Thursday Treasure - It's All About Green

Today's post is more a tribute than a treasure and I'm excited to share a TSE first with y'all. I made my first attempt at decorating cookies with Royal Icing. It wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be, but I'm definitely in the "need more practice" phase. Please note...decorating is being used in VERY loose terms here, but, I had to start somewhere. I'm fairly pleased with my first go at this project.

I also wanted to share a few goodies with you from one of my fave magazines, Bon Appetit. Follow the link and take a peek at all the deliciousness you can enjoy!!

Grilled Corned Beef Sandwich & Dark Chocolate Mint Cupcakes

Irish Cheddar & Stout Fondue

Blarney Cheese & Onion Tart


Lamb Shanks in Guinness with Country Vegetables


Irish Cream

Stout

If you're being a bit more healthy today, don't worry, I didn't forget about you. You can have as much of these as you desire:

What's on your Saint Patrick's Day menu??

Sheila Denise

Temptation Tuesday - Combining Foods You Love

I was all geared up to post about something TOTALLY different today, but when I saw this Macaroni & Cheese Pie with Bacon on Tastespotting, I was instantly sidetracked. This thing is filled with things I love--a spicy cheddar cheese crust, fried mac & cheese balls, mac & cheese and bacon! As I read the blog post detailing how this concoction was created, I started to think about foods that you love separately, but have/haven't tried together as one dish. Not that I'd pass judgment on what people decide to eat, I'm simply interested in combining flavors. So I began a little photo search for today's Temptation Tuesday. Some of these are very normal to me and others are a little different.

Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese Casserole

Bacon & Beer S'mores

Luther Burger

I have a confession to make...there is a combination of a certain three items that I LOVE LOVE LOVE separately, but have NEVER taken the plunge to eat them together. Talk about me all you want, but here it is...

I realize that I'm very likely in the minority when it comes to eating PB&Js but, I just can't bring myself to do it. I'll gladly continue to love them separately.

Have you fallen into temptation and combined foods to create a great (or not so great) dish? I'd love to hear about your experiences.

Sheila Denise

Photo credits:
Desserts for Breakfast
Savour the Senses
Salt & Chocolate
Snopes
Brad's Pictures

It's Time to Deck the Deck, Patio or Porch

Yes, you're looking at an empty tuna can. Pretty exciting huh?? If you'll give me a second, I'll continue to show you boring photos, but combined you'll be pleasantly surprised...I hope.

Votives. I warned you this would be boring.

And finally, clothespins. I know, I know, but hang on a second, this really is going somewhere.

I'm always impressed when a crafty person takes simple odds and ends, that many of us have on hand, and creates something quite useful (and cute). That's exactly what I spotted a few weeks ago, but had to wait to make it, because I didn't have any tuna. This is the kind of thing you see and whack yourself on the forehead for not thinking of it, but I'm just happy to have stumbled upon it just in time for Spring. Okay so here we go...

Now aren't you glad you hung on a couple more seconds??

I can't wait to use these on the patio. Have you created or discovered a super-nifty craft lately?

Happy Friday and have a fabulous weekend!!

Sheila Denise

Source: C Fabbri Designs

Thursday Treasure - Memories

Today is a day of reflection...thinking of places that no longer exist. I'm grateful to have wonderful memories that can immediately take me to those places in a flash. This all started last week during my visit to New Orleans, when a conversation turned to one of my favorite hotels that no longer exists in NOLA, a Kimpton property, Hotel Monaco. Sharing stories of wonderful experiences last week was almost as good as being there. I happily reflected and will continue to hold those memories dear.

This morning I awakened with thoughts an old favorite that left Atlanta a few years ago, Eatzi's. Man, I LOVED that place!! It was one of the few reasons I didn't mind not being on work travel. Just knowing I could hang out there for lunch, made those "being in the office" days a bit more bearable. As a lover of soups, I quickly became addicted to their carrot ginger soup, among the several other fantastic dishes that Eatzi's created daily. When I couldn't decide what to eat, I always knew I'd be extremely happy with the soup. Nothing else would satisfy me today until I made my version of this wonderfully delicious soup.

I'm a purist, of sorts, so I kept the recipe simple. I started with carrots, ginger and small amount of vegetable broth (remember, I don't do much measuring). Don't let these three innocent ingredients fool you. Just allow them to simmer while the carrots and ginger become tender and infuse the broth. Next step, if you have an immersion blender, use it to puree this mixture to a velvety, smooth consistency or you can transfer it to a blender. I wanted mine a little thicker, so I added a couple of plops (yep, that's a word) of plain Greek yogurt, which also provided a nice tartness to offset the natural sweetness of the carrots. Play around with adding more broth, yogurt or cream to get the consistency you like. You can even add a bit of raw sugar or honey if you prefer it sweeter. I topped mine with a few toasted pecans and it was absolutely PERFECT!

The smell alone was enough to immediately send me to the hustle and bustle of being in line at Eatzi's, waiting to place my order. Did I say how much I miss that place?? Well, at least I can get my fix when I'm in Dallas. Hey, don't knock it...I'll travel anywhere for great food!!

Memories...what a treasure!!

Sheila Denise

Temptation Tuesday - Fat Tuesday

Fat is the operative word here. I'm popping in briefly to bring a bit of New Orleans Mardi Gras chaos to your day.

Happy Mardi Gras!!

Sheila Denise

Thursday Treasure - Planes, Trains & Automobiles

Today's treasure is travel...anywhere, anytime.

It's difficult to imagine what I'd do without these three modes of transportation. They allow me to engage in one of my favorite pastimes--travel. Regardless of the destination, be it a super-short road trip, a high speed rail trip, or a long flight, I simply LOVE to travel. The excitement of arriving at your destination as well as the encounters experienced along the journey, is extremely fulfilling.

I'm chipping away at my 2011 travel list and can't wait to check off each destination and enjoy the wonderful people, cultures, traditions and food that each destination offers. Having the opportunity to experience these things makes travel my Thursday Treasure.

What are your 2011 travel plans?

Sheila Denise

It's Mardi Gras Y'all!!

And what happens in NOLA stays in NOLA!! Well, I may decide to share a few tidbits of the trip when I return, but then again...LOL!!

I'm excited to return to New Orleans and eager to do my part to help boost the economy of the Gulf Coast and hope that you'll consider doing the same this year and beyond.

Happy Wednesday!!

Sheila Denise