“Waking up too early
Maybe we can sleep in
Make you banana pancakes
Pretend like it’s the weekend now”

So the entire time I was making this crazy good bread I couldn’t stop singing Jack Johnson’s “Banana Pancakes”.  I had those nearly rotten bananas on my  brain all day and every time I thought about them and what they would become (other than trash) I kept singing that silly little song.  And then I kept thinking about what a complete contradiction it is to my weekend routine, although I think that Drew would like for me to take a few pointers from ole Jack and his little ditty, buta in true Amanda Hardin fashion, no matter the day nor time time of day, I am on the go.  So anyway, I digress……On a random Wednesday afternoon that I decided to take off of work, I am neither going to sit around and relax like a normal human being, nor wait around for someone to make me banana pancakes.  Sorry, Jack, “I can’t see”, so those lovely extra ripe bananas got to make their big comeback to our table in the form of moist, delicious banana chocolate chip bread.  Earlier that day I “swore off sweets” in anticipation of an upcoming “thing” for which I need to look my personal best, but alas through the conspiracy of my recipe creating brain and I’m  sure some fault of Jack Johnson, I couldn’t resist making these adorable little loaves of love! So with that, Jack, I’m going to “pretend it all the time” that there are zero calories in this bread and that it literally slides off my love handles instead of giving me a little more unwarranted love.

Hunter Bear wanted to contribute to the post.  This is a bee pollinating a flower.  The next part is his message to everyone reading.

“eu;uoioeijpuyuipipytuodt6jjgeithro’3{u4o0′[io0”i7iui’ei’irfo’uikoiiyek;/euuiu5/keuke/uke/uk/5kl/u6ku6k/uk;5ukl/;ue5lk/u/ue/;eue5/;ulueeeeuk;;;;;k/ueuk;eikui55eukkoeuo;puke;;;eiopu;ij5ukiue55e7opuipui3p6iei67i96ei7eiepi6iei6i567ip6i56i6i6ii65ii54i6″

Translation – “I love you, everybody!”

Thanks for reading and  to keep in touch you can Subscribe to High Heels To Hot Wheels by Email  and follow me on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram. This site includes affiliate shopping links of which I receive a small percentage of sales to allow me to continue to create new content for my readers, so thank you for your support.

Last week I shared this Coconut & Mango Sweet Rice recipe on What’s Cooking with Ruthie and today I’m sharing it with you!!   As you all well know, we recently moved and in an effort to truly clean out the pantry, I came across my bag of Jasmine rice way back in the back of the closet.  I needed a dessert for a little get together and decided to go a little different direction than a traditional dessert.  A few years ago I attended a Thai cooking class and learned how to make the most delicious coconut and mango sweet rice for dessert.  The dessert is classicly made with “sticky rice”, which is Thai Sweet Rice and can be found in Aisan food stores.  To get the “sticky” consistency you soak the rice in water for at least 30 minutes or up to 4 hours.  It is then steamed in a cone shape rice basket and sweetened up with coconut milk, sugar and fresh mango, but with neither time nor basket tools on my side, I improvised the dish a bit by using the Jasmine rice.  Let me disclaim, though, if you are a Thai-connoisseur, you might think my version is a kind of a knock-off, but for those of us who enjoy sweet and tasty desserts, it is A-okay!!!  Thanks for letting me join you guys again this month and I will see you in June with something fresh from the garden!

If you love dessert, you might also enjoy these sweet treats.

Skillet Chocolate Chip Cookie

Meyer Lemon Sorbet

Cookie Scrap Cookies

Thanks for reading and  to keep in touch you can Subscribe to High Heels To Hot Wheels by Email  and follow me on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram. This site includes affiliate shopping links of which I receive a small percentage of sales to allow me to continue to create new content for my readers, so thank you for your support.

Pizza! Pizza! I love pizza!! Pizza for breakfast, pizza for lunch, pizza for dinner, pizza for snack! I LOVE PIZZA!  You know what else I love even more than pizza?! HEALTHY PIZZA!!!! And that’s what you’re gonna get with these two pizza recipes!  I used Flatout Flatbread’s new thin crust flatbread that come in at only 140 calories and 1.5 grams of fat and make the perfect artisan pizza and bring you not one but TWO delicious pizza recipes.

You can find the Flatout Thin Crusts at your local Walmart. There is a store locator on their website that will help you find, which Walmart  nearest you carries them. They also come in other flavors like heritage wheat,and rosemary & olive oil.  You can find even more recipes using the new thin crust flatbread on their website and pinterest board.  You can also stay up to date with new recipes and coupons by following their Facebook page.

Enter below for your chance to win a trip for two to TASTE OF CHICAGO from Flatout Flatbreads!!!!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Flatout Flatbread provided me with the products for this contest.  When being asked to review and test products, I only present products that fit the nature of this blog and that I believe in.  All opinions are my own.

Thanks for reading and  to keep in touch you can Subscribe to High Heels To Hot Wheels by Email  and follow me on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram. This site includes affiliate shopping links of which I receive a small percentage of sales to allow me to continue to create new content for my readers, so thank you for your support.

I am so honored to have been nominated again for PopSugar’s Circle of Mom’s Top 25 Foodie Mom Blogs for 2013.  Being a part of that group of women from 2012 has been an amazing experience.  I felt insanely blessed to have been voted into the Top 25 last year right out of the gate with High Heels to Hot Wheels and definitely not worthy to be in the company of such fabulous blogs.

I would be so happy if you all would vote for me again this year.  You can vote once a day until June 4th.  Thank you so much for your love and support over the last year.  It really means so much to me and I can’t tell you in words how much I appreciate it!!  Here is the link to the contest: PopSugar’s Circle of Mom’s Top 25 Foodie Mom Blogs

XOXO!

Amanda

I absolutely love strawberry season!!!   I especially LOVE that Hunter Bear will eat them! Since we have moved our mornings are a bit different and I have to make breakfast every morning before school.  I sent Drew to the store for a few things and he came back with his idea of breakfast that basically equated to 4!!!! boxes of waffles (they were “four for $9″, so it only makes sense to buy that many), a bag of chocolate covered donuts and blueberry mini muffins……..MY idea of breakfast is a bit different and likely includes something whole grain, scrambled eggs and fresh fruit, but time isn’t always on our side, so I put the leftover strawberry puree from Saturday’s Strawberry Bellinis to good use with these muffins for something quick and easy.  It is a bit of a contradiction from my previous breakfast line-up, but even I will cave for the little guy with a sugary breakfast treat every now and then.  I mean they do have fresh strawberries in them after all!

Here are a few more strawberry recipes for you!!

Fresh Strawberry Bellini

Strawberry Basil Mimosa

Erin’s Strawberry Butter

It is that glorious time of year where the strawberries are in overabundance and the stores practically give them away.  They are ripe and delicious and can be used for so many dishes.  Before Steeplechase this last weekend, we had our crew over to our house for brunch and we got the day started with strawberry bellinis.  Such a super simple drink, but a little more exciting than the standard mimosa.  The time is now for the best fresh fruits and vegetables, so put them to good use!! Happy Monday!

More fresh fruit cocktail recipes you might enjoy!!

Orange Splash Cocktail

Chocolate Covered Cherry Martini

Thanks for reading and  to keep in touch you can Subscribe to High Heels To Hot Wheels by Email  and follow me on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram. This site includes affiliate shopping links of which I receive a small percentage of sales to allow me to continue to create new content for my readers, so thank you for your support. 

Never one to shy away from a challenge, I was recently asked by Heluva Good! the maker of delicious sour cream dips to participate in a recipe contest using their products they provided me.  The recipe could have no more than 5 main ingredients and needed to be fairly easy to make.  I have had so many different ideas swirling around on what I wanted to make, but just couldn’t decide.  I like to pride myself on being resourceful in the kitchen with ingredients that I have on hand and that certainly worked to my advantage as this recipe came together by that very thing.

We spent the day Sunday despite the icky chill in the air putting together new outdoor furniture, planting container gardens and setting up our new grill.  I need to preface this by saying that I LOVE my husband!!!! He is the greatest, but when he gets the hankering to cook something, my Type A Kitchen OCD goes into overdrive because he is all over the place, doesn’t generally have a plan, and leaves an enormous mess.  So after announcing he wanted to put his new grill to work, he went to the store and came back with mussels, andouille sausage and boiled crawfish.  Note that there was no plan for the meal and nothing but meat to eat, BUT I let him do his thing on his new grill and stepped in when asked.  When everything was cooked it occurred to him that something on the side might be nice (I can go for a meatless meal, but not too fond of meatful meal), so I got to work.  I put some angel hair pasta on the stove and headed to the fridge to see what I could use next.  I grabbed the Heluva Good! Limited Edition Bacon Ranch Sour Cream Dip, some shredded cheddar cheese and cut up some of the grilled andouille sausage and decided a creamy Cajun pasta dish was in order.  All I needed was some crawfish meat to complete the dish.  Since I so willingly came to Drew’s rescue, it was his job to peel the crawfish (no thanks on the smelly hands).  Still with no intention of this serving as my official recipe, we sat down at our new outdoor table to eat our meal and what came next was pure enjoyment!  This pasta is so good……….Heluva Good!, in fact!!  Drew looked at me and said “Well, there you go! Looks like you’ve got your recipe.  You’re welcome!”  For once his crazy chaotic cooking spree worked to my advantage in a big way and won over my taste buds and will hopefully be the winner of this contest!!!

I would be thrilled pea-green if you would be so kind as to vote for this recipe on the Heluva Good! Facebook page.

Limited Edition Bacon Ranch Sour Cream Dip Product photo courtesy of Heluva Good!

Heluva Good! provided me with the products for this contest.  When being asked to review and test products, I only present products that fit the nature of this blog and that I believe in.  All opinions are my own.

Thanks for reading and  to keep in touch you can Subscribe to High Heels To Hot Wheels by Email  and follow me on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram. This site includes affiliate shopping links of which I receive a small percentage of sales to allow me to continue to create new content for my readers, so thank you for your support. 

You can enter win your very own Jessie Steele apron below and can earn bonus entries by following Jessie Steele and High Heels to Hot Wheels on Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter and by pinning the apron image to your Pinterest page with the caption “Jessie Steele Mother’s Day Apron Giveaway”.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This week is Teacher Appreciation week and if you think you don’t have time to make something homemade and special for your little one’s teachers, think again.  This quick and easy brownie recipe can be made in less than 40 minutes.  The ingredients are simple, but still create a delicious treat for some of the most important people in our children’s lives.  Thank you, teachers, for all you do for our children!!!

Thanks for reading and  to keep in touch you can Subscribe to High Heels To Hot Wheels by Email  and follow me on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram. This site includes affiliate shopping links of which I receive a small percentage of sales to allow me to continue to create new content for my readers, so thank you for your support. 

I originally featured this party in Nashville Lifestyles Magazine in May 2011 and is making a reappearance on the blog to help get your creative energy flowing for your upcoming Mother’s Day brunch!!!

“When it comes to party planning, I say it’s better to make it than to buy it.  Digging into your own creativity allows for personal details sure to impress – and fun to pass along to others.  This Mother’s Day lunch is the collective effort of several inventive minds.  It’s designed to help keep your expenses down, but also present a polished, pretty and – most of all – memorable celebration.  So grab your scissors and get to work!!!”

Crafty Party Planning Tips:

• Begin by creating a theme and color palette based on your location, your creative personality, and your guest list.
• Consider the creative talents of those around you to help pull it all together.  My sister is a very talented seamstress, so she was quickly called in to make fabric napkins to pull together the color scheme and theme of this Spring Garden luncheon.
• Take inventory of the items around your house that can be incorporated into your party.  This not only cuts down on the costs, but it is an inventive way to repurpose items you already have on hand.  Once an empty flower pot, now a utensil holder.  Potting bench by weekend, bar by party time.
• Utilize sites such as Etsy for creative ideas and inexpensive handmade items that can add to your party such as the printable designs from The TomKat Studio.  If you have a few extra minutes, hop over to the craft store and just peruse the aisles to get your creativity flowing.  Click here for free Mother’s Day Printables from The TomKat Studio.
• Get creative with your location.  If weather permits, bring your indoor furniture outside and create a comfortable party while enjoying the beauty of nature.
• You don’t have to spend a fortune on arrangements when you have the resources right out your front door.  Grab your pruning shears and cut branches from your spring-blooming trees or flower garden.
• 
• Remember that every personal detail is not only thoughtful; it also creates a wonderful memory for your guests

Mère-tini

Ingredients

-          1 ¼ oz Ciroc vodka

-          ¼ oz lime juice

-          ¼ oz triple sec

-          ¼ oz cranberry juice

-          kumquats

Directions:

Pour all ingredients into a cocktail shaker and add crushed ice.  Strain into glass.  Garnish with kumquats.

Vendor Credits & Resources:

-          Party Styling – Amanda Hardin, AH Designs

-          Photography – Taylor Cooper Photography

-          Party Printables – Kim, The Tomkat Studio

-          Napkins –  Sweet B Creations

-          Fabric – Stitchers’ Playhouse

-          Crown materials – Hobby Lobby

-          Recipes – Allrecipes.com, Food.com

-          Asian umbrellas and other craft supplies – Hobby Lobby

-          Bar – Pal’s Package Store, Clarksville, TN

Thanks for reading and  to keep in touch you can Subscribe to High Heels To Hot Wheels by Email  and follow me on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram. This site includes affiliate shopping links of which I receive a small percentage of sales to allow me to continue to create new content for my readers, so thank you for your support.