Must Have Monday: Valhalla Brooklyn

Having spent a few years of my pre-baby life, surrounded by gorgeous Designer Handbags, it was only a matter of time, before my personal taste in handbags went from beer level....to champagne....though I drooled daily over the amazingly beautiful bags, bearing the labels of Chloé, Burberry and Marc Jacobs, I just couldn't quite bring myself to open up my 4 year old Coach Bag and upgrade....

Fast forward 4 years later....and my champagne taste, though watered down....and usually leaning towards the newest and greatest Diaper Bag, I still have an oversized soft spot for those gorgeous leather creations, that would pay my car payment for about 6 months....

My Beer Budget, and My Soft Spot have found something they both can covet and I'm in full hearted agreement, on the drool worthy creations coming from Valhalla Brooklyn.

Hand Made, High quality leather handbags.....that ....get ready, are under $400......Can you stand it? I can't either.....

I am determined to be sporting the lovely Larch Bag that sells for $319 (picture 2 and 4)....Sigh......

Hands down Style Points....and Large enough for all my stuff and the kids stuff? Double Sigh.....

Please, don't just take my word on it, you can drool over all the amazing creations yourself......

Valhalla is sold in a few Small Boutiques, and on Etsy.

Baking

How can you tell when the Christmas Season is in full swing at our house?

When two boys channel their inner Cake Boss meets The Swedish Chef....

My mini Culinary Masters....know the ins and outs of Holiday Baking.....

Rule 1) Who needs measuring? A REAL Baker just Feels the recipe.....

Rule 2.....Taste Testing is a must....for quality control purposes....

Rule 3.....Live by the advice of the incomparable Ms Julia Child

“The only real stumbling block is fear of failure. In cooking you've got to have a what-the-hell attitude.”

In The Kitchen: Sausage Wontons

What do you get when mix Italian, Tex-Mex and Asian Cuisine.....and put them together in one small, delectable morsel?

Only probably one of the most amazing appetizers to have tickled my taste buds in a longggg time!

I'm so in game mode, with getting ready for the onslaught of Holiday Shindigs......and my 2nd Annual Dirty Santa Party is going to be my hit of the season......so I'm already firing up the kitchen, to make sure the food is as amazing as the Holiday Festivities....

and taking a cue from Brad Paisley....who so eloquently says

"It's like we're all livin' in a big ol' cup

Just Fire up the blender, mix it all up"

I only had time to take two Photos of this amazing Dish....as My mouth just couldn't wait to devour every last one......

Sausage Wontons

1 lb Italian Sausage (casings removed)

3/4 c. Salsa (I like mine Medium)

1/2 c. shredded Monterrey Jack Cheese

1 c. Shredded Cheddar Cheese

2 oz Diced green chilies

olive oil

24 Wonton Skins

Sour Cream

1. In Large Skillet, brown sausage over medium heat, breaking up the large pieces, so that it is crumbly. When sausage is done, remove with slotted spoon and drain remaining grease. Discard grease from skillet, then return the sausage.

2. Add salsa, cheese, and green chilies to the sausage, and simmer until the mixture thickens, about 5 minutes. Turn off heat, and let cool to room temperature

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, Brush 24 mini muffin cups with olive oil. Press 1 wonton wrapper into each muffin cup. Fill each prepared cup with a full Tablespoon of Sausage mixture.

4. Bake Wontons for 1o minutes at 350 degrees, until edges of wonton wrapper begin to brown. Then Transfer the Wontons from the muffin tin, to a baking sheet. Return wontons to oven, and bake an additional 8 minutes.

Serve with a dollop of Sour cream!

REVIEW: Melt Buttery Spread!

I want to start by saying.....

I LOVE Butter.....I love how it makes EVERYTHING you put it on...taste better.....Whoever said it's better with butter...sure as heck wasn't lying.....

I'm a Paula Deen Groupie.....

I become just a little bit more than giddy when I see her bring out her favorite ingredient....and create what are in my opinion....culinary masterpieces (I know Anthony Bourdain and I could go round and round on that one)

There's just one little pesky downside to all that buttery goodness.....It's not the healthiest of food items.....

Way to be a pooper at the party....

There is a NEW and exciting Guest at the Butter Party though....and it has renewed my excitement with being able to endulge in my Butter obsession....without so much of the unhealthy side effects.....I'd like to introduce you to Melt!

Melt is not Butter.....and it is not Margarine that has all those hydrogenated oils....

Melt is certified 95% organic, Gluten Free and Contains those "Good Fats" that unfortunately Butter Doesn't have.

Melt is a Butter Substitute that is made using Virgin Coconut Oil, Flax Seed Oil, Palm Oil and Canola Oil, "healthy Cooking Oils" which has an amazing 20% less calories than Butter.....

I've been slathering Melt on my Biscuits....and Toast....and anything I can slather it on.....I've baked with Melt, Sauteed with Melt....and eaten it straight from the tub.....It has a slight Coconut taste to it, which butter obviously doesn't have....but you certainly don't even notice it once you cook with it....and I don't mind having a little "taste" with my butter anyway.

Recently as you remember I made My AMAZING Toasted Almond Cupcakes with Caramel Frosting.....They turned out so moist, and so delicious...Melt did not alter the quality of the recipe at all....and with something that just looking at it, adds pounds to my hips...it's nice to know I was able to reduce the calories a little bit....and add some added organic ingredients!

You can purchase Melt on their Website, or at Select King Soopers, Fred Meyers or Whole Foods Stores. You can locate a retail location close to you, by checking out their store locator page.

My Mama is coming.....

and to say the least....I'm a tad bit excited about it!!!

My mom, by the way, didn't she look fetching in her Dorothy Hamill inspired Bob?

She's always been on with the trends with regards to her hairstyles....

well...except for the time....I believe it was 1992.....a disastrous event that occurred at salon, with a very....shall we say innnterresstting....name, that would have been better suited for an Adult toy Shop, than a hair salon....you would have thought that might be a clue.....

My poor mother went in that fateful afternoon a brunette....and emerged....Bozo the Clown....or maybe they were going for a street walker look.....either way...it was a Flaming red mega disaster....and to me and my sister....quite funny....

To say the least, her new hair color lasted about as long as the salon did....

but, my mom was a good sport, and even now will laugh about the infamous "G-spot" episode.....it's one of the many traits about her that I admire so much...

Growing up, I thought my mom was the smartest, the prettiest, the most stylish....though there were "the Sweat pant years".....but I chalk that up to a momentary reverse mid-life crisis.....

In many ways I still feel that way about my mom.....I admire her intelligence, her independence, her ability to speak her mind......and her ability to laugh....

I think I'm looking forward to hearing her laughter most.....

I find as I am raising my own two children...how many times I end up saying or doing something, that....in essence is my mother.....

I guess, you can call that a wonderful legacy, if your children unconsciously pass on the knowledge and wisdom to their children, that you showered onto them....

Though I hope my kids don't pick up some of my traits.....like my propensity to live in chaos.....the fact that I procrastinate, and fly by the seat of my pants......all traits by the way that I did NOT get from my mom......

Hmm....it does looks like she did pass on her good hair sense though....look who else is sporting the Dorothy Hamill Bob?

In the Kitchen: Toasted Almond Cupcakes with Caramel Frosting

If you had to ask me what I think the absolute Perfect Dessert is...

I would have to say the Cupcake...I'm sure I will be getting many a culinary expert rolling their eyes at me, but really why can't it be?

Cupcakes come in the perfect individual sizes, as to NOT over indulge, unless you swipe say 2 or 3...

Cupcakes can take on and transform into just about any flavor combination you can possibly think up....PB and J, Tiramisu, Key Lime......

The Best Thing about Cupcakes....and what I think makes them so perfect....is that cupcakes can transcend generations.....Now you can find some very Grown up Cup Cakes, that even the stodgiest of culinary palates would approve of!

Like this Little Bite of Perfection....Toasted Almond topped with Sweet and Velvety Caramel Frosting, and Topped with just the right amount of crunch with the Almond Garnish....it is so not your Preschooler's Cupcake for sure, though mine gave me a sticky 2 thumbs up!

This recipe comes courtesy of Betty Crocker, because Betty knows her cupcakes!

Oh, and a heads up! I will be giving away one of the special ingredients included in this recipe Tomorrow! so Stay Tuned!

Toasted Almond Cupcakes with Caramel Frosting

Cupcakes

1 1/2 cups sliced almonds
1 box white cake mix
1 1/4 cups water
1/2 cup applesauce
3 eggs
1 teaspoon almond extract

Caramel Frosting

1/2 cup butter*
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup milk
2 cups powdered sugar

1. Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pans). Place paper baking cup in each of 24 regular-size muffin cups. In shallow pan, bake almonds 6 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden brown. Cool 15 minutes. Reserve 1 cup almonds for garnish.

2. In food processor, grind remaining almonds until finely ground. In large bowl, beat cake mix, water, oil, eggs and almond extract with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds. Beat on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. (Batter will be lumpy.) Fold in ground almonds. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups.

3. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Remove from pan to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.

4 In 2-quart saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in brown sugar. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low; boil and stir 2 minutes. Stir in milk. Heat to boiling. Remove from heat. Cool to lukewarm, about 30 minutes.

5. Gradually stir powdered sugar into brown sugar mixture. Place saucepan of frosting in bowl of cold water. Beat with spoon until smooth and spreadable. If frosting becomes too stiff, stir in additional milk, 1 teaspoon at a time. Frost a few cupcakes at a time with 1 tablespoon frosting each; sprinkle reserved almonds lightly onto frosting. Store loosely covered at room temperature.

* I used Melt Buttery Spread in place of regular Butter in this recipe. Melt is an organic Omega-3 rich gluten free butter alternative.

Our Family, A Photo Story

I count myself as being one lucky duck.....

My wonderful husband humors me on so many things, like spending an afternoon helping me choose new throw pillows for our bedroom, or gritting through the Real Housewives of Atlanta Marathon, on his Saturday Afternoon, even though I know he would rather be doing something more productive and manly....like golfing.....or fishing......

He really is such a guy, and I try really hard to reciprocate his manly sacrifices, by in turn watching a Dirty Jobs Marathon, or spending an afternoon at Lowes checking out the newest and greatest in Power Tools....

Our Yearly Family Portraits, usually always begins with again, him humoring me....by seeming completely interested in the coordinating, but not "matchy matchy" wardrobe choices I've chosen

He does an amazing job, of being warm and friendly with the Photographer, and smiling his brightest smile for the camera, though in between takes, I see his gaze wander longingly to the golf course that happens to be just across the way.....

He does a wonderful job of helping me wrangle two very wiggly, toddlers, who have the attention span of a gnat, and all without a single complaint, or even the hint of a sigh

By the middle of our shoot, I begin to notice.......

He's enjoying himself.....with the only longing gazes being directed towards his family....thoughts of long drives and tee boxes long forgotten...

or just forgotten....

I love my husband.....for humoring me, on my Girly T.V. marathons, shopping trips, and endless chatter about kids, and friends, and what I saw in the latest issue of Parents Magazine....

But I love him most, because after all is said and done, he gets just as excited, or even more so, about our family portraits....than I do.

He understands how quickly time goes by, how right before our eyes, our boys are growing and changing, and how this moment, right now that we are in, will be gone in a blink of an eye...

He understands how important these memories are for me, with the last 6 years having all our wonderful and joyous occasions being interwoven with my fight to win over Cancer....

He understands, because his choice to serve our country, keeps him away from his family for long stretches of time, and having these beautiful images of us together, and happy, helps keep us close even when he's in a distant and unfriendly place....

I can't thank him enough...for humoring me!

I have to thank Erica Mahan Photography, for taking such Amazing Photographs, that I will cherish for a lifetime....If you are in the Philadelphia or South Jersey Area, I highly recommend her!

Time does go by so fast, and we never know what tomorrow may hold for us....or what changes God has in store....but I know I will have these amazing images to hold close...and continue to bring life to the memories I will hold in my heart....

I'm going to end with this.....

“If you have not had family pictures taken within the past 3 years, promise me right now that tomorrow morning, you will find someone to do it. I don’t care if it’s a neighbor, I don’t care if it’s a portrait studio, I don’t care if it’s a tripod and a remote. Just do it. We have no guarantees in life, but at least we can have the photos to prove that we were here, we were together, and we were happy.”

Pinkletoes Photography

In the Kitchen: Breakfast Pizza

In my humble opinion, there are really only a handful of things in this world....that when paired together, makes the heavens part, and the angels sing....

Cookie dough and Vanilla Ice Cream

A Deep Fryer and Oreo Cookies

Butter and Paula Deen

and

Pizza and Breakfast......

I could eat pizza almost every single day of my life....and the same could definitely be said for Breakfast foods....and thank goodness my very cute, but extremely picky 3 year old could agree with me on that point.

Luckily, someone, somewhere was so extremely brilliant....and came up with the idea of putting eggs, cheese, sausage and potatoes on top of a pizza....I hold that momentous occasion up there with the creation of the light bulb...and the Snuggie.....

This Breakfast pizza, is a) extremely easy to make, b) is uber budget friendly, and c) 99% of the time, everyone in the house will love it, morning, noon or for a Wednesday night dinner.

Behold....the wonderous-ness that is....

Breakfast Pizza

8 oz Tube refrigerated crescent rolls

1 lb ground breakfast sausage, browned/drained

1 c. frozen diced potatoes, thawed

1 c. shredded cheddar cheese

5 eggs

1/4 milk

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

Directions

1. Separate Crescent rolls into triangles, arrange triangles on ungreased cookie sheet, Pressing over bottom and up sides to form the crust. Make sure you close the creases.

2. Spoon cooked sausage over prepared crust. Sprinkle with potatoes and cheese.

3. In separate bowl, combine eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Pour egg mixture over cheese and sausage.

4. Bake at a 375 degree oven for 25-30 minutes, until eggs have fully set.

5. Cut into squares, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese!

Makes 6-8 servings

You are so very welcome!

On Tuesday....

A little insight into a very non-typical Tuesday Morning....


After the usual Morning Send Off.....where one very brave Three Year Old...goes off to Conquer the World of Preschool....his weapon of choice, his well loved Blankie in Hand....

it still gets to me....seeing him wave from the bus window......I still don't think I'm ready....

when he's 25, I still don't think I'll be ready.....



Enjoy some quality time with one very snuggly pre-toddler, who smells of a combination of maple syrup and clean laundry.....which probably means I should probably check my laundry basket to see if my underwear is stuck to a towel.....or if my husbands jeans smell like they should be slathered in butter....



Try for the 1 millionth time to become a dog whisperer.....and explain why I don't need help changing diapers.....and hopefully understand the extreme hatred of all things squirrel related....

If anyone has some insight....or the number to a good pet therapist....it would be greatly appreciated.





Begin the annual transformation of the house from Summer....To Autumn.......by getting my hands dirty....and praying to the gardening Gods.....that I will this time, be blessed with even a hint of a green thumb......all the while chanting "I will not kill the plants....." I'll let you know how that turns out!




Tomorrow should prove to be a very interesting Wednesday.....

It's the day I perform my civic Duty....

and show up for jury duty....

I can honestly say, it's taken me 14 years for me to finally get summoned....and I was a little nervous to get that ominous card in the mail.....

And though, I have absolutely no idea yet, what I'll do if I do get chosen....as Jury duty isn't one of those things that seems to be, family friendly......

I'm actually excited to possibly get a chance to actually go inside the courts....and see first hand how our judicial system works....

Wonder if I can borrow a certain Brave Boy's Blankie......

In The Kitchen: Black Bean Burrito With Pico De Gallo

Can I just start by saying......I could eat this every single day of my life.....literally....if I was stuck on a deserted Island, as long as there were Tomatoes, Onions, Peppers, Cilantro...Beans.....and an unlimited supply of Tortillas and Cheese....

I would be in culinary heaven....

Having lived in Phoenix for 5 years, where Mexican food has nothing to do with your local Taco Bell Drive Thru....but has more to do with The Amazing Flavors that come from the Mexican Culture.....

I have to say, moving to the East Coast....I am so very homesick for anything that resembles the bold authentic recipes I am used too.....

4 1/2 years later....I'm still searching.....

Instead of pining away ....or spending a fortune on cross country delivery....I've begun to experiment on my own....and try and recreate those flavors and dishes I love...

I happend to have Some Amazing Ripe Tomatoes and Peppers waiting for me in my garden.....and I thought....what a Perfect day to make a fresh batch of Pico De Gallo....

and Some hearty and delicious Black Bean Burritos to go with it.....

These Two Recipes are So Fast....and So Simple that it even works on those busy Kid Crazy days.....when you want a fast, filling...and Healthy lunch......

Pico De Gallo

1 Large Tomato Seeded and Chopped

1 Purple Onion Chopped

1 Large Banana Pepper Seeded and Chopped

2 cloves Garlic Minced

1/4 C. Fresh Cilantro Chopped

Juice of Two Limes

Salt and Pepper to Taste

Mix all Ingredients together in a large bowl.

And There You Have it! Pico is best eaten within a day of it's creation.....It doesn't keep well after that....though I don't think anyone will have a problem finishing it off!

Now you'll need your Pico De Gallo for the Super Delicioso Black Bean Burritos....

Black Bean Burrito

1 tsp minced garlic

1 15 oz can black beans drained and rinsed

1 tsp ground coriander

1/2 c. sour cream

1/2 c. Pico De Gallo

4-67 inch Flour Tortillas

1 c. grated Monterey Jack Cheese

In a large Saucepan, combine garlic, beans, coriander, sour cream, and Pico De Gallo Cook over Medium heat, about 5 minutes, until thoroughly heated.

Meanwhile, sprinkle tortillas with water and place between 2 damp paper towels. Heat in Microwave for 30 seconds.

Divide Bean Mixture between tortillas, sprinkle with Cheese, roll up and serve with more of that amazing Pico De Gallo on the Side

I'm thinking....I may not need that Deserted Island....or a Fed Ex Account after all......

*Burp*