Wordless Wednesday {{linky}}

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

  

I had a photo shoot a few days back to help my friend start up her photography business. She specializes in "Couture Glamour", check out her FaceBook page here: April Kroenke Photography

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Sundae Smoothie

What more do you need than a favorite dessert in a drink?



1 medium banana, broken in thirds
1 cup vanilla yogurt
1-1/2 cups milk
1 cup unsweetened sliced strawberries (frozen is best)
4 small scoops of vanilla ice-cream
A few ice cubes if frozen strawberries weren't used
maraschino cherries for garnish
chocolate syrup for garnish 

In a blender, process until smooth. Serve immediately. Serves 4.

FBF: Crock-Pot Pork Chops & Red Potatoes

FLASH-BACK-FRIDAY

Crock-Pot: Pork Chops & Red Potatoes

Click on image to see full post from 3/22/2011

Raspberry and Banana Yogurt Smoothie

    

6oz (1 container) vanilla yogurt
1-1/2 cups milk
1 cup frozen raspberries
1 medium banana
a few ice cubes if you don't use frozen raspberries

• In a blender, process all ingredients until smooth. Serve immediately. Serves 4.

My kids loved this one the best out of all so far. It was gone in minutes!

Notice that I have 2 pictures? Please tell me which one you like better. I can't decide!! One has more of a shadow because the other one I used a bounce for more light. So comment below and tell me "A" or "B"! Thanks!

A)  or B) 

 

Wordless Wednesday {{linky}}

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

Spring is here!

French Vanilla Coffee Smoothie

Oh yes, you read this right! This has got to be one of my favorites so far!



1 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt
2 tablespoons french vanilla flavored coffee (I used "International" instant coffee)
1/3 cup milk
1 tablespoon chocolate syrup
6-8 ice cubes
1/2 cup miniature marshmallows, divided

• In a small bowl, combine yogurt and instant coffee and mix thoroughly.


• In a blender, combine coffee yogurt mixture, milk, syrup, ice cubes and 1/4 cup miniature marshmallows. Process until smooth.


• Pour into cups and top with remaining marshmallows and chocolate shavings. Serve immediately. Yields 4 servings.

Pear Slushie

1 cup pear, peeled and cut into pieces
1/2 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon powdered sugar 
6-8 ice cubes

• In a blender, combine all the ingredients and process until smooth.


• Serve immediately. Serves 3.

This was a very unique flavor. I love pears, but this drink didn't really do the pear justice-- it wasn't bad at all, don't get me wrong on that! My husband loved it though. So, try it out and let me know what you think!

Restaurant Review: Marietta Pizza Co

So while we are on Spring break, visiting in Atlanta, we did a lot of sight-seeing and tourist-y things. We didn't do a whole lot of eating out, we'd rather spend our time with the whole family around a dinner table. However, just a few days before we leave, the men were in down-town do "men-things" (aka work) and got stuck down there because Obama decided to visit and shut down all the highways. So, that left me, my sister and all our kids home alone. It was a beautiful day and we didn't want to waste it around the house, so we decided to go down to the "Marietta Square." Its a little part of town, that's shaped like a...well...square...with a whole bunch of little shops and boutiques and places to eat. We enjoyed the fresh air and walk around the...well, square...and decided to eat at the MPC (Marietta Pizza Company).

It was a fabulous and fun place to go, I absolutely recommend going if you're in the area!

MARIETTA PIZZA COMPANY

Marietta, Georgia
5 out of 5 stars

There was a variety of pizza's you could order, plus extra toppings in case there was more you wanted. The slices themselves were HUGE! With a mass amount of cheese I had on mine, there was a significant amount of grease--so don't go in thinking your pizza will be grease-free. It all depends on your toppings.



For kids, just ask for the "kids cut" and they slices the pieces in small squares, easy for little hands to pick up and to eat up! The price, very reasonable! from $2.00 a slice to $3.50 for specialty slices. Your bill could be very small as long as you don't order the drinks. Drinks range from about $2.20 and up. There isn't a "kid" drink, and the cups are huge (worth the $2.00) but just beware of the bill. We could have easily split a few of the drinks!

Almost forgot to mention: All 3 kids at the ENTIRE slice. Not a crumb was left. Those 3 kids were ages 7,5 and 2. Yes, the 2 year old ate the whole slice too. That just goes to show how great the pizza it.

So that is all I can rave about for MPC. Definitely 5 out of 5 stars. When we visit again, it will be on our list to return to!

FBF: Honey Glazed Salmon w/ Lemon Veggies

FLASH-BACK-FRIDAY

HONEY GLAZED SALMON

with LEMON VEGGIES

Click on image to see original post from 3/16/2011

Cantaloupe & Peach Smoothie

So, we had a little bit of left-over cantaloupe sitting around...so I decided to get creative. The first one I tried wasn't so successful, but the 2nd time, perfect! Now, I don't have exact measurements, but I'm sure it'll be great whether you have more or less of each ingredient.

CANTALOUPE & PEACH SMOOTHIE

1/3 cantaloupe, cut into cubes
2 cups frozen peaches
2 packages of peach yogurt (about 6 oz each) [I used greek yogurt and was just as delish!]
1-1/2 cups Mango-Orange-Peach Juice (or just mango, or just orange, or just peach--which ever you have!)
2 tablespoons sugar

• In a blender, process all ingredients until smooth.


• Add more juice as needed for the right consistency.


• Serve immediately! Serves 4.

Wordless Wednesday

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

I'm not participating in any hops this week. We're in Atlanta for Spring Break to visit family. When family is around, experiments are made--check out these pictures!
Can anyone guess what we are playing with?

If you guessed Sparklers, you're correct! We use a range of 4 to 10 second exposures on the camera--got a LOT of great shots!

Have a great W/W everyone!

Orange Julius

1 can frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed just a bit to easily remove from can
1 cup milk
1 cup water
1/4 cup sugar|
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
|10 to 12 ice cubes

• In a blender, combine orange juice, milk, water, sugar and vanilla. Cover and blend until smooth.


• With blender running, add ice subes, one at a time, through the opening in lid. Blend until smooth.


• Serve immediately. Yield: 4 to 5 servings [1 cup equals 156 calories]

PEACH BLOSSOM FUZZ

Ingredients:

• 1-1/4 cups sliced fresh or frozen peaches [peeled is optional, I didn't peel mine fore the picture]


• 1/2 medium frozen banana, broken into thirds


• 1 cup orange juice


• 1/2 cup crushed ice


• 1/2 cup fat-free vanilla yogurt


• 1 tablespoon honey


• 1/4 teaspoon rum extract [or vanilla extract]

Directions:

• In a blender, combine all of the ingredients; cover and process for 15-20 seconds or until smooth. Stir is necessary.


• Pour into chilled glasses; serve immediately.


• Yields 3 servings [1-1/2 cup equals 186 calories]

FBF: Homemade "Special" Coffee

Now that things are getting back on track, I'm starting up my "Flash-back-Fridays" on...well..Fridays. Haha. There are many recipes I forget about, and this is just a little reminder. And I'm glad, this is a GOOD one!

So, technically, this wasn't posted on March 9th, but I didn't have a post last year on this day, so I grabbed the one afterwards.

FLASH-BACK FRIDAY

HOME-MADE "SPECIAL" COFFEE

Click on image to see original post on 3/10/2011

Saturn Slush

SATURN SLUSH

1 package frozen (20oz), unsweetened strawberries, frozen
3 cups orange juice, divided
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar, divided
2 cups frozen blueberries

• In a blender, combine frozen strawberries, 2 cups of orange juice and 1/2 cup sugar. Cover and process until smooth; set aside.


• Rinse the blender container. Add blueberries and remaining juice and sugar. Cover and blend until smooth.


• Alternate layers of strawberry and blueberry in glasses; stir layers a few times to create swirl.


• For garnish, thread a strawberry top, hulled side first, and orange slice and a strawberry tip, cut side first, through drinking straw or stir stick; place in glass. Serve immediately.


• 6 servings (1 cup is 184calories).

Wordless Wednesday {w/ linky}

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

We went to a winery this past weekend in Herman, Missouri. We had a wonderful time! Can't you tell?



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This month's theme is SMOOTHIES! Don't forget to check the recipes out this month!



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~Please follow Cookin’ for my Captain via RSS feed, e-mail, google + or networked blogs!

~Leave a comment if you’re a new follower, so I can return the follow!
~Grab the WW button if you want to…

…and add your “Wordless Wednesdays” up below!

Chocolate Banana Smoothie

CHOCOLATE BANANA SMOOTHIE

2 cups cold 2% milk
1 package (1.4 oz) sugar-free instant chocolate pudding mix
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
2 large ripe bananas, frozen and sliced
2 cups coarsely chopped ice cubes

In a blender, combine the milk, pudding mix and vanilla; cover and process until blended. Add the bananas and ice; cover and process until smooth Pour into chilled glasses; serve immediately. 4 servings (1 cup is 166 calories).

March: Smoothie Month & Blackberry Banana Smoothie

Ok, so March is my "Smoothie" month. I came about this wanting to have a healthier lunch that is easy to prepare. Some of the ingredients aren't just what you might just find in your pantry, but the majority of them are! Not to mention, you can get your full serving of fruit (a day) and most are really low in calories when you use reduced-fat or low-fat ingredients.

Blackberry Banana Smoothie

2 cups orange juice
1/3 cup vanilla reduced-fat yogurt
2 medium ripe bananas, cut into thirds and frozen
1/2 cup fresh or frozen blackberries

In a blender, combine all the ingredients. Cover and process until blended. Serve immediately.
4 Servings (3/4 cup serving 136 calories)

February's Tips & Tricks Wrap Up

Well, I didn't do as many T&Ts as I planned, but I just got too stressed with my last term for school. So I hope that ya'll enjoyed the ones I did post, and I'll try to squeeze more in on the upcoming months. Here is a list of them all so you don't need to scroll down to find.



Tips and Tricks:

• Waffle Iron


• Shred hot chicken in electric mixer


• Mix gently and keep the batter cold


• Picking fresh Asparagus


• Tender and Juicy Chicken


• Freezing Ginger


• Using natural containers


• Natural Pharmacy

Here is an awesome poem that Martin with Anita Poems wrote for me:

Tips & Tricks

It all began with an experiment,

that turned out delicious and quick,

Cinnamon rolls in the waffle iron,

if you don’t spray, they’ll stick.

Shredded chicken,

makes delicious pot pie.

Initially a bit skeptical,

so she decided to try.

Don’t over mix the batter,

make sure you keep it cold.

That’s the secret to making,

sweet and sour chicken that’s gold.

When snapping asparagus,

each piece you must bend.

Cook the top part,

and give the rest to a friend.

If you want juicy chicken,

let the baby just sit.

She’ll become real tender,

and a dinner table hit.

To keep ginger longer,

simply just freeze.

If you think about it,

it’s much healthier than cheese.

Use lemon peels,

to make jello shots.

No need for plastic,

with green in your thoughts.

Various fruits and veggies,

are known to naturally heal.

They’re better than pills,

you’ll see how you feel.

Thank you Carolyn,

February was deliciously smart.

We’re all very eager,

for a new month to start.

by anitapoems.com

How awesome is that!? LOVE IT!
Next month: SMOOOOOOOTHIES! Stay tuned! =)

Bacon and Chocolate Chip Cookies

Oh yes, you read that right! These cookies have an amazing chocolate and smoky flavor. These are defiantly my new favorite!

BACON & CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

For the bacon:
8 slices thick cut bacon
1/2 cup brown sugar

For the cookies:
2-1/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 Tblsp vanilla extract
1 whole egg
1 egg yolk
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

For the bacon:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.


• Place bacon in a single layer on a foil lined sheet.


• Sprinkle brown sugar on top of bacon strips. Bake for 30-45 minutes or until crispy, making sure to turn bacon over after half way.


• Remove from oven and place on a wire rack for cooling. Once bacon has cooled chop it finely.

For the cookies:

• Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees.


• Sift flour and baking soda.


• In a medium bowl, cream butter with the white and brown sugar.


• Add vanilla, egg, and egg yolk to the bowl and beat until light and creamy.


• Add flour mixture and mix well.


• Add diced candied bacon and chocolate chips and stir until just combined.


• Place golf ball sized balls of dough on a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake for 18-20 minutes or until edges are brown. Remove from oven and let cookies sit on the pan for a couple of minutes before placing on a wire rack.

This recipe is derived from Quick Dish