Martha ain’t got nothin on me

I don’t really read Martha Stewart’s blog. 

Her personal life, I could do without.  But when I saw this as her post for the other day, I had to check it out.

1. Because I wondered when her birthday actually is. It is August 3rd.

2.  Because mine is August 29th and the last thing I want is to share a birthday with Martha.  DeAnn I am fine with :) Just not Martha. 

If you click on the link you can see the pictures and the rest of the famous guests too!( I don’t even know who half of them are!)

August 26th, 2010

My Joint Birthday Party With Harry Slatkin

A few weeks ago, I went out to dinner with my good friends, Harry Slatkin, the fragrance tycoon, and his wife, Laura.  We chose a new restaurant in Montauk, the far-east end of the South Fork of Long Island.  Its name is Navy Beach, a beachfront restaurant and bar serving casual coastal cuisine in a laid back, family-friendly setting.  While dining, we looked around and said, “Wouldn’t this be a great place to have a birthday?”  And so we started planning.  Harry and I never celebrated our birthdays together before, but it seemed like a fun thing to do.  Dinner consisted of everyone’s favorite comfort food, including iceberg wedges, butter poached lobster rolls, buttermilk fried chicken, truffled macaroni and cheese, seafood and chips, parmesan French fries and a several-layer chocolate cake.  Harry!  What do you think?  Should we try it again, next year?

So let me take this opportunity to compare this with my birthday.  Which is actually the point of this post. 

1.  Since it was on a Sunday, I went to church and it was a communion Sunday for us. Nothing like starting off your birthday will all the saints.

2.  My children gave me hand made cards. And I know my husband purchased a card for me BEFORE the actual day :)

3.  I got a box from my sisters with the most thoughtful contents. 

4. I got a box from my parents with the most thoughtful contents.

5. I got tons of FB Happy Birthday wishes, lots of texts and phone calls.

6. We went to my in-laws house for a wonderful supper. 

7.  I got to eat some fabulous chocolate pasta and enjoy it with some great company. 

  I got to celebrate my day with the most important things to me.  Church, family, friends and food.  It really doesn’t get any better than that. No matter how old you are.

Thanks everyone!

Need Something to Do?

Head on over here and check out cute thing upon cute thing! 

ONE PRETTY THING

I am particularly fond of the cake buntings that are popping up all over these days. They would be so cute on a set of cupcakes too.  And made out of paper instead of fabric, you could make them completely personalized. 

Did I mention that I have 3 milestone birthdays in my house all in one October week?  I am thinking and planning ahead!

File Folders and the Corn Roast Festival

I would consider myself a fairly organized person.  I can find things when I need them without having to look too hard :)  

Like this recipe for example.  It was in my email in the folder labeled recipes because it came straight from Mom.  Where else would it be? :)

Sun, April 5, 2009 9:17:28 PM

Recipes for Laura

All this brings me to the point of this post.  Laura and I both entered recipes in the recipe contest for the upcoming Corn Roast Festival here in town.  The recipes had to be turned in by Friday and the festival is the last weekend in August. 

Go here to read all about it and the judging criteria for the recipes.  In the mean time, here is Laura’s entry.

Texas Tailgate Caviar

1  15 oz. can red beans, rinsed and drained

1  11-15 oz. can corn, rinsed and drained

1  15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained twice

2 mid sized roma tomatoes

1/2 to 1  red or green pepper, diced

(cilantro, optional)

-Marinade-

1/2 cup vinegar

1/2 cup canola or olive oil

1/2 cup white sugar

1 T water

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

Mix marinade ingredients until dissolved. (A 16 oz. jar works well to mix by shaking.) Pour over veggies and marinate for 2 hours up to 2 days. This keeps well for 3-4 days. Serve as a salad or as a salsa with 'scoops' corn chips. (Drain off marinade before serving and add back to leftovers, if desired.)

 

And here is mine.  Compliments of the Marcus Cookbook and Grammy.  There really is nothing better than some fresh sweet corn to finish off the summer! Wish us luck!

 

Santa Fe Corn Chowder

3 ½ cups fresh corn kernels

1 cup chicken broth

¼ cup butter

2 cups milk

1 clove garlic

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

3 tablespoons diced green chilis (canned)

1 cup cooked chicken, diced

1 cup Monterey jack cheese, grated

¼ teaspoon baking soda

Combine corn and chicken broth in a blender and puree.

In a large sauce pan combine butter and corn mixture and simmer slowly for 5 minutes.

Add milk, oregano, salt and pepper and bring to boiling.

Reduce heat and add green chilis and chicken. Simmer for 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and add cheese and soda. Stir until melted.

Serve with warm flour tortillas. Makes 6 servings.

No I have not become a Vikings fan.

 

So to toot my own horn, here are the pictures of the cookies I made last week and my good friend Jan photographed for me :) 

I agreed to donate a  silent auction item of a few baked goods for the Buffalo Wild Wings golf tournament that is coming up next weekend.   I worked at the BWW in Rochester for several years before we moved to Colorado and so of course I couldn’t say no:)

 

Check out this site, Bake at 350 for some super cute cookies! 

Since all these great Minnesota sports cookies actually have to be shipped to Minnesota,  I found this  video to help me pack them so they get there all in one piece, hopefully!

 

Now I am off to find some packing peanuts and boxes!

I am in love!

I am pretty sure that I am in love with every single thing on this web site.  All of it.  Topping my list, the cupcake lip balm, the bacon and eggs bandages and the stylish pink moustaches for girls.  

Once you get past all that, check out all the great cupcake papers and selection of sprinkles too!

Ok, I take that back.  I don’t love these, because I don’t really care :)  Other than that, I stand by my original statement.

Part of what makes entertaining and party planning so much fun is all the time I get to spend looking for all the little things.  Paper shopping, color coordinating and menu planning all make for a fun filled process that gets us to the end result!  And the Bake It Pretty web site just adds to that element of fun.