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Archive for February, 2013

Valentine Party Ideas

Posted in Entertaining Ideas, Holidays, Valentine's Day, tagged , , , , on February 11, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Here’s a post I did in the past with Valentine Party Ideas… since the ideas are all still current, thought I’d share it again today!

Valentine’s Party Ideas

If you’re thinking about hosting a Valentine’s party, here are some easy tips to make your home look like the love bug has spun a magic little spell.

COLOR  – The three colors that scream Valentine’s Day and red, white and pink. The combination of the three leaves no doubt as to what holiday is being celebrated. You can use ribbons, crepe paper, balloons, streamers, cut-out hearts and fabric to set the scene for your event.

DECOR – There are a lot of easy and fun things you can do to add a pop of Valentine’s cheer to your home decor. Here are just a few ideas:

  • Add a red pillow to your couch or loveseat.
  • Mix reds with neutrals like beige, tan, cream, white or black for the biggest “Wow” factor.
  • Mix plain white serving pieces and dishes with a few red pieces for elegant flair.
  • Fill a white bowl with red candies, put red candles on a white plate or fill a glass container with red jelly beans or red hots for a fun accent.
  • Inexpensive fabric can be trimmed with pinking shears (to avoid fraying) and layered in a buffet setting to create a stunning  backdrop for your food.
  • Make a heart-shaped pillow and place on your bed. (Cut a heart pattern out of paper, trace onto felt, “stitch” with a satin ribbon, stuff and finish with a bow.)
  • Use red, white and pink candles for a festive touch.
  • Scatter fake rose petals around table tops or side pieces for a romantic flair.

INVITATIONS – Use a heart graphic or have your kids cut out and color hearts. You can also send Evites or electronic invitations to keep things simple.

FOOD – Have fun with the food you serve. You can cut bread into heart shapes with a cookie cutter or twist bread sticks into heart shapes. You can cut out meat, cheese, vegetables and fruit with heart-shape cookie cuttes to add fun accents to the meal. Italian is a good choice (think Lady and the Tramp) and something like spaghetti feeds a crowd easily. Add some heart-shaped bread and a salad with little heart-shaped pieces of cheese or cut out beets and you’ve got a fun meal. Finish it off with a decadent dessert or cupcakes frosted in red, white and pink.

She Who Really Likes this Holiday Color Scheme!

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Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

Posted in Comfort Food, Entertaining Ideas, Main Dish, Quick and Easy, Recipes, tagged , , , , , on February 8, 2013| Leave a Comment »

creamy chicken rice soup in bowl

A few weeks ago, I had company coming for dinner and since it was a week night, I knew I wouldn’t have a lot of time to put together something fantastic when I got home from work.

Dragging my slow cooker out of the cupboard and rinsing off the cobwebs, I decided a nice, hearty soup would do nicely. At the time, the temperatures were ridiculous frigid, so the idea of a steaming bowl of creamy deliciousness sounded really yummy.

This soup is so good,  comes together quickly, and can be left simmering in your slow cooker all day, ready to razzle-dazzle your guests (or family) when you get home from work.

Ingredients

Ingredients

Cut boneless, skinless chicken breast into bite-sized pieces.

Cut boneless, skinless chicken breast into bite-sized pieces.

Chop celery and carrots into about 1/4 inch thick pieces.

Chop celery and carrots into about 1/4 inch thick pieces.

Place chicken in the slow cooker and season.

Place chicken in the slow cooker and season.

Add carrots and celery.

Add carrots and celery.

Add rice and frozen veggies.

Add rice and frozen veggies.

Pour in broth, cover and set to cook for eight hours. (If you'll be home sooner, set it for six, later, set it for 10 on low).

Pour in broth, cover and set to cook for eight hours. (If you’ll be home sooner, set it for six, later, set it for 10 on low).

About 10 minutes before you are ready to serve, pour in a cup of heavy cream, and stir to blend it into the soup.

About 10 minutes before you are ready to serve, pour in a cup of heavy cream, and stir to blend it into the soup.

By this time, your mouth should be watering and you can't hardly wait to scoop up a bowl and devour.

By this time, your mouth should be watering and you can’t hardly wait to scoop up a bowl and devour.

To serve, add a little parsley garnish, a sprinkling of grated cheese or some toasted bread crumbs.

To serve, add a little parsley garnish, a sprinkling of grated cheese or some toasted bread crumbs.

Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

1 1/2 pounds of skinless, boneless chicken breast

1 32-oz box of chicken stock

1/2 cup celery

1/2 cup carrots

1 16-oz. bag of frozen mixed vegetables

1 16-oz. bag of wild rice blend

salt

seasoning

1 cup heavy cream

Spray the inside of your slow cooker with a non-stick cooking spray. I used a 5.5 quart Crock Pot, so if yours is smaller, just reduce the amount on the ingredients accordingly.

Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces and add to the slow cooker. Sprinkle with salt and seasoning (I used about 1 tsp. salt and 1 tbsp. seasoning).

Chop celery and carrots into pieces about 1/4 inch thick. Add to chicken. Add frozen veggies and the rice. (I used a blend of long grain brown, sweet brown, black and wild rice).

Pour the chicken stock in, cover and set your Crock Pot to cook on low for eight hours. (Mine ended up cooking 10 by the time I got home, which was just a tad longer than it should have gone).

About 10 minutes before you are ready to serve, add 1 cup of heavy cream to the soup and stir thoroughly to mix.

Serve with a garnish of parsley, shredded cheese, or toasted bread crumbs.

Perfect for a cold wintery day!

She Who Needs to Make This Again

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Down and Out

Posted in Captain Cavedweller, Musings, tagged , on February 5, 2013| 2 Comments »

soreback

Last week my back went out me.

It was the first time I’d ever had this experience.

I’d like to tell you I was doing something wild and exciting when it happened like mountain climbing or sky diving or even snowboarding (because those are things I routinely work into my schedule… never).

Only I can’t.

I was at home, standing up, reaching sideways to grab a notebook out of a drawer when I felt the most excruciating pain rip through my lower back. Clutching it I managed to shuffle myself off to bed in hopes it was something that would be gone by morning. Unable to get comfortable, I couldn’t sleep. Trying to get out of bed, I’m pretty sure I looked like a floundering whale because I couldn’t bend my back enough to get up. I finally slid off the side and realized I was in big trouble.

Trying not to wake Captain Cavedweller I wandered around the house awhile, stiffly moving, holding my back and dragging my now numb left leg behind me. If a hump had mysteriously erupted on my shoulders and a few teeth fell out, I’m pretty sure you could have called me Igor.

Sitting, standing, there was no place that was comfortable, no position in which pain didn’t radiate through my back.

By the time CC got up that morning, I arrived at the following conclusions:

1. Our bathroom sinks need to be elevated at least six inches. CC and I are both tall and when one can’t bend their back at all, one can’t reach said faucet, no matter how hard they try.

2. CC could sleep through anything since I made enough noise to wake the dead in hopes he’d get up and offer some sympathy long before his alarm went off.

3. It is impossible to put on your own socks when you can’t bend over far enough to turn on bathroom faucets.

4. Leg-numbing back pain really does render you incapable of focusing on anything else. Believe me, I tried.

Declining his multiple attempts to take me to the doctor, CC finally dug around and found the last few remnants of three prescriptions he took the last time his back went out. I say the last time because he’d had this horrendous experience three times since we’ve been married. The first time we went to the emergency room where we spent hours while they did every test known to man on him and sent him home doped up and feeling much improved.

I took the pills and hoped for the best. As CC went out the door to work,  I called something to the effect of  “If I don’t have an allergic reaction and die, I’ll see you tonight.”

That must have gotten to him a little bit since he proceeded to call me every two hours throughout the day to keep checking to make sure I was alive.

Mobile, no.

Alive, yes.

It took three days of him having to put on my socks and shoes and pull me upright out of bed before I regained a little mobility. I’ve never been so happy to be able to bend over and put on my own socks.

To any of you who have suffered with back pain or problems, you have my complete and never-ending sympathy. I had no idea how painful, awful, and completely terrible it can be.

She Who Likes Putting on Her Own Socks

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Red Velvet Cheesecake

Posted in Cake, Desserts, Entertaining at Home, Recipes, tagged , , , , on February 1, 2013| 2 Comments »

rvcake plated with title

The last time Captain Cavedweller and I had the opportunity to eat at The Cheesecake Factory, I ordered their Red Velvet Cheesecake.

It was  so good, I think I dreamed about the deliciousness for a week.

On a quest to recreate that decadent dessert at home, I finally came up with a recipe that is pretty close.

It does require some work and involves some time, but the results are so worth it! This would be a tasty and beautiful finale to  a Valentine’s meal.

Think about whipping up one of these for your special sweetie. They may just thank you – profoundly!

Ingredients

Ingredients

Mix everything together, making sure you use an entire bottle of red food coloring.

Mix everything together, making sure you use an entire bottle of red food coloring.

Isn't it pretty? I was deprived of Red Velvet Cake growing up because someone who's initials are MOM told me I'd die of cancer if I ate that much food coloring at one time. Huh. I think that was her way of saying she didn't like Red Velvet Cake and wasn't going to make it.

Isn’t it pretty? I was deprived of Red Velvet Cake growing up because someone who’s initials are MOM told me I’d die of cancer if I ate that much food coloring at one time. Huh. I think that was her way of saying she didn’t like Red Velvet Cake and wasn’t going to make it.

Pour your vibrant red batter into your prepared cake pans and bake in a 350 oven until done.

Pour your vibrant red batter into your prepared cake pans and bake in a 350 oven until done.

I got so busy putting the cake together, I skipped a few shots. Basically, let your cake cool, take your frozen cheesecake out of the freezer. Frost both the two sides of cake layers that will connect with the cheesecake and put them together.

I got so busy putting the cake together, I skipped a few shots. Basically, let your cake cool, take your frozen cheesecake out of the freezer. Frost both the two sides of cake layers that will connect with the cheesecake and put them together.

Frost the cake with Cream Cheese Frosting. If it starts getting crumbs in the frosting, give it a light "base coat," freeze, then give it a nice thick covering with the frosting.

Frost the cake with Cream Cheese Frosting. If it starts getting crumbs in the frosting, give it a light “base coat,” freeze, then give it a nice thick covering with the frosting.

Shave some white chocolate...

Shave some white chocolate…

Then liberally sprinkle on top of the cake.

Then liberally sprinkle on top of the cake.

How cool is that?

How cool is that?

Slice into the cake and prepare to dazzle your sweetheart.

Slice into the cake and prepare to dazzle your sweetheart.

They really will think you've got magical powers if you make this for them for Valentine's Day.

They really will think you’ve got magical powers if you make this for them for Valentine’s Day.

Red Velvet Cheesecake

1 box German Chocolate Cake mix

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 (1 ounce) bottle red food color

3 large eggs

1 box white chocolate instant pudding (3.3 ounce)

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cheesecake

Cream Cheese Frosting

White chocolate curls (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease two 9-inch round cake pans.

Combine all ingredients and mix on low speed for a minute. Scrape down edges of bowl then beat an additional two minutes on medium/high speed. Pour into cake pans and bake about25 minutes or until cake begins to pull away from sides of the pan or bounces back to your touch. (Note: use the entire bottle of food coloring if you want this to be a pretty red color.)

Let cake cool completely before assembling.

You can use a cheesecake mix, one from the store or make your own. I highly recommend making your own. Click on the link above for a simple but oh-so-good recipe. You’ll want to freeze the cheesecake layer before you try and work with it.

Once the red velvet cake has cooled, take the cheesecake out of the freezer and trim off any excess if it is going to be bigger than your cake layers.

Turn one cake layer top side down on a cake plate or platter. Slather on a layer of frosting (see easy recipe below) then gently place the cheesecake on top. Frost the inside of the other cake layer before putting it on the cheesecake, basically creating a cake and frosting sandwich around the cheesecake. Frost the entire cake with a thin layer of the frosting. If it is getting “crumby”, stick it in the freezer until the frosting is set then give it a nice thick coat of the frosting.

If you want to get all fancy-pants, shave some white chocolate curls on top.

Freeze the cake until about an hour before you are ready to serve. I made mine a week in advance and it was absolutely delicious!

If you want to make your cream cheese frosting from scratch, it’s easy!

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 box powdered sugar

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 tsp. vanilla

Combine all ingredients until smooth and creamy.

She Who May Be Dreaming of Another Piece

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