Welcome to my little corner of the Ultimate Blog Party 2009! Come on in and look around :)

Let me start by introducing myself - I'm Tina (nice to meet you!) I'm 34 years old and happily married to my wonderful husband Brian. We were blessed with 3 little munchkin men - Will is 6, Jake is 5 and Henry will be 1 on April Fool's Day! Our little crew lives in the frozen tundra of Michigan - my husband's job brought us here. We're originally east coasters. I'm lucky enough to be a SAHM. In my spare time (ha!), I like to scrapbook, cook and go to Detroit Tigers baseball games.

So, have a drink, grab some food, listen to some tunes and enjoy yourself. The couch is uber comfy and I hope you enjoy your time here :)I've included 2 recipes - one is for my favorite drink and the other is for one of my favorite party foods. I'm also giving a prize away over at 5 Minutes for Mom, so check it out!

Enjoy!



Artichoke-Parmesan Crostini
(makes 8 *prep time - 15 minutes *total time - 15 minutes)

8 slices (1/4 inch thick) baguette
2 Tbsp. olive oil
coarse sald and ground pepper
1 jar (6.5 oz) marinated artichoke hearts, drained, rinsed and patted dry.
1/4 c. shredded Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish (optional)
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make crostini: Brush baguette slices on both sides with a total of 1 Tbsp. oil; season with salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet, and bake, turning over once, until golden 10-12 minutes. Cool.

Meanwhile, make topping: Finely chop artichokes, and combine in a bowl with Parmesan, parsley and remaining tablespoon oil.

Dividing evenly, spoon topping onto crostini, and garnish with additional Parmesan, if desired.



Chocolate Hazelnut Martini

1/2 c. chocolate flavored liqueur
1/4 c. hazelnut flavored liqueur
1/4 c. orange flavored liqueur
1/2 c. half n' half

Fill shaker 1/2 way with ice. Add liqueurs and half n' half. Shake for 10 to 15 seconds. Strain the shaker into a chilled martini glass - serve immediately.

There are SO. MANY. amazing prizes being given away this week. My top 3 are:

1. # 89 $100.00 gift card to Home Goods from HG Openhouse

2. # INTL 23 Complete Blog Makeover from Busy Mama Blog Design

3. # 3 $50.00 gift card to Target from Beginner Baby Blog

Others, in no particular order:

12, 26, 44, 58, 68, 86, 91, 98, 118, 123 and INTL 29, 33, 35 and 36