Glorified Pina Colada's

On Friday night, I had a craving for the beach and something tropical, so I looked in my pantry to see what I had on hand and came up with these yummy, creamy Pina Colada's.  Oh, they were so good! See the recipe below.

Glorified Pina Colada's

2 parts Lopez Cream of Coconut

2 parts Santa Cruz Organic Pineapple Coconut Juice

1 1/2 parts rum, use your favorite

Pineapple, optional

1 -2 cups of ice or until they are as thick and creamy as you like them

Whipped Cream for Topping

Add the Cream of Coconut, Pineapple Coconut Juice, Rum, and Pineapple (if you're using it) into a blender and pulse until smooth and creamy.  Add ice and continue to pulse until smooth.  Pour into chilled glasses and top with whipped cream.  You can garnish with  a cherry or pineapple piece.  Enjoy while listening to some Island Music!

Be Blessed,

A Veggie Palooza in My Freezer

I just asked my hubby and son what I should title this blog post and my hubby won - A Veggie Palooza in My Freezer. I asked how to spell Palooza and they both agreed that probably no one would know if I didn't spell it correctly! LOL...

Anyway, here is what happened in my kitchen today - I was a busy girl! Between veggies that I had bought and veggies that my sweet mother-in-law had picked up for me, my veggie basket and my frig overfloweth. I decided this morning that I needed to do something with all this bounty before it began to go bad. So, I pulled out my Vidalia Chop Wizard.

I use this handy little tool for onions all the time.  It is so quick and easy.  But today, I decided to use if for so much more and it did not let me down.

I chopped onions, carrots, mushrooms, celery, peppers, scallions, squash, and cauliflower into uniform, beautiful little morsels of tasty goodness.  I placed them in freezer bags and laid them flat on a baking sheet to freeze.  

Now there is a Veggie Palooza in my freezer and whipping up something delicious to eat will be super simple.  I can easily throw a handful of veggies into a stir fry, omlette, or whatever else I can come up with.  The mushrooms are perfect for making my low-carb Cream of Mushroom Soup, which is fabulous by itself or used in a casserole.  Yum!  The cauliflower can be used to make my low-carb Garlic Mashed Cauliflower.  So good! Or, I can use it in this small form to make Faux Rice, or Faux Fried Rice, again low carb and wonderful.

I also had a couple of pounds of Brussel Sprouts and I went ahead and shredded them to cook later in my Best Brussels Spourts Ever recipe.   

Aren't Veggies Just Beautiful - All The Colors and Textures!

I love how uniform everything is which I would never have achieved chopping by hand.

While I was on a role, I decided that I had a few too many tomatoes.  So I cut them up, yellow heriloom, grape and roma's, and placed them on a parchment lined baking sheet.  After a quick drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkling of Himalayan salt, and pepper  I popped them in the oven at 250℉ for about 3 hours.  Oh, they smelled so good roasting.  

After I removed them from the oven, I let them cool.  Then I layered them in a glass mason jar and covered them extra virgin olive oil.  Now, I can grab them out of my frig and pop a few in any dish or salad that I am making, especially those that call for sundried tomatoes.  These are so yummy.  I'll admit I popped a few of the grape tomatoes in my mouth instead of the jar.  But, nobody knows that but you.  Shhhh!

I also had quite a few lemons and limes and I noticed that a few were starting to get hard, so I pulled out 2 old ice trays that I have.  I labeled one lemon, so that I could tell them apart.  I juiced the lemons and limes into the trays.  About 1/2 a lemon or 1/2 lime will fill each section of my trays.  I popped them in the freezer and when they are frozen, I will put them in baggies and store in the freezer.  Then when I need lemon or lime juice, I just pull out 1 cube for each 1/2 lemon or lime that I need.  Brilliant, I know.  I have my moments.

I am excited about all of the bounty in my freezer.  We are going to have some good eats over the next few weeks.  I hope this has given you some ideas to make your cooking and eating healthy a little eaiser.

Be Blessed,

FREE Printable Labels & A Sassy Salsa Gift!

My daughter is heading out tomorrow for a family vacation with her wonderful boyfriend and his family.  She wanted to take a little gift to be hospitable.  Her request was to take a large jar of my Glorified Sassy Salsa and her boyfriend readily agreed.  You can find the recipe for it here.

So obliged and whipped up a large jar for them.  But, it needed a little Glorifying!  So, here is what I did...

First I designed a printable on my computer.  I am a Mac girl and love, love, love Pages for graphic design.  It is just so easy to use.  Then I printed it out on Printable Vinyl which simply rocks!  I get my Cricut Vinyl from here.

You can download this label or another version without the name and ingredients on it at the bottom of this post.

I added it to the front of the jar.  But, it still needed more, so a little bit of lime and black raffia helped.  It was looking better, but not Glorified enough, so out came the Cricut Expression.  I used my Storybook Cartridge, which is one of my favorites and cut an adorable lace flower out of lime and black scrapbook paper that was the diameter of the lid.  Then I cut out the shadow of the flower in solid black card stock.  I glued the 2 pieces together with my Zig 2 Way Glue Pen and added a precious black jeweled brad in the center.  Now we're talking.

I used some 3D Glue Dots to adhere the flower on to the top of the jar.

Look how cute this turned out!  And, of course it tastes good, too.  I think the family will enjoy this little gift on their vaca.

Download the Salsa label by Clicking Here.

Download the Blank label by Clicking Here.

Hope you enjoy the labels.

Linked up to:

Be Blessed,

The BEST Brussels Sprouts You've Ever Eaten..

I know you are saying, "Yeah right, Glori, Brussels Sprouts, Really?  Yuk!"

But, I kid you not, these are awesome!  My college age daughter gobbles them down.  Please, do yourself a favor and give these a try even if you don't normally like Brussels Sprouts.  I hated them as a kid.  When my mom said we were having them I tried to think of anything to get out of eating them.  But, years ago when I found out I had some food allergies and had to change my food intake to mostly fresh veggies, I was desperate to try new things.

I came across the basic recipe in a Suzanne Sommers cookbook.  I think it was the "Eat Great, Lose Weight" one.  Anyway, she said it was yummy and I decided to give it a try.  Boy, was she right.  They are a family favorite now.

Shredded Brussels Sprouts


2 pounds fresh Brussels Sprouts
1/2 stick of butter
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
a sprinkle of salt
3 limes

Begin by washing the sprouts.  Then trim the ends and old leaves off of the outside of each one.

Cut each sprout down the middle and then lay on the flat side and slice into small shreds.

Here my daughter and I are shredding the sprouts for dinner.

Next, add the butter and oil to a skillet and then add the sprouts. 

Sprinkle with salt.

 Cook over medium high heat until the sprouts are beginning to brown.  It will take about 10 minutes.

Then for the crowning touch, squeeze the 3 limes over the top of the cooked sprouts and serve.

Oh these were so good tonight with my Simplest Ham Ever and Mac & Chee.

Be Blessed,

4th of July was AWESOME!

I hope that you all had an absolutely wonderful Independence Day Weekend.  I know that our family did.  We had the pleasure of hosting my sister, Lisa, and my niece's, Abby and Maggie.  Oh, and I can't forget our furry little guest, Riley.

When I was planning the menu, I wanted something that could be easily made ahead and easily served.  I think my plans worked out just great.  Everyone had plenty to eat, with lots of flexibility and great taste.

Here's a shot of my bread while it was rising.

I mixed up several different salads: chicken salad; balsamic, feta pasta salad; marinated cucumber and tomato salad; and broccoli and raisin salad.  On Saturday, after everyone arrived, I baked a loaf of fresh bread and put all the salads out.  It was great and so simple.  Then on Sunday, we nibbled on left-over salads until dinner when we grilled out burgers and brats.

For dessert on Saturday, I had my super simple Chocolate Mousse.  For dessert on Sunday, I had Cheesecake Mousse Dessert Shots.  You can find that recipe here.

Glori's Super Easy Chocolate Mousse


6 cups mini marshmallows
1 stick butter, softened
18 oz semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup hot water
1 large container Cool Whip
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Put the marshmallows, butter, chocolate and water in a heavy-based saucepan.  Put the saucepan on the stove, over heat, though keep it fairly gentle, to melt, stirring every now and again.  Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract.  Let cool.

Fold the Cool Whip into the cooled chocolate mixture and gently mix until you have a smooth, cohesive mixture.

Pour or scoop into dessert glasses or small dishes and chill until you want to eat.


For breakfast, I wanted something that I could sit out and folks could just grab when they were hungry.  So, I made Whole Wheat Cinnamon Muffins, Whole Wheat Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffins, and Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins; Homemade Granola; Homemade Vanilla Honey Yogurt; Fresh Cut Fruit and a big basket of Keurig Coffees to choose from.  My little coffee bar did look cute.  I have a "Glori's Goodies" Jar that held the muffins.  I used my Cricut Expression to cut out red vinyl for that jar.  I picked up a bunch of oil bottles to store my Sugar Free Coffee Syrups and used my Cricut to cut out the names of each syrup.  They turned out great.

Muffins fit perfectly into my Goodies Jar

Here are all of my syrup bottles lined up

The Coffee Bar with the Kuerig my two wonderful children gave me for Mother's Day/Birthday

Here is the Homemade Granola Recipe.  It is Yummy!

Glorified Granola

3/4 cup butter

1/4 cup coconut oil

1/2 cup honey

1/4 cup agave

1/4 cup brown rice syrup

10 cups rolled oats, like Old Fashioned not Instant

1/2 cup sucant, which is natural, unrefined sugar, optional

1 1/4 tsp salt

1 tb cinnamon

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp almond extract

1 cup millet

1/2 cup amaranth

1/2 cup unsweetened, finely grated coconut

In a large bowl, mix the oats, millet, amaranth, sucant and coconut.  Set aside.

In a medium sauce pan mix the butter, coconut oil, salt, cinnamon, honey, agave, and brown rice syrup.  Heat over medium high heat until boiling.  Boil 1 minute.  Remove from heat and add the vanilla and almond extracts.

Pour the syrup over the oat mixture and mix well.

Pour into a greased slow cooker with the lid slightly ajar and cook on low for 3-4 hours, stirring every 20 minutes or so.  I use a wooden spoon to keep the lid open so that the steam can escape and the granola can dry out.

Store in a cute container, just to make eating it that much more fun!

Be Blessed,

Cheesecake Dessert Shots

My son gave me the cutest dessert shot glasses for Christmas and I pulled them out for this amazing treat.




First I created a cheesecake mousse by combining:

8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 small jar of marshmallow cream
About 1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract
2/3 of a large cool whip container

(I did not say this was low-cal, low-carb or in any healthy :-) but oh sooooo good!




Then I thought what is cheesecake without a yummy, buttery crumb crust, so I mixed together:

1 1/2 cups Graham cracker crumbs
6 tb melted butter
1/3 cup brown sugar




To assemble them, I sprinkled a
spoon full of the crumbs in the bottom of the glasses.



Next, I piped some of the cheesecake mousse into the glass using a decorator bag and a large round icing tip.




Then more crumbs.



And, more mousse.


Topped it off with a sprinkle of crumbs and refrigerated until after dinner, which I must say was delish: burgers & brats!




Yum!!! These were a hit with everyone and the perfect size.





Be Blessed,

Glori Winders, The 31 Woman

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Individual Jar Pies & Cakes

With the 4th of July upon us, I was trying to plan my menu for our neighborhood fireworks display. It is a fun event where we live. We are on a lake here in Georgia in a golf community that has an annual Independence Day Extravaganza!

On the 18th hole and behind the club house of one of our golf courses that sits on the lake, folks start piling in around 6pm with blankets and lawn chairs and picnics, and fun. On the lake, boats start piling in, grabbing their spot on the water for the show.

Our family loves attending this event each year and I try to make the food not only delicious but fun. So this year, I am making as our dessert little individual jar pies and cakes. I've seen lots of versions of these all over the Internet, but since I was in a hurry, opted to do a semi-homemade method.


I started with 24 half pint mason jars, 2 packages of refrigerated pie crusts, 2 can of cherry pie filling, & 2 cans of apple pie filling. I also mixed up this quick crumb topping.

Crumb Topping

1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup brown sugar or sucant (natural sugar)
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 stick softened butter

Mix with a fork or pastry tool until crumbly.



Apple Pies

I began with the apple pies. I used the lids 0f the jar to cut out tops for each pie. Then I repeated the process for the bottoms of the jar, too.

And I had this great idea of using this little tool, I got from Pampered Chef.  I placed a dough round on the end and put the jar on top of it, flipped it over and easily layered the dough into the jar.

I cut strips of dough and layered on the edges - it will be easier if I show you real quick. Take a look at this quick video ...

I filled 8 jars with pie crust.   Now on to filling our pies. Of course, just because you start with store bought filling does not mean it has to taste store bought. I had some caramel sauce in the fridge, so I added that to the canned filling. There was probably not quite 1/2 cup of sauce. I also added a little melted butter, like 2 tablespoons, a sprinkle of cinnamon, a 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice and about an 1/8 cup whole wheat flour. It gave me enough filling to do 8 of the jars.

I used a star cookie cutter to cut a vent out of the top circle of dough for the little pies.

Then I laid the tops on the filling and used my fingers to seal the edges. I placed the star cut back on top a little turned so that the vent hole was not covered. I brushed a little butter on top and sprinkled with a small bit of Florida Crystal sugar, which I like because it is not bleached.





I screwed the tops on and at this point and can freeze them until I need them. I will pop them in the oven on the 4th for a quick bake. I'll start with a cold oven, put the frozen jars in and then turn the heat on to 375 degrees and bake for 50-60 minutes.  If you are baking them fresh, not frozen they only need to bake for 45 minutes.

Cherry Pies

For the cherry pies, I used 2 cans of filling plus a can of drained tart cherries that I had on hand. I spooned a layer of the crumb topping into the jars, then the cherry filling and then more crumb topping. Very easy!

Again , you can put the lids on at this point and freeze like we did with the apple pies. I will pull them out on the 4th and bake with apple pies.


Red Velvet Cakes In A Jar





My son and daughter are not big fruit pie lovers, so for them, I mixed up a red velvet cake mix. I poured the mix into 8 of the jars, about 1/2 way full. I baked them for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees. After they cooled, I used a grapefruit spoon and scooped a little of the cake center out.

Then I made homemade cream cheese icing, because nothing is as good as my homemade cream cheese icing. I'll add the recipe below. I added the icing to a decorator bag and piped it down into the little hole I made into each cake and over the tops.

I used a bit of the crumbs that I scooped out on the top of each little cake for decoration. They look yummy.

Here is my Cream Cheese Icing recipe.

Cream Cheese Icing


1 stick of softened butter
8 oz softened cream cheese
1 pound confectioner sugar
11/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 to 3 tablespoons half-n-half, depending on consistency of the icing you desire: pipeable to pourable

Cream butter and cream cheese with a mixer. Slowly add the powdered sugar. Mix well. Add the vanilla and cream until you reach desired consistency.



Be Blessed,

Glorified Sassy Salsa

Yum, I love salsa! And, so does my family. They can go through bowl's of it at a time. So, I have come up with this great, quick and delicious recipe to whip up lots of salsa on a moments notice. You probably have most of the ingredients in your pantry right now.

And, with July 4th coming up, what better snack then red salsa with white & blue corn chips.




Glorified Sassy Salsa

28 oz Tomatoes
1 can Rotel Tomatoes with Lime & Cilantro
2-3 cloves of garlic
1 tb salt
1/2 sweet onion
15+ slices of pickled jalapenos with some of the juice
1 -2 limes, juiced

Blend all ingredients in a blender until the desired consistency.  Enjoy.
Also, great served chilled.


Be Blessesd,

Great Apple Treat Recipe

For a great morning or late afternoon "pick me up" treat, I love to slice a granny smith apple up and drop it into a bowl or sandwich bag.  Squeeze 1/2 a lemon over it.  Then sprinkle a little cinnamon or apple pie spice and a packet of stevia over the top.  Close the bag and rub the apple slices around in the cinnamon mixture.  Enjoy.