Thursday, September 27, 2012

Turkey, Bacon & Cranberry Pinwheels



1 package (8 oz) cream cheese
8 strips of cooked bacon
1 cup shredded lettuce
1/2 lb turkey
1 can whole cranberry sauce
flour wraps

Mix the cream cheese and bacon together.  Spread on the wrap.  Add 4 sliced of turkey and shredded lettuce.  Gently top with cranberry sauce.  Roll and wrap with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 1 hour up to 24 hours.  Slice and serve.  Goes great with my cranberry apple relish.  Recipe to follow. 

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Buffalo Chicken Dip



I was STARVING and of course i have nothing in my fridge to make a full meal. I had a little bit of perdue short cuts, some cream cheese, shredded italian cheese, green onions and buffalo wing sauce. So I made myself so buffalo chicken dip and it was delicious.

What's that you are serving????



Final Outcome








I am hosting a party and decided to make these to display what the food is that is being served. The wood frame and oval stand were $1 each and the chalkboard spray paint was $3.99. These are an inexpensive way to display what's being served, are super cute and can be reused. More pictures to follow after the party.



Sunday, September 23, 2012

BLT Bites




This is probably one of the easiest things i have ever made and when I serve them at parties they are gone within minutes.  My sister in law loved these so much she kept telling me "you need to tell someone about these".  So here it is I am telling someone, lol.

1 8oz package of soften cream cheese
8 strips of bacon cooked
1 cup shredded lettuce
1 cup grape tomatos sliced
1 box melba garlic rounds

Crumble the bacon into the cream cheese.  Place cream cheese mixture on to melba rounds.  Garnish each round with lettuce and 1-2 slices of tomatoes.  Plate and serve

For a healthy alternative use turkey bacon and fat free cream cheese


Friday, September 21, 2012

Pico de Gallo




2 large tomatoes
1 large white onion
1 small jalapeño
2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 lime
1/2 tsp minced garlic

Chope tomato, onion and jalapeño, place in a bowl.  Add the juice of the lime and cilantro and mix.  Refrigerate for 1 hour prior to serving.

Mexican Pinwheels



1/2 cup cream cheese
1/4 sour cream
1/4 shredded mexican cheese
1/2 red pepper finely chopped
1/2 cup cooked and chilled fiesta/mexican corn
1/4 cup sliced black olives
1 tbsp taco season
1/2 cup shredded lettuce
4 soft flour tortillas

Mix well all ingredients except tortillas.  Spread the mixture on to the tortillas, the tightly roll.  Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour up to 24 hours.  Slice using a serrated knife then serve.   Also great to serve with fresh Pico de Gallo.  I attached my Pico de Gallo recipe on this page as well.

The filling is also great served as a dip





Thursday, September 20, 2012

Chicken Caesar Salad Bites






1 package Perdue short cuts original recipe
1 package (8 0z) softened cream cheese
1 green onion finely chopped
1 bag of romaine lettuce
1/4 cup Ken's light options caesar dressing
1 box garlic melba rounds
1/4 cup Sargento parmesan cheese

Finely chop chicken and place in glass bowl.  Mix in cream cheese, onion, caesar dressing and parmesan cheese.  Place small amount of mixture on the melba rounds.  Chop lettuce and top each round with a small amount of lettuce.  Plate and serve. This make a great appetizer for any party.


Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Parmesan Chicken Francese





1 package thin cut chicken breast
All-purpose flour, for dredging
1/2 tsp paprika
2 tbsp parmesan cheese
3 large eggs
3 tbsp water
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 lemon, with rind, cut in thin rounds
1/2 cup dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio
1 cup low sodium chicken broth
1/2 lemon juiced
2 tbsp unsalted butter
Chopped fresh parsley



Put some flour in a shallow platter and season with paprika and parmesan cheese, mix with a fork to distribute evenly.  In a wide bowl, beat the eggs and water to make an egg wash.  Heat oil over medium-high flame in a large skillet.

Dredge both sides of the chicken cutlets in the seasoned flour, and then dip them in the egg wash to coat completely, letting the excess drip off.  When the oil in hot add the cutlets and fry for 2 minutes on each side until golden brown, turning once.  Remove the chicken to a large platter in a single layer to keep warm.

Toss the lemon slices into the pan and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until fragrant.  Add the wine, broth, and lemon juice, simmer for 5 minutes to reduce the sauce slightly.  Roll the butter in some flour (do not use the flour you dredged the chicken with) and add it to the skillet, this will thicken the sauce.  Stir to incorporate and dissolve the flour.  Reduce the heat to medium-low and return the chicken to the pan.  Place the lemon slices on top of the cutlets.  Simmer gently for 2 minutes to heat the chicken through.  Garnish with parsley and serve.  You can also serve this over pasta.

Friday, September 14, 2012

Oreo Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries

Oreo Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries





I am not a baker but I do love desserts.  Any dessert that is “no bake” is perfect for me to try.  I saw a picture a couple of days ago of cheesecake stuffed strawberries and I thought what a great idea but it was missing something…..Oreo’s.  Who doesn’t love Oreo’s?  So I decided to create my own version of this. 

My best friend who is like a sister to me is having a party to celebrate her successes in life.  The past couple of years she has worked very hard by going to school, raising her son (my godson) and juggling a full time job as a teacher on top of it.  She recently graduated and now has been promoted to assistant principal.  I couldn’t be happier for her.  So tomorrow is her party and I decided to make these for her.  This is what you need to make them.  I doubled the recipe as I was making these for a party of 30. 





Marcie & I on her graduation day


1 package of fresh strawberries (the bigger the strawberry the better)
8 oz pkg of softened cream cheese
½ cup powdered sugar
½ tsp vanilla
10 Oreo’s

Ingredients you will need


Wash the strawberries, pat dry and cut off the tops


Core the strawberries ( you can use the end of an peeler or a small knife)


To make the filling beat (I use a hand mixer) the cream cheese then 
add the powdered sugar and vanilla then beat again until smooth.



Place the the Oreos in a zip lock bag and crush until fine.  
You could use a food processor as well to do this.  
Make sure there are no big chunks.



Add half of Oreos into the cream cheese mixture, mix well. 
Place the other half of the Oreo's in a bowl.


Fill the strawberries, leaving a little bit coming out of the top.  
Dip the strawberry into the Oreo crumbs

YOU ARE ALL DONE :)


Thursday, September 13, 2012

TIP of the day: Utensil holder


TIP of the day:  Don't use a boring utensil holder instead use a decorative water pitcher to store utensils.  I think it gives extra style to your kitchen.  This is the one I have in my kitchen.  

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Garlicky Cheesy Spinach Stuffed Chicken

Not only do I LOVE garlic but I love cheese even more so I created this easy yummy recipe that my husband and I love.

2 packages thin sliced chicken cutlets
1 cup shredded Mozzarella
1 cup italian bread crumbs
2 garlic cloves chopped
1 egg
1 tbsp water
1 pinch of garlic powder
1 5 oz package of fresh spinach
15 oz ricotta cheese
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp parmesan cheese


  1. Preheat oven to 375.  
  2. In a pan add olive oil and 1 clove of chopped garlic and spinach.  Cook on low until spinach is wilted.
  3. Place spinach, parmesan, ricotta, mozzarella and garlic powder in a glass mixing bowl and mix well.
  4. Lay chicken breast on a clean surface, and spoon mixture onto each on.  Roll up chicken to enclose the spinach.  
  5. In 1 bowl place bread crumbs and in another bowl beat egg.
  6. Dip each chicken breast into egg then into bread crumbs, secure with toothpicks
  7. Arrange chicken in a shallow baking dish
  8. In the pan you coked the spinach in place butter and the other clove of chopped garlic.  Cook on low heat until butter is melted.
  9. Drizzle mixture over chicken
  10. Bake uncovered for 35 minutes or until chicken is cooked.
For healthier alternatives use low fat cheese, unsalted butter and whole wheat breadcrumbs. 


All the ingredients you need



Step 2.  Cooking the spinach


Step 4. Filling the chicken


Step 7.  Arranging the chicken



Dinner is done.  Looks so yummy.  



Tuesday, September 11, 2012

I love my dining room.  It is so soft and romantic.  I am just so scared to eat at the table because I don't know how to clean it.  Does anyone know how to clean distressed wood?

TIP of the day: Use gloves


TIP of the day:   When cooking and using your hands, like making meatballs, use gloves. I use powder and latex free gloves. You can buy them at any pharmacy. It's not only sanitary but it's saves your manicure.

Monday, September 10, 2012

Puking Pumpkin

Buy a small pumpkin, cut the top off and clean out the inside. cute 3 slits for each eye, 2 small holes for the nose and a large oval for the mouth. Place pumpkin on a plate with guacamole coming from the bottom of the mouth onto the plate. Serve with tortilla chips on the side. See guacamole recipe under dips.

Easy Spider Cupcakes

Make cupcakes according to cupcake mix. I use yellow cupcake mix. Top with chocolate frosting. To create the spider you will need marshmallow, reese's pieces and string licorice. Cut marshmallows in half. Use each half to create the bottom of the eyes. Place one reese's piece on top of each marshmallow. Place 3 licorice strings on each side of the cupcake for the legs. Plate and serve.

Tequila Lime Shrimp


1/2 lb shrimp cleaned and deveined
1 tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove chopped
1/4 cup silver tequila
1 lime (juice only)
pinch of black pepper
pinch of paprika
pinch of cilantro

Rinse and pat dry shrimp. In a bowl combine tequila, oil, garlic and lime juice and mix then add pepper and paprika.  Add to pan or griddle and cook until shrimp is pink. Top with cilantro, plate and serve.

Sunday, September 9, 2012

Sausage Peppers & Eggs


1 medium onion chopped
1 red pepper chopped
6 eggs
1 package cheese & basil sausage
3 tbsp olive oil

heat oil over high heatcut sausage into small pieces and add to panbrown sausage on both sideslow heat to medium and add onion and pepper. cook for 5-7 minutes or until peppers are soft.in a bowl wish 6 eggs. add to pan and continuously stir until eggs are cooked. garnish with parsley, plate and serve