I've been Tagged...Seven Links!

I am so happy to have been tagged by three wonderful and talented blogger friends to participate in the
SEVEN LINKS game. I love it!

Thank you, my beautiful, talented friends...

Ping, @ Ping's Pickings, Lizzy, @That Skinny Chick Can Bake!!! and Tina, @Pinay of Texas Cooking Corner
As a rule: Tag 5 bloggers, but since I've been tagged three times. I will be tagging 15 bloggers to continue this fun tagging game.
I will tag 15 bloggers, 5 for each tagging. I will contact you on your blog to tag you!
Have a beautiful Sunday!

1.THE MOST BEAUTIFUL POST

 I don't do much baking for the simple reason that my daughter does most of the baking in the family, and I have been slacking off in the last few years with my cake baking. I like to come up with easy-breezy stuff, as this No Bake Raspberry Cheesecake that I literally took the recipe from the back  of the box of the graham crackers, and adapted it my way! This was back in April of this year, and I received 50 comments on it! For a simple cake, I thought this was really pretty and light for Spring! (photo was taken with my old camera, and this was the best I could do)

2.THE MOST POPULAR POST

3. THE MOST CONTROVERSIAL POST

# 3-My Homemade Garlic Rolls has to be the most controversial post. I have never made garlic rolls like these. They are like the cinnamon rolls, only with a different twist, filled with herbs and garlic. I was so excited when I first saw this on another blogger's blog. Instead of commenting on the blog that was linked to (which I did later) ...as usual, me...like a little "kid" all happy and excited, commenting, and complimenting how much I love the rolls..."thank you for sharing"...so on, and so forth, just drooling all over their post. Not a word back on their blog, not a "peep" to mine; Do you know how bad, that feels?...the rejection?...the vulnerability, to put yourself out there to a stranger's blog and open up with your feelings, and the "let down" is so sad...but your learn from it! I simply went to the "source" where it was linked from, and not only got a gracious comment, but a "gift" of the yeast she used to send to me from Singapore! So,  as you see...when "one door closes, another door opens up for you!"....a happy ending!

4. THE MOST HELPFUL POST

The most helpful post by far, has to be my Chocolate Chip Biscotti that I baked for the online bake sale for the American Cancer Society, hosted by Becky, @Baking and Cooking, A Tale of Two Loves. I have never done an online baking before...did not know the firs rule about it, but there I was participating in the baking to have my biscotti bid on, bake it, and ship it out for the blogger that won the bid. It was quite challenging, for a great cause! I also bid on 2 amazing desserts and had it shipped to me. Totally fun, and a great way to support cancer research for our loved ones, friends, and all the people who are battling this disease, and for the ones that have been cured!
Such a great and rewarding feeling. I cannot go into it any further, because there would be tears of sadness, but mostly tears of joy for the cure!


5. POST THAT WAS SURPRISINGLY SUCCESSFUL

My "Perfect Brownie Pan" Brownie (One Bowl Brownies,) made in the famous brownie pan with the individual dividers. By mistake, I poured the brownie filling into the pan while the dividers were in, instead, before, and it created little collars around the sides when it was done...not intending to make this design.

6. POST THAT DID NOT GET ATTENTION IT DESERVED

I was so proud of my Mushrooms in Adobo Sauce, a true authentic appetizer tapas from Spain, with caramelized onions and homemade adobo...not the powdered seasoning that you buy commercially, but your own.
It really was professionally done, and plated. Could be, that not that many people like mushrooms.

7. POST YOU ARE MOST PROUD OF

The post that I'm most proud of is the simple, yet amazing Carrot Pineapple Cake with Cream Cheese frosting, that I made for my son Joe's birthday, this March. He just published his first novel, and also launched his surfboard art career. We celebrated at a Vegan restaurant since both son wife were both vegetarian at the time (now, my son is not, after one year)
It didn't take long to make this delicious cake, but you must make it the day, or several hours before (I made it the day before) to assure it's flavors combining with all the goodness added. All ingredients are so fresh, and the frosting totally amazing!

Here are the 15 food blogger friends that I'm inviting to join the 7 Links Tag Game!

Joanna-Chic & Gorgeous Treats
Kathy-Bakeaway With Me
Brenda-Brenda's Canadian Kitchen
Junia-Mis Pensamientos
Becky-Baking and Cooking, A Tale of Two Loves
Gina-SPCookie Queen
Parsley Sage (Carsley)-Deep Dish
Lora-Cake Duchess
Lindsey-Tiny Skillet
Veronica-Quay Po Cooks
Alisha-The Ardent Epicure
Sandra-Sandra's Easy Cooking
Wendy-The Weekend Gourmet
Shabs-Yum and Delish
Michael-Me, My Food and I

Spicy Sautéed Vegetables...and an Amazing Weekend!

It all started Saturday, when my daughter gave me a huge bag of mixed vegetables from our favorite produce market...one of those fabulous deals that her m-in-law discovered, while she was here from Italy. $1.00 for a hug bag of vegetables, all mixed...zucchini, peppers, onions, some iceberg lettuce...a huge bag, no joking. There was absolutely nothing wrong with the veggies, except, they had a few bruises here, and there, and maybe starting to get a bit over ripe on some of the peppers that made the long green peppers turn orange. So, what to do with them?...what is not to do with them, but cook them up, and the best way, is to saute them with the onion, garlic, in some nice fruity extra virgin olive oil, and some great spices...don't forget the red pepper flakes, and freshly ground black pepper, and some nice sea salt, and you got yourself, a FEAST!...well, I prepped up all these great veggies, and took them over to a friends house with all the yummy things that I brought from Lora's to share with her, and her brother who is visiting their mom, from out of state.

I'm linking this to Tuesday Night Supper Club # 40... Christy @Fudge Ripple

Also made some pork ribs, marinated in Worcestershire sauce, paprika, cumin, black pepper, and garlic powder, and baked to perfection, in a 375 degree F. oven for about 1 1/2 hrs. till tender. (These were also the ribs my daughter gave me that were in her freezer from my son, who is the on-again, off-again vegetarian.) Lora did not want to deal with these because she said it's been in the freezer too long. Yea, right!!! ...since December?...so that makes it 5 months?...still like fresh, no freezer burns, so why not cook them up. They were so tender, fall off the bone, delicious!...So that's what you do for your friends...you share!...and you cook for them.

These sweet potatoes are my friend Dianne's creation. She cuts them in half, drizzles a little olive oil on them and sprinkles them with cinnamon, and adds bits of garlic...encloses the potatoes in aluminum foil and bakes it in the toaster oven on 350 degrees, F. till tender, which is at least 1 hr. or longer.

Saffron Risotto with Shrimp, Zucchini, and Peas....recipe, on this page

This is Lora's creation, and she makes this just about once a week. She does not post it on her blog because her blog is mostly about cakes, and desserts. She does not like leftovers, as a rule, unless it's spaghetti, and meatballs, lasagne, or pizza leftovers and I get her leftovers to share with friends...and truly this is gourmet, and yummy, even reheated. Just add a few drops of water, and heat on top of the stove. Now, on to the next fabulous things!

So, here it is...still Saturday afternoon, and I'm at home on the beach...inside, just "chilling"...and my daughter calling me and asking me what I'm doing...
I tell her, I'm waiting for 2 packages. One from Christine @Christine's Pantry, for the amazing and generous giveaway gift that I one, and also for Gina's@SPcookie queen yummy Cranberry and Chocolate Chunk Cookies that I bid on for Becky's Bake Sale @ Baking and Cooking, A Tale of Two Loves for the American Cancer Society.
Lora tells me, "why don't you go down to the pool, or the beach and just sit and relax, or go swimming, to exercize your bad ankle"...which is healing so well, by the way! So I did go down, and I'm glad I did, before deciding to go to my friends house to cook dinner for us.
This is at 4:00PM and the sky, the ocean is exactly the way it looks on the photo...and even clearer, and prettier.

I started to take a walk in the sand, and the water, up to my ankles, which really was a nice therapy for my ankle.
When you walk by yourself, you get immersed into your thoughts and as for me, I get a lot of that, thinking, and thanking God how fortunate I am to have such a beautiful family, who cares about me...friends that I can visit...now that I'm a lot better and can walk without "hobbling" around, and my true love and passion is to cook, which does not take a lot of my time, and "thrifting" to use up all the things that can be converted into fabulous meals.

As you can see the palm trees in the background, are from the same scene, I used for my blog template at sunset.
This is about 1 mile from my condo, it's a golf course, behind the trees. Now, it's about 6:00PM...time to check my mail, and head on over to my friend's house.

The packages were left downstairs in the mail room by
my mailbox, on the shelf...hoping that it wasn't there on
Friday already, because it had cookies in one of the boxes. Don't you just get so excited when your receive
a package?...Well I was right, I received two packages.

I opened the box first...
from Gina, that had the delicious mouthwatering Cranberry and Chocolate Chunk Cookies,
with a weet personalized card, and it truly touched my heart to be so blessed to have such wonderful friends.

I could not resist but took a bite of one of the cookies.
She had them wrapped so nice with layers of waxed paper, and in a Ziploc plastic containers. (2)...one I gave to Lora, and tied with a pretty black and white ribbon. So sweet, so caring!!!

Here's my second gift...from Christine.
The most exciting, and amazing little pot that does so much, The All purpose...multi and versatile pot, I've ever seen. So beautiful, sturdy, and truly a great quality of shiny stainless steel. She also included a personalized note, I really feel so blessed and so happy...I actually felt this was a perfect Mother's Day gift.

Now you see what I mean?...The Vented Multi-Pot
I own such great pots and pans, gadgets galore, but never have I owned anything so versatile as this. Christine has such a good heart to do her own giveaway.
Such a generous sweet person, I truly appreciate it!

This awesome little pot even has the measurement on the inside with the American and the Metric measurement, as well.

Thank you Gina...and thank you Christine!

Please visit their blog and check for yourself all the wonderful things you will find on their blogs. I have recently met Christine, and have followed her blog immediately, and I'm truly glad I did. As for Gina, I met her about the time I started my blog, which is almost a year ago.
Check out their blog, and say Hi...and don't forget to follow!
Will catch up on the rest of the weekend activities. Mother's Day was so wonderful....I hope all the mommies, and grandmothers had the best day...ever, and hope you enjoyed your special day...with lots of love, and laughter!