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Showing posts with label Food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Food. Show all posts

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Another Photo Dump For Ya!

I know I said What I'm Loving Wednesday would be back this week but in the light of recent events I'm just not super thrilled about much this week! Emotions are at an all time high and I'm honestly speechless with the events happening in our nation and world. The only place I've been able to find comfort or understanding is in the arms of my hubby with Baby Reef in my lap. It's a place I never want to leave.

Since I don't have much to share, for today I'll post photos from our Easter lunch at my mom's house! My mom did a fantastic job as usually with her tablescapes, food, and our annual Easter egg hunt {that I did not take photo's off because I was too busy participating in it}! Enjoy!

The Drink Station! Love a good ole Mason Jar! Country Living! 

Tablescape with Carrot treats! 

My mommy and Cousin Mason have bunny ears! 

This was our first furchild together! His name is O'Neil and he is the size of a baby lion! He now lives at GiGi's (my mom) house where he can roam the woods and fields and hunt like the lion he is! 

My Momma, My Nanna, and Me! 

The hubby playing on Mason's scooter! Never gives up the chance at being a kid! 

Mom and her baby TinkerBelle have the same hair style and coloring! 

My everything!

Baby Sister was able to come after work!!! Can't believe she graduates from high school in 2 months! 

Hope everyone has a splendid day! XoXo,

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

A Bit Fallish But Who Cares!

*I liked to take a moment and express my deepest sympathies to those victims in yesterdays horrific Boston Marathon events! Prayers are continuous and I hope that they can all find peace and comfort during this time! Boston, you will prevail and evil... evil will never win!*

A few weeks ago one of my favorite local go to lunch spots {Gourmet Gang} had this to-die-for salad as a special! Anything with pumpkin and goat cheese is a win in my book so I had to give it a try! Who knew I could fall deeply in love with a salad?! After devouring this goodness I knew I would have to recreate it at home and of course add a little meatiness {the shrimp} to it for the hubby!

What You Will Need:

1 pound of shrimp {I use frozen but you can use fresh if you'd like}
1 bag of Ready to Eat Leaf Spinach or Baby Spinach
Goat Cheese
Sunflower Seeds
Dried Cranberries
Roasted Sweet Potatoes

For the Dressing:
Pumpkin Butter
Apple Cider Vinegar
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

{If you noticed I don't have any measurements so just eyeball how much you would prefer}

Pumpkin Butter-Shrimp-Goat Cheese-Sweet Potatoes- Spinach- Sunflower Seeds-Dried Cranberries

Directions:

Peel, Cut and Cube Sweet Potatoes {One Sweet Potato should be PLENTY}. Toss in Extra Virgin Olive Oil until fully coated.


Spread out evenly on a cookie sheet and bake in the oven at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or until golden brown.



While roasting sweet potatoes sauté shrimp until cooked thoroughly.


After shrimp and sweet potatoes are finished cooking, fill bowls with spinach, sunflower seeds, and dried cranberries. Then top with goat cheese, shrimp and sweet potatoes.


To make your dressing combine equal parts pumpkin butter, apple cider vinegar, and extra virgin olive oil in a small bowl and mix together until blended. 


Drizzle over salad and ENJOY!!!



XoXo,

Monday, April 15, 2013

Weekend Recap!

Helllllooooo my darlings!!! I trust all of you had a splendid weekend?! For those who commented on Friday's post about my dog bite, I promise, promise, promise I will respond soon and I am not ignoring y'all!!! Life is getting busy with the increasing warm temperatures and home improvement tasks and I can honestly say I did not check my e-mail once this weekend! I did instagram per the usual so here's a recap of our weekend through my IG photos!

Friday evening was our typical relaxing evening in! When I got home I headed to the gym to get in a hard workout! I clocked a one mile run on the treadmill, one mile on the elliptical, and three miles on the bike! I then came home and made Poppyseed Chicken {minus the poppyseeds because we were out of them} while the hubs spent the evening doing an online driving improvement course {Can we say too many speeding tickets?!}. After dinner, Baby Reef crashed, the hubby studied and then studied some more, and I got started on painting some wine glasses! It's funny how Friday nights are so different than they were several years ago! I certainly wouldn't trade them now for anything.

Our Friday Night! 
Saturday, the hubby woke up early to cover some more driving improvement lessons. While he studied, I went for a refreshing one mile run. Early afternoon consisted of going to watch the hubby coach a baseball game! Sadly I didn't take any photos! I took Baby Reef and while he was on his best behavior and I was so proud of him for being calm, keeping my full attention on him made it hard to whip out the camera and take photos of the game! 

The hubby and I decided after the game that we would treat ourselves to dinner out which we hadn't done since February {due to lots of family get togethers}. We had a gift card to a somewhat new restaurant in my hometown, Suffolk, named Harper's Table! It was a super cute place and the food was amazing!!! We started with Pork Belly Biscuits and shared a Fuji Apple Salad. For our entrees Todd had the Sea Scallops with roasted cauliflower, thompson raisin puree, pecans and brown butter and I had the Chesapeake Bay Flounder with fennel, new potatoes, peas and a chorizo vinaigrette and we shared a side of hand cut fries & bacon mayonnaise! For dessert we had a homemade donut with a maple glaze and buttermilk ice cream and corn pudding! It sounds like A LOT of food but they are smaller portions which I love {not tapas small but the correct portion small}! This restaurant reminded me of the restaurants we ate at while in Charleston, SC last summer! I loved everything about it and the fact that I felt as though I was on a mini vacation but I was only thirty minutes from my home! After dinner we came home and crashed from a legit food coma! 

Beautiful Morning sky during my Saturday morning run! 

When renovating and creating Harper's Table, they found this original painted ad that was covered up by a border wall! 
Yesterday, we slept in a bit later than I would have liked, however I know I needed the extra sleep! One thing I love about my hubby is that he is a master breakfast chef! He can whip up any breakfast related dish and it's always fantastic! He treated me to fluffy chocolate chip pancakes and bacon! The pancakes were to die for! Seriously, I'm not sure if it's because I haven't had any in some time, but holy moly they were amaze balls!

This is the hubby's plate as I devoured my pancakes before even thinking about snapping a photo! 
After our late breakfast, the hubby headed to take his driver improvement test! This allowed me to start working on things around the house: laundry, dusting, straightening up, creating the grocery list and starting the removal of the wallpaper border in our kitchen! Once the hubby came back home {with a A on his test} he gave our yard some close attention with some good ole dandy yard work!

Starting to remove the '80s wallpaper border!
Later in the evening, I headed to good ole Harris Teeter to do some grocery shopping and was so excited to pick up some pretty tulips to brighten the coffee table as well as some scrumptious fresh fruit! Strawberries and Watermelon scream warm weather and I love that I can add them to my breakfast routine now!

Watermelon, Strawberries, and Tulips! Gloriousness!
After putting the groceries away we decided to head out for a nice evening walk with Baby Reef! We don't walk him often because in the past he would pull and drag me along {even with the gentle leader} but after seeing how well behaved he was Saturday at the ball game we figured maybe he has matured a bit! To our surprise he most definitely has matured! The walk was great {and over a mile long} and I loved being able to do it as a family! Maybe I will be able to take Baby Reef on my runs here sooner than later! 

What did y'all get into this weekend? It was beautiful here in my area and I'm beyond thankful for it! The house is still a work in progress but I feel accomplished on what we did do this weekend! Here's to more fantabulous weekends! Cheers! XoXo!  

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

I Could be a Vegetarian, Just Not a Vegan, I Like Cheese Too Much!


Here is another Pinterest worthy recipe, first appearing in Fitness Magazine, to add to your recipe boxes!!! It's a Vegetarian dish and even though I'm not a Vegetarian I really enjoyed it! The goat cheese was my favorite part and this was the first time I made caramelized onions! Yuummmmy!

What You Will Need:

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups thinly sliced onion
1 teaspoon sugar {I used Splenda}
1/4 teaspoon salt
9 ounces baby spinach {I used ready-to-eat Leaf Spinach}
4 8 inches whole-wheat flour tortillas
4 ounces semi soft goat cheese
2 medium tomatoes, thinly sliced

Whole Wheat Tortillas-Splenda-Onion-Tomato-Spinach-Goat Cheese-Olive Oil

Directions:

Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, sugar and salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is dark golden brown.


Remove from pan.


Add the spinach and 1 tablespoon water to the skillet; cook 2 minutes, or until spinach is just wilted. Remove from skillet and turn off heat.


Spread a quarter of the goat cheese on each tortilla and top with spinach, tomato and onion.




Fold closed and press lightly. Heat the skillet and place two folded quesadillas in it; cook two minutes per side, or until golden brown and lightly crisp. Repeat.


Enjoy!!!


I hope y'all are having a fantastic start to the week! The weather here in Southern VA has been beautiful which makes the beginning of a work week so much more bearable!! XoXo!!!

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Arugula, Spugula! Gnocchi, Ganache!

I found this AMAZING recipe while gallivanting through the land of Pinterest not too long ago! Who is the gal behind the recipe you ask? Mandy from Baking with Blondie! After finding her blog through my wee little pin, I am really excited to try some more of her recipes!

I gave this recipe my own added twist - shrimp. If you've been following me for some time you know my hubby has to have some sort of manliness in his dinner! I seriously think I could be a vegetarian! The hubby? Not so much!

What You Will Need:

3 medium-sized fresh sweet corn on the cob
3 cups fresh arugula {I used a mixture of fresh arugula and spinach as Mandy did}
3/4 cup fresh mushrooms, chopped {this was optional but I did include them}
1 pound potato gnocchi
3/4 cup half and half, half heavy cream, or half whole milk/skim {I used whipping cream that I had in the fridge}
3 oz light cream cheese {I used fat free}
1 teaspoon salt {see next ingredient}
1 teaspoon garlic powder {I used garlic salt in place of the garlic powder and the salt}
1 teaspoon fresh basil, julienne {I used dried basil in my spice cabinet}
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Pinch of crushed red pepper
Parmesan cheese for sprinkling
And my little added ingredient:
1 lb frozen or fresh tail off deveined shrimp

garlic salt-whipping cream-gnocchi-spinach-crushed red pepper-dried basil-frozen cooked shrimp-arugula-mushrooms-corn on the cob
Directions:

In large pot, boil water and cook gnocchi according to package directions, adding in the corn on the cob in the last five minutes. Remove corn, transfer to cutting board. Drain gnocchi, but make sure to reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water. Don't rinse your gnocchi. 

{My gnocchi packaging stated to cook until gnocchi rose to the top and that the cook time was only two minutes. I wasn't able to add the corn to it, so I drained the gnocchi using a slotted spoon and just added the corn to the pot after I removed the gnocchi.}



Sauté shrimp in a sauce pan {I used the same pan for the cream sauce and combining all the ingredients at the end} Once the shrimp is cooked/heated thoroughly, remove from pan and set aside. 


For the cream sauce, combine half and half, cream cheese, salt, garlic powder, fresh basil, and pepper in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat for about ten minutes, stirring until cream cheese has evenly dispersed throughout sauce. Stir in reserved pasta water. 


Remove corn from pot and let cool before slicing corn off the cob. 

In a medium bowl combine your shrimp, pasta sauce, corn, mushrooms, gnocchi, spinach and arugula. Sprinkle with additional salt, pepper basil and crushed red pepper if desired. 

{I combined all the ingredients in the sauce pan to help wilt the spinach and arugula}




Once fully mixed and coated, plate and top with Parmesan cheese! Enjoy!!!


From start of preparing to plating to eat, this recipe took 30 minutes! Y'all know I'm all for that!!! Be sure to add this to your recipe box! It's really yummy and I love that it's packed with loads of veggies! I may or may not have added a ton of spinach to it!! Thanks to Pinterest for bringing another yummy recipe to my kitchen and for introducing me to another blogger to add to my reading list! 

XoXo,


Tuesday, March 26, 2013

It's an Easy Peasy Kind of Side!

Today I'm forgoing the main dish recipe post and sharing a really quick side dish to add to your favorite dinner meal {and because I forgot to take photos of a main dish last week}. Hopefully you can find these cutie patootie potatoes at your local market. If not, you can no doubt use small redskin potatoes or gold yukon potatoes cut into quarters!

What You Will Need:
2 cups Gold Creamer Potatoes or Red Creamer Potatoes
1/4 cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Teaspoon of Rosemary {fresh or dry}
Teaspoon of Parsley {fresh or dry}
Salt and Pepper



Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Add olive oil and salt and pepper to a bowl.



Toss potatoes in bowl of olive oil until they are fully coated.


Spread potatoes out evenly on a non-stick cookie sheet or you can cover a cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Sprinkle potatoes with rosemary and parsley. 


Bake for 30 minutes or until light brown and crispy on the outside!


Pair with your choice of protein and fresh veggies for a scrumptious evening meal!

Couldn't be any easier for ya!

Enjoy your Tuesday my darlings!!! XoXo!

Don't forget... The Give Away Contest ends Friday! Enter here!!! 


Thursday, March 21, 2013

Whoopie! There's the Faith, Whoopie! There's Maddie!

I have no idea how this sweet gal and I became blogging buddies but I am beyond glad we did!!! She reigns from VA but currently lives in NC {and not that far so we really need work out a blate}! My favorite quality about her is her openness and honesty! This girl doesnt hide a thing! After I wrote about a very debilitating fear I have she sent me the sweetest most heart wrenching e-mail! I cried when I read it, I cried after I read it, and I cry now just thinking about it, but it made me love this girl so much more as a new friend! She shared a part of her with me that people rarely ever see in others and I appreciated it more than she may every truly know! Her raw honesty is why I'm one of her biggest fans, well that, and of course because she hails from VA! Two up, Two down, baby! Enjoy Mrs. Maddie!!! 

Hey, Y'all! I am Maddie from A Tinge of Whimsy
 I am really excited to be visiting over here with Lauran today. We are both Virginia girls and so I always get extra giddy for my "local" ladies...



Although...for the last 10 years I have called North Carolina 'home'. I live with the hubs, Wiki, in the Raleigh area. I work part time in sports and he is an engineer for a construction management firm.. And yes, that is his nickname b/c he is entirely too smart for his own good. He knows just a little bit more than even wikipedia about everything. Which for the most part is awesome...unless you're playing trivia and he happens to be on the opposite team. and then you think it's the antithesis of cool. 

This is what 5'3 looks like next to 6'5, even wearing heels;)

This June we will be celebrating 10 years of being hitched. I am a country girl from the boondocks and he is a city boy from Boston...but somehow we are perfectly matched.(other than our baseball teams, I am all pinstripes and he loves his dirty water) We love to try new foods and meander our way through small towns off the beaten path...especially if there is a winery off of said paths. Hoping we get to explore some new jaunts this year, perhaps finding food to devour along the way via Diners Drive Ins and Dives or Man VS Food.

For the most part, I blog about a smorgasbord of topics; traveling, fashion, sports, tasty cocktails and simple, but tasty food. I do a weekly post on varying whoopie pies. They are my favorite, basically an inside out cupcake...less mess. I have made the 'from scratch' variety...but mainly I enjoy the taste of mixing up cake mix flavors.


and my favorite, maple spice.


Since Easter is coming up...these would be really easy to swap out the spice cake for carrot cake mix. yum!

and lately, I have forayed into discussing some more personal issues and am in the process of doing "the infertility prayer project" as a way to pray for women who are or have struggled with infertility/miscarriages/adoption process.

You can read more about that here in this post

I will be having my first success guest post in 2 weeks and please, if you would like to be added to the prayer list or know anyone who would need and appreciate prayers as well, feel free to contact me!

 Please stop by and visit, would love to make new friends...bloggy style.

Thanks for having me over here today, Lauran! 

See, I told you she was honest! I adore what Maddie is doing in working to bring other bloggers together and offer support and strength to one another! Healing from your issues {whatever they may be} comes from being honest and facing it dead on annnnd relying on your faith! Maddie is a prime example of that! She is also the prime reason of why I now have a severe craving for something sweet! I'm going to have to give these whoopie pies a shot! Make sure you pay Maddie a visit over on her side of the blogging world! I have no doubt she'd love to have you! And Please Please Please make sure you add yourself to her prayer list if you are struggling from some of the issues near and dear to her heart! There really is something amazing in the Power of Prayer! 


If you are interested in Sponsoring The Real Young Housewife of Southern VA for FREE. Please e-mail me at Lauran.Huffman@gmail.com or comment below! I am now booking for April and May!! 

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

What I'm Loving Wednesday!

Yea, Yea, Yea, so I know I said here and here that I created a new series for my Wednesday's posting and here I am writing, yet again, another WILW. Well, that's because I'm going to keep WILW and move my new series to Friday! Yes, Friday will be the new day with the new posts!! I still plan on making it a link up so others can participate if they would like! Stay tuned, I'm really hoping to kick it off in April! Now... on to the good stuff!



1. Befriending someone who I had a rough first encounter with! E-mails suck when trying to  communicate clearly and effectively and unfortunately E-mails were how this new friend and I were first communicating! It didn't go very well, one because we are both passionate about what we were conversing about and two, because we were communicating passionately through an email! Over the last several weeks we've learned that we have more in common than we thought and decided this week to start fresh! Clean slates are good! Here's to a flourishing friendship!

2. Enjoying the gym for the first time in my life! I was always active as a child; dance, horseback riding, swimming, cheerleading, soccer, and the list goes on, but I have never enjoyed actually working out or going to the gym! Since January, I've been going to the gym every week and have even added a third night into my week! I'm thinking about adding a Saturday morning as well! I've been told my whole life how working out can make you feel great but never really enjoyed it until now. And while I'm not seeing results quite yet I am feeling them! Not to mention I just feel plain good about myself! I like these new feelings and hope my new found love for the gym and keeping my body going is something that doesn't fade!

3. A BLT! This sandwich could be why I'm not seeing results quite yet from the gym! Ha! Granted I had my first one last night in what seems like forever! This has to be the best sandwich on the planet, probably because bacon is involved!!! Toasted bread, a little Dukes Mayo, Lettuce, Tomato {depending} and some good ole Bacon! Yummmmm!


4. People talking to me in person about my blog, who actually read my blog! In the last few weeks I've been approached by BOTH of my boss's husbands on how they actually read my blog! I couldn't help but laugh thinking these grown men are reading my girly rambles {whether it's out of boredom or interest} but while laughing it also made me feel humble! I realized my words reach A LOT of people and a variety of people at that! Sometimes I really do forget that people actually read this thing and that I'm not just writing to myself!

5. Baby Reef's Daycare! Baby Reef goes to daycare once a week! Usually Wednesdays so that he can get his mid week energy out! Some folks may think we are nuts for taking our pup to Doggie Daycare, but we believe it's one of the best things we can do for him! Reef isn't a crazy lab! He doesn't tear up our home or mess with things he shouldn't. He listens well and is ridiculously calm for a 20 month old yellow lab! Because of his calmness we don't "see" the point in walking him. We know it's good for him but he never begs to go or needs to "get his energy" out! He is that calm and he enjoys just hanging out in the back yard! We enrolled him in Doggie Daycare to help with his social skills around other dogs and people and so that he could have a day to play, play, play! And goodness gracious do we love that day! He is always so worn out when I pick him up! He sleeps on the commute home, eats dinner  as soon as we get home, and then curls up on his couch {our loveseat that he only uses} and passes out for the rest of the night! It's glorious! He literally remains like that for the next two days! He gets so excited about going and seems to know Wednesday's are the day! We can't say "School" around him or he will totally freak out and run to the door, hoping and skipping, literally. We he sees me open the closet for his leash,  he knows what it means and makes a beeline for the back gate! When we turn the corner on the main road this Doggie Daycare is on, he starts pacing in the back of the car and whines with excitement! I love how he knows where he is going and has so much fun that he can't wait to get there!

Baby Reef is the Giant One ;)
It's Hump Day and the First Day of Spring!!!!!!! Hope you are having a fantastic week so far! Unfortunately, I've been suffering from a migraine for the last 24 hours and the workers who are cleaning up the town home next door left the radio on FULL BLAST last night, which I could hear clear as day in our bedroom, so I am running on empty! A 5 Hour Energy maybe in my near future! XoXo!