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The Royal Foodie Joust!
2007-12-03 21:05:00
The Royal Foodie Joust for this month has closed and I need your votes. Remember back in November the entry I did for the Chipotle & Mocha Brownies? Well that was for the Royal Foodie Joust which is hosted by Jenn - The Left-Over Queen. Now is the time for you to step up and help me win. Just sign in at The Royal Foodie Joust and vote for me!!!Also this month's newsletter is in the works and it promises to be a good one! I am going to focus on feeding your family or a large crowd Christmas morning and how to make it as easy on you as it can be! If you haven't already signed up to receive it, there is still time before I send it out. You can sign up in the form at the top of this page.As Always...Happy Entertaining!!!Judywww.nofearentertaining .com

What a wonderful and amazing weekend!
2007-12-03 01:40:00
I am so blessed to have a family that is so wonderful and friends that are so great!My sister flew in on Friday night and we have been going hard since then. I picked her up from the airport and we decided that we would go out for a couple of drinks and some food before she entered my crazy house for the week (she lives in a very quiet house with only her husband and a great, floppy chocolate lab). We decide that we would go to The Joint which is right down the street from us. The next morning the poor thing woke to a very loud house and we raced around and got ready to go for the skating lessons. In the afternoon we went shopping. T. had a meeting in the afternoon and my sister and I had plans to go to a surprise party for a friend of mine. T. was running real late so I decided that I would make dinner for the girls. Now, who really wants to make a major meal for 2 little girls??? I made pancakes for them. At the last minute I decide to throw in some still frozen mixed berr...
More About: Weekend , Amazing , Wonderful

Friday's Feast #170
2007-11-30 15:29:00
After a week off due to Thanksgiving we are right back on track again with another Friday Feast ! Hope you enjoy it...AppetizerWhat is your favorite carnival/amusement park ride?I have always and will always love The Zipper...would I ever ride it now? No way. As we grow older I think we realize just how many things can go wrong on a crazy, unnatural ride like that!!! Will I die a thousand deaths inside the first time that I have to watch my children ride it? Oh most definitely!Soup How do you react in uncomfortable social situations?I guess I haven't been in one in so long I am not really sure how I react. I probably become more loud and outgoing than I usually am due to being nervous about it. SaladOn a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how much do you enjoy discussing deep, philosophical topics?Probably about a 2 or 3. I really have so much on my mind right now that there is no room for deep, philosophical conversations...now if someone wanted to discuss my grocery list ...

It Was Pizza Again!
2007-11-29 14:34:00
Yesterday was a very disorganized day for me! I am trying to get a ton of things done before Friday because my sister is coming to visit and I want to spend as much time with her as I can. Unfortunately I always take on way too many things and end up a little frazzled.This week I decided that I needed to get all of my recipes from this blog put in recipe format and on my website as well as on here. Should have been easy right...no way! For some reason my links won't work. I had one of my bf's come over yesterday and she gave me an alternate way of doing it but it still irks me that it won't work the way that it should. Then last night I was going to bed and I have just changed my Internet browser over to FireFox so I decided to try viewing my new recipe page and low and behold it was a mess!!! I have one full page that is all HTML code???!!! I know that isn't how I wrote it! But when I switched it out to Explorer it looked fine. Go figure. Well, looks like I'll have...
More About: Pizza

Not Traditional Chicken Pot Pie!
2007-11-28 16:19:00
Tuesday nights are kinda crazy in the Chiappini house. The children stay at school until 3:30 so my youngest one can stay for "stretch and grow". After I pick them up they have a bit of time to play and get some homework done then it's onto Karate and Ice Skating. T. takes the oldest to Karate and I take the youngest to Skating. We aren't able to get back home until about 7:30 or so. Makes dinner time kind of late. We have tried to eat before but it is just too rushed. So now we are eating after. T. gets home early than us so he usually makes dinner on Tuesday. I wasn't kidding when I said it was hectic!Last night we had a great idea. Let's finish up the gravy and part of a rotisserie chicken that we had over the weekend. I pulled out some frozen pie crust and let that thaw all day so all he had to do when he got home was to heat the chicken with the gravy and a can of potatoes (must be some old hurricane supplies, can't imagine why I would have those???!!!) and some ...
More About: Chicken , Traditional

How can you not love Nachos?
2007-11-27 16:48:00
Here in our house Nach os are a special treat. Not too often do we allow the girls to have chips for dinner so they get really excited when the adults want Nachos. The recipe is super easy but the results are amazing. Once again we find that it is all about the toppings! The girls are able to pick what they want and we pick what we want.Toppings:ground beef cooked with Taco Seasoningcheddar cheese (grated)black olives (chopped)onion (chopped small)fresh jalapenos (seeds and membrane removed and chopped small)pickled jalapenosfresh cilantro (chopped)tomatoes (chopped)refried beans with a small can of green chilies added (heated on the stove)The girls usually have cheese, beans, taco meat, and olives...but we go all out. We call them Garbage Nachos and they are delicious. So if you are ever craving something that is really not that good for you but wonderfully flavored and nice and salty then this is your beast! As Always...Happy Entertaining!!!Judywww.nofearentertaining .com
More About: Love

Daring Bakers November 2007 Challenge - Tender Potato Bread
2007-11-26 14:33:00
When I first started this blog back in August I really had no idea which direction it was that I wanted to go with it. I figured (as I do with the rest of my life) "that it would work itself out" As usual I was right. This blog has made me a more creative and out of the box cook and baker than I ever thought I would be! One of the things that I find so wonderful is the amount of people out there blogging about food! And then came my discovery of the challenges!!! I love food challenges...anything that takes me out of my comfort zone and I can get my hands into and please people's tummies ! But I kept seeing a badge on the people's sites that I really admired and did a bit of research found out hat it was all about and then I had to find a way to become a part of this!!! The badge was the Daring Bakers '. Anyway, this month I performed my first challenge. I was so excited. It was hosted this month by Tanna from My Kitchen in Half Cups. But what a crazy month. We had so much going o...
More About: Potato , Challenge , Bread , November

Now the mad dash to Christmas!!!
2007-11-24 19:40:00
Well we did it...we survived Thanksgiving. It's been a busy couple of days though. We started the prep work and everything on Wednesday night and then jumped right into it first thing Thursday morning. And then spent yesterday cleaning up (and doing our bit for "Black Friday")! It was all so worth it though. Tony fried the best turkey that we have ever had and all of the side dishes and desserts were amazing as well. We went through a truck load of wine (at least that was how it seemed the next day!) but everyone had a great time and left with full tummies and tired children! Hope yours was great as well and were able to share it with people you loved and enjoyed!As Always...Happy Entertaining!!!Judyhttp://www.nofearenter taining.com/
More About: Christmas , Dash

Happy Thanksgiving!!!
2007-11-22 15:34:00
I wasn't going to do this post this morning I was going to wait until later in the day so I had some more pictures to show and less to do...right now I am suppose to be helping T. but he thinks I am cleaning up the office. Oh well, plenty of time for everything. I just wanted to take a second to give Thanks for all all of the wonderful things in my life. I have and amazing family: An amazing husband, 2 wonderful children, 2 great dogs (a 15 year old black lab and a 11 month old golden retriever), an amazing sister and brother in law, an incredible Mother and Father and the best friends anyone could ask for. We have good health, wealth and happiness. We are so lucky to be living in this country that has so much. We are safe, comfortable and warm on cold nights and cool on warm ones, out tummies are full unless we decide not to fill them and our children have some of the best education in the World!. We live our lives in minimal discomfort and are so much more fortunate than t...
More About: Thanksgiving , Happy , Hank

Can you say hectic?...but lots of fun!!!
2007-11-21 14:20:00
Yesterday for the girl's Thanksgiving luncheon I made a new recipe. I have never really liked sweet potatoes or squash but I keep trying them. I try all sorts of different recipes but nothing has really done it for me...that is until now. I made a Sweet Potato & Apple bake that was really, really good! I really have no idea where I got the original recipe from but it has been in my recipe box for years and years. I went hunting for a Thanksgiving recipe and there it was. I did change it around quite a bit so I am not sure that the old recipe even applies but it did give me the inspiration to come up with apples and sweet potatoes together!The dish went very quickly so the teachers didn't even get to take anything home with them! Anyway here is the recipe Sweet Potato & Apple Bake (will feed 8-10 people). I would have loved to take some pictures to show you but we wee in such a rush trying to get out the door with a Turkey (very hot turkey at that!), stuffing, sweet...
More About: Hectic

Blog or Bust #3
2007-11-20 15:05:00
This month Blog or Bust theme hosted by The Clumsy Cook was great and very seasonally appropriate (is that a word?). Blog or Bust this time asked for us to create a ?Fall? dish?pumpkin pie, chili, gratin, soup, the possibilities were almost endless. I had made Chalupa last week and thought that it would be the perfect meal to enter and...I had already made it. As my kitchen is already a mess and we have been up making turkey, gravy, stuffing and sweet potatoes since about 5:00 am I needed something that was already done!Here is the link to the recipe: Chalupa As Always... Happy Entertaining!!! Judywww.nofearentertaining.com

Royal Foodie Joust
2007-11-20 01:36:00
This month's Royal Foodie Joust hosted by Jenn the Left-Over Queen was another fun challenge to enter. The ingredients were picked by last month's winner and the 3 ingredients were - get this - Chocolate (any kind but white), Chilies/Chili Powder (any type) and Grains (like wheat, rice, oats, etc., in any form). I was at a total loss as to what I would do. Then inspiration came to me in the form of Haagen Dazs ice cream. Mayan Chocolate to be exact. It is a delicious blend of chocolate, more chocolate and cinnamon. So I thought why not make a cake like thing (which turned into brownies) that had chocolate, cinnamon and peppers. I wasn't all that confident that it would work but guess what? Did it ever. It turned out so well that I am going to take the left overs to the girl's Thanksgiving Luncheon for the teachers as a special treat. Here is the recipe Chipotle & Mocha Brownies. I will be sure to let you know when the voting starts so that you can help me to win and be the p...

Here is where No Fear Entertaining works the best!!!
2007-11-19 15:33:00
I have my lists and I am ready to go. We have our guests all confirmed and our menu all lined out and I have in my hands the shopping lists. I break them down by store: Costco, Publix and Paesano's (small Italian Market). First stop will be Costco! I know it may seem early to start doing this but we have to roast a turkey for the girl's school luncheon tomorrow and then the children are off of school until next week. It is waaaayyy easier for me to go to Costco and the grocery store without them!!! I also like to spend time with them when they are off so this will free me up for some fun on Wed.Wish me luck!!As Always...Happy Entertaining !!!Judywww.nofearentertaining .com
More About: Thanksgiving , Works , Fear

We hate Comcast!!!!...but love Thanksgiving
2007-11-18 14:47:00
Well after 2 days of no Internet service we are finally back again. This week (Tuesday we hope) we will be ridding ourselves forever of the evil Comcast . Here's a bit of history...about 9 months ago we were forced to change our Internet service from Time-Warner to Comcast. We had been with Time-Warner since about 1988 so changing was pretty traumatic. Anything that we had ever signed up for had our old email addresses. Now Comcast did tell us that we would have a short grace period where our old email addresses would still be forwarded to us. Well that never f**** happened. So changing this meant changing our email addresses and everything. No small feat to be honest with you! Up til now I have still been having trouble with passwords that were with my old email address! Now due to horrible service (they will actually hang up on you) and more outages than working days we are being forced once again to make a change. I think human nature dictates that none of us like change all that...
More About: Love , Thanksgiving , Hate , Hank

Chalupa-Not Taco Bell
2007-11-16 20:17:00
A couple of nights ago I was thinking about all of the things that I have made that we really liked. I was going through my recipe box and I came across a recipe card that said "Chalupa". I made this probably about 13 years ago and T. and I really liked it. For some reason though I only made it once! I decided that I had better break out the old crock pot and try it again. Well let me tell you, it was truly a hit. My youngest one even opted to take it to school is a thermos for her lunch today! This is not the Chalupa that was famous at Taco Bell a couple of years ago. This is real Mexican pork and beans slow cooked until the meat is falling apart. It is a type of chili without the tomato base. Regardless everyone loved it!Chalupa3 lbs Pork Roast (I used a boneless loin)1 lb dried pinto beans1 small can chopped green chilies2 cloves garlic (crushed)2 Tbsp. chili powder1 Tbsp. cumin powder1 tsp. oregano1 Tbsp saltPut everything in the crock pot and put in enough water to ju...
More About: Taco Bell

Friday's Feast One Hundred & Sixty Nine!
2007-11-16 15:05:00
Last week I started a feature that was a ton a fun. It is a fun little thing which was started about 169 Friday 's ago! Friday's Feast runs every Friday you are to answer the questions which are set up like a full course meal. So sit back, grab a fork and dig right in!AppetizerWhat was your first ?real? job?I was a button and a badge maker for a small plastics company that my Mom worked for. I think I was about 14 but my pay went on my Mom's (now isn't that creative???) so there was no trouble with the child labor laws!!!SoupWhere would you go if you wanted to spark your creativity?I am pretty lucky. I can be creative just about anywhere as long as it is outside. I can be creative on a long nature walk, hike or even just a day at the beach!SaladComplete this sentence: I am embarrassed when?ummmm...that is so hard for me. I have pretty thick skin so it really takes a lot to embarrass me. I can't even remember that last time that I was embarrassed!!!Main CourseWhat values ...
More About: Sixty

Sugar High Friday #37 - The Beta Carotene Harvest
2007-11-14 18:01:00
I have only been doing this blog for a short time and every day I seem to find something else that I would really like to add or do. Last week I stumble across a challenge called Sugar High Friday s. I have found that I really love participating in these challenges and they certainly are challenging me! If it weren't for these to challenge me and test what I can do I would probably have a pretty boring blog!This month's Sugar High Friday was so much fun for me because I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it! You see, every month a different blog gets to host the challenge and this months challenge is hosted by an incredibly creative and funny blog called Definitely not Martha. The theme was The Beta Carotene Harvest . Now most of the things that I cook and bake my children don't like so they will taste them but not eat them. I think by now I have given away so much food to the teachers at my girl's school that they no longer bring lunch to school but count on me to feed them!!!...

Finally a recipe for the "Blue" themed party!
2007-11-13 17:07:00
A couple of weeks ago (I am so late with this) one of my girlfriends got in touch with me about a baby shower that she was involved with. It was a shower for a boy so instead of going with a theme like Pooh or Noah's Ark they opt to go with a theme based around "blue" food. Isn't that a great idea? I told her that I had a recipe for some killer blue cheese bread and I would get it to her. Well the party is this weekend. I sure hope I am not too late for her!This ones for you Lisa!!!Blue Cheese Bread - The Chiappini Way!You don't need to wait for a party to make this. It goes great with steak and a salad as well!As Always...Happy Entertaining!!!Judywww.nofearentertaining .com
More About: Party , Recipe , Finally , Reci

It's a catch up day!!!
2007-11-12 19:36:00
It seems like for the last couple of weeks all I have been doing is running at full speed. Sometimes into a brick wall but other times just doing regular everyday type things! Today I had planned to use the day as sort of a catch up and get myself organized type of day. Well...I don't know about you but always my best laid plans never seem to pan out quite as well as I had planned.T. was going to take the children to school this morning so I could get right in to all of my chores today. Well I woke up to a pile of doggie doo on the floor. Our Black Lab is 15 and he is having some problems lately. Anyway I got up and went to get some paper towels to clean it up and when I went for the towels I, of course, needed to grab a new roll. We store our towels in with our hot water heater. The paper towels were soaked. I woke T. up and told him that we had several things that needed attention...RIGHT NOW!!! Poor guy. Nothing quite like being shrieked awake???!!! We got that issue all straigh...
More About: Catch

Oh...What a Night!!!
2007-11-11 20:36:00
Well we survived and the fog is finally starting to lift. The party was great. Kudos to Kathy and Josh. They pulled of a great party! I think we left really late and it is definitely a good thing we left when we did. Things get really fuzzy about the end and I have a bunch of pictures on my camera that I know nothing about???!!! Anybody with any ideas let me know!The food was amazing. The caterer was great and the setting was wonderful. They have a beautiful home on the water and the party was set up around the pool. The weather was beautiful. Not too cold but cool enough to make you appreciate Florida winters! Nothing better than sharing a celebration with family and friends!As Always...Happy Entertaining!!!Judywww.nofearentertaining .com
More About: Night

Zucchini Fritters
2007-11-10 21:01:00
Happy Weekend!!!Another busy one for us here! We took the girls to ice skating this morning...for the first time since we started taking them there I was warm!!! You may need to be reminded that we live in SW Florida and it is usually hot here. When we go to the ice rink in the morning we dress warm but we know that we always have a ton of errands to do after so I usually just wear a long sleeve top, jeans, a down vest and...Flip Flops! No wonder I have been cold. The ice rink is made of frozen water and they need to keep it like that so the air is real cold!!! Yesterday I went and bought myself a pair of wool lined slipper type things. But I was warm for the first time there ever!!!Anyway this afternoon we are going to a party that we have been looking forward to for a long time. We are going to a 90th Birthday Party for 2 of our friends. She turned 50 and he turned 40 so they decided to combine it into one huge bash! Cool idea huh? They are having it in their beautiful home and it...
More About: Zucchini

Friday's Feast One Hundred & Sixty Eight!
2007-11-09 13:56:00
A couple of days ago I was searching through a bunch of blogs and I came across a couple that had something called Friday 's Feast . They were done by number and every Friday they posted diffent questions for people to answer set up like a full course meal! Well I was intrigued to say the least. I am always impressed with ideas that people come up with. I just had to get involved and try. I now this isn't really food related but it is kind fun and I think after a long week we need a little levity!So here goes my very first Friday's FeastFeast One Hundred & Sixty EightAppetizerWhich snack do you like to get when you go to the movies?-Popcorn, popcorn and more popcorn. If I still run out before the movie is over I willget more popcorn...can you tell I like movie theatre popcorn?SoupWhat year did you start using the internet?I think it was in 1998...we were the cool ones who had it before all of our friends! Didn't have a clue as to what to do with it but that phone dial up so...

You Have Got to Love Target!!!
2007-11-08 18:07:00
I have been feeling quite lazy today...granted I did go out last night and probably had about 1 or 2 too many Stoli's but it wasn't like I was out late or anything! Thanks again my friend! Anyway instead of doing the laundry, cleaning up the house, writing my blog or any of the other 20 or 30 things that I should have been doing this morning I decided to go to Target . I needed to get a couple of things. Now the thing with me and Target is that I can never walk out of there without spending over $50. Even if I have been there once already that day! I therefore need to limit myslef on how many times I go there. I haven't been in a while so I thought I was safe. Anyway I got to the checkout aisle and what do ya know...$65.65. Granted I did get all the stuff that I have been needing for a while (pizza stone, fancy cooling rack, food scale etc.). I guess you get my drift. It is a hard place to escape from with only the essenials. I also bought the girls some more winter clo...
More About: Love

I'm Baaack!!!
2007-11-07 17:42:00
A couple of days with only sporadic internet and I thought was losing my mind!!! I think that Comcast finally has their problem fixed but it sure was annoying! I have been using the time to get organized and caught up on a bunch of other things that I have been working on so all in all it was a good thing.My newsletter should be going out tomorrow...yes I know it is a little late but one of my friends told me that as long as it was out before November ended it was still November's newsletter! I also just found out this morning that my recipe for the Wild Mushroom Spread came in tied for 3rd place in the "Royal Foodie Joust" at the Left Over Queen so that was pretty exciting seeing as that was the first challenge I have been involved in. Thanks so much to those of you who voted!!!Last night for dinner we had lamb chops. Now generally I have a problem eating lamb and veal (you know...the whole cute and cuddly thing etc.) but I have come to realize that lamb is probably one of the hea...

D*#@?!! Internet Connection!!!
2007-11-06 01:32:00
Finally after fighting with intermittent internet connection all day it seems to be up and running. I am going to make this short and sweet though as I don't know how long it is going to be up for.Last night for dinner we made Eggplant Parmesan. Was it ever delicious. My oldest daughter refuses to eat anything that has red sauce (spaghetti sauce, gravy or whatever your family calls it) so we have to be a little inventive. She is not a fussy eater but really doesn't like tomatoes! We made hers on he side without the sauce but it still had the goat cheese on it. She loved it as well!My connection is slipping so here is the recipe Eggplant Parmesan - The Chiappini WayAs Always...Happy Entertaining!!!Judywww.nofearentertaining .com
More About: Internet , Connection

She was surprised!!!
2007-11-04 14:52:00
In regards to my last post where we thought for sure that we had spoiled a surprise party for one of my girlfriends who had just graduated from Grad school...we didn't ruin the surprise!!! She was so happy and surprised. Her husband threw together a great party. Lots of really good food, tons to drink. Nothing was overlooked. I was so proud of him! He kept it nice and casual, children running all around, He even made sure that he did it while her parents were in town visiting from Iowa. What a great night!!!As Always...Happy Entertaining!!!Judywww.nofearentertaining .com

Never tell us that it's a secret!!!
2007-11-03 21:00:00
We got an invite last night to a surprise happy hour for one of our friends. She has just graduated from grad school and her husband wanted to surprise her with a small party in her honor...Congrats Shell!!! She did all of this part time from home with 2 little babies. Very impressive feat! This is all well and good, but along we come and maybe, we sure hope not, give away the surprise. It has been a really busy couple of days. I attended a fundraiser last night at a model home in our area. It was to benefit our local chapter of the ABWA. It was a really nice night out. This morning we got up early and made the girls some French Toast from some leftover homemade bread and then went on the skating rink. After skating we had to go shopping to get a birthday present for another of our friend's little boys b-day party which was this afternoon and a gift for our graduate friend. So we tell the girls that we have a really busy day and they need to try to behave for us. Of course they ask...
More About: Secret

Wild Mushroom Spread
2007-11-02 19:55:00
Last month when I held my Partylite party I served a spread with baked pita chips that everyone went nuts for. So it was really a no brainer when I saw that the ingredients for the monthly "Royal Foodie Joust" at The Left-Over Queen's site were mushrooms, cheese and herbs. I submitted the recipe last week and the voting starts today and will go on for the next 5 days! I am so excited about this. If you would like to go on The Left-Over Queen and vote for my entry that would be so great. You could also get my recipe and other great recipes as well!Well off to another fundraiser tonight...will post all the details tomorrow!As Always...Happy Entertaining!!!Judywww.nofearentertaining .com
More About: Wild , Mushroom , Spread

I am so scattered today...
2007-11-01 17:51:00
I was just saying to my husband that I am so scattered today, with my hands in way too many pots that I can't even figure out what to blog about (I have so much to tell) and you know what he said (very distractedly I might add)..."Blog about that then". Thanks T. Also I should add my thanks to Starbuck's as I am jacked up on caffeine due to a very large Pumpkin Spice Latte!!! So here you have it!Last night I wanted to send the girls out Trick or Treating with nice full stomachs and I have so many wonderful recipes that I want to try but very limited time to try them in so I went to my folder of "loose recipes" and choose one that I had all of the ingredients for already and started cooking...I found this recipe on The Left-Over Queen's site. I will post more about her site tomorrow when I tell you all about the Royal Foodie Joust which you will need to go on to vote for my entry in the monthly contest!Mushroom and Yogurt TartINGREDIENTS:2 containers of Crimini (Baby Bella) mush...
More About: Today

Happy Halloween!!!
2007-10-31 15:53:00
Happy Halloween !My day has laready been full of festivites. I just returned home from co-organizing the girl's schools Halloween Parade. I have never seen so many princesses in one place before in my entire life!!! Itwas very cute and the children had a ton of fun. We were able to donate the remaining candy that we had (about 4 grocery bags full!) to our local Children's Hospital for their trick or treat festivites this afternoon. They do this every Halloween for the children that have to stay in the hospital over the holiday. So on top of everything else we have done our good deed for the day!The pumpkin bread that I posted yesterday was a real hit with my youngest daughter's class. I have to go back to the school in a little bit for my older daughter's class party. Pretty exciting day for both of them!As you can tell by the picture we have a pro pumkin carver in ourhome. T. has truly outdone himself this year. Kyra wanted the pumpkin to have squiggly eye brows and as...
More About: Happy , Allo