Gluten Free Dinner

One of my clients requested gluten free products for her grandson's birthday party. Depending on the menu, these items are fairly easy to come by, although the price is slightly higher. Her grandson is 12 and this was a family party, so she requested dinner food with dessert being my cake balls. I went for foods he would eat and figured adults would like as well. Gluten free pasta can be tasty with the right sauce and spices to flavor it up. He loves chicken and zucchini, as well as strawberries, raspberries, and bananas. So, this is what I came up with: baked chicken covered in pepper/garlic/basil marinara sauce, gluten free pasta with the marinara sauce and shredded parmesan cheese, sauteed zucchini and onions, the berries and bananas with a dollop of cream cheese fruit dip, and my gluten free yellow cake balls with party sprinkles. Nothing too crazy that a 12 year old would spit out and all gluten free and delicious!

Making Crepes in Paris- Video

Crepe Catering

This weekend brings me a new challenge: crepes. A friend has family visiting and requested a Saturday brunch of crepes. Hmmm, how to make these interesting and tasty. I have a recipe from a family friend that I'm going to use. Crepes can be made ahead and refrigerated with wax paper in between. When I learned to make crepes, the recipe called for jams, jellies, and powdered sugar. I've branched out since then and have made crepes with scrambled eggs, ham, sausage, vegetables, and cheese. I might as well have all of these options available. Sounds crepe-licious!

Minimal Carbs

Tonight I felt like I needed to cut out all of the sugar I've been gobbling up the last couple of weeks and I looked for some fresh food for dinner. Grilling has been wonderful the last week, but I'm not in the mood for the grill tonight...so it's Italian meatballs with a lemon/pepper glaze in a green salad with green and red peppers, and sauteed onions and mushrooms. Then throw a few baked asparagus with pepper, olive oil and parmesan to the side. Very fresh, flavorful and filling. No sugar required.

Picnic Day

So, today is Picnic Day for my healthcare job. One of the things I do is to teach exercise classes to patients with lung diseases. We have a picnic every year and this year is at a patient's home. We're having BBQ ribs, fried chicken, grilling hamburgers, hot dogs, brats, and corn-on-the-cob. I'm bringing the fixings for s'mores and my now-famous cake balls. I'm also picking up tables, chairs, all the paper products and table cloths. Oh, of course, ice for the bottled water. Should be a great time had by all 50!

The twins have arrived and Mom is hungry!

So, my friend has had her twin boys! All three are healthy and Mom has her wish list I told her to think about. She has requested giant ricotta/mozzarella stuffed shells, banana bread, and "some of those cake balls"- in strawberry....oh, and a fun messenger bag to carry extra things in.
Ooooook, she has been thinking on this, hasn't she? Well, the shells are no problem, the banana bread recipe was my Mom's and I've made it for her before. The cake balls have been an experiment of flavors and colors-this will be a 1st for the strawberry flavor. As for the messenger bag, hmmm, she's a fashionable girl, can't just get a canvas bag...this is what I found and it's perfect for her!
www.snakemessengerbag.totalwarehouse.com

Fresh Eating!!

I love summer and all the fresh produce. Of course, if I lived in a mild climate, I could eat like this all year 'round. Alas, since I love the mountains and we have 4 seasons, I enjoy the fruits and veggies when they abound. Today, I'm making salmon (fresh caught and frozen) with dill butter, sauted zucchini/onions/peppers, and a big salad with strawberries, black raspberries, walnuts and shredded smoked gouda. Yum, yum, yum!! Dessert- I had extra strawberries- so, it's a frozen strawberry log "frosted" with cool whip. Can't wait!

Wedding day coordinator

My latest role is that of wedding day coordinator. What is that, you ask? Simply meant- set-up tables, organize appetizers, control buffet table, manage gift and guest signing table, cake dissemination, clearing of tables, recycling trash, and finally cleaning up. Simple, hmmmm, maybe not. I thank my lucky stars that the bride is well organized and has directives she wants me to follow. When you don't have to contact any of the vendors or fix problems, this can be a very clear-cut, satisfying job. This is a job position that many brides are looking for these days. When the economy can't afford an event planner, but the bride needs to focus on enjoying the day visiting with family/friends and taking pictures; knowing that all the little items will be handled so that the special day is remembered the way it should be...as fabulous memories!