Baby Shower

I helped with a baby shower on Saturday. I was responsible for the food and my dear friend made the darling centerpiece for the occasion. It was fun. I haven't helped with a baby shower in a long time. So it was fun coming up with games and new ideas.

I wanted to share some of the ideas for the shower. My friend has a beautiful assortment of blue and white dishes as well as some lovely milk glass dishes. Since the baby is a boy we decided to use blue and white dishes and to use navy blue instead of the traditional baby blue. It really turned out beautiful. We had a shower with just desserts. Petit fours with a little blue booties on top, cut out iced sugar cookies with a baby theme, chocolate covered strawberries, strawberries with a fruit dip, chocolate bonbons, and watermelon and cantaloupe in a carved watermelon that looked like a stroller. I tried a new punch that I had seen in Southern Living which I really liked called Governor's Manson Summer Peach Tea Punch.

The two recipes I want to share with you are the punch and the chocolate bonbons.

3 family size tea bags
2 cups loosely packed fresh mint
1 33oz. bottle of peach nectar
1/2 (12 oz) can frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
1/2 cup Simple Sugar Syrup
1 (1-liter) bottle ginger ale, chilled
1 (1-liter) bottle club soda, chilled
Garnish with fresh peaches

Bring 4 cups water to boil in medium sauce pan. Add tea bags and boil one minute. Turn off heat and add mint leaves. Cover and steep for 10 minutes. Discard tea bags and mint leaves. Pour into a one gallon container, add peach nectar, lemonade and Simple sugar syrup. Mix well, cover and chill 8 to 24 hours. Pour chilled tea mixture into punch bowl or pitcher. Stir in ginger ale and club soda just before serving. Garnish with peaches if desired.

Simple syrup - Bring 1 cup of water and 2 cups of sugar to a boil in a medium sauce pan. Let boil for about 4 minutes stirring occasionally until sugar is dissolved. Let cool before using.


Chocolate Bonbons - This is a recipe my daughter saw on Food Network and told me about. These are very rich.
For the shower I used 2 chewy brownie mixes. Cook according to package directions. Let cool.

Chocolate Ganache
1 cup heavy cream
1 (12 oz) package of Semi Sweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons of coffee
In a double boiler add heavy cream, chocolate chips and coffee. Stir until chocolate chips are melted.

Toppings
1 small pkg. coconut
1 jar salted peanuts, chopped
1 pkg. mini chocolate chips
Get 3 dinner plates and put coconut in one, peanuts in one and mini chocolate chips in one.

After brownies have cooled take a teaspoon and run it across the top of the brownie to break it up. I would get enough brownie to make a round ball. They were bigger than a walnut but not as big as a golf ball. Make all the brownies into balls then dip them into the chocolate ganache and then dip them in either the coconut, peanuts or mini chocolate chips. You can stick Popsicle sticks into them but I found little signs that said baby boy and that's what I used. These would be cute for a kids party with a Popsicle stick in them.

Even in Drought and Scorching Heat

These little flowers have been growing in our yard for probably a week. Yesterday as I walked by them I really looked at them and thought how pretty they looked and immediately this thought popped into my mind. "Even in drought and scorching heat you can be fruitful."

I thought, Oh yes Lord I know I can but how often I want to pray to be delivered from the scorching heat instead of asking you to help me be all I can be in the midst of it.

Roasted Vegetables

Please excuse my bad pictures but they were taken after the fact. I fixed roasted veggies with our fish last night and I tried something different with the veggies and it was so good I went back to take a picture of what little was left. :)

I had some asparagus, red pepper, onion, zucchini, yellow squash, and new potatoes. I washed the new potatoes cut them in half and boiled them in some water for about 8 minutes. I wanted them slightly tender. When they cooled I sliced them in half one more time. I then sliced all the veggies except the asparagus and put everything on a baking sheet and drizzled a little olive oil over it all and tossed it with my hands. Put it in the oven for about 25 minutes on 425 degrees. I tossed it once in the oven.

When I was working in my herb garden yesterday I had some dill I needed to use so I picked it. While I was preparing the veggies I thought the dill would taste really good on the veggies. So, while the veggies were cooking in a small bowl I chopped up about 1/4 cup of dill, 2 garlic cloves minced, juice from 1/2 lemon, salt and pepper to taste and 4 tablespoons of olive oil. When the vegetables were finished cooking I removed them from the oven and poured the dill mixture over the veggies and tossed them. We loved the flavor. I love garlic and dill so it was rummy! If your not much of a garlic person you may want to use just one garlic clove.

Just a little tid bit of info. On most days, I chop up one clove of garlic put it in a teaspoon, put it in my mouth and chase it with a glass of water. There are lots of health benefits to fresh garlic. I read a book about the Dulaney sisters years ago and they attributed there long life to a clove of fresh garlic everyday. :) So pop in your garlic and go kiss your husband. :)

After dinner last night, I was thinking that the dill sauce would really be good drizzled over some grilled fish.

I have found that you can eat very healthy by adding lots of flavors (using herbs) to your food that make it very satisfying.

If you don't have an herb garden you have to start one!

Container Pots and Plants

Like everyone else in Oklahoma I'm up at sunrise watering. This heat is pretty amazing. We have several potted plants that look pretty good and yellow crispy grass. We do not have a manicured lawn or a sprinkler system so my flowers do good to get watered. I have a couple of potted plants that are in different containers. I live in the country so I can get by with rustic containers. Anyway, wanted to share them with you. I also took some photos of my edging. The edging is tree limbs and at one time they really looked great. They have lasted almost 10 years and I have loved them. This is a different idea. I got it from a landscaping architect at the garden show years ago. I am slowly replacing my edging with red bricks.

Stay cool everyone!

Father's Day Synonymous with Ribs and Brisket

Ribs and brisket are about my husband's favorite. So when Father's Day rolls around we all know that ribs and brisket will be on the menu.

I haven't mastered a smoker so I always buy our ribs. But I do have a couple of recipes I would like to share with you that are good sides for your bar-b-ques during the summer.

This is a beef brisket marinade that I got from my sister. It is wonderful!

Ingredients:
5-6 pound brisket
garlic powder to taste
onion salt to taste
3 ounces liquid smoke
celery salt (I have used celery seeds too)2 tablespoons
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce

Put the brisket in a baking dish and cover the brisket with dry ingredients(except for salt and pepper) then pour the liquid smoke and Worcestershire sauce over the brisket. Cover the brisket and let it set in the refrigerator over night. When ready to bake add salt and pepper and cover with foil and bake at 275 degrees for 5 hours. Remove cover and pour off juice then cover with a 6 ounce bottle of bar-b-que sauce. Cover and bake one more hour. Remove from oven and let stand one hour before cutting.

Poppy Seed Coleslaw

This is about one of the best recipes I've eaten for coleslaw and everyone always loves it. I got this recipe from a very dear person in our lives and she is about one of the best cooks I know. You'll love this.

Ingredients:
1 pound coleslaw mix
small jar dry roasted peanuts
10 ounces frozen peas (rinse in warm water to drain to thaw)

Dressing:
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
5 tablespoons of sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dry mustard
11/2 tablespoons poppy seeds
1 cup oil

Add all ingredients (except oil) into a blender and gradually add oil (very slowly) so it won't separate and will be creamy.

Mix cabbage with peas and nuts and add dressing right before serving.


Lemon Basil Potato Salad

This is my recipe and it is so good, you will love it. I love basil so for me anything with basil in it I love. This recipe will serve 6.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 pounds small new red potatoes or Yukon gold
1/4 cup lemon juice
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup chopped basil
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
2/3 cup olive oil
1/2 medium purple onion chopped
1 10 ounce package fresh spinach cut into thin strips
10 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled

Put potatoes in water and boil until tender. Do not let them get mushy. Let them cool and cut into bite size pieces.
Whisk together lemon juice and next 5 ingredients; whisk in oil at a slow steady stream. Gently toss potatoes and onion with 1/2 cup of vinaigrette.
Arrange spinach evenly in 6 plates and drizzle with remaining vinaigrette. Top with potato mixture and sprinkle with crumbled bacon.

Happy Father's Day "Your the Man"

We've been through it all the good, the bad, the very good, the very bad and the most wonderful inspiring moments that make it all worthwhile....and you've been there with me every step of the way. Thank you for always being there for me and for our children.

I'm so glad I've had you by my side on our life's journey. I want you to know that I admire your courage and resilience and I considered you a man of nobility. Your character is always unquestionable.

Now for your wit and humor. Our youngest daughter put it best when she said, "you are the white Bill Cosby." I don't think it could have been said any better than that. There is never a dull moment around our home and you always keep us laughing.

You are a wonderful man and you are living a wonderful life and I'm blessed to be at your side.

Happy Father's Day

Chunky, Chunky Salsa

This is a recipe I got from a lady in my Co-op eight or nine years ago. My family loves this and it is so good this time of the year with garden tomatoes.

My family was all home for Sunday dinner yesterday and I fixed this with grilled chicken. Some of the family took whole wheat tortillas and warmed them, put sliced grilled chicken on the tortilla and then topped it with chunky salsa. I also had cheese nachos to eat with the chunky salsa but it is great with plain tortilla chips. This is good as a side with fish also.

This salsa has the most wonderful flavors. I hope you will try it. I think it will become a favorite summer dish around your home.

Ingredients:
1-15 ounce Black beans, rinsed and drained
1-15 ounce Pinto beans, rinsed and drained
2 cans shop peg corn, drained
4-5 large tomatoes, diced
4 avocados, peeled and diced
1 large green pepper, diced
1 large red pepper, diced
2 bunches of green onions, diced
4-5 cloves of garlic, chopped or minced
2 large jalapeno pepper, chopped
salt to taste

Dressing:
1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup lime juice
3-4 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons of cumin

Put ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
Pour dressing over cut vegetables and mix well. You can serve it immediately but it's better if it sets for an hour or two.