GIRLS TALK PARTY

What a day ! What a beautiful day!!! I'm finely relaxing now. All my friends are gone home, happy and in a good mood. Every other week I'm having a little party at my house with few of my best friends and we talk about everything and anything; we share stories, food recipes, new events, good news, sad news, but the party ends with good spirits and high hopes for better days ahead.
Here are the pictures of some of the food I've prepared for all of us; my Lemon Poppy Seed cake was a big success; also the Ham and Pepper Tart was gone "with the wind" in few minutes.
I didn't have to much time to cook and bake, so I got some cheeses and cold cuts from the supermarket. We also had chocolate, vanilla and strawberry ice cream with chocolate syrup...yummm.....ice tea, coffee, soda, water and a little strawberry Martini. I will post the recipe some time soon. Now I'm tired and my bubble bath is waiting for me to jump right in.

Good night my lovely visitors!

Have a nice day!

HAM AND PEPPERS TART - APPETIZER

INGREDIENTS:
3 cups chopped mixed bell peppers (red,orange,green),
2 cups chopped green onion,
1 cup chopped cooked ham,
3 large eggs,
3 tablespoons olive oil,
1/2 cup flour,
1/4 cup milk,
salt,
pepper;

DIRECTIONS:
Saute onion and peppers; add ham, salt and pepper; let cool for few minutes; add eggs, flour and milk; blend all the ingredients until well coated.
Bake for 40-45 minutes at 375 F.

Serve warm or cold.

ENJOY!

Have a nice day!

LEMON AND POPPY SEEDS CAKE

INGREDIENTS:

1 box (16.5 oz) Lemon Cake Mix,
3/4 cup water,
1/4 cup oil,
3 eggs,
1/4 cup poppy seeds;

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 F; grease pan and lightly dust with flour; mix all the ingredients at high speed for 3 minutes until batter is thick ans smooth.
Bake for 35- 40 minutes. Cool in pan for 10-15 minutes before removing. Lightly dust with powder sugar.

ENJOY!

Have a nice day!

NUTELLA BON BON

INGREDIENTS:

3 cups tea biscuits crumbled,
1/2 cup butter, softened,
1/2 cup Nutella,
1/3 cup milk,
1 cup fine chopped walnuts,
1/2 teaspoon rum;

DIRECTIONS:

Combine all the ingredients reserving 1/2 cup chopped nuts. Form 2.1/2 inch balls and roll in nuts. Refrigerate until firm.

ENJOY!

Have a nice day!

PORK AND PEPPERS STEW WITH RICE

CINCO DE MAYO and RIO GRANDE QUESADILLAS

Happy Cinco de Mayo! How is everybody celebrating? Probably eating and drinking!
Here is a nice dish that my family really likes it and I wanted to share it with you. I also want you to know that THIS IS NOT my original picture, but I posted just to give you an idea on how this dish looks like. So, here are the:

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups shredded cooked chicken,
1 package (1.25 oz.) Taco spices and seasonings,
3/4 cup water,
1 can refried beans (16 oz.),
6 large flour tortillas,
1.1/2 cups Monterrey Jack cheese,
1/4 cup chopped pimiento,
1/4 cup chopped green onion,
1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro.
vegetable oil;

DIRECTIONS:

In a medium skillet,combine chicken, Taco spices and water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes. Stir in refried beans. On 1/2 side of each tortilla, spread 1/3 cup of chicken bean mixture. Layer cheese,pimiento,green onions and cilantro on top of each tortilla. Fold each in half. In a large skillet, heat a small amount of oil and quickly fry folded tortilla on each side until slightly crisp. Repeat with each folded tortilla.
Cut each quesadilla in quarters and serve with salsa or (and) guacamole.

ENJOY!

Have a nice Cinco De Mayo day!

GOAT CHEESE AND ONION APPETIZER

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup goat Feta cheese,
1/2 cup cream cheese room temp.,
1/2 cup butter softened,
1/2 cup chopped green onion,
1 tablespoon black sesame seeds,
green, orange and red bell peppers for garnish...and taste,
crackers or bread for serving;

DIRECTIONS:

Combine all the ingredients until well blended. Spread on crackers or bread; garnish with sesame seeds and bell peppers. Good for appetizer or snack.

ENJOY!

Have a nice day!

STAKE, CHICKEN, VEGETABLES AND SALAD

GRILLED STAKE, VEGETABLES AND BAKED POTATO

GRILLED CHICKEN, VEGETABLES AND STEAMED RICE

FRESH VEGETABLE SALAD WITH RANCH DRESSING

SOUP DU JOUR - CREAMY BLACK BEAN SOUP (Inspired by "CHA CHA CHA" - Cuban Restaurant in San Francisco)

Not to long ago, we had lunch at this Cuban restaurant in San Francisco called "CHA CHA CHA". We never had cuban food before and we're curious to try something new. The place was very crowded and 1/2 hour waiting. The menu had no pictures so was kind a hard to choose just by the name. We looked at other tables to see what people are eating, to get some idea of what we want to order. Everybody was eating BLACK BEAN SOUP! From the look on they faces looked like they all were in Heaven....mmmm....yummmm.....ohhh.... So, we ordered this "out of this world soup" to see what this fuss was about. Well, my first reaction after I've tasted was "what is this? NO TASTE AT ALL ! Just cream of cooked beans! I'm not going to describe the second meal, but one thing is for sure...no more CHA CHA CHA! I'm not saying no more Cuban food, but we have to try some other places to.
So here is my version of CREAM OF BLACK BEAN SOUP"!


INGREDIENTS:

2 cups cooked black beans,
1 cup chopped onion,
1 cup chopped celery,
1 cup chopped mixed green and yellow bell peppers,
3 cloves garlic,
3 tablespoons olive oil,
2 tablespoons vegeta,
2 tablespoons sour cream,
pepper;

DIRECTIONS:

Saute onion, celery, peppers and garlic in 3 tablespoons oil few minutes; add cooked beans, vegeta, pepper and 4 cups of water. Bring to boil; let cook for 8 to 10 minutes; in a blender container, blend the entire soup until smooth; return cream soup to cooking pot; add sour cream and cook for 1, 2 more minutes. Serve warm or cold!

ENJOY!

Have a nice day!

EGG NOODLES WITH WALNUTS, RAISINS AND CINNAMON

INGREDIENTS:

4 cups cooked egg noodles,
1/2 cup chopped walnuts,
1/3 cup brown sugar,
1/2 cup raisins,
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon,
2 tablespoons butter,
1/3 cup water,
1 teaspoon vanilla extract;

DIRECTIONS:

In a sauce pen over medium heat, melt butter; add sugar and walnuts; cook for 1 minute; add water and raisins; cook for 1 minute stirring; pour sauce over the noodles; add vanilla and cinnamon; mix well until noodles are coated. Serve warm or cold!

ENJOY!

Have a nice day!