A BIG reveal.

..............................drum roll please...........................................

our new blog is up and running! Christal and I have been planning this for months, and since she is leaving soon :( we thought that this would be the perfect time to get it started. This way we can still keep in touch, do all of our cooking "together" and share it with all of YOU.

Don't mind if i do is a blog where we will be posting our favorite food and recipes, fashion/style tips, diy projects, and of course, our photography. I will still update this (my family) blog regularly, but mainly for personal use - updates of the kids and my random ramblings.

 If you have liked my recipes and DIY project posts, Please, please, PLEASE follow us HERE!!  

(click on the "follow" at the top left corner of the navigation bar) 

 There are already yummy recipes posted - you don't want to miss them!! Start following now! ;)

Thanks for your support! 

Summer Chicken Salad and Homemade Bread.

Christal and I have been on a roll with our cooking days. She is leaving the island soon, so we are using every chance we get to spend time together to cook, play and photograph. We are also working on something very special, which we will be revealing really soon. but for now, enjoy these healthy, summery recipes!

Zupas Summer Chicken Salad:

 Summer Chicken Salad
4 ounces mixed greens
2 fresh sliced strawberries
10 dried cranberries
5 red grapes
1 ounce diced cooked chicken breast
1/2 ounce chopped cashews (we used almonds instead)


Zupas Strawberry Vinaigrette
1 cup red wine vinegar
1 cup canola oil
4 strawberries
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sugar


1.  In a medium sized bowl toss the mixed greens, dressing, and chicken. Transfer into serving bowl.
2.  Top salad with dried cranberries, red grapes, and sliced strawberries.
3.  Sprinkle chopped cashews on top to finish.
4.  Dressing:.
5.  In a medium sized container mix the strawberries, salt, sugar and vinegar.  Blend well in a blender.

6.  While blending slowly add in all the oil, blending until smooth.  

Homemade Bread:

Quick and Homemade Bread (Recipe from FOOD.COM).

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup sugar

3 (1/4 ounce) packages active dry yeast

2 teaspoons salt

3 tablespoons butte

1 1/2 cups warm water

5 cups all purpose flour

1.  Heat milk, sugar, salt, and butter in small saucepan until butter melts and sugar dissolves.

2.  Cool to lukewarm.

3.  Dissolve yeast in warm water in warmed mixer bowl.

4.  Add milk mixture and slowly add flour.

5.  Mix for 1-2 minutes on speed 2.  

6.  Place in greased bowl, turning to grease top.

7.  Cover and let rise next to warm over for 10 minutes.

8.  Put dough in greased loaf pan and leftover dough in greased muffin pans.  

9.  Let both pans rise in over (170 degrees) for 10 minutes.

10.  Bake at 425 degrees (12 minutes for biscuits and 25-30 minutes for bread).

Sunday Lunch {Part II}

so now, onto our delightful dessert - Crêpes!

It's my absolute absolute favorite dessert ever! The best part is, you can choose different toppings and create a custom dessert perfect for you! This time we used fresh strawberries, cheesecake filling, whipped cream, nutella, bananas, and chocolate syrup. We mixed and matched the toppings to make our perfect crêpes.

Crêpe recipe:

• 3 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 2 cups milk
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• a pinch of salt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla (omit when making savory crêpes)

Pour the flour and salt in a bowl and break the eggs in the middle. Mix into a thick batter. Add the melted butter, and while whisking, pour the milk gradually, little at a time. Mix until you get the perfect texture: neither too thick nor too liquid. It must be thinner than pancake batter with no lumps**. Leave the batter to sit in the fridge for a while if you can, or else start making the crêpes.

To make the crêpes, heat a little butter on a medium size, flat, NON-STICK pan and pour on a thin layer of the batter. The trick here is to lift the pan off of the heat, ladle the batter onto the pan and swirl it around until it forms a thin, even layer, then put it back on the heat. When the one side is lightly browned, flip it to the other side.
**{helpful HINT: the consistency of the batter should be thin enough to easily spread smooth across the pan, but thick enough that it doesn't break when you flip it over.}
Repeat until all the batter is gone, then top with your favorite toppings [strawberries, bananas, blueberries, peaches, whipped cream...etc...or the classic combo - lemon juice and powdered sugar, YUM!] and Enjoy!!

PS. By omitting the vanilla extract, this recipe can be used for savory crepes as well! Just add some shredded chicken with white sauce and melt some cheese on it, or add spinach and mushrooms for a healthy twist. The possibilities really are endless.

Sunday Lunch {Part I}

What was for lunch at our house yesterday, you may ask?

Well, even if you wouldn't ask that, I will still tell you....

Wisconsin cauliflower soup and bacon avocado grilled cheese sandwiches!

My mouth is watering just typing those words (and looking at these photos). 

It was absolutely fabulous! If any of you have been to Cafe Zupas, you may have had this velvety, creamy goodness, but where there is no Zupas, you can make it right in your own kitchen! I found a similar recipe here, and tweaked it just a tad. So, here you go!

2 tablespoons butter

1 medium onion, chopped
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 can evaporated milk*
1/2 cup regular milk*

2 cups water*
2~2.5 cups chicken broth* (to desired thickness)
1 head (2 1/2 pounds) cauliflower, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese

Bacon, cooked and crumbled*

In 4-quart saucepan, melt margarine or butter over medium heat. Add onion and cook until golden, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in flour and salt; cook 2minutes, stirring frequently. Gradually stir in milk, chicken broth, and 1 1/2 cups water; add cauliflower and heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer until cauliflower is tender, about 10 minutes. In blender (with center part of blender cover removed to allow steam to escape, but cover with papertowel/cloth to avoid splashing of hot liquids), blend cauliflower mixture at low speed in small batches until very smooth. Return cauliflower mixture to saucepan; heat over medium heat until hot, stirring occasionally. Remove saucepan from heat; stir in mustard and slowly add 1 1/2 cups cheese until melted and smooth. Garnish soup with remaining cheese and crumbled bacon and serve.

For the grilled cheese we crisped up some bacon, cut up fresh avocado and tomato, stacked on some pepper jack cheese, and grilled it with a little bit of butter.

Perfection! It definitely hit 'the spot,' and seriously the most comforting food for a rainy cold day.

....and to think that this was just {Part I}!!

coming up next....dessert crepes to wrap up this delicious Sunday lunch.

Spinach and Bacon Quiche.

This is a recipe I adapted from several different quiche recipes I have seen. It has a little bit of  everything, and is sooooo good! I hope you like it too.


Quiche

1 (9in) uncooked pie crust
4 eggs, beaten
1 can evaporated milk
1/4 cup milk
1 med onion, minced
1 cup sliced, fresh mushrooms
6 slices bacon, crisped and crumbled
3 cups baby spinach
1 1/2 cups shredded Gruyere cheese (Swiss is good too)
1 Tbsp flour
Garlic salt and nutmeg, for seasoning

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line the 9 inch pie or cake pan with rolled out pie crust and bake for 5 min. Then lower oven temp to 375.
Saute onion and mushrooms in a little bit of oil, then add the spinach; season with garlic salt and a dash of nutmeg.  Mix together egg, milk, bacon, onions, mushrooms, and spinach. Add a little salt, pepper and nutmeg. Toss cheese in 1 Tbsp flour and add into egg mixture. Pour into partially baked pie crust, and bake for 45-50 minutes, until set. Let it sit for 15-20 min before serving.

and Enjoy!

Clone of a Cinnabon. Check.

Christal and I made these last week on her day off.

Another item checked off my To-Bake list.

These were heavenly. Period.

No bread machine? No bread flour? No problem!!

We altered the recipe just a tad and they still came out perfect.

Clone of a Cinnabon  

{recipe, minus bread machine/bread flour}

For original recipe and instructions, go HERE

1 cup warm milk (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
2 eggs, room temperature
1/3 cup butter, melted
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup white sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons yeast

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

1/3 cup butter, softened

3 ounces of cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon salt

1. In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in warm milk. Mix in the sugar, melted butter, salt, and eggs. Add flour and mix well.
2. Knead the dough into a ball, but don't over work it! Put in a bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size.
3. Mix together brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.
4. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a 16x21 inch rectangle. {we put plastic wrap on the counter to prevent the dough from sticking in the humidity. and it worked like a charm!} 
5. Spread softened butter over dough and sprinkle the sugar and cinnamon mixture evenly. 
6. Roll up dough and cut into 12 equal pieces. About 1.5-2 inches wide.
7. Place rolls in lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish, about 1-2 inches apart. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled in size. Preheat oven to 400 F.
8. Combine cream cheese, 1/4 cup butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla extract and salt in a small bowl. Mix well.
9. BAKE rolls in preheated oven until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Spread with frosting.
   And ENJOY!

They were seriously the best cinnamon rolls I have had in a LONG time!

You have got to try this recipe!!

Weekend + choc cookie sandwich recipe!

On Saturday I had an engagement shoot with this cute couple...

I seriously had a blast! Stay tuned for more from this fun shoot!

And today, we had dinner with some friends. It was so much fun!

I was in charge of making dessert....and this is what I made:

Oreo cookie sandwiches (at least that's what I'm calling it...)

They were a hit!! :D

And its super easy!!

here's how you can make your own:

Oreo Cookie Sandwich

Cookies:

1 box of chocolate cake mix

2 eggs

1 stick of butter (room temp)

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup chocolate chips (optional)

• Cream butter, eggs and vanilla together in a bowl. Add oil and cake mix, and mix until smooth. Add chocolate chips if desired.
• Spoon about a 1-1.5 inch ball of cookie dough onto baking sheet 2 inches apart. (it helps if you have a small, 1.5 inch, ice cream scoop for this to make the dough even size and shape)
• Bake in preheated 350F oven for 8-10 minutes. Cool on baking sheet before removing.

Frosting:

1 (8 oz) box of cream cheese (softened)

1 stick of butter (softened)

1 tsp vanilla

1 lb powdered sugar

[I ran out of powdered sugar, so I only used about 1/2-3/4 lb, and it was still super sweet and yummy!]

• Cream butter and cream cheese together in a med size bowl. Add the vanilla, then slowly stir in powdered sugar.
• Spoon a small amount of the frosting mixture onto one cookie, 1-2 Tbsp, then squish it down with another cookie until frosting is flush with the edge of cookies.

And of course, ENJOY!

♥ Happy Valentine's Day ♥

This morning I woke up to this.....

My sneaky boys woke up extra early to make sure that this was a complete surprise!

...and it totally was :D

A handmade card....made with love and filled with sweet messages....

and the best gift of all...

sweet kisses from my little boy ♥

 In return, Chad came home to this yummy goodness....

OK, ready for this??....They are White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Magic Bars from Baking Bites!

YUM-O

Hubby's favorite treats include anything with white chocolate, condensed milk, and/or coconut....so this was THE PERFECT dessert! - really, it's so good!

Here is the recipe:

1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup quick-cooking oatmeal
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup roasted, salted macadamia nuts, coarsely chopped
1 cup shredded coconut, sweetened or unsweetened
1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk

 Preheat oven to 350F.

• Mix together graham cracker crumbs, oatmeal, and melted butter; Press into even layer in a lightly greased 8x8 baking pan.
• Layer evenly in the following order: first the white chocolate chips, then macadamia nuts, followed by coconut, and topped off with condensed milk (pour evenly over everything).
• Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until coconut is golden brown.
• Cool completely before cutting.
  
  *Makes 16-20 bars*

 

 

I hope that everyone had a fabulous Valentine's Day!!!

♥  ♥  ♥  ♥  ♥

Pizza Pizza Pizza!

Just the other night (at girl's night), I had Papa Murphy's Mediterranean Chicken Pizza for the first time, and I fell in love! It was soooo good....but on a poor-college-student budget, not so affordable on a regular basis... :(

BUT I came up with a solution! MAKE IT myself :D

I searched high and low for copycat recipes of the crust and toppings for this delicious pizza and I found 2 (not 1, but TWO) websites that gave me some great tips! I am going to share them with you, here!

For the CRISPY crust: {I LOVE crispy crust pizzas!}

(from GreatPizzaRecipes) with a few of my own adjustments ;)

Ingredients:

• 1 ¼ cups warm water
• 1 packet active dry yeast
• 1 ¼ tablespoons sugar
• 3 ¼ cups flour
• ½ teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. mix the water, yeast, and sugar in a glass bowl - allow to sit for 8-10 minutes
2. place flour and salt in a mixing bowl, mix/sift together
3. add liquid to flour mixture and mix for 4-6 minutes (the end result should be slightly sticky and firm - adjust with flour/water)
4. cover and allow to rise for 1 1/2 hours in a warm place {I turned the oven on LOW and put it in there after turning the heat off}
5. put on 14-inch pizza sheet for thick crust and 16-inch for thin crust {I actually cut the dough in HALF and made 2 very THIN crust pizzas on 14-in pizza pans}
6. top with desired toppings (below), bake for 10-15 minutes (or until golden brown and crispy) on 450 degrees.

For topping:
(from TammysRecipes) for the papa murphy's take-and-bake pizza
Sauce Ingredients: {mix and spread over dough}

• 1/3 cup Light or Fat Free Italian salad dressing
• 2-3 cloves minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• dash of black pepper

Toppings: {sprinkle on sauced dough in order listed}

• 3-4 cups (12-16 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1-2 cups cooked cubed chicken breast
• 1/3 cup Sun Dried tomatoes
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1/3 cup diced onions, optional
• 1 cup (or one small handful) fresh baby spinach leaves
• 1 medium-large Roma tomato, diced

This time, I didn't have very many of the ingredients listed here, so I (once again) improvised!

I made a sauce with a can of Italian diced tomatoes, sprinkled sauteed chicken/onions/green peppers, and topped it off with sliced fresh vine tomatoes and mozzarella cheese! It was still SOOO good!
Here are some pics of the masterpiece:

Fresh out of the oven! - YUMMY!

Close-up {with some grated Parmesan cheese}

I ran out of cheese on the second one, so there's only a little on it, but it was still tasty!

I highly recommend making your own pizzas!

It's so simple, soooo much cheaper, and it's completely customizable to your liking!!

It doesn't get much better than this :D