Attack of the Hungry Monster

Blackened Salmon with Blood Orange

2012-03-03T09:09:00.000-06:00

Here's a super easy and healthy meal idea incorporating none other than the blood orange! I totally used my whole bag of blood oranges in a week. It was a pretty awesome week.

Blackened Salmon with Blood Orange

makes 4 servings

1 tbsp paprika

1 tbsp cayenne

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp salt

4 salmon filets with skin on one side (I used frozen)

3-4 tbsp olive oil

2 blood oranges, zested and juiced (and some slices for presentation-optional)

First thaw your salmon if you are using frozen filets.

In a small bowl, add the paprika, cayenne, thyme, oregano and salt and mix to blend. Coat the salmon on the flesh side only.

Pour on a few tbsp of the blood orange juice.

Heat a large pan or cast iron skillet over medium heat, and add the oil. When the oil is super hot (test it by putting the handle of a wooden spoon in the oil-if bubbles form around it, it is ready) shut the heat off under the pan. Add the salmon, 1 at a time, in a single layer, flesh side down, in the oil. Turn the heat back on under the pan and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Use a spatula to turn the salmon to the other side. Cook the salmon over medium heat, until the skin becomes crispy, about 5 to 6 minutes.

Arrange the salmon on a platter, sprinkle with blood orange zest and blood orange juice (and slices for presentation) and serve immediately.

I enjoyed my yummy salmon with some roasted veggies :)

Recipe adapted from Food Network

Here's my other blood orange recipes from this week:

Blood Orange Pancakes with Toasted Coconut

Blood Orange Foot Soak (not for eating, lol)

Blood Orange Margaritas

Blood Orange Margarita

2012-03-02T08:00:00.000-06:00

It's been a long week and you deserve a drink.

This citrus-y delight is a great way to unwind.

And you know what? It's a pretty low calorie cocktail, to boot.

Ok, run out and get these ingredients, because it's 5 o'clock somewhere.

Blood Orange Margarita

1 shot=2 tbsp (in case you don't have a shot glass)

1-2 shots of gold tequila

1/2 shot of triple sec (or Cointreau)

1/2 shot of lime juice (or the juice of 1/2 a small lime)

1 shot of blood orange juice (squeezed from about 3-4 oranges)

diet lemon lime soda

ice

sugar for the rim

Put some water on your finger & rim your glass in water and dip in sugar.

Fill glass with ice.

In a pitcher or cocktail shaker (or an old sports bottle, if you are classy like me), combine tequila, triple sec, lime juice and blood orange juice. Shake until combined. Pour over ice and top with lemon lime soda to taste.

Recipe adapted from Nutmeg Nanny

Here's some fun links to other blogs who have made some scrumptious looking things with blood oranges:

Blood Orange Sugared Scones from How Sweet It Is

Blood Orange French Toast from The Family Kitchen

Blood Orange Marmalade from Savvy Eats

Blood Orange No-Bake Mini Cheesecakes with Chocolate Crust from The Craving Chronicles

I hope everyone liked blood orange week :)

March Photo-A-Day Challenge

2012-03-01T08:00:00.000-06:00

Happy March, people :)

Have you heard about the March photo-a-day challenge?

It's basically a list of prompts for you to interpret and photograph every day in March.

How fun is that?!

Here's the list (so today I'll post a photo that means "up" to me):

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I'm going to post a photo daily on Facebook and then I'll do a weekly round up here on the blog.

I think doing this challenge will be a great way to practice my photography skills & be super creative.

I'd love to see your photos, if you want to participate. You can post the pics on your blog, on Instagram or Facebook. It's no big deal if you miss a day, by the way.

You can read more about the challenge at Fat Mum Slim blog (she has a great blog).

Oh, guess what? Today is apparently national peanut butter day! I love PB :)

Here's some of my favorite recipes using it:
Overnight PB Oats in a Jar
Chocolate Covered Pretzel Cookies with Peanut Butter Chips
Chunky Monkey Banana Bread
Single Serve Fudge Cake with PB Frosting
Cookies with PB Cheerios

Yeah, so pretty much just desserts (minus the oats)...but they are all great~try one today!

Ok, I'll be back tomorrow with an incredible cocktail recipe!

Blood Orange & Rosemary Foot Soak

2012-02-29T08:00:00.000-06:00

Good Morning, All!

Before I get started here, would you do me a favor? Go ahead and sign up to receive email updates (on the right side bar) or subscribe to me in your Google Reader. "Why?" you ask. Well, I guess they are going to take Google Friend Connect away and I don't want you to miss anything.

I promise, I have lots of exciting stuff coming up ;)

Ok, on to the post:

Are you a foot soaker?

I think you should be.

Soaking your feet is super relaxing and makes your tootsies nice and soft (and fragrant, too).

In continuation of blood orange week, I thought I'd show you how to make a quick foot soak.

Ok, you only need 3 things. And you don't even have to go to the craft store to get them. Some of you might already have this stuff laying around the house.

1. Coarse sea salt

2. Blood orange zest (grapefruit zest would be great here, too)

3. Fresh rosemary sprigs

We have rosemary in our garden and it's awesome. I usually make bread or soup with it. But I thought I'd try something new this week.

When I went out there to clip some for this foot soak, I noticed that it has grown some pretty, violet flowers on it. Who knew?

Anyways, you throw some of the rosemary in whatever container you have laying around. I used little mason jars. You could even use a Ziploc or tupperware. Nobody has to know. Unless you are giving it as a gift. Then put it in a cute little jar.

Zest your blood orange with a microplane zester or a fine grater. Then in a small bowl, combine the sea salt and zest until incorporated. Pour it in the container with the rosemary and let it all sit together for a while.
*note-for the small mason jar, I used about 2 tsp of orange zest

A couple hours later, after you have been on your feet all day, dissolve about 2 tablespoons of foot soak in some hot water and enjoy your spa like experience.

I wouldn't recommend this as bath salts, though, because there is zest and rosemary floating around in there. I even threw an extra sprig of the rosemary in the water for extra oomph.

Aaaah. So soothing.

Oh, make an extra jar for a friend. They will love it.

Blood Orange Pancakes

2012-02-27T08:00:00.000-06:00

It's official. I have a new obsession.

And it is the blood orange.

So awesome~like a grapefruit and an orange hybrid.

And I love the pretty colors you get when you cut into it.

So, in honor of this magnificent fruit popping up in stores this season, I am dedicating the entire week to blood oranges.

Naturally, breakfast comes first in this scenario.

Namely, pancakes.

Blood Orange Pancakes

(Your favorite pancake recipe/mix + the juice of one blood orange and a tsp of zest)

Here's my recipe for 1 generous serving:
1/2 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tbsp butter (or butter substitute)
1/2 cup yogurt (Chobani blood orange yogurt would be cool, but I used plain)
1/4 cup milk (I used almond)
1/2 of a beaten egg
the juice of 1 blood orange (about 2-3 tbsp)
1 tsp of blood orange zest
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 splenda packet (optional-to cut the tartness)

Mix flour, salt, baking powder in a small bowl. In another bowl, melt the butter for about 15 seconds in the microwave, then add the yogurt, milk, egg, orange juice, orange zest, vanilla & splenda. Then incorporate the dry ingredients and combine.
Using a ladle or 1/3 cup measuring cup, spoon the pancake mix into a pan or on a griddle. Flip when the edges start to bubble.
Top with toasted coconut and syrup.

Perfection.

For more pancake recipes, try my oatmeal protein pancakes or my yogurt short stack.

Crockpot Chicken Taco Soup

2012-02-25T08:30:00.000-06:00

If you have ever done Weight Watchers, you know all about some taco soup. This is kind of like that.

The flavor is similar, but not all the ingredients are the same.

If you are looking for a hearty, healthy, protein packed bowl of yum~you must make this now.

Crockpot Chicken Taco Soup

serves 6-8

1 15 oz can black beans

1 15 oz can pinto beans

1 15 oz can corn (or use frozen corn)

4 stalks celery,chopped

1/2 bag of baby carrots, chopped (or use 3 regular carrots)

1/2 onion, diced

bell pepper diced (I used yellow)

tiny can of tomato sauce

1/4-1/2 cup salsa

1 packet taco seasoning

3-4 frozen chicken breasts

about a can of chicken broth (enough to cover everything)

Toss all of this in your crockpot (don't drain the cans) and cook on low for 8 hours. Shred the chicken with some forks. Serve with whatever garnish you want. I used fat free sour cream and low fat cheese.

To make this quicker, you could use a frozen pepper and onion blend and a frozen soup blend instead of chopping stuff.

Recipe adapted from: Family Fresh Meals

Secret Ingredient Cookies

2012-02-24T08:00:00.000-06:00

Well, it is clearly not a secret anymore. The secret is out. These cookies are packed full of these:

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I made these cookies with no plan to share them on the blog. Shame on me!

But they were so dang good, I had to post these for all to see.

The texture of these cookies is perfection. I have no other words.

Secret Ingredient Cookies

Makes about 12 cookies (double if you want more)

1/2 cup + 2 tbsp flour

1/4 tsp cream of tartar

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/8 tsp salt

3 tbsp butter

1 egg

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup peanut butter Cheerios

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cream together butter & sugars, then add egg and vanilla. Mix dry ingredients separately, then mix it all together. Add in the cereal and chocolate chips last.

Bake for 10-12 minutes.

Seriously, if you are going to splurge on a cookie (or two), this is worth it!

recipe adapted from Sweet Tooth Sweet Life

D.I.Y. Coffee Bean Necklace

2012-02-22T08:00:00.000-06:00

Oooh, I love coffee.

Let me count the ways.

I'm so excited about this craft that I'm posting a gross pre-workout pic of me on the Internet.

Don't judge. I'm just displaying my love of coffee.

So I asked my favorite local barista for a couple coffee beans for a craft. She gave me a little cup of beans for free! But then I bought a 5 dollar latte. Sigh.

Well instead of drinking the essence of the coffee beans, I decided to make my own coffee bean necklace based on this inspiration (which is totally $40).

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Here's your supplies to make your own necklace:

Coffee beans
Jewelry findings (little rings for pendants~found at Walmart for $2)
Super glue
Spray paint (I used brushed nickel paint & clear glaze)
Necklace chain ( I used one I already had)

Step 1: Clean your coffee beans with a damp cloth. I did not do this and the waxy coffee bean resisted the spray paint, and I had to paint several coats.
Step 2: Super glue the rings on the beans.

Not like this! I realized after I glued them that the rings need to be turned sideways so the coffee bean will face forward when on a chain. Head slap!

I had my two best craft helpers observing my every move.

Step 3: Spray paint the coffee beans and let them dry (again, note the WRONG direction of the finding rings), then put one on a chain.

This is after just one coat of spray paint. See the resistance.

How cute is this? I love it :)

It's my new favorite necklace!

Forgive my wet hair.

There, that's better.

Oatmeal Cookie Protein Shake

2012-02-20T08:50:00.000-06:00

Ok, so I never got the whole protein shake thing until I started making them.

I get it now.

They are like really awesome milkshakes that help you get healthy and stuff.

Love them.

Need them.

No, seriously, I only do a protein shake only once or twice a week. You don't want it to be your main source of protein. I get my protein from lean meat, beans and legumes mostly.

But this is an awesome treat & you should totally try it.

Oatmeal Cookie Protein Shake

1 frozen banana (note- peel your bananas before you freeze them)
3/4 -1 cup unsweetened almond milk (I used Silk)
3 Tablespoons old fashioned oats
1 scoop vanilla protein powder (this is my protein powder of choice)
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon vanilla
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon nutmeg

Place all ingredients in a high-powered blender and blend until smooth.

Recipe from Eating Bird Food

Check out my chocolate covered strawberry (sweetheart) shake, too ;)

Or if you just have to have a cookie, try this giant oatmeal cookie or this skinny cookie pie.

Oh, by the way, just found this awesome website where you can customize a print with you & your sweetie's initials:

Here's mine! Here's the link: The Wedding Chicks. I am totally printing ours out & framing it!

Let's Talk About Snacks, Baby

2012-02-18T08:14:00.000-06:00

Sorry, I couldn't resist a little Salt & Peppa reference today :)

I love love love snacks! I usually eat at least 2 snacks a day.

Here are some of my current faves that are super quick and easy.

1. Nuts
Nuts are so healthy and filling, but it is easy to over snack on them when eating them straight from the can. That's why these packs are my current favorite snack:

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I love the convenience and portion control of these mixed nut packs. The heart healthy mix is my favorite, because it has pistachios! I also like the energy mix (found at Target) packs.

2. Fruit
Fruit is super satisfying, because it is sweet and juicy (most of the time). Right now I am loving cuties!

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They are so much easier to peel than regular oranges and they are so awesomely delicious. I throw 2 in my lunch bag for a morning snack most days. I also enjoy apples, bananas, strawberries and pears.

3. Wasa Crackers
Wasa's are the perfect vehicle for so many snack-y combinations. They even have a whole recipe section on their website.

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My favorite way to eat these crackers are with a smear of Justin's Almond Butter or Laughing Cow Light Swiss Cheese Wedge.

What are your favorite healthy snacks?

Hope everyone has a great weekend :)

Giant (sort of healthy) Peanut Butter, Oatmeal & Chocolate Chip Cookie

2012-02-17T08:00:00.000-06:00

I've been really itching to bake lately.

Well, really I've been itching to eat baked goods, if we are being honest.

And I think we are.

Anyways, I have not been baking lately for two major reasons. One, I have been on a healthy kick and two, I have been out of butter and eggs.

So when I was at Target this week, I actually remembered to get butter.

But I forgot eggs.

And this recipe only uses one tablespoon of butter.

Where am I going with this?

Well, let's just get down to brass tacks, shall we?

Giant (sort of healthy) Peanut Butter, Oatmeal & Chocolate Chip Cookie
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp unsweetened applesauce
1 tbsp reduced fat peanut butter
1/2 tbsp flax seed meal mixed with 2 tbsp water (or just use 2 tbsp of a beaten egg)
5 tbsp whole wheat flour
1/4 cup oats (I used old fashioned, but quick outs would be good, too)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

Mix all this together & form dough on a parchment (or Silpat) lined baking sheet. You can either form 4-6 little cookies and bake for 10 min or form a giant cookie and bake for 15. Your call. Bake in a 350 degree oven.

Makes 4 servings. This cookie is chewy and hearty. It would actually be a feat of tummy strength to eat the whole thing.

Intrigued by giant cookies?

Check out my Sock Monkey Cookie

Or my Lean & Mean Cookie Pie

What I'm Reading Wednesday

2012-02-15T08:39:00.002-06:00

Hi, all. Hope everyone had a great V-day yesterday.

I thought I'd share some books with you today.

Because as we all know...

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It's true.

Here's what I just read:

The Island by Elin Hilderbrand

Ok, I clearly love me some Elin Hilderbrand. Her novels are really well written and they are hard to put down. This one was no exception. There is this private island where the Tate family inherited the house, but have not been there for over a decade. When a bunch of stressful situations come up for the family, the 2 sisters, mother and aunt all decide to go to the island for a month. I like how it is written from each of their perspectives and how it flashes back to what brought them all there in the first place.

What I'm reading now:

Thin is the New Happy by Valerie Frankel

I stumbled upon this book while looking for another Frankel novel (It's Hard Not To Hate You), but this was the only one of her books checked into the library. I'm glad I got it, because it is freaking hilarious. It is a memoir about Frankel's lifelong struggle with her weight. She's a comedy writer, so of course she puts a spin on it. I think it is definitely something that alot of women can identify with and laugh about.

What's up next:

Groundswell by Katie Lee

I found the recommendation for this book on Jen Lancaster's blog, so I knew it had to be worth reading. From what I gather it is about a famous lady who catches her also famous husband cheating and has to escape the paparazzi. So naturally she goes to some island paradise and adventure ensues. The book is actually really small (240 pages), so it should be a quick read.

I'd love to hear what everyone else is reading. Feel free to share in the comments ;)

Have a great day!

Last Minute Valentine's Day Shirt

2012-02-13T08:00:00.000-06:00

Whew! Is anyone kind of not ready for V-day to be here?

I'm not. I just have so many heart related crafts swimming around in my head and not enough time to do them all!

Well, I had to squeeze one more shirt in before heart day gets here.

If you are at a loss for what to wear to be festive tomorrow, make this shirt real quick. You'll look adorable!

What you'll need:

Blue & red fabric paint

Painters' tape (or masking tape)

X-acto knife & cutting board (unless you have skinny tape)

Small piece of freezer paper

Iron

Paint brushes

Cardboard (or something to put in the middle of your tee)

Here's the paint I used:

Sparkles!

So, if you have fat tape, like mine, you can cut it in half on your cutting board with an X-acto knife.

This is before I cut it. I followed the lines (you can barely see them through the tape)

Then lay 3 pieces of your tape where you want to start on the shirt & take off the middle piece. This will give you more accurate spacing. Repeat until you have enough stripes.

Paint in between the tape lines. I had just enough paint from this little bottle. So if you are making more than one shirt, buy more than one bottle.

The bottle says you should wait 4 hours for it to dry. Um, that is not happening. I am like the world's most impatient crafter. That tape came off in 30 minutes!

Then cut a heart in your piece of freezer paper (free hand it or use a template).

Freezer paper looks like this (in case you've never bought it) & can be found on the Ziploc aisle at the grocery store.

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Iron it down & paint your red heart.

Note: If you don't want the stripes to show through, lay a heart down before you paint your stripes.

Yay! All done :)

Happy Valentine's Day, Everyone!

A Healthy Meal for You & Your Sweetheart

2012-02-11T08:00:00.000-06:00

I do not like to go out on Valentine's Day. It is way crowded everywhere and it's just not worth it. Usually we'll go out the weekend before, and I'll make some sort of special dinner at home on the actual day.

Looking for a healthier option for V-day?

This meal is light and healthy, yet oh so delicious. Make it for someone you love.

Creamy Quinoa with Smoked Salmon and Roasted Asparagus

To make this you need:

Prepared quinoa (I made a big batch ahead of time)

1 Laughing Cow Swiss cheese wedge per serving

Shredded parmesan

Smoked salmon

Asparagus

Oil

Seasoning

Wash your asparagus, trim the ends, then drizzle olive oil and seasoning on it. Roast in a 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes.

To prepare the quinoa, toss in cheese and torn bits of salmon in it. Heat it up in the microwave and season to taste.

Simple, yet awesome.

And for dessert:

Luscious & Light Lemon Cupcakes with Raspberry Glaze

1/3 cup and 1 tablespoon flour

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/8 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons and 1/2 teaspoon Greek yogurt

1/4 cup and 1 teaspoon white sugar

1 egg white

1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 teaspoon lemon zest

2 tablespoons and 1/2 teaspoon milk (I used almond milk)

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Mix all this stuff up in a bowl. Bake at 375 for about 17 minutes and allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. After they cool, frost them with the glaze.

To make the glaze, you need:

a couple frozen raspberries

tbsp Greek yogurt

3/4-1 cup powdered sugar

Defrost your berries, smash them with the back of a spoon and toss all this stuff in a bowl. Stir it up. Add more powdered sugar if it needs thickening and almond milk if it needs to be thinner.

Makes 4 cupcakes

cupcake recipe adapted from All Recipes

Family Fridays: Dal

2012-02-10T08:00:00.000-06:00

I know this looks like a hot mess on a plate.

Ok, so its deliciousness is not evident to the naked eye.

Don't judge a book by its cover, because this is a super yummy dish.

It comes from my cousin Mary. I don't actually know her that well, because she always lived on the other side of the country. Thanks to Facebook, I am getting to know her better. She is so sweet, creative and hopefully full of more recipes like this one!

Dal is a dish that is popular in South Asian countries comprised of dried lentils, spices and other such yummy-ness. Yes, I got this info from Wikipedia. I'm sure it is terribly accurate.

The dal was piping hot when I was taking pictures of it. Here's a shot through the steam:

Dal

2 C. red lentils

2 Tbs. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 yellow onion, chopped fine

1 tsp. cumin seeds

1/4 tsp. ground cardamom ( I used curry powder instead)

4 cloves garlic, minced

4 C. broth

1 1/2 C. chopped tomatoes with juice

1/3 C. chopped fresh cilantro (optional~I didn't use this)

2 Tbs. fresh minced ginger

1 fresh jalapeno, minced

1 tsp. ground turmeric

1 tsp. salt

Sautee onion in oil until translucent. Add cumin seeds, cardamom, and garlic. Stir 2 minutes. Add broth, tomatoes, lentils, ginger, pepper, turmeric and salt. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, simmer 15 minutes.

Makes 6 very generous servings.

This dish is meatless, yet full of protein. It is comforting and filling on a cold winter night.

I served mine with a scoop of brown rice and a pile of roasted broccoli. Yum!

Skinny Sweetheart Shake

2012-02-09T08:54:00.001-06:00

I've been thinking about this recipe all week long.

Remember those Sonic sweetheart shakes? Me neither. I mean, I never had one. But, Google told me that it was a chocolate covered cherry shake. Which sounds good.

But, I had strawberries.

So this is a chocolate covered strawberry shake.

And it is healthy.

What are you waiting for?

Skinny Chocolate Covered Strawberry Shake
(a.k.a. Skinny Sweetheart Shake)

Heaping cup of almond milk (I used 9 oz of Silk almond milk)
1 scoop vanilla protein powder (see what I use below)
8 frozen strawberries
3 slices frozen peaches (or frozen half banana)--this is for texture: you can't taste it.
2 tsp sugar free chocolate syrup (I used Hershey's)

Blend it up. I used the mason jar technique rather than dirtying up my whole blender.
Squirt an additional little bit of chocolate syrup all around your glass, then add your shake.
Top with (optional) fat free Reddi-Whip and sprinkles.

Here's the protein powder I use. It is my first and only protein powder, and I really like the taste. Leave a comment below if you recommend any other kind of protein powder.

You can certainly make this for your sweetheart for Valentine's Day, or you can hog it all to yourself. Because, you know you are a sweetheart ;)

My husband got me some giant chocolate covered strawberries last year. They were the size of my head. In case you are wondering, I have an average sized head. I think this year, I'll stick with shakes. It seems safer than head sized fruit covered in chocolate.

Crockpot Buffalo Chicken Soup

2012-02-08T08:00:00.000-06:00

A letter to my slow cooker:

Dear Crockpot,

You are awesome, and I totally don't appreciate you enough. I love that you slow cook any meal to perfection while I'm away at work. Thanks for making the house smell so good when I get home and for taking care of dinner for me. You're the best.

Love,

Renee

This soup is healthy and hearty with a little spice. Feel free to add more buffalo sauce if you like it really spicy.

Crockpot Buffalo Chicken Soup

makes about 6 cups

4 small carrots

4 stalks celery

1/2 yellow onion

small red pepper

3-4 large chicken breasts

1 box chicken broth (32 oz)

Chop all the veggies (I did this the night before for quick preparation), toss them and the other above ingredients in the crockpot. Cook on low for 8 hours.

Once everything has cooked for 8 hours, shred the chicken using two forks, drain a little broth into a small bowl and whisk in 1 tbsp of flour then stir it back in the crock.

You'll also need:

1/4 cup buffalo wing sauce

1 handful of shredded jack cheese

1 handful of shredded parmesan cheese

Toss all this in the crock and stir around. Give it a taste & add more sauce or cheese if you want.

Garnish with reduced fat bleu cheese and serve with bread.

This soup was awesome! I had leftovers for lunch today. I'm thinking you should make this as soon as humanly possible. You can thank me later ;)

Recipe slightly adapted from How Sweet It Is blog

Family Fridays (on a Monday): Mississippi Mud Cake

2012-02-06T08:16:00.000-06:00

No, I haven't lost my mind. I know it is Monday. The universe did not want me to post this on Friday for some reason.

I misplaced my camera cord and was super busy, so I figured I'd wait until Monday to post.

Not the end of the world, right?

Yes, I'm trying to convince myself right now. I know you don't care. You just want some yummy recipes :)

Here's one that comes from my Aunt Norma.

Aunt Norm (as I call her) is one of the best story tellers I know. I don't mean that in a lying sort of way. She actually recounts events in a fascinating way.

She has lots of stories to tell, because she loves to travel all over the world. Her and my Uncle Bob are on a cross country RV trip as we speak. Um, or as we type. No, as I type. Yeah.

So this is her Mississippi Mud Cake that she used to make my cousin Matt on his birthday every year. My Mom has also made this recipe a time or two.

I don't think either one has desecrated it with heart cookie cutters, though. That's my contribution.

Mississippi Mud Cake

makes a 9x13 cake

1 cup butter

1/3 cup cocoa

4 eggs

1 cup coconut

2 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1 small jar of marshmallow creme

Combine all ingredients and beat with a mixer. Bake at 350 degrees in a greased 9x13 dish for about 45 minutes.

When cake is still hot, top with marshmallow cream and cool for about an hour.

Frosting recipe

1/2 cup butter

1/3 cup cocoa

1/2 cup walnuts

6 tbsp milk

1 box confectioners sugar

Stir all of this up and top the cake. Garnish with walnuts or sprinkles ;)

Cut it into hearts with a cookie cutter before icing if you want.

Thanks, Aunt Norm for the recipe!

2 Healthy Dinner Recipes

2012-02-04T09:48:00.000-06:00

I love trying new dinner recipes. Some even make it to my regular rotation. These will definitely be repeated, soon.

This first "recipe" is not really a recipe. There are no measurements or any silly ingredients lists.

Lettuce Tacos

You just make tacos like you normally would and replace the tortilla with a giant lettuce leaf. Yes, I know that tortillas are awesomely delicious. I'm aware. But, this takes the carbs out of your meal and adds another vegetable. You still have all the yummy filling, so it is satisfying.

So, I made mine with ground 93% lean sirloin with homemade taco seasoning and hot sauce, a spoonful of fat free refried beans, sauteed peppers and onions, a sprinkle of cheese and a garnish of fat free sour cream and salsa. Wrap them up and eat 'em.

I also did a side of sauteed zucchini and corn.

This next recipe actually tasted like a Philly cheese steak to me. That might be sacrilege to real die hard foodies, but it did the trick for me :)

Almost Zero Carb Philly Cheese Steak Pizza

This is more of a recipe.

You start with a simple crust using flax seed meal, parmesan and eggs. It kind of gives you a Wasa cracker type texture. It is a perfect vehicle for the yummy flavors of a Philly cheese steak.

Flax Pizza Crust

3/4 cup ground flax seed meal

1/2 cup shredded parmesan

1 egg, 1 egg white

Mix all this stuff in a bowl and form the mix in a flat disc & put it on a baking pan sprayed with non-stick spray.

Bake on 350 degrees for 8 minutes, then add your toppings.

Toppings

2 slices deli roast beef, torn in bits

2 slices provolone cheese, broken in large pieces

1/4 of a green pepper, sliced

1/4 of an onion, sliced

handful of shredded cheese (I used parmesan)

handful of reduced fat feta cheese

Saute the onions and peppers in a skillet with nonstick spray until they get brown on the edges.

Layer all of these toppings on the crust and bake for another 10-15 minutes.

This serves two moderately hungry people. Serve with roasted veggies!

Super Bowl Recipe Ideas

2012-02-01T08:13:00.000-06:00

I'm totally not into organized sports. I'm not even gonna lie. I like to kick and throw a football, but don't care to watch other people do it.

What I do like about football, though is that it often involves snacks. I like snacks.

So, if you are going to a Super Bowl party this Sunday and need some recipe ideas, here's some crowd pleasers:

Carnitas

Lay out this crispy and delicious meat and let people assemble some mouthwatering tacos. You will everyone's favorite person.

Crockpot Beef Stew

C'mon, it's February. Makes some stew. It's perfect football food.

Swirled Pizza Bread

Because you're worth it. Yeah, maybe jog around the block earlier in the day to make up for this madness.

Jalapeno Cheddar Peppers

Yep, these are naughty. They will please football fans, for sure!

Zucchini Chili

I appreciate any opportunity to sneak in some veggies ;)

Snickers Trifle

Don't be trifling. Make this awesome & simple dessert.

Sock Monkey Cookie/Cake

This sock monkey could easily be modified to be a football guy. I can picture it now.

Chickpea Cookie Pie

Nobody will suspect a thing. They'll only taste yummy-ness, not healthiness.

Cream of Coconut Cupcakes

Another secretly "skinny" recipe. Who doesn't love a cupcake?

Ok, enjoy the game or whatever. Who are the teams again? No matter. I'm off to make something on this list.

Random Facts

2012-01-31T08:50:00.000-06:00

Hey, everyone!

Ok, so I was tagged in this sort of survey thing from Bridget@Flour&Friends. She's cool, you should check out her blog.

I thought it would be fun (it's fun, right?) to use this opportunity to tell you more about me.

The Rules:
1. You must post the rules.
2. Post 12 fun facts about yourself in the blog post.
3. Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post and then create 12 new questions for the people you tagged.
4. Tag 12 people and link them on your post.
5. Let them know you've tagged them.

*find how to make this shirt here*

Yeah, I'm not gonna do all of these rules. If people want to be tagged and answer these questions, they can holla' at me, but I'm not going to tag anyone on my own.

Sorry, I'm a rule breaker. That's a bonus random fact for you ;)

12 (Random) Renee Facts

1. I like cake. It's true.
2. I have a BA in English Literature.
3. It took me an 9 years to graduate college due to having a full time job and changing my major eleventy billion times. Whatever.
4. Skeeball is my favorite arcade game. I feel like I'm pretty awesome at it, but I'm probably just average.
5. I actually lost 85 lbs on Weight Watchers several years ago. So far, I've put gained about 10 lbs back (boo!), hence my current obsession with healthy stuff.
6. I love coffee. It rocks my socks.
7. I love my cats, Baby & Boscoe, but you probably already knew that!
8. I both love and hate exercise with a fervent passion.
9. My husband and I met 6 years ago while working in the mall. We were those annoying survey people with the clipboards. For reals.
10. I have an irrational fear of storms. I need a Thunder Shirt.
11. If I had lots of money and didn't have to work, I'd be a volunteer dog walker and also teach arts & crafts for free. That sounds like fun to me.
12. I need a Pintervention.

Bridget@Flour&Friends Questions for Me:

1. Who's your role model? my Mom, of course :)
2. Savory or Sweet? I'm gonna go with savory, because that is the sustenance of life. Sweet is good on the occasion, too.
3. Besides blogging..what's your next go to hobby? I love to read (nerd alert!) and do crafty things.
4. Goals for 2012? My goal is mainly to increase my (physical) strength and to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
5. Favorite thing to eat? It depends on when you ask me, I guess. Right now, it's peanut butter.
6. What's your guilty pleasure? I have alot, but I'll go with Drop Dead Diva episodes for this one.
7. Favorite T.V show? It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (not everyone's cup of tea, but I love it!)
8. Favorite thing to bake/cook? I like making breads, but it has been a while...
9. How did you get into blogging? I read blogs avidly 2 years, and one day I thought, "Why not me?"
10. What's your favorite thing to do on a weekend? I love hanging out with my family and doing stuff outdoors (I might just be saying that because it is so beautiful outside today & I'm stuck inside).
11. If you could go on vacation anywhere, where would you go? Italy
12. What's your favorite website? Google

Here are my cats (Boscoe on the left, Baby on the right):

Yes, this was taken in bathroom. What? The lighting is really good in there.

Ok, I hope you enjoyed learning more about me. I'll be back with some recipe ideas for the Super Bowl tomorrow!!

Shortcut Skinny Cookies

2012-01-30T08:00:00.000-06:00

Are you hungry for cookies but watching your girlish figure? I know I am :)

Let's make some super quick and healthy cookies!

These come together in a flash & would be great to take to a Valentine's get together.

Ok, does anyone else hoard cake mixes? Maybe it's just me. I always have like 5 (sometimes opened) boxes on hand for individual serving desserts or half batches of stuff. It seems like I always have a coupon for cake mix, plus they are like $1 without a coupon. How can I not buy them?

Shortcut Skinny Cookies

(makes 1 dozen~double for 2 dozen)

8 oz or 1/2 of a box of cake mix (I used Pillsbury Sugar Free Devil's Food)

2 tbsp unsweetened applesauce

2 tbsp butter

1 egg

2 scant tbsp of vanilla (or chocolate if you have it) protein powder

Mix all of this stuff in a bowl until combined. Try to get those lumps of cake mix outta there! Use your tablespoon to scoop balls of dough onto a Silpat (or parchment or cookie sheet-whatever) & bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes. I also sprinkled some pink and red sanding sugar to try and make them look Valentine's-ish. It kind of faded into the dark chocolate color. It would look good if you use vanilla cake mix, though.

Yum yum!

These cookies are fluffy and cake-y. But, just because they are light, doesn't mean you can eat them all! I had to convince myself of that ;)

If your husband (or whoever) is anything like mine and does not like to try new things, cut these bad boys in half and pipe in some butter cream. Tell him you made him some homemade Oreo Cakesters. Use it as bribery to get him to take out the trash. I won't judge.

Is anyone else going to miss Picnik (photo editor)?

For the optional (and not "skinny") butter cream filling, follow this recipe (it rocks):

Butter Cream Filling

1/3 cup butter

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 tbsp + 1 tsp flour

1/3 cup milk (I used almond milk)

1/4 tsp vanilla

Cook flour and milk in a small saucepan, stirring constantly, until it becomes like a thick paste. It will look gross. Don't doubt the process. Just go with it. Let it cool to room temperature. Whip the butter and sugar with a hand mixer or a whisk until fluffy, then add in the flour/milk mixture and vanilla. Whip until awesome.

Slice the cookies in half with a serrated knife, then pipe in the butter cream. Use a piping bag if you are fancy. I'm not, so I used a Ziploc with the tip cut off. Yeah, that's how I roll.

Filling recipe adapted from All Recipes

If you are looking for some more healthy recipes, I created a tab at the top of the page specifically for healthy and yummy recipes :)

Yummy Healthy Stuff #4

2012-01-28T09:27:00.000-06:00

Turkey Sausage, Potato & Spinach Skillet

I pinned this idea for a meal a while back and am so glad I got around to making it. It came together in about 15-20 minutes and was flavorful and filling. You just dice your red potatoes, season them however you like and toss them in a lightly oiled skillet (use olive oil-it's good for you). Cook them until they can be pierced with a fork (about 15 minutes or so). I usually put a top on the skillet for half of that time to speed things up. Cut your turkey sausage link while that is cooking. I used Butterball Smoked Turkey Sausage. Then toss the sausage and a bunch of baby spinach in the pan. Stir it around until it is all wilty and perfect (about 5 minutes or less). I used 4 smallish red potatoes, one sausage link and 2-3 handfuls of spinach and it made 2 servings.

Cottage Cheese Scrambled Egg on English Muffin with Jelly

This was too good. I used one egg and threw in a heaping tablespoon of fat free cottage cheese. The cottage cheese made the egg super rich and cheesy. So perfect on a 100 calorie English muffin with reduced sugar grape jelly.

I've also been enjoying another breakfast food, mixed in with my Kashi Go Lean: Peanut Butter Cheerios!!! And they are multi-grain. Be still, my heart.

source

I've kind of gotten into the whole "teaser" effect in my healthy posts as of late, so this is no exception. I made a Skinny Cake Mix Cookie. Oh, it is so perfect. Check back with me for the full details on Monday!

Bonus: Greek yogurt with a tablespoon of Ranch seasoning is the cat's pajamas. Just thought you should know.

Be sure to check out my Pinterest Hardcore pin board for more healthy recipe ideas & workout inspiration.

Have a super fun weekend!

Family Fridays: Baked Crabby Patties

2012-01-27T08:28:00.000-06:00

Yummy, yummy crabby patties. I had to call them that. If you have ever watched Spongebob & I'm sure most people have, you tend to use the lingo on the occasion. This is no exception (although I did not go with the SB spelling. I just cannot spell things with a "K" that don't actually start with a "K." Can't do it...).

Sorry, got side tracked a bit.

This recipe comes from my super cool cousin Matt.

He is a classically trained chef and has opened several restaurants in the Destin/Pensacola areas of Florida. He and his sweet wife, Stephanie, are hardcore yogis and teach yoga in that same area.

Ok, so I couldn't just make crab cakes. Of course, I had to lighten them up a bit. So I have two versions here. Matt's original recipe & my skinny baked crab cakes.

Baked Crabby Patties

(makes 6 patties)

8 oz crab meat

1/4 cup cooked brown rice

1/4 cup breadcrumbs (I used Italian flavored)

2 tbsp fat free mayonnaise

1 egg white

1/2 tbsp dijon mustard

squirt lemon juice

sprinkle of salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, cumin & onion powder

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Mix all ingredients up in a bowl and form patties. I used a standard biscuit cutter to make sure they were all about the same size. Then bake on parchment (or Silpat or greased cookie sheet) for 15 minutes. Then flip them over & bake for about 5 more minutes.

Matt's Crab Cakes

1/2 cup cooked wild rice

1 lb crab meat

1 cup bread crumbs (or more or less)

1/4 cup minced onion

1/4 cup mayonnaise

2 tbsp dijon mustard

1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp salt, cumin, cayenne & black pepper

2 egg whites

Mix ingredients, form into patties & refrigerate for half an hour. Fry in 1 tbsp of oil for about 3 minutes on each side or until golden and crispy.

We served ours with a drizzle of sriracha and a side of homemade baked fries & roasted brussels sprouts.

When I was trying to set up my area to photograph these patties, Baby the Cat (who loves anything crinkly) set up shop on my paper bag background. I literally had to hold her while taking the pictures, then let her down to enjoy the crinkly bag. Silly kitty!

If you missed any other Family Friday recipes, here's some to check out:

Rachel's Caramel Spiced French Breakfast Muffins

Amy & Jeff's Asian Slaw

Jackie's Cream of Coconut Cake

Thanks, Matt for the crab cake recipe!

Anatomical Heart Reverse Applique T-Shirt

2012-01-25T08:00:00.000-06:00

You know those Valentine's day shirts that are like 5 bucks at Walmart and Target. Um, I hate to break it to you, but everyone will be wearing those in the next few weeks. You seriously don't want to run into someone else with a sparkly heart shirt. It will be embarrassing for both of you.

Instead, make a super unique shirt that will be the envy of all. This shirt is so cool, you can wear it year round.

It is super easy to make, too. Let's make one!

First choose your shape. I obviously chose an anatomical heart. You could choose a standard heart if you wanted or some other shape. Here's another reverse applique heart that I made for my cousin recently:

So, you get the idea about reverse applique. It is like a patch under a cut out.

For this you will need,

Image of your choice (I printed off two sizes & ended up choosing the bigger one)
2 Shirts
Scissors
Pins
Sewing machine
Marker (maybe)

Here's an image of the heart silhouette if you would like to use it. Just right click, save the image & print it whatever size you want. I printed mine as a 5x7, then enlarged it by 129% on the copier.

I wanted my heart to face the right way, so I turned the image around and traced the lines. This makes sense if you are doing a shape where the direction matters, like a letter. This step doesn't apply if you just make a regular heart.

First, turn your shirt inside out. I got my long sleeve black tee at Target for $3.60 on clearance. Then cut out a patch of the shirt that will go underneath and pin the image and the patch to the inside out front of the shirt. Be careful not to accidentally pin the back of the shirt at any point. I put a cutting mat in the shirt to be extra safe.

This might sound crazy, but sew right through the paper, that way you can follow the line of the shape. Since my "patch" was red, I decided to sew with red thread.

It's a little tedious because you have to turn the paper with each curve of the shape, but once you get the hang of it, it's easy.

When you are done, carefully tear off the outer edges around the stitching. Then tearing out the middle should be a breeze (because of the perforation).

Now turn your shirt right side out and carefully cut through the top shirt, following the guideline of stitching. Leave about 1/8 of an inch in between cutting and the stitching, so you don't accidentally pull out stitches.

Here is how it looks on the hanger.

Here's how it looks on a human. Enjoy your unique creation :)

Lean & Mean Cookie Pie

2012-01-23T08:32:00.000-06:00

Ok, that name is kind of misleading. There is nothing mean about this pie. Unless someone makes it and doesn't share with you. But then the person would be the mean one. Not the pie. Whatever.

It is, however, somewhat lean. This pie (which I teased about on Saturday's post) is composed mainly of chickpeas. Yes, the stuff you use to make hummus.

So, next time you feel the need for a cookie, but don't want all the guilt that comes along with it, consider this super easy chocolate chip cookie pie. I'll tell you, when mixed with fat free Cool Whip, this tastes just like an oatmeal cream pie with chocolate chips. Swoon.

Lean & Mean Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1/2 cup old fashioned oats

2 tbsp unsweetened applesauce

1 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil (or canola if you'd rather)

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Blend the chickpeas in a food processor. Add the rest of the ingredients into the food processor, except for the chocolate chips and blend until all ingredients are combined. Mix in the chocolate chips & pecans. Pour into a greased 9" pie plate. Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes. Cool for at least 10 minutes. Serve with fat free whipped cream and sugar free chocolate sauce (if desired).

This can easily be adapted to be a vegan recipe, if you are into that sort of thing.

Recipe adapted from Me and My Pink Mixer blog

Healthy Food Ideas #3

2012-01-21T09:54:00.000-06:00

This week's menu was full of good stuff. So I'm just gonna get right into it.

First up, Sesame Chicken over Spaghetti Squash with Edamame and Carrots:

This meal was so good. Great if you are craving Chinese food and want to incorporate some yummy veggies. I used the sesame chicken recipe from this post. If you have never tried spaghetti squash, get thee to the store right now & pick one up. You can cook it easily by piercing the whole squash a few times with a knife and microwaving for 6-8 minutes (depending on the size). Then you carefully cut it in half and scrape the little bit of seeds and pulp out and discard. You can top it with endless amounts of delicious things. Here's a recipe for a stuffed spaghetti squash, too. Anyways, I tossed the squash in a light Asian sesame dressing (from Kraft, I think) and topped with edamame, shredded carrots and sesame chicken. Yum!

I tried a new pancake recipe this week and it was pretty great.

Greek Yogurt Protein Pancakes:

All you need is 3 ingredients to make this stack of filling and delicious pancakes: 2 egg whites, 3/4 cup of oatmeal (I used old fashioned oats) and one 6 oz container of Greek yogurt (any flavor~I used blueberry). Blend all of these things up in your blender. I used this mason jar technique on my blender to make it like one of those bullet blenders. Then you make them like regular pancakes. Top with sugar free syrup~FYI-Mrs Butterworth's has a sugar free option now.

Then, the most exciting recipe: a Big Ole Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie!

This pie is healthy because it does not use flour or eggs (and very little oil).

Stay tuned for the recipe on Monday~teaser alert!

Enjoy your weekend, everyone!

Family Fridays: Cream of Coconut Cupcakes

2012-01-20T08:32:00.000-06:00

Today's recipe comes from my Aunt Jackie.

This spunky little lady is so sweet and lovable. Much like these cupcakes :)

She also does the best french braids of anyone in the world. I think she needs to give me a fishtail braid next time I see her.

Like this one:

source

Anyways, her lovely cream of coconut cake graces us with its loveliness today, but in the form of a cupcake. Her recipe is for a 9x13 cake, but we all know I don't need a big ole cake sitting in my kitchen staring me in the face.

So I made cupcakes, instead.

Brilliant, right?

So, I'll give you two recipe options, because I like you. You're neat.

Skinny Cream of Coconut Cupcakes
White cake mix
Diet soda (I used diet ginger ale)
Borden's (or whatever brand) fat free condensed milk
Coconut extract
Shredded unsweetened coconut
Fat free Cool Whip

For 6 cupcakes*: Measure out 9 ounces of cake mix, a little more than a cup & mix it with 6 ounces of diet soda. I used ginger ale. It is best to use a light colored soda with the light colored cake mix. So whisk it all together and distribute batter evenly among 6 cupcake liners. Bake as directed on the box.

After the cakes come out of the oven, poke 4 or 5 holes in them with toothpicks and get your toppings ready.

Pour half of the little can of condensed milk in a bowl and add 1/4 tsp of coconut extract. Mix it up.

Since these were cupcakes and I did not want to get too messy, I dipped them in the milky mixture upside down lightly and let the excess drizzle down. Then I turned them right side up and put them on a plate.

Top with whipped topping and coconut. Garnish with a cherry if you feel the need.

*double the amount of cake mix & soda if you want 12 cupcakes

Sinful Cream of Coconut Cake
(great for a potluck)
White cake mix, along with eggs/oil to prepare
1 can Eagle Brand (or whatever) condensed milk
1 can cream of coconut
1 small bag of shredded coconut
1 large container of Cool Whip

Mix cake and cook as directed in a greased 9x13 pan. While the cake is hot, poke holes in the cake. Mix cream of coconut & condensed milk. Pour mixture over cake and top with Cool Whip and coconut. Refrigerate overnight & serve (or you can serve it right away, but it is best cold).

Pretend this is a picture of a full cake...

You could also add some crushed pineapple in the topping for a piña colada cake :)

Thanks, Aunt Jackie for the recipe!

What I'm Reading Wednesday

2012-01-18T08:27:00.000-06:00

Things have not been very crafty around here this week. I do have some ideas brewing for some Valentine's crafts next week, though ;)

In lieu of crafts, I figured I'd recommend some books for you.

But, if you are jonesing for some craftiness, check out the (sort of) newish craft tutorials tab at the top of my blog or head on over to Pinterest & peek at my craft pinboard.

So, here's what I've been feeding my mind with lately.

I just finished:

Silver Girl by Elin Hilderbrand, which I mentioned in this post.
This book was a really slow read for me. It was good, though. I enjoyed the story about two friends who came together in a time of need after growing apart over the years.

I'm now reading:

Thin, Rich, Pretty by Beth Harbison
It's a much quicker read than Silver Girl, but kind of "chick lit." It's good sometimes to have something light to read at the end of a long day, though.
So far, it is about two friends at summer camp who both struggled with insecurities. It flashes forward twenty years to how they still deal with their insecurities in their adult lives and the extremes they will go to to fit into society's idea of beauty.

I am about to read:

Gardening for Dummies
Yes, really.
We just bought a house after living in apartments for years, so we have alot to learn about how to take care of our flower beds and yard. I thought I'd read it now in the winter to prepare for the spring.

Ok, hope everyone has a lovely Wednesday. I'll be back with a sweet recipe on Friday!

The Closest Imitation of a Brownie

2012-01-16T08:00:00.000-06:00

I’vemade this recipe from Jillian Michael's Master your Metabolism Cookbook a fewtimes. These brownies have so much healthy junkpacked in them that they are worth making. They use honey in place of sugar, applesauce instead of oil and wheatflour instead of white.

I likethem cold for some reason. They arecakey, yet fudgy at the same time and definitely help a chocolate craving!

These brownies, though are not exactly like regular brownies, so brace yourself. I'd say they could win an award for closest brownie imitation.

Jillian’sMYM Healthy Brownies

Olive Oil spray for the pan
2/3 cup mild honey (I used sugar free honey)
1/3 cup natural, unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup white whole wheat flour (I used whole wheat)
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large egg, at room temp
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Optional pecan halves for the topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 8" pan with olive oil and set aside. I used my 9" pre-sliced pan.

Mix all the stuff in the bowl. Usually Ido dry and wet separately and all that, but I was lazy this time and justdumped it all in a bowl. It worked outwell. Scrape the batter into theprepared pan.

Bake until the surface looks dry around the edges of the pan and a toothpickinserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs clinging to it, about 25minutes. Do not over bake. Place the pan on a cooling rack and let coolcompletely before slicing into 16 squares. (Store brownies in an airtightcontainer at room temperature for up to 3 days.)

Recipe adapted from Chemistry Cooking

Healthy Ideas Week #2

2012-01-14T10:04:00.000-06:00

source

This was my motto this week. I drank water like it was my job. Plus alot of green tea lemonade (that I made).

Do you ever notice that the more water you drink, the more you crave it?

Well, that was my sitch this week.

Anywho, here are my fave healthy things I ingested this week ;)

1. Chicken Chili Stew
This stew is the bee's knees. It is so filling and yummy. I just cannot sing its praises enough. I have made this twice and will definitely make it again soon!

You can find the recipe at Bake at 350's Savory Page. I made a few changes: I used northern beans that I had on hand (instead of pinto beans) and added shredded carrots.

2. Fancy Egg Stacker
I put a "breakfast for dinner" in last week's dinner rotation, because my husband has been craving biscuits and gravy. So I made his biscuits and gravy and concocted my own healthy breakfast option.

This stacker has shredded hasbrowns on the bottom, topped with sauteed spinach, bacon and reduced fat feta & a lovely fried over-easy egg.
Perfection.

3. Healthy Brownies
Imagine getting your whole grains and energy while eating chocolate. That's what happened with these brownies.
I made these gems from the Master Your Metabolism Cookbook & will have a recipe for you on Monday :)

So, stay tuned!

Don't forget to "follow" my hardcore Pinboard~I'm constantly adding stuff to it!

Have a super healthy weekend, ya'll! :)

Family Fridays: Asian Slaw

2012-01-13T08:00:00.000-06:00

This Family Friday recipe is a total winner. I could crunch on this slaw every day it is so yummy. It would make a great side dish to some soy & ginger grilled flank steak or some BBQ or anything else you can think of. It is a staple at our family get-togethers.

This recipe is made by my Aunt Amy and Uncle Jeff who are two super cool peeps. They are both fun to talk to and always quick to laugh.

Love you guys!

Aunt Amy & Uncle Jeff's Asian Slaw

Ingredients:

1/2 c sugar

1/3 c vinegar

1/2 c vegetable oil

2 pkg beef flavored Ramen noodles

1 (16 oz.) pkg slaw mix

1 c sunflower seeds

1 c slivered almonds

1 bunch green onions, chopped

Mix sugar, vinegar, oil, flavor packs from Ramen noodles in a pan on the stove. Heat to boiling. Cool.

Combine slaw, seeds, almonds and onions together and top with the cooled liquid mixture.

Just prior to serving, crush noodles and sprinkle them in.

D.I.Y. Stamped Cards

2012-01-11T08:37:00.000-06:00

Some greeting cards suck. Whenever I'm looking at cards I get frustrated because they are all so cheesy and so not what I have in mind.

That's why I make my own cards, for the most part. And you can, too! :)

I like to pick up blank cards and envelopes at Michael's, Hobby Lobby and sometimes Walmart. They look like this:

So you get 25 blank cards & envelopes for what you would pay for one giant, glittery Hallmark card. Pretty cool.

Well, I figure since V-day is just around the corner, I'd show you how to make some super quick and easy stamped cards for your sweetie (or your friends or kids, whoever). You could do these for any holiday or event, really.

I started with a super cheap school eraser and drew an cute little birdie on it with a Sharpie. Then I carved out around the design with my X-acto knife.

I love that little bird. He's really easy to draw, too. Just a sort of tear drop turned sideways with a triangle beak, a dot for an eye and two stick legs. Darling!

For another fun stamp, I carved a heart in the top of a pencil.

Yep, after 5 minutes of carving, I am now a bona-fide stamp maker. Self proclaimed, of course.

So you can use paint or stamping ink to do these cards. I used red stamping ink that I found in the supply cabinet at work. But I also did a couple (not pictured) with a light coating of acrylic paint, painted on the stamp with a brush.

Oh, this would be a fun Valentine's craft to do with your kids, too. Just let them draw a simple design on the eraser, then you carve it out & let them stamp to their hearts content.

Sock Monkey Giant Cookie

2012-01-09T08:13:00.000-06:00

Oh, Sock Monkey. You are my greatest creation. I love how this guy turned out. He's just adorable.

A little background on my baking style: I am terrible~no exaggeration, seriously~at decorating cakes, cupcakes, cookies, etc. I think a blindfolded preschooler could do a better job than I do on this sort of thing than I could.

I don't know why. I'm crafty and stuff. It just does not translate to baking decorations.

So, knowing this, I made a plan to conquer this sock monkey cake (that turned out to be a cookie) that my nephew requested for his 6th birthday.

I kept is simple by using this Wilton gingerbread man pan for the cookie base.

I had yet to use this for anything yet, so this was the perfect occasion to try it out. If you live in the Memphis area and want to borrow it, I'd be happy to lend it to you so you don't have to buy one (email me if you are interested).

Here's some instruction if you would like to attempt this giant cookie.

Ingredients:

Pre-made chocolate chip cookie dough

Chocolate frosting

Buttercream (or white) frosting

Pull & peel Twizzlers

2 Whoppers

2 Chocolate chips

1. Spray the pan with non-stick spray.

2. Cut the cookie dough in slices and lay them all in the pan (I used about 1 1/2 tubes of cookie dough on this) then squish them all together.

3. Cut 3 extra cookie slices (to make the ears and snout).

4. Bake the cookie on 350 degrees for about 20 minutes. Also, bake your 3 extra cookies for 8-10 minutes.

5. Let the cookies cool and get ready to decorate.

Here's what the cookies look like before frosting:

Um, kind of scrumptious looking.

6. Anyways, cut two cookies in half and lay them on top of each other for ears. Then position the other cookie as the snout. "Glue" the ears to the side of the head using frosting.

7. Frost the body and ears with brown frosting. I mixed some white into mine, to make it less brown, but I don't think it made much of a difference.

By the way, I totally frosted this monkey with a butter knife. No fancy equipment needed ;)

8. Frost the snout, hat, hands & feet with white icing.

9. Add Twizzlers for the hat fringe, stripes on hat, hands and feet and mouth.

10. Place Whopper eyes and chocolate chip nostrils & you are done.

Is it hard for anyone else to see your "creations" get eaten?

Poor sock monkey never stood a chance.

According to my Blogger dashboard, this is my 100th blog post! I just thought that was pretty cool & worth mentioning :)

So to celebrate, I added some organizational tabs to the top of the blog. Browse through the recipes & craft tutes if you have a chance.

Have a great Monday, everyone!!!

What the Health? Some Healthy Food Ideas

2012-01-08T08:00:00.000-06:00

Ok, as I‘m sure you all have noticed it is totally January. And with all the talk about resolutions, weprobably all have thought about eating healthier, right?

Well, I thought I’d try out a little weekend segment whereI talk about some healthy meal ideas.

I’ve actually been amped up about eating more whole foodslike fruits, veggies, whole grains and lean proteins for a couple of weeks nowand I feel a definite change in my energy levels and overall health.

The reason I started writing a blog is to post about thingsthat I would want to read about. I havebeen kicking the idea around for a while to start posting what I eat, but feltlike maybe people might not want to read about it. Then I realized, it is my blog, so whatever. At least I’ll just limit it to one day aweek.

I like to get ideas from other blogs about new healthyfoods, so hopefully you will get some ideas from me and think about trying someof them ;)

My favorite healthy meals from this past week are:

1. Zucchini "Pasta"

This is my favorite out of the bunch. It is so quick to put together!

As I have said before, there really is nosubstitute for delicious, carb-y pasta. And I love pasta, don’t get me wrong. Surprisingly, this zucchini peeled with a vegetable peeler and toppedwith ground turkey and sauce really satisfied my craving for Italian food,though. You just peel the zucchini downto the seeds, then top with whatever topping and microwave for 2-3 minutes.

2. BarleyRisotto with Kale and Acorn Squash

Comfort food in a bowl, people. That’s what this is.

Oh, and barley is super healthy for yourbod, too. I used this recipe, but subbedmedium barley for the farro (they did not have it at my grocery store) andlessened the amount of butter. This wasactually pretty time consuming and took about an hour to cook (next time I’llget the quick barley), but it turned out great.

3. Tortilla Pizza

Tortillas are great for making a thin crustpizza. I used the Ole Xtreme Wellness wheat tortilla topped with laughing cow cheese, roasted Brussels sprouts, red pepper and fat free feta. Ialso drizzled a balsamic reduction for extra fanciness. Top the tortilla with your desired (precooked)toppings and cheese and bake for about 15 minutes on 400 degrees.

Here's a pic of the tortilla I used, in case you are interested:

source

So there you have it: my healthy ideas for the week. If you want more inspiration (or should I saypin-spiration~groan), you could check out my Hardcore pinboard on Pinterest.

I feel inclined to mention that recipes that you see on this blog will be varied. I am not just going to post healthy stuff~don't worry! I have a giant cookie coming your way on Monday :)

Have a great weekend!!!

Family Fridays: Caramel-Spice French Breakfast Muffins

2012-01-06T08:00:00.000-06:00

Ok, so I'm doing a new segment called Family Fridays, where I take a favorite family recipe and post it. Fun, right?

The first recipe comes from my cousin Rachel.

Isn't she cute?

Rachel is super awesome and fun and is in school to become an anesthesiologist (yes, I had to Google that spelling).

She is a year younger than me and we were close through our entire childhood years.

That's me on the right.

Every time she makes these muffins, they are a huge hit. They are super dense and reminiscent of a cake doughnut.

Caramel-Spice French Breakfast Muffins

MUFFINS

· ½ cup butter, softened

· ½ cup sugar

· ½ cup caramel topping

· 2 eggs

· ¾ cup milk

· 2 cups unbleached flour

· 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

· ½ teaspoons salt

· ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

· ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

TOPPING

· ¾ cup butter

· ¾ cup sugar

· 1 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

· Caramel topping

1. Heat oven to 375 F. Spray muffin pan (recipe calls for 18 regularsize muffins, however, I made about 36 mini muffins) with cooking spray.

2. In large bowl, beat ½ cup butter, ½ cup sugar, ½cup caramel topping, the eggs and milk with electric mixer on low speed(mixture will appear curdled). Stir inremaining muffin ingredients just until moistened. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full.

3. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpickinserted in center comes out clean. Cool5 minutes. Meanwhile, in mediummicrowavable bowl, microwave ¾ cup butter on High until melted. In small bowl, mix ¾ cup sugar and thepumpkin pie spice. Remove muffins frompan. Roll in melted butter, then insugar mixture. Drizzle with carameltopping. Serve warm.

Yum! Thanks Rach for the great recipe ;)

P.S. What do you think of the new blog header? I made it using a pencil eraser stamp!

What I'm Reading Wednesday

2012-01-04T08:00:00.000-06:00

It's been a while since I talked about books.

Alot has been going on the past few months to distract me from reading as avidly as I am used to: moving into a new house, doing lots of crafts, holidays, etc.

But, I'm picking up again with more reading, so I thought I'd share what I'm reading now.

I'm currently reading:

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
I had read her wonderful book Delirium a while back, and wanted to read more by her. I'm still in the beginning part of the book, but so far it is like Mean Girls mixed with Groundhog Day. Really captivating thus far.

I just finished:

Always Something There to Remind Me by Beth Harbison
This was a great book about first loves/soulmates. Not a romantic type of book, more about how that sort of thing fits into real life. It was a quick, light read and I enjoyed it.

Next, I plan to read:

Silver Girl by Elin Hilderbrand (recommended on That's What We Said blog)
This book is about a rich lady who finds out that her husband lost all his investors' money in a Ponzi scheme. It takes us on her journey to deal with all that. Looking forward to it.

I mostly read fiction, but love memoirs, too, like any books from Jen Lancaster or David Sedaris.

Anybody have any suggestions for new books?

Quick Caramel Pecan Sticky Buns

2012-01-02T08:00:00.000-06:00

Have you ever made homemade cinnamon rolls? I have, and you know what? They are kind of a pain in the butt. I'm just speaking the truth here.

These sticky buns, on the other hand, took me all of 10 minutes to prepare and pop in the oven. Great if you want to make a quick, yummy breakfast for your family.

And, they are reduced fat-which is a bonus, especially considering many people make a resolution to eat healthier in the new year. Well, they are not "healthy" per se, but they are a healthier alternative to regular sticky buns ;)

Caramel Pecan Sticky Buns

recipe adapted from Hungry Girl

Filling

1/4 cup brown sugar (not packed)

1 tbsp. light butter spread

1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/8 tsp. salt

Buns

1 package refrigerated Pillsbury Reduced Fat Crescent Rolls

Topping

3 tbsp. sugar free caramel sundae syrup

2 tbsp. light butter spread

2 tbsp. sugar-free pancake syrup

1 tbsp. brown sugar (not packed)

3 tbsp. chopped pecans

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 8 cups of a 12-cup muffin pan with nonstick spray and set aside.

First, combine all filling ingredients until blended.

Lay dough on parchment paper and make it into a rectangle, pressing seams together. Evenly spread filling onto dough, leaving a 1-inch border around all edges.

Tightly roll up dough from the bottom, forming a log. Pinch the long seam to seal. Cut log widthwise into 8 equally sized buns. Place a bun in each of the 8 sprayed muffin cups.

Combine topping ingredients and spoon some on each roll in the pan.

Bake in the oven until golden brown, 12 - 15 minutes. Makes 8 buns.

If you have kids, this would be something fun to make with them. Plus, they taste great, too. You can always sub the pecans with something else, like raisins or chocolate chips (or just omit that element of the topping).

Mix Your Own Nail Polish

2011-12-29T08:00:00.000-06:00

I'm into nail polish. Despite the fact that it does not stay on my fingers for more than 24 hours without chipping off.

I love it. I currently have at least 30 different nail polishes. It's a sickness.

Anyways, despite having all these different shades, I find myself obsessing over new shades that I simply must have. Don't ask me why...

This week, I needed my nails to be pale blue. So I went to Walgreens and the closest shade they had was by Essie. I think Essie is beautiful and if I weren't so frugal-or cheap, whatever-I would totally buy a bunch of it.

But as it is, I just cannot justify paying more than $8 for one single bottle of nail polish.

So, I saw this cool idea (like, duh, why didn't I think of that) at Crafty Minx blog to mix your own nail polish.

Freaking revolutionary.

I have about half of a bottle of white polish, so I thought I'd mix in some blue to get my desired shade.

I like this Sally Hansen Xtreme wear. It's like a buck or two and you usually only need one coat.

I started by adding just a few drops of blue to the white, then shaking for several minutes and adding more drops until I reached the shade I was looking for.

I love this blue! Yes, it seems kind of Easter-y, but I'm calling it my New Year's nail polish. I might even add some glitter later on. Maybe on the tips.

Oh, my hand looks so weird without my ring. Have you ever forgotten to put your ring(s) back on after doing something and just felt like something was missing without it? I was forming hamburger patties last night and totally forgot to put it back on. Well, I know that was a riveting story, but for real--I can't wait to get home and get my ring back where it belongs.

Hey--go mix some nail polish. It's fun :)

Frosted Eggnog Cookies

2011-12-27T09:01:00.001-06:00

Hi! I hope everybody out there had a great holiday weekend and enjoyed time with friends and family.

Also, I hope you are not too burned out on sweets.

Because I have a cookie recipe for you today.

Before I get to that, I'm sure you are interested to know that my nephew loved his Guess Who? game! He is turning 6 years old today (I cannot believe it!). Happy Birthday to one of my favorite people ;)

Ok, back to cookies...

These cookies are soft and sweet. They would be perfect to take to a New Year's party or just to munch on around the house.

They are not too eggnog-y, though. More like a Lofthouse cookie.

Frosted Eggnog Cookies

2 1/4 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 scant tsp ground nutmeg

3/4 tsp cinnamon

1 1/4 cups sugar

3/4 cup butter, slightly softened

2 egg yolks

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup eggnog (I used Silk soy eggnog)

1 tsp rum exract

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

2. Mix flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a bowl and set aside.

3. In another mixing bowl, mix sugar and butter together. Add egg yolks and vanilla to the mixture and beat until smooth.

4. Finally, add eggnog and rum extract and mix on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Slowly add flour mixture into eggnog/sugar mixture until completely combined.

5. Drop spoonfuls of dough onto a prepared cookie sheet and bake for 20-22 minutes. Remove immediately and move to a cooling rack.

6. When completely cool, frost with eggnog buttercream.

Eggnog Buttercream

3 cup confectioners’ sugar

1/4 cup softened butter or margarine

1/3 cup commercial eggnog

1 tsp rum extract

1. In small mixer bowl, beat confectioners’ sugar and butter or margarine until well blended.

2. Gradually beat in eggnog and rum until icing is smooth.

This made 3 1/2 dozen smallish cookies.

Recipe from Tidy Mom

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T08:00:00.000-06:00

Just wanted to take a moment to say:

Thanks for reading my blog :) I hope you have a great holiday season!!!

Holiday Recipe Mini Round-Up

2011-12-23T08:00:00.000-06:00

I don't know if you know this about me, but I read alot of blogs. One might say I'm a blog-aholic.

But it's okay, because I can quit anytime I want.

Anyways, I have noticed on alot of the foodie blogs I read, that they are compiling lists of suggestions for stuff you should make for the holiday.

And I thought, "Why not me?"*
*(reference to a Dane Cook joke before he got all unfunny and sold out)

Here we go.

These three would be a great addition to a cookie tray or just lovely on their own.

Mint Oreo Truffles

Crispy Coconut Almond Cookies

Cookie Assortment from 1 Batter

If you are doing a Christmas morning breakfast or brunch, try one of these delish recipes.

Chunky Monkey Banana Bread

Pumpkin Spice Latte Mini Muffins

Vanilla Bean Scones

Ok, that's all for my little round-up. Hope you have a great day :)

Gift Idea Wednesday: Last Minute Gift!

2011-12-21T10:43:00.000-06:00

Who's ready for Christmas?! Now that I finished making this last minute gift and painted some candy cane nails, I'm ready to go!

Bring it on, Saint Nick!

Ok, if you are not feeling so confident and you want to add more gifts to your pile under the tree, I have some fun ideas for you :)

If you have an old board game around the house, personalize it! Change the addresses on Monopoly to addresses in your neighborhood, put your family's pictures on the Life game pieces, whatever. Figure out how to make it more fun.

And it's totally free! Yipee!!!!!

Sorry, I got a little excited there. What can I say, I like free stuff.

My nephew love love loves Guess Who? and will wear it out given the chance (by the way, he has noticed it is missing already).

Personally, I'm tired of seeing Maria's smug look and green beret. I mean, really, who wears a green beret. Maybe a raspberry beret...but green? I think not.

Here's how I made it.
I chose 24 pictures and made a grid collage in Picasa (it's a free photo editor--Google it) and printed it. Then I cut the pictures out using the Guess Who? cards as a template. They are 1 1/2" wide X 2" tall.

Print 3 copies of your collage and glue stick them to the 2 sets of little cards that go in the holder or just make new cards if you don't want to mess up the old cards. Also, you'll have to glue pics on the old game cards that you choose to find out who your "person" is (the yellow cards in below pic).

If you have more than 24 people to include, you can make extra cards and switch them out periodically or group people together (like couples).

So cool--I cannot wait to give it to him!

If you are not into cutting and pasting, I also have been making some quick teddy bears using an old pair of corduroy pants that would make great stocking stuffers.

Made them using this pattern from Bev's Country Cottage

If you need more last minute gift ideas, check out my gift idea round-up from last week!

Merry Happy Everyone!!!

Vanilla Bean Scones

2011-12-19T08:27:00.000-06:00

I have had scones on the brain for the past few weeks.

Maybe it was my low carb eating plan.

But, scones are delicious.

If the only scone you have had is from Starbucks, you have not had a scone, because theirs are frozen, then thawed, leaving them mealy and dry (just my opinion).

Fresh scones are where it's at.

SCONES
3 cups flour
2/3 cups sugar
5 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 sticks butter, chilled
1 large egg
3/4 cups heavy cream
1 whole vanilla bean
1/2 Tbsp vanilla extract

GLAZE
3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1/2 cup milk (I used almond milk)
1 whole vanilla bean
Dash of salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Split the vanilla beans down the middle lengthwise and scrape out all the vanilla "caviar" inside. Stir caviar into cream and add vanilla extract. Set aside for 15 minutes.
Get all the dry ingredients in your food processor (or a big ole bowl, if you don’t have a processor) and pulse to combine.
Cut cold butter into pats, then pulse it in the food processor with the other ingredients or use a pastry cutter until mixture resembles crumbs.
Mix vanilla cream with egg, then combine with flour mixture.
Ok, I’m just gonna quote the Pioneer woman on the rest of the preparation, because she made her scones more elegantly than I did:
“Turn dough onto a floured surface and lightly press it together until it forms a rough rectangle. (Mixture will be pretty crumbly.) Use a rolling pin to roll into a rectangle about 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch thick. Use your hands to help with the forming if necessary.
Use a knife to trim into a symmetrical rectangle, then cut the rectangle into 12 symmetrical squares/rectangles. Next, cut each square/rectangle in half diagonally, to form two triangles.
Transfer to a parchment or baking mat-lined cookie sheet and bake for 18 minutes, removing from the oven just before they start to turn golden. Allow to cool for 15 minutes on the cookie sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.”

VANILLA GLAZE
To make the glaze, split the remaining vanilla bean in half lengthwise and scrape out the innards. Stir it into the milk, and allow it to sit for awhile.
Mix powdered sugar with the vanilla milk, adding more powdered sugar or milk if necessary to get the consistency the right thickness. Stir or whisk until completely smooth.
One at a time, carefully dunk each cooled scone in the glaze, turning it over if necessary. Transfer to parchment paper or the cooling rack. Allow the glaze to set completely, about an hour.

These were so good-not too sweet and not too biscuit-y. They just perfectly melted in your mouth.

We had a surprise birthday tea for my sweet aunt yesterday and out of something like 40 scones, these were the remains:

Recipe adapted from The Pioneer Woman.

Mint Oreo Truffles & A Bonus Recipe

2011-12-16T08:00:00.001-06:00

Aw, look at these cuties.

Well, there's nothing new here. I'm sure you have all heard of Oreo truffles.

If you haven't, here's how I made them:

Mint Oreo Truffles

*1 package mint Oreos
*1 container of cream cheese icing (I used the whipped kind)
*White candy melts (or whatever color you want to use)
*Optional sprinkles, nonpareils or crushed candy cane

1. Crush the cookies in a food processor or in a Ziploc with a rolling pin. Mix the crushed cookies and icing until combined.
2. Roll into balls with your hands. I scooped them out with a teaspoon to make them sort of the same size, then rolled.
3. Place on parchment paper and pop in the freezer for 5 minutes. Don't leave them in there longer than that.
4. Melt candy melts per the instructions on the package.
5. Dip each ball into the melty deliciousness and tap off excess.
6. Top with whatever topping before they dry.
7. Let them harden at room temperature and enjoy.

I made these for our office luncheon, and everyone loved them. They were so easy to make, too :)

I also made my favorite Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies, and they were so good looking I had to post a pic:

Guess what?

I have a bonus recipe for you today. But a word to the wise: Look away if you are dieting. This pizza is the devil.

So, you know the beefy, greasy, cheesy Baconator from Wendy's?

This is what would happen if a pizza and a baconator hybrid were created in some mad scientist's lab. Or in my kitchen. Whatever.

My husband loves pizza, but he also craves a big, fat bacon cheeseburger, so I set out to make him the best dinner ever. With no vegetables in site.

He loved it. He assured me of its awesomeness.

Here's how I made it.

1. Used a basic pizza dough recipe (or you could buy a pizza dough)
2. Browned 1/2 lb of ground beef with burger seasoning and a dash of hot sauce
3. Topped the pizza with the following:
*1-2 tbsp ranch dressing
*4 slices provolone cheese
*4 slices crumbled, cooked bacon
*1/2 lb cooked hamburger meat
*about 3/4 cup shredded cheddar
*4 more slices crumbled, cooked bacon

Holy, moly--this is major.

Gift Idea Wednesdays: Round-Up

2011-12-14T08:00:00.003-06:00

With Christmas right around the corner, I thought I'd do a quick round up of the gift ideas that I have posted for Gift Idea Wednesdays.

Click on the caption below each picture for a tutorial :)

This DIY bird art would be a great gift that you could personalize for someone.

A reversible tote would make an awesome teacher gift.

This steak and burger rub is the bomb (do people still say that? they should).

Or you could make a chalkboard mug to enable self expression.

This hot/cold pack would be great for workout enthuisiasts (or unenthuisiastic people who just so happen to work out).

Hair stuff! So fun for kids or grown peoples.

Check out these 5 minute arm warmers to thrill the hipsters in your life.

Felt ornaments are always appreciated.

This scissors pocket is something I never knew I always needed.

A mug cozy would be a cool gift. Make it a sock monkey and it just went from cool to outrageously awesome.

Other cool things to make:

1.Embroidered zipper pouch
2.Freezer paper stencil shirt
3.Yoga Mat Bag
4.Chalkboard coasters
5.Snowman bottle cap ornament
6.Wrap it all up in a sweater bag

The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap

2011-12-12T08:00:00.005-06:00

It's finally time to reveal my recipe for the cookie swap!

I sent packs of these cookies to three fellow bloggy ladies. I hope they liked them!

I modified two recipes that I've used in the past to create a crazy yummy confection of goodness. I cannot tell you how thrilled I was when the recipe made 3 1/2 dozen instead of just 3 dozen--that means I got to keep 6 cookies for me!

So here's my recipe.

Crispy Coconut Almond Cookies
a conglomeration of this recipe and this recipe

2 sticks of butter
1 cup of sugar
1 1/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
1/2 tbsp almond extract
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups flour
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup finely chopped, cocoa dusted almonds
3/4 cup toasted shredded unsweetened coconut flakes

First things first, toast your coconut. I used this lovely tutorial from Baking Bites.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and prepare your cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Heat 1 1/2 sticks of butter in a small pan on the stove (on medium heat) until bubbly, whisking occasionally. Once it starts to take on a brown color, remove from the stove. OMG, you just made browned butter! You are awesome.

While you are working on browning butter, put remaining butter and sugars in a large bowl.

Pour the browned butter in a bowl and cream it all together. It will look like a Coke slushie. Just go with it.

Add your eggs (and the yolk) one at a time and whisk. Then whisk in your extracts.

Mix your flour, salt and baking soda in a separate bowl then add slowly to your sugar, butter mixture and combine.

Stir in your chocolate chips, chopped almonds and toasted coconut.

Try not to eat too much batter. This is a serious warning, because this is the kind of batter you would risk eating raw egg for. It's that good.

Scoop your cookie batter onto the parchment using a standard cookie scoop.

Bake your cookies in batches for about 12-15 minutes and cool on a rack.

You could also do a nice chocolate drizzle and sprinkle of toasted coconut to the top, but I had to get these packed up in a hurry. Not because I was behind on a deadline, but because I did not want to eat them all.

Many thanks to the bloggers who sent me cookies, too!
Monique from Ambitious Kitchen sent me some delicious peanut butter cookies with a Rolo baked in the middle.
Hannah from Fleur-De-Licious sent some yummy cherry-walnut Rugelach cookies.
And I just got some awesome fruit and nut cookies from Amy + Janesse at Two True Foodies.

Fabulous Fall Fridays: Guest Posting & A Suggestion of Awesomeness

2011-12-09T08:00:00.007-06:00

I'm so excited to be guest posting at A Diamond in the Stuff today :)

I'm recycling old sweaters into cute little gift bags. Go check it out!

Now I don't have a recipe, per se, for today's Fabulous Fall Friday. It's more like a suggestion of awesomeness.

Enter the sloppy Joe grilled cheese.

Holy moly.

I can't take credit for this ingenious concoction. I pinned one a few weeks back, and it has been on my mind ever since.

I know what you are thinking. Renee, this is total fat people food. Well, Judgy McJudgerson, I got news for you-

This is totes healthy junk food.

I used whole grain bread, butter substitute, reduced fat cheese and made my sloppy Joes not so sloppy.

I made the Joes a few days ago with 90% lean sirloin and this was the perfect way to use the leftovers.

Along with a giant pile of veggies:

So, even if you are watching your cals, you can still indulge in the occasional sloppy Joe grilled cheese :)

Oh, did you go look at my guest post yet? Do it.

Gift Idea Wednesdays: Felt Sock Monkey Mug Cozy

2011-12-07T09:05:00.005-06:00

Oh, Sock Monkey.

The odds were against this post today. I had the idea after pinning this cute crocheted version of a sock monkey cozy.

Plus, I know a sweet little boy with a sock monkey obsession.

So, yeah. I ran out of thread, misplaced my needle, left my camera at the office, blah blah blah.

But out of strife arose this beautiful little guy.

Am I talking a little nuts today? Maybe I've had too much coffee. In my defense, it was really good coffee.

Anyways, with only 17 days until Christmas, this is a quick and easy project to throw together.

*for you ultra perceptive people-yes, my monkey face is upside down (on the body piece), but it doesn't make too much of a difference.

To make this you need:
*grey felt
*red felt
*white felt
*2 black buttons (I did not have these, so I painted some black)
*grey ponytail holder
*red button
*embroidery thread
*hot glue

I made you a pattern to use, in the spirit of giving and all. So right click on below and save the image to your computer, then print out and use.

1. Cut out pieces.
2. Stitch the mouth pieces and eyes onto the body piece.
3. Stitch the ears, then hot glue to the sides (so they stick out adorably).
4. Stitch on the red button to the back and hot glue the ponytail holder to the other side.

Here are some detail shots.

Yes, that ponytail holder looks like a hot mess, but it will be on the inside of the cozy. No one will ever know.

When I have more time, I might go back and do red stitching across the top and bottom of the body piece and put a black line on the mouth. Or should I just leave him as is?

He's pretty darling...

Ruffled Felt Christmas Tree

2011-12-05T08:11:00.000-06:00

This little felt tree was super easy to make, and we will enjoy it for many future Christmases :)

Here's how I made it.

You need:

*A ton of green felt (I used dark and light-get about 8 sheets of each to be safe)
*Scissors
*A styrofoam cone (get it in the garden section-not the craft section-waaay cheaper option), this one is 12" tall
*Pins
*Yellow felt for the top (with optional embroidery floss + stuffing)

1. Cut out a bunch of circles of green felt.

2. Fold a circle in half twice, then pin in whatever pattern you want onto the tree form.

3. Repeat a gazillion times.

This is a fun craft to do while you are watching a movie or something, as it is sort of time consuming.

If you want to make a star for the top, just cut a 2 stars out of some yellow felt. You can use a template if you want, but I just drew it (not as precise, but more charming, I'm sure). Then stitch it together and stuff it with batting if you want to add some volume.

So cute :)

Craft inspired by Family Circle

Fabulous Fall Fridays: Zucchini Chili

2011-12-02T08:06:00.000-06:00

Well, the weather has definitely been getting chilly (pun intended) in our neck of the woods this past week. We even had snow. In November. Seriously.

So, with that in mind I had to change my kitchen chalkboard (painted with chalkboard paint) to a more appropriate theme (it was fall leaves).

Then, I had to make chili. Which is sort of like a soup, I guess. Helping my transition into the inevitable crossover to soup blog. All soup all the time.

No, I'm just being silly. Speaking of silly, my husband kind of gripes about the fact that I throw icky vegetables in basically everything I cook. So I threw in the zucchini on purpose. To mess with him.

I guess the joke's on me, because this is some dang good chili :)
We both enjoyed it thoroughly and it is a great, quick weeknight meal.

Renee's Zucchini Chili

1 lb lean ground meat (I used 93% lean ground sirloin)
chili seasoning packet
can of mild chili beans
1/4-1/2 onion, diced
1-2 zucchini, diced
1/2 cup spaghetti sauce
1/4-1/2 cup broth (I used 1/4 c beef broth-it depends on how thick you want it)
1 clove garlic
seasoning blend (I used this one)

Put some water (or oil) in the bottom of your soup pan (just enough to coat the bottom of the pan to prevent sticking) and throw in the meat to brown. After it is halfway browned, throw in the garlic and onion and cook until meat is brown. Add your chili seasoning packet, then scootch the meat over to one side. Add the zucchini to the opposite side to cook for a bit. Season with seasoning blend (mine has a bit of a kick, which was welcome here). After about 5 minutes, stir everything together, add the spaghetti sauce and broth and simmer on low for about 20 minutes or until awesome.

In other news, my cookies for the cookie blog swap are going out today! I'm really excited about them.

I made a cutie pie little bottle cap snowman ornament for each recipient, too. Inspired by What I Live For blog.

If you are interested in making one, I hot glued 3 bottle caps together (and a piece of yarn to hang), painted the inside white (they were kind of greyish in the middle) and then Sharpied on the eyes, nose, mouth and buttons.

The cookie has the incredible trifecta of browned butter, toasted coconut and cocoa dusted almonds. They are currently my obsession.

Recipe will be posted right here on this blog on December 12th. Mark your calendars ;)

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Gift Idea Wednesdays: Scissors Pocket

2011-11-30T08:39:00.004-06:00

*Yes, that is my fridge. You can totally see the reflection of my trash can, too.

Eeek! Only 24 days until Christmas. It's like totally advent time, people.

This gift idea is super easy and so functional. I cannot take credit for it, though. A lady at my Mom's work named Debbie has an aunt who makes them and sells them with proceeds going to the animal shelter (love that!). So my Mom bought one and gave it to me. I did not think I would get much use out of it.

Um, I was wrong.

First and last time I'll say that (only sort of kidding).

I love my little scissors pocket :) No more tearing packages with my teeth or looking frantically through drawers for my scissors. I literally use this every day.

All you need to make it is a cute pot holder, a glue gun and some magnet strips.

It's pretty self explanatory.

I was thinking about what kind of person would need a gift like this. My first thought was people who cook. But really this could be for:

*Bachelors to open bags of chips
*Kids to do crafts
*People who clip coupons
*Teachers
*Avid shoppers to cut tags of their new stuff
*Hair cutting people
*Other people who need to cut stuff

Gosh, the list goes on and on...

You don't even need to keep it on the fridge. You could keep it on any magnetic surface.

Ok, well. Make it.

You could also pick up a pair of scissors from the dollar store or for $1.99 at Hobby Lobby.

Weekend Wrap Up and a Rustic Christmas Wreath

2011-11-28T10:54:00.005-06:00

Hi all! Hope everyone had a great holiday weekend ;)
Mine was full of good stuff.

Wednesday we celebrated my husband's birthday with tequila and a giant, sequined purple sombrero at our favorite Mexican restaurant (he'd kill me if I posted the pic of him, so just use your imagination).

Thursday, my mom and I did the Turkey Trot, a 4 mile course.

Then we had some turkey and stuff.

Friday we did a super fun crafty get together with my awesome cousins. I'll get to that later in the post.

I ate a bunch of these babies:

So good. But so naughty...

Ok, I also decided I needed a wreath.

So, I thought I'd share that with you:

Here's what I did to make this super easy decor (took about 20 minutes or less).

*Ok, so you need a wreath form (I used pipe insulation from Lowe's that I got for $1.92--awesome idea from The Penny Parlor)

*You also need some burlap. Maybe like a yard, but I'll get to that.

*Some wreath bling. I used frosty cranberries and some decorative potpourri stuff.

*Also, a sewing machine and hot glue gun (not pictured).

1. Get your wreath form ready. Cut it. I didn't really need to do this because I just took the tape of my pipe insulation that I had in a wreath form. This will make it like a hundred times easier to put the burlap on.

2. Lay out your burlap. If you have cats, they will sit on it. Distract them with something shiny and continue on.

3. Ok, so I cut one long strip (3 yards long-but I trimmed off about a foot, so you do the math. It is not my forte). My strip was 10 inches wide.

4. Fold the strip vertically, or "hot dog" style. Sew along the strip. Is this confusing? I'm going to draw a diagram.

Ok, I hope that is helpful.

5. Now you have a long burlap tube. Put it on your wreath form, tape your wreath for back together and scrunch the burlap.

6. Hot glue whatever pretties you want to put on your wreath and hang :)

What? That was too easy.

At our crafty get together, two of my cousin's made some pretty awesome wreaths that I wanted to share with you.

Rachel wrapped burlap strips overlapping around the whole wreath, then hot glued some ornaments and cranberries and added red and gold ribbon. Love it!

Chelsea got super crafty and wrapped the wreath in green and red felt, made some felt ruffles and added some strands of felt Christmas lights.

Both of these wreaths were made using pipe insulation, too.

Ok, this post was really long! I hope it inspired you to make a crafty wreath for your home.

Fabulous Fall Fridays: Stealthy Shells & Cheese

2011-11-25T10:17:00.001-06:00

Mac and cheese is like the ultimate comfort food. It's gooey, cheesy and puts you in a carb coma, if consumed in mass quantities.

Well, this dish is a twist on an old classic that will give you all the comforts of the original along with a serving of veggies.

I highly doubt anyone will pause from shoveling this in their face to say they taste something funny in this yummy side dish.

Stealthy Shells and Cheese

1 12 oz bag of medium shells pasta (the bag that says 3-4 servings)
3/4 can of pureed butternut squash (or 1 1/2 cups of homemade puree)
1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1 cup shredded swiss (or mozzarella) cheese
2 tbsp butter
1/4-1/2 cup chicken broth
Salt and pepper to taste

Boil noodles per the package instructions and drain. Add in all the other junk and stir it up.

And now for the close up.

Gift Idea Wednesdays: Felt Ornaments

2011-11-23T08:00:00.001-06:00

There are seriously only 31 days until Christmas. Don't panic-I got some cute gift ideas coming your way ;)

I love giving little bags of treats to people for Christmas. Last year, along with some candy bark and cookies, I attached a cute felt ornament to each treat bag.

An ornament on its own is a nice gift to give people-that way, they always think of you when they hang it on their tree.

These felt ornaments are fun to make and you can kind of take them in different directions by adding your own "flair."

Here's a handy guideline of supplies I used to make these three:

The snowman is definitely my favorite-he's just so darling :)

The tree is a new one I just came up with. It's a bit of a nod to the movie Inception...like a tree within a tree. Mind boggling stuff.

Anyways, to find the shape of your desired ornament, do a Google image search for "snowman outline" or "gingerbread ornament shape."

These would be fun to make while you are waiting on the turkey to cook!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone :)

source

Last Minute Thanksgiving Side Dish

2011-11-22T09:24:00.003-06:00

I don't know if everyone's Thanksgiving veggies are like ours--I mean, I'm from the South and all. But pretty much all vegetable side dishes this time of year are full of heavy cream sauces or loaded down with cheese.

I like to contribute a simple, but delicious veggie side dish as an alternative to all the heavy side dishes.

This is pretty quick to throw together and the flavors are fantastic.

Roasted Brussels and Sweet Potatoes
an original Renee recipe :)

1 bushel of brussels sprouts
half of a red onion
1 medium-large sweet potato
Olive oil
Seasoning salt

Peel and cube your sweet potato and toss in a bowl. Slice your onion thinly and add to the bowl. Wash and halve your brussels and toss them in, too. Drizzle olive oil and sprinkle seasoning salt (I used my own spice blend) and toss around. Pour the contents of the bowl on a cookie sheet sprayed with non-stick spray and roast at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes or until the veggies are a lovely golden brown.

Don't let the idea of brussels sprouts throw you off-roasting them makes them super awesome. I never liked them before, but now I roast them all the time!

Make this-your waistline will thank you ;)

Fabulous Fall Fridays: Mini Layered Pumpkin Pies

2011-11-16T10:34:00.005-06:00

I have not been making many desserts lately. It is out of character for me.

I'm kind of on a meal plan in hopes that jeans won't feel so dang tight.

So forgive me for the lack of sweet recipes.

This teeny dessert is so yummy and good for people watching their waistlines ;)

You can make it with all full-fat/sugar stuff if you want, but I promise you, nobody will be able to tell the difference.

Would I lie to you?

No. I would not.

Ok, so here's how I made this yummy dessert.

Skinny Mini Layered Pumpkin Pies in a Jar*

8 oz canning jars (or you could make these in wine glasses-that'd be cute)
Prepared vanilla pudding (I used sugar free, fat free french vanilla)
Pumpkin fluff (recipe to follow)
Crushed up gingersnap cookies
Caramel sundae syrup (I used sugar free)
Pecans

Layer all this stuff in a jar.

Pretty simple instructions.

Top with caramel + nuts.

Pumpkin Fluff
adapted from a vague memory of a WW recipe

Cool Whip (I used fat free)
1/2 can pumpkin puree
1-2 tsp vanilla extract
1-2 tbsp dry vanilla pudding mix
1-2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Mix it up in the Cool Whip container. Save it in the fridge for dipping cookies or fruit or to replace regular Cool Whip in or on other recipes. Or just to eat with a spoon. 'Cuz it's yummy.

*I just made two of these "pies," but you could probably make 6-8 with this recipe.

Also, I got another bloggy award this week.

Kelley at The Grant Life gave me this Tell Me About Yourself Award.

The rules for this award are:

1.I must tell 7 things about myself
2.I pass this on to 15 other bloggers

1. I have 2 cats who are totally my children. I have now turned into a cat lady, it’s true.

2. I have a BA in English Lit that I am totally not using in my paper pushing job.

3. It is a rare occasion when a day goes by where I don’t eat popcorn.

4. I am the world’s slowest texter. I don’t know why. I’m fast at typing…

5. I am like seriously addicted to Pinterest. I have lost hours. Hours, people!

6. My favorite time of day is early morning. I love drinking coffee and enjoying the peacefulness of the beginning of the day.

7. I love clearance shopping, especially at Target.

Ok, so those are my things about me.

Does anyone else feel like these bloggy awards are kind of like chain letters?
Well, I’m going to pass this to 15 other bloggers, but don’t feel pressured to continue the “chain.” Life will go on if you do not force 15 other people to participate.

Here's some great blogs that I am passing the award on to (participation is totally optional):

http://www.20goingon80.com/
http://www.4eighteen.com/
http://danielledeskins.blogspot.com/
http://catsandcasseroles.blogspot.com/
http://threeyearsofdeath.blogspot.com/
http://www.alittlelessmeat.com/
http://actfastchef.blogspot.com/
http://www.alli-n-son.com/
http://artsyfartsymama.blogspot.com/
http://bellabeforeandafter.blogspot.com/
http://chef-n-training.blogspot.com/
http://www.crazyforcrust.com/
http://cookincowgirl.blogspot.com/
http://mandysrecipebox.blogspot.com/
http://www.thesasselife.com/

Regardless of if these other bloggers choose to join in the fun of this award thingy, they are all awesome blogs and you should go check them out!

Gift Idea Wednesdays: 5 Minute Arm Warmers

2011-11-16T08:21:00.000-06:00

Ok everyone, there are only 38 days left until Christmas. Time to get crackin' on some homemade gifts.

Here's a super quick craft that will make a great gift for all the fashionistas and hipsters in your family. In fact, it was so easy, I thought maybe I was doing it wrong...

Arm warmers-YAY!

Do you have old sweaters laying around that you haven't gotten around to throwing away? Yeah, me neither. I had to hit the Salvation Army family store for this gem:

It's pretty cute, but there are holes in it and it fits weird. So I'm gonna cut it up.

First put the sweater on your arms and mark the length that you want for the warmers. I put the sleeves a little over my hands and marked it before it reached my elbow. Then cut the sleeves off the sweater. Mark where you want your thumb to go and either use scissors or a seam ripper to tear a thumb sized hole along the seam.

Then if the sweater doesn't seem like it will fray, you are done. But I did a hem on the part of the sleeve closest to my elbow just in case.

If the arms are too big (like if you are making it for a kid, or something), rip along the whole seam, turn it inside out on a small arm and pin to take it in. Then sew along where you pinned. Easy peasy ;)

Cool-I love quick and easy crafts!

It was a little hard to take pictures of these on my own, so I enlisted the help of my husband.

I guess I was hamming it up a little...there may have been some voguing and possible robot dance moves involved.

Make these!

They rock.

My arms are super warm right now.

This craft was inspired by runwaydiy.com

Also, check out some other gift ideas on my pinterest board.

Hot Toddy Cocktail

2011-11-15T08:44:00.004-06:00

How many of us women have gone to work sick? Seriously, probably all of us. We know the world does not stop just because we have a throat tickle.

Men, though, are the biggest babies when they are sick! That's why you have to make them a special drink like this.

This hot toddy uses tea to soothe, honey to coat scratchy throats, and alcohol to intoxicate.

It's not medicinal, technically, but I swear it makes a sicky feel better.

Here's the stuff you need to make it:

Hot Toddy
recipe from about.com

2-3 tbsp Jack Daniel's Honey (or brandy or rum)
squirt of lemon juice
tea bag
1 tbsp honey
1 cup hot water

Heat 1 cup of water in the microwave. In your serving mug put whiskey, honey, lemon and tea bag. Pour the water over all that stuff and let it steep for 2-3 minutes.

Serve to a sick dude in your life with a side of cough drops and tissues.

This is actually a great, relaxing cocktail even if you are not sick!

Bracelet Fun, An Award, and (of course) A Soup

2011-11-14T09:38:00.006-06:00

I have 3 super excellent things to share with you on this Monday.

First, remember my jersey headband? Well, I threw it on my arm today for a later workout and it makes a darling bracelet.

Ignore this unflattering shot of my arm and focus on the wrist, people.

It reminds me of this awesome jersey bracelet over at V and Co.

Secondly, I was given this award from Mrs. Fox's Sweets. It's called the Liebster Award and here's a little about it:

The Criteria: The Liebster Blog Award is meant to showcase bloggers who have fewer than 200 followers. This is all done in the spirit of pay-it-forward.

The Rules: You must mention and link to the person who awarded you with Liebster, and mention 5 other blogs with fewer than 200 followers who you think worthy of the Liebster!

Here are 5 blogs that I have chosen to receive the Liebster Blog Award:

http://www.20goingon80.com/
http://www.thegrantlife.com/
http://www.4eighteen.com/
http://danielledeskins.blogspot.com/
http://catsandcasseroles.blogspot.com/

These blogs are awesome and the writers have great talent for entertaining. So go check them out!

And finally, I made soup this weekend. Nothing new for me.

I swear I'm not turning this into a soup blog. Is there such a thing? I'll Google it later.

Here's the recipe if you are obsessed with soup like I am.

Lightened Up Broccoli Cheese Soup
Adapted from Dashing Dish

Ingredients:

1 (24 oz) package frozen broccoli in cheese sauce (located in the frozen vegetable section, I used the kind by Green Giant)
1 steamer bag frozen broccoli florets
½ onion, chopped
½ bag baby carrots, chopped
½ bag celery, chopped
Box chicken broth (or vegetable broth
1/2 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
*Optional: sprinkled cheese as topping

Spray your soup pot with non-stick spray, add your onions, carrots and celery and cook for about 10 minutes.

Add in both frozen broccoli and broth and heat to boiling. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

Season to taste.

I enjoyed my bowl with a bacon grilled cheese-so yum!

Ok, have a great week, everyone!

Fabulous Fall Fridays: Apple Crumble Pie for One

2011-11-11T08:28:00.002-06:00

Happy Veterans’ Day, everyone! Thanks to all the service men and women who have bravely served for our country.

What dish is more American than apple pie? Don’t answer that. I’m sure this must be the most quintessential dish to represent our country.

It is also super appropriate for the autumn season.

So make it.

You probably have all the stuff in your house.

Just do it.

Apple Crumble Pie for One

1 medium apple (or two small apples)
Squirt of lemon juice
4 tbsp brown sugar, divided
cinnamon
2 tbsp whole wheat flour
2 tbsp quick or old fashioned oats
2 tbsp Smart Balance butter, cut into tiny pieces

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 8 oz oven safe ramekin with non-stick cooking spray.

Peel and cut your apple. Toss it in a bowl with 2 tbsp of brown sugar, squirt of lemon juice and sprinkle of cinnamon. Place the apple slices in the ramekin.

Stir together the flour, 2 remaining tbsp of brown sugar, oats and butter and top the apples with this mixture.

Bake for 30-45 minutes until the top is golden and apples are bubbly.

Serve with ice cream and a drizzle of caramel syrup if desired.

This pie is perfect for people trying to eat healthier, because it is single serve and really good for you. But it is also really satisfying with a cruncy, oat-y topping and warm, gooey baked apples.

Gift Idea Wednesdays: Hair Stuffs

2011-11-09T08:32:00.001-06:00

I've never been big on hair accessories. I think I am trying to repress memories of growing up in the 80s with the big hair and big bows.

Exhibit A

*yes, I'm on a little zip-line thing. I am such a wuss that that was probably the only time I was ever on it.

I'm not sure why I am calling this exhibit A, when I really only have the one picture. I looked through some childhood pics last night thinking I'd find a ton of pictures documenting my big 80s hair or at least some giant bows. I guess we did not take many pictures of that sort of thing.

The bows were probably too big to fit in the frame of the camera lens.

Sad, but true.

Anyways, these hair thing-ys are way more understated and cute than my giant pink bow with trailing ribbons.

How many more days 'til Christmas? Oh, only 45!

Even if you were down to the wire on December 24th, you could make these three hair things and have an instant homemade gift. They are that quick and simple.

1st up: Lace Headband

All you need is some lace and like 2" of elastic of some sort.

Measure the lace around your head for an adult head (if you are making this for a kid you might want to measure a kid head or use one of their existing headbands as a guide), then sew the elastic to the two ends.

That's it.

Super quick gift idea #2: Jersey Braided Headband

Cut 3 strips of jersey fabric or an old t-shirt (that's what I used), braid, then tie to fit your head (or kid's head).

These are great for working out!

Last project: Button Bobby Pins

Hot glue some buttons to bobby pins.

So cute for little girl or a grown lady ;)

So, if you have 5 minutes, make one of these for yourself or for a gift.

In other news, Kelley over at The Grant Life is featuring lil' ole me and my chalkboard mug in her 10 gifts for under $10 gift series! Head over there and check it out :)

Veggie Chili with Rosemary Walnut Bread

2011-11-07T08:00:00.002-06:00

These recipes totally scream Fall. But I could not wait until Friday (for Fabulous Fall Fridays) to share this with you. It's that good.

This is mostly about the bread. The bread is everything. At the moment I cannot think of anything better than fresh homemade bread.

At first I thought walnuts in bread would be weird, but it turned out that they are pretty dang awesome.

Here's the recipe:

Rosemary Walnut Boule Bread
adapted from Classic Walnut Boule, Cooking Light, Sept 2008

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp sugar
1 cup warm water
1 packet of yeast
1 tbsp oil (I used olive oil)
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
1 1/2 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped
2 tbsp yellow cornmeal
1 egg white

Combine flours and salt in a large bowl. In a smallish bowl (or a glass measuring cup) combine yeast, sugar and warm water and let it sit for about 5 minutes to activate the yeast. Pour yeast mixture and oil in with the flour and stir to combine. Knead for about 5 minutes, adding flour as you go to keep the dough from sticking. Spray the bowl with non-stick spray, place the dough ball in there and loosely cover for about an hour to rise.

Once it has risen, knead in the rosemary and walnuts and form the dough in a ball. Spray a baking sheet with non-stick spray and sprinkle cornmeal on it. Place the dough on the cornmeal and cut one or two Xs in the top of the dough. Use the egg white with a little water to make an egg wash and brush it all over the top of the dough.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Seriously. Look at how awesome it looks.

The chili that I made with the bread was lovely also, though overshadowed by the bread. It happens.

It's super healthy, too.

Pumpkin Black Bean Chili
adapted from Sweet Tooth Sweet Life

1/2 bag of baby carrots, chopped
4 ribs of celery, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
tbsp oil
can diced tomatoes
can black beans
can pumpkin
box chicken broth (or veg broth if you are into vegetarian stuffs)
packet of chili seasoning mix
salt to taste

Heat your oil in the stockpot and toss in the chopped veggies and some salt. Cook for 10-15 minutes. Dump in tomatoes and chili seasoning and cook for 5 more minutes. Pour in the whole box of broth and heat to boiling. Cover and reduce heat. Cook for 10 minutes. Then add the beans and pumpkin. Season to taste.

Serve with yummy bread!

By the way, I have been slicing my bread lately with my electric carving knife. It makes lovely, even cuts.

Oh wanted to share, I signed up for the Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap and I'm super excited! New cookie recipes coming soon ;)

Fabulous Fall Fridays: Cheddar Peppers

2011-11-04T08:00:00.001-05:00

When some people think of Fall, they think football. I’m not one of those people. I could care less about organized sports. Or unorganized sports for that matter.

Well, these cheddar peppers are great football food or just snack food despite my terrible pictures of them!

My husband loves cheddar peppers and has been begging me to make them for a while now.

As a general rule, I don’t like to fry stuff. The popping hot oil scares me. I’m kind of a weenie. Plus, I’ve heard fried food is bad for you or something.

Regardless, you should make these yummy morsels of cheesy fried goodness for the football fans in your life.

Ok, so I’m going to go ahead and apologize for the utter lack of measurements on my part. This was kind of a fly by the seat of my pants recipe.

*Jalapenos (I used 12, but definitely increase the number if you have a crowd)
*Hunk of Velveeta (about the size of a Rubix cube-maybe a little smaller)
*Handful of shredded cheddar
*Squirt of hot sauce (I used sriacha)
*Egg (I used egg substitute-equivalent to 2 eggs)
*Seasoned bread crumbs
*Vegetable oil (or some other kind of oil-whatevs)

Split the jalapenos lengthwise and use your gloved (or Ziploc-ed) hand to scrape out the seeds and ribs and discard.

Melt your Velveeta a bit in the microwave and stir in shredded cheese and hot sauce. Stuff this mixture in each jalapeno, pinching the seam closed.

Dip the peppers in the egg, then bread crumbs and lay them all out for their fry bath.

Get your oil in a large skillet hot. Stick the handle of a wooden spoon in the oil to test and see if it is ready. If bubbles form around the spoon, you are good to go.

Fry the jalapenos in batches until golden brown & place on a paper towel to soak up extra grease.

Serve with ranch dipping sauce (ok, dressing squeezed from the bottle).

My husband’s verdict was that these were better than Sonic’s cheddar peppers which are his favorite. So, I guess it was all worth it :)

Gift Ideas Wednesday: Hot/Cold Pack

2011-11-02T08:13:00.001-05:00

Have you ever started working out hardcore after not working out for a while? Man, everything hurts.

That's why everyone should have a rice bag in their house.

It's also great for when your neck gets tense from a long day of work.

Or for a kid who has a boo-boo.

You can use it hot or cold for lots of different stuff.

So this would make a great gift for anyone you know. Better start making gifts! Only 52 days until Christmas.

I made this rice bag following this tutorial from V and Co.

You need:
*muslin
*pretty fabric
*rice
*sewing machine
*scissors

Cut the muslin into 2 14"x7" rectangles. Sew up the sides and bottom and leave the top open.

Fill with rice (I used the whole bag) and sew it up.

Cut your pretty fabric into the following pieces:
14" x 7"
10" x 7"
8" x 7"

Sew the 8"x7" and the 10"x7" pieces together to make a long rectangle. Then sew the long rectangle and the 14"x7" to it inside out except for the top.
It should look like this:

Hem the top and sides so you don't have fraying.

Slide the rice bag in and you are done!

When I make this for someone, I usually include instructions to heat the bag for 30-45 seconds for a hot pack or throw it in the freezer for 2 hours for a cold pack.