Tag Archives: 30th wedding anniversary

Mouth Watering ♥ Free Recipes ♥


So with the party under my belt I am able to relax and bask in the glory of a job well done. Well, that and now I can knit without guilt!

I thought I would share some of the recipes with you – a first for this particular blogger. The pictures are not mine, just thought I would reiterate that for you. I think you can get a better picture (pun intended) of how the food would look if there is a nice visual aid.

I am going to set up the recipes so the ingredients are in Blue because, well because I feel like it.So friends and neighbors, ready get let me get your mouth watering? 🙂

Recipe List – Feel Free to Skip Around as You Please

  • Key Lime Cupcakes
  • Truffles
  • Artichoke Bruschetta
  • Italian Panzanella
  • Sausage- Stuffed Mushrooms
  • Very, Very Teriyaki Chicken

** Key Lime Cupcakes – Courtesy of Patty Folk (MY Mommy-in-Law **

Courtesy of Bon Appetite Magazine.

Courtesy of Bon Appetite Magazine.

→ Ingredients For Cupcakes ←

  • 1 cup of Flour
  • 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon Salt
  • 6 tablespoons Unsalted Butter – Softened
  • 1 large Egg
  • 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons of Granulated Sugar
  • 1/4 cup Key Lime Juice

♥ In a medium bowl, combine Butter and Sugar. Whip with mixer until creamed. Add Egg and blend throughly.

♥ In a separate bowl combine all dry ingredients: Flour, Baking Powder and Salt.  Add 1/2 of the dry ingredients into the wet mixture, then all the Key Lime Juice. Blend until throughly incorporated – then add the remaining dry mixture and blend till smooth.

♥ Spoon into mini cupcake liners.

♥ Bake at 350°F for 17 minutes. Cool in pans or (preferably) wire racks until cool.

→ Ingredients for Frosting ←

  • 2 cups Confectioners Sugar
  • 4 tablespoons of Unsalted Butter – Softened
  • Key Lime Juice to Taste

♥ Blend all ingredients until spreadable consistency – Only frost cupcakes when they are completely cool. Place in refrigerator until ready to serve.

♥ Makes about 24 Mini Cupcakes ♥

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** Super Simple Truffles – Courtesy of Patty Folk **

Courtesy of Bon Appetite Magazine.

Courtesy of Bon Appetite Magazine.

→ Ingredients for Truffles and Dips for Truffles ←

  • 2 and 1/2 pkg. (20 squares) Baker’s Semi-Sweet Chocolate
  • 1 pkg. Philadelphia Cream Cheese – softened
  • Espresso Powder
  • Coco Powder

♥ Melt 8 Chocolate Squares in do double broiler. In mixer, beat softened Cream Cheese until creamy. Blend in completely melted chocolate and refrigerate until firm.

♥ Once firm, shape into 36 small balls. Place on waxed/parchment paper in a covered pan. Refrigerate until firm.

♥ Melt remaining 12 Chocolate Squares.  Taking the firm balls (haha, sorry, moving on) use a toothpick to swirl in chocolate. Garnish with Espresso Powder, Coco Powder, both or neither (you can add anything to this really, they’re that good).

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** Artichoke Bruschetta – Courtesy of Murfield Country Club **

→ Ingredients ←

  • 1 can of Artichoke Hearts – drained, patted dry and roughly chopped
  • 1/2 cup grated Romano or Parmesan Cheese (I use both)
  • 1/3 cup Red Onion – finely chopped
  • 5-6 tablespoons Mayonnaise
  • 16″ French Bread Baguette – Cut into 1/3″ rounds ( I usually make my own bread because that’s how I roll, but if you get to the bakery the day of they are better quality than the night before).
  • 1/4 cup Olive Oil

♥  Chop Red Onion and Artichoke Hearts. Combine in a bowl with Cheese. Mix in enough Mayonnaise to form a thick spread. ( I typically don’t use as much mayo as they suggest – I prefer olive oil myself).

♥ Preheat the broiler. Arrange sliced Bread on a baking sheet and brush with Olive Oil. Broil until toasted (this is about 2 minutes). Turn the bread to the other side and repeat.

♥ Top the toasted bread with artichoke spread on baking sheet and to with a bit more Cheese. Broil until the spread is heated throughly and begins to brown – again, about 2 minutes.

♥ Makes 16 ♥

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** Italian Panzanella – Courtesy of Mary Rose Sovine (my Grandmother) **

Courtesy of whatsgabycooking.com

Courtesy of whatsgabycooking.com

→ Ingredients ←

  • 1/4 cup Red Wine Vinegar
  • 1/4 cup Olive Oil
  • Coarse Salt
  • Fresh Cracked Pepper
  • 1 can Cannellini Beans – rinsed and drained
  • 1 loaf of Country Bread – cubed
  • 1 pound Cherry Tomatos – halved
  • 2 English Cucumbers – cut into bite size chunks
  • 1/4 Red Onion – very thinly sliced (mandolins work great for this)
  • 4 ounces Hard Aged Provolone Cheese – coarsely chopped
  • 1/4 cup Fresh Basil – rough chop

♥ In a mixing bowl, whisk Vinegar and Oil, season with Salt and Pepper.

♥ Add Beans, Bread, Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Onion and Cheese.  Add dressing and toss to combine (remember, this is a rustic Italian dish so don’t freak). Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours (and up to 8 hours).  Just before serving top with Basil.

♥ Serves 8 ♥

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** Sausage- Stuffed Mushrooms – Courtesy of My Brother **

→ Ingredients ←

  • 2 tablespoons Unsalted Butter
  • 40 Mushrooms – stems removed
  • 1/2 pound Sweet Italian Sausage
  • 1/4 cup Chopped Sweet Onion
  • 2 cloves Garlic – minced
  • 1/2 cup Dry Italian Bread Crumbs
  • 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese – grated
  • 1/3 cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
  • 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning 
  • 1 teaspoon Dried Parsley 

♥ Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease baking sheet.

♥ Melt Butter in a large skillet over medium heat; cook and stir Mushrooms in butter until soft (they will ben easily when pinched – 5 to 7 minutes). Transfer Mushrooms to plate, allow to cool and dry.

♥ In another skillet, heat to a medium high heat/ cook and stir Sausage, Onion and Garlic until meat is throughly cooked and crumbly. Drain grease.

♥ After mixture is drained, transfer to a large mixing blow and stir in Bread Crumbs, Parmesan Cheese, Mozzarella Cheese, Italian Seasoning and Parsley.

♥ Arrange Mushrooms on a sheet pan / grill pan. Fill (to almost overflowing) with mixture inside the caps.

♥ Bake in oven until cheese is melted and super delicious. This takes about 30 minutes – just watch your oven.

♥ Serves 10 ♥

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** Very, Very Teriyaki Chicken  – Courtesy of My Genius Hubby**

Best. Marinade. Ever.

Best. Marinade. Ever.

→ Ingredients ←

  • Chicken
  • Very, Very Teriyaki Marinade and Sauce

♥ Going super simple for this recipe. Buy Chicken. Marinate chicken in Very, Very Teriyaki for at least 4 hours (up to 24 hours).

♥ My rule of thumb with this marinade is for every pound of chicken you need 1/2 of a jar of marinade – if you are grilling. When grilling, reserve the other half of the jar for basting and cook over a low heat. The marinades ginger and natural sugar will turn into this fantastic glaze.

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This is the majority of what we made for the party and most assuredly my favorites. I hope you enjoy this – since I have never tried recipes on this blog before we shall see how it goes. I do have one more thing to ask if you’ve managed to get to the bottom of this epic post –

What’s your favorite recipe friends and neighbors?

The 30th Anniversary Party! LOADS OF PHOTOS!


Thank heavens this is over! The party went fantastically despite the downpour that kept most of us in the house – this may also have been a blessing considering it was 108 degrees out. The flowers – both knitted and planted – done! The blank index cards from the guests – done! The two days of almost 17 hours of cooking – DONE!

I should have taken more pictures, but when the weather turned and the kitchen demanded constant attention I got a bit sidetracked. Despite my negligence, I want to show you what we’ve done.

By the way, I cannot wait to get caught back up with my blogging friends and neighbors without feeling guilty again!

Okay, let’s see if I can organize these is a way that makes the most sense…hope you enjoy!

** Edited Photos **

 ** Knitted Flowers **

** The Foodie Goodness! **

I could just kick myself for not taking pictures of any of the cooked food! I got so busy trying not to set anything on fire that I just forgot.

I thought I would include our menu, and maybe on a later post I will add recipes because it was delicious!

** The Menu **

  • Veggie Tray – Broccoli, Cauliflower, Carrots, Stop-Light Pepper Assortment, Cherry Tomato and Celery.
  • Fruit Trays – Cantaloupe, Grapes, Raspberries, Blueberries, Blackberries and Watermelon.
  • Panzanella Salad
  • Stuffed Mushrooms
  • Teriyaki Chicken Skewers
  • Fresh Basil, Mozzarella and Cherry Tomato Skewers
  • Artichoke Bruschetta 
  • Almond Cake with Buttercream Frosting
  • Key Lime Cupcakes
  • Chocolate Truffles – Cocoa Dusted, Espresso Dusted and Plain

I know I am forgetting something – but my brain is still pretty fried. I will go through everything when I do the post with the recipes!

** Balloons ** 

And last but not in the least Last….

** The Flowers we Planted **

** Then There are the Friends and Neighbors…and Family! **

That be all she wrote friends and neighbors!

I do believe I am going to go take a nap before I attempt to read any blogs, otherwise my comments are going to be as jumbled as my mind is at the moment – but I cannot wait.