God Bless America

“While the storm clouds gather far across the sea,
Let us swear allegiance to a land that’s free,
Let us all be grateful for a land so fair,
As we raise our voices in a solemn prayer. ”

God Bless America,
Land that I love.
Stand beside her, and guide her
Thru the night with a light from above.
From the mountains, to the prairies,
To the oceans, white with foam
God bless America, My home sweet home.

I love the 4th of July!  It’s one of my favorite holidays.  I just love everything about it.  Summertime, cook outs, friends, family, and fireworks!  My husband and I go to Pops on the River each year.  We’ve made it our own little family tradition.  We look so forward to it each year.

Looking for some yummy patriotic foods for this year?  You’ve come to the right place, my friends!  Here are some of my favorites!

Wave Your Flag Cheesecake

Patriotic Poke Cake

Patriotic Cookie Pizza

Firecracker Cupcakes

Click HERE for more great patriotic recipes!

We sang this song this morning at church.  I have heard and sung this song many times, but each time I hear it it touches my heart and blesses me.  The words “You are the light in the darkness around me, You are the hope to the hopeless and broken” were words that I need to be reminded of each day.  So many times I try to “handle” stuff on my own until I quickly realize that I can’t do it on my own.  I have to constantly remind myself that I’m not alone and that God doesn’t expect (or want) me to try to handle things on my own.  The moment I turn my burdens over to Him, I am richly blessed.

I wanted to share this video with you in hopes that you will receive a blessing from it as well.

No Sweeter Name

No sweeter name than the Name of Jesus,
No sweeter name have I ever known
No sweeter name than the name of Jesus.

You are the Life to my heart and my soul
You are the Light to the darkness around me
You are the Hope to the hopeless and broken
You are the only Truth and the Way

My dear friend “Dawsovia” gave me this recipe (you know who you are : )

I grew up not liking meatloaf……AT ALL.  I wouldn’t even touch it becuase it had bell pepper in it (to this day I still will not touch anything that has peppers in it!)  A light bulb went off one day a couple of years ago and I thought, who says peppers HAVE to be in meatloaf?!  I decided to make it my way, and I LOVED it!!  It’s now one of my favorite things to make.  When I know I don’t have much time to cook, I’ll even make mini meatloaves so I can still fit in one of my favorite meals during the week!

I heard my friend talking about this recipe a few days ago and I told her I must have this recipe!  I love all things mexican…and why not put that spin on meatloaf!  Try it….you’ll love it!

Mexican Meatloaf

Printable Version: Mexican Meatloaf

Ingredients

This great little dessert is super easy!  It’s perfect for a week night dessert!  I love to have something sweet after dinner but often times don’t want to take the time to bake or put something together that’s going to take a lot of time.  This parfait is just perfect because it’s delicious and it hardly takes any time to make!

Berry Cheesecake Parfait

Printable Version: Berry Cheesecake Parfait

Ingredients:

Up for grabs is a Teavana Perfect Tea Maker (16 oz.), Sour Cherry Serenade Tea (2 oz.), Fruta Bomba Tea (2 oz.), Rooibos Chai Tea (2 oz.), and Sweet Fruit Garden Tea (2 oz.), all courtesy of Teavana!

To enter, just leave a comment about which of these teas you would like to try the most and why! If you feel adventurous, blog about this awesome giveaway and leave a comment with the direct link to your post about the giveaway to earn an extra entry! That’s it! Have fun and good luck!!

Giveaways ends Tuesday, June 30!

Teavana Perfect Tea Maker

The Teavana Perfect Teamaker creates the perfect cup of tea for tea lovers on the go. Just add loose tea, 16oz of hot water and steep. Drain the tea by placing it onto your favorite mug. Prepares two 8oz cups of tea.

Sour Cherry Serenade Black Tea

A rich and flavorful blend of black and green tea sets the stage for an orchestra of flavor. Sour cherries stand out as the soloist in this sweet and sour symphony of tea. This tea in particular is perfect iced or delicious hot. It’s your choice.

Fruta Bomba Green Tea

A melange of green tea and South African Rooibos in combination with ripe papaya and peach pieces. Together they create an explosion of flavor, aroma and health benefits. This is a delicious green tea and perfect for those who have not tried green tea before.

Rooibos Chai Tea

This delicious chai is made from Aspalathus linoaris, a South African plant that gives it a rich, red color. The red Rooibos is naturally caffeine-free and filled with vitamin C, minerals, and proteins. And combined with cinnamon, vanilla, ginger, and lemongrass, it makes a wonderful herbal tea.

Sweet Fruit Garden Herbal Tea

The extraordinary tasting sweet and lush blend of sour cherries, apples, candied papaya, raspberries, grapes, rosehips and hibiscus exude the taste of summer year round. Also makes a great iced tea.

10 Desserts to Impress

Whether you’re cooking for a celebration, a book club, or a dinner party at home, these ten desserts from myrecipes.com won’t let you down.  I easily see myself making at least 6 out of the 10 desserts already!  Here’s a few of my favorites…

Angel Food Cake Stuffed with Whipped Cream and Berries

Keith wants me to make this one for his birthday in a couple of weeks!

Caramel Pecan Tart

I got this recipe from a dear friend last night.  She said it was great.  Her husband likes it even better than pecan pie!

Chocolate Fudge Cheesecake

Doesn’t this look wonderful!  I cannot wait to try this!

Thin French Apple Tart

I have never made a fruit tart like this and I told myself last night I WILL make this!  It just looks too good for words!

Keith took me to Cantina Laredo, a new (to us) gourmet mexican restaurant for my birthday last night.  It was WONDERFUL!!

We had Queso Laredo and chips and salsa for an appetizer.  It was quite tasty.  It was queso that had taco meat, pico de gallo, and tomatoes.  It was a serving big enough for the both of us and then to have some left over to have with dinner (I like to put queso on my tacos, fajitas, burritos, you name it : )

For dinner Keith ordered the Fiesta Grill and I ordered Beef Fajitas (adventurous, I know).  When our food came out it was like heaven….

Keith’s Fiesta Grill had enough food for 3 people (literally!).  It had shrimp, costillas (beef short ribs), quail, beef, and chicken fajitas!  All of which was AMAZING (Keith let me have a little taste : )

My Beef Fajitas were delicious.  The best flavored beef I’ve ever had, actually.  Seasoned just right and cooked to perfection.  And I had more than enough queso to top them off!

And on to my favorite part…..DESSERT!!  They had a great selection of desserts, but we decided to go with the Mexican Apple Pie, which was sizzled in mexican butter (you can actually see it sizzling in the picture) and topped with cinnamon ice cream.  It was by far the best apple pie I’ve ever had.  Keith would have licked the skillet if he could have, I think.  Our waiter even put a sparkler on it for my birthday  : )

We had a wonderful time at Cantina Laredo and will definitely be going back!  Everything from the atmosphere, to the food, to the waiter were just perfect.

It was the perfect birthday, dinner.  Thanks for a great night, honey.  I love you!

Real Simple is a great resource for not only household ideas, but for recipes as well!  I ran across their 6 Steps to a Delicious Burger online, and I have to admit…..I learned quite a few tricks for grilling burgers!  Check out how you, too, can make a perfect burger!

6 Steps to a Delicious Burger

What You Need

To make 4 succulent beef patties, start with 1¼ pounds of ground chuck (85 percent lean or less). Then heat your grill to medium-high.

Step 1

Divide the meat and gently form in to 4 balls.  (Don’t overwork the meat or it will become dry and tough.)

Step 2

Flatten the balls into ¾-inch-thick patties. Also flatten the top and sides of each patty to ensure that the thickness is the same throughout.

Step 3

Use your fingers to make a shallow well in the top of each patty (this will prevent overplumping). Season the patties with salt and pepper or seasoning of your choice.

Step 4

Oil the grill grate using a pair of tongs and a paper towel dipped in canola oil. (Don’t spray on the oil or you’ll risk a flare-up.)

Step 5

Cook, with the wells facing up, until the burgers release easily, 4 to 5 minutes for medium. (Don’t press or flatten.) Flip; cook 4 to 5 minutes more.

Step 6

Check the doneness with a thermometer. (Insert it through the side so the tip is in the center.) It should register 155° F for medium.

When to Add the Cheese

To get that oozing, melted effect that everyone craves, add the cheese 2 minutes before the burger is done and cook with the grill covered.

And if you’re feeling a little adventurous, here are 12 burger toppings you can try (avocado is my personal favorite!)!

I love, love, love cinnamon rolls!!!  I could eat them every day for breakfast.  When I came across this recipe, I said to myself, “I have found the ultimate breakfast, oh yes I have!”  Monkey Bread…..I don’t know where it got it’s name, but I love it.  It makes me feel like a kid again (not only because of the name, but because I like to use my fingers to eat it, too : )

Monkey Bread

Printable Version: Monkey Bread

Ingredients

3 Cans Buttermilk Biscuits (not the flaky kind)
1/2 Cup light brown sugar
2 Sticks Butter
2-3 Tsp. cinnamon
1 Cup Sugar
1/2 Cup Pecans, if desired

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Open each can of bisuits and cut each biscuit into quarters.  Combine sugar and cinnamon in a 1 gallon size zip-loc bag.  For a stronger cinnamon taste, use all 3 tsp. For a not so strong cinnamon taste, only use 2.

Drop all of the biscuit quarters into the zip-loc back and shake until all biscuit pieces are well coated with the cinnamon-sugar mixture.

Evenly place pecans in the bottom of lightly greased bundt pan, if desired.  Spread the biscuit pieces evenly over pecans (If you do not want to use pecans, just place biscuit pieces directly in to greased pan).

Melt 2 sticks of butter with 1/2 cup light brown sugar over medium-high heat in a saucepan.  Once the butter/sugar melt and blend together, pour over bisuit pieces in the bundt pan.

Bake for 30-40 minutes at 350 degrees or until the crust is deep brown on top.  Allow to cool 15-20 minutes and then turn upside down on to plate and serve.