Janine King Market Tote Winner

Wow! 377 entries! And so many wonderful comments. Thanks to everyone for entering!

Just an FYI: Janine has so many of her bags ON SALE right now! So everybody wins! Go over and find the perfect Valentine's Gift for yourself!

And the winner, picked by Random.org:

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

284 

Timestamp: 2009-01-31 19:40:54 UTC

Congratulations!
auntrene said...

I love the bag that is on sale. I couldn't find its "name" but it is Blue with the large dots on it, has a retro feel to it. Would love it or any bag from the site.
Thanks for sharing,
Rene
itsjustmerene2003@XXXXXXXXX

I have sent an email to the winner. She has until Tuesday, February 3 to respond. If I don't hear from her another winner will be chosen.

Swiss Creme Au Chocolate

I absolutely love those fundraiser cookbooks ** that so many organizations put together. Doug brought one home for me from a recent business trip to Boston and I just have to share this recipe with you all:

Swiss Creme Au Chocolate

Foolishly ask what to bring to that house party a week from Friday.

Agree to bring hors d'oeuvres.

Forget about it until an hour before you leave for the party.

Search through the cupboard for something to make.

Find two boxes of Yodels ** that you bought with a "2 for 1" coupon. Find two colors toothpicks.

Slice Yodels into 5/8 inch rings. Arrange on colorful serving dish. Put colored toothpick in each slice. Make sign saying that red toothpicks do not contain seafood. Practice saying "it's an old recipe from my Swiss grandmother".

** You can use HoHos for this as well.

**This came from the Aviva Associate Cookbook, Quincy, MA and was submitted by Chris Murphy.

Win a Janine King Market Tote

I absolutely love bags by Janine King! I own a few and have given away more as gifts.

I've even offered this exact bag twice before. It's been so popular that I'm doing it again!

I truly adore this market tote in the Tres Chic fabric. Can't you just imagine a fresh baguette peeking out the top, maybe a few leafy greens? Or are you more like me and it would be filled with books?


Because I own Janine's bags I can guarantee that this is a quality bag, made to last.
Bag info:
• Dimensions: 16" high x 14" wide with 1½" boxed corners at bottom
• Double straps are 24" end to end and comprised of 4 fabric layers

Be sure to visit Janine's shop and see the wide assortment of bags and fabrics she has! You'll find something you must have- I promise! And while you're there check out her newest design - the Fronce Tote. It's the newest item on my "gotta get it" list.

This Contest is Closed

Want to win this bag?
To qualify visit Janine King's etsy shop and leave a comment telling me what bag you most desire. Is it a stylish laptop tote? Or a roomy purse? Or maybe a chic little bag?

For an extra entry subscribe to Fab Food Friday via email (you can do this at the top of the page in the right column) or add my button to your blog. Leave another comment telling me you did so.

For a third entry either blog or twitter this contest. Leave another comment with the blog link or your twitter id so I can confirm this entry.

International entries ok!

Only three entries per person, please. Make sure I can easily find an email to contact you; I will not search for one. Contest ends January 30 at 11:59pm. I will draw the winner Saturday, January 31. The winner will be contacted via email and will have 3 days to respond. If I do not hear back from the winner within that time another winner will be drawn.

This post is part of the Bloggy Giveaway Carnival. Click the button below for more great giveaways!

Party Cheese Ball

This is an easy and tasty appetizer for any gathering- family, football, social gathering. The nice thing is that you can really mix and match ingredients in cream cheese and create just what you want.

So I'm going to give you the recipe (from Kraft) and then suggest changes you may want to make.

You Need
2 pkg. (8 oz. each) Cream Cheese, softened ( I use 1/3 fat)
1 pkg. (8 oz.) Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
1 Tbsp. finely chopped onions
1 Tbsp. chopped red bell peppers
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. lemon juice
Dash ground red pepper (cayenne)
Dash salt
1 cup chopped Pecans

You Do
BEAT cream cheese and Cheddar cheese in small bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended.

MIX in all remaining ingredients except pecans; cover. Refrigerate several hours or overnight.

SHAPE into ball; roll in pecans. Serve with assorted crackers.

Other Ideas

• I used jarred roasted red peppers which added a great smoky flavor wo the Worchestershire sauce.
• Shredded Gouda or Bleu Cheese instead of Cheddar- both are flavorful, bold cheeses.
• Use pimentos instead of peppers.
• I think that pickle relish may even be tasty.
  
• Use slivered almonds instead of pecans. Chopped peanuts would also be tasty.
• You could also roll it in crushed crackers or toasted bread crumbs.
• Serve with celery, carrots or pepper strips.
• Roll into a log or individual mini-cheeseballs. Make it into a football shape for Super Bowl. Or mold it for specific holidays or celebrations. (To remove from the mold dip mold in warm water for a minute or two.)
  

Mmmm... Baked Apples

In October I happened upon Laney Pottery's website and was instantly drawn to their apple bakers. I love baked apples. And since I was looking for affordable and useful gifts for my in-laws for Christmas I figured I had found just what I was looking for.

After receiving rave reviews from my in-laws about their apple bakers I figured I needed to try one for myself. Jayme was kind enough to send one out to me and I have- finally- gotten around to trying it! (Every time I was going to it seemed that all the apples had "disappeared"!)

Well, today the girls and I tried out our apple baker. We used the very easy recipe that Laney Pottery provides. We peeled and cored the apple (I used a small melon baller to core it quickly) and placed it in the apple baker with butter, brown sugar, cinnamon & ground cloves.

After baking for 25 minutes it was ready to eat. Hot from the oven this would be a great side dish or dessert served with caramel, ice cream or whipped cream. But I just cut it to bite sized pieces and my girls eagerly ate it without anything else.

At only $9 each these handy -hand made- apple bakers are a bargain. And they can be made in a variety of colors to match your kitchen. Visit Laney Pottery's website or etsy page to order yours.

Chocolate Cheesecake

This is an incredibly rich dessert- a little bit goes a long, long way. It's sooo yummy, though, and can be made in advance (2-3 days in the refrigerator or 3 weeks in the freezer- don't forget to defrost before serving.)

I got this recipe in a promotional mailing years ago from a company called "Great American Home Baking". I can't find an online presence for them.

Chocolate lovers rejoice! PS- this will blow your diet out of the water.

Crust
2 c chocolate wafer crumbs
5 T melted butter

Filling
3 - 8oz pkgs cream cheese, room temperature
1 c granulated sugar
5 large eggs
2 oz semi sweet chocolate, melted

Frosting
6 oz semi sweet chocolate, melted
1/2 c sour cream

To prepare crust: in a medium bowl mix together chocolate crumbs and melted butter until well blended. Press into a 9" springform pan. (I line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper).

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

In a large bowl beat together cream cheese, sugar and eggs at medium speed until smooth. Spoon half into crust.

Stir chocolate into remaining cream cheese mixture until well blended. Drizzle over batter in pan to make swirls.

Bake for 50 minutes. Cool completely then chill, in pan covered in plastic wrap, for 2 hours.

After chilled carefully remove pan. (Cover now to freeze; thaw before frosting.)

To prepare frosting mix chocolate and sour cream in a small bowl. Spread over cheesecake and refrigerate until frosting is set. This frosting is easy to pipe so you can "pretty it up" if you want to.

Finnish Baked Pancakes

The first time I had a pancake like this was when Doug took me on a surprise trip to Country Club Plaza in Kansas City and we had breakfast at a chic little diner there. They were called "Dutch Babies" on that menu. I think they are quite similar (if not the same) as a Pannekoeken (in fact, there used to be a restaurant by this name- wait, there is still one in Maplewood, MN as of October 2008.)

Anyway... I was paging through an old issue of Midwest Living (December 2007) before Christmas and saw this recipe which is attributed to Barbara Young of Poplar Creek Guest House B&B. This makes a lovely, light "bowl" of a pancake.

A single recipe serves 2 people. I used 8" cake pans to bake these, but you can also split the batter into 2 six-inch cast iron skillets or an 8" skillet you can put in the oven. I filled this with thawed (from frozen) fruits and sprinkled it with powdered sugar. Use your imagination- this would be great with any fruits, syrups, whipped cream... I'm even gonna say you could use it with cinnamon ice cream & baked apples. Mmmm...

Oh, and I should mention that these are super easy to make!

What you need:

2 eggs (let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes)
1/2 c all-purpose flour
1/2 c milk
1/4 c butter, melted
1/4 t almond extract (I used maple and I'm gonna say vanilla would be fine, too)
1/4 t finely shredded lemon peel (completely optional- fine without it)
Fresh fruits or other yummy stuff to put in it
Powdered sugar, honey or maple syrup

What you do:

In a medium bowl beat the eggs with a wire whisk until they are frothy. Add flour, milk, 2 T of the melted butter and the almond extract. Beat until smooth. Stir in lemon peel and set aside.

Heat skillets (or pan) in a 450 degree oven for 2 minutes. Divide the remaining 2 T between the two skillets (or put it all in the 8" pan) and swirl to coat the pan. Pour batter into hot skillet. (You will see the butter gather around the edges. The butter will all go into the center and bake into the pancake. Mmmm...) Bake in the 450 degree oven about 15 minutes, or until puffed and golden. The inside will puff up- don't worry, it deflates as the pancake cools.

To serve remove pancake from oven. It slips right out of the pan. Spoon your fruit (or whatever you choose to fill the pancake with) into the center of the pancake and add powdered sugar or syrup.

Quit drooling... You probably have everything in your house to make this right now. Why not have it for dinner?

Good Food Gives You Energy to Burn

It’s no surprise to anyone, I don’t think, that obesity in children and teens has become a worldwide epidemic. With video games residing in almost every home, computers often near by and less gym and recess time at school children are less active than ever. Couple that with convenience snacks, prepackaged foods and fast food and it’s no wonder our kids are less fit than ever.

Yes, I know this is a food blog, but I try to equal our food intake out with activities and play. So I thought I would share information about SOGO Active with all of you. I think it’s a brilliant idea and hope to see initiatives like this in the US.

SOGO Active is sponsored by Coca-Cola Canada. They have retained ParticipACTION, the national voice of physical activity and sport participation in Canada, to assist in the design and execution of this project; to create a unique approach and framework for inspiring “for youth by youth” group activity in the community.

I spent some time on the SOGO Active and was really impressed by the site. It doesn’t matter if your child doesn’t like team sports or if they aren’t “sports minded” at all. By choosing an activity style you can find so many different options to try; things you may never have considered. Like fencing. Or Oozeball.

It’s really a great site, even if you’re not in Canada. It encourages local organizations to get involved with our youth. Check it out at SOGO Active.com.

A Creamy, Buttery Martini

No photo. Sorry. By the time I thought about taking a photo of this cocktail last night, well, I was in no shape to hold a camera.

Last weekend Doug & I joined my siblings and their spouses for dinner downtown at Splash. While there I found a martini that was right up my alley. Meaning that it had no vodka. So, for New Year's Eve I decided to recreate it.

For this drink you need:

Tuaca, an Italian Liqueur with hints of citrus and vanilla
Butterscotch schnapps (I prefer Buttershots)
Irish Cream Liqueur (St. Brendan's is a bit less expensive than Bailey's and just as tasty)
Crushed ice

For a single drink mix 1 oz Tuaca, 1 oz Buttershot and 1/2 oz Irish Cream in a shaker with 1/4 c crushed ice. Shake and pour into martini glass with or without the ice.

Enjoy!