Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Feasts at the House of Dreams

A poolside snack on a bright sunny day!

Sitting here in San Jose catching up on blogs, my stomach is starting to rumble. The prospect of another peanut butter sandwich or some Costa Rican ramen noodles makes my heart sink a little and makes me miss the House of Dreams. We really treated ourselves and became a bit spoiled with our eating habits while living in La Fortuna in our fabulous little cabin. Everyday was a new food adventure and it was rare for our fridge to not be completely stocked with anything our little hearts desired! Since Denise was visiting and sharing in our expenses and since she brought us an assortment of gourmet cheeses from Costco we were able to step it up a notch from our typical everyday meals of rice and beans. 






Our kitchen was fully stocked with all the appliances and utensils we could need including toaster, blender, oven, and coffee maker! Katie has written many times about the joys of waking up to hot coffee and her favorite Nutella and Toastlettes however I wanted to also share about some of the many great meals we prepared in the House of Dreams.



Our days were nice and relaxing and there was always plenty of time to discuss what everyone felt like eating for dinner that day, grocery shopping for the ingredients and taking our time preparing each dish. Katie took care of our morning/afternoon meals creating an assortment of potato mash-ups, trying to perfect the crispiness, adding in whatever fresh vegetables we had picked up at the fruit stand in town.


Shopping for fresh fruits and veggies at the stand in town




Katie also became quite an expert on preparing us delicious smoothies. She used a large variety of fruit, including papaya gathered from the farm across the street, passion fruit which added an interesting crunch to some of the smoothies, and pineapple which we could always find fresh at the fruit stand. Our favorite ice cream, Dos Pinos, made here in Costa Rica was also a yummy addition to Katie’s smoothies. Their creamy vanilla flavor is to die for! Almost as good as gelato from Italy!! 


          



























I took care of our dinner meals exercising my love for cooking and the freedom to create my own menu and recipes. I have been cooking a lot for The Pauls over the past 3 years and my culinary skills have really grown. I have been thinking a lot over these past months of applying for culinary school upon returning to the US. Cooking is something I have always really enjoyed. I love watching people take that first bite of my cooking and seeing their faces relax with the warm tastiness. I hope someday to be able to open my own restaurant. I know it will be a lot of work but it feels good to be excited about starting something that I am truly feeling passionate about. I am excited to get going with culinary school and see where this new path can take me. 

Some of my favorite meals to cook at the house of dreams were....
Lasagna fresh from the oven! 
Chicken Curry

Chicken Tacos- I marinated the chicken for a whole day with limes and cilantro from our own backyard! Yum!



Dessert with our favorite cookies and ice cream!




5 comments:

  1. I'm so happy you're still working on your cooking skills, Kirby!! I want to be your "prep cook" when you open your restaurant!! BTW, your nieces LOVE nutella , too!I LOVE hearing your stories of your days in your "HOUSE OF DREAMS"

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  2. Sounds like you're living the dream, Kirby! I'm glad you're having such an enriching experience :)- Kerry K-C

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  3. I wanna work for you! Maybe I can be the official taster? I'd also be more than happy to guest star as a hostess. I heart this post, and very much enjoyed reading it, even though it made me REALLLLY hungry (and I don't have cheeses from costco or any of the awesome dishes by Chef Kirby). Katie, next time I see you, lets have a potato cook off. I wanna try this mash of which Kirby speaks, and I'll make you THE hashbrowns.
    I love you girls! xoxo

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  4. I recognize that chicken curry dish and I even asked my mommy to make it for dinner last night. xxx, claire

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  5. WOW Kirby!! I had no idea you were such a great cook, I can't wait for you to return and prepare something in OUR kitchen. Each one of those dishes looks fantastic! Even though opening a new restaurant is a very risky venture, you should follow your passion to be truly happy in your career. Katie, I would love for you to make us a fruit smoothie and some of that potatoe mash when you get back. Looking forward to seeing you both soon. Love, Dad.

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