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Birthday fun – Boeger, Roxy and Icing on the Cupcake

July 31, 2010 By 1 Comment

0101 300x200 Birthday fun Boeger, Roxy and Icing on the CupcakeToday is my birthday — I am not old, yet not young. I am somewhere in-between but age is relevant, right? icon smile Birthday fun Boeger, Roxy and Icing on the Cupcake I am just me no matter the number of candles on my cake. Thus far I have had a magical birthday. I have felt the sun from all sides and it feels GOOD! Basically my weekend has gone like this: picnic and wine at Sunset Sipping at Boeger Winery which also included music from a lively folk/blue grass band called Trout and Parrot. We ended the night with a couple of drinks at the newest addition to the EDH nightlife, the El Dorado Saloon. It was a fun night out with great friends. Oh, did I mention the fabulous cupcakes that my friend Kelly brought? They were from the new cupcake hot spot in Folsom, Icing on the Cupcake. Talk about a sweet treat! I tried the Cookies and Cream which was so sinful. This morning started off with a wonderful breakfast with some of my oldest and dearest friends. We went to Roxy in Sacramento. It was so good and just what this girl needed after a night out with friends. Their version of biscuits and gravy was yum-o! The fun continues tonight within my little neighborhood. Again, I am just blessed to have some of the best friends a girl could ever want!! So this little post is a tribute to them and also a little love to all of the fun local spots that have been a part of my weekend of celebrating. Cheers to you. May your circle of friends be as lovely as mine is. Hold on to your friends, new and old — they are so much a part of who we are icon smile Birthday fun Boeger, Roxy and Icing on the Cupcake

But friendship is precious, not only in the shade, but in the sunshine of life, and thanks to a benevolent arrangement the greater part of life is sunshine. ~ Thomas Jefferson

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A Little Bit of Honey

July 26, 2010 By 3 Comments

0281 200x300 A Little Bit of HoneyToday is my sweet baby boy’s 5th birthday so in celebration of him, I am sharing a birthday quote with all of you today.

A birthday is just the first day of another 365-day journey around the sun.  Enjoy the trip.~Author Unknown

Isn’t it wild how fast time goes when you have children? I don’t think I have ever felt the speed of time quite like I do now. Every birthday makes me a bit weepy. It’s bittersweet. I am happy to see my kids thriving and growing and learning. But sad; sad that I won’t always get to hold them in my lap and that I won’t always be the most coolest person to them. With that being said, we have two camping trips between now and when school starts up again. I want to make these count. Spend the time making memories and enjoying the “now”. Happy Birthday sweet Mason. You have added something so sweet to my life.

Filed Under: Bee Inspired, The Hive Tagged With: ,

Five ways to save a buck

July 26, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Money 300x225 Five ways to save a buck Are you looking for simple ways to save a little bit of money? Well here are a few little things you can do:

  • Set your thermostat to at least one degree cooler or hotter.
  • Coupons – you can find them in the local papers or check these sites for even more deals:

http://www.domesticfrugalista.blogspot.com/
http://myfrugaladventures.com/
http://www.groupon.com/sacramento/

http://www.coupons.com

  • Cut back on your cable — do you really need 562 channels? icon smile Five ways to save a buck
  • Reduce: Think about it, is it a need or a want?
  • Cut back on your Latte habit, I know – this one is tough but even a couple less a week adds up to big savings over the course of a year.

These are a just a few of the simple ways to make some money changing habits and put a little more green in your pocket.

How do you save money?

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Corn Salsa

July 26, 2010 By 1 Comment

corn 1 300x198 Corn SalsaOK — so obviously I have a slight food addiction but I can not help myself! Summer involves lots of gatherings, BBQ’s, birthdays, etc. My sister was sweet enough to bring me dinner last night. Let me tell you, I was thrilled as I was prepping for sweet Mason’s 5th birthday party and if you are a mama, you know that there is a lot that goes into throwing a party!! So she brought over some fab chicken enchiladas and this yummy Corn Salsa that I am sharing with you today. It was courtesy of her sweet friend Judie who said I could share it with my Local Honey friends. Here you go, enjoy and be warned – it is addicting! icon smile Corn Salsa

Corn Salsa

  • 1 TBS Tabasco

  • 3 TBS red wine vinegar

  • 2 TBS vegetable oil (DO not use corn or olive oil or any other kind besides vegetable oil!)

  • 2 tsp. garlic salt

  • black pepper

  • Mix and add 1  15 oz. can black eyed peas, 11 oz. can of Mexicali OR southwest corn

  • 1 can rotel tomatoes, 1 can black beans, 1 bunch cilantro chopped, 1 bunch green onion chopped and top with 1 diced avocado!  this is great on top of lettuce for a salad, in flat out or whole wheat tortillas for a “wrap” or as a dip with chips!

Filed Under: In the Kitchen Tagged With:

A Little Bit of Honey

July 25, 2010 By Leave a Comment

May the wings of the butterfly kiss the sun
And find your shoulder to light on,
To bring you luck, happiness and riches
Today, tomorrow and beyond.
~Irish Blessing

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A Little Bit of Honey

July 23, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Change is inevitable – except from a vending machine.~Robert C. Gallagher

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Black Bean Corn and Avocado Salad

July 23, 2010 By Leave a Comment

hass avocados 300x199 Black Bean Corn and Avocado SaladLast week we had friends over for dinner and I was craving a salad that I had eaten in the past but didn’t have an actual recipe for. So I Googled “black bean corn avocado salad” and came across this yummy recipe on grouprecipes.com. It was super simple and had a ton of flavors. My friends raved about it which of course made my heart smile icon smile Black Bean Corn and Avocado Salad I also ate it as a leftover and it was so good! The avocado stayed nice and green thanks to the fresh squeezed lime juice.

Black Bean Corn and Avocado Salad – courtesy of Missdrea at Grouprecipes.com

  • 1/2 c fresh lime juice
  • 2 Tb olive oil
  • 2 cloves minced garlic
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 pinch sugar
  • 1/4 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 jalapeno, seeded
  • 1(15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 1/2 c frozen corn (I used canned because it is what I had in my pantry)
  • 1/2 c chopped cilantro
  • 1  red bell pepper, diced
  • 1/4 red onion, diced
  • 1 avocado, diced

Place lime juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, sugar, cumin, and jalapeno in a bowl and mix.
Add black beans, corn, cilantro, red pepper, onion and mix well.
Add avocado.
Chill at least 30 minutes.

This is a great way to round out a Mexican themed dinner or you could make it a meal in itself and add chicken or shrimp.

Filed Under: In the Kitchen Tagged With:

Ice Cream Chocolate Chip Cookies

July 22, 2010 By 1 Comment

034 300x200 Ice Cream Chocolate Chip CookiesThis blog is a little bit of sweet goodness and a little bit of my fave things. I am waiting for the cookies to bake as a I type this lil’ entry. First off, I have to say that I have now made these delish cookies three  times.  Once with Butter Pecan Ice Cream and the second and third time with Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream. They are so good {ask my neighbors}! And super easy. I have to add here that I almost always bake cookies with Mason {my little soon to be 5 year old boy} but tonight, the house sleeps while mama bakes. I actually forgot how fast the process is when you do it solo although I do like teaching him how to cook, making memories and letting him “sample” our work. Anyway, this wonderful recipe is courtesy of a super fun foodie site called  Picky Palette. Her site is a whole bunch of creative goodness. Please do check her out here. She has pictures posted of the whole process for her recipes.  I think it is one of the most fun foodie blogs that I have stumbled upon.  I am including the recipe but please link back to her site for the photo presentation, she has a knack for making it look beautiful and yummy!

Ice Cream Chocolate Chip Cookies courtesy of  Picky Palette

2 sticks softened butter

1 Cup granulated sugar

3/4 Cup packed brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 1/2 Tablespoons pure vanilla

Heaping 1/2 Cup vanilla ice cream (frozen from container)

4 Cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 bag chocolate chips

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  In a stand or electric mixer, cream the butter and sugars until fluffy.  Add in eggs and vanilla until well combined.  Add in ice cream until combined.

2.  Place flour, baking soda and salt into a large bowl; mix.  Add to wet ingredients along with the chocolate chips; mix until just combined.  With a medium cookie scoop, scoop dough onto a silpat or parchment lined baking sheet.  Bake for 9-11 minutes or until cookies are cooked through.  Let cool for 5 minutes on baking sheet before transferring to a cooling rack.  Serve with a marashino cherry on top icon smile Ice Cream Chocolate Chip Cookies

3-4 dozen cookies

Now on to part deux  {that would be French for two – sometimes I like to be fancy}. I am one who loves to cook. I think that things made from scratch are so much better then overprocessed and convenience foods. Baking is something that I enjoy. I love making treats for my family and friends. Something about giving people a plate of cookies makes me feel like I have made someones day just a little better and well, who wouldn’t want to do that for someone. Of course calories are not to be a part of this transaction! Otherwise I might make enemies and the whole thing would be a bust! So with that being said, a couple of my “must have” items for baking are:

0231 300x200 Ice Cream Chocolate Chip Cookies

  • My KitchenAid Mixer. I {heart} this item SO very much!! I use is whenever I am making cookies which tends to be quite often.
  • My organized basket of baking ingredients. This is a fairly new thing but wow, it sure makes life easy! I keep all of the main things I need such as: flour, sugars, baking powder and soda, vanilla and even salt in the basket. the whole thing comes out of the cabinet when I start and slides right back in when I am done. The basket is from Target and the canisters for the dry goods are Oxo Storage Canisters.
  • My fabulous heavy duty baking sheets from Crate & Barrel. I swear, the quality of these makes a difference in how my cookies turns out. I own three and wish I had more.

What are your must have kitchen tools?

Filed Under: Bee Organized, In the Kitchen Tagged With: ,

A Little Bit of Honey

July 22, 2010 By Leave a Comment

If I had to sum up Friendship in one word, it would be Comfort. ~Terri Guillemets

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Jelly Belly Factory and San Francisco for a day

July 22, 2010 By Leave a Comment

022 300x200 Jelly Belly Factory and San Francisco for a dayAs I mentioned earlier in the week, my friend Julie and I took our little ones {Gracie who is 5 1/2 and Mason who will be 5 on Monday} to San Fran earlier this week. We didn’t really have a plan other then a quick stop at the Jelly Belly Factory in Fairfield. Quick because the line for the tour was well over an hour and that was just too long for us to wait. However we did grab a bite to eat and also perused the store. Which of course meant that we walked out with a fair amount of goodies. Did you know that they now have Jelly Belly flavored  Popsicles? You bet they do! So I had to get a couple of boxes. One for the kiddos and the other were adult beverage flavored. Really? They just think of everything uh? We also walked away with some Belly Flops which are the “beans that didn’t make the cut”. Much cheaper and all of the good flavors. They just look a little funny is all icon smile Jelly Belly Factory and San Francisco for a day But you shouldn’t judge a book by it’s cover, right? So if you ever feel the need to see how Jelly Belly’s are made and want to sample some of the bizarre flavors such as barf, grass and buttered popcorn {that last one is actually good} then head over to Fairfield. You can take a tour, get a silly paper hat and sample some yummy and sometimes strange flavors.

081 300x200 Jelly Belly Factory and San Francisco for a dayNext on our trip was heading into the city. This was a quick day trip, no real plans – just a quick getaway while the dads and big boys were at Cub Scout Camp.  The drive in to the city was captivating for the kids. They seemed to enjoy the Bay Bridge and seeing the water below. A little part of me didn’t want to do anything to grand as truthfully, my 7 year old is the one who would truly enjoy all of the sight seeing in the city. So we headed over to Pier 39. If you know the city at all, you are aware that traffic is a little heavy getting into and also around the city. We had a bit of a late start so Pier 39 was about all that we had time for. We watched  a fun show on the Pier. It was a couple who juggled {a lot}, rode very tall unicycles and had enough adult humor to keep us engaged while keeping the kids entertained with their talent. The kids watched the sea lions, rode on the merry go round, watched a puppet dance through a window, smelled flowers and just played. We also shopped a little and then enjoyed a bowl of clam 046 300x200 Jelly Belly Factory and San Francisco for a daychowder. All of that and we were home by 7:30. It was fun.  It was a chilly 60 degrees that day and oh did it feel GOOD! It has been around 100 degrees here and the change was nice.

103 300x200 Jelly Belly Factory and San Francisco for a dayVia my Facebook & blog friends, I receive so many fun tips on where to go which I will definitely keep in mind for the next getaway.

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