4th of July Dessert

Its officially the weekend :) For me at least.  And the people I nanny for are off to Hawaii on Saturday, so I am officially off work for the next week.  Yay yay yay!  In preparation for our 4th of July BBQ on Sunday, I wanted to share with you a recipe from Pillsbury that is to die for.  I made it last year and it was such a hit that it will be served again this year.  

Ingredients

 1 roll (16.5 oz) Pillsbury refrigerated sugar cookies

1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup powdered sugar

2 teaspoons grated lemon peel

2 cups fresh raspberries

1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries

1/4 cup apple jelly, melted

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray 12-inch pizza pan with cooking spray.  Cut cookie dough into 1/4 inch slices; place in pan.  With floured fingers, press evenly over bottom to form crust.

2. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until deep golden brown.  Cool completely, about 25 minutes.

3. In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese, powdered sugar and lemon peel until fluffy.  Spread over baked crust.  Arrange raspberries in large star shape in center.  Arrange blueberries around raspberries.  Drizzle or brush with melted jelly.  Refrigerate until set, about 30 minutes.  Store in refrigerator.

Its amazing, and its super easy to make! I actually omit the melted jelly, and it is still delish.  The lemon peel zest tastes soo good, I think last year I ended up grating the peel off of two lemons.  Enjoy!

Image and recipe via Pillsbury

Only in Chicago (Plus Tortilla Soup Recipe!)

Only in Chicago could you go from having 92 degree weather earlier in the week, and end the week with weather in the 30s and 40s.  It went from summer to winter all within the same week.  Anyways, I am taking advantage of the last of the cold weather (hopefully) by making a big pot of tortilla soup for dinner tonight.  I have been really wanting to make it lately, but I can't when its too hot outside.  

Unfortunately, I don't have a picture, but here is the recipe:

Tortilla Soup

2 cans of black beans (rinsed and drained)

2 cans of Rotel diced tomatoes

1 can of tomato sauce

1 small jar of salsa (I use mild, but you can pick depending on your tastes)

4-6 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Mix everything together in the pot (I use my slow cooker).  I actually put the chicken breasts in frozen, and shred them right before we are getting ready to eat.  I cook in the slow cooker on high for about 2-3 hour, then change it to low for about an hour or so, then back to high for another hour.  It is finished in about 4-5 hours.

Top with crushed tortilla chips, shredded cheese, and sour cream.

Super easy, and super delicious!!

My Favorite Appetizer Ever!

I'm about to let you all in on a little secret...my favorite appetizer ever.  I mean seriously...ever!  It is the most amazing thing ever, and is always a hit no matter where I bring it.  My mom actually found this recipe years and years ago one day while she was taking me to the pediatrician while flipping through a magazine in the waiting room.  It's so easy to make, and works for all seasons.  I'm making it for my party on Friday, and with all the holidays coming up, you may want to introduce it at one of your parties in the near future!

Please pardon my terrible pan, I forgot to bring the baking dish from my house to my apartment...oops!  I had to buy a disposable serving dish, and just cut it up before actually serving it.  I normally use a round stone baking dish.

Tomato Basil Tart

1 rolled refrigerated unbaked pie-crust

1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese  (6 oz)

4 Roma or small regular tomatoes

3/4 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves

4 cloves garlic

1/2 cup mayo

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Fresh basil leaves

 

1)  Unroll the pie-crust according to package directions.  Line a 9 inch tart pan with the crust.  Press into sides of pan,trim edges. Don't prick.

2)  Bake the tart in a 450 degree oven for 5-7 minutes or until slightly dry.  Remove from oven.  Sprinkle with 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese.  Cool in pan on wire rack. Reduce oven to 375 degrees.

3)  Cut tomatoes into wedges.  Drain the wedges on paper towels.  Arrange the tomato wedges over the melted cheese in the baked crust.

4)  In a food processor bowl, combine basil and garlic.  Cover and process until coarsely chopped.  Or snip the basil and mince the garlic by hand.

5)  In a medium mixing bowl, combine the basil-garlic mixture, the remaining shredded mozzarella cheese, the mayonnaise, and the grated  Parmesan cheese.  Spread the mixture evenly over the tomato wedges.

6)   Bake the tart in a 375 degree oven for about 25 minutes or until cheese is golden.   Let the tart stand 5 minutes before cutting into wedges.  Serve warm.  If you like, garnish with additional basil leaves.

 

Makes 8 appetizer or 4 main dish servings.

Enjoy enjoy enjoy.  Seriously, I promise...you will not be disappointed!! 

Halloween Drinks

Guess who is having a Halloween-ish party on Friday?! MEE!! woo!! My roomie and I are having like 15 or so of our girlfriends over and having a ladies night, I can't wait.  This had been an especially crazy week of school, so at least I have something to look forward to.  I was able to do some Halloween decorating this weekend, so I hope to have some pictures of that coming up soon.  But for now...the drink recipes for Friday's party 

3 ounces tangerine juice (I'll probably use orange juice)

1 1/2 ounces white rum

3/4 ounce grenadine

Ice cubes

Combine juice and rum in a tall glass filled with ice.  Top with grenadine, and serve.

1 cup brandy

1 orange (ends cut off), thinly sliced

1 red apple, halved and thinly sliced

2 bottles well-chilled dry red wine such as Rioja or red Zinfandel

1 cup club soda

3/4 cup fresh orange juice

In a large pitcher, stir together brandy, orange, and apple slices.  Let stand 15 minutes.  Add win, club soda, and orange juice.  Serve over ice.

Both recipes via Martha Stewart

Dinner from Last Night and a DIY Makeover

So I made the dinner last night that I posted about here and mm mmm mmm was it delicious! I basically did everything the recipe said, except that I didn't use an entire onion because that seemed like it would be a bit much. I had the leftovers for dinner tonight, and it was actually almost better! (and this is shocking if you know me because I am not a leftovers person). The flavors must have just mixed more and it gave it a little bit of a kick, it was amazing. I would definitely recommend it, and will definitely be making it again!

Before the school year started and before I moved into my new apartment, I mentioned that I was doing a ton of DIYs that I have been planning to share, but haven't quite gotten around to it yet. The only one I did manage so far was the bar cart. Anyways, because I am being extremely lazy with schoolwork again tonight, I decided its time for another reveal. Of course I forgot to take before pictures, but I want to show you anyways because I'm quite happy with how it turned out.

I found this chair at Goodwill for $4.99 and was so excited because I was looking for a desk chair with a pretty back. I was originally planning on using it as a nightstand on one side of my bed for some magazines/books and a pretty vase, but alas, it didn't quite fit the way I planned, and I wouldn't really have been able to see it. I decided instead that I will actually use it for my desk chair. When I bought it, it had a very dark stain and was quite beat up with a coffee-stained seat. When I took the seat off to recover it with some new fabric, I saw to my surprise that this was the 4th time the chair had been reupholstered. Yes...4th. So this chair has definitely gotten a lot of love.

I ordered the fabric from Tonic Living after being unable to find what I was looking for at the fabric stores around my house, and was thrilled with what I got. Besides this pattern, I ordered a few other fabrics that I fell in love with and couldn't choose between, so now I have them on-hand for future projects. If you've never checked out their website before and are in need of fabric...go now! They have some really beautiful designs!

I really loved the design on the back and the details on the front legs. It goes perfectly with my new desk (pictures to come hopefully next week!) Excuse my lovely background and the darkness, its quite a gloomy night here in Chicago. Hope you're having a great evening!!

Plan for Tonight

Its only Wednesday? This week has been seriously exhausting! I'm still not totally used to being back in school, and then having two days of clinicals kicked my butt. Like I said before, I'm on an adult psychiatric unit this semester, and its very tough to deal with. We've all heard about people with diseases such as schizophrenia or bipolar, but I've never actually known anyone with these disorders. Talking to these people and listening to their stories at the hospital is really eye-opening, and has given me a whole new perspective on things. So tomorrow is Thursday, meaning I don't have class! woo! Here's my plan for tonight:

Take a trek to UPS to pick up my package since I missed them early today. I finally bought:

Yes, yes, I finally gave in and bought it. For some reason, I usually don't buy books, but I couldn't resit any more. Can't wait to finally get my hands on my own copy. After the trip to UPS will follow:

A delish dinner. I get almost daily emails from Kraft with dinner ideas, and this one has been sitting in my inbox for a few weeks and I've been dying to try it. It's called Capellini Caprese and you can get the recipe here. I'll let you know how it is tomorrow!

And finally, my roomie and I planning on having a totally lazy night and watching my favorite movie ever.

Titanic! I can't wait. I hope everyone else is having an equally relaxing night!