomorrow. Doctors say the seizure was brought on by fatigue. President Obama was said to have rushed to his aid.t
In this post, you'll find:
inaugural luncheon,
Inauguration Day,
President Barack Obama,
Ted Kennedy
President Obama & the First Lady - First Dance Video
In this post, you'll find:
First Lady Michelle Obama,
inaugural ball,
Inauguration Day,
President Barack Obama
Inaugural Ball Photos
In this post, you'll find:
First Lady Michelle Obama,
inaugural ball,
Inauguration Day,
President Barack Obama
More Photos from today's Inaugural events
In this post, you'll find:
Inauguration,
Inauguration Day,
President Barack Obama
End of the Inaugural Parade - Video
In this post, you'll find:
inaugural parade,
Inauguration Day,
President Barack Obama
Inaugural Gifts
President Obama & Vice-President Biden were presented with magnificent gifts. The beautiful crystal bowls were created by Lenox. Senator Dianne Feinstein, Chairman of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies looks at the Lenox bowls as Timothy J. Carder, Vice President of Design at Lenox, Inc. explains the details about the bowls.
In this post, you'll find:
inaugural gifts,
inaugural luncheon,
Inauguration Day,
President Barack Obama
Inaugural Luncheon Menu & Recipes
Sounds like I should've supped with the Obamas today; I had the buffet at a local pizzeria LOL! Here's what was on the menu, along with the recipes if you wanna try to cook it yourself =):
♥Seafood stew
♥Duck Breast with Cherry Chutney
♥Herb Roasted Pheasant with Wild Rice Stuffing
♥Molasses Whipped Sweet Potatoes
♥Cinnamon Apple Sponge Cake
Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies
Visit http://inaugural.senate.gov Recipes
Recipes from the 2009 Inaugural Luncheon
First Course
Seafood Stew
Yield: 10 servings
Ingredients
♥ 6 (1 Lb) Maine lobsters
♥ 20 medium size Sea scallops
♥ 36 Large shrimp, peel, cleaned and tail removed, aprox. 2 lbs.
♥ 10 (1 oz) pieces of black cod
♥ ½ cup small dice carrots
♥ ½ cup small dice celery
♥ ½ cup small dice leek
♥ ½ cup small dice Idaho potato
♥ 1 teaspoon kosher salt
♥ 1 teaspoon ground white pepper or black pepper
♥ ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
♥ 1 quart heavy cream
♥ 1 cup dry vermouth (can be made without)
♥ 10 (5 inch) puff pastry rounds
Equipment
♥ 10 (3 ½ inch) terrines/ramekins or serving dish of your choice
Directions
1. Bring 1 gallon of water to a boil; poach lobsters, then shrimp, then black cod and last scallops. After
seafood is cooked, remove from water; reserve water and bring to boil.
2. Cook all vegetables in liquid that was used for the seafood, remove vegetables when tender. Allow the liquid to continue to boil until only 1qt of liquid remains. This will be the base for the sauce.
3. Bring seafood liquid back to a boil and add the vermouth and heavy cream and reduce by half,
season with salt, white pepper and nutmeg to taste. You have reached your desired thickness when the sauce will cover the back of a wooden spoon. Set aside to cool.
4. Cut Maine lobster, shrimp and scallops into bite size pieces.
5. Pre-heat oven at 400 degrees.
6. Fold seafood and vegetables into cool sauce, being careful not to mix too much as this will break up the seafood. Scoop mixture into terrines or oven proof baking dish of your choice.
7. Cover terrines with puff pastry rounds, brush them with egg wash and bake them until golden
brown about 8-10 minutes, allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving. You can cook this 2-3 hours ahead of time and keep warm at 150 F degrees.
*All seafood can be substituted with other favorite options of your choice and availability.
Second Course
Duck Breast with Cherry Chutney
Yield: 10 servings
Ingredients
♥ 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
♥ ½ cup chopped onion (1 small)
♥ 3 garlic cloves, crushed
♥ 1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot
♥ ½ teaspoon black pepper
♥ ½ teaspoon ground cumin
♥ Scant ¼ teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes
♥ ¾ teaspoon salt
♥ ½ cup coarsely chopped red bell pepper (½ medium)
♥ 1 plum tomato, coarsely chopped
♥ ¼ cup dry red wine
♥ 1 ½ to 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
♥ 2 tablespoons sugar
♥ ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
♥ 1 can (3 cups) Bing cherries, quartered *Oregon brand
♥ ½ cup Golden Raisins
♥ 10 (6 oz.) boneless duck breasts with skin
♥ 2 tablespoons water
♥ 1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon or chives
Method for chutney and glaze
1. Heat oil in a 2 to 3 quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat until hot but not smoking, then cook onion, garlic, and shallot, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 7 minutes. Add tomato paste, black pepper, cumin, hot pepper flakes, and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring, 30 seconds. Reduce heat to medium and add bell pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in wine, vinegar (to taste), and sugar and simmer approx 5 minutes. Stir in mustard, 1 1/2 cups cherries, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and simmer 1 minute. Allow to cool slightly and reserve all but ¼ cup of the mix to the side. Place 1/4 cup mix in a blender and puree until very smooth, about 1 minute (use caution when blending hot liquids). Reserve for glazing duck. To finish the chutney, add the remaining 1 ½ cups of cherries, tarragon, chives and all the golden raisins. Can be prepared one day ahead.
2. Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 450°F. Score duck skin in a crosshatch pattern with a small sharp knife and season duck all over with salt and pepper.
3. Heat water in an ovenproof 12-inch heavy skillet over low heat until hot, then add duck, skin side down. Cook duck, uncovered, over low heat, without turning, until most of fat is rendered(melted) and skin is golden brown, about 25 minutes.
4. Transfer duck to a plate and discard all but 1 tablespoon fat from skillet. Brush duck all over with cherry glaze and return to skillet, skin side up.
5. Roast duck in oven until thermometer registers 135°F, about 8 minutes for medium-rare. Remove from oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes.
6. Holding a sharp knife at a 45-degree angle, cut duck into slices. Serve with cherry chutney and molasses whipped sweet potato.
Herb Roasted Pheasant with Wild Rice Stuffing
Yield: 10 portions
Ingredients
♥ 10 Pheasant breast, boneless, remove tenders and reserve for stuffing, cut small pocket in side of breast for stuffing
♥ ½ cup Olive oil with chopped rosemary, thyme and sage
♥ 1 lb. Wild rice, long grain
♥ 2 quarts Chicken stock or canned chicken broth
♥ 2 Carrots, diced
♥ ½ Onion, diced
♥ ½ cup Dried apricot, small diced
♥ 1 Tablespoon Salt and pepper mix
♥ 2 Tablespoons Garlic, roasted
Directions
1. Boil the rice with the chicken stock, cook until soft and most of the liquid is gone.
2. Add the onion, carrot, garlic and apricot. Cook until the vegetables are soft and all liquid has been absorbed. Refrigerate rice mixture until cold.
3. In a food processor, puree pheasant tenders to a paste consistency to use as a binder for rice mix.
4. When rice is cool, add the pheasant puree to the rice until well mixed. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper and return to refrigerator until ready to stuff.
5. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
6. Make 10 small football shaped patties of the rice mix, stuff inside the pheasant, being careful not to overstuff the pheasant. Rub herb/oil mixture on top and bottom of the pheasant, season with salt and pepper. Place the pheasant on a heavy gauge roasting pan and then in a preheated oven for approximately 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven and cover with lid or foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Serve over sauté of spinach.
*Pheasant can be substituted with chicken.
Molasses Whipped Sweet Potatoes
Yield: 2 quarts
Ingredients
♥ 3 large sweet potatoes, about 3 pounds
♥ 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
♥ 1 teaspoon kosher salt
♥ ¼ cup orange juice
♥ ½ tablespoon of brown sugar
♥ 1 tablespoon of molasses
♥ 1 teaspoon of ground cumin
♥ 2 tablespoons maple syrup
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Place sweet potatoes on a baking sheet and roast until easily pierced with a fork, about 1 hour.
3. Peel the skin off of the sweet potatoes while still hot.By hand or mixer, smash potatoes until all large chunks are gone. Combine the potatoes, butter, salt, orange juice, brown sugar, ground cumin, molasses and maple syrup in a large bowl. Continue to mix all together until all lumps are gone. Adjust any of the seasonings to your specific tastes. Can be made the day before.
Winter Vegetables
Yield: 10 servings
Ingredients
♥ 2 bunches Asparagus, green, bottom 1/3 of stem removed
♥ 2 lbs. Carrots, peeled, cut oblong or large dice
♥ 1 lb. Baby Brussel Sprouts, fresh,cleaned or frozen can be used
♥ 1 lb. Wax Beans, ends snipped
♥ 2 oz Butter
♥ 1 each Zest from orange
♥ 4 oz. Olive oil
♥ Salt and Pepper to taste.
Directions
Asparagus: preheat grill or large heavy bottom sauté pan. Rub 2 oz of olive oil on asparagus and season with pinch of salt and pepper. Lay flat on grill or sauté pan until lightly browned. Using long fork or tongs, rotate the asparagus to brown other sides. Usually 2 or 3 minutes per side. The asparagus is done when you can use a fork to cut through. Do not overcook, this will cause asparagus to become stringy. Keep warm until ready to serve.
Carrots: bring 3 qt salted water to a boil, add carrots to water and cook until fork tender, meaning a fork will easily pass through the carrot. Drain the water from the pot and toss 1 oz butter and zest of orange and mix until carrots are coated. Season with pinch of salt and enjoy. Keep warm until ready to serve.
Brussel Sprouts: For Fresh: Bring 3 qt salted water to a boil, cut into the stem of the sprout with a pairing knife to create an X on the bottom, this will allow the stem to cook more evenly. Place sprout in boiling water and allow to cook until bottom of sprout is tender and easily cut with a knife. Preheat a heavy bottom sauté while the sprouts are cooking. Remove sprouts from water and allow all water to drain completely. Add 2 oz oil to sauté pan and add the sprouts, season with salt and pepper while tossing the sprouts around to evenly brown in the pan. If sprouts are too big, you can cut them in half, keep warm until ready to serve.
For Frozen: Bring 3 qt salted water to a boil and drop frozen brussel sprouts into water, these are precooked so you are only thawing them out. Remove from water and sauté as above.
Yellow Wax beans: bring 3 qt salted water to boil, add snipped wax beans to water and allow to cook until fork tender or to your liking of doneness. Remove from water and toss with 1 oz butter and season with salt and pepper.
Third Course
Cinnamon Apple Sponge Cake
Yield: 10 servings
Ingredients
Apple Filling
♥ 4 lbs Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
♥ 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
♥ ¼ cup water
♥ 1/₃ cup granulated sugar
♥ 1/₃ cup apple sauce
♥ ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
♥ ¼ teaspoon salt
♥ Grated zest from 1 lemon
♥ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Bread Crust
♥ 14 tablespoons unsalted butter, melt 10 of tablespoons
♥ 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
♥ 34 slices brioche bread (or white bread)
Equipment
♥ 10 Ceramic baking ramekins or metal molds (3” diameter)
Sauce
♥ 2 cups caramel sauce(store bought)
♥ 2 cups granny smith apples, peeled, cored, diced small
♥ Pinch sugar
♥ Pinch cinnamon
♥ 1 tablespoon butter
Ice Cream
♥ 1 quart vanilla ice cream
Preparation
Filling
1. Melt butter in 6-quart saucepan over medium-low heat. Add apples and caramelize, add water, cook, stirring occasionally for 15 to 20 minutes, or until apples are completely soft. Remove cover and add sugar, nutmeg and salt. Increase heat to medium-high and continue to cook, stirring apples frequently, until liquid has completely evaporated, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in lemon zest, apple sauce and vanilla. Set aside to cool while making crust. The filling can be made one day ahead
Making crust and assembly
1. Position oven rack in lower third of oven and preheat to 425°F. Grease 8 ceramic dishes with 1 tablespoon butter. Sprinkle sugar in dish and tilt to coat bottom and sides. Tap out excess sugar and set aside.
2. Using a bread knife, remove crusts from bread. Center the bottom of mold over one of the bread squares. Cut around mold to form circle to use as the top. Make a total of 20 of these round pieces. Ten will be for the bottom and 10 will be used for the top. Dip each one in melted butter and place at the bottom of mold.
3. Cut each of the 15 remaining slices of bread into four rectangular pieces. Dip one side of each strip in the melted butter and arrange strips, upright, around the inside of molds, buttered-sides against mold and overlapping by about 1/2” to completely line mold. Use 6 rectangles to line the mold.
4. Spoon the apple filling into bread-lined molds, mounding it slightly in center.
5. Take the remaining ten rounds of bread and dip pieces of bread into the melted butter and place on top of filling, buttered-sides up. Press down lightly.
6. Bake for 30 minutes, then cover top loosely with aluminum foil. Bake for an additional 15-20 minutes, until top is deep golden brown and side slices are golden brown (slide a thin-bladed knife between bread and pan to check). Remove from oven, uncover, and let rest for 15 minutes on wire rack. Run thin-bladed knife around edges of molds to be able to flip the mold out onto serving plates.
7. For the apple cinnamon caramel sauce, sauté 1 cup of peeled and diced Granny Smith apples in butter, add a pinch of sugar and cinnamon. Allow to cook until apples are lightly browned and all sugars have dissolved. Remove from heat and add 2 cups caramel sauce to the apples and stir to coat apples.
To Assemble
Pour caramel apple sauce over warmed apple cakes and serve with your favorite vanilla ice cream.
♥Seafood stew
♥Duck Breast with Cherry Chutney
♥Herb Roasted Pheasant with Wild Rice Stuffing
♥Molasses Whipped Sweet Potatoes
♥Cinnamon Apple Sponge Cake
Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies
Visit http://inaugural.senate.gov Recipes
Recipes from the 2009 Inaugural Luncheon
First Course
Seafood Stew
Yield: 10 servings
Ingredients
♥ 6 (1 Lb) Maine lobsters
♥ 20 medium size Sea scallops
♥ 36 Large shrimp, peel, cleaned and tail removed, aprox. 2 lbs.
♥ 10 (1 oz) pieces of black cod
♥ ½ cup small dice carrots
♥ ½ cup small dice celery
♥ ½ cup small dice leek
♥ ½ cup small dice Idaho potato
♥ 1 teaspoon kosher salt
♥ 1 teaspoon ground white pepper or black pepper
♥ ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
♥ 1 quart heavy cream
♥ 1 cup dry vermouth (can be made without)
♥ 10 (5 inch) puff pastry rounds
Equipment
♥ 10 (3 ½ inch) terrines/ramekins or serving dish of your choice
Directions
1. Bring 1 gallon of water to a boil; poach lobsters, then shrimp, then black cod and last scallops. After
seafood is cooked, remove from water; reserve water and bring to boil.
2. Cook all vegetables in liquid that was used for the seafood, remove vegetables when tender. Allow the liquid to continue to boil until only 1qt of liquid remains. This will be the base for the sauce.
3. Bring seafood liquid back to a boil and add the vermouth and heavy cream and reduce by half,
season with salt, white pepper and nutmeg to taste. You have reached your desired thickness when the sauce will cover the back of a wooden spoon. Set aside to cool.
4. Cut Maine lobster, shrimp and scallops into bite size pieces.
5. Pre-heat oven at 400 degrees.
6. Fold seafood and vegetables into cool sauce, being careful not to mix too much as this will break up the seafood. Scoop mixture into terrines or oven proof baking dish of your choice.
7. Cover terrines with puff pastry rounds, brush them with egg wash and bake them until golden
brown about 8-10 minutes, allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving. You can cook this 2-3 hours ahead of time and keep warm at 150 F degrees.
*All seafood can be substituted with other favorite options of your choice and availability.
Second Course
Duck Breast with Cherry Chutney
Yield: 10 servings
Ingredients
♥ 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
♥ ½ cup chopped onion (1 small)
♥ 3 garlic cloves, crushed
♥ 1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot
♥ ½ teaspoon black pepper
♥ ½ teaspoon ground cumin
♥ Scant ¼ teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes
♥ ¾ teaspoon salt
♥ ½ cup coarsely chopped red bell pepper (½ medium)
♥ 1 plum tomato, coarsely chopped
♥ ¼ cup dry red wine
♥ 1 ½ to 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
♥ 2 tablespoons sugar
♥ ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
♥ 1 can (3 cups) Bing cherries, quartered *Oregon brand
♥ ½ cup Golden Raisins
♥ 10 (6 oz.) boneless duck breasts with skin
♥ 2 tablespoons water
♥ 1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon or chives
Method for chutney and glaze
1. Heat oil in a 2 to 3 quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat until hot but not smoking, then cook onion, garlic, and shallot, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 7 minutes. Add tomato paste, black pepper, cumin, hot pepper flakes, and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring, 30 seconds. Reduce heat to medium and add bell pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in wine, vinegar (to taste), and sugar and simmer approx 5 minutes. Stir in mustard, 1 1/2 cups cherries, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and simmer 1 minute. Allow to cool slightly and reserve all but ¼ cup of the mix to the side. Place 1/4 cup mix in a blender and puree until very smooth, about 1 minute (use caution when blending hot liquids). Reserve for glazing duck. To finish the chutney, add the remaining 1 ½ cups of cherries, tarragon, chives and all the golden raisins. Can be prepared one day ahead.
2. Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 450°F. Score duck skin in a crosshatch pattern with a small sharp knife and season duck all over with salt and pepper.
3. Heat water in an ovenproof 12-inch heavy skillet over low heat until hot, then add duck, skin side down. Cook duck, uncovered, over low heat, without turning, until most of fat is rendered(melted) and skin is golden brown, about 25 minutes.
4. Transfer duck to a plate and discard all but 1 tablespoon fat from skillet. Brush duck all over with cherry glaze and return to skillet, skin side up.
5. Roast duck in oven until thermometer registers 135°F, about 8 minutes for medium-rare. Remove from oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes.
6. Holding a sharp knife at a 45-degree angle, cut duck into slices. Serve with cherry chutney and molasses whipped sweet potato.
Herb Roasted Pheasant with Wild Rice Stuffing
Yield: 10 portions
Ingredients
♥ 10 Pheasant breast, boneless, remove tenders and reserve for stuffing, cut small pocket in side of breast for stuffing
♥ ½ cup Olive oil with chopped rosemary, thyme and sage
♥ 1 lb. Wild rice, long grain
♥ 2 quarts Chicken stock or canned chicken broth
♥ 2 Carrots, diced
♥ ½ Onion, diced
♥ ½ cup Dried apricot, small diced
♥ 1 Tablespoon Salt and pepper mix
♥ 2 Tablespoons Garlic, roasted
Directions
1. Boil the rice with the chicken stock, cook until soft and most of the liquid is gone.
2. Add the onion, carrot, garlic and apricot. Cook until the vegetables are soft and all liquid has been absorbed. Refrigerate rice mixture until cold.
3. In a food processor, puree pheasant tenders to a paste consistency to use as a binder for rice mix.
4. When rice is cool, add the pheasant puree to the rice until well mixed. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper and return to refrigerator until ready to stuff.
5. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
6. Make 10 small football shaped patties of the rice mix, stuff inside the pheasant, being careful not to overstuff the pheasant. Rub herb/oil mixture on top and bottom of the pheasant, season with salt and pepper. Place the pheasant on a heavy gauge roasting pan and then in a preheated oven for approximately 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven and cover with lid or foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Serve over sauté of spinach.
*Pheasant can be substituted with chicken.
Molasses Whipped Sweet Potatoes
Yield: 2 quarts
Ingredients
♥ 3 large sweet potatoes, about 3 pounds
♥ 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
♥ 1 teaspoon kosher salt
♥ ¼ cup orange juice
♥ ½ tablespoon of brown sugar
♥ 1 tablespoon of molasses
♥ 1 teaspoon of ground cumin
♥ 2 tablespoons maple syrup
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Place sweet potatoes on a baking sheet and roast until easily pierced with a fork, about 1 hour.
3. Peel the skin off of the sweet potatoes while still hot.By hand or mixer, smash potatoes until all large chunks are gone. Combine the potatoes, butter, salt, orange juice, brown sugar, ground cumin, molasses and maple syrup in a large bowl. Continue to mix all together until all lumps are gone. Adjust any of the seasonings to your specific tastes. Can be made the day before.
Winter Vegetables
Yield: 10 servings
Ingredients
♥ 2 bunches Asparagus, green, bottom 1/3 of stem removed
♥ 2 lbs. Carrots, peeled, cut oblong or large dice
♥ 1 lb. Baby Brussel Sprouts, fresh,cleaned or frozen can be used
♥ 1 lb. Wax Beans, ends snipped
♥ 2 oz Butter
♥ 1 each Zest from orange
♥ 4 oz. Olive oil
♥ Salt and Pepper to taste.
Directions
Asparagus: preheat grill or large heavy bottom sauté pan. Rub 2 oz of olive oil on asparagus and season with pinch of salt and pepper. Lay flat on grill or sauté pan until lightly browned. Using long fork or tongs, rotate the asparagus to brown other sides. Usually 2 or 3 minutes per side. The asparagus is done when you can use a fork to cut through. Do not overcook, this will cause asparagus to become stringy. Keep warm until ready to serve.
Carrots: bring 3 qt salted water to a boil, add carrots to water and cook until fork tender, meaning a fork will easily pass through the carrot. Drain the water from the pot and toss 1 oz butter and zest of orange and mix until carrots are coated. Season with pinch of salt and enjoy. Keep warm until ready to serve.
Brussel Sprouts: For Fresh: Bring 3 qt salted water to a boil, cut into the stem of the sprout with a pairing knife to create an X on the bottom, this will allow the stem to cook more evenly. Place sprout in boiling water and allow to cook until bottom of sprout is tender and easily cut with a knife. Preheat a heavy bottom sauté while the sprouts are cooking. Remove sprouts from water and allow all water to drain completely. Add 2 oz oil to sauté pan and add the sprouts, season with salt and pepper while tossing the sprouts around to evenly brown in the pan. If sprouts are too big, you can cut them in half, keep warm until ready to serve.
For Frozen: Bring 3 qt salted water to a boil and drop frozen brussel sprouts into water, these are precooked so you are only thawing them out. Remove from water and sauté as above.
Yellow Wax beans: bring 3 qt salted water to boil, add snipped wax beans to water and allow to cook until fork tender or to your liking of doneness. Remove from water and toss with 1 oz butter and season with salt and pepper.
Third Course
Cinnamon Apple Sponge Cake
Yield: 10 servings
Ingredients
Apple Filling
♥ 4 lbs Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
♥ 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
♥ ¼ cup water
♥ 1/₃ cup granulated sugar
♥ 1/₃ cup apple sauce
♥ ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
♥ ¼ teaspoon salt
♥ Grated zest from 1 lemon
♥ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Bread Crust
♥ 14 tablespoons unsalted butter, melt 10 of tablespoons
♥ 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
♥ 34 slices brioche bread (or white bread)
Equipment
♥ 10 Ceramic baking ramekins or metal molds (3” diameter)
Sauce
♥ 2 cups caramel sauce(store bought)
♥ 2 cups granny smith apples, peeled, cored, diced small
♥ Pinch sugar
♥ Pinch cinnamon
♥ 1 tablespoon butter
Ice Cream
♥ 1 quart vanilla ice cream
Preparation
Filling
1. Melt butter in 6-quart saucepan over medium-low heat. Add apples and caramelize, add water, cook, stirring occasionally for 15 to 20 minutes, or until apples are completely soft. Remove cover and add sugar, nutmeg and salt. Increase heat to medium-high and continue to cook, stirring apples frequently, until liquid has completely evaporated, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in lemon zest, apple sauce and vanilla. Set aside to cool while making crust. The filling can be made one day ahead
Making crust and assembly
1. Position oven rack in lower third of oven and preheat to 425°F. Grease 8 ceramic dishes with 1 tablespoon butter. Sprinkle sugar in dish and tilt to coat bottom and sides. Tap out excess sugar and set aside.
2. Using a bread knife, remove crusts from bread. Center the bottom of mold over one of the bread squares. Cut around mold to form circle to use as the top. Make a total of 20 of these round pieces. Ten will be for the bottom and 10 will be used for the top. Dip each one in melted butter and place at the bottom of mold.
3. Cut each of the 15 remaining slices of bread into four rectangular pieces. Dip one side of each strip in the melted butter and arrange strips, upright, around the inside of molds, buttered-sides against mold and overlapping by about 1/2” to completely line mold. Use 6 rectangles to line the mold.
4. Spoon the apple filling into bread-lined molds, mounding it slightly in center.
5. Take the remaining ten rounds of bread and dip pieces of bread into the melted butter and place on top of filling, buttered-sides up. Press down lightly.
6. Bake for 30 minutes, then cover top loosely with aluminum foil. Bake for an additional 15-20 minutes, until top is deep golden brown and side slices are golden brown (slide a thin-bladed knife between bread and pan to check). Remove from oven, uncover, and let rest for 15 minutes on wire rack. Run thin-bladed knife around edges of molds to be able to flip the mold out onto serving plates.
7. For the apple cinnamon caramel sauce, sauté 1 cup of peeled and diced Granny Smith apples in butter, add a pinch of sugar and cinnamon. Allow to cook until apples are lightly browned and all sugars have dissolved. Remove from heat and add 2 cups caramel sauce to the apples and stir to coat apples.
To Assemble
Pour caramel apple sauce over warmed apple cakes and serve with your favorite vanilla ice cream.
In this post, you'll find:
inaugural luncheon,
Inauguration Day,
menu,
President Barack Obama,
recipes
A historic day comes to a close
President & First Lady Obama leave the reviewing stand and head to the White House! They will begin to prepare for not one or two, but TEN - that's right, count 'em... 10 - official balls! We'll bring you those photos as this special evening progresses! I was really supposed to be updating 24 today but this has kept me more than busy!
In this post, you'll find:
inaugural ball,
inaugural parade,
Inauguration Day,
President Barack Obama
Another Inaugural Parade - Video
In this post, you'll find:
inaugural parade,
Inauguration Day,
President Barack Obama
More photos from the Inaugural Parade
In this post, you'll find:
inaugural parade,
Inauguration Day,
President Barack Obama
Inaugural Parade - Video
In this post, you'll find:
inaugural parade,
Inauguration Day,
President Barack Obama
President Obama's got a little rhythm =)
Here's a pretty cool pic of President Obama "jamming" to the sounds of his wife's old alma mater, Whitney Young Magnet High School! President Obama's high school (Punahou High School from Honolulu, HI) was there as well!
In this post, you'll find:
44th US President,
inaugural parade,
Inauguration Day,
President Barack Obama
Senator Ted Kennedy collapses at Inaugural Luncheon
Sen. Edward Kennedy will spend the night in a Washington hospital after suffering a seizure Tuesday afternoon during a luncheon for President Barack Obama.
President Obama greets Sen. Edward Kennedy at the luncheon in the Capitol.
Doctors believe the incident was brought on by "simple fatigue," said Dr. Edward Aulisi, chairman of the neurosurgery department at Washington Hospital Center.
"Sen. Kennedy is awake, talking with family and friends, and feeling well. He will remain at the Washington Hospital Center overnight for observation, and will be released in the morning," Aulisi said in a statement.
Paramedics were called to the Capitol's Statuary Hall at 2:35 p.m. Kennedy, 76, was taken by ambulance to Washington Hospital Center.
At the hospital, Sen. John Kerry, D-Massachusetts, said Kennedy was alert and in good spirits.
"He has his Irish up," Kerry said. "Ted Kennedy is going to be back in the Senate fighting for the things he cares about."
Kennedy had a mild seizure, Kerry said. He quoted Kennedy's wife, Vicki Kennedy, as saying, "It just goes with the territory."
A Republican House member at the luncheon said Kennedy, D-Massachusetts, was still experiencing seizures when he was put in a wheelchair and taken out through the Rayburn room, located to the side of Statuary Hall. The incident happened at the end of lunch.
Obama mentioned Kennedy's condition while speaking at the luncheon.
Kennedy "was there when the Voting Rights Act passed," the new president said. "Along with John Lewis, [Kennedy] was a warrior for justice. And so I would be lying to you if I did not say that right now, a part of me is with him. And I think that's true for all of us. This is a joyous time. But it's also a sobering time, and my prayers are with him and his family and [his wife] Vicki."
Obama "seemed very, very concerned," and went to the area Kennedy was seated, said Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vermont. "He spoke to others and asked for a moment of silence."
Former Vice President Mondale said he was sitting with Kennedy at their table, that he was doing fine when all of a sudden Kennedy started to convulse.
Secret Service officers moved in right away.
Sens. Chris Dodd, D-Connecticut, Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and Kerry accompanied the ailing senator to an ambulance.
Dodd said Kennedy told him, "I'll be okay. I'll see you later."
Kennedy's wife was with him, Dodd said. "She knows what to do. He's in good shape."
Hatch said he told Kennedy, " 'Teddy you're going to be all right.' "
"I personally wish he hadn't come today," Hatch said.
"This is a person who cares about history. He wouldn't have missed this for the world."
The senior Massachusetts senator, patriarch of one of American's leading political families, is a staunch supporter of Obama. See a closer look at Kennedy »
In May, Kennedy suffered a seizure while walking his dogs at his home in Hyannisport, Massachusetts.
Three days later, Kennedy's doctors at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, said the preliminary results from a brain biopsy showed a tumor in the left parietal lobe, which was responsible for the seizure.
In June, Kennedy underwent a 3½-hour operation at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina, to remove a malignant tumor from his brain. Surgeons reported the surgery was a success and that Kennedy should suffer no permanent damage from the procedure. See more on malignant brain tumors »
Kennedy's follow-up treatment plan was to include radiation and chemotherapy.
Kennedy, first elected to the Senate in 1962, is the brother of President John F. Kennedy, who was assassinated in Dallas, Texas, in 1963, and New York Sen. Robert Kennedy, who was assassinated while seeking the White House in 1968.
Though his own attempt to seek the presidency failed, Kennedy built a reputation as one of the most effective lawmakers in the Senate.
Kennedy had surgery in October 2007 to clear his carotid artery in hopes of preventing a stroke. Until the seizure last year, the powerful Democrat appeared in fine health. He suffers chronic back pain from injuries suffered in a 1964 plane crash.
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Also during the luncheon, Sen. Robert Byrd, D-West Virginia, appeared to be experiencing some difficulty.
Byrd, 91, was very upset and distraught over the incident involving Kennedy, a spokeswoman said. She noted, however, that Byrd later recovered and returned to his Senate office.
Info & Photo credit: CNN
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