CHoCoLaTe PaNiNi???

I was watching food network the other day and came across Giada's show 'Everyday Italian'. I normally don't watch her show, although I like her cooking, but the show featured chocolate and it is my DUTY to totally pause whenever chocolate is involved.

She did a couple of chocolate recipes but the one that grabbed me the most because of it's simplicity and it's seemingly fresh taste was the Chocolate Panini with Brie. I substituted plain brie for an herb crusted brie and it was delicious. You can find the link here:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_77104,00.html
This is such a unique way to have chocolate and I thoroughly enjoyed having it in a savory capacity. It was very simple and was an explosion of some of my favorite flavors in a unique combination.

PuMPKiN iCe CReaM...aS PRoMiSeD :o)

Recently I got some Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream from Yoder Dairy. I got this from the Princess Anne Farmers Market location and let me tell you...it is DELICIOUS! Worth EVERY BIT of it's slightly gourmet cost. I bought a prepacked quart and oh how *sweet* it was :o) There is something in this that even adds the crispness of a crust to the ice cream. I can definitely taste the cinnamon and other spices in this ice cream and boy was it CReaMY!!! My resident 'pumpkin-aholic' gave it a'one empty bowl' rating:o)

Here's a photo with a teaser...they have an 'apple pie' version too! Run, don't walk to your nearest Yoder Dairy :o) You may want to call your nearest location to ensure they have what you want and verify their store hours.

a PRoPeR Tea

I was invited to a quilt showing by a sweet lady I know. I am always so thrilled to see different quilts, my eyes can't get enough of colors and patterns and textures. I was not disappointed looking at all of her beautiful quilts, each stitch had been sewn with love. I can't thank her enough for sharing those treasures with me. I appreciate all craftmanship I encounter and this was no exception.

I was also treated to a beautiful tea. It was so beautiful, I was afraid to drink and eat off of her gorgeous dinnerware. She took the time to patiently explain some of the aspects of 'the tea' and just look at those beautiful folded rose napkins! That is how keen her attention to detail is. She had some fresh canteloupe along with some delicious sweet baked goods like her homemade shortbread. I have NEVER had better shortbread than hers.

Wouldn't this table make you feel special? What a gracious hostess!






Thank you so much for sharing your treasures with me. I cannot tell you how special this was and I thoroughly enjoyed the entire morning :o) You are very special and I am so happy that we met! This was my first official tea party and I hope it's the beginning of many :o)

SouPS oN :o)

I received an invitation a couple of weeks ago from a sweet lady whom I have had the great pleasure of meeting since coming to Virginia. She wanted to host a dinner at her home featuring soups to help raise money for a charity of her choosing. She invited some 'foodie' friends and I was so excited to be included!

There were two fantastic soups on the menu but what most inspired me was her kindness and generosity. There I was sitting in her kitchen, surrounded by some amazing women, and feeling truly blessed. This just proves that food can really bring people together.

She made Mexican Tortilla Soup, recipe compliments of Tyler Florence and it was delicious! Here are a couple of photos to share of some of the ingredients as well as the finished product.






She also made a Plantain Soup from Ingrid Hoffmann's Simply Delicioso. This soup was equally delicious. I honestly would not want to have to choose one over the other :o) Both were excellent choices!



Tonight was also my first time trying Passion Tea. It was absolutely thirst quenching :o) Look at these beautiful glasses! Who wouldn't feel at home having this glass of tea?



Both of these soup recipes can be found online so I won't post them here. If you have difficult locating them, drop me a line here and I'll be glad to send a link.

I want to thank my dinner ladies from the bottom of my heart for such a terrific night! Thank you also to my wonderful hostess for the fantastic inspirational tour.

I look forward to many more charity dinners with them :o) This truly was soup for the soul.

MY NeWeST STReSS THeRaPY: PLaYiNG WiTH PaPeR

Most of you know I am *considering* scrapbooking as a hobby...

It all started with one book and has turned into one big technicolor dream! I just recently carved a little niche for me to work. I am no way near organized but it's a start. You can see... I'm definitely in the 'considering' category, right? I'm working on a little more space to get those remaining thousand 'must haves' up and off the carpet :o( unfortunately space is a premium so I'm going to have to be creative :o) I took this photo while working on 'SWeeT'. Pardon my mess ;o)


I was up later last night playing with paper, stickers and other embellishments. I'm toying with some ideas I've seen and this is the culmination of some of those inspirations (THaNK Ye SCRaP MiSeR!). It's not 'PeRFeCT' but it is 'SWeeT' :o) (Hint: You can click on any image on my blog to enlarge it.)
Here are my newest pages.

*note the frog feet*




They are not totally complete but a good start has been made, that's for sure :o) I tried a couple of new things like rub-ons (all girl), 3d acrylic glaze on the fingers of the frogs (frog prince) and primary colors scrapbook paint on chip letters (sweet). My *SS* recommended that I add a rusty orange to 'sweet' page to lighten it up. What do you think?

I hope you enjoy looking at them as much as I enjoyed working on them :o)

ReCiPe ReMiX

Yesterday I fixed a Chili's Southwest Eggroll and today with the filling, I flipped it and imho it was even better :o)

Nachos with a southwest chicken twist. I did add some pepper jack shredded cheese to top the nachos and MAN were they good! I layed some tortilla chips on a baking sheet and preheated my oven for 350 degrees and layered the meat mixture on top of the chips, evenly spreading it as I went along. I then layered some pepper jack cheese on top and baked it until the cheese was slightly melted and the filling warmed again. It didn't take long and the result was definitely worth repeating!

Here's a photo of this southwest remix :o) Since I couldn't decide on a salsa, I did a little of each, salsa verde and pico de gallo.

CoPYCaT ReCiPe: SouTHWeST eGGRoLLS

Today for dinner it was a repeat performance of something my family loves. When I came across this recipe I hadn't tried them at the restaurant before. I had come across it online and decided to give it a try. All the ingredients were things I loved so I figured that they would be great mixed together :o) I also got to use my tortilla wrappers from Trader Joe's, spinach and chile flavored ones.

I found the recipe on one of my favorite online recipe sites, RecipeZaar. I like this site because you can usually find reviews on the recipes so you can adapt recipes or get great tips for variations.

Here is the recipe that I used compliments of Mysterygirl. I did quadruple the recipe and have a great deal of filling left over. Here's a photo of the filling inside the tortilla shells:



Chili's Southwest Eggrolls

Recipe #1831928


Eggroll
1 chicken breast fillet
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoons minced red bell peppers
2 tablespoons minced green onions
1/3 cup frozen corn
1/4 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons frozen spinach, thawed and drained
2 tablespoons diced, canned jalapeno peppers
1/2 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 dash cayenne pepper
3/4 cup shredded monterey jack cheese
5 7-inch flour tortillas


Dipping Sauce
1/4 cup smashed fresh avocados (about half of an avocado)
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon buttermilk
1 1/2 teaspoons white vinegar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon dried parsley
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
1 dash dried dill weed
1 dash garlic powder
1 dash pepper
Garnish
2 tablespoons chopped tomatoes
1 tablespoon chopped onions

Preheat barbecue grill to high heat.
Rub the chicken breast with some vegetable oil then grill it on the barbecue for 4 to 5 minutes per side or until done.
Lightly salt and pepper each side of the chicken while it cooks.
Set chicken aside until it cools down enough to handle.
Preheat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a medium-size skillet over medium-high heat.
Add the red pepper and onion to the pan and sauté for a couple minutes until tender.
Dice the cooked chicken into small cubes and add it to the pan.
Add the corn, black beans, spinach, jalapeno peppers, parsley, cumin, chili powder, salt, and cayenne pepper to the pan.
Cook for another 4 minutes.
Stir well so that the spinach separates and is incorporated into the mixture.
Remove the pan from the heat and add the cheese.
Stir until the cheese is melted.
Wrap the tortillas in a moist cloth and microwave on high temperature for 1 1/2 minutes or until hot.
Spoon approximately one-fifth of the mixture into the center of a tortilla.
Fold in the ends and then roll the tortilla over the mixture.
Roll the tortilla very tight, then pierce with a toothpick to hold together.
Repeat with the remaining ingredients until you have five eggrolls.

*** I don't like to freeze these, I made them fresh instead because I find that when they are frozen and you fry them, the filling can still be a little cold inside if you don't let them thaw a bit first. You can pan fry them without using a toothpick but if you deep fry, be sure to secure it with a toothpick to keep it from opening.***

(If you decide to freeze them, follow these directions but allow them to thaw a bit as I recommended. I have fried them in the past and then tossed them in the microwave for a minute afterwards to heat it through.

Arrange the eggrolls on a plate, cover the plate with plastic wrap and freeze for at least 4 hours.
Overnight is best. )

While the eggrolls freeze prepare the avocado-ranch dipping sauce by combining all of the ingredients in a small bowl.
Preheat 4-6 cups of oil to 375 degrees.
Deep fry the eggrolls in the hot oil for 12-15 minutes and remove to paper towels or a rack to drain for about 2 minutes.
Slice each eggroll diagonally lengthwise and arrange on a plate around a small bowl of the dipping sauce.
Garnish the dipping sauce with the chopped tomato and onion.

TIP: To help the tortillas roll up easier, I microwaved 5-6 at a time for about 45 seconds between paper towels to help soften them and make them more pliable.
I didn't make the sauce this time but I have made it and I think it's pretty good :o) It was a little more effort than I was willing to make today so I passed on it.

I did try Goya Arroz Amarillo (Yellow Rice) for the first time today on a recommendation of a friend and it was pretty good. I've made spanish rice from scratch before but not really crazy with the recipes I've tried thus far. This had great flavor and a certain non-rice eater had 4 helpings! Yay! We found ourselves a WINNER!


I have nearly half of the filling left over and it will be used tomorrow to make southwestern style nachos :o) Two meals in one days work :o) If you're going to go through the effort to make this recipe, you may as well make a larger amount of it. That's also sensible because what are you going to do with the rest of the bell pepper and you do have to open a whole can of black beans. Might as well adjust the recipe to use the whole can.

We love these SouTHWeST eGGRoLLS! I hope you give this recipe a try :o)