Recipe Recaps and Stylin Stillettos.

Hello Friends,


Before I head out to do some wine tasting at local vineyards, I have two quick recipe reviews.


Last night our friends Jolene and Sib were over for dinner and I decided to try two of the recipes from Food Network that I talked about yesterday.  


First up...the Apple and Brie Quesadillas from the magazine.  They consisted of grilled apples and brie folded in a flour tortilla and then they were grilled in a pan.  The quesadillas were topped with a mustard/maple syrup sauce and crumbled bacon.  

My husband gave them an 8/9 out of 10 because he thought the taste was as close as I could get to his grandmother's apple fritters.  Jolene decided the sauce should have been a tad sweeter so she thought a 6 was a better score for her.  Sib thought they were good and didn't really give me a specific number...he just liked them!  Me?  I have to agree with Jolene.  The next time I make them, I will add a little more syrup to the sauce (or maybe even honey). 


Next up...Giada's Sweet Peach Cake.

This cake is very dense to begin with and the designated 1 hour and 10 minute bake time seemed a little long.  Therefore, I decided to lessen my bake time to about 55 minutes and regretfully, it was still a little dry.


On the flip side, the icing was absolutely amazing and it helped to make up for the tad bit of dryness in cake.  Next time -- I will bake this cake for 45 minutes to start and then go from there.  Then, I think it may be a keeper.   


I love trying new recipes and asking people to rate them on a scale of 1 to 10.  This helps me to decide which recipes I would make again, which I would pitch, and which I would make adaptations to make them better.  That's what cooking and baking is all about, right?  




On another note, I visited Kohl's yesterday for a brief minute...just to check and see what I missed the other day and I came out with these beauties...

Now, I don't usually buy shoes at Kohl's (not that they don't have a nice selection), but I just don't find shoes that fit.  Not only are these Jennifer Lopez specials super high, they are super stylish and they have that little strap around the ankle to help them stay on my foot.  That is KEY for me.  

The brushed gold color is a perfect neutral.  Plus, they actually are quite comfortable as far as heels are concerned.  They're not my running shoes, mind you, but they will be perfect for events and dinners.  

So in the end, Saturday was a good day!  

All right...I am off to the vineyards..


Enjoy your Sunday!

Tracy