Beautiful Flowers

My sister and law and I used to own a flower business before we had kids. It was so much fun! Especially working with your best friend! Yes, she is awesome and we were friends even before I met my husband; in fact she introduced me to him. I say that she would have been the maid of honor in my wedding if I married her brother or not, but I did marry her brother so it makes it even better! 

Me and Mary Beth; my flower partner and friend 

We owned a flower business and did the flowers for weddings and events in the Washington, DC and Northern VA area. We had a lot of fun and met some wonderful people. It took up many hours of our time and challenged our people skills and creativity but it was worth it. We have great memories to look back on and some great laughs of the many bridezillas and many crazy mothers of the brides! 

One of the many things we learned about is keeping flowers beautiful for longer. A great tip is when you get lilies, to get some that haven't already opened. If they have, no telling how long they have already been open. They will open just being cut in a vase of water for a while. Once they've opened, remove the pollen from the stamen like in this picture. This will help them to stay fresh for longer. The reason why is that ...*"Pollen represents an important part of flower anatomy, but for lilies, the presence of pollen can be a problem. If the pollen gets on the flower petals, it can eat away at these delicate flower parts, leading to a shorter life for your blooms. While you can't remove pollen from some lilies, such as calla lilies, many lilies contain pollen that can easily be removed. Stargazer lilies, for example, feature a prominent central pistil surrounded by protruding stamens, each of which have pollen atop them. To ensure that your lilies remain fresh for an extended period of time, carefully pluck the pollen from each of these stamens, taking care not to allow the pollen to touch the petals." 

So enjoy all those flowers that are in season right now! I am loving my beautiful flowers from my local farmer's market. In season, fresh, and inexpensive. Those sound like winning things to me!

* Source: Pro Flowers

Smoky Chicken Tacos with Guacamole and Corn Salsa

These are amazing, if I do say so myself.

We smoked a chicken on our Weber this past weekend, well when I say "we" I really mean "he" the hubs did. I did season it and prepare it though so I really do deserve a lot of credit. But the grill is the hubby's domain so he gets most of it and these tacos were "bang'n" so I'll give it to him. We ate the chicken on Sunday and on Monday I made these with the left-over meat. These were fresh-tasting, filling and not even bad for you either! Oh, and gluten-free for all of my gluten-free friends out there! A perfect summer meal!

If you don't have a grill or smoker you can make these by just using your oven and some smoky seasonings. They are still delicious!

Ingredients:

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
Juice of 1 lime
1 TBSP cumin
1 TBSP chili powder
1/2 TBSP salt
1 tsp pepper
1 TBSP garlic powder
1 TBSP onion powder
Corn tortillas
Canola oil or cooking spray
Shredded cabbage
Salsa
Sour cream
Extra lime for garnish

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Coat chicken with evoo and spices evenly on both sides, (save lime for cooked chicken.) Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until cooked through and juices run clear. Let cool a bit. Decrease oven temperature to 200 degrees. While chicken is cooking make the guacamole and corn salsa.

While chicken is still warm, shred with 2 forks and when shredded, squeeze lime juice over the chicken and a bit of extra salt if needed. Keep chicken warm by covering it with foil.

In a skillet on med high heat, put a small amount of canola oil or cooking spray in the pan and let heat. Cook corn tortillas until browned on both sides and place on a cookie sheet in the 200 degree oven to keep warm while finishing the rest.

Make the tacos by laying a tortilla flat and adding chicken, corn salsa, and guacamole. Top with sour cream, salsa, shredded cabbage and a lime for garnish. Enjoy!


Corn Salsa:

2 cups cooked corn
1 cup fresh red pepper, de-veined, de-seeded and coarsely chopped.
Zest and juice of 1 lime
Salt and pepper to taste

Add all ingredients to a bowl and mix well. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Keep in the frig while cooking everything else so the ingredients can meld together.


Guacamole:

2 avocados, seeded and chopped finely
3 TBSP red onion, finely chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded, deveined, and finely chopped
2-3 TBSP cilantro, finely chopped
Zest and juice of 1 lime
2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and finely chopped
Garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste

Add all ingredients to a bowl and mix well. Coating the avocado in the lime juice will help the guacamole to stay green and not turn brown. By chopping the avocado instead of creaming it it will make the guacamole stay green for days! I like to cut the tomato and avocado about the same size but all the other ingredients I finely chop.

Homemade Coffee Creamer with Vanilla, Chocolate, and Caramel

I was out of coffee creamer today. Now, that may seem like no biggie to you reading this, but to me, coffee is my "me-time." Even if I have to re-heat it 6 times, it's still the thing that I really look forward to when I wake up in the morning. Can any other mommas out there relate? I may have had no sleep from babies who are up all night long, but in the morning I get coffee! So everything seems right with the world for those few precious moments sipping my coffee.

I enjoy flavored coffee creamers, and no, not those fat-free flavored ones either. I want a nice yummy flavored cup of coffee in the mornings so I can feel like I'm getting something gourmet. Not gourmet, like I'm eating at some French bistro in Paris, but gourmet like I at least get to have a yummy cup of coffee before eating breakfast, or forgetting to eat breakfast with my 2 boys under the age of two! And no, milk and sugar will not do! This morning I had to do something! So I whipped up some coffee creamer! I may not even be buying any at the store anymore because this was SO good! No extra sugar needed!

And no, I'm not counting the calories of this because I am enjoying my coffee before attempting to eat healthy the rest of the day! I had everything in my pantry to make it too! Here's how you do it:

Ingredients:

1/2 cup caramel syrup (I used Hershey's)
1 TBSP real vanilla
2 TBSP chocolate powder or syrup (I used Nesquik)
2 cups whole milk (for an even more decadent creamer use half whole milk and half cream)

Directions:

Mix all ingredients into a pitcher and enjoy! I had my creamer with hazelnut coffee; even more Yum!

Peanut Butter, Cherry and Chocolate Balls

I really wanted to make chocolate chip cookies;  I really wanted to make them so I could eat the cookie dough. I know, raw egg; I'll take my chances. Cookie dough, perhaps may be my favorite all-time food, along with French fries and pizza. I really am an all-American girl here.

I resisted the urge to make cookies but the, "I need something sweet and chocolately now!" did not pass. I decided to try to make cookie-dough inspired balls that are a little better for you. They turned out soooo good! I split my recipe in half and made half a batch different for the hubs since he despises peanut butter. Who can despise peanut butter?! Maybe he isn't really American!

So here is what I came up with. Takes about 10 minutes from start to finish and they're no-bake! Genius!
(2nd batch coming soon!)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups quick cooking, old-fashioned oats
1/4 cup almonds
1/4 cup cashews
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1-2 tsp vanilla
1 TBSP honey
2 TBSP brown sugar (optional)
1/2 cup dried cherries
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions:

Add oats, almonds and cashew to a food processor and pulse until ground finely. Add peanut butter, vanilla, and honey and pulse a bit more until all ingredients come together. 

Put oat and nut mixture to a large bowl and stir in chocolate chips and cherries. If you want a more fin consistency then add right to the food processor. Shape into balls and store in an airtight container. That's it! Simple and healthier for you than cookie dough (and a lot of other things)! Enjoy!

**If using un-salted nuts you may want to add a pinch or 2 of salt.

Caramel, Chocolate, and Toasted Coconut Oat Bars

My husband wanted me to make dessert but we've been trying to be healthy so I really didn't have a ton of bad-for-you food around the house. I did however have the ingredients that I use to make my homemade granola (recipe here) and some of my son's Easter candy! Eureka! He'll never miss it. :) He did get 4 Easter bunnies this Easter anyways! 

This turned out so yummy. In fact, it turned out so amazing that we ate the ENTIRE dessert in less than 24 hours; I'm not proud of it, really. Sometimes, we can exercise no self control and that is why I've been attempting to hold off on buying the sweet stuff but when you can whip this up in about 30 minutes....man...

Try it out! But make sure you have a few mouths to feed because I guarantee you will eat it ALL!

And on a side note, this is delicious warm but you will need to eat it with a spoon, I love it the next day when it's hardened and cooled completely. Mmmm, my mouth is watering!

Ingredients

1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup quick cooking oats
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup mini chocolate hips
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips1/2 cup milk chocolate chips (or use a medium Easter milk chocolate bunny!)
Caramel sauce (find a quick, microwave caramel sauce here)
1/2 cup coconut toasted

Topping:
1/4 cup quick cooking oats
2 TBSP butter, melted
2 TBSP brown sugar3 Tablespoons all purpose flour
Pinch of salt


Directions

Preheat Oven to 350 degrees

Put coconut on a baking sheet and toast for 8-10 minutes but watch carefully so that it will not burn. Toast until golden brown.

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, oats, brown sugar, baking soda and kosher salt. Add in the butter and mix well.

Lightly grease an 8 by 8 inch baking pan, or a 9 in cake/pie pan. Press the mixture in the bottom of the pan.

Bake for 10 minutes. 

Remove from oven and top with a drizzle of caramel sauce and add chocolate and toasted coconut evenly on top of the oatmeal mixture. Mix the topping ingredients together and crumble over the chocolate and toasted coconut.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15-17 minutes.

Cool completely before cutting into squares or triangles (like a pie) if using a round pan.
I can never wait too long though so I end up needing a spoon!

Musical Party Inspiration

A friend asked for some ideas for her daughter's graduation party. Her daughter wants a musical theme. Here are some fun and easy ideas that you can buy and/or make without breaking the bank! They're super cute too! I hope this helps!

This garland is made from sheet music. You can either use sheet music that you find from old songbooks (look at thrift stores) or you can print it off online. The garland is made up of pinwheels with letters in the center. Find a tutorial o the pinwheels here: Pinwheel Instead of "JOY" use "Class of 2013" Or "Congrats Casey"

What better thing for a graduation party than a candy bar! Black and white to keep with the theme of graduation and music. Add paper bags so that guest can take some home as a "thank you" for attending! Find adorable paper bags here: Paper bags

These marshmallow pops are so cute and yummy too! You just put marshmallows on a decorative straw and dip in white or milk/dark chocolate. While still wet, add toppings in your party theme's colors! Find cute decorative straws here: Paper straws

Make some cake stands with records and candle holders! Get the candle holders and old records from a thrift shop and spray paint the candle holders in you desired color. Hot glue the candle holder to the record and voila! 

Make a backdrop for the food or cake table with records. You can find so many records at the thrift shop! Just hot glue to a spray painted board or hand from ribbon or strong from a pole or overhang. 

These little desserts are trifles. Just layer pudding and cake and top with music notes. Put into a clear mini cup or plastic shot glass.You can make these music notes by melting white chocolate, putting the melted chocolate into a plastic sandwich bag and cutting a tip to make a piping bag. Quickly, before the chocolate starts to hard pip music notes onto wax paper and let harden.

Have guests sign something for the graduate! Maybe a music stand or a record. 

A few more idea or table arrangements and how to use sheet music. Simple baby's breath are really beautiful and elegant in a galvanized pail with music sheet flowers around it. Or, wrap the sheet music around a letter (First letter of her name) and mod podge it to the letter.

Label all of the food. Here is a cute idea; chip are "guitar picks"

Instead of a menu, put "Congrats Casey, 2013!" in the center of each record.

How cute are these microphones? They are just cupcakes  baked in a ice cream cone and topped with icing and black sprinkles! 

Another cute label idea and p[popcorn cups made with colored popcorn and scrapbook paper in your theme's colors.

Use paper straws and make little banners on each that say "Class of 2013" and water bottle wrappers. You can find lots of water bottle wrapper sand fun printables on  www.etsy.com

Carmelized Brussels Sprouts

Okay, you see the words "Brussels Sprouts" so you're thinking of just not even reading this blog post. Don't skip it! You should try these even if you think there is no way you would ever like Brussels sprouts. These are delicious! I've been addicted to them lately and even making them for myself for lunch. Yum! Even my husband who said he hates Brussels sprouts cleaned his plate of these. I did have to force him to eat them, but I was right; as usual :) He loved them!

The mix of sweet and salty with the bits of brown, crispy Brussels sprouts mixed with the tender ones....to.die.for. Try these and I promise you won't be putting these on your list of things that you don't like anymore. These are not your momma's 'boil until they are mush' Brussels sprouts!

Ingredients:

Brussels sprouts (about 20-30)
1 TBSP brown sugar
1 TBSP agave
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 TBSP olive oil (more if needed)

Directions:

Slice the Brussels sprouts as thin as you can length wise (so the core is a bit on each slice as much as possible). Saute the Brussels sprouts on medium high heat in olive oil for about 5-6 minutes or until the sprouts have browned and are tender; season with salt and pepper. Add the brown sugar and agave and more salt and pepper to taste. Immediately after adding brown sugar and agave, take off the heat so that sprouts do not burn. Serve hot!