The Most Stylish Yogurt

Stonyfield02blog

Stonyfield18blog

Breakfast, lunch and dinner - I have eaten yogurt for every meal, especially since I have been pregnant. It's almost as if I can't get enough dairy and calcium. Lately, I have been eating yogurt even for dessert thanks to Stonyfield Farm's latest creation Oh My Yog triple layer organic yogurt with cream and fruit at the bottom. MMMM! It's the prettiest yogurt I've ever eaten.

We all know that stripes are in style, and the color blocked, striped packaging drew me to this tasty treat. Yes, I'm known to buy just because of packaging. I'm a stylist. What can I say? haha. Then you take a bite and you realize this is the most on trend yogurt around with it's ombre color effect. To celebrate this stylish cup of heaven, I've partnered with Stonyfield Farm to share beautiful ombre and stripe inspiration on Pinterest. You can follow along with us here https://www.pinterest.com/alexandraevjen/stripes-ombre-oh-my-yog/.

Stonyfield08blog

My favorite flavors are Wild Quebec Blueberry, Pacific Coast Strawberry, Gingered Pear. I love adding granola to them or even crumbling up ginger cookies and putting them on top of my pear yogurt for dessert. You can find your next stylish dessert or breakfast at your local Whole Foods or Sprouts. Tell me which flavor is your favorite!

Stonyfield07blog

Photos by Gina Meola

*This post is sponsored by Stonyfield Farms.

Non-Alcoholic Cucumber Basil Soda

Happy Memorial Day! I'm enjoying the holiday in Boston with my family, and there's such patriotism here. It's refreshing to see so many people honor those that have given their lives for freedom. As a very pregnant lady I can't really toast to our veterans with an alcoholic beverage, but I sure can toast to them with this delicious mocktail created by California Pizza Kitchen. They were kind enough to share the recipe with you guys, and it's DELICIOUS!

Cucumber Basil soda:

Makes: 12 servings

Ingredients

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup water

1 medium cucumber, thinly sliced

12 large basil leaves

9 cups of soda water, chilled ice

cucumber slices and fresh basil leaves, for garnish

Procedure

In a medium saucepan combine sugar and water over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved and mixture just comes to a boil, about 5 minutes.

In a small bowl muddle the cucumber and basil leaves with the back of a wooden spoon. Add to the hot syrup. Cover and let steep for 30 minutes. Strain the syrup, pressing the solids through a fine-mesh strainer to release the flavors. Discard solids.

For each serving, combine 3 tablespoons of the syrup with ¾ cup soda water in an ice-filled glass. Stir gently to combine. Garnish with cucumber slices and a basil leaf.

Note: Cucumber-basil syrup can be stored in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Valentine's Dinner for My Love

We can all probably agree that men and women think differently even when it comes to food. When I think about cooking a romantic meal for two I think of things like wine, chocolate, cheese and bacon wrapped dates. When Ryan thinks about a tasty, romantic meal he thinks of steak, chili, potatoes and beer. So, since Valentine's is all about showing your loved one that you care for him or her, I decided I would should you what I would cook for Ryan. It's super, duper easy - cheddar and green chile cornbread with a slow cooker tortilla soup. CHEDDAR & GREEN CHILE CORNBREAD preheat over to 400 degrees.

Ingredients: 1 box of Jiffy corn mix 1 egg 1/3 cup of milk 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese 1 4 oz can of diced green chiles

Combine the first four ingredients in a mixing bowl. Mix so all ingredients are combined, but leave the batter a little lumpy. Pour batter in a greased 8 x 8 pan or pyrex dish. Sprinkle chiles on top of the cornbread. You can make a heart or spell out a message if you would like.

Bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees. Make sure sides are golden brown and that a toothpick comes out clean when you poke the center of the bread. Let stand 5 minutes and serve with butter.

You can make this bread a day ahead of time, but it tastes best first out of the oven.

SLOW COOKER TORTILLA SOUP 2 cans of Rotel with lime diced tomatoes 5-6 pieces of frozen chicken tenderloins 1 48 oz box of chicken broth 1 can of black beans drained and rinsed 1 yellow onion diced 4 cloves of minced garlic 1 4 oz can of green chiles 1/2 cup of frozen corn 2 1/2 teaspoons of chili powder 1 1/2 teaspoons of cumin Salt and pepper to taste

Mix ingredients together and cook on low for 10 hours. Pull out the chicken tenders and shred with two forks. Place back into the crockpot and stir. Serve and garnish with your favorite toppings such as shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, lime and/or cilantro.

I hope you enjoy this easy meal anytime of the year. You really can't go wrong when making this dish. I promise! If you're looking for more ideas to serve for Valentine's Day, please check out these other recipe ideas:

Savory crepes with creme brûlée by Friday We're in Love Panang curry with chocolate croissants by Freckles in April Smothered ranch chicken burritos with apple nachos by Deidre Emme Lasagna soup with sourdough bread and cinnamon rolls by Along Abbey Road Leige waffles with bacon and eggs by Nothing Comes of Nothing Make-ahead French Toast with bacon and fruit by Everyday Reading Pork chops with roasted broccoli, drop rolls and f'zhookie with ice cream by A Prioritized Marriage

Easy Holiday Bark

This post is sponsored by Coca-Cola Licensing.

The holidays are the biggest baking season of all. Each year, my husband's family makes an assortment of cookies and bars to enjoy the night of Christmas. Instead of having pie, we have these sweet treats that are made days leading up to Christmas. When you're entertaining it's always nice not to have to cook the day of the party. Relieve stress and busyness where you can, and try this recipe out.

My sister-in-law, Nicky Vender, is a genius baker and she created this salty, sweet treat made of white chocolate, pretzels, cranberries, almonds and pistachios. The green of the pistachios and the red of the cranberries makes it very festive. It only takes 5 minutes to prepare, there's no baking involved and you can enjoy the treat 15 minutes later.

Ingredients:

2 bags white chocolate chips

3 cups pretzel sticks

1 cup dried cranberries

½ cup shelled pistachios

1 cup slivered almonds Directions:

1. In a large bowl, melt chocolate chips in microwave per instructions on the bag (about 2 minutes). Carefully, stir in pretzels, cranberries, pistachios and almonds until everything is well coated.

2. Place large sheets of parchment paper on countertop.

3. Pour out onto paper and spread the mixture out to desired thickness.

4. Allow bark to cool completely (this is very important).

5. Break into pieces for serving. We think ice cold Coca-Cola is a great pairing.

6. Store in an airtight container.

View More: http://melissajill.pass.us/cocacola

Recipe by Nicky Vender, Photos by Melissa Jill.

Toffee Caramel Bundt Cake

This post is sponsored by Coca-Cola.

"It's a cake!" Name that movie!...

It's from My Big Fat Greek Wedding, which happens to be one of my favorite movies. In the movie the Greek family is trying to understand what a bundt cake is. All I know is that once you try one you will always remember it. Bundt cakes are a popular sweet to make during the holidays. Today, I have a yummy recipe to share with you that you can make the day before your party so that you are stress free and you can enjoy every moment of your gathering.

You can't go wrong with toffee and caramel, and this cake recipe has both. Mmm! It's a moist cake, especially with the caramel, and use can use the extra caramel drizzle for apple slices.

Toffee Caramel Bundt Cake (adapted from Lady Behind the Curtain)

Ingredients:

• Non-stick cooking spray with flour
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 ½ cups unsalted butter, softened
• 2 cups dark brown sugar, packed
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 5 large eggs
• 1 cup whole milk
• ½ tsp vanilla
• 6 oz. toffee pieces (about ¾ bag of Heath chips)
• ½ cup pecans bits
• Caramel Drizzle (see below)

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Prepare a 12-cup bundt pan with non-stick spray with flour.

In a medium bowl, wisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and both sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each egg. Measure out milk in a liquid measuring cup and then add the vanilla to the same cup. Alternate mixing in flour and milk, until just combined. Be careful not to over mix.

Fold in toffee chips and pecans by hand with a spatula until distributed through batter. Spoon batter into the prepared bundt pan.

Bake for about 75 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cover top of cake with foil to prevent excess browning if necessary

Remove from oven and cool the cake in the pan for 20 minutes, then carefully invert the pan onto a wire and allow the cake to cool completely.

After the cake has cooled, make the caramel drizzle below.

View More: http://melissajill.pass.us/cocacola

Caramel Drizzle:

• 14 ounces (1 can) sweetened condensed milk
• 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• pinch of salt

Photography by Melissa Jill, Art Direction by A.V.E. Styles, Food created and styled by Nicky Vender