Las Paletas Con Mi Amiga

{ Las Paletas is a Mexican ice pop made with whole fruit & the freshest ingredients in flavors you won't normally find in the frozen food aisle. Click on the link above to see how they'll be featured on Food Network this month. }

In late May I was blessed to be able to visit Kacey of Chronicles of a Mommy. We had been corresponding, exchanging surprises in the mail & talking for about 1 1/2 years & it all started through blogging. 

This was special. 

We have Angie & Wordful Wednesdays to thank, for that is where we started seeing one another's blog. I am so happy I met this lady for she has enriched my life far more than I ever expected. It just goes to show that a woman doesn't need a certain number of friends, she just needs the right kind. 

Visiting with Kacey was:

waking up with family

like a picnic in the park

easy like Sunday morning { before church }

And meeting Kacey was especially like....

making a friend for the rest of my life!

Kacey took me to a little hot spot for something cool to snack on after lunch. It was Las Paletas, a popular place in the art deco section of Nashville where you can get ice pops made with the freshest ingredients with the coolest combinations of flavors.


Right away I knew I wanted the cucumber chili ice pop. It was amazing!!!!!! Talk about refreshing but with a bit of heat, something you wouldn't normally expect in an ice pop & exactly why I dig it.

So as soon as I got home I started researching on how to make my own at home. While there are many recipes out there I came up with my own variation & loved it. Oh how it brought back so many sweet & cool memories. 

CUCUMBER CHILI LAS PALETAS

{ Printable Recipe Here }

2 cucumbers plus an additional half cucumber, divided

1/8 cup lime juice

1/4 cup agave syrup

1/4 - 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Dash or 2 of crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 tsp salt

Place empty ice pop molds in the freezer to chill. Dice 2 cucumbers with skin on into 1 inch pieces. Puree in food processor or blender until smooth. Strain into a medium bowl through a fine mesh strainer, pushing out the juice. You will have about 1 cup of juice. Set aside.

Peel the remaining half cucumber & cut into little pieces. Set aside.

Add the lime juice & remaining ingredients to the cucumber juice. Pour some of the mixture into each mold, leaving about a 1/2 inch space at top. Stir several pieces of fresh cucumber into each mold. Place lid on the molds & freeze for 2-4 hours. 

Run warm water over molds to loosen pops. Enjoy.

{ Food for Thought }

I used the larger amount for both the cayenne & crushed red pepper and while I loved it so, I think I will use the lesser amount for a more subtle heat.


Lovingly Linking to Wordful Wednesdays at Seven Clown Circus

Bang Bang Shrimp

This is one of my new favorite appetizers. But aren't they all?! Because if I am posting it then it's nothing short of delicious aka post worthy.

This appie accompanied the Triple Cheese Mushrooms on Mother's Day when I did nothing but appetizers. They just make me happy. A happy sampling of a little bit of this & a little bit of that. For me, life is a like a buffet of appies, ya never know whatcha gonna get!

These have gained quite the popularity in many restaurants & since shrimp is one of my favorites I knew I had to make them right away. The pan only calls for enough oil to lightly fry the shrimp so don't go thinking of a scary deep fry. This was quite easy & did I mention delicious???!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BANG BANG SHRIMP

{ Printable Recipe Here }

1/2 cup light mayonnaise
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon Asian chili sauce *
2 teaspoons honey
Kosher salt
Vegetable oil, for frying
2 large eggs
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
Kosher salt & freshly ground pepper
1 1/4 pounds large shrimp, peeled & deveined (I like tail on)

M ake the sauce: Mix the mayonnaise, chili sauce, honey, 1/4 teaspoon salt & 1 tablespoon water in a large bowl; set aside.

P repare the shrimp: Heat about 2 inches of vegetable oil in a pan. Meanwhile, whisk the eggs in a shallow bowl. Whisk the flour, cornstarch & 1 teaspoon each salt & pepper in another shallow bowl.

W orking in batches, dredge the shrimp in the flour mixture, shaking off any excess, dip in the beaten eggs, then return to the flour mixture, turning to form a thick crust. Fry the shrimp in the hot oil until lightly golden, 1 to 2 minutes, adjusting the heat as needed to maintain the oil temperature. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate with a slotted spoon.

T oss the shrimp with the prepared sauce.

{ Food for Thought }

I added quite a bit more chili sauce than what's stated above because I felt there was too much mayo. Just start out with what the recipe calls for & then add more chili sauce & honey according to your own taste. Also, use a good Asian style sauce. 

I also worked in batches so I had a master bowl for all the sauce & then used a separate bowl in which I placed a little sauce to coat each batch of freshly fried shrimp. 

You don't want the shrimp drenched in sauce, just lightly but thoroughly coated.

{ Linking Deliciously to Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays }

~  ~  ~  ~


And for Wordful Wednesday, here is something beautiful my boy made for his mama at school.

While other moms were 90 years old & cooked canned beans, he was spot on about everything.

{ Linking to Wordful Wednesdays at Seven Clown Circus }

Triple Cheese Mushrooms

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!!!!! Mine was a very balanced one ~  entertaining with friends who unfortunately are leaving town soon, lots of kitchen & cooking time & some exercising outdoors to keep the energy level up in order to enjoy all those things I just mentioned!

This appetizer is from Paula Deen & one I knew I had to make soon after seeing it. It was one of the appies I made on Mother's Day. We all loved them!!

I absolutely loved making them the day before, only to have to pop them in the oven right before guests arrive.

Triple Cheese Mushrooms

{ Click for Printable Recipe }

2 16 oz pkgs fresh mushrooms
1 10 oz package frozen chopped spinach, thawed
4 oz feta cheese, crumbled
2 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup finely chopped green onions
Salt
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

P reheat oven to 350° F. Using damp paper towels, wipe mushroom caps clean; remove & discard stems, or save for another use. In colander, squeeze liquid out of spinach until dry.

I n large bowl, mix spinach, feta, cream cheese, green onions & 1/4 teaspoon salt until well combined. Fill each mushroom with heaping teaspoon spinach mixture; top with Parmesan. Transfer to 15 1/2-inch by 10 1/2-inch jelly-roll pan; bake 15 minutes or until mushrooms are tender & filling is golden brown.

{ Food for Thought }

Make it easy on yourself & assemble the day before. Let sit at room temp for 1/2 hour before baking in the oven.

I kept the filling amount the same & bought (2) 16oz pkgs of mushrooms. I picked the best ones of the group for my stuffed mushrooms knowing I would have some left over yet using all of my filling. 

I also like to take a little 1/4 tsp & use it to carve out more space in the mushroom for the filling, otherwise I feel like there just isn't enough.

I was able to make about 30 mushrooms.

~ ~ ~   ~ ~ ~   ~ ~ ~   ~ ~ ~

And now for one of the few things I love more deeply than appetizers:

My handsome boy. It's been too long since I've posted a pic of him.

Tristan ~ 6 yo

Enjoy. Him. The Mushrooms. All of it. Oh, enjoy your week too! 

Can't wait to come by & see you!

{ Linking Deliciously to Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays & Wordful Wednesdays}

Movin' on up!

I have been feeling down. Nothing in particular has me there but that's where I have chosen to be, down. They say it's a choice, right? Either way, I don't like it. While I feel like I am on my way back up, it was important for me to give myself a few reminders of what's making me happy lately:

Wonderful recipes marked & ready for me to try:

Old photos recently found, of me:



And my mom:

The "Perfectly Chocolatey" Chocolate Frosting, so easy to make you'll never want to buy store bought, recipe here:

Seeing Tristan's face & name in a printed book:



And being able to picture what he'll look like in a suit some years from now:



A wine glass swap & gift from Casey:



Meeting a blogger friend, Ronda, for the 1st time & enjoying one another's company as much as we do eachother's blogs:

Ronda & Me

Working so close to home & school where I can have lunch dates with this little guy:

And lastly, to you all - I am sure you know the feeling, when you're just not quite right, yet you know you'd be worse if you didn't have bloggy friends & wonderful inspirations just a click away!

Brought to you by Angie & Wordful Wednesdays from:

Whole Chicken in a Crockpot & Asian Inspired Asparagus

I invited my parents over for an easy mid-week dinner before they were heading up North for a few days. I wanted to make an effort without taking up too much time since I work all day. I had a whole chicken in the freezer so I researched putting one in a crockpot & this is what I found. It paired perfectly with Jasmine rice as well as some asparagus I put my own little Asian twist on.

And since I have missed joining Angie at 7 Seven Clown Circus since minimizing posts, I am pimpin' my recipe out to WW. After all, it's still a pic with a whole lotta words. Plus, you're bound to get hungry after hopping around Wordful Wednesday!

It was fall of the bone good!!!!!

WHOLE CHICKEN IN A CROCKPOT

{Printable Recipe}

1 (3 pound) whole chicken, skin removed
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp sesame oil
2 tblsp minced garlic



Remove skin from chicken & empty inner cavity of contents within. Pat chicken dry with a paper towel & and place inside the slow cooker.

In a bowl, stir together the chicken broth, soy sauce, olive oil, honey, Worcestershire sauce, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, sesame oil & minced garlic. Pour mixture over chicken & cover.

Cook chicken on low setting for 8 hours, or 4 hours on high setting.

ASIAN INSPIRED ASPARAGUS

{Printable Recipe}


2 tsp sesame oil
1 pkg fresh asparagus, tough ends trimmed
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
Ground ginger
2 tblsp soy sauce
1 tsp Chili garlic sauce
A dash or two red pepper flakes (optional)

Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Add asparagus & toss for a minute or two. Add garlic & cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients. If pan becomes dry, just add a little water. As soon as the steam rises, cover asparagus & cook over low heat, tossing occasionally, until it reaches your desired doneness. Tender with a little crisp took about 10-15 minutes over low heat.

{Food for Thought}

This asparagus definitely had a kick to it which is always welcome in my house but omit the red pepper flakes if you don't enjoy the heat.

This deliciousness is linked to:

Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays &

Crockpot Wednesdays &

Wordful Wednesdays &

Feels Like Home

The Boy

Keeping it simple today...

My love on Mother's Day.

Brought to you by Angie & Wordful Wednesdays from:

Who Lives in a Pineapple....

Under the Sea?

SpOnGeBoB SqUaRePaNtS

Uh, yeah, I've never been a fan of the little sponge, probably never will be, but my little guy is & that's all that matters, right?!

Plus, putting together the KrUsTy KrAb legos over a glass of wine can be quite therapeutic!

Brought to you by Angie & Wordful Wednesdays from:

A Steamy Affair

He makes my life easier.

He works hard so I don't have to.

And he makes me happy.

I'm in love! 

Oh if the walls could talk......................they're just jealous!

{You can believe all the hundreds of amazing reviews on Amazon. As for the very few bad ones ~ they're from people who don't know how to chew gum & walk at the same time. If you don't have an ideal everyday floor cleaning system for tiled floors then you need this! Ask me anything about it, it's just too easy!}

Isn't it time you had a steamy affair!!!!!!

Brought to you by Angie & Wordful Wednesdays from:

Afternoon Delight

Since I'm going back to work next week I've been thinking of a 

gorgeous male 

I'll be meeting for lunch everyday.

It's convenient he lives right down the street for those 

afternoon quickies!

If you haven't already, meet Nash, the 5 month old Bulldog who's

become part of the family.

For more adorable pictures of Nash, visit here. 

Brought to you by Angie & Wordful Wednesdays from:

Staycation....All I Ever I Wanted

Canceling a mini vacation on the Gulf Coast last week meant creating little adventures with my little guy, right here.

Scenic boat tour around Winter Park, FL:

{My little guy Tristan}

{Christmas decorations adorning trees}

{Beautiful homes}

{Tom Hanks filmed a movie here}

And this could only mean one thing:

{don't let the personalized bowling ball fool you}

Tristan's 1st try at bowling:

Not shown is the walk Tristan & I took into our town, 2 1/2 miles each way with a stop for lunch. My little guy just kept on going, not once wanting to relax in his stroller.

Sometimes being close to home is all the R&R one needs!

Brought to you by Angie & Wordful Wednesdays from: