Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

What a day.

LONG day at work.

It's days like this, that make me want ice cream for dinner.

So tonight, "Pumpkin Pie Smoothies" were made.

Aren't they cute?!

Ingredients

Put these THREE ingredients in the FRIDGE before use -

make sure they are COLD.

1 (15 oz.) can of pumpkin pie filling

1 (12 oz.) can of evaporated milk

1 cup vanilla yogurt ** OR vanilla ice cream ** depends on what you like.

Dry Ingredients

1/4 cup sugar

Sprinkle of cinnamon, all spice, and nutmeg

(OR use 1/4 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice instead.)

1/2 cup Teddy Grahams - cinnamon or graham cracker flavor.

Mix ALL ingredients together in a blender.

Put mixture in the freezer for about 15 minutes.

Take out, and give it a stir.

Pour into a glass.

Garnish with whipped cream and Teddy Grahams.

Feel free to put the rest in the fridge or freezer...

... if you use yogurt, put it in the fridge - ice cream, use the freezer.

So good!

** If you're feeling really bold, add chocolate chips too.**

Peach for a "Peach"

My sister is going to HATE the fact that I put her picture on here...

... she even told me, "You're not going to post this on your blog, are you?"

Sorry!

My sister was home from Chicago for the weekend, so we had a

BIG family dinner on Friday night.

My role?

Dessert!

My mom had a bunch of peaches and nectarines lying around...

... so I decided to make a pie.

I grabbed a few other ingredients:

1 14 oz. can Sweetened Condensed Milk

2 teaspoons of lemon juice

2 eggs

1/4 cup butter

Sprinkle of ground cinnamon

Sprinkle of ground nutmeg

Blend the above ingredients together.

Cut up about 3-4 cups of nectarines and peaches.

Put fruit inside an UNBAKED pie shell.

For a CUSTARD filling... pour the mixture over the peaches/nectarines.

** If you DO NOT like custard, put about 1/2 cup butter and 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup sugar over the peaches. **

Rub melted butter over the edges of the pie crust.

Put in a 425 degree oven for 10-15 minutes.

In a bowl, mix:

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup white sugar

1/3 cup flour

1/3 cup quick oats

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 cup butter (chopped up)

Take pie out of the oven, and put topping over the pie.

Turn the oven down to 350 degrees, and leave pie in for 55 minutes.

Insert a knife into the middle of the pie, if it comes out CLEAN - the pie is done.

Serve with vanilla ice cream!

For dinner, we threw some marinated pork loins on the grill.

Made "veggie pouches" filled with:

potatoes, mushrooms, green peppers, yellow tomatoes, butter and spices.

Don't forget, a good "fall-time" beer!

"Baby Blog" - Bold Designs

I wasn't planning on blogging today, but then I stumbled across some

PRETTY COOL rooms on Apartment Therapy.

So, today - you're getting a "baby blog" from me - aka - a "little post."

It was THIS ROOM that made me want to blog.

I love, love, love the use of color on the walls.

If it wasn't for the crown molding, I don't think they could have pulled this off.

I am in LOVE with this wall paper.

It's a room like this that makes me want to go out and buy a house.

This room is super cool and cozy all at the same time.

Not to mention, I am in love with the couch.

And the wall treatment in this bedroom ...

... can you say, "WOW?!"

This is the work of a true artist.

Okay, there is my design fix for the day :)

Greek Salad + Pizza = "Greek Salizza"

When it comes to salads, I LOVE a good Greek salad.

But - I also love pizza.

So, I wanted to combine both of them together!

The end result was very yummy...

... and only took about 30 minutes to make.

Ingredients:

Pizza crust

3 cloves of garlic

Salami

2 medium tomatoes

1 can of mushrooms

1 can of artichoke hearts

1 red bell pepper

Green olives and Kalamata olives

Banana peppers

Romaine hearts (lettuce)

Red pepper flakes

Parmesan cheese

Shredded provolone cheese

Shredded asiago cheese

Ground pepper

** Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. **

Roll out your pizza dough onto a greased baking sheet.

Get our your grater, and grate the 3 cloves of garlic.

Rub the garlic all over the top of the pizza dough.

Cover the "garlic dough" with red pepper flakes ...

... (be careful not to put too much on if you don't like spicy foods.)

Sprinkle ground pepper, 1 cup of parmesan cheese and 2 cups of provolone cheese on top.

Add the can of mushrooms on top too.

Pop in the oven for 12-15 minutes.

While the pizza dough is cooking, cut up all your veggies and meats.

Pull pizza dough out of the oven.

Top the pizza with lettuce, salami, olives, tomatoes, banana peppers,

artichoke hearts and red bell pepper pieces.

Sprinkle some grated asiago cheese on top.

If you don't have asiago, feel free to put the parmesan on instead.

Slice into square pieces!

So good...

... and so easy to make!

More Fall Decorating!

Spent the day with my mom, sprucing up her house with some fall decorations!

First up...

The coffee table.

This is a large bowl that's always on her coffee table.

We added a cream-colored candle, some pumpkins, pine cones, and fun decorative balls that you can buy at almost any store: Gordmans, Hobby Lobby, Target, etc.

Cute fall centerpiece, right?

This decorative leaf candle was on sale for $4!

So, we bought 2 to put on the table sitting behind the couch.

There's a little baby acorn tied with a piece of string around it.

For the big finale...

The dining room table.

It all started with this piece of wood...

... which my dad sawed off from last year's Christmas tree!

My mom and I found these gorgeous deep turquoise colored pumpkins at Hobby Lobby...

... they served as "inspiration" for the whole theme.

Bought some $3 glass hurricanes at Garden Ridge, and tied ribbon around the tops.

Added a turquoise candle in the middle, and cream ones on the outsides.

Bought 2, $2 baby vases at Garden Ridge, and filled with turquoise berry branches.

I think it looks pretty fabulous...

... and goes to show - you don't need everything ORANGE for a fall theme!

Steak, Arugula Salad

So, I went to the grocery store the other day...

... and discovered a sale on these 2 things:

Steak

Arugula

So, of course - I decided to make a steak, arugula salad with homemade dressing.

This is a quick, easy recipe that can be thrown together in 20 minutes.

Ingredients:

Steak

Arugula

Baby tomatoes

Diced red peppers

Shredded parmesan or asiago cheese

Extra virgin olive oil

Balsamic vinegar

Salt/pepper

Add 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil to a pan on medium-high heat.

Sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides of the steaks.

Once the pan starts to smoke, add the steaks.

(If you want to throw the steaks on a grill, that is great too. Make sure you

rub the steaks with olive oil and salt/pepper before you put them on the grill.)

Once you put the steaks down in the pan - DO NOT MOVE THEM...

... you want to create a nice, crusty sear.

Flip the steaks after 3-4 minutes, and sear the other side for 3-4 minutes.

Take them out of the pan, and rest on a plate for 8-10 minutes.

Cut up your baby tomatoes and red peppers.

(Wash off the arugula.)

For the dressing:

Whisk together 3-4 tablespoons of olive oil...

2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar...

Sprinkle of salt and pepper...

... and the steak juices from the plate.

Cut the steak in strips.

To the bed of arugula, add the veggies, steak, shredded cheese and dressing.

Like I said earlier, so simple - yet so good.