Girls Fall Wine Tasting Party!

  I met 3 lovely ladies who also happen to all be roommates earlier this Fall through my friend Caitlin. We had a girls adventure together in October, exploring the wineries in Paola,KS (about an hour South from where we live in Kansas City). We had a great time and all instantly bonded over our love of wine and food. The wines in Paola were surprisingly delicious, not as sweet as some of the wines made locally. The weather was perfect and we had an incredible day sitting outside, eating cheese and crackers, drinking new wines, laughing, and getting to know each other.

 I was so excited when I was invited to their "Girls Fall Wine Tasting" Party. I loved the concept so much! Every girl was asked to bring a bottle of wine, and a cheese.
I thought this was a especially genius budget friendly way to get your friends together! Hopefully each girl won't be out too much money after buying a wine and a cheese, but when we bring them all together we will have a feast of wine and cheese. And that is exactly what happened!

 Our hosts completely out did themselves and we walked into a wine tasting Wonderland, decorated with no detail overlooked, a gorgeously decorated table, flowers, and a spread of delicious heavy appetizers they had prepared to create a huge cornucopia of food for us all! So while they made it simple on their guests- it was obvious they had put a ton of thought, time and effort into throwing a awesome bash for their girlfriends.
When you combine cheese on cheese on cheese, with wine on wine on wine you are pretty much guaranteed a great time. But add in 15 lovely ladies, Fall decorations, delicious food, fabulous wines, hilarious stories, girl talk, boy talk, makeup talk and a sing-a-long (not kidding) it made for one hell of a great time.

I was so inspired by their great concept I offered to host the Winter Wine tasting. I will post those pictures next month! 

I picked up a Petite Sirah which I have recently discovered I am a big fan of. I had never tried this particular Winery before but it was delicious! Really Spicy, with some Tobacco and lots of Dark Fruit. (My friends are laughing right now because I say that about any red wine I like, but really  this one was delish!) I paired it with a creamy Italian Gorgonzola which I drizzled with honey. It was a great combo. There were so many great cheeses and wines I had never had before and our hosts had prepared adorable note cards for us to track the wines we loved, liked, and wanted to spit out in the wine spittoon. 

One of our hostesses arranging the flowers. I loved the tablescape. The burlap, mason jars, apples, black and white chevron and wood elements created the perfect Fall table setting! 

Every wine bottle was given a number in which we would taste it- 

Loved the tree stump centerpiece the flowers sat on!

Every guest had their name on an Apple in order to know our place at the table.

Taking our photo under the CHEERS! Burlap Banner. 

 The Cheeses were all marked with a Cork on a Skewer stuck in the cheese! So clever. There were so many new interesting cheeses !

The cheese and food spread was seriously amazing! We were all stuffed by the end of the night! They even had all the perfect sweets to go with wine! 

Such a fun night! At the end of the night we were all given water bottles with Tylenol tied to them with ribbon! Much needed the next day, but totally worth it!

Hope this inspires you to grab some friends, wine and cheese and have your own tasting! I can't wait for the Winter Wine tasting and to get this fun crew of ladies back together for another great night!

Cheers!

xo
LMS

Maple Roasted Acorn Squash stuffed with Autumn Wild Rice

I love Fall time! There are so many great healthy comfort foods that are perfect for the chilly weather. When I had my Halloween party I made one of my favorite Squash recipes. This feeds a crowd for super cheap! I got 4 acorn squash for 10 dollars. Rarely people eat 2 halves ,so that is 8 entrees for $10! Nice!
Everyone loved the flavor and as a hostess this was very simple to assemble ahead of time, stick in the oven and still mingle with my guests, play with my cats in their costumes, and partake in the festivities instead of slaving away in the kitchen.

MAPLE ROASTED ACORN SQUASH INGREDIENTS:

1 Acorn Squash per person 

Real Maple Syrup

Cinnamon

Sea Salt

Butter 

AUTUMN WILD RICE INGREDIENTS:  1 box of  5 minute Wild Rice (cook as directed on box) 1/3 Cup Sliced Almonds 1/2 Cup Raisins Pre Heat Oven to 450. I did not do a great job a photographing every step of this recipe because I was busy trying to be a fabulous hostess! So please forgive me! Cut your Acorn Squash horizontally. Using a large spoon, scoop out all the seeds and stringy parts and discard. The top of the Acorn will not sit upright in your pan, so using a very sharp knife carefully cut off the top creating a flat area that the Squash can sit steady and upright . Careful to not cut too deep and make a hole in your center!  In a large oven proof baking dish sprayed with non-stick spray put your Acorn Squash in all with the open "Cup" area facing up. In each Squash put a nice pat of butter (about 1 1/2 tablespoon), sprinkle some cinnamon and salt. Generously pour about 2 tablespoons of real Maple Syrup over and inside the Squash. Cover your baking dish in foil and bake for 30 minutes.  You will make your Wild Rice as directed on the box. I leave out the additional butter as we have a good amount in our Squash already! But I do add a little Olive Oil in the end just for a nutty kick and some more moisture. I do add my own Autumn twist by adding sliced Almonds and Raisins. The raisins will soften as the rice cooks are are soft and delicious! I got the 5 minute rice so it was done very quickly. Once it was done, I added 1/2 tablespoon of Olive Oil and a pinch of Sea Salt.  When your Acorn Squash come out of the oven be sure they are nice and tender, you should be able to easily tell this buy stabbing it a few times with a fork. Use a spoon, to ladle any additional melted butter around the edges and on the sides.   

Add your Autumn Wild rice to the center and Enjoy!! Some of the delicious Maple Syrup and Butter may leak out of the Squash, but that is OK!

Enjoy! 

Happy Fall Eating!!

                                                                                 xo,

R&S

Low Carb Cauliflower Crust Veggie Pizza

  After two long, painful attempts to make this low carb crust (that I was beginning to think may possibly be an Internet hoax)  I wanted to tell carbs to go F themselves and order a loaf of bread, stuffed with bread, and dip it in mashed potatoes. This recipe took WORK! Like beads of sweat on my brow, thank God I wasn't trying to cook while looking attractive for some date, because I think I had Cauliflower in my eyebrows, and needed to wash my mouth with soap after I cursed the name of "Cauliflower Pizza" repeatedly. But when it was done, it was totally worth it and really great. Sorta like I imagine childbirth would be, but I am just guessing.

INGREDIENTS: 
1 Head of Cauliflower chopped and made into a "rice"
A Cheese Cloth (and muscles and patience)
1/3 Cup  Regular Goat Cheese (Chevre)
1 egg (beaten)
Salt
Pepper
Italian Seasoning
Pizza Sauce
1 bag Mozzarella Cheese
Veggies or toppings of your choice, I used-
Red Onion
Green Peppers
Red Peppers
Sliced Portabella Mushrooms
Wine (To keep your sanity)



Pre-Heat your oven to 400 degrees.



                                              The Cauliflower! The Star of the Show.

Cut the stem off your Cauliflower and the large green leaves. 

I do not own a fancy food processor yet.  It can make some recipes a little more complicated but my  Walmart Blender seems to be grinding food for me fine enough for the time being.

I chopped my Cauliflower by hand but if you are lucky enough to own a food processor throw your Cauliflower in there and sit back and have a Martini for God's Sake!

Meanwhile I'm chopping, and chopping.... and chopping.

A steam tray will help simplify the steaming process a ton! Super cheap and easy to find at TJ Maxx or Target! Add a inch or so of water in the bottom of the pan, add your steam tray and then add your veggies, cover and they are steamed! 

Cover and start steaming your Cauliflower this should only take about 4-5 minutes.

I think I was so flustered I put my Cauliflower in as bigger pieces and then I chopped them more finely after- don't do that. Puree them, or chop them finely, then steam. After they are steamed, allow to cool a while so you do not scald yourself in this next step ( I am sure I am making this recipe REALLY appealing for you to want to make at home..)   

Grab your cheese cloth or thin and clean dish towel and put all your steamed Cauliflower in it and squeeze with all your might over, and over to get all the water out. You will be amazed how much water will come out. When you think you are done squeezing, squeeze again. Trust me there's more water in there to get out!! SQUEEZEEEE!!!!!

Next add the drained Cauliflower to a large mixing bowl, add your 1/3 cup Goat Cheese, Beaten Egg and seasoning, mix well.

On a Pizza pan or cookie tray *lined with Parchment paper* spread your Cauliflower "dough" in whatever shape you want, but keep it about 1/4 thick.  Bake WITHOUT TOPPINGS for 35-40 minutes 

Once your crust is cooked and slightly hardened add your toppings and bake again for 10-15 minutes. Keep a close eye on your pie as depending on amount of toppings and thickness of your crust it may take more or less time!

Toppings have been added and headed into the oven!

Fresh out the oven! Looks and smells delicious!!

Allow to sit 5-8 minutes to firm up a bit more and then cut that bad boy up and serve your hungry guests!

Enjoy! 

I was so frustrated from my first experience I made another pizza again, the very next night with my left over veggies. Turned out great and less frustrating! The key is definitely baking longer before adding your toppings.

The second time was so much easier, I had the chopping down, the squeezing down and it wasn't a pain at all.  Once you've got it down you are set for life, first time may just be a little tricky....but it is worth it and tastes just like pizza!!

What are your secrets to a perfect , stress free low carb pizza crust??

Happy Eating!

xo,

R&S

Halloween Festivities!

 Happy Halloween (Well couple days after)... I had a great one this year. I began the day at work, in meetings with important customers where I needed to look like a normal person. But, as soon as they left I grabbed my bag of tricks and transformed into an Indian Squaw for the rest of the day. I think I really pulled it off (sarcasm). I am really a little bit Cherokee Indian! But apparently everyone from Oklahoma is, apparently they really got around.




 I invited some friends over and we had a great inexpensive, healthy dinner, dressed up like weirdos, dressed my cats up, attempted to watch The Shining for the first time in my life ever but had TV issues, ate white chocolate covered strawberries, accidentally created ridiculously addicting White Chocolate Popcorn that was about as addicting as crack, and I almost managed to completely forget about being dumped in a text message a couple weeks before.

 I made a Fall themed menu of Nutmeg White Cheese Fondue with French Bread, and Maple Acorn Squash stuffed with Autumn Wild Rice. So delicious!  I will post those recipes next week!

Enjoy these pics of me living out my cat lady fantasies...

Sorry I'm not sorry.

xo,

R&S

D & C were really pretty cat versions of The Shining Twins. The movie of the evening (we attempted to watch)

It was very hard for C to not smile, so we let her take a non-scary photo. Just for you Princess.

Imogen was Snow White, and really took one for the team. She was a social butterfly and life of the party, and did not retaliate by eating my face while I slept that night like I thought she might. 

Looking a little uncomfortable (like the rest of us) as we watched The Shining.

Of course I put together some last minute, festive decorations. Sharpy and Pumpkins I already had around the loft= cheap,easy, fast! I rigged a tail from last years costume and made a cat pumpkin (obviously, I would make a cat pumpkin..)

The maple roasted Acorn Squash with Autumn Wild Rice was a huge hit! 

Augustus Gloop on the other hand did not embrace his role as my Bouncer and I will never hire him again as Security for another one of my fete's.   If I was paying him in anything other then catnip I would have fired him on the spot.



The week before I had my friend D over and we painted our pumpkins, drank wine and laughed and listened to great music. So much fun. I loved painting my pumpkin! I had a bunch of paint and supplies left over from art I have made for my place and various craft projects, so it worked out great! No mess, and the pumpkins are going to last forever! (Almost)

We took our finished Pumpkins out in my hallway and the cats were DYING to see life on the other side of the door. 30 seconds later, this is what happened. Babies. They also got fleas. Overall fail exploring life on the other side.





How was your Halloween? Any one else dress their cats up? Anyone? Anyone???....