Tote's Life

Austin Matthew's Birth Story

2012-01-19T11:53:00.000-08:00

I was scheduled to be induced on Tuesday, January 3 at 8 a.m.

Around 10:30 p.m. on Monday, January 2, I started having contractions. They felt similar to other contractions in the past, so I waited/labored at home. I had uncontrollable shakes and around midnight, I decided that we should definitely go in. After spending Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve in l&d triage before being sent home, I wanted to be sure it was the real thing before heading in.

In triage at 1 a.m., we found out I was dilated to 6-7 cm. I asked how much longer they thought until I would hit 10 cm and be able to push. When they couldn’t give me a timeframe, I asked for the epidural. I really feel it was the best decision I made.

After the epidural kicked in, my parents, Matt and I were able to relax a bit while I continued to dilate. We listened to music, cracked jokes with the nurses and rested. There were a few times that my blood pressure dropped pretty low, but the nurse was able to reposition me and that seemed to fix the problem.

Around 5:30 a.m., they said I was fully dilated and could push if I felt the urge. I didn’t, so they continued to let me rest. An hour later, I still didn’t feel the “urge” but figured I’d give pushing a try. I ended up pushing for 20 minutes before Austin arrived at 6:43 a.m., weighing 8 lb 9 oz and measuring 20.5 inches long. So, from my first real contraction to delivery was a little over 8 hours.

Our little guy decided to come out with his hand up next to his face, giving me second degree tears in three different spots and a hematoma. Clearly God was watching over me and helped me make the decision to get the epidural early on. I cannot imagine what that pain would have felt like sans epidural.

It took them 45 minutes to stitch me up, but we were so consumed by our new baby that it didn’t feel like that long. Matt and I both had skin to skin contact with Austin within minutes of him being born and I was able to breastfeed him while the doctors continued to work on me.

The epidural took a little longer than expected to wear off. When it was time to move from labor and delivery to the Mother Baby Center, I attempted to get into the wheelchair and ended up dropping straight to my knees. What a weird feeling!!! Two nurses had to help me up, but it felt so weird being dead weight.

After being up all night in labor and then up the next day with a newborn, we were quite tired.

One of my favorite pictures... trying to suck face with his momma, or, he's just hungry.

Since coming home, we’ve have had some challenges with breastfeeding and Austin dropped more than 10% of his body weight at his check up, down to 7 lb 8 oz. We were able to get an appointment with the lactation consultant at the hospital and things started to get better. My milk came in, but my nipples aren’t “sticking out” like they should. This has created latch issues and the pain has brought me to tears multiple times. So we started using a nipple shield which helped a lot.

For the first few days at home, my pain “down there” got worse instead of better each day. My legs/ankles were swollen beyond recognition. I felt like I had Princess Fiona sausage feet. Disgusting. Add in the breastfeeding issues and it was a rough couple of days.

At Austin’s first weight re-check, he gained four ounces, up to 7 lb 12 oz. We’ll go for one more weight re-check on Monday to make sure he is steadily gaining weight.

The nether region is feeling much better these days and the swelling in my feet is pretty much gone now.

Unfortunately, the breastfeeding woes continue. My nipples are cracked and Austin is taking in a bit of blood with each feeding. On top of that, I have Mastitis. Having a fever and feeling achey with a newborn is the worst. Matt has been nothing but amazing, taking care of Austin and I. So, I’m on antibiotics for the infection and we have stopped breastfeeding for now to allow things to heal. I am pumping every 3 hours and Austin is getting that milk through a bottle. We’ll try breastfeeding again in a few days...

We are settling into a great routine. Austin is awake for most of the day and sleeps from around 11 p.m. to 7:30 a.m. at night without waking up.

Matt has been off work for two weeks and we are both dreading him having to go back tomorrow.

40 Weeks... and Counting

2011-12-28T13:42:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I hit the 40 week mark. So I figured what better time to document my ENTIRE pregnancy than at the very, very end. So, what follows is a series of photos taken throughout my pregnancy. The first picture was taken at 7 weeks and the last picture was taken yesterday, at 40 weeks.

7 weeks, 8 weeks

9 weeks, 10 weeks

11 weeks, 12 weeks

13 weeks, 14 weeks

15 weeks in Caseville

16 weeks, 17 weeks

July 25 ultrasound. It's a boy!

18 weeks, 19 weeks

20 weeks, 21 weeks

22 weeks in Caseville

23 weeks, 24 weeks

25 weeks, 28 weeks

29 weeks, 30 weeks

31 weeks, 33 weeks

These are all from our 32 week maternity photo shoot that we did ourselves.

34 weeks, 35 weeks

36 weeks, 37 weeks

38 weeks, 39 weeks

40 weeks

There you have it. A lazy blogger's attempt to document an entire pregnancy in one post.

Needless to say, Mr. Tote and I are ready to meet our little guy. An induction is scheduled for next Tuesday, but my doctor is confident that my water will break before then. Fingers crossed that he makes an appearance soon!

Nursery Reveal

2011-12-10T14:08:00.001-08:00

BEFORE… Office/Craft/Pet Room

AFTER… Soothing room for our baby boy with lots of personal, DIY touches!

And of course some burp cloths that match the nursery and our love for Michigan State!

Paint Colors: Sherwin Williams 6758 Aqueduct and Sherwin Williams 7073 Network Grey

Crib: Davinci Porter

Changing Table: Hand-me-down gift from some friends

Recliner/Ottoman: Harmony Kids Newco Taylor Classic Swivel Glider and Ottoman

Lamp Base: Lowe’s

Baskets: Hobby Lobby

Fabrics:

Emily Herrick Going Coastal Crab Walk in Gray

Emily Herrick Going Coastal Sea Star in Gray

P&B Textiles Downtown Circles in Light

Laura Gunn Magnolia Lane Textured Plaid in Turquoise

Tutorials Used:

Dear blog,

2011-05-16T09:18:00.001-07:00

Dear blog,

I know my apology probably doesn’t mean much to you these days, but I’m sorry. I’m sorry for neglecting you. I’ve been in a rut… a serious writing rut.
But, today, in keeping with the new life and growth that this spring season is bringing, I make a renewed commitment to GIVE YOU SOME ATTENTION!
So here I defiantly say ‘poo poo’ to my writer’s block! I am back with a vengeance! Kicking butt and taking names!

I’m off for now… to start composing my first comeback entry… besides this one…

Pork Roast

2011-03-07T17:50:00.001-08:00

Let me just preface this post by saying that this roast was so good, I totally forgot to take a picture of it.

2-3 lb pork shoulder or butt roast
1 onion, coarsely chopped
Handful of baby carrots
3-4 stalks celery, coarsely chopped
1 sprig fresh rosemary, chopped (you could certainly use dried rosemary in a pinch)
1 clove minced garlic
1 C orange juice
1 Tbsp orange or apricot marmalade
Salt & pepper, to taste
Cooking spray

Wash and trim the roast before placing into a slow cooker that’s been sprayed with cooking spray. Place the veggies around the roast before adding the rosemary, garlic, orange juice and marmalade. Season with salt & pepper. Cook on low 8 hours.

I can’t believe how amazing this turned out, for the five minutes it took me to prepare. The sweetness of the orange juice and marmalade complemented the pork perfectly and the rosemary added so much flavor to the dish.

Valentine’s Dinner Menu

2011-02-13T09:00:00.001-08:00

Love is in the air! Because V-day falls on a Monday, we are taking advantage of not having to work today and making Valentine’s Day Dinner tonight instead of tomorrow. We have ample time to prepare everything, so it just makes sense. On the menu…

Filet Mignon with Creamy Horseradish

Jumbo shrimp skewers with white wine, lemon and garlic

Sauteed broccolini and shallots

Broasted redskin potatoes

Chocolate lava cakes (I wanted to do something different than we’ve done in the past, but how could I say ‘no’ to Mr. Tote)

For beverages, a glass of 2008 Legado Muñoz Garnacha with dinner and some Young’s Double Chocolate Stout with dessert.

Meet Baby Eli!

2011-01-31T18:23:00.001-08:00

We are the proud Aunt and Uncle of nephew #2, Eli David. Born January 31, 12:26 p.m., 6 lb 8 oz, 20 inches. Mom, Dad, big brother Calvin and baby Eli are all doing well! Congrats to mommy for going all natural!

Entryway Mirror

2011-01-29T08:37:00.001-08:00

Yeah, I’m lame and have no before pictures of this beaut. My father-in-law made this mirror/frame, which hung over the family couch in the house that Mr. Tote grew up in. His mom was prepared to throw it away and I snatched it from the ‘toss’ pile. Mr. Tote’s dad had used a miter saw to create the frame and stained the original oak a natural color.

While it was “nice,” it just wasn’t our style. So when I got my hands on it, we sanded it down, painted it white and added some 1x1/4” decorative trim to create the illusion of a window.

And I had a vinyl wall quote that said “Come in. Laugh much. Visit often.” that I cut apart and stuck to the mirror.

BEFORE: AFTER:

I really love how this turned out. It really opened up that area with the illusion of a window being there. I have been wanting to put a foyer table in that spot, but the door has presented some challenges. This mirror is the perfect compromise to liven up that wall.

Bisquick Chicken Pot Pie

2011-01-28T17:35:00.000-08:00

Nothing like a good pot pie to warm you up in the dead of winter. I didn’t have a pie crust on hand, nor did I feel like making my own. So I was thrilled when I found this Better Crocker recipe for pot pie, topped with Bisquick mix.

This dish couldn’t be easier to throw together, with all pre-prepared ingredients, aside from mixing together the Bisquick mix.

Mr. Tote and I both loved the heartiness of this dish. I particularly loved the easy prep. I’m not usually a big fan of using condensed soup, but you really cant’ beat the amount of time this takes to pull together… all of 5 minutes, plus the time it takes for the oven to heat.

16 ounces frozen mixed vegetables, thawed
1 cup cooked chicken, chopped
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 cup Bisquick mix
1/2 cup milk
1 egg

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Mix vegetables, chicken and soup in a medium-sized, ungreased casserole dish.
Stir remaining ingredients in bowl with fork until blended. Pour over ingredients in casserole dish.
Bake 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Oreo Truffles

2011-01-27T17:34:00.001-08:00

Long overdue, like most of my other upcoming posts…

This recipe has made its way around the blog world five thousand times. Like many others on my “Favorites” list of links, I’ve had this recipe bookmarked for quite some time. Originally from Kraft foods, I fell in love with the pictures that Heather over at Heather Drive took. So I’m linking to her post of this recipe.

Ingredients:
- 1 package (1 lb., 2 oz.) Oreo cookies
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk OR 1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese
- 1/2 lb. milk chocolate candy melts
- 1/2 lb. white chocolate candy melts

Directions:
1. In food processor, grind Oreo cookies until completely crushed.

2. Place crushed cookies into a large bowl. Add condensed milk or cream cheese, stirring until combined. The cookie crumbles should all be moist so that they easily stick together.

3. Shape cookie mixture into 1-inch balls. Lay cookie balls on cookie sheet covered with wax paper. Place into freezer for a few minutes to harden.

4. Dip cookie balls into melted chocolate, and return to wax paper to dry. Drizzle with additional melted chocolate or candy melts for decoration (if desired).

If you use the cream cheese version, truffles must be kept in the refrigerator. Recipe yields approximately 30-50 truffles, depending on size.

Mystery Trip!

2011-01-25T19:29:00.001-08:00

The girls over at Dating Divas are always coming up with some super creative, super awesome dates. PS, they have an amazing new website, so be sure to check it out!

So I decided to craft my own fabulous date, which I (surprisingly!) kept a total secret from Mr. Tote. It started out early Saturday morning when he woke up up to go to a separate event we had planned to attend. I told him “change of plans,” to which he looked quite puzzled. He was frustrated in an incredibly adorable way and kept huffing and puffing and grunting for me to tell him where we were going. I told him to dress warm and that was it.

Once we were in the car, I whipped out a crossword puzzle that I had created for free with clues to our mystery destination.

A few of the clues were:

These are good for your heart. The more you eat them, the more you fart.
Nickname of Robert Van Winkle.
We met Mike and Jilly here (two river otters)
We go to this event to see the lighting of the Christmas tree
John Wayne stars in this type of movie

Even though he successfully completed the crossword puzzle with my help on only one clue, he was still totally confused. I told him to think outside the box. I could see his wheels spinning and I wish I could have taken a picture of his puzzled look (I chose to be safe, keeping my eyes on the road and hands on the wheel).

“A chili cook off?” he finally said.

Yep! We were headed to Kalamazoo for their chili cook-off. We’ve been to this event once before, while we were dating. So when I saw my friend from Discover Kalamazoo earlier in the week, she reminded me that the cook-off was taking place this past weekend. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to attend, since we had such a blast the last time we went.

We arrived in downtown Kalamazoo right as the two-hour tasting window started. With our spoons and score cards in hand, we made our way from location to location in single digit temperatures. There were three categories (Office, Retail and Restaurant) with 38 local shops showcasing chili.

Chili was served indoors, so we were only outside briefly as we shuffled around, enjoying the heated sidewalks of the Kalamazoo Mall, the first outdoor pedestrian shopping mall in the United States.

We managed to visit over 20 locations before tapping out, our bellies full of chili. We strategically planned our last stop at Olde Peninsula Brewpub and Restaurant because, let’s face it, you can never be too full to taste some hand crafted beer. I ordered us an eight-glass sampler to share and we got to work filling out our voting cards. Did I mention that one of the voting boxes was conveniently located right outside Olde Peninsula? I could hug the genius that thought of that one.

After the sampler and a pint of Stout Chocula, neither of us were fit to drive home.

Mr. Tote suggested napping in the back of the Jeep. I suggested the nearby Radisson Hotel. His puzzled look from that morning returned for an encore appearance! I could tell he thought I meant napping on the couches in the hotel lobby. Little did he know that I booked us a room for the night… and a romantic dinner at Epic Bistro. I had spent the past few days sneaking around our house packing his clothes, deodorant, toothbrush, etc. And I had recruited his mom, who stopped by our house to pick Ozzy up for the night.

So after a nice afternoon nap, we bundled up and walked the block and a half to dinner, admiring the ice sculptures that were created earlier in the day. Obvs, our ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’ were brief. Remember… SINGLE DIGIT TEMPS, PEOPLE!

For dinner I had Wood Grilled Duck Breast (yum-O!) and Mr. Tote had a ribeye topped with gorgonzola. We spent the rest of the evening enjoying each other’s company, watching our dear Spartans lose yet another basketball game and pondering how on earth I managed to pull such a fast one on him.

Needless to say, I can’t wait to surprise him like this again!

Seed Bead and Pin Ornaments

2010-12-15T09:36:00.001-08:00

My parents have some of these beauties on their tree that I believe were made by my great grandma. She used the satin covered balls and didn’t have to worry about covering the entire ornament since the satin looks nice, but I only had styrofoam balls handy, so I had to make do. I painted my first ornament before getting started in case any of the styrofoam showed through, but quickly realized that wouldn’t be a problem so I didn’t bother painting any of the others.

I used this tutorial from Thrifty Fun to get started.These are pretty time consuming, but they go great with a glass of red wine and some Desperate Housewives on the DVR. Plus, they look AMAZING on the tree.

Birch Bark Luminary

2010-12-13T09:55:00.001-08:00

I’ve had this fun craft from Project Pretty bookmarked for over a year now. I struggled for quite some time with where to get the birch bark. I had my eye on the neighbor’s birch tree, but she vented to me about the kids ripping the bark off her tree, so I figured that probably wasn’t the best idea.

This past spring, we went Morel mushroom hunting up in Lewiston. We were about a week too late to do any good hunting, but I did snag up some birch bark while traipsing through the woods.

I used a leftover vase from a friend’s rehearsal dinner this summer. I ended up having to use some Mod Podge to get the bark to stick, as the spray adhesive just wasn’t strong enough in spots.

The soft glow of this luminary is perfect for the holiday season!

Love-ly Christmas Countdown

2010-12-02T13:43:00.001-08:00

I wanted to do something special for Mr. Tote for Christmas this year. When I saw this Spouse Christmas Countdown on Dating Divas, I knew it would be perfect! What I didn’t anticipate is how long it would take me to actually construct a countdown telling him all of the things I loved about him. Coming up with the reasons was the easy part. Assembly was a different story.I texted him to say I was working on something special and for him to call me half an hour before he was due home from work. When he called, I was right in the middle of making it!So I told him to find something to do for an hour and then to call me. An hour later he called… the kitchen table was littered with scraps of paper, the Cricut machine, glue and scissors. “Give me 45 more minutes,” I said. He called again, 45 minutes later.Blast! Still not done. So I told him to come home but to wait in the garage. So he bought some eggnog and spiced rum and sat in the car in the garage for a good half an hour before I was finally ready to reveal my surprise.I love the way this turned out and I think he does, too. Each day, he gets to turn over the appropriate number and find a special note from me, describing one of countless reasons I love him.I love the Christmas season! This is going to be so much fun!

*edit: The font I used was Pea Krystyne from kevinandamanda.com*

I am linking to the following party:

Taggies Cuddle Blanket Tutorial

2010-11-23T07:55:00.001-08:00

It’s no secret that babies love to play with the tags on blankets and stuffed toys. Something about the texture of the tag that is silky and soft… I hear it’s a comfort thing. These blankets are soft and have ribbons sewn into the perimeter.

When purchasing a name brand blanket, these security blankets can cost upwards of $25. Yikes! You can easily replicate this playful, cuddly number for around $10 and give a young child a comforting, much loved security blanket.

Items needed
1/2 yard soft fabric (fleece, flannel, etc)
Variety of ribbons in different widths, colors and textures (grosgrain, satin, etc)
Scissors
Measuring tape
Sewing machine or needle with thread

1. Fold your fabric into a triangle to make a square (approximately 18”) and cut. I chose to use different fabric for the front and the back but you can easily use the same fabric. 2. Lay your fabrics together. If there is and “inside” to the fabric, make sure these oppose each other (i.e. have the right-side-out of the fabric face the inside).3. Keep foster kittens from messing with your ribbon (if applicable).4. Pin your fabric together. 5. Lay your ribbon out around your blanket (not necessary, but it helps when visualizing the finished product. 6. Cut 16-20 pieces of ribbon, 5-6” long each. 7. Lay your ribbon around the blanket (again, for visualization purposes).8. Fold your ribbon in half right-side-out, and pin between the two layers of fabric with the cut ends facing out and lining up with the perimeter of the fabric. 9. Once you have all the ribbons secured, sew a 1/2” seam allowance around the perimeter of the blanket, leaving a 3” hole to turn the blanket inside out.

10. Turn the blanket inside out, tuck in the edges of the hole and hand stitch the opening closed.

Easy Costume for all the Preggos Out There

2010-11-07T17:03:00.001-08:00

It may be too late to craft something like this for this year, but keep this one in mind for next year! My sister-in-law is pregnant with our second nephew. When I heard that she and her husband were coming to a Halloween party with us this past weekend and didn’t know what to wear, I jumped into action (naturally).

In my research for the coolest pregnant women costumes, I came across this. Slightly morbid, yet too creative to pass up.

So I went to work on it. Our local Volunteers of America store was having a half-off everything sale and how could I possibly resist!?!

Blue T-shirt: $1.00

Beat up baby doll: $0.30

I had her try on the shirt and I marked it to tell where the arms and legs should go.

I cut small slits so I could poke the appendages through the shirt. After dismantling the poor baby doll, I stitched each body part to the shirt using the fabric that held the baby doll’s arms and legs to the torso.

And not wanting to be too morbid, I added a small ‘trick or treat’ bag to the baby’s hand.

Mr. Tote and I in 50 years…We won for ‘funniest costume’ at the party we went to. I pinned our badge of honor to Mr. Tote’s rockin’ suspenders. The old man likes his keg beer.

Meringue Ghosts

2010-10-30T13:49:00.001-07:00

I’ve been sitting on this recipe for about a two years. It came across in one of my Hungry Girl emails quite some time ago and I finally decided to make these cuties while digging through my cookbook for my taco soup recipe. Just in time for Halloween tomorrow!

Meringues are a tricky dessert to make… as evidenced by Attempt #1, which was a complete failure. See, one of my yolks broke in the bowl and I managed to remove about 98% of the yolk, but that pesky 2% killed my meringue. Having never made them before, I had a hunch that they wouldn’t turn out, but I baked them anyway. Two hours later, I admitted defeat and started over.

Attempt #1 – don’t they look like sad little ghosts?

This time, I separated the eggs in a different bowl than the one I was using to whip the ingredients together. This allowed me to crack one egg at a time before adding it to my large bowl. I didn’t end up breaking any of the yolks, but I’m glad I took the extra precaution instead of wasting another batch.

(adapted from HG’s Ghost-with-the-Most Meringues)
3 large egg whites
1/3 C granulated white sugar
1/3 granulated Splenda
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
mini Reeses pieces

Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Line 2-3 large baking pans with parchment paper.

In a large glass or stainless steel bowl, combine egg whites and cream of tartar. Using an electric mixer set at high speed, beat until fluffy and slightly stiff, about 3 minutes. Continue mixing with your electric mixer, and gradually add the sugar and Splenda until completely combined. Add the vanilla and continue mixing until blended.

If your mixture doesn’t look like this…

…start over.

Using a spatula, transfer all the meringue mixture to a large plastic bag. Squeeze mixture down toward one bottom corner of the bag. Snip that corner off with scissors to create a simple piping bag.

Pipe mixture onto the parchment paper in ghost-like shapes about 3 inches long. Use the tip of your piping bag to smooth mixture and make sure the ghost shapes are filled in solidly.

Place 2 mini Reeses pieces on each ghost for eyes.

Bake in the oven for 70 minutes. Turn oven off and allow meringues to set in the oven for 1 hour.

WW Points per serving (2 meringues): 1 point

Who’s the cutest little dinosaur I ever did see??? Well, that would be my adorable nephew Calvin, who will be 2 years old in December.

Chocolate White Chocolate Chip Hazelnut Cookies

2010-10-15T14:43:00.001-07:00

Eureka!!! I think I may have found my new go-to cookie. Mr. Tote and I seriously CANNOT stop eating these. I love to make cookies, but I usually one eat one or two and give the rest away to family and friends. Not these babies!! I’m kicking myself for giving half of them away before tasting one.

I found a basic white chocolate chip cookie recipe on allrecipes.com and modified it based on user comments, along with adding hazelnuts.

I was surprised that they didn’t settle into flatter cookies, like most other recipes. However, I think that’s what makes them extra yummy! The outsides are slightly hard and the insides are super moist and chewy.

I am seriously going to be making these again and again and again.

1 C butter, softened
2/3 C white sugar
2/3 C brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/4 C all-purpose flour
3/4 C unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 C white chocolate chips
1 C chopped hazelnuts (sometimes called Filberts at the store)
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugars until smooth.

Beat in the eggs, then stir in the vanilla.

Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Stir into the creamed mixture.

Fold in the white chocolate chips and chopped hazelnuts. Using a tablespoon measurement, form the dough into balls and place onto greased cookie sheets.

Bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven, until cookies are set. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Makes about 40 cookies.

Chihuly

2010-10-02T19:55:00.001-07:00

OK, I promise I will get back to posting more regularly. My job situation has recently changed and I suddenly find myself with ample amounts of free time. I HAVE LOTS TO SHARE WITH ALL OF YOU!

First… this past weekend, Mr. Tote, my mom and my aunt set out for Grand Rapids to take advantage of two world-renowned events/exhibits – ArtPrize and Chihuly. More on ArtPrize later.

Dale Chihuly is a world-renowned glass artist. And his work is currently being featured at Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park. We spent about three and a half hours there, exploring Chihuly’s pieces. Truly amazing. Below are some pictures I took.

Citron Green and Red Tower

Polyvitro Chandelier

Mr. Tote took this one. He likes to call it “Fallen Lady Hurt Shoulder In Motion.” The woman who was stamping hands for guests to enter the gardens fell off her chair and complained of shoulder pain (uhh, hello!!?!? Heart attack?!!?) While the staff were attending to her, my mom and aunt quickly stepped in to stamp hands. Note my mom in the purple shirt in the doorway and my aunt in the black hoodie next to her.

Standing in the middle of the Great Lakes exhibit.

Mother and daughter (awwww!!)

Standing underneath the 24 ft tall American Horse

Red Reeds

Sisters (awwww!!!)

Summer Sun

Summer Sun

Summer Sun

Summer Sun

Blue Moon
Blue Moon

Yellow Boat

Walla Walla

Walla Wallas

Niijima Floats

Niijima Floats (and Mr. Tote)

Lime Crystal Tower

Saffron Tower

Cobalt and Turquoise Reeds
Neodymium Reeds and Herons

Neodymium Reeds and Herons

Always the jokester, that Mr. Tote is…

White Belugas

Blue Polyvitro Crystals

Eelgrass and Red Bamboo

Rose Crystal Tower

Tumbleweeds

There you have it. I could go back every day. These pieces are mesmerizing and breathtaking. The weather was mostly cloudy while we were there, but the few glimpses of sun that we got really made the sculptures shine.

Up next? We spent the weekend in Grand Rapids not only for the Chihuly exhibit, but also for ArtPrize. More on that soon!

Summer Holly Berries

2010-08-17T11:52:00.001-07:00

Mmmmm mmmmm…. heirloom tomatoes and fragrant basil fresh from the garden, warmed by the sun.

Windows Live Writer

2010-07-20T18:57:00.001-07:00

So, clearly I haven’t blogged in quite some time. I am so darn frustrated with adding pictures in Blogger that I’ve been too discouraged to blog. I have tons of posts in my head, but want to type @$%(#*(%*(#)%*#*$%*)#&* when I start a post in Blogger. So I Googled ‘adding pictures to Blogger’ and found this as an option. Seriously?… you can find ANYTHING on the internet :-)

So now, a few pictures from our engagement on July 3, 2007 on top of Vail Mountain in Vail, Colorado. Backstory… Mr. Tote knew that I really wanted photos of our engagement. So on our vacation to Colorado, he clued my uncle in on his plan to ask me to marry him. So there my uncle was… snapping pictures the whole time.

Here.we.go.

How nice :-)

Vanilla Pound Cake

2010-05-28T12:53:00.000-07:00

I was looking for a light dessert to make for Mother's Day (I know... a little late in posting) and came across this fantastic recipe from Weight Watchers. I had never made pound cake so I didn't know quite what to expect. This turned out way better than I was thinking! It was super moist and delicious!

The only change I made was that I didn't have almond extract on hand, so I used a little extra Mexican vanilla extract.

This is a GREAT summer dessert and I think it would be wonderful with blackberries, blueberries or any other fruit.

1 spray(s) cooking spray
2 large egg(s)
3 large egg white(s)
2 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
8 oz light cream cheese
3 1/2 Tbsp butter
1 1/3 cup(s) sugar
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp table salt
1 3/4 cup(s) all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Coat a 9-inch loaf pan with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, egg whites, vanilla extract and almond extract; set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer, beat together cream cheese and butter until blended. Beat in sugar, baking powder and salt until blended. Beat in flour and egg mixture, little by little, beginning and ending with flour.

Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and bake until a wooden toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, about 55 to 65 minutes.

Cool cake in pan on a wire rack. Cut into 12 slices and serve.

WW Points per serving: 5 pts (without the berries or Cool Whip)

Giveaway Alert!

2010-05-18T06:31:00.000-07:00

One of my faithful followers, Meg, is hosting a giveaway over at 1 Funky Woman to celebrate her 100th post. She's giving away a $50 gift card to CSN stores, which I hadn't heard of... until now. I think I've found a new love on their beddingsheets.com specialty store. Check this out...

I am swooning over the black and silver paisley combination. I really hope I win. Even if I don't, I think these sheets may find a new home in our bedroom. So hop on over to 1 Funky Woman to enter her giveaway!

White Bean and Roasted Garlic Hummus with Chives

2010-05-17T20:19:00.000-07:00

I love spring! I especially love that my chives came back from last year. I hear they're pretty hard to "kill," but still, I'm pretty happy about it. I used a couple of different recipes from the internet to come up with what I think is a delicious accompaniment to vegetable crudite and also pita chips.

1 Can (15.5 oz) Cannelini Beans, drained, but reserve 2 Tbsp liquid
2 heads garlic
1 Tbsp tahini
Juice of one lemon
1 tsp salt
1/2 C olive oil, plus more for roasting
5 stalks chives

Start by roasting your garlic. To do this, heat the oven to 400 degrees. Peel away the outer layers of the garlic bulbs, leaving the skins of the individual cloves intact. Using a knife, cut off 1/4 to a 1/2 inch of the top of cloves, exposing the individual cloves of garlic. Place each one into a piece of aluminum foil. Drizzle with olive oil and cover them up. Roast for 30-35 minutes or until the heads feel soft when pressed. Let cool completely. Use a small small knife cut the skin slightly around each clove. Use a cocktail fork or your fingers to pull or squeeze the roasted garlic cloves out of their skins.

Finely chop the chives. Place the beans and reserved liquid, tahini, lemon juice (minus the seeds, folks!), roasted garlic cloves, chopped chives and salt in a food processor. Puree with the blade attachment until mostly smooth. While the processor is still running, drizzle in up to 1/2 C of olive oil or until smooth. Refrigerate for at least one hour prior to serving with cut up vegetables and/or baked pita chips.

Spinach and Pork Tenderloin Salad with Pears and Warm Shallot and Cranberry Vinaigrette

2010-05-05T19:11:00.000-07:00

Another winner from Cooking Light! This one came from the April issue of my new favorite mag. I am really excited at how satisfying this salad is. It totally filled me up and it felt good to eat so much iron-y, calcium-y goodness. I had to make a few slight adjustments, including only making two servings. My modified recipe is below. You can find the original recipe here.

8 oz pork tenderloin (or about half of one tenderloin*), trimmed and cut crosswise into 1/4 inch thick slices
1 Tbsp cider vinegar
1 Tbsp dijon mustard
3/4 tsp brown sugar
1 1/4 tsp dried thyme, divided
1 garlic clove, minced
pinch of salt and pinch of pepper
2 Tbsp flour
1 1/4 Tbsp olive oil
1 shallot, sliced thinly
1/4 C dried cranberries
1/4 concentrated pomegranate blueberry juice - that's what I had on hand. The original recipe calls for cranberry juice cocktail
6 C baby spinach leaves
1 ripe pear, thinly sliced

Combine vinegar, mustard, sugar, small dash of salt and pepper and 1/4 tsp thyme in a small bowl. Set aside.

Combine flour with remaining thyme and a pinch of salt and pepper. Flatten the slices of pork between two pieces of plastic wrap with a heavy pan. Toss the slices of pork in the flour mixture and set aside.

Heat 1 Tsp oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add shallots and minced garlic to pan. Sautee for 3 minutes or until the shallots are tender and lightly browned. Add cranberries and juice. Cook until liquid is reduced to 2 Tbsp (about 2 minutes). Reduce heat to low and add the vinegar mixture. Cook 1 minute, stirring with a whisk. Set aside and keep warm.

Heat 1 Tbsp oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Shake the excess flour from the slices of pork and add them to the skillet. Cook 3 minutes or until brown, turning once. Toss the pork with 1 Tbsp warm cranberry mixture.

Cobine spinach and pear in a large bowl. Drizzle with remaining cranberry mixture and toss well to coat. Arrange the spinach on 2 plates and top evenly with pork.

WW Points per Serving: 8 points

*Since it's just Mr. Tote and I, we trim our pork tenderloins right after purchasing and usually cut them in half crosswise before packing them individually in freezer bags. Half of a tenderloin is usually plenty of food for the both of us.

Pan Seared Shrimp and Arugula Risotto

2010-04-28T18:01:00.000-07:00

I found this recipe in the May issue of Cooking Light. I'm no stranger to making risotto, thanks to Mary Ellen's fantastic recipes.

This one did not dissapoint. The arugula was the perfect spicy complement to the shrimp. Mr. Tote loved it, as well. We'll definitely be making this again!

4 C chicken stock
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined
dash salt and pepper
1 shallot, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 C Arborio rice
1/2 C dry white wine
1/2 C grated Parmigiano Reggiano
1 Tbsp butter
3 C baby arugula
1/2 C thinly sliced fresh basil - I omitted since I didn't have any on hand

Bring chicken stock to a simmer in a saucepan. Keep warm over low heat.

Heat 1 Tbsp oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle shrimp with a dash of salt and pepper. Add shrimp to pan and cook or 1 minute. Remove pan from heat and set aside.

Heat remaining tablespoon of oil and the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add shallots and garlic to pan. Sautee for five minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Add rice and cook for one minute, stirring constantly. Stir in wine. Cook for one minute or until the liquid is almost all absorbed, stirring constantly.

Add 1 C stock. Cook four minutes or until liquid is nearly absorbed, stirring constantly. Stir in remaining stock, one ladle at a time, stirring frequently until each amount of stock is absorbed before adding the next. This should take about 25-30 minutes.

Stir in shrimp and cook one minute or until done. Stir in cheese. Remove from heat. Stir in arugula and basil until slightly wilted. Serve immediately.

Crockpot Chicken and Dumplings

2010-04-27T14:55:00.000-07:00

I found this recipe on Stephanie's A Year of Slow Cooking blog. Stephanie comes up with the most amazing recipes. Her creativity when using a slow cooker is definitely something to envy. Below is her recipe for Chicken and Dumplings in the Crockpot. Mine didn't turn out so "soupy" and was more like a casserole, but still equally delicious. My slight modifications appear below. Please visit A Year of Slow Cooking for the original Chicken and Dumplings Soup Recipe and lots of other fantastic finds.

3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, defrosted

1 yellow onion, chopped
1 cup mushrooms, chopped
16 ounces frozen corn
2 cans cream-of-something soup (I used one can cream of mushroom and one can cream of chicken)
1 can refrigerated biscuits, or one batch drop biscuits (I used the drop biscuit recipe on the back of the Bisquik box)

Spray a large slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray. Place the chicken and vegetables into the bottom of the crockpot. Add the cream-of soups. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 4-5. An hour before serving, shred the chicken with two large forks, and drop in the biscuit dough.

Cover and cook on high for another hour. The biscuits are done when you can insert a knife and it comes out clean. They will be spongy and will brown a bit on the sides and top.

Serve in bowls, with a biscuit or two per person.

Another One Month Hiatus

2010-04-24T09:52:00.000-07:00

So, if you've been following my blog for awhile, you'll remember that I unpurposely took a one month hiatus last year, due to the climation of my professional efforts all year... the Annual Conference that I plan. Well, like a bad cold, that sucker came around again. Ahh, who am I kidding. I love my job and it's great to see all the hard work pay off. More on that later...

................................ OK, I'm not quite sure how to say this. I guess I'll just spit it out. On April 6, I lost my father-in-law to cancer. After a five-year battle with Leukemia, his body decided it was time to stop fighting. He received a bone marrow transplant in 2006, but faced various complications that weakened his body (but certainly not his spirit). He passed away peacefully in his own bed, surrounded by all of his family, after coming home on hospice care for about five hours. We held a wonderful memorial service at Riverview Church, celebrating his life. We are holding together strong as a close-knit family. In fact, last night, we took family pictures with Amy Carroll. We had scheduled them awhile back, intending for Dave to be in the pictures, but we know he is all smiles up in heaven. Here's a few pics from our wedding back in June 2008.

So, I took a week off of work to be with my husband's family and returned to work four days before my big conference. Nothing like hitting the ground running! I worked long hours but it all paid off when I arrived in Grand Rapids and saw 700+ participants enjoying the three-day event that we had been planning for the last year.

Oh, and I forgot to mention I had a birthday, too. I turned 28 on April 18. With all of life's craziness, it came and went just like any other day, which is fine by me. Matt let me pick out a new Coach purse, so I got a cute green sling and watermelon coin purse. Also, I did get a delicious cake during the conference. :-)

I'm definitely looking forward to getting back to a more normal routine. I have lots of blog updates that need to be written and shared! Nice to "see" you all again!!!

St. Patrick's Day 2010

2010-03-17T18:39:00.000-07:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day! We had our 4th Annual St. Patrick's Day Party this past weekend with aro17 of our family and friends (+ 2 adorable bebes). I made over 13 lbs of corned beef with all of the fixin's. The fun part was that we purchased a home in the last year and our house is conveniently located on Shamrock Trail, which is perfect for St. Patrick's Day. Below are some photos from the event.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!

2010-03-17T07:51:00.000-07:00

St. Patricks's Day 2006

Mr. Tote sporting a green 'stache

I'll be posting pics later today from this past weekend's 4th Annual St. Patrick's Day party with family and friends, but to hold you over, here's a link to last year's party, menu and recipes.

Our good friends, Anne and Matt

Nightstands: Before and After

2010-03-07T13:37:00.000-08:00

I've been searching for a pair of old nightstands for at least six months. I keep finding a single jewel of a piece, but I really wanted a pair... with a drawer. I finally settled on a newer pair of nightstands that are more contemporary than I would like, but they'll work for now.

We sanded and then painted them to match our dresser.

I really like how they turned out. Functionality was key for me on these. Our bedroom is finally coming together!

P.S. I apologize for the lack of posting lately. I have had to re-evaluate some priorities in my life and in addition to being extra busy at work these days, I am spending more quality time with my husband which is never a bad thing. :-)

Wednesday Pick Me Up

2010-02-24T09:08:00.000-08:00

I knew there was a reason I took a mental break from work this morning to check my blog updates! That's how I discovered that I've been tagged by Heather at Heather Drive!! This is a fun one that has already brightened my day just thinking of all the things that make me happy.

The Rules:
- List 10 things that make you happy
- Tag 10 other bloggers and link back to the person who tagged you

Ten Things That Make Me Happy:

1. Saturday mornings with Mr. Tote one one side, Ozzy between us and Athena on the other side, trying desperately to get close enough to suck on my ear. Silly kitteh.

2. A perfectly seasoned, perfectly medium-rare filet mignon.

3. Giving friends and family homemade gifts.

4. Looking at silver jewelry from a beach vendor with my best friend in our lounge chairs on a beach in the Riviera Maya. (enough prepositions in that one??)

5. Christmas decorations. Lights, ornaments, nativities, garland, I love it all!

6. Spending time with our families.

7. Walking in my backyard, looking at all of the beautiful flowers in my garden. Hurry, SPRING!!!!!

8. Weekend trips up north. So impromptu, so rewarding.

9. FISHING! I love fishing!

10. The soundtrack to Wicked. "... we're gonna make you POP-U-LAR"

Now, onto the tagging!!

1.Lynsey at The Foster Following
2. Renee at A Taste of Life
3. Brittany at Superwoman
4. Megan at 1 Funky Woman
5. Elly at Elly Says Opa
6. Mary Ellen at Mary Ellen's Cooking Creations
7. Roeshel at The DIY Show Off
8. Molly at You're Talking Jibberish
9. Kimi at The Millers
10. Linda at Craftaholics Anonymous

Have a wonderful Wednesday, all!

Crockpot Turkey Chili

2010-02-21T17:16:00.000-08:00

1 lb. ground turkey

1 small onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 small can tomato paste
2 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp cumin
1 can red kidney beans with liquid
1 28 oz. can peeled whole tomatoes with juice
1 C frozen corn

Start by browning the turkey with the onion in a large saucepan.

Meanwhile, dump the whole tomatoes with juice into a blender and blend until most of the chunks are removed.

Now, here’s the tough part… Dump everything into the Crock Pot. Be sure to incorporate the tomato paste into the rest of the ingredients.
Cook on low for 6 hours.

Creamy Chicken with Walnuts and Artichokes

2010-02-13T19:09:00.000-08:00

1/4 C walnut pieces
2 small boneless skinless chicken breasts or 1 large one
1/2 can artichoke hearts, drained
Handful of sliced button mushrooms
2 tsp hazelnut oil (olive oil will work just fine, too!)
1 C low fat cottage cheese
Angel hair pasta

Start by roasting the walnut pieces in a large saucepan on medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes, tossing occasionally.

Also, bring a pot of salted water to boil for your pasta.

Meanwhile, cube the chicken breast. When the walnut pieces are toasted, remove them from the pan and add the oil. When the oil is hot, add the chicken.

Add your pasta to the boiling pot of water and cook for 5 minutes or until done.

Sautee the chicken for 4 to 5 minutes before adding in the mushroom pieces and artichoke hearts. Continue to sautee until the chicken is cooked through (3 to 4 minutes).

Drain your pasta and add it to the saucepan with the chicken mixture. Add the cottage cheese and toss to coat. Serve immediately :-)

Fleece Scarf Tutorial

2010-02-07T13:34:00.000-08:00

I made 14 of these before Christmas, but couldn't post for obvious reasons (*ahem MOM, AUNTIE MEG*). So I'm finally getting around to posting my tutorial and finished product. Everything I had seen on these screamed "MAKE ME! I'M EASY!" How could I resist? Little did I know how time consuming they would be. It took quite some time to cut all of the fleece, line it all up, sew it all and cut the fringe. One or two would have been easy, but 14? I just loved so many of the fleece colors, I couldn't choose just one. And since I feel bad asking the girl at the cutting counter for a small strip of each piece, I opted for larger pieces of the colored fleece that made two scarves out of each cut.

Shall we begin? Start by cutting your fleece into 6" strips by the length of the fleece.

Unfold your fleece strips to get the full length and lay your different colors on top of each other. I used three different colors (grey, white and and accent color). Pin the pieces together to hold them in the right place.

Preferably using a sewing machine, sew a straight stitch directly down the center of the fleece.

Remove your pins and lay the strip on a flat surface. Using fabric shears, cut 1" strips perpendicular to the stitched line, being very careful not to cut through the stitch.

A few months ago, I had my online buddy LJ design a custom tag for me that I had made into sewable tags via Etsy seller, Purple Hug. So I sewed these onto the end of one of the strips.

There you have it! Fourteen beautiful, easy, warm fleece scarves! Those that I didn't give as Christmas gifts, I am donating to our church to use for their Shared Pregnancy coat drive.

Feelin' the Love and Showin' the Love!

2010-02-02T16:28:00.000-08:00

A big thank you to the eight lovely ladies who left heartfelt comments after I was moping around from my last giveaway. As a way of thanking all of you, I'm giving away two wire-wrapped flattened wine bottles. The bottles are shown below. I haven't wrapped them yet, so I can get some feedback from the winners for bead and wire color choices.

So, using random.org, I've found two wonderful winners. Here we go!

Renee said...

I always read posts through reader too and sometimes I forget to go back and comment but I'm here and I read all of your posts!

HoneyB said...

Oh sweetie :( I'm sorry I missed your giveaway. I would have certainly entered. I just got my laptop back and today is my first day that I even had much time to be on! I would have loved one of your prints!! Lucky two who did comment and win!

So Renee and Shelby, CONGRATS! Email me at brophyka (@) msu (.) edu and we'll get started! Thanks to all of you for lifting my spirits. You really made my day.

Giveaway Winners

2010-01-31T16:02:00.000-08:00

Wow! Such an amazing response to my giveaway (*insert sarcasm*). It's 6:57 p.m. and I have a whopping two comments so I'm calling this one done. With 57 followers, I suppose I was hoping SOMEONE would think what I did looked nice. A big thanks to my mom and my aunt for posting comments. You both are winners. Woo hoo...

Mom, I'll see you soon to give you yours. Auntie Meg, I'll put yours in the mail. :-/

Maybe I'm must being mopey, but this kinda sucks.

Is anyone out there? Does anyone read this blog?

Mexico Inspired DIY Wall Art: Part 2 and A GIVEAWAY

2010-01-28T19:14:00.000-08:00

Here she be! Part 2 of my Mexico Inspired DIY Wall Art projects. If you recall, Part 1 was three prints made from banana tree bark that Mr. Tote and I hung after making some easy-peasy stretched canvase frames.

The wall art above has been my problem child. First, I've been thinking about doing this for roughly seven months. I knew I wanted three large, square, matted frames. I found a great deal on some 20"x20" matted frames at IKEA. Problem is that IKEA is about an hour away. And the first time we went there, they were sold out of my precious frames. Gah!! So we made another trip a few months later, calling first to make sure they had the frames in stock.

Second, I was originally going to search for some nice flower photos online to purchase. Until I got this brilliant idea to use photos I had taken on our honeymoon in Mexico. So I started looking through the pictures. Only finding one photo I liked, I decided that we needed to take another trip to Mexico. Only kidding. We had already planned another trip to Mexico this past October and I saw it as the perfect opportunity to take some additional photos.

Here comes the shocker, I took these three photos using my Nikon Coolpix L3. *a hush falls over the crowd* Thankfully, those smart folks over at Picnik.com were the perfect solution for me to enhance these photos and make them what they are now.

The white flower is from the Tulum ruins and the other two were taken at the Iberostar Grand Paraiso Resort. After working with the prints on Picnik, I ordered 12"x12" prints from ScrappingSimply.com. These guys were fantastic to work with, especially when my pink flower photo arrived in bad shape. They re-shipped all of the prints. Unfortunately the pink one was still incorrect. So, at no additional charge, they shipped the pink flower again. The third time, it was perfect!

Mr. Tote did all of the measuring and hanging. I can't get over how great these turned out. And minus the cost of the trip to Mexico, this project cost me $90 ($80 for the frames and $10 for the photos).

Now, back to my extra prints. I'd like to do a giveaway for each of my extra prints. I have one 12"x12" of the yellow flower and the same size in the white flower. If you're interested in one of these, here's what you gotta do.

1. If you're not a follower, join the Tote's Life fun!

2. Leave a comment, addressing these two things... (1) Which color print you'd like and (2) Who do you think is going to win the Superbowl?

3. Post about this giveaway for an extra entry.

Got all that? So, to recap, leave a comment. Only comments from followers will be included in the giveaway. For an extra entry, leave an extra comment, linking to your post about the giveaway.

The giveaway will close Sunday, January 31 at 7 p.m. EST. I'll use random.org to choose two winners.

Buena suerte, mis skipito friskitos!

Beef Bourguignon

2010-01-27T17:30:00.000-08:00

Julia or Ina? Ina or Julia? I've seen two distinct Beef Bourguignon recipes floating around the blogging world lately. I stumbled across them when I was looking for something different to do with a chuck roast other than throw it in the CrockPot. I chose Ina's recipe for, well, for no particular reason, really. I was thrilled to use my Martha Stewart Dutch Oven again. The first time I used it, my oven braised cornish hens turned out to be one of the best things I made in all of 2008.

I have to say that the dutch oven didn't dissapoint. Maybe I did, because I was impatient. I followed readers' comments and left it in the oven for 2 hours, but I could have left it longer. The leftovers the next day were SOOOO tender and flavorful, having sat in the acidic wine for 48 hours. Also, I used center cut bacon and followed the instructions for leaving it in the pan to cook the meat and onions. When I was ready to serve this, I noticed a thick layer of oil on top of the bourguignon. I wish I would have gone with my gut feeling and drained the bacon fat after cooking the meat. The leftover oil coating the dutch oven would have been PLENTY to cook the onions and made for much less grease in the final product. Below is my modified recipe, including the changes I've noted above.

1 Tbsp olive oil

10 oz dry center cut bacon, diced
2 1/2 lb chuck beef cut into 1-inch cubes
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 lb pound baby carrots
2 yellow onions, sliced
2 cloves chopped garlic
1/2 C brandy
1 (750 ml) bottle dry red wine (love my Three Buck Chuck from Trader Joe’s!!)
1 can (2 cups) beef broth
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves (1/2 tsp dried)
2 Tbsp cornstarch, plus 1/4 C cold water
1 Tbsp butter
1 lb button mushrooms, sliced thick

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.

Heat the olive oil in a dutch oven. Add the bacon and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is lightly browned. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon to a large plate.

Dry the beef cubes with paper towels and then sprinkle them with salt and pepper. In batches in single layers, sear the beef in the hot oil for 3 to 5 minutes, turning to brown on all sides. Remove the seared cubes to the plate with the bacon and continue searing until all the beef is browned. Set aside.

Remove the oil from the dutch oven as best you can with a spoon or baster. Toss the carrots, and onions, 1 tsp of salt and 1 tsp of pepper in the leftover grease in the pan and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the brandy, stand back, and ignite with a match to burn off the alcohol.

*WARNING: This step turned into an argument between Mr. Tote and I. When we ignited the brandy and the flames shot up as high as our over-the-stovetop microwave, I freaked out. Yadda, yadda, yadda and an apology later from Mr. Tote, we ate dinner.*

Put the meat and bacon back into the pot with the vegetables and brandy. Add the bottle of wine plus enough beef broth to almost cover the meat. Add the tomato paste and thyme. Bring to a simmer, cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and place it in the oven for about 2 1/2 hours or until the meat and vegetables are very tender when pierced with a fork.

Saute the mushrooms in the Tbsp of butter for 10 minutes until lightly browned and then add to the stew. Slowly add the cornstarch and water mixture to the pot to thicken the stew. Bring the stew to a boil on top of the stove, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Season to taste.

I served this with mashed potatoes the first night and egg noddles with the leftovers. This can also be served over a thick, crusty piece of toasted bread.

Mexico Inspired DIY Wall Art: Part 1

2010-01-23T19:48:00.000-08:00

I am so excited to show off two different displays of wall art that were inspired by two different trips to the Riviera Maya, Mexico. The first trip was our honeymoon in July 2008 and the second was this past October 2009. The display above (Part 1) was created from some homemade stretched canvases and some artwork that Mr. Tote and I found this past Halloween while shopping in Playa del Carmen. It was drizzling that day and we found ourselves holed up in a shop that specialized in art made from various types of bark, leaves and sap. I could have bought everything in the store, but our budget clearly wouldn't allow for that. So we settled in on three pieces that were made from banana tree bark. I love that they all have the element of the sun in them. Below are some photos of the process...

First, making the canvases. I found a great tutorial here. Mr. Tote made the frames using some 1"x3" wood, a miter saw and nail gun. We used natural-colored duck cloth, purchased at Joann's.

To adhere the prints to the canvas, we used somegood 'ol construction adhesive. I was aprehensive about this for fear of ruining the prints if I ever wanted to change them, but I gave in and will just have to deal with it if I ever want to change them. Here's a few more pictures of the finished product.

I really love how these turned out! After living in our house for eight months, I am finally becoming comfortable with putting holes in the wall. *shudders*

Part 2 is coming soon, so stay tuned!

I'm joining Funky Junk Interior's Saturday Nite Special party and It's So Very Creative.

Spiced Nut Crusted Pork Tenderloin with Cheesy Marsala Sauce

2010-01-20T16:25:00.000-08:00

More fun with Grandma's spiced nuts! While I don’t have the actual spiced nuts recipe, I’m sure this pork would be great crusted in any sort of nuts. My grandma’s nut mix combines walnuts, almonds and pecans with a little bit of Splenda and some cinnamon. OK, enough “nut” talk.
1/2 pork tenderloin, cut lengthwise
1/4 C flour
1 egg
2 Tbsp milk
1 C spiced nuts
1 Tbsp butter
1 tsp olive oil
Pam spray
1 shallot
1/2Marsala wine
2 oz. lite cream cheese
1/3 C fat free half and half

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Clean and pat dry the pork tenderloin. Slice in half lengthwise.

Use a food processor to chop the nuts. Combine the egg and milk in a bowl.

Heat the butter and olive oil over medium high heat in a large skillet.

Using three bowls, dip the pork into the flour, then the egg mixture, then the nuts.

Sautee the pork pieces over medium high heat for 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a baking dish coated in cooking spray. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees.

In the same skillet, remove any excess grease with a paper towel. Finely chop one shallot and add to the pan over medium heat. Sautee for 2-3 minutes before adding the Marsala wine. Continue cooking over medium heat until the wine reduces by 1/3.
Add the cream cheese and lower the heat. Use a whisk to incorporate the cream cheese. When almost fully incorporated, slowly add the creamer. Mix until heated through and cream cheese is fully incorporated. Add additional creamer if sauce seems to thick. Serve over the pork.

Bean with Ham Soup

2010-01-17T19:03:00.000-08:00

A classic soup.. so classically easy to make. I remember having this when I was a kid, so my mom was the first person I called when I had a leftover ham bone. And when she told me the recipe, I asked "Is that it??" Nothing fancy, just simple flavors in a hearty winter dish. Perfect for all the cold weather we've been having!

1 lb Navy beans

1 ham bone
1/2 C shredded carrots
1/2 C diced onion
1 Tbsp liquid smoke

Cook the beans according to the directions on the package (both the overnight soak or the quick soak work just fine). Once the beans are cooked and rinsed, in a large pot, combine all of the ingredients with six cups of water. Simmer for two hours before serving.

This soup is excellent re-heated and can easily be frozen for later use.

Banana Nut Chip Bread

2010-01-16T12:31:00.000-08:00

It's a classic case of what to do with overly ripe bananas. So I did a quick search for a different banana bread recipe and thought this one looked delicious. And with only two tablespoons of oil and some oats, it's not nearly as bad for you as most banana breads, yet just as moist. And I really thought the nutmeg was the perfect complement to the bread. I made a few modifications to the original recipe, which can be found here. My recipe for one loaf is below (the original makes two loafs).

3/4 C mashed ripe banana

1/2 C sugar

1 egg

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

1-1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/4 C all-purpose flour

1/4 C rolled oats

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 C milk chocolate chips
1/4 C chopped walnuts - For this one time, I used some chopped spiced nuts that I got for Christmas from my Grandma

In a mixing bowl, beat bananas, sugar, eggs, oil and vanilla. Combine the dry ingredients; stir into banana mixture. Fold in chocolate chips and nuts. Pour into a greased 8-in. x 4-in. x 2-in. loaf pan. I used my Pampered Chef stone loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack.

WW Points per Serving: 4 points for 1/12 of the loaf

Stumped!

2010-01-11T18:58:00.000-08:00

Linda over at Craftaholics Anonymous is hosting a great party. So many times I buy something from the thrift store that I have no idea what to do with. I'm so inspired after reading so many great crafiing blogs, that I run out and buy the first thing I see. So, now I'm stuck with a bunch of pieces that render me idea-less, or rather, STUMPED! Linda's Stumped Party is meant to address and rescue all those treasures that stump us.

So, now I bring you my submission. I found this treasure a few weeks ago for a whopping $2.99 at my Goodwill store. Besides taking off the tacky eagle at the top, I have no idea what to do with this. So blog world, hit me with your best shot!

Three spots for words of wisdom, his hers ours or something more mysterious. Three little hooks at the bottom, waiting for keys or something more romantic?? I now summon the blog gods for inspiration!

Updates: 1. the lettering is just gold paint on the section of wood in the middle so I can easily paint over it. 2. The dimensions are 23" tall by 5" wide. 3. The lattice it actually carved wood, not just painted, giving it lots of depth and different textures. Thanks again everyone!!

Eggnog Thumbprint Cookies

2010-01-10T11:39:00.000-08:00

I’d like to give a shout out and a big thank you to Shelby over at The Live and Loves of Grumpy’s Honeybunch. If you haven’t checked her out, DO. Her recipes and stories are so warm and full of love. That was the shout out. Now, on to the thank you. So thank you, Shelby. Your recipe for Eggnog Thumbprint Cookies left such a wonderful impression… on my butt. I should have locked these up and thrown away the key. Instead I ate each wonderful morsel, bit by bit. OK, OK. In reality I think I only ate three or four, but I definitely COULD have eaten the whole batch.

I served these at our Apps and Wine holiday party and they were definitely a hit. My co-workers devoured the rest when I put them in the staff kitchen the following day.

Now that I have you all drooling, I bring you the recipe, found by Shelby via the Better Homes and Gardens Cookies for Christmas book.

3/4 cup butter

1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup butter

1 cup sifted powdered sugar

1 Tablespoon rum *

In a large mixer bowl beat 3/4 cup butter till softened. Add sugar and brown sugar and beat til fluffy. Add egg, vanilla, and salt and beat well. Add flour and beat until well mixed. Cover and chill about 1 hour or till easy to handle.

Shape into 1-inch balls. Place 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Press down centers with thumb. Bake in a 350 degree oven about 12 minutes or till done. Remove and cool.

For filling, in a small mixer bowl beat 1/4 cup butter til softened. Add powdered sugar and beat till fluffy. Add rum and beat well. Spoon about 1/2 teaspoon filling into center of each cookie. Sprinkle with nutmeg. Chill till filling is firm. Makes about 50.

*You may substitute 1 tablespoon milk and 1/4 teaspoon rum extract for the rum.

Notes:
1. Shelby used rum. Therefore I used rum!

2. Shelby said the recipe doesn’t make 50 cookies. She’s right. I got about 24 cookies.

3. Be generous with the filling. I ended up having to go back and add more to each cookie because I had so much leftover and I had already licked a good spatula’s worth of it myself.

Oven Braised Cornish Hen with Capers and Apricots

2010-01-09T06:34:00.000-08:00

For Christmas, I received a beautiful, almond-colored 5 qt. Matha Stewart dutch oven. I must say that my first meal in it was one of the best things I cooked all of last year. Seriously? Amazing. I think the fresh herbs really brought a lot of great flavor to the dish. And I'm so proud that I developed this recipe on my own, something I hope to do more of in 2010.

I really think you all should try this one. It's a very fancy dish, but relatively easy to prepare.

1 cornish game hen

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp butter

¼ C flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

2 shallots, minced

2 cloves garlic

4 sprigs fresh thyme

1 sprig fresh rosemary

1 sprig fresh sage

2 Tbsp apricot preserves

1 Tbsp capers

2 C chicken stock

½ C dry white wine

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Rinse the Cornish hen with cold water and pat dry. Trim any excess fat and split the hen in half lengthwise.

Combine flour, salt, and pepper in a shallow dish. Dredge the pieces in the flour mixture.

Melt the butter and olive oil in a large dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the hen pieces and cook 4 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove from pan.

Add the shallots and garlic. Sautee for 2-3 minutes. Add the wine, scraping the bits from the pan. Add the apricot preserves and capers. Stir and add the chicken stock. Return the hen pieces to the pot. Cover and bake for 30 minutes or until hen is done.

Remove the hen pieces from the pot and keep warm. Reduce the broth mixture by half over high heat for 10-15 minutes. Pour the liquid over the hen and serve.

Dilemma - the dreaded cable box

2010-01-05T17:00:00.000-08:00

Ugh. So ugly. I had great intentions after re-finishing this old dresser. Visions of book stacks with a picture frame or two, some milk glass, etc. danced in my head. Much to my dismay, Mr. Tote insisted on getting digital cable in our bedroom. And my lovely dresser is where Mr. Comcast Guy decided to put the huge, ugly cable box. Oh, and he did it at 9 a.m. on Saturday morning, but that’s beside the point (not really… I was dead asleep when the knock at the door came). I was so sad for a month, looking at the ugly cable box and DVD player.

But then, the light bulb went on in my creative little brain. So I pitched my ingenious idea to Mr. Tote. Why not hide the cable box inside the top drawer of the dresser!?!?

Here’s how we did it.

1. Remove the drawer and bang off the sides and bottom of the drawer, leaving just the face.

2. Remove the drawer slide, if any, from the bottom of the opening in the dresser where the drawer used to be.

3. Using two Friction Lid Supports (can be found at Lowe’s), screw the supports to the inside edges of the dresser and onto the back side of the drawer. This creates a hinge effect without an external hinge showing on the front of the dresser. This took a bit of finagling to shimmy it back into the correct place.

4. Attach a magnetic closure/stop to the inside “roof” of the dresser and the other part onto the drawer. This provides extra support when the drawer is closed.

5. Drill a hole in the back of the back of the dresser, where the top drawer used to be, with a 1” wood paddle bit.

6. Place the electronics inside the drawer hole and feed the power cords through the hole in the back of the dresser.

7. Voila!! Bye bye, cable box. Now, Mr. Tote just has to put those wires in the wall. And I'm off to get that milk glass vase I’ve been eyeing at Goodwill.

I'm linking to:

New Year's Eve 2010: A Series of Pictures

2010-01-04T18:43:00.000-08:00

Four days in to 2010 and I’m still seeing blog posts about what happened last year and what’s going to happen this coming year. So I figured I’d join in on the action with a post about our New Year’s Eve festivities, since I think they were pretty darn cool.

Traverse City is one of Mr. Tote’s and my favorite places. With a trendy downtown, a plethora of diverse dining options and vineyards that stretch for miles, it’s a DINK’s (dual income no kids) paradise. So when we found out that a close friend just took a job as the new township planner for Old Mission Peninsula, we couldn’t believe it. That lucky S.O.B. Then… THEN… having no place to live yet, he somehow wiggled his way into living at the Old Mission Peninsula Lighthouse. Yes, a friggin’ LIGHTHOUSE!!!!! But wait, it gets better… he decided to have a New Year’s Eve party there. Ummm… yes please!!

I have been dying for a new camera, so we bit the bullet and walked into Best Buy once we got to Traverse City. "Nikon D3000, please." I had my mind made up. But an hour and a half later, Brian, who worked at Ritz Camera for four years, convinced me to get the Sony Alpha A330 DSLR. Finally feeling informed about my decision, he tells me he's all out of them. You've.Got.To.Be.Kidding.Me. He suggested I purchase the A230 just for New Year's Eve and then purchase the A330 when I returned home. So that's what I did.

The following pictures were taken with a Sony Alpha A230 DSLR, with a 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 zoom lens.

On our way to the lighthouse, we stopped at the Old Mission Tavern for a burger and fries. Makes sense, right? Tavern equates to a burger and fries type menu. Not so much. To our surprise, this place was serving up some quite delectable entrees. And because our group was 10 people deep, we had the privilege of eating dinner in the adjacent art gallery. The food was absolutely fantastic. Mr. Tote’s prime rib was some of the best I’ve ever had. I had almond encrusted whitefish with a cherry drizzle and a butter sauce. It was sooooo good. I was really surprised at how good it was. I don’t think I’ve ever had fish served so piping hot. Usually it arrives at the table warm-hot in temperature, but this fish was hot, crisp and flaky.

In true Real World fashion, Mr. Tote raced into the lighthouse with our gear in tow to claim a good sleeping spot. He dropped our stuff in the Lighthouse Keeper’s room. Unfortunately at the time, he didn't realize that this part of the lighthouse wasn't heated.

New Year's Eve wouldn't be complete without some Coors Lite.

We went to bed around 4:30 a.m. and woke up at 10 a.m., face frostbitten (OK, I exaggerate), toes numb (NOT exaggerating!). We were too cold to sleep.

In the quiet, while everyone was still sleeping (aka passed out), we made our way to the top of the lighthouse for some pictures.

Looking down from top dome.

It was so cold that the glass was completely frosted over. And let's not forget about the wind. When you're at the tip of a peninsula that faces open Great Lakes water, it's bound to be windy... and freezing. Anyway, Mr. Tote did a wonderful job warming a patch of visibility in the frosted glass.

When we couldn't take the cold any longer and the cleared off glass was beginning to frost over again, we headed back down. Leave it to Mr. Tote to rock the Lions sweater he got from his grandpa.

I couldn't resist taking some additional pictures of the lighthouse. This time, from the outside where it was much colder... and much windier.

On New Year's Day, we headed back down to the peninsula for an extra night in Traverse City. I can't explain how ecstatic I was when we arrived at our hotel and they had our room ready early. After getting only six hours of freezing cold sleep the previous night, we were both looking forward to a long nap, which is exactly what we did.

Leave it to us to forget something at the lighthouse. Something important. We left my CDs, including the precious Power Hour CD, at the lighthouse. *sigh* So, we headed baaaaaack up the peninsula. Had I known that we would have seen a bald eagle flying along the peninsula coast, I would have been much more enthused about going.

Below are some pictures I was able to capture. The first one is my lens zoomed in as far as it goes. The other three are close ups that I cropped. Hence, the blurriness. Still... so majestic.

We also stopped at Chateau Grand Traverse, one of Old Mission Peninsula's many vineyards. I am in love with these pictures.

And there you have it. I loved that camera. And I can't wait to get my new A330 (p.s. it's on backorder). Happy New Year! Many good things to come this year!

Two Easy Christmas Decorations

2009-12-28T15:39:00.001-08:00

Christmas may be over, but I'm still full of posts all about my favorite holiday! And with Roeshel's final DIY Holiday Highlights party, I figured this would be a perfect post to join the party! Below are two of the easiest, inexpensive Christmas decorations I came up with this year, the first Christmas in our new house.

Trifle bowl, I’d like you to meet Ornament. Now, make friends and sit real pretty on my TV stand. K, thanks.

This garland cost me all of $2 to make and I had enough for my kitchen AND guest bathroom. Using a 9 foot roll of wired ribbon, a pack of six snowflakes from the dollar store and some mini suction cups I had on hand, I created this puppy in less than 10 minutes.

Of course, I'm linking to Roeshel's DIY Show Off Holiday Highlights Party.

I'm also linking to:

Test Post - Help!

2009-12-28T07:29:00.001-08:00

Bear with me. I am testing out creating my posts in MS word, as opposed to uploading pics and messing around with the screwy Blogger editor formatting. What do you use to create your posts? This all started while I was scoping out Centsational Girl's tutorial on fixing photos.

Baby Jesus is in Da House!

2009-12-27T18:24:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite family traditions growing up was running down the stairs on Christmas morning to see Baby Jesus in the manger. It only made sense that he was missing from the nativity scene in the weeks leading up to Christmas because he wasn’t born yet. Duh! My parents always snuck him in sometime after we went to bed on Christmas Eve, when they put out the presents.

So, before I went to bed a few nights ago on Christmas Eve, I pulled Baby Jesus out of the cabinet in the TV stand and set him in the manger. It’s little things like that, that remind me of the true reason for the season.

Apps and Wine Party Wrap Up

2009-12-26T15:36:00.000-08:00

The weekend before Christmas, we hosted an Appetizers and Wine party. It all stemmed after Mr. Tote and I attended a client appreciation event where they served us shrimp cocktail shooters in shot glasses. Now, I've seen this done many times before, but I had put the idea in the back of my mind. Seeing these beauties at the party reminded me that I never did make those darn things. Hence, the reason for the holiday get together. So we had 11 of our friends over, along with three children under the age of 2. We asked everyone to bring a bottle of wine, while we supplied the food goodies. Below is the menu we served...

Roast Beef and Sharp Cheddar Sandwiches
Ham and Aged White Cheddar Sandwiches

Stone Ground Honey Mustard - recipe follows

Creamy Horseradish - recipe follows

Shrimp Cocktail Shooters with a salt and pepper rim - recipe follows

Pesto Pinwheels from Ellie at Vintage Victuals

Buffalo Chicken Dip, aka Chicken Shit

Baked brie with walnuts and apricot preserves inspired from Vintage Victuals

Veggie tray with ranch dip

For desserts we had:

Rocky Road Fudge

Eggnog Thumbprint Cookies from Shelby at The Life and Loves of Grumpy's Honeybunch

Hershey Pretzel Bites

I added some fun DIY touches to our "counterscape." To avoid having to use regular old plates for serving, I grabbed a few spare tiles and used other items around the house to raise them up. This worked great for the shrimp cocktail shooters because I hid a big bowl of ice in the shadow box frame to keep the shrimp cold.

I also picked up some holiday colored paint swatches from Lowe's and used a white pen to put signs up for all of the food. This really came in handy for when folks were wondering what the heck was wrapped up in dough (the brie with walnuts and apricot preserves).

Mr. Tote was so helpful!

The sandwich platter took a reeeaaaallllly long time to make. I purchased rolls that had to be baked and sliced in half. Then I had to slice the cheese thinly off the blocks I bought. It was really time consuming, but they turned out so cute.
With the sandwiches, I served some stone ground honey mustard and creamy horseradish.

Stone Ground Honey Mustard
1/2 C stone ground mustard
2 Tbsp honey

In a small bowl, microwave the honey for 20-30 seconds, or until thin. Mix in the mustard with a fork until fully incorporated. Refrigerate until serving.

Creamy Horseradish
1/3 C mayonnaise
1/3 C sour cream
1/3 C horseradish

Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl and refrigerate until serving.

As I mentioned earlier, the inspiration for this party came from some cocktail shrimp shooters I had at a client appreciation party. Their shrimp were served in a tall glass shotglass with WAAAAAY too much cocktail sauce for one little shrimpy. So I headed to Party City to pick up some 1.5 oz. clear plastic shot glasses.

I wet the rims of the cups with a sponge and dipped them into a mixture coarse kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper in a shallow dish. Now I know how bartenders feel when they have to rim margarita and daquiri glasses with sugar or salt.

I made the cocktail sauce with about a cup of ketchup, a third of a cup of horseradish and a tablespoon of lemon juice.

Here are some additional pictures of the food.
The rocky road fuuuuuuuuuuuudge...

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday. I feel so blessed that I was able to spend lots of time with my family and friends.

Manchego Foccacia

2009-12-22T18:23:00.000-08:00

It's not a secret that I love cheese. So it's not uncommon to find me perusing the cheese cooler at our local market. I swear I come home with at least one block of cheese each time I go there, regardless of what my original reason for going there was. So, this beautiful block of Manchego has been sitting in my fridge for a week or so. I was looking for an EASY bread to make with my cheese and came across this recipe from Tyler Florence for his "Fabulous Focaccia." Any recipe that has the word 'fabulous' in its title is worth a shot.

I must say, in one word, this foccacia was FABOOSH (a la Perez Hilton). So easy, so yummy. The manchego crisped up on top and provided a sharpness that paired so well with some Chicken Sausage, Kale and White Bean Soup. I'd love to make this again with something like aged white cheddar. I'd also like to try Tyler's recipe as is, which included a topping of caramelized onions, rosemary and parmesan.

2 teaspoons rapid-rising dry yeast
1 cup warm water
2 tablespoons sugar
3 1/2 to 4 cups flour
1 tablespoon coarse salt
1/4 cup olive oil
Cornmeal, for dusting

1 C Manchego cheese
2 Tbsp dried oregano

In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a dough hook, proof the yeast by combining it with the warm water and sugar. Stir gently to dissolve. Let stand 3 minutes until foam appears. Turn mixer on low and slowly add the flour to the bowl. Dissolve salt in 2 tablespoons of water and add it to the mixture. Pour in 1/4 cup olive oil.

When the dough starts to come together, increase the speed to medium. Stop the machine periodically to scrape the dough off the hook. Mix until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes, adding flour as necessary.

Turn the dough out onto a work surface and fold over itself a few times. Form the dough into a round and place in an oiled bowl, turn to coat the entire ball with oil so it doesn't form a skin. Cover with plastic wrap or damp towel and let rise over a gas pilot light on the stovetop or other warm place until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.

Coat a sheet pan with a little olive oil and corn meal. Once the dough is doubled and domed, turn it out onto the counter. Roll and stretch the dough out to an oblong shape about 1/2-inch thick. Lay the flattened dough on the pan and cover with plastic wrap. Let rest for 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Uncover the dough and dimple with your fingertips. Brush the surface with more olive oil and then add the manchego cheese. Sprinkle with the oregano and bake on the bottom rack for 15 to 20 minutes.

Nephew's "First Birthday" Present

2009-12-21T17:27:00.000-08:00

Our #1 (and only) nephew turned one year old on December 10. For his birthday present we kidnapped, I mean... babysat, him one Sunday afternoon. After Mr. Tote took a good 15 minutes figuring out how to put the car seat in properly, we were off to my favorite pottery studio, Art Unlimited. There, we made the plate you see above, using little Calvin's hands and foot to form a reindeer. Mr. Tote painted all of the writing while I did the outside border, using a reverse stenciling technique and some "snowfall" paint that puffs and bubbles when fired.

Calvin screamed his way through the painting and pressing of his hands and foot, but was otherwise a very happy baby and even took his turn painting the back of the plate.

His mommy and daddy loved the plate. I was especially proud that I didn't spill the beans before his birthday party. I was just so excited to give it to them!! Here he is at his party, enjoying his Elmo cupcake. Such a ham, he is!

Chocolate Hazelnut Biscotti

2009-12-19T07:34:00.000-08:00

While biscotti is quite a process to produce, I assure you... the results are sooo worth it! This treat has been going perfectly with a cup of coffee in the morning!

I found this recipe on the Joy of Baking website, originally from the Williams-Sonoma Kitchen Library Series - Cookies & Biscotti.

4 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa, preferably Dutch-processed
1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup hazelnuts (toasted and coarsely chopped)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. To toast the hazelnuts: spread on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes or until lightly browned and the skins begin to flake. Remove from the oven and place nuts in a dish towel. Roll up the towel and let the nuts 'steam' for 5 minutes and then briskly rub the towel (with nuts inside) to remove the skins from the nuts. Cool and then chop coarsely. Set aside while you prepare the dough.

Reduce temperature of oven to 300 degree F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.In a food processor fitted with a metal blade, combine the coarsely chopped chocolate and brown sugar and process until the chocolate is very fine; set aside.

Sift or whisk together the flour, cocoa, espresso powder, baking soda and salt into a bowl; set aside. In a large bowl, combine the eggs and vanilla extract and beat to blend, about 30 seconds. On low speed mix in the chocolate/sugar and flour mixtures until a stiff dough forms, adding the hazelnuts about half way through mixing.

On a floured surface divide the dough in half. Form each half into a log 12 inches long. Do this by rolling the dough back and forth into a cylinder shape with floured hands. Transfer the logs to the baking sheet, spacing them well apart (width-wise on the pan), and pat to even the shapes. Bake until almost firm to the touch, about 35 - 40 minutes (logs will spread during baking). Remove from the oven, place on wire rack, and let cool for 10 minutes. Using a long spatula transfer the logs to a cutting board.

Using a serrated knife cut the dough into slices 3/4 inch thick on the diagonal. Arrange the slices cut-side down on the baking sheet. Bake 15 minutes. Turn the slices over and bake until crisp and dry, about 15 minutes longer. Remove from oven and let cool on wire rack.

To make the white chocolate drizzle, microwave about a half cup of white chocolate morsels with just a PINCH of vegetable oil. The oil helps to thin the chocolate, making it easier to drizzle. Microwave for 30 seconds at a time until melted. Drizzle over the biscotti.

Roasted Cauliflower with Hazelnut Oil

2009-12-14T16:35:00.000-08:00

Despite all the hype that surrounds roasted cauliflower, I've never attempted to make it. THIS WILL CHANGE STARTING TODAY!!! Oh my gosh, this stuff is soooo good. It's like candy!! I've roasted many veggies before and will now add cauliflower to my repertoire. The nuttiness from the hazelnut oil really adds depth to this dish. I can't WAIT to make this crack, I mean...healthy side dish, again.

10 C raw cauliflower (or about 1 1/2-2 heads)
3 Tbsp toasted hazelnut oil
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 Tbsp salt, or to taste

Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees.

Roughly chop the cauliflower. Toss in a large bowl with the oil, garlic and salt. Spread out on a very large baking sheet.

Bake for 30-40 minutes on the middle rack, turning over occasionally. Serve hot.

I also think this dish would be awesome with truffle oil. But at $10/bottle for just a few ounces, I'm not sure I could part with that much of one of favorite ingredients in one dish! The toasted hazelnut oil was a gift from a friend whose husband is a chef at a resort and ordered it at wholesale price. :-)

WW Points per Serving: 1 pt per cup!

Spritz!

2009-12-10T18:23:00.000-08:00

I remember my mom making these with her cookie press when we were little and I love that I can still make these in my own kitchen. I love using my Goodwill-find, unused Wilton Cookie Press for $2 (score!!) and a photocopied page from Betty Crocker's 1963 Cooky Book. See, my mother won't give me her Cooky Book, just make copies of the pages I need for any given project (*ack! Christmas gift! cegchhhhh ack!*).
This was the first time I used my new Wilton cookie press and I absolutely love it! Unlike my mom's, this one is just like a caulk gun and dispenses the perfect amount of dough with each squeeze. My mom's press may be metal as opposed to my plastic version, but it also requires a precise quarter to one half turn per cookie to dispense the dough. I had issues getting approximately the same amount of dough to dispense for each cookie using her press, so (no offense, mom) I am glad I have one that is friendly for the baking-challenged.

I will now transcribe what Ms. Betty Crocker herself describes as "How to Make Perfect Pressed Cookies."

Mix dough as directed - doughs for pressed cookies are high in shortening. Dough must be pliable. If very warm, chill for a short time. (If too cold, it crumbles.) Using 1/4 at a time, place dough in cooky press. Force dough through cooky press, following manufacturers' directions, on ungreased baking sheet. If baking sheet is too warm, fat in the dough will melt and cookies will pull away from sheet when press is lifted. Bake until set. Perfect pressed cookies have:

well-defined pattern and shape
tender, yet crisp eating quality
rich, buttery flavor

1 C butter or margarine
1/2 C sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp flavoring (almond or vanilla)
2 1/4 C flour

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Mix butter, sugar, egg, salt and flavoring thoroughly.

Work in flour. Using small amounts of dough at a time, force through the cooky press onto an ungreased baking sheet in desired shapes.

Bake 6-9 minutes, or until set but not brown.

I'm linking to The DIY Showoff's Show & Tell Holiday Food Edition.

Shortbread

2009-12-09T05:10:00.000-08:00

NEWS FLASH! These little morsels are so small they contain absolutely no fat or calories!! Thrilling to know, isn't it?? I kid, I kid. However, I do feel that shortbread *can* be eaten in moderation while still savoring it's flaky, buttery goodness.

1 C butter, room temperature (2 sticks, folks)
2 1/2 C flour
3/4 C powdered sugar
1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients using a stand or hand mixer. The dough will be crumbly.

Pour the dough into an ungreased 9x9" baking dish. Pat down the dough, working it into the corners of the dish. Pierce the dough many times with a fork before baking for 30-35 minutes.

Cut the dough into pieces while still warm. Otherwise, it flakes apart and breaks if you try to cut it when it's fully cooled.

No-Sew Santa Table Runner

2009-12-07T16:06:00.001-08:00

I saw this fun table runner at Hobby Lobby. Not wanting to pay the full price tag, I figured I could easily make a similar runner myself.

Materials needed:

1 ft. of 72" long red felt
5 yards 1" white fur
2 ft black velvet ribbon
2 squares gold fabric - I scoured JoAnn's home fabrics and "borrowed" two of their sample pieces of fabric

Folding your 72" red felt in half, cut a "V" shape in the fabric. Using tacky glue, adhere the strips of black velvet ribbon to the v-shaped ends. Using the gold squares folded in half, cut out a square square with a smaller square to make Santa's belt buckle. Adhere with tacky glue.Run your 1"fur down the length of the runner using tacky glue to adhere it to the felt.

And there you have it, dear readers...

A finished Santa table runner! Super easy. With my 40% off JoAnn's coupon, this project cost around $8 to make. So cute!

And now, some cute pet pics. Here's Ozzy, with his "bite me" t-shirt from Target that cost me a whopping $2.50. These two are best friends...Ozzy, trying to kiss his best friend, Athena. She looks like she's about to b*tch slap him, hahaha!!

I'm linking to The DIY Show Off's Holiday Highlights Party.

Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

2009-12-01T17:09:00.000-08:00

First, let me say thank you to my brother in law. Without Calvin, I wouldn't have pounds upon pounds of venison to use in my cooking. Sausage, brats, ground venison, steaks. You name it. He shares it. So, thanks Cal! Keep it coming!

I like my spaghetti sauce light on the meat and FULL of veggies. I threw this recipe together using Joelen’s recipe for guidance.

1 lb venison sausage
4-5 lbs brandywine tomatoes (6-8 large ones)
1 zucchini
8 oz. mushrooms
1 large onion
4 cloves garlic
1 red bell pepper
1 C packed fresh basil
1 C fresh packed spinach
1 Tbsp dried Italian herbs

Brown the sausage and set aside, draining any excess liquid.

Bring a large pot of water to boil, but only fill the pot half way full. Blanch the tomatoes, two at a time, by cutting an “X” in the bottom of the tomatoes and then cooking them in the boiling water for 15-30 seconds. Set them aside to cool on a cutting board. When cool enough to the touch, peel the skin from the tomatoes and discard.

Quarter the tomatoes and place them in batches into a blender. Puree until most of the chunks are broken up. Feel free to leave it chunkier or less chunky, depending on your preference.

In a sautee pan, add a little olive oil and sautee the onions and garlic together. Ready your sauce pot(s). I needed two because this sauce produced over 10 cups of finished product.

To the pureed tomatoes, add the venison sausage and sautéed garlic and onions. Chop up the bell pepper, zucchini and mushrooms. Finely slice the basil. Add all of these, plus the spinach and dried herbs to the pot.

Simmer for at least three hours or until the sauce reduces and thickens.

Serve however you’d like! I froze this in two heaping ladle increments, which produced 6 freezer bags worth of sauce.

Ribbon Wreath

2009-11-30T18:10:00.000-08:00

I saw this cutesy wreath over at the fabulous Roeshel's DIY Show Off blog. Super adorable. Super inexpensive. Super fast. Click here for her detailed, step-by-step tutorial. I used a $1 foam wreath I got at the Dollar Store (hollah!!!) and some ribbon I picked up at Michaels for 70% off on Black Friday (score!!). Here are some pics I took along this short crafting journey.

And the finished product, 30 yards of wired ribbon later!

I am SO linking to Roeshel's DIY Show Off Holiday Highlights party, after all, this is her project! I swear, I'm not a crazy blog stalker or anything. But if you can take a moment, Roeshel is a finalist in the running to win a $5000 True Value shopping spree to re-do her bathroom! Click HERE to vote for her. And be sure to watch her video. It's great!

I'm also linking to:

A Soft Place to Land's DIY Day with The North Pole Secretary

Someday Craft's Wreath Inspiration

Spinach Artichoke Dip

2009-11-29T14:53:00.001-08:00

I find that certain restaurants really nail spinach artichoke dip. Others fail miserably. And that's what I really hate. When you go to a restaurant, craving some of the cheesy, tangy, creamy goodness, and then you're seriously dissapointed when "said restaurant" totally misses the mark. That being said, one of my favorite places to get this amazing app is Claddagh's Irish Pub and one of my least favorite places has to be Applebees.

HOWEVER, I think that the recipe below is a serious contender for the top of my list! I'll deem this "Carla's Spinach Artichoke Dip," named after the coordinator at our wedding reception venue. I cannot remember how we got talking about food, but she told me I had to try this recipe. I have since made this for many social gatherings with friends and family. And every time I take my first bite, my eyes slightly roll back in my head, my knees get weak, I mumble some choice words and am taken to a very happy place. If you're looking for a winner, THIS IS IT.

Carla's Spinach Artichoke Dip
1/4 C butter
2 cloves garlic
1/3 C chopped onion - original recipe calls for 3 Tbsp
10 oz package of frozen spinach
1 can artichoke hearts
1/2 C half and half - I used 1 cup of fat free
8 oz cream cheese - I used the 1/3 less fat variety
1/2 C Parmesan cheese
1/2 C shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Thaw the spinach in the microwave and drain thoroughly.

Roughly chop the artichoke hearts on a cutting board.

Melt the butter in a large saucepan.

Crush the garlic cloves and add to the butter, along with the chopped onions. Sautee for 3 minutes, or until lightly golden.

Add the drained spinach and artichoke hearts and continue sauteeing. After 1-2 minutes, add the creamer.

After incorporated, cube the cream cheese and add it to the mixture. Lower the heat and stir until the cream cheese is completely melted and incorporated. Add the parmesan cheese and stir.

Transfer to a pie plate or shallow dish. Sprinkle with the cheddar cheese. Melt in a 350 degree oven or microwave until warm and melted.

Note: I added extra creamer because I found that it tended to dry out when heated. Also, this last time, I served this out of my mini CrockPot, so I omitted the sharp cheddar cheese. The extra liquid really helped in this case, too.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-26T06:28:00.001-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you! Sadly, Mr. Tote and I aren't hosting this year. We really would have loved to host, especially with our new house and everything. The picture above is from last year's Thanksgiving, which we hosted in our small apartment. So much has happened since last year! So much to be thankful for. Here's a few things I am thankful for...

This man, my best friend...

Our two crazy "children," Ozzy and Athena. And I am also thankful for the opportunity to rescue such wonderful animals, including Pandora who enriched my/our life for seven years.Our home. I took this picture one morning when the sun was streaming into our family room. It's one of my favorites.

And I am so thanful for our wonderful God. Without Him, none of this would be possible. So, I leave you with the following verse:

"When you have eaten your fill, be sure to praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you." ~Deuteronomy 8:10

Have a wonderful day, friends. May it be filled with food, family, friends and fellowship.

A Tale of Two Squashes: Part 2

2009-11-25T07:03:00.000-08:00

Wow! Let me just say how much I looooove spaghetti squash. I've never worked with this stuff until now and it is SO FUN! It's like my mother-in-law's obsession with popping zits. Once you start, you can't stop! String after string of squashy goodness, peeling away from the skin like magic!

Spaghetti Squash Gratin
1 two to three lb spaghetti squash
1 C light sour cream
1/2 C fat free half and half
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 oz gruyere cheese
4 oz baby swiss cheese
1 tsp dried thyme

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Piercethe spaghetti squash CAREFULLY in many spots. Place in a baking dish and bake for about an hour, or until soft.

Remove from the oven and let rest until it's cool enough to handle, at least with a hot pad holder. Carefully cut the squash in half and remove the seeds and pulp, with tongs or a spoon. Then separate the strands with a fork and remove from the skin.

In a large bowl, combine the squash, salt, pepper, gruyere, sour cream and creamer.

Place the squash mixture in a baking dish coated with non-stick cooking spray. Top with the baby swiss and a sprinkle of dried thyme.

Bake at 375 for 20 minutes. Place under the broiler for about 5 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly. This dish easily serves six to eight people.

A Tale of Two Squashes: Part 1

2009-11-24T17:56:00.000-08:00

Ahhhh... fall. One of my favorite times of the year because of all the fresh produce that is available. I decided to experiment this year with different types of winter squash. First, the butternut. I've seen this prepared most commonly as a sweet side dish, combined with brown sugar and butter. I decided to prepare this squash with a savory flavor.

Butternut Squash Casserole
1 two to three lb. butternut squash
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/3 C fat free half and half
1/2 C blue cheese crumbles
1/2 C parmesan cheese

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare the squash for baking by cutting it in half WITH A VERY SHARP KNIFE and scooping out the seeds. Rub both halves with a drizzle of olive oil. Place the halfs cut side up in a baking dish with about an inch of water. Bake uncovered for about an hour, or until fork tender.

In a large bowl, combine the squash (after scooping/scraping it out of the skin) and remaining ingredients, except for the parmesan cheese. Mash with a fork to incorporate everything.

Lightly coat a baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Transfer the squash mixture to the baking dish and top with the parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes.

P.S. Sorry for the craptastic picture above, but we dove into the squash dish before I remembered to grab the camera. We had this with pork tenderloin, rubbed with dijon mustard and baked with apples and onions.

Pasta with Brussel Sprouts, Bacon and Mascarpone Cream Sauce

2009-11-21T10:36:00.000-08:00

1 C uncooked rotini pasta
6-8 strips bacon
8 brussel sprouts
6 mushrooms
1/2 C Fat free half and half
4 oz Mascarpone cheese – can substitute cream cheese if needed
1/3 C freshly grated parmesan

OK, before you make fun of me for indicating the exact number of brussel sprouts and mushrooms in this recipe, let me say this… I try to make my recipes as “user friendly” as possible. Some readers who are new to cooking may be looking for specific direction about quantities as they become familiar with their kitchen. So that’s why I provided specific numbers of the veggies. Otherwise, this recipe (and countless others) would say “a bit of this” “a smidge of that” “a handful of this” and “a bunch of that.” I tend to use what I have on hand, so tonight, I had half a package of mushrooms and some leftover raw brussel sprouts from a previous dinner. So there’s my two cents on that. Now, on to the recipe!

Start by cleaning and finely chopping the brussel sprouts lengthwise, almost like shredding them. Roughly chop the mushrooms. Set both of these aside.

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil for the pasta and add in when the water is boiling.

Cook the bacon, according to your liking. For this recipe, we used the pre-cooked stuff and just threw it in the microwave for 30 seconds.

Heat a bit of olive oil in a large saucepan and sautee the brussel sprouts and mushrooms while the pasta is cooking. Meanwhile, crumble the bacon.

When the pasta is done cooking, drain the pasta, reserving a half cup of the pasta liquid. Add the pasta and crumbled bacon to the saucepan with the sautéed vegetables.

Add the creamer, mascarpone cheese and parmesan cheese and allow the entire mixture to meld together over low heat. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Top with additional parmesan cheese prior to serving.

Taco Soup

2009-11-19T17:08:00.000-08:00

This is one of my absolute favorite one-pot winter meals. I can't remember where my mom got this recipe, but I love to make it. This is my first batch for this cold season, but I'm sure it won't be the last!

1 lb. ground turkey
1 small onion, chopped
1 package taco seasoning
1 46 oz. container of Spicy and Hot V8
1 16 oz. can of Brook's Chili Hot Beans
12 oz. tomato paste
16 oz. frozen mixed vegetables
tortilla chips
cheese

In a large skillet, cook the ground turkey with the onions.

In a separate very large pot, combine half of the V8 with the tomato paste, using a whisk to incorporate the paste. Once you have a good mix of those two ingredients, dump in the remaining V8, beans, mixed veggies and taco seasoning. Add in the turkey mixture when fully cooked.

Bring to a simmer before serving.

Top with shredded cheese and crushed tortilla chips.

WW Points per Serving: 5 for 1 1/2 C, without cheese and tortilla chips

Burlap Table Runner

2009-11-16T17:29:00.000-08:00

FIrst of all, let me say how inspired I am by all of the crafty blogs out there. Some of my favorites are:
The DIY Showoff
The Lettered Cottage
It's So Very Cheri
Room Remix
Craftaholics Anonymous
Someday Crafts
Project Pretty

Materials needed:
burlap
2" wired ribbon, 2.5x the length of your burlap runner
stitch witchery
freezer paper
tempera paint

The inspiration for my burlap table runner comes from la*T*da's give thanks pillow. How cute is that!?!?

Mr. Tote is so supportive of my many projects. How cute is that!?!?

Blow up your letters and trace onto the non-waxed side of the freezer paper. For all the font junkies out there, I used King from dafont.com.

Use an exacto knife to cut out the letters. We found this very easy to do when laying the freezer paper on a piece of scrap carpet. The blade went through MUCH easier than when we had it on the concrete.

Iron your ribbon in half lengthwise. Place the ribbon on both sides of the burlap, sorta like a sandwich.

Using stitch witchery and an iron, "glue" the ribbon in place. You could also use some fabric tacky glue. In fact, it probably would have gone a lot quicker with the glue. Using the stitch witchery and an iron along both sides and front and back took about two hours to complete.

Pin the freezer paper onto the burlap to hold it in place before ironing it down.

Paint in the letters. Be sure to leave a piece of paper on the underside of the burlap! Don't want paint on the kitchen table!

Once the paint is dry, pull off the freezer paper and VOILA!!! I can't believe how well this turned out. I was grinning from ear to ear right after I pulled off the freezer paper.

I am excited to be joining The DIY Showoff's Holiday Highlights Party!

Chicken Sausage, Kale and White Bean Soup

2009-11-15T18:42:00.000-08:00

I admit I was a bit skeptical of making this soup. I have seen many variations of it and couldn't believe that a soup without a creamy base would really satisfy me since we all know how addicted I am to cheese and dairy products. So, I was super excited when I tasted this as it was simmering and was overwhelmed by how fantastic it is! I loosely followed Jenn's recipe, from Cooking in the Heartland.

1 15 oz. can cannellini beans, undrained
48 oz. chicken stock
4 al fresco chicken sausage
1 bell pepper, diced
1 leek, whites and light green, diced
2 cloves garlic
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 small white potatoes, COOKED
small bunch kale
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika

Chop the defrosted, fully cooked chicken sausage lengthwise and then into chunks.

In a large pot, sautee the bell pepper and leeks with the olive oil and garlic. Sautee for 4-5 minutes or until transluscent.

Add the chicken stock and beans to the pot. Bring to a simmer and add the chicken sausage and potatoes. Add the cumin and paprika.

Let simmer for 5-10 minutes. In the meantime, very roughly chop the kale, removing any tough stems.

Add the kale to the pot. Don't worry... it will wilt and meld perfectly with the rest of the soup.

When the kale is fully wilted, pull from the heat and serve. Gosh, this is perfect for a cold evening!!

Blog Friend is a Finalist!

2009-11-13T06:41:00.001-08:00

A good blog friend, Mzzzz. Superhero herself, the fabulous Laura Jean (aka LJK-C) is a finalist to have a dress that she designed in the Shabby Apple 2010 Spring Line!

Please take a moment and pop over to the Final 15 voting and give a nod to LJ. Her design is #1 on the list. She certainly deserves to win!

Pork Scallopini with Butter White Wine Caper Sauce

2009-11-07T19:03:00.000-08:00

We'll be adding this one to the "Meals Fit for Guests" list. So yummy!!! I was inspired by this recipe, but since I couldn't actually find the recipe, I just kinda guessed on ingredients and amounts. Good guesses because this dish ROCKED!

1/2 Pork Tenderloin
1 Tbsp capers
1/3 C white wine
3 Tbsp butter
1 Shallot, finely chopped
1/3 C Flour
1 tsp salt and 1 tsp ground pepper

This recipe can easily be doubled to use a whole pork tenderloin for 4 people, or two extra hungry peeps.

Slice the pork tenderloin into ½ inch slices on a diagonal. Pound thin between plastic wrap with a meat mallet or other suitable device. In our case, a large iron skillet worked great.

In a shallow dish, mix the flour, salt and pepper.

In a large skillet, heat 1 Tbsp butter. Coat the pork pieces in the flour mixture and then place in the bubbly butter. Cook for 1-2 minutes per side and then transfer to a warm plate. If needed, do this in two batches, depending on the size of the skillet.

Heat an additional tablespoon of butter in the same skillet. Add the chopped shallot and sautee for 2-3 minutes. Add the capers and white wine. Allow to reduce just a little before adding the final tablespoon of butter. Mix slowly to incorporate and remove immediately from the heat.

Spoon the sauce over the pork medallions and serve. I served this with two "white" sides. I know, food plating "no no" but we are still getting back in the groove since our return from Mexico, so I used what I had on hand. This included some smashed potatoes and some leftover cauliflower mash that my mom gave us. Yummy!!! If I can get her recipe, I'll be sure to post!

Pumpkin Spice No Bake Cheesecake

2009-11-04T17:12:00.000-08:00

A perfect slice of fall, I'd like to call it. I'm back from Mexico and back to blogging. This recipe from Gina's Weight Watchers Recipe is so delicious. None of your friends or family will know this is a healthier version of the real thing. Go make this NOW!

8 oz 1/3 less fat Philadelphia Cream Cheese
1/2 cup pureed pumpkin (canned is fine)
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice (I substituted 1/2 tsp nutmeg and 1/2 tsp allspice)
1/4 cup brown sugar, unpacked
8 oz Cool Whip Free, thawed
9 inch reduced fat Graham Cracker Crust

In a large bowl using an electric mixer, whip cream cheese, pumpkin, vanilla, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and brown sugar for a few minutes until fluffy. Add Cool Whip and whip until smooth. Spoon mixture into pie crust and chill for a few hours, until firm.

WW Points per Serving (serves 8): 5 points

I Only Have Eyes for You

2009-10-19T15:00:00.000-07:00

For the life of me, eye can't remember the name of the magazine eye saw these in while getting my hair done last week, but they were too cute to pass up for Halloween treats!

And with how busy my life has been lately, eye am not sure how eye find time to do fun things like this, but it sure is rewarding! Eye can't wait to take these in to work tomorrow!

1 package funfetti cake mix
1 tub vanilla frosting
2 tubes red decorating gel
chewy spree
black M&Ms

Make the cake according to the cupcake directions (makes 24). Frost. Place a chewy Spree in the middle and top with a black M&M using some frosting for glue. Draw squiggly lines using the red decorating gel and use a toothpick to spread the gel out over the cupcakes.

Green Goddess Dressing

2009-10-18T08:06:00.000-07:00

*Image from Gina's Weight Watcher's Recipes

Another fabulous find from Gina’s Weight Watchers Recipes! With basil coming out of my ears and hesitancy to make high fat pesto, I was eager to make this salad dressing. I apologize for not having a good picture of it. It turned out fantastic and was gone before I could get a good picture of it.

1/2 cup light mayonnaise, such as Hellman's
1/2 cup scallions, chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil, packed
1/8 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice (1 lemon)
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp anchovy paste – I skipped this
1/2 cup light sour cream

Place all ingredients except for sour cream in a blender and blend until smooth. Add sour cream and process until blended. Keep refrigerated until serving.

Fresh Raspberry Vinaigrette

2009-10-18T07:59:00.000-07:00

Earlier this summer, when the berries were plentiful, I attempted Ellie's Fresh Blackberry Vinaigrette over at Vintage Victuals. Her recipes are very savory; you should definitely check her out. With raspberries on hand, I used them instead of the blackberries. I also used my favorite Pomegranate Balsamic Vinegar.

4 ounces of fresh raspberries, washed
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
Apx. 2 tablespoons red onion, minced
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

In a blender or small food processor, puree the raspberries with the lemon juice. Pour the mixture through a sieve or fine strainer to remove the seeds. Pour the resulting raspberry juice back into the processor.

Add the vinegar, the garlic, and the red onion. Pulse to blend. Next, stream in the extra virgin olive oil with the processor on medium speed. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with fresh salad greens.

Pumpkin Pie Half Moons

2009-10-15T19:47:00.000-07:00

Awww! Aren’t they cute!! We had Matt’s sister, her husband and our adorable nephew over for dinner last week. We served blue cheese and spinach stuffed pork tenderloin with creamy truffle and brie grits. For dessert, I really wanted to do something fall-ish. So I bought some canned pure pumpkin and decided I would figure it out from there. When I saw this recipe for Pumpkin Half Moon Pockets, I knew that would be the winner, as I had a puff pastry calling my name in the freezer. These were sooooo good! Served with some butter pecan ice cream, they were the perfect complement to dinner.

I halved this recipe, which made about 10 pockets. My changes are as follows:

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, 9 1/2 inches square
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon

For the pumpkin filling:
1/2 cup pure canned pumpkin (not seasoned pumpkin pie filling)
1 1/2 tablespoons firmly packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

Remove the puff pastry from the box, setting on a lightly floured surface, and covering it with plastic wrap. Do not unfold at this point. Let the covered puff pastry sit on the counter top until thawed and just pliable, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, position the oven rack on the middle rung. Heat to 425 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a non-stick liner. Have the beaten egg ready, along with 1 tablespoon granulated sugar.

On a lightly floured work surface, carefully unfold the puff pastry. Dust the top of the pastry with a little flour. Roll out the sheet, lightly dusting with flour as needed to prevent the dough from sticking to the rolling pin and work surface, into a 12 inch square. Using a 4 inch round cookie cutter (or the bottom of a 29-oz tomato can as a guide), cut out 9-10 circles by firmly pressing the cookie cutter or can into the dough, then twisting slightly. Peel away the scraps of extra dough and cover the rounds with plastic wrap while preparing the filling.

For the pumpkin filling, combine the ingredients in a medium bowl and stir until well blended.

Place about 1 tablespoon of filling on the center of a round. Brush the edge of the dough with the egg. Fold half the dough over the filling to form a half-moon.

Using the tines of a fork, press the curved edges to seal tightly. Repeat with the remaining rounds. At this point the pockets can be covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 8 hours or frozen for up to 1 month before proceeding.

Arrange the pockets on the prepared sheet pan, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Brush the tops with the remaining egg and sprinkle evenly (and generously) with the granulated sugar.

Bake until pasty is puffed and browned, 15-20 minutes, checking on them frequently after 10 minutes has passed (in case your oven cooks them faster.) Transfer the sheet pats to racks to cool. Serve warm… with ice cream.

Storage: You can bake the pockets up to 6 hours ahead and reheat them in a 300 degree oven until warm, about 10-15 minutes.

Applecrisp for Two!

2009-10-12T18:43:00.000-07:00

One of my hotel reps stopped by the other day to drop off some goodies and it included honeycrisp apples, MY FAVORITE! I knew I had to make up some apple crisp. But with just Mr. Tote and I, I didn’t want to make up a large dish full of it. Enter mini ramekins! This was incredibly easy. I sorta guessed from memory on the recipe, recalling how my mom used to make it and it turned out fantastic! I would have loved some vanilla ice cream to go with it, but it stood just fine on its own.

Filling
1 large honeycrisp apple
1 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp fresh ground nutmeg
Butter for rubbing in the ramekins

Topping
3 Tbsp cold butter, roughly chopped
¼ C flour
½ C white sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Peel the apple with a paring knife and slice thinly. This produces about a cup and a half of apple pieces.

Combine the apple pieces with the lemon juice, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg in a bowl.

In a separate bowl, combine the butter, sugar flour and cinnamon. Mash together with a fork until it forms little balls of goodness.

Lightly butter the ramekins. Add the apple mixture and top with the flour mixture. Place the ramekins on a baking sheet, in case of any spillage.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until lightly browned on top.

Serve as is, or with some ice cream. Try not to stab family and friends as you lunge for their crumbly topping.

Foster Kittens

2009-10-10T18:13:00.000-07:00

We picked up new foster kittens this week. They are adorable, so I figured I'd share them with you. The most fun part is getting to name them. Oh, and give them baths. That's fun because they look so cute when they're wet.

They'll go back to the humane society in two weeks, since WE ARE LEAVING FOR MEXICO ON THE 25TH!!

ScooterMuShu
MuShu, again. He's my favorite. So cute!

Sable, with Ozzy in the background.

This one I haven't named yet. She's a grey short-haired kitteh. She can be very whiny when she wants something, but she loves to be cuddled and she purrs constantly. Any suggestions?

Turkey and Corn Chowder

2009-10-10T17:45:00.000-07:00

With the weather cooling down and the wind gusting, I have been dying to make some soup. I pulled out some leftover turkey breast and corn "off" the cob that I had from corn season out of the freezer. I used Paula Deen's Chef Jack's Corn Chowder recipe as a guide, but I modified it majorly. Hello!?!?!? Two sticks of butter!??!?! Ridiculous...

1 Tbsp Brummel and Brown yogurt spread
1 small onion, diced
15-20 baby carrots, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 cups white corn kernels, fresh or frozen
1 C cooked, diced turkey breast
3 cups chicken stock
1 C fat free half and half
1 C 1/2% Milk
3 Tbsp cornstarch
1/2 C COLD water
Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Melt the butter in the soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, and garlic, and saute for 2 minutes.

Add the corn and chicken stock and bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes.

Add the half-and-half and milk and bring to a simmer. Mix the cornstarch with COLD water. Slowly add the mixture until the soup thickens (you may not need all of it to thicken the soup).

Add the nutmeg and salt and pepper, to taste, right before serving.

This soup really hit the spot. It was thick and full of flavor. We'll definitely be making this again!

WW Points per serving (1/6th of the recipe): 3 points

A Peck of Pickled Peppers

2009-10-08T19:05:00.000-07:00

OK, so more like 4 small jars, but I am acting as excited as if it were a full peck. This was our first experience canning and it actually worked *gasp!!* We planted four little banana pepper plants back in spring and they produced lots of beautiful peppers. The recipe below made about 4 pints of peppers.

1 Garlic Clove
1 1/2 lb to 2 lbs banana peppers
1 Tbsp salt
2 C water
1 C white vinegar
Celery seed
Fennel seed

Prepare jars and lids by washing them in HOT soapy water. Leave them in clean hot water until you're ready to use them.

Wash the peppers, remove the tops, deseed and cut into thin rings. I would recommend using gloves. Even though banana peppers aren't known for being hot, I still managed to feel stinging on my upper lip for about an hour. I must have scratched my nose or something. But what a pain it was, literally.

In a large pot, combine the vinegar, salt and water. Heat on high until boiling.

Remove one jar at a time to begin the canning process.

Add a clove of garlic, then pack banana peppers tightly into jar. Add a tiny dash of celery seed and fennel. Then pour the hot vinegar-water mixture over the peppers. Immediately put on the lid and ring tightly to seal.

In a canning pot of boiling water, process the jars in a water bath for 10 minutes.

I really can't say how these taste, as we haven't opened a jar yet. They've been "marinating" for a few weeks now. I think it's about time to break open a jar. Don't you?

Fiesta Chicken

2009-10-05T18:00:00.000-07:00

This past week at Weight Watchers, they broke out the super easy crock pot recipes. Can of salsa + meat = dinner. So I figured I’d give it a try. Oh.my.gosh. This meal was sooooo good!! Mr. Tote took one bite and told me to add it to our repertoire of “go to” meals. Fine by me! This one was a cinch to make!

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 jar (15 oz) mild, thick and chunky salsa
1 can frijoles negros (that’s black beans for all my gringo amigos), drained
1 C frozen corn

Layer the chicken breasts, then salsa, beans and corn. Cook on high for 2-3 hours or low 4-5 hours. Remove the chicken and shred. Then return it to the crock pot and cook on low for an additional half an hour. I served it with just a little bit of brown rice, a little bit of 2% Mexican cheese and a dollop of light sour cream.

The leftovers for lunch today were just as good as last night’s dinner. I’m looking forward to MORE leftovers tomorrow!

WW Points per Serving: 5 points (3/4 C of the chicken mixture and 1/4 C rice) The cheese and sour cream are extra, kiddies!

Turkey Stuffed Zucchini

2009-10-04T15:38:00.001-07:00

This is a great recipe I found over at Gina’s Weight Watchers Recipes. Without ground turkey on hand, I used 95% lean ground beef. I also added some marinara sauce on top, which was a great addition, for only one extra point.

2 medium zucchini
1/2 tsp butter
1/4 onion, finely diced
1/2 shallot, minced
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 tbsp white wine
8 oz (1/2 lb) ground turkey, or 95% lean ground beef
1 large egg white
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup fat free chicken broth
2 tbsp seasoned breadcrumbs
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp fresh chopped rosemary
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp marjoram
1 tsp dried basil
Salt and fresh pepper

Preheat oven to 400°. Cut zucchini in half lengthwise and using a spoon or melon baller, scoop out flesh, leaving 1/4" thick. Arrange in a baking dish. Chop the scooped out flesh of the zucchini in small pieces.

In a large saute pan, melt butter and add onion, shallot and garlic. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until onions are translucent. Add chopped zucchini and season with a pinch of salt, cook about 2-3 minutes. Add wine and cook until it reduces. Add ground turkey and season with salt and pepper, cooking until turkey is white, breaking up in smaller pieces. Add paprika, garlic powder, marjoram and basil. Mix well and cook another minute.

Place turkey meat in a large mixing bowl and set aside to cool. When cooled, add parmesan cheese and egg white, mix well. Using a spoon, fill hollowed zucchinis with stuffing, pressing firmly and top with bread crumbs. Place chicken broth in bottom of the baking dish and cover tightly with foil. Bake 35 minutes.

WW Points per Serving (serves 2): 4 points; 5 points with 1/4 C warmed marinara per person