Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Green Peppers

I am a big fan of Philly Cheesesteaks, which means I randomly have a craving for them. But, the summer time also has me bikini body conscious. With this recipe I forget the bread and used a green pepper instead—quite possibly one of the most tasty substitutions I've made in a long time!

Here's a shopping tip I learned long ago from grandma: when shopping for your green peppers look for a pepper with 3 bumps on the bottom (rather than 4 bumps). These peppers tend to be sweeter and are better for eating.

PHILLY CHEESESTEAK STUFFED GREEN PEPPER
yield: 6 pepper halves

ingredients
3 green peppers
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium sweet onion, sliced
4 oz. baby bella mushrooms, sliced 
2 Tbsp. garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. butter
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup shredded mozzarella and provolone cheese blend
3/4 lb. thinly sliced roast beef
6 slices provolone cheese 

instructions

1. Slice peppers in half lengthwise. Remove seeds and ribs.
2. In a large sauté pan, add oil and warm over low-medium heat. Sauté onions until just translucent, about 4 minutes. Add mushrooms, garlic, butter, and salt and pepper. Sauté another 3 minutes, or until the mixture is caramelized. 
3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
4. Add thinly sliced roast beef to onion/mushroom mixture. Allow to cook on low heat for about 4 minutes.
5. Add shredded cheese. Cook until melted. 
6. Generously fill each pepper with mixture. Top with provolone slices.  
7. Bake for 20 minutes or until the cheese on top is golden brown.
8. Remove from oven. 
9. Serve warm (these also make excellent leftovers reheated in the microwave). 

A shoutout to Peace, Love, and Low Carb for the inspiration for this recipe.

Hot Fudge Sauce

Warmer days can only mean one thing: homemade ice cream season is just around the corner! And that's why it's time to stock up on hot fudge sauce.

I love this recipe for a few reasons: It super easy to make. And the sauce can be frozen, so when you have one of those spontaneous summer evening meals with friends, you'll look like quite the host by serving ice cream with this sauce!

HOT FUDGE SAUCE
yield: 3 cups

ingredients
1 stick margarine
1 cup chocolate chips
2 cups powered sugar
1-1/2 cups evaporated milk
1 tsp. vanilla

instructions

1. Combine all ingredients except the vanilla in a medium sauce pan. Cook on low, gradually bringing to a boil. Stir constantly when boiling. Boil for 1 minute.
2. If mixture is too thin, add more chocolate chips or powered sugar.
3. Add vanilla.
4. Let cool completely to thicken. 
5. Serve over ice cream.

Before Summer's End...Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes

Almost all summer now, I have been eyeing the Strawberry Lemonade recipes, everything from drinks to cakes. I finally took the time to make a lemon cupcake with strawberry frosting. 

After a few failed frosting attempts, I decided on a fresh strawberry buttercream frosting. What makes this recipe even more spectacular (as if it wasn't delicious sounding enough) it is made with Greek yogurt. No need to feel guilty about partaking in this taste of summer.

Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes

Makes: 2 dozen

Cupcakes

2 ½ cups flour

2 teaspoons salt

2 cups sugar

1 cup butter, melted

2 eggs

1 cup plain Greek yogurt

4 teaspoons lemon zest

6 tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon lemon extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tin with paper liners.
2. In a small bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, butter, and eggs until smooth. 
4. Add Greek yogurt, lemon zest, lemon juice, and lemon extract. Beat until smooth. 
5. Add flour mixture and mix just until smooth.
6. Scoop batter into paper lines; fill ¾ full. Bake 22-25 minutes. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool completely on rack before frosting.

Strawberry Frosting

1 ½ cups fresh strawberries

1 cup butter

1 cup confectioners’ sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar

Directions:

1. Place strawberries in a blender; puree until smooth.
2. Transfer strawberry puree to a saucepan over medium heat; bring to a boil, stirring often, until puree is reduced by at least half, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and cool completely.
3. Beat butter with an electric mixer in a bowl until light and fluffy.
4. Beat 1 cup confectioners’ sugar into butter until just blended.
5. Beat 2 tablespoons strawberry puree and vanilla extract into butter mixture until just blended.
6. Repeat with 1 cup confectioners’ sugar, followed by 2 tablespoons strawberry puree two more times.
7. Beat last ½ cup confectioners’ sugar into mixture until just blended.

Indianapolis has audition fever!

Colts Cheerleader auditions are in full swing. Throughout the month of March dance workshops are being held on Tuesdays and workouts are every Thursday.

I was asked to take photos at two of these sessions. And they were posted on Colts.com :)
1. Tuesday, March 13 Dance Workshop
2. Tuesday, March 20 Kick Workshop

Stay tuned for the start of auditions, Saturday, March 31--they will even be streaming live! Want to know more? Check out this little blurb I wrote for the fans!

No words or photos can adequately describe the capacity of a tornado:Henryville, IN

On Friday, Colts staff, players and cheerleaders took a bus to Henryville, IN to help the town clean up after an F4 tornado devastated the place they call home. No previous viewing of photos, television reports or YouTube footage could have prepared me for what was in store this day.

And to think that we arrived exactly a week after this tornado hit. Recovery is a long process.

We left the complex at 7:00 a.m. and took 65 South for almost 2 hours, until we arrived at the Henryville exit. Just miles before this exit you couldn't tell a tornado of such high magnitude had passed through the area, but as we approached the exit ramp the speechlessness set in.

Cars were piled on top of one another, thrown about like feathers. Trees were stripped of their limbs, left naked, and snapped in half appearing as if it were twigs. In fact, it almost looked like a forest fire had swept through and cleared out the area.

Honestly, I felt like I was on the set of "Twister."

We drove through downtown Henryville and went directly to our location for the day. This recently established auto shop was a childhood dream, that in just minutes was torn to shreds by the F4 tornado. Next door was the diner whose front got smashed in by a school bus. And across the street was the high school--a solid, steel building mangled and thrown for miles, like it was nothing more than fabric.

You can see the location by watching this video

While working across the street from the school we picked up segments of the school's track, we moved steel from the roof, and stood in awe of the "I" beams that were folded and bent and lying in the yard. An atypical scene, to say the least. And it continues to be one that puts shivers down my spine. How can wind lift up, move, and mutilate a steel object as solid as an "I" beam?

During our time at the Auto Shop we also witnessed at least a dozen cars that were totaled. Either the glass was blown out, or the softball size hail left nice imprints on the vehicles.

I will never forget the box of lightbulbs that were found under all the rubble-untouched.

Tornadoes are quite mysterious.

Following are some of the photos I took on my iPhone while in Henryville.
The Auto Shop's sign, found under siding, and the school's track.
The Auto Shop, or what is left. Basically, we only saw titled walls that surrounded the bathroom.
And the surrounding land:





This tornado even lifted a fire hydrant from the ground, and moved it 20+ feet from the road.

I must thank God for giving me the opportunity to spend this day in service. Without it, I would not be able to share the story of Henryville with you. Please continue to pray for the individuals who found themselves in the path of this storm. And for all of those, whose lives are forever changed because of a natural disaster.

I'm a Big Sister!

It's official, after months of training, and waiting for a match, I have become a Big Sister (through Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Central Indiana)!!

My little sister, Lily, is 12 years old! Our first outing: wondering through World Market and have breakfast for dinner at Panera!

I had never before been to World Market and what an adventure it was. This store literally had a little bit of everything-from home furnishings to aisles of exotic candy. It was definitely a treat to explore this store! After "window shopping" we walked across the way to Panera. Both Lily and I got cinnamon-crunch bagels-YUM! But she taught me a new way to slice a bagel. Apparently you can ask for your bagel to be sliced like bread, meaning it's sliced vertically and you end up with about 10 pieces. The bagel lasts longer and you get cinnamon crunch on every slice. What a novel idea.

Hopefully, as you can tell I am so excited to form this relationship and see what it grows to become. I'll keep you updated, as we meet 2 times a month!

I'll admit, I have a ((slight)) obsession with Pinterest & Nutella

Who knew that a Website designed for users to "pin" or share their favorite content through photo would become so popular, and addicting!

Pinterest is just this Website. And quite honestly it has brought forth my creative bone. Seriously I could easily spend hours on this site. I never cease to find ideas that I don't take the time to come up with on my own, or even better, I see ideas and twist them to become my own.

The "pins" that have been keeping me the most preoccupied are those that take me to the kitchen. Here is my most recent creation thanks to Pinterest :)

Nutella Rice Krispie Treats!

For some reason Rice Krispie Treats have been my looming craving. And really, who doesn't love Nutella? So almost immediately after I stumbled across a Nutella Rice Krispie Treat recipe, I took off for the kitchen.

Lucky for me, this recipe was super easy! Check it out:

Ingredients:
4 Tablespoons (1/2 stick) margarine
4 cups miniature marshmallows
1 cup Nutella
6 cups Rice Krispies cereal

Directions:
Melt margarine in a large saucepan over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat and stir in Nutella until melted. Add cereal. Mix with hands until well coated (to keep treats from sticking to your hands, run them under water every-so-often). Evenly press mixture into a 13 x 9-inch pan coated with nonstick cooking spray. Cool and cut into 2-inch squares.

Adapted from: The Sticky, Gooey, Creamy, Chewy Blog