Dark Chocolate Chili Truffles & Saugatuck Weekend

Hello and happy Wednesday to you! I am so happy, guess what I came home from work and saw my tulips just peeking out a bit to say HELLO! Spring is finally on the way... The birds have been very active this week and I have even noticed some of the trees buds are just starting to swell. I think everyone who lives in the midwest is ready for spring. This winter has been brutal and very challenging on my soul I must say. So every year we take a little weekend get away to Saugatuck with our good friends, and believe me it was much needed for the soul! We had so much fun it should have been illegal! I don't think you can ever have a bad time in Saugatuck no matter what time of year you go. We had lots of yummy food and vino and then some more vino...

It's so nice to get out of town and just forget about all your worries and just breathe and have Fun , and that is exactly what we all did. I can't tell you how much that lifted my spirits. This winter has been so brutal and it has been a challenge to try and keep a positive attitude when they days are grey and the temps are frigid. I am so looking forward to the spring thaw.

So for now I will just await springs arrival and just BREATHE! sometimes you really just need to slow down, relax and just breathe...

I really love this picture of the stairs it seems to be inviting your soul somewhere.... For me it is saying dare to dream and dream BIG and to always follow your own path in life.

Speaking of breathing on our way home from our weekend in Saugatuck we popped on over to the beach to take some photos and take in the beautiful blue skies! it truly was a beautiful day.I just took in the beauty and truly appreciated the day and the good things in my life. That is one reason I love the beach and ocean so much I love to sit quietly and take in all the beauty that surrounds me. The ocean has a way of speaking to your soul, it is so powerful.

So now to the decadent stuff... Dark Chocolate Chili Truffles!
So I thought I would surprise my husband for Valentine's day and make him dark chocolate truffles but with a twist. I buy dark chocolate bars infused with chili and cinnamon and thought I wonder if I could do that with my truffles, of course you can!


So to make these little yummies you will need...


6 oz of semi sweet chocolate or 1 large bar of your favorite chocolate I use Ghirardelli


6 oz dark chocoloate
6 tbs of butter ... never said these were low fat Hee Hee, but I do use smart balance butter, hey you gotta lighten it up where ever you can :-)


1/4 cup of heavy whipping cream
1 to 2 tsp of chili powder, I like a little more heat so add desired amount depending on how much kick you want.
1-2 tsp of cinnamon


Bring cream to a boil then add in the butter, chili powder  cinnamon and chocolate.
Whisk all ingredients until til velvety smooth.
Pour mixture into a baking dish and refrigerate for at least 2 -3 hours 


Use a ice a small ice scream scoop to semi form round balls then roll each piece in your hands to desired ball shape.


Roll truffles in cocoa powder 
Roll truffles in hazlnuts 
roll truffles in pistachios.


Serve truffles with your favorite red wine!


Enjoy~


It's spring fever.  That is what the name of it is.  And when you've got it, you want - oh, you don't quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so!  ~Mark Twain

Spring Wreath & Wine Drive

Sunshine Sunshine Sunshine !!! bring on the sunshine. The sun has not shown it's pretty little face in such a long time, but today it has decided to make an appearance and I have to say it makes my soul sing. So in the spirit of spring I made this happy little turquoise daisy wreath. I just love it it makes me super happy.

So seeing it has been really dreary and cold we decided to do a little lake Michigan wine tour one saturday afternoon.Our first stop was Lemon Creek winery look at this cute little sign they have hanging in the tasting room, how cute is that!!!
Look who greets you at the door Shadow the wine dog! He is quite the little beggar for the little crackers they give you with your wine tasting.Shadow is even famous he is in the book called wine dogs. How fun is that two have dogs greet you in the winery, two of my favorite things wine & dogs!!!

Shadow asking for wine, just kidding he is really begging for those little crackers :-)
This is Shadows partner in crime he is just relaxing and enjoying life at the winery, rough life Huh?

Me enjoying a little vino at the Round Barn Winery one of my favorite Michigan wineries. So if you have cabin fever and you love wine then get out there and do a little wine drive even though it's cold and nasty it's always warm and cozy at the wineries. Speaking of wine I am going to pour myself a glass and watch all the little birdies at my feeder. Happy Sunday!

Drinking wine is divine....

Beachy State of Mind

Ok so is it to think early to have spring fever??? I can't help it I am soooo ready for spring! I am already thinking about spring bulbs, putting out my new beachy door mat, cleaning up my yard, cleaning out the pond... my mind is going a million miles an hour. I can't wait for the first warm spring day to get out side and start getting the yard ready for springs arrival. I have been in a little bit of a funk with the lack of sunshine this last week so I decided to do a little craft project. I poured myself some of this Fabulous wine ( isn't it a cute name?) Cabulous and I have to say it was FABULOUS. I just thought the little saying was too cute. I love finding happy little sayings on wine bottles. So I turned on the twinkle lights and pandora and had myself a nice little evening crafting. The wreath was so simple I just used some spanish moss and some reindeer moss and glued on some little starfish and sand dollars, oh and the little piece of wood is just a piece of drift wood I collected. I just painted the little word beach on it. I can't wait for the first warm spring day to put it outside my back door.
If you are wondering where you can find this wine I found it at World Market while on vacation in South Carolina, so wish we had a World market, I love that place.

I have been a little uninspired in the cooking department but I came across this recipe courtesy of Vegetarian Times magazine and it was so refreshing.

For the salad:

I baked a block of tofu (in your oven at 475-500) depending on your oven I jut cut the tofu into wide strips and baked about 5 min per side or a few min longer there again depending on your oven.

toss tofu into salad, I used spinach leaves with bean sprouts, carrots, roasted pumpkin seeds

for the dressing:
1 tbs lime juice
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp siracha chile sauce
1/4 tsp fresh grated ginger
dash of rice wine vinegar
wisk all ingredients together and serve

~A very simple salad with a lot of flavor ~



I am in a beachy state of mind while getting through this winter. I am dreaming of the day I get to put my toes in the sand, smell the salty sea air and feel the warm ocean breeze through my hair! that is what is getting me through winter.

How are you getting through this winter??? I would love to hear ...

Beachy Photo Project

So I love photography and I especially love to photograph the beach at all times of the year, so as you can imagine I have tons of beach photos from various beaches .

So here is a simple little photo project you can do with your photos

What you will need:

Canvas Photo Paper
4x6 or 5x7 Canvas Forms
Photos
Staple Gun

First get yourself some photo canvas paper at your hobby store , it comes on sheets of 8 x 10 then pick out your favorite photos, mine of course were beachy... Load the paper in your printer and print. You will also need to by the preformed canvas which you can also purchase at your local hobby store. Staple the canvas photos onto the pre stretched canvas. Now for this project you will only be able to do 4x6 or 5x7 photos seeing that you have to allow for stretching of the canvas. This gives the illusion of your picture being stretched around the whole canvas. Such a fun simple little photo project and so SUPER easy.




I just love the way they turned out ,you can display them on a shelf or hang them directly on the wall. These would make great personal Christmas gifts too! You can also do individual photo letters and spell out your favorite little sayings, I think I will try that next. So give this simple little craft project a whirl and see what you come up with I would to see some other ideas. Happy saturday crafting! Oh and did I mention the sun is shining here today??? this motivates me to get crafting.

Have a wonderful rest of your weekend!

"Get busy living or get busy dying" Shaw Shank Redemption I L*O*V*E this quote!

Finding Winter Happiness

So I would much rather be here.... But I am here..... getting through a midwest winter and staying focused on doing things that make me HAPPY!
So I promised myself this winter I would find happiness and be HAPPY this winter no matter what. You all who know me have heard me say a thousand times how much I hate WINTER!!!!

So call me crazy but I put on a happy face along with what seemed like 10 layers of clothing and headed outside to have a fire. I poured some vino and turned on all the twinkle lights, lit some candles and even turned on this adorable palm tree( a gift from my sister) and got HAPPY!!! I have to say it is a lot of work to get all bundled up and it also takes a lot of determination to make yourself sit outside when it is only 22 degrees but you know what? We had a fabulous time.
I even painted this wine glass with chalk board paint so I could write happy little sayings to myself, this makes me happy.
I even talked my husband into sitting outside with me, he is such a good sport... I am always dragging him into some crazy idea including going to Lake Michigan to take pictures of the beach during a snow storm.
When we left the house to head up to the Beach it was snowing so hard we could not see anyone in front of us... probably not my best idea ever, I even said should we turn around? and you know what my husband said??? Nonsense we have 4 wheel drive we will be fine! Sometimes in life you just have to go for it and not look back.
As you can see lake Michigan was angry this day, check out the waves!!! they were huge,(this picture does not do justice for how big the waves were. I don't think I have ever seen the waves so big on the lake before. As we were walking down the trail to the beach you could here the lake roaring, you could just feel the raw power of the lake that day. The waves sounded like a freight train coming.Even though it was brutal out there it was invigorating, it really made me feel alive. The sound of the waves roaring and the wind beating on my skin reminded me that mother nature is always in charge! You just have to get out and breathe and enjoy what you are given each day.Mother nature did not give us sunshine this day but you know what? we still found beauty at the beach even in the depths of winter.
Molly had a blast on the beach, she was one happy dog playing on the beach, she likes to bite at the waves,so cute. I am so glad we didn't turn around and go back that day, we ALL had a wonderful day scouting around the beach. I found some nice big pieces of drift wood and even some sea glass, which mind you is hard to come by on Lake Michigan. So what are you doing to stay happy this winter? I know getting out and staying active is on my list this winter. I think camping is next on my agenda!I know call me crazy but yes we are going camping and we are going to hike some trails and be HAPPY doing it. I hope you find things to do this winter that make you happy. So get out there and embrace winter and find HAPPINESS while doing it.

~ Do one thing every day that makes you happy ~

Dreams

So lately I have been in a bit of a slump mentally and creatively.I really am affected by winter's harshness. I don't care how positive you try to be in the winter time in the midwest it is just plain HARD!!! I have tried to put on a good face and ignore it but I don't like anything about winter. So the one thing I have been doing is dreaming about one day opening my own little wine beachy boutique with my sister. We both love wine and the beach, just perfect for us.The name of our shop would be SHORE VINO. We would even sell our own little beachy creations along with wine. I can envision our little shop down by the beach with white washed wood floors and turquoise walls. As you walk in you would smell our beachy candles and hear jazz music playing. I would love to even have a small little tasting bar for vino. You could do a little tasting while shopping for fun beachy gifts.The possibilities are endless.How fun would that be to own a little shop with your sister??? so what do you think??? I could be super happy working there could you be happy shopping in our little beachy wine boutique??? Check out this vino... Seaglass just perfect for a day at the Beach. And yes the wine is really yummy.Shore Vino would gladly make you a plate of cheese, some good dark chocolate and a bottle of vino to take down to the beach and watch the sunset.

Yup that's my sister and I happy as can be riding our beach cruisers... being free and sharing all our our hopes and dreams together. Never ever ever give up on your dreams, always follow your heart and never be afraid to be "YOU" and having great friends who support you and your dreams and who are truly happy for you,I thank you for believing in me!!!

So there you have it... my dream to open up Shore Vino with my sister . Oh and by the way a dream has to start somewhere right? We have purchased the domain name Shore Vino. We both came up with the name together one night while having a little vino and brain storming. I just love it, two of our favorite things!!! A dream starts with the smallest of steps but you just have to keep moving forward to make your dreams come true!I hope you take some time to dream everyday, you never know where your dreams will take you!
S~

"Nothing happens unless first we dream."
Carl Sandburg

Welcome Fall

So fall is here in the midwest and I am embracing it gracefully... I don't mind fall it's just what comes after fall that I hate!!! I am trying to stay positive and keep a good attitude about myself. I just really have a hard time with the dark gray days that seem to linger forever. Winter really takes a toll on me... I am such the summer ocean girl at heart, it makes me the most HAPPY! I love the ocean because it is so free and untamed , even wild that is how I would describe myself a free untamed wild spirit!
I do love sunflowers in the fall they are such happy little smiling faces. I am embracing the wonderful smells of fall and the showering of falling golden leaves. The leaves have a nutty earthy smell about them. Mother nature is getting ready to tuck everything in for the winter. The squirrels are foraging, the birds are fueling up for their long trek south and the sun is slipping further away from the earth only to show it's pretty little face again in the spring. Fall is a time to reap all of summers hard work. It always amazes me how the earth goes through such an amazing transformation. Just when you think winter will never end spring announces it's arrival , the first daffodil rears it's pretty little head and the birds begin their springtime serenade. Somehow every year the earth wakes up from it's long winter slumber and welcomes us with it's rebirth of spring. So for now I will stay positive and dream of the first warm spring breeze. I will take this time to slow down and recharge my batteries and appreciate this fall season.
So in keeping with the fall theme and spirit I made a low fat curry pumpkin soup. I LOVE all things pumpkin. This really is a super easy healthy soup to make.

Fall is the perfect time to bring out the stockpot and make warming soups. This low fat cream of pumpkin soup is perfect on a cold fall day, or as an appetizer for a Thanksgiving dinner. I also topped mine with fresh sage, low fat greek yogurt and toasted pumpkin seeds. Of course my meal would not be complete with a little red wine, oh how I love Mr. Cab !

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tbsp curry powder
• 1/8 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon of cinnamon
  
• 1 tsp cumin
• 3 cups fat-free, low sodium vegetable broth
• 1 15-ounce can pumpkin
• 1 12-ounce can evaporated fat-free milk
• Freshly ground Black pepper to taste

Preparation:

Heat oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook until softened. Stir in curry powder and cumin and cook for 1 minute. Add broth and pumpkin. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes. Add evaporated fat-free milk and cook for 2 minutes.

Transfer soup to a blender and blend until smooth. Recipe courtesy of low fat cooking

I hope you enjoy this fall season . Get out and enjoy all that fall has to offer, whether you go for a hike or a sunday drive through the country just get out and Breathe and Enjoy life!

S~

"Don't be afraid to lean into the wind, love the earth in all of it's natural glories, and take care of each other"
Tom Brokaw~