Tortilla Breakfast Casserole

The last recipe I'm sharing with you from our Galveston vacay is this DE-LISH tortilla breakfast casserole. You may recall from past posts like this one that I have a deep love for Mexican food. It's real, ya'll. 

So when I come across meals that are breakfast + Mexican....It's a no brainer. I doubled this tortilla breakfast casserole recipe from Macheesmo. The casserole turned out great and I even drizzled some leftover avocado cilantro sauce from our dinner the night before. 

When you get a chance, you should really check out Macheesmo's site. He offers some really fun recipes and some awesome meal plans. I will definitely be trying out other recipes and report back!  

Fish Tacos with Avocado Cilantro Sauce

While in Galveston, we all chose different nights to cook dinner. We usually make really fun recipes, like my SIL making this Peach-Whiskey BBQ Chicken, which was amazing! 

Of course Jake and I were no different. I have a terrible habit of trying new recipes on occasions like this. So we were crossing our fingers that everything turned out well, and it did! Here's what we made: 

Fish Tacos with an Avocado Cilantro Sauce. These tacos were amazing! Besides sno cones, fish tacos are my #1 favorite summer (or any season) food. We even used fish that Jake had caught during the trip. And the sauce. Let me tell you how much I LOVED the sauce! We used it to dip tortilla chips while snacking and for the meal and it was gone in no time. It's a good one to keep on hand when having guests over.

Grilled Cilantro Lime Sweet Potatoes. Sweet potatoes are my jam...but not Jake's. So it's pretty rare that I get them. I've never really had sweet potatoes as a savory side dish, so when I saw this version, I knew I had to try it. The natural sweet of the sweet potato paired with the cilantro, lime and salt was a great combination. It still didn't convert Jake, but I'm a fan!

Grilled Zucchini with Lemon Zest. This Zucchini recipe is from Pioneer Woman. I knew that I could trust it (she has yet to steer my wrong) and it of course was delicious. We've grilled zucchini before, but the added lemon flavor was a nice addition. 

As good as our trip and this food was, I am 100% ready for Fall! 16 days til OU Football! 

Brown Butter & Vodka Rice Krispie Treats

Rice Krispie treats have always been one of my favorite snacks. When I saw Chris Castro's fancy adult version, I couldn't wait to give it a go!

INGREDIENTS: 

• 3 TBSP of butter
• 1 pkg/10 oz of marshmallows 
• 6 cups rice krispies cereal
• 1 oz Iced Tea Vodka (Castro's version used bourbon, but I used what I had, and what I had was Iced Tea vodka!) 
• 1 TSP vanilla extract
• Sea Salt 

DIRECTIONS: 

1. In a large saucepan brown the butter over low heat, making sure not to let it burn. Mix in the marshmallows until well coated with butter.
2. Place the marshmallows on a lined cookie sheet and broil until they are golden brown. Pour back into the saucepan and stir until marshmallows are melted. Pour in the vanilla and alcohol of your choice and stir until combined.
3. Add in rice krispies and stir until well coated.
4. Dump the mixture onto a lined baking sheet and press into form. Sprinkle with sea salt and let stand for 10 minutes. Cut into squares. 

The One About Zoe

Warning: This is a pretty somber post. About death, and my feelings towards it. I know this isn't the norm for my blog, but I felt the need to put my thoughts out there.

A year ago today we lost my first true love and best friend. My niece-dog Zoe. For those who follow along, she has been very much apart of my life, including my little online corner. She was the namesake of my creative business. My "flower bully", and the tune to my families' song. Seriously, we have a "Zoe" song.

Quite honestly, I have never lost anyone I am close to. Never. I am ever apparent of how lucky I am. But because of this, some of my thoughts might be: welp, my time is coming. The next phone call I receive will bare bad news, I just KNOW it (because really, who calls anymore?). Or why has God spared me (and my family)? Does this mean that it will all hit at once in a few years?

I know that as a believer, these are common, but answered questions. I shouldn't live in the shadow of a dog's death, nor in the shadow of the promise of death and heartache to come. I just know that I will be comforted. That my darkness will become light. Glory will be revealed. He is my deliverer, my shield, my salvation and my stronghold.

A blogger I follow (Jones Design Co) posted this the other day, and it really hit home:

I seriously can't believe it's been a year without that chunk. She was so funny and had such a personality. Dogs are just the best. Here are some of my favorite pictures of my little Zoe-baby. How lucky am I that I have professional pictures of this beautiful dog on my wedding day? Seriously, these are some of my most treasured pictures.

Tea Party Baby Shower

Guys, this is hands down the cutest baby shower I have ever been a part of. Our friend Megan and her baby Abby were well celebrated in a tea party themed shower. Along with myself and our friend Ashley, Megan's mom and sister were the hostesses. This family knows how to throw a party. Megan's sister Katie was super organized which is always helpful when trying to plan these things. Katie and their mom pulled out all of the stops to make Megan's special day beautiful! The shower was at Megan's house, and man are we lucky that she has a fantastically decorated home! You'll see what I mean when you see her KILLER plate wall in her dining room! It was a beautiful day and I'll let the pictures tell you the rest.

All of the wonderful people who came to celebrate!

The momma-to-be and the hostesses!