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The Left Over Queen The Left Over Queen Making food masterpieces from leftovers. Cook and create beautiful, food from simple ingredients which are in most refrigerators and pantries. Full of secrets and tools to fill in the blanks of your menus with a healthy, passionate and ethnic flair. Articles
Recipe: Chicken Chianti: One For The Road
2007-10-11 13:21:00 Well guys, I am just posting obsessed. I just couldn’t leave for 10 days without posting yet another fall favorite to really get me in the mood to go to New England! I have been gearing up by drinking apple cider and hot chai teas and eating things with maple - but this is such a unique take on a comfort food - pan seared chicken. This is a recipe we tried from my ?bible? of Italian cooking ? Italian: The Definitive Professional Guide to Italian Ingredients and Cooking Techniques. This is a Barnes and Noble book my mom picked up for me years ago ? and it contains all the classic, regional Italian dishes with step-by-step, pictures and instructions. There is also 120 pages discussing Italian ingredients and how they are used regionally. Very informative! The funny thing about it is that it shows up in the households of many Italian Americans I know! It has become my bible because everything we make from it turns out wonderful and tastes exactly as it should. It is a beautifu... More About: Recipes , Meat , Recipe , Fruit , Dinner
October Royal Foodie Joust Winner!
2007-10-07 15:27:00 It is that time again! Time to announce the winner of the Royal Foodie Joust! This month?s Winner is The Pie Lady! Her winning creation is White Chocolate Lavender Ice Cream with Merlot Poached Pears: Second Place is Raspberry Eggplant with her Lavender Pear Bear Cupcakes: Third Place was a tie between Cris of From Our home to Yours with Pear Pudding with Lavender and White Chocolate Drizzle: And Valli of More Than Burnt Toast with Black & White Fondue Infused with Lavender: Congrats to Everyone! For those of you who have not yet participated in this very fun and creative monthly event this is how it works: Competitors from all over the globe compete by creating a dish based on three ingredients which are chosen by the last month?s winner. In the case of this month?s challenge, our winner from last month, Mehgan of A Craving For Perfection, chose as her three ingredients: White Chocolate, Pears and Lavender. The three ingredients are announced and the competitors have a... More About: Awards , Blogging , October
Pantry Organization: The Secret Way To Easy Cooking!
2007-10-05 15:20:00 I always know when it is time to re-organize the pantry?things begin to go missing. You know those laundry mysteries? Two socks go in the dryer but only one comes out, never to return again? Well the same phenomenon occurs in the pantry ? I call the phenomenon pantry elves, but what it really is, is frustrating! A few months ago, I knew it was time, because I bought a new bottle of balsamic vinegar, put it in the balsamic vinegar spot that was empty and looked a few inches over and there was a half full bottle of the same exact balsamic vinegar. Same thing with the confectioner?s sugar ? something I must say was rarely used in my kitchen, except for now, I have joined that pesky group known as the Daring Bakers, and sugar, flour, baking powder and things that got used once a year started getting used once per month! But now there were doubles of everything ? old containers I forgot where there, sitting right next to new containers of the same stuff. So now, my small pantry had even ... More About: Cooking , Organization , General , Musings , The Secret
VOTE NOW For Your Favorite Entry In This Month?s Royal Foodie Joust!
2007-10-02 13:54:00 This month’s Royal Foodie Joust is an exciting one! We have several new participants and many old favorites! Please join us over in The Leftover Queen Forum to place the vote for your favorite. This month’s three ingredients were chosen by Mehgan of A Craving For Perfection who was last month’s winner. Her choices were: White Chocolate, Pears and Lavender. Come on over and vote! More About: Blogging , Vote , Favorite , Month
Recipe: Daring Bakers Challenge: Chai Spice Cinnamon Buns with Maple Gl
2007-09-30 14:01:00 This Daring Bakers challenge proves that I am still a New Englander at heart. With this Daring Bakers challenge and fall here (I can feel it even if I can?t see it here in Florida), my mind was brought back to those wonderful autumn days in New England. Days filled eating products made with sweet, local, maple goodness, pastries enjoyed with Maple Lattes or very often a warming cup of steaming hot Chai Tea. I have been yearning for the tastes of fall and I guess I am feeling inspired since it is only a few weeks until Roberto and I head to New England to visit family and friends during our most favorite season of the year. So this pastry is an ode to Autumn in New England. In this challenge: Cinnamon Buns and or Sticky Buns we were allowed certain modifications, like changing around the spices. I have always enjoyed cinnamon buns over the years, but it is not a treat I often allow myself to indulge. Therefore, I decided since I am being forced to make them for this challenge, I mi... More About: Baking , Recipes , Recipe , Breakfast , Eggs
Last Call For Entries! Royal Foodie Joust!
2007-09-29 18:33:00 Entries are due for this month’s Royal Foodie Joust tomorrow evening! Please don’t forget to post yours! The ingredients are Pears, White Chocolate and Lavendar! Click here to post your entry. Voting begins on October 1st! More About: Call , Trie
Recipe: Mushroom and Yogurt Tart
2007-09-28 16:17:00 Mushrooms were on sale this week ? two for one. There was some phyllo dough in the fridge needing use. Recently I saw Michael Chiarello make a mushroom tart and a plan came together. I love mushrooms, they are rich and satisfying and can easily be the focal point of any dinner as they are a wonderful and healthy substitute for meat. They stand up to spicy and flavorful sauces and give an earthy balance to anything you can cook up. This tart was savory and delicious. I ate two pieces and easily could have had more because it tasted so good. The fresh pepper and nutmeg gave the mushrooms even more earthiness and went well with the tangy-ness of the Greek yogurt. This is a perfect dish for those crisp fall days that are upon us! INGREDIENTS: 2 containers of Crimini (Baby Bella) mushrooms, sliced ˝ yellow onion, sliced 3 cloves of garlic, sliced 1 TBS olive oil for sautéing 1 cup Greek yogurt ˝ tsp nutmeg freshly grated pepper 1 handful of fresh spinach 5 pieces of phyllo dough oliv... More About: Recipes , Vegetables , Recipe , Dinner , Lunch
Recipe: Papaya and Avocado Salad
2007-09-24 20:34:00 Happy Autumn Everyone! Wow, time is really flying! I have so busy working these past few weeks, I forgot that I still had this summer-y recipe waiting in the wings to get posted. Roberto and I are heading for a much needed vacation to New England to visit friends and family the second week of October and so I have been working feverishly hard on the Genesis project - typing out recipes, meeting with food vendors, collaborating with the menu design, etc. I have also been invited to participate in a very exciting blog event - I will reveal more about that later. But anyway, here is the long awaited second part to my Giada De Laurentiis tribute. Although the ingredients are summer, the colors are fall! Enjoy everyone! I adore papaya ? it has probably become my favorite fruit of all time ? it has a wonderful creamy texture and is not too sweet but not at all bitter. I love eating it straight for breakfast or with a dollop of cardamom whipped cream for dessert. Paired in this salad wit... More About: Recipes , Vegetables , Recipe , Fruit , Blogging
Recipe: Mango Stuffed French Toast: Inside The Mind of a Leftover Queen
2007-09-21 20:08:00 We needed to go to the store BAD. There was just nothing in the house to eat. I could hear an echo in the fridge when I closed the door for about the 5th time, hoping that if I opened it again, I would find inspiration in the worst of times. Afterall, what kind of Leftover Queen was I if I was not able to find SOMETHING to eat! It was lunch hour and our stomachs were growling. I needed to make something, that was obvious, but what? Open the fridge…AGAIN… stare for a few minutes MORE. I was beginning to feel rather stumped and annoyed with myself for lacking all this food creativity. Hurumph. Wait. Today was the day that my Honey Hazelnut Semifreddo had been made and we had leftover eggs that did not whip properly and they needed to be used - not gonna waste 3 egg whites on my watch! There was also some bread in the fridge and cream cheese, thoughts of lunch were beginning to form. Somewhere recently we had heard about stuffed French toast and it sounded really good, but ... More About: Recipes , Recipe , Fruit , Breakfast , Mango
Recipe: Honey-Hazelnut Semi-Freddo
2007-09-18 13:07:00 As everyone here knows I am in love with Nocciola Gelato (Hazelnut Italian style ice cream). It is a craving that can never be fulfilled. I always have room for it and I am always searching for it. There are no gelaterias where I live. I do not have an ice cream maker, even though ice cream is by far my favorite dessert. Though you can make home made ice cream without an ice cream maker, it is time consuming. So being that my life has become very busy as of late, I wanted the taste of hazelnut gelato without a lot of the fuss! Then it dawned on me, Semi-Freddo! Freddo means cold in Italian, so Semi-Freddo is basically what it says, kind of cold. It has the creamy soft consistency of gelato, but none of the hassle in making it. I served mine with a dollop of Arance Sanguinelle (Blood Orange) Sorbetto and a shortbread cookie make from the leftovers of the DB tart. INGREDIENTS: 4 large free-range egg (separate whites from yolks ) 2 heaped tbsp runny honey 3/4 chopped hazelnuts, toast... More About: Recipes , Recipe , Eggs , Dessert , Milk
Recipe: Zucchini Cake ? a proud family tradition?
2007-09-14 13:27:00 Apparently I am not the only Leftover Queen in my family. This much has been clear from the day I sat down and thought about where my food inspiration comes from. I was taught by a whole generation of Leftover Queens. In reality my love of leftovers comes from the resourcefulness of the older generation of my family ? people who lived during The Great Depression and know what it is to get creative with what you have. These people were also Italian immigrants or children of Italian immigrants and therefore had the tenacity to make delicious creations from the bare bones. Everyone in my family of my grandparent?s generation had a garden. The garden was a place of great pride, a place where one could go and see the fruits of their labor, quite literally. It was the place where provided for and fed your family. It was a way of bringing a part of the Old Country to America with them, a little bit of security. One of the pictures that held a special place at the forefront of my grandmot... More About: Family , Baking , Recipes , Vegetables , Recipe
Blessings
2007-09-13 03:11:00 I am very honored to say that this little blog I started less than 6 months ago is currently being featured on Yahoo Food. I feel very lucky and privledged! I have also been very busy lately as I have taken on another consulting project. I am the culinary consultant for a new juice bar and cafe that is opening up here in downtown Ocala. It will be called Genesis: Heaven and Health. I am creating unique recipes and menu items for the cafe and am helping the owners get their business started! Roberto and I have also set a date for our wedding - April 19, 2008. It is a very exciting time! So I just want to take this moment to thank everyone for their support of this blog! More About: Blogging , Musings , Blessings , Sings
Figs Glorious Figs: Ode To The Fig At Summer?s End
2007-09-09 23:09:00 As everyone here knows, I am obsessed with figs and fig recipes. Their exterior beauty is exotic and captivating, while the soft, creamy sweet fruit on the inside is so unexpected. I just adore the fig and since summer is drawing to an end, I am posting two more fig recipes I think you will enjoy: Parmesan Stuffed Figs with Balsamic Reduction and Drunken Figs. There is just something magical about the pairing of figs and balsamic vinegar. The sweet, syrupy richness of the vinegar cutting through the sweetness of the fig is unparalleled. To make the Balsamic Reduction: Heat a saucepan over high heat. Add Ľ cup of balsamic vinegar to the pan and reduce liquid by half. Take pan off of heat immediately. To make the stuffed figs: While the balsamic is reducing, heat your broiler on high. Cut the figs in half lengthwise, (but do not cut all the way through). Stuff with Parmesan cheese, cheddar is also good (you can also then wrap the figs with prosciutto), place under the broiler for... More About: Recipes , Summer , Fruit , Dessert , Musings
Awards Abound!
2007-09-07 21:41:00 First it is time to announce the winner of this Month’s Royal Foodie Joust! This month the ingredients were chosen by Marye of Apron Strings and Simmering Things as she won last month’s Joust. Her choices were: Zucchini, Buttermilk and Chipotle The Winner of this month’s Joust is Mehgan of A Craving For Perfection for her entry of Zucchini Stuffed Chicken Breasts with a Buttermilk Chipotle Sauce: Second Place is Valli of More Than Burnt Toast with her lucious and decadent Chocolate Zucchini Cake with a Chocolate Chipotle Sauce : Third place is Cris of From Our Home To Yours with her Vegetarian Chili: Congrats to all the participants and please join us next time! If you have not become a member of our forum yet, please register today! I have also been awarded two very special awards and so I would love to take this award moment to thank Madeleine of Madeleine Cocina for selecting me for the Premio Blog Solidario for blogs who (if you speak Spanish): “prem... More About: Awards , Blogging
Recipe: Rigatoni with Butternut Squash and Prawns
2007-09-05 13:22:00 It is not very often that I feature recipes of celebrity chefs on this blog. Of course, I watch cooking shows, frequently and I have my favorites, but mostly they give me ideas and inspiration for creating my own recipes. I will learn a new technique and I will want to try it out ? not necessarily in the same way as it was laid out on TV. However, it just so happened that I fell in love with two recipes done by everyone?s favorite Italian chef ? Giada De Laurentiis ( I will post the second recipe at a later date). This dish, is a pasta dish where the sauce is made from squash. I love squash and I am always looking for new and interesting ways to cook this, and I was just enamored by this dish. So for once, I followed a recipe exactly how it was written. There are of course a few changes I would make in the future, which I will note at the end of this post, but all in all it was a delicious and unique dish! It is perfect to stock away for the fall season when many of you will have ... More About: Recipes , Vegetables , Recipe , Dinner , Milk
Recipe: Sun-Dried Tomato Ratatouille
2007-09-02 18:43:00 Here is a quick reminder that the voting for this month’s Royal Foodie Joust challenge is underway. So please stop by the forum to place the vote for your favorite! Now on to Ratatouille! Ratatouille is the perfect summer dish as it incorporates all of the season?s bountiful vegetables like eggplant, zucchini and bell peppers so it is a perfect way to close out the summer, which is quickly drawing to an end. For those with a nightshade allergy or sensitivity this is the worst thing you can eat, but for those of us fortunate enough not to have that issue, it is a welcomed treat and a solution to a surplus of summer vegetables. Ratatouille, besides being the name of a wonderful movie, it is a traditional French Provencal comfort food - a dish of stewed vegetables. It can be served as it is with a nice crusty bread for scarpetta ? the Italian word for “sopping up the juices? or wiping your plate clean with a piece of crusty bread ? something I am a pro at! Clearly the Ital... More About: Recipes , Vegetables , Recipe , Dinner , Lunch
Royal Foodie Joust: Entries Due Tomorrow!!!
2007-08-31 22:24:00 The time is just flying by! I can’t believe it is almost September 1st! This being the case please don’t forget to enter this month’s Royal Foodie Joust competition! The voting will start tomorrow night and you don’t want your entry to be left out! Click here for more details! More About: Awards , Blogging , Tomorrow , Trie
Daring Bakers Challenge: Milk Chocolate Caramel Tart
2007-08-29 14:00:00 I think I am now officially a Daring Baker. I have to admit I was rather smug during my first two challenges ? Bagels and Strawberry Mirror Cake, completing them with no real difficulty and having a great time while doing so?a kind of baking bliss. Before becoming a Daring Baker, as many of you know, I did not bake at all and was very intimidated to bake. So with two challenges under my belt, I was feeling pretty good about this whole baking thing ? it wasn?t such a big deal. I was actually amused by the stories other Daring Bakers shared about their experiences, people who actually BAKE, about frustrating moments and culinary crisis, imagining that if it were I who were in those situations I would have kept my calm and remained cool. This baking thing wasn?t gonna get me, it was fun, and dare I say EASY. Well I was about to experience the mother load of baking karma! Milk Chocolate and Caramel Tart hit my buttons big time. I am a bit of a control freak when it comes to going to... More About: Baking , Recipes , Eggs , Dessert
…another MEME
2007-08-27 17:24:00 I have been tagged by Dharm at Dad~Baker & Chef for another meme. I really liked the premise of this one so I decided to give it a go. It was actually much harder than I thought and turned out to be quite philosophical as well! Who would’ve thunk it? I am not going to tag anyone, but I do hope that any interested parties will feel free to participate and comment here to let me know! It is always fun to learn new things about all the foodies out there! So here goes, my middle name meme: You have to post these rules before you give the facts. Players, you must list one fact that is somehow relevant to your life for each letter of their middle name. If you don’t have a middle name, use the middle name you would have liked to have had. When you are tagged you need to write your own blog-post containing your own middle name game facts. At the end of your blog-post, you need to choose one person for each letter of your middle name to tag. Don’t forget to leave them a comme... More About: Meme
Recipe: Sweet Potatoes with Black Beans, A Food Philosophy
2007-08-25 23:14:00 This is one of my go-to recipes, one of those early recipes I devised out of leftovers which has since then given me the title of “Leftover Queen”. I have been thinking a lot lately about my food philosophy, where it came from and how I have become the kind of cook that I am. I am a cook born out of passion combined with necessity. I learned from an early age from my grandparents and my mom that leftovers can be a wonderful thing. I come from a big Italian extended family and so we were always cooking for large groups of people, which meant that we usually cooked more than was necessary which ultimately left us with a lot of leftovers. It was a tradition in my mom’s house that when the fridge was too overwrought with leftover containers that we would have what we called a smörgåsbord, which is actually a Swedish word meaning “sandwich table”, but has been translated into English vernacular to mean a buffet or variety of hot and cold dishes. It was my favorite time of t... More About: Philosophy , Food , Recipe , Beans , Black
Recipe: Tunisian Grilled Vegetable Salad
2007-08-23 15:37:00 I hate to say it, but it is past the middle of August and so we all must face the reality that for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, summer is coming to an end. Even though I live in Florida where it is always summer I can feel the change at an instinctual level. I have started craving heartier meals, with autumnal ingredients, like squash and herbs like sage and there has been this urge in me to drink hot chocolate. I have even been having dreams about snow and our old house in Vermont?So even though the temperatures are still hot and humid, there is something about the air that is changing and it is creating in me the need to use up the summer surplus ? do something with all those eggplants, peppers and tomatoes. Preserve them from rotting in my fridge now that my taste buds have shifted. I have made a lot of grilled vegetable dishes over the summer and for me it is essential to have them ? they are great for sandwiches and wraps, wonderful stirred in pasta and perfect just ... More About: Recipes , Vegetables , Recipe , Fish , Eggs
Recipe: Zucchini Fritters with Chipotle Harissa Yogurt
2007-08-20 18:32:00 This is my entry for this month?s Royal Foodie Joust! The ingredients for this month?s challenge are: chipotle peppers, zucchini and buttermilk. The three items were picked by Marye of Apron Strings and Simmering Things who was the Joust?s winner last month. My inspiration for this dish is my love of spicy condiments and my love of all things Mediterranean. Harissa is a North African spicy pepper relish, often found in many forms on the streets of Tunisia. I love Harissa and usually get around to making it once a year. It is a wonderful treat gotten with quite a bit of culinary effort and time, but it is worth it. I keep telling myself that I really need to make a bigger batch next time, but always forget! Maybe next year! Anyway, I hope you enjoy this dish! The fritters are nice and crispy on the outside and deliciously creamy on the inside, topped with the spicy Harissa and the cooling Greek yogurt it is a perfect combination! If you want to join us this month for the Royal Food... More About: Recipes , Vegetables , Recipe , Dinner , Lunch
Dragon Fruit: Heartbreaker
2007-08-17 21:04:00 Well we finally did it, we tried fresh dragon fruit. Honestly I am still not sure what it is exactly. There was a very interesting conversation about dragon fruit going on at the Leftover Queen Forum. I love dragons quite a lot and anything associated with dragons I want to like. It is that one love from childhood fantasies that I still carry with me. Anything to do with dragons excites me. It is my Chinese astrology sign, maybe that has something to do with it. So one day last winter Roberto and I were at Trader Joe?s in Massachusetts. This was mere weeks before making our big move to Florida, so we were getting our TJ?s fix in and decided to try things we never had before. Within minutes our sights grabbed on to a bag of purple dried dragon fruit. We were so excited to try it that as soon as we reached our car, we ripped the bag open. We each popped a piece in our mouth and immediately began making terrible faces. I was so disappointed because it was the most disgusting thing w... More About: Fruit , Musings , Dragon , Brea , Drago
Recipe: Crostini con Cannellini Rustici (White Bean Spread)
2007-08-15 14:55:00 This is a dish I created for the ?Mediterranean Summer? class I taught at The Culinaria Food & Arts Studio in Ocala, Florida. This menu was designed to travel well so that one can bring these dishes to a picnic, summer BBQ or family gathering. I have always loved crostini with white beans and I wanted to create one that would stand strong in terms of taste by adding fried rosemary and prosciutto. I hope you enjoy it and bring it to your next picnic! INGREDIENTS: 1 can cannellini beans Ľ lb of ground prosciutto 1 clove of garlic Ľ cup of olive oil drizzle of truffle oil 1 ˝ tsp rosemary salt & pepper to taste 1 baguette METHOD: Preheat oven to 400 F. Slice baguette on a diagonal at about Ľ inch slices. Lay pieces of baguette on a cookie sheet and with a pastry brush, brush them lightly with olive oil. Toast in oven for about 10 minutes or until the bread has become golden brown. This is best to do the night before, so the bread will retain its crunch. If you do them the n... More About: Recipes , Meat , Recipe , White , Bean
Recipe: Mediterranean Shrimp Salad
2007-08-13 01:56:00 This is a wonderful and easy dish to prepare. It can be served hot as a main dish or you can chill it and serve it as a salad. It is a wonderful and refreshing dish that is easy to make variations of depending on what you have on hand and is the perfect dish to make with leftover shrimp! Enjoy! INGREDIENTS: ˝ cup extra virgin olive oil 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 lb box of cous cous (not instant) 3 cups vegetable stock 2 lemons, juiced 1 lb of shrimp 1 lemon, zested 1 cup fresh basil, chopped ˝ cup fresh mint leaves, chopped Ľ cup dried cranberries Ľ cup slivered almonds, toasted salt & pepper to taste METHOD: In a medium saucepan heat 3 TBS extra virgin olive oil over medium heat. Add the fresh garlic and sautee for 1 minute. Add the couc cous. Stir often until cous cous is lightly toasted, about 5 minutes. Carefully add the stock and juice of one lemon to the cous cous and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer. After about 5 minutes add the shrimp and cook tog... More About: Recipes , Recipe , Fruit , Fish , Dinner
Recipe: Twice Fried Plantains
2007-08-10 15:05:00 I love fried plantains. The first time I ever had them was in a Puerto Rican restaurant and they served these plantains, like French fries alongside of my meal. They were topped with sour cream and it was love at first bite! Ever since that day, whenever I eat Latin food, I am looking for those plantains - Deeply caramelized on the outside, soft on the inside. I loved them so much I tried making them at home,several times over the years, but they always turned out hard and starchy, even when I bought ones that were yellow. I asked around, but no one could really give me the secret to the perfect fried plantain ? probably because the secret is so easy, they failed to mention it! Enter Michael Chiarello, Food Network chef. Now Michael usually shows us how to entertain Italian style, but last week I watched one of his shows that focused on Cuban food, where he was celebrating the beginning of his food career in South Florida. In comes the secret to perfect fried plantains. It hap... More About: Recipes , Recipe , Fruit , Fried , Plant
Real Food: A Foodie Musing
2007-08-08 04:17:00 What is ?real food?? Real food means something very different for every cook or chef, because we all come to food through our life experiences. Usually the cuisine you are the most comfortable with or enjoy the most influences the type of food you cook. For me, real food has always meant, Italian or Mediterranean food. I grew up in a large Italian immigrant family which meant I ate a lot of Italian food as a young child. Growing up in the Washington, DC area I was exposed to a huge plethora of ethnic foods and what struck me most was how similar Italian food was to say Greek, Turkish and other Mediterranean cuisines. The only difference was changing up the herbs and spices. The principles of Mediterranean food, including Italian is usually rustic, fresh dishes full of vegetables, grains and of course the liquid gold commonly referred to as olive oil. There is also a common thread running through them to use what you have on hand and of preserving foods so when they are not in seaso... More About: Food , Recipes , Blogging , Musings , Sauces
Royal Foodie Joust Winner!
2007-08-07 04:04:00 Well the time has come once again to announce the winner of the Royal Foodie Joust! Thank you everyone who participated! The recipes and ideas keep getting better each and every month! Please join us for the next Royal Foodie Joust! Once the 3 ingredients are announced by our winner I will be taking entries until September 1, 2007. Now on to the big news! This month?s winner is Marye of Apron Strings & Simmering Things with her Batter Fried Chicken With Peach Honey Glaze The Second Runner Up is Tortreform?s Challah Bread French Toast with Honey Peach Topping There is a tie for Third Place: Honey Peach Pancakes with a Sweet Peach Glaze by Mehgan And Baked Maple Egg Custard by Katherine Thank you to all the winners and participants for making this such a wonderful event! Can?t wait to see what happens next time! More About: Recipes , Awards , Fruit , Eggs
Easy Entertaining Engagement Party Style!
2007-08-05 19:36:00 Last weekend Roberto and I celebrated our engagement with our family. Thinking back on it we implemented a lot of really easy, but effective entertaining tips that I thought I would share. We really wanted to add something of ourselves to the evening. We both really love the ocean and we are planning to add elements of the ocean, the beach, sand, palm trees etc into our décor for the wedding and thought it would be fun to hint at that through our choice of foods as well as some of the decorations for the party. A nice easy way to arrange flowers is by placing seashells in the vase and using them to anchor the flowers in the positions you want them to be. The colors for our wedding will be turquoise lime green, a nod to the ocean and the islands, where we will be honeymooning and renewing our vows, so we picked these beautiful roses to go in the arrangement. The placemats we used were turquoise and the plates were lime green. For the centerpiece at the table we got a flat dish ... More About: Party , Musings , Style , Easy , Entertaining
Polenta - Olive Oil Almond Cake with Peaches in Honey- Basil Syrup
More articles from this author:2007-08-02 15:06:00 I know, I know for someone who claims to not like baking, I sure am featuring a lot of cakes this week. I promise you it is a coincidence, not a growing trend…or is it?….;) This is my entry for this month?s Royal Foodie Joust. If you have not participated, think about participating in the next one! All the details can be found >here. Also don’t forget to vote for your favorite entry! The polls are up and a new winner will be decided on August 6th. >Click here to vote! I was asked by several of the participants to join my event this time and I have agreed, with one condition, I will not be competing in the voting process. The ingredients which were chosen by last month?s winner, Jennifer from >?andtheeggs, are eggs (of course), honey and the season?s beautiful fruit ? peaches! There are many wonderful entries already and I am happy to submit mine along with all the others! INGREDIENTS: 3/4 cup all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 3/4 teaspoon salt 1 cu... More About: Baking , Recipes , Fruit , Eggs , Olive Oil 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 |
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