Coopershawk Winery

Last night I had a spur of the moment opportunity to go to Coopershawk Winery in Orland Park, one of my favorite restaurants. I've been there enough times that I've had all the chicken entrees and all of the 'favorites' marked by a feather on the menu.
So this time I had the pistachio-encrusted grouper with their Pinot Gree. The grouper was fabulous, buttery with the pistachios crispy and crunchy. The asparagus tasted like it was springtime and the mashed potatoes were, as aways a carb-lovers paradise. I liked the Pinot Gree by itself, but with dinner I should have just had water. Lesson learned on that. I'd tell you about dessert, but I am not a dessert person. The only time I have dessert at a dinner out is when it is at a Tastefully Simple conference or trip and the dessert is part of our dinner. If I would have had dessert last night, I think I would have liked a 1/2 portion of the grouper! It was that good.

Just call me Mrs. Wingate.

Yesterday at dinner Anna said that Mrs. Ziel wasn't the teacher today, that she had a substitute, Mrs. Wingate. She then went on to ask if she could call me Mrs. Wingate. I told her no and she asked again about 10 times.

Not suprisingly, I got frustrated. I said. What if I started calling you Sally? Would you like that? Anna said, do I get to call you Mrs. Wingate? I said, I guess. she said, Okay Mrs. Wingate, you can call me Sally. You can call me Sally in the morning and the afternoon and at night you can call me Anna, got it Mrs. Wingate?

I said, got it. Then she said, what about the brothers? I said OK, we'll call them Bob and Jeffery. Who's who? she asked. Bob is Patrick and Jeffery is Bryce. And dad? Oh he is Mr. Wingate I said. And so it went all night.


Here is a recipe I found on Sparkrecipes, it is fabulouso!!!! You have to try it, really it is amazing and healthy.

I made a few changes and am renaming it:
Mrs. Wingates Amazing Scallops Pasta Dish:

Whole wheat angel hair pasta or Barilla Plus Angel Hair (barilla plus is my favorite)
1 lb of small/medium size scallops (defrosted if frozen)
2 tbsp olive or canola oil
2 tbsp of Garlic Garlic
1/2 cup chopped onions
1 cup chardonnay
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
grated parm cheese if desired
fresh ground pepper

Make pasta as directed. Spray pan w/Pam and when the pan is med/hot add the scallops searing them until they are just lightly brown on each side. Then remove the scallops from the pan, turn down the heat to medium. Add oil to the pan and sprinkle the pan w/ground pepper and add the chopped onions and garlic garlic, and a bit of sea salt. Saute for 3 minutes, then add the scallops, tomatoes and wine to the pan. Simmer until the scallops are cooked through (about 3-4 minutes). Add the parsley and additional salt and pepper if desired. Spoon over pasta and then serve adding parm cheese if you'd like.

Bryce Says

So Bryce says what can I eat, I am hungry.
I say, you just had some Macaroni & cheese.
He says: I know but I want to have a party in my tummy and right now there is only a few people.

LOL There's a party in my tummy, so yummy, so yummy!

Tastefully Simple Fall-Winter 2009 Catalog

Tastefully Simple Fall-Winter 2009 Catalog

Shared via AddThis

For the first time ever, we have our catalog online, so that you can page through and see what is new right on line! Very Green!

Beautiful weather, sad day.

Ah a very sad day today in our house. Tom had to take his beloved dog Cookie to the vet and have her put to sleep. He is a bit of a wreck as Cookie was his number one girl. She lived a long and wonderful life of 14 years and really that was due to Tom's TLC, she had cancer twice and other health hiccups along the road and it was only in her last few weeks that she was not the Cookie that we knew. I had the kids make Tom cards while he was at the Vet and then I told him not to feel guilty about golfing this afternoon. The weather today is in the mid 60s and spectacularly sunny with those clouds that make the sky look exactly like the Simpson's sky they show in the opening credits.

Tom is golfing today with his cousin Mark who is having surgery this coming week, so doubly (sp?) the reason for him to go out.

I had my last Spring/Summer Tastefully Simple party last night, it was a great party with two ladies scheduling parties for the fall and both of them may very well just go for it and become consultants with the $99 special for September. At home I am working on experimenting w/our new products.

I was feeling adventurous this AM and I actually took the pampered chef springform pan that I don't even know when it got it, out of the packaging and used it to make a cranberry Tangerine tart. Since the Cranberry Tangerine Cheesecake Mix (a new Tastefully Simple product) has most of the work of a tart already done, I felt like I could branch out and give the scary springform pan a go. And the tart is now in the fridge and I think I might just have a big slice of that for dinner...hey it has fruits in it and dairy and even eggs and a graham cracker crust so that covers the 4 food groups, IMO.

I rented Sunshine Cleaning and I think I'm going to go into the bedroom and watch it, since the kids are being quiet and entertained w/the 2 Nintendo DS games we rented yesterday. At least I hope that is why they are being quiet.

pics from Shining Chef and Conference

Shining Chef Competition

I am back from our Tastefully Simple conference. It was a great time! I was invited to be part of the training on stage. But nothing boring like a lecture w/a powerpoint presentation, I was invited to participate in Tastefully Simple's Iron Chef competition AKA Shining Chef!

Sleep was hard to come by in the days leading up to the big event, and when I got onto the stage, I was afraid for a few seconds that I might faint cause my legs got shakey but then the action started and I was fine and we had a blast! All the consultants really got into the fun cheering us on and they on our recipes and Kristin D. was crowned Shining Chef, for her recipe using our new Roasted Garlic & Herb Dip mix. My other competitor was Kim Zangar and she made tortilla pizza with Gotta Lotta Garlic Salsa, also a new product. My challenge was to make an entree using our Warm the Oven Savory Dip mix. I made Warm the Oven Au Gratin, recipe below. Each of our recipes will be on the Tastefully Simple website on 9/1/09.

This week the kids are back in school and wouldn't you know it but Patrick came down with a cold or the flu and missed school Friday. Right now, his fever is broken and he is on the mend, and Bryce is now lying in bed feverish.

On the one hand, the start of school means that summer is on the wain, on the other hand it gives me a better structure to work at home. With only a couple weeks left for our Summer Line and a new host program as well as a great special for new consultants I have tons to do.


Here is the recipe I made up for the Tastefully Simple Iron Chef Competition:
My cuisine didn't reign supreme, but this recipe still rocks.

Recipe: Ham and Warm the Oven Au Gratin

* 1 package of Warm the Oven (WT0)
* 1 softened brick of cream cheese
* 1.5 cups (aka 12oz) heavy whipping cream
* 2 med or 1 large shallot, minced
* 2.5 lbs (approx 8 cups) Yukon Gold Potatoes scrubbed and cut into 1/4-1/3 inch slices
* 1 fennel (aka anise) blub thinly sliced (note this is my potato casserole secret ingredient)
* 2 tbsp Onion Onion
* 2 cups diced ham
* fresh ground pepper to taste
*cooking spray

Preheat Oven to 400 degrees

Mix 1 package of WTO into a softened brick of cream cheese in a small bowl. Set aside. Next sliced unpeeled Yukon Gold Potatoes into 1/4-1/3 inch slices, then thinly slice the fennel bulb and mince the shallot.

In a med. saucepan (pref. one with a thick bottom) place the WTO mixture, shallots and heavy cream. Turn the stove on to med. low heat and cook stirring until the WTO is melted and the mixture thickens. Remove from heat.

Spray a 9x13 inch casserole dish or pan with cooking spray. Layer 1/2 of the potatoes, fennel and ham in the pan. Then pour 1/2 of the WTO mixture evenly over the pan. Sprinkle 1 tbsp of the Onion Onion. Add fresh ground pepper to taste. Then repeat.

Place on rack in the middle of the oven and bake uncovered (this is key) until the potatoes are super tender--45-55 minutes and the top is a deep gold crust.

Let stand for 5-10 minutes and serve.

eh...

Today I took chicken breasts pounded them so they were evenly about say 1/2 inch thick then i coated them w/sour cream and breaded them w/bread crumbs mixed with 1/2 a packet of Warm the Oven dry. Then I baked them for about 25 min in a 365 degree oven. They were, eh. Alright, just needed something, not sure what yet. I also cooked cauliflower and the mashed the cauliflower w/prepared warm the oven dip--and that was yummmmm. (1/2 a packet of WTO with 4 oz of cream cheese)

I also took 1/2 a packet of WTO and whisked it into 1 cup of whipping cream, simmered that on the stove and added in 1 cup of diced tomatoes and 3 chopped cooked slices of turkey bacon and served that over Barilla Plus Angel Hair pasta for lunch. that's my version of carbonara pasta. Good thing I ran 9.5 miles today, eh?

So continues my adventures on the hunt for a really really good Tastefully Simple Warm the Oven entree!

**************Nicest thing anyone has said to me in a while*************
The nicest thing anyone has said to me in a while happened yesterday at church. Now what happens when we go to church is that Tom and I basically try to keep a lid on Anna, who doesn't seem to get the idea of not talking and sitting when you should sit and not going to get a drink of water and so forth. So it was another stressful hour at the end of which I was singing and bryce was standing next to me.

So Bryce whispers in my ear: You should be up there (he pointed to the choir) because your voice is beautiful)

awwwweeeee.

Recent Recipe Creation

This could be called Italian Stir Fry or a Skillet Meal. I made it with 1/2 a box or 8oz of bow tie pasta.

*2 boneless chix breasts pounded to 1/2 inch thickness
* 1 packet of Tastefully Simple Warm the Oven Savory Cheese Dip
* 1/2 cup of olive oil
* 1 tbsp of vinegar
* 1 can of diced tomatoes
1/3 cup of green pepper
1 small zuchinni sliced and 1/2'd
8oz of bow tie pasta or your favorite pasta.

In a small bowl whisk 1 packet of Warm the Oven into 1/2 a cup of olive oil, then whisk in 1 tbsp of vinegar. Take a ziploc bag and put in the 2 chicken breasts, then add 1/4 cup of the Warm the Oven Mixture (reserve the rest). Squeeze out excess air and put in the refrigerator to marinade for 30 minutes (or more)

**** after marinading****
1. begin making pasta according to box directions.
2. Spray your favorite skillet with Pam, turn heat up to med. high, add Chicken Breasts and cook in the pan for about 3-5 minutes on each side until each side is nicely golden brown.
Take the chicken out of the skillet, add the green pepper and zuchinni and saute for 2-3 minutes, then add in the rest of the Warm the Oven Mixture and the tomatoes to the skillet and turn down the heat to med. low. Diced up chicken, add back to skillet and let everything simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

When the pasta is al dente, drain pasta. plate the pasta, and top with the Warm the Oven Chicken and Vegetables, and serve.
Should make 4 servings.

Next

Found the charger for my camera battery!

First here is how the butterfly cake I made for Anna's bday turned out. The fun thing was that the colors on it matched the dress Anna came home in after her girls night w/K. The next picture you can see Anna has been primped and pampered in true princess style, complete w/curls, a tiara and the 'pretty nails' she has been begging for since school let out.

She wore the nails until it was time to open presents and then she was faced with a big decision. Keep the nails or rip open the pile of gifts. What's a girl to do? She went with ripping off that wrapping paper!

And the last picture is Bryce with his new glasses! He is very excited to see things--especially really getting to see fireworks for the first time. I am so grateful that there was a frog sitting on a lily pad when we visited the Little Red Schoolhouse a few weeks ago! If the frog wasn't there, I wouldn't have been very suspicious of Bryce's eyesight! The frog was about 6 feet away from us on a lilypad and Bryce just could not see it. The frog lead me to ask some questions and Tom took Bryce to the eye doctor and sure enough, Bryce is near-sighted.

The glasses are literally opening up new worlds for Bryce and I am confident he will see a big increase in his baseball batting average this fall!