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!