• Appetizer,  Food,  Healthy,  Spicy,  Vegetables

    Pot Stickers a la Patrick

    Good Wednesday morning to you all! I woke up to some pretty intense thunderstorm this morning, which was amazing. I love waking up to thunderstorms. I have no idea why. I used to hate storms, was absolutely terrified of them. No joke. Like crawl into my Mom & Dad’s bed when I was 7 scared. Now? Love them. I couldn’t dream of a better way to get some shut eye. The pitter patter of the rain outside my window almost makes me feel calm now. But then I had to get up and go to work. Talk about a buzz kill! My teeth seem to be doing a bit better…

  • Appetizer,  Bread,  Chicken,  Dessert,  Food

    Sur La Table Cooking Class

    As promised, here is the post about the class that I took at Sur La Table. It was called Date Night: Cozy French Dinner, and here is what was on the menu: Thyme and Gruyere Gougeres Frisee and Apple Salad with Dijon-Honey Vinaigrette Coq a Vin with Wild Mushrooms Chocolate Pots de Crème with Walnut Praline This meal was designed to be a rustic hearty meal. It definitely was! From the moist and crisp gougeres to the tart salad and the savory coq a vin…it was an all around stellar meal. I will definitely be making some of these recipes again. Although I would change some of them around just…

  • Appetizer,  Food,  Healthy,  Vegetables

    Tomato & Mozzarella Bites

    Well hello everyone! How are you doing today on this Thursday morning? It has been a weeee bit chilly this week. Yesterday morning we had a high of about 5ºF. Just a tad chilly. I am ready for snow! I am getting frustrated with this no snow thing. I love to snowboard and this no snow thing is REALLY cramping my style. Grrrrrr! Every year my parents throw a party of some sort. Ever since I can remember my family has been putting on parties with TONS of people. When we lived in Kansas City, their Christmas parties were epic. When I say epic…I mean, 100+ people fitting into a…

  • Appetizer,  Food,  Healthy

    Homemade Tortilla Chips

    You know what I love? Chips and salsa. I am one of those people who could munch on chips, salsa, and guacamole all summer long. I went to Mexico a few years ago and let me tell you, I think I ate about 17 lbs of guacamole in a week. Not kidding. I ate it with breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Any time I could get away with it I was eating it…it is good for you right?? haha It is tough right now because avocados are really not all that good this time a year in New England. However, I did have salsa that I made in the summer that…

  • Appetizer,  Fish,  Healthy,  Vegetables

    Pot Stickers

    I am such a dork…I literally get so excited about the silliest things. For example, I painted my nails green for St. Patty’s Day (also my favorite color). I wanted to make sure to get them painted before my trip to California…whaddya think? Greeeeeeen! Guess what else I am excited about?! I am leaving for California today!! :-D. Yay!!! I cannot tell you how ready I am to be going away to someplace new… ::dances in chair:: Again as promised my dears a “recipe to come…” from my Great Food for Great Friends post. This one is the pot stickers recipe. I am going to show the ground turkey version…

  • Appetizer,  Food,  Healthy

    Baked Salmon Eggrolls

    As promised folks, this is the first post of me “recipes to come…” list from my Great Food for Great Friends post. I can hardly sit still right now because I am getting so excited for my California trip. I leave tomorrow at 4:30pm. It is getting so close! The only bad part is that means that I won’t be posting anything for a while on my blog :-(. BUT, you better bet (“You better you better you bet, oooo-ooo” – The Who) that I will have lots of pictures and stories to share when I get back! Anyways, this recipe is Priscilla’s Baked Salmon Eggrolls that I saw on…

  • Appetizer,  Fish,  Food,  Fun,  Healthy,  Meat,  Vegetables

    Great Food for Great Friends

    Saturday of this past weekend was a fun day…I invited over some good friends and we had a great time eating, drinking, and just socializing. Once I knew that people were going to be coming over I decided I wanted to do something a little different for dinner than what I normally do. It is always great to break from the mold :-). I know a lot of people who tend to try and stick to what they know when they have guests coming over because normally, that makes for a guaranteed good meal. ::raises right hand:: I am very guilty of this! However, this time I wanted to step…

  • Appetizer,  Food,  Fun

    Holiday Party

    It is Monday again…how do Monday’s always seem to creep up so fast on you? I mean really…it was just Friday! I did have a really good weekend though. My parents threw this really amazing Christmas party for some of my Dad’s coworkers. I was the bartender/tour guide/photographer of the party. OH YES! The new camera is fantastic! You should have seen me when it arrived on Saturday. I was like a little kid jumping up and down screaming “Open it! Open it!”. It came while I was helping my mom cook some food for the party and I completely stopped what I was doing to open my new present…

  • Appetizer,  Food,  Spicy

    Easy Appetizer

    I have been listening to Christmas music all day at work today…don’t judge me people! I am ready for Christmas haha…all of you know this though if you have been reading along that I have all my shopping and wrapping done…here was my little helper while I was wrapping: Meet Lucy, aka Lulubell. Gizzy was helping too but he was actually involved in the wrapping as you can see, Lucy was just taking a nap haha….isn’t he the cutest thing? (name what Christmas Cartoon that quote is from – hint: it has to do with Peanuts and Christmas). Btdubs, Lucy and Gizzy are the best of friends…she licks him like…

  • Appetizer,  Food,  Vegetables

    Egg Rolls

    Hello my dears! I trust you all had a good weekend. Mine was full of resting up from my long week of traveling. AND the time change has me all messed up. I really think that it is harder for me to sleep when I know the time is changing. Not sure why…a weird quirk or something haha 😉 This weekend was my first attempt at Egg Rolls and let me tell you….they turned out FAN-EGGyROLL-TASTIC! I really had no idea what to expect because I have never made them before. Honestly? I am not even sure what possessed me to make them. But, holy NomNoms, they were so yummy.…

  • Appetizer,  Food,  Spicy

    Taco Cups

    Yes, you saw it right. Taco Cups. Here is another great recipe for those football game days. It is always good to have bite size snacks for game days because if you are anything like me…you can’t focus on anything more than reaching for the food and then putting it in your mouth. Who needs a knife and fork on game days?! Not this girl! haha…not to mention if my team does anything good, and if I had anything more than a napkin in my lap?? Holy shmoley the carpet would be in trouble, haha 😛 Now, that I have completely embarrassed myself by telling all of you that I…

  • Appetizer,  Food

    Cheese Fritters

    WE ARE…PENN STATE!! That’s right, the PSU season started yesterday 9/4. I bleed Blue & White and I have not missed a game since I started college back in 2003. While I was in school I attended every single football game my entire 4 years of school. I cannot make all the games now since I live in CT, but I try to make at least 2 games a season now, but I NEVER miss a game. I always watch PSU play when they have a game. I am a die-hard fan! 🙂 Whenever, PSU games are on that means there is going to be a lot of food. When…