Study Break

The other day, I was talking to my friend Jessica. Jessica and I have been friends since junior high and we have LOTS of great memories together. :) When I mentioned that I would be doing a lot of studying and paper writing this weekend she suggested I make some popcorn – just like we used to make when we studied together in high school. There were so many late nights we would stay awake studying for something and would eat a TON of popcorn and drink our weight in Dr. Pepper (from Sonic, of course). Lol!

She inspired me to make some popcorn. Then I remembered that Paula Deen has some AWESOME popcorn seasoning recipes in her holiday magazine. I have been waiting for an opportunity to make one of them so, what a better time than a study break!

Even though there were TONS of yummy popcorn seasoning recipes, I chose to make Paula’s ranch popcorn seasoning.

Here’s the recipe:
½ tablespoon dried chives
½ tablespoon dried dill weed½ tablespoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon garlic salt
¼ cup dry milk powder
In a spice grinder, combine chives, dill weed, parsley, onion powder, salt and garlic salt; pulse until mixture is ground into a fine powder. Stir in dry milk powder. Sprinkle over hot buttered popped popcorn.

Also….when I asked Jessica what she would be doing this weekend, she said she was going to Women of Faith. I can’t wait to hear back from her on how it went.

My Aunt's Fall Visit

My awesome photographer and friend, Cassie, and I thought it would be fun to do “Trash the Dress” pictures and after I intended to give my wedding dress to charity. Well, when I told my Mom and Aunt this news, they were less than thrilled about this decision. Apparently, trashing my wedding dress and giving it away would be something I would have regretted. Lol! :) My Mom and Aunt know best and…they make sure I know that fact. :) So, we all compromised on doing lots of fun after dress pictures. Since my Mom flew up from Florida to be with me for my Bridal Portraits my Aunt decided she would come up for these pictures.

We couldn’t have asked for better weather! It was gorgeous! We took so many fun pictures. We all had a blast together. It was so awesome to spend the day doing ultra girlie things with a group of fun women! :)

The next day, my Aunt and I went grocery shopping and began making a HUGE meal. In fact, while we were making dinner my Mother-in-law called and she asked what we were making, I began to rattle off everything and at the end of my list she aksed, “And, who is going to eat ALL of this food???” Lol! It was pretty funny. My Aunt and I love to cook when we get together and it’s always nice to have lots of leftovers to eat during the week.

For an appetizer we made muscles with a white wine sauce with French bread (perfect for the sopping up the white wine sauce – yum!) and, butternut squash fries – both were super tasty! :)

Then it was onto our main course, it was: Panko Breaded Chicken served with a pumpkin cranberry white wine risotto alongside sautéed squash and zucchini.

For dessert we had pumpkin bread pudding, made with challah bread. It was soooo yummy

While she was in town, we also visited the Durham Western Heritage Museum. It is housed in the Omaha’s historic Union Station. It’s such an awesome old building. I love museums! I’m such a dork like that though – lol! :)

Here’s one of the pictures I took, I was playing in the leaves – so much fun!

First Official Fall Snack!

I have so much to tell everyone...I don't know where to begin! So, I'm going to bypass all the wedding events and come back to them in a future post. However, I do want to say it was absolutely the wedding of my dreams; in fact, it was so much better than the wedding of my dreams! I am so incredibly blessed to have the most wonderful friends and family ever! ....I digress, back to my popcorn.....

Sadly, Kevin is gone already (yes, he left 2 days after our wedding :[ sniff, sniff) but, it gives me lots of MUCH needed time to study. Have I mentioned that I'm taking 18 hours this semester?!? Yeah, it's a lot - plus my two jobs and planning the wedding, it added up to a whole lot more than I thought it would. Hence the reason for my blogging absence. Lol! :-) And, next week I have midterms - yikes! Which means, I'm in full study mode. The barista girls at my local Starbucks know me by name, sad I know. Starbucks really is the best place to study. :) But, when I got off work today I just wanted to come home, change into "comfy" clothes, eat a fun fall snack and curl up with a good book....like The Foundations of Maternal - Newborn Nursing. (Just in case you were wondering my opinion on this subject, the female body is without a doubt God's most Amazing creation!)

So, I put my plan into action - I looked up a carmel popcorn recipe, put water on for my spiced apple tea and decided to write a couple *quick* posts.

Carmel Popcorn:

Ingredients:
3/4 C Sugar
3/4 C Brown Sugar
1/2 C White Karo Syrup
1/4 C Water
1/8 tsp Cream of Tartar
1 C Margarine

Directions:
Boil about 10 minutes or just barely to soft ball stage
Remove from heat then add:
1 t Soda
1 t Vanilla
Pour over 2 batches of popped corn, mix well and enjoy!

Omaha Shower

I was recently blessed with a personal shower here in Omaha. It was so great to have some quality "girl time" with my friends. Of course, we had tons and tons of food - lol! I do have priorities! :) And, since it was a "Girls" shower - almost everything was *pink!*

Here's the first half of our food:



Here's the second half:


Our Menu:
Bruschetta
Chicken Salad Sandwiches
Spinach Artichoke Dip
Fresh Fruit Salad
Cookies
Mini Hot Pink Cupcakes
Sprinkles Coconut Cupcakes (recipe below)
Pink Lemonade
Iced Raspberry Tea
Assorted of Hot Herbal Teas

Here's a picture of my beautiful pregnant friend Heidi:


Here I am trying to hold back my excitement - I never thought I could get so excited about dishes! Lol!! :)



Coconut Cupcakes
From Sprinkles Pastry Chef Candace Nelson
(Yes, the rumors you've heard about that place are true - these cupcakes are amazing!!)

2 cups sifted cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup whole milk
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon coconut extract
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
2 large egg whites, plus 1 whole large egg

Make sure all the ingredients are at room temperature. Heat the oven to 350 degrees and line two greased standard muffin pans with cupcake liners. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. In a measuring cup, combine the milk and extracts. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually add the egg whites and the egg and mix until they are combined. Add half of the flour mixture and mix until it is combined. Gradually drizzle in all the milk mixture. Add the remaining dry mixture and mix carefully until just combined. Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake cups (they should be two-thirds full) and bake about 20 to 25 minutes, or until the cake springs back when pressed lightly and an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let cool. Makes 18-20.


Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting

8 ounces cold cream cheese
8 tablespoons butter (1 stick)
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 3/4 cups sifted powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon coconut extract
1/2 cup sweetened coconut shavings

In the bowl of an electric mixer, slowly mix the cream cheese, butter and salt until fluffy and combined. Slowly add the powdered sugar. Mix in the extracts until incorporated and the frosting is smooth. Frost each cooled cupcake with about 2 tablespoons of frosting and immediately top with 1 teaspoon of sweetened coconut shavings. Makes about 2 1/2 cups

Brushetta

A few days ago when I returned from Oklahoma, I was happy to see that I had three ripe tomatoes on my little plant. I also had lots of basil and smoked salmon. Of course, smoked salmon + fresh tomatoes + fresh basil = brushetta!!! And, since Kevin is away I knew I would have it all to myself! The only thing about Kevin being away is that I don't have to fight for food - lol! I don't know what it is but, food just seems to disappear when he is around.

I don't really have a recipe for what I did but, here's my method:
**Disclaimer - some of the ingredients may be a bit off as some of them may have been eaten during the assembly process.**
1 baguette, sliced into 1/2 to 3/4 inch slices
1 1/2 Garlic Cloves
3 Small Tomatoes (or as many fresh tomatoes as you'd like), Chopped
2 Tablespoons Fresh Basil, Cut into Ribbons
Pinch of Salt and Pepper
Balsamic Vinegar to Taste
4 Ounces Cream Cheese, Softened
2 Tablespoons Fresh Dill (also from my little garden - yay!)
1/2 Cup Smoked Salmon
Directions:
Set oven to broil.
In one layer, spread baguette slices on a greased baking sheet.
Brush with a conservative amount of olive oil. Place the baking sheet in oven for a few minutes, being careful not to burn. Immediately upon taking the baguette slices out, rub each slice on one side with the cut side of the garlic clove; reserve the clove for late use. Evenly dice the tomatoes and put into a mixing bowl. Mince the garlic cloves used for rubbing the baguette slices and add to the tomatoes. Add the garlic, basil (reserve some basil for garnish), salt, and balsamic vinegar. Let the mixture sit in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. To serve individual appetizers, prepare each baguette slice with a spoonful of tomatoes. In a food processor, mix the softened cream cheese and the dill. To assemble, spread a layer of the dill cream cheese, then smoked salmon, next is the tomato mixture and top with fresh basil ribbons - TADA! Brushetta!

Snacks!!

Snacks!!!

This weekend Kevin and I are attending a retreat for engaged couples. The confirmation letter mentioned that it would be "fine" to bring snacks - that was all it took for me start cooking away. And actually, there wasn't much "cooking" going on, everything was super easy to throw together! I made "Peppy Chex Party Mix," "Pink Powder Puff Crunch," and chocolate chip cookies. Here are the recipes:

Peppy Chex Party Mix

Ingredients:
6 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons seasoned salt
2 to 3 teaspoons red pepper sauce
3 cups Corn Chex® cereal
3 cups Rice Chex® cereal
3 cups Wheat Chex® cereal
1 cup mixed nuts
1 cup bite-size pretzels
1 cup garlic-flavor bite-size bagel chips, or regular-size bagel chips, broken into 1-inch pieces
Preparation Directions:
1. Heat oven to 250°F.
2. In ungreased large roasting pan, melt butter in oven. Stir in Worcestershire sauce, seasoned salt and pepper sauce. Gradually stir in remaining ingredients until evenly coated.
3. Bake uncovered 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Spread on paper towels to cool, about 15 minutes. Store in airtight container.

We are both fans of original Chex Mix but, this recipe is sooooo much better. I highly recommend it!

Pink Powder Puff Crunch

Ingredients:
9 cups Strawberry Chex® cereal
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (6 oz)
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup powdered sugar
1 box (4-serving size) strawberry-flavored gelatin
Preparation Directions:
1. In large bowl, place cereal. In 1-quart microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips and butter uncovered on High 1 minute. Stir; microwave 30 seconds longer or until mixture can be stirred smooth. Stir in vanilla. Pour over cereal, stirring until evenly coated.
2. In 1-gallon resealable food-storage plastic bag, mix powdered sugar and gelatin. Add cereal mixture. Seal bag and shake until cereal is well coated. Spread on waxed paper to cool, about 15 minutes. Store in airtight container.

Since I've never really liked "Puppy Chow" (crazy, I know - I'm don't really like real sweet foods; I attribute it to growing up with a dietitian mother) I didn't really think I would like this recipe BUT, in small amounts, I totally LOVED it! I think the strawberry jello is the secret ingredient!

Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups
Directions:

PREHEAT oven to 375° F.

COMBINE flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.

BAKE for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

**We would really appreciate if you kept us, and the other engaged couples, in your prayers this weekend! Thanks! :-)**

I hope everyone has a GREAT weekend!

Pesto

The other day when I was preparing Kevin's "Homecoming" meal, I was trying to choose the perfect appetizer; luckily, I didn't have to look further than my little garden for the right inspiration - basil! That was all it took for me to decide on pesto. I wish my photography skills were a bit more advanced because, the picture turned out kinda questionable. I'm sure you still get the idea though. :)

1 Tablespoons Chopped Garlic
3 Cups Fresh Basil Leaves
1 Teaspoon Sea Salt
1 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
1/2 Cup Good Olive Oil **I may have added a bit more, but initially I put in 1/2 cup**
1/2 Cup Grated Parmesan

Place the garlic, basil leaves, salt, and pepper in the bowl of a food processor . With the processor running, slowly pour the olive oil into the bowl through the feed tube and process until the pesto is thoroughly pureed. Add the Parmesan and puree for a minute. It's great with toast points, crackers, or fresh veggies.