Hello Lovely...

So, as you may know, I have gotten the bug for baking and the only way I will bake is when I can give it to other people so as not to make it possible for me to eat it all myself. JL isn't a big-on-sweets guy unless it is really good, but I can eat anything whether it is fantastic or just ok (I believe I get that from my Mother who would insist we save the crispy cookies for her).

After my early morning blog reads I realized something, how incredibly wonderful it would be to have a Kitchenaid Mixer! There are multiple recipes I have come across that refer to using one but alas I don't have one... I do, however, have a hand mixer that has done well for now so as you can see this is simply a want sort of thing not a need, as of yet.

Then I came across this mixer, I have seen it in the stores and proceeded to pet it and just stare at it in amazement at how gorgeous it is. (I am not weird, just in love with cooking/baking appliances and utensils.) JL typically wanders off at that point or tells me I am being weird :)

Isn't she lovely???


Some day my lovely you will be mine!

Live, Laugh, Love

Hot times call for cool salads!

Sorry it has been a while since I have posted on the blog...

New things going on with us? Not a lot... Jose is now only working one job, which is a good thing but will make money issues even more tight with us. So, sorry to our friends but we will be even more boring now than before :/

I am trying to start up a cake and dessert catering business... Well not really, just doing it for fun. I have a couple of great standby recipes and am attempting more. The only difficulty I run into is the fact that I cannot make cakes all the time because then who will eat them? Me! That would be bad so for now I am making cakes for friends and family for birthdays or celebrations so I can practice the recipes and fine tune them and I can give them a gift that I know they will like :) So far I have made a Strawberry and Cream Cake, Mocha Mousse Filled Vanilla Cake and next up is a Cookies N Cream Cake. As you can see the recipes I have perfected are slim but I'm getting there!

Other than that we have been enjoying our time and trying to stay cool. Last night I couldn't figure out what to make for a side dish that wasn't the same boring thing but then realized I had cucumbers and sweet onion so why not some kind of cucumber salad? I didn't think Jose would like it, he is incredibly picky, but he DID!

Cucumber Salad
1 Cucumber peeled, sliced and halved (to make half-moon shapes)
1/4 to 1/2 sweet onion, sliced and quartered
2-3 T White balsamic vinegar (or white wine vinegar)
1 t sugar
Cajun Seasoning (or dill and salt or dijon mustard)

1. Soak the cucumbers and onions in salt water for about 5 to 10 minutes. This softens the cucumber and onion slightly without having to cook it. Drain and rinse well.

2. Combine the sugar, vinegar and spices and add to veggies.

3. Let sit for a minute or two and serve. I added avocado at the end and it was delicious!

Live, Laugh, Love & Enjoy!

Ready or Not!

The summer heat is here. Bringing to mind the delectable Italian pasta salad as a weekly option for dinner.

Italian Pasta Salad
1/2 box Plus Pasta cooked and cooled
1 carton cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
2 small cans of olives sliced, or you can use kalamata olives here
1 can marinated artichoke hearts cut in small pieces
1/2 small onion, diced
Mozzarella Cheese (to taste)cubed
Parmesan Cheese (to taste)
Italian Dressing (to taste)
Squeeze of lemon, for freshness

Combine all the ingredients and add as much of the cheese and Italian dressing as you would like.

I like to use Newton's Own Lite Italian dressing but if you prefer the full fat version, it is yummy too!

This is a recipe that can be adjusted and the measurements I gave were an estimate, typically I just go with the flow.

Additional ingredients can be broccoli, heirloom tomatoes, mushrooms, peppercinnis (sp?), and avocado.