I came across a recipe on Rachel Ray that I really want to pass on to you.  This delicious-sounding recipe for a healthy snack bar is from Robin McGraw. 

Ingredients:

• Non-stick cooking spray or melted butter, as needed for pan
• 3 cups large marshmallows
• 3/4 cup nut butter, such as cashew, almond, peanut or hazelnut
• 1 10 to 12-ounce box brown rice cereal
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 2/3 cup chopped pecans, toasted
• 2/3 cup chopped cashews, toasted

Preparation:

Lightly coat the bottom and sides of a medium baking sheet with the nonstick cooking spray or melted butter.

In a microwave-safe bowl, zap the marshmallows and nut butter, stirring after 1 minute, until melted, about 2 minutes.

Add the brown rice cereal, cranberries, pecans and cashews to the melted marshmallow mixture and stir gently to combine – be careful not to crush up the bits of cereal too much.

Either wet your hands or spray them lightly with the nonstick cooking spray and turn the cereal marshmallow mixture out onto the greased baking sheet. Press it into the pan using your slick hands so that it’s evenly distributed. Set the pan aside and let the bars set up, about 30 minutes.

Once set, cut them into squares and serve.

Enjoy!

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Try this recipe for Chickpea and Romaine Salad with Lemon-Parmesan Vinaigrette from everybody likes sandwiches.  It’s the perfect summer salad if you ask me!

Cheers!

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I am busy working on an upcoming series of posts called "20 Days to a More LuSHHus Life."  In each installment, you will find a suggestion on how you can fill your life with more luxury, improved style, added happiness, and better health.  Please stay tuned for "20 Days to a More LuSHHus Life"…you are sure to enjoy it!

In the meantime, I was so excited about a healthy living feature called "Fit to Eat" in the latest Living magazine and had to bring it to your attention.  The article speaks to the old adage "you are what you eat" and specifically discusses how diet affects the appearance of our skin and complexion.  There are three recipes included, and all three recipes in the article are tempting me to make them. I bet I will try them all before the week’s end.  Here they are:

Creamy Spinach and Sweet Onion Dip with Crudités

Salmon and Citrus Rice Bowl

Dried Fruit and Nut Health Bar

Cheers!

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As promised, here is the LuSHHus List of Picnic Recipes.  Choose delicious dishes from this list, and everyone at your picnic will be quite pleased.  If you missed the LuSHHus List of Picnic Gear, check it out here. 

This Greek-Style Cucumber and Yogurt Dip would be great with chips and fresh veggies.

There are plenty of good salad recipes for your picnic, and I think these are among some of the best.  From left: Tomato-Watermelon Salad, Potato and Blue Cheese Salad, Texas Two Bean Salad, Five Cup Salad, and Red Bliss Potato Salad.  It’s probably best to stay away from lettuce salads at your picnic since the lettuce will not stay crisp for long. 

If you want to grill, I can wholeheartedly recommend the Mar-a-Lago Turkey Burger that Oprah raved about not too long ago.  Of course, bring some hot dogs for the kiddos.

Sandwiches are really great picnic fare because you don’t need utensils and they can be assembled ahead of time.  I think this Roast Beef Baguette with Cheddar and Onion from Real Simple sounds like a fantastic option for a picnic.

You can’t go wrong with brownies, and these - Dark Chocolate Brownies with White Chocolate Chunks - are especially tempting. 

These Patriotic Cupcakes from Martha Stewart sure are fun and festive. 

I will be bringing you a list of fun Picnic Activities soon.  Happy Picnic-ing!

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Talented, successful blogger Hostess with the Mostess (HWTM) added living a LuSHHus life to her blogroll this week, and I am so excited and grateful!  To commemorate, I thought I’d share a fantastic-looking recipe I found at HWTM.

Ingredients:

• 2 pints strawberries, hulled
• ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons Grand Marnier
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon superfine sugar, or to taste
• 1 teaspoon dried lavender buds

Directions:

Slice the strawberries in half lengthwise and place them in a glass bowl. Pour ¼ cup of the Grand Marnier over the berries, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 2 hours.

When ready to serve, stir the berries and Grand Marnier. Place the cream and 1 tablespoon sugar in a bowl and beat with an electric mixer until the cream begins to thicken. Drizzle in the remaining 2 tablespoons Grand Marnier and continue to whip until stiff but smooth peaks from, adding more sugar if you prefer a sweeter cream. Spoon a dollop of the cream on top of the berry bowl and dot the cream with the lavender buds. Place the rest of the whipped cream in a small serving bowl. Serve the berries and the cream immediately.

Enjoy!

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There is a new blog at the Martha Stewart website called Dinner Tonight.  The editors of Everyday Food are behind this new endeavor which is sure to be a hit if you ask me.  Every weekday, the blog will feature a new dinner recipe that is easy to print or email and that will tell you exactly how long the prep process should take.  Of course you can search through the blog’s dinner archives too if the day’s culinary choice doesn’t appeal. 

Check it out, Ashley

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As I mentioned yesterday, we are having a party tomorrow night.  This is a family-friendly gathering so I wanted some simple recipes that would appeal to all.  Also, I have never even met some of our guests (they are my husband’s coworkers) which means I do not want to be tied to the kitchen all evening; I want to be able to spend time visiting.  As a result of these two criteria, I came up with a truly easy, almost completely make-ahead menu that will allow my husband and me to mingle and have fun.

We will start off with Spiced Nuts and Cheese Straws.  The drink options will include beer, wine, and eggnog with or without the good stuff.  The dinner menu consists of vegetables with Curry Mayonnaise, Savory Deviled Eggs, Sweet and Spicy Meatballs, Mozzarella Sticks, and Chicken Tenders.  To finish things off, we will offer Amaretto Cake and Fudge for dessert.  Oh and I am making Christmas tree-shaped sugar cookies for the kiddos to decorate and eat. 

Of course we will be listening to my LuSHHus playlists full of fun holiday tunes, so check out the grown-up version here and the child-friendly version here.  I hope everyone enjoys the party as much I have enjoyed planning it.  Stay tuned for the post-party review as well as pictures!

Cheers, Ashley

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