grilled peaches with blackerry butter

this is seriously SO good. it is so easy to make and can replace a piece of cake for dessert. i made it for some friends at a dinner party and everyone loved it. warmed peaches are delicious and the basil in the butter makes it nice and fresh.

here are the instructions for the butter:

Yield: Makes 3/4 cup butter


Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/4 cup seedless blackberry preserves

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil

Garnish: fresh basil leaves (this seems weird but it really does make a difference. just make sure they are fresh!)

Preparation

Stir together softened butter, blackberry preserves, and chopped fresh basil until blended. Garnish with fresh basil leaves. Serve with warm grilled peaches, or spread inside hot biscuits filled with thinly sliced pork tenderloin.

for the peaches...

you can grill them or heat them up in a frying pan. since i did not have a grill, i put a little bit of butter in a frying pan and laid them face down in the pan. cooking time depends on how warm you want them. i would say heat them on medium low for about 10 minutes.

other things to note:

it is not easy to get your peaches to look like the picture (with the hole directly in the middle). if you use really ripe peaches they will look like the picture. if not, just cut them into large chunks and spread the butter on top.

enjoy!

corn on the cob cupcakes

i got this idea from martha stewart for a baking contest we had at work last week, aren't they cool? so i tried to make them myself. my creation is below. i thought they turned out pretty good. they only problem is you need a million jelly beans. i had three bags and could only make four cupcakes.

i found jelly bellys at the dollar store, though, so it didn't cost much at all. the corn on the cob holders were there and the laffy taffy (butter) was also. instead of using black decorative sugar i used choclate jimmys. i didn't win but i did get points for our team, which was all that mattered since we won field day!

a taco bar, a pita chip

i just saw these pictures from martha stewart and they made me want tacos so badly. have you ever had a taco bar like this one?  i love how fresh everything looks. i never thought of using radishes but i bet they would add an extra zesty crunch.

here is a recipe for this tropical fruit salsa. the chips all look delicious too. there are apple chips, sweet potato chips, and even some bread. yum! is it lunch time yet?

on the weekends i usually make pita chips for dave so he can eat them during the week (he usually eats them all by monday with his roommate). they are so easy to make and are SO delicious with roasted red pepper hummus. here is what i do:

Fresh Pita Chips

- cut 3 white or wheat pita breads into chips (about 8 pieces per bread)

i pull the pieces apart so that they will be thin and can cook quickly

- lay them all on a cookie sheet and sprinkle them with olive oil, garlic salt, and salt and pepper

you could also add cajun spices for a little zest or squeeze some lime at the end

- place them in the oven on 350 F for about 15 minutes. it all depends on how crispy you want them.

make sure you keep checking them and turn them over.

orang(m)elo

have you ever had an orangelo? i tried one on thursday and can i just say it was not very good. it might not have been the best out of the bunch but…ugh. it was gross. i was excited because it looked like a grapefruit and i love grapefruit. not so lucky. have you ever had one that tasted good? i am hoping this was just a dud.

i tried this while at my desk because i had eaten a rather onion-y sandwich for lunch and was hoping this would combat my (strong) breath. i couldn't eat it though, so i put it on our "food sharing counter" (bunch of filing cabinets people stick chips etc. on) and felt bad for whoever tried it.

have you heard?

this week, you can get $25 gift certificates on restaurant.com for $2! check out the details here. you have to spend at least $35 to redeem your gift certificate, but you are still saving a bunch. the site has all the participating restaurants included. the offer lasts until march 31st so make sure you check them out soon!

cucumber seltzer

during the day i get really bored with drinking water. i know it's super good for you but there is nothing fun about it. a few weeks ago i started drinking soda water from the fountain in the cafeteria which added a little more spice to it (and it is still free). the other day i decided to kick it up another notch and brought some cucumber slices to work. i used two and the flavor lasted for two 20 oz. cups of seltzer.

the only warning i have is that you will probably have to run to the restroom a few times. it tastes so good (and i don't even like cucumbers) you wont want to stop drinking it.

random rendezvous

dave asked me to meet him half way between our houses (we live 1.5 hours apart) this week for dinner. it was really sweet and quite romantic. we went to the publick house and took a quick picture of yoda in the candelight.

if you are ever in the sturbridge area you should check this restaurant out. it has two dining areas and looks like a barn inside. we even got our first public compliment from a group of ladies. i had pot roast, potatos, and asparagus. dave had lobster ravioli. we even got my meal free because of their february promotion!

eight plates.

my friend has a pretty cool idea i wanted to pass along. if you decide to try it out let me know your ideas.

what: eight plates

when: once a month

where: each consecutive couples place

each month, a couple will be in charge of coming up with a menu/theme and will host the other three couples. we will be using this site as a starting point but can do anything we want. it's the perfect amount of people and won't be hard because each couple makes dinner 3 times out of the year.

if dave agrees, i think it would be fun to try foods we/i have never cooked before. since he usually only cooks stir fry or eggs i think we will have a good place to start. here are some cool recipes i found for ideas. let me know if you have any favorite yummy dishes that would make a good theme.

jasmine rice pudding

beef tenderloin

pink peppercorn thyme soda

pepperoni pinwheels

(these don't go together, they are just random ones i liked)

birthday party

(melissa and christina)

these two wonderful friends put on a little party for me the other night. it was nice to relax and eat lots of food (i am going to get some tahini humus tonight!).

these napkins are from crate and barrel that melissa uses at every birthday party.

we had lots of yummy dips because they are my favorite including, buffalo chicken dip and homemade spinach artichoke. the best was the cucumber water!

melissa even made cupcakes with no frosting so we could pick between all the flavors. she's so sweet.

tea heaven

(bigelow earl green grey tea)

have you been to teavana yet? you definitely need to as soon as possible if you like tea. i just got this glass tea cup for 75% off this weekend. i love it! (similar ones here)

my favorite tea there is jasmine dragon phoenix pearls. i had "too life" white tea this weekend and it was pretty good too. i think i might order some lavender dreams white tea because it sounds delicious and the store around here isnt open yet.

ooh. cupcakes.

my sweet something

this is my friends business. i figured i would feature her since today is my birthday and i love cupcakes. this weekend was a lot of fun. i have a few pictures i will post once i get them from my brothers camera. tonight i will be hanging out with some girls, getting our nails done, and eating. yum!

rachel, for My Sweet Something, does weddings, private parties, and events for the southern new england area. there are TONS of flavors to choose from and they are good. trust me. she made them for my friend tara's wedding.

iced roses for valetines day

i thought this was sweet for valentines day. guys, if you do this for your sweetheart you will get a thumbs up. no doubt. just take some small rose buds you can buy at your local grocery store (cheaper than regular roses) and put them in an ice tray with water. do it that day or the night before.

yummy

We went out last night for a work dinner and the food was so good...I had beef medallion Marsala. Amazing. The Gorgonzola dressing for the salad was awesome, and they had these cool potato circle things. (these two are just about as funny as you can get. Seth on the right is a real life Will Ferrel with Steve Carell mixed in. thank goodness for fun co-workers!)

thanksgiving table settings

Hurray tomorrow is Thanksgiving! Is everyone ready?

Here are some photos I loved for decorating the table. Last year I made little turkeys as name holders and we are going to incorporate them into the table again.here is the martha stewart centerpiece photo gallery

thanksgiving dessert for the (big) kids

I just found this on Martha Stewart and had to share! How cute are these?

Here are the directions...

Tomorrow I will be posting some Thanksgiving table settings inspiration if you need help decorating.

fall is here!

I made this last night because I felt like eating warm apples and it was SO good. Here is what I did...


Ingredients:

4 Macintosh apples
3 tbs. butter
1/2 cup of oats
Cinnamon to taste
Brown sugar to taste (a handful or so)

Directions:

1. Core, peel, and cut four apples into thin slices and put into a frying pan with 1 tbs. of butter and cinnamon. Saute until soft.


2. Push apples off to the side of pan and add oats, rest of butter, and sugar into the pan. Sprinkle cinnamon on top and mix until butter is completely melted and covering oats.


3. Mix everything together and let simmer for a few minutes.

Ta-dah. Fast apple crisp (kind of)! This is a very loose recipe so add whatever you would like. I wish I had added more oats.

candyland alive.

A few weeks ago the city of San Francisco transformed the famous Lombard Street into a child's dream. Workers layed down colored tiles to make spaces in the road for children to play their favorite game on. Two teams competed against each other and the children from the local children's hospital won!

This is the cake they got to eat at the end. I think I would have saved my piece. How amazing is that?

luau update

Here is the promised picture of the fruit kabobs I made for our breakfast luau. Here is what I did...

Need:

5 kiwi

1/4 watermelon

1 pineapple

1 lb. strawberries

2 limes

package wooden skewers

Servings: about 45 fruit kabobs

Just cut up all the fruit and spear it on. It takes a while so I did it while watching "Father Goose" with Cary Grant. Make sure to cut thick pieces so the fruit doesnt slip off. I would have added grapes but I didn't need that many kabobs. I took the top off the pineapple and stuck it in the middle for a little decoration.

happy cupcake day!

Today is cupcake day at work. I can't wait to make mine. Here are some pictures I grabbed for inspiration. I'll have to take a picture of the final product to share. Aren't the pink and blue ones so pretty?

cake

i love it.

have a fun day.