Monday, March 19, 2012

Breakfast on Boca Grande

This past Saturday, Mr. Beachy had some work to do on the island so before he got started we went to breakfast at the Outlet restaurant at the Innlet. We ate outside and it was a perfect morning to do so. We had a gorgeous view of the bayou and small marina that had some big boats!
I had a wonderful egg white omelet with spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes and Swiss. It also came with crispy home fries and toast. Make mine an English muffin! I also had their fresh Florida OJ. Mmmmm.
After a perfect breakfast we headed off to the bike parade and had a great time seeing all of the decorated golf carts and kids on bikes.
The great day continued into a great night of St Patty's fun!

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Currently

Listening... To silence. I'm @ work not working.
Eating... Last night's dinner leftovers of seasoned pork chops, garlic mashed potatoes & green beans all topped with mushroom gravy.
Drinking... Water. I've already had 2 cups of coffee and 2 diet cokes!
Wearing... The saddest outfit in weeks. I have zero color on. Just gray and black. Not very beachy of me, and on the week of spring break too!
Needing... To go to Publix tonight. Its weekly grocery trip night!
Wanting... To be @ the beach like everyone else in town. It is sunny and 82 degrees today in Sarasota.
Thinking... About strawberry shortcake. I made it last night with a light angel food cake, fresh Florida berries & light whipped cream. Yum!
Enjoying... That I only have a couple hours left until I'm on my way home.

I'm posting a new picture of my niece because she's so stinkin' cute.

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Runza

This past January, Mr. Beachy and I went to see the Nebraska Cornhuskers play South Carolina at the Capital One Bowl in Orlando. Mr. Beachy is from Omaha so naturally we are big Husker fans.

Before the game started we went to the fan party and were standing in line for drinks when I heard Mr. Beachy say, "Runza!"and he was off. I yelled after him, "What the heck is Runza?!" and an old man turned to me, looked at my Husker shirt and jokingly said, "If you don't know what Runza is, you shouldn't be wearing that shirt!"

My husband returned with a rectangular shaped bread pocket that was filled with meat, cabbage and seasonings. Ah ha! RUNZA! The bread was just slightly sweet and was so good with the filling. I decided that when we got home I would make these!

Even though we didn't win the game that day, my runza turned out really well!

RUNZA

Ingredients:


4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided

1/2 cup sugar

2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup milk

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup shortening 2 eggs

FILLING:

1 pound lean ground beef

2 small onions, chopped

4 cups chopped cabbage

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper



Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, place 1-3/4 cups flour, sugar, yeast and salt. Heat milk, water and shortening to 120 degrees F-130 degrees F. Pour over flour mixture; add the eggs. Beat with an electric mixer on low until blended. Beat 3 additional minutes on high. Stir in the remaining flour; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes Place dough in a greased bowl; cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

2. Meanwhile, brown beef and onions in a skillet. Add the cabbage, salt and pepper; cook until cabbage is wilted. Punch dough down; roll into 12/6-in. squares. Top each square with 1/3 cup meat mixture. Fold into triangles. Pinch edges tightly to seal and place on greased baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Serve hot.

Monday, March 5, 2012

Grand Opening!

It's been a long time!  I've been busy with a new business.  I have just opened my new Etsy store and am selling handmade burlap wreaths. 


The majority of the wreaths I sell are natural burlap, however I am starting to get colored burlap in for collegiate wreaths as well. 

There is a link to my store on the right.  Please convo me on Etsy if you are interested in placing a custom order.

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

WW Friendly Pizza Recipe

Last Friday night I made pizza.  I make pizza every Friday night, but I thought this particular recipe was worth sharing. 

Sorry for the lack of pictures.  It was devoured before I could take any!

You will need:
Pizza crust of your choice
Sundried tomato pesto
2% reduced fat mozarella
Sundried tomato chicken sausage
Mushrooms

The first 3 ingredients are key.  After that you could use different veggies or omit the sausage, etc.  I use a thin crust Boboli, but also like using pita and making mini pizzas.

To make the pizza, lightly spread pesto over crust.  You don't need a thick layer like traditional tomato sauce.  For a large pizza I would suggest 2 T. max.  Add your toppings.  Cover with cheese.  Sprinkle with herbs.  I used oregano and crushed red pepper flakes.  Bake according to crust package directions. 

Enjoy!

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Instant Vacation Ibiza Sol

Every year mark. comes out with a new beachy "Instant Vacation" fragrance and I am a huge fan.  I usually buy 4... enough to last me until the next one is released.  This year is no different.
Escape the ordinary with this marine floral fragrance. Notes of honeysuckle, pear, white geranium and musk take you to a far-away destination and leave you lost in its spell. 1.7 fl. oz. Its available at my mark. store for just $18 here.

Artichoke Strata

I l-o-v-e love strata.  I've never made one that was not a breakfast version so this immediately caught my eye.  This recipe is adapted from Cooking Light magazine and it is sooooo delish.  I served it with grilled chicken breasts and a green salad.  this one goes into my monthly rotation.

YIELD: 6 servings

TOTAL: 1 HOURS, 39 MINUTES
COURSE: Main Dishes

Ingredients
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 can quartered artichokes
1 cup fresh, sliced mushrooms
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon  poultry seasoning
1 3/4 cups 1% low-fat milk
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs
1/3 cup (about 1 1/2 ounces) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1/2 (1-pound) loaf country-style white bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 5 cups)
Cooking spray
3/4 cup (3 ounces) crumbled goat cheese, divided

Preparation

1. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add shallots, and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in artichoke hearts and garlic; cook for 8 minutes or until artichoke hearts begin to brown, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, and stir in herbes de Provence. Cool 10 minutes.

2. Combine milk, black pepper, salt, and eggs in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and bread; toss gently to combine. Stir in artichoke mixture, and let stand for 20 minutes.

3. Preheat oven to 375°.

4. Spoon half of bread mixture into an 8-inch square glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with half of goat cheese, and top with remaining bread mixture. Sprinkle remaining half of goat cheese over top. Bake at 375° for 50 minutes or until browned and bubbly.

Friday, May 27, 2011

What I'm doing this Friday night

I'm back!  Our trip to St. Lucia was amazing!  We stayed at Sandals La Toc.  I've been recovering all week and finally feel really good today!  It helped that I got in be at 8:00 last night.

Here's a quick from my cell phone photo of some of St. Lucia's island beauty:

I'll have much better pictures coming next week. 

Tonight I'm looking forward to enjoying our own little resort town.  I'm making lightened up Bang Bang Shrimp, a Thai seafood salad and picking up a couple of sushi rolls along with champagne.  Mr. Beachy and I are going to be floating in the pool with drink in hand by 5:00 and when we are sufficiently relaxed we'll have dinner.  We really don't have any other plans for the weekend other than to enjoy being home. 

Happy Memorial Day!

Thursday, May 5, 2011

In just 8 short days...

...we will be leaving for our honeymoon/anniversary trip to St. Lucia!




This is the trip of a lifetime and we can't wait.  Some activites we have planned include shopping, a land & sea tour of the island, a sunset cruise and even ZIP-LINING!  I'm pretty nervous about that but I know we are going to have the best time.  I've got an almost completely new wardrobe to wear, new camera, new waterproof camcorder, new Vera Bradley bags and most importantly my best friend and husband to spend all of this time with.  Tuesday was the anniversary of the night he proposed and just 12 short days later we were married on the island of Boca Grande.  This has been the happiest year of my life and I am thrilled beyond words that we will end our first year of marriage and begin our second in St. Lucia!

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Suggestions for a yellow cardi

Hoping for some help from my fellow bloggers!  I'm looking for a 3/4 sleeve cardigan in a sunshine-yellow color.  I have looked in the few stores in my small town without any luck.  Any online suggestions?  I've looked around a little but yellow seems difficult to find for some reason.  I want to have it for my travel days for my St. Lucia trip.  Thanks for your help!