Garden and Tired Patches

I haven't been blogging a ton because I've been outside enjoying my garden or working late. I'm starting a new job the end of this month and am really excited. I'm statying at the same company but moving departments and changing my job title and role. I'll really miss my staff- they are all hard workers and fun people but this new job is something I've wanted to do for some time and now I can do it and not change companies. Lucky me. So I've been at work a little later than usual this past week because I have to start planning on transitioning to a new department and leave all my projects, etc that I've been working on this year. By the time I get home I just want to sit on the couch and watch tv with Patches so, I haven't cooked or baked much. But after the 4th I'll get back into the swing of things and post more.

I've also really been trying to keep up my garden this summer. Last summer I got kind of lazy and didn't water or weed when I should have blah blah blah. So this year I'm making sure everything is weeded and watered. I have my one main garden that stretches along the backyard and then I have a few plants around my deck. Most flowers are looking good this year but a lot did not make it through the winter so I have some empty spaces that I need to fill in. I buy some perennials from a good nursery but I also get a lot from my mother or friends and coworkers. I think that the ones I get from people (not nurseies) do better.

I design my own pots - why spend $40 or even $50 on a pot when you can buy a few annuals and plant them yourself? My favorite pots I do are two big pots on either end of my deck. Every year I've done different annuals in them.

Last year ---

I did almost all pink in my pots last year. Pink is my signature color. (Steel Magnolias line if you know that movie. It should be my line though because pink is my signature color.)

This year ---

I like to mix it up so this year I did a brown spike, marigolds, pink petunias, potato vine and some "furry" looking little purple flower that I don't remember the name of. I love how the marigold and pink petunia colors POP out! The potato vine is kind of taking over so I go out and move the vine back to where it should be. I don't want it crowding my petunia.

Well, I've got to get to Cub to pick up some items for the weekend and week. We're going up to the cabin tomorrow and my mother needs ice cream for banana splits and I've got to think of a fun appetizer or snack to bring up too. You can't show up to the cabin without food!


Oh, after working in the garden today I came downstairs after my shower and saw puppy like this...

Sleeping, upsided down, over the air conditioner vent. Life's tough huh Patches. In his defense-- he had a big vet visit yesterday. Got four shots, blood tests and lots of poking around and examining. Vet bills sure do add up but at least its only once every three years for most of his stuff. And the vet said Patches is very healthy and doing great!

Burger Cake

I got this recipe out of a cookbook that my sister gave me for my birthday. It is really easy to make and looks fancy. It is a perfect cake to make in the summer. I've made this two times and everyone who eats it LOVES it! There are never any leftovers of this cake.

Ingredients:

• yellow cake mix and everything to make it
• brownie mix (the box that is closest to 18 oz) and everything to make it
• 2 kiwis
• strawberries
• cool whip
• yellow food coloring
• brown sprinkles

Steps:

1. make yellow cake in round cake pan (you only need one round cake pan so make cupcakes with the rest of the mix or make two and use the other one for something else)
2. make brownie mix and bake in a round cake pan
3. when the cake and brownie are done let cool completely
4. slice strawberries and kiwis
5. carefully cut the yellow cake in half with a long knife (I have a really hard time doing this but as long as the top part looks good you're fine)
6. mix enough yellow food coloring into the cool whip to get a "mustard" color
7. build your burger ---- yellow cake, then brownie, the fruit, cool whip, top of yellow cake
8. sprinkle with brown sprinkles to get a "poppy seed" look

The harderst part is getting the strawberries and kiwis layered just right. I like to start with one kind and place them in a circle all around the edge of the cake, then work in the other fruit so it is every other. Then I put a few slices of each in the middles to it out. The fruit slides off so you have to place them on carefully and then once you top with cool whip everything will stay in place. See- its easy to make and everyone will think it looks so fun and that it took you forever.

Apple Tart

I got this recipe from The Pioneer Woman website/blog and it looked so easy and good that I had to try it. Turned out pretty good. I would serve it with ice cream!

 

Apple Tart

Ingredients:

• 1 sheet of puff pastry (I only used one sheet since it was my first time making this. It makes three long skinny tarts so really one sheet is enough.)
• 2 honey crisp apples
• 1 granny smith apple
• 1 tbsp or so of lemon juice (didn't actually measure)
• 1/2 tsp salt (or a couple of dashes of salt since, again, didn't actually measure)
• about 1 cup brown sugar
• ground cinnamon

Steps:

1. take out puff pastry sheet and set aside to thaw
2. chop apples into thin slices - leave peel on
3. put all apples into a medium bowl and toss with lemon juice
4. add brown sugar and salt and toss until evenly coated
5. puff pastry should be thawed by now - open up (mine came tri-folded so I opened it to a full sheet) and break apart where the creases are, spray pan (I used a jelly roll pan)
6. place apple mixture down the middle of each piece of pastry (at first I was going to just throw the mixture on but then I decided to make a nice neat row) 
7. bake at 400 degrees for about 20-25 minutes 
8. as soon as you take the pan out remove them from the pan onto wax paper (at least this is what I did) this way you can immediately rinse and soak the pan because it will be very sticky from the brown sugar leaking off the pastry 
9. shake ground cinnamon over the top

They taste amazing! But very sticky so moving from the pan to a cooling rack w/wax paper was difficult and it stuck to the wax paper a little. I think I would spray the wax paper next time before placing them on there to cool. Other than that I won't change a thing about the recipe. So good!

Yes- that is a bite taken out of the one. I couldn't wait! 

I had some apple mixture leftover so I think I might make more tomorrow. I like to mix the types of apples I use when baking. Always throwing in at least one granny smith.



The husband is working late tonight so Patches and I are going to watch some tv and clean up the kitchen. Except Patches is already tired - not sure why. He slept all day. Life must be "ruff" as a dog!

Good night all!

Crab Salad

I went to Cub this week for pop, apples and puff pastry (going to make an apple tart this weekend) and ended up as always browsing the meat department. I always check to see whats on sale. As I walked past the fish and seafood I saw the fake crab (formal name - imitation crab) and remembered this really good crab salad I used to eat with my mother. So I picked up a pack and then had to get the rest of the ingredients and by the time I had everything for this salad, many other things that happened to look good that afternoon and what I originally went to Cub for my basket was overflowing and my arm was numb. I always do that. I can never go to Cub, Target or Menard's without buying three times as many items as I have on my list.

Crab Salad

Ingredients:

• 1/2 to a whole package of imitation crab (you can get the flakes or "legs", I prefer the "legs")
• Mayo (I suppose you could use Miracle Whip too, but I like Mayo and I only buy real mayo- no lite or fat free)
• Mustard (I use regular yellow mustard for this salad)
• Pasta (I like to use angel hair but any shape would do fine)
• Seasonings - I add in pepper and a dash of paprika and only because I have chives right outside my door I added some of those too. Whatever you like in a cold salad add it in!

Steps:

1. boil water and cook pasta
2. when pasta is done rinse with cold water
3. once pasta is completely cooled add in Mayo and mustard
4. mix until well combined and then chop up crab if you have the "legs" or tear apart the flakes into smaller pieces and add crab to the pasta
5. add in any seasoning or chives (Some people might like celery and I think that might be a good addition. Me- I am not a fan of celery in my cold salads, not in tuna salad, potato salad or this salad.)
6. once everything is combined chill in fridge for at least an hour
7. pig out and try not to eat it all by yourself in one sitting

I used half a box of angel hair pasta and ate almost the entire bowl the same day. I can't get enough of this salad. So good! I know its not thr most exotic recipe in the world but since its easy to make and has few ingredients its perfect for a quick lunch or side. Enjoy!

Father's Day Lunch

My husband asked what Patches was getting him for Father's Day - I said "same thing he got me for Mother's Day" - meaning nothing. haha. But we made a nice lunch on Sunday. I had various bell peppers and some beef cut up in cubes so we had kabobs. Yum! I love kabobs on the grill. (Actually I like anything on the grill. There is something about grilling that makes food taste so much better.)

Started out thinking I was going to put them on skewers (I had some soaking in water) but when I remembered I had the can of potatoes I changed my mind because I thought they wouldn't stick real well on the skewer. So I went out to the garage and got my kabob baskets.

I seared the beef in a fry pan with some seasonings (helps to sear the beef first because everything else is done so quickly) while I chopped up red, yellow and orange bell peppers, onion and opened the can of potatoes. I know- CAN of potatoes? But they are really good and perfect for this type of meal because they don't take as long to cook as real potatoes.

I threw everything except the beef in a bowl and tossed in olive oil, salt and pepper. Then I began stuffing everything in the grill baskets. I love these baskets - they were my parents and we used to use them all the time in the summer - but now they are mine! (When I lived at home my parents and I would make these with chicken, onions, tomato and potatoes.)

You really need to stuff them tight because as the yummy goodness cooks it shrinks and then everything starts to fall out of the openings. Almost like putting a puzzle together.

Throw them on the grill and turn every so often until done. (That's Patchman in the background, punched out and oh so tired from the cabin on Saturday.)

Then I either dumb in all in a bowl and serve it or dumb right on the plates. ohhhh soooooo good! and a perfect summer Sunday meal. I made a caesar salad to go with it.

After eating we did some yard work and sat around the rest of the day. It was a relaxing Sunday.

Cabin Food

The rain stopped so I ended up going to the cabin for the afternoon anyway. Packed up puppy and the pineapple cupcakes and we headed up north.

On the way up I got two texts from my mother of the food they were eating. I wanted it to be a surprise I was coming so I didn't write back to save me any. Bummer. There was a good amount of most of the food left but the sausage bites (pic below)- only ONE left! I don't know how they made it but it was really good! I wasn't there for a meal really, most of this they had for lunch and we all just grazed on it all afternoon. Yum! My mom, dad and one of my sisters' families were all up there. Which was good because I had to give my nieces a few presents - one for 8th grade graduation and one because she's having surgery Tuesday (gotta take care of my girls - they are so cute). We ate food, played outside in between the rain showers and had a pretty good afternoon. I wish I would have gotten up there earlier - time flies so fast at the cabin.

First, watermelon salad. Watermelon, feta, red onion and some "greenery" - not exactly sure what my sister threw in there. This was a refreshing summer salad, but I'm not a big fan of watermelon. Feta cheese on the other hand I could eat all day!

Second, the sausage bites. I only got one of these. Boo! I'll have to write more about them next time we have them. I'm not sure what they put in them or how they made them but they were one of the most delicious appetizers I've ever had. It was a puff pastry with a sausage in the middle seasoned with fennel and other seasonings.

Third, dry rub ribs. SOOOO good! I'm usually not a fan of ribs, just because they are messy to eat. But since these were dry rub they weren't messy at all and oh so delish! My dad first boils them and then rubs them with "Jeremy's Rub" and grills them. Jeremy is a butcher at Cub that my dad knows by first name and not only orders his meat from him but also buys this special rub from as well. (My dad rarely gets names right so I think Jeremy's real name is probably Jason or Jimmy, but my mom said she has met him and yes his name really is Jeremy - ok mom.) They were little ribs, not big ones. I feasted on these all afternoon. I couldn't stop grabbing them and eating them.

We also had baked beans and caprese salad (tomato, basil, mozzarella, balsamic vinegar), but I didn't take pics of those. Probably because I was too busy stuffing my face with all this goodness.

The fam loved my pineapple cupcakes and as usual I delivered a couple to the neighbors. Whenever I bring up a dessert I have to make sure they get some too.

Its great that the cabin is close enough to go just for an afternoon. Patches had so much fun playing with my nieces he is STILL tired! He of course had to have a bath when we got home. He spent the afternoon rolling in wet grass and laying in puddles. He smelled like a swamp. What a great Saturday it turned out to be!

Pineapple Cupcakes

So what did I do with the rest of the pineapple from my smoothie afternoon? Made up a pineapple cupcake recipe of course. Here it is!

Ingredients:

• White Cake mix and everything to make it (mine called for 1 1/4 cup water, 1/3 cup vegetable oil, 3 egg whites)
• about 2 cups diced pineapple
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger (the ginger was a little strong so if you're not in love with ginger you may want to cut this down a little)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 container coconut pecan frosting

** Yup- that is a glass of wine in the back. Not needed for this recipe but definitely needed while baking.



Steps:



1. In a small saucepan combine diced pineapple, ginger, brown sugar and cinnamon
2. Simmer until pineapple is soft, mash chunks a little bit but you still want some chunks of pineapple in there
3. Once pineapple is softened remove from heat and stir in vanilla

 
4. Prepare cake mix and line cupcake pan with paper liners
5. Fill cupcakes just slightly less than you would for normal cupcakes (about 2/3 full? 1/2 full? I usually fill the cupcakes a lot because I like a nice full dome top on my cupcakes) If you don't have one of these scoops you HAVE to get one - it makes scooping the cupcakes so easy and you get nice even cupcakes.

 
6. Next use a spoon or something small to scoop the pineapple filling onto each cupcake. I used a 1/2 tbsp and it worked great.   

 
7.  Swirl the filling into each cupcake with a knife so the filling is evenly mixed throughout the whole cupcake.

 
8. Bake according to back of cake box, mine took about 2 minutes less than what the box said but I used that as a guide. (box said 19-22 minutes, mine took 17 minutes) 
9. Let cool.  

 
10. Once cooled frost with coconut pecan frosting.  

With this recipe I was able to make 18 filled cupcakes and I had enough cake mix left for 3 plain cupcakes. The ginger and cinnamon really add to the flavor of the cupcakes and when you are simmering the filling it smells SOOOO good! When you take them out of the oven make sure to really really let them cool before eating them- the filling is super hot! These were fun to make and would be a good summer cupcake since they have pineapple in them. I'm sure a few different frosting would go well on these. I was thinking of doing a white chocolate ganache but I already had the coconut pecan frosting so I used that. If I did do a white chocolate frosting I think I'd top them with a piece of pineapple. I wouldn't change the cupcakes at all- yum!  

My original plan was to bring these up to the cabin this weekend but its raining today, so I decided to stay home. Guess I'll have to bring them to work instead.

Happy weekend!





Strawberry Summer Cupcakes

These are so refreshing and delightful. I think they are perfect for a summer get-together and they look and sound fancy! (By the way- careful who you say "fancy" to. At work this week we have some vendors from a different state and we said something was "fancy" and they thought that was a bad thing. We had to explain that in MN "fancy" is a good thing! Weird huh.) Anyway, here's the delightful summer strawberry cupcakes recipe. By the way- I made these up myself!

Ingredients:

• 1 strawberry cake mix and everything to make the mix
• 1 small box banana pudding (I usually use instant pudding, but its up to you)
• about 1/2 package of graham crackers
• 2-3 tablespoons of melted butter
• cool whip
• sliced fresh strawberries to top the cupcakes

Steps:

1. crush graham crackers really well
2. melt butter
3. combine crushed graham crackers and melted butter
4. fill cupcake pan with paper liners and press down butter/graham cracker mixture in the bottom of each cupcake - use a glass to press firmly down (good luck finding one that can fit - I think I tried about 6 different items in my kitchen before I finally found one that worked. It was a spice jar turned upside down.) You don't need a thick layer - just enough to cover the bottom.
5. prepare cake mix as directed and put in cupcake liners
6. bake according to directions on box
7. cool completely
8. core cupcakes (I have a corer that I've mentioned before but you can just cut out the middles. Next time you are at a kitchen store just buy a corer - they are about $5. If you use it once you've gotten your $ out of it.)
9. prepare pudding according to directions on package and pipe into cupcakes (I mixed in a little bit of cool whip, then piped it in, but you don't have to.)
10. "frost" with cool whip
11. top with fresh strawberry

** Store in refrigerator! (or "ice box" as my dad would call it because he has a hard time spelling long words-hehe!)

Oh yeah - I also crumbled graham crackers over the top too!
If I use a cake box mix I get between 16 and 20 cupcakes. I never get 24 like the box says.

Yes- there are at least 11 steps for these, but they are much easier then you think. Try them!




My dad came over last night to help with a few odds and ends around the house. Patches had clawed the screen door so bad that it pretty much had a doggy door in it - not good. We do not have a fenced yard. So, my dad came over and we put a new screen on the door- didn't take long at all and it was a perfect evening outside. Everything was looking good and we were almost done and we noticed Patches walking on our newly screened door! It turned out fine - I threw the cardboard tube in the yard for him to chase and play with until we were done. He really enjoyed that toy until he started eating te cardboard, then I had to take it away.  

 

Patches saying "Who me? I won't touch the new screen door."

That's right Patches - just look! 

Its great having a screen door again! Hopefully it will at least last through this summer.

Cupcakes for Contest

I made these a few weeks ago to enter into the Duncan Hines Frosting Creations Recipe Challenge. Still waiting to hear if I won. Their website says winners will be announced soon, whatever "soon" means.

Ingredients:

• Devil's Food cake mix and ingredients needed to make mix
• about a cup of peanut butter
• Duncan Hines Frosting Creation Caramel flavor
• Slivered or Sliced Almonds

Steps:

1. Make Devil's Food cupcakes.
2. Let cool completely.
3. Core cupcakes - I have a cupcake corer which makes it really easy to do, but you can use an apple corer or just cut out the middles (Discard, eat or find another use for the cores. Someday I'll actually try and make cake pops with the cores. For now I just eat them.)
4. Fill a piping bag, or I just use a Ziploc bag with the corner snipped off, with peanut butter and fill the cores of the cupcakes.
5. Frost with Duncan Hines Frosting Creation Caramel flavor. (Make sure you mix the frosting and the flavor packet REALLY well or the frosting is streaky and not all the same color.)
6. To make them pretty I chopped up sliced almonds and rolled the edges of the cupcakes in the almonds.

That's it! You definitely need a glass of milk with these - so rich! I'm not a big fan of peanut butter, well honestly I don't even like it a little bit. But since a lot of people out there love peanut butter I tried this combination and it turned out great! I even ate two of them.

I had to give them a name to enter the contest and my sister said to name them "PACC Man" cupcakes. P for peanut butter, A for almonds, C for caramel, and C for chocolate. My nephew said to name them chocolate, caramel coronary. I think PACC Man is more appetizing.




And just for fun here's a picture of PatchMan cuddling with his many toys. Cute!

Smoothie Afternoon

Saturday:

My foodie friend came over for a "smoothie afternoon". We made delicious non-alcoholic smoothies and snacks and soaked up some rays. It was really really hot and humid but we still had a good time. She lives pretty close so we may make this a Saturday afternoon tradition.

We started off with choppin' up fruit and blending them in the Magic Bullet. I have a decent blender but she said that the Magic Bullet is great for smoothies (but not much else despite the commercials). So we chopped up pineapple, strawberries and added V8 Peach Mango juice, soy milk and coconut milk. Yum! So good!

The smoothies turned out so delicious! Oh and we added banana too. I gave a chunk of pineapple to Patches but he did not like it. I've read that most fruit is a good treat for dogs but PatchDog does not like fruit. Anyway, for our snacks we didn't have anything too fancy- that fruity pasta salad I mentioned a couple days ago, fruit and pretzels. Just enough. We weren't trying to have a meal, just snacks.

The pasta salad is the best summer pasta salad you can make.

Strawberries
Grapes (I prefer green, but you could probably use either red or green)
Chicken (optional, still good without)
Pasta (I like bow tie but any shape will do)
Poppy Seed dressing

My mother says the grapes are hard to get on your fork, which I completely agree. But unless you want to chop every grape in half you'll just have to deal with it. The grapes I had were really small (must be the time of year???). If they were bigger I would probably chop them in half and then add them to the salad. I made this for my mother the last time we went up to the cabin and she ate just about the whole thing! Its that good!

Yum! Smoothies! I"m still thinking about them. Oh- I wanted to say - no matter what the occasion, what you're eating- make sure to have some fun in the presentation. It makes the food (beverages) that much tastier and its fun! I love the top of the pineapple- I could have kept it on my counter all day- oh wait, I did.

 Nothing too interesting Sunday. Kind of took it easy. I'm thinking of things to do with the rest of the pineapple and strawberries. Also, I have a really busy week at work so I probably won't be baking/cooking much until Thursday night.

Well, hope you all had a good weekend. Happy cooking!

Friday Dinner

Well- home from the city festival we went to after a great dinner. Had the in-laws over for dinner to celebrate their birthdays. Good food, good family.

I grilled the steaks I marinated overnight. I left them on the grill a little too long and they were too well done for my taste but everyone seemed to enjoy them. I think they prefer well done steaks. I really tried to have the "perfect" grill marks on them this time and I think I successfully accomplished that. The big trick is to put 'em on the grill and DON'T TOUCH THEM! Then flip, rotate and flip, and flip once more. They looked beautiful! Just a little too done. I wouldn't change a thing I did with the marinade. It was perfect!

Some people (no one tonight) put ketchup on their steaks. At first you might cringe, but when it comes right down to it-- eat what you like. I mean, ketchup does not belong on a lovely steak, but if that's what one's taste buds say to do, then just do it. To me the person who typically asks for ketchup just hasn't had the RIGHT steak. The possibility came up tonight but no one ended up needing any tonight. Keep an open mind, offer it if someone asks and in the end they will realize ketchup does not belong on the steak you cooked.

With the meat tonight we had baked potatoes. I'm being 100% serious when I say- "I have never made a baked potato before tonight." That's right. We either have mashed potatoes or I chop them up and put them in foil on the grill, not big baked potato people here. But it was a request, so I complied. Now before today came I asked my work people, whom I go to for many household and baking/cooking questions, can you grill baked potatoes? Sure they said but it will take a long time. Easiest technique is to wrap them in foil and throw them in a crock pot on low all day. Amazing! This is now the only way I will make baked potatoes (when I need more than a few). So, this morning while my coffee was still making its way through my veins, I wrapped six potatoes in tin foil and put them in my crock pot on low. Also, I pricked them with a fork first. (To prick or not to prick started a whole other conversation at work that I will not go into here. Just know that there are many ways to "prick" a potato and reasoning to and not to do it.) oh- I put out sour cream, butter, shredded cheddar cheese and S&P on the table for the potatoes.

To serve with all the above was a fresh tossed salad. Romaine, grape tomatoes, green pepper. I like to put out various dressings and let people choose what they like best. The only- I repeat- ONLY croutons I buy are Texas Toast brand. Any flavor but only that brand. They are big and crunchy.

Don't the steaks look delicious all piled high on the plate? Yum! There is a small piece left over that I have to find something yummy to do with tomorrow. Maybe I'll save it for the afternoon when my foodie friend comes over in the afternoon for smoothies and food.

After dinner we enjoyed the diet coke cake w/cherry vanilla frosting and everyone thought it was de-lish! Then headed to the city festival for a sweet band.





Just for fun- here's a pic of PatchMan being lazy and sitting down while eating (we mix his name up sometimes just to keep things interesting).

Good night all and happy Friday!

Prepping for the weekend

Just got done getting my steaks in their marinade. Oh - I wish you could smell this!

Olive oil
Soy Sauce
Parsley & Rosemary from my garden
McCormick Montreal Steak seasoning

I can't wait to grill these tomorrow!

Tonight's Accomplishments

Since I got all my cleaning done last night I was able to go grocery shopping and bake tonight. The in-laws are coming over for dinner Friday before heading to the city festival to see a great band! Picked up some good lookin steaks for grilling- I'll have to remember to post those later. Tonight I made the cake- a birthday cake since we're celebrating both my in-laws' bdays Friday.

Nothing too fancy - I haven't started building that skill yet. I have a friend who makes the fanciest looking cakes ever! I'll have to get her to teach me. Anyway, tonight was a Devil's Food cake with Cherry Vanilla frosting. I like to mix things up- and it doesn't hurt to be a little healthy either- so this cake is a Diet Coke cake. Did you know you can make a cake with just cake mix and a can of diet coke? Well, you can. Although you can technically make a cake with any type of pop I've heard that diet coke is pretty much the only one that tastes decent. All you do is mix 1 can (12 oz) of diet coke with 1 cake mix, use your mixer to get all the lumps out, pour in whatever your baking- tonight I made two round cakes. Bake according to directions on the box. From the crumbs I ate it tastes pretty good and you can't taste the coke, although I kind of wish I could. I used two different round pans- 8 in and 9in - I was hoping for a layered look but it just didn't really turn out that way. Looks find but not like it did in my head.

The frosting is amazing! Duncan Hines has these new frosting creations where you buy plain frosting and a mix and mix your own flavor. The flavors they have are sooo fun! Tonight I used the cherry vanilla- not only does it taste great but I love the color of it. Kind of a muted pink. I get so excited when I see all the flavors - I can't wait to try more!

To get the fun sprinkle star I traced a cookie cutter on wax paper, cut it out, placed it ever so gently on the cake and filled it in with sprinkles. If that sounds challenging its because it is! I have read about doing this sort of thing and there must be an easier way. I will need to do some research and try again.

For Saturday:

The second part of my kitchen escapade tonight was prepping for Saturday afternoon. My best-est friend and fellow foodie is coming over in the afternoon. We are going to eat and make fun smoothies and soak up some rays.

Pasta salad- easiest in the whole world to make!
Chop up strawberries, rinse some grapes, open a pack of pre-cooked grilled chicken breasts, cook some pasta, mix 'em all together in a bowl and squirt in enough poppy seed dressing to coat. Yum! Light and refreshing!
(sorry no pic right now, maybe when we're eating it!)



Ugh, getting late and another day filled with meetings tomorrow. Good night!

I love food

I love food. My family loves food. And when I found myself posting pictures of my creations on facebook over and over again I thought- I should create a place where anyone could see these, why not? So here I am creating a blog when I thought this would never be something I'd do.

Ever since I can remember food was an essential part of my family. Every holiday, every event, every get-together was centered around food. Some families talk about work or the weather - we talk about what we're eating and what we're eating next. Towards the end of each year we would go around and ask what every ones favorite meal was the previous year. My sisters would always vote for the prime rib we eat every New Year's Day, my brother-in-law would say the corn beef and cabbage we had for St Patrick's day. Me- I love my dad's crown pork roast. Every Christmas Day I would help him put those little foil crowns on the tips of each bone. Sooooo good! Now that I'm married and don't live at home anymore I'm on my own to start new traditions and try some classic family recipes on my own and create some of my own. And of course we have to split holidays between two families, so I don't always get the crown pork roast on Christmas anymore. But it just tastes that much better every other year. Yup- married with one kid- a Jack Russell Terrier named Patches who is probably more work than having a real kid, kidding, kind of. But he sure is cute!

Hopefully I will stick with this whole blog thing and post lots of yummy foods and more!