MegansCookin

Chicken with Artichoke Hearts and Angel Hair Pasta

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 09:01:08 PST

Let’s rewind, shall we. Yesterday was Martin Luther King day and I had the day off from work. It kind of messed with my schedule, making me forget to post my Martha Monday pick.

So lets rewind to Monday and start this again.

This weeks Martha Monday recipe was my pick and I choose Chicken with Artichokes and Angle Hair Pasta.

We love artichokes in this household and this looked like a quick and easy recipe. We all thought it was alright, but that was not the general opinion of the MM group. This was not a popular recipe this week.

It was quick and easy, but many thought it was bland and tasteless. Pru even suggested brightening up the flavor with some lemon, and I would like to see some pepper added also. I also used the whole can of broth for more sauce, which it needed, so I highly suggest.

When I asked the family what they thought, here’s how it went;

Me: What do you think?

Hubby: Is it healthy?

Me: Sort of.

Hubby: It’s OK then.

Me: Kellie?

Kellie: It’s OK

Next time I’ll use this recipe more as a blank canvas in which to build and create.

I believe this recipe has potential!

You can find the recipe here:

Chicken with Artichokes and Angle Hair Pasta

{Little Bites} Roquefort Grapes

Tue, 27 Dec 2011 08:27:35 PST

As we bring another year to a close, I have a perfect little bite to go with your New Years champagne or cider.

These little grape and cheese balls are great if your going to a big celebration, or just having a little intimate gathering at home. They are just quite simply, fresh little grapes all dressed up for the holidays, in a cream cheese and blue cheese mixture, rolled in nuts.They can be made ahead of time so you don’t have to fuss when it’s party time!

Simple, delicious, and elegant!

For me, that’s what it’s all about!

But these little cheese balls aren’t just for New Year’s Eve.

Oh no!

I have had these little gems on many occasions, including my own wedding. And today, I’m taking them to a virtual birthday party!

Happy Bloggy Birthday Shelby!!!

Shelby, from the terrific blog, The Life and Love of Grumpy’s Honeybunch, is having a 4 year celebration. I’ve been following Shelby and Grumpy for… well, almost the whole time! I love keeping up with the family story and I love to see what’s cookin in her home. You will find lots of recipes including her party recipe for Brie Popover Bites.

And she is having a $50.00 gift card giveaway.

Now for the details on the Giveaway and how to enter – Good Luck!

Leave a comment on this blog post telling me your favorite appetizer.
Visit the blog links that will take you to my blogging buddies page where they have joined in the celebration party and leave a comment on their post. Each comment will count as One (1) entry.
Giveaway will end on January 7th at 5 PM EST.
Winner will be announced on January 8th via blog post on The Life & Loves of Grumpy’s Honeybunch.
Winner will be chosen via random drawing – drawing to be done by Grumpy.
Value of giftcard will be $50 and is your choice of ONE of the options listed below:

Sears
Kohl’s
Amazon
Target
Wal-Mart
Chili’s
Uno’s
Marshalls / T.J. Maxx
Bed, Bath & Beyond
Macaroni Grill
Olive Garden
Starbucks
Barnes & Noble

Now, help yourself to some Roquefort grapes, and…

Let’s Party!

Roquefort Grapes

6 oz whole almonds
8 oz cream cheese
2 oz crumbled Roquefortcheese
2 TBSP cream
1 pound seedless grapes, red or green, washed and dries

To toast nuts, preheat oven to 275 degrees.
Spread nuts on baking sheet and bake until light golden brown. Chop cooled nuts rather coarsely and spread out on a plate.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the cream cheese, Roquefort cheese, and cream. Beat till combined and smooth.
Drop clean, dry, grape into cheese mixture and gently stir by hand to coat them. Then roll the coated grapes in nuts and put on a tray lined with wax paper.
Chill until ready to serve.

Note: There is a link collection at the end of this post that will take you to each blogger’s post where you can see what appetizer they made, and leave a comment for an entry in the giveaway.

This post is also linked to:

Lunch with American Express Serve

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 05:17:35 PST

Recently I was selected to participate in the latest opportunity from Foodbuzz, Serve from American Express. Their web site explains it best,

Serve is a next-generation digital payments platform that helps you organize your money, send and receive funds, and manage payment requests — all from a single, unified online account. Serve makes paying and being paid simple.

OK, I’m game! Sign me up.

I got to invited the girls to go out to one of my favorite restaurants and enjoy a meal where we would split the bill using our Serve account.

And… each of the girls got a $10.00 credit just for giving it a try.

We went to the Moonstone Bistro. I like the relaxing atmosphere, where the art and the menu change with the seasons. It was nice to take that little pause during the hustle and bustle of the holiday season to enjoy good food and good company.

We dined on one of my favorite, the Teriyaki Mushroom Swiss Burger. A ground beef patty with crimini mushrooms sautéed in teriyaki, with melted swiss cheese on their homemade roll with aioli, served with French fries.

We also ordered the Prawn Alfredo. Garlic seared prawns on house made fettuccine pasta with haricot vert, herbed Parmigiano-Reggiano cream…We ordered a couple plates of both and shared family style. It was relaxing and delicious!

And when it came time to pay up, we had no worries. With Serve from American Express, we were able to settle up fast and instantly by sending and receiving money securely, on our mobile phones. Gotta love that!

Would you like to try it?

Sign up for Serve and receive $10 credit towards your first use!

Contest Closed. Congrats to #16 Ruth from The Tasty Truth!

Comment below within the next 7 days for your chance to win an extra $100 credit to your account!

Disclaimer: As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program, I received a $250 stipend to try Serve from American Express. The opinions are 100% mine. Official sweepstakes rules and regulations may be found here: http://www.foodbuzz.com/blogs/4622317-win-serve-dollars-giveaway-official-rules”

{SRC} Maple Glazed Pecans

Mon, 05 Dec 2011 08:00:32 PST

I love a good candied nut. I can eat them by the handfuls and I always have them in my salads. I love my spiced nut recipe, but I think I just found a new favorite. This maple glazed nut has the flavors of Christmas and is perfect for the holidays.

This month for the Secret Recipe Club, I was assigned the blog This Chick Cooks. It’s all about Katie’s journey to eat healthy, with a few treats along the way. Katie is a wife and stay at home mom who is trying to focus on natural, whole foods and eliminate processed items such as white sugar and white flour from the family diet. She has some great healthy options, like her nutritious Pumpkin Pie Smoothie.

What caught my eye so quickly was her healthy Christmas series The Twelve Weeks of Healthier Christmas Gifts and Recipes.

On week 3, she posted a simple recipe for these maple glazed nuts. I swapped out the recommended cinnamon for some pumpkin pie spice, and they are perfect for the holiday season. Actually they’re perfect for anytime, but they have a little holiday spirit using the pumpkin pie spice. Quick, easy, and delicious, you cant go wrong with this recipe!

Maple Glazed Pecans

2 cups of pecans
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/8 teaspoon sea salt

Combine syrup, spice and sea salt.
Preheat a dry skillet to medium-high.
Add pecans and syrup mixture and cook for about 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until the syrup is caramelized.
Spread them on a greased tray to cool.

Note: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.

To learn more about the Secret Recipe Club, or to join in on the fun, visit The Secret recipe Club.

{Cocktail Time} A Reindeer’s Breath!

Fri, 02 Dec 2011 14:10:15 PST

I’m a morning person.
The hubby? He’s a night owl.
So I have the coffee pot maker primed and set, ready to brew me a fresh pot at 6:00am. Sometimes 5-5:30!

The hubby lazily wakes up hours later to coffee that’s been on the burner way too long, and it’s usually cold.

Recently I was sent a couple of boxes of Starbucks coffee K-Cup portion packs. They are individual little packs that really do brew the perfect cup of coffee. So now… I can have a fresh brewed cup of coffee at 6AM, while the hubby can have a fresh brewed cup of coffee at 9AM

How perfect is that?

And with 6 different Starbuck blends to enjoy, we can have a Starbuck experience right in our own home. I like to have the Breakfast Blend in the morning, as soon as I wake up. It’s a light bodied, mild roast, but I also enjoy the Cafe Verona for an afternoon pick me up, or to make this hot toddy!.

It’s really a win win situation!

The Starbuck K-Cup portion packs really do make it easier to brew up a cup of good quality coffee, in like… a minute. Seriously!

And that makes it even easier to whip up this holiday drink,

The Reindeer’s Breath.

You see…back in yesteryear, I lived in Reno, Nevada for a spell. On the way up the mountain, en route to Incline Village on Lake Tahoe, there is a quaint little lodge/bar, named The Reindeer Lodge. There, they had a nice hot drink called The Reindeer’s Breath. I remember it was half coffee, half hot chocolate, and it had four different liquors. That was many moons ago, and I don’t really recall the liquors anymore, but I have made up my own version of the infamous Reindeer’s Breath.

Still half coffee, half hot chocolate, but my version is spiked with a shot of Brandy and a shot of Kahlua Peppermint Mocha liqueur. If you cant find this limited edition Kahlua, you can substitute some regular Kahlua, or a mocha liquor and some peppermint Schnapps. Top that with a good shot of whip cream, some Christmas sprinkles, and garnish with a candy cane. Sit back and enjoy the season!

Reindeer’s Breath

Serves two

1 cup Hot Chocolate

1 cup Strong coffee

2 ounces brandy

2 ounces Kahlua

whip cream

Red and green sprinkles

2 candy canes

Pour half a cup of hot chocolate and half a cup of coffee into 2 10-ounce coffee cups. Pour in brandy and the Kahlua peppermint mocha liquor. Stir and top with whip cream and sprinkles. Use a candy cane as a stirrer stick in each cup.

As a Featured Publisher with Foodbuzz, I received a coffee maker and a few boxes of Starbuck K-Cup coffee to try. However, all opinions are 100% my own!

Fall Inspired Wedding Dessert Buffet

Fri, 18 Nov 2011 09:13:30 PST

I was asked a few months back if I would be interested in doing a dessert bar for my co-worker’s daughters wedding.

Was I interested? Heck ya!

I quickly gathered the troops (thank you Michelle and Jennifer!) to help me out and the brainstorming began.

The bride, Kymberly, was getting married on 11/11/11. Not very fond of wedding cake, they also wanted to include finger desserts in a Fall inspired theme. She gave me full control of the desserts and the table decorations.

I think we did OK.

We made about one hundred of each, of seven different bites.We made Mocha Truffles, rolled in cocoa and gold sanding sugar.

And mini cheesecakes with cherry filling, and some with a caramel filling.

Cute little pumpkin pies with a pastry leaf garnish helped pull of the Fall theme.

Cake balls!

Lot’s of cake balls. We made red velvet cake centers and dipped them in both dark chocolate and white chocolate.

The chocolate dipped ones were sprinkled with gold sugar, tied with a little gold ribbon, and placed in a gold cup.

Cake balls!

Lot’s of cake balls. We made red velvet cake centers and dipped them in both dark chocolate and white chocolate.

The chocolate dipped ones were sprinkled with gold sugar, tied with a little gold ribbon, and placed in a gold cup.

And the white chocolate ones got a coat of PME edible pearl luster spray. It was a nice touch for a wedding.

The brides mother loves lemon bars. So we made Lemon Bars with White Chocolate Chips.

Remember the glittered pumpkins and pine cones that I made?They made perfect table decorations with a little sprig of cedar.

The flower centerpieces were amazing!

The brides favorite story growing up was beauty and the beast.

She found her dream wedding dress through the Disney fairytale wedding line and it’s in Alfred Angelo’s 2011 dress collection. The flowers in the middle of the vases represent the rose in the story that loses it’s petals. Luckily everything turned out in the story and the rose never died, so the beast remained the prince!

I’m so glad Kymberly found her prince!

We also served cream puffs, and at the grooms request, little chocolate pie cups.

Here is some more of my pretty sparkly pumpkins!

And this was the the dessert table’s centerpiece. It was full of Fall colored flowers, while the rest of the wedding centerpieces were made of roses.

Here’s the bride and groom being introduced at the reception. What a lovely couple!

And to finish it off, this is the flower girl and ring barer. Let me just tell you how cute these two kids were. They stole the show. They were out tearing up the dance floor song after song. He was twirling her and they had a ball!

What a couple of cuties!

For more info, check out

Alfred Anngelo’s wedding collection

PME Luster Spray

Mocha Truffles

Red Velvet Cake Balls

Lemon Bars with White Chocolate Chips

{Martha Monday) Glittered Pumpkins!

Mon, 14 Nov 2011 08:01:37 PST

With Thanksgiving almost here, I wanted to add some glitter and cheer. I wanted some fun decorations to spruce up the home and sparkle up the holiday table . These mini pumpkins and pine cones did just that!

This week, it was my turn to pick the Martha Monday project and I was thrilled to find Martha’s Glittered pumpkins. Her instructions were to paint your pumpkins with a little white glue and sprinkle with glitter. I started it that way, but sorry Martha, they needed more oomph. So I got out a can of copper paint, gave them a good coat, and sprinkled the glitter on the wet paint. So easy, yet so elegant!

I used 4 different glitter colors to add lots of pretty sparkle. And then my eye caught some pine cones my friend brought over. Move over pumpkins, there’s a new idea brewing. So the pine cones got a shiny coat and some sparkle too. I was also going to try spray painting acorns and glittering just the caps but didn’t get to those. I also thought about gourds.

These were so easy to make and added so much warmth and holiday cheer. In fact, I did a wedding dessert table (more to come on the that later) and used them for the table decorations. The photographer liked them so much, she kept taking pictures of them, and even asked how I made them.

And she put the brides ring on one of them for a photo opp.

Next year, I’m going to buy different colored paints, like bronze, gold, and more copper. I might even try bigger pumpkins and pine cones.

I’m picturing them outside the front door, sure to make a impression!

{Kitchen Play} Skirt Steak Tacos with Black Bean and Corn Salsa

Tue, 01 Nov 2011 05:00:14 PDT

Skirt Steak Tacos are a huge family favorite around here. So when I was invited to participate in the November side car series at Kitchen PLAY featuring Bush’s Beans, I knew exactly what to make. A delicious and simple dinner time favorite.

Grilled skirt steak doesn’t last long when it comes off the bbq and gets sliced up. Everyone seems to walk by and snag a few pieces. I’m lucky if the meat isn’t half eaten by the time we’re ready to stuff the taco shells. To stretch the budget, but still keep my family happy, I used Bush’s Beans to make a black bean salsa. Black beans are one of my favorite beans and when made into a salsa, it’s all I need to make my taco complete. Onions, garlic, charred corn, cilantro, and a little lime juice jazz up the black beans and put a kick in your bite. My husband likes a little jalapeno, but I didn’t put it in because the kid can’t take the heat. But if it’s your thing, be sure to add some. I also used a little red bell pepper, because I had a wee bit left in the fridge and it added a little color.

I hope you enjoy these tacos as much as my family does. I’ll bet it will become your family’s favorite too.

Skirt Steak Tacos with Black Bean Salsa

1 1/2 lbs skirt steak
1 pkg marinade mix (made according to package directions)
1 can Bush’s Black Beans
1 small onion
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup cilantro
1 tbs lime juice
2 TBS chopped red pepper
1/4 cup frozen charred corn (regular corn is fine too)
8 Tortillas

1. Marinate skirt steak in marinade for 15 minutes. Grill for 4-5 minutes on each side till done. Let the meat rest 15 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, place onion, garlic, and cilantro into the bowl of a food chopper. Add lime juice. Process just till chopped. Dump into a medium size bowl and stir in beans, red pepper, and corn.

3. Slice steak into thin strips. Place a few steak strips into a warm tortilla and top with black bean salsa.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Bushes Beans for Kitchen Play. All opinions are 100% mine.

{Foodbuzz 24×24} A Sierra Nevada Brewery Tour and Tasting!

Sun, 30 Oct 2011 18:58:55 PDT

After learning the basics of home brewing, Ken Grossman began brewing his own 5 gallon batches of beer, using homemade brewing supplies. In 1978, he supplied the town of Chico, CA with The Home Brewing Store, offering supplies, equipment, and advice. He began studying chemistry and physics at the local community college and then at the California State University at Chico, always dreaming of opening his own brewery.

In 1978, that dream became a realty.

Ken and the brewery’s co-founder Paul Camusi constructed a brewery using old dairy tanks, a soft-drink bottler, and other second hand equipment that Ken restored from old, defunct breweries. Using only premium ingredients, he created a first rate microbrewery that Ken named after one of his favorite hiking places, The Sierra Nevada Mountains.

Today Sierra Nevada brewery has the capacity to brew up to almost 800,000 barrels of beer per year. Staying true to their commitment to quality and traditional brewing methods, you can still find Ken overseeing the entire brewing operation.

As part of Foodbuzz’s 24, 24 program, I went to the Sierra Nevada Brewery and enjoyed the tour and tasting, then stayed for an extraordinary culinary delight.

Hop Cones

Ingredients

They use only premium barley, hand selected and estate grown hops, their own hand cultured yeast, and natural spring water pumped from a deep aquifer, that is collected from the melted snow pack of Sierra Mountains. We were able to taste 4 different seeds of barley, and rub the hop flower cone between our hands to release the oils. Then you can cup your nose and get the full bouquet of the aroma.of the hops.

The brew tanks

Brew House

The brewing process starts in the hydrating malt mill, where they crack the malted barley grains. Before crushing the grain, it is sprayed with hot water to soften them, resulting in a more intact husk. The resulting grist is then mixed in the mash tun, activating naturally present enzymes to convert the barley’s starches into sugars. Running hot water through the mash in the lauter tun,they extract the sugars and flavor components into a sweet syrup called wort. We were able to taste the wort. It was a non alcoholic sweet syrup, that I didn’t really like. Then the wort is boiled with hops in their brew kettles.

Fermentation

Living yeasts convert the malt sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide during the fermentation stage. The type of beer produced depends on the strain of yeast and the fermentation temperature.

Ale yeasts ferment best at warmer temperatures—as high as 75° F. Because yeasty foam rises to the surface of the beer, these are known as “top-fermenting” yeasts, which produce a robustly flavorful and aromatic beer. During this process, they allow the temperature of the fermenting beer to climb to 68°F, hold it there for several days, and then slowly cool the fermented beer. The beer naturally clarifies and the flavor matures during an additional period of cold conditioning below32°F

Their lager is produced using a yeast that prefers cooler temperatures below 50 degrees and are called “bottom-fermenting” yeasts. That’s because they they sink to the bottom of the tank at the end of fermentation stage and during the cold-storage period that can take up to eight weeks. This process removes haze and gives lagers their clean, rounded tastes.

Filtration

They cold-filter all their beers, removing haze-forming proteins and yeast. This technique produces a clear, bright beer without affecting the flavor and aroma.

The bottling area

Packaging

Oxygen and beer are enemies. Sierra Nevada’s entire brewing process is designed to eliminate dissolved oxygen in their beer. They actually evacuate the air from the bottle before filling them with the beer. Just before bottling the ales, they receive a small dosage of brewer’s yeast. This produces a second fermentation in the bottle and helps the naturally occurring carbonation.

Soon, you will able to find Sierra Nevada beer in cans! They have just added canning equipment inside the bottling plant. They will be more cost efficient to export beer in cans and let’s face it, you can take cans places where you wouldn’t want to take glass bottles.

The Tasting Room

We completed our tour with a stop at the tasting room, tasting eight different beers. There I am, thats me in the picture with glass in hand. See me? Towards the back.

My favorite was the Kellerweis. It was a light and refreshing beer with a complexity of flavors. The yeast provides hints of spice and fruit flavors, including ripe banana and cloves.

The Sampler

After the tour, we tasted the entire line up of Sierra Nevada’s award winning brews from Pale Ales to Stouts including their just released seasonal brews and special releases. We also ordered the sausage trio as an appetizer, but I didn’t get a picture. I was too excited about the beer sampler that was set before me. We sat at the outdoor patio under the arched trellises shading us with climbing wisteria vines. It was a perfect afternoon.

Wood Oven Baked Beef and Blue Cheese Pizza

They share the same philosophy in their kitchen as they do in the brewery. Using only prime ingredients, they feature local, artisanal, and seasonal ingredients, as well as choice aged beef from their own locally raised herd. For dinner, we selected two entrees to share.

The first one was the Beef and Blue Cheese Pizza. It had strips of Filet Mignon, blue cheese, and Yukon Gold potatoes with a garlic cream sauce, Italian cheeses, Estate herbs, and crispy red onions. There were no complaints!

Filet Fettuccine Gorgonzola

The second entree was a pasta dish. It had filet mignon tips sauteed with red onion, mushrooms, spinach, and a Gorgonzola cream sauce served over fettuccine. Garnished with local red walnuts and a malted balsamic reduction, it was superb.

Chocolate Brownie Sundae

You cant have a delicious day with out ending with a delicious dessert. We shared a a rich and decadent brownie served with local homemade Shubert’s ice cream topped off with a crisp chocolate layer. Excellent and satisfying!

The few parts of the whole experience that stood out to me (besides the food and beer!) was

1.Learning about their commitment to the environment, everything from the solar panels to the recycling. From the recovery of heat and CO2, both by-products reused, to the water conservation, it’s nice to see up close and personal, that there are company’s that really care. Ken isn’t a wait and see kind of guy. He’s on the cutting edge!

2. The moral and care of the employee. They have on site health care and monthly massages for all employees. For a minimal cost, they have on site day care for the employee’s children. They also get beer bucks with each and every paycheck redeemable for a case of beer. If you work in the girt shop or guiding tours, you are allowed up to 20 ounces of beer per shift. Sign me up!

3. Dream! Dreams really do come true.

Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

1075 East 20th Street
Chico, CA.

Taproom and restaurant Hours

Sunday – Thursday: 11:00 am – 9:00 pm
Friday & Saturday: 11:00 am – 10:00 pm

Brewery Tours

Monday – Thursday: 12:00 pm, 1:00 pm, 2:00 pm & 4:00 pm
Friday and Saturday: 12:00 pm, 1:00 pm, 2:00 pm, 3:00 pm, 4:00 pm & 5:00 pm
Sunday: 12:00 pm, 1:00 pm, 2:00 pm, 3:00 pm & 4:00 pm

Gift Shop Hours

Sunday – Thursday: 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Friday & Saturday: 10:00 am – 7:00 pm

Please note that the pub will be CLOSED on the following days:

Thursday, Nov. 24, 2011
Monday, Dec. 12, 2011
Sunday, Dec. 25; 2011
Sunday, Jan. 1, 2012

As part of Foodbuzz Featured Publisher program, I received a stipend for this post. All thoughts and opinions are 100% mine.