Swap Party Results

So the swap party was a lot of fun. We all brought a few things to swap with others-except Brenda - how many things did she bring?

So we started out by eating - of course. The biggest hits of the night were the stuffed mushrooms, the stuffed cherry tomatoes and the marinated mozzarella! The skewers were okay (we have beef, chicken, pork and shrimp) but I don't care how long you soak bamboo skewers in water they still catch on fire on the grill!! Once we sampled everything we started the swap - Sharon was first, then me, then Danielle, then Brenda and last was Colleen!! And Brenda was so happy about the things she got that she left her camera at my place! Score for me - thanks for the great swap Brenda!! Lol - I'm returning it to her!

Keep watching for the next party and date!!!

In the meantime here are the recipes for the favorites! Brenda and I are having a bit of trouble with the pics but will straighten it out soon and I'll post some pics for you all to see - hopefully by tomorrow!

Italian Marinated Mozzarella
(this is from thatsmyhome.com)
1 c. olive oil
1 glove garlic, thinly sliced
12 black peppercorns
3 large sprigs of fresh rosemary
1/4 tsp. salt
Pinch of red pepper flakes
12 oz. fresh mozzarella, cut in 1-inch cubes.

Warm olive oil in medium skillet over medium heat. Add garlic, peppercorns, rosemary, salt and red pepper flakes. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature. Remove the rosemary sprigs. Pour the oil over mozzarella.

Let stand at room temperature for several hours or cover and refrigerate for up to 4 days. If refrigerated, bring to room temperature before serving.

Serves 6 to 8 as an appetizer.

Bacon Stuffed Cherry Tomatoes
(from busycooks.about.com)

2 pints cherry tomatoes
3/4 c. mayonnaise
1/2 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese (not packaged)
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. dried basil leaves
16 oz. pkg. bacon, crisply cooked, drained and crumbled

Cut the top off each cherry tomato, and using a melon baller or a sharp knife, carefully scoop out the seeds and pulps. Place each tomato upside down on paper towels to drain.

Combine the rest of the ingredients in a small bowl. Stuff each cherry tomato with the bacon mixture. Chill in fridge for at least 2 hours to blend flavors. To serve, I like to line the serving tray with parsley to keep the little tomatoes from rolling around. It's very pretty too. You need to use curly parsley to keep them upright - lettuce won't do the trick.

Serves 8

Triple Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms
(from Paula Deen)

48 med. white mushrooms (2 lbs.)
1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed
4 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
2 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 c. finely chopped green onions
salt
1/2 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using damp paper towels, wipe mushroom caps clean; remove and discard stems, or save for another use. In colander, squeeze liquid out of spinach until dry.

In large bowl, mix spinach, feta, cream cheese, green onions and 1/2 tsp. salt until well combined. Fill each mushroom with heaping teaspoon spinach mixture; top with Parmesan.

Transfer to 15 1/2" to 10 1/2" jelly-roll pan; bake 20 minutes or until mushrooms are tender and filling is golden brown.

You should try making these wonderful little treats yourself. Have a great cooking day!

Today's the Day!!

So today's the swap party. Hope you have your items all ready to swap and your 3x5 cards filled out. Here's a pic of the ingredients I'll be using today to give you an idea of what you'll be eating tonight. As always, these are recipes that I have never made before and some are just some random thoughts of things to try on my own. Can't wait to see all of you. Have to go now - gotta get things marinading!!!

What's for Dinner?

So tonight I tried a new recipe (which I often do to my family) - Cajun Chicken Pasta. I got the recipe from a blog I read regularly - The Pioneer Woman - you should check it out sometime. Anyway back to my favorite subject - FOOD and COOKING!! Let's start from the beginning!

Cut up the chicken into cubes. Easy enough!!

Cut up the Roma tomatoes! Again still pretty simple.

Cut up the peppers and onions! And the garlic - think I have enough on the top!!!

I wish you could smell this!!! The Cajun spices are roaring on this chicken!

Once I put the veggies in the pan and that garlic started cooking - oooo mama!!

Now for the sauce - deglaze the pan and add cream!! Does it get much better than this - Oh yea it does - now the pasta!!!

Oh la la!!! As for me and hubby - we'd like more spice - a lot more spice but the overall flavor was delicious.

On a side note, this recipe is not for the faint of heart - as with most recipes from The Pioneer Woman - she uses butter and cream (yes even heavy cream). But if you feel like treating yourself to something a little decadent then you should definitely try this. What did you have for dinner? Drop me a comment and let me know.

What's Mine is Yours and What's Yours is Mine!!

It's time for a new party girls and since its spring cleaning time I though I would encourage you to do so!! Clean out your closets and your drawers. Let's do some swapping!! Here's the deal - you bring things to the party that you don't want anymore but just can't throw away. Then you exchange your stuff for someone else's stuff! If you bring 1 item you go home with 1 item; if you bring 10 items you go home with 10 items or at least no more than 10 items (you can go home with less if you want). We'll put a limit on the items - no more than 10 please and no moving trucks in my driveway!!!! You can bring anything you want from candles, jewelry, pots and pans to small pieces of furniture - just make sure its something you can part with and nothing that I gave you for Christmas last year!! We'll stay away from clothing since we certainly have a wide range of sizes!! LOL - I will never fit into Brenda's stuff - love ya, honey!

You must also write (on a 3x5 card) a brief description of your item. Be creative - make it appealing - after all you are trying to get rid of it!

We'll meet at my place on Saturday, April 24 at 7:00 p.m. I will, of course, provide some new and interesting snacks for us to try. I'll have water to drink but if you prefer something else - bring that with you. Can't wait guinea piggers! So start cleaning out! Let me know if you can be here - post a comment or send me an email.

Who's Who?

So I added a pic for you all to see. This is our original group and this was taken at our Chocolate Party!! Remember that girls? So let me introduce the girls (clockwise) - Louise, Colleen, the next girl I don't remember her name - she came with Danielle one time and haven't seen her since, me, Brenda, Mom (Ellie) Danielle and Sharon. This is my family. They are willing to put with me, come to my parties and try different types of food. Gotta love guinea pigs!! Anyway just wanted you to meet all us. Leave me a comment and let me know what you think.

Arizona Vacation

Well as many of y0u know, I've been in Arizona for the past week for vaca. I love this state. The weather, of course, is the same - SUNSHINE! Not wanting to make anyone in the east coast jealous!!! Chelsea, gramma and I spent a day in Tombstone and Sierra Vista. We saw the location of the famous gunfight and shopped in the old town shops. In Sierra Vista we visited the Kartchner Caverns. What a beautiful sight hidden underneath the mountains of Arizona. Today is Sunday - went to church this morning and now spending the day with family. I can't believe how gracious God has been (and continues to be) to me. I have been so blessed by a wonderful family. Can't thank Russ and Jackie for their wonderful generosity and letting us come out and stay - they have always been willing to open their home to all of us. Thanks!

My brother lost a dear friend this past week in a horrible motorcycle crash. Steve was a kind and gentle giant who I had the pleasure of meeting a year ago when my husband and I were here for bike week. He was kind enough to drive my daughter, Chelsea, around on the back of his bike and tell her some wonderful stories about his life. He made quite an impact on Chelsea and Bryan and I. We will miss Steve as I'm sure many of those who knew him will as well.

So some for today - just love someone a little longer and give them an extra kiss. Sometimes we only have one opportunity to make an impact on people.

Sunshine!!

Is everyone as excited about the sun as me? It just makes you feel all warm and fuzzy - don't it? I planted my pickling cucumbers and my cherry tomatoes seeds about a week or two ago and they are coming up nicely. Plan on making lots of pickles this summer for family and friends gift baskets - be prepared everyone!!! The cherry tomatoes are for Chelsea! Even though she's not here - I planted them for her. She used to love to go into the garden and just pick them off the vine and eat them like candy. Anyway, everyone get up and get outside - enjoy the day!!