Well then, it’s been about 5 months since I last stepped up to the plate and served some fresh, home made (foodie) content on this here, Scotty Snacks weblog. Yep, after July’s Ice Cream Social (that I had the pleasure of doing with Tangled Noodle and Savor The Thyme), I literally froze up for a few! And, for that, I’m going to have to plead dish out the same old, Snack Lackin But Not Snack Slackin

Seriously, though, nice to be back! Lord knows, I’ve got a line up of blog drafts been collecting on for way TOO long now – I got to get them off my table some time! So, what’s next? I know I’ve gots to try some of Samantha’s, Rocky Road Candy and, then, I’ve gots to get a few of these drafts out. Eventually. But, first, I think I’ll have some of this rotisserie chicken (that’s been warming in the crockpot since I last picked at it, just waiting to be turned into a chicken broth soup over the next 24-48 hours – stay yourself tuned!!). Merry Christmas, y’all, Snack On!

*image above from jama rattigan’s alphabet soup. check it.

Snack By Snack

Besides the remaining 5-7 mini pieces of Yo Momma’s Oatmeal Squares and the half gallon of Blue Dew Tea that I transferred back home, all snacks were pretty much consumed within about an hour’s time. To no surprise of mine, first from the list to go (thanks to the hearty appetite of Francisco Dao, who you may know from The Killer Pitch) was none other than my Creole Crock Pot Jambalaya. The Clarified Butter Blueberry White Chocolate Chip Sugar Cookies followed shortly behind, leaving the “and then there were two” scenario with my Blue Dew Iced Tea and my Yo Momma’s Oatmeal Squares sitting around, just waiting to be had.

In Attendance

Although I can’t claim to have met with all persons who were at Blank Spaces last night, I can certainly claim to have connected with quite a few pleasant folk. Amongst them would be the first lady I walked by (and checked in with) as I entered the spot, Katya Roberts, who is property manager at Blank Spaces. Then, after laying the snacks out on the table, I was kindly greeted by Kim Koury, President of Spin Public Relations, a PR firm in Santa Monica specializing in public relations, strategic planning and special events coordination. In addition, I also had the pleasure of meeting publicist, Michelle Avedissian; network specialist, Matthew Almanza; and reporter with SynchedUpShow, Rich Demuro. And, last, but certainly not least on the (had the pleasure of meeting with) list would be Angela Wise, director of sale and distribution for (the innovative and creative custom label energy drinks company,) Xbrand Fluids, LLC.

*Did you go to this month’s Freelancer Fridays (or, perhaps a previous month’s)? What did you think?

Ingredients

1/2 cup sliced strawberries
1 banana (riper the better)
3 scoops whey protein
1 cup cubed ice
1 cup water

To Note: Listed amounts above are merely suggestions, simply alter according to your desired taste and texture.

The Specifics

Add ingredients (listed above) to blender, mix well, pour into your favorite glass (or leave in the pitcher, your choice!) and drink as soon as humanly possible

Amongst some of the party favors that will be provided include a crock-pot filled to the brim with jambalaya, a pitcher of Blue Dew iced tea, a handful of Valentine’s Day strawberries, a batch of clarified butter sugar cookies (with blueberries and white chocolate chips) and a few other secret snacks, certainly worth the anticipation And, I even heard that there will be wine, too! Just like the food, drinks and especially good company, pre-registration is free so, sign yourself up and be sure to bring some friends along. That’s this Thursday, February 19, 2009 from 6-9pm (PT) at Blank Spaces located at 5405 Wilshire Blvd (see it on Google maps).

A Snack For Her:

White Chocolate Dipped Strawberries
As easy as cleaning some fresh strawberries, (slowly) heating some white chocolate on the stove and doing the dip, per say, these snacks pack a true flavor, just too good not to give (and be praised for)! To carefully melt the chocolate, I personally like to put a little bit of water into a pot, fill a small, shot glass like container with chocolate then place on top of the water and set the stove to a low heat. Gentlemen, besides waking up a little earlier than usual and serving her that surprise breakfast in bed, these white chocolate dipped strawberries should get you a plethora of brownie points along with a large stack of get-out-of-the-dog-house-free passes

A Snack For Him:

Sloppy Roast Beef Po-boy
Super simple snack right here! Get the roast beef, some french bread and a can of beef gravy. Best served hot, I’d recommend pre-heating the oven to about 350 so that you can give the bread a little baked fresh flavor then set the beef gravy on the stove and warm it up. Next, simply add the roast beef to the freshly baked bread, spoon some gravy on top, sandwich it all together and serve! Ladies, nothing says you love him and sweeps him off the couch quite like a home-made, sloppy roast beef po-boy. Trust me

*To Note: You can also add mayonnaise, mustard, etc. to the po-boy but, that truly is up to you/his preferences. If it were me, I think I’d prefer some sliced pickles, a dab of mayo, a dab of mustard, a pinch of pepper and a slice of provolone cheese, melted

For detailed coverage of the event:

• Alexia Tsotsis of LAWeekly.com published, LA Tech PAIN(t)ball – I can has welts and bruises* and posted pictures, too.
• Sean and Laurie Percival from LaLaWag.com graciously contributed (as always) photographs, videos and content in their articles, #LaTechPaintball Recap and Video, #LATechPaintball Photos, Paigeball and @rchrivals to faceoff at LA Tech Paintball
• Jonathan Dingman who officially setup (and is maintaining) TechPaintball.org came out to shoot come pictures of the event as well!

Last but definitely not least, MUCH thanks and HUGE congrats to Paige Craig (and Lotay) for the successful coordination of such an event, $840 was raised for the Marine Corps Scholarship Fund and the Black Card Circle Foundation. Thanks all for the participation and support, see you all’s again in NorCal soon enough?!

Paige Craig clearly enjoyed the sweet taste of.. victory. #TeamTequila!

Ticket and Event Info

How Dinner Was Done

After (previously) seasoning both sides of this chicken breast with honey, salt, pepper and fresh juice from an orange then letting marinade atop orange peels, I carefully made a small slither on top of this breast for shoving a piece of orange in between. Once the oven was preheated to 350, I placed the chicken in the oven, set the timer to 30 minutes and added the sliced mushrooms and asparagus along with a few drops of water to a small pot and began to cook covered on low (leave on low and will slowly cook and magically be done in aprox 30 minutes, just when the chicken breast is fully cooked). To note, I did flip the chicken breast once (after 15 minutes) and then put back in for another 15 minutes. And, somewhat similar to the previous orange flavored chicken dinner gathering, I took the cooked chicken out, added the sliced Shitake mushrooms and asparagus and chomped it all down with another cold glass of fruit flavored tea. Bizz-am!

Re-Cap!

The Basics-
(1) Boneless Chicken Breast
Fresh Juice from an Orange
Sprinkles of Salt & Pepper
Dab of Honey
*Orange peels were used while marinating

Cooking Instructions-
Baked in oven for 30 minutes at 350 degrees (on top shelf)
*I flipped the breast once, cooking both sides for 15 minutes each

Drinks to Consume With-
Fruit Tea or a Pinot Grigio
*I do plan to serve some posts regarding the tea I make/drink so, please do be tuned. And, certainly worth the mention, for more information specific to wine and the pairing there of with meals, check out Gary V’s classy wine show at Wine Library TV

So, stay snacking, we’ll be breaking bread and satisfying appetites on the regular!