So Sorry

I have been out enjoying my summer with friends and family . I haven't been cooking/baking much. I would like to share a few things.... I am officially a student at the CT Culinary Institute!! YAY!

a few days ago I received Betty Crocker's new Gluten Free Mixes from MyBlogSpark and while I don't have pictures I can say they are AMAZING. My sister in law has celiac's and is unable to eat gluten of any kind. I had taken to baking gluten free , which is not as easy as it sounds. So when I recieved these mixes in the mail I was super duper excited. You can not tell they are any different which is great!!

Next I will make the Chocolate Chip Cookies , and I will have pictures to share.


I hope all of you are having the best summer ever. I hope to be back full time very soon.

New things....

New things are happening in the Wicked Good Foods house.....

As of last Monday .. I am ( almost) offically a culinary school student. I have enrolled at the Connecticut Culinary Institute. I am SO super excited. I have been dreaming about this for almost 2 years now , and now that I'm out of work I'm making it happen!!! YAY!! As long as nothing goes wrong I should start Jan 2010 and graduate April 2011. SOOO excited..




So thats whats new with me . Whats new with you???

Long Time ...

Havent been baking or cooking lately . Ive been out enjoying my family and friends . I wish I could say I've been enjoying the weather but here in CT its rained for what seems the last month!

In between rain showers I managed to take a trip with my favoritest cousin Donna to NYC. We were super lucky and got a really nice day. Last Thursday night we took a trip into the village and dined at Perilla Restaurant. Sound familiar? It might , its owned by Harold Dieterle, he won the first season of top chef. I have been dying to go there for ages now! It was suuuuuper yummy. To start we had

Hand Cut Tagliatelle
trumpet mushrooms, aged pecorino & wild pheasant cacciatore

this was SO good , I had never had pheasant before but it kinda tasted like chicken..

For the main course we had

Grilled Prime Creekstone Hanger Steak
sunchoke creamed spinach, red shallot puree & natural jus

Fiddle Head Fern & Sheep's Milk Ricotta Gnudi
forest mushrooms, asparagus, english peas & truffle butter
We shared both dishes . My favorite was the Gnudi , it was SO light and airy and the inside was so creamy.


For Dessert we had

Warm Chocolate Tart
dulce de leche sauce & vanilla ice cream

Vanilla Scented Doughnuts
key lime custard & a coconut refresher

both were very very good.. I liked the doughnuts , but i really loved the dulce de leche. wow I havent had a dessert that good in a while.

I felt silly taking pictures of the food in this very nice resaurant. so instead I will leave you with Donna and I stuff to the brim with the yummiest dinner!! I definately recomend Perilla . Its located at 9 Jones St in NYC. Check it out ... you wont regret it.

Home of the Free Because of the Brave

arlington national cemetery




I hope at some point this Memorial Day weekend you will take a moment to remember those who have lost their lives in support of our country.



Today I remember Holly Charette , she was my best friend in high school. She enlisted in the USMC after 9/11 and she was killed in Iraq by a suicide bomber June 23, 2005

Mothers Day

First of all , I would like to wish all the Mama's out there a Happy Mothers Day!!

and secondly I am SO aggravated. I just ruined the best cheesecake and had to throw it out... What a way to start the day :(

Programming Change

There is going to be a slight programming change. It appears Tuesdays With Dorie has dropped me from their participants so I won't be baking much from that cookbook anymore. Originally that was the reason I created this blog however I really love blogging about the food I create for the people that I love.

So look for something new and exciting . I'm not sure what that is yet. but its gotta be wicked good!

Its About That Time...

Grilling is one of my most favorite things to do . When I was growing up my dad always did the grilling , never allowing me to help , which was just plain annoying. So when I got married and moved away I knew that I would develop my grilling skills. One thing I learned was the difference between cooking on the grill , and grilling. You can cook things on the grill all day long , but grilling is different. Some people have it and some don't. My husband doesn't . Haha , Love you honey!

So when Matt from Daregal Gourmet emailed me and asked if I wanted to try some frozen herbs the company sells. I jumped on it!! When I got them in the mail and saw they had a grilling blend I knew this would be the first thing I'd try.

I got the grill ready , and seasoned the steaks with the grilling herbs which is a mix of Thyme, Rosemary, Savory and Italian Parsley , i just oiled the steaks and added a little salt and pepper and let them hang out with the herbs while they came to room temp (you never want to grill with cold steaks , it will make the meat more tough). Just 3 minutes on each side , and then let it rest a bit so all the juices don't run out when you cut them and poof! dinner is d.o.n.e.

I also made some roasted potatoes with leeks , man oh man was that yummy!! I used the original blend of herbs with the potatoes , and roasted them for 45 mins at 350. they were PERFECT.


After dinner , I made a really easy strawberry shortcake , with fresh whipped cream.

It ended up being a really great summery meal. Despite the rainy weather outside!!

Rough Times

There have been some rough times in the wicked good foods world.... I am currently out of work, which came as kind of a surprise. There is good news though , I can now explore the world of the culinary arts. I'm looking into culinary schools in the area and hope to take advantage of the opportunities there.

I did skip this week's TWD, and even though I didn't blog about it I did make the banana cream pie the other week.

So now that I have had time to digest these new things going on in my life , I will be back to blogging cause really I have all the time in the world!! Next up is the chocolate cream tart which sounds simply amazing.

Also look for reviews of a few new products I have recieved.

Thanks for sticking with me everyone!

Lemon Curd Cheesecake

Two Saturday's per month my husband is in EMT class. At least one of those days they have a potluck where I'm sure all of the student's wives/ girlfriends contribute something yummy. This week I contributed cheese cake. At first I was going to make caramel apple cheesecake , but it was getting late so I opted to use the lemon curd I had saved. I did a quick google and found this recipe.

1 1/2 cups finely crushed vanilla wafer cookies (40 cookies) i used graham crackers

2 teaspoons grated lemon peel i didnt have any lemons .. oops!

1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted

3 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup lemon curd

3 eggs

Frozen raspberries, if desired these were not desired :)

1.Heat oven to 325ºF. Mix cookie crumbs, 1 teaspoon of the lemon peel and the butter. Press evenly in bottom and up side of springform pan, 9x3 inches.
2.Beat cream cheese in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Gradually beat in sugar, lemon curd and remaining 1 teaspoon lemon peel until smooth. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Pour over crust.
3.Bake 55 to 65 minutes or until center is set; cool 30 minutes. Run metal spatula along side of cheesecake to loosen. Refrigerate at least 2 hours but no longer than 48 hours.
4.Remove side of pan. Garnish with raspberries

the finished product. courtesy of the iphone...

p.s sorry for the AWFUL picture , but I assure you this was YUMMY!
p.p.s from what i hear the guys loved it too!

Diane's Market Kitchen

One of the things Sara and I were able to do while I was visiting in Seattle was to attend a cooking class. So Friday morning (March 20) we boarded the ferry and made our way over to Diane's Market Kitchen. We ended up being the only people in the class so that made it even more fun. The class we had signed up for was appetizers. When I say that everything we had was SO good , that's an understatement. Diane only uses fresh ingredients most from local farmers and small businesses . We learned every Sunday Diane takes her class for the morning down to the Pike Place Market to pick out the freshest things to cook with for the day!

Sara hard at work

While all of the recipes were AMAZING my favorite was the Pear and Cheve crostini. The recipe can be found here.

For anyone who is in the Seattle area , I would definitely check out Diane's.

I'm the worst...

I am the worst blogger!! and I have SO much to share!!!! but for now I leave you with this ... which is not food related... however something just as close to my heart

Seattle...

I am officially back online , however I am on my birthday trip! (its monday the 23rd) I went to visit my best friend Sara. We will be having super yummy meals , and a cooking class too!!! I will definitely be taking pictures , and will share them here sometime next week. Until then , Happy Thursday!

OH NO!

So my computer crashed , so as a result I won't be posting for a bit. But I will still be baking along with Tuesday's with Dorie. Thanks for checking in with me. Hope to see you on the flipside!

Week 5 and Rachael Ray .. Again

I skipped week 4. Oops. This week I was serious! haha I planned out meals, and then I made them! I made another lasagna as TM requested it, and he asks for next to nothing. I also made Paprika Chicken which was the recipe featured on the episode of Rachael Ray that I went to! It was SO yummy!



Paprika Chicken

Ingredients

• Salt
• 1 pound egg noodles
• 2 tablespoons EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 pounds mixed boneless skinless chicken breasts and thighs, cut into bite-sized chunks
• Ground black pepper
• 1 large onion, quartered and thinly sliced
• 2 red bell peppers, seeded, quartered and thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
• 2 tablespoons ground sweet paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
• 2 tablespoons parsley
• 1/2 cup chopped cornichons or pickles

Yields: 4 servings

Preparation

Place a large pot of water over high heat to cook the pasta. When the water boils, salt it well and drop the pasta in. Cook to al dente according to package directions. Drain the cooked pasta and reserve.While the pasta is cooking, place a large skillet over medium-high heat with 2 turns of the pan of EVOO, about 2 tablespoons. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, and sear until golden brown, about 5 minutes per side. Remove from the pan and reserve.

Add the onion, bell peppers and garlic to the pan, and cook until the veggies have softened, 7-8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, and return the chicken to the pan. Add the paprika, allspice and stock to the pan and bring up to a bubble. Simmer until the chicken has cooked through, about 10 minutes more. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the sour cream. Reserve.Toss the cooked noodles with the butter, dill, chives and parsley.Serve the chicken over the noodles and garnish with the chopped cornichons

my notes: I omitted the peppers, we are not a pepper house. I also added about 1 tablespoon brown sugar it smelled "spicy" but I think that was in my head. I also omitted the fresh herbs I just forgot to buy them. I also skipped the pickles , just no thanks!



This turned out SO well , I would make it again and again!!. Sorry for the lack of pictures. I forgot to take them I was so hungry!!

Amano Chocolate - A Review

A while back Blake Makes had a give-a-way for Amano Chocolate- Jembrana. I was lucky enough to recieve one! I was going to wait and bake with it , but I read some other bloggers who just snacked on it. I decided now was the time ( while watching the Oscar pre-show) . This chocolate is amazing, I am a big dark chocolate fan.This chocolate is intense , it doesnt have a waxy taste ( like some darks i've had) It melts so nicely , and is so tastey! I did end up only having a few bites because I really think this will be super yummy in some baked goods....

I found the product notes right from Amano's website.

Product Details:

Jembrana is the world's first chocolate made 100% from beans from Bali, Indonesia. Bali's cocoa has traditionally been shipped to Java and blended with Javanese beans before export to chocolate makers worldwide. This chocolate is wholly unique. It is beautifully rich and yet gentle. In the blistery cold of winter as the branches break of ice and the wind howls trying to get in; there are few things as comforting as being inside by the fire curled up in your favorite blanket. This chocolate captures this moment perfectly. Jembrana's rich chocolate flavor is as gentle as a loved one's whisper and is something that you will treasure.

The Chocolate Maker's Notes:

When I found these cocoa beans from Bali, I was blown away. The beans were beautifully fermented; their flavor rich and gentle. This was of course, not the first time I had tried beans from Bali. It was the culmination of a long hunt for cocoa from this region that meets our exacting standards. In fact, I almost turned down samples of these beans when I was kindly offered them. After all, I had already sampled so many and none had been of sufficient quality to pursue. These, I immediately recognized, were different.

There are not many places in the world where cocoa grows in proximity to rice patties. Bali is one of them. Vanilla can be found creeping up the trunks of the cocoa trees providing the farmers with multiple crops for their livelihood. These beans from Bali are truly as beautiful as the exotic island from which they originate. The chocolate that we make from them is beautifully smooth, rich, and comforting. I invite you to try it and you will immediately see why I fell in love with the cocoa from Bali and the chocolate we make from it.

Photo Tag Thingy....

-Go to your 6th photo folder

-Pick the 6th photo and post.

My Dad aka Grandpa , and his first grand daughter Hanna , taking a nap. she is so damn cute!


p.s I'm working on dinner/lunches for the week! look for the recipe later!
p.p.s Happy Sunday!

Way Off Topic.....

photos from boston.com


My loves are at it again.... and its one day closer to opening day.....

90 Already?

my grandpa and grandma

My grandmother turns 90 Tuesday. So in honor of her birthday my parents had alot of us over for dinner. She made some really great roasted butternut squash , and baked potatoes and ribeyes on the grill ( cause it wasn't 15 degrees out for once) I made a blue cheese butter for the steaks that turned out really yummy , but my actual contribution to the meal was dessert I made Chocolate Stout Cupcakes with a Vanilla Bean Frosting. The turned out amazing. I had a slight reading comprehesion problem and failed to let everything that needed to come to room temperate , I'm not so sure how it would have turned out if I did to that.


I would make these everyday , I love the flavor , and I especially love the little flecks of vanilla in the frosting. It was my first time working with an actual vanilla bean, I can't believe I waited this long to work with them. It is so worth it! I really love piping the frosting on. I don't think I will ue the offset spatula again. They look so pretty!

So , It was a pretty busy weekend so sadly I will not be contributing to Tuesday's with Dorie this week. I am most definitely going to be making that cover cake , it just wont be in time for tomorrow. I am very excited to see everyone else creations!!

Obama, Lincoln and Cupcakes

So I've been home sick with bronchitis since Wednesday. Friday it got interesting... I was looking though my google reader and it updated with a new post from Cake Wrecks. It was talking about Zilly Rosen of Zillycakes. She was at the Smithsonian and would be creating Obama and Lincoln in cupcakes( 5,900 of them!) live! So I tuned in to ustream.tv and watched the whole thing .I took some screen grabs of the process , enjoy its amazing!

blank canvas

they started just after 2pm est

you can make out their eyes!

is that a flag in the backround?

uh oh! fixing Obama's head

Finished product

the cupcake team!

Question...

My husband sprung on me today that he is into me getting an iphone. I don't know anyone who has one that I can check out .... SO anyone out there in blog land have one? Do you like it ? Love it? Was it worth the purchase? I'm torn , some of the apps look awesome , and I think I'd use them alot , but at the same time I have a Palm right now that im pretty happy with. Any feedback would be very helpful!

Thanks!

Week 3

Week 3 was a big ol FLOP. I am still sick , and frankly I'm shocked I participated in TWD this week. I HAVE to be better this weekend. TM starts EMT school next Tuesday so It's really important we start on the right track.

So , What should I make Sunday for lunches/ dinners? Any ideas would be great!

TWD Floating Islands

I have never heard of floating islands , but thanks to Shari of Whisk: a food blog I learned. This was a fairly easy recipe to follow, although I'm still not sure what the kitchen towel was for! I made these on Sunday, the creme anglaise was pretty easy to make , I do think it was my first attempt at tempering , it was a success! When I made the actual islands I wasn't sure if I poached them long enough , they seemed OK. They were pretty yummy. I don't think I am in any hurry to make them again. Although it is gluten free so SIL can have this... and.. It did make a really pretty dish! Speaking of dishes I went to HomeGoods Saturday and picked up some really fun dishes!! You'll see them throughout the blogging. Check out Tuesday's with Dorie to see how everyone else did! OH!!! and next week THE COVER CAKE!! I can not wait to make this!!

So , in other news , I think I should mention Rachael Ray in every blog I post Why? cause my hits have increased a TON since my last post... Who knew she was such a touchy subject!

Rachael Ray

Yesterday I went into NYC to attend the taping of the Rachael Ray Show. Boy was it COLD . We started out the day driving to New Haven and taking the train into grand central station . We we so efficient with time we then stood outside the studio for 2 hours. That SUCKED it was 12 degrees!!. The whole thing was SUPER fun. I wish I had pictures on the studio but we weren't allowed to take any. On the show that I saw Cheryl Burke was the guest ( we got her new work out DVD) , along with Kyan Douglas from Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. The snack of the day was Stix in the Mud.

Becky and Me

The recipe she made was Chicken Paprika , with Egg Noodles I can't find it online anywhere so once the show airs I will definitely share it , it smelled SO good. I can't wait to make it!!



I was never a HUGE fan of her , infact she is way over exposed , but I thought the day in NYC and Rachael Ray would be a fun way to spend a Thursday. I had no idea the studio would be SO small, its pretty neat though the whole audience is on a giant lazy susan so we are always facing her. It ended up being SO different than I thought it was going to be. It was such a great day in NYC with Laura and Becky though! I would definitely do it again if I had the opportunity!!


OH! and for the record .. I am not "lemming" who adores rachael ray. I am a girl who almost never watches the show , and spent the day in nyc with friends. so all those who are reading from boardoutmind , the livejournal community you all can stop dissecting my pictures and trying to read into them. but thanks for stopping by!

TWD World Peace Cookies

As promised by the many blogs I frequent these cookies were amazing. I wish I had pictures to show you how amazing they looked but alas I do not. This week Jessica of cookbookhabit ( who is from Clinton! practically my neighbor!) Chose Dorie's World Peace Cookies , from Baking My Home to Yours. Check out how the other bloggers did here .


So , week 2 of my little dinner adventure.... All I made was a really simple meat sauce and some pasta . It was super yummy . Week 3 was nonexistent. I was sick , and with the superbowl I didn't have time to plan meals. For the superbowl I made my wings ( they are ALWAYS requested , and I made Chocolate Cookie Dough Cupcakes from How to Eat A Cupcake . They are awesome!!!! I love the frosting! Again no pictures , I've just been out of it with this head cold. I'm trying to get better because I have a very exciting day in NYC Thursday. I will definitely be blogging about it!!!

Hanna Jean

My Brother and Sister in Law welcomed a daughter into the world today ....
Hanna Jean was born at 4:32 est, she weighs 7 lbs 5 oz and she is 18.5 inches long
Welcome to the world baby girl , you are so loved!

Doh!

I was not able to participate in TWD this week , I wanted to so badly. Heather of Sherry Trifle chose Fresh Ginger and Chocolate Gingerbread which is featured on page 212 of Baking From My Home to Yours By Dorie Greenspan.... Please check out how the other bloggers did! Hmm so what did I do instead.....OH! host my sister in law's baby shower ( she's being induced tomorrow eeeek!) and if I had remembered to bring my camera home with me you'd see pictures... here , and here. Haha. I will be participating probably in all 4 recipes for February. Check them out here


I will also be back later with my week two results of my little food budget adventure!

Week One

So , Its week one of my little experiment, and so far so good. I went shopping on Sunday instead of Saturday , and bought only what was on my list ( go me) .TM and I went kind of low key this week. I didn't come up with anything crazy this week , I went for warm , and easily reheat-able. TM suggested lasagna , sounded perfect. I also made "my" wings , cause they are SO easy.

The lasagna I made was my mom's recipe .. sorta and for the first time I used the noodles you didn't have to boil ( I had them in the pantry)

Mama Good Foods Lasagna

1lb ground beef
1lb sweet Italian sausage
2 boiling onions ( it was all I had)
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
24 oz ricotta
2 eggs
1lb mozzarella
1 package no boil noodles
2 cans of pastene tomato sauce ( its the only sauce I use)
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoon italian seasoning



I browned the ground beef, sausage, and onion together. Mix ricotta with 2 eggs , season with salt and pepper.
Add sugar, italian seasoning , and garlic to canned tomatoes.

In a 9x13 baking dish layer ingredients , this is really preference.

1st layer sauce , then pasta noodle
2nd layer meat
3rd layer pasta , then ricotta mixture
4th layer sauce and mozzarella
5th layer pasta, and meat , and more ricotta
top layer sauce , and remaining mozzarella cheese

bake at 375 for 30 minutes .

Food Budget, Eating Out, Wasting Food

I was reading Rhodey Girl Tests yesterday and she was speaking on a great topic. Food Budget vs Calorie budget . She made some really GREAT points on how to reuse food if you find you didn't like an experimental recipe. She also referred to the the "paint swatch test" you all you totally check it out!!

So this leads me to ... well me. I am the WORST at pretty much all the topics she spoke about. Because of my husband's work schedule ...the Navy.. his second job...and the EMT classes he is taking we fend for ourselves most weeknights, it totally bites. I find on the weekends we both get so motivated to go grocery shopping and buy food for the week in hopes of making food in advance. Bad news though. ....it. never. happens. Sunday gets away from us , we almost never make our prepared meals. Then we waste all this food, (or end up freezing it) , this leads to wasting money ( which I am not a fan of) In addition to wasting money we wind up ordering out , or eating out . Separately of course.

Generally speaking I have no problem eating out, I don't have a problem paying for it , doesn't bother me if it is expensive , or a bargain. What I don't like to do is buy meals that I can prepare myself. Luckily that doesn't happen too often.

HOW do I break this habit?! ARGH!

Ok so this is how I'm going to do it . I will research meal on Monday , Tuesday and Wednesday I don't have a ton of regular meals that are easy to reheat , and tasty.

Thursday will be spent planning the actual meals , figuring out what I need to purchase
Saturday I will shop.
Sunday I will cook.

I hope to post all my adventures, maybe this blog will hold me accountable.

Look for my posts this weekend!

TWD Savory Corn and Pepper Muffins

Its another Tuesday, and I was excited about this weeks recipe chosen by Rebecca of Ezra Pound Cake. I chickened out though, I went to safe route I left out the Pepper . I just was not feeling adventurous. I halved the recipe , and made mini muffins instead. I think they came out great! I loved the texture of the cornmeal. I also really enjoy the sweetness of the corn kernels in them. This recipe can be found in Dorie Greenspan's Baking from My Home to Yours. Check out how the other bloggers faired with this weeks recipe!

It's Almost Tuesday...

When I joined Tuesday's with Dorie , I knew I would have to be disciplined. To date I have not been, however I am really excited about the next recipe. Its Savory Corn and Pepper Muffins. I've never made a savory muffin. I imagine it would be like corn bread , except in muffin shape , but I think it will be much more. From what I've read it they complement chili really well. I'm going to try and talk one of my co-workers into making chili.

Look for my write up on Tuesday!!

Have a great weekend everyone!!

Chicken Wings Mans Best Friend

My Husband is in the Navy, he currently works in an office with about 10 guys , about a year and a half ago they had a potluck , where I was volunteered to make chicken wings. * side note * I find it humorous that all the guys got to eat the food but none of them prepared it * end side note* I didn't want to make hot wings , I am not a big fan. I searched for something that I could make extra of and take some for myself, after all I was making them. I settled on Cola Wings , they sounded yummy, and I am 100% faithful to Coke products. These wings were SUCH a hit that I was required to make them on average every other month for the last year and a half. One of the guys TM works with was sent IA to Iraq a few weeks ago , for his going away gift I made him 10lbs of wings.

Cola Wings

INGREDIENTS

• 4 pounds chicken wings, tips discarded
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 (12 fluid ounce) can cola-flavored carbonated beverage
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F
2. Place chicken wings in a shallow casserole dish. Season with garlic salt and onion salt. Mix cola, sugar, and soy sauce; pour mixture over chicken wings.
3. Bake, covered, at 325 degrees F for 2 hours. Turn wings over every 30 minutes. Uncover, and bake for an additional 1 hour. Turn wings every 30 minutes or so.

---------------------------

Stove top Directions

I also made them on the stove the other night , much faster , less quantity


1.5 lbs Chicken wings , tips discarded
3/4 of a can of cola ( i prefer coke)
1 tablespoon garlic salt
1 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon olive oil


coat wings in onion salt and garlic salt . Coat wings in olive oil and brown in pan over medium high heat. Add cola, brown sugar and soy sauce to pan. Cover for 20 minutes. Uncover for the remaining 20 minutes .

Eat and Enjoy!!

Baby Shower Menu

My Sister-in-law is due early next month, she and my brother did not find out what they are having...any who. My Mom and I are throwing her a shower in a few weeks. She has celiac disease so the menu for her is always challenging ..


I have however come up with the following....

cheese and crackers
Apple butter meatballs
Spinach Dip , and tortilla chips
Mini fritatas - we are going to mix it up a bit , some veggie and meat
Chicken Salad, with pecans , apples , and maybe grapes . I got my inspiration from Arby's. but I was thinking about doing a wrap.
I wanted to do a baked potato soup , but I don't think its shower food. Even though we will be in Rhode Island , and it will be cold.


For dessert we'll do...

mini cheesecakes ( no crusts)
macarons ( green and yellow)
sugar cookie pizza ( gluten free cookie) it'll have a cream cheese sauce , and a fruit topping
and maybe a cake , depending on if I can master the gluten free cake. Or we could do a or semifreddo

I haven't figured out the centerpiece yet. I will NOT do a diaper cake . For some reason they just do not float my boat. Anyone with some ideas please share. One idea that I did see that I liked was to take some string for a clothesline and hang it accross the room , and hang baby clothes from it.

Either these or these will be the favors. I am very excited . I threw them an engagement party and that was awesome , so hopefully this will be just as great!! I can't wait till my little niece or nephew comes into the world!!!

Meringue Drops- An Addiction

Even with all the Christmas goodies still in the house I was craving something more. I hadn't made meringue drops in a while and had alot of eggs left so I decided to make some. It worked out awesome , I was able to practice my lack of piping skills .

I used this recipe ....

I did make some changes though...

I used vanilla extract instead of almond
I set my oven to 275, instead of 225 ( this was my error , not something I planned)
I dyed some of the batter red


I had every intention of sharing these with my co-workers but they never left the house. oops!

These cookies are so insanely easy to make, I still have eggs left so I'll probably make them again!

2009 Already?

Sooooo... Its 2009! and this is is not entirely food related. however. Its fun!

In 2008 I...

helped welcome to the family  a sister-in- law
& 2 baby cousins , with one more on the way!
discovered my passion for cooking/baking
celebrated my 4th anniversary in Disney World
had my second foot surgery
ate quail , and  sweetbreads for the first time
did NOT have a baby!
increased my bowling average ( I still suck though)
put my feet in the atlantic ocean
put my feet in the pacific ocean
finally figured out what I want do with my life
realized (again) that my husband is the best thing that ever happened to me
started my blog
donated to cure childhood cancer
rid myself of the toxic "friendships" I had

ok , so my list isn't as impressive as I thought it would be , but it was a pretty kickass year! Heres to hoping 2009 will be even better!