September Tasty Tools - Bakeware!

I guess summer is really over... but we did end it on a delicious note by cranking up our ovens to welcome fall. This month's Tasty Tools event highlights bakeware! Whether it's made out of glass, silicone, metal or stoneware, if you can bake in it, it's a great addition to our round up. Check out the wonderful things folks are baking up with their favorite pieces of bakeware. Who knows... it just might inspire you to create something comforting and warm on these fall days! Thanks to all that participated and hope you enjoy this collection of recipes warm your soul and oven.

Jenn of Jenn & Food, Perfect Together
from New Jersey
Double Crust Apple Pie
What's fall without a slice of Apple Pie? Jenn shares with us a Food Network recipe for Apple Pie which is perfect for the fall weather. Using a 10 inch pie plate and a cookie sheet, her entry features 2 pieces of essential bakeware. Check out her blog for links to the recipe and additional mouth watering pictures!
Nancy of Gaga in the Kitchen
from California
Stuffed Baguettes
Move over Hot Pockets (and the like)! Nancy's got an even better snack with her Stuffed Baguettes. These baguettes are stuffed and baked with your favorite sandwich fillings baked right in. These can be made using a baking sheet, baking stone or peel. Check out Nancy's blog for the recipe & details on creating the perfect dough for these and what she stuffed her baguette with!
Oggi of I Can Do That!
from Virginia
Hokkaido Milky Loaf
I have been a fan of Oggi's blog for a few months now... and her entry probably gets the "Coolest Bakeware" award. Using Pullman bread pans, she creates these delicately soft, yet sturdy loaves of bread. Check out Oggi's blog for details on the bread pans she used and for the recipe!
Karen of Loves To Eat Weblog
from Florida
Caramel Bars
Karen is such a fabulous cook & baker that all her entries to my blogging events are so tasty. This one was no exception, especially since I'm a big fan of caramel. Her Caramel Bars were made using an 8x8 Pyrex pan and to prevent a big mess and easy removal from the pan, she uses foil! (Such a great tip, by the way!) Check out Karen's blog for the recipe!
Jaime of Good Eats 'n Sweet Treats
from Texas
Peanut Buttercups with Peanut-Penuche Icing
Another one of my fave blogs is Jaime's. This time she makes me crave something peanut buttery with her entry to Tasty Tools. Using her muffin pan, she creates these Peanut Buttercups... and if that wasn't enough, she tops them with a Peanut-Penuche Icing. YUM! Check out Jaime's blog for the recipe and more drool-worthy food pics!
Carly of Live. Laugh. Grow.
from West Virginia
Carly's on-the-fly Spanakopita
I really like Carly's entry for this bakeware event. Aside from creating something delicious, she used a special piece of bakeware, a 10 inch round cake pan, used by her husband's late grandmother. Carly's version of Spanakopita looks so versatile and easy... check out her blog for the recipe!
Shauna of Little Miss Foodie Two Shoes
from Florida
Low Fat Pumpkin Muffins
With healthy eating on our minds, I'm glad to have Shauna share her tasty Low Fat Pumpkin Muffins for the event! She used her muffin pan to make these beautiful treats, perfect for the fall. If you need to get in the fall spirit, check out the recipe in Shauna's blog!
Carrie of Carrie's Sweet Life
from Minnesota
My Big Fat Chocolate Chip Cookies
Carrie is after my own heart because she shares with us my favorite cookie of all time - chocolate chip! Her recipe is from Food Network celebrity chef, Tyler Florence and he would be proud to see how perfect the cookies came out! Carrie used her trusty cookie sheet which is a definite must in every kitchen. To get the recipe (especially in time for the holidays!) check out Carrie's blog!
Jess of Cooking Up Memories
from Wisconsin
Mexican Stuffed Shells
Jess shares with us a special recipe from her her aunt. Using a 9x13 baking pan, her Mexican Stuffed Shells is sure to be a keeper recipe. One thing I love about preparing baked pasta shells is the fillings can be an endless possibility and this recipe is a great fusion of Italian and Mexican cuisines. Check out Jess's blog for the recipe!
Lindsey of Noodle Nights & Muffin Mornings
from New York
Granite Steps Country Blueberry Coffee Cake
Aside from our love of food, Lindsey and I share the same fondness of Crate & Barrel... so much so that she used her Crate & Barrel Bake & Store Cake Pan for her entry. Her Blueberry Coffee Cake has left me speechless because it looks ridiculously good. All those blueberries look so tempting atop the cake. For a fabulous breakfast dish, you'll need to check out Lindsey's blog for this recipe!
Kristina of About a Bit of Everything
from Illinois
Brownie Muffins
I had the pleasure of meeting and brunching with Kristina last weekend (along with some other fellow culinary divas) and she definitely has an appreciation of good eats. Her entry is definitely a delicious one because she creatively used a mini muffin pan to make brownie muffins. Is it a brownie? Is it a muffin? Regardless, it sure looks chocolatey good and you're able to find the recipe in her blog!
Jade of Apples & Oranges
from New York
Apple Streusel Coffee Cake
One of my fave food blogs that always has beautiful pictures belongs to Jade. Her pictures tend to make me hungry and tends to have a very artistic culinary vibe... I love that! For this event, she shares with us her Apple Streusel Coffee Cake which is made using a bundt pan. If this picture doesn't get you to check out her blog for the recipe, I don't know what will...
Jen of Beantown Baker
from Massachusetts
Zucchini and Turkey Lasagna
Probably the most colorful bakeware entry comes from Jen. Her bakeware, a purple 8x8 Pyrex pan, was used to make a delicious and healthy Zucchini & Turkey Lasagna. I don't know about you, but lasagna is definitely a comfort food in our house and her recipe looks outstanding. Check out Jen's blog for the recipe!
Annie of Annie's Eats
from Indiana
Hamburger Buns
Being a Pampered Chef consultant myself, I was especially pleased to see Annie use her Pampered Chef Pizza Stone for the the Tasty Tool event. Even more pleasing are the gorgeous hamburger buns she made on the pizza stone. Seriously, she's a natural in the kitchen and her new son is one lucky boy to have a great chef of a mom! Check out Annie's blog for her recipe!
Becke of Columbus Foodie
from Ohio
Simple Apple Squares
Becke always has something delicious cooking up in her kitchen and this time around, she's sharing a dish that uses some seasonal produce such as apples. Her entry, made in a 9x13 baking pan, captures fall in every bite of her Simple Apple Squares. To find out what could top this tasty dessert, check out her blog and get the recipe too!
Kelsey of Apple A Day
from Arizona
Applesauce Spice Cookies
Kelsey joins the round up with some fall flavors packed into these tasty cookies using her jellyroll pan. These would make for some wonderful gift giving for the upcoming holidays too. Check out Kelsey's blog for the recipe!

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Olive Tapenade for Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month

O Foods for Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month

September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month. In honor of Gina DePalma, author of Dolce Italiano: Desserts from the Babbo Kitchen and Executive Pastry Chef of Babbo Ristorante in NYC, who was recently diagnosed with ovarian cancer, Sara of Ms Adventures in Italy, Jenn of The Leftover Queen, and Michelle of Bleeding Espresso are asking you to donate to the:

Ovarian Cancer Research Fund

and then, out of the goodness of your hearts and to be eligible for the OFoods for Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month Contest, please do the following:

1. Post a recipe to your blog using a food that starts or ends with the letter O (e.g., oatmeal, orange, okra, octopus, olive, onion, potato, tomato) and include this entire text box in the post;

OR

2. If you’re not into the recipe thing, simply post this entire text box in a post on your blog to help spread the word about the event and Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month.

AND

3. Then send your post url [along with a photo (100 x 100) if you’ve made a recipe] to ofoods[at]gmail[dot]com by 11:59 pm (Italy time) on September 30, 2008.

We will post a roundup and announce prize winners on October 3.

Prizes:

* 1 Recipe Prize for best “O food” concoction: $50 gift certificate to Amazon;
* 1 Awareness Prize for only publicizing event: Copy of Dolce Italiano cookbook.

———

From the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund:

* Ovarian cancer is the leading cause of death from gynecologic cancers in the United States and is the fifth leading cause of cancer death among U.S. women; a woman’s lifetime risk of ovarian cancer is 1 in 67.
* The American Cancer Society estimates that 21,650 women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer in the U.S. in 2008 and about 15,520 women will die from the disease.
* The symptoms of ovarian cancer are often vague and subtle, making it difficult to diagnose. There is no effective screening test for ovarian cancer but there are tests which can detect ovarian cancer when patients are at high risk or have early symptoms.

* In spite of this patients are usually diagnosed in advanced stages and only 45% survive longer than five years. Only 19% of cases are caught before the cancer has spread beyond the ovary to the pelvic region.

* When ovarian cancer is detected and treated early on, the five-year survival rate is greater than 92%.

Please donate to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund and help spread the word!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

My entry to help support this wonderful cause is:


Olive Tapenade (adapted from RecipeZaar)

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup pitted kalamata olives
• 1/2 cup pine nuts
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley
• 1/4 tsp dried basil or 1 tsp fresh basil
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• fresh ground pepper to taste
  

Directions

• Add garlic to food processor, blend until minced. Add remaining ingredients except olive oil. Blend until smooth, adding olive oil slowly while the blade is running.

• Adjust ingredients to your liking - Additional pine nuts, parsley or pitted canned black olives will make it less salty and intense in flavor, while additional oil will increase the creaminess. You can also use other fresh herbs such as sage or rosemary.

• Serve at room temperature.

I served this dip with the lavash that I made for this month's Daring Baker challenge. Absolutely delish...and all for a good cause!

As Always...

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com

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PETA Got No Ethics As It Exploits Autistic Children

The ad above is found on the PETA web site and is, according to Newsday, featured on a billboard running in Newark New Jersey. Although not in agreement with all their positions or tactics I have always been sympathetic to PETA's alleged goal of seeking ethical treatment of animals. With the above campaign though PETA is not applying high ethical standards to autistic children. PETA is exploiting fear of autism to promote their goals concerning treatment of animals by pushing a connection between cow's milk and autism.

The PETA web site refers to a study in Rome in which "researchers noticed a "marked improvement" in the behavior of autistic children who were taken off dairy products". The study is a 1995 study. The site also refers to testimonial evidence that suggests that removing dairy from diets of autistic children provides relief. The testimony in question is a 2000 article by Karyn Seroussi "We Cured Our Son's Autism".

Although I personally am not persuaded that the evidence, at this time, supports dietary theories concerning autism I am not dismissive of them either. I previously commented in Milk and Autism Connection Claimed on the milk autism connection taking a wait and see approach to such claims. I have also refused to join those who attack parents for their testimonial evidence concerning Gluten Free and Casein Free diets even though I personally am not persuaded by their testimony.

There is already much public discussion of possible dietary influences as causes of autism. But it is a big stretch to say that "studies have shown a link between cow's milk and autism". Particularly when such a claim is linked to a dramatic image of a child's cereal bowl with cereal arranged to show a sad face.

PETA advocates for the ethical treatment of animals. In advancing that goal, it should apply the same ethical standards to its discussion of autism issues and autistic children. PETA officials could start a new branch of their organization - PETAC - People for the Ethical Treatment of Autistic Children.

autism

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A really fast shrimp dinner and a funfilled weekend of skating!

Every once in a while your whole schedule and routine gets thrown off kilter right? Well mine gets thrown off so often now I have no routine. Last week it was T.'s Dad and the ongoing medical saga that has become our lives and a skating competition. I just could not cook anything new and was so uninspired that I would have made my family eat hot dogs for dinner if I thought I could have gotten away with. That is all going to change this week. I am back on track!!!

She's lucky number 7!!!

As for the skating competition...my youngest daughter rocks!!! She did 2 events and placed 1st for both of them. What an accomplishment for her.

A short video of her doing her program. She still looks so tiny out there on that huge slab of ice!!!



Friday night I had practice at the rink so we decided that it wouldn't be too terribly late when I got home and I could just whip together a quick pasta dinner. I knew I had some frozen shrimp in the freezer and some whole wheat linguine (no additives just plain old whole wheat durum flour!!!). The frozen shrimp are so easy to work with. Just make sure that before you freeze them they are cleaned and peeled. I leave the tails on but that is just personal preference.

Once again there is no recipe. On nights like that I am way too busy to follow one anyway. Here is a list of ingredients and near measures!


Pasta with Shrimp and Butter Sauce

About a 1lb to 1-1/2lb shrimp
6 cloves of garlic chopped
1 stick of butter to cook the shrimp
1 package of your favorite pasta, cooked

Spice mix for shrimp:

garlic powder
onion powder
smoked paprika
white pepper
salt
black pepper
thyme
pinch of cayenne

1 more stick of butter to finish the butter sauce
about 2 Tbsp of fresh parsley, chopped

Directions:

Mix all the spices together. Go lighter on the stronger spices like cayenne and smoked paprika and heavier on the lighter ones like garlic powder.

Toss the shrimp in the spices and melt 1 stick of butter in a pan. Cook the garlic in the butter then add the spiced shrimp and cook until no longer translucent. Once they are cooked add the second stick of butter and the parsley and melt to make a nice butter sauce.

This is about enough for 4 adults.

Update on T's Dad: He is no longer in ICU but he is still not out of the woods yet. He has MRSA Staph infection (methicillin resistant staph). It is no longer in his lungs (still everywhere else) but it is in his eye and is causing the retina to harden. They are going to have to do surgery on him immediately to clean out the retina. Any surgery is dangerous but even worse to open up a person with a Staph infection! Keep those prayers and well wishes coming and thanks so much for all the support you all have given me and my family!

As Always...

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com

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Red Red Wine... & Event Round Up!

This month for our wine & dine event series, we focused on red wines and fall foods. We had a fabulous turnout with quite a bit to eat and drink. I provided 12 various red wines including: Malbec, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Syrah, and Sangiovese. To pair with these wines, friends shared some of their favorite fall dishes. Unfortunately I couldn't take pics of everything that graced the table, but here are some pics I did manage to take of the event:

Sesame Peanut Noodles shared by Yumi:Macerated Peaches in Red Wine shared by Linda:
Fresh Artisan Goat Cheese shared by Linda:
Grape & Rosemary Foccaccia Sticks shared by Linda:
Onion, Tomato & Avocado Salad shared by Lennie:
Butternut Squash Soup shared by Dorothy:Chicken Pesto Rolls shared by Teresa:Roasted Lemon & Caper Chicken shared by Howard:
Turkey Meatloaf shared by Art:
Digging in!

To join in the fun, my fellow bloggers have submitted favorite fall recipes and/or recipes using red wine! As I do with each blogging event I host, a lucky blogger receives a giveaway related to the food theme. This event's winner is Karen of Loves to Eat Weblog! Karen has won a fall favorites cookbook and a bottle of red wine. Congratulations Karen and thanks to all that participated in the blogging event! Read on to check out the recipes submitted by my fellow bloggers...

Becke of Columbus Foodie
from Ohio
Beef Strogundy
Becke shares with us a twist on 2 fall classics - Beef Stroganoff and Beef Burgundy. Aside from the creative dish, it sure looks ridiculously delicious! What a tasty way to enjoy a crisp fall day. Check out Becke's blog for the recipe!
Karen of Loves To Eat Weblog
from Florida
Crockpot Red Wine Beef Stew
What's fall without a hearty stew to warm you up? Karen shares with us a savory beef stew using red wine. This is definitely a dish you'll want to check out, especially because it's one that can easily cook while you're away... and will be ready after a long day of work. Check out Karen's blog for the recipe!

Karen of Loves To Eat Weblog
from Florida
Healthy Pumpkin & Chocolate Chip Muffins
Pumpkin is definitely a fall flavor many take advantage of this time of year. Karen shares with us a fabulous fall muffin that's sure to sweeten up your morning! Check out her blog for the recipe!

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