Birthday Lunch - Champagne & Chili

First thing's first - I have the bestest friends ever.
I woke up early this morning and whipped up a large pot of chili. I stopped off at the store on the way in and picked up all of the essential fixins - shredded cheese, sour cream, chopped onions, and of course... FRITOS!
We all gathered in the kitchen around noon and started to prepare the feast.
Amy surprised me with an awesome bottle of Moet & Chandon Champagne. Chili and Champagne... Can't think of two tastier things together!
The chili was polished off by a few hungry folks who wandered into the kitchen at the right time. These folks are so lucky!
We were hanging out in the kitchen when the girls (and Patrick) walked in singing Happy Birthday with a dozen Susie Cakes cupcakes. YUM!
I am officially over-fed and over-served. I'm ready for my mani pedi, a hopefully painless drive to Santa Barbara, and three more days of festivities and meals.
The chili recipe is SUPER easy and SUPER tasty. See below:

And the Winner Is....

The Killer White Chocolate Cream Cheese Tart

As Erika previously mentioned we had a pie contest at the office today.... and I won! This is a recipe my mom makes all the time. It's originally from Taste of Home, but I've modified the toppings slightly to make it even easier. You can really use any fruits you want. They suggest pineapple and kiwi and mandarin oranges, but I don't like to use canned fruit, so I use fresh berries.

more...

My My MY My Key Lime Pie

Today we had a pie contest at work and of course Terri and I entered! I came in second and had to share my recipe with you just in time for the most important pie day of the year! Its my Grandma Kennedy's recipe and tweaked a few things. Enjoy.