Sunday, July 29, 2012

Greek Chicken Salad and My First Guest Post!

Good Sunday morning, friends...

There's a whole lot of crazy in my world at the moment, but I wanted to jot off a quick note to let you know that I'm doing a guest post over at Passionately Artistic! (A first for me, btw) It's a fantastic blog, full of Cuttlebug craft ideas, delicious recipes and great tutorials!

Stop by and say hello to Maggie and the team and check out my Greek Chicken Salad!


I'm linking up with the fabulous parties listed in my sidebar --->

Wow!  Just found out that this salad was featured at the All Star Block Party, co-hosted by the lovely Shasta at In The Old Road!


In The Old Road

Friday, July 27, 2012

Christmas In July Link Party!!!



The big day is finally here! Day 5 of our Christmas In July Blog Party! It's time for the big Blog-Wide Link Party!

First, a HUGE thank you to the lovely Sharon at Mrs Hines Class, for inviting me to help co-host this fabulous party! And thank you to all of the other talented and creative ladies who've co-hosted this week. It's been a blast!

We've seen all sorts of Christmas goodies, including sweet and savory holiday eats, beautiful decorations and giftwrap, some lovely handmade cards and tips on how to display them throughout the holiday season. We also had an excellent tutorial on how to host a cookie exchange!

Here's a little peek!

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

It's Day 3 of Christmas In July!!

Ho Ho Ho !!!



Good morning partiers! I hope you're all enjoying the party! I know I'm having all kinds of fun and getting some great recipes, tips and ideas for this Holiday Season!

The fun continues today at Laughter and Grace, where Jennifer is giving us her tried and true tips for hosting a fabulous cookie exchange and she's sharing some delicious cookie recipes to get you started!

Click HERE for all of Jennifer's tips!

One of Jennifer's excellent tips is that lots of cookies freeze very well, so baking them ahead of time can make your cookie exchange a lot less stressful during the holiday rush!


And don't forget that tomorrow's (Thursday) hostesses, Sharon at Mrs Hines Class and Nicole at Scraptastic Memories will be showing us some beautiful handmade Holiday cards and giving us some super cute and creative ways to display them! I can't wait to see what they've got in store for us!

If you missed Day 1 and/or Day 2 of our party, you can get the links to everything HERE.

And for the crowning jewel of this incredible blog party, come join us for the Blog-Wide Christmas In July Link Party on Friday! (7/27) You can link up your favorite Holiday recipes, crafts, decor and gift projects at any of the 8 hostesses' blogs, so start digging through those posts from past Holiday seasons! Or, if you're already preparing for this year's celebrations, by all means, show us what you've got so far!

Since this party is helping to put me in the Holiday spirit, I've got another fun Holiday recipe to share with you today as well. It's a great dish to make for a casual Christmas Eve buffet. You can make it ahead and whip up 2 or 10 of them, depending on the number of guests that you're having. The pork is moist and flavorful and the glaze is sweet and sassy.

Recipe HERE

Happy Partying Everyone!




Linking up with

and the other fabulous parties in my sidebar


Tuesday, July 24, 2012

It's Day 2 of Christmas In July!

Just a quick update to show you a little bit of what's been shared so far, at our Christmas In July Blog Party!!!



Please stop by to visit Misti at Living on Cypress Hill and Yvonne at Stone Gable today, to see the fabulous-ness of what they've shared and as long as you're there, why not give them a little comment love! And if you missed the Holiday Fare portion of this fabulous party, be sure to pop over to see Micki at Confessions of an ADD Housewife and Melissa at Melissa's Cusine! Oh, yeah... My humble contribution is HERE!

...And don't forget ~ Jennifer's cookie exchange tomorrow at Laughter and Grace, and on Thursday, Nicole and Sharon will be proudly showing off their handmade Holiday cards at Scraptastic Memories and Mrs Hines Class. Then, on Friday.... drum roll, please!!!

The fabulous Blog-Wide Link Party at all 8 blogs!!! Hope you have all of your projects and recipes ready to go! (The link will go live at 12:01 AM Central Standard Time on Friday July 27th.)

Monday, July 23, 2012

Christmas In July Holiday Fare

Merry Christmas... In July!!

Today's the day for our special Christmas In July Blog Party Holiday Fare segment. Sorry that I'm posting this so late, but if I told you about the insanity that's been going on in my world in the last few days, you'd never believe it.

Anywhooo... I wanted to include recipes that would cover a myriad of options, from a special Christmas Eve dinner, to a relaxed and casual Christmas luncheon or a festive Christmas Day breakfast or brunch.

I hope you're digging up those holiday posts for the Blog-Wide Christmas In July Linky Party on Friday, July 27th. You can link up all of your crafts, recipes and DIY/decorating projects at any of the 8 blogs hosting this fabulous party!

And please be sure to stop by today and visit my two lovely co-hostesses for their Holiday Fare offerings:

Micki - Confessions od an ADD Housewife
                       

Melissa - Melissa's Cuisine
                                   

Don't forget to check in with the other ladies during the rest of the week for Handcrafted Christmas Items, Holiday Card Ideas and a Cookie Exchange! (see the announcement post with links and details, HERE, or click on the button at the top right of my sidebar)

Recipe HERE

Saturday, July 21, 2012

Christmas In July Blog Party!




Photobucket

Ho-ho-howdy everyone!

You might have noticed in my last post, that I hinted that some exciting things would be happening here in the coming weeks. Well, one of those things is upon us! Go Ahead... Take A Bite! will be co-hosting a fabulous Christmas In July Blog Party, beginning Monday, July 23 and culminating in a giant blog-wide link party on Friday, July 27! Here are the deets!




Announcing...
dum,dum da-da, dum....
the CHRISTMAS IN JULY BLOGGER BLOCK PARTY with 8 fabulous hostesses! Each day next week, our hostesses will take turns sharing ideas to help you get ready for the holiday season. Check in on Monday, July 23rd for Holiday Fare with ADD Housewife, Melissa's Cuisine, and Go Ahead Take a Bite You won't want to miss their fabulous recipes! Come back on Tuesday,July 24th to get some great ideas on hand crafted items with Stone Gable and Living on Cypress Hill Be sure to visit again on Wednesday, July 25th for a Cookie Exchange with Laughter and Grace and on Thursday, July 26th, you'll be treated to some beautiful Chrismas Card ideas as well ways to display them with Scraptastic Memories and Mrs. Hines Class Then, on Friday it's a Blog Hop! So pull out those old posts and dig through your files and link up your recipes, crafts, and decor ideas at any one of the hostesses blogs!  8 hostesses, 1 blog hop! 


I do hope that you all get the chance to stop by for a visit here on Monday and also make the rounds and visit my lovely co-hostesses blogs throughout the week. Feel free to spread the word to all of your blog friends, too!

And definitely don't forget to join in on Friday's awesome blog-wide Christmas In July linky party, where we can all get a head start on the 2012 Holidays!

See you all next week!

Monday, July 16, 2012

Classic Maine Lobster Roll

I'm Back! - Don't forget to check out the fabulous Christmas In July Blog Party that I'm co-hosting next week! The link to all of the details is in my sidebar!


Hello All!  First... Thanks so much for the kind words and your concern. Please accept my most sincere apologies for my (unplanned) month long absence from the blogosphere. I'm sorry if I had anyone worried. We're doing pretty well... just a little bit tired. OK... Really tired. Between tons of work that needed to be done around the house, a family graduation party, a memorial service for a dear, dear friend who passed away, the Hubbers having some vacation time and then two weekends in a row of house guests, I've been recovering from a lot of health related "payback" and have had zero time to log on to the interwebs.

Seriously.. No Facebook, no Twitter, no Pinterest, no Blogosphere. Oh My!

So... Even though I'll be out of town for the next couple of days on a bit of a "girl's weekend during the week" with a couple of my besties, I wanted to squeeze in a post that was a little bit special. Now, I don't know about you, but for me, there's not much in the culinary realm that's more special or maybe even decadent, than lobstah.

Cozy Harbor is, by far, the best brand of frozen lobster meat that I've found on the market. It's guaranteed quick frozen and from the cold waters of the Maine coast. There's no better lobtsah than Maine lobstah! (I've received no compensation for this. It's just my honest, personal opinion and recommendation)
If you've been following my blog(s) for a while, you already know that one of my favorite places on Earth (aside from my own little nest) is Ogunquit, Maine. Hubby and I have been making an annual trip to this "beautiful place by the sea" for the last 30 years and it's become a tradition for us to roll into town at about noon, check in to our room at The Beachmere Inn, throw on our walking shoes and head down the incredible Marginal Way cliff walk to Perkin's Cove and have a big ol' lobster roll and an icy cold beer, at one of the cove's many excellent restaurants/lobster shacks.  (The videos attached to these links are not mine/were not taken by me or by anyone I know. They're just some that I found that showcase the area really well.)


Several years ago, we decided to take this much cherished trip in September, after all of the kiddos have gone back to school and the Maine coast is a little less crowded. The downside to that is that throughout the summer months, we tend to get a hankerin' for those luscious lobster rolls. Luckily, it's easy to satisfy those cravings, because a classic lobster salad is seriously one of the most simple recipes there is to make. OK... I know that times are tough and the star ingredient in this recipe tends to be a tad on the pricey side, but 1) I don't make them that often 2) The cost per roll ends up being less than the price of any we've purchased - even at the coast, and 3) The satisfaction you get from that first delicious bite, is always more than worth the occasional splurge.

That being said...  A lobster roll can definitely create a lot of controversy among those who consider themselves to be "purists".  I'm pretty sure that I can safely say that I'm one of those people. And just what gives me the right to consider myself a purist, you ask? Well, being a life-long resident of the northeastern US and having spent at least 2 days (up to 3 weeks) on the Maine coast, every single one of the past, oh... 42 of my 50 years, I've sampled multiple versions of this classic New England sandwich, purveyed by the smallest of stands/shacks to the highest end restaurants.

Hence, I figure at an average of 2.5 lobster rolls per visit x 42 years, that equals 105 lobster rolls consumed. (and greatly enjoyed, thankyouverymuch!) And this number doesn't even reflect the lobster rolls that I've prepared and eaten at home! I think that qualifies me as a bona fide lobster roll purist. Of course, I know there are folks who can top that and you are always welcome to disagree, but please... do so with kindness. :~)

What follows, is my idea of the classic or traditional lobster roll, but even among purists there are still different methods of preparation that are considered to be THE only way to prepare/serve a lobster roll. After all, purists can have personal preferences too. These include; 
  • Spreading a small amount of mayonnaise directly on the inside of the roll and then piling the lobster on top.
  • Combining the lobster and mayo, but omitting the celery entirely.
  • Tossing the lobster with melted butter instead of mayo, immediately before serving, OR 
  • Piling the roll high with "naked" lobster meat and serving the mayo or melted butter on the side. 


Classic Maine Lobster Roll
  • 14-16oz Cooked Lobster Meat (knuckle and claw), cut into bite sized pieces
  • 2 Stalks Celery, chopped fine
  • 1/4 Cup Real Mayonnaise
  • Kosher Salt
  • 4 Frankfurter Rolls
  • 1 Tbls Butter, softened

The Salad:  Cut the thawed and drained lobster meat into generous, bite sized pieces and combine in a medium bowl with the finely chopped celery, mayonnaise and a good pinch of kosher salt. Cover well with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 30 minutes before serving. (you want the salad chilled, but not too cold)

The Rolls: Butter the sides of the frankfurter rolls and toast them over medium to medium-high heat in a non-stick skillet or griddle pan until just golden brown and crispy.

To Serve: Load up the frank rolls with 1/4 of the Lobster salad and serve immediately with some crunchy potato chips and a pickle, or maybe a scoop of Sweet and Sour Coleslaw.


In about 95% of the restaurants and shacks that I've been to, a traditional or classic lobster roll contains only the knuckle and claw meat, a bit of mayo or melted butter and in some instances, if they do use mayo, there's a small amount of very finely chopped celery. (I use the inner ribs of celery, because they're more tender) And with a couple of exceptions, it's always served on a frankfurter roll.

If you're not sure of the difference between a frank roll and a hot dog roll, well... it's all about the way that it's cut. A frankfurter roll is basically a hot dog roll with the sides cut off. When my neighborhood grocery store has been out of these rolls, I've been known to buy the basic rolls and carefully cut the sides off with a sharp knife, if necessary. This is the only way to get those golden brown, buttery sides.


Hubbs is perfectly happy with rolls that are unbuttered before toasting, but I am a buttered roll girl, through and through.


As much as I adore a traditional lobster roll, keep in mind that you can always serve up a hearty scoop of this delectable salad, along with one or two other salads, like a tangy coleslaw, a sweet and savory broccoli salad or some creamy cottage cheese, to make up a lovely "cold plate" lunch on a sunny summer afternoon.


Enjoy!

(There are some exciting things coming up here at GATAB in the next few weeks! What might they be, you ask? Well, think spectacular multi-blog linky party, a fun blogoversary celebration and who knows what else might be in the works... Stay tuned for more details!!)






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Yay! Just found out that these Lobster Rolls were featured a couple of weeks ago at the Scrumptious Sundays party hosted over at Addicted To Recipes!! I'm so sorry that I didn't find out about it sooner... I can use all of the good news I can get these days. (sigh)

I was featured, I was Featured by Addicted to Recipes


Tuesday, July 10, 2012

I'm Back! (with a sneak peek!)

Howdy all!

Sorry I've been MIA for, oh gosh, a month?? It wasn't a planned absence, by any means.  I have some new posts that are still in the works, but thought I'd give you a little peek at what's coming up...

(Stay tuned for a couple of other surprises coming up here at GATAB too!)






Tempted????

See you soon!
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