Turkey and Basil Pesto Panini

First off, in the business of paninis, can it be called a panini if it's just on cheapo whole grain bread? Or does it have to be on fancy bread, like sourdough? Because sourdough is fancy in our house.

Anyways, I recently scored a Cuisinart Griddler for $5 at Goodwill and I am in love with it. Being able to make more than two pancakes at a time (and NOT using two seperate frying pans to get the job done) is amazing. Life changing, really.

So, I made paninis the other day and they are my new lunch favorite. Basically cram together whatever sounds good between two pieces of bread and smoosh it till it's melted.

Done.

I added basil pesto to this one (because pesto makes everything better) and here's my recipe:

TURKEY and BASIL PESTO PANINI

2 slices of BREAD (regular or fancy)

1 tsp BASIL PESTO

2 slices DELI TURKEY

1 slice TURKEY BACON

1 slice PROVOLONE CHEESE

2 slices TOMATO

1 tsp BUTTER (or margarine)

GRATED PARMESAN (optional)

STEP 1: Heat panini press on med-high heat. Spread butter on outsides of bread slices. Sprinkle some parmesan cheese on butter if preferred (try it...it's so yummy!)

STEP 2: Spread basil pesto on inside of one slice of bread. Top with turkey, tomato, bacon, and cheese, and other slice of bread (with butter side facing out).

STEP 3: Place on grill and press down until cheese is melted and bread is golden brown.

Enjoy!

White Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

A couple of months ago I was at a friends house and she offered me one of the yummiest cookies I ever had. She told me it was the oatmeal cookie recipe on the back of the oats can, but she also added white chocolate chips and cranberries.

She is a cookie genius.

So, this weekend I tried them out for myself...and these three cookies are all that remained from the night I made them, until the next mornng. By the way...the recipe makes 4 dozen, so I'll let you do the math on how many we ate within about 12 hours.

WHITE CHOCOLATE CHIP CRANBERRY OATMEAL COOKIES

(adapted from the Quaker Oats can)

1/2 cup plus 6 tbsp. BUTTER softened

3/4 cup firmly packed BROWN SUGAR

1/2 cup GRANULATED SUGAR

2 EGGS

1 tsp. VANILLA

1 and 1/2 cups all purpose FLOUR

1 tsp. BAKING SODA

1 tsp. GROUND CINNAMON

1/2 tsp. SALT (optional)

3 cups QUICK OATS (or old fashioned)

1/2 cup WHITE CHOCOLATE CHIPS

1/2 cup CRANBERRIES

STEP 1: Heat oven to 350 degrees. In large bowl, beat butter and sugars until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla, beat well.

STEP 2: Add combined flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Mix well.

STEP 3: Add oats, chocolate chips, and cranberries. Mix well.

STEP 4: Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 8-10 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheet then move to cooling rack to cool completely. Store tightly covered.

Then eat 45 cookies in under 12 hours.

Enjoy!

Happy Sunday

Our life this week, according to my phone:

Another great week.

Happy Sunday:)

DIY: Custom iPhone Case

Naturally, while my husband was playing with his new iPhone and downloading lots of apps...I was trying to find a cute case for mine.

Fail.

Don't get me wrong, there are many cute cases out there...just nothing in my price range. $40 for a case, Apple Store? No thanks...there is much more fun to be had at Goodwill with that money!

Plus, there is the whole issue where I change my mind about every other day.

But that's another issue for another day.

I ordered myself a clear iPhone case off eBay for $6 (including shipping and it also came with screen protectors) and decided to make my own insert for the clear case.

STEP 1: Start with a clear case for your phone and paper of your choice (I chose some vintage wrapping paper). Also, grab a pen and some scissors.

STEP 2: Trace the back of the case onto your paper and cut out...you now have an insert for your phone case.

STEP 3: Snap the phone case onto the phone and enjoy your new case cover for just pennies!

I love being able to customize this whenever I want. Holidays, different seasons, and you know I'm going to be rockin' a Little Mermaid one on our next trip to Disneyland!

I'm linked to:

Tatertots and Jello

Yellow and White Crochet Baby Blanket

I made this blanket for my friend's baby shower last weekend. They are not finding out the gender of the baby until they are born, so I thought these colors were perfect for boy or girl:)

I used a 6mm crochet hook and chained 70 and then double crocheted each row.

So many people having babies this summer/fall. It's so exciting!!

Marshmallow Cupcake Pops

I found the cutest cupcake shaped marshmallows at Walmart (in the baking aisle) and decided they needed a little something extra so I dipped the tops in melted vanilla and rolled them in sprinkles:

MARSHMALLOW CUPCAKE POPS

I package CUPCAKE MARSHMALLOWS

VANILLA ALMOND BARK

SPRINKLES

SUCKER STICKS

STEP 1: Place marshmallows on sucker sticks, pressing them in until they almost come out the top.

STEP 2: Melt almond bark per package directions and dip top of marshmallows. Immediately roll into sprinkles and place in a cup, right side up, to dry.

These took about 10 minutes to make and will definitely be on the list for my daughter's next birthday party!

I'm linked to:

Tatertots and Jello

Chevron Crochet Baby Blanket

I had a lot of fun putting this blanket together. I used this pattern and completed it in a few days. I may even have to make a larger version for myself;)

I'm linked to:

Tatertots and Jello

Happy Sunday

I haven't been on here much lately. Well, I still stalk other blogs, but no time to update my own.

It's wedding, birthday, and baby season around here and I am loving every minute of it! Watching friends have their first babies, marry the ones they love, and just spending time together have made life full and happy.

This week was filled with crochet baby projects, southwest sunrises for my morning run, baby feet, a gigantic area rug to cover the wood floors that I hate (plus a hilarious adventure that involved my husband and I strapping a 15ft carpet to the roof of our car), and chocolate covered strawberries on a Friday morning.

My heart is full.

Happy Sunday

Happy Sunday

This week was fun. We played at the splash pad, colored, did some vintage shopping and napped. It was also filled with new house keys, making baby food, making Mickey Mouse pancakes, my daughter getting so excited when her flower bloomed, making truffles, and Friday night shoe drawing.

It was a great week and I can't wait for another one to begin;)

I also spent the last of my birthday money on something that should be coming in the mail this week! Yay!