Tasty Tuesday

For the last few weeks I have done meals that would be good for dinner and I wanted to do something a little different this week. 

Since around the holidays, I have been making a homemade breakfast every Sunday for the Mister and I and this week I thought I would share one of the things I recently made. Banana-stuffed French Toast. He saw the recipe in the new William-Sonoma catalog and decided that we needed to try it. So, try it we did.

Here is what you'll need...

• 2 Tbs. butter
• 2 Tbs. plus 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 large ripe bananas (I just used 3 medium ones)
• 1 lb loaf of day-old challah (I couldn't find any so I used square sourdough, and even though there are two pictured, I only used one)
• 2 cups milk
• 6 eggs
• 1/2 Tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 Tsp. honey

First, you will want to peel and cut up your bananas into rounds. 

Melt 2 tbs. of butter in a skillet over medium heat. 

Once melted, add in your 2 tbs. of sugar and 2 tbs. of water, stirring until the water is dissolved.

Cook until it is lightly caramelized, about 4 to 5 minutes.

Add in your bananas and cook for about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. 

Resist the urge to just stop here and eat the bananas on their own, and place them in a bowl.

Yup, that will work. While your bananas are cooling, go ahead and preheat your panini maker and we'll get the bread ready.

Cut your loaf into 1 1/2 inch slices. Mine are a little unevenly cut, but it'll work. 

Cut a 2 inch slit on one side of the bread slice, cutting about 3/4 of the way through. 

Now, go ahead and stuff in some of the banana mixture. There is no real measurement here, but I would say I used any where from 1 to 2 tablespoons, or until it seems stuffed enough, but not too stuffed. 

Set aside your bread slices and now we'll get the egg mixture together. In a mixing bowl combine 6 eggs and 2 cups of milk.

Next, mix in the 1/2 cup of sugar, 1/2 tsp. of cinnamon, and 1/4 tsp. of honey.

Once it is all mixed together, pour into a 13x9 baking dish.

Soak your bread slices for 5 minutes, turning once in a while to make sure both sides are coated.

They are looking good!

Your panini press should be hot and ready by now, and you will want to give it a quick spray with a non-stick cooking spray.

Go ahead and place in two of your bread slices and lightly press down, cooking it for 4 to 5 minutes. 

This is what you will have when you are done! These got a little dark, but that was okay, I give them to my husband and he just ate them right on up!

For mine, I smothered on a light layer of Nutella (can you really lightly smother something??) and a little extra on the side. Bananas and Nutella. I was a happy girl on Sunday morning. 

The french toast was wonderful and so filling that it kept us going right until dinner that night. While it was fantastic, I can't say I would make it all the time, but probably keep it for special breakfasts or when we have guests. We don't really ever do either though, so I would probably make it once every 3 to 6 months. 

If you are looking for something fun to make for breakfast, I would give this one a go!

Peace out *g*

Whoa, it's an Etsy Shop Update!

I have been working on some new cards and ideas and I am so happy to share some of the new ones that I have just listed in my Etsy shop. Since March is my (and the mister's) birthday month, I felt it was appropriate to list some new birthday cards.

Head over to the shop to check them out. 

Are there any events, holidays or topics you would like to see a card made for? Leave me a comment  and you might just see it in the shop.

Peace out *g*

Giveaway Winner!

First off, WOW! I never expected all the response and views my spring giveaway would get. I was so happy that everyone else was as excited for spring as I was (and loved a fun giveaway). Thank you for everyone who viewed, commented, tweeted, blogged, or just let others know about it. I really appreciated it.

Now, on to the winner. I used the random number generator and the winner is...

Congratulations chksngr! Send me an email to sayanythingcreations (at) yahoo (dot) com and I'll get our your fabulous prizes to you!

Thank again for everyone who entered and have a fabulous week!

Peace out *g*

A Few Quick Peeks

Whew! It is almost the end of the work week, and let me tell you, I am READY! I don't have any real plans for the weekend, beyond making cards and watching the movies I got from Netflix, but I am looking forward to it none the less. I start my new (old) part time job next week and then start off a whirlwind of birthday celebrations/scrapbooking events/other fun spring things that will carry me well into May.

I plan on updating the Etsy shop over the weekend or early next week (haven't decided which yet, but watch this space for once I do), but I wanted to share a few sneak peeks of some of the new cards I have been working on.

While I enjoy making cards for various holidays, it is always fun to just make some for some basic celebrations or some just because. This is a great time of year as we are in between card giving holidays, at least for a few months, and I get a chance to work on some ideas I have had on the back burner.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Friday and don't forget to enter my spring giveaway here which runs until tomorrow night at midnight!

Peace out *g*

Tasty Tuesday

The recipe for this week was one I found shortly after I returned home from a visit to Houston in April 2009. I had been looking for a copy cat recipe of Chuy's Creamy Jalapeno Dip and I found this blog instead. More importantly, I found a post about Houston style carnitas. I liked carnitas and the idea of making them at home intrigued me. Why it took almost two years to make them, I have no idea, but I can assure you, I know that I won't be waiting that long again.

You only need a few things for this recipe. A 3 pound pork shoulder roast, boneless. If you can't find a boneless one, you can ask the butcher to remove it for you (like I did). You will also need water, orange juice and salt. That's it kiddos!

Here is my pork...all ready to be sliced and diced.

Not really diced. Just sliced. 

You will want to cut your pork into strips, about 3 inches by 1 inch. 

You will want to add the pork to a large pot with 1 cup of orange juice, 3 cups of water, and 2 teaspoons of salt. 

You will want to bring it to a boil. Once it comes to a boil, you will want to simmer it on low, uncovered , for two hours. 

After two hours, this is what you will have. You will want to turn it up to medium high heat and continue to cook until all of the liquid has evaporated.  This should take about 45 minutes and you will want to stir a few times to make sure that the pork doesn't stick. 

After 45 minutes, this is what you should have. The pork should be brown on both sides and there will be some liquid fat in the pan. 

At this point the pork is ready. I attempted to remove it from the pan to a cutting board to shred it, but it just fell apart before it could get it out of the pan (a good sign!), so I was able to just use my tongs to shred it and break it apart in the pan and then I moved it to a serving bowl.

This is what it looked like after I moved it to the bowl. It was delicious and I had to stop myself from "taste-testing" it and remind myself that I had made it for tacos. 

Just gather your favorite taco fillings and feast away! We enjoyed it for several more days, on nachos, as sandwiches, or just a quick bite here and there. 

A note from the blog that I got this recipe from, and one that I would totally agree with, is that fat is a key part in this. Make sure that there is plenty of fat on the cut of pork that you get and don't trim it off. If there isn't enough fat, it will turn out dry, and that would make for sad carnitas. 

The next time you are thinking about making tacos or burritos, instead of using beef or chicken, I would recommend giving this a try!

Peace out *g*

Spring is at my door (and could be at yours!)

While old man winter can't seem to just let this year go (we woke up to a fresh layer of snow this morning), I am over it and getting on with spring, whether the weather agrees or not.

I went out shopping with my mom last week, something I hadn't done in quite sometime, and enjoyed getting to pick up some new things for the coming months, and I thought I would share some of my favorites for spring with you.

NARS new Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil

I picked out New Lover for myself. 

While the colors may seem intense, they go on very sheer and just give your lips a nice glossy look. It's also not one of those overly-sticky glossy feelings either, which are always a bad thing.

I had been painting my nails all sorts of dark shades during winter. Browns, reds, grays, well, you get the idea. I was ready to break out the pastels and Revlon has some of the prettiest shades for spring. 

The one on the left is Gum Drop (and was scored at CVS for an awesome deal this week) and the one on the right is Minted and the color that I am currently wearing. 

I am a self-admitted junky when it comes to Bath and Body Works. I only go in when there is a really good sale, like buy 3 get 3 free, but I'll usually make a couple trips. While I love the scents I get there, I can't help but feel like Victoria's Secret doesn't get much love for their scents, and they have one of my all time favorites, especially for spring. 

While Bath and Body can be a little heavy on the "fruit" or "flower" smell in their scents, this is just the right mixture of floral and is very light and delicate smelling. It is from their Secret Moments collection and is called Girls Night. It is also usually offered for a really good deal, sometimes even better than the deals at Bath and Body, and I am all about the deals. 

Circling back around to NARS, I also picked up a new duo eyeshadow from them that I really wasn't sure about at first.

The color is called Sugarland and it is more purple in person, which made me a little nervous. I had been told that purple is a good color for bringing out blue eyes, though, and figured I would give it a go. I LOVE it! It is sheer enough so it doesn't look I walked straight out of 1987 (not that I would be complaining) and it really does bring out my eyes more. 

The last thing I want to share I don't actually have yet. I've made several hints that they would make a nice gift for my birthday at the end of the month, but I might just have to snag them up before than as a treat to myself. I'm not sure I can wait!

They are Sperry Top-Siders 'Angelfish' in gold and I am in love. They actually look more silver in person. I thought they would be the perfect fun pair of shoes for spring.

Now, that you have gone through this list with me, I have something for you! I will be giving away some of my favorite things for spring! Here is what you will win:

- a bottle of Revlon Minted and Gum Drop.

- a bottle of Girls Night body lotion for the Victoria's Secret 'Secret Moments' collection.

- a $25 gift card to Sephora to get one of the NARS Velvet Gloss Lip Pencils, one of the eye duos, or maybe something else fun!

To enter, leave a comment here and tell me one of your favorite things for spring. The giveaway will run until midnight EST March 11th. Good Luck!

Peace out *g*

Tasty Tuesday

I know. It's not Tuesday. I have been sick as a dog the last two days, so blogging was not on my mind last night. I'm sorry. I am back today, though, with a belated Tasty Tuesday.

Mmmm. Cheesy Italian Meatball Casserole.

This is a super easy one for any of those nights where putting a lot of effort into dinner is the last thing you want to do. It only uses 5 ingredients, most which you probably already have in your pantry. A 16 oz of box of pasta (we used rotini, but have also used penne as well), a 26 oz jar of pasta sauce, a 15 oz can of tomato sauce, shredded mozzarella cheese, and 30-32 frozen meatballs. The bag shown here was 32 oz and I was able to make this twice from it. 

You will want to start by preheating your oven to 400 degrees. While that is warming up, you can go ahead and cook your pasta. 

Once the pasta is cooked, drain. While it is draining, go ahead and in the same pot on low to medium heat, mix the jar of pasta sauce, the can of tomato sauce and the meatballs. 

Once the pasta is drained, you can go ahead and add it back in with the sauce and meatballs. You will want to make sure to mix it all well together. Don't worry about heating up the meatballs all the way, they will get warmed up and cooked in the oven.

Once everything is well mixed in the pot, place it all in a 13x9 baking dish and cover with aluminum foil. You will want to bake for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, take out the casserole and uncover. Spread as much mozzarella cheese on top as you would like. We like cheese here in our household, so I covered the entire thing. Yum! Place it back in the oven, uncovered, for 5 minuted or until cheese is melted. 

Take out a let cool for a few minutes and serve up with your favorite garlic bread! You can also add other things in with it, like green pepper, mushrooms, well, you get the idea. The husband isn't a big fan of either of those things, so I chose to keep it simple. He loves it though and make for great left overs and  something to take with me to work. 

Hope everyone is having a good (and healthy) week. I am hoping to just make it to Friday.

If you didn't win the giveaway I held here last week, please check out my dear friend Kai's blog, where she is holding a giveaway for BOTH of Pioneer Woman's books! Double the chance to win!

Peace out *g*