the word of the day...

Macerate (according to the food dictionary at epicurious.com): to soak a food (usually fruit) in a liquid in order to infuse it with the liquid's flavor.

Here's a peek at some macerated fresh fruit salsa!

farewell fiesta

Last evening, I helped throw a farewell party for a lovely young lady, who, in a few short weeks will be moving to the Yucatan in Mexico and getting married. Naturally, the hostesses for this party wanted to celebrate her upcoming move south of the border with some Mexican flavors...with a Vegan twist. All but one of the dishes (two if we're counting dessert) were Vegan-friendly. The hostess who opened her home for the fiesta had perfectly placed windows, and I had some fun snapping photos before the guests arrived.



Artichoke



Veggies Galore



Cheesey Black Bean Enchiladas



Corn, Tomato and Onion Salad


Our menu for the evening:

tortilla chips, freshly made salsa and guacamole
tons* of fresh veggies with garlic hummus
grilled chicken fajitas with caramelized peppers and onions
cheesey black bean enchiladas
corn, tomato and onion salad (my favorite!!!)
tres leches cake
fresh fruit salsa with cinnamon sugar pita chips

* slight exaggeration

babies shower(s)?

I'm not exactly sure what to call a shower given in honor of a mom carrying twins. It is a baby shower, because it's not a bridal shower. But do you make it plural? Babies shower? It was just one party, so the shower stays without an 's'. Right?

Regardless of the grammar confusion here, the mommy-to-be and the party were both lovely!

Here are a couple of pics of our yummy food...

Always a favorite: Fruit kabobs

A soon-to-be favorite: Strawberry Bruschetta

We also noshed on fruity chicken salad croissants, some fresh veggies, phyllo wrapped asparagus and a spinach salad with warm bacon vinaigrette.

blueberry soup

Last evening, I had the pleasure of preparing meals for 175 ladies at our church's annual Miss & Mrs. Tea. I spent a good part of the week preparing parts of the meals (or prepping ingredients), and Friday my team and I assembled, cooked, plated, garnished and cleaned until we almost couldn't move any longer!

Our menu for the evening:

• Chilled Blueberry Soup with Lemon Mascarpone Cream
• Raspberry Chipotle and Orange Marmalade Palmiers
• Strawberry Salad with Citrus Poppy Seed Dressing
• Garlic Rosette Rolls
• Spinach and Artichoke Stuffed Chicken
• Loaded Carrot Cupcakes with Orange Glazed Pecans and Warm Cinnamon Sauce

I have a few pictures to share. (I'm really sorry I didn't snap any pictures of the first two courses before they were served!)

A little perspective. There were two more crates that didn't fit on the counter!

Loaded Carrot Cupcakes with Orange Glazed Pecans and Cinnamon Caramel Sauce



A little less than half of the desserts.

Apple Nachos

So, I know this is a little late for your Super Bowl Parties, but better late than never, right? Here's a yummy snack that you won't feel absolutely sinful eating (but it sure tastes that way).

Here is a 'recipe' for the nachos...or at least what you see in the pictures. You could put ANYTHING on these: white chocolate, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, peanut butter chips, butterscotch chips, coconut, pecans, peanuts, marshmallow creme, well...you get the idea.

5 crispy sweet apples, sliced very thinly (on a mandoline if you've got one), tossed in lemon-lime soda. (This will keep the apples from browning, and the soda will have a less bitter taste than Grandma's version in lemon juice.) Drain and arrange on your serving plate.

Put 1/2 cup peanut butter (natural) in a microwave-safe container and melt. My microwave took less than a minute. BE CAREFUL, the peanut butter will be hot. Drizzle over the apples.

While the peanut butter is still soft, drizzle apples with caramel sundae topping (or other toppings of your choice), sprinkle with 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips and 1/2 cup toffee chips.

Enjoy!

dead-beat blogger

Yup. That's me. I'm a dead-beat. Never mind that I have two beautiful, smart, funny little girls that keep me on my toes most of the time. Well, in my "spare" time I like to grocery shop, do laundry, clean spills, and if I'm really lucky, go to Target. This blog thing? It's just extravagant.

So, in the theme of extravagance, I'm going to post some things that are true indulgences for me. Decorating for Christmas is one of them.

Here's our mantle all ready for Santa's stop in a few days. My sister-in-law determined that we would make these Pinterest-Craft-Stockings over Thanksgiving. I think that means I get to choose our Christmas break craft, right? Hmmmm....

sneak peek

Here's a quick glimpse into a little something I'm working on for tomorrow. OK. The work is done, I'm just waiting for party time tomorrow. I promise there will be more pictures and details.

Red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting

trying new things

Hello, friends! I've been away for a while, but I've been busy. I wanted to share some photos from an event last night, including some new favorites! Enjoy...

Phyllo Wrapped Asparagus - A crowd favorite!

Twice Baked Baby New Potatoes - Little toasty potato pillows. Yumm....

Beef tenderloin sandwiches - Herb roasted tenderloin with greens and French baguette.

Espresso Panna Cotta - A sweet, creamy, Italian espresso dessert with white and dark chocolate curls.

Up close and personal. You can almost taste it...

Lemon Drop Cake - Lemon sponge cake with lemon buttercream and lemon curd filling, decorated with candied lemon peel.