Kielbasa Bean Soup

It has been kind of a rough week, and it doesn't help that the weather outside is far from cool fall air. However, last weekend was beautiful, and I knew just the recipe to enjoy with those crisp fall nights. This Kielbasa Bean Soup recipe has been in my family for a few generations, and it never disappoints (I ate it so quickly that I forgot to take a picture, hence the empty bowl)!


2 Packages Polish Kielbasa, cut in slices
2 Cans Red Kidney Beans, drained and rinsed
2 Cans Butter Beans, drained and rinsed
2 Cans Garbanzo Beans, drained and rinsed
2 Cups Vegetable Broth
2 Bottles Light Beer
1 Tbsp Minced Garlic
1 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
1 Tbsp Dried Mustard
5 Black Peppercorns

Throw all of it in a crock pot and let simmer on low for 6-8 hours. You can also turn it to high for 2-4 hours. Stir occasionally. I sometimes substitute Great Northern for the Garbanzo beans... its just whatever you prefer! I have also made it with Turkey Kielbasa, but found that the flavor is just not the same, so I prefer to find the Beef Kielbasa with 1/3 less fat. Refrigerate the rest (up to a week) or freeze to enjoy later.

This is a perfect soup to warm the heart, and help you truly enjoy the fall!

Buffalo Chicken Dip

Since October is not just for Halloween, this recipe is great as a football season staple, as your weekends are filled with lots of TV time. This recipe comes from my friend Sara, even though I have received similar recipes from other friends who are equally obsessed!

4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
2 (8oz) Packages of Cream Cheese
1 (14oz) Bottle Blue Cheese Salad Dressing
1 Package of Blue Cheese Crumbles
1 Small Bottle of Louisiana Brand Hot Sauce
1 Cup Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
Fritos Scoops
Celery sticks

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Slice chicken breasts and boil in a small saucepan until fully cooked (10-20 minutes). In a medium sized saucepan, melt the cream cheese and blue cheese salad dressing, stirring occasionally. Make sure you don't get the pot too hot, or the cheese will burn. While the cheese is melting, shred the chicken and combine in a bowl with the bottle of hot sauce, coating all the chicken. In a 9"x13" baking pan, pour in the chicken/hot sauce mixture and spread along the bottom. Next, pour in the cheese mixture, and gently mix into the chicken. Then top with the shredded cheddar cheese and blue cheese crumbles, cover with foil, and bake for 20 minutes. In the last 3 minutes or so, turn the broiler on low to make the top of the cheese nice and melted.

Alternatives: If you don't have as much time, you can buy a cooked rotisserie chicken and shred it. I also like to save a few calories by using low fat cream cheese, blue cheese dressing, and 2% shredded cheddar cheese. The cheeses, due to their lower fat content, do take a little longer to melt, so just factor in a few more minutes under the broiler for a nice crust! And some people don't like things quite as spicy, so you can reduce the amount of hot sauce if you prefer a more mild buffalo chicken. I would recommend 1/2 to 3/4 of the bottle.

Serve it hot with celery sticks and Fritos Scoops for the ultimate tailgating or entertaining dip. I promise, you won't have any leftovers!

Halloween Spirits

Are you ready to host a bunch of ghouls and goblins this Halloween? In order to get them into the Halloween spirit, serve them up one of these "spirits":

Mystic Mimosas

Orange juice

Black vodka

Black olives

Cream Cheese

Fill a champagne flute 2/3 of the way up with Orange Juice (It may be even creepier if you use Blood Orange Juice because it is a darker red). Slowly tip the glass and pour in a shot of vodka down the side of the glass, so that the two don't mix too much. Next, stuff black olives with a little cream cheese to make the eyes, and use pieces of other olives for the pupils. Put two on a toothpick and serve this mystic drink to your guests. (Thanks to Stem Parties for this great recipe!)

Eyeball Highball

Vodka or Gin

Olives

Ice Cube Tray

Before your party, slice olives into slivers, and add to the ends of each ice cube in the tray. Fill with water and freeze. When your guests arrive, offer them a drink on the rocks. Instead, they will have a drink that they can't keep their "eyes" off!

Bloody Marys

Bloody Mary Mix or V8

Vodka

Horseradish sauce

Lime

Celery

Fill up 3/4 of a glass with Bloody Mary mix or V8 juice over ice. Add one shot of vodka, and 1/2 tsp of horseradish sauce (more if you like a good kick). Stir well. Take a lime wedge and squeeze a bit of the juice into the drink, and serve this Vampire juice with a celery stick.

Pina Ghoulada

1 Can Frozen Pina Colada Mix

1/3-1/2 Can of rum (using frozen drink mix can for measure)

Ice

3 Tbsp Corn Syrup

1/4 tsp Red Food Coloring

In a shallow bowl, combine the corn syrup and food coloring, and mix gently with a toothpick. Carefully set a glass rim into the mixture, and turn as you remove the glass and set upright. The corn syrup will drip in a few places and will set in a few minutes. While these rest, prepare the pina coladas per the instructions on the can in a blender. Then pour them into the glasses and serve this ghoulish delight! (Thanks to Martha Stewart for these recipes)

Finger Soup (Tortilla Soup)

Tortilla soup is a wonderfully simple fall dish. It is so easy and quick to make, and may be the perfect dish for your guests come October 31st. I titled it Finger Soup, since you can cut the chicken breasts into strips that resemble floating fingers in a bowl of "blood" for a delicious Halloween meal! Here's the recipe:

2 Large Tomatoes
1 Large Onion
1-2 Chili Peppers (seeds removed)
1 Tbsp Cilantro
3-4 Chicken Breasts (cooked, sliced or shredded)
2 Whole Wheat Tortillas
Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper

Using a blender or food processor, puree the tomatoes, onion, and chili peppers until smooth. While pureeing the vegetables, heat 2 Tbsp of olive oil in a deep sauce pan over medium-high heat. Pour the puree mixture into the pan and cook for about 5 minutes, or until bubbling. This is called "frying the soup". It heats up the vegetables and really brings out their rich flavors. Stir frequently, as the mixture turns a deeper red color. Add the cooked chicken pieces and cilantro, stir, and turn the heat down to low, just to keep the soup warm.

In another skillet, heat about 1 Tbsp of olive oil on medium high heat. Take the tortillas and cut them into long strips, and fry them for a few minutes in the oil, until golden brown. Remove from the oil, pat dry with paper towels, and sprinkle salt and pepper on them before they cool. Using half the strips, stir them into the soup. This will make the soup nice and thick.

Using the remaining tortilla strips, garnish the top of the soup with these, as well as your favorite toppings such as shredded cheese, sour cream, cilantro, chives, etc. Enjoy!

Halloween Invitations

In honor of the first day of October, it is finally time to think about Halloween! Even though it is 31 days away, there is much to do, and time seems to fly by! If you are thinking about having a fabulous Halloween party, or even a small get-together at your home to pass out candy to little ghouls and goblins, you need to get friends and family in the mood for a good haunt. Just a few simple tips to make Halloween a fun and frightful night!

If you are hosting a costume party, you want to be specific about what guests should wear if there is a more specific theme. I have had friends host costume parties where guests are asked to dress as Famous Couples, TV/Movie Characters, Superheros, or their favorite decade. This should be noted on the invitation. You also want to encourage guests to dress up, regardless, so a simple phrase like . We have had friends show up with no costumes, and they were the only ones the entire evening who never felt the spirit of Halloween.

Since Halloween is a night time event, you also want to be clear on whether you will be serving food (besides candy) and drinks. For many events, the host has provided a large spread of food but for drinks, it was BYOB. Other parties have only provided heavy appetizers with drinks. Depending on the size of your party, you may want to consider this costly detail, and let party-goers know on the invite what to expect.

A timeline for your guests is important too. Be sure to clearly state party times... if you want your guests to be there to help pass out candy to little kids, you should start the festivities around 6pm, as that is when it typically gets dark and the little ones come out. Older kids will start Trick-or-Treating around 7.

There are many options for Halloween invitations too. The ones pictured here are from Martha Stewart and Tiny Prints (click on the invites for the links) and you can send them via snail mail. If you are short on time, or are having a large list of guests, Evite or Pingg are your best bets for online invitations.

Any way you do it, just ensure your guests that it's a party they don't want to miss! Happy Haunting!

Fall Colors

I love that Fall is finally here, if only it weren't still 90 degrees here in Florida. I love the warm scents of cinnamon and pumpkin, and mostly the fall colors that they embody.... red, yellow, and orange.

While we may not have the changing of leaves to these beautiful, vibrant colors, we do have beautiful flowers that can mimic the change in our homes. Recently at the grocery store, I found lush blooms of Gerbera daisies and Chrysanthemums on sale for $5 a bunch. I quickly snatched up the blooms and took them home. With a little flower fertilizer in the vase, these blooms lasted about 2 weeks with a simple stem trim and water change every couple of days. It is an easy way to bring fall into your home!

Stay close in the next couple of weeks for lots of cute decorating tips for fall, as well as some scary Halloween delights, and great recipes for those football get-togethers!

The Bubble Room - Red Velvet Cake

The Bubble Room is a famous restaurant on Captiva Island, Florida. While the restaurant itself is one of the most unique and fun places to eat, their desserts are the true treat! Its founder, Katie Gardenia, sold the restaurant a few years ago, but it still makes her grandmother's legendary recipe for Red Velvet Cake. This cake is large, rich, and truly sinful! Here's the recipe:

CAKE:
3 3/4 cups Self Rising Flour
2 1/4 cups Sugar
1 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1 1/2 tsp Baking Cocoa
3 Eggs
2 1/4 cups Vegetable Oil
1 1/2 cups Whole Buttermilk
1 1/2 tsp White Vinegar
1 1/2 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
3 oz (3 boxes) Red Food Coloring

Mix the flour, sugar, baking soda, and baking cocoa in a bowl. Add the eggs, vinegar, oil, buttermilk, vanilla, and food coloring, and mix well. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and spoon the mixture into 3 greased and floured 9" round cake pans. Bake for 40-60 minutes, until the layers separate from the sides of the pan and poking the middle with a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool in pans for 10-20 minutes. While the cake is cooling, prepare the frosting:

16 oz Cream Cheese
1 1/2 cups Butter, softened
2 (16oz) boxes of Confectioners Sugar
Whole or halved Pecans

Beat the cream cheese and butter in a mixing bowl until light. Beat in the confectioners sugar.

Finally, remove one layer of the cake and place on a serving dish. Spread a thin layer of frosting on the cooled cake, and then place the second layer of the cake. Repeat with the third layer. It is easiest to coat the entire 3 layers with a thin base of icing, and then let the cake cool for an hour. Then take out of the refrigerator and top the rest of the cake with the remaining frosting. Sprinkle the top of the cake with pecans, or make decorative shapes or designs with them.

Enjoy this cake with a large glass of cold milk and some friends. It is large and rich, so thin pieces are all you need to enjoy it. It is such an amazing cake, I served it at my wedding. I hope you enjoy it too!

Last Day of Summer Salad

In honor of the last day of summer, here is a quick and easy salad, made entirely of ripe, end-of-season vegetables. Fresh and delicious, it is a great way to savor the last bit of summer.

1 Red Pepper

1 Yellow Pepper

1 Cucumber, seeds removed

Cherry Tomatoes, quartered

1/2 Red Onion

1/2 cup Kalamata Olives , halved

8 oz Feta Cheese, cubed

Chop all vegetables and combine in a bowl. Add Kalamata olives and cubed Feta Cheese last. Then mix with the following dressing:

2 cloves Minced Garlic

1 Tbsp Oregano

1/2 tsp Dijon Mustard

1/4 cup Red Wine Vinegar

1/4 cup Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper to taste

Toss and serve. This salad can also be chilled for up to three hours before serving. Enjoy this salad with these last moments of the warm summer sun.

Anniversary Party - Food

In planning the Anniversary party, we really had to sit down and think about food. When you are expected to feed 50+ people, you really have to set a budget and figure out how much food you will need. We went with a simple and cost-effective approach, since we really wanted to spend money on good wine. After much debate and about 2 hours at Sam's Club, we spent $200 on ALL the food for the party. Yes, you heard me correctly. Usually that covers dinner for 8 at a moderately priced restaurant these days, but not 50+ people. So what exactly did we serve? Scroll down for the results.

First, since our food theme was wine and cheese, we spent a good deal of money on big block cheeses, and luckily, Sam's Club had a wonderful selection. We chose cheeses that guests could cut themselves and add to an array of crackers. We had Brie, Goat Cheese, Blue Cheese, Sharp Cheddar, and Asiago. While there are many other wonderful options, like Gruyere and Jarlsberg, we wanted simple and recognizable cheeses that most everyone would like. They were plated on large wood cutting boards with cheese knives, and had wine cork place cards to identify them.

We had other delicious goodies to accompany the cheese. A fruit plate of red and green seedless grapes, and fresh strawberries was paired with a vanilla Greek yogurt sauce. The vegetable spread featured broccoli, baby carrots, grape tomatoes, red, yellow, and orange peppers, and was paired with hummus. Even though they sell prepared trays of fruit and vegetables at any grocery store, it is cheaper to buy in bulk and take a few minutes to prepare the trays yourself. This gives you a better looking spread, and while it may not save you time, it does save you a ton of money, and truthfully, they can be prepared the night before! We also served shrimp cocktail, tortilla chips with a homemade blue cheese dip, and marinated olives to complete the spread.

As the main course, we decided to have a mini sandwich bar in which guests could make their own from an array of options. We purchased small dinner rolls, roast beef, ham, and turkey, and had toppings of tomatoes, onions, lettuce, Swiss and cheddar cheeses, bacon, olive tapenade, tzaziki sauce, honey mustard, BBQ sauce, horseradish and the usual mayonnaise and mustard. We figured the amount of sandwiches to be about 85 total, since there were 50+ people, and some (mostly the hungry men) would want more than one.

And who could forget dessert? Not us! We served another beautiful spread of homemade chocolate, dark chocolate, and spice brownies, lemon poppy seed cookies, curry vanilla bars, and a store bought chocolate cake.

All the food paired wonderfully with the good wine and casual atmosphere. While it doesn't look like that much of a meal, guests were constantly hovered over the food tables, and not one of them left hungry!

Anniversary Party - Ambiance & Extras

In planning a party, its the little extras that really bring the rest of it together. You have to consider chairs, tables, activities (besides eating and drinking), serving ware, and ambiance.

Since our event was an Anniversary Party with a wine and cheese theme, we had to accommodate everyone comfortably around the pool. We set up card tables, and with beautiful wine-colored linens from a local rental place, we vamped them up a bit. Folding chairs went around the tables, and scattered in pairs around the pool and lanai. We own a bunch of these Terje chairs, and they are the most wonderful things to have for any party!

For the large food and drink tables, again we had them covered with wine colored linens. We also made candle centerpieces for all the tables, using glass vases, leftover corks and candles - super easy! Some of the lower vases had pillar candles, and taller ones had taper candles. Beware of the taper candles though... you have to blow them out once they burn down a little, since cork does burn!

Since it was an Anniversary Party, we also had all three couples bring their wedding albums for other guests to go through. We encouraged guests to look at them away from the food and drinks, as you would like to preserve the pictures without a glass of wine having been spilled on them. We set up a table inside so that guests could come at their leisure to reminisce about the pictures and possibly their own wedding back in the day!

Serving ware is also important. For a nice party, you do not want your guests eating on white paper plates and napkins! Since paper is easier to clean up when accommodating a large party, we used gold paper plates and festive paper napkins. But because it was a wine party, the last thing I wanted guests to drink out of would be plastic cups. Splurge and spend the money to rent wine glasses, and make sure you have extras in case guests drop one or would like to change their beverage.

And lastly, have something for your guests to do besides mingle and eat. Like I mentioned earlier, music is key for guests who just want to sit down and enjoy themselves, but other activities also promote interaction with guests who don't know each other. We have a pool table and ping pong table inside off the lanai, however, we had some lawn games like corn hole and lawn golf set up in the yard. The simplicity of the games got people to play, and even some to watch, and made the event more fun.

Not every detail is remembered by your guests, but careful planning and special touches really pull the other party elements together, making it a big hit!