OJ...Drink It Up!

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Florida Orange Juice. All opinions are 100% mine.

Who of you has the calmest mornings?

Well I envy you.

Sometimes my mornings are peaceful and we can sit down to a great breakfast.More often than not, there is someone rushing out the door before that even has a chance to happen. Especially during the school year.

Let me tell you my morning routine:

Get up. See who is still home and who is already gone. Put the sprinklers on in the garden. Start some laundry. Fix whoever is still home some breakfast and if there isn't anyone in the mood, it's usually toast with peanut butter and honey. Then I shower, make beds, pick up whatever didn't get picked up around the house the night before, and see what the girls are up to since they are usually home with me now that school's out. Lance and Preston are off farming so I made their lunches the night before and they can just grab them on their way out the door. If they are leaving early, they are on their own for breakfast. If they don't leave so early I make them breakfast. Some days I don't even get breakfast.

Let me share some facts with you all about Florida Orange Juice...

Did you know one 8-oz. serving of 100% orange juice is a good source of potassium and folate and an excellent source of Vitamin C?

One serving of 100% orange juice is more nutrient dense than many commonly consumed 100% fruit juices. A glass of orange juice has no added sugars or artificial sweeteners, which can be found in many fruit juice cocktails and sports drinks.

A key recommendation of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans is to increase fruit intake. An 8-oz. glass of 100% orange juice has half the USDA recommended daily fruit intake for most adults, based on a 2,000-calorie diet.

Nutrition Tips from Kathleen Zelman, MPH, RD

· Jumpstart your morning with a nutritious meal that includes protein, fruit and energizing nutrient-dense carbs.
o Think you don’t have time for a complete breakfast? Blend your favorite fruit with 100 percent Florida orange juice and low-fat yogurt for a convenient, on-the-go smoothie.
o Want to jazz up your weekend breakfast? Substitute 100 percent Florida orange juice for water in your pancake batter to give your meal a zesty, new taste.

· When looking for a snack, think outside the box before trying to satisfy your cravings from roadside convenience stores or airport kiosks.
o Plan ahead and take a cooler with portable, smart snacks that fit your on-the-go lifestyle like nuts, hummus with veggies, granola bars and 8-ounce cartons of 100 percent orange juice that will help give you the energy and nutrients you need to get through your travel day.

· Outdoor grilling and dining is a great way for your family and friends to enjoy the warmer weather.
o Protein is a vital part of your daily diet, as it provides nutrients and may help satisfy hunger longer than most fats or carbohydrates.
o Choose leaner cuts of beef, pork, and poultry to grill and pair your protein with other nutrient-rich foods, such as high-fiber fruit, vegetables, whole grains and healthy fats. Add 100 percent Florida orange

So....maybe I could take some time to eat a healthier breakfast. It wouldn't be hard to whip up a smoothie, now would it?

You can keep up with Florida Orange Juice on Facebook and Florida Orange Juice on Pinterest.

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Totally Tasty Tuesdays

Hello! I hope you all had a great Memorial Weekend. We went to the flag ceremony at our little cemetery where Preston got to participate in it for the first time.

We went up to Lance's family's land and had a cook out with his family and some good friends of ours. 

Nothing compares to the flavors of food cooked outside.

Now it's on to the show!

Here is the #1 viewed recipe...

Italian Butter Cookies

from A Flock in the City

And some other faves of mine...

Reese's Fluffernutter Cupcakes

from BruCrew Life

Ham and Eggs in Hashbrown Cups

from Hot Eats and Cool Reads

Crockpot Mexican Haystacks

from Dessert Now, Dinner Later

Grab a button if you were featured...

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Strawberry Lemonade Muffins with Strawberry Curd

 

Oh, do I have a treat for you.

Strawberries are in season and they are calling to me.

I've answered with this pretty little muffin.

You can eat these for breakfast or brunch or a little snack while watching your favorite television show. 

Or with a good book. Or a tea party.

See? I have you drooling, don't I?

It's ok. Everyone else is, too.

Muffins:

2 1/2 c. self rising flour*

1 1/4 c. sugar, divided

1 {8 oz.} container sour cream

1/2 c. butter, melted

1 Tbsp. lemon zest

1/4 c. fresh lemon juice {bottled will work, but fresh is so much better}

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 1/2 c. dice fresh strawberries

*Homemade Self-Rising Flour:

 For 1 c. self-rising flour put 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder and 1/2 tsp. salt into a measuring cup. Add enough flour to make 1 cup.

For this recipe I used 3 3/4 tsp. baking powder and 1 1/2 tsp. salt with enough flour to make 2 1/2 cups.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine flour and 1 c. sugar in a large bowl; make a well in the center.

Stir together sour cream, melted butter, lemon zest, lemon juice, and eggs just until moistened. Gently fold in the strawberries. Spoon batter into greased muffin pans, filling 3/4 full. Sprinkle remaining 1/4 c. sugar over batter.

Bake at 400 degrees for 16-18 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on a wire rack 1 minute. Remove from pans to wire rack. Cool 10 minutes.

Now, you could be done here and happily skip away with your muffin. But that's kinda sad knowing you could have had it with Strawberry Curd. 

Strawberry Curd:

4 c. {1 pound} sliced fresh strawberries

1/2 c. sugar

2 Tbsp. cornstarch

1/4 c. fresh lime juice {you could use bottled but fresh is so much better}

3 large eggs

2 egg yolks

3 Tbsp. butter

Blend strawberries in a blender or food processor until smooth. 

Press strawberries through a wire-mesh strainer into a medium bowl, using the back of a spoon to squeeze out juice.

Discard pulp and seeds.

Combine sugar and cornstarch in a 3 qt. saucepan; gradually whisk in strawberry puree and lime juice. Whisk in eggs and yolks. Bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly, and cook, whisking constantly 1 minute. Remove from heat and whisk in butter. Place plastic wrap directly on warm curd to prevent skin forming. Chill 8 hours. Serve with hot biscuits, Strawberry Lemonade Muffins, or use as a fulling for tart shells.

Recipe Source: Southern Living

Printable Version

These may have been linked to these parties.

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My Memories Suite Giveaway

I used to scrapbook.

I have the cutters, paper, some embellishments, etc.

I just don't have the patience or room or time anymore.

I would maybe scrapbook more if I had a craft room.

With My Memories Suite software, I can scrapbook all on my computer without the mess.

I can also create fun stuff for my blogs. 

Bam.

It's not just about scrapbook layouts, either. You can make so much more.

I made this recipe page for Sticky Buns...

How about a copy of this fabulous software for yourself?
Simply use the rafflecopter below to enter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Can't wait to win?

Head over here and use my code (STMMMS57863) to get $10 off

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Totally Tasty Tuesdays

Holy smokes, I've been busy!
Yesterday, I washed everyone's bedding, did the laundry, washed all the windows on the house-inside and out, mowed the lawn, worked on Hannah's music for her school talent show, and made dinner somewhere in there.
I totally deserve a gold star.
Or one of each of the featured treats.

I almost forgot about TTT until last night.

I had to hurry and get it ready for you and I'm glad I did. 

Here are the 3 most viewed recipes...

#3...

Chocolate Marshmallow Brownies 

from Six Sisters' Stuff

#2...

Butterscotch Kit Kat Brownies

from Shugary Sweets

#1...

Fastest Cinnamon Rolls

from Fashioned4You

Please take a button if you were featured...

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Grow Your Best Garden Yet

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Whitney Farms. All opinions are 100% mine.

I want to talk about gardening today. Many of us have gardens of some shape or size. Even if you just have a container of tomatoes or two, you still are growing food for you and/or your family. And it goes in your mouth, right? So it makes sense that you'd want to grow the best for your family and your self, right? It makes sense to me! That's where Whitney Farms® organic plant food comes in.

Whitney Farms is a full line of 100% natural organic plant food and organic soil with no additives or fake stuff. Just ingredients from Earth that is made to grow big, beautiful flowers and veggies.

Whitney Farms® has 25+ years of leading gardening experience and has improved their products to have:
-low to no dust
-no manure odor
-easy to apply
-Contains beneficial microbes
-Specially designed protein-based blends provide your plants with
both macro and micronutrients they need to grow and thrive

I just planted my garden last Monday, so nothing is up yet, but here's my goal...

Gorgeous, huh?

Whitney Farms could totally improve my garden over conventional plant food. How could it not with all the naturally fabulous ingredients? I'm excited to try it this year.

I think you should, too. Here is a link to get a $3 off coupon to try some yourself.

They have plant food and Tomato and Vegetable food. I really want to try the tomato and veggie food.

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Gluten-Free Pasta Frittata with Kale (Dairy-Free)

Karina's Gluten-Free Pasta Frittata with Kale (Dairy-Free)

It's crunch time here at Casa Allrich. Moving day looms. Packing has begun. I've been sitting on the floor like a cast-off princess in a fairy tale assigned to her individuating task, combing not through haystacks or mountains of tiny grain but musty boxes of thirty-five-year-old letters, stacks of faded photographs and yellowed clippings, evidence of another life allegedly my own. I am struck most by the persistent echoes, the parallels spiked with the quirky twists of fate that led me here, to now, the line between seeking and creating blurring into a narrative that persists in your life like an ache.

We seek what we need to become. We long for the parts of ourselves we discarded out of necessity or people-pleasing acquiescence. Accommodation is a common theme in many a woman's life. Mid-life sharpens this trend into focus in subtle ways. When you begin counting seasons, and fewer summers await you, each choice you've picked up to now- and every discarded loss- becomes bittersweet and ripe with meaning.

All this contemplation and dust as we recycle the last remaining things we carry.

Our life has been whittled and sanded and simplified these last six years. An empty nest has its gifts. From the east coast to the west coast we have pared down and let go with each move (five times in six years). No original furniture remains. We own a sofa (a floor model bought in Marina Del Rey). A bed. Two desks. The truckload of books and old paintings is now a carload.

My boxes of cookbooks have shrunk from twenty to two.

Our move to Studio City is a gesture toward community (writing and film). A move closer to family (both sons- and a new daughter-in-law- live closer to Studio City than Redondo Beach). A move away from the ocean, but toward sun. From fog to heat. Our new neighborhood is a quiet, leafy one, framed in well tended white fenced gardens that rival Provincetown. We walked the block last week. Waist high lavender bushes, roses, iris and honeysuckle feed me in ways concrete and steel cannot. Small town New England is in my bones, I guess. And forever will be.

Today I offer you a recipe spun from the magic of leftover brown rice spaghetti and eggs- a creamy, light frittata. Perfect for when you're simply too tired to cook. Or you have nothing in the fridge but a carton of eggs, half a bag of kale salad and last night's leftover spaghetti in eggplant marinara.

The "cheese" I used was a vegan "mozzarella" (my current favorite is Vegan Gourmet).



Read more + get the recipe >>

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Snickerdoodles

I have the perfect recipe for Snickerdoodles.

You're gonna love me for it.

Maybe you already use this recipe or one similar.

The trick is to not over bake them. Otherwise they will be crunch, instead of chewy.

And you must use the cream of tartar. It just makes them better.

I always get requests to make these when we get together with Lance's family.

My sil Melanie especially. 

So I dedicate this post to you, Melanie!

Ingredients:

1/2 c. shortening

1/2 c. softened butter

1 1/2 c. sugar

2 eggs

2 3/4 c. flour

2 tsp. Cream of Tartar

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

How You Do It
Mix the shortening, butter, sugar and eggs. Add the dry ingredients. Shape into 1" balls. Roll a cinnamon and sugar mixture, 2 Tbsp. sugar and 2 tsp. cinnamon.

Place on greased baking sheet. I just spray mine with nonstick spray.

Bake at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Do not over bake! 

Printable Version

These may have been linked to these parties.

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Totally Tasty Tuesdays

We only have 2 school weeks left until summer vacation.

My kids are out May 24th.

Mixed feelings going on all around.

Hannah (9) is bummed. She loves school and seeing her friends.

Preston (7) is so ready to be done. He loves learning and all that, but he is itching to be with his dad on the tractor and farming. He goes with Lance all.day.long. We're talking 7 am, at least and they don't come home till  10 pm most nights. The kid hangs with the best of them. And he is ready to do it all again the next day. 

So he's taken care of for the summer.

Hannah and Emma (3) on the other hand need something to do. 

There's the garden to weed, yes, but other than that, I've gotta find something for them to do. I can't stand when they want to watch t.v. so much. Emma is used to being home with me, but Hannah just loves her shows. Not really sure where she gets that from...

So maybe she shall be my little slave apprentice this summer.

Here are the features this week. 

Crazy goodness going on in blogland, I tell you.

Key Lime Poke Cake

from Everyday Mom's Meals

S'more Ice Cream

from Finding Joy in My Kitchen

Mexican Chicken Salad with Chili Lime Vinaigrette 

from Meg's Everyday Indulgence

Feel free to grab a featured button!

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Double Cookies & Cream Bars

Cookies and Cream. 

They go together like cheese and macaroni.

Like peanut butter and honey.

Like chocolate and milk.

They were made for each other. 

Just like the ingredients in these bars were made to come together.
Just like today (May 12th) and I were meant for each other.
Yep. It's my birthday.
I just want to chant, "Go Mandy! It's your birthday! Have a party!"
You know?
Want to hear something kooky?
I was born May 12th at 12:12 pm and I weighed 7 lbs. 5 oz. which add up to 12.
See? Kooky.
So 12 is my lucky number.

Ingredients
2 stick butter, softened
1 c. sugar
1 c. packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. kosher salt
2 c. mini chocolate chips
20 Oreo cookies, broken up
30 Hershey's Cookies and Cream Kisses

How You Do It
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x13 baking dish with tin foil or just spray with cooking spray.
Place butter and sugars into a large bowl, stir to combine. Add eggs and vanilla, mixing to combine. Add dry ingredients, chocolate chips and oreo cookie pieces, stirring to combine. Press 1/3 of the dough into the bottom of prepared baking pan. Top with 6 rows of Hershey’s Kisses 5 per row.

 Be sure to enlist the help of an adorable kid, if you find one hanging around.

 Top with remaining dough and gently press.

The tips of the Kisses may show through, but it's ok. The dough will raise to cover them.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool for 30 minutes, cut into squares and serve.
If using tin foil in the pan, let the bars cool, then lift the whole thing out and cut into squares.

Recipe slightly adapted from Picky Palate.
Printable Version

These may have been linked to these parties.

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