Sunday, September 22, 2019

A Fall Table Setting and Zucchini Zots....





I set a simple table with Mackenzie-Childs checks and Pioneer Woman flowers...


The centerpiece is an artificial pumpkin and I also added a mini vase of marigolds, mint and chives.  (This is a good way to use the last of your herbs)


We finished the last bottle of Rose.....this bottle is so pretty, but the Rose is just average!


I made the table runner and painted the wine glasses!


The bread and butter plates held a pressed butter leaf....


One of the appetizers I served was a new recipe I found online

The recipe for Zucchini Zots comes from Debbie-Dabble's Blog .....


....and I added an extra seasoning to the mixture....


...a little cajun spice!


Mix together: 
2 c grated zucchini
1/4 c parmesan cheese ( I used parmesan/romano)
1/2 c mozzarella cheese
1/2 Italian bread crumbs
3 lg eggs
season with: onion and garlic salt, parsley and fresh ground pepper
1 t cajun seasoning
Press into well greased 12 muffin cup pan and top with some mozzarella
Bake @ 400' for 25 min


These were a hit, and made a perfect appetizer!

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Remember my lack of a green thumb?....

I think I found a way I like to garden...no bug, no snakes, no worms, no frogs, etc.

I bought a Keter planter this past spring and I planted a Roma tomato plant, a pepper plant, basil, cilantro, parsley mint and lemon thyme.  I have never had a problem growing herbs, but anything else seems to die....


...well to be fair, I am not the best caretaker of plants because I often forget about them and they die very quickly!   But this worked well for me this year...


My tomato plant grew and grew and produced so many tomatoes and in my excitement, I forgot to take more photos!

But my little "salsa garden" was a great success for me and there are only a few more tomatoes waiting to ripen.

Next year I might just plant tomatoes and peppers and put the herbs in another pot.  

I canned a few jars of tomato sauce....



....ate a lot of tomato and cucumber salads....


.....and enjoyed lots of salsa!


I wish I could say I enjoy gardening as much as I enjoy the harvest, but that would be a lie!!  

But it is "growing" on me!!






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Thursday, September 19, 2019

Amuse Bouche....



"A little bite of food to amuse the mouth and invigorate the palate".




Here are two ideas for an easy "amuse bouche" if you are having a small group for dinner:

Mini Deviled Eggs:


To serve 8: Boil two eggs, peel and separate egg yolk from white.  Mix yolk, 2 T mayo and 1t mustard and put into a cake frosting piping tube.  Cut each egg white into 4 long pieces.  Pipe the egg yolk onto each egg white piece and sprinkle with smoked tomato seasoning or smoked paprika, place on an appetizer spoon.  Garnish with parsley and chives:



*****

Another quick idea is to mix up a small batch of salsa (tomatoes, garlic, onion, cucumber, chives, cilantro and salsa seasoning).  Place a small slice of herbal cheese onto an appetizer spoon ....


.....and top with tomato mixture 




These little appetizer spoons make it easy to prepare individual little "tastes" to amuse the palate!  They can be prepared ahead of time and ready to serve right before dinner is served!!

Other ideas might include:
A mini meatball
A cuke with a dollop of flavored cream cheese
A scallop wrapped in bacon
A pickled beet slice with a dollop of cottage cheese
Tomato, basil and a drizzle of balsamic

I have 12 of each style of appetizer spoons and they make it easy to  prepare these little bites and make a pretty presentation!


Saturday, September 14, 2019

Girl's Trip to NYC....


"The Big Apple"...."The city that doesn't sleep"..."These streets will make you feel brand new, big lights will inspire you"..."the City of Dreams"....New York is always a good idea"....




I just returned from a fabulous "Girl's Trip" to NYC.  We flew into JFK at sunrise....


...and after checking into the hotel....


...we were treated to champagne and caviar at the Plaza.


The five of us enjoyed lots of champagne and cocktails ....


...and excellent dining.


We had a "deli lunch party" at MacKenzie-Childs in Soho, chatted with Greg and Kevin, and I purchased a sweet treasure from behind me in the photo below!  As always, our visit was lots of fun!


We enjoyed art galleries:



We saw "Beautiful" and "Moulin Rouge" and it is tough to say which was my favorite !
 I LOVE musicals!!


The Pedi-cab ride from 42nd St to 60th ST was terrifying and hilarious at the same time....especially when the police came up behind us with a "woop, woop".....I haven't laughed that loud in a long time!!

We went to Hudson Yards and the Vessel....


....Ground Zero, St Patrick's Cathedral, Rockefeller Center, Tiffany, Canal St and we shopped a few boutiques in SoHo....


...and the last day we cruised the Hudson on a lunch cruise...
 


 It certainly is the "city that doesn't sleep"!






I’m at the corner of 1st and 1st… How can the same street intersect with itself? It must be at the nexus of the universe.Cosmo Kramer, Seinfield