fall

Name: It’s cold outside! Time to layer on the Flannel Pajamas
Prep time: 10 min
Ingredients: 3 oz. Pinnacle Salted Caramel Vodka; 3 oz. Kahlua; 1 cup egg nog (I used Almond Breeze Almond Milk Nog); cubed ice; 1 T caramel sauce; 1 finely crushed Heath candy bar

Time to Layer on the Flannel Pajamas Cocktail

November 20, 2016 by Vanessa Leave a Comment

If ever there was a winter cocktail that made you want to snuggle up inside of it, it’s my Flannel Pajamas cocktail. The only thing missing are your slippers.

Inspired by the White Russian cocktail, the ingredients poured over ice give a nod to the winter season thanks to the salted caramel vodka, Kahlua, and egg nog flavored almond milk. It tastes as good as new flannel pajamas feel on a blustery, cold day. Ignite a new log in the fireplace and plug in the Christmas tree lights to set the quintessential backdrop for sipping this drink. Just promise me you’ll share the experience with someone else because this drink shouldn’t be sipped alone.

I know you're wondering what all that crumbling goodness is on the rim. It's caramel sauce and Heath bar bits! Oh yes, I did. — I know you’re wondering what all that crumbling goodness is on the rim. It’s caramel sauce and Heath bar bits! Oh yes, I did. I purposely didn’t stir this drink for the photo, but you would want to do so before serving.

I’ve posted many drink recipes and with each post I think I’ve made a better cocktail. However, the first sip of Flannel Pajamas was an experience. I immediately took a photo of it and text about it to a couple people because I wished they were there to share it with me. It’s always an honor to hear from someone who made one of my recipes or served a drink recipe at their party. What a compliment! You, and your holiday guests, will love Flannel Pajamas. It’s just the kind of cocktail you need to serve at your White Elephant party or as an after Christmas dinner drink. Cheers and happy holidays!

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It’s cold outside! Time to layer on the Flannel Pajamas

When it's blustery cold outside, you need to get cozy in Flannel Pajamas.

10 minPrep Time

10 minTotal Time

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Ingredients

3 oz. Pinnacle Salted Caramel Vodka
3 oz. Kahlua
1 cup egg nog (I used Almond Breeze Almond Milk Nog)
cubed ice
1 T caramel sauce
1 finely crushed Heath candy bar

Instructions

Crush a Heath candy bar in a mortar and pestal.
Rim half of a cocktail glass with warm caramel sauce.
Dip the rim in the crushed Heath bar bits.
Fill glass with ice cubes.
Pour in salted caramel vodka, Kahula, and then egg nog to the rim.
Add a straw or stir stick and serve.

Notes

If you don't care for Heath bar, you could substitute another candy bar or use cinnamon sugar. Want to cut back on the sweet? Serve without rimming the glass or cut the egg nog in half and add half-and-half.

https://onedelightfullife.com/flannel-pajamas/

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Nutrition

Calories

209 cal

Fat

8 g

Carbs

26 g

Protein

10 g

Click Here For Full Nutrition, Exchanges, and My Plate Info

Easy to Make Baked Apple Slices

November 13, 2016 by Vanessa Leave a Comment

Did you know that apples are a member of the rose family of plants, along with pears, peaches, plums, and cherries?

According to nyapplecountry.com, Americans eat more apples per capita than any other fruit. Why? Perhaps we know that they’re good for us. A medium-sized apple contains about 80 calories. They keep us feeling full, unlike other processed snack foods. Better yet, apples are fat-free, sodium-free, and cholesterol-free!

Clearly, I’m fascinated by the delightful qualities of apples. So much so that I tried my hand at baking apple slices this weekend. Initially, I wanted to make these bite-sized snacks to add to a copycat Panera Fuji Apple Salad (which I may still whip up), but yesterday’s chilly temperatures inspired me to add them to a bowl of warm oatmeal for breakfast. It was delicious!

My Easy to Make Baked Apple Slices make a great grab-and-go snack or a flavorful addition to salads, sandwiches, or even a bowl of ice cream. This recipe produces soft apple slices with crispy edges. I prefer to leave on the apple skin. Unlike other baked apple slices recipes online, I bake mine at a higher temperature for less time. Let me walk you through the simple steps to making apple slices.

After shooting this photo, I ended up adding natural peanut butter to my oatmeal bowl. It was a little thick, but oh so warm and delicious.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. After washing each apple, remove its inside core using a melon baller. If you don’t have one, you can simply slice the apple in half and remove the core with a knife. Carefully use a mandolin slicer on the thin setting to slice each apple. Lay the apple slices on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet. Sprinkle the apple slices with pumpkin spice.

No need to sprinkle pumpkin spice on the apple slices on both sides. One side is enough.

Bake for 10 minutes. Flip the apple slices using tongs. (They will be soft, but that’s okay. We’re not making dehydrated apples.) Bake for another 10 minutes. Note: Small end pieces of apple may begin to burn so watch them closely in the later minutes of baking. Remove as necessary. Oven temperatures vary and these instructions are meant to produce still-soft apple slices, not hard chips.

If you love apples as much as I do (ironic because I was once a teacher), then you’ll also enjoy my recipe for Salted Caramel Apple Martini or Peanut-Butterscotch Apple Nachos. Have a super apple recipe for me to try, tag One Delightful Life on Twitter or add it to the comment section below.

Hauntingly Awesome Cocktails for Your Halloween Bash

October 24, 2016 by Vanessa Leave a Comment

Once every year I become someone I’m not.

Halloween is my excuse to dress up in costume. I’ve shown up at costume parties as Amy Winehouse, a 20s flapper, zombie prom queen, scarecrow, 80s chick, and queen bee. But you know what? The fang-tastic holiday will remain one of my favorite celebrations dating all the way back to my first clown costume in the kindergarten classroom party. Shout out to mom who set the bar high by sewing or helping me create my costumes from a young age.

Of course, this year’s costume is super secret until Halloween night. We won Best Costumed Couple last year as the beekeeper, queen bear, and baby bee (our dog) so the expectation for our costumes this year is intense.

Since I dress up myself and my house, of course I would dress up my Halloween themed cocktails. What’s great about these drinks is that they are super simple to make for party guests. Some of you are busy this time of year balancing trick or treat night with the kids, classroom Halloween parties, and hey…maybe your own spirited affair just for adults. You don’t have time to prep sangria fruit or brainstorm a punch bowl recipe. No worries! I’ve got you covered.

Boo-rific blood orange cocktail is made even better by adding flavored vodka. — Boo-rific Blood Orange Cocktail is made even better by adding flavored vodka.

Sometimes a holiday inspires my cocktail recipes but other times it’s just the discovery of a flavored water, juice, or soda I haven’t tried yet. Unflavored vodka isn’t sweet and goes well with just about any flavor. Every stocked home bar needs the usual well liquors: vodka, rum, whiskey, gin, and if you’re brave…tequila. My years as a bartender taught me a lesson about what people are willing to drink. Everyone has a liquor they can’t drink anymore and one that serves as their go-to spirit. Be sure to stock them all to appeal to every guest.

Batty Black Cherry Cocktail with Lime reminds me of a spiked Sonic drink. Yummo! Combine 3 oz. vodka, half a bottle of Sparkling Ice Black Cherry Natural Flavored Water (8 oz), a squeeze of lime over cubed ice. Stir gently and garnish the glass with a lime wedge.

When preparing for your Halloween party guests to arrive, simply line up dozen cocktail glasses on a long table. Station bottled liquors behind them and the mixers (juice, soda, tonic, water) nearby. Introduce theme drinks with a chalkboard menu so they know how to make them and then let them do it. Walk away! Guests don’t mind making their own drinks, which gives you more time to prepare for your costume contest.

Refreshing and not as sweet, Creepy Crisp Apple and Pear Cocktail includes the flavors of fall. Simply combine 3 oz vodka with about a half a bottle of Fuji Apple Pear Lifewater (10 0z), half a can of Jumex Pear Nectar (6.5 oz) over a cubed ice. Stir gently.

I wish you a freakishly fun Halloween night. May your drink glasses and your trick or treat baskets be full!

Let me know what you think of these cocktail recipes in the comment section below.

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Boo-rific Blood Orange Cocktail

It's scary how delicious this cocktail tastes and the bubbles are fun too!

10 minPrep Time

10 minTotal Time

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Ingredients

8 oz blood orange soda
3 oz orange vodka
squeeze of two orange wedges (optional)
garnish with orange slice

Instructions

Fill glass with crushed ice.
Add vodka.
Top with blood orange soda.
Squeeze orange slices into glass.
Stir slowly.
Garnish with an orange slice.

https://onedelightfullife.com/hauntingly-awesome-cocktails-for-your-halloween-bash/

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It’s Fall Y’all: Decorating Your Home For Autumn DIY Style

September 24, 2016 by Vanessa 2 Comments

Any Kansan will tell you that one of the many reasons we love our “flyover state” is because of its ever-changing seasons. For me, a mental shift occurs when I see the towering wild sunflowers basking in the afternoon sunshine. And the shift in outdoor temperature signals one thing: time to decorate our home for autumn.

Because I love to decorate, I tend to incorporate new items each season and this season is no exception. My new fav addition this year is this hand-painted wooden sign on the mantel made by From Mama’s Porch purchased at The Vintage Rhinestone. It set the tone for the rest of the room from the Pumpkin Spice melts giving it a seasonal fragrance to the napkins on our dining room table.

I took a note from designer Joanna Gaines and turned my antique book backward this year and topped them with little ceramic birds. These little guys make a year-round appearance in our home because we (and by we I mean my pilot boyfriend) is obsessed with birds. Why? Say it with me…”because they FLY.”

Create height and layers in your decorating to give it dimension. Turning antique books backwards is all the rage right now. — Create height and layers in your decorating to give it dimension.

I’m a big believer in decorating with bargain finds or crafting items with a bit of do-it-yourself ingenuity. These plastic pumpkins were way too bright for the neutral earth tones of our home decor so I simply painted them with Martha Stewart acrylic paint.

I'm pretty sure real pumpkins don't come with bright neon yellow stripes. Am I right? — I’m pretty sure real pumpkins don’t come with bright neon yellow stripes. Am I right?

Cover the stem with blue painter's tape prior to painting. — Cover the stem with blue painter’s tape prior to painting.

I like how the brush's bristles made for a natural texture. — I like how the brush’s bristles made for a natural texture. Allow the paint to dry overnight, turn over once dry, and paint the bottom of each pumpkin. After they dry, remove the tape, and ta-da!

I added one of these pumpkins with some blinged-out gourds to an antique toolbox with picks nestled underneath it all. The rustier the metal the better, which contrasts well with our leather ottoman.

But I don’t limit my decorating to the living room. It spills out into other rooms of our home and of course, the front porch too. You know, someone once asked me if our dining room table is always set as if we’re expecting dinner guests any minute. Why, yes it is and I love it too. These cream-colored chargers came from the Dollar Store, plates on clearance from Pier 1, and I can thank my friend’s garage sale for the copper napkin rings.

What reminds you of fall? One of my fondest childhood memories is taking a hay ride with my scout troop pulled by a tractor through the woods with hot chocolate in hand.

If I inspired you to love fall as much as I do, give my new seasonal recipes at try including a delicious Pumpkin Spice and Everything Nice Cocktail and my Apple Cider Pecan Muffins with Walnuts and Caramel Drizzle Topping. Are these muffins for breakfast or dessert? Who cares! They’re that scrumptious.

It’s fall y’all! Have a thankful, fun season of celebrating.