Gooey Desserts, Yummy Dips and other HAPPY Things...........

ahem. . . . . 

this is my kinda happy. . . . . . 

so it seems only right to focus on a few things that make me smile.

or feel happy.

and of course, food is part of that!  haha

but there's other stuff, too.

like this super cool truck. . . . . . 

now doesn't the sight of santa sitting in his truck just make you 

smile?

in my weekly email from pinterest,

my most popular "pin" was of this YUMMY appetizer dip.

funny too, because i haven't made it in years!

but it IS yummy, and EASY.

and VERY husband friendly.

unless he is on some weird diet.

then, whatever. lol

Zesty Fiesta Sausage Dip

1 package (16 oz.) Jimmy Dean® Regular Flavor Pork Sausage Roll

1 large onion chopped

1 large red bell pepper, chopped

1-2 jalapeno peppers, seeded, chopped

2 pkgs. (8 ounces each) cream cheese, cubed

1 large tomato, seeded, chopped

½ cup hot yellow banana peppers, drained, seeded, chopped

⅓ cup chopped fresh cilantro (i don't like cilantro, so i often eliminate this:)

Tortilla chips or crackers for serving

Directions

1. Cook sausage, onion, red pepper and jalapeno peppers in large skillet over medium-high heat 8-10 minutes or until sausage is thoroughly cooked and vegetables are crisp-tender, stirring frequently. Drain sausage mixture; return to skillet.

2. Reduce heat to medium; stir in cream cheese. Cook and stir 5-8 minutes or until cream cheese is completely melted and mixture is well blended. Stir in tomato, banana peppers and cilantro; cook and stir 3-5 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

3. Serve with chips.

Cook’s Tips: Substitute ¼ cup chopped drained jarred pickled jalapeno peppers for the fresh jalapeno peppers. Garnish with additional chopped tomatoes and cilantro just before serving. Spoon hot dip into small slow cooker or chafing dish to keep warm while serving.

i love this sign. . . . . . 

it truly makes me smile!

 i think these bags are AMAZING!

and amazingly easy.

my new obsession:)

gather old leather handbags. . . . . . 

or hit up a thrift shop.

use some no-sew glue to place the doilie and embellish with jewels.

sooooooo cute!

this snowglobe cake from Taste of Home is MUCH easier than you think.

and it is also CUTE, don't ya think?

and for a dessert you're gonna want to DIVE into. . . . . . 

omg. . . . . . .

it has everything good in it!

Better Than Anything Cake

By Chef in Training 

1 box chocolate cake mix and any ingredients it requires

1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk

1 (16 oz) jar caramel topping

1 (8 oz) container cool whip thawed to room temp

3-6 Heath Candy Bars chopped

instructions

Bake cake according to directions in a 9x13 pan.

Let cake cool for about 5 minutes.

Poke holes in cake with the handle end of a wooden spoon. 

While cake is still warm, slowly pour over sweetened condensed milk over the top making sure some gets in all the holes of the cake.

Next drizzle the caramel topping evenly over the cake slowly, 

making sure some gets in all the holes as well.

Spread cool whip over the top evenly.

Sprinkle with Heath Candy bar pieces.

Store in fridge until ready to eat. 

Store any leftovers in fridge.

leftovers?

what leftovers?  haha!

last but not least,

this CRACKS ME UP!

i know, i know, it's a halloween costume!

but i remember these cabbage patch dolls.

and this little doll looks like the CUTEST cabbage patch doll ever.

i want one of her for Christmas:)

 xoxoxo

Suzanne

Pink + Balloons + Sweets = PARTY TIME!!!

i feel SO lazy this morning.

in fact, i almost felt too lazy to do a post for pink saturday's 4th birthday.

now THAT is lazy, right?

then i remembered back 2 summers ago,

when i was diagnosed with MS.

it was Beverly and her pink posse to the rescue.....

praying for me, sending me encouraging notes,

checking in from time to time, 

simply giving me a boost when i needed it most.

SO

i decided to get off my lazy butt and take part in the

pink saturday party!!!

come on in.......let's get started:)

hop on your bicycle......and don't forget the balloons.

after all, what is a party without PINK balloons??? 

turn LEFT at the PRETTY PINK phone booth.....

proceed along the BEAUTIFUL PINK tree lined road.

my house will be the little white cottage at the end of the road......

you can't miss it because it's the only one with a

PINK door:)

just yell "HEY" if you need a hand with your PINK presents:)

gosh...it's great to have you here.

just wait and see,

there will be........

i should probably warn you.....

it's a bit of a zoo around here

with all my animals.

but they like PINK too so......

at least they followed the dress code.....

WEAR SOMETHING PINK:)

by the way,

thank you for the lovely flowers!

okay, enough talk!

please get yourself something yummy to eat.....

and if you brought your bikini,

grab a surfboard and hit the waves!

and then we can watch the sunset together.......

until next time.......

Suzanne

A Rose Gold Wedding......

and to top it off......

it's a BARN wedding!

so, i had a pretty much perfect wedding, 

minus a few guests:) 

but IF i got married again, this is what it would be like...

a rose gold themed wedding in a barn. 

i know, i know......

i've done the "if i married again" post before......

what can i say?

i love weddings!

and i have LOVED rose gold since i discovered it as a teenager.

and unless i'm REALLY out of the loop,

it's kinda popular right now.

how perfect, the blending of gold and PINK roses to make rose gold...

a beautiful, peachy-pink shade of gold.

(rose gold is SORTA pink, right?  happy pink saturday!:)

now first, i'm going to show you a collage of the big day.

then if you scroll down, i'll highlight a few of the items.

all info for the items can be found on my polyvore set,

by clicking here.

take a look at my

 ROSE GOLD WEDDING...

i LOVE the mix of fancy and free.....

peachy pink and cream.....

rustic and glam!

here are a few closeups i HAVE to show you....

the dress.....

i think the thing i have to say about this,

 besides it's totally drop dead gorgeous,

is that some of the most unique wedding "gowns"

 can be found in the evening gown section,

not the bridal section.

the ring.....

i don't know about you, but diamonds aren't MY best friend:)

i like to be a bit different.

the bridesmaids.....

now, i would do a washed out rose gold dress.

but i kinda like the idea of the bride being the ONLY one

in a floor length gown.

and i also like the flowyness of this little dress.....

fun and flattering to various sizes:)

(and by the way, this dress wasn't in the set since i found it too late:)

wedding party gifts.....

maybe a sweet little "love" ring in rose gold,

or pretty earrings to wear with the dress?

 wedding party make-up.....

just so happens, Bobbi Brown has a rose gold themed makeup line.

see....maybe i AM in style!:)

the bride's COWBOY BOOTS...

you got it!

can't get married in a barn without a cute pair of boots

hiding under that breathtaking gown!

the flowers...

cause i love peonies, whether they go or not:)

the ADORABLE flower girl.....

maybe a bit more peachy pink but still!

the barn.....

can't forget that!

the decor.....

pretty!

cute little signs everywhere.....

the CAKE.....

and as if you haven't had enough CUTE, SWEET, ADORABLE, AMAZING yet,

here is my absolute 

F

A

V

O

R

I

T

E

 part.....

instead of "here comes the bride".....

how about THIS.....

OH.

MY.

GOSH!

hope you liked my ROSE GOLD WEDDING!

check out the other pink posts.....

you'l be so happy you did:)

XOXOXOXOSuzanne

eye candy...

definition:   something that is INCREDIBLY pleasing to the eye.

something you just can't stop staring at.

now, i THINK the term "eye candy" came about to describe a VERY

attractive person...girl OR guy.

so for those of you who want THAT kind of eye candy,

i give you Mr. Phantom of the Opera himself...

Gerard Butler.

i know...SERIOUS eye candy:)

actually, i have a board on pinterest that is just for eye candy...

STUFF that is so amazing, so beautiful, I don't know where else to file it.

my vintage glam, shabby chic, dreamy creams and whites and stuff i love boards have 

lots of eye candy too:)

so i thought i'd share some of my favorite eye candy with you.

ENJOY:)

(all photos with links can be found on my pinterest boards)

shades of sea glass eye candy

for the bride...LOTS of eye candy:)

vintage "brooch bouquet

shabby chic wedding...sigh:)

oh yes...definitely eye candy!

cinderella shoes

cake plus cake pops...sweet eye candy!

no way...we EAT these gorgeous things? 

BEAUTIFUL!!!

 true eye candy;)

 feathers never looked so lovely! (feather tutu)

 i might seriously think about another baby after seeing this...

shhh...don't tell my husband!

hahaha

 okay, okay...i'll settle for another puppy:)

talk about adorable eye candy!

shades of shabby chic...perfectly shabby eye candy:)

holy guacamole...cool cake pops!

okay...look closely at these.

can you BELIEVE they are made from watercolor paint and coffee filters?????

EYE CANDY!

STUNNING!

 vintage jewelry

pretty and pastel...for spring!

LOVE the pillows!

more cake...

can you call this cake?  or are these works of art?

one thing for sure...they are EYE CANDY!!

and one of my favorite eye candy photos...of course...

those cheeks!:)

personally, i think even food is eye candy sometimes.

TOO MANY times:)

white chocolate lemon truffles.

(from kitchensimplicity)

White Chocolate Lemon Truffles

• 1 cup white chocolate
• 5 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 3 Tbsp. heavy cream
• pinch salt
• 1 tsp. lemon extract
• icing sugar, for dusting

1. Melt chocolate, butter and cream over a double boiler or in a microwave. Stir until smooth.
2. Stir in salt and extract. Allow to cool slightly before covering with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 2 hours or until firm enough to handle.
3. With a melon baller or small spoon scoop out mixture and form into 1 inch balls. Toss with icing sugar to coat.
4. Store covered in the fridge for up to one week. Freeze for longer storage.

Makes: 24

* Using unsalted butter allows you to control the salty flavour of these truffles. The pinch of salt helps to cut through the sweetness of the white chocolate. If you decide to use salted butter make sure to omit the pinch of salt called for in the recipe or they will be far too salty.

* If you want to amp up the yellow color, stir in some yellow food coloring along with the extract and salt.

lastly, if you notice, i have a new "print this" button at the bottom of my posts.  

just trying to make life easy for ya:)

CIAO...

Suzanne