Roasted Honey Rosemary Pecans (with a touch of garlic!)

Pecans, they're just nuts right??  Well... coat them with a little butter infused with garlic, honey and rosemary and you now have something other worldly.  Who knew just a couple of ingredients could create eye-popping flavor in less than 30 minutes?

I can tell you who... Lisa of Authentic Suburban Gourmet knew, and I can't even begin to explain my excitement when I received her blog as my assignment for the December Blogger C.L.U.E Event.

Lisa (Authentic Suburban Gourmet) with her husband Charles

The Blogger C.L.U.E (Cook, Learn, Undertake, Eat) Society works similar to other blog events where one blogger is secretly assigned another, with C.L.U.E featuring a monthly theme.  We search the blogger's blog, find a recipe, tweak it ever so slightly to our tastes and diets, and then reveal all on the same day.

My Grandmother, Verle

This month's theme brought me a little reflection.  Assigned to "find something your grandmother would have made" left me a little stumped.  My mom's mom passed away before I was born, hence I never met her.

I've heard stories, and she sounds like a super fun lady - someone whom I would love to have known.  My dad's mom, on the other hand, lived to the age of 93, and while I did know her, the distance of our homes (me in California, she in Minnesota) left us with little opportunity to really be a big part of each other's lives.

Pairing the grandmother with Lisa I really could have gone either way.  The grandmother I knew, German-born Adella, loved to bake and I have wonderful memories sitting in her kitchen on the farm with big plates of homemade Peanut Butter Cookies.  Lisa has a number of fabulous baked goods on her blog, and I could have easily gone this way.  But my other grandmother, Verle, loved a good cocktail party.  Which in the end led me to my choice.

I've "known" Lisa for years, and her Friday Night Bites feature often leaves me tempted to hop a plane and join the fun.  Residing in the San Francisco Bay Area (my home for nearly 30 years), and with two irresistibly adorable puppies (Marty and Stewart, they are Havanese), Lisa and I have a lot in common.  A love of these Roasted Honey Rosemary Pecans are just one more thing.

Thanks Lisa for a wonderful recipe.  I'm so happy you were my assigned blog, and... I finally got participate in a Friday Night Bite, even though it was only virtually.  Someday, I'm going to make it for real.

Join me with a visit to the rest of the Blogger C.L.U.E. Society!

• Lemon Mascarpone Layer Cake from Liz at That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Beef Barley Soup from Kate at Kate's Kitchen 
• Scrambled Egg Sandwich from Christiane at Taking on Magazines
• Mexican Hot Chocolate Mix from Debra at Eliot's Eats
• Ginger Snap Cookies from Lisa at Authentic Suburban Gourmet
• Scalloped Potato Cottage Pie from Ramona at Curry and Comfort
• Lemon Chicken Thighs from Janet at From Cupcakes to Caviar
• Christy from Culinary Diva
• Persimmon Syrup and Persimmon Smash Cocktail from Alice at A Mama, Baby & Shar-pei in the Kitchen
• Smoky Potato Corn and Poblano Chowder from Azmina at Lawyer Loves Lunch
• Apple Butter and Body Lotion from Kelli at Kelli's Kitchen
• Roasted Honey Rosemary Pecans from Kim at Liv Life
• Susan from Create Amazing Meals
• Best Ever Ginger Snaps from Aly at Cooking in Stilettos
• Brats and Kraut from Lea Ann at Cooking on the Ranch
• Kathy from Bakeaway with Me
• Pumpkin Scones from Anna at Anna Dishes
• Roasted and Stuffed Eggplant from Stacy at Food Lust People Love
• Swedish Dark Rye Bread from Wendy at A Day in the Life On a Farm
• Spelt Dinner Rolls from Jean at Lemons and Anchovies

Fraternity (or Tailgate) Layered Mexican Dip in a Cup

Liv Life loves blog mail days, but I have to admit some mail days rate higher with the family than others.  Our last mail day?  Jackpot!  Who doesn't love fresh guacamole and salsa delivered right to your door?

The Kroger Family sent us a care package to try their new Peakfection Salsa and Traditional Guacamole.  Made wholly from "real" ingredients (no weird stuff and no added sugar!), both packages already rated highly in my book before we even took a taste.  And I have to admit, with school starting and my son preparing to head off to college, our taste test didn't happen quite a soon as I had hoped.

A full week after receiving the goodies we finally had time to sit down to figure out what to make.  At this point we weren't particularly creative, and between the four of us we polished off both the salsa and guacamole in one sitting.  And, we noted though they had been in the fridge for over a week, both products did indeed remain fresh and abundantly flavorful.

Heading to my local Ralph's (Kroger's store here in San Diego), I came home loaded with new Peakfection goods and we set off to make a recipe decision.  I voted for the Spanish Rice (white rice enhanced with Peakfection's Medium Red Salsa - 2 cups water, 1 cup white rice, 1 cup Peakfection Salsa) or the Peakfection Salsa Chicken (Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts baked in 1 1/2 cups salsa, 1 Tbs Dijon, 1 Tbs brown sugar - 375ºF for about 20 min), but I was overruled.

In honor of my son heading to college, Liv and her brother put together a version of a 7-Layer Dip in a Cup.  Last year one of my girlfriends brought a true 7-Layer Dip to our Super Bowl party, but the layers included sour cream and shredded cheese... as neither of my kids can have dairy, we opted for a simple, fraternity (or Tailgate) friendly, dairy-free version.

Taking 2-ounce plastic disposable shot cups, the kids dolloped refried beans, guacamole and then a topping of salsa.  Adding a few chips to the cup gave us a zesty mini appetizer good to grab and go.

Easy enough for a college kid to put together on his own (though I'm not sure they'd have those plastic shot cups in their dorm rooms or fraternity?  ;) , and portable enough to toss into a cooler for easier transportation and put together at a tailgate, this dip proved immensely popular and disappeared in a flash once I gave the go ahead after our photo shoot.

I'm not totally sure how they do it, but the Peakfection products remained fresh in the fridge until we were ready to use them... perfect if you are like me and tend to purchase items for dinner plans you have which end up changing at the last minute leaving you to forget you had even bought the items until they are now past their prime.

Peakfection

The Kroger Family of Stores new line of guacamole and salsas comes in a variety of flavors:

5 Salsas (red in three spice levels and roasted in two spice levels)

2 Guacamoles (traditional and spicy)

Made with fresh ingredients captured at their peak of perfection and using a special cold water process, these products stay fresher longer and are ready and waiting when you need them.

Our many thanks to Kroger for sending us a care package and giving us the opportunity to try the salsa and guac.  BTW... the Peakfection Insulated tumblers included in the care package have made their way all over San Diego and have spent numerous days at the beach!!

We love your Peakfection Perfection!

Liv's Peakfection Instagram!

Egg and Mushroom Appetizer ~ A Food Photography Challenge

Eggs... protein packed, vitamin rich, and an empty palate waiting to be dressed, these little orbs are nearly an every day occurrence in the Liv Life household.  Be they scrambled, over easy, over medium or simply hard boiled, the versatility of the egg makes them ideal for nearly any meal, or in this case, an amazing appetizer.

February's Inspired Plate Challenge titled "Eggs" had my heart soaring with possibilities, but looking to step up our photo from the average Breakfast Burrito (that was our last post), the Mushroom Bocadillo provided interesting shape and texture along with a tasty result.  Featuring only a few ingredients this appetizer works nicely into a party menu with its ability to be made ahead of time and served at room temperature.  Quiche-like minus the crust and creamy calories, the dish is baked, cooled and then cut into handy little squares which are just perfect for a cocktail napkin.

Filled with sauteed mushrooms and onions, a touch of Parmesan cheese adds a slightly salty finish and the fresh basil brings a market-fresh flair to the plate - or napkin.  While this recipe will most definitely be saved for our next neighborhood gathering, I must admit that these particular Bocadillos made a lovely brunch after our photo shoot, especially when topped with a dollop of salsa and a few slices of fresh avocado.

Returning to my favorite white background I chose a simple style for our shoot attempting keep the focus on the Bocadillos without distraction.  I've found that my lack of photography props forces me to become creative while trying to create a scene or some sense of a story in the photo, hence using ingredients as props has become my styling choice.  Filling a measuring cup overflowing with freshly grated Parmesan and adding a small branch of basil the shoot was set, and as our hemisphere slowly but surely returns to the warmer seasons I'm relishing every extra minute of beautiful morning backlight. 

And now won't you join me as we travel close to my hometown in Northern California.  Please allow me to introduce The Inspired Plate's newest member, Jayme Franklin.  Jayme is a mom to two adorable little blondies and works as a photographer in the Belmont, California area.  Lets see what sort of eggs she has brought to the table!

Hidden Valley's Lunch Break for Kids Program and Our Interview with Celebrity Chef, Susan Feniger

Susan Feniger's Ranch Yogurt Dip combining Greek-style yogurt and tomatoes with Hidden Valley Ranch Seasonings!

You've all seen that commercial on TV.  You know the one... the one in that gorgeous "Hidden Valley" with families gathered around an endless picnic table set out amongst the fields.  The bright colors of the commercial always stick with me, that and the smiling faces of kids and adults alike enjoying mounds of fabulous food while they spend a day at the ranch together.  I've always wanted to join them for a meal at the Ranch which apparently, is set just up the road from me in the lovely Santa Barbara area.

A close second though, is a some of that creamy Hidden Valley Ranch dressing that can to this day, almost always be found in my fridge.  A dip the kids have lovingly referred to as "Dip-Dip" since they were about the age of two, ranch dressing fits nicely into our lunch breaks.

Liv seems to have been born with a dislike of nearly all green food (with the exception of avocado), and try as I might to get her to eat veggies when she was little, every veggie with a green hue quickly found its way to the floor.  Visiting friends one day, they placed a small dollop of Ranch Dressing on her high chair table, and much to my surprise, she dipped her zucchini into the dressing and popped it into her mouth.  I was fairly certain that the rest of the zucchini would find it's way (now smeared with dressing) onto the floor, and you can imagine my absolute astonishment when she promptly picked up another piece, dipped it, and ate it too.

From that day forward, green food made its way into her diet as a vehicle for that creamy ranch.  Calls of "Dip-Dip" rang in my ears as her ranch bowl emptied, and I happily refilled both the dressing bowl and broccoli bowl as she would proceed to clear her plate again.  Ranch and broccoli, the perfect partnership to get good foods into growing bodies.

Hidden Valley seems to have a flair for good partnerships, and I'm thrilled to be a part of the Lunch Break for Kids program.  Working with the Chef and Child Foundation, Hidden Valley is promoting fundraisers across the country beginning today, October 15th, 2012.

Highlighting ways for parents and kids to come together with chefs and schools to learn more about how simple, good food can make healthier bodies and stronger family connections, celebrity chefs including Stephan Pyles, Susan Feniger (see our interview with Susan below!), and Ford Fry, will be holding fabulous fundraising events at their restaurants during this week.

Susan Feniger's restaurant, Street, in Los Angeles, is hosting a Lunch Break for Kids event this coming Wednesday, October 17th during the dinner hours, and we have been lucky enough to receive one of the recipes from the event!  Should you wish to visit the event in person, reservations are recommended, but not required.  We'd love to hear about your evening if you are close enough to attend!

Susan's Kids Falafel Wrap with Hidden Valley Ranch Yogurt Sauce looks to be a sure hit.  With our time limited last weekend, Liv and I didn't have time to make the entire recipe, however we did toss together the creamy yogurt sauce for an afternoon "dip-dip" snack.  Mixed with Greek-style yogurt, a touch of Hidden Valley Ranch's Seasoning Mix and a good dose of diced tomato, Liv once again ate her broccoli.  Thanks Ms. Feniger... we can't wait to try the entire wrap!

As part of the DailyBuzz Food's Tastemaker Program's partnership with Hidden Valley, Liv Life received the incredible opportunity to interview Ms. Feniger, who you may know as half of the amazing duo, the Two Hot Tamales.

Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken have together logged nearly 400 episodes on The Food Network, she has appeared on Season 2 of Bravo's "Top Chef Masters", "Chef vs. City", and "The Best Thing I Ever Ate".  Susan has also recently opened her restaurant, Street, in addition to releasing a new cookbook (it's on my Christmas list!), Susan Feniger's Street Food.

I personally discovered Susan nearly 15 years ago as my husband and I dined at the Mandalay Bay Border Grill which she owns with Ms. Milliken.  With additional Border Grill locations in Santa Monica and Downtown Los Angeles, the Tamales have now introduced the mobile Border Grill Food Truck in the L.A. area.

And now, I present, Ms. Susan Feniger:

Liv Life: Some 12 years ago my husband and I discovered the Mandalay Bay Border Grill as we enjoyed our first weekend without kids in over 5 years.  I vividly remember an extraordinarily tender skirt steak marinated with flavors of lime and cilantro.  What, in your opinion, is most important for a successful marinade? 

Susan Feniger: Trick to a great marinade is it has to be strong and powerful (not necessarily spicy) but powerful so you taste that the meat was marinated in the beginning!  We typically add fresh lime, not too much though, because too much will cook the meat, and we don’t want that.  Using skirt steak it’s the perfect cut, in my opinion, to marinate-it’s got great marbling making the skirt taste like butter (also cut across the grain)! Love that with a minty lime cooler which is made from tons of fresh mint, fresh lime, little sugar and sparkling water. 

LL:  Locally here in San Diego, food trucks are popping up all over the place with each gaining groups of dedicated followers.  I’ve read about your Border Grill Food Truck, and I’m curious about the challenges of cooking on a truck as opposed to cooking in a “real” kitchen? 

SF:  Mary Sue and I are used to teeny kitchens …we started in a very small one, and at my newest restaurant STREET the kitchen is about the size of the one Mary Sue and I started in!  But on a truck for sure there are some limitations (although you work around those!)  Not a lot of room to heat up dishes slow and without rushing.  Truck world is all about rushing, so we’ve had to be creative how to get to an event, get food hot, cook food to order and feel like it’s the quality of the truck.  I think we’ve gotten it figured out.  Trick with Trucks: it’s fast and furious… so cooks have to be the same!

LL:  Congratulations on your Street Food Cookbook!  In the promo you talk about your love of street food.  While much of your past work has had a Mexican flair, Street Food looks to go even more global.  What cultures do you feature in your new book?   Was there anything that stands out in your research that you immediately knew would NOT make the book?  Any spices/ingredients that have become new favorites?   

SF:  In the book we tell a few of my fave travel stories... India, Vietnam, Turkey... very food driven cultures, for sure some of the best… We touch a bit into India, South East Asia for sure, Ukraine, Japan, Middle East.  If  a recipe was too complicated it got booted!  My favorite street food in India: Pani Puri..too many steps…we did put Bhel Puri, similar but not the same… Maybe recipes we felt might be too complicated got booted… Even mandoo dumplings which are easy but they got cut…

LL:  My daughter, Liv, and I are thrilled to be a part of Hidden Valley Ranch’s Lunch Break for Kids Program.  How did you become involved in the efforts to support childhood nutrition education, and what do you believe are some of the most important nutrition ideas we need to be teaching kids today? 

SF:  Listen, it’s all about kids, always has been. They are the future, and their minds and the development of a healthy body and mind is critical in my opinion. Kids being taught to eat properly will change our healthcare system in a big way.   We all FINALLY (well, maybe not all of us) but most know feeding our children properly is a huge issue in our country. There are so many kids that are starving, that it’s scary, when you see the abundance we live in.

Mary Sue, my partner at Border Grill, and I have been involved with Share our Strength for many years. We have taught many young kids classes, from elementary on up. To help educate our young kids is a huge step towards change-they will, already do demand more!

Liv and her dance friends supporting Share Our Strength - 2011.  Our San Diego group raised thousands of dollars over the last two years at our annual bake sales.

So, for me anything I can do to fight childhood hunger and the flip side of the coin which is eating healthy, particularly at school as well as at home,  is such a big part of our responsibility to our kids.  How do we raise awareness? It’s starts with education.

The idea of Hidden Valley beginning this program to help teach our young kids about how to eat better and actually like it! That is a role, that we chefs love. Since we love to cook, the idea of really helping to effect change a little is fantastic. I believe raising money to support education, teaching kids about life and how to live healthy is the answer to so many problems in our society . 

LL:  Tell us about the Fundraiser for Lunch Break for Kids that you are holding at your restaurant, Street in Los Angeles, on Wednesday, October 17th?

SF:  Basically we are just trying to raise awareness to our public... trying to teach them about nutrition and the things we believe in: like the Monterey Bay Aquarium and our commitment to Sustainability, and how do you make something basic and simple for a kid but turn it into something they really want to have because it’s delicious.

On the 17^th we are going to be highlighting our new dish using Organic Greek Yoghurt, Hidden Valley spice seasoning, Tomato juice-fresh as a sauce for a very healthy wrap with chickpeas, cucumbers, tomatoes.  So the concept is take a great salad with a crispy crouton (sort of) drizzled with our yummy yoghurt sauce.

For me, I am lucky to be in this field. We have this incredible opportunity to possibly make a difference. Our goal in working with Hidden Valley is to help children eat better.  Secretly, my mom loved  Hidden Valley and that has stuck with me forever, so I was thrilled to find a great use for it that can also help!

Hidden Valley Ranch Yogurt Dip
Susan Feniger

1 cup Greek Style plain yogurt
1 packet** of Hidden Valley Ranch Original Salad Dressing and Seasoning Mix 1 large tomato, cored and rough chopped
Juice of one lemon

Place all ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth. Let chill in the refrigerator while you prepare the rest of your ingredients.

**Liv Life Note:  Liv and I used about 1 Tbs of the Hidden Valley Ranch Seasoning in our recipe.

Liv's weekend this last weekend was consumed with a Broadcasting Competition Project, and with two days at 9+ hours a day, the kids needed fuel, energy and a break now and then.

Telling the kids we had this post to write, I asked if they would like to pose with the bottle of dressing... not only did they pose, but they laughed, posed again, and tested the dip.  After about 10 minutes of fun though, one of the boys asked, "Can't we just eat it now??".  And they did....

VMS Broadcasting Competition Team... taking a break!

The Hidden Valley® Original Ranch®, dressings & dips has provided me with free product to help with my review, but anything I receive from Hidden Valley does not affect my thoughts on its company or their product.

Guacamole Deviled Eggs

With summer upon us, it's time to break out some of our warm weather favorites.  Easy, portable treats are a must with evenings at Jazz in the Park, afternoons at a neighbor's pool, or even just a simple gathering in the driveway.  Two of my all time favorites, avocados and eggs,  have found their way together in this easy appetizer that draws "oohs and ahhs" every time they make an appearance at an event.

Easy to whip together with a ripe avocado and hard boiled eggs, this recipe is versatile and works with what you have on hand.  Hard boiled eggs are halved and scooped with one either tossing or saving the yolks depending on your taste.  Making more traditional deviled eggs, we mash the yolks with the avocado and guacamole fixings while stirring in a few dollops of fresh pico de gallo.  Don't want the yolks?  Simply fill the remaining egg whites with your favorite guacamole for an easy finger food that will be gone in a flash.

Football Food - Super Bowl Food is here!

Around the first grade my boy discovered football.  After his first touchdown pass at the Y his head was filled with dreams of becoming a famous quarterback, and collecting football cards by the dozens became an all consuming obsession. Simply throwing the football with Daddy could go on for hours after Daddy's arm gave out, and the Super Bowl?  Well, it became the pinnacle of life.

Since throwing our first Super Bowl party some nine years ago, times have changed.  The first party found a couple of 6 year old boys dressed in their favorite jerseys embracing the game with their dads, and deeming the day "Our Day of Eating Junk Food".  Pringles, M&M's, and sugar-filled soda filled the tables and everyone was happy.

Fast forward nine years and those cute little boys have transformed into handsome young men with car keys.  Their football interest, however, has waned and now they don't even show up for the game, preferring to spend their afternoons at the beach surfing.  While the parents may have matured slightly as well with a little extra gray in our hair and more pronounced smile lines around our eyes, we can still rock a football jersey.

At its peak, the Liv Life Super Bowl Party had no less that 50 guests squished into our average-sized family room around our old-fashioned, non-HD TV with pieces of Becky's Famous Football Stromboli in our hands.  Those Pringles and M&M's have remained a staple on our football table, but these old favorites are now accompanied with some higher end football food choices such as homemade sushi, Coconut Shrimp, Margarita Jell-O Shots and of course my husband's old family Queso recipe (shhh... don't tell anyone, but it's cream cheese melted with a can of Hormel chili - we have it once a year.).

Unfortunately, this year my husband's schedule has him out of town on Super Sunday, and as such we will not be hosting our special group of friends for what has become a tradition for the last 9 years.  As he flies off to some far away city, I think I will be a bit sad in my empty house, but the special memories of years past will carry me through.  As a change of pace... maybe Liv and I will actually go shopping.

Over the years we have lived an evolution of our Super Bowl Party and have discovered what works well along the way.  With just a little planning you too can have a table set for a feast and perhaps even outshine those 49ers.

Planning your Party

First of all, don't try to undertake everything yourself - have your guests bring a dish.  In the past we organized guests and assigned salads, main foods, desserts, etc., but with our Super Bowl Party Evolution came a more relaxed attitude and we simply asked everyone to bring whatever they deemed their favorite Football Food.  Yes, some years we had lots of chicken wings and stromboli.  Other years though, brought an even balance of all things football.  Either way it was alway fun.

The Party Store.  While I'm not usually a paper/plastic disposable product fan, I do allow myself to be a little less green on Super Bowl Day.  Football themed appetizer plates and napkins from the Party Store don't cost much, save lots of cleanup time and bring a football party flair to the table.

Plastic cocktail sized cups save broken glass on the floor during those inevitable dropped cup moments, and a cheap, football emblazoned plastic table liner makes cleaning up a breeze.

Liv Life Note:  I couldn't bring myself to drink wine out of a plastic cup, so real wine glasses are always on our football table.

Soda and water - always popular with kids as well as adults, however buying full sized cans of soda often left me with half full cans scattered around my yard and house at the end of the day.  Our Super Bowl Party Evolution had me buying litre bottles of soda in place of full sized cans and supplying plastic cups (place a sharpie in the cup area for people to write their names on the cups).

For water I placed pitchers of tap water around the food table and drink area, and filled the cooler with the smaller, almost kid-sized, single serving water bottles which I found would more often be emptied than the larger sized single servings. 

Cocktails.  Each year our Super Bowl Event featured a special cocktail in addition to beer and wine.  Margaritas are always popular and our Sunny Citrus Blush was also an oft requested libation.  The goal though, is to not have the host also be bartender, hence spending nearly the entire game filling drink orders.  Coolers of beer become self serve with an attached a bottle opener to the side of the cooler and a stack of those familiar red solo cups.

If you would like wine at your party, place a few bottles out along with the glasses and put the opener within reach.

For our mixed cocktail of the day, our only requirement was that it must be mixed ahead of time.  My husband obtained a not-so-pretty but ever-so-useful plastic blue camping jug which made its appearance every year on my "pretty" buffet table, but which also gained a reputation for always containing something worth trying. 

Chips and Dips.  In the early years I found that I over did the food.  I worried that someone might not like a certain type of chip or dip, hence I provided several choices which filled up our table and ended up leaving decent portions of each remaining at the end of the game.  Evolution brought tortilla chips with one or two dips along side and then empty bowls and less waste.

Hot food.  Keeping hot food to a minimum allows the hostess to spend more time with her guests rather than cooking in the kitchen.  With as much prep work done in advance as possible, I would have a dish or two that could to be popped into the oven in a flash, then simply served when done.  I would usually plan a hot dish (stromboli, shrimp, wings) to be ready as people arrived, then prepare another to be ready at half time as the half seemed to bring on a sort of grazing frenzy with everyone fueling up to get through the 2nd part of the game. 

Pools and Betting.  Betting pools are always popular and seem to increase interest in the game.  Everyone, even those not really interested in football, would be watching scores and keeping track of plays as they checked their numbers.  Lucky to have a neighbor takeover this responsibility, we had the simple "square" pool which scored on the game quarters and finish, in addition to a trivia/luck pool. 

With the trivia/luck pool, the first page included 6-10 historical trivia questions (amazingly, someone always seems to know things like "What player has won the most Super Bowl MVP awards?"  - Just FYI, it's my man Joe.).  The back page included more luck-type questions like, what type of commercial will be first?  Will the first score be from a pass, run or other?  Will the winning team win by more than 10 points?  etc.

Liv Life

Football Food and Drinks

With the Evolution of our Super Bowl parties, or perhaps simply our maturing ages, our tastes have changed (I would say improved!) and have included all of the following "football food" over the past few years

- click the title to be taken to the recipe -

Roasted Jalapeño and Pineapple Tequila

Margarita-Lime Jello Cubes

Lemon Drop Jello Shots

Strawberry Margarita Jello Shots

Citrus Blush

Waleska's Sangria

Becky's Famous Football Stromboli

Caramelized Onion Dip

click here to see Becky's (Baking and Cooking, A Tale of Two Loves) version of this dip including sun-dried tomatoes!

Coconut Mango Chicken Cups

Blue Cheese and Walnut Spread with Pears

Savory Stuffed Sourdough Baguette

Hummus with Garlic, Cumin and Lemon

Classic Peanut Butter Criss Cross Cookies

Blueberry Lemon Pound Cake

Chocolate Red Wine Cake

Savory Pesto Cheesecake Appetizer

A glass of wine, a plate of assorted cheeses, salamis and crackers... good for my psyche but nightly, not so good for my waistline.  The holidays, though, make those calories invisible until January (in my own mind anyway...) and these days are often filled with additional gatherings where I grab the chance to prep and enjoy some of my favorite beloved appetizers.

Always on the lookout for something that avoids last minute preparation, this make-ahead "cheesecake" works like a charm.  Filled with ricotta, a touch of garlic and pesto, the savory cheeses work wonderfully with crackers and are a delightful pairing with a glass of wine before dinner.

Pretty on a plate, this savory indulgence will be welcomed at all of your holiday festivities, and is sure to bring a little additional holiday cheer to your gathering.

Goat Cheese Cranberry Kisses

Ahhh... Thanksgiving!  A day to give thanks for the bounty we have received and a day of abundance.  Occasionally, and hopefully said abundance will lead to a day of leftovers, which in my opinion is actually one of the best part of the Thanksgiving meal.  Who doesn't love rummaging through the fridge finding turkey, cranberries, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes and slices of assorted pies all at your fingertips?

Occasionally, however, the plethora of leftovers might become a bit daunting and we're here to recommend a wonderful use for some of that extra Cranberry Sauce (we highly recommend our Grand Marnier Cranberry Sauce if you are looking for a recipe).  If you don't need all of your sauce to slather onto that Day After Thanksgiving Turkey Sandwich, you can look like a gourmet chef with these cute little Cranberry Kisses.

Three ingredients and about 25 minutes once your puff pastry is thawed is all you need .  (Note to self... take frozen puff pastry from the freezer and place it in the fridge as soon as the Thanksgiving dishes are done so it will good to go by the next afternoon).  Puff pastry is rolled and then cut into squares and fitted into the cups of mini muffin tins.  Filled with cheese and a dollop of cranberry sauce the treats head to the oven.  About 18 minutes later cheesy cranberry puffs are ready for your house guests and you're looking better than Martha Stewart.

Our favorite version uses goat cheese, or chévre, but a luscious brie is a fine substitute.  Served warm, these little kisses are just one more thing to be thankful for.

Caramelized Onion Dip and a CSN Giveaway

Are you ready for some football??  Are you ready to shop??  I can help you with both!

The CSN Stores has graciously offered up a $45 Giftcard for us give away to one of our lucky readers.  Meeting all of your shopping needs, the CSN Stores offers you department after department for your shopping pleasure, including products ranging from backyard swing sets (what kids doesn't want one of those??) and trampolines to hand mixers (I got mine there!) and cooking tools and gadgets.  

Open to our Canadian and US readers, our giveaway will close at 5 PM on Super Bowl Sunday (2/6/11 - 5 PM Pacific Standard Time).  Our house will be hopping with our annual Super Bowl Extravaganza, and Molly (from our last giveaway) and Olivia will work some sort of magic to come up with a random number indicating our fortuitous winner.  

To enter, all you need to do is to leave us a comment below about your favorite Super Bowl treat (feel free to leave a link to your blog!) and who you think will win this year's Big Event.  

If you would like to tweet our giveaway, sign up as a Liv Life follower on Twitter, Facebook, RSS or email, we would truly appreciate it, but you do not need to do this to enter.  (Note... our directions are in Green as I'm pretty darn sure that Greenbay has it in the bag! =0  )

2011 marks Liv Life celebrating it's 8th Annual Super Bowl Extravaganza.  What began as a Super Junk Food Day for my then 6 year old son, two of his friends and their dads has turned into a guest list of 50+ people and more of a gourmet spread including Becky's Famous Football Stromboli (shown at left), Kim's Coconut Mango Chicken Wonton Cups, Naomi's homemade authentic sushi (she's from Japan!), Ellen's Coconut Shrimp, Darlene's guacamole and Claudine's Seven-Layer Dip.  Pringles, M&M's and good old fashioned Queso Dip also grace our table, but the eats have definitely improved over the years.

This year Caramelized Onion Dip will be featured with a big bowl of multi-grain Pita chips on the side.   Rich with the caramelized onions seasoned with a little balsamic and then stirred into cream cheese, we found this dip to be somewhat addicting.  Tasty either warm or cold, this creamy dip is sure to be a winner.

Liv and I are looking forward to your favorite Football treats in the comments below!

Go Packers!!