Wine A Little

Let's talk wine. It's Halloween so as adults we enjoy a different kind of treat.

Wine is a great accent to any types of food. As I've made very obvious already, Italian really goes well with wine but what is the cool thing about wine is you don't have to drink it to enjoy it when it comes to food and meals!

Have you ever considered just using wine as a decorative piece for your meals? Well here are a few ways to use wine as decorative pieces this Halloween. All you will need is orange, green and white acrylic paint, a sharpie and if you want to go detail crazy maybe a few basic colored paint pins.

           

                            Source: endlesslycreatingmyself.com via Heather on Pinterest    Source: womansday.com via Danielle on Pinterest

The color of wine bottles varies depending on what type of wine you are selecting. No worries. There is an idea for each colored bottle. If you have a green colored bottle, go for a pumpkin, witch, zombie, spider web, goblin, anything can really go on a green bottle. 

What is really depends on the bottle color is doing a ghost. I personally think that the ghosts and pumpkins are some of the cutest wine decorations because you can do so many different faces with each bottle. 

If you want to be even more detailed specific, then try one of these type of wine bottle decorations. 

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For those of you out there who enjoy a good graphic creativity, slap a new label on each wine bottle. Again the type of wine should influence your creative names on this type of decoration. Maybe in your mind a bottle of Pino Grigo as rat's blood makes sense but I tend to stay a little closer to the belt. 

If it helps your creativity, why not enjoy a little glass while creating these fun decorations. 

Bon Appetite!

                                                          

The Classic Mix Up

The Classic. Everyone’s childhood favorite meal, or at least for those of us who are normal, was the grilled cheese. Whether you got this child delicacy at home or at your favorite lunch spot, grilled cheese is something that brings everyone back to the good ole’ days.

Slap a buttered piece of bread on a skillet, add plenty of cheese and finish by topping the sandwich off the other piece of buttered bread and let the goodness melt and warm as it all comes together and the buttery warm smells and feelings fill the kitchen air.

Here is the problem: as we grow older and into adults our taste buds change. The good thing is that they hardly change from our love of butter and cheese. Here is the kicker… and adult grilled cheese! There are so many different combinations that we as adults can add to boost those new taste buds into overdrive with The Classic.

I’ve come up with three unique and yet tasteful additions to the epic grilled cheese sandwich. I’ve got one for spice, one for flavor and one for meat lovers.

Spice it up. Secret ingredient in this mix up is green chilies. If you really want to branch out and spice up the entire sandwich change the cheese. If you stray away from the classic yellow American cheese, to a more sophisticated type cheese such as Monterey Jack, the spice level with the green chilies really wakes up your senses.

One for flavor? Adding fresh avocado slices are the key. If you really want to be bold add some bacon and tomatoes to make a grilled BLT. You can also change the cheese on this sandwich to make it swiss or provolone.

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For the people who are meat lovers you can pretty much add any type of meats you prefer to make this a protein filled grilled cheese. I’ve been known to make one grilled cheese with turkey, pastrami and bacon.

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There are a lot of different combinations you can make with grilled cheese sandwiches. You just have to be creative and bold enough to try out new flavors!

Bon Appetite!

For the Love of Pasta

I feel like it has become pretty obvious that I like Italian food, especially because it involves pasta in almost every dish. I have always grown up eating pasta, so naturally I crave it. Not only do I crave Italian food, but experimenting with all of the different cooking possibilities is a chef's paradise. There are so many spices, types of noodles and sauce combinations that you can create. 

One of my favorite combinations I have ever created is spinach fettucini alfredo with Monterey grilled chicken. This is an easy, affordable and still delicious recipe anyone could whip up in your kitchen. 

The key to making this recipe is in the alfredo sauce and in the seasoning for the chicken.

While the water is boiling for the spinach noodles, it is time to prepare the chicken. When you buy boneless and skinless breasts at the grocery store, it is still important to clean up the chicken. In order to do this simply cut off any excess fat. Next you want to butterfly the breast. By doing this it is going to thin out the meat that helps it not only cook faster but more evenly. When cutting up chicken for a pasta butterflying is a good idea because it makes each slice thiner and allows for more slices all together. 

Here comes the seasoning. Cover the chicken in olive oil. Next salt and pepper both sides of the breast thoroughly. Finally cover both sides of the breast with Monterey Grilled Seasoning (my suggestions is McCormick's seasonings). Put the breasts on the grill on medium heat. 

After the pasta has been cooked completely, strain noodles to remove water. While the noodles start to cool off, we can start the best part, the sauce. Pour all of the sauce in a medium sized pan. Add a dash of salt and pepper. The part that makes this sauce so amazing is when you add red pepper flakes. Now in my personal opinion, I love spice so I added a significant amount of flakes to the sauce. Stir until warm.

Mix all of this together and your ready to go. 

Bon Appetite! 

Fried Fair

One of my favorite things about October is how the Texas State Fair is finally open for the year.  From the fried food, fun games and ridiculous rides, the fair is an annual must. Being from Dallas, Texas, the State Fair is just simply a must during the Fall season. Since I have lived in Norman, I always make sure I get to go to the fair at some point. 

One more thing that makes October so great is the annual Red River Rivalry between Oklahoma and Texas football teams. What makes this rivalry even better is the fact it takes place in Dallas's very own Cotton Bowl located smack dab in the middle of the Texas State Fair grounds! So this crazy weekend in Dallas combines my love for football with all of the fun classics of the fair. 

This past Saturday I finally got to experience this wonderful combination. Even though there were many highlights from this weekend, something this fair is known for across the nation is and always will be the bazar, fried foods it creates year after year.  

The most important treat and one that I always make sure I get before leaving is the classic Fletcher's corny dog. The line at this stand is a constant flow of people, both children and adults flock to this stand just so they can taste the epic corn dog. I'm not sure if they put something in the batter that makes the meal so addictive but you often find people who go back for seconds throughout their time at the fair.  

Aside from the classic corny dog, the fair also tends to stretch the imagination of those willing to taste the bazar. This year a new addition to the fried family was fried bacon. Unfortunately I missed the stand that was selling these or else I would have taken one for the "Add A Little Spice" team and tried this strange and unhealthy concoction. 

If ever in Dallas during the state fair, I really suggest that everyone stop by and get the full experience of the fair by tasting all of the wonderful Texas sized and Texas style foods.

Bon Appetite!

Bagel in the Morning, Bagel in the Evening

Three letters: OSB. These three letters mean a lot to cheap college students looking to score a delicious breakfast, lunch, or snack. Old School Bagel Cafe is the place to go for your bagel cravings, and boy do they have the variety that will make anyone addicted. 

Maybe you are new to the whole bagel scene and if that is the case, then there is a perfectly simple order to go to as well. Pick any flavor of bagel and ask for cream cheese, simple yet delightful.

For those who are interested in getting breakfast, why not try my personal favorite the Breakfast Bagel on asiago bagel with sausage, egg and cheese. With the warm combination of egg and cheese and the crunch of the toasted asiago cheese bagel, your mouth will be sure to start drooling instantaneously. 

Now for those who want to try OSB later in the day, I recommend my second favorite bagel the Pepperoni Pizza Bagel. As far as the type of bagel to choose for the pizza, I always just go simple with the original bagel. Cutting the bagel horizontally, this allows you to have two small single sized pizzas. If this is just a mid day snack, it is perfect to split but many people have a big appetite during lunch and would prefer to scarf this down solo. I have a habit of scarfing down both.

If the pizza bagel sounds too heavy for your lunch schedule, then why not try a classic OSB sandwich. The Classic is again your choice of bagel but with the benefits of turkey, ham or pastrami, lettuce and tomato.

If you are on the run and can’t stay to enjoy the modern relaxed atmosphere then Old School Bagel Café allows you to grab and go with their carry out option.

Want to stock up for the week? Order all of your favorites, box them up and head home to share with the rest of our household.

OSB offers college students, young professionals, and everyone else an affordable delicious option to sandwiches. As a chain throughout Oklahoma, it has easily become quite a craving among the young college students and one that I will miss when I move away.

Bon Appetite!