My First Bachelorette Party

Ok, so the title of this post may not seem food related, but just wait...becuase it is! My bridesmaids (who all live in different cities) and I all met in Marietta, OH where we all went to college together. They had a bachelorette party for me since they can't come in town for my other one. This picture is of my out of town bridesmaids along with my sister who is my matron of honor and another one of our friends who came along:) I could go on and on about this weekend...but this is a food blog!!!

While visiting...we had to go to the Rossi Pasta store. My friend Kim said, "Hey Laney, am I going to see this on your blog?" OF COURSE!!!

I bought some pasta and made it last night...Southwestern Chipotle Fettuccini. It was great!...but I forgot to take pictures :( I served it with a vodka sauce that I found at the grocery store along with pork chops and sauteed vegetables...I ate WAY too much of the pasta!!!

Grandma's 80th Birthday Party!!

My family had a party for my grandma's 80th birthday this weekend. She had a ton of people come, and everyone had a great time. Among the festivities, there was plenty to eat. I am only including what I made so I can share the recipe.

Spinach Dip:

This recipe came from my fiance's family. It is soooo good and was a huge hit!

1 small jar artichokes, blend with juices in food processor

2 packages cream cheese, I used reduced fat

1 package frozen spinach, thawed and drained

1 tbs. onion

1 garlic glove

1/2 cup shredded parmesean cheese

3/4 cup half and half

Mix all ingredients together and cook in crock pot on high for 1-2 hours or low for 2-4. Serve with tortilla chips!

Birthday Cake=Carrot Cake!!

This cake was so good...and I didn't make it...sorry to get your hopes up, don't have a recipe!! I just wanted to include the picture becuase it's pretty...and what's a birthday without the cake!

Seafood Tortilla Lasagna

I got this recipe from another food blog, http://colormeundefined.blogspot.com/

These are the things I did different. I used cooked frozen shrimp to save time and hassle. They did get a little tough, so next time I will use uncooked like the recipe says :) I also forgot the cayenne pepper, but it was still good! I also used a little more cheese, just like always! The recipe that follows is copied straight from the other blog, so the things she has in parenthesis are her changes/comments. This was something that was different and good!! My fiance liked it too!

Seafood Tortilla Lasagna:
(Adapted from Taste of Home Magazine) and copied from http://colormeundefined.blogspot.com/
1 (20-24 oz.) jar picante sauce
1 lb. uncooked small/medium shrimp, peeled, deveined, (thawed & drained)
4-6 cloves garlic, minced (I used jarred)
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper (or to taste, I used homegrown red pepper flakes)
1 Tbsp. olive or vegetable oil
1/3 cup butter or margarine
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 (14.5 oz.) can chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
18 (6-inch) corn tortillas
1 1/2 lbs imitation crabmeat, flaked
1 regular sized bag shredded Colby/Monterey Jack cheese
Preheat oven to 375°.In a skillet, cook shrimp, garlic, and cayenne in oil until shrimp turn pink, about 3 minutes. (I cut my shrimp into thirds because I don't like "chunks" in my lasagna.) Remove shrimp and liquid* and set aside in another dish. In the same skillet, melt butter. Stir in flour until smooth. Gradually add broth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Reduce heat. Stir in heavy cream and picante sauce; heat through.
Spread a thin layer of sauce in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish. (I did not grease mine and nothing stuck.) Layer with 6 tortillas, 1/2 of the shrimp, crab and sauce, and ~ half of the cheese. Layer 6 more tortillas, the remaining shrimp, crab, and sauce, reserving ~ 1/2c cheese. Layer 6 more tortillas and sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Bake, covered for 30 to 35 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand for 15 minutes before cutting (it makes a world of difference if you let it settle/cool).