yogurt popsicles

In Texas, summer is here - bring on the frozen treats! I utilized some 3 oz. plastic cups, assorted flavors of yogurt, and some bamboo appetizer sticks. (The bamboo sticks are the perfect size for the 3 oz. cups!) Everything I needed was readily accessible at the grocerey store.

For some I used one flavor of yogurt per cup; for others the flavors were layered. Load up your cups, insert a bamboo stick in the middle, pop these in the freezer for a few hours and viola....sweet, frozen, healthy-ish summer treats! The flavors pictured: key lime pie, a layered peach & vanilla, and a layered banana cream pie & vanilla.

gilded biz card inspiration

via

patterned biz card

Via

how my garden grows

Texas wildflowers:
days 4 - 18

skinny oreo milkshake

Ingredients

1 cup reduced-fat (1%) milk or ½ cup fat-free and ½ cup reduced-fat 2% 2½ reduced-fat Oreo cookies 1 tablespoon instant vanilla pudding (dry mix) 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 package Splenda or Equal 1½ cups ice cubes

Directions

1. Add all the ingredients in a blender. Blend on high until smooth. Add a few more ice cubes if the shake isn’t thick enough. 2. Serve at once. Makes 2 (1 cup) servings

for 1 serving 118 calories, 2.5g fat, 3g protein, 20g carbs, 0g fiber, 181mg sodium, 8g sugar

triple choco mouse cake

via Martha's dessert of the day

perfect pancakes

whole wheat cakes with fresh berries and homemade whipped cream!

edible atx

I'm sort of loving this magazine that I stumbled upon while perusing the wares at the flagship Whole Foods here in Austin.  Edible Austin: the designer in me loves it's aesthetic, heavyweight matte paper, and arty photos, & spreads.  Check it!

avocado chocolate mousse

via

Ingredients:

• 1 ripe avocado, skin and pit removed
• 3 1/2 tablespoons dark chocolate cocoa powder
• 3 1/2 tablespoons honey

Directions:

1. Place avocado and dark chocolate cocoa powder in food processor. Add honey.
2. Process avocado, cocoa powder and honey for approximately one minute, pausing to scrape the sides, or until a thick, smooth mousse forms
3. Spoon mousse into a small bowl, top with slivered almonds, fresh fruit or chocolate chips and enjoy

cauli mash

I want to call these mock-mashed potatoes, but I don't think that name gives this dish justice, but neither does pureed cauliflower....mashed cauliflower seems to be fitting.  I've been experimenting with different versions and have settled on my fave.  This is my low-fat version, and honestly I was surprised, it's just as tasty as the full fat cream & cheddar version.

Low-Fat Mashed Cauliflower (2 servings, ww+ points = 1)
1/2 head of cauliflower
1 T fat free milk
1 t powdered butter substitute (Molly McButter or similar)
1 slice fat free sharp cheddar cheese singles
1 T powdered white cheddar popcorn seasoning
salt & pepper to taste


DIRECTIONS: Cut cauliflower into approx. 2" pieces.  Place in microwave safe covered bowl w/ milk.  Microwave for 10 min, stirring every few.  Remove cauliflower mixture & transfer to blender or food processor.  Add cheese, butter substitute, white cheddar seasoning, salt, & pepper.  Blend/process until smooth.  You may need to add a little more milk to reach desired consistency. 

Tiramisu

I took an amazing Italian Cooking class a few years back and this dessert has definitely emerged as a favorite. I had misplaced the recipe and the gal who taught the class was kind enough to share it with me again. Be sure to check out her site, Anne's Italy, and book a class with her on the wonders of Umbrian Cooking if she's in your area!

TIRAMISU (“pick me up”)
..............................
(makes enough for 20 people)
..............................
20 oz. Ricotta
1 lb. Marscapone
1/3 c. of sugar or to taste
Yolks from 10 eggs
One large chocolate bar, chopped into some fine & some chunky pieces
Grated coconut
Brewed espresso coffee
large box of Original Grahams (or similar vanilla cookie) – preferred cookie……. OR
3 boxes of lady fingers
DIRECTIONS: Mix first 3 ingredients together. Blend egg yolks and add to cream mixture. Combine chocolate and coconut reserving some chocolate for the top layer. Dip cookies into coffee mixture until soft, but before they fall apart. (You may also use coffee with some milk, if preferred.) Cover bottom of a pan thoroughly with soaked cookies. Add a layer of the cream mixture and some of the chocolate/coconut mixture. Repeat layering until all cookies are used. Top with chocolate as the final layer. Chill in refrigerator for 3 hours or in freezer for 20 minutes.

cream cheese pumpkin pie pots

I was slated to enter a pumpkin recipe contest at my work's Fall Festival & low and behold the evening before at 10pm, I realized that no grocery store in North Lake Tahoe had any canned pumpkin! There's apparently a pumpkin shortage... Thankfully I remembered a great post from my hometown friend Megan's Megasimple Blog about roasting and pureeing pumpkin. (Check it!) She used smaller sugar pie pumpkins. At 10 o'clock on a Fri. night all I could find were the large jack o'lantern variety, and they worked out fine for me.



Cutting into the large jack o'lantern was probably the hardest part of the deal. I put the cut pieces in a 375 degree oven for an hour and 40 min with a pan of water below them.



Here's the pumpkin right after coming out of the oven.



After roasting, you'll then want to scoop out and puree the insides, as pictured above, and you'll have some pumpkin ready for the recipe. If you're lucky enough to find pumpkin in a can you can skip this roasting/pureeing process. (Since I was up til 1am making this recipe happen, I would have been excited for the canned version!) This yielded way more pumpkin than I needed, so I pureed the rest and froze it for later use...stocking for the next pumpkin shortage!



While the pumpkin was roasting I prepared my graham cracker crust.
This recipe is for the crust to fill 6 wide mouth 8 oz. mason jars. After the crust, my pictures seem to trail off as the evening got later....


After putting a little under 1/4 c. of crust in the jars, you then need to smash it down, as in the picture above: before (on the right) & after (on the left), then you bake!

GRAHAM CRACKER CRUST
8 graham crackers crushed (I crushed mine in a ziplock bag with a rolling pin)
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons melted butter

Directions: Combine graham crackers and sugar. Add melted butter and stir until moist. Divide evenly into 6 wide mouth 8 oz. mason jars (a little less than 1/4 c. each). Bake at 350 degrees for 6-8 min.


NO-BAKE CREAM CHEESE PUMPKIN PIE
(amended from this recipe I posted about in 2007: the best pumpkin pie ever!)
4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) Neufchatel Cheese softened
1 Tbsp. cold fat-free milk
1 Tbsp. sugar
1-1/2 cups thawedWhipped Topping
1 cup cold fat-free milk
1 can (16 oz.) or 2 cups pumpkin
2 pkg. (4-serving size each) Vanilla Flavor Instant Reduced Pudding
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon cloves
6 prepared graham cracker crusts in mason jars (see above)

Directions: Beat Neufchatel cheese, 1 Tbsp. milk and sugar in large bowl with wire whisk until well blended. Stir in whipped topping. Spread onto bottom of crust in each mason jar (about 1/4 cup each). Be sure to swish the jar around to even out your layers. Then pour 1 cup milk into a medium bowl. Add pumpkin, pudding mix and spices. Beat with wire whisk 2 minutes or until well blended. (Mixture will be thick.) Spread over Neufchatel cheese layer in each mason jar (again about 1/4 cup). Refrigerate 4 hours or until set. Garnish with additional dollop od whipped topping, if desired. Store leftover pie pots in refrigerator.... but believe me, they won't last long!

peanut butter cup bars

1 c. butter
1 c peanut butter
2 c graham cracker crumbs
2 c powdered sugar

1 1/2 c semi-sweet choco chips
4 Tbsp peanut butter

Directions: Melt butter & 1 c peanut butter. Add graham cracker crumbs and powdered sugar. Mix until well blended. Press into ungreased 9"x 13" pan. Melt choco chips with 4 Tbsp peanut butter (either on stovetop or microwave) and spread on top of graham cracker mixture. Refridgerate for at least 1 hour.

via one more moore

sneak peek :)

I shot engagement picts for 2 amazing friends this weekend & couldn't wait to share the results! luv!!!



Nichole Bohner Photography

sunburts pillow DIY

Luving these linen sunburst pillows: sew your own -
check out the full tutorial here via versusmag

baked pasta with chicken sausage

via melskitchencafe


INGREDIENTS:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium red onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes
1 (14.5 oz.) can crushed tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 pound rigatoni
10 ounces frozen baby spinach, thawed and drained well (can substitute 1 9-oz. bag fresh spinach)
12 ounces precooked smoked chicken (or turkey) sausage, halved lengthwise and sliced 1/4 inch thick (Jennie-O is a solid choice)
8 ounces mozzarella cheese, 4 ounces cut into 1/2-inch cubes and 4 ounces shredded
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS: ( Makes a heaping full 9"x13" pan or 2 8"x8" pans). Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion; cook until translucent, about 3 minutes. Stir in garlic. Cook for another minute.

Stir in tomatoes, oregano and basil; simmer for 8-10 minutes. Add cream; cook until warmed through, about 5 minutes. Season sauce with salt and pepper to taste.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cook pasta in the boiling water until al dente, according to package instructions. (If using fresh spinach, add it to the pot of boiling pasta right at the end and cook until wilted.) Drain, and return contents to pot.

Add tomato sauce, sausage, spinach and cubed mozzarella to the pot; toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Scoop pasta into lightly greased 9X13-inch pan (or divide evenly between two 8X8-inch pans). Top with grated mozzarella and Parmesan. Bake until browned and edges are crisp, 20 to 30 minutes.

*Freezable Meal: Prepare recipe right up until the baking step and then cover with a double layer of aluminum foil. Freeze. Thaw in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 days. To bake, increase baking time to 1 to 1 1/4 hours. If baking from frozen, bake covered for 1 hour and 15 minutes, uncover and bake 30 minutes longer.

new save the dates via sierraPRINT on etsy

buy them via my etsy shop here: sierraPRINT.etsy.com

cupcake!

luving these perfect little cupcakes I made today:

DIY biz cards

via isleofskye
I love rubber stamps & love this idea for business cards!
So, step #1 is to get a rubber stamp made w/ your info. (I have mine made at my local office supply store, but 2 other online options are: the stampmaker or iprint) #2 cut up a large painting or custom artwork, stamp the back – and voila! No two cards are the same, each individually cut and stamped by hand.

queso blanco dip

I added some more veggies to healthy it up. Well, as healthied up as queso dip can get! original recipe via

Queso Blanco Dip
Yield:
about 2 cups
Ingredients:
• 1/2 tbsp. canola or vegetable oil
• ¼ cup onion, finely chopped
• 1 or 2 jalapeño pepper(s), seeded and finely chopped - (depending on heat you want)
• 12 oz. white American cheese, shredded
• 4 oz. Monterey jack cheese, shredded
• ¼-2/3 cup milk
• 1 tomato, seeded and finely diced
• 2/3 cup salsa (I use my own canned version - you can find the recipe here!)
• 2 tbsp. cilantro, minced
Directions:
Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and jalapeño to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Add both of the shredded cheeses and ¼ cup of the milk. Whisk or stir until completely melted. Mix in the tomato and cilantro, and add additional milk gradually as necessary to achieve desired consistency. Transfer to a warmed serving bowl and serve immediately.