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Holidays/Parties/ Homemade Gifts/ Mothers Day/ Sponsored

Why I’m Getting My Mom Butter For Mother’s Day

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My Mom is the type who loves me no matter what I do–even if I were to get her butter for Mother’s Day–which is what I plan on doing.  Butter as in BUTTER CHARDONNAY!

A Mother’s Day Butter Chardonnay Gift Basket

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I made my Mom this fun wine gift basket for Mother’s Day, and I just might add a real tub of butter in it right before I give it to her, because, who doesn’t love butter? My Mom has a great sense of humor and would smile at my butter tub.

I know for certain that the star of the gift basket,  JaM Cellars Butter Chardonnay, will bring a smile to my Mama’s face.

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Isn’t she beautiful? My Mom’s name is Sharon Rose, but even though there is a beautiful flower in her name, I think she would enjoy a bottle of delicious wine over a bouquet of flowers as a Mother’s Day. She deserves a gift that will delight her and that is as fun as she is. I didn’t want a typical Mother’s Day gift for her. I wanted to personalize a gift for her that would put a smile on her face, show her that I know her and was thoughtful with what I bought her, and one that would pamper her.

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I had a ton of fun choosing gifts to fill my basket, and I cannot wait for her to see them, which she will when she read this post. She is my biggest fan and has to live with me posting her gifts online before she even receives them! She won’t mind, especially after she tastes the wine! This wine melts in your mouth! It is smooth, ‘buttery,’ and drinkable with just about anything.

JaM Cellars Butter Chardonnay is  100% Chardonnay, grown in sunny California spots with just the right touch of cool from the coast. JaM Cellars uses great winemaking traditions to make easy-to-love, everyday California and Napa Valley wines. “JaM is actually short for John and Michele, second-generation vintners who own and run JaM Cellars. They have a passion and gift for making exceptional quality wines. You can find Butter Chardonnay in a store near you with the JaM Cellars WineFinder. It is at select stores across the nation including Wholefoods, Kroger & more.

How To Make A Customized Wine Gift Basket

Choose a Wine

I chose JaM Cellars Butter Chardonnay & you should too! Rich, bold, easy-to-love creamy Cali Chardonnay. It is Butter-licious, aged in a blend of oak for a lovely, long, vanilla finish that’s uniquely Butter! Especially choose this wine if the gift basket is for your Mom, because Mom’s deserve Butter!

Choose a Basket

~Choose one that fits the taste and personality of your recipient. I think my Mom is going to love this modern, gold geometric basket. If she doesn’t like the basket, no worries–I will steal it!

~Choose one that will coordinate with your wine. My item was of course, JaM Cellars Butter Chardonnay, so I chose modern & fun, gold with cool angles.

~Choose one big enough to hold all of the gifts you want to include.

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Add something sparkly or something with texture

I got my love of sparkly things from my Mom so when I saw this sparkly ball I knew it would be the great added touch. It is like adding a bow to the package but it is one that is usable and will remind her of me for years to come. It was between this sparkly ball or another ball I found that was soft and fuzzy. I could not have gone wrong with either! Sparkly or soft texture would both add a great effect.

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Add a candle

Wine and candles are always a good thing! I’m loving the wickless- type candles that are battery operated.  My Mom adores scented candles, but she also has some sensitivities to certain scents, so I played it safe and got her a wickless candle. I found one that had the perfect saying on it. It says “You Are My Sunshine.” She IS my sunshine, and it also looked so great with the rest of the basket. I thought the gold basket has a sunburst type quality to it, plus the black, gold and yellow color scheme of the candle fits perfectly, so the word “sunshine” just works for me!

Decided On a Color & Accent Color

~ I used the color of the label of JaM Cellars Butter Chardonnay bottle for my main color

~Choose an accent color or two.  Keep it minimal. I choose black, shades of gold and yellow, and grey.

Add a personal touch

I added a picture of my Mom with my niece and nephew– her grandkids. It is one of my most favorite pictures of her.  A photo is always a great way to add a personal touch, and the photo frame is a great way to add color to your basket. I purposefully chose a holder for the picture that is clip board style, because my Mom makes beautiful art and I thought she could exchange the picture for her drawings if she so desired.

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Add some sweets

My Mom loves butterscotch candies so I thought they would be very fitting for my Butter Chardonnay basket! She also loves chocolate so I added some and paid attention to the wrapper, making sure it would coordinate with the rest of the basket. There were other chocolates that she would like but they were in a variety of bright-colored wrappers. Coordination is key when putting together a beautiful gift basket! Choose sweets with wrappers that coordinate, and again, keep colors to a minimum to avoid clashing & get a more streamlined, professional, custom look.

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Add a filler

This could be anything from shredded paper, to a set of fun cloth napkins or place mats. I chose to use soft grey tissue paper.

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I Love You, Mom!

I sure hope my Mom feels spoiled when she receives her gift. I hope she feels loved and knows what a gift she is to me. She is so fun and has always shown me how to embrace the part of myself that is free spirit. She would sing silly to me as a child, which I passed down to  my children by doing the same when they were young. She giggles when something delights her and her eyes twinkle when she does. She delights in small details, that too many walk through this life and miss.  I love my Mom!

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Want to know more about JaM Cellars Wines?

~Their 2014 Butter Chardonnay and 2014 JaM Cabernet won SILVER at the 2016 San Francisco Chronicle International Wine Awards.

~Follow JaM on Facebook and Instagram for daily wine-spiration.

~Sign up for their monthly newsletter called The Scoop!  to get news on Butter, JaM and Toast!

~Follow/Like JaM Cellars on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter | @JaMCellars  Be sure to search #JaMCellars

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What about you?

Wouldn’t you love this Butter Chardonnay Basket for Mother’s Day? Yep…me too.

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

FAMILY/ Featured/ Leaving A Legacy/ Sponsored

My Journey From Hobby Blogger To Influencer

I started blogging back in 2009, with very little knowledge of what I would be getting myself into. My first post was titled “My Love Affair With Mason Jars” & it used a low resolution, pixelated image from my point-and-shoot camera, & was super short with no paragraphs. Let’s just say there was much room for improvement!

I was constantly sharing recipes and craft ideas with friends over email, so I decided I would just start blogging these ideas as a creative outlet and a way to easily share things with others.

HEAD TO TAPINLUENCE TO SEE MY FULL ARTICLE

 

Brands are searching for voices like yours. A TapInfluence profile is a great way to attract attention from top brands who are ready to harness the power of influencer marketing. To get started, create your free profile here.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of TapInfluence, the leader in connecting influencers with opportunities to collaborate with brands.

Christmas/ Decorating/ Holidays/Parties/ HOME/ Homemaking/ Sponsored

Easy Simple & Functional Holiday Decor

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The holidays are a busy time, especially for Moms preparing their homes for kids winter break or out-of-town guests. Every year, I strive to make this time of year a simple and slow as possible, especially once my kids are on break from school.  This year, that has meant paring down my holiday decor and keeping only the things that are simple, efficient, practical, functional & bring us joy.

Here are a few ways I’ve kept holiday decor functional but still beautiful:

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Holidays/Parties/ RECIPES/ Sponsored

Warming Spiced Almond Milk

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We had our first few flurries of the season last week here in the midwest, and it made me giddy! I immediately wanted to slow life way down, grab a warm drink, a fuzzy blanket & hunker down & savor the moments.  The holidays are upon us, and I’ve learned that this is the time to be intentional about creating slow moments so that I can focus in on what matters most. Slowing down allows me to make the Christmas season my own.

A recent slow moment that I enjoyed was with a cup of Warming Spiced Almond Milk. The recipe has been in the back of my brain for a while now, and with the cold weather and holidays upon us, a trip to Target was what was needed to make my warm, slow moment come true!

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Meals/ RECIPES/ Sponsored

Creamy Tomato Cauliflower Alfredo Pasta With Arugula & Topped with Crunchy Breadcrumbs

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I loved gathering my family around the table for this good-for-you but oh- so- creamy pasta dish.  They never guessed by looking at it that the creaminess of the tomato alfredo sauce comes from cauliflower & avocado!  When they saw pasta with creamy sauce and  crunchy breadcrumb topping, they were ready to dig in.

I’m finding it hard to believe that my girls are growing so quickly.  I feel almost frantic to get them to the dinner table every day, just to hold on to the moments of us all being together as a family before they are all grown up and out of the house.  I’ve found myself mentioning this quite often on the blog lately, but boy, with 2 of my girls already in high school, reality has hit that they are growing up fast and that time flies.

Thankfully it does not take more than pasta & a great sauce to make my girls happy to come to our family dinner table, and Ragu has made it really easy to obtain a great sauce with just a twist of a jar.

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For this recipe, I did a little bit more that twist a jar open.  I’m participating in the Ragu Ready. Set. Cook! contest, which is a contest that challenges home cooks to create new and unique recipes featuring a product from the Ragu line, plus a set list of other contest ingredients.

Ragu Ready. Set. Cook! Contest

Would you like to enter this contest? I will give more details at the end of the post, but the grand prize is $5,000, runner-up gets $1,700 & people’s’ choice gets $750.  How fun would it be to win some cash while getting creative in the kitchen & feeding your family a great pasta dish?

To align with the contest, your recipe must include 4 of the below ingredients + Ragu.  You may also use ingredients outside of the list in your recipe as well.

Here is the list of ingredients you must choose from:

  • Italian Sausage
  • Black Beans
  • Garbanzo Beans
  • Eggs
  • Feta Cheese
  • Goat Cheese
  • Breadcrumbs
  • Arugula
  • Cilantro
  • Pine Nuts
  • Bacon
  • Shrimp
  • Polenta
  • Pasta
  • Corn Tortillas
  • Cauliflower
  • Spaghetti Squash
  • Avocado

For my recipe, I chose pasta, cauliflower, avocado & breadcrumbs. I decided to keep it meat free as I am always looking for a hearty pasta dish for our Meatless Monday nights.

 

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Cauliflower-Ragu-collage

I love that you can now find pasta that has protein in it.  The pasta I used in this dish had 17 grams of protein per serving in it, all from plant sources (lentils, chickpeas, flaxseed, barley, oats & spelt).

Between the protein in the pasta and all of the veggies that create the sauce, I did not serve this pasta with anything but a few sliced tomatoes, the last from our garden.  We didn’t even need a salad as the arugula greens were right in the pasta! It was such an easy, hearty meal.

The sauce starts out with an entire head of cauliflower.  This is the key ingredient to making a creamy, vegetarian alfredo sauce.  You simply cut up the cauliflower, put it in a pan with some garlic and water, cover & let cook until very soft.  It must be soft if you want your sauce super creamy!

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When I saw that avocado was an ingredient in the contest list, I knew it would add some good-for-you fats into the dish while upping the creamy factor even more! I added lemon for 2 reasons–to keep the avocado from browning & also to add some acid to the dish, which is always pleasing to the palate.

While your pasta is boiling & your cauliflower is getting nice and soft on the stove, prepare your avocado with lemon by smashing them together with a fork.

Breadcrumb-collage

This is also a great time to prepare your crunchy breadcrumb topping.  This topping takes the recipe to a whole new level!  Putting just a couple of butter into breadcrumbs and adding just a bit of parmesan cheese makes such a great cheesy & crunchy topping to the creamy pasta.  This is so much better for you than having cream, butter and cheese in large portions in the sauce like most alfredo sauce recipes call for.

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Pictured above are all the components to the recipe that I prepared while the cauliflower is cooking.

Ragu sauce adds a ton of rich flavor & aroma to the sauce.  Ragu has been an Assunta secret recipe since 1937 & is made with vine- ripened, slow- simmered tomatoes, garlic, and herbs. I love that there is no artificial color, flavor, or high-fructose corn syrup added to their sauces.  They let us smell, see & savor their long-standing tradition of fresh taste, and they even offer an organic sauce!

Cauliflower-Blender-Rag

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The cauliflower should be cooked soft enough to easy break up with just a spoon.  Look how amazingly creamy it is after blending! That is just cauliflower, garlic, water, salt & pepper.  This alone tastes amazing, but for the contest, I wanted to kick it up even further.

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I added the smashed up avocado & jar of Ragu sauce, then blended some more.

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Isn’t that a beautiful, rich, creamy dreamy sauce? Can you believe there is no dairy in it?

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I mixed the hot pasta and sauce together in a large pan, added the arugula and stirred until it wilted.

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I then put it into a baking dish and topped it with the prepared breadcrumbs.

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After just a few minutes under the broiler, the topping becomes a beautiful crunchy, golden brown & the parmesan cheese sizzles and smells SO good!

My family had no idea that the bread crumb mixture is the only place there is cheese in this recipe! They ate it up and asked for seconds.

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So what do you think? Do you think you would make this recipe for your family? Do you want to participate in the Ragu Ready. Set. Cook! contest too?  If so, keep reading for instructions after the recipe.

Creamy Cauliflower Tomato Alfredo Pasta with Arugula & Crunchy Breadcrumb Topping

1 tsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic

1 head of cauliflower –  cut up

1-1/2 cups of water

1 lb pasta

1 avocado

juice of half a lemon

1 jar Ragu Sauce, Traditional

1 cup arugula

1 cup breadcrumbs

2 tablespoons of butter

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

salt & pepper

 

Directions:

Saute the minced garlic in the olive oil in a small saucepan over low heat.  Allow to cook for a few minutes, until the garlic is tender and fragrant, but not browned.  Add 1 cup of water to the saucepan, along with the cauliflower, and bring the water to a boil. (The water will not cover the cauliflower, and that’s okay.) Once the water is boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer and cover the pot for 8-10 minutes, until the cauliflower is fork-tender and very soft. You may need to add a bit more water if it evaporates completely before cauliflower is tender.

Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook pasta to al dente according to instructions on the box. Drain and set aside in the large pan it boiled and keep warm.

Meanwhile:

Smash avocado with juice of 1/2 of lemon. Set aside.

Mix breadcrumbs with melted butter & parmesan cheese.  Mix well and set aside.

When cauliflower is finished cooking, transfer all contents in the pan to the blender.  Blend until very creamy.  Add salt and pepper to taste. Season well!

Add avocado & lemon mixture. Blend again.

Add jar of Ragu sauce. Blend again.

Add sauce to the pasta & toss.  Add arugula. Heat gently and stir until arugula is wilted.

Put pasta into a 9×13 pan, top with breadcrumb mixture.

Broil for just a couple of minutes, until the breadcrumbs are toasty brown.

Serve immediately while hot.

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Ragu Ready. Set. Cook! Contest Information:

Ready. Set. Cook! challenges home cooks to create new and unique recipes featuring a sponsored ingredient, plus a set list of other contest ingredients.

 

Recipe Contest Elements:

  • Entry phase –4 weeks from 11/2 – 11/30- (you can enter on Food.com/Ragu page. Live on 11/2)
  • Rate and review phase –2 weeks
  • Judging phase –2 weeks
  • Winner announcement
  • People’s choice award

Prizing:

  • Grand prize $3,000
  • Runner-up $1,250
  • People’s Choice: $750

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Ragu. The opinions and text are all mine.

FAMILY/ Kids/Family/ Marriage/ Sponsored

Reclaiming Date Night

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Todd and I have had date nights as long as we have been married, which is going on almost 20 years! We were super faithful with date nights before the kids were born, going out once a week and having at least one elaborate date once a month. We lived in the Chicago during our first 2 years of marriage, so there were plenty of places to go to & choose from for date night. Once we started having kids, we moved back to Nebraska and date night turned into every other week, as paying babysitters got expensive. Grandparents were awesome with helping watch the kids, so some months we got to go every week. Whether it was every week or every other week, it was a priority for us.

The past year or so we have found it more of a struggle to get out on a date night on a regular basis.  Having teenagers keep us very busy on the weekends, and my health issues this past year really kept us from going out much.

Now that I am feeling more like myself, we have started going out on date nights on a more regular basis.  It is still hard with teenagers, but keeping our dates short so we can run them around town is better than no date at all!

We keep our date nights pretty simple.  We both are foodies so we always go out to eat.

Here are reasons date night is important to us:

~It allows us to really ‘see’ each other. There is something quite romantic about sitting across from my man and seeing the one I committed to spending my whole life with. Life can pass so quickly, so slowing down to really look my Todd in the eyes, connect with him, and listen to him with no distractions is important and time very well spent.

~It causes us to pause and ‘be’ instead of ‘do.’  We are together every day doing all that life brings our way. It is so important to just be together and slow the hustle that life brings.

~It is fun.  Life can bring some pretty heavy things along the way, so taking the time to have some fun is important to us.  Fun for us means connecting emotionally & of course, eating great food!

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We love LOVE food.  My Todd especially loves sea food, so recently I initiated a date night and took my man out to Red Lobster for their Endless Shrimp. He is usually the one who initiates and takes me out, so this was quite fun to change things up a bit and take him out. We had the BEST time.

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The evening really was perfect. The weather was in the upper 70’s and the sun was just starting to set as we drove to dinner.  I wore some new booties that I just got and threw on some jewelry to add a little sparkle to my casual outfit.  Gotta look good for my man!

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We were surprised at how busy Red Lobster was, and worried that the wait would be long, but despite all of the people who were there excited to eat some sea food, we were seated within minutes.

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Red Lobster is the world’s largest seafood restaurant company, headquartered in Orlando Florida, with over 700 restaurants in the United States and Canada.  Red Lobster is focused on delivering freshly prepared seafood at reasonable prices.  It was obvious on this night that Red Lobster is where their guests come to satisfy their craving for great seafood!

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Our waitress was super sweet and immediately took our drink orders.  We ordered two of their new beer-based cocktails, that are available exclusively during Endless Shrimp & paired perfectly with our Endless Shrimp dishes.  One was called the Seaside Shandy and the other was the Angry Lobster. Hands down my favorite was the Angry Lobster.  Bold and spicy, the Angry Lobster features Anger Orchard Crisp Apple Cider, tropical fruit juices and a kick of Fireball Cinnamon Whiskey.  I had no idea I was about to taste a drink that was so good that I would be thinking about it a week later. It was so good I had to text my sister to tell her to go to Red Lobster and order one ASAP.  It was like tasting fall in a drink — the cinnamon apple flavor was so delicious!  To. Die. For.

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Both cocktails are served in a beer can-shaped commemorative glass with the Red Lobster logo & are sold with the purchase of a cocktail.

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When it was time to take our order, the waitress was really great at her job and answered my questions before I even asked them!  We knew we were going to order their Endless Shrimp, which is going on now and for a limited time at Red Lobster.  This year, you can choose two out of 5 shrimp preparations for your initial order, and then you can enjoy as much shrimp as you would like, any way you want it, and can mix-and match different preparations.

These are the dishes that are only available during Endless Shrimp:

~NEW! Pineapple Habanero Coconut Bites — coconut shrimp bites tossed in pineapple habanero sauce

~Teriyaki Grilled Shrimp — classic guest favorite and back by popular demand, grilled shrimp brushed with soy-ginger glaze

~Hand-Breaded Shrimp– Hand-breaded shrimp friend to a golden brown.

~Garlic Shrimp Scampi — Oven-broiled shrimp in garlic, white wine and butter

~Shrimp Linguini Alfredo— tender shrimp in a garlic Parmesan cream sauce on a bed of linguine

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I started out with the Pineapple Habanero Coconut Bites, and the Teriyaki Grilled Shrimp.   I loved the sound of the Pineapple Habanero Coconut Bites, but was worried it would be too spicy for my wimpy palate.  Our waitress told me they could put the sauce on the side, but that it was not overly spicy.  It ended up being my favorite of all, and it did have a bite, but boy, was it good with the sweetness of the coconut shrimp.  I also loved the Teriyaki Grilled Shrimp.  My first 2 choices ended up being my favorite.

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Todd started with Shrimp Linguini Alfredo and the Hand-Breaded Shrimp. He got a refill of the Pineapple Habanero Coconut Bites, and I got a refill of Hand-Breaded Shrimp, but I was getting super full by this time.  We had already enjoyed the Cheddar Bay Biscuits that Red Lobster is known for.  I also had a salad which was really fresh and green, topped with their Blueberry Balsamic dressing–yes, it was as good as it sounds.

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Todd and I were enjoying conversation when a couple of familiar faces walked up and greeted us.  My Todd is Programs Director at a non-profit organization called City Impact.  He works with young people and 2 of the students we have worked with were there working the room as host and hostess.  They were so professional–they were dressed sharply in all black and were communicating discretely with other team members through their headsets.  They were busy with things like setting up tables, seating people in a timely manner, & bringing a high chair to a family with little ones.  Todd and I were so happy that they stopped by to say hi and we beamed with pride at the way they owned the room and made service flow so wonderfully.  That was a fun surprise.

We did save room for dessert and ordered the Chocolate Chip Lava Cookie as suggested by one of Todd’s students. It was really yummy.  I can’t ever have dessert with out a cup of coffee, so I ordered a cup of decaf and it was delicious paired with our dessert.

It was so nice to just sit and enjoy great food with my husband.  We had great conversation, just catching up on life and even setting a few goals for our family in the future.  We ended up super satisfied and headed home to snuggle up and watch some of our favorite television that we had recorded earlier in the week.  I love finishing date night curled up together in our cozy home!

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What about you?

Have you ever eaten at Red Lobster during Endless Shrimp?  If you do go during Endless Shrimp, use the hashtag #EndlessReasonsContest on social media to share your reasons for loving Endless Shrimp and be entered to win daily prizes throughout the event.

What about date night?  Do you need to reclaim date night?  How often do you and your significant other go out on a date? What do you like to do on dates?

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Brunch/ RECIPES/ Sides/ Sponsored/ Sweets

Vegan Pumpkin Bread With Brown Sugar Streusel Crust

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We have been enjoying Meatless Mondays around here for quite a while now.  It has been much fun creating or finding meatless & dairy free meals and desserts. It causes us to eat more plant-based & gives me excuse to mix up my recipes & pour over my Vegan board on Pinterest. I found a couple of recipes for Pumpkin bread and remixed them to come up with this better-for-you Vegan Pumpkin Bread with Brown Sugar Streusel Crust recipe. It  is now a favorite!  It is so very good that I won’t ever go back to my usual non-vegan, double-the-sugar pumpkin bread recipe.

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It is also Monday night football season, so I’ve had extra fun finding meatless meals and desserts that we can enjoy as a family while having the game on.  Notice I say “having the game on” instead of “watching the game.”  That is because my husband is really the only one who watches Monday night football.  He is in a house of girls who are not too interested, but I must say, I love the fun fall atmosphere that a football game brings to the house.  It causes me to light fall candles, plug-in my fun lighty- up pumpkin & even use it as an excuse call up my friends and have them over during the week if I’m feeling social.  If not, I just cozy up in the corner of the couch with my fuzzy blanket and fuzzy socks & listen to my husband cheer on his team. He is an extremely quiet guy until it comes to sports…then he gets quite animated and I find myself chuckling at him.  It can be very entertaining. Oh how I love my man!

Light-Up-Pumpkin

This Vegan Pumpkin Bread recipe is anther something that I just love.  It pleases both the girls & guys, and is the thing to make when having people over. It is nice and girly & tastes great with a cup of coffee or tea, but also is sweet & special enough to pass as a dessert with the guys, enjoyed with a pumpkin ale.

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The bread is soft and moist, you won’t miss the whole milk, butter or eggs one bit!  Creamy Silk Almondmilk, thick pumpkin, and vegan butter alternative is what this bread so moist.Vegan Pumpkin Bread Pin The streusel top is a buttery brown sugar concoction that is nice and hearty, not dry & crumbly like most streusels. It seeps into the bread a bit while it bakes and the result is just—MMM.

This recipe mixes up in a snap. All ingredients except the flour and baking powder are combined together in one bowl.  You then simply wisk in the dry ingredients, pour in a pan, and top with streusel.

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It is a great way to keep things simple on a Monday night. Serve with a crockpot of vegan chili & call it good. Your home will smell, taste, look and sound like fall while eating this if you make it on a Meatless Monday Football Night!

Do you have any recipes that can be remixed for #MeatlessMondayNight?

———-

Silk’s plant-based beverages & yogurt alternatives are super versatile and can be used as substitutes for dairy products. Using them is a great way to make delicious meat & dairy-free versions of your normal go-to Monday Night Football recipes.

Silk’s products are lactose free, cholesterol free, high fructose corn syrup free & no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives.

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Vegan Pumpkin Bread With Brown Sugar Streusel Crust

3/4 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)

1/2 cup brown sugar (or coconut sugar)

1/3 cup coconut oil, melted (another plant-based oil can be substituted)

1/4 cup Unsweetened Silk AlmondMilk

2 tablespoons molasses

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

pinch of salt

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (can use wheat)

2 teaspoons baking powder

 

Streusel Crust

1/4 cup of vegan buttery spread or butter if you are non-vegan, softened

1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

 

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Grease & flour one 9×5 inch loaf pan. Set aside.
  2. Bread- in a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredient through salt & whisk to combine.  If coconut oil re-solidifys, no worries, a few small white clumps are ok.
  3. Stir in the flour and baking powder until just combined, don’t overmix. Batter is quite thick.
  4. Turn batter out into prepared pan, smoothing the top lightly with a spatula.
  5. Streusel Crust – in a medium bowl, combine butter, brown sugar, 1/4 cup flour & toss with a fork until mixture combines and crumbs and clumps form.  This is a moist streusel, but if your seems very moist and is paste-like, add another 1-2 tablespoon flour, as needed to dry it out.
  6. Evenly sprinkle the streusel topping over the top, using your fingers to break up large clumps in necessary.
  7. Bake for about 40-44 minutes, or until center is set and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter.
  8. Allow bread to cool in pan, on top of a wire rack, for at least 30 minutes before turning out onto the rack to finish cooling completely.
  9. Slice bread with a serrated knife in a sawing motion, going over any stubborn patches of the crust a few times, taking care to be gentle to not compress the loaf. Bread will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week.
  10. To freeze, wrap completely cooled loaf in plastic wrap, then place loaf inside a gallon-sized plastic zipped bag.  Bread will keep airtight in the freezer for up to 6 months

Enjoy!

This conversation is sponsored by Silk. The opinions and text are all mine.

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