What pies are you baking for Thanksgiving?

At our house ... It's always Pumpkin pie and Apple pie. Last year I bought Williams-Sonoma Piecrust cutters to decorate our pastry. I like the leaf cutter, a perfect fall favorite.

Pumpkin pie trimmed on the edges

Apple pie embellished on top

Both delicious and ready for dessert...
would you like ice cream or whipped cream with that?

getting ready

food of the month

My February 1st post was about the National Food Holidays for that month. I couldn't wait to see what was in store for March, so I peeked, but now after looking ahead, I have to say I'm a bit disappointed. Take a look for yourself:

March

National Caffeine Awareness Month
National Celery Month
National Flour Month
National Frozen Food Month
National Noodle Month
National Nutrition Month
National Peanut Month
National Sauce Month

March 1 National Peanut Butter Lover's Day
March 1 National Fruit Compote Day
March 2 National Banana Cream Pie Day
March 3 National Cold Cuts Day
March 3 National Mulled Wine Day
March 4 National Poundcake Day
March 5 National Cheese Doodle Day
March 6 National Frozen Food Day
March 6 National White Chocolate Cheesecake Day
March 7 National Crown Roast of Pork Day
March 7 National Cereal Day
March 8 National Peanut Cluster Day
March 9 National Crabmeat Day
March 10 National Blueberry Popover Day
March 11 Oatmeal Nut Waffles Day
March 12 National Baked Scallops Day
March 13 National Coconut Torte Day
March 14 National Potato Chip Day
March 15 National Peanut Lovers Day
March 15 National Pears Helene Day
March 16 National Artichoke Heart Day
March 18 National Lacy Oatmeal Cookie Day
March 19 National Poultry Day
March 19 National Chocolate Caramel Day
March 20 National Ravioli Day
March 21 National French Bread Day
March 23 National Chip and Dip Day
March 23 National Melba Toast Day
March 24 National Chocolate Covered Raisins Day
March 25 National Lobster Newburg Day
March 26 National Waffle Day
March 26 National Nougat Day
March 27 National Spanish Paella Day
March 28 National Black Forest Cake Day
March 29 National Lemon Chiffon Cake Day
March 30 Turkey Neck Soup Day
March 31 National Clams on the Half Shell Day

Who... makes this stuff up? C'mon now, really... National Cheese Doodle day? Really?!! Oh, and what about March 30th, ummm, no, not goin' there.

But... I will celebrate National Chocolate Caramel Day with some Turtles, yum!

Kel, for your birthday I'm getting you a bag of Cheese Doodles to celebrate!

a "most requested" recipe to share

Ever since my husband had this dip at a friend's house, watching the SEC Championship, it has been his most requested appetizer for any get-together. Perfect for a football game, and easy to whip up, I thought I'd share it with you today. It's one of those recipes that everyone asks you for. Make it for your SuperBowl party and see... enjoy!
Buffalo Chicken Dip
{Ingredients}
8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup blue cheese or ranch salad dressing
1/2 cup FRANK'S® REDHOT® Sauce
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese or crumbled gorgonzola
2 cans (9.75 oz. each) Chunk Chicken Breast in Water, drained or 2 cups shredded chicken

you'll need 2 bags of Frito's Scoops to serve with this popular dip!

{ DIRECTIONS}
HEAT oven to 350°F. Place cream cheese into deep baking dish. Stir until smooth.
MIX in salad dressing, Frank's RedHot Sauce and crumbled cheese. Stir in chicken.
Top with a little grated cheddar cheese.
BAKE 20 min. or until mixture is heated through; stir. Or microwave, uncovered,
on HIGH 5 min. until hot, stirring halfway through cooking.

Serve to your guests, and be ready to pass on the recipe!

you'd better mark your calendars

Did you know that there are National Food Holidays... for almost everyday, every month?! Well, yes there are! And to keep you up to speed, I've listed February's below. If you plan to celebrate them all, you can just about forget that diet resolution!

February

National Cherry Month
National Grapefruit Month
National Hot Breakfast Month
National Macadamia Nut Month
National Snack Food Month

February 19-25 National Pancake Week

February 1 National Baked Alaska Day
February 3 National Carrot Cake Day
February 4 National Homemade Soup Day
February 4 National Stuffed Mushroom Day
February 7 National Fettuccine Alfredo Day
February 8 National Molasses Bar Day
February 9 National Bagels and Lox Day
February 10 National Cream Cheese Brownie Day
February 11 National Peppermint Patty Day
February 12 National Plum Pudding Day
February 13 National Tortellini Day
February 14 National Cream-Filled Chocolates Day
February 15 National Gumdrop Day
February 16 National Almond Day
February 17 National Indian Pudding Day
February 19 National Chocolate Mint Day
February 20 National Cherry Pie Day
February 21 National Sticky Bun Day
February 22 National Cook a Sweet Potato Day
February 22 National Margarita Day
February 23 National Banana Bread Day
February 24 National Tortilla Chip Day
February 25 National Chocolate-Covered Peanuts Day
February 25 National Clam Chowder Day
February 26 National Pistachio Day
February 27 National Chocolate Cake Day
February 27 National Strawberry Day
February 27 National Kahlua Day
February 28 National Chocolate Souffle Day

But really... if you could pick just one day, and celebrate that food... which day would you choose?

I'm going with February 27, National Strawberry and Chocolate Cake Day! Two for one... yum!

pie in the sky

before

and after... pumpkin pie for dessert

and onion pie, an Italian family tradition appetizer

Happy Thanksgiving
have a blessed day!

"Beer Butt Chicken"

after 1hour... not ready yet!

This past weekend while food shopping I bought a fryer chicken, which I usually roast in the oven, but it does make a greasy mess of the pan and the oven, yuck. Not wanting to make a mess and clean up that mess, I thought... "maybe I can grill a whole chicken". So I googled... and came up with this recipe for grilling a chicken with a beer can stuck up it's "butt". You can't see my can, but it's up there. My chicken was 4 lbs and it took about an hour and 1/2, but boy was it moist and good! And... the best part... NO mess to clean up!

Here's a link to the recipe, give it a try, and like it says "you'll never go back to roasting again"!
Beer Can Chicken Recipe link

new recipe success!

We hosted a little dinner party this weekend, and since it's been rainy and a bit dreary all week, I decided to cook inside versus out. I turned the AC down and we made lasagna (I know... a winter meal, right) and meatballs, and we served a salad and bread, but I wanted to have a side dish too. I found an eggplant and zucchini, ratatouille type recipe, and it was so easy and good. A great way to make use of all the good veggies you're growing in your gardens.

Scroll down for the recipe, I promise it won't disappoint!

And for ambiance, here's the kitchen table bouquet, roses from the garden.

The dining room centerpiece, Hydrangeas and Snapdragons
from Whole Foods...

... in vases with split peas
a good look but one problem... the peas end up absorbing the water so you'll need to refill

the gals

after that, I got too busy to snap photos...
but the food was delicious and the company fun as always!

here's that new side dish recipe:

Eggplant side dish:

1 eggplant, 1 zucchini, 1 onion, 1 red bell pepper, 1 tomato, small can of pitted black olives, 2 cloves chopped garlic, 1/4 cup olive oil, pepper and Italian spices to taste. Peel and chop the eggplant into 1 inch bits, salt and set aside for 20 minutes, rinse and drain. (this gets the bitterness out of the eggplant, so don't skip). Chop the zucchini, onion, red bell pepper, and tomato.

In a large saute pan, add olive oil, garlic and onion, cook until onion is soft. Add the eggplant, zucchini and bell pepper. Season to taste. Saute to ~just about done, then add the tomato and olives. Saute a few minutes and serve as a side dish or over pasta.

I wish I had taken a picture because it really is a pretty and colorful side dish. A great way to use your homegrown tomatoes and vegetables from the garden!

ps... If you live near Whole Foods, they make the best cannollis! They fill them when you order them with a not-too-sweet ricotta cream and dip the ends in mini chocolate chips, yum!

enjoy!

what do golfers and cookies have in common?

I did a post on these iced sugar cookies on my Bridal Buzz blog and saw that they also make these fun golf themed cookies and wanted to share with you...

ladies golf
men's golf

For your next golf outing or tournament, or for your golfing mom or dad for Mother's Day or Father's Day... these are the cutest!

miles of golf cookies from a dozen eggs.com
baked in Vermont and shipped nationwide

many other themes available... but these were too cute for a Golf Gal not to share!

makes ya' want to throw a party, doesn't it?!

Sweet or Unsweet?

I'm a Long Island girl, down in the south now for 19 years, and
I love tea! Here in Atlanta, sweet tea is the choice of the locals. At our Easter weekend in Florida, I tried a delicious twist on iced tea, made with Firefly Sweet Tea Vodka, yum! So refreshing and delicious on a warm summer day!
Perfect to serve in my Crate and Barrel Cabo Pitcher giveaway!

check out the recipe card for
a few different variations of a good thing:... and drink responsibly!