in Salads 0

Goat Cheese, Mango, and Steak Salad

Steak, Goat cheese, and Mango Salad One of my goals on here is to help you become more comfortable with inviting friends to “life at your table”. Wether it’s a diet coke and peanuts during a play date or neighbors over for dinner, invite someone over. I promise it will be worth the effort! This salad can be done ahead of time and looks fancier then it is. Red leaf and butter lettuce Avocado, sliced Asparagus, roasted and chopped Mango relish- Store bought pineapple salsa with fresh mango and cilantro (tastes homemade) Grilled shrimp, steak, or chicken Goat cheese log Macadamia nuts, chopped or ground in blender Asian Soy dressing- combine 1/2 C EVOO 2 Limes, juiced 1/3 C Red wine vinegar 2-3 TB Soy sauce 1 TB garlic 2 green onions, chopped Dash of sugar Dash of Sesame oil Ground pepper Macadamia Goat cheese patty – Squish goat cheese into disk shape. Coat in ground macadamia nuts. Put patty in toaster oven or high heat in oven for 1-2 minutes. (Nuts burn easily so keep watch). Pineapple mango salsa-…

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in Dinner 0

Cheese Filled Meatballs with Creamy Polenta

I will never eat noodles with meatballs again. This meal is like a dream come true and I’ve eaten it three nights in a row as proof. POLENTA Traditional Italian Polenta (pre-cooked polenta in the log form found at most grocery stores) Milk 1/2-3/4 C Parmesan cheese S&P TOMATO SAUCE 28 oz canned tomatoes 1-2 TB sugar 1 TB Italian spices 1 jar tomato sauce MEATBALL 2 lb extra lean ground beef (96% lean) 3/4 C crumbled Caramelized onion cheddar cheese (Trader Joes) 1/2 Yellow onion, grated with zester 2 TB garlic 3 slices wheat bread, soaked in milk and crumbled 2 TB Worcestershire sauce 2 TB Italian spices (basil, oregano) S&P Heat polenta in sauce pan and add milk as needed to thin out. Add Parmesan until melted through and S&P. Heat canned tomatoes, sugar, and spices and reduce by half. Add jarred tomato sauce and continue to warm through. Combine all meatball ingredients and form into 1 1/2 inch balls. In a sauté pan sear meatballs in EVOO on a couple of sides. Add meatballs to tomato sauce…

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in Dessert 0

Grilled Peaches with Vanilla and Honey Mascarpone

Peach Season is almost over! You can’t miss this amazing peach dessert! 8 Peaches 6 TB Honey 3 TB Butter 1 carton Mascarpone cheese 1 TB Vanilla bean paste 1 loaf Pound cake, grilled Combine 3 TB honey with 3TB butter and coat peach halves. (Keep leftover mixture). Grill on Traeger until grill marks form on both sides. Combine one container of mascarpone cheese, 3 TB honey, and 1 TB vanilla bean paste. Slice pound cake and grill on high for one minute on each side. Layer grilled peach on top of pound cake and top with mascarpone cheese honey mixture. Drizzle leftover honey butter mixture on top.

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in Tips and Tricks, Uncategorized 0

Party Planning Timeline

3 Months Out: Pick a theme for your party or an inspiration picture that you’ll base your party around. My “Favorite Things” Party was all inspired by a Navy and Orange striped bag I saw in a catalogue a couple of months ago. Pick a date that will work best for your family and guests. Be very thoughtful around school events, community happenings, and sport programs in your area. Talk to friends to make sure you’re not forgetting about anything important. The biggest party planning mistake is scheduling your party on a very busy night for your friends. I find Thursday nights are the best for girlfriends and Saturday night for a couples or family party. Pick your guest list. It may be a small dinner party, a larger girls night, or family BBQ. Make sure that each family or guest knows at least 1-2 other guests. I often bring many different groups of friends together and as long as they know a couple of other people it will all run smoothly. Everyone DOES NOT need to know each other….

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in Drinks 0

Apple Cream Mocktail

Apple Cream Mocktails are perfect for watching football this weekend. The best part is the chocolate covered apple slice! 2 parts cream (or diet) cream soda 1 part Apple Cider (Trader Joes’s is the best) Mint leaves Apple, sliced White Chocolate Cinnamon Sugar Seep Apple cider with mint overnight. Mix with Cream Soda and ice. Slice Apple. Dip skin side in melted white chocolate then dip in cinnamon sugar mixture. Refrigerate before serving. ETC. The best way to keep your apple slices from turning brown is to soak them in cold salt water. Rinse and they’ll never turn brown!

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