BEST SALAD EVER!

I often run out of ideas on what to pack for lunch every day when I'm working. I refuse to eat the cafeteria food (I'm sure it's great, but I'm not in middle school anymore!) and I want something healthy, but easy. So it limits my options. Like I've said before, I used to be the frozen food lean cuisine queen. But I've gotten tired of that. So I'm on a new salad kick. 


I'll buy sliced cucumbers, chick peas, hard boiled eggs (no yoke) & baby corn usually just from the salad bar at Weis or some other grocery store. I like to mix in craisins and fresh avocado. For some more protein I heat up baked breaded chicken breast and cut into pieces. It's the perfect meal and it's super filling!  It's also really pretty to look at. 


Dressing? Depends what I'm in the mood for...sometimes I splurge on low fat ranch or honey mustard. But good ol' italian or balsamic vinaigrette is  staple for me too. I'm always looking for good salad options. So if you have any ideas...send them my way!

What do you think? Comments? Suggestions? I would love to know that you visited my blog. Please leave me a message letting me know you were here! Did you try out a recipe? Let me know! I would love to hear from you :-)

Peach & Mango Bellinis

Cooking Club's theme this past month was Barefoot Contessa inspired recipes. We all made a recipe from one of Ina Garten's cookbooks or found one online. I was in charge of cocktails for this dinner club meeting so I made Fresh Peach Bellinis and made it my own. So yummy! I got these great champagne flutes from my mom as a wedding present years ago and like to bring them out every so often. Bellinis are the perfect occasion! Check out the other Barefoot Contessa courses at our Cuisine Queens website! :-)

Ingredients (serves 8 to 10 people):

• 4 peaches
• 2 champagne mangoes
• 2 tbsp of sugar or equal
• 2 tsp of lime juice
• 1 bottle of sparkling wine or champagne, chilled
• I used Peach Seltzer water for a non-alcoholic version (we have some pregos in our group)

Directions:

• Chop fruit into small pieces.
• Place fruit, lime juice, & sugar into a food processor.
• Puree in processor until mixed well.
• Pass through sieve (optional) and leave out skins & bits.
• Place 2 tbsp of the puree in each champagne glass
• Fill with champagne and serve.

For a non-alcoholic or low cal option use peach seltzer water instead of champagne/wine.





My husband & I had an awesome dinner on the back porch (the weather has been fantastic)   and I tried out the bellinis on him before making them for cooking club the following night. They were a hit! They also paired nicely with leftover Southwestern Pasta Salad & these AMAZING BLT Lettuce Wraps which I made for the first time that night! YUMMO!


What do you think? Comments? Suggestions? I would love to know that you visited my blog. Please leave me a message letting me know you were here! Did you try out a recipe? Let me know! I would love to hear from you :-)

Santa Fe Pancakes (Inspired by Pancake Pantry)

We recently went on vacation with our friends to Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. We all took turns cooking each day. For breakfast my husband & I made Zucchini Quiche. But that was not the main attraction. My husband is obsessed with these Santa Fe Pancakes from The Pancake Pantry in Nashville. We got to visit our friends, Matty & Tricia in Nashville every year that they've lived there and each time we make sure to squeeze in a trip to The Pancake Pantry before we leave. (Did I mention I saw Taylor Swift the last time we went to Nashville???) The pancakes at the Pancake Pantry are actually called the Village Smithy COLO Santa Fe Pancakes because they are from the Village Smithy restaurant in Carbondale, Colorado. Well, thank goodness we were able to track down this recipe and create it for our friends for breakfast. My husband did most of the work and they turned out great. They are really delicious and quite unusual. 

Ingredients:
3/4 cup UNBLEACHED flour
3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
2 tbsp sugar
3/4 tsp baking powder
1 & 3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 & 1/4 cups buttermilk 
2 large eggs
3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted & cooled
6 slices cooked bacon broken up into quarters
1 small can chopped roasted green chiles
4 green onions, diced
4 oz cheddar cheese slices, broken into smaller pieces



Directions:
Mix cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, & salt in a large bowl. 
In a separate bowl whisk buttermilk, eggs, & butter.
Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix until smooth.
Spray a medium pan with cooking spray and heat over medium heat.
Pour about 1/4 cup of batter into pan. 
Right away top with the bacon, onions, cheese, & chiles (see picture above).
When the bottom is cooked (more than minute) then flip to the other side and cook for another minute. [This is an estimate, you may have to make the first few pancakes your practice ones.]
Repeat with remaining batter. 
Serve with honey, syrup, and hot sauce. YUMMO!

Those are some happy kids!

What do you think? Comments? Suggestions? I would love to know that you visited my blog. Please leave me a message letting me know you were here! Did you try out a recipe? Let me know! I would love to hear from you :-)

Strawberry Pie

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Strawberry pie. It's my favorite non-chocolate dessert. One of my best memories from college is being at my friend Stevie's house and sneaking into the kitchen with 3 friends and devouring the strawberry pie that his mom, Sue, made. [SHE MAKES THE BEST STRAWBERRY PIE!]. It was for everyone else to share but we weren't going to let anyone else get a piece. It was heaven.


This was a time in my life when I was trying to impress my husband (before he was my husband, before he was even my boyfriend) so I knew the quickest way to his heart was through his stomach. Therefore, I was on my mission to to make an equally awesome strawberry pie. The secret = graham cracker crust. 


Ingredients:
graham cracker pie crust
1 tbsp powdered sugar
3 oz. cream cheese, softened
1.5 quarts of strawberries, cut & sliced.
1 cup sugar
2 tbsp karo white corn syrup
1 cup water
3 oz. strawberry jell-0
1 tsp of salt
3 tbsp cornstarch
cool-whip or whip cream


 Directions:
Mix the cream cheese & sugar into a medium bowl. 
Spread into the bottom of a baked pie shell.
Place berries on top of the cream cheese spread.
Meanwhile, mix sugar, corn syrup, water, salt, & cornstarch in a pot over medium heat.
When it thickens and the jello mix and stir.
Remove from heat and let cool before pouring over berries.
Place in fridge for at least an hour.
Serve with whip cream.

It was a hit!

What do you think? Comments? Suggestions? I would love to know that you visited my blog. Please leave me a message letting me know you were here! Did you try out a recipe? Let me know! I would love to hear from you :-)

Zucchini Breakfast Casserole

I'm obsessed with quiche & breakfast casseroles. I secretly want to host breakfast functions every week so that I can try out new recipes each time. 

Ingredients:

3 cups zucchini, sliced into halves

1 cup bisquick (use the low fat or heart smart kind)

1 small onion, diced

1 green pepper, diced

5 egg whites, 2 whole eggs

1/4 cup olive oil

1 cup part-skim mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 tsp salt

1 tsp parsley

20 pepperoni slices (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place all ingredients a large bowl and mix together. 

Pour into a greased casserole dish. (I used pam)

Bake for about 45 minutes. 

Check to make sure it's cooked through with a toothpick or fork.

I had to make two of these while on vacation with lots of friends. So for one of them I added pepperoni. It gives it a nice kick. Doesn't make the dish so healthy, but it tastes real good. 

What do you think? Comments? Suggestions? I would love to know that you visited my blog. Please leave me a message letting me know you were here! Did you try out a recipe? Let me know! I would love to hear from you :-)

Baby Shower Games

Hysterical! So for my friend's adorable owl-themed baby shower we also decided to stay away from the traditional baby shower games and try comical minute-to-win-it games instead. My friend Ashley is responsible for all the research and supplies. She did a great job! Everyone had a good time. We made the mommy-to-be participate in all the games and compete against her guests. When the guests arrived we assigned them a game to play by giving them a sticker so they wouldn't forget. Everyone had fun playing them after food was served and before we opened presents. 

Check out the 6 awesome games below!

Separation Anxiety:

Each player gets a bag of M&M's that are hidden under an upside-down plastic cup and 6 bowls (one for each color of the M&M's). When it's time to start each player takes away the cup and separates their M&M's into the colored bowls. They may only use one hand. And the biggest challenge is that they have to go in colored order based on the the labeled bowls. After a minute is up whichever contestant went through the order the most times, wins!

Baby Blocks: 

Each player takes a plate and places it on their head. Then has to stack the blocks one at a time, balancing on top of their head. We had most of the players just stack four blocks. But we had the mommy-to-be spell out Trevor, the baby's name.

Hanky Panky:

You will need one small tissue box for each player. That's all the supplies you need. Everyone has a minute. One hand holds the box the other hand has to pull out as many tissues from the box as possible. Rapid Fire. It's really funny to watch and their are tissues everywhere at the end!

Baby Rattle: 

You need two empty & clean soda bottles and 1 bag of small gum balls for each player in this game. To assemble, pour gum balls into one of the containers then attach the bottles together at the opening using duct tape or another strong adhesive. Make sure all gum balls are on side before you play. When it's time to start the contestants flip the "rattle" upside-down and start shaking until all gum balls make their way to the other bottle. They can hold the rattle anyway they like but they can not swirl or stop. They must be shaking the whole time. It's more challenging than you think. 

Thirsty Baby:

Fill baby bottles up with water and the contestants have a minute to drink as much water as they can out of the bottle the way a baby would. It's really funny to watch!

How The Baby Was Made:

Saving the best for last! This game is the funniest. You may cry a little or wet your pants!!! The players break into pairs. One person starts by putting a plunger between their legs. (See above). The other player puts a toilet paper roll between their legs. They should stand several yards apart facing each other. When it's time to start, the person with the plunger has to run over (more like waddle or jump) and insert the plunger into the toilet paper roll. They have to make some angle adjustments, but neither player may use their hands. 

This is me in hysterics because we could not get it to work!

What do you think? Comments? Suggestions? I would love to know that you visited my blog. Please leave me a message letting me know you were here! Did you try out a recipe? Let me know! I would love to hear from you :-)

More Baby Shower Fun

If you want some great baby shower ideas, then you've come to the right place!


I recently shared about my sister-in-law's belated Baby Shower. But I also helped throw a baby shower for my friend Jessie last month. Such a great shower! Her mom, Kelly Steadman, owner of All Things Beautiful, was my fabulous wedding florist 5 years ago, and let me tell you, she knows how to throw a party! 


This was an owl-themed baby shower for baby Trevor. 


For food we did a slider bar as the main meal.

But we also had fruit kabobs, cups of pasta salad, veggies & dip.

But I just loved these mini twice-baked potatoes. So cute!

All the food was great, but dessert was even better! We had a dessert bar. We had owl cookies. Kelly made these delightful sugar cookies with blue fondant and chocolate icing. The noses are chocolate covered sesame seeds. The mouths are candy necklace pieces. 

There were chocolate cigars in honor of Baby Boy Smoker. 

The best part was the Make-Your-Own S'more Bar

Besides the traditional ingredients that you use to make a s'more, we also included Reese's Peanut Butter Cups & Peppermint Patties. So good! And everyone could make their own on the fire pit. 

And of course, no party would be complete without cake pops! We did owl cake pops as favors and baby boy cake pops that were ready to eat. Check out that sweet cake pop stand!

These two were a highlight for a lot of the guests at the shower!

HOW CUTE IS THIS!?!??!

Isn't it nice to have a florist in the family???

My very own mother helped out with this shower by making this poster using her cricut. We all signed a leaf with a word of encouragement for baby Trevor. Then the leaves will get attached to the branches and it will be hung for him in the nursery. So stinkin' cute!

This post is so long I will need to stop here. But another fantastic part of the day, besides the great weather, was the baby shower games. Instead of doing traditional games, my friend Ashley found lots of Minute-To-Win-It games with a baby-theme to them. They were a riot! Stay tuned for a later post on that. 

What do you think? Comments? Suggestions? I would love to know that you visited my blog. Please leave me a message letting me know you were here! Did you try out a recipe? Let me know! I would love to hear from you :-)