Friday, January 31, 2014

sausage and cream cheese stuffed crescents



i had the opportunity to try these at one of my thirty-one party's. the hostess decided to host a brunch on a saturday. she made an amazing spread of brunch goodies and i was told i needed to try one of these. i did and wowza! they are so bad for you so just beware. but you can not go wrong with anything made with crescents and cream cheese. and i actually have made them a couple times and they have always been a hit. if you aren't having a breakfast but want a fast easy appetizer to take,  swap the breakfast sausage for 8oz. sweet and 8 oz. hot italian sausage and take a mustard for dipping. all just in time for super bowl sunday!!

ingredients

16 oz of bob evans (or your favorite) breakfast sausage
8 oz of philadelphia cream cheese softened
2 packages of crescent rolls 

1. pre-heat oven as directed on crescent roll package. brown and ground up the sausage. drain. add sausage to the softened cream cheese and stir together well.

2. open and unroll each crescent. i actually cut the crescent triangle in half and roll them out a little to make bite sized pieces. put about a tablespoon of filling onto each crescent and roll from the widest point.

3. place on a baking sheet and bake as directed.

enjoy


Signaturet

Thursday, January 30, 2014

great devotional for little boys

i actually came across this book a couple years ago at the huge book table at sam's club.  i started reading them to ethan at a very young age when he may not have understood it as well but still the seeds were planted in his heart. honestly, i haven't made it through the entire book yet. we have gotten out of the habit multiple times for whatever reason. so we are going to make it a goal to get through it this year. he is older now and gets even more excited about them in the morning. and really it takes about five minutes…ten if ethan wants to discuss something which i encourage. we actually sit down in the morning first thing and spend a little time with god and learning some very basic principles.

each day has a topic for example "jesus loves you", "you'll feel better when you forgive other people".
within that there is usually a bible verse then an explanation.
followed by a tip or quote of the day and lastly a prayer.
i recommend this little book 








Signaturet

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Saturday, January 18, 2014

batwing scoop neck tee

i spotted this find on angelalanter.com. angela posts a ton of fashion and make up tips on her hello gorgeous blog. she's down to earth and very sweet. check it out. the photos below are actually her. i thought her photos were great to show you this tee so with her permission i thought i would share these.

i purchased 2 of the batwing scoop neck tees (black & white) from foreign exchange right after reading her post. and although its been cold here and really not the right weather i did try them on and i love it! 
 pictured below is the oatmeal color. such fun casual look!







Friday, January 17, 2014

love cut out cookies

these are super cute! great for an engagement, weddings, for that special someone on valentines day…
or maybe just because.

created by lish dish from the pantry bakeshop in rak,uae




Thursday, January 16, 2014

grilled sweet potato chips



as many of you know i enjoy grilling…and i grill a lot of different things.  the other night i had the brainy idea to grill sweet potatoes.
i am glad that i did because my husband doesn't even like sweet potatoes but he liked these.
i will be adjusting a couple things next time to add a little more crunch to the potato but these were a hit and i will definitely make them again.


ingredients

washed sweet potatoes 
coconut oil
sea salt


preparation:

1. microwave desired amount of potatoes until soft but not mushy. i have never microwaved a sweet potato so i didn't realize they cook faster than regular potatoes. my smaller ones were a little too mushy making them hard to cut and my larger ones were just right. the cooking time will also very depending on how many potatoes as well as your microwave. 

2. with skin left on, slice each potato to desired thickness. i prefer the thinner ones for a little more crunch. toss in a bowl or brush onto both sides the melted coconut oil and then sprinkle with desired amount of see salt.

3. place on low to medium grill heat. keep a eye on them as they begin to brown. (sweet potatoes can burn due to the sugar content) flipping once.

enjoy


Wednesday, January 15, 2014

victoria secret cut-out mule sandal

 i was browsing online since i have some birthday gift cards to redeem…(thank you friends)
and yes i probably should be looking for boots on sale or some cute spring booties since the snow was flying again today…but i came across these...and be still my heart!

victoria secret is beginning to add new items and they scream spring!
these cut-out mule sandals come in four colors pictured below in order:
rose cloud, black, ice mint, hot pink

well for me its between hot pink and ice mint…but leaning more toward the hot pink!








Monday, January 13, 2014

a family secret...yummy twist on coffee creamer

as i ran out of my yummy Baileys vanilla creamer one morning and was kind of bummed i had 0 creamer... i remembered a delicious idea.
i have this pretty fun great aunt her name is connie. my mom spent a lot of time with her when i was growing up so i got to spend a lot of time with her as well. her favorite way to drink her coffee is with butter pecan ice cream. i believe two scoops! this is an awesome treat and i liked coffee as a child so i remember drinking it with her at her breakfast bar overlooking the lakes. and she still does it to this day, i saw the ice cream in her freezer when we were there.

so this morning i remembered this delicious idea. we had breyers french vanilla ice cream in the freezer. two small scoops and i am set. although this is something i couldn't get away with everyday (my aunt can, shes thin) its a nice treat...only thing is i want the butter pecan. Yum!

so the recipe goes something like this...

1 cup of your favorite coffee
ice cream scoop
and your favorite ice cream (a kind that would go amazing in coffee)
scoop however much of that deliciously frozen goodness as you want and plop in your cup!

enjoy!!

how do you like your coffee?





Wednesday, January 8, 2014

orchid peep toe pumps


as most of you know i love the big reveal for pantones color of the year. (stay tuned for my annual post)
in honor of the the color choice for 2014 i had to show you these beauties. 
heels plus peep toes are a near and dear style to my heart…and this color is amazing.

these jimmy choo lola orchid suede pumps are super cute and so fun! i love the pop of color that these would add to a day at the office or a night on the town.
ill file these away in the fantasy files…sticker price is 150.00 (not in my size) to 400.00 if they can be found.






Tuesday, January 7, 2014

pout pout fish


i was so excited when i saw that ethan's preschool offered the scholastic book club orders each month…yes i am a little obsessed and maybe even a nerd. (i love books)
it really brought back some memories of myself as a kid. i would bring home the paper order form and start circling everything i wanted. the list was usually long and my mom would do her best to accommodate my frivolous spending of her money. : )

we do order every month and so far this is one of ethan's favorites and certainly mine.

the pout pout fish is full of brightly colored and very cute illustrations that ethan enjoys.
as we follow a day in the life of mr. fish, he is approached by his friends of the sea who just want to see him be happy and smile.
each friend that approaches mr. fish is given the same "excuse.
i will not give too many details but just know there is a happy ending.

i really enjoy the repetition and rhyming in this book. it helps ethan feel like he is reading and also helps with word and sound recognition.
i usually read what the friends say to mr. fish, then ethan will "read" his response which is the same every time. then we follow it up with the words on the page below (which is also repeated throughout) and both just laugh at how funny it sounds.

give this book a try it is a fun easy read.
there are a few other books in the life of mr. fish that we may just pick up as well...








Monday, January 6, 2014

turkey cob salad roll-ups




i am sure many of us will be seeking out healthier options for the new year! this is also great to make after thanksgiving or any time there is left over turkey. i really like this type of recipe because you can always add or take away what you do not like.

ingredients:

2 cups shredded romaine lettuce or spinach
1 medium tomato chopped and seeded
1/4 cup green onion
3 tablespoons blue cheese flavored yogurt dressing ( i actually use greek yogurt and blue cheese crumbles) or 2 tablespoons of blue cheese crumbles alone
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 avocado seeded and diced
8 ounces of roast turkey chopped or deli turkey
4 multi grain flat breads with flax
or  i have used spinach wraps

directions:

1. combine the first seven ingredients in a bowl and toss. spoon onto flat breads and roll.

if using deli turkey or blue cheese crumbles i put the layers on separate instead of tossing them in the dressing. also adding chopped apples or almonds for the added texture makes this even better!

enjoy!


Friday, January 3, 2014

french toast roll ups






here it is...
the recipe a few messaged and posted about after seeing the new years photo of the spread my mom made. i really am not a fan of sweets so french toast has always been low on the breakfast radar. not to mention these are not great for the waist line. 
but these little bites were yummy and so simple…so i decided to indulge a little. i actually show the sticks with and without sugar and cinnamon. i preferred them without the added dredge of the sugary mix since i am not a fan of the sweet but really loved the flavor of the cinnamon. so my thought for mine at least would be just a sprinkle of cinnamon.
these are great for entertaining since this recipe is for the entire loaf of bread. if you want to you can always half it. 


ingredients
1 giant loaf of fluffy white bread
8 oz of cream cheese
dolce caramel sauce for drizzle
3 large eggs
3 tablespoons of milk
1 teaspoon os vanilla
sugar
cinnamon (we used vietnamese) 
butter

1. trim crust off of each bread side with a serrated knife. then flatten bread with a rolling pin.

2. soften the cream cheese so its spreadable. spread the cream cheese over one end of the bread so its clumpy though not spread smooth. then drizzle some caramel onto the cream cheese.

3. roll the bread starting at the cream cheese end and set aside. heat a griddle to medium heat. whisk the eggs, milk and vanilla in a shallow bowl for dredging. dredge the rollup in the egg mixture then place seam side down on the griddle. continue to flip so each side of the roll up becomes brown and crispy. once all sides have been browned, baste with melted butter on all sides then dredge in a cinnamon sugar mixture. 

other ideas:
feel free to try different flavors. substitute jelly for the caramel. peanut butter and jelly also works. get creative make it your own. the caramel was my fav.