Dinner, Wine, & My Spare Time

Is your holiday/gift wrapping accessories taking up space all over your house or is it hard to find?? Well get you an organizer and go to town. Or maybe go to town and get an organizer lol! This is my solution, but I actually stole the idea from a friend. She is so creative and I give credit where credit is due. I bought this pantry organizer from target it cost about $30 You can permanently attach the organizer or just hang it from the back of the door. We attached the bottom since my wrapping paper rolls were heavy. I put my tulle on the top two shelves, then bows and filler. Next I have tape, Xmas labels, and pens. Under that I have gift bags and tissue paper. And of course the bottom is for wrapping paper. Verdict: I love it!!! I want one for every closet. We put another one in the entryway closet, where it holds all our hats, scarves, gloves, umbrellas, flip flops, and other gear. Ha! This pic is kinda old, if you look closely you can see Halloween decorations.

The hubs and I went to Hawaii on our honeymoon. While we were on the big island, we checked out the  volcanoes, lava tubes, a winery, and had a great meal. We ate in a little hole in the wall restaurant next to a gas station  with paper menus that changed daily.  It was sooo good especially after a day of walking through volcanoes! Sadly the quaint restaurant is now closed but it didn't stop us from recreating one of the pizzas.  So here goes our version of Kiawe Kitchen's Salmon Pizza Bon Appetit! 1 prebaked pizza crust goat cheese salmon, prepared and chopped purple onion, chopped capers dill Italian cheeses, shredded Spread goat cheese over crust, Top with salmon, onion, capers, dill and Italian cheeses. Bake at 425 degrees for 10-15 minutes.

Yeah it starting hailing this afternoon, luckily it didn't last long so my poor lil' car was alright. Of course the pieces weren't crazy big, but there were probably enough of them to make a on the rocks margarita!

1 Tbsp Vegetable oil 1 large onion, chopped 1 pkg frozen tator tots (or use any flavored tator tots) 1 can cream of mushroom soup 1 C sour cream 1 stick butter, melted 2 C sharp cheddar cheese, shredded season to taste 3 C sour cream and onion potato chips, crushed (or use cheesy garlic bread chips for variation) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 inch pan. Heat oil over medium and saute onion for 5-7 minutes or until softened. In a large bowl, mix tator tots, soup, sour cream, butter, cheese and seasonings. Add in onions, stir until well combined. Put mixture into 9x13 inch pan. Top with crushed chips. Bake for 45-60 minutes. Top will be golden brown This always requested casserole is my go-to dish. It's perfect for any holiday and it is great for a potluck and kids of all ages love it! *Warning* Apparently I was so excited eating this that I forgot to take a pic! Will post a pic later!

Tostadas 1 can Black beans, drained cumin coleslaw feta green onions cilantro olive oil hot sauce avocado chunks (optional) sour cream (optional) Heat tostados. Prep beans, add cumin and microwave for 2 minutes. Mash beans and spread on tostadas. Top with coleslaw, feta, onions, cilantro and drizzle with olive oil and hot sauce.

From Cocktail to Mocktail... I love martinis, not the kind with olives or gin, but the fun and fruity kind. My favorite to make at home is called a Wedding Cake Martini 1 Martini shaker fill half way with ice cubes 1 6oz can Dole Pineapple Juice 1 Shot Malibu 1/2 Shot Vanilla Vodka 1 tsp Grenadine syrup Start with filling up your shaker half way with ice. Add juice, malibu, vodka and grenadine. Shake well. Serves 2. Now on to the mocktail version. The original is so yummy, but I wanted to a make a version that was lower in calories and alcohol-free. 1 Martini shaker fill half way with ice cubes 1 6oz can Dole Pineapple Juice 1 Shot Coconut Water, my fave is SoBe 2 tsp Sugar-free Vanilla Syrup, like the kind in the coffee aisle. 1 tsp Grenadine syrup Start with filling up your shaker half way with ice. Add juice, coconut water, vanilla and grenadine. Shake well. Serves 2. So whether you are a cocktailer or a mocktailer, This one's for you!

Running last night was pure agony for me and why? 1. My ipod battery wasn't charged so I had no fast music to motivate me. 2. It was humid, humid, did I mention humid? 3. I ran out of water. 4. The flowers outside smelled awful. 5. Things on the road were grossing me out, I saw an armadillo corpse and a wasp ready to sting me. However the latter definitely motivated some running lol! But despite it all, I got some exercise outdoors in weather that doesn't involve a jacket. It was nice to see so many people out enjoying April weather, kids were playing in the street and men were out golfing and dozens were out running. This is what I'm running in these days ASICS GEL-Nimbus 15 Lite High-Performance Running Shoes @ Kohls.com