I haven't published a new blog post in so long, you were probably starting to think that I'd given up blogging altogether. The truth is that I haven't been blogging because my camera is broken. Essentially, a food blogger without a camera is like a landscaper without a lawn mower. My camera is critical to my blog because lets face it - you visit the blog mostly for the pictures. I am so accustomed to taking pictures while I'm preparing food that I store my camera in the kitchen. It's always within arms reach so it feels really strange to NOT have it by my side right now. After a few tears and a few hundred hours on the computer researching cameras, I decided to take the opportunity to upgrade my camera instead of trying to repair a broken lens and flash. I'm not sure that I agonized this much over which house to buy but there are so many camera options out there - it was overwhelming. The good news is that my new Sony mirrorless camera is ordered. The bad news is that is will take a couple of weeks for it to arrive. You can bet that as soon as it gets here though - I'll be snapping away. For now, I'll post this one final recipe with pictures from my Nikon D60. Barbequed Chicken Calzones 1/2 recipe for pizza dough 1 cup shredded chicken 1/4 cup red onion, chopped 1 cup barbeque sauce 1 cup mozzarella cheese, sliced thin
Fold dough over and seal edges by pinching seams. Bake in a 400 degree oven or on a pizza stone on a grill. Let cool slightly before cutting in half to serve. I'm going to miss my Nikon DSLR camera. We logged a lot of hours together. It was in my hand as I traveled through Italy and Disney, Montana, Colorado, Florida and countless other vacations. I've hiked with it, run with it, baked with it and even tried to swim with it. I am grateful that it was by my side for all of the important moments in my life and I will always treasure the memories that it captured. Thank you Nikon for 10 great years. You will be missed.
Ciao!
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Does anyone else have trouble coming up with meals that will make all of the people who gather around their dinner table happy? We all have different dietary needs and likes and dislikes and that makes it challenging to find just one meal that pleases everyone. I do have one go-to dinner that is so versatile, I know everyone will love it. Roasted Garlic Shrimp. It's so easy to prepare - I make it for my family of 4 and I've made it for parties of 60. It's super tasty - no matter how you eat it. Wrap this flavorful shrimp in a fresh tortilla for a really easy shrimp taco. Add some delicious protein to a green salad by adding a few colorful shrimp. Chill and dip these delicate shrimp in homemade cocktail sauce for a great appetizer or main dish. I eat these shrimp all of these ways. I usually eat them warm on the first day and then eat the leftovers on a salad or with cocktail sauce. Roasted Garlic Herb Shrimp 1 pound shrimp 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 Tablespoons olive oil pinch of red pepper flakes 1/2 teaspoon basil salt and pepper Cocktail Sauce 1/4 cup ketchup 1 heaping Tablespoon horseradish Toss shrimp with garlic, oil, red pepper, basil, salt and pepper. Spread in a single layer onto a baking sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes at 400. Serve warm, out of the oven with a fresh batch of tortillas. OR get your salads ready - these shrimp are DELICIOUS on a bed of greens. I can't think of a better way to kick off this summer season than with a roasted garlic shrimp dinner that will please the whole family.
Ciao! Happy Cinco de Mayo! I was debating about which recipe I wanted to post on this festive day and in the end, I decided on a healthy vegetable side dish with a Mexican twist. I always have trouble coming up with healthy side dishes to go along with our Mexican themed meals. I love Mexican rice and I love black beans but that really is the extend of my creativity when it comes to healthy sides. Cheese dip, chips, tortillas and refried beans - who can resist all of that yummy goodness? The least I can do is put one vegetable on the table as a healthy alternative. I'm not so sure that you could call these Garlic Lime Vegetables "Mexican" but they do go very well with anything created South of the border. Spiced with a hint of jalapeno and finished with a squeeze of lime juice - these vegetables are the perfect compliment to any Mexican meal. They are so good it just might keep me from eating an entire basket of tortilla chips. Garlic Lime Vegetables 2 Tablespoons butter 1 clove garlic, minced 2 teaspoons lime zest 1 teaspoon chopped jalapeno 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 Tablespoon fresh lime juice 3 cups fresh vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots) Combine garlic, lime zest, jalapeno, salt and lime juice in a small bowl. Melt butter and add to bowl of sauce. Cut vegetables into bite sized pieces. Steam vegetables in a steamer basket. Toss vegetables with garlic lime sauce. I hope that all of you enjoy your Cinco De Mayo to the fullest. Cheers!
Ciao! Who knows, maybe one year, I'll just find myself sitting at the Kentucky Derby in my giant floppy hat, sipping my ice cold mint julep and eating a piece of Kentucky Derby Pie. I normally prefer pie to cake, but for those of you who are attending the Derby this year, I think it might just be a tiny bit easier to hold a cupcake in your hand while you cheer on your favorite horse instead of trying to balance a plate of pie. It just so happens that browneyedbaker.com has reinvented the classic Kentucky Derby Pie into a cupcake. Genius idea if you ask me. All of the traditional flavors in a Kentucky Derby Pie - bourbon, vanilla, chocolate, walnuts - in a hand held - cupcake form. Kentucky Derby Cupcakes 1½ cups cake flour ½ teaspoon baking powder ¼ teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon kosher salt ¾ cup chopped walnuts ½ cup semisweet mini chocolate chips ½ cup buttermilk, at room temperature 2 tablespoons bourbon ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature ¾ cup granulated sugar ¼ cup light brown sugar 2 eggs, at room temperature Buttercream 6 egg whites 1 1/2 cups sugar 1 teaspoon cream of tartar Pinch salt 1 tablespoon vanilla extract or bourbon Cream together butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir in nuts and mini chocolate chips. Combine bourbon and buttermilk. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture, alternating with bourbon buttermilk. Scoop batter into paper lined jumbo cupcake pans. Bake 24 minutes at 350. Cool completely on wire racks. Pipe buttercream on top and garnish with chopped walnuts and mini chocolate chips. All I need now is my big, fancy hat and my mint julep. Derby anyone? Ciao! Every mom has had that moment when the thought, "I wish I could just bubble wrap my kids before sending them out to play" has gone through their head. Well, I actually got to live that dream! No kidding - I got to bubble wrap Courtney before sending her out on the soccer field last week. And, it was just as satisfying as I imagined it would be. Let me back up a little so you can understand WHY I bubble wrapped my beautiful 16 year old daughter. About 5 weeks ago, Courtney came home from practice with a taped up wrist. She had fallen on it at soccer practice but had chosen to stay and finish out the last 30 minutes of practice anyway. By the time she drove herself home, she was in tears and her poor hand was so swollen that she could barely move her fingers. To make a long story short, we ended up in the emergency room that evening and the x-rays revealed that she had fractured her wrist. By the way - she smiled like that the ENTIRE time that we were in the ER. A couple of days after our ER visit, we followed up with an orthopedic who put Courtney in a long arm cast. You have no idea how many things you CAN'T do without an elbow until you've got a long arm cast! Once again though - best attitude ever. After 2 very long weeks of a long cast - she transitioned to a short cast. I've never seen her so happy to see her elbow! She spent two weeks in the short cast and then transitioned to a removable brace. Her very first question to the doctor was "Can I play soccer in this?" Did I mention that she showed up to her appointment in her soccer uniform? (subtle) Fortunately she was cleared to play as long as we could wrap the brace before she got on the field. I left the doctors office with this girl who was grinning from ear to ear, jumped in the car and headed across town try and get her to the game. We stopped at a couple of pharmacies along the way to try and find something to wrap around the brace. We couldn't find what we were looking for so we bought a roll of bubble wrap and headed to the game. We arrived just minutes before her team took the field. We bubble wrapped her and sent her on the field - a mom's dream come true. Courtney was so excited to be on the field again - she played like a pro. She even scored a goal during her comeback game! Not much can bring this girl down - certainly not a broken wrist. I have no doubt that she will come back stronger than ever after this little set back. I couldn't make her wrist pain go away or make her cast less itchy but what I could do was make her favorite foods while she healed. Two of her favorite things are macaroni and cheese and fettuccine alfredo. I found a recipe on Pinterest that combined her two loves - Four Cheese ChickenPasta. Thank you adashofsanity.com for this little gem. Four Cheese Chicken Pasta 1 pound rotini pasta 9 Tablespoons butter 4 1/2 Tablespoons flour 14.5 ounces chicken broth 1/2 cup 1/2 and 1/2 1 cup + 2 Tablespoons parmigiana cheese, shredded 1 cup + 2 Tablespoons gouda cheese, shredded 1 cup + 2 Tablespoons white cheddar cheese, shredded 6 ounces marscarpone cheese 2 grilled chicken breasts, sliced thin 2 Tablespoons parmesan cheese, for topping Heat oven to 350. Spray oval baking dish with cooking spray. Cook and drain pasta as directed on package. Stir in chicken and pasta. Spoon into baking dish and top with additional parmigiano. Bake 15 minutes. I served my Four Cheese Chicken Pasta with steamed broccoli and a whole wheat roll. The Courtney verdict - She loved it! This one is a keeper. Ciao! |
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