Better Butter

Last weekend I had a big event at our local church for the women of the congregation. If you've been here over the years, you know that I often lead our Women's Ministries in our local churches. However, I only was in charge of this event this time. I've done a similar one before. We had several demonstrations along with other samples of ideas for the holidays. Some were for entertaining, gift giving and others were decor. I wanted to share this particular one with you today.  

I made three different compound butter recipes. These would be perfect as gifts or when you have company. Each lady got to taste them and took home the recipes. I brought the leftovers home and popped them in the freezer for future use. Cutting them up into smaller pieces means I don't have to waste any. Tonight we grilled smoked pork chops with roasted asparagus and new potatoes. I thawed out the Lemon and Dill butter and it was very delicious with this meal.  Perfect for the asparagus and potatoes. My husband also ate it on a baguette.  

The three flavors are Lemon Dill, Cranberry Walnut Orange and Café de Paris.  I've linked the recipes so you can find them easily and try them out.  I think the Cranberry, Walnut, Orange would be perfect for Thanksgiving dinner.  Doesn't that sound good? There are many similar recipes on Pinterest or just a google search.  Check these out, it is an easy way to enhance your holiday meals. 

Delicious Summer Recipes

I've recently been searching for some new recipes for the summer.  You know, all the wonderful produce that's in season has had me wanting some good salads.  I've posted a couple on Instagram recently, but I thought I'd share the links to them here.  

This first one is Ravioli with Sautéed Asparagus and Walnuts from Green Valley Kitchen.  I could only find cheese ravioli in my store, which I thought was ridiculous, but it was still delicious.  These are my photos, so you can see how they really turn out.  

The second one is 10-Minute Zucchini Noodles with Garlic, Lemon and Parmesan.  I asked for and received a Spiralizer for Christmas and I finally tried it out.  It worked perfectly on zucchini and this recipe was very good too.  You can find it at Instant Pot Eats.  

I loved all of these recipes or I wouldn't be passing them on to you.  I've just hit the jackpot lately.  This one was my favorite combination.  Pasta, tomato, basil what can be wrong with that? This recipe is from Alexandra Cooks and was a favorite with my husband too.  

And lastly, I decided to make my own hummus. In Japan, we couldn't buy hummus or decent crackers.  I craved hummus and Triscuits. I had friends that would make their own. I even brought cans of chick peas to Japan for them and myself.  I never did it. Yesterday I did and I added "Everything but the Bagel" sesame seasoning to the top with some olive oil. It was amazing with some Triscuits.  I made this Classic Hummus recipe from Gimme Some Oven.  

Do you have some new summery recipes you'd like to share with me? I'm on the hunt! 

Happy eating. 

Karen

Ice Cream Bar

Last Friday night I volunteered to bring dessert to our annual Fantasy Football Sign-ups. It's pretty much all about the guys staring at their laptops as they pick players and the girls gabbing, catching up and playing with the babies. I decided to bring the makings for Ice Cream Sundaes. I found this wonderful article on unusual toppings for sundaes. You can find all their topping lists and recipes here. I made the Candied Coconut recipe that was listed. Just a warning that it makes a lot.  I need to figure out what else I can make with it. I couldn't wrap my head around Candied Bacon or Candied Roasted Squash, that wasn't happening. I was serving a bunch of men, they would've curled their noses up at the squash idea. 

I made hot chocolate sauce from Mark Bittman's book, How to Cook Everything.  I didn't have time to make it into hot fudge by adding corn syrup, which would've made it even better.  Here is an old link to the recipe when he was on the Today show in 2010.  This sauce actually hardens when it hits the cold ice cream leaving a very satisfying crunch. In case you're wondering, I had this for my dinner tonight.

Here are my toppings:

Hershey's Dark Chocolate Bar - chopped
Reese's Peanut Butter Bar - chopped
Oreo's - chopped
Candy coated sunflower seeds
Spanish Peanuts
Candied Coconut
Heath Bar Bits
Strawberry Syrup
Butterscotch Caramel Sauce - Mrs. Richardson's - hey, I didn't have time to make everything.
Mark Bittman's - Chocolate Sauce
Sprinkles
Maraschino Cherries
Reddi-wip - I know, not homemade

I think that was everything.  I only used Vanilla and Chocolate Ice Creams.  Everyone LOVED it. What is your favorite ice cream sundae topping? I'll add it to the list!

Favorite Hors d'Oeuvres

I came immediately home from a trip (again) to see my family into July 4th. I was also preparing for a wedding shower I threw today for approximately 40 people. So, there's been no blogging time in the last two weeks. Now, however, I have a lot of great recipes to share with you. You know how you shouldn't try new recipes on company. Does anybody really follow that rule? I always forget that. I tried a couple new things and some old favorites. Now I'm loving all of these recipes. See, I checked them out for you and now you can make them with no worries. I'm helpful, like that.  

 {Herbed and Spiced Goat Cheese Balls}

{Tomato-Basil Skewers}

On the left, Melon Balls and Proscuitto doesn't need a recipe. The combination is so delicious! My second new recipe is Crostini with Peaches, Blue Cheese and Honey. I didn't take a good picture.  Maybe it was because I was busy eating them. Seriously good.  I found some of these recipes on Pinterest.  Maybe you should just follow my Recipes board on Pinterest.  That's it!

This is a Raspberry Angel Food cake using a box mix.  I definitely need to perfect the addition of raspberries to a mix. However, an amazing buttercream frosting covers up a lot of problems. 

The engaged couple are serious hikers and fly fishermen.  These fun little cupcakes were a perfect touch.  Thank you Pinterest again for the frosting idea.

 I made a Trail Mix Bar which was a big hit.

I borrowed my friend's beautiful crocheted tablecloth, used a few woodland type decorations and Farmer's Market flowers.  The golden Butterfly Bush were a stunning accent against all the purples. Now I'm getting off my feet and saving these recipes for the next party!

Joining the party at: Between Naps on the Porch

Cravings

Source: kalynskitchen.com via Karen on Pinterest

                                              Roasted Green Beans with Mushrooms

Source: savorysweetlife.com via Karen on Pinterest

                                                  Tomato Basil Mozzarella Salad

Source: eatingwell.com via Karen on Pinterest

                                           Five Spice Turkey and Lettuce Wraps

Source: apronstringsblog.com via Karen on Pinterest

                                                    Flower Power Eggs

I've started the South Beach Diet this past week.  It's first two weeks are crazy strict in order to get some initial quick weight loss and get rid of sugar and starch cravings.  That has worked very well and I can already see good progress. It's very healthy eating, with lean protein and vegetables.  So, the food in the above photographs would fit right into this crazy initial Phase 1.  I actually haven't tried these particular recipes.  I did try baked zucchini chips that are on Pinterest.  I wasn't terribly fond of them.  I do, however, like Kale chips. Unfortunately, the things I want to eat are in the following photos. YUM!  I think they will be few and far between in the future.  But, I can "pin" luscious recipes.  I think it's going to take a little longer to get rid of these cravings.  

Source: mybakingaddiction.com via Karen on Pinterest

                          Mac and Cheese with Roasted Chicken, Goat Cheese and Rosemary

Source: howsweeteats.com via Karen on Pinterest

                                  Fresh Cherry and Dark Chocolate Chunk Scones 

Source: bakeat350.blogspot.com via Karen on Pinterest

Has anyone else tried the SB Diet? You can follow me on Pinterest and maybe we can share recipes. 

Farmer's Market Fresh

Don't you just love all the fresh fruit and vegetables that are available now? Me too. I took advantage of it this weekend. That might be because I actually cooked this weekend. I love simple, fresh meals.  

I don't always take the time to go to my Farmer's Market, but last week I stopped by on my way to a fun art class. This time of year, it's full of luscious inspiration. I really don't like asparagus, but HH does. I do know that skinny asparagus are supposedly the best. When I saw some, I grabbed a bundle and attempted my first batch of roasted asparagus. I drizzled a little Roasted Garlic Olive Oil from Temecula Olive Oil. It's good on just about anything. I roasted it for 10 minutes on 350* and then sprinkled with parmesan and roasted another 5 minutes for the cheese to melt. It was really good.  I might be a convert.

 I also made a wedge salad with tomatoes, bacon, gorgonzola and blue cheese dressing. 

There couldn't be an easier salad.

The best part was a rib-eye steak with the Smoke House rub from William-Sonoma. Obviously, neither was bought at the farmer's market. The rub is fabulous on all kinds of meat and poultry.

 For breakfast the strawberries I bought were perfect for french toast.

 The syrup is also from Williams-Sonoma.  It was part of a Christmas present.

See what I mean? So, so good! What did you make from your farmer's market?

You Made What?

I finally did it. I've intended to make this before.  

I bought the kale and it just sat in my refrigerator until it was not usable. 

Maybe I thought it would roast  itself. Maybe I didn't believe all the kale chip raves that I'd read.

 This time I followed through!

 I used a recipe from Smitten Kitchen.  So simple and with a little added Parmesan, really tasty.

It's just so odd for me to like kale chips.  Just so strange.  I also made Crash Potatoes from The Pioneer Woman.  They were yummy as well.  Definitely a more expected side dish for me.  Yes, I'm a carb lover, a plain Jane.  Sorry for the orange photo.  It's dark out.  Give one of these a try, you'll like them!

With Brown Sugar?

I'm at the apartment this week and was looking for a quickie dessert that wouldn't be too much trouble or seriously heavy. I decided to buy a little angel food cake loaf and some strawberries. Don't you think that would be better than a double chocolate brownie mix? At least the strawberries have some redeeming value being a fruit serving. When I got to the apartment I noticed that my HH had no sugar. He did have brown sugar, however. So, I sprinkled brown sugar on the strawberries and we added a little dollop of whipped cream. OH MY GOODNESS. I may have to use brown sugar from now on. It was very delicious. Have you made strawberry shortcake this way?

Super Bowl Prep

We've decided to host a Super Bowl Party at our new house this year. It is also going to be a farewell for a fun couple that are moving to Texas.  Boo hiss!  Well, back to the party.  I've verbally invited several people, but have ordered these fun invitations.

Stacie has a lot of simple, cute products.  You can visit her at her Etsy store.

I'm anxious to see how mine turned out.

Since the entertainment is provided, the next most important element is the food. I think I'm making tacos. I use a recipe I found YEARS ago from Flylady's website. It's a Crockpot recipe that you HAVE to try. It's amazing. I like it better with beef than chicken, Spicy Mexican Beef.  It's not all that spicy. OH MY, this is fantastic. I will also make my homemade salsa, which is basically a Pico de Gallo. I'm sure my guests will bring lots of other foods, but I've found some fun ideas on Pinterest lately, when I should be doing other things.  It just sucks me in.  Here are some more ideas.

 Individual Seven Layer Dips

Source: the-girl-who-ate-everything.com via Karen on Pinterest

Source: plainchicken.com via Karen on Pinterest

I may have to try these CHEDDAR BACON RANCH PULLS again.  It was deliciously decadent.

Source: myrecipes.com via Nell on Pinterest

These football deviled eggs are cute!

Source: absolutelymonica.blogspot.com via Amy on Pinterest

This person was clever with their guacamole dip.  Do you have any fun suggestions for a Super Bowl Party?  Are you hosting one as well?

Rest

{traditional home}

I hope you are able to enjoy the fruit of your labor this weekend!

Love Is In The Air

I helped with a bridal shower this weekend. We used a love bird theme.

My chunky chickies found a home.

We had tons of fabulous food.

I made three appetizers.  These were from Sunset magazine, Apricots with basil-goat cheese and almonds.

I've shown you these before. They are from eatingwell.com.  So yummy!

I got this blue cheese, honey and pecan idea from my daughter. It was a favorite!

The hostess made two beautiful fruit pizzas.

The lovely bride-to-be opened lots of beautiful presents.

It was a special day for a lovely young lady!