Spatulas, Corkscrews & Suitcases

WINNER - WILTON CUPCAKE FUN!

Here's the winner of the Wilton Giveaway!
Congratulations to LIZ! She won the Wilton Give Away for the book Cupcake Fun! and a set of Silly Feet silicone cupcake liners! Have fun making cupcakes!

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Here's Liz's comment:

Hi Donna!
I knew eventually you would find a subject I just can't live with out.
I love cupcakes so much that I even make miniature brownies. Everyone loves them that way. When I go to someone's house for dinner I am always asked to bring them.
I would like to branch out to some other interesting ones.
Not only do I have grandchildren but great-children and Grandnieces & nephews that I bake for. Liz
Posted by: LIZ | May 19, 2009 at 03:02 PM

Congratulations again Liz! And a BIG thank you to Wilton for making this giveaway possible!

WILTON GIVEAWAY REMINDER

WILTON GIVEAWAY REMINDER
Deadline is TODAY, May 26th, 2009, at midnight EST. I'll pick the winning comment using the Random Generator and post the results here. USA entries only. Enter the giveaway here!

MEMORIAL DAY DESSERTS & RECIPES

Dessert Recipes for Memorial Day!
It's Friday, the holiday weekend is upon us, do you have your Memorial Day Dessert menu ready? Since Memorial Day is the traditional kick-off to summer, most people think of strawberry desserts. I know I do, but I also think about chocolate! OK, so I always think about chocolate! Doesn't everyone?

Whether you're having a cookout, going on a picnic, going on a cruise around the bay, or you've been invited to a potluck outing, I'm sure you'll find something in this list that will knock your socks off and make you the hit of the party! I've put together a list of desserts that I think should be on every Memorial Day menu. Whatever you choose, have a blast this holiday weekend!

HOLIDAY DESSERTS

Fresh Blueberry Pie

Fresh Cherry Pie

Key Lime Pie

Homemade Apple Pie

Classic Lemon Meringue Pie

Strawberry Shortcake

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Strawberry Cheesecake

Fresh Strawberry Tart

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Hot Fudge Pudding Cake

Nutella Chocolate Fudge Brownies

Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies

Bacon Brownies - Don't knock 'em till you try 'em!

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

And if desserts aren't your bag, why not try some of these salads or dips!

Spinach Artichoke Dip

Zesty Pesto Pasta Salad

Tri-Color Easy Coleslaw Recipe

Easy Ambrosia Salad - Totally Retro!

Colorful Cobb Salad Recipe

Red Bliss Potato Salad

Taco Salad Recipe

Mexican Salad Recipe

7 Layer Mexican Dip

Guacamole Dip Recipe

GIVEAWAY - Cute Cupcake Fun & Wilton's Silly Feet

Wilton's Silly Feet Silicone Baking Cups
These are the cute silicone baking cups that I took photos of a few months back - Red Velvet Cupcakes - and they were oh, so good! A very nice lady named Cindy from Wilton Products, contacted me a few weeks ago about a blog giveaway. She noticed that I had used the Wilton Silly Feet in the Red Velvet Cupcakes post, and wanted to know if I was interested in doing a review on the new book Cupcake Fun! She sent me a book to give away AND a package of their silicone baking cups!

Wilton's Cupcake Fun! Book
While I'm not quite ready to do a review on the book yet, I would love to give away ONE set of Silly Feet and ONE Cupcake Fun! book. The book is 128 pages big, and full of great cupcake ideas and retails for $12.99. The Silly Feet sell for $9.99.  Total value - $22.98. I'm giving them BOTH away as a set to ONE lucky person!

How To Enter the Giveaway?
Leave on a comment on this post only. Tell me how much you LOVE cupcakes! No duplicate entries or comments. Deadline is next Tuesday, May 26th, 2009, at midnight EST. I'll pick the winning comment using the Random Generator and post the results here. USA entries only. Now, go make some CUPCAKE FUN!

BACON BROWNIES & RECIPE ROUND-UP!

 

Grillin' & Chillin' Time!
I can't believe Memorial Day is next weekend! Time really does fly when you're having fun!
I'll be gearing up for the holiday during the week, so be sure to check out my pages on Examiner.com and here too, for more recipes & holiday ideas! I'm craving lots of salads, grilled burgers or seafood and strawberry desserts. What are you craving?

• Bacon Brownies Recipe - Come on, you just gotta try them out of sheer curiosity!
• Bacon & Cheese Strata Recipe - See, I can use bacon in "real" food! Make-ahead Overnight Breakfast Casserole. Refrigerate it overnight, bake it the next morning!
• Grilled Marinated Salmon - Great for the up-coming holiday weekend - Super easy foil packets!
• Grilled Yellowfin Tuna Recipe - Quick & Easy slap-it-on-the-grill meal.
• Cucumber Dill Sauce for Seafood - Perfect cool accompaniment for seafood of any kind.
• Grilled Sweet Potatoes - Throw these on the grill along with whatever else you're grilling!
• Homemade Butterscotch Pudding - Just like Grandma's. Skin or no skin?
• Mocha Cake with Chocolate Frosting - Delicious moist cake with a dairy and egg-free bonus.
• Carrot Cake Recipe & Cream Cheese Frosting - My famous Carrot Cake...or cupcakes!
• Grape-nut Pudding Recipe - Family favorite pudding recipe!
• Sourdough Starter Recipe - Well, because I could, that's all!

And finally, I just received the go-ahead on my 2nd Examiner topic - National Food Blog Examiner. So, if any of you have an active food blog with dripping good photos, I'd love an exclusive interview. Lots of press and exposure! Shoot me an email and I'll send you my questionnaire.

CHOCOLATE BACON BROWNIES

Recipe for Bacon Brownies
Have you heard all the buzz lately about Bacon & Chocolate? It started a few years ago, seemed to back off for a while, and now it's back, bigger and piggier than ever! I made these brownies out of sheer curiosity. I had no intention of trying them, let alone eating them. But once they cooled off and I drizzled them with chocolate ganache, I couldn't help but take a bite, and then another bite, and another. They were awesome! There's no way I can explain exactly how amazing these Bacon Brownies were, you'll just have to try them for yourself! I posted the recipe for these unbelievably decadent Bacon Brownies at Examiner. Take a peek over there a grab the recipe.Make a batch for yourself and see what you think!

TIRAMISU RECIPE - TWD

Tuesdays With Dorie
I'm baaaaaack! I decided to ask Dorie out again and start up our fattening relationship once more. It's been way too long since we've been apart! I'll try and catch up with Tuesdays With Dorie, but there's a lot that I missed, and not all were recipes that I was completely in love with anyway. This TIRAMISU is last week's recipe. It was chosen by Megan of My Baking Adventures from Dorie Greenspan’s book, “Baking: From My Home to Yours.” If you have your own book, you can find it on pages 266-268.

Kahlua Tiramisu
I actually made this a while ago, but it was so yummy and creamy that I want another pan full right now! I doubled the recipe and added Kahlua and instant coffee to the mix. Mine served a LOT, although after John got to it, it didn't serve half the guests I thought it would! I have got to keep that boy away from stuff like this, or at least hide it! So, go check out Megan's blog for Dorie's recipe, you'll find it there. And after you're done eating all that, I'll be back with something else!

RECIPES FOR MOTHER'S DAY

 

Mother's Day Recipes & Ideas
Here's a list of all the Mother's Day recipes & ideas posted on the Providence Food Examiner and Suite101. Have fun going through them all! I'm plugging away at a box full of hundreds of recipes, so hopefully I'll get to posting more before the holiday!

Mix & Match these Recipe Ideas!

Cocktails

• Mimosas!
• Fruity Sangrias
• Bloody Mary
• Cosmopolitan
• 3 Pink Pomegranate Cocktails

Muffins & Tea Breads

• Lemon Tea Cake
• Best Blueberry Muffins
• Fresh Strawberry Muffins
• Strawberry Cheesecake Muffins

Breakfast & Brunch

• Overnight French Toast 
• Ham & Cheese Overnight Strata
  
• Baked Amish Oatmeal
• Nutella Waffles
• Eggs Benedict
  
• Deviled Eggs
• Monkey Bread Recipe
  
• Herb Roasted Potatoes
• Gourmet Macaroni & Cheese
  
• Honey Raisin & Nut Granola
• Raspberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

Quiche & Frittata

• Veggie Quiche
• Zucchini Frittata
  
• Quiche Lorraine
• Chicken & Cheddar Quiche
• Spinach, Garlic & Feta Quiche
• Broccoli, Ham & Cheese Quiche

Salads & Dips

• Guacamole
• Panzanella Salad
• Red Bliss Potato Salad
• Spinach Artichoke Dip
• 7 Layer Mexican Dip Recipe

Desserts, Sweets & Cheesecakes

• Cream Puffs
• Apple Pie
  
• Key Lime Pie
• French Silk Pie
• Lemon Meringue Pie
• Coconut Custard Pie
• Snickerdoodles
• Coconut Cupcakes
• Red Velvet Cupcakes
• Strawberry Cheesecake
• Chocolate Chip Cheesecake
• Chocolate Covered Strawberries
• Nutella Chocolate Fudge Brownies
• Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake

COOKBOOK GIVEAWAY - COOKIES!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to My Cookbook Addiction
My best cyber friend Liliana, has a blog called My Cookbook Addiction. I don't have to tell you what her blog is all about! Not only is Liliana a cookbook addict, but she's also one of the most accomplished Italian cooks I've ever had the pleasure to meet. We went to visit her family in Montreal one Saturday, and she fed us such incredible Italian food, we thought we were going to burst! So, while you're checking out her giveaway, be sure to poke around her blog and try some of her amazing recipes!

My Cookbook Addiction is celebrating its 2nd birthday with a month-long giveaway! Right now, Liliana is giving away a copy of 'Field Guide to Cookies' by Anita Chu of Desserts First. Click here to enter your comment. Deadline for this cookbook giveaway is May 9th, 2009. Check back often, as she'll be giving away more cookbooks and prizes all month!

Sicilian Fig Cookies photo by My Cookbook Addiction

CINCO de MAYO RECIPES

Last Minute Cinco de Mayo Recipes
Tomorrow is Cinco de Mayo, and I've been busy with all my last minute Mexican & Tex-Mex recipes. Most of the recipes are quick & easy, so you can do them ahead or wait until last minute. Check back again. I'll be adding more as I finish them!

Cinco de Mayo Recipes

• The Best Guacamole Dip
  
• Seven Layer Mexican Dip Recipe
• Taco Salad Recipe - Veggie & Beef
  
• Award Winning Chili Recipe
• Caramel Topped Flan Recipe
  
• Mexican Wedding Cookies Recipe
• The Classic Tequila Sunrise
• The Best Margarita Recipe
• The Best Strawberry Margarita Recipe