Recipe: Guacamole!

Let me begin by saying...I LOVE Mexican food. I could eat chips and salsa for every meal! When I am feeling extra feisty, I will whip up some guacamole.

Ingredients:

3 ripe avocados

1 small tomato

1/2 small white onion

2 cloves minced garlic

lime juice

salt

Start by slicing all of the avocados in half. Remove the pit, and spoon out of the skin. Place the peeled avocados in a bowl.

Finely chop the tomato, onion, and garlic. Add to the avocados.

My mom swears by this all-natural sea salt. Any type of salt will work great though. Just season to taste.

Mash the mixture together (we use a potato masher, but a fork works too). Squeeze a little lime juice over the top and enjoy!

Disclaimer: This batch of guacamole was actually whipped up by mom and sister. So, I can't take credit for how delicious it looks, but we all use the same recipe.

DIY - Hanging Lanterns

Recently, I have been noticing the cutest hanging candle lanterns and usually, the cuter they appear…the pricier the cost. I decided I could make some for much cheaper and much cuter!

Supplies needed:

Small to medium empty mason jar

Colored wire (found in any jewelry section of your local craft store)

Scissors

Beads

These are so easy and fun to make. I love working with wire, because you can twist it every which way and it is so easy to securely attach to other wire as well.

First, cut a piece of wire and wrap multiple times around the top of the mason jar. Then, cut two more pieces of wire (these pieces will eventually be attached to the wire at the top of the jar.) Cut the wire however long you would like for the lantern to hang and I like to twist two different colors of wire together to add more color.

Next, join the two wires by twisting and add beads as desired. Finally attach your twisted wire by intertwining it to the wire you initially wrapped around the top of the jar.

Hang and enjoy J

Saturday Fun!

This Saturday was a day full of family adventures. We began bright and early at The Farmhouse. The food was absolutely delicious and the atmosphere was quite relaxing! It is located in the City Market in Downtown KC.

They serve French-press coffee. It's delicious!

Biscuits and Gravy :)

BELT: All-around hit!

After breakfast, we made our way down to the Farmer's Market. There are always interesting people and great produce/flowers. It's a great place to people watch and pick up a few local ingredients. We picked up a jalapeno pepper plant to grow in our veggie garden.

After the farmer's market, the sisters were inspired to plant. They bought some basil, cilantro, rosemary, and some beautiful flowers.

Finished product!

Finally, a great way to end a great day! The Bad Dadz concert at the Prairie Village Art Fair! The Bad Dadz are a local cover band (and our Dad happens to be the star)!

All this leads to one GREAT Saturday!

Tasty Treat!

Last Sunday, the parents were out of town, so the sister and I took on the task of making dinner. We were eating with the brother and the fiance, so it had to be tasty! While at the grocery store, we found some blueberries and strawberries that looked delicious, so we bought them not knowing what we would make. We were flipping through one of the Barefoot Contessa cookbooks, and decided to make cobbler. We followed the Peach and Raspberry Crisp recipe and just substituted blueberries and strawberries. The boys thought it was a strange combination, but let me tell you, they may have gone back for seconds, thirds and even fourths. It was delicious and easy!

Backyard Potluck Dinner

To me, nothing beats a night with good friends in a casual setting. On Thursday, a few of us decided last minute to get together for dinner at a friend's house. They have a beautiful home overlooking a pond, so why not eat out back? Last minute planning, combined with creative friends makes for a delicious dinner. Perfection.

Menu:

Salad with Lemon-Dijon Vinaigrette

Garlic Baguette

Shrimp Salad

White Wine

Dressing for the Shrimp: It was delicious!! (Even when following a recipe, be aware of the amount of salt, it's always easier to add more)
Salad: Mixed greens with romaine. For the dressing we just used equal parts lemon juice and evoo, about a tablespoon of dijon mustard, 3 cloves of garlic(minced) and lemon zest. Easy and delicious!
Baguette with garlic: we just sliced the baguette, rubbed it with evoo and a head of garlic with the top cut-off. Yummy!


Perfect Setting.
Delicious Angel Food Cake Cupcakes for dessert!! So yummy and light. Perfect ending to a great meal!

P.S. We went to the The Farmhouse for breakfast this morning, followed by a walk through the Farmer's Market in downtown KC. Post coming soon.

"Big Red"

Lake Michigan is my favorite summer vacation spot. The lighthouse “Big Red” has become a symbol of all the fabulous summers I have spent there.

I am so excited to share with everyone this sketch of “Big Red” done by Mike Savage – Sav Art , a local KC artisit. And I am even more excited to announce that my painting will be finished in less than a week. I can’t wait to show off the final product!

Stay tuned…

Mother/Daughter Bridal Dinner

(From Grandma's Garden :)

This past weekend my mom, my sister (who was in town) and I hosted an intimate mother/daughter bridal dinner. We chose to dine in so we could have more quality time with old friends. We spent time together relaxing, catching up, telling stories and laughing. Our dinner was a great reminder of how simple and fun a night of dining-in can be!

The night began with drinking delicious Pomegranate Margaritas.

1 part Tequila, 1 part Roses Lime, ½ Triple Sec and ½ Pomegranate Juice (we use POM Wonderful juice, yummy!) . Garnish with a lime.

We Snacked on Guacamole served w/ Whole Wheat Tortilla Chips from Whole Foods. (perfect compliment to the Pom Margs)

5 chopped avocados, 1 squeezed lemon, S&P and a TBL of Mrs. Renfro’s Jalapeno Green Salsa.

It was a beautiful evening to be outside so we grilled Rib eye steak and mixed veggies (marinated w/ olive oil and S&P.)

The salad cooled everyone’s palette with its refreshing flavor.

Red leaf and green leaf lettuce, toasted almonds, avocados, green onions, grape tomatoes and blue cheese - dressed with a mix of a champaign vinaigrette and a red wine vinaigrette.

Any plans for this weekend? Why don't you invite some of your best friends over and stay in!