Watermelon Sticks {my new favorite way to cut watermelon!}

Good~bye wedges

Hello STICKS!

I saw this idea on Pinterest and had to try it. 

It worked so well that I doubt I'll ever serve wedges again. 

Watermelon sticks are easy to cut, hold, eat and create less mess.

And, no more wet, sticky cheeks!

Genius! 

Have a Wonderful Wednesday!!

frosty summer beverage

This is always a favorite 

 especially on warm summer days

like today!

Happy Monday

after the lessons: making music from the heart

 A daily dose of music fills the house, 

our hearts. 

No music schedules, practice times or lesson plans anymore.

Our children

simply choosing to make music

for

enjoyment, relaxation and sharing.

BANANA Sheet Cake

Need a quick and easy dessert recipe for the weekend?

This Banana Sheet Cake is delicious and perfect for 

BBQ's, potlucks or picnics.

Enjoy!

Happy Friday!

Best Dip Ever!

I made a new dip over the weekend however, there really isn't a recipe, only a list of ingredients. I'm not even sure if Best Dip Ever is really the name or who created it but I gave it try and we loved it!

I did not measure my ingredients when making this Best Dip Ever but for those of you that would like a guideline I have listed my measurement guesstimate below:

• 1 Costco size avacado
• maybe a 1/4 cup feta
• probably a scant 1/4 cup tomatoes {I only had cherry tomatoes}
• approximately 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• about 1/8~1/4 teaspoon garlic salt 

{I also added a little fresh lime juice}

Easy & Delicious!

happy HEART {chalkboard}

Have a HAPPY Sunday!

the view from my chair...

...which is currently next to the pond/waterfall in our backyard.

Snapshots of Summertime

Have a fabulous Saturday!

Banana Split cupcakes

I just had to try making these 

Banana Split Cupcakes!

They are filled with Banana Cream Custard, swirled in Chocolate sauce, dipped in sprinkles and topped with Classic Vanilla {Swiss Meringue} Buttercream Frosting. 

After a day of baking, blending, cooking, cooling, filling, freezing, more cooking, cooling, swirling, rimming, re~freezing and topping the first 6 cupcakes {shown above} wouldn't you know I ran out of frosting which ordinarily would seem disappointing but actually turned out to be a great opportunity to do a little experimenting. By this time I was ready to try something a little less time intensive and decided to make a batch of simple vanilla buttercream frosting for the next 18 cupcakes and just drizzle the chocolate instead. In the long run it was much quicker, they're almost as cute and taste just the same~DELICIOUS!

 

 

Happy Friday!

Blackberry~Almond bars

After making the Marionberry Cobbler on Saturday I had just enough leftover berries to make some Backberry~Almond bars. I used a Williams~Sonoma recipe that I have had filed away for a long time but always forget about, until now. These bars are a little more fussy to make than lemon bars but worth the extra effort.

 A tasty summer treat!

✯✯ Cowboy Caviar ✯✯

I am not sure how long Cowboy Caviar has been around but I just discovered it a week ago and I am hooked! Thankfully I heard the hostess who served this delicious appetizer mention the name so as soon as I got home I began looking through my cookbooks and online for a recipe. In my search I discovered there are recipes for this everywhere, dozens of recipes, which makes me wonder how in the world I had never heard of it before. One thing I found while comparing recipes is that they are all slightly different, not only the ingredients but variations of the name too. Since I had no idea which one would be similar I came up with my own version in hopes of recreating the one I had tried and I think it is pretty close. In fact, I made some the very next day and now our kids love it too. Actually I have made it twice in the last week and both batches are gone. It is definitely a new family favorite!!

Here is my version of Cowboy Caviar, at least so far. I am still experimenting with ingredients however after adding and changing a few things this is what I used the second time around for our Old Fashioned Backyard BBQ. Also, some recipes call for Italian salad dressing in lieu of vinegar and lemon juice. I haven't tried that yet but I'm sure it is good as well.  

Have a wonderful day!

Old Fashioned Backyard BBQ

We had friends over for dinner last Saturday and decided to make it an

Old Fashioned Backyard BBQ.

I covered the tables with gingham tablecloths, filled canning jars with assorted flowers from our yard and planned a traditional BBQ menu which, in addition to the things shown above, included watermelon cucumber salad, baked beans, coleslaw and homemade bread. We had iced tea {regular and sweet} which we served in canning jars as well as raspberry lemonade. For dessert I made Strawberry Tarts and Blackberry Cobbler a la mode. 

A casual outdoor dinner with friends on a warm summer evening = FUN!

BERRY delicious! {summertime desserts}

I made these two desserts for an Old Fashioned Backyard BBQ we had here on Saturday. 

love, love, love BERRY season!!

summer weekends are for...

working on puzzles...

outside....

in the sunshine!!

Thanks to our niece who invited Miss E over for a little summer

Puzzle Party 

which inspired her to start a puzzle of her own. 

Connecting 

1000 puzzle pieces...

...and counting

one thousand gifts!

from my list of one thousand gifts:

::puzzle parties::parents stopping by for a visit::neighborhood gatherings::family gatherings::new friends::time for coffee with my sister, niece & daughter, friends::special celebrations::safe travel::mother/daughter weekend::evening walks::START::country roads::colorful sunsets::the smell of bonfires::

Have a Super Saturday!