High Five For Friday!

It's been months since I've posted a High Five For Friday! I'm feeling extra squirrelly today so you my friends, are the lucky winners! Here is what's been going on the past few weeks..

Brian and I spent a rainy afternoon in Lincoln and had an amazing lunch at Brix and Stone.

Fettuccine Alfredo 

Turkey and Brie

Goat Cheese Bruschetta 

My pots are growing like wildfire!


Clearly had some life-changing decisions to make this week..

Went with the yellow rug..

Went with the bronze faceplate..

Went with the yellow ottoman..


She leads a pretty tough life, folks.

She hates it when Dad works on Saturday mornings.


Spent a few days out at the CWS..

And lastly..pretty excited to only have 2.5 weeks left!

Have a great weekend! Head on over to Brooklyns Photography to check out a pretty cute preview today! 

Of course, linking up with Lauren over at The Lauren Elizabeth..

Tin Foil Salmon

Literally, made the easiest salmon ever the other night. I'm all about easy dinner's these days! I was a little worried this wouldn't have enough flavor for me, but it was so good! Best part is, I had everything on hand! 

All you need is foil, 2 TBSP of butter, lemon and some dill! Just layer your salmon and wrap her up in some foil! I threw mine on the grill for a about 5 minutes and it came out perfect! I like my salmon to be medium to medium well and 5 minutes was right on. 

I finished it off with some wild rice and grilled potatoes and that was that! Easiest dinner ever!

Let me know what you think!

Nursery Sneak Peek!

We're about half way through with the nursery and figured I would show a quick sneak peek! I don't have any of the decor hung yet and also need to find a white, sheepskin rug to put down. It's getting close! I'll be in Des Moines, IA for shoot tomorrow and KC on Friday and Saturday, so I probably won't be able to work on it until next week!

What do you think so far?

New Bannister and Carpet!

We have been extra, super busy the past 10 days! We knew we hated our oak railing/bannister but hated the thought of painting it ourselves. Seriously, just the thought of taping each and every spindle off made my skin crawl! However, we sucked it up and taped away. It took me one whole day to tape, 1-2 days to prime and another 1-2 days to paint. It was a massive/messy project but turned out amazing! Total cost=$48 and it looks brand new and the comments we get on it just melt my little heart!

Also, we got new carpet this week! Our entire house is either crammed into our kitchen or in our storage room in the basement. It's a mess but excited to finally be able to put our house back together tonight and furnish the nursery and nursery bathroom this weekend! Woohoo! Thank goodness this child is giving us the full 40 weeks to work with, otherwise it could've gotten hairy, fast!

So what do you think? Pretty big change! This is only about an 1/8th of the bannister/railing but the boys are moving everything back right now and won't be able to get an after shot of the upstairs until tomorrow!

Have a great weekend! We are headed out to Westshores for a little BBQ'ing and some boating! 

Strawberry Angel Food Cake Jars!

Welcome back! Where have you been? I kid, I kid! Once again, it's super stupid crazy around these parts. Between The CWS, Ava Kate's much anticipated arrival and huge projects happening around the house, no time for computer time! Oh and work has been super busy.

I seriously can not wait to show you all what happened to our house this week. Big difference! I can't show you until tomorrow, as they are still here and chipping away! 

What I can show you is, these adorable and super yummy Strawberry Angel Food Cake Jars! So good! I made these for a few friend for a Memorial Day cookout and they were such a hit, I think I'll make them again for The 4th of July! They are super easy to make and very transportable. You can also make them ahead of time and let them chill in the fridge.

Strawberry Angel Food Cake Jars

Ingredients:

 1, 7 inch angel food cake

6 cups of sliced strawberries (2 lbs)

1 (2 cups) pint of heavy whipping cream

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup powdered sugar

6, 12-oz wide-mouthed mason jars

Directions:

Slice angel food cake into 2″ cubes then divide cubes in half. Divide each half into 6 portions then place 1 portion into the bottom of each mason jar. Top with 1/2 cup sliced strawberries and a dollop (2-3 Tablespoons) of homemade whipped cream then repeat with remaining ingredients.

For the homemade whipped cream: place the clean bowl of an electric mixer, or a large mixing bowl, into the freezer for 10 minutes. Fit the mixer with the whipping attachment then add whipping cream and vanilla to the chilled bowl. Whip the mixture on medium speed while gradually adding the powdered sugar then increase the speed to high and whip until cream can hold it’s shape, 2-3 minutes (do not over whip.) Refrigerate until ready to use.

Let me know what you think! See you tomorrow for lots of house updates!

Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes

I learned many things a few Friday's ago when attending my nieces 5th birthday party. Such as: 

Numero Uno: Do not show up with water guns. It's a guaranteed way to have at least one child screaming blooding murder by the end of the night.

Numero Dos: Do not show up with water guns and expected not to be drenched.

Numero Tres: Your alcohol tolerance has nothing to do with being a boy or girl. It's actually based off your body fat. The higher your body fat, the higher your blood alcohol content. Who knew?!

Numero Quatro: Give my sister a few drinks and conversations can get pretty hairy and uncomfortable. Especially when grandma's new boyfriend is around.

We had a great time! It was nice out, the kids were happy and we got to finish off our BBQ with these ice cream cone cupcakes! I'll be honest; I was a little intimidated to make these in fear they would tip over in the oven. To my surprise, they didn't and came out perfect! You can use any cake batter you prefer to fill them. I used Sally's Baking Addiction's Easy Homemade Funfetti Cupcakes and also used her Vanilla Buttercream for the frosting. They are delicious! Kids will love these and are perfect for a hot summer day!

Don't forget to follow me on Twitter to see more day to day pictures of the ridiculous that is the Coady's.

Ingredients

1 and 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 large egg
1/4 cup yogurt (plain or vanilla; or greek yogurt; or sour cream)
3/4 cup milk (cow's milk; or soy milk; or almond milk)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup sprinkles

Vanilla Buttercream

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
3-4 cups powdered (confectioners') sugar
1/4 cup heavy cream (see note above about substituting milk or half-and-half)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
salt, to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Line muffin tin with 12 cupcake liners. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt butter in the microwave. Stir in sugar - mixture will be gritty. Chill in the refrigerator for 1 minute. Stir in egg, yogurt, milk, and vanilla extract until combined. Slowly mix in dry ingredients until no lumps remain. Batter will be thick. Slowly stir in sprinkles, but do not overmix because the sprinkles will bleed their color.
3. Divide batter among 12 cupcake liners (or 24 mini) and bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Bake for 8-9 minutes if making mini cupcakes. Allow to cool.
4. To make the frosting, beat softened butter on medium speed with an electric or stand mixer. Beat for about 3 minutes until smooth and creamy. Add powdered sugar, cream, and vanilla extract with the mixer running. Increase to high speed and beat for 3 minutes. Add more powdered sugar if frosting is too thin or more cream if mixture is too thick. Add salt if frosting is too sweet (1/4 teaspoon). Frost cooled cupcakes and top with sprinkles. There may be leftover frosting depending how much you use on each cupcake.
5. Store cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days and in the refrigerator up to 7.

Notes

Recipe source: sallysbakingaddiction.com

© Sally’s Baking Addiction. 

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Quinoa, Black Bean and Corn Tacos

Sorry for the absence. Apparently people actually do read this blog! Who would've thunk it!? We have been so busy. Which I know everyone is at this time of year however, our entire house is pretty much flipped upside down right now. We just finished installing tile in our master and nursery bathrooms. Carpet is being laid in the whole house in 3 weeks and in the meantime, I am going around the entire house repainting our crown moldings and baseboards! Seemed like a great idea at the time, not so much anymore. Oh and we also just finished up painting the rest of the upstairs doors black (sounds morbid but they look pretty sweet!) and also we are painting our bannister this weekend! We clearly are on a painting streak and can't stop! I want it to stop so badly though. I'm pooped.

So come dinnertime, we can't wait to sit out on the patio and relax. A few beers for him and chocolate milk for her! This just so happens to be one of our favorite taco recipes! It's super healthy, light, fresh and summery! My husband didn't even notice they were lacking meat! Bonus!

Quinoa, Black Bean and Corn Tacos

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 1/4 cups vegetable broth or chicken broth
• 1 (14.5) oz can diced tomatoes with green chilis, undrained
• 1 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/4 - 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/4 tsp ground coriander
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 1/2 cups frozen corn
• 2 (15 oz) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
• juice of 1 lime
• 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
Serve with:
• corn or wheat tortillas
• chopped lettuce
• Monterey Jack, cheddar or cottage cheese
• diced avocados
• diced tomatoes
• hot sauce

Directions

• Heat olive oil in a large non-stick saucepan over medium high heat. Once hot, add onion and saute until golden and tender, about 3 minutes. Add in garlic and saute 30 seconds longer. Stir in broth, diced tomatoes, cooked quinoa, chili powder, cumin, paprika, cayenne, coriander and season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat, cover saucepan with lid and simmer about 20 minutes, until mixture has thickened.
• Stir in corn and black beans and simmer, uncovered 5 - 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Mix in lime juice and cilantro. Serve warm over tortillas with desired toppings.
• Recipe Source: recipe adapted slightly from a ward cookbook, recipe submitted by Kelli Price