AllisonProper

Girls Beach Trip to 30-A

July 5, 2018 No Comments

I just got back last week from Seagrove Beach, Florida with some of my girlfriends. We planned the trip back in the winter (which lasted FOREVERRR). We needed some warm weather to look forward to so we started planning in March. One of my friends is a teacher so she wanted to wait until school was out. We all looked at our schedules and decided the early part of June would work best.

We had all been to this area of Florida before but we usually have our families with us. Don’t get me wrong, I love going with my family, but it was nice to have some time to just relax. There was no worrying about fixing someone lunch, making sure everyone had their sunscreen on or breaking up bickering kids!

When deciding where to stay we knew we didn’t need any fancy or elaborate accommodations since we were just staying 4 days. We found a cute villa just a few steps from the beach at Beachside Villas. It had recently been updated, it was clean, had 2 bathrooms and the beds were comfortable. It had everything we needed. We all agreed that we would stay there again. Now, I don’t know about any other units in that complex, but we were very pleased with ours. I booked it through VRBO and Angela, the owner, was very nice and easy to work with. Here’s the link to the unit we rented.

We pretty much just went to the beach every day and out to dinner in the evenings. It was so relaxing!

One evening we went to Bud and Alley’s rooftop bar for the sunset. They have a really beautiful view from up there. Here are some pictures right before sunset.

We enjoyed some drinks and appetizers up there. I tried the Frose. It was refreshing and had a pretty flower in it. While that was a nice touch, I probably would just rather have had the glass filled up. Ha! I would definitely put Bud and Alley’s at sunset on your list. If you are with your family, children are allowed up there until 10:00 p.m.

No trip to 30-A would be complete without a trip to The Red Bar in Grayton Beach. It is probably my favorite restaurant in that area. It has such a funky, eclectic vibe! The menu is not large, but I have been going there for 15 years and never had a bad meal. The last several times I’ve been there I have ordered the blackened grouper. It is delicious! Don’t go if you are in a hurry or expecting to relax. The wait is usually about an hour but they usually have a jazz band. They are loud, but it’s always a fun experience. They now have a D.J. that plays Thursday through Saturday nights after 9:00. It is definitely a happening place!

Mother Nature must have thought we needed a break from the sun because she provided a little rain one morning. We decided to head to Seaside again for an early Lunch. We went to Great Southern Café which had a great view of Seaside. Our table wason the porch and you could see everything going on in the village. I ordered shrimp & grits and they were delicious. One of my friends ordered the fried okra and I wish I had. It was whole okra instead of the small pieces I am used to. So good!

Some other notable restaurants we went to were Seagrove Village Market Café and Bruno’s Pizza in Watersound. Seagrove Village Market Café has been around for years, but they recently opened in a brand new building. It is nice and bright. I had the blackened fish tacos and they were good. They come with a lime poblano tarter sauce that is really flavorful. Bruno’s was a new restaurant to try for us and we really liked it. I forgot to take pictures until one of our pizzas was almost gone! They really load their pizzas up with toppings.

It was so nice to get some time away and relax with my friends. If you are thinking about taking a girl’s trip…..DO IT! You won’t regret it!

Food

Banana Bread

July 3, 2018 No Comments

Have you ever bought a bunch of bananas and when you get them home, no one eats them? While school is in session my kids eat bananas in their lunch several times a week, but now that summer has rolled around – not so much. I found myself with 3 very ripe bananas so I decided to dig out my husband’s grandma’s banana bread recipe to use them up.

This banana bread recipe is the best I’ve had. It’s basic and simple but you can fancy it up with some chopped nuts or chocolate chips if you like. When I asked my family if they wanted me to add anything, they said they like it plain. That’s what I went with.

This banana bread comes together in no time. If your bananas are good and ripe they mash up really easy. After that, it’s as simple as stirring in the rest of the ingredients. The hardest part about making this bread is waiting for it to bake and cool. It smells amazing while it is baking!

This banana bread is delicious to just slice and eat but I like to serve it warm with a little butter on it. It is heaven! I think it would be good with a little cream cheese too.

Next time you find yourself with some ripe bananas, give this recipe a try. I think you’ll go bananas for it! HA!

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Banana Bread

This buttery quick bread is good for breakfast, snack or even dessert!

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes

Servings 10

Ingredients

3 ripe bananas
1 stick butter, melted
2 eggs
1 c sugar
2 c flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt

Instructions

Mash ripe bananas with a fork until lumps are gone. Add sugar.
Beat egg and add to the banana mixture.
Add flour, baking soda and salt.
Pour in melted butter and stir to combine.
Spray loaf pan and pour batter in. Bake at 350 for 1 hour. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes. Turn on to cooling rack and let cool completely.

Food

Raspberry Lemonade ~ Thirsty Thursday

June 28, 2018 No Comments

If you like my regular lemonade recipe, you are going to LOVE this Raspberry Lemonade recipe! It has the same great taste with a hint of raspberry. The fact that it turns a little pink makes me love it even more!

Now that the heat of summer is here, we are looking for ways to stay cool. What better way than a nice cold glass of this raspberry lemonade?

If you remember my regular lemonade recipe, it starts with lemonade mix. This raspberry lemonade recipe is no different. I think lemonade mix is a good place to start. I just add extra mix and sugar to take the tart sweet combination to the next level. The only difference between the two recipes is this one has some raspberry puree added.

You will want to serve this lemonade for your 4th of July parties. You might need to double the recipe!

Happy 4th of July!

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Raspberry Lemonade

Course Drinks

Cuisine American

Prep Time 5 minutes

Servings 6

Ingredients

8 scoops lemonade mix (or double the amount called for)
1/3 c sugar
8 c water
1/2 c frozen raspberries, partially defrosted

Instructions

Put lemonade mix and sugar in pitcher.
Add water, stirring constantly. Stir until lemonade mix and sugar are dissolved.
Place raspberries in food processor or mini chopper. Pulse until pureed.
Strain seeds out of raspberry puree. Stir puree into lemonade
Serve over ice

Food

Asian Chicken Salad

June 26, 2018 No Comments

I think I’ve professed my love for chicken salad before, but I’m going to do it again. I love chicken salad! It is one of my favorite things to eat during the summer. We are having extreme heat already and it’s on the middle of June! What better way to cool off than with a salad?

This Asian Chicken Salad is different than a lot of chicken salads because it’s not mayonnaise based. It has a vinegar and oil based dressing. It’s really more of a slaw with chicken added to it.

To make this Asian Chicken Salad I use a bag of coleslaw mix to make the prep work easier. You could totally cut your own cabbage if you prefer.

This Asian Chicken Salad comes together in no time (especially if you use the bag of slaw mix). Toasting the noodles, sesame seeds and almonds will take a few minutes, but is definitely worth it for the extra crunch. I like to put the dressing in a jar with a lid so you can shake it up to help the sugar dissolve.

If you are prepping this ahead of time, I like to leave the dressing and crunchy topping off until ready to serve. I combine everything else in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator.

Next time you need a cool lunch or dinner idea try this Asian Chicken Salad.

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Asian Chicken Salad

Try this twist on chicken salad for a light refreshing meal!

Course Salad

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes

Servings 4

Ingredients

1 head cabbage, finely shredded (or a bag of coleslaw mix)
1/2 bunch green onions, chopped
2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded or chopped
1 package Ramen noodles, uncooked
1/4 c sesame seeds
3/4 c slivered almonds
1/4 c vinegar
1/2 c canola oil
1/4 c sugar
1 tsp Accent
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt

Instructions

Break ramen noodles into pieces and toast in a skillet along with the almonds and sesame seeds. Set aside to cool.
Combine cabbage, green onions and chicken in a bowl.
In a pint size jar combine vinegar, oil, sugar, Accent, pepper and salt. Place lid on jar and shake vigorously until dressing is mixed well.
Combine cabbage mixture with the toasted noodles and almonds. Pour dressing over the salad. Toss and serve.

Food

Wallaby Darned (Peach Bellini) ~ Thirsty Thursday

June 21, 2018 No Comments

When I went on my girl’s trip to the beach we stopped at an Outback Steakhouse to eat dinner on our way down. It had been years since I had been to one. I forgot how much I like their Wallaby Darned drinks. It is basically a Peach Bellini. Peaches are one of my favorite fruits and making it into a cocktail is even better!

The frozen peaches with the peach nectar, schnapps, vodka and champagne are the perfect combination. I think the peach nectar really ups the peach flavor in this drink. I’ve had other versions of Peach Bellini and they just don’t have as much of a peach flavor.

This Wallaby Darned recipe is easy. You simply put all of the ingredients in the blender and let it do the work. Pour into a pretty glass and enjoy!

Cheers!

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Wallaby Darned

This copycat recipe is a delicious, peachy frozen treat!

Course Drinks

Cuisine American

Prep Time 5 minutes

Servings 1

Ingredients

1 c frozen sliced peaches
2 oz champagne
1 oz peach schnapps
1 oz vodka
4 oz peach nectar
2-3 ice cubes

Instructions

Combine all of the ingredients in a blender. Blend on high speed for approximately 30 seconds or until the ice is completely crushed and the drink is smooth.
Pour into glass of your choice.

Sports

Ballparks of America

June 8, 2018 No Comments

I think I’ve mentioned before that we are a baseball family. We like all sports, but baseball is at the top of the list. Tom, my husband, helps coach Callahan, my youngest, travel baseball team. This is the third year he has played for Southern Illinois Team Dinger. Each year they play in some really neat tournaments, but I have to say that playing at the Ballparks of America in Branson has been his favorite so far.

If your child plays travel baseball you need to put this facility on your list. What I’m about to tell you will not make sense in your brain…..but here it goes. These are Major League Baseball replica fields amidst an old outlet mall. I know it sounds crazy, but it works!

Apparently the Tanger Outlet Mall decided to move to a different location and someone bought it and repurposed it. All of the “outlet mall” structure is still there. As a matter of fact, the website says there are facilities for teams to stay overnight. Our team didn’t do that. There is a gift shop, café, concession stand and a few offices that seem to be in places where stores were. There is even an indoor batting cage for teams to use.

Ballparks of America consists of 5 fields. Brooklyn Field, Wrigley Field, Fenway Park, Detroit Stadium and Bush Stadium, which was the biggest field. The details that each of these fields has is amazing.

Bush Stadium has an arch mowed into the turf and a really nice seating area.

Fenway has a “green monster” for the left field fence.

Wrigley Field even has “ivy” on the outfield fence.

Brooklyn Field was pretty basic but still very nice.

Different baseball organizations put tournaments on at Ballparks of America. We played in a Game 7 tournament. It was the Best of the Midwest Showdown. There were 16 teams from Missouri, Illinois and Kansas. We were able to play on all of the fields except Detroit. It was a long weekend but we came out on top. SI Team Dinger won the 10-U Championship. Here is my #22 pitching at “Busch Stadium and the Championship rings they won!

It was a hot weekend of baseball but definitely worth it in the end. If you are in the travel baseball world, you definitely should try to play at Ballparks of America!

Food

Pink Bikini ~ Thirsty Thursday

June 7, 2018 No Comments

I’m always on the lookout for a good summertime cocktail for pool days. When I saw this recipe for a Pink Bikini, I knew I had to try it. It’s pretty simple. You only need some raspberry lemonade and Malibu rum. The original recipe I found also had some amaretto in it, but I didn’t have any on hand, so I tried it without and loved it.

When I first read the recipe I was intrigued because I love Malibu rum. I couldn’t really imagine the coconut flavor with raspberry lemonade or any lemonade for that matter, but decided to give it a try. The flavors totally work together, so I’m glad I did!

I have made these Pink Bikinis with regular raspberry lemonade and light. Honestly, I think I like it better with the light raspberry lemonade. There have been times I haven’t been able to find light raspberry lemonade and used light pink lemonade instead. It worked just as well as the raspberry lemonade.

Make sure to make a some of these Pink Bikinis up for your next summer get-together! I will be enjoying some of these on the beach this weekend!

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Pink Bikini

This refreshing cocktail is sure to be a hit for hot summer days by the pool!

Course Drinks

Cuisine American

Prep Time 5 minutes

Servings 1

Ingredients

8 oz Raspberry Lemonade
2 oz Malibu Rum

Instructions

Place ice in a glass and pour Malibu in.
Top off with raspberry lemonade.
Stir, and enjoy!

Sports

Soccer Season

June 1, 2018 No Comments

While baseball is King at our house, we really love all sports. As a matter of fact there are very few sports that at least one of my kids doesn’t participate in. After taking the fall off from playing soccer, Callahan, my youngest, started back up this spring. I have a love/hate relationship with Spring soccer. While it can be beautiful outside, the reality is that it is usually cold and rainy. At least for the regular season. Once the tournaments roll around in May, we have been fortunate over the years to have nice weather most of the time.

We usually always play in the Whirlwind Tournament locally here in Marion which is nice. But my favorite is the Spring Classic in Perryville, Missouri. It is always Mother’s Day weekend. At first I couldn’t believe that they would actually be playing on Mother’s Day, but I’ve come to enjoy it.

The soccer complex in Perryville is such a nice facility. You can tell it was well thought out. There are lots of fields, nice grassy areas and a pavilion with concessions, bathrooms and awards area. They even built in a nice landscaped area for each team to do their own awards presentation. It is out of the main traffic flow of the pavilion and has a great set up for team pictures.

I didn’t get any good pictures at our Marion tournament because I went straight from photographing a recipe to the soccer field and forgot to change lenses. All of these pictures are from the Perryville tournament. Our team won the 3rd/4th grade division. We came back to beat a really good team that had beat us the first day of the tournament for the championship. This was the last tournament we played in this spring and what better way to go out than with a championship win!

Food, Uncategorized

Pina Colada ~ Thirsty Thursday

May 31, 2018 No Comments

Now that summer is unofficially here, our pool is open. I love long summer days lounging by the pool! Of course, a nice cold beverage is a must for pool days. Today I’m going to share my friend’s Pina Colada recipe. This cool, creamy drink will help cool you off on the hottest of days.

I have to admit that I have loved pina coladas since I was a kid (the non-alcoholic version, of course)! I love the combination of the pineapple and coconut flavors. If I would ever make them at home, I would always use a can of the frozen pina colada mix. I always thought they were just never as good as what you would order in a restaurant. Finally, my friend made a pitcher of them for a cookout a few years ago and they tasted like the restaurant version! She told me the key was to use cream of coconut. I’ve been making that version ever since!

All you need is a few ingredients and a blender and you can have your own pina coladas whipped up in no time. It’s as simple as blending some cream of coconut, pineapple juice, rum and ice. Besides using the cream of coconut, I like to use Malibu which is rum with coconut liqueur. That really elevates the coconut flavor. You can use plain rum and it will turn out just fine.

Make these for your next pool day or any day for that matter. They are sinful!

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Pina Colada

This cool and creamy drink is the perfect way to cool off in the heat.

Course Drinks

Cuisine American

Prep Time 5 minutes

Total Time 5 minutes

Servings 2

Ingredients

4 oz. cream of coconut
4 oz. pineapple juice
3 oz. rum (I like to use Malibu)
2 c. ice

Instructions

Blend cream of coconut, pineapple juice and rum in blender.
Add ice and continue blending until all ice is broken into tiny pieces.
Serve immediately.

Food

The Best Lemonade ~ Thirsty Thursday

May 24, 2018 No Comments

Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial start of summer! Who is ready?!?! I know I am! With the start of summer the temperature will be rising and everyone will be looking for a way to cool off. What better way to cool of than with an icy beverage. This summer I’m going to be featuring different beverage recipes for my Thirsty Thursday series.

When you think of summertime drinks, Lemonade is at the top of the list! It’s not a cookout or picnic without a pitcher of nice cold lemonade. Honestly, my family drinks lemonade year-round. I know, we’re weird! Since we drink it so much I have tried different concoctions, and have decided this is the best! Here’s a little secret……I use lemonade mix! I know you’re thinking……seriously? You call that a recipe?!?! Yes, after much tweaking, I have found the perfect combination of tart and sweet.