Cookies with a touch of green

I tried a new recipe last weekend ~ chewy coconut lime sugar cookies. Oh my goodness, they were delicious!

I had made the cookie dough and left it to chill while Carrie and I went shopping, and when we returned to my house she stayed long enough for the first batch to come out of the oven.

She said what I'd been thinking - that maybe the tops of the cookies needed a little bit of green sprinkles to emphasize the lime part. But rather than do that, I came up with my own bit of green with a mandala drawn on the tag of the bag I gifted to a friend.

Here's a link to the original cookie recipe. It's delicious made just the way it's written, though I think next time I'll omit the coconut extract and add a little more lime juice instead. These cookies were even better on day two - the coconut keeps them moist and chewy.

I baked some of the dough and saved two dozen cookie dough balls for the freezer. They'll make a yummy surprise treat for Doug in the near future.

♥

A salad recipe for summer dinners

There's a croissant shop near the chiropractor's office where I teach yoga. Ohmygosh they have the best croissants! They also have a small lunch menu and one of their salads has been a favorite of mine for a long time.

I love the salad so much that I wanted to make my own version at home but I assumed that it wasn't something that Doug would appreciate. He's a "ranch dressing" salad guy and likes a good old fashioned side-salad if he has a salad at all.

Well. TA-DA!!! I made it and he loved it and I've made it a few times since then. :o) Now it's one of our favorites. It's super easy to throw together, and a salad I plan to make often during the upcoming hot summer months.

Spinach/Chicken/Cranberry Salad

Use amounts according to your preference:

spinach leaves

diced cooked chicken breast

dried cranberries

chopped walnuts

crumbled feta cheese

balsamic vinegar dressing

Combine, toss and enjoy.

♥

One part food, thirteen parts inspiration

I was trying to come up with something to blog about today and remembered a time when I used to post about food on Wednesdays. I've been making this little breakfast treat since my friend Ginger posted hers on Instagram, so I thought, "Hey! I'll blog about that!"

So I took a photo of my work-morning-breakfast and figured I was good to go. I'd share the recipe and make it a quick post for today.

As I started writing my post, I couldn't help noticing the things in the background of my stunning food photo. {ha} There's the fruit I've been intending to eat so far every day this week, a bottle of lavender oil that I inhale and enjoy from time to time, my water cup, affirmation sticky notes...

Affirmation sticky notes! I counted around my work desk area and found 13 of them!

Enter: today's blog post. :o)

I've written about how affirmation notes have helped me in the past, and today I'd like to share my current affirmations. Though there are 13 on my work desk, I do rotate them out from time to time. Here are some that I leave in front of me for consistent review and reflection:

__________________________________________________________________

 

♥ Really great things happen to me all the time! ♥ I have a successful business of my own. ♥ I am a thought leader. ♥ I am capable of rebounding from any setback. ♥ Hello, my name is Yoga and I will change your life. ♥ Love always wins. Kindness always prevails. And smiles always disarm. ♥ Same joy, different day. ♥ __________________________________________________________________

Some are reminders or affirmations that I made up myself, and some are ones that I've seen somewhere else and loved so I wrote them down. Some of them are things that I want to happen so they are written as if it's already manifested. Example: I have a successful business of my own. Not: I want my own business. Make sense?

There are also affirmations I repeat to myself, either in my mind or sometimes out loud. Things like:

__________________________________________________________________

 

♥ I am on the right track! ♥ I am divinely guided and protected. ♥ This is a friendly universe. ♥ Something wonderful is about to happen! ♥ I am so grateful for my amazing life. ♥

__________________________________________________________________

Oh sure, I know that sometimes rotten stuff does happen, but that doesn't make it a bad life! Maybe you are having a rough week. Or it's just a bad day. Or minute!

When we choose to focus on what's not right in our world, we continue to manifest that very thing. "I have terrible luck." "Nothing's going right this week." "I just can't seem to win." My friends, I promise you this - and I speak from experience - a shift in thinking can change your life!

Occasionally a friend will comment about my positive attitude, how I always look on the bright side. Here is where I confess that I am not always that jovial {human factor}, but I will tell you that current Me is a much different version of past Me. The choices I have made have caused that shift!

The choices I have made include my yoga practice, but I know that the affirmations I have written and posted around me - along with the ones I choose to repeat in my mind - have played a huge role in the creation of my current attitude.

I'm curious; do you post affirmations for yourself?

What affirmations do you subconsciously repeat to yourself?

What affirmation will you choose today?

What affirmation will you write and post where

you can see it throughout your day?

♥

PS: Oh yeah - the breakfast in my jar? Equal parts quick-rolled-oats (uncooked), 1% milk, and peach flavored Greek yogurt, with a little splash of vanilla. Made the night before and stored in the refrigerator, it's a quick and yummy breakfast to grab and go the next morning. You can also add fresh fruit, raisins, flax seed - whatever floats your boat.

Lemon Sugar Cookies for Grandma

My grandma has a sweet tooth and loves all things lemon.

Oh my gosh she makes the best lemon tea bread on the planet!

♥

Every year I try a new lemon recipe and include it with her package that I mail a week or so before Christmas. This year's recipe of choice is a lemon sugar cookie that turned out to be a real treat. This is definitely going in my book of recipes to repeat. It was easy and the cookies are SO yummy!

Since I have to mail these cookies I wanted to test them for texture and freeze-ability. The good news is they froze really well, and even after several days the cookies are still nice and soft. I'll pull the cookies out of the freezer just before I box them up, and by the time they arrive on Grandma's doorstep a few days later, she'll be able to enjoy some with her afternoon tea. ♥

I actually followed the recipe without changing anything up this time, so I'll just share a link to the original and save myself the typing. :o) You can find this recipe by clicking here.

 

Grandma is going to love these!

♥

Secret Recipes and Blueberry Surprise Cake

A sweet local friend who reads my blog {Hi Sue} read my post about my sister's friend who keeps her famous brownie recipe a secret. Sue graciously sent me her brownie recipe to try and it's now my go-to recipe when there's a brownie craving in our family. Yummy!!!

Along with the brownie recipe, Sue also included a family recipe for a blueberry surprise cake. She told of a time when she was a little girl, and how she helped her great aunt, Helen, in the kitchen. Helen was a fantastic baker, and very secretive with her methods. She must have been very fond of Sue, because not only did she share baking tips with her young niece, but she also shared her recipe for blueberry surprise cake, much to Sue's grandmother's surprise.

I had a chance to make the blueberry surprise cake last weekend and OhMyGoodness it is YUMMY! I asked Sue if I could share her story and she graciously said yes, and she encouraged me to share her aunt Helen's secret recipe as well. "Isn't that what cooking is about?" reasoned Sue, "nurturing the ones we love?" Well, yes, I think so!

Doug loved this blueberry surprise cake, and so did my coworkers. Many thanks to Sue for sharing the recipe with me, and to Aunt Helen, who may be looking down from above watching me type her secret recipe for all the internet to see. :o) ♥

Aunt Helen's Blueberry Surprise Cake

3 c. sifted cake flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 c. sugar
1/2 lb. (2 sticks) butter
2 eggs, beaten
1 c. sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla
1 can blueberry pie filling
Topping:
1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. sugar
6 t. butter

Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and sugar in a bowl. Cut butter into dry ingredients until it resembles a coarse meal. Add beaten eggs, sour cream and vanilla and stir until well mixed.

Spread half of the cake batter into a greased 9x13" cake pan. Top with pie filling, spreading in the middle but not all the way to the edge. Top with remaining cake batter. The batter is thick, so you'll want to dollop it by small spoonfuls on top of the blueberry pie filling and use a wet knife to spread it so that all of the pie filling is covered. {I put a scant "half" on the bottom, and saved a little more batter for the top.}

Combine topping ingredients in a small bowl and sprinkle on top of cake. Bake at 375° for about 40 minutes until top of cake is golden brown.

Thank Heaven for Aunt Helen and Sue.

♥

Easy Pumpkin Muffins with a Caramel Center

My sweet grandma writes me letters on occasion, and sometimes she'll include newspaper or magazine articles she's clipped out for me. I love that old-fashioned correspondence - a piece of paper cut and mailed rather than a link within an email message. I feel so fortunate to still have my grandma around to mail me cut out pieces of paper. ♥

Last week I received a little note from her and it included this recipe for pumpkin muffins. I'm including the entire piece of paper here because I love the note she wrote over the Clorox wipes ad! :o)

Being the dutiful granddaughter that I am, I whipped up a batch of these pumpkin muffins over the weekend. I mailed a note of thanks to her, including in my note the mention of a thank you from Doug and my coworkers for the yummy muffin recipe.

PS: Grandma's clipping didn't include information about the publication she got this recipe from so I'm not able to give proper credit. However, I did find the recipe online and you can get your own copy here.

Crockpot Lasagna Soup

I have a really yummy recipe to share with you today!

:o)

Fall is coming and I couldn't be happier! I look forward to cooler weather and the opportunity to make hot meals for Doug and I. And also with fall comes the onset of hunting season which means that Doug needs meals to take in his ice chest - things that are hearty and easy to reheat when he returns to camp at the end of the day. I love being able to make some meals for him to take along. ♥

Last weekend Doug was away scouting and I had yoga school to go to. I've been wanting to try this recipe for lasagna soup, so I loaded it up in the crockpot before I headed out that morning. I felt happy knowing that when Doug came home later that day (before me) the house would smell amazing. Coming home to the aroma of crockpot food is something that makes my hubby very happy.

I saw this recipe in a magazine a few years ago and typed it up - hard copy style. I can't remember the magazine I found it in, so if this is a recipe that you personally made up, please let me know and I will give you credit. In the meantime, I'm going to share the recipe with my modifications and the disclosure that the original was not my idea.

Lasagna Soup for the Crockpot

Combine the following ingredients in a crockpot:
1 onion, chopped
1 to 2 zucchinis, diced into small pieces
10 3/4 oz. tomato soup, canned, condensed
14.5 oz. tomatoes, canned, petite diced
15 oz. tomato sauce, canned
2 t. chicken bouillon granules
2 t. beef bouillon granules
4 c. water
1 1/2 t. oregano
1 1/2 t. basil
1 t. parsley
2 t. garlic powder
1 t. salt
1/2 t. black pepper
8 lasagna noodles, broken into small pieces, uncooked

Crumble over the top of the soup mixture:
1 lb. lean ground beef, raw
I broke the ground beef up in little pieces to resemble very small meatballs.
 Cover. Cook on low heat for 7-8 hours, or on high for 4-5 hours.

8 oz. Ricotta cheese
shredded mozzarella cheese
Now, the original recipe called for stirring in ricotta and mozzarella cheese 30 minutes before serving. The soup was just so pretty, and I knew the addition of the cheese would totally change the presentation. So instead of stirring it in, I saved the cheese and added a dollop of Ricotta and a sprinkling of mozzarella just before serving it.

* * * * * * * *

Oh my gosh this soup was delicious! Doug loved it too, and was spontaneously mmmmmm-ing as he took his first few bites. :o)

I packaged the leftovers into freezer bags with a good serving of the soup, and added a spoonful of ricotta cheese to the top before sealing it up. I figured the cheese mixed in won't hinder the presentation of the soup at camp, and if it does Doug won't mind.

This one's a keeper - the recipe, and Douglas.

♥

In search of Marlene's brownies.

My sister's friend, Marlene, makes THE BEST brownies on the planet - hands down! For the past 10 years or so, we have enjoyed her brownies on occasion when we visit my sister in California. Marlene knows how much we love them and regularly surprises us with a batch when we visit. We have asked for her recipe, but it's a secret.

Carrie had a good point though. She mentioned that perhaps it's best for us to NOT have the recipe, otherwise we'd make them all the time. Totally true.

I recently searched the internet for a recipe that looked similar to what I thought Marlene's brownies would be. I made the batter and used a smaller pan than was called for, hoping that the thickness of the brownies would match Marlene's in structure.

They were thick like Marlene's brownies, but nowhere nearly as yummy, so it's back to the drawing board!

 

Anyone have a thick, cake-like brownie recipe you'd like to share?
And I'm curious, does your family have a recipe that is held as a close secret?

♥

Cherry pie jars for a friend

I made these cherry pie jars last week for a friend and I'll admit that at the time I thought it would make a fun blog post. :o)

I used a couple of cans of crescent roll dough, rolled out onto some granulated sugar, and some canned cherry pie filling. I cut circles from the dough for the pie crust, and baked at 350° for about 20 minutes until the bottom crust was golden brown. I did place a little piece of foil on top of each jar after 10 minutes to keep the top crusts from getting too brown.

I had seen an idea for a cherry embellishment a long time ago, and I thought this was the perfect opportunity to bust it out. I painted two wooden beads bright red...

...and then I strung them onto the ends of a piece of jute.

I cut circles from some scrapbook paper I had on hand {Who says I'll never use up that massive collection?!?!} and packaged up the jars like this:

My friend liked her birthday pie jars. :o)

♥

Sunflower Cupcake Toppers

When my friend, Jenn, planned her canvas art party I offered to bring cupcakes. And since Jenn was hosting, I let her pick the flavor of the day. She chose vanilla and chocolate.

I knew I'd be working on a sunflower canvas that day, and since my own sunflowers are the main focus of my garden these days, I decided to make some quick sunflower cupcake toppers.

I used two punches to make the sunflowers. This flower punch is such a versatile punch! Layered and staggered with a large circle in the center, it makes the perfect sunflower. Punch the flower shape in red and use a smaller circle and it's a great poinsettia. I've also used this punch for other random flowers and you can see those by clicking here and here.

 

 

Yummy vanilla cake recipe can be found here.

 And my favorite chocolate buttercream frosting ever can be found here. (BTW, I increase the cocoa in the frosting recipe from 1/2 cup up to 3/4 cup.)

♥

The first time I made pizza crust

I've been wanting to try Elisa Blaha's pizza crust recipe for a long time, and this past weekend I finally did just that.

The recipe was super easy to make, and the result was a fantastic homemade pizza crust.

I topped this one with (store bought) pizza sauce, Italian sausage, mozzarella cheese, black olives, and some fresh basil. I baked it on a basic cookie sheet, but I think the future holds a pizza stone for Doug and me. And, I'm going to figure out how to make my own sauce as well. I'm getting serious about pizza making, my friends!

This will definitely be happening around our house again.
{recipe here}

♥

Carrot Cupcakes and a Converstation with Grandma

It had been a long time since I'd made my grandma’s carrot cake. Grandma’s recipe makes a three-layer cake and I knew that we didn’t need/want to have that much cake around, so I cut the recipe in half, modified it just a bit, and made cupcakes for Doug as a Father’s Day treat.

While I was making Grandma’s recipe I was thinking about her. I thought about how she used to make this cake and it was sold by the slice at a local restaurant – back in the day before rules and regulations of commercial kitchens. And since I was baking it on Father’s Day, I thought about my grandpa and how much he loved my grandma’s mad baking skillz.

Once I had the cakes in the oven I gave my grandma a call. We struggled through the conversation – I’m pretty sure she wasn’t wearing her hearing aids. I told her that I was making her carrot cake recipe and how I had changed it up a bit and baked it in cupcake form. She seemed interested to know that I had added pineapple to the batter, and that I was going to use some leftover cream cheese frosting I had on hand. Then we talked for a bit about Grandpa, how he’s been gone for 26 years now, and that Monday (June 16) was the 105th anniversary of his birth.

And then I asked about her dad – my great-grandfather. What could she tell me about him? I loved that the tone of her voice changed when she spoke of her father; how asking about him softened her and reminded her of him on Father’s Day.

She said, “Well, honey, I don’t know what to tell you,” and she paused before continuing. “He never cursed – I never once heard him say a swear word. And he never drank. Never learned to drive a car – rode his bicycle all over the place. He loved to read and he loved to sing!”

I told her that I remember my mom talking about what a wonderful grandfather he had been and how she had loved him dearly. Grandma’s voice lit up when she said, “Oh, he loved his grandchildren! They were his pride and joy!”

At the end of the conversation I told her that if we were neighbors I’d bring her one of those carrot cupcakes I’d made and she said, “Do you want that recipe? I can send it to you…” Eh-hm. Told you she wasn’t wearing her hearing aids.

Here’s Grandma’s carrot cake recipe, cut in half and slightly modified by me. They were so delicious and got two thumbs up from Douglas.

Deb's Carrot Cupcakes

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup crushed pineapple with juice
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking power
1 teaspoon cinnamon (plus a little bit more...)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups grated carrots
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1/3 cup raisins

Cream sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla in large bowl. Stir in pineapple.

In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients and mix well.

Add dry ingredients to sugar mixture and stir until just combined. Don't over-mix.

Add grated carrots, nuts, and raisins and fold to incorporate. Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full and bake at 350° for 18-20 minutes, until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Frost with your favorite cream cheese frosting - I used leftovers made from this recipe.

Makes about 16 super delicious cupcakes.
♥

Grilled Veggies and Spaghetti

It's that time of year again when meal planning takes a turn and we do what we can to avoid heating up the kitchen. I'd like to say we do a lot of grilling during the summer months, but that's not always the case. I hate to ask Doug to go outside and stand in front of a fiery grill when it's 112° out there. And I'm not even kidding about the 112°!

Anyway, we made this dish last Wednesday (when it was only 105°) - it's a favorite for the two of us. Here's how we do it...

I use 12 Roma tomatoes, cut in half and seeds removed. Slice a half of an onion in thin slices, dice up four zucchini squashes, and three cloves of garlic. I toss them in some olive oil, and just a little bit of red wine balsamic vinegar on the tomatoes, then season with some salt and black pepper.

Doug does the grilling part, and the cooking time varies. I think these took about 25 minutes over medium heat with the lid of the grill closed while they cook. The nice thing about these veggies is that they don't require constant attention out on the grill. We can put them on to cook and then come back inside, out of the heat. You do want to keep an eye on them toward the end of their cooking time though. Oh, and the veggies do need to be stirred a time or two during the grilling process.

In the meantime, I'm inside in the comfort of air conditioning, cooking up some spaghetti noodles and chopping some fresh basil to go on top...

When the veggies are done I take my kitchen shears and cut the tomato chunks up a bit. Then the veggies get tossed together and dished up over a plate of pasta. A sprinkle of basil and some parmesan cheese, and you have yourself a plate of yummy food, my friends.

I need make a list of cool meals to have on hand.

There's salad for dinner tonight...

♥

Judi's Pineapple Cake

On my birthday this year, my friend Judi sent me an apron. I was so touched when I unwrapped it and noticed that she had included a hand-written recipe card, tucked in the apron pocket just like my mom used to do. {If you missed yesterday's post, you can read it by clicking here.} ♥

I couldn't wait to try Judi's recipe, and let me tell you, this one's a keeper! I baked it to take to our friend's house last weekend and it was a big hit. Then I took the rest of it to work the next day where it was gobbled up and the recipe was requested.

This is a moist and dense cake that's very easy to throw together. Wow - you've gotta' try this cake!

Judi's Pineapple Cake

Mix the following together in a large bowl:

2 eggs, beaten

1 tsp. vanilla

2 cups sugar

2-1/4 cups flour

1 20-ounce can crushed pineapple

2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 cup chopped nuts

 

Bake in an ungreased 13 x 9" pan at 350° 30-40 minutes (my oven took 30 minutes).

 

For the frosting, combine:

1 8-ounce package cream cheese

1/4 cup oil (I used butter)

1 tsp. vanilla

2 cups powdered sugar

Frost cake while still hot, and sprinkle with chopped nuts.

 

Yum, yum, YUM!!!

♥

A recipe saved and made in the same week...

For the most part, the recipes I've pinned on Pinterest are a collection of things that sound really yummy when I first see them, and then they are filed away as dishes that look really yummy but never get made - kind of like the old days when I'd print a copy of a recipe and add it to the stack of paper recipes I'd like to make one day.

 

But this recipe for artichoke chicken? I knew this was something that Doug and I would love, so I pinned it and made it within the same week.

 

Maybe not the most appetizing photo, but you'll have to take my word for it - this was delicious! If you like a good artichoke dip you'll love this dish, and it was super easy to make as well.

 

So, what about you? Are you pinning and making recipes?

Or are you pinning and collecting them for someday?

♥

Linking up with Fiona ~ Staring at the Sea for her monthly

edition of See it, Pin It, Do It.

How I make a spicy meatball.

To my vegetarian friends, look away.
Nothin' to see here...nothin' to see...

Fellow carnivores? Come on in!

♥

I've shared my meatloaf story on this blog before in a tale of how, as a teenager, I was forced to make meatloaf once a month. The flip side of that is that I make a really good meatloaf - it's one of Doug and Carrie's favorite things I make. And when I make meatballs I mix them up like I do my meatloaf, just form them into balls instead of mashing the mixture into a loaf pan.

Two pounds of lean ground beef, two eggs, some bread crumbs (3/4 cup...ish?), salt, pepper, oregano, fresh basil, an onion that's been caramelized in some olive oil, and some fresh garlic too.
 

My grumpy faced little garlic holder is actually an egg separator that I got in Bisbee, Arizona from this really fun pottery shop down there. You crack an egg into it and then pour the egg white out his funky little mouth. I used it for that once, just to see how it worked (well), and now I just use it to hold my garlic.

Yes, I make some really big meatballs. And instead of searing them in a frying pan and taking a risk that they'll fall apart, I spray some non-stick spray in a muffin tin and bake them at 350° for 30 minutes. Then I put them in a pot of spaghetti sauce (I use store bought, two jars) and continue cooking them for a couple of hours on low heat on the stove.

 

One and a half meatballs makes a great sandwich (cut in half they lay better on the bun) and I served them with some zucchini fries. And for the record, my eyes are usually too big for Doug's stomach. ;o)

This was a really yummy dinner on Sunday night! Carrie swung by the house for "take out," and we even had enough leftover to freeze for another meal in the future.

Do you make meatballs at your place?

♥

My grandma, her new phone, and some blood orange marmalade

My 93-year old grandma {Gertrude} recently got a new cell phone with texting capabilities. My aunt and uncle thought it would be a great way for us to keep in touch with her, and she was willing to learn how to operate this new phone of hers. She texted me that first day and said, "Hi Debbie. Imagine this, I'm learning something new. Love, Grandma." Oh, I was SO proud of her!!!

Sunday morning I noticed I had missed a call from Grandma on my cell phone so I rang her back. She was surprised when I said, "I noticed I missed a call from you..." because, according to her, she hadn't called me. She finally did admit that she and Uncle Ken had been "trying to figure out how to make a call" and they must have accidentally called me. Apparently there's still a bit of a learning curve with the new phone.

We talked for a little while and I told her I was in the middle of trying another batch of blood orange marmalade. She was quick to say, "Use some pectin this time!" and I explained that the new recipe I'd found called for tying the orange membranes and seeds in a cheesecloth bundle to cook with the mixture and that was supposed to be a natural pectin.

She was skeptical - never heard of such a thing - and then she told me stories of jelly making with my mom. She said Mom bought a gallon jug of pomegranate juice from a local fruit stand one year, and the two of them made the best batch of pomegranate jelly. And they used a powdered pectin and "it set up real nice."

"Ok, Grandma, but I'm going to follow the recipe and use the tied-up-bundle of orange membranes and seeds this time," I told her.

Well, thank goodness the recipe worked this time, and the orange marmalade "set up real nice" for me. The other thing that was different about this recipe was the temperature and cooking times. I had to use a thermometer and heat it to a certain temp, then hold it there for five minutes - like candy making. I might have cooked it a little too long though, because once this marmalade is opened and refrigerated the mixture becomes very thick and sticky.

Oh well! It still tastes great and I was finally able to package it up like I've had in my mind for a couple of years now. One of these little jars is on it's way via United States Postal Service to my sweet grandma in California.

I wonder if she'll text me to say she likes it when it arrives on her doorstep.

♥