So, I've been a little MIA lately. I have been pretending to be a jet setter. I spent a few days in chilly Chicago and a little vacation visiting family in Phoenix. Very sunny Phoenix. Warm. Sunny. Palm Trees. Sigh. Warm.



And cool scary looking houses.


And I'm back to windy western Nebraska.

I am dreaming of spring. Warm sunshine, green grass and the promise of summer.

This minty outfit would be the perfect transition from winter to spring.



These fantastical shoes
Paired with these minty pants
Topped with this killer button up
And this Rebecca Minkoff 'M.A.B.' Leather Tote.

Ingredients
1 lb Large raw shrimp, peeled & deveined with the tail still intact
1 cup shredded sweetened coconut
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
2 egg whites, whisked
1/4 cup flour
salt and pepper

Sauce
Juice from 1/2 a small lime
Annie's Naturals Papaya Poppy Seed Dressing


Directions
Preheat oven to 425°.

Spray a non-stick baking sheet with cooking spray.

Combine coconut flakes, panko crumbs and pinch of salt and pepper in a bowl. Add the flour on a small dish. Whisk eggs in a separate bowl.

First dip the shrimp into the flour, then into the eggs, then in the coconut crumb mixture.

Lay shrimp on the cookie sheet then spray the top of the shrimp with more cooking spray.

Bake in the middle rack for about 10 minutes. Turn shrimp over then cook another 10 minutes or until cooked though. Remove from oven and serve with dipping sauce.



For the sauce, mix the poppy dressing with lime juice and stir. On a side note: I love love love Annie's Organics Papaya Poppy Seed Dressing because it is so diverse, you can use it to top fruit, a salad, or make a yummy dip like this.

Nothing is cozier than a warm hot chocolate on a snowy winters day. Book in hand, and snuggled under the covers, and I'm in the zone!



I thought with Valentine's day quickly sneaking up on us, a pink hot chocolate would be perfect.

I found some Wilton's Marshmallow melting chocolate, and mixed that with 1/2 white chocolate and had the perfect marshmallowey (that should be a word!) goodness.



in a small pot heat the milk over medium heat. Add the chocolate chips and continue to stir constantly as they melt and incorporate into the milk. Add the syrup or dye. Serve with whip cream and cozy up with someone.



Look at that whip cream. :)

What are your plans for Valentines Day?

Lately, all over Pinterest I have been seeing photos upon photos of "Ice Cream" made from bananas (I have a confession. Every time I write/spell banana's. I sing in my head, Hollaback Girl. It helps be spell banana's.)

I had to try it. I made my favorite ice cream flavor: Birthday Cake. You could totally try adding fruit, nuts or other toppings to customize the flavor to your taste.



I must confess. It looks shockingly like real live ice cream!



What is needed
1 banana sliced and frozen overnight
Cake Batter CytoSport Muscle Milk
Butter Extract
Almond Milk

I didn't measure everything out, I kinda just added a bit of everything until it was ice cream consistency.

Directions
I used my handy little Ninja Express Chop which I cannot say how awesome it is enough! I ninja'd the bananas until they were into smaller chunks, added about a 3/4 scoop of Muscle Milk, and about a tsp of butter extract. Mixed that together, and added a little bit of milk at a time until it was a creamy ice cream consistency.



The Results
It seriously looks like Ice Cream right? The Birthday Cake one I made, has a slight, banana taste. It was totally good, and it almost fooled me into thinking it was real ice cream! I think a banana split one would be awesome!

This recipe for Chocolate Frosting Shots from Chocolate Covered Katie, has been haunting me. It looked so delicious and easy!

As much as I love frosting, I wasn't 100% sold on a shot of frosting. So I made a trifle of sorts.



I modified the recipe for my personal taste, replacing the vanilla extract with coconut extract.

What is needed:
1 can full-fat coconut milk
1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp cocoa powder
1/2 tsp coconut extract
sweetener to taste
2 slices angel food cake
1 cup cool whip

Directions for frosting
Open the coconut milk. If the can is think and mousse like, you are good to proceed. If not, transfer the milk to a bowl, and refrigerate overnight. I added a bit of milk to mine so it wasn't as thick, but you wouldn't have to.

Once thick, transfer to a bowl (you can opt to leave out the watery bit at the bottom of the can, if you want it even thicker) and whip in your cocoa, vanilla, and sweetener with a whisk.

Stored uncovered in the fridge, the mixture gets even thicker.



Directions for the trifle
Break angel food cake into bite sized pieces. Layer bowl with alternating layers of angel food cake, frosting, and Cool Whip. Top with a dollop of Cool Whip, and mini chocolate chips (if I had coconut, I would have toasted it and topped with that!)



And Enjoy

What you need:
3-4 Whole wheat wraps or tortillas
1 (15 oz) Can pizza sauce
1 cup Shredded mozzarella cheese
48 Mini turkey pepperonis
1 tsp Basil/oregano mix or Italian seasoning
Pinch Black pepper

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a pan with cooking spray.



Start by laying each tortilla out individually on a flat surface, and use an empty cookie cutter or can to cut out shapes. In honor of February 14th, I used a heart cookie cutter.

Pour pizza sauce and the spices into a medium sized bowl. Stir until everything is well combined.
Drop a small blob of sauce (about 1-2 tbs) on each wrap.

Divide mozzarella cheese evenly over each mini pizza.



Place 4 mini pepperoni’s on top of each pizza, or if you have a really small heart cookie cutter cut out heart shaped mini pepperoni.

Bake in preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, or until cheese is melted and lightly browned.

Enjoy!

Delicate, elaborate and beautifully detailed. Lace, it has a way of softening even the toughest of leather pants, and adding a feminine romantic look.



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Simplicity is something I favor. The quicker, easier something is, the more I like it. After a long day of work, the last thing I want to do is spend time in the kitchen preparing an elaborate meal. This is where Chicken and Wild Rice soup comes into play. You open a few cans, and dump’em into a crock pot, and presto!



Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
1 14-ounce can chicken broth
1 10.75-ounce can of Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup
¾ cup wild rice, rinsed and drained (not the quick cook kind!)
½ cup finely diced onion
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 cups shredded chicken (from a Rotisserie chicken)
Salt to taste


Combine water, broth, condensed soup, uncooked rice, thyme, and pepper in a slow cooker.
Cover the slow cooker and cook on the low setting for 8 hours or 4 hours on the high setting.
Stir in chicken before serving.

Happy Friday! Happy February! I cannot believe it is already February!

Today I have my favorite grown-up drink round-up to send you into the weekend properly.

My favorite grown-up drink is hands down, the Gin and Tonic. There is a certain air of sophistication surrounded by this drink. Speaking of sophistication....

I fondly remember a time in college, where we made this crazy thing called Gin Bucket, which involved drinking the concoction with a turkey baster...I've matured into an actual glass!


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What is your favorite 'grown-up' drink? Cheers!