wish list wednesday

What am I wishing for this Wednesday?

* That I lived closer to an Ikea. Shipping from that place is insane!

* Some sunshine. This rain is for the birds!

* A cake just like this one for my birthday (it's Saturday!).

* I think the twins would love Jacques the French Baguette!

* If I could tell time, I would wear this watch every day.

What's your wish?

wish list wednesday

What am I wishing for this Wednesday?

* These riesling strawberry slushies look so delish!

* One of these floppy hats for upcoming beach trips. I very much like the yellow one.

* These wedges look like a perfect height!

* How excited are we that one-pieces are back? This one would be especially flattering!

* That I were near a pool right now.

What's your wish?

i love cheese

image from here

So, maybe I'll make this soon.

What are you doing this weekend? I'm going to see the Avett Brothers with Mary-Kathryn! I'm stoked!

recipe round-up...

via

…and how I adapted (one of) them.



I typically don’t love a baked bean, but this version was pretty delicious. I liked the back of the stirring spoon (and put it promptly in the sink, of course).


These green beans were a pretty, dressed up way to serve the side staple. Be sure to use fresh, not canned, beans, and salt them VERY well when you blanch them.

I gave up dessert for Lent, but this No Bake Strawberry “Cake” was simple and delicious, according to the Mr. The homemade whipped cream is the only way to do this. I left off the ganache.

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread is a great way to use up spotty bananas that no one will eat but me.

I’m a mac and cheese connoisseur, and this Five-Minute Microwave Mac was GOOD. If you shred your own cheese like I did, be sure you toss it with a teaspoon of flour to keep the cheese from getting lumpy. I added a teaspoon each of onion powder, ground mustard and white pepper. After the time in the microwave, I transferred to a fancier dish and topped it with some extra cheese and some panko bread crumbs and baked it at 400 degrees or so until the top browned.

You can find more recipes like these on my Delicious Dish Pinterest board!

Happy Monday. If there is such a thing.

wish list wednesday

What am I wishing for this Wednesday?


photo from HowSweetItIs


* Dry shampoo for curly hair. Is there such a thing?

* The J.Crew No.2 pencil skirt. How great is the citron color?

* That this humid weather would hit the road! It's too early for frizz like this.

* That these shams came in king-size. This king bedding stuff is hard!

* Garlic Bread Pizza Crust counts as breakfast, right?

What's your wish?

chicken and mushrooms in a garlic white wine sauce

Can you guess by the title what this post is about? I'm hilarious.

I recently mentioned I’m back to square one on Weight Watchers. My eating has gotten a little out of control, and I’d gotten lackadaisical about the whole thing. So, I’m getting back on the wagon – counting points and tracking and everything. It’s tedious, yes, but I’ll admit my personality thrives under such structure.

WW does a great job of informing you of generic food values and even the points of restaurants, but their recipes on the website are iffy at best. They have weird ingredients and almost never look appetizing to me. No thank you, I do not care for any Autumn Fruit with Tofu Whipped Topping (yes, that’s a real recipe). But I would love a Nutella-Banana Wonton.

As you know, there is no shortage of cooking websites out there, but not too many are healthy, and the ones that actually figure out the points for you (this lazy girl’s dream come true) are even harder to find. Enter SkinnyTaste. This is one of the best blogs out there for healthy cooking if you ask me, and her recipes are delicious. Even better, the ingredients are totally normal! No tofu!

Here’s a new favorite at my house…

image from here, too!

Chicken and Mushrooms in a Garlic White Wine Sauce
Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings: 4
Serving Size: divide between 4
Old Points: 4 pts • Points+: 6 pts

8 chicken tenderloins, 16 oz total
2 tsp butter
2 tsp olive oil
1 tbsp all-purpose flour* (use rice flour if gluten free)
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
12 oz sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup white wine
1/3 cup fat free chicken broth
salt and fresh pepper to taste
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 200°. Season chicken liberally with salt and pepper. Lightly dredge in flour.

Heat a large skillet on medium heat; when hot add 1 tsp butter and 1 tsp olive oil. Add chicken to the skillet and cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes on each side, or until chicken is no longer pink. Set aside in a warm oven.

Add additional oil and butter to the skillet, then garlic and cook a few seconds; add mushrooms, salt and pepper stirring occasionally until golden, about 5 minutes.

Add wine, chicken broth, parsley; stir the pan with a wooden spoon breaking up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
Cook a few more minutes or until the liquid reduces by half.

Top the chicken with the mushroom sauce and serve.

What’s your favorite foodie site?

wish list wednesday

What am I wishing for this Wednesday?

* One of these candles for every room in my house. They are divine!

* That this cordless mouse wasn't so wonky.

* To try some of this beer risotto. Would you make it?

* How cute is this dog wrapping paper?

* That I hadn't eaten so much at Ubon's today. But it was worth it!

What's your wish?

diet sprite cupcakes

(sorry about the Christmas liner)

I've recently decided that my eating is out of control. Seriously. I don't know who I think I am. Certainly not Giselle or SJP.

So in an effort to get going on WW again (go J-Hud!) and make the most of my day off, this afternoon I tried a recipe for Diet Soda Cake.

Success is a 2 point cupcake!

All I did was mix a box of strawberry cake mix with a can of Sprite Zero (per skinnytaste) and baked them per package instructions. The taste was exactly like a regular cupcake, I tell you! And what's a little cake without frosting? I mixed a couple of tablespoons of Fat Free Cool Whip with a drop or two of almond extract (makes it taste more indulgent and less Cool Whippy) and a few slices of strawberry and voila! A pretty little cupcake without the eater's remorse.

What are your favorite lightened-up recipes?

wish list wednesday

What am I wishing for this Wednesday?

* I'm not afraid of the dark, but for this nightlight, I could fake it!

* Sir Paul's new CD. The man's still got it!

* That Uggs were work-appropriate.

* How cute are these red cropped pants? I actually wish I had them on right now.

* Some Spicy Parmesan Shrimp. That'd be fine for breakfast, right?

What's your wish?

homemade is better

Wow! I sure have neglected you. Between traveling for work and helping with showers and supper club, needless to say my little blog has suffered. But fear not - I'm back and with a Delicious Dish! Does that make up for lost time?

After this weekend (see above paragraph), I am a 100% believer in homemade frosting. You know how the canned stuff kind of makes your teeth hurt because it's so sweet? Well, homemade is the way to go. No diggity.

I made this frosting yesterday and used this cake pan for a fun birthday for a friend, and it is incredible. I'd recommend starting with less evap milk if you want something a little stiffer, like for piping. If you need to thicken it, use more sugar or cocoa powder.

Creamy Chocolate Frosting (image from there, too!)

Ingredients


2 3/4 cups confectioners' sugar
6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
6 tablespoons butter
5 tablespoons evaporated milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1.In a medium bowl, sift together the confectioners' sugar and cocoa, and set aside.

2.In a large bowl, cream butter until smooth, then gradually beat in sugar mixture alternately with evaporated milk. Blend in vanilla. Beat until light and fluffy. If necessary, adjust consistency with more milk or sugar.

There you have it. Go forth and lick spatulas.

wish list wednesday

What am I wishing for this Wednesday?

* That Harris would hurry home from her honeymoon!

* A cupcake from Muddy's Bake Shop in Memphis. Just go.

* A white blazer. Maybe like this one?

* Some Peanut Butter Cup Popcorn. Could you die?

* How about some snow?

What's your wish?

look at these nuts!

Here are a couple of last-minute nut recipes for gifts, gatherings or gorging.

Freddie's Chocolate Peanut Clusters

12 oz white chocolate chips (did you know white chocolate isn't chocolate at all?)
12 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 lb. salted peanuts

Combine and melt in microwave (2-3 minutes, checking every 30 seconds to make sure it doesn't burn) stir until no lumps. Mix in peanuts and spoon clumps onto wax paper on cookie sheets. Chill to harden and serve.

Rosemary Roasted Cashews

1 1/4 pounds cashew nuts
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
2 teaspoons dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon melted butter

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Place the nuts on an ungreased baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes until they are warmed through. Meanwhile, combine the rosemary, pepper, sugar, salt and butter in a large bowl. Toss the warm nuts with the rosemary mixture until the nuts are completely coated. Serve warm.

**Update: I made these last night, and they are AWESOME! Don't get the salted cashews - look for the unsalted ones. It makes a difference. PS - after you take the cashews out of the oven, toss them in the butter first to coat. Then, toss with the rosemary mixture. That will help the spices stick.

Happy Christmas!

Christmas dessert party

I had a little Christmas party at my house Friday for my mom, aunt and cousin, and we had a great time! They shopped (I have no money with which to shop), we opened presents and giggled a lot. Isn’t that what family is all about?

As I tend to do, I went a tad overboard with the after-lunch desserts. Here’s what I made if you’d like to know…

Christmas Potpourri
Ok, obviously we didn’t eat this, but it made my house smell like Christmas! Isn’t it funny how certain scents just mean something? This mix you can make once, leave it out and turn the stove on whenever you want; just add water when it needs it! Next year, I think I’ll use a little baby crock pot so I don’t have one eye out of commission on my stove.

Red Velvet Mini Cupcakes (no pic)

Truthfully, I can’t tell if I bombed these or if I just didn’t like the recipe. Red Velvet is my favorite cake flavor, and I really wanted these to be the star of my little show. I have to admit I killed it on the frosting, but the cake part blew. My kitchen sink looked like someone tried to cover up a murder with all the blood-red batter everywhere. Next time I’m using this recipe. I might do that this week to try to redeem myself in my mind.

Mini Treasure Brownies

These are such an old stand-by recipe for me. I made them for a party a couple of years ago, and they were so easy and popular, I’ve made them many times since. The name is kind of stupid, so I’d love to change that if you can think of something good. This go-round, I used Reese’s cups and those peppermint Hershey’s Kisses. Festive!

Angel Food Cake Skewers

I pinned these a while ago, and wouldn’t you know, there’s not a recipe attached to the pin – just a picture. Oh well, not like a monkey couldn’t figure these out. But for your convenience, here’s what I did:

½ of a store-bought angel food cake

1 pint strawberries, washed and stems removed

Nutella (duh)

Short skewers (they were about 7-8”)

I cut 1-inch slices of the angel food cake and cut those slices in half. Then I “broke” the slices into cubes – that was much easier than trying to cut with a knife. On each skewer, I put 3 cubes of cake with a strawberry between each cube (that’s 2 if you’re counting). I laid out all the skewers on wax paper and heated some Nutella in a double boiler (Don’t even think about trying to heat it in the microwave. It’s a disaster, plus you just waste good Nutella – a crime punishable by death). When it had loosened up some, I poured the Nutella into a small Ziploc bag and cut a tiny corner off. I then piped/drizzled the melted Nutella over the skewers and put them in the fridge until I was ready to serve them.

We listened to my playlist for the season, and there you go! A Christmas dessert party in a nutshell! Can you believe Jesus’s birthday is Sunday? I don't want it to come because then it's over!

wish list wednesday

What am I wishing for this Wednesday?

* How cute are these 12 Days of Christmas plates? (Even though I loathe the song...)

* To make some homemade marshmallows. This recipe looks like a good one. Fran swears it's easy...

* This super little glittery bag. It would be so hard not to carry it every day!

* This book spotted on A Cup of Jo. Dogs rule!

* A classic Christmas movie film festival with Rudolph, Charlie Brown, The Grinch (the original, NOT the Jim Carrey one...), Elf and Christmas Vacation. What are your faves?

What's your wish?

wish list wednesday

What am I wishing for this Wednesday?

* That someone would tell me to go home today. We got some snow this morning!

* I'm certain I could find a spot for these gold pinecones around my house. You could leave them out all winter!

* That there were such thing as Nutella chips. Probably good there's not (that I know of)...

* These awesome Uggs. They're actually cute!

* To come home to some of this Holiday Peppermint Bark. Hint, hint...

What's your wish?

look at those nuts!

Here are a couple of last-minute nut recipes for gatherings, gifts or gorging.

Freddie's Chocolate Peanut Clusters

12 oz white chocolate chips
12 oz semi sweet chocolate chips

Combine and melt in microwave (2-3 minutes, check every 20-30 seconds to make sure the chocolate doesnt burn) stir until no lumps. Mix in peanuts and spoon clumps onto wax paper on cookie sheets. Chill to harden and serve.

Ina's Rosemary Roasted Cashews

1 1/4 pounds cashew nuts
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
2 teaspoons dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon melted butter

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Place the nuts on an ungreased baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes until they are warmed through (keep an eye on them!). Meanwhile, combine the rosemary, pepper, sugar, salt and butter in a large bowl. Toss the warm nuts with the rosemary mixture until the nuts are completely coated. Serve warm.

Happy Christmas!

wish list wednesday

What am I wishing for this Wednesday?

image from here

* Motivation to run today. It's so much more fun to put on a sweatshirt and be a lazy bones.

* One of these sandwiches for lunch. It calls for two (yes, two) sticks of butter.

* To survive my Mistletoe Marketplace shifts this week. Those girls are INTENSE.

* The Delta Magazine Cookbook! I'm so excited it's finally out!

* One or two or all of the pieces from Kim Dulaney's Etsy shop, Fortune. (spotted on the ever-darling You Are My Fave).

What's your wish?

wish list wednesday

What am I wishing for this Wednesday?

image from here

* That my favorite foodie treats weren't the worst things for me! It should be completely acceptable to eat an entire baguette as a snack. Right, MK?

* This darling romper from my favorite local boutique in Ridgeland, Libby Story. I cannot quit looking at it!

* That I liked pumpkin. It's everywhere this time of year, and I feel left out.

* Cold enough weather to get to wear scarves like this one.

* Some of these pretzel tots. I don't love a regular crunchy pretzel, but I think I could get behind these.

What's your wish?

sweet

photo from here

Why are French fries so good? 

Ok, so I know why, but I just wish I didn't like them.  Honestly, I don't know if I've ever met a fry I didn't like.  I'm trying to think...

If I had my druthers, I would eat McDonald's fries every afternoon with a big Diet Dr. Pepper.  But since that's never going to happen, I decided to look for a more figure-friendly option.  Enter sweet potato fries.

Now of course I'd rather them be well, fried, but that's not going to happen.  So last night, I went on a search for a crispy, oven-baked, sweet potato fry recipe.  I found this one here, and had some success with it, but I am still not bowled over.

Suggestions?  What are your thoughts on sweet potato fries?

wish list wednesday

What am I wishing for this Wednesday?

* A couple of these wingback chairs for my living room.

* That Charlie was a therapy dog.  He'd be so great; don't you think?

* Chocolate Cinnamon Sugar pie crust?  I'll have two.

* This skirt for Harris's rehearsal dinner.  Oh.  My.  Sequins.

* A Shazam app for movies and TV.  Someone get on that, please.

What's your wish?