Healthy Corn Salad

Hey gang! Today I am sharing another BOMB recipe that is full of nutrients and SO delicious! Sign. Me. Up.

Healthy Corn Salad

Print Recipe 

Serves: 4 People (Side Dish) 

Calories (per serving): about 145

Ingredients:

4 ears of corn, shucked

1 tablespoon sugar

1 cup grape tomatoes, sliced

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

fresh basil

Directions:

Bring a large pot of water to high on the stove and add sugar. Wait until boiling to drop in your ears of corn. 

Remove the pot from the burner, cover it with a lid, and let sit for 10-20 minutes. 

Then remove your corn from the pot and let cool before cutting the kernels off the cob for your salad.

Then add this to the bowl of your other ingredients. If it seems to runny, run the salad through a strainer and mix well. 

You are all good to go! A quick, easy, and healthy snack of side to any meal.

Print Recipe

Hope y'all have a great day! Talk to you very soon.

jgraceblog@gmail.com

xoxo

Stepping Outside of your Comfort Zone

Happy Tuesday everyone. I want to start out by saying I am super excited to be sharing some changes I have decided to make to the "faith" portion of my website. I noticed after studying my blog analytics that y'all are WAY more prone to reading and following my personal devotions when I share something from the heart. As important as knowing the bible is, I found that my "Events of the Bible" series wasn't getting the attention it deserved both from myself and from my readers. I want my devotions to be something I am passionate about and something y'all want to read also. 

That being said, one of my favorite things ever is quotes. I could pin quotes ALL day long on Pinterest. So I thought I would start sharing a favorite quote of mine every week.

Side note: Huge shout out to my sister who obviously got the artistic gene. I couldn't have the patience to write this beautifully even if I tried.

"Are you really happy or just really comfortable?" 

Like most girls in high school I am all about my comfort zone. I like to have my routine of knowing where I am going to sit in class, who will be in the class with me, where I will meet my friend at the mall, who my "group" will be this year, what my sport or "thing" is that I will be known for, blah blah blah. Don't we all? My comfort zone walls are definitely put up around people. I have had some of the same best friends since I was in elementary school and because I genuinely enjoy the company or them and my entire family, I tend to not wander off and create new friendships. This isn't always a bad thing to like your friends or family, but I have realized in the last year that you can always have more.

Over the past year, I have branched out of my comfort zone a LOT. I am not gonna lie it didn't always work out. I applied and interviewed at several places when I was looking for a job (which was very nerve racking for me) and many of them didn't work out. I walked up and down the entire shopping mall talking to the manager of each place asking if they hire at 16. This was DEFINITELY out of my comfort zone. However, I now work at a place I enjoy for the time being and love my co-workers. I thought I would NEVER get hired at where I work now but because I took a leap of faith and prayed about it, it worked out. God has bigger plans then you think girls.... sometimes you just need a push. So I am going to be your PUSH! And in return, y'all need to push me!

What should you highlight in your bible?

Joshua 1:9 "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."

Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.""

ALRIGHT GIRLS! Let's pray for each other! Comment below what you need to step out of your comfort zone to do so I can pray for you. If it is personal, I always love EMAILS! 

jgraceblog@gmail.com

Talk to you lovelies very soon!

xoxo

Corn Dog Cupcakes for the 4th!

Hi everyone! I am back with my last recipe to get your 4th of July meal planning started! I love planning ahead of time but unfortunately that means that my poor family has to have a picnic dinner with patriotic decorations in mid-June #doitfortheblog. 

This recipe was a huge hit and I made it gluten free for the family. I just substituted the flour for a gluten free version and we were golden. This is a super easy recipe I found on Food Network. Enjoy!

Gluten - Free Corn Dog Cupcakes

Print Recipe HERE.

Serves: 12 Cupcakes

Ingredients:

6 Hot Dogs

1 Cup Gluten-Free All Purpose Flour

1/2 Cup Coarse Yellow Cornmeal

2 Teaspoons Baking Powder

1 1/2 Teaspoons Dry Mustard

1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt

1/2 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper

2 Large Eggs

1/2 Cup Milk

1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil

1/4 Cup Honey

2 Tablespoons Mayonnaise

2 Tablespoons Yellow Mustard

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and line one 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners. 

Finely chop up your hot dogs and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, 1 teaspoon of the dry mustard, salt and cayenne pepper. 

In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, oil and honey.

Whisk the two mixtures together and then stir in your chopped hot dogs.

Pour the batter evenly among each lined muffin tin and bake until the tops are golden brown, about 15-20 minutes.

Once the cupcakes have cooled, stir together the mayo, yellow mustard, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard in a small bowl. 

Pipe as much as each guest prefers on top and enjoy!

Print Recipe

Hope y'all have a great day! Don't forget to check out my other 4th of July Recipes below:

  

Talk to y'all very soon!

jgraceblog@gmail.com

xoxo

What to Eat, Shop, and See in Winter Park, Florida

Hello friends. Let me introduce you to where I hope to one day settle down with either the future President of the United States or Tim Tebow... Winter Park Florida. This is the most charming of cities. 

A small home like this would be a great place to spend my life playing croquet in the back yard with my husband as he wears a Ralph Lauren button down with khakis and I wear a Lilly Pulitzer shift dress right before we jet off onto the lake in a pontoon boat with a few golden retrievers and children.........A totally casual and simple life.... I see it ;) 

On a more serious note however, I would love to one day live in this area and live closer to a large lake or  Park Ave, which happens to be my first recommendation. This street is lined with shops where civilians stroll with their pups, or business men discuss things over a glass of wine on an outside patio restaurant. There is something for everyone here....Including a Lilly Pulitzer. 

SHOPS:

When it comes to shops I have a few absolute favorites. Adjectives is a must see if you are an antique lover like me. This is a large and quite organized antique store that has everything from furniture. to clothes, to posters which I had to purchase for my room. (Sidenote: They also had an old croquet set which I thought could be a good investment in my future but I decided to turn the $150 set down after much consideration.) This store does have something for every taste.

My all time favorite however would have to be Owen Allen. Oh. Dear. Lord. I could go HAM in here. Now this is a more expensive store but wow. I have no words to describe it to you. Y'all know from my recipes page that I have a thing for awesome table settings and decor and this place is FULL of just the cutest table settings and cookbooks. I die. 

(The cashier may have looked at me a little weird because I was probably the only 17 year old girl that walked in there to buy a book on the art of napkin folding but I am quite ecstatic :D )

Others that I love are Life is Good, Alex and Ani, Gap, and Walk on Water.

RESTAURANTS & BAKERY'S

My mom and I tried somewhere knew (thanks to a recommendation from a friend I work with) called Toasted. Y'all it is literally a place specializing in grilled cheese. Yeah. You're welcome. Because sometimes you just need a grilled cheese with pulled pork and mac n' cheese on it am I right? Not to mention this place has the best fries eva!!! Also, there is an extensive gluten free and vegan menu...WIN!

AND right next door??? Small Cakes Cupcakery. While sitting on the front patio enjoying our grilled cheese we saw everyone getting dessert to-go from this bakery so we decided to follow suit. Later that afternoon while at home we tried the cupcakes and they are probably the best I have ever had. They top the cake for me in bakery's (no pun intended!). Once again there are gluten free options here too that are pretty amazing as well. They taste just like regular cupcakes!

Some other favorites are Peterbrooke Choclatier, Burger Fi, and The Cheesecake Factory.

SEE & DO:

One of my families favorite thing to do while we have guests in town is take them on the Winter Park Scenic Boat Tour. This is the best way to really see all of Winter Park at a glance. 

There are also many art museums to check out and food festivals that happen every so often as well. Speaking of food, I think Winter Park has a pretty good Farmers Market! Remember this post??

Overall just a beautiful place with a great charm. Hope you stop on by your next time in Central Florida. If you have any questions, feel free to comment below or email me!

jgraceblog@gmail.com

Talk to you very soon!

xoxo

Blue Dress & Moss Trees

Happy Tuesday from Winter Park FL... one of my favorite spots of Central Florida. I love spending time by the lakes watching people paddle board, or shopping the fancy boutiques down Park Ave. I will be doing a full post soon on some of my Winter Park recommendations. 

One thing I love about Winter Park is being able to just drive until you find a random dock on a lake that is completely empty and just waiting for it's picture to be taken. LOVE this place!

Can we take a moment to talk about the BACHELORETTE last night? Oh Em Gee. I don't know who I like any more. I used to love Jordan but now I am not too sure. Not to mention, I don't know where Robby came from but I love him (and his sense of style!). 

But my favorite HAS to be Luke. Part of me hopes they don't end up together because this guy would make probably the HOTTEST Bachelor ever am I right? I'm right. #signmeup #thatvoice #thatbod #thateverything 

The previews for the rest of the season have me like

Who is your favorite this season so far??

Have a great rest of your day! Talk to you very soon!

jgraceblog@gmail.com

xoxo

Peach Iced Tea Recipe + Patriotic Picnic

Happy Sunday and happy Fathers day to all the awesome Fathers out there. Today my family grilled some burgers, and served it up with some of this Peach Iced Tea. It is SO good y'all. Like this whole pitchers worth was gone within hours. We like our iced tea around here and peaches are in season... perfect combo!

Cups // Blanket

Peach Iced Tea

Print Recipe

Ingredients:

1 Cup Sugar

7 Cups Water

3 Sliced Peaches

3 Original Tea Bags

Directions:

Bring the sugar, sliced peaches, and 1 cup of water to a boil then reduce the heat to medium.

Stir for about 5 minutes breaking down the peaches as you do so.

Turn off the burner and let sit for 30 minutes.

To start the tea bring 6 cups of water to a boil and steep with tea bags for 5-7 minutes.

Pour into a pitcher and let sit in the refrigerator.

Once the peach mixture is ready strain it through a fine strainer to remove fruit pieces.

Combine the syrup with the tea and let sit in refrigerator until ready to serve over ice.

Print Recipe

Hope you enjoyed some goofy pictures! I am clearly ready for the fourth! Have a great start to your week!

jgraceblog@gmail.com

xoxo

Cookie Mix in a Jar!

TGIF! What better way to celebrate a Friday other than some cookies am I right? I love to make scrumptious treats from scratch but I don't always have the time (or energy...LOL). The perfect solution are these adorable cookie mixes that are already measured out and in a jar for you. I purchased mine from Joann which carry a wide variety of flavors.

The cookies turned out pretty tasty. Obviously not as good as ones made from scratch but definitely great considering the quick prep time. Who knows maybe making these little gift jars will be my next project to learn. 

Have a great weekend! Talk to y'all very soon.

jgraceblog@gmail.com

xoxo

Stars & Stripes

Happy Hump Day! I know that yesterday was Flag Day but I didn't get this post up in time. Gotta love when real life happens and you rush out to take blog pictures in a thunderstorm after running errands all day.. thus the crazy hair ;) I love patriotic colors all summer long regardless of when the holidays fall. This would be a perfect outfit for Fourth of July coming up though. Nautical fashion is probably my favorite because it is so timeless and classic.

Hope y'all have a great rest of the week! Talk to you very soon!

jgraceblog@gmail.com

xoxo