Pumpkin Palooza!

Ok so I must admit, I'm absolutely LOVING all these pumpkin recipes I'm seeing everywhere over the lovely blogosphere!  So many delicious recipes, despite the ridiculous shortage (don't even get me started), and I love how creative everyone has been!  With that said, I wanted to do my very first link-up and ask everyone to share YOUR favorite pumpkin recipes with all of us!  I finally stocked up on the infamous scarce canned pumpkin sooo I'm looking forward to trying new recipes!  

Here is my little contribution:

 {Spiced Pumpkin Butter}

{Spiced Pumpkin Martini}

{Pumpkin Spice Bread}

So c'mon friends!  Join the Pumpkin Palooza (haha like the name huh??) and link up your FAVORITE pumpkin recipes, I can't wait to see what you all have made!  I'll have this up ALL weekend so continue to share your delicious treats.  I absolutely LOVE this time of year!!

Guest Post Friday and Yummy Pumpkin Bread

TGIF!!!

First I wanted to let you all know that I'm guest posting today over at Jill's fabulous blog Mad About Macrons! where I'm sharing my delicious Pumpkin Spice Bread!  Here's a lil sneak peek for your viewing pleasure:

 
I absolutely adore Jill and you probably remember her from when she did a guest post for me before.  I couldn't be more excited about sharing on her blog so please head over to send her some love and check out this yummy Fall recipe!

Soo while I'm across the pond hanging out with Miss Jill, I have a great guest post to share with you all today!  Sara is a personal trainer from Kansas City whose blog Low Calorie Eating is right up my alley!  She has lots of information on healthy places to eat out, tons of yummy recipes and her writing is always a pleasure to read.  Clearly she was the perfect choice for a guest blogger!

Drooling yet?

The recipe Sara chose to share with you all today is Asparagus Wrapped in Prosciutto with Balsamic Glaze...and it looks pretty amazing.  Growing up I absolutely despised this stuff, but as I got older and my palette grew accustomed to more flavors, I really started to enjoy asparagus.  Now I can't get enough of the stuff!

Asparagus Wrapped in Prosciutto with Balsamic Glaze

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Servings: 4 

Calories: 103.3

Fat: 6.3 g

Carbs: 5.6 g

Fiber: 1.7 g

Protein: 7.3 g

Old Points: 0.4 pts

Points+: 1 pts

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Here are your ingredients:

1 bunch of asparagus

1/2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil

1 to 2 Tbsp balsamic glaze to taste (you can find it at specialty Italian stores if your grocer doesn't carry it)

Sea salt and fresh ground pepper

4 oz. prosciutto

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In a large bowl, toss the spears in the oil and the balsamic glaze.  Season with salt and pepper.  Be careful not to overdo the salt, the prosciutto is salty.  Let the seasoned asparagus sit for 10 minutes.

Cut the prosciutto in half width-wise.  Wrap each piece of asparagus with half a slice of the prosciutto.

Lay the spears in a single layer on a medium non-stick baking sheet.  Bake them for 4 minutes, flip them, and continue baking until the spears are crisp-tender, 3 to 6 minutes depending on thickness.  Season to taste.  Serve immediately.

::Enjoy::

Mango Slaw with Cashews and Mint

Hey friends!  Just wanted to let y'all know I'm guest posting today on one of my FAVORITE blogs Fairy Tales are True for the beautiful Sarah while she's away traveling!  Here's a little sneak peak:

 

So head over to her fabulous blog if you'd like this recipe and make sure to tell Sarah I said hello!  You'll be a new follower as well, I'm sure of it!!

Hope you're enjoying your week!

Minty Mango Salsa

As you all know, I have a serious obsession love for summer so I'm super sad that it's over.  Don't get me wrong, there's nothing better than falling leaves, spiced lattes, and the occasional scarf, but there is just something about warm sunshine and flip flops that makes my heart smile.

{Sigh}

Well since I'm doing a fun guest tomorrow for one of my favorite blogs, I had some leftover mangoes and decided to make this delicious Minty Mango Salsa.  No don't worry, I'll have all the slow-cooker, tailgating and spiced pumpkin recipes for your little hearts desire in no time, but here's one last fun dish that tastes delicious any ole' time!

I love this salsa recipe because it was so quick and easy, only 10 minutes to whip up!  I know, I know...I have been pretty lazy lately in the kitchen, ie. milkshakes, macaroons and countless guest posts...but work has been UBER-busy not to mention my weekends have been booked solid since August!  Forgive me...I love cooking and will have plenty of recipes to share soon. 

Until then, hope you enjoy this fruity/spicy/sweet number!
   

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Servings: 5

Serving Size: 1/2 cup 

Calories: 40

Fat: 0.1 g

Carbs: 10 g

Fiber: 2 g

Protein: 0.1 g

Old Points: 0.4 pts

Points+: 1 pt

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Here are your ingredients:

Recipe adapted from Allrecipes

1 large ripe mango, peeled and diced

1 medium sweet red pepper, diced

1 (4 oz) can chopped green chilis

1/4 cup chopped green onions

1 Tbsp lime juice

2 tsp. minced fresh mint leaves

1/4 tsp. ground ginger

Tortilla chips (optional)

In a small bowl, combine the mango, pepper, chilis, onion, juice, mint leaves and ginger.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours.  Serve with tortilla chips or alongside your meal, enjoy!

 

{Secret Recipe Club} Pumpkin Butter

Yay it's that time again!  Here's my Secret Recipe Club post!  This will be my second one and couldn't be more excited to share it with you all.  For those of you who don't know what the Secret Recipe Club is, it's basically where everyone is assigned a blog that month and you are to make any recipe of your choice from that designated blog.  It's that simple!  The fun part is finding out who had your blog each month and seeing which recipe they chose to make.

So whose fabulous blog did I receive this month??

(Drum roll please...)

Yay!  I was assigned Fat Girl Trapped in a Skinny Body!  Julia's blog was super fun to have as she had SOO many delicious recipes to choose from!  No lie, the day I received my assignment I went to her blog and probably stalked looked through her blog all. day. long.  Her recipes look delicious, her photos are beautiful and I really learned a lot about her as she shares fun videos of herself to answer questions anyone might have.

And yes, I'm super jealous of her skinniness *gag*

Haha I kid, I kid!  Anyway, since Fall is now officially upon us and Halloween is right around the corner, I chose to make her delicious Pumpkin Butter that goes with, well...pretty much anything!  This was super easy to make and yields plenty for jarring (IF you can limit yourself to just one serving).  The end result??  My kitchen smelled AMAZING and I had a yummy breakfast (or snack) to look forward to each day after!

I've never made pumpkin butter, apple butter, really anything butter-related ever so I chose not to make any modifications to her recipe and enjoyed it as is.  You won't be disappointed, it really is wonderful and perfect for the Autumn season.  Oh and I know what you're thinking..."I thought you gave up sugar??"  Yes well I'm only human and chose to make this recipe before I started my diet!  So I enjoyed a little bit with some toast and gave the rest as gifts in cute jars to my family :)

I maaaay have kept some for myself as well...shhh.

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Servings: 14

Serving Size: 1/4 cup 

Calories: 88.2

Fat: 0.3 g

Carbs: 27.3 g

Fiber: 2.5 g

Protein: 1.0 g

Old Points: 1.5 pts

Points+: 3 pts

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Here are your ingredients:

Recipe adapted from Fat Girl in a Skinny Body and Gina's Skinny Recipes 

1 can (29 oz) pumpkin puree

1 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup water

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. ground ginger

1 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/8 tsp. allspice

Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan over medium/high heat and bring to a boil.  Once it reaches a boil, lower the heat to low/medium and simmer for about 45 minutes, stirring frequently.

Remove from heat and serve immediately OR store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.  Enjoy!

Thanks again Julia for this delicious recipe!  Make sure to check out her fabulous blog Fat Girl Trapped in a Skinny Body for more amazing dishes and fun stories. 

And if you haven't already, be sure to check out the Secret Recipe Club!  It's super fun and you will meet some incredible bloggers.  Thanks for reading and hope you all have a great week!

Now I'm off to see who got my blog....hehe :)

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Fabulous Find!

Ok so I haven't done a "fabulous find" in FOREVER but I just had to share this with you guys!!

Check out my new business card!

Best part??

Yep.  That is correct.  This lovely print shop called Minted is doing a special for 25 FREE business cards and there are some serious cute ones!!  No I wasn't asked to do this post by this company, I just wanted you all to have the chance to check it out for yourselves!  The color green is the back of the card and they are all really professional looking.  Weee I had so much fun playing around with the different samples too!

(Clearly I'm working hard today....shhh)

Anyway, just thought I'd share this with you guys, let me know if you decide to do it too!

::Happy Friday::

{Guest Post Friday} Asian Tuna Salad with Wonton Crisps

Happy Friday Everyone!

Sorry I've been MIA all week.  Work has been CRAZY busy and it's been pouring non-stop since last weekend so I haven't been able to photograph any of my dishes...sigh.  BUT I have some delicious recipes saved up to share with you and this no-sugar diet I've started hasn't been as hard as I first anticipated!  I mean don't get me wrong, not being able to grab a diet coke first thing every morning has been torture, but my body feels amazing after drinking so much water.  Let's see how much longer I can keep this up!

Today I have one of my favorite bloggers to share with you all!  When I first stumbled upon Kita's blog Pass the Sushi, the first thing I read was "...food whore by night."  Umm instant BFFs??  I knew I'd found a new favorite blog to read.  I was instantly attracted to her fun, snarky attitude and all of her gorgeous pictures.  I mean seriously folks, we're talking "food porn" at its finest!  Anyway, once I started looking through her recipes, I was completely addicted and probably spent most of my work day stalking browsing through her site...everything looks super delicious!  (Go see for yourself!)

Oh, and did I mention she has an adorbale Etsy shop where she sells the absolute cutest hand-made aprons??  Check it out, you'll be in love!!  So forgive my ramblings and enjoy Kita's lovely guest post!

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The thing about writing a guest post, is that it's kind of like a blind date.  You know your friends wouldn't have hooked you up if there wasn't something there - but it's up to you to find a great pair of shoes and find out what it is!

So when Kelly asked me to guest post on Eat Yourself Skinny, I first made sure I had a great pair of shoes, and then I started to flip through my collection of recipes wondering what I could make to share.  Annnnnd then I realized that Eat Yourself Skinny and Pass the Sushi are like the polar opposites of blogs.  Kelly started her blog to help her to eat healthier - my blog has a section just for embracing my inner fat kid.  Kelly just cut out all sugar - I'm in need of a 12 step program just to cut out carbs.  Oh no!

After my mild panic over what dish to share on Kelly's blog, double checking my shoes, here goes nothing!

Quick Dinner Fixens: Tuna Salad with Wonton Crisps

Here are your ingredients:

Recipe adapted from Better Homes and Gardens, August 2011

5 Tbsp olive oil

8 wonton wrappers, cut in strips

Salt and pepper

12 oz. fresh tuna steaks

1/4 cup cider vinegar

1 Tbsp sugar

1 tsp. finely shredded lime peel

1/4 medium head Napa cabbage**

1/2 medium seedless cucumber**

In a 12-inch skillet, heat 3 Tbsp of the olive oil over medium high heat.  Cook wonton strips in hot oil until browned, stirring occasionally.  Transfer with slotted spoon to towels; set aside.

Lightly season the tuna with salt and pepper.  Cook tuna in the same hot skillet for 3 to 4 minutes per side or until some pink remains in the center.  Transfer to cutting board; slice tuna for salad.

For dressing: whisk together remaining olive oil (I replaced the additional olive oil with sesame oil and added some freshly grated ginger) vinegar, and lime peel.  Serve cabbage, sliced tuna and cucumber in shallow bowls.  Top salad with dressing and wonton crisps.

**I used chopped endive, radicchio, radishes and carrots.

  

Oh did I mention...?

That is all.

New Way of Life

So I decided today that I'm going to start a new diet way of life.  I refuse to call it a "diet" because I fail at those.  Miserably.  I was recently inspired by my new favorite blog Heather Eats Almond Butter and her story is incredibly inspiring.

  

Do I have some cool story to share with you all about my trials and tribulations with dieting and losing weight?

No.

But I do always seem to yo-yo, despite my healthy cooking, and realized today I MUST keep myself accountable...hence sharing this with all of you.  Dieting never works for me because as soon as I deprive myself of the foods I enjoy, I end up over-indulging and putting any weight I've lost right.back.on.  In college I found success with Weight Watchers, but I'm horrible at counting calories and keeping track of everything which may surprise you since I do calculate them for each of my recipes.  Well confession.  I do that for YOU!  But I should really be doing that for myself as well.  So what is this "new way of life" I speak of??

I'm giving up sugar.  ALL sugar.

{GASP!}

How am I going to do this?  I HAVE NO CLUE.  But honestly I think it will be the best way for me to still maintain a healthy diet and eat the foods I enjoy, while losing the unnecessary weight that's crept on.  I've found that I've become addicted to diet coke.  And when I say "addicted" I seriously mean I may suffer from withdrawls within the first 5 hours of giving up any and all sugar products.  Why sugar you ask?  Because I love carbs and I just can't part with them.

But alas I'm excited for this new venture and I am very serious about it.  All diets are different for everyone and I'm looking for a way to just FEEL better after eating.  Will I still have the occasional glass of wine?  Of course.  No one is perfect and I certainly don't claim to be.  But I will do my best and see if this works for me.  No worries, I'm not cutting sugar out of my entire blog!  I still have a sugar-loving boyfriend to cook for as well as wonderful friends so I don't plan on changing up my recipes, BUT I'm excited to share some yummy sugar-free recipes too!

Here's some fabulous sugar-free blogs to get me started:

Simple Sugar and Gluten Free 

Sugar Free Style 

Spoonful of Sugar Free

Miranda's Untamed Kitchen 

 

My other new venture that will be incorporated into this new way of life is that I plan on running a half-marathon this Spring (maaaaybe a marathon if I can work up to that but c'mon, baby steps).  Like I've shared with you before, me and running have a love/hate relationship and I'm horrible at keeping up with it once I've started.  With that said, maybe setting this goal for myself will help me stick with it.  Thank gawd fall weather has graced itself upon us and it won't be so hot!

Well thanks for hearing my ramblings, I'll keep you updated on how this works for me.  Who knows, maybe this will become my new addiction!  Most likely not, but hey ya never know.

Oh and random side note, did I mention I recently met Luke Bryan??

 

::LOVE::

  Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

{Guest Post Friday} Spinach and Crab Stuffed Mushrooms

Happy Friday Loves!

I'm kinda SO glad to be back from vacation so I can get back to my regular postings!  Today's guest post is from the lovely Shoshana from the blog Shosh and the City.  While living in the fabulous New York City, Shoshana works with WebMD, which only furthers her love of living a healthy lifestyle.  Her blog is absolutely inspiring and if you haven't already, I urge you to read her amazing story.



Oh and did I mention?  She recently got engaged!!  

{CONGRATULATIONS!!}

So enough of my ramblings, go check out her blog and send her some love.  Without further ado I introduce to you Miss Shoshana!

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I'm so happy to be sharing this recipe with you guys.  Kelly's blog is a great place for healthy and tasty ideas.

I live in New York City, where it's often cheaper and easier to eat out than actually make dinner in your own apartment.  I can even order take-out from an app on my phone.  This is great for convenience, but not for my waistline (or wallet).

I live in a tiny (translation, shoebox) apartment with an even smaller kitchen, so I'm constantly looking for quick and easy recipes that do not take that much work (and especially does not use that many pans - no dishwasher, equals, more reasons to eat out).  Check out my story at http://shoshandthecity.com/my-story/.

This is a recipe that my boyfriend and I love to eat and to make.  It's a good dish to tag team with someone else because there are lots of moving parts.  We have made this as an appetizer when friends come over - or just as dinner for the two of us.  There are lots of veggies, and protein from the cheese and the crab.  Love it!

Spinach and Crab Stuffed Mushrooms

**Disclaimer:  They look a lot yummier in person - I could not get a good photo with the lighting in my apartment!

Here are your ingredients:

Prep Time: 20 minutes • Cook Time: 20 minutes 

10-15 small portabella mushroom caps (cleaned and stemmed)

1 (10 oz) package frozen chopped spinach

2 (6 oz) cans lump crabmeat

1 clove of fresh garlic, chopped

Cooking spray, as needed

1 small onion, chopped

1/4 cup of egg whites

1 1/2 cups shredded reduced-fat mozzarella cheese

1 cup faux corn flake breadcrumbs (crushed cereal, seasoned to taste)

4 tsp. reduced-fat parmesan cheese (to taste)

3/4 tsp. garlic powder (to taste)

3/4 tsp. salt (to taste)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Defrost and drain all the water from the frozen spinach.  Saute the garlic and onion in a pan on the stove top with a few sprays of Pam.  Add crab and spinach to mixture on top of the stove, season to taste.  Let cool for 5 minutes.

Mix in 1/2 cup of breadcrumbs, mozzarella cheese and egg whites.  Fill the mushroom caps with as much filling as they can hold - there will be plenty!  Top mushrooms with remaining breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese.  Bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees and enjoy!

**Suggestion: We liked the smaller mushrooms as you get more mushroom per bite!

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Thanks again for guest posting Shoshana!!  Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend, I know I sure am!  I'm excited to throw on a cute sundress, head over to the Virginia Wine Festival this Saturday and stock up on some delicious local wines.  I go every single year with all my friends and it's always a good time!  Then of course Sunday is the Skins game so tailgating and great food will be in order.

Go Skins!!

Skinny-Mini Strawberry Milkshakes

Today was one of those days that just seemed to drag on forever.  Maybe it's because I've been on vacation for an entire week or perhaps because the weather has been absolutely gorgeous.  Either way, I did NOT want to be at work and I came home to collapse!  So what does one do when one has a rough day??  Well indulge in something sweet of course!

I don't know about you but I just LOVE milkshakes.  Especially when they're blended with delicious strawberries...yummy!  There is something about them that just screams childhood and brings me back to when life was unimaginably simple and required no responsibility.  Weren't those just the days??

Sigh.  

Well I came home, crashed on the couch and decided to whip up something really easy that would make me smile.  Aside from the usual bottle glass of wine, this strawberry milkshake sure did the trick!  Feel free to squirt some fat-free whip cream on top for even more fun!

Oh yah and the best part??  This recipe only requires 4 ingredients and takes 5 minutes!  Tops!

{Love, Love, LOVE!}

So sit back, relax and just be a kid again :)

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Servings: 6

Serving Size: 1 milkshake 

Calories: 111

Fat: 3.3 g

Carbs: 17.8 g

Fiber: 1.1 g

Protein: 3.5 g

Old Points: 2.3 pts

Points+: 3 pts

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Here are your ingredients:

Recipe adapted from Cooking Light

2 1/2 cups vanilla low-fat ice cream

2 cups sliced strawberries

1/2 cup 1% low-fat milk

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Place all ingredients in a blender; process just until smooth and enjoy!   

Angelic Macaroons

Man does it feel good to be back in the kitchen!  Before I left for vacation I had received a lot of requests for skinny desserts and I wanted to come up with some crave-worthy recipes that tasted just as good as their sinful counterparts.  Well I think I found a winner.

These tasty macaroons are made with angel food cake, coconut and crushed almonds...that's it!  No oil, no eggs, no butter - NADA and they taste delicious.  They're light and chewy with just a bit of crunch and would make a perfect treat with your morning coffee or a wonderful snack to satisfy that sweet tooth.  Best part about these little sweets is that they're uber easy!!  Whip a batch up in no more than 5 minutes and pop them in the oven for about 25 minutes.  I bet your kiddies will love them too :)

Enjoy my friends!

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Servings: 40

Serving Size: 1 cookie 

Calories: 94

Fat: 4 g

Carbs: 14 g

Fiber: 1 g

Protein: 2 g

Old Points: 2 pts

Points+: 3 pts

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Here are your ingredients:

Recipe adapted from Taste of Home

1 package (16 oz) angel food cake mix

1/2 cup cold water

1 tsp almond extract

1 package (14 oz) sweetened flaked coconut

1/2 cup slivered almonds, coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.  Beat cake mix, water and almond extract in a large bowl with electric mixer at medium speed until well blended.  Add half of coconut; beat until blended.  Add remaining coconut and almonds; beat until well blended.  Drop dough by tablespoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto prepared cookie sheets.

Bake 22 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool cookies on cookie sheets 3 minutes.  Remove to wire racks; cool completely.

Click here for a printable version of this recipe

Butterfly Award

So the lovely Chelsey from the fabulous nutrition blog Chew With Your Mouth Open was so sweet enough to pass on the Butterfly Award to me!  What does that mean exactly??  Well it means I get to answer some fun questions and ya'll get to learn a little bit more about me.  That is, if you don't know enough already!

Seriously, go check out Chelsey's blog!  She's a nutritionist and has jam packed her blog full of delicious guilt-free recipes, along with inspiring tips and information on how to live a happy, healthy life :)  She rocks!

So on to some questions...

Favorite Color

Anyone that knows me KNOWS I'm obsessed with pink!  Anyone recall the blinged out pink mixer??

Nuff said :)

via

Favorite Song

Hmm I have SO many favorite songs and love all sorts of music from 80's rock to country so this one is tough, but one song that I NEVER get tired of listening to is Taylor Swift's "Fearless"!  I just love her.

Favorite Dessert

This one is easy!  CUPCAKES!!  Nom nom nom.

 via

 

What Irks Me

People who don't put the toilet paper roll on the holder!  It's not that hard to just attach it!

::cough, cough boyfriend cough, cough::

When I'm Upset I

Open a fresh bottle of wine, pop in a tear-jerking chick flick and have a good cry.  Or if that doesn't help, go for a nice long run while blaring the iPod!

My Favorite Pet

Eeeeeeasy peeeeeasy.  My little Oliver of course!!!

 

Black or White

Last I checked it doesn't matter if your black or white ;)  Yep...that'll be stuck in your head for the rest of the day now.

Biggest Fear

Snakes, spiders and the usual creepy crawly things that you'd rather NOT find lurking around in your basement.  Of course I truly believe that my biggest fear is of fear itself.

Best Feature

Best Feature?  Now how does one answer this question without coming off as absolutely conceited?!  Well I'll have to go with my personality...I can pretty much talk to anyone, anytime, anywhere and I'm not afraid to be myself.

My Everyday Attitude

Live every day as if it were your last!

What Perfection is to Me

(I'm stealing yours Chelsey since you said the same thing I was thinking!)  Embracing your imperfections is absolute perfection in my eyes!

My Guilty Pleasure

Shopping all things Lilly Pulitzer!!  Which was in fact the inspiration for my blog design :)

  via

So there we go, all the random stuff you never thought you'd learn about me, in a nut shell!  Now to pass this award on to 7 fabulous blogs.

Claire from The Realistic Nutritionist 

Angie from Living Aloha

Jessica from Monster Cakes 

Kita from Pass the Sushi 

Angie from Big Bear's Wife

Erin from Dinners, Dishes and Desserts

Cassie from Bake Your Day

Have fun!  And I PROMISE I have a great recipe coming soon!