Tee Shirts, Tacos and Ice Cream Cake Treat

This past weekend we hosted the girls' volleyball team over for "Tee Shirts and Tacos".  They made their warm up shirts for the upcoming "Dig Pink" for breast cancer games in October and we served them a full taco bar for dinner.

It was a complete education in making tee shirts for me.  All I can say is thank God for Hobby Lobby and YouTube.  I am now an aficionado in tie-dye shirts!  We started with the tie-dye pink process, then iron-on transfers, then finished with bubble paint for their names and numbers.  

It was also an opportunity to serve my finale of "Dips, Dinners and Desserts".  I actually made this when Steve and Leslie were here, which he eloquently titled the dish "Big *** Ice Cream Sandwich Thing".  Unfortunately, we were all too full to dig into it, so I saved it for the girls.

This dessert is Heaven on a platter - nothing more to say.

So incredibly easy beyond belief.

You can make it as small or large as needed.

Start with a layer of ice cream sandwiches. 

Then add a second layer, stacking and laying them the other direction.

"Frost" with Cool Whip topping

Drizzle alternating lines of chocolate and caramel

ice cream sundae (squeeze bottle toppings).

Use your toothpick for streaming the lines,

into a decorative pattern.

Ingredients:
Ice Cream Sandwiches
Cool Whip Dessert Topping
Chocolate Sundae Topping (in the squeeze bottle)
Caramel Sundae Topping (in the squeeze bottle)




One Year Ago:  Quick Candy Cookies

Orzo Salad With Everything and Redecorating Everywhere

As all new school years typically go there is the new wardrobe, new school supplies and new haircuts to start the year off fresh.

Well, since we had recently moved into our new house, the girls decided they also wanted new rooms...something a little more grown up, sophisticated and mature. Yes, another rite of passage that breaks my heart...my little girls are growing up too fast.

We have spent the last couple months searching out ideas on Pinterest and slowly transforming not only their rooms, but also seeing them really coming into their own young ladies.

Love the owl lamps and owl headboard piece we discovered.

The oldest one really took to the set designs of the show Gossip Girl.  She loves the elegance and classy sophistication of their home in New York.  My daughter really has an affection for her owls and I found the greatest finds at Hobby Lobby to finish it off.

Gossip Girl's infamous butterfly wall design.

We started her collection of accent pillows, a beautiful jacquard bed set and she now has her espresso colored dresser and nightstands.  I love finding great deals and never paying full price for "fabulous".

My other daughter is more of a relaxed, colorful spirit with a touch of pizazz.  She loves organic designs and lots of color around her.  Again, we searched far and wide and found incredible designs and deals at Target and Hobby Lobby.

The perfect wall decals to bring out the bedding colors.

Eggplant color framed mirror with her sparkle arrangement.

Beautiful art piece that sparkles in just the right light.

After the finishing touches everywhere it was time for our neighbor's annual end of summer potluck dinner with all the neighbors on their street.  I decided to make the family Orzo Salad With Everything.  

My sister-in-law Leslie first introduced this salad to us at one of our family dinners.  Love this salad...really versatile and goes great with any type of meat dish.  Leslie and my husband's brother Steve will be visiting us in the next couple weeks, so I know that there will be much cooking, baking and BBQ going on...stay tuned for that one next month.  They both love to cook as much as me and my husband, so rest assured no one will be starving that weekend.

Orzo Salad With Everything
Courtesy of Leslie

1-1/2 cups orzo (rice shaped pasta) uncooked
1/3 cup (packed) chopped drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
5 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup chopped Kalamata olives
1 cup finely chopped radicchio (about 1/2 of a small head)
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1/2 cup crumbled Feta cheese
2 cloves garlic, finely minced

Cook orzo in a pot of boiling, salted water until tender.  Drain well.  Transfer to a large bowl.  Add sun-dried tomatoes, oil, vinegar and olives.  Toss to blend.  Let stand until cool.  (This part can be prepared up to 6 hours ahead, cover and refrigerate).  Bring to room temperature before continuing.

Mix chopped radicchio, pine nuts, chopped basil, Feta and garlic into the orzo mixture.  Season salad to taste with salt and pepper.

Enjoy!

One Year Ago: Pasta Puttanesca

Taco (Tortilla Bowl) Salad

Once again it is a non-stop week for all of us here.  We just finished our last competitive volleyball tournament and are starting high school open gym again, in preparation for August try-outs.

Three weeks left of school and the final projects are starting to filter in.  Luckily, the girls are giving me a little more warning than they did for "The Pit and The Pendulum".

So, on the docket this week has been Romeo and Juliet play, make backdrop scene for their play that shows a World War I tank, one had to make soldier patches and this weekend will serve up one of them making a model of Shakespeare's Globe Theater.  Needless to say I have already made 3 trips to Hobby Lobby this week.  I'm sure I'll be visiting there at least a few more times before the weekend is over.

All I can say is thank The Lord that I majored in design and can work my way through these projects and help guide the girls through discovering their creative sides.  More importantly though is that I married the right man who has all the cool tools and tricks of the trade to make the projects happen, along with my endless drafting, scrapbooking and art supplies we have collected through the years.

Due to our crazy schedules, not a lot of time this week for experimenting with new recipes and gourmet tastings. I needed quick, easy and hopefully satisfying and tasty dinners to get us through the late night art endeavors.

I am not normally one to get drawn in to buying those "As Seen On TV" items, but taco nights were getting boring (as I have been told by some family members), so I thought I would try my hand at homemade tortilla bowls and make taco salads this week.

I have to admit these great little oven ready molds are awesome for a quick tortilla bowl in just 7 minutes.  I think we'll try fajita salads for Cinco de Mayo with margaritas and key lime cupcakes next week!!

Tortilla Bowl Taco Salads

Prep and bake flour tortillas per packed directions from Perfect Tortilla Pan Set.

Layer the following, starting at the bottom:
Prepared Refried Beans
Cooked Ground Beef or Ground Turkey with Taco Seasoning
Prepared Mexican Rice
Shredded Mexican Blend Cheddar Cheese
Shredded Lettuce
Freshly Cut Diced Tomatoes
Sliced Avocados
Spoonful of Sour Cream
Top with Seasoned Tortilla Strips