Vintage Sweet Pea - Birthday Wishes

Happy Birthday Brett!!!

the good stuff

paper: stampin up (su) crushed curry; papertrey ink (pti) hawaiian shores; vellum

stamps: papertrey ink year of flowers - sweet pea, mega mixed messages and text background

ink: staz on; papertrey ink chai; archival ink sepia

ribbon: PrarieBirdBoutique from Etsy

misc: michaels button; basic grey bling; twine; white pen; platinum stickles

cuts: martha stewart royal butterfly; papertrey ink eyelet border; corner chomper

side note: to get the light white effect on the sweet peas, I colored on the back side of the vellum with the white pen...less chance for smudging this way too :)

My New Favorite Kitchen Gadget...and Butternut Squash Soup!!

I've been wanting one of these bad boys for a while now. I have a blender, yes, but this is so much more convenient, less "clunky" and ...prettier.

Yes, pretty is important when it comes to things I put in my kitchen. So which color did I choose? All 5! Just kidding, it was a really difficult decision but after almost leaving Sur la table (love) with the navy one, my friend convinced me that the Pomegranate Immersion Blender would be best as it matches all of my other appliances. Thanks Erin :)

Since today was a bit chilly (windows open, bundled up in sweaters, scarves and long socks) in Florida...so it was about 68 degrees, lol, but that's cold for me, I decided to make some Butternut Squash Soup for the hubs and I.

The recipe was passed along to me from Erin (same shopping buddy) who I'm sure got it from Cooking Light, as she does with most of her recipes.

So here it is...I hope you enjoy as much as my husband and I did. And if you don't have one of these hand blenders yet, no worries, you can use your blender :)

Butternut Squash Soup:

1 1/2 tablespoon butter

1/2 medium onion, diced

2 cloves garlic

2 springs fresh thyme (I used dried)

1/2 to 3/4 butternut squash - peeled, seeded and cut into 1 inch cubes

4 cups chicken stock (or chicken broth)

1 pinch ground cumin

salt and ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat, cook the onion,

garlic and thyme in the hot butter until the onion has softened (about

five minutes). Add the squash and chicken stock, bring to a simmer

and cook until the squash is tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Season with

cumin, salt and pepper and remove from heat.

2. Pour the soup into a blender, filling the blender no more than

halfway. Hold the lid of the blender in place with a kitchen towel

and carefully start the blender using a few quick pulses to get the

soup moving before leaving it on to puree. Puree in batches until all

is smooth and pour into a serving bowl. Or, you can use a stick

blender and puree the soup right in the pot. Puree until completely smooth.

Check back in soon for some more tasty soup recipes using my new favorite kitchen gadget :)

Enjoy!

"Skinny" Pumpkin Cream Cheese Recipe

picture care of SkinnyTaste.com

Quick post...I found this delicious recipe via Everything Yellow who found the recipe here.

I also recommend a toasted cinnamon raisin bagel to accompany this spread. Deeee-lish.

Enjoy!!

Recipe: Spaghetti Squash, Homemade Sauce and Mozzarella Stuffed Turkey Meatballs!

Oh how I love fall...

Our local grocery store is carrying lovely gourds and squash(es?) and we're finally getting weather that isn't 80+ degrees and humid here in Florida.

To welcome the new season a couple weeks ago, I decided to cook up some spaghetti and meatballs. But not the traditional kind. Say hello to "spaghetti squash"...

It's a healthier alternative to regular spaghetti and pretty easy to make.

I combined a couple different recipes for cooking the squash and homemade sauce and the Mozzarella Stuffed Turkey Meatballs.

And it was so good...my husband has never that kind of squash before and I made him a believer :)

He thought it was a little over-ambitious but it really didn't take that long to

make, surprisingly.

(He knows how frustrated I can get when I cook) :)

While the squash was cooking (for about an hour and a half, I started making the sauce, which then cooked itself for about an hour and then I started on the meatballs...worked out perfectly!!)

If the meatballs get a little overcooked (as mine did...cooked them a smidge too long), don't worry, just let them steam in the sauce and they will juice back up!

This makes a ton of leftovers (if you're cooking for two) so keep that in mind...

Also, if you try this and love it (or have suggestions on improvement) please let me know!! If you become a believer of spaghetti squash too and you need another recipe, go here! Courtesy of one of my sweet new blog friends Jessi :)

Enjoy!!

Sunday, Sundae, Sunday!

I just have to say, I have never, ever seen Macadamia ice cream in Florida...and it was at our local grocery store, Publix. Besides having a fantastic weekend with my husband, this was the cherry on top!

On our honeymoon (over 2 years ago) in Kauai, Hawaii, we experienced the Hula Pie.

It was a-ma-zing.

When we got back home, I searched and searched for Macadamia ice cream. I never found any. Until NOW! I love Publix!

Unfortunately, it's a limited edition...so who knows how long it will be around, but I do know that I will be enjoying a few extra sundaes for a while ;)

Enjoy!

Best Ever...Bruschetta!

(In my opinion, anyway!)

For anyone that really knows me...I am not confident in the kitchen. It gives me anxiety having to cook: having the proper portions for the number of people I'm cooking for, correctly measuring each ingredient, and the possibility of screwing up and having to throw all of my hard work (and all of that food) in the trash.

I envy my husband, for many reasons. Especially his calm demeanor and his ability to throw any random ingredient with another and create a culinary masterpiece. Quite frankly though, sometimes it really pisses me off ;)

Anyway, through another recipe I tried (gone wrong) and buying too much at the grocery store, I found my new love for fresh mozzarella balls!

I had some leftover tonight...along with some tomatoes and I thought I would attempt my first ever bruschetta. I looked online for a few recipes, and the only one that really caught my eye was this one. Um, the bad thing? NO MEASUREMENTS! eeeeek! So, I grew some mozzarella balls (ha) and decided to wing it. I went to the grocery store and picked up a French Baguette and some fresh basil.

A little side note...the only other time I've used a broiler pan was last week, haha, I didn't even know what it was before that. Yeah.

Ok so here's the good stuff (serving for 8 pieces)

3/4 pint/package of grape tomatoes (diced)

4 sprigs of fresh basil

1 shallot (minced)

small package of fresh mozzarella balls (diced)

salt

pepper

Mix the above ingredients in a bowl, stick in fridge while you preheat the oven to a high broil. (tip: make sure while broiling that you leave the oven door open a smidge - found out through another cooking catastrophe).

French Baguette

Olive Oil (EVOO)

Broiler Pan

Cut the French baguette into thin-medium slices at a diagonal. I cut 8 pieces and there was still a good amount of the loaf left.

Drizzle with EVOO lightly. Broil in oven for about 5 minutes (?) or until just "tanned". I'm sure you can also do this in a toaster over. You want it to be crispy, but not burned.

Take out of the oven and put on your serving tray. Drizzle with some more EVOO and put a little bit of salt over it while still warm.

Dish out your mixture on each of the baguette slices and serve. Voila.

Seriously...this is the best bruschetta I've ever had (not to be cocky) but it's amazing. My husband even high-fived me after he ate it. LOL.

If you try out my recipe, please let me know...I'd love to hear what you think!

Oh -- Almost forgot the most important part!! WINE! I paired mine with a super cheap, but delicious, Chardonnay from my beloved Total Wine. It's called Double Dog Dare (and I think that it was 3.99). Bargain!

Thanks for stopping by and good luck in the kitchen!

Hugs and Love,

J

Circle Circus - Birthday Wishes

Hello 4 day weekend....!!!

Have a fabulous (and safe) Labor Day :)

...and a very happy birthday to Stephanie!

the good stuff:

paper: papertrey ink (pti) new leaf; white cardstock

ink: papertrey ink (pti): hawaiian shores and simply chartreuse; brillance - white

stamps: papertrey ink (pti) butterfly wishes (sentiment) and stampin up (su!) circle circus

misc: pti button; kaiser and basic grey bling / pearls; prima - flower centers

punch: stampin up circle scallop