Iron Chef Miami: December 2009

It's that time again...and THIS time, our little Iron Chef group was having a PARTY!!! It IS the holidays, after all, and our theme WAS chocolate...and you know what they say:

Woman cannot live on chocolate alone.

Although we beg to differ, we did decide to have some party food at our December Iron Chef competition.

(Beware that Buffalo Cheese dip in front...it is SERIOUSLY addicting)


We love talking and chatting together...its what makes Iron Chef fun. Below are Melodee, Valeria, newcomer Giselle, Tina, and newcomer Bobbi!!

The chocolate contestants looked AWESOME...

Oh my!! This is going to be a HARD competition!!

Heidi brought delicious brownies....

And I made Peppermint Bark...

Melodee made this fabulous chocolate cake...so moist!!

Valeria made delectable little bon-bons!

Giselle made chocolate-dipped Key Lime Pie!! How very Floridian!!!

Tina made two entries...this luscious chocolate ganache torte with raspberry sauce (which actually won first prize)...

And this creamy chocolate mousse dip with strawberries...

Let the judging begin!!!!

Tina won, but she has won before...so she conceded to second place Valeria for her bon-bons!!! Congratulations Valeria!!!!

After stuffing ourselves with chocolate...we had a White Elephant Gift Exchange. It was so much fun!!! I won a frame and a lava lava!! HURRAY!!!

I LOVE Iron Chef. It is SO MUCH FUN!! You can click on the links to get the recipes...hope you enjoy as much as we did!!

Stay tuned for January...where the theme is "cheese".

Iron Chef Miami: October 2009

So, a couple weeks ago, three of my girlfriends and myself were lounging around a pool...

...isn't that a GREAT way to start a story? Don't you wish you were lounging around a pool?

I suppose I shouldn't admit that that was our occupation for the day..."pool loungers". After all...I work very hard to dispel the "housewife" myth of lazy ladies who hang out in yoga pants all day and play on Facebook and have housekeepers and nanny's that do any actual "housewife" stuff. That's why I prefer terms like "homemaker"...

or better yet..."domestic goddess"...

...of course, there isn't another activity that is more "goddess-like" than lounging around a pool with your girlfriends, sipping lemonade and eating fresh-cut fruit...

...but still...

ANYWAY...we were lounging and chatting and LAUGHING (which is my favorite part)...and talking about how we needed more stuff to do (yah right)...and we came up with this GREAT idea to host our own Iron Chef competition...

...we'd invite a few other choice ladies and have a monthly mini cook-off on the second Monday of every month, and choose a secret ingredient to "star" ...something easy and accessible to make great...

So today was our FIRST EVER Iron Chef Miami competition...and the secret ingredient was "tomatoes". We had GREAT entries...and after tasting some delicious entries, we voted, and crowned Tina Fabiano as our Iron Chef for October!! She won with her Capellini Caprese!! It was AWESOME!!

Here are some pictures of our AWESOME afternoon...just so you know, from now on, I'll post all the recipes from Iron Chef on the Jungle Food Chain part of my blog...the recipes from today are on there now!!

Doesn't everything look delicious?

This is Crock pot Chicken Tortilla Soup by Melodee Cooper. We topped it with tortilla strips, fresh cilantro, and pepper jack cheese. Best of all...it was a Weight Watchers recipe!!

This is Tina Fabiano's entry, Capellini Caprese. She puts capers in it...which makes it amazing.

Heidi Tyler made Fresh Herb-Tomato Crostini. So good...I ate four...

These are the Grilled Cheese Croutons for MY entry...Roasted Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese Croutons...which I got from a recipe I found in Family Fun magazine a few months ago. It is WAY delish!!

After we ate, we graded each entry on Taste, Presentation, and Originality. The points were tallied, and the winner was...drum roll, please...TINA FABIANO!!! Hurray!!!

Next month, I play hostess and hold Iron Chef at my house...

The next secret ingredient is "pumpkin"...and I can't WAIT to see what these ladies turn out...

I love being a goddess...

The Best Thing

The best thing about having a husband that works at the DELICIOUS Grand Lux Cafe are the perks....


Like when he calls and says he's on the way home, and I say: "What'cha bringing?" and he shows up with THIS...



Yummy Crispy Caramel Chicken...spicy, yummy, late-night heaven...


He just wants to come home and chill in front of Sports Center for an hour...or two (depending on the day).

(Notice the messy mix of toys, shoes, and ironing that he's oblivious to as he gazes into the world of testosterone-fueled glory)

And even after my most noble attempts, I can't finish it because there is SO MUCH FOOD...but don't worry - it heats great for breakfast, too!!