Spicy Crawfish

I was browsing some of my files in Picasa again and saw my crawfish plate. Those were the days that crawfish is less than $2/lb in Mississippi. If it's off season, it could rise up to $4/lb.
Would really love to eat crawfish after the holy week.

Catering Business

Contribution by Kennith Griffin:

When my sister was in college, she worked part time for a catering company and restaurant. During the week she worked as a pastry chef and cook for the restaurant. On the weekends, she got to help cater all of these fancy events. She made pretty good money for it only being a part time job. She was an education major, but she recently decided that she wanted to open her own catering company. My grandparents used to own a restaurant, and although the restaurant is not open anymore, they still own the space. They told her she could use the space to get started with her company. She went to t1.xo to set up internet for the company, and set up all of the other utilities for the restaurant too. Once she had all of that handled, she was able to focus on the more fun stuff, like the menu. She asked me to come in once a week and be a taste tester. I happily agreed. I know that she is a pretty good cook, and I love to try new foods. She has a pretty good set of recipes to put on the menu and hopefully she will be opening her company very soon.

Missing the Beignet

Don't know what's gotten into me now. I want to eat Beignet but the problem, I am nowhere near New Orleans. Oh I miss beignet in Cafe du Monde at French Quarter.

When we were in Mississippi, when hubby and I feels like going to New Orleans, we hit the road right then. We just go to Cafe Du Monde and eat it. Now? Got no choice but, just drool LOL.

Health Benefits of Chocolates

When I was at my hometown and my husband was left at home, he sent me chocolates and flowers by mail. I stayed with my mom for three months because I was doing a home project and I did the planning, budgeting and financing of the work to be done. When the package arrived, my nieces are excited because they knew I will give them their share.

My husband loves sending chocolates by post even before we were married. Chocolates are sweet, so did my husband. Anyway, a chocolate can be very beneficial to human health. It uses a lot of cocoa which contains plenty of Flavonoids and citrin which helps maintain the body’s blood pressure.

Are you a big fan of the sweet stuff? There's something to be joyful about loving the chocolates but, remember, too much of everything can harm our body. It is okay to treat ourselves with our chocolate cravings in regular basis but, make sure it is not too much. Eating chocolates improve blood flow, it decrease the risk of stroke and lower the blood pressure.

It also aids in balancing blood sugar levels especially if you eat dark chocolates. The risk of getting diabetes is minimized because the food enhances the body’s metabolism of blood sugar. Chocolates help lessen a person’s chances of getting heart attacks since it keeps the LDL cholesterol low and the HDL cholesterol high. For more information, click on the links here.

Brooklyn Pizza

I am not a pizza lover but, if I like the taste of a pizza, I can eat 2 pieces in one meal. Here, pizza slices are huge and it's already a complete meal. I like pizza with more cheese and less meat. This is Hawaiin pizza from Brooklyn and I like the taste of the dough.

Brooklyn Pizza along South Semoran Boulevard is a small place that can cater small crowd. Most of their sales are ordered online.

 

When we were there, only 4 tables were occupied but they have a lot of pick-up orders
This is a medium size pizza. Just enough for both of us.
So far, I like Brooklyn Pizza and New York pizza. What is your favorite? Let me know so I can go there and taste it. Thanks for stopping by.

All Set to Move in the New House

We bought a house that needs some TLC. It is just cosmetic touches and it's good to go. As of today, my husband and I are just waiting for the closing schedule. We love this house because it has a big yard but easy to maintain and has a one car covered garage with a good size storage area on the mezzanine. The bedrooms are smaller than what we have now but, enough to have an extra room for guests and my office.

In the master bedroom they renovated the bathroom and it has a porcelain vanity top, a clean and contemporary style which I love. The bathroom has a standing shower, has a beautiful lighting fixture, and a good size for us.

The kitchen needs some updating of course and all appliances need to go. Yesterday, we priced some of the appliances that we like and though they are a bit expensive, we can't do anything but, purchase our needs. Anyway, before we went to the appliances section, we went to the grocery. My sister asked me to price and compare biochem whey protein and ultra protein plus. If you are looking for these items, check out the link here. Their prices are affordable.

Well, I am excited to do some work in the house and hubby already bought a refurbished cordless drill and some power tools. We can only do minor projects in the house. If we need a major project, that's the time we will hire a professional contractor.

Banana Bread with Raisins

I am not a cook but, once in a while I experiment what I ate at home. Half of the time, a disaster LOL. But, when I hit the right taste sometimes, I surprise myself. I always refer to Panlasang Pinoy website because it has a video which is very easy to follow. Here is my version of Banana Bread:

Ingredients:
4 pieces of bananas, mashed; 1 cup sugar; 2 pieces raw eggs; raisins; half a cup vegetable oil;1 tsp of: salt,vanilla essence and baking soda; 1 and a half cups of Hungry Jack's pancake and wafle mix (my alternate to flour).

Cooking Procedure:
Combine all the dry ingredients starting with the Hungry Jack's pancake and waffle mix , sugar, salt, and baking soda. Mix the dry ingredients thoroughly. Then, add the eggs, mashed bananas, cooking oil, and vanilla essence. Mix well with the dry ingredients until a batter is formed. Prepare the loaf pan, grease it with Spam, scatter the raisins at the bottom of the pan and pour-in the mixture. Then, preheat oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit then bake the mixture for less than an hour. Let it cool down for few minutes and serve.

Strawberry Cheesecake with Ice Cream at Tony Roma's

Hubby and I went to one of our favorite restaurants Tony Roma's at South Semoran Boulevard. We live in an area where access to many restaurants is just across the streets. To name a few, Joe's Crab Shack's, Chili's, Sonny's, Denny's, High Tide Harry's, Fridays, Tony Roma's and more. Hubby and I had our lunch at Tony Roma's and hubby ordered steak and wild mushroom flat bread and mine, the delicious shrimp and salmon piccata. Our dessert is strawberry cheesecake with ice cream but, hubby ate it all LOL. I am not fond of desserts and I am full with my meal, no more space for desserts. Would I recommend Tony Roma's at South Semoran Boulevard? YES, definitely. The food servers are very friendly and has the knowledge of the entree'. They check on you if you enjoyed your meal and we love the industrial ambiance of this place. Check it out!

Yummy Mango Float

This is so easy to make. If you have sweet mangoes and you can't keep up eating, make a mago float.
Here's the ingredients:

graham crackers, crushed graham crackers, all purpose cream, 1 can condensed milk, thin sliced ripe sweet mangoes.

Procedure:

In a dish, arrange pieces of graham crackers. Set aside. In a bowl, combine the cream and condensed milk. Spread the milk and cream mixture on the layered crackers and spread out the thin slices of sweet mangoes evenly on top of the cream. Do the same procedure until you use all the ingredients. You may garnish top layer with mango and sprinkle the crushed graham. Chill for at least 3 hours before serving.

Sending a Formal Invitation

It is spring break and students got their chance to unwind with their family and friends. The usual places expected to have so much activities would be the beach and the water parks. One of my friends here is busy planning a birthday party for her pretty daughter. She already sent birthday invitations with RSVP through the mail to some of us who are close to their family.

We are actually excited because the celebrant has grown up as a well-mannered, intelligent and beautiful lady and will be home for the spring break too. Just in time for her birthday and since she is studying up north, she always love to come home. She has a boyfriend who is popular in their school in both sports and academic. She will bring him and few of her friends will also come for her birthday. I heard they are all excited to come and would really love to spend time on the beach also.

My friend told me that they like the guy for their daughter. The celebrant is excited for her birthday celebration. Aside from her boyfriend, she also invited her close friends. Actually, her close friends are the ones who recommended the Website that has a lot of design selections for a birthday invitation.

As of now, I am ready to send the RSVP back to them and will be heading to the mall to shop for a birthday gift. It is really nice to send a formal invitation to the expected guest because it will serve as a reminder. Sending a formal invitation will definitely yield to having more gifts for the celebrant. When there is an invitation, there is no way that guest can miss coming to a celebration without a gift right?

Every time you have an important celebration, I bet you can tell the difference when you send invitations and when you don't. When you just invite someone randomly, some of them come with no gift at all. But, when you send an invitation, you usually got more gifts. Having said so; sending invitation is important but, the presence of those you love when they arrive on the party even without gift is most important of all.

Golden Corral's Bakery and Dessert Cafe'

Few days ago, my husband and I was at Golden Corral having lunch. We sat next to a table with a family of 6. I noticed that the mother ( big and healthy) was teaching the little girl about how much calories the little girl has on her plate. The little girl wanted to eat the rice and the fried chicken but, the mother told her to limit few bites. That's nice, I told to myself. I was actually eating rice ( half of the plate), a big slice of crunchy friend chicken and two rolls.

I am not discipline if it is about food. I ate what I want really. Then, I saw the mother went to the dessert cafe' and took a plate full of desserts: 2 slices of chocolate cake, apple pie, chocolate bar, and an ice cream on a cone. I saw her finished her plate in few minutes. I was confused! The little girl did the same thing. I thought they quit the calorie count when the subject is desserts eh? LOL.

Croquetas de Pollo

When I was growing up, I always visit my grandma. She loves to cook. I always dropped by her workplace after school. Her fettuccini with Alfredo sauce and croquetas de Pollo are my favorite food. She died when I was in College. When we visited Saint Petersburg and dine at the Columbia Restaurant at the Pier, I was amazed to see this:I still miss the recipe of my grandma. It was better than the Croquetas in Columbia.

Back to the Buffet at Beau Rivage Hotel

I sure miss the spectacular view of the Gulf coast, amazing sunsets by the beach and the delicious taste of gumbo, craw fish, shrimps and boiled crabs in Mississippi.Dining out is not that expensive compared to Orlando. The casinos in the area always have good food in their buffet and offers affordable price for their loyal customers.When we visited Mississippi last February for Mardi Gras, we went to the buffet at the Beau Rivage for breakfast.It's $10/person for a buffet style dining with variety of food, a good deal which I can't find here in Orlando.For lunch and dinner, hubby and I love the Hard Rock and the Isle. If you happen to pass by Biloxi area in Mississippi, dine at the Beau Rivage, Hard Rock and the Isle.

Thanks to Miracle Gro Expand 'n Gro Concentrated Planting Mix

This post brought to you by Scotts®. All opinions are 100% mine.

My husband loves cherry tomatoes and every day, he spends quite a long time taking care of his vegetables in pots. Checking his garden is part of his routine in the morning. He makes sure that weeds will not thrive. Two days ago, I received the product from Miracle Gro called Expand ‘n Gro™ and hubby used it right away.

 

This product will aid his vegetables to grow healthy and bigger than normal because Expand 'n Gro has a coconut coir fiber  which is responsible in maintaining the ideal moisture of the soil. Expand 'n Gro is a plant food which is a concentrated planting mix that expands up to 3X when water is added. It will feed for up to 6 months because all the natural fibers hold up to 50% more water than the ordinary soil. For all these nutrients, my husband is happy gardener and thankful for Expandf 'n Gro. Watch the video below for more info:

Hey, I got this for FREE and if you are eager to receive free samples to try for your garden, just leave your comment below. Lucky commenter will have a free sample of Expand 'n Gro, the best product to use for  your Spring Garden. Visit the links provided here and don't forget to leave your comment. Enjoy your day everyone.

Columbia Restaurant at the Pier in St. Petersburg

Saint Petersburg is about two hours drive from Orlando. We went to the Pier just to have lunch at Columbia Restaurant known as the oldest restaurant in Florida (1905).I ordered chicken and yellow rice which is called Sarapico, a traditional dish from Ybor City in Tampa, Florida. OMG! Their plate is huge and this portion can fed 4 hungry people. On the plate is a quarter chicken baked with yellow rice, onions, green peppers, tomatoes, spices and virgin oil. It taste good but, not my favorite. All the ingredients are over-powering.As I've said, the food is good but, not for me.All main entrees include hot Cuban bread and butter. I'm not a fan either. It just tastes bland but, our friend enjoyed it.The location of this restaurant is awesome. It is over-looking the Tampa Bay where anyone can see glance of dolphins playing on the waterfront.The picture above is the Pier and this restaurant is located at the top floors. While enjoying your meals, you will enjoy a panoramic view in 360 degrees. If I want to go back? Sure! I will check it out again and try the other recipes.

Yummy Fast Food Restaurant Desserts

Fast food is a part of American culture. Who doesn’t have a nostalgic memory about a McDonald’s sundae or Wendy’s frosty? However, these treats are more than just a pastime as they are also a delicious, fast and affordable way to indulge your sweet tooth. Fast food restaurants offer such an impressive selection of desserts that even food lovers interested in pastry school will approve of these desserts.

Healthier Options

• Wendy’s Small Frosty – Feel free to dip your fries into your Frosty as much as you want, because this dessert only has 160 calories and 5 grams of fat. Don’t let its simplicity fool you, it’s delicious.


• Taco Bell Cinnamon Twists – Light puffs of corn doused in sugar and cinnamon, making this dessert delectable and kind on your waist.


• KFC Lil’ Bucket Strawberry Shortcake Parfait Cup – Big in flavor and light in calories.


• McDonald’s Caramel Apple Parfait – Only has 160 calories but you wouldn’t know it as you dip your spoon into the caramel.


• McDonald’s Vanilla Reduced Fat Ice Cream Cone – So yummy that you won’t miss the fat.


• KFC Lemon Meringue Pie – Everyone loves pie. With this dessert you can have your pie and eat it, too.


• Pizza Hut Cherry Dessert Pizza – A great way to enjoy a classic treat and watch your weight.

Floats, Ice Cream and Shakes – Oh, My!

The most popular deserts for fast food resturants seem to be ice cream based. And while your nutritionist certainly wouldn't want you to try them out; we highly recommend these frosty treats. Both A&W and Jack in the Box offer root beer floats to take you back to a simpler time. McDonald’s and A&W have a wide variety of sundaes including strawberry and caramel that are sure to satisfy any craving. Roy Rogers’ Apple Cheese Crisp Sundae and Hot Fudge Brownie Sundae are not your average sundaes. Burger King also has special sundaes such as its Oreo Sundae, Oreo Brownie Sundae, and Peach and Granola Sundae. For those who want ice cream and a little something extra, McDonald’s McFlurry, A&W’s Polar Swirl and Dairy Queen’s Blizzard offers thick ice cream mixed with different candies and other goodies.

Many fast food chains offer milkshakes; however, McDonald’s carries a seasonal shamrock shake that is green and minty, perfect for St. Patrick’s Day. Burger King also sells a handspun strawberry shake. At Jack in the Box, customers can enjoy the salty sweet taste of a bacon shake. Carl's Jr. sells chocolate, vanilla and Oreo malts for those who want a cool yet sweet treat.

Slices of Heaven

McDonald’s Baked Apple Pie, served warm and fluffy, is a classic dessert that will keep you coming back for more. Burger King also has a Dutch Apple Pie that looks and tastes like your grandma’s. Chick Fil-A has lemon pie that will cool you down on a hot day and satisfy your sweet craving. Jamocha Cream Pie at Arby's is perfect for coffee lovers. As for choc-aholics, Burger King has a Hershey Sundae Pie, with layers of delicious chocolate. Carl’s Jr. and Jack in the Box also have a simple chocolate cake.

Who can say no to cheesecake? Chick Fil-A and Carl’s Jr. both have cheesecake. However at Del Taco, you can have Caramel Cheesecake bites for small pops of big flavor. Cinnamon and sugar go hand and hand. Churros are conveyor belts of cinnamon sugar goodness available at Jack in the Box and at Del Taco. McDonald’s Caramel Melts also combine the powers of cinnamon and sugar in their cinnamon rolls.

Source

“Fitness” (2012)

Vietnamese Delicacy

I have Vietnamese friends in Biloxi, Mississippi and they always bring food in the workplace. These foods really tastes great but the only problem, I can't remember the name.This green foodie taste like "gulaman" with mongo-like filling sprinkled with sesame seeds at the top.This is made of sticky rice and taste like "suman" with black beans and the filling tastes like banana. I really don't know LOL but, the taste is really good.When I was working in the casino, my Vietnamese co-worker would always bring a snack for both of us. She's so kind and friendly.I love their food and when hubby and I went to Mississippi for Mardi Gras, I bought these foods in the Vietnamese store. I did asked the name but now, it's forgotten LOL.

Satisfy your Sweet Tooth at Confectionery at Magic Kingdom

Here's hubby's favorite store inside Disney World's Magic Kingdom, the Confectionery. Anything that can satisfy your sweet tooth is all right here.Hubby bought chocolates with peacan and humongous head of mickey chocolates. I have to pass for these sweet treats. I am not fond of chocolates really so; this store is not that appealing to my tastebuds. But, I so love this place for the amazing display of goodies.

Some Creative Easter Gifts for the Young Ones

When Easter is just around the corner, it is a tradition that you give something unique to your children. The usual Easter gifts for kids include jelly beans and chocolates. However, these can be boring. You should consider giving theme gift baskets if you want something different for your kids. These gift baskets come with beautiful packaging and contain several varieties of items that can keep the children busy for hours.

You can buy a prebaked and preassembled Bunny hutch cookies house package. It contains cookies, sweets and beautiful materials that are best for decorating. This kind of baskets will be a fantastic spring time activity and will give the kids a great time decorating the house. Moreover, you can also use these baskets to be a center piece of your Easter table. In particular, the package include a prebaked and prebuilt house, decorating bags and tip, decorating icing mixes, bunny ears, candies, premade icing decorations a cardboard base. The items for decorating have complete instructions. You might want to get some extra candies, just in case your children want to put additional colors.

There are also other Easter gifts that would keep your kids busy and remember the Easter day. One of the gifts that you can give your kids would be "cookies play dough". Your children can make the Easter cookies, bake and eat them. These cookies can be made in different colors as there are four bright colors inside the package. Your kids can create almost any color that they want by mixing two or more than two colors together. Moreover, there are some Easter cookie cutters which allow the kids to cut into shapes of bunnies, eggs and many other things.

An activity basket would be a great gift idea for your kids. It contain some crayons, coloring book, a box of tasty cookies, cotton candy, small chocolate Easter eggs, Easter bobble head and a plush toy that would be great for any little ones.

When you want to buy Easter gifts for the young ones, you want to choose a store that gives the best deal. After choosing the best gift baskets, you just make an order the gift baskets will be delivered to the recipient's residence. Most of the best gift baskets are available online. Purchasing from an online store is very convenient. It is also very easy to send gifts to someone from the comfort of your home. You can never go wrong when sending Easter baskets. All you have to think is the child's like and dislikes.

It's Fun to Shop at IKEA Orlando

IKEA is an acronym of the founder's initials: Ingvar Kamprad who at that time, 17 years old; Elmtaryd is the farm where he grew up; and Agunnaryd in Småland, South Sweden, is his home parish.We love to shop at IKEA Orlando Home Furnishings. It is located in Eastgate Drive in Orlando, Florida. We bought most of our kitchen appliances, and bedroom furnishings from this store. Most of their products are made "ready to assemble" so; it might take your time but, it's fun. Before we head to shopping, we usually go to their restaurant and dine.Sometimes, as part of their marketing strategy they offer FREE breakfast but, I guess not so many people know about that.Joining the Family Club would give the customers more priviledges such as free coffee for every visit and lower prices compared to the regular retail prices.The Family Club is free for everyone and you can make your account online or visit the kiosk and in seconds, you can register and get the card.Here are some of thier bedroom display.Have you seen some of the designs in HGTV shows? Some of the accessories used in their home staging are IKEA products.White dining area display at IKEA.White kitchen, so dainty huh?For an open concept design, here's the dining and kitchen design ideas.

Searching for a Dedicated Server

I know someone who uses Webzilla and he was a customer for a long time. He uses the Website in line with his IT job but, since he had another career, he passes it on to the new guy in the company. For so many years of using Webzilla, he never encountered major mishaps on the servers. He was happy and contented with the services of this company.Last Friday, our friends had bonding time and we discussed our life and career updates. We are typical friends who took life easy but seriously. One friend wanted an advice about his online business Websites and so; the IT experts have all the say for the night.

Our friend was actually searching for a dedicated server. As expected, a satisfied customer need no convincing, our friends started working on his Webzilla the next day. I called him the other day and so far, he was impressed with the high-quality Dell servers. He likes the individual approach and the flexible pricing. Of course, these features only depend upon the needs of the customers.

This company can solve any questions with traffic especially on the connection to multiple major providers. It has great capacity say, 1Gbps that is why, they are trusted by major internet businesses. The quality of service is phenomenal. Our friend was thankful that we hang out lastweek and was introduced about Webzilla.

Yummy Sunday Yumminess

Dining out can be very expensive but, my husband and I enjoyed it. Sometimes, we used coupons that was sent to us through the mail. One of our friends watch the NBA games and is a fan of Orlando Magic. His tickets come with a Free "pick-two" order which is about $7 and he gave us some of the coupons.Hubby loves the soups here and I love what they have in their bakery. I like the patries and rolls.This is bear claw which is made with almond filling, drizzled with icing and sliced almonds ( too sweet for me ).Hubby ordered a vegetarian creamy tomato pureed with fresh cream and taste so velvety and full of flavor with hints of red pepper and oregano, topped with Asiago croutons.Sorry but, not my most favorite. I like broccoli cheddar and sonoma chicken stew.I ordered a Mediterranean Veggie with peppers, feta cheese, cucumbers, lettuce, tomatoes, onions and cilantro Jalapeño hummus on the Tomato Basil bread.It is good but, not my kind a sandwich.This is my yummy Sunday entry. Thanks for the visit.

Apple Pie at McDonald's

I like the McCafe drinks and apple pies of McDonalds. In Ocean Springs Mississippi, this location is our favorite McDonald's. This is located in 1323 Bienville Boulevard, Ocean Springs, MS and if you live in Ocean Springs, this is their telephone number (228) 875-2331. I like this place because the employees are very friendly and provides fast service. Sometimes, it gets out of hand because of the drive thru customers but, they handle it well.It's always clean and in spec and span. The lady at the counter is a Filipino, I think hehehe.They have a good size play area for the kids. Don't worry, it's separated from the dining so, diners can enjoy the food.When we live in Ocean Springs, we don't usually eat in fast foods because casinos offer buffet food. But in the morning, after I got out from work, hubby and I drop here for a cup of McCafe. So good!