Can't Win 'em All...

Well perhaps Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus can, but it was the Giants who produced a show stopper!  The underdog Giants orchestrated one of the most shocking upsets in football history, beating New England, 17-14, in Super Bowl XLII on Sunday night.  I hope you stayed to watch the last 2 minutes of the game.  Now that is what I call a good game!

A Change of Scenery!

It's finally here, the big day!  It's a rainy day here in Southern California, so a good day to stay home and watch football.  I'm making homemade enchilada's, guacamole, chips, cheese dip and salsa. Not a day to watch the pounds on the scale.  This actually is one of my favorite days to watch football and I am rooting for the Giants to win, although the Patriots probably deserve to win. But what does that matter, it's fun to root for the underdog and hope for an upset! Go Giants!!

So you have all my fondue recipes now, but I did want to mention that if you don't want to go through all the work of having a fondue party at home, I also know of two good restaurants you should check out. My favorite is located right across from the historical Mission in San Jaun Capistrano, California. It's called La Fondue. If you do the fondue feast, you get a choice of two items from a list of cheeses, seafood and meats. We tried the Wild Boar and the Buffalo. I was a little hesitant to try these two eclectic items, but thought if I don't try it now, when will I ever have another opportunity. Well, I am now a Bison lover! 

Oh my goodness, it was delicious.  Bison tenderloin is so tender and healthy for you. Full of Omega 3 and much less fat than the meat from a cow. And most bison is grass-fed.  But not easy to find in the stores around here.  I did find some bison ground meat at our local grocery store that I am going to give a try. Okay got off on a little tangent there.  

Back to good fondue restaurants. The other one that is found in more states than California is The Melting Pot. It's not as fancy as La Fondue, but just as good. (Sorry no Wild Boar or Buffalo) But now that everyone and his uncle knows about it, I have found that you have to make reservations for this restaurant weeks ahead of time. (When it first came to Southern California, you could just walk in there and sit down and eat!) We didn't have any trouble making reservations for La Fondue a few days before we ate there. La Fondue is a little more expensive, and a little more eclectic, but if you are looking for a little more casual atmosphere then I'd pick The Melting Pot. Looking for a romantic eclectic evening, then pick La Fondue.

There you have it, my take on Fondue!  Now let's play football!!  

Fudgy Chocolate Fondue

Fudgy Chocolate Fondue

Warm chocolate fondue made with cocoa, evaporated milk and butter is perfect for dipping just about anything!

Ingredients:
● 1/2 cup butter
● 1/2 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa Powder
● 3/4 cup sugar
● 1/2 cup evaporated milk
● 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:
Melt butter in small saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat; immediately stir in cocoa. Add sugar and evaporated milk.

Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until sugar is dissolved and mixture is
smooth. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla extract. 

Serve warm with assorted fondue dippers i.e. Strawberries, pineapple, banana, pound cake, marshmallows, and graham crackers.

Coq Au Vin Fondue

Description:

A cooking style favored in the French countryside. It combines the flavors of fresh herbs, mushrooms, garlic, and a hearty Burgundy Wine

Coq Au Vin Fondue

Origin: Diane's Favorites

Yield: 2-4 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:
● 3 1/2 cups vegetable stock
● 1/2 cup Burgundy wine
● 1/2 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced
● 1 Tbsp. fresh garlic, minced
● 2 green onions, sliced
● fresh herbs, to taste

Directions:
Heat vegetable stock in fondue pot until it begins to simmer. Add all other ingredients, bring to simmer. Place individual pieces of desired meat or veggies on fondue fork and put in pot until correct temperature has been reached. Lobster and shrimp may take under a minute to cook while beef, pork and chicken will take slightly longer. Also use a slotted spoon to put halved red potatoes in bottom of pot to cook as you are cooking your meat and seafood. Take the necessary precautions so you don't eat raw meat!