This Week's Funky Flowers

Wine Snob Confession

I sometimes buy wine just because of the name on the bottle.

I know this is shocking news...
but

I CAN NOT help it !

I must admit it's "hit or miss"
Sometimes you can find some pretty decent wines, and other times, not.

My favorite out of this bunch were Twisted Chardonnay and Purple Cowboy Tenacious Red.

Beer Chili Spaghetti

So, I had some of Dad's Beer Chili in the freezer.

So, I decided to make chili spaghetti which is one of my favorite comfort foods.

I do not know why.

My son isn't a big fan of it.

Mixing chili with spaghetti isn't very italian to him, and he just can't wrap his head around it.

The recipe is simple. 

Get your favorite pasta and your favorite chili. 

Cook pasta per the package directions.

Warm up the chili. 

I always cut up a white onion and throw it in with the chili leaving some for garnish.

 Here I used my new favorite ingredients  listed below

Usually I just grate cheddar cheese and mix in the chili while it's cooking and then garnish with it as well.

Really, you can use anything you wish to make it your own.

New Food Discoveries

Homemade Bread

Doesn't it look pretty on my new Pottery Barn board?

I recently read that apparently the "No Knead Bread" is one of the most blogged about recipes almost to the point that it might be considered lame to post it again.

Well, that's ok because sometimes lame is my middle name.

This Week's Funky Flowers

Love the roses..

but from a distance you can't see the roses...

all you see is what looks like 3 blades of grass

Maybe it's me...

Maybe I just do not understand the art of flower arranging...

Random Acts of...

 ...PINK

Isn't this a cute tree?

I got this as a gift from a sweet sweet girl who saw it and thought of me!

Wow!

What an amazing compliment!

I have it at my desk at work, and it makes me smile everytime I look at it.

Pottery Barn Decorating Classes

Pottery Barn has been offering free decorating classes for a couple of years now. I finally made it one this last Sunday.  The class started at 10:30am before the store opened.

There were about 15 people.

It was very comfortable and informal.

I highly recommend attending one. They hold them about one a month.

We got the 2010 Spring Color Palette

Everyone got 10% coupon. I bought this pizza cutting board.

It is normally $39.00 but marked down to $19.97.

I love a good bargain!

Hearts

I ♥ them!

Anytime I see something with a heart on it, I have to have it.

This is a picture of all things ♥ that I have collected over the years.

To be honest, I do not think this is EVERYTHING I own ♥.

As a matter of fact, it isn't..
Check these out!

The fluted ♥ pan is from Pampered Chef. I have never used this one.

The pan with the small ♥'s has been used numerous times.
I make white chocolate candy ♥s with nuts and toffee chips.

The bottom pan with the "ruffled ♥" hasn't been used in along time.
The last thing I remember making is "Champagne & Blueberry Jelly" molds for a brunch many years ago.
I found the recipe, so I will make them and take a picture this time.

Bet you can't guess what my favorite holiday is...

Actually, I see ♥ shape cooking with all these pans in the very near future.
Stay tuned...

Flourless Chocolate Cake

I got the recipe from The Amateur Gourmet.

Click here for his recipe.

Bittersweet chocolate, unsalted butter, cocoa, sugar, eggs

I used the 10 inch springform pan that he refers to on his website.

It gives it more of a "tart" or "torte" look.

Do not be fooled by the simplicity of this cake.

It's not a fancy looking cake, but

oMg

It is so good!

It is crunchy on the outside and cheesecakey like on the inside.

Chocolate ooey goodness!

I added cinnamon and a pinch of cayenne pepper to the cocoa to give it a little zing!

&

Dusted it with powdered sugar

Now that I know how to make it, I will make a raspberry sauce to go with it next time!

On the hunt for Bundt...

...not really...

but

I just cannot seem to get away from this topic, like at Christmas when I blogged about it twice

Yesterday, I stopped at a local Goodwill - in search of all things written of and by "Julia Child".

(I am sorry, I refuse to spend $30 on any of her books when I just KNOW they are out there collecting dust)

Like this one that I found on a shelf at my stepmom's house..

anyway, I digress,

While at Goodwill, I found this bundt pan in it's original packaging!

It was burnt orange, and it even had the original instructions

 (which in itself makes me laugh - who needs instructions on how to use a bundt pan? )

The pan was scratched up pretty bad, so I resisted the urge to buy it..

even though as I sit here right now typing this,

I want to go back to Goodwill this instant to get it before someone else does.

But I keep asking myself, "Why? When I really do not even cook with bundt pans but once a year"

Then I tell my "other" self that "it's a collector's item"

but then I envision the conversation with the Clean House patrol on why I'm hanging on to something that I can't use. It's not like I'm going to actually display it anywhere.

I'd like to say this is the last you are going to hear from me on the subject of the bundt,

but I just cannot make any guarantees at this time.