Category Entertaining

Kalamata Olive Tapenade

December 30, 2013 Posted in Appetizers, Entertaining

My husband and I took a week long across California road trip. Hitting all of the best winery hot spots including Paso Robles, Sonoma, and Napa. At one of our stops we visited the BR Cohn Winery in Glen Ellen the heart of Sonoma Valley. We tasted samples of their olive oils and stumbled upon this delicious BR Cohn Kalamata Olive Tapenade. My husband doesn’t like vegetables what so ever...
Read More

Fleur de Sel Chocolate Toffee Bark

October 18, 2013 Posted in Dessert, Entertaining, Holiday

Adding Ghirardelli Classic White Chocolate Chips before chocolate

 

WARNING: Everyone will love this recipe! Pretzels will never be this good. The best is storing them in the freezer and grabbing one out every time you get a craving.

Ingredients:

– 1/2 bag mini pretzel twists – Snyder’s of Hanover Mini Pretzels (about 100 of them)
– 2 sticks of butter, I used salted creamed butter
– 1 cup of ...

Read More

Salted Caramel Bites

July 27, 2013 Posted in Dessert, Entertaining, Holiday

If you like caramel and you like chocolate, you will love this recipe. It reminds me of the hard chocolate covered toffee squares from See’s Candies. My mother in law found this and thought we should take a stab at it. Glad I did. Super yummy and quite easy. Perfect for parties!
Ingredients:
1.5 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
1/3 cup toasted macadamia nuts, coarse...
Read More

Grilling BBQ Pizza

July 7, 2013 Posted in BBQ & Grilling, Entertaining, Italian Food, Vegetarian

My husband never cooks. When I say never, I really mean “Never!” He has cooked one time since I’ve known him and burned the frozen hamburger patties on the BBQ. I think it may have been intentional. I do love cooking so I don’t mind that he doesn’t cook. He actually came up with this idea of grilling our own pizzas...
Read More

Fleur de Sel Salted Dulce De Leche Caramel Cheesecake Bars

July 2, 2013 Posted in Dessert, Entertaining

I had two goals in mind when I found this recipe online. #1, my dear friend Twain brought me a jar of Sel Gris caramel sauce from Nashville and I wanted to do something fun with it. #2, it was my future sister in laws birthday and I wanted to make her something extra special. This dessert is by far one of the best things I have tasted. The cheese, caramel, and fleur de sel will make you speechless.
Fo...
Read More

Strawberry Margarita Jell-O Shots

March 17, 2013 Posted in Birthday, Drinks, Entertaining, Summer

We were going camping with our new dual-sport club and heard it was one of the clubs member’s birthdays. Instead of baking a cake, I decided to make these margarita shooters the day prior so that we could celebrate with Jell-O shots! These came out so good and everyone enjoyed them.
Yields: 24-30 Strawberry Margarita Jell-O Shooters
Ingredients:
  • 1 box (3.9oz.) Strawberry (real, not generic) Jell-O
  • 3 green b...
Read More

Fried Cheese Stuffed Olives

February 25, 2013 Posted in Appetizers, Entertaining

Last week I was dining at ZIN Restaurant in Palm Springs and ordered the fried green olives stuffed with blue cheese. They were so amazing I asked the Owner Mindy what the basics were and then I was on a mission to make these at home for my mother in law. She loves green olives. We thought the panko crusted one’s turned out the best...
Read More

Carne Asada

January 13, 2013 Posted in Dinner, Entertaining, Mexican Food

My brother grew up in California with me. He now lives in Ohio and recently mentioned that he can’t find good carne asada out there. I decided to experiment with some carne asada recipes and found this one by Tyler Florence. You can find all the ingredients at any grocery store.

Carne Asada Marinade:

  • 2 pounds flank or skirt steak, trimmed of excess fat
  • 1 recipe Mojo, recipe follows
  • Olive oil, for coat...
Read More

Mud Pie

October 2, 2012 Posted in Birthday, Cake, Dessert, Entertaining, Pie, Uncategorized

Coffee ice cream, a chocolate-cookie crust and chocolate-covered espresso beans add up to a terrific party dessert. Begin making the cake one day before serving. I got this idea from a special restaurant in Santa Barbara that my Mother in Law and I visit frequently, called “Endless Summer Bar Cafe...
Read More

Italian Garlic Dip

July 29, 2012 Posted in Appetizers, Entertaining, Italian Food

Last week I had a meeting at Chase Lounge in Santa Barbara. It was my first visit and I was starving. Luckily the Owner knew it was my first time and ordered everything for me from the time I sat down. First was variety of breads and a side of their special Italian garlic dip. If you like garlic, you will love this dip. You will also want to try their lemon caper chicken, Fettuccini alfredo, ceasar salad, and cho...
Read More