Life is Sweet

Posted in Adventures in the Kitchen by Kristy Rhine

Each of my daughters have something that is their signature sweet, something they can make at the drop of a hat and it always turns out delicious. My middle daughter’s signature sweet happens to be these lovely Cake Balls.

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IMG_4105[1] These are a bit time consuming and require many steps…but when you bite into one, they are well worth it! Check out my daughter’s recipe here. Cake Pops by Olivia Rhine

I think you will see they are well worth your time and energy. ENJOY!

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23May2016

3 Day Quote Challenge (3)

Posted in Adventures in the Kitchen by Kristy Rhine

Day 3 of the 3-Day Quote Challenge!

(sorry I did not keep the 3 consecutive days in a row for quotes…life got in the way, but here is my final quote)

There are so many amazing quotes that inspire us and challenge us to live better and become better people. However,since I wanted to have all my quotes about food, it was a bit limiting.

As I read this quote it makes me remember that food prepared with love just makes others feel good. It can inspire us, lift our spirits and turn a meeting into a party! Julia Child always got it right!

Enjoy your day!

julia child 2 Here are my 3 nominations today:

Mrs. Twinkle

The Road Trip Cowgirl

Nourished Peach

Help Down the Rabbit Hole

14May2016

3 Day Quote Challenge (1)

Posted in Adventures in the Kitchen, Books I Love by Kristy Rhine

3-Day Quote Challenge
Day 1

I was recently challenged by Simply Homemade by Paula to the 3-Day Quote Challenge. Thank you Paula! I love her blog! Go check it out.

My first “quote” is actually a verse found in Psalm 34:8. I have used this verse many times when taking baked treats to someone special. I also use this as a creative way to share a verse from the Bible to someone who may need to be encouraged that day. I hope it encourages you.

taste and see

I even had this verse painted on a wall in my kitchen to remind me of God’s goodness in my life. I think it is a great verse as well as a challenge. A challenge to give God a try and see that He is good!

If you accept this 3-day challenge, post 1-3 quotes for 3 consecutive days, nominating 3 fellow bloggers to do the same.

Happy Quoting!

I am nominating the following bloggers today to this challenge.

Inspiration Shots

Never A Dull Bling

Mommy Lane Adventures

12May2016

One Lovely Blog Award

Posted in Adventures in the Kitchen by Kristy Rhine

Thanks to Taylor at Peas Romaine Calm for nominating me for this award! I appreciate her sending this to me as I love her blog! It is so easy to read, love all her creative graphics and her food always looks so tasty! Her blog is fun just to look at! Check her out and these others as well! Thanks again Taylor!

I think these sweet awards are a great way for me to nominate blogs I love and are inspired by. Hopefully this will encourage others to check them out as well. I would nominate Taylor, of course, but I will need to find something she is not nominated for already! So glad others are finding her blog so interesting. Way to go, Taylor!

The Rules :

Thank the person that nominated you and give a link to their blog.
List the rules.
Display the award on your post of the award.
List seven random facts about yourself.
Nominate (up to) 15 bloggers for this award and comment on one of their posts to let them know you have nominated them.

Random Facts:
1. I enjoy reading.
2. I love Mexican food.
3. I was raised by the two sweetest parents on the earth.
4. I freak out at blood, cuts or breaks of any kind. You don’t want me to be the only one around if something tragic happens!
5. I wish I could dance, I mean really dance!
6. I have a fear of flying, but make myself do it.
7. I would love to own my own business.

Nominees:

~Jane’s Patisserie One of my favorite blogs! Love all her recipes and photos and she is only 23! Way to go!
~Analiza Gonzales I love her website. She has recipes and other ideas on fashion and all her recipes look delicious!
~Hungry Girl Por Vida This blog has so many homemade recipes and also some fabulous looking cocktails!
~With All My Affection Love this blog..it is a fashion, beauty and lifestyle blog from an adorable 20 something! So cute!
~Feasting with Friends Nancy lives in Detroit and loves to cook and create her own recipes. She has been nominated for multiple awards, but I wanted to include her because I love her blog!
~Smiling Notes This 20 something year old shares her adventures in travel and cooking. It is so interesting and I love to look at her travel photos, especially from New York!
~Life with Becky I love this inspirational blog. Cheryl writes about her daughter Becky and the struggles and triumphs they have. Cheryl seems like an amazing person to me!
~Why 10 More bites? This is so cute…a mom and husband who love good food and love to share with others.

These are just a few of my faves as I have so many blogs I love to go to for inspiration.

Thanks again Taylor and I encourage you to check out some of these blogs.

9May2016

Thank Heaven for Little Girls

Posted in Adventures in the Kitchen, Books I Love by Kristy Rhine

Mother’s Day 2016

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Reading to my little girls each night in bed is something I still miss to this day. I miss hearing them beg for one more book or one more song or one more prayer. Trace Adkins hit the nail on the head when he sang “You’re gonna miss this”. My eyes well up with tears each time I hear it…

You’re gonna miss this
You’re gonna want this back
You’re gonna wish these days hadn’t gone by so fast
These are some good times
So take a good look around
You may not know it now
But you’re gonna miss this

Today my girls did many things to make my day special. One of the sweetest things was to give me a book I read to them as a child. Each of my girls picked out the book that reminded them of me when they were young. They wrote a note inside and told me why this book was special to them and the memories they have of me reading it to them when they were young. That touched my heart!

They also made me lunch so I could put it on my blog! They were so thoughtful! They made a delicious healthy lunch.

Honey Mustard Chicken Fingers Recipe Here
Strawberry Pecan Salad
Baked Sweet Potato Fries
Pink Lemonade

And last but not least they gave me a new hand mixer for the kitchen. They know me so well! I love the pink…so pretty. KitchenAid
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Thankful today for my wonderful daughters and so blessed that God allowed me to walk through this life with them!

22Apr2016

Creative Blogger Award

Posted in Adventures in the Kitchen by Kristy Rhine

I am sending out a big thank you to Taylor at Peas Romaine Calm for nominating me for the Creative Blogger Award. I love Taylor’s blog! It is so cute and creative and her photos are amazing. I love all her little graphic designs on her photos.

Here are my five nominations for the Creative Blogger Award.
It was hard to choose only five as there are so many wonderful blogs I come across and enjoy reading.

~Carolina at Cisneros Cafe. I love her faith based blog and her encouraging words she shares with others. Check it out for some daily encouragement.
~Hannah at Love the Little Bakery. She loves to bake, she is messy in the kitchen and wants to travel. Her blog is so cute!
~Wee Blue Mixer. What a cute blog! She lives in a cottage in Scotland (how cool is that)? She shares lots of wonderful recipes and amazing photos.
~Leen Cuisine. She is so creative. She is obsessed with recipes from her family and is cooking through all of them!
~This Happy Mommy. I love all her photos and her healthy recipes. Everything looks amazing. Plus she is a new mommy. How exciting!

RULES:

Thank the person who nominated you and include a link to their blog.
Share five facts about yourself.
Nominate 5 bloggers and add their links.
Notify the bloggers you included.
Keep the rules in your post.

5 Facts About Me:

I am a Native Texan!
I love NYC and would go visit every year if I could.
I love to brighten someone’s day with a baked treat, wrapped in cellophane with lots of ribbon! It just makes me smile. (and hopefully makes them smile)
I love God, my 3 girls and wonderful husband!
Breakfast Tacos are one of my favorite things to eat. I eat one at a local favorite restaurant at least once a week, or twice. Okay, maybe even three times! YUMMY!

Thanks again Taylor for nominating me and love reading your blog!

20Apr2016

Chocolate Birthday Pie!

Posted in Adventures in the Kitchen by Kristy Rhine

It is my hubby’s birthday today. Happy Birthday!

I asked him what kind of cake he wanted for his birthday this year. Instead of cake, he wanted a pie. His favorite is cherry pie, but we could not find any fresh cherries. So chocolate pie was second on the list.

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I decided to use a recipe from The Pioneer Woman.

I love my mom’s homemade crust, but after working 9 hours…Pillsbury’s Pie Crust was the obvious choice!

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I did cook my pie crust a little longer than I needed, but it still was delicious! IMG_3444[1]

I had all my ingredients ready to go and found this recipe was really quite easy.

It calls for bittersweet chocolate. I used Ghirardelli and chopped fine and added after the pie filling was beginning to thicken. I think this tasted better than using cocoa powder. IMG_3427[1]

The pie was a huge success, mainly because my hubby loved it!

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Click here Chocolate Pie for her recipe. The full link to her recipe can be found there. If you make this, let me know what you think! I have listed some of her cookbooks here for you if you don’t have one already.

19Apr2016

Skinny Stuffed Bell Peppers or Cake batter?

Posted in Adventures in the Kitchen by Kristy Rhine

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It is not easy for me to find the perfect balance in my life. I am naturally an “all or nothing” kind of girl, especially where food is concerned. If I am eating “bad”, then I am eating bad; if I am eating “good”, then I am eating good! Sometimes I struggle with having that favorite cupcake or candy and popcorn at the movies. Usually when I say yes to those types of sweets, I tend to eat bad all day, which leads to all week, which leads to waiting until Monday to eat healthy again! Yes, balance is hard for me. IMG_2687[1]

I find this to be true in so many areas of my life, not just with food. I am trying to learn that there is a good balance out there somewhere that will work for me.

The last two weeks have proven to be better. I have enjoyed a healthier kitchen while still baking and tasting some of my favorite sweets as well as having a drink, in moderation, of course! I found the scale did not go up!

Today I made one of my favorite things from the SKINNYTASTE website, Stuffed Bell Peppers. I love how these taste, they fill me up and don’t add a ton of calories.

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I made some with cheese and some without. If I pour salsa on them, I find I can do without the extra calories or flavor from the cheese. I am not saying it is not better with cheese, because what is not better with cheese? But I can still enjoy without!

I have used her recipes and cookbook many times and loved everything I have tried. If you don’t already have her book, it is a great one to have on your kitchen counter!

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Find the recipe here Turkey Stuffed Peppers. If you are interested in her cookbook, take a peek here and see what you think! The Skinnytaste Cookbook: Light on Calories, Big on Flavor. I hope you enjoy!

28Feb2016

What starts with the letter C?

Posted in Adventures in the Kitchen by Kristy Rhine

Cookie starts with the letter C
Let’s think of other things that start with the letter C
Oh who cares about other things…C is for cookie, that’s good enough for me!
~Cookie Monster

I wanted to make something sweet for my girls at work on Friday. Everyone loves chocolate chip cookies, so that was easy and I always have all the ingredients for these cookies in my kitchen. IMG_2503[1]

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When I find I also have the Ghirardelli white chocolate chips and dark molasses, it only makes sense to make these wonderful cookies as well! They were such a big hit last time I made them.

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You can find this recipe here. Click here for recipe They are called Soft Baked White Chocolate Chip/Molasses Cookies. I discovered these from Sally’s Baking Blog. I love her blog and her cookbooks! I use my cookbooks all the time and they always seem to find a way into the background of my pictures of cookies and cupcakes!

Sally’s Baking Addiction: Irresistible Cookies, Cupcakes, and Desserts for Your Sweet-Tooth Fix
Sally’s Candy Addiction: Tasty Truffles, Fudges & Treats for Your Sweet-Tooth Fix

6Jan2016

Time Flies When You’re Having Fun!

Posted in 2015 Travel Adventures, Adventures in the Kitchen by Kristy Rhine

Time does fly! It is hard for me to believe over a year has gone by since I started my blog, PALATABLE ADVENTURES.

I looked over my goals in starting this blog…
This blog is to hold me accountable to teach myself and my girls cooking basics and two new recipes per month. Inspiration may come from
~places we have been
~recommendations from friends and family
~or from sources of interest like Pinterest or just good old fashioned cookbooks

As I look at my purpose in doing this, I see that it accomplished what I wanted and more. I learned many new recipes. I found my children in the kitchen with me, learning as well. I sampled various types of foods from places I have visited, and tried to recreate them at home. And my pictures, while still amateur, have improved from last January. I have actually loved these Palatable Adventures.

~Sweet Adventures