I Once Ate a Whole Box

Yes I once ate a whole box...of Cheddar Jack Cheez-its! I can hear it now- Hi my name is Misty and I'm addicted to Cheddar Jack Cheez-its. Seriously no joke my sister in-law Tracy sent me this pic

She said she was thinking of me...

HAHahahahahannnnoooooooooooo!!!!!.... What has my life become!!????

Okay so the reality is, no I am not an addict of these most delicious snacks and most importantly I did NOT eat the whole box. I will however put my name behind the fact that they ARE the BEST when it comes to all the flavors of Cheez-its out there. I'm sorry I just don't want to hear if you care or not, I repeat they are THE BEST!

This is my snack obsession for now... that is all.

ttyl~Misty

Feelin' CHEEKY!

I thought you should know I just had an awesome lunch! I absolutely love Cheeky, they serve fresh mexican inspired food. We hit this place up most weekends for date night, they have the BEST fish and crab cake tacos! Today I ordered TO GO from Cheeky's for lunch and since I like to eat lighter at lunch time I got a cup of their tortilla soup and a house salad. Can I just say it was AMAZING!!!?? Why yes, yes I can!

This was no run of the mill soup and salad. The tortilla soup is filled with delicious pieces of white meat chicken, a great mix of vegetables, and a tasty chili infused tomato broth. I loved everything about it, it was very hearty and filling. The house salad was so perfect, it had chopped romaine with fresh pico de gallo, cucumbers, and queso fresco. I really enjoyed the hint of cilantro in the salad from the pico.  I ordered it with their mexican vinaigrette, but it wasn't what I expected in a vinaigrette, it looked like it had a mayo base. I didn't use it because I just don't like to waste my calories on salad dressing, I just don't. :) The cup of soup was $4, house salad $3, chips and salsa FOR FREE. I'll let you mathematicians add that up. What a wholesome inexpensive lunch!
(update: the mexican vinaigrette is in fact a vinaigrette, looks like they accidentally gave me the wrong dressing last time.)

Check out the Menu

Cheeky is a newer concept, it has 3 locations with one that just opened in East Cobb. Its a fun atmosphere, with beer taps on tables where you PYOB (pour your own beer, for those of you who are not up to date on the Cheeky lingo), and a margarita cart that they role up to your table and make fresh ritas in front of you. Makes for a fun date night:)

This video sums up the atmosphere. 

From one Cheeky fan to a future one!

ttyl~Misty

Irish Cream Truffle Fudge!

Hello all! So my friend Charity sent me an awesome fudge/brownie recipe today, and since it is almost St Patty's day and it has the word Irish in it, lol, I thought I would showcase the recipe on the blog today! Enjoy!

These look delicious Charity!

Irish Cream Truffle Fudge Recipe
Original Recipe Yield24 pieces
Ingredients
3 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup white chocolate chips
1/4 cup butter
3 cups confectioners' sugar
1 cup Irish cream liqueur
1 1/2 cups chopped nuts

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
4 tablespoons Irish cream liqueur
2 tablespoons butter

Directions:
1. Butter a 8x8 inch pan.
2. In the top half of a double boiler melt the 3 cups semisweet chocolate chips, 1 cup white chocolate chips and 1/4 cup butter until soft enough to stir.
3. Stir in the confectioner's sugar and Irish cream until mixture is smooth. Stir in nuts. Place mixture in the prepared pan and lay a sheet of plastic wrap over top; press and smooth top down.
4. In the top half of a double boiler melt remaining chocolates until soft. Remove from heat and with a fork beat in the butter and Irish cream until smooth. Spread topping over cooled fudge with a knife. If a smooth top is important place plastic wrap over the top. Refrigerate until firm, 1 to 2 hours at least. This fudge can be easily frozen.

Nutritional Information

Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 383
Total Fat: 20.3g
Cholesterol: 10mg
Sodium: 37mg
Total Carbs: 46.8g
Dietary Fiber: 2.5g
Protein: 3.5g

Breakfast Burritos!

We've all seen those commercials, with the guy trying to sell us something...Quick don't WAIT, as a bonus we'll throw in a magic erasing paint brush that can take paint off your walls! Wow that is grand I can take paint off my walls with just one sweep of this erasing paint brush!? I just can't say no now, I'll take it!


Well this is kinda how I look at my fiance Mikey,WAIT that's not all as a bonus he is an amazing cook Free of charge!!! Nice I'll take him:) One of my favorite breakfast dishes that Mikey makes is breakfast burritos. He got the idea out of his Men's Health magazine and since then he has perfected it to where he can cook it up in no time. Last weekend when he asked me what I wanted to have for breakfast, I of course said burritos!!



Items:
Ground Sausage (Jimmy Dean)
Potato
Spinach
Onion
Pablano pepper (if you don't want spicy go with a bell pepper)
Diced jalapenos (I just get the jar of these so I can always have them on hand)
Eggs
Cheddar Cheese
Tortilla Shells
Oil
2 skillets:)
-If you are only making this for 2 people then all you need is about 1/4 of the onion diced, half the pablano pepper diced, 1 large potato diced, half of the roll of ground sausage, 4 eggs, handful of spinach and cheddar, 1 spoonful of jalapenos(if wanted), and 2 tortilla shells.

1)In the first skillet brown up your sausage with the onions and peppers over medium heat, and sprinkle with salt, pepper. In the other skillet add enough oil to fry up your potatoes.  Turn the heat of the oil to medium high and once hot enough add in the potatoes.

2)When the sausage is cooked, drain and transfer to a bowl so that you can use the same skillet to scramble your eggs.

3)Once the potatoes have finished frying, scoop them out on paper towels to drain and wipe skillet clean. Then combine the potatoes and sausage mixture back into the skillet and put it on low heat to stay warm.

4) After you have scrambled your eggs, combine them to the other skillet as well.

5) Then grab a handful of spinach and mix in, and it will wilt enough from the heat of everything else.

6) Top the whole concoction with a handful of shredded cheddar and let it melt down a little bit. Then scoop everything into a heated tortilla shell (heat either in microwave or oven) and roll it up!

mmmmmm Time to enjoy!!!

Quick don't Wait another second! Save this recipe and make it TODAY! ...and I'll throw in Best Wishes as my bonus:)

ttyl~Misty

Spinach Cheddar Turkey Burger

I can't think of the last time that I have bought ground beef. I just do not care for it any more to be honest. I use ground turkey for every recipe that you would use ground beef in and to me it is just as good if not better! I started off in the beginning using ground turkey just because I felt like it was healthier than ground beef and I see no reason to switch back. If I want some beef I'll buy a steak, I'll let them keep the ground stuff:)

I have a couple of ground turkey recipes on here and this is just another very simple one to add to the mix. As in so simple I feel like I should add another recipe to this post and perhaps I will, but for now... on with the Turkey Burger!!

Spinach and Cheddar Turkey Burger:

Ground turkey

Frozen Spinach (Rinse and drain to thaw out. Squeeze with paper towels to remove all water.)

Shredded Cheddar

Seasonings (I do season salt, garlic, pepper, and a lil worchestire sauce.You do what you like)

Okay here is the hard part: Mix it all together to form patties. Now grab your George Foreman or a skillet, cook and enjoy. Whew that was tough!! You don't really taste the spinach in it, but it helps add some juiciness to the burger since ground turkey cooks up a lil on the dry side. I added slice cheese, grilled onions and poblano peppers, and of course I have to have my ketchup and mustard. Soooooooo yummy in tha tummy!

 That was really short so let me throw in another easy recipe for dessert! This is Paula Deen's Milk and Cookies Trifle Recipe in a pretty wine glass instead of a Trifle bowl. Click on the link above to get the original recipe. The first time I made this was the other night for our weekly get together to watch Revenge. If you are not currently watching this show do yourself a favor click on this Link and get caught up, so good!

This is a pic from the second time I made it, last night:) All you do is take some cookies quickly dip them in milk, and then layer with whipped cream!

The first time I made it I put a ton of cool whip in it. My advice is to put a thin layer of cool whip between your cookie layers, so that you do not overwhelm and loose the cookies in a big cool whip mess. Its very easy and Delish!

Hope yall have a great week, and that it will be as easy and sweet as these recipes!

ttyl~Misty 

Santa and Sangrias Party

I love this time of year, and now after hosting a small festive get together with my friends I officially feel the Christmas Spirit! I know the real meaning of Christmas but I think it is also fun to get caught up in the festiveness of Santa, Rudolph, and frosty the snowman. It never gets old to let your inner child out!
I really enjoyed last night, we did a re gifting game (white elephant, but you have to find something in your house to re gift), watched my favorite holiday movie Elf, and played Partini! It was fun cracking up together and by the end of the night we started making up our own rules to Partini lol

If you need any ideas for a Christmas party, here are snapshots of the food and goodies I prepared!

Sangria Station

Popcorn for the Movie

All I did for this was melt down chocolate(I did red, you can normally find it at any party store) Then cut a very small hole in a small FREEZER bag and pour the melted chocolate in. The freezer bags are the best because they are thick and won't bust when your squeezing. Spread the popcorn onto parchment or wax paper and drizzle the popcorn with the chocolate. Let it harden back up and it will easily break apart with your hands.

Italian Chicken Sausage, and Turkey & Cheese Melts

Red Velvet Brownie Bites

I got this recipe from my Pinterest board, click here for it. I didn't make the white chocolate icing, I just bought cream cheese frosting to put on top.

Candy Dish for the coffee table

We had a great time together, I am blessed with some pretty incredible friends!

I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas this year!

(you can get this at party city, it was a fun activity)

ttyl~Misty

Green Smoothie!

I have been reading every where about the new Green Smoothie Addiction. So a couple of weeks ago I had to of course try it for myself. You can make them all different ways with one key ingredient: Spinach! This is a great way to get the much needed energy packed veggie in your life.

Here is how I make mine:
-Chopped up frozen mango (mango is a low in sugar fruit, less sugar in your diet the better)
-Banana
-OJ about a cup add a lil more if you need it. (I used Tropicana 50% less sugar OJ)
-Ice
-Big handful of spinach.
-Couple of Scoops of yogurt (I used one strawberry banana flavored yogurt in this one, now I just buy the tub of it)

Then start the blender process and end up with a delicious Green smoothie...

I actually crave these now, they are really so good and you can not even taste the spinach. My roommate loved it, and then I made my sister and brother in law try them. The thought of spinach was not so great in my sisters mind and I literally had to force her to try it, as in having to force the spoon of it in her mouth. I may have traumatized her with her first Green Smoothie in counter but I made a believer out of her and she really liked it too.

Green Smoothie Mission Complete:)

Try one out for yourself, if I have to I'll get my force spoons ready!

ttyl~Misty

The Cooper's Birthday!

My sister and brother-in law came to Atlanta Saturday for their b-day getaway. Dione's birthday is Nov 29th, and Starla's is Nov 30th, so they celebrate it together. They dropped their kids off on the side of the road, and took off for the day. They made sure that someone was there to grab their kids, in a non kidnapped loving way, so no worries you can put down the phone that you were about to call child services with;)

After their day of shopping they came over to watch the UGA game at my apt. I was happy to have them over and show them "My Town". I made up some quick snacks for us and a B-day cake:) I made it in a loaf pan, cause circle cakes are so yesterday lol. Plus Icing it doesn't take as long. My sister is a chocoholic (sp? hmmm oh well) so I did chocolate cake with chocolate icing. I sliced the cake down the middle so I could layer it. The middle had chocolate icing, chopped up Reese's cups, and Oreo cream icing. On the top of the cake I drizzled more of the Orea cream icing to make it look pretty. It was yummy!

After the game we headed out for some dinner and drinks. Since I was showing them my town I took them to Sage Woodfire Tavern at perimeter, which is only a block from my apt. There was a 40 min wait for the dining room so we grabbed a booth in the bar, which in my opinion is better anyways cause you can people watch. Their food is always so good, and what makes them unique is that they grill over a hickory oak wood fire. They have an awesome menu from their signature meatloaf (mix of veal, beef, and pork) to filet's and lobster tails. Each day the Chef prepares a special meal that isn't on the menu, which is great to try a different creative meal. If your not too hungry they have a nice small plates menu as well. This time I ordered fish tacos off of the small plate menu. It was really delish and can't wait to take Mikey back there because he loves fish tacos. They give you 2 tacos for $7, which I think is a great deal and plenty to fill you up.

Light and crispy fish, delish!!!

Dione got shrimp and grits, and Starla got the lobster tail meal that came with sauteed green beans and mash potatoes. They both gave their meals rave reviews, and Starla said that Sage will be another spot for them when they visit Atlanta. The service was great and I always enjoy going there. So if your out shopping at perimeter mall I highly recommend Sage, it's right across the street on ashford dunwoody rd.

Delicious Dipping oil for the bread

I love creme brulee, theirs is very good!

They brought us some free mini chocolate martinis

I had a great time with Starla and Dione, I was so happy that they came up. As they were dropping me off I noticed something...

Ava's getting so good at writing her name awe!! lol

ttyl~Misty

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite Holidays. One for obvious reasons, all that time spent in the kitchen and eating. Two, because there is nothing in this world better to me than spending time with family! I have so much in my life to be thankful for- health, being able to be an Aunt, job doing what I love, family who supports me, Mikey who blows me away with the love he has for me, really really great girlfriends, a place to call home, an amazing man who took on the role as my grandfather and changed my life forever, having the freedom to decide what I do with my life, Jesus for being the ultimate sacrifice, Eric, Mark, and Chuck for being the best brothers a girl could ask for, my moms recovery, food on the table every night, Jetza (my car), and the list could go on but I'm sure you are starting to get bored:)

My Thanksgiving was a little scattered this year, but it brought us closer together. We had planned on doing thanksgiving with Mikey's family this year, at his sister's house. Wendy had organized what everyone was bringing and we were all set with our grocery list, checked off and ready to go. I am in love with Mikey's family, I really enjoy all of them especially his nieces and nephew. I am telling you they are some of the cutest kids (my nieces and nephews lead up this cutest kids group) and I seriously couldn't even begin to describe how cute they are, here is a pic....

Okay so you get the picture now, too cute! Well the day before Thanksgiving lil Landon (16 months) had to be admitted to the hospital, he had pneumonia in both lungs and had to be put on oxygen since he was having trouble getting enough on his own. So the thanksgiving feast was postponed till further notice. Our main concern was landon not our food. Mikey and I took over watching Emersyn, and even with the circumstances we enjoyed being able to spend some quality time with her.

He's gonna make a great daddy one day:)

Thanksgiving day I got to enjoy a thanksgiving meal twice at Cracker barrel!! The first one was with my brother up in Chattanooga. Since everyone wasn't getting together at Wendy's I joined my brother to go and see our mom who is in assistant living doing intensive therapy. She was hit by a car back in August and it has and will continue to be a very long recovery. I enjoyed spending the time with my brother, and we were both so shocked at how many people were out at Cracker Barrel! The place was packed, they did a really good job though of getting people in and out. You couldn't beat the deal- Turkey, Ham, Dressing, 2 veggie choices, biscuit or cornbread, and dessert~ All for $9! It was really good and I was happy to get a traditional meal. I had the meal again with Mikey later that night once I got back, and we both found out that we were purty smart leaving only 2 pins in their table game:)

We ended up making the things we bought for the Thanksgiving meal saturday. I made collard greens for the first time by myself. They were good but they have a long way to go before they meet the standard of my moms! I got rave reviews on my squash casserole, which is a simple recipe from Paula Deen (get the recipe here). It calls for squash and zucchini, I left the zucchini out of mine. Mikey made a delicious ham to go with the turkey.

 I don't normally care for ham much, but I couldn't stop eating it! The glaze he made for it was right on point. We finished making up the rest of the sides for Wendy so she could have a good meal before returning to the hospital.

Mmmmmmmm

Yes this years Thanksgiving meal may have been sporadic, and not have gone as planned. At the end of the day though, Family is whats important and I have to say we were so THANKFUL that after 5 days of being in the hospital lil Landon came home that Sunday morning.

too cute right!?

ttyl~Misty

Spaghetti Squash

Mikey introduced me to spaghetti squash about 3 years ago and ever since then I have been hooked! So happily I made some the other night and it was as always delicious. I got the recipe from Mikey, who learned how to make it from his mother. His mom told me that she use to make it for diet purposes but her kids loved it, and she would just do hers with butter and Parmesan. There are all different ways of making it but this is how Mikey first made it for me, and since then it is the only way that I want it. It is very simple and an inexpensive meal:)

List:
Spaghetti Squash
Spaghetti Sauce
Shredded mozzarella
Butter
Pepper
Garlic Salt
Salt

1) Cut the squash in half, long ways. Remove pulp and seeds.

2) Cover a pan in tin foil (for easy clean up, not mandatory though) Place squash on pan and season with Garlic salt, salt, and pepper. Put about 3 pats of butter onto each side.

3) Bake at 375 for 45-55min. It should be easy to shred when its done.

4)Next shred both pieces using a fork....

5) Then re season and mix in spaghetti sauce and top with mozzarella.

 

6) Place the squash back into the oven and bake until the cheese browns. Once browned, dish up or eat it straight out of the shell! I always eat it right out of the shell, makes it funner:)

Enjoy!!!!!!!

 

 

ttyl~Misty

Eat Your Veggies Pasta!

Hey Yall! If you are a follower of my blog you know that I LOVE my veggies. I want to share with you an easy pasta creation that I made the other night. No store bought spaghetti sauce in this dish! Mainly because I wanted it to be more of an olive oil base, I am not a snob when it comes to store bought spaghetti sauce, I use it all the time:)

Things you need:
1 Zucchini, sliced and halved
1 yellow squash, sliced and halved
half of an onion, diced
2 handfuls of spinach
1 can of diced tomatoes, drained (preferably the herb flavored ones like basil, etc)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Ground turkey
Whole wheat pasta noodles (I like thin)
Garlic (however you wish, minced garlic clove, garlic salt, garlic powder, just get some garlic!)
Salt

I never really measure out things when I cook, which most people don't unless you are baking. Everything is to taste, so add a lil here and a lil there, when it comes to your seasonings:)

1) Brown up your ground turkey, use how ever much you think you will need. Throw in your onion and some garlic salt to cook up with the turkey.

2) Bring some water to a boil for the noodles

3) In another skillet spray with olive oil, and turn on medium. Arrange the zucchini and squash so that it can brown up a little bit on each side. Once lightly browned on each side turn the eye down to medium low, and throw in the can of diced tomatoes. (if you don't want it to be so tedious you can throw everything in all at once and just cook all together, I'm just a little OCD and I like things a specific way) Season your sauce with the salt, garlic, and whatever else you like to taste.

4) Once the water for the pot of noodles is boiling, and your meat and sauce is good to go, start your noodles. This way you don't have cold noodles while you waiting on everthing else to cook.

5) Once the noodles are in, take your spinach and chop it up. Turn the sauce on low, and mix in the spinach. The spinach doesn't take long, this is why you wait till the end to throw it in, plus I like it to be fresh tasting and not overcooked.

Once you stir it in, the heat will wilt it a little and its good to go.

6) When the noodles are done drain them. Then stir the noodles and the ground turkey into the sauce to combine, and let the noodles soak up the flavor while they are warm.

7) Dish up! Pour a little bit of extra virgin olive oil on top and sprinkle with parmesan:)

Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

ttyl~Misty

Witches Brew Dessert!

I had a festive Halloween dinner last friday night. I made some turkey chili, blackberry slush punch, taco cheese ball, and a delicious chocolate and cherry dessert that I am naming Witches Brew! I was so excited to come up with something festive for this years dessert. It is truly one of the easiest and tastiest things to throw together.

See the witches cauldron to the left of the punch bowl? That is dessert mmmmmm

Here is what you need...

-Plastic Witches Cauldron (I found mine at party city for like $2, wash it out before using PLEASE)

-Chocolate Pudding mix

-1 can of cherry pie filling

-1 tube of green icing (found mine at wal mart)

-Chocolate Cake or brownie mix (I used my classy chocolate pound cake mix that I ordered from www.tastefullysimple.com, which is also where I got the mix for the taco cheese ball, and blackberry slush. I have to say these mixes were amazing and helped me with time management!)

1) Bake up your cake/brownies, and prepare the chocolate pudding.

2) Once the pudding has set mix in almost the entire can of cherry pie filling, leaving a lil extra for the topping.

3) Cute up slices of cake and put a layer on the bottom of the cauldron, then put a layer of the pudding, and repeat till you have no cake left and leaving cake as the last layer that you do.

4) Then pipe out the green icing on top

5)Then take a rubber spatula and smooth out the icing, lettting some of the brown underneath show so that it gives it a murky soup look. Use the leftover cherries to throw on top randomly so that it looks a lil gory. 

Feel free to throw whatever else you want on top, maybe a hand popping out, gummy worms, etc it's all up to you. I liked mine just like this nothing extra needed:)

Mmmmmmm Enjoy!

ttyl~Misty

Taste of Atlanta

This weekend was such a beautiful one, with the sun shining and cool temperatures, it took everything I had to even enter a building! Thankfully Taste of Atlanta fell this past weekend so it was perfect to roam around downtown Atlanta.

I called up my bestie Gina and we dashed off to Tech Square to taste our lil hearts away! It was a great turn out and there were so many vendors that my 10 taste coupons went away so quickly, I think Gina stole them hmmmm.

I would have to say my favorite sample of the day was the Zucca from FIGO. It was a butternut squash and amaretto ravioli topped with a mascarpone and Italian red chicory radicchio sauce (yes I had to look that up to make sure I got it right for you). The butternut squash mixture was silky smooth with a hint of sweetness that was highlighted by the rich and creamy mascarpone cheese sauce.  Here is a link to their sight if you ever want to check them out http://www.figopasta.com/menu/ I could have walked away right then after that experience and been satisfied for the day, but there were many more flavorful experiences to be had so on we went.


The bbq from Williamson Brothers was soooooo good http://www.williamsonbros.com/

They had a smoker set up right at the venue so the aroma put you in a trance and you just had to grab some napkins and chow down on the smoky deliciousness.

Gina enjoying some bbq:)

I really can't keep track of all the places that we tasted but I have a couple more pictures to help capture the day...

What a great day it was to Taste Atlanta!

Hope yall have a great week

ttyl~Misty