Hey y’all yesterday’s surprise b-day party for a friend of ours was sooo much fun. She had a huge surprise when her husband arranged for her parents to come into town for her b-day…she had no idea. And it turns out that her mom’s b-day is the day after hers, so we ended up celebrating 2 birthday’s instead of one. There was a lot of great food and lots of laughter. It was such a nice way to end the week!
So, here’s yesterday’s eats and events…
Breakfast: Broccoli Casserole w/ Turkey Sausage
Broccoli Casserole
Snack: 1 Serving of Roasted Almonds (170 cals)
Roasted Almonds
1 String Cheese (50 cals)
Lunch: Large Salad
Spinach, steamed broccoli, asparagus, 2 pcs zucchini, 1 Tbsp feta cheese, 2 Tbsp Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
Salad
Dinner: Last night, we had plans to head over to Gulfport for a friend’s surprise party. The theme for dinner was Italian. I had some of the appetizer I brought, some salad, a little spoon full of chicken Tetrazzini, and marinated tomatoes. And I had a glass of sangria and then a small glass of red wine with dinner.
The hubby and I split a small piece of cake for dessert…so yummy!
We brought Sangria, Artichoke Olive spread w/ zucchini & homemade focaccia bread and of course the birthday cake!
Sangria:
- Sangria
(source)
Juice 1 orange. Slice orange and lime. Combine all ingredients together except cinnamon. Chill over night. Right before serving add a dash of cinnamon. Serve with ice.
Artichoke Olive Spread
- artichoke olive spread
(source)
1 garlic clove, peeled and smashed
1 cup large green pitted olives
1 tablespoon capers, rinsed and drained
1 15-ounce can of artichoke hearts, drained
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
In a food processor, process the garlic, olives, capers, artichoke hearts and olive oil to a coarse paste. I served it with zucchini slices and homemade focaccia bread.
focaccia bread
from mark bittman’s How to Cook Everything
- Focaccia
(source)
1 tsp instant or rapid-rise yeast
3 cups all-purpose or bread flour
2 tsp coarse kosher or sea salt (plus extra for sprinkling)
1 to 1 1/4 cups water
3 Tbsp olive oil (plus extra for greasing)
1. dissolve the yeast in 1 cup of water and let rest for 5 minutes.
2. mix the salt into the flour, set aside.
3. add the olive oil to the yeast mixture.
4. mix the flour into the wet ingredients with a wooden spoon until it begins to form into a ball. you will soon be able to mix with your hands, using a tiny bit of extra flour as needed, until the dough is smooth, but still moist.
5. knead into a ball and place on a lightly floured surface. sprinkle with a little more flour, cover with a towel and let rest for 20 minutes.
6. grease a 11×17 inch baking sheet. after the 20 minutes is up, press the dough into a small rectangle on the pan and stretch a bit. let it rest a few minutes and press out toward the edges of the pan again. if the dough resists, let it rest a minute and then resume pressing/stretching.
7. cover the dough and let it rise for at least 30 minutes. meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425 F.
8. uncover the dough, dimple with your fingertips, and drizzle the dough with olive oil and coarse salt.
9. place in the oven, lower the temperature to 375 F and bake for 30 minutes. the focaccia should be golden – don’t let it bake too long or the edges will harden. remove and cool on a wire rack. the bread will keep in the freezer, wrapped first in plastic and then in foil, for about 2 weeks.
I hope you guys get to try some of these recipes! We got really rave reviews last night, especially on the Sangria!
Alright, I’m hopping to post about the b-day cake tomorrow. Have a good night!
Peace out…
