tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-315523962012-02-10T09:59:12.205ZThe 21st Century HousewifeFrom the latest foodie news to fashion and beauty scoops and the places to visit, eat and stay all around the world, The 21st Century Housewife offers something for everyone. Full of inspiration, tips and trends for anyone who loves food, cooking, entertaining, dining out, fashion, beauty, travel & the finer things in life, this is the place to visit for ideas, news and the things you need to know to make the most of 21st Century life!The 21st Century Housewife©http://www.blogger.com/profile/08960965411211616404noreply@blogger.comBlogger8741100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552396.post-9775789014976553982012-02-10T09:59:00.000Z2012-02-10T09:59:12.275ZThe Gallery of Favorites<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Blog.html" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="Gallery of Favorites" border="0" src="http://premeditatedleftovers.com/gallery_250.jpg" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br /><div class="paragraph_style_1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 1; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Alea of<a href="http://premeditatedleftovers.com/" style="text-decoration: none;" title="http://premeditatedleftovers.com"> Premeditated Leftovers </a>and I want to welcome you to our weekend blog hop, The Gallery of Favorites. </span></div><div class="paragraph_style_1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 1; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="paragraph_style_1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 1; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Gallery of Favorites is a place for you to feature favorite posts from your own blog. There were a wonderful variety of posts last week, and we do thank everyone who shared them. </span></div><div class="paragraph_style_1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 1; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="paragraph_style_1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 1; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To see this week's featured blogger, and to share your posts, <a href="http://21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2012/2/10_The_Gallery_of_Favorites_with_The_21st_Century_Housewife_10_February.html" target="_blank">please click here...</a></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/31552396-977578901497655398?l=21stcenturyhousewife.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>The 21st Century Housewife©http://www.blogger.com/profile/08960965411211616404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552396.post-79046205452648132012-02-08T14:32:00.000Z2012-02-08T14:32:24.568ZQueen Elizabeth II by Cecil Beaton, A Diamond Jubilee Celebration<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KeguyjYo4BE/TzKHRr0a8RI/AAAAAAAAD8U/IBaPcRoJOPo/s1600/SCAN0100.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KeguyjYo4BE/TzKHRr0a8RI/AAAAAAAAD8U/IBaPcRoJOPo/s320/SCAN0100.JPG" width="213" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; line-height: 20px;">Yesterday I attended a preview of</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; line-height: 20px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; line-height: 20px;"><a href="http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/exhibitions/cecilbeaton/" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/exhibitions/cecilbeaton/">Queen Elizabeth II by Cecil Beaton</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; line-height: 20px;">, A Diamond Jubilee Celebration, at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Sir Cecil Beaton was a photographer, illustrator, designer and artist whose career took off in the 1920’s. Working for Vogue, he became one of the leading fashion photographers of the era, but his biggest break occurred in 1939 when the Queen (mother of our current Queen) asked him to take her portrait. It was the beginning of an enduring relationship with the Royal Family. Beaton portrayed the royals as no one had ever done before, and was a huge part of transforming the image of the monarchy through some of the more difficult periods of the twentieth century, including the Second World War.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; line-height: 20px;"> </span></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To read more, <a href="http://21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2012/2/8_Queen_Elizabeth_II_by_Cecil_Beaton.html" target="_blank">please click here</a>...</span></span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/31552396-7904620545264813?l=21stcenturyhousewife.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>The 21st Century Housewife©http://www.blogger.com/profile/08960965411211616404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552396.post-17152702471521197352012-02-07T09:11:00.000Z2012-02-07T09:11:21.657ZThe Hearth and Soul Hop with The 21st Century Housewife 7 February<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Blog.html" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Hearth & Soul Hop" border="0" src="http://premeditatedleftovers.com/hearthnsoul150.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; line-height: 20px;">Welcome to Hearth and Soul, the blog hop for and about food that nourishes both body and soul. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; line-height: 20px;">Recipes should include healthy ingredients and can be old or new recipes or posts. Articles on real food, slow food, foraging, herbal remedies, local food, sustainable food, organics, gardening or any healthy eating information written in a positive light are also welcome. </span></span><br /><div class="paragraph_style_1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 1; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thank you to everyone who shared recipes and posts last week. To read more, and share your recipes, <a href="http://21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2012/2/7_The_Hearth_and_Soul_Hop_with_The_21st_Century_Housewife7_February.html" target="_blank">please click here..</a>.</span></span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/31552396-1715270247152119735?l=21stcenturyhousewife.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>The 21st Century Housewife©http://www.blogger.com/profile/08960965411211616404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552396.post-44250009628201318892012-02-06T19:34:00.001Z2012-02-06T19:34:40.622ZThe Queen's Diamond Jubilee<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RcXrA4U-4Ck/TzArHLjByXI/AAAAAAAAD8M/tVtbTuf_Xt8/s1600/SCAN0099.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="186" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RcXrA4U-4Ck/TzArHLjByXI/AAAAAAAAD8M/tVtbTuf_Xt8/s320/SCAN0099.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="paragraph_style_1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 53px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 1; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2012 is a year of celebration for the United Kingdom. Not only are we hosting the Olympics, but this is the year our Queen celebrates her Diamond Jubilee. More than just a figurehead, our Queen is a well-loved monarch, whose life has been a wonderful example of duty and service. It’s only the most churlish of British republicans who cannot bring themselves to raise a glass in celebration of her 60 year reign. As for the royalists among us, we can’t wait to break out the champagne! </span></div><div class="paragraph_style_1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 53px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 1; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="paragraph_style_1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 53px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 1; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Diamond Jubilee celebrations are planned all year. To read more, <a href="http://21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2012/2/6_The_Queens_Diamond_Jubilee.html" target="_blank">please click here..</a>.</span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/31552396-4425000962820131889?l=21stcenturyhousewife.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>The 21st Century Housewife©http://www.blogger.com/profile/08960965411211616404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552396.post-62584066295547465082012-02-06T09:23:00.000Z2012-02-06T09:23:18.871ZBanana Oatmeal Raisin Muffins<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tDfbgoF8AIk/Ty-bl3Eq7-I/AAAAAAAAD78/_JxasM_J8Ko/s1600/Banana+Oatmeal+Raisin+Muffin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="193" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tDfbgoF8AIk/Ty-bl3Eq7-I/AAAAAAAAD78/_JxasM_J8Ko/s320/Banana+Oatmeal+Raisin+Muffin.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="paragraph_style_1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 53px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 1; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I always like to be sure that the muffins I bake have something in them that is good for you, and recently I’ve been experimenting with oats. I make <a href="http://21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2010/5/14_My_Bran_Muffins.html" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="http://21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2010/5/14_My_Bran_Muffins.html">bran muffins</a> regularly, but I rarely use oats, and they really are good for you too. Like bran, oats are a wonderful source of dietary fibre, and they also contain beneficial phytochemicals and proteins as well as thiamin, folic acid and vitamin E. Plus they have a low glycemic index, which helps keep you fuller longer. </span></div><div class="paragraph_style_1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 53px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 1; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="paragraph_style_1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 53px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 1; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’ve always loved the combination of oatmeal and raisins in cookies so I decided to experiment. Three test batches later, these muffins were judged the best by my very patient recipe testers. The brown sugar gives a lovely, treacly sweetness and the spices and flavouring really make these muffins special. </span></div><div class="paragraph_style_1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 53px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 1; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="paragraph_style_1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 53px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 1; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For the recipe, <a href="http://21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2012/2/5_Banana_Oatmeal_Raisin_Muffins.html" target="_blank">please click here...</a></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/31552396-6258406629554746508?l=21stcenturyhousewife.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>The 21st Century Housewife©http://www.blogger.com/profile/08960965411211616404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552396.post-65900766443815369152012-02-03T08:41:00.000Z2012-02-03T08:41:05.076ZThe Gallery of Favorites with The 21st Century Housewife 3 February<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Blog.html" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Gallery of Favorites" border="0" src="http://premeditatedleftovers.com/gallery_250.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="paragraph_style_1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 1; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Alea of<a href="http://premeditatedleftovers.com/" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="http://premeditatedleftovers.com"> Premeditated Leftovers </a>and I want to welcome you to our weekend blog hop, The Gallery of Favorites. </span></div><div class="paragraph_style_1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 1; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="paragraph_style_1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 1; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Gallery of Favorites is a place for you to feature favorite posts from your own blog. Although Alea and I both spend a lot of our time writing about food, we do have many other interests and know that our readers do as well. The Gallery of Favorites is a place for all bloggers - not just food bloggers - to share their ideas, interests and passions. Of course, recipe and food posts are very welcome too. </span></div><div class="paragraph_style_1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 1; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="paragraph_style_1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 1; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thank you to everyone who shared posts last week. To read more,<a href="http://21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2012/2/2_The_Gallery_of_Favorites_with_The_21st_Century_Housewife_3_February.html" target="_blank"> please click here...</a></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/31552396-6590076644381536915?l=21stcenturyhousewife.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>The 21st Century Housewife©http://www.blogger.com/profile/08960965411211616404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552396.post-43232526875690199822012-02-01T08:51:00.000Z2012-02-01T08:51:24.788ZWorks for You<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CEfPx7utgtE/Tyj8dlaaDOI/AAAAAAAAD7k/U5c4Z3vU1pQ/s1600/Works+for+You+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="238" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CEfPx7utgtE/Tyj8dlaaDOI/AAAAAAAAD7k/U5c4Z3vU1pQ/s320/Works+for+You+3.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Everybody needs a little help from time to time, and I am no exception. The lovely photograph you see above is the ‘after’ photo of our garage. I’m not even sure I want to show you the ‘before’, but I’m going to swallow my pride and do it. Gulp.</span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">To read more,<a href="http://21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2012/1/31_Works_for_You_We_All_Need_A_Little_Help_From_Time_to_Time.html" target="_blank"> please click here</a>...</span></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/31552396-4323252687569019982?l=21stcenturyhousewife.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>The 21st Century Housewife©http://www.blogger.com/profile/08960965411211616404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552396.post-23783053454299972222012-01-31T08:20:00.000Z2012-01-31T08:23:05.400ZThe Hearth and Soul Hop with The 21st Century Housewife January 31<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Blog.html" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="Hearth & Soul Hop" border="0" src="http://premeditatedleftovers.com/hearthnsoul150.jpg" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; line-height: 20px;">Welcome to Hearth and Soul, the blog hop for and about food that nourishes both body and soul. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; line-height: 20px;">Thank you to everyone who shared recipes and posts last week.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; line-height: 20px;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;">To read more, and share your posts, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"><a href="http://21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2012/1/30_The_Hearth_and_Soul_Hop_with_The_21st_Century_Housewife_January_31.html" target="_blank">please click here...</a></span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/31552396-2378305345429997222?l=21stcenturyhousewife.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>The 21st Century Housewife©http://www.blogger.com/profile/08960965411211616404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552396.post-111125406887659512012-01-30T13:53:00.000Z2012-01-30T13:53:07.128ZVegetarian 'Moussaka' for Meatless Monday<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ScqgmvdYHKI/TyagccAmN2I/AAAAAAAAD7Q/SZAWXofgsB0/s1600/Vegetarian+Moussaka.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ScqgmvdYHKI/TyagccAmN2I/AAAAAAAAD7Q/SZAWXofgsB0/s320/Vegetarian+Moussaka.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Photo credit Alex J Harris</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="paragraph_style_1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 1; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’m pretty sure the name of this dish is going to get me in trouble. I don’t think any Greek person would consider it to be proper Moussaka. It is, however, totally inspired by the Moussaka I ate in Athens a couple of years ago, and the stories my son has told me about the Moussaka he ate in the Greek Islands not long after that.</span></div><div class="paragraph_style_1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 1; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="paragraph_style_1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 1; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have wanted to make my own vegetarian version of this dish for quite some time, but something always held me back. I wasn’t sure where to go with it, recipe wise, as I felt it was too predictable to just replace the meat with a meat substitute like Quorn. I also have never really liked the long strips of eggplant (aubergine) in the traditional recipe. I do like eggplant, but I prefer it chunky, rather than in strips or mashed up. Finally, the other day, I decided to attempt my own version of vegetarian moussaka, and the result was delicious. </span></div><div class="paragraph_style_1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 1; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="paragraph_style_1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 1; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To read more, <a href="http://21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2012/1/30_Vegetarian_Moussaka.html" target="_blank">please click here</a>...</span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/31552396-11112540688765951?l=21stcenturyhousewife.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>The 21st Century Housewife©http://www.blogger.com/profile/08960965411211616404noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552396.post-13605072559639500672012-01-27T08:48:00.000Z2012-01-27T08:48:11.791ZThe Gallery of Favorites 27 January<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Blog.html" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Gallery of Favorites" border="0" src="http://premeditatedleftovers.com/gallery_250.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="paragraph_style_1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 1; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Alea of<a href="http://premeditatedleftovers.com/" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="http://premeditatedleftovers.com"> Premeditated Leftovers </a>and I want to welcome you to our weekend blog hop, The Gallery of Favorites. </span></div><div class="paragraph_style_1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 1; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="paragraph_style_1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 1; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Gallery of Favorites is a place for you to feature favorite posts from your own blog. Although Alea and I both spend a lot of our time writing about food, we do have many other interests and know that our readers do as well. The Gallery of Favorites is a place for all bloggers - not just food bloggers - to share their ideas, interests and passions. Of course, recipe and food posts are very welcome too. </span></div><div class="paragraph_style_1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 1; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="paragraph_style_1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 1; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To read more, and share your favorite posts, <a href="http://21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2012/1/27_The_Gallery_of_Favorites_with_The_21st_Century_Housewife_27_January.html" target="_blank">please click here</a>...</span></div><div><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/31552396-1360507255963950067?l=21stcenturyhousewife.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>The 21st Century Housewife©http://www.blogger.com/profile/08960965411211616404noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552396.post-6637490801599857112012-01-25T22:18:00.000Z2012-01-25T22:18:07.004ZMy Mom's Jam Muffins<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VMcpUx6crEE/TyB_eW3wHKI/AAAAAAAAD6c/gCZRvSxyAOk/s1600/Jam+Muffins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VMcpUx6crEE/TyB_eW3wHKI/AAAAAAAAD6c/gCZRvSxyAOk/s320/Jam+Muffins.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="paragraph_style_1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 1; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My Mom didn’t bake a lot, so when she did, it was a real treat. She would often make these for cold winter afternoons, after we came home from ice skating. They tasted so good with a mug of hot chocolate! They are also perfect for breakfast, and they could not be easier to make. </span></div><div class="paragraph_style_1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 1; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="paragraph_style_1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 1; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My Mom used to use all whole wheat flour, and of course you are welcome to do so, but I prefer the lighter texture achieved by using half whole wheat flour and half white. As for the jam, my Mom called these Cherry Coconut muffins, so the original recipe called for cherry jam. However you can use absolutely any flavour you like - I have tried all kinds and have yet to find one that isn’t delicious! </span></div><div class="paragraph_style_1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 1; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="paragraph_style_1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 1; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To read more,<a href="http://21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2012/1/25_My_Moms_Jam_Muffins.html" target="_blank"> please click here</a>...</span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/31552396-663749080159985711?l=21stcenturyhousewife.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>The 21st Century Housewife©http://www.blogger.com/profile/08960965411211616404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552396.post-70189731675610631022012-01-24T08:54:00.000Z2012-01-24T09:07:47.914ZThe Hearth and Soul Hop with The 21st Century Housewife<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Blog.html" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Hearth & Soul Hop" border="0" src="http://premeditatedleftovers.com/hearthnsoul150.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Welcome to Hearth and Soul, the blog hop for and about food that nourishes both body and soul. Recipes should include healthy ingredients and can be old or new recipes or posts. Articles on real food, slow food, foraging, herbal remedies, local food, sustainable food, organics, gardening or any healthy eating information written in a positive and loving light are also welcome. </span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Thank you to everyone who shared recipes and posts last week. </span>To read more, and share your recipes, <a href="http://21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2012/1/24_The_Hearth_and_Soul_Hop_with_The_21st_Century_Housewife.html" target="_blank">please click here</a>...</span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/31552396-7018973167561063102?l=21stcenturyhousewife.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>The 21st Century Housewife©http://www.blogger.com/profile/08960965411211616404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552396.post-19928693252464020172012-01-23T15:41:00.000Z2012-01-23T15:48:14.339ZChinese New Year at The 21st Century Housewife<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-o4UAMcscflY/Tx1-KW3rUQI/AAAAAAAAD6I/o1w0LxOET6g/s1600/iStock_000011101973XSmall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-o4UAMcscflY/Tx1-KW3rUQI/AAAAAAAAD6I/o1w0LxOET6g/s320/iStock_000011101973XSmall.jpg" width="213" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="paragraph_style_1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 53px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 1; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Celebrated by billions of people all around the world, today is the most important of all Chinese holidays, the Chinese New Year. I have fond memories of watching the wonderful New Year parades from Macy’s seventh floor window over looking Union Square in San Francisco. The colour and joyful noise of the celebrations echo through the streets and it really is a sight like nothing I had ever seen before. </span></div><div class="paragraph_style_1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 53px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 1; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="paragraph_style_1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 53px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 1; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Chinese calendar is based on a complex calendar system that uses both lunar and solar cycles. This means Chinese New Year falls on different dates every year, sometime between January 21 and February 21 of the Gregorian calendar. Each year is associated with one of twelve animals in the Chinese zodiac. It’s the Year of the Dragon this time. I don’t follow horoscopes, but it’s fun to find out what animal you are. (I’m a snake, my husband is a horse and our son is a rooster.)</span></div><div class="paragraph_style_2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 1; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="paragraph_style_2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 1; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When we are at home for Chinese New Year, I like to make a Chinese influenced dish for dinner. If you feel the same way, here is some recipe inspiration for you! </span></div><div class="paragraph_style_2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 1; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="paragraph_style_2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 1; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;"><a href="http://21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2010/8/13_The_21st_Century_Housewifes_Chicken_and_Almond_Stir_Fry.html" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Chicken and Almond Stir Fry</span></a></div><div class="paragraph_style_2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 1; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="paragraph_style_2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 1; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;"><a href="http://21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2010/4/27_The_21st_Century_Housewifes_Beef_and_Black_Bean_Stir_Fry.html" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Beef and Black Bean Stir Fry</span></a></div><div class="paragraph_style_2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 1; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="paragraph_style_2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 1; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2011/1/18_Entry_1.html" target="_blank">Homemade Sweet and Sour Chicken</a> </span></div><div class="paragraph_style_2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 1; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="paragraph_style_2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 1; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And if you participate in Meatless Monday as I do, here are some vegetarian suggestions. </span></div><div class="paragraph_style_2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 1; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="paragraph_style_2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 1; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;"><a href="http://21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2010/5/4_Cashew_Nut_Stir_Fry.html" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cashew Nut Stir Fry</span></a></div><div class="paragraph_style_2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 1; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="paragraph_style_2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 1; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;"><a href="http://21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2012/1/23_Tofu_Stir_Fry_with_Hoisin_Sauce_for_Chinese_New_Year_on_Meatless_Monday!.html" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tofu Stir Fry with Hoisin Sauce</span></a></div><div class="paragraph_style_2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 1; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="paragraph_style_2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 1; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Happy New Year of the Dragon to all who are celebrating!</span></div><div class="paragraph_style_2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 1; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="paragraph_style_2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 1; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="paragraph_style_2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 1; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="paragraph_style_2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 1; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="paragraph_style_2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; color: #aa7942; font-family: Palatino-Roman, Palatino, serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 1; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;"><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/31552396-1992869325246402017?l=21stcenturyhousewife.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>The 21st Century Housewife©http://www.blogger.com/profile/08960965411211616404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552396.post-49853630194869615452012-01-20T10:05:00.001Z2012-01-20T10:06:10.374ZThe Gallery of Favorites with The 21st Century Housewife<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Blog.html" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Gallery of Favorites" border="0" src="http://premeditatedleftovers.com/gallery_250.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="paragraph_style_1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 1; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Alea of<a href="http://premeditatedleftovers.com/" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="http://premeditatedleftovers.com"> Premeditated Leftovers </a>and I want to welcome you to our weekend blog hop, The Gallery of Favorites. </span></div><div class="paragraph_style_1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 1; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="paragraph_style_1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 1; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Gallery of Favorites is a place for you to feature favorite posts from your own blog. Although Alea and I both spend a lot of our time writing about food, we do have many other interests and know that our readers do as well. The Gallery of Favorites is a place for all bloggers - not just food bloggers - to share their ideas, interests and passions. Of course, recipe and food posts are very welcome too.</span></div><div class="paragraph_style_1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 1; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="paragraph_style_1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 1; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To read more, and share your posts,<a href="http://21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2012/1/19_The_Gallery_of_Favorites_with_The_21st_Century_Housewife.html" target="_blank"> please click here</a>...</span></div><div><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/31552396-4985363019486961545?l=21stcenturyhousewife.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>The 21st Century Housewife©http://www.blogger.com/profile/08960965411211616404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552396.post-3819616662704177372012-01-19T11:55:00.001Z2012-01-19T11:55:34.458ZThe 21st Century Housewife Takes The Matcha Challenge<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-d6i6reekZCo/TxgEdea8yCI/AAAAAAAAD4g/YI1R5Go1nTM/s1600/Image+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-d6i6reekZCo/TxgEdea8yCI/AAAAAAAAD4g/YI1R5Go1nTM/s320/Image+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo courtesy of tea pigs</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Recently, I was asked by teapigs to try their <a href="http://www.teapigs.co.uk/customer/matcha" target="_blank"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;">Matcha</span></a> Challenge. Matcha is essentially a concentrated green tea. High in antioxidants, it contains 2 special amino acids said to work with its natural caffeine to give a gentle and sustained energy boost, as well as reducing stress and helping you to stay focused. Not only that, but it is also said to be metabolism boosting! <i>It sounded to good to be true</i>…but was it? </span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">To read more, <a href="http://21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2012/1/19_The_Matcha_Challenge.html" target="_blank">please click here...</a></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/31552396-381961666270417737?l=21stcenturyhousewife.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>The 21st Century Housewife©http://www.blogger.com/profile/08960965411211616404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552396.post-80969400251316549052012-01-18T08:31:00.000Z2012-01-18T08:31:02.936ZLet's Do Brunch with The 21st Century Housewife<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-x48KAF2E0z8/TxaDCDN8TKI/AAAAAAAAD3w/CEcvKYgS4b8/s1600/Brunch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-x48KAF2E0z8/TxaDCDN8TKI/AAAAAAAAD3w/CEcvKYgS4b8/s1600/Brunch.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Welcome to Let’s Do Brunch, the recipe exchange for breakfast, lunch and brunch recipes. Anything that you could serve for breakfast, lunch or brunch, or at a brunch buffet is very welcome here, as are desserts and sweet treats. </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">This will be my last week co-hosting Let’s Do Brunch. I have really enjoyed working with <a href="http://sweetsav.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Chaya</a> and I am grateful for the opportunity she offered me to share in this wonderful blog hop, but there is so much happening this year I am now having to pick and choose my projects due to time pressures. It’s an exciting year here - the tenth anniversary of The 21st Century Housewife - and I’m struggling to fit everything in! </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I will still be co-hosting the <a href="http://21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2012/1/17_The_Hearth_and_Soul_Hop_with_The_21st_Century_Housewife.html" target="_blank">Hearth and Soul Hop,</a> as well as the weekend blog hop, The Gallery of Favorites, and I do hope you will also share posts with my co-hosts and I there, as well as continuing to share your brunch recipes with Chaya. </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">To read more, and share your recipes, <a href="http://21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2012/1/18_Lets_Do_Brunch.html" target="_blank">please click here</a>...</span></div><div><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/31552396-8096940025131654905?l=21stcenturyhousewife.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>The 21st Century Housewife©http://www.blogger.com/profile/08960965411211616404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552396.post-62304155686224765072012-01-18T07:29:00.001Z2012-01-18T07:29:33.346ZLaughing at Wall Street by Chris Camillo - A Review<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-q-mBgRVLJmM/TxYAo2QI47I/AAAAAAAAD3o/cSOU5syk8ko/s1600/Image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-q-mBgRVLJmM/TxYAo2QI47I/AAAAAAAAD3o/cSOU5syk8ko/s320/Image.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Wall Street has often been a place of intimidation for smaller investors, sometimes even discouraging people from investing entirely because they don’t understand the ins and outs of how it works. There’s a mystery behind it, one Wall Street traders, fund managers and analysts do nothing to dispel. It suits them to keep things shrouded in a cloak of mystery. </span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Chris Camillo has changed all that with his book ‘Laughing at Wall Street’. To read more, <a href="http://21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2012/1/17_Laughing_at_Wall_Street_by_Chris_CamilloA_Review.html" target="_blank">please click here...</a></span></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/31552396-6230415568622476507?l=21stcenturyhousewife.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>The 21st Century Housewife©http://www.blogger.com/profile/08960965411211616404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552396.post-51910391334717397072012-01-17T08:07:00.001Z2012-01-17T08:07:25.595ZHearth and Soul Hop with The 21st Century Housewife<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Blog.html" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="Hearth & Soul Hop" border="0" src="http://premeditatedleftovers.com/hearthnsoul150.jpg" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br /><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;">Welcome to Hearth and Soul, the blog hop for and about food that nourishes both body and soul. Recipes should include healthy ingredients and can be old or new recipes or posts. Articles on real food, slow food, foraging, herbal remedies, local food, sustainable food, organics, gardening or any healthy eating information written in a positive and loving light are also welcome. </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;">Thank you to everyone who shared recipes and posts last week. To read more, and share your posts, <a href="http://21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2012/1/17_The_Hearth_and_Soul_Hop_with_The_21st_Century_Housewife.html" target="_blank">please click here..</a></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/31552396-5191039133471739707?l=21stcenturyhousewife.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>The 21st Century Housewife©http://www.blogger.com/profile/08960965411211616404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552396.post-21465279707150539422012-01-16T22:01:00.003Z2012-01-16T22:02:04.928ZI Am...<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Z_uGPbou4uI/TxSd8-4gdiI/AAAAAAAAD3g/jyCblFakruc/s1600/MarriageMondayHeader2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Z_uGPbou4uI/TxSd8-4gdiI/AAAAAAAAD3g/jyCblFakruc/s1600/MarriageMondayHeader2.jpg" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="paragraph_style_1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 53px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 1; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="style_1" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; line-height: 20px;">Twice a month</span><span class="style_2" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; line-height: 20px;">,</span> a diverse group of married Christian women gather at Chrysalis Cafe for <a href="http://www.chrysaliscafe.com/2010/06/introduction-to-marriage-monday.html" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="http://www.chrysaliscafe.com/2010/06/introduction-to-marriage-monday.html">Marriage Monday</a> in order to encourage<span class="style_1" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; line-height: 20px;"> one another, and </span>learn <span class="style_1" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; line-height: 20px;">from each other. </span>This week it’s all about getting to know one another better. E-Mom has listed some writing prompts..</span></div><div class="paragraph_style_1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 53px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 1; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="paragraph_style_1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 53px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 1; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> To read more,<a href="http://21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2012/1/16_I_Am....html" target="_blank"> please click here...</a></span></div><div><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/31552396-2146527970715053942?l=21stcenturyhousewife.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>The 21st Century Housewife©http://www.blogger.com/profile/08960965411211616404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552396.post-38781169655010324922012-01-16T12:16:00.000Z2012-01-16T12:16:40.078ZMy Vegetarian Stew<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8Gb6HmVLZhA/TxQU-yILmOI/AAAAAAAAD3Q/5OQFeLPoQkU/s1600/Vegetarian+Stew.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8Gb6HmVLZhA/TxQU-yILmOI/AAAAAAAAD3Q/5OQFeLPoQkU/s1600/Vegetarian+Stew.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span id="goog_1060284210"></span><span id="goog_1060284211"></span>I love stews this time of year. They are comforting and delicious, and make the house smell beautiful when they are cooking. Many people think stew = meat, but vegetarian stews can be wonderful too. The addition of beans, barley or pasta can make them just as rib-sticking as their meaty counterparts. Quick and easy to make, they don’t take as long to cook as stews containing meat either.</span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">This stew contains some of our favourite vegetables, but of course you can change things round to suit your tastes and what you have on hand. </span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">To read more, <a href="http://21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2012/1/16_My_Vegetarian_Stew.html" target="_blank">please click here</a>...</span></span></div><div style="color: #ae784a; font: 16.0px Palatino; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 20.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/31552396-3878116965501032492?l=21stcenturyhousewife.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>The 21st Century Housewife©http://www.blogger.com/profile/08960965411211616404noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552396.post-92140337663218705602012-01-12T22:48:00.000Z2012-01-12T23:15:08.680ZThe Gallery of Favorites with The 21st Century Housewife<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Blog.html" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="Gallery of Favorites" border="0" src="http://premeditatedleftovers.com/gallery_250.jpg" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br /><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><a href="http://premeditatedleftovers.com/" target="_blank">Alea of Premeditated Leftovers</a> and I want to welcome you to our weekend blog hop, The Gallery of Favorites. We are posting the Gallery a bit early this week as I will be travelling tomorrow morning, and we also thought it might be helpful with the upcoming holiday weekend in the US. </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The Gallery of Favorites is a place for you to feature favorite posts from your own blog. Although Alea and I both spend a lot of our time writing about food, we do have many other interests and know that our readers do as well. The Gallery of Favorites is a place for all bloggers - not just food bloggers - to share their ideas, interests and passions. Of course, recipe and food posts are very welcome too.</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">To read more, and to share your posts, <a href="http://21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2012/1/12_The_Gallery_of_Favorites_with_The_21st_Century_Housewife.html" target="_blank">please click here</a>...</span></div><div><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/31552396-9214033766321870560?l=21stcenturyhousewife.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>The 21st Century Housewife©http://www.blogger.com/profile/08960965411211616404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552396.post-39140579963003078992012-01-12T15:12:00.002Z2012-01-12T15:12:55.729ZMy Top Ten Skincare and Beauty Products of 2011<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N2eLblP9V7E/Tw74FN8Ij8I/AAAAAAAAD2M/JI45vQbJ_yo/s1600/shapeimage_4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N2eLblP9V7E/Tw74FN8Ij8I/AAAAAAAAD2M/JI45vQbJ_yo/s1600/shapeimage_4.png" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I’ve had some emails recently asking about skin care and makeup products, particularly from people who have read my <a href="http://21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Wheres_the_Glamour.html" target="_blank">Where’s The Glamour </a>page. I firmly believe that beauty comes from within and isn’t something you can buy in a bottle or a jar, but we all need a bit of help now and then and these are products that I find very useful. It’s one thing to be sent a product and test it, but for me the proof is when I subsequently go out and buy it for myself <i>more than once</i>,. That is something I have done with all the products listed below. In fact, if you could look in my vanity drawers, you would find everything I mention inside. </span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">To read more, <a href="http://21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2012/1/12_My_Favourite_Beauty_Products_of_2011.html" target="_blank">please click here</a>...</span></span></div><div style="color: #ae784a; font: 16.0px Palatino; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 20.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/31552396-3914057996300307899?l=21stcenturyhousewife.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>The 21st Century Housewife©http://www.blogger.com/profile/08960965411211616404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552396.post-22098088650770264802012-01-11T17:18:00.000Z2012-01-11T17:18:17.383ZLet's Do Brunch with The 21st Century Housewife<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SrQzzgadsJU/Tw2IbV6YZgI/AAAAAAAAD2A/oCwP3XS4_X0/s1600/Brunch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SrQzzgadsJU/Tw2IbV6YZgI/AAAAAAAAD2A/oCwP3XS4_X0/s1600/Brunch.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Welcome to Let’s Do Brunch, the recipe exchange for breakfast, lunch and brunch recipes. Meals are pretty flexible these days, so there aren’t many recipes that won’t fit into these categories. Anything that you could serve for breakfast, lunch or brunch, or at a brunch buffet is very welcome here, as are desserts and sweet treats. </span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Thank you to everyone who contributed last week. My co-host, <a href="http://sweetsav.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Chaya of My Sweet and Savory</a> and I always look forward to visiting your posts and trying out the wonderful new ideas you share. I really enjoyed all the recipes that were linked up last week. </span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">To read more,<a href="http://21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2012/1/11_Lets_Do_Brunch.html" target="_blank"> please click here</a>...</span></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/31552396-2209808865077026480?l=21stcenturyhousewife.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>The 21st Century Housewife©http://www.blogger.com/profile/08960965411211616404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552396.post-41095005605858063642012-01-10T09:05:00.001Z2012-01-10T09:05:40.632ZThe Hearth and Soul Hop with The 21st Century Housewife<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Blog.html" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="Hearth & Soul Hop" border="0" src="http://premeditatedleftovers.com/hearthnsoul150.jpg" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br /><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;">Welcome to Hearth and Soul, the blog hop for and about food that nourishes both body and soul. Recipes should include healthy ingredients and can be old or new recipes or posts. Articles on real food, slow food, foraging, herbal remedies, local food, sustainable food, organics, gardening or any healthy eating information written in a positive and loving light are also welcome. To read more about our mission and the rules for linking, <a href="http://www.21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Hearth_and_Soul_Blog_Hop.html">please click here</a>. We share links to Hearth and Soul entries at our <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hearth-and-Soul-Recipes/262817927063247#!/pages/Hearth-and-Soul-Recipes/262817927063247?sk=app_154272794636138"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-decoration: underline;">Hearth and Soul Facebook Page</span></a> and <a href="http://pinterest.com/hearthnsoulhop/"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-decoration: underline;">Pinterest Boards</span></a>, and please do come and follow us on Twitter <span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://twitter.com/#!/HearthNSoulHop">@HearthNSoulHop</a></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;">To read more, see last week's featured posts, and share your recipes, <a href="http://21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2012/1/10_The_Hearth_and_Soul_Hop_with_The_21st_Century_Housewife.html" target="_blank">please click here...</a></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/31552396-4109500560585806364?l=21stcenturyhousewife.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>The 21st Century Housewife©http://www.blogger.com/profile/08960965411211616404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552396.post-49484067875328031342012-01-06T10:15:00.000Z2012-01-06T10:15:41.233ZThe Gallery of Favorites with The 21st Century Housewife<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Blog.html" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="Gallery of Favorites" border="0" src="http://premeditatedleftovers.com/gallery_250.jpg" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br /><div class="paragraph_style_1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 1; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://premeditatedleftovers.com/" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="http://premeditatedleftovers.com">Alea of Premeditated Leftovers </a>and I want to welcome you to our weekend blog hop, The Gallery of Favorites. The Gallery of Favorites is a place for you to feature favorite posts from your own blog. Although Alea and I both spend a lot of our time writing about food, we do have many other interests and know that our readers do as well. The Gallery of Favorites is a place for all bloggers - not just food bloggers - to share their ideas, interests and passions. Of course, recipe and food posts are very welcome too.</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To read more, and share your posts, <a href="http://21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2012/1/6_The_Gallery_of_Favorites.html" target="_blank">please click here.</a>..</span></div><div><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/31552396-4948406787532803134?l=21stcenturyhousewife.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>The 21st Century Housewife©http://www.blogger.com/profile/08960965411211616404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552396.post-26087812500439949492012-01-05T15:31:00.000Z2012-01-05T15:31:03.667ZRecipe Evolution and My Marble Cake<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-y1FXQimPrns/TwXB8C0zXbI/AAAAAAAAD1U/IdMujAFK02M/s1600/birthday+cake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-y1FXQimPrns/TwXB8C0zXbI/AAAAAAAAD1U/IdMujAFK02M/s320/birthday+cake.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="paragraph_style_1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 1; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’ve been making marble cake for as long as I can remember, even back when I lived in Canada. I’ve made it regularly since I moved to England too, partly because my son Alex loves it. In fact, it is always his choice when asked what he would like for a birthday cake. However I’ve evolved as a cook over the years and when Alex asked for marble cake once again this year, I was firmly convinced I could improve on the original formula. I was a bit worried about ‘fixing what wasn’t broke’ but I’m very glad I was brave. </span></div><div class="paragraph_style_1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 1; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="paragraph_style_1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 1; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To read more, <a href="http://21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2012/1/5_Recipe_Evolution_and_My_Marble_Cake.html" target="_blank">please click here..</a>.</span></div><div><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/31552396-2608781250043994949?l=21stcenturyhousewife.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>The 21st Century Housewife©http://www.blogger.com/profile/08960965411211616404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552396.post-18085352267928323592012-01-04T07:57:00.000Z2012-01-04T08:17:35.474ZLet's Do Brunch with The 21st Century Housewife<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PB98VJ0pR1s/TwQK2z68EYI/AAAAAAAAD00/fGM3zQy0WP8/s1600/Brunch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PB98VJ0pR1s/TwQK2z68EYI/AAAAAAAAD00/fGM3zQy0WP8/s1600/Brunch.jpg" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;">It’s our son Alex’s 19th birthday today, and my husband and I have lots of things planned to help celebrate the occasion. We are heading up to London later to see a matinee performance in the West End, and then we will be having a celebration dinner at one of Alex’s favourite restaurants, <a href="http://www.criterionrestaurant.com/" target="_blank">The Criterion</a> in Piccadilly Circus. </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;">I think every moment of a birthday is important, and any birthday celebration in our house always starts with the birthday person’s breakfast of choice. Alex always chooses <a href="http://21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2011/3/8_Pancakes_for_Shrove_Tuesday.html" target="_blank">pancakes</a> for his. What do you have for birthday breakfasts at your house?</span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;">One of the reasons I enjoy co-hosting Let’s Do Brunch is that I think breakfast, lunch and brunch can be every bit as much a main event as dinner or supper. Let’s Do Brunch is a great way to share our favourite breakfast, lunch and brunch recipes and it’s a wonderful resource when I am looking for inspiration. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;">To read more, and to share your recipes, <a href="http://21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2012/1/4_Entry_1.html" target="_blank">please click here.</a>..</span></div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/31552396-1808535226792832359?l=21stcenturyhousewife.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>The 21st Century Housewife©http://www.blogger.com/profile/08960965411211616404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552396.post-26305598022452547602012-01-04T07:56:00.002Z2012-01-04T08:08:10.605ZBeefy Pasta One Pot<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BRdQbz-3Pjo/TwQIfyx181I/AAAAAAAAD0o/u1qWJIO7qdk/s1600/Beefy+Pasta+One+Pot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BRdQbz-3Pjo/TwQIfyx181I/AAAAAAAAD0o/u1qWJIO7qdk/s320/Beefy+Pasta+One+Pot.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;">I hesitate to admit it, but this pasta one pot is the product of laziness. I often make <a href="http://21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2011/3/28_Title.html" target="_blank">Italian Beef Stew with Pasta</a>, and one night I decided I could not be bothered to cook the pasta separately. So I changed the ingredients to make it possible to cook the pasta actually in the stew, right at the end of the cooking time. I also adjusted the flavours a bit to make it more like a traditional Bolognese sauce, albeit with meltingly tender chunks of beef as opposed to the ground variety.</span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;">This is definitely not authentically Italian but it’s one of my favorite recipes for several reasons. Not only does everyone seem to love it, but it’s super easy, mostly takes care of itself (right up till the last minute) and leftovers taste amazing the next day. In fact, sometimes I make a double batch just to have them! </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;">To read more, <a href="http://21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2012/1/3_Easy_Beefy_Pasta_One_Pot.html" target="_blank">please click here</a>...</span></div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/31552396-2630559802245254760?l=21stcenturyhousewife.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>The 21st Century Housewife©http://www.blogger.com/profile/08960965411211616404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552396.post-92131443696884136312012-01-03T08:11:00.000Z2012-01-03T08:11:36.746ZThe Hearth and Soul Hop<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Blog.html" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Hearth & Soul Hop" border="0" src="http://premeditatedleftovers.com/hearthnsoul150.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Happy New Year and welcome to the first edition of The Hearth and Soul Hop for 2012! </span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The Holiday Season made it a quieter week at Hearth and Soul last week, but we still had lots of wonderful contributions. </span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">To read more, and to share your recipes, <a href="http://21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2012/1/3_The_Hearth_and_Soul_Hop_with_The_21st_Century_Housewife.html" target="_blank">please click here...</a></span></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/31552396-9213144369688413631?l=21stcenturyhousewife.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>The 21st Century Housewife©http://www.blogger.com/profile/08960965411211616404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552396.post-23223447757774936912011-12-31T19:15:00.001Z2011-12-31T19:15:46.600ZFavourite Cake Recipes of 2011<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xalLLZLTncA/Tv9fMIhbUfI/AAAAAAAAD0E/XQNXL7Kt-p4/s1600/Martha%2527s+Pumpkin+Cake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xalLLZLTncA/Tv9fMIhbUfI/AAAAAAAAD0E/XQNXL7Kt-p4/s320/Martha%2527s+Pumpkin+Cake.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">It’s New Year’s Eve, and what better way to celebrate than with a wonderful, homemade cake? Well, other than champagne of course! Actually, I’ve always had a penchant for a glass of champagne with a piece of cake on very special occasions, and New Year is definitely one of those. </span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Need some inspiration? To see some of my favourite cake recipes from this year <a href="http://21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2011/12/31_My_Favourite_Cakes_of_2011.html" target="_blank">please click here.</a>..</span></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/31552396-2322344775777493691?l=21stcenturyhousewife.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>The 21st Century Housewife©http://www.blogger.com/profile/08960965411211616404noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552396.post-54625085227264686982011-12-29T15:36:00.000Z2011-12-29T16:12:14.291ZA New Year's Edition of The Gallery of Favorites<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Blog.html" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Gallery of Favorites" border="0" src="http://premeditatedleftovers.com/gallery_250.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><a href="http://premeditatedleftovers.com/" target="_blank">Alea of Premeditated Leftovers </a>and I want to welcome you to a very special edition of our weekend blog hop, The Gallery of Favorites. </span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The Gallery of Favorites is a place for you to feature favorite posts from your own blog. Although Alea and I both spend a lot of our time writing about food, we do have many other interests and know that our readers do as well. The Gallery of Favorites is a place for all bloggers - not just food bloggers - to share their ideas, interests and passions. Of course, recipe and food posts are very welcome too!</span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">This is our New Year’s edition, and we would love for you to share your favorite posts of the whole year from your own blogs. </span></b></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></b></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">To read more, and to share your posts, <a href="http://21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2011/12/29_The_Gallery_of_Favorites_-_New_Years_EditionFavorites_from_2011.html" target="_blank">please click here</a>...</span></b></span></div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></span></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/31552396-5462508522726468698?l=21stcenturyhousewife.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>The 21st Century Housewife©http://www.blogger.com/profile/08960965411211616404noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552396.post-16521891555874350132011-12-28T22:59:00.000Z2011-12-28T22:59:39.670ZEnjoying New York City<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EB79SGs8fnU/TvufBa2gR3I/AAAAAAAADz4/LdttrdB2Hu4/s1600/DSC_3468.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EB79SGs8fnU/TvufBa2gR3I/AAAAAAAADz4/LdttrdB2Hu4/s320/DSC_3468.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo credit Alex J Harris</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">We are having a wonderful time here in New York City, watching as the city celebrates Christmas and gets ready to welcome the New Year. Walking is definitely one of the best ways to get around. I always seem to find taxi drivers who either haven’t been in New York very long or think I don’t know the city very well - like the one the other night who had no idea where the iconic Russian Tea Rooms were (or so he said). Luckily I have eaten there so many times I know the address by heart. He was very disappointed, and kept mumbling ‘never heard of it’! Then there was the taxi driver who pulled away from our hotel after my husband and I got in the taxi, but before our son did. I’m not sure who that was more scary for - my husband and I in the car, or for my son with his toes just inches from virtually spinning taxi wheels. Maybe I’m just ‘lucky’ with New York taxi drivers, but seriously, I’d much rather walk! </span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">To read more,<a href="http://21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2011/12/28_Enjoying_New_York_City.html" target="_blank"> please click here</a>...</span></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/31552396-1652189155587435013?l=21stcenturyhousewife.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>The 21st Century Housewife©http://www.blogger.com/profile/08960965411211616404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552396.post-67031037010862016332011-12-28T14:16:00.000Z2011-12-28T15:40:17.596ZLet's Do Brunch with The 21st Century Housewife<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EDusbqLJQJc/Tvs3zaFK8tI/AAAAAAAADzs/7f6uXSAy6zE/s1600/Brunch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EDusbqLJQJc/Tvs3zaFK8tI/AAAAAAAADzs/7f6uXSAy6zE/s1600/Brunch.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Thank you for joining us for Let’s Do Brunch, the recipe exchange for breakfast, lunch and brunch recipes. I’m sorry, I am late posting this week due to my family holiday - the time keeps slipping away on me! </span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Thank you to everyone who contributed last week. Chaya and I always enjoy visiting your posts and trying out the wonderful new ideas you share. My co-host, <a href="http://sweetsav.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Chaya of My Sweet and Savory</a> will be choosing some of her highlights from last week’s hop, and this week I want to highlight some of the wonderful cookie recipes that were shared last week. This is usually the time I am beginning to run out of cookies, and need some more ideas for holiday entertaining. </span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">To read more, and share your recipes, <a href="http://21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2011/12/28_Lets_Do_Brunch.html" target="_blank">please click here</a>...</span></span></div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/31552396-6703103701086201633?l=21stcenturyhousewife.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>The 21st Century Housewife©http://www.blogger.com/profile/08960965411211616404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552396.post-79951911985530264912011-12-27T15:22:00.000Z2011-12-27T15:22:07.513ZThe Hearth and Soul Hop with The 21st Century Housewife<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Blog.html" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="Hearth & Soul Hop" border="0" src="http://premeditatedleftovers.com/hearthnsoul150.jpg" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; line-height: 20px;">Welcome to the Hearth and Soul Hop, the blog carnival for and about food that nourishes both body and soul.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; line-height: 20px;"> We've got some exciting news and an announcement this week, as well as the hop, so <a href="http://21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2011/12/27_The_Hearth_and_Soul_Hop_with_The_21st_Century_Housewife.html" target="_blank">please click here to read more.</a>..</span></span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/31552396-7995191198553026491?l=21stcenturyhousewife.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>The 21st Century Housewife©http://www.blogger.com/profile/08960965411211616404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552396.post-31960912951779898422011-12-26T20:18:00.002Z2011-12-26T22:19:40.529ZA Very Special Visit to Windsor Castle<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-a6klqxPoRZ4/TvjWckmpVmI/AAAAAAAADzg/t8wzzMYTtl0/s1600/iStock_000002363410XSmall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-a6klqxPoRZ4/TvjWckmpVmI/AAAAAAAADzg/t8wzzMYTtl0/s320/iStock_000002363410XSmall.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">As regular readers will know, my family and I are celebrating the Christmas season in New York City at the moment, but a few days before we left London we were able to take a smaller exclusive evening tour at Windsor Castle. It was a wonderful experience, and I’d like to share it with you. </span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.royalcollection.org.uk/default.asp?action=article&ID=34" target="_blank">Windsor Castle</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> is one of the oldest complete castles in England, and one of the largest inhabited castles in the world. Begun in 1066, it has evolved over the centuries into a veritable fortress, and is a place where our Queen spends much of her time. </span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">To read more, <a href="http://21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2011/12/26_A_Very_Special_Visit_to_Windsor_Castle.html" target="_blank">please click here</a>...</span></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/31552396-3196091295177989842?l=21stcenturyhousewife.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>The 21st Century Housewife©http://www.blogger.com/profile/08960965411211616404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552396.post-42096637937583964712011-12-26T16:06:00.000Z2011-12-26T16:06:28.786ZChristmas Day in New York City<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3CnXv86u8ZU/TvibSgE3qJI/AAAAAAAADzU/598eYQgKoqc/s1600/Christmas+at+Rockefeller+Center.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3CnXv86u8ZU/TvibSgE3qJI/AAAAAAAADzU/598eYQgKoqc/s320/Christmas+at+Rockefeller+Center.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">This was the first time we had been in New York City for Christmas Day, and I was amazed by how busy it was. Although Fifth Avenue was fairly quiet first thing (and we got a fantastic view of the shop windows) as the day wore on, things got seriously crowded. This was a huge change for us. If you do leave your home on Christmas Day in England, you are unlikely to see more than a handful of people. In the UK, Christmas Day means deserted town centres, with nearly everything except restaurants and pubs closed. That is definitely not the case in New York.</span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">After a lovely breakfast at our hotel, and a bit of a wander around by the shop windows in Fifth Avenue, it was time to head over to Radio City Music Hall.</span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">To read more, <a href="http://21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2011/12/26_Christmas_Day_in_New_York_City.html" target="_blank">please click here.</a>..</span></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/31552396-4209663793758396471?l=21stcenturyhousewife.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>The 21st Century Housewife©http://www.blogger.com/profile/08960965411211616404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552396.post-37334909368532181842011-12-24T23:39:00.001Z2011-12-24T23:39:57.171ZMerry Christmas!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iRaLWKR19zU/TvZioGgNMUI/AAAAAAAADyU/bjyGjS6EfZ0/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iRaLWKR19zU/TvZioGgNMUI/AAAAAAAADyU/bjyGjS6EfZ0/s320/1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">From my family to yours, wishes to you and yours for a Christmas full of blessings, joy and hope. </span></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/31552396-3733490936853218184?l=21stcenturyhousewife.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>The 21st Century Housewife©http://www.blogger.com/profile/08960965411211616404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552396.post-3329629645810642402011-12-24T23:30:00.002Z2011-12-24T23:31:49.708ZChristmas Eve in New York City<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SVEZmfGDbwk/TvZgXq7EQYI/AAAAAAAADyI/1KW9fHFAZxw/s1600/DSC_0548.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SVEZmfGDbwk/TvZgXq7EQYI/AAAAAAAADyI/1KW9fHFAZxw/s320/DSC_0548.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">New York is one of our favourite cities, so it was a real pleasure to find out we would be spending Christmas here this year. We’ve had a number of really wonderful trips to New York City, visiting at least twice a year, but New York is always extra special at Christmastime.</span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">To read more,<a href="http://21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2011/12/24_Christmas_Eve_in_New_York.html" target="_blank"> please click here</a>...</span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/31552396-332962964581064240?l=21stcenturyhousewife.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>The 21st Century Housewife©http://www.blogger.com/profile/08960965411211616404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552396.post-24330680909653232712011-12-23T02:41:00.000Z2011-12-23T02:42:40.614ZMaking a Christmas Wreath at Green Parlour<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cejcARQXpPc/TvPp9ef2yNI/AAAAAAAADx4/WPVkHJ88W6o/s1600/DSC_0532.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cejcARQXpPc/TvPp9ef2yNI/AAAAAAAADx4/WPVkHJ88W6o/s320/DSC_0532.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="paragraph_style_1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 53px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 1; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2011/9/22_Flower_Arranging_for_Beginners_or_Inspiration_for_Experts.html" style="text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank" title="http://21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2011/9/22_Flower_Arranging_for_Beginners_or_Inspiration_for_Experts.html">Having already attended one flower arranging class</a> at <a href="http://www.greenparlour.com/" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="http://www.greenparlour.com/">Green Parlour’s</a> Flower School, I knew that I would enjoy their Wreath Making Class. I never thought I was particularly good at flower arranging, but Emma’s classes are so wonderful, even I can do beautiful things with flowers.</span></div><div class="paragraph_style_1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 53px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 1; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="paragraph_style_1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 53px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 1; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To read more, <a href="http://21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2011/12/23_Wreath_Making_at_The_Green_Parlour.html" target="_blank">please click here</a>...</span></div><div><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/31552396-2433068090965323271?l=21stcenturyhousewife.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>The 21st Century Housewife©http://www.blogger.com/profile/08960965411211616404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552396.post-80128241150953775162011-12-21T08:55:00.001Z2011-12-21T08:57:08.466ZLet's Do Brunch with The 21st Century Housewife<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-G-JLVfyYatY/TvGe2pMA7vI/AAAAAAAADxg/ZW8u-mNa1aY/s1600/Brunch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-G-JLVfyYatY/TvGe2pMA7vI/AAAAAAAADxg/ZW8u-mNa1aY/s1600/Brunch.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Thank you for joining us for Let’s Do Brunch, the recipe exchange for breakfast, lunch and brunch recipes. We always enjoy visiting your posts and trying out the wonderful new ideas you share. Thank you to everyone who contributed last week. My co-host, <a href="http://sweetsav.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Chaya of My Sweet and Savory</a> has chosen some of her highlights from last week’s hop, and this week I have chosen to highlight two lovely quick breads. </span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">To read more, and share your recipes,<a href="http://21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2011/12/21_Lets_Do_Brunch.html" target="_blank"> please click here</a>...</span></span></div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/31552396-8012824115095377516?l=21stcenturyhousewife.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>The 21st Century Housewife©http://www.blogger.com/profile/08960965411211616404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552396.post-404542349051382652011-12-20T08:45:00.000Z2011-12-20T08:45:19.936ZThe Hearth and Soul Hop<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Blog.html" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="Hearth & Soul Hop" border="0" src="http://premeditatedleftovers.com/hearthnsoul150.jpg" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br /><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;">Welcome to the Hearth and Soul Hop, the blog carnival for and about food that nourishes both body and soul. </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;">To read more and to share your recipes, <a href="http://www.21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2011/12/20_The_Hearth_and_Soul_Blog_Hop_with_The_21st_Century_Housewife.html" target="_blank">please click here</a>...</span></div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/31552396-40454234905138265?l=21stcenturyhousewife.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>The 21st Century Housewife©http://www.blogger.com/profile/08960965411211616404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552396.post-42436640460294764842011-12-19T14:47:00.000Z2011-12-19T14:47:19.076ZMarzipan Dates<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0jHMzrJAIYM/Tu9ONXiSE_I/AAAAAAAADxQ/czl6geh44Zg/s1600/IMG_5176.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0jHMzrJAIYM/Tu9ONXiSE_I/AAAAAAAADxQ/czl6geh44Zg/s320/IMG_5176.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">When my husband was little, his Granddad Pip made Marzipan Dates every Christmas. They became the stuff of memory, and every year my husband makes a big batch in honour of his Granddad and those days gone by.</span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Like my husband’s Granddad, these treats were Victorian in origin. They would have been referred to as ‘sweetmeats’ when he (Granddad) was growing up, and were often eaten at the end of a meal. Sweetmeats originally referred to offal, but from the Victorian era the word came to mean sweet, candied or glacé fruit.</span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Marzipan dates could not be easier to make, and packaged in pretty containers they make a lovely gift. </span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">To read more, <a href="http://www.21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2011/12/19_Marzipan_Dates.html" target="_blank">please click here</a>...</span></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/31552396-4243664046029476484?l=21stcenturyhousewife.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>The 21st Century Housewife©http://www.blogger.com/profile/08960965411211616404noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552396.post-57237468454363458012011-12-16T12:40:00.000Z2011-12-16T12:40:32.117ZThe Gallery of Favorites #18<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Blog.html" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="Gallery of Favorites" border="0" src="http://premeditatedleftovers.com/gallery_250.jpg" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br /><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><a href="http://premeditatedleftovers.com/" target="_blank">Alea of Premeditated Leftovers </a>and I want to welcome you to the eighteenth edition of our weekend blog hop, The Gallery of Favorites. </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;">Before I share our featured post from last week, I want to let you know that the Gallery of Favorites will be taking a short break for Christmas, so there will be no Gallery post on Friday December 23rd. We will return on December 30th for a special New Year’s Eve edition of the Gallery, when we will be encouraging you to share your favorite post of the year from your blog, in addition to a more recent post you are proud of. </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;">Thank you to everyone who shared posts last week. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;">To read more, and to share your posts, <a href="http://www.21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2011/12/16_The_Gallery_of_Favorites.html" target="_blank">please click here.</a>..</span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/31552396-5723746845436345801?l=21stcenturyhousewife.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>The 21st Century Housewife©http://www.blogger.com/profile/08960965411211616404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552396.post-29054020924586896842011-12-16T00:20:00.000Z2011-12-16T00:20:33.257ZTraditional British Christmas Cake<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CQA95bd2xIQ/TuqN7VyuE2I/AAAAAAAADv8/uz3sfBOF3tM/s1600/IMG_6643.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CQA95bd2xIQ/TuqN7VyuE2I/AAAAAAAADv8/uz3sfBOF3tM/s320/IMG_6643.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Ever since the Victorian era Christmas cake has been a big part of British holiday celebrations. We had our Christmas celebration with my husband’s family last Saturday and our nephew Ashley had made the cake from his paternal Great Grandmother’s recipe. (We all knew her as ‘Nana’. You may remember <a href="http://www.21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2011/11/20_Stir_Up_Sunday.html" target="_blank">I wrote about her Christmas pudding earlier this year</a>.)</span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Both Ashley and his twin brother Connor are great cooks (Connor made a wonderful pear trifle for our holiday celebrations). The thing was, I’ve eaten the cake made from Nana’s recipe many times before, but this time it was extra delicious. I asked Ashley what he had done to make it so exceptional. Turns out the original recipe only calls for a tablespoon of rum, but Ashley soaked the fruit overnight and used ‘about a quarter of a bottle’ (about ¾ cup). As a result the cake was much moister than I ever remember it being and not surprisingly, the rum gave it a wonderful boozy hit that really enhanced the flavour. To read more, <a href="http://www.21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2011/12/15_Traditional_British_Christmas_Cake.html" target="_blank">please click here</a>...</span></span></div><div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/31552396-2905402092458689684?l=21stcenturyhousewife.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>The 21st Century Housewife©http://www.blogger.com/profile/08960965411211616404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552396.post-81058487918743198872011-12-15T15:16:00.000Z2011-12-15T15:16:31.436ZHaving Yourself a Merry Little Christmas<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7nIXPMwZplc/TuoPGqLx82I/AAAAAAAADvo/IL8W_36VKbE/s1600/iStock_000014229117XSmall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7nIXPMwZplc/TuoPGqLx82I/AAAAAAAADvo/IL8W_36VKbE/s320/iStock_000014229117XSmall.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="paragraph_style_1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 1; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Advertisers would have us believe that we are all meant to be sailing serenely through the holiday season, joyfully celebrating a Hallmark-style Christmas and New Year, looking flawless and feeling great. The reality is that most of us have to do lists that have taken on lives of their own. We are overstretched, overtired, and prone to hysterical laughter when someone asks us to do ‘one more thing’. The whole beyond wonderful reason for the holiday season gets totally lost in the quest for how things ought to be, as we try to fulfil endless expectations (both our own and other people’s). It really is nothing to do with decorations, cards or presents, yet even the most spiritual of us can get lost in the ‘busyness’ of Christmas. Let me be the one to urge you - even give you permission if you need it - to step back. </span></div><div class="paragraph_style_1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 1; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="paragraph_style_1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 1; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It’s time to remember that everyone is supposed to be enjoying this wonderful time of year - and that everyone includes you. Need some help? </span></div><div class="paragraph_style_1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 1; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="paragraph_style_1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 1; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To read more, <a href="http://www.21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2011/12/15_Having_Yourself_a_Merry_Little_Christmas.html" target="_blank">please click here...</a></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/31552396-8105848791874319887?l=21stcenturyhousewife.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>The 21st Century Housewife©http://www.blogger.com/profile/08960965411211616404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552396.post-59540117714757906612011-12-14T08:57:00.002Z2011-12-14T08:57:55.725ZLet's Do Brunch with The 21st Century Housewife<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HqBMeTNSDx0/Tuhk15oYR8I/AAAAAAAADvQ/HgXps8lCIhQ/s1600/Brunch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HqBMeTNSDx0/Tuhk15oYR8I/AAAAAAAADvQ/HgXps8lCIhQ/s1600/Brunch.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">What have you been cooking for breakfast, lunch or brunch this week? Share it with us! Any dish that would work for any of these three meals or as part of a brunch buffet is welcome at</span> Let’s Do Brunch, the recipe exchange for breakfast, lunch and brunch recipes. </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">To see last week's featured recipes, and to share yours, <a href="http://www.21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2011/12/13_Lets_Do_Brunch.html" target="_blank">please click here</a>...</span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></b></div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><br /></span></div><br /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/31552396-5954011771475790661?l=21stcenturyhousewife.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>The 21st Century Housewife©http://www.blogger.com/profile/08960965411211616404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552396.post-35222184621500143082011-12-14T07:45:00.000Z2011-12-14T07:45:49.505ZEcover News!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-as7RmCJbpWE/TuhT230-rGI/AAAAAAAADvI/EAYupLg2IR4/s1600/Image+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-as7RmCJbpWE/TuhT230-rGI/AAAAAAAADvI/EAYupLg2IR4/s320/Image+2.jpg" width="126" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">For the second year running, eco-friendly cleaning brand <a href="http://www.ecover.com/" target="_blank"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;">Ecover</span></a> has been awarded the prestigious Prima Baby Platinum Award. The readers of <a href="http://www.babyexpert.com/" target="_blank"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;">Prima Baby magazine</span></a>, have now chosen Ecover as the best green brand in both 2010 and 2011. Awarded best buy because “the products work really well, while being kind to the environment” and best value because “the products help make ‘going green’ easy and affordable” – the readers of <i>Prima Baby</i> use Ecover’s plant and mineral-based products to help make their lives that little bit easier. </span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">To read more, <a href="http://www.21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2011/12/12_Entry_1.html" target="_blank">please click here..</a>.</span></span></div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><br /></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/31552396-3522218462150014308?l=21stcenturyhousewife.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>The 21st Century Housewife©http://www.blogger.com/profile/08960965411211616404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552396.post-17612658411808162592011-12-13T09:28:00.000Z2011-12-13T09:28:25.719ZThe Hearth and Soul Hop 13th December 2011<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Blog.html" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="Hearth & Soul Hop" border="0" src="http://premeditatedleftovers.com/hearthnsoul150.jpg" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br /><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;">Welcome to the Hearth and Soul Hop, the blog carnival for and about food that nourishes both body and soul. </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;">To read more, <a href="http://www.21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2011/12/13_The_Hearth_and_Soul_Hop_with_The_21st_Century_Housewife.html" target="_blank">please click here</a>...</span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/31552396-1761265841180816259?l=21stcenturyhousewife.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>The 21st Century Housewife©http://www.blogger.com/profile/08960965411211616404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552396.post-39606107363490363812011-12-12T15:42:00.002Z2011-12-12T15:43:26.269ZMoroccan Vegetable Tagine<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XhFLJRjUSMQ/TuYgwrAm7bI/AAAAAAAADvA/CecFHm3ev5Y/s1600/Moroccan+Tagine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XhFLJRjUSMQ/TuYgwrAm7bI/AAAAAAAADvA/CecFHm3ev5Y/s320/Moroccan+Tagine.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Before I start, allow me to confess that I have a) never been to Morocco and b) do not own a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tajine" target="_blank">tagine</a>. However, while this recipe may not be authentic in its preparation or the length of its ingredient list, it is definitely reminiscent of the dishes I have eaten in Moroccan restaurants. The subtle, warming spiciness of harissa lifts the roasted veggies to new flavour heights and has made this dish an overnight family favorite. </span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">To read more, <a href="http://www.21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2011/12/12_Moroccan_Vegetable_Tagine.html" target="_blank">please click here</a>...</span></span></div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/31552396-3960610736349036381?l=21stcenturyhousewife.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>The 21st Century Housewife©http://www.blogger.com/profile/08960965411211616404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552396.post-64893325143929772962011-12-11T09:29:00.001Z2011-12-11T09:47:09.447ZCoconut, Date and Cherry Christmas Squares<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D4dhiFboffY/TuR76_PhzFI/AAAAAAAADuo/V3iNhx0BOfo/s1600/Auntie+Irene+Xmas+Squares.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="268" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D4dhiFboffY/TuR76_PhzFI/AAAAAAAADuo/V3iNhx0BOfo/s320/Auntie+Irene+Xmas+Squares.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The Christmas season inevitably brings back memories of loved ones who are no longer with us, and I often think of my lovely Aunt Irene. Auntie Irene was one of my Dad’s sisters. A tiny lady, not much more than five feet tall, she had sparkling eyes and the most remarkable, joyful laugh I have ever heard. She was vibrant, vivacious, and she had the coolest floral bathing caps this side of, well, I don’t really know where, but trust me, they were cool. The family often gathered at her house, which was beside the rather aptly named Paradise Lake. My Dad and Grandpa taught me how to swim there, and we’d have campfires in the evening. Auntie Irene was always in the background - getting people drinks, sitting by the lake and laughing. </span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">To read more, and for the recipe, <a href="http://www.21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2011/12/9_Coconut_Date_and_Cherry_Christmas_Squares.html" target="_blank">please click here</a>...</span></span></div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><br /></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/31552396-6489332514392977296?l=21stcenturyhousewife.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>The 21st Century Housewife©http://www.blogger.com/profile/08960965411211616404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552396.post-54784595334664604772011-12-09T09:37:00.001Z2011-12-09T09:40:02.775ZThe Gallery of Favorites #17<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Blog.html" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="Gallery of Favorites" border="0" src="http://premeditatedleftovers.com/gallery_250.jpg" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br /><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><a href="http://premeditatedleftovers.com/" target="_blank">Alea of Premeditated Leftovers </a>and I want to welcome you to the seventeenth edition of our weekend blog hop, The Gallery of Favorites. </span>The Gallery of Favorites is a place for you to feature favorite posts from your own blog. Although Alea and I both spend a lot of our time writing about food, we do have many other interests and know that our readers do as well. The Gallery of Favorites is a place for all bloggers - not just food bloggers - to share their ideas, interests and passions. Of course, recipe and food posts are very welcome too!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span>To read more, and to share your posts, <a href="http://www.21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2011/12/9_The_Gallery_of_Favorites.html" target="_blank">please click here</a>...</span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/31552396-5478459533466460477?l=21stcenturyhousewife.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>The 21st Century Housewife©http://www.blogger.com/profile/08960965411211616404noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552396.post-41713570323565618782011-12-08T10:09:00.001Z2011-12-08T10:37:41.438ZCafédirect Coffee Matching Champion Announced<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hVuSOIdiugs/TuCNYCHQSsI/AAAAAAAADuM/b0v1hLvBzxw/s1600/388964_10150384612281247_49350011246_8577523_1156442138_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hVuSOIdiugs/TuCNYCHQSsI/AAAAAAAADuM/b0v1hLvBzxw/s320/388964_10150384612281247_49350011246_8577523_1156442138_n.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Recently, <a href="http://www.21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2011/10/19_An_Lovely_Evening_of_Food_and_Coffee_Matching.html" target="_blank">I attended a coffee matching event hosted by Cafédirect</a> with some of my fellow London bloggers, where we learned how the type coffee served with a dessert is just as important as the wine chosen to serve with the starter and main course. It was all part of an initiative by <a href="http://www.cafedirect.co.uk/" target="_blank">Cafédirect</a> to encourage the British public to explore coffee in much the way a sommelier does wine. </span> Just as different wines have distinctive regional characteristics dependent on factors such as soil, climate and altitude, the same is true for coffee. </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/cafedirect" target="_blank">Cafédirect</a> then opened a competition to the public, challenging them to create the perfect dessert recipe to pair with one of their single origin coffees, for the chance to win the dream foodie prize of £500 to spend at celebrated gourmet cookery school <a href="http://www.atelierdeschefs.co.uk/?gclid=CI3N2ZiL8qwCFUEntAodzAN5_Q" target="_blank">L’atelier des Chefs </a>and feature in a limited edition recipe book. </span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I was asked to go along to Cafédirect’s London headquarters to help judge the competition, along with the Head Chef at L’atelier des Chefs, Andre Dupin and Cafédirect coffee expert Thierry Akroman. We were presented with a wonderful array of desserts to sample, alongside the coffees the entrants had matched them with. </span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">To read more, and see the winning recipe, <a href="http://www.21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2011/12/8_Cafedirect_Coffee_Matching_Champion_Announced.html" target="_blank">please click here...</a></span></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/31552396-4171357032356561878?l=21stcenturyhousewife.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>The 21st Century Housewife©http://www.blogger.com/profile/08960965411211616404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552396.post-74878882655419734932011-12-07T10:33:00.001Z2011-12-07T12:46:44.058ZLet's Do Brunch<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8avPWjBZYcU/Tt9BOveswnI/AAAAAAAADt8/0dQtLId_WPE/s1600/Brunch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8avPWjBZYcU/Tt9BOveswnI/AAAAAAAADt8/0dQtLId_WPE/s1600/Brunch.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Thank you for joining us for Let’s Do Brunch, the recipe exchange for breakfast, lunch and brunch recipes. We always enjoy visiting your posts and trying out your tasty offerings. Thank you to everyone who contributed last week. My co-host, <a href="http://sweetsav.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Chaya of My Sweet and Savory</a> has chosen some of her highlights from last week’s hop, and here are some of mine. </span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">To read more, and to share your recipes,<a href="http://www.21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2011/12/7_Lets_Do_Brunch.html" target="_blank"> please click here</a>...</span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/31552396-7487888265541973493?l=21stcenturyhousewife.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>The 21st Century Housewife©http://www.blogger.com/profile/08960965411211616404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552396.post-29750676539476209772011-12-06T09:00:00.001Z2011-12-06T09:02:55.280ZThe Hearth and Soul Hop with The 21st Century Housewife<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Blog.html" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Hearth & Soul Hop" border="0" src="http://premeditatedleftovers.com/hearthnsoul150.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Welcome to the Hearth and Soul Hop, the blog carnival for and about food that nourishes both body and soul. </span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">We share links to Hearth and Soul entries at our <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hearth-and-Soul-Recipes/262817927063247#!/pages/Hearth-and-Soul-Recipes/262817927063247?sk=app_154272794636138"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-decoration: underline;">Hearth and Soul Facebook Page</span></a> and <a href="http://pinterest.com/hearthnsoulhop/"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-decoration: underline;">Pinterest Boards</span></a>, and please do come and follow us on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/HearthNSoulHop"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-decoration: underline;">@HearthNSoulHop</span></a>. Alea has also created a new Hearth and Soul Paper.li for us on Twitter as well. </span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Thank you to everyone who shared recipes and posts with us last week. </span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">To read more, and to share your recipes, <a href="http://www.21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2011/12/5_The_Hearth_and_Soul_Hop_with_The_21st_Century_Housewife.html" target="_blank">please click here</a>...</span></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/31552396-2975067653947620977?l=21stcenturyhousewife.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>The 21st Century Housewife©http://www.blogger.com/profile/08960965411211616404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552396.post-49488907289908825542011-12-05T19:23:00.001Z2011-12-05T19:25:08.490ZStress Free Holiday Entertaining<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gGRE7ujP7w8/Tt0abtupI_I/AAAAAAAADt0/HTE_28-jxQk/s1600/iStock_000017454305XSmall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gGRE7ujP7w8/Tt0abtupI_I/AAAAAAAADt0/HTE_28-jxQk/s320/iStock_000017454305XSmall.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">This is the time of year we all love to entertain, but with mile long to do lists and lots of pressures, it’s also the time we get most worked up about it. So how to give a holiday party without breaking the bank and exhausting yourself? It’s easy when you know how. </span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">My husband and I have always loved to entertain, and have given loads of parties over the years, both at home and in larger outside venues. One of our favourite things is to do is invite people to our home for cocktails - or what we like to call our ‘drinks and nibbles’ parties. We generally host about 30 to 40 people at a time, but with a bit of advance planning and just a tiny bit of organisation, we both enjoy ourselves just as much as our guests do. Here are some of my top tips and suggestions to help you enjoy holiday entertaining as much as we do.</span></span></div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To read more, <a href="http://www.21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2011/12/5_Stress-Free_Holiday_Entertaining.html" target="_blank">please click here</a>...</span></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/31552396-4948890728990882554?l=21stcenturyhousewife.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>The 21st Century Housewife©http://www.blogger.com/profile/08960965411211616404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552396.post-82089945022768297142011-12-02T08:23:00.001Z2011-12-02T08:29:22.594ZThe Gallery of Favorites<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Blog.html" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Gallery of Favorites" border="0" src="http://premeditatedleftovers.com/gallery_250.jpg" /></a><a href="http://premeditatedleftovers.com/"> </a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://premeditatedleftovers.com/">Alea of Premeditated Leftovers </a>and I want to welcome you to the sixteenth edition of our weekend blog hop, The Gallery of Favorites. </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 20px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Thank you to everyone who shared their posts last week. I was really pleased to see posts on so many different topics, and I enjoyed reading them all. This week Alea and I are featuring</span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">To read more, and to share your favorite posts from your own blog, <a href="http://www.21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2011/12/1_The_Gallery_of_Favorites.html" target="_blank">please click here</a>...</span></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/31552396-8208994502276829714?l=21stcenturyhousewife.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>The 21st Century Housewife©http://www.blogger.com/profile/08960965411211616404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552396.post-17272831941294701522011-12-01T10:54:00.001Z2011-12-01T11:22:52.223ZVery Versatile Slice and Bake Cookies<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZNT0yCuVH-w/TtdjWlfpFxI/AAAAAAAADtc/7Y5Ns-ua0po/s1600/Basic+Slice+and+Bake+Cookie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZNT0yCuVH-w/TtdjWlfpFxI/AAAAAAAADtc/7Y5Ns-ua0po/s320/Basic+Slice+and+Bake+Cookie.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I’ve been playing around with slice and bake cookies recently, so you may already have seen my <a href="http://www.21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2011/11/14_Slice_and_Bake_Peanut_Butter_and_Honey_Cookies.html">Peanut Butter and Honey Slice and Bake Cookies</a> or my <a href="http://www.21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2011/11/7_Slice_and_Bake_Chocolate_Chip_Cookies.html">Chocolate Chip Slice and Bakes</a>. Based on an old family recipe my late Mom shared with me, this recipe is just a plain cookie, but it has loads of room for variations, and you name it, I’ve tried it! The version I make most often is vanilla nut because it has a chewy butterscotch-y flavour I can’t get enough of. However, the possibilities are endless. </span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"></span></span></span></div><div class="paragraph_style_1" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 1; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="style_1" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; line-height: 20px;">You can use any flavouring you like</span> - vanilla, almond, maple, anise, anything else that tickles your fancy</span></div><div class="paragraph_style_1" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 1; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div class="paragraph_style_2" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 1; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">You can add half a cup to 1 cup of any kind of chopped nuts or dried fruit - <span class="style_2" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; line-height: 20px;">walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, raisins, apricots, dates - the only limit is your imagination</span></span></div><div class="paragraph_style_2" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 1; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="style_2" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="paragraph_style_2" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 1; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">You can add 2 to 3 teaspoons of any sort of spices<span class="style_2" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; line-height: 20px;"> - cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg all work really well</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="style_2" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></span></div><br /><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">To read more, <a href="http://www.21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2011/12/1_Very_Versatile_Slice_and_Bake_Cookies.html" target="_blank">please click here...</a></span></div><div style="color: #ae784a; font: 16.0px Palatino; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 20.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/31552396-1727283194129470152?l=21stcenturyhousewife.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>The 21st Century Housewife©http://www.blogger.com/profile/08960965411211616404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552396.post-55792411239615813032011-11-30T19:52:00.001Z2011-11-30T19:52:09.024ZLet's Do Brunch with The 21st Century Housewife<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xlM23WC2IOc/TtaImYKAS1I/AAAAAAAADtU/W4qqxd9KdZ8/s1600/Brunch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xlM23WC2IOc/TtaImYKAS1I/AAAAAAAADtU/W4qqxd9KdZ8/s1600/Brunch.jpg" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><br /><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Thank you for joining us for Let’s Do Brunch, the recipe exchange for breakfast, lunch and brunch recipes. My co-host, <a href="http://sweetsav.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Chaya of My Sweet and Savory </a>and I always enjoy the great inspiration we find when we visit your posts!</span></div></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 20px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Thank you to everyone who contributed last week. There was definitely some great brunch inspiration! </span></div></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">To see last week's featured recipes, and to share your own, <a href="http://www.21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2011/11/29_Lets_Do_Brunch.html" target="_blank">please click here...</a></span></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/31552396-5579241123961581303?l=21stcenturyhousewife.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>The 21st Century Housewife©http://www.blogger.com/profile/08960965411211616404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552396.post-75833495739993628912011-11-29T22:14:00.001Z2011-11-29T22:22:36.796ZMade In Provence<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IvuQVNs8OPo/TtVa2uzPgGI/AAAAAAAADs8/IelR0cor_Qg/s1600/Made+in+Provence.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IvuQVNs8OPo/TtVa2uzPgGI/AAAAAAAADs8/IelR0cor_Qg/s320/Made+in+Provence.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.madeinprovence.co.uk/index.htm" target="_blank">Made in Provence </a>is a delightful company that provides everyone with the chance to experience a little taste of Provence. Offering traditional and authentic handmade specialities, the Made in Provence range includes jams, chutneys, honey, nougat, and other treats, as well as beautifully scented soaps, lavender bags, organic shower gels, natural candles and home fragrances. Their products are sourced from small established artisans in Provence who believe in traditional craftsmanship and are passionate about their culture and history. </span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I met Christine Vidal, the owner of Made in Provence, at Masterchef Live and was interested to learn more about her very interesting business. To read more,<a href="http://www.21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2011/11/29_Made_in_Provence.html" target="_blank"> please click here</a>...</span></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/31552396-7583349573999362891?l=21stcenturyhousewife.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>The 21st Century Housewife©http://www.blogger.com/profile/08960965411211616404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552396.post-84414458864432132882011-11-29T08:50:00.001Z2011-11-29T08:52:12.088ZThe Hearth and Soul Hop<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Blog.html" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="Hearth & Soul Hop" border="0" src="http://premeditatedleftovers.com/hearthnsoul150.jpg" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br /><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;">Welcome to another Hearth and Soul Hop, the blog carnival for and about food that nourishes both body and soul. </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;">We share links to Hearth and Soul entries at our <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hearth-and-Soul-Recipes/262817927063247#!/pages/Hearth-and-Soul-Recipes/262817927063247?sk=app_154272794636138"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-decoration: underline;">Hearth and Soul Facebook Page</span></a> and <a href="http://pinterest.com/hearthnsoulhop/"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-decoration: underline;">Pinterest Boards</span></a>, and please do come and follow us on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/HearthNSoulHop"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-decoration: underline;">@HearthNSoulHop</span></a>.</span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;">Thank you to everyone who shared recipes with us last week. I enjoyed reading all the posts I visited and found some great recipe inspiration as well. </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;">To read more, and share your recipes, <a href="http://www.21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2011/11/29_The_Hearth_and_Soul_Hop_with_The_21st_Century_Housewife.html" target="_blank">please click here</a>...</span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/31552396-8441445886443213288?l=21stcenturyhousewife.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>The 21st Century Housewife©http://www.blogger.com/profile/08960965411211616404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552396.post-82317700303450009912011-11-28T12:13:00.001Z2011-11-28T14:01:05.929ZCreamy Stuffed Leeks<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-b-vTcnk5fyM/TtN7chMd4iI/AAAAAAAADr4/YiLYnJIIFfg/s1600/Leeks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="252" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-b-vTcnk5fyM/TtN7chMd4iI/AAAAAAAADr4/YiLYnJIIFfg/s320/Leeks.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I saw a recipe similar to this in BBC Good Food’s Christmas Vegetarian issue and could not resist trying it. We love leeks, and they really are much easier to prepare than many people think. </span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Good Food’s recipe was presented as a vegetarian main course for one, so I increased the quantities to serve 2 or 3 and got a bit more imaginative with the filling (the original main ingredients were simply couscous and leek). The recipe did suggest that you might be able to push the middle of the leek out and stuff it without making a vertical cut in the leek, but one attempt at this convinced me that life is definitely too short! Making and a vertical cut down the length of each leek makes this dish much easier to prepare and when the dish is cooked you honestly can’t see how you stuffed them. </span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">This time of year, the outer leaves of the leeks can be quite tough, so I recommend you remove the outer two or three layers. I didn’t do this the first time round, and I had to use a steak knife to cut into the leeks! Subsequent versions of the recipe were much more tender with the outer layers removed. </span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Adapted from BBC Good Food Christmas Vegetarian December 2011</span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">3 to 4 large fat leeks, trimmed and washed</span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">2 tablespoons finely chopped red pepper</span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">2 tablespoons finely chopped mushrooms (about two large mushrooms)</span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">2 tablespoons butter</span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">1 small clove garlic</span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">2 tablespoons white wine</span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">¼ cup couscous</span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">¼ cup vegetable stock</span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">½ teaspoon dried oregano</span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">a pinch or two of freshly ground pepper</span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon vegetarian Parmesan style cheese</span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons double (heavy) cream </span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Preheat the oven to 400 F or 200 C. </span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Wash the outside of the leeks, remove the very bottom and cut the dark green part off the tops. Make a vertical cut halfway through each leek from top to bottom. Rinse between the layers, but keep the leek together. Drain slightly and pat dry. </span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Discard the two or three tough outer layers of the leek, leaving enough layers to stuff. Remove the very centre layers of the leek, leaving a good few layers to make the outer tube. Finely chop the inner layers of the leek. </span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Preheat the oven to 400ºF (200ºC) or 375ºF or 180ºC for a fan oven.</span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Melt the butter in a medium saucepan with a lid over medium heat. </span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Add the finely chopped inner layers of the leek to the pan together with the chopped red pepper and mushrooms. Sauté gently for about 10 minutes until everything is nice and soft. </span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Add the garlic, oregano, pepper and the wine and cook for one minute more. Stir in the couscous and the stock, remove from the heat and cover with a lid. Let sit for five minutes. </span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Fork through the couscous and vegetable mixture. Still using a fork, stir in the 2 tablespoons of cream and the one tablespoon of the parmesan style cheese. Taste for seasoning and add salt and more pepper if necessary. </span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Carefully open the whole leeks and stuff them with about 1 to 2 tablespoons of the filling. Shape the outer layers back around the stuffing tightly. Cut each leek in half and place in a large casserole dish. Fit the leeks in snugly, so they help hold each other together. </span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Pour the ¼ cup cream over top of the leeks and sprinkle the ¼ cup Parmesan style cheese over the top. Bake the leeks for 25 to 30 minutes, until the leeks are tender and the sauce is bubbling. </span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Serve with a lightly dressed salad and warm rolls. </span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/31552396-8231770030345000991?l=21stcenturyhousewife.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>The 21st Century Housewife©http://www.blogger.com/profile/08960965411211616404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552396.post-41137948549008666822011-11-25T08:35:00.001Z2011-11-25T08:41:55.297ZThe Gallery of Favorites #15<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Blog.html" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Gallery of Favorites" border="0" src="http://premeditatedleftovers.com/gallery_250.jpg" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><a href="http://premeditatedleftovers.com/">Alea of Premeditated Leftovers </a>and I want to welcome you to the fifteenth edition of our weekend blog hop, The Gallery of Favorites. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span><br /><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Gallery of Favorites is a place for you to feature favorite posts from your own blog. Although Alea and I both spend a lot of our time writing about food, we have many other interests and know that our readers do as well. The Gallery of Favorites is a place for all bloggers - not just food bloggers - to share their ideas, interests and passions. </span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;">To read more, and to share your posts, <a href="http://www.21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2011/11/25_The_Gallery_of_Favorites.html" target="_blank">please click here</a>...</span></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/31552396-4113794854900866682?l=21stcenturyhousewife.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>The 21st Century Housewife©http://www.blogger.com/profile/08960965411211616404noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552396.post-77230738895286386892011-11-24T12:57:00.001Z2011-11-24T13:02:36.825ZA Case for Thanksgiving<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-H33gNJNw8nU/Ts4_a88bgYI/AAAAAAAADrw/rPY__goy9xc/s1600/iStock_000018024975XSmall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-H33gNJNw8nU/Ts4_a88bgYI/AAAAAAAADrw/rPY__goy9xc/s320/iStock_000018024975XSmall.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">There is no official Thanksgiving in the United Kingdom. There is a Harvest Festival celebration here in October, but as a religious festival many people are unfortunately barely aware of it. It also focuses on the harvest, which of course benefits us all, but does not bring a broader attitude of gratitude into the mix. I think this is rather sad. In the modern world, assailed by advertising and the media, it’s easy to be swallowed up by the culture of “I want” where our day to day blessings are simply ignored. Without some sort of official corporate non-denominational celebration of gratitude for our blessings, there is a risk people rush discontented through their lives completely oblivious of all the things we have to be grateful for. </span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">To read more,<a href="http://www.21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2011/11/24_A_Case_for_Thanksgiving.html" target="_blank"> please click here</a>...</span></span></div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><br /></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/31552396-7723073889528638689?l=21stcenturyhousewife.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>The 21st Century Housewife©http://www.blogger.com/profile/08960965411211616404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552396.post-1340037678075787702011-11-23T11:29:00.001Z2011-11-23T11:31:43.262ZLet's Do Brunch<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2Qn_pF5plTc/TszZcjojabI/AAAAAAAADrE/GT8C0F1dQTE/s1600/Brunch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2Qn_pF5plTc/TszZcjojabI/AAAAAAAADrE/GT8C0F1dQTE/s1600/Brunch.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Thank you for joining us for another edition of Let’s Do Brunch, the recipe exchange for breakfast, lunch and brunch recipes. My co-host, <a href="http://sweetsav.blogspot.com/2011/11/lets-do-brunch_22.html">Chaya of My Sweet and Savory</a> and I always enjoy visiting your posts, and often discover new blogs and make new friends as we visit.</span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Thank you to everyone who contributed last week. I must apologise as I am still working my way through commenting on many of the posts, but I have thoroughly enjoyed visiting them all. </span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">To see last week's highlighted posts, and to share your recipes, <a href="http://www.21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2011/11/23_Lets_Do_Brunch.html" target="_blank">please click here</a>...</span></span></div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><br /></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/31552396-134003767807578770?l=21stcenturyhousewife.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>The 21st Century Housewife©http://www.blogger.com/profile/08960965411211616404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552396.post-33133663655410219232011-11-23T11:25:00.001Z2011-11-23T11:28:18.256ZTwelve Colorful Things by Heather Tietz<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zD3Tm5dEDBM/TszYqSw7L4I/AAAAAAAADq4/gnP8eaRY7z0/s1600/DSC_3141.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="289" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zD3Tm5dEDBM/TszYqSw7L4I/AAAAAAAADq4/gnP8eaRY7z0/s320/DSC_3141.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Looking for a wonderful picture book for the little ones on your Christmas list this year? I’ve found a beautiful book by Heather Tietz that reminds me of my childhood favorites. </span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Entitled Twelve Colorful Things, Heather’s book explores the nature of giving and kindness through twelve months, twelve colors and twelve numbers. </span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">To read more, <a href="http://www.21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2011/11/23_Twelve_Colorful_Things_By_Heather_Tietz.html" target="_blank">please click here</a>...</span></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/31552396-3313366365541021923?l=21stcenturyhousewife.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>The 21st Century Housewife©http://www.blogger.com/profile/08960965411211616404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552396.post-86114833151765387612011-11-22T09:13:00.001Z2011-11-22T09:15:21.695ZThe Hearth and Soul Hop<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Blog.html" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Hearth & Soul Hop" border="0" src="http://premeditatedleftovers.com/hearthnsoul150.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Welcome to another Hearth and Soul Hop, the blog carnival for and about food that nourishes both body and soul. </span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">We share links to Hearth and Soul entries at our <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hearth-and-Soul-Recipes/262817927063247#!/pages/Hearth-and-Soul-Recipes/262817927063247?sk=app_154272794636138"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-decoration: underline;">Hearth and Soul Facebook Page</span></a> and <a href="http://pinterest.com/hearthnsoulhop/"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-decoration: underline;">Pinterest Boards</span></a>, and please do come and follow us on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/HearthNSoulHop"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-decoration: underline;">@HearthNSoulHop</span></a>.</span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Thank you to everyone who shared recipes with us last week. There were some wonderful posts, including some excellent Thanksgiving recipes. </span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">To read more, and to share your recipes, <a href="http://www.21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2011/11/22_The_Hearth_and_Soul_Hop_with_The_21st_Century_Housewife.html" target="_blank">please click here</a>...</span></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/31552396-8611483315176538761?l=21stcenturyhousewife.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>The 21st Century Housewife©http://www.blogger.com/profile/08960965411211616404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552396.post-47215230306732709432011-11-21T18:30:00.001Z2011-11-21T18:31:37.582ZMeatless Monday - Vegetarian Cabbage Rolls<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-o8ndLnMB-PM/TsqY3iZKmrI/AAAAAAAADqo/smK422hZudA/s1600/cabbage+rolls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-o8ndLnMB-PM/TsqY3iZKmrI/AAAAAAAADqo/smK422hZudA/s320/cabbage+rolls.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">My Mom used to make delicious cabbage rolls. They were the perfect comfort food on a cold day, steaming hot from the oven, covered in a delicious sauce. I remember her showing me how to make them one wintery afternoon well over twenty years ago, but for some reason I never attempted to make them on my own. I still haven’t actually attempted my Mom’s meaty version, but a few days ago I used what I remembered her teaching me to create a vegetarian one. It was so successful I will be attempting a version closer to hers very soon, but for the moment - and perfectly appropriate for Meatless Monday - here are my Vegetarian Cabbage Rolls.</span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">To read more, <a href="http://www.21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2011/11/21_Vegetarian_Cabbage_Rolls.html" target="_blank">please click here</a>...</span></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/31552396-4721523030673270943?l=21stcenturyhousewife.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>The 21st Century Housewife©http://www.blogger.com/profile/08960965411211616404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552396.post-12784689446068485762011-11-20T13:29:00.001Z2011-11-20T13:31:48.716ZStir Up Sunday<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yh84VciGhnw/TskBGMFLbMI/AAAAAAAADqg/5vPp6M5YV2o/s1600/iStock_000007832968XSmall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yh84VciGhnw/TskBGMFLbMI/AAAAAAAADqg/5vPp6M5YV2o/s320/iStock_000007832968XSmall.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Christmas pudding is the classic Christmas dessert in England, and it is traditionally made today, on Stir Up Sunday. Stir Up Sunday is the last Sunday before Advent, informally referred to as such because of the words in a prayer said in Anglican churches on this day - 'Stir up, we beseech thee, O Lord, the wills of thy faithful people; that they, plenteously bringing forth the fruit of good works, may of Thee be plenteously rewarded, through Jesus Christ our Lord'. Although this prayer actually had nothing to do with food or cooking, over the years it became associated with ‘stirring up’ the Christmas pudding, which needs a good few weeks to mature before it is served on Christmas Day. </span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">To read more, and for Christmas pudding recipes, <a href="http://www.21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2011/11/20_Stir_Up_Sunday.html" target="_blank">please click here</a>...</span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/31552396-1278468944606848576?l=21stcenturyhousewife.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>The 21st Century Housewife©http://www.blogger.com/profile/08960965411211616404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552396.post-13943609999643725662011-11-18T11:04:00.001Z2011-11-18T11:06:28.735ZThe Gallery of Favorites<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Blog.html" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Gallery of Favorites" border="0" src="http://premeditatedleftovers.com/gallery_250.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><a href="http://premeditatedleftovers.com/">Alea of Premeditated Leftovers </a>and I want to welcome you to the fourteenth edition of our weekend blog hop, The Gallery of Favorites. <b>After you link up your post, </b>Alea and I would like to invite you to <b>visit our Facebook pages and share a link to your blog or Facebook page</b>. You can find me on Facebook at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-21st-Century-Housewife/164637686901120?ref=ts" target="_blank">The 21st Century Housewife</a> and you can find Alea at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/premeditatedleftovers" target="_blank">Premeditated Leftovers</a> .</span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">To read more and to share your posts, <a href="http://www.21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2011/11/18_The_Gallery_of_Favorites.html" target="_blank">please click here</a>....</span></span></div><div style="color: #ae784a; font: 16.0px Palatino; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 20.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/31552396-1394360999964372566?l=21stcenturyhousewife.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>The 21st Century Housewife©http://www.blogger.com/profile/08960965411211616404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552396.post-29504939663093996082011-11-17T22:21:00.001Z2011-11-17T22:24:24.085ZMasterchef Live<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oPXar8uP8a0/TsWJOaHkNxI/AAAAAAAADqI/wH0n2iOgTeg/s1600/IMG_6625.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oPXar8uP8a0/TsWJOaHkNxI/AAAAAAAADqI/wH0n2iOgTeg/s320/IMG_6625.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With celebrity chef Michael Caines<br />photo credit Guy J Harris</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Every year in November, <a href="http://www.mastercheflive.com/">Masterchef Live </a>comes to London. It’s a wonderful show, an amalgamation of all things foodie.</span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">We arrived early and enjoyed refreshments in the VIP lounge before heading off to explore. Masterchef Live is a great place to discover some of the UK’s wonderful artisan producers. I found some really interesting new companies and products to share with you over the next few weeks.</span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">A relaxed and entertaining ‘wine walk’ with celebrity wine expert <a href="http://uktv.co.uk/food/chef/aid/530765">Joe Wadsack</a> was a great opportunity to discover some new-to-us wine producers and learn a bit more about some of our favourite grape varieties. </span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">To read more, <a href="http://www.21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2011/11/16_Masterchef_Live.html" target="_blank">please click here</a>...</span></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/31552396-2950493966309399608?l=21stcenturyhousewife.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>The 21st Century Housewife©http://www.blogger.com/profile/08960965411211616404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552396.post-28200524316911248632011-11-16T12:55:00.001Z2011-11-16T12:58:52.948ZAn Exciting Opportunity from Cafédirect<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dxI5QccWJhI/TsOzEdY2C6I/AAAAAAAADp0/MFjgAs3eUZ8/s1600/296437_10150340432686247_49350011246_8322416_2098785561_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dxI5QccWJhI/TsOzEdY2C6I/AAAAAAAADp0/MFjgAs3eUZ8/s320/296437_10150340432686247_49350011246_8322416_2098785561_n.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Cafédirect are giving everyone in Britain a chance to try their hand at Food and Coffee Matching. It’s perfect for anyone addicted to the Great British Bake Off or who fancies their chances on Come Dine with Me. </span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">You could win £500 to spend at the famous London cookery school L’atelier des Chefs, plus travel and a night’s accommodation in London for two. The winner’s recipe will also become part of a limited edition Coffee and Dessert Matching Cookbook.<br /></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I am very pleased to have been asked to be a judge for this exciting competition. I’m being joined by Andre, the Head Chef at <a href="http://www.atelierdeschefs.co.uk/">L’atelier des Chefs</a> and Thierry, Cafédirect’s own coffee expert.</span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">To read more, <a href="http://www.21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2011/11/16_An_Exciting_Opportunity_from_Cafedirect.html" target="_blank">please click here...</a></span></span></div><div style="color: #aa7942; font: 16.0px Palatino; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><br /></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/31552396-2820052431691124863?l=21stcenturyhousewife.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>The 21st Century Housewife©http://www.blogger.com/profile/08960965411211616404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552396.post-14081091832126191102011-11-15T09:17:00.001Z2011-11-15T09:19:33.663ZThe Hearth and Soul Hop<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Blog.html" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Hearth & Soul Hop" border="0" src="http://premeditatedleftovers.com/hearthnsoul150.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Welcome to another Hearth and Soul Hop, the blog carnival for and about food that nourishes both body and soul. </span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">We share links to Hearth and Soul entries at our <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hearth-and-Soul-Recipes/262817927063247#!/pages/Hearth-and-Soul-Recipes/262817927063247?sk=app_154272794636138"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-decoration: underline;">Hearth and Soul Facebook Page</span></a> and <a href="http://pinterest.com/hearthnsoulhop/"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-decoration: underline;">Pinterest Boards</span></a>, and please do come and follow us on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/HearthNSoulHop"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-decoration: underline;">@HearthNSoulHop</span></a>.</span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Thank you to everyone who shared recipes with us last week. There was some great holiday inspiration. Highlights from my visits to hop contributors include:</span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">To read more, and to share your recipes, <a href="http://www.21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2011/11/15_The_Hearth_and_Soul_Hop_with_The_21st_Century_Housewife.html" target="_blank">please click here...</a></span></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/31552396-1408109183212619110?l=21stcenturyhousewife.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>The 21st Century Housewife©http://www.blogger.com/profile/08960965411211616404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552396.post-72759401387548731762011-11-14T12:36:00.001Z2011-11-14T12:42:45.653ZPeanut Butter and Honey Slice and Bake Cookies<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mHr4yB5dID8/TsELs-rouWI/AAAAAAAADpc/eSj0O-XJ0Cg/s1600/Slice+and+Bake+PB+and+Honey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mHr4yB5dID8/TsELs-rouWI/AAAAAAAADpc/eSj0O-XJ0Cg/s320/Slice+and+Bake+PB+and+Honey.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo credit Alex J Harris</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Ever had a peanut butter and honey sandwich? Remember how good they taste? Well, even they don’t taste as good as these cookies! This is the second of the Slice and Bake recipes I was working on a couple of weeks ago, and is based on a recipe my Mom shared with me when I was a little girl. </span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">These cookies are lovely and moist, almost cakey, with a soft peanut buttery goodness that is dangerously addictive. I used smooth peanut butter and added chopped peanuts, but if you didn’t have any peanuts to hand you could use crunchy peanut butter instead. Although I might still add peanuts, but that is because I love them. They remind me of my wonderful late Grandpa, who always had a dish of salted peanuts on the side in the living room. I was given the dish after he died, and I only ever put peanuts in it. It just doesn’t look right if I use it for anything else, and I love how it brings back my happy memories of him. </span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">To read more,<a href="http://www.21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2011/11/14_Slice_and_Bake_Peanut_Butter_and_Honey_Cookies.html" target="_blank"> please click here</a>...</span></span></div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><br /></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/31552396-7275940138754873176?l=21stcenturyhousewife.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>The 21st Century Housewife©http://www.blogger.com/profile/08960965411211616404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552396.post-9425487806389235902011-11-13T21:26:00.001Z2011-11-14T12:43:11.830ZThe 21st Century Housewife Facebook Page<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XT33jr3kglU/TsA1oNaPPEI/AAAAAAAADpU/TsRX7ScUiuQ/s1600/21stblogtheone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XT33jr3kglU/TsA1oNaPPEI/AAAAAAAADpU/TsRX7ScUiuQ/s1600/21stblogtheone.jpg" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Just in case you didn’t know already, The 21st Century Housewife is on Facebook! I would love it if you would<a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-21st-Century-Housewife/164637686901120" style="color: #272100; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-21st-Century-Housewife/164637686901120"> follow me here at the Official The 21st Century Housewife on Facebook</a>. </span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/31552396-942548780638923590?l=21stcenturyhousewife.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>The 21st Century Housewife©http://www.blogger.com/profile/08960965411211616404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552396.post-79632517645456415702011-11-11T09:31:00.001Z2011-11-11T09:34:00.933ZThe Gallery of Favorites #13<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Blog.html" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="Gallery of Favorites" border="0" src="http://premeditatedleftovers.com/gallery_250.jpg" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br /><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><a href="http://premeditatedleftovers.com/" target="_blank">Alea of Premeditated Leftovers </a>and I want to welcome you to the thirteenth edition of our weekend blog hop, The Gallery of Favorites.</span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;">Today is Remembrance Day here in the UK and in Canada, and the US are marking Veteran’s Day. <a href="http://www.21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2010/11/11_Lest_We_Forget.html" target="_blank">I wrote a post last year </a>that sums up my feelings about these incredibly important commemorations of our service personnel, past and present - those who gave their lives, those who survived, and those who still give their all today to keep us safe and free. At 11am today I will be remembering them all, past and present, with two minutes of silence, and thinking about the huge debt of gratitude I owe them and their families. I hope you will join me in your own moment of remembrance today.</span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;">The Gallery of Favorites is a place for you to feature favorite posts from your own blog. Although Alea and I both spend a lot of our time writing about food, we do have many other interests and we know our readers do as well. The Gallery of Favorites is a place for all bloggers to share their ideas, interests and passions. </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;">To read more, and to share your posts, <a href="http://www.21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2011/11/11_The_Gallery_of_Favorites_13.html" target="_blank">please click here...</a></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 20px;"><br /><div style="color: #ae784a;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/31552396-7963251764545641570?l=21stcenturyhousewife.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>The 21st Century Housewife©http://www.blogger.com/profile/08960965411211616404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552396.post-16079753951213066082011-11-10T16:26:00.000Z2011-11-10T16:26:26.473ZVegetarian Pasta One Pot<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DlFX2LNKwUI/Trv64tHCkiI/AAAAAAAADo0/F-69uepkr4E/s1600/Vegetarian+Pasta+one+pot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DlFX2LNKwUI/Trv64tHCkiI/AAAAAAAADo0/F-69uepkr4E/s320/Vegetarian+Pasta+one+pot.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Yesterday I found myself with a fridge full of gorgeous vegetables but very few ideas about what to cook for dinner, so I decided to make an old standby - ‘Pasta Thing’. I just start with whatever is in the fridge plus a bit of dried pasta and see what evolves. It’s usually a pretty successful undertaking, and this time was no exception. It was so easy and cleanup was a breeze because I cooked the pasta in the sauce all in one pan. Dinner was on the table in only a little over half an hour, and everyone enjoyed it so much that there were intense negotiations about who got to eat the leftovers for lunch today! </span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">To read more, <a href="http://www.21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2011/11/10_Vegetarian_Pasta_One_Pot.html" target="_blank">please click here...</a></span></span></div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><br /></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/31552396-1607975395121306608?l=21stcenturyhousewife.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>The 21st Century Housewife©http://www.blogger.com/profile/08960965411211616404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552396.post-18505314509705820402011-11-09T11:14:00.000Z2011-11-09T11:14:05.111ZLet's Do Brunch<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-skryfW_34kQ/TrpgQnf-cxI/AAAAAAAADoU/Rp-7iEjBQOk/s1600/Brunch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-skryfW_34kQ/TrpgQnf-cxI/AAAAAAAADoU/Rp-7iEjBQOk/s1600/Brunch.jpg" /></a></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Chaya and I want to welcome you to Let’s Do Brunch, the recipe exchange for breakfast, lunch and brunch recipes, and also to thank you for joining us. We always enjoy visiting the recipes that are linked up each week, and often discover new blogs and make new friends as we go. There is a wonderful blogging community out there and we are so grateful to be a part of it. </span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Thank you to everyone who contributed last week. There were some wonderful recipes. To read more, and to share your recipes, <a href="http://www.21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2011/11/9_Lets_Do_Brunch.html" target="_blank">please click here...</a></span></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/31552396-1850531450970582040?l=21stcenturyhousewife.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>The 21st Century Housewife©http://www.blogger.com/profile/08960965411211616404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552396.post-88209392994003536092011-11-09T10:25:00.001Z2011-11-09T10:26:21.868ZRaspberry Almond Tart<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4bWbkWwK8Xw/TrpUkyrmNfI/AAAAAAAADoE/fqYaSYBv8n0/s1600/shapeimage_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4bWbkWwK8Xw/TrpUkyrmNfI/AAAAAAAADoE/fqYaSYBv8n0/s1600/shapeimage_2.jpg" /></a></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I’ve been making this recipe for years, and I was thrilled when Olive magazine chose it for their Reader issue in August of this year. You can make it ahead and freeze it, but I prefer to serve it on the day I make it. It’s incredibly easy to put together - you don’t even have to roll the pastry! </span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">To read more, <a href="http://www.21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2011/11/7_Raspberry_Almond_Tart.html" target="_blank">please click here.</a>..</span></span></div><div style="color: #ae784a; font: 16.0px Palatino; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 20.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/31552396-8820939299400353609?l=21stcenturyhousewife.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>The 21st Century Housewife©http://www.blogger.com/profile/08960965411211616404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552396.post-70911437420645108272011-11-08T16:57:00.000Z2011-11-08T16:57:16.268ZThe Hearth and Soul Hop<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Blog.html" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Hearth & Soul Hop" border="0" src="http://premeditatedleftovers.com/hearthnsoul150.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Welcome to another Hearth and Soul Hop, the blog carnival for and about food that nourishes both body and soul. </span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">We share links to Hearth and Soul entries at our <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hearth-and-Soul-Recipes/262817927063247#!/pages/Hearth-and-Soul-Recipes/262817927063247?sk=app_154272794636138"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-decoration: underline;">Hearth and Soul Facebook Page</span></a> and <a href="http://pinterest.com/hearthnsoulhop/"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-decoration: underline;">Pinterest Boards</span></a>, and please do come and follow us on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/HearthNSoulHop"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-decoration: underline;">@HearthNSoulHop</span></a>.</span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Thank you to everyone who shared recipes with us last week. There were some wonderful posts. Highlights from my visits to hop contributors include:</span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">To read more and share your recipes, <a href="http://www.21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2011/11/8_The_Hearth_and_Soul_Hop_with_The_21st_Century_Housewife.html" target="_blank">please click here</a>...</span></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/31552396-7091143742064510827?l=21stcenturyhousewife.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>The 21st Century Housewife©http://www.blogger.com/profile/08960965411211616404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552396.post-9843703467874547122011-11-08T16:42:00.000Z2011-11-08T16:42:03.315ZHomemade Slice and Bake Cookies<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6AAvMmEMPpY/TrlbhIrT68I/AAAAAAAADn8/q56_sBTyFIA/s1600/Choc+Chip+Cookies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6AAvMmEMPpY/TrlbhIrT68I/AAAAAAAADn8/q56_sBTyFIA/s320/Choc+Chip+Cookies.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo credit Alex J Harris</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I dream of being a domestic goddess, serving hot, fresh cookies to my guests. Truth is, that doesn’t happen very often. First of all, there’s the fact that I’m a messy cook, so if I want to impress with hot cookies, I’m going to have to sacrifice the neat kitchen I like to show my guests. Then there are those days when I just don’t have time to bake and end up serving store bought cookies. Don’t get me wrong, they can be very nice, but when people know you are a food blogger, they expect a little more. Frankly, I expect more of myself. </span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">What I wanted to develop was a slice and bake cookie that I could make myself from scratch, and keep in the fridge, or even long term in the freezer. I wanted to develop a dough that would roll into a nice log shape, and after chilling or freezing, slice and bake like the ones the Pillsbury Dough Boy makes. And last week, I decided to do it. </span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">To read more, <a href="http://www.21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2011/11/7_Slice_and_Bake_Chocolate_Chip_Cookies.html" target="_blank">please click here</a>....</span></span></div><div style="color: #ae784a; font: 16.0px Palatino; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 20.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/31552396-984370346787454712?l=21stcenturyhousewife.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>The 21st Century Housewife©http://www.blogger.com/profile/08960965411211616404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552396.post-59231082312561855732011-11-04T08:30:00.000Z2011-11-04T08:30:06.318ZThe Holiday Edition - The Gallery of Favorites<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Blog.html" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Gallery of Favorites" border="0" src="http://premeditatedleftovers.com/gallery_250.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><a href="http://premeditatedleftovers.com/">Alea of Premeditated Leftovers </a>and I want to welcome you to the twelfth edition of our weekend blog hop, The Gallery of Favorites.</span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The Gallery of Favorites is a place for you to feature favorite posts from your own blog. Although Alea and I both spend a lot of our time writing about food, we do have many other interests and we know our readers do as well. The Gallery of Favorites is a place for all bloggers to share their ideas, interests and passions. </span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">This week we are hosting a themed Gallery of Favorites. Please share your holiday tips, recipes and ideas. Posts from your archives are welcome as well as new posts. Of course, posts on all topics are also very welcome as usual.</span></span><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 20px;"><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Thank you to everyone who shared posts with us last week. This week Alea and I want to feature two posts, both of which would make fantastic homemade Christmas gifts. </span></span><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></span><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">To read more, and to share your posts, <a href="http://www.21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2011/11/4_The_Gallery_of_Favorites_12.html" target="_blank">please click here</a>...</span></span></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/31552396-5923108231256185573?l=21stcenturyhousewife.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>The 21st Century Housewife©http://www.blogger.com/profile/08960965411211616404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552396.post-61283515864200895912011-11-03T16:02:00.000Z2011-11-03T16:02:32.637ZIt's National Housewife's Day<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6CuMp2ZHS7w/TrK67KNRqVI/AAAAAAAADm8/2ipw4iAQyB0/s1600/iStock_000017741470XSmall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6CuMp2ZHS7w/TrK67KNRqVI/AAAAAAAADm8/2ipw4iAQyB0/s320/iStock_000017741470XSmall.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">It’s National Housewife’s Day in North America today, and that makes it the perfect day to celebrate the many women who make housewifery their full or part-time career. </span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Being a housewife today is very different than it was when most of us were growing up, and miles away from the stereotypical 1950’s housewife portrayed in the media. Today, we are empowered professionals - project managers, diplomats, child care workers, nurses, psychologists, chefs, chauffeurs, interior designers, party planners, financial managers, social secretaries, electricians, repair people, travel consultants and change management experts all rolled into one. It’s the most fulfilling career I have ever had. </span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">When I first started The 21st Century Housewife website back in 2002, I wrote a piece called <a href="http://www.21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Secrets.html">Secrets to Being a Happy and Fulfilled 21st Century Housewife</a>. It’s still on the website, and I think it is just as relevant today as it was ten years ago with lots of hints and tips to help housewives today really enjoy what they do. To read it,<a href="http://www.21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Secrets.html"> please click here</a>.</span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Happy Housewife’s Day!</span></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/31552396-6128351586420089591?l=21stcenturyhousewife.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>The 21st Century Housewife©http://www.blogger.com/profile/08960965411211616404noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552396.post-7922782081825426422011-11-02T11:39:00.001Z2011-11-02T11:40:17.548ZA Very Posh Pudding<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U4UP9EBHtPw/TrErR9hTISI/AAAAAAAADm0/6FVfgw-Hl0E/s1600/iStock_000007832968XSmall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U4UP9EBHtPw/TrErR9hTISI/AAAAAAAADm0/6FVfgw-Hl0E/s320/iStock_000007832968XSmall.jpg" width="213" /></span></a></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">If you are thinking of making a traditional British Christmas Pudding, now is a great time to do start. There are those who would argue with this, citing Stir Up Sunday (on 20th November this year) as the day for pudding making. However, many of the British cooks I know don't stick to this custom, as Christmas puddings improve with keeping - in some cases, the more, the better. The flavours mingle and intensify, making a traditional pudding <i>the </i>dessert most British families would not be without on Christmas Day. </span></span><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I say this, rather controversially, as someone who does not generally like Christmas pudding. I find the texture of most Christmas puddings very heavy, and the flavours quite strong. However, once in a while I come across a pudding that tastes ambrosial- light, fragrant,</span><br /><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">To read more, <a href="http://www.21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2011/11/1_Entry_1_1.html" target="_blank">please click here...</a></span></span></div><div style="color: #ae784a; font: 16.0px Palatino; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 20.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/31552396-792278208182542642?l=21stcenturyhousewife.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>The 21st Century Housewife©http://www.blogger.com/profile/08960965411211616404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552396.post-49442026204712970842011-11-01T08:38:00.000Z2011-11-01T08:38:25.180ZThe Hearth and Soul Blog Hop<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Blog.html" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Hearth & Soul Hop" border="0" src="http://premeditatedleftovers.com/hearthnsoul150.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Welcome to another Hearth and Soul Hop, the blog carnival for and about food that nourishes both body and soul. </span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">We share links to Hearth and Soul entries at our <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hearth-and-Soul-Recipes/262817927063247#!/pages/Hearth-and-Soul-Recipes/262817927063247?sk=app_154272794636138"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-decoration: underline;">Hearth and Soul Facebook Page</span></a> and <a href="http://pinterest.com/hearthnsoulhop/"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-decoration: underline;">Pinterest Boards</span></a>, and please do come and follow us on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/HearthNSoulHop"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-decoration: underline;">@HearthNSoulHop</span></a>.</span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I found lots of great recipe inspiration at Hearth and Soul last week. My highlights from visits to contributors include:</span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Wonderful butter-free, gluten-free, vegan treat - <a href="http://hobbyandmore.blogspot.com/2011/10/kaju-katli-indian-cashew-fudge-vegan.html">Indian Cashew Fudge</a></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Perfect for holiday entertaining - <a href="http://www.lovingmydomesticlife.com/2011/10/warm-blue-cheese-bacon-dip.html">Warm Blue Cheese Bacon Dip</a></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Wholesome, homemade, freeze-able <a href="http://www.littlehouseliving.com/2011/09/pita-pockets-2.html">Pita Pockets</a></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">and comforting and delicious <a href="http://aseasonforallthings.blogspot.com/2011/10/italian-sausage-with-bow-tie-pasta.html">Italian Sausage with Bow Tie Pasta</a></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">To read more, and to share your recipes, <a href="http://www.21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2011/11/1_Entry_1.html" target="_blank">please click here</a>...</span></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/31552396-4944202620471297084?l=21stcenturyhousewife.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>The 21st Century Housewife©http://www.blogger.com/profile/08960965411211616404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552396.post-12566722267999166962011-10-31T22:34:00.000Z2011-10-31T22:34:18.526ZHow To Survive Holiday Shopping<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KKYSYkmWzaI/Tq8iMKWCPHI/AAAAAAAADmc/4trSCxPfm5w/s1600/iStock_000007956687XSmall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KKYSYkmWzaI/Tq8iMKWCPHI/AAAAAAAADmc/4trSCxPfm5w/s320/iStock_000007956687XSmall.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><div class="paragraph_style_1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 53px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 1; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It may seem a bit early to be writing about Christmas shopping, but I have to be honest, I’ve nearly finished mine. I love the Holidays, but while I may dream of wafting around a beautifully decorated mall, easily choosing present after present and ticking names off my list, that image used to be a long way away from reality for me. I’ve learned through bitter experience that shopping early is the only way. I can’t bear the thought of struggling for a parking space, fighting my way through the crowds and being caught in the last minute rush. </span></div><div class="paragraph_style_1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 53px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 1; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="paragraph_style_1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 53px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 1; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To read more, <a href="http://www.21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2011/10/31_How_To_Survive_Holiday_Shopping.html" target="_blank">please click here</a>...</span></div><div><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/31552396-1256672226799916696?l=21stcenturyhousewife.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>The 21st Century Housewife©http://www.blogger.com/profile/08960965411211616404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552396.post-76171702905636868942011-10-31T11:38:00.000Z2011-10-31T11:38:16.138ZSome of My Favourite Meatless Recipes<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IsDGuLj_zUM/Tq6IfhN1JMI/AAAAAAAADlM/k1CMjVp8Yyc/s1600/iStock_000017490436XSmall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IsDGuLj_zUM/Tq6IfhN1JMI/AAAAAAAADlM/k1CMjVp8Yyc/s320/iStock_000017490436XSmall.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">We’ve had lots of visitors recently, so I have not had a chance to blog some of the Meatless Mondays recipes I have been working on yet. So today I am sharing some of my most popular Meatless Monday posts from my archives.</span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I’ve been participating in the <a href="http://www.meatlessmonday.com/">Meatless Monday</a> and <a href="http://www.meatfreemondays.com/">Meat Free Monday</a> movements for some time now, and I feel it is really important that we all reduce the amount of meat in our diet. I’m certainly not ready to espouse a completely vegetarian lifestyle, but I know that eating meatless meals at least one day a week benefits not only my health, but also the environment and the health of our planet. It also benefits my food budget! </span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">It doesn’t have to be a Monday; just choose one day a week to go meat free. These easy and delicious recipes can help to get you started. </span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">For recipes, <a href="http://www.21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Entries/2011/10/31_Some_of_My_Favorite_Meatless_Recipes.html">please click here</a>...</span></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/31552396-7617170290563686894?l=21stcenturyhousewife.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>The 21st Century Housewife©http://www.blogger.com/profile/08960965411211616404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31552396.post-42811304126688509002011-10-28T09:36:00.001+01:002011-10-28T09:36:32.242+01:00The Gallery of Favorites<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.21stcenturyhousewife.com/index/Blog/Blog.html" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Gallery of Favorites" border="0" src="http://premeditatedleftovers.com/gallery_250.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><a href="http://premeditatedleftovers.com/">Alea of Premeditated Leftovers </a>and I want to welcome you to the eleventh edition of our weekend blog hop, The Gallery of Favorites.</span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Palatino; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: