We went out to eat this week at a local Mexican Restaurant . My cute Aunt Diane was out here from Utah for a quick visit. She is the super bubbly, generous, funny, and loving type. We were all happy to spend some time with her and soak up her enthusiasm for life. We were sitting in the restaurant catching up and perusing the menu when we decided that we should definitely order the queso dip as an appetizer. As I started to order for myself and then my kids, the queso dip somehow got lost in the back of my mind. It never got ordered. Never fear! I decided to make it the next day to fill that craving! It is fantastic served immediately after being done cooking. Get your favorite tortilla chips and enjoy this warm, cheesy, tasty dip. And a word to the wise: After chopping your jalapeno pepper, wash your hands! I know from first hand experience. I almost lost an eye last night! Ouch!

Restaurant Style Queso Dip

• 1 tablespoon butter or olive oil
• 1/3 cup white onion, finely diced
• 1 large jalapeno, seeds and stem removed, finely diced
• 12 ounce white American cheese, shredded
• 4 ounce Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded
• 1/2 to 1 cup cream, half-and-half, or whole milk
• 2 roma tomatoes, seeds removed and diced
• 1 small bunch cilantro, roughly chopped

Heat butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Saute the onion and pepper until softened and reduce heat to medium-low. Stir in the shredded cheese and 1/4 cup of the cream.  Quickly stir until the cheese is melted. Add the tomatoes, cilantro, and additional cream a little at a time until you reach desired consistency.  Serve immediately with tortilla chips

The No Bake Cookie. The easiest cookie to make known to man, right? Since we had such a huge response with the Homemade Luna Bars (sweetened with agave nectar), I thought we would give the agave another shake with these delicious no bake cookies. I am by no means claiming these to be “healthy.” But agave is such is a good alternative to white sugar. Agave does not give your blood a spike and then crash like a good dose of white sugar will do. That really appeals to me since I have a 3 and a 5 year old who are sugaraholics. (Love to deal with them 15 minutes after eating a popsicle) Aren’t those sugar crashes fun? Agave Nectar can also be a good source for iron, soluble fiber, and calcium. While I am no expert on agave, I do have to say that it seems to be a “healthier” choice than white sugar and I will try to use it more often!

No Bake Cookies 

• 3/4 cup agave nectar
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup chunky peanut butter (I also have used creamy)
• 3 – 3 1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• pinch of salt

Put rolled oats in a medium sized mixing bowl and set aside. In a medium sauce pan on medium heat, mix agave nectar and cocoa. Add milk and butter. Stir constantly over medium heat, and bring to a boil. Boil for one minute. Remove from heat. Stir in peanut butter, vanilla, salt. Poor chocolate mixture over rolled oats. Stir until combined. If mixture is too runny, add more oats. Drop by spoonfuls onto parchment lined cookie sheets. Put in the fridge for about 30 minutes to let cookies set. Yields about 18 one inch cookies.

One of my favorite quick and easy dinners is chicken tacos. Throw the chicken in the crock pot in the morning with some spices and water, and by dinnertime you have yummy, seasoned chicken for many nights to come! This week was Quinn’s birthday (February is a big month in our household) so for the family party I kept it simple with chicken tacos!

Seasoned Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken

• 4-5 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• 4 cups water
• 2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 2 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon dry oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin powder

Place chicken in crock pot. (frozen or thawed) In a large mixing bowl combine water with ALL the remaining ingredients. Stir until well combined and then dump on the chicken. Cook in crock pot for 4-6 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low. I like to shred the chicken about an hour before I am going to serve it so that it can soak in all the spices. I simply give it a quick shred in the crock pot then put the lid back on. Transfer to mixing bowl when ready to serve and give it a good shred. Use for chicken tacos, soups, salads, etc.

I had the best time this past weekend. Me and a couple of girlfriends drove up to beautiful Sedona, Arizona and spent the weekend. We had gourmet meals, went shopping, received massages at the hotel Spa, and oh, there was that half marathon we ran. We leisurely made our way back to the real world on Sunday afternoon, but stopped for a quick lunch at Nordstrom’s Cafe on the way home. Coincidentally, we all ordered the Magic Bar for dessert! I feel like this is one of those desserts that is an oldie, but a goodie! My husband loves them, I love them, it is a win win. If you’ve never had one, you have been missing out. They are gooey and sweet and irresistible. In case you don’t have a good tried and true Magic Bar recipe, this is the one!

Magic Bars

• 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1 stick butter, melted
• 1 cup chopped walnuts (or pecans)
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup butterscotch chips
• 1 1/2 cups sweetened coconut flakes
• 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small mixing bowl combine graham cracker crumbs and melted butter. Press graham cracker mixture into the bottom of a 9×13 pan. Poor the sweetened condensed milk over the graham cracker crust. Then sprinkle walnuts, chocolate chips, butterscotch chips and coconut flakes on top. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown on top. Let cool at least 20 minutes and then cut into squares.

It’s THEE Lucy Jane’s Birthday today! She is turning 3. She is happy and social and oh so girly! When I asked her what kind of cake she wanted for her birthday, without hesitation she answered, “strawberry cupcakes.” So Lucy and I spent the afternoon making her birthday strawberry cupcakes. (She loves to bake like her momma.)

Here is what we came up with:

I used my Vanilla Cupcake recipe and topped it off with a strawberry frosting and fresh strawberries on top. We just finished devouring them and they are so delish! The strawberry frosting tastes just like strawberries ‘n’ cream ice cream. This is a definite must for a good old fashioned summertime treat! (which starts here in AZ in about 2 months!)

Strawberry Frosting

• 2 sticks butter, slightly softened
• 6-8 fresh, large strawberries (puree’d)
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 2 Tablespoons milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• fresh strawberries (for garnish)

Cream butter in mixer for 4 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add 2 cups powdered sugar and milk. Mix until combined. Then add strawberry puree and add the remaining powdered sugar. Mix well.

So what is a baby shower without a little something your guests can take home? Jordan almonds perhaps? (One of my faves!) Or maybe a cute decorated sugar cookie? I decided on a homemade brown sugar scrub. So easy to make and definitely affordable! And did I mention that Shannon was actually out here this weekend for a visit? So I put her to work! We tested our homemade recipe and made a few changes, but it turned out great. (she was nicknamed “The Drizzler” because her job was to drizzle the oil on the sugar mixture.) Seems like an easy task, right? After trial and error, Shannon came up with the perfect sugar to oil ratio. Good job, Drizzler!

So here is the easiest,affordable baby shower favor! And in case you are wondering, it works super fabulous! The sweet almond oil softens the skin, and the sugar is an amazing exfoliator! I have the softest elbows and heels on the block! Maybe there are no baby showers in your future, I still say make some of this to enjoy in your own shower or tub!  (To fill 24 half pint jars, I made about 6 batches of this scrub)

Brown Sugar Scrub

• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1-2 teaspoon vanilla extract (for smell purposes!)
• 1-2 (8 ounce bottles) sweet almond oil
• mason jars (choose a size you like! I used wide mouth half pint jars)

In a large mixing bowl combine brown sugar, white sugar and vanilla. Mix well. Transfer sugar mixture into single mason jars. Drizzle the almond oil on top of the sugar mixture until coated, then drizzle a wee bit more. Use a fork to combine oil into sugar mixture. (if you like a less oily scrub, use less almond oil. If you find you like it more oily, add some more) Put lids on mason jars and close tightly.

I wanted the treat for the baby shower to be sweet and simple. Nothing too overwhelming because it was at 10 in the morning, but something cute and dainty. So it was an easy choice to go with a mini vanilla cupcake. I used buttercream frosting and died it pink. And honestly, these cupcakes are delicious enough to stand on their own without the frosting! But I am a frosting lover, so I piled it on!

Basic Vanilla Cupcake

• 2 sticks butter, room temperature
• 2 cups sugar
• 3 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 cup cour cream
• 2/3 cup buttermilk or milk
• 2 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. (about 4 minutes) Add the eggs 2 at a time and mix until combined. Then add the sour cream and vanilla. Beat until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula and add buttermilk/milk. Beat on meduim low for one minute. In a medium mixing bowl, sift together flour, salt and baking soda. Add flour mixture to batter and mix until combined.

Line a muffin tray with cupcake liners and fill 2/3 full with batter. Bake 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. For mini cupcakes, bake for 10-12 minutes.

Butter Cream Frosting

• 2 sticks butter, room temperature
• 8 cups powderes sugar
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 teaspoon vanilla

Beat butter in mixer for 4 minutes. Then add 4 cups of the powdered sugar, a splash of milk and the vanilla. Mix on medium until the sugar is combined. Then add the powdered sugar one cup at a time, adding milk to get the consistency you want. (for thicker frosting you will not use the whole 1/2 cup of milk. For thinner frosting you will use the entire 1/2 cup) For these cupcakes I added about 8 drops of pink food coloring.

Mini cinnamon rolls

Broccoli Ham Crustless Quiche

Mini Muffins (assorted)

Fruit Platter

Pinky Punch

Water

I didn’t get as many pictures as I would have liked, but you get the idea! For added touches to the water, I made my own labels. The labels were printed on a thick scrapbook paper that I found at Michael’s and they said “G is for Girl.” The punch recipe was a light and refreshing drink.

Pinky Punch

• 64 ounces of Apple juice
• 64 ounces Cranberry juice
• 1 liter of Gingerale
• ice

The main dishes were breakfast food and as always the Cinnamon Rolls were a hit! They never disappoint! Go HERE to make them, too!

And lastly, the recipe for the Crustless Quiche. It is made in a 9×13 pan, but I was trying to keep with the theme of “finger foods”, so I cut the quiche into mini size portion using a biscuit cutter. It turned out cute and it was easy to serve. The biscuit cutter is from a set of 5 that my mom gave me as a gift from Sur la Table. They are now a must have in my kitchen! I use them all the time! Go HERE to check them out!

Broccoli Ham Crustless Quiche

• 12 eggs
• 1 pint cottage cheese
• 1 cup sour cream
• 5 Tablespoons flour
• 8-12 ounce ham steak, cubed
• 3 cup broccoli floweretees, blanched
• 2 cup chopped fresh mushrooms
• 1 cup onion
• 3 cups grated cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl beat together eggs, cottage cheese, sour cream and flour. In a medium saucepan saute mushrooms and onion until cooked. (about 5 minutes) Grease a 9×13 baking dish. (I used spray vegetable oil) Put the cubed ham steak in an even layer on the bottom of the dish. Then layer mushroom/onions and broccoli. Then sprinkle the cheese over the veggies. Pour egg mixture over the top and bake for 45 minutes. (insert toothpick in the middle to make sure the eggs are cooked all the way through. Voila!

So with the assorted muffins I ended up cheating a bit. I asked a friend to bring them from a store! I was running out of time and knew I wouldn’t have time to make them! But I promise to post an amazing lemon muffin recipe soon! Yum!

Started by making these adorable pom poms…

I am seeing these pom poms all over the place and love them! Thank you Martha Steward for your easy tutorial! Go HERE if you want to make some, too! I hung 6 of them from our ceiling, and they added such flare and happy girl vibes, that I was sad to take them down.

For the table decor, I chose to use simple pink and white gerbera flowers dispursed thoroughout the house in decorated mason jars. So easy! I bought the large mason jars at my grocery store and wrapped a piece of burlap around them (hot glued the ends together). Then I tied a satin ribbon around the burlap.

So, I wanted to do something different for the outside of the house. Ya know, people usually just get a bunch of pink balloons and tie them up out front? I am fine with balloons, but wanted to try something different. Wow, check these out!!

They are ballon flowers! Go HERE if you want to make them, too! Found these babies on Pinterest. Cheap, easy and dang cute! It was really windy the day of the shower (of course!) and so it was hard to capture a good picture. I put one flower balloon on my front door and 2 out front on either side of the garage. It was a cute way to let people know where the party was!!

I am in the process of gutting and rebuilding my kitchen.  This picture was taken part way through day 1 of what will be a 6 week process!

I am so excited to be at the end of it though!  Say good bye to those nasty tile counter tops with grout that was entirely to difficult to keep clean.  All the bleach and scrubbing in the world couldn’t do it.  Hurray for the granite that will soon grace the counter tops!

Day 2 looked a little something like this.  There is something about knowing that EVERYTHING in my kitchen will be new.  For those of you who live close to me, you know exactly what I mean.  For those of you who don’t, let me explain…

I live in a cute little neighborhood in Northern California, just outside of San Francisco.  This neighborhood is considered by realtors, and all who live here to be highly desirable and sought after for any number of reasons (schools, proximity to the city, safety, great dining, great extra curricular activities, family oriented… I could go on and on but you get the idea).  So, yes it’s a great neighborhood, but it was built in the late 60′s early 70′s… over 40 years ago.  And let’s face it, the 70′s aren’t know for the architectural beauty it produced and this neighborhood is a testament to that.  The houses are “cookie cutter”, in a bad way.  But we all love the neighborhood, so we remodel, we fix up, we do without that fancy 3,000 square foot brand new house, and we are ok with that, because we do love it here!  Now, that you understand that, you understand my great delight in having something “new”!  Cabinets that soft close instead of pulling completely out and dumping your silverware all over the floor… YES!  New glimmering hardwood flooring that isn’t buckling and warping at every joint… YES!  A sparkling stainless steel deep bowl sink that doesn’t require daily scrubbing with comet to keep clean… YES!  Recessed lighting and pendants over the island instead of flourescent box in a dropped ceiling… YES!  Stainless steel appliances… YES!  Gas cooktop… YES!!!!

Can you tell I’m excited??  Only 4 more weeks to go!

In the meantime, I’ll try to put a post up every now and again.  Keep in mind I am working with a toaster oven, a microwave and an electric skillet.  Handy little tools when you have no kitchen, but hardly enough to keep up with a food blog.  But if I stumble upon something great, I will post!

Luckily I have some great friends who will be bringing me meals and will be featured guest bloggers!!!  Last night Michele brought her signature dish, Chicken Enchiladas, and they were, as always, delicious!  I even have some left over for my lunch today!

Thanks for sticking with me through the process, I will keep you updated, and I promise there will be great things to come when my new kitchen is up and running!!!!