Favorite Picnic and Potluck Salads

With this 3-day weekend, the season of picnics, barbecues, and potlucks begins.  Once the weather warms up, I do love having all kinds of salads at these events.  I thought I would share my favorites with you in case you're in need of a recipe for an upcoming event.  Some of the recipes are from this blog and some are from my other blog (where I posted many of my healthier recipes).

Let's start with the main dish salads:

Tortellini Chicken Salad

Pizza Pasta Salad

Asian Chicken Slaw

BLT and Chicken Pasta Salad

And here are some great side dish salads:

Caesar Couscous Salad

Festive Winter Salad with Walnuts and Apples

Marinated Vegetable Salad

Slaw with Poppy Seed Dressing

Bow Ties, Tuna, and Veggies in Balsamic Vinaigrette

Apple and Carrot Salad

Pasta Salad with Blue Cheese, Walnuts and Arugula

Rosemary Roasted Potato Salad

Summer Corn Salad

And in case you need a bit of sweetness:

Fabulous Fruit Salad

Cookie Salad

Don't those pics look fresh and delicious?  I'm starting to get hungry!  :)  I hope you find a new salad recipe to try!

Which one is looking good to you right now?

Have a wonderful weekend friends!

31 Days to Clean...

...or as I like to call it *93* Days to Clean!!  I love this book and this challenge, but it's been hard for me to keep up with the daily Martha challenges.  May is a very busy month so I'm not home as much to clean and these are projects that I usually avoid (which is why I so desperately need the challenges!).  So not only do I have to get my regular cleaning done, but also the challenges which often can't be finished in 1 or 2 days for me.  I'm s.l.o.w. when it comes to chores, or anything actually.  I'm a daydreamer...*stops to look outside at clouds, squirrels,and the dog (and I'm not even kidding)*...now what was I saying??  :)


If you are diligently following along with the 31 Days to Clean challenge at Joyful Mothering, then you should be around Day 19ish.  I am starting Day 6!  And you know what?  That's OK, because I am actually getting things done and I'm so happy about it!  Besides, the Martha challenges aren't even the most important part - the Mary challenges are great and just reading the book is so helpful (Thank you Sarah Mae!).

The best thing about this is that it doesn't matter how you go through it - just do it!  Some people do well with a shorter term challenge and some people...*gets up to check on neighbors; decides more coffee is required to finish this post; starts making coffee*...now where was I??  Some people *ahem* need to take things at a slower pace.  Take it fast or slow or start over or make a list of Martha challenges and do them in any order - whatever works for you.  But most importantly, do read the book and work on the Mary Challenges.  You won't regret it!

And bonus with the Martha challenges, I've been running across some good cleaning tips!  I'll share some next week...*gets fresh cup of coffee; wonders if Kim would like knowing that I'm using coffee cup from FL; counts how many days of school are left for the kiddo (4 1/2!)*...aren't you amazed that I ever actually complete a task??  LOL!

Even Sarah Mae gives you permission to start fresh!  And my friend Stephanie is tackling the 31 days her own way.  Or be encouraged by Stacy, who has kept up with the reading but is plugging away at the challenges slowly.  Each Friday, Christin has a link-up for your 31 Days to Clean posts.  I encourage you to read those - you'll find that everybody is in a different stage - no pressure to be perfect or do it the same as anybody else!

So that's where I'm at!  Can you believe I'm finishing out the post without getting sidetracked again?  :)

Hugs to all!  Be encouraged and do it whatever way works for you!

You can stop over here for more info on the 31 Days to Clean book.

Pizza Pasta Salad

I tore this recipe out of a magazine a year ago and saved it.  So glad I did!  As the weather warms up, I love to have pasta salads and there are so many good ones!  Tried it recently and it was yummy - the family enjoyed it.  It would be nice for a potluck too.

Pizza Pasta Salad
Salt and pepper
1 lb bowtie, penne, or shell pasta
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup rice vinegar
1/2 cup chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
3/4 cup sliced marinated artichoke hearts
8 oz bocconcini (small fresh mozzarella nuggets - even my cheap grocery store Winco had them!), cut into small or bite-size pieces
4 oz pepperoni or salami, diced (I had pepperoni slices, so I quartered them)
1/2 cup shredded fresh basil leaves
2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano

1.  Boil large pot of salted water.  Add pasta and cook according to directions, until al dente.  Drain and spread on greased baking sheet to cool.

2.  In large bowl, combine cooled pasta with oil.  Stir until all pasta is coated.  Add remaining ingredients.  Toss well and add salt and pepper to taste.  Makes 8 servings.

Best if prepared within 2 hours of serving.  Can add a pinch of crushed red pepper for a little kick.


How does that sound?  Just in time for those Memorial Day gatherings too.  Don't be afraid to switch out ingredients and make it your own.


This recipe is linked to Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam and Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed With Grace.

Have a tasty day friends!

Got Strawberries?

I am loving all the strawberry recipes right now - are you?  Do you need a reason or reasons to get some more?

How about this yummy Fruity Lemonade Slush?

I'm over at The Frugal Girls today sharing this yummy recipe and links to other great strawberry recipes.  Stop by and say hello!

Have a lovely day friends!

Go, Read, Comment

I was going to spend some time working on a post last night (this one doesn't count as it's just writing off the top of my head!) and decided to do something different.  Instead, I spent over an hour stopping by some of the blogs in my reader and actually leaving comments!

We are all busy.  I know that I don't always have a lot of time to post, let alone read other blogs and comment.  I barely post, skim through blog posts in my reader, occasionally say something on Facebook, and hop on Twitter once or twice a week for a few minutes to say hi.  But that sense of connection has been lost.  If it wasn't for comments, I wouldn't have the blog friends I have!  If it wasn't for comments, I wouldn't have kept on blogging.  Blogging only for comments isn't right, but it's in the comments that relationships, friendships, and connections are made.

Have you spent some time lately stopping by some of the blogs in your blogroll or reader and actually leaving comments?  That blogger just may need a boost of confidence or a hello from a friend.

I encourage you to take some time today or in the next couple of days - maybe skip working on a post or skip some Facebook time, etc. - and stop by some blogs to leave comments.  I'm not saying this trying to get comments here from you - in fact, I'm turning OFF the comments on this post so you go somewhere else to comment!

Go...read...comment.  :)

Have a blessed day friends - see you around the blogosphere!

Friday's Fave Five

What kind of blogger posts a Friday post late on a Saturday???  Well that would be me - better late than never, right? Of course my Dad would say, "A day late and a dollar short."  :)

I was far too busy to post on Friday and the whole Blogger being down thing didn't help.  And by the time I got home last night, I was too tired.  Today I was busy - hubs and I were trying to get caught up on a few things around the house.  You should be glad about that 'cause now there are no more tufts of dog hair floating along the floor - ew.  OK - so here's Friday's post...finally:

I thought it would be fun to join in Friday's Fave Five today, hosted by Living to Tell the Story!  I like randomness and I like to share some of my fave things - sounds like fun!

Some of my fave things this week...

1.  Pinterest.  Have you been there?  Love it!  You might get addicted to "pinning" things - don't say I didn't warn you.  It's like visual bookmarking and it makes me happy.  I was having trouble getting an invite and through the connections of Twitter, the lovely and talented Lisa Leonard got me an official invite so I could get signed up (Thank you Lisa)!  You can check out my Yummy Things to Make board (in progress) to give you an idea of what it's like.  According to Pinterest, you can request an invite here and they will e-mail you one.

2.  Happy Hour at Starbucks.  It was a fun treat to have some half-price frappuccinos this week.  And it's still going on through Sunday (3-5pm)!

3.  Not turning on the A/C yet.  By this time, the A/C has usually been running for a while, but we have had cooler weather this year.  So we haven't turned it on once!  Now it did get up to 80 degrees in the house a couple of times, but that's what we set our thermostat at anyway so no need to start it up.  It'll be turning on soon enough, I'm sure!

4.  My kiddo's professional e-mail skillz.  My son is the Patrol Leader for the youngest/newest Boy Scouts and is learning as he goes along.  He needed to send an e-mail to remind a Scout about something and I didn't tell him what he should say.  Later on I had a chance to see what he had sent out and I was so impressed at his professional little e-mail (since he's only 11)!  Here it is:

Hi J.....!
               I wanted to remind you that if you have any gear from Camp O
Ree,  you need to wash it and give it back to N..... because he is the
quartermaster. If you have any gear after a campout, you should have it done 
by the next meeting if you can. See you at the meeting.
                         
Thanks,
                       
B.....  :)

Maybe it sounds like no big deal, but I liked it!  Anybody wanna hire my kid?  :)

5.  My friend Brooke's blog post: the kindness of God {to the aspiring writers}.  Such a good post and talked about something I have definitely struggled with in the past and probably most bloggers have struggled with at one time or another.  It's about wanting what someone else has in the blogging/writing world.  I love Brooke's heart!  You should check out her blog: A Life in Need of Change.  You won't regret it!

Whew - that's 5!!  What are some of your fave things this week?

Stop over at Living to Tell the Story to see everybody's Fave Five!

Have a lovely weekend friends!

White Chocolate Berry Pie

It's been a while since I've shared a recipe so I'll give you a yummy one today!  Strawberries are in season (yay) so it's perfect timing for this recipe.  I had clipped this recipe (maybe out of an ad) years ago and ran across it again.  Sounded good and I wanted to try a new dessert recipe!

The pie turned out yummy!  My family loved it - light & fluffy, topped with sweet berries.

Why didn't I turn the berries the other way, with points out?  I have no idea, but that would have been prettier.  And I had planned to use a squeeze bottle to make beautiful white chocolate drizzles, but it was too small of a quantity and came out in clumps - LOL!  I think it looks yummy anyway.  Oh and the crust - confession - that is a Marie Callender's frozen crust.  I didn't feel up to attempting pie crust (have ya seen a scarier crust?) again...yet.

White Chocolate Berry Pie
1 pie crust (homemade, refrigerated, or frozen)
5 squares White Chocolate (I used a 4 oz. bar of Ghiradelli - 6 squares in the recipe & 2 for the drizzle)
2 tablespoons milk
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon grated orange peel
1 cup whipping cream, whipped
2 cups sliced strawberries (could top with raspberries or other berries too)

Prepare and bake pie crust.  Cool completely.

Microwave 4 squares ( I did 6) white chocolate and milk.  Microwave on high for 45 seconds to 1 minute and stir until melted.  Cool to room temp.

Beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, and orange peel in small bowl with electric mixer on low until smooth.  Beat in white chocolate mixture.

Fold prepared whipped cream into white chocolate mixture.  Spread in bottom of pie crust.  Arrange berries on top of filling.  Melt remaining white chocolate and drizzle over the top.

Refrigerate 1 hour or until time to serve.  Store in refrigerator.

Enjoy!

This recipe is linked up to Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam and Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at At The Well.  Stop by both for more yummy recipes!

Do you have a favorite strawberry recipe?  Have a fabulous day friends!

Saturday Happenings

I had high hopes of using this day to catch up on all sorts of cleaning since I'm so far behind on the 31 Days to Clean challenge.  It didn't happen, but that's OK - it was a nice day!  And you know what?  All that cleaning will still be waiting right here for me - LOL!!

The morning started out late - slept in - so nice.  Then hubs made me a caramel latte...

A yummy way to start the day!  And my kiddo insisted on making pancakes all by himself this morning!  Is that because I did such a good job teaching him how?  Oh no, that's because he learned how on a Boy Scout campout!  :)  (Boy Scouts rock.)  He made awesome pancakes - something I have not been able to do well in a long time for some reason.

And he surprised me with a smiley face pancake!

It's a little hard to see - but isn't that so cute and sweet?

A little later, in order to help the kiddo get signed off on a Boy Scout requirement that he needed, we went on a spontaneous outing with another family to locate some poison oak - I know, FUN - LOL!  But it was a beautiful day and nice to be in the great outdoors!

Success!  Don't get too close to your screen - that there is poison oak.

After that, it just happened to be Happy Hour at Starbucks, so we made a detour into the drive-through for some half-price Frappuccinos!  Woo Hoo!  Well, when we got ot the window to pay, the employee told us there was no charge because the man in front of us had paid for our drinks.  Sweet!!  Hubs was completely baffled by this (LOL) and I had to explain that it was a random act of kindness.  Good thing I was there or hubs might not have realized that the fun thing to do is to then pay for the car behind you - which we did!  How lovely - free frapps for us and an unexpected blessing for the car behind us. 

Now THAT'S what I call Happy Hour!!  :)

And then this evening we attended the kiddo's school Western Fair.  It was really fun!  We had some yummy food, visited with friends, played some games, and I line-danced!  Yes I did!  And hubs (who did not dance) was not even embarrassed of me...or so he says.  :)

Here's a pic of me and the kiddo before the Western Fair...

Did I accomplish what I set out to do when the day started?  Not at all.  Was it a good day?  Yes it was.  :)

How was your day?  Enjoy your weekend friends and Happy Mother's Day!

Did Somebody Say Beer Bread?

Today I'm over at Pennies and Blessings eating talking about this:

That's Beer Bread and it's so yummy and soooooo simple to make!  The recipe calls for self-rising flour.  Raise your hand if you thought you had to buy a special bag of flour at the store to use self-rising flour (I did).  Turns out, it's super easy to make your own.  Stop over at Pennies and Blessings and I'll tell you how!

Have a blessed day friends!

A Little Something About Me

I would still love your input on yesterday's post, but in the meantime I thought I'd steal borrow this fun little quiz from my sweet and lovely friend, the Flip-Flop Farmgirl!  :)

Age:  I'm not afraid to say it - 41 people, 41.

Bed size:  That would be a California King 'cause I have a hubs who is 6'6"!

Chore you hate:  Yes.  BAhaha - if you call it chore, then I do NOT like it.  Let's call it Display of Maintenance Skillz that I most dislike.  That would be the toilet and the dishes (and cleaning up after the dog, but I don't do that - that's what sons are for.)  :)

Dogs:  We have a Basset hound named Buster - he's a funny dog and everybody likes him!

Essential start of your day:  Getting everything ready for hubs and son to go to work and school, coffee, breakfast, reading (devotion, 2 chapters Bible, a few pages of my book for the month).  Then I can begin the day!  Well by that time the day is well begun, but that's OK. 

Favorite color:  Red!

Gold or silver:  Silver

Height:  5'5" if you round up...oh and shrinking.  Ugh.

Instruments I play (or have played):  Piano, though not that well. Way back in the day I played the clarinet and the saxophone.

Job Title:  Imperfect Homemaker

Kids:  1 very special, amusing son! Um, and tall.

Live:  California

Mom's name:  Judy (she passed away almost 10 years ago)

Nickname:  My cousins used to call me "Lee" and hubs calls me "honey" and a variety of other little names.  In fact, when he actually uses my first name it startles me - LOL!

Pet peeve:  How much time do we have?  Bad customer service is my top one and people not using turn signals.  And while other people are annoyed by people that are late, I cringe when people show up early - LOL ('cause I run late...sigh).

Quote from a movie:  I know you expect a pretty quote from Pride & Prejudice or something but no, you'll have to put up with a little Napoleon Dynamite (a movie that people either love or hate).  Hubs and I share a goofy sense of humor and love to share silly quotes.  Here's one I like when Napolean is talking to Deb in the school cafeteria:

"I see you're drinking 1%.  Is that 'cause you think you're fat?  'Cause you're not.  You could be drinking whole if you wanted to." 

I'm sorry, but it makes me laugh people!

 

Right or left-handed:  Right

Siblings:  Two younger sisters

Time you wake up:  6:45am on weekdays, as late as I can get away with on weekends

Underwear:  What is this about?  I fully support the wearing of underwear!  :)

Vegetables you dislike:   Oh dear - embarassing: broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, mushrooms, olives, okra, avocado and many more.  I eat some of them mixed into things or prepared certain ways.  If I am at your house and you serve any of these, I will take a scoop and eat it without you ever knowing of my dislike!  I'm that good.  :)

What makes you run late:  My poor judgment of how much time I really need and then when I actually do give myself extra time, Murphy's Law kicks in and I won't be able to find my keys or the dog won't get into his kennel or I'll get a phone call. 

X-rays you've had done:  Dental, lungs, arm, and a few more I'm sure.

Yummy food you make:  Excuse me, but everything I make is yummy - HA!  Right now with the warm weather I'm craving some yummy Tortellini-Chicken Salad.  To go with my coffee, I could handle some Double-Chocolate Walnut Biscotti or Coffee Blondies With a Shot of Chocolate.  And for extreme chocolate cravings, I gotta go with Mix-in-the-Pan Chocolate Cake.  There's just too many things to list!  (You can check out the recipe index if you want or the healthier recipes on the sidebar at my other blog.) 

Zoo animal:  Tiger - so pretty! 

Need some blogging inspiration today?  Wanna join in?  Let me know if you do so I can come and read!

Have a wonderful day friends!

WFMW: Backwards Edition ~ Blogging Purpose?

I was thinking about actually posting a WFMW tip today, but then I saw that it's the backward edition!  That means you get to post a question and ask your friends for input - I love that!

So I don't have a question about household kind of stuff (well I suppose I have many, but who's really gonna answer if I say "Who wants to come clean my house for me?"), but rather a blogging question.  It's not even a technical one that's easy to answer.

It came to mind as soon as I started thinking of a question.  I just recently read something interesting in 31 Days To Clean by my friend Sarah Mae.  She said, "You need to have purpose in what you're doing, you need vision, or you will continue to stay in a rut."  Sarah Mae was talking about a vision for keeping your home, but this really applies to most things in life, don't you think?  That includes blogging!

Right now I feel like I'm in a kind of bloggy limbo without purpose or vision.  And that probably partially explains my lack of posts.  I don't know what to say or do anymore after taking time away from my blog.  The good thing is that blogging doesn't have the hold on me that it did previously.  The bad thing is that I lost my vision.  Yes, it's my personal blog and I can blog about whatever I want, but WHAT do I want to say - LOL!

I know that I'm the only one who can figure out my own purpose and vision, but I would love some input from you!  Maybe some of your thoughts, ideas, opinions will spark something in this foggy brain of mine!  If you blog, what's the purpose of your blog?  How did you come up with your vision?   Do any thoughts come to mind when you stop by my blog?  Did you think I already had a clear purpose/vision?  Whether you have a blog or not, I welcome all of your thoughts on the subject!  And if you're in the same boat as me, maybe we'll find new ideas together!

Thank you friends!!  Stop by WFMW at We Are THAT Family to answer more questions and find great tips!

What's Happening This Week

I'm gonna copy my friend Kim today and just give you bullet points of what's going on this week - so much easier that way!  She's smart that way, that Kim.  :)

So here's what's happening...

• My son's 5/6 class has their Literature Day for Hans Brinker this week and I've been coordinating the food and will be doing setup.  The kids will go to the ice rink and try skating before going to somebody's house to do crafts, games, and eat.  Should be fun for all!
• I get my hair done this week - always important - LOL!
• I'm joining in the 31 Days to Clean challenge at Joyful Mothering - and boy, do I need it!
• I'll have a new post up over at Pennies and Blessings at the end of the week - a tip and a recipe!
• Over on my other blog (Stop Eating All The Chocolates), I'm participating in Weight Loss Wednesdays with my friend Alicia from Confessions of a Snowflake.  And I'm thinking about joining in there with Reshaping It All (with Darlene Schacht & Candace Cameron Bure) which starts now and lasts for 65 days.
• I just remembered that Mother's Day is this coming Sunday.  We don't usually do much to celebrate, but I'm sure I'll get a card or two and we're trying to decide whether to eat out or if hubs is up to cooking a meal!  And I can't forget to mail a couple of gifts this week.  Do you have special plans?
• I've GOT to get to the gym many times this week and try to eat right to make up for the fact that my Dad was here last week and we ate out all.the.time.  Sigh.
• Maybe I'll actually get a blog post or two up this week!  That might be nice - LOL!  :)

What's happening for you this week friends?

Have a fabulous day!!