A Little Idea... Throw Yourself a Birthday Party!

My Birthday Day Trip to Salt Lake City!

Want some fun with the girls?  Here's an idea... plan a "stay-cation".  Visit fun local sites and shops.  Make a day of it!  I did!

Here is the invitation that I sent to everyone:
Come celebrate with me!
I am so looking forward to our day out on Saturday! My hope is that we
will discover some fun/cool places in our own hometown. Here is our
itinerary for the day....

A Little Cuisine... Stuffed Mushrooms

by Tami

MMMMMMushrooms

We have had the fanciest of fancy stuffed mushrooms and we would prefer these over any! 

They are my husband's favorite appetizer.

Easy Stuffed Mushrooms

I 8oz Cream cheese

I lb. sausage

garlic salt

Mushrooms

Parsley for garnish

Remove stems from mushrooms and chop.

Brown sausage, season with garlic salt,  add mushroom stems and cream cheese.

Cook over medium heat until the cream cheese has melted.

Fill the mushrooms, sprinkle parsley over the top and Broil 8-10 minutes until browned on top.

{Read all posts by Tami}

A Little Idea... Circus Themed Kid's Party

by Tami

Step right up!

We just had a birthday party for my 2 and 3 year old boys. As you can see our theme was

a circus party....

The menu was of course carnival food...

-Corn Dogs (polish dogs for the adults with all the toppings, sauerkraut, relish, mustards, etc)

-French Fries with fry sauce

-Fresh fruit

-Cupcakes

-Candy bars

-Pop Corn 

-Cotton Candy

-Lemonade

-Rice Crispy Cake

-Mini drumstick ice cream cones (100 calories, but who's counting!)

 

-Upon arrival each child had to tell me the pass word that was written on a ballon included in their invite.

-They then got their goodie bag that had stickers and tickets for the games!

-We played games....

-The Lion Tamer: 2 lion tamers held the giant hula hoop while the lion children crawled through.

Similar to the limbo.

-Ball toss.

-Prizes: animal noses and punching bags

-Carnival themed music was playing throughout the party

-Daddy the clown made balloon animals for the kids

-I made the birthday boys hats out of scrapbook paper, feathers, pipe cleaners, and pom poms

-Upon departure guests had their picture taken in our photo booth with the new Polaroid camera. They took home their pictures

 for a souvenir

-Photo Booth: wrapping paper on the wall

Everyone had a great time! My little guys are growing up so fast!

Inspiration for carnival party found here.

A Little Cuisine... Faux Fry Anything!

by Tami

Faux Fry ANYTHING!

In the pictured dish I took chicken strips dipped them in an egg wash ( 1 whole egg and 1 egg white) 

then breaded with crushed saltines( because I didn't have any bread crumbs)parmesan cheese and coconut.

Spritz or spray with cooking oil and Faux Fry (Cook at a high temp for a short time to give the food a fried effect!)

Bake on a silpat lined baking sheet at 450 for 8 minutes. Dip into any sweet sauce! YUM!

A 'real' recipe

Dijon Parmesan Breaded Chicken

3 TBSP Dijon Mustard

3 Egg whites

1 cup flour

1 cup panko bread crumbs

1 cup grated parmesan cheese

8-10 chicken strips

Combine mustard and egg whites. Combine bread crumbs and cheese.

Bread the chicken in this order Flour/Egg whites/Bread Crumbs. When breading always keep one hand wet and one hand dry.

Spray with oil or cooking spray and bake at 450 for 8 minutes (faux frying).

Balsamic Honey dipping sauce 

1 cup balsamic vinegar

1 cup honey

bring to a boil and reduce by half.

A Little Cuisine... Creme Brulee You can Make!

by Tami

I have always been intimidated to make creme brulee until I found this recipe! It is very easy. Just make sure not to let it boil! It can be a little tricky to get it the right consistency.

My all time favorite dessert.....

Creme Brulee

2 Cups heavy whipping  cream

4 Tbsp sugar

4 large Egg Yolks

1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Start boiling water.

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine cream and sugar, cook and stir occasionally until small bubbles appear around edge.  Do not boil. (Takes about 5-6 minutes.) Remove from heat. In a bowl beat egg yolks and vanilla until smooth and light. Gradually pour hot cream mixture into egg yolks, stirring until well blended.

Place 4 ramekins, or small custard cups into a shallow baking pan.  Divide and pour custard mixture into containers.  Place on middle shelf of pre-heated oven and fill baking pan with boiling water until half way up sides of cups.  Bake for 45 minutes, or until custard is set.  Carefully remove cups and chill for 2-3 hours.

Before serving, sift 3/4 cup sugar, white or brown, over surface of custard.  Place under broiler, or use cooking torch until sugar melts and is golden brown and bubbly. Serve immediately or refrigerate until serving.

Enjoy!

A Little Cuisine... Tomato Basil Soup

by Tami

You could have seen me on ABC 4's Good Things Utah making this soup in 2005.

I was a finalist in a soup contest and they had me come on the show to demo it! 

It's that good!

Tami's Tomato Basil Soup

2 Tbsp Olive Oil

2 Tbsp Butter

1 small white onion chopped

1 Tbsp dried basil

2 14.5 oz cans Italian diced tomatoes

1 can or jar of 26.5 oz spaghetti or marinara sauce ( I use Hunt's Traditional)

4 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 Tbsp sugar

Sautee the onion in the oil, butter and basil until wilted.  Add diced tomatoes, sauce 

and broth. Simmer for 30 min. Puree in a blender or hand immersion blender works best.

Before serving add cream and sugar.

FYI

* If you don't have heavy cream or want to cut on the calories use half and half or milk. You can also leave out the butter, but why?

* This recipe came from a more complicated version that I simplified it and made it my own! I have made many variations and this is the easiest and yummiest!

* My family loves to add a dollop of cottage cheese to our bowl! Try it, you'll be surprised!

* Pipe a heart out of sour cream for an extra cute valentine touch!

A Little Idea... Four Valentine Ideas We Love

by Tami

My Best Friend Courtney made these darling LOVE letters 

for me for heart day last year! I absolutely LOVE them!

Simply modge podge paper mache letters or any letters in patterned

scrapbook paper. You can do this for any occasion.

This is a fun way to display your sweet valentine treats! 

Arrange heart shaped cookie cutters on any dish and fill with various small valentine candies.

So fun!

I was inspired by Martha of course!

 This plate of goodness went to my little ones

preschool teacher as a Valentine gift. Make tiny cupcakes frost and decorate with 

cute sprinkles and fun candy put on a plate wrap with celo and 

tie a cute ribbon! After all it's all about the presentation!

Cupcakes Inspired by Tres Sucres.

Get an ordinary wreath, this one is not so ordinary, isn't it FABULOUS!

I found this beauty at Tai Pan.

Any wreath will do, get some ribbon, rick rack, trim of any kind and an

ornament of the season (heart) and make yourself a custom one of a kind wreath.

Change out your ribbon and ornament with each season. This was inspired by ME!

Remember If you can't be with the one you love, love the one your with!

Happy Heart Day! xoxoxo

A Little Cuisine... "My Pho"

by Tami

 

My husband and I recently discovered  Vietnamese Pho and are hooked! One night we both had an uncontrollable craving for it at 8:00 pm. We packed our tired kids in the car and drove to WVC just for the fresh spicy and salty taste of pho! From that experience we suspected that it must be full of MSG, hence the uncontrollable craving! One night we were craving it again and I thought I can make this bowl of yummy freshness without MSG so I searched for recipes, they all seemed quite time consuming and complicated so I decided to make it my own way and I just happened to have rice noodles in my cupboard, it was meant to be!  So here it is, drum roll please My Pho.......

A Little Cuisine...Oil Control

by Tami

A GREAT way to control the amount of oil you use is to make an oil spritzer by filling any clean spray bottle half full with olive oil, or any oil of your choice. Write the date that it was filled, check every 3 months to make sure that it is still good by holding up to the light and making sure that it is clear, free from any discoloration or particles. Store in a cool, dry, dark place like a spice cupboard. Each spray contains 1/8 tsp of oil. Use to grease pans and adding oil to dishes.
Photo: Chicago Tribune

A Little Cuisine... Cheese Crisps and Caesar Salad with fixin's

By Tami
Red Mountain Spa and Resort recipes continued...
Cheese Crisps These are always my favorite at the fancy restaurants, who knew they were so easy!

Put heaps of 1 TBSP Parmesan Cheese on a baking sheet lined with a silpat ( a must have, NOTHING will stick to it!)
Bake at 350 for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool and serve on the side of a Caesar Salad or just to snack on!
Yummy! *Tami's Tip* you can also make caramelized sugar crisps this way. Serve on the side of desserts!

A Great Caesar Salad Dressing
3/4 oz bottle anchovy fillets ( don't be afraid of these, they add a great flavor. NOT fishy at all!)
1/2 tsp mustard
2 cloves garlic
1tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 TBSP lemon juice
1/4 tsp Tabasco sauce
2/3 cup olive oil *Tami's Tip* always add the oil last and slowly to your dressings
4 oz soft tofu
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Put all ingredients but oil into a food processor, pulse well adding oil slowly.

Chicken Caesar Salad
Romaine or any leafy lettuce
diced chicken
Garlic croutons * recipe follows
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Homemade Garlic Croutons
3 slices sourdough bread
olive oil *Tami's Terrific Tip* A GREAT way to control the amount of oil you use is to make an oil spritzer by filling any clean spray bottle half full with olive oil, or any oil of your choice. Write the date that it was filled, check every 3 months to make sure that it is still good by holding up to the light and making sure that it is clear, free from any discoloration or particles. Store in a cool, dry, dark place like a spice cupboard. Each spray contains 1/8 tsp of oil. Use to grease pans and adding oil to dishes.
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp dry oregano
Stack bread and cut off crust. Cut into cubes, put into large mixing bowl spray about 3 sprays of oil then toss with powders and oregano, spray another 3 sprays of oil. Put on baking sheet lined with silpat, bake 350 for 7-10 minutes until golden brown. Delish!

A Little Cuisine...Spinach & Artichoke Heart Dip

By Tami
And now more on my experience at the Red Mountain Spa and Resort. Here is another delicious recipe from the cooking demonstrations...
Spinach Artichoke Heart Dip

2 cups artichoke hearts (non marinated)
1 cup chopped spinach (frozen works great)
1 cup neufchatel (a lower fat cream cheese)
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 cup soft tofu (you will never know this in there, it makes it creamier and adds protein!)
4 cloves garlic
3/4 tsp dill weed
1 TBSP lemon juice
1 chipotle pepper *Tami's Tip* once your bottle of peppers is open, transfer to a ziplock and store in freezer
Kosher salt to taste ( I always use kosher salt)
Put all ingredients into a food processor and blend to a rough chop. Put into a ungreased baking dish and bake at 350 for 20 minutes.
Serve with toasted pita bread or any cracker, bread, vegetable, or chip of your choice.

You would NEVER know that this is a healthier version of this favorite high in calories and fat appetizer!

A Little Cuisine... Wilted Spinach Salad

By Tami
My husband and I have spent the last 3 days at the beautiful Red Mountain Spa and Resort in St. George Utah. We are enjoying the abundance of amenities including cooking demonstrations each morning. I want to share some of the wonderful tips, techniques, and recipes from the fabulous chefs at the Red Mountain's Canyon Breeze Restaurant.

The Class Room. Disclaimer: photos were taken on my iphone!


My Seat.

Fact: Red Mountain Spa focuses on healthy lifestyle including eating. All meals are organic, low in fat and calories and full of flavor!

DAY 1
"Appetizers and Salads"

Wilted Spinach Salad:
1/4 cup olive oil *Tami's Tip* Never saute using extra virgin olive oil, it can leave a burned taste. Use pure olive oil to saute. EVOO for cold dishes
1/2 yellow onion, diced *Tami's Tip* for tearless onion chopping cut the stem out of the onion before chopping or cutting. No more tears!
8 mushrooms, sliced
2 Roma tomatoes, diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced *Tami's Tip*to get a fine mince, use a zester to mince garlic. Be careful of your fingers!
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 cup vegetable stock
1 TBSP agave syrup (or honey)
1 TBSP Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
2 bags of Spinach
Saute onions in the oil *Tami's Tip* always saute onions alone! Once they are done sauteing you can add other ingredients
add mushrooms and garlic continue to saute. Add vinegar, stock , mustard, agave, salt and pepper. Bring to a slow boil. Pour hot dressing over spinach add tomatoes and shredded cheese.

I love the flavors in this salad, very delicious and healthy!

More recipes from the Red Mountain Spa tomorrow...