Party Time: Gender Reveal Party

As soon as I heard that a friend of mine was expecting, I said "oh, when the time comes, you should have a gender reveal party!"  What's a gender revel party you ask?  Well I've seen a few different versions across the Web, but typically it seems to go down like this:  Instead of telling you the sex of your bun in the oven, have the sonogram tech write the results in a sealed envelope. Take said results to your baker and they make a cake that reveals the gender after it is cut into. Gather your family and friends to take part of the surprise.  You can theme it up as much as you like.  Have people wear the color of their gender guess, serve pink & blue themed drinks, pink and blue decor, a betting/guessing board, have guest choose a pink or blue ribbon to wear to represent their guess... the list goes on as far as the imagination.

My contribution to this Gender Reveal party was the cake.  It was so exciting to get to be in on the secret!  Mom and dad to be didn't want to wait it out, so they found out the sex of the baby and made the call to fill me in.  I had everything ready to go since I only needed to know what color filling I'd be making.

The next day I presented them with this cake

Once everyone gathered around and the champagne was passed out it was time to cut in and find out...

Drum roll please...

and it's a....

GIRL!!!

Super fun party and so great to play a part in the big surprise!

For more fun Gender Reveal Party Ideas click away:

What's It Gonna Bee...
DIY Gender Reveal Party Ideas
More Cute GR Ideas
Gender Reveal Party
Mustache or Bows - CUTE!

Green Onions in My Window

Yep, It's as easy as it looks!  Cut of the root tip ends of your green onions & instead of tossing them in the trash, stick 'em in a small glass votive.  (you'll want to cut of a little more than you usually would to give it a good start.)  Add water as needed.  They grow, you snip, they grow again... No garden needed!

Valentine's Day Dinner

Crab Cakes & Jalapeno Jack Grits... recipes coming soon :)

Rummy Gummies

Perhaps you've heard of or maybe tried Drunken Gummy Bears.  I had tried them a couple of time before where they were made with vodka.  It was a little like basically chewing on a fun shaped shot of vodka with a little flavoring added.  Not bad if you are looking for a quick buzz, but not exactly TASTY.  I'm a big fan of tasty, so decided to give them a try myself using Malibu Rum.  Definitely, MUCH tastier.  I'd imagine you could use any alcohol or alcohol to get your little bears good and drunk.  The process was oh so simple.  I used the following:

Rummy Gummies

1 large bag of gummy bears (I grabbed the 2.5 lb bag of the walmart generic brand.  It was like half the price of the 3 lb Haribo bears)

1 bottle of Malibu Rum (I got the standard sized bottle.  I think it's 750ml)

a large glass container

at least 3 - 5 days

Combine Gummy Bears and rum in a glass container.  Place in fridge and shake contents a couple of times a day.  Let soak for at least 3 days.  Enjoy**!

**These Rummy Gummies are not intended for consumption by anyone under the age of 21!!!  And please, eat/drink responsibly!  These naughty little bears will sneak up on you quickly!

TJ's Tuesday: Zesty Southwestern Style Stuffed Chicken Breasts

I have a MAJOR fondness of Trader Joe's.  Unfortunately I don't get to go as often as I'd like, Since I live in a town that does not have one.  A 20+ min drive in either direction will bring me to one of two, so I like to go about once a month.  I love how they have so many options for things that require minimum prep time.  Perfect for the busy week night!

Last I decided to try these Zesty Southwestern Style Stuffed Chicken Breasts.  Into the oven they went.  I made some "Squished Black Beans" for a side dish and in just over 50min we had dinner on the table.

This stuffed chicken was GREAT.  The inside was stuffed with a green chili and a delicious cheese mixture.  The top had all sorts of flavor and texture.  This will definitely be on my TJ's list of favorites!

If you are looking for a SIMPLE dinner option that's not loaded with processed ingredients that you can't pronounce, pick this one up and give it a try.  Enjoy!

Hot & Sour Soup

I've had my eye on this Easy Hot and Sour Soup posted over at Haus Food.  I passed the recipe off to a co-worker a while back and she was nice enough to share what she made.  It was GREAT!  I was amazed by how balanced the flavors were.  Most Hot & Sour soups I've tried are either all hot or all sour and not really my thing.  This soup was perfect, just the right balance of zingy tastes.

Last week I finally got the chance to make it myself. I made a few slight alterations and was still very pleased with the taste.  If you are like me and ever get a craving for Asian inspired soups, this is a recipe to keep near by!

Hot and Sour Soup

Adapted from Haus Food

2-3 large portabello mushrooms cut into pieces

2 cans bamboo shoots, sliced into matchsticks
1 can water chestnuts, sliced into pieces
1 large chicken breast cut into thin strips
1 cup (+/-) tofu, cut into small squares (optional)
4 cups chicken stock
4 cups beef stock
6 Tbl soy sauce
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
1 tsp (+/-) Hot Chili Sauce, like Sriracha
4 Tbl cornstarch
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 carrot, grated
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 Tbl sesame oil
3 Scallions, minced

Pour chicken stock, beef stock and soy sauce into a large pot with the salt. Bring to a boil. When it reaches a boil add the mushrooms, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, and chicken.  Reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook for 3 minutes. Add in pepper, vinegar, chili sauce, Tofu and carrots. Turn the heat to high and bring back up to a boil. Whisk together the cornstarch wit 4 Tbl of cold water and add to boiling pot and stir well until thickened, about 2-3 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and add the lightly beaten egg. Stir gently until it is incorporated. Stir in sesame oil and scallions. Enjoy!