This past weekend my boyfriend Mark and I decided to have an “Iron Chef” competition! We both had to agree on the not-so secret ingredient ahead of time because I had to go to the grocery store and get all the ingredients before he flew into town. We decided to go with goat cheese. The rules were: it had to be a recipe we’ve never made before and to make the dish in under an hour. For those of you who don’t know, the Food Network show “Iron Chef” is a in a one-hour cooking competition, where chefs cook meals based a secret ingredient.
We wanted to make it fun, but also cook together, so we only “battled” for appetizers. The rest of the meal we shared the responsibilities and made it a joint effort. Here is a video I made of the night – watch to see who won! All I can say is this was a long night in the kitchen, but a fun experience and we plan on having a rematch soon …so stay tuned!
Grilled Shrimp with Goat Cheese and Prosciutto: I just broiled the shrimp, scooped a tablespoon of goat cheese on it, and wrapped it in a slice of prosciutto.
A girl can never have too many bracelets! Bangles never go out of fashion and go with everything! This is why I love Alex and Ani jewelry! Alex and Ani is an eco-friendly jewelry company that specializes in expandable bracelets. These bracelets are made from recycled materials and have cute charms with religious and spiritual symbols. The designer, Carolyn Rafaelian, just happens to be Armenian Celebrities from all over the world are wearing this jewelry and I wanted to share this great find.
I’m a huge fan of travel accessories, so when I came across FREE luggage tags from KLM, I had to spread the word! You can use one of your own pictures on the luggage tag, or pick from their pre-selected images. This is a great gift for a frequent traveler.
Here are a few products that make cute gifts this Valentine’s Day!
1. iPhoto Book : iPhoto Books are customized photo books made by Apple. The books are very simple to create and can be hardcover, softcover, or wire-bound. You can also create calendars and greeting cards using iPhoto. The extra large hardcover books are 13X10 inches (20 pages) and cost $49.99 – additional pages cost $1.49 each.
2. Send a loved one A Taste of Michigan: This is a gift basket from American Spoon (a Michigan specialty food company) contains their famous dried tart cherries, Northern Michigan Creamed Raw Honey, Cherry Marmalade, Dried Michigan Blueberries, Cherry-Blueberry Spoon Fruit, Michigan shaped cookie cutter, and a Petoskey Stone from Northern Michigan. This costs $48.00.
3. Kind Notes: Kind Notes is a customized container that you place (31) customized messages in. The messages are also wrapped in customized decorative envelopes. You can either pick from their pre-written messages, have them handwrite your message, or write your own. People enjoy getting mail and this allows your recipient to open a message every day. Whether its for your mother, sister, a distant friend/significant other, a birthday, success, grief, or inspiration this idea is truly unique and a meaningful gift!
4. Super Mario Bros for Wii : Do I even have to leave an explanation? Everyone loves Super Mario Bros! It costs $49.99.
5. Beating Heart Pillow : This is a very different gift and so appropriate for Valentine’s Day! The My Beating Heart Pillow recreates the rhythmic pulse of a beating heart, so that you feel as calm as if you were cuddling with a loved one. Prices range from $35 - $50.
Celebrities from all over the world are wearing this jewelry and I wanted to share this great find.
