Meet Bahama - the Llama

Meet the latest addition

at my dad's

In addition to the horses, dogs & cats

He is pretty dang cute

Black & Decker Cordless Screwdriver

Isn't this soo cute???

I just bought it

on sale

at Target

for

$15 dollars

Better Homes & Garden Printable Labels for the Holidays

I apologize for not posting much lately!

I didn't feel well during

Thanksgiving

so

my creativity waned a bit

but

I did do this

which was so easy

I printed the labels on regular paper

I bought cheap wines
that had labels that just
peeled off
I used krazy glue
(the one with a brush)
and
they turned out pretty cool

I can't wait to print the Christmas labels

Throwdown with Bobby Flay with The Pioneer Woman

It was almost a year ago

when I went to my first book signing

to meet Ree Drummond,

 The Pioneer Woman.

Then,

just recently,

I went to

 my second book signing

to meet Bobby Flay

from the Food Network

Well,

you can just imagine

my excitement

when I got a message

from a friend on Facebook last night

that The Pioneer Woman 

had actually challenged

Bobby Flay

on his own show, Throwdown

to a Thanksgiving Throwdown 

Total Greatness

Kitchen Aid Mixer

KitchenAid mixer

How have I ever survived without you?

It was a "hand me down"

I am embarrassed to admit

that I was intimidated

by this appliance

so...

it has been

sitting on the

top shelf of my pantry

for a very long time

tragedy

Watching my friend use hers

to make

homemade pasta

and

homemade butter

finally made me take 

it out of the pantry

It is now a

permanent fixture  

in my kitchen

Now, all I need

(for now)

is

 the

pasta attachment

Betty Crocker Decadent Supreme Cinnamon Swirl Cake

This is one of my son's favorite cakes

Some things just taste better baked in a bundt pan

Cinnamon glaze

powdered sugar.milk.vanilla

 

So Yummy!!!

Fall Table Decor

A while back I posted

about my fun placemat collection

Here is my fall table decoration

Torre di Pietra - Fredericksburg Winery

A couple weekends ago

I went to Fredericksburg

for a very brief visit

with Aunt Janae

We stopped at several vineyards

(I will be posting about our stop to Becker Vineyards soon)

We had our first glass of wine

@ 

Torre di Pietra 

What a lovely winery

I really liked

the

chenin blanc

Chocolate-Red Wine Cake

Chocolate-Zinfindel Port Cake

About a year ago, I clipped this recipe

out of

 Food & Wine Magazine 

I was meeting my friends

for a birthday dinner

at our favorite winery

San Martino

I was assigned dessert

so I decided to try this recipe

I wanted to use something from the winery

So, I used this Zin Port

since it goes well with chocolate

Wow!

What a kick 



The recipes says to sprinkle with powdered sugar
but
I thought it needed this chocolate glaze

Green Chile Polenta - Test Kitchen

I got this recipe from Pioneer Woman

Creamy Cheese Grits with Chiles

 I have been dying to cook with polenta

so I used corn grits

Green Chiles & Rotel Tomatoe

4 oz cubed cream cheese

 8 oz grated monterey jack cheese

Yummy spicy creamy polenta

Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives - Cafe on the Route

On our way to Trader Joe's in Chesterfield, Missouri

We veered off the path to check out

Cafe on the Route featured on Triple D's

(Diners, Drive-In's & Dives)

Cafe on the Route

is located

in Baxter Springs, Kansas

off Historic Route 66

Check out the 

 cream of baked potato soup

YUM 

smoked turkey pretzel sandwich

with havarti cheese

(you can barely see it, but it's over there)

with fried potato salad

OMG

fried cheesecake

This was the absolute best dessert

I have ever had

The cheese cake filling was like heaven

Viking Cooking School - Dallas

Have you been ?

I haven't

but

I hope to real soon

(there's a chocolate ephiphany class in November

that sounds absolutely divine)  

It is located

@

Milestone Culinary Arts Center

4531 McKinney Ave

Dallas, TX

(214) 526 - 3912

Here's the schedule for October/November

Check it out!

They have a holiday planner

that you can actually download! 

Hip Flops

I got these totally cool flops

at the

Texas State Fair

for

only $10 bucks each

I love animal prints

isn't it cool how the

leopard flops

match my awesome

new fall purse

that my darling friend gave me?

Sample House & Candle Shop

 This is one of my favorite stores here in Dallas

They carry the cutest stuff

Trick or Treat

Aren't these fun?

I have no idea how they taste

I bought them at World Market

Trick is a 2009 California Red Table Wine

It is recommended to serve

on a full moon

with eye of newt and BBQ ribs

Treat is a 2009 California White Table Wine

It is recommended to serve

at a midnight picnic

Throwdown with Bobby Flay

Bobby Flay is in Dallas!

I am so excited!

He will be signing "Throwdown"  @ Borders today @ 5pm

"Throwdown" is one of my favorite Food Network shows

A while back I mentioned a place I've been dying to go to in Austin 

 Flip Happy Crepes

The throwdown between them and Bobby is in the book!

&

I just happen to be going

to Austin this weekend

for SITS Bloggy Bootcamp

&

I finally get to check this place out

I cannot say it enough

I'm totally pumped

This is my 2nd book signing

I learned my lesson back in December

when I attended

The Pioneer Woman's book signing

I remember getting there a little before 6pm thinking

wow, this is a breeze!

I got my book and wristband

No line at all

Only to learn

that

people had been getting wristbands

since 10am

and

I was like #400

so

6 and a half hours later..

well...

not this time...

I was at Borders by 9am today

I was one of the first 10 to get a green wristband

Bobby is supposed to start signing at 5pm

I

can

not

wait!!!

Pumpkin Topiaries

I love cinderella pumpkins!



I saw in a magazine about building your own pumpkin topiaries.

What do you think ?

Halloween Hearth

I've had these cats for a while

Not sure why I can't get the one on the left to keep his head up

Darling Goblins Plates by Ursula Dodge

Don't you love it when you pull out your holiday decorations

and find something you totally forgot about?

I bought these last year at the end of the season at TJ Maxx.

Aren't they adorable? 

San Martino Winery - Paella Night

The winery has Paella night several times a year

My friend, Misty and I have been wanting to go forever

Finally...

Misty and I (with M's friend, Melissa) were able to check it out earlier this month

This is the winery

It is located off Hwy 205

Just outside the Rockwall City Limits

Here is the paella

(rice with artichokes, peas, roasted red pepper, mushroom, squid, scallops, shrimp, pork, chicken, chorizo, mussels, clams, etc)

The paella was awesome especially paired with

their Tempranillo Reserve

They ended the meal with this Zin Port

...served

 ... in this chocolate cup

Yum

Click here to get a list of events at the winery

Halloween Decor

Here is my mantel

Here is my breakfast room table

Hot Pink Champagne Cupcakes

Don't they look delish?

Thank you Betty Crocker

Click here for the recipe

Kitchen Chic

I found this totally cute cuppa cake apron

@ Kroger's of all places 

It was marked down to $11.00 

I love love love this one

I found it at Pier One for $15

They are almost too cute to wear in the kitchen

Saturday Brunch

This past Saturday I put together a brunch

to kick off my bible study/book club

We pick a book,

read a chapter or two,

then get together once a month to discuss

good times

We'll be reading

"So Long Insecurity, You've Been a Bad Friend to Us"

by

Beth Moore

Brunch Menu

Bacon, Eggs & Toast Cups

Biscuits & Gravy

Cinnamon  & Cream Cheese Tea Sandwiches

White Chocolate-Banana Creme Brulee Tarts

Cafe Au Lait Punch

Ingredients

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

6 slices white or whole wheat bread

12 slices bacon (cooked)

12 large eggs

Coarse salt and pepper

Directions

Preheat oven 375

Lightly butter a 12 cup muffin pan

With a rolling pin, flatten bread slices slightly & with a 4 1/4 inch cookie cutter

cut into 6 rounds

Cut each round in half, then press 2 halves into each muffin cup,

overlapping slightly, making sure the bread comes up to edge of each cup

(Use extra bread to bridge gaps)

Brush bread with remaining melted butter

In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until almost crisp

(4 minutes, flipping once)

Lay 1 bacon slice in each bread cup

Crack an egg over each slice of bacon

Bake until egg whites aer just set 20-25 minutes

Run a small knife around the cups to loosen the toasts

Cafe au Lait Punch

This recipe came from the

Junior League of Baton Rouge, Louisiana

River Road Recipes IV

Warm Welcomes

Entertaining Menus from Our Home to Yours

Copyright 2004

Cafe Au Lait Punch

Ingredients

1 cup sugar

1 cup dark roast coffee  @ room temperature

1 liter ginger ale @ room temperature

1 liter club soda @ room temperature

2 cups half-n-half

1/2 gallon vanilla ice cream

Directions

Combine the sugar, coffee, ginger ale, club soda

& half-n-half in a large punch bowl

Mix Well

Fold in the ice cream

White Chocolate-Banana Creme Brulee Tart

I got this recipe from Pillsbury

This is my 2nd time to make these

They are delicious

The key is to not over cook the pastry shells



Cinnamon & Cream Cheese Tea Sandwiches

This recipe came from

100 Perfect Pairings

small plates to enjoy the wines you love

by

Jill Silverman Hough

Cinnamon & Cream Cheese Tea Sandwiches

Ingredients

1 - 3 ounce cream cheese @ room temperature

2 tablespoons sour cream

1 tsp fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

12 slices cinnamon raisin bread

1/3 cup chopped pecans, toasted

Directions

In a small bowl, combine the cream cheese, sour cream, lemon juice, salt

& cinnamon

(This can be prepared up to a day in advance storing covered in the refrigerator)

Set 2 tablespoons of cream cheese mixture aside

Spread remaining cream cheese mixture evenly on 6 slices of bread

Top with the 6 remaining pieces of bread

Trim the crusts & cut sandwiches in quarters

Place the pecans on a plate

Spread the reserved cream cheese mixture along one edge of each of the sandwiches

Gently press into the nuts

[You can prepare the sandwiches up to 4 hours in advance & store in the refrigerator]

Server cold or at room temperature

{Pairs well with gewurtraminer}