Appetizer Spoons

I think I've just found my new obsession!

Appetizer Spoons and Amuse-Bouche!

It all started with these super cute spoons on a bambo tray from West Elm.

I also like these Trudeau Novella Spoons from Amazon.

I really like the look of these Windermere metal spoons with the curved handle from Gourmet Settings.

And then I saw these adorable stainless steel spoons from Crate and Barrel and I fell in LOVE!

Chocolate Cream Cheese Pie

When I saw that Tidymom was having a Pie Party, I knew that I had to participate...and I knew the pie I needed to make is the one that's been on my mind for more than 16 years. 

When I was growing up my Dad got his pilot's license and many of his practice flights took him to the Cheyenne Airport. There was a little restaurant a few blocks away called The Owl Inn that had the most amazing Chocolate Cream Cheese Pie.

The last time I had a slice was in 1994.   I really, really miss that pie!

I decided that I'm accomplished enough in the kitchen now to figure out how to make it....or at least come close.  I came extremely close!  One bite and I was 14 years old again!

I am not good at pie crust...it's a skill I need to work on so I just use Pillsbury unbaked pie crust and bake it myself. Easy Peasy!

Chocolate Cream Cheese Pie

inspired by The Owl Inn

• Pie Crust, purchased or homemade 

• 2 8oz blocks of Cream Cheese, softened
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 container Cool Whip, thawed
• 1 tablespoon Pure Vanilla Extract

• 1 1/2 cups Chocolate Pudding, purchased or homemade
• 1 cup mini chocolate chips

• 2 cups Heavy Cream
• 1 -2 tablespoons Sugar
• 1-2 teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract

Bake the crust in a 9 inch pie pan according to package directions.  Cool.

Layer 1:
Beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar in a stand mixer with the flat beater.  Once it's incorporated, add the cool whip and vanilla extract.  Put cream cheese mixture into cooled pie crust.  Chill for one hour.

Layer 2:
Apply the chocolate pudding to your cream cheese layer and then add a layer of chocolate chips.

Layer 3:
Make Whipped Cream.  Put cold heavy cream  in mixing bowl.  Add 1 to 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract per cup of cream, and 1 to 2 tablespoons of sugar  Adjust to taste. With an electric hand mixer or a standing mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat cream.  Start slowly -- if you set it on high at first, you'll have cream all over the place. Set the mixer so it goes as fast as possible without splashing.

As the cream thickens, turn the speed up. As it gets foamier, start checking for a soft peak, which is what you want. The peak should bend over at the top when you remove the whisk.

Add the whipped cream to the top of your pie.  Chill for another hour before serving. Enjoy!

Coffee Talk: The Press Coffee Company

My little boy doesn't like the Library so we like to go on adventure walks.  We've recently become addicted to letterboxing so a nice hot chocolate and a coffee are a welcome treat.  Unfortunately...on this day, it was only 50 degrees in Colorado and our walk ended early so we headed over to Belmar Shopping Center to The Press Coffee Company.

On the menu:

• Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookie
• Hot Chocolate with Whip Cream
• Drip Coffee

The cookie was a hit and the Hot Chocolate was delicious!  The Press is one of my favorite places to get coffee because it is always good and piping hot.  Plus there is a lovely seating area and nice music playing.

Coffee Talk: Whole Foods

I have a passion for coffee. I like Starbucks but I also like to check out Non-Starbucks coffee shops because there is so much great coffee out there in the world. I've been visiting some local shops so I thought I'd document them here.

Good Cookie

Every week I take one of my kids on a date.   The one who is not on a date goes to spend two hours with Nana.  We've been doing it for several weeks and once the temperatures got cooler...it started to include a stop at a local coffee shop.

On this outing with my daughter we had been to the Library and then we went to Whole Foods for a few groceries.  What a bonus that they have a coffee shop located right next to the bakery!

On the menu:

•  Blueberry Fritter
•  Chocolate Chip Cookie
•  Hot Chocolate with Whip Cream
• Allegro Coffee

I selected the fritter because Mallory wanted a doughnut and this was the closest thing they had to one.  Imagine that!  No doughnuts at Whole Foods.  I was skeptical about it but it was great!  In fact...Mallory took a bite and let me eat the rest.  She was very happy with the cookie.  Mallory gave the Hot Chocolate 2 out of 5 stars.

Caramel Apple Muffins

You may recall a couple weeks ago I sent Pumpkin Chocolate Chip muffins to my husband's office and his bosses wife also sent in muffins. Well....last week I decided to try again and was sure the universe wouldn't jack me around twice.

I got this recipe for Caramel Apple Muffins from my friend Sue and I thought...YES, these will be great! Incidentally...my children did not like them. Too sticky and too sweet.

Hubby's co-workers loved them! YAY!

Caramel Apple Muffins
Adapted from Taste of Home

2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
2-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 cup 2% milk
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 teaspoons Spice Islands®, All Natural, No Corn Syrup Added, Pure Vanilla Extract
1 cup chopped peeled tart apple
12 caramels, chopped

TOPPING:
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup quick-cooking oats
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. In another bowl, whisk the egg, milk, butter and vanilla. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in apple and caramels.

Fill paper-lined muffin cups three-fourths full. Combine topping ingredients; sprinkle over batter.

Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the cake portion comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks. Serve warm. Yield: 14 muffins.

Since my kids didn't care for the sweet and sticky Caramel Muffins...I decided to try a different recipe for them. These were a hit and I discovered that I don't like nutmeg.

Apple Oatmeal Muffins
from Food.com

2 eggs
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup uncooked quick-cooking oat
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tart cooking apples, cored,peeled,and chopped

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Grease a 12 cup muffin tin. In a mixing bowl, lightly beat eggs; add milk and oil, stirring until just blended. Stir in flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon, mixing until only just moistened (do not overmix).Gently fold in the apples.

Spoon batter into the muffin tin, dividing evenly among the cups. Bake in a preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Cool in pan 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to finish cooling. Serve warm or cool; store unused portions in an airtight container.

The Lobby American Grille

 Brunch is the slutty sister of Breakfast. She wakes up late, boozes it up & slathers herself in Hollandaise. A hot mess! ~ @morocca on twitter

So this is what happened. iKeith was working very late hours and coming home well after I'd gone to bed for several days. Saturday morning, I discovered that to celebrate a job well done...the night before, he went to The Lobby with his team. I'd been wanting to go to The Lobby so we made a last minute decision I made him take me to brunch. I went to my handy yellow file folder where I keep important papers and I produced a Restaurant.com gift certificate that I had purchased a few months ago when they were on sale for 80% off.

I didn't know anything about The Lobby American Grille when I bought the certificate but it sounded nice. This could end up being the best decision I've made since I accepted iKeith's proposal of marriage back in 2004!

The Lobby

We went to their website and made a reservation and then spent a little time looking at the brunch menu. This is when we got really excited!

We decided to start with the Glazed Doughnut French Toast for the four of us to share. We all loved the crispy sweetness of the doughnut batter and I preferred the blueberry jam as a topping. My children thought the maple syrup was the best!

Glazed Doughnut French Toast

Hubby and I were excited to find Bottomless Mimosa's on the menu and they went perfectly with everything we ordered. I recommend sharing. (The food...not the Mimosa) There are so many great choices on this menu that it will be impossible for you to make a decision.

I went with the Bacon Jalapeno Frittata...they had me at bleu cheese, which I didn't think would go very well with Jalapeno but it surprisingly does!

Bacon Jalapeno Frittata

My husband was very happy with his Poached Eggs with Blue Crab Spinach Cream Sauce and was regretting his decision to share with me. This could easily be a favorite of mine because the sauce is so delicious. iKeith wanted to lick the plate but I reminded him we were in a nice place and just because he drank 3 mimosa's did not mean he could act like a 3 year old.

Eggs with Blue Crab Spinach Cream Sauce

Our 3 and 4 year old....loved their pancakes and our waitress (Heaven) was great with them.

It had more bacon...kid couldn't wait for the picture to be taken.

The Lobby American Grille
2191 Arapahoe St
Denver, Co 80205
303.997.9911
Twitter

Skillet Ziti

I have a new Colorado friend and her name is Deb.  I found her on my friend Stacey's blog when she was blogging about being a neat freak.  Deb's comment made me fall in love with her because she is a lot like me.

She posted this recipe a few weeks ago and I've been very excited to try it because it seemed easy but better than just pasta and sauce.

My entire family loved this dish and it's something I could easily make for my extended family too.  Throw a salad and some garlic bread on the plate with it and it's an almost gourmet meal!

Skillet Ziti
adapted from America's Test Kitchen and Deb at Not Inadequate


1 tablespoon oil
3 cloves of garlic, minced
Pinch red pepper flakes
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 28-ounce can water
12 ounces dried tube pasta
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup milk (or cream)
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
2 cups mozzarella cheese

This recipe needs to be cooked in an oven-proof skillet that is at least 11″ in diameter.

Preheat oven to 425°

To a cold skillet, add oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Cook on medium about one minute, until fragrant. Then add tomatoes, 1 can of water, pasta, and salt. Turn heat up to high and bring to a simmer. 

Cover and reduce heat and continue to cook at a simmer.

Cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is done. When the pasta is done, stir in milk and parmesan cheese. Top with mozzarella cheese. Transfer skillet to the oven and bake for 10 – 15 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly and brown.