Banana Bourbon Layer Cake

Most of you know that us Hammie's, especially Jon and I like to torture each other by having our birthdays and anniversary all within the span of 5 days. First it's my birthday, followed 2 days later by our Anniversary, and finally 2 days later, it's Jon's birthday. At the time, I think we thought it'd be a GREAT idea to cram all that together.But 10 years later...I sometimes think it's a bit too much. What's wrong with having a wedding anniversary in say....March? April? Nooooo...we have to shove as many celebrations into one month as possible! lol (Not to mention that our youngest, Jack's birthday is ALSO in July. Poor planning or suckers for punishment? You decide.)

BUT in any case, since I had made those Fudgy Salty Peanut Butter Brownies for my birthday (which were still left over for dessert on our anniversary), I had decided that Jon was getting a birthday CAKE. Whether he liked it or not! I started looking for something unique. Something that doesn't necessarily scream birthday cake. While flipping through the many pages of different recipe websites, I came across the perfect recipe for him!

He has ALWAYS loved Banana Foster and this was like a mad, beautiful mix of cake-bananan-high proof liquor that dreams are made of!

Banana Bourbon Layer Cake!
recipe courtesy of Martha Stewart

• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pans
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs, separated
• 2 to 3 ripe bananas, enough to make 1 cup mashed
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 3 bananas, not too ripe
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons dark-brown sugar
• 3/4 cup bourbon

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 8-inch round cake pans. In a bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
   
2. Cream together butter and sugar. Add egg yolks one at a time. In another bowl, mash bananas, and combine with buttermilk and vanilla. Add alternately to butter mixture with flour mixture, beginning and ending with flour.
   
3. Beat egg whites until stiff; fold into batter.
   
4. Divide batter between prepared pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool in pans for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to cool completely.
   
5. When cake layers are cool, whip cream with confectioners sugar until stiff. Fold in sour cream. Place a cake layer on a plate, and spread with filling to within 1 inch of edge. Place other layer on top, and press down lightly. Chill for 1 hour.
   
6. Slice bananas 1/2 inch thick. Melt butter in a large saute pan over medium heat. When it sizzles, add slices in a single layer. Sprinkle with sugar. When golden brown, turn slices; cook until brown on other side.
   
7. Carefully pour in bourbon (using a measuring cup, never the bottle) and ignite with a match. Cook until flames die down, shaking the pan to toss bananas in syrup. Remove from heat.
   
8. Arrange banana slices on top of cake. Pour remaining syrup over cake, letting it drip down sides. Serve immediately!

*Prepare the sliced-banana topping just before serving.

Look closely, this was my very first attempt at Flambé -ing something! So happy to report that I didn't set anything on fire - mainly me!

The cake definitely had a nice strong banana flavor and if I could of changed anything, I would of cooked the bourbon-banana mixture a little bit longer to tone down the strong hit of alcohol flavor and I would of flavored the whipped cream mixture a bit more (made it sweeter) that went in between the layers.

Jon blowing out his birthday candles!

Happy 36th birthday babe! Man, glad I'm not as old as you are!

My Birthday Brownies!

Wow! Ok, it has seriously been a long time since I've posted anything here. My apologies (to ye few followers). I've been living the Summer diet of hot dogs, mac-n-cheese and cheeseburgers. Toss in some melon and a couple glasses of wine or beer and that's been my diet since the middle of June. Sounds healthy and delightful, doesn't it?

Part of that is because my family and I headed to my parents home in Michigan for a few weeks, where my sister and her family were also visiting. With a home full of 12 people and 4 dogs, the fastest, cheapest way to feed people was by bbq'ing some hot dogs and cheeseburgers. I'm good on those for a LONG while, btw....

When I finally did make it back to our home, it was basically just get what we need to get by on until the next payday (which wasn't too far off). But, I was bound and determined to use my summer free time to try out a bunch of new recipes, whether I thought my family would eat them or not! Thankfully, my guinea pigs are always willing to try something new, so for the last few weeks I've been cranking out different recipes for us all to try.

But, let's start with something FUN! My birthday brownies!

I had been thinking about what kind of cake I wanted to make myself for my 32nd (ah-hmm...) birthday and finally decided, 'you know what, I don't even WANT a cake! I want brownies!' So then I went on the made search for the perfect brownies to make. This is what I found!

Fudgy Salty Peanut Butter Brownies

Tell me that doesn't just sound and look divine! I wanted something better than a box mix and I had remembered how much I enjoyed Starbucks Salted Caramel Hot Chocolates, so I looked for something with the main ingredient being 'salted'. I'm telling you, these are the most delicious, richest, "OMG I just had a food orgasm" in my mouth brownies you'll ever have the pleasure of shoving in your face!

In other words - MAKE THEM! It'll be worth it in the end....

Fudgy Salted Peanut Butter Brownies

recipe courtsey Food Network

Ingredients

Decadent Brownies:

• 1 1/4 sticks unsalted butter, plus more, softened, for pan
• 1 cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 1/3 cups sugar
• 1 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Peanut Butter Buttercream Layer:

• 1 cup creamy peanut butter(don't use old-fashioned or natural)
• 1/2 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 1/4 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups salted cocktail peanuts

Ganache:

• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 7 tablespoons unsalted butter

Directions

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. 

For your brownie batter: 

Melt your butter in a medium (or large) heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering water. 

While the butter is melting, whisk the cocoa powder, sea salt and sugar in a separate bowl. (The sugar and salt will work as abrasive agents to get any lumps out of the cocoa.) Whisk the cocoa/sugar/salt combo into the melted butter until the sugar has dissolved fully. The mixture should look like fudge and pull away from the bowl into a ball. Take off the stove and set the pan on a dishtowel on your counter. Allow the fudgy mixture to cool down until it's warm, but not hot anymore.

While that is cooling, line the bottom and sides of your 9 by 13-inch baking pan with parchment paper or foil. You want to leave about 4 inches of overhang on the 2 opposite sides. These serve as your handles to remove the brownies from the pan in 1 piece, so make sure that there is enough of the overhang for you to have a solid grip. Grease the parchment or foil well.

Stir in the vanilla into the cooled fudge mixture to loosen it up. Add the eggs into the mixture 1 at a time, adding the second egg after the first egg is fully incorporated. The batter should look shiny and well blended. Add in your flour and stir it until it's fully incorporated. Once it looks fully blended, beat the batter vigorously for at least 45 strokes. This'll not only get out any pent up stress, but it will make the brownies chewy. Fold in your chocolate chips. Spread the very thick and fudgy brownie batter evenly in the lined pan with an offset spatula or your greased hands.

Pop the brownies in the oven and bake until they get a nice crust and your house smells like brownies, 30 to 35 minutes. Let them cool completely on a rack or a dishtowel on your counter.

While the brownies are cooling make the buttercream and ganache. 

For the buttercream: 

Mix your peanut butter and butter together in a stand mixer until they are totally blended. Turn your mixer down and slowly add your powdered sugar and fine sea salt. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. Turn your mixer back to medium, add your milk and vanilla and keep mixing until it's fully blended. Dollop the peanut butter buttercream in heaping spoonfuls on top of the cooled brownies. Evenly spread it with the back of a butter knife the over the surface. Scatter the peanuts evenly over the buttercream, pressing into the buttercream so that the ganache has something to hold on to and the peanuts are all covered. 

For the ganache: 

Melt the chocolate chips and butter together in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly. Allow the ganache to cool down slightly for 10 minutes or so, then pour it evenly over the peanut butter buttercream layer. Smooth the ganache out with the back of a butter knife, making sure to cover the buttercream and peanuts completely. Chill the brownies in the refrigerator until the toppings are set, 1 1/2 hours or so.

Remove these delicious guys from the refrigerator. Lift up the ends of the foil liner and place the Fudgy Salty Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies on a cutting board. Cut into squares. 

Spin on Potato Salad and Cannoli's

I guess potato salad and cannoli's don't generally go hand in hand, but sometimes when you're in the mood to try out different things, you pick what you pick and you don't throw a fit!


Yesterday I was in the mood for a different kind of potato salad then the one I usually make. Jon and I had decided that we wanted to cook out some Italian sausages on the grill and we both really could go for potato salad. I looked all over the net and found this yummy sounding one on Epicurious....

Jacques's French Potato Salad 

So it was decided I would make that. But I was really also jiving to make these very yummy cannoli knock-offs I found in my current issue of the Food Network Magazine. They're actually called, 'Cone-oli's" since instead of the typical shell you use, they substituted sugar ice cream cones. They're adorable!
For the potato salad, it calls for Fingerling Potatoes. In case you didn't know, Fingerling Potatoes look like this....

But wouldn't you know it, the commissary (our military grocery store) didn't have any and I was not about to run back into town. So I improvised and bought small red potatoes. I also couldn't find any chive (UGH, seriously?!) so just used a little more green onion. Oh! And I was totally in my 'happy place' since I got to use a couple of herbs from my container garden! JOY!!!
Here is the recipe for the Potato Salad....

Jacques's French Potato Salad 

yield: About 6 cups, serving 4 to 6

• 2 pounds fingerling potatoes or other small waxy potatoes
• 1/2 cup or so extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup 1/4-inch slices of scallion, green and white parts
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 3 cloves garlic, mashed and coarsely chopped (1 1/2 tsp)
• 1/3 cup white wine
• 1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon-style mustard
• 2 to 3 tablespoons chopped chives
• 2 tablespoons or more coarsely chopped fresh green or purple basil, fresh tarragon, or parsley
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more if needed
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper (coarse), plus more if needed

For serving and garnishing

Large radicchio leaves, about 6, from the outside of the head
1 or 2 hard-boiled eggs, coarsely chopped
Chopped fresh parsley

Scrub the potatoes and put them, whole, in a saucepan with water to cover by 1/2 inch. Bring the water to a boil, reduce the heat, and cook the potatoes gently until they are just tender and can be pierced with a sharp knife. Drain immediately and let cool slightly. (Scrape the skin from the cooked potatoes, if you want, as soon as they can be handled. For a decorative look with fingerlings, scrape off only a band of skin, about 1/2 inch thick, all around the long sides of the potato.)

Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a small saute pan. When hot, add the scallions and the onion, toss to coat well, and cook for about a minute over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, toss to mix, and cook for just a few moments, then remove the pan from the heat.

Slice the potatoes while still warm, cutting them crosswise into 1/2-inch sections. Put the pieces in a large mixing bowl, pour the wine and 3 or 4 tablespoons of olive oil over them, and toss gently to distribute. Add the warm vegetables from the pan, mustard, chives, chopped herbs, salt, and pepper, and gently fold all together, mixing well but not crushing the potatoes. Taste the salad and add more seasonings as you like.

Serve the potatoes warm (no colder than room temperature). Arrange the large radicchio leaves, if you have them, in a close circle on the serving platter, with their curved insides up, to form a rough bowl. Spoon the potato salad inside the leaves, sprinkle chopped egg around the edges, and parsley over the top. 

Cooks Notes: Not only could I not find any fingerling potatoes or chives but I also couldn't find any  radicchio. It was not a good day to grocery shop apparently. One of the things that I despise by living here btw...hard to find ingredients that really aren't that 'unique'. UGH!  

But that is the beauty of cooking - IMPROVISING! So I didn't have the right potatoes or the chives and radicchio leaves. But that didn't mean it wasn't delicious! Jon and I LOVED it! My sister and her kids, on the other hand - well, it wasn't their cup of tea. But we've just resigned ourselves to the fact that just because we're sisters doesn't mean we were born with the same food pallet. HER LOSS! 

My lovely Potato Salad...

Up next was our dessert for tonight! I love Cannolli's and when I saw this in the Food Network magazine, I just had to make it!

Cone-Oli's
 

Yield: 6 sevings

• 1 1/4 cups ricotta cheese
• 1/4 cup cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/3 cup confectioners' sugar, plus more for dusting
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
• 1/3 cup finely chopped bittersweet or semisweet chocolate (about 2 ounces)
• 6 sugar cones
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped pistachios

Directions

Put the ricotta in a fine-mesh sieve set over a bowl. Refrigerate 30 minutes to drain.

Transfer the ricotta to a large bowl. Add the cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, vanilla and almond extracts, and the orange zest and beat with a mixer until smooth and fluffy, about 1 minute. Fold in 3 tablespoons chopped chocolate. Cover and refrigerate until thick and cold, at least 1 hour.

Transfer the ricotta mixture to a resealable plastic bag. Snip off one corner and pipe the mixture into the cones. Gently press the remaining chocolate and the pistachios into the ricotta mixture. Dust the cones with confectioners' sugar. 

Now, I'm not one generally for the chocolate-orange combination, but I have to say it was dang tasty in this! Again, no one but Jon and I liked them (all the more for us). I thought that at least with the cute little sugar cones, they would of gobbled them up but alas, another culinary expedition that only resulted in Jon and I eating the whole dang thing. 

Such is life....

Lemon Fusilli with Arugula - slight repost

My friend Gia, wanted me to post the recipe for the pasta I made to take to Gourmet Club. So here it is in all it's glory!

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon good olive oil
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic (2 cloves)
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 3 lemons
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 bunch broccoli
• 1 pound dried fusilli pasta
• 1/2 pound baby arugula (or 2 bunches of common arugula, leaves cut in thirds)
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• 1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved

Directions

Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the garlic, and cook for 60 seconds. Add the cream, the zest from 2 lemons, the juice of 2 lemons, 2 teaspoons of salt, and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until it starts to thicken.

Meanwhile, cut the broccoli in florets and discard the stem. Cook the florets in a pot of boiling salted water for 3 to 5 minutes, until tender but still firm. Drain the broccoli and run under cold water to stop the cooking. Set aside.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add 1 tablespoon of salt and the pasta, and cook according to the directions on the package, about 12 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain the pasta in a colander and place it back into the pot. Immediately add the cream mixture and cook it over medium-low heat for 3 minutes, until most of the sauce has been absorbed in the pasta. Pour the hot pasta into a large bowl, add the arugula, Parmesan, tomatoes, and cooked broccoli. Cut the last lemon in half lengthwise, slice it 1/4-inch thick crosswise, and add it to the pasta. Toss well, season to taste, and serve hot.

*Recipe courtesy of Ina Garten, Food Network.

Chocolate Peanut Butter No-Bake Cookies

I FINALLY got around to giving my friend Jennie her cookies that she earned by coming up with THE BEST tag line for my blog. I have to tell you, I felt bad that I made her wait almost 3 weeks to get them. But between getting caught in a tornado (and all the aftermath that entailed), to my folks visiting, to us leaving for our vacation in FL, my life was hectic to say the least. I made sure to make it a priority to get those cookies made as soon as we got back from FL so I wouldn't be such a slacker!

Congrats again Jennie for being my 'winner-winner chicken dinner' and I'm so glad to know you liked my cookies!

And now ladies and gents, here's my recipe handed down from my Mom (and possibly, my Grandma) for my No-Bake cookies.....

2 Cups Sugar

1 Stick Butter

3 TB Cocoa Powder

½ Cup Milk

1 tsp Vanilla

½ Cup Peanut Butter

1½ to 2 Cups QUICK cooking oats

Slowly melt the butter in a sauce pan on med-low heat until melted. Add the sugar, cocoa powder and milk. Combine until dissolved. Once dissolved, kick up the heat to high. As soon as it starts to boil, cook for ONE MINUTE EXACTLY.

As soon as the minute is up, quickly add the vanilla followed by the peanut butter. Mix quickly. Then add up to 2 Cups of the oats. 

Spoon out onto wax paper.  

Once cooled, you can store in an air tight container. But they'll be eaten before you know it so don't worry about needing to keep them from drying out.

Cook Notes:
Have everything prepped and ready BEFORE you start. Lay down your wax paper, get a trivet or oven mitts set up next to the wax paper to set your pan down on. Have everything measured out. ESPECIALLY the peanut butter, oats and vanilla.


When I say you can use up to 2 cups of the oats, it all depends on the amount of humidity in the air that day. No bakes are very temperamental! I usually ALWAYS mess up one batch when I make them. Either they won't 'set' or they're too dry. You want them to have a nice glossy look. If they start to crumble, might as well feed them to the dogs because they won't work after that.


Prepare to slap hands away that keep trying to pick at the cookies while they're cooling. I find a wooden spoon helps with that. ☺

Last Gourmet Club Luncheon of the Year

Our culinary journey through the movies has finally ended. Today we had our last Gourmet Club Luncheon. It was decided we'd hold a pot luck and have everyone bring a dish to share. I decided to make Ina Garten's Lemon Fusilli with Arugula. It's one of my favorite dishes to make. I just love the blend of heavy cream, lemon and garlic! Delish!!!

 This is the sauce starting to bubble away. It's heavy cream, garlic, lemon juice and zest with a little salt and pepper.

Here's the final product all put together. Generally, I like serving this right away. The crunch of the Arugula with the pasta is really one you should all try. But since I had to be up and out the door the next morning right away, I made this the night before. It's still good either way. Plus, it allows the sauce to really soak into those noodles. 

Everyone brought such amazing dishes to be served! It was really hard filling my plate up with a little bit of everything. Especially the desserts! I have a massive sweet tooth, so it's very hard for me to pick and choose! Thankfully the plates were small which only allowed me to take a small portion of each dessert to try. And even then I didn't get a taste of everything. There was just SO much! 

Here's a few examples of what we had:

Chicken Salad with Melon

Garam Masala Deviled Eggs

Cheese and Asparagus Tart

Pear, Arugula, and Pancetta Salad

Scallops with Mushrooms in White-Wine Sauce

 Mexican Brownies

Guinness Cupcakes with Bailey's Irish Cream Frosting

Fresh Fruit Cheesecake

Pear Almond Tart

Roasted Tomato & Goat Cheese Tarte Tatin

India Delight

Key Lime Pie

Buttermilk Pie

Apple and Blackberry Pie

These are just a handful of the ones I could get pictures of. One of the many reasons why I love Gourmet Club - All the different food you get to eat! Amazing!

After we had all gorged ourselves on the food, it was then time to announce the winners of the 'Best Of' each course. We took all the dishes made throughout the year and had everyone vote on their favorite dish for each course. The winners won the 'Golden Rolling Pin'. It was our very own version of the Oscars.

There winners (and the Movie they were based off of) were as follows:

Best Appetizer

Crisp and Buttery Strawberry-Brie Sandwiches (Breakfast at Tiffany’s - November)

Best Soup

Roasted Parsnip and Vanilla Chocolate Soup (Chocolat - February)

Best Salad

Crispy Duck Salad with Bitter Orange Vinaigrette (Julie & Julia - January)

Best Entrée

Peppered Beef Tenderloin (White Christmas - December)

Best Dessert

White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake (White Christmas -December)

Best Table Decoration

White Christmas—Set A—Julie Jensen

Best Take Away

Baklava (Greek Wedding - March)

Best Gourmet Club President

Madeline

It was then time to hand out gifts to our members. New members received their very own Gourmet Club apron with their names on it.

To show you an example, this was mine from last year...

Our returning members received a wood cutting board with 'Gourmet Club 2010-2011' engraved on it and also a bottle of homemade vanilla.

 Madeline also presented us Board Members with our very own gifts. I got an awesome 8x8 baker and cookbook, along with a very lovely heart felt card thanking me for all my hard work the past year.

 It was a very touching gesture and it just makes the fact that Madeline will be PCS'ing to another duty station all that more bittersweet.
Finally, Madeline announced the new Board for next year and everyone seemed pretty excited. So I'm taking that as a good sign and diving head first into the job as President. I'm really ecstatic about it and can't wait until next year!

As for our Gourmet Club for 2010-2011, all I can say is:

That's a Wrap!

A Hammie FAVORITE!

When I was thinking of starting this blog, I was brainstorming through my list of family favorites trying to think, 'What would be the first recipe I should post on this blog?"

After much thought (a good 5 minutes at least!) about it, I decided to delegate the task to Jon.  He said based on what I've been making lately, his very most favorite is VODKA PASTA!

Followers of my family blog, may remember that I had already posted this recipe before when Jon and I decided to have a date night in.

It is one of our very favorite dishes to eat and I absolutely LOVE making it. Something about making the sauce from scratch (mostly)....and the smell of it as it simmers.....the aroma of the fresh basil....not to mention it has VODKA in it! 

I've made it so many times since that blog post that I can pretty much make it from memory now. It is SUCH an easy dish and I really recommend everyone try and make it.

The only thing I can say that would make this dish better would to be to let it SIT for a while. Let all that delish vodka cream sauce soak into those noodles....Mmmmmm......You won't be able to just have one serving! Trust me on this one.

Now, onto the recipe. Giving credit where credit is due; I got this off of the Food Network website, courtesy of Rachel Ray.

Photo courtesy of Jon Hamrick.

"You won't be single" for long Vodka Cream Pasta 

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, once around the pan in a slow stream
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 shallots, minced
• 1 cup vodka
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 can crushed tomatoes (32 ounces)
• Coarse salt and pepper
• 16 ounces pasta, such as penne rigate
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 20 leaves fresh basil, shredded or torn
• Crusty bread, for passing

Directions

Heat a large skillet over moderate heat. Add oil, butter, garlic, and shallots. Gently saute shallots for 3 to 5 minutes to develop their sweetness. Add vodka to the pan, 3 turns around the pan in a steady stream will equal about 1 cup. Reduce vodka by half, this will take 2 or 3 minutes. Add chicken stock, tomatoes. Bring sauce to a bubble and reduce heat to simmer. Season with salt and pepper.
While sauce simmers, cook pasta in salted boiling water until cooked to al dente (with a bite to it). While pasta cooks, prepare your salad or other side dishes.
Stir cream into sauce. When sauce returns to a bubble, remove it from heat. Drain pasta. Toss hot pasta with sauce and basil leaves. Pass pasta with crusty bread.

 Hope you all love it as much as we do!

Find my tagline!

"Many aspects of my method are based on my feeling and experience. For instance, I always give my bird a generous butter massage before I put it in the oven. Why? Because I think the chicken likes it—and, more important, *I* like to give it."
                                                                                                                 -Julia Child

I came across that gem of a quote while looking for ideas to incorporate into my tagline for this blog. I thought it was hilarious and hopefully, you'll all find some enjoyment with it too! That Julia was a naughty bird - I like it!

ANYWAY......

In my first post, I announced that I would be making a batch of my delicious, mouth-watering, calorie overloaded Chocolate Peanut Butter No-Bake Cookies to the person who could come up with a signature tag line that I loved the best.

I've been hearing a lot of GREAT ideas!! It's going to be so hard to choose.

But I want to let everyone know that I'll be announcing the winner of the tag line, with my very first recipe post on THURSDAY, APRIL 14TH!

Two more days to get those big brains of yours working and come up with a tag line that I'm gonna fall in love with!

Aren't you excited!?!!  Tune in to the Hammie Gourmet on Thursday for the winner!

Welcome!

So I've been toying around with the idea of starting a food blog for a while. Obviously, if you know me, you know I am quite the 'Foodie'. I love watching any type of cooking show (right now my favorite is the Cooking Channel - ***LOVE***). I am a member of a bunch of different recipe sights. I'm always trying on new recipes to my poor family and I am constantly on the lookout for bigger and better gadgets.

Really, this should not come to a surprise to any of you....

I figure with this food blog, I can somewhat separate what I put up on my family blog - It's Hammie Time and just use this as an outlet for me to gush about everything and anything that's related to the culinary world. Of course my two worlds may collide every once in a while, but I figure you all will be okay with that. ;)

What I really want to drive home is the fact that although this is going to be a 'food' blog, doesn't mean I'll ONLY be posting recipes left and right. My thoughts are that I'll post pictures of the food I make with the recipes (whereas I'll of course give credit to where credit is due). I'll also post pics of food I order at restaurants and various other places I go with food that I may find amazing and I'll also tell of my adventures as next year OWC Gourmet Club President. A title that I have - if I'm being honest, reluctantly accepted. And it's not because I don't WANT to be President. It's just that I realize what a HUGE undertaking this 'VOLUNTEER' position is and of course knowing who I am and what I am capable of, makes me feel pretty nervous. It's definitely not the food aspect of it. But more of being able to run a tight ship and do the job effectively. I really have huge shoes to fill. The current GC President  - Madeline, will be moving very soon. She's been the President for the last 2 years and a member of the OWC Gourmet Club since it's founding, I believe. It'll be a tough job to follow in such wonderful foot steps!

I hope I don't trip!!

Finally,  I realize that this is not everyone's cuppa tea and that is fine by me. But I hope you'll indulge me enough as your friend, a member of your family or even someone you barely know, to take the time and just read what I say here. You don't have to love it but I hope you realize that this is a part of who I am and because of that, you'll support me.

And with that, all I have to say is:

Bon Appetit!

 - Stacy

PS - I refuse to steal Julia Child's tag line so whoever can think of the best tag line for me to use - I will bake you a batch of my world famous (in my mind) Chocolate Peanut Butter No Bake Cookies. :)  I'll even ship 'em to you if I have to! :)