Fabulously Fun Bistro Day Featuring "Mango Madness"

One day a year, I schedule a day of work to attend all of my annual doctor appointments so that I don't have to go through the trouble of making up time on many different days. Yesterday was that day. While a good chunk of the day was spent in waiting rooms and exam offices, I did get to have a little extra fun in my kitchen.

It worked out that my friend Anna and her Lab "Coco" could join Scott and I for an alfresco dining experience. For lunch, I prepared Rachael Ray's Tex Mex Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad, which is always a winner. Homemade croutons and dressing adorn crispy romaine lettuce and avocado, and then it's topped with a chili grilled chicken. Very tasty - I do not adjust this recipe at all because I find it to be perfect as it is. I made a tremendous mess in the kitchen, but it was fun to get to prepare a healthy and delicious meal in the middle of a Tuesday. Scott's homemade Margaritas completed the dining experience.

Being the corny gal that I am, dinner had a theme - it was all about the Mango, hence "Mango Madness". Grilled Tuna steaks with a Mango Glaze and a mango and black bean salad, courtesy of Bobby Flay. I found a You Tube video about de-pitting mangos, which was very helpful (and entertaining). Since it was my first time preparing this meal, I followed the recipe to the letter. I was happy with it. We ended the meal with a mango dessert (I cheated on this one - bought it at Trader Joe's). Anna and her boyfriend Ray joined us on the deck - as you can see, Anna is a repeat diner at Chez Spence, and she's spreading the word!

All in all, it was a healthy, yet delicious day, and I had so much fun. Cooking as much of the meal as possible from scratch allows more control over the ingredients, and usually this means that it is healthier than what is ordered in a restaurant. I control the salt, the type of fat, and the portions. I notice that, when I cook at home, I eat whatever I want for the most part, and with the help of exercise, my weight stays under control. I mostly see unwelcome results after a restaurant binge - unfortunately food is often flavored with excess butter and salt, a double whammy on the waistline.

Finally, we had the kitchen remodel folks in yesterday for some final measurements and brain-storming. I'm crossing my fingers for the completion of the dream kitchen by the end of summer!

Hooray for Wednesday!

Dad's Day at Chez Spence

After a stormy Friday, and a rainy start to Saturday, our weekend here in Cleveland, OH turned out to be beautiful!

I was able to plant a few more herbs in my deck's container garden - I now have Chives, Oregano, and Mint to go along with my Simon-and-Garfunkel-esque line up of Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme.

Chez Spence also hosted a fabulous Dad's Day brunch, and I have to say, it was a great route to take. The menu consisted of a tasty strata that was effortlessly made the night before, some delicious herbed potatoes (featuring my own Rosemary and Parsley), and some various finger foods including an assortment of cheeses, fruits, smoked salmon, and shrimp cocktail. Of course we also indulged in Mimosas, and my mom brought some delicious banana muffins to complete the buffet and cater to the sweet teeth in the crowd.

I really enjoyed the brunch for a couple reasons. First of all, other than arranging the buffet, I was able to make most of the menu easily the night before and the oven did my work on the big day. This allowed me the ability to visit with our family as it cut down on time spent in the kitchen and made for much easier clean up. Second, everyone still had some daytime left when it was over, which is a treasure on a Sunday, the day before reality hits.

I will share the recipes once I figure out how to manipulate this blog more efficiently. In the mean time, it's time to start a new week.

Still Getting Started...

Several months ago, my good friend (Ballerina and Pilates teacher extraordinaire) Anna nicknamed our home "Chez Spence". Why? Probably because we invite our friends and family here any chance we get to share good food and good wine. It's my chance to live out my seemingly impossible dream of having my own little cafe/restaurant/coffee shop/bakery where people come to laugh and relax...and keep coming back for more.

It's a cry for help, you see. I'm trapped. Trapped into playing the sensible role of an insurance agent and living the 9 to 5 American dream. Don't get me wrong - employment is truly a blessing. Paychecks and health benefits are a wonderful and necessary thing, not to be taken for granted. But that's just boring reality. Chez Spence is my place to have the best of both worlds.

After living close to a quarter century of my life, appearing to have no artistic talent, I kind of started liking to cook. I successfully attempted to single handedly cook my first Thanksgiving dinner for both of our families (roughly 25 people) and realized that I enjoyed almost every moment - the hustle and bustle, the smells, the chatter and laughter of loved ones. The dirty dishes, well, not so much - but that's what the loved ones are for, right? At the end of the night, I was found sound asleep, underneath the pile of coats on our bed. Dead to the world, but very much at peace with my success.

After meeting my husband's friend, Eric (Chicagoan, talented cook, food and wine snob, etc.), and doing a bit of modest traveling, I realized that cooking and entertaining is, in fact, an art, and I finally found my artistic outlet. Not everyone has nor wants to have this talent, but most people who are in their right minds enjoy being around those that do have this talent. At this point, my skills primarily lie in planning and preparing other people's recipes with my own twists here and there, though I am slowly evolving and making up my own.

My real Chez Spence gives me the opportunity to spend time with friends and family and to live my cafe dreams without the risk and expenditure of quitting my real job, but my blog Chez Spence will give me a channel to diary my progress and share ideas with anyone else that is interested.

Where to begin...