Their Last Supper Book Giveaway - Advanced Copy!

By Cathy | April 26, 2010

Their Last Suppers - Legends of History and their final meals!

Andrew Caldwell is at it again and we are giving away  an ADVANCED COPY of this new book and it could be yours!!   I had the pleasure of  seeing Andrew again this past weekend at a special book signing and wine tasting event at Vino 100.  This new book it amazing - It is a hard cover book and wow how fun!!  Andrew is a very fun, passionate and charismatic author who’s zest for history is portrayed in a very fun way!   If you love food, you will love this book!

This is definitely my kind of history!  Andrew has incredible whit and charm and those traits are very apparent in the book.  Here’s the exciting news … he graciously signed yet another book for us to give away to one of our readers….

“Their Last Suppers” is an exciting trilogy of historical cookery books that looks at the lives of over 60 of history’s most legendary figures.
Everyone in the book died tragically before their time, creating headlines around the world - John Candy to  Alexander the Great to Elvis, Princess Diana, Marilyn Monroe, Cleopatra, Martin Luther King and JFK to name a few.
“Their Last Suppers” looks at the lives of the famous, the mistakes they made (both funny and sad) and concludes each chapter with the recipe for their last meal.

Already in pilot, and shortly to be a TV series - Hopefully will air this summer!!  The History Chef.

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As Andrew Says ” We can teach ourselves and our children so much by learning from the past.  This way we can do it with a great meal along the way - Cheers!!”

So here’s how it works … but who are we kidding you know the drill!!

Just leave a comment and if the random org picks you, you are a winner!! Make sure we know how to get in touch with you!!

Enter as many times as you want from now until Sunday May 2nd !!!

Contest only for those of us who are in the USA.

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Takin’ it to the hoop in Denver

By Kristy Nuttall | April 22, 2010

Really … I know I’m no different than many other blogger … but I feel like I have nothing to talk about.

I know that’s not the case … really I do have fun stuff going on … but sometimes it feels like it’s not fun to everyone else.

I have been crazy busy with RKN Studio and with getting Zac where he needs to go - which includes golf matches, acupuncture apts (for allergies), basketball clinics, basketball tourneys and more.

denverskylineLast weekend Ron and I went to Denver with him for a big basketball tournament that had some of the best basketball players in the nation.  We were busy the entire time going from one game to the next - we had five teams playing there.  Our team played well for their first official game together and I’m really looking forward to seeing how they do this season once they gel like in know they will :D.

One of our older teams - 17’s BTI Force and Select (a combo team) took home the championship in their bracket - that was very cool to see :D. One of the boys on the 17’s BTI All Star team even got written up by Scout.com and ESPN.  If you’re interested, you can see some photos from the trip on the BTI Hoops site (just uploaded them this morning).

btisitevisitcoloradouniversity01We also got to take a site visit of Colorado University - met some of the coaching staff - checked out their locker room and then got to go onto their basketball court - pretty impressive.  The BTI players were all loving every minute of being in a gym like that and all kept saying, I want to play in a place like this.

Going back to the basketball tournament … if you’ve never been to a sporting event at this level, it’s pretty impressive.  There are a lot of players on these teams that will be playing College Basketball and even going into the NBA.  It’s not uncommon to see at least two or three dunks in a game.  The game is very fast paced and competition is stiff.  Everyone comes to win … and you can tell that’s the case when the buzzer signals game time.

amirzacsteffenmarkatsonicZac came home truly pumped for basketball again and that makes me happy. He really is on track to do some awesome things in the next few years and I certainly hope that he stays this excited about it all :D.

Oh … and we managed to convince Zac that Sonic isn’t terrible.  He has always said he hated Sonic … but a few of his team mates convinced him to try … and he doesn’t hate it anymore.

I’ll try to find something more exciting to talk about soon … really … I keep trying to come up with something fabulous … but then … Zac needs me to run him somewhere and I forget it.  Maybe I need to hire an assistant to just follow me around and type as I share the fabulousness that is in my head.  It’d be much quicker and I could do that from anywhere.

Posted in Check This Out, If I ran the zoo ..., The Land of Confusion, Who's Spawn ARE you? | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments | Leave a DAMN Comment here

Wine Terminology… Always helpful to know!

By Cathy | April 20, 2010

Here are the top 10 wine terms according to www.eBacchus.com.   These are very helpful especially when you hit the tasting rooms or social events and want to sound like you know what you are talking about ;)


Aroma

The intensity and character of the aroma can be assessed with nearly any descriptive adjective. (eg: from “appley” to “raisiny”, “fresh” to “tired”, etc.). Usually refers to the particular smell of the grape variety. The word “bouquet” is usually restricted to describing the aroma of a cellar-aged bottled wine.

Balance

Denotes harmonious balance of wine elements - (ie: no individual part is dominant). Acid balances the sweetness; fruit balances against oak and tannin content; alcohol is balanced against acidity and flavor. Wine not in balance may be acidic, cloying, flat or harsh etc.

Crisp (Whites)

Wine has pronounced but pleasing tartness, acidity. Fresh, young and eager, begs to be drunk. Generally used to describe white wines only, especially those of Muscadet de Sevres et Maine from the Loire region of France.

Finish

Term used to describe the taste left in the mouth after swallowing the wine. Both character and length of the aftertaste are part of the total evaluation. May be harsh, hot, soft and lingering, short, smooth, tannic, or nonexistent.

Fruity

Used for any quality that refers to the body and richness of a wine made from good, ripe grapes. A fruity wine has an “appley”, “berrylike” or herbaceous character. “Fruitiness” usually implies a little extra sweetness.

Smooth / Soft (Velvety)

Generally has low acid/tannin content. Also describes wines with low alcohol content. Consequently has little impact on the palate.

Spicy

Almost a synonym for “peppery”. Implies a softer, more rounded flavor nuance however.

Structure

The flavor plan, so to speak. Suggests completeness of the wine, all parts there. Term needs a modifier in order to mean something - (eg: “brawny” etc).

Tannins (Reds)

A naturally occurring substance in grapeskins, seeds and stems. Is primarily responsible for the basic “bitter” component in wines. Acts as a natural preservative, helping the development and, in the right proportion, balance of the wine. It is considered a fault when present in excess.

Taste

Refers to the basic sensations detectable by the human tongue. Current scientific opinion defines these as “sweet”, “salty”, “sour”, “bitter” and “MSG” (Monosodium Glutamate) flavors all registered by the tongue taste receptors. The traditional view of the tongue having four distinct surface zones to register those tastes has recently been revised by a report of new research discoveries.

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Evil on a Plate.. Monkey bread with a twist

By Cathy | April 6, 2010

Monkey Bread with a Twist!

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Dieters beware this is not for you!

Dieters beware this is not for you!

Once a month the girls from our Wheresmydamn “business” Think Tank group converge to play catch up - shoot the sh*t - talk about where they are at with business and or life.  Well pretty much this is an old fashioned Yen-ta Convention with purpose and results! It is amazing what you can get done sitting around a table with amazing ladies and just talking about whatever is on any one’s mind!!  So when the girls come to play at my house I try to have something evil and high calorie for everyone to splurge on.. This is by far the best one to date… OMG everyone felt like they had died and gone to heaven! Even our resident fitness / health guru dug in!! ;)

Paula Deens Gorilla Bread… Just a smidgen different.

1/2 cup granulated sugar - (The sugar I used is actually vanilla bean infused and adds a lot of flavor)

3 teaspoons cinnamon

Dash of Nutmeg

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter - (I used salted)

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1 Teaspoon of  Vanilla

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese

2 (12-ounce) cans refrigerated biscuits (10 count) - I used the small biscuits so I blasted through 30 total.

1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped walnuts and or Pecans or I did half and half

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Spray a bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Mix together granulated sugar, cinnamon and dash of nutmeg.

In a saucepan, melt the butter, brown sugar and vanilla over low heat, stirring well; set aside.

Cut the “COLD” cream cheese into 20 equal cubes. Press the biscuits out with your fingers and sprinkle each with cinnamon sugar. Place a cube of cream cheese in the center of each biscuit, wrapping and sealing the dough around the cream cheese.

Sprinkle 1/2 cup of the nuts into the bottom of the bundt pan. Place half of the prepared biscuits in the pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, pour half of the melted butter mixture over the biscuits, and sprinkle on 1/2 cup of nuts.

Layer the remaining biscuits on top, sprinkle with the remaining cinnamon sugar, pour the remaining butter mixture over the biscuits, and sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of nuts. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes. Place a plate on top and invert.

** Originally found this incredible dangerous recipe on http://catchingpennies.wordpress.com/

Affectionately called Wicked Evil Cream Cheese Gooey Bread!!

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