Wednesday, September 28, 2011

catnip and mint: real life lady : kimberly albachten talley

Hello Lovelies! please check out the Real Life Lady profile of yours truly on my amazing friend Coco's blog Catnip and Mint ...
catnip and mint: real life lady : kimberly albachten talley: real life lady kimberly albachten talley and some catnipmint kinda questions. lady kim of the dlb...

http://catnipandmint.blogspot.com/ where classy intelligent Ladies go to play!

Friday, September 16, 2011

Champagne Grapes - tiny DELICIOUS pearls of juicy fruity fun

Champagne grapes... you may have seen them recently at your local Trader Joe's (which is where I picked them up myself) or perhaps your farmers market or upscale grocer (like a Gelson's)
They look so darn cute, but what the heck do I do with them?
True they make a LOVELY garnish for a cheese plate or just hanging out in your fruit bowl, but surely there must be more to these little gems... 
My son loves to eat them - right now he is obsessed with 'baby' anything so they have been a big hit in our house, however he can only eat so many and I am left with a box full of itty bitty grapes to play with.
Here are some of the fun ways I have come up with to integrate them into my cooking, give it a try!

4 Cheese and Grape Pizza: this DELICIOUS pizza comes from Trader Joe's as well, so you can go ahead and pick it up with your grapes. It is a white pizza and comes with a lovely pouch of fresh arugula to garnish.



Curry Chicken with Roasted Grapes, Carrots, and Fingerling Potatoes: OK, we are seeing a pattern here... this curried chicken came from, you guessed it, Trader Joe's.
This easy 1 dish meal is comforting and DELICIOUS, the grapes added an amazing fresh fruity flavor and their texture provided a nice pop to the more stew-like consistency of the dish.
I simply placed the chicken, grapes and veggies in a glass baking dish and topped with a bit of prepared tapenade for added flavor then baked at 350 for about 40 minutes or until veggies were tender and chicken cooked through. I served it over Israeli Couscous.


Curry Chicken Salad with Champagne Grapes and Couscous: Bonus meal!!! I used the leftover chicken and couscous to make a DELICIOUS salad the following day...
I chopped the curried chicken and threw it and the couscous on to a bed of arugula dressed with olive oil and lemon juice, then added some fresh champagne grapes for a light and healthy lunch.



So there you have it, try Champagne Grapes! or try any of these ideas with regular old green or red grapes. Grapes make an awesome addition to all sorts of savory recipes. Enjoy!

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Your Childhood Faves

Get ready for some DELICIOUS and CHILDISH recipes based on YOUR childhood favorites!
I am awaiting survey results of your fave childhood meals and brown bag lunch sandwiches...
Check back for updates and recipes of both old school originals and re-vamped classics from days of ole' ~ feel free to comment with your suggestions