S’mores.  Who HASN’T had them?

There are rite of passage.  As American as apple pie.  A huge part of any childhood memory.

Everybody loves S’mores, right? Who DOESN’T?  I’ll tell  you who.  My husband, that is who.  My husband isn’t fond of S’mores because they contain one vital ingredient – chocolate. Yes, my man hates chocolate.  Which is another blog post entirely, my friends. He is lucky that we are still married.

So we had a problem to solve this weekend because the boys and I love S’mores snacking and hubby snubs it. The challenge? Find a recipe that the hubby will like.

Let me just pause here to ask you a question: Am I the only one in the world who didn’t know that you could make  S’mores with bananas? And mint? And, hello? Strawberries!  Well, you can my friend. (more…)

Okay, mom… you’ve just been given ten blissful minutes alone to recharge. No kids. No job. No significant other. No to-do list.

What is your secret “mommy time out”?  If you answer was a liquid, then we might just be kindred spirits.

I know a lot of mom blogs out there offer up recipes and tips on baking and other yummy for your tummy goodness.  HERE… I do none of that.  (Okay, that is kind of a lie. Any recipes I offer up on this blog you might as well know that I swipe from friends and family so they are technically STOLEN which is bad.  Maybe I should go to confession? I guess I am not a very good mommy blogger.)

What I will give you, however, is chic happiness in a glass!   Mommy medicine!   Liquid domestic bliss! Martinis for the masses!

Do I really need to say anymore? Didn’t think so….

FLIRTINI

A shot and a 1/2 of Vodka
1/4 shot of cranberry and pineapple juice
Top with a splash of champagne

BLACK MARTINI (One of my favs!)

1 and 1/2 ounces vodka
1 shot of espresso
1/2 ounce Kahlua
Splash of half-and-half
Shake, pour into glass and top with whipped cream and chocolate shavings

We can all die happy now.

As part of my continuing “research” on trying desperately not to let stress and young children take me down without a fight looking and feeling your best, I have been frantically searching all corners of the universe exposing myself to tons of books, magazines, online articles and such to try to get a clue educate myself and by extension my readers.

I know that for me, eating the appropriate amount of fruits and vegetables can be challenging and sometimes, frankly, impossible. My life is hectic and can be very stressful. I don’t have lots of time to design elaborate dishes and devise “nutritionally sound” meal plans.

Simply put – I eat on the go. I look for quick and easy was to fit everything in.  I’ve found that breakfast smoothies are a good way to pack a lot of important nutrients in.  Allow me to  share with you my favorite recipe so far:

Protein Packed Breakfast Smoothie

half a banana
four to six frozen strawberries
half cup plain yogurt
half to one cup orange juice
one Tbsp flax seeds
one Tbsp whey protein powder

In a blender (obviously) add the banana, strawberries, yogurt, and orange juice. Blend until smooth. Add the flax seeds and whey, blend until evenly distributed.  Enjoy! Makes 2 smoothies.

And people – don’t shy away from sticking some veggies in this sucker as well, especially ones you know you are missing!  Cauliflower, broccoli, carrots… the power of the berries will override the taste of the veggies.  Trust me! Just think of all the nutrients in there!

Hope you enjoy it.

IT WAS SANGRIA SATURDAY, BABY

We had quite a shindig last night.  For a last minute get-together, we certainly pulled a crowd!

There were 68 people packed into our humble abode, all there to celebrate for celebration’s sake.  We gathered them all together for one reason – in this age of modern family life, there just isn’t enough time to catch up with all of the fantastic friends in our lives.  So we pulled them all together for a night.

And it was a blast!

We had Sangria and munchies and Sangria and mingling and Sangria and lively conversation and …  by the way, did I mention the Sangria?

There were people everywhere and oh yes, there were kids.   Don’t ask me the parent-to-child ratio because I really don’t have a clue.  I am afraid to figure it out.  All I know is that the kids totally outnumbered us and if they would have given it any thought, they could have taken over the world.  But since they are apparently too naive, we somehow survived. No small miracle there.

As far as the parents went, well, they certainly got their party on.  I am sure there were more than a few who didn’t feel quite the same the next morning. C’est la vie!

Couple of hot mommas, don’tcha know? Literally. I mean it was like, 95 degrees out there.

My dad, my brother and my hubby. They kinda look sober here. Maybe this was early in the night?

My pal Lori and I sneaking away for a moment before being found by our children. Can’t a girl get a break?

And then the jello shooters came out in honor of my husband’s birthday.

Not surprisingly, I forgot to take anymore pictures after that.

Just a word about the food for a moment….WOW!  So much WOW that I am going to post some recipes later in the week for you.  Man, I really need to learn how to cook one day!

Tags: Sangria Saturday

Sometimes a girl just needs a little festivity.  Ya know what I mean? Have you ever had one of those days or weeks or months even when you just need to mix up a cocktail and RELAX?

I thought so.

Yeah, I’m having one of those weeks.

While attending my college roommate’s wedding the other day it occurred to me that the only reason I got through college is because I was cheap and ignorant.

That is the truth.

Cheap because I wouldn’t buy a drink that cost me more than $1.00 and ignorant because I never splurged on a lovely mixed cocktail.  Total ignorance. Had I discovered Margaritas, Cosmopolitans or Mudslides then I probably wouldn’t have graduated.  (Do you really think I am kidding?)

I was cheap, I hated beer and I had an overprotective boyfriend. So, I didn’t drink much.

Flash forward to my present life.  Because I have children (again, being serious here) I have discovered lots of fun, fruity, lady-beverages that make me feel like I am sipping a vacation.

Take the Cosmo, for example. Never heard of it until Sex in the City. Yes, I was in my late 20s before I found this new pink friend. Mmmm….

So, in an effort to rid the world of other ignorant and cheap lassies like myself, I am sharing the recipe. I’m just trying to help here.

1 part Vodka

1/2 part Triple Sec

1/4 part Rose’s lime juice

2 parts cranberry juice

Shake with ice and strain into a martini glass.  Garnish with a think slice of lime or a couple of frozen cranberries.

Voila!  Happiness in a glass!