Monthly Archives: March 2014

Cilantro Lime Pasta Salad

Posted in main dishes, side dishes, things we like to eat by

Cilantro Lime Pasta Salad 1 - My Daughter and I

The other day I was in yoga and it was the end of the class where we were supposed to relax and clear our mind. I tried to clear my mind, but I kept thinking about food. More specifically, pasta salad. We had just harvested a bunch of cilantro, so I think that was on my mind too. While relaxing, I came up with the concept for this delicious pasta salad. It is perfect as a main dish – especially with a bit of grilled chicken or avocado hunks in it. We also served it the other night as a side dish with burgers. It’s amazing!

Cilantro Lime Pasta Salad 2- My Daughter and I

Cilantro Lime Pasta Salad
1 lb. pasta, any variety, cooked
1 can black beans, drained a rinsed
1 cup frozen corn, just throw into the strainer with the black beans
1 cup chopped bell peppers, any color
4 or 5 green onions, chopped
Cilantro lime dressing, see below
1/2 cup crumbled Cotija cheese, or Feta

Cilantro lime dressing
1 cup of fresh cilantro, washed
1 to 2 tsp. of minced garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt or light sour cream
2 T lime juice
1 tsp. red wine vinegar
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
Purée in food processor, taste sauce and see if it needs a bit more spice. Pour over cooked pasta and veggies, mix well. Add Cotija cheese and mix it again and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Cindy

Fashion Friday- It’s a Quickie

Posted in Fashion Friday, obsessions by

For once, I’m completely at a loss for a title for today’s Fashion Friday post. No puns, color themes or titles based on the weather, just cute clothes 🙂 Hope you enjoy it! Happy Friday and happy {almost} St. Patrick’s Day!

Lunation Tee

lunation tee

This is adorable and this particular color seems especially fitting for St. Patty’s Day. Perfect for avoiding pinches.

Maritime Treasure Striped Maxi

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I’m pretty sure I’ve shared a similar skirt on a previous Fashion Friday, but it’s just such a perfect spring/summer piece.

Leave Your Mark Bag

make your mark bag

Cute and unusual.

Whimsy Garden Shift Dress

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This is so cute- I could totally see wearing it with a jean jacket and sandals.

Classic Cocktail Ring

classic cocktail ring

This is so pretty.

Green and Purple Art Infinity Scarf

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Another good pinch avoiding clothing item- and it’s beautiful too!

Coffee Addict PJ Set

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Alex (my oldest brother) always seems quite concerned with my coffee drinking habits. Anytime he’s home he comments that I’m addicted to caffeine. Honestly, he’s probably not that far off- I love coffee, and that’s just how it is 🙂

Anyway, one evening he was doing dishes and after he washed my travel mug, he squirted liquid soap into the bottom and then put it in the cabinet. The next morning, I poured coffee into the mug and drank the majority of it on the way to the gym. Later in the day, he told me what he had done. Apparently it was too dark that morning and I had missed the presence of the clear dish soap. I was mad and, of course, he thought that it was absolutely hilarious that I had had so much of the coffee and never even noticed the odd flavor. I’m not sure if that was his attempt to stop me from drinking coffee, but it definitely didn’t work 😉

Classic Tiered Smock Dress

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I love this! The back is so pretty and I love the more relaxed cut of the dress. It also comes in pink which is super cute.

Brisbane Crochet Detail Tank

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I love the color on this tank top and the lace on the side is a pretty addition.

Jordan

Eggless Cookie Dough

Posted in extras, sweets, things we like to eat by

Eggless Cookie Dough 1 - My Daughter and I

I considered titling this post Eggless, edible, ready-in-ten-minutes, make-it-now-and-eat-it-all-in-one-sitting cookie dough, but I felt like the amount of punctuation could be a bit overwhelming. I mean HYPHENS.

But, seriously, this stuff is amazing. I am such a huge fan of regular cookie dough, that it takes a lot to convince me that an eggless version is just as good as the real deal. Oh, but it is! I wasn’t able to tell the difference between our original chocolate chip cookie recipe and this one- which is quite impressive. In order to keep myself from eating the entire batch, I wrapped it tightly in plastic wrap, put it in a Ziploc bag, and stuck it in the freezer.

Eggless Cookie Dough 3 - My Daughter and I

^^^All wrapped up and ready for the freezer. 

The fact that the whole recipe took about 10 minutes to whip up makes it that much more dangerous. So what are you waiting for? You’re ten minutes away from a bowl of totally delicious cookie dough.

Eggless Cookie Dough 2 - My Daughter and I

Eggless Cookie Dough

1 stick butter, softened

6 Tbsp brown sugar

6 Tbsp white sugar

1 cup plus 2 Tbsp flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

2 Tbsp milk (I used 2%)

2/3 cup chocolate chips (I used dark chocolate, but milk chocolate would be great too)

Beat butter, sugars and vanilla in a stand mixer. Add flour, baking soda, and salt to wet ingredients and mix well. Add milk and mix until dough is firm and smooth. Fold in chocolate chips.

Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

recipe credit to: Kailley’s Kitchen

Jordan

Fiesta Chowder

Posted in main dishes, things we like to eat by

Fiesta Chowder 1 - My Daughter and I

Well, we finally had a bit of a winter around here, or at least a few days of rain – yay! So I was excited to make soup. It’s hard to get excited about soup when it is 80* outside.

I’ve had this recipe for years and years and it is one of my favorites. Even though it calls for tons of ingredients, the chowder comes together very quickly. It normally takes me about 15 minutes to prep and another 15 to 30 to cook. Plus it is all in one pot – super easy. It is very hearty and even though the thought of eating nacho cheese soup grosses me out, it’s delicious in this soup and I would not leave it out.

Fiesta Chowder 2 - My Daughter and I

Fiesta Chowder
3 T flour
1 (1.4 ounce) package fajita seasoning, divided
1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast, cubed
3 T oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 t minced garlic
2 cups frozen corn
2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (14.5 ounce) can of Mexican style stewed tomatoes
1 (4.5 ounce) can chopped green chiles
3 cups water
1 cup uncooked instant brown rice
1 (10 3/4 ounce) can nacho cheese soup
3 T chopped fresh cilantro
1 T lime juice
Garnish with more fresh cilantro, olives, Cotija cheese or whatever sounds good to you.

Combine flour and 2T of fajita seasoning in a zip top bag; add chicken pieces and shake to coat. Cook coated chicken in the hot oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over high heat, stirring often for 4 minutes or until browned. Reduce heat to medium and add onion and garlic; sauté for about 5 minutes. Stir in the remaining fajita seasoning, corn, black beans, tomatoes, chiles, water and instant brown rice. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low; cover and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes. Remove lid and add the nacho cheese soup, chopped cilantro and the limes juice. Let simmer for a few more minutes while you are pulling together the rest of the meal. We normally serve ours with salad and some sort of bread or tortilla chips.

Cindy

Fashion Friday- Just Relax

Posted in Fashion Friday, obsessions by

I had a bit of trouble choosing a title for this post- there were just too many options. “Just Relax” is accurate, but so is something to do with knit fabrics, or even “The Grass is Always Greener”.

Let me explain. I tend to err on the side of dressed up. I wear lots of dresses and button-down shirts. You get the picture. That’s definitely my style, but recently, I’ve been thinking of incorporating some more relaxed pieces. The reason that “The Grass is Always Greener,” would be an appropriate title is that my mom just recently decided that she wanted to wear more tailored things. Ha! It’s so funny how that seems to happen – I guess the saying is well used for a reason.

Anyway, the pieces I chose for this week’s Fashion Friday are more relaxed- and a lot of them happen to be knit. Yay for comfy and cute!

Knit Circle Skirt

knit circle skirt

This is super cute and comes in a bunch of fun colors.

Crochet Yoke Top

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Cute! I love the color and fabric.

Relaxed Pocket Tank

ae relaxed pocket tank

Okay. This.

I think I love it. Especially in this color- it’s absolutely gorgeous.

Pistachio Dreams Sweatshirt

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Love it. It would be perfect with jeans and boots or even just sweats. All-around perfect.

In the Sunshine Sandals

sunshine sandals

I don’t really know how shoes can be “relaxed,” but these are so cute and are perfect for summer.

Long Sleeve Plaid

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I have a Mossimo flannel that I wear all the time and love. Flannel’s are just plain amazing.

Exploring Peru Embroidered Maxi

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Ahhh maxi dresses. How I love you.

Del Mar Distressed Boyfriend Jeans

distressed boyfriend jeans

Guess what!! Ruche’s new lookbook just came out and it’s a good one. As usual, the photos and clothes are all beautiful. These boyfriend jeans are so cute and I love the top. And the scarf 😉

Cozy Long Sleeve Top

cozy long sleeve top

This is so cute. And obviously, totally comfy.

Jordan