Off to the PNW
Soon very soon.. kind of not soon enough I’m off again to the grand old Pacific Northwest. Michelle is (finally) turning 30! To celebrate the occasion we’re going to the coast and having a 3 day girly weekend plus a couple days in Portland too. Cooking, drinking, watching stupid movies, roasting marshmallows, walking by the...
The name..
A couple people have asked me where the name NeedleCloud comes from. The name was inspired by this great little needlepoint art piece done by a friend of ours, Ben and his wife Betsy. I was sitting here trying to think of a new domain name for my blog and looked up at the piece...
Spinach & Mushroom Lasagna
This was one of the best lasagnas I’ve made. I’m not a big fan of really saucy lasagna so feel free to up the sauce quantity if you like. 9 oz package of baby spinach 12 oz shredded mozzarella 15 oz container of ricotta 1 tbsp minced garlic (jar or fresh) 1 small yellow onion...
Habana Libre
Last night Adam and I were both drugged by the beautiful weather and completely unmotivated to cook so we decided to try out Habana Libre, a newer Cuban restaurant near our house. We’ve walked past it a million times and keep saying ‘We should really try that place..’ So finally we did. I’m absolutely in...
Mart Anthony’s
So we went out to dinner last Saturday to Mart Anthony’s. I really really wanted this place to be awesome. It was okay. I read a bunch glowing reviews saying the portions are great and the prices were reasonable.. The prices were not out of control but I think they were a little high. Portions...
Garlic Herb Baguettes
1 package active dry yeast 1 tsp sugr 1/4 cup warm water (105-115 degrees F) 3 1/4- 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour 4 tablespoons chopped Misc fresh herbs (I like to use Basil, Oregano, Thyme sometimes I thrown some sage or dill in there if I have it in the fridge you can also...
Vietnamese Chicken w/ Daikon & Carrot Pickle
Another impressive but super simple dish. With the herb salad rolls and a salad or some soup this makes a great light dinner. For Chicken: 2 cloves garlic, minced 3 tablespoons of sugar 1 1/2 tablespoons Fish Sauce or Tamari Soy Sauce 1 1/2 tablespoons vagetable oil 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice 1 1/2 teaspoons...
Herb Salad Spring Rolls with Spicy Peanut Sauce
These might seem a little intimidating if you’ve never done spring rolls before but they are really simple and super super yummy. 1 package of bean-thread/ cellophane noodles (The ones I found came in a big package with 4 bunches only use one bunch for this recipe.) 1 1/2 tablespoons of rice vinegar 4 leaves...
Come and get it…
Cardamom & Lemon Rice Pudding- seriously this is the best dessert I’ve made in a long time You need a crock pot for this one– 3 cups milk- calls for whole but I used 2% you could probably use soy and it would be just as good 1 cup heavy cream 4 large eggs beaten...
Happy New Year!
2007.. The year to definitely step it up a notch. We had a few people over for New Year’s Eve, nice and informal. New Year’s Eve is bit overrated though as a going out night. First of all it’s really expensive and secondly you never end up having as much fun as you think you...