Harvest Apple Salad

Whenever I made the Scalloped Hassleback Potatoes, 

I served this Harvest Apple Salad along with it.

It made me feel a little bit better about all the 

butter and cream and cheese in the main course.

Along with pumpkins, apples are a fantastic 

in-season fruit to take advantage of this fall. 

This salad is a breeze to throw together and can be 

easily customized to include your favorite ingredients.

The apples really make the salad though!

Here's what I used:

baby spinach greens

crumbled feta cheese

toasted almonds

sliced Jonagold apples

I topped the salad with this sweet vinaigrette. I didn't have any sesame seeds on hand so I left them out and it was still very tasty. I believe next time I may reduce the amount of olive oil I mix in though.

Whisk these ingredients together:

¼ cup finely minced sweet onion

3 tbsp. apple cider vinegar

3 tbsp. white wine or champagne vinegar

2 tbsp. sesame seeds

Pinch of paprika

2 tbsp. sugar

Then, slowly whisk 1/2 cup olive oil in until it's all well combined.

This makes a great side salad, but with some grilled chicken this could make a quick and healthy dinner option!

Adapted from Annie's Eats.

Scalloped Hasselback Potatoes

It all started with a picture.

I saw this on Tasty Kitchen and David stumbled upon it. 

And so we needed to try this.

source

These savory sides create a stunning presentation 

and would be great for holidays or entertaining. 

I've never had a regular hasselback potato before so 

I can't compare taste/texture/quality to that. 

I have, however, had scalloped potatoes before!

These have all of the ingredients of scalloped potatoes, 

but don't quite end with the same ooey-gooey, cheesey consistency. 

If you like your potatoes a little firmer this is a great way to do it!

First, scrub down your potatoes really well. Then carefully slice through the potatoes, far enough down to allow the potato to fan out, but not far enough to cut through.

Slice up one stick of unsalted butter and one small block of Parmigiana Reggiano. 

It's easier to handle the butter slices if it's super cold 

so stick it in the freezer for a few minutes first!

Alternating these, fill the slots in the potatoes.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil.

Bake at 400 for 45 minutes to 1 hour. 

Pour heavy cream over potatoes and sprinkle generously with shredded cheese. Bake another 15 minutes or until cheese has browned on top.

Top with sour cream and serve!

If you want to maintain the beautiful presentation of the potato 

but maybe incorporate more of the flavors put into it, 

I would suggest cooking in a small, contained dish or even thickly wrapped foil. 

Otherwise, the butter melts down into the pain and the cream runs off 

(which makes a great topping!). 

You could also use a smaller potato than the russets I used- 

Yukon golds would work well! 

They could probably bake up softer in the end. 

For some reason, HEB only had crazy monster sized potatoes when I was there. 

Read the full recipe here from Tasty Kitchen.

thoughts on Halloween

(this is my third use of the flapper costume. getting my full money's worth!)

I've never been a fan of scary movies. Or haunted houses. Or being scared in general. And I've never really thought gory-bloody-zombie type humor was funny. 

But I've always liked Halloween.

It's creativity and community and candy.

It's celebration with carving pumpkins and bobbing for apples and cake walks.

It's assuming another identity for one night, and thinking about other possibilities.

And I always have an excellent costume.

I know that there are differing opinions on whether or not to celebrate Halloween if you follow Christ, and I understand both sides. 

I do know that the origins of the holiday are very pagan and revolve around evil spirits and ghosts and disguising yourself to avoid them. You can check out the history here.

But if we're going to dismiss something because of pagan origins, we also need to totally revamp our wedding ceremonies. And Christmas celebrations. Because those are very pagan in nature.

I attended a costume party with a local student ministry and I loved how they tied the idea of trick or treating into a spiritual light. Through 2 Corinthians 3:18, we looked at how we are designed to reflect God's glory. And when we put on "masks" that cover up who we are- whether we're covering up hurting or struggles or a lifestyle we don't want people to know about or whether we're covering up Christ in us- we keep Christ from reflecting from us.

So instead of tricking others into thinking we're someone we're not, let's treat them to a reflection of God's glory.

"So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord--who is the Spirit--makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image."

2 Corinthians 3:18

And while the students participated in a pumpkin carving contest, their youth leader carved a very special pumpkin which was revealed at the very end of the night

Pretty cool!


I'll be at Oak Meadow Baptist Church's Fall Festival this year- feel free to come join us! We'll have horse races, moon walks, hay rides, face painting, lots of games and lots of free food!
It'll be in the church parking lot from 6pm-8pm (I'm pretty sure...)


This season gives us so much to be grateful for- wonderful weather, extended family time during holidays, delicious food- so don't miss an opportunity to thank God for it! 

Here's some past Halloween memories :

2010

Emma Pilsbury from Glee

2009

Wilma Flintstone

2008

Flapper

2007

Ladybug

Chocolate Trifle

This is my mom's secret weapon.

Every holiday, every family get together- this is her most requested dish.

And the best part is that it's SO easy.

There's no baking involved; just prepare each layer and assemble!

Here's what you'll need:

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1/4 cup granulated sugar

6 tbsp butter, melted

2 8 oz pkg cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup powdered sugar

2 pkg instant chocolate pudding mix

4 cups milk

Cool Whip

optional- Oreo cookies

Instructions:

First, combine the pudding mix with cold milk. Whisk for a couple of minutes until it thickens

Stick it in the fridge to set until you need it later.

Mix your graham cracker crumbs with sugar and melted butter. Once combined, press into a clear dish- you'll want to see all the layers!

Beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar until soft and smooth. 

Spread over the crust.

Here you'll notice that I got in a big hurry and stopped taking pictures of every step.

Imagination is key, here.

Pull your pudding out of the fridge. If you'd like, crumble Oreo cookies into it and mix it all together. Then spread that over the cream cheese layer.

Finally, empty your container of Cool Whip over the top and smooth out. You can garnish with cookie crumbs, but I like the simplicity of smoothed Cool Whip.

And that's done! 

If you have individual dessert glasses or martini glasses or even shot glasses, this would be simple to prepare in individual portions for an impressive presentation.

For this, press crust into the bottom of the glass.

Put each cream cheese, pudding and Cool Whip in individual Zip Lock bags.

Cut off a bottom corner of the bag and squeeze each layer into dish.

Garnish with an Oreo!

And seriously if anyone wants to buy me a camera, the iPod pics could be much improved

But you get the idea, right? :)

Gypsy Picnic Festival

This past Saturday the Hey Cupcake! gang got to participate in the second annual Gypsy Picnic Festival at Auditorium Shores.

I didn't attend the festival last year (sadly) but this year I made sure to get there about an hour before my shift started so I could check out all the awesome food trailers!

There were over thirty five food trailers as well as live music, different activity booths and people picnicking with family and friends and pets all over. The weather was glorious- sunny but not too hot, breezy and clear. The wind did pick up the dust quite a bit... but since I was under a tent most of the time, it didn't phase me!

Some of my favorites were there (Torchy's Tacos, Gourdough's, Bananarchy, Holy Cacoa) and LOTS of trailers I haven't tried yet

There was TONS of great food there, but I stopped at Be More Pacific to try some Filipino-American cuisine. Really, it was the bacon fried rice that got me. I had to try it. 

I grabbed a Taco Libre- chicken adobo with Filipino sauce, elote corn, cilantro and lime- and chili powder?

It was very tasty- spicy from the adobo and chili and sweet from the corn.

and Bacon Fried Rice- rice with bacon, scrambled egg, yellow onion and green onion. So good. 

I had a really great time working at the Hey Cupcake booth- even though we always had a line, we kept it moving quickly!  We had a great team working the event.  Even when we were all disgustingly dirty and our feet were on fire, everyone kept a smile on their face the whole night. 

(photo by Seth Nyers)

And we won best dessert for the Pumpkinator! 

My dinner came from Mambo Berry- the Mango Madness Smoothie. It was a little pricey at $6 but I'd come prepared to shell out some cash to sample lots of food, so I was okay with it.  They also had a Strawberry Basil Smoothie, which won best drink... but I'm not totally sure I like basil. So I got mango.

The flavor was INTENSE, but delicious. It tasted very fresh and it was a treat I felt good about.

Overall, Gypsy Picnic was super fun.

Things I wish I'd tried:

86 This- Multi Tasker

Chi'Lantro- Korean Beef Burrito

The Peached Tortilla- Bahn Mi Sandwich

East Side King's Poor Qui's Bun

Tenderland's Battered Pork Tenderloin Sandwich

Cool Haus Ice Cream Sandwich- these looked so good while we were working up a sweat!

Looks like I will have to make it a point to try these soon!

Easy Cherry Limeade- and last day to enter giveaway!

So in addition to my Starbucks problem, I also have a Dr Pepper addiction. So in order to save some money and not buy several 12 packs of DP every time I go grocery shopping, I'm supplementing my beverage repertoire with other delicious drinks.

I drink water too, promise. I just love me some flavor.

This concoction is super easy too!

There are lots of ways to make a cherry limeade. Some involve lemon lime soda or heating fresh cherries to extract their flavor into a syrup. You can check out other methods here, here, or here.

For my recipe you'll need:

1 frozen limeade concentrate

1 bottle carbonated water

(sparkling water, club soda, seltzer water- take your pic)

Maraschino cherry syrup

Prepare the limeade according to the directions.

Mix one part limeade and one part carbonated water (you can adjust this to taste)

Add two tablespoons cherry syrup 

Ice, stir and enjoy!

Don't forget- today's the last day to enter for the autumn wreath or leaf garland!! Comment by 5pm!

Taco Soup

Taco soup is one of those meals that has so many advantages.

It's super easy to customize to include your favorite ingredients. 

It's a quick meal to throw together. 

It makes enough to feed a crowd.

The leftovers (almost) taste better than the original.

AND it's perfect for warming you up on a cool, rainy day!

That's exactly what I did a couple weeks ago.

I'd been working in the cupcake trailer through an on-again/off-again rainstorm. 

The bottom half of my jeans were soaked and I was ready for a good warm meal.

Thankfully most of these ingredients are staples in the freezer and pantry so it's a snap to throw together! Here's what I use:

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef

1/2 sweet onion

1 packet taco seasoning

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can whole kernel corn

1 can black beans

1 can pinto beans

1/4 cup diced cilantro

colby jack cheese

sour cream

avocado 

flour tortillas

Instructions:

Brown ground beef with diced onions. Drain and return to stove. 

Add taco seasoning, tomatoes, corn, beans, and 1 can full of water. Add 1/4 cup diced cilantro. Simmer on the stove at medium heat for about fifteen minutes or until heated through. 

Top with shredded cheese, sour cream, and sliced avocado, and serve with warm tortillas. 

You can also add all of your hot ingredients to the crock pot in the morning and let it warm all day! 

Great Things and a giveaway!

Cold fronts are wonderful.

I'm wearing boots and a cardigan.

I believe that this is how every day should be. 

(I may feel differently when I want to wear my polka dot swimsuit)

The lovely weather is a beautiful reminder of so many great things lately.

On MLK Day, I was able to visit with my friend Danae. 

I hadn't seen her since her wedding and it was so good to catch up!

We did a little bargain shopping while we were out

Thank you JCPenney. Yes, saving 114.72 is good.

Also, this week OMBC's Ministry Team had a time of prayer and preparation for 2012. We stayed in a couple of very nice cabins in the middle of nowhere with no cell reception or internet, and that was very refreshing. Sometimes we miss what's going on in other ministries because we're so focused on our own so it was great to hear about everything happening through our Spanish ministries and our life groups and our worship ministries!

I am very excited for everything that God is preparing for 2012. It's going to be a year of growth and change and goodness!

And then, I checked out the new Goodwill on Slaughter Lane to look for costumes. No luck on costumes but I did find a great pair of jeans with the tags still on them! 

I was pretty excited. I had been wondering how I could get a couple new pairs of jeans without breaking the bank. Apparently, I'll be shopping at Goodwill from now on. 

So in celebration of all these great things-

I'm giving away your choice of:

an autumn wreath

This can be customized to include whatever colors you'd like!

 or a an autumn leaf garland

Each leaf is hand cut from felt, has hand stitched veins and is stitched on a ribbon- 

perfect for hanging on a staircase, above the fireplace or on a mantle!

To enter, you must officially follow this blog.

Extra entries:

repost this contest to Facebook or Twitter

Favorite Live Laugh Lynae on Etsy

Post a comment for each entry! 


For example, post:


I follow the blog!
then
I added your shop on Etsy! 
or 
I promoted this giveaway on Facebook!

The winner will be selected randomly.

The contest will be closed Monday October 25th at 12pm.

DIY Mocha Frappe

For my birthday this year, my wonderful-beyond-words sister gifted me with 

a Mr. Coffee Cafe Frappe machine. I call him Fred. Fred the Frappe Machine.

This makes my heart happy. See, I'm not sure if you picked up on it when I talked about pumpkin spice lattes, but I spend way too much at Starbucks (and used to at McDonald's until I discovered how many calories their frappes have. Yikes!)

Fred makes it super simple to create my own frappes right at home!

He's a coffee maker/blender combination. 

Now, my recipe will work if you brew your stuff and use a regular blender- 

this just saves me a step.

There are two methods that I use to make a great frappe. 

The first is hot brewed:

Brew about 1/4 cup very strong coffee. 

Pour immediately into blender with:

• 1 1/2 cups ice
• 3/4 cups milk- (sometimes i'm really bad and use heavy cream)
• splash of simple syrup
• 2 Tbsp chocolate syrup (or caramel or whatever flavor you'd like!)

Blend to your desired consistency, adding ice or milk as needed. Top with whipped cream and drizzle with chocolate syrup. Mmmmm!

To minimize weakening of your overall coffee flavor, you can also brew your hot coffee, let it cool in the fridge and then blend.

In the past, things that haven't worked have been

• using too much coffee
• using weak coffee
• using granulated sugar
• waiting too long to blend (thus melting the ice and weakening your drink)

The other method is cold brewed! 

Cold brewed coffee can be used for frappes or iced coffee and has much less acid than hot brewed coffee. So, if you're planning ahead, this is a good way to go. 

What you'll do is soak coffee grounds in water for at least 8 hours (overnight is even better! the longer, the more flavor transfer) The ratio of grounds to water will depend on what you're making it for. If you're making iced coffee, use 1 oz coffee per 1 cup water. For the frappe, I'd triple that amount. 

Once it's all soaked and set, filter the mixture through a fine mesh strainer. I used a colander with coffee filters since I don't have fancy kitchen things (besides Fred, that is).

Once it's all strained, refrigerate up to month in an airtight container 

Use the same measurements to blend a mocha frappe as the hot brewed directions. Yum!

Iced Coffee recipe coming soon, so stay tuned. 

Hungry Monday- Red's Porch

Stay tuned this week for a fun giveaway! 

But, back to our Hungry Monday feature for now!

Awesome view, great location, delicious food, friendly service, fun decor

What more do you need?

Red's Porch is located near the intersection of South Lamar and Hwy 290. It's kinda difficult to see from the road, but you can't miss their big sign!

At the end of their driveway, you'll see why it's called Red's Porch. 

There is indoor dining, but the draw is the giant porch with the fantastic view. I went for lunch during August and with the shade from the porch and the hard working fans outside, we weren't hot at all! 

There's also a funky lounge area at the entrance if you're waiting for a table.

So the location and set up are great, but the food is the reason I'd go back.

I ordered the pot roast (ok, so I order pot roast everywhere I go) and it was melt-in-your-mouth tender with a savory gravy and smashed potatoes. I like it when potatoes actually taste like potatoes so that was a definite plus. I also got the spinach casserole which was a mess of spinach and garlic and cheese. Intensely flavorful, but I believe I may try something new next time. I also sampled the chicken fried steak and macaroni and cheese, which were both superbly done. 

(personal photo)

At lunch time, there was no wait and our server was very helpful and friendly. There was a pretty decent lunch menu, but I ordered from the dinner menu and took half home with me. 

Check out more info on their website

http://redsporch.com/

(Unless otherwise noted, all photos from the Red's Porch website)