The Sages

Wine Cork Wreath

2012-01-29T21:24:00.004-06:00

So I found this wreath on Pinterest a while back and loved it. Upon reading the fine print (aka directions), I discovered that it required 180 wine corks. There was no way that I would be making this any time in the next few years and for my short patience, that was not okay.
Well low and behold, we took a trip to San Fran and NAPA at the end of December (oh my goodness...missing this trip so much! It was SO fun!) and Napa just happens to have lots of wine corks (who would've ever guessed!?).
Who would ask for wine corks at fancy wineries? Oh I would and I did tell them that I wanted them for a craft too. Those kind people filled up bags for me...as in I had to ship them back to us because there was no room in my suitcase (we carried on, I am so low maintenance....)
We made it back to Houston before the shipment did, but once we received it, I went to work on my wreath.
You will need:
a 12" straw wreath (oh my goodness these are so cheap!)
glue gun and glue sticks
180ish wine corks
floral wire

Directions
1- Remove the plastic from the wreath and use the floral wire to create a loop around the wreath with enough slack for hanging.
2- Sort out the corks. Any corks that you have a lot of you, you will want to use for the base layer. I tried to hold back all of the really cool looking/pretty corks for the top layer. I wanted it to be a good variety.
3- Line up the corks in a neat row around the inside and all around the front part of the wreath that will be seen. Use two dots of glue on each cork. Do not put any corks on the back side of the wreath as it will be hanging on the wall and will need to lay flat.

4- After the bottom layer is covered, start randomly laying the corks on the wreath. Super easy!

And I found the perfect place for it above the pass through into our dining room.

Now to figure out what to do with the rest of those corks. I'm sure pinterest might have an idea or two..

Sandwiches (And a soup)

2012-01-22T21:19:00.005-06:00

Apparently all that you get from me now is recipes...I have been doing a little crafting too, but have not gotten around to photographing, so you get food. Hope you're hungry! : )
The first is a recipe I made in hopes of creating cold weather...think dancing to have rain. Unfortunately this did not work and its been like 80 degrees, no bueno. Our food on the other hand was bueno, a twist on the traditional grilled cheese and tomato soup.
Avocado Grilled Cheese and Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup

Avocado Grilled Cheese
*Not going to insult you by typing out an actual recipe here. Butter the bottom piece and put it butter side down on the skillet. Place slices of mozarella, on top place a layer of pepperoni followed by a layer of avocado and the top piece of buttered bread. Cook just like a typical grilled cheese.

Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup
*Such a great soup and it made SO much! We had to freeze some of the extra.
Ingredients
2 (14 oz) cans diced tomatoes, with juice
1 cup finely diced celery
1 cup finely diced carrots
1 cup finely diced onions
1 tsp dried oregano or 1 T fresh oregano
1 T dried basil or 1/4 cup fresh basil
4 cups chicken broth
½ bay leaf
½ cup flour
1 cup Parmesan cheese
½ cup butter
2 cups half and half, warmed
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper

1. Add tomatoes, celery, carrots, chicken broth, onions, oregano, basil, and bay leaf to a large slow cooker.
2. Cover and cook on LOW for 5-7 hours, until flavors are blended and vegetables are soft.
3. About 30 minutes before serving prepare a roux. Melt butter over low heat in a skillet and add flour. Stir constantly with a whisk for 5-7 minutes. Slowly stir in 1 cup hot soup. Add another 3 cups and stir until smooth. Add all back into the slow cooker. Stir and add the Parmesan cheese, warmed half and half, salt and pepper. Add additional basil and oregano if needed (the slow cooker does a number on spices and they get bland over time, so don't be afraid to always season to taste at the end).
4. Cover and cook on LOW for another 30 minutes or so until ready to serve.

Today after church I remembered that I had some brie left over from a recipe last week and then found a granny smith apple, so I found this recipe
Oven-Toasted Brie, Ham and Apple Sandwich

*serves 4 (I just made it for me, so I obviously used only 1/4 of the ingredients)
Ingredients
1 large baguette (about 1 lb.), cut into 4 pieces (I just made one sandwich and didn't have a baguette, so I used regular bread)
7 oz. brie, most of the rind trimmed off and thinly sliced (trim and slice the brie while it's cold)
2 Tbs. unsalted butter
1-1/2 medium Granny Smith apples, cored, and cut into 1/4-inch-thick wedges (about 1-1/2 cups)
3/4 lb. ham steak, thinly sliced on the diagonal
2 Tbs. whole-grain Dijon mustard
1 Tbs. honey
1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme

Directions

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 425°F. Split the baguette pieces lengthwise, open them up like a book, and top one side with the brie. Set on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or aluminum foil, and bake until the cheese melts and the bread lightly browns, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large (12-inch) heavy-duty skillet over medium-high heat. Add the apples and cook, tossing every minute or so, until they start to soften and brown in places, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the ham and cook, gently tossing, until it warms. Remove from the heat and gently toss with the mustard, honey, and thyme until the ham and apples are evenly coated. Using tongs, distribute the ham mixture into the warm pieces of baguette, secure with 2 toothpicks, cut in half, and serve. Yum!

We did go to a bday party of a friend of Cody's last night. We played BINGO and then rode go-carts. Did I mention it was his 29th birthday? Who said getting older was no fun..it was so fun!

PS I did not win. Every time that I play BINGO, I am absolutely convinced that I am going to win and then someone yells BINGO and dashes my hopes and dreams. Well that might be a little dramatic...

This should have gone on a post last week, but here is Carolina, Lauren and I in our lovely Houston finisher shirts. 2 half marathons and 1 full marathon! Go us! Now onto the Woodlands half in March!

Have a blessed week!

Dressing

2012-01-19T14:00:00.001-06:00

We are ranch dressing people. As in our go-to salad dressing is ranch. Ranch is a creamy dressing. Creamy dressings are not necessarily the healthiest, ergo a problem. Cody found this recipe for a new salad dressing that we both really like. You can make it at home with ingredients that you already have so it is fresh! I thought I'd share :)

Honey Dijon Balsamic Vinaigrette

From allrecipes.com

Ingredients

1/3 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon honey

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Whisk balsamic vinegar, olive oil, mustard, honey, salt, and pepper in a bowl.

Tortilla Roll ups and Bite-size Baked Brie

2012-01-18T14:00:00.000-06:00

One of our sweet kindergarten para-professionals retired this past week = sad day for Yeager kinder! However, we wanted to celebrate her and the impact she has made on our lives and the kids lives. I found two new recipes to contribute to the celebration (no pictures though..I'm not sure how that happened):
1. Tortilla Roll ups
From Food.com

Ingredients

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 package dry ranch dressing mix
1/2 cup red bell peppers, minced
1/2 cup celery, minced
1/4 cup green onions, sliced
1/4 cup olives, sliced (optional)
deli ham or deli turkey or deli roast beef
4 10-inch flour tortillas

Directions

In a mixing bowl beat softened cream cheese and ranch dressing mix until smooth.
Add red pepper, celery, onions, and olives (if using), mix well.
Spread about 3/4 cups on each tortilla.
Roll up tightly and wrap in plastic wrap.
Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

2. Bite-sized Baked Brie

From Joy the Baker

makes 24 squares

2 sheets puff pastry, thawed but still cold

1/2 wedge of brie, cold

1/3 cup cherry jam (or any flavor you fancy!)

1 large egg, beaten

splash of milk

All-butter, store bought puff pastry usually comes frozen and folded into thirds. We’re going to use these folded thirds to our advantage. Cut the puff pastry into thirds along the creases. Cut each panel into four pieces. They’ll be 2 1/4-inch tall and 3-inches wide. One sheet of puff pastry will yield 12 rectangles. Cut each rectangle in half. You’ll have 24 little rectangles that will create 12 little rectangle pockets.

Combine beaten egg and splash of milk. Brush 12 of the small rectangles with egg wash. If you’d like to make brie bites on sticks, now is the time! Place a popsicle stick halfway up the puff pastry and press in gently. Place a small sliver of brie (rind and all) on top of the egg wash (and stick). Top with about 1/2 teaspoon of cherry jam. Take another square of puff pastry and press between your fingers to make the rectangle slightly bigger. Place puff pastry on top of the cheese and jam. Use a fork to press the edges together. The egg wash will act as a glue. Make sure to seal the edges well by crimping with the fork.

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place prepared brie bites on a parchment lined baking sheet. Brush with egg wash. Sprinkle with a touch of coarsely ground sea salt. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes or until golden brown.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before serving.

Brie bites are best served warm, but are also delicious at room temperature.

Mini Cinnamon Rolls

2012-01-17T14:00:00.000-06:00

I have come across quite a few good recipes on Pinterest. I have made this one twice now and LOVE these mini cinnamon rolls. They are a great, quick breakfast, especially for company. Mom and I made these Monday morning along with some piggies as a way to refuel from the race weekend. : )

Mini Cinnamon Rolls

from Iowa Girl Eats

Ingredients (makes 16 mini cinnamon rolls)

1-8oz tube crescent roll dough
2 Tablespoons butter
cinnamon
brown sugar
For the maple icing:
1 teaspoon maple syrup
1 Tablespoon skim milk
3/4 cup powdered sugar

Instructions

Preheat oven according to crescent roll dough package directions. Layout half the dough (4 triangles) and pinch all the seams together. Flip over and pinch the seams on the back side together too.
Using a rolling pin, smooth the seams and roll the dough into a square about 1/4″ thick. Brush with half the butter, and sprinkle with as much cinnamon and brown sugar as you want. Roll into a log and cut into 8 pieces.
Place mini cinnamon rolls into a non-stick sprayed mini muffin tin. Repeat steps 1 and 2 with the other half of the crescent roll dough. Bake according to package directions.
Meanwhile whisk together maple syrup and milk in a bowl. Add in powdered sugar until desired consistency is reached. Drizzle over warm cinnamon rolls.

Houston (Half) Marathon

2012-01-16T13:48:00.009-06:00

I have run quite a few half marathons. After this past weekend, the exact number is 7. I have run in Surfside, Dallas, Galveston, New Orleans, Las Colinas, and San Antonio but had not yet run in Houston. Well, I decided this year to try the half in Houston and I loved it! Look at the sweet sign one of the kinder moms made and had my kids sign! Love them!

Saturday, Carolina and I headed down to George R. Brown. We picked up our packets, explored the expo and then got to watch the end of the Olympic marathon trials! So cool! We saw Meb Keflezighi, Ryan Hall and Abdi Abdirahman clench spots on the Olympic team for the men and Shalane Flanagan, Desiree Davila and Kara Goucher claim spots for the women. What an amazing thing to watch!!

Later that day, my mom came into town and we did a little shopping, attended a wedding shower and went to see New Year's Eve (such a good movie!) before eating a pasta dinner and calling it an early night.

Sunday we were up by 4:45 (no lie..) and headed out to meet Carolina to drive downtown. Carolina and I before our 5th half marathon together.

This was a HUGE race, but was so well organized! I loved getting to see all of the fun signs and the crowd support was amazing! It definitely made a difference in my running. As did the perfect weather conditions. I beat my previous times and finished in 1:50:25 (which beat my last race in San Antonio, that was a hot and hard race for me, by 8 minutes!).

I'm on the far right just about the cross the finish line

My official time said 1:50:25..I either started my watch too early or stopped it too late

After finishing the race, Abdi Abdirahman (remember the 3rd place finisher in the Olympic trials) moseyed by in his official Olympic team jacket, so we chased him down for a picture! : ) (Yes that is a starbucks in my hand. I was so jealous of all of the spectators that had starbucks along the way, so I had to get one right after we finished...love my Skinny Vanilla Lattes!)

We went to mile 22 to support our friends Lauren (who rocked the full marathon in 4:03!!)
and Warren
and ended up seeing even more people we knew to cheer on. What amazing runners they are!! I cannot imagine (nor do I have any desire to find out) how hard those last 13.1 miles are!

We were starving at that point, so we drove around looking for a place to eat lunch and happened upon District 7 Grill where we enjoyed a wonderful brunch of egg sandwiches, migas and waffles..we had to refuel. : )

And to top off the great weekend, I'm off from school today due to MLKJ!

Days Until Sign

2012-01-08T13:00:00.000-06:00

Prior to Christmas, my team had a party with a gift exchange. Our limit was only $15, so I started brainstorming something good to bring. This is what I came up with.

A days until sign, flower pot covered in leopard print duct tape, magazine, bubble bath and nail polish. Both of the "crafts" of the gift are super easy, quick and inexpensive.

Days Until Sign
Materials
*Piece of wood cut to 30 inch length (I can't remember what the width was though..just eyeball it)
*Chalkboard Spray paint
*White paint

Directions (I made mine slightly different from this tutorial)
1. Have your handsome husband cut the piece of wood to the desired size.
2. Sand the piece of wood then apply a coat of primer paint. Once the primer paint dries, apply 2 coats of chalkboard spray paint. Allow to dry for 24 hours.
3. Prime board by rubbing chalk across, then erase.
4. I used white paint and just free handed the words days until....however, I would recommend either using stencils, stickers or a silhouette letters.
You're finished! SO easy and you probably have most of the necessary items to make the board in your house (I didn't have to buy a thing for this one).

For the flower pot (this doesn't really even need a tutorial)
Materials
*Flower pot of desired size
*One roll of patterned duct tape

Directions
*Apply duct tape vertically to the flower pots in pieces that are long enough to cover from the lip inside of the flower pot to the bottom. You will have to slightly overlap to make sure that it is completely covered.

Letter Photo Art

2012-01-07T17:00:00.000-06:00

Remember the "joy" letters that I made as part of our Christmas decor? The reason that I made these letters was that I had accidentally broken out the glass on 3 frames while attempting to make another craft. Well this is the other craft. At the beginning of December, I came across this tutorial on Shanty2Chic. I ended up making these name boards for our house, both sets of parents and both sets of Cody's grandparents.

You will need:
*Frames (enough for the letters in the last name...I found these at the dollar store)
*Spray Paint
*Wood big enough to fit the frames (and a kind husband to cut the wood for you)
*Sand Paper
*Paper to print out your letters from this website
*Hot Glue...or really wood or gorilla glue...my hot glue did not keep the frames on...

You will need to:
1. Spray paint frames

2. While they are drying, check out the FREE letter pictures on this website to decide which are the favorites of your name. Print and place into frames when they are dry.
3. Cut the boards to fit the frames (or kindly ask your husband to), then sand and paint boards. I used a cabinet roller to paint the boards and that made it super easy.

4. Once all paint has dried (add hangers at this point if the letter art is to be hung on the wall), put a little wood glue/gorilla glue on the corners of each frame and place them onto the wooden board. (I tried hot glue and just kept losing frames...after they were already wrapped, so use wood or gorilla glue!)

So easy!

Ours is hung above the breakfast bar in the kitchen. It brings in the Garden Sage color onto that wall since it is white : )

Everywhere you look, there's a heart and a hand to hold on to..

2012-01-04T19:06:00.013-06:00

Full House anyone? That was one of my FAVORITE shows!
On Friday morning we left Napa and headed towards San Francisco. We took a detour to the Muir Redwoods. It was a winding road to get there, but so worth it once we did. It was beautiful! A great opportunity to walk around and admire God's handiwork.

Afterwards, we headed into San Fran via Sausalito to find our wonderful little apartment that was literally a block from Ghiradelli square. (I used airbnb to find the apartment. Let me know if you are headed that way and I will share the listing). We unpacked, then walked down to fisherman's wharf to find lunch. We ate clam chowder in sourdough bread bowls at one of many places that offered these. Yum!

Afterwards, we wandered over to Pier 39 to see the sea lions and checked out the shops on the pier. That was packed!

That night, we walked over to Chinatown and found, wait for it -- a Chinese food restaurant for dinner.

We also headed back to Ghiradelli Square to do a little chocolate shopping. They gave us a sample of the peppermint bark squares and they were so good!

The next morning, Cody and I got up and ran from our apartment to the marina. Running in other cities is quite possibly my favorite way of sight seeing. We got to see the rolling streets, the golden gate and the beach.

That day we went to Alcatraz,

Ate In-N-Out burgers

Walked down to do a little NYE dinner shopping at Trader Joe's

Saw the Painted Ladies (think Full House) and went down winding Lombard Street (no pics though..couldn't quite figure out what mode to use on the camera at night...)

Picked up some crabs down at Fisherman's Wharf and bread from Boudin bakery and rang in the new year with a great big dinner and fireworks that we could hear but only see on tv : )

This was exactly the break that we needed! We got out of Texas, had a chance to see some new places and we relaxed! So thankful for this trip!

Napa!

2012-01-03T08:41:00.008-06:00

After a very stressful semester of both grad school and school for me and work for the Mr., we decided that over Christmas, we would benefit from taking a vacation. We saw the proximity of San Francisco and Napa and decided that would be a perfect trip. We started out our six day vaca with a flight from DFW to San Fran where our friends Scott and Ashley picked us up from the airport. Our destination for the evening was Napa, but we took a quick detour to see some important San Fran sights.

We stayed three nights at this wonderful B&B called Hennessey House. We had a great room, the location was perfect right on Napa's main street and the breakfast was AMAZING!! Check it out if you are ever in Napa.

While there we got to explore the cute city, I got to run to see the beauty of the valley

we met a lot of new people, tried some wine, ate A LOT of food

Both days we were there for lunch, we stopped by Oakville Grocery to pick up picnic food before heading up to Rutherford Hill for lunch. I loved this grocery store and the view from the top of the hill was amazing!

celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary at Brix (watched the Baylor Bears win the Alamo bowl! Sic 'em! Second year in a row that our bowl game was on the same day as our anniversary!)

and relaxed (PTL!). Napa was wonderful!! We also went to San Fran, but more on that tomorrow!

Merry Christmas! (A day late..)

2011-12-26T12:45:00.007-06:00

We were a little busy yesterday, so I didn't get around to posting, but

Merry Christmas from the Sages to you!

Have to share a few other pictures too....
Alex with part of one of Cody's Christmas gifts

Alex with his new teddy bear...soon to be besties

Erin had already gone down for a nap when the camera came out, but just know that she was so adorable in her Christmas clothes and that she was a HAM this year! So fun to watch open gifts!
And finally our girls stalking a squirrel in the backyard..

Family pictures

2011-12-23T07:00:00.000-06:00

For part of my parent's 55th birthdays back in September, we did family pictures (in October). Cody and I had the most amazing wedding photographer, Casey Jay Benson, so we went back to him for our family pics and he delivered again. We LOVE them! (PS. I did not get Christmas cards together to send out this year, so just picture the words Merry Christmas Love, The Sages : )

The Brown Fam

Brad, Jen, Erin and Alex

Mom and Dad

The Mr. and I

27

2011-12-22T19:59:00.005-06:00

Y'all I just keep getting older.....and closer to the big 3-0. I still have three years though, so I'll hold onto that for now! Today was my 27th birthday. I love birthdays!
We started celebrating yesterday. I went to my friend Lauren's for a little baking with Carolina and Meagan.
Look at this adorable bundt cake Meagan brought from Nothing Bundt Cakes! So yummy!

We headed out from there to meet up with Dinah and we played some Bananagrams. There were quite a few broken rules for Bananagrams....playing in English/Spanish, making up words, stretching out words, but we all had fun!

Afterwards following Lauren's husband, Cody's suggestion, we ate at Torchy's tacos. They are originally in Austin and have just come to Houston. So good!

Today I got to relax with an easy morning run with Ellie and quick walk with Chloe before a nice mani-pedi. Cody got off work early today, so I got to spend time with him!
Here's a sweet pic of Ellie relaxing by the upstairs tree the other day. Looks like this girl loves Christmas!

Chicken Roll ups

2011-12-22T07:00:00.000-06:00

I made these a couple of weeks ago. They were quick and super easy.

Chicken Roll ups

1 pkg cream cheese (8oz)
1 pkg crescent rolls (6 ct)
2 shredded cooked chicken breasts
1.5 C grated chedder cheese
1 C grated Monterey Jack
1/4 t salt
1/4 t pepper
*I also added in some poultry seasoning and a little bit of garlic.
bread crumbs
1/4 stick melted butter

Combine chicken, cheeses, salt and pepper. Spoon onto crescents. Roll them up making sure they are sealed around the chicken mixture. Brush tops with butter and sprinkle with bread crumbs. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. To reheat, just place in a 325 degree oven for 15 minutes.

Deck the Halls!

2011-12-19T07:00:00.000-06:00

This weekend Cody was enjoying a little hunting (avert your eyes if you are anti-hunting...)

While he was gone, Carolina and I had a sleepover! We went shopping, running, crafting, ate some yummy food and watched some movies.

I was also able to finish wrapping presents, so I'm ready to show you my Christmas decorations now that my tree is not naked. Here's a glimpse into our winter wonderland here at the Sage Casa:

I like all of the subway art that I have seen on blogs and pinterest, but could not find one that told the actual meaning of Christmas until I came across this one. It has part of the story from Luke 2.

I always wrap my presents according to family. The Sages get one color of wrapping paper (maroon this year), the Browns get one color of wrapping paper (black and white this year) and our extended family/friends get another color of wrapping paper (silver this year). It just makes it so much easier to get the correct presents to the right place. I used raffia for the bows instead of ribbon and kraft paper + sparkly letter stickers for the labels (initials only). I LOVE the way they turned out!

(The stocking on the right was being super uncooperative..)
I had some frames left over from a craft (that I will tell you more about once those recipients of said craft have them) that had the glass broken out of them. I did not want to throw them out, so I picked up some wooden letters. I painted them with green acrylic paint and then immediately added green glitter to them. I put kraft paper in the frames and then hot glued the letters onto them. Afterwards, I hot glued the frames together to add a little joy to our tv. : )

I had yet to find a good way to display Christmas cards and did not want to spend the $$ to buy one, so instead I made this one that I found on pinterest. I used 60ish clothes pins that were spray painted green. After they dried, I took a wire hanger and formed it into a circle, then placed the clothes pins on alternating with clear beads. Once the wreath was full, I cut of the hook part of the hanger, hot glued it closed and I added a brown bow at the top. The tutorial is here.

Our upstairs manly tree that has deer antlers instead of a star...
My ornament wreath!
My other wreath from the crafternoon, some garland that happened to run upon (literally...think garage sale) and my sweet little snowman.

Hope you are all enjoying this beautiful weekend, holiday season and remembering the real reason for the season!

Lately

2011-12-18T08:00:00.000-06:00

So I've been psuedo absent from the blogging world...Here's a little glimpse of what I've been doing
Processing 25lbs of venison meat with my husband

Eating Cold weather food like Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup for dinner

Becoming a brunette again (One of my kids said "Its like your hair was vanilla and now its chocolate!)

Coordinating my first 5k! Woohoo Fit Girls! You rocked it! (can't show you their picture, so here's ours!)

School work!

Finished for the semester! PTL, Sic 'em and Gig 'em!
Look at all of the books/articles I read this semester!

Crafting for Christmas (more to come on that later...)
And Christmas parties!
K/1 Christmas Party

Christmas dinner at Dinah's

Only 2 school days left until Christmas break! I am SO excited!!

Vegan Oat Bars

2011-12-09T21:49:00.004-06:00

I bought some hungry bars from Emily a few weeks ago and they were amazing. I have not had a chance to order again, so I searched her website to find something to tie me over in the mean time. I found theses vegan oat bars. They have been a great quick breakfast which I have been in need of lately.

Soft & Chewy Raw Vegan Oat Bars

Ingredients:

1 large ripe banana, mashed
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup wheat germ*
1/2 cup shredded sweetened coconut
1/2 cup dried fruit (I used dried cranberries)
1/2 cup chopped nuts (I used roasted almonds)
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
1/2 cup pure maple syrup (agave syrup will work also)
1/2 cup nut butter (I used peanut butter)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt

*If you do not have wheat germ on hand, don't sweat it. Just replace the 1/2 cup wheat germ with 1/2 cup oats.

Directions:

Mix the above ingredients in a large bowl until well combined.
Line a 8x8 baking dish or tupperware with plastic wrap or foil.
Place the oat bar mixture in the pan and pat down evenly and firmly.
Cover and freeze for at least 6 hours or overnight.
Remove pan from freezer and cut into 10 rectangular bars.
Store in freezer for firm bars or refrigerator for soft bars.

After the bars firmed up, I wrapped each bar in plastic wrap and placed them back in the freezer.

Fit for a princess

2011-12-03T23:43:00.006-06:00

Our niece is 3 1/2 years old! She loves princesses, princess dresses, shoes and purple. She loves life and sings her way through the day. Basically, she's a girl after my own heart. For her Christmas gift this year, I thought I would make a few things:
1. Chalk board
-I spray painted a picture frame purple
-I took a piece of wood and had the Mr. cut it to fix the frame.
-I sanded the wood, primed it with grey spray paint and then applied a few coats of Chalkboard spray paint
-After it dried for 24 hours, I used gorilla glue (a little too much....but I fixed it) to glue it into the frame
-Now its ready for some beautiful drawings! : )

2. Rock alphabet
EG loves rocks. She has an ongoing rock collection at her house. When she came to visit this summer we added quite a few rocks to it. I got 26 rocks from her collection and used a paint pen to write the capital letters on one side and the lower case letters on the back. After both sides dried, I used clear spray paint to seal/protect them.

3. Magnetic board
-I spray painted this frame purple also
-After it dried, I cut a sheet of stainless steel from Home Depot down to fit the frame
-I also cut a piece of scrapbook paper and layered it in front of the stainless steel in the frame

4. Letters for the magnetic board
-I used clear stones, alphabet stickers, modge podge, magnets and scrap booking paper to make these
-Place the stickers on scrapbook paper
-Place a stone on top and cut around it (each stone is a different shape, so you want to use the stone that will be glued on top)
-Use a little modge podge on top of the paper and attach it to the stone

-Let it dry completely and then add a magnet to the back

Maxi Skirt

2011-11-28T17:00:00.001-06:00

I saw a tutorial over at Elle Apparel back in September on how to make a maxi skirt. I immediately decided that I wanted to make one, but began seriously questioning my sewing abilities. Y'all, I cannot thread that stinking bobbin. So if it either runs out or comes out of where it needs to be, I am done with my sewing until someone comes to my rescue. Luckily, my mom is a knowledgeable and talented seamstress, so I waited until I had an opportunity to work with her on the skirt. I went to Hobby Lobby this past week with my lucky 40 percent off coupon on my phone. I scanned the jersey knit selection and decided on grey. Using my coupon, my 2 yds fabric was only $5.99! Now that's a cheap skirt : )
During the TAMU v UT game, my mom, Mamaw and I worked on my skirt. We measured, cut, pinned, sewed and sewed some more, but I love the final product!
I would give you step by step directions on this one, but y'all would not end up with a skirt that looked right, so I'm just leaving you the link!
Here's what mine looks like!

THANKSgiving

2011-11-27T20:52:00.005-06:00

This year Thanksgiving was quite a bit different than our norm. Instead of heading to Longview for a long weekend, we celebrated Cody's 27th birthday on Wednesday here in Houston and then headed out Thursday morning for Marlin. We spent time eating a lot of food and visiting with my family before heading out to the deer lease. This was my first time to sit in the stand and I was super quiet, just ask Cody! : )

We headed back into Marlin (our lease is only like 20 minutes away from my Mamaw's house) that night for the TAMU v. UT game before calling it a night in our pop up camper. Friday morning early I headed into Marlin to meet up with my Mamaw and mom before heading to Waco for some black friday shopping (we got some great deals!), breakfast at Chick-fil-a and a quick stop by Baylor's beautiful campus! Even in November all of the flowers look beautiful! I miss walking across that campus each day!

Pat Neff Hall (The Judge Baylor statue is behind me)

The building that I had most of my education classes in is to the right of Pat Neff...its called Draper Academic Building. Just FYI : )

Afterwards, Cody and I spent the rest of that day at the lease. Saturday morning we hit up the Kosse Cafe for breakfast before heading back to Houston.

I've been able to get up the Christmas decorations, watch the Baylor Bears beat Tech (sic 'em!), work on a few Christmas gifts, go to church, run a few errands together and we've worked on a few projects around the house. It has been perfect! We ended our break with pizza night (YUM), which also means leftovers. : )
I am so thankful for the time we've had at home, the time that Cody has had off and the time that we have had together. How refreshing! I am also thankful for the week that I had away from school and the time that I was given to rest and get my attitude and brain ready for 3 weeks and 2 days of school until Christmas break. I am thankful for the time that I was given to work on grad school and the upcoming deadlines that will signify the end of my first semester. I am thankful for the time with friends and family! I am thankful for this beautiful fall weather and how easy running is in it! I am thankful!

Christmas Crafternoon

2011-11-21T14:57:00.009-06:00

I have a week off from school. A whole week!!!! So excited!
Thus far, I have been working on my final projects for grad school, cleaning and crafting.
My husband is a hunter and last year one of the deer that he got he was not mounting, so I asked him to save the antlers. I had not yet figured out what to do with them, but decided to take apart a flower arrangement that I did not love and spread them across the antlers.

I also used some of the flowers to add a little umph to my fall wreath.

We had a crafternoon today and worked on wreaths for Christmas!
Our fuel

Hot Chocolate Bar

Working hard

Finished products

A lot of us made the ornament wreaths that seem to be very popular on pinterest.
You need
-80ish ornaments
-a wire hanger
-hot glue

1. Form the hanger into a circle and then unwind the top part
2. Hot glue the top of the ornament to the ornament to make sure that it does not pop off.
3. Place the ornaments on the hanger one by one arranging them as you go. You might want to use some smaller ornaments in with the bigger ones so that they can fill in the holes.
4. Wrap the top of the hanger back together once all of the ornaments are on and then hot glue to secure.
SO easy!

Kitchen

2011-11-19T22:12:00.010-06:00

When we bought our house, the kitchen looked like this:

Then we changed out the appliances and it looked like this:

Then we decided we were getting new countertops and Cody started the demo/putting in new subtops:

And then they came to put in our new countertops and it looks like this!!! LOVE!

PS, the guest bathroom got a facelift too...
From

To

Rock N Roll San Antonio

2011-11-13T20:54:00.005-06:00

This weekend, we ran our first half marathon of running season in San Antonio. After having such a great experience at the Rock n Roll New Orleans, we decided to try another of their races. Our journey there began very similarly to our trip to NOLA. Part of the Katy Fwy was entirely shut down which caused I-10 to basically be a parking lot. Luckily we only sat there for an hour, which makes this by far a better experience than the drive to New Orleans. Once in SA, we went to the expo to pick up our packets and shop.

For dinner that night Cody and I headed to Whole Foods before heading back to Nick and Sarah's house for a relaxing evening.
On race day we woke up super early to get downtown. Lauren and I never managed to find Carolina, so we ran on our own (sad day!)

We started out our run at such a good pace until about mile 10. Y'all it was humid and borderline hot! My stomach started hurting, so I told Lauren to go ahead. I felt absolutely awful and in hindsight I am pretty sure that I was dehydrated. When my blood sugar is high, I dehydrate easily. I had taken off my pump before leaving the house that morning and had eaten breakfast afterwards. On top of that it was hot, which means that I would have needed more water than I would on a cold day and I was using Gu chomps (which I love), but that have caffeine in them which also further dehydrating you. That being said, this was not my best race and I did not meet my time goal. I did not do as bad as I thought that I would and I still ran 13.1 miles. Everyone has a bad running day and mine just happened to be on race day. Boo! After the race, I was able to down a water bottle and put my pump back on which made me immediately feel better and once I got even more water later on, I started feeling all the way better.
We decided for the race today to wear the same things in different colors (note the shirt and headbands)
Afterwards, we headed to the Alamo Cafe for a hearty lunch before heading back to Houston!

A Glimpse....

2011-11-04T17:04:00.006-05:00

Into my week!
Monday was field day! My kindergarteners were paired up with one of my sweet friend's 4th grade class! We had a fun day!

That night, my dad was coming through on his way to the other side of Houston for work the next day. This happened to be at the same time that my brother was staying with us, so we got to have a family dinner! Love!

Tuesday was a HOA meeting and lasagna that I had made ahead and frozen (makes life so easy!)

Wednesday was the first meeting of Fit Girls, a program for 4th and 5th grade girls to promote healthy minds, bodies and hearts! We are reading books, growing hearts and training for a 5k! It was an absolutely insane day that led up to it, but everything went well and the girls seemed to really enjoy!! Please pray that the program will help promote a healthy lifestyle for these girls at such an important age and maybe some will even find a love for running!

Thursday I got a mani-pedi which was AMAZING!! And now I'm ready for the weekend! Hope you all enjoy yours!

Monster Mash

2011-10-31T07:19:00.005-05:00

On Sunday afternoon, Carolina and I ran the Monster Mash 15k. This was a new race distance for us (9.3 miles) as we usually run 5ks (3.1 miles), 10ks(6.2 miles), or half marathons (13.1 miles). We decided to embrace the decade we were born in and run in our 80's attire.

It was a really fun race and we actually ended up placing!! We literally almost crossed the finish at the same time, separated by milliseconds, but I ended up getting 3rd overall for women (placing in races goes by gun time: the time when the race officially started to when you cross the finish, not chip time: the time you cross the start line until you cross the finish line)

and Carolina got 2nd for our age bracket!

Go us!! Now onto our 1st half of the running season in a few weeks!! Happy Halloween!

A day of rest

2011-10-29T21:54:00.005-05:00

I have been doing some form of grad school work everyday for as long as I can remember (this semester..). Today, I finally had an absolute break! I needed it!
The day started off with a short 3.5 mile run in my favorite cold weather gear:

Followed by the Grogan's Mill Farmer Market with Carolina to see Emily, who was selling her yummy Hungry Bars!! She is owns a fabulous business called Bluebird Bakery. You can order Hungry bars and other all-natural baked goods from her online! (I got peanut butter and chocolate chip, which are obviously two of my favorite things!)

Carolina and I then hit up the big Marshall's in the Woodlands for some few good running clothes @ amazing prices. We happened upon some ridiculous running pants. Be thankful that they were $35 or you might see us wearing them in lots of 1/2 marathon pictures! : )

Afterwards, Brad and I headed into town for a lunch at Brown Bag Deli. SO good! They make their own bread and their fruit cups are legit fruit and not fruit cocktail!
We did a little shopping and then picked up dinner from Niko Niko's!
What a perfect day! Hope your Saturday was relaxing as well!

Pinterest = recipes

2011-10-28T21:07:00.010-05:00

Happy Fall Y'all! This weather is wonderful!! We've had to bust out the pink camo sweatshirt for Chloe, running tights for me and the blankets for couch time. Wooohoo! Tomorrow may even include a warm coffee drink.
Cold weather= the perfect conditions for being inside and pinning. Not only does Pinterest have great DIY projects, decor and style, but it also has recipes, which is probably one reason that I spend so much time on there. I found two recipes lately that were quick and easy, so I tried them out today.

A Cup of Coffee Cake (In less than 5 minutes)
from Prudent Baby

Ingredients
1 tbs butter
2 tbs sugar (I would probably do more like 4 tbs)
1/2 egg
2 tbs sour cream
A few drops of vanilla
Cinnamon
1/4 c flour
1/8 tsp baking powder
For Crumble topping
1 tbs butter
2 tbs flour
1 tbs brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Directions
1. Soften butter in coffee cup for 10-15 seconds
2. Stir in sugar
3. Crack egg into a ramekin and pour half into the coffee cup
4. Stir in sour cream and add a few drops of vanilla (I would also add in a little cinnamon)
5. Add in flour and baking powder. Stir until mixed in well.
6. For the crumble topping, combine 1 tbs butter, 2 tbs flour, 1 tbs brown sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon in a separate ramekin. Smoosh together and add it on top in your coffee cup.
7. Cook in the microwave. Start with 1 minute and then proceed in 10 second intervals until its done.
8. Let it cool and enjoy!
*I obviously doubled the recipe so that Cody and I could both have breakfast : )

Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Ice Cream
Single Ingredient Ice Cream
from Use Real Butter

*Recipe observations 1. Cutting up the banana before freezing is such a good idea. I'll always throw almost bad bananas into the freezer to use for smoothies and peeling them makes me feel like my hand is going to fall off. I will cut them and place them baggies first from now on 2. I could have eaten just the bananas mush by itself. SO good!

Ingredients

4 bananas, just slightly overripe (brown spots good, completely black not so good)
2 tbsps creamy peanut butter (optional – thus 2 ingredient ice cream)
2 tsps cocoa powder (Dutch process), (optional – thus 2 or 3 ingredient ice cream depending on peanut butter)

Directions

1. Peel the bananas and slice them up into 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick disks. Place the banana slices in the freezer for about an hour or until they are frozen solid. Do not freeze the whole banana, it will be much harder to blend.

2.Put the frozen slices in a food processor and pulse. First they will start to resemble gravel, but keep going. The bananas will soon turn into a frozen mush – at this point, start scraping the sides down (you will do this a lot). The bananas will begin to blend into a creamy texture.

3.When the bananas look like whipped ice cream, add in the peanut butter and cocoa. Mix until well blended. (You could really mix in anything that you wanted to.)

Straight out of the food processor, the ice cream is like soft serve. You can also freeze it for a firmer texture. I find it’s pretty hard when I scoop it immediately after removing it from the freezer. Just give it a minute or two to soften up. Makes a pint.

Also here's a little peak at what's going on in our kitchen right now

but have no fear, good things to come.

Happy a wonderful weekend!! Aren't these weekends just so needed!?

55

2011-10-24T07:00:00.001-05:00

In September, both of my parents turned 55. This seemed like a cause for a big celebration, but unfortunately, timing would not allow us to truly celebrate until this weekend. Our families came into Longview on Friday night. On Saturday evening, we had a birthday party for them out at the barndominium. It was a relaxing night with friends and family, in a beautiful, serene location.
Here was our set up:
Cake pops (see recipe at end of post)
Pink Lemonade, Mcalister's sweet and unsweet tea in mason jars inside of a galvanized tub
S'mores for after dinner
Tables on the patio
Butcher Shop burgers
We ate

Played

And visited

This weekend we also took family pictures with mine and Cody's amazing wedding photographer. I cannot wait to share those pictures in just a few weeks!
Hope y'all had a wonderful weekend too!

Cake Pops
from BHG

Ingredients

1 package 2-layer-size cake mix (I did one pack of chocolate and one pack of funfetti)
1 - 1 1/2 cups frosting (I used chocolate for the chocolate cake and white for the funfetti)
12 ounces vanilla- or chocolate-flavored candy coating, chopped (I used both, chocolate for the chocolate and white for the white)
34 - 36 lollipop sticks (I just had a 25 pack of lollipop sticks and made the rest into cake balls)

Directions

1. Prepare desired-flavor cake mix according to package directions. Use any suggested pan size and bake according to package directions. Cool in pan on a wire rack. Line trays or baking sheets with waxed paper; set aside.

2. Remove cooled cake from pan and crumble into a very large mixing bowl. Add desired-flavor frosting. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed until combined. Using a small scoop, drop mixture into 1 1/2-inch mounds onto prepared trays; roll mounds into balls and freeze for 30 minutes.

3. In a small microwave-safe dish heat 1 ounce of the coating (about 1/4 cup) on 50% power (medium) for 60 seconds until melted and smooth, stirring once. Dip one end of each lollipop stick into melted chocolate and poke sticks into balls (this helps the balls stay on the sticks). Freeze for 30 to 60 minutes more or until balls are firm.

4. Place remaining candy coating and chopped chocolate in a small saucepan. Heat over medium-low heat until melted and smooth, stirring frequently. Working in batches, dip balls into melted chocolate mixture. Allow excess to drip off; place balls on clean waxed paper-lined trays or baking sheets.** After coating is set, transfer to storage containers and store, covered, in refrigerator. Let stand at room temperature at least 30 minutes before serving.

Crafternoon

2011-10-23T07:10:00.000-05:00

Last week, I had a Pinterest inspired crafternoon with some of my girlfriends. It was so fun! We all worked on different pumpkin/fall inspired crafts and chatted. Here's our set up
Pink lemonade in mason jars set inside of an oval galvanized tub

"Acorns" (Hershey's kisses stuck to mini Nilla wafers with a tiny bit of chocolate icing and a tad of chocolate icing on top)
Pumpkin Dip
1 16 oz. whip cream, 1 sm vanilla pudding mix, 1 15 oz pumpkin, 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice mix together & serve with cinnamon graham crackers

I spray painted three pumpkins to match the color scheme of my house (spray paint that we had in the garage) and then used glitter spray paint over all of them. I cut holes in the bottom of the top two and then attached them together using hot glue. I am still trying to find the perfect spot for them

I also wanted to spruce up our fall door wreath. I had received an "S" a few years ago from a student had not yet found the right spot for it. I wanted it to stand out on our wooden door, so I spray painted it white. One of my friends at the crafternoon is a bow expert, so she made me the adorable burlap and green bow and I hot glued everything on. It was a much needed face lift.

Unfortunately, I did not have my camera out during the crafternoon...we were too busy, but know that my friends did some amazing crafts!

I also followed a pinterest idea and purchased a hurricane vase from walmart for less than $5 and a small candle holder for $2. I hot glued the two together to create this elevated hurricane vase. Afterwards, I added in an orange pumpkin scented candle. Around it, I added dry split green peas, dry red kidney beans and popcorn kernels to add a little fall to our mantel.

Now we just need to come up with a good craft for a Christmastime crafternoon. I guess we're back to pinning!

BU v. TAMU

2011-10-18T18:18:00.000-05:00

I attended Baylor University. I am a Baylor Bear (Sic 'em). My husband attended Texas A&M University. He is an Aggie (Gig 'em). I now also attend Texas A&M University, which apparently makes me part Aggie as well. We have attended most of the BU v. TAMU games for the 8+ years of our relationship. These games may be trying times, but in general, we enjoy the rivalry. Unfortunately for this rivalry, A&M is moving to the SEC from the Big XII. From what I understand, this year's BU v. TAMU game was the end of a 108 year rivalry. Sad day! Upon hearing that this could be the end of the Battle of the Brazos, I desperately began looking for tickets to find that they were sold out from the schools and crazy expensive on other sites. We happened to have a sweet friend who had tickets that we got to use and even more luckily, they were in the Zone club (think club level of MLB). I was glad to get to go to the game (although I am hoping that Baylor's O-line will practice what protecting the quarterback looks like before next week's game...). We did not win, which was tough sitting in a sea of maroon, but it was fun to be at the game!

I guess its on to cheering on both the Baylor Bears and the Aggies sans any conflicting days...that may just make it easier!

Let it Shine

2011-10-17T17:18:00.003-05:00

My decorative efforts as of late have been focused on our office. I have repurposed an old window, made a bookend and places for my grad school stuff. Once all that was done, we decided that the office needed a lamp. I love challenges, so my husband told me that I could spend $10 on the lamp. At first I was excited, but then school AND grad school started. The idea of going to garage sales was just not going to happen. So on my $10 challenge, I spent $17. Close though, right?
I found this lamp at Ikea

and then a lampshade at Target.
My mom had some leftover fabric that she graciously lent and I also used some sage green ribbon that I have used in DIY projects all over our house.
I took the lampshade and rolled it to trace is on the fabric (I left a little extra at top and bottom to fold around. After cutting it out, I used No-Sew Fabric glue to attach it to the lampshade. Once that had dried, I attached the ribbon using the fabric glue. Easy!

Momma's hands

2011-10-09T16:38:00.002-05:00

Oh y'all this rain is keeping me from doing anything productive, so I thought I'd share a quick pic. Last weekend we celebrated my Mamaw's 80th birthday and my dad took a picture of my Mamaw's hands, my mom's and mine and it turned out so well!!

Both of these women have been an ever present support in my life. True examples of what it means to be a godly woman and wife. I have called on them numerous times (probably too many) for help with cooking, cleaning and in my sad attempts to sew and they have always been so patient with me (even when I have to call back...). I am so grateful for these precious hands!

90 miles a minute

2011-10-03T19:10:00.006-05:00

Y'all, life has been crazy these past few weeks! Between teaching, traveling, studying and life in general, I have not had a spare second update. A glimpse into my life:
-an easy yummy breakfast that I found on Pinterest

Bacon, Egg and Toast Cups

Ingredients

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
8 slices white or whole-wheat sandwich bread
6 slices bacon
6 large eggs
Coarse salt and ground pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly butter 6 standard muffin cups. With a rolling pin, flatten bread slices slightly and, with a 4 1/4-inch cookie cutter, cut into 8 rounds. Cut each round in half, then press 2 halves into each muffin cup, overlapping slightly and making sure bread comes up to edge of cup. Use extra bread to patch any gaps. Brush bread with remaining butter.
In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium, until almost crisp, 4 minutes, flipping once. (It will continue to cook in the oven.) Lay 1 bacon slice in each bread cup and crack an egg over each. Season with salt and pepper. Bake until egg whites are just set, 20 to 25 minutes. Run a small knife around cups to loosen toasts. Serve immediately.

-Yummy snack that combined quite a few of my favorite foods
No-Bake Energy Bites
1 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup peanut butter (or other nut butter)
1/3 cup honey
1 cup coconut flakes
1/2 cup ground flaxseed
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
1 tsp vanilla
Mix everything above in a medium bowl until thoroughly incorporated. Let chill in the refrigerator for half an hour. Once chilled, roll into balls and enjoy! Store in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to 1 week.

-Spent time with some great friends
-Met this adorable little guy! Baby Jaxson! It was so fun to see one of my best friends as an amazing mother!

-Saw a high school friend tie the knot in a beautiful ceremony

-Saw my family...no pictures though even of the niece and nephew..to much time spent loving on them to take pics! Have I mentioned lately how adorable they are!!?
-Celebrated my Mamaw's upcoming 80th birthday!! What an amazing woman she is!
-Read A LOT about education
-Ran a lot to keep my sanity
-Read some more about education
- A few quotes that have helped me realize that its okay not to do everything
"You can do anything, but not everything."
"Let whatever you do today be enough."

Here's hoping the next two weeks will be a little calmer, but still filled with joyful things! Happy first week of October!

Just add a little butter y'all!

2011-09-19T18:44:00.002-05:00

What a great weekend!! Friday evening, my parents came in and we met them at Russo's for some yummy pizza before heading back to our house. My current fave from there is the Chicken Rustica.
Saturday morning, I got up fairly early for a 9 mile run. I misread my map though and ended up running 10.5 miles. That's okay though, because it was one of the best runs that I've had in a long time. That morning time made ALL the difference.
Afterwards, Cody's parents arrived and we all enjoyed waffles before the ladies headed down to the Metropolitan Cooking Show to see Paula Deen.
Paula did not seem all that interested in cooking. She told us that we could catch her at least three times a day on Food Network, so instead she shared stories and answered questions while her husband and another chef cooked.
It was not quite what I was expecting, but she was hilarious and very entertaining. We walked around the show for a few hours after that and found quite a few goodies before heading back up to the boys.
That night we had a good southern meal. Smoked ribs, baked potato salad, coleslaw and beans with fresh apple pie with Blue Bell Vanilla ice cream for dessert.

Baked Potato Salad

From Food.com

Ingredients

3 large baked potatoes, cooled, peeled and cubed
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled ( I use the precooked kind)
4 ounces shredded cheddar cheese, divided
2 green onions, sliced and then chopped ( green part only)
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 dash celery salt or 1 dash seasoning salt
1 dash garlic powder
1 dash paprika
1 tablespoon fresh parsley (optional)

Directions

Gently stir together all the ingredients in a large bowl using a large spoon, reserving a little cheddar, green onion and bacon for garnish.
Transfer to a serving dish.
Top with reserved shredded cheddar, green onion slices and bacon crumbles. I like to refrigerate it so that I can serve it cold.

Easy Cole Slaw
From Food.com

Ingredients

1 (16 ounce) bags coleslaw mix
2/3 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions

Combine all ingredients except cole slaw mix in a large bowl and combine well.
Add the cole slaw mix and toss to coat.
Cover and refrigerate several hours or overnight to allow flavors to blend.

Apple Pie
from All Recipes
Ingredients

1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch double crust

pie (we used one for the base and sliced the other to make the lattice top)

1/2 cup unsalted butter

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/4 cup water

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

8 Granny Smith apples - peeled, cored

and sliced
Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir in flour to form a paste. Add water, white sugar and brown sugar, and bring to a boil. Reduce temperature and let simmer.

Place the bottom crust in your pan. Fill with apples, mounded slightly. Cover with a lattice work crust. Gently pour the sugar and butter liquid over the crust. Pour slowly so that it does not run off.

Bake 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Continue baking for 35 to 45 minutes, until apples are soft.

Sunday, we got up and enjoyed these breakfast treats from the Little Kitchen that could. I made the inside part on Saturday night, so it made our Sunday breakfast super easy to make. I subbed breakfast sausage and jalapenos in the recipe.
Southwestern Breakfast Cups
from The Little Kitchen that Could

Ingredients

2 to 3 cans buttermilk biscuits

1 small can diced green chilies, drained

1 small can diced black olives, drained

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

2 cups finely chopped ham

1/2 cup diced onion

3 to 4 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1 egg

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix everything, except biscuits, in large bowl, set aside.
3. Spray muffin pans with cooking spray.
4. Put 1 biscuit into each cup spreading it up the sides of the cup.
5. Put about 1 heaping tbs of ham mixture on top of each biscuit.
6. Bake 20 minutes or until biscuits begin to brown.

7. Serve immediately.

Then we went to church and Ikea before hitting up Beck's Prime for a quick lunch. A perfect weekend and lots of yummy food!

** I've passed my 3-year blogaversary! Look at this first post right after Hurricane Ike!! I had A LOT of time off of school with very little to do in our apartment, so I started a blog. Who knew I'd still be blogging!

Copy Cat: Pasta Salad

2011-09-17T08:00:00.000-05:00

Teachers copy. There I said it. Not in the same way that a student might copy on a test (heaven forbid!), but we do use each others' ideas. It's how good teachers become great teachers. I like to take this principle to lunch time. I will scan the table and look for yummy meals that other teachers bring and either ask for the recipe or google until I find something similar. I noticed that a few weeks ago, several teaches had different versions of pasta salad, so I googled until I found something that looked good. This is a fairly quick recipes, makes quite a bit of food and its "leftovers" are delish!

ITALIAN DRESSING PASTA SALAD

from COOKS.COM

For the Salad Dressing:

3/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
3 large cloves garlic, finely minced
1 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. Mrs. Dash Garlic flavored (optional)
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp. fresh basil, finely minced (or 1/2 tsp. dried)
1/2 tsp. fresh oregano, finely minced (or 1/8 tsp. dried)
2 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)

For the Salad:

8 oz. (1/2 lb) pasta, cooked
3 cups assorted vegetables
1/2 cup chopped red or sweet Vidalia onions
1/4 cup green onions, minced (optional)
1 red pepper, finely chopped (or use roasted red peppers)
vegetables of your choice

*I marinated some chicken breasts in Italian dressing and cooked them on the stove. I cut them into bite sized pieces and mixed into the salad at the end.

Cook the pasta according to package directions. Using colorful pasta and vegetables makes for an especially attractive salad.

Mix garlic and herbs, cheese, black pepper and whisk ingredients for dressing together (or process in a blender/food processor until smooth).

Remove the pasta from the cooking water using a large mesh or straining spoon. Do not discard the water.

In a large bowl, pour the dressing over the cooked and drained pasta while still hot.

Fresh or frozen, raw or cooked vegetables (or any combination) may be added. Broccoli, carrots, corn, baby corn, peas, green beans, onions, cherry tomato halves and marinated artichoke quarters are all good candidates for inclusion in a pasta salad.

Blanch the prepared vegetables in the pasta water. This can be done by putting the vegetables in a steamer or a large mesh spoon or sieve and holding it under the steaming hot (not boiling) pasta water for 1 or 2 minutes, depending upon the size of the vegetables. Alternatively, if you're using mixed frozen vegetables, they may be microwaved. Do not overcook the vegetables - they should be brightly colored and still crisp. Dehydrated vegetable mixtures also contribute extra color when rehydrated in the pasta water.

Add the vegetables to the pasta salad and mix well. Taste and adjust seasonings. More salt, pepper, herbs and cheese may be added, or a little lemon zest or juice, or even a pinch of granulated garlic.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! We have both sets of parents in this weekend and are looking forward to spending some quality time with them! The girls are heading into town today to see Paula Deen! SO excited!!

Spaghetti Squash

2011-09-16T17:42:00.003-05:00

After hearing about it for so long, I finally remembered to pick up a spaghetti squash when I was at the grocery store a few weeks ago. Those suckers are not cheap, but a decent sized spaghetti squash makes enough for quite a few meals (for 2 people..)
I used this recipe for the spaghetti squash and I know that the butter made it unhealthy, but that's okay. I think that I could've subbed evoo and it would have tasted fairly similar. I steamed broccoli and made this Parmesean crusted tilapia. I had enough spaghetti squash left over to make two more meals out of it (seasoned and grilled chicken breast, cut it up and put it in the rewarmed squash). Love it!
The coolest part (I think) is once the spaghetti squash has cooked and you are opening it. When you use a fork to scrape the squash, all of the sudden these pieces of spaghetti just appear. You should try it! : )

Baked Spaghetti Squash

from the Steamy Kitchen

Ingredients:

1 small spaghetti squash (about 3-4 pounds)
2 tablespoons butter
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/4 cup finely minced parsley (or basil)
1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Bake spaghetti squash for 60 minutes, or until a paring knife pierces easily through skin with little resistance. Let squash cool for 10 minutes.

2. Cut squash in half, lengthwise. Use a fork to remove and discard the seeds. Continue using fork to scrape the squash to get long, lovely strands. If the squash seem difficult to scrape, return the squash to bake for an additional 10 minutes.

3. Heat a large saute pan with the butter and the garlic over medium-low heat. When garlic becomes fragrant, add parsley, salt and spaghetti squash strands. Toss well, sprinkle in the parmesan cheese and taste to see if you need additional salt. The spaghetti squash should have a slight crunch (i.e. not mushy) - but if you like it softer, cover the pan and cook 2 more minutes.

Kitchen Organization

2011-09-13T22:24:00.005-05:00

As mentioned in the previous post, I have for some reason all of the sudden found organization to be a great priority in my life. It began with the kitchen. I have completely rearranged where everything is and thinned out a lot of things. I am very happy with the outcome (although I am without thinking grabbing for things where they are no longer...their new locations make so much more sense, I just have to get used to them). I will spare you pictures of the rest of the kitchen, but I wanted to show you the top of my pantry.

My goal is to eventually have it completely full of Oxo containers because that will look so clean, but that would be expensive to do all at once. (Oxo people, that could be read as teacher/grad school student would be overjoyed to receive oxo containers...j/k..kind of). I saw via blog stalking (I mean reading) and pinning that a lot of people are using chalkboard labels on their food containers, well low and behold we had a container of chalkboard spray paint from the inside of the cabinet door that is my grocery list (write it, snap a pic with my iphone and I'm ready for the grocery store). I decided that if it worked on the cabinet door it was worth a try on my containers. I used painters tape to tape off a square(ish..) on each of the containers (and I also had paper covering the rest of the container), I sprayed one coat, waited 5-10 minutes and sprayed another coat of paint. After letting it dry for 24 hours, I covered the surface with chalk and it was ready for use.
Recipes to come this week! Get excited!

Holy Grad School Batman

2011-09-12T12:37:00.001-05:00

I know that I made the right choice by deciding to do grad school and I know that the past three weeks have been unusually busy due to the beginning of school with lots and lots of 5 year olds, but y'all I am already feeling overwhelmed. I know that I will eventually get in a pattern of how to get everything completed, but until then, I could really use prayers for focus (I'm beginning to think I might be a tad ADD...y'all my entire house is being reorganized when I need to be reading...) and staying calm.

and way more important, today is my mom's birthday!! So if you are a family member/friend, be sure to wish her a happy day!! (Ps: I won't tell you her age...but if you add 25+25+5 you might be able to figure it out :) LOVE YOU!

Salted Caramel Brownies

2011-09-06T18:26:00.002-05:00

Did anyone else think that the 3-day weekend was the most amazing thing ever? I am got to sleep...like enough to become normal again, spend quality time with my husband, see friends, do lots of reading for grad school and bike ride on trails (only a few scratches/scrapes/times of falling off the bike). I would be a better person if every weekend was 3-days.
Friday night I needed chocolate...like NEEDED chocolate (that's what the first 2 weeks of kindergarten will do to you). Brownies sounded amazing, but I wanted a different brownie recipe. After googling, I came across this Salted Caramel Brownie recipe from Brown Eyed Baker. The caramel was easy to make and best of all although you can taste the caramel and sea salt, the tastes are not overwhelming. It just tastes like a really delicious moist brownie. (No picture this time..eating the chocolate was the priority : ) Enjoy!

Salted Caramel Brownies

Yield: 16 brownies

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Bake Time: 35 to 40 minutes

5 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into quarters
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
3 eggs
1¼ cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
Salted Caramel Sauce (recipe follows)
Fine sea salt

1. Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 8-inch square baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Line the pan with overlapping pieces of foil and spray the foil.

2. In a medium heatproof bowl set over a pan of almost-simmering water, melt the chocolates and butter, stirring occasionally until smooth. (Or, melt in the microwave on 50% power for 30-second increments, stirring after each, until melted and smooth.) Whisk in the cocoa until smooth. Set aside to cool.

3. Whisk together the eggs, sugar, vanilla, and salt in a medium bowl until combined, about 15 seconds. Whisk the warm chocolate mixture into the egg mixture; then stir in the flour until just combined. Pour about half of the brownie mixture into the prepared pan and spread into the corners. Spoon 9 dollops of Salted Caramel Sauce on top of the brownie batter. Top with the remaining brownie mixture, spread into the corners and level the surface with a spatula. Again, spoon 9 dollops of the Salted Caramel Sauce on top of the brownie batter. With a dull butter knife, gently run it through the batter to swirl the batter just a bit (don’t do it too much or it will all mix together). Sprinkle a bit of sea salt on top.

4. Bake until slightly puffed and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a small amount of sticky crumbs, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool on a wire rack to room temperature, about 2 hours. Remove the brownies from the pan using the foil handles and transfer to a cutting board. Cut into squares. Brownies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature.

Chicken Fried Goodness

2011-09-03T11:42:00.005-05:00

Happy Saturday and 3-day weekend friends!! What a beautiful day it is! Did anyone else see my Baylor Bears beat those TCU Horned Frogs last night!? Sic 'em! I started my day with a yummy green monster smoothie (I've started freezing bananas if they look like they're going to go bad before I eat them and using them in smoothies) and a 6-mile run (I run to Texas country and the glee soundtrack..is that weird?). Now I'm off to read for grad school (I hope I'm not in over my head...), but wanted to share a yummy recipe with you first.

The Pioneer Woman now has a show on the Food Network...I missed it this morning though : ( I hope they replay it! On last week's show, she made chicken fried steak and mashed potatoes. Hello calories!! I had never made chicken fried anything before, so of course we put our East Texas hunter twist on it and made chicken fried back strap. The gravy made this meal amazing! I also made mashed potatoes, but couldn't bring myself to copy her recipe due to the amount of time it took to make and the amount of butter, so I used this recipe instead. (I thought about steaming some broccoli so that there would be some redeeming nutritional value to the meal, but thought it would not possibly overcome everything else we were eating...)

Chicken Fried Steak (Back strap)
from The Pioneer Woman
Ingredients

3 pounds Cube Steak (tenderized Round Steak That's Been Extra Tenderized)
1-½ cup Whole Milk, Plus Up To 2 Cups For Gravy
2 whole Large Eggs
3 cups All-purpose Flour
Seasoned Salt
¼ teaspoons Cayenne
LOTS Of Black Pepper. Lots.
Canola Oil, For Frying
Salt And Pepper, For Both Meat And Gravy

Preparation Instructions

Begin with an assembly line of dishes for the meat: milk mixed with egg in one; flour mixed with spices in one; meat in one; then have one clean plate at the end to receive the breaded meat.

Work one piece of meat at a time. Season both sides with salt and pepper, then dip in the milk/egg mixture. Next, place the meat on the plate of seasoned flour. Turn to coat thoroughly. Place the meat back into the milk/egg mixture, turning to coat. Place back in the flour and turn to coat.
(So: wet mixture/dry mixture/wet mixture/dry mixture.) Place breaded meat on the clean plate, then repeat with remaining meat.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Drop in a few sprinkles of flour to make sure it’s sufficiently hot. Cook meat, three pieces at a time, until edges start to look golden brown; around 2 to 2 1/2 minutes each side.

Remove to a paper towel-lined plate and keep warm. Repeat until all meat is cooked.

GRAVY:

After all meat is fried, pour off the grease into a heatproof bowl. Without cleaning the pan, return it to the stove over medium-low heat. Add 1/4 cup grease back to the pan. Allow grease to heat up.

Sprinkle 1/3 cup flour evenly over the grease. Using a whisk, mix flour with grease, creating a golden-brown paste. Keep cooking until it reaches a deep golden brown color. If paste seems more oily than pasty, sprinkle in another tablespoon of flour and whisk.

Whisking constantly, pour in milk. Cook to thicken the gravy. Be prepared to add more milk if it becomes overly thick. Add salt and pepper and cook for 5 to 10 minutes, until gravy is smooth and thick. Be sure to taste to make sure gravy is sufficiently seasoned.

Serve meat next to a big side of mashed potatoes. Pour gravy over the whole shebang!

Traditional Mashed Potatoes

from All Recipes

Ingredients

6 medium russet potatoes, peeled and

cubed

1/2 cup warm milk

1/4 cup butter or margarine

3/4 teaspoon salt

Dash pepper

Directions

1.	Place potatoes in a saucepan and cover with water. Cover and bring to a boil; cook for 20-25 minutes or until very tender. Drain well. Add milk, butter, salt and pepper; mash until light and fluffy.

To Die for Crock Pot Roast

2011-08-30T17:55:00.000-05:00

This is a super easy crock pot recipe and oh so good. Probably one of my favorite roast recipes that I've ever had.

To Die for Crock Pot Roast

From Food.com

Ingredients

1 (4 -5 lb) beef roast, any kind
1 (1 1/4 ounce) packages brown gravy mix, dry
1 (1 1/4 ounce) packages dried Italian salad dressing mix
1 (1 1/4 ounce) packages ranch dressing mix, dry
1/2 cup water ( I honestly probably added around 1 cup)
I added half of an onion cut into fairly large pieces, some russet potatoes and carrots

Directions

Place beef roast in crock pot.
Mix the dried mixes together in a bowl and sprinkle over the roast. (I added the veggies at this point)
Pour the water around the roast.
Cook on low for 7-9 hours.

Back to School

2011-08-25T07:25:00.000-05:00

We are officially back in school. I always forget how different the beginning of the year is from the rest of the year. My goodness its exhausting! Now don't get me wrong, I love what I do, but it is exhausting. I laughed Monday when I came home from the first day of school with undoubtedly the biggest class that I've ever had (thank you Texas State legislature...please get registered to vote, check out the voting record of your current representatives and make sure to vote in the next election if you love me/any other educators at all) and found that I had received my new passport..haha..but no worries, I did return to school the second day : ) I am excited to learn about each of the little people that I have in my class and to help them grow this year.

My kinder team this year!

My two sweet friends that started their teaching careers with me in August of 2007. We were 3/8 of the kindergarten team that year. I absolutely loved working with them and am so thankful for the friendships that were made! Here's to our fifth year, girls!

Mini Meatball Sandwiches

2011-08-24T07:16:00.001-05:00

Easy, fairly quick recipe from The Pioneer Woman:

Mini Meatball Sandwiches
from The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients

1 pound Ground Chuck Or Ground Beef
½ cups Panko Or Other Bread Crumbs
1 clove Garlic, Minced
½ teaspoons Salt
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
½ cups Milk
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
½ whole Medium Onion, Diced
1 jar (large) Marinara Sauce
12 whole Dinner Rolls (or Slider Rolls)
4 slices Provolone Cheese, Cut Into Four Wedges Each

Preparation Instructions

Mix meat with bread crumbs, garlic, salt, pepper, and milk. Knead together with hands. Roll into heaping tablespoon-sized rolls.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook for one minute. Add meatballs between the onions and brown for one minute. (You might have to do this in two batches, depending on the size of your skillet.)

Pour in jar of marinara; shake pan gently to mix. Put on lid and allow to simmer for 20 minutes.

When ready to serve, cut each dinner roll in half. Place a wedge of Provolone on the top and bottom of each roll. Spoon a meatball with the sauce onto the bottom bun; top with the top bun.

Serve immediately!

Surfside

2011-08-23T18:59:00.004-05:00

This weekend we got to get away to Surfside for the weekend with some friends for one last hoorah before school started. We enjoyed a house on the beach, yummy food, fishing, beach time, games and time with friends. I got to run on the beach where I ran my first half. I for some reason was not in a huge picture taking mood, but did manage to snag these from a more faithful photog.

The Guys

The Girls

Eli Young Band

2011-08-18T19:50:00.003-05:00

On Tuesday night, Eli Young Band was in Spring (which is super close to where we live), so Meagan and I headed over with some friends to see them. When we got there, they were playing a set outside so we got to hear some songs while we were waiting in line. They played my favorite of their songs, "Crazy Girl," so that was super exciting : )

They were awesome and there was not a single song that they played that I didn't like. What a fun night!

Diabetes Drama

2011-08-15T20:54:00.003-05:00

For the most part, I do not complain about my diabetes (Cody, mom and dad you may disagree..), but I can think of 3 specific occasions right now where it has been a big nuisance.

1. During Spring Break of my 8th grade year, my family went on a ski trip to Crested Butte. On our way home I can't remember exactly what happened, but supper time came up and we were in a tiny airport that had no options of food but vending machines. At this point I was taking 2 shots a day and I had to eat certain amounts at certain times. Well I ended up having to eat my carbohydrates from a vending machine and I just really didn't want to. This + a low blood sugar (remember low blood sugars have a big impact on my moods) resulted in a "fit" in the airport which included the words, "its just not fair." Oh I shudder at the thought...I am now publicly apologizing to my mom, dad and brother. : )

2. I was on drill team in high school. I loved drill team. I worked really hard to be the best dancer I could be. Each year we went to drill team camp for a week to learn all of our football halftime routines. At the end of camp, we performed a "show-off" for our parents. Physical activity makes your blood sugar drop faster than it normally would on its own. As we walked in for our show-offs my junior year, I realized that my blood sugar was dropping. We went through the first dance and then I started crying (low blood sugar = extreme moods for SB), told my director that my blood sugar was low. She had the entire drill team sit down while I ate fruit snacks and to bring my blood sugar back up. I am very glad that she was kind enough to want to wait to include me, but oh my goodness, I could've died. I was so embarrassed.

3. Today was our convocation. We had been given instruction to make sure that we were on time and to account for all of the traffic as our district was large. My kinder team made arrangements to ride together and we got there so early. As we got out of the car, I realized that my pump had fallen out of my stomach. We were going to be up there all day and there was no way that I could go without my pump for that long. I was 25 minutes from my house and had ridden with other people and did not have my car. One of my sweet teammates had to drive me all the way back home (which was trafficy b/c we were headed towards town) and then back to the convocation. Thank goodness for sweet friends.

Now for the positives so that I don't leave you with a wah-wah-wah feeling
*If I was running late for class in high school, I may or may not have run to the nurse's office to check my blood sugar so that I could get a pass to class.
*I got to eat snacks in class regardless of whether or not we were supposed to..or I actually needed them..I mean, I'm diabetic
*I had the best pediatric doctor and nurses. I LOVED going to see them!
* My favorite excuse to get out of doing something usually includes the words "but I mean I am diabetic..."

Be looking for info soon on a possible team for the Step Out: Walk to Stop Diabetes in H-town again this year. Go Team Sage!

Rain!!

2011-08-14T20:05:00.004-05:00

Y'all we had rain today!!!! It was like manna from heaven and our grass was rejoicing! The only one not rejoicing was the 84 lb puppy hiding from the thunder...oh my... Look in the middle of the picture, behind the black shoes, kind of under the pants...that's her hiding spot

This is it...

2011-08-12T17:44:00.000-05:00

the last official day of summer (but let's be completely honest, I've been up at the school everyday this week...not today though!)! Not that I am complaining though. I do realized how blessed I am as a teacher to have such a big break during the summer!
Monday starts meetings and such and then the following Monday starts the 2011-2012 school year!! Please be in prayer for:
1) The new sweet babies that will be in my class.
2)Pray for their mommies who may be apart from them for the first time
3)And I have a few specific prayer requests for me. I am starting grad school. I am a very organized person, but know that this will be adding on a whole new amount of work. Please pray that I use my time wisely and that I can give all of the love and attention that I need to 1)my husband and pups 2)my kiddos 3)my grad school work 4)my Fit girls (a running program I'm starting for girls at our school this fall), 5)my friends and my running.

"The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go."
Dr. Seuss - I Can Read with My Eyes Shut

"You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go..."
Dr. Seuss - Oh The Places You'll Go

Chicken Spaghetti

2011-08-11T07:00:00.000-05:00

I have never made Chicken Spaghetti. I know that this is such a staple food so I think that it is weird that I have never made it. Whilst searching for recipes the other day on Pioneer Woman, I came across this Chicken Spaghetti recipe. It was very simple and had a very traditional chicken spaghetti taste..it was a hit at our house! We had guests and our house this night that were unaware of my obsession with photographing and posting my recipes on the blog, so I refrained. No picture for you today. I did however serve this with a salad made up of spinach, strawberries, blueberries, feta and raspberry vinaigrette dressing. For dessert we had the thin mints and ice cream sandwiches.

Chicken Spaghetti
from The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients

2 cups Cooked Chicken
3 cups Dry Spaghetti, Broken Into Two Inch Pieces
2 cans Cream Of Mushroom Soup
2 cups Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese
1/4 cup Finely Diced Green Pepper
1/4 cup Finely Diced Onion
1 jar (4 Ounce) Diced Pimentos, Drained
2 cups Reserved Chicken Broth From Pot
1 teaspoon Lawry's Seasoned Salt
1/8 teaspoon (to 1/4 Teaspoon) Cayenne Pepper
Salt And Pepper, to taste
1 cup Additional Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese

Directions

Cook 1 cut up fryer and pick out the meat to make two cups. Cook spaghetti in same chicken broth until al dente. Do not overcook. When spaghetti is cooked, combine with remaining ingredients except additional 1 cup sharp cheddar.

Place mixture in casserole pan and top with remaining sharp cheddar. Cover and freeze up to six months, cover and refrigerate up to two days, or bake immediately: 350 degrees for 45 minutes until bubbly. (If the cheese on top starts to get too cooked, cover with foil).

*Next time I will freeze half of it prior to cooking and only cook half of it.

Szechwan Shrimp

2011-08-10T07:00:00.001-05:00

I had the shrimp that I had purchased from Katie's in Galveston and was searching for recipes that were 1. easy and 2. that I already had all of the ingredients for. A friend suggested cooking Szechwan Shrimp. I found a recipe on All Recipes and decided to try it out. (Since the shrimp was fresh, I had to devein. I also started off by cooking the shrimp in boiling water and draining.)
Szechwan Shrimp
Ingredients

4 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons ketchup

1 tablespoon soy sauce

2 teaspoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon honey

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1/4 cup sliced green onions

4 cloves garlic, minced

12 ounces cooked shrimp, tails removed

Directions
1. In a bowl, stir together water, ketchup, soy sauce, cornstarch, honey, crushed red pepper, and ground ginger. Set aside.

2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in green onions and garlic; cook 30 seconds. Stir in shrimp, and toss to coat with oil. Stir in sauce. Cook and stir until sauce is bubbly and thickened.

*I steamed broccoli and added it into the mixture just prior to serving. I also served it over cooked rice that I had added soy sauce and crushed red pepper to. This was a super quick, easy and fairly healthy dinner.

Repurposed Window

2011-08-09T07:00:00.001-05:00

My Aunt Nancy lives in a beautiful colonial home. Last year they began replacing windows and as they have replaced them, they have so graciously shared them with the fam. My parents turned theirs into a picture frame in their living room. If you know you my house, you know that I do not need any more picture frames, so I've struggled with what to turn it into. After much time on blogs and pinterest I finally decided how to use the window.
Three of the panes I wanted to be magnetic, so I went to Home Depot and got 3 stainless steel sheets. I carefully cut them (my goodness that was hard to cut without cutting my thumb!) to fit the panes and attached them with Gorilla Glue. After that had dried, I used Elmer's glue to attach brown damask paper that I had cut to fit. (It was not quite long enough, so I had to use brown paper to cover where the two pieces met).
On the other three panes, I attached sage green paper with masking tape behind the window pane so that I could use those panes as dry erase boards.
Cody attached a z-clip to the back of the window and the wall.
As I got ready to take a picture of it to share with y'all, I realized that our desk was a mess, so after cleaning it up I decided that I needed a book end.
In our garage I found two pieces of wood to nail together. I used a can of spray paint to make it white and then hot glued an "s" onto it (that I had already painted green to go on this wreath, but it just didn't look right on the wreath).

While the book end was drying, I found a mason jar in our kitchen that I covered with some of the leftover paper from the window, so that I can use it for pens, highlighters and pencils. Basically, I got the desk ready for grad school...

Thin Mints

2011-08-08T07:00:00.000-05:00

I love Thin Mints. I teach in an elementary school which means that I get asked to buy a lot of Girl Scout cookies. Do I mind this? Most def. not! I always buy an obscene amount of thin mints and they always mysteriously seem to disappear. Well since we are out of girl scout cookie season, I decided to try The Little Kitchen That Could's Thin Mint recipe.
(This is not a recipe the can be made quickly in one afternoon. There is a lot of freezing/cooling that has to occur between steps).

Thin Mints
From the Little Kitchen that Could
Ingredients
for the cookies:
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/3 cup milk (any kind)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
for the coating:
12 ounces dark or semisweet chocolate
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
parchment paper
Step by Step
In a small bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, cocoa powder and salt. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until fluffy. With mixer on low speed, add the milk and the extracts. The mixture will resemble curdled milk. Slowly add the flour mixture until well incorporated and fluffy.

Shape dough into two long logs, about 1 1/2 inches in diameter (4 cm). Wrap in plastic wrap and freeze for at least 2 hours, until very firm.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Using a sharp knife, slice dough into round no more than 1/4 inch thick. Slice carefully so they are as close to the same thickness as possible. You will have some very soft and others very hard if they differ too much in thickness. Make sure they are no more than 1/4 inch thick or they won't be crispy. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Cookies can be very close together because they will not spread much at all.

Bake for 13 minutes (see recipe notes); until the edges of the cookie are firm. Allow cookies to cool completely. In a microwave safe bowl, combine chocolate and butter. Microwave on high power for 30 seconds. Remove and stir; continue microwaving in 30 second increments, stirring between each, until chocolate and butter are completely melted and smooth.

Dip each cookie in melted chocolate and rotate to cover whole cookie. Using a fork, scrape off extra chocolate so there is a thin coating. Place cookies on parchment paper or wax paper to allow to cool and set; at least 45 minutes. Reheat chocolate as necessary to keep is smooth and easy to dip into.

*I keep these cookies frozen until ready to serve. They do not taste exactly like Thin Mints, but do have the yummy chocolate/minty combo.

Ice Cream Sandwiches

2011-08-07T08:00:00.000-05:00

Taking a cue from the Little Kitchen That Could, I made ice cream cookies sandwiches to help fight this extreme heat. (As a disclaimer: Do not make if 1. you are staying home all day 2. you are the main person in your house that eats sweets or 3. you have no self control....I might have eaten a lot of these...)

I started off by making my favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
* 3/4 cup granulated sugar
* 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 2 large eggs
* 2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels
* 1 cup chopped nuts (I usually leave these out)
Directions
PREHEAT oven to 375° F (Our oven cooks hotter so we do 350)
COMBINE flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.
BAKE for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

After the cookies completely cooled, I took out a gallon of our favorite Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla. It cannot be beat! Yumm! I let it get really soft and then scooped a small amount into the middle of one cookie and placed another cookie of the same size on top. The sandwiches were placed in the freezer on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper to freeze. Once they were sufficiently frozen, I put the cookies in a ziploc baggie and refroze.

PS: Houston friends..come eat the ice cream sandwiches or my weight and blood sugar will suffer....they're really good! : )

Bowtie Lasagna

2011-08-06T09:00:00.000-05:00

On Monday, I processed some more of the deer meat. This is exactly what every hunter hopes for: That he will bring home his prized deer and his wife will process the meat with a pink Kitchen Aid mixer into a pink mixing bowl in a very pink kitchen. Obvi a dream come true!
Afterwards, I was trying to figure out a good quick recipe using said ground venison and I came across a recipe for Bowtie Lasagna from the Pioneer Woman in a series called 16-minute meals. Super easy meal from Pioneer Woman? Okay! It was wonderful and we had quite a bit still for leftovers!

Bowtie Lasagna
Pioneer Woman

1 pound Ground Chuck
5 cups Bow Tie Noodles
3 cups Spaghetti Sauce (or Pizza Sauce, Whatever You Prefer)
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1 teaspoon Salt
½ teaspoons Garlic Powder
1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning (or More, Make It To Your Taste)
½ cups Mozzarella Cheese
½ cups Sour Cream

Directions
1. Boil the noodles until al dente. (follow the directions on the bag)
2. Brown the ground meat.
3. Drain the pasta and dump it over the top of the browned meat.
4. Drizzle olive oil over the top of the noodles.
5. Pour the marinara or pasta sauce over the noodles.
6. Add garlic powder, italian seasoning and salt.
7. Add the mozarella and sour cream.
8. Stir it all together on low heat just until combined.

Beach Day

2011-08-05T07:00:00.000-05:00

I am ever so grateful that as a teacher, I have time off in the summers. I really am. I teach summer school, the past two years have taught a week long science camp, take staff development courses and catch up on doctors appointments, but I still have plenty of time off to play. No complaints here : )
Well as summer is drawing to a close, I thought we needed to squeeze out at least one more beach day. On Tueday, I headed down to Galveston with Meagan, Lauren and their puppies, Toby and Lyla (in my defense, I have two pups. The smaller one who would have fit well with the group is not a fan of the water. Ellie does not like being left alone without Chloe. Ellie LOVES the water, but then I would've felt bad about leaving Chloe, so the pups stayed home and played together).
We spent some good time on the beach relaxing, chatting, playing with the puppies and soaking up a little sun (a little too much for me...I might have gotten a little sunburned..).

Then before heading back, we ran over to Pier 19 and visited Katie's seafood market. We picked up some fresh shrimp to bring home to cook. I was tempted to also get some fresh tilapia or salmon, but they still had faces....and I didn't think I could muster up the strength to clean them. Maybe if I go back with Cody sometime he'll be braver than I. Katie's is definitely a great place to stop for some fresh fish.

(Kind of Late) Weekend Wrap Up

2011-08-04T08:30:00.003-05:00

This past weekend we got to go home to spend a few days with our families. We got in Friday evening and go to see both families before getting to bed fairly early.
We got up super early Saturday morning to head out to the Gregg County Airport for the Great Texas Balloon Race. This is a big event for the Longview area. They have balloon races, competitions, balloon glows, tents set up selling all kinds of things and country concerts at night. Due to the extreme heat and large crowds, we opted to go see the competition that took place at 6:30 on Saturday morning. We saw the key grab competition.

Afterwards, I headed over to the new Paul Borman Trail. Longview has connected a lot of its parks to create a 3ish mile trail that stretches from the Loop to Highway 80. It was super shaded which was amazing since I didn't start my run until after 9. Everything was so new and is kept very clean which is also very nice. The only negative I saw was a lack of water fountains, but I always bring my own water in the summer so that wasn't even an issue (and I later learned that the water fountains are in the parks that I passed through..).

I ran by starbucks on my way back to the Sage House to get a little pick-me-up and ran into my dad! I love that!! Wish we lived close enough to run into family on a daily basis.
Mom and I then went up to her school for the afternoon to organize some of her books.
Then both families headed out to the barndominium for dinner.
We spent the night out there and enjoyed time on the Gator, relaxing outside of a city and practicing shooting.

Chloe got a haircut last week. Doesn't she look pretty? : )

We went to church on Sunday before lunch and games with both families before heading back to Houston. It was a wonderful weekend where we got to relax and spend some good quality time with our families.

Bragging

2011-08-02T16:47:00.005-05:00

Today I am going to brag...not on myself, don't you worry, but on my momma.
My mom loves to bake and is super crafty (hm...crazy that I have those interests too!). She has taught me everything that I know about baking and she has also been working since I was little to get me sewing (I can hand stitch, but am currently working on threading the bobbin on my sewing machine sans help.....). I thought I would share two of her latest crafts.

1. Our living room needed a little extra color (the couch specifically). I found a chocolate pillow on clearance at Target and also found some beautiful yellow cloth napkins (via help from Lauren and the craft idea from her also). When we went home this weekend, mom quickly stitched 2 of the napkins together on 3 sides. I brought the covers back, put two couch pillows in them and sewed up the top and instant color! (Did I mention that she has sewed A LOT of things in our house..numerous pillows, curtains, etc).

2. For a wedding shower this weekend, mom made mini cupcakes into a center piece and they looked AMAZING! See?

She made these by making mini cupcakes (some chocolate and some white) and icing with cream cheese icing (that had a little meringue powder to set the icing a little more). She then placed a styrofoam ball in each silver bowl and used toothpicks to attach the cupcakes. After completing the entire arrangement, she added in leaves to give it more of a floral arrangement look. Amazing, right!? Now if only I can find the right occasion to make one too! : )

A few of my favorite things

2011-07-26T12:00:00.000-05:00

A few loves have come to my attention lately that I think you should know about also:

1. Amazon Prime
You pay for it yearly (unless you are a student, which I happen to be..), but it gives you free 2-day shipping. I've figured out that I can get almost anything on Amazon for cheaper than I can in any store: our cover for our laptop, my phone case was like $30 cheaper on amazon, a watch that I just purchased was over 30% cheaper.

2. Smith Optics
Cody introduced me to this sunglass company and I bought a pair of sunglasses from them a few Christmases ago. Well I happened to break them in the Spring (not at all surprising if you know me). They have a lifetime warranty and they no longer carried my particular glasses, so I got to pick a brand new pair of sunglasses! A company that actually stands by their lifetime warranty = amazing! Also, if you do not have polarized lenses you are missing out! They are AMAZING!

3. Rest days
I tend to push myself when running/working out . Rest days are so important. I usually have at least one day a week that I do not run/workout at all and my body is better for it. (A few rest days are good, but my allergies have been AWFUL since Friday, so I haven't been able to get in a good run...enough already!)

4. Breakfast
Now that I actually have time for breakfast in the summer, I'm developing some new favorites.
1. Green Monster Smoothies (greek yogurt, a tiny bit of milk, frozen fruit, spinach and a few ice cubes)
2. Breakfast sandwiches (Bagels/english muffins with 2 scrambled eggs, a piece of cheddar and 2 pieces of turkey bacon)
3. Toast with greek yogurt instead of butter topped with a little bit of Crofter's Superfruit Spread
4. Overnight oats - it makes me feel like I've cooked breakfast for my husband who still has to get up early for work in the summer..

What are your favorite things right now?

Tilapia Stuffed with Spinach and Feta

2011-07-24T09:00:00.000-05:00

On Monday, aka the day after we returned from the beach, I had been teaching a science camp and had not yet taken the time for my weekly grocery store trip, which meant creative thinking for dinner. I could not come up with something on my own, so I googled recipes+tilapia+spinach (ingredients that I did have at home). This little gem came up and even added feta to the mix (which I of course also had). It was super easy and had great flavor. I served it with zucchini and squash that had been tossed in olive oil and season all and grilled on the George Foreman (I have also heard that zucchini and squash is great to grill after tossing in Italian seasoning..I just didn't have any). I know it kind of looks like a wimpy meal, but it was super filling.

Tilapia Stuffed with Spinach and Feta

Ingredients

tilapia - fillets	4
salt	1 tsp
black pepper	1/2 tsp
olive oil	2 Tbsps
garlic clove	2	minced
spinach	6 cups	washed well and stems removed
feta cheese	2 Tbsps
unsalted butter	2 Tbsps
toothpicks	8

Directions

Salt and pepper the tilapia fillets and refrigerate for at least a 1/2 hour.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Heat the olive oil in a sauté over medium heat.
Add the minced garlic cloves and spinach. Sauté for 2 to 3 minutes until the spinach has wilted. Remove from the heat.
Add the feta cheese and mix well.
Place the tip of the tilapia fillet in front of you. Spoon a tablespoon of the spinach feta cheese filling on the tip. Roll away from you and secure with toothpicks. Repeat.
Place the rolled tilapia fillets seam down in a baking dish. In the middle of the dish place the unsalted butter.
Place in the pre-heated oven for 15 minutes. Remove the toothpicks, drizzle with the melted butter, and serve.

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

2011-07-23T09:00:00.001-05:00

A few weeks ago, our pastor was talking about looking forward to going home to fresh baked chocolate chip, walnut, banana bread. Well of course this stuck in my head. We had the inevitable 2 bananas that were past their prime so I originally thought that peanut butter, chocolate chip banana bread sounded good (LOVE LOVE LOVE Peanut butter!), but then I decided that I wanted my husband to actually eat some of the bread, so I found a chocolate chip, banana bread recipe instead (we didn't have any walnuts).

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
from Rachel Ray
Ingredients

1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3 bananas, mashed (1 cup mashed banana)
1 cup chocolate chips

Directions

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350°F .

2. Grease and flour a 8 1/2-inch x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan (or use baking spray, such as Baker's Joy brand).

3. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, sugar, baking soda and salt. Mix in the oil, bananas and eggs. Stir in the chocolate chips (do not overmix!) and pour into the prepared pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 70-80 minutes. Cool the loaf in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out and cool completely, right side up.

Make your own Playdough

2011-07-22T18:53:00.002-05:00

I remember making this play dough with my mom when we were little. The great thing is that you can pick the color, it smells great and it makes a ton of play dough. Erin and I made this last week and of course made it purple because that is her favorite color. If I had planned better, we would have also added glitter, because what girl doesn't like glitter!?

Kool-Aid Play dough

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup salt
2 (4 g) packages unsweetened Kool-Aid powdered drink mix
2 cups boiling water
3 tablespoons oil

Directions

Mix flour, salt, Kool-Aid until blended.
Add oil to boiling water, mix with spoon until cool enough to knead.
Continue kneading until color is blended.
Store in air tight bag or container in the refrigerator.

Galveston Round 2

2011-07-19T20:17:00.010-05:00

My family always meets up for at least a long weekend each summer. We found a great "resort" in Galveston last summer called Pointe West (it's far enough outside of Galveston to avoid the crowds), so we returned to it this year.
On Friday my mom, dad, Erin and I headed down to Kemah. We had bought a groupon back in the spring for a spa day at Kemah Bella Spa for massages, facials, manis and pedis. It was amazing! The spa is in this little old house just a few blocks from from the Kemah Boardwalk. I had not had a massage in forever and a facial ever, so it was a wonderfully, relaxing experience.

our pretty toes, freshly pedicured

Kemah Bella Spa

Then we met dad, EG, Brad, Jen and Alex at this Greek place right across the street called Bakkhus. I'm on a big Greek food kick. They had wonderful flavored, homemade hummus and I had a grilled chicken pita. A great find!

After lunch we headed to Galveston for a little beach time before it got too dark. Cody joined us that night.
The next day we spent relaxing at the beach and pool

before heading to the Moody Gardens Aquarium (where they had all sorts of beautiful sea creates and even had penguins, but they were asleep for the night..).

For dinner we went to Fisherman's Wharf which was casual, but had great seafood.
Sunday we spent more beach/pool time before Cody and I had to head back to Houston for the work week.

Cody and EG racing to the beach

Brad and EG flying kites

Of course I had to get her a princess kite

Play date

2011-07-14T19:51:00.007-05:00

One of the joys of having time off in the summer is having more time for family. Mom and I already got to spend a few days together earlier in the summer. My sweet niece is 3 which is SUCH a fun age! So I managed to finalge her away from her parents for a few days. I went the other day to Waco to pick her up and got to stop by my sweet Mamaw's house for an afternoon of lunch and chatting. I LOVE getting to see that lady : )
Since Erin's been here we have:
Visited the Houston Zoo

Had a picnic by the lake in Herman Park (I had no idea how great Herman Park was!)

Rode the Herman Park train (which I think was her favorite thing)

Played in the dirt (we've just moved one of the flower beds in our backyard)

Played in the sprinklers (to get rid of the dirt)

Made our own playdough ("recipe" to come)
I've had a blast with her and can't wait until she gets to come to stay again!

Prayer Request

2011-07-13T08:13:00.002-05:00

The Sikes family received devastating news yesterday. Kara and I were Zetas together at Baylor. She and her husband have a baby boy who had a brain tumor removed 2 weeks ago. Unfortunately in the past two weeks the brain tumor has not only grown back, but has spread. They now have to decide whether to start an aggressive treatment or to bring him home and make him comfortable. The doctors are very skeptical about the treatment. Please pour your prayers over this family for guidance in their decision, peace, and comfort. I can only imagine what a difficult time this is for them right now. You can read about James' story on their blog.

Girls' Weekend 2011: Galveston

2011-07-11T07:04:00.009-05:00

Our yearly girls' weekend kind of started on Thursday night this year. Beth came in a night early and we met up with some friends at Bingo in the Heights. Some friends had been before and we had heard how fun it was, so we were excited to go. We however were not prepared for the massive number of people there! So glad Carolina and Lauren got there early enough to get us a table or we wouldn't have been allowed in. (Bingo started at 7:45 and they got there at 6 and luckily got a place for us to sit). This Bingo was primarily young professionals and oh so inexpensive. The cards I think were like $5 for the entire time! We had fun and had VERY interesting people sitting around us. One was quite vocal about her dislike of other people winning. We one time timed her "booing" for 14 seconds... Unfortunately none of us won anything, but we def. enjoyed ourselves!

On Friday, Beth and I got up and went for a little run before running errands to finish getting ready for the weekend. We then headed to our condo in Galveston to get everything set up before the rest of the crew got there.

Here are the cupcakes I made. (I would wait to ice/decorate them until the day and place you were going to serve them. I decorated mine the day before and the gum chairs became super floppy by the next day).

Once we were all set up, we realized the rest of the crew wouldn't be there for a while so we hit the beach for a bit.

Once Traci, Hannah and Liz arrived, we cooked a lasagna that I had previously made and frozen (great meal to prepare beforehand) and caught up with our sweet friends!

Saturday morning bright and early, Lauren and Carolina came down to Galveston for Lauren, Carolina, Beth and I to run a 10 miler. So glad we ran and finished, but my goodness it was hot and I was not prepared hydration wise for the run. We ran five miles down the seawall before realizing that all of us were out of water. At that point we realized we were out of water and still had the five miles to go back. We ended up running over to a fast food restaurant that was not yet open and finding an employee washing the windows. He brought us waters and saved our beehineys so we could rehydrate and finish our run. Thank you random man!

After the run (everyone else ran/walked too..we are so fit!), and did a little decorating,

we spent a little time at the Strand before grabbing lunch and heading to the beach.

Cutest little mama!! Traci (& Jaxson) Doesn't she look AMAZING!?

Dinner was at Gaido's and oh so yummy!! Afterwards, Liz, Hannah, Carolina and Lauren had to head back and the three remaining of us had a very chill night.

The next morning we had a little more pool time before heading to Mosquito Cafe for lunch. I don't know how I've missed this place every other time that I've been in Galveston...maybe because its off the beaten path, but I am so glad we found it! Its off the beaten path, not on the seawall, not by the cruise ships, not by the strand, but it is oh so busy! We got there right before the lunch crowd had picked up and had a very yummy lunch. I had a turkey sandwich that had bacon, lettuce, grilled apples, melted brie and mayo. It was ridiculously huge but a perfect mixture of textures and flavors. I will def. be returning!

We also happened to spy a cute little bakery right across the street called Patty Cakes so we decided to investigate. The "holy cow" was amazing. I cannot remember for the life of me exactly what was in it, but it was good! Then we headed back to Houston for everyone to return to their homes.

I feel so blessed to have such wonderful friends and to have such a wonderful tradition of meeting up each year! Our lives have changed so much since high school/college but am so thankful that our friendships have just continued to grow! Love you all and cannot wait until next year!

The Dog Days of Summer

2011-07-07T07:00:00.000-05:00

Since I am now home during the day,
1. my puppies are EXHAUSTED at night
2. I am getting to see what they do during the day
Some parts are not exciting such as nap time or window time, but squirrel time on the other time is very exciting

The foe is spotted
The ladies then assume the hunting position

Until one undoubtedly gets distracted (see black lab rolling in the grass)and the other has to go for a closer look
Yes, I did have time today to not only witness this but to also document it. Wish you were a teacher now, huh? : )

S-U-M-M-E-R

2011-07-06T12:00:00.001-05:00

I know those of you who are not teachers will not appreciate this very much....however, I finished summer school last Wednesday and am officially on summer break! WOOHOO!!! I just don't even know what to do with myself. Hopefully my summer will have a lot of crafting, running, time with friends, time outside, playing with the pups and reading for fun.

So far my summer has consisted of
1. Rangers v Astros game with Cody and Lauren (sorry Houstonians, but I had to put the Rangers first because they beat the Astros senseless..)

2. Yard Work

3. Running at decent times of the day (ie: not at 5:30 am or at 4:00pm)

4. Pool time with my friends!

5. A mud run (in which we did not get very muddy, but it was still fun) (The pictures are small for a reason my friends, that would be too much SB if it were any bigger...)

before

after

6. Time with my husband and precious pups

7. Celebrating the fourth with a pool party and a fish fry! yum!

Hope y'all are enjoying your July!

Red White and Blueberry Cupcakes

2011-07-03T13:49:00.006-05:00

I completely forgot to post this yesterday! Hope everyone had a great 4th! We did yard work, went to a pool party and then a fish fry! What a great day, but unfortunately no pictures (I know, I'm losing my touch!)

Happy 4th of July! So thankful for the freedoms that we were given by others who gave their lives! So thankful also for getting to spend a good long weekend with my handsome husband!
Here's a little patriotic dessert for today! : )

Red White and Blueberry Cupcakes (aka Lemon-Blueberry Cupcakes)
from Betty Crocker

*Recipe note: The icing listed did NOT work for me. It was very runny. I think that the butter was the problem. When I typically make icing, it is a mixture of powdered sugar, milk and about a teaspoon of vanilla. Sometimes I will add cream cheese. Next time that I make these, I will stick to what I'm used to. The cupcakes are not necessarily aesthetically pleasing, but at least they taste good!

Cupcake Ingredients

box Betty Crocker® SuperMoist® lemon cake mix

1 1/2

cups fresh blueberries

3/4

cup water

1/3

cup vegetable oil

tablespoon grated lemon peel

eggs

package (3 oz) cream cheese, softened

Frosting Ingredients

2 1/2

cups powdered sugar

3/4

cup unsalted butter, softened

teaspoon grated lemon peel

1/2

teaspoon kosher (coarse) salt

1 1/4

teaspoons vanilla

tablespoon milk

cup fresh blueberries

Lemon peel, if desired

Fresh mint leaves, if desired

Heat oven to 375°F for shiny metal pans (or 350°F for dark or nonstick pans). Place paper baking cup in each of 24 regular-size muffin cups.
In small bowl, gently toss 2 tablespoons of the dry cake mix with 1 1/2 cups blueberries to coat; set aside.
In large bowl, beat remaining cake mix, water, oil, lemon peel, eggs and cream cheese with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds. Beat on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Fold blueberry mixture into batter. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups.
Bake 18 to 22 minutes or until tops are light golden brown. Cool 5 minutes; remove from pan to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
In medium bowl, beat powdered sugar, butter, 1 teaspoon lemon peel, the salt, vanilla and 1 tablespoon milk on high speed about 4 minutes or until smooth and well blended, adding more milk by teaspoonfuls if needed. Frost cupcakes with frosting. Garnish with 1 cup blueberries the lemon peel and mint leaves. Store in airtight container at room temperature.

Shrimp and Avocado Salad

2011-07-03T07:00:00.000-05:00

This was a very light salad that I made a few weeks ago. We loved the crispy tortilla strips!
Shrimp and Avocado Salad

from Real Simple

Ingredients

6 corn tortillas, sliced into strips
5 tablespoons olive oil
kosher salt and black pepper
1 1/2 pounds peeled and deveined large shrimp
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 romaine hearts, thinly sliced (about 5 cups)
1/4 small cabbage, thinly sliced (about 3 cups)
1 avocado, sliced
1/4 cup roasted pepitas (hulled pumpkin seeds)

Directions

1. Heat oven to 400° F. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the tortilla strips with 1 tablespoon of the oil and ¼ teaspoon salt. Spread in a single layer and bake, tossing once, until golden and crisp, 7 to 10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, toss the shrimp with the cumin and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of the remaining oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the shrimp until golden and cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes per side.

3. In a large bowl, combine the orange and lime juices with the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Add the romaine, cabbage, avocado, and shrimp and toss to combine. Serve the salad topped with the tortilla strips and pepitas.

Linguine

2011-07-02T07:00:00.000-05:00

Another great pasta dish from EmLoves.

Linguine with Spinach, Beef, & Smoked Almonds in a Lemon Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:

olive oil
1/2 large onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound beef tenderloin steaks, cut into cubes (about 2 cups cubed)
1 pound whole wheat linguine pasta
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
1 (15 oz) can cannelloni beans, drained and rinsed
1 Tbsp herbes de Provence
1 tsp fresh lemon zest
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 lb fresh baby spinach leaves
1/2 cup smoked almonds (toasted almonds work too), chopped
1/2 cup chopped olives (green & kalamata)
4 oil-packed sundried tomatoes
1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper

Directions:

In a large pot, bring water to a boil for pasta.
Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a medium pan over medium-high heat for about 2 minutes.
Add onions and sauté until soft.
Season beef with about a tsp each of salt and pepper.
Add beef cubes and minced garlic to pan.
Sauté until beef is slightly browned and garlic is soft.
In a medium bowl, mix together diced tomatoes (with juice), tomato sauce, tomato paste, lemon juice, lemon zest, herbes de Provence, cannelloni beans, and a pinch of salt and pepper.
Pour sauce mixture over beef in pan and stir around, scraping the bottom of the pan as you stir.
Bring sauce to a boil, cover, then reduce heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes.
While sauce is simmering, add pasta to boiling water and cook 8-10 minutes, or until al dente.
Drain pasta and place in a large bowl.
Remove sauce from heat and add to pasta.
Return pan to stove and heat about 1 Tbsp olive oil over medium heat.
Add spinach to pan (one handful at a time) and cook until spinach is wilted.
Sprinkle cooked spinach, chopped almonds, olives, sun dried tomatoes, and Parmesan cheese over pasta and toss.
Serve hot with more Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Garlic Bread Biscuits

Ingredients:

small Pillsbury Grands! Flaky Layer refrigerated biscuit dough (5 biscuits per can size)
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1/4 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350
Place biscuit dough on ungreased cookie sheet
In a small bowl, mix together garlic and onion powder then sprinkle on top of biscuit dough
Sprinkle parmesan cheese and mozzarella cheese on top of biscuit dough
Bake for 16 minutes, or until biscuit tops are golden.

How are you?

2011-07-01T12:16:00.002-05:00

I've started to notice how impersonal a lot of conversations really are. When you see someone, both of you say "hi" (or howdy or hello...) and then inevitably, one person will ask "how are you?" The other person will reply with something like "Fine, thank you. How are you?" In which they will receive a reply of "good" or fine." Are we really doing well all of the time? Does the other person really want a real answer?
Like today, as I was running, I was saying "good morning!" to the people that I passed (I am a friendly runner, my friends) and one man, I am sure out of habit asked me how I was doing. I could have replied, "slightly winded and my left pinkie toe is kind of aching," but instead I said "great, how are you?"
Probably not a good idea to get into real life problems with perfect strangers, but maybe we need to be making sure that if we are asking those questions, we are really listening to the people answering and if we get asked by someone who cares about us, that we are giving honest answer. Its okay for everything not to be perfect all of the time : )

Happy 4th of July weekend!! I'm trying to wait to make my patriotic cupcakes until Sunday, but I might not make it that long...

Skillet Baked Chocolate Chip Cookie

2011-06-30T21:10:00.000-05:00

I will willing gain weight to eat this.....chocolate chip cookies and ice cream = amazing!

Skillet Baked Chocolate Chip Cookie
from Martha Stewart

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups (about 9 ounces) mixed milk- and semisweet-chocolate chips
2 pints vanilla ice cream

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars until mixture is light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg and vanilla; mix until they are fully incorporated. Add flour mixture, and beat until just combined.
Stir in chocolate chips.
Transfer dough to a 10-inch ovenproof skillet, and press to flatten, covering bottom of pan. Bake until edges are brown and top is golden, 40 to 45 minutes. Don't overbake; it will continue to cook a few minutes out of the oven. Transfer to a wire rack to cool, 15 to 20 minutes. Cut into 8 wedges. Serve warm; top each wedge with a scoop of ice cream. (Whenever you serve the "leftover" pieces, be sure to heat them up as well. This dessert is best served warm.)

Dog Park

2011-06-28T07:02:00.000-05:00

We love our puppies and our puppies love to play. When we first moved to Houston, some friends told us about a dog park for Chloe. It is called the Congressman Bill Archer Dog Park, but we call it the Bearcreek dog park (let's be honest, I call it the puppy park). Chloe loves to go play on the little dog side and when we got Ellie, we took her for the big dog side.

My favorite things about it:
1. It is divided into two dog parks with exactly the same things on both sides (smaller scale of course for the little pups).
2. The pools are shaped like a dog bone.
3. There are puppy showers, so we can bathe the girls before they get back in the car
4. There is a lot of room on both sides

Ellie shows off when we are there. Her jumping/swimming skills are impressive. Chloe likes the big dog side and will go up to the largest dog in the dog park each time without fail...she will literally find dogs that resemble horses in size. For this reason, I like to take Chloe on the little dog side. : )
Our pups just had their yearly check ups! Our 5-year old Chloe is 8.4 pounds and our 2-year old Ellie is 82 pounds.
And I just finished watching Marley and Me. Great movie, but leaves me in tears EVERY time. Luckily Chloe is cuddling right by me so it makes it okay!

Granola Bars...another attempt (And Granola)

2011-06-27T07:00:00.002-05:00

I am having trouble finding the perfect granola bar recipe. Since my favorite granola recipe is from Alton Brown, I figured that his granola bar recipe would be worth trying and I really liked it.
(I added dark chocolate chips to mine which made it seem more desserty. I will probably leave them out next time as I'm looking for more of a sweet snack from my granola bars.)

Granola Bars
from Alton Brown

Ingredients

8 ounces old-fashioned rolled oats, approximately 2 cups
1 1/2 ounces raw sunflower seeds, approximately 1/2 cup
3 ounces sliced almonds, approximately 1 cup
1 1/2 ounces wheat germ, approximately 1/2 cup
6 ounces honey, approximately 1/2 cup
1 3/4 ounces dark brown sugar, approximately 1/4 cup packed
1-ounce unsalted butter, plus extra for pan
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
6 1/2 ounces chopped dried fruit, any combination of apricots, cherries or blueberries

Directions

Butter a 9 by 9-inch glass baking dish and set aside. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Spread the oats, sunflower seeds, almonds, and wheat germ onto a half-sheet pan. Place in the oven and toast for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

In the meantime, combine the honey, brown sugar, butter, extract and salt in a medium saucepan and place over medium heat. Cook until the brown sugar has completely dissolved.

Once the oat mixture is done, remove it from the oven and reduce the heat to 300 degrees F. Immediately add the oat mixture to the liquid mixture, add the dried fruit, and stir to combine. Turn mixture out into the prepared baking dish and press down, evenly distributing the mixture in the dish and place in the oven to bake for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Cut into squares and store in an airtight container for up to a week.

And for those who have asked lately, here is my favorite granola recipe. It is also from Alton Brown. I make it and eat off of it for 2 or 3 weeks then make more when I run out...always have it on hand : )

Granola
Adapted from Alton Brown (Food Network)
Ingredients
* 3 cups rolled oats
* 1 cup slivered almonds
* 1 cup cashews
* ½ cup sunflower kernals
* 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
* 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons maple syrup
* 1/4 cup vegetable oil
* 3/4 teaspoon salt
* 1 cup dried cranberries
Directions
Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.
In a large bowl, combine the oats, nuts, and brown sugar.
In a separate bowl, combine maple syrup, oil, and salt. Combine both mixtures and pour onto 2 sheet pans. Cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes to achieve an even color.
Remove from oven and transfer into a large bowl. Add cranberries and mix until evenly distributed.

Baked French Toast

2011-06-26T21:10:00.000-05:00

Here is the recipe I promised you last week from Traci's baby shower.

Baked French Toast
from the Pioneer Woman

Ingredients

1 loaf Crusty Sourdough Or French Bread
8 whole Eggs
2 cups Whole Milk
½ cups Whipping (heavy) Cream
¾ cups Sugar
2 Tablespoons Vanilla Extract
Topping
½ cups All-purpose Flour
½ cups Firmly Packed Brown Sugar
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
¼ teaspoons Salt
1 stick Cold Butter, Cut Into Pieces
Fresh Fruit (optional)

Preparation Instructions

Grease 9 x 13-inch baking pan with butter. Tear bread into chunks (or cut into cubes) and evenly distribute in the pan.

Mix together eggs, milk, cream, sugar, and vanilla. Pour evenly over bread. Cover tightly and store in the fridge several hours or overnight.

In a separate bowl, mix flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Add nutmeg if desired. Add butter pieces and but into the dry mixture until mixture resembles fine pebbles. Store in a Ziploc in the fridge.

When you’re ready to bake the casserole, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove casserole from oven and sprinkle crumb mixture over the top. (If you’re using fruit, sprinkle on before the crumb mixture.) Bake for 45 minutes for a softer, more bread pudding texture. Bake 1 hour or more for a firmer, less liquid texture.

Scoop out individual portions. Top with butter and drizzle with maple syrup.

Weekend Wrap Up

2011-06-21T06:00:00.002-05:00

I haven't done one of these in a while, so why not : )
I'm in the middle of summer school (which I know I know, its only a few weeks), but none-the-less I am in the middle of summer school. I feel like I should be able to pat myself on the back for teaching a few extra weeks. : ) I am also attending Bootcamp which is kicking my booty, but I think that's a good thing. I'm working on some online staff developments, so needless to say, my time is really filled up which made this weekend even more necessary!
On Friday morning, I took the plunge and tried the green monster smoothie. Mine had a banana, frozen strawberries and blueberries, greek yogurt, a little milk, a few handfuls of spinach and once all of that was blended, I added a little ice. I know it sounds disgusting, but you honestly couldn't taste the spinach and couldn't we all use a few more veggies in our lives?

Cody and I ventured to Longview on Friday afternoon. My mom and I got to help throw one of my very best friends, Traci, a baby shower! Traci is due with baby Jaxson (LOVE the spelling) in September. Mom and I brought casseroles to the shower..and let's just be completely honest, we got in super late on Friday night, so mom put mine together. I LOVE that you still take care of your scatter-brained 26 year-old : ) Thank you!
Hers was a traditional egg casserole and "mine" was baked french toast. I will post the recipes soon, they were super yum!
Cody and I got in late Friday night and go to visit with my parents for just a bit for bed.
Saturday I got up early for a much needed morning run before we got ready and headed off for the shower.
The shower was beautiful and my sweet friend seems more than equipped now for her baby boy. Look how great she looks! I hope to look like that, when I'm pregnant!

Def. took a picture of the hostesses wreaths on the door...this is my new crafting project. My door needs a little something to make it summery.

Afterwards, Traci, Danielle and I headed to Newk's for lunch and to catch-up.
Ellie, Cody and I swam that afternoon. Ellie was in heaven!
Then we went with my parents that night to T. Blanco's. Cody and I had never eaten there before, but I was super impressed. I had quail and grilled veggies! Yum-o!
Sunday we went to church with my parents, ate lunch to celebrate father's day and watched Ms. Ellie jump off the diving board before heading back to Houston.

Oh and if you haven't figured it out already, I will be working towards my masters in Public School administration in the fall from Texas A&M University (can I get a whoop?). For all of those concerned, I am still a Baylor Bear (Sic 'em), A&M just offered a really great program and it is a good school (I mean I did marry an Aggie).

Probably all you needed to know and more. Have a great day! Stay hydrated : )

Captain Tom's

2011-06-20T21:01:00.000-05:00

For the past 4 years Cody and I have passed a boat restaurant on FM 1960. We've always been intrigued by it, but had never stopped to see what was inside (I mean it was a boat). Well, a few weeks ago we decided to stop by Captain Tom's (especially since it said Oyster Bar on the sign). We found raw oysters and stuffed crab for a super affordable price. The restaurant is very laid back, which is a plus for the Mr. I would not recommend coming with a large group simply because there are always just a few seats available (both times we've been, we've been lucky to stumble across the only two seats open at that time). I even ate the raw oysters and enjoyed them, which is saying a lot! Once you do find a seat, the service is quick and the staff is friendly. Check it out : )

Homemade Poptarts

2011-06-12T07:00:00.000-05:00

I've seen these popping up (haha..) on quite a few blogs and recipe websites so I thought I would give homemade poptarts a try. I did manage to somehow miss how everyone mentioned getting seamless crescent roll dough, so my poptarts look more like pastries than poptarts, but its okay!

Homemade Poptarts

Ingredients
*SEAMLESS crescent roll dough
*jelly
*egg
*water
*sugar

Directions
*Preheat oven to 375
*Roll out your dough on parchment paper. If you have seamless dough, cut into 8 rectangles. If you are not a direction follower (hmm..), then lay out your triangles.
*On one side (ie: four of the rectangles or 4 of the triangles..I feel like I'm teaching a math lesson..) place 1-2 tbs of jelly
*Place the empty side on top matching up the edges
*Use a fork to seal the edges
*Mix together the egg and a little bit of water and brush the top of each poptart followed by a sprinkling of sugar
*Bake 15ish minutes (it took about 17 minutes)
Mr. Sage enjoyed his "poptart" and I am so thankful that at least some of the orange juice survived my mixing that day...the rest ended up on our floor (ewww).

Blueberry Ice Cream Pie

2011-06-11T07:00:00.001-05:00

I love sweets, which I know is super ironic b/c I am diabetic, but I do have an insulin pump, so its all good. While reading Better Homes and Gardens (oh yes I am an adult..), I came across this recipe for Blueberry Ice Cream Pie. Summer seemed like the perfect time to make this dessert! I will warn you that this pie does take quite a bit of time. It is a lot of steps that have to be completed at separate times to allow each piece to cool or freeze. Its definitely worth it though! Enjoy!

Blueberry Ice Cream Pie
from BHG

Ingredients

Almond-Brown Sugar Crust
1-1/2 cups slivered almonds
2 Tbsp. packed light brown sugar
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
Blueberry Sauce
3 cups blueberries, rinsed, well drained, and carefully picked over for damaged berries
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. grated lemon zest
2 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
A few gratings of nutmeg (about 1/8 tsp.)
1 Tbsp. water
Assemble and Serve
1 qt. homemade or purchased vanilla ice cream (You have to use Bluebell homemade vanilla. There is nothing like it!)
3/4 cup of the Blueberry Sauce, chilled
1/2 cup crème fraiche or sour cream
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 Tbsp. sugar
2 cups fresh blueberries, rinsed, picked over, and well dried on paper towel-lined baking sheets
Remaining Blueberry Sauce, heated

directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In bowl of food processor fitted with a steel blade combine almonds, brown sugar, and salt. Pulse until coarsely ground. Transfer to bowl and stir in melted butter. Turn into 9-inch pie plate. With fingers press onto bottom and sides to form a firm, even layer.

2. Bake 8 to 12 minutes until lightly golden. "Don't overbrown or the crust will have an overpowering flavor," Scott says. Allow to completely cool on a rack. Transfer to freezer until ready to use (may be made up to a week in advance and frozen, tightly wrapped).

3. In large, wide, nonreactive skillet combine blueberries, sugar, cornstarch, and salt, stirring well with a spoon to distribute the sugar and cornstarch. Add zest, lemon juice, water, and a few gratings of fresh nutmeg; stir again to blend.

4. Cook and stir over medium heat until blueberries begin to pop, give off juice, and come to a full simmer. Simmer, stirring gently for 1 additional minute until sauce is lightly thickened and cornstarch is well cooked.

5. Set aside to cool; refrigerate sauce until completely chilled before proceeding. "Otherwise you'll wind up with a blueberry milk shake," Scott says.

6. Transfer ice cream to a mixing bowl and let stand in the refrigerator 30 minutes or until just softened.

7. Spoon half into prepared crust. Spread in even layer and top with the chilled blueberry sauce. Spoon on remaining ice cream and spread to edges.

8. Cover surface of ice cream with plastic wrap and freeze at least 8 hours or overnight until firmly set.

9. To serve: In chilled mixing bowl, whisk crème fra¿¿che, heavy cream, and sugar until just thickened to spreading consistency. Do not overbeat. "It is very easy to go from smooth to grainy," Scott says. Spread cream mixture over pie; top with blueberries. Serve with heated sauce on the side. Makes 10 servings.

Lemon Pasta with Roasted Veggies & Sausage

2011-06-10T07:00:00.000-05:00

Another great recipe from EmLoves! I love making pasta, especially when its this yummy but also very healthy. This recipe allowed us to use more of our venison sausage. It was delicious and makes quite a bit too which of course means leftovers! Enjoy!

Lemon Pasta with Roasted Veggies & Sausage
from EmLoves

Ingredients:

1 lb pasta (I used penne)
2 large lemons, juiced
zest from 1/2 of one large lemon
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves, chopped (I honestly used the parsley from my spice rack)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp dried thyme
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 medium zucchinis, cut into 1/2 inch thick rounds
1 medium yellow squash, cut into 1/2 inch thick rounds
2 small heads broccoli, cut into florets (we had some frozen baby broccoli and it worked just fine)
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cups smoked sausage, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
4 cups fresh spinach leaves (mine ended up with more than 4 cups b/c when looking at the nutrition info, I noticed that it said 4 cups and failed to notice that it said 3 servings..mine probably had closer to 6-8ish cups by the time I realized my mistake...)
Parmesan cheese, for topping

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Combine lemon juice, lemon zest, red pepper flakes, and parsley in a small bowl and set aside.
In a large bowl, toss broccoli florets, zucchini, and squash in 2 Tbsp olive oil and spread out on a large baking sheet.
Season veggies with 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper, and 1 tsp dried thyme. Roast veggies for 20-25 minutes.
While veggies are roasting, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta according to package directions.
In a medium skillet, cook sausage and onion over medium high heat until onion starts to soften. Add garlic and continue to saute until onion is clear and sausage it cooked.
Add fresh spinach leaves to sausage mixture, turn the heat down to low, and stir until spinach starts to wilt. Remove from heat.
Drain pasta and, in a large bowl, combine pasta, sausage/spinach mixture, and roasted veggies.
Pour lemon juice mixture over the pasta and toss to combine.
Serve with fresh grated Parmesan cheese, crusty french bread, and extra lemon slices.

Momma said there'll be days like this...

2011-06-09T11:12:00.004-05:00

This is not however in reference to bad days, but good ones! My mom and I are very close. We talk daily..I mean we obviously have a lot to talk about because besides the fact that she is my mother, she also teaches kindergarten hence lots of topics of convo. Since we are both teachers this also means that we both get summers off (woohoo!). I start summer school next week, so before that began, mom came down to H-town for a couple of days. We did a lot of shopping and tried out a few yummy restaurants (but unfortunately no pics...idk how that happened!).
Tuesday we went to The Bake Shoppe.

The Bake Shoppe is in Cypress and is an eclectic deli/cajun restaurant. They are very generous with their portions and if you choose one of their combos, you get a cookie : ) They also have gorgeous cakes and homemade ding-dongs which I might need to try sometime after a long run to pre-burn off some of those calories. I noticed while we were there that they prepare meals for you to take home also (ie: king ranch,etc) which would be most helpful when things get busy.
Afterwards we headed up to (my happy place) the Houston Premium Outlets.
A few highlights of the trip include the Jcrew outlet where I found a hat that I have been looking for for quite a while, the GAP outlet where I got a swimsuit for $8, finding polarized Smith sunglasses for next to nothing. We had a very successful shopping day!

That night we picked up burgers from Franks and Toppings which is an organic fast food restaurant that sells (obviously) hot dogs and hamburgers. This restaurant is right by our house and I had passed it so many times and hadn't really thought much about it. About a month ago on a night that I was really craving burgers, we decided to try it and I loved it! You can really tell that the meat is all-natural, its very high quality. The burger that I have tried twice is the Blue Cheese burger. Cody has had the Wholly Guacamole burger.

The next day I introduced mom to the wonder that is Ikea. It is kind of like an amusement park of furniture. You take the escalator to the second floor then follow the blue arrows to see everything you could possibly need to outfit your house from the ground up. Its pretty amazing!

Afterwards we went to Tiny Boxwood's which is this adorable restaurant that is connected to the Thompson and Hanson nursery.

The atmosphere alone made me love the place. It was slightly crowded but I guess others felt the same way. Mom and I got the turkey and avocado club which was delicious. Their salads looked amazing too!

I had a wonderful time with my mom and hope to get her back down here soon : )