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June 18, 2014

Lemon Icebox Cupcakes

Lemon Icebox Cupcakes // shutterbean

Lemon Icebox Cupcakes!

I had goldfish crackers for dinner Monday night. Please don’t imagine me with a small ramekin of fishy crackers because I was definitely not eating them one by one in some a dainty feminine fashion. The reality is that I stood in my kitchen making a snack for Cooper and my giant man hands forced them into my mouth by the handful.  And then like 15 minutes later Cooper was all, “MOM!! I’M STARVING!!” forcing me to wake up from my cracker binge coma.  All this to say that I don’t have the energy to do much cooking/baking in the Summer.  Sometimes I can’t be bothered turning on the stove or oven. Sometimes we have goldfish for dinner (with apples and red peppers) and if Casey’s away, it’s always cereal. We’re all just trying to keep it real, aren’t we?

Lemon Icebox Cupcakes // shutterbean

I made these little beauties for my family on Father’s Day because the last thing I wanted to do was turn the oven on and bake a cake. They are absolutely NO FUSS. I’m sure you could add a little more work for yourself if you make your own lemon wafer cookies and lemon curd, but then you’d have to turn on the oven and your stove. Not advised when the temperature is pushing 90F.  I compiled ingredients at Trader Joe’s the morning of our party like it was no big deal. Because it wasn’t.

Lemon Icebox Cupcakes // shutterbean

Can I tell you the ONE drawback to serving these?? People were too shy to eat more than one. I think because they’re in individual cupcake wrappers, people assume that having two would be equivalent to having 2 cupcakes.  If I had made an entire cake of them, I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have had any leftovers.  Since I didn’t want to have any leftover (I can’t be trusted with these in my fridge!)   I dug into a few and made people “split” another cupcake with me. Safety in numbers, folks.  Make your life easier this summer and make these. Also, if you don’t want to eat goldfish crackers by the fistful, don’t be a dummy (like me) and buy a case at Costco. I would be in serious trouble if I bought Cheez-Its…

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June 16, 2014

Peaches Roasted in Amaretto

Roasted Peaches in Amaretto // shutterbean

I often fantasize about writing a post that’s just photos. No words. Photos only.

Why?

Roasted Peaches in Amaretto // shutterbean

Because sometimes a recipe is sooooo dang good, it needs none.

But, here I am writing…so I guess it didn’t happen.

One day. Just wait.

Roasted Peaches in Amaretto // shutterbean

I haven’t been this excited about roasted fruit since my ROASTED STRAWBERRY obsession. Amaretto and peaches??? I mean…

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June 15, 2014

My Everyday Life: Week 24

Here’s what this past week looked like:

Hey bee.

My Everyday Life: Week 24

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June 13, 2014

I love lists, Friday!

I LOVE LISTS FRIDAY!

  1. Birds with Human Arms. Just take a look…
  2. Things You Didn’t Know About Bill Murray
  3. These job titles will make you giggle.
  4. Tot Dog. I’m not mad at it.
  5. Who doesn’t want a Power Salad?!
  6. Pickled Grapes! (I freaking love them)
  7. I really want to make these.
  8. Dumbest things that have ever happened….oh boy.
  9. Kale in a Taco Salad?! YES.
  10. This has to be true!
  11. Any recipe that has OMG in the title will catch my attention.
  12. What it’s like to be a younger sibling…  (I survived having two older brothers)
  13. You got served! I really love this series.
  14. Working out sucks. Yes. I agree.
  15. Graham Cracker Crust is my favorite.
  16. I can’t wait to add peaches to my summer rotation
  17. Swimsuits used to be so glamorous!
  18. I’m sure Cooper can relate to this. Also hahaha.
  19. This Coconut Pistachio Ice Cream looks dreamy
  20. I want a yoga body. Seriously.
  21. Let’s analyze your emoji usage!

mybites 

The Baking Yogi made my Strawberry Coconut Ice Cream

Sarcastic Cooking was inspired by my Banana Nut Waffles

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June 12, 2014

Watermelon + Lime

Watermelon + Lime // shutterbean

CONFESSION TIME!! I didn’t really like watermelon until a couple of years ago. I mean…I loooooved watermelon Jolly Ranchers but that’s about it. Crazy, right?  All it took was this salad to change my mind about watermelon and then this one sold me for life. So…how do YOU like your watermelon? I love squeezing mine a little bit of fresh lime juice on top.  Some people love putting salt or chili powder on theirs (both good calls!). But for me, watermelon and lime is absolute perfection. I like the tang the lime brings to the party. It’s especially delicious when the watermelon is super cold on a hot summer day. Picture perfect emoji + watermelon emoji + lime emoji + twinkling star emoji + heart emoji.

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June 11, 2014

HS: The Organized Pantry

ORGANIZED PANTRY // shutterbean

I’ve organized my pantry before and part of me was like… Do people really need to see my pantry again? It’s a chore that I (sadly) do once a year and I keep it up for the most part and then I FREAK OUT and want to bomb it when it gets out of control. You may be in the same boat too.  Let’s discuss that!  Things that race through my mind: Why didn’t I keep it clean?  What part is the hardest to keep organized? What makes me drop the ball?  I have noticed that the trigger for me to clean it out is always finding that I have repeats of pantry staples….and it’s because I’m not organized enough to know that I already have a jar of salsa in my pantry. I COULDN’T FREAKING SEE IT behind the chaos. The good news, is that every time I clean out my pantry, I come up with a new organizing scheme. I find that it’s best regroup and change your organizing habits to make way for new/better ideas. Let me show you!

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June 9, 2014

Spicy Corn Tomato Avocado Salad

Spicy Corn Tomato Avocado Salad // shutterbean

A few years ago I realized that I have a few weird issues when it comes to tomatoes. I also have feelings about eggs. Like…I will not eat a hard-boiled egg unless I make it myself and I will not eat a cherry tomato if it’s in a pre-packaged salad or at a salad bar. No. Just. NO.  I don’t always trust how fresh the tomato or egg is going to be…and I get scared (I know I’m being dumb) when I bite into an egg that’s overcooked and a tomato that’s tasteless, under ripe or rotten. All it takes is one bad experience and you can easily be done for…

No wonder my kid has picky eater issues.

Spicy Corn Tomato Avocado Salad // shutterbean

This salad, however has ALL THE THINGS I LOVE in it. And yes… the tomatoes were a divine mix of ripe mini heirlooms that I chose myself! They didn’t come in a package. Nope. After I mixed them with corn and  I stirred in the spicy/smoky lime dressing, I thought “Hey! Wait. This is practically salsa!”  But then I realized it’s so much more.

Spicy Corn Tomato Avocado Salad // shutterbean

It’s essentially summer in a salad. The sweet tomatoes and crunchy corn are balanced by the spicy lime dressing. The creamy avocados break up the texture party with the corn creates. If you wanna stretch it out, add the salad on top of crostini or mix in a bunch of arugula. Feta would be a welcomed addition!  You could always throw some tortilla chips up in and call it a taco salad…

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