I FUDGE-ING Love You, Mr. Grumpy

Many people love to travel, adventure, climb mountains, jump off rocks, etc. What do I love? (Other than my Grumpy fam, duh) – I LOVE to eat at new places and try new things. So as such, when Mr. Grumpy told me he had made DINNER RESERVATIONS (literally… he made these like two weeks in advance which is romantic in and of itself) at Lago in the Flats for our Valentine’s date, I was pumped. I immediately started thinking about what I was going to order and how much wine I was going to drink. Tomorrow I start a 21-day clean eating and fitness challenge as part of my Beach Body challenge groups. I am so excited to see the results 21 days from now – my goal is to be at 121 pounds by the end, which is the weight I was on our wedding day. BUT, as my last meal with cream and cheese, you better believe I went all out!

Fun Fact: did you know Mr. Grumpy and I met the eve of Valentine’s Day? Cupid decided to send us both to the same bar – and at about 1:30 in the morning, Mr. Grumpy and his friends had the liquid courage to approach me and my friends. Needless to say, I did not remember his name but DID remember that they were all very nice and told me they were TRAIN ENGINEERS. And yes, I believed them – in fact, I told my mom I had met the nicest boys who were train engineers, and she pointed out they were likely lying. Which, they were. Lucky for them, I stayed around and about a year and a half later, I tricked Mr. Grumpy into our first date. The rest is history. So, lucky girl that I am – Mr. Grumpy always sends me flowers on Feb. 13:

I love getting flowers the day before – and thought I was pretty set for Vday gifts, until I woke up on Saturday to get ready for our 5K and found a box of Shari’s Berries sitting on the counter with a giant Hershey kiss and my favorite – Reese cups shaped like HEARTS.

Then, after eating everything… I felt like this:

 

 

So, I went to the 5K ready to run my little heart out. And guess what – I ran my fastest 5K yet!! At 32:30!!!! I was so proud of myself and excited at how much I’d improved since my last race.

Look! I got a medal! (It’s a participatory medal… I DON’T CARE I AM A WINNER IN MY OWN HEAD!). Ok, yes – I told the nice man at the market that I got first place in the race… but I’ll never see him again. So do I feel guilty? NO!

Here’s a peek at our yummy dinner – Mr. G’s lasagna, my tortelloni, and our dessert martinis!

Anyway – for Mr. Grumpy’s gift, I wanted to bake him something sweet. He’s been so nice about all our healthy eating – and has lost a ton of weight (nearly 10 lbs!!) and he deserved a night off too. In all actuality, these cookies are really not that bad for you – why? Because I replaced the oil with almond oil and there’s no butter needed! You are going to love how easy it is to make these – and how MOIST (I hate that word) that turn out!

I Double Fudge Love You, Mr. Grumpy Cookies!  

I adapted this recipe from this one on Sally’s Baking Addiction

What You’ll Need:

• 1 box of Duncan Hines Double Fudge Cake Mix
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/3 cup almond oil
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Combine the cake mix and baking powder in a large bowl. Set aside. Then, in another bowl, mix the eggs, oil and vanilla extract. Mix in slowly to the cake mix/baking powder (do not use your electric mixer as you want to fold it in my hand). Stop once the concoction forms a soft dough.

Using an ice cream scoop, plop the dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 15-18 minutes at 350 degrees. You want them to be slightly dough-y when you take them out of the oven. Leave them on the pan to set. They should be soft and fudgy-licious after about 5-10 minutes out of the oven.

Yum yum! What did you all do over Valentine’s Day weekend? Share your romantic moments!! And remember, Ryan loves you no matter how bad at crafting you are:

Christmas is in the House: No-Bake Pumpkin Marshmallow Pie (yes… another pie recipe)

Mr. Grumpy finally caved in and let me decorate the apartment for Christmas. I had wanted to decorate before Thanksgiving, but despite my pleas, Mr. Grumpy asked me to “press pause on my Christmas cheer.” Yes, that’s a direct quote. Mr. Grumpy thinks I have too many Christmas decorations and he gets very grumptastic when I ask him to help me unload the three Tupperware containers I have full of red and green everything.

Last Sunday, he promised we could decorate the tree. But as I started unpacking my box of ornaments, I began discovering way more decorations than I had remembered we had. So, needless to say things got a little out of hand. I was hanging up decorations on the mantle, in our entry way, the bathrooms and our bedrooms, and all the while Mr. Grumpy was standing at the tree wondering when the madness would be over. Needless to say, we had to take a 24-hour break from Christmas-ing until Mr. Grumpy could muster up the rest of the strength he needed to get through trimming the tree. So, by Tuesday, it was finally done. Here are some pics!

This is a fun DIY paper banner I got at Target. The package was supposed to include a ribbon, but when Ashley and I opened up the package, there was no ribbon, so we improvised and used yarn. That did not work that well – so about an hour later this was finally done. Phew! 

(This was a great DIY wreath project! Check out the how-to here.)(That reindeer art is also DIY. TGFP: Thank God for Pinterest! Here’s the how-to!)

(This was also a super fun DIY project – and way easier than the ornament wreaths that you have to glue. All you do is take a wire hanger, pull it into a circle, unscrew the hook so you have two open ends, string the ornaments on the wire, twist the hanger closed and tie a ribbon at the top! I made this for a friend as her Xmas present… so shhhh!)

Have you made any holiday decor from things you’ve seen on Pinterest? Share in the comments below!

Now, I wanted to make sure I had something sweet to feed Mr. Grumpy for his service. So, I made him this pie recipe that I found on Kitchen Meets Girl and sent to Suzie Q to try out. She loved it … a lot. So I decided I’d give it a try. The thing was that I was feeling a bit lazy and didn’t want to go through all the steps in the recipe I found. So, I simplified it completely – making it a truly no-bake pumpkin marshmallow pie. Let’s just say that pie was gone by Wednesday. So, if you’re looking for a pie to make for the holidays, trust me – this may be the one.

What You’ll Need:

• 1 pre-made graham cracker crust (I get the Keebler brand)
• 1 egg
• 1 can pumpkin purée
• 1 cup low-fat Cool Whip
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 bag of mini marshmallows
• Chocolate sauce (like you’d put on top of an ice cream sundae)
• Other topping ideas: candied pecans, more Cool Whip (obvi), mini chocolate chips…

First, whisk the egg and brush it on the pre-made crust. Pop that in a 350 degree oven for about 5-7 minutes, until the crust is slightly browned. You can completely skip this process, but I do this because it seals the crumbs in nicely so your crust doesn’t crumble apart. Make sure your crust cools completely before you put your pie filling in.

While that’s cookin’ in the oven, in a large saucepan over medium-low heat, combine pumpkin purée, cinnamon and marshmallows. Stir constantly until it’s all mixed together and smooth. Let that cool in the fridge for about 30 minutes to an hour. Remove from the fridge and using a handheld mixer, whip for about 1-2 minutes until it’s smooth. Fold in the Cool Whip.

Pour the pumpkin mixture into your crust and smooth the top so it’s even. Put the lid on it (most pre-made crusts come with a nice, plastic lid). Let that cool in the fridge for 2 hours or overnight before you eat it. Drizzle your favorite toppings – we used chocolate sauce – on top, and enjoy!

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It’s the hap-happiest season of all (especially when there is pie)

Well friends, the holidays are officially upon us – with Thanksgiving in our past and Christmas creeping up steadfastly. Naturally, I have been avoiding carbs for at least a month to prepare for the madness we’re about to partake in, but really – I can’t avoid it for forever. Also, we all know how much I love carbs.

This Thanksgiving, Mr. Grumpy and I spent several days at his parent’s house, which he fondly calls the Sweat Shop. Why, you ask? No, not because we’re forced into labor when we get there (ok, sometimes we are), but because his mom is an amazing quilter. And she’s always quilting up a storm over there (while I try to sneak away with all her latest creations).

Mrs. O.G. had just gotten back from a trip to Shanghai for work – and as such was a bit jet lagged. She was welcomed home with a house full of guests, including Mr. Grumpy and myself, and the wonderful Grandma Sue (a snow bird). Mrs. O.G. had emailed me while in China letting me know she’d need help with the turkey. This was a frightening email as I’m not typically allowed to even go near the bird. In fact, I’m usually assigned to all the side dishes. My concern was that I would RUIN the turkey and we’d have to get Kentucky Fried Chicken and I would officially go down in history as “that old girlfriend of yours who ruined our turkey.” Old girlfriend because I’m pretty sure ruining the turkey on Thanksgiving is a federal relationship offense. Especially for a meat eater like Mr. Grumpy.

Needless to say, it went pretty smoothly. I was in charge of the salt and pepper, while Mr. O.G. was in charge of other miscellaneous spices, Mrs. O.G. handled the stuffing and the cracking of the bones, which we all know makes me very nervous. Mr. Grumpy didn’t really do much except help empty the crate of Christmas Ale (helpful).

Now, I know you’re wondering, “Cari, salt and pepper? That’s it?? Really not that helpful, whatsoever.” Geeze, you guys are needy. Ok, ok, I KNOW. And don’t worry. Because I’m a good old fashioned Midwestern gal, you know that I didn’t show up empty-handed to the Grumpy Family Holiday. In fact, I decided I would wow the masses with my pie making. That was a disaster…

I tried to find the apple pie recipe I always make with my mom. And I thought I found it. But I realized I had no time to go to the grocery store to get the ingredients. So I sent Mr. Grumpy (who did surprisingly well). Except Mr. Grumpy had to go to TWO grocery stores to find the Pillsbury pie crust (which made him pretty grumpy). Then, we peeled the apples and got ready to make the pie when I realized I had no pie pan. Why, you ask? WELL, I always make pies at my mom’s house. So, this need has never come up. So, at 9:45 p.m. the night before we were leaving for the Grumpy’s, we ran to Target and got a seriously awesome pie pan to cook the pie. Then, we came home and I went to work – and two hours later (yes, at midnight), I texted all my favorite peeps pictures of the perfect creation that came out of my oven (pictured below). But, this was DEFINITELY NOT the recipe I make with my mom – sorry, Suzie Q… I think it may have been better (cringe).

Caramel Apple Pie
The trick to this pie is using your mandolin on the second setting so your apple slices aren’t too thick and not too thin. This is really important because they’ll get nice and soft without turning into mush. And it will make for the best layer of filling on the inside. I found this recipe on the Pillsbury website, and it won a blue ribbon at their pie contest. But, I changed it a bit because some of the portions were just not really adding up to me and I didn’t want to go overboard on the filling. As Suzie Q always reminded me, “Less is more.” And in this case, it really was. So, let’s get cooking, shall we?

What You’ll Need:

• 8-10 small, green apples (about 5-6 cups when you slice them)
• 1 box of Pillsbury refrigerated pie crusts (there are two crusts per box, and you’ll need both)
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour, plus 1/2 cup
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tbsp caramel apple dip, plus 1/4 cup
• 2 tbsp low-fat milk
• 1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup butter, unsoftened

First, make sure you follow the instructions on your Pillsbury box about thawing the pie crusts. About 10-15 minutes before you’re ready to put together your pie, make sure you take them out of the fridge, then take them out of the box (but keep them in their plastic bags) and let them sit for about 10 minutes. This will make them really nice and easy to work with and will avoid tearing.

Now, preheat your oven to 375. Now, peel your apples. Slice them on level 2 on your mandolin slicer (they should be about as thick as a dime but thicker than your finger nail). In a large mixing bowl, combine 1/4 cup flour, 1 cup sugar and cinnamon. Mix in the apple slices until they’re evenly coated and the flour/sugar/cinnamon combination starts to turn nice and goopy.

Spray your pie pan with non-stick cooking spray. Take one of the pie crusts and put it onto the bottom of your pan, making a nice, straight crust. Line the pie crust with the apple slices and make sure they’re packed evenly throughout.

Then, in a small mixing bowl, combine 2 tbsp caramel apple dip and milk by whisking together lightly. Pour slowly over the apples until they’ve all gotten an even taste. Now, you can reuse your large bowl that had the apples in it – but combine flour and brown sugar. Add in the butter and cut it in using a pastry blender (mine is handheld). Keep cutting it in until you have nice, thick crumbs. Sprinkle this evenly over the apples and caramel apple dip/milk mixture.

Now, using a pastry cutter or a thin, sharp knife, cut 1/2 inch slices of your final pie crust. Place half of the slices going vertically over the pie. Don’t pinch in the edges yet. Then, starting from the middle going horizontally, start weaving in the remaining slices, leaving about 1/2 inch spaces between each slice. You want it to look like a Longaberger basket, like so:

And the finished product looks like this!

Bake in the preheated oven for 50 minutes, until the crust is a slight golden brown. Remove it from the oven, and using a small spoon, drizzle the remaining caramel apple dip over the top. Let it cool over night – but do not do what I did … I asked my mother (who thought I made a pumpkin pie even though I told her EIGHT TIMES I was making caramel apple pie) and she told me to put it in the fridge. Nothing will happen if you make this mistake, you’ll just have a very Mr. Grumpy tell you he was right, and you’ll have to let it get back to room temp because that’s really when it will be the most delicious.

Well let me tell you that this pie was a hit among the Grumpy Family – I got approval from a Grandma and an Aunt and the parents and it felt really good! So, if you need to impress anyone this holiday, whip this recipe out. You won’t regret it.

What is your favorite holiday pie recipe?? What were you thankful for this year?

Happy Halloween! It’s time for Mummy Pretzels!

I love Halloween. I love ghost stories, pumpkins, Halloween TV specials, spooky candles, witchy brews, costumes … Really. I love it all. As such, our apartment right now looks like the Headless Horseman and his crew of goblins regurgitated spookiness all over. I mean – I literally have pumpkins everywhere. And what’s even better is I’ve discovered the gloriousness of LED candles – why? They burn for like three weeks before you have to replace them. Which means that we can have our spooky Halloween-themed candles burning all. day. long. Awesome.

Mr. Grumpy is being extremely patient. Decorating makes him extremely grumpy. He’d much rather relax in our apartment without getting attacked by pumpkin pillows or the scent of my latest pumpkin spice candle. The end of Halloween for Mr. Grumpy also means that as my Halloween decor box gets put back in storage, out will come the Christmas tree. It really is the most wonderful time of the year. I suspect that he is really not looking forward to decorating the tree while I force him to listen to the N*Sync Christmas album …

Knowing my love of all things October 31, I could not resist making these mummy treats for us to take over to Kelsey & B-rad’s engagement party tonight. These were so easy to make and they’re just so darn cute that you really should make them before Halloween ends this year (thus why I’m posting this today, and not tomorrow. You have 24 hours – go!). I had just finished making them when Mr. Grumpy started eating them by the pounds, so don’t worry – they will definitely fulfill your sweet tooth.

Mummy Pretzel Rods! The perfect Halloween treat! (PS: Mr. Grumpy’s mom made me these beautiful Halloween-themed placemats! Jealous?)

What You’ll Need: 

• 1 package of milk chocolate CandiQuik coating (you can get this in the baking aisle. This is the brand Meijers carries, so really any brand of candy coating will do)
• 1 package of white chocolate CandiQuik coating (yes, it annoys me, too, how they spell their brand name)
• 1 bag of pretzel rods (about 12 rods)
• Toothpicks
• A microwave

First, line a baking sheet with non-stick aluminum foil or parchment paper. Make sure it’s non-stick! This will be really important. Next, take all the rods out of the bag and set the broken rods aside. With the remaining full rods, put them in a nice row next to your baking sheet.

Next, microwave the milk chocolate according to instructions. It is really important that in between each blast in the microwave that you stir thoroughly for at least 30 seconds. The chocolate will continue melting as you stir it, and as such – you don’t want to put it back in the microwave if you don’t need to or it will caramelize. This sounds awesome, but it’s not and you’ll have to go BACK to the store and buy a whole ‘nother package of the candy coating and you’ll be really pissed and your mummies won’t bring you as much joy. I digress…

Once the milk chocolate candy coating is smooth and melted, start rolling the rods one-by-one into the chocolate. Use a spoon to get the chocolate all the way down to about 1 inch away from the end of the rod. You can use the back of the spoon, too, to smooth out the chocolate. Set each rod gently onto the baking sheet. Continue until you’ve completed all the rods (I made about 12).

Now, place your baking dish in the fridge. In the meantime, microwave your white chocolate according to package instructions. Remember that white chocolate is a bit more fragile and susceptible to caramelizing than milk chocolate. As such, you may want to turn down the level on your microwave from high to medium. Really stir the chocolate in between each blast to make sure you’re not overheating it. Remove the pretzel rods from the frige.

Once the white chocolate is smooth and ready to go, pour it into a Ziplock bag. Cut a toothpick-sized hole in the corner of the bag. Moving over each individual pretzel rod, make small sweeping movements in the shape of little X’s starting at about 1.5 inches down, all the way down to the bottom of the milk chocolate. Give your mummy a hat by criss-crossing at the top as well. Do this to all your pretzels until they’re all dressed like mummies. It’s ok if some are messier than others – they’ve been hibernating in coffins for years … do you think they’re going to look put together?!?!

Next, take a toothpick and dip it in the white chocolate. Dot little eyes on each mummy in between the “wrapping.” That should dry pretty quickly, but let that set for a minute. Reheat the remaining milk chocolate you have (trust me you will have some!) and, with a new toothpick, make little brown dots on top of the larger white dots. Voila! Mummy eyes!

You’ll want to let those dry for a little bit before removing them from the baking sheet. Once they’re completely hardened, you can serve immediately or store in Ziplock bags to make sure they stay fresh!

Happy Halloween, ghouls! Hope you get more treats than tricks!  

PS: I found the idea for this on Pinterest, which by the way is the best place ever to find fun Halloween inspirations. You can follow my Fall Fun board for more ideas! 

Happy Fourth of July, ‘Mericuh! (Flag Cake & DIY Sparkler Favors)

Fourth of July is such a great holiday. You get to eat hot dogs (awesome). Play with fireworks (DS's favorite activitiy). Watch the professionals do fireworks without catching your backyard on fire (this doesn't happen at the Steiner Ranch. We watch DS do Chinese lanterns and experiment with gasoline-laden driveways while the kids – aka, me – run around half-hazardly with sparklers. The fire department in Findlay actually recognizes us as they've been out to our house to put out many fires in our day. Note to readers: Before catching your driveway on fire, remove your cars. This is just from experience, though).

Mr. Grumpy actually likes the Fourth of July because he gets to walk around doing his best Livin' in the Sticks impression (aka, Hillbilly talk. For the record, he calls Findlay "The Sticks" even though he's the one who grew up in a township for God's sake) and call our great country… 'MMMMericuh. In fact, he loves this so much, we even had a sign last year that at ONE point said I Love America, but when I wasn't looking, Mr. Grumpy removed the "A" from it, so it just read, "I Love Merica). Awesome…

Suzie Q and my sister Erin typically get extremely patriotic and make what they call a Flag Cake. Now, anyone who knows me well knows I have a fear of fruit mixing together. Meaning, when Mr. G and I eat berries, I have to have a separate bowl for blueberries, one for raspberries and one for strawberries. He's learned that if he puts Cool Whip in between the berries in the same bowl, I will be ok.

Flag Cake is the one exception to the fruit-touching rule. Why? Well, because it's awesome. The fruit is laying on top of layers of cookies and frosting. And because it looks like the American flag. Extremely cool. So, this year was no different. Suzie Q was SUPPOSED to wait to make it with me, but alas, she jumped the gun and made it without me. I'm still going to share the recipe with you.

 Here's what you'll need:

• 1 package of sugar cookie dough (the kind that comes in a plastic tube. I buy the Pillsbury brand. It's by the butter and cheese in our supermarket). It helps if the dough has had some time to get to room temp so it's easier to deal with
• 1 container of white frosting 
• 2 containers of raspberries, rinsed and dabbed dry
• 2 containers of blueberries, rinsed and dabbed dry 
• Preferably some American-themed music – like that theme song from Fifel Goes West or I'm Proud to Be an American or I Love Rock n Roll – to play when you present your cake to the world (it's your tahdah moment, people!)

First, take a rectangular baking sheet and spray it with non-stick cooking spray. Spread your cookie dough out evenly on the pan. This is the base of your flag, so no, do not substitute your rectangle for a circle. People will be confused and I may have to deport you. (I don't really have this kind of power).

Bake your cookie dough as the package directs, until it is lightly brown but still very white on top. It will still be a little squishy when you remove it from the oven. Don't over bake it, though. It will cool and harden up a bit. Plus, no one likes a stale flag – it won't wave symbolically in the wind. Right? (I'm cracking myself up). 

Next, let your cookie cool. This would be a good time to test your Fourth of July cocktails to make sure no one has poisoned them. (My dear friend Leslie and I once had Fourth of July shots that literally were stacked blue, then white, then red IN THE SHOT GLASS. If anyone knows how to make these at home, I welcome your instructions below on my comment board.) Once your cookie is cool, spread the frosting out evenly over the top. 

Next, take your blueberries and a square of blueberries in the upper left hand corner. Or however many that LOOK like 50. Remember that this flag is not to scale – so you don't need to count out 50 blueberries and place them on your cake. I know we like to be accurate, but geeze people. That's just a lot of counting. Next, make stripes of raspberries all the way to the end of the right side, starting from the left side, leaving about a quarter of an inch between each row. These are your stripes. Again, you don't have to be accurate about the stripage. I think there's 13 stripes on the real flag, but you'll probably only get to about 8 or 9 on this one, especially if you're like me and eat the fruit the entire time you're making your cake. 

And voila! Freedom on a cake. What could be better? 

Sparkler Party Favors

Well, I'll tell you what may … take the cake … at your Fourth of July party (oh gosh. I'm full of puns today). Amazing sparkler party favors. I made these for an anniversary party I was planning, but they are OH SO PERFECT so I just had to share.

Here's what you'll need:

• A computer 
• A color printer
• Heavy card stock in white
• Paper cutter machine
• An X Acto knife
• Sparklers

First, you'll want to open/download this file (I found these free printables at Tidy Mom: http://tidymom.net/2013/printable-sparkler-holder). Open Microsoft Word, and choose the Header/Footer function. Copy and paste this JPG into the header/footer. If you do not have Microsoft Word, you can just select to print the JPG, and select the full-page function when you tell it to print. Then, print these out on your color printer using a heavy, white card stock. I just told my computer to print 30 pages because I had to make a ton of these for this anniversary party. If you have 20 guests coming to your party, you probably only need to print 6 pages. (Aren't I awesome at math?)

Next, using your paper cutter machine, cut your paper into three sections. If you don't have one of those handy machines, then just use a pair of scissors. And take an IB Profin because your hands are going to hurt. Then, take your X Acto knife, make tiny slits on the top of the middle box, and at the bottom (about a half inch wide). You don't want to make your slits too wide because the sparklers will fall out, and then your guests will be annoyed. And then you'll blame me… Not cool. Next, once all your paper is cut and the slits are made, place about a half box of sparklers in the slit and out the other side (like you're weaving a basket. I'm sure you have a lot of experience doing this). You should have about 5-6 sparklers per piece of paper. And voila! Your Fourth of July party just went Martha Stewart. Awesome.

(Giveaway Closed!) Review & Giveaway! Darling, Let’s Go to France w/OrganicGirl (Roasted Chicken, Brie & Cinnamon-Apple Paninis, plus a Peach-Bacon Salad)

Disclaimer: I received free OrganicGirl product to review for this post. All opinions are my own. The prize for this promotion is provided by and shipped by OrganicGirl and/or its representatives.  

Phew, now that THAT'S out of the way… let's talk about France. AKA, one of my favorite places on the planet. Now I know what you're wanting to ask me, "Cari, did you go to France and have a 10-day middle-school style love affair with a bleached-blonde-hair boy named Nicolas (pronouced Neec-oh-LAH) and wish you never had to return to the states?" Um, I would say SOME of that is true… But, I did get in trouble for talking too loudly during our tour of Versailles. I also misread a menu and ordered horse, instead of steak… and then two hours later proceeded to go horseback riding. Very traumatizing. But despite my completely unromantic trip to France at a ripe 14 years of age, I did come back completely in love with the culture. What can I say? France and I share a certain… je ne sais quoi … about us. Maybe it's because I used to be la canadienne .. er Canadian (a story for another time…). 

So, when OrganicGirl reached out to me, and I perused their website only to find they had a product called Vive la France… well, I just had to try it. Let me tell you first about OrganicGirl (right now they're mostly focused in greens for salads and yummy cookin') – they have such a great story. They are a group of men and women in California who literally police the BEEP out of your produce. This means that when you buy a container of their product, it's been washed three times before being packaged; it's completely organic; and it won't be brown the day after you buy it. Which is awesome because I think I have probably wasted like $300 alone this year buying lettuce in plastic containers that gets slimy on day two, and I'm left to ponder whether I should suck it up and eat it, or throw it away (Mr. G usually makes me throw it away, though he's very grumpy about wasting food). 

I went ahead and tried the Vive la France blend, which is a combination of mâche rosettes, baby chard, baby arugula and radicchio. It arrived today, and I was well-prepared. Of course, it took us like 45 minutes to track down our security dude, Chris, to unlock our package from his super stealthy case. But it was worth it – these greens are seriously delicious. Typically when we buy lettuce at the store, it's wilty and not very crunchy. The Vive la France mix was crunchy and slightly spicy (likely from the arugula). And we all know I love me some spice. So, I took Mr. Grumpy on a trip to France (aka, our super European couch), and made Roasted Chicken, Brie and Cinnamon Apple Paninis, plus a Peach-Bacon Salad avec Lemon Vinaigrette. L'awesome (that's not real French, ok?). 

Want to know what is EVEN MORE L'AWESOME? One of YOU lucky readers is going to win a package of Vive la France blend from OrganicGirl JUST LIKE ME! I know, you're thinking – this simply cannot be true. How can I be so lucky? Well, you can, my friends. You can indeed. How, you ask? You can enter my giveaway in three ways:

• Follow me (@carijeanne) on Twitter, and tweet at me using #homewithyou with what you'd most like to see if you visited France. Feel free to leave a comment below with the link to your tweet for an extra entry. 
• Leave a comment below with your French vacation dream – where would you most like to go? The south of France? Nice? Paris? The Spanish border? French Canada? 
• Like OrganicGirl on Facebook or Pinterest, and leave me a comment below saying you did it! 

The giveaway will close on June 22 – so get to commenting les petite chous! If you do all three, you earn three entries (meaning your chances will be INCREASED!). Best day ever, right? May the odds be ever in your favor, friends. I will announce the winner the week of June 24 here on my blog (and on social media too, obviously, because I will be so excited that I'll just want to share it with everyone). 

Now that I've talked your ear off, let's get cookin'! (Let's start with the panini!)

Roasted Chicken, Brie & Cinnamon-Apple Panini

Every holiday, I make baked brie, which uses candied apples (like you'd put in a pie), crescent dough and brie. It's my sister Erin's favorite. In fact, one holiday I failed to make the brie, and she felt that warrented not speaking to me for most of Christmas. I have to agree – the brie really makes Christmas feel warmer. 

So, this little sammy is just like that slice of heaven, except I'm totally going to blow your mind by taking it out of the crescent dough, and putting it onto bread. Whoa. Right? It's seriously delicious.  

What You'll Need:

• 1/2 cup Vive la France blend from OrganicGirl 
• 1/4 lb of brie
• 1 green apple
• 4 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 tsp cinnamon, divided – plus 1/2 tsp extra 
• Juice from 1/2 orange
• 2 cups organic, unsalted chicken stock
• 1 chicken breast
• 1/4 tsp dried rosemary
• 1/4 tsp ground coriander seed
• 1/4 tsp ground cumin
• Salt & pepper to taste
• 4 slices of fresh ciabatta bread (DS pronounces like CHEE-AH-BAHTTA bread. And I think it's awesome)
• 1 tbsp butter
• Baking non-stick cooking spray

First, you want to cook your chicken. I did mine in the crock pot the day before. First, combine 2 cups of chicken stock, chicken breast, rosemary, 1 tsp cinnamon, and salt and pepper to taste. Let that cook on low for 2 to 2.5 hours until fully cooked. Let it cool enough that you can shread it with your fingers. Completely shread the chicken. In a small bowl combine 1/2 tsp cinnamon, ground coriander and ground cumin in a bowl. Sprinkle it over the chicken, and toss until the chicken is coated. Add salt & pepper to taste, as needed. 

Next, preheat your oven to 375. Spray a small baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Cut your apple into long, thin slices. The thinner, the better. They cook faster that way. Next, take your half of an orange, and squirt the juice over the apples. This is a trick Suzie Q taught me because I used to think that when apples turned brown, it meant they rotted. This was obviously an exaggeration, but she would help me out by putting juice on them to keep them looking normal. Toss the apples until they've been coated evenly with the juice. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and the remaining cinnamon (1 tsp). Sprinkle slowly over the apples, tossing the entire time to ensure they get nicely coated. Place the apples uncovered in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Remove them from the oven and stir. Return the apples to the oven, and bake for an additional 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, and let them sit for 5 minutes.

Coat one side of each slice of bread with an even layer of butter. Begin warming a pan with grill marks (seriously, what are these things called), over medium heat. Have another pan handy (can you tell I  don't have a panini maker?). Next, cut up your brie into long slices, about a centimeter thick. Place evenly over a slice of ciabatta bread. Next, place the cinnamon apples on top of the brie. Add a layer of chicken, and finally cover the top with Vive la France greens. Smoosh the second piece of bread on top. Repeat on the second – so you have two sandwiches. That was kind of obvious…

Now, place both sandwiches on your pan (butter side should be down, obviously). Place another pan on top of your sandwiches and gently press down, for about 3 minutes. Flip your sandwiches, and repeat on the other side for an additional 3 minutes. Remove the pan from heat, and let your sandwiches sit until the brie cheese is melty and gooey and ready to be devoured. 

Peach-Bacon Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette 

To go with the paninis, we had a lovely Peach-Bacon Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette. Ok, I know you're wondering why on earth I would ever put peaches and bacon together. Well, just as Mr. Grumpy and I go together (even though I'm sweet like a peach, and he's salty like a slice of bacon), so do peaches and bacon in real life. I'm serious.

What You'll Need:

• 2 cups Vive la France blend from OrganicGirl
• 3 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 1 peach, cut into slices
• Juice from 1/2 lemon (about 1 tbsp)
• 1/2 tsp dijon mustard
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1/8 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp Lemon & Pepper Seasoning (from McCormick) 

Note: I adapted the recipe for the Lemon Vinaigrette from Martha Stewart. She's really great, isn't she? 

First, put 1 cup of greens in each salad bowl. Place slices evenly on each salad. Crumble the bacon over the top. 

In a small jam jar, combine dijon mustard, olive oil, salt, McCormick seasoning, and lemon juice. Close the lid tight, and shake until combined. This makes about 4 tbsp of dressing. Dress your salad – we put about 1 1/2 tbsp each on the salad. And, voila! As Julia Child would say, "Bon Appetite!"

 

To learn more about OrganicGirl and their products, you can check them out online too at www.iloveorganicgirl.com. 

Happy Birthday Red Velvet Cupcakes + DIY Coasters

I don't know if you know this, but Heidi Klum's favorite cupcake is Red Velvet (or it was in 2008 when I was interning at her agency)… No big deal, guys. I've shared a cupcake with Heidi Klum. What have you done with your life…? Ok, fine. We didn't SHARE one cupcake. Like, she brought red velvet cupcakes into work, and then watched as I ate one. But still…  

Anyway, so when I asked Robin what she wanted to eat at her birthday party, naturally her answer was Buffalo Chicken Dip and Red Velvet Cupcakes. She's probably one of my most stylish, classiest friends (though all my friends are classy, obviously, because I'm super classy). 

So here's the trick about red velvet cupcakes. Did you know that all red velvet cupcakes really are is just chocolate cake with a TON of red food coloring in it? Um yeah. It's really that simple. So, as long as you've got cocoa powder, you can basically make it at home any time you want.

What You'll Need:

• 2 1/2 cups cake flour
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 1/2 tbsp cocoa powder (I use Hershey's)
• 1 cup of water
• 4 tbsp cultured buttermilk blend powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups canola oil
• 1 tsp white distilled vinegar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 1 8 oz container of cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 stick of unsalted butter, softened
• Red food coloring
• 3 cups of powdered sugar
• Candy pearls (find these in the baking aisle with the sprinkles)

First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line your cupcake tins with 2 layers each of cupcake papers (I like the double-layered look, so I use two cupcake liners per cupcake).

Next, in a small mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar (not the powdered sugar – that's for the frosting), cultured buttermilk powder, salt, cocoa and baking soda. Using a whisk, stir the dry ingredients, spinning the whisk while you stir. Next, in your electric mixer, combine water, oil, eggs, vinegar and vanilla extract until blended, about 3 minutes on medium speed. Now, add in the dry ingredients and beat for an additional 3-5 minutes until the mixture is smooth. Now, it should look like chocolate cake mix (and taste like it too if you're like Mr. Grumpy and love eating cake mix raw… apparently he's immune to salmonella). Next, turn your mixer to low, and start adding in your red food coloring. A tip: you want it to be dark red when you're finished because when they bake, they turn lighter. So, I ended up using about 2 1/2 to 3 tbsp of red food coloring. Next, using an ice cream scoop, scoop the mix into each cupcake liner, until they are about 1/2 full. The mix makes a little more than 24 cupcakes. Bake the cupcakes in the oven for a solid 18 minutes – no more, no less. Halfway through baking your cupcakes, rotate them in your oven. Once they've cooked for 18 minutes, take them out of the oven and let them sit for 1 minute. Topple them onto a towel, and let them sit until they're cool. While they're cooling, we made our frosting. And by we, I mean I made the frosting while Mr. Grumpy played Nintendo and patiently waited for the beaters to lick… 

For the frosting, combine the butter and cream cheese, and mix on medium speed – about 3-4 minutes until it's smooth. Next, add in the almond extract and the powdered sugar and mix on low for another 3 minutes. Place your frosting in the fridge for 10 minutes to cool. Next, place your frosting in a pastry bag, and squeeze it out onto your cupcakes. Sprinkle the candy pearls on top. Serve immediately, or place in the fridge until you're ready to eat them.

Now, being the classy lady that I am, I also made Robin a DIY present for her birthday. I got the idea from my bestie Ashley, who actually made me these coasters for me for my birthday last year. And I've been obsessed with them ever since and want everyone to have a set. Maybe because she made them using mustache paper and I think mustaches are hilarious. Which is also why, for Mr. Grumpy's birthday last year, Robin made us these amazing mustache glasses… I digress… So, I decided these would be the perfect housewarming/birthday present for Robin (especially considering I already got her and Mr. Salty mustache magnets for their fridge. I didn't want to exhaust the mustache thing). These are so much fun to make, you should go out and make them like… right now. 

What You'll Need: 

• Mod Podge – matte finish
• Scrapbooking paper 
• 6 ceramic tiles
• Felt pads (you can find these at the cash register at Home Depot)
• Spongy paint brush (you know what I mean? Here… like this one)
• Pencil
• Scissors

Mr. Grumpy and I went to Home Depot to pick up the ceramic tiles, and just assumed that they would have felt or something soft to put on the back. You want to do this because if you don't, it will scratch your table. And then Mr. Grumpy will give you one of his looks… which is really just quite a hassle. So, after wandering for like 20 minutes, I asked a Home Depot associate if they had cork board or felt. He said, "Let me guess, you're making coasters." Like he knew everything in the world. I replied, "Um… yeah? How did you know? Is your girlfriend a Pinterest addict too?" To which HE replied, "Well, yeah she is. But that's not how I know you're making coasters. There's about ONE of YOU each month who comes in here looking for tiles and felt because they're making these COASTERS. Go to JoAnns, you'll find everything you need there." At this point, I wasn't sure if I should thank him or be offended. So I continued onto the cash register, where I found these felt pads, which are actually quite perfect because they stick to ceramic tile and you don't have to use super glue. This is great for me because I'm actually not allowed to use super glue anymore. Mr. Grumpy banned me from it the LAST time I tried to glue my jewelry holder back together and glued my fingers together instead. And then tried to rip them apart, which was very painful.

So let's DIY, friends. First, wipe off your ceramic tiles with a damp cloth or paper towel. Make sure they're completely dry. Now, take the paper you want to use, and flip it over so the pattern is facing down. Trace your tile with a pencil, getting as close to the edge of the tile as you can. This will act as your stencil. Cut it out, and measure it on the tile. It should be slightly smaller than the face of the tile (the shiny top part). So, you'll likely have to trim it a bit. Next, cut out all of your stencils. I used different paper for each set (two ceramic tiles matched one another). I also added some scrapbooking stickers to two of them by sticking them right on the patterned-side of the paper. 

Now that all your tiles are washed and your squares are cut, it's time to Hodge Podge it, kids. So, take your foam brush and dip it into the hodge podge. Paint it evenly on the shiny side of the ceramic tile (like the side you'd want to be facing out if you were redoing your kitchen). Make sure it is a really even, thin layer because you don't want it to bubble when you place the paper on it. Next, place one of the paper squares, pattern up, on top of the tile. Smoosh it down so it's evenly place on the surface of the tile. Now, paint another layer of Modge Podge over the paper on the tile. Set it aside and let it dry. Do that for all six tiles. Once the tiles are completely dry, flip them over and place the felt circles, one in each corner. Each tile will get four felt circles (they are adhesive on one side which is awesome). 

Voila! Homemade coasters. Which came in handy for the drinking games the boys decided to play on Robin's oak coffee table… Boys will be boys, I suppose. 

Easter Bunnies Love Cupcakes

Ok, so I'm sure the Easter Bunny would much rather have a carrot cupcake. However, I don't really know him that well, and think that he should just be happy with what he gets. Mr. Grumpy and I made the short trek down to Bainbridge where his parents live to celebrate Easter Weekend. 

We celebrated Easter Eve by having one of our infamous Martini Nights. Mr. O.G. (original Grumpy – aka, Mr. G's dad) makes a pretty mean martini. And usually, Martini Nights end with me, face down on Mr. G's bed from his childhood (alone, thank you. Gosh! I'm not a Floozy!) with my PJs on backward, wondering how I got up there in the first place. This Martini Night ended with us watching Titanic in 3D, so let's just say that it was pretty calm compared to other nights when Mr. Grumpy may have accidentally drank 6 martinis and wound up puking all Sunday morning… I digress. 

Anyway, I was in charge of Easter Bunny dessert. I just could not resist making these lemon buttercream cupcakes when I stumbled upon them on Shugary Sweets. I did change the recipe a bit (duh), but boy – these were so delish. And the color of a lemon-flavored jelly bean, so I was pretty pleased.

Seriously. Your mouth is going to water until you eat one (or 30) of these… 

What You'll Need for the Cupcakes:

• 5 egg whites, room temp.
• 3/4 cup buttermilk*
• 2 lemons, zested
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temp. (or softened in the microwave)
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 2 1/2 cups cake flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp lemon extract (or lemon juice would be ok, too)
• yellow sugar crystal sprinkles (in the cake decorating aisle of your grocery store)

What You'll Need for the Frosting:

• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temp. (or softened in the microwave)
• 4 cup powered sugar
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced
• 2 tbsp heavy whipping cream
• 2 tsp vanilla extract, give or take (because I accidentally spilled about 1 extra tsp in there via a bad pour, and it was all good)

*Now, I did not have any buttermilk on hand. That's cool if you don't either. Why???? Because it's super easy to make from scratch. Just take 1 cup of milk and add 1 tbsp of lemon juice. Let it stand for 5 minutes. And voila! You've got a cup of buttermilk (you only need 3/4 cup for this recipe, so don't get excited and dump the whole thing in your mixer).

OK, let's get baking!! Preheat your oven to 350.

Make your buttermilk if you need to. Next, in a small mixing bowl, gently whisk your egg whites, 1/4 cup of buttermilk and lemon zest (the whole lemon makes about 1-2 tbsp of zestiness). Set this mixture aside.

In a larger mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar until creamy. This will take 3 minutes, and it will look white and fluffy. Add in the lemon and vanilla extract, and beat for an additional minute. Then, add in your dry ingredients. Mix until this combines – it will be kind of thick and doughy. Next, slowly add in the egg white mixture. Beat for about 1-2 minutes, until creamy. Add in the remaining buttermilk (1/2 cup) and beat for another minute or so. You want the end mixture to be creamy – like… cake batter. I know… surprising, right?

Put your cupcake liners in your cupcake pan. Take an ice cream scoop, and scoop the mixture into each liner (about halfway full). Bake for a full 15 minutes until the cupcakes are spongy and slightly golden on top. Remove from the oven, and let them sit in the pan for 6 minutes. Then, put them on a cooling rack to cool. Make sure all your cupcakes are completely cool before you frost them.  

While those babies are chillin', make the frosting. Beat the butter (1 cup) in your mixer on high (my Oster mixer was set at level 9) for about 4 minutes. The butter should become pale in color and be thick and creamy. Add in the vanilla extract, and beat an additional minute. Next, add in the lemon juice (1 1/2 tbsp from your lemon), lemon zest, cream and powdered sugar (make sure you use a big bowl because I didn't at first, and looked like a snowman after the sugar exploded all over me. Mr. G proceeded to share this detail with his ENTIRE family at Easter. They still love me… I think.)  Beat this for 4-5 more minutes until everything is creamy and smooth and super delicious. You can test it by licking your mixing spoon, and you should probably let your Mr. G test it too. 

Fill a pastry bag with a flowered tip and pipe on the frosting. Sprinkle with those crystally yellow sugary things that you find in the baking aisle. And enjoy. (And if you have the best mom in the world like I do, you'll be able to use the watermelon decorations to make your cupcakes super special)

Cupcake Wars… here I come.

St. Patty’s Day Baking: Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Scoop Cookies

I love St. Patty's day as much as the next half-Irish gal. In fact, I love it so much that I baked something to celebrate. I also bought eight shamrock necklaces, a shamrock headband, green glow bracelets, shamrock stickers, wall decals and other leprechaun decos. Don't judge me – that $1 bin at the entrance of Target is as hard to say no to as Girl Scouts are that stand at the front of the supermarket… You know what I'm talking about. My colleague Melissa (whose blog is ALSO awesome) said I should call these Leprechaun Poop Cookies… not sure if that's a compliment. Call them what you may, they still taste amah-zing. 

So, instead of going overboard with Thin Mints and other green things, let's go overboard together with these. An ice cream inspiration since we've had 60 degree weather in the C-L-E: mint chocolate chip ice cream scoop cookies. Oh heck yeah. 

I adapted this recipe from one I found on Babble.com. Her recipe called for using Andes Creme de Menthe Baking Chips, but I couldn't find those. What I did find was even sweeter – a little luck 'o' the Irish surprise in the midst of every gooey center… Dark Chocolate Mint M&Ms. Yum. YUM.

What You'll Need:

• 3/4 cup butter (room temp)
• 1 1/4 cup sugar
• 2/3/4 cup flour
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp peppermint extract
• green food coloring (20 ish drops)
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (plus some)
• 1 cup mint M&Ms (plus some) 

First, preheat that oven to 375. Now, add butter and sugar in a bowl (or in your stand mixer), and mix on medium-high until light and fluffy. Then, add in the eggs, and beat again until fluffy. Add the vanilla and peppermint extract. Depending on how minty you like it, you can add more to taste, but remember what Suzie Q always says… Less is more, friends. Now, less is not necessarily more when you add in the food coloring (which you should do next!). Add in as many drops as you want to get the green you want. Remember the dry ingredients will make it less green, and baking it will too. I ended up using about 20 drops. You can always add in more after you add in the dry ingredients.

Meanwhile, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add those into the butter, sugar and extract mixture. Mix until a nice dough forms. Then, add in M&Ms and chocolate chips.

Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper. Then, use a tablespoon to create scoops of dough and drop onto the baking sheets. If you don't want yours reminiscent of those good old days when you'd stop by the local ice cream shop and get a scoop of chilly mint chocolate chip ice cream… fine. Just smoosh your cookies down gently in the middle with a fork. Bake in the oven about 12 minutes, until the bottom edge looks slightly browned (but not too browned). Cool on a cooling rack, but make sure you try one when they're still warm. Oh my gooey goodness. So delish.

Happy St. Patty's Day ya'll. Don't get into too much trouble out there, and if you do, please don't call me to bail you out of jail. My blog is ad-free at the moment, meaning I can't pay your bail and you'll be stuck there for a while.