Silver Spoon Catering: Delish!

Cupcakes in photograph by Chef Darcy

I have one contributor to my half-birthday whims who has been here each of the three years now. She went by just Darcy before, but has decided to put her accredited chef's hat back on, so please be sure to remember it's now Chef Darcy of Silver Spoon Catering located in Northern Utah. She has an eye for elegance, a knack for the whimsical, and a truly artistic hand. I can personally vouch for her excellent skill level in making perfectly tasty meals on the family level, catering, cakes (from birthdays to formal weddings), cupcakes to die for, and many other delicious dishes and treats.

I am truly grateful for the continual support Chef Darcy gives my creative endeavors by sharing her own creative talents. It is a pleasure for me to have this opportunity to point you in her direction, and I hope you will take a bit of your time to check out what she has to offer.

If you want to treat your guests (or yourself) to something truly delightful, you'll want to bookmark her blogsite http://chefdarcysilverspooncatering.blogspot.com/ so you can catch up on her goings on, place an order, or book a catered event.

In celebration of Day 4 of the Third Annual Half-Birthday Bash, you have the chance to win (1) custom order of one dozen gourmet cupcakes by Chef Darcy.

PLEASE DO NOT ENTER UNLESS YOU LIVE IN SALT LAKE OR UTAH COUNTY.  This prize is location specific and cannot be shipped.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Half-Birthday Bash: Take Two - Day 5

To wrap up the week of gifts and fun, I wanted to try something a tad different (I know, I know. I'm way different already, but still.), so I held a taste-testing party. The people at Indulgent Foods aka the makers of Stephen's Hot Cocoa and Stephen's Gourmet Fry Sauce liked the idea and sponsored the event in trade for an honest review, taste-testing by several people, and a twitter party (hashtag is #friesclub in case you want to check out that bit of shenanigans and join the party) all surrounding the fry sauce they offer.

The #FriesClub IRL Party

the homemade fries got devoured

It was a blast! Everybody, except for one person, very much enjoyed Stephen's Gourmet Fry Sauce, and most everyone said they would definitely be buying some. The opportunity to share a product in a casual party atmosphere was a new thing for me and everyone who attended. It made it easy to conversate about likes and dislikes with no pressure to purchase in the moment. One person said it was too ketchup-y. Another said it had amazing flavor but they wished it was thicker. Pretty much every other taste-tester couldn't get enough of the stuff. The fry sauce was a hit.

My opinion of the fry sauce:

I am not big on dipping stuff in anything except for ranch, but I wanted to give this particular brand a try since I enjoy their hot cocoa so much. So anyways, I found myself not being able to get enough of the sauce just like everyone else. It was tasty. The flavor has just enough savor to add to what you're eating without completely covering it up. Also, the consistency is perfect for getting a nice layer on your fry or hot wing without any sloppy globs. In other words--Stephen's Gourmet Fry Sauce is mouth-watering deliciousness and I definitely recommend it.

To top it all off, we had a raffle for two bottles of the stuff. Congratulations to the winners, Sarah S. and Elise B.! 


Since it was impossible for all of this lovely purple community to come taste test the fry sauce in person, today's gift will be a giveaway for a bottle of the fry sauce.

Many thanks to Indulgent Foods for making the #FriesClub IRL Party possible. 

In addition to the lovely fry sauce giveaway, I have a treat in store for you--literally. Shannon, writer of the fresh, new blog The Luckiest has decided to get on the purple half-birthday bash bandwagon and give all y'all a chance to win some of her delectable homemade chocolate chip cookies.  If you live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, this giveaway is for you!

* Fry Sauce Giveaway is open to U.S. Residents ONLY *

*(1) dozen Offthehook Chocolate Chip cookies Giveaway is open to Las Vegas residents ONLY*

The Best Mostaccioli Recipe Yet Written

My mother was renowned for her delectable baked goods, but not so much for her cooking of every day meals.

Personally, I truly loved almost all the casseroles and such that she used to make in order to keep a large family fed. There were a few from time to time (containing unidentifiable green things) which were less to my liking, of course. The one undeniable exception to that rule and all the love I hold dear for my mother's food creations is the Sloppy Joes she used to put together. I do not blame her though--she just opened up a can of Manwich sauce and threw it on top of browned ground beef. I do blame her for buying the stuff though, but that is an entirely different story...

So anyways.

To break up the spaghetti/tortilla casserole/hamburgers/Hawaiian haystack/macaroni casserole/taco salad/steak dinner dinner routine, my mom would make a dish called Mostaccioli. It isn't fancy, but it's quick, easy, and something any child will eat who loves cheese and pasta. And truth be told, my brothers and I love it still. For her 60th Birthday Anniversary party, I made her famous bread and Mostaccioli. The triple-batch was gone in no time.

Ok. and one more thing. If you want to be uber authentic about how you do my mom's Mostaccioli, you cannot say it properly like an Italian would say it.

There are a few different ways to say it:

mostaccioli



The second link is the closest to how my mom would say it, except she put high emphasis on different syllables making it sound fabulous to me.

I will write out precisely how my mom said mostaccioli
using the IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet):  mo stɑ t͡ʃi o li

as well as in messed-up-let-me-try-to-write-it-how-she-said-it-English, for those of you who are unfamiliar with IPA: moh - stah - chee - oh - lee

I am not certain how well that will translate with font issues, etc.  but I promise you she pronounced each syllable and would even add in a hint of dramatic Italian accent when she would let us know what was for dinner (when asked for the tenth time Mom, what's for dinner?)

And so you know, I cannot force myself to say it any other way than how my mom would say it. I don't care what Shakespeare wrote, it just wouldn't be the same dish if called by any other name.

And now for the Recipe of All Recipes for Mohstahcheeolee:

1 lb. browned ground beef
1 jar of Prego spaghetti sauce*
1 lb. box of mostaccioli** pasta, cooked al dente. Drained and rinsed.
1/2 Velveeta loaf, cut into thick slices (approximately 1/4 - 1/2 inch)

13X9 glass baking dish

Preheat oven to 350F

Mix sauce into ground beef once beef is finished browning.
Once pasta is cooked-- drain, rinse, and pour back into pot.
Then, pour beef/sauce mixture onto pasta and stir well.
Next, scoop pasta mixture in three separate layers, placing Velveeta slices on top of each layer of pasta. 

Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30-40 minutes at 350F


* I make my own sauce, but if you want to be uber authentic, remember Prego is the brand to trust.

** Penne may be substituted if necessary.

*** At the height of my mother's food production days, she would double the recipe, bake it in a large roasting pan (like you use for roasting a turkey), and leave it in the oven for 45 minutes to an hour. If you like the pasta a bit on the over-baked side, leave it in for an hour. I think that only happened when she got distracted by our shenanigans and forgot about it. The over-baked edges grew on me and I like it best that way now.

Enjoy!

Related Links:

The Best White Bread Recipe Yet Written

The Best Pumpkin Cookie Recipe Yet Written

purple pancakes

Sometimes we just need someone to intervene in the midst of a rough day. Well, at least I do. One of my sweet friends decided I didn't seem quite right over this past week and invited herself over yesterday.

It was the best of times. We cleaned and baked and played and made the most purplicious pancakes a person could ever want. It was actually HRH {D}'s idea to spice them up, and she executed the plan to exactness.

pancake batter by HRH {D} photographs by S. Simonsen

{D} started off by putting a few drops at a time (several times) of purple food coloring, with me giving up and squirting the container as hard as I could into the bowl. We ended up with a shade of purpleness so outrageously loud and fabulous! And they even tasted good.

Purple pancakes with Boysenberry syrup

Moral of the story:

To add color to life, spend time with friends and use LOTS of artificial food dye.

Source: twowritingteachers.wordpress.com via The Purple on Pinterest

a recipe to go with a recipe

So when you make bread (using the all things purple: The Best White Bread Recipe Yet Written recipe) and it doesn't quite go right, the following recipe is a fantastic way to keep from just throwing all that hard work into-- the trash.
Most people use a loaf of French bread for the French Toast Casserole, but I use messed up homemade bread.

French Toast Casserole

1-2 loaves Messed up bread (or French bread) cut into 1" cubes

8 eggs

3 cups milk

4 tsp. sugar

2 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. salt, optional

topping:
2 tbsp. butter
3 tbsp. sugar
2-4 tsp. ground cinnamon (to taste)

Coat a 9x13 (or if you are doubling it--a half sheet) pan with cooking spray.
Spread bread pieces evenly in pan.
In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla and salt.
Pour mixture over bread.
Cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight.
Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking.
Dot with butter.
Combine cinnamon and sugar; sprinkle over the top.
Cover with foil and bake at 350 F for 45-50 minutes
OR once an inserted knife comes out clean.
Let stand for 5-10 minutes.
Syrup only necessary for the sweet tooth in the family, use if desired.

This dish goes a long way and most people like it a lot. I came up with the idea to use messed up bread in it because I mess my bread up about every 1 in 10 times I bake it. So, I got resourceful.
I don't like to waste--especially not food--when I can help it.

 And so you know, gorgeous bread works just as well!

The Awful Waffle: the Opposite of Awful

When you read the words the awful waffle, what do you assume?

I assumed the owner wanted to create an establishment people couldn't easily forget by using an oxymoron, rhyming, and straight-up shock value. Calling your stuff awful seems counterintuitive, although for this outdoor, walk-up style, gourmet Belgian waffle cafe, it works.

Pumpkin Pie Waffle and Mint Hot Chocolate

At the suggestion of the waitress/cook/cashier, I ordered the Fall Special: the Pumpkin Pie Crepe (except I chose a waffle base). The very first thing I want to say is-- I want another one! This Pumpkin Pie Belgian Waffle was heavenly. Belgian waffles are one of my favorite breakfast foods to start with, but the texture of this Belgian waffle was simply fabulous with a nuttiness to it, cooked to toasty perfection. Then to top it off, the crushed graham cracker, pumpkin pie blend, cream cheese icing, whipped cream, with a dash of cinnamon sugar combination created a taste sensation not to be easily forgotten!

Did I mention that I want another one?

Waffle with Strawberries, Whipped Cream, P.Sugar

The guests I brought with me chose simpler entrees.  Ali got one of the waffles topped with strawberries, whipped cream, and a sprinkling of powdered sugar. This was really tasty as well.  The strawberries were fresh and bright, beautiful red--full of flavor. The whipped cream had just the right touch of sweetness.

crêpe with strawberries, whipped cream, and p. sugar

Liz chose to be a bit different and tried a whipped cream and strawberry-topped crêpe (also with the essential dusting of powdered sugar). She enjoyed it, but when I sampled some of it, I felt like it didn't have anything distinctive about it--nothing to make it worth choosing over one of the waffles. The flavor was just fine and it was as fresh as the rest. It merely lacked that little something more that makes someone recommend a dish to a friend.

If you like gourmet hot chocolate, you will adore theirs. I suggest the mint version with their wonderful whipped cream. Quite mintalicious.

It was a unanimous vote that the Pumpkin Pie Waffle was the winner-- and sure reason to return.



Reasons to head to The Awful Waffle include: when out shopping in Provo, before or after school, on a lunch date, to/from Sundance, or anytime you crave something different and delicious.

For Prices and a Peek at the Menu:
The Awful Waffle: Creators of Divine Belgian Waffles 

Where to find it?
815 North 700 East
Provo, Utah  84604
Near the southeast end of the BYU Campus

Call  (940) 300-5358 for hours of operation

The Best Pumpkin Cookie Recipe Yet Written

photography by Shannon J.

Autumn is a fabulous time to bake up some yummy, warm pumpkin cookies and that is precisely why I share this particular recipe with you now. Well, and a certain sister-in-law has been reminding me to give it to her for months now so her husband (one of my brothers) will stop bugging her to make them and they can enjoy eternal marital bliss once again...

So anyways--

My mom did not need any particular season or holiday to get her in the mood for these scrumptious delights. She continually kept on hand around 10-20 cans of pumpkin. And mind you, they were not the small cans. They had to be the chunky double-can sized cans because it was "cheaper that way". 

(Honestly, I think she just wanted to make sure she could make those cookies even if World War III broke out.)

Mom would have piles of the cake-like cookies steaming on her two large cooling racks, on the light country blue counter, making the house smell delicious. 

Whenever I bake these cookies, I think of home-- my mother's home she created for me, for my brothers, for all the many cousins, aunts, uncles, friends, and strangers she and my father welcomed through their door. How can cookies mean so much? I don't really know, but that smell and flavor bring it all to the surface and I am standing next to her, watching her mixing the batter with her large wooden spoon, which also doubled as a bottom-whooper, and waiting for that first batch to get out of the oven. 

 

So for your Autumn, Thanksgiving, November, and ANY TIME pumpkin-craving enjoyment, 

I present to you:

The Best White Bread Recipe Yet Written

photographs courtesy of Shannon

I don't know where she got it, but my mom had been making this bread recipe since I can ever remember until she got too sick to do it anymore. My brothers and I could polish off two loaves before she even got done baking the whole batch, so at the peak of our growing I think she had to double the recipe every time so there could be some left to actually use for a meal or two.

She passed it along to my best friend and my best friend once removed (her husband) and then I got it from my BFF because my mom was busy at work when I finally was ready to try making it. So anyways, by the time I got the technique down (after a few hands on trainings with mom and several calls in the middle of it) and could really make her bread well, she passed away. It is as if the bread tradition had to get passed down before she could go. I now have the privilege of passing it along to my children and sister-in-laws for them to make and taste something my mom made. It brings us closer to her even though she is gone. I love how a simple bread recipe can help bond us to our kindred dead. This is one of those flecks of brilliancy in life I have been noticing and want to point out and share with the world.