Biscuits and Gravy

Super easy biscuits and from scratch gravy.  Cooked pork sausage in a skillet, once cooked, move pork to one side of pan, use fat drippings and flour on the other side of the pan to make a roux.  Once the roux is thoroughly mixed, add whole milk and stir everything together.  Let the gravy simmer to thicken while the biscuits cook in the oven, I used packaged biscuits, either frozen or refrigerated.

Pound Cake

Pound cake is a simple recipe made with a pound of flour, a pound of sugar, a pound of eggs, and a pound of butter.  I really wanted to try this recipe to see if it really works.  FYI, a pound of sugar and a pound of flour is not the same number of cups of each, you must use a scale (or a conversion on Google).  I also added some vanilla and salt for flavor.  This turned out to be a really dense cake, great for an easy cake recipe of ingredients I always have on hand.  The outside comes out really crispy so I cut the bottom off the cake.

Fresh Garden Brushetta, Lasagna, and Salad

Using ingredients from the garden, fresh tomatoes from my parents garden and fresh basil from my own garden, I diced tomatoes, cut (chiffonade) basil, added garlic, olive oil, balsamic vinaigrette, and Parmesan cheese.  Mixed all the ingredients and let them chill in the fridge for about 30 min while the slices of bread baked in the oven at 350 deg.  Served the baked bread slices with the bruschetta, use spoons for scooping.

My lasagna recipe is simple.  Use a standard homemade spaghetti sauce recipe (one pound of meat; turkey, beef, or pork, onion, cans of tomato sauce, crushed, and/or paste, simmer for 1 hour).  Layer in a lasagna pan the dry noodles (wheat or white), sauce (enough to cover), cheese (mixture of ricotta, mozzarella, cottage, and/or Parmesan).  I usually do 3-4 layers.  Cover with foil, bake for an hour in the oven.  Take off foil, and let bake until golden brown and bubbly.

Baked Chicken, Asaparagus, and Ravioli

Chicken, marinated in soy sauce and seasonings, then dredged in sour cream and coated with breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese.  This chicken was baked at 400 for about 20 min.  The bottom would have been crispy if I had elevated the chicken on a cookie rack.  The asparagus was steamed and flavored with olive oil, salt, and pepper.  The ravioli was store bought with store bought vodka sauce.

Strawberry Cake at Pasadena Strawberry Festival

Huge Strawberry Cake at Pasadena Strawberry Festival

Dr. Pepper Cupcakes

I found this recipe on pinterest.  Combine all ingredients in a mixer; 1.5 Cups of flour, 3 Tbsp cocoa, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1/4 tsp salt, 3/4 Cup sugar, 8 Tbsp butter, 1 egg, 1/2 Cup whole milk, 3/4 Cup Dr. Pepper, 1/4 Cup maraschino cherry juice, and 2 tsp vanilla.  Bake at 350 deg until done.  These don't taste overwhelmingly like Dr. Pepper, but they do come out fluffy.

Sauteed Shrimp, Salad, and Spaghetti

Peeled large shrimp sauteed in olive oil and garlic for a few minutes until pink.  Served with a salad of arugula leaves, cranberries, almonds, and a balsamic vinaigrette.  Also served with Angel Hair Pasta and Tomato Vodka Sauce.

Beer Glazed Pork with Onion and Mushrooms, Parmesan Baked Zucchini, and Baked Potatoes

Beer Glazed Pork was made by sauteing an onion in olive oil with sliced mushrooms.  Once they were cooked, deglaze the pan with your favorite beer, I used a Heifezewiesen, and let the sauce reduce and pour over baked pork or finish cooking pork in the sauce.  The Parmesan Baked Zucchini was made with Zucchini halves topped with shredded Parmesan, baked and broiled in the oven.  The Baked Potatoes were diced golden potatoes coated in olive oil, salt, and pepper, and baked in the oven for about 40 min.

Smothered Pork Chops, Steamed Asparagus, and Roasted Potatoes

Simple and delicious.  The pork chops were marinated in chicken stock, olive oil, and wine and then baked in the oven at 350 degrees.  While the pork chops were baking, I made a sauce in a skillet on the stove top made from fine chopped sauteed onion which was then cooked in wine, chicken stock and reduced to a thick sauce to smother the pork chops in.  The potatoes were chopped into bite size pieces and mixed with olive oil, salt, and pepper and roasted in the oven.  The asparagus was steamed and then topped with pepper and salt.

Bachelorette Party!!! (Snacks, Champagne, and Stitch Fix)

For my friends Bachelorette party, I made all kinds of pink colored snacks for the party.

Cherry Flavored Cupcakes dyed with pink food coloring, topped with icing also dyed with pink food coloring, piped icing with a star tip, and then topped with bright pink sprinkles.
Smoked Salmon and Cream Cheese Topped Crackers, this was the crowd favorite.  I used triscuit crackers, with a cream cheese spread, and topped with a thin slice of smoked salmon.
Pink food colored rice krispy treats cut out the rice krispy treats with letter cookie cutters in the first letter of her name and his name.
Pink food colored cream cheese and puff pastry with a strawberry, almond topping.  Using frozen puff pastry, cut into small rectangular or square shapes, top with a spoonful of whipped cream cheese, powered sugar, and pink food coloring mixture.  Close the puff pastry with all 4 corners or 2 corners to the middle of the pastry to hold the filling, and top with a sprinkle of sliced almonds.
Bruschetta with toasted bread, consisting of tomatoes, Parmesan cheese, garlic, fresh basil, olive oil, and balsamic vinaigrette. 
Bowl of berries to put in the champagne glasses.  I used blackberries, strawberries (tops cut and washed) and raspberries.
Finally, add a bottle of champagne with champagne glasses, and Pink flowers to decorate the table, I used tulips.


Need something to WEAR to your Bachelorette Party, check out Stitch Fix, it's shopping in your own home with your own mirror. 
I was so excited for my first stitch fix, it came in the mail yesterday.  I have been waiting for this box for a month.  When I opened the box, I was so excited when I saw all the colors.  If you don't know what Stitch Fix is, it is a personal styling service that delivers a box of accessibly priced items directly to your door.  Stitch Fix hand picks pieces for each client, to ultimately help them look and feel their best. Over time, Stitch Fix tracks and learns from each client’s preferences, likes, and dislikes making it the only shopping experience that can know women’s tastes even better than their friends. Stitch Fix works with over 200 brands, from up-and-coming labels to more established designers and is based in San Francisco.

The first item was a gorgeous blue and pink flowered scarf.  It's was so pretty on.  I decided not to purchase it because it didn't go with a lot of my own clothing and it was a little too expensive for me at $28.  The next item in the box was a gorgeous red scalloped shirt.  I fell in love with this shirt.  The only reason I didn't purchase was the sleeves were too tight, but I was contemplating whether I could alter it myself since I do have basic sewing skills.  Ultimately I decided against it and updated my sizing chart on my style guide.  I kinda thought the first one box might not fit perfectly.

The third item was a black and white chevron shirt.  The fit was perfect and I loved the chevrons, but I didn't love the V neck on this shirt.  I decided against this one too.  If it had been less than $58 though, I probably would have purchased it.

The next item in my box was a maxi dress, which I specifically asked for.  This dress fit pretty well, but didn't hang on my body type very well, it did look good when paired with a sweater, which Stitch Fix recommended.

Now to the final item, my favorite, and the item I purchased from my Fix.  The green and white cut out tank.  The fit was perfect and I loved the color.  I can wear it with work slacks and a white sweater or with jeans.  I was in love and at $58, I felt it was affordable for what I was getting.  I don't normally spend that much on a shirt, but it seemed to be made really well and have a lot of detail.

I'm really happy with my first Stitch Fix and I have already scheduled my next.  If you are interested, use the link below and check it out.  I also get a fun freebie if you use my link below ;)

Check out Stitch Fix!!!

I am in no way affiliated with the company, I just love their service.  I use my own personal money for shopping with Stitch Fix.  Here's how it works:

1. Sign Up and Complete Your Style Profile After signing up you can start immediately on your Style Profile. We need to know your size, shape, style, price preferences, and lifestyle to get your Fix right. It’ll take about 10 minutes.
2. Schedule a Stitch Fix Pick a date, and we’ll send you a box of 5 clothing and accessory items we’ve hand-picked just for you. Schedule monthly, or as often as you like—it’s your call. You pay a $20 styling fee up front, which serves as credit toward anything in your Stitch Fix shipment.
3. Try it all on Try on everything we send you—you never know what you’ll like until you see it on. Pair it with items already in your closet. Each item includes style cards with ideas and inspiration on how to wear it.
4. Decide Take 3 days to decide what you’ll keep. Pay for just what you want to keep, return the rest in our pre-paid mailing bag at any USPS mailbox. Keep all 5 items and you save 25% off the entire shipment.
5. Check Out Give us feedback on your Stitch Fix shipment—our secret (styling) sauce gets better over time if we know what did and didn’t work for you.

Stitch Fix works with the best up-and-coming labels and brands—the kind featured in magazines and on stylish celebs—but our average price point is an accessible $75, but there is a fair amount of variation. On your Style Profile you can let us know on what prices work best for you.