Loved Morimoto's Napa Restaurant

Last week my husband and I had the most perfect 24 hour mini-get-away in Napa, Ca.
Being 2 people who Love to eat Good food, finding places to dine when we travel... is at the top of our "To Do List." A friend recommeded Morimoto's. So, I checked it out (Google search). It turned out it is pretty new and I figured there would be no way I could get in... but I submitted my reservation request at OpenTable and omg... really? I jumped on it... "Honey, guess where we are eating tomorrow night?"


Here is the review I posted on OpenTable.com


Being fans of Iron Chef America Chef Morimoto is tied with Mario Batali as our absolute favorite chefs. So, we are in awe just walking in the door. As we are escorted to our table, we pass the busy kitchen which is behind large picture windows & the air is filled with the aroma of fresh tempura fried seafood. The setting is simple yet elegant at the same time. High ceilings let the sounds of activity float through the air... but to our taste it is not too loud, it let us get lost in the experience and have our own conversation without feeling we were bothering other close-by diners. We ordered 8 items, our server was very good at explaining dishes and timing the dinner. We INDULGED in & SAVORED every bite!!! Umami!!! We will be back!"

Back to My Trifle

 I got a little side tracked there after checking in on my Mario Batali update. How I love pasta... ("macaroni" as Grandma would say).

I have been thinking about a name for my trifle and since I made it for my Mom's birthday;
"Mom's Birthday Trifle" seems fitting.

The Players: vanilla custard; cheese cake filling; brandied, brown sugar whipped cream; pound cake; strawberries; bananas; and blue berries.

How did I choose the ingredients for my master piece? Why did I even think about making a trifle in the 1st place? Major family eating events over the last couple of months included various pies, ricotta cakes and tres leches cakes. I wanted a change of pace and something very special for Mom's birthday.

As my sweet husband followed me in and out of the aisles of the local warehouse grocer, cart wheels a blazing, my brain was a buzz. In went the 3 pack of pound cakes, a quart of heavy whipping cream, a gallon of milk, 2#'s of fresh strawberries, 1# of fresh blueberries, and 3#'s of bananas.

Now, what was I going to do with my haul? I flipped through 3-4 of my favorite get to business cookbooks. I knew I wanted a custard layer, but none of the recipes struck my fancy. I went to my pantry and dug out some boxes of cook and serve vanilla pudding. Not quite what I had in mind. So off to the Internet I went... My trifle search turned up a recipe with a picture that sent this creation into motion. http://www.food.com/recipe/eggnog-trifle-289223 (this link in on my face book page too).

I went to my pantry. This leads to one of my basic cooking philosophies... "Use what you have!" If you are trying to follow a recipe but do not have all of the ingredients... get creative or adventurous. Substitute something you have for something you don't have. (more on this thought later)


I need some sleep... more about trifle later. 

Before macaroni was pasta...

Growing up in my Italian Grandma's kitchen... Mario reminds me of the lessons I learned about making "macaroni" (it was never called pasta then...). A full sheet of plywood, smooth and worn from years of rolling and cutting stips of thick linguini and fettucini and table sized sheets of dough for making ravioli, covered Grandma's kitchen table. I would make "the mountain" - a big mound of white, silken flour. Then Grandma would say, "make the well." So, I would make it look like a volcano. She let me break the eggs to fill the "well." I learned to hold my fingers together with my thumb held up out of the way and swirl them around and around in the inside edges of the "well" picking up a little flour to mix with the eggs as my hand went 'round.

Always Test Your Recipes

Before you pass a recipe along... always make sure to try it out first.
You don't want share something you wouldn't eat yourself!

All Gone... I can't believe we ate the whole thing!

This one is worth sharing!

My First Loves Cooking Blog

I have jumped into the Web head first. I began an internet gift store over the summer. Then I went to Facebook. Recently I have created a Twitter account and now this is my 2nd blog. All are in their infancy.

So... be patient with my blogging  and come along for the ride as I learn the ins & outs of getting what is in my head and in my heart onto this screen.

I have been cooking since I was a child. We won't talk about how long that has been at this point. I am a home cook and have been a restaurant cook. I have much to share.

Here are pictures to get you interested in the first recipe I will share.

Start here

End up here

All I can say is it was sooooo good!!! I mean it is still good. And as my 3 year-old granddaughter said "Deeeelishous GrandmaMa!"