Christmas Cactus

About 8 years ago a friend game me a "Christmas Cactus" for my birthday.

I never imagined that it would survive the year,

but here we are several years later and the plant is absolutely amazing.

A Christmas Cactus is an ornamental cactus that can

flower red, pink or white buds.

Since my plant has lasted for several years I can attest to the

fact that the plant has minimal needs.

I water mine once every two weeks and it does have sun exposure.

And look what I get to enjoy:

Gorgonzola & Pear Galette

People have been so gracious by bringing baked goods to our office over the past

few weeks. It is really hard to pass by homemade cookies and cakes and so

I have not been that hungry for dinner when I get home.

Dinners the past few days have been very simple.

Only one or two small items - no pizzaz!

But then...........

I was inspired to make a Gorgonzola Cheese and Pear Galette after viewing

Mele Cotte

Gorgonzola Cheese and Pear Galette

Mix 1/4 cup of gorg0nzolla cheese & 2 tsp. honey.

Place the mixture in the center of a round rolled out pie crust

Then slice one small pear

Arranged the pears on the cheese, and folded up the dough

Bake the galette in a 375 degree F oven for 30 minutes.

The Galette turned out FABULOUS!!!!

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Tis the season to eat cookies

Fa-La-La-La-La-La-La-La-La…

I tried out this new recipe for Chocolate Crinkle Cookies .

1/2 cup vegetable oil

4 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate, melted and cooled
2 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup powdered sugar

1. Mix oil, chocolate, granulated sugar and vanilla in large bowl.

Mix in eggs, one at a time.

Stir in flour, baking powder and salt.

Cover and refrigerate at least 3 hours.

2.Heat oven to 350ºF. Grease cookie sheet.

3. Drop dough by teaspoonfuls into powdered sugar;

roll around to coat. Shape into balls. Place about 2 inches apart on cookie sheet.

4. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until almost no imprint remains

when touched lightly in center.

Remove from cookie sheet. Cool on wire rack.

Look at these beautiful cookies! Great with a glass of milk!

Tortellini Soup

It has been hard to get in the mood to cook soup this Winter.

Because it really has not been Winter here in Georgia.

Last week it felt like Spring with temperatures in the 70's.

Well, forget about the warm weather - I want to make soup!
Afterall, don't people go to restuarants in the summer

and order soup and sandwich? Of course they do!

Tortellini Soup

(with Chicken)

1 package of Cheese Tortellini

1 cup chicken ( cooked and chopped)

1 cup of green beans

1 8 oz can of diced tomatoes

1 /2 of an 8 oz can of Rotel

( only use whole can if you want soup to be spicy)

1 package of dry French onion soup mix

3- 4 cups chicken broth ( low sodium)

2 cups water

1 tbs basil

pinch of sugar

** 1 cup corn ( optional)

Also, if you would prefer you can add

ground beef ( cooked) instead of chicken.

Cook the chicken and chop into small pieces.

Then place all ingrediants, except the tortellini, into a crock pot or large pot.

Cook on low for two hours.

Add the tortellini 20 minutes prior to serving.

This is a quick, easy soup that taste great!

Holiday Fudge

The fudge I made back in September

turned out so well

( that is what people told me anyway)

that I decided to try another fudge recipe for the holidays.

Peppermint Fudge

1 and 1/2 cup chocolate chips
1 cup dark chocolate chips
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup crushed candy canes for the top
Butter a 9 by 9-inch baking dish
Melt all the chocolate chips, and condensed milk in double boiler on medium heat.

Take the p0t off the heat and add the vanilla extract and mix.

Pour the mixture into the baking dish.

Put the crushed candy canes on the top of the fudge.

Place in the refrigerator until it hardens.

Cut into small pieces and serve to your friends!!

I think this batch of fudge is even better than the one I made in September.

I love the dark chocolate flavor.

I have decided to submit this recipe to

http://foodblogga.blogspot.com/

and to

http://foodblogga.blogspot.com/2007/11/christmas-cookies-from-around-world.html

Happy Holidays!!!

Sweeeet Potatoes

I really enjoy sweet potatoes.

I was making Salmon this weekend

with an almond coating and I thought sweet potatoes

would be a nice compliment to the fish.

Baked Sweet Potatoes

2-4 large sweet potatoes, sliced into thin rounds

1/2 - 3/4 cup melted butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon of cinnamon

Place potatoes in a casserole dish.

Melt butter

Then mix butter, brown sugar and cinnamon.

Pour over potatoes.

Bake in oven at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes

or until the potatoes are tender.

SwEEEEEt Potatoes!

What is your favorite flavor?

WE love ice cream!

One of my husband's presents this year for his birthday

was a Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker.

There are so many great flavors that can be made.

My favorite flavor is Chocolate Mint Chip.

His favorite flavor is Dark Chocolate or Peanut Butter Chocolate.

Here is the recipe we used to make my favorite flavor ice cream.

Chocolate Mint Chip Ice Cream

1 1/2 cups of whole milk

3/4 cup chocolate syrup

3 tablespoons of granulated sugar

3 cups heavy cream

1 teaspoon of peppermint extract

1 cup chopped Andes candies

In medium bowl mix the milk, syrup and sugar until the sugar is dissolved,

about 2 or 3 minutes.

Stir in heavy cream and peppermint extract.

Turn on ice cream maker and pour mixture into freezer bowl.

Let mix until thickened, about 20 minutes.

Five minutes before complete, add the candies.

Transfer ice cream to airtight container and place in freezer until serving.

So easy to make and so good to eat!

Pomegranate

This week at work a Pomegranate came my way.

I know - yippeeee - a Pomegranate.

Well, I am sure you know what came to my mind.

The same thing you thought of when I said Pomegranate.

I say Pomegranate, you say martini,

pomegranate, martini,

pomegranate, martini!

Oprah's Pomegranate Martini
Serves 2

1 1/2 cups pomegranate juice
2 oz. Absolute Citron vodka OR white tequila
1 oz. Cointreau liquor
Cup of ice
Optional: Splash of sparkling water
Optional: Squeeze of lemon

Perfect!

Bacon and Eggs Anyone?

One of my colleagues brought this cute treat in on Friday.

Apparently, many people have heard of Bacon and Eggs

but this was new to me!

I took one home so I could share it with all of you.

Bacon and Eggs

White chocolate ( melted)

Yellow M&M's

Pretzel Sticks

Coconut Lemongrass Chicken

Last time I was at the Market I watched while

a women carefully picked out several stalks of lemongrass.

Hmm, I thought that looks interesting.

So without having a recipe,

without knowing how much,

or even how to select lemongrass

I put a few stalks into a bag.

Surely I can make something with Lemongrass .

And I did make something and it was good!

Coconut Lemongrass Chicken
2 tablespoons butter

1 large onion, halved and sliced

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 teasblespoon kosher salt, optional

2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger

3 pounds boneless chicken (thighs or breasts), diced

1 tablespoon minced fresh hot red chili peppers

4 stalks lemongrass, green tops removed then pale ends finely chopped*

2 tablespoons curry powder

3 tablespoons soy sauce

4 tablespoons fish sauce

4 ounces unsweetened coconut milk

Melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat.

Add the half the onion and all the garlic and cook,

stirring frequently, until both begin to soften, about 7 minutes.

Add the salt (if using), black pepper, sugar, chopped ginger and chicken.

Cook over medium-high heat until the sugar melts and the onion mixture

and chicken begin to brown, about 15 minutes.
Add the remaining onion, the chili peppers,

lemon grass, curry powder, soy sauce, fish sauce and coconut milk.

Stir, reduce the heat to medium-low,

cover, and cook until the chicken is no longer pink at the center,

about 10 minutes.

Remove the lid and simmer (adjusting the heat if necessary)

until the sauce thickens and the chicken is tender, about 10 minutes more.

This turned out excellent!!!

I served the chicken over rice.

Yuuummmy!

Chicken with Snap Peas

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

We spent a few days in Charleston, South Carolina.

It was absolutely beautiful.

No turkey dinner but.....

we had great food, awesome weather and lots of fun things to do!

Now that we have returned I really need to try

and get back to a regular blogging schedule.

Made this recipe back in September but I

used green beans.

This time I went for the real thing!

Chicken with Snap Peas.

The flavor is not robust but very delightful.

1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground pepper to taste

2 teaspoons plus 1 tablespoon flour,

divided1 pound thin-sliced chicken breast cutlets

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

8 ounces sugar snap peas, cut in half (2 cups)

1 14-ounce can quartered artichoke hearts, rinsed

3 tablespoons minced fresh herbs, such as chives, tarragon or dill

2 teaspoons champagne vinegar or white-wine vinegar

1. Whisk broth, mustard, salt, pepper and2 teaspoons flour in a small bowl until smooth.

2. Sprinkle both sides of the chicken with the remaining 1 tablespoon flour. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.

Transfer the chicken to a plate; tent with foil to keep warm.

3. Increase heat to high; stir the broth mixture and add to the skillet along with snap peas, artichoke hearts and sprouted beans. Bring to a simmer, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook until the snap peas are tender-crisp, about 3 minutes.

4. Return the chicken to the pan, nestling it into the vegetables, and simmer until heated through,

1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in herbs and vinegar.

Thanksgiving

Wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving.

We have so much to be thankful for!!

Hope you enjoy time with your family and friends!

The Braid

I believe it was my friend C who introduced me to “The Braid”.

I think it is a wonderful dinner option

because you can put almost anything in the crescent rolls and it turns out great.

I have made the braid with chicken, broccoli and cheddar.

I have also made it with peppers, eggplant and Gouda cheese.

This time I decided to go with barbeque chicken and caramelized onions.

I love an easy dinner!

The finished product - very good!

New York City

Wow! a whirlwind of a weekend in the Big Apple for the New York City Marathon.

The day we arrived we dropped off luggage at the apartment

(that is a story in itself)

and then were off to pick up Jim's passes and race ticket.

Once we had the vital documents in hand we could relax for a few minutes.

(None of the above could have happened without the fearless driving
of my wonderful Aunt Ann Marie and sister - THANKS)!!

Then there was the pre-marathon dinner.

(Thanks Bob, Kit and Kathy for a great dinner)!

Dinner was Excellent!

and the dessert was great, too!

Then a little rest and a 5:00 AM wake up call for the runner.

My husband did an amazing job in the Marathon!!!

He ran the Marathon in 4 hours and 1 minute alongside 38,000
other runners.

We ( my parents and sister) stood for three hours at a viewing area around

mile 16 in hopes of seeing my husband and cheering him on, but sadly we did not.

We did manage to cheer for thousands of other runners, though.

Then it truly was a race to the finish line as we tried desperately to get

to the finish line to see our runner avoiding all the barricades and police officers directing us away from our destination.

We missed him there too! !

UGHH!!

but once again we loudly cheered for other people's loved ones.

I guess that chip that he had attached to his sneaker

that was communicating with our cell phones ( cool)

was about 20 minutes delayed come to find out.

Luckily my husband said people also cheered for him!!

Thanks Everyone !!!

My husband after the Marathon.

He looks pretty good!

Finish line the next day - memories!

We did have a little while on Monday to walk around the city before our flight back home.
I don’t know about New York being the city where dreams come true but it is definitely the city where good food is everywhere.

Look at all these wonderful desserts!!!

These are all truffles!

If you like cheese you won't be disappointed in NY

we came across several cheese shops.

Well, that was our weekend in New York.

Marathon Party

We had a little Marathon Party the other night.

Thanks to all who came, all those who brought food and gifts

and a special thanks to those who wore their marathon clothes.

It was a fun party!!

As I sit here now I can't believe we didn't take any photos of the party or the food.

We had several great appetizers that our friends made.

Thanks to John, Marsha and Cheri.

Dinner was Zitti with Meat Sauce
Salad with Gorgonzola Cheese and Strawberries

and Italian Bread

Dessert was fantastic!

We had Apple, Pear, Hazelnut Pie

Caramel Apple Cheesecake - Thanks C!

Chocolate Swirl Cookies - Thanks C!

Caramel Apple Cupcakes

Everything was excellent.

Here are the few photos I have from the event:

I cooked the pork in the oven before adding to the pasta sauce.

It was cooked with chopped onion, garlic, Italian seasoning.
Wrapped in foil while cooking to keep moist.

The pasta with Meat Sauce

The Caramel Apple Cupcakes

Apple, Pear, Hazelnut Pie

Click for recipe

I hope everyone had a great time!

Thanks again for celebrating the Marathon Runner's Birthday!

Great Gift!

Our friends James and Marsha went away last weekend

(it was lonely around town with out them)

and they brought us back this gift for taking care of their cat.

I think this is a great gift.

It is all fresh produce with a recipe on how to make salsa.

I love all the little peppers.

They may be little but I have to tell you that the flavor

of each pepper was "huge".

Thanks James and Marsha for the great gift!

Fiesta Roll Ups

Now, back to food.

Last week I was invited to a dinner get together. It was a great evening!! ( Thanks)

I always debate what to bring to a party because I want it to be something people enjoy.

I also wanted it to be something somewhat easy since I would be making it the night before.

I decided on Fiesta Roll Ups!

8 oz. cream cheese ( softened by setting out)

1 cup sour cream

12 oz grated sharp cheddar cheese

1 tbsp. sugar

1 small can green chilles

1 -2 tbsp. taco mix ( powder)

Mix all of the above together.

Then spread out the mixture on a tortilla.

Roll the tortilla.

If possible let sit for a few hours.

Then slice into 1/4 to 1/2 in. thick pieces

Serve with your favorite

A great party appetizer!

Truth Be Told

Ok, ok, only part of the last post was true.

My husband did sit at the counter and try to show off his tattoo.

Unfortunately for him he did not get the reaction from me he hoped for.

He thought I would believe that he went out and got a tattoo.

But what I know is that my husband does not like needles.

I believe he even passed out once while getting his blood drawn.

So, when he showed me his tattoo,

I said hmm that should last about week or so right?

Supporting My Husband the Marathon Runner

Ok, so I have been telling that my husband is running in the New York Marathon.

We are only a few weeks away from the actual race.

I have tried my best to be supportive of my husband by being extremely flexible in our schedule, cooking a big breakfast for him when he does his long runs, buying him New York City plates to eat on and throwing a Marathon Party.

Well, this weekend I think he took this whole marathon thing tooooo far.

He went out on Friday with the guys and on Saturday morning he showed me this:

Seriously Man ! Have you lost your mind!

If you know my husband, you know how much of a shock this really is!

So, what does a supportive wife say - HMMM Cool!

Craving Guacamole

I hope I am not the only one that craves guacamole !

Every once in awhile I just need some fresh guacamole with chips.

Guacamole

2 avacados

1 small white onion, chopped

1/3 cup cream cheese

1/3 cup cilantro, chopped

4 tbsp. lime juice

salt

Mix all these ingredients.

Add one small tomato, chopped

So Good!!!

Fried Peanut Butter and Jelly

On of our favorite breakfast places, Java Jive,

has Peanut Butter and Jelly French Toast on their menu.

I remember the first time I noticed it I thought hmm - could that really be good?

I have ordered it for breakfast and was delightfully surprised by the taste.

I think the part that was most enjoyable was the warm peanut butter.

This past weekend I tried my own rendition of a

Fried Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich.

Make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

Dip the sandwich in a egg, milk, vanilla batter.

Cook on a skillet until lightly browned on each side.

Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Are you willing to give it a try?

Chicken Enchiladas

How about a little Mexican Food for dinner?

This is an Enchilada recipe from the Food Network.

My husband is really the one who set off to make this dinner with me as his assistant.

My jobs were pretty easy.

I just had to cut a few vegetables

and make the guacamole for the top of the enchiladas.

Chicken Enchiladas

4 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup sour cream

2 cups prepared salsa

2 cups grated Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese

2 cups shredded cooked chicken

1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

Salt and pepper

4 scallions, thinly sliced

12 to 14 soft round 6 to 8-inch flour or corn tortillas

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Cook and shred the chicken

In a medium bowl cream together the cream cheese and the sour cream.

Stir in 1/2 cup of the salsa. Stir in 1 cup of the grated cheese.

In a second bowl toss together the chicken, the corn, cumin,

cayenne, salt, pepper, and 1/2 of the scallions.

Add the chicken mixture to the cheese mixture and stir to combine.

In a baking dish spread a 1/2 cup of the salsa over the bottom.

Place about a 1/3 cup of the filling on a corn tortilla,

roll up and transfer to the baking dish with the seam side down.

Repeat process for remaining tortillas.

Pour remaining salsa over enchiladas, spreading to coat all of them.

Sprinkle remaining grated cheese over the top.

Enchiladas may be prepared up to this point 12 hours in advance.

Transfer to preheated oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes until hot and bubbly.

Sprinkle with the remaining scallions and serve warm.

The enchiladas turned out great!

Lemon Cream Cupcakes

I typically don't have much luck baking and so when I do I usually stick to the easy recipes.

Although this recipe is probably not hard to most,

just the idea that there would be a cream cheese filling inside

the cupcake would normally scare me away from making the recipe.

For some reason I was feeling a little more daring today than usual

so I decided to take the challenge.

Lemon Cream Cupcakes
Recipe courtesy of Instant Gratification, Lauren Chattman, William Morrow/HarperCollins

These lemony cupcakes contain a decadent surprise--a cream cheese filling that elevates them to true dessert heights.

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks unsalted) butter, softened

1 1/2 cups sugar

6 large eggs

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

2 1/4 cups cake flour or all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon grated lemon zest

3/4 cup cream cheese, softened

Confectioners' sugar for dusting (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Spray the muffin tin with cooking spray.
Combine the butter and 1 1/4 cups of the sugar in the large bowl and beat with the mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy.

Add the eggs and 3 tablespoons of the lemon juice and beat until well combined, scraping down the bowl once or twice as necessary.

Mix in the flour, baking powder, salt, and 2 teaspoons of the lemon zest until just combined.

In the small bowl, mix together the cream cheese,

the remaining 1/4 cup sugar, the remaining 1 tablespoon lemon juice,

and the remaining 1 teaspoon lemon zest until combined.

Spoon about 3 tablespoons of the batter into each muffin cup.

Place about 1 tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture on top of each portion of batter

and cover the cream cheese mixture with some of the remaining batter (the batter should reach three-quarters of the way to the top of each cup).

Bake until golden, about 20 minutes.

Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for 10 minutes

before turning over onto the wire rack to cool completely.

Use the strainer to sift the tops with confectioners' sugar before serving if desired.

The cupcakes turned out great! They are a nice light lemon flavor

with a creamy filling inside.

Blintzes for Breakfast

I am really not sure if I made Blintzes or Crepes for breakfast

BUT I know that they were great!

Here is what Sharon Tyler Herbst said in the THE FOOD LOVER’S COMPANION, 2nd edition.

crêpe[KRAYP, KREHP]The French word for “pancake,” which is exactly what these light, paper-thin creations are. They can be made from plain or sweetened batters with various flours, and used for savory or dessert dishes. Dessert crêpes may be spread with a jam or fruit mixture, rolled or folded and sometimes flamed with brandy or liqueur. Savory crêpes are filled with various meat, cheese or vegetable mixtures — sometimes topped with a complementary sauce — and served as a first or main course.

And now…
blintz[BLIHNTS]A tender, ultrathin pancake that can be made with any number of flours. The blintz is rolled to enclose a sweet or savory filling including cottage or ricotta cheese, fruit or meat mixtures. It’s then sautéed until golden brown and served with sour cream. Usually served as a first or main course.

Strawberry and Banana Blintzes

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 eggs, beaten

1 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla

Combine flour, salt and eggs; beat until smooth. Gradually add milk, mixing until well blended. For each crepe, pour 1/4 cup batter into hot, lightly greased 8-inch skillet tilting skillet to cover bottom. Cook over medium-high heat until lightly browned.

Filling

1 cup of strawberries finely chopped

2 bananas finely chopped

1 cup cream cheese, softened

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp nutmeg

Mix well, until smooth.

Then put the filling into the refrigerator until you are ready to roll the blintzes.

Roll and Eat!

You can top them with a little whip cream or some syrup.

Smoked Ravioli with Three Pepper Cream Sauce

I have shared my blog with my family, friends and colleagues. Sometimes there is a chuckle when I say that I have a food blog. You have a what? Why?

Well, I can't deny that I thought the same thing when my friend told me she had a food blog. What? When do you have the time?

What I have come to realize is that this is a good release for me. It allows me to take a break from work for a little while and make a good meal and then share it with all of you.

Today I am posting a wonderful dish friend at work shared with me. The presentation is beautiful and the Ravioli delicious.

Thanks PB!

Smoked Ravioli with Three Pepper Cream Sauce

3 cloves garlic

1/4 cup Parmesan reggiano

1/2 cup each shredded asiago, provolone, pecorino, and mozzarella

(twirl above in a food processor)

place in pan and over medium heat,

pour in 2 - 3 cups heavy whipping cream

stir until smooth

2 cowhorn peppers

2 hot banana peppers

1 red bell pepper(julienned)

12 oz frozen artichoke hearts

1 cup kalamata olives pitted and cut in half

(saute the above in butter and evoo until it sweats!)

Add to cheese mixture

add seasoning to taste

(salt, pepper, oregano, marjoram, parsley, and rosemary)

Enjoy!

Chicken with Snap Peas

I cook a lot of fish, chicken and pasta since I don't eat red meat. Because of this I am always looking for new chicken recipes to spice things up and add variety to our meals.

This week I made a new dish called Chicken with Snap Peas.

1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground pepper to taste

2 teaspoons plus 1 tablespoon flour, divided

1 pound thin-sliced chicken breast cutlets

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

8 ounces sugar snap peas, cut in half (2 cups)

1 14-ounce can quartered artichoke hearts,

3 tablespoons minced fresh herbs, such as chives, tarragon or dill

2 teaspoons champagne vinegar or white-wine vinegar

1. Whisk broth, mustard, salt, pepper and2 teaspoons flour in a small bowl until smooth.

2. Sprinkle both sides of the chicken with the remaining 1 tablespoon flour.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.

Cook the chicken in two batches, adjusting heat as necessary to prevent burning, until golden, about 2 minutes per side.

Transfer the chicken to a plate; tent with foil to keep warm.

3. Increase heat to high; stir the broth mixture and add to the skillet along with snap peas, artichoke hearts.

Bring to a simmer, stirring constantly.

Reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook until the snap peas are tender-crisp,

about 3 minutes.

4. Return the chicken to the pan, nestling it into the vegetables, and simmer until heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in herbs and vinegar.

I did not have Snap Peas so I used Green Beans .

I really enjoyed the flavor of this chicken.

It was a little spicy and creamy!

Sausage, Mushroom and Cheese Frittata

How many of you cook breakfast for dinner every once in awhile?

Well, we do at our house.

About once every two weeks I make breakfast for dinner.

Sausage, Mushroom and Cheese Frittata
6 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup milk

4 oz of cheddar cheese

8 Mushrooms, diced

4 Links of Sweet Italian Sausage

2 small, white onions, caramelized

pinch of salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

First slice and caramelize the white onions. The beat the eggs , cream and milk.

Put all the ingredients into a casserole dish and bake in the oven at

400 degrees for 30 -40 minutes .

This next photo is a little yellow because I had the overhead light from the stove on.

Sorry about that!

The caramelized onions and sausage were an excellent combination!

Dummy Fudge

Our wonderful Nurse at school, Susan, shared this great recipe for Fudge with me.

This is my first time making fudge and I have to say - it was easy to make and very yummy!

This recipe was taken from Paul Deen on the Food Network.

Luckily, Susan gave me a little tip from past experience to make it turn out great!

Dummy Fudge

1 and 1/2 cup chocolate chips

1 cup butterscotch chips

1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup pecans (any type of nut will work)

You can mix the nutd in or add them to the top.

Butter a 9 by 9-inch baking dish

Melt chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, and condensed milk in double boiler on medium heat.

Once smooth remove from heat.

Add vanilla and nuts.

Pour into baking dish.

Chill in refrigerator until set for approximately 10 minutes.

What a treat!