Mardi Gras!!!

The most glorious time of year in Louisiana - MARDI GRAS!!! Partying, eating and going to parades. It's truly magical. So much culture and history surrounded by good food, family and friends. Crawfish season is starting up too!!! The peak of the season isn't usually until end of March/early April. I will have a post dedicated to just crawfish: how to peel, boil and serve. That comes later. I just wanted to share my Mardi Gras mesh wreath! I make mesh wreaths for all seasons. I'm very proud of this one! It's a bit large, but that's ok. Mardi Gras is all about bright colors and big decorations! The main colors of Mardi Gras are Purple (Justice), Gold (Power), Green (Faith). So check out my latest creation!

Chicken Gyros

These are seriously amazing. Takes no time to prepare and you will impress your friends and family! INGREDIENTS 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar 1/2 cup olive oil 2 cloves garlic, minced 6-8 chicken tenders salt and pepper to taste warm pita bread 1 cucumber, sliced 1 red onion, sliced 1 tomato, chopped Tzatziki sauce (see recipe in below post) DIRECTIONS Preheat oven to 350. Season chicken tenders with salt and pepper. Let chicken tenders marinate in olive oil, balsamic vinegar and garlic for 1 hour. Place on a baking sheet with foil and bake for 25 - 30 minutes until chicken it cooked through and registers 165 - 170 on a thermometer all the way thru. To assemble - place about 1 tablespoon of tzatziki sauce on pita bread, place a chicken tender, and then cucumbers, tomato, and red onion. Top with additional tzatziki sauce. Wrap bottom with aluminum foil so it won't spill everywhere! These can be a little messy to eat but so delicious!

Greek Tzatziki Sauce

Tzatziki sauce is a greek yogurt based sauce. Very healthy - since it doesn't contain sour cream. It's fresh and delicious! INGREDIENTS 2 cups plain Greek yogurt; 1 Tablespoon olive oil; 1/2 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar; 2 cloves garlic, minced; 1/4 teaspoon dill; 1/2 cucumber, chopped; sprinkle of salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste; DIRECTIONS Mix all ingredients together and let chill for 1 hour before serving. Serve with warm pita bread.

'Nuff Said

This is pretty much heaven on earth. It's nearly impossible to find - and I got the last one at the grocery store last night! It's got a cinnamon/vanilla flavor and little Mardi Gras colored crunchies through out. It's even got some little cake chunks in it. Truly delicious. Hats off to Bluebell for their latest creation.

Needlepoint Work

I love to needlepoint because it's extremely therapeutic and fun! I buy most of my canvases pre-painted. I have painted my own, but it's tough to get it even. It's best to start out with a smaller project and work your way up to a bigger one. If you are new at this and try to needlepoint a huge Christmas stocking, you will get extremely frustrated! I have them sent off to get a pillow or little stocking made - eventually I want to learn to do that myself. Here's some of my latest work.

French Bread Pizza

I haven't thought about this one in a while. When I was in high school, I used to love those frozen french bread pizzas and would bring on for lunch all the time. I have never made a homemade pizza like this. I can say - now that I have, I won't go back to regular pizzas again! It was so delicious, made on fresh french bread - shout out to Albertson's! Anyway - this is a winner. INGREDIENTS 1 loaf of french bread, cut length-wise marinara sauce, mozzarella cheese, pepperoni, can artichokes, sliced mushrooms, any other additional pizza toppings you prefer DIRECTIONS To make pizza, place marinara sauce, cheese and toppings. Bake at 450 for 5-8 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly.

Zesty Ranch & Pimento Cheese Ball

I made this for Christmas Eve dinner with my family and they LOVED it! I really kind of threw in a bunch of stuff and it turned out amazing. INGREDIENTS 1 8 OZ PACKAGE CREAM CHEESE 1 CUP CHEDDAR CHEESE 1/2 CUP PEPPERJACK CHEESE 1 TABLESPOON OF DRY RANCH MIX 2 TABLESPOONS PIMENTOS 1 CUP PECANS, FINELY CHOPPED Mix all ingredients using a blender. Form into a ball and wrap with saran wrap. Place in fridge for 2 hours. Roll the cheese ball in pecans and cover evenly. Serve with crackers.