Hi! It's so good to see you. We've been looking forward to your visit. Come on in, sit down, and make yourself comfortable. Can I take your coat or purse? Would you like something to drink? I know how much you enjoy good food. I have had a lot of fun putting together a menu of special treats for your visit.
To start the day, your choices include this tasty Banana Split French Toast courtesy of triticale - the wheat/rye guy. What a divinely decadent way to start your morning with friends! I am positive that if you try this, you will count it among your favorite dishes and will request it often.
If you are in the mood for pancakes, instead, I have just the thing for you. Now, these are no ordinary pancakes. No, indeed! These are Kathee's special Walnut-Buttermilk Pancakes from her Pancake Recipes blog. Topped with toasted walnuts and warm maple syrup, you are bound to end up feeling stuffed because you ate too many of these pancakes.
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How time does fly! Are you ready for lunch yet or are you still full from breakfast? If you're in the mood for a light lunchtime snack, Scott of The Scott English Show offers us Scott's Bacon and Egg Salad Recipe: A Fast Lunch Snack You'll Enjoy Wolfing Down. Featuring lettuce, bacon, egg, sunflower seeds, and cheese, I can throw this salad together in no time. Just let me know when you're ready to eat.
For a refreshingly different salad, try Stephanie's Summer Fruit Salad posted at Make Healthy Meals. I love this recipe because you can alter it to suit your fruit cravings.
If you decide you would like a hot lunch, I can offer you Lenten Polenta from Cehwiedel of Kneadle Work. This is a cornmeal-based recipe which also features cheese, garlic, onion, and cayenne flavorings. If you are unsure about this dish, perhaps her photo will convince you to give it a try.
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I don't know about you, but I think a snack would be great. Let's try these Chocolate Chews from KeeWee's Corner. These bars look irresistible with their coconut and oatmeal inside and chocolate-covered outside. Yum!
For some old-fashioned goodness, I offer you these Oatmeal Cookies from The Common Room where Deputy Headmistress presents a favorite recipe in which sweetness pairs nicely with spice.
Hey, take a look at this old recipe I found! It was filed neatly away at Recipes at World Famous Recipes. Bill kindly shared this 1832 recipe for Cherry Bounce. I bet guests, especially men, loved to be given this strong cherry-flavored drink!
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Dinner time already? Well, if you don't get full tonight, it certainly won't be from lack of food! Why don't you choose from the side dishes first and then make your way through the entrees?
What is that dish? Oh, that is a uniquely tangy side dish from Rebecca Hartman. I came across the recipe for these pickled lemons at The Herbwife's Kitchen. Not only are these pickles outside the realm of the ordinary but also, having been made from organic citrus, are healthy for you as well. Uncommon and healthy - that sounds like a winning combination to me!
Gerry of DiseaseProof generously gave me the recipes for three different dishes: Apple Stuffed Peppers (a delicious sounding variation of stuffed pepper), Broccoli fra Diablo (a combination of tomato and broccoli which sounds intriguing), and Colcannon ( a healthier version of an Irish dish consisting of mashed potatoes and cabbage). I think the Colcannon would be great with the cube steak you'll see once you get to the entrees.
If you like ethnic foods, Mama Kelly graciously shared her family's traditional recipe for Mizeria - Polish Cucumbers in Sour Cream. It was so good that Mama Kelly's Italian mother requested the recipe from her Polish husband and made this side dish often. I think it would pair nicely with Lionel's entree.
Speaking of Lionel from Lookin At Cookin, he gave me this recipe for a wonderfully exotic dish: Ceviche De Salmón. This exciting dish differs from sushi in that the fish is "cooked" in a citrus marinade, causing people to feel that it offers less of a health risk than sushi.
Since you appear tempted by the seafood theme, I can also offer you some wonderful Manhattan Style Seafood Stew. This come from Stephanie of Adventures in the 100 Acre Wood. When you taste this, you will know I have pulled out all the stops for this meal!
If you are in the mood for down-home cooking, you will enjoy Thrifty Mommy's Easy Cube Steak Recipe. Karen suggests eating mashed potatoes, a vegetable, and a bread with this entree. Now that sounds like good country cookin' to me!
Do you like Italian-style food? Then you will love my husband's favorite Chicken Parmesan. Dipping the chicken in evaporated milk before breading it means that it obtains a faintly sweet flavor. The breading itself, featuring a mixture of grated Parmesan Cheese and crushed saltine crackers, adds flavor and cheesy goodness to the chicken breast it encloses. The sauce adds the crowning touch to this flavorful dish, and, because this dinner entree is baked instead of fried, you will have fewer worries about your cholesterol.
By the way, you might be interested in these facts from Wenchypoo (of Wisdom from Wenchypoo's Mental Wastebasket). It turns out that The Cholesterol Shuffle is the result of both misinformation and plain old misunderstanding. Increased fiber intake and a lower consumption of saturated fats and cholesterol are key to maintaining the efficient performance of your "cholesterol filter."
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Are you done with your dinner? I hope you saved room for dessert because I don't see how you could possibly resist these mouth-watering confections!
That concoction comes from Riannan of In the Headlights. Her Dome Cake filled with Chocolate and Nut Cream features ingredients including pound cake, chocolate, and whipping cream. I think this recipe seems universally appealing.
Oh, you really like pound cake? Then try this one over here. Shawn Lea contributed this Honey Vanilla Pound Cake; in the March 2007 edition of House Beautiful magazine, this cake was dubbed "the perfect 'Company's Coming' cake" by the Barefoot Contessa. Because this cake can remain in the freezer up to 6 months, forward-thinking hostesses (like me) can make a batch and have it on hand for unexpected guests! Make sure I give you the recipe before you go home.
(Since I was unsure how long to store food in the freezer, I hopped Al Nye the Lawyer Guy's useful link to The National Center for Home Food Preservation where I found the answer to my question.)
If you are in the mood for coconut, Michelle of Scribbit contributes her mouth-watering (especially when you see the photo!) recipe for Coconut Triple-Layer Cake. Her guests loved it, even after her bare-handed catch!
As a special treat, I made some home made ice cream for you. I know how much you like peaches so I borrowed Lisa Knight's recipe for Crockpot Spoon Peaches (which you can find at Lisa's Cookbook). Doesn't that add just the right touch to the ice cream?
Cheesecake paired with apricots: what could be a more perfect (or more impressive) ending to a delicious meal with friends? When Deborah of Eat Your History gave me this recipe, she shared that this was her very first experience with making a cheesecake and declared that, if you have been afraid to try making a cheesecake, this Apricot Cheesecake is the place to start.
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It has been so nice sharing this day and all this good food with you. I know you have some fabulous recipes of your own. Why don't you submit them for next week's food fest? You have until 12 p.m. CST on Saturday to submit your recipes for inclusion in the Irish-themed event hosted by Sun Comprehending Glass. Did you know that you can host your own recipe extravaganza? If you are interested in hosting sometime, just send an e-mail and put Host in the Subject line. Thanks again for coming to visit, and I hope to see you again soon.
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