A Chocolate Affair

Holly had free tickets to A Chocolate Affair in West Glen, and I'm so thankful she invited me along. This event was a fund raiser for Ballet Des Moines. First, you grab one of these cute chocolate boxes and a bottle of water and you're off. You walk from store to store sampling (or boxing) different chocolates.

Walking into about 30 shops, we sampled everything from gourmet smores to chocolate wine (yuck). Bonefish Grill was serving chocolate-covered strawberries and your choice of champagne or chocolate martini. It was fun to have an excuse to walk in some of the cute shops.

Top 5 takeaways...
5. Chocolate-covered potato chips are quite good. You can't taste the potato. Instead, it adds a delicate crunch.
4. StylEyes has great frames, which makes me want a new and much-needed pair of glasses. I'm still sporting a pair from junior year of high school that haven't seen the public for five years.
3. Chocolate items that I'll be just fine without: chocolate wine, chocolate frozen yogurt, white-chocolate covered popcorn, chocolate martinis
2. For an event or just because, you must buy cupcakes from Carefree Patisserie. With flavors like Almond Chardonnay and Chocolate-Cabernet, I'm about ready to change out of my pj's and head over there right now.
1. There's not really a better way to spend an afternoon: walking around laughing with a great friend in the January sun and sampling all-things chocolate.

YUM: Betty Crocker's Beef Enchiladas

I was craving some cheesy Mexican, so I whipped up these easy beef enchiladas from the Betty Crocker Cookbook. They're a great leftover food, tasting just as good on night two.

Betty Crocker's Beef Enchiladas

Ingredients
1 lb ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
½ cup sour cream
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1/3 cup green bell pepper, chopped
2/3 cup water
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh or 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1/4 tsp ground cumin
4.5 oz can diced green chiles
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 15 oz cab tomato sauce
8 tortillas (5-6" in diameter)

Directions
1. HEAT oven to 350.
2. COOK beef in 10-inch skillet over medium heat 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until brown; drain. STIR in onion, sour cream, 1 cup cheese, the parsley, and pepper. COVER and REMOVE from heat.
3. HEAT bell pepper, water, chili powder, oregano, cumin, (chilies), garlic, and tomato sauce to boiling in 2-qt saucepan, stirring occasionally; REDUCE heat. SIMMER uncovered 5 minutes. POUR into ungreased pie plate, 9 x 1 ¼ inches.
4. DIP each tortilla into sauce in pie plate to coat both sides. SPOON about ¼ cup beef mixture onto each tortilla; ROLL tortilla around filling. PLACE seam side down in ungreased rectangular baking dish, 11 x 7 x 1 ½ inches. POUR remaining sauce over enchiladas.
5. BAKE uncovered about 20 minutes or until bubbly.
6. GARNISH with shredded cheese, sour cream, and chopped onions.

Jordan's Photo Calendar: February

"I believe that life is a learning experience." -Gail Devers

I created a 2009 calendar with Jordan's photos and a few quotes that I liked. These are the photos for February. They were taken at Ground Zero in Clarksdale, Mississipi. Morgan Freeman creates a kick butt blues club. We ate fried green tomatoes and danced to the beats of Funky Mighty Chicken—a local blues hero. He played an electric guitar that he made out of a cigar box.

YUM: Robbi's M&M Cookies

I made these M&M Cookies awhile ago, and they were super good. Not to thick and not to thin. Props to Robbi and her recipe. (Photos are compliments of my camera phone, so the quality isn't exactly crisp.)

Robbi's M&M Cookies

Ingredients
1 cup packed brown sugar
½ cup white sugar
1 cup shortening
2 eggs
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups candy-coated milk chocolate pieces

Directions
1. In a large bowl, mix sugar, eggs, shortening, and vanilla thoroughly. Add flour, salt, and baking soda to creamed mixture. Blend well. Add 3/4 cup of M&M candies.
2. Drop dough by teaspoonful onto cookie sheet. Slightly push a few candies on top of each dough ball with remaining candies.
3. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 9 to 11 minutes, to your liking.

From allrecipes.com

YUM: Garlic Parmesan Chicken with Roasted Vegetables

Another yummy chicken recipe to share. I discovered this one from Fitness magazine and first tried it while Jordan was away on rotation. (I knew all those veggies might be too much for him.) But I loved it and cooked it again when he returned. It was one of the first times that I've heard him say that vegetables tasted "good"...(He usually says that he's allergic.)

Garlic Parmesan Chicken with Roasted Vegetables

Ingredients
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
3 tsp. olive oil, divided
1 3-ounce chicken breast
3 cups chopped vegetables (broccoli, potato, bell pepper)
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Make it: Preheat oven to 400 F. Mix together garlic, cheese and 1 tsp. oil. Pat garlic-cheese mixture onto chicken and place on baking sheet. Toss vegetables with 2 tsp. oil, salt and pepper and place on baking sheet. Cook for 20 minutes, or until chicken reaches 165 F and vegetables are tender.

Recipe from Fitness magazine:
http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/recipe/chicken/garlic-parmesan-chicken-with-roasted-vegetables/

Waiting...waiting...waiting...waiting...

When I know what I want, I’m the most impatient person ever—especially when I’m waiting to hear back from someone. So I looked up some verses to help me stay calm…

“Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.” Psalm 25:5

“Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him.” Psalm 62:5

“I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry.” Psalm 40:1

“Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!” Isaiah 30:18

“But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Isaiah 40:31

“In that day they will say, "Surely this is our God; we trusted in him, and he saved us. This is the LORD, we trusted in him; let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation." Isaiah 25:9

“Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.” Isaiah 64:4

Now you can comment...

After a handful of emails from you about posts…and in-person complaints that you have to register to comment…I took another look at my settings. Turns out that it was just a couple clicks of the mouse to change this. Now anyone can comment. I’m sort of getting the hang of this.