bonnie's bun in the oven

Last weekend we had a baby shower for my dear friend and business partner, Bonnie Cross. I made lots of mini or "baby" finger foods. They turned out really cute. I think she was happy! I know her belly was thrilled. Ha.

box it up please!

Long time no see. Whew - I have been so busy catering up a storm! I want to get better about sharing pics and recipes, but I can't make any promises. :) Today I prepared my first box lunches for a ladies luncheon. They turned out so well, and I wanted to share a few pics. The menu is below also. They ordered Turkey & Brie sandwiches with pasta salad, and Roasted Veggie Quiches with spinach salad. Everyone also got a brownie cupcake with strawberry frosting.

faux fried hearts

Long time no see! I have not posted anything in a long time, but I have made a resolution to post a lot more often this year. We shall see! Look for many new posts in the next few weeks.

This is a super easy new appetizer that I have been making lately. I got the idea from Southstreet, a Nashville favorite. They serve fried artichokes with their fried calamari and serve with a side of warm marinara sauce. It is so yummy! I don't fry these chokes at all. Instead, I simply coat them with a combination of seasoned Italian bread crumbs and parmesan cheese.

I created an assembly line. I drain a can of quartered artichoke hearts. You can also use whole chokes and quarter them yourself. The smaller they are, the better they will taste. I always try to get whole chokes that are 10-12 per can. You can also get the frozen variety. The important part is making sure they are not soaking wet. I roll them in a clean dish towel after they are drained.

Then, one by one, I roll them around in the bread crumb & cheese mixture. Lay them on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Bake them in a 375º oven until they begin to brown, roughly 15 - 17 minutes.

Serve with a little warm marinara or a spicy aioli sauce. So easy and simply wonderful!

Pizza Party

My sister and I had such a great time making our perfect pizza for dinner the other night. We rolled out pizza dough very thin and topped it with sauce, Italian spices, extra virgin olive oil, red pepper, Canadian bacon, mushrooms, zucchini, onion, broccoli, goat cheese, parmesan, more chrushed red pepper, and a little sprinkle of EVOO on top! Bake at 425º until brown and bubbly! My secret tip is to always use parchment paper. Your pizza will not stick and less clean up.

It was sooo good!

Yummy dinner followed by a night of karyoke at Springwater.
Good stuff!

accidentally in love with this salad

Say goodbye to old, boring tunafish, and say hello to my new favorite quicky salad. It is so yummy! I know it seems weird, but it is so good!

I start by juicing 2 lemons into a large mixing bowl, and whisk in a couple of hefty tablespoons of good dijon mustard. Then whisk in a few tablespoons of olive oil. Add fresh black pepper, a little crushed red pepper, and Italian seasoning if you have it. There's your dressing.

Next, drain one can of white tuna and add that to the bowl. Also drain & rinse a can of chickpeas/garbanzo beans (I'm pretty sure they are the same thing), and add those to the bowl. Dice 2 small celery stalks, 1 zucchini and one small onion all very fine. Add those to the bowl. Stir everything to combine and serve it over spinach leaves. Let me know what you think!

Breakfast of Champions

My friends and I woke up Saturday morning ready for a little fun. We headed down the street to Bricktop's. They have an amazing brunch on the weekends and we laughed and laughed. It was a wonderful start to the day!!

This is what Sarah & Stephanie had... the BLT benedict. I had a bite, and it was fab.

Sterling, the birthday rock star (not pictured), opted for the trendy chicken & waffles. And let me tell you, I haven't ever had a bite of a tastier waffle.

Stephanie loves her mimosas. This time she opted for bellini's (peach juice + champagne) and a carafe of them to boot!

I stayed safe with a blue moon & a grilled artichoke, my fav!

Out and About at 1808

There's a new spot in town that we have been frequenting as of late... 1808! It's in the new Hutton Hotel on West End here in Nashvegas. It is so much fun! You may find yourself hobnobbing with local music row celebs or an occasional State Senator here and there, but no doubt that this is a place out of character for Nashville and I like it!

This is a mini fried oyster poboy. So good! All apps are half off during happy hour.

Cheese plate.

Me and my 1808 martini with yummy frozen grapes.

Flatbreads are great too.

Now we are all filled up and ready to head out on the town for some Americana Music! Woo hoo!