Lets talk food, movies and other odds and ends....

Happy Sunday...having a relaxing weekend for a change and it feels great! Thanks for all your comments on my post about the little soiree (click here if you didnt' see it) that I threw for my friends birthday. So many of you asked for recipes,I am flattered and want to oblige,  so below are some of them....some I have included earlier on and i am going to try to figure out  a way to make my site a little more comprehensive and include links on the index to them but in the meantime, hope you are having a wonderful weekend.

Tina's  Salmon.....soooo easy.

OK for the salmon...easy peasy! I have another similar recipe which calls for making your own lemon dill sauce but honestly this way is so much easier and at least as good.

I large salmon filet

2 lemons sliced very thin

a small bunch of fresh dill (I prefer the fresh over the dried but in a pinch you can use dried)

Sea salt

Red pepper 

Olive oil

2 cloves of garlic cut 

1 bottle Mccormick lemon butter dill sauce

All you do is wash the wish, pat it dry, pour the entire bottle of marinade on the fish, squeeze half a lemon over the fish, add good sized pinch of sea salt, pepper chopped fresh dill, garlic and drizzle with olive oil, place 5 or 6 lemon slices over fish. Cover with aluminum and refrigerate, I have refrigerated for up to several hours. I bake it either in a pyrex dish or a baking tray for about 30 minutes (about 375 degrees) and turn it up the last 3-4 to crisp it just a little bit. Take it out, squeeze the other half of the lemon over the entire fish and voila!  That is it!! Could it be any easier? And its very tasty!

The Carrot Cake Recipe (Weight watchers friendly) and its AH-MAZ-ING!!!!!!!

Cindy's Weight Watchers Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

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ingredients

Cake

• 1 & 1/4 cups sugar
• 1  cup canola/vegetable or any light oil
• 3/4 cup unsweet apple sauce
• 2 large eggs
• 4 egg whites
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 & 1/2 teaspoon allspice ( or spice mixture of cloves, nutmeg)
• 3 cups finely grated peeled carrots (about 1 pound)
• 1 cup finely chopped walnuts (about 1/2 ounce) for decoration and filling

Frosting

• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 8-ounce packages light/reduced fat cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

preparation

For cake:
Preheat oven to 325°F. Lightly grease 2  10-inch-diameter cake pans with 2-inch-high sides. Line bottom of pans with waxed paper. Lightly grease waxed paper. Using electric mixer, beat sugar and vegetable oil in bowl until combined. Add apple sauce, eggs/whites 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and allspice/spices into sugar and oil mixture. Stir in carrots, stop when just combined.

Pour batter into prepared pans, dividing equally. Bake until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean and cakes begin to pull away from sides of pans, about 45 minutes. Cool in pans on racks 15 minutes. Turn out cakes onto racks and cool completely. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Wrap tightly in plastic and store at room temperature.)

For frosting:
Using electric mixer, beat all ingredients in medium bowl until smooth and creamy.

Place 1 cake layer on platter. Spread with 1/2 cup frosting sprinkle nuts on top . Top with another cake layer. Spread with 1/2 cup frosting.  Using icing spatula, spread remaining frosting in decorative swirls over sides and top of cake, put in refrigerator for a half hour to set frosting. Then remove and over wax paper take hand and cup nuts and press all over sides of cake for decoration (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover with cake dome and refrigerate. Serve cake cold or at room temperature. Enjoy 
YUM!!!!!!!!!!!!

Then for the yummy tomato tarts from Yvonne at Stone Gable....

The summer spaghetti recipe...

Ingredients

• 4 pints cherry tomatoes, halved
• Good olive oil
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic (6 cloves)
• 18 large basil leaves, julienned, plus extra for serving
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• Kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound dried angel hair pasta
• 1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving

Directions

Combine the cherry tomatoes, 1/2 cup olive oil, garlic, basil leaves, red pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon salt, and the pepper in a large bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, and set aside at room temperature for about 4 hours.

Just before you're ready to serve, bring a large pot of water with a splash of olive oil and 2 tablespoons salt to a boil and add the pasta. Cook al dente according to the directions on the package (be careful - it only takes 2 to 3 minutes!). Drain the pasta well and add to the bowl with the cherry tomatoes. Add the cheese and some extra fresh basil leaves and toss well. Serve in big bowls with extra cheese on each serving.

The crostinis.....

These are so easy and you are only limited by your imagination! I like to use fresh mozzarella, Parmesan flakes, prosciutto, chopped mushrooms with garlic, basil, tomato, you name it.......the fun is in the experimenting! I drizzle olive oil over the bread bake for about 4 min. until one side is slightly crispy then remove and start dressing them up!

And finally you have to have the sangria...it is soooooo good!

Take a big pitcher, fill with one bottle of dry white wine, about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of Peach Schnapps, add 3 sliced peaches and 1 sliced orange to mix. Add about 2 tablespoons sugar and mix well. Refrigerate for at least an hour ideally for a few. Upon serving add about 1/2 liter of ginger ale and mix. Can serve with crushed ice, and I add a sprig of mint if I happen to have it. This is a sure hit!

Well....finally got to see To Rome with love and let me say this, all his odd quirks and strange personal life tribulations aside...Woody Allen rocks. I mean I just love his movies, am a big big fan of his work. And this did not disappoint I could and would go see it again today. Even my husband who wasn't as keen on seeing it loved it. Italy is just magical and the story line of four separate love stories/triangles was entertaining. The reviews were mixed but we thoroughly enjoyed it....so much so that we are hoping to travel to Italy sooner than later,  I am crossing my fingers. So if you love Italy, beautiful scenery, need a  good laugh...I highly recommend it.

I am so so saddened by the horrible massacre on Thursday night. My heart and prayers go out to the families and victims, there are simply no words. It is hard to wrap my brain around this tragedy and  that even the simplest pleasure in life like going to a movie to escape for 2 hours has become a deadly event. I am really heartbroken over this.

Moving onto other things...my store. I have sold a lot of my bell jars, definitely one of my most popular items. I also discount them approx. 35-40% from many other retailers which could be why they are so popular:)  I want to give a heads up however to anyone who is considering them, the factory is closing on July 24th for almost 3 weeks. So if you are wanting to order, get your order in by Tuesday otherwise  it will have to wait for mid August.

I am excited to be getting in a big shipment  sooner than expected of new blue and whites! New ginger jars, long awaited planters and footbaths. Below are some of the goods! I wasn't going to add them to my store until late August so if there is something you are interested in just shoot me an email....a sneak peek. (also getting in some gorgeous lamps)! I decided to try some lamps because from personal experience, I found its very hard to find pretty blue and white porcelain lamps. Do have access to some other fabulous colors as well......

What do you think? I am thinking I have a few places for some beautiful blue and white lamps:)

Last.......helped a friend come up with a housewarming gift she had to give. She bought a mini bread board from my shop, got some great cheeses, olives and toasts from a local gourmet shop placed them along with a nice bottle of olive oil and wrapped it up with cellophane. Look how pretty. The smaller size makes it ideal and it makes such a pretty housewarming gift!

So...that's whats happening over here on this Sunday. The sun is shining, the temps are lower and I am looking forward to a day of full relaxation! How about you? Whats on your agenda? Hope whatever you are doing is fun and enjoyable! Until next time..........

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