{ Project "Keep Flower Alive For Mommy"...and Quick Fixes }

My daughter and husband went Mother's Day shopping for me on Saturday while I enjoyed my quiet time here at home. They left at 2 and returned at 8 p.m that evening. From the sounds of it, their day together turned into a really fun Father-Daughter day which included picking the perfect table at Starbucks and enjoying Frappuccinos, Italian Sodas, Blondie Blast Brownie, and Scones. While shopping for a Mother's day gift, one of the stores was apparently handing out these little gerbera daisies in water viles. This was also the first store they went to...which meant they had to carry this flower in it's little water vile everywhere with them for 6 hours.

This became Project Keep Flower Alive For Mommy.

I like to think how adorable they must have looked walking all over the St. John's Town Center with this one single flower. As you can see, it became quite droopy as the day went on and by the time they made it home, the gerbera daisy was facing south. However, I still loved it as if it was a prize-winning rose. I tried placing it in various vases, but, that only increased the droop factor. So my husband had a light bulb moment and went to recycle bin and came back with what he considered the perfect vase to elevate the flower from the table surface.

Tada! Quick Fix! Men have a totally different way of thinking, indeed!

Sealed with a Kiss, Kirsten

S.W.A.K.

{ Shrimp-n-Tulips...and my Mr. Darcy }

My husband went to the store to buy some fresh shrimp for boiling and came back with these spring tulips for me.

It was a romantic surprise and the way he said, "Here Babe. I got  these for you." puts a smile on my face everytime I think about it. I am not the type who neeeeeds to have flowers bought for me. But, I must admit, I really liked the gesture.

 He is Mr. Wonderful; my Mr. Darcy.

I took pictures of some of the fresh blooms. A few days after one of the first blooms had wilted, I took a pic of it and I think it is my favorite. There is just something about it that I really like.

P.S. The shrimp was really good too.

Sealed with a Kiss, Kirsten

S.W.A.K.

{ Mojo Chicken Drumettes with Lemon Pepper }

Mojo Chicken Drumettes with Lemon Pepper

(No fork or spoon required. This is Finger Food)

This is a recipe we make a lot here at home when we are craving a citrus chicken and the ease of finger food.

Need:

 *4 packages (about 1 pound each) small chicken drumettes, skin 

   removed (optional).

* 1 Lemon

* 2 tbsp Lemon Pepper Seasoning

* 1/2 cup Badia or Goya Brand Mojo Liquid Marinade

* Extra Virgin Olive oil---enough for coating cooking pan and 

   baking sheet

---Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place drumettes in a large shallow dish or mixing bowl. Add 1/2 cup mojo marinade, juice of 1 lemon and 2 tbsp lemon pepper seasoning. Toss gently to coat each chicken drumette. Allow to sit and marinade for 30 minutes or over night in fridge.

---In a large skillet, add enough Extra Virgen Olive Oil to coat pan. Warm oil to a medium heat, add drumettes and cook on skillet til done.

---Cover a baking sheet with foil and spray with nonstick spray or gently coat with extra virgin olive oil. Remove drumettes from pan and arrange on baking sheet. Place in oven for 30 minutes. Remove and enjoy. NOTE: The oven step can be omitted if you like a juicier drum. We prefer our drumettes a little on the dry side....almost resembling the texture of a jerky. This recipe can also be made on the outdoor grill.



This is also a nice alternative to the same ol' same ol' buffalo wings and is a nice addition to Game Day finger foods.

Sealed with a Kiss, Kirsten

S.W.A.K.

{ Earth Day }

For Earth Day we celebrated by doing what we always love to do---simply spending lots of time outdoors in our backyard. We also went to Whole Foods for a little Earth Day seed planting event. Saylor planted Zinnias. Then we had a nice lunch together.

Playing with Raspberry Macaroons

Martinellis is the best apple juice ever! My mom use to buy me this apple juice and now I buy it for my daughter. We save the round jars because they make perfect vases for little wild flowers.

Gelato :)

Sealed with a Kiss, Kirsten

S.W.A.K.

{ Will & Kate Plus Cake...and Wine }

I love modern day fairy tales. I can still remember watching the royal wedding between Prince Charles and Lady Diana as a young girl in the living room of my childhood home. Now as another modern day fairy tale unfolded between us via the royal wedding between Prince William and Kate, or as we hear so often, Will & Kate, I wanted to add a bit of whimsy to it for the sake of my daughter and the memory she will have of this event. And because I cannot tell a lie, I was totally into the experience myself. I set my DVR 3 days in advance to record the Pomp and Circumstance involved with such an event. I had a nightmare that I had forgotten to record the wedding. I added the title of Duchess, along with my other friends, to my name on Facebook. I both appreciated and made fun of the many hats the wedding guests wore. I joked that I should bedazzle a Snuggie to enhance the royalness of sitting on the sofa watching the wedding. I joked about my invitation to the royal wedding being lost in the mail......and oddly, the whole time the news networks were covering the event, I kept wanting to yell out, "Team Edward!" But, because I didn't want to seem like a fanatic, I kept it simple and bought a good wine and my daughter and I made a small "wedding cake."

Now let me tell you, I chose the wine purely for the occasion. I had seen the wines from Cupcake Vineyards and thought the label was cute and the concept was sweet. But, I had not tried it b/c to me wine and cupcakes just didn't mix in my brain. Wow, was I wrong! and now that I have given it some thought; why NOT blending the concept of cupcakes with wine? They are both super good! So, in keeping with the theme of the Royal Wedding, I chose the Red Velvet wine by Cupcake Vineyards. It was yum, yum, and yum! And I totally like whoever it was in California who decided to name their vineyards, Cupcake. THAT is the type of individual I can be friends with! Not only was the wine good, but, the bottle is so pretty.

We decorated the cake with a "wedding ring", and sugar icing roses which I bought at Michaels. She and I made a Princess wand using the new Bravissimo products from Making Memories . All in all, we totally indulged ourselves in the whimsy of the Royal Wedding between Will and Kate allllll the way over here in our neck of the woods b/c we love a good modern day fairy tale! Cherry-Oh!

Sealed with a Kiss (from a balcony), Kirsten

S.W.A.K.

{ Grow Little Roma, Grow }

It seems to me that the more one watches an annoying infomercial, the more likely one is to want the product being advertised. So yes, a year or so later, I got suckered into the whole Topsy Turvy hype. I casually mentioned that it would be fun to see if it really works on one of those days my husband forced me to tag along with him to Home Depot. My sweet daughter made a mental note of this and for my birthday, she gave me a Topsy Turvy as a gift.
I planted my favorite tomatoes, Romas, in it a few weeks ago and VOILA!---My very first Roma tomato bloom!

Sealed with a Kiss, Kirsten
S.W.A.K.

{ Pineapple Pie }

Pineapple Pie. Oh, so good! I made it this past weekend. I am thinking of renaming it to Summer on a Dish Pie, Pineapple Tastes Better When You Live in Florida Pie, orrrr OMG This is So Good Pie.

Here is my recipe for Pineapple Pie

Need

* Two 20 ounces cans crushed pineapple---drain cans. Reserve the juice of both cans. You will only use half the juice in the recipe.

* 2 egg yolks

* 1/2 cup sugar See note below

* 1/2 cup brown sugar

* 1 tbsp honey

* 1/2 tsp vanilla extract Note: I keep a jar of cane sugar with two vanilla bean pods in it to infuse the sugar with vanilla. I use this in place of the regular sugar and vanilla extract

* 2 tbsp butter

* 1/2 cup cornstarch --I use Cream Brand Cornstarch because I think it is awesome for pies.

* 1 pre-baked 9 inch pie crust

* 2 cups heavy whipping cream for topping

* Edible flowers for garnish optional

Prepare

In a medium cooking pot and using a hand-held mixer or spatula, blend regular sugar, brown sugar, butter, egg yolks, honey and vanilla extract. Add both cans of crushed pineapple and half of the pineapple juice. Place pot over stove and bring to a slow boil. Add cornstarch and stir until mixture thickens to a nice stable consistency for pies. Remove from heat. If necessary, you can add a bit more cornstarch to thicken it or if too thick, then a little bit more of the juice or water to thin it. However, the measurements listed work well.

Place pineapple mixture into a cooled pre-baked pie crust and allow to cool completely. Once it is cooled, in a separate bowl, using a handheld mixer beat 2 cups heavy whipping cream for 5 minutes or until thick. Add the cream topping to pie. Serve or refrigerate.

I'm not kidding you, this pie is Mmm Mmm Good!

Sealed with a Kiss, Kirsten

S.W.A.K.

{ Low Country Boil }

I love a Low Country Boil....especially a spicy one....especially a Low Country Boil with friends where each of us brings something to add to the pot. I grew up along the Gulf Coast eating my share of boiled shrimp and southern dishes. But, it wasn't until I moved to Florida when I discovered a dish known as a Low Country Boil. It is originally called Frogmore Stew and NO, it does not contain any frogs....and come to think of it, it really isn't a stew either. It is originally believed to have been created in the 1960s on St. Helena Island, South Carolina by a National Guardsman named Richard Gay who owns the Gay Seafood Company. It was most likely named Frogmore Stew because that is the name of the small town on St. Helena's Island in which Richard Gay resided. Nevertheless, this South Carolina dish is now know more commonly as a Low Country Boil.

This can be made in various quantities to feed your family, a group of friends, or a whole army. AND, the level of spice can be adjusted based on how spicy the sausage links are and how much Old Bay and Zatarains Seasonings you use in the recipe. So your mouth will either be pleasantly surprised at the yummo flavors or on fire!
Our friends, Derek and Candis, ordered a 25 gallon pot on eBay from a backwoods Cajun man deep in swamps of Southern Louisiana. It arrived and who knew 25 gallons could be so beautiful. Okay, yes, I admit, I am jealous of their awesome Low Country Boil pot and I love how with this being Florida, of course, a boat ore was the only thing appropriate for stirring.

For Easter weekend, they invited us and other friends over for a good ol' fashioned Low Country Boil where everyone brings one of the recipe items to throw into the pot. We had drinks, interesting conversation, and goooood food. Plus, it turns out one of the owners of the Sonny's Bar-B-Que chain lives down the street from our friend's Derek and Candis. He was invited and brought some yummy ribs for all of us to nibble on while we waited for the boil to well, boil. Good friends, good food, good drinks, good times!

Low Country Boil Recipe

* 1 Zatarains Shrimp and Grab Boil Seasoning Bag

* Old Bay Seasoning

* Shrimp with shells still on. However, remove heads.

* Crab Legs (optional)

* 2 pkgs sausage links (choose mild to spicy depending on your preference. I prefer a spicy Low Country Boil so we buy the spicy sausage)

*Small Carrots

*Sliced Onions

*Small Red Potatoes

*Corn Cobs cut in half

-----I did not put measurements or quantities b/c this is a recipe in which you make based on size pot and amount of people. My rule of thumb for 6 people is the following: 2 pkgs spicy sausage links cut into pieces, 2 pounds shrimp, 12 corn cob halves, 1 bag small red potatoes, 2 sliced onions, 2 regular size bags of small carrots.

In a large pot, add potatoes, sliced sausage links, sliced onions, carrots, and corn. Add water, seasoning bag, and about 2 tbsp of Old Bay (more or less depending on how much you are making). Slowly bring to a boil over low to medium heat and allow to simmer until potatoes are done. Add shrimp during the last 20 minutes of boiling and allow to boil until shrimp turn pink. Turn off heat and remove. Strain water, serve, and enjoy.

NOTE: Here in the South, it is common to have a Low Country Boil outdoors in a pot with a strainer and pouring all ingrediants when done out on a picnik table which has been covered with newspaper or something of the like and let friends dig in.

If making a Low Country Boil indoors in a pot without a strainer, then use a slotted spoon to serve. Here at my house, we always have Cornbread with our Low Country Boil......just a little suggestion. Enjoy!

Sealed with a Kiss, Kirsten

S.W.A.K.

{ Eggs and Dye }

Time to dye some eggs

Trying to achieve Robin egg blue

The kitchen smelled of boiled eggs and vinegar. That combination always brings back memories from past Easters. But, that was minimal compared to yet another dose of realty...i.e...my daughter is getting bigger and didn't need my help to dye Easter eggs this year. Sigh. Plus, she did a great job and ended up with more dye on the Easter eggs instead of her hands....and she didn't drop any eggs....or crack any..... or tip over a glass full of dye. Sigh again.

Sealed with a Kiss, Kirsten

S.W.A.K.

{ Easter Cupcakes }

I made the cupcakes for my daughter's 3rd grade Easter Party. When my daughter saw them, she looked at me with that You're the Best Mom EVER kind of look which made my accidently dropping blue food coloring on the tile grout totally worth it. Luckily, I got the dye out of the tile. I was going for a Tiffany Blue shade in the frosting. So considering the smile on my daughter's face, the pretty cupcakes I made, AND getting the tile clean, I must admit, I did feel like SuperMom!

Sealed with a Kiss, Kirsten

S.W.A.K.