Bon Vivant 12: Spring is natures way of saying "LET'S PARTY!"

"Spring is nature's way of saying "LET'S PARTY!"
Kristin & Steph's SPRING Dinner!

Living in Utah we are able to enjoy all the seasons--- but I have to admit... inviting Spring and was JUST what the doctor ordered! Thank you Steph & Kristin for such a bright and fun evening to remind us Spring is coming! {Even in Utah!!} In the voice of the Orbit lady...... fAbUlOuS!

Here is the cute invite we found in our mailbox's:

The cute monogrammed tin for each gal holds the fun invite... and also a pack of orbit gum... which did not make it to the picture. (8 year old gladly snagged that item!) We also received a LOVELY phone call from the "Orbit lady" to check our mailboxes for the special delivery. :)

THE YUM- E MENU!

Orange Strawberry Sunrise Salad with Orange Dressing(cjaneinthekitchen.blogspot.com)
1 package spring mix greens

1 pint strawberries, sliced

1 large orange, cut into small pieces

3 green onions, sliced

1 cup Sliced Almonds

4 TBS butter

4 TBS sugar

To make candied almonds:

Mix almonds, butter and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat until the the butter and sugar turn to a toffee color, stir constantly.

Orange Dressing

½ tsp grated orange peel, or orange zest
1/3 cup fresh orange juice ( 1 to 2 oranges )
2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 Tablespoons sugar
½ cup vegetable oil
1 Tablespoon “Good Seasons Dry Italian” dressing mix. It is about ½ a package

ORANGE PECAN BREAD (from southernfood.com)

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup shortening
1 egg
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup orange juice
3 tablespoons finely grated orange peel
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Preparation:

In a large mixing bowl combine flour, baking powder, sugar and salt; stir with fork to mix. Cut in shortening with a pastry blender or fork.

In a small bowl, beat egg slightly; stir in milk, orange juice and grated orange peel. Add to flour and shortening mixture, stirring only enough to moisten all ingredients. Fold in walnuts or pecans. Spoon mixture into greased 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pan, spreading to corners. Leave a slight depression in center of loaf. Let stand 15 to 20 minutes. Bake orange bread in preheated 350° oven for 55 to 60 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes; turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Wrap and store orange bread overnight for easier slicing. Serve with softened cream cheese or flavored butter.

Tomato Basil Chicken

18 chicken tenders
3 TBLspoons of butter
1 small onion diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
dash of red pepper flakes
2 15 oz cans of diced tomatoes undrained
2 tsp of sugar
1 cup heavy cream
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

salt and pepper chicken. Brown the chicken in 2 TSP of butter. Remove from heat and put in a 9x13 pan.

Add 1TSP of butter, garlic, onion and red pepper flakes. Cook until onion is tender. Add undrained tomatoes and basil. Simmer this for 5 minutes. Then add the cream and cook until slightly thickened.

Pour the cream sauce over the chicken and bake uncovered at 450 for 8-10 minutes. Remove and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.
Serve with Angel Hair Pasta.

Orange Honey Carrots

roasted 3 pounds of baby carrots in the oven at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes with some seasoning and a little olive oil. They were pulled out of the oven and drizzled with about 2 tablespoons of olive oil, honey covering every carrot, 1/2 cup squeezed orange juice and about 1 teaspoon of balsamic vinegar. Pop them back into the oven for about 5 more minutes.

Lemon Bundt Cake
(from allrecipes.com)

1 (18.25 ounce) package lemon cake mix

1 (3.4 ounce) package instant lemon

pudding mix

3/4 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs

1 cup lemon-lime flavored carbonated

beverage

1.	Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease and flour a 10 inch Bundt pan.
2.	In a large bowl, combine cake mix and pudding mix, then stir in the oil. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then stir in the lemon-lime soda.
3.	Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool.

Lime-garlic Cottage Cheese Dip

16 oz cottage cheese

8 oz. Cream Cheese (low fat is fine)

juice of a lemon or lime (I used both)

1 tsp. garlic salt

green onions to taste

Soften cream cheese, mix with lemon/lime juice and garlic salt. Add Cottage Cheese and onions. Serve with potato chips, tortilla chips, wheat thins or other crackers.

Lemon Cheesecake Cheese Ball
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Ingredients:
10 oz. cream cheese
2Â½ tbsp. sugar
Zest of 1 large lemon
4 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 graham crackers

Directions:
Combine the cream cheese and sugar in a medium bowl. Stir together with a spoon or spatula until well combined and smooth. Mix in the lemon zest and lemon juice until smooth. Transfer the mixture to a piece of plastic wrap and shape into a ball, wrapped tightly. Refrigerate until firm, at least 3 hours. Reshape if necessary once firm.

Coarsely crush the graham crackers and transfer the crumbs to a plate or bowl. Roll the cheese ball in the crumbs until evenly coated. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

We served with strawberries, pineapple, and oranges. Is also great on apples.

Lemon Monkey Bread
(from Creations by Kara)

12 Rhodes dinner rolls, thawed but still cold
zest of 1 lemon
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons butter, melted

Glaze:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 Tbsp lemon juice

1. Cut rolls in half and place in a greased 9Ã—13â€³ pan.
2. Drizzle with the melted butter.
3. Mix lemon zest and sugar together in a small bowl. Sprinkle HALF of the lemon sugar mixture over the rolls. Cover and let raise till doubled.
4. Sprinkle remaining sugar mixture on top. Bake at 350 for about 20-25 minutes. Remove from pan.
5. Combine glaze ingredients. Drizzle over rolls while still warm.

The Punch

Ingredients:
1 can frozen pina colada concentrate, thawed (Bacardi makes a good one)
1 can frozen orange pineapple juice concentrate, thawed
4 liters of diet lemon-lime soda (Thatâ€™s two 2-Liters for the mathematically challenged.)
1 bag of pebble ice (You can buy it at Sonic Drive-In or at most grocery stores in the deli or meat departments.)
1 bag of frozen raspberries

And now for the directions:
*Pour the thawed concentrates into your punchbowl and stir.
*Use one of the empty cans and fill it with water four times and add it to the mixture. Stir.
*Add your diet soda to the mixture. (You can use regular sugar-filled soda if you want, but I think it gets too sweet and you will also feel guilty when you fill your glass for the sixteenth time. Which you WILL.)
*Next, add about half your bag of pebble ice.
(NOTE: Please do not insult The Punch by using crappy ice cubes from your freezer. The Punch will hate you forever.) (ANOTHER NOTE: Please do not screw up the order and add the ice before the soda. You will get an ugly foam at the top of your punch bowl.) (ONE MORE NOTE: Iâ€™m sorry if it seems like Iâ€™m micro-managing this recipe. Itâ€™s just that I have already suffered bad punch experiences so that you wonâ€™t have to. I micro-manage because I care.) Letâ€™s seeâ€¦.where were we? Oh, yes. Weâ€™re ready for the crowning ingredientâ€¦
*Add your frozen raspberries to the top.

Viola! You have just created the Mona Lisa of Punch!

Your punch should be a lovely dark yellow at the bottom of your punch bowl, light lemony yellow in middle, almost white on the top, and then bright magenta on the very, very top! So pretty!

And then, when you start serving the punch with a ladle, it all mixes together and becomes this dreamy pink color.

And then, when you lift the punch bowl to your lips when it is almost gone to swallow the last few drops of punch, it is an even darker pink because the raspberries have really mixed in.

And then, when you pass out on the floor because you tipped the punch bowl too far and lost your balance, falling backward to the floor with the punch bowl hitting you square in the jawâ€”you will see lots of lovely yellow stars and magenta raspberries floating above your head.

Go now. Make Punch.