Contest Alert: Cake Walk

If you love jewelery and cupcakes, I suggest you head over to Cake Walk. There is a contest for the cutest cupcake earrings:

"So what is the giveaway this week? Kelly, owner of the egyptianruin Etsy shop, is giving away a pair of design-it-yourself cupcake earrings! The winner will get to choose the flavor of both the cupcake and the topping, and all earrings come on sterling silver fish hooks."

Ile De France Cheese: Holiday Bash for Cash

*ETA: Please vote for my entry. The contest ends on December 21st.





Cantaloupe-Goat Cheese Bites

Ile De France Goat Cheese (Original recipe: La Buchette), 6 oz, shredded
3 oz bacon bits
3 oz mixed nuts, chopped
1 lb of cantaloupe chunks

Take out two small bowls. Fill one with 1 1/2 oz chopped nuts. Put the bacon bits and the remaining 1 1/2 oz of chopped nuts in the second bowl. Set aside for the moment.

Now shred the goat cheese in a medium mixing bowl. Cut one end of the package, squeeze gently and press the goat cheese against a grater. Shredding the goat cheese will allow it to stick better to the cantaloupe.

Roll a chunk of cantaloupe in the shredded goat cheese. Repeat for the remaining cantaloupe.

One third of the cantaloupe bites will be served as is. The other two thirds of the goat cheese-cantaloupe chunks will be rolled in the nuts or the bacon-nut mixture.

This appetizer serves 6 to 8 people.

Contest Alert: Cake Walk

If you love food art like I do, head over to Cake Walk for a chance to win a cake postcard. Here are the details:

"To make things even better, TangBaby has offered to give one Cake Slice Postcard away to a lucky blog reader! That's you! For a chance to win, visit TangBaby's store. Then, come back here and leave a comment about your favorite item. (Sorry, open to US residents only.)"

POM Kiwi & POM Nectarine

Lately, I have been craving fruit. Not my usual assortment of bananas & apples, but richer, juicier fruits like kiwi. So I was very excited when I got to try POM Kiwi & POM Nectarine!

Normally I don't care for kiwi or nectarine drinks. Kiwi beverages I tasted in the past had strawberry-watermelon aftertastes. Prior nectarine drinks reminded me of orange hard candy : P The POM juices were a refreshing change from my past negative experiences. POM Kiwi definitely tasted like fresh kiwis, with a slightly tart pomegranate twist. POM Kiwi goes well with simple yet decadent meals, such as a dinner of steak salad & a small slice of cheesecake. POM nectarine had a natural, light flavor that reminded me of fresh squeezed juice from home. I would suggest the POM Kiwi for a Sunday brunch or a bridal shower. It would be delicious by itself or as part of a custom punch.

Try my POM Kiwi & POM Nectarine recipes. They're delicious & easy to make : )

POM Nectarine Cupcakes
1 - 18 oz white box cake mix
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
2 Tbsp honey
2 cups chopped peaches
1/2 cup POM Nectarine
Powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare cake batter according to package directions. Mix in pecans, honey, peaches & POM Nectarine to batter. Spoon cake mix into cupcake tins. Bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown. After cupcakes have cooled, sprinkle with powdered sugar.

POM Kiwi Chicken Salad
For the crust, I used rice flour, sweet potato flakes, butter & POM Nectarine. You'll need to eyeball the amount of POM added to the crust, just as you'd do when using water. I baked the crust for a few minutes at 375 degrees, then allowed it to cool completely. For the filling, I added 1/4 cup POM Kiwi to chilled chicken salad.

Seafood Desserts

I'm in a brainstorming mood. I am trying to think of dessert recipes that involve seafood. Throw ideas at me, please.