Veggie Spring Rolls and Thoughts Of Spring !

 Spring is finally springing!!! I think ??? it has been a really hard winter here. I put on my best game face but let me tell you some days were just so hard. I never thought the madness would end, but somehow it always does and spring once again has shown her pretty little face. And what better way to welcome spring than these pretty little smiling faces. Daffodils and tulips a springtime favorite for me! The perfect little pick me up I needed.

So in honor of spring I decided to whip up these little lemon poppy seed butterfly cupcakes! how cute are they! They were so delicious now low fat ? not a chance, sometimes you just have to Live a Little :-)

I also made these new little wine charms to go with my new blue wine glasses. You can't have wine glasses without cute little beachy charms now can you?

So in keeping with the spring them I made these veggie spring rolls, so simple and so tasty. Just get your self some rice paper, which I found at my local grocery store, chop up your favorite veg ... which I used cucumbers, avocado, shredded cabbage, carrots, edamame , bean sprouts. For the peanut sauce just blend 3/4 cup of peanut butter of your choice with 1/3 cup cooking sherry a pinch of cayenne pepper, 1/3 cup of soy sauce, 1/3 cup water and a squeeze of fresh lime juice. That's it. What have you been up to this spring any new inspiring spring recipes? I am so looking forward to all the simple summer meals. Happy Spring ! Have you noticed my different size pics through out this post? blogger has changed the way you post pics and text so I am still trying to figure it all out, I hate when they go changing things, I am a creature of habit! oh well I will get it... Hope you have you have a good rest of your week I am so happy it's supposed to be 65 tomorrow YIPPEE I am breaking out the sandals :-) Spring is finally here!!!

Mung bean noodle stir fry & Spring wardrobe

Hello and happy Sunday to you! So spring is right around the corner and I don't know about you but I am tired of all the frumpy sweaters and boots! I am ready for all the cute dresses and accessories. How adorable are these dresses, and they are all in my favorite color TURQUOISE! they make me think of warm beachy days. I am dreaming of warm beachy days spent collecting sea glass and drift wood. I can't wait for the first warm spring day when the sky is vibrant blue, can't wait to take that photograph.

 

And how cute is this belt! I came across this while shopping online, I found it on etsy,  it's a snap belt and they cool thing is you chose the belt (which they come in various colors) and then you chose your buckle!They are interchangeable. I love them, so fun! I  found a super cute turquoise one with sweet little birds I have to have that one too! So what little accessories will you be incorporating into your spring wardrobe?

So now that spring is on the way I am thinking of all the light and tasty simple dishes I want to make. 

Mung bean noodles with tofu, shrimp and veggies 


What you will need...

One bag of mung noodles(which these noodles are hard to find) I get mine at my local health food store or use any noodle you like.

1 package of extra firm tofu

shrimp

veggies-
red peppers,mushrooms,broccoli,snap peas and
beansprouts

Cashews

sesame seeds

Prepare your noodles

dice tofu into cubes and saute in skillet until just firm

In a wok saute...

veggies and shrimp with teriyaki marinade 1tbs chili garlic sauce

teaspoon of honey

1-2 tsp of minced garlic

add in your tofu serve over noodles garnish with sesame seeds and cashews.

Serve with your favorite vino and enjoy~

What spring recipes will you be whipping up? 

Spring really is around the corner,a little birdie told me so... 

Tufted titmouse oh how I long to hear your spring time song

Peter Peter Peter! now that is music to my ears!

 

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 ~