Blue Cheese Veggie Burger

Sometimes all a girl wants is a burger and beer. One that she can really sink her teeth into...even if that girl is a vegetarian! So when I got tired of just watching my husband enjoy his gourmet BEEF burgers, I decided to create my own VEGETARIAN one!

Just take some Gimme Lean - ground beef style and some blue cheese...and whatever other toppings you would like!

For a big burger, take about half the Gimme Lean and almost a 1/2 cup blue cheese.

Combine cheese and soy meat together to form a patty. Salt.

Grill over medium heat for about 15 minutes (flipping over half-way through) and serve with fries & a beer for a yummy, filling meal! I topped mine with veggie bacon (Morning Star brand), avocado, lettuce, tomato and onion. I happen to LOVE blue cheese so I sprinkled just a little on top of the patty as well. Served on a big kaiser bun (toasted just a bit), this meal was so filling I couldn't finish it despite how good it was!

Baby Shower: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

This weekend I, along with some girlfriends, had the pleasure of throwing a shower for a close friend who is having a baby girl in just a few weeks!

"But this tree in the yard--this tree that men chopped down...this tree that they built a bonfire around, trying to burn up its stump--this tree had lived!"
 -Betty Smith, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

Being the book lover that this new mommy is, it was only fitting that her baby have a name with a strong and meaningful literature connection. Brooklyn.
Since she was named after the classic book A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, I decided to run with this in creating the diaper cake. Her nursery's colors are brown and various shades of pink, so the branches and little blossoms fit perfectly into the color scheme!

And instead of the traditional sign-in looseleaf paper, we bought a hardback copy of the book and had all the guests sign in it for Baby Brooklyn.

The invitation to help welcome guests in!

Here is the guess-the-date calendar set out on the sign-in table. The guests were able to guess Brooklyn's birthday by placing a gemstone on the date they think she will be born and sign their name next to it! The Tree of Heaven (another book reference) marked the baby's due date!

Our yummy menu at Pompeii Italian Grill!

The tables were adorned with pink flowers in glass baby bottles tied with cute ribbon and little baby rattles giving the restaurant atmosphere more of a baby-chic vibe! ;)

For the cake, fresh flowers were put on top to match the ones on the table. Beautiful!

We played three fun games at the shower!
1) "Guess Who's Pregnant?" in which guests had to match the animal to the length of pregnancy. Be thankful we are not elephants...they are pregnant for 22 months!
2) "What's in the Bag?" -This is where guests had to name 10 things that might be in Kim's diaper bag!

Here is the mama-to-be unveiling all the items in the bag! The first item was a change of clothes! 
Will definitely be needed!!!

3) "Baby Trivia" - A multiple choice quiz on all sorts of fun baby facts!!! Did you know babies were born without kneecaps?!? Crazy!
We had little frozen yogurt mixes to give away as prizes - sounded so yummy in this heat!
Mojito frozen yogurt? Yes please!!!

The other hostesses and I wish Kim and Baby Brooklyn all the best! We had so much fun planning the shower and seeing it all come together! We can't wait to meet Baby Brooklyn!