Junior League of Annapolis, Inc Cookbooks!

I love these cookbooks! Not only do these books help fund the Junior League of Annapolis, Inc and all the projects that we do in the community, they are simply just fabulous cookbooks!

Last night we had our committee meeting at my home (I'm co-chairing the cookbook committee the ever-so-wonderful Colleen Wood) Well, we only serve food from the cookbook at our meetings. I have to RAVE about these amazing recipes!

From Of Tide and Thyme:

Pg. 37 Pineapple Cheese Ball

SUPER EASY! I hollowed out a whole pineapple and filled it with the cheese mixture. It was beautiful!

Pg. 336 Fresh Strawberry Pie

Another very easy dish! I forgot to serve it at the meeting, but my daughter brought it to summer camp the next day to give to her teachers; they LOVED it! The pie was so easy to make, but looked like I had worked all day on it. It was so beautiful!

a Thyme to Entertain:

Pg. 77 Jalepeno Cheese Squares

This cooked beautifully. The dish is colorful and light. It has a rich flavor without the heavy feel and can be served either hot or cold. Its great for breakfast too!

Pg. 77 Sweet Vegetable Dip

I think this was my favorite dish of the evening. This is a gorgeous dip that speaks for itself. Its tangy but sweet and brings a pop of color to the table! I suggest serving this in a nice bowl as a centerpiece. Its a real crowd pleaser!

Pg. 79 Cilantro Chicken Sandwiches

Another great hit! The cilantro dressing was just right! I made a few adjustments, added swiss cheese and seasoned the grilled chicken to bring out a little fire! The sandwiches were hearty and full of color. It looked delicious and when you bit into it, you definitely weren't disappointed!

Click on the Title above to go to the JLA website to order your book! These are a MUST have for every chef, and even if you don't cook they are beautiful books that will give you insight to the life and culture of Annapolis!

Recharing my batteries

We're at our beach house in Delaware this weekend. Its been too long since we've been here and I was very much looking forward to the "down time". The drive was pretty easy, we made it here in about 2 hours, not counting our stop for lunch at this great little Mexican place where I seriously had the best chimichanga outside of Mexico!

Yesterday afternoon, we went to the pool and I quickly learned that taking two children under the age of five to the pool by myself is not really something that I would like to do again in the near future. Marissa has always been my cautious child; she's not a big risk taker and she tends to be more timid of her physical abilities. Chrisitan, however, is a different story! Within two minutes upon our arrival at the pool, I watched in disbelief as my 20 month old son JUMPED into the pool! Thankfully, I was right there! We played for a while until the kids had their fill of pool fun and we headed back to the house for snacks and quiet time (wishful thinking!)

Today has been more laid back, the kids and I did a little shopping while Marty "worked" on his car. Is that what men say they are doing when they just want to admire their toys? When we returned to the house, Marty was applying a final coat of wax on his convertable and going over every inch inspecting its perfection! :::: rolls eyes ::::

Marty decided to take Marissa to the pool this afternoon while Christian and I settled into a FOUR HOUR NAP! I am not generally a "napper", but I must say, that was just what the doctor ordered! I feel so refreshed and relaxed. Its probably not how most people would choose to spend their time on a beautiful sunny day at the beach, but I definitely feel great!

So now that my batteries are recharged, I wonder what's on the agenda for this evening...