photo by: dunham_1

I love the Tomato Basil Pesto Pasta Salade made at La Madeleine Cafe.  While living in Austin, we would go there for lunch, meetings, and book club. I loved nothing better than getting a half of a Chicken Salade Croissant and a side of their amazing pasta salade.  Unfortunately I no longer live in proximity to a La Madeleine. I searched for the recipe and came up empty. So I decided to play around with the ingredients to see if I could recreate my favorite. I think I have it!

Tomato Basil Pesto Pasta Salad

1 box Farfalle (Bow Tie) pasta

1/4 cup chopped sweet onion

1/4 cup chopped fresh sweet basil

1/4 cup chopped fresh spinach

3 Roma tomatoes, diced

6 sun dried tomato halves packed in olive oil, finely chopped

2 Tablespoons of Amore Concentrated Basil Pesto

1/3 cup Brianna’s Home style Asiago Caesar Dressing or any other creamy Caesar dressing

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Salt and Pepper

Follow the directions on the back of the pasta box and cook pasta until it is firm. Drain and set aside to cool down.  While the pasta is cooling, prep the other ingredients. In a large bowl combine the onion, basil, spinach, diced tomato, sun dried tomato, and basil pesto.  Fold in the cooled pasta. Add the Caesar dressing and half of the cheese. Taste. Season with salt and pepper to your liking. Add in the remaining cheese and toss.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

If you want to go all out, make your own Caesar Dressing and Basil Pesto! I found it easier and cheaper to buy these items. Also I would go easy on adding the salad dressing to make sure it suits your taste. You might add more dressing after the salad has set for a few hours.

Sephora is the only distributor of Philosophy’s Cinnamon Hot Dots body wash. This is the only cinnamon based body wash I have found in a while. My husband loves it!

Fresh’s Sugar Lip Treatment

I hate chapped lips and I have tried just about every lip balm, chap stick, lip gloss etc. out there without a clear winner. I had a great coupon for Sephora during the Christmas holiday, so I used it to buy this lip treatment that had been recommended.  Fresh’s Sugar Lip Treatment with SPF15 has kept my lips in perfect condition this winter.  It is expensive at $22.50 for a tube but there is no denying the end results!

Progressive Magnetic Measuring Spoons

I love my new Progressive Magnetic Measuring Spoons.  These spoons are magnetic, so they snap together for storage and the best thing is that each spoon is level on the bottom, so you can measure out a spice and set it aside until you need it. No SPILLS!  They make these in the above color or in stainless steel.  I found them on sale for $5.99 on Macy’s before Christmas. The best price I can find now is $7.95 on Amazon.

Barefoot Contessa’s Maple Roasted Bacon

photo by: misocrazy

Ina Garten is a genius! I made this bacon as part of Christmas breakfast. I did not make enough.  This would make my top five of favorite foods. I don’t have a picture of the finished product because it didn’t stay on a plate long enough for me to get a picture.  Make sure you use center cut bacon and real maple syrup when making Maple Roasted Bacon.

I am not sure if I have shared this before, but I only have the poverty plan for cable television. We decided that paying $60 a month for channels that we never really watched was not a smart choice. We pay $15.00 a month for basic service.  I really miss Food Network but I found a PBS cooking show called Everyday Food. Everyday Food is produced by Martha Stewart Living.  The show has a theme and five different chefs create dishes that fit into the theme. The other day they had a show called Meat and Potatoes. One of the dishes highlighted was Prosciutto Wrapped Pork Chops. I decided to try the recipe tonight for dinner. My husband and I really enjoyed the dish. It is really easy to do and it only took about 20 minutes to prep and cook the dish.  Do not skip the lemon wedge. There is just something delightful about  fresh lemon over pork. Trust me!

Ingredients:

4 Boneless pork loin chops

Coarse salt and ground pepper

2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme (I used dried thyme.)

4 slices prosciutto

2 teaspoons olive oil

Lemon wedges, for serving

Directions:

1. Season pork chops with salt and pepper. Sprinkle thyme leaves over each, pressing, to help them adhere to the meat. Wrap 1 prosciutto slice around middle of each chop, like a belt; press ends to seal.
2. In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Cook chops until golden brown and cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes per side. (Cook in two batches, if necessary, to avoid crowding.) Serve chops with lemon wedges.

If you have dark circles under your eyes or laugh lines that you want to disappear…try this! My sister loves Benefit products and I have to say, I am starting to love them as well. If you don’t want to order them online, visit your closest Sephora.

I have a few social occassions coming up and I decided that versus digging in my purse for paper and pen to collect numbers that I would have calling cards made.  This is an example of what I ordered from Nella Designs on Etsy. I got 50 cards for $18.00.

I love fruity smells for the summer and I swear this smells like you smeared mango and oranges on your body.  This was $10.50 from Bath and Body Works.

I am addicted to Sobe Strawberry Kiwi “Calm-O-Mile” Lifewater. If we find this at a store, we buy all they have on their shelves. It is good stuff! Target has the best prices in our area. I can get 5 for $5.00.

Last but not least, I love the song “When Love Takes Over” by David Guetta featuring Kelly Rowland. Roll the windows down, enjoy the breeze, and blast it!

A friend of the family is getting married in June and I found a beautiful Waterford silver-plated frame that had originally been  $80.00 for $32.00.

My last find was a set of 100% cotton, 800 thread count sheets for my king sized bed for only $52.00. These sheets feel like cool butter against your skin. I don’t think I will want to leave my bed tomorrow.

I did learn a valuable lesson today about final sale/no returns. I somehow managed to pick up a queen set instead of a king set and I realized it only after leaving the store. Luckily the queen and king sets were the same price, so they allowed me to exchange because there was no need for a transaction. If the king sheets had been more expensive, I would have been out of luck with getting the right size. Always check the size of sheets, because people move things around and don’t always put things back in their right place.

Pretty

Hypnotic

Lifting

Engrossing

Compelling

I loved the days when my mother or father had to go to the bank to make a deposit. I knew that on those days I was going to get a Dum Dum. I also loved getting shots because my doctor gave me a Dum Dum afterwards.  Bonkers, Now and Laters, Sugar Daddies and Zebra gum were close, but poor seconds in my mind. I would horde my Dum Dums and I categorized them according from favorite to least favorite. The least favorites were used to bribe my sisters to leave me alone or to not tell my parents I had did something.  The favorites were savored and pulled out to celebrate or to console myself if I got in trouble. It is amazing that something so simple could make my world so much better. Excuse me while I go enjoy one today.

photo by: cleverocity

Whoopie pies are heaven on the Big G’s green earth.  Today the NY Times recognizes the brilliance of this creation and the fact that they seem to be popping up everywhere. This is most definitely a northern thing. Down south we have our Moon Pies but comparing the two would be like comparing sheep to lemon hand sanitizer.  Whoopie pies are basically two chocolate cake cookies with a creamy vanilla frosting thickly layered in between. I first discovered them on a trip to Pennsylvania when I was in 7th grade.  I have been in lust since. The story goes that Whoopie pies got their names because husbands said, “Whoopie!” upon opening their lunch boxes and discovering them as part of their meal.  There are purists who say that Whoopie pies are only to be made with chocolate cake and vanilla icing but there are tons of people out their making them in a wide range of flavors. Here are some of my favorite recipes:

Lemon Whoopie Pies by Joy the Baker

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies by Annie’s Eats

Red Velvet Whoopie Pies by Phe/MOM/enon

Peanut Butter Whoopie Pies by Martha Stewart

If you aren’t up to making them from scratch and you can’t find them in your local bakery try ordering them from William Sonoma!

Last year I had some blood work done and I was told that my blood sugar levels were through the roof. The doctor started throwing around the words Type 2 Diabetes.  I was placed on Metformin and told to cut sugar from my diet. This is hard for a southern girl who loves her sweet tea, Coca Cola, and Little Debbie cakes. I did what the doctor ordered because I don’t want the complications that come with diabetes. I don’t have to monitor my blood sugar daily as long as the quarterly blood work shows that my a1c levels are in the normal range. In order to make sure those tests come back normal I cut out almost all sugar from my diet. Diet items were pretty much a bust for me because I hate the taste of artificial sweeteners. I found that Splenda was okay in tea, so I could have decaffeinated, Splenda sweetened tea but that was it other than water. With diabetes you have to be careful with artificial sweeteners because they can make you crave sweet beverages and food.  It is a short fall from the wagon.  My husband had told me about a sweetener used in Japan called Rebiana but it was hard to find in the states.  Rebiana is a natural byproduct of steeping the stevia plant.  It was only legal as a food supplement and not as a food additive.   Artificial sugar companies did not want competition from a natural calorie free sweetener. Imagine my surprise when last month I found Truvia in my grocery store. Truvia is a processed form of Rebiana.  It had finally been approved by the FDA.  They call is a natural sweetener but I am wary of that description. Truvia is brought to us via a corporation called Cargill. Cargill is a company not really known for being environmentally friendly. In 2005 , they had to comply with a settlement with the EPA to clean up it’s plants to the tune of $130 million dollars. I can’t tell you how “natural” Truvia really is but what I can tell you is that so far I like the taste of it better than Splenda or other artificial sweeteners. I have been using it for about a month in my beverages. My next test is going to be using it to cook. I will let you all know how that goes.

photo by: Nook & Pantry

photo by: The Italian Dish

I love food blogs. One of my favorites is TasteSpotting. People take pictures of their recipes and submit them to the site. It is often referred to as food porn.  I  go there for inspiration. This afternoon, I was looking for spaghetti recipes and I came across one for Spaghetti alla Carbonara. The photo above was from a food blog called Nook & Pantry.  Their recipe called for five ingredients. Those five ingredients did not include butter or cream.  I had spaghetti, Parmesan cheese, fresh ground pepper and eggs. I made a quick trip to the grocery store to grab bacon and puff pastry. The puff pastry was for the Nutella/Banana Pastry Purses that I also thought looked really good. That recipe came from a food blog called The Italian Dish. I give two thumbs up to both recipes. The pasta was amazing and the pastry was a perfect ending to the meal!

Pete’s Aunt Linda makes an amazing dip called Mushroom Pate. I love this dip and after making a batch last night, I thought I would share it with everyone. We make a healthier version by using I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter and American Neufchâtel cheese.  Also if you find yourself without lemon juice or white wine, I have left it out and the dip is still wonderful. If you are looking for an easy party dip or casual appetizer this is perfect!

Aunt Linda’s Mushroom Pate

1/2 lb mushrooms, chopped

1/2 small onion, chopped

2-3 Tablespoons butter

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 Tablespoon dry white wine

Hot pepper sauce to taste

Salt & Pepper

Saute the mushrooms and onions in butter until the liquid evaporates. Process cream cheese, garlic powder, lemon juice, white wine, and pepper sauce  in food processor or blender until smooth. Add sauted mushrooms and onions and blend well. Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed. Cover and chill until ready to serve.  Serve with crackers, chips, or fresh vegetables. Makes 2 cups.

I loved going to the Eastside Cafe in Austin. They had an amazing menu full of organic and locally grown produce. I would order their grilled tuna sandwich and a cup of their Mushroom Chicken Artichoke soup. While I was back in Austin this year, I ran by the cafe and as luck would have it, their gift shop was selling cookbooks with a recipe for Mushroom Artichoke soup.  I asked if this was the same recipe and the sales clerk told me all I had to do was add about a pound of chicken to the recipe and I would have the same thing they serve in the restaurant. The temps dropped again this week, so I could not resist making us a pot of this soup. I wish I could share it with you but it is copyrighted.

Last night I ate dinner at 10:00pm because dinner arrived at JFK via Austin at 7:45pm. Our friend Matt is in town for business and he was so awesome to bring all of us brisket, sausage, ribs, and sauce from Rudy’s Barbecue. We watched the Texas Tech/Oklahoma State game while waiting. Talk about heaven! Only two people at our gathering had not lived in Texas and they soon understood why we were all willing to wait for the food. I spoke to my friend Connie last night and she reminded me that Art from the Streets and the Empty Bowl project were coming up in Austin. I loved attending both of those events and I highly recommend them if you live in the Austin area.

While driving back from Virginia, I decided that I wanted to make some changes to my website. I created my first website while in college over 10 years ago. It had a blue background with rainbow polka dots, a Calvin and Hobbes animation, and every thing I hated and loved was expounded on for all the world to read. Calvin mooned anyone who came to the site. That site is long gone and this is my first attempt since that site. This site initially had a bird theme. Those of you from Entrecard or Project Wonderful are familiar with my ad because I am assuming you clicked on it to get here. That theme only had two columns which did not work for me. I switched over to the current three column theme and customized the banner this way because I thought I was going to blog about crafting and such. Well I do on occasion have an article about a craft, recipe, or gardening idea, but I found I enjoyed not having such a defined niche. I have a short attention span and it was very deluded to expect I could focus the topics of this blog. I am a little lost as to what I want things to look like. I just have the feeling that I need change. I think I am going to start with the look of my Entrecard and Project Wonderful 125×125 ad. Maybe if I can figure out how I want my ad to look this will inspire a new banner and some other tweaks to the site. Entrecard has a shop with people selling graphic design services, but I am not sure about using those. If you have worked with a graphic artist that you could recommend, please leave a comment. If you have any suggestions, recommendations, or feedback about the site, those comments would be appreciated as well.

Quote of the day:

Men have two emotions: Hungry and Horny. If you see him without an erection, make him a sandwich.

~Neal Boortz

Lusciously Lemon Cupcakes by The District Domestic

Chocolate Peanut Butter and Jelly Cupcakes by MAC & CHEESE

Mocha Cupcake by How to Eat A Cupcake

Carrot Cupcakes by Get Baked

Mimosa Cupcakes by Cupcake Project

Sweet Corn Cupcakes with Honey Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting by Couture Cupcakes

Rootbeer Float Cupcakes by Bittersweet

Founded by Chef Cornell Coulon, a protege of Emeril Lagasse, Au Dela is a private chef and catering service with an online store that offers organic spice, herb, and tea blends. Au Dela’s uses the finest organic ingredients and specialty salts from around the world, hand blended with high-quality, organic or wild-harvested botanicals. The goal for the business is to provide the highest-quality, best-tasting, ultra-premium food in a way that takes seriously the need for responsible environmental and social stewardship by using organic, small and local producers as much as possible. If you are in the Northern Virginia/Washington D.C. area, you are in for a treat because Chef Coulon is planning to expand the website into a gourmet retail location in McLean. I will make due with the website, but whoever is blessed to host us once the store is open can expect to visit Au Dela!

I just found a website that sells Tabasco sauce by the gallon. This will become my husband’s favorite gift to give. My husband loves hot sauces but his favorite is good ole Tabasco. We always go into Peppers, a hot sauce Mecca, when we visit Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. Peppers carries just about every hot sauce made on earth. The husband will pick out a number of hot sauces to try and to gift to others.  We usually have three types of Tabasco in addition to 5 or 6 other unique bottles he has come across on hand at any given time. He has even been to Avery Island, Louisiana, the home of Tabasco. A few years ago, Aunt Linda was very considerate and bought us a special silver plated holder for our Tabasco. This is for formal dining of course.

“In celebration of National Pancake Day on Tuesday, February 12, 2008 from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., IHOP, one of America’s favorite restaurants for breakfast, lunch and dinner, will give away one free short stack of its signature buttermilk pancakes to all guests. In return, IHOP asks that its guests consider making a donation to support local children’s hospitals through Children’s Miracle Network, a non-profit dedicated to improving children’s hospitals nationwide, or other local charities.”

~Statement issued by IHOP’s Corporate Office

Tarah of the blog Genesis of a Cook brought this recipe to my attention. Tarah is only 17 years old but already seems to know her calling. Click here for the recipe and her description of how to make your inner child’s favorite dessert….uhm I mean nutritional breakfast tart.