Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Baptism

This past Sunday, our great-niece Isabella was baptized at Holy Family in Columbus, GA.

She didn't even cry when the priest poured water over her head.

I love how she accessorized with sparkly shoes for this special occasion!

Chris, Alexia and Isabella Bedford. Sarah & Geoffrey Williams (Godparents)

Friday, January 15, 2010

Soup's On!

A friend of mine wanted this recipe, so I figured if I was going to type it up to send it to her, I might as well share it here!

The Ultimate French Onion Soup
This is a Tyler Florence Recipe

Ingredients
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, plus 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick), softened
4 onions, sliced
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 bay leaf
2 fresh thyme sprigs
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup red wine
3 tablespoons all-purpose flower
2 quarts beef broth (I use low sodium)
1 baguette, sliced
1/2 pound grated Gruyere cheese (sometimes I substitute Swiss)
chopped fresh chives, for garnish

Melt the stick of butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, bay leaf, thyme, and salt and pepper and cook until the onions are very soft and caramelized, about 25 minutes. Add the wine, bring to a boil, reduce the heat , and simmer until the wine has evaporated and the onions are dry, about 5 minutes. Discard the bay leaf and the thyme sprigs. Dust the onions with the flour and give them a stir. Turn the heat down to medium-low so the flour doesn't burn, and cook for 10 minutes to cook out the raw flour taste. Now add the beef broth, bring the soup back to a simmer, and cook for 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

When you're ready to eat, preheat the broiler. Arrange the baguette slices on a baking sheet in a single layer and brush with the softened butter. Sprinkle the slices with the cheese and broil until bubbly and golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. (It takes my broiler about a minte, so be careful!)

Ladle the soup into bowls and float some of the cheese croutons on top. Garnish with chives.

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Pants on the ground, pants on the ground...

I think Simon is right, this song could be a hit...
Even little Tucker peeked his head up to take a look (I had read Cavaliers like to watch tv...so far Idol is his favorite...although he did go a little crazy after watching The Bachelor and hearing the girls continuously say OH MY GOD!)

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Catching Up...

Well, a lot has happened since the Cinco de Mayo post...

I'm going to try to be more dedicated this year and update the blog more frequently...

Let's see...
we bought a house in the Park District in October...

we got married....


I have to show a picture of our awesome wedding cake...
I knew what I wanted it to look like in April, and Tara of Lewis Jones Pastry Shoppe did an outstanding job!

Remember my post about the "Running of the Brides"...well, here's the dress..

we had a fabulous honeymoon in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic...



And, to start off the new year we got a sweet puppy dog (just don't tell him he's a dog) named Tucker. He's a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and he's the love of our lives. You can become a fan of Tucker's on facebook (you know you want to), by clicking on this link

Yes, our blog will probably start being all about him! :)


We also hosted a New Year's Eve pajama party!



I hope 2010 brings everyone as much joy and happiness as 2009 brought for us!