summer sweets

Can you believe it's late August??? We've been soaking up the last bits of "summer" summer and gearing up for "fall" summer here in Houston, Texas (it will be warm until approximately December 20th, so we aren't packing up our shorts or anything).

Two summer musts around here are fresh fruit and ice cream, both of which I've used recently used to make fabulously easy and delicious desserts.

The first is Smitten Kitchen's hot fudge sundae cake.

Oh. My. Gosh.

This is a crowd stopper, yall. I made it for a family get-together/birthday party for my MIL. We had about 20 people, so I decided to make this cake and supplement with fancy cupcakes from a cute shop nearby. Guess what? No one ate the cupcakes. Because summer is about ice cream. And it's pretty rich so it fed more than expected.

I apologize for the lack of cute pictures--working with ice cream subjects you to certain time constraints.

That's the birthday girl in the middle :) with my SIL, Brennan, and my grandma, Nan. I love that we live close to both of our families and I LOVE our mixed get togethers. 

Quick note: The recipe calls for a quart each of chocolate and vanilla ice cream. Enter The Great Divide. 

Bingo.

Okay, this next one is still in my fridge and I may or may not have already had a big bowl already tonight.

Skillet Peach Cobbler.

Wow. I mean, I bought a skillet just to make this. 

What kind of southern girl doesn't have a cast iron skillet? I don't know. Let's move past it.

If you don't have a skillet, get one. And get some peaches while they're fresh and delicious!

I didn't peel mine. Mostly because I was already hungry and didn't want to spend X amount of time peeling peaches (aka lazy). We couldn't tell a difference.

This cobbler is soooo good. Crunchy on top and gooey inside--with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream, it's summer dessert perfection!

inspiration: cake

one, two, three, four, five, six, seven

My mom and I are going to a cake tasting on Friday morning, so I thought I'd share some inspiration :)

Hmm...anything in common? :) I'm loving the imperfection of buttercream and the ombre patterns.

How can something so pretty also be delicious?? My mom and I both have a severe sweet tooth, so we are just as excited about the tasting part. Just another perk of wedding planning!

scones: take 2 & a personal best

I shared with you last week how much I love these skinny chocolate chip scones. Well, I made them again this evening and this time added a little twist. Craisins. I have a friend who calls them "gushers for adults." I can't eat very many of them plain, but they add the perfect touch to these scones. A little sweet. A little tangy. Perfect compliment to the chocolate. Anyway, to alter the recipe I cut the chocolate chips down to 1/2 cup and a little more than 1/4 cup craisins. I couldn't wait until morning to try them (plus they are sooo delicious hot out of the oven), so I can already tell you, you're going to want to make these.

Switching gears--I'm taking a class this semester called "tone and flex." It's all about using your body weight mixed in with some hand weights and body bars to tone and sculpt strong and lean muscles. I love it. I'm not someone who can just walk into a gym and get an excellent workout by myself. I feel like I don't really know what to do, how to do it properly, and how to get a dynamic workout. That's why I love taking classes, but after this class I've come away with some useful information that I can use on my own at my house or in a gym. That's what's great about doing a workout that doesn't require a ton of space or fancy machinery.

Our grades in the class depend on how well we preform in physical timed tests: push-ups, sit-ups, wall sits, stretching, etc. I hate push-ups. Even the girl kind. Or at least I used to. We did a test run the first day of class to see where we start so we can monitor how much improvement we are making throughout the semester. I got 15 girl push-ups in 2 minutes the first day. How embarrassing!! I have no upper body strength! I think that's something girls forget about. I don't want my arms to bulk up so I don't work them out...ever! Turns out it would be almost impossible for me to bulk up my arms naturally and there are so many awesome exercises to tone your arms. Push-ups especially! And, they not only work your arms and entire upper body, if you do them right, they are an excellent work out for your core! Yes or yes?

So, now for my PB :) today we did another test to see how much we've improved and I've moved up to 39. Take that, push-ups! I'm not scared of you anymore. In fact, I kinda like you now that we've gotten to know each other a little better. I also love the extra push that comes from working towards a goal. To get the top grade, girls have to do 55 push-ups in 2 minutes. Whew. Hmm...wow. That's a lot. Even for girl push-ups.

55, I'm coming for you.

homemade sushi

For Valentines Day I got Rhett a sushi kit. Tonight we tried out hand. Rhett was the sushi chef and I was the sous chef (normal).

We used avacado, cream cheese, crab, raw salmon, spicy mayo, and teriyaki (the ones that look brownish have teriyaki sauce in the rice). It's easy, really yummy and relatively cheap.

We've spent a few hours of QT with our airstream this weekend mostly just poking around, taking pictures, and chatting about our plans. Hopefully we'll get the title tomorrow and can get it checked out by the mechanic.

We also went to a fightin' Texas Aggie baseball game during their opening series this weekend. The new stadium looks great and the weather finally cleared up today so it was nice to spend a couple of hours outside.

:)

taco soup

January 29, 2012: In your fridge.

Taco soup is nothing new, but I'll share my family's version since it is currently in my fridge :)

It's super easy and it makes a lot. If you're cooking for a lot of people, it's perfect. If you're cooking for yourself, it freezes really well and is good leftover after the flavors have had time to meld together.

Taco Soup

1 lb. ground meat (I use turkey, beef works too)

1 yellow onion

2 cans diced tomatoes

1 can rotel

1 can pinto beans

1 can red beans (kidney)

1 can black beans

1 can corn

1 package Old El Paso taco seasoning

1 package Hidden Valley ranch dressing (powder)

1 can green chilies

1.5 glasses of water

tostitos chips

Brown the meet with some of the taco seasoning.

Combine the rest of the ingredients in a large pot. Add the meat when it's ready and let it simmer until it's hot and the onions are soft. Serve with grated cheese and tostitos chips! Put the rest in the freezer for later :)

Change the rotel to make it spicy or not spicy. I also don't use the whole packet of taco seasoning so it's not overpowering.

green smoothies

January 18, 2012: something you bought.

Green smoothies have been all over the place lately (like here, here, etc.). Every time I saw a "green smoothie" recipe I always thought it was some sort of hold-your-nose only-drink-because-it's-super-healthy type thing for those people who run everyday and keep a food journal (not that there is anything wrong with food journals, but they sound like a nightmare). Turns out, a green smoothie can be whatever you want it to be! Last week I had some baby spinach left over from dinner so I just tossed a few in my morning smoothie. Other than making it brown and kick starting your day with vitamins and other excellent things found in spinach, it doesn't change anything!! Taste is the exact same! Yesterday, I bought a ton of frozen fruit at HEB to make these healthy and delicious smoothies a daily habit. I took a few pictures of my smoothies (pre-blend) for the photo challenge today. Some use fresh fruit and add ice, but my blender isn't a huge fan of ice, so I stick with frozen fruit (plus it's easy and inexpensive). All I use is frozen fruit, a hand full of baby spinach leaves, and orange juice. I also bought Jillian Michaels whey protien powder in vanilla but totally forgot to add it this morning. I'll get back to you on that. I will say that I hope it doesn't taste how it smells...yikes.

favorite game day recipes

Way to go, Texans!!

We had some family over for the game this afternoon, so my mom and I made some of our favorite snacks/appetizers and one of my all-time favorite deserts. Perfect for continuing with the photo challenge! January 6, 2012: favourite (how European of us).

Shrimp and Avocado dip

This is really easy to make and so, so good. My Aunt Shari makes this at almost all family get-togethers and it goes quickly!

What you'll need:

1 package of cooked and frozen small shrimp

1 cup Picante sauce

1 cup Ketchup

Squirt of lemon juice

Squirt of Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp of horseradish

Avocado

Cilantro

1/2 of a jalapeno

Mix it all together in a bowl (avocado right before you serve it to keep it fresh) and serve with tortilla chips. YUM!

During halftime we were ready for a little something sweet. :)

Fruit Pizza 

(These recipes are everywhere, but I couldn't find the one I like on any website, so here ya go!)

1 roll of sugar cookie dough

8 oz. cream cheese

1 cup powdered sugar

Assorted fruit

Bake one big sugar cookie in a pizza pan according to the directions on the label. You don't have to push the dough all the way to the edge because it expands during cooking. It also doesn't matter it it's super wrinkly (like mine) because it all gets covered up in the end.

Let the cookie cool completely. 

Wash and cut your fruit (we used strawberries, blueberries, kiwi, and banana). 

Mix the cream cheese and powdered sugar in a bowl. You can use a mixer to get more of a whipped consistency, but I just stirred it together with a spoon.

Spread the cream cheese icing on the cookie and top with fruit!

Cut into squares or pizza slices and serve!

If you're lucky, you'll have some left over :)

In kitten news, Benson has found a new favorite spot...

Doesn't look that comfortable. Cats are funny.

Happy eating!

homemade salted caramel sauce

Hello lovelies!

Baked goods are pretty standard co-worker gifts during the holidays. They are easy to mass produce, usually not expensive, and since they are homemade (unless you're naughty) they give that thoughtful/warmandfuzzy feeling to the recipient. However, it's always embarrassing to show up with the same baked good as someone else (ala prom dress nightmare), so you have to get pretty creative/on pinterest. Last year I made granola and it was a huge hit with the ladies (there's only one man in the office).  This year I pulled flexed my cooking muscles a bit with homemade salted caramel sauce. If you've never made caramel sauce before, and I hadn't, it's pretty tricky (without a candy thermometer). I tried the first recipe many times (4)--all wrong, wrong, etc. The first one I waited too long to take it off the heat and it solidified immediately. The next three I was too anxious and they turned into a sloppy sugar and cream mixture. However, I did use the printable seen in my pic above from that site. Not wanting to give up for good, I'd already bought cute jars and Rhett cut out the printable tops, I finally switched to this one (two tries late). We got it right on the first try. I say we because the nascar speed in which the steps need to be preformed would have been very difficult by myself, and honestly, Rhett has more of a knack in the kitchen than I do (he wanted to switch recipes after two fails...sigh). Anyway, I can't say exactly why the second one was easier (ask Rhett), but it was and we made several batches. The caramel sauce was delicious. I gave each person a small jar and an apple as shown on one of the blogs. It was a hit, of course. I ate some on Christmas Eve on plain cheesecake and it was over-the-top yummy. I suggest putting your new years resolutions aside to indulge in this salty sweet goodness. And make some for new years gifts while you're at it! (the printables make you look super prepared and crafty)

Hope everyone had an excellent holiday season! I've got some fun pictures to share soon :)

knorr spinach dip awesomeness

Have you made the Knorr spinach dip? My aunt introduced me a while back and it's awesome/super easy. I'll share the ingredients here, you know, so you can make your grocery list before you get to the store. 

1 packet of Knorr vegetable recipe mix

1 cup mayo

1 can water chestnuts drained and chopped

Several green onions chopped (sliced?)

4/5 bag of fresh baby spinach chopped

(the packet says frozen, but it's so much better with fresh though it does take a bit longer to set up)

Put it all in a bowl and put it in the fridge for 1.5-2 hours. Enjoy with your favorite crackers!

I made this dip tonight for a dept party and it it delicious. Try it and report back.

[image]

back with cakewiches!

It's been a while, right?? Well, I brought cake to make it up to you. I'll recap some of the major points and then we can move on.

Less than a week after Banks (right) moved back to College Station with me, I admitted him to the hospital for a sinus infection that moved to his lungs. He weighed only 3.3 lbs and the vet was not very optimistic. He recovered in 4 days and came home just in time to get shipped back to Houston so I could help run GeoX. 

GeoX was a blast and thoroughly exhausting. I've got some great pictures and a slideshow one of the participants made that I'll post in the near future. 

I'm back in Houston, now. I've been at my internship for two weeks and everything is going great. I was an intern at this company last year, so I already know the ropes and a good group of people. I semi-blame looking at a computer all day at work for not blogging lately...and I got so far behind, it was a little daunting to think of starting up again. 

Anyway, after the hiatus, I have a lot of fun things to share, but for now, I'll leave you with a mini cake recipe my mom and I made this evening from Self Magazine. I've subscribed to Self for a few years now and I love it. It's all about healthy life style choices and they have the best recipes. 

Mini Chocolate Cakewiches--24

117 Calories for 2

Filling:

1/2 cup reduced-fat cream cheese, at room temp

2 tbsp powdered sugar

1/2 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt

1 tsp vanilla extract

Cake:

Vegetable oil cooking spray

3/4 cup flour

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup granulated sugar

3 tbsp unsalted butter

1 egg white

1/2 cup skim milk, divided

Preheat oven to 400°. 

For filling: Beat cream cheese and powdered sugar in a bowl with an electric mixer on high until smooth. Add yogurt and vanilla; beat until well combined. 

For cakes: Coat baking sheets with cooking spray. Whisk flour, cocoa powder and baking soda in a second bowl. Beat sugar and butter with an electric mixer on high in a third bowl until combined; add egg white and beat until mixture is thick and pale yellow. Add half the flour mixture to sugar and butter mixture; beat until just combined. Add 1/4 cup milk; beat on low speed until combined. Repeat with remaining flour mixture and remaining 1/4 cup of milk. Spoon batter into a large resealable bag; squeeze batter into a corder of the bag and clip 1/4 inch off to make a piping bag (our cut was bigger than this and didn't make nearly as many). Squeeze lines of batter 4 inches long and 1 inch apart (or as many inches apart as you want!). Bake until centers spring back to the touch--we did 5 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Fill with filling when they are cooled and enjoy!

Recipe from Self Magazine

**We did not love the filling, but the cake was excellent. I think some low-fat whipped cream would be even better inside and probably lower the calories even more! I'll letcha know if we try it out.

Good to be back, homies! Happy weekending!

spinach lasagna rolls & map prints

This week I made spinach lasagna rolls via just cook already. It's tough cooking for one because you really have to commit to eating whatever you make for several days in a row. I'll definitely make this again, though, but I'll use chopped up spinach instead of whole leaf (whole leaf was the only one I could find in a 10 oz. box). I may even change the cheese--my mom has a really good cheese mixture in her lasagna that would be delicious inside these rolls. 

I guess I overstuffed mine because it only made six. I also found a stuffed shell recipe that I've lost in the blogosphere. Dontcha hate when that happens. The search continues.

Anyway, I may or may not have ordered these two gorgeous prints from the Foundary.

I can't wait to hang them in my living room...or dining room. We'll see. I'm keeping an eye out for vintage maps. How fun would it be to have a map collage wall??

Today Banks fell asleep in the sun on the window sill :)

A few short minutes after this picture was taken, we learned the hard way that window sills aren't the safest place to sleep. 

BAM-spin on the BLT

The only reason people eat BLT's is for the bacon, right?? Well how about drop the lettuce and tomato and add an entire avocado [the small kind] and some mayo, toast a couple pieces of flat bread and you are set to enjoy the most delicious sandwich of your life. 

oreo cheesecakes

My apologies for being a horrible blogger lately. I have also been a horrible resolution keeper [if you were wondering]. However, I have been an awesome oreo cheesecake maker, and let's be honest, that's important.

Last night I made these for Valentines Day with my honey. We are both cheesecake people and I may or may not have an addiction to oreos, so they're right up our alley. They are super easy and not too expensive. I added a little red food coloring to the mix for festivity. I actually brought the rest to work and school today in an attempt to keep our love day treat from turning into love handles. 

I'll be back soon with fun things, promise!

you win some, you lose some.

Just ask the Steelers. 

I just got done with a very long battle with Adobe Illustrator. In the first half, AI was killing me, but with a little help from the coach (thanks Dr. Raymond!), I was able to pull out the W in the end. Though it leaves my eyes wondering, why are we still looking at a computer screen??

For our superbowl party I made 2 items. The first is these pepermint patties as seen on Flythroughourwindow. Darby has the cutest ideas, and I basically did exactly what she says on her blog [heart shape, pink center, freezing before dipping in chocolate]. My shortening was sidelined [literally sitting on the side and just never made it into the mixer], but the recipe still worked pretty well. This definitely earns a W. 

The second item I made was edamame hummus. I love edamame, olive oil, and garlic so it sounds like a perfect [and healthy] choice. I even exchanged parsley for basil [love] and coriander for chipotle chili powder [love] and I still did not like this dip. I guess I'm not a hummus person. Several people at the party said they liked it AND it has a 5 star rating on the food network website, but for me, it gets an L. 

Don't take my word for it! Give it a try. Maybe you'll love it. 

goodness, gracious, homemade granola!

The bf and I just got some delicious frozen yogurt Spoons, so in light of sweet treats... this homemade granola recipe from Ask Design Mom is awesome. It's pretty easy and you can use whatever nuts and goodies you have around. I made some for the ladies at work for Christmas and it was a huge hit! 

I tied some yarn around the mason jars and called it a day! Super easy and different "gift wrap" that cost me about $1 each at Michaels. I've seen some granola recipes that include coconut, but I haven't tried any of them yet. Sounds yummy! 
I went home this weekend and got to see this little guy munchin' on a pine cone, and work on my first sewing project with my mom! Details soon!