Adam Fruit Smoothie

We have been busy this week with Vacation Bible School.  The boys are attending and having fun, while I am helping to supervise another age group.  Being busy and the hot weather has sort of killed our appetites this week.

Dinners have been very light, maybe just a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, or in tonight's case a fruit smoothie with protein bites.

Before dinner the boys and I went for a walk.  On the walk, Brandon told me he wasn't hungry.  I thought for a moment and felt the same.  Adam on the other hand is always hungry.  I knew I had to feed him and Brandon should eat something, so we started brainstorming.  I had protein bites in the fridge that I made yesterday, so I suggested a smoothie to go along with them.

Brandon has his "Brandon Smoothie", which is a chocolate peanut butter smoothie he knows how to make by heart.  Adam asked what fruit I had, and he started thinking. (He has become quite the smoothie enthusiast ever since his fifth grade teacher introduced the class to all the smoothie possibilities.)  So Adam came up with banana, strawberries, pineapple, and apple.  It sounded pretty good, and you know what?? It was delicious!  So Adam named this particular combination the "Adam Smoothie".

recipe

1 frozen banana
1/4 c. frozen pineapple chunks
1/4 c. fresh strawberries
1 small apple, cored and chopped
1 c. water

Combine all the ingredients and blend until smooth.  You may need to add a bit more water to get the desired consistency.  Enjoy!

Summer Grilled Veggies

It's been a while since I have posted....time has just gotten away from me.  So what's been happening?  Well, school is out for the summer, the kids are enjoying outdoor activities, and we have a lot to look forward to this busy summer.

While all these fun activities are popping up, I don't always want to heat up the kitchen for dinner or eat a heavy meal.  Tonight I grilled vegetables I had in the fridge and served it over rice.  Jay will have his tonight over pasta once he's home from work.

This recipe is so extremely easy, yet very filling and satisfying.  It's perfect as a side dish alongside your favorite protein.  Grilled vegetables are also perfect for dinner guests who may be vegetarians or gluten free. 

Here's how it's done:

recipe  (serves 4)

2 bell peppers, seeded and sliced (I used red and yellow)
1 carrot, peeled and sliced
1/4 small red onion, sliced
8 oz. small whole mushrooms (I used crimini)
1 small to medium broccoli crown, broken into florets
1 medium zucchini, sliced
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. balsamic salad dressing

After prepping the veggies, I separated them into two bowls.  One bowl with the vegetables that will take a bit longer to cook, carrot, onion, peppers, broccoli.  In that bowl I drizzled the balsamic vinaigrette and salt and pepper to taste.  The second bowl had the mushrooms and zucchini with olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.

Next, I heated up the grill.  I used charcoal, but feel free to use your gas grill.  Once the grill is hot, spread the veggies from the first bowl on a grill pan.  Cover and allow to cook for about 10 minutes.  Then you can add the second bowl (or softer veggies) to the pan.  Cover and cook for an additional 10 to 15 minutes.  The veggies should be caramelized and tender.

Serve over rice or pasta for a main meal, or on the side with a protein.

Incredibly Easy Pumpkin Pie

OK, I blinked and somehow it is November 9th.....wow the fall season really is flying.  We have been busy with family obligations, school, and celebrating joyous moments with friends.

Halloween came and went.  The boys did carve pumpkins with help from Jay (I absolutely won't carve a pumpkin).

 

Now I could be all fancy and tell you I roasted the pumpkin guts and made a delicious pumpkin pie from it.....but who really has time for all the mess??

 

 

Nope, I take help from good old canned pumpkin!  I love canned pumpkin. I always have it on hand.  It is fabulous for pies, cakes, cookies, and smoothies.

 

Here is a super duper easy pumpkin pie recipe that can be whipped up in a few minutes.  All you need is a big bowl and a whisk, no mixer necessary.

 

 

ingredients (adapted from Eagle Brand)

 

1 15 oz. can pumpkin puree

1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk

2 eggs

1 TBSP. Pumpkin Pie Spice

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. salt

1 9 inch deep dish frozen pie crust

 

 Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  In a large bowl combine all the ingredients until smooth with a whisk.  Do not over beat or the pie will be runny....just mix until blended.

 

Place the frozen pie crust on a cookie sheet.  Pour mixture into the pie crust.  Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees.  Bake for additional 35 to 40 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean.  Mine took about 40 minutes.  Allow to cool.

 

I love my pie cold with whipped cream, so I throw it in the refrigerator for several hours.

 

Enjoy!

 

 



Craft Show Season

I have been doing craft shows for almost 25 years.  I started when I was in high school as a way to earn money for a trip to Mexico with Spanish Club.  I found a love for them, and I have wrangled my mom into them as well.

People always ask what I do??  Well, it has evolved over the years.  I do sell Rada Cutlery, but I also sell knitted items, embroidered items, children's little items (like book marks, pencils, etc.), and I do wall décor.  Wall décor always gets a few raised brows, people not being exactly sure what those items may be.

So I decided to post some pictures of this years creations. 

My last two craft shows are 10/23/15 at St. John the Baptist is Alden and Elma United Methodist Church Bazaar on 12/5/15.

Aunt Lisa Throws A Shower: Part 2

The shower came and went.  It was a really beautiful day.  The sun was shining and my house was filled with people celebrating this new life.  I wanted to share a few pictures of the décor and favors.  It was a simple affair, but in my opinion it was very special.

First, I set the tables with white linens, accented with hot pink.  The table centerpieces were simple arrangements I made with four different kinds of flowers.  I made the arrangements in clear milk bottles I found at the craft store, and tied with a green bow.

On the invitation, I had included a request for diapers.  If a package was brought, you would be entered to win a prize (it was a grocery store gift card).  Here's the entry tickets to be filled out.

I also decorated the mantle with pink and white candies and outfits picked out by my parents, my boys, and myself.  Each outfit had a little tag to say who they were from.

 

Finally when the guests left, they were invited to take a sugar cookie made to look like onesies.  I made them in pink and green and wrapped them with a thank you note.

 



Here's a few other photos from the process:

Aunt Lisa Throws a Shower

I found out about 5 months ago that I was going to be an aunt again!  My brother and his wife are expecting their first baby.  I won't go into details about their story, because it's their story and they are a bit private.  However, I will say this baby is a true miracle, a surprise, and a blessing.

Well as soon as I found out, I wanted to host the baby shower.  It's a true family event. We are having it at my home, Tracy's mom is handling the games, and her step sister is making the cake.

I started preparing as it is very soon.  I am getting excited and will post the details afterwards.  For now here is a sneak peak!  Yes it's a girl :)

Chocolate Chunk Challah Bread

Do you ever get an idea stuck in your head, and the idea just won't go away?  It keeps nagging and nagging?  This happened to me last week regarding chocolate Challah bread.  Oh yes! 

My vision and the outcome were slightly different.  I envisioned a Challah bread recipe with mini chocolate chips running through it, giving it a slightly sweet taste.  So while I was adding the chocolate chips to the bread dough, what I didn't think about was the heat when the bread was proofing.  Yep, it melted my chips completely into the dough.

That however wasn't so bad, because now I had this wonderful mocha colored dough, that smelled like heaven!

 

 

So I needed it to have some chocolate running through it. I chose to add chocolate chunks and chocolate chips in the dough ropes before braiding it.  Once it was baked, the chocolate created little pockets of melted heaven.

 

 

 

I received the vote of approval from the kids and Jay.  It's a very delicious treat and makes fabulous French toast.

 

 

Here's how it came together in a bread machine:

 

ingredients

 

 

8 oz. plus 1 Tbsp. warm water

2 Tbsp. brown sugar

3 Tbsp. oil

1 egg, room temperature



1 tsp. salt
3 1/4 c. bread flour
2 tsp. active dry yeast

Add the above ingredients in the order listed above.  Then select the dough cycle for 1.5 lb. loaf.  Add 1/4 c. mini chocolate chips to the extras tray (if your machine doesn't have an extras tray, add it last in the list of ingredients).

Once the dough has completed it's cycle, turn out on a floured surface. Divide the dough into three equal pieces, and form into ropes.

Slightly flatten the ropes, and lay the chocolate chips and/or chunks right down the middle.

Then pinch the rope closed around the chocolate.

Braid the ropes normally as you would for regular challah bread.  Stud the top with more chunks and allow to rise for 45 minutes.

Brush with an egg wash and bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes.  Allow to cool on a rack.

I made three smaller loaves, just divide dough into nine pieces
to make three loaves

Eat with in a few days or freeze for up to 3 months.