I Got T-Shirts!

My blog T-shirts have come in!  I just love them!!

 They are like this in black and I also have white ones with black lettering. 

This is the white

A closer look.

This is the back of them at the neckline.

 They are awesome!  Let me know if your interested in one.

Salted Carmel Frosting

Its fall.  I'll say it again, I love fall and all the changes it brings.  this year especially we have been super busy...per my MIA status this past week.  But I did manage to bake an amazing Pumpkin Slices cake with a new frosting.  It was super good.  I saw a recipe online for salted carmel frosting and wanted to make that, but I didn't have the ingredients to make it all, so instead I improvised and the result was an amazing frosting that was super easy, and amazingly good!  Mrs Richardson puts out a Carmel butterscotch Ice Cream topping.  Now at Christmas time this is what I use to make turtles, it's smooth and doesn't harden like traditional carmel does.  So I had this on hand so I used it instead of what the recipe wanted me to do.  So here is my version of Salted Carmel Frosting...

Salted Carmel Frosting

2 Sticks of Butter

 1 8oz Cream Cheese

3-4 Cups Powdered Sugar

1t Vanilla

1t Sea Salt

1 Cup Mrs Richardsons Carmel Butterscotch  Ice Cream Topping

Blend butter and cream cheese together until smooth, add vanilla and 2 cups of the powdered sugar, blend until combined and smooth.  Add the cup of carmel topping and the rest of the powdered sugar and sea salt.  Blend until desired consistency.  You can add more Powdered sugar if you want a thicker frosting, less if you want a thinner consistency.  There you have it.  

This was amazing on my pumpkin slices cake.

The cake is just as good!!

Pumpkin Slices Cake

4 Eggs

1c Veg Oil
2c Sugar

1-15oz Can Pumpkin

2c Flour

2t Baking Powder

1t Soda
1 t Salt
2 t Cinnamon
1 t Pumpkin Pie spice


 Mix all ingredients together and place in a 11x15 pan and bake for 25-30 minutes at a 350 degree oven.  I halved this recipe to get a 9x13 pan in the picture.

Happy birthday to me!!

Today is my birthday.  I am 43 years old.  I remember when my mom turned 41, why I remember that one so vividly I have no clue, but I remember how old she looked, and how much she looked like a "mom".  I don't mind about looking like a "mom" , but I don't believe I look 43 or as old as my mom looked.  I think a lot of it has to do with our environment and how we dress, wear our hair, etc.  I also know it has a lot to do with lifestyle.  Reflecting back a decade ago, I am a totally different person.  10 years ago, I had just lost my mom to ovarian cancer two months before.  Was still in shock and very sad about it.  it was my first birthday without her.  I was in a marriage that was not fulfilling in many ways, and honestly I was eating myself into an early grave.  I was topping the scale at 289 pounds, and not exercising or doing any type of activity and was eating as much processed food that I could.  No vegetables, no fruit, Diet Coke daily, actually multiple ones, and just in general not taking care of myself because I didn't really care.  I had just given birth the year before to Kendall and that gave me my excuse to eat what I wanted and it just continued on with my moms illness and death. I was miserable!

Me at my heaviest, the Christmas after my mom died.

Fast forward 10years.  I'm in a happy fulfilling relationship with a man who really cares and loves me, I have an incredible family and friend base who cheer me on with anything I chose to do.  I have a sister who at my heaviest weight still loved me and did things with me even though I am sure it was hard for her to see me deteriorating away like I was.  We have talked about my weight issue since I have lost it and we both agree that my mom would be healthier now if she was around also because of the healthy way we both live now.  Now, I am over 120 pounds lighter, I eat healthy, exercise regularly, and I pride myself on eating tons and tons of fresh fruits and veggies.  I was a self proclaimed veggie hater 10 years ago, now I eat vegetables I never thought I would.  My treat now is to "splurge" on having a banana with Peanut Butter.  I still reward myself now and then, I am defiantly having cake for my birthday, but nothing like I used to eat on a daily basis.  I don't drink Diet coke anymore, water only, with an occasional drink or two here or there.  I have crossed many things off of my bucket list.  I have flown by myself.  I have traveled a lot more, driven by myself on trips, something I would not or believed I could not do in my previous life.  I am a different person....and I like that person I have become, so I'm not sad or depressed about having another birthday and getting a year older, because frankly I have never felt better, been in better health, and looked better than I do now!

Me a lifetime from the above picture.

Avocado Salad Dressing

We saw the kids this weekend and my step daughter was asking me about some healthier choices for salad dressings for her salads.  Like hummus or avocados etc.  I thought I would try whipping up an avocado salad dressing she could make and that was super healthy for her too.  Here is what I came up with and it is so good!!  A little spicy and so delish!

Avocado Salad Dressing

1 and 1/2 Avocado

2 T Garlic 

2T White Wine Vinegar

1/4 C Olive Oil

1/2 Cup of Water (more if you want to change the consistency of the dressing.  I like mine a little thicker so I only used 1/2 cup)

Handful of fresh Cilantro

Handful Fresh Parsley

1/4 of a Jalapeño Pepper

Salt and Pepper to taste

Peel and core avocados and place in blender.  

Add remaining ingredients except water. 

 Blend ingredients, slowly add in Olive oil and, lastly, add in the water to the desired consistency.

So Yummy on a Salad!

Also great as a sandwich spread.

Healthy Pumpkin Crisp

My birthday is this week, Friday to be exact.  I figured It would be ok to do what I enjoy doing this week, soooo I baked yesterday.  I love the way my house smells when I bake in the fall.  That is probably because it is usually baking with pumpkin and cinnamon and I love the smell it gives off, the smell of fall!  So today I found a recipe for pumpkin crisp.  It seemed to be a great recipe but I knew I could make it healthier and have it still taste good.  Well I did and it was amazing!!

Healthier Pumpkin Crisp

1 can Pumpkin (15oz)

1/2 can Reduced Fat Evaporated Milk

1 Container Honey Flavored Greek Yogurt

1 T Cinnamon

1t Vanilla Extract

1t Pumpkin Pie Spice

2/3 Cup Splenda Brown Sugar

Crumble Topping

1/2 C Spelt Flour

3/4 C Oatmeal

1/2 C Splenda Brown Sugar

1 t Cinnamon 

1/2 C Chopped Pecans

1/4 C Melted Butter

Pre heat oven to 425 degrees

Combine first 7 ingredients and mix together put into un-greased 8x8 pan. Combine the crumble topping but do not put on top yet!  Bake for 15 mins then turn oven down to 350 degrees and sprinkle crumble on top and bake for 50-60 mins.  Cool completely

Do not over mix. The batter will be runny 

Doesn't this look good?  And its not to bad health wise.  No eggs, low sugar, and gluten free!!

Acorn Kisses

Summer is over!  Yes Labor Day has come and gone.  Summer is officially over.  I personally am ready for it to be over.  I adore Fall and all of the changes it brings.  Cooler weather, the colors of the leaves changing, and the decorating for a new season.  I have been ready for it since the kids went back to school.  
We had a race this past Labor Day weekend, but it was completely rained out and we did nothing but sit at the track and watch it rain.  Thank you Hurricane Isaac!  It is now postponed till next weekend.  However we still baked, cooked and got everything ready for the Nationals (the race), and I had decided to "fall it up " a bit.  I made these adorable Acorn Kisses as a special treat.

They are so simple and so cute.  All you will need is;

Acorn Kisses

Hershey Kisses (any flavor will do as long as they are the Chocolate color)

Mini Nutter Butter Cookies

Mini Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips

Thats it!

First melt about 1/4 cup of the mini chocolate chips in the microwave and stir till smooth.  Nuke them 30 seconds, stir and repeat till it is smooth.  This is going to be your "glue" that holds everything together.

Put a SMALL amount of the melted chocolate on one side of the cookie

Next put the Kiss onto of the chocolate and hold it there a few seconds

Then do the same thing with a mini chip.  Use a toothpick to put a very small amount of chocolate onto of the other side of the cookie and place a mini chip on top to create the "stem" of the acorn.

There you have it...Acorn Kisses.  I tried separating the cookies and using them whole and I liked the whole ones better.  They looked more "real"

 This was just one item I made for this weekend among many other goodies for the weekend, including cookies, brownies, bars, and a very special Turbo cookie.

These were so cute!!  I loved them.