taco salad...weight watcher's style

i have forced myself to start WW again. Taco Salad is a big dinner staple for me because i can get a huge salad with lot's of taste for 8-9 points.

i splurged this time by using 11 doritos. that's a full serving, but 5 chips do just fine and i will stick to that next time. i was a dummy and used a full cup of meat instead of 1/2c. which is the bulk of the points.(4 for 80%)

my point saver came with my brilliant idea with the dressing. i am not a huge salad person. if i eat one i want a rasberry vinegarette or creamy italian. so, Kraft's creamy italian is all i keep in my fridge. well, 2T of it is 3 points. i didn't want to use that much, so i halfed it and mixed it with a good amount of green salsa verde sauce, which is zero points. it was perfect.

i think next time i'm gonna nix the meat and use black beans!!

mexican wedding cookies

i love the look of a white themed shower. these mexican wedding cookies are perfect for it. our family had a tradition of the danish ones, but now we will not be needing them. this recipe is super simple and delicious.

i love the look of the apothecary jars. so, i bought some.

mission complete: brownie dessert

my mother had a group of family over for dinner the other night. she made a box brownie and when it was time for dessert she threw them at me and said, "make them look cool" so, i did......

a truffle sized icecream scoop of coffee and vanilla and wet pecans...with chocolate sauce, of course.

(i've been missing, i know. i think i'm back up for business. keep your eyes peeled for home shots. we've been BUSY!)

ice box cakes

found this through a link of a link. this is their photo, but i made it and it looks exactly the same. it's called Ginger Mascarpone Icebox Cake. it's super easy, no-bake and good god almighty is it pricey! Calls for a lb. of mascarpone which is about $13 alone. the ginger is only about $2, but add it all up and geez louise! i am on a mission to make my own mascarpone next time. it's doable.

i will post the recipe below.

Ginger Mascarpone IceBox Cake:

~12 oz. gingersnap crumbs, about 2-1/4 cups (from about 40 Nabisco brand cookies)

~2-1/2 oz. (5 Tbs.) unsalted butter, melted

~8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature

~1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt

~2/3 cup sugar; more for the pan

~1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

~1/2 cup minced candied (crystallized) ginger

~1 lb. mascarpone cheese

~1/3 cup heavy cream

~~how to make:
Spray a 9-inch springform pan with nonstick cooking spray or grease it lightly. Dust the pan with a little sugar and knock out any excess. Combine the gingersnap crumbs and butter, rubbing them together with your fingertips to combine thoroughly. Sprinkle half of the crumbs over the bottom of the pan and pat down evenly; reserve the rest.
With an electric mixer, whip together the cream cheese, yogurt, sugar, vanilla, and candied ginger until smooth, scraping down the sides. Add the mascarpone and cream and whip until the mixture is thoroughly combined and just holds peaks. Don’t overwhip or the mixture may separate. Carefully spoon half of the mascarpone cream over the gingersnap crust, spreading it evenly to the edges of the pan. Sprinkle half of the remaining crumbs over the mascarpone cream in the pan. Top with remaining mascarpone cream and finish with the remaining crumbs. Gently tap the pan on the counter to eliminate any air bubbles. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. To serve, warm a sharp knife under hot water and dry it off. Cut one slice, clean the knife and warm it again before cutting the next slice.

there are two more i am going to try soon......keep your eyes posted.

interior design: wish list/bathroom wall plans

here is an item on my wish list...its a 9x12 jute rug from west elm. you can see it in the room view below, but i want it in what i'm thinking they call platinum. it looks to be a light grayish blue. it's not in my budget per se, but i don't care. i will have it. its $279ish

next up is an idea i would LOVE for a bathroom. look at the wood panel walls! it was only in display for west elm bathroom cabinets and drawers. i don't like the way they are under the bathroom sink, but one day i WILL have walls like that and a sink like that would be nice too.

scalloped potatoes

i have made this twice in the past week. yikes!

scalloped potatoes:

~4 cups thinly sliced potatoes

~flour

~salt/pepper

~butter

~cheddar cheese

~3/4 c. milk, scalded

~~~butter casserole dish. layer thin potato slices. sprinkle with flour, sprinkle with s&p and put tiny bits of butter all around...and i mean tiny(in other words, look at my pictures and reduce what i did by over half). then sprinkle with cheese. each cup of potatoes should make a layer....so after your last layer, before you put the cheese on, pour in your scalded milk.(just bring to a boil) and then top with cheese. bake on 350 for 30 minutes, or like me...microwave for about 25 minutes!

my first wedding cake...

i made this for lee's cousin. she got married yesterday. it was my gift to her.

it was a pain because the butter cream gave me a hard time. but after 16 sticks of butter, i finally got it "okay". still didn't spread like it was supposed to, but i blame the humidity on all the curdling and softening. after it was said and done, i used 22 sticks of butter and about 8lbs of sugar...i used a bottle and a half of vanilla and you can guess the rest.....it was lopsided and very amateur but, Sarah loved it and everyone said it tasted great. so, all is well.