Banana Crumb Muffins

I was in a muffin baking mood the other day.  I searched All Recipes for a yummy sounding recipe and came across one for Banana Crumb Muffins.  The recipe is very simple and boy are they good!!!  The brown sugar topping is scrumptious!  I added mini chocolate chips to some of the muffins and I also threw in a little vanilla extract to the batter.

Click HERE for the recipe.

Linked to: Silly Little Sparrow, All the Small Stuff, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, The Girl Creative, Crazy Daisy, Remodelaholic, Somewhat Simple, Room to Inspire

Flaunt it Friday @ Chic on a Shoestring Decorating 

Summer Hats

   

Avocado Salsa Verde

I watched What Would Brian Boitano Make the other day on the Food Network and thought his recipe for green salsa looked pretty tasty.  So I gave it a try for dinner last night to go along with our shredded beef tacos...
 
 
Ingredients:
2 poblano peppers
4 tomatillos
2 avocados, halved, pitted and diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 lime, juiced
1/4 bunch cilantro, leaves chopped
1 tablespoon white vinegar
Pinch salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Broil the peppers and tomatillos until they get brown and bubbly.  Turn the peppers every couple of minutes.  The original recipe didn't say to broil the tomatillos but l thought, why not!



Steam the peppers under plastic wrap for 10 minutes, then peel skin and remove the stem and seeds.

Add the peppers along with the remaining salsa ingredients to the blender.

The final result:
It's kind of a mix between salsa verde and guacamole.  Yum!

To complete our meal, I made Cilantro-Lime rice.  It's so good and so easy!  Just add the juice of one lime, a tablespoon or two of butter, and a lot of cilantro to cooked rice.  Mmmmmm....

Throw in some seasoned pinto beans and you have a delicious meal!


Linked to: Silly Little Sparrow, All the Small Stuff, Blessed with Grace, My Frugal Family, A Soft Plact to Land, Balancing Community and Bedlam, Bobbypins Boardwalk, The Girl Creative, Remodelaholic, My Backyard Eden, Somewhat Simple,  Fingerprints on the Fridge, My Romantic Home, Check me out Saturday

First Day of Spring?

I think Mother Nature is a little confused.

At least I have some beautiful flowers inside to brighten my day...

  

Garden Fresh Tomatoes

 
There are so many things I love about summer.  Right at the top of my list are garden fresh tomatoes.  My garden produced an excellent crop last year and I'm hoping it will do the same this summer.  I'm ready for lots of yummy salads and BLT's! 
   
 

I'm ready for my kitchen counter to look like this! 
   


Linked to: Silly Little Sparrow, Room To Inspire, The Trendy Treehouse, My Backyard Eden, My Romantic Home, Fingerprints on the Fridge, Kojo Designs, A Southern Daydreamer, Woo Hoo Wednesday @ Always Nesting

Easter Egg Craft

I found some cute little Easter egg picks at Michaels and thought they would be perfect for topiaries.  I gathered up the supplies I had from my previous topiary making endeavor and starting crafting...

I already had spray painted the pots and distressed the edges with sandpaper.  I cut the floral foam to fit in the pots and then cut out pieces of moss for the top.

I replaced the ribbon bows with raffia.

And the final result:


Linked to : Creations by Kara, Blue Cricket Design, Room to Inspire, Today's Creative Blog, My Backyard Eden, Its So Very Cheri, Silly Little Sparrow, The Girl Creative, Between Naps on the Porch, Life as Lori, Somewhat Simple, Romantic Home, Remodelaholic, Craftaholics Anonymous, Growing Our Own Garden

The Best Vinegar Ever!

Calling all Kansas City friends... 
There is a new shop you HAVE to visit.  This past weekend my hubby and I decided to enjoy the beautiful weather and walk around downtown Overland Park.  There are so many cute shops and restaurants in that area, but one place in particular really stood out to us - The Tasteful Olive.  We were warmly greeted and given a brief rundown of what their shop is all about.  They have a huge selection of the finest olive oils and vinegars from all over the world and you are able to taste as many as you like.  We were intrigued by some of the olive oil flavors: Blood Orange Fusion, Wild Mushroom and Sage, and Persian Lime Fusion.  Yum!!  There were some interesting balsamic vinegar flavors too: Chocolate Balsamic, Coconut White Balsamic, and Wild Blueberry Balsamic.  By far our favorite was the Cinnamon Pear Balsamic.  Sounds interesting, huh?!  They filled a bottle for us right there in the shop. 

Last night we gave our vinegar a try.  I made a salad using:
Mixed baby greens 
Glazed pecans
Dried Cranberries
Gorgonzola
I mixed in a very small amount of olive oil in with our vinegar to make the dressing.  We had high hopes for the dressing and let me tell you - we were not disappointed!!  By far one of the best dressings we have ever tried!  Absolutely delicious!

You can check out their website here.  And if you live nearby, stop by their cute little shop! 

Canadian Bacon, Egg and Cheese English Muffin

Here's a simple idea for a quick and easy breakfast.

Ingredients:


Toast the English muffin then layer with cheese, Canadian bacon and egg.

                                  Enjoy!!!

Linked to: Somewhat Simple, Kojo Designs and Tempt My Tummy Tuesday

First Furniture Redo

There are several pieces of furniture in our garage that are waiting to be transformed.  I decided to practice my painting abilities on this little shelf I picked up at a garage sale last year for $5 before I tackle the big stuff. 
Before:

After:

I sanded the piece and then primed using a grey tinted Behr primer.  Once the shelf was dry I used a mini foam roller purchased from Home Depot and gave the shelf two coats of paint.  I used Behr's "Black Suede" paint in a satin finish.   

I think I'm ready for the next piece of furniture!  

  From Shabby to Chic @ Debbiedoos

Linked to: Thrifty Decor Check, Between Naps on the Porch, The Shades of Pink, Twice Remembered, Cottage Instincts, The Girl Creative, Its So Very Cheri, A Silly Little Sparrow, Today's Creative Blog, Domestically Speaking, My Backyard Eden, Remodelaholic, Miss Mustard Seed,