It Was An All-Star Week!!!!

Well if you are not a sports fan and don’t live in Cincinnati, then you may not even know what I am talking about 🙂 but for a year the city has been planning for Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game.

Let me say the city was crazy, I did go downtown a couple of days but if you didn’t get down there early to find a parking space, lot or garage it was nuts.  So to say the least I just drove around and then went back across the river 😛

But the Home Run Derby was exciting since Todd Frazier of the Cincinnati Reds won it this year!!!

All and all I think Cincinnati and Northern Ky. did an outstanding job hosting this years All-Star Game.

I did take some pictures, I have some here that friends took as well, but as I say it was an “All-Star Week”

There were are couple birthdays in our family and of course I made a few things, so check out my pictures and enjoy!!!

First of the birthdays was my little niece I made cupcakes 🙂

She likes presents and bubbles 🙂

Around town they made these mustaches statues here are few of them

here is the picture of all of them that they made, pretty cool 🙂

Here are few of my souvenirs

Buskin Bakery made the cookies got to love that!!

Here are some pictures of the Red Carpet Parade,
the players start at their hotel and end at the ball park, all on red carpet 🙂
Grand Marshall – Barry Larkin

 

Mr. Red and Gapper

 

Rosie Red

 

Some other mascots

Todd Frazier and his family

 

You can see on Todd’s hand the blisters from the Home Run Derby 🙂

 

Few other Players 🙂

Some of the city skyline and downtown

yes they had a zipline too

 

My All-Star Pizza, half spinach & garlic
other half was spinach, Gorgonzola cheese,
sliced almonds, sliced strawberries and
balsamic glaze…so so GOOD!!!

 

The other birthday was my Mommy!! 🙂

I made her cookies peanut butter with no flour 🙂

Dinner – Braised Short Ribs, butter noodles and carrots 🙂

Peach Ice Cream (I just scooped some out to take the picture)
she took the Ice Cream, cookies all home 🙂

And for actual dessert I made Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting 😛

I must say I agree is was an All-Star Week 🙂

One Lovely Blog Award!!

Recently I was nominated for the “One Lovely Blog Award” by Ka@My Uni Kitchen

Ka has a terffic blog, he has amazing Recipes, How to Guides and Cooking Tips, so please go over to his
blog and check out all those good things he has to offer 🙂

There are few rules to accepting the award you must tell everyone 7 things about yourself and nominate 15 blogs
for the award.

So here we go 🙂

1. I worked on a cruise ship for 6 1/2 years

2. My first career was in Theater Costuming before going into Culinary

4. I love Hockey

5. I worked for our home town Hockey Team by sewing names and numbers on their jerseys

6.  During the baseball season, I am on call for the Cincinnati Reds and the away teams
      that come into town and play the Reds, to sew their uniforms (sewing names & numbers),
      for any last minute call ups.

7.  The most I was ever paid for sewing 1 single uniform for an away team was $100.00
and that was for 1 hour of work, that included the call, me driving to the ball park
(i live very close) getting in there sewing the name and number and then 
      back in my car.  🙂  

Bonus – here’s the picture 🙂

I hope you enjoyed the few things that most of you did not know about me 🙂

 

Here are the blogs that I think are fantastic and I give the “One Lovely Blog Award” too

Suzanne@apuginthekitchen

Gretchen@Feeding My 3 Sons

Ginger@Ginger&Bread

Loretta@Safari of the Mind

Angie@The Novice Gardner

Julie@Hostess At Heart

Michelle@Giraffes Can Bake

Suzi@Beach Blanket Bacon

Jhuls@The Not So Creative Cook

Coco@Crafty Little Coco

Lili@Lili’s Cakes

Max@Dante’s Kitchen

Linda@La Petite Paniere

Ms. Frau@Frugal Hausfrau

Petra@Food Eat Love

Vidya and Chitra I added you as well
I know Ka added you to his blog
but I wanted to let you know I love
your blogs too, so you can consider mine
with his 🙂

Vidya@Traditionally Modern Food

Chitra@Chitra’s Healthy Kitchen

Thank you everyone for checking out my blog!!!

 

 

 

Papa K’s Meatloaf!!

So last year my friend Paul and I went to Pittsburgh to visit his family, we had a great time with his Dad as I call him “Papa Kovac”.

The first night when we got there Papa K made us dinner his famous Meatloaf, Haluski and Asparagus 🙂

The meal was so Delicious!!! Loved it all but I got his Meatloaf recipe and I made it myself 🙂

 

Here are Papa Kovac and Paul during dinner

 

The Delicious meal!!!

 

Me and Paul being silly with some graphics

 

 

As this posts I am back in Pittsburgh with Paul and we are visiting with his Dad, this time we are going to do some cooking and of course go on some adventures around town 🙂
I will blog about my trip in the coming weeks 🙂 In the meantime enjoy Papa K’s Meatloaf!!

Ingredients

 

the chopped onion, red pepper, celery and garlic
saute this up

 

add to a big bowl with the meats, oats, egg & milk

 

Mix it up with your hands 🙂

 

Now I always take a piece and fry up in a Skillet
I like to taste just to make sure I have the
seasonings right…does anyone else do this?

 

Cooked up

 

 

taste good, seasonings are good

 

free form it on a lined baking sheet

 

Bake it up

 

yummy

 

Okay now I love the flavor on its own
BUT!!!! i just can’t eat meatloaf without
Ketchup!!! and not any ketchup…
HEINZ KETCHUP!!!! it is a MUST!!

yes I am a Ketchup snob 😛

 

Yummy!!

• Servings: 8-10
• Time: 1hr 30mins
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

2 lbs. lean ground beef
1 lb. ground pork
1 red pepper, diced
1 large or 2 small onions, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 egg
3/4 cup quick oats
6 cloves garlic
2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. pepper
3/4 cup milk

Saute in a large skillet the onions, celery, red pepper and garlic until softened.
In a large bowl add sauteed mixture, meats, oats, egg, salt, pepper and milk mix together with your hands.  If you want to check for seasonings take a little of the mixture and make a patty and fry is up, taste it for seasonings if you like the taste…done…if not add to your taste.

Free form the mixture into a loaf on a lined baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 60 minutes to 90 minutes.

Let set for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

Add Ketchup…Heinz Ketchup if you want!!! 🙂 LOL!!

Mini Strawberry Espresso Surprise!!! Fiesta Friday #55

Hello everyone it’s another Fiesta Friday!!! I want to thank our host Angie@The Novice Gardener and her co-host today Sue@birgerbird and Suzanne@apuginthekitchen.  Suzanne has become a great blog friend and I want to thank her 🙂  So enjoy Fiesta Friday everyone!!!

So earlier this week I went to my favorite place “Flying Olive” 🙂

The Flying Olive has 50 varieties of olive oils and vinegar’s, I love going there because you can taste anything before buying it 😛 check out their website for all the info and check out their 2 locations one each in Ohio and Kentucky.

I currently have Strawberry, Red Apple, Wild Blueberry, Cranberry Pear in the vinegar’s and in the olive oils I have Butter, Persian Lime, Cilantro and Roasted Onion and Tuscan Herb 🙂

During my recent trip I got Dark Espresso Balsamic Vinegar as I just love coffee so I knew I had to get it.

So I had some strawberries at home so I knew I was going to use those some how and I was thinking of using mascarpone cheese. After getting home and checking out what I had already in my pantry, I thought this would be a perfect mini dessert.  A couple of years ago for Christmas my friend Danny gave me a few sets of mini plates, bowls, spoons and forks, he know how I like to entertain 🙂 so this is my is my mini dessert.

Ingredients (ended up not using the half n half)
If you wanted mascarpone to be more creamy
then I would add a little half n half.

Added the vinegar to my strawberries

Added the vinegar to the Mascarpone cheese

Mixed up

I crushed the Biscotti and added a little to bottom on the dishes

Topped the biscotti with the strawberries that were soak in the Vinegar

Then a dollop of the mascarpone mixture

drizzle of more vinegar

shave some chocolate, I thought this chocolate would go perfect

Done…serve or chill until your party begins 🙂

Mini Strawberry Espresso Surprise

• Servings: 12
• Time: 20 minutes
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

3/4 cup Flying Olive Dark Espresso Balsamic Vinegar, divided
2 containers tiramisu flavored mascarpone cheese
1 1/2 cup fresh strawberries, chopped
3 chocolate biscotti’s, crushed
1 piece dark chocolate

In a bowl add the chopped strawberries and 1/4 cup vinegar, stir and set aside.

In another bowl add mascarpone and 3 Tbsp. of vinegar and whisk together, set aside.

Set out your mini dishes that you are going to use, add about a teaspoon or a little more of the crushed biscotti to each dish, then add strawberries on top of biscotti, start with a teaspoon on each then add more to each to finish up the strawberries.  Dollop mascarpone cream on each dish, then with a teaspoon drizzle a little of the vinegar over top the mascarpone and finish with some of the shaved chocolate.  I like this recipe as a mini since it has a great richness to it 🙂

Serve or chill until needed.

This was so good, it was not overly sweet, and that tartness at the end from the balsamic vinegar was just perfect!!!  Enjoy the rest of your Fiesta Friday!!!

 

My Trip to Chicago!!

 

 

 

 

 

This past weekend was my birthday and I went to Chicago to Celebrate!!

I went with a friend and we stayed with a friend of ours and her sister.  We had such a wonder time, these are only a third of the pictures I took.

The first night we stayed in and I cooked we had grilled Chicken, grilled zucchini and a grilled asparagus and tomato pasta salad, and they got this awesome Red Velvet Cake that as so so good, I brought the rest back and shared it with a friend and my parents and they all loved it so much said it was so moist and it was even 4 days later.  the picture of me with the silly hat on was funny we all took pictures with it on 🙂

Next day we drove all over, and saw many things like; U.S. Cellular field where the White Sox play, Wrigley Field where the Cubs play, I can remember everything but I tried to take many pictures.  We passed Friday and Saturday the show “Chicago Fire” filming that was really cool.  We went to Millennium Park, they had the coolest light up water feature, with peoples faces, of course we saw “the Bean”.  Downtown we visited my friend at work, she works in the costume shop at the Joffery Ballet, she was working on refurbishing “The Nutcracker” costumes, she made Clara a new skirt, they were on lunch when we popped in, they were having a party for her manager she was leaving that day on maternity leave.  That was nice seeing all the costumes and stuff, we went to Magnolia Bakery, didn’t buy anything 😦 just looked 😛

Had tea at Argo Tea Cafe, walked through Macy’s to buy the famous Frango Mints, and a must go to was Garrett Popcorn, went to Petterino’s for dinner, I had the Maryland Crab cake with roasted corn and red pepper, then I had the Parmesan crusted scallops with green beans.  Then the waitress brought me a birthday dessert and of course it was CHOCOLATE and it was so GOOD!!

Saturday we took a boat tour through the Chicago river then went out onto Lake Michigan that was tour was the best you got to see a lot stuff.  The we went over to Navy Pier and they have a stain glass museum there and then to end the day we went to a Polish restaurant “Staropolska” it was so good, I had the potato pancakes, perogies, potato dumplings and a cabbage roll.

Of course before leaving we stopped at the polish sausage shop and a perogi shop.

What a great trip and what a great way to spend my birthday,

Thank you Mary, Barbara and Mary for making it special for me 🙂

You ladies are Great Friends!!!

 

 

I wanted to buy this ring, but I’d have to sell my house 😛

 

chicago fire filming

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oprah lives here

 

Wine Dinner on September 20th

Attention anyone living in the Northern Kentucky or Greater Cincinnati area 🙂

We will be having a Wine Dinner at the Hyde Park Remke bigg’s, tomorrow Friday September 20^th at 6 pm.

Wines from Washington State and Oregon will be featured

Menu will include the following:

Mini Lump Crab Cakes with Corn Salsa paired with
Sokol Blosser Evolution White

Steamed Mussels in white wine paired with
Acrobat Pinot Gris

Endive and Apple Salad paired with
A to Z Chardonnay

Crab Stuffed Tilapia with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce, served with a Lemon, Asparagus Orzo Pasta with Goat Cheese paired with
Erath Pinot Noir

Grand Tiered Mousse paired with
Willamette Valley Vineyards Riesling

$25 per person

Come and enjoy a lovely evening with great wine and fantastic food!!

Hope you can join us, to make reservations please call 513-619-5454  🙂

Sunshine Award

Some people that follow me may not know that there are Blogger Awards, well I was nominated for the Sunshine Award

There are various Awards that you can nominated for, about a year ago I as nominated for the Inspiring Blog Award and I never did anything with it and I feel bad, so this time I am acting on it 🙂

I was nominated for this award by Clarissa from http://dishingitoutwithclarissa.com/

I can’t remember how I stumbled upon Clarissa’s blog but I really loved it when I first saw it, I love that she posts great recipes and her wonderful helpful posts on Amazing Food Facts, she has a fantastic blog and I think everyone should click, check her out and Follow her 🙂

So when you are nominated for an Award, there are questions you must answer (see below) and then you too have to nominate other bloggers for the Award as well (see below)

I have a list of questions that were given to me:

1. Favorite fairy tale… Sleeping Beauty

2. Favorite exercise… NONE 🙂

3. Favorite smell… Fresh cut grass/A burning fire on cold winter day

4. Favorite dessert… Crème Brule

5. Favorite vacation spot… New York City

6. Favorite sound… Showtunes

7. Most unexpected visitor… still waiting for Hugh Grant to show up for Dinner 🙂

8. Dream for the world… NO more Fighting

9. Closest dance with death… Knock on wood; don’t think I’ve had one

10. Favorite lake… Lake Tahoe

Now, the Blogs I have found to have the characteristics of the Sunshine Award,

Positive, Inspire Others Creatively or Make You Smile!

http://alotonyourplate.wordpress.com/

http://l2ee2l.wordpress.com/

http://thepeckishkiwi.com/

http://chgojohn.wordpress.com/

http://homemadedelish.com/

http://teawitherika.wordpress.com/

http://davidionelromulus.wordpress.com/

http://highheelgourmet.com/

http://memnerz.wordpress.com/

http://cosybites.wordpress.com/

Please take the time to check each of them out and Follow them 🙂

Sweet Tooth Candies…Newport, Ky

Opera Creams, Turtles, Peanut Butter Meltaways, Caramels, Fudge, Bark, Ice Cream and Ice Balls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I could go on and on, this place will satisfy your Sweet Tooth…ha ha ha 😛 hence the name…Sweet Tooth…ha ha ha

Really I’m not kidding you, this place is an old fashion candy shop they have been making fine chocolates for over 100 years.  And at the Holiday’s they specialize in making delicious beautiful candies for Christmas, Easter, Sweetest Day and Valentine’s day.  Oh and they make Caramel Apples to die for!!!!

Cute tables to sit down if you want, they also have several benches outside to sit and enjoy your favorite treat too.

We also sell some of their delicious confections in our stores, and let me say their chocolate melts in your mouth!!

When I was a kid we would stop in here every once in awhile during the summer on our way to my Grandma’s house and get the famous Snow Ball!!  With Vanilla Ice Cream in the middle 🙂

I don’t really remember the flavor I would get, but I have a feeling it was something like grape or cherry!  But I’ll tell you those were great Friday nights when we would make that extra stop 🙂

Now a day’s I’m a sugar free Nectar with no Ice cream…but they do have terrific “Homemade” Ice Cream, I have tried the Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk…delicious…Banana Chocolate Chip…very delicious…Key Lime Ice….even more delicious!!

This is the Key Lime Ice…with homemade waffle cone 🙂

The cone was so good and fresh…the way it should taste

But this past month its been the sugar free nectar, and what I like about this place is that its not in those silly paper cones.  Its in a heavy duty foam cup and a small is in a medium cup, a medium is in a large cup, a large is in a extra large cup.  Reasoning so you have room to get your spoon in there without ice spilling up all over, I love it and they putting plenty of juice on it too.  I have been down there so much this past month since its been so so dang gone HOT!! 

This is my Sugar Free Nectar…YUM!!  “their nectar is like “tiger’s blood” in other places, fruit berries with a hint of coconut”

But they have so much to choose from just take a look

Like I said they have CHOCOLATES!!  

FUDGE!!

I bought a couple of pieces for my Dad for Father’s Day

I bought one for myself so I could do taste test, I have to research for you all, because I know you want to know just how good it is, I am really taking this one for the team 🙂 LOL

Okay so the Boot was dark chocolate ganache covered in dark chocolate, the others are these peanut butter and ganache meltaways…on my goodness…UNBELIEVABLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Look how thick it is…sweet!!!

Layers of chocolate ganache and peanut butter… oh so good 😛

Oh and so creamy this just melts in your mouth…ha ha ha 

Oh my goodness I think tonight is going to be a Ice Ball night….you know because I have to do research 🙂 for all you readers out there…I’m doing this for the good of all of you Foodies that love to read about good food and fun places.  

So the next time you want some good home made chocolates or Ice Cream or even an Ice Ball…you know that Sweet Tooth Candies has been Chef Amy approved…Enjoy!!!! 

If you want to check them out online…here you go http://sweettoothchocolates.com/

Mammoth Cafe…Newport, Ky

I moved back to Ky (where I am from) nine months ago, I am getting use to new places to hang out and to go and I must say that Newport, Ky has a lot of good places to do just that 🙂

plus one of our Grocery Stores is in Newport 🙂

As I am friends with the Mayor of  the City of Newport, he recently told me about a few more places that would be opening and I am looking forward to trying those places.

But in the mean time, the main strip down the center of town has a “Wide” variety of places, from diners (that have good diner food to home style cooking),  burger places, pizza places that are so GOOD, a bakery to coffee shops.

That’s just to name a few, there are all kinds of small shops along the way too, and lots of stuff off the side streets too like Sweet Tooth Candy Shop…not only do they have all kinds of candy and they make all kinds of candy and fudge, but they have Ice Cream with freshly made waffle cones and ice balls…that post will be coming on up 🙂

There is a lot to choose from!!!

But today I want to feature the Mommoth Cafe, I stumbled upon this place one day and loved it.  They are open only till 3pm, but don’t let that stop you, get your butt up and get in there 🙂

I am now known to girl that works their as “It’s my Saturday”, when I first went in to the shop I was talking to them and they commented about the weekend and I told them that today was my weekend “It’s my Saturday” I said (see my off day’s are on Tues & Weds)…so now when I walk in she always says “Hey it’s my saturday” it’s like I’m Norm from “Cheers” when he would walk into the Bar everyone would say his name 🙂

This is what you can expect when you come to Newport, good friendly people that make you feel welcome

On my last trip there a friend of mine and I went for lunch and again this place has plenty to choose from 😛

Check out the menu

As I started off with a Coke Zero (my fav)

I got the “Cured Bootlegger”

Roasted Turkey, bacon, gouda cheese, with jalapeno jam on a grilled ciabatta roll

It also came with a side, I got the homemade chips & salsa

My friend got “The Elliot Ness”
Roasted Turkey, smoked gouda, Mammoth red onion-cranberry marmalade, lettuce on whole grain bread with a side of horseradish mayo

Theses sandwiches were to die for, we shared a little with each other

I just loved adding the horseradish mayo to my sandwich

Then I added it to my chip with both salsas 🙂

It was a 3 napkin meal 🙂

Not only is this such a cute place to visit or hang out, they have plenty of seating inside

and they have a few table outside too.  My friend and I love to hang out there on a nice day, sit watch the people and traffic go by, I give this place “two thumbs up” for sure.

So if you ever make to Newport, Ky this place is a great stop for breakfast or lunch and they have great coffee too!! 🙂

And tell them that “It’s My Saturday” sent you 🙂