Sweet Indulgences Sunday #2

Welcome Back!

My first linky party last week was so fun and successful that I thought I would give it another try this week. I know that there are a lot of great desserts out there that deserved to be shared. So, please post the latest sweet treats from your kitchen right here. I can't wait to see what you've made this week. Here's what I've made this week:

Fifth Avenue Bars

Last Week's Top Three Recipes:

#1

Gobs

Flour Me with Love

#2

Inside Out Peanut Butter Cup

Flour Me With Love

#3

Cinnamon Toast Mini Muffins

Lady Behind the Curtain

The Rules...

1. Please link up to the URL of your specific recipe post, not the URL of your main blog. When it asks for "Name", type in the name of your recipe.
2. Please place a link back to this post in your original post or Grab My Button included below.
3. Share your most recent dessert. Link up as many desserts as you would like. More is always better when it comes to desserts!
4. Leave me a comment in this post to let me know that you've joined the party.
5. Now, let's share the love! Please visit at least two others and comment on the delicious desserts that they've brought to the party. It means so much to a blogger to get some positive commentary!

Grab My Button :



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Join the Party Here:

Family Favorite: Fifth Avenue Bars

I can't believe that I've been writing this blog since last August and haven't shared one of my family's favorite sweets, Fifth Avenue Bars. Let's remedy that right now. If, on a rare occasion, my mom asks me to make something for her to take to a work function, it will always be these bars. She loves them and, I suspect, hides most of them before she gets to work. My aunt Barbara is the master Fifth Avenue Bar baker in our family. But, I don't think she would mind if I tried my hand at it and shared the recipe here with you. This is the perfect recipe to make to carry to a potluck. If you bake it in a 15"x10" pan, it can feed a large crowd!

Sullivan's Island: The Grand Finale

The vacation is winding down, but not before we hit the beach at Sullivan's Island. We had dinner at Sullivan's Restaurant. We ate there about a year ago and really enjoyed it. Sullivan's Island is a small beach community and the restaurants seem to be filled with locals. Other than the whole taking photos of everything, I think we fit right in.

Charleston: The Past 24 Hours

Last night, after much deliberation of where to eat dinner that involved a grand-scale internet search, the family decided that we had had enough of seafood for a while. So, my guys chose Five Guys Burgers for dinner. Sorry to disappoint everyone out there who was hoping for another local restaurant review. But, you know, sometimes you just need a good greasy hamburger or grilled cheese according to my younger son. The kids had a great time and, in "Man vs. Food" style, we cheered my older son on as he struggled through the last few bites of his huge hamburger. Man won!

Lunch at Shem Creek

Never fear! The threat for possibly severe weather did not keep our family from missing lunch at one of our favorite restaurants here in Mt. Pleasant - Shem Creek Bar & Grill! I vividly remember the first time I ate here years ago with my husband. We came for lunch and I asked the waitress about the vegetable of the day. She went to the kitchen to check to see what they were serving that day and returned quickly to our table with her nose crinkled up. "It's fried cabbage!", she said apologetically. Honey, there's no need to apologize. That's one of my favorite veggies. I was so excited and impressed. I ordered it and it was delicious.

Dinner in Mt. Pleasant: Page's Okra Grill

So, this place has been on my wish list of places to eat for quite a while. Is that normal to have a restaurant wish list? When we came to Charleston last September, I really wanted to try Page's Okra Grill. However, my son and I weren't feeling well so we quarantined ourselves in our hotel room for the duration of our stay. But, this time around, I decided to knock it out on the first night of our stay! Boy, am I happy that I did!!

A Food Blogger's Vacation: Charleston, SC - Lunch at California Dreaming

The kids are on spring break this week so my husband and I decided to take a little vacation to Charleston, SC. Charleston is one of our favorite places to visit. It's only two hours away from our home in Georgia so is a nice little day trip. But, we're planning on staying for three nights if all goes well. And, you know with kids that's not always the case. You have to take one day at a time...

Sesame Corn Saute

Frozen whole kernel corn is a must-have in my freezer. There are so many things that you can make with it. If you're a fan of corn dishes, also see my Corn and Bacon Saute. I found this recipe in Katie Lee Joel's Comfort Table, copyright 2008. It attracted me because it seemed like a simple recipe with familiar ingredients used in a different way. I just happened to have all of the ingredients already. We have a beautiful basil plant in our back yard. I wanted to put it to good use. Make it work for its money. Plus, corn and sesame together? I was intrigued and, at the end, very pleased.

Sweet Indulgences Sunday #1

Welcome!

Welcome to my very first linky party! Over the past couple of months, I've really enjoyed linking up to some great linky parties all over the internet. So, I thought I would give hosting one a try. I think it's going to be a blast! A linky party is a great way to share your recipe links with other food bloggers out there. It's one of the best networking tools that I've found since I started blogging last August. And, no recipes are as popular as dessert recipes so pull out your cookbooks, bake up a storm, and post your results here! I can't wait to see what you come up.

I want to give a special shout-out to Lisa at Sweet as Sugar Cookies to thank her for inviting me to my very first linky party. I've enjoyed linking up with her every week. Stop by and see her if you get a chance.

Now, what kind of hostess would I be if I didn't have a dessert for my guests? So, here you go! Let's get the party started!!

White Texas Sheet Cake

The Rules...

1. Please link up to the URL of your specific recipe post, not the URL of your main blog. When it asks for "Name", type in the name of your recipe.
2. Please place a link back to this post in your original post or Grab My Button included below.
3. Share your most recent dessert. Link up as many desserts as you would like. More is always better when it comes to desserts!
4. Leave me a comment in this post to let me know that you've joined the party.
5. Now, let's share the love! Please visit at least two others and comment on the delicious desserts that they've brought to the party. It means so much to a blogger to get some positive commentary!

Grab My Button:



<center><a title="A Well-Seasoned Life" href="wellseasonedlife.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1083.photobucket.com/albums/j397/kmccallie/apples-1-1.jpg" border="0" alt="Button" /></a></center>
Join the Party Here:

White Texas Sheet Cake

One of my favorite memories of school lunches was the slice of frosted sheet cake that was served with the Easter dinner. A single, perfect jelly bean was centered in the middle of the slice. Would it be a flavor I liked? I could only hope that the pink jelly bean would somehow make it my plate. I got lucky some years. So, when I started pondering possible desserts to make for Easter dinner, I thought about my favorite childhood Easter treat and decided to make a White Texas Sheet Cake. If you've never made a Texas Sheet Cake before, then you're in for quite a surprise. The preparation process is like nothing you've seen before. This recipe is from Gooseberry Patch. It's in both Hometown Favorites and Cozy Country Christmas Cookbook.

Lemon Pepper Tilapia

I love tilapia. It's my favorite fish to cook and eat. Other than salmon, it's the only fish that I even attempt to cook at home. Tilapia is so easy to cook and has such a mild flavor that it's a blank slate on which you can create some delicious flavors. If you've read my blog for a while, you'll know how much I love wrapping food in foil and cooking it on the grill. This recipe is cooked on the grill, too, and it combines my favorite flavor blend for fish - lemon pepper. It's simple, delicious, and perfect for a nice spring dinner paired with some rice pilaf and asparagus.

The Pinwheel: Don't Party Without It

Many, many years ago in a land far, far away, I worked with a group of girls who loved to eat, especially finger foods. I include myself in this group. Heck, I was practically the leader of it. So, because we were limited to only a few acceptable times of year such as Christmas to actually partake in the consumption of finger foods, we invented the "festival". There was really no reason for the festival other than to bring loads of finger foods into the office, spread them out on every available surface, and munch on them for eight hours only stopping to take a lunch break.

My Favorite Punch

This doesn't need a long introduction. It's nothing fancy. It's punch and it's good. And, the most important thing that you need to know about this punch is that it's thirst-quenching unlike sherbet-based punches. I do love sherbet punches, but they always leave me thirsty. I'm just quirky that way - milkshakes make me thirsty, too. Oh, and for all the moms out there, here's another selling point of this punch. It's yellow so it's easier to clean up than a red punch should it spill or splatter. I know you know what I mean.

Four Fab Fruit Dips

Sometimes, it can be hard to make a decision. You have four viable options laid out before you. What to do? I decided it would be easier for me to just choose them all. For my cousin's bridal shower, I assembled  a fruit tray with apples, grapes, and strawberries. And, because I couldn't settle on one dip for the fruit, I used all of my options and made four in hopes that everyone would find something that they liked. I think you might find one you like, too. Plus, these recipes are so simple and easy to prepare. You may want to do all four, too!

Love and Cupcakes

But, I'm still just a girl...

Susan's Baked Rice

My mom's name is Susan, but she's never baked rice as far as I know. No, this Susan must be one of Paula Deen's friends because that's where I found this recipe in one of her cookbooks, The Lady and Sons Savannah Country Cookbook, 1998. This dish is perfect to serve as a side for fish or steak. Or, maybe even chicken or pork. Dang, I guess that makes it good with everything. Plus, it's inspired me to rename some of my personal recipes, too. How does Kim's Strawberry Pie, Kim's Marinated Cucumbers, or Kim's Chicken and Dumplings sound?

Marinated Cucumbers

First of all, I apologize for the simplicity of this "recipe". I know some of you make these all the time. But, I'm taking the chance that there's one person out there, in some far away land, who is looking at a cucumber and wondering what can be done with it. At least I'm hoping that's the case. So, I'm going to give you a suggestion for what to do with said cucumber. Plus, my husband really wanted this dish so he went to the store and brought home a big bag of cucumbers. What could I do? There wasn't much of a choice. Fortunately, I love them, too. And, maybe you will, too, if you don't already.

Luscious Lime Cheesecake

I figured it was high time that I satisfied your craving for some Paula Deen recipes. I've got another Paula recipe on my blog, Mama's Pound Cake, that is a definite winner so check that one out if you haven't. I made this cheesecake years ago and remembered it fondly. As the weather warms, I start craving cool, creamy desserts. Plus, my husband loves cheesecake. This recipe came to mind because it satisfies both of those cravings: a cool, creamy cheesecake. This is the perfect dessert to finish off a nice steak dinner. This is from Paula Deen's The Lady and Sons Savannah Country Cookbook, 1998.

Smothered Shrimp Bake

Since my wedding anniversary is on Wednesday, I decided to make a special dinner this weekend to celebrate the event, freeing myself up for a possible dinner out next weekend. See how clever I am? Anyway, I'm calling this a special occasion recipe because it's not a cheap dish to make unless you have access to cheap shrimp and crab which some of you probably do. When my husband tasted this last night, he said, "This is the kind of recipe that could put some people out of business." Fear not local restaurant owners, I'm not gunning for you...yet.

April Showers...and Weddings

April 6, 2011 is my 15th wedding anniversary. I don't remember a lot about the day, most of my memories are formed around the photographs taken that day. Funny how things work like that. I only remember that during the reception, I was cornered by the wedding cake, speaking to every person in the room while my new husband circled the food, eating plate after plate. I made do with the bite of wedding cake I had eaten while we fed each other for the photographer. On the way to our honeymoon, I announced I was starving. He, however, was stuffed, admitting he had eaten seven plates of food at the reception. I made a meal out of the basket that was prepared for me at the reception. So, it began...

Strawberry Cream Cheese Pie

I've had strawberries on my mind lately. I guess you could call it a craving. A co-worker walked down the hall at work the other day with a flat of strawberries and asked if I had any strawberries recipes on the blog. That started me thinking. Then, my husband has been talking about the strawberry shortcakes that his mother used to make when he was a boy. She used those little cake cups that are always available near the strawberries in the produce section. My mom likes to use a Sara Lee pound cake for her shortcakes. Either way, they're both delicious! But, I as much as I like shortcake, I like strawberry pie even more. I had to make one this weekend. I just had to.

2011 Ultimate Blog Party

Hi, my name is Kim McCallie and this is my first Ultimate Blog Party. I am new to the blogging world having just started A Well-Seasoned Life in August of 2010. My blog focuses on sharing recipes and reviewing cookbooks with a little of my personal life served on the side. My motto is that I specialize in Southern comfort food seasoned with a sense of humor.