Moffas Muffintops: June 2014

On Thursday I had the pleasure of making dinner for my parents and their company! My mom was going to get take out from Pita Jungle but I felt like whipping up a little something like they would usually do for their guests.

The Menu

Appetizers:
fresh cantaloupe, prosciutto, fresh mozzarella, basil, balsamic reduction and oil on a toothpick!

The balsamic reduction

Main Course:
Citrus Seasoned Chicken: chicken in olive oil, thyme, orange and lemon juice, Italian seasoning, onion, rosemary, oregano, onion powder, salt, pepper, and garlic.

Before cooking

After cooking

Cold Orzo Greek Salad: Orzo, lemon juice, butter olive oil, artichokes, peppadews, tomatoes, salt and pepper, sautéed zucchini and summer squash, feta, and basil.

Skewer grilled sweet and russet potatoes: sweet potatoes cut into chunks seasoned with olive oil, paprika, salt, pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, and chili powder. russet potatoes cut in chunks seasoned with olive oil, garlic, basil, onion powder, and rosemary. After being seasoned they were placed on skewers and grilled until soft.

Potatoes on the grill!

Sweet potatoes all done!

Regular potatoes cooked to perfection!

Dessert:(Although this would normally be something spectacular I didn't have time to prepare for this...)

Homemade Baklava that I had made previously this week and decided to share! ;)

It all turned out great and our company LOVED it! My Favorite was the Orzo pasta! It is especially good because it is cold and can be made in advance and eaten again and again. So here's the recipe so you can enjoy it too!

Cold Orzo Greek Salad:
1 box orzo pasta
1 can quartered artichokes
2 cups cherry tomatoes (cut in 1/2)
2 cups peppadews cut into pieces
2 cups crumbled feta
1 zucchini
1 summer squash

1 lemon (squeezed for the juice)

1/4 cup olive oil

Cook pasta and drain and put into a serving bowl. Cut zucchini and squash in half and then half circle slices and sautee them in a pan til lightly browned. Chop the rest of the veggies to smaller pieces and add to cooked orzo. Squeeze lemon into a seperate bowl and add salt, pepper, basil, and oil then wisk til blended. Add cooked zucchini and squash to orzo bowl along with the feta and top with the lemon dressing. Mix all the ingredients together and refrigerate for about an hour and enjoy!

Also this week I found an awesome new cake store! Sadly, on the east side but I picked up a few supplies for this weeks projects!

Practice sprinkle cake for a babies 1st birthday on the 4th of July. The family is moving to Minnesota so I wanted to teach the mom to diy before they left!

Cupcakes for a babyshower! The white pearls add a fancy touch! The cake was funfetti! And used a new recipe and it turned out well!

Cake to go along with the cupcakes! For once someone didn't want fondant and I'm still perfecting my perfect smooth frosting skills. It wasn't my favorite cake I made but it turned out a lot like the picture she wanted so I wasn't mad.

T'was a fun cooking week! As much as I love baking I love cooking just as much! With summer and the hot weather some of the baking may be on hold and more cooking will be in order! (And of course crafting)! Stay tuned...

Sincerely,

Sarah :)

Sorry blogging world I have been "offline"! It's been a busy few weeks filled with high emotions, some baking, a little crafting, and trying to get by.

I am trying not to do too much baking as the weather is getting immensely hotter! It's hard to keep things together and transport frosting and chocolate when it's a dry 109 degrees outside. I have had a a few projects these past few weeks.

Whale tails for my niece and nephew's shamu themed birthday! Made of fondant of course!

Shamu cupcake toppers! Made of chocolate cakepops!

The final product. My sister made the cupcakes and frosting.

Close up of shamu and the cupcake! They were a big hit at the party!

Purple sparkley Minnie Mouse cake pops for a bridal shower! Half were chocolate half were vanilla. Super cute and simple!

Close up of the pops!

A few unfortunate events have also been occupying my time. One of my employees was diagnosed with cancer. Since finding out our Pita family has been coming together to make his fight a little easier. Not only did we make a great gift basket but the staff decided to work a night donating whatever tips they made to him. Leading to the days up to the event I made shirts, blasted social media with reminders, and tried to tell as many people as possible so we could get a good turn out! And that we did! We were able to raise over $5000 in one night it was AMAZING to say the least! It just shows what a community can do when they come together!