Mardi Gras / Fat Tuesday!

Fat Tuesday is almost upon us, and if you are looking for last minute decorations OR recipes, I’ve got a few for you!

First, a DIY post on making festive pinwheels, from Mardi Gras Outlet.  You will find so many fun things at Mardi Gras Store.   And for all of their Mardi Gras Craft Tutorials Click Here:

Adorable cupcake toppers (FREE PRINTABLES for Mardi Gras) from TomKat Studio:

This new post is for a more “kid-friendly” Mardi Gras mask, BUT you could easily use the Mardi Gras Mask tutorial from Twig and Toadstool, and create something elegant:

No Fat Tuesday party is complete without a King Cake Recipe.  Check out this this from the Brown Eyed Baker:


You’ll definitely need something to DRINK while celebrating, so click over and check out the Mardi Gras Drink Recipes from Simply Stated:


And finally… two Mardi Gras Recipes! One is a healthy Jambalaya recipe from SheKnows.com .  Also a crawfish fettuccine:

Happy Feasting!

Red Curry Chicken & Shrimp

I had never made curry before, but thanks to an article in Fine Cooking magazine I had great success the very first time.  They teach, as I’ll show you below, how to make a flavorful curry base.  From there, simply add your choice of protein (meat, chicken, seafood or Tofu) and vegetables.  I chose chicken, shrimp, asparagus and mushrooms but it is really up to you as to what you want to use.

Let me also say upfront that I quickly gave the chicken, shrimp and vegetables a quick stir fry because I wanted them to develop more flavor (and browning does that) than just by cooking in the curry base but you definitely don’t need to do that.  If you choose not to, just add to the broth (I’ll tell you when in the recipe below) and simmer until cooked through (approximately 3- 5 minutes for the protein and vegetables).

Keys for success:  1)  Have all your ingredients prepped and chopped prior to any of the cooking.  This will make the entire cooking process much easier and organized. 2) If you are going to stir-fry your ingredients first, before adding to the curry base, make sure your pan is very hot.  You want to quickly brown them a bit – but not necessarily cooking 100% through – you can finish them off while simmering in the curry base.

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Amazing Homemade Chicken Pot Pie Recipe

Best Chicken Pot Pie

My husband is still talking about this delicious chicken recipe!  For relatively little effort you will be rewarded with a large quantity of (and I feel confident stating this) the best chicken pot pie ever:)

The basis of the recipe is from the Epicurious website but I tweaked the heck out of it to simplify it.  Here are some highlights:

  • I used store bought, refrigerator pie crusts.  You could also use puff pastry sheets (from the dessert section of the supermarkets frozen aisles) with excellent results.
  • I used cut up chicken from a supermarket rotisserie chicken.
  • I used canned chicken stock (preferably low-sodium) instead of making my own.

It’s the filling of this chicken pot pie recipe that is the star:

 

 

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Buffalo Chicken Risotto – Soooooo good!

Let me confess that I’ve NEVER had buffalo chicken wings or chip.  Never really appealed to me.  But when I read over this recipe it seemed to scream at me to make it.  The appeal was the flavorful broth that the risotto cooked in, a combination of  hot sauce, chicken broth, lager beer, honey and a touch of Worcestershire.  And it did not disappointment.  In fact – this might belong up there in my top 10 favorite recipes – it’s that good.

The recipe is simple to make.  Like any risotto, it just takes a bit of time and a stir ever few minutes.  I doubled the amount of chicken that the original recipe called – I wanted this to be a hearty entree.  When serving, it’s delicious with the crumbled blue cheese or without.

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Crispy Salmon

Crispy Salmon Recipe

My all time favorite way to cook salmon is what I call “Crispy Salmon”.  As you can see, the flesh forms a succulent, crispy crust that is also incredibly flavorful.  The amazing part of this pan-fried, healthful salmon recipe is that there is no oil (olive or otherwise) in this recipe.  The only ingredients are salmon, salt and pepper!  How can this be?  Salmon is an oily fish (good oils!) and because of this, the oil exudes as it is cooked and the salmon actually cooks in its own juices.

fried salmon recipe

Also – its a cinch to cook.  The method employed also works for chicken and pork.  Read on…..

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Thai Peanut Chicken

This spicy chicken with peanut sauce is easy to make and bursting with flavor.  Adapt from a recipe from Tasty Kitchen, we’ve added a sauce to it that is perfect when served over rice or noodles.  Leftovers are GREAT!

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High Heat Roast Chicken and Potatoes

I’m pretty sure this oven roast chicken recipe will fast become a favorite.  The skin is super crispy while the chicken remains deliciously moist.  And as an added treat, the potatoes explode with flavor because they are basted* in schmaltz (chicken fat) throughout the cooking time.  And after you make it the first time – it will become a snap to make!

I learned how to make this high heat chicken recipe from Cooks Illustrated magazine although I have adapted it (by skipping the brine)** to make it a quick meal to prepare.  The chicken is essentially ‘butterflied’ (laid-open flat) which enables it to cook much faster than normal.  The sliced potatoes lay below the chicken and are cooked in the juices that drip down as the chicken cooks.

Below I’ll give you step-by-step instructions for this outstanding yet easy roast chicken recipe:

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Asian Inspired Chicken Meatballs with Citrus Sauce

These meatballs absolutely burst with flavor!  I’m embarrassed to admit that the first time I made this chicken meatball recipe  I loved it so much that I ate 7 meatballs in one sitting (while my husband ate 3).  That’s how good these are.  Since then I’ve managed some restraint ONLY because I ended up being uncomfortably full.  And I usually reserve that feeling for just once a year (Thanksgiving).  But these Asian chicken meatballs are that good.

You can serve these as appetizers (you may want to make them a bit smaller) or as the main meal.  They are super easy to throw together; you can do so earlier in the day and just keep them refrigerated until your ready to cook (bring to room temperature before cooking).

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Oven Baked Barbeque Ribs with Homemade Barbeque Sauce

Home Made Ribs

For this fabulous homemade ribs and barbecue sauce recipe, and the mouth watering pictures, I’d like to introduce you to my good friend and fellow blogger, Sally.  Her blog, Bewitching Kitchen, is one that you definitely want to check out!  Sally is a world traveler (she’s lived in Brazil, Paris California and Oklahoma), has a fascinating background as a biochemist and molecular biologist and, to top it all off, she is an AMAZING cook!  I know because we have been swapping recipes for years!

Although these Oven Baked Barbeque Ribs from Sally look and taste like you spent a significant time standing over your grill, they are actually surprisingly hands off because they are oven-baked which renders them fall-of-the-bone moist but lacquered with a crisp crust bursting with flavor.  To top it all off, she includes her easy homemade barbeque sauce recipe.

Baby Back Ribs Oven

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Mexican Salad – A Feast!

My love affair with this salad began 30 years ago at Michigan State University at a great Mexican restaurant, “El Azteco”, that remains an institution there.  Called a Topopo Salad (Topopo means “Volcano”), it has often been described as a Mexican chicken salad on steriods.  One look at it and you’ll understand.

It starts with a base of refried beans and then moves on to melted cheese, then guacamole.  The salad is a combination of shredded iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, green onion, jalapenos, shredded chicken and green peas and it’s dressed with a light vinaigrette and topped with Parmesan cheese.  At least I think it is and that’s how I’ve created our home version of it.  And I’m pretty sure that this will fast become a favorite of your home too!

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