Favourite Things Friday Vol 81 - Junk Drawer Organization

Uhhhgggg, this drawer! I know you all have one. It is the place where ALL the random stuff goes to die.

You toss stuff in there when you don’t know where else to put it. There are random kitchen utensils, toothpicks, tools, twist ties, tape, batteries, chargers, a bouncy ball?? and of course a pile of take-out menus.

I finally had enough of the chaos, so I bought some of these handy organizers and went to town.

I threw some stuff away. I moved some stuff to where it actually belonged and the rest I sorted out.

Now I love this drawer, I think it is the neatest most organized drawer I have.

I really really love when things are neat and organized, it makes my heart happy!

So don’t be afraid, go get a few simple drawer organizers and just do it! It didn’t take long at all and now I smile every time I open that drawer up!

Happy Friday Everyone‼

Jen

Popcorn 2 Ways, Spicy for Him and Sweet for Her

My in house taste tester and I love popcorn! I have posted about my favorite popcorn before. I usually just go with traditional butter and salt, and he goes with white cheddar seasoning.

I decided the other day to change it up! He loves all things spicy and I love all things sweet so I whipped up a batch of popcorn and seasoned it up for us.

What you need,

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For the Spicy Popcorn,

3-4 cups popped popcorn

1 tbsp. salted butter

1-2 tsp. sriracha sauce (add as much as you like)

In a small bowl combine the butter and sriracha.  Melt in the microwave for 10-20 seconds until combined. Drizzle over popcorn and toss to coat.

For the Sweet Popcorn,

3-4 cups popped popcorn

1 tbsp. salted butter, melted

1 tbsp. powdered chocolate peanut butter

Drizzle the butter over the popcorn and toss to coat. Shake on the powdered chocolate peanut butter and toss again.

There you have it a perfect popcorn duo! I tried the spicy popcorn too and it was delish! The sriracha really has a nice flavor as well as being spicy.

The powdered chocolate peanut butter was amazing on popcorn; I wish I would have had a few mini peanut butter cups to toss in too! I just love the sweet salty combo!

Enjoy!

Jen

Edamame Parmesan Bruschetta

I always seem to struggle with lunch. I am so bored of the usual sandwiches and soup. When I got my new Rachel Ray Magazine and I saw this recipe and thought, now that would make a great lunch!

It not only made a great lunch but it would be a great appetizer for a cocktail party!

What you need,

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1 cup frozen shelled edamame

1/3 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese

4 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp. fresh squeezed lemon juice

Salt and Pepper

2 tbsp. fresh basil leaves, chopped

1 large baguette, cut into 1 inch slices, toasted

Boil the edamame in a pot of salted boiling water for 5 minutes, until tender, then drain.

Add the edamame to your food processor along with the Parmesan cheese, olive oil and lemon juice. Process until smooth and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Spread the edamame mixture onto the toasts and sprinkle with the basil. 

Man this bruschetta is GOOD‼ It is so nice and fresh tasting, great texture.

It is easily transportable and lasts a couple days in an airtight container in the fridge.

Jen

Recipe from Rachel Ray Magazine

Favourite Things Friday Vol 80 – Going Home

I just got back from a quick trip back to Regina to visit my family. It has been a couple of years since I was there last so I decided it was about time.

My in house taste tester and I hopped on a plane and flew to Regina last Friday night.

Saturday we headed out to the lake where my Dad and my Sister and her husband were camping. I was so happy to see them‼

We weren’t at the campsite very long before we hopped in the boat to do a little fishing. Being in the boat with my Dad is really one of my very favourite things‼ I caught one small walleye and one nice perch.

Sadly we didn’t catch enough fish for dinner, so we had the next best thing! Hot dogs roasted over a campfire, nothing better!

Unfortunately Saskatchewan had record rain falls over the next 2 days. One night in a wet tent and we decided to head into town to stay dry.

It worked out OK because I got to visit with some extended family that I hadn’t seen in forever!

Plus I got to spend some time with this guy, my sister’s cat Cheddar.

He is quite a character‼ I love me some kitties!

The weather finally cooperated on our last day in town so we headed back to the lake.

There was so much rain that it washed out the road to the boat launch so no more fishing for us.  

My mom, my other sister and my niece all came out to the campground and we had a big campfire dinner and visited until it was time to leave.

I was sad to go but so grateful that I got to see everyone. I really miss living close to my family!

I hope you all have a chance to visit your family and friends this summer. It is good for the soul to spend time with people you love!

Happy Weekend!

Jen

2 Ingredient Banana Ice Cream

I know that this recipe has been floating around FOREVER‼ But I finally decided that if I didn’t do something with all of the frozen bananas in my freezer they were going to start collaborating to take over my kitchen!

I was skeptical about ice cream that was just frozen bananas, would the texture be right, would it have any flavor besides banana??

I decided to toss in a couple of tablespoons of my new favorite find, powdered chocolate peanut butter.

I am here to tell ya, this 2 ingredient ice cream is AWESOME‼

Great texture, great flavor, super easy. If you are scrambling for a Canada Day dessert, pull out those frozen bananas I know you all have hiding in the back of your freezer and whip up a batch, you will love it!

What you need,

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4 large frozen bananas (peel your bananas before you freeze them, it will make your life a LOT easier!)

2 tbsp. powdered chocolate peanut butter

(you could just use cocoa powder or plain powdered peanut butter)

Add the frozen bananas to your food processor. Pulse until you get a thick creamy mixture. It will look a little grainy at first but keep going, it will be perfect. Once you get the texture you want, add the powdered peanut butter and pulse to combine.

You can eat it right away or scoop it into an airtight container and keep in the freezer until you are ready to eat it!

This really is a perfect summer treat. I love how it is super healthy it is! So if you haven’t, give it a try.

Happy Canada Day to all my Canadian friends. I hope you are all eating burgers and hot dogs, drinking margaritas and watching some fireworks, I know I will be!

Jen