No Cream Ice Cream

I saw this recipe on Pinterest and thought "eh not sure how good that will be, but I will Pin it anyways." Well on Saturday night I was desperate for frozen yogurt and neither Stephen nor I wanted to get dressed and head to the store. We always have frozen bananas in the freezer for smoothies, so I decided to try this one out. It was SO good!! Stephen was extremely skeptical, thinking there was no way something with only 3 (ok 4 because I wanted it a little sweeter) ingredients could be so good. This is a must try- and hey, it really is not too unhealthy!

2 frozen bananas, cut into slices

1 tablespoon peanut butter

1 teaspoon powdered sugar

1 tablespoon dutch cocoa powder

Directions: 

• Put bananas in a food processor and pulse. You will need to scrape down the sides a few times to make sure the bananas are getting pureed. 
• When the bananas are getting smooth, add the rest of the ingredients and continue to pulse until all blended and smooth. 
• Put back into the freezer to get it to harden up a little more to the consistency of ice cream. 
• You can skip the last step and eat right away too!

Pineapple Cupcakes

We were heading to a BBQ last night and I was asked to bring a yummy treat. I wasn't able to go to the store, but fortunately I keep a stockpile of cake mixes. Wanting something light for summer I chose a pineapple cake mix and added crushed pineapple. It was delicious!

1 Box pineapple supreme cake mix

1 1/2 cups crushed pineapple

3 eggs

1/3 cup oil

1 container whipped cream cheese frosting

Directions: 

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Mix the cake mix, pineapple, eggs and oil together and fill mini cupcake (or normal cupcake) liners 3/4 full 
• When the cupcakes puff and a toothpick comes out cleanly, remove from oven. 
• If you do not have a pre-whipped cream cheese frosting, put the frosting in a bowl and mix with a mixer for 3-5 minutes until it becomes lighter
• Put into a decorators bag and frost with whatever tip you like best! For these, I used a large round open tip. 
• Sprinkle your favorite sprinkles on!

Homemade Herb Garden!

Check out my latest DIY project!  I saw a picture of this on Pinterest and knew I had to make it for our home!

Tape off the "lip" of the pot

After one coat

FINAL PRODUCT!!! Cilantro, chives, rosemary and basil!

Potato Soup

Olive Garden has a soup on their menu called Zuppa Toscana- a delicious potato soup with Italian sausage, what could be better? Stephen and I were having friends over last week and I wanted to do something different than the ole standby (spaghetti, chicken enchiladas or tacos, etc.) So I decided to get a little more creative. A friend of mine (thank you Kristyn, you ROCK) posted the recipe to Pioneer Woman's cheesy muffins- oh LORD they are out of this WORLD! She recommended that potato soup is the perfect compliment to the muffins, so of course, that is what I made!  Really, this is one of the only dishes I have made in a long time that we actually ate every single drop of leftovers. You HAVE to make this dish, and of course make the cheesy muffins to go with it! The recipe below makes enough for 8-12 servings, depending on the size of your eaters.

2 lbs Italian Sausage (I used mild)

1-2 bunches of kale, torn into small pieces

10 potatoes, cut into thin rounds

4 cups half and half

3 cups chicken broth

3 cups milk

salt and pepper

2 tsp Italian seasoning

1 large onion, chopped

2 tablespoons of heavy cream (why not?)

Directions:

• In a large pot, saute the onions until they are tender. Then add the Italian Sausage and brown. In my case, the Italian sausage came in casings so I had to remove the sausage from the casings prior to browning. If you can find Italian sausage just ground up- awesome!
• When the meat is brown, add all of your liquids (except the heavy cream) and seasonings, let cook 3-5 minutes. 
• Then add all of your potatoes that have been sliced. If you want more potatoes, add more. I liked having a little more potatoes to make the soup thicker.
• Let cook until the potatoes are al dente (slightly firm and has a little "bite" to them)
• About 5-10 minutes before you want to serve, add the kale and let it cook
• Serve it up!

Pan Fried Zucchini

So I finally got a new cell phone- I know what does that have to do with zucchini? Well I think it takes WAY better photos, so excited!! This is a recipe that my mom told me my grandma used to make. She use to pan fry it in butter though, and honestly, I forgot that step and used oil. It was delicious, but next time I will definitely use butter!

Zucchini, cut into rounds

eggs, whisked

flour

salt and pepper

garlic powder

oil (or butter)

You will see I am working with a
MUCH larger than normal zucchini!
Thanks Alyssa & Danny for letting me
shop your home garden :) 

Cut into slices 

In 2 pans add your egg and flour. Whisk
the eggs and season with salt and pepper.

Season each slice with salt and pepper
and garlic powder. Then put in egg mix
and then flour making a very light batter.

Heat oil in a pan and put zucchini in.
When both sides are brown, remove and
lightly season w/ a little more salt and pepper! 

Strawberry Shortcake Cocktail

Ok- best cocktail EVER!! Even the manliest of men will like this drink. It is super refreshing and a perfect pairing for a summer BBQ (or in our case, our cheese themed potluck party). You can also make this drink non-alcoholic, but it will taste more like a strawberry limeade. Below are the ingredients for 1 cocktail.

1-2 shots cake vodka 

3 tablespoons strawberry puree

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

2 teaspoons simple syrup

club soda

ice

Directions: 

• To prepare to make the drinks, juice your limes, make your simple syrup (bring 1 cup water and 1 cup sugar to a boil, stirring frequently to get sugar dissolved), and use a food processor to make strawberry puree. 
• Using a cocktail shaker, add the first 4 ingredients and the ice and shake
• Pour into a glass and top with club soda!
• If you are making this non-alcoholic, I would add 7-up or sierra mist instead of the club soda. You can also make it a little more tart by adding more lime juice (make sure its fresh squeezed!) 

Chili Colorado Smothered Burritos

These were a very easy crock pot meal that I will be making again and again! Tons of flavor too! This recipe will make approximately 5-6 burritos.

3.5-4 lbs of cubed meat (like top sirloin)

3 beef bouillon cubes

1 large onion, sliced

1 can of medium enchilada sauce

tortillas

refried beans

Directions: 

• Put meat, enchilada sauce, onion and beef bouillon cubes in the crock pot. Stir and cook on low for 8 hours. 
• When the meat is done and tender, warm the refried beans on the stove. 
• Spoon some meat onto a large burrito tortilla (careful not to get too much sauce with the meat), then add 1-2 spoonfuls of refried beans.
• Wrap like a burrito (I stink at this step), then place it in a baking dish. 
• Put 2-3 spoonfuls of the enchilada sauce that was cooking with the meat over it, followed by cheese.
• Pop under the broiler for about 4 minutes until the cheese is melted and starting to brown!
• You can serve w/ a little guacamole or sour cream but I thought it was delicious as is! Enjoy!