Grilled Romaine Hearts - Yes I said Grilled!!!

GRILLED ROMAINE HEARTS WITH AVOCADO-LIME DRESSING

What you need.....

 

2 romaine hearts, washed, trimmed, and sliced in half
1 clove of garlic (chopped)

2 tablespoons olive oil
a pinch of salt and pepper

Avocado Lime Dressing

1 ripe avocado
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic, chopped all small
½ teaspoon agave or honey
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 cup water
salt to taste

For the dressing, put all the ingredients in a small food processor and combine until creamy. Add the pinch of sea salt and mix it in. If too thick, add more water until it looks like salad dressing (like a ranch dressing texture). Pour it all into a small container and refrigerate until the lettuce is ready.

Medium/High Heat on Grill

Mix Oil/Salt/Pepper/Garlic and brush or spoon the oil mixture to the cut side of the lettuce. Place the lettuce face down on the grill for 60 seconds or until there are clear grill marks and the leaves are beginning to wilt. Flip the hearts over and grill the other side for another 60 seconds. 

 

 

 

When they look good, put them on a plate and put some dressing over the hearts. Top with sliced green onions, chopped cilantro, and plenty of black pepper.

 Enough for 4 people with some extra dressing

 

 

~*~ Party in your Mouth ~*~

 

Blooming Onion Bread - Oh Yeah!!!!!

My husbands birthday had me grilling and creating things I've never done before, but recipe kept my mouth watering, so making this was a must.......

 

INGREDIENTS:

 

1 Unsliced loaf of Sourdough Bread (I picked one up from Panera Bread)

 

12-16oz Montery Jack Cheese block (thinly sliced) - I actually used 8oz and I thought it was more

than enough - I couldn't used a few more slices, but all n'all it was outstanding!!

 

1/2 Cup Butter

 

1/2 Cup Finely diced green onions (I placed green onions in the food processor first then measured 1/2 cup)

 

2 Tsp. Poppy Seeds

 

Cut the bread lengthwise and widthwise without cutting through the bottom crust. This can be a little tricky going the second way but the bread is very forgiving.

 

Place on a foil-lined baking sheet. Insert cheese slices between cuts.

 

Melt butter and combine green onions and poppy seeds.  Drizzle over bread.  Wrap in foil; place on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

Unwrap the bread and bake 10 more minutes, or until cheese is melted.

While still in oven it looked like this:

 

Then of course presentation is everything....this was the first of many goodies I made for my husbands B-Day dinner:

It looked like this for just a few minutes, before we pulled apart and devoured!!!

 

Tropical Sun Smoothie

Oh Damn!  My new fav green veggie - Bok Choy.  First time having it and seriously thinking of many new ways to eat it ... or drink it in this case.....

Totally enjoying my new "Green Book"....this is one of the recipes that I've enjoyed for the last 4 straight days straight - just can't get enough.....I'm thinking of adding some strawberries the next time around....  Optional additional ingredients "Chia Seeds" or "Ground Flax" for added benefits.

TROPICAL SUN SMOOTHIE

2 bulbs Bok Choy
1 Orange (peeled of course)
1 Cup Coconut Water
1 Cup Pineapple (frozen)
1 Banana
1 Tablespoon of Virgin Coconut I bought mine at Trader Joe's and  totally use this on my face every night - about 1/4 teaspoon is more than enough...

BLEND FIRST 3 INGREDIENTS UNTIL SMOOTH - I use a Ninja!!  Then add remaining ingredients.....

BLEND & ENJOY!!

 

 

A LITTLE FYI:

Benefits of Bok Choy:
http://www.livestrong.com/article/5382-need-health-benefits-bok-choy/

Benefits of Coconut Oil:
http://www.care2.com/greenliving/the-amazing-health-benefits-of-virgin-coconut-oil.html

DIY - Jewelry Hanger

Another day of DIY'ing !!

I found an old frame and put it to use.  First I went to Home Depot, bought myself Gutter Guard (http://www.homedepot.com/p/Amerimax-Home-Products-6-in-x-36-in-Hinged-Gutter-Guard-Unpainted-85280BX/100002884) and a pair of Snips.

Got home and got to work.....

So simple and easy to do!!  TADA!!





Now hung in our bathroom, that way my daughters and I have a place to hang our jewelry rather than taking chance of losing it by leaving them on top of the sink.

Vintage Inspired Bathroom with Recycled Decor

If my husband comes home trying to figure out where I moved things now, he's going to have a cow.  Well he better grab his lasso, because I'm in for another DIY adventure :)

I hate to throw away wine bottles, love the shape and I know there is something I can use them for.....I started removing the labels by simply adding hot water INSIDE of the bottle, then soaking the entire bottle in hot water for a few hours until the labels could slip right off.  The remaining goop was removed with a brillo pad - so easy!

Anyway, before I even thought about giving my bathroom "another" makeover, I started with one bottle and moved on to two bottles, then thought to myself...OMG! I can redecorate my bathroom again with a vintage inspired theme....

This is how it started.....

I poured white paint (I already had this paint, otherwise I would've taken a trip to Home Depot).  I swooshed around until the bottle was completely covered inside then just placed it upside down so that the remaining paint could pour out.

Then I took a trip to Michaels and purchased these cute little vintage keys (I had a 50% of coupon - so I was in my glory)

I took the bottles to the bathroom and began to think of how I could decorate using these bottles.  I had some book-boxes, etc. for extra décor.

THIS IS HOW I FIRST SET THINGS UP:

 

THEN OF COURSE I CHANGED MY MIND .....

I'M NOT DONE YET, I STILL HAVE ONE WALL THAT I'M WORKING ON IN THE BATHROOM AND CHANGING DECOR ON THE LONG STEP GOING INTO THE TUB - I'LL POST PICS WHEN COMPLETE...UNTIL THEN...HAPPY DIY'ing