Green Herb Dip

Thank you Michael for hosting every Friday "Foodie Friday"! at http://designsbygollum.blogspot.com/2009/10/foodie-friday_23.html Stop by and enjoy the list of participants and what they are up to today. Love that lil' Mister's face.........makes me smile.

GREEN HERB DIP

8 oz. cream cheese at room temperature
½ cup sour cream, room temperature
½ cup good mayonnaise
¾ cup chopped scallions, white and green parts (3 scallions)
¼ cup chopped parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. Place the cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, scallions, parsley, dill, salt, and pepper in the food processor.
2. Pulse 10 to 12 times.
3. You want it to be just blended.
4. Serve at room temperature with crudités and corn chips.

Makes 2 cups.............

This dip recipe is from The Barefoot Contessa..........it is one of my families favourite dips. Easy to make and I always have the ingredients on hand. We love it with lots of crudites.

To continue this 'delicious' friday fun be sure and stop by http://designsbygollum.blogspot.com/2009/10/foodie-friday_23.html

Thanks for stopping by! I love reading your comments. :-)

Garden Madness

Welcome and Thanks to Susan for being a Hostess at http://asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.com/.
Be sure to check out everyone else on Outdoor Wednesdays!


{This is not my Home}
One day a month ago as I was driving there was a traffic jam so I decided to take a Detour down this street with row houses from the 1920's. Well.......as I was driving I had to slam on my brakes and take a look at this home, so much to see. I had my camera and snapped some pictures. The front lawn was quite tiny but it had so many lil' character statues on it..........then I noticed someone else behind me stop the car and snap away taking pictures.

Hope you enjoyed the Outdoor Wednesday's Tour and be sure and go visit Susan & the other participants playing (just click) Outdoor Wednesday. I enjoy any reading comments.

Thanks for stopping by!!!!!!

Tea Things Tuesday..............

Thanks to Kim at http://shabbypinkandpretty.blogspot.com/ for hosting "Tea Things Tuesday"
Be sure and stop by and see everyone's tea treasures.

I love this teapot, I actually got it a 'garage sale' for $5 bucks a few summers ago. I couldn't believe the price so I snatched it up. The stamp on the bottom of this teapot is stamped Sadler, Made in England.

I love the two different scenes on each side of the teapot, they are very detailed, cartoon like but very colourful. The pictures remind me of Victorian England, which I think that I should have of been born then........

Enjoy your cup of tea today.......and don't forget to stop by and see the other participants. I enjoy reading any comments.

Thanks for stopping by!

"BLUE MONDAY"

Be sure and stop by Sally's our hostess for "BLUE MONDAY" at http://smilingsally.blogspot.com/2009/10/blue-monday-blue-white-bowl.html

Share the love of blue and see all the treasures that everyone has.

These are just some of the "Blue' plates that I picked up on my travels through Turkey. They are all hand painted by people in different villages.

Thanks for stopping by.........and thanks to sally for being the Hostess.

Be sure to stop by http://smilingsally.blogspot.com/. and see everyones Ble Monday treasures.

Carrot Casserole.......

Right out of the oven...........

Lisa taking a scoop of the 'Carrot Casserole'.

........One day I had all this Velveeta cheese and a ton of carrots that needed to be used up so I 'googled' for a recipe and came up with this a couple of years ago. Well it was a hit with my nieces and nephews. I only make it a couple of times a year for them as you can see why. Last Sunday my niece Lisa came over for lunch and as a treat b/c it's one of her favourites I made it for her.......and gave her the rest to take home. It really is very yummy....even if you have a bit of it.

Carrot Casserole

6 cups carrots, sliced

1 onion, diced

1/2 cup butter [1 stick]

1 cup Velveeta Cheese [LF]

1 cup potato chips, crushed

1. Boil carrots until half done.

2. Drain and place in casserole dish.

3. Add rest of ingredients and mix well.

4. Cover with crushed potato chips.

5. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 35 - 45 minutes.

.........Lisa has already helped herself.

Thanks for stopping by my post!

Roasted Brussel Sprouts/Balsamic Vinegar.

Thanks to Susan for hosting 'Foodie Friday'.
Be sure and visit her website for more participants at designsbygollum.blogspot.com

.......ready to go in the oven.

"ROASTED BRUSSEL SPROUTS with BALSAMIC VINEGER".....Foodie Friday.

Brussel Sprouts

Balsamic vinegar

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Kosher salt

Fresh ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

1. Peel off outer leaves of Brussel sprouts, trim the ends and cut in half.

2. In a bowl toss the brussel sprouts with Extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper to taste.

3. Oil a sheet pan and spread the Brussel sprouts cut side down.

4. Roast for 15 minutes, then turn over and roast for another 15 or till lightly and gently browned.

* You can add Olive oil and balsamic vinegar to your own tastes. I think that I used about 3 tbsp. of olive oil to 1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar roughly.

.........ready to eat.

Thanks for stopping by again...........have a great weekend.

Bazzar

Today is OUTDOOR WEDNESDAY hostedby the lovely Susan of http://asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.com/.

Today I'm going outdoors all the way across the other side of the world.......to a Turkish Bazzar.

These are outdoor pictures for "OUTDOOR WEDNESDAY".......in Izmir, Turkey. There are thousands of people who come here daily for their shopping, and anything you want you can buy. It's an amazing place.

Be sure to visit "Outdoor Wednesdays" on Susan's Blog ;http://asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.com/ to see the other participants.

Thanks for stopping by.

Chocolate Anyone?

.............they are a bit 'dusty', as I haven't taken them all off since spring cleaning. They are a nuisance to clean because they fall off all over the floor. Hopefully I can get to them soon. So please excuse the dust.

When my daughter was small she loved anything with chocolate as all kids do. So everytime she went for a visit to my parents house my Dad would have a Kinder Egg for her. If you have never had one well.........it's a chocolate egg wrapped in foil and when you break it, it's hollow you get a surprise toy in it. Before you knew it she had a vast collection.

Me........being a collector of anything couldn't throw them out. So one day as I was at a Flea Market I saw an old printer's drawer. Then a "light bulb" went off and as you can see this is what I did with those lil' toy surprises.

Thanks for stopping by!!!!!!

"Jacques Pepin" Chicken with Garlic and Parsley.

Thanks to Miss Gollum for hosting another fun and Fabulous Foodie Friday. I f you want to see more visit here; http://designsbygollum.blogspot.com/ to see more great dishes on her site.

THANKS FOR VISITING!

Sauteed and nice and crispy..........
This recipe is one of my daughter's favourite meals.......this dish cooks very fast and in 1/2 hour or less you have dinner. Which is great as everyone is always running for time. I can make this dish everyday and she wouldn't complain.

I usually add a bit more garlic and sometimes if I'm feeling 'naughty' I add more butter. But lately I've been easy on the butter. Also I must mention I crisp it more then usual as my daughter likes it really crispy, not to mention my husband who also prefers everything well done.

I usually serve this dish with some rice pilaf on the side and a vegetable depending on the season. This dish is best served right away........to keep its crispiness.

Jacques Pepin Chicken w/Garlic and Parsley

3 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (each about 7 oz) cut into 1-1 1/2 inch cubes

2 Tbsp. Wondra flour [you can use reguar flour, but Wondra makes it more crispy]

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp pepper

2 Tbsp. good olive oil

1 Tbsp. chopped galic

3 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

2 Tbsp. unsalted butter

1 lemon, quartered

Mix the salt and pepper with the wondra flour.

Dry the chicken cubes with a paper towel and toss them in a bowl with the flour mixture.

Heat the oil in a 12 in skillet over med-high heat until very hot but not smoking. Add the chicken cubes in one layer (I do this all at once, they all fit in the pan) and cook, turning occasionally, until they are all browned and cooked through.

Meanwhile, combine the garlic and parsley in a small bowl (I just chop it all together on the cutting board and add it to the pan from there) and add to pan along with the 2 tbls of butter.

Sauté another minute, making sure to coat the chicken with the parsley mix.

Serve with a wedge of lemon if desired.

Niagara Falls

Thanks to Suasan of A Southern Daydreamer for hosting "Outdoor Wednesday"

This is my first time posting, I just started my blog.

Thanks for stopping by of my mini tour of Niagara Falls........I live a little over an hour from here and go quite often. It's very breathtaking the whole energy of the Falls.

Roasted Tomatoes

Last week at a local veggie shop I stopped by and for $1.69 a basket they were selling Roma Tomatoes , so I bought a couple. I couldn't resist. My husband loves anything with tomatoes on it........especially these. Ready to go into the oven.........you can use parchment paper to save cleaning up later. As you can see I didn't have any......

We love lots of garlic in our house.

Roasted Tomatoes (Barefoot Contessa)

12 Roma plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise, cores and seeds removed
4 Tbsp. olive Oil
1 ½ Tbsp. Balsamic Vinegar
2 large cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. sugar
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Arrange tomatoes on a sheet pan, cut sides up, in a single layer.
Drizzle with the Olive Oil and balsamic vinegar.
Sprinkle with the garlic, sugar, 1 ½ tsp. salt, and ½ tsp. pepper.
Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, til the tomatoes are beginning to caramelize.
Serve warm or at room temp.
　

Ready to eat.......yummmmm.

I try and make batch of these tomatoes and save them in the fridge for the next couple of days for a grilled cheese sandwich, pasta or just over a poached egg and toast for breakfast. Or even just love grabbing some just for a snack........

Thanks for stopping by!