Personal Style: Strawberry Skirt

Woah, I haven't done one of these outfit posts since my belly shot round-up! So, this is my 4 months after having my baby girl! I like this skirt/belt combo b/c it does a fairly decent job of camouflaging baby gut.

So, the Goodwill back in Watauga/ Fort Worth that I totally miss has this 'retro' section, where they put all the good, collectable stuff. I got this skirt in that section, it's a reversible, wrap skirt and it's awesome. I taught a lesson to the teens at church this Sunday about healthy living, so strawberries seemed like a good choice. One of the girls told me I looked like a strawberry :) And since cold times are approaching, this summery skirt won't be 'in season' for long.

I made this necklace, and have the last one for sale in my shop. A huge, vintage glass jewel on vintage 1960's brass chain. I love it and got tons of compliments on it!

 I love this belt, a fun, vintage thrift store find that closes with velcro. Awesome.

Seriously, I am a hairstylist. Why did I allow my hair to get this bad?! Maybe childbirth, a month of pneumonia, severe eye infections, painful foot stuff, school starting, moving and all that had somethin' to do with it. HuhIdontknow. I used a mix of 7/7, 7/03 and 6/0 in ColorTouch and 1.9 developer to make this semi-permanent heathery brunette. I only left it on the ends for a few minutes for a light coverage there, so it left a bit of an ombre effect on the highlights. Just what I was going for, perfect for fall and not too different from my natural color. And yes, I do put it on my eyebrows. Gotta match, you know!

 *la camera caught me in a rare mom moment of finger shaking and gentle scolding*
outfit post details on smashion

Sweet Treats: Chocolate Chip Strawberry Walnut Banana Bread Recipe

I bought two  bunches of bananas last night, still a little green. But that doesn't stop the boys from cutting into every single one looking for a ripe fruit. Now, I could have trashed them, but decided to turn an aggrivating situation into a mouth watering one.

♥ Chocolate Chip Strawberry Walnut Banana Bread Recipe ♥

1 c sugar

1/2 c vegetable oil

2 large eggs

4 bananas

1 tsp vanilla

2 c flour

1 1/2 tsp baking soda (oops, I used baking powder and it was fine)

1/8 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1 long squirt lemon juice

1 c walnuts

1 c chopped strawberries

1 c semi-sweet chocolate chips

Mix sugar, oil, eggs, bananas, lemon juice and vanilla together in one bowl. In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Mix them together. Stir in walnuts, strawberries and chocolate chips.

Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes in a greased bread pan (or muffin pan, just lower the time).

 I don't like to smother on butter, I like just a small little hint on a thick, warm slice of bread.

My little guy couldn't shove it down his throat fast enough before begging for another piece.

linked to Chic on a Shoestring's Flaunt it Friday.
Sugar and Dots What I Whipped Up Wednesday

Sweet Treats: Strawberry Banana Streusel Muffins with Strawberry Butter

This is a compilation of about 3 different recipes. This strawberry muffins one (with user suggestions taken into account), and this cran-orange streusel and my banana one. Every recipe I ran into needing strawberries called for lemon or orange zest, and I am fresh out of both (though I do use a tad of lemon juice). So, why not use something else? Because I bought 4 huge packs of strawberries and need to use them before they go yucky.

Muffins:
2 mushy bananas (well mashed)
1/2 c milk
1 egg
1/4 c brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 c flour
1 squirt lemon juice (optional)
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 c chopped strawberries

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) oil an 8 cup muffin tin, or use paper liners.
2. In a small bowl, combine oil, milk, lemon juice, bananas and egg. Beat lightly. In a large bowl, mix flour, salt, baking powder and sugar. Toss in chopped strawberries and stir to coat with flour. Pour in milk mixture and stir together.
3. Fill muffin cups. Top with streusel topping, then lightly sprinkle with sugar.
4. Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 25 minutes, or until the tops bounce back from the touch. Cool 10 minutes and remove from pans.Serve with Strawberry butter.

Streusel Topping:
2 TB flour
2 TB brown sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 TB cold butter
2 TB sugar (to sprinkle on afterwards)

* Combine all (except white sugar) in small bowl. Cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over batter. Sprinkle white sugar on top.


Strawberry Butter:
3 large strawberries
2 tsp confectioner sugar
stick room temp butter

*Blend and drizzle on muffins. Or maybe you just blend the strawberries and then lightly mix it in the butter for a thicker consistency. I don't know, directions were unclear, so play around with it. It looks disgusting, but I promise you it is not. If you use an awesome food processor unlike my old smoothie half-working blender, it will probably look better.

linked to Remodeliholic's recipe linky

and linked to Sweet as Sugar Cookies' Sweets for Saturday linky.

Recipes: Salsa Three Ways

It's no secret, I love me a good salsa. Not only do my husband and I love making salsa together, but it helps us snack on something that is pretty healthy, and inexpensive. Just a few years ago, I would only like runny salsa, just dip my chip in a teeny tiny tad, and shake off any chunks. Wow, have my tastes changed.

For our intro to salsa, plus tips on using and freezing veggies and herbs for later use, visit my post here. Also, you can doctor up any store bought salsa as well by using a few ingredients listed.

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♥ Basically Amazing Salsa Recipe (Chiptole Chicken) ♥

1/2 can well rinsed black beans

1 tomato, chopped

1/4 red onion, chopped

1 poblano pepper, chopped (or jalepeno if you like spicy)

handful fresh cilantro, chopped (we grow our own, it's super easy!)

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 T lemon juice

2 T olive oil (we usually skip this)

2 T vinegar (we usually skip this too)

salt to taste

Mix all, let stand together at room temp for approx 30 mins to let the flavors meld together. This salsa is really good with corn (like a pico de gallo) and cooked chicken chunks in a bit of Tabasco Chiptole sauce chunks added in. Top it on rice with a bit of shredded cheese and you've got your own Chipotle chicken.

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♥ Tangy Strawberry Salsa ♥

1 medium onion, chopped

2 medium avacados, chopped (not smashed, this is not guacamole!!)

4 roma tomatoes, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

huge handful of fresh cilantro, chopped

8 strawberries, chopped
1 squeezed lemon
salt and pepper to taste

After chopping the tomato, avocado and onion, we put it in a pan on the stove and do a light stir frying for about a minute. It helps to add flavor just in case they aren't totally ripe just yet, and makes a nice warmth for serving on chips. Then we mix it all together in a bowl.

I know what you are thinking, "What, strawberries?" I'm telling you, it's awesome. If you ever over do it with onions and garlic (which we tend to do because we love both), tossing in some strawberries balances the flavor and adds something not too sweet and noticeable, but just enough as a 'secret ingredient'.

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♥ Grilled Steak with Avocado-Mango Salsa ♥

I got this recipe from HEB. But, it's still awesome. If you don't have an HEB, you can get recipes here.

For the salsa (serve over steak but also amazing with chips)

1 medium onion, chopped

2 medium avacados, chopped (not smashed, this is not guacamole!!)

4 roma tomatoes, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

huge handful of fresh cilantro, chopped

1 mango, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped
1 squeezed lime
1 c crumbled queso fresco (I didn't do this part, but if you do, it's super good).
salt and pepper to taste

For the steak:
4 boneless beef ribeye steaks, cut 3/4 inch thick (we used 2 super thin cut cheapo steaks).
2 tb olive oil
2 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp EACH of: coarse salt, pepper, oregano, ground cumin
1 cup Texas on the Plate Bodacious Soppin' Sauce or any marinade you like (I'm an A-1 gal).

1. Combine all steak ingredients in bowl and rub on both sides of steak and let sit for 15 mins.
2.  In the meantime, heat grill or charcoals. (we just did it on the stove).
3. Combine all salsa ingredients in a bowl and set aside at room temperature.
4. Grill steaks 6-9 mins per side for med-rare to med doneness. Baste generously after flipping if grilling.
5. Serve salsa, chutney style on steaks.

Sweet Treats: Graham Cracker, Icing and Strawberry Summer Dessert

I love baked goods... when other people make them. Sometimes, I get excited to bake, but the energy, ingrediant checking/shopping and the stress of eating them while fighting off my boys is just too much.

 Also, the heat. Ovens, especially in {Texas} summer, I would rather avoid. Now, this treat may not be for the high society, elitest of bakers, but maybe someone out there may enjoy it, so here goes.

 I simply break the graham crackers along the perforated lines, smear on some chocolate icing (store bought or you can make your own), top with chopped strawberries and a shot of whip cream. If you have fresh mint, that is yummy on top, but my mint plant didn't move with us when we moved.

Easy, fast, no baking involved, simple ingredients and you make the amount you need in one sitting. Oh, and kids love it. Sometimes, I like to spread just a bit of frosting on the graham cracker and eat it without anything else.

Also, can you believe this monster of a strawberry? It's as big as my hand. Of course, my hands are fairly small, but still, it was huge... and most importantly, delicious.