Gourmet Magazines & Aunt Helen

Our Gourmet Group inspiration - Gourmet magazines from the '50's & '60's

Suzanne, the hostess (along with her hubby, Brian) of this 12/1/12 Gourmet gathering was at a tag sale (garage/yard sale to anyone not living in the Northeast) and found a collection of Gourmet magazines from the late '50's and early '60's and she decided that we'd all make recipes from them. (It is amazing how many liquor ads there were in those magazines - at least one per page!) We all made our dishes and had a wonderful night, as is par for our group. 

However, for me, this also brought back many memories of my mom's sis and my godmother, Aunt Helen. From the beginning of Gourmet's existence (she may have missed some of the very first years), Aunt Helen collected each month's magazine and as her collection grew, got binders to keep them all in. When she and my Uncle Sam moved from NYC to Fort Myers, she had a special shelf built in her laundry room just for her (ever-growing collection of) Gourmet magazines. I know she thought someone would want to treasure her Gourmet trove after she was gone, but the mere bulk of the collection scared off all her nieces and nephews. When we held her estate auction in 2000, we finally sold the collection for, I think, $40.00. I am SO glad she didn't see that, and THRILLED for her that the demise of the print Gourmet magazine came after she was gone. That would have killed her! Good memories, just really good memories. (xo godmother).

xoabb

good memories are just that...good!

 

Sunset not on Second Street

What a difference 24 hours can make...

2/1/11 at dusk

2/2/11 at dusk

Above is my new go-to sunset spot as my Sunset on Second Street view is now completely blocked by a ginormous - and ever-growing - mound of snow and ice. Pretty sure I won't be able to use Second Street until, oh, I'd say around mid-May. Above is Sunset on Third Street - not quite the same ring, but a pretty view none-the-less.

~

On another note, we're having our Gourmet Group tomorrow at our home, and for something ~new and different~, Connecticut is expecting another ice and snow storm as well! O joy (she writes, with dripping sarcasm and loathing). If no one can make it here, it's a pretty solid bet GB and I won't be hungry for the next two weeks! Will we be tired of Chicken Marbella? Yup! Hungry? Nope!

~~~

xoabb

wishing for no more ice!

~~~

Skywatch Friday

Do Join Us!

Gour-Met!

Saturday night we gathered once again for Gourmet Group. This time around we were channeling that most delightful Barefoot Contessa, aka Ina Garten. A good theme as I don't think that gal has ever concoted an unfortunate recipe!

Jules and Andy were our hosts for the evening. Here's Jules draining the pasta. She did that very efficiently. And with a smile on her face! (Yes, she will kill me for posting this photo.)

I was responsible for appies. Tuna tartar, and tho the photo kinda really sucks and it was simply delicious! This is out of the Barefoot Contessa's Family cookbook.  

I also made her grilled chicken satay. It was in her very first cookbook. Though ONCE AGAIN the photo is not great It was wonderful! For the first time, every appetizer was eaten meaning for once I didn't make enough appies for a dang army, just enough for the 10 of us - imagine that!. Also made her delicious parmesan/thyme savory crackers - OMG - wonderful! That recipe is from her latest cookbook, "Back to Basics".

Patty made the arugula with parmesan shavings salad. A perfect palate cleanser. (Also from her first cookbook.)

Next, the main course - of course! Baked Shrimp Scampi. Can you say YUM??? Simply delicious! And enough garlic to keep vampires away for at least a year. Just sublime. (From Back to Basics.)

See that little tomato concoction? That was made by Suzanne. It was beyond superb. It was beyond wonderful. It was simply awesome! (Back to Basics cookbook.)

Last but not least, Stephanie (with the help of her ~baby~, Gabby, and we all know the help of a child makes everything better) made Tiramisu. (Don't remember the cookbook that's from.)

It was unbelievably delicious.

It had enough rum in it to anesthetize a horse. 

~

Our evening was long and lovely. 

I slept in Sunday, even missing

most of CBS Sunday Morning.

I never miss CBS Sunday Morning.

~~~

xoabb

expect anything!

The Storm Before the Calm...

Gourmet Group is at our home tomorrow...

Well...

Tomorrow, it'll be perfection in the kitchen!

~~~

xoabb

expect confusion at times, 'k?