Easter Dinner: Strawberry Shortcake with Homemade Whip Cream

So thankful to my sister Maria for sharing her beautiful food (beautiful can totally apply to the word food in this case..) recipes with us and also sharing the cuteness of my adorable goddaughter here..;)

This recipe is one that beats all! View Easter Dinner Part 1 Here and Part 2 Here..

This is my all time favorite dessert and it wouldn't be Easter without strawberries making an appearance. This is another great Kraft spinoff, but with my own homemade whipped cream.

Homemade whipped cream is super easy and it will be hard to go back to the store bought stuff again!

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups milk, divided
1/4 cup Sour cream
3 Tbs. Sugar
2 1/4 cups all purpose baking mix
1 pkg. (3.4oz) Vanilla Instant Pudding
8 oz Whipped Cream (recipe as follows)
4 cups Sliced fresh strawberries
1/4 cup sugar

Whipped Cream
1 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
2 Tbs. Powdered Sugar
1/2 tsp. Vanilla
Beat all ingredients in a chilled small bowl until stiff.

Preheat Oven to 425 degrees.

Beat 1/2 cup of milk, sour cream, and sugar together until well blended. Stir in baking mix JUST until moistened. You don't want to overstir as it will be too tough.  Spray 9 inch round baking pan with cooking spray. With a spatula, spread mixture into the pan. Bake about 12-15 minutes or until goldne brown. Cool 10 mintues and then cool on a wire rack completely.

Meanwhile...
Beat pudding mix and 1/2 cup of milk with wisk for 2 minutes. Stir in 4 oz of whipped cream. Set aside. Toss strawberries with sugar in a separate bowl.

Cut cake horizontally. I use a really sharp long bread knife to get a good clean cut. Place half the stawberries on bottom of cake and top with pudding mixure. Layer the other cake half on top, like a big sandwhich. With a spoon or spatula, spread remaining whipped cream over top of cake and add strawberries for final touch.

This dessert is best when served immediately or keep chilled if making ahead. I usually do everything but the final assembly when making ahead, as the strawberries tend to drizzle and absorb into cake.

It is truly delish!

This is an easy given for the Little Kids...Easter Jello Shapes!

You can find an Easter Jello Mold for fun shapes (found mine at Target). Our mom would make these Jello Easter Egg's each year so of course now I am making them for my own kids. Christiana loved picking out different kinds of colored jello and she helped to make a different color each day.

My Food Philosophy: Because the effort to make good food is a gift to those around me, it's happy memories, togetherness, the living part of life.

"Her mouth speaks from that which fills her heart."

And just like that we are at the end of March...(?!!)

This quote seemed to reflect our Encourage Beauty Challenge so well. In the small decisions to choose uplifting words to those around us, you can notice the small changes in your own heart. This is something I have learned from all of you who participated. That even if its just a moment we take for someone else, you an change that day for a person. 

Mandy shared with us that one of her readers who read about the challenge wrote the following:

I just have to thank you for mentioning the “encourage beauty” campaign at the beginning of the month. It inspired me to send a brief note/card to all the women in my life (mom’s, sisters, friends) just telling them that they are beautiful and that I love them.

I cannot tell you how I many of them have contacted me to tell me how much it meant, or that it came at “just” the right time, when they needed to hear it! (Of course, don’t we all long to hear that everyday – or rather need to hear it everyday!). It made everyone feel beautiful!!!

This was all I needed to remind me to live more aware of my words, but also to act upon them.
Hilary is sharing another print we made that you will have to check out. We decided this challenge should be something we can partake in anytime. If you are new and missed the original post, feel free too use the updated calendar to make the Encourage Beauty campaign part of your year! 

If you ever want to share a story, just email us or use the hashtag #encouragebeauty. You can download these prints here. Thank you for all of you who took part with us. You were a motivation to us in so many ways!

Love, Anna

Easter Dinner Series: Spring Salad + Twice Baked Potatos

Post by my talented sister Maria, see the rest of her posts here.

Well...it's hard to narrow down which sides to share! Our Easter dinner spread usually includes deviled eggs, rolls, cheeses, dips, etc. There is always a salad dish and potato dish to accompany the meal and these two pair well with the Spice Rubbed Pork Tenderloin.

Spring Salad
A little more fancy than a normal every day sald this recipe includes:

1 Bag of Spinach, rinsed and dried
1 handful of Dried Cranberries (or more to taste)
2-3 Tbs. Toasted Slivered Almonds
1 Orange cut into sections
4 slices Cook Crumbled Bacon
Cheese of Choice (Motzerella, or Crumbled Feta)
Balsamic Vinegarette Dressing

Twice Baked Potatoes
These will be gone in minutes!

4 Large Baking Potatoes
 1/4 to 1/2 cup of Milk (I usually use whole)
1/4 tsp. Salt
1/4 cup of Butter
3 Slices of Bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 Cup of Sharp Cheddar Cheese, plus more for garnish
1 Tbs. Green Onions

Preheat Oven to 375.
Wash Potatoes, puncture each potatoe with fork a few times to release steam.

Bake potatoes at 375 degrees for about 1 hour or when tender when poked through with a fork.  Carefully slice potatoes in half lengthwise and let cool. Turn oven up to 400 degrees.

When cool enough, spoon out center and place in a large bowl. Leave a little potatoe around the rim so that the skins don't sink and fall inwarrd.

Add softened butter, milk, and salt. Beat with electric mixer until whipped and potatoes are creamy and smooth. I love my Kitchen Aid mixure for this! Stir in green onions, cheese, and bacon.  With a large spoon, fill potatoe skins really full.

Place potatoes on a shallow baking tray and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Place in oven and heat for another 15-20 mintues until heated through and cheese has melted.

Stay tuned for Part three of this Easter Dinner Spread - Dessert!

My Food Philosophy: Because the effort to make good food is a gift to those around me, it's happy memories, togetherness, the living part of life.

P.S. Mosie Posies giveaway winner announced in the rafflecopter widget here!

Bump Styled: Uptown/Downtown

White Coat: c/o Sheinside, Tunic top: ON, Denim: Gap, Boots: (similar), Tote: ASOS (similar), Leather Jacket: c/o Windsor Store, Necklace: c/o Chicpeek, F21

I had a glorious forced break from work these past 4 days. 

My computer died on me and despite deadlines and big goals for the weekend, God decided I needed to rest and be still. I can't believe the wonders it did for me. I tackled logo design with pen and paper, my house got cleaned,  some DIY projects were completed, I started this book (fascinating so far), and the kids and I built lots of forts and block towers. Gabe and I also watched an unhealthy amount of NCAA basketball and our new addiction "Once Upon a Time" on netflix. 

I think I will hide my computer more often;) These small things made me so happy. Its not easy to unplug when your job depends on your computer, but I realize how necessary it is for my own well being.

Hope you all had a good weekend despite the fact that spring seems to be on strike nationwide!

$1000 #Glamgrand Visa Gift card Giveaway!

Well friends, my computer died on me but don't worry, I managed to get this sucker up because you all deserve to be apart of this chance to win a grand! I've teamed up with a group of fabulous ladies to bring you something special today. One very lucky reader will have the chance to live glam with a grand - you'll win a $1,000 Visa Gift Card!

To enter, simply use the Rafflecopter below. Points will be earned for each item completed - the more you do, the closer you'll be to winning the prize! The $1,000 Glam Grand Giveaway will run until midnight Friday 29th March 2013 and is open to participants worldwide. After this, the winner will be announced and contacted via email. 

So, now all you have to do is enter, go meet these other fun gals and start thinking about how you'd spend a grand. (I'd love to know your ideas, share them in the comments below.)

Kelsey Bang  |  Style Elixir  |  Moiology  |  Casey Leigh  |  Elle Apparel 

Ivory Lane  |  Pink Peonies  |  CaraLoren | Shannon Hearts | The Chiffon Diary

Twist Me Pretty  |  Dont Quote the Raven  |  Barefoot Blonde  |  Crazy Style Love  |  The Daily Tay

Jessica Who? |  MessyDirtyHair  | Glossy Blonde  | Glam Hungry Mom |  A Little Dash of Darling

Merrick's Art  |  In Honor of Design |  Coast With Me  |  Plane Pretty |  Mix and Match Fashion

Get Your Pretty On |  The Shine Project  |  Fashion and Tea  |  Crowley Party |  Along Abbey Road

Style With Shannon  |  Love Chugs  |  Dreaming In Cashmere  | Sincerely Arizona  |  Kacie's Kloset

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Terms & Conditions:
The Glam Grand Giveaway is for one USD $1,000 Visa Gift Card. This giveaway is open worldwide to people aged 18 years and over. It will run from Friday 22nd March 2013 to Friday 29th March 2013. Entries will be verified, so please be honest in completing items. Once the giveaway closes, the winner will be announced on this Rafflecopter and also contacted via email. To claim your prize, please respond to the email within 72 hours, failure to do so will result in a re-draw. Once the winner has been selected, this decision is final and no further correspondence will be entered into regarding this matter. This giveaway is in no way affiliated with Visa or any other social media platform. Good luck!

Easter Dinner Series: Spice Rubbed Pork Tenderloin

The Easter Holiday is an extraordinary occasion to celebrate. Since we come from a big Catholic family, its one of the most significant days we celebrate out of the year, so it entails a big feast :) So I thought I would post on my Easter dinner menu and hope you can try some or all of these out for friends and family. We will start with the main dish....

Easter Main Dish: Spice Rubbed Pork Tenderloin

It is a special occasion meal that looks beautiful every time. Not only that, it is really simple and I always have all the ingredients on hand.  This can be used for any occasion...

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

2 lbs. pork tenderloin

1/2 cup of Catlina or French Dressing, divided

2 tsp. chili powder

2 tsp. garlic powder
1tsp. dry mustard

1tsp. paprika

1/2tsp. dried thyme leaves

2Tbsp. honey

Place pork tenderloin in a baking dish. (I usually put mine on a baking mat and on a baking sheet because it is 10times easier to clean)

Spread about 4 Tbs. of dressing over pork. Combine all spices and rub over the meat on both sides. Place in oven and bake for about 12 minutes. Meanwhile combine the 4Tbs. of dressing and 2Tbs. of honey. Brush over meat after 12 minutes and place back into oven for another 10 minutes or until interal temp is 145degrees. 

It will have a slightly charred look, but the meat will be very moist with incredible flavor, serves 8.
Recipe adapted from Kraft.

Stay tuned for Easter Sides and Desserts!

  

My Food Philosophy: Because the effort to make good food is a gift to those around me, it's happy memories, togetherness, the living part of life.

*Post by my sister, Maria. You can find the rest of her beautiful eats here.

Giveaway: Custom Print from Mosie Posies

Tara Mosier is the artist and designer behind Mosie Posies, an etsy shop dedicated to personalized prints for new arrivals or birthdays. I love her combination of colors and the way she uses type. I mean the elephant duo on the top left?? My fave of course.

There are alphabet, numbers, initial prints, and name sake prints as well. 

She is giving a reader a custom 8 x 10 print! Enter easily through rafflectopter below.

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P.S. Winner of the Pursemafia giveaway announced in the rafflecopter widget here!

Bump Styled: Neon and Turquoise

{Top: c/o Questhaven Fashions (20% off site with code IHOD), Coated Jeans: H&M, Necklace: Bauble Bar, Shoes: Zara (similar), Tote: Asos (similar)}

Anyone have tips for that lovely growing out the bangs phase? A perpetual side braid is all I got!

I am entering into the third trimester (already?!) - what I like to compare to feeling as if you are carrying a kangaroo in your pouch and the awkward waddle starts to replace your once confident stride. The puffy  face alludes to the fact that you did just eat a whole can of pringles by yourself, and you don't really care if your toddler just dumped a bag of rice on the floor. Let her play in that mess because you don't have the energy to move you and your kangaroo pouch off the chair to clean it up.

Goodbye energetic and mobile second trimester.

But its okay because I get lots of kicks and hellos from the little one inside reminding me its all worth it.

In other news...

We were blessed with the most gorgeous weekend Georgia has seen in a while, and even better, I had my sisters in town to share it with. I am now okay with the rainy monday since I soaked the sun out of the weekend. How was yours friends?

P.S. Its the last day to enter to win $50 credit to PURSEmafia! This could be that time you win!

Style File: Spring Fever

Hat // Shades // Tote // Cardi // Necklace

Image: H&M via Shop Sweet Things

__________________________________________________________________

After what seemed to be a month of rain and gloom, spring has arrived in all its glory and it has brought a FEVAAA with it! Sunnies and 70's all weekend long (you guys gotta move to the ATL) and these lovelies above are on the top of my favorites list.

I have a fun round up of links for ya:

This is what I am doing with my abundance of strawberries in the fridge via Creature Comforts

This DIY has me in a frenzy. Seriously good.

Not only crazy about this shop website but everything it contains:)

Cutest St. Patrick's Day pinch polish from Andrea Dozier. 

4 Messy hairstyles for unwashed hair.

IHOD has a DIY up for your little ones over on Small Fry Blog!

If you are in the south, hope I will see you at the Maiedae Mixer in June!

Happy St. Patrick's Day weekend friends! I am not irish but my children are so that means we are celebrating the good saint loudly! (I have plenty of freckles to boot.)

He felt the baby move...

He felt the baby move. 

A series of questions proceeded...

When is the baby gonna come out? Wil I get to hold the baby? Will she be happy?

He doesn't know that just yesterday, I was waiting for him anxiously, feeling him kicking and moving constantly in my womb, and wondering who he was going to be.

My first born.

I ache for those days where he fit into my arms perfectly, but accept that it was a gift to have those days at all. I have shed tears thinking of how fast he went from being my newborn to my little man in what seems to have been only a year in time. 

When I saw him react to feeling this baby move, I was reminded that he was meant to be my first born. God knew exactly what He was doing. Gabriel will be the big brother they will learn from.

And boy, has he challenged Gabe and I these past few years. Stretched us to our limits and re-molded our hearts. Through the ugly moments and the sweet ones, I know he was made to be my first.

Little lovebug in the womb, you are a lucky one. You have a big brother her already loves you so much. He thinks you are a girl. We will see:)

Easter Surprise Straws DIY

I saw these fun straws at Target, and before I knew what I was going to do with them I took them home. (Currently in the Target easter section for $3 per canister.) These were going to be put to use, no matter what.... I obviously had to grab some jelly bellies while I was there as well so when I dumped the contents of my Target bag on my table when I got home, it occurred to me that they were made for each other;)

Use straws that are wide enough to slide down your favorite small Easter sweets (3/8 in.). 

(Jelly Beans, Tic-Tacs, Nerds, etc.)

Use bright washi tape  to cover and seal the ends. Make sure it is sticky enough to stay put.

These are fun to stick in easter straw for a party display or just hide them in deserving Easter Baskets.

Can't wait to surprise my little ones with these in a few weeks! 

You could also use just the green ones filled with green treats for a St. Patrick's Day DIY.

Some St. Patrick's Day DIY's you don't want to miss:

Pretty much everything on Studio DIY, but especially these Lucky Poppers.

Lindsey of Pillow Thought created an adorable St. Patrick's Day Scavenger Hunt for Small Fry.

One Charming Party created free printables for bags of gold.

Thoughfully simple has an adorable St. Patrick's breakfast idea for your little ones.

Loved Say Yes to Hoboken's Shamrock Tea Bag DIY.

Have any St. Patrick's Day or Easter DIY's to share? My pinning fingers are ready!

Giveaway: $50 credit to PURSEmafia

Colorful patterns and prints galore:) 

These gals know how to make a bag fun inside and out. Above are my top favorites from Pursemafia, an etsy shop run my Brigette and Michelle who handmake everything in their shop! From make-up bags to vacation totes, the sizes, patterns, and colors vary to give a fun array of options for different tastes.

PURSEmafia is kindly giving away a $50 credit to spend on any items you like!

Open to international readers. We will draw a winner next Monday night!

If you don't want to wait around to see if you win, Pursemafia offers a 15% discount for all of their facebook fans.

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