Little Bonnet Girl

I know I've said it before-I'm not super crazy about patterns with little bonnet girls. They bring back a time in my life when my mom decorated  her kitchen with  geese, the color blue and these little girls. I do however, love the font and the little puppies in the pattern and couldn't resist sharing them with you. If little bonnet girls aren't your thing, you can always zombie-fy, punk them up or just cut them out completely. Hmmm....a zombie punk bonnet girl...I like it!

I'm Coming Home

 Special thanks to Elizabeth's needlework design

I have had a craptastic day today. It all started when some jerk cut me off and then almost ran into me on my way to work. It all continued downhill from there. All I could think about today was coming home, which then got me to thinking about-what is home to me? What does it mean?

It's the rush of barking and jumping and kisses I receive from three silly little dogs when I walk through the door.

It's the perfect strawberry in my garden

It's the birds bathing in the pond.

It's a husband that loves me and knows to give me extra hugs because I am having a rough day.

It's my friends that make me laugh and remind me never to take anything to seriously.

A home is not just a roof over your head. Home is a special place in your heart. It allows you to feel safe and comfortable when the rest of the world is crazy around you. It doesn't have to be made of wood or bricks. It is made of love and happiness. Home can be anywhere in the world where you are smiling. Whether I am in here in Portland or visiting a friend on the other side of the world-I am home. 

If You Like Pina Coladas....

I really really hate that song but I LOVE a good Pina Colada. Today I have done nothing but dream about a warm beach, playing in the ocean and sipping yummy drinks with cute little umbrellas in them.


The traditional recipe only has a few ingredients and is so easy to mix up.
Traditional Pina Colada
Ingredients
1 1/2 oz Light rum
2 oz Cream of Coconut
2oz Pineapple juice 
1 cup Crushed ice 

Pour rum, cream of coconut and pineapple juice into a blender with one cup of crushed ice. Blend until smooth, and pour into a collins glass. Garnish with a slice of pineapple and a maraschino cherry, and serve.

The best thing about tropical drinks such as the Pina Colada is that you can pretty much add any fruit flavor with it and it's still good. I highly recommend fresh strawberries or mangoes.

Now if you have a little bit of time on your hands and want to do a lot of mixing, I suggest the Dressed Up Pina Colada.
Dressed Up Pina Colada
Ingredients
2oz. Irish cream
6 oz. hot chocolate
6oz Amaretto
3 oz Coconut rum
3 tbsp Coconut milk
3 tbsp Crushed pineapple
Blend rum, coconut milk and pineapple, with 2 cups of crushed ice, on high for a few seconds, until all large chunks of ice are gone. Pour into glass.

Let's say that you are having lots of friends over and you really don't want to be behind the bar mixing cocktails all day. You want to mingle-it's your given right to say hello to the ladies...well, mix up a Pina Colada Punch and your problems are solved.
Pina Colada Punch
Ingredients

1/2 gallon vanilla ice cream, softened

1 (20 ounce) can crushed pineapple

1 (8 ounce) can coconut cream

1 (46 fluid ounce) can pineapple juice

2 cups light rum

1 (2 liter) bottle lemon-lime soda

In a large plastic container, combine ice cream, crushed pineapple, coconut cream, pineapple juice and rum. Mix well and slowly stir in the lemon-lime soda. Freeze for 4 hours or until slushy.

 

Okay my little party goers. I'm heading out to find the perfect beach. Got my floaties, sunscreen and my Pina Colada. You just need to supply the umbrellas. 

Sweet Saturday

Lately I have been embracing my southern heritage by cooking OMP some of my mom's favorite recipes. When I was a kid, we would spend our summers in Myrtle Beach and Hilton Head South Carolina. It was wonderful to spend the days playing in the ocean, go with my mom in the afternoon and get shrimp right off the boat, only to have a shrimp boil at night. For my southern friends, ya'll know exactly what I am talking about-for those of you who are unfamiliar with the shrimp boil, let me introduce you.

Shrimp Boil
Grab a couple pounds of shrimp, deveined
Cut up a smoke sausage/kelbsa
Shuck some corn and cut it in half
Throw in some red potatoes
Now for seasonings-a bay leaf, some fish/shrimp old bay flavor and 1/2 of a cheap beer.

Throw the veggies into a pot of boiling water for about 7 minutes, then add the kelbsa for another 7 minutes, last throw in the shrimp until it turns a nice pink. Drain, throw some butcher paper down and dig in. Man, that is some good eating.

Now, you are saying-Pam, that ain't exactly sweet. Where's the dessert? Well, I'm getting there. My mom would pick up some fresh limes (preferably key limes) and make up the best Key Lime pie you have ever had. I decided to make bars, incase I wanted to cut a slice and take in on the run with me. I do have to keep up with three dogs ya know.

Key Lime Bars
Ingredients
1 cup and 2 1/2 tablespoons finely ground graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup sugar
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3 large egg yolks
1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated lime zest
2/3 cup fresh Key lime juice
1 cup sweetened condensed milk, (14 ounces)

For the pie crust (once it chills, it will be more cookie like and not as pie crust grainy)
Make crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stir together graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter in a small bowl. Press evenly onto bottom of an 8-inch square glass baking dish. Bake until dry and golden brown, about 10 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack.(Leave oven on.)

For the filling

Make filling: Put egg yolks and lime zest in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Mix on high speed until very thick, about 5 minutes. Reduce speed to medium. Add condensed milk in a slow, steady stream, mixing constantly. Raise speed to high; mix until thick, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low. Add lime juice; mix until just combined.
Spread filling evenly over crust using a spatula. Bake, rotating dish halfway through, until filling is just set, about 10minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack. Refrigerate at least 4 hours

Let me tell you! I could eat the whole pan of these! They are so good! Just the right amount of tart.

Goodness me! I am so sleepy from my yummy dinner and dessert. I think I need to stretch out on the couch and "rest my eyes" for a little bit. Here's to your sweet sleepy Saturday.

Feel Good Friday!

Oh my goodness! I am late today with some Friday feel goods.  I'm sorry everyone-I've been busy enjoying the weather. Now that the sun is setting and the dogs are chasing bugs I can tell you a few good things I've enjoyed today.

I keep changing the theme in my bedroom. Right now I want it to be vintage cowboy/cowgirl. This little girl would be so cute for pillows on my bed. Emmajb8 did a great job!

I started thinking more about my cowboy theme and remembered that Sew Lovely Embroidery has cute little cowgirl patterns! I think, wait, I know I need them! If cowboys aren't your thing, they have other designs that will put a big smile on your face.

I love the ladies over at Kind Over Matter. They can take me from grumpy to happy in less than 2 seconds. They recently told me about a great site, Pugly Pixel. Her thoughts of life around her are just as sweet as the pictures she takes. Plus, he has two dogs that are the silliest little beast. Oh yeah, she has great freebies on her blog. She rocks the party!

It's Pete as a puppy! Well, not really but it's what I imagine him to have looked like and that makes me very happy.

There ya go, a few things to get your weekend started. I am going to head back to my tropical oasis and enjoy the last of the sunset, maybe lay down and look at the stars while the pups run all over me. Yep, life is pretty close to perfect for this old girl. Pretty close.

Tie One On Tuesday!

A lot of you may think that sometimes I drink my dinner-Ha! I wish! No, I like to have a little nosh with my cocktail. Pairing the right food with your cocktails is a must. You certainly wouldn't want a pizza with your martini would you? Of course not, you have more class than that. Here are a few pairings that will impress your guest.


Whiskey cocktails~
If you are a whiskey drinker, think of foods with strong flavors. Lamb, sausage and smoked salmon are perfect meats. If you are pairing with cheese, again, think smokey or sharp. A dark chocolate, or a dipped espresso bean is a wonderful after dinner treat with a nice Scotch.

Vodka Cockails~
Because of it's nondescript taste, vodka is really just a vehicle for whatever it is paired with in a cocktail. A nice Peppercorn cocktail would be great with sushi. Sweeter, spicy vodka is wonderful for pork-maybe spare ribs,or pecan pie. Try a wonderful Lavender vodka cocktail with soft cheeses such as Brie or Havarti.

Rum Cocktails~
This is OMP's favorite! I'm sure he will tell you that rum will go with everything. Since we like tropical drinks, I would pair a nice BBQ rib or chicken with a pineapple rum cocktail. Spicy Thai cuisine heats up as the rum flavors cool down the palate. Of course, any seafood is amazing with rum.

Tequila Cocktails~
Everyone knows that Mexican food is great with tequila but there are so many other options out there. Tequila with a wonderful dark chocolate truffle is a crowd pleaser-you have the contrast of the salty tequila with the bitterness of the chocolate. Seafood is another great flavor, especially shrimp. As far as cheese goes, a mild hard cheese would be best with a slightly sweet flavor, nothing too overpowering.

Okay, is it just me or are you starving now? My mouth is watering for a yummy cocktail and some good food. Take chances with your pairings. Try foods and desserts that generally aren't thought of with traditional cocktails. Think of the way the main ingredient tastes and build a meal around that. Okay that's enough for toady. I have to run, I think I hear the dinner bell ringing!

Love That Leading Man

I was trying to figure out just what to write about tonight-going through my DVD collection-More zombie movies, eh, not feeling it. Kung Fu movie-meh, no high kicks for me. I am in the mood for one of my favorite leading men, James Cagney. Not only could Cagney play the "tough guy" but his dancing and singing were well known throughout the movie community, dating back to his vaudeville days.

Cagney was best known for his tough guy persona. Both Public Enemy and Angels With Dirty Faces cemented him as a cinema bad guy and turned him into a cash cow for the Studios. He received his first Academy award nomination in 1938 for Angels With Dirty Faces for his leading man role. His portrayal of Rocky Sullivan is haunting. Straddling the line between good and evil-eventually falling for the wrong side.


A few years later Cagney stared in Yankee Doodle Dandy. The studio took a gamble on putting him in the role of George M. Cohen, the American composer, singer, & dancer. The movie tells the life store of George Cohen and his contribution to American music.Cagney finally got to show off his very talented feet to his growing public!

Cagney's last movie before his death in 1986, was Ragtime. He played the police commissioner in this turbulent tale of turn of the century music and the racial uprising it brought. The movie was up for 8 Oscars and has been considered one of his greatest roles. The music is as haunting as his performance.

I get a little sad when I see a James Cagney movie. He chose roles that touched something in all of us, the working people of society. These were roles that the average working stiff could relate to. He himself was a hard working man but he made everything look so effortless. He was a gentleman who believed in his work and continued doing so right up until his death.