All about my adventures with cooking, crafts, and travel
One of my favorite things to do in the summer is to go to Brimfield Antique Show.
I love wandering around the dusty fields packed full of vendors while I find some great treasures to take home. Last year was a banner year. It was incredible. We rocked it!
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A few years back when Price and I moved from our apartment in Brookline to another apartment in Newton we brought my mom some plants to babysit that we had kept in our little yard. I didn’t just want to chuck everything since we no longer had a yard. So we loaded up the car of our huge pots and hauled them down there. Well, now that we are getting our yard here set up I’m planning on taking some of the plants back. Specifically my blueberry plant. Well, that was until I called my mom and brought it up and got the bad news that her landscaper’s helper must have ripped it out of the pot thinking it was dead. SERIOUSLY?!?! Yeah sure, it’s winter so it looks dead with bare sticks but come on it was a little bush!!
No, blueberry plants are not expensive. I can get a new one for like $10 but we had taken care of it for years so that is the biggest bummer. Especially, since they don’t just fruit quickly. So I’ll deal and it will be my excuse to get more, as well as drown my silly sorrows in some blueberries. 🙂
This blueberry banana smoothie is a winner with fresh blueberries, blueberry Greek yogurt, and banana. It’s the perfect start to your day or for a refreshing afternoon snack.
Makes 2 smoothies
Ingredients
Process
Ham and Cheese Sliders – The classic combination of ham and Swiss cheese baked warm and melty, topped with a tangy mustard poppy seed sauce.
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Post Originally from 4/5/13, Pictures updated 2/3/19
Have you ever had a recipe stick with you after reading about it? I mean, like stick with you for years just waiting for you to make them? I’ve had that with these Ham and Cheese Sliders. I saw them on Emily Frame’s (old) blog way back in February of 2010.
For 3 years, I’ve thought about making them. They looked so good that I have been thinking about them since then. I kept telling myself I would make them, but just finally got around to it. Better late than never.
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It’s spring so it should be warm, right? Well, here in spring in Boston is confused. It has been all over the place with day time temps in the high 50’s and then right back down to the low 30’s with even colder wind chills. It’s a never ending roller coaster. I’d like it to just settle out but it’s New England … who am I kidding!?!?
I’d like it to get warm ASAP so we can continue to work in our little yard in back. Price kicked some major as back there this past weekend attacking a very invasive weed we have and I’d like to keep things going on the clean up and set up work. I just can’t wait to get some flowers and plants! I am looking forward to getting another blueberry bush this year and trying out some strawberry plants for the first time. Thinking all about these berries has resulted in me making this whole month’s Thirsty Thursday posts all about berries. First up… strawberries!
I was trying to come up with a drink that uses strawberries and that would be great to enjoy while gardening. I love Strawberry Daiquiri but they are not really great for sipping while pulling weeds. They are better suited for lazy beach days. I wanted something that would be really refreshing. Well, when I saw this Strawberry Fizz when I was browsing around Pinterest and I was smitten. check the site… get it? okay, good.Â
This is so refreshing that I just loved it so much. I love mojitos so it reminded me of a jazzed up mojito. Except virgin. Well you can fix that situation yourself with some vodka or light rum. Spiked or not you’ll be reaching for Strawberry Fizz.
Strawberry Fizz
Makes 4 drinks
Ingredients
Process
Adapted from Smitten Foodie
This Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole is a creamy, flavorful chicken and rice casserole that is easy to make and is a great comfort food dish to dig into.
I love making this casserole because it’s so easy and it’s so tasty. I suggest that you double the recipe so you can freeze another to save for later. Yum!
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It’s Secret Recipe Club time again!!
As usual I told Price to check out the blog and to pick out the recipe that I should make for this month. I only specified that I didn’t want to make a cake or cookies. So Price headed over to My Beautiful Disasters and checked out the recipes that Casey has made. He picked out the Coconut Cream Pie as I’ve been saying that I want to try to make more pies.
We loved this pie. It was so easy to make and tasted so good. Casey remarked that when she made it that it didn’t set up well. I didn’t have trouble setting it up but I did recently cook a chocolate pudding pie so I figured I would make sure I get it thick enough while cooking it instead of having it set up while chilling, just like when I that one. It just took some time and patience to stand there and stir constantly but it totally was worth it.
I’m so glad that Price picked this recipe from Casey’s blog. It was a fantastic recipe to make for SRC. I only wish I had planned enough in advance (when will I learn?!?!) to make her homemade pie crusts. I just grabbed a 9″ pie crust from the grocery store and baked it according to its instructions and let it cool completely. Simple. The only thing I did different was that I used the coconut extract instead of the vanilla extract in the whipped cream. I just wanted it to scream coconut!
If you love coconut then you’ll love this coconut cream pie!
Makes 12 slices
Ingredients
1 pre-baked 9-inch pie shell
Coconut Cream Pie Filling
Whipped Cream
Coconut Topping
Process
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Check out the rest of the reveal day posts!
 Check out my previous Secret Recipe Club Posts
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It’s officially spring but mother nature has not yet received that memo. She is being a pain in my butt with the cold and the SNOW that we have been having. I have a love/hate relationship with living in New England as I hate the long drawn out cold weather that mess with us long into March and April. And yet, I just love the spring and fall seasons. Can’t win them all I guess. But at this point I wouldn’t pass up at trip to California to escape this cold weather right now.
Plus, if I was in Cali I’d sure as hell be attending the Sprint Cup race this weekend in Fontana. A little of shopping in L.A. and a whole lotta fun watching the Auto Club 400 race in Fontana. Of course I would hope for another win for Kasey Kahne because I’m still loving his win from last weekend in Bristol. yay!! But since I can’t cheer him in person I’ll take a mental trip there by making these Cali Turkey Burger Quesadillas for this week’s edition of Sprint Cup Snacks.
There is a restaurant near my office that had a summer special when they first opened that I just loved. They made a burger quesadilla that was sooo good! It was so flavorful like a taco but was a totally a burger in a tortilla. I guess it wasn’t a typical quesadilla as it was wrapped up but it just made it so easy to eat. It’s kinda like a quesadilla wrap or a flat burrito. Whatever, it is just good!
This is super easy to make which is always great when your whipping up a quick weeknight dinner or just distracted watching the race. ha! The burger is so flavorful with all the toppings on top. I picked toppings that reminded me of a California Club with the bacon, tomato, red onion, and avocado. And, of course, a quesadilla has loads of cheese!
Don’t wait another year for another Fontana Race to make this burger but your family. This is great anytime for lunch or dinner.Â
Makes 4 burgers
Ingredients
Process
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The Auto Club Speedway is a fairly new track in the Sprint Cup Series. Construction started in 1995 and the first Sprint Cup race was in 1997 with Jeff Gordon winning the inaugural race. Originally the race was 500 miles but since then has been shorted to 400 miles. It is the only Sprint Cup race in Southern California, which is just 50 miles from downtown LA.
Track:Â 2 miles
Shape: D-Shaped Oval
Banking: 11 degrees in the front-stretch, 3 degrees in the back-stretch, 14 degrees in turns
Surface:Â Asphalt
Capacity:Â 91200
Race:Â 200-lap for 400-miles
2012 winner:Â Tony Stewart
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Like O.M.G.
My favorite parts about Easter are all the rabbit themed goodies I see around and Cadbury Creme Eggs. The best thing ever is catching the classic Cadbury Bunny Tryouts commercial. I love it so much. Plus I’m still ease-dropping on my rabbits waiting to hear them cluck like a chicken. No success yet 🙂
So I took my love of my Cadbury Creme Eggs and went a little crazy this year and whipped up some cavity inducing recipes. First things first is the shake!
 
I was inspired by the Cadbury Shake in The Good Stuff Cookbook
Enjoy your own or pour the shake into a big glass and share with someone who loves Cadbury Creme Eggs as much as you!
Makes 2 8-oz milkshakes
Ingredients
Process
Guinness Irish Beef Stew is a hearty fulling stew that is filled with tender beef, onions, & mushrooms. Rich flavors made better with a strong Guinness.
A stew simmering away on your stove all afternoon is a great way to start to get you excited about your dinner. The smells will perfume your kitchen and you’ll be dying to dig in to this Guinness Irish Beef Stew.
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Post from 3/12/2013, Pictures Updated 3/6/2018
You know what’s good with soup? A piece of bread or a hot roll.
You know what’s better than that? A hot herby cheddar scone.
Doesn’t hurt that it’s loaded with so much buttery goodenss. Cheddar + Butter Love!!
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Mango Chobani + Mini Cheesecakes + Girl Scout Cookies = Mango Bombs!
So this year the Girl Scouts came out with a new cookie called Mango Cremes with nutrifusion. I ordered a box to try them out. The first thing I thought of when I opened them up was that they smelled like suntan lotion. No, I’m not saying a chemical smell! I’m saying the fruity, tropical smell that I can’t get enough of. Pure spring and summer.
Besides just eating Girl Scout Cookies I love to use them in different recipes. Most recently I made a Samoa Cookie Cocktail that I garnished with a Samoa Cookie. So I got to thinking about how I could use these cookies and I decided on using the cookies as the bottom of mini cheesecakes, just like my Mini Creamsicle Cheesecakes with Creamsicle Oreo Cookie Crusts.
I basically used the same filling recipe for my Mini Cheesecakes with an Oreo Crust, with just substituting regular yogurt for the Mango Low-Fat Chobani Greek Yogurt. This made the mango flavor shine throughout the entire cheesecake. I used the Mango Creme Cookies on the bottom of the cheesecakes, but if you don’t have them then use Golden Oreos.
 
I decided to invert the cheesecakes and put them in a new wrapper so that everyone could see the cute cookie bottom. You can leave them right side up and sprinkle some powdered sugar on top. Or you can take out of the wrapper and serve with a fruity sauce on top.
The thing I love most about these little cheesecakes is how easy they are to make and how yummy they are! Give them a try!!
Ingredients
 Process
After last week’s race I’m ready for this weekend’s Kobalt Tools 400 is held at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. My favorite driver, Kasey Kahne, better finish better at this week’s race than last week’s since he was a favorite to win and then with some issues ended up at 19th. And he was involved in a wreck at the Daytona Race resulting in a 36th place finish. So, like last year, it ain’t starting off too well. But I’m hoping that, like last year, this get better and he makes it into the Chase. LAst year he ended up 4th overall, not too bad considering the start, but he needs some big finishes to get there!
So I’m excited about this race at Las Vegas since he does really well here. He is the all-time pole winner with three poles, including last years. In his 9 starts at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway he has won 1 race, hs 2 top-five finishes, and 4 top-ten finishes. Fingers crossed!
Well, what would I make for this week’s edition of Sprint Cup Snacks?
I figured what better way to gear up for the race in Las Vegas than to enjoy a buffet? They are everywhere in Vegas so I figured I would make a fun little buffet myself in its honor. I’ve done plenty of taco and chili bars but I thought that a Dress Your Own Baked Potato Buffet would be a blast. If you can bake a potato and put some toppings in some serving bowls than you are all set for a fun meal that everyone can enjoy and personalize.
The best is that this can be scaled down or up for any amount of people. For 4 to 40 this is a fun way to eat dinner or at a party.
Ingredients
Toppings:
Process
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The Las Vegas Speedrome was built in 1971, which first consisted of a road course and drag strip. Over the years needs changes, as well as ownership which resulted in complex that was refurbished in 1995 to create the 1.5 mile Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The first Sprint Cup race there, and the first Kobalt Tools 400, was first held in 1998, which Mark Martin won. In 2006 the racetrack was enhanced again with more progressive banking taking the turns from 12 degrees to 20 degrees.
Track:Â 1.5 mile
Shape:Â Tri-Oval Super Speedway
Banking:Â 20 degrees in the turns
Surface:Â Asphalt
Capacity: 142,000
Race:Â 267 laps for 400.5 miles
2012 winner:Â Tony Stewart
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