No Bake Lemon Raspberry Cheesecake

I don't know if I've shared with you the pain that I have been going through the last month, my poor (just over a year old) oven is broken! :( And in order to fix it, I would have to spend just as much as it is worth..not happening..so the hubs and I are going to invest in a new one, and upgrade just a bit. Upgrading makes me happy! But until then, there is no baking for this girl...

In the meantime, we have been doing a lot of grilling, crock pot cooking, and stove top cooking. I am sure when I get a functioning oven, I will be baking up a storm to make up for lost time.

I was going to have my parents over for dinner so I wanted to make a nice a desert, but what could I make that did not require a lot of baking and was something that I had never made for them before?! Then, I came across a recipe for no bake cheesecake, tweaked it a bit to cut out any of the bad stuff I could and tried to add some good stuff and perfection...

My plan was to make individual ones in martini glasses, but by the time the day came around, I was tired so I just broke down and bought a graham cracker crust. Next time, martini glasses for sure! Wouldn't that be the cutest presentation, ever?!

Here are all the ingredients I used..

Ingredients:

• 1 graham cracker pie crust
• 8 oz package reduced fat cream cheese
• 1 tub of reduced fat whipped topping
• 1 bag frozen raspberries (fresh would be better, but they did not have any when I went)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 lemons (zest of 2)
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 2/3 Cup of Sugar

In  bowl mix together the sugar and lemon zest until the sugar becomes moist and fragrant. Add cream cheese and beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the lemon juice and vanilla extract, and then fold in the whipped topping. Once that is mixed, fold in the raspberries. (I beat the raspberries with a fork to mash them up a bit) Cover with wrap and let it refrigerate for 3 hours. Serve it with fresh raspberries (if available).

This recipe is so good, and was perfect for a cool summer night desert. The texture was a little different from a cheesecake, but it still had all the flavor, and tasted lighter. Next time, I will try switching out the raspberries for blueberries...YUM!

Thanks for reading! :)

Beach Shrimp

The hubs and I spent Labor Day weekend in Hilton Head, SC with some of our good friends. We enjoyed good eats, good shopping, and good times. Every time we go down with my family, my stepmom always cooks this delicious shrimp; she got the recipe from Better Homes and Garden, and of course has tweaked it over the years. It is this amazing recipe and I crave it every time I am near the beach. They pick their shrimp up from a local shrimp guy who has a stand on the side of the road. I knew I wanted to make this for my friends, because I knew that they would love it just as much as the hubs and I do.

First, we went to the local shrimp guy. He is located off of HWY 278 in a BP parking lot. It is an awesome little fresh food stand, they sell fruits and veggies and fresh fish, everything, literally! And it is all fresh and organic, what more could you ask for....

I asked the guy for 3 lbs of shrimp, and told him we were feeding 6 people. He said you better get 4 lbs of shrimp and that will give you about 6 shrimp a piece. 6 shrimp a piece with 4lbs of shrimp?! I couldn't believe what he was telling me, but I agreed. He opened the cooler and I couldn't believe my eyes. The shrimp were HUGE, I mean HUGE! Each shrimp was 3 to 5 inches long and a 1/2 an inch to inch in width. I have absolutely never ever seen shrimp this large, and immediately called my dad to tell him about the find. He couldn't believe his ears, so I had to send him a quick picture to make him believe! Check out the size of these shrimplings.....

HUGE! right?! The recipe is so easy and delicious. It calls for 3 lbs of shrimp so I eyed out a little bit more of the ingredients but here's the recipe.

Ingredients:

· 3 lbs of shrimp

· 2 lemons, halved

· 1/4 cup parsley

· 2 cloves of garlic

· 1 16oz bottle of Italian dressing

· 1/2 cup butter (chopped and sprinkled all over)

Devein the shrimp. Place in the pan with the dressing and garlic, squeeze the lemon juice over the entire pan and then leave the halves in for baking. Spread the butted over the pan and sprinkle the parsley over top. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes. About half way through stir and get the shrimp coated in the yummy mixture. Take out of the over and serve! Voila....here are some pictures of this yummy feast.

I highly recommend serving with French bread. Dipping the bread in the extra yummy mixture is so delicious! This was a huge hit and perfect for a beach vacation, especially if you have the option of picking up fresh shrimp. I promise this recipe will not let you down! Enjoy!!

Thanks for reading! :)

Dreamy Beach House Design

With Labor Day weekend and a trip to my family's house in Hilton Head Island, SC fast approaching, I decided to share with you my dream beach house inspirations, featured on my dream beach house board on pinterest. I absolutely adore my parents house in Hilton Head and hope that one day my little family will be fortunate enough to have our own beach house, until then I will have these lingering dreams of designing my very own beach house. Hey, maybe one day my parents will let me take over their home with my crazy decorating ideas...a girl can dream can't she....

My ideal beach house will be light, airy, lots of windows, cool summer colors, decorated with coral, driftwood, very organic beachy (that's a thing, right?). I found these colors and I thought they would be perfect for my dream beach house.

source

There is something everything I love about this house! I love that it appears to be on a marshy area instead of toes in the sand. The house in Hilton Head, is not directly on the beach, but there is a marsh behind it that opens up into the ocean. There is such great wild life that lives back there and relaxing on the porch with that view is so calming. It doesn't have to be toes in the sand close to be my dream beach house. This house is to die for, from the roof top deck, to the light house style porch. Who would not want this as their dream beach house?! Again..still dreaming...ahhh

source

Check out this oh so dreamy Master Bedroom! I love the oars on the wall and it looks like a old wooden canoe on the ceiling. I love the blue colors of the fabric and the bright windows. Who needs paint on the walls and tons of artwork with a view like that!

source

Lets keep the oar theme going in our dream guest room! How adorable, and who could forget our room for our future dream kids....Adore these two rooms...

source

source

Every home needs a living area. I feel in love with these two. Which one is your favorite? I just can't decide. 

source

source

I had to share this image with you, check out this AMAZING staircase. I love that the stair rails are made out of rope and anchors. How nautical and cute is that? This is a must in my dream beach house. 

source

No beach house is complete without lanterns, and lots of them. I have so much love for lanterns. There is such an abundance of design choices out there and they look great in every space. Can we please have something like this at our dream beach house?

source

Has my dream beach house inspirations made your heart flutter like mine?! Wouldn't it be nice if we were all so lucky as to enjoy something this beautiful. I may not be in my very own dream beach house this weekend, but I am lucky enough to enjoy my parents dream beach house! So cheers to that and cheers to your labor day weekend! Enjoy it!

Thanks for reading! :)