I woke up late then sat too long doing the crossword puzzle...which on Wednesday should be easy....as they get harder as the week goes on - usually I can get ALL of the Wednesday puzzle...but not today.....and I never get all of Saturday or Sunday - not even close! Oh well, I'm comforted by the line from an old movie, Harvey, which starred Jimmy Stewart - Harvey was a rabbit and he told Stewart's character that it was ..."better to be nice than to be smart...." which I took to heart. I know many people who are both nice AND smart....but being one is better than none. I try. I'm off course - let me get back to the "issues" at hand - the start to my crappy day: Caesar Beezer the Wonder Dog went outside to potty as usual, came inside and then pottied again - and then he threw up....apparently his scrambled eggs didn't agree with him this morning. He seems to be doing better, although I haven't actually heard him say so.
The new Spot-Bot that I recently purchased to clean the carpet if and when Caesar Beezer the Wonder Dog barfed - only seemed to make the problemo worse - but now my carpet has a perfectly shaped dark circle in it....perhaps if I use it all over the carpet it will look like a pattern?
I broke one of my very favorite Christmas ornaments....I was on the verge of tears - I truly love this little piece - when I noticed that it had been glued before!!! Someone had broken it, repaired it and not told me....swines!
The Christmas tree that is sitting in a bucket of sugar water in the garage is still there...after two days...I don't know whether I should just throw the lights and ornaments on it out there or if I should wait for the mister to bring it in....but things need to be done and the clock is ticking! Yes, yes, yes, it's early for Christmas trees....if you're not me....I'm feeling just a tiny bit stressed because my calendar is completely full with insane things and instead of doing something on my list....I made Panna Cotta! YEAH for ME!
It simply is the best dessert in the world - especially on a Wednesday night when no one is expecting it...it's fast and easy and will impress even the mister.
Vanilla Beans - They look weird here, but smell so, so good! >>
Before straining, the panna cotta will have some "lumps" - the vanilla beans and the zest, but all the big pieces get strained out so only tiny bits of vanilla are left to tickle your tongue.
The dark specks you see in the photo are the vanilla bean seeds - if you use the really fine-meshed seive then you won't have any specks - but I like specks!
Vanilla Panna Cotta with Raspberries - from Tastes of Italia Magazine - Holiday 2007 Issue
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup whole milk
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise (I like vanilla so I used the entire bean!)
1 tablespoon cool water
vegetable oil for brushing
6 tablespoons strawberry jam
raspberries and mint for garnish
In a medium saucepan, combine cream, milk, sugar and zest. Scrap the seeds from the vanilla bean into the mixture and add remaining bean pieces. Cook on medium heat to just under a boil.
Meanwhile, sprinkle the gelatin into the water and let sit for 3 minutes.
Strain cream mixture through a fine-meshed sieve into a bowl and stir in gelatin mixture. (If you don't have a fine-meshed sieve, you will end up with more bits of vanilla - which works great for me.) Lightly brush four 4-oz. ramekins with vegetable oil. Pour mixture into prepared ramekins and refrigerate for at least 6 hours.
To serve, fill a medium pan with 1 inch of water and bring to a boil. Using a knife, loosen the sides of the ramekins. Place the ramekins in the boiling water for 5 seconds, then invert on a plate to unmold.
Heat the jam in a microwave for 10 seconds, then let cool. Drizzle over panna cotta and serve.
Makes 4 servings.
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Now, as I was saying, I was having a crappy day - until I made the Panna Cotta - then the dark cloud over my head lifted - the scent of vanilla filled the kitchen and I do believe I heard a blue bird sing! The only hard part about making Panna Cotta is waiting for it to set....but I did my best, even got a few things accomplished and then, when I finally had to get off of my feet because of my sore ankle, which swells up to the size of a small nation each night, (my ankle issue is a long, boring story, so I won't go there for now, you can relax) I realized that the required 6 hours had passed and I could put up my feet and eat my Panna Cotta....and guess what? My ankle completely stopped hurting - it's just that good!