Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Cupcake Birthday and Baked "Fried" Pickles

This weekend we celebrated my baby girl's 8th birthday. I feel like she is still 3, but her birth certificate says otherwise.

Even though the birthday festivities were stretched out over two days, we kept it low key. Day 1 we took her and her two best friends to Launch, an indoor trampoline park. We had a great time and then came back for some cake and ice cream. The end. Easy yet fun.

Cake 1

Day 2 we had a small family party with grandparents and her cousins. Of course I didn't take picture because I was too busy getting everything together (I'll never remember), but we had a make your own sandwich bar, cupcakes, and homemade ice cream sandwiches for dessert. I made giant cupcake shaped sugar cookies for favors. 

Red Velvet Cupcakes for Day 2

Due to my lack of photo documentation I will share a food that was a big hit. These are delicious! You are missing out big time if you don't try these. Thank you to the inventor. I found these on Fullflavorfood.com.


Fried Pickles

Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 7-10 min
Serves: 1 selfish fried pickle lover or 4 picky eaters
Ingredients:
3 Large Kosher Dill Wholes
3 Eggs
3 TBLs Milk
1 cup Flour (All Purpose)
1/2 cup Bread Crumbs
1/4 cup Panko Crumbs
1/2 cup Cheddar Cheese (Finely Shredded)

Prep & Cooking Directions -
  1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
  2. Slice your Dills into “chips” about 1/4 inch in thickness.
  3. Take 3 small mixing bowls and put the flour in 1, the eggs and milk in the second(and beat them together), and combine the bread crumbs, panko crumbs, and the shredded cheese in the third bowl.
  4. Coat each pickle chip with flour, then the egg/milk mixture, and then the cheesy bread/panko crumb mixture, and place on to an oiled cookie sheet.
  5. Bake @ 425 degrees for 7 – 10 minutes or until desired “crispiness” is reached.
  6. Add a side of ranch to dip into and ENJOY!
  7. Now make more!

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Game Night

Little known fact: I write for 2 other blogs. One is for a home care company and the other is for my dad's furniture business, Flat River Furniture. I enjoy writing and it keeps me busy. I'm also hoping one day it can be a little more than a hobby, but for now I write just for the sake of writing.

Tonight I wrote about family game night for Flat River Furniture and since I love game night I thought I would double dip and share it here too.

We love family game night. Monopoly, Clue, cards, Yahtzee, Life, etc. It's a fun relaxed time to get together and have some laughs while beating your loved ones.

It is also a low cost option for something to do together rather than go out to a movie, for example, which seems to cost more every time you walk through the door. This evening of bonding costs only the price of a board game (if you don't have one already, which you probably do) and maybe a pizza. Pizza is usually mandatory with this crew. Best of all, everyone can be included. Many games are suitable for a wide age range.

Go grab some family and a pile of games and get to it! 



Nice weather is coming and the daylight is lasting longer. Bring game night outside! We like this tree stump checkerboard. By using pebbles you never have to worry about loosing the pieces.

 

What is your favorite game to play?

Monday, March 11, 2013

Signs of Spring


I was so excited to see these mini irises popping up in my garden that I grabbed the rake and started cleaning all the leaves and mess out of the gardens and prettying up the yard. Its amazing how good a nice day after a long winter makes you feel. 

Thursday, March 7, 2013

Pinterest Lunch: Wonton Tacos and Garlic Broccoli

Yesterday's lunch was probably the best idea I have ever had. I invited my lovely cousin, who is a new fellow Pinterest addict, over for lunch. We each chose items we had pinned on the site and wanted to try.

Let me just say, lunch never tasted so good!

Start off with these barbeque asian wonton tacos. Very easy and super delish. I was actually surprised how good they tasted with mixing the sesame ginger dressing flavor with bbq sauce. It's also a healthy taco option. 

Sassy Wonton Tacos
http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/healthy-lunch-recipes.html
Eat this on the side. Best cooked broccoli I have ever eaten. Hats off to My San Francisco Kitchen for this one.

garlic lemon broccoli
http://mysanfranciscokitchen.com/roasted-garlic-broccoli/


Lastly, wash it all down with some strawberry lemonade. Warning: Though this is well worth it, it took a while to figure out the right straining method for the fruit pulp. We recommend using a collendar and draining it into a big bowl first, before putting it in the pitcher. It is way better than any store bought lemonade and healthier too since you can control the amount of sugar you put in it. Or use honey as Laylita suggests. So pretty too with lemon slices and cut strawberries mixed it.

http://laylita.com/recipes/2012/06/08/strawberry-lemonade/
If you have a ton of recipes on Pinterest that you want to try, but just haven't gotten around too... Or if your like me and are the only one in your house that will try it... call over a friend and have a Pinterest lunch. Happy eats!

Monday, March 4, 2013

Lace Shorts, Pink Lips

Yesterday morning on Instagram I joked that I was going to make the grandma look popular. I had on pink lipstick and mauve nail polish and a lace top. All things that remind me of my grandmothers, but in a great way. Check out the photo here. What you couldn't see was the bright coral skinny jeans I had on.

In all seriousness though I really like the lace trend, which is why it is slowly creeping into my closet one piece at a time. I think the next one should be these mint lace shorts at ustrendy.com. They are gorgeous. 

Mint Lace Shorts

Although trying a Forever 21 version costs half the price. Maybe one of each?


Either way I am enjoying the bright colors and pretty pastels this spring. Granted it is still winter here for a couple more weeks, but I have started bringing out the spring shades just to boost my mood. This is actually pretty strange for me because usually I am not a colorful gal. I guess I'm being converted this year to the world of color. 

I also started loving pink lipstick and I never used to wear lipstick. What is this world coming to? Maybe its because I finally found one that doesn't look strange with my pale complexion. 

I'm a fan of Blake's hot pink lip in the photo below. 



Are there any looks your are unexpectedly loving lately?