Spaghetti Squash

The other day I bought spaghetti squash at the store and had it as a side dish for supper. It was delicious and so easy to make! The calories are very low compared to pasta (although I will NEVER give that up!) and it was very tasty. I cut the squash in half and scooped out the seeds, then placed it cut side down on a microwavable dish with 1/4 cup water, then covered with plastic wrap. 7 minutes in the microwave on high, then scoop it out with a spoon and add butter or olive oil or sauce and top with grated cheese! Try it you'll like it!

Even more....

In addition to the adorable bird plates, Christina also gave me two necklaces that she made. Sweet little bumblebee and honey, and mushroom and flower pendants! You can view her other items that she sells on etsy and artfire at: coffeeandcream.etsy.com, and coffeeandcream.artfire.com

More Mother's Day Treasures

My kids really do have the best taste and they know what I love! Jenny bought me this beautifully decorated bowl from Anthropologie in Birmingham, and also, she and Rachel chipped in to buy me the Pirate Ship necklace from a store in the Riverchase Galleria Mall in Hoover. My daughter Christina was visiting with my adorable grandson Kavi for a few weeks and we made some fun trips to these Birmingham area stores!

Mother's Day Treasures

I thought it would be fun to show you some of my mother's day gifts...

These are the cutest little plates I got from Christina which are handmade and hand painted from a shop on Etsy called Say Your Piece which can be found at sayyourpiece.etsy.com. I love them!

Also, Rachel got me an adorable vintage looking apron from Anthropologie, a store I also love, even though it is way too expensive! I love to see how they set up their displays which are very creative and fun. I have a small collection of aprons, which I have displayed in my 1940's style kitchen.

Some Crafty Things

A few months ago, I got interested in Block Printing and made several carvings for printing on kitchen towels,tote bags, etc. I love the handmade vintage look they have and they fit in perfectly with my kitchen. It was hard for me to give them up once I made them, but several of them are listed in my shop at considerthelillies.etsy.com

Christina ( my oldest daughter) has an Etsy shop (coffeeandcream.etsy.com) as well, and makes beautiful pillows and jewelry. I have many of her things too! It sure is fun having a daughter with a store, it makes shopping even more fun!

You've Been Framed!

A month or so ago, I was recovering from a bout of the flu which kept me bored and housebound, when I got the bug to rearrange all the pictures in my living room. I took everything down and just started putting them up in different places, and then remembered that I had a bunch of blank picture frames that I never used yet. I got these frames from various thrift stores, for less than a dollar each! I then began to place them willy nilly on my wall and put different items inside, like a plate, smaller pictures, Christmas ornaments, etc. and really liked the turnout! Check your local thrift stores often for fun, often one of a kind item

A Little Tea for Me

Lately, I have been addicted to Green Tea lattes, which started when I tried one at a Starbucks in Trussville about a month ago. But....at almost four bucks a shot, I figured I needed a cheaper alternative to feed my need! So...I did a search on the internet to find the basic recipe for the Starbucks one, and found people who had a healthier version. Starbucks uses Matcha Green Tea Powder with a LOT of added sugar, so I found out where to get Matcha Unsweetened Powder so you can add your own sweetener to it. Here is a little blip about Matcha Powder from www.teazonline.com:

Matcha is perhaps the most popular green tea on the market today. The first thing you will notice upon opening the packet is that Matcha is a finely powdered green tea and looks like an emerald colored flour. This characteristic truly sets it apart from other teas.

When brewed, the powdered leaf is not strained or left in the pot, but is whisked into a frothy concoction and consumed. Because the leaves themselves are imbibed, brewed Matcha contains higher concentrations of vitamins and antioxidants than most other teas, green, herbal, or otherwise. According to researches done in Japan, brewed Matcha contains nearly 10 times the polyphenols and antioxidants of regular teas, 2 times the antioxidants of a glass of red wine, approximately 9 times the beta-carotene of spinach, and 4 times that of carrots.

Listed below are some of the many health benefits of Matcha green tea.

• Significantly increases energy (over 8 to 10 hours) without the caffeine "jitters".
• Improves mental alertness (L-theanine component)
• Increases calmness and reduces stress (L-theanine component)
• Boosts metabolic rate by 35-40%
• Powerful "Anti-Aging" activity due to the super-charged antioxidants
• Lowers blood pressure
• Decreases level of LDL or "bad"cholesterol
• Minimizes symptoms of PMS
• "Super" cancer-fighting and cancer-preventative activity (due to extremely high levels of polyphenols and catechins)
• Eases constipation due to high level of easily absorbable dietary fiber
• Stabilizes blood sugar levels
• Powerful anti-biotic and anti-viral activity
• Strong blood detoxifier and alkalyzer, due to the high Chlorophyll content

I make my Lattes, using skim milk (Lattes, by the way are the ONLY time I use skim milk!)
powdered Matcha and one packet of Truvia or Splenda Sweetener, but you can use sugar or honey at any desired amount.
I use a milk frother which looks a lot like a coffee press to warm 1 cup of milk for 1:35 seconds in the microwave, then add 1/2 - 3/4 teaspoon of Matcha and any sweetener to the frother, then pump it until it doubles in volume. Pour it in a BIG mug and enjoy! You can make an iced latte by using the same ingredients, except adding half a cup of ice in a blender and blend until frothy!

I purchased my Matcha Powder from www.teazonline.com for 8.99 for 4 0z plus shipping which came to around 13.00 for 50 servings. That's about 26 cents per serving! I found sweetened Matcha powder at Whole Foods for 10.99, but for only 10 servings, so I think you are way better off ordering it online!