Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

Love, Reilly and Lilah

Hello Lovely

My mother ruined me for life by teaching me how to cook on a gas range. 4 years of college and 2 years of an apartment with wobbly electric ovens have been holding me back.

Meet my new darling. She came to live with us on Saturday and has performed every task I've asked of her so far. I took this picture on Tuesday night when I sighed with pleasure realizing I was using all four burners making tilapia and risotto. My husband took one look at it, shook his head, and said "You're spoiled!"

I must learn more photography skills. I tried without the flash and it didn't look so good. But tilapia looks awfully unappetizing in the flash glare. Perhaps I should not take my pictures once the sun has gone to bed.

And of course I had to take a picture of the beautiful blue flames, to prove she's the real deal!

The Barefoot Contessa

I met Ina Garten yesterday at Central Market. She signed my cookbook! :) I'll try to make something Ina-ish this week and post it in honor of her. See her friend who frequents the show in the background??

Italian Food

It's been a long time since I've updated! First, I have to thank my husband for buying me the most awesome present ever:

I will partially thank Lowes, since they misprinted an ad and they were selling them for only $150!!! It's still a lot of money, and I can't believe James bought me one. I can't wait until I get it next week!

We went to Germany and Italy a few weeks ago and had an amazing time. My sister's wedding was so beautiful. And Italy was breathtaking. The sights, the history, and most importantly -- the food!! :)
I left with a greater appreciation for prosciutto, olive oil, cheese, baked goods, and wine. Everything was so great!

Here are a few pictures of the food to tide everyone over until I can do a real update with a recipe!

New Pot Rack!

I found a new way to save a little space in my kitchen! I bought this pot rack from target.com after searching forever for one in stores. Not even Home Depot carries them! It just came in today, and I had it hung with all my pans within 30 minutes of arrival! I even hung a few measuring cups up there, a la Nigella Lawson! :)