Shamrock Smoothie

I love mint! And this time of year I am always tempted to head to McD's for their Shamrock Shake. I am a good girl and resist that temptation, but damn they are good! I am happy to say that I have come up with an acceptable alternative to that devil of a shake however. It's healthy, fresh and so delicious you won't even miss it's fast food counterpart. Your lips and butt will thank-you.

Blueberry Muffins

I love blueberries. I love them so much that I put in a small blueberry garden in my yard. One of my favorite things to do throughout the summer time is to get up in the morning and pick a handful of blueberries to throw into my granola - and let me tell you, there is nothing better than a just picked, ripe blueberry!! Towards the middle of summer the blueberry bushes are weighed down with all of the amazing plump berries and we are able to pick them by the handfuls. So yummy. Then it becomes muffin time. 

Mini Taco Bowls

Complete Pinterest Success! I have seen this idea floating around for a while and decided to give it a try this weekend. Our football team - The Seattle Seahawks - are back in the playoffs this year and we were having a playoffs party at our house. What better occasion to whip these up? They were a huge success and both plates were gobbled up....... BTW - one win down, one to go till Superbowl! Go Hawks!!

Strawberry Cake

This weekend we celebrated our baby's 22nd birthday. Ya, I know, that's really showing my age! Every year she wants me to make her my strawberry cake, and it's always a big hit with everyone who is over enjoying her birthday with us. The funny thing about his recipe is, I got it way back in High School in a cooking class I was taking (we won't discuss how long ago that was), and it's still a family favorite today.

Pancake Poppers

Yesterday the Seahawks game came on in the morning, so instead of having the usual football fare we decided to do a football breakfast. One of the things I made up were these pancake poppers. They were easy to make a bunch at one time, since you bake them in the oven, and were perfect for a breakfast buffet. No leftovers with these guys!

Pumpkin Doughnuts

Sunday is treat night at our house, and as usual this time of year I had a hankering for something with pumpkin. For some reason I had a yellow cake mix in the pantry, which is weird because I never buy cake mixes, but there it was. Putting the two together, and a little bit of magic, I came up with these baked, low-fat doughnuts. They were so good we couldn't stay out of them.

Pumpkin Bread

It's Fall, which means pumpkin! I love pumpkin and everything that goes along with it: cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and allspice. A nice piece of pumpkin bread with a hot cup of tea is my idea of a cozy morning on a rainy day. Make  up a batch of this pumpkin bread and enjoy a relaxing morning on me.

Spooky Sweet Potato Fries

I love french fries. When it comes to comfort foods, they are definitely at the top of my list. With my sweet potato fries you can eat your fries almost guilt free: and using sweet potatoes in place of russet gives you a boost of vitamin A, which is great for the immune system. The best part - Halloween speaking - is sweet potatoes are orange. Throw some black sesame seeds on there: insta Halloween side dish.

Ghostly Baked Spahetti

It's pretty easy to throw a Halloween twist onto any casserole that your making. Last night I made baked spaghetti, which is always a crowd favorite, and topped it with my ghostly apparitions. The best part about these ghosts is their made of cheese - and who doesn't like cheese? They look awesome and taste awesomer. (Awesomer? I just made up a word. I like it.)

Homemade Pizza Night

Today, September 22nd, is Family Day. What a great day to celebrate! Spend time in the kitchen tonight making homemade pizza together. Then, gather around the table, eat pizza, sip on soda and play games. I can't think of a better way to spend the evening. Here is my famous (at least with my family and friends) pizza crust. Have a great night with the family!

Mini-Berry Pies

One of the joys of living in the Pacific Northwest is the bounty of berries we have here. Blackberries are EVERYWHERE and with a short hike you can have your hearts content with wild blueberries and huckleberries. With that comes pie of course! With just the hubby and I at home we don't need a full pie so I wanted to make it a little smaller and a lot healthier. These little mini pies fit the bill perfectly on both fronts.

Home Canned Dill Pickle Relish

We have had a great summer here in the Seattle area, which has made me and my garden extremely happy. At the moment however, I have zucchini and cucumbers overflowing the veggie bin and I have been working hard to keep it from spoiling (you can eat only so many cucumbers!). If you have always wanted to try canning, but have been intimidated by the complicated equipment and long list of directions, relish is a good starter. It's easy and you can use what you already have in your kitchen.

Dark Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes

Zucchini is running rampant in my garden right now and I have been looking for something yummy, healthy and different to do with it. I was playing around in the kitchen today and came up with this amazing cupcake. It is light, fluffy, amazingly delicious and yes, it's even good for you. So enjoy! You can have your cake and eat it too.

Strawberry Fruitsicle

I am always amazed at the mechanics of a child's eardrum.  You can stand no more than two feet in front of them and ask them to do something, and they somehow cannot hear you - but at the sound of an ice cream truck (two blocks away!) and they are screaming through the house trying to beg for any change they can dig up. Go figure. These amazing little delights however will save you the change and give you piece of mind, because they are healthy and packed full of fruit. Let them have two.

Banana Pops

I love ice cream. It’s one of my favorite foods, and if I could eat it every day without my backside spreading to create its own solar system I would. Unfortunately ice cream is reserved for those treat days that we set aside for ourselves every couple of weeks. BUT, I do make a treat in the summer time that is the next best thing to a big bowl of creamy deliciousness. It’s frozen, yummy, and feels like you are cheating by eating an ice cream bar. The best part? It’s good for you. 

Apple-Blueberry Coffee Cake

Most of us are super busy these days and don't have time to sit down to eat a healthy breakfast. Lucky Charms and power bars seem to be the main stream for most, if breakfast is even eaten at all. However, with a little preparation the night before, you can wake up to an amazing breakfast all ready to go, and, depending on how big your family is, it can keep you going for several mornings.

Pepperoni Pizza Pull Aparts

Jess is home and getting ready to graduate next weekend. We decided to have her graduation party this last weekend, since we will have to make the 2 hour drive to her campus for the ceremony, we thought it would be too much for one day to try and do both. Pizza has been a staple in our house for years, so I wanted to make some, but wanted something a little different.  Here's what I came up with.

Making Your Cookies Last

You have a hankering for a cookie, go in to make a batch and end up with 3-4 dozen. One of two things happens: you either waste some because you have too many, or more often than not eat WAY too many because they are there to tempt you at every turn. I started doing this with my cookie dough a few years back and thought, why the heck didn't I think of this 20 years ago!

Sesame Street Picnic Platters

Well, dog-gonnit, if there aren't the most creative people online! Once again I was doing my morning surf of facebook and saw this idea. It is the most simple, adorable, creative thing I have seen in a long time!!! And, it's healthy to boot so it has my vote right away. Can't wait for my next BBQ potluck ;o).

Butter Pecan Ice Cream

As we enter into the summer months, I am usually found in the garage dusting off the ice cream maker and gathering all of the parts for assembly. Ice cream is one of my favorite foods and it's even yummier when it's freshly homemade: it's pure, natural, soft-serve amazingness.