Five on Friday - Memorial Day

Today I am doing my first link up with some of my favorite blogs!! Make sure to check them out as well!

Here are 5 of my favorite things from this week!

1. Georgia Aquarium 
We are visiting our friends this weekend and on Sunday went to the Georgia Aquarium. If you haven't been you have to go! This place is AMAZING!! We couldn't get over how big the tanks were. You should see the size of the sharks and whales. Our other favorite exhibit were the otters. Below see a few pictures of our adventure!

2. Southport - Oak Island
I am so excited that we are at my Mom's house in Southport for Memorial Day weekend. We haven't been to the beach in a while so we are super excited. We are planning on golfing, beach time, shopping, and of course taking the ferry from Southport to the Aquarium at Fort Fisher. If I haven't mentioned it before, my husband has a salt water fish tank and is slightly obsessed!

3. Memorial Day Appetizers
Of course we need to make sure we are well fed at the beach. I love this recipe for blueberry, strawberry and jicama salsa. Not only is it on theme but doesn't it look refreshing after a long day at the beach or golfing? I will definitely let you know how it tastes and if you should make it.

4. Hibiscus Iced Tea Sparkler
We need to make sure we stay hydrated over the weekend. I can't wait to try this hibiscus iced tea sparkler. I am a huge fan of hibiscus iced tea, it is a great alternative for when you want something slightly sweet and don't want all the sugar of the juice. Looking at the recipe at first glance I might swap the honey for agave and cut the amount in half. I am personally not a fan of overly sweet beverages.

5. Memorial Day Weekend
WOOO HOO! I can't tell you how excited I am that it is Memorial Day Weekend. After living in the Northeast for my entire life, Memorial Day Weekend was always a sign that we made it through another winter. No more snow for a few months, we can start taking out summer clothes (yeah for white jeans!!), and most importantly being able to actually enjoy the outdoors. Living in North Carolina that means it is time for us to go out on the boat, swimming in the lake, and grilling outdoors.

Armondo our cat is all ready for the holiday weekend!! 

Hope you have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend and I can't wait to hear how you celebrated. I will also make sure to recap all the recipes that I mentioned in this post, and any tips and tricks I learned.

Happy Pinning!
By Jennifer Shelton

Cinco de Mayo Recap

So yesterday I posted the recipes I found on Pinterest for Cinco de Mayo! I just wanted to show some pictures and tips I learned from making the recipes. Unfortunately I didn't get to make the sombrero cookies! I bought the ingredients but got sidetracked earlier in the day and didn't put them together! I am sure I will dig into them later today!

To start I made the Cilantro Jalapeño Limeade which was so refreshing and great with tequila! Maybe next time I would try vodka. The recipe calls for 3/4 cup of sugar to make the simple syrup, because you also add agave nectar I might cut this back by half. I am not a fan of sweet drinks, and would rather be able to taste the jalapeño!

And I would fill the glasses with ice and not the pitcher like the recipe calls for. It was way too hard to pour and since it is 85 degrees outside the drinks got warm fast. I had to go back inside and get an ice bucket to cool the drinks!

 Cilantro Jalapeño Limeade

 Here are a few snapshots of our dinner! I tried to be festive and brought out some of the bowls that were purchased in Cabo San Lucas! I used margarita glasses to serve salsa and sour cream!

The turkey enchilada lasagna was so quick and easy to make. I might rename this recipe lazy man's enchiladas! I might add some diced jalapeños next time to give the dish a lil more kick. However, I love spicy food so the recipe is perfect as is if you are not a fan of spicy. Also, when I was putting together the lasagna I was afraid that their wasn't enough meat at all. But after baking it all came together really well. I also used an entire packet of cheese in the dish (i love cheese!!). It was delicious and served 4 people with 2 slices left for leftovers.

Turkey Enchilada Lasagna

Next up were the jalapeño cheddar popovers! All you need is a blender and you are all set. Basically you just blend all the ingredients and let it sit for 30 minutes. I used a popover pan, but the recipe calls for a muffin tin. I am sure that would work well too! And side note I totally forgot to add the butter (left it in the microwave) and they came out perfect. You can also add more cheese and jalapeños if you want them cheesier or spicier!

Jalapeño Cheddar Popovers

Really what is a Mexican meal without guacamole? I quickly made up some guacamole with the leftover ingredients I had from making the meal above! I also made a fiesta salad and served with Mexican rice (totally cheated and bought the kind you heat up in the microwave for 90 seconds)!!

During dinner we also had a guest! This lil lizard was hanging out on a lantern! 

And last but not least, we had to dress up our cat. Can you tell he is excited it is Cinco de Mayo?

Happy Pinning!
By Jennifer Shelton

Easter - Chickadee Deviled Eggs

With Easter being tomorrow I decided to try and make some Chickadee deviled eggs that I saw on Pinterest. Of course I thought it would only take me a few minutes to assemble, but let me tell you make sure to dedicate the proper amount of time and cook a few extra eggs as well.

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/167196204886031104/

Here are a few tips we learned while making these!!

• If you are making a dozen chickadee deviled eggs, make at least 6 extra hard boiled eggs. 
• We used the egg carton to hold and display the eggs! We thought it added more flair and we didn't have to worry about them standing up correctly. 
• Be careful when taking out the hard boiled yolk, you don't want the egg to break. 
• Use a icing decorating bag to fill the eggs. 
• Pre-cut all your vegetables before hand. We cut them out and put them in little bowls and used food tweezers to place the eyes and beaks on the chickadees. 

Here is what ours looked like! I might be bias but I think they are adorable!!

Also, since this blog is new I really haven't been able to share too many photos of my adorable cat Armondo. Here are a few of my favorites of him in his bunny ears!!

By Jennifer Shelton