Orange Chocolate Peanut Bark

Well, I suppose I should have posted all these before the holidays, so just consider this your Holiday 2010 Go-To place!

I've never made this before, but it turned out really quick, was super easy, and I would totally recommend making it!



Please click the recipe card below to open in a new window and print:

The Unhealthiest Potato Casserole in the whole world!

Actually, I hate this recipe. I hate it because everyone LOVES it. I hate it because I made two -from scratch- recipes (Plus this one) and all people could talk about was this stupidly delicious potato casserole. I hate it because you gain 10 pounds just from looking at it. I hate it because it's cheap and easy and seems like a cheater recipe. I hate it because people request I make it every time I'm supposed to make something.

Make it and tell me if you hate it too!

A recipe in pictures.

In a big bowl, mix:

1 thing of sour cream:

1 thing of Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup

1 stick of melted butter

1 packet of ranch dressing

1/2 packet of Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Stir all those thoroughly together and then add:

1 package of frozen shredded hash browns

 Put in a big casserole dish, cover with remaining cheddar cheese, and cover with foil. Bake for at least 30 minutes at 400. Remove foil and finish crisping up the top for at least 15 additional minutes.

I don't have a picture of the final product because as soon as I set this sucker down, it's GONE!

That's it folks.

ENJOY!

Winter Projects

Well folks, I'm about to do something I rarely do.....  BAKE! Actually, I don't know if this has any baking involved, but it does involve dessert and I NEVER make dessert! I start to feel all "craftsy" at the end of the year and like to give out stuff to my friends.

After MUCH research and deliberation, I've settled on making 3 types of alcohol infused truffles and some orange/peanut bark. Won't you tune in with me while I start out cooking with love and finish full of anxiety and exhaustion?  Okay, that was strong, but I guarantee you it won't go smoothly!

Maybe one of these days I will learn and make something that I've MADE BEFORE so I know what to expect!!

Here's an example of things I've made in times past:

My 1st year I started out without baking and just made color coordinated wine baskets. That was pretty fun!

One time I made chocolate peanut butter mallow bars. Those were a hit :)

One year I made white chocolate dipped cranberry oatmeal cookies:

Here was a fun year. Ever made a candy apple? Yeah, me either. WHOA - That was A LOT of work! But look how cute they turned out:

What things have you made?

VINO 100 - An education and overall good time

This past Sunday I stopped by Vino 100. This place is just a few blocks from my house and everyone knows I LOVE WINE! It's a wonder I hadn't been yet!

Actually, I'll tell you why. As much as I love wine, I'm NOT AN EXPERT. I try to learn as much as I can, but this is one thing I just haven't mastered yet. I sort of feel like you're either a member of some secret Illuminati club with the code words and special movements or you sit in an alley way and drink your wine from a spigot out of a box.

Yeah, this review isn't going where I wanted it to! Hang in there, I have a point!!

Often times I don't go into wine specialty stores because I fear having to interact with wine experts. They can be wordy and condescending, and as much as I try to say and do the right thing, I feel like I come up short. Fortunately for me, I put those feelings aside and took a chance.

What a great store!

I was greeted by a nice younger man. He was knowledgeable about their products without one ounce of condescension. I stayed for nearly 20 minutes asking questions, sampling wines, and BUYING stuff!

I even got a cool new gadget. Since I only have one glass at a time, this leaves about 3/4 of the bottle open. After a couple days of being open and letting air into the bottle, things just aren't as great as when I 1st uncorked it. So, now I have the Vacu Vin Wine Pump Set which keeps wine fresh for up to 14 days! It's a hand-operated pump that extracts oxygen and creates a vacuum, which slows the deteriorization of your wine.

COOL!!

Vino 100 has wine clubs, daily tastings, and events all the time. I'm rallying the troops and SO WANT TO HANG OUT THERE! They've got this cute little tasting room in the back with barstools and a big flat screen TV.

Can you tell I'm thoroughly enamored with them? Check them out and tell me if you love them too!

Pasta Frittata

If you're like me, the idea of eating the same thing over and over isn't that appealing. What's extra hard is trying to make a meal for just one person. When I made my penne pasta with a two tomato sauce, that fed four of us and we STILL had leftovers!

I just love this recipe because it allows me to use my leftovers in a different way. Hopefully you enjoy this as much as I did!



Please click the recipe card below to open in a new window and print:

Parmesan Potato Bites

Funny thing about cooking... You kind of have to be a scrapper. If you're afraid you're going to mess something up and you follow instructions or a recipe too rigidly, boy is cooking gonna be UNfun for you! This may be brought on by my recent experience with needing a melon baller only to find mine had disappeared! Okay, so I did have a *mini* meltdown, but I recovered and found a tiny spoon to use. You could use one of those measuring teaspoons (which I also didn't have!) if you wanted.

I like to think I cook with love, but some days, my cooking skills are leaned upon a bit too heavily for my liking. Like when you work til after dark, go to the gym, barely come home and have time to make dinner for yourself, when you realize you've committed to the office potluck TOMORROW! This is how I always wind up cooking at midnight, I swear!

Today I whipped up a quick recipe to suit our "Finger Foods" theme - and also because I've been forced to only make potato dishes (my specialty) and bring one of the few vegetarian things. I made Parmesan Potato Bites.

Yum! I LOVE POTATOES!

I posted the recipe on Taste Fresno. You can check it out HERE!

Olive Oil Obsessions

I recently made a trip down to We Olive in Fig Garden Village. We Olive is great because they have most of their products out on display to try. For those of you who know me, I'm an antipasto plate LOVER and We Olive holds all the little delicacies I need to display quite a spread!

I'm all about bread and dipping oil and drizzling olive oil over my tomatoes and avocados, etc.

My favorite every day olive oil is a garlic infused olive oil from Consorzio. (You can get a giant bottle at Costco for under $10!!)

For dipping I just tried (and might I add, already finished!!) a bottle of Made In Napa Valley Parmesan and Garlic dipping oil. I actually only used it for dipping bread into it, but you could totally pour this on stuff to! ALL THUMBS UP!

The other olive oil I tried is a lime infused olive oil from Pasolivo. The possibilities are endless for this one! I drizzle it on avocado, add it to guacamole, and add a tad to my tortilla soup. It's just about the most heavenly thing ever. This one is a little pricey at $20 a bottle, but you don't need much and it will go far AND IT'S WORTH IT!

Penne pasta with 2 tomato sauce

Well, last week was hectic, but I managed to squeeze in a quick homemade meal anyways. I hope you find this recipe quick and easy, but with 100 times the flavor of a Ragu night... Let me know!

Please click the recipe card below to open in a new window and print:

Coke Chicken - Episode 1

Well, folks, the time has finally come. My first episode!!!

I hope this is like most shows where the actors grow into the roll, as I feel this is dreadfully embarrassing. I believe a friend referred to it as "authentic"... This I will accept! This is me, in my kitchen, just cooking and rambling and possibly dropping something! Enjoy...

To print a recipe card click below to open the image in a new window:

COMING SOON to a Fresno near you!

I'm SO excited about this site... Check back soon for my 1st cooking show video!

Also, I'd like to give credit where credit is due. This website would have never come to fruition if it weren't for the lovely minds over at Taste Fresno! Shoot, I wouldn't have even THOUGHT of doing something like this without their gentle encouraging. Please go there and check out their recipes, write reviews of where you've been, and even post a recipe if you're so inclined - They've got a great thing going over there!

About Me

Hi Everyone!

I've been struggled as to what to say here. Do you want to know about ME or the food or what I do or what? My name is Marisa, I'm 31 years old, and work full time.

Mostly I'm a nerd. Not the biggest nerd, but I have a great love of computers and gadgets, so as you can imagine, blogging and video taping these episodes is pretty exciting for me! Gives me a reason to talk to everyone about Apple computers, iMovie, and my iPhone. Just a warning, it will be coming up from time to time!

Secondly, I'm a hobbiest, as in, I just can't decide what I'm NOT passionate about. I pretty much love EVERYTHING, except mopping... I do not love mopping. I love animals and writing and reading and yoga and talking and shopping and my TiVo and dabble in all of those OFTEN!  However, somehow and someway, most things tend to revolve around my first love - FOOD! I don't know where the line is between enjoying the act of cooking and mostly just liking to EAT! :)

I have a cute little dog named HarMar which you may see. He doesn't get too far away from me, and even though I NEVER feed him human food, he's an eternal optimist that some yummy vegetable will come bouncing his way! He lives for carrots and potato peels - wild huh?

Actually, it's very important for me that I clarify, I'm not doing this for any sort of notoriety. I've had no formal training. I don't even want to be a professional chef. I get most of my recipes from cooking magazines and friends (which I will give credit to) and just try to modify them to taste how I like. I just don't want anyone to think I'm claiming to be something I'm not. My only hope is to share my passion for cooking with you! I want to help give you a new recipe idea or a time saving tip and maybe a laugh along the way. So, on that note... ENJOY!