Friday's Random Five

As I try to find a direction for this blog, I keep coming up with the desire to have a day set aside to share a few randoms each week; such as, new recipes, music, makeup, literature, or anything that I come across that I find interesting.  As this urge to write about my randoms doesn't seem to be going away, I thought, what better day to do this than on Fridays? 

So, for your reading pleasure, I have today's first edition of  Friday's Random Five!  (Aren't you so glad that you stopped by?!?!?)

All of you foodies out there will be pleased to know that three of my randoms for today are recipes that I have come across and am so excited to share.

1. The first of today's random is not so much as a recipe but more of a cooking tip that both Hubs and I are really excited about.  We love asparagus.  It's the perfect side for any summer grill.  We are, however, not fans of soggy asparagus.  Apparently, I have been cooking it all wrong.

I received this tip from my sister, who I think in turn received it from her boyfriend's parents, but I guess that is neither here nor there.  The trick, my friends, is to boil the asparagus for about three minutes, drain the water, and then put ice on the boiled asparagus.  I don't think that it really matters how long you ice it (I think we iced ours for about 30 minutes while prepping other dishes).  When I was ready to put it on the grill, I wrapped it in aluminum foil, seasoned with a bit of butter, salt, pepper, and garlic, and then grilled for about 10-12 minutes.  Oh my goodness.  Delicious, crisp asparagus.  So perfect!

2. I am constantly on the search for healthy sides and came across one the other day while flipping through one of my old cookbooks.  Here is another grill recipe: Broiled Tomatoes with Feta Cheese.  I cut my tomatoes in half  lengthwise and placed them cut sides up.  I pitted them just a bit, drizzled them with olive oil, a bit of fresh ground pepper, salt, and Italian Seasoning.  Then, sprinkled them with Feta Cheese.  Place on your grill for about 5 minutes (or when the cheese starts to brown).  The end result is light, flavorful, and absolutely perfect for summer!

3. My last recipe is one that I am sure all of you have seen on Pinterest.  I have a tendency of pinning these amazing recipes and then never really get a chance to make them.  I'm so glad that I took the time to make this healthy little sweet treat. 

Your three ingredients are bananas, peanut butter, and dark chocolate (I bought the melting dark chocolate from Hobby Lobby that makes these kinds of recipes really easy to do).  I cut two bananas into bite size pieces.  I guess I used about 1/4 of a cup of peanut butter, which I melted and then dipped the banana bites in.  Place them on wax paper and freeze for about an hour.  After the peanut butter was set, I melted the chocolate, dipped my p.b. banana bites in, and froze again.  The result is a satisfyingly sweet treat that you don't have to feel too guilty about eating.      

4. Random Number 4 has nothing to do with food.  Please excuse me for just a moment while I do a make-up rave.  The award for Summer 2012 in the make-up department will have to go to Urban Decay's Naked 2 Eyeshadow Palette.  The colors are beautiful and light and are perfect for every day summer wear.  I am officially obsessed.

5. And my last random rave would have to be classified in the music department.  I have recently fallen in love with the band, Alabama Shakes.  If you are looking for new music, I highly recommend their debut album, Boys and Girls.  The leader singer, Brittany Howard, totally rocks.  She has a very unique voice and combines blues, rock, soul, and reminds me of Janis Joplin because she is really that freakin cool.  Check it out!

Well, that is all my friends!  Enjoy your weekend and have a very happy Friday! :)

-Dee