Trip Coasters

I'm on a crafty kick lately. I've wanted to make these coasters for a long time (like I bought the cork a year ago). This was so easy and is such a neat way to remember a trip or give a gift to a special person.

Stuff you need:

Cork (you can buy it in a roll at the craft store)

Maps

Mod podge

Paint brush

Start by picking the size of the circle you want to make. I traced the bottom of a coffee mug onto my map over the cities I wanted to focus on. Cut those out and then cut the same number of cork circles in the same size.

Use mod podge glue to secure the map circles onto the cork. Make sure you get a good seal on all edges. When that's dry, use mod podge to form a barrier on the top of the coaster. I did two coats over the map, letting it dry in between each time. That's it!! How fun!

Strawberry and Oreo Parfaits

Eric was visiting recently and it was so hot outside, I didn't feel like cooking much. We had fajitas, which were delicious, but I needed a dessert that I didn't have to bake. I'd seen this idea used all over the magazines and websites I follow, but hadn't tried it myself.

I didn't have any graham crackers but had oreos that I'd crushed for another recipe and then frozen the leftovers. I sliced and macerated strawberries in a little sugar. A little heavy whip cream, Amaretto liqueur and powdered sugar made the perfect homemade whipped topping. Assemble in layers in a glass (I used stemless white wine glasses) and enjoy! They were a big hit and so easy!

DIY Wipe Off Board

Lately, I'm obsessed with Pinterest. It's a neat community where people can post all the cool stuff they find on the web or have done themselves and then you can browse all sorts of categories (DIY, food, crafts, wedding, style, home, etc). I have been spending a lot of time browsing and have picked up a few projects that I'm got on a long list of things to do... This was the first project I tried and I couldn't believe how easy it was! I just bought frames at Target on sale for $3 and then put scrap book paper instead of a photo, bought some cute erasable markers and ta-da! I gave one to Ash, CK, and a work friend Sasha. They thought they were super cute!

Mexican Cobb Salad with Grilled Shrimp and Cilantro LIme Dressing

A great low maintenance meal for when it's hot! It's been 90 degrees around here and my house is toasty (no AC). This was a perfect light meal and easy to prepare. Plus, the dressing is great and I can use it on something else, I'm sure!

Mexican Cobb Salad with Grilled Shrimp and Cilantro Lime Dressing

Adapted from SkinnyTaste

Ingredients

(makes 1 salad with extra shrimp and dressing)

Shrimp Marinade:

12 frozen, peeled, deveined shrimp

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 lime, juiced and zested

1 clove of garlic, minced

Salad

1 c spinach

1/4 c cucumber, diced

1/4 c avocado, diced

1/4 c canned black beans, rinsed

1/4 c corn, frozen and thawed

1 tbsp red onion, diced

Dressing

1/4 c low fat buttermilk

1 tbsp mayo

2 tbsp light sour cream

1/4 c cilantro

1 clove garlic

Salt

Pepper

Directions

Combine marinade ingredients and let the shrimp sit for 30 minutes.

Chop your veggies and prepare your salad.

Mix all dressing ingredients together in a blender and let whirl until its a smooth dressing.

Heat a grill pan to medium-high heat. Cook the shrimp for 2 minutes on each side.

Assemble your salad with half of the shrimp (or so) and 1 tbsp of dressing (or so). Enjoy immensely!

Coconut Chicken, Spinach Salad with Honey Mustard Dressing

My sister turned me on to this awesome food blog, www.skinnytaste.com. It is excellent!!! Her recipes are easy and the photography makes me hungry every time! I highly suggest you check it out because I'm sure you're going to love it. (by the way, it's a Weight Watchers website and she does all the points for you!)

This was the first recipe I made from her and I was blown away by its simplicity and how delicious it was!!

Coconut Chicken, Spinach Salad with Honey Mustard Dressing

Adapted from SkinnyTaste

Ingredients

6 chicken tenders

6 tbsp shredded coconut

1/2 c bread crumbs

1/3 c egg whites

Salt

Pepper

Olive oil spray

6 cups spinach

3/4 c carrots, sliced

3/4 c mushrooms, sliced

3/4 c cucumber, sliced

Vinaigrette

1 tbsp oil

1 tbsp honey

1 tbsp white vinegar

2 tsp dijon mustard

Directions

Whisk all vinaigrette ingredients, set aside.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Combine coconut, bread crumbs, and salt in a bowl. Put egg whites in a another bowl.

Lightly season chicken with salt and pepper. Dip the chicken in the egg, then in the coconut crumb mixture. Place chicken on the baking sheet. Lightly spray with cooking spray and bake for 30 minutes turning halfway, until chicken is cooked through.

Place 2 cups greens on each plate. Divide carrots, cucumber and mushrooms evenly between each plate. Slice chicken on the diagonal and place with the greens. Divide dressing between each salad, about 1 tbsp each.

Blueberry Brown Sugar Cookies

I've got a small obsession with blueberries lately! Mostly, I eat them by the handful, but I decided to bake with them and take them to my Aunt and Uncle's as a gift for watching Dixie Lou. I stole a couple before I wrapped them up and they were good!

Blueberry Brown Sugar Cookies

Adapted from TastyKitchen.com

Ingredients

1 stick butter, at room temperature

3/4 c brown sugar, packed

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 3/4 c flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tbsp milk, more if needed

3/4 c fresh blueberries

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer, until smooth. Add the egg and vanilla, mixing well until combined, about 2 minutes. Stir in flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon with the mixer on low speed. Mix until dough comes together. Add in milk. If dough is still crumbly, add milk 1 tbsp at a time until it comes together. Fold in the blueberries gently with a spatula. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Remove dough from fridge and roll into 1 1/2 inch balls or scoop with an ice cream scooper. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Let cool completely.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bacon Cookies

Yes, you read that correctly. And they're rad. Just let go and make these. It won't hurt, I promise.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bacon Cookies

Adapted from The Food Network Magazine

Ingredients

1 1/4 c all purpose flour

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Pinch of chipotle powder

1/4 tsp salt

5 strips bacon

4 tbsp butter, at room temp

1/2 c creamy peanut butter

1/2 c granulated sugar

1/2 c brown sugar, packed

1 large egg

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 c roughly chopped peanuts

1/2 c chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Combine the flour, baking soda and powder, cinnamon, chile powder, and salt in a large bowl.

Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp. Transfer to a paper-towel lined plate; reserve 2 tbsp of the drippings and set aside to cool. Crumble the bacon, discarding any chewy bits.

Beat the butter and reserved bacon drippings in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until smooth. Beat in the peanut butter until combined. Beat in the 2 sugars until creamy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until light and fluffy.

Reduce the mixer speed to low; add the flour mixture in 2 additions, scraping down the bowl as needed. Stir in the peanuts and all but 2 tbsp of the chocolate chips and bacon.

Form dough into 12 balls and arrange 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. Flatten with your fingers (the cookies will not spread when baked), press the reserved bacon and chocolate chips on the tops of the cookies. Bake until golden, about 12-14 minutes. Cool 2 minutes on the baking sheets then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

"The Boy" and Blackberry Honey Wheat Scones

So, the boy found out that he has been referred to as the boy on this blog. He wanted an identity to I thought I'd introduce him to you. This is Eric. Well, me and Eric wine tasting. He's a foodie like me and thinks I'm a pretty good cook. I like it... and him.

K, enough of that. Here's some delicious scones! I've made these 2 weekends in a row because they are excellent! This recipe is now a go-to favorite and will be a staple in my arsenal.

Blackberry Honey Wheat Scones

Adapted from TheSavorySweetLife

Ingredients

1 c whole wheat flour

1 c all purpose flour

4 tbsp brown sugar

1 tbsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

4 tbsp cold butter, cut into cubes

3/4 c heavy cream

1 egg, beaten

2 tbsp honey

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 c frozen blackberries

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a food processor, add both flours, baking powder, brown sugar, and salt. Pulsate the dry ingredients for a couple seconds to mix everything. Add the butter. Pulse again until a coarse meal forms. Transfer everything to a large mixing bowl. Add the heavy cream, egg, honey and vanilla and knead the dough insight the bowl until it comes together. Add the frozen berries and work the dough as fast as you can into a large ball. The less you handle the berries, the better.

On a floured surface, flatted the ball into a disk about 1 inch think. Cut the disk into 8 equal pieces. Place the scones on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until the bottoms are golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Shortcake Royale

This is the easiest, but most impressive dessert ever!!! I'm not kidding. You buy 4 ingredients and assemble it. Normally, I like to make things but recently needed to bring a dessert to a dinner and just didn't have time. I pulled this out of my recipe book and it was great!!!!

Shortcake Royale

Adapted from The Food Network Magazine

Ingredients

1 store bought pound cake (found in freezer section at your grocery store)

1 container strawberries, washed and sliced

1 container blueberries, washed

1 container whip topping, thawed

Cut pound cake into 3 slices horizontally, so you'll have 3 thin rectangles. If your berries don't look very ripe or juice, toss with some granulated sugar and let sit for 30 minutes. Now you're reading to assemble.

Lay bottom slice of pound cake on your serving plate. Top with a layer of whipped topping. Spread the berries across the whipped topping. Lay the middle piece of pound cake on top of your first layer and repeat 2 more times. Ta-Da!!!! So amazing!!

'Punkin' Cookies

Hi All! I'm back from a little hiatus. I had surgery in May and slacked on the blog while recuperating. However, I'm back and have some delicious things for you to try!

These "Punkin" cookies are so easy and really good. Plus, the recipe makes a lot!

Punkin Cookies

Adapted from somewhere...

Ingredients

2 c all purpose flour (you could sub 1 c whole wheat flour for those healthy folks)

1 1/3 c quick cooking oats

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

1 c (2 sticks) butter, softened

1 c brown sugar, packed

1 c granulated sugar

1 c pumpkin puree (not pie filling)

1 large egg

1 tsp vanilla

1 c chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lay down parchment paper on your baking sheets.

Combine flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl. Beat butter and both sugars in a large mixer bowl until light and fluffy. Add pumpkin, egg, and vanilla; mix well. Add flour mixture, mix well. Stir in chocolate chips by hand. Drop by rounded tablespoons onto your prepared sheets. *To make sure my cookies are all the same size, I use a small ice cream scoop*

Bake for 14-16 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned and set in centers. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.