Thank you to all my wonderful followers for being so patient with me while I had to take a break from Blogging over the Holiday's!!!  As you know working in Retail Management does not allow me to have a Holiday Season of my own, and I am so super glad that it is over!!  I now have time to cook, and blog and make everything fun again!!

I also have a new website!! All the same great recipes and info just at new web address. www.pandpkitchen.com I am still The Plaid and Paisley Kitchen, I am just self hosting myself now.  It is a work in progress but in time I will be able to offer better options and an overall better blogging experience for all of you! If you have signed up to follow me with email updates, I apologize but you need to re sign up on the new site. I am sorry for the inconvenience but I hope that you will like the new changes that are coming!!! I am very excited to share with you all of the new changes that I will be making in my blog and in my life in this year!

2012 is going to be the year that I take my life back!! First of all I am back in the blogging world.  I missed this so much! (How crazy was I to take a break from such a great joy in my life?)
Second I am stepping down from my management position at the end of the month. (Can you say Yippee!!!)   It was supposed to be the 6th of January, but they begged me to stay til the 28th.  No one can say that I am not a team player!
Thirdly along with the food blog I am going to start my own crafting business and see where it all takes me!
I am hoping that 2012 is the best year yet for all of us!!! I wish all of you a year of health, love and success!!!
Thank you  and I hope to see you at the all new The Plaid and Paisley Kitchen

So as I said my sister in law Michelle was in town and we had tons of fun things planned for the weekend! A picnic was one of them, and it turned out the location was a surprise even to me.  As you know we have been in Kansas City for about 9 months now, we moved here from Central California.  As you can imagine I miss my wine!!!!!!! Let's not even talk about the weather........  We have been to a couple of local wineries here and were MAJORLY disappointed! Then after a morning of apple picking and pumpkin farms we were ready for our picnic.  On the way to a park that I knew of we spotted a sign that said Winery 4 miles this way.  What the heck? How bad can it be? Nothing could be worse than the elderberry and apple wine...... Four miles later we pull into this winery that looks every bit the same as a Artisan, Craft winery in Lodi, Cali.  Hmmmm, this looks better than the others here.... Let's keep going.  The parking lot was overfull and we had to park in the field.  Busy? Oh yes this winery was crazy busy! We waited about 30 min in line just to get to the tasting room. My hopes are rising as a crummy winery wouldn't be this busy would it? I was so pleasantly surprised when I took the first sip and it was palatable! Then they had 2 wines that I actually liked!!!! You can't grow traditional wine grapes out here in the Midwest, too hot and then too cold. So they grow grapes I had never heard of, Chambourcin, Norton, and here is the kicker...... Concord.  Concord grapes are for jelly and jam NOT wine!  The Chambourcin was really quite surprising though. The winery had beautiful grounds and we had our picnic here!

Ok on to the recipe!
1-2 1lb pork tenderloins
1/2 tsp of each: salt and pepper, ground ginger, onion powder, garlic powder
2-3 tbs dijon mustard
1 large onion bachee french loaf bread
1 round of brie cheese
2 tbs truffle aoli or regular mayonnaise

Rub the seasoning on both sides of the tenderloins

Spread the mustard on both sides of the tenderloins.

Cover with foil and bake at 375 for 40-50 min.  Take out of the oven and let rest and cool till almost room temp.  Slice the onion loaf in half long wise and spread butter on both sides and toast in the oven for a couple of min.

Slice the tenderloins in half long wise also and place on the bread.

Oh by the way grey meat is over cooked meat and yucky.  Pork is juicy and flavorful when it is still slightly pink. You wont get sick, so please stop overcooking your pork. Just a friendly reminder.
Trim the Brie round and slice and place on the pork.

Place back in the oven at 350 for 5 min until brie is all nice and melty!

Spread the aoli/mayo on both halves and place back together.  Wrap the sandwich in foil and then cling film/saran wrap very very tightly! Place something heavy like a brick or a heavy pot lid on top of the sandwich to compress it.

Once you are at your picnic location, or just when you are ready to serve, slice the sandwich and serve with fresh grapes and a nice dry light wine such as Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio, if you will only drink red wine Pinot Noir would be great also.

Perfect picnic sandwich!

I work as part of the management staff in a better end retail clothing store and I have crazy hours.  So last night I came home from work gave a quick check to my email before I popped open a bottle of wine to unwind from the day.  Well can you imagine my surprise when I saw that Alyssa from Mom De Cuisine gave me the nicest award?! Me a Versatile Blogger?! I was Over the Moon!!!! I am new to all this and it was just the boost I needed! I have daily conversations with an inanimate object, my computer, and how it won't perform the way I want it. When in reality it is me who can't make it perform!
So Alyssa at Mom De Cuisine Alyssa THANK YOU!
So the rules of this Award is to give you all 7 random facts about myself and to pass this award on to 15 deserving bloggers!  How do I choose just 15 when you are all so amazing?!

On to my Seven Random Facts

1.) I am a huge Sci Fi Geek! I love ALL things Doctor Who! I have a secret desire to dress up as Rose and go to the next Comic Con.
2.) I am also  an Anglophile.  It doesn't help that my nickname for my family growing up was "The Queen" and that I was taught to always use the Royal We.
3.) My husbands job moves us very frequently.  I have lived in 9 states.  IL, TX, TN, NY, OK, NM, KS, CA, MO. California and Tennessee are my favorite 2.
4.) As a family activity we listen to Shakespeare records and play Monopoly or Clue board games.
5.) This may not be so random as this part of my blogs name, but I have an obsession with Plaid! It must be the Anglophile Preppy thing in me.
6.) The book that defines my life is The Official Preppy Handbook and True Prep   by Lisa Birnbach.  On the inside front cover there is a fill in the blank section that I was able to fill out as. X-Libris
This book was borrowed from Chandra Lane Sirois who prepped at Briarcrest, after being kicked out of Evangelical Christian School, because of lack of ability to conform.  True Story!!!
7.) I am madly in love with my Husband Steve and my two dogs Jefferson and Lilly!

Now for my 15 deserving bloggers!

1.) Kitchen Meets Girl My Friend and sounding board for all things food blog! Plus she has great recipes
2.) Chic Gorgeous The most beautiful blog I have ever seen and what lovely recipes!
3.) The Coach's Wifes Kitchen Fun Easy Wonderful Recipes!
4.) Fire Foodie Anyone who says they are a pyromaniac and can make such amzaing meals is A OK in my book!
5.) Mother Rimmy Great family friendly meals
6.) Kate From Scratch Great different ideas
7.) Wilde in the Kitchen a must stop in the world of food blogging!
8.) Pearl and Pine We all wish we had this woman's life!
9.) Cosmo Cookie No one and I mean No one can make a cuter cookie!
10.) That's So Michelle She loves Halloween as much as I do!
11.) The Bare Midriff So I can pretend I work out I track her 100 miles in 100 days!
12.) Fearless Homemaker She loves Martini's and food! Don't we all?!
13.) The Hairy Peach She is fun and has really nice recipes
14.) Amour Beurre Check out her site you will be glad you did!
15.) Savour the Senses She might be last on this list but she is most deffinately not least! This is a great blog!

Another HUGE Thank You! to Alyssa! Please everyone check out these bloggers and keep the love going and keep the wonderful recipes comming!!

June 19th and the heat of the summer is on!! I love a good themed party and nothing says summer fun like a Tiki/Luau Party!!!! So with a few cute decorations and fun and festive menu I was able to turn my Midwest Home into a Tropical Paradise!  My Dad was in town visiting and we got to have a double family Fathers Day with my Dad, Steve and my two Step Son's! Steven Jr, whom lives with us full-time and Kevin who we get every other weekend. It was a great treat to have all the men in my life at one table!!

Our Tiki menu consisted of:

Pineapple Pulled Pork ( since I did not have a whole pig to roast in the ground, I just used a boring old mainland Crock Pot)

Spicy Coconut Rice

Coconut Fruit Salad

Strawberry Spinach Salad and Basic (but oh so yummy!) vinaigrette

Tiki Punch

This was the 19th anniversary for the Shakespeare Festival in Kansas City, MO.  As we just recently moved here we were not quite sure what to expect.  We went completely unprepared for the World Class Production that unfolded before us.  That was not the only surprize. The culinary picnic's that were spread out around us were quite the sight to behold! I knew that we would be back and that I would be ready to picnic in style!

Not only was the second visit just as rewarding from the performance, the lovely families that were around us were just as entertaining.  Lady Macbeth may have been guilt ridden but we had a wonderful time!

My menu for the event was as follows:

Heirloom Tomato Bruschetta and fresh grapes with a Rousanne White wine from Lavender Ridge Vineyards http://lavenderridgevineyard.com/

Blue Cheese BLT Wraps with a Mourvede Red Wine from Lavender Ridge and Strawberry Shortcake.