First off, let me apologize for saying that I have no pictures to go along with this incredible dinner that we had. I will include the links to everything as you will need to give everything a try as this was one of those dinners that we are still talking about a week later!!
Have I mentioned how much I love pinterest??? Yes, I know - you've heard it before but I am just constantly amazed at how delicious everything is on there!! So, I found a few recipes that I really wanted to try out and needed a crowd for it as there would be no way our family could eat it all!
The appy for the evening was incredible: Kahlua-Pecan-Brown Sugar Baked Brie. This was even better than it sounds - which is difficult to imagine as Kahlua is definitely one of my favorite liquors. The first bites taken by each of us were like taking little bites of heaven and the flavours did absolute summersaults in my mouth. Yes - that incredibly good!! I would recommend this over and over again to anyone having company over for dinner. I highly recommend the company as I would be tempted to eat the whole thing myself! Here's the link: http://noblepig.com/2009/12/kahluapecanbrown-sugar-baked-brie/
For dinner we had "Dynamite Bourbon Ribs". Mmmmmm... These were devoured by both adults and kids. The flavour of the Bourbon on the ribs was delicious and the smell of the marinade alone made my mouth water which was a good thing as I hadn't closed up the bag properly in my fridge and there was marinade all over one of my shelves. It added to the many laughs of the night! I did have the ribs marinating for at least 6 hours in the fridge so they were good and moist. We also cooked them on the barbecue and not the oven. They can be found: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/dynamite-bourbon-ribs/detail.aspx?event8=1&prop24=SR_Title&e11=dynamite%20bourbon%20ribs&e8=Quick%20Search&event10=1&e7=Home%20Page#
For dessert the kids made their own sundaes which made them extremely excited! For the adults I made Rolo Brownie Trifles! I was so impressed that I even made my own Sea Salt Caramel Sauce that turned out awesome!! I have a new found confidence in caramel making now!! I'm not sure how to explain how good these are but also how rich! These would be best with a large glass of milk right beside you to help wash it down. These are so good and not hard to make but they do take some time to make all of the different layers as you home make the caramel sauce, rolo brownies and chocolate whipping cream. It is definitely worth the time to make it but again - serve a crowd!! You can make them up from this recipe: http://www.bakingdom.com/2012/06/rolo-brownie-trifles.html
It was a wonderful dinner filled with many laughs and great food!
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Friday, September 28, 2012
First off let me apologize for not writing in over a week. Last week was extremely hectic with meetings and getting used to our new schedules and then over the weekend and into this week I was cursed with a migraine and more headaches.
I have a bit to catch you up on with everything we have been enjoying since then! Unfortunately I do not have pictures of everything but I will leave you with the links so you can try everything for yourselves!
On Monday's we are in a bit of a rush as I go straight from the ice rink to a Brownie's meeting and do not get home until after 7:45pm so I need something quick and easy that my husband can throw together when he gets home from the rink with my son. I decided that the Spinach-Shrimp Salad with Bacon Dressing looked like it would fit perfectly. I was right! My husband was able to get it together quickly for himself and when I got home I was able to try it. It was sooo good and tasty! I think mine was better than his though as I had more dressing left as he wanted to make sure I had enough! I loved the combination of the shrimp and bacon and the dressing had so much flavour in it for the mushrooms and spinach!
For a quick and easy salad I highly recommend it! It can be found here: http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/spinach-shrimp-salad-with-hot-bacon-dressing/5f6fe1ba-1995-4453-82b1-a1874154669f
The next item up was another one of those bars that make you thankful for living! Although you definitely need to watch how many you have as they could put you into some sort of sugar coma! It`s kind of hard to put these brownies into words - especially if you like mint - which I do and the name alone "Triple Layer Fudgy Mint Oreo Brownies" should give you a hint at the amount of calories involved. I passed out many of these brownies to people around me and everyone loved them!! They are made with mint Oreo's buttercream icing and marshmallow fluff to only name three ingredients! Yup - that good!! These can be made to impress anyone around you and they really were not hard to make at all. The only sad part is that I have only found the Oreo's in the States so if you know of anyone headed down there, get them to pick you up some! You can make them for yourself using this link: http://www.loveveggiesandyoga.com/2012/02/triple-layer-fudgy-mint-oreo-brownies.html
I love sandwiches - there I have said it! I know that the carbs are bad news but there is something about them that I love so much! I love trying out new ones and experimenting with things I hadn't tried before! As I had some bacon around from the salad the night before I found a recipe that used a couple of my favorite foods - bacon and guacamole. I don't think that was a combination that I would have come up with myself so I thought I should definitely give it a try! Very pleasantly surprised!! The recipe can be found here: http://www.closetcooking.com/2012/01/bacon-guacamole-grilled-cheese-sandwich.html
We had a crazy busy last Saturday with a Brownie event, soccer and both kids having hockey practice so I thought we would have a good night by making one of my husband's favorite things to eat - Nachos. So, I found a recipe that I thought would suit him - Paula Deen's Macho Nachos. They were really good but very filling! I was pleasantly surprised that the taste of the refried beans did not over power the rest of the nachos like I thought it would. Hubby was very happy and very full at the end of dinner!! You can make your own batch following this link: http://www.pauladeen.com/recipes/recipe_view/macho_nachos/
Surprise the men in your life with the yummy appy!!
Tonight is Friday which means - drink day! Today we made a drink for the whole family - Brazilian Lemonade. The funny part is that this drink is not made with lemons but with limes! Not too sure why they named it Lemonade but the kids loved it and never made a comment that it tasted any different. In fact my son asked me to make it for him to take to school. Both hubby and I thought it would be great to add vodka to it for an adult version. It's a relatively simple drink to make and didn't take many ingredients at all! It would definitely be good in the summer on a hot day! For a refreshing drink: http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/2012/06/brazilian-strawberry-lemonade-summertime-in-a-glass.html
The last recipe I have for you today is for Vanilla French toast. This one doesn't differ too much from the french toast we have always had but added a couple of different spices. This is your basic french toast that is simple and not glammed up! We had it with maple syrup and it was good. I've included a picture and the link as it was quick and easy! http://www.bhg.com/recipe/french-toast/vanilla-french-toast/?socsrc=bhgpin043012vanillafrenchtoasthandmadecharlottepin
Happy pinning!!
I have a bit to catch you up on with everything we have been enjoying since then! Unfortunately I do not have pictures of everything but I will leave you with the links so you can try everything for yourselves!
On Monday's we are in a bit of a rush as I go straight from the ice rink to a Brownie's meeting and do not get home until after 7:45pm so I need something quick and easy that my husband can throw together when he gets home from the rink with my son. I decided that the Spinach-Shrimp Salad with Bacon Dressing looked like it would fit perfectly. I was right! My husband was able to get it together quickly for himself and when I got home I was able to try it. It was sooo good and tasty! I think mine was better than his though as I had more dressing left as he wanted to make sure I had enough! I loved the combination of the shrimp and bacon and the dressing had so much flavour in it for the mushrooms and spinach!
For a quick and easy salad I highly recommend it! It can be found here: http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/spinach-shrimp-salad-with-hot-bacon-dressing/5f6fe1ba-1995-4453-82b1-a1874154669f
The next item up was another one of those bars that make you thankful for living! Although you definitely need to watch how many you have as they could put you into some sort of sugar coma! It`s kind of hard to put these brownies into words - especially if you like mint - which I do and the name alone "Triple Layer Fudgy Mint Oreo Brownies" should give you a hint at the amount of calories involved. I passed out many of these brownies to people around me and everyone loved them!! They are made with mint Oreo's buttercream icing and marshmallow fluff to only name three ingredients! Yup - that good!! These can be made to impress anyone around you and they really were not hard to make at all. The only sad part is that I have only found the Oreo's in the States so if you know of anyone headed down there, get them to pick you up some! You can make them for yourself using this link: http://www.loveveggiesandyoga.com/2012/02/triple-layer-fudgy-mint-oreo-brownies.html
I love sandwiches - there I have said it! I know that the carbs are bad news but there is something about them that I love so much! I love trying out new ones and experimenting with things I hadn't tried before! As I had some bacon around from the salad the night before I found a recipe that used a couple of my favorite foods - bacon and guacamole. I don't think that was a combination that I would have come up with myself so I thought I should definitely give it a try! Very pleasantly surprised!! The recipe can be found here: http://www.closetcooking.com/2012/01/bacon-guacamole-grilled-cheese-sandwich.html
We had a crazy busy last Saturday with a Brownie event, soccer and both kids having hockey practice so I thought we would have a good night by making one of my husband's favorite things to eat - Nachos. So, I found a recipe that I thought would suit him - Paula Deen's Macho Nachos. They were really good but very filling! I was pleasantly surprised that the taste of the refried beans did not over power the rest of the nachos like I thought it would. Hubby was very happy and very full at the end of dinner!! You can make your own batch following this link: http://www.pauladeen.com/recipes/recipe_view/macho_nachos/
Surprise the men in your life with the yummy appy!!
Tonight is Friday which means - drink day! Today we made a drink for the whole family - Brazilian Lemonade. The funny part is that this drink is not made with lemons but with limes! Not too sure why they named it Lemonade but the kids loved it and never made a comment that it tasted any different. In fact my son asked me to make it for him to take to school. Both hubby and I thought it would be great to add vodka to it for an adult version. It's a relatively simple drink to make and didn't take many ingredients at all! It would definitely be good in the summer on a hot day! For a refreshing drink: http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/2012/06/brazilian-strawberry-lemonade-summertime-in-a-glass.html
The last recipe I have for you today is for Vanilla French toast. This one doesn't differ too much from the french toast we have always had but added a couple of different spices. This is your basic french toast that is simple and not glammed up! We had it with maple syrup and it was good. I've included a picture and the link as it was quick and easy! http://www.bhg.com/recipe/french-toast/vanilla-french-toast/?socsrc=bhgpin043012vanillafrenchtoasthandmadecharlottepin
Happy pinning!!
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Another weekend done
Well, it's Sunday night and I am wondering what I did all weekend and why I seem to have so much to do still. I think that is normal for most of us parents who have kids involved in lots of things but I still wish there was more time in the day. Both my son and I seem to be getting colds with our time spent going between the beautiful warm weather outside and then going into freezing cold ice rinks.
So the weekend means I get to make some really fun things that I don't get the opportunity to make during the week! Friday means a fancy drink and this Friday I made Mango Coconut Margaritas! They were a refreshing change but I think I should have added a bit more Mango as I used a fresh one and think it definitely could have used a bit more Mango flavour. Other than that it was still absolutely delicious and the blend of flavours worked really well!
I know I was bad with not using a proper margarita glass for the picture but this is only half of the recipe and I don't have a margarita glass that big - yet! If you are wanting to give it a try here is where I found it:
http://www.runningtothekitchen.com/2012/05/mango-coconut-margaritas/
On Saturday night I made a dessert. We some how lost all track of time on Saturday and next thing I know it is already past 8pm and I hadn't made anything from pinterest yet. Luckily I had planned to make a Tiramisu Bread Pudding which said that it did not take long to make. Thankfully that was correct!! It was very easy to make and while the kids and hubby played on the Wii, I quickly made the bread pudding. Then while it baked I was able to read with my daughter before she went to bed. The bread pudding turned out great and had a coffee flavour without it being overpowering. I highly recommend giving it a try if you are trying to make a quick dessert!
The recipe called for 6 smaller sized ramekins which I did not have so I used four larger ones instead. The recipe can be found here: http://www.bhg.com/recipe/pudding/tiramisu-bread-puddings/?socsrc=bhgpin042812breadpuddinghandmadecharlottepin
Sunday mornings are one of my favorite times as my hubby gets up to make a breakfast that I have chosen! I am so spoiled on these mornings!! The breakfast choice for this morning was Strawberry Croissant French Toast. These were so good and easy to make! The kids loved them and ate them up without complaining - which doesn't always happen! I would highly recommend these when you want an easy breakfast that looks like you put way more effort into it than you had to. These can be found here: http://www.aprettylifeinthesuburbs.com/2012/04/recipe-rewind-strawberry-croissant.html
This weekend's pins were all food related and none disappointed! Hope you get a chance to give one or more a try!
So the weekend means I get to make some really fun things that I don't get the opportunity to make during the week! Friday means a fancy drink and this Friday I made Mango Coconut Margaritas! They were a refreshing change but I think I should have added a bit more Mango as I used a fresh one and think it definitely could have used a bit more Mango flavour. Other than that it was still absolutely delicious and the blend of flavours worked really well!
I know I was bad with not using a proper margarita glass for the picture but this is only half of the recipe and I don't have a margarita glass that big - yet! If you are wanting to give it a try here is where I found it:
http://www.runningtothekitchen.com/2012/05/mango-coconut-margaritas/
On Saturday night I made a dessert. We some how lost all track of time on Saturday and next thing I know it is already past 8pm and I hadn't made anything from pinterest yet. Luckily I had planned to make a Tiramisu Bread Pudding which said that it did not take long to make. Thankfully that was correct!! It was very easy to make and while the kids and hubby played on the Wii, I quickly made the bread pudding. Then while it baked I was able to read with my daughter before she went to bed. The bread pudding turned out great and had a coffee flavour without it being overpowering. I highly recommend giving it a try if you are trying to make a quick dessert!
The recipe called for 6 smaller sized ramekins which I did not have so I used four larger ones instead. The recipe can be found here: http://www.bhg.com/recipe/pudding/tiramisu-bread-puddings/?socsrc=bhgpin042812breadpuddinghandmadecharlottepin
Sunday mornings are one of my favorite times as my hubby gets up to make a breakfast that I have chosen! I am so spoiled on these mornings!! The breakfast choice for this morning was Strawberry Croissant French Toast. These were so good and easy to make! The kids loved them and ate them up without complaining - which doesn't always happen! I would highly recommend these when you want an easy breakfast that looks like you put way more effort into it than you had to. These can be found here: http://www.aprettylifeinthesuburbs.com/2012/04/recipe-rewind-strawberry-croissant.html
This weekend's pins were all food related and none disappointed! Hope you get a chance to give one or more a try!
Friday, September 14, 2012
Yummy dinner!
On Tuesday night we made a delicious dinner - Grilled Chicken and Pineapple Quesadillas! I found it on pinterest and I love pineapple and chicken so I knew I had to give it a try! I was not disappointed in the least bit! They were so good, although we put cheese on both sides to make the tortillas stick together better. Here is a picture of how they turned out:
I have heard many great things about the Pioneer Woman but this was the first time I ever made anything from her. I will definitely use her again. The link to where I found the recipe is: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/05/grilled-chicken-pineapple-quesadillas/
Give them a try!!
I have been making things or working on them from Pinterest all this week but as I have been working at night I have been unable to post on them. I have been trying to get a bit done on the projects but between driving to and from school, activities and work I have been unable to get some time to post. The kids and I have been working on making picture frames and they will be done tomorrow! Here is a look at what was happening today on them:
The kids put a bit too much Mod Podge on them so they will be taking quite a while to dry and therefore we will finish up tomorrow!
So tonight we made French Onion Dip Burgers for dinner from Rachel Ray`s Burger Cookbook. Although I did not find the recipe on Pinterest I had to share a picture of the burger as they were so delicious!! We`ve made a few recipes from this cookbook and they have all been great! So if you love homemade burgers with a twist give these a try!
So delicious!!
Have a great night and happy pinning!!
I have heard many great things about the Pioneer Woman but this was the first time I ever made anything from her. I will definitely use her again. The link to where I found the recipe is: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/05/grilled-chicken-pineapple-quesadillas/
Give them a try!!
I have been making things or working on them from Pinterest all this week but as I have been working at night I have been unable to post on them. I have been trying to get a bit done on the projects but between driving to and from school, activities and work I have been unable to get some time to post. The kids and I have been working on making picture frames and they will be done tomorrow! Here is a look at what was happening today on them:
The kids put a bit too much Mod Podge on them so they will be taking quite a while to dry and therefore we will finish up tomorrow!
So tonight we made French Onion Dip Burgers for dinner from Rachel Ray`s Burger Cookbook. Although I did not find the recipe on Pinterest I had to share a picture of the burger as they were so delicious!! We`ve made a few recipes from this cookbook and they have all been great! So if you love homemade burgers with a twist give these a try!
So delicious!!
Have a great night and happy pinning!!
Monday, September 10, 2012
Mmm... Cookies
I am generally not one of those people who love to brag, but with some of the things I have been baking lately it is so hard not to. The only thing is I do not want to tell too many people as I only have so much. Well, today was one of those successful baking days. For my pinterest goal today I made cookies - Butterscotch Pretzel Chocolate Chip Cookies. Wow! These were so delicious and the kids and hubby absolutely loved them!! The link to where I found them is as follows: http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2012/05/11/pretzel-butterscotch-chocolate-chip-cookies/
This baker, Sally, has some amazing creations and everything is easy to follow and sooo good!! Here are the results from this yummy experience (sorry for the blur)
There were so many different bite combinations that it was pure heaven!! Very happy with the way they turned out! If you get a chance and like both sweet and salty, I highly recommend these!!
Enjoy!
This baker, Sally, has some amazing creations and everything is easy to follow and sooo good!! Here are the results from this yummy experience (sorry for the blur)
There were so many different bite combinations that it was pure heaven!! Very happy with the way they turned out! If you get a chance and like both sweet and salty, I highly recommend these!!
Enjoy!
Saturday, September 8, 2012
Missing something...
Tonight on my quest to try new things off pinterest we made Homemade Egg Rolls. They looked super easy so I thought it would be quite easy to make and my son loves them!! They were super easy to make and I was impressed with how little time it took to fill them and wrap them. After they were in and out of the oven we gave them a try and found they were good - but not really good. Part of it may have had to do with the way I wrapped them up with putting to much dough on one side from wrapping it up - I must work on that next time I make something like that. The other thing we found was that they were a little bland in taste. They needed a little extra kick of something to give it a bit more "bam". Not too sure what that would be but I'm still thinking about it. On the very positive side though, my son loved them! He thanked me for making his favorite food! That does not happen often at all! So I will give them another try as I loved how happy he was!
Here's a picture of how they turned out:
Tomorrow I am planning on trying a new cake batter waffle recipe for breakfast so hopefully the kids will enjoy it! They are very picky and not too adventurous when it comes to breakfast!
Update: here is a picture of the waffles that we made:
My son loved them when he found out he was eating "cake" for breakfast!
Here's to new things!!
Here's a picture of how they turned out:
Tomorrow I am planning on trying a new cake batter waffle recipe for breakfast so hopefully the kids will enjoy it! They are very picky and not too adventurous when it comes to breakfast!
Update: here is a picture of the waffles that we made:
Here's to new things!!
Friday, September 7, 2012
Another picture??
The other day my husband heard a joke about the next item being released from Apple was going to be something that resembled an SLR camera due to the number of people taking pictures of food. We had a great laugh as I have become that person! Whenever I bake something really cool or anything at all from Pinterest I take a picture so eventually I can show all of you. Tonight we made a hamburger from Rachel Ray's burger cookbook and the kids said "Take a picture of it!". I laughed - what have I done?
I do not believe that I am a great photographer and I take several pictures to try not to get shadows on the food but hopefully I will get better. I'd love to take a course and hopefully sometime soon I will get that opportunity. I love pictures and I find I am so much more likely to try something when I see what it is supposed to look like. I think that is why I have fallen in love with Pinterest so much! When flipping through a cookbook I find it difficult to always imagine what the end product is supposed to look like but when there is a picture present I am more willing to give it a try.
I've had a couple of friends recently comment on my baking and say that I should be selling it. I am so grateful for the compliments but I do not feel like I am good enough yet as I am not a perfectionist. I do not feel like my cupcakes are iced to perfection and would feel bad selling something that is not perfect. Am I the only one out there that feels like that? I did tell them though that I would be more than willing just to make them cupcakes! I love trying new things and would bake every day if I was able to!
Here's to trying new things and getting more practice on the things we need to improve on!
Hugs!
I do not believe that I am a great photographer and I take several pictures to try not to get shadows on the food but hopefully I will get better. I'd love to take a course and hopefully sometime soon I will get that opportunity. I love pictures and I find I am so much more likely to try something when I see what it is supposed to look like. I think that is why I have fallen in love with Pinterest so much! When flipping through a cookbook I find it difficult to always imagine what the end product is supposed to look like but when there is a picture present I am more willing to give it a try.
I've had a couple of friends recently comment on my baking and say that I should be selling it. I am so grateful for the compliments but I do not feel like I am good enough yet as I am not a perfectionist. I do not feel like my cupcakes are iced to perfection and would feel bad selling something that is not perfect. Am I the only one out there that feels like that? I did tell them though that I would be more than willing just to make them cupcakes! I love trying new things and would bake every day if I was able to!
Here's to trying new things and getting more practice on the things we need to improve on!
Hugs!
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