 My husband is super photogenic and he looks good in every picture - no matter the lighting or the background. Yeah, I'm not one of those people. 😐 This is what happened last weekend when we tried to take a nice photograph while we were all dressed up for a wedding...
Truth be told, I'm actually thankful for ALL the pictures from the weekends events - the couple of good ones and the ridiculous number of bad ones too. I had good reason to be making those silly faces and laughing hysterically in those photographs. Over the course of last weekends events, four different people used the word "young" to describe my handsome husband. There's no question that he's young and handsome but I can't deny the fact that it stung a little each time he was singled out at the "young looking" one in the Davis family. 😆 Hence the ludicrous faces. 🤣
No doubt that this handsome guy beside me is, very young looking but, those of us who have the privilege of doing life with him know that his heart is really his best trait. He loves big and he loves his people well.  Unlike my young looking, photogenic husband, I'm much more comfortable being behind than camera than in front of it. 📷 I'll stick to what I'm good at - photographing food. 😂 This golden hued bourbon chicken in a light, sesame soy sauce is not only super photogenic but incredibly flavorful and delicious as well. I chose to serve mine with white basmati rice but a long grain brown rice would be a nice compliment to this dish as well.  Bourbon Chicken 1/2 cup soy sauce 1/2 cup brown sugar 1/4 cup water 2 Tablespoons bourbon 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil 1/2 teaspoon pepper 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1" pieces 2 Tablespoons cornstarch 2 Tablespoons oil 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated 2 teaspoons cider vinegar
 Serve with rice.
Ciao!
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 How do I cope with an uber busy catering schedule? Take off for a weekend get away in New York City smack dab in the middle of the chaos, of course. 🤣 I was actually really hesitant about leaving during such a busy time but we had an opportunity that we just couldn't pass up. We were invited to attend the wedding of a very special man who also happens to be a very special guy. 🤵🤣 The wedding was in Jersey City, New Jersey and it was an absolutely magnificent affair. It was an honor to be guests and to witness the union of these two special people. We had so much fun at the wedding and before and after the nuptials, we spent our time taking in the sights of Jersey City and New York City. 🍎
My vacation motto: the best vacations are the ones where you arrive back home - completely exhausted. 😂 There's never any shortage of adventures with these friends. We walked a LOT, ate way too much delicious food, took lots of pictures and most importantly, made lasting memories with lifelong friends.  I have plenty of pictures from the wedding but I'll save those for another post. 😅 Weddings are special and they remind me of how lucky I am to be married to the love of my life. Sometimes we process things differently and we have vastly different definitions of term "organized" but despite all of that - there's no doubt in my mind that he's my person. 🤣 There's just something about being around young love and newlyweds that's infectious. The union between two people who were just meant to be together. Two people as compatible as peanut butter and jelly, cookies and milk ... coconut macaroon and lemon squares. 😂😂 (Arguably, that was my worst transition to a recipe EVER.) 😅 Yes, I just compared this lovely, young couple to a coconut lemon square. 🤦🏻♀️ Regardless, this tart lemon square on top of a coconut macaroon inspired crust is a match made in heaven.  Coconut Lemon Bars with Marshmallow Frosting Crust 2 large egg whites 1 Tablespoons sugar 2 cups sweetened flaked coconut Lemon Curd 1 1/2 cups sugar 1/2 cups flour 2 Tbsp. cornstarch 1/2 tsp. salt 4 large egg yolks 1 Tbsp. grated lemon zest 1 cup fresh lemon juice Marshmallow Frosting 4 large egg whites 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
 Top each with meringue.
I love macaroons. I love lemon squares. So naturally, I love these Coconut Lemon Bars. Add a dollop of marshmallow meringue and you've got quite possible the most perfect Springtime dessert ever. 🍋
Ciao!  I have a lot of hobbies and food blogging is one of my favorites. I think the joy in blogging stems from the fact that I'm not dependent on it as a source of income. I blog for the pure enjoyment that I get from it. With that being said - sometimes my blog has to temporarily take a back seat when life gets busy. That's not an excuse for why I've been absent from the blog world for a while - just an explanation of what's going on in my world this month. May is the month of graduations, weddings, showers, end of school celebrations and all things mom, which means it's also the time of year for cakes, cookies, pies and dessert boards. That's my role in all of the May festivities. I'm so thankful for my little business and the people that allow me to play a small role in their big celebrations.  Mini pastry tarts are the cupcakes of the pie world. And turns out - these bite sized, hand held beauties are perfect for birthdays, showers, graduations and moms. They're great for brunches, lunches, dessert parties and after dinner dessert trays. Sooooo, I've been making a lot of these yummy pastry tarts this month. Giving each batch a unique twist by changing up the fresh fruit combinations. 🍓🫐🥝🍋  One of my secrets for getting through my busiest catering days, is to make a few things that I can prep ahead of time. These little tart shells are the perfect make ahead treat. They can be baked in advance and frozen for up to a month. I also make the pastry cream a couple of days in advance and store it in the refrigerator. Just before I want to serve the tarts, I pipe the cream into the shell, top it with fresh fruit and add a sprig of fresh mint. Easy peasy.  Mini Pastry Tarts Crust 1-1/2 cups unbleached flour 1/3 cup powdered sugar 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup butter, chilled 1 egg yolk 1 Tablespoon heavy cream Pastry Cream 2-3/4 cups whole milk 2/3 cup sugar 1/4 cup cornstarch 1/8 teaspoon salt 4 egg yolks 2 tablespoons butter 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
 Fill each tart with cream.  Top with fresh fruit and brush with apricot preserves.  I made this recipe so many times this month that I've already made a few modifications to simplify things. First of all, I roll all the pastry dough out in one big piece before cutting the circles with a cookie cutter. I also learned that I only have to make one set of foil crumples to use for baking, because they're reusable. Just a few time saving tips from your friendly food blogger. 😉
Ciao!  My better half and I spent a 2 solid years trying to purchase a new couch. A ridiculous amount of our lives were devoted to this task, in my opinion. We each had our own criteria for the piece of furniture that would become the centerpiece of our living room for years to come. 🛋 One of us wanted beautiful and practical (ie- stain resistant🍷) - the other was more interested in napablility. 😴 You can probably guess who wanted which. 😅 Needless to say, we ended up in goldilocks scenario. Some were too soft or too light, others were too hard or too short and some just weren't conducive to napping. 😂 If you've ever worried that you and your partner are too in sync - just commit to making a furniture purchase together.🤣 Or build a house together - or tackle a room remodel, redecorate a space together or plan a wedding.😬 Really any big decisions will bring out the differences between two people. If I'm being honest, the couch shopping experience made me question how we ever came to a consensus on anything. 😅  The fact is - we're different. In our tastes in furniture is different and our tastes in food is different. I like salads and vegetables and chocolate. He loves meat and fries and ice cream. He doesn't ever complain when I serve salads for dinner but I know he secretly wishes that his salad would somehow magically turn into a burger on his plate. Sooo - I came up with a meal that I could serve my way AND his way.
A burger and a burger bowl. #winwin Oh and since our twenty something girl who lives here but isn't always around to eat a full meal with us - I served the extra basil pesto with tortilla chips for her. If you've still got leftovers, stir that delicious pesto into an omelette or use it as a sauce for your favorite pasta.
Since I'm the author of this blog - It's all about me today.😅 I'm sharing my recipe and instructions for the amazing the Chicken Burger Bowl. I'm confident that you can deduce how to make this into a burger from here. 🤣 🍔 I hope that you enjoy this - any way you like. Chicken Burger Bowl with Avocado Pesto 1 lb. ground chicken ¼ cup minced red onion 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped 1/2 Tablespoon chili powder 2 teaspoons sea salt ½ teaspoon black pepper Avocado Pesto ½ cup basil leaves 1/2 cup fresh parsley ¼ cup pine nuts 1/4 cup olive oil Juice from ½ lemon ¾ teaspoon sea salt 1 large avocado, peeled and pitted Bowls A few handfuls of lettuce for each bowl Cherry tomatoes, cut in half A sprinkle of pine nuts, or your favorite nut
Mix together burger ingredients in a large bowl with hands.
 Add burger and avocado pesto to bowls.  Serve with roasted sweet potato wedges if you like. Have a great weekend!
Ciao!  It's strawberry season in Georgia! Who doesn't love strawberry season?🍓 I took my love of fresh picked strawberries to a whole new level this Spring when I carefully packed 50 of them into a backpack and flew them across the country on an airplane to my parent's house. 😅✈️ I was a little nervous about getting them through security and I can tell you from experience now that TSA isn't exactly thrilled about carry on bags filled with fresh fruit. 😬 Why go through all that trouble to fly fresh picked strawberries from Georgia to Ohio, you ask? The strawberries in Northeast Ohio won't ripen for picking for at least a couple more months, which means that fresh berries in April were quite a treat for the Ohioans.
Leave it to my mom to turn those prized berries into stuffed strawberry waffle supreme.😋 Just proof that my mom is the ultimate creative cook and that there are endless possibilities for a bucket of strawberries. I usually keep my strawberry recipes simple - a little melted chocolate or some fresh whipped and biscuits but I pretty much love strawberries any way. Inspired by my mom's epic strawberry breakfast creation, I decided to branch out and try a new way to enjoy these giant, juicy berries that I so carefully hand selected from the strawberry field last week. A little sugar, a squeeze of lemon, a dash of salt and a little time is all it took to highlight the natural goodness of this delicious fruit. If you're a fan of strawberries - you should try this sorbet - it's amazing. 🍧  Strawberry Sorbet 2 1/2 pounds strawberries, quartered 1 cup sugar 1/2 cup corn syrup 1 Tablespoon lemon juice 1 teaspoon salt
 Transfer mixture to frozen container. Press plastic against surface and freeze 6 hours.  Making strawberry sorbet has launched me right into summer mode. Is it time to open the pool yet?
Ciao! |
