Oh Yum! Spinach Smoothie Recipe

If you're anything like me, this bright green smoothie may not look too appetizing.  But don't be fooled, this drink does not taste like healthy food at all!!! 

Here is the recipe for my "Oh Yum! Spinach Smoothie," adapted from Iowa Girl's recipe, as found on Pinterest:

You'll Need:

1 banana, easiest to use if it's been pre-sliced and frozen
1Tbsp peanut butter
1 cup milk or milk substitute (I use vanilla flavored almond milk)
3-4 cups raw baby spinach 

Directions:

Just blend and enjoy!

I get a little thrill every time I fill my blender to the top with  that good, fresh, healthy spinach, knowing that my body gets to reap the benefits of consuming all that goodness, while my mouth thinks I'm drinking a malt-shoppe style milkshake!  My toddlers and even my husband have given this recipe their approval, and I hope you enjoy it as well!

~Robyn M.

Amazing Veggie Pizza

Amazing Veggie pizza 

With Artichoke Hearts, Mushrooms, Caramelized Onion, Gorgonzola,

and a Balsamic reduction drizzle

Prep: 30 minutes

Cook: 12 minutes

Created by: Carly D.

Let dough come to room temperature. I got help from

my local store with this herb & garlic dough.

Start Balsamic reduction- Place 3/4 cup of good balsamic vinegar

in a small sauce pan on med/low heat. Add 2 crushed garlic cloves.

Remove from heat when reduced by half. Set aside for later

                                                        Slice 1 half red onion into half rings

Caramelize in skillet with 1 teaspoon of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

 & a pinch of salt on medium heat until onions are translucent.

Clean Cremini mushrooms (baby portabellas) with a damp paper towel

                                    Be sure to choose mushrooms that are still closed underneath

Place 1 tablespoon of Extra Virgin Olive

Oil in a skillet on medium high heat 

Slice mushrooms 1/8 inch and brown

in a skillet for 2 minutes each side

                                                  Let Mushroom drain on a paper towel

                                     Assemble all ingredients- starting clockwise with upper Left-

                                           Gorgonzola cheese, mushrooms, mozzarella cheese,

                                              balsamic reduction, artichoke hearts,

                                                       caramelized onion, pesto.

Place dough on a floured counter top

Roll dough out to 1/8th inch thickness

Coat top with Extra Virgin Olive Oil

& Corn Meal

Roll onto a rolling pin for easy transportation to pan

                                                I like to use a pizza sheet for even cooking

                                            Unroll with corn meal side down, tuck edges in.

                                                             Spread out Pesto evenly

                                                                     Add Mozzarella

                                             Add Mushrooms, Onions, & Artichoke Hearts

                                                       Drizzle with Balsamic Reduction

                                                     Bake for 12 minutes at 425 degrees

                                     c'est fini! bon appetit! 

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On Clogs and Becoming One's Mother

About a year ago I bought my first pair of clogs.  I let them sit in my shoe closet for months not ready to admit to myself what this meant.  I didn't spend much on them,  I bought them secondhand, which I didn't realize at the time but even that fact was was a sign of things to come.  Little things that have been there all along but only recently are becoming glaring.  Like everyone, I have always noticed qualities in myself that remind me of my mom but I think I can safely say, its official,  I am turning into my mother!  I remember seeing my big sisters do it and couldn't understand why they didn't do something to stop it, something drastic.  Don't get me wrong my mother is wonderful and all through my childhood she has always been wonderful, an ideal mother! So the thought of being like her was never horrible, I just never imagined it would happen to me.

In my childhood home, most mornings I would wake up to a sound like no other, clug-clug, clug- clug, clug-clug. The sound of my mom's clogs hitting the wood floor.  Up the stairs then back down the stairs.  My teenage brain could not imagine what needed to be done with such urgency.  I couldn't understand my mother. What was so exciting about thrift stores?  Why  couldn't we go on vacations to Disneyland instead of the boring old Washington coast?  These along with many other things I just did not get.  My mom would drag me to the thrift store and try so hard to help me find something while I walked around dragging my feet and complaining.  I always loved camping but, why camping again when there are places like Disneyland we could visit?

I can't say for sure when this gradual morphing into my mother really started. I think its been slowly happening for years but it has never been more glaringly apparent than the last year or so.  Lately I can hardly drive past Value Village without stopping! I have even found myself dragging my less enthusiastic friends there and trying desperately to find them some bargain or treasure that they have to buy.  Last winter we visited the coast for a weekend and when I got my first good view of the wild, drift wood covered beach and the pounding surf my eyes welled up with tears.  I was so happy to be there.  As I scoured the beach for treasures I recognized in myself that same excitement that I always saw in my mom when we were near the ocean. Now, in my book,  Disneyland has got nothing on the Washington coast. 

If I broke it down I could go on and on about the little things I have notice about myself lately that remind me of my mother. I've been watching it happen to close friends too. All of us taking on the best parts of our mothers. I think it is something that happens to everyone, even my mother.  At some point she turned into her mother too. There is slow realization that of all the things we could be, there are far worse things in life than becoming our mothers. Someday I hope to walk around my house in my clogs and have my daughter hear them make the same, clug, clug, clug, clug sound that my moms did and still do. Its the sound of excitement, of bargains and treasures to be found, the sound of endless possibilities for the day and who am I kidding, clogs are really comfortable! 

~Marta K.

Our author's mother, Judy

 

 

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The perfect cup of coffee tutorial

Would you love to enjoy perfection in a cup right at home? In a little over 5 minutes, you can have a must-sit-and-savor brewed coffee in your hot little hands.

Just follow these simple steps!

1. Boil water (must be boiled, not from an instahot)

2. Choose your whole bean coffee (my personal favorite)

3. Grind your beans, 1/2 cup 

4. Place ground beans in a French press with a pinch of salt

(a secret weapon to fight against any bitter taste) 

My favorite french Press is made by Bodum, virtually indestructible, as apposed to glass

                                        5. Pour boiled water over beans

6. Place on lid (don't press filter down quite yet) and set your timer for 4 minutes

                    7. Push filter down, pour and enjoy! Repeat as necessary.

                                  A must try for any coffee enthusiast,
                       I hope you cherish your cup of perfection, as I do!

                                                                                                                                                                  -Carly D.

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Hand-Made Fabric Flowers: Easy Craft Tutorial

These fabric flowers are so simple and easy to make. You can put one together in just a couple minutes with supplies that (if you're already a crafter) you're likely to have around!  Here's how to get started:

First, you need scrap of synthetic silky fabric.  Cut 2 or more circles in descending sizes.  I made patterns from a few different pieces of glassware I had in my cupboard.

 

Snip a few triangles out of the circle to make petals.  Don't worry about being precise, these look better with unique irregularities.

 

This next step gives your flower a realistic appearance, and heat-seals the edges to prevent fraying.  Use a small candle flame (very carefully), slowly turning your fabric flower to expose the raw edges to the heat.  Watch your scrap of fabric turn into a gorgeous flower!

 

Layer your finished pieces together...

 

...then attach your layers with a bead or button sewn in the center.

Here's what my finished product looks like:

 

Use them for all kinds of crafts... I love how they look on my sweet baby shoes, and on this lovely little lady's elastic headband!  The possibilities are endless.

Well, what do you think?  Leave your comments below, thank you!

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Welcome to The Burgundy Bow!

Welcome!  Thank you for visiting The Burgundy Bow.  We are a group of friends, all mothers and strong women, enjoying learning together about providing for our families in creative, crafty, fulfilling ways.  We hope you check back regularly, find us on Facebook, and peruse our Etsy shop!

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