Contest Alert: M. Sartin Design

If you love unique cake toppers, head over to M. Sartin Design. Their current contest is for a cute pair of Margaret and Maurice penguin cake toppers by Lesley Wellington of The Cat's Pajamas

Here are the contest rules:

"Win Margaret & Maurice:
Be sure to check out Lesley's shop to see what she's up to and don't forget to comment below for your chance to win the giveaway. Just tell me the name of your favorite cake topper and be sure to leave me your email address so I know how to find you. Winners will be announced on 10/20/10, so make sure you enter right away.


Extra Entries:
- Follow my blog
- Become a Fan @ www.facebook.com/msartindesign
- Blog about the giveaway and leave the link below
- Sign up for my mailing list
(Please leave one comment for each entry)"

Buca di Beppo: What did *that* mean ?

Today I received this email from Buca di Beppo:

"Your holiday party never tasted so good!

Bring the whole office to Buca for the Holidays

At Buca, our falls are decked with family-style fun, convenience and meatballs. Enjoy authentic Italian cuisine in our group-friendly atmosphere.

Call your local sales manager to make your reservation, visit bucadibeppo.com for a complete listing of locations."

Included in the ad were pictures of the usual office party attendees (the head honcho, the suck up, etc). The full picture is too large to post, so click here to view it. None of those characters bothered me, except this one:



I'm assuming Frosty is supposed to be an older woman with earrings (or a large ear lobe ?), suit & a masculine hat, and not a feminine looking older man. And Frosty certainly isn't dressed like Jack Frost or Frosty the Snowman. So I must ask why she was dubbed Frosty ? Is she frosty for being a career woman, focused only on getting ahead ? A woman leaving a frosty impression for liking to dress masculine ? A lesbian giving the office men the cold shoulder? Someone who is disdainful of the holidays, office parties & giving gifts ?

I have had many fine meals at Buca di Beppo in the past. So I have no issue with their food or service. I'm just bothered by the bizarre, possibly questionable decision to include a woman labeled Frosty in their advertisements. Anyone care to shed light on this mystery ?

Nestle Toll House Mini Morsel Toppers

In my email today was this ad from Nestle Toll House:



...which lead to this product page:



Premier White Mini Morsel Toppers
"These rich and creamy vanilla-flavored toppers are a delicious addition to a variety of mouth-watering recipes. NESTLÉ TOLL HOUSE Premier White Mini Morsel Toppers are a great addition to your cakes, cupcakes, ice cream and even pancakes. Shake on the Fun!"



Sweet Mini Morsel Toppers
"Made from real semi-sweet chocolate, these toppers are a delicious addition to a variety of mouth-watering recipes. Our NESTLÉ TOLL HOUSE Semi-Sweet Mini Morsel Toppers are a great addition to your cakes, cupcakes, ice cream and even pancakes. Shake on the Fun!"

If you have a sweet tooth like mine, you probably thought "CHOCOLATE CHIPS IN A PORTABLE CONTAINER ?! DO NOT TOY WITH MY HEART, NESTLE." The rest of you are no doubt thinking "Okay. Chocolate chips. In a cup instead of a bag. Can't you just buy some Tupperware for your chocolate ?" Allow me to explain: What would happen if you brought out a bag of regular sized chocolate chips & snacked on a few of them ? Somebody would say "Umm, what are you doing ? Shouldn't you bake cookies with those ? Or put them into trail mix ?" But what if you instead take out those same chocolate chips, albeit in a smaller size, & in the new Nestle container ? You'll probably hear "Oooh, gimme a handful!"

Mini chocolate chips in a closeable container are more socially acceptable in the same sense as one taking 2+ cake slices & nobody batting an eye, but more than one cupcake is considered eating too much ; ) That's my logic today and I'm sticking to it.

Godiva Ice Cream Parlor Truffle Bars

I saw these chocolates in the Godiva e-newsletter today. I would step on someone for truffle bars. Shopping trip, anyone ?



NEW Ice Cream Parlor Truffle Bar Collection

Our Chef Chocolatiers have combined ice cream favorites with rich Godiva chocolate to create the quintessential summer chocolate bars. Our 6-bar assortment includes two Vanilla Sundae in Dark Chocolate, two Hazelnut Gelato in Milk Chocolate, one Mint Chocolate Chip in Dark Chocolate, and one Oranges & Cream in White Chocolate. 6 bars (8.4 oz.)

Spicy Etorki Pizza

*Update: Please vote for my entry in the Ile De France Springlicious Recipe Contest.
**Update #2: Thank you to Robert, Jamie & David for posting my entry on your respective Twitters and FB. Love you guys X D
**Update #3: Shout out to Simon & Jennifer for posting the link on Friendster



One thing I've always enjoyed eating is cheese. After all, nothing is more relaxing & fun than sipping wine & tasting new cheeses with friends. I was really happy when Ile De France sent Etorki sheep's milk cheese to me this month.

Etorki was the first sheep's milk cheese I have ever tasted. The cheese has a soft, smooth feel, with a delicious taste similar to white cheddar. When melted, the Etorki takes on a mellow flavor reminiscent of mozzarella and Parmesan combined. I knew from the first bite that this sophisticated, flavorful cheese would work perfectly with spicy foods.

That is why I decided to bake Spicy Etorki Pizza. The flavors of the Etorki cheese and the spicy adobo sauce balance each other well.

Spicy Etorki Pizza

Two 8 oz packages of crescent rolls
2 2/3 cups Etorki sheep's milk cheese, shredded
One 8 oz can of adobo sauce with whole peppers
6 deli slices of oven roasted, cured turkey breast
1/4 cups frozen white onions
1/3 cup frozen yellow corn
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp thyme
2 Tbsp frozen green pepper
Baking spray

Preheat oven to 365 degrees.

In a small microwavable bowl, mix the corn, onions, green peppers, salt, pepper & thyme. Microwave on high for 2 minutes. Set aside.

Put the adobo sauce with whole peppers in a blender or food processor. Blend for 10-12 seconds until peppers are integrated with the sauce. Set aside.

Cover a large baking sheet with a layer of aluminum foil. Give the foil a quick spritz of baking spray.

Remove crescent roll dough from packages. Roll out over the aluminum foil lined tray.

Spread the adobo sauce over the crescent roll dough.

Next, sprinkle 1 1/3 cups Etorki sheep's milk cheese over the sauce layer.

Six overlapping slices of deli turkey go over the Etorki.

Now add another 1 1/3 cups Etorki sheep's milk cheese.

The final layer is the corn, green pepper & onion mixture.

Bake at 365 for 25-30 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the crust is golden brown.

Serve immediately.