Thursday, February 27, 2014

Tortilla Roll Ups with Cilantro Lime Blender Salsa


The first time my friend Maretta and I 
made this we sat and ate most
of it.  This is such a fun and
easy appetizer and with a salsa
that you just pop in the blender,
it whips up quickly.
(Recipe from A Pinch Of Salt Lake -
The Junior League of Salt Lake City.)


Let's start with the simple blender salsa.
This is one fast and easy salsa that 
tastes fresh because of the fresh cilantro,
lime, onion and garlic.

Cilantro Lime Blender Salsa

1 14 oz. can crushed tomatoes
1/2 large sweet onion, cut into chunks
1 clove fresh garlic
1/3 - 1/2 bunch fresh cilantro
1-2 T. pickled jalapenos
Juice of 1-2 limes
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 T. sugar
1 tsp. salt

Place the tomatoes, onion, garlic, and cilantro
into the blender.  Pulse on chop mode until
the onions are small (leaving a few chunks).  Remove and pour
into a bowl.  Stir in the seasoning and lime
juice, adjusting to taste.

Cover and refrigerate for at least 1/2 hour
to let the flavors blend.

Store in the refrigerator.







Now let's make the yummy 
Tortilla Roll Ups.

Tortilla Roll Ups

6-8 8 inch flour tortillas
3 8 oz. packages cream cheese
1/3 C. chopped pecans
1/4 C. chopped green onions
1/3 C. chopped canned green chilis
1/4 C. chopped black olives

Soften the cream cheese and stir in the
remaining ingredients.  Spread about
1/8th of the mixture on each tortilla to edges.
Roll up tightly.  Wrap each in plastic
wrap and refrigerate for at least one
hour for the flavors to blend.

Remove from the refrigerator and slice
diagonally.  You will not use the end 
pieces.  

Serve with salsa as an appetizer.







Whip either or both of these up when
you need a fun and new appetizer or
when you just want a creamy, yummy snack.

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Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Lemon Raspberry Cream Cake



This wonderful
Lemon Raspberry Cream Cake
one of my favorite cakes,
one that I often ask for on my birthday.

It is light and luscious with lemon
cream frosting, lemon curd and
raspberry filling.


Top it with fresh raspberries 
and a dusting of powdered
sugar and sprinkles and
it makes a magnificent presentation.


This is perfect any time of year
but especially in spring and summer
when you want that
light lemon taste.


Lemon Raspberry Cream Cake

2 Betty Crocker French Vanilla Cake Mixes
1/2 C. mayonnaise
Raspberry Jam
2  10 oz. jars Lemon Curd
(I like Dickinsons or Trader Joe's)
2 C. heavy whipping cream
Powdered sugar
Sprinkles (opt.)
Crushed Lemonheads (opt.)

Make the cake mixes according to package 
directions but adding 1/2 C. mayonnaise.

Line bottoms of 3 8 inch pans with parchment
paper.  Do not grease pans.

Divide the cake mix between the three
pans.  You will have a little left over to
make a small 6 inch cake.

Bake for about 30 minutes or until
cake springs back and toothpick comes
out clean.

Let cool 10 minutes then run the knife
around the edge of the pan and turn
out onto a cooling rack.
(Lining the pans with parchment and not
greasing the pans will make your cakes
come out much flatter.)

When cool, remove the parchment paper.

Place the 2 C. whipping cream in a large
mixer bowl with one jar of lemon curd.

Beat until fairly stiff peaks form.
Divide the bowl of frosting into thirds with
your knife - using 2/3's for the sides and 1/3
for the top. 


Place a small dollop of frosting on cake platter
and place first layer on upside down.  
Cover with raspberry jam to about 1 inch
from the edge.  You don't want to go
farther or the jam will leak out into your frosting.

Place second layer on top of the first layer
with top side up.  Cover with second jar of
lemon curd, going only out to within one
inch of the edge again.

Place third layer on top, top facing up.

Cut off 3 bamboo skewers and insert
them into the cake to hold the cake together.
Press them down into the cake.


Use a knife or offset spatula to apply the cream
to the sides of the cake, pushing gently down
to the cake plate.  You will use about 2/3's of
your frosting for this.

Then spoon the remaining third of frosting
onto the top of cake, mounding some in the
center.

Spread the frosting to the edges.  

Mound a package of fresh raspberries
on the top of the cake.  

Place powdered sugar in a fine mesh sieve
and sprinkle over the berries and cake platter.

Finish off with a garnish of sprinkles and
crushed Lemonheads if desired.  

Refrigerate.

Serves 16



The mint leaves were the only ones alive
in my garden!


My daughter made this for my birthday one year
and as it was set on the counter, it slide right
off and flipped over.  We had to just scoop it
up and eat it anyway.  Of course we took pictures!


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Sunday, February 23, 2014

Let It Go - Frozen - Alex Boyé and Lexi Walker


Remember when I took you up to the

I have to show you this
video of an eleven year old girl
Lexi Walker and Alex Boye
performing Let It Go
up at the Ice Castle in Midway.




My son said she performed at his work
party and was amazing.

Hope you enjoy this!
The video went from over 200,000
two weeks ago when he shared it with me
to over 18 million views!

Thursday, February 20, 2014

National Kitchen and Bath Show - Oh The Places I've Been


The National Kitchen and Bath
Show and the International Builder's
Show were held this year in February
in Las Vegas.


This is a show I always love to
attend to see all of the new trends
and products.



The kitchen and bath products are always the most exciting.




The show is heavily attended and this year
we actually had a booth for the first time
kitchen and bath products.

This is our new freestanding tub and skirt.



All of the really big names in
the business are there and it is really
exciting.






As an interior designer spanning 35 years
I can tell you that the designs and colors
just cycle around and around. 

You couldn't find dark wood,
we are now moving into the
reclaimed wood phase (what
was last time known as pickled wood.) 

I just could never go for Harvest Gold
and Avocado Green appliances again
(from the lovely 70's)
but here they are and at a whopping $7,000
for an oven!


This oven advertises that it has winds 
up to 60 miles an hour inside.


Kohler is the biggest of the biggies
and it is like going to a rock concert
in their gigantic booth.



After the show hubby surprised
me with tickets to Shania Twain.

She is quite the entertainer.  I was so 
thrilled to attend.


And of course we had to visit
the Wicked Spoon


where everything comes in small
pans, bowls and fun dishes.


Not only is the presentation fun
but the food is fabulous.


And we couldn't go to Las Vegas without
a visit to
Hash House A Go Go
and have their famous 
Sage Fried Chicken and Waffles.



But this time I wanted to try something 
new so I tried Man vs Food's favorite
Sage Fried Chicken Benedict.
I love the sweet and savory of the
waffles, but this savory, slightly
spicy chipotle cream sauce
smothering the Sage Fried Chicken
which sits on top of giant fluffy
biscuits which is atop a generous
serving of mashed potatoes has
to be my new favorite.

So the show was food for
the eye and Las Vegas had
great food for the belly.
Now we hope that the economy
can change around and provide
food for the table!!

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Monday, February 17, 2014

Prime Rib with Mushroom Sauce - Made Easy



Succulent prime rib that just melts in your mouth 
is one of those amazing special dinners but if
you are like me, you may have sprung 
for the expensive roast and ended up with
just a Sunday dinner roast beef.

It wasn't until my friend Carrie made prime
rib that I learned how to do it right and now
it never fails.
The secret is using a thermometer to measure
the interior temperature of the meat and then
the mushroom sauce which is out of this world!
(Really, you will be tempted to drink this, or
you could turn it into a fabulous mushroom soup!)

Easy Prime Rib with Mushroom Sauce

Prime rib roast
Fresh garlic cloves, peeled
Beef rub
Mushroom Sauce

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Start with a prime rib roast (standing rib roast)
and it can be bone in or boneless.  We had a boneless
one.

Make 12 deep slits about 1 inch deep all over
the rib.  Insert a peeled clove of garlic in each
slit.
Rub a generous amount of the seasoning on all sides
pounding it in a little so it adheres.

Place in a roasting pan and cook at 450 
for 20 minutes,
then turn the temperature down to 275.  
It should cook
about 20 minutes per pound or 
two hours for a six pound
roast.  I have a temperature probe 
that connects to the
interior of my oven so I can 
monitor the temperature
the whole baking time.  
If you don't have that, about
at the end of your cooking time 
insert a meat thermometer
into the center of the roast.  
If you want it medium rare
cook it to 130 to 135.  
We like it more medium so I roasted
mine to 140.  Let it rest for 15 minutes.

Slice and serve with mushroom sauce.
(Yes, it really is that easy but don't skip the thermometer!)

Beef Rub

1 T. dried rosemary
1 T. cracked black pepper
1 T. granulated garlic
1 T. granulated onion
3 T. kosher salt

Mix the above and rub it generously over the roast,
pounding in to adhere it.

(Or if you don't want to make your own rub
you can sprinkle the roast generously with
rosemary and then generously with Montreal
Steak Seasoning - you know how much I love it!
This works great too!)

Mushroom Sauce

Melt 1/2 C. butter and add 
1 sweet onion, diced and 1 lb. sliced
mushrooms (the mushrooms will 
shrink down a lot).
Saute until the mushrooms 
and onions are tender.  Add
2 cloves garlic and saute until 
the garlic is translucent.

Meanwhile in a large stockpot
mix 4 1/2 teaspoons
beef base with 4 1/2 C. warm water.  
Add 1 1/2 tsp.demi glace 
(from Williams Sonoma or online - this is
a deeply flavored reduction 
made from beef.  You can
also make your own.  
It is pricey but lasts forever in the fridge.  
Online they have it in smaller amounts that 
would save money.)
Add 1 1/2 T. sherry wine vinegar.  
Bring everything to a boil.  
Meanwhile mix 2-3 T. cornstarch in 1/4 C.
cold water.  When the sauce is boiling stir in the
cornstarch and boil until thickened.  Add more cornstarch mixed with cold water if necessary to get it to thethickness you want.

When the sauce is thick, stir in the mushroom mix
and heat through.



Hope you enjoy this easy special occasion
recipe.


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Thursday, February 13, 2014

Valentine's Date Night - Choc'late Mousse



Welcome to the 
Choc'late Mousse - a Pie Bar
that opened in August but we
just went this week to try it out.


It's a new dessert place in 
downtown Provo and it
would be the perfect
Valentine's Date place.


We went with our favorite royalty
and even they had a hard time deciding
so we picked several things to try.


This is their Pie Dip
with chocolate and regular graham crackers.
We picked Birthday Cake Mousse
for this one.


This was a Red Velvet Pie Wich.


But my favorite was the 
Pie Sampler.  You got to choose
6 of their 9 mousse varieties
and they have that many crust varieties.
The sampler has a little spoonful of 
crust in the bottom of each.


You know me, I am always
wanting to make the foods again
at home so now I am on the
search for a cute wooden votive
holder like this.
(I found a cute one on Target.)


They let you sample the mousses before
choosing.  We chose Birthday Cake, Dark Chocolate,
Snickers, Twix, Red Velvet and
one other that I can't remember right now.


Definitely give it a try or create
your own if you can't get here.
It is located at 155 N. University Ave
Provo, Utah.

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