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Farmer’s Market Orzo and Goat Cheese Salad

kelly — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 15:50:21 +0000

I was thrilled when Food Outreach asked me to teach a class for the Cancer Support Center. I love sharing stories and recipes with others! As I always say…”Food is what brings people together!”
I love this recipe for many reasons. It’s very healthful. The ingredients can be interchangeable with your favorite vegetables. Go to your local farmer’s market and get whatever looks the best to you. You can use any veggies and herbs in this dish. I prefer to let the vegetables marinate overnight and actually grill them, instead of roasting them. Make sure you make extra veggies! I love to make Grilled Veggie and Goat Cheese Panini’s! One more tidbit…This pasta is great the next day (cold!) which makes it the perfect picnic food! I told you it was versatile! Enjoy!

Servings 4

Ingredients:

½ lb orzo pasta (dry)
1 zucchini
1 summer squash
1 small eggplant
1 red or orange pepper
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
¼ cup olive oil
2-3 TBL red wine vinegar
Juice of one lemon
2 TBL honey flavored agave nectar
Salt and pepper to taste

1 cup fresh spinach
¼ red onion, chopped
1 TBL fresh basil, chiffonade
1 TBL fresh thyme
2 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped
zest of one lemon
Ripe tomato, diced for garnish
1-2 ounces of goat cheese for garnish

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Boil water in a large stock pot. Add coarse salt to boiling water. Add pasta. Boil for 8 minutes. Drain pasta reserving ¼ cup of pasta water.

Cut zucchini and squash lengthwise into quarters and chop. Dice the eggplant and red pepper. Place vegetables and garlic onto a sheet pan. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, vinegar, honey and the juice of one lemon. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour marinade onto the sheet pan making sure the vegetables are nicely coated. Place the vegetable mixture in the oven for 20 minutes, stirring after 10 minutes.

Place the hot pasta in a large bowl. Add fresh spinach, reserved pasta water, roasted vegetables, red onion, herbs and lemon zest. Garnish with tomato and goat cheese crumbles.

To learn more about the wonderful work that Food Outreach is doing, go to www.foodoutreach.org

new uses for old treasures (pinterest challenge #4)

kelly — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 15:17:07 +0000

Like most people, I have many forgotten “treasures” in my basement…all just collecting dust. Silver trays happens to be one of them.

Some I picked up at yard sales, some came from my grandmother. Wherever they came from, they haven’t been used in a long time. It’s a shame really. They are beautiful (when they are polished), but who has time to do that?! I found inspiration on Pinterest for a way to incorporate these timeless treasures into something a bit more contemporary and casual! We are going to turn these trays into an interesting way to display a menu.
Of course it all starts with chalkboard paint and a sponge brush. Remember, I get my paint from Home Depot.

The chalkboard paint it very forgiving. If you happen to be messy (like me) you can go back over the area’s with a damp cloth and wipe off the excess paint. You will want to do this in sections so that the paint does not have time to dry.

Excess paint can be wiped clean with a damp cloth

We had some guest over for brunch not long ago and I used my new display for my menu. It adds that extra touch that guests are not expecting. Love this idea! Thanks Pinterest!

“Smartie” Pants Valentines Card (Pinterest Challenge #3)

kelly — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 14:16:53 +0000

My kids always come home from their Valentie’s Day party at school with the cutest, craftiest Valentine’s that I have ever seen. This year, I was not going to get sucked in to yet another “tear-apart” Spiderman card! I was not going to be outdone! Okay, well maybe I will…I only had a few minutes. But of course, found inspiration on Pinterest. I found some more elaborate than the one I created, but this one anyone can make and print off if they have 5 minutes and Power Point! I attached “Smarties” candies to the top of the card using double-sided tape. I allowed my 6 year old to write in his name and I typed it in for the 3 year old. Sure to be a hit, right?!

Pinterest Challenge #2

kelly — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:05:21 +0000

My second Pinterest Challenge came more by accident. This weekend seemed to fly by. It was Sunday afternoon, the day of the Super Bowl and I realized I had not yet made anything to carry to our friends house. (I’m from the South…Rule #1, you do NOT show up to a party without food and/or wine). I immediately logged onto Pinterest for some inspiration and there it was…”Jalapeno Popper Dip”.
I’m a sucker for a good dip. Especially an ooey, gooey cheesey one. This would be the perfect “throw-together” dip. Dips are really great for any casual party, not just the Super Bowl.
I made sure I had all the ingredients (or close) and went to work (all of 5 minutes, because that’s how long it took to make!) I love Jalapeno Poppers, but they are rather time consuming. I just hoped that this dip would turn out as good as the orginial poppers. The smell from the oven was almost too much to bear. You could actually smell the jalapeno’s as they baked. Man, that was a long 15 minutes.

Time to taste…

OOOOOHHHH MY! Creamy, a bit of sharpness from the cheese and finally that nice heat from the jalepenos.
I just spread a little love on a chip!

Pinterest Challenge #2…all gone!

Jalapeno Popper Dip
adapted from Closet Cooking (I love this blog!!)
made 2 large ramekins

Ingredients:
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese (room temperature)
1/2 cup mayonnaise (I used Pepper Mayo for extra heat)
1/2 cup cheddar cheese (grated) (I used Colby and Pepper Jack, freshly shredded)
1/2 cup parmigiano reggiano
1 (4 ounce) can sliced jalapenos (pickled)
2 jalapeno peppers (chopped, optional)
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup parmigiano reggiano

Directions:
1. Mix the cream cheese, mayonnaise, cheddar cheese, parmigiano reggiano and jalapenos in a bowl and pour into a baking dish.
2. Mix the panko bread crumbs and parmigiano reggiano and sprinkle over the dip.
3. Bake in a 375F oven until bubbling on the sides and golden brown on top, about 10-20 minutes.
*It took about 15 minutes for mine too cook and I topped it with a teaspoon of fresh cilantro and served with tortilla chips. Delish!

Pinterest Challenge #1

kelly — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 14:49:51 +0000

We live in a 100-year-old home. Needless to say we have lots of stairs, which is great excersice, however, the kids belongings don’t always make it from the 1st floor to their rooms. Every morning, they get dressed downstairs and inevitably, I’m picking up PJ’s off the floor. I finally trained them to at least put them on the stairs as they run out the door for school. I still hated seeing them on the stairs, even if it wasn’t for that long. Well, I saw a post on pinterest for labeled baskets on the stairs by www.sewmanyways.com/blogspot and thought “I must do this!”

from Sew Many Ways

So I started looking for baskets at my standard spots, Homegoods, Marshalls, Target and finally found the perfect size at Kmart!

Once I found the baskets I needed some Chalkboard paint, brushes and “plates” to attach to the baskets. I looked at Michaels and Hobby Lobby for the paint, and much to my dismay, they only had spray paint. However, I did find the “plates” and jute ribbon at Hobby Lobby. I found the Chalkboard paint at Home Depot. (It now comes in tintable colors!)

Now it was time to get to work. I applied the paint to the plates using the sponge brush.

All seemed to be going well UNTIL I DROPPED THE THING ON THE FLOOR! (I told you I wasn’t the craftiest!) “Great! That was the last plate at Hobby Lobby” I thought…

You will never believe this…it wipes right off! Even I can craft! I cleaned up my mess and applied a second coat.

Once the paint dried, I affixed the plates onto the baskets using a jute ribbon. Labeled the baskets and woo-hoo! No more clothes on the stairs.

Pinterest Challenge #1….Done

the pinterest effect…

kelly — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 16:47:03 +0000

Pinterest. Would be a four-letter word if it wasn’t so absolutely wonderful! If you thought facebook was addicting, it has nothing on Pinterest. My sweet crafty friend Virginia and my incredibly crafty and sweet sister-in-law, Leslie insist that I join Pinterest a few months back. I was intrigued, because it was all they talked about. So I “asked” to join. It’s like a club. Actually it’s more like crack. Everytime I log on for a “quick” look, I look down at my watch and say, “good heavens, there’s 2 hours of my life I’ll never get back!” But seriously, once you’re on, you will see the what brilliant ideas lie ahead of you.
Cook..Yes. Craftly…I am not. However, I get such inspiration from the things I see on Pinterest. I’m one of those that see’s these magnificent idea’s and wonder if anyone ever really does them, or how hard would they be to do or if the recipe just looks pretty in the picture or is it really good? So, I’m up for the Pinterest Challenge. Each week, I will select a craft/idea/recipe, put my own spin on them let you know how it goes. Wish me luck…
a side note…you can follow my journey through Pinterest at http://pinterest.com/thesocialaffair/

Football Friday’s on “great day st. louis”

kelly — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:45:32 +0000

click here to watch the segment on \"Great Day\"

Missouri Tigers vs. Arizona St. Sun Devils
The Social Affair is teaming up with “Great Day St. Louis” with the first of for four segements for “Football Fridays”! Today we “put those Sun evils to sleep” and made “Devils in a Blanket with Tiger Blood Dipping Sauce”! Of course I had to throw a little something Bama in the segment and showed how easy it is to make you own U of A and Mizzou wine glasses!
Go Mizzou and Roll Tide!

“Devils” in a Blanket with Tiger Blood Dipping Sauce Recipe

kelly — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:41:42 +0000

“Devils” in a Blanket with Tiger Blood Dipping Sauce
Mizzou Tigers vs. Arizona St Sun Devils

Yield: 16 blankets
Blankets:
1 box Puff Pastry Sheets
1 lb Luganega Italian Breakfast Sausage (or 16 Breakfast Sausage Links)
1 ¾ ? 2 cups White Vermont Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Shredded
1 egg + 1 tsp water for egg wash
1 tbl Olive Oil
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Thaw puff pastry sheets according to directions on box. Cut sausage into 2” links (if
using Luganega). Add oil to skillet and preheat on medium heat. Add sausage and
cook for 15 minutes or until juices run clear, turning every 5 minutes. Set aside.
Unroll puff pastry and cut each sheet into 4 equal squares using a pizza wheel. Then
cut each square diagonally to make 8 triangles. In the center of each triangle, top
with 1 tbl cheese and a sausage link. Brush tips of triangles with egg wash and fold
together to make the blanket.
Place blankets on a lightly greased sheet pan and brush the tops with egg wash.
Bake for 15?18 min until golden brown. Serve with Tiger Blood Dipping Sauce.
Sauce:
½ cup BBQ Sauce
¼ cup Dijon Mustard
¼ cup Honey
Mix ingredients together and serve with Devils in a Blanket.

Green-Tini Recipe

kelly — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:32:54 +0000

Ok, so you have the hors d’oeuvres for your “It’s Easy Being Green” Dinner Party, now let’s get the cocktail going!

Green-Tini
Ingredients:
2 oz 360 Vodka
2 oz Unsweetened Green Tea
2 tsp Agave Nectar
Sprig of Mint
Mixing Instructions:
Combine all ingredients. Fill with ice. Shake/strain. Garnish with a sprig of mint.
Serve in a chilled glass.

Recipe for Turnip Fries

kelly — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:30:56 +0000

You might want to double the recipe…They’re that good!

3 pounds organic turnips
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup good grated Parmesan Cheese
Kosher Salt and Pepper to taste
Crinkle Cutter
Preheat oven to 425. Peel the turnips. Slice the turnips in to 1/2” slices. Then take the crinkle cutter and cut into French fry sticks. Toss with olive oil and arrange on a single layer on a baking sheet. Place in the oven and roast for 20-25 min or just until edges turn light brown.
Remove from oven and sprinkle with salt, pepper and Parmesan Cheese. Serve immediately.
Warning: You can’t eat just one. You might want to double the recipe!