Fun Summer Dessert Made With Love

There is nothing better than a fun Summer time dessert like Angel food cake, strawberries, chocolate cream and whipped cream to top it off!

This recipe has been passed down from three generations of baker's in our family. This is a basic recipe but it's a wonderful treat. You must get fresh strawberries, not frozen. The key to this recipe is to make the cake the day before and let it set overnight. It becomes this moist and tender deliciousness that melts in your mouth.

So without further adieu.. I now present to you the recipe for this wonderful dessert!

Summer Angelic Dessert

8-12 freshly made mini angel food cakes( store bought is acceptable as well)

1-2 pkg's of fresh strawberries

2 cups of chocolate cream

1 (Orange, Lemon or Lime)

1 cup of sugar

Whipped topping

Makes 4-6 servings

How To Create The Strawberry Goodness

First you will need a large bowl for the strawberries. Pour them into the bowl and slice the strawberries in half. Cut a few strawberries width-wise so they are flat. Next take 1 cup of sugar and pour it over the strawberries. Then take the citrus of your choice and cut in half. Squeeze the juice over the strawberries and sugar. Fold in the sugar and the juice. Place the strawberries in the refrigerator until the cakes are done.

How To Create The Chocolate Cream

Combine 1/2 cup of Hershey hot cocoa mix and 1 cup of heavy whipping cream and 1/2 cup of sugar in the blender for 30-45 seconds.

How To Create The Whipped Topping

Combine heavy whipping cream and sugar in the blender until you see peaks. If you have never used heavy whipping cream, you can use a tub of Cool Whip topping as a substitute.You will need to leave out to make sure it's soft.

How To Create Your Masterpiece

Start with a sparkling white plate Or plate of your choice). I always think food looks so much better on white plates :-) 

Spoon the chocolate cream onto the plate. This is done in a circling motion as if to decorate. Then stack a few strawberries in a circle in the middle of the plate. The take 2 mini shortcakes and place them at an angle so they are holding each other up. 

Spoon more of the chocolate cream on top of the cakes. Then take some of the remaining strawberries and stack them on top of the cakes as if to make a mountain of deliciousness! Next top with the whipped topping.  

                   

                                                      Voila! You have your tasty treat :-)





Epic Fail AGAIN Jimmy Johns!

This is the continuation of the first blog about Jimmy John's and their service. So you all know that Jimmy John's commented on the first blog. That's a great way to get your customers back in your good graces. Then the Area Manager Gavin gave me a call and once we spoke he has assured me that he would be addressing all of the issues with the store and the employee's.

Once the conversation ended I was happy with the outcome and the credit for a sandwich. That was very thoughtful but not what I was looking for. I want to get what I pay for every time I visit/order from an establishment that provides a service.

So tonight I decide to send in my order like I always do. When I am done ordering, I decide to look up my account history. WOW... It's been deleted! That doesn't make any sense to me... So I get a call from Cameron (The Manager) who says that I do not have a credit on my account and has no idea why I would even have a credit. So I cancelled the order.

I am confused Jimmy John's....  Were the issues addressed with the store, or were you just giving me "Lip Service"? My guess is nothing was addressed and the service/food will continue to be mediocre. That's NO BUENO folks.

My continued search for good customer service seems to elude me when it comes to Jimmy John's in Brownsburg IN....

Memorial Day BBQ & Sammy's birthday!

Today was a day spent with family and good food.  Today was also my son's birthday. 

Kids are so fun to cook for.  They are simple and wonderful at the same time.  You never have to guess what's on their minds when it comes to food. Sammy wanted hot dogs, BBQ chicken and watermelon. 

I spent the day cooking and they spent the day climbing trees and driving the new race car he got for his birthday.  The day ended with a game of football with the next door neighbor and kids. 

These days we concentrate way too much on the big things.  It's time to enjoy the little things.  The three F's... Family, food and fun. :)

A date with the Japanese Steakhouse

Tonight I had a date with the Japanese Steakhouse in Avon. The Owner, Han, is one of the most friendly people on the planet. He greets you as if you are someone he has known his entire life. He is the greeter and the seater.

Once seated you receive a drink, salad and soup. Then once your dinner order is taken your chef comes over to prepare your food on the grill in front of you. It's like having dinner and a show all in one. The chef we had tonight was the total package.

We ordered the Orange Roughy and Salmon. It came with mixed veggies and rice. The food was not average but nothing special. I felt the menu was a bit pricey, but well worth it. The bill was $64 dollars.

On a side note, they offered a plum wine as one of the beverages. It was one of the best glasses of wine I have ever tasted. The wine is made in California but I did not get the name of the winery that produced it.

All in all I would give this restaurant 4 stars.

Cinnamon Rooster is a 5 star Restaurant!

It's breakfast time again. This time my dear friend and I decided on the Cinnamon Rooster. I have been meaning to get over to this place for a couple of years now. I am glad that I insisted on going today.

So we walk in and immediately we were in awe of the "Ambiance" and the wonderful smells coming from the kitchen. We were seated promptly and the coffee soon followed. The service was fantastic! The server kept our coffee mugs full of wonderful hot coffee. If you know me, then you know that is one of my pet peeves. If you can't keep a glass/cup full on my table, then you get no tip.(Just Kidding)

We ordered several different things on the menu. The appetizer was a slice of their "Signature Cinnamon Rolls" $2.99. The slice was large enough for them to cut in half for the two of us to share. For the main course, I ordered "The Utmost". Smoked salmon, cream cheese, red onions and capers on a toasted bagel $7.25. My dear friend ordered "The Pitch Fork"  1/2 an order of biscuits and gravy, 2 eggs and arpotatoes(hash browns) $7.75. We also ordered a "Raspberry White Chocolate Scone" $2.75.

The food was absolutely to die for. It was like a home cooked meal! The biscuits were perfectly done. Lightly browned on the outside and moist on the inside. The cinnamon roll was full of cinnamon in each bite. The scone was full of white chocolate chunks and loads of raspberries. The bagel was toasted to perfection with loads of cream cheese spread across the two halves. The taste was Divine. Like music in your mouth.

They could not have been more perfect! This is a 5 star restaurant!

On a side note....They are a family owned business that has been around for 10 years. The location that we visited is the second of the two locations they have been in. When I asked about the design, I was told that it was a combined family effort. I say "Well Done"! That is an A+ in my book.

You can visit their website at www.cinnamonrooster.com Their menu is listed as well as their hours of operation.

The Lara Bar Challenge

Shopping in the grocery can be very tricky for me at times. I have food allergies and I have to stick to the diet for my blood type. I am not saying that is the case all of the time, but I do try to keep it consistent.

So walking down the Organic isle of the store, I come across these food bars. I am thinking "YUCK" but my friend says "Let's try them." We proceed to buy four different flavors of the food bar.

Priced at 1.00 each on special at Kroger
Key Lime Pie- Very Tasty and true to a key lime flavor.

Cherry Pie- Very dark and intensely flavorful.

Chocolate Chip Cherry Torte- Delicious chocolate cherry flavor.

Apple Pie- Not at all what I expected. The apple flavor is not present like it should be and it's a little bland for my taste.

We tried the bars and me being sceptical I thought I would not like them at all. BUT I love them! My friend however did not enjoy them at all. He said they reminded him of dog food.. I laughed quite loudly at that point but that did not detour me from making my second purchase of the food bars.

This is defiantly something I would promote for anyone who has food allergies or needs a gluten free snack that is decently priced.

Happy Shopping :-)

Emmy's in Avon is the best!

Today my friend and I went to Emmy's. I absolutely love this place because it reminds me so much of home. This restaurant is family owned and one of the best places to eat a good meal.  There are lots of choices on menu and they even have a section for healthy eating.

Today I had the Greek omelet and my friend had the Mexican omelet. They both come with hash browns and a side of toast or pancakes.  You can also go with the healthier choice of fruit as well.  I chose a salad with their cucumber dressing.  The best thing on the planet is the cucumber dressing.

The service is absolutely amazing!  The best part about their friendly servers is that the coffee cups are never empty.  You can always count on a wonderful atmosphere AND even better..... The food!

Emmy's will continue to be my favorite place to eat.

Company Kitchen promotes "fresh food" but they don't provide it

OK this is a touchy subject. The company I work for has what's called a "Company Kitchen". It's the name of the company that supplies our snacks and fresh food items for our location. Needless to say, I have not been impressed with their claim of "Freshness".

Today I decided that fresh grapes and cheese cubes alongside a Greek yogurt would be a nice light dinner. The grapes and cheese cubes $2.29 and the Greek yogurt $1.99 (That's double what you pay in grocery store). I opened up the little plastic container and I ate the cheese cubes and they were great. Next I go for the grapes. I put one in my mouth and it tastes a little funny and I thought they may not have been washed well. So I go for another, the same thing. So I look into the container and I found.... dun dun dun ROTTEN grapes at the bottom of the container!

Horrified at this point, I contact customer service and get the technical support right away. I call back to get customer service and I get voicemail. I left a message, but they still have not returned my phone call. That's not good service!

People who work in customer service like to receive good service. BUT, when they don't it's not a wonderful thing. At this point, they have been blacklisted and I will not waste my money on another ROTTEN grape.... Sorry but that's that in my book.

Jimmy John's has done it again!

What is it about Jimmy Johns that makes me boycott them for life?  Lack of service to the public and the fact that they don't stand behind their food.  It's either take it our leave it. My recent delivery was less then stellar. I usually order the vegetarian sandwich $6.75. I request no lettuce, tomato or mayo.

Well... apparently the staff at that particular location has issues reading food tickets.  Or maybe they just don't care! I called the manager of the site but that was pointless.  They asked me to return the bad sandwich and they would bring a new one.  That's bad service in my book. If this was an isolated incident,  I might be swayed to visit them again.  However,  this was the 5th incident.

So I bid you farewell.... Maybe when your service and quality of food improve I will change my mind and visit you once more. 

Sweetheart Cupcakes in Plainfield

When I woke this morning, I thought it would be a wonderful idea to walk down and try this wonderful cupcake place. 

It just so happens that I live right around corner.  We all know cake is not in my diet but they do have gluten free cupcakes.

As I sit in this beautifully decorated location trying to get pictures of the case of cupcakes,  people are buzzing in and out!  They can't even keep them in the case long enough for me to get a few shots. I adore this little place and I adore the staff.  They are as friendly as Aunt Bea. It seems as if this is the place to be on Saturday morning! 

 

BTW... The taste test was one bite of each cupcake. We all know in order to be healthy one must not over indulge in sweets or sugary snacks. :-)

 

Double Chocolate- This was perfect!  Wasn't overly sweet or dry.

Cherry Cordial- Is exactly what it is. If you have ever eaten a chocolate covered cherry and loved it,  then you will love this!

White Chocolate Raspberry- Sweet and tangy goodness! Something to appreciate daily.  The tangy Raspberry filling was divine!

Peanut Butter Overload- This one was difficult to judge. If you took away the filling,  it would be hard to distinguish this as a peanut butter cupcake. Together... The frosting, cake and filling were a great combo.

Cookies and Cream- This one was too sweet.  The cupcake did not have enough flavor to distinguish what flavor it was.

Vanilla Vanilla- AND it was!  Very vanilla in flavor. This would be a great "everyday" cupcake alongside a great cup of coffee.

Mediterranean Food Anyone?

Mediterranean Pizza was on the list of delivery tonight... I apologize that I could not provide pictures this time. However, I will be eating there again very soon. The two items ordered tonight were the Greek Salad $5.49 and the Garlic bread sticks $3.99.

You all know that bread is not on my list of healthy things to eat, BUT they were calling my name. So... Here is the scoop. You can view the menu online, but you can't order online. I called to order my dinner and the person on the other end was very nice and took my order as if I was in the restaurant. She even offered advice on the salad dressing.

The food came in a timely manner and I was impressed on the size of the salad. Let's just say that it could feed four for dinner. The bread sticks were the tastiest I have had in quite sometime. They come with a home-made garlic dressing that is absolutely to "DIE" for. The salad was the typical Greek salad but "Giant" proportion. Nicely sliced fresh tomato, and tons of Feta Cheese. They spared nothing from this salad.

All I can say is 4 stars to you! Great Service, Great food and at a great price...!

Here is the link for the menu

http://www.medipizza.com/menu.html

Thai Lanna.... Hot enough to burn your tastebuds off!

My dear friend and I decided that we would eat Thai food today..... Great idea I thought.... So we set off to visit Thai Lanna.

The appetizer was soup and egg rolls. The soup was delicious and the rolls were supurb.

The first entree was garlic tofu over cabbage and carrots. The second was a noodle dish.

The garlic sauce was so hot I couldn't even tell what flavor I was tasting over the lava feeling in my mouth.  However, the noodle dish was absolutely to die for.

All in all I would say that with the par service and the hotter than hot tofu I would rate this restaurant a 2.5 star.

The best place to get a Veggie Burger in town. Great service to boot.!

 A very dear friend of mine and I decided to take a trip to the Claddagh's Irish Pub restaurant to see what the "buzz" was all about. When we entered the restaurant, we were immediately greeted and seated by a very nice server named Brittany.

When seated our drinks were promptly served. I have to say that is one of my pet peeves when going out to eat. Being 99% vegetarian, it was not easy to order from this menu. We ordered the Walnut Crusted Goat Cheese Salad over mixed greens, beets & cranberries.  I also added the Veggie Burger spinach, feta cheese, fresh herbs & garlic-lime aioli served on a kaiser roll with lettuce, tomato & onion. Both items were decently priced at $8.99 each.

The service was great and the food was even better. I would give this restaurant 4 stars as they have the entire package. The menu is a little pricey, but all in all  it was defiantly a good choice. 3/01/2013

Follow this link for more information

http://www.urbanspoon.com/rph/40/440561/197876/indianapolis-claddagh-irish-pub-failte-go-claddaugh-photo

 

 

A famous fast food restaurant spoils the dining experience once again!

Driving down main street my stomach starts to growl! Oh No...it's time to eat again. However, finding healthy food in this town is like finding a needle in a haystack. So, I pull through the drive thru since I have to get to work in about an hour. I order the norm.. A chicken quesadilla. Good choice right? Well once again the answer is no.

I proceed to the window and  pay. Then grab the bag to head home. I open the bag and pull out the tasty treat. To my dismay, half of the quesadilla had no cheese, chicken or sauce on it. It was a mess!

SO I called the manager and all they had to say was sorry and you can bring it back for another one. I decided that the few dollars I paid for the blunder was not worth the trip across town to get another. And there you have it folks... My fast food experience that might be the last with Taco Bell.... 4/24/2013