Yay for LA!

We have been through the ringer since the beggining of december and we just had the icing put on the cake. ‹ will be in another blog post.
Anyhow, Jose and I decided it was time to take a trip with our babies and just get away from "reality" for a day. So we are heading LA!
We do this every so often, we'll pack up and head to the Guatemalan bakery, eat us some authentic Guatemalan food, buy us some pan, and take something new home that I can learn to cook for my babies. I love that we have something close enough to home that we can instill their Guatemalan traditions, heritage, whatever. It's important to me that my babies know where theycome from and some traditions.
So here we go...
I posted some pics of us driving. I will be taking pics while out there and share them with you.
Have a great day & know, God has it all under control!
~Melissa

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Another Shrimp & Pasta dish

I made this one day last week, so I have to remember what I did...lol

Ingredients:
Fettuccini Pasta
Frozen Brocolli
Fresh Spinach
Shrimp
EVOO
The Pampered Chef Spinach & Smoky Red Pepper Oil Dipping Seasoning

Directions:
Make the pasta according to directions.
In a 12" skillet, add enough EVOO to coat the pan. Heat up and add the brocolli (I defrosted the brocolli on the microwave). Stir fry the brocolli about 8 mins. Add your shelled shrimp to the brocolli and cook for 4mins, add the spinach and cover until the shrimp is pink and the spinach has softened.
Toss with 2 Tbsp of the seasoning mix and then toss with the pasta.
Hope you enjoy!!!!

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Superbowl Sunday Pulled Pork

I just made some super yummy pulled pork to have for today...and what is today? Superbowl Sunday Baby!!!! Our team isn't in this year, but my Green Bay Packers are buddy!!!

Ingredients:
pork roast
kosher salt
Sweet Baby Rays bbq sauce (my personal favorite)

Directions:
I literally threw the roast into the crock pot, sprinkled the kosher salt over it and turned out on low for 16 hours. I pulled it out and de-boned it and cut all the fast off. Poured the juices out into my gravy separator. Threw the meat and the fatless juices back into the crick pot, shredded the meat and added a ton of bbq sauce. I served it on onions rolls.
It was super yummy and everyone loved it.

Black Friday Sale a la Melissa

Unbelievable deals all day long via phone, e-mail or online order!
There will be HOURLY SPECIALS, RANDOM FREEBIES, GIFT CERTIFICATES, and
other SURPRISE BONUSES! Phone calls, e-mails, and online orders are
time-stamped so that you can benefit from the specials whether you speak
directly with me or not!

Sale details will be posted on my facebook. You can find me here.
Feel free to invite a friend to the sale! In fact, when you refer 5 or more people to my Fabulous Friday sale, you will win a $40 gift certificate. Refer 10 or more and you'll receive a $75 gift certificate!!
HOST A SHOW: Book a show in December and get 60% off TWO of 34 new products!

If you would like more info, you can either friend request here or email me at jaamnherrera at aol dot com (of course formatted correctly).
Hope to see you there!

Pumpkin Spice Latte

Guess what's back at Starbucks!! One of my two favorites, my other is the Peppermint Mocha Latte.
Well, I was looking for a knock off, because after I spent $5 for one on Saturday, I almost couldn't enjoy it. After doing some research I found a recipe and tailored it for my own approval.

Pumpkin Spice Latte
makes 1-2 servings

Ingredients:
2 cups FF milk
2 tablespoons canned pumpkin OR 1 teaspoon of Torani Pumpkin Spice Syrup (your choice)
2 tablespoons splenda
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup of strong brewed coffee

Directions:
In a saucepan combine milk, pumpkin and sugar and cook on medium heat, stirring, until steaming. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and spice, transfer to a blender and process for 15 seconds until foamy (or you can whisk it really fast).

Pour into a large mug or two mugs. Add the coffee on top.

Optional: Top with whipped cream and sprinkle pumpkin pie spice, nutmeg, or cinnamon on top.

Pumpkin Bread with Cream Cheese Filling

I found this recipe on Kraftrecipes.com and I decided to do my own revamp on it to make a bit "healthier". I don't know if I could label it as my own, but I'm going to, because I did revamp it.
So here's what I did...
INGREDIENTS:

1 cup canned pumpkin

1 cup plus 2 Tbsp. Splenda Sugar, divided

1/2 cup packed Splenda brown sugar

4 egg whites, divided(I used egg whites out of the carton)

1/2 cup fat-free milk

1/4 cup applesauce

2 cups whole wheat flour

2-1/2 tsp. Baking Powder

2 tsp. The Pampered Chef Cinnamon Plus Spice Blend

1/4 tsp. salt

1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Neufchatel Cheese, softened

2 Tbs The Pampered Chef Sweet Cinnamon Sprinkle

DIRECTIONS

HEAT oven to 350ºF.

MIX pumpkin, 1 cup sugar, brown sugar, 3 egg whites, milk and apple sauce in large bowl. Add flour, baking powder, spice and salt; mix just until moistened. Beat Neufchatel cheese, remaining sugar, remaining egg white and sweet cinnamon sprinkle with whisk until well blended.

SPOON half of pumpkin batter into Stoneware loaf pan; cover with layers of Neufchatel mixture and remaining pumpkin batter.

BAKE 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Loosen bread from sides of pan; cool in pan 10 min. Remove bread from pan to wire rack; cool completely.

Homemade Granola Bars

I am totally stealing this from my friend Jen...
OK, but I tweeked it when I made it.


2 Cup Oats
1 cup brown sugar (Jen uses raw turbinado) I used Splenda Brown Sugar 1/2 Cup
1 Cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 Cup honey
Any dried fruit, nuts, seeds, chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, etc.
Mix all ingredients and press into greased pan, 11 X 13. Dough will be very dry and crumbly, but press until dough forms with pan.. Bake at 325 for 20 minutes or until edges are browned. Take out and let cool entirely.

I made them today and I have to tell ya...
They are to die for! My mom isn't big on chocolate chips, but she really like these. Then I took some to my neighbor and she thoroughly enjoyed them!
This is a keeper and my Recipe Spotlight for the week!