Baked Southwestern Egg Rolls.

I used to love the southwestern egg rolls at Chili's back in the day. Nowadays, Dave and I try not to eat at places like that (unless we're out on the road and have no other choices). Plus, with me being a vegetarian (technically pescatarian since I do eat some fish), I wouldn't eat the egg rolls at Chili's now anyway since they have chicken in them. Not to mention the fact that Chili's version is fried with who knows what other bad things thrown in...

...but of course these baked egg rolls immediately got my attention on good old Pinterest, we made a lot of changes to it so here's how we made ours...

Ingredients >>

1 10oz package frozen spinach

1 15oz can black beans, drained and rinsed

2 cups Mexican blend cheese

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 package egg roll wrappers (We got ours at Target- in the fruits and veggies section)

Saute spinach. Mix all ingredients (other than egg rolls) in a large bowl until blended. Scoop out about 1/4c of the mixture onto a wrapper (with the corner pointed towards you) and fold corner up. Then fold the two side corners over and roll. Dip your finger in water and seal the corner.

Repeat until mixture is gone. We used about 1/2 the egg roll wrappers.

Lay egg rolls sealed side down on a greased pan. Bake at 425 for 15 minutes, turn them over half way through so they don't burn.

Enjoy! We loved these so much we've already made them twice in one week! The second time we made them without the beans. Next time we'd like to do more vegetables, it's such an easy recipe it's easy to mix it up. They go perfect with some sour cream and salsa...mmm...

March Sponsor Intro...

I'm so excited to introduce my fabulous March sponsors today! These women are wonderful and I hope you all go and show them some love on their sites...

From the moment my husband and I brought PattySue home, we knew she had a special personality. Both of us have adopted dogs before, but this particular dog just captures your heart! I started to write the story from our perspective of her adoption but then Karen said she wanted to write a story about PattySue so we decided to do it together. We wrote it from PattySue's perspective and put her feelings on paper. Two minds being better than one, it all started to flow! It has been a lot of fun and now book two has been written and in the process of being illustrated. I have number three in my head and ready to write with Karen. PattySue is the inspiration for sure. She is an absolute doll with a fun personality. I feel very fortunate to have found her. Everyone feels that the adopted animal is so fortunate to have found a warm, loving family and PattySue is indeed fortunate to be so loved, but I personally feel extremely fortunate that this cute, energetic and loving dog has found her way into my life. Truly "PattySue no matter what you do, I will always love you.”

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Paragraph: Hi! I'm Amanda from Dragonflight Dreams, which is the name of both my blog and my shop. I started blogging as a way to chronicle my adventures in screenprinting and running an Etsy shop, but it's grown into something much broader. By now it's really more of a lifestyle/everyday blog, which can include anything from things around Austin, recipes, outfit posts, random lists, updates on my shop, etc. It's become a great outlet for me, and way to (virtually) meet a lot of wonderful people.

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Hey lovelies, I'm Ana and I blog over at A+M. I started this blog as a way to document the beginning of my newlywed life. I'm a 20-something Brazilian living in Northern California and I married the cute guy you see in the picture after we met while he was on vacation in Brazil. I blog about the new places we go, the new recipes we try, the ups and down of being married and about being an ex-pat. Last year, we opened an etsy shop with the prints we like the best. I hope you stop by to say hello!

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I started blogging over at Fireflies & Cattails because I wanted to be a part of this wonderful creative community! I also have a little shop on Etsy under the same name. I love to share what I've made in hopes of inspiring others to create as well. Right now I blog about recipes and projects I'm working on, DIY's, my faith, and I'm hoping to start doing style posts as well. I've been a little busy getting ready for a few craft shows this Summer so I'll probably be writing about that as well. I'm so ready for Summer, aren't you?!

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Hi! I'm Daina. I moved to New York City in 2003 to attend NYU and instantly fell in love with my new home. Years later, I still pinch myself as I walk through the city to make sure I am not dreaming. The energy, people, and sights are unlike anywhere else. I blog about my adventures and life in the greatest city in the world.

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I run a business because my hands just won't sit still. ;) I've gotta have SOMETHING to do while watching TV or relaxing at night with a glass of wine.The real reason is that I love to create beauty. When I leave my day job of creating digitally as a Marketing Manager, I've got to have an outlet - and we can't be on the computer 24 hours a day, right? I think everyone needs to have an outlet to express themselves - to express their creative side. I just happen to have turned mine into a business. I also love to design, decorate and dream about the house that my husband and I just purchased and the fresh canvas I almost have my hands on. Did I mention I love Carmenere wine? If you haven't tried it, do.

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***If you're interested in sponsoring "Home is with you..." for the month of April, go here for more info and then email me! I can't wait to hear from you!

SXSW Part 2...

Yesterday in Part 1 I told you guys all about Dave's show during South by Southwest, but SXSW was a week long experience and we tried our best to make to most of it and do some footwork for the music. We had meetings, hung up posters, handed out albums, and listened to bands. It was such a fun yet exhausting week!

One of Dave's buddies from Minneapolis, David LeDuc, was in town to play some shows so we met up with him one afternoon to check out some shows and talk for a bit. They had a great discussion at dinner that night and David had some great reflections on their talk, you can watch them here and here.

I love the questions at the end of Part 1, I think that's something we should all ask ourselves. So, what's something that you need to let go of?

And I just love this last picture. I was cracking up when I dropped Dave off on 6th street the morning of his show. I felt like I was leaving him at camp for the week or something. It was even more comical considering the fact that 6th street was flooded with people that week.

As I drove back to our place I kept imagining him trying to weave his way through all the people with all of that stuff. It's always an adventure with us...

RedGorilla Music Fest / SXSW - Recap Part 1

The day of Dave's show on 6th street during SXSW I dropped him off on 6th street at about 11. He had to get there early to do sound check and all of that good stuff and my parents had just gotten in town so I was meeting up with them. I wish you all could have seen him when I dropped him off with all his stuff, it was too funny (I'll probably post those pics in part 2).

If you're in Austin, you know the traffic is CRAZY during SXSW. What should have been a 30 minute drive to meet up with my parents took an hour and a half. We had planned on them coming to see our place first and going somewhere to eat on our side of town, but thanks to the traffic decided to scratch that and just head downtown.

This worked out perfectly though because Dave was finished with his stuff and he was able to join us for some dinner...

We had come down earlier in the week to put up posters and when we showed up on Thursday (the day before the show) we noticed a bunch of them were gone. The bartender told us people had been taking them as souvenirs, apparently everything that's not bolted down is fair game at SXSW...

The bartenders at Touche had decided that before Dave's show they were going to break the world record for the number of "flaming doctor peppers" taken at the same time...still not sure what a flaming doctor pepper is, in case someone can fill me in...

So, they were rounding people up and taking down their information (for the Guinness book of records), it was pretty fun to watch.

I couldn't stand/sit still while waiting for Dave's show to start so I walked around and took a few pics of Touche and 6th street...

Then, at 9, it was finally time for the show to start! Dave rocked it (as always) and I took pictures and handed out albums. Every time I asked someone if they wanted an album I would get an "ummmm" with a face telling me that they've already been handed plenty of albums this week that they will probably never listen to...

...BUT when I told them it was the album of "the guy playing" their faces instantly lit up and their answer was "yes!" I think this is such a testament for Dave's music and how amazing he is live.

Special shoutout to my blogger friends Shalyn and Nikol for coming out to the show and bringing friends! You all are awesome :) If you're like to to purchase Dave's album you can go here! We really appreciate all of your support and for helping us spread the word about the music. We can't do this without you all and we are so grateful you guys are behind us in this. Also, if you're curious where to find Dave, here are his links...

Twitter - Facebook - Website - iTunes

Life Lately via Instagram...

This week...

I was playing around and made a bottle cap magnet, I kinda like it :)

I made Dave and I these melt in your mouth coconut balls.

Dave and I had our 3 year Anniversary. We just relaxed at home and he made me a special drink and some homemade southwestern eggrolls...both were amazing. (eggroll recipe is coming!)

Also, in case you missed them, here are the engagement/wedding posts from this week!
Engagement ~ Getting ready ~ Ceremony ~ Reception

I got a big shipment of supplies for the shop and I'm so excited for some spring pretties that I'm preparing to make!

Also, I sent out this sneak peak of a product I was working on the other day.

Saturday was GORGEOUS here in Austin. Dave and I spent the afternoon out and about, just enjoying the weather. It was so nice to get out and enjoy the sunshine after being a bit cooped up this week!

What were you all up to this week? For more pictures and updates make sure to follow me on instagram @mallorieowens.

Linking up with Story of my Life, A Good Life, and A Little Dash of Ash ...

Introducing Citlalli of Sew Beastly...

Today I'm excited to introduce to you the person behind the wonderful online shop "Sew Beastly". She is a fellow Storenvy shop with affordable handmade items. I am in love with her super cute clutches! I asked her a few questions so you all could get to know her better. Make sure you go check out her sites and especially her amazing shop!

This one is my favorite...

1. Why did you start an online shop?

I decided to start an online shop after a few friends told me I should sell my creations.

New items coming to the shop soon!

2. I love your clutches! How long have you been sewing? Why did you begin to sew?

I've been sewing for a little over a year now. It all started after I decided I needed some "me" time. I worked long and stressful hours, so I thought picking up a hobby would help me relax.

3. Any tips for someone thinking about starting their own online shop?

Go for it! It's never going to be the "perfect" time.

Now go show her some love!

Shop ~ Blog ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Pinterest

*If you're interested in sponsoring next month go here for more info!

Coconut Balls Recipe.

I have always loved the Ferrero Raffaello coconut candy balls that are always in the checkout line at Target so when I found this recipe I decided to try it for our Anniversary yesterday...according to Dave, the only thing I did wrong was not make enough of these amazing little treats.

I decided to mix it up a bit, so you can either do them all one way or half and half like I did...but here's how I made them...

Batch 1:
-3/4 c graham crackers, mashed
-1/3 c coconut flakes (plus extra to rolls balls in)
-3/8 c almonds(just fill your 3/4 c half full)
-1/2 c powdered sugar
-2 Tbsp almond milk
-1 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted

*Batch 2 is the same as Batch 1, just add about 1/4 c white chocolate chips (we like Ghirardelli brand)

Mix all of the dry ingredients in a food processor and grind until well mixed (and almonds are chopped a bit).

Add in milk and butter and grind again until well mixed (you might have to stop halfway through and push the batter down with a spoon).

Put Batch 1 in a bowl and cover, place in fridge. Repeat all steps with Batch 2.

Leave both bowls in the fridge for a little over an hour. Then scoop them out with a spoon and roll into balls. I only did coconut on the outside for about half of the first batch. Just sprinkle the flakes in your hand and roll the ball like normal and the flakes will stick to the outside.

Refridgerate all of the coconut balls for at least 2 hours (to set) before enjoying...

Then dig in! These were so easy to make and we enjoyed them so much I will definitely be making these on a regular basis now!

3 years...

As I sit here it is the exact moment, 3 years ago, that I walked down the aisle towards Dave. Walking down that aisle and saying "I do" was the best decision I have ever made. Period. My life is so much fuller because of him...

Just last night, I was starting to pout a bit (as we women tend to do) about how we wouldn't get much time today to celebrate like we usually do. It's midterm week for Dave and he has tests today and a paper due tomorrow, plus meetings with people we met at SXSW (more on that later). Not to mention the fact that we can't afford to get each other gifts this year- which only makes me sad because there was something I really wanted to get Dave, but we just can't afford it...

...and Dave kissed me on the forehead, looked me in the eyes, and said, "it's ok, every day is a celebration of our marriage". HOW did I get so lucky? And he's right. Oh so right. Every day that passes is a celebration of our love and devotion to one another.

So cheers to 3 years, and forever... 

We played this song of Dave's during the lighting of our unity candle

Our Wedding: Reception

 After we took a few pictures we headed to our reception venue. To anyone planning a wedding (or any event for that matter) in the Wichita/Andover area, I highly recommend The Ville! It's a big ballroom in a church that was made to look like an Italian village. It was so perfect because we didn't have to do too much extra decorating to make it look gorgeous in there...

So funny story number 1, when Dave and I went to cut the cake we hit one of maybe 3 tiny pegs that held the cake up. Of course, at the time we didn't realize we had, so we pushed and pushed and tried to cut that dang cake...and we just weren't getting anywhere...

These pictures still make me laugh out loud, my arms were shaking I was pushing so hard. Finally we moved less than a centimeter over and were able to slice right into the cake. Haha, what are the odds.

Alright, time for funny story number 2...when Dave and I went to cross arms and drink the champagne we didn't realize that you crossed around and sipped out of your own champagne. So there we were for about five minutes trying to give each other a sip of champagne from our glasses, trying oh so hard not to get it all over each other...finally someone told us we were doing it wrong. Haha, dorks.

Love him. Our first dance was to "Anything you Want" by Roy Orbison.

All photos were taken by Gingeroot Studios.

So that's the end of the wedding posts! Hope you all enjoyed them as much as I enjoyed getting to share them with you all! I can't believe it was 3 years ago today...more on that later...if you missed the engagement, getting ready, and ceremony posts check them out!