Loving right now~

I want this to be my car...

via

and then I could do this....

via

a new favorite...

99% caffeine free

0 trans fat 

No hydrogenated oils

=

Really yummy!!

and, my kids are CRAZY for these pickles

not sure if they are everywhere, but  they are so good....

so good, in fact,  that after they have eaten all the pickles, we save the juice,  I peel a cucumber, slice it up and add it to the jar!  We do that 2x before we throw out the juice!!

and....a fresh pack of my FAVORITE pencils

makes me happy!

What are you loving right now??

Do You Ever.....

make baked apples??

I had a few apples that were past their "crispness" for me, so I showed Lucy how to make baked apples.  

My Mom used to make these for breakfast, and I truly forgot how delicous they are!

{Baked Apples}

4 apples 

1/4 cup brown sugar 

1t cinnamon

butter

raisins, pecans or anything else you might want to add

boiling water

~Preheat oven to 375

~wash apples and with a paring knife cut out stem and use a spoon to dig out all seeds making a hole 3/4 to 1 inch wide

~place apples upright in an 8x8 baking pan

~mix brown sugar and cinnamon and fill the center of each apple

(and raising, nuts, etc)

~put a small pat of butter on top of each apple

~pour about 1/2 inch of boiling water into the pan 

~bake 30 to 40 min or until soft...but not mushy!

~serve warm (with vanilla ice cream is yummy too!) 

What a perfect Fall dessert!!

My Green Smoothie {In My Kitchen}

I have been making a Green Smoothie almost everyday!

It is so yummy and a great way for me to get some extra greens.

Here is how I make mine:

1 fist full of kale

1/2 apple chopped

1/2 banana

1 scoop vanilla protein powder

a little water (if I have coconut water, I use that)

a little crushed ice

*I have also added a little coconut oil and sometimes flax oil*

I blend this up in my little Magic Bullet and voila!

I have also seen other recipes using spinach, cucumber and pear...so I think I might give some of those things a try too!

Let me know if you make this, or have another recipe for me to try!

Cheers!

Carmelized Brownies {In My Kitchen}

I made these brownies this weekend for my Husband's birthday.

It is a Paula Deen recipe I found online made with a simple box brownie mix and a quick caramel topping...they were so delicious!

Caramelized Brownies

preheat oven to 350 degrees

1 box brownie mix

4 T butter

1 c chopped pecans

1 c firmly packed light brown sugar

Prepare brownie mix according to package directions, pour into a greased 9x13 pan

In a saucepan melt butter and add pecans and brown sugar ( at this point the recipe told you to stir until the sugar dissolves, which mine never did...I was afraid it would burn so I just stirred it until the consistency was a little like warm caramel :)

Pour caramel mixture over brownie batter and bake 25-30 min or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

(I doubled this recipe for nice thick brownies, so my cooking time was longer...I just kept an eye on them, and the center was a little gooey when I took them out, but once cooled...they were DELICIOUS!!)

Sundays {In my kitchen}

My Sundays are slow...

They are usually filled with delicious smells...

My Husband works on Sundays, so I tend to stay inside (especially on days like this Sunday, windy grey rainy)...and spend time in the kitchen

This Sunday I....

Slow roasted Tomatoes

Baked Chocolate Chip cookies

I used the Neiman Marcus Chocolate Chip recipe that my friend Catie shared!

My boys loved these as a change to our "regular" chocolate chip cookies!

Roasted Chicken breast and made Quinoa for lunch this week

and then went on to prepare dinner!

How about you??  Are your Sundays slow and cozy as you gear up for the week ahead?

A new favorite!

I usually just buy plain Greek yogurt and add a drizzle of honey for my yogurt parfaits...but I was in the grocery store and Chobani was on sale, so I picked up a couple in this peach flavor to try!

It is so delicious...there are chunks of peaches without all the sugary syrup, and the yogurt is thick and creamy...really yummy.

I also grabbed a couple of the Vanilla, and Lucy loves that flavor!

Just had to share!

Cheers~

In My Kitchen {Granola}

I made this today...it is a combination of a couple different recipes, and I think it turned out really yummy!

4 cups rolled oats

1/2 cup wheat germ

1/2 cup ground flax seeds

2 cups coconut

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup olive oil

1 tsp vanilla

Mix all together and spread on a baking sheet

Bake at 325 for 30 min, stirring every 10

Let cool

Add sunflower seeds and dried cranberries

*there are so many things you could add in...the sunflower seeds and cranberries happened to be what I had on hand*

Do You Ever??

Make Egg and Potato Burritos for dinner?

Growing up my Mom made these for us all the time!  I remember even taking them in my lunch to school :)

My fondest memory though, was growing up in California and going to a Dodgers Game...my Mom would make a big batch of these (she would add in sausage or bacon too), wrap them in foil, and we would take them to the game.  I never cared if we bought food from the concessions stand when we had these...who would??

Everyone in my family now loves them too!

In My Kitchen {Pumpkin Scones (JUST like St*arbucks!)}

My friend Catie has a FABULOUS scone recipe, but when it came to making these I just didn't know how to incorporate in the pumpkin...so I found a recipe on line, and tweaked it a little...and the result is AMAZING!!

So...here you go!!

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• (I used 1c whole wheat and 1cup all-purpose)
• 7 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 6 tablespoons cold butter
• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
• 3 tablespoons half-and-half
• 1 large egg

Mix together dry ingredients, cut in butter (I used my food processor) set aside

Whisk pumpkin, egg and half and half, then fold into dry ingredients.

Turn onto a lightly floured board...seperate dough in half.  With each half shape into a circular mound :) and cut into 4 pie like pieces (this recipe made 8 scones)

Bake at 425 for 14 -16 min

Cool, and then make a glaze of 1c powdered sugar and 2 T milk (half and half)

These are not dry, very cake like....really delicious!

A Harvest Birthday Dinner Tablescape~

This last Sunday I hosted a Birthday dinner for my Mom and Stepdad~

The tablescape is my take on the PB table I posted about in my previous post

As much as I love all the white...my home is more about color...I am inspired by the colors in "tuscan style" decorating, and at this time of year it is abundant!

I know, I know, my Boys let me know, I forgot an "E" in celEbrate! :)

I just had to share my roasted chickens. 

 Anne mentioned in a recent post about the simplicity and comfort of a Sunday Roast...and shared this 

Herb Roasted Chicken with Lemon and Sage 

recipe from House Beautiful...so I thought I would give it a try.

As I was flipping through my House Beautiful magazine I also found this recipe

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple Frosting

(image House Beatutiful)

...so I made those too...these were sooo delicious...a MUST try!!  

...and I also saw this recipe

Broiled Mushrooms in Tamari Butter

(image House Beautiful)

...so I made those too!

Delicious...I made wild rice and bread to accompany it all!

A perfect Havest Birthday Dinner!!

In My Kitchen{Pumpkin Spice Latte}

This time of year....I am CRAZY for a Star*bucks Pumpkin Spice Latte

However, I cannot justify spending $4.50 (appx) for a grande.....

SO....I have perfected my own!

I have been hunting around trying to find the right stuff.  Star*bucks does not sell their pumpkin syrup, I have tried another syrup called Pumpkin Spice...and it just wasn't right

until....THIS

 DaVinci's Pumpkin Pie Sauce

YES...it has to be "sauce"...more like the consistency of Hershey's syrup!
I add some of this to the bottom of my latte mug, make my latte (with non-fat milk) on my espresso machine...and voila...my very own...

Pumpkin Spice Latte


Do you have a favorite coffee drink this time of year??

In My Kitchen{Peach Tea~ A new summertime favorite!}

My Mom recently turned me on to homemade Peach Iced Tea.

I have been hooked...it is such a nice change from plain iced tea!

First...do you have one of these??

They are re-usable double wall insulated plastic...

LOVE this cup!

Then I add two pumps of this (or to your taste) into my Starbucks cup filled with ice and sun tea....

Add a slice or two of fresh or frozen peaches...

Delicious on a hot summer day!

In My Kitchen{Egg White Bites}

So...these little lovelies have become my newest obsession!

Maybe you already make something like this...I however just discovered how easy and delicious these are to make...and they are the perfect "clean" snack!

If you have never made them before, here is my quick recipe~

✿Egg White Bites✿

Chopped Veggies (your choice) - for these I used Asparagus, green onion and spinach

Egg Substitute ( I use Costco's Kirkland brand)

Spray a muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray

Place a tablespoon or so of chopped veggies in the bottom of muffin tin

Pour 1/4 cup egg whites into each cup

Bake @350 for 20 min or until egg is cooked

I love topping mine with a little salsa....delicious!

Enjoy!

Liberty of London coming to Tarjay!!

Have you heard??

Liberty of London is coming to Target in 8 days!!

In additon to all of this yummy stuff...Girls and Women's clothing!!

I think that bike is calling my name!

Mexican Hot Chocolate

Have you tried this??

I remember my Mom making this for me as a child, but I had completely forgotten about it...well, I recently bought some...and let me just say....It is Delicious!!!

You take 4 cups of skim milk and one of the discs of chocolate and heat in a sauce pan until it boils, add sugar to taste! It is chocolatey with hints of cinnamon.

I think you will LOVE it!!!

In My Kitchen{Caramel Apples...a Perfect Fall Treat!!}

The kids were out of school last Friday, so for a Yummy dessert we made caramel apples!!!

Crushed Oreo's and Mini chocolate chips...this was MY favorite!

Candy coated sunflower seeds, Gummy worms and sprinkles!!

In My Kitchen{S'mores Cupcakes}

Recently I went to Trophy Cupcakes in Seattle...and had the yummiest cupcake. The owner was on Martha Stewart last year sharing her recipe, so today I tried to knock it off!

The couple of things I did different than the recipe was I cheated and used a box cake mix, and I used chocolate chips in place of the finely chopped bittersweet chocolate. They turned out really YUMMY!!