rosemary mozzarella skewers

for a baby shower last week, i realized i had a plethora of sweet things (of course), but needed some more savory dealios.

i found these babies over at pioneer woman...

click here for her exact recipe.
they were tasty. 
they take a second to assemble, though.
i made them the night before so they marinated awhile, and ran out of rosemary stalks, so used some toothpicks.
i forgot thyme, which was fine, and i also didn't use much olive oil. just a spritz.
i got all these ingredients at trader's...gotta love a one-stop-shop.
these would also be good with tomatoes, i'm thinking, esp. if you don't like salami!
needless to say, i enjoyed a few leftovers on my salad the next day...
mmmm.

rosemary mozzarella skewers

via pioneer woman

• Stalks Of Fresh Rosemary
• Fresh Mozzarella Cheese, Cut Into 1-inch Cubes
• Marinated Artichoke Hearts, Drained
• Black Or Kalamata Olives, Drained
• Salami, Sliced Thin And Folded Into Fourths
• 1/2 Cup Olive Oil
• 3 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
• Pinch Of Salt
• Fresh Ground Black Pepper (lots!)
• Sprinkle Of Ground Thyme

Preparation Instructions

Strip all but 1 to 2 inches of rosemary leaves from stems. (Leave leaves intact at the top of the stem.)

Use stem to spear cheese cubes, artichoke hearts, olives, and salami in whatever order you’d like.

Mix dressing ingredients until emulsified, then drizzle over the top of the skewers. Serve immediately or refrigerate for later.

aunt sara's frozen banana split dessert

i made this family favorite for clayton's baby blessing on sunday.  

it was delish (maybe because i love anything with bananas & chocolate) and easy to

make ahead of time!

aunt sara's frozen banana split dessert 

2 cups of graham cracker crumbs

1/4 cup butter melted

3-4 ripe bananas, sliced

1/2 gallon vanilla ice cream

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup butter

2 cups powdered sugar

1 can evaporated milk 

1 teaspoon vanilla

whipped cream, optional

Combine graham cracker crumbs and 1/4 cup melted butter 

(I just crushed the crumbs in a ziplock and added the melted butter and smushed it around) 

and spread on the bottom of a 15'x11' 

(I used smaller cuz' it's all I had...your dessert will just be thicker) metal pan.  

(Glass makes crumbs adhere when cold.)  

Reserve some crumbs for top.  

Slice ripe bananas all over top of crumbs.  

In the meantime, let ice cream soften, then carefully spread it over bananas.  

Freeze for a while until firm again.  

Make a chocolate sauce by melting chocolate chips and 1/2 cup butter together in saucepan.  

Add powdered sugar and evaporated milk: gently boil until thick (about 20 minutes), stirring frequently, Add vanilla.  

Cool sauce, then spread on ice cream.  

Sprinkle remaining crumbs on top.  Freeze again for several hours.  Take out of freezer about 1/2 hour before serving.  (This is essential as the bananas taste too frozen if they are not slightly thawed) 

When ready to serve, cut into squares and top each square with spoonful of whipped cream, if desired.

 frozen graham crackers, ice cream & bananas:

then add the chocolate sauce:

 and freeze until ready to eat:

drink decor

these little drinks, tasty or not, sure looked

holiday-ish at my christmas party!

a simple and cute way to fizz up your red & green soiree!