Shopping Spree and a Recipe

I generously received some money for a Christmas present this year and since I'm seriously lacking in winter clothing, I decided to treat myself with some new clothes. (Next month I'm going online shopping at Sephora. That could be disastorous)

Anyway, my goal was to get as much as possible with the money I had. I decided to forgo well-made pieces and decided instead on Old Navy. Nothing against Old Navy, but I don't think that anything I bought yesterday will be around ten years from now in my closet.

Here are a few items I picked up:



I'm a huge fan of green and I think if this litle number is long enough I can pair it with some cute leggings. Otherwise I think it'll look cute with pants and boots.



I'm seriously hurting for some cardigans. I love the detailing on this and decided to take a chance on it.



A comfy Henley shirt. Can we say heaven? I loved this style so much that I got it in two different colors.



Last, but not least. How cute are these sneakers? I love the color and I think they'll be super cute with some jeans and a t-shirt.

Oh, and I was asked about my Mexican Pinwheel recipe the other day. It's delish! Serve with salsa if you like.

8oz sour cream
8oz cream cheese
1/2 chopped green onions
1 sm can chopped green chilies
1 sm can chopped black olives
1 cup shredded cheese
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp seasoned salt

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl, spread evenly on five 10 inch flour tortillas. Roll each roll in plastic wrap, chill overnight. Cut in 3/4 inch pieces.

Also, when you spread the stuff on the tortillas, make it into a square sort of shape where you don't go all the way to each edge (horizontally).

White Christmas?

Looks like Mother Nature is packing a punch for the Midwest this Christmas.

We are forecasted to get anywhere from 4-8 inches snow give or take with "blizzard like" conditions. Although I like White Christmases, I'm not welcoming this one. This White Christmas has the potential to ruin my Christmas Eve plans, which isn't sitting well with me. Right now it's just raining and the wind is blowing like a hurricane. Later today this it's supposed to turn into snow.

I just want to have Christmas Eve at my Grandma's house as planned and see my extended family. Is that too much to ask?

Now...for a happier portion of my post. Ever had Cream Cheese Clouds? If not, you're missing out. My Mom made them for breakfast this morning and I always look forward to them.



That's what these delightful creations look like.

And here's the recipe:

Cream Cheese Clouds
1 can buttermilk biscuits, refrigerated
1/2 cup sugar (give or take)
1 Tbsp. cinnamon, ground
1 pkg (8oz) cream cheese, cut into 12 cubes
1/2 stick butter melted

1. Separate dough into 12 biscuits; press or roll each into 1/4 inch thickness.

2. Mix sugar and cinnamon in shallow dish. Dip cream cheese cubes in melted butter, then roll in the cinnamon sugar.

3. Place 1 cream cheese cube in center of each dough circle; gather up sides of dough to enclose filling. Press edges together to seal. Place seam sides up in lightly greased muffin pan. Drizzle with any remaining butter; sprinkle with any remaining cinnamon sugar.

4. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 min. or until golden brown.

I promise you won't be disappointed!

Merry Christmas Eve!!!!!

Crab Empanadas and a little Catch-Up

So..the other night I made a new recipe for my family, crab empanadas. I got this recipe from my good friend Jess, who got the recipe from the newest issue of Glamour. I was looking for a new recipe to take to my Grandmother's house and so I wanted to try it out first. Survey says? Delish!

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients you Need:

6 oz crabmeat (you can get it in the can or in the pouch, I used in the pouch)
2 Tbsp. Sour Cream
1 tsp. Dijon mustard ( I about 1/2 teaspoon more)
1/2 cup diced green onions
Salt and pepper for seasoning
1 package puff pastry
Flour

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Combine crabmeat, sour cream, mustard and green onions in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Lightly dust a surface with flour and lay one sheet of puff pastry on top.
4. Use a 3" round cookie cutter or an upside down mug (I used a mug, worked perfectly) to cut out pieces of the puff pastry.
5. Fill each piece with 1 tsp. of crab mixture, then fold each piece in half. Use the back of a fork to seal the edges.
6. Line baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray surface with cooking spray. Place empanadas about 2 inches apart.
7. Bake for 12 minutes or until golden brown. ( I baked mine for about 16 minutes)

Serve them with guac, cheese dip or sour cream. They are awesome!



Other than trying out new recipes I've been trying to keep busy. I've visited some friends and family, bought a few presents for others and a few presents for myself, enjoyed food I've waited so long to have again. Hello chili cheese coney from Sonic! I also got my hair done yesterday. It's been a year since it's been done and it looked horrible. Thank goodness it looks good again. I had her cut off around 3 inches to begin with. My hair was sadly out of control.

I've heard via Facebook that I'm missing out on snow in Italy. I'm not too sad about it, but it would have been cool to see. I also miss Sean and Boomer terribly, but at least I know Boomer is having a good time with Becca. Sean...not so much on the good time.

At least we'll all have Christmas together next year.

Scrumptious Mushrooms and Screamers

Thanks to everyone for your sympathy and words of advice yesterday. I'm 99.9% sure that I'm going to leave the job. Even with someone new coming in, I just don't feel the excitement I once had for the job. I'll stay until I get to discuss it with Sean and then I'll most likely be out of there. I haven't decided yet or not if I want to look for something else. I'd kind of like to be able to work on getting my Masters (FINALLY) working more on my photography and traveling without having to worry about taking time off for it.

Today I bought some portabella mushrooms at the the commissary. I wasn't sure exactly how I wanted to cook them, but I knew I was in the mood for a mushroom sandwich. A google search and wha-la! I found this recipe. Instead of just balsamic vinegar, I used Andrea's recipe for Italian dressing that I had previously made and then combined it with the soy sauce. Other modifications I made was using one slice of bread, using parmesean cheese lightly sprinkled on top and I had to forgo the spinach as I had none. It was DELISH! I highly recommend making it for yourself.

Has anyone watched Wheel of Fortune lately? It's like a constant barrage of screaming. Everyday there is at least one young, 20-something contestant who SHRIEKS everytime she solves the puzzle. I have to say it's very off-putting and I feel for Pat Sajak. I bet sometimes he just wants to tell them to can it.