L.A. Lewandowski's Blog: The Culture and Cuisine Club, page 14

Pesto and Veggie Pizza

Fresh veggie pizza

How did you spend your Saturday morning?

We washed windows. I could no longer stand looking out my windows and seeing the accumulation of dust and pollen. There are certain aspects of living in Florida that go along with the glorious weather; one is mold and the other is cleaning windows often.

After working for several hours we were exhausted. The inevitable question came up, “What do you want for dinner?” I suggested a veggie pizza, and my husband quickly agreed.

This pizza took about 15 minutes to put together. The only thing missing was the addition of black olives. Make sure to let the dough rest for at least an hour, otherwise it will be difficult to roll out.

Ingredients:

1 package of pre-made pizza dough     1 small container Buitoni Pesto   1/2 sliced red bell pepper     1 package fresh mozzarella cheese     2 cloves sliced fresh garlic      1 separated sliced sweet onion      4 large white mushrooms, sliced    Extra virgin olive oil for drizzling

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Roll out the dough with a rolling pin (rubbed with a bit of olive oil to prevent sticking) on a piece of wax paper. Transfer to a pizza stone or a metal perforated pizza pan. Take out generous spoonfuls of the pesto and spread onto the dough leaving about two inches of dough around the entire circle’s perimeter. Spread out the cheese, then the peppers, onions,  mushrooms, spinach, and finally the garlic. Drizzle a bit of the evoo over the top. Bake at 400 degrees until the crust is golden brown, about 25 minutes. Let cool five to ten minutes and grate your favorite cheese and black pepper over the top. Enjoy!

Much Ado About Marketing

 

Courtesy of Majickal Graphics

I like New Year’s resolutions and setting goals. On New Year’s Day, while my husband and I recover from the previous night’s festivities, we watch football and I open the new desk calendar. It has become my tradition to sit with this calendar and copy, from the old one, the birthdays and other important events I will need to remember during the brand new year. I enjoy looking at some of the interesting things that I did during the past year. Then, I close the calendar and put it on the shelf with all the others I have saved. I am sentimental and not a little superstitious. Those who know and love me have used the appellation “hoarder”, affectionately.

Perhaps this is why I have gravitated to Pinterest. The collecting aspect of Pinterest interested me, a woman who has a climate controlled storage closet for thirty plus year’s worth of holiday decorations. (We found out quickly that in Florida one does not store blown glass ornaments in the attic. The paint melts.)

The ability to store things, and not need more closet space appealed to the collector in me. As I developed my boards and became familiar with the site, however, I realized that Pinterest has the potential to be so much more.

Along with the new calendar I will, for the first time as an Indie author, be writing a formal marketing plan for 2013. I wrote these for years when I was in telecommunication sales. The big difference is that whatever ends up on the plan will have to be largely accomplished by—me. I don’t have a team of sales engineers or designers to help me realize my goals. There will be a few carefully chosen support people involved, but my marketing and promoting is almost entirely up to me. This is both scary and exciting.

Kat Brooks recently wrote a post about the basic social media platforms all writers should be using. I would like to add one to this list, and it is, no surprise, Pinterest. There are several posts on IU about Pinterest, and I would suggest that you read them for details that I will not review in this post.

With regard to marketing on social media, I’m not sure that when an e-book sells we can definitively point to one place and say, “Eureka! I have found the key to advertising success!” This is why it is important to have a presence in a number of social media areas and to not advertise or promote in the same place all the time. What I like about Pinterest is that it allows you to show who you are to an unknown group of potential readers. It is a completely different network. It is not the writers you have known for many years, but a potentially important key to a more well-rounded social media presence. Please note the word potential. I have no definitive proof of beautifully curated, imaginative boards translating into sales. But, I will tell you about an experiment I ran on Pinterest.

If you look at my Pinterest profile you will see a board called, “Vampire Cocktail.” I created this board many months ago in anticipation of my new novel, “My Gentleman Vampire: The Undead Have Style.” My vamps drink fabulous cocktails and tango. I did not build this board in a day, a week, or even a month. It is a work in progress, as are the rest of the boards. Other than a brief update on my facebook page, I had not formally announced the book. I did, however, pin it on Pinterest with a brief statement that it was published. In 24 hours I sold ten copies. Some of the sales appear to be from a new group of readers, which I can tell by the “those who purchased this also bought” information on Amazon.

Before you rush to Pinterest to hastily throw together some boards, please consider this. These boards represent you, your interests, your hobbies, sense of humor, or maybe even your deeply held beliefs. Do not copy more than 5 or so pins from another pinner’s board in one visit. Do not copy a clever name of a board—make up your own. Show your individuality. Do check out my profile, follow me if you like, and watch how I pin. My board names are; Orchid Obsession, All Things Red, Black and White, Art Deco, Art Nouveau, Let Them Eat Cake, My Style, Holy Handbag, Sublime Shoes, Tango With Me, and A Stylish Man’s Closet, to name a few.

Caveat: I really enjoy this sort of marketing. This is not everyone’s cup of tea. Many people will see it as a waste of time, but I beg to differ. It is exactly the things that make you interesting in a non-threatening, laid back way that sell your product. People buy from people they like, or at least from those they find fascinating. Are you interesting? Then, go to Pinterest and let your readers see why. Cheers!

New Year’s Eve 2012

A 1 1/2 pound lobster and artichoke and parmesan risotto.

This New Year’s Eve we celebrated at home. The last three months of the year were a blur of family obligations, entertaining, travel, book clubs, and the launch of my new novel, “My Gentleman Vampire: The Undead Have Style.” Needless to say, I was exhausted and not up to hosting the annual bash we celebrate with C & C friends. Once I get the house organized I’ll make it up to everyone in spades!

Our dear friends the Cerillo family gave a stellar bottle of bubbly for Christmas. It is my favorite, Veuve Cliquot Ponsardin, made famous by a line in the movie Casablanca. I took out the best crystal, and we toasted the end of 2012 and the birth of 2013. We wish all of you the best in the New Year.

I decided to make a risotto to accompany the lobster. Risotto is a Northern Italian dish, and one that takes a lot of patience as you will see from the recipe. One of my culinary goals in 2013 is to explore Northern Italian cuisine. Perhaps, I can even escape the Top Chef risotto curse and cook a risotto that Tom Colicchio will love.

Ingredients:

5 1/2 cups (or more) homemade chicken stock
3 tablespoons butter, divided
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onion
8 baby artichokes, trimmed, halved
1 1/2 cups arborio rice (about 10 ounces)
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheeseBring stock to a simmer in saucepan.Remove from heat. Cover and keep warm.Melt 1 tablespoon butter with oil in heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté until soft and golden, about 8 minutes. Pat artichokes dry and add to pot. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover and cook until artichokes begin to brown, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Add rice; stir 2 minutes. Add wine; stir until absorbed, about 1 minute. Add 1 1/2 cups warm stock; cook until absorbed, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Add more stock, 1 ladle at a time, allowing each addition to be absorbed before adding next and stirring often, until rice is just tender and mixture is creamy, about 20 minutes longer. Remove from heat; stir in cheese and 2 tablespoons butter. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to bowl and serve.My notes: Risotto is not easy. You can not ignore it and go off to do something else while it cooks. When you have added the first cup and 1/2 of chicken stock set a kitchen timer for 20 minutes. This way you will not overcook it. As you add the stock you are looking for a creamy texture. This tells you that the stock is being absorbed. You do not need to wait until it is too thick, just until the rice is a lovely creamy color. A properly cooked risotto should spread smoothly, a little bit, when it is plated. If it stays in a “scooped” shape, you have overcooked it.

Italian Sausage and Peppers

Italian sausage and peppers.

Rutgers University played Virginia Tech on December 28, 2012 in the Russell Athletic Bowl. The game itself had a disappointing ending for RU fans, we lost because of a lackluster performance by the offense. The defense played great.

The best part of the entire day was the pre-game festivities at our tailgate. Chuck made his famous Buffalo wings, and I made sausage and pepper sandwiches. You can’t tell by the picture, but the pan fits 15 links of sausage! It is one of those pans you use when making a Pailla, or feeding an army.

Ingredients:

15 links mild Italian sausage     3 very large white onions     3 red bell peppers

3 green bell peppers       3 cloves minced garlic       3 TBS olive oil     S&P to taste

1/4 cup dry white wine

Method:

Heat olive oil over medium heat. Slice onions and fry in olive oil until translucent. Add garlic, and cook for five minutes. While onion and garlic cook, core and slice peppers. Add sliced red and green peppers and cook until soft. Salt and pepper to taste. Push peppers to the side and add the white wine to the center of the pan. Slowly stir the mixture through the peppers.

Remove about 2/3 of the peppers and put in a stockpot. Fit the links into the pan and fry on medium high until cooked thoroughly on all sides. Store overnight in the stockpot, making sure the peppers cover the links. They will marinate overnight and absorb the delicious flavors.

At the tailgate we used two grills, one for the pot with the peppers, and one to brown the links. Serve on crusty, hoagie rolls with ketchup or mustard. Yum!

 

My Twelve Days of Christmas

Posted on December 17, 2012 by L. A. Lewandowski at Indies Unlimited.com

On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me:

A bestseller in a pear tree

On the second day of Christmas my true love gave to me:

Abs like Brooklyn Decker

And a bestseller in a pear tree

On the third day of Christmas my true love gave to me:

Lunch with J.K. Rowling

Abs like Brooklyn Decker

And a bestseller in a pear tree

On the fourth day of Christmas my true love gave to me:

Lobster agnolotti

Lunch with J.K. Rowling

Abs like Brooklyn Decker

And a bestseller in a pear tree

On the fifth day of Christmas my true love gave to me:

Domination over Word!

Lobster agnolotti

Lunch with Joanne

Abs like Brooklyn Decker

And a bestseller in a pear tree

On the sixth day of Christmas my true love gave to me:

A 1966 Mustang

Domination over Word!

Lobster agnolotti

Lunch with Joanne

Abs like Brooklyn Decker

And a bestseller in a pear tree

On the seventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me:

A first serve like Serena

The one with the pony windows

Kicking Word’s butt!

Lobster anything

Hanging out with Jo

Abs like Brooklyn Decker

And a bestseller in a pear tree

On the eighth day of Christmas my true love gave to me:

Rich’s scary glasses

A first serve like Serena

Manual transmission

Word is my b—h!

Lobster ’til I’m sick

Hanging out with Jo

Abs like Brooklyn Decker

And a bestseller in a pear tree

On the ninth day of Christmas my true love gave to me:

Shooting guns with Kat

Rich’s scary glasses

A first serve like Serena

White leather interior

Word is my b—h!

Lobster everything

Hanging out with Jo

Abs like Brooklyn Decker

And a bestseller in a pear tree

On the tenth day of Christmas my true love gave to me:

A European sojourn

Shooting guns with Kat

Rich’s scary glasses

A first serve like Serena

Shiny black ‘Stang

Word is my b—h!

Feed me lobster, please

Chilling with Jo

Abs like Brooklyn Decker

And a bestseller in a pear tree

On the eleventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me:

Cocktails with George Clooney

A European sojourn

Blasting cans with Kat

Rich’s scary glasses

A first serve like Serena

I really want that car

Word is my b—h!

Yummy lobster rolls

Chilling with Jo

Abs like Brooklyn Decker

And a bestseller in a pear tree

On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love gave to me:

Peace within my family

Cocktails with George Clooney

A European Sojourn

Blasting stuff with Kat

Rich’s scary glasses

A first serve like Serena

Don’t forget the Mustang

Word is my b—h!

Lobster agnolotti

Bffs with Jo

Abs like Brooklyn Decker

And a bestseller in a pear tree

18 THOUGHTS ON “MY TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS”




Yvonne Hertzberger on December 17, 2012 at 11:40 am said:

Fun. 

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Lois Lewandowskion December 17, 2012 at 7:38 pm said:

Thanks. 

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avcarden on December 17, 2012 at 11:45 am said:

Great! 

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Lois Lewandowskion December 17, 2012 at 7:39 pm said:

Thanks, Audrey!

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Chris James on December 17, 2012 at 12:17 pm said:

Hmm… Makes me want lobster – yeah! 

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Lois Lewandowskion December 17, 2012 at 7:40 pm said:

Lobster pierogi? 

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Christie Meierz on December 17, 2012 at 12:30 pm said:

ROFL very clever! Nice!

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Lois Lewandowskion December 17, 2012 at 7:41 pm said:

I’m glad you enjoyed it. 

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KristaTibbs on December 17, 2012 at 12:44 pm said:

Luv it

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Lois Lewandowskion December 17, 2012 at 7:41 pm said:

Thanks, Krista!

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lynnecantwell7 on December 17, 2012 at 1:47 pm said:

Nice job! And I want that car, too!

Lynne (who is still working on forgiving her father for selling our ’67 Mustang)

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Lois Lewandowskion December 17, 2012 at 7:44 pm said:

I learned to drive on a ’66 Mustang Fastback, black, 3 speed. Unbelievable car. Yucky boyfriend. 

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Laurie Boris on December 17, 2012 at 2:30 pm said:

Love it, Lois! Now I want lobster and rockin’ abs… 

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Lois Lewandowskion December 17, 2012 at 7:45 pm said:

I can’t decide which I want more, the lobster or the abs …

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T.D.McKinnon on December 18, 2012 at 5:46 am said:

I hope you get all that you want for Christmas, Lois. In he spirit of fun, my personal feelings on your little ditty:

Peace with my family… hmmm… we used to all go to my mum’s, for just about every special occasion, including Christmas; I haven’t seen most of them since her funeral in 2004.

Cocktails with George? He’s a pretty cool guy, I could dig that.

The European sojourn? Yeah I suppose so… done it to death though!

Blasted plenty of stuff, to be honest I’m over it now; I didn’t know Kat was a gun nut but now you mention it she does portray all the signs.

Rich’s glasses, well… what can I say?

I certainly wouldn’t like to be receiving Serena’s first serve, that’s for sure.

Never owned a Mustang but I sold a couple when I worked at ‘Horseless Carriages’ in Sydney in 83, and I did have a ‘66’ Light Blue, 357, auto, as a drive car for a couple of weeks before I sold it.

I misread the next one at first (reading it as Domination over the world), eyesight getting a little dim, either that or the mind starting to go west; whichever, I’m not sure I get it?

Lobster: you’ve got me with anything sea food!

Lunch with JK Rowling? That would be interesting.

Got the abs, had them most of my life, they’re getting a bit old now but still there.

I don’t need to comment on the ‘Best Seller in a pear tree’; that speaks for itself.

Nice, festive post, Lois.

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Lois Lewandowski on December 18, 2012 at 11:10 am said:

Hello, T.D.!

Lol. I love your interpretation of my post.

My daughter would always say, “I dominated the audition” when she was in musical theatre. I have been trying, valiantly, to learn Word, and often need to seek remedial help. My desire to dominate is reserved to only a few areas in my life, Word software being one of them. A really smoking serve would be another.

I adored that Mustang. It had white leather interior and was pretty much stock. If I ever make a lot of money I’m going to find the exact same one.

The ab reference … I work very hard on mine but I think my cooking interferes. 

Merry Christmas and Happy Holiday to you and yours. I’m glad you liked the post. My last one was too depressing for the holiday season.

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Hodge on December 21, 2012 at 8:52 am said:

Hilarious. I also misread the WORD domination thing at first as WORLD domination. Sorta reminds me of the old Steve Martin SNL thing “If I had only one wish for the world…” Heh. World domination works for me. Peace out. That’s an order.

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Lois Lewandowskion December 21, 2012 at 2:24 pm said:

I just saw a replay of the Steve Martin skit recently.

Thanks for stopping by, and Merry Christmas to you and your family. 

 

 

Traditional English Trifle

Traditional English Trifle

 

This is a wonderful recipe for a truly traditional English Trifle.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients:

1 packet single trifle sponge cakes (or a ready-made pound cake or similar)

1 pint english custard. I make my own and the recipe is on this blog

1 cup whipping cream (heavy)

1 (400 g) package frozen raspberries (better than fresh)

100 g jars strawberry jam

2 (400 g) cans peach slices or 2 very ripe fresh peaches, skinned and sliced

1/4-1/2 pint cooking sherry

50 g sliced almonds, toasted

Method:

Slice the cake into slices measuring about 3 x 2 x 1/2 inches, or whatever is convenient, and spread each slice with a little strawberry jam. Then, cut the cake into smaller pieces.

Layer in a glass trifle dish, leaving no significant gaps.

Brush sherry over cake or sponge.

Spread frozen raspberries over sponge, followed by sliced peaches.

Spoon cooled custard over the  fruit. Reserve half for the final layer.

Repeat.

Allow to cool in fridge at least one hour.

When set, whip cream and layer on top of custard.

Chill for at least half an hour.

Toast the almonds and scatter over.

Isn’t that easy? Make sure to turn the trifle bowl as you’re building it so you can see how it will look when completed. Do not make it the day before if using pound cake as it does not hold up as well as sponge cake. Serve and enjoy!

Trifle Custard

If you are going to make a trifle you need to make a yummy custard. This is an easy recipe from Food.com. I have enhanced the directions since they were a bit sketchy.

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup cornstarch

6 egg yolks

2 cups milk

1 3/4 cups half-and-half

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method:

Whisk together all ingredients in a heavy saucepan.

Bring to a slow boil over medium heat, whisking constantly with a wire whisk; boil, whisking constantly, 1 minute or until thickened. It will “bloop.”

Remove from heat.

Place pan in ice water; whisk occasionally until cool. (I filled a metal mixing bowl with ice water.)

Chill completely. Do not refrigerate. Keep to the side while you prepare the rest of the trifle ingredients.

Note: Save the egg whites and make yourself a healthy omelette the next morning!

Crock Pot Coq Au Vin

Yummy coq au vin.

No matter what you do for a living, whether you work at home or in an office building, the crock pot can be your best friend. The recipes that can be prepared in this time-saving appliance have evolved way beyond the fattening and creamy dishes our mom served. (Not that some of these classics aren’t scrumptious!)

This elegant recipe is worthy of a crusty baguette, a good bottle of red wine, and close friends. I made it the other day while I was writing and my husband was very impressed. Try it soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients:


8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Salt and pepper to taste
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
6 slices bacon, roughly chopped
3 tablespoons unsalted butter or extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 (12 ounces) package white or baby bella mushrooms, quartered
2 handfuls baby carrots, chopped
1 medium yellow  or sweet onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped fine
3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth or homemade stock
1 1/2 cup good-enough-to-drink red wine
3 large sprigs thyme




Method:

Rinse and dry chicken thighs. Season both sides with salt and pepper. Lightly coat chicken all over with flour and set aside.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add bacon and cook until golden and just crisp, about 5 minutes. Drain bacon on paper towels and set aside. Melt 2 tablespoons butter (or heat oil, if using) in the same skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken and cook until lightly browned all over, about 5-8 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to a large plate as done and set aside.

Melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter or oil in same skillet. Add mushrooms and cook until edges begin to brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Add carrots, onions, garlic and salt and cook until vegetables just begin to soften. Spray inside crock pot with cooking spray. Transfer vegetables and broth to crock pot. Arrange chicken on top. Sprinkle bacon over chicken. Add wine and thyme sprigs. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 7 hours. Season with salt and pepper, then serve.

Thanksgiving 2012

My Thanksgiving Dining Table

Thanksgiving is a very important holiday in my family because it is not commercial and is celebrated with people we love. We know many other families who feel the same way.

This year I was feeling so much better than last year, and I went all out. I started cooking on Tuesday and made all the delicacies my family loves. The table setting was very fancy and I just finished washing the last of the crystal. I made my own centerpiece by placing similarly colored flowers in a pumpkin-shaped casserole instead of a vase. I got the idea on Pinterest! It came out really well, and is something I will do from now on.

 

 

Menu:

Lois’ Cranberry Shallot Chutney

Roasted turkey prepared with a rub of milk and Drambuie

Green Beans Caesar

Green Apple and Sausage Stuffing

Creamed Onions with Sherry

Sweet Potato/Pecan Souffle

Mashed Potatoes

Pumpkin Pie and A Pumpkin Bread/Pecan Trifle

We were stuffed! I hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving. Cheers!

Halloween Style

Mmmmmmm, looks tasty.

High class cannibal

I feel a bit guilty writing this post because of all the people who had to cancel Halloween due to Hurricane Sandy. Please forgive me and enjoy the pictures I took of my home as well as the Munzo house. This year their theme was Tiki Island, and the cannibals were there to celebrate. Some neighborhood children may be missing.

"Come here, little children."

There were no survivors ...

Those photos are all from the Munzo’s party. Here are some of mine.

Freddie Krueger

The votive lit walkway

A gargoyle altar

Jason

The two-faced political candidate.