Friday, May 31, 2013

Loaded Baked Potato Salad

Potato salad is most definitely my favorite dish at a summer get together. I am always excited to try a new recipe! I found this one on pinterest and I just could not pass it up! At your next cookout or BBQ I would most definitely recommend making this potato salad! It tastes exactly like a loaded baked potato...bacon, cheese, potato, sour cream...you just can't go wrong with that!! Its yummy yummy! I served it chilled though the originally recipe served it warm so you can do whatever you prefer!

Recipe Source: Dining with Leslie
Serving: 8 to 12 people
Ingredients:
  • 8 large Russet potatoes
  • 1/2 cup mayo
  • 1 cup sour cream (plus a dab extra)
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (Leave some aside for the topping)
  • 1/2 cup fresh chopped chives (Leave some aside for the topping)
  • 16 strips of bacon cooked and crumbled (Leave some aside for the topping)
  • 2 tsp black pepper
  • Salt to the taste
Recipe:
  • In a small bow, mix together mayonnaise and sour cream.
  • Add the chives, cheese, and pepper to the bowl.
  • Add salt if needed
  • Let chill in the fridge
  • Peel and cube potatoes into bite size pieces.
  • Put potatoes in a large pot and cover with water.
  • Boil until fork tender (about 18-20 minutes). You'll want to make sure that you don't cook them for too long because you don't want mashed potatoes!!
  •  Drain potatoes and let cool. 
  • Put potatoes in a large bowl and combine mayo/sour cream mixture. 
  • Fold in crumbles of bacon.
  • Chill until ready to serve.
  • Top with the remaining chives, cheese, and bacon.

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Raspberry Sunset Martini

Hi Everyone!! I hope you enjoy this guest post from Meg at Happy Kids, Inc. She has a great series on her blog called "Mama Needs A Martini." You should check it out even if your not a mama like myself! We can all use a good martini once in a while. - Lauren

Hi readers! My name is Meg and I blog over at Happy Kids, Inc.  Lauren asked me to guest blog for her today and I couldn't be happier.  One thing Girl Gone Food has is GREAT cocktail recipes! So, when she asked me for one of my martini recipes, I was excited to come up with a new, never before published concoction.  So, let me introduce you to the........

2 ounces citrus vodka
1/2 ounce Chambord raspberry liqueur
1/2 ounce Malibu caribbean rum
2 ounces limeade
Sprig of fresh mint
Squeeze of fresh lime juice

In a martini shaker, add about a cup of ice, then add all ingredients.  Shake well and strain into a martini glass.  Garnish with a lime slice and fresh raspberries.  

Enjoy!

Monday, May 13, 2013

Pineapple Upside Down Cake Martini



This drink is so yummy! I had it out one night at a bar and copied down all the ingredients so that I could recreate it at home. The vanilla vodka really makes it taste like cake. You have to try it to believe it!!

To make 2 martinis, pour 3 shots of vodka and 6 oz of pineapple juice in a martini shaker, shake with ice, and pour into a martini glass. For something extra special, dip the rim of the glass in crushed graham crackers.

 

Thursday, May 9, 2013

Erin Condren Life Planner Review

 

There is one thing in my life that I can not live without: my planner. My planner is basically my brain on paper. If I lost my planner I literally would go insane!! NO joke. I would have no idea of what to do or where to go. So yes, I'm dependent on it. I'm not a huge fan of being dependent on anything, but I love being organized and on task. It may a problem, but I've totally embraced it. My friend Sarah introduced me to Erin Condren planners about a year ago. I immediately was drawn to their colorful and personalized life planners. It really makes organizing fun! I've been using the planner for 2 weeks now and I absolutely love it. 

Right now, the life planners are 40% off so its the right time to try it! You can find the Erin Condren website here. From my knowledge, you can personalize all their products. They sell planners, labels, stationary, and other organizational products. You'll have to check out their website to see them all!

Above, you can see a picture of the life planner I chose. There are so many covers to choose from. I believe you can put your own picture on any of the covers to make it even more personalized. I love the colorful paisley print that I chose. The company is coming out with new patterns this July which I am excited to see! I really love preppy graphic designs so I would love to see more of that!

The inside cover is shown below.
 Throughout the planner there are motivational quotes and sayings which I absolutely love!
 
The beginning of the planner leaves you room to keep track of anniversaries and birthdays.
 

 There is also a full year calendar. 

 The majority of the planner is divided up by monthly tabs.
 

Each month begins with a calendar, which is great for planning out events. The majority of the pages also have a 'to do' list and 'goals list' in the margins which you can see below.  

Each day (Monday through Sunday) has its own column. The column is divided up between morning, day, and night. I personally believe the columns are a tad narrow and the headings take up too much room but thats just me! Below you can see the bookmark/ruler that they provide with the planner.  

In the back of the planner, there are plenty of sheets of lined and plain paper for notes. 

 There is also a page to keep track of important numbers.
My favorite part of the planner are the stickers that they give you! They provide you with rectangular stickers to mark important events. I wish you could customize these too, but for the most part I can use them just the way they are.
 In back, there is also a folder to keep extra sheets and stickers.
For an extra cost, you can create your own personalized stickers! I was so excited about this! I made stickers to mark birthdays and important events. They are super easy to make. You just upload your favorite pictures on the erin condren website! They also give you blank colorful rectangle stickers that you can write on.
Behind the folder is a 2 year calendar and a plastic ziploc case where you can keep other nick nacks. The company also included personalized labels in the plastic case which I am sure I'll be using to mark other notebooks and books.
I also bought personalized stationary which matches the pattern of my planner. The back of the note pad is sticky so you can attach it to the back cover of the planner.
For an extra cost, I also bought colored pens (so I could color code my planner of course!) and a pen holder which attaches to the planner. (Shown in the first picture!)

I hope this gave you a good overview of the planner. I love it overall and I hope you will too!

Monday, May 6, 2013

Oreo Cookie Cupcakes

There are so many aspects of blogging that I love. Photography has definitely become one of them. I started to blog to showcase my recipes and share them with others. As I continued to blog, however, I began to realize how important pictures are! Now that school is over for the summer, I finally have some free time to learn more about my camera and take an online photography class. I'm so excited!!
Now to the recipe... I made these cupcakes for my coworkers and they loved them! I wanted to do something fun yet simple enough that everyone would love them! Who doesn't love an oreo cookie?! I love how the cookie crumbs are mixed throughout the cake and frosting.
Ingredients
Cake
Serving Size: Makes 24 cupcakes

  • 2-1/4 cups all purpose flour
  • 1-2/3 cup sugar
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 3 egg whites
  • 10 oreo cookies
Frosting 
Serving Size: 2 cups
Recipe Source: Martha Stewart

  • 1 stick butter
  • 4 cups confectioners sugar
  • 4 tbsp milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • pinch of salt
  • 10 oreo cookies
Recipe
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Line 24 muffin cups with paper baking cups.
  • Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Mix well.
  • Add milk, butter and vanilla to the dry mixture. Beat at low speed for 30 seconds.
  • Beat at medium speed for 2 minutes.
  • Add egg whites, beat 2 minutes.
  • Crush 10 oreo cookies (I took the cream from the center out before crushing the cookies)
  • Stir in crushed cookies into the batter.
  • Spoon into muffin cups.
  • Bake for 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.
  • Let cool on wire racks.
  • While cupcakes are cooling, beat together butter, sugar, milk, vanilla, and salt.
  • Place 10 oreo cookies (without the cream in the center) into a food processor. Grind until oreo cookie crumbs are fine.
  • Mix oreo cookies crumbs into the crosting.
  • Frost cupcakes. Sprinkle with any additional crushed cookies or with colored sprinkles!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...