Showing posts with label food related. Show all posts
Showing posts with label food related. Show all posts

Monday, October 29, 2007

We ate our way through the weekend!!!

What a great party we went to on Saturday night. We got to meet a some new people and to hang out with a bunch of old friends. It was nice, casual and comfortable! There was plenty of stuff to keep the children occupied and tons of food and drink to occupy the adults! What more could you ask for???

I took a hollowed out pumpkin filled with a roasted garlic, french onion dip. Very simple recipe...I cheated. I used the Lipton French Onion Soup and Dip Mix, but roasted 2 heads of garlic and added that to is. Made for a nice even blend.
One of my girlfriends made a pumpkin fruit platter which went over really well and was sooo cute! She took a cantaloupe and cleaned out the inside through a hole cut into the top. She then peeled all of the rind off to the orange color and carved a pumpkin face into it. Served with other fruit it was a real hit with everyone! Great job Lynn.

The host of the party contributed the best adult beverage! Patron Tequila. If you have never ventured beyond Jose Cuervo tequila you are missing out! We have been drinking Patron Silver and it is like a totally different drink. Smooth, warm, with just a slight bite. This has made me want to venture deeper into the world of tequila...I'll save that for a later post!

Yesterday (Sunday) we packed up the kids and took a road trip to Bradenton for our yearly pilgrimage to The Hunsader Farms annual Pumpkin Festival. You need to understand where we live. We are in Southwest Florida which is way, way down south. We don't have many pumpkin or apple festivals here. Nothing like that will grow here. It is way too hot. So when we found this pumpkin festival years ago we were so excited. Hay rides, pumpkin patch (pumpkins lined up under a big white tent), pony rides, craft fair, bands, great food, farmers market...what more could you want? Well, temperatures under 90 degrees would be great!!! The one downfall to living here is that it is very warm. I remember growing up in Canada and going trick or treating with winter coats stuffed under our costumes. Here you have to make sure that the child's costume is thin enough so they won't over heat!!! But despite all of that our children have never known any different and think this is all the norm!

The food was really amazing especially for the dreaded "festival or fair food". T. had a huge Smoked Turkey Leg that looked juicy and nice and smoky. I had a hamburger and some roasted corn on the cob. Yummmm. we don't get a lot of that here at our festivals!

This is set to be a crazy busy week. I have to make a bunch of things for the girls class parties on Wednesday. I know it will be Pumpkin Bread and Slobber Gobs but maybe something else as well. We have several appointments and I have a fundraiser in there somewhere as well.


Hope you weekend was great as well!


As Always...


Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy

www.nofearentertaining.com

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

This is soooo funny-I dare you not to laugh!!!

I got this as an email today and seeing as it is kinda food related (It is about a chili cookoff) I thought I would share it! This was the funniest thing I have read in a long time. I had tears running down my face as I was reading it and then again as I was writing it in here!

texas chili contest...............good one

If you can read this whole story without laughing then there's no hope for you. I was crying by the end.

Note: Please take time to read this slowly. If you pay attention to the first two judges, the reaction of the third judge is even better. For those of you who have lived in Texas, you know how true this is. They actually have a Chili Cook-off about the time Halloween comes around. It takes up a major portion of a parking lot at the San Antonio Citypark. The notes are from an inexperienced Chili taster named Frank, who was visiting from Springfield, IL.

Frank: "Recently, I was honored to be selected as a judge at a chili cook-off. The original person called in sick at the last moment and I happened to be standing there at the judge's table asking for directions to the Coors Light truck, when the call came in. I was assured by the other two judges (Native Texans) that the chili wouldn't be all that spicy and, besides, they told me I could have free beer during the tasting, so I accepted." Here are the scorecards from the advent: (Frank is Judge #3)

Chili # 1 Eddie's Maniac Monster Chili...

Judge # 1 -- A little too heavy on the tomato. Amusing kick.

Judge # 2 -- Nice, smooth tomato flavor. Very mild.

Judge # 3 -- (Frank) Holy shit, what the hell is this stuff? You could remove dried paint from your driveway. Took me two beers to put the flames out. I hope that's the worst one. These Texans are crazy.

Chili # 2 Austin's Afterburner Chili...

Judge # 1 -- Smoky, with a hint of pork. Slight jalapeno tang

Judge # 2 -- Exciting BBQ flavor, needs more peppers to be taken seriously.

Judge # 3 -- Keep this out of the reach of children. I'm not sure what I'm supposed to taste besides pain. I had to wave off two people who wanted to give me the Heimlich maneuver. They had to rush in more beer when they saw the look on my face.

Chili # 3 Ronny's Famous Burn Down the Barn Chili...

Judge # 1 -- Excellent firehouse chili. Great kick. Needs more beans.

Judge # 2 -- A bean less chili, a bit salty, good use of peppers.

Judge # 3 -- Call the EPA. I've located a uranium spill. My nose feels like I have been snorting Drano. Everyone knows the routine by now. Get me more beer before I ignite. Barmaid pounded me on the back, now my backbone is in the front part of my chest. I'm getting shit-faced from all of the beer...

Chili # 4 Dave's Black Magic.

Judge # 1 -- Black bean chili with almost no spice. Disappointing.

Judge # 2 -- Hint of lime in the black beans. Good side dish for fish or other mild foods, not much of a chili.

Judge # 3 -- I felt something scraping across my tongue, but was unable to taste it. Is it possible to burn out taste buds? Sally, the barmaid, was standing behind me with fresh refills. That 300-LB woman is starting to look HOT...just like this nuclear waste I'm eating! Is chili an aphrodisiac?

Chili # 5 Lisa's Legal Lip Remover...

Judge # 1 -- Meaty, strong chili. Cayenne peppers freshly ground, adding considerable kick. Very impressive.

Judge # 2 -- Chili using shredded beef, could use more tomato. Must admit the cayenne peppers make a strong statement.

Judge # 3 -- My ears are ringing, sweat is pouring off my forehead and I can no longer focus my eyes. I farted and four people behind me needed paramedics. The contestant seemed offended when I told her that her chili had given me brain damage. Sally saved my tongue from bleeding by pouring beer directly on it from the pitcher. I wonder if I'm burning my lips off. It really pisses me off that the other judges asked me to stop screaming. Screw those rednecks.

Chili # 6 Pam's Very Vegetarian Variety...

Judge # 1 -- Thin yet bold vegetarian variety chili. Good balance of spices and peppers.

Judge # 2 -- The best yet. Aggressive use of peppers, onions, and garlic. Superb.

Judge # 3 -- My intestines are now a straight pipe filled with gaseous, sulfuric flames. I shit myself when I farted and I'm worried it will eat through the chair. No one seems inclined to stand behind me except that Sally. Can't feel my lips anymore. I need to wipe my ass with a snow cone.

Chili # 7 Carla's Screaming Sensation Chili.

Judge # 1 -- A mediocre chili with too much reliance on canned peppers.

Judge # 2 -- Ho hum, tastes as if the chef literally threw in a can of chili peppers at the last moment. **I should take note that I am worried about Judge # 3. He appears to be in a bit of distress as he is cursing uncontrollably.

Judge # 3 -- You could put a grenade in my mouth, pull the pin, and I wouldn't feel a thing. I've lost sight in one eye, and the world sounds likeit is made of rushing water My shirt is covered with chili, which slid unnoticed out of my mouth. My pants are full of lava to match my shirt. At least during the autopsy, they'll know what killed me. I've decided to stop breathing it's too painful.
Screw it; I'm not getting any oxygen anyway. If I need air, I'll just suck it in through the 4-inch hole in my stomach.

Chili # 8 Karen's Toenail Curling Chili...

Judge # 1 -- The perfect ending, this is a nice blend chili. Not too bold but spicy enough to declare its existence.

Judge # 2 -- This final entry is a good, balanced chili. Neither mild nor hot. Sorry to see that most of it was lost when Judge #3 farted, passed out, fell over and pulled the chili pot down on top of himself. Not sure if he's going to make it. Poor fella, wonder how he'd have reacted to really hot chili?


Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
http://www.nofearentertaining.com/