No Food Shots Today

Nothing exciting to add for today. Lunch was brought in at the office..meatballs were like rocks (ewww) but it was free. Will see what I do for tomorrow.

Lunch Today

I am on this kick to lose 30lbs before my birthday. That gives me plenty of time--as that isn't until December 6th. Today for lunch I said I would have a salad...and chicken for protein. I put a mound of spring mix on the plate. I drizzled some lime vinaigrette that I threw together over the greens. I sprinkled some dries cranberries and pecan on the salad as well. Next I chopped up half of a cucumber and rounded the edge of the plate with that.
To top the plate I made some lemon-pepper chicken. I cut some boneless chicken breast into "fingers" and rolled them into the lemon pepper seasoning I had. In my saute pan I used coconut oil and sauteed a little garlic and cayenne pepper with just a little butter to get some extra flavor. I put the chicken in and added lemon juice then put the lid on. I let this cook on med-low while I walked Miss Chi-Chi. When I returned the chicken was almost done. I removed the chicken and drained out the juice. I returned the chicken to the hot pan to sear in some of the seasonings. I filled the center of my salad with the chicken...and spare pieces seemed to make Miss Chi-Chi happy. Darn her cute face when she stares "daddy please can I taste."

Busy Tuesday Morning

Figured I would type a little for today. Not sure if I am cooking anything tonight yet or not. I might have a date.
Already a very productive morning. Worked out--walked the dog--ironed--made breakfast--showered--laundry--dusted. Waaaay too much for stuff before going to work. I am now sitting here waiting for something to do.
Should I publish recipes of mine---then add pictures as I make them again someday? Just add them as I go? Hmmmmmmmm...I guess I will see.

Quickie -- A Lunch Tale

I ran home on my lunch break to walk lil miss Chi-Chi. I made a quick sandwich on homemade Pumpernickel bread with stone ground mustard, spring mix, Jarlsberg cheese & cajun oven-roasted turkey from my favorite grocery store Central Market. I had the sun chips to try and fill me up along the side.

What's for dinner???

Yesterday was a lazy Sunday. I really didn't want anything too awful heavy for dinner. I decided to throw together a salad, steam some veggies, and cook a couple pieces of pork. It was healthy, yummy, and very easy. The pics don't really do it justice.
I seared the pork that was seasoned with thyme, chipotle powder, garlic, s&p. Once I got a nice sear on each side I added a tablespoon of honey and some balsamic vinegar to the pan. I placed the pan in the over on 350 to reduce the glaze I was going for. It was just enough to flavor the pork and leave some dried tidbits on the bottom of the pan. I have some compound butter in the freezer for when I need a little flavor. It is butter/garlic/cayenne/chives/S&P all whipped together. I cut a tablespoon of this and put it in the pan after I removed the pork. It melted and I scrapped the tidbits off the bottom to make a nice flavorful addition to the vegetable i steamed.
I plated the pork and veggies along side a small salad composed of spring mix, pecans & dried cranberries. I topped it with a balsamic vinagrette dressing.
Simple and yummy.
Thanks to Healthy Chioce for my 100 calorie Fudge bar that I got with coupon at COSTCO this weekend =)

Catering for a Duel-Birthday Party

I was asked by a friend to cater his Birthday party. Each year he and his other friend celebrate together. He said he would love to help get my name out there for business. I was happy to oblige. It was going to be appetizers for 40-50 people. That can be a huge undertaking with my small kitchen. Below are things I made. I will try and find the pictures I took.

Deviled Eggs
Shrimp Layer Dip
Goat Cheese, Sun Dried Tomato, Pesto Layer Dip
Jalapeno Dip
Vegetable Tray with dip
Chicken salad sandwiches with pineapple & almonds
Cucumber-Dill Sandwiches
Chocolate covered strawberries, cherries & banana's
Edible Table Centerpiece: Fresh Fruit Tree
Edible Floral Arrangements: Caprese Skewers

Triple Chocolate Cheesecake

18 chocolate cookie sandwiches
3 (8oz) cream cheese, softened
1 (14oz) can of sweetened condensed milk
2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp instant coffee, dissolved in 2 tsp hot water
4 eggs, room temperature
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
4 cup chocolate chips (i prefer dark chocolate)

Preheat oven to 300.

Pulverize the cookies in a food processor. Now press them into the bottom of a non-stick sprayed spring-form pan. Melt 2 cups of the chocolate in the microwave in 20 second intervals. Every 20 seconds stir the chocolate. It should only take a few times. DO NOT BURN IT. It is a nasty mess and smell if you do. Now mix in the coffee and set it aside.
In your mixer whip the cream cheese, Sweetened condensed milk, and vanilla. Once this is fully combined, mix in your eggs 1 at a time. Now slowly add the chocolate mixture in. Once this is combined add it to the crust.
Place your cheesecake in the oven for an hour and 5 minutes. Once your time is up, turn off the oven. You are going to let the cheesecake sit in the oven for 30 minutes while the oven cools down. After that 30 minutes remove and cool on a wire rack until completely cooled. Now cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours.
About an hour before serving you will need to make the ganache. Heat the heavy cream and the rest of the chocolate on the stove. Stir at first until the chocolate starts to melt. Now whisk constantly. Once completely mixed and silky smooth you need to let it cool slightly.
Remove the side of the pan and place on your serving dish. Now pour the ganache over your cheesecake. The picture above I left the sides on the have a clean layer of ganache. It is your choice.
You now need to cool in the refrigerator until the ganache firms up.
This is an awesome dessert for those chocolate lovers

Key Lime Pie

Crust:
1 Cup graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
4 tbsp butter, melted
handful of pecans chopped well
Handful of coconut

Pie:
6 egg yolks
1 1/2 can (21 oz) Sweetened Condensed Milk
3/4 cup key lime juice
Zest of a lime

Preheat oven to 350.
Crust:
Mix all the dry ingredients in the pie plate. Pour the butter over the crust and press to your desired thickness. You can also press up the sides as well.
Bake your crust for 6 minutes. Let the crust cool completely before filling.

Pie:
Mix all the ingredients. Place in the cooled pie crust. Bake on 350 for 12 minutes until it sets. Now place it in the refrigerator to chill for 4 hours. Now enjoy the yummy goodness!

Father's Day

I was asked to cater Father's Day for a family of 8 people. I previously did an outstanding job for their Thanksgiving Celebration that hosting 18 people. That would have made a great intro to my Blog...but it never happened.
The posts to follow were 3 of the desserts I made for them. I really wish the really old camera phone I had with me took better pictures. I made an AWESOME Horseradish & Herb Encrusted Rib Roast as the main course.

Hmmmm Where have I been??

I decided to start this blog last year as I was sitting in a Starbucks. My lazy side kicked in and I never got moving on this. A few days ago I told myself I need to do start and show some skills =)
There will be days of just photos or nothing at all.