I love looking at FOOD!

Tonight, as I was cooking dinner (a stir-fry), I decided that I really like looking at food. I love the bright colors of crispy vegetables, I love the brown of carmelized meat....I just love looking at food. What decided it was when I looked in the cupboards at all my cooking magazines and cookbooks....I have NEVER read one, but oh, I can't tell you how many times I've looked at all the pretty pictures. Food is....Pretty! I have my favorite magazines, those that have the prettiest pictures. I love my Food Network and my Rachael Ray magazines because they have such bright, cheery pictures of food! Do I try the recipes? Very seldom...I just love looking at the pictures. My favorite cookbooks still look brand new because I just look at the pretty pictures, I don't open them to try the recipes....they don't have spilled food on them, although that would be pretty and I may have to try it! I love my Martha Stewart cookbooks, my Sandra Lee and my The Biggest Loser cookbooks....I love looking at the pictures! 

Don't get me wrong, I love to cook. See: 

Tonight's Dinner - Beef Stir-fry (thrown together from the fridge)

Chocolate, Whiskey and Nuts - OMG! 

Sausage and Tomatoes - Can't go wrong!

Cream Cheese Mints - Too die for! 

Strawberry Shortcake - So easy and not so bad for you! Yum!

See....pretty pictures! Not as pretty as magazines but still....pretty! 

I have my favorite Blogs and Websites that I peruse, not for the articles (okay, sometimes I read them) but for the pretty pictures! I love looking at the process of creating a dish and the picture of the final product....pretty! I don't need to eat it, heck, sometimes I don't even like it but I do love to look at it! 

I love these Blogs: 

She is now my Food Hero because of the beautiful chocolate cake on her home page: The Pioneer Woman

I love, love, love this blog for all her comfort food recipes: Just a Pinch

Love this site but not for the Spinach Pie shown today (hate spinach): Skinny Taste

My absolute Fave because it's ALL pictures: Punch Fork

Love this one for the Quinoa Bites alone: Fit for Success

Pretty, pretty pictures: Tung in Cheek

Omigosh....just look at that sandwich: Closet Cooking

Love the name but the food looks yummy too: Peas and Crayons

So guess what I got in the mail today.....Rachael Ray's wonderful magazine FULL of pretty pictures! Just the cover alone is gorgeous....Chicken & Spring Vegetable Lo Mein

I'm off to print some recipes....all have pretty pictures! 

My Italian Kitchen - Cooking

Last week, we had the kids over for dinner....I always try to plan a dinner that I haven't cooked for them in the past or one of their favorites. Last week, it was "something new" week! I do have to say that dinner turned out great, it was so yummy! Drew and I had it for lunch the next day....neither of us complained! I love to look at recipes but rarely do I follow them. Usually, I just throw stuff together and hope for the best, last week was no different.

Start out by sauteing chopped green peppers and onions in olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic salt (have you noticed that these are my staples?)

Brown garlic slices, add crumbled sausage and cook until no longer pink

Add peppers and onions to pan with sausage

Now add two cans of diced tomatoes, heat through 

Spoon over pasta, add Parmesan cheese and enjoy

Yup, another successful dinner, out of the cupboard, fridge and freezer! I love when I have everything on hand....my favorite way of cooking! 

The kids will be coming for dinner tomorrow....dinner will be a bit more simple: 

Cheeseburgers without buns

Baked, spiced potato wedges with Ranch Dressing for dipping

Fresh tomatoes and cukes

Simple's good too! 

Stir Fry for Dinner...

We eat a lot of stir fries, it's one of my most favorite dishes to cook! Why...because it cleans out the fridge! I love to pull foods from the fridge, throw them in a wok....voila! Something yummy always comes of it! I'm not a big fan of moose but I'm trying to broaden my horizons! So, I pulled the moose round steak from the freezer, let it thaw, soaked it in water for an hour....the base of tonight's stir fry! Here's how it went:

Moose Stir Fry

Moose Round Steak, sliced
Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper
Garlic Salt
Sugar Snap Peas
Onions, Sliced

Heat wok then add the olive oil, salt, pepper and Garlic Salt. Add sliced moose meat (or beef, if you prefer), brown in wok until cooked through and slightly crispy on the edges. Remove from wok, set aside. In same wok, add more olive oil, sugar snap peas and onions. Stirring continuously, fry until onions are translucent but still slightly crispy. Add moose back into wok, heat through. Serve over Rice or Pasta, if desired.
Couldn't be easier and OMG, couldn't be tastier! I won't say that I love moose meat but I surely don't hate it!

Make sure your wok is very hot before adding meat...

OMG, doesn't this look yummy? It was SO SO good! I love the crunchy snow peas, they add such freshness to the stir fries! 

Cleaning as I Go!

So, I have this friend (don't you like how stories start off like that?), who used to make cookies with me. We haven't seen each other in quite awhile...rather, for a VERY long time and yet, we live in the same town. We both have our own lives, I guess! Anyhow, this friend, you know who you are...Tracie, and I were making sugar cookies one day for Christmas. I have THE best sugar cookie recipe (my husband's favorite at least)! I will share later in the post! Sorry, I got side-tracked....anyhow, this friend and I were making cookies in my kitchen. As she was pouring the flour into the mixer, I was wiping up the spilled flour and putting the jar away. After she poured the sugar into the mixer, I wiped down the counter and put the jar away. Same goes for the vanilla, eggs, salt, etc.....Finally, I guess it got to her! She smacked me with a towel and said, "Alright already! Stop cleaning! Clean when we are done, you are driving me nuts"! So, I didn't get it....I didn't realize what I was doing, it's just how I cook and bake, I clean as I go! I hate messes! Anyhow, I was making cupcakes from scratch this weekend and realized, by darn, she was right! It took me longer to make the cupcakes because I was wiping the counter after using each ingredient instead of when I was all done! But hey, if you came knocking on my door whilst I was making cupcakes, I would let you in and not apologize for the mess....well, because there wasn't one! Did I scare her away from playing in the kitchen with me?  I guess I would be what one calls anal! I won't even tell you the story of my Sister's visit and the throw pillows on the couch! Well...I will tell you a little so you won't feel I was holding out on you....imagine pillows with lines sitting horizontally, Sister placing them on the floor and laying down, Me picking them up and laying them horizontally again each time she got up to go say...to the kitchen, to the bathroom! Let's just say....I drove her nuts! Good thing my husband is slight anal as well, he picks the pillows up and places them horizontally as well!

Oh, I need to get back to the Sugar Cookies...I think you might just want the recipe! I don't know where it came from, it's called Ethel's Sugar Cookies but I got the recipe from my Mother in Law, her name is not Ethel and neither was her Mother's name Ethel! Ethel, whoever you are....we love your sugar cookies!

Ethel's Sugar Cookies
Ingredients:
3/4 c Shortening (I use Crisco Butter Flavored)
1 c  Granulated Sugar
2 Eggs (my son asks me to use fake eggs so he can eat the dough, his favorite)
1/2 tsp Vanilla
2-1/2 c Flour
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Baking Powder

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix shortening, sugar, eggs and vanilla in mixer. Stir in baking powder and salt, slowly add flour. Chill as least one hour. Roll out to 1/8 inch thick, cut into desired shapes. Place on ungreased baking sheet, bake until golden for 6 to 8 minutes.

Easy Creamy Sugar Cookie Frosting
Ingredients:
1 c sifted Confectioners Sugar
1/4 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Vanilla
Water (add 1 tbsp at a time)
Food Coloring (add until desired color is acquired)

Directions: 
Mix all ingredients until desired thickness using whisk. Add food coloring, frost cookies. Let "dry" for several hours. Frosting will be hard on top and creamy on below.

So, ya'll wanna SEE the cookies? Check these out:

Once again....Thanks Ethel for making me the cleaning Sugar Cookie Queen! LOLOL

I'd Like to Start by Saying.....

Welcome to my Party!

At the encouragement of a friend of mine, Leslie, I have created a blog to capture all my party ideas, party planning, party pictures, party decor, party cards....party anything. At first I was reluctant...I mean, what do I know about planning parties and would anyone really be interested in what I have to say? I do have to say that I've spent many a night, sleepless, because my mind won't shut down, I can't stop thinking about ways to decorate, what to create, how to make the party decor fun, what to cook (I do love planning the food) and how to make the parties exciting. Oh, I don't get into the games, I'll leave that to ya'll! It's silly, but I don't even really like going to parties, again, I will leave that to ya'll! I just like the act of designing, creating, cooking, planning the party.

On this blog, I plan to post pictures of parties I've done, things I've created for parties and recipes....lots and lots of recipes.

It may be slow going as I don't do many parties but I will also show you the steps I've taken to plan for my son's wedding, work birthdays.....testing of cupcake recipes and decorating (by the by, I am new to decorating cakes and cupcakes but I am learning. I will show you my first effort of frosting cupcakes, then I will show you as I progress! I am going to learn how to make Royal Frosting Roses, you will watch me as I learn....yes, it will take a great deal of humility on my part, to show you my failures!

I'm going to start you off with an Angry Bird Card and gift box for Tracy's birthday.....

I will post more pics each day....I just wanted to get the "Party Started"!