Summer Toast

I made this colorful summer toast over the weekend for the family, 

and they were absolutely delicious!

Love the simplicity of it and how everything is layered on it.

1- Toast your bread & spread butter on it.

2- Make your favorite eggs & layer on toast.

How do YOU like your eggs?

3- Sprinkle your favorite cheese, I used mozzarella.

4- Saute red onions, green pepper, red pepper, yellow pepper, and mushroom,

season with salt and pepper and layer over your eggs and cheese.

There you have it, Summer Toast, full of color and flavor.

Enjoy!

Spring Tables

via: bhg.com

A Spring celebration is the perfect way to welcome

sunshine, blue skies and beautiful blooms.

Here are a couple of ideas to inspire us.

via:dreamy whites

via:revel

Decorating tables with flowers and spring colors brings the beauty of nature in and what a
lovely way to celebrate it with friends. Host a lunch and share in the delight
and warmth of the season ahead.

Be inspired!

Homemade Iced Java Chip Coffee

Hello there! I hope that you are enjoying your day, if not feast your eyes on this.

Are you a coffee lover?  Iced coffee lover?  

If so, I've got a recipe to share with you today.

I have created this marvelously decadent iced coffee for those 

who love the taste of chocolate in their iced coffee, I know that I do.

I was making my regular iced coffee today and a light-bulb went on,

why not add chocolate, and not just any chocolate, but chocolate morsels.

I know!

I brewed my coffee.
I like to use a strong blend like Bustelo.

You may use your choice of coffee, 

and follow coffee brewing directions on the container.

(Tip:) When brewing your coffee, use cold water.

After my coffee was done, I let it cool in the refrigerator, 

you don't want to work with hot coffee. 

 After it had cooled a bit, I poured about one cup in the blender.

I like my coffee sweet, so I added two tablespoons of sugar.

I poured in a half cup of cold milk and 2 tablespoons of Italian Creme (for extra flavor), yum! 

(Cream is optional)

Did I mention I like sweet?  Oh yes, here's the good part, I added two tablespoons of

sweet condensed milk, thanks to The Pioneer Woman for that inspiration.

Okay, okay, so I added a "quarter of the can", I told you I like it very sweet.

Next came 1/3 cup of dark chocolate morsels, oh my!

I don't like my iced coffee to get watered down by ice, 

so I froze coffee the night prior from the leftover coffee of the day.

I added the frozen coffee cubes instead of ice, 

and let me tell you, it makes a big difference.

Blend it all together...

Pour in a glass, add some whip cream if you like and even better, 

chocolate syrup for those big chocolate lovers and voila!

You may change the measurements of the ingredients in this recipe

according to your preferences, how much of the coffee flavor you like,

chocolate or sweetness.

Enjoy!

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How to Make Heart Shaped Pancakes (Re-Post)

...fluffy and golden

  On this cold, but bright and sunny morning, I decided to make a special Valentine's breakfast for my loving family.  Their first clue of what I had been preparing in the kitchen was a distinctive scent that drifted into the living room and filled the air with a soft warmth, a sensation of comfort and mouthwatering images of fluffy, warm goodness.    

Their noses led them into the kitchen.  As both son and father scouted the area to see what it was that was waiting for them, they saw the thick, hot, golden savory ivory and pink curves, sitting on white china plate enhancing their coloring.  The mound of melted butter caught the morning light coming from the window, glittering and enticing them.

  We smothered the pancakes with fruits, whipped cream and Red Raspberry Syrup and they were so delicious.

       I have made shaped pancakes before, just not colored them in pink. I started with the basic heart shaped pancakes and suddenly I had the idea to play with food coloring.  One thing led to another, then voila!  I had pink, golden and light red pancakes.  

...fluffy red and pink goodness

Instructions:

1) These pancakes are not difficult to make; all you need is your favorite pancake recipe, either from scratch or a pancake mix of your choice, but make sure the batter is not too watery.  You want this mix to be somewhat thick. 

2) Put in a couple of drops of Liquid Red Food Coloring
into the batter until you reach your desired color, then mix.

3) Pre-heat the pan and place your Heart Pancake Molds or Heart Cookie Cutter

 in the pan, and grease the mold over the pan to prevent sticking. 

4) Pour the pancake batter into the Heart Pancake Molds or Heart Cookie Cutter
 that is inside the pan.  Let them bubble a bit on low/ medium
heat until it sets.
 Once you see the bubbles on the top of your pancake, remove the Heart Pancake Molds or Heart Cookie Cutter.  Remember that for cookie cutters you will need a tong, the cookie cutter will be hot.  Do not touch it with your hands.  At this point, flip the pancake over and cook the other side until lightly browned, the pancake is complete.

5) Repeat the steps above for more pancakes. 

  Enjoy with your favorite toppings!

Coquito

This one is good for everyone, it may be enjoyed by kids
(Omit the rum) and adults; it's the perfect beverage to
keep around during the Holidays.

This is a classic, "super-sweet" Holiday drink
in the Caribbean and I got the recipe from my Mother-in-Law.

It's like an eggnog, but it's really a coconut-nog:-)
Did I mention super sweet?
I don't like eggnog, but this drink is yummy.
There are several variations, but this is my favorite.

If you would like to give it a try, here is the recipe:

• 2-3 eggs yolks (OPTIONAL) Not necessary. 
• 1 can of cream of coconut 
• 1 can Carnation Milk- (You may substitute with your milk preference)
• 1 can Condensed Milk- may use half the can, if you do not want it too sweet.
• 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Optional : 1/2 cup of Rum (Bacardi works well - dark or light) 

Place all the ingredients in a blender and mix.

Pour into a large bottle or container with a tight lid.

Chill in the refrigerator before serving.
Sprinkle cinnamon on top or use a cinnamon stick for garnish.

Enjoy!

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Fall Cupcakes: Last Minute Ideas

Are you going to bake any goodies for the Autumn season?

I have collected some last minute

cupcake ideas to inspire you.

We made this cupcake with a boxed chocolate cake mix; you may always use your own recipe. 

We filled it with vanilla cream colored with orange food coloring.

 In order to fill it, we used this technique.

(Orange wrap at Walmart)

To make this cupcake stand click here.

Candy Corn Cupcake

Candy Corn Frosting Cupcake

Pumpkin Patch Cupcakes: Buttercream icing dipped in orange sugar crystals with an Airhead as the vine and a Rainbow Twizzler as the stem!

Which is your favorite idea?

Healthy Salad

This is a super easy, super healthy, fast and fun salad to make at home for lunch.

For something that has next to nothing salad dressing, I have to say it was pretty tasty, but if you're looking for great and wholesome taste, you may use your favorite salad dressing.

Grill some chicken breast and cut up half a cup of it to add to your salad, if you want more, add some in.  Make sure it has no oil, we want this to be as healthy as possible, right!  Okay you may use Pam.

Next, take leafy green lettuce, fresh parsley, bell pepper of your choice and chop it all up and mix.

Add the grilled chicken to your greens and a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar with a pinch of sea salt or your favorite dressing.  Remember the goal is HEALTHY.

There you have it, simple fast and easy lunch salad.

Enjoy!

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Chicken & Apple Salad

The above photo by Lara604

I love chicken salad in many variations and I know that other folks prefer theirs differently, but here is a recipe that my family and I enjoy and you may tweak it according to your preferences.

The great thing about chicken salad is that you may have it as a side dish, main meal, in a sandwich or a wrap.  The variations also keep it interesting.

Are you ready to start cooking? 

Let's get started shall we!

  

What you will need first is to have some already cooked chicken breast; I boiled mine, but you may cook yours differently, I do not recommend canned chicken for this recipe.

Unlike me, use a large bowl, mix in the mayonnaise, lemon juice, cider vinegar, mustard, salt, sugar and pepper.  Stir well. (See recipe below.)

In another bowl, add your chopped cooked chicken, red apples, sliced or chopped almonds, walnuts, cranberry raisins, golden raisins and regular raisins.  (This is a salad nut mix sold in supermarkets)

To your chicken bowl, add fresh chopped parsley.  If you do not have fresh parsley on hand you may add dry parsley to your mayo mix instead.

You also have the option of adding celery.

Add the chicken mix to the mayo bowl.

Stir well to coat everything and chill for 2 to 4 hours. 

Voila chicken salad!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

1  Tablespoon cider vinegar

1 1/2 tsp real mustard

2 Tablespoon fresh parsley 

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp sugar

1/8 tsp pepper

3/4 cup sliced almonds & walnuts

3/4 cup mixed raisins, (cranberries, golden and regular raisins)

1/2 cup chopped celery (optional)

1 cup red apples

3 cups cooked chicken, cut up.

We love this for snacking with crackers and my son loves this for lunch at school.

Remember, you may adjust this recipe to your liking.

What do you like in your chicken salad?

  

Happy Cooking!

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