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Island Hopping

Saturday was National Fajita Day and the plan was to have Mama and my kids over for fajitas.  Schedules could not be coordinated to make this happen so LB decided it was time to take a trip.  Saturday afternoon we set out for a destination favorite…

St. Simon’s Island

After checking into the Hampton Inn it was time to find a Mexican Restaurant.

After all, a celebration was in order…

for National Fajita Day!

La Plancha

was the place!

And the fajitas were anything but typical.

The Spanish to English translation of  la plancha means ‘the iron’.  The adjective (in Spanish cookery) means grilled on a metal plate (source).

Dinner was not bad, but Not Served on a Seasoned Cast Iron Pan, and slightly lacking in flavor.

And where was the guacamole?Hopefully that review wasn’t too rough.  On a positive note, the decor is lovely.

Next stop

Ziggy Mahoney’s

Once upon a time, Ziggy’s was a nightclub that an older man hosted as a means to snuggle up to college girls and take selfies.  These days it has become a hot spot for seniors displaying dazzling dance moves. And suddenly I’m feeling a little more comfortable.Imagine that!

Before heading back to Jacksonville the next morning, I thought it would be a good idea to shop for a birthday gift for my sister.

The shops at St. Simon’s Island were closed which was a good thing as White House Black Market is more temptation than I am able to withstand.

Jekyll Island

proved to be the place to shop for a birthday gift.Tonya’s is the name of the boutique where I lingered.  I was able to find a sweet little gift for my sister

and

something that I wouldn’t mind having myself.

A purple (eggplant) Hobo handbag Yes, LB… this would make a lovely Christmas gift!

 

Thank you for taking time out of your day to stop by my blog.

Friday Favorites

My work week has left me

work working GIF

with just enough brain function to compose a list of

Friday Favorites

Favorite # ONE

Juenic

(her name rhymes with UNIQUE)

Which she is!

Beloved agent advocate and everyone’s friend, Juenic always makes time to talk to anyone who needs her.  She is a sweet friend and has fabulous fashion sense!

Yesterday she was walking around with a Saks Fifth Avenue shoe box and my curiosity got the better of me.

She opened the box to reveal a pair of Tory Burch platform slides that I instantly loved.

Juenic’s tiny little size 7 foot would not support those size 8 beauties, so she was looking to sell.

Hook.

Line.

Sinker.

Favorite # TWO

My new

Tory Burch Miller Platform Wedge Slides

My plan was to wear them to work today, but I had such difficulty keeping them on my feet that I decided to research for a product that would resolve this issue.

 Juenic recommended:

I’m going to give this a try and hope for the best.

Favorite # THREE

  This month marked #SIX for little Rory!

My second Glambaby girl is getting cuter every day.

And she poses!

Check out the hand on the hip!

As I commented previously (in a Facebook comment), she couldn’t be any cuter if she tried!TOES!

There is more cuteness in this photo than I can stand!

Favorite # FOUR

The team indulged in yet another potluck today.

My contribution…

Caramel Pecan Bars

The recipe can be found here.

But if the interminable loading of the site becomes bothersome, my rewritten version can be found below:

Pecan Caramel Bars

  • Servings: 28
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

Pecan Caramel Bars

Yield: 28 bars

Prep Time:n15 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1 Tablespoon butter
  • 60 Keebler club crackers
  • 2 11 oz bags Kraft caramels
  • 10 oz  chopped pecans
  • 1 11.5 oz bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

  1. Line a 9×13 pan with foil.
  2. Butter foil lined pan.
  3. Layer 30 club crackers in the bottom of the buttered pan.
  4. Melt one-third of the caramels and pour over crackers.  Spread into an even layer.
  5. Sprinkle half of pecans on top of caramel.
  6. Top pecans with one-third more of the caramel and spread into an even layer.
  7. Top caramel layer with the remaining crackers.
  8. Pour remaining caramel on top of crackers and spread caramel into an even layer.
  9. In medium sized microwave safe bowl, microwave chocolate chips uncovered for 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds, until smooth.
  10. Pour over caramel and spread evenly.
  11. Top with remaining pecans.
  12. Let cool until chocolate has hardened, about 1 hour in the fridge.
  13. Cut into bars and serve.

Favorite # FIVE

Gina

Today is my little sister’s birthday

She is four years younger than I…

and I’m only slightly jealous.

Happy Birthday Gina!

In her honor, check out THIS POST.

 

 

Thank you for taking time out of your day to stop by my blog.

 

Summertime Lime Pie

The Kitchen airs several times a week on the Food Network, but thanks to the DVR, I am able to watch it when I’m doing time on the treadmill.

It is one of my favorite programs and it’s co-host, Jeff Mauro is one of my favorite television personalities.  During The Kitchen’s summer series, I’ve learned a lot about preparing seafood, proper grilling, and picked up several ideas for making chilled desserts.

Yesterday I created a version of one of those chilled desserts which included

Fresh limes

Fresh whipped cream

And believe it or not,

fat free sweetened condensed milk.  This was by accident as I picked up the fat free variety while not giving my full attention to grocery shopping.  Great Value is Walmart’s brand and Walmart is not a fun place to shop.  It stands to reason that I was likely running through the store as quickly as possible.

The fat free sweetened condensed milk is not required for a delicious dessert, although mine turned out deliciously.

My Summertime Lime Pie is adapted from Jeff Mauro’s 5-Ingredient Quick Frozen Key Lime Pie which he deems as

Level: Easy

Makes 1 pie

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream

1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk (not necessarily fat free)

1 tablespoon fresh lime zest

1/2 cup fresh lime juice

1 store bought graham cracker pie crust (or you can make your own)

1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar

lime slices, for garnish, optional

Directions

In a chilled mixing bowl, beat 1 cup of the heavy cream into stiff peaks. In a separate bowl, mix together the sweetened condensed milk, lime zest and lime juice.  Fold the mixture into the whipped cream.

Pour the filling into the pie crust and spread evenly.  Freeze until set, 3 to 4 hours.

Combine the remaining 1 1/2 cups of whipping cream and the confectioners’ sugar. Whip until soft peaks. Spoon the whipped cream over the frozen pie.

Garnish with some curled lime slices and a cherry, if desired.

As with most of his desserts, LB has to have a cherry on top!

 

 

Summertime Lime Pie

  • Servings: 8
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream

1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk

1 tablespoon fresh lime zest

1/2 cup fresh lime juice

1 store bought graham cracker pie crust

1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar

lime slices, for garnish, optional

Directions

In a chilled mixing bowl, beat 1 cup of the heavy cream into stiff peaks. In a separate bowl, whisk together the sweetened condensed milk, lime zest and lime juice.  Fold the mixture into the whipped cream.

Pour the filling into the pie crust and spread evenly.  Freeze until set, 3 to 4 hours.

Combine the remaining 1 1/2 cups of whipping cream and the confectioners’ sugar. Whip until soft peaks. Spoon the whipped cream over the frozen pie.

Garnish with some curled lime slices.

 

Thank you for taking time out of your day to stop by my blog.

Pinterest Pursuits

It’s not likely that I’m any different from other Pinterest Users in that, every time I open Pinterest, I will find something new to pin.

This past week I added the following to My Pinterest Boards:

To Desserts Recipes I added:

Cherry Cheesecake Lush

You can find the recipe Here.

 

To COOKIES! I added:

Softbatch Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies

You can find the recipe Here.

These are the cookies I baked for National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day.

 

 

To Healthy Me I added:

Favorite Recipes to Curb Cravings

You can find the recipe and more information about My Think Fit Here.

Also added to Healthy Me:

The Healthiest Drink To Burn All The Fat From The Waist, Back And Thighs

I have not yet tested the health benefits of ginger water, but if you happen to try it, let me know how it works out for you.  It appears that it worked for the girl in the photo.

Also, I am credulous.

Click here to read about “The Healthiest Drink To Burn All The Fat From The Waist, Back And Thighs”.

Obviously I am afflicted with an inner struggle as I love to bake and create sweets, however I’m also concerned with making healthy choices and not being overweight.  Although I typically find more pins for my Dessert board than I do for my Healthy Me board, I will use the latter on a more regular basis.

In addition to adding to my confection conflict, I will search for outfit ideas on Pinterest to add to my Outfits to Copy board.  Typically this happens just before I fall asleep at night.  Oftentimes, instead of pinning these, I will screen shot the ones that I like, using my iPad and try to recreate them later.

These were all screenshots from Pinterest when I searched blush pants and chambray tops.  I never got around to pinning them.  But they are definitely PIN-worthy!

 

Thank you for taking time out of your day to stop by my blog.

 

PARTY TIME

This month The Blended Blog Asks about Party Time.

 

Favorite Birthday Party as a Child?

There is but one memorable childhood party, and I only recall bits and pieces.  I believe it was the year of my 12thbirthday, and it was near the end of the Disco era.  WHAT?

Some of the things I remember about that party are:

  • It was set up in the garage
  • Boys were invited
  • Disco Dynamite was one of the awesome records that were played.

The event must have turned out well, because the vague memory always brings a smile to my face.

 

 

Do you like to Entertain? Yes or No?

I like to have people over and feed them.

 

 

What kind of Parties are your favorite?

Dress up parties are amusing!

One year our family dressed as Batman characters to celebrate Richard’s birthday.  Dressing up for Laurie’s Halloween party every year is a lot of fun too.It is good to have a specific event to plan around, like the Super Bowl Party we had this past January. There will typically be something on the TV like a football game (obviously) or my YouTube party playlist to help provide musical entertainment.

If I host a party with family in mind, it will usually involve the pool.

Big or Small Parties?

Both.

Favorite thing to do at Parties?

Eat.

Party Food Favorites?

Finger foods are good!  Dips are great!  Anything that you can dip a cracker or chip into is usually a big hit!

Favorite Flavor Birthday Cake?

I like a cake with buttercream frosting and ‘Happy Birthday Kim’ decorations from a local grocery store bakery.Yes I’ll do it!

Balloons? Yes or No?

Yes, love balloons!  Especially when they come special delivery in a balloon bouquet!

Best Party Song?

Good Question!  There are so many!  Uptown Funk.  Love Shack.  Anything from the 80’s!

As I mentioned before, I have a YouTube Party Playlist.  Accessing the website on the TV delivers party music as well as video.  A fun song like The Cupid Shuffle will provide dance instruction as well!

Do you like to Dance? Yes or No?

Yes, I do like to dance.

No, I do not dance well.

Luckily my partner helps me look like I know what I’m doing.

 

 

 

Thank you for taking time out of your day to stop by my blog.

Sisters

Sister (as defined by Merriam-Webster)

1 : a female who has one or both parents in common with another
2  a : a member of a women’s religious order (as of nuns or deaconesses); especially one of a Roman Catholic congregation under simple vows.  b : a girl or woman who is a member of a Christian church
3 a : a girl or woman regarded as a comrade. b : a girl or woman who shares with another a common national or racial origin
4 : a member of a sorority

Today is

 

In My world, sisters look like this:

 

National Sisters Day is observed annually on the first Sunday in August.  Like many other special days, it is a day of opportunity  to show appreciation for that unique bond only sisters can understand.

All sisters may have the odd argument here and there, but deep down there’s little way to break the strong bond shared by female siblings.  The natural connection between sisters is like no other.

  Sisters are forever.

HOW TO OBSERVE

Cherish the memories and make plans to create new ones.  Reconnect or patch up any misunderstandings.  Make this day a special celebration of your sister.

If you don’t have a sister, you can still celebrate the friendships of sisterhood by having a girls’ night out!

Post on social media using #NationalSistersDay to encourage others to do the same.

(source)

 

 

 

Miss Celie’s Blues (Sister)
Sister,
You’ve been on my mind
Sister, we’re two of a kind
So sister,
I’m keepin’ my eyes on you
I betcha think
I don’t know nothin’
But singin’ the blues
Oh sister, have I got news for you
I’m somethin’
I hope you think
That you’re somethin’ too
Oh, Scufflin’,
I been up that lonesome road
And I seen a lot of suns goin’ down
Oh, but trust me
No low life’s gonna run me around
So let me tell you somethin’ sister
Remember your name
No twister,
Gonna steal your stuff away
My sister
Sho’ ain’t got a whole lot of time
So shake your shimmy,
Sister
‘Cause honey this ‘shug
Is feelin’ fine
Songwriters: Quincy Jones / Rod Temperton / Lionel B. / Jr. Richie
Miss Celie’s Blues (Live) lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc, Universal Music Publishing Group
Thank you for taking time out of your day to stop by my blog.

National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day!

National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day is observed annually on August 4th.

According to National Day Calendar, this is a day to enjoy those tasty bits of chocolate in your favorite cookies.

I don’t need a special reason to bake cookies, but I’ll take it!

Because chocolate chip cookies are a US favorite, we thank Ruth Graves Wakefield for her creation of chocolate chips, and also celebrate her name on National Chocolate Chip Day in May.  For if it weren’t for her curiosity and invention, there wouldn’t be any lingering in the kitchen waiting for the oven timer to ding.  If Ruth had never wondered what chunks of chocolate would taste like mixed into a sugar cookie dough, we would not know the joy of chocolate chip cookie dough.  Nor would we know the ecstasy that is to taste a freshly baked chocolate chip cookie.  If it weren’t for Ruth Graves Wakefield, entire generations would have been denied the bliss that is a chocolate chip cookie.

Thank you Ruth!

It may be that she is equally responsible for all those other nuggets of goodness.  Morsels of butterscotch, peanut butter and white chocolate enjoyed in much the same way we enjoy our chocolate delights.  Nothing, though, rates quite as high as the chocolate chip cookie that Ruth Grave Wakefield brought to us in 1937.

No… Nothing.

(source)

HOW TO OBSERVE

Make your favorite chocolate chip cookies and throw some extra chocolate chips into the mix! Give this recipe a try. Post on social media using #ChocolateChipCookieDay.

 

LB and I endured Hurricane Irma in 2017 with these Chocolate Chip Cookies.

 

Today I used a recently discovered Pinterest recipe for Soft Batch Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies. 

It is posted on my Pinterest COOKIES! board and also on the site from which it was found: Averie Cooks.  If you are looking for a quick chocolate chip cookie fix, it is important to note that these cookies require refrigeration for at least 2 hours before baking.

 

 

 

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