Finding Inspiration In Food

Almond Joy Martini

2009-11-13T06:00:00.001-06:00

Happy Friday the 13th! I hope nothing spooky happens today, we'll be on the road traveling so I'll have my eyes wide open the whole day. The cold fronts aren't staying around here long so we're heading to Colorado where there's cooler weather.

Thinking of spooky Halloween and Friday the 13th, I'm sure you're still eating all the leftover Halloween candy, but in case you don't have any left or you would rather drink it then I have the thing for you! I could drink these all night they taste just like the Almond Joy bars, but they'll knock your socks off. After searching the internet for recipes that use chocolate vodka since I had it leftover from my Halloween shots I came across this recipe from Fine Living Channel. I hope you give it a try it's really tasty!

Almond Joy Martini

(Adapted from Fine Living Channel)

1 ounce chocolate vodka

1 ounce hazelnut liquor

1 ounce coconut rum

Combine all ingredients with ice in a cocktail shaker. Shake until well blended, then strain into a chilled martini glass.

Jalapeno Cilantro Dipping Sauce

2009-11-11T06:00:00.000-06:00

Calamari is one of our favorite appetizers to get when we go out to dinner. I also like making them at home for half the cost! I wanted to try something a little different with fresher ingredients instead of the usual maranara sauce. The thing I liked about this sauce is that you could use it for other things. I would like to try it on fish, fried shrimp or chicken fingers, it really did inspire me to find other uses for it.

Jalapeno Cilantro Sauce

(Adapted from Tampa Maid's Breded Calamari Rings box)

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup tomato puree

1 garlic clove, minced

2 jalapenos, seeded and diced

2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Mix thoroughly, chill and serve.

Crab Stuffed Shrimp and Peppers

2009-11-09T09:35:00.000-06:00

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. Not much on our agenda, hubby went 4 wheeling with some friends while I shopped on Saturday then Sunday we smoked some meat all day. We're getting ready for a BBQ cook off coming up in a couple of weeks so practice makes perfect. Smoking meat isn't the most glamorous job, but the wait all day is worth it in the end. To tie us over I made some crab stuffed shrimp and instead of the usual cream cheese peppers I put some stuffing in them as well. I was inspired by a couple different recipes I've done in the past and come up with my own. While I admit I usually like anything on the BBQ pit, I think the crab stuffing flavor is better when it's done in the oven because the smoke flavor over took the crab flavor. Adjust the seasoning in the mixture to your taste and feel free to use the stuffing as you wish it's really good just as it is too since there's no egg.

Crab Stuffed Shrimp

2 sticks butter

1 sweet onion, chopped

1/4 pound celery (I left this out this time)

2 teaspoons chopped garlic

2 tablespoons chopped green onions

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning

1/2 teaspoon cayenne

1 cup bread crumbs

8 ounces crab meat

In a saucepan over medium heat, place butter in and allow to melt. Add next 9 ingredients and cook 6-8 minutes.

Place mixture into a blender and blend. Be careful as mixture is hot. Transfer to a mixing bowl adding bread crumbs and drained crab meat. Stir until combined.

There's a couple of different ways you can stuff and serve the shrimp. You could coat them with flour and deep fry them at 350 degrees F for 1-2 minutes then place a tablespoon of stuffing onto each shrimp.

You can stuff the raw shrimp with a tablespoon of stuffing, then wrap with bacon and bake them in a 350 degree oven. Or you can grill them which is how we did ours today.

For the peppers I just hollowed them out and filled them with stuffing then grilled till the pepper was soft.

Old-Fashioned Lemon Pudding

2009-11-06T06:00:00.002-06:00

I love reading other bloggers recipes as I hope many of you enjoy some of the things I have to share. I don't know how she does it, but Mary makes the most wonderful things and she post all the time. One of her recipes caught my eye that sounds so refreshing I knew I had to try it. I didn't take pictures of the process, but it's really easy. Check out her blog to see how beautiful the pudding looks, since I couldn't get a really good shot of how wonderful it looks. This makes the perfect amount and my hubby has already requested I make it again!

Old Fashioned Lemon Pudding
(Adapted from Mary at One Perfect Bite)

Ingredients:
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
2-1/2 cups milk
3 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons butter, softened

Directions:
1) Place sugar and cornstarch in a 2-quart saucepan. Whisk to combine. Gradually add milk, whisking until smooth. Add egg yolks, lemon zest and salt. Cook, stirring, over medium-high heat until sauce thickens and coats a spoon.

2) Remove pan from heat. Stir in lemon juice and butter. Pour through a fine mesh strainer into a large bowl or individual serving dishes. Let cool to room temperature. Cover with plastic wrap. Transfer to refrigerator for 2 hours, or until set. Serve chilled. Yield: 4 -6 servings.

Crawfish Fettuccine

2009-11-04T06:00:00.006-06:00

Today's recipe is an oldie, it comes from a grandmother of a high school friend I had. I haven't had it for 10 years now and forgot that I had the recipe until I was flipping through and came across it. It also didn't dawn on me this recipe makes a BUNCH of food so hubby will be eating it for the rest of the week for lunch and probably next week. I suggest you cut it in half unless you are feeding a crowd in which case make the full batch. It's a great make ahead dish just make it till the baking part, cover and refrigerate then bake it when you're ready to eat. It may seem watery when you put it in the baking dish, but don't worry it'll soak up when you bake it. The only thing I changed is adding more spice as usually. I added Old Bay, red pepper flakes and cayenne right before you add the noodles in. You can also use egg noodles if you want to skip using a knife at dinner. Overall this is a hardy recipe that you can easily swap the crawfish for shrimp, chicken or whatever you like.

Crawfish Fettuccine

3 onions, chopped

3 bell peppers, chopped

3 celery sticks, chopped

2 sticks margarine or butter

1 pound noodles

3 pounds crawfish

4 pods garlic, minced

4 tablespoons parsley

1 (26 ounce) can cream of mushroom soup

1 pint half and half

1 pound Velveeta cheese

jalapeno peppers (optional)

Saute onions, bell peppers, celery in butter. (I cheated to cut down on time and used pre-chopped bell pepper and celery.)

Boil noodles, drain and set aside. Add to onion mixture.

Cook crawfish, garlic, parsley and soup for 15 minutes.

Add half & half and Velveeta cheese. (Add jalapeno as well if desired.) Simmer for 20-30 minutes.

Add noodles and pour in casserole dish. Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees F.

Strawberry Shortcake Cookies

2009-11-02T06:00:00.001-06:00

Hope you aren't having an upset tummy from all the candy over the weekend! We had a great time seeing all the kids dressed up.

As Fall creeps in and we had two nice cold fronts last week, I wanted to make one last sweet summer treat to use up some strawberries left over from my Tiramisu dip. These where very tasty right out of the oven and later in the day, but after that they're not so great. I see now why they recipe says their only good for one day.

Strawberry-Shortcake Cookies
(Adapted from Martha Stewart)

12 ounces strawberries, hulled and cut into 1/4-inch dice (2 cups)
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
3 ounces (6 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2/3 cup heavy cream
Sanding sugar, for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine strawberries, lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons granulated sugar.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and remaining 7 tablespoons granulated sugar in a large bowl.

Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter, or rub in with your fingers, until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Stir in cream until dough starts to come together, then stir in strawberry mixture.

Using a 1 1/2-inch ice cream scoop or a tablespoon, drop dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment, spacing evenly apart.

Sprinkle with sanding sugar, and bake until golden brown, 24 to 25 minutes.

Transfer to a wire rack, and let cool. Cookies are best served immediately, but can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 day.

Finishing touches for Halloween decor

2009-10-30T06:00:00.012-05:00

I'm soooo excited it's almost time for Halloween! If you're looking for some last minute decorating ideas you've come to the right place. I've got some super easy and inexpensive things that will do the trick! First up is my cookbook stand. I really hate to just decorate the table and that's it, so why not extend the area a little? I took a black sheet of scrapbook paper and some shiny silver letters as well as some 99 cent star/magic stickers. I just slip the sheet of paper over the cookbooks and poof you have a simple quick and easy cover for your stand.

Next thing I did was rummage through my flower vases. By adding some water and a few drops of food coloring you get a vase of blood and green science jars. I added some dry ice so they would bubble away then later added some floating candles when the dry ice was done. Don't fill them full with water if you plan on adding dry ice, because you'll end up with a lot of water on your table from the bubbles.

Toss around some extra spider rings and arrange all your food.

I've been busy trying out recipes for a chili contest coming up so can't post the recipe yet as I'm still tweaking it. I will show you my "moldy cornbread" though. :) For this I just added some green food coloring to the Jiffy box mix recipe and baked them in mini muffin cups. It's the little details that count! Not sure why they look neon with the flash on and super pale in the natural light but they looked really good in person. I used about 6 drops of food coloring with 2 box mixes.

And last but not least don't forget to use the pumpkins as a vase! These work great as a hostess gift or a center piece.

Hope you have a super safe spook-tacular Halloween!!

Punch and fun ice cubes

2009-10-28T06:00:00.005-05:00

I really enjoy the punch that's served at every shower, but when you use colored sorbet it turns it into a nasty looking punch. I decided it would be great to use as a Halloween cocktail and name it Bug and Spider ice served in Swamp Water Punch. I also played with dry ice for the first time this year and added some to the punch to keep it nice and cool with a neat effect.

Swamp Water Punch

46 ounces pineapple juice

1 (2 liter) Sprite

3 cups coconut rum

1 1/2 cups vodka

1 pint rainbow sorbet

Combine all ingredients and serve.

Once again go for the details in your party! I can't tell you how important it is and people will notice the little things. I stocked up on a bunch of the glow sticks and picked a lot of different colors so you could crack them and place them in your drink, this helps keep track of who's drink is who's while doubling as a stirrer.

Another fun touch was gummy worms. I like to garnish the glass with something edible instead of some fruit everyone is gonna pick off. I also found some cheap plastic cups I filled with the gummy worms.

Now on to some more creepy additions for your drinks.

For my spider ice I used the little plastic spider rings and washed them. Once you fill your ice cube tray with water place the rings in the center of each cube and press down slightly. I used a neon color spider so people could see them in their drinks and not eat them.

The bug ice is done the same way except you replace the spiders with raisins.

Tiramisu Dip

2009-10-26T06:00:00.001-05:00

Today's recipe is more of a treat then a trick. If I had to pick one of my favorite desserts I would have to say tiramisu. I hate to order it when we go out to dinner, because it's really hard to find a good one. If you make it at home there's a lot of waiting and it takes a while to make a good one. Then there's the mess factor as my hubby would call it with cocoa all over the place. Well, I've found something even better! This is really good made in advance since it takes 4 hours in the fridge to chill. I don't know while because it tasted the same and looked the same as when I made it, but whatever it's in the directions for a reason! This is one of those dishes that inspires me to change up a classic dish to something totally different like a dip. I do hope you try this it's really really good!!

Tiramisu Dip

(Adapted from Fiesta monthly mailer)

4 ounces mascarpone cheese

4 ounces sour cream

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons Marsala cooking wine

2 tablespoons cooled espresso

2+ tablespoons heavy cream

seasonal fruit

lady fingers

Combine cheese, sour cream, brown sugar, wine and espresso in small bowl. Mix with electric mixer until smooth. Add 2 tablespoons cream and blend, adding additional cream until dip reaches desired consistency. Chill 4 hours. Serve with fruit and ladyfingers.

Brain Hemorrhage and Tootsie Roll shots

2009-10-23T06:00:00.000-05:00

You always hear on the shows where they're throwing a party and they want their own "signature cocktail". Well I thought it would be fun for a cocktail to welcome guest that goes along with the theme of the party. I did a search online for some creepy cocktails and found two that sounded pretty good and didn't have some random liquor I'll never use again. The Tootsie Roll shot tasted just like a tootsie roll, except would have been better if I read the instructions a little better (see my note below). It's supposed to look more like chocolate milk then layered like my picture. The brain hemorrhage is pretty nasty looking, but taste like peaches and cream. The cool thing is you can make them a little ahead of time and it holds it's shape so it's not one you have to make to order.

Brain Hemorrhage

1 1/2 ounce peach schnapps
float 1/4 ounce Baileys Irish Cream on top
drop 1 teaspoon grenadine through the Baileys

Tootsie Roll Shot

2/3 ounce chocolate vodka

1/3 ounce amaretto

drizzle of chocolate syrup

Shake ingredients over ice and strain into a shot glass. (I messed up and just put the syrup in the bottom of the glass instead of shaking it with the vodka and amaretto. Shake it with it so you won't have the issue I had where it seems like no point in the syrup because it sticks to the bottom.)

I arranged all the shots on a platter and decorated with plastic bugs and eyeballs.

Yummy Intestines

2009-10-21T06:00:00.002-05:00

So glad to see ya'll like the candy apples! They are a huge hit in my house so I love passing along great ideas that work well for us. Today's spooky recipe is one I saw online last year and ran out of time to make so I put it in my file to try this year. She stuffed hers with guacamole, but I decided to use my favorite spinach artichoke dip which can be found HERE. Use your imagination and whatever you like as the filling. She had a great idea of using something sweet like nutella or vanilla pastry cream which I think is a great idea.

The only suggestion I have is to make the red a little darker at first because when it bakes it turned more pink then the blood red I was looking for. I think I should have cut the 3 rectangles into halves long ways, but wasn't sure until it baked they turned out really fat.

Check back on Friday, because I have a really cool frightful cocktail.

Icky Intestines

(Adapted from Canary Girl)

1 package packaged Puff Pastry

choice of filling

1 egg, beaten

food coloring and brush

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Now, you’ll need to cut your pastry into long rectangular strips and paste them together (brush a little beaten egg and press down–it doesn’t matter if it’s not perfect, after baking, the seams don’t show anyway) to form a loooooong strip of dough.

Spread your filling down the entire center of the dough, leaving a bit of space on each side to pinch closed. Bush the edges with a little egg and pinch the whole thing closed.

Carefully lift the intestine onto the baking sheet and form an intestine looking thing, rolling it over so the pinched edge is on the bottom. Brush the pastry with beaten egg.

Dip your small brush into some red food coloring (I added a little blue, too, to get a darker color) and paint on the “blood.” (I just added the food coloring to the egg that was left and then brushed the whole roll instead of the little details. I think I'll do it the way the directions are next time.)

Bake for about 20 minutes, just until golden, but not overly brown.

Tribute to Halloween

2009-10-19T06:00:00.002-05:00

I don't know about you, but Halloween is my favorite holiday. I'm scared to death of the haunted houses and I don't go nor do I watch super scary movies, but I still love the dressing up part, the decorations and of course hosting fabulous parties.

So in tribute to Halloween whether your hosting a party of looking for something fun to bring I'm going to share my ideas with you. So get ready for some spooktacular fun!

First up are my super cute Candy Apples. I really like candy apples but I can never eat a whole apple in one sitting. Maybe that means I'm not a kid anymore :( with a super sweet tooth or I also don't want to eat a huge apple when the costumes now a days are short and super tight. So for a lighter side I decided to do little mini apples.

Candy Apples

Yields about 15 mini apples from 1 apple

1 apple

15 tooth picks

caramel

toppings of choice

Start by peeling the apple. Then using a melon baller scoop out the "mini apples" making sure to be close to the last spot you scooped out therefore you get more out of the apple.

Insert the toothpicks.

Dip each "mini apple" in the caramel.

Dip in pecans, sprinkles, coconut, whatever topping you like or leave plain.

Liquid Chocolate Goodness

2009-10-16T06:00:00.000-05:00

First off WELCOME FALL!!! Woohoo cold front rolled in dropping the temps down to low 70's for the weekend. I've been dieing to try this recipe for a spiked hot chocolate while I'm curled up with my hubby by the fire and it's about time I get to enjoy it. The liquor was a little strong overall, but tasted really good with the whipping cream on top. I decided to mix it in before I poured it in the cups so I didn't have to mess with stirring it and messing up how pretty they look. So cut back a little and then try it worse case you'll be warmed up in no time with making it the way the recipe says.

Chocolate Nudge

(Adapted from Spec's Liquor magazine mailer)

16 ounces whole milk

7 tablespoons sweet ground Ghirardelli (I used Nestle milk Chocolate Chips)

2 ounces Kahlua

2 ounces Amaretto

Freshly whipped cream

In a saucepan, gradually heat milk.

While heating, add chocolate and stir until steaming.

Pour into two over-sized coffee mugs. Add equal parts Kahlua and Amaretto to each. Top with whipped cream sprinkled with a little ground chocolate.

King Ranch Chicken Casserole

2009-10-14T06:00:00.000-05:00

I've held off posting this recipe because I never got a final shot of the dish. I made it for my hubby to take to work for lunches and then thought darn it how am I gonna get a final beauty shot when I don't have it here. Oh well, I do plan on making it again so when I do I'll update this post with a final shot of the dish. My hubby raves of this and said it's the best he's ever had. I know most of the time he probably just says that but he kept going on and on and on about it so I think he really did like it.

King Ranch Chicken Casserole

(Adapted from Southern Living 40 Years of Our Best Recipes)

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

1 medium onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

3 cups chopped cooked chicken

1 (10 3/4 oz) can cream of chicken soup

1 (10 3/4 oz) can cream of mushroom soup

1 (10 oz) can diced tomatoes and green chiles, undrained

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

2 cups crushed tortilla chips

2 cups (8 oz) shredded cheddar cheese

Garnish: fresh cilantro

Melt butter in a medium skillet over medium high heat. Add chopped onion and bell peppers; saute 8 minutes or until tender.

Stir in chicken and next 5 ingredients; cook, stirring occasionally, 2 minutes.

Place 1 cup crushed tortilla chips in a 13x9 inch baking dish.

Layer with half of chicken mixture and 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese.

Repeat layers, ending with cheese.

Bake, uncovered, at 325 degrees F for 45 minutes or until mixture is thoroughly heated. Garnish, if desired.

Note: Freeze casserole up to 1 month, if desired. Thaw in refrigerator overnight, and bake as directed.

Lamb Lollipops

2009-10-12T06:00:00.001-05:00

Another Sunday Steak Night twist. We tried cooking lamb for the first time. I'm always interested in trying to cook new things and branch out, it's part of the inspiration I get when walking in the grocery store and watching cooking shows. As usual I print recipes when I see stuff on tv and this one comes from Martha Stewart's show. I cut the recipe down because the cost of lamb is not as cheap as I thought and I didn't want to make a ton of it when I didn't know how it taste. I opted for the rack and cut them apart myself then Frenched them. Cost difference was $9.99 a pound doing it myself or $12.99 a pound already done. The smallest pack I could find was 2.61 pounds so $26.07 this better work out. I didn't tell my husband the cost until after he ate and said how good it was we should make it again and wished I made more instead of a small amount, which he then said we'll just do it for a special occasion.

All I kept thinking when I was cutting them was the show Hell's Kitchen where chef Gordon Ramsay yells at the chefs for how they aren't even pieces and they are falling apart. Thankfully mine didn't and they looked nice. My pictures are a little sloppy looking, but I was in a hurry and hubby was starving. Wasn't too crazy about the potatoes they where a little bland, but the meat was really good.

Lamb Lollipops with Green Goddess Mint Dipping Sauce and Roasted Potatoes
(Adapted from Dan Aykroyd via Martha Stewart )

1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 tablespoon chopped fresh peeled ginger
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for pan
2 tablespoons cracked black pepper
24 lamb chops, frenched and completely trimmed
3 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, quartered
3 sprigs fresh rosemary
Green Goddess Mint Dipping Pots

In a medium bowl, whisk together garlic, ginger, soy sauce, 1/4 cup oil, and pepper. Place lamb chops in a large shallow baking dish and pour over garlic mixture. Cover and let marinate, refrigerated, overnight.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Oil a large rimmed baking sheet; set aside. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add potatoes and cook until just tender, about 15 minutes. Drain and transfer to prepared baking dish. Add rosemary and drizzle with remaining olive oil.

Transfer to oven and roast 15 to 20 minutes. Turn potatoes by shaking sheet and continue roasting, 15 to 20 minutes more, until golden brown.

Meanwhile, preheat grill or a grill pan over medium high heat. Remove lamb chops from marinade, wiping off any excess and place on grill. Season with salt and pepper, and grill, rotating lamb chops 1/2 turn after 1 minute, and continue grilling until cross-hatch marks form, about 1 minute more. Turn lamb chops and repeat process on opposite side. Transfer chops to a warm plate and let stand 3 to 5 minutes before serving with dipping sauce.

Nutty Java Mudslides

2009-10-09T07:25:00.001-05:00

I thought that today I would make a cocktail that's icy cold since that's the only coldness in the area. It's Fall and supposed to be starting to cool off. In Texas NO, we're getting warm fronts! What's that all about? Looks like I'll have to sit on the patio watching it rain today since we're supposed to get lots of it. There's a cold front moving in that will drop it down to the 60's then tomorrow we're back in the 80's. Crazy weather I tell you!! So maybe if I have a cool cocktail while I sit on my patio and wish that it was colder out it'll feel sorry for me and stick around.

Nutty Java Mudslides
(Adapted from Southern Living August 2009)
Makes 4-6 servings

2 cups ice
2 cups softened chocolate ice cream
3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
3 tablespoons coffee liqueur
2 tablespoons Irish cream liqueur
2 tablespoons milk

Garnish: dark chocolate shavings

Process ice cubes and next 5 ingredients in a blender or food processor 30 to 45 seconds or until blended and smooth. Serve immediately. Garnish as desired.

I had some of these little guys left over from the Dreyer's Ice Cream Block Party which worked out perfect not having to measure. I only had one chocolate left so I had to sub some vanilla. It didn't effect the flavor of the drink to me I think it was just a little less chocolate flavor, but you couldn't tell.

I used some chocolate mix such as Quick to rim my glass with. If I had guest joining I would have made it fancy and done chocolate curls but this worked just fine and wasn't too rich.

Just for fun I'll share some of the concert pictures I took.

Here's some from the Britney Spears concert 9-16-09, that girl sure does know how to put on a good concert and entertain a crowd! She doesn't stand still very long so it's hard to get a picture of her. I thought Jordan Sparks did an amazing job opening the show she's got a wonderful voice.

These are from 10-4-09 at the Rob Thomas concert. Carolina Liar opened and played for 30 minutes then One Republic came on for 30 minutes. I'm in love with them I can't wait till they come to town again he's so full of energy and plays every instrument. Rob Thomas came on and did a great job playing for 2 hours. We didn't stay the whole time because it was standing room floor tickets so you basically don't move or else someone steals your spot. We got a lot of rain on Sunday so we didn't make it down there for the meet and greet at 12:30pm and couldn't find a last minute sitter for Mocha since the show didn't start till 8pm. Oh well still grateful I won the tickets and was able to see the show.

Back in the groove of things

2009-10-07T06:00:00.007-05:00

It's nice to be back home and back on a regular schedule. I've been busting my hind end last week getting all my recipes tested and made for last Saturday to travel to Winnie, Texas for the State Rice Festival cook-off. A special thank you to my husband who took amazing pictures of our day there's 314 of them on my photo site if you care to see the details of how we get our dishes ready. Let me know and I'll give you the password.

Saturday started out by waking up at 4am so I could take a quick shower and start packing up the truck and finishing some last minute details. We pulled out of the drive way at 6am for an hour and 1/2 drive to Winnie. Once we got there we unloaded the truck fired up the generator so we could plug in the food processor and microwave and start plating our dishes. My dad and I each had 8 dishes so we needed all the time we had. Overall we both finished well. I got a trophy for Most Creative, 1 fist place, 1 second place and 2 third place ribbons. My dad got a trophy for Most Original, Reserve Grand Champion platter, 2 first place, 1 second place and 1 third place ribbons.

First I'll share how my photos did:

3rd Place winning $10 with "Waiting For The Snow To Stop"

Honorable Mention with "Parking With A View"

Honorable Mention with "I Promise I Didn't Make Him Cry"

2nd Place winning $15 with "Nothings Stronger Then A Family's Love"

Now on to the food!! If you would like to see any of the recipes let me know and I'll post them.

This dish won the trophy for most creative and also got 1st place. "Tropical Rice Shooters"

"Roasted and Toasted Salad" won 2nd place

"Broccoli Rice Salad" won 3rd place

"Black Bean Rice Tasters" won 3rd place

Here's some of the other dishes I entered but didn't place:

"Brown Rice Blini"

"Jackpot Rice"

"Chocolate Coconut Rice Covered Cherries"

"Caramel Rum Rice S'Mores"

Hope you enjoyed the look into the contest world. I'll be back on Friday with another tasty recipe.

No-Bake Grasshopper Pie

2009-10-05T06:00:00.006-05:00

I had some guest over for dinner early last week and made a heavy meal so I wanted something light for dessert. I've been wanting to try this pie I saw in Family Circle, but I changed it up a little. Instead of making a pie crust I just stood up a cookie in the dessert cups and filled it with the filling. I also cheated and used whipped cream from a tub instead of making it.

Here's what the original is supposed to look like:

Here's how mine turned out:

No-Bake Grasshopper Pie

(Adapted from Family Circle)

Crust:

1 bag (7 oz) oval chocolate and mint filled sandwich cookies

1/2 cup slivered almonds

2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened

Filling:
8 oz mascarpone cheese, softened

1 envelope unflavored gelatin

1/2 cup creme de menthe syrup

2 tbsp confectioners' sugar

1 1/4 cup plus 1/3 cup heavy cream

Garnish:

mint and chocolate curls

Slice 1 inch off one end of each sandwich cookie. Pulse these trimmed pieces in food processor with almonds until crumbs are formed and almonds ground. Add softened butter, pulse until evenly combined. Press crumbs onto bottom of 9-inch pie plate, covering your hands with plastic wrap to avoid sticking. Prop remaining cookies, cut side down, around rim of plate. Refrigerate until ready to fill.

Filling: Beat mascarpone slightly with hand mixer until smooth.

Meanwhile, sprinkle gelatin over 1/4 cup water in 1 cup glass measuring cup. Let soften 2 minutes, microwave 15 seconds until gelatin is dissolved. Cool slightly.

Gradually beat creme de menthe syrup and sugar into mascarpone until blended; mixture will look curdled.

While mixer is running, add 1 1/4 cup heavy cream. Beat until soft peaks form.

Gradually beat in gelatin; beat until medium-stiff peaks form.

Pour into prepared crust, swirling top decoratively. Refrigerate 4 hours or until set.

Once pie is set, beat remaining 1/3 cup cream to soft peaks. Dollop on top of pie. Sprinkle with chocolate curls and mint springs.

I found the creme de menthe syrup near the ice cream toppings, but if you don't want to buy it you can make your own following this recipe:

Creme de Menthe

2/3 cup water
1/3 cup light corn syrup
3/4 teaspoon pepperment extract
6 drops green food coloring

Stir to combine. Store at room tempreture.

Yields 1 cup.

Italian Fondue

2009-10-02T06:00:00.002-05:00

It's been a busy week and it's only gonna get busier! I leave bright and early tomorrow morning for Winnie, Texas to attend the Texas Rice Festival. Then this week I won concert tickets to Rob Thomas which is on Sunday sooooo I'm gonna do an advanced post to pop up on Monday and then by Wednesday I'll have an update on how the cook off went. I hope you don't mind!

This post is a little overdo. I had some girlfriends over a couple weekends ago and I made this fondue. It's one of my favorites and taste really good. I've tried it before with the potatoes recommended by Sandra Lee, but didn't' like it so much so stick with some yummy french bread.

Italian Fondue

(Adapted from Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade Cooking)

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons fresh sage, finely chopped
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups dry white wine
1 (16-ounce) jar Alfredo sauce
1 (8-ounce) package shredded four-cheese Italian blend (provolone, Parmesan, Romano, and Asiago cheeses)
Bread slices, for dipping
Red potatoes, cooked and diced, for dipping

Melt butter in a heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add sage and cook until butter is golden brown, about 2 minutes. Whisk in flour and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in wine and simmer for 2 minutes. Whisk in Alfredo sauce. Gradually add cheese, whisking until cheese melts and mixture is smooth. Transfer mixture to a fondue pot, chafing dish or ceramic bowl. Serve with bread and potatoes.

Pancakes done 2 ways and some good news from Bayfest

2009-09-30T06:00:00.001-05:00

I've gotten my routine down now that I'm staying home full time. My life is less stressful and I'm more happy then I ever thought I would be. My hubby isn't eating a cereal bar for breakfast anymore and I fix him something more filling to start his day off with. He wanted some pancakes this week so I thought I would do them 2 ways. His favorite is chocolate chip, but I made a second version to get him to try something new, plus I had a banana to use up so it worked out great.

Oh and before I forget I want to share some good news with you! Last weekend I went down to Corpus Christi to attend the Bayfest. I submitted 3 photos into the contest and all 3 where chosen to be on display. I was so excited. 2 of the 3 photos got ribbons and I won $150!

Here's the photo I named "Seen Better Days" which won 2nd place.

This photo I named "Round Top Texas Church Reborn" and got honorable mention.

Chocolate Chip and Banana Nut Pancakes
makes 14 pancakes total

2 cups Bisquick

2 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup milk
2 eggs
desired amount of chocolate chips

For Banana Nut Pancakes add:
1 banana, mashed
1/2 cup toasted pecans, chopped

Stir ingredients until blended, except chocolate chips. Pour 1/4 cup spoonfuls onto hot greased griddle.

Top with chocolate chips and cook until edges are dry. Turn, cook until golden.

For banana nut pancakes, follow same instructions and omit chocolate chips unless you would like them.

Pork chops made easy

2009-09-28T06:00:00.004-05:00

I have a confession to make.....I've never made pork chops in my life! I don't know why but they scare me to death. I think maybe it's because every time my hubby tries them when we go out to dinner they're super dry and way over cooked. While I love our Sunday steak nights, I decided to man up and give the pork chops a try. Another confession is I don't usually work the grill and I really hated to make my hubby fire up the grill for a meal I wasn't so sure how it was gonna turn out so instead I got the idea of using my Panini press. I figure the shows on TV use an indoor grilling pan and since I don't have one how could a Panini press be any different. Besides I can cook both sides at the same time and assure even cooking, how can it get any easier then that?!?!?

The end result was fantastic! You can substitute any herbs you would like. I did buy a thicker cut of meat only because I didn't want a thin cut that I would dry out in the first minute of cooking. If we wouldn't have gobbled it up so quickly I would have taken a picture of the inside to show you how juicy they stayed. I didn't put measurements because it depends on your taste, and size of pork chops, so just sprinkle enough to coat the meat.

Pork Chop

2 pork chops

olive oil

dried sage

rosemary

salt

pepper

red pepper flakes, if desired

Drizzle olive oil on pork chops. Sprinkle remaining herbs and seasoning.

Add pork chops to a hot panini press and close the lid. Cook for 4 minutes then turn chops, close the lid and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes.

Meanwhile my hubby cooked up some onions on the stove top using butter, Tony's, garlic salt, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper.

DaSpot Chicken Sandwhich

2009-09-24T06:00:00.000-05:00

This is a simple meal to make ahead of time up until the coating part. I really like that it used pre-cooked meat so I'm for sure going to save this to use leftover turkey at Thanksgiving time. I left off the Tabbouleh salad because I couldn't find it in the store and the recipes online I found made such large amounts I decided to leave it off and just use lettuce. Overall the patties where full of flavor and tasted really good.

DaSpot Chicken Sandwich
(Adapted from Big Daddy's House)

Canola oil, for frying
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 (3 to 4-pound) store-bought rotisserie chicken
1/4 cup diced red pepper
1/4 cup diced green pepper
1/2 cup diced onion
1 jalapeno seeded and diced
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon granulated chicken bouillon
Pinch cayenne
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 egg
3 tablespoons panko bread crumbs
Chipotle Mayo, recipe follows
1 pint store-bought tabbouleh salad (I left this off)
4 to 6 Portuguese rolls, split

Breading:
1 cup all-purpose flour
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 eggs, beaten
2 cups panko bread crumbs, in shallow dish
Chipotle Mayo, recipe follows

Preheat a deep-fryer with canola oil to 350 degrees F.

Pick the chicken from the bones and add to a large bowl. Set aside.

In a medium saute pan over medium-high heat, add the 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the peppers, onions, jalapenos, and garlic and cook until slightly caramelized. Stir in the bouillon and cayenne and season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Place pepper and onion mixture, picked chicken, egg and bread crumbs into a food processor and pulse until well incorporated and slightly chunky.

Form chicken mixture into burger-size patties.

Put the flour into a shallow dish and season with salt and pepper. Put the eggs and bread crumbs into separate shallow dishes.

Bread the patties by dredging into the seasoned flour, then the eggs and finally through the bread crumbs. Transfer to a platter.

Fry the patties until crispy and golden, 1 to 2 minutes.

Spread Chipotle Mayo on both sides of the Portuguese rolls. Add the chicken patties to the bottom of the rolls and top with a good spoonful of tabbouleh. Cover with the roll tops and serve.

Chipotle Mayo:
1 cup mayonnaise
1 lemon, juiced
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 chipotle peppers, minced
Pinch kosher salt
Pinch cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon chopped garlic

In a small bowl, mix all the ingredients until well incorporated. Cover and put in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Tomato Basil Soup

2009-09-22T08:40:00.000-05:00

I'm so sorry I've been lacking on post lately. Things around my house have been a little hectic. I decided to make a soup that's one of my hubby's favorites since he's on the mend from a really bad ear infection. An added bonus is I think I heard today is the official first day of fall and we're getting a cold front today to bring the temps down to the 70's, so it's good timing for a good soup.

I decided to wing it since I couldn't find my original recipe I always used. This actually came out to be the best one I've made since and it's a super easy recipe to toss together and have on the table in 30 minutes.

Rich and Creamy Tomato Basil Soup

1 (26 oz) can plus 2 (10.75 oz) cans condensed tomato soup
2 cups whipping cream
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon dried basil
dash of red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients and simmer for 20 minutes or until desired thickness.

Meatballs

2009-09-09T06:00:00.000-05:00

It's so good to be back in my own bed, vacation is always nice, but it's bitter sweet being away. So much has happened since I last logged on! I won Britney Spears tickets (oh yeah I know you're jealous!) from the radio. As crazy as she is I hear she puts on a really good show so I'm really looking forward to it next week. I won an autographed copy of Loco A Funny Crime Mystery which was given away by Jersey Girl Cooks. AND I received an email that the 3 photos I submitted to the Corpus Christi Bayfest where all chosen to move on to the final judging round and open for sale to the public, so now I'm rushing getting my prints enlarged and framed. I'll share my pictures with you guys at the end of the month when I attend the festival. My husband says I need to play the lotto, but it seems like my good luck comes in waves, which all of the good news eases my frustration with myself for not getting a lot of recipes entered in contest.

Now on to dinner, nothing like being away from home then returning and whipping up some comfort food to get settled back in. We have lots of ground venison meat in our freezer and one thing we like to make with it is meatballs. This is an easy recipe my parents make and they work great for a party or over pasta. Rolling them in the Worcestershire sauce is the key to the flavor. You don't want too much, just enough to coat it a little to give the extra zip. I like to make a big batch of these and then freeze them before adding the Worcestershire sauce. Once they're defrosted then I'll heat them up on the stove top and add some Worcestershire sauce.

This recipe can be a little spicy so feel free to cut back on some of the seasoning if need be or just eliminate the red pepper flakes. The hubby LOVES fennel and has me roll the meatballs in them before I bake them. I'm not as big of fan so I do some with out. So don't freak out if you see a ton of fennel in the pictures. :)

Meatballs

2 pounds ground meat
5 tablespoons breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon Mrs. Dash
1 1/2 tablespoons Tony Chacheres Creole Seasoning
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
1 1/2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes

Mix all ingredients very well and let rest in refrigerator for 15 minutes.

Using a cookie scoop, scoop out meat and roll into balls. Place on a foil linned cookie sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees F. for 20-30 minutes or until the juices run clear. After baking, the balls can be frozen for later use or transfer a few at a time to a skillet and roll around in a tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce to glaze.

Salsa

2009-09-04T06:00:00.002-05:00

I love a good salsa and it's hard to find in restaurants. My hubby and I joke that in order to pass our test and come back to a Mexican restaurant they have to have A. good salsa B. good margarita C. good fajitas. I think if you fail the first two for sure you should close up shop. Just kidding, I know I'm just one customer out of the thousands that go so just because I'm not happy doesn't mean everyone else isn't.

This recipe comes from an unnamed source because I can't tell you who they are. I like the addition of carrot in there to give it a little crunch. For some reason I like mine blended until it's water with a tiny hint of cilantro, but the hubby likes it chunky with tons of cilantro so it's a good thing I make my own and and customise it.

Hope you have a wonderful Labor Day and enjoy the day off!!

Fresh Salsa

4 jalapenos
1 clove garlic
4 green onions
1 tomatillo
cilantro to taste
1 small carrot
1 can whole tomatos
salt to taste

Place all ingredients in a blender and pulse to desired consistancy. (I strain the canned tomatoes and add the juice as needed.)