Surprising Weekend Wrap-Up!

So Friday night was pretty challenging...no, not because of the tornado...buttttt because I had to keep my mouth shut THE WHOLE NIGHT about...

My Mom's surprise birthday get together!!!

And it was particularly awesome that we didn't get home until 2:45am and I had to get up SUPER early to cook:) ...but I don't care!  It was all worth it! :)  (just amusing:)

So I'm happy to say my apps were a pretty bit hit!  I started with Watermelon Cups with Honey Goat Cheese, Mint & Shallots, based on this recipe.  My Aunt could not stop raving over them (thanks Aunt Pat!)...they were perfect for a HOT, HOT, HOT day...like Saturday...

And another super quick and yummy app:  Cheese & Garlic Roasted Chickpeas...

These are so simple!!  You just dry roast 2 drained & rinsed cans of chickpeas in a skillet (no oil), stirring occasionally.  Then I seasoned them with salt, pepper & garlic powder.  Allow them to roast until they are dry and slightly crunchy, about 20 minutes.  The last 2 minutes, add a few handfuls of grated Parmesan cheese and stir to melt.  Boom-Done!  So easy and totally addicting! :)

For my main course, I spent weeks saying I was going to get pizza and make it easy.  But me being me, changed that Wednesday night when I thought: Lasagna!  My Mom's favorite 'flavor' is pumpkin, so I knew she would loveeeee this lasagna, with the star ingredient being:

Pumpkin/Sausage Lasagna with a nice layer of zucchini stuck in there for good measure:)  I added a few dashes of nutmeg to the pumpkin layer to give it a little more of a spice kick!  Just something a little different from your norm...   (and oh-so perfect for FALL:)

I also decided to make a Garden-Style Lasagna with lots...

....and lots...

...and LOTS of vegetables!!!

This one is VERY time consuming, but SOOOOOOOOOOOO worth it!  It tastes even better as it sits!  Plus, if you make this on a Sunday night, you could probably stretch it for a few meals & lunches during the week!  (or 1 party on a Saturday;)

And finally, the most important part: THE CAKE!  I combined my Mom's 2 favorite things and made her a signature dessert:  Pumpkin Angel Food Cake with Maple Whipped Cream :) 

The cake recipe I got from here (healthy) and then I made the yummy (unhealthy) frosting:)  I whipped 1 quart of heavy cream until stiff peaks formed.  Once the whipped cream was almost ready, I mixed in 4 tablespoons of maple syrup, 2 teaspoons of cinnamon, a dash of nutmeg and a teaspoon of vanilla.  It was a nice touch to the cake...and NOT too shabby by the spoonful either;)  Did I say that?  I didn't say that...

And the other cake I made used LOTS of fresh summer fruit!!

And this pictures does this cake no justice, as I was SOOOOOOOOOO pleased to flip this over and it actually turned out quite beautifully!

It was a Summer Fruit Upside Down Cornmeal Cake!  I was so excited to make this since it was sooo 'seasonally approptiate', but was worried it was going to be dry from the cornmeal.  Ut-uh!  It came sooo good...crisp from the cornmeal, but sweet with a tart berry kiss!  AMAZING! AND SUUUPER EASY!!  You MUST try this, as it will get lots of ooooohhhsss and ahhhsss:)

So like I said, despite the HOT stove and a short night of sleep, everything turned out perfect.  Except for the boundless energy of Penny...who managed to almost knock down my Aunt, knocked over a drink and even blocked the guest of honor from her family portrait... :)  But "Nona" wouldn't want it any other way:)

Hahahahahhaha...so after Friday & Saturday's whirlwind...Sunday was STRICTLY for RELAXING!  EXCEPT for one treat for Scott, who was SUCHHHH a huge help in cleaning the house and entertaining everyone and their Mother (literally:) on Saturday  So for him, I did something I've never, ever, EVER done....I deep fried some homemade onion rings:)

In Canola oil...so that's better, right???  RIGHT??? :)

And if I'm gonna make "Man Food"...I figured Guy Fieri would be the authority:)  I followed his recipe for Beer Battered 'Rings using good 'ol Vermont Harpoon Beer...

I let the sliced rings sit in buttermilk for one hour.  I also mixed the beer & flour batter and let that sit in the fridge for an hour to get super cold.  Next, we dredged the rings in flour and then in the batter and laid them in a single layer on the cookie sheet.  I popped them BACK in the fridge for ANOTHER hour to let the batter set...(quite a process...I know:)

\

But oh-my-heavens!  Was it WORTH it!!!!!  They came out light, crispy, CRUNCHY and flavorful!!!!  I double dipped a few and the crunch-meter hit a TEN!  But the 'single dipped' ones had a niceeee flavor of sweet onion.  They were just about the world's most perfect rings if I do say so myself:)

For our burger, we took a page (literally) from Bobby Flay...

And made these...

Bacon, BBQ and cheddar Turkey Burgers.  Could these even BE bad??

And I told you it wouldn't be long before we had these babies again:)  Our "fast/slow cooked baked beans" :)

So overall, a perfect Sunday meal...esp. to thank Scott for bein such a peach:)

Annnnddd...to counter all of that cake & fried goodness, I broke out my new DVD last night and tried the yoga portion of this:

It. was. AWESOME!  I LOVED IT!!!  And it must have done SOMETHING, because my legs were shaking for a good 15-20 minutes AFTER the workout!  Loved it!  Not to mention I had to toss my 8 pound weights on the '3 mile walk' this morning, in favor of the 4 pounders.  It was either switch to the 4 pounds or I quit walking...so I went with the earlier (smarter) option:)

Phewww..that was a lot for the day!  I hope you all had as much fun (and good eats) as we did this weekend!  Happy Monday!