His request

Every summer I have heard this comment: "When you get some zucchini you need to make some of that chocolate bread." Yes. This is Grumpy's favorite quick bread.



I found this recipe on allrecipes.com way back in 2005 when we had our first garden with a ton of zucchini. I made it as written the first time and used mini chocolate chips but Grumpy is a big fan of white chocolate so the next time I made it I used white chocolate instead. That is when it became his favorite.

When mom gave me some of their first zucchini the other night I knew the first thing I would do would be to make Grumpy of of this bread. The recipe makes 2 loaves - so I made one big loaf and two mini loaves. Today he is going to drop one of each mini loaves off to his dad and to his mom.


Grumpy's mom has been enjoying homemade treats. I love the look on her face when she sees that we have brought her a goodie! lol. BTW, she is doing really well. I doubt she will be going back to work but over the last few months she has recuperated quite well from her strokes!

If you would like to make this recipe you can find it by clicking HERE. I suggest you don't change a thing unless you want to mix up the chips going in. I think cinnamon chips would work really well too as the recipe does also include cinnamon. :-)
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Is it all about Grumpy?

The winner of the Pillsbury Simply Cookies giveaway is: Maybelle's Mom of Feeding Maybelle! Congrats!

Some of you may think it is! I have to admit, my world does revolve around him. Isn't that the way it is supposed to be when your in love? lol. I know that is how it is with my mom and dad! In all honesty, and those who have been reading here for awhile know, my world revolves around all of those I love. I am very lucky to have so many special people in my life!

So yeah, most of the time, it is all about Grumpy. I think he kind of likes all the attention too. Even though he would never admit it.

Chris did get to enjoy some of this cheesy garlic bread too. All either one of my boys has to do is ask and they shall receive (as long as mom has the means and they are being reasonable!). Yeah, so its all about those boys of mine too. Of the three of us who had some of this cheesy garlic bread there isn't one who didn't love it. If you make the Italian Bread or if you just go out and buy some, this cheesy garlic bread is worth making to go with your next meal. Whether it be Chicken Penne Prima Vera or Grilled Shrimp (of course two things I had some of that cheesy garlic bread with!).

HoneyB's Cheesy Garlic Bread

1 loaf Italian bread
4 Tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 Tablespoon refrigerated minced garlic
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (I use a micro plane zester. If you don't use this, you may want to adjust the amount of cheese.)
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
oregano

Slice loaf of bread in half lengthwise. Mix garlic into softened butter. Spread evenly on both sides of bread slices. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, then sprinkle with mozzarella and oregano. Bake in 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes. Turn to broil and broil until cheese just begins to brown. Cool slightly, slice & enjoy!
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Keeping Grumpy Happy

These loaves of bread put a smile on my Grumpy's face. You see, we have been watching what we eat and Grumpy has been doing a great job of it - and it is showing! There isn't much in the house to just grab anymore though - not even bread! So, when I knew I was going to make my Chicken Penne Prima Vera, I knew I would need something bready to go with.

Sometimes I get the bread baking bug and nothing can cure it except to bake some bread! Fortunately we were home all day on Sunday and I was able to cure my need to bake! However, I am also lazy when it comes to bread making (did I just say that?!) and I did not want to be stirring and kneading by hand. Ahem, after all, I did just have surgery not that long ago and I really didn't "knead" to be doing all that arm work, right? ha ha. In any case, I hate stirring and kneading bread. Yes, I am one of the few who does not get pleasure from it. So, I went on a search on allrecipes.com and came across a recipe for Italian Bread using a bread machine. Perfect!


Then, as I am just beginning to mix my bread, something funky goes on with my old machine. Yes, it is old. Which is why I only use it to mix and never bake. It started to smoke. I have a feeling I won't be using this machine anymore and will be on the hunt for a new one. I still was able to finish my recipe and it turned out wonderfully!

I am pretty proud of this Italian loaf. My very first one. I think I should have cut the slice just a little deeper into the loaf but still it tasted awesome! To view the recipe I used you can CLICK HERE. Come back tomorrow for the garlic bread recipe!
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Made with Love Giveaway.....week 4

Week 3 winners are:
Jamie of Mom's Cooking Club and
Kaitlin of Kait's Plate
Congratulations!

This is the 4th week of our Made with Love giveaway. I have to admit, I have never been more pleased with a product as I am with this one - and I will continue to purchase these spice blends as they are absolutely the best I have come across in such a long time! Our very favorite at the moment is the Red Pepper Spice Blend, however this chicken pasta dish gives it a good running with the Prima Vera Spice Blend!

For the last few weeks, Val of More than Burnt Toast and myself have been cooking away with the spice blends. So far Val has made Creamy Asparagus Soup with a Touch of Dill made with the Daring Dill Spice Blend and Mediterranean Pasta Salad with Ricotta and Feta made with their Pesto Garlic Spice Blend and last week I made a Barbequed Shrimp made with the Red Pepper Spice Blend.


This week, using the Prima Vera Spice Blend I put together a Chicken Pasta Prima Vera - and it was VERY GRUMPY FRIENDLY. Yes, he gave another meal made with the spice blends two thumbs up!

Chicken Penne Prima Vera

2 lb. boneless skinless chicken tenders
1 red pepper, sliced
1 yellow pepper, sliced
1 orange pepper, sliced
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1-1/2 jars spaghetti sauce
salt
pepper
3 Tablespoons Prima Vera Spice Blend
4-1/2 cups uncooked penne pasta

Saute chicken tenders in hot oil with salt and pepper until browned on both sides. Add peppers and saute about 2 minutes. Add spaghetti sauce and Prima Vera Spice Blend. Cover and simmer about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to directions on box. Scoop pasta from water and add to chicken mixture. You may want to add a few scoops of hot water to the mix to thing the sauce out some as while it simmers, it will thicken.

Serve with freshly grated Parmesan and cheesy garlic bread :-)


To win:

1) Visit their web site http://www.madewithlove.ca/ and find "The Long Tall Laugh".

2) Leave a comment at madewithlovecontest(AT)gmail(DOT)com where you found the image/photo"The Long Tall Laugh". Please let us know your blog URL so that we can post the names of the winners on our sites with a link back to you!!!

3) You will be automatically entered to win an Earth-friendly Gift Set Couplet of Prima Vera & Garden Curry Regular-size SpiceBlends worth $40

4) Visit either Val at More Than Burnt Toast or here at The Life and Love's of Grumpy's Honeybunch at the beginning of each week for a delicious recipe and a new chance to win!!!

5) The lucky winners who receive their Spice Blends will create a recipe using their products, blog about it with a link to http://www.madewithlove.ca/ . All of the recipe creations will be posted as a roundup on More Than Burnt Toast and here on The Life and Loves of Grumpy's Honeybunch. Your recipe may even be on the Made with Love website!!!!
Description of the spices you can win:

Prima Vera Spice Blend

The Prima Vera is a wonderful blend of sun dried tomato, sweet pepper and Italian herbs and spices. Try this blend for creamy, red or clear pasta sauces, in creamcheese on a bagel it is heavenly and as a spanish-style rice side dish

INGREDIENTS: dried vegetables (tomatoes, peppers, onions) herbs, spices, & sea salt.

Garden Curry Spice Blend

Our Garden Curry blend is a mild curry blend with a mix of garden vegetables. One of our most popular Spice Blends, Garden Curry appeals to all taste buds, even many who think they dislike curries. In creamcheese, pasta or yogurt dip it creates a mild, rich and flavourful sunshine cream!

INGREDIENTS: herbs & spices, dried carrots, onions, peppers, leeks, cabbage, unbleached raw turbinado sugar & natural sea salt. With tumeric - a powerful source of antioxidants.

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Family Recipes - extension and reminder

Ducks on the Dock @ Cape Vincent

I wasn't a very good host this month for Family Recipes. Life really got in the way for me with all the stuff that happened here. Today is supposed to be the deadline but I am extending the deadline to July 31 at midnight. So please, send me your submissions by then if you would like to be included :-)

I'm sure my regular readers have noticed that I am not posting as much. Mainly because I'm not cooking or baking as much right now. Grumpy and I are really behaving ourselves and not eating a lot of baked goods and heavy meals. Its paying off better for Grumpy than it is for me. Isn't that always the way the cookie crumbles? he he. It is all in preparation for our cruise, which is now happening in just a few weeks! Yay!

Since it seems strange for me to post without some photos I will leave you with some of the beauty of the 1000 Islands where our family (Grumpy's side) spent some time together last weekend.

just a few places I think are really cool to see.....

these photos (above) are in Clayton, NY....

if you click this photo it gets bigger and you can see that there are a page full of windmills on the land....

the ferry at Cape Vincent

my BIL Scott and myself

Grumpy said I couldn't post this but I'm the "boss" of this ole blog and I put it up anyway. We will see if he even notices I posted it....ha ha.
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Who wants cookies? A giveaway!

I want to start my post today by wishing my SIL Heidi a very happy birthday! I hope you enjoy your day with your family and know I am thinking of you! HUGS!

When MyBlogSpark asked me if I would be interested in trying the new Pillsbury Simply Cookies, of course I said yes!! Who doesn't like cookies! I picked up the peanut butter cookies, baked them up and brought them to work for people to try. These cookies are thick and chewy (all I did was place them on the cookie sheet, no rolling in sugar and pressing with a fork) and they are pretty tasty! The new cookies come in two favorite flavors, Chocolate Chip and Peanut Butter. They are made with wholesome ingredients like flour, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla and have zero grams trans fat, no high fructose corn syrup, no artificial colors or flavors and no preservatives. The cookies are ready to bake so there is no messy preparation, and they are ready in minutes!

Thanks to MyBlogSpark you can click this link to get a $1.25 off the purchase of these cookies!


You also have an opportunity to win the prize pack pictured above, along with a coupon for a free sample of the cookies. To enter to win, all you need to do is:

• leave me a comment and tell me what it is you do to simplify meals when you are busy

• Earn another additional entry by linking back to this giveaway on your blog, and leaving a comment letting me know.

• Earn one more entry by mentioning the giveaway on Twitter and leaving a comment letting me know.

Entries will be accepted until Midnight, July 27, 2009. Good luck!

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Made with Love Giveaway.....week 3

The winners from Week 2 giveaway are:

Deeba of Passionate About Baking

Niki Theo of It's All About the Sweet Stuff

I received my Made with Love spice blends....and have been using them ever since. The first thing I made was the shrimp pictured here. I fell in love. So much so, we had to have this grilled shrimp two nights in a row. This is week 3 of the Made with Love Giveaway that I am co-hosting with Val of More than Burnt Toast. If you haven't entered yet, then you need to do so this week!!

When Val told me how good these spice blends were I took her word for it. Then after trying them myself, I know her word is more than true! They are so fabulous that even Grumpy took it upon himself to use the marinade on some venison steaks! Yes, Grumpy who never cooks, marinated meat for dinner before I even got home from work. That is saying a lot for this product! So far I have tried 4 of the different blends and have been happy with all my results!


If you are looking for quick and easy, you will have it. All you need to do is make sure you have some marinade made ahead of time (It takes a couple of hours for the spice blends to meld). The recipe for the marinade came right off the back of the Red Pepper Spice Blend. :-) I marinaded the shrimp for about 20 minutes then grilled to perfection. I even loved the marinade so much that I dipped the cooked shrimp in more of it as I was eating. Yummy!

Made with Love Red Pepper Spice Blend Marinade

2 Tablespoons MWL Red Pepper Spice Blend
3/4 cup Olive Oil
1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar

Blend all ingredients together well. Let sit for at least two hours for flavors to blend. Marinade shrimp up to 10-20 minutes then grill on medium heat until pink. Enjoy with a side of marinade if you wish!

To win:

1) Visit their web site http://www.madewithlove.ca/ and find the image/photo "The Silver Hug" for this weeks entry and enter to win.

2) Leave a comment at madewithlovecontest(AT)gmail(DOT)com where you found the image/photo"The Silver Hug". Please let us know your blog URL so that we can post the names of the winners on our sites with a link back to you!!!

3) You will be automatically entered to win two Earth-friendly Gift Set Couplets of Crimson Love & Pesto Garlic Medi-size SpiceBlends worth $50. One for You and One for a Friend!

4) Visit either Val at More Than Burnt Toast or here at The Life and Love's of Grumpy's Honeybunch at the beginning of each week for a delicious recipe and a new chance to win!!!

5) The lucky winners who receive their Spice Blends will create a recipe using their products, blog about it with a link to http://www.madewithlove.ca/ . All of the recipe creations will be posted as a roundup on More Than Burnt Toast and here on The Life and Loves of Grumpy's Honeybunch. Your recipe may even be on the Made with Love website!!!!

Good luck!

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I'm a good girl!

Don't listen to Grumpy. He lies like a rug. ;-) and he will tell you I'm a bad girl. But I'm here to tell you that he doesn't know what he's talking about. If you happen to be a friend on my facebook account, you will see Grumpy chime in about food I've made, about quizzes I take, comments I make.....and it is most always in tune with his Grumpy character!


I kinda got a chewing out for making these today. Yesterday I made my the bombshell brownies at my In-Laws house but I left them there of course. Then today, I was looking at my friend Val's blog and I remembered I had bookmarked her Salted Caramel Brownies she blogged about. It has been a long time since I've used my grey sea salts. I wanted to make more brownies. I didn't have to eat them. But I did eat one. That's why I'm a good girl. 'Cause I'm not going to eat anymore today.

I'm not too good at candy making. I've told you that before. After I read the recipe and had already started the brownie batter I realized I didn't read that the caramel sauce had to be made before the brownies were mixed up. I'm still a good girl. I just didn't read the whole recipe. :-p

In any case, I'm proud that I salvaged the caramel sauce and the brownies turned out perfect! Thanks Val for making these and bringing them to my attention! I think though I can't make any more brownies for a while. If you want to make these too, please go check out Val's post on her blog. I think you should go anyway. ;-)
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It isn't a birthday gathering if there aren't funny faces

My boys, the perpetual jokers. As I sit here putting this together I am thinking I should have made a face along with them, but of course, me, miss prim and proper doesn't even like the photo of herself as is. If I had made a face, I probably wouldn't have put it up at all!


We celebrated Justin's birthday last night with a BBQ. He requested Fireman's Field Chicken & Salt potatoes. I made a salad to go with and for dessert he requested Coconut Cream Pie.

Last night Kristina told me she went back to my blog yesterday afternoon because she expected more from me with it being Justin's birthday. Well, last year I wished him happy birthday with a progression of photos. You can see that post by clicking HERE. I decided this year I would wait until we celebrated and I would post photos from that celebration. ;-)

Yeah, yeah, I know, I actually put the dessert photos up first....but those silly faces, I just wanted them to be the first thing you would see. ;-)

My birthday boy, all grown up and 24 years old. I loved him in every stage. I loved him when he was growing inside me, I loved him when he was stubborn and came 10 days late. I even loved him when he gave me a hard time coming into the world .... for 36 hours. The Dr even decided that to get him here he had to do a c-section! I loved him when he would keep his daddy and me up in the night wanting to play instead of sleep. I loved him when he sucked his little thumb....omg that was so cute. lol. I loved him when he wanted to hold the fuzzy blanket under his nose. I loved him when he would put his daddy's boots and hats on (and he was so tiny!) and play around like he was daddy. I loved him when he would come home from kindergarten and patiently answer all my questions about what his day was like, even right down to what he at for lunch. I loved him as he grew up and was no longer a baby. I love him today like only a mother can understand. He is my precious first baby boy and my heart just swells with love for him. Who knew a person could love so much?

This was Justin's Coconut Cream Pie. I decided to substitute half of the milk in the recipe for coconut milk and instead of vanilla extract I went with coconut. This pie was rich but really awesome. Its definitely a celebration pie. Not something to make on a regular basis because it is not weight friendly (if you care about that!) I was lazy and bought a Pillsbury pie crust yesterday. I knew I had too much to do to make a homemade crust....but Pillsbury pie crusts are so good that it doesn't matter if you don't make your own!

Justin's B-Day CCC Pie

1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 cup 2% milk
1 cup coconut milk
4 egg yolks, well beaten

Mix the sugar and cornstarch together. Gradually add the milk to the sugar and then add the yolks. Cook in heavy bottomed pan over medium heat until mixture begins to boil. Boil for 1 minute. Make sure you stir the pudding the entire time you are cooking.

Remove from heat and add:

3 Tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon coconut extract
1 cup coconut

Combine well. Pour into prepared (already baked) pie crust. Place saran wrap over the top to prevent skin from forming. Cool and refrigerate.

To make whipped topping:

1-1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Whip together until cream is stiff. Don't whip too long or you'll have butter! Top pie with cream and sprinkle with toasted coconut if desired. Serve & Enjoy!
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Justin's Birthday! (also a sandwich contest annoucement!)

Today is my oldest son Justin's birthday (also Saritor contributor here on L&L of GHB). We will be getting together this evening and of course there is a special treat involved. My boy is 24 years old today. Happy Birthday Justin! Mom loves you!!

Yes, this is pretty, and this is good, but Grumpy wouldn't eat it. Have any ideas as to why? Because I used wonton wrappers and it was crunchy. Sure, it would be good with filo dough, or even baked pastry rounds. But I liked it anyway. The filling? If you love sweet lemony tang - you will love the filling!


HoneyB's Raspberry Lemon Love Tarts

6 wonton wrappers
spray butter
sugar crystals

Preheat oven to 350. Place wonton wrappers on cookie sheet and spray with butter spray. Sprinkle with sugar crystals and bake for approximately 10 minutes (or until wontons just start to turn brown on the edges).

4 Tablespoons Oikos Organic Greek Yogurt (Vanilla flavor)
4 Tablespoons lemon curd (I do make my own, but you can buy this in the store)
1 pint red raspberries

Blend yogurt and lemon curd together. Spoon mixture over bottom layer, layer raspberries, repeat layer one time then top with remaining wonton wrapper.

Note: This isn't too easy to eat with a fork if you make it and want to immediately eat it. I suggest you eat each layer separately. :-D At least, that is how I did it!
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Sandwich making contest alert!
Mezzetta is having a sandwich contest and you could win $25,000 and a trip to Napa Valley for two!

Contest ends September 7, 2009 so start thinking, start sandwich making, and start submitting! The rules are listed HERE.

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Made with Love.....week two giveaway

I am here to remind you to enter for the Made with Love giveaway! Val of More than Burnt Toast and I are hosting a giveaway with Made with Love for 6 full weeks - and this is week two!


Val made a very delicious looking Pasta Salad with the Pesto Garlic Spice Blend that she posted today. Make sure you check her site out for the recipe!


Next week I will be here with a recipe for you along with the 3rd week giveaway. To enter, follow the directions below:

1) Visit their web site http://www.madewithlove.ca/ and find the image/photo "The Fire" for this weeks entry and enter to win.

2) Leave a comment at madewithlovecontest(at)gmail(dot)com where you found the image/photo"The Fire". Please let us know your blog URL so that we can post the names of the winners on our sites with a link back to you!!!

3) You will be automatically entered to win a Made With Love Eco-friendly Spice Blends Gift Set worth $40!!! This weeks winners will receive one of two Earth-Friendly Gift Set Trios of Jalapeno Roots, Red Pepper and Aztec Chocolate Medi-Size Spice Blends.

4) Visit either Val at More than Burnt Toast or here at The Life and Loves of Grumpy's Honeybunch at the beginning of each week for a delicious recipe and a new chance to win!!!

5) The lucky winners who receive their Trio of Spice Blends will create a recipe using their products, blog about it with a link to http://www.madewithlove.ca/ . All of the recipe creations will be posted as a roundup on More Than Burnt Toast and on The Life and Loves of Grumpy's Honeybunch. Your recipe may even be on the Made with Love website!!!!


Below is a description of the spices that are being given away this week:

Jalapeno Roots Spice Blend is a rich blend of jalapeno with garlic, onions, sweet peppers and lime in a dried carrot base. Creamy dips & pasta are gorgeous. Spice up your guacamole, veggies, meats or salsa.

Aztec Chocolate Spice Blend is a complex blend of Real Cacao, Coffee and Vanilla Beans with pungent sweet and spicy peppers. Aztec Chocolate is a traditional savoury flavour mix for Mexican and Latin American cuisine, led by the ancient Aztec and Mayan peoples of the region. Try it on meat dishes, beans, tofu or salad dressings this amazing sweet and spicy combo is great for everyday cooking. Also decadently fabulous for our desert dip.

Red Pepper Spice Blend is sweet with a mild spicy flavor similar to a pepper jelly. A blend of turbinado sugar with a mix of sweet and hot chilies. Amazing on veggies of any kind and a wonder to sprinkle on chicken, pork or fish. Great in mashed potatoes or melted in your popcorn butter it is absolutely addictive.

Now for the 2 winners of last weeks giveaway.................

Congratulations to Joey & Brittany who are each the winners of the Earth-Friendly Gift Set Trio of Red Pepper, Daring Dill & Country Onion.

Please reply to our e-mail with your address which we will forward on to the company.
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Spoiling Grumpy

I mentioned in an earlier post about needing comfort. Many people had emailed me telling me that they hope things are OK and wishing us well. Thank you so much for your thoughts and well wishes. This last week has been rough, but we will be OK.

The bad news .... last Monday Grumpy was laid off from work. What total devastation that was for him. Grumpy loved his job. He lived and breathed what he did. It was totally unexpected. The last thing he told me was they were talking about cutting everyone down to a 4 day work week...then he got this news out of the blue. He was told that they didn't know for how long this lay-off would be and was asked to turn everything in - down to his uniforms.

This isn't going to be easy but we will get thru this. I love my Grumpy (who by the way isn't always grumpy). I will work with him and love him and support him in any decision he makes. Our immediate future isn't extremely hopeful considering the economic situation but we have been discussing our options and feel good about them. Instead of being depressed and pessimistic, we both are optimistic and feel there is some good things coming for us in our future. Grumpy isn't the only one in this type of situation I am sure of it and going through this only makes care more for those who have less than we do. I know it is rough and I am fortunate I have my job (which BTW I do love too!). Hopefully things will start to look up for all of us in the future.

In any case, it sure doesn't sound like Grumpy has been spoiled too much after those last two paragraphs, eh?! But, contrary to what I just told you, my Grumpy is spoiled rotten. He say's he's deprived, but he knows better! Anyone who knows Grumpy and I, knows that I give him anything and everything he wants....within reason. ;-) Hey, didn't he just get his truck a few months ago? Something I will not let him lose btw. I will fight tooth and nail to make sure of that!


So, since we don't have this meal too often, this weekend I decided that I would spoil Grumpy with it. It is his favorite meal. Honey Walnut Shrimp with Fried Rice. The recipe for the Honey Walnut Shrimp can be found by CLICKING HERE. The recipe for the Fried Rice came from Blog Chef. I followed the recipe for his shrimp fried rice but substituted diced ham for the meat. CLICK HERE for Chef Bobby's recipe!

OH, and if you have made it this far....our cruise is NOT affected. I had taken care of our cruise quite some time ago and so we will be going. Something I think we both deserve and need after all we have been through so far this year. We are going to go, have fun and relax. We will worry about our problems when we get back! After all, this is our honeymoon....5 years later....but we deserve it. ;-)
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Don't forget.....

I had such a long post on July 5th with anniversary and birthday wishes I don't want you to forget....the those mayonnaise cupcakes....they were my submission to Family Recipes for the month of July. I want to remind you that you have until July 25 (midnight) to send me your submissions. Check out the guidelines for submission by CLICKING HERE.



See that luscious chop up there? That chop was BBQ'd with the best homemade BBQ sauce I have ever made. Seriously. I could not get enough of it - and that is saying a lot since I don't really care to eat meat. I ate my whole chop - and usually, if I eat it at all, I only eat a few bites! I will definitely be keeping this recipe around to use again and again for pork chops. Hmm. Maybe this would be good on tofu.... ;-)

When I received my packet from Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program for Nakano Rice Vinegar, they included a booklet with recipes. I decided to browse to see if there was anything in there for pork since I had some chops thawing in the refrigerator. The recipe I found called to use tenderloins and called for chipotle chili's. I decided there was nothing wrong with using the chops instead and decided to sub the chipotle chili powder for the chilis since I couldn't find the can I thought I had in the cupboard. I wasn't sure how much chipotle powder to use so I just added and tasted. Below is the recipe I ended up with for the marinade.

Grilled Pork Chops with Chipotle Sauce
adapted from Nakano recipe booklet

note: I halved the recipe
8 pork chops
1/2 cup ketchup
1/3 cup Nakano Seasoned Rice Vinegar, original
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 Tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons chipotle chili powder

Blend ketchup, vinegar, brown sugar, cumin and chili powder. Pour enough sauce over chops to cover. Marinade at least one hour. Grill chops until done brushing with marinade during cooking.

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Shrimp with Broccoli and Nakano courtesy of FoodBuzz

Needing something quick and easy and something that would use ingredients I had on hand, I went back to Cooking Light to start my search. Now that I am back to work it is a bit harder to think about meals and what I am going to make from day to day. I need to be more like my friend Susie who has been a real meal planner lately!

As a Foodbuzz Featured Publisher I am able to be a member of the Tastemaker program. This week I received a free coupon for Nakano Rice Vinegar. The recipe I came across for dinner also called for rice vinegar - so I was in luck! I have used the rice vinegar before (in my General Tso's Tofu recipe) and love this product. I am excited to try the flavored vinegars very soon!


I was I was able to buy a bit of shrimp at a good price so I stocked up my freezer on it so I would have a protein on hand that would be quick to thaw and quicker to cook! I bought the shrimp already deviened and shelled which saved me a lot of time.

After a quick search I found a recipe for Shrimp with Broccoli. This turned out to be a pretty decent, fast meal. At least there were no left overs....so I'm assuming Grumpy liked! ;-)

For my next meal I am thinking I want to make Aggie's Portabello and Brie Mushroom Burger. This looks so delicious! Brie is my favorite ever cheese....and if I didn't have something else planned for tonight I'd be all over that burger! Make sure you check it out! yummy!

For the Shrimp with Broccoli recipe CLICK HERE.
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Needing comfort

Yeah. Things aren't great. I really can't talk about what isn't great, but just take my word for it. Things aren't great. Actually, they are worse than they were last week. :-( When I can talk about what is going on, I will but for now, I'll just let you know that we needed comfort food last night. Really comforting food.

I'm looking forward to our cruise more than ever. The break will do Grumpy and I both good. Relaxing and enjoying possibly the only real summer weather we may experience this year. Only 32 days til we set sail. I can't wait.

Since our freezer is full of venison, I made this Cooking Light recipe for Diner Meatloaf Muffins - only I didn't make it as muffins. I figured if I did that Grumpy would "complain." I didn't have carrots so I didn't use them in the recipe - however if I did have them, I would have used them! The meatloaf was really moist and quite yummy. Also great on my Arnold Sandwich Thin with a little mayo and extra ketchup for lunch....yum. It made me feel better....for a little while. ;-) For the recipe CLICK HERE.
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Made with love.....an exciting giveaway!

Have you heard of Made with Love products? I hadn't heard of this product until my blogging friend Val of More than Burnt Toast brought it to my attention. Made with Love - Spice Blends & Delectable Edibles offer 9 natural gourmet spice blends that can be used to create natural and healthy dishes. Val and I have been given the opportunity to offer a giveaway in collorboration with Made with Love over a six week period! This means 6 different giveaways each valued at $40 a piece!

For week 1 we are giving away an Earth-friendly Gift Set Trio of Red Pepper, Daring Dill & Country Onion Medi-size SpiceBlends worth $40. To enter the giveaway you need to do the following:

To enter:

1) Visit their web site http://www.madewithlove.ca/ and find the image/photo "The Kiss" for this weeks entry and enter to win.

2) Leave a comment at madewithlovecontest@gmail.com where you found the " The Kiss".

3) You will be automatically entered to win a Made With Love Eco-friendly Spice Blends Gift Set worth $40!!! This weeks winner will receive the trio of Red Pepper, Daring Dill and Country Onion.

4) Visit either Val at More Than Burnt Toast or myself at the beginning of each week for a delicious recipe and a new chance to win 2 different Spice Blend gift sets each week!!!

5) The lucky winners who receive their Spice Blends will create a recipe using their products, blog about it with a link to http://www.madewithlove.ca/ . All of the recipe creations will be posted as a roundup on More Than Burnt Toast and here on The Life and Loves of Grumpy's Honeybunch. Your recipe may even be on the Made with Love website!!!

Made with Love also has recipes on their site that you can use their spice blends in - and this week Val has made Cream of Asparagus Soup using the Daring Dill spice blend. Make sure you check out both Made with Love and Val's blog for their recipes!

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1 year anniversary and a birthday

First Kiss as Husband and Wife

Today there is a birthday and an anniversary! It is my oldest son's 1st year anniversary. Happy Anniversary to Justin & Kristina and I wish you many more! This first year has gone by so quickly. The last I spoke to Justin he wasn't sure what they were doing on their special day....but rest assured, mom is going to be giving them a treat!

I want to share a few of my favorite photos of Justin & Kristina's wedding....ok, I can't help it you know...I am a mom ;-) ....so maybe more than a few! Here we go:

Justin with his brother Christopher waiting for Kristina to come down the aisle. My heart just fills to overflowing with love when I look at these two wonderful young men in my life. I'm such a lucky mom.

My silly son preparing to remove Kristina's garter....

I think this is an awesome photo of my mother with her 1st grandson

Justin knew I was close to crying and he was doing everything he could to be silly so I wouldn't cry. I came close but he succeeded in making me laugh! We danced to Blessed by Elton John.

Ok, so no crying going on here....just a bunch of silliness. Grumpy dancing with Justin :-)

The sunset photos at the end of the day

Looking out over the St. Lawrence River


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When Justin & Kristina set the date for their anniversary, little did they realize they were also going to be getting married on my Aunt Ann's birthday!

Happy Birthday Aunt Ann! The photo above is her with her partner Ron on Justin's wedding day and her birthday!


We had decided that we would go to Cranberry Lake for the day on July 4th this year to spend the day with my My Mom & Dad, Aunt Ann, Aunt Marlene & families. Justin & Kristina had their own plans and my poor little boy Christopher had to work. :-(


My Aunt Ann also loved Nanny's Mayonnaise Cake with Fluffy Frosting....so I decided to make these for her cupcake style and take them to camp. The fluffy frosting is pretty fragile so I decided to go with Dorie's Buttercream frosting we made with the Daring Bakers when we made the Perfect Party Cake. I also used some left over peanut butter frosting I had in the fridge -which turned out pretty awesome on the cupcake and I would make it that way again!


I am also submitting this recipe to the Family Recipes event for the month of July that I co-host with Laura of The Spiced Life. The deadline for submissions this month will be July25, 2009. To read more about this event CLICK HERE.


100 Chocolate Cake (or) Mayonnaise Cake
recipe from Mae Iris Whitton's recipe file

Note: I'm not sure why the cake is called 100 Chocolate cake on her recipe card - but we always called it mayonnaise cake.

2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
4 heaping tablespoons cocoa

Sift ingredients into a bowl.

Add:
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

This was all Nanny had written on her recipe card! I mixed the cake together as such:

Preheat oven to 350. Line cupcake pan with liners. After sifting together dry ingredients (and I did do this!) add all at once the mayo, water and vanilla. Mix until smooth. Spoon batter into cupcake liners. Bake for approximately 20 -25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. You can also bake this in two 8" round cake pans. I had to make 1-1/2 of the recipe to get 24 cupcakes.
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Red, White and Blue Stars

Wanting to make something I knew the kids would enjoy, and something patriotic to take to camp tomorrow I decided to go with rice krispie treats. Actually, adults enjoy these a lot too! I decided to get a little "fancy" with them and decorate with some red, white and blue candies.


I went to my cupboard for what I thought I had only to find out I was oh so wrong. I've done that a couple of times this week. Guess it is time for list making again!


I decided to pull out the bag of M&M's and sort the red and blue ones. For the white I decided to drizzle some vanilla coating on top of the treats to help make those M&M's stick. Cut them with a star cutter.....and Voila! I have Red, White and Blue Stars!

Stop by in another few days to see what I did with the remaining white chocolate....another treat kids and adults will both love! :-)


Rice Krispie Treats

3 Tablespoons butter
1 -16 oz package marshmallows
6 cups rice krispies

Topping:

White Chocolate candy coating
Red & Blue M&M's

Melt butter, add marshmallows and heat on low until marshmallows are melted, stirring often. Add rice krispies and stir to coat. Pat out onto sheet pan.

Melt candy coating and drizzle over treats. Top with M&M's. Let set until coating has hardened. You can do as I did and cut as stars or just cut into squares!

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Fine Cuisine Chez Heidi

Yes. My brother proved it. My SIL Heidi can cook! ;-) Not that it was ME he was trying to convince....

A little while ago my brother Steve sent photos that he took of my SIL's cooking as proof to her parents that she could cook. Well, I know myself for a fact that she can cook and bake and she actually does it well! While I was visiting at Christmas I really enjoyed her shortbread cookies she had made. Yummy!


I'm also so pleased to know that I am an influence on my brother and SIL! Steve's email said this:

"After getting in a rut and eating the same old thing over and over, Heidi and I decided to switch it up a little. We started by looking at websites influenced by Shelby and her blog. We went to www.tastespotting.com and started looking at all the food pics and here is one example of what we come up with:

Stuffed Filet with Tomato Basil Aurore

Here are the pics of our dinner tonight. It was very good. Heidi did all of the cooking except I threw the meat on the grill. You can compare our pics to the pics in the link above. She varied a little from the original. MMM MMM MMM."

Heidi did a great job as is obvious from my brother's MMMM, MMMMM, MMMM! If I came home to Grumpy having planned and cooked a meal like this I think I would pass out....but I would also be very happy. Yeah. That is a dream for certain.

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