bruschetta with strawberries and tomatoes

I haven't known the awesomeness that is a grill until recently when my husband received one for Father's Day. We have been putting that thing to good use lately as any excuse to not heat the house is fine by me. I saw this recipe for bruschetta with strawberries and tomatoes and just had to make some the other night to go along with our steaks and corn on the cob. This 'oh so good' little appetizer is definitely going into our grilling repertoire. I really want some now...

 Ingredients

• 1/2 pint strawberries, hulled and quartered
• 1/2 pint mixed cherry tomatoes (red and yellow), quartered
• 3 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing bread
• salt
• freshly ground pepper
• 1 large baguette, cut on the diagonal into 1/2 inch thick slices

Make

• In a medium bowl, mix first five ingredients with 2 tbsp olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
• Place bread on a baking pan and brush with olive oil; flip and repeat. Heat grill to medium-high. Transfer bread to grill; grill until slightly charred, 1 to 2 minutes per side.
• Place grilled bread slices on a platter and top each with a heaping spoonful of the strawberry-tomato mix.

{image/recipe via country living}

have your cake

Thanks for letting me take a bit of a break last week. I was able to focus on my family and took some time to think about my priorities and this blog. As much as I love blogging, it isn't on the tip top of my priority list with right now. While I would like to blog five days a week, I have to be honest and admit that I most likely won't be able to do that for the next little while. I want to give you guys good content and not post just for the sake of posting so some weeks might have two posts and others five. I hope you can understand. Thank you for all of your comments and for reading! You are awesome.

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My mother in law, Linda, is an excellent cake decorator (she even made our wedding cake). A couple summers ago she held a cake decorating class for her nieces and daughters in law where she shared some of her wisdom and experience. I had a lot of fun learning how to use all the frosting tips but haven't practiced much since then I'm afraid. I'm thinking a refresher course is in order when we head home to visit this summer (how about it Linda?).

These gorgeous cakes below serve as great inspiration for when I finally bust out those tips and decorate a cake. I LOVe that ombre cake and how awesome is the cake with rock candy? I'm thinking it would be so fun for Olivia's next birthday.

Source: strawcut.tumblr.com via Heather on Pinterest

Source: stylemepretty.com via Heather on Pinterest

Source: marthastewartweddings.com via Heather on Pinterest

Source: postcardsandpretties.blogspot.com via Heather on Pinterest

Source: a-ladys-findings.tumblr.com via Heather on Pinterest

pasta shells florentine

I spotted this recipe on my friend Jackie's blog a while back and bookmarked it to try. I finally got around to making it last month and I am so glad that I did. It is really simple to put together and it tastes wonderful. Definitely a recipe that will be in heavy rotation around our house.

Need

• 10 oz. frozen spinach 
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese 
• 2 cups cottage cheese 
• 2 T. parmesan cheese 
• 2 egg whites 
• 1 box jumbo pasta shells, cooked 
• 1 jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce

Make

Mix cheeses, spinach and egg whites. Stuff into cooked shells and arrange into a 9×13 pan. Cover with spaghetti sauce. Bake at 375 for 30-40 minutes.

Quick and Easy Chicken Noodle Soup

I love fall/winter time because to me, that means soup! I'm not sure if you've ever made chicken noodle soup but it's a lot easier to make than I thought it was, and so much tastier than from the can!

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 4 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can vegetable broth
• 1/2 pound chopped cooked chicken breast
• 1 1/2 cups egg noodles
• 1 cup sliced carrots
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

In a large pot over medium heat, melt butter. Cook onion, celery and carrots in butter until just tender, 5 minutes. Pour in chicken and vegetable broths and stir in chicken, *noodles,  basil, oregano, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes before serving.

* I'm not a big fan of over done noodles so I cooked them separately and then added them to the soup right before I served it.

{recipe}

peanut butter cups

Hello! How was your weekend? Oh my...we just had our first official taste of fall this weekend here in Dallas/Fort Worth with temperatures in the mid-70s. Can I just tell you again how much I love fall? Today Olivia and I took advantage of the beautiful weather and went for a walk and had a picnic lunch. My kind of day!

I have been wanting to try my hand at making peanut butter cups and I finally did this weekend. They are surprisingly easy to make and turned out pretty good.

 

Ingredients

• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract 
• 3 cups chocolate chips
• large or small muffin liners

1. Grab your chocolate chips and melt in a glass bowl over some simmering water.
2. Mix peanut butter and powdered sugar together. Play with the amount of powdered sugar to find a good peanut butter mixture consistency. If you want a more crumbly and than smooth middle, add more powdered sugar. Add vanilla extract and continue to mix until smooth.
3. Now grab your muffin liners and place a spoonful of chocolate in the bottom and around the edges with the back of your spoon. Put a small lump of peanut butter filling in the chocolate cup. How much you add is up to you. Fill them so there’s a fairly even ratio of chocolate to filling. Top with melted chocolate.
4. Put in fridge to solidify.

A thought - If you choose to use normal muffin liners as opposed to the mini be aware that these bad boys are super rich and I might suggest only filling them half way.

Let me know if you try them!

honey & lime grilled salmon

Due to family fishing trips in Alaska we have an abundance of salmon. I'm always looking for new ways to cook the fish and came across this recipe. We thought it was a good mix of flavors and the fact that it contains lime and cilantro earned it extra points at our house.  

Ingredients

• 2 whole salmon fillets, skin removed
• 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
• 1/2 cup lime juice
• 1 tablespoon honey, or to taste
• 1 teaspoon red chili flakes
• 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic

Directions

Mix all and dump in gallon-sized Ziploc baggie. Marinate fish in baggie for no longer than 15 minutes (or else lime juice will cook the fish). Grill for 5 minutes per side.

{recipe & image via}

Chocolate Cranberry Crisps

I am excited to have my friend, the talented photographer Jackie Norris guest blogging here while I am away.  She will be sharing a few things with us over the next couple of days. Please help make her feel welcome! Take it away Jackie!

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Hello all! I'm so excited to be guest blogging over here this week!

I've known Heather for a couple years now and just love her style.

I'm going to share one of my favorite treats with you. 

It's so simple... 4 ingredients and no cooking required!

Chocolate Cranberry Crisps 

1 bag chocolate chips 

1 cup dried cranberries

2 1/2-3 cups rice krispie cereal

coarse sea salt 

Melt the chocolate chips {I like to put them in a glass bowl over some simmering water}, then add the cereal and dried cranberries. Mix well. Drop by rounded tablespoons onto parchment paper, sprinkle with coarse sea salt if desired and freeze until set.

Voila! See, I told you they were easy! 

You can mix these up... use different dried fruit, add nuts, whatever! Make it your own, that is what is so great about cooking!

chicken with mushrooms and peas

• 8 chicken thighs
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
• Salt and pepper
• 8 ounces mushrooms, halved
• 1 onion, coarsely chopped
• One 10-ounce package frozen peas

1.Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 400°. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the chicken with 1 tablespoon olive oil, the thyme and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper; roast for 20 minutes.

2.Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the mushrooms, onion, peas and the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Add the vegetables to the chicken and cook for 25 minutes more.

{recipe & image via rachael ray}

spaghetti carbonara

I came across this recipe a year ago and it quickly became a family favorite. I like it not only for the flavor but because it contains ingredients I always have in my kitchen, plus it is quick and easy to make. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 4 ounces uncooked spaghetti
• 1 egg plus 1 egg yolk
• 4 strips bacon or 2 slices pancetta (Italian bacon), diced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese  
• 1 cup water from pasta or milk (*see note at bottom)
• Crushed red pepper (optional)

1. Cook the spaghetti according to package directions.
2. Meanwhile, beat the egg and egg yolk in a small bowl. Set aside.

3. Cook the bacon in a large saucepan over medium high heat until it is cooked through, not crisp. Remove it from the pan with a slotted spoon and drain it on paper towels. Leave the bacon fat in the pan and add the olive oil. Heat. Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, just until you smell the aroma. Remove from the heat. Return the bacon to the pan.

4. When the spaghetti is cooked, lift it out of the water with tongs and put it in the saucepan with the bacon. Measure 1 cup of pasta water (or milk) and discard the rest. Place the saucepan over medium-high heat. Pour the hot pasta water over the spaghetti and use tongs to turn the spaghetti over several times. Add the beaten eggs and continue stirring quickly to cook the egg.

5. When the water is almost evaporated, add the salt, black pepper, and cheese. Continue to stir until well-mixed. When the cheese is mostly melted, take the pan off the heat.

6. Plate and serve immediately. Pass the crushed red pepper.

Variation: You may use 1 cup of milk in place of the water (this is what I prefer). But the dish will have more egg flavor if you use water.

cheesy baked pasta with spinach & artichokes

From time to time i'd like to share good recipes that i've come across and liked. iIm always interested in finding new recipes and think others might be as well. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 8 ounces mezzi rigatoni or some other short pasta (1/2 box)
• 1 14-ounce can artichoke hearts, rinsed and quartered
• 1 9-ounce package frozen creamed spinach, thawed
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan (1 ounce)
• 2 cups grated mozzarella (8 ounces)
• black pepper

         Directions

1. Cook the pasta according to the package directions, drain, and return it to the pot. Heat broiler.
2. Add the artichoke hearts, spinach, Parmesan, half the mozzarella, and ¼ teaspoon pepper to the pasta and toss to combine.
3. Transfer the mixture to a shallow 2-quart (or 8-inch square) broilerproof baking dish and sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella. Broil until the cheese is browned in spots, 2 to 3 minutes. 

Serves 4 Hands-On Time: 25m Total Time: 25m

{recipe & image via real simple}