Top Chef Just Desserts

One of my favorite no calorie sweet treats has been the show Top Chef Just Desserts.  If you don't watch it or haven't caught it, it comes on Wednesday evenings on Bravo.  It comes on at 10 p.m. at my house.  This show is one of my guilty pleasures.  With all the stress I've been under recently due to all these medical tests I'm going through, I love looking forward to Wednesday nights when this show comes on.

The show has contestants that go through various challenges every week that are dessert based.  They are just on their creativity and of course the taste of their dish.  One of my favorite episodes happened two weeks ago where they had the original cast from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory come and they chefs prepared a Wonka land room.  The things they did were incredible.  I would love to have been able to go through that room.  Just walking through and taking in the wonder of it all must have been incredible. 

Bravo runs lots of reruns of their shows, so if you haven't been watching and want to catch up, check your local listing.  There are still enough folks left that if you picked up watching now you would still enjoy it.

This is the second season of Top Chef Just Desserts and I think it is better than the first.  I think the show has found its groove. The folks who competed in the first season were great, but I just think the show seems more focused and what I expect of Top Chef. 

Are you watching Top Chef Just Desserts and if so, who do you want to win? 

Hope you are having a great day in your neck of the woods!

Roasted Sweet Peppers

Recently my Bunco group started back up. We take a break during the summer.  This year we decided to change things up and do it pot luck.  During that time, I was doing the gluten free diet because I was waiting to get confirmation on whether I had gluten sensitivity.  I'm happy to say I don't have it.  But the recipe I made is great whether you are doing gluten free or not.

Right now in the grocery section you can find small plastic containers of sweet peppers.  I personally don't like spicy peppers, so if you are in that category don't worry these are sweet and not hot/spicy. As you can see from my picture below they come in beautiful red, orange, and yellow colors.  I bought two packs of these peppers and hollowed out the seeds.  Then I had a log of goat cheese and stuffed the peppers with the goat cheese.  I brushed each pepper with olive oil along with the baking sheet and then put them in a 350 oven. I turned them when they started to get dark (I'd guess about 20 minutes into roasting). 

These are such a great appetizer and easy to make.  They were a huge hit.  I love all the colors and how it brightens up a table and your plate.  Have you ever made these peppers, or do you have a great appetizer recipe you'd like to share? I'd love to hear.

Hope you are having a great day in your neck of the woods!

DaySpring Back to School Supplies

A few weeks ago, I was sent a wonderful set of school supplies to review.  DaySpring in recent years has come up with this line that includes: three ring binders, composition notebooks, folders, pencil pouches, etc. with edgy, contemporary graphics, phrases and Bible verses geared towards middle schoolers.  Even though I don't have kids in middle school yet, I wanted to do this review because I was really intrigued and I do have friends who have kids in middle school.

When I opened up the box, I was really blown away by these products.  I thought the graphics and the message on the items would be something middle school and high school kids would like.  Even though I don't fall into those categories, I love the "Whatever" three ring binder.  It is the verse from Philippians 4:8.  Such a great, edgy way to put it out there.

I took pictures of these great products because I wanted you to see them for yourself. 

So here are pictures of all the great supplies they sent. There is a pencil case, three ring binders, a spiral notebook and a smaller notebook.  The black three ring binder reads, "This message is illegal in 53 countries."  The bottom picture shows a wonderful gift bag.  The verse on the bottom says, "God has been very good to me." (Genesis 3:11)  I love that bag because I think it is great for any occasion. Isn't the little spinner cute?  This would be great as a birthday gift bag, or just a pick me up.  And I love it that the bag comes with tissue paper.  I hate having to hunt for a bag and tissue paper separately.

I believe these items can be purchased at your local Christian bookstore.  I know school has already started, but I think these items would make great Christmas presents.  The notebooks could make great journals and the pencil case would make a great stocking stuffer.  Because you know stockings can be hard to stuff sometimes.  And if you had a girl who didn't want to use it as a pencil case, I think you could use it as a small make up bag instead. 

So this is one of the good things I've been checking out lately.  And with all of the crummy medical tests I've had recently, these really brought a smile to my face. I know you'll love them too.

Hope you are having a great day in your neck of the woods!