Make these now...

If you know me, you know I love dessert. 

If you don't know me, I LOVE dessert. 

Not like love it...like you love cute pictures of babies and puppies.  But, like LOVE it and will sacrifice all of my calories for a day for just one piece of cake.  But don't get me wrong, I'm not going to sacrifice for just any piece of cake.  It has to be good.  To die for good. 

That is why when I tried these dessert bars at a party recently, I almost died.  Almost grabbed the plate and hid in the pantry of my friend's home to devour them in privacy.  Don't judge.  I didn't.  People were watching.  I used self control.  Instead I came home and googled the ingredients so that I could make them for myself and take them to share with my bible study girls.

The original recipe is from Tasty Kitchen (where all deliciousness originates). 

Make these now...

Tasty Kitchen Graham Cracker Cookies



You'll end up hiding in a pantry devouring them all.  I won't judge. 

Happy Friday!

XOXO 

In the kitchen...

Yesterday I spent the morning in the kitchen whipping up some goodness for our darling friends that just brought their newborn baby home.  I had found a few delicious recipes online that I had been wanting to try and this was the perfect excuse. 

Let's start with what is the most important...dessert. 

Let me introduce you to peanut butter graham cracker balls...chocolately-peanut buttery goodness.  Pure sin.  So easy to do and a definite hit around here...Josh and I did a little bit of quality control in order to make sure these were 'safe' to give away.  Safety first, people.

Peanut butter graham cracker balls from Baby Gizmo

 

These are rolled in toffee bits... pure AWESOME.

Baby Gizmo

 

Since I do understand that people eat more than just dessert (umm, why?!?), I did whip up some Southwest Chopped Chicken Salad from Greens and Chocolate.  This is so yummy and easy to do. 

 

 

I made a few modifications with mine based on the supplies that I had. 

 

The original recipe is here.

 

My changes:

Added 1 red bell pepper

Omitted the cilantro (yuck!)

Substituted mixed field greens and baby spinach instead of ice berg lettuce

Used Miracle Whip instead of mayonnaise

Used Hidden Valley Ranch's Fiesta Ranch instead of taco seasoning and ranch seasoning

 

 

These are two EASY and delicious recipes that I will definitely be making again and can't wait to deliver to our friends today.

 

XOXO

 

 

Whatcha been doing?

Trying to write today's blog I started thinking about what we have been up to lately.  It's sort of a big blur.  I have no idea where June went.  Seriously.  And now we are already on the second week of July.  Wow. 

So, we've been busy and going a lot lately.  Maybe a little too much.  My body has decided to revolt so we are slowing down a bit.  Slowing way down actually...this weekend I did nothing.  Seriously, nothing.  It was fab!

So, catching up...sometimes I think it's easier to do this via pictures rather than a lot of text. 

Let's go...

I made these amazing Hawaiian Barbeque Bacon Burgers recently.  We made them with grass fed, organic beef...which is expensive, but let me tell you...we could tell a difference!!  Such a delicious difference.  Even Josh thought so.  Awesome. 

Oh, and grill some pineapple...it's so delish.

I'm in the middle of Grace for the Good Girl for my girl's bible study group.  Great book especially for this recovering good girl.  Read it.  You can also find Emily's blog and discussion on the book here.

Rediscovered a few blogs that I really enjoy but was behind in reading...

Forever Cottage

Honey & Fitz

Holly Mathis Interiors

Josh and I bought a movie that we totally fell in love with at the theater. 

We were so surprised by this little film.  It's so good.  Go rent it.  You'll be surprised.

Happy Monday, loves! 

As you can see my ADD is in full swing this Monday...I'm all over the place.

I better get focused. 

Focus...focus...focus...mmmm, cupcakes!?!

Friday...

It's Friday...Friday... blah, blah, blah...It's Friday!

Remember that song that would get stuck in your head?  The one from You Tube?  Yeah, they played it this morning on TV and it's STUCK in my brain.  Pray it goes away.  Pray hard.

Just so you know, I never intended for this to be a once a week blog.  I had dreams of blogging everyday.  Promptly posting by 6am so that you could cruise over to Southern Grace while enjoying your coffee each morning, but...well...you know the reality.

Reality just keeps getting in the way.  And, honestly, I wouldn't have it any other way right now.

Josh and I just feel really blessed right now.  So immensely blessed.  We are busy again.  Finally.

Finally, after over a year of pain, doctors, depression, prayer filled mornings, sleepless nights, intense and expensive treatments, and a dependency on drugs to get me through each day...I'm pain free and feeling good.  Actually, really good.  It's amazing.  It's a miracle.  It's by God's grace and healing hand. 

It's just freaking fabulous, really. 

For the first time in a long time we are PLANNING again.  For the past year we haven't been able to plan a Friday night date, a weekend away, or even dream about a vacation or trip because we didn't know how I would feel, if I would be able to travel or even move, or if I would be undergoing treatments.  We are planning our anniversary week together, weekends at the coast and lake this summer, and a trip up to see my bro and sis-in-law in Virginia.  It's very exciting.

Alright, just to recap the week...

Made these for a quick grab and go breakfast this week...

Fabulous Food

Finally got back to a little yoga...P90 yoga...yep, 3 days later...still sore.  Don't judge.

Fell in total LOVE with this barn...

Timber & Stone Builders

Laughed so hard at this as I started thinking about preparing for our 3 year anniversary next week...

Pinterest

Read this blog in trying to figure out what to say and NOT say to a dear friend that has been trying to have a baby and is struggling right now...very helpful and made me freak out a little about how naive I am about getting prego and my upcoming birthday which involves the numbers 3 and 3.  I'm not typing the actual number out or saying it aloud.  Denial?  Maybe.

Alright loves, I hope it's a fabulous weekend and that you spend a little time doing this...

XOXO

Recap...

Hi loves!  We've been going and blowing for the past week.  It's been busy, wonderful, and memorable.

Our new niece was born!  Madeline Story Jones came into the world on Easter morning...such a precious gift from God. 

I also had a new Beltie arrive in an unexpected and crazy way (more to come on that).  That added more drama to the Easter weekend than we would have liked and a lot of mileage on our vehicles as we commuted back and forth to Fredericksburg each day to care for the calf. 

A few fun things from the week...

I made these healthy breakfast 'cookies'...easy and pretty tasty!

I made this for Bible study on Wednesday night and it was delish! 

It got rave reviews from the ladies and my hubby...and it's super simple.

I ordered these little dittys for myself from Sweet Auburn Studio on Etsy...

Thought these would be fun stacked together...my mono on one and J&N on another.

Also added this guy...just for kicks.

I followed these tips in preparing meals for my brother-in-law and sister-in-law this week.

And I took great comfort in reading this...great comfort!

I won't say that my house is messy, I'll just say that my life is NOT wasted. 

At all.

Pinterest

I hope you all have a great weekend!

XOXO

A blessed Easter...

Happy Easter! 

Since Easter does get turned into a commercial holiday so much of time, filled with bunnies, eggs, baskets, and treats, I believe it's important to reflect on what the holiday is really about.  Now, I know that this can difficult to do with little guys around but sharing Jesus' story is so important...especially this weekend. 

I too am guilty of the commercial buy in to the holiday, don't judge...we've purchased 2 bags of Starburst jelly beans and a chocolate rabbit currently sits headless in the kitchen.  However, you can celebrate the true meaning of Easter in fun/practical ways with your family.  I think Darby at Fly Through Our Window (one of my favorite family blogs) shared an excellent way to reflect on Easter's meaning and importance with a recipe for Resurrection Cookies a couple of years ago. If you have little ones around this would be a perfect activity to make with them today. 

Fly Through Our Window's Holy Week Cookies

I hope you all have a blessed weekend and are able to spend some time thanking Jesus for His sacrifice for our lives.

Have a wonderful Easter!

XOXO

Rave reviews!

Last night I received rave reviews for the dinner that I served.  Normally I receive a sign of appreciation and a comments like, "It was good!" and "Thanks, babe!" but not the standing ovation that Josh gave me last night.  I'm not going to lie...it felt pretty good!
What did I cook?

Well, let me ask you this...do you like Chick-fil-A?  Do you like those delicious nuggets? 

Well, I LOVE those golden chicken bites and found a recipe yesterday on Pinterest for them. I highly recommend the nugget recipe and the baked oven fries that I sliced up to accompany them. 

Do you think your family would enjoy these? 

My Name Is Snickerdoodle Sweet Chicky Nuggets

With a side of these?

Annie's Eats Baked Oven Fries



I bet they will.

Now don't be intimidated by the frying part of the recipe.  I'm a frying virgin and was able to do it.  Trust me, if I can do it...you can do it! 

Oh, and I also bet you are a Tuesday night hero and that you make these again.  Bon appetit!

XOXO

Yummy things to make...that I've actually made!

So, I'm pretty much obsessed with Pinterest.

If you haven't checked it out yet, click here.  If you need an 'invite' in order to setup an account, just comment below with your email address and I'll invite you.

But, I warn you...it's terribly addicting.  Think crack.  It's scary...more addicting than Facebook!

One of the boards that I am constantly 'pinning' to is my "Yummy Things to Make" board.  There are so many delicious recipes that I keep adding.  They look so incredible...basically food porn.  Lately, with the excess of at-home, sick time, I have had the chance to try out some of the easier recipes that have been calling to me. 

Here's a handful of Pinterest recipes that are making the rounds that I had to try out...

Alexandra's Buttermilk Blueberry Breakfast Cake

This awesome cake from originates from Alexandra Cooks blog.  Awesome blog...and fab recipe.  This was fluffy, moist and delicious.  It was also devoured so quickly that I didn't even get a pic of it.  My husband loved it!  I actually substituted raspberries because I didn't have blueberries.  I will be making this again...soon...using blueberries next time around.

Martha's Bacon, Egg, and Toast Cups

Of course these cute guys come from Martha Stewart.  I made these with turkey bacon and used whole eggs for a few of the muffin cups and an egg white mixture (4 egg whites and one whole egg with the yolk scrambled with a dash of fat free milk) in the other cups.  

My attempt...

The darker, crazy looking ones, have the egg white/yolk scrambled mixture...

not as pretty, but so tasty too!

My review:  Delish!  These are perfect to make ahead and throw in a Ziploc for busy weekday mornings when we are in a rush.  I didn't have a perfect circle cookie cutter to cut the wheat bread for the base so I used the top of a measuring cup as a template and trimmed the bread with a knife.  These were so easy and you could add in anything that you want to include...onions, mushrooms, cheese, turkey sausage, etc.  

A definite 'make again'! 

The Tasty Kitchen's Greatest Queso That Ever Lived

My take:  Yum!  I've always wanted to know how people got their queso so creamy.  I finally know because of this recipe!  Two words...cream cheese and cream of mushroom soup.  This was a great recipe and so easy to make.  It was a big hit while we watched the Super Bowl.

Lemon Pull-Aparts from Creations by Kara

I love lemon anything!  So these called to me and called to me.  I also love Rhodes Rolls, which are used in this recipe.  If you've never tried Rhodes, you must.  Put them on your grocery list now. 

Ok, my rendition...don't judge.

Mine aren't as pretty...my pull-aparts are a little more browned on top, and I suck at making powdered sugar icing.  I can never get the icing to not end up too 'soupy' or tasting too much like powdered sugar.  These were good but weren't exceptional.  They were incredibly easy to make, but they just didn't blow us away.  Maybe they would be better if I could get the icing right, but I just didn't love them and wouldn't 'waste' my calories on them. 

My Own Road's Strawberry Skewers 

These gorgeous skewers were SO easy to make.  I bought an angel food cake from my grocery store, cut up fresh strawberries, layered the two on wooden skewers that are often used for grilling, and drizzled chocolate sauce on top right before serving.  Done!  It looks like Jen originally used something like Hershey's Chocolate Shell sauce, but I couldn't add that much fat to these simple little guys.  I wanted to keep them as lean as possible for cake, strawberries, and chocolate, so I used basic Hershey's Syrup. 

My skewers...

I will be making these again!  These are perfect for a party or easy dessert to throw together at the last minute. So good and not too bad for you either.  You could add any type of fruit to these.  Adding blueberries would make these perfect for the 4th of July!

Alright, time to get back in the kitchen! 

What have you made from Pinterest that you have really liked?  What would you make again?

XOXO 

Gobble...Gobble...Gobble!!

Well, are you ready?  Do you have the turkey defrosting?  The potatoes peeled?  The pies baking? 

Yeah, me neither...

I've spent the morning frantically cleaning, trying to find my favorite recipes, searching Pinterest for table setting ideas and checking the online pre Black Friday deals.  Priorities.

Here are a few fun ideas that I've found for Turkey Day...

What are you grateful for?

These free printables from I Heart Nap Time would be great on each place setting at your table.

These will be an excellent reminder of what the day is really all about.

Need an easy and adorable idea for an inexpensive table runner...

This would be really easy to do...buy a few yards of burlap, cut them the length of your table, pull the loose strings from the bottom to create the fringed edge, and stencil with the first initial of your last name.  Craft or fabric stores like Hobby Lobby and Joanne's carry burlap.  I've even seen it at Home Depot in the lawn and garden section to be used in flower beds.  Burlap is a definite favorite of mine because it's inexpensive, durable, and easy to use.

 Another way to style burlap...cut as a table runner and tie with a simple burlap string. 

The Kitchn

So easy...this would be cute too tied with satin or velvet ribbon. 

We all know that Martha always rocks it. 

Martha Stewart

 I love the idea of stacking desserts together so that your table isn't a flat, boring, table with desserts scattered all around.  By using cake platters and even small wooden boxes, Martha layers the pies at varying heights to create interest and uniformity.  Smart!  I've also see this with books stacked underneath.

And when it's time to pack up and go and take a piece of Grandma's pecan pie with you...

Petit Moulin's Etsy Shop

These are the greatest to-go pie boxes that I've ever seen. 

These would be perfect for the holidays or as a wedding takeaway. 

Precious.

Oh, and of course...how can you make Thanksgiving 'stretchy' pants stylish...

Pinterest

I'm thinking this look will be comfy, cozy, and step up from pajama jeans at least.

Alright, I'd better get some kind of prep done. 

Perhaps I'll start by chilling the wine...priorities!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Will you be mine?

Via White Breeze

 

My husband is not a fan of today.  And honestly, between you and me, I don't blame him.  I believe there is too much pressure on guys to make this one day a year 'special'.  

In reality, everyday should be a day that you express love to the one that you love.  

For me it's the day to day stuff that says I love you and it doesn't have to be a big production...just a simple note, text message, cup of coffee, kind word, or kiss on the forehead makes me incredibly happy.  Luckily I have found an amazing man that does/shows all of these things.  Mushy, I know...

However, I can't lie...the chocolates, brownies, candies, cookies, and flowers are definitely a perk on this #1 Hallmark card selling day.  It's not like I would turn them down or anything...let's be real!

Any of these little treats would certainly say I love you...

Via A Lady's Findings

 

 Via I am Baker

   

 Via Rhapsody Drools

Via A Lady's Findings

But, I'm not expecting them.  

In fact, just the cup of coffee would be perfect for this Valentine's morning.  

Ok, ok maybe in one of these would make it just a little more special...

 Via La Belle Vie

All of this sweetness had to be shared on this very sweet day...but, it really doesn't get any sweeter than this.

 Via Sunshine and Pearls

Pug...with a heart!  I know.  I'm in love too.

Happy Valentine's my loves!

XOXO

Make this now...

The Pioneer Woman's Best Coffee Cake Ever can be summed up into three words...

To. Die. For.


Seriously delish!

And, if I can make it, anyone can make it.

Her recipe is here. It was easy to make and would be perfect for guests coming into town or to take somewhere. I made it for our coast weekend trip and had a piece (or two) each morning with coffee. Yum! I was really intimidated by the need to beat the egg whites into peaks or until they were stiff, but it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought. I simply put them in a bowl and held on tight as my mixer did the work.

Pure goodness.

You will not regret whipping this up. It does make a big coffee cake that could be shared with many or eaten alone in your kitchen ducking behind the kitchen island as you lick the last crumbs off of the dish.

I'm just sayin'.