'SCM' makes everything better.

It has been one hot mutha in the Lou already.  Around here with the heat comes sno-cones {aka snow balls, snowcones, snow cones, etc}.

Last year we bought an ice shaver.  It makes the ice fine enough to make our own version.  We have since collected lots of syrups {mostly from Target}, and sometimes do toppings like sprinkles, whipped cream, cherries, etc. 

We are all kind of obsessed with the 'cream tops' that most of the New Orleans style sno-cone stands offer around here.  I was thinking it wasn't attainable at home, and mostly had just decided it was something we could only get at our favorite local stand.

BUT...

with a little research and testing, we can now add it to our own 'options' list when we make them ourselves.

Enter the lead player: Sweetened Condensed Milk {SCM}

From what I understand, this is mainly a southern thing.  But, rest assured...once you give it a try, it will become a 'wherever-you-live' thing.

You can spoon it on top straight out of the can if you like, but we like it best mixed with a little milk.  I would guess I put about 2 TBSP. of milk to one can of SCM.

I just whisk it up...

and VOILA! 

After you make your sno-cone to your liking, you just spoon the SCM mixture on top.  That's it!  To make it extra fun, you can serve it in fun cups or paper cones with even cuter spoons or straws.

This time I did even more experimenting and tried a 'Viatnamese Coffee' sno-cone.  All I did was take Pioneer Woman Iced Coffee concentrate, pour it over the shaved ice, and added the cream top. 

So, so good!

I think next time, I may try just freezing some strong coffee in an ice cube tray, and actually shaving that, but it was still really good.  Definitely worth giving it a try.

Enjoy!

spoons: Sucre Shop

cups: {new old stock} Paper Treats

cones: Target

Yum!

You have to try this...

-whole wheat bread
-nutella
-peanut butter
-toasted marshmallow cream {yes, there IS such a thing}

I wanted to add some sliced banana, but, alas, we were plum out. 

It is soooooo good.  Guaranteed to turn a frown upside down.

One more thing...

if you have a spare moment go HERE.

My newest adventure is about to begin.  :)

Cooking! Food! Dancing!

I love to eat.

But, I will eat anything.  Junk, good stuff, meat, veggies, tofu.

In my quest to 'toiten' up, I am trying to eat better, and not snack.

Last night was pizza night.

I made my own concoction on a whole wheat tortilla.

A splash of good olive oil, a sprinkle of parmesan, and load of fresh stuff...onion, broccoli, spinach, shrooms, and tomatoes after it was baked at 350 for about 8-10 minutes.  Did I mention the goat cheese?

Just a few dabs here and there.

It was delish.

My husband and boys would never eat it.

Ever.

Sigh.

In order to keep a good thing going, 

I cut up a bunch of fruit and veggies and put them in the fridge ready to go.  

That's part of the problem.

Convenience.

If it's all ready to go, I'm way more inclined to eat it.

Also, I like to dance around while I'm cooking or baking.

This is a good song for that...

It's Friday...so DANCE!

A recipe.

I love curry.  I like it on fish or chicken, in chicken salad with grapes and walnuts, with coconut milk and rice, and now in a soup.

I've been making this soup for awhile now, but thought it was time I share it with all of you.  It isn't for everyone, but if you like curry, you will LOVE it. Best part is that a hearty serving is 264 calories, 7 g of fat, and 3 g of fiber.  Not bad.

The original recipe is from 'The Redwall Cookbook', based on the young-adult book series {which, by the way, is fantastically charming}.  It was then adapted for 'Family Circle' magazine, and then, of course, I've made a few changes.

You will need:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large onion
3-4 cloves of garlic, finely diced
4 medium leeks, washed well and chopped OR
5-6 stalks of celery finely diced
3 cups vegetable or chicken stock
6 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped
2 teaspoons curry powder
salt & pepper to taste
1 pound peeled, deveined, cooked shrimp
2 cups skim milk

In a large pot over medium heat, melt the butter.  Add the onion, garlic, and leeks or celery, stirring until soft, about 5 minutes.

Add vegetable or chicken stock, potatoes, curry, salt & pepper.  Cover and simmer until potatoes are soft, 15-20 minutes.

Remove pot from heat.  Immediately add shrimp and milk, gently heating through by adding it to the hot broth and potato mixture.

Enjoy {sometimes I serve it with really good, crusty bread}.

Sidenote:  If you don't have leeks {which I don't always have on hand}, I've discovered you can use celery.  I would imagine the celery version has fewer calories, too.  Although both ways are delicious, I prefer the leek version.  It must be the extra calories that have my heart.

Also, this is a doubled recipe of the original version.  It feeds my girls and me {the only ones that eat it in this house} for a good couple of days; dinner, lunch, then dinner again.

Bowls and more Spongebob.

Latte bowls.

Who doesn't love 'em?

We all know of her admiration for them.

And, I agree.

They are pretty wonderful.

Perfect size for the palm of your hand.

Soup, cereal, oats.

But, alas, I love the minis more.

They are great for little snacks; pretzels, cheerios, cheez-its, raisins.

And, the kids go nutty over them for ketchup or honey mustard.

Keeps the dip separate from all the other food, see?

Nice.

Anthroplogie only carries them in the store.

But, I HIGHLY recommend them.

In other, completely unrelated, news...

Tiny*Prints delivers once again.

The invitations for Rosie's party are great.

I straight stiched some hot pink tulle on Bob, and voila!

Spongebob pink tutu party!

Couldn't be happier.

happy 4th!

Be safe!

green deliciousness.

Pistachio ice cream...how I love thee?

With your beautiful green creaminess.

Your sweet, unique flavor.

In a cone, in a bowl, with a little honey.

No matter.

You rock my world.

Unfortunately, my love,

you make my butt AND my gut

fatty-ginormous!

But,

for better or worse,

you're the only ice cream for me.

Forever.

Ice cream + summer=heaven on earth

Fondant: postive & negative (and, other party business).

So, I settled on a 'theme' for Betsy's big birthday #5! I didn't want anything to0 tacky, or too commercial, or just plain stoooooopid. I stumbled upon this lovely little paper website, Imprintables. I fell head over heels for their 'apple' birthday(see the invite here and the party here), but, I'll be honest, I didn't want to shell out the bucks for the invites. What's a girl to do? I know. Make my own! Using picnik.com, I whipped those puppies up in about 10 minutes, along with favor tags, thank yous, and return address labels. All feature that plump, green apple, and that beautiful green & turquoise damask. Love, love, love!

I have a whole 'apple' inspired menu...

mini ham & white cheddar with apple butter panini sandwiches

beer & cheddar fondue with sliced green apples & assorted breads

apple chips with caramel dip

apple lemonade

Jones Soda ~ green apple and blue bubble gum

cider ~ for the adults ;)

green candied apples for favors

And, what apple party would be complete without bobbing for apples? Who says that's a fall only acitivity?

Decor will include apple green and turquoise tissue poms hanging EVERYWHERE. I also think we will be doing a balloon release. Maybe I'll even make a pennant banner in coordinating fabrics. Hmmmm? I'm also going to make the birthday girl a pillow case dress out of some really cute fabrics I found on etsy...lime green faux bois and an apple print for a darling apple applique (say that three times fast). I can't wait to see it all come together!

I also, really, wanted to make the cake for this occasion. I have been wanting to try fondant for awhile, and thought this would be a good opportunity to do so. Let me stop here, and say that I, personally, think fondant tastes like poo. But, it is just so darn purdy! The clean, crisp look you get is unattainable with butter cream, and the sculptural things you can do with it are amazing. So, with this cake it's all about aesthetics over taste. Well, not entirely. The cake itself will be caramel apple with caramel butter cream. In fact, you need a nice layer of butter cream for the fondant to 'stick'. And, when you get a big, fat piece of fondant covered cake, you simply peel the fondant off like peeling an orange to get to the fruit. See? It's not all bad.

We will have prettiness AND goooooooood cake! The best of both worlds!

Did I mention how much I would LOVE to plan parties for a living? I 'heart' the details!

Party pics coming in August!

We love our daddys!

See y'all Monday!

The transformation and somethin' sweet.

Seriously. Can you believe it? You could actually roller skate down there. It is fantastic. I'm lovin' the curtains I made to cover all of our storage containers. They were super easy. $8 flat sheets from Wal-Mart (did I ever tell you I HATE Wal-Mart?), an eyelet kit, some thick wire/cable, some hooks, and voila! The other cool part is we left some space between the curtains and the shelves, so, now, the kids can even use the curtains for "performances" or whatever else lil' kids can come up while employing the use of floor to ceiling draperies. Sha-weet, huh? Geez, I feel so much better!

PS make this...

pound cake

chocolate reddi-whip

raspberries

melted nutella drizzled over the top

yum!

See Ya!

an affair to remember.

I am in love. It is a love that is deep, passionate, full, and unfortunately, a bit one sided. Where as I revere the object of my affection to the inner most chambers of my heart, my love seems to have other plans. Not only does my obsession not have the same lustful feelings as I, but it has launched an offensive attack to big for me to wrap my brain around.

I love food. All kinds. It is this non-discriminatory approach to it that seems to be the problem. I could eat troughs of veggies and fish, but also Cheetos, candy, Oreos, red meat...you name it. Fried, sauteed, baked, grilled, seared. I don't care, just give it to me and give it to me now.

And, like all illicit affairs, it is not coming to a pretty end. But, rather, things seem to be spiraling out of control. The more I want to stop, the more the lust and passion take over. But food in vast quantities is no friend of mine. It knows right where to strike; butt, thighs, abdomen. You name it, it's working its magic; saddle bags, cellulite, muffin top, junk in the trunk.

Ah, but alas, what's a girl to do? One cannot help who (or what) they fall in love with. It is an unavoidable force of nature. So, the infatuation will go on. In the meantime, I am praying that the pilates will help offset the calorie intake. Keep your fingers crossed.

Bon appetit!

Mooooooo.

My new obsession comes in a round container. It is ooey-gooey, and yummy, and only 3 grams of fat and 35 calories per serving. Paired with fat-free saltines it is like a masterpiece made especially for your taste buds. When I see that cow looking at me with that perfect, coy grin, it's as if, his big bovine eyes are piercing right into the core of my being. That silly cow draws me in like a moth to a flame. It is a yearning that is more than a yearning, it seems to have become a need. Something that if left undone will surely mean the end to my existence as I know it. I rue the day that they stop making this pasteurized goodness. I pray that day never comes. Until then, I am trying with all of my might to limit my intake to one container a week. But, that darn, Laughing Cow seems to get me every time.

Merci, France!

Orange ya happy?

It must have been awhile since I have given the girls an orange, because you would have thought I served them 17 chocolate bars on a platter for lunch, instead of PBJs and goldfish crackers with a side of orange slices. WOWZA! The sheer joy that a piece fruit can bring!

It's the simple things.

Peace Out!

Guys and chicken.

I love that guy, up there. ^^^^^^^^^ Go here , here, here, here, here, here, here or here and you will, too.

And, seriously, that is just a speck of that handsome, Irishman's talent. Seriously.

(I'll even include some Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears covers for you pop fans.)

BUT,

I love that guy below, even more. A lot, a lot more.

A lot.

Love you, Jake!

Incidentally, I also love fried chicken. So, that's what we're having for dinner.

Happy Prez Day!

What bliss looks like...

to calm the storm that is ME this morning, i made this...

whole wheat bread

marshmallow fluff

bananas

peanut butter

ahhhhhhhh...

now, that's what i'm talkin' about!

Have a GREAT weekend!

Super Bowl, Shmuper Bowl.

While most of you are interested in this...

image from 'cbcsports.ca'

I prefer to focus my attention on this...

image from 'Chef Louise'

and this...

image from 'Da Pasquale'

and, even, this...

image from 'Kenny's Gallery' on Picasa Web Albums

Obviously, I am no idiot.

Happy Super Bowl!

Yes, I'm OFFICIALLY feeling better.

But,

because it was Nestle Toll House kind of morning...

I think it will be a green kind of afternoon.

Maybe a little goat cheese, almonds, pomegranate dressing.
Yum.

ps go here and be thankful for the health of your family, and to learn why you should pray for little Tuesday. It makes my post today just seem silly.

Peace out!