Happy Friday! Let's celebrate with a double feature on My Eats and Beats. Plus, the blog is sporting a new design today! Do you like it? A big thank you to Blogger for stepping up their game on the template options.
I for one am happy to see the weekend. A little quality time by the pool, a little sun tan and I'm good to go. We had quite the downpour of rain the last two evenings, but I'm hopeful it has passed. In fact, downtown got drenched right as I was walking out of the office and to the parking garage Thursday afternoon. Water puddles formed in my heels and the hems of my pants were soaked. By the time I drove out of the parking garage, not a drop of rain was to be found. Just my luck. C'est la vie, right?
Well, as it turns out, last night I made a big dinner; and tonight I made a refreshing dessert. So I'm putting the two together to leave you with good eats for Saturday and Sunday.
First off is lemon chicken. I found this recipe in the current issue Southern Living. You could make this dish for a late afternoon lunch or dinner. It's very light and refreshing, relying on butter and fresh lemons to bring out the flavor in the chicken. And it makes for a beautiful presentation without being difficult to make. Serve with a side of rice and vegetables, or even a big salad. It's a great summer meal.
Need an ice cold refreshment to cool you off this weekend? Craving ice cream? Look no further than the Irish Pirate. Make these mint chocolate chip milk shakes with dark rum, or omit the liquor for a non-alcoholic version. Either way, this drink is delicious. I saw this recipeon Food Network and fell in love after seeing "mint chocolate chip ice cream" and "rum" as the main ingredients. Top each serving with a fresh sprig of mint to dress it up. Just a side note...after reading reviews, I omitted the mint extract. Enjoy!
The Irish Pirate really put me in the Celtic spirit. I admit to being that nerd who gets excited when NPR plays Celtic music on Saturday mornings. Actually, one of Stewart's best friends from back home plays the cello in a duo called String Cheese. They are truly amazing and have a fresh spin on classic Celtic music. Perhaps you'll see them on My Eats and Beats one day. But you know me...I always like to ask for permission first :)
Keeping in tune with my minty Irish refreshment I went with The Corrs "Toss the Feathers".
Have a happy and safe weekend! Julia
If you ask me why I felt compelled to bake at 9 o'clock this evening, I'm not sure I could give you a reasonable explanation. Perhaps it is because I haven't done much cooking since last Saturday. Or maybe it's because I didn't want to disappoint you without a sweet treat this Wednesday. It is hump day after all. Welcome to the half way point of the week!
If you read my post on Monday, you'll know that I'm trying to lay off the sugar for a little while. An admitted sweet-o-holic, I have no self control when it comes to desserts. But no one said I couldn't make sweets for other people! So I am taking these yummy sticky buns to work in the morning. However, there are only 171 calories per bun; so I wouldn't feel extremely guilty for indulging in one. And I didn't when I ate it at 11 p.m. right out of the oven. Move over little Pillsbury dough boy! I've got a new way of making delectable breakfast eats.
The recipe for these Cinnamon Raisin Sticky Buns comes from Oxmoore House. The recipe makes 9 servings, so chose wisely when you're sharing these yummy buns. Everytime I opened the oven to check on the sticky buns, I want to eat the smell of cinnamon and brown sugar. It is heaven on earth. It's like a sticky version of an Auntie Anne's pretzels.
In other news today was my Dad's birthday! My mom planned to make chicken and rice tonight for his birthday dinner. Well, she actually did make the chicken and rice. But our family black lab managed to prop her two front paws up on the kitchen counter and devour that chicken in its entirety. Needless to say, we did not have chicken and rice tonight. We had #1 combos from Chick-fil-A instead and boxed cake for dessert. And it sure was tasty!
The beat to compliment these sticky buns is Marvin Gaye with "I Heard It Through the Grapevine". I'm a fan of Gladys Knight and the Pips version as well. Raisins come from grapes. Grapes come from the grapevine. You follow my thought process?
Any one remember the California Raisins commercials? They did one to this song. In fact, one of my best friends used to have the California Raisins' lunch box.
Cinnamon Raisin Sticky Buns:
Cooking spray
1/3 cup raisins
9 (1-ounce) frozen bread dough rolls, thawed (such as Rich's)
1/4 cup fat-free evaporated milk
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons dark corn syrup
2 tablespoons light butter
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Preparation:
Coat a Bundt pan or an 8-inch square baking pan with cooking spray. Sprinkle raisins in bottom of pan. Arrange rolls over raisins.
Combine milk and remaining 4 ingredients in a 2-cup glass measure. Microwave at HIGH 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds until sugar dissolves. Pour over rolls. Cover with plastic wrap; let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 45 minutes or until doubled in size.
Preheat oven to 375°. Bake at 375° for 18 to 20 minutes or until golden. Run a knife around outside edges of pan. Place a plate upside down on top of pan; invert onto plate.
It is with a heavy heart that I bid farewell to this past weekend and the greatness that is Memphis' Italian Festival. It is also with a heavy belly that I look back on the past 4 days and say to myself, "You, dear lady, are getting back on the exercise band wagon"! And indeed I did. I walked three miles this evening and will continue to do so until my liver forgives me and my insides have deflated. But I wouldn't change a second of this year's festivities; as always, it is one of the best weekends of my summer. Good friends, good food, good times.
Oh and how we ate and drank all weekend. When I tell you that we went through 1,000 jello shots, that is no exaggeration. We counted; and we had two team members who were gracious enough to spend sleepless nights making them. Not to mention our dedicated cooks; our team had awesome gravy this year to enter into the contest, and we even placed 7th in the "Anything Italian" competition with lamb spindini. One of the girls on our team also made the best tiramisu cupcakes. No joke. They were a-maz-ing. I'm gonna have to get my hands on all the great recipes. Way to go Holy Cannoli!
Saturday night was my favorite. It's the last night before we tear down the tents on Sunday morning. To feed the troops, I contributed 3 lbs of pasta with this recipe for cavatini. This recipe comes from Stewart's aunt, and it's a favorite in this household. By the end of Saturday night, the tray of cavatini was scraped empty...along with every scrap of food we had to offer.
The closing ceremony for 2010's Italian Festival is brought to you by Connie Francis and Dean Martin with their rendition of "Arriverderci Roma". So long Italian Fest; until we meet again next year. I'll be waiting with fond memories...
Arriverderci festival italiano! Julia
Cavatini:
1 (48 oz) Prego traditional pasta sauce
1 lb penne pasta
2 lbs shredded mozzarella cheese (I use Kraft)
1 large package of Hormel regular pepperoni
Directions:
Cook pasta. In a serving dish (11"x8") layer above ingredients in the following order: sauce, pasta, cheese, pepperoni. You should have two full layers. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes. Let cool and serve.
I had such a great time hosting tonight’s Italian Fest meeting. We had about 12 team members come by to discuss events, food and drinks over the next three days, and we got our wrist bands for admission into the park this weekend. The evening was spent laughing and joking around, mixed with about 15 minutes of serious team talk and planning. This is the third year for Holy Cannoli to participate in Italian Fest, and I hope we continue for many years to come.
And ya’ll, I made the best meatball sliders. One fellow Cannoli, Tim, said they were the best meatballs he’s ever had; I grinned from ear to ear to hear that. I rarely create my own recipes. But the more I cook, the more comfortable and confident I get in mixing ingredients and making meals from scratch.
For refreshments, Stewart was my counterpart. We had a cooler full of ice cold Bud Light, two bottles of red wine and a bottle of white wine. Surprisingly we went through all three bottles of wine before we put a dent in the beer. I for sure thought the guys (majority of team members) would have gone straight for the beer; but they all drank wine first. Go figure...
I will say that if I could go back and redo anything tonight, I would have made more food! Every piece of bread, every meatball, and every cannoli was no more by 9:30 p.m. As a hostess, you hate to make too much food; but you never want to run out of food. I figured with 12 people and 24 meatball sliders, plus pasta salad and cannolis, we would be ok; but I definitely learned my lesson. “Less is more” does not apply to food. I’d prefer to have too much than not enough.
The Rat Pack is always on the Italian Fest playlist; so I thought Dean Martin’s “Volare” was most appropriate for the featured beat.
VivaItalia!
Julia
Julia's Meatball Sliders: 1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 Cup Italian bread crumbs
1/4 Cup chopped onion
1 large egg
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
2 tablespoons grated Romano cheese 1/2 pound (90% lean) ground beef 12 sweet dinner rolls
Line a baking pan with parchment paper. Stir together all ingredients, except meat. Add meat. With damp hands, roll meat into 12 mini meatballs and place on parchment paper. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes. Add ketchup to serve on the dinner rolls.
This past Saturday, I made chicken salad. I really enjoy making salads in the summer: chicken salad, pasta salad, tuna salad, etc. They’re so easy to prepare ahead of time and provide plenty of leftovers for lunch throughout the week. There are two versions of chicken salad that I make. One is my Sitty’s (grandmother’s) recipe. It’s more of a chicken salad spread. The other I had at a family friend’s house when she hosted a bridal shower for me. It’s delicious and full of various textures and flavors.
The chopped celery, apples and slivered almonds give it a great crunch and the rotisserie chicken has awesome flavor. In fact, I just finished the last helping of chicken salad this afternoon. You can serve this dish over a bed of iceberg lettuce or as a sandwich. It also goes great with a side of sliced cantaloupe.
We’re gearing up for Italian Fest! Tomorrow is the group meeting before the festival officially kicks off Thursday night. And Stewart and I are hosting the meeting! I just took some mini meatballs out of the oven and plan to make little meatball subs with them. Be on the watch for that recipe soon. Our Italian Fest’s team name is Holy Cannoli, so I even bought mini cannolis to serve for a sweet treat tomorrow night.
Now that we’ve talked some eats, let’s listen to some beats. When I say I love Otis Redding; I mean I LOVE OTIS REDDING! He is my favorite male, soul singer. My Dad used to play his greatest hits album in the car when I was growing up; and every time I listen to him sing, I sway my head to the music. His voice is so raw with emotion. For today’s beat I chose “A Change Is Gonna Come” because it’s a great song to let you hear how much soul and power is in Otis Redding’s voice. You just feel it.
June is also Black Music History month, and there’s no doubt Otis Redding left his iconic mark on soul. At the young age of 26, Otis Redding died in a plane crash in 1967. Ironically, that day is my birthday.
Don’t be chicken when it comes to adding the mayo in this recipe; that was my attempt at a very bad joke. Anyhow, just add it little by little until it meets your liking. Start with about two large spoonfuls and go from there. Pretty much with this recipe, you'll just want to eye the exact amounts of ingredients.
Julia
Chicken Salad: *Serving size is roughly 4
Two rotisserie chicken breasts, chopped; remove the skin and bone.
3 Granny Smith apples, chopped. You can keep the skin on.
Grapes, halved
Slivered almonds, prepackaged
Celery, chopped
Mayonnaise
Salt and pepper to taste
Mix the first 6 ingredients together in a large bowl. Add salt and peppter to taste. It's best served cold.
