Tropical Recipes

Today I'm sharing the recipes I made for my tropical dinner from a while back.


We started with a Toopua Blue Lagoon Cocktail(Bora Bora)as found on Food.com.

Blue Lagoon Cocktail

3 ounces vodka
1 1/3 ounces blue curacao
3 1/3 ounces pineapple juice
2/3 ounce lemon juice
4 teaspoons sugar
ice
2 lime wedges
Directions:

1. Pour all ingredients (except lime wedges) into a cocktail shaker, with ice, and shake.
2. Strain into two margarita glasses, garnish with lime wedges and serve.

Next was Chilled Pineapple Soup which I like better when it was freshly made rather than letting it chill for a few hours. It is served on the Royal Carribean cruise ships.

Chilled Pineapple Soup

Makes 8 servings

2 pounds (905 g) chopped fresh ripe Pineapple
2 cups (280g) sour cream
1 cup (250ml) ginger ale
1 cup (250 ml) whole milk
1 cup (140g) granulated sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup (35g) unsweetened flaked coconut

1. In a nonreactive bowl, combine all the ingredients together, except the coconut. Transfer mixture in batches to a food processor and puree until smooth. Pour soup into a clean nonreactive bowl. Cover and refrigerate until cold.

2. Meanwhile, toast the coconut: In a dry skillet over high heat, toss or stir the coconut, taking care not to scorch it, until lightly browned. To serve, divide the cold soup among chilled soup bowls and garnish with coconut.

Then I served Tropical Baked Chicken(also from food.com) with a tropical themed salad(from allrecipes.com) and Basmati rice. The chicken is seasoned with cinnamon and baked in orange juice which gives it a unique flavour.

Tropical Baked Chicken

Makes 6 servings

3 lbs chicken pieces( I used boneless chicken breasts)
4 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped green bell peppers or 1/4 cup red bell pepper
2 tablespoons butter, cut into bits
1 teaspoon dried basil, crumbled
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup orange juice
1/2 cup pineapple juice
1/4 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed

Directions:

1. Position rack in the center of the oven.
2. Preheat oven to 350°F.
3. Mix together Dijon mustard, basil and honey.
4. Smear the chicken with this mixture.
5. Arrange chicken, skin side down, in a shallow roasting pan or baking dish just large enough to hold it in a single layer.
6. Sprinkle the pieces with finely chopped onions, bell peppers, butter, salt and freshly-ground pepper to taste and 1/2 tsp each of cinnamon and paprika.
7. Pour orange and pineapple juice around the chicken.
8. Bake, basting once, for 30 minutes.
9. Turn the chicken skin side up, season with salt and pepper, 1/2 tsp each of cinnamon and paprika, and all of brown sugar.
10. Bake until the chicken is tender and golden, about 20 minutes longer.
11. Add more orange juice or pineapple juice if the pan seems dry.
12. Pour the juice into a small saucepan and boil over high heat until it becomes syrupy.
13. Spoon the sauce over the chicken and serve.


Tropical Salad

Makes 6 servings

6 slices bacon
1/4 cup pineapple juice
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
freshly ground black pepper to taste
salt to taste
1 (10 ounce) package chopped romaine lettuce
1 cup diced fresh pineapple
1/2 cup chopped and toasted macadamia nuts
3 green onions, chopped
1/4 cup flaked coconut, toasted

Directions

Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside.
In a cruet or jar with a lid, combine pineapple juice, red wine vinegar, oil, pepper and salt. Cover and shake well.
In a large bowl, toss together the lettuce, pineapple, macadamia nuts, green onions and bacon. Pour dressing over salad and toss to coat. Garnish with toasted coconut.

And, of course, there was dessert but it will be featured in a separate post!

Hope you enjoy these recipes.

Little Red Wagon - Trim the Tree

Over at Little Red Wagon this week Tammy is challenging us to use a tree on our project.

I created a card with a small Christmas tree on it:

So if you have chance link up your tree adorned creation over at Little Red Wagon.

We love to see what you create!

300 Best Canadian Bread Machine Recipes

I'm back with another cookbook review, 300 Best Canadian Bread Machine Recipes published by Robert Rose.

Recipes have been developed by Donna Washburn and Heather Butt both bestselling authors.

This book contains all the info you need for both old and newer models of bread machines. And it has traditional and innovative recipes including low-fat, international and gluten free. Most recipes indicate different loaf sizes so that you can choose the one that best suits your needs.

My daughter Brittany is the designated bread baker in our house and chose to make Salsa bread.

It was yummy and nothing beats fresh, hot bread of any kind.

Other recipes include Asiago Herb Loaf, Maple Banana Flaxseed bread to name just a couple. We're sure to be making lots of bread over the upcoming winter months!

Little Red Wagon - Boy oh Boy!

Hi all!

This week Jan has chosen masculine theme for the challenge at Little Red Wagon.

I was inspired by cards in the Take Ten magazine to create this card:

And it really did only take ten minutes to make, gotta love that!

If you can link up your masculine inspired creation over at Little Red Wagon, we love to see what you create!

Tropical Themed Dinner

A couple of weeks ago I hosted a tropical themed dinner and thought I'd share some of the decor and recipes over the next couple of posts or so.

I used bright gerbera daisies in a pineapple vase to create a centrepiece.

Be sure to fit a container in the pineapple so it doesn't leak(learned from personal experience).

Then I used some brightly coloured napkins that I folded into an orchid shape and adorned with a silk orchid.

I added mini tropical umbrella  and bamboo chargers on a green tablecloth lined with grass skirts.

Here's a look at the menu, I'll feature most of these recipes in subsequent posts.

But today I'll share a cheese ball formed in to the shape of a pineapple.

This can be done with any cheeseball recipe with the cheese shaped into a barrel. Pecan halves are pressed in and topped with the greens of a pineapple.

Recipes to come soon, thanks for stopping by!

Little Red Wagon - Texturize!

Hi all!

Things continue to be really busy around my place but I do have a couple of cards I made that fit Joanne's challenge to texturize using embossing folders.

The first uses a newer chicken wire embossing folder as well as the older swiss dot folder:

The second uses an older holly folder:

After not having used my folders for a while I've quite enjoyed digging them out and using them again!

And if you can, link up your textured creation over at Little Red Wagon, we love to see what you create!

Thanks for stopping by!

Little Red Wagon - Colour!

Hi there!

Long time no post!

The past couple of weeks have been a whirlwind!

So finally, here's my Little Red Wagon post for this week.

Dee wanted us to colour an image, I choose an image with very little colouring, a major cheat I know!

I think it is cute though.

And if you can link up your coloured images over at Little Red Wagon, we love to see what you create!

Little Red Wagon #157 - Halloween Treats!

It's my week to set the challenge at Little Red Wagon and as today is Halloween, I've picked Halloween Treats as the theme.

I saw an idea on pinterest of using circles to create a lollipop and thought it would be perfect for this week:

Love the Authentique Halloween papers too!

If you can, please join us over at Little Red Wagon with your Halloween inspired project, we love to see what you create!

Thanksgiving Table and Recipes

Well, here I am finally posting about my thanksgiving table and some new recipes I tried.

But as Thanksgiving in Canada is so much earlier than in the US you US readers can benefit.

First up is the table. I already blogged about the napkin folds but I also created flower filled pumpkins.

And a closer look where you can see the oasis I used to place the flowers.  Then I also added votives in vintage baking cups, an idea I found on Pinterest.

I tried a new drink recipe, Apple Cider Sangria, which was yummy!

And another quinoa recipe, Broccoli Quinoa casserole, you can just see it in the background of the following photo:

I wasn't sure if my family would like quinoa, but they did!

And finally I tried Dianne's crockpot stuffing as well as my traditional stuffing in the turkey.  And everyone liked the crockpot stuffing just as much as the traditional.

And here's the recipes, enjoy!

Apple Cider Sangria

1 bottle pinot grigio
2 1/2 cups apple cider
1 cup club soda
1/2 cup brandy with a few slices fresh ginger
3 honey crisp apples, chopped
3 pears,chopped

Combine all ingredients and stir. Refrigerate for at leadt one hour or longer before serving.

Broccoli Quinoa Casserole

1 can cream of broccoli soup
1/3 cup mayonnaise
2 T milk
1 1/4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp black pepper
dash ground nutmeg
2 cups cooked broccoli
1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa
freshly grated parmesan cheese

Preheat over to 350. Coat a shallow casserole  with non-stick spray. In large bowl combine soup, mayo, milk,cheese, sugar, pepper an nutmeg until well mixed. Stir in quinoa and broccoli. Spoon into prepared casserole dish, sprinkle with parmesan. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until bubbly on edges and golden.  Makes 8 generous 1/2 cup servings.

Traditional Turkey Stuffing

Makes enough for a 10 to 12 lb turkey.
1/3 cup butter
2 cups chopped onions
1 cup chopped celery
2 tsp each dried sage and savory
1/2 tsp each dried thyme and pepper
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup chopped parsley
8 cups bread crumbs
Optional: handful dried currents or cranberries

In skillet over medium heat melt butter. Add onion and celery,cook until softened. Stir in sage, savory, thyme, pepper,salt and parsley. In large bowl,combine bread and onion mixture, toss well until moistened.

300 Sensational Soups

I'm back with another cookbook review this time 300 Sensational Soups.

I don't know about you but I love soup most in the fall and winter months and this book has soup recipes for every occasion. It includes stocks, chilled soups, bean soups, cheese soups, dessert soups and more!

My family has been quite intrigued with the cookbooks I've been receiving from from Robert Rose and even my husband spotted a couple of soups in this book he'd like to try, Thai Chicken, Coconut and Lemongrass soup and Spicy Thai Chicken,Coconut and Lemongrass Noodle soup.

This week I tested a classic favourite, Broccoli and Cheese soup which my girls and I loved and I definitely will make it again.

Up next, Tortilla soup or Lasagna soup!

300 Sensational Soups is available now.

Little Red Wagon #156 - Colour Combo

I'm back with this week's Little Red Wagon challenge issued by Regan.  She has  suggested the colour combination of kraft, rust, olive and brown.

I think I cheated a bit by adding in cream as well:

I used no patterned paper on this one, just cardstock embossed with various textures.

So dig out those scraps of kraft, olive, brown and rust papers and link up your creation over at Little Red Wagon.

We love to see what you create.

150 Best Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

When recently given the opportunity to review some cookbooks,I jumped at 150 Best Grilled Cheese Sandwiches as grilled cheese is one of my daughter Brianne's favourite foods.

In fact, grilled cheese is one of the biggest trends in the food industry and is enjoying a resurgence in popularity.

The recipes in this cookbook range from uptown, simple,gourmet and seasonal. Grilled cheese is versatile and recipes are not limited to only lunch or dinner but also feature snacks, appetizers and even desserts.

The author, Alison Lewis, among several other things is a nationally known recipe developer and has come up with some awesome grilled cheese recipes ranging from Grilled Egg, Cheese and Bacon Biscuit to Grilled Salmon and Gruyere to Classic Grilled Two Cheese.

Being a traditionalist, I tried out the Classic Grilled Two Cheese which was yummy!

Alison also includes tips for choosing the best melting cheese, how to pair the right bread with the right cheese, how to lighten up recipes and add in seasonal options.

I will definitely be trying more of these recipes soon!

150 Best Grilled Cheese Sandwiches is available now.

Mother is a Special Word for Love

I spent the day yesterday scrapbooking with friends and was able to complete this layout of my Mom:

I thought since it was her birthday the least I could do was scrapbook her photo. It is from a family wedding last year and I think the Prima Printery paper sets it off beautifully!

Thanks for stopping by! And happy belated birthday Mom!

Little Red Wagon #155 - Bow-dacious!

This week at Little Red Wagon Judy is challenging us to put a bow on it!

I actually put four bows on it!

Not sure Judy is expecting die cut paper bows but a bow is a bow right?

So dig into those wagons and create your bow adorned project to link up at Little Red Wagon.

We love to see what you create.

Fall Cloches

Marty is hosting a cloche party over at A Stroll Thru Life and I'm playing along with my fall cloche arrangement.

I used some varied fall fillers and grouped them all together.

Then simply a gourd under a cloche.

Thanks for stopping by and Happy Fall!

Top 100 Step-by-Step Napkin Folds

If you have followed my blog for awhile, then you know I like to tablescape. So I was all for reviewing Top 100 Step-by Step Napkin Folds by Denise Vivaldo:

I hosted a thanksgiving dinner this past weekend and took the opportunity to test out some of the napkin folds shown in the book.

The folding techniques vary from easy to more complex with easy to follow step step by instructions. I warmed up with a few easy folds then settled on the Cabbage Rose fold to place in the centre of each plate:

I think it looks cute with a gourd in the centre, but here is another view:

I know I will refer to this book often when planning the table for future events.

Top 100 Step-by-Step Napkin Folds is available in stores and online now.

Little Red Wagon # 154 - Fallin' For You

Well, the weather and the trees have definitely turned fallish in our area so Tammy picked an appropriate theme this week, fall!


I layered some Kaisercraft paper, the Devonshire Collection, to create this card:

So dig into those wagons for your fall inspired items and link up your project over at Little Red Wagon.

we love to see what you create.