Crushing

All of a sudden, I am so crushing on all things ORANGE.  These are a few of my favorite orange items that I have picked up recently:

• Cocktails on the Beach lipgloss from Sephora
• It Girl lipstick from Sephora
• Big Hair Big Nails OPI polish
• orange beaded bracelet
• these cute sandals (such a bargain!)
• a great statement necklace from Stein Mart

Notice these are all accessories, not actual orange clothing.  I am envisioning adding the perfect pop of orange  to my basic black, white, or even turquoise outfits.  Orange you glad I shared this with you?  SORRY, I had to throw that in!

Iced Coffee...my version

I recently touted my new addiction to iced coffee on Facebook.  I was pointed in the direction of this iced coffee concentrate.  I wasn't familiar with this method of making iced coffee so I gave it a try.  It was good, but to be honest, it wasn't any better than my usual, less time consuming method.  We always have leftover coffee from our morning brew and that's perfect for this since it's had all day to sit and cool.  If you don't have cool coffee available, you can use instant.  I tried it with Starbucks Via and it was tasty.  Whatever you do, just please don't try to make iced coffee with hot coffee.  You will end up with a weak, watered down wannabe.  I like to use a jar with a tight fitting lid so I  can shake all the ingredients together to get it icy cold and extra creamy.  I just fill my jar about half way up with ice then add coffee to fill the jar about 3/4 of the way up.  I splash in heavy cream, you can use milk if you want to, but I'm telling you, the cream is where it's at.  You really only need a tiny bit so it's not as sinful as it sounds.  I sweeten with vanilla stevia drops, but use your sweetener of choice.  I put the lid on my jar and shake, shake, shake it.  There really is something to that shaken, not stirred, thing. 

Pinnable Me

One of the blogs I follow was participating in this Pinnable Me Party over at Pawprints and Pastrybags. Since I am totally addicted to Pinterest, I thought I would join in! Here are a few of the things I've pinned this week:

Source: tumblr.com via Gretchen on Pinterest

I just had to pin this because it is so my husband.  Me? Not so much.  I just get right to the screaming part, just ask my kids!  I'm not proud, just honest.

Source: howsweeteats.com via Gretchen on Pinterest

Don't these look scrumptious?!  Kind of an updated version of my Mam-Ma's fresh green beans slathered in bacon grease.

Source: foodlushblog.com via Gretchen on Pinterest

Sweet Tea Vodka, the sugar free version! These will be making an appearance at the lake this very weekend.

Source: sistersstuff.blogspot.com via Gretchen on Pinterest

Change that 30 to a 40 and I am set for cute gift giving!  Except, so far, 40 soooo DOESN'T suck!

Is 40 Fabulous?

If the year ahead is anything like my birthday week (yes, I have birthday weeks), then, yes, I'd say it is fabulous! From baubles to books and everything in between, I have been spoiled beyond belief.  All of the gifts I received, parties I've had, dinners that I've been treated to and cake that I've eaten (GOD, have I eaten some cake!!!) are amazing, but they pale in comparison to the friends and family that I am so blessed with.  Cliche'?  Maybe.  True? Absolutely!  I have always heard that 40 is fab, so here's to my best year yet!

MMMMeatloaf

Dad requested meatloaf for Father's Day.  I used Pioneer Woman's recipe for Bacon Wrapped Meat Loaf.  The bacon added such great flavor, I think this may be my new go to recipe.  I mean, have you seen anything like this? Ever? 


Waiting for the brown sugar glaze

The recipe called for 2 pounds of meat, I used 3.  It also called for 6 slices of bread.  Me thinks that's too much bread for me.  I used 3 pieces and it was fine.  I also cut the eggs from 4 to 3 and added a finely chopped onion. I have used bread crumbs in the past, but this soaked bread method was great for keeping the meat moist (I'm sure the bacon fat didn't hurt either).   

The other thing I would do next time is to not put the glaze on until at least halfway through the cooking time.  See how the bacon on that little end piece is nice and crispy?  Well, the rest, not so much.  The bacon never got a chance to crisp up because of the glaze.  I do not like floppy bacon, so I basically had to take the bacon off and that left me with none of that yummy sauce on top.  The bacon still served it's purpose even though I didn't eat it because that meatloaf had some FLAVA! 

Dad's Day

Today may be Father's Day, but I feel like it's MY lucky day.  I am so fortunate to have my daddy! I've always been a bit of a daddy's girl, and the older I get, that just doesn't seem to change.  So, Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there...ESPECIALLY MINE!  

An Unlikely Pair

These 2 ingredients may seem an unlikely pairing.  But, if you like chocolaty, fudgy goodness minus the guilt, this here is a match made in heaven.  Simply stir these 2 together and plop the thick batter into muffin tins.  I lined my tins with papers and sprayed them lightly with cooking spray to prevent sticking.  The batter is super thick so I used an ice cream scoop to make it easier to fill the tins; a couple of spoons would work just as well. Bake these at 400 for 15-20 minutes.  I like these even better the next day.  I think this method would be great with other cake mix flavors too, carrot cake or spice cake might be next on my list.

Voila!