Wine & Dine Roundup: Brazilian Carnival!

This month's Wine & Dine blogging event was all about Brazilian inspired dishes in honor of Carnival! While many here in the US are familiar with the Mardi Gras celebrations, other countries including Brazil are celebrating as well. Check out how I celebrated where I hosted a potluck Brazilian Carnival dinner with friends!

So who else is celebrating in their kitchens with Brazilian inspired recipes? Check out these blogs to found out! Thanks to all those that participated in the Wine & Dine blogging event this month. I encourage you to join in the fun in March where we're featuring Irish fare and lots of Guinness & Irish Cream!

Suzanne of My Adventures in Food
from Florida
Tangerine Caiparinha
The popular drink to have in Brazil is a caiparinha which uses a sugarcane liquor called cachaca. Suzanne makes a tangerine caiparinha to share for the Wine & Dine! Check out Suzanne's refreshing recipe and have one for a taste of Carnival!
Karen of Loves to Eat
from Florida
Sequilhos de Coco (Cornstarch & Coconut Cookies)
Karen brings some cookies to the Carnival party! These cookies aren't made with flour but rather with cornstarch. The result is a light cookie that is pretty flavorful. The best part? It doesn't involve any special ingredients and you can whip these up with what you might already have in your pantry! Check out Karen's blog for the recipe!
Cassie of Cassie's Ruminations
from Washington State
Peru Com Bacon (Bacon Wrapped Maple Turkey Bites)
Cassie has a wonderful Brazilian appetizer recipe for Peru Com Bacon (Bacon Wrapped Maple Turkey Bites). She first tried this dish at a restaurant in Colorado and the recipe is one she got from her mom. Check out Cassie's blog for the recipe and serve these up at your next gathering with friends and family!
Cassie of Cassie's Ruminations
from Washington State
Limonada Suiça (Brazilian Lemonade)
Cassie shares with us a second recipe for Brazilian lemonade. It sounds refreshing and includes an ingredient you probably wouldn't expect in lemonade. Curious as to what that is? Check out Cassie's blog to find out and get the recipe!
Lisa of Lime in the Coconut
from Maryland
Moqueca De Peixe (Brazilian Fish Stew)
Lisa's recipe for Moqueca De Peixe has a very special meaning. She served up this delicious fish stew dish for her husband on Valentines Day in honor of their honeymoon. They both went to Brazil for their honeymoon and while there in Trancoso, they tried this dish! Check out Lisa's blog for the recipe!

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Tasty Tools: Measuring Tools Round Up!

With the new year, folks are probably making an effort on healthier food choices and watching their food portions. To go along with the mindsets of many, January's Tasty Tools event was all about measurements and measuring tools! We got quite a few recipes where bloggers measured their way through the recipes. Check them out and give these recipes a try!

Erin of Dinner & Dessert
from South Carolina
Pear Spice Cake with Walnut Praline Topping
When I first saw Erin post this recipe I think I dribbled on my keyboard. Erin used both liquid and dry measuring tools to prepare this cake and an amazing cake this is. You must check her blog for the recipe. Who knows, you just might dribble on your keyboard like I did!

Marla of A Pinch of This & That
from Florida Chicken Bowtie Pasta
Marla joins us to share a delicious pasta dish! Kudos to Marla for using both types of measuring cups accurately. I'll be the first to admit I use the dry and liquid measuring cups interchangeably which I know is not correct. So check out Marla's how her proper measuring resulted in a delicious dinner!

Psychgrad of Equal Opportunity Kitchen
from Canada Oatmeal Saskatoon Berry Applesauce Muffins
Psychgrad shares with us a great muffin recipe to start our day and perfect for any brunch menu. Chock full of blueberries, applesauce and hints of cinnamon, this is sure to be a delicious way to start your morning. Check out her blog for the recipe!

Rachel of The Crispy Cook
from New York
Savory Rice & Cheese Muffins
Not all muffins have to be sweet and Rachel shares with us a wonderful savory muffin to start the day! Using ingredients she had on hand, she whipped these fabulous muffins for her family to enjoy. Check out Rachel's blog for the recipe and what measuring tools she used!

Amy of Skinny Food by Amy
from Louisiana Cuccidati (Italian Fig Cookies)
For the holidays, Amy prepared these special cookies from her childhood. If you're a fig fan, these are cookies you'll definitely want to make! Check out Amy's blog for the recipe and how she carefully measured ingredients for perfect cookies!

Erin of Erin's Food Files
from Tennessee
Spicy Honey Brushed Chicken Thighs
Erin has a great recommendation for a fun measuring tool, especially when she used it for the honey called for in her recipe. Check out her blog for more details on her recommendation and for the delicious looking recipe!

Karen of Loves To Eat Weblog
from Florida
Warm Double Chocolate Brownie Cake
Do you own a kitchen scale? If not, it may be something to consider when you do a fair bit of baking. Karen carefully weighed the chocolate called for in the recipe. Want the recipe? Check out her blog!

Laura of Laura's Home Cookin
from Minnesota
Perfect Party Cake
We all know how baking requires some presicion in measuring out ingredients. Laura does exactly that as she prepared this delicious and festive Perfect Party Cake. Check out her blog for details on what the cake was for and the recipe!

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Foodie Films: Big Night Italian Round Up!

This month's Foodie Films blogging event was all about Italian inspired dishes in honor of the movie, Big Night. If you haven't watched the movie, I highly recommend you do and enjoy it with some great Italian food. It's a funny movie with a lot of references to food and running a restaurant - perfect for any foodie! I hosted a potluck Italian luncheon with friends before we watched the movie together and you can read all about it here.


So what Italian dishes have been cooking in the kitchen of fellow bloggers? Check out these blogs to get their delicious recipes! Thanks to all those that participated in the Foodie Films blogging event this month. I encourage you to join in the fun in February where we're featuring French fare and fondue as we watch the movie, Chocolat!

Chris of Mele Cotte
from Georgia
Vegetable Pizzettes
I'm on a veggie kick and Chris's recipe for Vegetable Pizzettes looks delicious! The individual servings are great for those with small families or single folks and the toppings are a great combination of flavors. Check out Chris' blog for details and the recipe!

Lisa from Lime in the Coconut
from Maryland
Winter Minestrone Soup
With the winter weather among us, a hearty bowl of soup just hits the spot! Lisa shares with us a recipe for Winter Minestrone Soup which looks hearty and flavorful - perfect for the winter! Check out Lisa's blog for the recipe and more pics of her adorable serving bowl!

Sarina of TriniGourmet
from Trinidad
Chicken Cacciatore
A traditional dish of Chicken Cacciatore is shared by Sarina for this event. One thing I really liked about her dish is the substitution she made for the flour called for in the recipe. Curious of what Sarina used? Check out her blog to find out and get the recipe while you're there!

Laurie of Mediterranean Cooking in Alaska
from Alaska
Bagna Cauda
Laurie joins us from Alaska to share 2 versions of Bagna Cauda. Bagna Cauda is a specialty of Italy's Piedmont Region, which combines oil with anchovies and garlic to make a hot dip for vegetables and bread. Check out Laurie's blog for details and how she prepares them in 2 different ways!

Melissa of Kitchen Canister
from New Jersey
Panko Crusted Chicken Parmesan
One of the best parts of Chicken Parmesan is the crunchy coating of the chicken. Melissa shares her recipe using panko breadcrumbs to get this fabulous texture. Check out Melissa's blog for the recipe to give this version a try!

Amy of Tart Reform
from Washington D.C.
Baked Pesto Chicken
Amy joins us to share a recipe for Baked Pesto Chicken. I don't know about you, but i love pesto and it's delicious with chicken! I think the best part of the recipe is that it only calls for 4 ingredients. Curious of what they are? Amy's blog will have it all outlined for you with some great pics too. Click on her blog to check it out!

Karen of Loves To Eat
from Florida
Shrimp Fra Diavolo
Karen is pretty lucky to live where seafood is pretty abundant. It came as no surprise that she would showcase shrimp in her dish for this blogging event! She shares with us a recipe for Shrimp Fra Diavolo. The dish tends to have a nice kick of spicy heat paired with the sweetness of tomato sauce. Check out Karen's blog for the recipe!

Emma of Gustoso
from Australia
Spinach Risotto
One comforting dish I enjoy is risotto. As you may know, rice is a weakness of mine in any dish and risotto is one that allows some versatility too. Emma shares with us a recipe for Spinach Risotto that adds a nice burst of color with red bell peppers! Check out Emma's recipe on her blog for details on how she creates this dish!

Jessica of Cooking Up Memories
from Wisconsin
Caprese Salad Bites
One of my favorite salads is Caprese Salad... and Jessica has shared with us a recipe that makes this salad easier to eat! She puts the salad on a stick which is a great idea for appetizers or a simple snack. Check out Jessica's blog for the recipe!

Supriya of Ode2Food
from Massachusetts
Supriya has submitted 4 delicious Italian inspired recipes to the event! Each of them look delicious and can easily be made together for a nice Italian feast! Check out Supriya's blog for the following recipes!
Green Peppers & Orzo with Garlic Brown Butter Sauce
Gemelli with Roasted Red Peppers & Garbanzos Penne Bruschetta Garbanzo Bean Soup

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Chef Spotlight Roundup: Health Conscious Chefs

Thanks to all those that participated in this month's Chef Spotlight event! We have a tasty and healthy roundup of recipes to start the new year off... and some really great blogs to add to your viewing (drooling) pleasure. For additional healthy recipes, check out the Chef Spotlight Dinner we hosted with friends!

Sarina of TriniGourmet
from Trinidad
Raw Tomato & Macadamia Mozzarella Linguine
Sarina shares with us a healthy dish that's completely raw! It looks beautiful with the colors! Check out Sarina's blog for the recipe and for some great information on raw chefs!

Marla of A Pinch of This & That
from Florida
Zucchini Dunkers
Looking for a different way to serve up zucchini? Check out Marla's blog which has a recipe for Zucchini Dunkers! It's packed with flavor and crunch and you may not even miss french fries after having these! Go on... click on her blog to check it out!
Laura of Laura's Home Cooking
Sauteed Turkey Cutlets with Orange Cranberry Sauce
A great flavor that works especially well with poultry is orange and cranberry. Laura shares with us this recipe for Sauteed Turkey Cutlets with Orange Cranberry Sauce and it looks delicious! Check out her blog for the recipe and give this a try!

Jamie of Dinner with the Bickfords
from Maryland
Asian Noodles in Satay Sauce
I'm a sucker for Asian recipes. For the most part, many Asian cuisines lean more towards the healthy side and Jamie's recipe for Asian Noodles with Satay Sauce is one of them. The colors of this dish is great and is full of vegetables... and we all know we need to add more to our diet (at least I do!) Check out Jamie's blog for the recipe!

Smitha of Kadumanga
from Trichur, India
Chickpea Salad with Cumin Dressing & Yogurt Sauce
Smitha joins us to share a recipe of a favorite chef of mine, Ellie Krieger. This Chicken Pea Salad looks so refreshing and is a fairly quick recipe to make! Check out Smitha's blog for this vegetarian salad and enjoy!

Christie of Stump the Chef
from Florida
Tilapia with Cherries & Almonds
I happen to enjoy fish recipes and I wish I could prepare it more often. But Christie certainly does a great job in inspiring me. She shares with us the recipe for Tilapia with Cherries & Almonds and who knew it would work so well with the mild flavors of tilapia! Check out Christie's blog for the recipe and give this a try to change up your usual fish dinner!

Kara of What's Kookin in Kara's Kitchen
from Virginia
Chipotle Chicken & Tomato Soup
Kara joins us to share this recipe... and you know it has to be good if it's featured in our roundup more than once! (See below). So click click click! Check out Kara's blog for the recipe!

Karen of Loves To Eat
from Florida
Roasted Chicken with Lemon & Oranges
A classic roast chicken is pretty healthy as it is (assuming it's not coated with a lot of butter before baking!)... but introducing citrus flavors to this classic dish brings it to a whole new level. Karen roasts her first whole chicken and uses orange and lemon juice to add a burst of freshness. You'll want to pay a visit to Karen's blog for the recipe and the results of how her very first roasted chicken turned out!

Amy of Just 2 Good
from Florida
New Potatoes with Roasted Garlic Vinaigrette
Do you think you have all the potato recipes you need? I beg to differ. This potato dish that Amy shares with us is one you'll want to add to your potato rotation. Why? For one, it's not full of butter and cream... and it involves a great vinaigrette that has a lot of flavor. Besides, who doesn't like the caramel sweetness of roasted garlic? Check out Amy's blog for the recipe and give this a try soon!

Beth of Someone's in the Kitchen with Brina
from Maryland
Mo-Rockin' Slow Cooker Stew
If you haven't pulled out your slow cooker this season, here's a delicious reason to now. Brina shares her Mo-Rockin' Slow Cooker Stew which is a recipe that doesn't call for a canned cream soup that many slow cocker recipes include. If you like flavors of Moroccan cuisine and are looking for a dish to incorporate more vegetables, this is it... and even better is that the dish is cooked in a crockpot! Go ahead, click over to Brina's blog and check it out. You know you're intrigued and are itching to use that crockpot!

Kira of Bite This!
from New Jersey
Chipotle Chicken & Tomato Soup
What's winter without a good bowl of soup? Kira joins us to share this flavorful and healthy bowl of Chipotle Chicken & Tomato Soup. It's chock full of ingredients that will definitely keep you warm and a nice change of pace from the usual tomato soup. Want the recipe? Click on Kira's blog!

Julie of Julie's Foodie
from Kansas City
Blueberry Pound Cake
Sometimes baked goods can be challenging to make healthy, but Julie has found a recipe for Blueberry Pound Cake that manages to keep the flavor and lose some of those unwanted calories. Definitely check out Julie's blog - she is a big fan of Cooking Light and has many healthy recipes on her blog to choose from!

Gillian of Gillians Goodies
from California
Black Bean Chili
Gillian has a a comforting dish perfect for the winter weather and it's healthy too! Check out her blog for the recipe, which is full of flavor! (Picture coming soon...)

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