Healthy Lemon Broccoli Pasta

May 14, 2012 by Gina Mueller

This pasta is one of my favorite summer time meals.  I have been a lover of lemons for some time now and the idea of mixing lemons with pasta falls in the middle of delicious and perfection for me. Did I mention this recipe is crazy easy to make! What makes it so easy?  Clean up! You only need one pot – no strainer needed!  It takes less than 20 minutes to whip together and it always turns out delicious; great leftovers too.

Ingredients

• 29 oz Chicen Broth
• 3 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp gr lemon rind
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 6 oz angel hair pasta
• 3 c. Broccoli Florets (can be frozen)
• 1 1/4 c. low fat or lite sour cream
• 2 oz parmesan Cheese

Instructions

Combine and boil chicken broth, lemon juice, lemon rind and pepper.  Add Pasta and broccoli, simmer (without a lid) until noodles are cooked. Do not Drain!  Stir in  Sour cream and sprinkle with parmesan.

Quick snapshot of the ingredients.  Feel free to use frozen broccoli – I usually do!

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Seven Favorite Memories From Amsterdam

Apr 30, 2012 by Gina Mueller

This time last year I was packing my bags for an adventure to Amsterdam and Tanzania.  It was a trip of a lifetime and I cant help but wish I was reliving it in a few days.  I shared my Africa pictures last year, but I  never got around to sharing Amsterdam pictures.  So today I have included a few pictures from the trip along with seven of my favorite memories. Hopefully I will get to relive them all some time soon!

1. Drinking Minties (hot water + mint leaves) and beer at the corner of a busy intersection.  While watching for bike collisions and bicyclists in high heals.

2.  Eating the most amazing apple pie at Winkle 43 while socializing with locals.

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Ribbon Tassel Garland

Apr 22, 2012 by Gina Mueller

I spotted Confetti System garlands a few months ago and fell in love with the  mix of colors and textures.  These garlands are absolutely beautiful, but they come  at a steep $100+ price.  Making them a perfect DIY project to add some color and inspiration to my office.

The garland turned out beautifully and I love the playfulness it adds to my work environment.

Materials

• Several rolls of ribbon
• 1 2yd strand of strong string (to hang the ribbon batches on)
• Wire (to seal ribbons together)
• Scissors
• Pliers
• Candle flame

Directions

Cut ribbons to your desired length and amount, you will be folding the ribbons so each strand counts for two.  I cut mine at different lengths, between  10in-17in with 3-4 strands in each batch. Begin a fishtail braid with the ribbon strands around the support string, making sure the base of the ribbon is straight.  Braid 1-2 inches and seal braid with a 2 in wire, by wrapping the wire around the end of the braid and clamping shut with pliers.  Continue the above steps for each strand until you have the desired amount or ribbons on your garland.  Seal cut ribbon ends by swiping the ribbon tip by a flame.

Above are the materials I used to create the garland.  I used gold wire and string to match the ribbons I picked out.

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Greek Yogurt Covered Blueberries

Apr 16, 2012 by Gina Mueller

I am always searching for healthy treat options to satisfy my sweet tooth.  I, like many others, recently discovered greek yogurt and enjoy finding ways to use it as a substitute.  This frozen treat was the perfect way to incorporate my new favorite ingredient into a simple healthy summer treat.  This will be a new necessity for my summer freezer like frozen grapes!

Ingredients

• Berries (blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, rasberries)
• 1/2 c Greek Yogurt

Directions

Prepare a cookie sheet with wax paper.  Place 1/2 c of yogurt into a bowl, dip berries in yogurt and place on wax paper a centimeter apart.  Once sheet is covered with berries place cookie sheet inside freezer for a couple hours.

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Knock You Naked Brownies

Apr 8, 2012 by Gina Mueller

I found the title of these brownies to be extremely appropriate for this scrumptious treat.  And this recipe just gives me one more reason to love The Pioneer Woman.  She has done it again by taking a classic recipe and making it ridiculously good!

 In my opinion, this is the perfect brownie.  Caramel sandwiched between two layers of chocolatey goey goodness.

Ingredients

Adapted by The Pioneer Woman

• 1 box Betty Crocker Super Moist German Chocolate Cake Mix
• 1 c Chopped Pecans
• 1/3 c Evaporated Milk
• 1/2 c Evaporated Milk (additional)
• 1/2 c Butter, Melted
• 60  Caramels, Unwrapped
• 1/3 c Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

 Boxed cake mix.  EasyPeasy!  I used Betty Crocker Super Moist German Chocolate cake mix, but you can use whatever you like.

Mix together German chocolate cake mix, chopped pecans, 1/3 c evaporated milk, and melted butter.  The batter will be very thick… this in normal.

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Bookends With Personality

Mar 15, 2012 by Gina Mueller

I didn’t bring many books with me to the new apartment, only favorites and future reads, but I did find 2 amazing sets of bookends.  The book ends are giving me the inspiration I need to refinish my bookshelf that is currently in the state of chipped purple paint.   Although the bookshelf has a long way to go, for now the bookends do a great job of holding it all together and adding a personal touch.

The items I own that belonged to my grandparents are always my favorite.  They make me feel connected and I love the thought of owning something that was passed down + these items always have the best character.

The practical approach to organizing your books would be by grouping like items together.  I did not take this approach.  Instead I grouped by color, no one said you had to follow the rules when organizing!

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Canvas Photo

Mar 2, 2012 by Gina Mueller

I finally took the plunge and ordered one of my Africa photos on canvas.    A Groupon from Canvas On Demand gave me the extra nudge I needed to overcome my fear of the pictures clarity when printed on canvas.  As you can see the picture turned out amazing and I couldn’t be more pleased with the color and quality.  I will definitely be ordering more of my photos on canvas in the future…Maybe a future canvas photo wall!

This was my absolute favorite picture from my trip.

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