A Very Sweet Thank You

I have been meaning to post this for a couple of weeks, but have been super busy! Aren't these just toooooo cute? A couple of months ago when I had my first giveaway, my winner was More Chic Than Shabby . She replied with a sweet gesture...these clips! I adore them, and wanted to show them off! And...these clips are handmade....double points in my book. :)

Ribbons and Bows II

I was totally meant to have a little girl. I don't, of course, I have two boys. They are fantastic little guys, but I am kind of a girlie girl and I love all things that include ribbons and bows. In order to keep myself sane, I have to channel all the ruffle-iness out of me into gifts for others. My friend's daughter, Abbie, is celebrating her birthday tomorrow, and I just had to make her some goodies. There is no little girl in my household to model these for you, so you'll have to use your imagination. I put them on Luc to see if the size worked, but I don't think he'd appreciate me taking his picture and posting it on my blog with a big headband on. :)


Thanks to Ruffles and Stuff and Eighteen 25 for the tuts!

I have a lot more to show you, and I wanted to post some tutorials of my own. HOWEVER, I am off to Vegas for a week.( That sounds way more glamorous than it is since I am going for a teachers conference,) Have a good week, and you'll hear from me soon!

Grilled Eggplant and Tomato Sandwiches

I love summer recipes with fresh veggies! While vacationing at my mom's house, I was watching Bobby Flay. He introduced me to this, and it looked ( AND TOTALLY IS) pretty simple. I made it once while at my mom's house, but just used a skillet with a little virgin olive oil rather than grilling. The second time I tried this was over at Casey's on the grill, and everyone seemed to really enjoy it. Oh, when we made them at Casey's house we used Chipotle mayo instead of the recipe below. Personally, I like the lemon and Romano blend, but Andre said he didn't care for it. This is a healthy, light, and quick meal perfect for the summer nights. Both nights I totally forgot to take a photo, so you get Bobby Flay's photo. :) Get to grilling!

Original Recipe Yield 4 servings

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup Real Mayonnaise
• 3 tablespoons grated Romano cheese
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
• 1 small eggplant*, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
• 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 4 plum tomatoes
• 8 slices Italian bread or focaccia
• Fresh basil leaves

Directions

1. Combine Mayonnaise, cheese, lemon juice and pepper. Season, if desired, with salt; refrigerate.
2. Brush eggplant slices on both sides with 2 tablespoons oil. Season, if desired, with salt and black pepper. Grill, turning once, 8 minutes or until slightly charred and tender.
3. Brush tomatoes with remaining 2 tablespoons oil and season, if desired, with salt and black pepper. Grill, turning once, 4 minutes or until charred and slightly softened. Remove and slice into quarters lengthwise.
4. Evenly spread bread with mayonnaise mixture, then top with basil, eggplant and tomatoes.

Glass Jar Make Over-Painting Project #2

I absolutely love glass jars. They are fantastic for storage around the house, and basically free! By free, I mean, you get a glass jar every time you purchase jelly or spaghetti sauce or salsa, so why not reuse the jars? (Reuse, Reduce, Recycle!) I use tons of them on my craft table to hold buttons, brads, chip board, ribbon, etc... And in my kitchen to hold flax seed, beans, coffee, TVP, Quinoa, etc...

As much as I love my jars, I wasn't so hip on the different lids all sporting their brand logo. I wanted a more uniform look, so I did a little number on those lids with some spray paint. Use a primer spray first, then just spray those bad boys with the color of your choosing.

Here are a couple of my latest. I was going to take a before picture, but forgot. Oops.

Squash and Zucchini Goat Cheese Tart

First of all, I must say that I really, really dig Disney's Family Fun magazine. I don't know why I haven't subscribed to it, because it's full of super cool ideas. Thus, squash and zucchini goat cheese tart.
I was getting my hair did the other day, and like usual...I ended up under the dryer with July's edition of Family Fun. I ran across a Summer Veggie and Pesto Tart recipe and thought, " That looks mighty tasty." I filed it away in my mind under "Recipes to try ASAP." I wanted to make it last week for my parents, but wouldn't you know...my step-dad doesn't like squash OR zucchini. Personally, I think that's just WRONG, but...you know...what ev. :) (Just kidding, Ken!) Last night ended up being the first, BUT NOT THE LAST, time I made this delectable yum yum.

You can follow the link above and go with the original recipe, orrrrrrrrr you can follow my own "use what ya got" version. They are pretty similar. Your call. Here's mine...


Ingredients:
pie crust
1 egg
2 small squash
2 small zucchini
4 oz goat cheese (mine was an herb mix)
1/2 to 1 can diced tomatoes ( I would have used cherry tomatoes, but we used the last of them on our pizza the previous night.)
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
2 tbsp basil pesto
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper

Instructions:
1. Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or use a nonstick silicone baking sheet. Place the piecrust on the prepared baking sheet. Fold and pinch a 1/2-inch rim around the edges of the dough, then set it aside.
2.Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the zucchini and squash, season with salt and pepper. Cook the vegetables until they're lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer them to a bowl to cool, then toss them with the pesto.
3.In a small bowl, whisk together the goat cheese and the egg until almost smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

4.Use a spatula or the back of a spoon to spread the egg and cheese mixture over the pie crust. Spread the cooked vegetables on top, then evenly scatter the tomatoes and Parmesan over the vegetables. Bake the tart until the crust is golden brown, about 20 minutes. Let it cool slightly on a wire rack.
ENJOY!!

Sailing on the O'Day

My step-dad, Ken, is a sailing man. It's really where his heart is, and we were lucky enough (thank you Lord for decent wind) to get to experience sailing with someone who has such a passion for it. It was a beautiful day in Beaufort, with unseasonably cool (in the 80's) weather. Andre, Cash, Ken, and I went out in the Beaufort inlet for a relaxing morning on the O'Day23.

Downtown Beaufort is centered around a main street, Front Street, and it sits...literally...right on the water. One side of the road is filled with boat docks, and waterfront restaurants, and the other side with charming little shops. Anyway, when you are walking by the docks, you can look out and mere yards away is Carrot Island running parallel to Front Street. On this island there are wild ponies that have lived there for hundreds of years. They are beautiful, and have a really interesting history of how they arrived on this island. It is said that the horses swam from Spanish ships that were sinking off the coast. The islands that the ponies live on is a wildlife reserve, and has been untouched by man. I am totally intrigued by the ponies, and thought you might like them, too. Apparently, there are wild horses all along island down the Outer Banks.

Click on photos to enlarge, and see them better!

Back Track to Independence Day

Ok, since I have been out of the loop, vacationing my behind off...I have a lot of back tracking/catching up to do. Bare with me, folks. :)

SO! Independence Day... we had a great, fun in the sun day. We started off with church, with my step-dad being the key speaker. (AWESOME JOB, Ken!) After a quick lunch, we headed down to the beach at Fort Macon. Mom took all the pic's that day, so I will have to get them from her and share. After enjoying a couple of hours on the shore, we went back to mom/Ken's house for steaks on the grill. YUM! I made these cupcakes for desert. The night ended sitting near another shore watching fireworks in every direction. Bliss. Hope you all enjoyed your freedom in a relaxing way!

For the cupcakes....
I like to spice things up a bit, so I used a regular choc. cake mix and instead of the stated amount of water I used 1 cup of sour cream. TRUST ME. I also added in a couple of teaspoons of instant coffee. These two make a regular cake turn into a super moist, rich, mocha-esque delight.

The icing was just cream cheese with sugar mixed in, then folded into cool whip. This is kind of a add to taste sort of thing, but there are tons of recipes out there for it. Easy Peasy and a fantastic counter to the choc. sour cream cake.

Pine Knolls Aquarium

The boys and I have been visiting family on the North Carolina coast. I haven't had time to post, so I am trying to catch up here and there....

My beautiful mom and step-dad live in Beaufort, NC. It's a little coastal town with a lot of history and a lot of charm. While we were there we made a stop at the North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knolls Shores. It was good times. :)

Here's the highlights...
Family shots