small things.

Yesterday, the Denver area received a few inches of snow. I was busy working on my computer and then gazed out the window, only to find a white beautiful bliss falling from the sky creating a winter wonderland.  I immediately stood up, walked to the window raising the blinds, and snapped a picture to capture that moment. I love that feeling of excitement when you first see snow falling to the bare ground, that quickly becomes covered in white, along with everything else in sight. You would think living in Colorado, that the winters would be extremely harsh with mounds of snow and frigid temperatures, but it's been quite the contrary. Almost all of January, minus a few days of frigid morning low-temperatures, has been unseasonably warm with no snow, ranging in the 40's-60's with plenty of daily sunshine.  I'm sure the skiers are going to be beyond ecstatic to have received a fresh layer of powder in the mountains, just as I am elated to catch any glimpse of the beautiful snow covered mountain views from my home or drive in the car over the next few days.

 { Lancome lipstick & lipgloss to add a 'pop' of color to my winter wardrobe. 

Colors: Exotic Bomb & Scarlet Blaze }

{  J.Crew earrings to wear with my Valentines Day beige dress } 

{ Ed Sheeran concert tickets arrived in the mail.   Official date night on the calendar for Feb 5th of dinner downtown followed by good music! }

{ Midday snack of yogurt covered almonds & a Blood Orange SanPellegrino, while reading about my one-true-love in life... 'baby photography' xx }

White denim: A Year-Round Trend

Okay gals.... so 'white denim' is no longer a fashion trend that has to be worn after Memorial Day and no later than Labor Day; it's a seasonless fashion staple that can be worn year-round.   I love a white crisp pant, with a high heel boot underneath, paired with a blazer.  Here's a video I've found on Vogue.com that has a similar styled look, that's trendy and yes, winter appropriate!  So pull out those white jeans from your closet and make a fashion statement by pairing it with a boot this Winter 2013.

Strawberry Whoopie pies!

A Sunday Funday of baking in the kitchen! After church this morning, followed by my weekly trip to the grocery store & cooking a nice lunch, I had a few hours of down time to bake in the kitchen.  Now, I'm not going to portray like I'm an expert when it comes to baking because quite frankly, it's one of the tasks in the kitchen I have to work hard at to become even 'decent' when cooking from scratch.  I wish I was a natural born baker, but I'm more of a dinner-chic, so what can I say? My mother always told me practice-makes-perfect, so that's why one of my 2013 New Year Resolutions is to bake at least 3 times per month a recipe from scratch.  This Strawberry Whoopie Pie recipe is the second recipe of the new year I've baked and it's quite a delectable little sweet treat!  Something about 'sweets' just make me exude with joy and this one is no exception!

Happy Cooking xx
Colleen

Strawberry Whoopie Pies
  

Make the shells: 
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

8 tbsp. white vegetable shortening

3/4 cup powdered strawberry milk mix - such as Nesquick brand.

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 whole egg

1 egg white

1 cup heavy cream

2 tbsp milk

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp white vinegar

Whoopie Baking Pan

Kitchen mixer 

Directions on making the shells:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. In a bowl whisk together flour, salt, and baking powder, set aside.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, combine vegetable shortening, strawberry milk powder and brown sugar.  Mix until crumbly.

4. Add the egg and egg white, to the mixture and beat well, then add the heavy cream; mix until smooth.

5. In a small condiment cup, combine milk, baking soda and vinegar. Stir well, mixture will foam.

6. Pour baking soda mixture into the batter first and then pour flour mixture in on top.  Mix on low speed until thick and combined.  Scrape down sides and bottom of bowl and mix again until well combined.

7. Transfer mixture to a piping bag or a large zip-top sandwich bag with the corner snipped off.

8.  Pipe batter into heaped 2" rounds widely spaced on the baking whoopie pan. Dab finger/spoon to flatten out batter.

9. Bake for 7-10 minutes.  Be careful not to over bake.  Cakes are done when they just start to turn golden around the edges. Transfer from pan to parchment paper and allow to cool for 15 minutes. 

10. Flip over every other row of whoopie pies.  Golden brown side will be flipped up (this is the side you put the icing on *not shown in photograph above*). 

Fill the shells:
3 cups confectioners' sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp. vanilla extract.

1. Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.
2. Beat on low speed until just combined, then whip at high speed until light and fluffy.

3.  Transfer icing-whip into piping bag fitted with piping tip. Decorate shells & fill inside. 

Eat & enjoy the small pleasures of life! xx :) 

Broccoli Cheddar Cheese Soup

This soup is one of those meals I consider a 'splurge' when it comes to calorie content, but I will tell you one thing, it's beyond delicious and one of my top favorites!  I'm a lover of cheese, broccoli, and fuller bodied flavorful soups and this one encompasses all those aspects, leaving my stomach singing after a single bowl.  If you only cook one of my soups, I suggest it being this one :)   

Happy Cooking! xx

Colleen 

Broccoli Cheddar Cheese Soup 

paired with Tuscan Bread & a Fruit side salad

Ingredients:

4 medium sized potatoes

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 tablespoon butter, melted 

1/2 medium onion, chopped
1/4 cup melted butter
1/3 cup flour
2 cups half-and-half
32 oz of Vegetable Broth 
1/2 pound fresh broccoli
1 cup carrots, julienned
salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
12 ounces grated triple-sharp cheddar cheese (3 cups) **Note: Do not get reduced fat or fat free. The cheese does not melt properly in the liquid of the soup**

Directions:

1. Saute onion, garlic, & diced potatoes in melted pad of butter. Set aside after 8-10 minutes of cooking.  Potatoes should be 3/4 of the way cooked. 

2. Cook 1/4 cup butter and flour using a whisk over medium heat for 3-5 minutes. Stir constantly and slowly add the half-and-half (this is called making a roux). 
Add the vegetable stock whisking all the time. Simmer for 20 minutes. 

3. Add the fresh broccoli, julienned carrots and onions/potatoes/garlic mixture. Cook over low-medium heat until the veggies are tender for 25-30 minutes. 

4. Add salt, pepper, crushed red pepper, & nutmeg. The soup should be thickening after cooking 30 minutes. Add the shredded cheese; stir until well blended. Add the shredded cheese very slowly, as pictured below.  Sprinkle the top then stir for 20 seconds, repeat the process until all 3 cups of shredded cheese have been added.  Return to low heat for 10-15 minutes as you prepare the side salad & tuscan bread.  Serve & enjoy! 

paired with Tuscan Bread & a Fruit side salad

I like to incorporate a small side salad alongside the soup for a refreshing lighter flavor since the soup is somewhat of a fuller-bodied heavy soup.  I suggest a light fruit salad with blackberries, sunflower seeds, strawberries, granny smith apples, croutons with a poppyseed dressing.   

The Tuscan bread isn't homemade, I purchased it at my local grocery's bakery and put it in the oven at 400 degrees for 10 minutes to make it fresh & warm.  

It's the Small Things

This past weekend, I hosted my first Colorado guest & amazingly beautiful (inside & out) friend, Steffie Peters! It was a jammed packed three days full of fun Colorado inspired things to do.  From our first NBA Denver Nuggets basketball game, experiencing downtown Denver nightlife, going to 3 local breweries, checking out downtown Pearl street in Boulder, having Ku Cha tea in a chinese ceremony style (by sitting on the floor with our shoes off around a small table), to stuffing ourselves full of brunch-lunches-dinners everyday at local restaurants.  We also visited Vail, Idaho Springs, Breckenridge, and Georgetown Lake, in addition to Denver & Boulder. It was truly a weekend to remember and cherish!

As for last week, here are my 'small things'....

{ Fact of life: Whole grain toast, chunky peanut butter, & a sliced banana is ALWAYS a delicious treat as a breakfast or late-night snack! }

{ Located in the heart of downtown Vail, I had my first 'the blues Jean Bar' shopping experience. }

{ Shopping this past weekend in downtown Boulder on Pearl street, I came across this amazing store with an entire wall filled with a vast selection of unique sodas. Something you definitely don't see everyday!}

{Steffie & I with a view of the Rocky mountains, as you drive on St. Rt. 36 into downtown Boulder, from my house. }

{ Walking on thin ice (literally) at Georgetown's Lake.  Moments in life like this are the ones I love most.... we were on a road trip to Vail, saw the ice frozen lake, pulled over the car & took the exit, and joined in on the fun as locals were ice fishing.  It was extremely windy and one of the 'coldest moments' I've had yet as a Colorado resident, but I was smiling & laughing every second of it xxx } 

What's in your refrigerator?

(A sneak peek into our January 2013 Lawson Refrigerator) 

There's no secret about how to maintain a healthy lifestyle.  You've heard the phrase since you were a child, the simplicity of 'diet & exercise'.  I cringe when I hear friends talk about going on a new diet or even look at magazines in the grocery line that always boast about celebrities dropping weight off a 'new found diet' that eliminates an entire food group from your daily routine.  To me, it's more than just a quick diet to allow you to lose weight... it's all about a LIFESTYLE choice.  

Maintaining and incorporating a healthy colorful diet into your daily lifestyle is the key. 

Open up your refrigerator at home and what's inside? Looking inside your refrigerator can truly paint a vivid picture and show you what your daily diet looks like.  And if that picture is full of processed foods and sweets instead of whole-grain options and fruits and vegetables, then it goes without saying that there is room for improvement on your refrigerator report card.

CL Helpful Diet Tips (aka: lifestyle choices i live by): 

1.  To make better choices, be conscious what you put at eye-level in your refrigerator.  These should be things like fruits, vegetables, and snacking options like cottage cheese & yogurt. 

2. Fill your fridge with actual ingredients, not pre-packaged foods.  It's easier than you think to cook from scratch (not to mention cheaper!) You'll only use three to four ingredients and the end result is much healthier than something that is frozen or processed.

3. Make sure your fridge is FULL OF COLOR! This means you should see lots of green, orange, yellow, red, purple, etc.  This makes sure you're getting your daily vitamins in your fresh ingredients and fueling your body with good nutritional food.

4. Add some Smoothies Juices to your refrigerator.  In the hustle-bustle of life, it's always nice to grab a 'to-go' drink from your fridge and know that it's packed full of delicious fruit that are loaded with anti-oxidants that are helping fight free-radicals (cancer causing) from your body! My favorite brand is "Bolt House", as pictured below.  A Bolt House individual juice and an apple makes for a perfect light 'to-go breakfast or lunch on the run'. 

5. Only drink 100% Juice.  This will make sure that the sugars you drink are natural.  I always incorporate Juice in the winter months into my diet to give my immune system that extra boost with it being cold-flu season. 

6. Allow yourself 2 meals a week that are your "cheat meals''. Whether that be pizza on Saturday night or some french fries paired with your sandwich (instead of a side salad or soup).  If you neglect yourself from those items, you're bound to slip off your lifestyle choice of eating healthy and go right back into old habits due to neglecting yourself and cravings of those foods.  So a 'cheat' meal once in a while isn't that bad in retrospect.
7. When shopping at the grocery store try to use the outside perimeter of the store.  That's where all the fresh produce is located.  Everything that's in the middle aisles are always your processed 'boxed' foods.
8. It's all about portion control! As American's we are served the biggest plates.  At your next meal, stick with 1 serving size.
9. Drink a glass of water prior to dinner.  Not only will this help fill up your stomach (so you won't eat as much) but this also will allow for better digestion of your food.