Creamy Grape Salad

This is one of my all time favorite summer desserts.  Every time I make this recipe and take it anywhere everyone loves it and ask how to make it.  It is so light and creamy and with the crisp grapes and crunchy walnuts you can't go wrong.  I was first introducted to grape salad when I met Justin's family for the first time.  His grandparents live on the lake and were cooking out.  His grandmother had made grape salad and served it in small plastic cups.  The first time I tasted it I was in love!  Needless to say there wasn't any to take home that day.  There never is anywhere you take this dessert.  I later called and asked for the recipe.  Now I make it for my family, for my friends, and for my work family.  Everyone loves it!

I have altered the original family recipe to make it a healthy dessert.  And being completely honest you can not tell!!  I love this dessert and every time I make it I probably eat way to much so I had to lighten it up some how!!  Not to mention summer time means less clothes which means everything you eat can show!!  The first time I decided I was going to alter the recipe I made sure not to tell my hubby.  I knew this would be the real test!  As I fed it off of my spoon to him I was holding my breath waiting on him to say what did you do to this?  Haha good thing for me he didn't say a word!!  Except Mmmm!!!  I have told a select few that I've made this into a healthy recipe, but for the others who wouldn't take that to well... well they never have to know!  You really can not tell it has less then half the calories of the original!

Now that my mouth is watering thinking about my grape salad here it is:

The ingredients:

8oz reduced fat cream cheese

8oz Greek fat free plain yogurt

1/2 cup of Truvia Baking Blend

1 tbsp. pure vanilla extract

1 lb. green grapes

1 lb. red grapes

Walnuts- enough to cover the top

The recipe:

1. Take the room temperature cream cheese and using a hand held mixer beat with Greek yogurt, sugar, and vanilla until fluffy.

2.  Stir in your washed and dried grapes.

3.  Cover with walnuts.

How easy was that?!?

The original grape salad recipe calls for 8oz regular cream cheese, 8 oz sour cream, and 1 cup of sugar.  Everything else is exactly the same.  But trust me you will love the lighter version just as much!



If you are taking this to a BBQ or a summer time get together this is perfect.  If you are serving at home or want to be fancier try placing in small clear glasses. 

Hope you guys enjoy this grape salad as much as my family does!!!

   

Spring Break

Spring Break Love

Spring Break is here!  Whether your plans include lounging by the pool or heading to a lush tropical destination for Spring break your bikini is the most important item you'll be sporting.  This seasons palette for 2012 is bright, sunny, and chic.  From coral to animal print to the classic white suit, it's all in this season!  Before purchasing your perfect spring break swimwear you should get familiarized with the swimwear trends of 2012 so you make sure you make the right decision ladies!!

Colors

Cobalt Blue suit by Caffe Bikini 

Coral suit by LUXE

Citrus Green suit by Victoria Secret

Orange suit by Nicolita 

Fuchsia suit by Victoria Secret

Aqua suit by L*Space

Patterns

Animal Print suit by Mara Hoffman

The White suit by diNelia Brazil

Black & White Drama suit by Meriell Swimwear

Tribal suit by Buenos Aires

With all of the sexy suites this season the fringe is in!  Normally we see fringe as embellishments on hobo bags or at the ends of boho chic shirts, but hey why not on a bathing suit top?!

Summer is right around the corner do you have your bathing suit yet?  What's your favorite style this year?

Cocktail Friday

It's that time again and I could really use a drink!!  It seems like the week is so long and then the weekend is over before we know it!  This weekend will be filled with furniture shopping for us.  We found out our closing date this week... APRIL 27th!!!  I have just a little over a month to get everything done I already feel so overwhelmed!  So to give you guys that don't know me a little background me and the hubs are building our first house together!!  We have lived in an apartment for almost five years now and have out grown it about 4 1/2 years ago!  I can't wait to have four count them four walk in closets and a beautiful kitchen to cook in!!  I'm beyond excited if you can't tell.  Now on to our cocktail of the week! ;)

I'm a big wino!  I love wine tastings.  Saturdays in the spring and summer are my favorites when me and hubby get in the car and drive to a few different vineyards.  We are blessed to live in the beautiful state of North Carolina.  North Carolina is one of the top producing wine states in the country!  We have the beautiful Yadkin valley wine trail that has numerous vineyards scattered along the way.  During the warmer months I like wine that is more fruity and light tasting then a robust red.  Riesling, Moscato, and a stainless steel Chardonnay are my go to whites.  Warmer weather also means bikini season will be here soon so I have to watch what I'm eating and drinking.  Alcohol can really add the calories on!!  Wine spritzers are the perfect solution.  You get your glass of wine but with half the calories! 

I'm a big fan of almost all wine spritzers.  Today I decided to make a raspberry lime Moscato spritzer!  Since raspberries were on sale at Harris Teeter and all. :) 

Yum!  I absolutely love the colors of this spritzer and how it's bubbly!!! 

Raspberry Lime Moscato Wine Spritzer

Ingredients:

4-5 raspberries

2 slices of fresh lime

1/2 cup Moscato

1/2 cup Sprite Zero

Ice

Directions:

Lightly muddle 4 of the raspberries in bottom of glass.  Just enough to break the raspberries up. 

Add ice and pour wine over top

Top with Sprite and a lime slice

Garnish with the left over raspberry and lime slice.

Enjoy!

Happy Friday Yall!!!  Until next time :)

xoxoxo

Beth



Can you pass the pencil test?

Late one night after the hubby is passed out on the couch I see an infomercial come on for a workout video.  Now I'm not one for at home workout videos.  They just don't motivate me.  At the gym other people are watching you if you slack off or don't have proper form.  At home it's just Sophie (our lhasapoo).  But when Leandro Carvalho comes on with his thick sexy Brazilian accent and he says he trains Victoria Secerets models... come on now who doesn't starve themselves after watching the VS fashion show every year!!  Ok maybe we don't go that far but I think most women would agree their bodies are insane!  They always look airburshed perfect!  I'm a big fan of Adriana Lima personaly I think she is the most beautiful women I've ever seen!  But back to the video.  Carvalho is dancing around and has such magnetic energy you can't help but watch him.  He is telling me how he can change my body, how I can have the same butt as the women of Rio de Janeiro!!  I'm hooked!  Ok ok so maybe I want to belive any workout, skin care, or makeup product that says it's going to work miracles!  But don't we all as women??

Before and after picture from the Beach Body website.




A week later my package arives!!!  Videos, meal plans, resistant bands, workout cards, measuring tape.. it has it all.  So the first step is to weigh in and take measurements.  I'm a little addicted to weighing myself if I tell the truth.  I weigh in almost every morning as motivation.  If I've had good or bad days the scale doesn't lie.  After I get everything written down it says to take the pencil test.  Pencil test?  Ok so you take a pencil it's included by the way and stick it under your tush.  If the pencil falls you pass!!  If the pencil stays in place you fail :(  You do this again on day two and day thirty.  The goal is to have a lifted, rounder, tighter tush by the end.

Carvalho keeps you motivated the entire video.  It's hard to cheat with him!!  As I'm sweating my tushy off and I really just need to stop and take a breather he keeps telling me in that sexy, energetic Brazilian accent you're only cheating yourself!!  Some of the moves he has me doing I would never  think about doing in a gym.  Carvalho works every muscle possible in your legs, butt, thighs, and abs.  I'm not thirty days in yet but I can already tell a difference.  I plan on holding Carvalho to his promise that he will change my body and I will have a Brazilian butt in the end! :)

Brazil Butt Lift works!!  It is hard very hard and you will want to quit.  You will want to yell and say things to Carvalho that are not very nice.  But if you decide to dedicate yourself and stick to it you will pass the pencil test! :)

Try the Brazil butt lift videos you wont regret the purchase!

Get your booty over here!!



Rainbow Cake

I hope everyone had a wonderful St. Patrick's Day weekend filled with lots of green!!!

My husband turned 26 over the weekend!  March 18th he was almost a St. Patty's Day baby!  To celebrate we went to the NCAA tournament to watch his Tar Heels play.  They won and we had so much fun!  Since we were at the tournament all day Sunday I decided to do his birthday cake on Saturday.  Every year I bake a strawberry cake for him strawberries are his favorite.  This year I wanted to change it up a little bit and with it being St. Patty's day I went with a rainbow cake!  I found a recipe on Martha Stewart that gave me inspiration to do a semi-homemade version. 

Here's Martha's:








Martha Stewart Rainbow Cake

My version turned out very tasty and just as bright.  My icing needs work to be that smooth but hey I'll get there!

So I started out with two boxes of Pillsbury Funfetti cake mix.  Mix following directions on back of the cake box.  Then separate mix into six different bowls.  Add your food coloring to the bowls of batter and mix well.  Feel fee to be liberal when adding your food coloring.  You want the colors to be bright!  I found that gel coloring works better. 

Next fill your six pans, I used disposable ones so I wouldn't have to wash and reuse my cake pans, but if you have six cake pans or want to wash and reuse feel free.  Then bake according to the directions on the cake boxes.

Once out of the oven let cakes cool completely before layering and icing.  When the cakes are cool you will layer starting with your red cake and working your way to the purple cake.  In between each layer you will want to spread about 1/2 cup of frosting.  This way you can see the separation between layers.  I used a cream cheese frosting.  My favorite!

After all of your layers are on spread the frosting over the outside of the cake.  Then decorate!!  I used jelly beans since it is almost Easter and of course they followed the St. Patty's Day rainbow theme.

What a beautiful cake!!  The colors will amaze when you cut into it!  And the hubby loved it!!! :)

Hope y'all have fun making your rainbow cake!  Just make sure to share it with someone special!!!

Cocktail Friday

TGIF

We made it thru another work week now it's time for the weekend!  Instead of thirsy Thursday since me and the hubby do work 9-5s during the week we have made our Fridays the go out date nights.  So I'm going to try and share a new loved cocktail reciepe with yall every Friday!  Something to bring on the weekend. 

With it being an 80 degree day here in Charlotte and looking alot like Spring I wanted something that was refreshing and tasty.  MOJITOS!!!!  Mojitos are my all time favorite cocktail.  It's just something about that cool mint and rum together that makes my mouth water just thinking about them.  And of course with it being my favorite and all they are the hardest to find well made drink.  There's a secret to Mojitos that alot of Charlotte restaurants just haven't mastered yet.  SIMPLE SYRUP!!!  I had tried Mojitos in the past not caring to much for them when I ordered one out.  Then when me and the hubby traveled to Sarasota, Florida I decied to try one again since it was the restaurants signature drink.  Columbia Restaurant has mastered the mojito.  It's orgasmic good!  Sorry for the vulgar language but there is no other way to explain this drink there!! :)  

So without further ado on to the recipe!!

Mojito Pitcher Recipe (You can't make just one!!!)

Ingredients

7 ounces of Bacardi Superior Rum

1 3/4 cups sparkling water

1 tablespoon fresh mint, packed tightly

Juice of two limes

Mint simple syrup

Preparation Fill a pretty pitcher with ice and add all ingredients. Stir well. Serve in glasses garnished with mint sprigs and lime slices.  You have to make it look cute! Mint Simple Syrup ¾ cup granulated sugar ¾ cup hot water 1 tablespoon fresh mint, packed tightly Preparation Mix sugar with hot water and add mint. Boil water for 10 minutes, stirring to dissolve sugar. Strain to remove mint; chill before using. Photo and recipe from Columbia Restaurant

Other honorable Mojito mentions include:

P.F. Chang's China Bistros Asian Pear Mojito

Cantina 1511s Mojito

Happy Friday Yall!!!

    

Cherry Kissers

With spring starting to bloom and summer just around the corner I ventured into Sephora my favorite go to store for everything makeup except my beloved MAC.  Shades of red and pink lips are in and I'm on the bandwagon. 


 



My favorite new find is Tarte LipSurgence matte lip tint in fiery.  I've always stayed away from lip tints because of the drying affect that most of them have but Tarte is different it's actually moisturizing on my kissers!  The fiery shade can be applied full on to give you bright red lips or you can pat it on and blend to have a rosier affect.

Spring Trends

My 1st blog post! ;)

I am in Charlotte, NC and it's an absolutely beautiful day outside.  76 degrees!  The cherry trees are blooming and if you look close you can see the buds on the tops of trees.  This means summer is just around the corner, my favorite time of the year.  I'm obsessed with fashion and I love summer clothes.  Sun dresses, flip flops, wedges, bikinis, shorts, skirts, bare legs, cute little tops.  Ahhh I'm so excited!!  So for my very first blog post and the inspiration from this beautiful southern day I'm going to share my must haves for spring!

Drum roll please....

Number one bright colored skinny pants!  And they are everywhere!!

     

Blue, red, white, yellow, pink all the colors of the rainbow. These are so cute and they look great with flip flops, heels, or ballet flats.  You can find them at high end designer stores and your budget friendly Target!!

Number two bright colored short shorts!

 


So I need to really start hitting my Brazilian butt lift videos for these.  But it will so be worth it!!  Pair with a tank and some wedges and you're ready for summer!

Number three bright block coloring!



Notice a trend here?  My hubby will be so happy he loves to see me in bright colors since truth be told I'm a black and greys go to girl.

Number four step away from the black nail polish :)



Instead try Essie's spring and summer collection.  Great colors in pastels for the office and brights for after hours!

Number five the fishtail!



So it's not new but it's still going strong as we see celebrity after celebrity still sporting the fishtail braid.