Party Princess = Party Food

I am a sucker for "those" type of parties. You know the type where you invite everyone you know, hope at least one person shows up and then try to sell them items that they may/or may not need. It all started last year when I got conned into helping a friend out by booking a jewelry party and it has been a down hill addiction ever since. This year alone, I have done two jewelry parties, a cooking party and this week I am entering into the book party world. The positive side of these cult activities is that I get to make some good party food. Some of my favorites I have already shared include Cheese & Ham Swirls and Crab Triangle Appetizers, but to make up to all my friends and family that I have tapped so many times here is another great party recipe that is perfect for the summer. Enjoy!

Vegetable Pizza

2 (8oz) packages crescent rolls

2 (8oz) cream cheese

2/3 cup Mayonnaise

1 tsp dill weed

1/4 tsp onion salt

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1 (7oz) pkg shredded cheddar cheese

Various raw vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, green onions, green peppers, tomatoes, etc..)

Spread crescent rolls on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 min and cool. Mix together the cream cheese, mayonnaise and seasonings and spread on top. Sprinkle the cheese and vegetables on top. Refrigerate.

Potato Chip Cookies - A Tasty Memory

This weekend was one of our annual long distance driving trips to visit relatives. Having grown up at least 4 hours or more away from my closet relatives, I am used to these annual events and probably would not know what to do with my long weekends if we didn't go. Not derailed by the price of gas, we set off. Driving (or riding) gives you lots of time to reflect, so for Memorial Day it seems appropriate to share a recipe that brings up many memories in my life. Driving to visit my Grandparents when I was younger, I could always count on one thing. When we got there, there would be baked goods on the counter along with a bowl of a collection of home made cookies. There are many to choose from but the Potato Chip Cookies were ones I always remembered. They were different, with a mixture of both salty and sweet. Here is the recipe to continue your own tradition.

Potato Chip Cookies
1 Cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup crushed potato chips
1/2 cup chopped nuts
2 cups flour

Cream together butter, sugar and vanilla. Add crushed chips and nuts. Stir in flour. Form into small balls and place onto a cookie sheet. Press flat with the bottom of glass dipped in sugar. Bake at 350 for 8 minutes. Makes about 3 1/2 dozen.

Fantasy Baking

Some people have their fantasy sports leagues and some have their alter egos in virtual world games. I am going to create Fantasy Baking. In my fantasy world, there will always be time for baking, since cakes would only take about 5 minutes to make and bake and the oven never needs preheated. You would open up your pantry and it would look like a supermarket, everything you need neatly lined up in little rows. Meringue would always form stiff peaks and cookies would never burn. I would have one giant baking machine with some really cool name that had about 500 attachments on it, so you never need to go searching in the bottom less pit drawer and you always have the right tool for the job. Everything you would bake would automatically be sugar and fat free, but taste like it just came from a French bakery. On top of everything, I would look like Cindy Crawford in my Baker Babe apron and thong (circa 1980s). Well, I hoped you enjoyed my little fantasy world because next time it is back to my bad baking, bad spelling and bad humor.

Sugar-Free Banana Nut Cake

It is a Sunday night, all my chores are done and I am ready to bake. The problem is I am about 5 pounds more then what I was last year and my summer clothes are fitting just a little too snug. What is a Baker Babe to do? Instead of forgoing a baking adventure, I decided to focus on finding something sugar free (and planning to give away all of the leftovers). I have been meaning to highlight something for my diabetic friends, so I went searching on the web. It took me over an hour to find a recipe that I liked (and that I had all the ingredients for). I settled on this Banana-Nut Cake with Cream Cheese Glaze from www.childrenwithdiabetes.com. The bonus is that I also get to use my new silicone Bundt pan that I got from my birthday. So the result....not to shabby. The cake come out very similar to a banana bread that you wouldn't even notice was missing sugar. However I was not a big fan of the Cream Cheese frosting. Maybe it is my hard core addiction to sugar, but I say if you can sugar it, do it. I will leave the final taste test for this recipe up to my diabetic friend who's taste buds will be a much wiser judge. Enjoy!

Chicken Cutlets – A Natural Stress Reliever

Sometimes you just feel like beating something. Since that can sometimes land you in jail, depending on your target of choice, I recommend that you take out your frustrations with this chicken cutlet recipe. Not only will you feel better and get a mini arm workout, but you will end up with a great dish that can be served many ways. Start with fresh or defrosted chicken breasts. On a cutting board loosely wrap each chicken breast in plastic wrap and then beat with your heart content (or until it is about ¼ inch thick). Continue with the others breasts. In a bowl, lightly whip an egg with a fork. In another dish, create a mixture of bread crumbs, parmesan cheese and Italian spices as desired (oregano, basil, garlic powder, etc.). Take each chicken breast (you may need to cut them into smaller prices once pounded) and dip it in the egg and then lightly coat with the bread crumb mixture. In a frying pan, heat a thin layer of olive oil on Med high heat. Sauté chicken breasts for 3 minutes on each side. Once all the breasts have been sautéed, place in a baking dish and cook for an additional 20 minutes in the oven at 350 degrees. My family likes these with a pasta dish and sauce. We also used the leftovers to make a buffalo chicken pita pizza with BBQ sauce. This dish takes time, but you can use it to mellow out to your favorite tunes and think happy thoughts. Happy Pounding!

Classic Coffee Cake - A Mother's Day Treat

You have to love the person who decided that if we add coffee to a cake name then we are allowed to eat this treat way before noon. For Mother's Day this year I was treated to a traditional Mother's Day Breakfast (would have been brunch if my son would have been nice and slept in for me instead of getting up at 6:00 AM!!). The meal featured the Betty Crocker Best Coffee Cake made by my sister, along with omelets made by my husband, coffee from Dunkin Donuts and of course a mess made by my three year old. It was the perfect way to celebrate the day. But now I have the keep this blog short. Like all moms my work is never done and the laundry is calling my name. Happy Mother's Day to all!

Carbo loading - Baked Ziti

This weekend I am scheduled to “compete” by walking in a half marathon. Not as impressive as running, but still I consider it not too shabby for a women of my age and lazy tendencies. This year my sister is joining me for the semi annual tradition. To best prepare us for this challenge, I need to make a nice carb-filled meal to fuel us tor the day. The Baked Ziti recipe I use (originally from the back of a box) can be easily doubled for company and it also freezes nicely. Wish me luck at the race, I have a feeling my old butt is going to need it this year.

Baked Ziti

3 cups Ziti, uncooked
¾ lb ground beef
3 cups (or 28 oz jar) spaghetti sauce
1 ¾ cups (15 oz) ricotta cheese
2 cups (8 oz) shredded mozzarella cheese
1 teaspoon dries basil leaves
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Grated Parmesan cheese

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cook pasta for 8 minutes; drain. Meanwhile in a large skillet over medium heat, brown meat until cooked; drain. Stir in spaghetti sauce; simmer for 10 minutes. In a small bowl, stir together ricotta cheese, 1 cup mozzarella cheese and seasonings; set aside. Toss pasta with meat sauce. In a 13x9 baking dish, spoon one half pasta mixture, spread cheese mixture over top. Layer with remaining pasta; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil and bake 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake 5 more minutes.

Cinco de Mayo Mexican Brownies

Every year my friend has a Cinco de Mayo party on the Saturday nearest to the day. Since I always seem to arrive late, I offer to bring a dessert. I wish I could say I made some fabulous Mexican flan or a from-scratch cake, but in the end I made what I call "Mexican Brownies". I start with a brownie mix. This year I used the Barefoot Contessa Pantry Outrageous Brownie Mix, which was a good choice. It has an extra step of melting chocolate chips and butter to add to the batter, which makes the brownies have an extra chocolate kick. Then I add to the batter about 4 Tablespoons of cinnamon and 1 shot of Kahlua (or similar coffee liquor). Bake as directed on the box. You can decorate them with a dusting of cinnamon or some drizzled chocolate. Delicioso!