entertaining – Laura Nobil, Realtor®

Oakes Farms Meets Naples Home Cooks: From Seed to Our Table

June 11, 2019June 12, 2019Posted in Aging with Grace Blogger, appetizers, blog, Cocktail Party, COOKING FOR A CROWD, entertaining, FAVORITE THINGS SHOP, Food and Lifestyle Blogger, food blogger, Food Blogger, FOOD INFLUENCER, HEALTHY CHOICES, HEALTHY RECIPES, Life Style Blogger, Living & Loving Life at 60 Years Young, NAPLES, FLORIDA RESTAURANTS, recipes, SALADS, SEAFOOD, seafood, Seafood Dinners, VEGGIESTagged appetizers, cheese its, Cocktail Party, entertaining, FLORIDA, Food Network, grouper bites, NAPLES, Oakes Farms, Seed to TableLeave a comment

The next time you find yourself standing in a grocery store, and some guy with a camera loudly asks if there are any home cooks around, and you are the only person there, I say, GO FOR IT!

This happened, and my dream of becoming a Food Network Star was at my fingertips…well, sort of.

What started as a plan to cook a quiet dinner, soon blossomed into an incredible cocktail party with our amazing friends pitching in, all the while our PR guy, Larry from TellYourVision.Net, filmed us from start to finish!

Check out our commercial here!

And, here is the recipe you have all been waiting for!

STEVE’S PAN FRIED FLORIDA GROUPER BITES

INGREDIENTS:

•1 lb fresh Wild Florida Grouper Fillets, washed & patted dry

•2 organic eggs, beaten

•2 C. Cheez-it crackers ground fine

•2 C. Parmesan cheese grated

•1/2 C. Organic Olive Oil

DIRECTIONS:

•In a food processor, blend Cheez-it crackers with the parmesan cheese.

•Cut the grouper into 1” bite size pieces.

•Heat the oil over medium high heat.

•Dip each fillet in egg and toss in the cracker/cheese mixture to coat.

•Place each fillet into the hot oil taking care not to over crowd the fish.

•Cook for 3-4 min. per side until golden brown.

•Remove and serve immediately with your favorite tarter sauce, cocktail sauce or mustard sauce.

Dear Friends,

Thanks for swinging by! Stay tuned in the next few weeks for more great recipes and entertaining ideas from our Naples friends.

Cheers to sharing celebrations with love.

Laura

This BLT Salad will be a Mother’s Day Favorite!

May 11, 2018May 11, 2018Posted in Aging with Grace Blogger, blog, Breakfast and Brunch, entertaining, Fashion, Food and Lifestyle Blogger, food blogger, Food Blogger, Fourth of July, HEALTHY CHOICES, HOLIDAY CELEBRATIONS, Living & Loving Life at 60 Years Young, MAIN COURSE SALADS, Memorial Day, MOTHER'S DAY, recipes, SALADS, SEASONAL CELEBRATIONS, Summer Suppers, Uncategorized, VEGGIES AND VEGANTagged bacon, bacon lettuce and tomato sandwhich, blogger, blogging, blt, dinner salad, entertaining, Father's Day, Food, food blogger, FOOD FOR A CROWD, graduation, LIFESTYLE AND FOOD BLOGGER, MOTHER'S DAY, party, pasta salad, picnic food, Salad, salad for dinner, SEASONAL CELEBRATIONSLeave a comment

If you are looking for a great salad to add to your picnic for Mom’s Day, graduation, or just a get-together, try this BLT Salad…..all the flavors of that favorite bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich in a bowl! Simple and delicious!

BLT PASTA SALAD

with

Creamy Bacon Dressing

To keep the dressing from curdling, be sure to cool the bacon drippings to room temperature before adding to the mayonnaise.

Makes 20 servings

COOK:

1 lb. dry campanelle pasta
1 lb. thick-sliced bacon, diced

WHISK:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. minced shallots
2 Tbsp. minced fresh basil
2 Tbsp. cider vinegar
2 tsp.sugar

Salt and black pepper to taste

STIR IN:

4 cups chopped romaine lettuce 4 cups halved grape tomatoes

Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water according to package directions. Transfer pasta to a bowl of ice water; drain well.

Cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Transfer bacon to a paper- towel-lined plate. Reserve 3 Tbsp. drippings; set aside to cool.Whisk together mayonnaise, reserved drippings, shallots, basil, vinegar, and sugar in a large bowl; season with salt and pepper.

Stir in pasta, romaine, tomatoes, and bacon; toss to coat. Season salad with salt and pepper.

Dear Friends! I hope you enjoy this delicious salad! This year, I used medium sized ball jars for individual servings….they looked super cute on the table, and made serving easy (the best!).

This year will be my daughter, Jodi’s, first “Almost A Mom’s Day!” They are deciding what to name the baby, and I’m trying to decide what the baby will call Steve and I.

Check out some of my fun finds! As always, thanks for swinging by and have a wonderful Mother’s Day!

Cheers! Laura

CELEBRATIONS SHOPPING

SHEIN Lantern Sleeve Tied Neck Blouse Regular price $95.99 Sale price $49.99 + Free 7 day shipping!

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Women's Tile Print Tunic

SURPRISING DOLLAR STORE TRICKS (AND TREATS) FOR ENTERTAINING

October 16, 2016November 3, 2016Posted in AUTUMN, BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS, blog, Breakfast and Brunch, COOKIES, entertaining, FALL, food blogger, Living & Loving Life at 60 Years Young, PUMPKIN, recipesTagged appetizer, AUTUMN, blog, blogger, blogging, COOKIES, cool whip, delicious, desert, dollar general, dollar store, entertaining, FALL, family, Food, food blogger, foodie, fun food, halloween, haloween, international delight, kids, PUMPKIN, pumpkin pie, pumpkin pie cheesecake bites, pumpkin pie spice creamer, pumpkin spice pudding, recipes, SCHOOL, school ideasLeave a comment

So, you are invited to holiday parties for every holiday, and the worst thing is when you forget to label your dish with your name, or it gets washed off, and you either never get your dish back, or its months, and yes, maybe a year or two. And when the next occasion arises to use that perfect dish, you insanely look everywhere. After every cupboard, drawer, and storage bin has been ransacked (that’s an extreme word, but true) you realize that you took an appetizer to Sally’s house, and never got your dish back. SOLUTION: THE DOLLAR STORE.

I know, I know, your mother always told you to watch your pennies and the dollars will take care of themselves. However, can you put a price on your favorite pumpkin platter or your divine deviled egg dish? NO. The seasonal serving opportunities await your dollars at the dollar store. By the way, I am not making any money endorsing this retail establishment, although, not a bad idea!

Today, we are going to a fall clambake and my $2.00 purchase created this fun seasonal serving idea for a delicious desert that I call PUMPKIN PIE CHEESECAKE BITES. I have two favorite versions for this dip.

Normally now, I just leave the serving dish with the leftovers at the party, but this one came out so cute, I’m conflicted, so I may bring it home 🎃

PUMPKIN PIE CHEESECAKE BITES

RECIPE 1 (a little sweeter than recipe 2)

Ingredients

¾ cup International Delight Pumpkin Pie Spice Creamer
1 3.4 oz package pumpkin spice instant pudding
1 8oz package cream cheese, softened
2 cups frozen whipped topping, thawed
Graham cracker crumbs for garnish

DIRECTIONS

In a bowl, whisk together the International Delight Pumpkin Pie Spice Creamer with pumpkin spice instant pudding. Set aside for about 5 minutes.
In a mixing bowl, beat together the softened cream cheese and sugar.
Add in pudding to cream cheese mixture and beat.
Once well combined, fold in the 2 cups of thawed whipped topping and refrigerate.
When ready to serve, fill bowl with Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake Dip topped with graham cracker crumbs.

If you can’t find pumpkin spice instant pudding (it’s pretty seasonal), you can use either vanilla or cheesecake instant pudding with a teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice.

PUMPKIN PIE CHEESECAKE BITES

RECIPE 2

INGREDIENTS

1 -15 oz. can pumpkin puree
1 -8 oz. container Cool Whip, thawed
1 package 1.5 oz. Vanilla Instant Pudding Mix
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Directions

Cream together all ingredients with an electric mixer until well combined and fluffy. Chill in the fridge until ready to serve. Serve with Vanilla Wafers, Cookies, or Graham Crackers.

Dear Friends,

Celebrating something every day helps to create the happiness we all deserve to have. For me, its difficult to overlook the inevitable snow, but I love enjoying the beauty of this season and everything that comes with it.

Cheers to you! Laura

SUNSETS HAPPY HOUR! Easy Entertaining Ideas; Summer Charcuterie & Summer Sangria

June 3, 2016July 17, 2017Posted in UncategorizedTagged charcuterie, charcuterie board, cheese tray, cocktails, delicious, entertaining, pinterest, sangria, summer entertaining, summertimeLeave a comment

Ahhhhh…Summertime!

Sunsets, cocktails, and little delicious bites. Here are a few quick ideas and entertaining tips to keep you out of the kitchen and enjoying your sunset guests!

Talk about simple! Try putting together a cheese tray or charcuterie board. It’s all about an arrangement of cheeses, fruits, meats (optional) nuts, dips and crackers or breads.Go to your local market and purchase a small assortment of your favorites or check out pinterest for ideas to copy! Pretty soon you will be starting a board of your own if you haven’t already!Add a little SUMMER SANGRIA to the party, and it’s hit!

SUMMER SANGRIA

1 small carton of raspberries, cut up in small pieces
1 small carton of strawberries, cut in small pieces
1 lime
1 granny smith apples, cut up
1 bosc pear, cut up
1 serrano pepper (more if you are daring)
1 bottle of chardonnay or any white wine you love
1/2 cup of white grape juice
1/4 cup of sugar
1 can of club soda
Mint leaves for garnish
Layer all fruit in the bottom of a pitcher, dusting sugar between each layer.

Add the wine, grape juice and club soda. Garnish with mint and enjoy!

When looking for ideas, Pinterest is the place to find amazing recipes, inspirations for decorating, gardening, and just about anything!

Check out my Pinterest board
for simple entertaining ideas. While you are there, visit my APPETIZERS & BITES board. It’s stacked with mouthwatering recipes.

Tag: entertaining