The Ordinary Housewife

Fun Summer Kid Stuff

2011-07-14T19:04:00.001-07:00

So, since I've been obsessed with Pinterest, I've found a ton of great ideas about pretty much everything. Such as decorating, DIY and craft ideas, style, food...everything I could ever want! And I also got a lot of fun ideas for kids, which has been great with keeping them busy this summer. So here's a few of the great things I've found, and I will link back to the original website so you can check them out!

Ok, first is brilliant for hot hot weather. Ice cube painting!

Go here to check that out!

Next is a cute little jellyfish craft...

So cute! Go here to see how to make those.

Ok, this is super cool. Glow in the dark jell-o!

For that, and a bunch of other cool ideas, go here.

And I actually did this one with my boys today. A cape out of a men's shirt.

Go here for some great instructions on how to make one!

This looks super fun and would keep my kids occupied forever...cornstarch sidewalk paint!

To see how to make that, go here.

Lastly, here's a cute little lunch or snack idea to eat while you're doing all that fun stuff!

Here's where that fun idea came from!

So, I hope some of you can find those ideas useful to keep you kids entertained this summer! They really have been helping me!! Also, if you haven't been over to pinterest, go check it out! It's AWESOME and I'm obsessed and in love with it. Anyway, let me know if you try any of these fun activities. We've got ice cube painting on the schedule for next week when the temperatures supposed to get into the hundreds...bleh!

Enjoy!!

Lemon Nut Balls

2011-07-13T08:59:00.000-07:00

Lemon Nut Balls. Hehehe. Sorry, I'm a child. But the name makes me giggle! Anyway, sorry I've been MIA for a while! I've been working and then pretty much just sitting around because it's so effin' hot! It got to like 107 degrees a couple weeks ago! And you know how I hate summer, especially when it's so miserably hot. This week hasn't been too bad, but next week's supposed to be another scorcher! Ugh. That being said, I'll try to get back here more often. Are any of you even still out there? Hello...hello...echo...echo.........

Alright, I made these lemon nut balls..hehe...a couple weeks ago for a little treat when it was pretty hot out. I found the recipe on Allrecipes. The great thing is that these require no baking and they're lemon so they are quite refreshing! Also, they're super easy.

So, here's what you'll need...

1/2 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup lemon juice
5 cups confectioners' sugar
3/4 cup nonfat dry milk powder
1 cup finely chopped pecans (I used walnuts)
In a large mixing bowl, combine the butter and lemon juice. Combine confectioners' sugar and milk powder; gradually add to butter mixture, beating until smooth. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Shape into 1-in. balls; roll in nuts. Store in the refrigerator.

I really, really enjoyed these! They're reminiscent of lemon bars, which I love. They have a light lemon flavor though, so if you want that to be a little more intense I'd maybe add some lemon zest. I'm sure I'll be making these quite a bit this summer when I need a little refreshing treat.

What do you like making when it's hot out?

Parmesan Artichoke Chicken Salad

2011-06-06T14:21:00.000-07:00

Why, Hello! How have you been? Sorry I've been kinda...gone. I've actually been pretty busy. The boys are off of school for the summer now, and I got a part time job doing hair! So yeah, busy busy.

I made this chicken salad probably a month ago and now I'm finally getting it on here! I just made it up to use up some leftover roasted chicken, much like this other chicken salad, and it turned out delicious!!

Ok, lets get to it! You'll need:

2 cups cooked chicken, chopped

1 cup marinated artichoke hearts, chopped

2 green onions, chopped

1/3 cup parmesan cheese

1/4 cup mayo

1 tablespoon dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

Mix it all together and enjoy! I loved this with some parmesan crisps from Trader Joes...yum yum!

Chili Lime Potato Breakfast Burritos

2011-05-23T08:24:00.001-07:00

I've been on a chili lime kick lately. It's a good combo! So, I was thinking that some chili lime seasoned potatoes would be pretty awesome in a breakfast burrito with some eggs, cheese, and green taco sauce. Yum!

Ok, here's what you'll need:

3 potatoes (I used 2 russets and 1 sweet potato), diced

olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon chili powder

2 tablespoons lime juice

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Put diced potatoes on a baking sheet and drizzle generously with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt, garlic powder, chili powder, and lime juice. Toss potatoes to coat evenly. Roast for about 15-20 minutes, or until tender and a little crispy.

Put in a burrito sized tortilla and top with some eggs, cheese, and favorite salsa.

These were tasty! My husband liked them without the sweet potato, but I kinda liked the sweetness it gave with all the seasoning. These would be great with some sausage also, for those that need to put some meat in there!

Enjoy!!

My Favorites...Makeup Edition

2011-05-14T18:53:00.000-07:00

I'm addicted to beauty products. Especially makeup. It's true. I wish I had like $500 right now that I could use just to buy makeup. Seriously. I would love that a lot. The sad part is that I could probably even spend more than that. I'm ok with my addiction though. No need to do an intervention or anything. Anyway, today I'm going to share with you some of my absolute favorites. I love it.

Ok, my first favorite is MAC bronzer. Bronzer just gives your face a nice summery glow. It's a must have for me.

Next up, MAC eyeshadow. I wish I could buy all of them. A few of my favorites are gesso, brule, shroom, handwritten, and carbon. Those are all neutrals and the ones I use the most, but they have a ton of fun colors!

My next favorite is MAC's Fluidline gel eyeliner. I have the color blacktrack, but I really want them all. This eyeliner stays exactly how you applied it all day long. It's freakin' fantastic!

I just started using this next one recently, but I really like it a lot. It's L'Oreal's Carbon Black Voluminous mascara. Super dark black, nice separation, and your lashes stay soft and it doesn't flake off at all. Really great mascara and cheap!

Ok, some of you might not need this next one at all, but I do! Maybelline Expert Eyes Brow & Eye Pencils Duo in blonde. My eyebrows are light and kind of sparse, so I need these to give my eyebrows a little definition.

Next is Benefit Dandelion Luminizer. A nice soft pink highlighting powder. I love this stuff. I like using this along with my bronzer.

On to the lips! I love the Sephora Collection Ultra Shine Lip Gloss. I have it in shiny natural look, but of course want several other colors.

Next is nail polish. I love love love nail polish and have quite a few, but one that I have to have at all times is OPI's Lincoln Park After Dark. It's an almost black purple color and it's almost always what I put on my toes.

Well, that's it for my favorites...makeup edition!!! What are your favorites? I'd love to know!

P.S. I'll have a food related post up again soon!

Ramen Pad Thai

2011-05-09T08:13:00.000-07:00

I have never had pad thai. I always hear people saying how good it is, then i happened to find a couple recipes and kinda combined the two. Anyway, this pad thai uses Top Ramen noodles and is super easy and delicious. Now that I've had it I think I need to try it at a restaurant, but then again it's so awesome and easy to make at hone why would I?? And just a note, I'm sure this is not authentic pad thai (especially since I use ramen noodles), but it's freakin' good!

Alright lets get to it...here's what you'll need...

3 pkgs. Top Ramen (doesn't matter what flavor, we're only using the noodles)

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce

1 1/2 tablespoons lime juice

1 tablespoon chili garlic sauce

3 tablespoons canola oil

1 cup (2 inch) green onion pieces

8 oz shrimp, chicken, pork, tofu, or other veggies

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup fresh bean sprouts

1/4 cup chopped peanuts

3 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil

Cook noodles, drain. Combine sugar, soy sauce, fish sauce, lime juice, and chili garlic sauce in a small bowl. Heat large skillet or wok over medium high heat and add oil. Add onion pieces, meat or veggies, and garlic. Cook 2 minutes or until meat is almost done. Add noodles and sauce. Cook til meat is fully cooked. Top each serving of noodles with bean sprouts, peanuts, and basil. Enjoy!

I made mine with shrimp, but I think next time I'm just going to stick with chicken or veggies. I'd like to do mushrooms, carrots, and snow peas. The shrimp was good, but I've just become weird with shrimp. I think it started after I watched that movie District 9. I'm a weirdo. Anyway, this was delicious and you should try it!

Happy Mothers Day!

2011-05-08T08:41:00.000-07:00

My boys played with this ladybug on my basil plant for like an hour the other day!

Hope all you moms out there are having fantastic days with your kids! I better get back to playing Mario Galaxy 2 with my boy now...

♥

Slow Cooker Lime Chicken Soft Tacos...and a Fail.

2011-05-05T22:46:00.000-07:00

Happy Cinco de Mayo! Honestly, I have no idea what Cinco de Mayo is about. If you want to leave me a comment telling me how I'm an uneducated idiot, go right ahead. What I do know is that a lot of people eat Mexican food today and I can dig that. Any day that gives me an excuse to make any sort of food is all good for me.

So, I decided to go ahead and make some chicken taco filling in the ol' crock pot! I just made it up with stuff I had on hand. And I kinda threw stuff in there so my measurements are approximate. It'll be ok though, I promise.

Ok, here's what you'll need...

4 chicken breasts (I just threw them in frozen)

1/4 cup lime juice

1 tablespoon chili powder

2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 teaspoon cumin

1/4 cup green taco sauce

1 tablespoon dried minced onion

1 teaspoon brown sugar

salt and pepper

Throw all ingredients in the slow cooker and cook on low for 4-6 hours. Once the chickens fully cooked, shred and return to sauce for at least another half hour.

You can use this in soft tacos like I did with whatever toppings you want, or make some fantastic burritos or enchiladas! Or just eat it by itself right out of the crock pot...I like to do stuff like that.

Yum yum yum!! So good!

Anyway, I also wanted to make a nice dessert to go with out little mexican meal so I decided to make a flan. I have never had flan before and I really wanted to try it. Sadly, my flan...was a flop. I don't know what happened but it looked horrible.

You better believe I ate it. The taste really wasn't bad. The texture was off though and my older boy said it tasted like eggs in barf. That was a little harsh. Oh well, try, try again. I don't know if I will though.

Anyway, hope everyone had some mexican food to celebrate whatever today is about! I'm going to go eat the rest of my flan.

Eclair Cake

2011-05-04T13:08:00.000-07:00

This recipe is so stupidly fast and easy you'd be stupid not to make it just for that fact. Not that I think you're stupid or anything. But it really is super easy and you don't have to heat up your oven which is another reason why I made it. It's been getting effin' hot here and I am avoiding the oven. I've already cut 3 pairs of my jeans into shorts...

Anyway, I've seen this recipe on Allrecipes a lot and have been thinking about making it for a while. So I finally did the other day. Seriously, so easy! Did i tell you how it's so fast and easy to make? I didn't know if I mentioned it or not...

Ok, here's what you'll need...

1/2 cup heave whipping cream

1 3.5 oz pkg. instant vanilla pudding mix (I used Trader Joes because I'm cool like that)

1 1/2 cups milk

1/2 box of graham crackers

chocolate frosting:

1/4 cup softened butter

1 cup powdered sugar

1/4 cup cocoa

1/8 teaspoon vanilla

2-3 tablespoons milk

First things first, whip cream til stiff peaks form. Fold in pudding mix and milk. Set aside. In an 8x8 baking dish, arrange graham crackers in a single layer. Spread with half the pudding mixture, then top with another layer of graham crackers. Spread the other half of the pudding mixture on top, then put one final layer or graham crackers. Mix chocolate frosting ingredients thoroughly. Spread a layer of frosting over the entire thing. Chill.

Now, for me, the longer you chill this the better. I tried it after a few hours and thought it was just ok. i really think this should chill overnight at the least.

This isn't a fancy dessert. It's an easy, eat out of the pan by yourself with a spoon kind of dessert. Well, it was for me anyway....

Cranberry Walnut Chicken Salad

2011-04-29T13:00:00.001-07:00

I started thinking about making this chicken salad last night. I knew I had some left over roasted chicken in the fridge that I needed to use up and thought of what I had on hand (because I really need to go grocery shopping) and I made up this recipe in my head. Then I made it for myself for lunch. I just gotta say...yum. It was good.

So here's what you'll need...

2 cups cooked chicken, chopped

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

1/2 cups dried cranberries

1/4 cup finely chopped onion

1/4 cup finely chopped dill pickle

1/4 cup mayo

1 tablespoon dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon salt

pepper to taste (which means none for me)

Mix everything together and make a sandwich!

Yum!! So good with some kettle chips, especially if the chips are on the sandwich. Mmmmhmm.

Happy Easter!

2011-04-24T11:27:00.001-07:00

Happy Easter! So, as I mentioned last time, I made the treats for my kids baskets this year, at least the edible treats anyway. I'm going to try and plan better next year so i can make the other stuff for them too. Anyway, I didn't make a ton of different goodies, just a few easy things because i don't want them to have a ton of sugar anyway.

Here's their baskets...

All of the other stuff that I didn't make I got at the dollar store, so these were not expensive at all. Included in each was a giant thing of bubbles, a coloring book, a puzzle, a glow stick, and their sweets that I made. Here's a closer look at those...

There's peanut butter easter eggs, jellybean bark, chocolate covered pretzel rods, and I also made sugar cookies that I just decorated with sprinkles because by the time they were done it was like 1:00 in the morning and I did not feel like icing them.

For dinner I'm making juicy roast chicken, onion tart, and just a basic salad. Dessert will pretty much be leftover candy. So all in all a nice holiday without much planning, I'm really hoping to do more next year. I like doing this kind of stuff for my kids to build nice traditions and memories that they'll remember. Holidays with traditions are big to me!! Anyway, hope you're all having a fantastic Easter!! I would love to know what you made for today or what traditions you have!

Dinner for My Gramps

2011-04-22T13:06:00.000-07:00

About a month ago my Dad came down from Idaho to help my Gramps out a bit. If you remember, my Gramps was diagnosed with bladder cancer a couple of years ago, had his bladder removed, and was in remission. Well, the cancer is now back, all over, and he's going through chemo and needs a lot of help. He's hanging in there though!

Anyway, while my Dad was here he invited me to come to my Gramps' and make dinner with him. Being my Dad, he got some big ol' honkin' steaks!

Those are some damn good lookin' steaks though, wouldn't ya say? So, my dad did the steaks and I was in charge of the sides. I didn't do anything fancy, just garlic fries from Trader Joes (which are awesome, by the way, and if you haven't tried them you need to ASAP!!!) and I also made a caprese salad with heirloom tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and a balsamic reduction.

Fresh, easy, beautiful, and SO GOOD!!!

I also made dessert which was just a simple angel food cake with balsamic strawberries and whipped cream. Deeeeelishous meal, if I do say so myself. Plus, you can't beat the view...

I'll be posting some Easter stuff this weekend because I'm making the treats for my boys' Easter baskets. I'm sooooooooooo excited!!

So......What's New???

2011-04-10T19:05:00.000-07:00

Yeah, what's new with you? I know what you're thinking right now. You're thinking "Well, where the hell have you been!" And my answer to that would be...you know...I've been...around. Actually you won't even believe this. My stupid computer cord broke. Again. So I need to buy a new one. Again. But that was like 2 months ago.

So here's what's been going on. My oldest boy turned 7 a few weeks ago!! We had a little party at the local skating rink. It was lots of fun and now he loves skating! My younger boy did not like skating. At all. But that's ok. He had fun sitting at the edge, giving everyone high fives. I actually skated too, which was pretty hilarious at first because I haven't skated since like 6th grade. I still had fun though! By the way, sorry for the lack of pics! But like I said, my computer is out of commission and I am on the parents' right now.

I am so missing posting recipes and such, but I have good news!! After living with my father-in-law's for 6 months, we finally got our own place and will be moving in this week! OMG you don't even know how happy this makes me! I will have my own house with my own kitchen again and will be able to cook whatever and whenever I want! My husbands been working and things are looking up...lovin' it! Seriously though, do you think we could maybe not move again for a while? Holy crap, man!

Anyway, last night we went to our first roller derby bout! It was so fun to watch and we only went because...get this...my mom is on the team! She's actually been on the team for quite a while, but I haven't been able to go to any of the bouts until last night. She didn't get to skate last night because the team has so many players that they basically have to rotate who gets to play in each bout. Anyway, it's always fun to tell people that my 50 year old mother is on a roller derby team! Her derby name is Blonde Zombie. I love it. I'm actually considering joining a team, but I have a bad knee so I'm scared! It would be so fun though and I'd feel like a bad ass haha! If I did what should my derby name be?? C'mon! Gimme some suggestions!!

Now on another "things breaking" note, this morning I took my phone out of my pocket and the screen had 3 big cracks in it! So I couldn't unlock the stupid touch screen and lost all my contacts. Totally ruined my day, which I found sad because it's a freaking phone! But I got a new, better, phone coming in the mail and for now am just using my step brothers old dinosaur of a Nokia. Seriously, texting on this phone takes like 5 minutes for me. This is my life.

Oh and one more good thing to mention...I'm going to have a new niece or nephew this year! And also one of my cousins who I'm very close to is having his first baby with his new wife and they are due on the same day as my brother and his wife! Crazy and so exciting! I better start crocheting and get to sewing!

So that's pretty much what's been going on with me. Hopefully I'll get a new computer cord soon and can be back to posting with pictures and fancy stuff like that!! Hope some of you are still reading!

Leftover Pasta Frittata

2010-11-30T11:35:00.000-08:00

Guess what? I didn't take any pictures of any Thanksgiving food. At all. I'm fired.

But to make it up to you I did make this leftover pasta frittata this morning! Do you ever have leftover pasta? I always do. Always. And I don't always like to just reheat it as is and eat it like that. Enter the leftover pasta frittata. (I feel like I'm doing an infomercial, haha!) It's suuuuuuuper easy, and it's something you could make for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

All you need is some leftover pasta, (I don't know exactly how much I had....maybe 4-5 cups) 4 eggs, 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, 1/2 cup mozzarella, salt, and maybe some crushed red pepper flakes.

Ok, the leftover pasta I had just had a basic marinara type sauce, but you could really use anything. In a 10 inch skillet, heat about a tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. In a bowl, mix together all ingredients. Add the pasta/egg/cheese mixture to the pan, cover. Let it cook til the bottom is a nice golden brown. Now you could either flip it to get the other side, or do like I did and just put in under the broiler. After that, just let it cool for a few minutes then flip it out onto a plate and slice.

This is good hot, warm, or even cold. And it's a good way to use up leftovers.

Try it, you'll like it! :)

My Thanksgiving Menu

2010-11-24T11:34:00.000-08:00

I just did my Thanksgiving shopping the other day at Trader Joes. I love Trader Joes. I just had to say that. Anyway, I thought I'd share my Thanksgiving menu with you all. It's only going to be 4 of us this year, plus my two boys, so I don't need to cook a ton. I still kind of am though...

Ok, here's my menu...

Turkey, of course. My father-in-law wants to deep fry it so that's what we're doing. I've never had a turkey deep fried before.

Simple & Delicious Sausage Balls

Mashed Potatoes and Gravy

Cornbread Stuffing (from Trader Joes) with sauteed apples and onions added

Artichoke Parmesan Sourdough Stuffing

Sauteed Corn with a little cream and butter

Green Beans Almondine

Sweet Potato Casserole (this is a family recipe I'll have to share with you - super easy)

Crescent Rolls (from Trader Joes)

Cranberry Sauce (from Trader Joes)

Pumpkin Cheesecake (from Trader Joes)

German Chocolate Pecan Pie with Vanilla Ice Cream

So, as you can see, I am taking some short cuts with some prepared stuff from Trader Joes. And it still pretty much looks like a ton of food. Oh well. Hello leftovers!!! I'll post some pics tomorrow.

So what are you cooking? Do you take short cuts too? Are you cooking at all or is someone else doing the cooking?

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cake with Vanilla Glaze

2010-11-23T14:47:00.000-08:00

I made this cake today. Then I had a bit of a photo shoot with it....

Ooooh that's it....now show me sexy...

Alright, alright....now shy....

Give me some anger....

....

Ok, I wasn't doing that. that would be weird. But I did take quite a few pics. Of a cake. That's just the kind of girl I am. Anyway, I made this cake for my sister in law to take to her Thanksgiving work potluck tomorrow. She doesn't like cooking. Ok, back to the cake. This cake is awesome. Very moist and flavorful and delicious. Alright let's get to it.

Here's what you'll need...

For the cake:

2 cups of pumpkin

4 eggs

1 cup oil

2/3 cups spiced apple cider (I used Trader Joes, of course)

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup brown sugar, packed

2 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

2 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease bundt pan.
In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, water and sugars until well blended. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and ginger. Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended. Fold in chocolate chips. Pour into the prepared pan.
Bake for about one hour and 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Cake is done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

For the glaze:

1 tablespoon butter, melted

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1-2 tablespoons milk

pinch of salt

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Mix all ingredients til creamy. Add more milk if necessary for desired consistency. Pour over completely cooled cake.

Enjoy!!!

Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Soup

2010-11-22T18:02:00.001-08:00

This is one of those recipes on AllRecipes.com that has tons of fantastic reviews and that I've had in my recipe box for just about forever. Well, I finally made it for dinner today and just finished eating a bowl of it 10 minutes ago. So good!!! And so easy too since you just throw everything in the slow cooker and let it cook all day. Now that's my kind of meal!

Ok, here's what you need...

1 onion, chopped
1 (16 ounce) can chili beans
1 (15 ounce) can black beans
1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle beer
2 (10 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained (I used one 14.5 oz can of fire roasted tomatoes with chili's from Trader Joes)
1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning
3 whole skinless, boneless chicken breasts (I just threw them in frozen)
shredded Cheddar cheese (optional)
sour cream (optional)
crushed tortilla chips (optional)

Just throw everything in the slow cooker (except the cheese, sour cream, or chips) and cook on low for 4-6 hours. That's it! Then top with whatever you want, like cheese, chips, sour cream, or even some avocado would be nice.

Make this! It's the perfect easy meal to make before the big one later on this week ;)

Enjoy!

bff ;)

2010-11-16T21:41:00.001-08:00

Now that my brother is in the military supporting the troops has a whole other meaning to me. Of course I supported our troops before, but now it's more personal and I'm more proud to do it. I now have my "Proud Sister of an Army Soldier" sticker on my car and I really am so proud of my brother. Anyway, I wanted to tell you guys about these bff bracelets.

"bff celebrates the unique and unconditional support friends have for each other through good times and bad. Together with the American Freedom Foundation, we are now able to help America connect with friends in the military! This pair of bff bracelets will create a bond of awareness and appreciation for our baff’s (best armed forces friends)!"

So, when you buy a bracelet you get one for yourself, then they send a matching one to a member of the military. And each pair of bracelets has a unique engraved number on it so that you can connect on the website. Isn't that cool? I love it. P.S. It's only $10!

If you're interested go to bff.tv or click on the image above.

That's my brother, my sister-in-law, and my sweet niece!

Oh and by the way, I'm not getting paid to talk about this or anything, I just think this is a super cool organization. So buy a bracelet and get a new bff :)

Decorating Part 2 : The Master Bedroom

2010-11-15T09:16:00.001-08:00

It is imagination decorating time, once again!! Like I said in my kitchen decorating post, I've been thinking about how I would decorate once we get our own house. Today is the master bedroom edition! I really want something fun, pretty, romantic, slightly glamorous. I know this room is my husbands room too, but lets face it, this is all about me. Plus he doesn't really care anyway.

Ok, first let's start with what really inspired me for this room...

This furniture from Pier 1. I love it. It's mirrored! Did I say that I love it? It's just so glamorous! Anyway, I love it! So that's what got me started.

Then, I felt like I would love an all white bed. I love this bedding from Target...

So pretty, isn't it? I'd also like to add some nice, decorative pillows too, but I didn't find any that I love yet.

I want a nice chair in the room too. This has to be a nice sized imaginary room it looks like, huh? Anyway, I'm loving this chair...

And for artwork, I love these prints I found on Etsy...

And I have to do this cross stitch from my friend Barb's Etsy shop to put in the master bathroom...

Plus, I'm thinking that I'd like to paint the room a very, very light lilac or blue-ish color.

So what do you think?

Super Simple Pancake Syrup

2010-11-11T09:21:00.000-08:00

My kid's are off of school for Veteran's Day today. A perfect excuse to make some pancakes and bacon for breakfast. I was out of pure maple syrup and I didn't feel like making this syrup...I wanted to make something even easier. So I decided to make a recipe that I had seen on AllRecipes a while ago. It's so easy and very similar to store bought pancake syrup, but without all the crap in it.

Ok, here's what you'll need...

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 tablespoon maple extract

That's it! And all you need to do it boil the water and sugars, reduce heat to medium low, add in maple extract, and simmer for 3 minutes. Super easy, right?!?!!

Super yummy too! ;)

You Stink Soap

2010-11-09T08:18:00.001-08:00

So, I haven't done an Etsy featured seller in a while. I thought I'd go ahead and do one, but this time it's a little different because this time I actually bought something from this seller. And let me tell you....I LOVE!!!!

The shop is You Stink Soap and sells fantastic bath and body products. I bought two perfume solids and they came with a sample little soap. Gotta love samples!! The perfume solids I got were...

Jasmine Grapefruit

and Zen Tea

I think the Jasmine Grapefruit is my new all time favorite. It's light, slightly floral, fruity, and sweet. I. Love. It. And the Zen Tea is a nice earthy, slightly sweet scent which is really lovely. I'm so happy with both.

This shop is really great. Excellent customer service, great prices, and fast shipping. Plus it's a really fun shop! There's quite a few other items from this shop that I'd LOVE to try. Like these...

Chocolate Milk Whipped Soap

Green Tea and Grapefruit Loofah Soap

Blood Orange and Vanilla Body Butter

Chai Tea Lip Balm

Do these not look fantastic??!?! Oh I seriously can't wait to buy more. It probably took me like an hour to choose what I wanted to buy the first time because there's so many awesome things to choose from! I'm in love.

Go check out this shop! You know I like to tell you what to do...

Lemon Bars with Gingerbread Scented Crust

2010-11-06T08:33:00.000-07:00

I haven't been getting to do much baking yet this fall. It's really disappointing to me because I love fall baking. So I decided I needed to bake asap! I had some lemons that I really needed to use up so I immediately thought of lemon bars, which are one of my favorites. But regular lemon bars are more of a spring/summer type treat and I'm kind of weird about baking/cooking with what feels like that specific season. I'm really kind of OCD about it. Anyway, I thought to make the lemon bars more of a fall treat I'd make a gingerbread shortbread for the crust instead of the regular shortbread crust. They turned out just like I wanted.

Ok, here's what you'll need...

For the crust:

1 cup cold butter, cut into pieces

2 cups flour

1/2 cup powdered sugar

2 tablespoons molasses

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ginger

1/8 teaspoon cloves

For the lemon filling:

5 eggs

1 3/4 cups white sugar

1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon flour

1/2 cup lemon juice

more powdered sugar for dusting

Ok, first thing you're going to do is make the crust. Whisk together the flour, sugar, and spices. Cut in the butter and molasses til it looks like coarse bread crumbs then knead a little to form a ball. Press dough into a lightly greased, 9x13" baking pan and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Now for the filling. Mix together eggs, sugar, flour, and lemon juice til well blended. Pour over crust and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until center is set. Let cool and dust top with powdered sugar.

Yum yum yum! I really like these! And the gingerbread shortbread is really tasty and would be great all on it's own, too. I hope you guys try this one and let me know how you like it. Enjoy!!!

For something fun, head on over to My Sweet Creations for her Sweet Sunday Blog Party....she's got all kinds of goodies over there!

Decorating My Kitchen

2010-11-03T13:42:00.001-07:00

I'm not decorating my kitchen at this very moment. Right now we are actually living with my father-in-law, but will be getting our own house very soon. That being said, I've been thinking about decorating a lot. I thought I'd share my ideas with you guys and see what you all think. It'll be fun!!

Anyway, I found a couple of items that really inspired me. I really want a fun kitchen. I enjoy cooking and food A LOT, so I want a kitchen that shows that. And I want it to be a fun place to hang out in too. So here's what got me started...

This rug. Perfect for a kitchen, is it not?? I LOVE it!

I also found some great, funky, fun artwork on Etsy...

Find these prints here.

I also found this idea on SouleMama's blog which I absolutely ADORE...

A chalkboard wall! In the kitchen! I can just imagine my boys sitting there drawing on the wall while I'm cooking. So. Fun.

For dishware and glassware, I love these from Pier 1 Imports...

Polka dot and cobalt blue...both my favorites.

And since we've already got quite a bit of great color going on, I thought a simple black dining table and chairs would be fantastic. Like these...

And for some fun accessories, we have these...

Cute little mushroom salt and pepper shakers, and some chalkboard canisters!

I can't wait to have my own kitchen....

So what does your kitchen look like, either in real life or your imagination?

Banana Cake

2010-11-02T16:25:00.000-07:00

A while ago I made this banana cake. I had some bananas that I needed to use up and had a thought about making a nice banana cake that I could put banana split type toppings on. This is what I made...

It turned out very nice, but not what I imagined. It was more like a banana bread. The whipped cream, chocolate syrup, and strawberries made it more decadent, but I would have liked a lighter cake for this. Anyway, here's the recipe if you're looking for a good banana bread!!

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 pinch salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup white sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar
2 eggs
4 ripe bananas, mashed
2/3 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (I did not use these)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour 2 - 8 inch round pans. (I used a bundt pan) In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.
In a large bowl, cream butter, white sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Mix in the bananas. Add flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk to the creamed mixture. Stir in chopped walnuts. Pour batter into the prepared pans.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Remove from oven, and place on a damp tea towel to cool.

Sooooooo Guess What?

2010-11-02T13:48:00.001-07:00

We moved again! We have now moved from Idaho...

Back to California!!!

We moved back almost a month ago and I'm SO happy! I really missed California a ton. we've had millions of things going on since I last posted. I'll tell you more this week as I get back in the blogging groove. I kind of stopped blogging because I felt like nobody was really reading it, but I've decided to go ahead and start back up, even if it's just for myself.

Be back soon!!!

My New Favorite Bread

2010-07-14T18:06:00.001-07:00

I made this Italian bread to take over to my Dad's for a BBQ we were having for my brother since he was leaving to go to basic training for the Army. The bread turned out awesome and my brother left a few days ago. I'm sad about my brother leaving, but I'm excited about this bread!

It has a fantastic chewy texture and is great for sandwiches, toast with jelly, or just with some butter on it.

Ok...let's get to it. You'll need...

1 1/2 cups warm water

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/2 tablespoon yeast

1/2 tablespoon salt

3 1/2 cups flour

First, combine water, sugar, and yeast. Let bloom and get bubbly for about 5 minutes. Add 2 cups of the flour and beat well. Now let it rest for 15 minutes. After it's rested add the remaining flour and salt. Knead til you have a nice, smooth ball. Place dough in a greased bowl, cover, and let rise 1 hour. Punch down and let rise another 30 minutes. Punch down again and shape into a ball or you could put it in a loaf pan. Cover, and let rise 30 minutes. Heat oven to 450 degrees. Mist dough with water, then bake for about 20-30 minutes.

Enjoy!

I'm Back!!

2010-07-02T21:34:00.001-07:00

And I have a new power cord for my computer! Woohoo!!!! So I'm just going to go ahead and tell you all what I've been up to. As you already know, we're living here on my Dad's farm...

...and my husband is now working on the farm...

My boys are having all kinds of fun living here and I've been making them pose in lots of "farmy" situations...

We got a new little kitty and named it Oreo. We're hoping it grows up to be a fine mouse catcher because these farm houses have lots of mice. We seriously caught 4 just last night...uuuggghhhh!!!

And....I am obsessed with making pasta. I plan on making tons and tons of different varieties. My Dad really wants me to make some green pasta like my Aunt Christy makes and I'm really excited to make some with beets. I'm not really using a recipe, just a general rule I learned. You use one egg to every cup of flour, add in a little olive oil and a little water if needed to make the desired consistency. Then you wrap the dough up in plastic wrap and let it rest for half hour before rolling it out and cutting it, toss it in a little flour so the noodles don't stick, and cook!

And I'm doing it all with my handy dandy pasta machine that my wonderful Aunt Christy gave me quite a while ago. I love it! And my older boy really had fun making pasta with me.

Anyway, I hope some of you are still around!! I've missed you and would really, really enjoy a little comment love... :)

I've Been Having Technical Difficulties...

2010-06-20T18:52:00.000-07:00

Hello! Oh man! I know I've been gone forever, but I do have a good explanation. We are all moved to our new house in our new little farming town, but my computer cord has decided that it no longer wants to charge my computer for me...stupid thing! So the only time I can go on my computer is when my brother comes to town and lets me borrow his cord for a few hours. He's going to be leaving for the Army in a couple weeks and will leave me with his cord so I will no longer have a problem. So please wait for me!!!! In the mean time, please enjoy this pic of my boy playing in one of the hand line sprinklers (there's some farm talk for ya...haha!)

My Boy Graduated Kindergarten!!

2010-05-26T13:33:00.000-07:00

My boy graduated kindergarten today!!!! He's growing too fast! Make it stop! And not to mention how super cute my boy is...I'm really going to be in for it when he gets older. Ok, I can't talk about this anymore. So here's a few pics from his graduation. I'm so proud of him!

On another note, I have some changes going on here. We are moving...again. We'll still be in Idaho, but we're moving out to a very small town so that my husband can work for my Dad on the farm. I have lived there before, so it won't be anything new for me, but it will be new for my husband!! It should be interesting! I'm actually pretty excited. So be ready for some pics of barley fields and tractors...I'm about to get all Pioneer Woman on ya! Ha!

This is the End...

2010-05-23T17:27:00.000-07:00

I'm so sad. The very last episode of my favorite show of all time is on tonight. But I'm also super excited. Are any of you LOST fans?? Well, if you haven't ever watched it I am ordering you to watch the entire series on Hulu right now...now! Oh, I love it so much. And I made a couple snacks with a sort of tropical theme. These bacon wrapped pineapple bites and these coconut swirl brownies. I can not wait.

Ok, I have to go. It's back on....

Happy Anniversary to Me...and my Husband

2010-05-21T06:11:00.000-07:00

Today is my husband and my 5th anniversary.

I started dating him when I was 17.

We have two of the cutest boys ever.

We've been through some really tough times, but have stuck it out.

We love each other.

I'm going to make him his favorite dinner tonight.

Happy Anniversary to us!

Summery Lime-Mango Shortcakes

2010-05-11T07:28:00.000-07:00

I made these little guys for my Mothers Day dessert and they were fantastic. I don't know what the weather is like in your parts, but here it has still been cold and it actually snowed last week. So, I am in need of something summery and these really fit the bill. I got this recipe from a Group Recipes friend and the recipe is also published on Allrecipes. Ok, here's what you need...

Fruit:
2 ripe mangoes, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
3/4 cup fresh blueberries (I used some blackberries that I had)
1 cup sliced fresh strawberries
1 1/2 teaspoons lime juice
1 tablespoon honey

Cream:
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon coconut extract (optional)

Shortcakes:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon grated lime zest
1 tablespoon poppy seeds (I did not have these, so I didn't use them)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup vegetable shortening (I used butter)
1 egg
1 cup buttermilk

Directions

Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease a baking sheet.
Combine mango, blueberries, and strawberries in a large bowl. Drizzle with lime juice and honey; mix well. Cover; reserve in refrigerator.

Beat cream in the large bowl with an electric mixer. When cream begins to thicken, sprinkle in confectioners' sugar and coconut extract. Mix in cooled gelatin all at once. Whip until soft peaks form. Cover and refrigerate.

Whisk flour, baking powder, white sugar, lime zest, poppy seeds, and salt in a large bowl. Cut in the shortening or butter with a knife or pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Beat the egg and buttermilk in a small bowl, lightly stir into flour mixture just until moistened. Turn out onto a floured work surface; knead 3 to 4 times, or until dough just comes together. Roll to 1/2 inch thickness; cut with a 3 inch round biscuit cutter. Place on prepared baking sheet.

Bake shortcakes in preheated oven until golden brown, about 15 to 18 minutes. Allow to cool slightly; split each cake in half horizontally.
To assemble, arrange fruit on the bottom half of each cake. Spoon or pipe cream evenly over fruit. Top each with remaining biscuit halves.

These really are super good. I had them for my dessert, then had what was leftover for breakfast the next morning. It has fruit, so that means it's healthy...perfect for breakfast, I say! So try these out for a little bit of summer.

Enjoy!!

Happy Mothers Day!

2010-05-09T13:25:00.001-07:00

I hope all you mommy's out there are having a fantastic Mothers Day! I am sick this weekend which really sucks, but I still am mom to these guys...

And there's nothing better than that...even when they're bugging the crap out of me.

♥ HAPPY MOTHERS DAY ♥

My Boy's Spring Musical

2010-05-08T13:51:00.000-07:00

My older boy had his spring musical last night. He's so serious most of the time it cracks me up. Enjoy!

Simple Sweet and Spicy Chicken Wraps

2010-05-01T13:48:00.000-07:00

Well, we are at the end of sandwich week...which was pretty crappy, if I do say so myself. I should've posted more sandwiches, but I didn't. Hopefully you will enjoy this one though. It is actually a wrap, but wraps count as sandwiches, don't they? I say yes, they do. This is a Simple Sweet and Spicy Chicken Wrap...

I found the recipe on Allrecipes and was drawn to it because it seemed like an odd combination of ingredients to me, and you know how I like that. So I made these for lunch today and loved them. Ok, here's what you'll need...

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup finely chopped seedless cucumber
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
ground black pepper to taste

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into thin strips
1 cup thick and chunky salsa
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
8 (10 inch) flour tortillas
1 (10 ounce) bag baby spinach leaves

Mix together the mayonnaise, cucumber, 1 tablespoon of honey, 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper, and black pepper in a bowl until smooth. Cover and refrigerate until needed.
Heat the olive oil in a skillet on medium-high heat, and cook and stir the chicken breast strips until they are beginning to turn golden and are no longer pink in the middle, about 8 minutes. Stir in the salsa, 1 tablespoon of honey, and 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the flavors have blended, about 5 minutes.
Stack the tortillas, 4 at a time, in a microwave oven and heat until warm and pliable, 20 to 30 seconds per batch.

Spread each tortilla with 1 tablespoon of the mayonnaise-cucumber mixture, top with a layer of baby spinach leaves, and arrange about 1/2 cup of chicken mixture on the spinach leaves.
Fold the bottom of each tortilla up about 2 inches, and start rolling the burrito from the right side. When the burrito is half-rolled, fold the top of the tortilla down, enclosing the filling, and continue rolling. Cut in half and serve.

Just a note: I only used probably less than half of the cayenne called for and it was the perfect amount of spice for me. I also omitted the black pepper because I hate it.

So now you really need to try these wraps! They really are very simple and sooooo good!

Enjoy!!!

Rosemary Bread

2010-04-28T08:40:00.001-07:00

Well, I'm not doing so great with my week-o-sandwiches, am I? Sorry about that. Hopefully I can make it up to you with this fabulous recipe for rosemary bread. And good sandwiches start with good bread. Am I right, or am I right? Yes...I'm right. Ok, lets get to it.

Here's what you'll need...

1 cup warm water

1 1/2 teaspoons yeast

1 1/2 teaspoons sugar

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 1/2 cups bread flour

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/4 teaspoon italian seasoning

1 tablespoon dried rosemary

Ok, first things first...in your bowl combine water, yeast, and sugar and let sit for 5-10 minutes til it starts to get foamy...

Now add your olive oil and 1 cup of the flour and beat it for a few minutes til it looks like this...

Now add the remaining flour, salt, italian seasoning, and rosemary and knead for 5 or so minutes til you have a nice smooth, elastic ball. If while kneading your dough seems too dry, add in a little water, if it seems to wet add in some more flour.

Now put your dough into an oiled bowl...

...cover, and let rise for one hour...

Now take out your dough and either shape it into a ball and place it on a baking sheet, or you can put it in a loaf pan. I shaped it into a ball and cut a few slits in the top...

Now cover and let rise for another hour...

Heat your oven to 375 degrees and bake for about 30 minutes, or until it's nice and golden brown...

Is this not a beautiful loaf of bread??? Don't even try to tell me it isn't! This bread makes for some very nice sandwiches and I really liked dipping it in some olive oil and balsamic vinegar with garlic...yum!!

Everything Tuna Melt

2010-04-24T17:22:00.000-07:00

I love sandwiches. A lot. I could eat them all day long. So I'm going to do a sort of sandwich week here on the ol' blog. And our first sandwich is my Everything Tuna Melt.

Here's what you'll need...

1 can tuna (not the big can, just the regular size)

2 tablespoons mayo

1 teaspoon coarse ground mustard

1/2 teaspoon Old Bay

1 spring onion, sliced (white and green parts)

6 kalamata olives, chopped

2 everything bagels, toasted

2 slices swiss cheese

tomato, sliced

Drain tuna. Mix in mayo, mustard, Old Bay, onion, and olive. Split tuna mixture between the two bagels. Top with cheese and broil til melted. Top with tomato, then other half of bagel. Enjoy!

I really liked this sandwich a lot and it was easy, easy! So, do you guys love sandwiches as much as I do?? What's your favorite?

Asparagus, Prosciutto, and Artichoke Pasta Salad

2010-04-18T17:07:00.000-07:00

So I guess I've had a bit of "blogger's block" lately. I just wasn't having any good ideas. But, luckily for you, I finally came up with something! I made this the other day. I had a pack of prosciutto that I had bought to eat with some cantaloupe, but it turned out I didn't like it so much. So then I thought I'd wrap it around some asparagus, then this pasta salad came to me.

Ok, here's what you"ll need...

1/2 lb. rotini pasta

1 1/2 cups roasted asparagus, cut into pieces

1 cup artichoke hearts, chopped

3 oz prosciutto, chopped

8 oz pearl mozzarella

1/2 cup freshly grated asiago

1/2 cup pesto

1/4 cup good italian dressing

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

salt to taste

Cook pasta. Drain and rinse with cold water. Add all the remaining ingredients to pasta and mix well. Enjoy!

I have to say though, I really am not a fan of prosciutto (I know, shame on me! I am part Italian after all) so next time I make this I will probably use salami instead and add in some sun dried tomatoes because I'm cool like that...that's right. Anyway, after I had a little pasta salad I had to try this...

I saw a link for this over on notmartha. It sounded really weird, but I like trying weird stuff. So anyway, it's just baguette slices topped with some bittersweet chocolate, cooked in a 350 degree oven til chocolate is just starting to melt, then drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with some salt. It was weird. I think I might have drizzled a little too much olive oil though, I don't know, but I won't be making it again.

I Have the Fever...

2010-04-12T09:47:00.000-07:00

Baby fever, that is. And today it's especially bad because I just found out that one of my good friends is pregnant. Plus my younger boy is watching Clifford and it's about one of the kids getting a baby brother. I am a logical person and I know that right now would not be a good time for me to be pregnant, but I really am jealous and would love to be pregnant. I talked to my husband about it last night and he says it's a no go. That makes me really sad to think that I will never get to be pregnant, or give birth, or nurse a little baby again. Plus my oldest boy keeps asking me when we're going to have another baby. I think I may be able to persuade the hubs, but it definitely won't be for a while. My husband need to find work first for sure. That has been difficult. So hopefully something will come through and then it will be on! Let the persuading begin!

I'm Drooling Already...

2010-04-07T12:32:00.000-07:00

So, there are a few places that I have really, really missed since moving to Idaho. A couple of them that are only in Ventura, and one that Idaho just doesn't have. Sad.

Anyway, the first place I went once in Ventura was out to sushi with my best friend. The place we went to is called Osabi and it's AWESOME.

My next favorite place is Snapper Jacks Taco Shack. They seriously have the best snapper and chicken tacos. I always get the snapper tacos, grilled, in crispy flour shells. My favorite.

Then we have In-N-Out. Anyone that has not had an In-N-Out burger is seriously missing out. I like mine animal style with extra pickles. I like my fries animal style, too. Yum and yum!

So, I just wanted to share my favorites from my hometown! If any of you happen to go to Ventura sometime, you HAVE TO go to these places! That's an order!

Road Trip!

2010-04-05T14:38:00.000-07:00

Sorry I haven't posted in a couple of weeks, but guess what we did for spring break?? We went to California! And we drove...14 hours...with small children. But the drive there actually wasn't that bad at all. The drive back was another story. Anyway, we had a great trip and were sad to leave. We went to my hometown Ventura, and to San Diego. We got to visit with lots of family, parents, grandparents, great grandparents, aunties, cousins, best friends, and the weather was nice so we got to go to the beach. And the food. Oh, the food. I got to go to places that I missed so much. It was very nice, but I'll save that for my next post. Anyway, here's some pics from our trip...I miss it already...

Pretzel Bread

2010-03-22T10:08:00.000-07:00

Since I thought you might like this recipe after I teased you with the picture, I thought I'd go ahead and give it to you. I got it off of Allrecipes and it is so so so good! *CORRECTION* This recipe is actually not from Allrecipes. It is from TwoBites.wordpress.com. Sorry about that!*

Ok, here's what you'll need...

2 ¼ tsp yeast
1 cup water (110-120 degrees)
2 Tbsp room temperature milk
1 Tbsp dark brown sugar
3 Tbsp butter
1 tsp kosher salt
2 ½ – 3 cups bread flour
4 quarts water
½ cup baking soda
Kosher salt to taste
2 Tbsp melted butter

Add yeast, water, milk, brown sugar and butter into a large bowl. Let mixture rest for 10 minutes. Mix in salt. Start by adding two cups of the flour to the bowl and beat til stringy. Add more flour as it’s needed.
The dough should form a slightly tacky, but firm ball. Oil the bowl, place the dough ball in the bowl, and cover with a damp towel for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, knead for at least 5-10 minutes until the dough is elastic and satiny. Place dough back in the bowl and let rise for 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees and bring the 4 quarts of water to a boil. When the water is boiling, slowly add the baking soda.
Remove the dough from the bowl and form two separate balls of dough. Drop one of the balls into the baking soda bath for no longer than 30 seconds, turning it once to guarantee both sides covered. Drain the excess water from the dough and place it on an oiled baking sheet. Repeat with second ball of dough.
Sprinkle the kosher salt over the bread to your specific tastes, and make sure to use a knife to cut a small incision on the top of the bread so the dough has somewhere to expand.
Cook the bread for 22 minutes, rotating the baking sheet once.
Once removed from the oven, immediately brush the melted butter over the loaves to guarantee a soft crust.

Enjoy!!

Happy Spring Equinox!

2010-03-20T17:52:00.000-07:00

I hope your first day of Spring was as tasty as ours ♥

Cheesy Brown Rice Stuffed Peppers

2010-03-18T19:45:00.000-07:00

I made these up the other day and I was really happy with how they turned out. So let's just get to it, shall we?

Here's what you need...

2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 cup brown rice
3 bell peppers, cut in half lengthwise and seeded
1/4 cup feta cheese
1/4 cup parmesan
1/2 cup pepperjack cheese
1/2 cup cheddar cheese
1 tsp garlic powder

Boil veggie broth and add rice.
Cover and reduce heat to a simmer.
Let cook 45 minutes or until broth is absorbed.
While the rice is cooking, heat oven to 400 degrees.
Place peppers in a baking pan cut side down and cook 25-30 minutes.
Once rice is done add feta, parmesan, 1/4 cup pepperjack, 1/4 cup cheddar, and garlic powder.
Once peppers are done flip over, and stuff with rice mixture.
Top peppers with remaining pepperjack and cheddar.
Broil for about 5 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

I served these with some honey roasted potatoes and it was a nice spicy and sweet meal. Also, I had a little bit of the rice mixture left over so the next day I formed it into some patties and dipped them in some egg and then some bread crumbs and fried. Ate 'em with some sour cream...soooooo good! So you have to try these, then make the rice patties with the leftovers. See, a two for one just for you!

Enjoy!

Happy Birthday to My First Born

2010-03-13T08:01:00.000-08:00

Today, my first born baby boy is 6. Oh, the time goes by so fast! He's my sensitive, shy, silly, quiet and well behaved (in public), extremely smart boy. I love him so much. He's one of a kind.

Here he is at our wedding right after he turned one...

Now just look at him...

My handsome boy. And he's wearing his birthday shirt that he made. He's just like his Momma.

Well, you know I made him something for his birthday. I made him these cupcakes to take to his class yesterday. I thought they turned out super cute...

And for his big present, I made him this card table play house...

It turned out well, but is far from perfect. There's some crooked seams, the window is a little floppy, and the curtains are too short, but it does the job. As you can see there's a space theme going on...he just loves that stuff. My inspiration for the playhouse was this. I wish I could've done one as nice as that, but I don't have the time or the patience.

Well, we have big plans of bowling and pizza today, so it should be a fun day for my birthday boy.

Super Yum Veggie Soup

2010-03-07T09:31:00.001-08:00

Sorry I haven't posted anything for a bit. Unfortunately we have all been sick here at my house. Especially my baby...he got it the worst. Poor guy. While I was sick I was craving some good veggie soup in a bad way. So I finally made myself go to the store and get some good veggies. This is what I came up with...

1 1/2 cups dried small pasta (I used mini bow ties)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, diced
2 stalks of celery, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 medium sized zucchini, chopped
4-6 oz of sliced mushrooms
3-5 oz of spinach
6 oz of fresh green beans, cut into pieces
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup frozen corn
1 14.5 oz can petite diced tomatoes, drained
2 teaspoons crushed garlic
6 cups vegetable broth (or chicken broth if you prefer)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Cook pasta. Set aside.
Heat oil in large soup pot.
Add onion, carrots, celery, and bell pepper to pot.
Saute over med-high heat for about 5 minutes.
Add zucchini, mushrooms, spinach, and green beans, and saute until all vegetables are tender.
Now add the peas, corn, tomatoes, and garlic. Saute for a few more minutes.
Add the broth and bring to a boil for 5 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.

This a really good and hearty, but also light soup. Perfect for the slightly warmer weather we're getting now. This soup is great paired with a grilled cheese, or just with crackers. I really liked it with those newer Wheat Thins Artisan Cheese Crackers. The Vermont Cheddar ones...yum.

Also, I made this pie. OMG so good!!!! I don't have a pic because I could not get a good looking slice out for the life of me. Oh man it was good though!

So now you have dinner and dessert all planned out for you...so do it! And you're welcome ;)

Pepperjack Penne Bake with Broccoli

2010-03-04T06:17:00.000-08:00

So, as you know, I was having a crappy time last week. I totally needed some comfort food. My cooking/blogging buddy, ChristineM, over at Group Recipes had just recently submitted this awesome recipe, pepperjack penne bake with broccoli. I had to make it. You should too.

Ok, here's what you'll need...

8 oz. uncooked penne (about 2 1/2 cups)
3 tbsp. butter
1/4 cup finely minced onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 1/2 cups shredded pepperjack cheese
1/3 cup cottage cheese
1 cup milk
1 egg, beaten
1 1/2 cups broccoli florets (I roasted mine with some olive oil and salt first)
Salt & pepper
1/2 cup panko or plain bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated parmesan
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1 1/2 tsp. olive oil

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Butter a 1 1/2 qt casserole or 8 x 8 baking dish.
Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente.
Meanwhile, melt butter in a small pan; add onion and garlic and cook over medium low heat until translucent, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside while pasta cooks.
Drain pasta and return to pan; add the butter, onion and garlic mixture and stir to coat pasta. Add cheddar and pepperjack cheeses, cottage cheese, milk and egg and stir until cheese is melted. Stir in broccoli and season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour into prepared casserole.
In a small bowl, combine panko, parmesan, thyme and oregano. Work in olive oil with a fork or your fingers, then sprinkle evenly over pasta.
Bake for 30 minutes or until topping is golden brown.

Oh man, this totally hit the spot. I completely loved this pasta. I'm still thinking about it! I already got my mom to make it and she loved it too! So so good and comforting. I know I say this a lot, but you have to make this! Have to! Seriously...I'm in love with this pasta.

So, let's all thank ChristineM for this fabulous pasta and also go check out her blog!

I Actually Ate This...

2010-02-28T20:46:00.001-08:00

It's 9:30 pm...I was reminded of this sandwich over on AR earlier today...I wanted it...bad. I'm weird. And before I even tell you what this sandwich is, I'm going to tell you this...I am not pregnant. I know you'll be thinking it. Especially after my last emotional post. Anyway, this sandwich is called "poor man's sandwich" and this is what it is...

mayo

dill pickles

thinly sliced onion

and...

peanut butter (I used natural peanut butter, not a sweetened kind)

And you know what? It wasn't bad. It's one of those things, though, that while you're eating it you're thinking to yourself "I can't believe I'm eating this" and "this is really pretty weird, but I kind of like it"

I've been into weird sandwiches lately, and it seems like they always include peanut butter. Like the grilled cheese and peanut butter that I made about a month ago. Or the other one I want to try, the "Elvis", a grilled peanut butter, banana, and bacon. Bacon is good in everything. I made some cupcakes a couple of years ago that were dark chocolate bacon cupcakes. They were good! Since, as you know, my husband is super picky, I didn't tell him that there was bacon in them. So I was watching him while he was eating the cupcake, trying not to laugh, and here's the conversation that ensued...

him: "These has kind of a weird taste to them..."

me: "Oh...really?"

him: "Wait....wait...is there BACON in these?!?!!"

me: "Uh....yeah...it's good...."

him: "WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT!!?!??"

me: "I just saw the recipe and I had to try it..."

him: "BUT WHY WOULD YOU PUT BACON IN CUPCAKES?!!?! WHO WOULD DO THAT?!??"

me: "I liked them..."

The End

So, the moral of the story is...try to eat something you think is weird sometime. You might like it! My husband did not.

Ugh...and a Couple of Awards!

2010-02-22T20:43:00.000-08:00

Sorry I haven't posted anything for a little while. I've been having a little bit of a hard time lately. Mostly stress. My husband still hasn't been able to find any work and we've been extremely homesick for California lately...I'm guessing it's the winter blah's. I also miss my family in California so much...I'm used to seeing them all the time so it's hard. The last few day's

I've been so emotional I feel like I'm going crazy.

I've been trying to work on stuff for my Etsy shop, but have been disappointed how the stuff I'm making is turning out. I'm also trying to get things ready and make my older boys birthday gift since his birthday's coming up in a couple of weeks.

I'm so glad to have my husband and my kids because I love them so much. Although, sometimes I feel like it's them that's making me crazy! But I really love them so much. I'm such a family person and love being around all of my family.

Anyway, that's what's been going on with me. I've just been going slightly insane, but hopefully it'll pass because I don't like it! It's that hopeless feeling I get every once in a while that kills me. Ugh...I hate feeling like this.

Well, so that this post isn't completely depressing, I got a couple of awards last week that I'd like to share.

I got this first award from Angela at Sew I Thought...

And I got this other award from Morgan at Becoming Homegrown...

And I'm going to do what I always do and break the rules of the awards (the lovely ladies that gave me the awards have the official rules) . But, I still want to pass them on to a few great bloggers...

One Healthy Mama

Marvelously Mundane

MySweetCreations

I really enjoy these blogs, so you should check them out too!

And I'll be back soon posting much more fun stuff!

Three Moon Babies

2010-02-20T11:01:00.001-08:00

It's been a while since I featured an Etsy artist, but I have a few special people that I want to promote so I thought I'd start doing it again. Today's featured shops (yep, there's two) are actually my very own cousin Marji's! She has been super creative since as long as I can remember. She's been inspirational and someone that I can ask questions to occasionally about some of my stuff. In short, she's awesome. Anyway, like I said, she has two Etsy shops. Both are called Three Moon Babies. The first one I'll show you is all about hand built ceramics. She actually just recently opened this shop, but there is such cute stuff in it. Here are my favorites...

So That's What It Is Set of 8 Ceramic Herb Garden Stakes Markers

Le Petit Hand Built Ceramic Berry Bowl My First Berry Bowl

Tweets in Love Custom Hand Built Ceramic Love Bird Bowl

Let Us Eat Cake Custom Hand Built Ceramic Cupcake Birthday Bowl

Are those not super cute?!?! I especially love the strawberry bowl and the garden markers. And the lovebirds bowl and special birthday cupcake bowl. Love 'em!

Now, her other shop is all about handmade polymer clay beads and not to mention all kinds of other stuff. Super cute stuff, I'm telling you. Here's a few of my favorites...

Fresh from the Oven Pink Frosted Cupcake Polymer Clay Buttons

Fresh from the Oven Chocolate Chip Cookie Polymer Clay Buttons

Hoots in Love Owls and Mushroom Wedding Anniversary Polymer Clay Cake Topper

I need those buttons for something! Need them! And I need that cake topper to put on every single cake I will ever make...love it!!

So, you have to stop by both shops and take a look around because there is so much more awesomeness in there! So go...check it out...now! You know you want to!

Go here for Three Moon Babies Hand Built Ceramics and go here for Three Moon Babies Polymer Clay Beads, etc.

My First Time Using a Sewing Pattern...Ever

2010-02-18T11:34:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago I tried sewing myself a skirt from a pattern. I have never used a pattern for sewing before so I was a little nervous. I figured I'd be ok though because it was only three pieces after all. This is the pattern I used...

It's a vintage pattern that I got with all kinds of other sewing stuff from my step mom. As you can see it says 25 1/2" waist (!!!) so I had to add inches to the pattern. I didn't have much trouble at all, even though I had to sew a zipper and the waistband was a little confusing, but I really love the way it turned out! It's not perfect and there are a few spots in the stitching that are a little wonky, but like I said, I love it...and it was the first pattern I've ever used! Anyway, here it is...

Since the fabric was so plain, I decided to do a little embroidery. Just a tattoo style swallow. I really love love love how this turned out! I already started another skirt, a black pencil type skirt, so we'll see how that turns out.

Mmmmmmm...Chocolate...

2010-02-16T09:58:00.000-08:00

Oh yeah, baby. You're wondering what this chocolate goodness is aren't you? I know you are. Because who doesn't like chocolate? Who, I ask you?!?! And if you don't like chocolate, get out of here! Just kidding...kind of. Anyway, this deliciousness is Chocolate Chocolate Chip Banana Bread. Mmhm...and it's good. So let's get to it.

Here's what you'll need...

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

3 bananas, mashed

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 tablespoons cocoa

1/2 cup plain yogurt

1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 and grease a 9x5 loaf pan.

Cream butter, sugar, and eggs. Add bananas and vanilla. Sift in flour, baking soda, and cocoa and mix well. Mix in yogurt and 1/4 cup chocolate chips. Pour into pan, then top with remaining 1/4 cup of chocolate chips.

Bake 60 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.

Enjoy!!

♥

2010-02-14T18:39:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentines Day

For My Boys

2010-02-13T15:12:00.000-08:00

I guess you could call me a gift giver. I really love to give gifts whenever there is any reason what so ever, and when I am able to. So, yesterday and today I've been working on gifts for my boy's for Valentines Day. A tad last minute, I know. I just wanted to share what I've been making for them...

Chocolate covered strawberry marshmallows. These turned out so cute with the pink marshmallows and the chocolate with the chocolate sprinkles. I put them in little bags and tied them with some red ribbon. Super cute.

Fake moustaches. Super cute and super easy. Just felt, embroidery thread, and elastic. I can't wait to see these on them.

A bookmark for my older boy. He's just learning how to read and it's awesome. Plus I found that solar system ribbon and my boy is super into that so I had to make something with it.

Monster softies. I made one for each of them out of an old sweater of mine. Lately both the boys have been talking a lot about monsters, especially at night. I thought they might like a nice, soft monster to sleep with. This ones the better looking of the two...

I'm also making these easy sugar cookies. I'm super excited to give the boy's their gifts...and even more excited to see those moustaches on them. There will definitely be pics of that soon!

Valentines

2010-02-11T07:12:00.001-08:00

As you all know, Valentines Day is coming up. Both of my boy's are having Valentines Day parties in their classes tomorrow. Instead of going and buying a bunch of paper Valentines, I decided to go ahead and make some for them. I saw this tutorial on whip up. The tutorial is for some really tiny hearts, but I wanted mine a little bigger so I used a J hook instead of the recommended hook size. For my older boy's class I did more boy color's (turquoise, blue, green, and camo) for the guys and more girly colors for the gals. They turned out very cute...

These are just the girl colors here. I'm also going to include a little candy with the hearts and make little envelopes to hold them. I'm sure my kid's would've also liked to get Transformer or Spider Man valentines, but I just think these are so much cuter! And they were super easy and fast to make, so why not?

Crock Pot BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches

2010-02-08T12:51:00.000-08:00

So what did you do yesterday? You watched the Super Bowl, you say? I did not. I do not like sports. Never have, never will. The only thing I like about these kinds of get togethers is the food. That's it. I barely like being with other people...unless it's my family. So, in honor of a good food day, I made pulled pork sandwiches topped with coleslaw. On homemade buns. Oh man. I have been craving these for seriously over a month. Then my bloggy friend over at One Healthy Mama had a post with her coleslaw recipe. And then she talked about putting it on top of BBQ sandwiches. I was done. I needed to make these right away. Alright, first I'm going to give you the pulled pork recipe...

1/2 cup ketchup

1/3 cup cider vinegar

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1 (6 oz) can tomato paste

2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons yellow mustard

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon onion powder

3 lb pork sirloin roast, cut into 3

Mix together all ingredients except pork roast in crockpot. Add pork and turn pieces to coat with sauce. Cover, and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Once done, shred pork and stir to completely incorporate in sauce.

Now for the coleslaw...

1 bag of coleslaw mix

1/2 cup of mayo

3 tablespoons canola oil

1/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon celery seed

1 teaspoon onion powder

Mix all ingredients well in a large bowl. Cover and let chill for 1-2 hours.

Ok, and this is the recipe I used for the buns.

Here's what it all looks like together...

These were super yum, let me tell you. Totally fixed my craving, plus I have leftovers for more sandwiches. How could you go wrong with that? You can't, that's how.

Mexican Chocolate Cookies

2010-02-05T08:19:00.001-08:00

I know you've been waiting for more sweets from me. I know how you are. Oh yes...yes I do. So, I made these cookies yesterday, just for you. And they are good. Would I even bother to put them on here if they weren't? No...no I wouldn't. I have always been very intrigued by Mexican chocolate. I have never had it before, but from what I understand, it has spices like chili powder and cinnamon in it, plus vanilla I believe. So this is my Mexican chocolate cookie creation. I came up with this after I bought some cinnamon chips and was trying to figure out what I should do with them. This is what I got...

1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons butter

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon water

1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

1 egg

1 1/4 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup cinnamon chips

First thing you do is melt the butter, brown sugar, and water in a medium saucepan...

Once that's all melted add the chocolate chips...

Stir until those are all nice and melty...

Now, let this cool for about 10 minutes, then stir in the egg...

Next, dump in the flour, baking soda, salt, chili powder, and vanilla.

I am doing this all in the sauce pan. You can totally transfer this to a mixer or whatever, but I like to do the least amount of dishes as possible. Plus you really do not need a mixer for this dough because it is very soft.

Now get your cinnamon chips. Have you seen these before? This was the first time I had seen these...

Now just mix 'em in...

Next you need to pop this dough in the fridge for about an hour so it'll firm up a bit and be easier to work with. Once chilled, preheat your oven to 350 and roll dough into balls. I use a tablespoon to measure, then roll. If you have a cookie scoop you could just use that.

Then bake for about 10 minutes. Mine were perfect at 10.

Go ahead and let these cool a bit on the pan, then transfer to a cooling rack.

These are so fudgy and chewy and delicious. You can definitely taste some spice, but it's not overpowering at all. The great thing about these is that they really stay chewy. I left them out on the cooling rack last night, so I had to test them this morning to make sure they were still good and chewy. After eating three I found that they were still great.

I also wanted to share that I made homemade pasta last night for dinner. I do have a pasta machine that my aunt gave me, but I wanted to try doing it completely by hand. I seem to have a hard time rolling the dough out thin enough. I cut the pasta into wide strips and made an awesome Mediterranean veggie type sauce. It had onion, sweet peppers, zucchini, mushrooms, artichoke hearts, spinach, sun dried tomatoes, garlic, pine nuts, and feta all in olive oil. It was tasty and the pasta turned out ok. I guess if I'm going to make pasta I'll just stick to using the machine. Anyway, here's what it looked like...

Anyway, try the cookies...and try making pasta by hand and let me know how it goes for you.

Enjoy!

Jars

2010-02-01T09:56:00.001-08:00

I love jars. There's so many different shapes and sizes. And you can use them for all kinds of different things. When we moved we didn't have many glasses or anything so I decided to start reusing empty pasta sauce, salsa, pickle, jelly, etc. jars as glasses. I love how they all don't match. Plus, I don't like using plastic cups all that much. I was thinking how I'd like to use the bigger ones to store our silverware, but I don't have much counter space so I don't know about that.

Ahhh...the simple things...

Dutch Babies

2010-01-31T07:54:00.000-08:00

Today we're going to talk about Dutch babies. Babies of the Dutch heritage. Or not. More like dutch baby pancakes. These are really very simple and easy to make and they're really good. My husband really likes them...which is saying a lot because he is super picky. Almost all of the food I make and post on here he does not eat. He's weird. But that's a story for another post.

Anyway, here's what you'll need...

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup flour

pinch of nutmeg

pinch of salt

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

2 tablespoons butter

powdered sugar

OK, first you need to place the pan you are going to use in the oven and preheat the oven to 475 degrees. Obviously you need an oven safe pan. And the size should be about a 10 inch pan. While the oven is preheating mix up your eggs, milk, flour, vanilla, nutmeg, and salt. Once the oven has reached 475 add the butter to the pan...

Now leave the pan in the oven for the butter to melt...

Once the butter has melted pour in the batter...

Reduce your oven heat to 425 degrees and bake for about 12 minutes or until the edges are a nice golden brown...

Now cut them into slices and sprinkle generously with powdered sugar...

Yum. I like them just like that. My husband like some strawberry jam spread on them as well. You could also serve them with syrup which is also good and that's how my aunt does it.

So go make these...they're super fast and easy and goooooood!

Finally...

2010-01-29T14:55:00.001-08:00

I've been waiting forever. I've been doing it myself as much as possible. But finally, FINALLY....

I got my hair done. I love it. That's all for now...

Half & Half's

2010-01-25T09:10:00.000-08:00

I can eat solid food again!! Yay!! Let's celebrate, shall we? But what should we celebrate with? How about...cookies! Everyone loves cookies, right? And if you don't then get the hell out of here! Just kidding. Anyway, let's make half and half's. Never heard of half and half's? They're like famous over on Allrecipes. I've been meaning to make them for quite a while and finally did. They were awesome. Now I will share them with you, of course.

Ok, here's what you'll need...

1 1/2 cups flour

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup chocolate chips

1 1/4 cups flour

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup chocolate chips

So, first we're going to mix up the first set of ingredients making the basic chocolate chip cookie dough. You know, whisk the dry ingredients together. Cream the butter and sugars. Add the egg and vanilla. Mix in the flour mixture, then add the chocolate chips.

Now do the same with the second set of ingredients to make the chocolate dough.

Now take a scoop of each dough like this...

And roll them into balls...

Then flatten them slightly...

Preheat your oven to 300 degrees. Bake the cookies for about 10 minutes...I think mine took around 13 minutes.

Don't these just look so cool? And they taste pretty good too!

Now make some!

What I've Been Eating...

2010-01-24T07:17:00.000-08:00

Well, I got the teeth out. And....it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. I don't remember about 95% of that day, which feels weird. Especially when people tell you they talked to you or your husband tells you that he asked you if he could eat some of your ice cream and tells you that you said yes! But anyway, I feel fine. My mouth is sore, but not too bad.

So, the day before I went in, I made/bought myself some food that I'd be able to eat. Such as...

Jello Magic Mousse (doesn't look very appetizing, but is was good!)

Mashed potatoes and mashed sweet potatoes

Pioneer Woman's tres leches cake

Fried rice

And, of course, ice cream. I had this one (which my husband ate some of) Then, my friend Angie brought me over more ice cream! Peanut Butter Cup. Mmmm.

So that's ALL I've been eating. Not bad though. Today I might branch out and try to eat more solid food. I just get worried about the stitches and all that. We'll see. Anyway, thanks for all the well wishes! I love when you guys comment! Now I'm going to go eat some cake and jello for breakfast...

Growth Chart

2010-01-22T08:07:00.000-08:00

So, my older son has been asking me for a while for a growth chart. He's very into that kind of stuff. I really didn't want to just do a paper one because those can get ruined so easily. So I decided to sew one up. I just kind of winged the whole thing so I can't really give a tutorial. I just used some scrap fabric I had that my step mom gave me. I did the freezer paper stencil technique for the numbers and just used my sewing machine to make the inch lines. I also embroidered the boys' initials and the date and I think it looks really cute! It was a pretty fast and simple project and it should last for a while. I figured once they get to 5 feet they probably won't want me to measure them anymore! So, here it is...

It's not prefect, but it works!

And now for something off topic. I am getting my wisdom teeth out today and I'm freaking out!!! One of the things I'm seriously worried about is having to have the cotton in my mouth after. Just thinking about it makes me want to gag. Seriously. I know I'm a dork. Anyway, hopefully all will go well! Wish me luck!!

Biscuits and Chocolate Gravy

2010-01-19T11:01:00.000-08:00

So, this is a southern recipe. I am not southern...I am a California girl. Well, a southern California girl...does that count? Anyway, I love this recipe. And, it gives me an excuse to eat chocolate for breakfast. (Though, I will eat chocolate cake for breakfast anytime if it's in the house) Anyway, first we'll do the biscuit recipe. This biscuit recipe is an overnight recipe, so if you want these biscuits for breakfast, make them the night before, obviously.

4 cups flour

1/4 cup baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

2 tablespoons sugar

2/3 cup shortening

2 cups buttermilk

Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Cut in shortening til mixture resembles fine crumbs. Then, stir in the buttermilk with a fork until a soft dough forms. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Roll or pat dough to 1 inch thickness. Cut with a biscuit cutter or a glass by pressing straight down, don't twist. Place 1 inch apart on baking sheet and bake for 12 to 15 minutes.

Now for the chocolate gravy.

1/2 cup cocoa

3 tablespoons flour

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups milk

1 tablespoon butter

2 teaspoons vanilla

Ok, first whisk together the cocoa, flour, sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan. Pour in the milk and whisk til smooth. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, til slightly thickened. Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla. It will thicken more as it cools.

Anyway, here's what we've got...

Oh, yes. So, so, so good. Chocolate for breakfast...how can you go wrong with that?

Spinach, Caramelized Onion, and Muenster Au Gratin Potatoes

2010-01-16T16:29:00.000-08:00

Today, I have for you one of my very own creations. I know that I often post recipes from Allrecipes or Group Recipes, but today, this is all me. And oh is it good. So let's just get right to it, shall we? Here's what you'll need...

about 8 red potatoes, or 4 russets, cubed

5 oz fresh spinach

4 tablespoons butter

1 onion, sliced

1 teaspoon crushed garlic

3 tablespoons flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

1 cup cream

2 cups muenster cheese

Ok, first thing you're going to do is toss together your potatoes and spinach in your baking dish.

Now, melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a medium saucepan and add your onions. Cook over med-low heat til onions are nice and caramelized. Add the garlic and cook for another minute or so. Now add the remaining tablespoon of butter. Once, melted add flour and stir til its a nice golden color. Slowly pour in the milk and cream and stir til thickened. Add the salt and 1 1/2 cups of the muenster cheese. Once the cheese is all melted and all nicely incorporated, pour over the potatoes and spinach.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Cover your dish and cook 30 minutes.

Now uncover and cook an additional 20 minutes.

Now remove from the oven and top with the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese.

Put back in the oven for an additional 10 minutes and here's the deliciousness you'll get...

Ooooooooh! Aaaaaaah!

You do not even know how insanely creamy and cheesy and delicious this was. I was eating it for breakfast the next morning, then lunch, and so on. Oh, you have to make it. And after you make it, you have to come back and tell me how much you loved it. Yeah, that's right. So get to it!

Enjoy!

Freezer Paper Stenciling and a Tank Top into Bag

2010-01-13T10:24:00.000-08:00

So today is two projects in one. The first thing I'm going to show you is freezer paper stenciling. I learned about this from my super crafty cousin Marji. It's super easy, cheap and fun. So anyway, I had a tank top that I really didn't wear. I didn't really like how it fit and it someone got some discoloration at the bottom. So I thought I'd do something with it.

We'll start with the freezer paper stencil. All you need is the freezer paper, a craft knife, an iron, and some fabric paint. And the shirt, or whatever you want to stencil on, of course. So first you draw your design onto the freezer paper. Cut it out with your craft knife, keeping all the little spaces that you will need. Now, iron your design, shiny side down, onto your fabric. I also like to iron a piece of paper onto the other side of the fabric too, so that the paint won't bleed through. Here's what I've got...

Now you're going to paint in your design.

Let it dry a few hours and after it's dried you can do another coat of paint if you feel it needs it. I didn't this time. So after it's completely dry, peel off the paper. This is what you'll have...

So that's it for the freezer paper stencil! Easy, huh?? Now onto the bag part. You're going to want to use a tank top that has the same back as front, or else you're bag will look all weird. So decide how big you want your bag and cut off the bottom like this...

Now, turn the tank top inside out and pin the bottom closed to sew. I gathered mine a bit like this...

Then all you have to do is sew the bottom and that's it! I added a little crochet flower and a little button to mine...

I like it! It's light weight and would be perfect to put a few things in for going to the beach or something like that. Plus, you can never have enough bags...

More Bread...and a Surprise Bonus Recipe!

2010-01-10T18:41:00.001-08:00

I was quite the baker this weekend. Have you seen that bred that is a white and brown swirled loaf? Well, I have really, really been wanting to make that bread. But, I could not find a recipe anywhere! It was making me angry.

Anyway, I decided to just kind of make it on my own. So I used the same dough recipe that I used for the bread bowls because I really like how that bread turned out. I made the dough exactly the same as before, but after kneading, I took half the dough and set it aside, and with the other half I kneaded in a tablespoon of molasses and about another 1/4 cup of flour. I then let both halves rise as usual, and after they rose I shaped them into a loaf by flattening out both halves, putting the darker half on top of the white half and rolling up and then tucking the ends under. Then I put the rolled up dough into a standard loaf pan, let rise and baked as usual. Here's what it looked like...

I wish the brown part was darker, but I really didn't want to use any food coloring. The taste was great! It had a very light molasses flavor that gave it a hint of sweetness. Super good warm out of the oven with butter. Yum!

I also made some challah using this recipe and here's what mine looked like...

I don't have a pastry brush so I always skip the whole egg wash part. That's why my loaves aren't all nice and shiny. So I made the challah just so I could make this...

Bananas Foster French Toast. I totally made this up. Unless someone else has already made this up and I just don't know about it. Anyway, I used this bananas foster recipe, and my french toast recipe. Here's what you'll need...

4 eggs

2/3 cup milk

1/3 cup flour

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

about 6-8 slices thick bread (such as the challah)

butter

Whisk together all ingredients other than the bread (duh!) and the butter. Heat a pan over medium/low heat. Add butter to coat. Dip bread into batter and add to hot pan. Cook until brown and flip and brown...you know how it goes. Cook remaining bread slices and top with the bananas foster...

Ooooohh yuuummmmm...definitely serve with a cold glass of milk! It was super good, and just what I needed. Don't you think you might need it too? Yes...yes, you do.

Homemade Bread Bowls for Soup...or Whatever the Hell you Want to Put in Them...

2010-01-06T11:50:00.000-08:00

So it's been pretty cold here...and snowing here and there. Good weather for soup. And what better way is there to eat soup than in a bread bowl? A regular bowl? No...you cannot eat a regular bowl and that's just lame. Anyway, I got this recipe from Allrecipes, of course. I split the recipe in half and made 3 good sized bread bowls. I think they were a little too big for the kids, so next time I'll probably do 4. But, I'm going to give you the whole recipe because you might have a bigger family and I'm nice like that. Ok, here's what you'll need...

2 pkgs. active dry yeast

2 1/2 cups warm water (about 110 degrees)

2 teaspoons salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

7 cups bread flour

cornmeal

What you want to do first is dissolve the yeast in the water for about 10 minutes, til it's nice and foamy. After that, add the salt, oil, and 4 cups of the flour and beat for a good few minutes. I use the paddle attachment on my mixer for this, then switch to the dough hook. Now add the remaining 3 cups of flour 1/2 cup at a time. After all the flour has been added knead for about 5 minutes. If your dough seems too dry or floury add a little water a tablespoon at a time til it comes together nicely. When I made these my dough was not coming together well when I added the last cup of flour and seemed to dry so I added a little more water and it was perfect.

Now place your dough into an oiled bowl, cover, and let rise for about 40 minutes. I usually don't cover mine and just put it in the oven with the light on the rise...works well for me. After dough has risen, punch it down and divide dough into 6-8 portions, then shape into balls. Now place them on a greased cookie sheet sprinkled with cornmeal, cover, and let rise 35-50 minutes. Mine took a little longer to rise.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and bake for 25-30 minutes. Let bowls cool slightly, then cut off the top of the bowl with a bread knife and scoop out the insides. Fill with whatever you want and serve your soup or whatever with the bread you hallowed out to dip. Yum...I made this clam chowder to go with these and it was awesome. Here's what mine looked like...

You have to make these. They're easy and super good. I am ordering you to make them...now go!!!

Wardrobe Refashioning

2010-01-04T21:27:00.001-08:00

Alright...lately I've been very into thrift store shopping and refashioning clothes. A lot of my new interest has been thanks to sites like Wardrobe Refashion, Cut Out + Keep, Threadbanger, and Craftster. My step mom also recently gave me a sewing machine, which further aided me in my interest.

So today, I finally did my very first refashion. I used a tank top and a shirt that I was pretty much just using for pajamas. So here's the tank top...

I didn't like wearing it because it was too short. I like a longer shirt. So what I did with the tank top was cut it about an inch below the bust, so it would basically make an empire waist...

Then we have the second shirt...

Very '80's, but I like it. So with this I just cut straight across the shoulders, cutting off the neck hole (is that the technical term for that?) Anyway, I also cut off the sleeves. Then I sewed up the sides of the shirt where I cut the sleeves. After that I pinned the cut bottom edge of the tank top to the cut top edge of the shirt, right sides together and sewed. And this is what I got...

I like it! Totally has the 80's vibe, like I said, and I am not brave enough to wear this as a dress, but I will totally wear it with some leggings or skinny jeans! I am seriously addicted to this whole refashioning business now! So, what do you have to refashion?

Funnel Cakes...and a Snowman!

2010-01-02T14:46:00.000-08:00

Today the boys and I decided to go out and make a snowman. We got at least a foot of snow in the last couple of days, so it was the perfect time. So we went outside and after a while my younger boy was crying because he was too cold, so we decided to come in for a break. During our break I made funnel cakes. I've never had a funnel cake before and I've been meaning to make some, so I was excited to try them.

Here's what you need...

3 eggs
2 cups milk
1/4 cup white sugar
3 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder

In a medium bowl, mix salt, baking powder, and half of the flour. Set aside.
In a large bowl, cream eggs, sugar and milk. Add flour mixture and beat until smooth. Continue to add remaining flour, but use only enough to achieve desired consistency. Batter will be thin enough to run through a funnel. I don't have a funnel, so I just put the batter into a ziplock bag a cut off one of the corners. You could also use an empty ketchup bottle.

In an eight inch skillet, heat the oil over med-high heat, or til oil reaches 375 degrees.

Put your finger over the bottom opening of the funnel, and fill the funnel with a generous 1/2 cup of the batter. Hold the funnel close to the surface of the oil, and release the batter into the oil while making a circular motion.

This is the first time I've done this, so mine looks kinda funky. Anyway, fry until golden, then flip.

Fry for about another minute, then place on paper towels to drain. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Oh man! These were so good!

Then we went out and finished our snowman...

Try the funnel cakes...they're awesome. You should make a snowman too...if you have snow...hehe...

Homemade Marshmallows

2009-12-30T12:36:00.000-08:00

I'm back already!! Yay!! OK, enough of me celebrating for myself. So, this Christmas I did not go crazy making a ton of cookies and candy. I was really super busy this Christmas because I made ALL of the gifts I was giving out and it really came down to the wire. Anyway, when I did finally make some Christmas treats (on Christmas Eve!) it was just a select few good ones. One of the treats was homemade marshmallows. This is only the second time that I have made marshmallows, but it is really so easy and they really are much better than store bought.

I don't remember what recipe I used the first time I made them, but this time I used good ol' Alton Brown's recipe. You really can't go wrong with Alton. So here's the recipe...

3 packages unflavored gelatin
1 cup cold water, divided
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
Nonstick spray

Place the gelatin into the bowl of a stand mixer along with 1/2 cup of the water. Have the whisk attachment standing by.

In a small saucepan combine the remaining 1/2 cup water, granulated sugar, corn syrup and salt. Place over medium high heat, cover and allow to cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Uncover, clip a candy thermometer onto the side of the pan and continue to cook until the mixture reaches 240 degrees F, approximately 7 to 8 minutes. Once the mixture reaches this temperature, immediately remove from the heat.

Turn the mixer on low speed and, while running, slowly pour the sugar syrup down the side of the bowl into the gelatin mixture. Once you have added all of the syrup, increase the speed to high. Continue to whip until the mixture becomes very thick and is lukewarm, approximately 12 to 15 minutes. Add the vanilla during the last minute of whipping. While the mixture is whipping prepare the pans as follows.

For regular marshmallows:
Combine the confectioners' sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl. Lightly spray a 13 by 9-inch metal baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Add the sugar and cornstarch mixture and move around to completely coat the bottom and sides of the pan. Return the remaining mixture to the bowl for later use.

When ready, pour the mixture into the prepared pan, using a lightly oiled spatula for spreading evenly into the pan. Dust the top with enough of the remaining sugar and cornstarch mixture to lightly cover. Reserve the rest for later. Allow the marshmallows to sit uncovered for at least 4 hours and up to overnight.

Turn the marshmallows out onto a cutting board and cut into 1-inch squares using a pizza wheel dusted with the confectioners' sugar mixture. Once cut, lightly dust all sides of each marshmallow with the remaining mixture, using additional if necessary. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.

For miniature marshmallows:
Combine the confectioners' sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl. Line 4 half sheet pans with parchment paper, spray the paper with nonstick cooking spray and dust with the confectioners' sugar mixture.

Scoop the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a 1/2-inch round piping tip. Pipe the mixture onto the prepared sheet pans lengthwise, leaving about 1-inch between each strip. Sprinkle the tops with enough of the remaining cornstarch and sugar mixture to lightly cover. Let the strips set for 4 hours or up to overnight.

Cut into 1/2 inch pieces using a pizza wheel or scissors dusted with the confectioners' sugar mixture. Once cut, lightly dust all sides of each marshmallow with the remaining sugar mixture and store in an airtight container for up to a week.

These really are super easy. I don't have a candy thermometer, so I just went by the times listed and they turned out perfect. As you can see, I just did the regular marshmallow method and spread them into a 9x13 pan. The mini marshmallows are probably super cute though, so I'm going to have to try that method sometime. Although, that would be more work.

These were great in hot cocoa and were also awesome dipped in some semi sweet chocolate (that's how I gave them out) I'm also going to have to try these as s'mores. Yum! So try some! I'm not kidding about how easy they are...seriously!!

What I've Been Up To...A Photo Loaded Post

2009-12-28T15:04:00.000-08:00

So, I know I haven't posted anything in what feels like forever, so I thought I'd give you a little visual story on what I've been doing...

Christmas at Dad's...

Putting up and decorating the tree...

Christmas morning...

Christmas dinner...

Just playing around...

So that's what I've been up to!

I have to say, I often consider stopping with the blogging all together. I just get discouraged at times, thinking that nobody is really reading it. But I recently got a very sweet e mail from a reader saying that they missed my blog! That alone has motivated me to keep it going and to post like I used to, which was waaaaaaay more often. Plus I got my good camera back and got Julia & Julia for Christmas, plus Julia Child's cookbook so there will be a ton of cooking going on over here!! I'm excited. So get ready...

Tequila Christmas Cake

2009-12-13T20:06:00.000-08:00

I am so sorry I haven't been posting much (since before Halloween!!! Where did the time go??) I have been pretty busy with the holiday's and everything, and just life in general. Anyway, I thought it would be fun to post this recipe for Christmas. My Aunt Christy sent it to me and I've been saving it to post for you! I think it's freakin' hilarious and hope you will too...enjoy!!

Tequila Christmas Cake

Ingredients:
1 cup of water

1 tsp baking soda

1 cup of sugar

1 tsp salt

1 cup of brown sugar

Lemon juice

4 large eggs

Nuts

1 bottle tequila

2 cups of dried fruit

Sample the tequila to check quality. Take a large bowl, check the tequila again. To be sure it is of the highest quality, pour one level cup and drink. Repeat. Turn on the electric mixer. Beat one cup of butter in a large fluffy bowl. Add one teaspoon of sugar. Beat again. At this point it's best to make sure the tequila is still OK. Try another cup... just in case. Turn off the mixerer thingy. Break 2 leggs and add to the bowl and chuck in the cup of dried fruit.Pick the frigging fruit up off floor. Mix on the turner. If the fried druit gets stuck in the beaterers just pry it loose with a drewscriver. Sample the tequila to check for tonsisticity. Next, sift two cups of salt. Or something. Check the tequila. Now shift the lemon juice and strain your nuts. Add one table. Add a spoon of sugar, or somefink. Whatever you can find. Greash the oven. Turn the cake tin 360 degrees and try not to fall over. Don't forget to beat off the turner. Finally, throw the bowl through the window. Finish the tequila and wipe counter with the cat. CHERRY MISTMAS!

Cherry Chicken Salad

2009-10-10T15:00:00.000-07:00

Alrighty, today's recipe is cherry chicken salad. It's. so. good! It's by another one of my Group Recipes friends, Adzell. When I saw this recipe I had to make it. I'm really into the sweet with savory type of stuff lately. I used to think that fruit in salad was gross, but I was an idiot because it's awesome. Anyway, I did make a couple minor changes to the original recipe due to lack of ingredients, and also because I used my awesome leftover roast chicken instead of cooking some up as the recipe states. So I will post the original recipe and just note the changes I made. Ok, here's what you'll need...

3 chicken breasts (I used leftover roast chicken)
2 stalks of celery (chopped)
3/4 cup dried cherries
2 tbs buttermilk (I used plain yogurt)
1/2 tbs lemon juice (I used some red wine vinegar)
1 1/2 tbs honey
1-1 1/2 cups mayo
1/2 cup slivered, blanched almonds
salt & pepper to taste (no pepper for me)
2 tbs onion powder

Boil chicken in water seasoned with salt and onion powder until cooked through.
Transfer chicken to large bowl and shred.
Add mayo and stir until evenly distributed and chicken is thoroughly coated.
Add in lemon juice, honey and buttermilk and stir well.
Add salt, pepper, celery, cherries and almonds.
Let chill for at least 30 minutes prior to serving.

You can make a sandwich or some lettuce wraps like this...

Or just eat it with some crackers...

Yum yum yum...this was seriously so good. And I do recommend letting it chill for the 30 minutes. I ate some right after I made it, because I was starving, and then I ate some later after it had chilled a while. It was even better later.

So try it out...it's awesome. You believe me when I say something's awesome by now, don't you??

The Best Roast Chicken Ever!!!

2009-10-09T14:09:00.000-07:00

Ok, what I have for you today is the best roast chicken recipe of all time!!!! I got this recipe off of Allrecipes, although I do make my usual tweaks to the recipe, mainly, omitting the pepper and such because I despise it. But that's a story for another post. Anyway, I'm going to go ahead and post the recipe in it's entirety and, if you're like me and hate pepper, you can omit it too. Ok, here's what you'll need...

2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 onion, quartered
1 (4 pound) whole chicken

In a small bowl, mix together salt, paprika, onion powder, thyme, white pepper, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and garlic powder. Remove and discard giblets from chicken. Rinse chicken cavity, and pat dry with paper towel. Rub chicken inside and out with spice mixture. Place onion into the cavity of the chicken. Place the chicken in a resealable bag or double wrap with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight, or at least 4 to 6 hours.
Preheat oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C).
Place chicken in a roasting pan. Bake uncovered for 3 hours, to a minimum internal temperature of 180 degrees F (85 degrees C). Let the chickens stand for 10 minutes before carving.

Here's what mine looked like...

Now, I've been making this recipe for a while now so I don't really follow the measurements anymore, I just sprinkle on the seasonings as I go and rub them in. By the looks of this picture, I probably could've used more seasoning. Still tasty though!!

So anyway, you have to try this chicken. It is seriously the best. And I'm one of those people that loves grocery store rotisserie chickens. I don't get them anymore though, because this ones better. Seriously. Try it. Tomorrow I'll be posting a recipe using the leftovers from this very chicken. Enjoy!

Caramel Apple on a Stick

2009-10-08T08:53:00.001-07:00

So...I bring to you today another simple, yet brilliant, snack by another one of my Group Recipes friends, Geranium. I'm just loving all these simple little Fall snacks! Anyway, here's what you'll need...

apple (I used Fuji...they're my favorite)

caramels

fun size Snickers

skewers or toothpicks

Ok, her recipe used skewers, but I only had toothpicks so I made some mini one, which were cute. All you need to do is cut your apple up into chunks, and cut the fun size Snickers in half. Now, just put them onto your toothpicks or skewers. If you're using skewers, do apple, caramel, apple, Snickers, apple. For the toothpicks I just did a piece of apple and a caramel on one toothpick, and a piece of apple with a Snickers on another. Like this...

Super cute, right??? Yes...yes they are.

For Geranium's complete recipe go here.

Oh So Simple Halloween Snack Mix

2009-10-07T10:31:00.001-07:00

Alright, I know I haven't been posting much and I really am very, very sorry. But...I went to the store yesterday and I am going to be making a TON of new recipes over the next couple of weeks so that means I WILL be posting more often.

Ok, today I'm just posting a really simple recipe that is from one of my Group Recipes friend Keni! It's her Oh So Simple Halloween Snack Mix...super easy, yet genius idea!

Ok, all you need is...

nuts (I used mixed nuts, she just used peanuts...either way = awesome)

candy corn (I used the Autumn Mix)

Now, I pretty much did half and half. Keni prefers more nuts in her mix. Haha...sorry, typing that just made me laugh...I know...I'm an immature dork...Anyway! Here's what mine looked like...

So good! Why didn't I think of that!

For Keni's complete recipe go here. Thanks Keni!!

Cinnamon and Nutmeg Pancakes with Pear Sauce

2009-09-27T09:32:00.000-07:00

So. It's Fall now. I'm very happy about that. And this morning I made an awesome Fall breakfast. First, we'll start with the pear sauce. I made this sauce up just for these pancakes, but we'll get to those later...

Anyway, here's what you need for the pear sauce...

1 can of pears (in juice, not heavy syrup)

1 tablespoon light corn syrup

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1 tablespoon butter

Pour entire can of pears, juice and all, in saucepan over high heat. Add corn syrup, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Bring to a hard boil and boil for 5 minutes. Mash pears and then boil again for about 5 more minutes, or until thickened. Add butter. Set aside. This is what it'll look like...

Now for the pancakes. I got this recipes off of Group Recipes and it is by Mommyluvs2cook! Ok, here's what you need...

1 cup milk (might need a little more if you like a thinner pancake)
1 egg
2 1/2 tsp. vegetable oil
1 1/4 cup flour
3 tsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

In a bowl combine milk, egg, and oil. Stir in the rest of the ingredients.
Heat a lightly buttered pan over med to med high heat (may want to turn down on second batch so you don't burn them). Pour about 1/4 cup of the batter for each pancake and brown on both sides. Serve with pear sauce.

Yum, yum, and yum. Make these now...you won't be sorry.

I'm an Auntie!!!

2009-09-22T09:03:00.001-07:00

Isabella Jeanne, 6 lbs 13 oz (same as I was!) and 20 in. long

A Baby Shower for My Brother

2009-09-14T23:44:00.000-07:00

So, as you know, my brother has a baby on the way. She should be arriving in about a week or so and I am so excited! Well, tonight we had a little get together and threw a little baby shower just for my brother. It was a lot of fun and I made some yummy food and he got some super cute stuff!

Ok, first, lets talk about the food...

I made mini ham and cheese rolls, cucumber sandwiches, cocktail meatballs, party pinwheels, and some Martha Stewart cookies and cream cheesecake cupcakes. All were awesome. I love party food.

Anyway, back to my brother...he has a very distinct style and will not be dressing his new little princess in anything princessy. So here's a couple of things he got...

Very nice...

And here's the daddy-to-be and myself...

So there's my brother for you...what am I going to do with him?

Hopefully I'll be posting some pictures of my new little niece very soon!!

I Lied...

2009-09-12T19:05:00.000-07:00

On my last post I promised I'd be making a yummy fall type recipe...well, I lied. It's been so flippin hot here and I just didn't feel like it. That's all I have to say. See ya!

Just kidding. I wouldn't come empty handed when I promised a recipe! So, I bring you...homemade granola bars! Yum yum. These were awesome! I've tried a couple different granola bar recipes and these are the best! I actually got the recipe off of Allrecipes, but did some minor tweaks like I usually do.

Ok, here's what you need...

2 cups oats

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup wheat germ

3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1 cup whole wheat flour

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup honey

1 egg

1/2 cup oil

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup peanut butter chips

In a large bowl stir together all the dry ingredients until well combined. Make a well in the middle and pour in the wet ingredients, honey, egg, oil, and vanilla, and mix until well combined. Now mix in your chips. You can really use whatever you want here, nuts, dried fruit, whatever. We really liked the chocolate/peanut butter combo. Now heat your oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x13" pan and press dough into pan. Bake for about 20 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Remove from oven and cut into bars while warm.

Here's what you'll get...

(Sorry about the picture, but my house really has the crappiest lighting ever...)

Anyway, you should really make these, they're awesome. And, my kids loved them, but you can make them even if you don't have kids...enjoy!

Oh, I also made this bread yesterday morning and it was awesome! Nice and light and fluffy, just what I've been looking for. It does need a little extra flavor though, so if you make it, add a little extra sugar and salt...I would've posted a pic, but I couldn't get a good enough one. Again with the crap lighting...

Don't Let the Door Hit You on Your Way Out, Summer...

2009-09-06T20:22:00.000-07:00

So, I'm very excited that it will, hopefully, be cooling down here soon and we'll be getting the hell out of summer (sorry summer lovers) because I'm just itching to post some awesome fall recipes. And in a couple of days I will be posting a recipe that really can be used all year long, but would be great in some yummy soups that are perfect for cold weather and cozy nights in. But until then I'm leaving you with some pics of my guys fishing one beautiful summer evening a couple weeks ago. Yes, I can appreciate summer sometimes...

Later summer...now get the hell out of here...

Oh, P.S., I made this dip and this burger for dinner tonight, among a few other things, and they were awesome! So check 'em out and make them before summer leaves because they're great summer food...enjoy!

My Baby Boy Turns 3!

2009-08-31T09:23:00.000-07:00

Yep...three years ago today I gave birth to this guy...

Now just look at him...

Isn't he just the cutest?? Of course he is! Oh, and I did make him that awesome "3" shirt which will now be a birthday tradition for years to come.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY BOY!!!!!

My Boys First Day of School

2009-08-26T08:16:00.000-07:00

So today is my older boys first day of kindergarten. I was so nervous! I know he was nervous too. But last night I gave him a new haircut and we picked out his outfit for today and I asked him what he wanted for lunch. I was trying to make it more fun for him. Anyway, he was fine, he wanted to go...until this morning. But he got ready and looked like such a handsome, big boy!

He was a little scared when we got there...look at that face! Shoot me in the heart! I know he'll have fun though...

My New Creations

2009-08-25T08:00:00.000-07:00

So guess what happened? Our T.V. broke. Yeah...that's right. I didn't know what I was going to do with myself. Sad, I know. But instead of sitting there crying about my broken T.V. I looked through my yarn stash and decided to do some crocheting. I found this awesome pattern and tutorial so I decided to give it a try. Look what I got out of it...

I seriously love this bag. It's awesome and I made it. And it's huge. Just what I needed. I also made this for my boy, but I didn't use a pattern, I just made it up as I went along.

I lined it with some red fabric that has silver stars on it. It's very cute and he loves it. He said he wants to use it as his lunch bag for school. I think that would be awesome.

Anyway, no T.V. isn't that bad. I actually got quite a few things accomplished and felt pretty good. So if you're like me and normally have the T.V. on all the time...try turning it off for just a bit. You never know what awesome thing you might end up doing.

Ice Cream in a Bag

2009-08-22T16:34:00.001-07:00

So, it's been hot here. Really hot...and I hate it. I know some people are going to get pissed when I say this, but...summer is my least favorite season. Seriously. I'm a fall / winter kind of person.

Anyway, it was hot...so what did we do? Make ice cream! It was a fun thing to do with the kids and I found this article on Allrecipes that tells you how to make it in a bag. Awesome for us because we don't have a fancy ice cream maker...although I would love one.

It was pretty fast and easy and cheap, which is always a plus. So it's something you definitely need to try before summers over. Look how much fun we had, especially my older boy...

So do it!! Even if you don't have kids...

My New Addiction...and the Easiest Pie You'll Ever Make

2009-07-28T16:53:00.000-07:00

Alright. Guess what I tried for the first time the other night and am now addicted to? Fried pickles. If I would have known about these when I was pregnant it would have been ON! Even my brother, who does not like pickles, liked them. And you know what I ate them with? Fry sauce. Yeah, that stuff that's only here in Idaho or Utah. They were good...really good. So you'll have to try them out. I just made a tempura batter, dipped 'em, and fried 'em. Yum. And this pic, by the way, is not mine. I had to borrow someone else's fried pickle picture because I freakin' inhaled mine before I even had a thought to take a pic to share with you all.

Now, about the pie. I was looking for a no bake pie recipe because it's freakin' hot here and I had no desire to heat up the house and make it hotter. So anyway, I found this recipe on good ol' Allrecipes. Its a cream cheese pie, somewhat of a cheesecake if you will, and only has 5 ingredients. It's super easy. OK, here's what you need...

1 prepared pie crust (I used the Nilla kind, but you could use whatever you want. Graham cracker's always a favorite too)

1 (8 oz.) block cream cheese

1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk

1/3 cup lemon juice

1 teaspoon vanilla

That's it! All you have to do is mix together the cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk, lemon juice, and vanilla. Pour it into the crust, and let it chill for 5 hours to set. Then if you want you could always top it with cherry pie filling or whatever the hell you want. We had it plain because that's how my husband likes it. Anyway, super easy, super good, what more could you ask for? So make one already. Or make five, I don't care. Enjoy!

A Little Something for My New Neice

2009-07-26T20:57:00.000-07:00

So, my new little niece Isabella will be here in about 8 weeks so I've been making some stuff for her. And I have to say that making little girl stuff is so much fun, especially with the way my brother is. That means no pink...which I like. Pink is over rated. Anyway, here's a couple of things I've made so far...and I have so much more planned.

I apologize right now for the blurriness of these pictures...I'm using a somewhat crappy camera until I get my good one back. Anyway, it's a little hat and booties and the color in person is much more maroony, and yes I know that's not a word...spellcheck confirmed it.

Next on the list...a couple of quilts. One possibly made out of my hand painted silk scarves, which would be pure awesomeness. Don't you think?

My Older Boys' Art

2009-07-26T11:16:00.000-07:00

So here are some awesome drawings by my boy. He actually did these using the paint program on the computer.

So we have a couple of family portraits in there, bowling, and a nice rendition of Mr. Krabs and Plankton along with their restaurants. Just a little culture for you.

Our New Family Addition...and a Recipe for Her

2009-07-14T08:01:00.000-07:00

So, a few days ago we added a new member to our family. She's a rottweiler mix named Maya and she's awesome. We adopted her and she is seriously the best dog ever. She's awesome with the kids (my youngest boy seriously bugs the shit out of her and she doesn't care), she's not aggressive with other dogs and is actually scared of our cat (our cat's a bitch, though) and we can take her off her leash at the park without a problem. She's just awesome.

So anyway, I decided to make her some dog treats. Here's what you need...

3/4 cup oats

1 cup boiling water

2 beef bullion cubes

2 tablespoons oil (canola or olive)

2 tablespoons wheat germ

1/4 cup buttermilk (can use regular milk)

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 egg

2 cups whole wheat flour

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Combine oats, water, and beef bullion cubes. Let sit for a few minutes. Mix in remaining ingredients. Knead until smooth, adding more flour if needed. Now, roll out to about 1/4 inch thick and cut into desired shapes. I used cat shapes...

...and bone shapes...

Now bake for 35-40 minutes and let cool.

She LOVES them! And they're good for sharing with your other doggie friends.

I have to say, life is just better with a dog.

A Good Ol' Fashioned "Lemonade" Stand

2009-07-12T16:46:00.000-07:00

So, I know I haven't been blogging too often lately, but that's going to change. In the meantime, enjoy this pleasant post of my boys and their "lemonade" stand (actually it was Gator Aid)

Pizza Night

2009-06-09T07:35:00.000-07:00

So, last`night it was pizza night here at the Williams' residence. I kind of decided it was pizza night last minute, so I had to use a fast and easy pizza dough recipe. I used this one. It was good, and I made some awesome pizza...

Good ol' cheese for the kids...

Pesto with mushrooms and artichoke hearts...

and chicken alfredo.

Yum. These were good. You need to have pizza night at your house. Tonight.

Fishing

2009-06-05T22:24:00.000-07:00

Zucchini Parmesan

2009-06-03T09:30:00.000-07:00

So I know I haven't been posting as often as I used to so I apologize. I've been pretty busy settling in here in Idaho. Looking for a job, getting my younger boy back to doing his therapy and such. But anyway, here's a yummy Italian vegetarian recipe. You could totally use eggplant in place of the zucchini, but I happened to have some zucchini that I needed to use up. OK, here's what you need...

3 medium-large zucchini

1 egg

1 1/2 cups bread crumbs (I used panko, but Italian bread crumbs would be awesome)

parmesan cheese

1 jar marinara sauce

2 cups mozzarella cheese

Alright, first thing you need to do is slice up the zucchini.

Now, in a shallow bowl or pie plate beat your egg and dip zucchini in it, then into the bread crumbs. Place on a baking sheet and then sprinkle with parmesan.

Now put the zucchini in a 350 degree oven for about 20-25.
Once the zucchini are done, pour a little sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish and top with a layer of zucchini.
Now sprinkle on some mozzarella and then a little more sauce.

Next, put another layer of zucchini into your baking dish...
...followed by some mozzarella and more sauce.
Then top it off with a layer of mozzarella and parmesan.
Finish it up by popping it in your oven for 30 minutes.

And it will make your house smell awesome. Mmmmmmm...
Even my kids ate this! Enjoy!

Vegetarian Fajita Burritos

2009-05-30T09:00:00.000-07:00

Ah, fajitas. Delicious, but almost always has some sort of meat, usually beef, chicken, or shrimp. So I came up with these vegetarian fajita burritos and they are awesome. So here's what you need...

1 tablespoon oil

2 bell peppers, sliced (I used 1 green, 1 yellow)

1 red onion, sliced

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 packet fajita seasoning (I know I don't make my owm fajita seasoning. Lame.)

1/4 cup water

tortillas, warmed

1 tomato, chopped

1 cup cheddar cheese

1 cup monterey jack cheese

sour cream

(Avocado or guacamole would be awesome with these too, but I didn't have any. Also lame.)

Ok, so first, you get your veggies chopped...

Now, heat up the oil in a medium to large pan and toss in those veggies...

Saute until soft...

Now add your back beans...

Then take your packet of fajita seasoning...

and add it to your veggies along with 1/4 cup water and let simmer for a few minutes...

While that's simmering, chop up your tomato and grate your cheese...

Now assemble. Take your warmed tortilla and top with some of the veggie mixture...

...tomato...

...cheese...

...sour cream...

...wrap, and mmmmmmmm...

Seriously. Mmmmmm.

My Husband's Home! and...Fry Sauce

2009-05-28T19:43:00.000-07:00

So, my husband is finally here in Idaho!!! Yay! He actually rode the bus here from California and it took 24 hours. Brutal, wouldn't you say? Anyway, he's home and I'm so happy and so were the kids. My younger boy wouldn't let him put him down. It was very cute.

On an unrelated note...have you heard of fry sauce? I had never heard of it until I moved here back when I was in high school (yeah, I've lived here in Idaho before). I thought it was crazy how it was in the little dispensers at Arby's and that you could buy it in the store like ketchup. I thought that was so weird. It's basically just mayo and ketchup mixed together, but it's good. Especially with fries. Hence the name.

Anyway, I know this is somewhat of a random post, but tomorrow it'll be vegetarian recipe numero dos. Yeah, that's right...number two.

Mushroom Stroganoff

2009-05-27T10:13:00.000-07:00

Alrighty, vegetarian recipe numero uno. And it's a good one, especially if you like mushrooms like me. Ok, here's what you need...

3 tablespoons butter

1 medium onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1 pound mushrooms, sliced (I just used the basic white button mushrooms, but portabello or crimini would be awesome too)

1 cup vegetable broth

1/4 cup worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1/2 cup sour cream

3 tablespoons flour

8 oz noodles

Ok, first you want to boil a pot of water and start cooking your noodles. I used these...

After you get your noodles cooking, melt the butter in a large pan on medium heat.

Now throw in the onion...

...and cook them until they're nice and soft...

Now throw in the garlic and the mushrooms...

and cook until the mushrooms are nice and soft...

When the mushrooms are nice and soft add the broth, worcestershire sauce, and soy sauce.

Cook on high heat until sauce is reduced by 1/3, then remove from heat...

Now, stir together the flour and sour cream and add to mushrooms. Return to low heat and cook until thickened slightly.

Now you just mix together your noodles and your mushrooms and there you have it. Pure awesomeness.

Awesomeness in a bowl. Try it. (I apologize for the crappy pic, but I only took one of the finished product because I was starving. So there.)

Hi...My Name is Kelly, and I'm a Flexitarian

2009-05-24T16:26:00.000-07:00

So, have you heard about this flexitarian diet? It's basically when you're mainly a vegetarian, but will occasionally eat meat. Well, yeah, I'm doing that. I've often thought about becoming vegetarian, but just couldn't give up the meat. And my Dad's a cattle farmer. The reason I'm doing this diet is because a) it's cheaper...that's a big reason and b) it's healthier.

I'm hoping that this new diet will help me drop a few pounds. I don't look like I did in my wedding pictures anymore. As long as I replace the meat with beans or veggies and not cheese, I think I'll be good. And I've got my brother to go along with it too. We're going to start working out together tonight. We're doing Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred DVD. You know, that intense chick from The Biggest Loser? Yeah. It's going to be awesome...or totally suck because I hate working out. Hopefully I'll get into it though and then I'll have a rocking body.

Anyway, back to the flexitarian thing. What I'm trying to say is that I'll be posting some awesome vegetarian recipes soon. So I hope you all like them and will maybe try this whole thing out too. I'm telling you, it's going to be awesome. Seriously.

My Anniversary

2009-05-21T07:30:00.000-07:00

So, today is my husband and my 4th wedding anniversary. He is actually still in California (remember, long story) and I really miss him, but he'll be here in Idaho soon. Anyway, in honor of my anniversary I just thought I'd post some pictures from our wedding just because I like looking at them and think everyone else should too. So here ya go...

Caramelized Onions, Roasted Potatoes, and Penne

2009-05-20T08:27:00.000-07:00

So last night I made this pasta for dinner with some leftover roasted potatoes. Let me tell you...it was awesome. Possibly my new favorite pasta dish. Before I made this I always thought that pasta with potatoes sounded weird, but it not, its super good. So here's what you need...

4 tablespoons butter

1 medium onion, sliced

1/2 lb penne

1 1/2-2 cups leftover roasted potatoes

2-3 cloves garlic, crushed

salt

Ok, first boil some water and add your penne. While that's cooking, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a medium pan over medium heat...

Then add the sliced onion and sprinkle with some salt...

And cook them until they get nice and golden brown...a little longer than this...

When they're nice and golden, add the potatoes and the garlic...

And cook them until they're nice and caramelized also...

Now drain your penne and add the other 2 tablespoons of butter...

Now just stir in your onion/potato mixture into the penne and that's it! Pretty easy, huh? And oh so good. Trust me, you need to make this. So do it...I'm eating some for breakfast right now. It's versatile like that.

(By the way, sorry this last pic is a little blurry...I suck like that...)