Easy & Creamy Lemon Pie on Snippet & Ink

A little while back, I mentioned that my Easy & Creamy Lemon Pie recipe would be featured on Snippet & Ink... and it was posted yesterday!

Head over to check it out :

Easy & Creamy Lemon Pie


I hope everyone has a happy Father's Day Weekend!  Mike is in seventh heaven playing in a three day golf tournament here in town with his high school golf partner.  Tomorrow night Emma and I will make him this chocolate cake and a huge steak with a baked potato.  Golf, steak and chocolate cake = Mike's Perfect Father's Day Weekend!

If you need some Father's Day Menu inspiration, you can see our menu from last year - sliced flank steak, grilled peaches, heirloom tomatoes, avocado...

Have a great weekend!

Tomato, Watermelon & Feta Salad with a Citrus Vinaigrette

This salad is my new obsession - I've made it almost 5 times in the last week.  It is sweet, but sharp and completely delicious.  It goes perfectly with a burger, kebabs or grilled shrimp... all of which we've had this week with this very salad!

Tomato, Watermelon & Feta Salad
with Citrus Dressing


1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup minced shallots
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 seedless watermelon, cut in 1-inch cubes
2 cups of tomatoes, 1-inch dice
4 ounces  feta cheese, 1/2-inch diced

Whisk together the lemon juice, shallots, sugar, salt, and pepper. Slowly pour in the olive oil, whisking constantly, to form an emulsion.

Place the tomatoes, watermelon and feta in a large bowl. Drizzle with enough vinaigrette to coat the lightly and toss well.

The Shoes Make The Woman - Shoe Giveaway | J.Crew, Jack Rogers or C.Wonder

Lately, I've been keeping a mental (and Pinterest...) list of several new pairs of shoes I need.  Last year I bid goodbye to my trusty gold driving loafers that I had had forever... they were in rough shape and Mike finally broke it to me that they were no longer something I should wear out of the house.  Since then I've had a major hole in my casual shoe wardrobe.  I hadn't been able to find a replacement that I were reasonable enough for me to actually wear on a daily basis... until, I came across these from C. Wonder for $98.  Under $100?  Perfect.  But, I've been waffling...

Now that it is officially summer, that hole has been filled by my trusty Jack Roger Navajos...

or the staple J.Crew gold Capri flip flops. 

So, I keep debating... Do I really need loafers in June?  I mean, it is not that big of a deal - only $100.  At least they aren't the Tory Burch loafers I had originally had my eye on... Maybe I should wait for Fall.  

As this mental debate has waffled around my head for the past few weeks, I came across others also searching for shoes...

Every time I sit down at my computer to go ahead and make the purchase of those new driving loafers, this little note keeps flashing in my mind....  

"We especially need women's athletic shoes."

These are not ladies that need driving loafers or ballet flats to wear to drop her kids off at daycare so she can run errands, or have something new and fresh for date night, these are women that need comfortable shoes so they can work.  On their feet all day long.  So they can show up for a new job (or interview) and feel good about how they look and be comfortable - and make a life for themselves and their children.  

The long row of multiple colors of ballet flats, flip flops, running shoes, tennis shoes, uggs, house shoes, heels, loafers and boots in my closet have haunted me since I saw this note.

I don't know about you, but I'm most moved when I hear something specific - we all remember when Oprah asked her audience to donate children's pajamas to her foundation.  The thought of sweet little children that didn't have a pair of pajamas to put on at night (much less multiple outfits to wear to school the next day) moved so many mothers to help pitch in.  So many of us want to help, but to often we're not to sure how.  

So, here's the fun part.  I'm going to help you help others... then I'm going to help you, again.   Donate to one of my favorite (or your own) Women's Charities, and you're entered to win a new pair of shoes (featured above...) from ME!  You can choose from the C.Wonder Drivers, Jack Roger Navajos or a $100 gift card from J.Crew.

There are two options...

This pair of shoes from Target.com costs about $25. 

Step 1 : Purchase shoes (like above or something similar) and have them shipped directly to : 

The Sheffield Place*

Attn : Ladies We Respect!

6604 East 12th Street

Kansas City, MO 64126-2208

Step 2 :  Comment below and include the following:

 -Confirm that you have purchased the shoes and had them shipped!

- Share a small story about how shoes have helped you feel great at some point in your life. 

-Share which pair of shoes you want ME to buy YOU - the Jack Rogers Navajo, J.Crew $100, or C.Wonder Driving Loafers. 

OR

Step 1 : Donate a monetary donation (of ANY amount!) to a Women's Charity : 

The Rose Brooks Shelter is one of my local favorites!*

Step 2 :  Comment below and include the following:

-Confirm that you have made a donation (no need to share how much)!

-Share a small story about how shoes have helped you feel great at some point in your life. 

-Share which pair of shoes you want ME to buy YOU - the Jack Rogers Navajo, J.Crew $100, or C.Wonder Driving Loafers. 

*These are local KC charities, so please feel free to donate to a local charity in your area - I just wanted to make it easy if you didn't know of a local charity... after all, ladies are ladies, am I right, ladies?  

At random, I will select the winner of my gift from the comments!  I will make the announcement on the blog NEXT WEDNESDAY, June 18th!  Please check back then to claim your prize.

Please pin to help spread the word:

.....

I'm so excited to be doing this on my blog - it is a new area for me, but something that is going to make this blog a true extension of the life I hope to lead... helping everyone make Everyday Occasions special.

Jenny

PS - normal well wishing comments are also welcome, as always!

Fresh Strawberry Cupcakes with Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting

  

We have some special visitors coming to our house this weekend - Samantha and Baby Kate are going to be spending the night with us!  I'm planning a fun Cinderella movie night - the girls will be making their own pizzas and rice krispies with sprinkles. 

I wanted them to have another treat, too, for when they arrived so she knows how excited we are to have her.  Sam's a girly girl and loves anything with icing, so I thought these strawberry cupcakes would completely delight her.  And, after our trip to the Strawberry Patch we had to find a way to use all of our strawberries...

Here are some of our fresh from the field strawberries.  Many of the other pickers were picking 2 and 3 flats of berries, but as I said in our post, our trip to the berry patch was more about Emma having fun, so when she was done, we were done... which resulted in about 3 pounds.  Just enough to eat all we wanted and enough for this batch of strawberries.

I'm usually a white paper cupcake liner type of girl, but I just love these and thought they would make them a little more fun for the girls.

 

The icing is a cream cheese icing with diced fresh strawberries mixed in - the pale pink color is completely from the strawberries mixed in the icing!

Fresh Strawberry  
Cupcakes
with Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting


1 white cake (mix or homemade)
1 cup of strawberries, diced
1 drop of red food coloring
....
1 stick of butter, softened
3 ounces of cream cheese, softened
4 cups of powdered sugar
1 cup of strawberries, diced  
whole strawberries, garnish

Prepare cake as directed then mix in diced strawberries.  Pour batter into paper-lined cupcake tins.   Bake as directed.  Let cool.

For frosting, mix together butter and cream cheese until smooth, then add powdered sugar and strawberries.  Mix on medium for 3-4 minutes.  When cupcakes are cool, frost generously and top with a strawberry.  Refrigerate.
 


I added just a drop of red food coloring to the batter because otherwise the baked strawberries make a brown colored cupcake.

The fresh strawberries makes the frosting just to the perfect color of pale pink... no food coloring needed!

Emma woke up from her nap just in time to sample... approved!

A Day in the Strawberry Patch with Emma

Summer's really not complete without a trip to the strawberry patch.  For the last two years, I competed in the Verrill Farm Strawberry Recipe Contest (which I never won...), but now that we're back home I wasn't sure where we'd go for picking. 

Emma is just ripe for the picking age! Children are welcome at strawberry patches - they are just the right height.   It was so fun to see her get to explore and run and pick and eat without having to constantly tell her "no."

When I was young I was crazy for strawberries.  I've shared this photo before, but it really is worth sharing again.  Here I am on my 2nd Birthday - complete with a "Strawberry Shortcake" cake and a punkin' pie haircut... looking so much like my Emma.

Enjoy our photos from our day in the Strawberry Patch!

At least once a week I try to find an activity that is all about Emma. 

Sometimes I feel like our typical days are filled with things she can't do - open certain cabinets, climb on the furniture, run down the driveway...

...play with anything but her toys, spray the windex, or run around Target like a madwoman. 

Both of us have so much fun when we do things and go places where she can have free rein and do whatever she wants to do without me holding her back. 

On our special Emma days, I try not to have the camera in her face, too much...

...or make her pose, or try to get the perfect shot of her smiling.

  I just let her be and do whatever she wants to. 

Even if that means running through fields...

She has a great time and I'm usually rewarded with a big smile... and very long nap-time in the afternoon!

Summer Vegetable, Sweet Corn & Chicken Chowder

Last week during Emma's summer break we were treated with storms here - almost everyday.  Typically a big bowl of soup doesn't sound fabulous during the first week of summer, but when the rain was coming down in buckets, this fresh sweet corn chowder packed with vegetables was a comforting dinner. 

The soup was inspired by a lunch date Emma and I had at Classic Cup (as in... she fell asleep in the stroller while we were shopping, so I actually got to sit an enjoy lunch!).  They called theirs a Green Chile Chicken Chowder and served it with tortilla chips.  I combined that soup with one of my favorite Barefoot recipes for Lobster Corn Chowder, that uses corn cobs to sweeten and thicken the soup... and added lots of vegetables.  So really, it is nothing like either soup... but the result was very good, and rather healthy.

I'm so glad to finally have peonies gracing my table!  I found these at the Brookside Farmer's Market on Saturday - not my favorite varieties or colors, but any peony will do!

Summer Vegetable
Sweet Corn Chowder


2 Chicken Breasts (skin-on/bone-in)
olive oil
salt & pepper
....
2 tablespoons of olive oil
3 carrots, peeled, small dice
2 celery ribs, peeled, small dice
1 small white onion, small dice
1 sm can chopped green onion
1 sm can of diced tomatoes
4 cups of chicken broth
4 cups of water
4 ears of sweet corn
Sea Salt
.....
1 small zucchini
1 small yellow squash
cilantro

On a baking sheet, drizzle the chicken with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes at 350 until cooked through.  Remove from oven and let cool.  When cool, remove meat and shred into bite-size pieces.





In a large stock pot, saute onions, carrots and celery in olive oil until soft.  Add green chiles, tomatoes, chicken broth and water.  Season with 1 tablespoon of sea salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper.  Bring to a simmer.



Cut corn kernels off of cobs and add cobs and half of corn kernels.  Reserve the other half of the kernels to add just before serving.  Continue simmering the soup uncovered for 30 minutes and up to 2 hours.  (I later added a 4th cob per the recipe, after I took this photo!)



Before serving, add shredded chicken, zucchini, squash and reserved corn.  Simmer until vegetables are tender. 

Taste for seasoning and add salt as needed.  Garnish with cilantro for serving.