Spinach Casserole

What an awesome 4th of July weekend. I hope everyone's was fantastic. I will write more & show pics in the next few days but it was a perfect combination of a little girlfriend time by the pool, & BBQ time with family.

{My Pool Boy}

I brought this super yummy dish to my parents for a BBQ & it went over well with everyone. It's so easy to make & a little unique in its flavor thanks to the combo of cheeses. I have Deanna to thank for this one. It went perfectly with grilled skirt steaks & the fried rice I brought, just without the roast pork this time.

2 boxes frozen spinach, drained & thawed
16 oz cottage cheese
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup American cheese, shredded
1/4 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
2 tablespoons onion, chopped
11/2 cups croutons
Salt and pepper, to taste

Toss croutons in melted butter. Mix all ingredients, except 1/2 cup croutons, in a large bowl. Pour into a greased casserole dish; sprinkle with remaining croutons. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

{Food for Thought}

I used more onions, about 1/4 cup or a 1/4 of an onion. I also was only able to find the larger sized herb seasoned croutons. I just broke them up some but the taste of them was perfect for the dish.

Visit Blessed with Grace for More Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays!

Brown Bagging It Today!

If you don't care where I'm going or where I've been then scroll to the bottom for an awesome homemade cocktail sauce!

Come Saturday, I am going to be chilling out  here!

For how long? Well, for 21 ziploc bags worth of dog food = 63 cups of food = 7 days

'Cuz this little guy is going to his own pet resort while Tucker the Lhasa Apso goes to my parents.

Now, on to show you some overdue 20 year high school reunion pictures in NY a couple of weeks ago. I haven't posted pics of myself in quite some time so it was about time as well. 

One of my favorite people from high school ~ Frankie (that's me on the left)

Good friends, especially the one next to me. We were BFF's in 8th grade.

Great times were had by all!!! Not bad when everyone tells you so adamantly that "OH MY GOSH, YOU TOTALLY LOOK THE SAME."

Now on to the saucy stuff:

COCKTAIL SAUCE

2 tblsp ketchup
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp horseradish
3-4 drops tabasco
1/4 tsp worcestershire

Mix it all up & serve with shrimp! 

Have a great weekend everyone!

The Boy

Keeping it simple today...

My love on Mother's Day.

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Goodbye Christmas, Hello New Year!

My Post Holiday Depression is passing & I am getting more & more excited about the future. What always does the trick for me is planning my next big thing which will come in the form of a Valentine's Brunch in February. I'm already scheming!!!

The other trick is just getting it all out & moving on. So I share with you now my last bits of Christmas & the things I really enjoyed, big & small. My biggest photo regret is not getting a picture taken of the table for 11 I set up on my lanai for Christmas dinner. It was quite nice with a white linen tablecloth, beautiful place mats & matching napkins & glasses. It was dark by dinner time so we lit the Christmas candles & ate our hearts out in the 75 degree weather.

A few of my favorite touches this holiday:

These mats above went perfectly with the few pieces I had picked out below.

I had my eye on & finally bought these cute little stacked dishes. I highly recommend them for any entertainer as they come in handy for appetizers as well as dessert!

A few of Tristan's favorite gifts:

D-Rex: a robot dino that burps, toot toots & purrs when you pet him.

A batman get-up from Grandma & Grandpa P (at their house).

And a Nintendo DS he has been eyeing since his cousins were in town.

Goodbye Christmas. I am ready to move on.

Happy New Year to you & yours!!!!!

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Chocolate Hazelnut Sauce

This weekend was the reprieve I needed before the craziness begins these next few days. I took a quick trip to Ft. Lauderdale to surprise my sister for a 40th birthday dinner arranged by her beau, at the very popular LaBamba. I highly recommend this place if you have one near you. The skirt steak was to die for!!!

My BFF Tammy & I spent a couple of hours yesterday evening at one of my favorite spots in our downtown area. A coffee & wine bar with the most charming of atmospheres. We shared a bottle of wine as we exchanged our gifts. Most of it was food-related of course & part of her gift box included this jar of chocolate hazelnut sauce I made. So quick & easy to make, it lasts up to 3 weeks in the refrigerator. So if you're looking for a last minute gift idea, this is a good one!


CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT SAUCE

2/3 cup fat free chocolate syrup
1/4 cup chocolate hazelnut spread, such as Nutella

Stir chocolate syrup & Nutella together in a small saucepan over low heat until smooth & warm. Serve at room temperature. If giving as a gift, cover & refrigerate for up to 3 weeks.

My Thoughts:

I tripled this in order to fill a pint sized mason jar. I also learned that when decorating these jars with fabric it really is easier & nicer to use a square shaped piece rather than a circle. Since this sauce lasts for a certain amount of time I wrote the date it will be good until.

Turkey & White Bean Chili

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LULA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Go give her some birthday love

and try this chili. So healthy yet delicious.

1 tblsp olive oil
1 lb ground turkey (93% lean)
½ tsp salt
1 medium onion chopped
4 tsp chili powder
1 tblsp ground cumin
1 28oz can diced tomatoes in juice
1 can white kidney (cannellini) beans, rinsed & drained
½ cup plain nonfat yogurt

In 12-inch skillet, heat oil on medium-high until hot. Add turkey & 1/2 teaspoon salt, & cook 6 to 8 minutes or until turkey loses its pink color throughout, stirring to break it up with side of spoon. Add onion & cook 4 minutes. Stir in chili powder & cumin; cook 1 minute.

Add tomatoes with their juice, beans & 1/2 cup water; heat to boiling on high. Reduce heat to medium & cook, uncovered, 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Ladle chili into serving bowls & top with a dollop of yogurt.

My Thoughts:

Yogurt may seem odd on top of this but it works. Feel free to sub low-fat sour cream instead to keep this healthy.

Click Here to Print Recipe

And here is the newest addition to the fam, Makayla. We haven't met her yet so hopefully we'll be getting to Arizona soon to do just that.

Fried Zucchini

Wow, what a great 4 day weekend with family! Lots of eating & drinking so I am definitely feeling that it's time to take a step back from the over indulging & focus on some balance as well as exercise!!!! We spent some time at Downtown Disney, enjoying the movie Bolt as well as the fairly new T-Rex Cafe. Just think Rainforest Cafe except with dinosaurs & wooly mammoths, since both were built by the same company. There's also one in Kansas City.

Yesterday I had family over for some appetizers so this Fried Zucchini was the 1st to come to mind. It is so delicious, plain & simple, and one of my favorite fried appetizers EVAH!! If you take your time with the breading, you will feel like you were served this out at a restaurant. By the time the breading is golden brown you can be sure the inside is perfect!

4 zucchini (each will make 8-10 pieces), skin peeled
1-2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups Italian seasoned bread crumbs & Panko
Garlic powder
Dried basil
Salt & Pepper
4 eggs, whisked
Vegetable oil for frying
Grated Parmesan cheese for sprinkling
Sea salt to taste

Marinara sauce for dipping (optional)

Halve the zucchini crosswise, then cut each half into 4-6 pieces depending on how thick the zucchini is. Lay pieces on paper towel & sprinkle with salt. This draws out all the moisture and will make for a perfect texture. I leave out for a couple hours. Combine breadcrumbs, garlic, basil, salt & pepper & place in a dish for coating. Place your flour in another dish with a little salt & pepper. Then whisk the eggs in another deeper bowl with a little water. Have your flour, eggs, & breadcrumbs in an assembly line, in that order.

Coat the zucchini in the flour, shaking off excess. Using a fork, roll zucchini around in egg until coated thoroughly. You never have to get egg on your hand with this method & your breadcrumbs stay dryer. Roll zucchini in breadcrumbs until coated then place on wax paper & set aside. Repeat with remaining. I like to refrigerate it for a few hours as it allows the coating to stay on.

In a frying pan, pour oil to about 1-2 inches in depth, over medium heat. When the oil is hot enough, fry zucchini until golden brown, about 2 minute on each side. Transfer sticks to a plate lined with paper towel or a cookie rack. Immediately sprinkle with a little salt & parmesan cheese. Place on a nice platter & serve with some marinara sauce, if desired.

My Thoughts:

Allow yourself a good 1/2 hour to bread 32 sticks. It takes time but very well worth the effort. 

My Personal Cornucopia - 202nd Post

(click on the smaller pics to get a good idea of what really makes me happy)

A pantry Makeover:

Cozy Corners to get lost in imagination, share in culinary delights or wash the day away:



Getting to know the Woman Behind the Waitress at my favorite Thai place:

(Annie was in costume for Halloween)

Buying individual bottles & Sampling Beers with family & friends:



Enjoying the flow of fresh air that brings with it Energy & Life:



and

My Little Angel just right this moment with his shortest haircut yet:

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A Boy & His Auntie - Wordful Wednesday

Off to the beach, for a day full of fun but we took it to the park, cuz it was all wind & no sun.

That's alright, I didn't MIND,

because my Aunt Lauren brought me

Isn't she kind ?!?!

We played with our food,

to last through the year (see you at the holidays)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i LOVE YOU Auntie Lauren, the way you

and MY

I think I'll keep her for a while!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It was an awesome day, when all's

said & done.

Even Batman & Joker.....

My Man & My Shoes

Wordful Wednesday. My time to be non-foodie. And perhaps a bit silly.

This is my hubby, the man. During our visit to a horse farm/guest ranch in December.


And these are my shoes. Just some of 'em.

I don't tell ya'll enough how wonderful he is but I am truly a lucky girl. If I didn't have him as my own I would wish this kind of man on any wonderful woman in the world. He's a compassionate, loyal, intelligent, sweet, generous & God-loving man. Yes, he drives me crazy he can't find the peanut butter in the pantry unless it's right in front of him, but it's one of his only faults.

The icing on the cake? He's totally a metrosexual & buys me my shoes. I'm not talking about him just reaching in his wallet. No, he shops for my shoes & surprises me. Good thing because I'd be wearing flip flops all the time since I'm not a shopper. Those shoes to the right, they're, uh, indoor shoes, ahem. Haven't worn those yet................oh honey...................

Brought to you by Angie & Wordful Wednesdays from:

Recipe for Party Fun

You start with a beautiful Ben 10-lovin' 4 year old going on 14, patiently awaiting all his friends & family to come over for his 5th birthday party.

(Click on pictures to enlarge)

Then you throw in some family & friends.


Add in a bunch of fun.

This wet slide was amazing!!! Once the party ended I was on it like white on rice, since we had it for the whole day. Some kids went into the pool as well with close supervision but this was the main draw of the party & kept everyone cool!

Then sprinkle on lotsa sugar.

For the favors, I printed some Ben 10 labels & affixed them to the party favor bags. Inside was a little notebook with pen for the kids to doodle as well as some fishies, raisins & M&M's.

My biggest creative contribution to the party was the fruit kebabs. They were so much fun to put together & instead of just putting them on a platter I thought the kids would get a kick out of them hanging vertical through pieces of cut fruit, ahem, planets. I picked up some crystals at the crafts store which acted as meteor pieces from another galaxy & matched the green color scheme of the party. 

As for the cake, since the market didn't carry any Ben 10 designs I drew up something very simple & had them decorate accordingly. I also bought some Ben 10 cake toppers online. For food, I kept it easy for myself as I usually do for Tristan's parties & made a pasta salad as well a spinach dip. I also had platters of Cubanitos, sandwiches & chicken tenders brought in from Publix. 

This was one super fantastic party. We had a blast, kids & adults alike. While it ended at 2 for most, the party went on until 7! Tristan got some beautiful gifts & really enjoyed his day. 

For some other fun birthday celebration pics please also visit Chronicles of a Mommy who had a big bash going on as well this weekend. I know you'll find a lot of good ideas her way if you have a party coming up. 

This Little Piggy Went to the Market........

I'm a bit disappointed in myself for writing a very long emotional post late last night, telling myself I would not delete it this morning, only to come back & censor myself by shortening it quite a bit, leaving it up for an hour, only to come back again & deleting the entire thing. Maybe I just wasn't ready for it..........another time.

So, for something upbeat instead...................

I wanted to share some pics of a restaurant/market we went to last weekend for an early lunch with my parents. This place is to me what 5th Avenue or Gucci or a cute boutique is to many of you. This is where I like to spend my money. Forget the shoes & handbags, give me some beautifully colored pasta & wine in crates!!!!!! Click pic to enlarge.

Beautiful, packaged gourmet goods. Love it!!! I wish this place was my kitchen, especially the top left pic. My Dad is as happy in this kind of environment as I am, middle right. I was a good girl & came out with just a bottle of Pinot Grigio & pasta, bottom right. Talk about opening a bottle of woop woop on someone. Hah. It was very good!!!!!! I've yet to try the pasta though.

Alrighty, I leave you now with wonderful weekend wishes. I have a party to go prep for.

Looking Back to 3, Looking Ahead to Twilight

Tristan turns 5 this weekend so we're having a party at the house. I've been relatively cool about the whole thing & have kept my entertaining obsessiveness in check. It reminded me of the time he turned 3 & I, well, didn't keep it in check. I decided to make his invites from scratch. It surprised me even because that just wasn't what I normally do. But something bit me & I spent hours upon hours making these over the course of 2 weeks. 

I was especially proud of the little handkerchief I made & weaved through holes for the back of the invite. I really don't know where I pulled that idea out of. I don't spend a lot of time doing this kind of thing, so that's why I am proud of these & wanted to share.

It was a Woody & Buzz party. We rented a miniature horse who acted as Bullseye. Tristan was on him for 30 seconds & was done! I took it easy last year & had his 4th party at an indoor playground. I think I was still recuperating!

On an entirely different subject, I was playing around today & did this. I know, I know. Just being silly. Sorry hubby, I don't REALLY love Edward. I love Edward & Bella together!!!! And I have to get all this out at once so I can get back to my food stuff tomorrow, ya know?!?! Anyhoo, you can do a billboard like this here.

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