Pepperoni Sauce

Mmmm...mmm...gooooooood!

A friend of mine gave me a sample of the Pepperoni Sauce that he made and it is darn good.  Now I need to acquire the recipe myself so that I may pass on this tasty morsel to others.

Thanks Gregor!

New Kitchen

Ok, that title is not nearly as exciting as it sounds!  I did not build a new kitchen, what I got was an apartment and so I am getting used to MY new kitchen.  I am happy to say it is all unpacked and everything weathered the 6 year stint in my parents basement (while I studied in London, returned to the states and proceeded to search - sometimes "desperately" - for work).  Having been in my parents (FABULOUS) kitchen for the past few years my cooking-dance routine needs a bit of time before it is once again refined.  Remembering where I put everything is amusing ... seeing what my kitchen "lacks" has made for a rather long list of "wants" ... and while it doesn't have very much counter space, it is actually quite large.

Ahhhh...old friends I have missed you!  :)

And once I get my act together - internet is not yet working in the apartment - I will update all these posts that are still missing their photos to go with the words.

Cherry Pepper Poppers

Going on a whim I recently made Cherry Pepper Poppers - stuffed with hot ham and cheese, some were stuffed with Feta and the others with Mozzarella.

Then I sprinkled them with olive oil and dried basil and freshly cracked pepper.

They were tasty. 

And spicy.

And next time I think I would put them in the oven for a bit - before stuffing them - to soften the peppers up a bit. 

Dinner Party Chef (?)

So I've been thinking (I know, I know, look out world ...) and I think it might be fun and interesting (and ok, of course it has a potentially lucrative component to it as well) that it could be cool to market myself as a dinner party chef.

I don't want to do big things, I don't want to become a real caterer.  But I do think it could be cool to cook a good meal for someone who wants to throw a dinner party and doesn't want to do the cooking themselves.

What do you think?

First on the list of "how does one achieve such a goal" ... well, I think that would be to design a menu and a price guide.

So, stay tuned for just that ...

Beef Jerky, and then some ...

How many types of jerky are out there???  A lot!  How many types of jerky have you tried?

I know that I've had:

Squid Jerky
Emu Jerky
Salmon Jerky
and of course, Beef Jerky

Guacamole

For about a year or so I've owned a traditional Mexican Molcajete for making Guacamole.  Here is a photo of what it looks like when made - without cilantro cause mi madre is not a fan of the cilantro...and it's damn tasty!  (photo to come)

Cakes ... Cupcakes ... FROSTING!

I do love to bake!

So...I recently bought some of those fun frosting (pastry) tips for baking and used them when making my sisters Bridal Shower Cakes/Cupcakes.  I'd never used them before, and I've gotta say, for the first time and "under the gun" frosting the morning of the shower I think the cupcakes came out looking pretty darn good!  :)

Anyhoo, here are two photos that show them though I need to get the ones my mom took that really showcase the cakes...