on a sunday

-picking flowers-

-flowers on the table-

-tazo "refresh mint" + lemon +  hours in the sun-

-rolling out the dough-

-grillin-

-homemade blue cheese dressing-

-pesto + mozz + chicken + sundried tomatoes + artichoke hearts-

-dinner-



Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing

(all ingredients can be adjusted to your liking)

1/2 cup of plain yogurt

1/4 cup mayo

1/4 cup milk (more or less depending

A Moment of Gratitude

Hola Amigos: It's almost midnight in my neck of the woods, another work week has come to an end and again by the Grace of  The One Above I was able to share my recipes, projects or simply thoughts with you my readers and fellow bloggers!
As some of you, now with kids at home, house chores, summer activities and  just trying to keep everybody happy and entertained I've had my hands full! It has been a little difficult to post, catch up with linky parties and most of all answer to all the sweet comments you so kindly take part of your precious time to write on my posts.

This post is for all of you that have stopped by the blog and not gotten your comment answered yet....Thank You! You have no idea how your comments keep me going and bring a smile to my face on days when things are kind of crazy and all you can do is...keep going!

To all of you who are kind enough to invite me to your awesome parties...Thank You...I still can't believe that great bloggers like you want me to hang out and bring my recipes or crafts over  and  be part of your blog and share my ideas with your readers!

To all the friends I've made through blogging, Thank You! Your support is invaluable, when I see your name on a comment I feel comforted that you are back, like an old friend stopping for a cup of coffee and telling me how her day was. You know who you are...and I know you are smiling and nodding your head as I you read these lines And know that when you don't show up for a while...you are deeply missed! That is what happens when you are in first name basis with someone else..lol!

I just wanted to take a minute to Thank You all for making these my blog a place that I look forward to come at the end of my day and try even harder to create something worthy of all your support and appreciation!

Have a great weekend my friends! Enjoy the company and love  of your family and friends. I'm blessed to have you all  as part of my world!

Besitos, 

Lizy

Also giving thanks to friends found at these Fabulous Parties:
Nanny to Mommy
Create with Joy
Sincerely, Paula
Judy H-J's Thoughts

Easy Nutella Brownie Bites

 

"Summer is the time when one sheds one's tensions with one's clothes, and the right kind of day is jeweled balm for the battered spirit.  A few of those days and you can become drunk with the belief that all's right with the world."

 

~Ada Louise Huxtable

 

Oh my, it's Summer, glorious Summer! A time where I want to bake, but the recipe has to be simple, quick, easy and baked at night, after it's cooled down a bit. So a recipe that keeps well is good. And brownies keep well, or I should say they store well, they don't really keep well if they are good (like these) and you keep eating them, if you know what I mean.

 

 

Spray your measuring cup with non stick spray so it comes out easily

And I've been wanting to make this recipe for a while now. You may have seen this recipe around Pinterest, or around the Internet in general. Usually called, Easy Nutella Brownies, or 3 ingredient Nutella Brownies, something like that. They are famous because they are pretty much awesome. And super easy! Everyone loves that.

Stirring up the batter - These are so darned easy, you basically throw a few ingredients in a bowl and stir them together to make the batter.
 

And yes, they are just a few ingredients. It's pretty cool how you basically mix Nutella, flour and an egg and it makes brownies.

Spooning the batter into muffin tins

BUT, this isn't that recipe.

It's slightly different. I made that recipe. I ate one and thought it was good. But for me it wasn't chocolaty enough. I want my brownie to be full of chocolate flavor. So I replaced some of the flour with cocoa powder, and I loved the results. I also added a pinch of salt, and I loved that too.

Right out of the oven

And then just to bring the Nutella flavor home, I frosted the things with the stuff! I think it just finishes them off perfectly. If you like nuts, adding chopped hazelnuts inside as well as on top wouldn't be a bad thing.

These would be great for any Nutella lover. Or great for a party!

And they are seriously easy. So they leave you plenty of time to enjoy this beautiful season!

I frosted mine with Nutella as well as being full of it, and I loved the results

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Hand Embroidered Pink and Red Vintage Tablecloth, Noritake Cheri Plates with Pink Roses, Schumann Arzberg Plate with Pink Roses, Sheffield Silver Tray, Hutschenreuther Selb Teapot, and
Jackson Teacup Set available at my Etsy shop, House of Lucien.






Easy Nutella Brownie Bites

These brownies are fudgy in the center and sort of cakey on the sides from slightly under cooking them. Make sure you don't overcook them.

Makes 8 brownie bites, but the recipe can easily be doubled or tripled


Ingredients

1/2 cup (118 ml.)Nutella at room temperature

1 egg

2 Tablespoons (16 g.) Unsweetened Cocoa

3 Tablespoons (24 g.) all purpose flour

pinch of salt

More Nutella for frosting - optional


Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, 180 degrees Celsius, Gas Mark 4.

In a medium sized bowl add the Nutella, (if it's not already at room temperature, if it's straight from the fridge, put it in the microwave for about 40 seconds first) and the egg and stir until combined. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir until well combined.

Spray a mini muffin pan with cooking spray, or line it with liners. With a spoon scoop the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for about 12-15 minutes. Until the edges and sides are set, but the center is still not set. A toothpick should come out clean around the sides, but the middle will be wet. As they cool this will make them fudgy in the middle.

Let them cool on wire racks for 10 minutes or so, then remove from the pan and let cool completely before frosting. If you serve them when they haven't cooled completely they may seem uncooked in the middle. But when they cool they will be fudgy and delicious. Keep stored in an air tight container in the fridge and serve at room temperature. They should keep for 3 days stored in the fridge.

Enjoy!

yosemite falls

note: this post involves quite a bit of shameless bragging about my kids. 



We rolled into Yosemite National Park as the sun was melting from the sky behind the mountains. 

Windy roads through boulders and sky scraping trees, we came around the mountain and 

BOOM.

The valley. 

Greeted by canyon walls higher than I have ever seen, with El Capitan in front and Half Dome casting shadows in

Apple and Sage Pork Burgers with Green Apple Slaw Recipe

Hola Amigos! The weekend is almost here,  I can't believe how fast this week has gone by! and why it always feel like that when it comes to summer, while winter days seem to last forever...oh well, let's enjoy the sun while it lasts.
Tonight's dinner was prepared while we were busy mowing the lawn, weeding and all the stuff that you do to keep your yard in shape. So far only tiny strawberries and 0 blackberries...hmmm wonder what's going on with this year's crop...but back to the recipe.
 Something quick and easy needed to be done, so my hubs got his grill out and cooked some hot dogs for kiddo, some sausages for him and some pork burgers for me!
This burgers I made the same way you would made a pork  loin or chops. All the herbs but just a tiny touch of them because they can be strong and take over the flavors and apples! On top of the burger and on the side, Green Apple Slaw everything on a Hawaiian bun. Sounds tempting? Here is the recipe!

Apple and Sage Pork Burgers with Green Apple Slaw

1 Pd. Ground Pork

2 TBSP Apple Sauce

1 tsp. Minced Garlic

1/2 tsp Sage (or to taste)

1/2 tsp Paprika

1/4 tsp Allspice

1/2 tsp Thyme Leaves (or to taste)

Salt and Pepper to taste 
Hawaiian Buns
BBQ Sauce Optional

Add all these ingredients to the ground pork and mix until everything is combined. Form your patties and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes so the herbs can infuse the pork.

When this is done, grill your burgers keeping in mind is pork and it needs to be cooked to an internal temperature of 145 (We are old school and still go to 155-160).

Green Apple Slaw

3 Cups Pre-Bagged Cole Slaw

2 Green Apples, no core, chopped in any fashion you like.

1 Small carrot shredded

1/4 of a Red Bell Pepper finely chopped

1/4 of a Orange Bell Pepper finely chopped

1/4 Red Onion Sliced

1/2 Cup Mayo

1 TBSP Dijon Mustard

1 TBSP Red Wine Vinegar

1/3 Cup Brown Sugar

The Juice of Half a Lemon

Mix all the veggies and mayo in a salad bowl. Squirt a little bit of the juice of you half lemon into the chopped apples so they remain green and add them to the veggie bowl. In a measuring cup add the rest of the juice of your half lemon, mustard and brown sugar. Mix until the sugar is dissolved, Add this to the veggie/apple mix, toss to combine and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.

I know the amounts of ingredients might look odd to you ( 1/4 of a bell pepper for instance) but I'm trying to keep it real and that is exactly what I used. 

Listo,

They were good and very satisfying. I just love the crispiness and tartness of the creamy green apple slaw combined with the sweetness of the Hawaiian bun with a bite of earthy and herb infused pork!

I'm sure you noticed that the burgers were glazed with BBQ sauce, my hubs, the grill master this time, likes everything with sauce so before I knew it it was already on the burgers, but they still were delicious!

The thing I love the most about burgers is that there is no wrong way of doing one! As long as you don't burn it of course!

And in case you were asking for cheese? Why not...Melted Swiss Cheese goes heavenly on top of this burger!

Thank you for sharing yet another burger recipe! Hope this one along with other favorites like our Hawaiian Burger with Aloha Sauce or the Black and Blue Burgers with Pimento Dressing becomes one of the burgers you'll give a try this summer!

Remember my friends, everything tastes better with a Pinch of Love,

Besitos,

Lizy

Sharing some crunchy and creamy apple slaw at these Fabulous Parties:
Feeding Big
Sara Howe
The Dedicated House
The Plaid and Paisley Kitchen
Clariejustine oxox
Ms. enPlace
WCFS
Who Needs a Cape
4 You with Love
Sew Licious Home Decor
The Tumbleweed Contessa
Serenity You
Cheerios and Lattes
Whipperberry
Diana Rambles
Dear Cratives
My Romantic Home
Chic on a Shoestring
Simply Designing
The Best Blog Recipes
The Home Girl
504 Main
Love and Laundry
One Artsy Mama
The Pin Junkie
Kitchen Fun with my 3 Sons
Walking on Sunshine
Living Better Together
My Turn (for us)
Titi Crafty
twelveOeight
Under the Table and Dreaming
Between Naps on the Porch
Food Done Light
Do Small Things with Love
This and That

beach babies

For the past 10 years, we have been lucky enough to have met up with Robby's family in Ventura for the perfect celebration of summer: the beach.

waves crashing

salty air

sand between toes. 

....and lots and lots of cousins. 



Ten years ago when it all started.....we'd been married for a year at our first visit to
"The Beach House".

It was my first time playing in the ocean and we spent

Pizza Burgers Recipe

Hola Amigos, Ciao Paisanos! We are having pizza for dinner tonight, what's so great about it you are probably asking? It's a Pizza Burger! Everything you like in your pizza, just put it in a patty and a bun! It's summer folks, I let other people do the cooking,,I just deal with the prep, can you blame me?..LOL
This burger is super easy but remarkably tasty with endless possibilities, just like your regular pizza. Ready to give it a try, here is what I used.

Pizza Burgers

The Meats

The Veggies to top your pizza

 Your choice! Either roasted of raw, it's your pizza!

The Cheeses

A good 1/2 cup of freshly shredded Parmesan Cheese and Slices of Mozzarella to top your patties.

The Fixings

Your favorite veggies, more cheese, olives and pizza sauce.

The Bread

Extra Yuminess

 Roasted Garlic Butter

1 Stick of softened unslated butter, 1 TBSP chopped Italian Parsley, a pinch of salt and 1 Head of Roasted Garlic (peel garlic, chopped top, exposing top of the cloves, rub a little bit of olive oil on top, wrap your garlic on aluminum foil and bake in a 400F oven for 30-35 min. Remove from oven and when cool to the touch you are ready to squeeze each clove onto whatever you choose!)

Make your patties by mixing the meats, in regards of the pepperoni, there is no amount of it mentioned because you add as much as you want. You could either grind it up to have the same texture as the rest of your meat or diced it finely to get a spicy chunk in every bite. Add 1/2 of freshly grated Parmesan cheese and make patties to fit your buns. Mine were rectangles, grill until sausage is cooked. 

Top each burger while hot with a slice of Mozzarella Cheese and Pizza Sauce.

 Listo,

Now to put your burger together! To make it taste more like your favorite pizza dough add a little of Roasted Garlic Butter to each slice of Bread

 I got 4 good size burgers and 2 smaller ones for my little guy!

Just Consider the endless topping possibilities with this burger! I think I will make a Hawaiian soon!

So here is my Pizza Burger for tonight folks! Hope you enjoyed today's recipe and try a Pizza Burger of your own, would love it if you make it and let me know how it was! 

Thank You for sharing this meal with me! Remember everything tastes better with a Pinch of Love,

Besitos

Piccoli Baci, 

Lizy

Sharing some Pizza Burgers at these Fabulous Parties:
Feeding Big
Sara Howe
The Dedicated House
The Plaid and Paisley Kitchen
twelveOeight
Clairejustine oxox
Ms. enPlace
WCFS
Who Needs a Cape
4 You with Love
Sew Licious Home Decor
The Tumbleweed Contessa
Serenity You
Cherrios and Lattes
Whipperberry
Diana Rambles
Dear Creative
My Romantic Home
Chic on a Shoestring
Simply Designing
The Best Blog Recipes
The Home Girl
504 Main
Love and Laundry
One Artsy Mama
The Pin Junkie
Kitchen Fun with my 3 Sons
Walking on Sunshine
My Turn (for Us)
Living Better Together
Sparkles and a Stove
Consider me Inspired
the Mandatory Mooch
Easy Life Meal and PlannigFood Done Light
No Minimalist here
Fireflies and Jellybeans
Real Coake.com
Sew Crafty Angel
Life with the Crust Cut Off
The Shady Porch
Dragonfly Designs
Ginger Snap Crafts
Ducks 'n a Row
Marty's Musings
Fluster Buster
Mom's Test Kitchen
Clean and Scentsible
Savvy Southern Style
Titi Crafty
Under The Table and Dreaming
Between Naps on the Porch
Food Done Light
Do Small Things with Love
Be Different, Act Normal
Chef in Training

Salmon and Shrimp Burgers Recipe

Hola Amigos! Happy Monday. Summer is here to stay now! Yesterday we had a rather hot and humid 90 degree weather day. Ufff...it can't get a little too hot sometimes but it's all good because at night we had the most amazing Super Moon!!! Oh My Word!...what a beautiful sight it was! and if you allow me to say this, the first thought that crossed my mind was God is Good!
But back to our burger today, Grill Master " Big Boy" had friends over and he wanted to try something different for them, could you please get me some salmon burgers at the store? he said...so off the store I went, no pre made patties though, time to improvise with fresh wild caught salmon and why not...add some large raw shrimp into the mix. I've never done home made salmon burgers before and never for a hungry teen crowd, talk about pressure!!! There goes nothing, I said...and here are the results:

Salmon and Shrimp Hamburgers

1 1/2 Pounds Salmon, finely minced and skinned

12 oz Raw Large Shrimp, finely minced, save a couple for garnish

1 Cup Panko

1 TBSP Seafood Seasoning

1/3 Cup finely chopped trilogy (celery onion and bell peppers)

1tsps fresh grind ginger

1 clove garlic

salt and peper to taste (optional)

1 Large Egg beaten

1 tsps Lemon juice

1 TBSP Soy Sauce

Buns, lettuce, fixings of your preference (we prepared or "copy cat campfire mayo and our go to glaze) 

In a large bowl mix Minced Salmon, shrimp, panko, trilogy, ginger and garlic.Mix with your hands until all ingredients are fully combined. At this moment you may add salt of pepper if you choose to, I did not.

In a separate bowl, combine egg, soy sauce and lemon juice.

Add this mixture to the salmon and shrimp bowl, mix and at this point make your patties.

Oil your grill (very important), place your burgers and cook to desired doneness . 

As soon as your burgers are done, grill the saved shrimp for a couple of seconds and garnish each burger with one of them . 

Fix them to your liking 

Listo. 

I tell you friends I had to steal 2 burgers in order to take some pictures, because I think they were gone the minute they were out of the grill, teens can really devour food when they feel like it, lol

I figure either they were good or the kids were plain hungry!

But it turns out they were good! As a matter of fact, I even heard the "we gotta make these again"! Whoot Whoot! Victory!

I think I've a hit among the teen crowd and will keep them coming for more!

Not quite sure is a good idea for my wallet, but I love to see them happy and well fed as you can see they also ate all of their veggies without protesting!

The campfire sauce is so easy, just 1/2 cup Mayo, 3 TBSP  BBQ Sauce and  1 TBSP Relish, yumm!

Yes there is a bit more work involved than just buying the ready made patties, but I tell you is well worthy, fresher taste, quality ingredients and best of all a happy crowd.

Thank You for visiting today! I hope your summer is extra warm with the love of your family and friends gathered around every meal!

Remember my friends, everything tastes better with a Pinch of Love! 

Besitos,

Lizy

Sharing Grill Master Big Boy's newest creation at these Fabulous Parties:
Sara Howe
twelveOeight
Clairejustine oxox
Ms. enPlace
WCFS
Who Needs a Cape
4 You with Love
Sew Licious Home Decor
The Tumbleweed Contessa
Serenity You
Cheerios and Lattes
Whipperberry
Diana Rambles
Dear Creatives
My Romantic Home
Chic on a Shoestring
Simply Designing
The Best Blog Recipes
The Home Girl
504 Main
Love and Laundry
One Artsy Mama
The Pin Junkie
Kitchen Fun with my 3 Sons
Walking on Sunshine
My Turn (for Us)
Living Better Together
Sparkles and a Stove
Consider Me Inspired
The Mandatory Mooch
Easy Life Meal and Planning
Food Done Light
No Minimalist Here
Fireflies and Jellybeans
Sew Crafty Angel
Real Coake.com
Life with the Crust Cut Off
The Shady Porch
Dragonfly Designs
Ginger Snap Crafts
Ducks 'n a Row
Marty's Musings
Fluster Buster
Savvy Southern Style
Love Bakes Good Cakes
Shaffer Sisters
Memories by the Mile
Rate The Plate Utah
Nap Time Creations
Pint Sized Baker
Sugar Bee Crafts
Our Home Away from Home
The Tumbleweed Contessa
Mom's Test Kitchen
Clean and Scentsible
Titi Crafty
Under the Table and Dreaming
Between Naps on the Porch
Do Small Things with Love