Taste of Atlanta

This weekend was such a beautiful one, with the sun shining and cool temperatures, it took everything I had to even enter a building! Thankfully Taste of Atlanta fell this past weekend so it was perfect to roam around downtown Atlanta.

I called up my bestie Gina and we dashed off to Tech Square to taste our lil hearts away! It was a great turn out and there were so many vendors that my 10 taste coupons went away so quickly, I think Gina stole them hmmmm.

I would have to say my favorite sample of the day was the Zucca from FIGO. It was a butternut squash and amaretto ravioli topped with a mascarpone and Italian red chicory radicchio sauce (yes I had to look that up to make sure I got it right for you). The butternut squash mixture was silky smooth with a hint of sweetness that was highlighted by the rich and creamy mascarpone cheese sauce.  Here is a link to their sight if you ever want to check them out http://www.figopasta.com/menu/ I could have walked away right then after that experience and been satisfied for the day, but there were many more flavorful experiences to be had so on we went.


The bbq from Williamson Brothers was soooooo good http://www.williamsonbros.com/

They had a smoker set up right at the venue so the aroma put you in a trance and you just had to grab some napkins and chow down on the smoky deliciousness.

Gina enjoying some bbq:)

I really can't keep track of all the places that we tasted but I have a couple more pictures to help capture the day...

What a great day it was to Taste Atlanta!

Hope yall have a great week

ttyl~Misty

Broccoli Cheddar Soup!

Hey yall, I know yall have been just dying to get my broccoli cheddar soup recipe! Right?????

I made this soup this past weekend and decided I would share the recipe with you. I used measuring utensils this time so that I could give you an accurate recipe, aren't I so smart!:) Here you go..... Hope you enjoy it!!





INGREDIENTS
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup flour
2 cups warm milk
2 cups finely shredded Sharp cheddar
1 1/2 can of chicken broth (low sodium,cause you don't need all that salt!)
1/2 of an onion minced
1 bag of frozen broccoli
1/2 clove of garlic minced or some garlic powder

1)Place the frozen broccoli in a colander, rinse with warm water, and then set aside to thaw out. Place the cheddar out on the counter to take the chill off so it can be room temp when you add it.

2)In a large soup pot, melt down the butter over medium low heat. In another small pot heat the 2 cups of milk over medium low heat as well.

3)When the butter in the first pot melts down, quickly whisk in the flour. When it clumps up do not freak out it is normal, add in the warm milk a little bit at a time. Each little bit of milk that you add quickly whisk it, and then pour a little more until you have it all incorporated.

4)Turn the temperature up to medium and give it some time to thicken, stirring occasionally. While you are waiting for it to thicken up go ahead and chop up the broccoli to bite size pieces (how big is your mouth??lol) Once the mixture coats the back of your spoon it is time to add in the Cheddar!!!

5)Whisk in a handful of cheddar at a time until you have a nice creamy mixture. Now if you didn't want to continue with the soup you could throw in some half cooked noodles and bake for some mac and cheese! That is how I learned to make my cheese sauces form learning to make mac and cheese. This is a soup recipe so on we go...

6)Turn the eye back down to medium low, and give the cheese a good 5 minutes to finish adhering to the sauce. Then add in the 1 can of chicken broth, reserve the extra chicken broth for if you would like to make it a little thinner which I do.

7)Throw in the onion, garlic, and broccoli! If you really wanted to take it up a notch throw in some leftover shredded chicken, and maybe even some rice. I've had it with chicken and it is super good.



8)Cover the pot and turn the eye to extremely low and let it simmer for about 30 min, stirring occasionally and then serve!

*I would say that this makes (let me think how many bowls have I had since...) about 8 servings.


Hope yall love it!
ttyl~Misty

Identity Crisis?

So I've been up and down about if I should continue to do my blog or should I not? I mean to be honest I really don't like to write I just like to share, hence the warning that I put in my profile. I've been told by many people that I need to continue my blog and that they really like my posts. Also I have all these pictures in my phone of food I haven't gotten around to sharing, and when people are scrolling through my phone pictures they think I'm a little strange that I have more food pictures than anything. It can be a bit embarrassing at times lol. So I have been up and down about continuing and how I should go forward. I don't know all the technical ways to make my blog look better, and I see all these amazing blogs out there and I start thinking in my head... is blogging really for me? I think I'm going through an Identity Crisis, is that what you call this? Hmmmmmm

So while I'm struggling with this ludicrousness, here's ya some pics of food I took while I was up visiting my dear friend Tiff in Jersey, and NYC!

*Heartland Brewery (near Times Square, NYC) Chophouse Chips and Dip- Blend of Spinach, smoked mozzarella, and tomato. It was really delis!


*Pete's Pizza (Morristown, New Jersey)- Tiff ordered some awesome pizza to feed us the first night there, and it was seriously the best pizza I have ever had. I would move up there just for this to be honest, I mean pizza is a very important part of my diet!


*Bobby's Bagels (New Jersey) Tiff took us here the next morning for breakfast, and seriously the place immediately excited me when I walked in. Not only were the bagels delicious but they had so many different types of home made cream cheeses and spreads. I felt like I was having my first true bagel experience!


I opted for a mini wheat bagel (compared to the huge regular bagels yes this was mini) with spinach cream cheese. They definitely didn't skimp on the cream cheese, but it had spinach in it so that made it really healthy for me I'm sure, right?


*Lunch in Little Italy, NYC (I don't remember the restaurant name) I loved the sidewalk restaurants in little Italy and sitting outside on their patios. I enjoyed some very delicious lasagna, it was a different style then what my mama makes so I couldn't really compare the two. It was good on a different level and I ate my lil tired heart out!


*Magnolia Bakery, NYC- This is a famous bakery that has been featured on Sex and the City. It was so small and cute inside, and I took home a Red Velvet mini Cheesecake. MMMMMmmmmmmmm is how I sum up this experience!






*FAO Schwarz NYC, Since I include candy as one of my most important food groups here are some shots of the Candy store inside of the famous FAO Schwarz toy store. As soon as I saw the huge gummy bear on a stick I knew exactly what to get my niece and nephew who are gummy bear aficionados. lol




I had a great time in New Jersey and NYC, which has caused me to think about moving up there and becoming a New Yorker or Jersey girl....hmmmmm yes I am going through an Identity Crisis... I think?

ttyl~Misty

Sesame Pineapple

Mmmmmm, so I wanted to share my yummy salad topping that I made the other day! I was in the mood for a salad but something different and kind of asian inspired. So I went to my publix and picked up some pineapple and this amazing light sesame ginger vinaigrette, it is made by Wishbone you have to try it! I had everything else I needed at home. I used spinach for the salad base, then tomatoes, avocado, tuna, and then I made some sesame pineapple.


I love experimenting and coming up with ideas. Since food is normally always at the top of my mind I have little ideas just pop up in my head during the day lol! Here is how you make sesame pineapple...

It's super easy all you do is take a skillet spray some olive oil and then pour a lil sesame oil about 2 circles in it. Heat the skillet up to medium hot. Then take a can of chunk pineapple,(super cheap its only about 80 cents, get the type that is in it's juice not syrup) drain the juice and add the pineapple to the pan and let it sit there with out stirring it for about 4 min then flip them so they can brown up on the other side. Sprinkle some sesame seeds over the pineapples as they are browning, they should stick pretty nicely to the pineapples. Then after they have browned up to your liking, try not to over cook them, set the pan aside so they can cool down some. Once you make your salad throw them on top and enjoy!!

I loved this salad with the tuna, but I think it would be even more fabulous with some grilled chicken. I just didn't feel like thawing out any the other night, so I enjoyed it with the tuna. Hope you all enjoy this as much as I did!

ttyl~Misty