Pecan Pie Cake

Pecan pie is good.

Cake is good.

Therefore, shouldn't taking the two and combining them into one delicious confection be twice as good? 

Yes, yes it is.

This is a cake among cakes. So freakin' good. I do realize pecan pie is poplar during the winter, holiday months, but cake is popular year round. I felt no shame "pecan-ing out" this spring. The cake is rich and moist, with layers of custard and toasted nuts. Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and you'll think you've died and gone to heaven. 

This is a bit of a labor intensive cake. I made it for my mother-in-law's birthday a couple of weeks ago, and I did not know what I was getting myself into. My MIL (much like the hubby's aunt) didn't have a preference on cake, and asked for a surprise. Both her and the hubby have an affinity for Pecan Pie, and I'd had this recipe under my hat for over a year. Waiting for the perfect opportunity to try it. Well, my MIL was ALL about it when I suggested it. I set about to make it the day before her birthday, until I realized I probably wouldn't be constructing the cake till the next day. The custard layer really should sit overnight in the fridge before you use it in the layers. So I made the custard, and into the fridge it went. The custard layer worked perfectly in construction the next day. I then turned my focus to the cakes, realizing I was going to need 3 bowls and to separate a lot of eggs. I hate separating eggs. Somehow, someway I always get egg yolk in my whites. Never fear, I managed to separate with ease this day. 

The egg whites are separated in this case, and whipped up. Like meringue. The egg whites are folded into the cake batter at the end, I believe to add levity to the cake. It's very important to have absolutely no yolk in your whites, or your egg whites aren't going to stiffen properly. Which means your cake won't rise. Which spells disaster! 

Ok, I'm being a little dramatic. But seriously, don't get yolk in your whites.

As I was preparing the cake, I noticed a little note in the recipe. It said you should never make pecan pie on a rainy or overcast day. What?? I'd never heard that before. It's apparently an old Southern adage. Indeed, this recipe is adapted from a Southern Living recipe. Well. I wanted to know why. Upon googling this perplexity, I was able to find... nothing. No reason that you should avoid making pecan pie on a rainy day except that you just should. Consequently, I've relegated that adage into the category of old wives' tales. 

So, there you go. Pecan Pie Cake. It sounds and looks decadent, and it totally is. Who cares if it's not Thanksgiving? Get down with your bad self anyway!

Happy Hump Day!

Ingredients:

Custard-

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

3/4 cup dark corn syrup

1/3 cup cornstarch

4 egg yolks

1 1/2 cups half-n-half

1/8 tsp salt

3 tbsp butter

1 tsp vanilla extract

Cake-

3 cups pecans, toasted and finely chopped

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup shortening

2 cups sugar

5 eggs, separated

1 tbsp vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 cup buttermilk

corn syrup

Directions:

1. Prepare the custard- combine dark brown sugar through salt in a COLD saucepan. Whisk until smooth. Turn heat on, and bring mixture to a boil over medium heat. Whisk CONSTANTLY. Cook 1 minute or until mixture begins to thicken. Remove from heat, whisk in the butter and vanilla until smooth and melted, then press a piece of wax paper over the top of the custard to prevent a skin from forming. When mixture has cooled, chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours. 

2. Prepare the cakes- Preheat oven to 350º. Completely coat 3 (9 inch) round cake pans with cooking spray. Distribute the 3 cups of pecans evenly into the 3 pans, shaking to coat the bottoms and sides of pan.

3. In a large bowl, cream the butter and shortening until fluffy. Beat in sugar. Beat in egg yolks. Beat in vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine flour and baking soda. Add flour mixture slowly to butter mixture, alternating with buttermilk. Repeat until flour mixture and buttermilk are completely mixed in.

4. In another bowl, beat egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Gently fold egg whites into batter. Distribute batter among the 3 pans.

5. Bake in preheated oven 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 minutes, then turn cakes out to a cooling rack. Brush cakes with corn syrup (I recommend putting a piece of wax paper under your cooling rack). Cool completely before constructing cake.

6. Construct cake- Spread half of custard on one cake, pecan side up. Place 2nd layer of cake, pecan side up, on top of custard. Smooth on remainder of custard. Place remaining cake, pecan side up, on top of remainder of filling. 

7. Slice cake, and serve with whip cream or vanilla ice cream.

Printable Recipe

Recipe adapted from Southern Living.

Linked to: Weekend Potluck, Foodie Friday, Tickle My Tastebuds Tuesdays

Spicy Thai Peanut Salad with Chicken

I love this salad.

That's an understatement. I gobble this salad up. I can't believe I haven't shared this recipe yet, because I've been making it for a couple of years. I make it every couple of months or so, because I start to think about it and crave it. It's a combination of the pasta and the spicy, creamy dressing that's the draw for me.

As I mentioned, I've been making this for years. The first time I made it was so long ago that I don't even remember when it was. All I remember is that I made it for the first time in my apartment in Beaverton, OR. I believe the hubby and I (pre-marriage) had been living together for about a year. Maybe a little longer. Side note- I'm going to add that the hubby and I moved in together after dating for all of 2 months. Yeah, we were those crazy kids. My point is, even though we'd been living together for awhile, we still didn't know each other that well. It's taken 8 years for us to know each other like we do, you can imagine at Year 1 there was still a lot to learn. So, I make my salad for dinner and I'm all excited to share it with my (at the time) live-in boyfriend. He comes home, presumably from a long day, and was incensed by green onion, raw carrot, and a cold pasta salad with peanut butter dressing. I was horrified. How was I to know I'd combined all the things he hates most in one salad? LOL. I laugh now, because it's a pretty funny memory. Needless to say, he calmed down, tried some salad, realized it was pretty good, and fell in love. The rest is history.

This is a great salad to keep in the fridge for quick meals. The recipe makes a lot, which means I have lunches made for the week. It keeps well, so you really can eat on it for a week. Unless you have a big family, which in that case you better increase the recipe :)

It's Monday! Did everyone have a great weekend? We sure did! It was beautiful and sunny, and I soaked up every second of it. The hubby borrowed a tractor from a friend, and tilled up our entire backyard. I'm still not sure how I feel about this, because the backyard is mud again. We're heading into 2 days of rain, so we probably won't be laying grass seed till after this system passes. Stupid mud.

Oh, we did have some excitement around here yesterday. Our neighbor about a half mile to a mile down the road set his whole hillside on fire. Yep, the hillside. We knew something was up when smoke started to envelop the yard and the fire department went screaming by. I'm left shaking my head, as we've been on a Red Flag warning for days. A Red Flag warning not to burn between the hours of 6 am and 6 pm. Honestly, if people aren't going to follow simple rules, I believe they should be required to either make a donation to the fire department or pay the fireman to come out and deal with their ignorance. I'm very irritated with this incident, if you couldn't tell.

Hey, I had to close all my windows because of the smoke! That's a lot of fresh air I missed out on. It'd be enough to make you cranky too. Ok, I kid, I kid :)

Have a great day folks!

Ingredients (serves 6):

10 ounces spaghetti, cooked to package directions (you could sub any long noodle, such as soba or rice)

1 lb cooked chicken, shredded (I used leftover rotisserie chicken)

1 cup carrot, shredded

1/2 cup green onion, sliced

1/2 cup peanuts, roughly chopped

1/3 cup low-sodium chicken broth

1/3 cup creamy peanut butter

2 tbsp honey

1 tbsp ground ginger

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 garlic clove, minced

1 heaping tsp crushed red pepper

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine cooked pasta with chicken, carrot, onion, and peanuts.

2. In a small bowl, combine chicken broth through crush red pepper. Whisk to combine.

3. Drizzle dressing over salad. Toss to combine. Serve at room temp, or cold from the fridge. 

Recipe adapted from Cooking Light.

Linked to: Weekend Potluck, Foodie Friday

My New Herb Garden

Voila!

I'm so pleased with how my herb garden turned out! The hubby really did such an amazing job on it. Especially considering how this herb garden came into being...

Last weekend, upon returning from Lowe's and completing our yard work, the hubby and I were looking at Pinterest. I was showing him pictures of an herb garden like this, because I was leaning towards modeling mine similarly. Well, he got a bee in his bonnet and decided he wanted to build it right then. At 4 pm. After we'd already been to Lowe's that day. So... back to Lowe's we went for lumber, screws, and gardening soil. The hubby built this in less than 2 hours after we returned home. That in itself was astonishing to me, as it would have taken me weeks to build something like this. Who am I kidding? It might have taken me months!

What do I have growing in here?

The bottom row is basil. The 2nd tier is cilantro on one side, and then flat-leaf and curly parsley on the other side. The 3rd tier is oregano and thyme. And the top tier is mint. My mother informed me that you always plant mint alone, as it will take over the space. Good to know!

If my herbs make it through this spring, it will be a miracle. So far, since we've gotten the herbs planted, we've had frost at night, a monsoon, and fairly gusty winds. The hubby reminds me plants are hardy, but I've never done this before. Sure, we grew some herbs and vegetables when we lived in Portland, but that was the hubby's project. I was almost entirely uninvolved in the gardening in Oregon. Now I'm wishing I'd paid a little bit more attention!

Flat-leaf and curly parsley.

As you can see, our landscaping leaves a bit to be desired. The hubby is planning on tilling a lot of the dirt today, so we can reseed areas of the yard with grass. We are going to have mud spots for a while longer it seems. I guess these things take time. And more importantly, money!

 My mint! Below it, oregano.

Side note- I got a picture of this fella near one of my feeders, and I'm having a hard time identifying him! I think I've narrowed him down to an indigo bunting, but I'm not 100% on that. Any birders out there know what kind of a bird this is?

And finally, the hubby and I ran a 5k for a local animal shelter, Sierra's Haven, yesterday. Sierra's Haven is one of the best in the area, and a no-kill shelter. I've been out to their site, and not only is it a beautiful place for the animals, but it's clean and the staff is super-helpful. I had to take a cat out there that I found during the polar vortex, and they took him in with open arms. They are just a wonderful organization. They been having some financial difficulties lately, so they have numerous fundraisers going on right now. The hubby and I decided to take part in their 5k, which was ran at a local high school. The course they made was a 3 mile loop around the school, which sits on a steep hill. The beginning of the course had us running down the hill, and I must admit while I was running down it, the only thing I could think about was coming back up. Sure enough, when it came time to go back up, it was right around the end of mile 2. I did my best, and I ran all the way up the hill, but I was gassed at the top. My pace slowed dramatically, and I never really turned on the juice for the rest of the race. But, I finished and that's what counts. I'll have to try for a new PR at the next race :)

The hubby, however, finished 3rd overall! Go hubby!!

This was my scene yesterday, post race. Sitting in the sun, having a beer, staring at my herb garden.

In other words, bliss :)

I hope everyone is having a fantastic weekend!

Traditional Greek Salad

I'm going to share one of my favorite recipes today. In fact, as I was looking through recipes I've already covered, I couldn't believe I hadn't shared this recipe before. It's one I've been making since I first started cooking, and one I've continued to make. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Greek Salad was one of my first introductions into Greek food, and it helped me realize how much I love the Mediterranean diet. Lots of tomatoes-check. Olive oil- check. Cheese- check. Marinated meats- check. Olives- check please! Greek food (at least what I make at the house!) is always fresh, bright, and freakin' delicious. Sometimes I make Greek Salad to serve alongside Chicken Soulvaki, sometimes (such as this) I serve it with hummus and naan. It's an amazingly versatile salad.

It's also an incredibly healthy salad. Honestly, it's mostly vegetables with some cheese and olives to complete the dish. The dressing is olive oil emulsified with lemon juice. There's nothing to not like about this salad. It keeps in the fridge for a good 4 days, however it rarely lasts that long at my house. I've usually scarfed it down by then. It's convenient to have in the fridge, and be able to grab a portion here or there. I've also been known to eat this as an after-dinner snack. One that never makes me feel guilty :)

Well, it's Friday friends. Does anyone have any exciting plans for the weekend? I woke up to a monsoon this morning! I'm enjoying my coffee, and thanking my lucky stars I went for a long run outside yesterday. You won't see me out there today! I take it back, I do have to go to the grocery store. I might get a little bit rained on yet. The only thing I ask for is that the rain is gone tomorrow! The hubby, I, and a couple of friends are doing a 5K for a local animal shelter tomorrow, and it would be swell if it wasn't raining... well, cats and dogs. Haha, I just couldn't resist that one! I hear my friends in Oregon have been dealing with a typical Willamette Valley spring aka. rain all day, everyday, for weeks. I guess I'm thankful we only get one of those days every once in awhile. Sorry Oregonians, you know what they say. April showers bring... June/July flowers :)

Ok, I changed that phrase to represent how I feel about spring in Oregon :)

Have a great weekend everyone!

Ingredients (serves 6):

4 large tomatoes, deseeded and chopped
1 large cucumber, chopped
1/4 cup red onion, grated (you could chop here, however the hubby hates raw onion texture, so I grate to change the onion texture)
1/4 cup kalamata olives, halved
1/4 cup parsley, minced
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 tsp dried oregano
salt and pepper

Directions:

1. In a large salad bowl, combine tomatoes through feta cheese.
2. In a small bowl, combine olive oil, lemon juice, and oregano. Whisk thoroughly to emulsify the dressing.
3. Drizzle dressing over salad. Toss to combine. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately. Stores in fridge up to 4 days.

Recipe adapted from Sunset.

Linked to: Weekend Potluck, Foodie Friday

Spicy Skillet Tilapia For Two

I have the easiest recipe for you today. 

I'm serious! The easiest. I love cooking with fish. Some people may be intimidated by fish, but not me. It's such a versatile protein, and thin white fish, such as tilapia, mahi mahi, snapper, orange roughy, etc. cooks fast. Its fast cooking time makes it absolutely perfect for a weeknight. This meal came together within 30 minutes, and that's including the rice I made to serve alongside. 

You may have seen some meme's going around on FaceBook that say, "Eating Tilapia is Worse Than Eating Bacon". Pish posh. I've done some research on imported tilapia, especially from China. It's really hard to trust a lot of sources on the Internet, because honestly, you don't know who's paying that person to write an article. Always something to keep in mind. I've read that Chinese hatcheries aren't sanitary and don't have the same standards as the US. What I've read is enough to keep me from buying tilapia from China, but not enough to keep me from banning tilapia from my diet. I simply check the labels on the tilapia I buy to make sure it's not from China (buying frozen fish is about the only option where I live). 

That being said, this recipe would work with many other types of fish. All the fish I previously listed would work. I believe this recipe would also work with halibut or cod, you would just need to adjust the cooking time for a thicker cut of fish. I highly recommend trying this dish, you'll be amazed at how tasty it is for such a quick recipe. This is one of those recipes I went into expecting it to be just so-so. I was pleasantly surprised :) Serve this along with hot cooked rice or buttered pasta, to soak up all that wonderful sauce.

I adapted this recipe from one of my favorite blogs, Skinnytaste. Skinnytaste is a go-to for me in the summer. Her blog is filled with tons of lightened-up dishes and colorful salads that are perfect for cooling down on a hot day. Don't let the name of the blog fool you, you won't find deprivation on the site. Just healthy, tasty, well-rounded meals with lots of fresh ingredients. I can't say it enough, ditch the processed junk and start eating whole foods. You won't believe the difference in everything. More energy, clearer skin, softer hair, easier weight management, etc. People, just ask yourself this- there's got to be a reason why folks who eat more whole, nutritious foods are healthier. It's because they eat stuff that's good for them.

All right. Enough lecturing for today. All I ask is that you think twice before pulling into McDonald's today. You can still pull in. Just think about it first. In the meantime, I've obviously woken up in sanctimonious mood. I guess I will go find something to put this mood to use :)

Happy Thursday!

Ingredients (serves 2):

1 tsp olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 small green bell pepper, chopped

1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained

1/2- 3/4 tbsp cajun seasoning

2 white fish fillets (such as tilapia, flounder, snapper, etc)

hot cooked rice or butter egg noodles (to serve with)

2 tbsp parsley, minced

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. When hot, add onion. Sauté about 5 minutes, or until onions become tender. Add green pepper. Sauté another 2-3 minutes. Add garlic, and cook for 30 seconds- 1 minute.

2. Add tomatoes and cajun to the skillet. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Add fish to the pan and cover the fish with the sauce mixture. Cover the skillet, turn heat down to medium-low, and cook for 10-13 minutes. Fish is done when it flakes easily with a fork.

3. To serve, place rice or pasta on a plate. Place a fish fillet on top of desired starch, then spoon sauce over the dish. Sprinkle 1 tbsp minced parsley over each dish. Serve immediately. 

Recipe adapted from Skinnytaste.

Linked to: Weekend Potluck, Foodie Friday

Classic White Birthday Cake

Let's dive right into birthday season, shall we?

I have 2 cake recipes for you this month! I know, I know, most month's don't even have 1 cake recipe. April is a popular month for the hubby's family and their birthdays. Lots of birthdays around this time of year. This equates into lots of baking experience for moi. This cake was baked for the hubby's aunt's birthday. I had asked her what kind of cake she wanted me to make, and at first she came back with "Surprise me!". Upon further questioning, I got her to reveal that she loves white cake with white frosting. Done and done.

White cake is white cake due to the fact that there are no egg yolks in it. Separating eggs is not my forte, however, I successfully pulled it off with this cake. You know, without wasting any eggs or having to start over. This is a great recipe for white cake. Moist, flavorful, pretty. I was pleased as punch with the final result.

What's a birthday cake without at least a few candles?

Aunt's birthday was 2 weeks ago, and it ended up being a fabulous Spring day. We (we being the hubby, I, aunt, uncle, and mother-in-law) all took Aunt out for a birthday lunch, then ended up back at home for cake and ice cream. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, the bees not quite out of hibernation yet- we took full advantage and got our sweet tooth on outside. Spring is just, quite frankly, the best.

I ended up going with a smattering of sprinkles on top. White on white on white was a tad too much... white. I sprinkled with a touch of reserve, always with the notion this was an adult birthday cake :)

The birthday girl with her cake :)

Special birthday kisses from Gizmo.

All dogs were present, and equally disappointed they didn't get any cake or ice cream. They had to settle for chicken jerky and some kisses :)

All right. That herb garden I mentioned yesterday that the hubby was building me? It's done, and it's super-duper cute. I'm so happy and in love with it. I think I'm going to sneak an extra post in this week so I can share photos. The hubby did a remarkable job. To this day, I'm still amazed at the things he can build (and fix!) with those two hands. I cannot wait until I can start harvesting my bounty. I also can't wait to dive in and learn about gardening. I learn so much better by doing.

For now, I bid you adieu, friends. Look at me, and my French today. I feel so cultured :)

Ingredients:

Cake-

2 1/4 cup cake flour

1 cup milk, room temp (I used 1%)

6 large egg whites, room temp

2 tsp almond extract

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 3/4 cup granulated sugar

4 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened and cut into cubes

Frosting-

1 cup butter, softened

4 cups powdered sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

4-5 tbsp half-n-half

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350º. Flour and butter (2) 9 inch round cake pans.

2. Combine milk, egg whites, and extracts in a medium sized bowl. Whisk until well-combined.

3. Combine sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Toss to combine. Add butter to bowl, and beat with an electric mixer. Beat for 1-2 minutes. 

4. Add half of the milk mixture. Beat for another minute. Add the rest of the milk mixture, beat for 1 more minute.

5. Divide batter among 2 cake pans. Bake in pre-heated oven for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Mine actually baked for 22 minutes, though I will add I have a convection oven. 

6. Cool cakes in pan for 30 minutes. Remove from pans, and allow to cool completely on a cooling rack before frosting.

7. To prepare the frosting, combine butter and sugar in a large bowl. Beat for 1-2 minutes. Add vanilla and 2 tbsp half-n-half. Beat until you reach desired texture. Add more half-n-half if frosting is too thick. 

8. To build cake, frost the top of one cake with a thick layer of frosting. Sandwich the other cake on top of the first cake. Use remaining frosting to cover the entire cake. Top with sprinkles, if desired. Serve with vanilla ice cream for best results. 

Cake recipe by I Am Baker. Frosting recipe adapted from The Kitchen Magpie.

Linked to: Weekend Potluck, Foodie Friday

This Homestead Has A Driveway!

Isn't it bee-u-tiful??

I'm taking a break from recipes today, mainly so I can show you what I've been yammering about for a week. 

I'm so delighted with how it turned out. I was talking to the hubby, and I mentioned how amazed I was by the effect of a little concrete on the front of the house. It really pulls the curb appeal together. The hubby actually worked in concrete before his current job in natural gas, so he knows his concrete pretty darn well. Therefore, he's been wetting the driveway with a sprinkler since it was poured. A couple times a day, in fact. He's wanting it to cure slowly, which means we also aren't driving on it just yet. 

Yep, we're parking in the yard :)

The only thing I'm not thrilled about? How much we had to tear up the yard to put in the driveway. I miss my grass. That's ok, we're going to be re-seeding the areas that were tore up. I should have my lawn back in no time.

Looking out at the yard from the porch. 

I'm so excited about having a walkway to the front door! You have no idea how good it felt to trash those makeshift wooden stairs we've had for the last year and a half. As I've previously mentioned, now I can usher guests in through the front door. No more being embarrassed the UPS guy has to brave the muddy yard! People also get to see my door mat now, which I've been delighted to have for the last 16 months and no one has seen. 

Dog lovers unite!

Now that we have the front entry, I just had to put some flowers out. The front yard is sadly lacking in the floral department. I absolutely adore this big, bronze pot we found to put some impatiens in.

I braved the honeybees to pick out these flowers!

I don't know if I mentioned it before, but we also put a concrete pad out back. We plan to use it as a functional patio for the time-being. Our ultimate goal is to build a deck out back someday. This is obviously going to be a big-time project that probably won't happen in the near future. We'd like to eventually put a hot tub on the pad, and then build the deck around it. Until that day comes (it's going to be quite awhile before that happens!) we have something to put patio furniture and the hubby's grill on.

The hubby's actually built me a little herb garden to go out by the patio, but it's not quite finished yet. I'll have to post pictures later, but it's super freakin' cute. 

Obviously, we have some grass-seeding to do here as well :)

I couldn't resist a picture that screamed, "SPRING!". I love when everything comes back to life. 

One more step completed in our landscaping process. I'm a very happy girl!

Happy Monday friends! I hope everyone had a fantastic and sunny weekend!

Chocolate Oat Smoothies

Once again, I've saved the best for last!

These smoothies truly feel decadent. Indulgent. Kind of like a Wendy's Frosty. Kind of. But I will tell you, these are much healthier for you than a Wendy's Frosty. Because, you know, there's oatmeal in these.

There's also Nutella... Moving on :)

I loved these smoothies. Loved, loved, loved them. They would make a great dessert if you are watching your calories. Even the hubby enjoyed them. I'm not sure why, but I never think chocolate when I think smoothies. I think fruit. I think yogurt. But chocolate? Not so much. Well. Quite frankly, forget that! I'll be putting chocolate in more smoothies from now on. Many, many more.

So, Smoothie Week is now over. I'm pretty pleased with how delicious they all turned out, not to mention how well the photographs turned out. I'll be back next week with a few non-liquid recipes. Since it's been birthday season around here, I'll have a couple of cake recipes for you. I made a Pecan Pie Cake for my mother-in-law's birthday, I'm beyond excited to share it. It was a decidedly elaborate cake. A perfect share for blogging.

Some exciting news! I was a featured recipe over on The Country Cook's Weekend Potluck. This is my second time, and it still feels just as good as the first time. I must say, starting a blog is hard work, and a reward such as this every once in awhile really makes it all worth it. Sometimes, on those weeks where you get no hits and no one comments on anything, I get that nagging thought that I suck at this and I need to give it up. I follow a number of different blogs, I know this is a typical feeling among bloggers and one that no one is immune to. Sometimes you just need a pat on the back to keep going. And that's exactly what I got. Well played Country Cook, well played.

Between this and our driveway being completed, I'm heading into the weekend on Cloud 9. It's supposed to be a true Spring weekend here, with sunshine and nice weather without the nasty humidity of summer. I'm planning to get a couple of runs in, especially since I've been eating so much cake as of late.

No rest for the wicked :)

Have a great weekend everyone!

Ingredients (makes 2 smoothies):

1/3 cup Nutella
1 cup quick cooking oats
2 frozen bananas, sliced
1 cup vanilla Greek yogurt
1/2- 1 cup almond milk

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth. Add more almond milk to achieve a thinner consistency. Distribute between 2 glasses. Serve immediately.

Linked to: Weekend Potluck, Foodie Friday