French Press

Posted in obsessions by

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A very long time ago, my friend Laura gave me a wonderful French press. I used it from time to time at home, but I used it all the time while camping. It was awesome! About 2 years ago it broke- so sad! I replaced it with a regular coffee maker and then sort of forgot about it. About a month ago we were in Target looking for dorm room stuff for Travis and came across some adorable, brightly colored French presses. I thought it would be nice to have, but didn’t know if I should get one- I mean really, how many coffee makers does one person need? I think I own 5!

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Asian Beef & Noodles

Posted in main dishes, things we like to eat by

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This recipe has been floating around in our recipe binder for 5 years. I make it every so often and I’m always surprised at how easy it is and how much my family enjoys it. Travis said it was one of his favorite meals. I will have to remember that when I am trying to lure him home from college 🙂 The original recipe was from Family Circle magazine, but we have made several modifications. I usually serve it with egg rolls or pot stickers, perfect for a speedy meal!

In a large skillet or pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add beef to skillet and cook for 6 minutes or until no longer pink. Drain.

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Add bell pepper, green onion, garlic, red pepper flakes and sugar to skillet; cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn off heat and stir in soy sauce, peanut sauce and lime juice.

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While beef is cooking, prepare angel hair pasta according to package directions. Drain and add to pot with beef mixture.

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Asian Beef & Noodles

1 Tablespoon vegetable oil

1 pound ground beef

1 small red or yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced

4 green onions, thinly sliced

1 1/2 tsp. minced garlic

1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

1 tsp. sugar

6 Tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

1/4 cup peanut sauce

2 Tablespoons lime juice

1 lb. angel hair pasta

1/3 loosely packed cilantro

toasted sesame seeds for garnish

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add beef to skillet and cook for 6 minutes or until no longer pink. Drain.

Add bell pepper, green onion, garlic, red pepper flakes and sugar to skillet; cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn off heat and stir in soy sauce, peanut sauce and lime juice.

While beef is cooking, prepare angel hair pasta according to package directions. Drain and add to skillet with beef mixture.

Breakfast Smoothie

Posted in breakfast, things we like to eat by

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I have the same thing for breakfast every morning. Unless bacon is involved of course, then routine goes out the window 🙂 For a long time, my breakfast consisted of a toasted Thin Bread, spread with peanut butter and topped with slices of banana- yum. The last few weeks though, I’ve been making this super yummy smoothie.

The oatmeal and spinach might seem a little unorthodox, but you can’t taste them and they make the smoothie really filling- it’s the only thing I have for breakfast, and it keeps me full all the way until lunch. If you’re feeling especially adventurous, you can throw in some tomatoes and carrots also. I know, it sounds weird, but the carrots add a really nice sweetness, and you can’t tell that there are tomatoes in the smoothie at all. I promise.

You can use pretty much whatever fruit you have on hand, but I’ve used frozen pineapple, frozen mixed berries (blueberries, strawberries, raspberries and blackberries), Asian pears and frozen plums. And I sometimes throw in an orange because it adds a ton of flavor. The frozen plums are also a little unusual- a neighbor gave us a bunch of homegrown plums and they all ripened at once, so I pitted them and froze them to use in my smoothies.

The measurements on the recipe below are very approximate- I don’t measure anything when I make it, so the smoothies turn out different every morning. That’s part of the fun, so feel free to experiment!

Soak the quick oats in the milk and set aside for 5-10 minutes.

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Throw everything into the blender and blend well. Here’s the fruit…

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And then the oatmeal and milk…

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The spinach and the yogurt go in last…

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And blend well! Scraping down the sides of the blender would be a nice touch- apparently I didn’t think it was necessary when I took this picture 🙂

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Enjoy!

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Breakfast Smoothie

(makes about one serving)

1 banana (and any other fresh fruit you want)

approximately 1 1/2 cups frozen fruit (I use pineapple, plums and mixed berries)

1/4 cup of quick oats

4 tablespoons milk

1 cup spinach

if desired, 2-3 small tomatoes and 1/3 cup shredded matchstick carrots

1/4 cup vanilla yogurt

Soak the quick oats in the milk and set aside for 5-10 minutes. Throw everything into the blender and blend well.

Fashion Friday- The Last Hurrah!

Posted in Fashion Friday, obsessions by

We left for our (first and) last camping trip of the summer yesterday. In honor of our last hurrah of summer, I’m doing a last hurrah of summer clothes on this Fashion Friday post. Hope you have an awesome last few days of vacation!

Soprano Cross Back Print Tank

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This has some really pretty colors and the back is so cool.

Candie’s Sandals

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These sandals didn’t look quite right on me, but I still really like the thick straps and color.

Lush Knit Batik Print Maxi Dress

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Oh…..we drool over these maxi dresses every. single. time. we walk through Nordstrom. So pretty and summery.

AE Lace Paneled Tee

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I like the lace on this shirt-  it’s not over-whelming. And all four colors that the shirt comes in are absolutely gorgeous.

Printed Bow Headband

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I have a ton of silky scarves and sashes that I wear as headbands- I either tie them in a bow like the headband above, or just knot them in the back. They are a perfect bad hair-day cover-up and are really fun.

Full Tilt Chambray Romper

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So cute and comfy.

Lush Chiffon Camisole

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If you haven’t already noticed, I love this color. And the shirt itself is pretty cute too 🙂

AE Striped Fit & Flare Dress

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Is it just me, or does this model look mildly puzzled?

Rip Curl Bikini Top

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I had a Rip curl bikini top a few summers ago that I totally fell in love with. Yeah, I know. It’s sort of weird to say that about a bathing suit top, but this one was awesome. It had a crossback, so it was super secure- I never had to worry about it shifting about in the water.

This bathing suit top is a totally different design, but it has the crossback that I love so much.

Short Flippy Skirt

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Such a pretty color.

Jordan

Treat of the Month- Coffee Ice Cream Pie

Posted in sweets, things we like to eat by

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It’s Treat of the Month time again! This month, I decided to make Coffee Ice Cream Pie. I looked around for a recipe, but I never found one that I loved, so I just made up my own. It turned out to be so simple and totally delicious.

Danae was kind enough to share some pie with me, and oh my gosh- so good. It tasted a little like a caramel frappuchino from Starbucks. What’s not to love about that? Danae said that it was her favorite treat so far.

I didn’t measure anything, so my advice is just to start out with a whole 1/2 gallon of ice cream (I had a few extra servings left), and an entire tub of Cool Whip (only a few scoops were leftover). Same thing with the caramel sauce- I ended up using less than 1/4 of the jar. The measurements all depend on how big your pie crust is- so modify the recipe as desired!

 

Soften ice cream for about 30 minutes, and scoop some into the Oreo pie shell (fill the crust about 1/3 of the way).

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Drizzle caramel sauce, and then sprinkle Heath bar bits over whole pie.

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Repeat the ice cream, caramel and Heath bar steps for the next layer.

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Freeze pie for about an 1 hour and then layer Cool Whip on top. I didn’t use quite the whole container, but pretty close. Sprinkle more Heath bar bits over the top, and store pie in the freezer until ready to eat.

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Coffee Ice Cream Pie

store-bought Oreo pie crust

1/2 gallon of coffee ice cream

1 8 oz. container of Cool Whip

1 jar of caramel sauce

Heath bar toffee bits

Soften ice cream for about 30 minutes, and scoop some into the Oreo pie shell (fill the crust about 1/3 of the way). Drizzle caramel sauce, and then sprinkle Heath bar bits. Repeat the ice cream, caramel and Heath bar steps for the next layer.

Freeze pie for about an 1 hour and then layer Cool Whip on top. I didn’t use quite the whole container, but pretty close. Sprinkle more Heath bar bits over the top, and store pie in the freezer until ready to eat.