Friday Five

For Alisa ;o)

Buffalo Chicken Cutlets

This recipe came about

because of my love for these:

I love hot wings and Frank's Red Hot sauce. This chicken

did not turn out spicy, so don't be afraid to try it out, if

you are not a fan of spicy food. Snyder's also makes cheddar and

honey mustard pretzel pieces you could use as well.

Buffalo Chicken Cutlets

1.5 lbs. chicken cutlets (about 8)

1/2 c flour

1 Tbsp Frank's Red Hot sauce

1 egg

1 c crushed hot buffalo wings pretzel pieces

-salt and pepper

-4 Tbsp canola or vegetable oil

optional:

- blue cheese dressing

- celery

1. combine 1/2 c flour with a pinch of salt in pepper in a shallow bowl

2. whisk egg with a splash of water and 1 Tbsp. of hot sauce in another shallow bowl

3. add crushed pretzel pieces to a third shallow bowl

4. One at a time, dredge cutlets into flour, shaking off excess

5. Next, dip chicken into egg mixture, letting excess drip off

6. place cutlets into crushed pretzels, patting them on

7. In a large non-stick skillet over medium heat, add 2 Tbsb. of oil and cook four of the chicken cutlets, about 3 minutes per side, until golden brown and chicken is no longer pink

8. repeat with remaining 4 cutlets

9. serve with a side of blue cheese dressing and celery

xoxo

Melissa

Wordless Wednesday

xoxo Melissa

MC's Grizzly Burger

This burger is so good! You really have to be careful of the salt, though. Between the olives, bacon and Vermont white cheddar, it can get pretty salty.

MC's Grizzly Burger

- 1 large yellow onion sliced

- 1 c. kalamata olives chopped

- 1 lb. ground round or any ground beef of your choice

- 1 tsp. dried parsley

- 1 Tbsp. worchteshire

- 4 slices Vermont white cheddar cheese

- 1 bottle of flavorful beer

- 4 crusty rolls

- 8 slices cooked bacon

- pepper

- extra virgin olive oil (1Tbsp.)

1. Mix beef with worchteshire, parsley and a little pepper and form into 4 equal patties. Refrigerate until ready to cook.

2. Saute onions in olive oil for 5 minutes. You can cut back on the oil a bit if using a non stick pan.

3. Add 1 c. of beer to the onions. Cook until beer has cooked away. Remove from pan.

4. In the same pan, add burger patties. Brown on both sides on med-high heat. Do not cook through.

5. When burgers have browned on both sides, add 1/2 c. of beer. Continue cooking until beer is gone.

6. Add olives and onions to the pan.

7. Cover each burger with cheese, take pan off heat and cover with lid.

8. Put each burger on toasted, buttered roll and top with bacon, olives and onions.

xoxo

Melissa

A Few Pics From the Zoo

Souvenirs from the zoo.

A cute stuffed lion for

little C and fudge for me.

Did I really need to buy

the fudge? YES! There

were no samples out, like

they usually have. Chocolate fudge,

tiger striped fudge and caramel fudge.

I guess I didn't need to buy three

kinds..... :-D

I'm pooped, but I wanted to post some pics from the zoo. Aren't these some gorgeous animals? I love the tiger and zebra.

The three monkeys are cute, too.

These are tomatoes from my garden.

Aren't they beautiful?

and, this is a preview of tomorrow's recipe.......

xoxo

Melissa

Salmon For Two and American Idol

It's Sunday. My house is a mess. D is in Washington for the week. I should use this time to clean and get myself organized, but I don't feel like it. I really feel like taking a nap. Outside it's getting darker. It's supposed to storm this afternoon. Great weather for a nap. Maybe later...

I put on a new dress this morning. I took D to the airport and went grocery shopping. I came home and cleaned out the refrigerator, ate lunch, put some things away and called Ticketmaster. Then, I sat down at the computer and saw something near my armpit out of the corner of my eye. It was a tag on my new dress. I thought I took it off, but I was without coffee this morning. My memory is a little fuzzy. Good times...

This is the dress, by the way.

only $15 at old Navy - cute and comfortable!

So, why was I calling Ticketmaster? Well, for tickets, of course! Ha! (don't worry, I realize it's not funny) I was trying to buy tickets online for American Idol, but after putting all of my information in three times and nothing happening, I decided to just call. I'm glad I di because I got better seats than they offered me on the computer. I am taking my daughter and her friend to the concert.

Yes, I love American Idol. It's not something that I'm proud of, but I can admit it. I am looking forward to the concert. It should be a lot of fun! I'm not like a regular mom, I'm a cool mom. :op(remember Amy Poehler in Mean Girls? love her!!)

So, with D gone, the kids and I have big plans for this week.

- Monday, we're going to the zoo.

- Tuesday, Lola is getting spayed. (our 6 month old golden retriever)

- Wednesday, some friends are coming over.

- Thursday, I'd like to go to Ikea. - Friday, we're going to see a movie.

It's very different when D is gone. I really don't cook much and I like to stay busy. I also stay up waaaay too late. When he's here, I can email, text and call him all day. When he's on a trip, we usually only talk at night and only for a few minutes at a time. I will miss him, but at least it's only a week. Anyway, this is a recipe I made for him, because he likes salmon. Salmon is probably my least favorite fish.

Salmon For Two with Roasted Vegetables and Cheddar Jalepeno Cornbread

for cornbread:

- 1 c. flour

- 3/4 c. cornmeal

- 3 Tbsp. sugar

- 2 1/2 tsp. baking powder

- 1/4 c. melted butter

- 2 eggs

- 1 c. milk

- 1c. cheddar cheese - 1/2 c. chopped jalepenos

mix flour, cornmeal, sugar, and baking powder in a large mixing bowl

combine butter, beaten eggs, milk, cheddar cheese and jalepenos in another bowl

add wet ingredients to dry ingredients

pour batter into greased pan

bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

for salmon:

- 1 pound salmon

- 1/4 red pepper

- 1/4 green pepper

- 1/4 onion

- 4-5 grape tomatoes halved

- 1 clove garlic

- 1 lemon

- extra virgin olive oil

- salt and pepper

- few sprigs of fresh cilantro (or flat leaf parsley if you prefer)

dice all veggies and put into a bowl (and halved tomatoes)

add chopped or crushed garlic

pour 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil and a squeeze of lemon over veggies and sprinkle with salt and pepper

rub salmon with a bit of olive oil and season with salt and pepper

pile veggie mixture in the center of a small roasting pan

place salmon on top of veggies skin side up

squeeze more lemon over fish

Roast at 4oo degrees for around 20 minutes

add torn fresh cilantro when plating (or parsley) Serve with lemon slices or wedges

Enjoy!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

This is a picture of my handsome hubby, since he hates the other one I have on here. Love u, D. xoxo

Melissa

The Pioneer Woman's Cinnamon Rolls

Recently, we went on a camping trip. (I am not the greatest camper, but that is a story for another day...) My family and two other families went together. We decided to split up the meals and all eat together. I was assigned breakfast duty. I have wanted to make this recipe for cinnamon rolls for a while now, but it makes seven pans!! I figured camping would be a good chance to try it out, since there would be nine kids and six adults to feed. Obviously, I made them ahead of time and just brought them with us. The recipe is very time consuming and messy, but soooo worth it. Everyone loved them, even some of the more picky kids! (yes, I did actually follow the recipe, this time)

the raw cinnamon rolls

the baked cinnamon rolls

the finished product

I promise you will not be disappointed!! http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/files/2008/12/pws-cinnamon-rolls.pdf

xoxo

Melissa

For Lynn :o)

So, as soon as I decide I'm going to do this blog, I start to get all of these ideas. Fantastic! I have a little note pad and I'm jotting down ideas. I can't sleep at night because I'm thinking of how I want to re-word things I've already posted. Then, my internet dies. Of course, it's right in the middle of my new post. It takes them two days to come to my house and less than five minutes to fix. I can't stand not being able to get on the internet. I felt so out of touch! I am pretty dependent on my computer, I guess. Sure, I could've gone to the library or a coffee shop, but I can't do that in my p.j.'s on the couch watching Sponge Bob. Don't judge me! Anyway, I tried to see if I could edit my posts on my Blackberry. I did manage to pull up the blog, but couldn't do much else. While I was there, I noticed I had a comment. How the heck do I have a comment? I haven't told anyone about this blog, yet. I wanted it to be perfect and have a few posts done before I told anyone. After all, I want them to come back! Anyway, Lynn, my one and only reader, had made a comment asking for the recipe for the chocolate cake pictured in the previous post. I made this cake two years ago now, so I hope I remember correctly! (of course, I never wrote it down!) This is more of a "Semi-Homemade" recipe, also. I usually use a boxed cake mix. It's easy and always turns out great. **Warning** This is no diet cake. That is probably why it's soooo good! ;o) Chocolate, White Chocolate Mint Mousse Cake

-1 box devil's food cake mix (plus whatever ingredients needed to bake according to directions) -1 box white chocolate instant pudding mix -peppermint extract -heavy cream -12 oz good quality semi-sweet chocolate -white chocolate bar Bake cake according to directions on the box in two round cake pans. (grease pans well and put parchment paper on the bottom so it doesn't stick) For the filling, whip white chocolate pudding mix with heavy cream and one tsp. of the peppermint extract. I am not sure how much heavy cream, but at least as much as the box calls for milk. Any extra cream added won't matter since you are whipping it. (you'll just be making whipped cream) Make sure the mixture is stiff, but don't whip too much, or you'll have butter. When the cakes are cooled, remove them from the pans onto a cooling rack. Spread filling over one of the cakes and top with the second. Refrigerate until ganache is ready. To make chocolate ganache, heat 1 cup of heavy cream almost to a boil over medium-high heat. Remove from heat. Add 12 oz. of chocolate and let stand for 5 minutes. Stir until smooth. Cool 15 minutes and frost cake. I like to pour it over the top and let it drip down the sides while smoothing it out with a spatula or knife. If you do it this way, keep the cake on the cooling rack and put some wax paper underneath for easy clean up. For white chocolate shavings, I use a vegetable peeler and shave directly on the top and sides of the cake. I keep this cake in the refrigerator. Let me know if you have any questions, and if you make this cake, please take pics and send them to me! I hope you love it.

xoxo

Melissa

Food Face, Cheese and Other Pics

Okay, so I know the face made out of food pic doesn't really go with the title of my new blog. I only decided to do this a few hours ago and I do not have on hand, a pic of cheese, wine and chocolate. I like instant gratification. Once I decide to do something, I'm doing it. This is probably because it takes me so long to make a decision in the first place! So, when I decided to start this blog, I just started it. No planning, no ideas for entries, just the thought that I'd record my recipes somewhere. (and copy my friend Angela's, http://youreverydaymama.blogspot.com/ , idea, ) I love her blog so much, she inspired me. Hopefully, I can add some originality to mine and not make it just like hers. Angela's is so pretty and classy looking. Mine, has a face made out of food.... I guess they will be a little different. ;o) I didn't even have a name for the blog. I asked my daughter and D for suggestions, but they weren't very helpful. Finally, I asked my daughter to name something I like. Her answer? Cheese and chocolate. I had to agree. Anyone who knows me knows my love of cheese and a Valentine's Day without Godiva, is like a day without sunshine. It was my idea to add the wine. What's a great meal without a little wine? Here is one of my favorite stores: Cheesehaven=heaven! I know it's a really bad picture, but it was raining and I wasn't about to use my good camera. This photo represents cheese. (They also sell wine and chocolate! Yeah!) I searched for a picture of wine. Any picture of wine. The only one I found was a picture of my sister holding an empty wine glass. However, I did find this picture of a gigantic margarita. You may not be able to tell from the picture, but this glass is bigger than my head. This photo will represent wine. Last but not least: It's a chocolate cake with white chocolate mint mousse filling, chocolate ganache icing and white chocolate shavings. That is the most delicious cake I've ever made. It was for D's birthday. He loves mint chocolate chip ice cream, so, I thought he'd like this cake. Sigh, memories.... I'd love to have a piece of that cake right about now! Ha ha! :op This photo represents chocolate. And, there you go - Cheese, Wine and Chocolate! xoxo Melissa

So, I Started a Blog....

This is me, Melissa. I love cheese, wine and chocolate. I also get migraines. (how ironic :op) I am the stay-at-home mom of three beautiful, smart, well behaved children. (no sarcasm at all...) I started this blog to keep track of my recipes. You see, I hate to follow rules or do what I'm told, so I rarely use recipes, yet, I love to cook. I constantly make up my own recipes and my husband, D, is always nagging me to write them down. He does that a lot, nag, I mean, not that I'm complaining. He's great and maybe I need a little push, sometimes. Thanks for stopping by and come back soon! xoxo Melissa