birthday dessert ideas

Egglands Best Brinner & Giveaway

I love a good party, don't you? Egglands Best asked me to hold a brinner (breakfast for dinner) party in honor of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. What a privilege to be involved in something so important and special.

I immediately started thinking of ideas for what to make. I LOVE breakfast and could eat it all day. In fact, I'm pretty sure that I have.

Green Chile Cheddar Eggs. I've made them a lot and everyone loves them!

I have to admit, this was the first time using Egglands Best Eggs. We really could tell a difference and we absolutely loved them. I loved the way they cooked and of course how awesome they tasted.

October marks the 26th anniversary of National Breast Cancer Awareness month.

Did You Know?

Being overweight is linked to breast cancer risk. Therefore, it is important to maintain a healthy diet and curb calories by eating foods that give you the biggest nutritional bang for their caloric buck.
Incorporating foods that boost nutritional value of your diet include fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins like seafood, chicken and eggs.
For only 70 calories, Eggland’s Best eggs provide twice the vitamin D and omega-3 of regular eggs, and 10 times the vitamin E, all with less saturated fat and cholesterol than regular eggs.

Source: tastykitchen.com via Debbi on Pinterest

Deviled eggs are always a hit parties! I don't always make them super pretty like this but I've found that guests don't care.

**Susan G. Komen for the Cure, has invested nearly $2 billion dince inception in 1982 for breast cancer research, education, advocacy, healthy services and social support programs in the U.S.

** Eggland's Best will be pledging a donation of $50,000 to Susan G. Komen for the Cure for the second year in a row.

**Over the next month or so, Eggland's best eggs will turn their famous red "EB" stamp on every egg pink, along with a Komen for the Cure ribbon.
Cilantro Egg Salad Sliders

Egg salad on a slider bun is fun and cute. I love anything mini!

Giveaway: CLOSED Egglands Best was kind enough to provide me with an apron, whisk, a plush toy (the kids love this), an egg timer, spatula, ramekins and a gift card. Plus many coupons for free Egglands Best eggs for me and my guests. They are going to give one of my readers a prize package as well for you to enjoy.

Just leave a comment telling me what is your favorite egg dish.

Extra entry: Subscribe by email and let me know in a second comment. I'll pick a winner on Friday the 28th.

Chicken Egg Foo Yung

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Escape Dine

When the food court is jam packed, and the restaurants are overflowing with people, the only place to head to is Escape Dine inside Escape Cinemas in the 3rd floor in Express Avenue Mall in Chennai.

My friend and i made a beeline for a table in Dine and since then the table seems to have become our spot. Everytime we visit, we are shown to the same table [and trust me when i say we have been there plenty of times] :)

The rich wood furnishings and glass partition wall adds to the ambiance. It keeps away the prying eyes of those who are looking for movie tickets or walking in or out of a movie and gives the guests enough privacy. There is a buffet open during Lunch , with unlimited Biryani [both veg and non veg] along with a soup and dessert for about Rs299.

And if like us you dont think you do justice to the buffet, then go for the A la carte menu.. My friend loves Desserts, so she goes straight to the Dessert page in the menu card and promptly orders one for each of us before looking at the main dishes..

We normally skip the Starters and head over straight to the Main course. I have had their Vegetable Biryani.. Panneer Tikka Masala with Parantha or plain rice, and once tried the Mushroom based pasta.. All these dishes come pipoing hot and quite yummy..

The portions are pretty huge, enough for 2 people, especially if you are going in for a dessert. I also quite enjoy the Brinjal curry and onion raita that comes with the Biryani...

My friend orders either a Mutton biryani or Chicken biryani with extra spice...Going by her expressions, i would say she too enjoys the food!

And now for the dessert.. Many a times, we pick out one or two from the menu only for the waiter to come back saying they either dont have it or have run out of it.. Apparently the desserts come from Ecstacy in Satyam Cinemas and arrive here twice a day...

The very 1st time we ordered the Hazelnut mousse served on a ginger short bread [it was from Ecstacy by Mikeal Besse] and was divine... Actually, so are all the desserts we have had here, that come with a scoop of sinful vanilla ice cream...

The Blueberry Cheese cake...

Dark chocolate fantasy [dont remember the exact name]

Next time you are in Express Avenue and are looking for a quiet place for a meal, march straight into Escape cinemas towards the Dine!
Psst- Sorry about quality of images, invariably whenever i am here i seem to have only my Blackberry to rely on!!

Food 8/10
Service 8/10
Ambiance 8/10
Price 8/10 [A meal for two should cost between Rs500- 700.]

Timings: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Address: Escape Dine
3rd Floor [ inside Escape cinemas on extreme left]
Ph: 044 28464809 .

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Friday Favorites ~ 10/21/11

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Here's what I found that is gluten free and looking quite delicious this week!

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Hash Brown Casserole - Easy to be Gluten Free

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Spaghetti Squash Gratin - The Healthy Foodie

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Autumn Chopped Salad

Source: espressoandcream.com via Sunshine on Pinterest

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Pumpkin Cream Risotto

Source: willcookforsmiles.com via Debbi on Pinterest

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Quinoa Chipotle Stuffed Peppers

Source: enlightenedcooking.blogspot.com via Debbi on Pinterest

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Cheesy Bacon Roasted Potatoes

Source: jaseyscrazydaisy.com via Debbi on Pinterest

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Find more favorites on Friday Favorites at Finding Joy in my Kitchen

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Spicy Taco Meat

I made a ton of taco meat. You don't have to make as much, you can certainly halve the recipe if you'd like. But it freezes so well and you can do so much with it!

I made tacos. Of course.

Then there was the potato nachos. Then for breakfast I made a taco omelette.

I really recommend making a huge batch. It will be worth it.

Spicy Taco Meat
6 lbs. ground turkey
1/2 cup chili powder
4 tsp. cumin
2 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. cayenne
Salt (to taste)
1 can tomato sauce
2 cans Rotel Diced Tomatoes with Chiles
2 tbsp. cider vinegar
3 tbsp. brown sugar
Chicken broth (to moisten)

Brown ground turkey in a large pan (or use 2 pans). Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for 10 minutes or so. Separate into 3 containters and freeze.

One Year Ago...

Sweet, Sticky, Spicy Chicken

Full Plate Thursday at Miz Helen's Country Cottage

Tasty Traditions at Coupon Cookin'
Cooking Thursday at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom
Things I Love Thursday at The Diaper Diaries
It's a Keeper Thursday at It's a Keeper
Ultimate Recipe Swap: Make Ahead Meals at Life as Mom
Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum
Friday Favorites at Simply Sweet Home
I'm Lovin' It at Tidy Mom
Friday Potluck at EKat's Kitchen
Foodie Friday at Not Your Ordinary Recipes
Weekend Wrap Up Party at Tater Tots and Jello

Calories calculated from calorieking.com. Some numbers are approximate and rounded.

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Garlic Mashed Potatoes

I've made cauliflower mashed potatoes before and wasn't overly impressed. It tasted like mashed cauliflower, which is fine as I like cauliflower.

However, I wanted mashed POTATOES so this time I mixed half and half and it turned out perfect! It still had the texture like mashed potatoes but the healthiness with the cauliflower.

The best part was that hubs didn't even notice. He loved them. Yea!

Garlic Mashed Potatoes Recipe
Adapted from What's Cooking at The Genua's?

Potatoes, peeled (1.9 oz)
Cauliflower, cut in chunks (1.3 oz.)
¼ cup milk of your choice
2 tablespoons butter
2 tbsp. garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
1.Place the cauliflower, potato and garlic into a pot large enough to hold it all. Cover with water and bring to a boil.
2.When it boils, lower the heat to a simmer and continue cooking for about 15-20 minutes. Making sure the cauliflower is very tender and soft.
3.Drain and return to pot. Add the milk and butter.
4.Using a hand mixer or potato masher, mash till smooth! Add salt and pepper as needed.

One Year Ago...

Veggie Wraps with Caramelized Black Bean Butter

This is linked with:
Slightly Indulgent Tuesday at SS & GF
Let's Do Brunch at My Sweet and Savory
Works for me Wednesday at We are THAT Family
Real Food Wednesdays at Kelly the Kitchen Kop
What's on your Plate? at Good Cheap Eats
Crockpot Wednesday at Dining with Debbie
My Best Recipes at This Chick Cooks
Gluten Free Wednesday at Gluten Free Homemaker
The Mommy Club at Crystal and Co.
Side Dish Saturday at Cinnamon Spice and Everything Nice

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Sticky Chicken - Secret Recipe Club

It's Secret Recipe Club time again! Started by Amanda with help from Tina from Mom's Crazy Cooking. If you want to find a ton of recipes, check out The Secret Recipe Club blog and you'll find just about everything!

This month I was assigned to New Yorker By Heart. Birthe has a TON of recipes, it took me forever to choose!

I chose her Sticky Chicken. It sounded awesome and I knew we would all love it! We did and I can't wait to test out a bunch of her other recipe!

Sticky Chicken Recipe
Adapted from New Yorker By Heart

2 lbs. chicken breasts or thighs

Sauce:
1 onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp. garlic, minced
1 cup red wine vinegar
3 cups ketchup
1 tbsp. dijon mustard
3 tbsp. honey
3 tbsp. brown sugar
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 tbsp. chili powder

Heat large pan with cooking spray and cook onion and garlic for about 5 - 10 minutes until soft. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for about 10 minutes.

Marinate chicken in about a cup or a cup and 1/2 of the sauce. Marinate overnight if possible in refrigerator. Save the rest of the sauce in the refrigerator.

Grill chicken while dabbing on the sauce to coat well. Cook until done, using plenty of sauce.

This is linked with $5 dinners - $5 dinner challenge

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