Haha! Yeah, many recipes call for it too. Salty and sweet is definitely the way to go. But in my chocolate chips, I cut about 10 tablespoons of butter out of the recipe and cut the sugars too. They're pretty irresistible..... Every time I make them they're gone in about 15 minutes. Lol :D I'm running out right now, but when I get back....I will post the recipe for you. I promise. :) Actually, I have been wanting to stuff it in a chicken breast or layer it on top (the dip).... it's really good! :)

PS....I would love a garden too! :) Herbs galore. :)

I tried to do a container herb garden last year and the birds stole every plant. I love cardinals and blue jays but they are little thieves.

Hi! :) Btw, I'm cooking dinner..... but I will post the recipe tonight. :) Funny....I always end up killing my poor herbs. I take too much. I can't help it, fresh herbs just blow dried ones away. Lol :)

In yum. How was dinner on your end? The shrimp tacos came out well enough but I need to tweak the recipe just slightly. A bit too sweet for my taste with all the fruit.

This is going to be my last year trying herbs. I'm going to attempt chives, parsley, rosemary and lavender on the front porch this time, in hanging baskets. I love roasted lavender in a raspberry vinegar and it's so pretty when it blooms.

Best banana bread EVER is from Molly Weizenberg's "A Homemade Life". Think you can find it on Food52 blog. Or Molly's blog "Orangette". Chocolate chip/candied ginger banana bread.

I'll definitely have to look into that. I've never candied ginger but it sounds delicious.

Hi again, I'm sorry....I have a bit of "stuff" going on at home. I will post the recipe tomorrow morning. For real. ;)

You're fine. My work schedule is erratic right now due to catching up from the winter weather so I'm off and on between the house and work.

Hi itry! Sorry, have a lot going on at the moment. But I found a few minutes ....so here you go! :) And please understand, this is my own recipe, so some things are not measurements. It's pretty easy going and can be changed up for what you like, of course. :) Hope you enjoy it! ;)

First off, you can either make it in an artisan bread bowl or a casserole dish. If you use the bread bowl, keep an eye on the edges, so they don't burn. (use foil on the edges) I usually opt for the casserole and either cut up artisan bread into- cubes, use tortilla chips, or cut French bread in thin 1/2 inch slices for dipping.

All of the below ingredients just get mixed together.... no magic. Lol :)

1pkg. 8oz. Cream cheese (can definitely be low fat)

1/4 cup of mayonnaise

1/4 cup parmesan cheese grated

1/4 Romano cheese grated

1/2 teaspoon Garlic salt or your favorite salt seasoning

Nutmeg ...few shakes (I'd guess maybe a 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon)

Cayenne ....few shakes (same as above ....more towards 1/2)

1 tablespoon of dried basil (I like it, so I sometimes put more) I also use fresh if I have it.... throw in a sliced handful if you'd like. :)

2 to 3 diced garlic cloves (good sized ones)

2 to 3 green onions/scallions sliced

1/2 large red sweet pepper or 1 small diced

14oz can of artichoke hearts.... drained a diced

1/4 cup of mozzarella cheese

Few shakes of Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons of dried onions

1 tablespoon of dried sliced garlic

1 tablespoon of onion powder

1 tablespoon of garlic powder

8 large mushrooms diced

1 to 2 plum tomatoes diced......

Taste

Adjust seasoning

1 pkg. of frozen spinach thawed and drained well.... or 2 cups of fresh sliced

Salt and pepper to taste.... also NOTE.... if you are using frozen spinach.....LEAVE IT UNTIL LAST... taste for seasoning and adjust and THEN add the frozen/thawed/drained spinach. The reason.... you shouldn't eat it unless it's heated to a certain temp. I don't want anyone sick. Read the label.

Sprinkle additional mozzarella on top (the amount is up to you)

Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes

Put under the broiler 1 to 2 minutes until cheese is lightly browned

Hope you enjoy this! :)

Just in case..... it is also really good if you add cooked crab meat or diced clams. Don't ask me how much. Lol :) Maybe 1 handful of each? Good luck! :)

oh...I forgot....a few shakes of hot sauce can be good mixed in too. :D If you try it, let me know how you like it. :) And I may have used sliced black olives... but I can't remember. Lol :D I'm always changing it up. I've even used Portobello mushrooms. So, just have fun with it. Sorry this was so long. :)

I can't wait to try the dip. We cook alike, a few dashes here and pinches there. Taste and figure out if it works. I use recipes for complicated dishes or exotic flavors. Recently started using 5 spice so I'm creating a lot of Asian and Mediterranean style dishes.

That sounds good. I love different flavors. The same old meals all the time get boring, so I definitely like switching it up. :) Thanks again for the recipe. :) I will be watching out for the stairs update. :)

I actually just posted it. My updating budget was cut short with the need of buying a new dishwasher and redoing some kitchen plumbing. I've scoured Craigslist, Restores, department stores and salvage yards but nothing is jumping out at me. I'm to the point of not knowing what I want and second guessing myself out of buying anything.

I'll check it out. :) That's definitely not the fun side of money spending. Good luck going forward. :)

Thank you. At least we were able to catch the beginning of a leak so it was a bit of a blessing in disguise. Saturday is the final walk through for the tub to shower conversion, the budget went up $3500 for plumbing and electrical permits and a higher quality tile without the water based mesh. Turns out the light that was in the shower wasn't wet rated and had exposed wiring in the attic. For this house to be 9 years old, it's had a large share of carelessness from the builders and previous owners.
Unfortunately that budget increase meant the pocket door was scrapped but that can always be added in the future. Function and safety come first, cosmetics are second.

Oh man, I agree.... sorry to hear that. I'm definitely glad you caught that leak early. Water can be so destructive, even from a pin sized hole..... it's unbelievable. Hope everything going forward turns out well. Good luck! :)

As am I. I could use some good luck on my side for the next few months. The husband leaves Monday and I probably won't see him again until December. The joys of military marriages. At least by the time he gets back the shower should be or near be completed and I'll be a better cook.

I hope you have some family around. If not and you ever need to talk.... just give a shout, if I'm around .... I'll gladly lend an ear. :) My cousin's wife must go through the same thing as you. I think he's bounced around between all the areas of the military. And they have several children between them. That has to be hard. When I lived in Florida, I hung around a lot of Navy couples... and singles too. It was nice for me and I guess nice for them since they move a lot. Friendships can help ease stress. So, I really hope all goes well. Be safe! :)

Well thank you. Closest family is 5.5 hours away in either direction and luckily I've got some good friends here. We married when I was also active duty so the first few years we rarely saw one another. It can still be like that but it's one of the things you just come to grip with. It's been decided that if he ends up with orders somewhere out of our current area, we will be going long distance and traveling to see each other when we could.

That's good, I think any time you share together will be special. I'm glad at least you have friends in your current area. But I'll still be around to swap recipes when ya want to. Lol :D Plus, with Skype and everything, it's so much easier to keep in touch with family. A bit better than just a phone call. :) Enjoy your night or day..... not sure where you are. You may have mentioned it, but at this point in the day.... my brain is fried....I'm lucky I remember my name. Lol :D

I know those days. These past few weeks have felt so rushed. I can't believe it's already March. Usually I travel home for my mom's birthday but this year I wasn't able due to the snow and ice. Soon as work gets caught up I'll be able to take a few days and surprise her. We normally talk once or twice a week and swap recipes between ourselves. She uses me as a guinea pig before testing something since I'm the least picky eater in the family now. Only thing I absolutely will not touch, plain pickles. Used to eat them and drink the juice but not anymore.

That's so funny. When I was a teenager I used to do the same thing with pickle juice. Haha! When I was younger, my best friend would pop the pickle jars open to see which brand gave you that little twinge in your cheek when you smelled it. NOTE...best friend getting blamed, but she did it for me. Lol :D Though she drank it too.
That's funny, you're the tester for food. Though, I get that...because I'm not picky either. I love trying new things. Right now, I'm in love with Korean food. It's awesome. Well, until next time...have a great day! :)

Oh dear, I never popped the lids but I was known to eat them before paying. By the time my mom would get to the register she would pay for half a jar of pickles. I ended up in trouble more than once. Didn't mean to get back to you so late, It's been one of those days for me. At least my new shoes arrived a few days ahead of schedule, so that made me happy.
Now as for the Korean food, I love Bibimbap. Its a curse to have a Korean and Vietnamese restaurant within walking distance. When we moved to our neighborhood, the restaurants and shops were still coming in but the area has exploded and still is. Downtown is just a few minutes away and several of the smaller shopping areas have received a major facelift with a large influx of new shops. With the addition of several micro breweries, food trucks and the demand for more local flavors it's been an awesome and much needed change.

Wow, that sounds like a great area. I love bibimbap too. And have you eaten spicy rice cakes? I love kimchi and kimbap too. Have you tried kalbi or bulgogi? You're lucky, I have to drive 25 minutes for my Korean food....but it sure is worth it. :) Btw, don't worry about not getting back to me right away. I understand that you have a life. Lol :) Sorry to hear you had one of those days. I hope tomorrow is better for you. :)

Oh btw, my mom always bought the pickles, but had to smell the juice first before I knew it was the right one to drink. Lol ;)

I've had an Americanized version of spicy rice cakes but never had authentic ones. Kimchi is definitely a go-to, pretty sure it was my introduction into Korean food. I've never had Kalbi or the Bulgogi. Next time I'm over there I'll definitely have to try one or the other. Friday a few of us are heading down to a place called "Hair of the Dog". They specialize in upscale hangover food but its a bit of everything. If you're really special, you can order off the menu and I get the Kimchi waffle burger. It's absolutely mind blowing.

Well tonight I dropped off the husband. This week I'm bound and determined to create a list of items that need to be done before he gets back. Hopefully my dream list won't exceed my budget.

Aww :( .... I guess keeping busy passes the time too. What's up your sleeves? lol :)

Mostly little things from updating frames and rearranging some artwork. The reorganization and donations of unused items from my scrapbooking corner is a big one I've been putting off for too long. My larger items include finishing the renovation, possibly building a wardrobe and adding new insulation to the attic.

Oh, then you will be busy. I think the insulation is my least favorite. I may do that first and get it over with. lol :)

Oh I found out why I couldn't find anything I liked for the stairwell. After hauling several rolls of insulation upstairs, the dark wood treads and white banisters are going away. I like it but I don't love it like I thought I did. Everything that is white will be going to a dark shade of gray and then I'll have hints of blue, white and silver. One more thing to add to the list.

What are you changing the dark wood to? I haven't commented on your other thread yet....I'm still thinking on it. By the time I think of something, you'll be finished. lol :)

The dark wood is going light. As much as I like dark woodwork, I'm constantly cleaning it. The cat fur, dust, any little thing shows and stands out like a sore thumb. Once I get the railings painted I'll test out a few lighter colors before committing. This was all started because I primed the mirror white, it's finished now but that made a huge difference in the way everything looked.

What size rug are you looking for? Color? Style? When I have time, I will hunt around...I already read the "don'ts" from hubby. lol :)

Maximum size is 3' x 6'. Style wise, contemporary or transitional. We both like geometric patterns, stripes, ombre or a bold but simple print.

Cleaned a large area for the new insulation, truck arrived about an hour later and they started unloading bags of blown in insulation. I about lost it, that wasn't what I ordered. So now I'm waiting on the batten insulation, should be next week. However I did start painting the spindles a dark gray. They look so much better in a dark color over the white. I should be able to finish the second and start the third coat tomorrow but for now I'm off to work.

Ordered the flooring for the landing today. That way when the future rug is washed, it wont just be the painted plywood underneath. I'm taking a lot more time to redo everything and actually I'm finding little small things I missed the first time around in prepping and painting. And found out my correct insulation is being delivered Friday now. I can finish my attic before the heat waves come in.

I've been looking around for rugs, but nothing jumped out at me as being real interesting. Glad to hear the insulation is coming, that's good. :)

You usually have incredible luck finding anything and everything so if you're not finding one, it makes me feel better and less picky. I did find one I liked in a west elm catalog but when I went to the store it was horrendous.

:) Well, if I find anything, you know I'll drop it off here. :) I have time tomorrow, so I will look again. I really like your home, it's fun. I can't have every style/color in my home....so, it's fun to live through others. Lol :)

Why thank you. I love getting ideas from others because often times I overlook or doubt myself. Plus it's fun to see what others bring to the table.

I might have found my rug, hopefully the husband will approve.

Whew! It's been a whirlwind of a few days. I'm not even sure how long it's been. The husband nixed my rug idea, said he can't handle a face staring at him from the floor so back to the drawing board for me.
However, on top of the already busy schedule I started training for a 5k and a 10k coming up in the next few months. I'm not out of shape but I seriously hate running so this is a huge push for me. On the bright side, tomorrow I'm hosting a cook in since the weather dropped from 80° to a lovely 45°.

That's quite a drop in temp. I guess the face/rug could be a bit much in the early morning. Lol :) I still haven't seen anything good. If I do, I will leave a link/picture. Yeah, running is not a joy for me, I prefer other cardio. I really prefer weights. But I will definitely cheer you on. :) Good luck! :) I'm wondering what you're making for your gathering? :)

I'm doing 2 lasagnas, meatballs, spaghetti, garlic bread and a salad with homemade Italian dressing. I'm cheating by using half store bought sauce and half homemade just to save time. One is a southern style with 3 meats and 6 cheeses and the other is more authentic Italian.

Now I'm wishing we were closer...I'd bring something too! Lol :D That sounds great especially when it's cold. Have fun! Eat a meatball for me. Haha! :)

Well if you're ever down this way, you're more than welcome. I used 6 lbs of meat and 5 pounds of cheese in two lasagnas plus an entire onion, and a handful of mushrooms. Hopefully that will feed a bunch of hungry guys. The husband and I are in a local car group so about half of them plus some friends of mine are all swinging by. It went from 6 to 8 people to somewhere between 20 and 25. Good thing I enjoy cooking or else I'd be a disaster and ordering pizza.

Oh man....25 people, I'm glad you decided on lasagna..... that was smart. That definitely can fill you up quick. We are alike in that we both like cooking. I think what I really like is when someone enjoys what I cook. That's a great feeling and makes all the effort worth it. :) I really hope you guys have a great time. Let me know how it goes. Good luck! ;) Thanks for extending an invite, that is very kind of you. When I was living in Florida, it was routine to hang out with a lot of Navy couples. They were all really cool, friendly people. It's nice meeting people from all over the states. Again ....have fun! :)

Last night was a success. I ended up with a few extra bottles of wine and a bit of salad but everything else was devoured. Ended up with 18 total, some were stuck at work and others never made it past the ever so lovely construction backup. My kitchen might not be large but everyone gathered around and I was able to introduce a few different groups of friends together. We celebrated the end of winter and beginning of spring. Next time will be a bbq and some corn hole.