The Happy Little Home

Yeeks

2010-03-11T07:56:00.007-05:00

Oh my I have had a busy couple of weeks. No excuse for not blogging...but whew I'm tired.

First, just as we were getting quotes to finish our basement (can we say expensive), the person who was upstairs fixing our washing machine told us that we would be needing a new washer. Fantastic! As I said, our washer and dryer our upstairs...in this closet:

Now, this is kind of nice because I don't have to go very far to hang up clothes, fold, etc. I also kind of like that there is no laundry "room". For procrastinators such as myself, it forces me to put the stuff away. But and I say this with a big BUT, the problem is what do you do if it breaks? Well. Let me tell you. You need to have two people and one who can perform this move:

Except with a dryer. Then the other guy climbs under and hooks up the washer. It costs like $300 just to have it looked at. Oh and forget about cleaning. Tried that. You end up disconnecting the dryer vent and then you have to pay $300.

Now that the washer is broke we thought maybe we should just put it in the basement. Well there is no hookup. Of course. So, next Tuesday they're jackhammering the floor and putting in a hookup. Fun stuff.

Which brings me to my question of: Can anyone recommend they're washer and dryer? I'm just not sure if it's worth spending a lot to get a new fancy one. But then I don't want to be buying another in 5 years. So maybe it is?

On the up side, last weekend was my birthday. I'm the big 25 now, so I can officially rent a car!!!! I think I'm going to buy a new camera with some of the money I got. I also got these lovely flowers:

Bring on the washer dryer suggestions!!!

To Paint or Not to Paint....

2010-02-26T07:46:00.003-05:00

Ahhhh....I love home projects. They keep me up into all hours of the night scouring the internet for ideas and inspiration. Hubs and I have decided to finish our basement. After toiling for the past two years over whether or not to do it, we've decided to bite the bullet.

We made the decision based off of a few things. One, we knew we wanted to finish it before we sell because houses in our area sell so so much better with finished basements. And if we're going to do that I want to enjoy it for the next few years while we're still here! Two, I feel like we will be able to get a good price with the economy the way it is now, and I am happy to give someone a job for a couple weeks. Third, the hubby needs a man cave. I can only take so much ESPN.

So, within the next couple of months we hope to get this project going. We have went back and forth over doing some of it ourselves. I still think we will do some of it, but, mostly we will have professionals do the job. I don't want it to become a 3 year project. However, that doesn't mean we won't try to cut costs in some areas.

One of the ways we were thinking about cutting costs was to paint the basement ceiling as opposed to dry-walling or drop ceiling it. Here are some inspiration pics. I don't know where I got these, so sorry for the lack of credit.

I like the more industrial look. I think after all is said and done, it is still a basement. It will also save us a TON of money. Our basement is close to 1500 sq ft. So to ceiling all of that....well....we're waiting on the estimate, but it's a lot.

Has anyone ever done this or know someone who has? I think the biggest drawback is going to be the noise between the two floors. But, I'm not sure how bad it would be. This is one of the first decisions we have to make because it is the very first thing you do.

Ahhhh!!! Decisions!!!

Veggie Chicken Soup

2010-02-23T08:15:00.004-05:00

I love having soup for lunch. It's so easy for me to make a batch of soup and freeze it into individual portions. If I do this often enough, then I have a pretty big selection of soup to choose from in the freezer. It is way way cheaper that buying cans from the store. It's also healthier and yummier :) I know many people aren't fans of lima beans, but I think in here, they're fantastic. Also, you can substitute some of the veggies in here for your favorites.

Veggie Chicken Soup

Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil

2 cups diced onions

2 celery stalks, diced

1 green pepper, diced

1 zucchini, sliced

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup tomato paste

2 lbs boneless, skinless, chicken thighs or rotisserie chicken

8 tomatoes (plum or roma), diced

3 cups chicken stock

1 pkg (10 oz) frozen corn

1 pkg (16 oz) frozen lima beans

Directions:

Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add in the onions, celery, green pepper, zucchini, salt ( I did about 2 tsp) , and pepper. Cook until everything is softened and starting to get a little golden.

Stir in the tomato paste and add in the chicken, if using uncooked, and tomatoes. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce to a simmer. Cook for about 20 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.

Remove the chicken and dice. If using rotisserie chicken add in now with lima beans and corn. Warm everything through and top with a little sour cream if you want.

Enjoy!

Note: This makes a BIG batch of soup. Cut by half if you only want enough for 4.

To see more delicious recipes check out these fabulous blogs:

Tasty Tuesday

Tuesdays at the Table

Tempt My Tummy Tuesday

Have a great day!!

Menu Plan 2/21 - 2/27

2010-02-22T10:05:00.001-05:00

As I posted last night this weekend was kind of a bust. My guy was really sick and we didn't do too much. I did, however, watch a lot of the Olympics!! I'm really not much of a sports fan, but for some reason I LOVE the Olympics! Much to the despair of my husband, figure skating is my favorite.

Here's what I have planned for the week:

Sunday: Pulled Pork

This couldn't be an easier or more inexpensive meal. I put about 1/2 cup BBQ sauce and 1/4 mustard on the bottom of a large crock pot. Then I put in a large pork loin and put some more sauce on top. I cook on high for about 6 or so hours. There will be a point at about 4 hours where you'll check for tenderness and it will not be fork tender at all. Then give it a couple hours and when you can shred it with a spoon, it's done. Once shredded I add some more BBQ sauce and mustard to taste and put it over some buns with cheese. That's it. Super easy.

Monday: LO Pulled Pork

Tuesday: Clam Pasta - didn't get to this last week :)

Wednesday: Left Over Pasta

Thursday: Salmon with salad and veggies

Friday: Dinner with friends

Saturday: Out to dinner than scrapbooking with friends

To see more menu plans, check out Organizing Junkie here!!

I also linked this post up to Smockity Frocks Crockpot Carnival :)

Have a great week!!

A Sick Boy...

2010-02-21T17:45:00.004-05:00

My guy has been sick the past couple of days :( I don't know what it is, but if I'm sick...yeah it isn't fun. But, if he's sick...I'm so sad for him. So, this is what we had for dinner last night. Some "sick soup" and grilled cheese. "Sick Soup" is Lipton Noodle Soup out of a box, that my mom used to make me when I was sick. I love it when I'm sick, but don't like it so much when I'm not!

Then I felt bored after sick soup and grilled cheese. So I made dessert. And it was good. Real good. There's Nutella in it. Real good.

Basically, I pan seared some sliced pineapple in a little butter over high heat, until brown. Then I took a couple tablespoons of Nutella and about a tablespoon of milk or so and put it in the microwave for about 20 seconds. Then I stirred it until combined. I drizzled that over the pineapple and put little dollops of Mascarpone Cheese and chopped almonds on top. Mascarpone is totally optional but seeing as how I believe it is the greatest food product on earth, I would say...use it. You won't regret it.

Even sick boy ate a little.

Happy Sunday!

We Have a Winner!!!

2010-02-19T20:17:00.003-05:00

Thank you everyone so much for entering my giveaway for the cutest reusable produce bags! I really love this product and think that it is such an easy way to make a big impact on the environment.

So our winner is.........................bummmmmfrummmbummmmm (drumroll):

Tara @ The Life of Us!!!!!

Tara, I'm so glad you won because I know you wanted these!!!!

Thanks again everyone!

Happy Weekend!

WFMW ~ Chicken Stock

2010-02-17T08:19:00.008-05:00

One of the biggest money savers in our house is making homemade chicken stock. I make a lot of soups and other things that require chicken stock and it is very expensive to buy. I know there are a lot of recipes out there for making stock...but really I just throw a bunch of things into a giant pot and boil away. Good enough for me.

As I accumulate things in the kitchen that I think would be good in stock, I freeze them in a large container. Then, all I have to do is open the container and throw the item in. It's okay if they all stick together, because your throwing it all in the same place anyway. I think having one container saves on space, time, and money. Here is a list of some of the things I have thrown into a pot of chicken stock. The ones that are bold are, in my opinion, a must:

Chicken - cooked chicken carcasses, uncooked chicken parts, skin, yucky parts...whatever

Onions

Celery - save your leafy parts as they add tons of flavor to the stock

Garlic - no need to peel

Leeks

Leek tops

Fresh or Dried Herbs

Parmesan or other cheese heels - once you've used the cheese just stick it in the freezer to save

Salt - don't go crazy on this because you can always add more to the dish

Whole Peppercorns

Broccoli Stems

Left over veggies such as peas, corn, green beans, green onions - seriously, it all adds flavor

I make chicken stock every couple of months and I basically just load up a large pot with all my savings and fill it to the top with water. Then I bring it to a strong boil and reduce to a simmer. Then I cover it and let it go. Simmer for a loooooooong time. I've been known to do it overnight. I would say at least 6 hours.

Then, I let it cool and get a large tupperware container. I then strain the stock over a strainer. Throw all the leftovers away. DON'T try to save the chicken. You just boiled the heck out of it. It's done its duty.

Now, let the strained stock stay in the fridge overnight. All of the fat and other left over bits will rise to the top and you can skim it off. It really is worth the overnight wait.

Finally, divide the stock into bags or other containers to freeze and use for later. I divide mine into 1 quart (4 cups), 2 cups, and 1 cup increments. I freeze mine in bags. It works well and rarely leaks. See here:

Then your husband, who thinks making stock is silly, can leave you messages on your bags :)

Well, that's what works for me! To see more tips go to Works For Me We Wednesday!

If you haven't had a chance to enter my giveaway for the cutest produce bags ever you may do so here!!

Asian Turkey Lettuce Cups

2010-02-16T07:44:00.005-05:00

If you haven't had a chance to enter my giveaway for the cutest produce bags ever you may do so here:)

I made these yummy little lettuce cups last week and they were super tasty. For the recipe I basically just threw a bunch of Asian ingredients in with the ground turkey and here's what I came up with:

Asian Turkey Lettuce Cups

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 tbsp canola or vegetable oil

1 bunch green onions, chopped

2 tbsp fresh ginger, minced or grated

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 lb ground turkey

1/4 cup soy sauce

2 tbsp honey

1 tsp toasted sesame oil (Asian aisle in grocery store)

1 head iceberg or bibb/butter lettuce, separated into "bowls"

Directions:

Heat a large skillet or wok over high heat. Add in the oil to coat the pan. Saute garlic, green onion, and ginger until it smells really good. This should only take a couple of minutes. Next, add in the ground turkey and cook until almost done. Add in the soy sauce, honey, and sesame oil.

Serve in lettuce cups with choice of toppings or by itself. You could add chopped pepper, peanuts, more onion, etc.

Aren't they beautiful? Just kidding. Unfortunately, that's not mine :( I had one of those "Oh S***!" moments when you forget to take a picture. So I really hesitate to show you this ugly thing, but I took it so I am. Yes, it is dark. Yes, I did eat a little. Yes, it was super yummy.

This recipe is being shared at these fabulous blogs:

Tasty Tuesday

Tempt My Tummy Tuesday

Tuesdays at the Table

Have a great day!!

Weekend Recap & Menu Plan 2/14 - 2/20

2010-02-14T20:08:00.018-05:00

First off I want to thank everyone who has so far entered my giveaway for the cutest reusable produce bags ever:) If you haven't had a chance to enter, you have until this Friday!

I had a great weekend and Valentine's Day wine tasting and relaxing in Northern Michigan. We stayed at the sweetest little ski resort and really enjoyed the snow. I am probably the most uncoordinated person to ever grace the steps of the place...so I didn't ski. But, I had a great time watching other skiers and enjoying everything else there was to offer. I also really enjoyed watching the Olympic opening ceremonies from here:

This was the view out of our room. At night everything was lit up with twinkle lights. So cute!

Hubby thought this pose was really cheesy:)

Before going wine tasting around the peninsulas my guy bought me a 90 minutes massage. Oh my word. It was wonderful. I love him. This was one of the wineries that we tasted at. They have an inn, where I plan to stay at in my next life when I'm a millionaire.

We also ate lunch at this great restaurant housed inside a refurbished state mental hospital. The size of the building was huge and oddly quite beautiful. This picture only shows probably a tenth of the place.

Currently, they are refurbishing some parts to be used as condos. Completely un-creepy, no?

I linked this Valentine's Recap up with Amber @ Friend Makin Monday. Such a cute blog!

Okay, well now I have to come back to the real world and menu plan. So here's what I have for the week:

Sunday: Pizza..I was tired :)

Monday: Quinoa Pilaf with Chicken Sausages

Tuesday: Clam Pasta with Salad...I will post this recipe later in the week.

Wednesday: Dinner @ Church for Ash Wednesday

Thursday: Left over pasta

Friday: Roasted Pork with broccoli

Saturday: Dinner Out

Lunches for me: Easy Slow-Cooker Black Bean Soup

To see more menu plans check out Organizing Junkie's blog!!

Have a great week!!

100th Post!!!!!!! Awesome Giveaway!!!!!!!

2010-02-12T07:00:00.000-05:00

Yay!!!!!! My 100th post is finally here! I am so glad to be blogging and learning new and interesting things everyday. It's great fun to read everyone's blogs and make new "friends". I also think it's cool to look back at all the posts that I've written. I think it will be nice in a couple of years to see our house when we first started working on it, daydream about what it was like to nap all weekend when we didn't have kids, and read some of the monthly goals that probably still aren't completed! Blogging really has become such a wonderful hobby.

So, now I would like to announce a giveaway in honor of my 100th post! I found these really adorable reusable produce bags on Etsy. I think reusable produce bags are great for the environment and also a wonderful way to transport fresh produce from the farmer's market and grocery store. The shop is called Fickle Faerie, and the owner June, has generously offered to giveaway one full set to a lucky reader. These are just a couple of my favorites:

I mean seriously. Aren't they so stinkin cute?! Here's one more :) It might just be my favorite!

The set will include:

2 Large sized nylon produce bags, approx size 11" x 13"
2 Medium sized bags approx. 9" x 11"
2 mini singles great for 1 or 2 items like a tomato, kiwi, lemon, etc, approx 6" x 7"
Bonus of 1 drawstring pouch to carry them in, pouch carry bag "will vary" in print but will match the color with your produce bags....

The giveaway will end next Friday, February 19th at 5pm Eastern.

Okay, so here's what you have to do to enter:

1. Go to June's store here and tell me which color full gift set (6 bags) you would choose if you won. This must be done to get the first entry.

2. Get 2 extra entries for following or subscribing to my blog. Please leave me a comment if you already follow or subscribe and I'll count that.

3. Get 3 extra entries for blogging about the giveaway. Make sure to also tell me in a comment that you did that.

**This giveaway is open to residents of the US and Canada. You will have 48 hours to respond or else another winner will be selected.

Also, I am linking this up with Amy's super fun Round Robin :)

I will be gone this weekend with my guy, but I'll be checking in and out periodically. If you have any questions I'll do my best to get back to you as quick as possible. Happy Valentine's Day everyone!!

xoxo

Oh Hubby...

2010-02-11T08:31:00.008-05:00

Today I decided to take a prompt from Mama Kat. I chose to write a poem about my hubby. You may remember what I great poet I am....not :) But, they are kind of fun to write. So, since I've yet to get a card for my wonderful husband I hope he'll accept my poem instead.

Hubby

Oh hubby, I love you
I think you love me too
You love me when I’m chubby,
you love me when I’m not
But that’s never happened…
and you still think I’m hot.
Oh hubby, I want to grow old with you
I think you want to be old with me too
I love when we do things together,
no matter what the weather.
You like sports and I don’t
I like to cook, and you…just won’t
I’m glad we’re not all the same,
then we’d just be lame.
Oh hubby, we’re best friends
Lets be that way til the end.

To see more poems and other prompts check out the Writer's Workshop.

Remember..tomorrow I am having a giveaway in honor of my 100th post. Please come back to enter!

Have a great day!!

A Decorating Dilemma

2010-02-10T07:25:00.007-05:00

Yesterday I found this really fun blog called Serenity Now. Right now she is hosting a Decorating Dilemma's party. Basically you post pictures of problem areas in your house that you would like some decorating advice on. What a great idea!

So, the part of my house that I struggle with is my kitchen. Here's a couple of picture of what it looks like right now.

I love how open it is because my house is not the biggest. I feel like if it were more closed off, it would just block things in. I also like the white dishes...because...well that's what I have :) I don't really feel like buying new dishes, but I also kind of like the continuity of the white. However, it just seems kind of dull.

Do you think I should put some stuff on top of the cabinet? I know there are some glass serving things up there now. I don't really like that. I feel like I either need more stuff...or less. Ahhh...these are the things that keep me up at night ;)

Also..what about this thing?

Do you think it would look better with bead board instead of frosted glass? It's not like what's inside is pretty or anything...

Anyway, I am open to any and all suggestions! You won't hurt my feelings if you say change a lot!! Thanks in advance for the advice!

Too see more decorating dilemmas check out Serenity Now!!

Also! Friday I am having a giveaway in honor of my 100th post! Please come back to enter!!!! Hint...you'll be the cutest greenest shopper at the grocery store :)

Have a great day!!

Buffalo Chicken Roll-Ups or Squares

2010-02-09T07:52:00.009-05:00

I made these roll-ups for the Superbowl on Sunday, and they were a hit. I adapted the recipe from a spinach and cheese one that I had. Also, be sure to read the bottom of the post for an alternative way to make them as a dinner.

Buffalo Chicken Roll-Ups

Two Dozen

Ingredients:

1 can (8oz) refrigerated crescent rolls

3/4 cup finely chopped chicken, cooked

1 teaspoon hot sauce *I use Franks, and use as much or as little as your family likes*

4 oz cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup cheddar or blue cheese

3 tbsp green onion, finely chopped

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Spray cookie sheet. Unroll dough and separate into 4 rectangles, and firmly press to seal.

In a small bowl, mix chicken and hot sauce. Spread 1/4 of cream cheese over each rectangle to about 1/4 inch of the edge. Sprinkle evenly with the chicken mixture, cheese, and onion.

I doubled the recipe so this has one extra rectangle

Starting with one of the short sides, roll up the rectangle. Press the edge to seal. With a serrated or other sharp knife, cut each roll into 6 slices. Place the rolls (cut side down) on the cookie sheet. Bake 13-17 minutes, until golden.

You can also make chicken squares with these like I did here, to make it more of a dinner instead of an appetizer.

Use the same directions, but replace the ingredients with these, mixing in the hot sauce and cheese with the rest of the filling.

8 oz (1 block) cream cheese, room temp

2 cups cooked chicken, cubed

1 teaspoon hot sauce, or more to taste

1/4 cup blue or cheddar cheese

1/4 tsp salt

3 tbsp milk

3 tbsp green onion, finely chopped

1 can (8 oz) refrigerated crescent rolls

Enjoy!

These recipes are being shared at these fabulous blogs:

Tasty Tuesday

Tempt My Tummy Tuesday

Tuesdays at the Table

Have a great day!!

Menu Plan 2/7 - 2/13

2010-02-08T06:06:00.000-05:00

So let me just say...I am not a football fan. However, I am so happy the Saints won last night!!!!! I think it's great for New Orleans and is going to make for such a fun Mardi Gras. We had a pretty uneventful weekend. Saturday night we went out to dinner with some friends to a place that has over 30 varieties of burgers. My husband got a burger with a fried egg on top. He loved it...probably because he knew it grossed me out :) I got a burger that was a cross between a mushroom and swiss and an olive burger. SOOOOO good! Last night we went to a Superbowl party and had a great time.

This week is pretty dull because we have a lot going on. I'm so excited for this weekend, though!

Sunday: Superbowl!

Monday: Left over spaghetti

Tuesday: Asian Lettuce Cups...I'll post later this week.

Wednesday: LO Asian Lettuce Cups

Thursday: Volunteering @ Church

Friday: We'll be in Traverse City, wine tasting, for a Valentine's getaway

Saturday: Same as above ;)

To see more menu plans check out Organizing Junkie's Blog here!

Have a great week!

Over the Top

2010-02-05T08:19:00.006-05:00

Yesterday I got the nicest award from from the lovely Mommy Gourmet. She took a little break from blogging, and I'm so glad she's back. Check out her blog for some really delicious and creative recipes.

In order to receive this award, I must answer the following questions with one word answers (I tried!) and then pass the award on to 5 other bloggers whom I believe are also "Over the Top!" (They will then repeat.) I love lists. This is great. Here's what I got:

Your Cell Phone? bad
Your Hair? long
Your Mother? funny
Your Father? miss him
Your Favorite Food? everything!
Your Dream Last Night? creepy!
Your Favorite Drink? martini
Your Dream/Goal? happiness
What Room Are You In? living room
Your Hobby? cooking

Your Fear? sickness
Where Do You See Yourself In Six Years? mommy
Where Were You Last Night? home
Something That You Aren't? complete
Muffins? yum
Wish List Item? camera
Where Did You Grow Up? ann arbor
Last Thing You Did? email
What Are You Wearing? jeans
Your TV? excessive
Your Pets? nope
Friends? love
Your Life? fabulous
Your Mood? okay
Missing Someone? absolutely
Vehicle? SRX

Something You Aren't Wearing? underwear :) jk...shoes?
Your Favorite Store? sur la table
Your Favorite Color? green
When Was The Last Time You Laughed? yesterday
Last Time You Cried? awhile
Your Best Friend? hubby
One Place You Go To Over And Over Again? Meijer
Facebook? unfortunately
Favorite Place To Eat? 1913 Room

So here are the blogs I'm passing this on to. This is just a small selection of some of my favorite blogs and ones that I've just came to know :)

Tara @ The Life of Us. She and I seem to have very similar taste in food and I always look forward to seeing her recipes and reading about her sweet family.

Lucy @ Lucy's Kitchen & Lucy's Life. Oh how I wish we lived closer. I think we'd be real life buddies. She not only has a love of food, but also a love of lists :)

Joanne @ Eats Well with Others. Seriously funny blog with great recipes. Joanne is so unique and sweet. I'm also jealous she lives in NYC.

All Things Yummy. I actually just discovered this blog. I am so happy I did though because she has some great recipes. Go take a peek :)

SnoWhite @ Finding Joy in my Kitchen. I'm so happy to have found this blog. I love all the made from scratch recipes and have learned a lot. Did you know you cook English Muffins on a griddle? I always thought you baked them. Nope!

Have a great weekend!!

February Goals

2010-02-03T07:00:00.000-05:00

So I've decided to make a list of goals for the month. I was inspired by Lucy, and since we share a love of crossing things off of lists, I thought monthly goals would be a good way to get me motivated.

1. Start exercising. I'm not even putting a requirement on here of how often. This month if I start...well that's progress.

2. Finish reading The Omnivore's Dilemma, and blog about it.

3. Stick to our grocery and eating out budgets for the month. This is where we struggle the most!

4. Catch up on old Glee episodes, in preparation for the new season.

5. Try to not buy more than 5 bottles of wine when hubby and I go wine tasting in Traverse City for Valentine's Day weekend.

6. Decide if I want to do a garden in the backyard and start the seeds early or buy the plants.

7. Finalize air and hotel plans for our trip to Italy this October! Does anyone have any hotel suggestions for Rome and the Amalfi Coast?

8. Post things that I need to sell on Craigslist.

Well, I guess that's it for now! Can't wait to get some things crossed off!

Have a great day!

Healthy Apple Cinnamon Muffins

2010-02-02T07:45:00.006-05:00

In my attempt to try to eat normal breakfast foods, unlike what I eat here, I am trying to find new recipes that I like. I also want them to be healthy and filling. These muffins really hit the spot, and they don't taste like ground rock. Always a plus!

Apple Cinnamon Muffins

One Dozen*

Ingredients:

2 cups whole wheat flour**

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup honey or agave

1/4 cup canola oil

2 large eggs

1 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 teaspoon vanilla

3/4 cup lowfat milk or buttermilk

1 apple of choice, peeled cored and cut into 1/4 inch pieces

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1/4 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and spray a muffin tin.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon.

In a large bowl or mixer, whisk together the honey and oil. Add the eggs, one at a time. Whisk in the vanilla and applesauce.

Whisk in the flour in two batches alternating with the milk. Stir in the apple chunks. Pour mixture into muffin tins.

In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, pecans, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon. Sprinkle over top of the muffins.

Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Adapted from Ellie Krieger's Apple Muffins

*This made 12 very large muffins for me. You could probably get 18 smaller muffins if you'd like. Just reduce the baking time a little.

**To make an even lighter muffin you could use whole wheat pastry flour. This is finer in texture. However, it's a little pricey. One trick that I do is let the flour run for a couple of minutes in the food processor. It makes the regular whole wheat flour much finer. This also works to make regular sugar into super-fine sugar.

Enjoy!!

This recipe is being shared at these great blogs:

Tasty Tuesday

Tempt My Tummy Tuesday

Tuesday at the Table

Cupcake Tuesday

Have a great day!

Menu Plan 1/31 - 2/6

2010-02-01T06:00:00.000-05:00

Hmmmm....I don't feel like I have much to report about my weekend. We didn't do too much. I scrap-booked into the wee hours on Saturday night with a friend which was really fun. She just bought a Cricut. Those things are amazing!!!!! I totally want one :) Anyway, I'm lacking inspiration this week in the menu-planning department, but here's what I got:

Sunday: Marinated Flank Steak with Mashed Potatoes and carrots

This is one of the easiest dinners! I basically just marinate flank steak in a plastic bag overnight. In the bag I put about a tablespoon of minced garlic, 1/4 cup or so of balsamic vinegar, 1/8 cup olive oil, salt, and pepper. I just let it sit overnight and grill it on the grill pan. It's yummy and quick!

Monday: Dinner out with a friend

Tuesday: Salmon Patties and Ranch Potatoes with Broccoli

Wednesday: Spaghetti with Homemade Marinara

Thursday: Left over Salmon Patties over salad

Friday: Dinner Out!

Saturday: Not sure yet.....

To check out many more menu plans go to Menu Plan Monday @ Organizing Junkie's Blog!

Have a great week!

Prisoners Dancing Video

2010-01-29T10:10:00.004-05:00

I got this in an email yesterday and thought it was great :) I don't know how I feel about money being spent to teach prisoner's how to dance/taping/t-shirts, however, I do think it is a really positive activity. Also, for all I know everything could have been donated. The discipline and training that this must have required is amazing! All in all, I think it's pretty cool!

What do you think?

My husband says I'm weird...

2010-01-28T09:11:00.008-05:00

I've always had an aversion to eating breakfast foods. Occasionally, I do get wild and crazy and I'll have an egg or two at home. Mostly, I'll just eat it if we go out. I do love Sunshine Skillets from Bob Evans once and a while.

But then I screw things up by ordering this to go with it.

Yep. That's a salad. I like to have a tossed salad with my breakfast when we go out. It has nothing to do with healthyness or anything. I just like them with breakfast.

I used to eat rice for in the morning as a child and my mom couldn't handle it. So, she created a recipe for me with rice, scrambled egg, and sausage. I loved it. Especially with soy sauce on top. Sometimes I didn't eat the egg though, and that really irritated her.

Then there are days at home when I think I should eat something healthy for breakfast. So I choose Irish Steel Cut Oatmeal. But...then I regress and put parmesan cheese and black pepper on it instead of butter and brown sugar.

My husband says this is very weird. He actually kind of gagged. I think it's great. Maybe when we have kids they'll grow up to love oatmeal with parmesan cheese and brown sugar. Now, that's even too odd for me...

Chicken & Wild Rice Casserole

2010-01-26T07:47:00.007-05:00

Last week or so I watched an episode of Sunny Anderson's show on the Food Network. To be honest, she's not usually my fav. I think it's because it seems like she makes everything very spicy or very fattening. With that being said, I have found a few of her recipes that I really really like. This would be one of them. However, I modified the recipe a lot. It definitely fell into the really fattening category. I think it topped out at around 800 calories or so per serving, but I stopped counting at some point. My recipe isn't exactly healthy, but it's better. Also, I would think that this would make a great freezer meal, because the wild rice wouldn't get mushy.

Chicken & Wild Rice Casserole

Serves 8

Ingredients:

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp olive oil *or butter if you want*

1/4 tsp thyme *or one fresh sprig*

1 bay leaf

2 tbsp salt

4 chicken breasts

1 cup wild rice *this is really expensive. I don't see why you couldn't use a wild rice mix, or any other type of rice that you like. I splurged and got the wild, which was super good though*

2 tbsp brown sugar

1 cup frozen sour cherries, fresh or frozen *the original recipe called for cranberries. However, I couldn't find them at the store. I think they would be delicious, but you may want to up the sugar a little if you use them*

1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary

1/4 cup bread crumbs

8 oz button mushrooms, quartered

1 medium onion, chopped

2 tbsp flour

2 1/2 cups half&half *you could also use evaporated milk or just milk to make it healthier*

2 cups shredded gruyere cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 and spray a 9x13 casserole dish.

In a large saucepan combine enough water to cover the chicken, thyme, bay leaf, and salt. Bring the water to a boil and add in the chicken. Reduce to a simmer and cook for about 15 minutes or until the chicken is done. Remove from water and chop into 1/2 inch cubes.

If using wild rice, return the water to a boil and add in the rice. Rice is done when grains start to split open. This will take about 45 mins. Drain wild rice and set aside. If using other rice, just follow the package directions and cook on the side.

In a small pot over medium heat, melt the two tbsp of butter. Add in the cherries (or cranberries), sugar, breadcrumbs, rosemary, and a pinch of salt. Stir until sugar dissolves and set aside. In a large saute pan, heat olive oil over medium heat and add in the mushrooms and onions. Saute until softened, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle in flour and cook for 1 minute. Add in the half&half and simmer for a couple minutes until slightly thickened. Add the gruyere, chicken, and rice into the pan and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper and transfer to the casserole dish.

Spread the cherry mixture over the top and bake 25-30 minutes until bubbly and a little golden. Let cool about 10 minutes to thicken up and serve.

*This recipe was really good. I know the sweetened topping seems weird, but it adds a little tang, that is super yummy. Next time, I want to try it with cranberries, because they are even tangier. Also, I can't say enough about how in love I am with gruyere cheese. However, it's a little pricey. So, I think another bolder cheese, like swiss or sharp white cheddar, would be great too.*

Too see more great recipes check out these fantastic blogs:

Tasty Tuesday

Tempt My Tummy Tuesday

Tuesday's at the Table

Have a great day!!

Menu Plan 1/24 - 1/30

2010-01-25T08:00:00.001-05:00

What a relaxing weekend! I napped, napped, scrapbooked until 2am with some good friends, napped, went to Church, and then took a nap. Not sure why I was so tired, but I feel better now :). Here's what I got for the week:

Sunday: Chicken & Wild Rice Casserole with a salad **Check back Tuesday for the recipe**

Monday: Tacos

Tuesday: LO Tacos

Wednesday: LO Chicken Casserole

Thursday: Pork Roast with homemade Mashed Potatoes

Friday: Dinner Out

Saturday: Not sure yet ;)

To see more menu plans go to Organizing Junkie's blog!

Have a great week!

Fun Video

2010-01-22T10:07:00.001-05:00

This little guy is so cute!

Happy Friday!!!

If You're Bored...

2010-01-21T09:19:00.004-05:00

Today for my weekly writing assignment Mama Kat told me to write about 10 things to stave off boredom. This is what I do when I'm bored. It's a strange mix of things that would probably cause boredom for most people. But it works for me!

1. Blog...duh!

2. Organize finances online. Yes. I actually think this is fun. Stop laughing.

3. Read a good book or magazine.

4. Snuggle with someone.

5. Make lists of things you should be doing.

6. Organize the fridge. I see a pattern here.

7. Watch trashy television that you DVR'd. Some options are Real Housewives, The Jersey Shore, As the World Turns, or Teen Mom. I could go on but it would reach even more embarrassing levels.

8. Work out. Now I'm not ever really that bored. But if you are then that's a good option :)

9. Cook something special.

10. Clean. I actually like to clean some things and it makes me feel super accomplished once it's done.

Well. That was very Martha Stewart/Jerry Springer of me. Hmmmm...I should see someone.

Fantastic Forks

2010-01-20T08:19:00.003-05:00

Today I found a list of 10 things you can do with a fork in an old issue of Martha Stewart Living. Does anyone else love that magazine as much as I do? I always pull pages out of magazines if I want to make the recipe, craft, etc. When I'm done reading Martha I seriously have no magazine left and a huge pile of paper. Anyway, I guess I knew you could do all these things with a fork, but it was interesting to see it all written out. Also, I have a huge affinity for lists. You may remember my Lemon Love and Earth Day posts ;) So, here we go:

1. Reaming: Insert the tines into halved citrus fruits to extract juice.

2. Pricking: Make holes in piecrusts or potatoes before baking.

3. Crimping: Decorate a raw piecrust by pressing tines along the edge.

4. Whisking: Whip eggs for omelets and other dishes.

5. Mashing: Crush berries for a sauce or bananas for banana bread.

6. Decorating: Make a crosshatch pattern on cookies of sides of a cake.

7. Dipping: Lower nuts, fruits, or cookies into melted chocolate.

8. Scraping: Carve out spaghetti squash or make granita.

9. Spearing: Lift pickles from a jar and waffles from the waffle iron. Hold meat when slicing.

10. Testing: Check if boiled potatoes are cooked through.

Thanks Martha!!

Oh and I haven't given you any pictures of him lately and this post was lacking pictures. You're welcome:

Not sure why this picture is so big, but I figured no one would mind....

Have a great day!!

Shrimp Etouffee

2010-01-19T07:49:00.005-05:00

I made this last night and it was so good!! I have made it in the past, but as with most recipes, I forgot about it. It worked out perfect because I had tons of frozen peppers from the summer and a bag of onions I wanted to use up. If you want to keep the recipe a little more frugal, just add more veggies and less shrimp. Also, I don't see why you couldn't add a little cooked chicken. I guess that would take the "shrimp" out of "shrimp etoufee", but who cares. Also, I know it seems like a lot of ingredients, but many of these things are items that I already have on hand.

Shrimp Etouffee

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 stick butter **you could just use one stick of butter and omit the oil**

1/2 cup flour

2 cups onions, chopped

1 cup celery, chopped

1 cup bell pepper, chopped **I used green**

1 tbsp garlic, finely chopped

1/2 tsp salt

1/8 tsp black pepper

1/8 tsp white pepper

2 tsp Cajun seasoning

1 cup water

1 can diced tomatoes, undrained

2 tbsp dry white wine or sherry **You could put in a little lemon instead**

1 1/2 lbs shrimp

green onion for garnish

hot sauce to taste

4 cups cooked rice **I used brown**

Directions:

In a large pot or dutch oven, melt the butter in with the olive oil over medium heat. Once melted, add in the flour. This part is called making a roux. Stir the flour frequently until it is the color of peanut butter. This will take 5-10 minutes depending on your heat and pot.

Add in onions, celery, peppers, black pepper, white pepper, salt, and cajun seasoning. Cook about 5 minutes until soft. Add in garlic and cook about one minute. Add in the water, tomatoes, and wine. Let cook over low heat, stir

ring frequently, for about 5 minutes. Add in shrimp and cook until they turn pink. This will be very quick.

Spoon the mixture over rice and garnish with the green onions and hot sauce.

Enjoy!

To see more great recipes check out these fabulous blogs:

Tasty Tuesday

Tempt My Tummy Tuesday

Tuesday at the Table

Have a great day!!

Menu Plan 1/17 - 1/23

2010-01-18T08:00:00.001-05:00

Ahhh....I had a pretty relaxing weekend. We didn't do too much, however, we got too see some friends and played some games on Saturday night, which was really fun. I felt a little down this weekend. Maybe I watched too much coverage on Haiti? I wanted to write in my blog a couple times, but never really did it. I think I was feeling like with everything going on there, should I be writing about me? It seems so mundane. But, I know the world must go on. So here is my plan:

Sunday: Shrimp Etouffee **Look for recipe on Tuesday**

Monday: Dinner out with a friend

Tuesday: Mama Bird's Chicken Spaghetti and a salad

Wednesday: LO Shrimp Etouffee

Thursday: Salmon, rice, and green beans

Friday: LO Chicken Spaghetti

Saturday: Dinner Out

To see more plans please check out Organizing Junkie's blog here :)

Have a great week!!

What's in a name?

2010-01-14T08:08:00.006-05:00

Hello, I'm Ashley. I don't really have much of an opinion about my name. I don't love it, but I don't hate it either. I've never really felt much like an Ashley though. I've always wanted to be named something fun like Lucy, Sophia, or Vivi. I particularly like the name Dottie. I guess I like names from the 50's. Aside from Dottie, because I think she'd kill me, I think I'd name my girls those names if I ever have them.

Anyway, I found out yesterday while on Facebook that my name was the 2nd most popular name the year I was born, in between Jessica and Jennifer. I think my mom lied to me when she said she named me that because no one else named their kids Ashley. Clearly they did. Kind of odd considering it means "ash meadow". I was hoping for something like lovely, spirited, most beautiful on Earth. But no...ash meadow. Oh well.

Mama Kat said in her instructions to explain why I was named my name. Well...there is a very nice reason and evidently the real reason which is really...charming. My family owned a German restaurant in Ann Arbor for years. It was on Ashley Street. When my mom decided that's what she wanted to name me she told my dad that it was to honor the restaurant. However, she tells me that she named me after her:

That's Ashley Abbott from The Young & the Restless. My mom tells me she loved her in the soap as soon as she saw her and always wanted a daughter named Ashley. This is my mom:

This is how our conversations went when I was little:

little Ashley: "Dad, why was I named Ashley?"

Dad: "Oh, cause Mommy thought it would be nice to name you after the street the restaurant was on."

little Ashley: "That's nice"

Mom walks in the room and whispers to little Ashley: "No it's not, I named you after Ashley Abbott, from Y&R. You're going to love that show when you're older too."

little Ashley: "I'll stick with Dad's story."

Mom: "Be thankful, he was going to name you Percy if you were a boy."

Oddly enough, I love Y&R and I also have a secret desire to name one of my kids Percy. I think Percy and Dottie would be cute. You?

To see more reasons people are named what they are check out Mama Kat's blog!!

Have a great day!!

Snickerdoodle Cupcakes

2010-01-12T09:07:00.006-05:00

One word: YUM! I made these a over the weekend and they were so delicious! I modified a recipe from Martha Stewart, which you can find here. I didn't have cake flour and also didn't need 28. I frosted these cupcakes in cream cheese frosting, because that's my favorite. Martha did hers in 7-minute frosting. I would imagine 7-minute frosting would make it taste more like a snickerdoodle, because it's a little bland. However, I kind of hate 7-minute frosting, so I did cream cheese. So, here's how I did mine:

Snickerdoodle Cupcakes

Makes 20

Ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp corn starch

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

2 tsp cinnamon

3/4 cup butter, room temp

1 1/4 cup sugar

3 large eggs, room temp

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

3/4 cup milk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 20 muffin cups with liners. Sift/whisk together all dry ingredients in large bowl.

Cream butter and sugar together until fluffy and light. Add in eggs one at a time, beating until just combined. Add in vanilla and almond extract. Alternate beating in dry mixture and milk, ending with dry mixture.

Fill each liner about 3/4 way full. Bake cupcakes for 16-20 minutes until tooth pick comes out clean.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

1 1/2 sticks butter, room temp

8 oz cream cream cheese, room temp

3 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

milk

Directions:

Beat butter and cream cheese until fluffy. Add in vanilla. Gradually beat in sugar, scraping down the bowl in between. Add milk, 1 tsp at a time, until desired consistency is reached.

Enjoy!!!!!

To see some more delicious recipes check out these fabulous blogs:

Tempt My Tummy Tuesday

Tuesday at the Table

Tasty Tuesday

Have a great day!!

Menu Plan 1/10 - 1/16

2010-01-11T08:36:00.000-05:00

I finally had a weekend without too many plans so it was great to just be able to relax and do whatever for a couple of days. We tried a new restaurant, went shopping, and took a couple naps! Last night, we had a dinner with our small group at Church. I hosted last month, but someone else hosted this month so all I had to bring was a salad. That was kind of nice!

Here is the plan for the week. I'm really excited about the Lasagna!!

Sunday: Church Dinner

Monday: Baked Potatoes loaded with cheese, chicken, spinach, and green onion. Broccoli on the side.

Tuesday: Butternut Squash Lasagna & Salad with homemade Caesar dressing

Wednesday: LO Lasagna

Thursday: Volunteering for the food bank @ Church

Friday: Bowling Night

Saturday: Night out with friends

To see more delicious menu plans check out Organizing Junkie's blog here!

Have a great week!!

Cutest Video Ever!

2010-01-08T08:01:00.002-05:00

I got an email yesterday with a link for this video. Seriously, I have watched it 10 times. I love it! I think it is so cool for a hospital to do this to support breast cancer research. Here it is:

Doesn't the janitor kill you? Oh I just want to hug him!

Have a great weekend!

Just call me Longfellow

2010-01-07T07:55:00.006-05:00

Today I'm doing a writing assignment from Mama Kat. I chose to write a poem about the 7th picture I took last January, because I'm an amazing poet. It just so happens that I made this gorgeous cake for my first Wilton cake decorating class. I shudder when I see the ~~hideous~~ beauty that is this cake. Between the cake and my poem, I'm sure to sweep the blog world by storm. Without further ado, here's the masterpiece:

Thugs Like Cakes

This is my cake.

It's so good it looks fake.

It makes boys in the hood shake,

Because it's as beautiful as a lake.

They'd protect the bird with their lives,

to ensure it didn't break.

They'd want to take it to their mother,

Or share it with their brother.

They'd sit and admire it's glory.

It'd go down in family stories.

It would make gangs dissipate,

and get rid of the hate.

My cake.

Word to your mother.

Projects of 2009 Party

2010-01-06T08:10:00.022-05:00

Rhoda over at Southern Hospitality did the most wonderful post about the projects she did around her house in 2009. She had 10 to post, however, she probably could have done 50. So ambitious and creative! While I don't have that many, I thought I'd share what we did do.

1. Master Bedroom

This is a room that we actually just finished and I haven't done a post about yet. I think I may do a separate post in a couple days showing more of what we did. I don't have any before pictures but you can see the color of the walls in this picture from when we were redoing the master bath.

Before Color:

After:

Like I said, check back in a week or so to see more pics of all the projects we did. I'm going to do a bit about repainting laminate furniture. For a little run-down though we painted, made a headboard, added new bedding, bought a new dresser, added a new picture from the Ann Arbor Art Fair, added window treatments, and redid some end tables.

2. Headboard

Here is a pick of the headboard that we made out of a door for the Master Bedroom. We didn't have one before. I really like the headboard because it's attached to the wall and my favorite...it only cost $22!

3. Guest Bath

You can see the official post that I did about it here, but this will give you an idea of what happened in this room.

Before:

As you can see, there were wood floors in the bathroom....Who knows.

After:

We replaced the wood floor with a dark slate tile, that you can see in the link above. We also framed the mirrors out in white, painted the walls grey, and added some accessories. The candle sticks are gone now and have a new home in our bedroom :)

4. Powder Room

This is one of the rooms I don't have a before picture for. It used to be a very deep red. There was also no mirror on the wall and no blinds.

After:

Obviously, this still has some left over Christmas decorations :) However, we painted, added a mirror, wood blinds, and did a wall of fabric panels.

5. Spice/Paper Closets

Oddly enough, this is probably one of my favorite things I did this year. Moving the spices freed up so much much space in my kitchen cabinets. I love the paper door too because now I don't have so much floating around the rest of the house. I painted each door panel with many coats of magnetic paint and put the spices in magnetic jars. Voila!

6. Kitchen Sink

Again...no before picture. It used to be a stainless sink that was VERY shallow and had a standard faucet. I'm so glad we replaced this so I don't give myself a shower every time I wash something other than a fork!

7. China Cabinet

As for the common theme, there is also no before pictures of this. I would kill for some though, because this was honestly so much work! It used to be a light (ugly) brown that was really dull and bland. The panels on the front were more than not fun to paint :) I also added some new pulls to the doors.

8. Master Bath

This is another re-do that some of you may have seen before here. These are some peeks of what we did:

Before:

The wall color was a burnt orange, there were molding wood floors (gross!), and again just pull-down blinds.

After:

We painted the walls a very light blue, changed to small octagonal tiles, added wood blinds, and accessories.

9. I'm tired.

10. I'm going to take a nap.

Now go check out some more projects at Rhoda's blog here!!

Have a great day!!

French Onion Soup

2010-01-04T11:38:00.008-05:00

This recipe is sort of a compilation of a few different recipes as well as me tweeking things from times I've made this in the past. I actually didn't have any beef stock when I made it last night. However, I had homemade chicken stock, and it worked great. This soup is so good with a salad on a cold night. I think I could eat it every week!

French Onion Soup

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

3 pounds onions, sliced thinly *I like yellow*

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp olive oil

1/4 tsp dry thyme or 1 sprig fresh thyme

1 bay leaf

8 cups beef broth

1/2 cup Sherry

1 cup dry white wine

salt to taste *I say to taste on this because it really depends on how salty your broth is*

pepper to taste

1 loaf crusty bread *You can use leftover bread in the freezer as well as day old bread*

1 1/2 cups grated gruyere cheese

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

In a large stock/soup pot saute the onions on medium heat until very golden brown. You may think they're starting to burn, but a dark brown color is what you want. Add the garlic in the last couple minutes of browning.

Pour in the sherry and wine and scrap the brown bits up off the bottom of the pan. This is where the flavor is! Let the wine and sherry simmer for about 5 mintues. You can see how brown mine is here before I even added the broth. Also, I doubled the recipe so at this stage yours will probably look less liquid-y than mine.

Add in thyme, bay leaf, and broth. Simmer on low heat for 25 minutes. Add in salt and pepper to your taste.

While the soup is simmering toast the bread and grate the cheese. You can really use any cheese that you like, but I love love love gruyere cheese. Ladle soup into crocks or bowls. Top with toasted bread and cheese. Place under broiler for 5 minutes or so to melt the cheese like this:

Enjoy!

To see some more delicious recipes check out these fabulous blogs:

Tempt My Tummy Tuesday

Tuesdays at the Table

Tasty Tuesday

Have a great day!!

Menu Plan 1/3 - 1/9

2010-01-03T11:25:00.007-05:00

Ahhh....the holidays are over. I'm a little sad, but now I feel like I have regained my weekends and hopefully my waist :) I still haven't taken down the holiday decorations because we had a party this weekend, however, now they're starting to look like too much. I'm glad to be taking them down this week. Our party went well, and I'll be posting some recipes in some coming posts. Here is the menu for the week:

Sunday: French Onion Soup....come back Tuesday for the recipe and pictures.

Monday: Mexicali Casserole

Tuesday: Getting my cavity filled :( I've never had one before and I'm a little scared. This will be an easy night of something frozen in the freezer.

Wednesday: LO Mexicali Casserole

Thursday: Katie's Supper-Size Egg Rolls I've been wanting to make these for the longest time but I keep forgetting about them. I'm so excited to give them a try!

Friday: Dinner and a movie out.

Saturday: Not sure yet...perhaps homemade sushi?

To check out more menu plans and recipes go to Menu Plan Monday on Organizing Junkie's Blog!

Have a great week!!

New Year's Resolutions

2009-12-31T12:43:00.005-05:00

I am actually planning on sticking to these resolutions/goals this year!

1. Lose 25 pounds by August 1st. That's roughly 1 lb per week...doable I think. I want to look like her:

Lovely.

2. Eat breakfast.

3. Eat at least one vegetarian meal per week for dinner.

4. Eat at least 5 vegetarian meals per week for lunch.

5. Start viewing sweets as a privilege not a right.

6. Start trying to get pregnant by the end of this year.

7. Finish a guest bedroom, bathroom, and bedroom in our unfinished basement.

8. Finish flower bed outside this summer.

9. Workout at least 3-5 times per week.

10. Go on a Mediterranean Cruise/Italian Vacation this summer. Has anyone ever done this? I need major advice please!

This isn't an option for me. Can you remind me of that in 3 months when I've gained 5 pounds instead of lost it? Thanks so much :)

Well, now I'm off to cook and clean my butt off for a party that we're having on Saturday. Can't wait to go out tonight for New Year's!

Check out some more writing assignments and resolutions at Mama Kat's awesome blog here!

Happy New Year!!!!!

Decade in Review

2009-12-30T08:20:00.008-05:00

The lovely Lucy over at Lucy's Life did a wonderful post about her decade "in review". I was amazed that she could remember all that so I thought I'd give it a try. I had such a hard time thinking of everything, but I'm so glad I did! Although I'm sure I missed a ton, this is nice to have :)

2000:

Started my Sophomore year of high school.
Went to a bunch of NSYNC concerts.
Was that all I did???

2001:

Turned 16 in Disney World. Magical :)
Got my first car: a Ford Escort in Blue. I loved it!
Went to see Dave Matthew's Band at Comerica Park in Detroit.
Continued my love of NSYNC by seeing them on the "Pop Odyssey" tour....twice
Started my Junior Year of high school.
Found out about 9/11 while sitting in my German Class. Horrible day for America.

2002:

Went to NYC for the first time and saw "Rent" & the "Lion King".
Went to Germany to visit an exchange student friend of mine for 2 months. We went to Paris, Amsterdam, and my favorite, Norway.
Started my Senior year of high school.
Very confused about where to go to college.

2003:

Graduated High School.
Saw Bob Dylan & the Grateful Dead in concert as a graduation gift from my uncle.
Decided very very late to go to Grand Valley State University.
Lost my Grandma "Oma".
Started College.
There was only one girl in high school who I really had a hard time getting along with...she was my "suite-mate"....unexpectedly.
Went in to the dorms "blind", but met my wonderful roommate, Kerri, who I am still friends with now.
Met my future hubby and had a little crush on him but thought he was too "country" for this Ann Arbor girl.
Started dating a different guy who was the total opposite of me...some good, mostly bad :)
Went to Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon with my Mom and LOVED it!

2004:

Developed my fear of driving in the snow after having to drive the 2 hour drive home from college for the holidays that actually took 6.
Went to my first rodeo with my future hubby and some other friends.
Snuck away to Chicago for the first time to visit "different guy". We fought. But, I did fall in love with Chicago!
Decided that my major in college was to be "Hospitality & Tourism Management". I loved it, but I wish I would have thought of something a little more practical.
Got really into my love of cooking and baking.

2005:

Ended relationship with "different guy".
Started dating the love of my life in August. Best move ever.
Lost my Grandpa "Opa".
Went to NYC for 2nd time with my cousin and aunt during Christmas time. So cool!

2006:

Turned 21 while at Disney World/Caribbean Cruise with my roommate, Heidi.
Moved out of college apartments and rented awesome historic house with friends.
Got engaged in October to my love.
Mourned the 10 year death of my dad. Miss him everyday.

2007:

Moved into Hubby and I's first apartment.
Graduated College.
Got married to the love of my life in October.

Blessed to have a new family with two brothers, a mom, and a dad :)
Went to Punta Cana on our Honeymoon and had the most relaxing week of my life.

2008:

Moved out of our first apartment and bought a house.
Lost my job two days after closing on house...
Fulfilled a dream and started a new "job".
Celebrated our first anniversary by going wine tasting in Traverse City.

2009:

Started Blogging.
Did tons of home projects. You can see some here and here.
Joined an Episcopalian church nearby.
Got baptized.
Celebrated our second anniversary by going to Washington State and Vancouver on Vacation.

2010:

Resolutions to come tomorrow!

Asian Spring Rolls

2009-12-29T08:23:00.011-05:00

Since I was a little "overstuffed" from all the holiday eating I have been doing I decided to make something a little lighter for dinner last night. These are something I have made before and we always eat them up. I like them because it uses up some leftover veggies in the fridge and also because they don't take a lot of time. I don't really have a recipe but here is what I basically do. You can change any of the ingredients based on what you have on hand.

Asian Spring Rolls

Serves 2

Ingredients

Spring Roll Skin *note and picture below*

Rice Noodles, Phad Thai Noodles, or any other noodle

1/2 pound of shrimp, cooked

1/2 cucumber, sliced thinly lengthwise

1 bunch green onions, sliced thinly lengthwise

1/2 bag of shredded carrots

lettuce, torn into smaller pieces

Here are some pictures of what I do:

This is the "Spring Roll Skin". I've seen it in both packages. One comes from the Asian Market and one comes from my local grocery store. I haven't had a hard time finding them in our local store, but if you do the Asian Market is sure to have them.

Soak one "Spring Roll Skin" in warm water until soft. I would say this takes about a minute. Lay "skin" onto a cutting board or paper towel and put your veggies and other things in. Roll up like a burrito and slice in half.

Voila!

Here is the dipping sauce I make. I kind of just throw things in, so do it to your taste.

Ingredients

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup rice vinegar

1 tbsp dijon mustard

1 tsp chile sesame oil

1/4-1/2 cup water depending on how strong you like it

Whisk ingredients together and serve in little bowls.

To see some more delicious recipes check out these fabulous blogs:

Tempt My Tummy Tuesday

Tuesdays at the Table

Tasty Tuesday

Have a great day!!!

Menu Plan 12/28 - 1/2

2009-12-28T08:41:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! Ours was super busy full of visiting family, driving, and eating! On Christmas Eve we went to my Dad's side of the family to have prime rib and presents. Some of you know that my dad passed away when I was little. However, we still spend Christmas Eve with his family, which is really important to me. I only have one cousin on that side of the family, so it's great to see her whenever I get the chance. After dinner we go drive around to look at lights and sing along (loudly) to Christmas songs. So fun! I got an amazing cake dome from Crate & Barrel that I can't wait to use:

Christmas day was spent at Hubby's family in the morning then we quickly went to my mom's to open presents and have breakfast. Later in the day we went to Hubby's grandma's to have dinner. His grandma gave me her old cordial glasses and some fabulous cookie cutters. I am so excited about the glasses!

This weeks menu plan is a little crazy because we are having a party on Saturday and I have LOTS of food to cook :) So I am trying to make the rest of the week as easy as possible. I will be posting some of the recipes I'm making for the party, so check back later. Here is what I have so far:

Monday: Asian Spring Rolls (I'll be posting this recipe with pictures tomorrow)

Tuesday: Chicken & Asiago sausage from Sam's (they're so good!) & polenta

Wednesday: Chicken Squares

Thursday: Yummy New Years Eve dinner with just my hubby before going to a friend's party. We're having crab legs and steak. I'm also making broccoli with this vinaigrette:

Broccoli with Balsamic Vinaigrette

Serves 6

Ingredients:

2 lb broccoli, cut into florets

1/4 cup olive oil

1 1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

3/4 tsp dijon mustard

1 tsp garlic, finely minced

fresh pepper

salt

1 lemon

Directions:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil with a tablespoon of salt. When at a strong boil, add in broccoli and cook for 3-5 minutes. I like mine with a little bite to it so I do about 3 minutes. Drain broccoli and rinse with cool water. Place in a serving bowl.

In the meantime, whisk together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, dijon mustard, garlic, pepper to taste, and 1 tsp salt. Pour dressing over broccoli and squeeze lemon over the top. I like to eat this at room temperature, but I think cold or hot would be good too.

Friday: Pizza....because it's oh so easy :)

Saturday: Party!!

Sorry for the jumbled plan but I will have recipes later in the week!

To check out more plans join in on the Menu Plan Monday fun here.

Have a great week!

Christmas Dinner Party

2009-12-22T08:24:00.009-05:00

I'm not even going to get into the lack of posting. Everything is fine, other than I can't stick to a commitment...at all :) Instead, I'm moving on to more positive things! My un-committed butt had a dinner party. I stressed, of course, but I think everything went pretty well :) Here are some pictures of the table as well as my china. I rarely use it, but it is the love of my life. Sometimes, I want to wave at it in the morning when I wake up. Sometimes, I do.

For dinner I was lucky enough to not have to make appetizers or a salad. So, I made Italian Beef Roast, Creamy Parmesan Polenta, and Broccolini with a vinaigrette. I'll have to share the recipe for the pot roast soon, but here is the one for the Creamy Polenta. Go make it now because it's really easy and really yummy.

Creamy Parmesan Polenta

Serves 8

Ingredients:

4 c. whole milk

4 c. chicken stock

2 1/2 tsps salt

3 cups "medium" cornmeal (It comes in coarse and fine too. I prefer medium.)

8 Tbsp butter

1 c. parmesan cheese, grated

Directions:

In a large sauce pan (I use a soup pot), bring milk, chicken stock, and salt to a boil. While stirring, slowly add in the cornmeal.

Reduce heat until it is lightly simmering and continue to constantly stir. Cook until it thickens, but not until hard. (This will take about 10 minutes depending on the grain of your cornmeal. I would taste it after 5 minutes or so, to see if it is starting to soften. I prefer mine to be like "al dente" pasta. Not mushy, with a little bit of a bite.)

Remove the pan from the heat and add in the butter and cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

**At this point I would serve it right away. However, if you need to hold it over for a party, like I did you can keep it creamy for a little longer. Polenta will harden once it cools. This can be nice because you can cut it in wedges and grill, top with sauce, fry, etc. However, if you want it creamy for a while it needs a little attention. I just continue to add milk and a very low temperature while stirring. I wouldn't do this for hours or anything, but I held mine like that for about 45 minutes. ***

You can check out some more great recipes @ Tempt My Tummy Tuesday & Tuesday's at the Table !

Enjoy your Christmas week!!!

Oh my.......

2009-10-09T09:33:00.004-04:00

Hello! Hello? Anyone there? Hmmm.....probably not because my blog is well....a little dusty to say the least. Truly, I have no idea what has happened to it. Life I guess. Anyway, I got a lovely little message today in my email. I thought..."someone is still reading this"? And then I got some more. And then another. Finally someone congratulated me on the Foodie Blog Roll. Well, there you have it. The blogger who never blogs got put on the Foodie Blog Roll.

Thanks Foodie Blog Roll for getting my butt in gear. Because,well, I'd really like to make some kind of commitment to start keeping up on my blog again. I enjoy it, and now that it is getting cold again I am bored. Most importantly, I miss reading everyone else's blogs. So, I don't think I can commit to everyday, because I'm just not that exciting. If I set a goal to do something and I only half do it, than I kind of just give up all together. For example, I say I'm going to lose ten pounds. Then I only lose 2. Then I just stop trying. Not good.

So, I am committing to writing at least a couple of times a week. I know I can do that. If I write more than a couple....don't get too used to it. I don't have a good track record. Oh and also, I'm not going to worry about my grammer so much. It stresses me out. Then I take like 500 hours to write one post. Then I stop writing. You get the picture.

Anyway, I have been up to a lot. I have been cooking a ton and redecorating too. Next Friday we are leaving for Washington State. We are going to the mountains the first half of the trip and then Vancouver and then Seattle. I am going to be hiking. Yes I said hiking. We'll see how that goes. Thank goodness the second half of our trip in Vancouver and Seattle is going to be all about food. I need to recover. If I don't write when I get back it's because I got lost in Pike's Place. I'm already dreaming about the fish. Whole. Fresh. Fish. Sort of like this one:

Then we're eating at this place. I'll be the dork taking pictures of the food so I can show you.

Thanks again Foodie Blog Roll. I really needed this.

An Apology and Some Awards

2009-06-11T09:05:00.006-04:00

Oh goodness, I feel like such a bad blogger. Not only have I not been keeping up with my posting but I also have a couple of awards that I have not responded to.

First off, sorry for ignoring my blog and the others I read. My hubby has been sick and I am having surgery next week. Don't worry, my surgery isn't serious. The doctor is checking to see if I have endometriosis. I am hoping to have kids in a couple of years and I am also showing signs of endometriosis. That's obviously not a good mix so basically I just want to know if having kids is an option for me :)

We are also having our floors refinished next week too (I know...I'm a little nuts). That means I have to take everything off them including the china cabinet, so I have to pack up everything in it. FUN! Okay...now I feel like a giant Debbie Downer so here is this as an apology:

Ahhh..........

Okay well enough negativeness. I got an award yesterday and also one a long long time ago that I have not posted. I appreciate them so much but for some reason fail to post them.

Numero Uno:

Thanks so much Meagan and I am so sorry this took me so long. Meagan's Blog is called "The Life of Me" and it is wonderful. She also started a new blog that I am so super excited about. It is a blog all about makeup. She posts tips and also awesome pics of some of the things she's done. To check it out go here.

Numero Dos:

This award is from Tecia at The Kirven Crew. Her blog is so real and sweet and I love it! She also has the cutest kids ever. So thank you Tecia!!!!!!

I am going to try and post some up until my surgery but then starting next Wednesday I am going to take a little time off. Then I will be back!! Watch out!!!

Have a great day!!

Menu Plan 6/8 - 6/13

2009-06-08T08:33:00.005-04:00

I am happy to report that the block party I planned was a success on Saturday!! We managed to avoid most of the rain and had a great time. I made cake flower pops which were a hit with the little ones. Ummm....however, I completely forgot to take a picture. Yesterday I was a lazy couch potato. I think the only thing I did was go grocery shopping :)

This week's menu is really kind of boring now that I look at it. Could I have any more chicken? I am, however, making a broccoli casserole tonight that is fantastic!! So definitely check back for that tomorrow. Okay here is the week ahead:

Monday: Flank Steak and Broccoli Casserole, which I will post tomorrow

Tuesday: Lucy's Chicken and Rice Casserole and a salad

I am so excited for this casserole! I have a secret love of mushroom soup ;)

Wednesday: Baked Chicken with asparagus and homemade mashed potatoes

Thursday: LO Chicken and Rice Casserole

Friday: Chicken Caesar Salad with Homemade Dressing using leftover chicken from Wed.

Saturday: OUT!!

To check out more menu plans go to Organizing Junkie's Blog here!!

Have a great week!!

A Friday Giggle

2009-06-05T08:52:00.001-04:00

Well I haven't posted a funny kid video in a long time and this one may just be my favorite! I seriously should carry this around with me to watch when I'm feeling down. It's a great reminder to smile at the little things in life!

Happy Friday!!!

Picture Tag

2009-06-04T07:27:00.004-04:00

A couple of days ago I was tagged by the fabulous Mommy Gourmet to post the 6th picture in the 6th folder under pictures on my computer. So I went a looking and here is what I found:

This was a bonfire that I went to last year with a friend of mine from college. A family friend of hers has it every year and we always go. This fire is SOOOOOOO big! Here is what happens when people on the expressway see the fire:

The fire department comes and makes you spray down your barn so it doesn't catch on fire. Then they stay and admire the greatness of a giant bonfire. Ahhhh.....country life.

So thanks for tagging me Mommy Gourmet!!! I would really like to see what everyone has in their picture folders so I'm tagging all my readers.

Have a great day!!

Half Healthy Raspberry Cookies

2009-06-01T20:49:00.007-04:00

I absolutely love the combination of raspberry and chocolate chip. I actually love the combination of most anything sweet. Whipped cream and chocolate. Strawberries and chocolate. Ice cream and ice cream. Whipped cream with a little side of whipped cream. You get the idea. However, raspberries and chocolate sound especially good recently.

Now, with that being said I would like to lose a few pounds in general before having a baby (years away!!) and also off my booter, because...well...it's getting too big. So, I decided to remake an old recipe I had to be a little bit healthier. I didn't want to make it too healthy though because if it tastes like tree bark, it's not going to satisfy my sweet tooth. So here it goes:

Ingredients:

1/2 cup unsalted butter

2/3 cup nonfat plain yogurt

1 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup honey

3/4 cup flour

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

1 egg white

2 tbsp flax seed meal (This is simply ground flax seed and totally optional)

1 cup fresh raspberries

1 cup chocolate chips (I used semi-sweet, but you could use anything including white)

1/2 cup chopped nuts (I used almonds)

Directions:

Beat sugar and butter until fluffy. Mix in yogurt, egg white, honey, and vanilla until just combined. Slowly mix in the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and flax seed until combined. Gently fold in the chocolate chips, raspberries, and nuts.

Place in refrigerator and cool for at least an hour. This is a really important step, because the mixture is pretty wet.

Heat oven to 375. Make one inch ball and place them on a greased cookie sheet. Gently press to flatten a little and bake for 10-12 minutes.

*Okay a couple of notes about this. First, if you don't like the texture of whole wheat flour, just use all regular. Second, I really wouldn't use frozen raspberries, because I think they would be too runny.*

Hope you like them :)

To see more delicious creations visit Tasty Tuesday here and Tempt My Tummy Tuesday here!

Have a great day!!

Menu Plan 6/1 - 6/6

2009-06-01T08:42:00.007-04:00

I hope everyone had a great weekend!! I had a great time at the wedding I went to. The bride and groom were so happy and everything was beautiful! However, now I feel like I need a weekend from my weekend :) Well here is what I have for the week!

Monday: Makeover Creamy Italian Sausage Pasta

Tuesday: Curry Chicken Salad

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups cooked chicken breasts, cubed

1/2 cup plain yogurt

1/2 cup mayo

2 tsp curry powder

1/4 cup diced apple, I like to use granny smith

1 pinch of sugar, salt, and pepper

salad greens

pita bread

Directions:

Mix everything together and let sit for about an hour. Serve in pita bread with lettuce!

Wednesday: Left over Creamy Pasta

Thursday: Taryn's Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza

Friday: Dinner out with another couple!

Saturday: Neighborhood Block Party that I have been organizing :)

To check out more menu plans visit Organizing Junkie here :)

**Ummmm....I have no idea why this post looks so weird. I have tried re-typing but it's not working. Oh well :)

Have a great week!!

Happy Girl

2009-05-28T09:58:00.004-04:00

After last week's very pessimistic post about things that I am sick of, I thought I would take another one of Mama Kat's suggestions and write about 10 things that make me happy!

1. Having a house makes me really happy. I love to keep it clean. Yes I know I'm an oddity. I like to decorate for the seasons and change things up too. Mostly though, I just like knowing that it's mine :)

2. Blogging make me really happy. I totally didn't expect to get such joy out of blogging when I first started. It really has been something I look forward to everyday. It's nice to have a way to document my life and I like that friends and family who I don't see all the time can read to keep up me! And of course, I like all the blogs I read and the new "friends" I have met.

3. Cooking. This should be obvious. I love cooking! I like to make things for people as a sign of affection and my hubby loves it too. Lets get real though....I mostly just like to eat.

4. Gardening has recently became something that I really enjoy. Since having a house I have loved getting to know different flowers and watching what everything turns into! Here's a picture I took this morning out the window, because the weather isn't so good here today:

5. I really like to read. I come and go with how much I actually read, but when I get into a book I can rarely put it down. I don't know why it takes me so long to actually start one. I don't have a favorite but I am still really enjoying reading the series I wrote about here.

6. Babies also make me really happy. I don't have any yet, but nothing can make be smile faster than a squishy little baby.

7. Traveling. I don't do it much, but when we do go somewhere it is so exciting! I travelled to Europe for 2 months in high school, and I still have super fond memories of it. I would love love love to go to Italy or back to the Dominican and lay right here:

8. Menu planning makes me happy and also keeps me sane. I know it's really weird that I would add this but I am able to save money this way by not wasting and make more unique and varied meals because I actually have time to plan them. I also really hate going to the grocery store, so not having to go all the time makes me happy too :)

9. My friends and family. It sounds cliche but they really do make me so happy everyday. Whether it's my mom or my girlfriends, I love spending time with all of them.

10. And the best for last. My hubby. He makes me the happiest. I love all the time we spend together, especially the boring couch snuggles where he lets me watch all the Jeopardy and Real Housewives I want.

To check out what makes others happy or more assignments go see Mama Kat here!!!

Have a great day!!!!

Old Clothes

2009-05-27T09:37:00.003-04:00

Yesterday I had a little time on my hands and decided to go through some old clothes. I took some to a consignment shop to sell and made $68. I sold them at a place called Plato's Closet. I don't know if they're nationwide or not, but they pay a pretty good amount for clothes.

Next, I separated some into a pile to give to Goodwill. Then I had some shirts that were really stained, ripped, etc. I didn't really want to give those to Goodwill because they were incredible hideous and I don't think they would even keep them. But, I didn't want to throw them away either. So, being my cheap self I decided to make little rags with them. I have been trying to reduce the amount of paper towel I use, but I don't like to dirty my nice dish clothes. Cutting up these yucky clothes were a good solution.

I made three sizes. Big ones for the hubby when he washes the car, does yard work, etc. Middle size ones for larger clean ups and little ones for wiping the counter and other kitchen things. Now, I know you are wondering to yourself if I use them in the bathroom too. Ummm...maybe for the occasional light counter cleaning, but this girl will NOT be using these on the toilet. I'm simply not green enough for all that. The idea of washing anything with toilet rags makes me a little icky. And I don't think it's worth wasting a load of laundry to wash them alone. I'd might as well use paper towel with all the water I'd be wasting.

So here they are:

Have a great day!!

No Bake Strawberry Cheesecake

2009-05-26T08:44:00.005-04:00

I made this for a barbeque that we had on Saturday and it was so good and easy! It had a great strawberry taste and didn't feel quite as heavy as a normal cheesecake. Not that I've really had a problem with heavy desserts before....but. Ugh. Well, you know what I mean.

Ingredients:

2 cups graham cracker crumbs

6 tbsp butter, melted

1 cup plus 2 tbsp sugar

4 pkg (80z) cream cheese

1/2 cup strawberry preserves

2 cups fresh strawberries, chopped

1 tub (8oz) Cool Whip, thawed

Directions:

Mix graham crackers, butter, and 1/4 cup sugar together. Press into bottom of 13x9 pan. Refrigerate while making filling.

Beat cream cheese and 3/4 cup sugar until well blended. Add in preserves and mix well. Put strawberries in a small bowl and sprinkle 2 tbsp sugar over. Mash strawberries with fork or potato masher. Stir strawberries and Cool Whip into cream cheese mixture. Spoon over crust. Refrigerate for 4 hours or until firm.

Obviously we liked it....

To see more yumminess check out Tasty Tuesday here and Tempt My Tummy Tuesday here!

Have a great day!!

Menu Plan 5/25 - 5/30

2009-05-25T18:25:00.004-04:00

Well I had a great weekend!! It's so nice to just have that one extra day off. It's amazing what a difference it can make in your week. Last night we had some friends over for a barbeque. I made a great dessert which I will post tomorrow. We also had brats, burgers, corn, and the Broccoli Slaw I posted last week. After dinner we had a fire in the back which went on way too late so I'm a little tired today :)

Well here is the plan for the week:

PS... I was really bad about the picture thing. I will try to post some later as I make them :)

Monday: Hubby's Burgers with Special Sauce and baked sweet potato fries

Ingredients:

1 lb ground turkey

1/4 cup green onion, chopped

1 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp orange juice

2 cloves garlic, chopped

2 tsp ginger, grated

Mix all ingredients together make 4 patties. Grill each patty about 6 minutes on each side. Top with special sauce:

Ingredients:

1/4 cup mayo

1/2 cup greek yogurt (or mayo)

2 tbsp green onions, chopped

1 tsp soy sauce

1 tsp orange juice

1 tbsp honey

1 tsp ginger, grated

Mix all ingredients together and spoon over burgers! This is really yummy and a great burger in the summer :)

Tuesday: Kung Pao Chicken

*I know that this seems like a lot of ingredients, which there are. However, a lot of the things are just basic pantry items. Once you make the quick sauce it's very fast from there. This is really tasty and a nice change from normal stir fry*

Ingredients:

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces

1 tbsp sherry

5 tsp cornstarch

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 tbsp sugar

1 tsp vinegar

couple shakes of hot sauce (to taste)

1 tbsp cooking oil

2 tsp ginger, grated

2 garlic cloves, minced

6 green onions, chopped

1/2 cup dry roasted peanuts

2 cups rice, cooked

Directions:

Mix in a medium bowl chicken, sherry, and 1 tsp cornstarch. Cover and set in fridge for 30 minutes.

In a small bowl stir together water, soy sauce, 4 tsps cornstarch, sugar, vinegar, and hot sauce. Set aside.

Pour cooking oil into a wok or skillet. Heat for a minute or two over medium high heat. Stir fry ginger and garlic in hot oil for about 15 seconds. Add chicken and stir fry until cooked through, about 4 minutes.

Stir in sauce until thickened and bubbly. Add in green onions and peanuts and cook for 1-2 minutes. Serve over rice.

Serves 4.

Wednesday: Flank Steak with roasted potatoes and broccoli

Thursday: LO Kung Pao Chicken

Friday: Rehearsal Dinner for the wedding I'm in on Saturday in Detroit

Saturday: Wedding!!!!!!!!! I'm so excited!!

To check out more menu plans go to Organizing Junkie here!

Have a great week!!

Cute Cute Cute

2009-05-22T07:51:00.002-04:00

I was on Perez yesterday and saw this video. Yes...I occasionally read Perez. Anywho, this is a really sweet video and one of my very favorite songs. Take a peek:

Happy Friday!!!

Sick Of

2009-05-21T07:33:00.006-04:00

So today I decided to do an assignment from Mama Kat. I'm listing 10 things I'm sick of because I wanted to be a Debbie Downer today :) Just kidding, I'm not in a bad mood at all, but hey it's kind of nice to write down what you're sick of. I wrote it down now I'm moving on! Okay here's me complaining.

I'm sick of:

1. Flies. As I'm writing this one flew past my head. We live in the country and they are everywhere! Seriously, being originally a city girl this has been the hardest thing for me to get used to. Maybe if I dressed up like this I could scare them away.

2. Hearing about Twitter. I don't care if people have it and there are some I even like to read. However, I think it's getting a little out of hand. I don't need to know when you pee. I don't think it's meant for all that.

3. Hearing about the economy. The more we hear about how bad it is, the more we worry. The more we worry, the more we don't spend money. It's a vicious cycle.

4. Tanning. I'm in a wedding in a little over a week and the dress currently matches my skin color. I never seem to have a problem tanning quickly, but for some reason it's not going so well this time. I don't really like to tan and this is becoming very unfun.

5. Texting. Are you sensing an aversion to technology here? I just think texting, like Twitter, is getting out of hand. I don't think people talk anymore. I also think texting an entire conversation is a lot of work. Why not just call me and we can discuss it in 5 minutes instead of spending 20 minutes typing it out. Oh, and have you heard of sexting? I saw it on the Today Show the other day. Hmmmmm....is all I have to say to that.

6. Not being able to go the the beach. It's still a little cold here. But not for long!!!!!!!!!!!!!

7. Feeling like I need to lose weight.

8. Having giant cravings for things like this:

That's a peanut butter pie in case you were wondering. I think about them 24/7.

9. Wanting to plan a vacation but not having the funds to actually do it because of annoying car/house things.

10. Not having projects done in our house. I want our bedroom to look like this:

There you go! I'm officially a big complainer! I promise tomorrow I'm going to have a very positive post :)

To check out more assignments go to Mama Kat's here!!

Have a great day!!

Baked Macaroni with Chicken

2009-05-19T07:33:00.006-04:00

I used to make this all the time, because it's one of my husband's favorite. However, I kind of forgot about it and haven't made it in a long time. I made it last night though and it was very tasty! I wouldn't say that it is incredibly flavorful but I like it because it's really comforting. Also, it's a breeze to make and pretty healthy.

Ingredients:

1 box macaroni *see my note below the pictures for an alternative

2 boxes chopped frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts

4 eggs

1/2 cup onion, minced

1 cup parmesan cheese

1 cup mozzarella cheese

salt and pepper to taste

you're favorite tomato sauce (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375. Poach chicken by simmering in salted water until cooked through. (You could use any type of chopped chicken. Rotisserie, left over, baked, etc) Boil noodles.

In a separate bowl beat eggs and mix in spinach, onion, parmesan, salt, and pepper. Once chopped chicken and noodles have cooled a little mix those in too.

Place everything in a sprayed casserole dish and top with mozzarella. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.

I like to serve mine with Vodka sauce :)

***Okay a note about the noodles. You could also use spaghetti and bake it in a well sprayed bundt pan. Then remove the noodles onto a plate. Serve the sauce in the hole. I have done this before but didn't have any spaghetti. I think it's more fun for kids and a nicer presentation if you're having guests.***

To see more yumminess check out Tasty Tuesday here and Tempt My Tummy Tuesday here :)

Have a great day!!

Menu Plan 5/18 - 5/23

2009-05-18T07:23:00.005-04:00

I had the best weekend!! On Saturday morning 5 of my girlfriends and I left for Detroit for a friends bachelorette party. We went to an 80's nightclub and it was so much fun! The bar came complete with a giant dancefloor, disco ball, and plenty of Blondie. It was a mix of all ages including an 80 year old man who could dip better than any woman I've ever seen. So now on to my slightly boring menu this week. I had to send the hubby to go grocery shopping on Sunday and didn't want to make him try to find anything too complicated at the store :)

Monday: Baked Macaroni with Chicken (I'll be posting this tomorrow for Tasty and Tempt My Tummy Tuesday after I make it tonight)

Tuesday: Gyros with a salad

Ingredients:

1 lb lamb

1 lb ground turkey (or beef)

2 tbsp grill seasoning

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tbsp chili powder

1 tbsp coriander

1 tsp dried oregano

1/8 tsp cinnamon

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup feta, crumbled

1 10oz pkg frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Mix all ingredients well and form into a 3 inch wide long roll on baking sheet. Coat with olive oil and bake for 40 minutes. Serve with pita, onion, tomato, and cucumber yogurt sauce below.

Ingredients:

1 cup Greek yogurt

1/2 chopped cucumber

1 grated clove garlic

1/4 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp salt

juice of half lemon

Mix everything together and spoon into pita

Wednesday: Brats and Broccoli Cole Slaw

Thursday: Left over Gyros

Friday: Left over Brats

Saturday: Sonic!!!!!!!!

To check out more menu plans go to Organizing Junkie's Blog here :)

Have a great week!!

Gardening Class

2009-05-15T08:43:00.002-04:00

Last night I took my gardening class at Home Depot. It was a lot of fun and I learned more than I thought I would. I really wanted to learn about organic vegetable gardening because it's something I want to do next Spring. They didn't really talk as much as I'd hoped about that, but I learned some other really cool tips for container plants.

First, if you have a big pot that you're filling with flowers, herbs, tomatoes, etc and you don't want to use a ton of dirt to fill the pot you can take a smaller pot and turn it upside down and put it on the bottom, to save on dirt. Kind of like putting a brick in your toilet to save on water. You can also put packing peanuts in the bottom of the container to take up some space and help with drainage.

Second, they talked a lot about how it is important to use a soil that retains water well in container pots so you aren't constantly watering. They said though that another option is to mix sphagnum moss into the soil and put a little on top too. They said that it can hold like 40 times its weight in water and will release it gradually. I thought this was a great tip since I usually kill my plants by the middle of July because I get sick of watering them.

Ok well that's it! I'm off to Detroit tomorrow for the weekend but I am seeing Angels and Demons tonight with the hubby. I'm pretty excited but mostly just curious!

Have a great weekend!!

Chicken Squares

2009-05-12T09:13:00.007-04:00

I got this recipe from my hubby's mom a couple of years ago and have been making it ever since. They're really easy to make and the filling will keep in the fridge overnight if you want to make that part the night before!

Ingredients:

8 oz (1 block) cream cheese, room temp
2 c. cooked chicken, cubed
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
3 tbsp milk
2 tbsp onion, finely chopped (you could easily omit this for the little ones if you want)
8 oz crescent rolls
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Blend cream cheese and milk together until smooth. Add in chicken, salt, pepper, and onion. Unroll crescent rolls and shape two triangles together to make a square.

Like this:

Put 1/4 of mixture in center of each square and pull up corners and pinch tops and sides together.

Bake for 20-25 minutes. Eat :)

You can check out more great recipes at Tasty Tuesday and also Tempt My Tummy Tuesday!!

Have a great day!!

Menu Plan 5/11 - 5/16

2009-05-11T07:31:00.006-04:00

I hope everyone had a great Mother's Day!! I had a lot of fun with my mom over the weekend. She came to visit and we ate out a couple of times, went shoe shopping, and bought summer flowers. It was nice to have the bathroom that she uses done as well as the yard so I could get some gardening advice.

Finally, this week is going to be a little less hectic so I can make a recipe that I saw on Barefoot Contessa a couple of weeks ago. I've been wanting to do it, but sometimes when you have a busy week it is so much easier to make something you know is easy and quick instead of hoping that it is! Here is what I'm planning:

Monday: Chicken Squares

Tuesday: Roasted Potato Leek Soup with Spinach Salad

Wednesday: Grilled Italian Chicken (Chicken Breasts marinated overnight in Italian Dressing) with Grilled Asparagus & Melon Salad

Thursday: I have a gardening class at Home Depot to go to so hubby is on his own!

Friday: Left over Roasted Potato Leek Soup

Saturday: Off to Detroit for a Bachelorette Party!

To check out more menu plans go check out Organizing Junkie's Blog for Menu Plan Monday!!

Have a great week!!

Bathroom Redo #2

2009-05-08T09:11:00.005-04:00

Dear Blog,

Sorry I neglected you this week. You see, I've been fighting off this cold thing and also really busy around the house. I promise to get better.

Thanks,

Ashley

Ok, now that we got that out of the way I am happy to say that cold and all I finally got the bathroom done! Yay! At least there is one project that feels like it is completed.

Here are some before pictures:

And here is the completed project: (take a look at the candle sticks--i'm not sure about them yet. what you do think?)

Now, I'm off to work outside!

TGIF!

White Chicken Chili

2009-05-05T09:05:00.006-04:00

I made this last night for dinner and it was so good! I don't know where I got this recipe but I've been making since college. I completely forgot about it until I was going through a (very unorganized) pile of recipes. Give it a try!

Ingredients

1 1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts

2 tbsp olive oil

1 cup onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, finely minced

1 1/2 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed

1 can (15 1/2oz) white beans, undrained

3 (4 oz) cans chopped green chilis **don't worry these aren't spicy. If you want a spicier chili add a couple chopped Jalapenos in with the onions**

1 (8oz) pkg cream cheese

3 tbsp lime juice

2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp white pepper

salt to taste

Directions

Heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat and add the onion. Cut the chicken into bite size pieces and add to the pan, stirring frequently so the chicken cooks on all sides. Add garlic and cumin. Run the beans with their liquid through the blender. (This makes the chili thicker and people who don't like the beans won't notice them. However, if you like a looser chili and beans, just skip this step.) Add the blended beans, chilies, lime juice, salt, and white pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes. Cut the cream cheese into chunks and add it gradually to the pot, stirring until it’s melted and mixed in. Add the corn, heat through.

I serve this with sour cream, cheese, olives, onions, tortilla chips, or whatever else sounds good!

To find more recipes join in on Tasty Tuesday at this fabulous blog here!

Also check out Tempt My Tummy Tuesday here!

Have a great day!!

Menu Plan 5/4 - 5/9

2009-05-04T08:23:00.004-04:00

Well I had a busy weekend!! Saturday we went to a great wedding in Ann Arbor. It was a lot of fun and nice for my hubby to see some of his old high school friends. Yesterday we were pretty unproductive and feeling a little um.....quesy after all the wedding festivities :)

Here is my menu for the week. I am posting the White Chicken Chili recipe tomorrow after I make it tonight!

Monday: White Chicken Chili

Tuesday: Bowtie's with Creamy Mushroom Sauce

Ingredients

1 lb bowtie pasta

2 tbsp olive oil

1 small onion, minced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 lb mushrooms, cleaned and sliced

**you could use mini bella, shitake, button, etc.**

1/2 c. white wine

1/2 c. chicken stock

1 c. mascarpone cheese

**This is like Italian cream cheese. My grocery store carries it, but if yours doesn't or you don't want to spend the money, I would just use cream cheese that is softened**

1/2 c. grated parmesan cheese

2 tbsp. chopped chives

Boil water and add pasta to salted water and cook.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add in onions and saute until almost soft. Add in garlic and saute until both onions and garlic are soft. Add in mushrooms and season with salt and pepper. Saute until mushrooms are tender, about 5 minutes.

Turn up the heat to high and add in the wine. Simmer until almost completely reduced. Add in the stock and simmer until about 1/2 reduced. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the mascarpone cheese. Stir in the drained pasta and parmesan. If the sauce is too thick add a little pasta water. Garnish with chopped chives and eat!!

Wednesday: Taco's

Thursday: Salmon Salad with Grapefruit Dressing

Grapefruit Dressing

Ingredients

1 large egg

1 1/2 tsp dijon mustard

1 cup olive oil

2 tsp lemon juice

4 tsp grapefruit juice

Dash of worchestershire sauce

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp grapefruit zest

1/4 tsp black pepper

In a blender or food processor combine the egg and mustard with 1/2 cup of olive oil. Blend at low speed. With the motor running add in the rest of the olive oil in a steady stream. Add the remaining ingredients and pulse 4 to 6 times. Dressing keeps 5 days and makes 1 cup.

Friday: Left over Taco's

Saturday: Dinner out with Mom to celebrate Mother's Day

To see more menu plans visit Organizing Junkie's Blog here!!

Have a great week!!

Stand By Me

2009-05-02T08:51:00.002-04:00

Well I'm heading back to Ann Arbor today for the weekend! We have a wedding to attend but you better believe I'm hitting up Whole Foods and Trader Joes!!!!!!!!!!! Believe it or not, my mom doesn't have the internet so I won't be posting for a bit. But I did find this sweet video online yesterday and wanted to share it with all of you. It definitely brightened my morning :)

Have a great weekend!

Trading Books Online

2009-04-30T07:41:00.003-04:00

Yesterday in my "Crazy Eights" I posted that I traded a book online. I had a couple questions about it and wanted to fill you all in! I found out about a really cool site called Swaptree from Michelle. I checked it out a couple of days ago and was really surprised at how neat and easy this site was.

The first step is to collect some books, CD's, DVD's, or games that you are willing to trade. Then you get the ISBN off the back and enter it in to the "I Have" section of Swaptree. Then you enter in books, movies, etc. that you want. Basically Swaptree matches it up and lets you know if there is a trade available.

It is completely free but you do need to pay for shipping. There is an option to print your own label. I did this and it was $2.41. Then you just drop the package with the printed label into a mailbox. Pretty easy!

I love it because we had a lot of books lying around our house that we had no reason to keep and were just collecting dust and taking up room. If sold at a garage sale we may have gotten 50 cents. But by doing it this way I can get a book that I have been wanting. Also, don't get discouraged if you enter in a book you have and they say there are no books to trade for. That happened with a bunch of mine but within 24 hours 3 were available to trade.

If you want to know anymore information about it feel free to ask or check out the FAQ page. It's pretty helpful.

Have a great day!!

Crazy Eights!

2009-04-29T07:59:00.002-04:00

I was so excited to have been tagged by a wonderful blogger Tierra! I have enjoyed reading other peoples' 8 things so it was fun doing one myself. Thanks

8 Things I’m Looking Forward To:

Getting our bikes fixed so we can go riding together and discover new parks

Going to the beach on Lake Michigan this summer

Redecorating our bedroom

Planning some kind of a vacation to take within the next year

Being a mommy (in a couple of years!!)

Making a 101 Goals in 1001 days list

Researching more about adoption

Planting a vegetable garden next year

8 Things I Did Yesterday:

Traded some books online

FINALLY got my Christmas decorations organized in the basement

Worked

Ate dinner that my sweetie made for me :)

Ate frozen corn out of the bag. I know how completely foul that sounds, but I’ve always liked it

Had my lovely neighbor help me pick out which new pictures to put in my bathroom

Blogged—Duh!

Looked into taking a cooking class where I live

8 Things I Wish I Could Do:

Sing without hurting people’s ears

Get motivated to lose weight

Have a baby now

Stop eating sweets

Run a mile without stopping

Commit to washing my face everyday and actually stick to it

Talk to my dad

Go to Culinary School

8 Shows I Watch:

Jeopardy!!!

Two and a Half Men

The Big Bang Theory

Cash in the Attic

Big Love

The Food Network (I watch like all the shows!!)

Top Chef

Real Housewives --- Kelly Bensimon makes me really mad!! Team Jill all the way J

I am also supposed to tag 8 people but I think a lot of people have already done this so I am tagging you if you haven't yet!

Have a great day!

Bathroom Redo #1

2009-04-28T09:45:00.011-04:00

Yay!! We finally have one bathroom completely done!! Thank goodness, because I feel like we have 700 projects that aren't finished. The weather this weekend in Michigan totally messed up my plans.

So here are the before pics. The color was like a burnt orange. I didn't mind the color so much but our bathroom is pretty small and it made it feel very cave-ish.

Here you can see why you shouldn't put wood floors in a bathroom. When we bought the house I liked how it looked, but never considered what happens when you mix water and wood. The result is that the boards get spaces between them and the finish peels off. When that happens you get mold. Gross!!

Okay now here is the new and improved space:

Ignore the paint that I need to peel off the mirror here :)

And finally the new floors minus the mold:

Well there you have it! Now we need to finish the other one.... More pics to come.

This post is being shared with Remodeling Guy for his Remodeling Round up!

Have a great day!!

Menu Plan 4/27 - 5/2

2009-04-27T09:23:00.008-04:00

This weekend went by way too fast!!!!! I didn't get as much done as I would have liked because of the rain, however, we were able to complete one of our two bathrooms that we are redoing. You may remember here when I showed you how things were coming along. I'm happy to report we no longer have toilets in our showers!! I will post pictures tomorrow or later this week of the progress.

This week's menu is BORING because we are trying to finish our house projects before heading back home to Ann Arbor this weekend for a wedding on Saturday. So here's what is planned:

Monday: Caesar Salads with Italian Marinated Grilled Chicken and Homemade Dressing

**To make the Italian Chicken you marinate chicken breasts in a bottle of Italian dressing overnight. Tough huh? It's actually oddly moist and really tasty.

Tuesday: Spaghetti with Creamy Meat Sauce

** To do the sauce I brown one lb ground turkey and then mix in one batch of marinara sauce. Then at the end I mix in one container of ricotta cheese and a handful of parmesan. If you want to get fancy you could also sprinkle some fresh basil on top.

Wednesday: Boxed Macaroni Grill's Creamy Basil Chicken (I think these are really tasty!)

Thursday: Left over Spaghetti

Friday: Dinner out with Mom

Saturday: Wedding!!

Oh also since I have no pictures this week and last week's Brad pictures were such a hit....

Just kidding!!!! Here you go:

Also to check out more plans you can go to Organizing Junkie's blog here.

Have a great week!!

Ahhh Yard Work

2009-04-25T14:26:00.008-04:00

This weekend is one of the only weekends coming up where we have time to do some much needed yard work. Project number one is to weed and mulch the flower beds. Project number two is to dig a trench and then put some tubing in to re-direct the water away from the house. I didn't think that that sounded life fun at all so I decided to mulch instead. However, as always I get dragged into hubby's projects too :) Oh and to top it all off we had to take breaks every 15 minutes to escape the storms. Yes, it's been a fun day. So here are some pictures of what I've been up to this morning:

These pictures don't really do it justice. I should have instead taken pictures of my disgusting muddy feet. Although that might gross everyone out just a little. Instead just take my work for it.

I will post pictures of everything once it is done and not raining but here is a picture of my half done mulch so far. I definitely think the brown looks better!

Okay here is where I need some advice. What do you think could be done in this area to pretty things up a little. Could I move the rocks? Keep in mind it is Spring here in Michigan and the plants aren't pretty yet. I like most of the plants, but I feel that they are a little random in placement. The rocks at the top are kind of in a half-moon shape in front of those little trees which I kind of like. I think the rest is very scattered though. Any suggestions?

Have a great rest of your weekend!!

Writing Assignment ~~ Book Review

2009-04-23T08:27:00.005-04:00

A few months ago I was having trouble falling asleep. You know the wandering mind where you become obsessed about why you can’t fall asleep so you don’t fall asleep thing. Really annoying. So I started playing Sudoku before I went to bed. It helped for a while but then I totally mastered it and got sick of playing. Next, I tried crosswords but I’m not really smart enough for that. Then I thought I should read a nice not scary kind of boring book so I don’t want to stay up all night reading it.

Then I remembered this book I bought my mom a few years ago. It had the cutest cover and sounded like a nice mom book. Perfect. So I marched to the library and asked the cute librarian where I may find a book that I think was called Mitford but I wasn’t too sure. She got all starry eyed and told me it was her favorite series and that I would become addicted. Thing is…she's like 85. That got me a little worried. But then I didn’t want to hurt her feeling so I got the book.

Okay. These books are pretty cheesy. Well they’re actually really cheesy. However, I LOVE them. Totally not what I would normally read but the characters have completely consumed me. I wish I lived in a little town like Mitford and was a Rector’s wife and ate at the same coffee shop every morning. The stories are really endearing and sweet all around. When I read them at night it’s perfect because while they capture my attention it’s not like I can’t put it down. I find that at times I laugh out loud at the dorkiest things or cry when something happens to a character I like. The author, Jan Karon, does a really wonderful job of making the characters seem like friends. I go back to the library every time I’m done with a book because I want to see what happens to them next. I only have two books left in the series and I haven’t read one for 3 months because I don’t want it to end. So if you’re looking for a nice easy read you should give these a try. If after reading you feel a little like you just read an adult version of Mr. Rogers, well I told you so. But honestly, is that really that bad?

P.S. I also did not order the accompanying cookbook off Amazon. I swear.

P.P.S. To check out more writing assignments and other book reviews go to Mama Kat's Blog!!

Have a great day!

In Honor of Earth Day

2009-04-22T08:32:00.005-04:00

To honor Earth Day I thought I would post a few tips for becoming more "green" as well as some interesting things I've found about being green in general. Some of these things are really shocking and it's amazing how a little change can make such a big difference.

1. Wash clothes in cold water. Up to 85% of the energy used in machine washing clothes goes towards heating the water.

2. Line dry clothes to reduce drying costs. Obviously though that just isn't going to happen for most people. These dryer balls are said to reduce drying time by 25%.

3. If every household in the United States replaced one regular lightbulb with one of those new compact fluorescent bulbs, the pollution reduction would be equivalent to removing one million cars from the road.

4. Recycled glass reduces related air pollution by 20% and related water pollution by 50%. If glass isn't recycled it can take a million years to decompose.

5. Register with the Direct Marketing Association's Mail Preference Service here and you'll see a significant reduction in mail after three months. I did this about 6 months ago and you really do see a huge decrease in the amount of junk mail you get.

6. Consider joining a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program in your area to support local farmers. You can go here to check out where they are in your area. This is one of my goals for the summer!

7. Look into making your own cleaning supplies using things like vinegar, baking soda, or lemon. You can check out my post on the many uses for lemons here.

8. Use reusable grocery bags. Check out this site here to see why it makes such a difference.

9. Unplug appliances that aren't used all the time. By doing this you could save 5-10% on your monthly electric bill.

10. Last but definitely not least, sneak in a shower with your loved one to start the day. Not only have you made a wise choice for the environment, but you may notice some other added...um...benefits.

Have a great day!!

Marinara Sauce

2009-04-21T09:37:00.004-04:00

I really love making this sauce. It's fast and very tasty. I also like it because it's chunky which I happen to prefer. However, you could replace the whole tomatoes with crushed tomatoes for a much less chunky version. Although I kind of enjoy crushing the tomatoes myself. I usually stick my hand in the can and crush away. It kind of reminds me of the "I Love Lucy" episode when they are in Italy and Lucy crushes grapes with her feet. That's what I should do when I make giant batches. I kid.

This sauce is super delicious all by itself over pasta. Or you could add meat. Sometimes I add 1 lb ground turkey and a little ricotta cheese to it. It's a great alternative. Okay enough blabbing here it is:

Marinara Sauce

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 small onion, finely chopped

2 tsp fresh basil, finely chopped

2 tsp fresh oregano, finely chopped

1 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped

1/4 cup dry chardonnay wine

1 280z can whole tomatoes, chopped

1 tbsp chicken base (or whatever kind you prefer...I like "Better than Bouillon")

1 tsp sugar

Heat the olive oil in a large pan. Add in the garlic and onions and saute until soft but not brown. Add in the herbs and cook for 1 minute. Next add in the wine, tomatoes, chicken base, and sugar. Mix well and bring to a boil for 10 minutes.

**Okay a couple of things about this. First, I have used dried herbs and a combinations of dry and fresh. For example I have used fresh basil and dried oregano. I know that this is not the best and fresh is always better but dried herbs are a lot cheaper. In the summer I usually use all fresh because I grow them. If you use dry only use a 1/2 tsp instead of 2 tsp. Second, when you chop the whole tomatoes you will have a lot of liquid left over. If you like a thicker sauce then don't add any. If you like it a little thinner than feel free to add as much as you want. Finally, this freezes incredibly well so feel free to double or even triple the amount. I have actually made this recipe in a giant pot and made 5 times the amount. That's when I should put them in a bin and crush the tomatoes with my feet.

So sorry that I don't have any pictures of the sauce so here's a picture of Bradley instead.

I also discovered this great blog that hosts "Tasty Tuesday". So to check out more yumminess go here.

Have a great day!!

Menu Plan 4/20 - 4/25

2009-04-20T08:35:00.004-04:00

As you can see from my previous post we have been a little busy in our house so this week's menu isn't very exciting. Things are coming along in our house. We have our bathroom almost finished painting. The guest bath needs a second coat, but I'm hoping to have that done tonight!

I am relying on meals that I know are quick and I get get two nights out of. Of course, we probably will just resort to pizza one night...

Monday: Baked Chicken with Mushroom Rice and Roasted Broccoli

Tuesday: Frozen Mexicali Casserole

Wednesday: Chicken Caesar Salad with Homemade Dressing

Thursday: Left Over Mexicali Casserole

Friday: Spaghetti with Marinara ( I will post this delicious Marinara Sauce recipe later this week)

Saturday: Dinner Out

To check out more menu plans check out Organizing Junkie's awesome blog and Menu Plan Monday!!

Have a great week!!

Whew!!!!

2009-04-19T09:30:00.008-04:00

Well I feel like a bad blogger for not keeping up on my posts the past couple of days! Things have been a little crazy around here. We still aren't done painting or tiling.....However, the yard is looking quite a lot better. Not like this anymore:

We do still have this little situation going on though:

And here's our bedroom:

Serene, no?

At least I feel like the yard is taken care of. We do still have flags all over our yard making us look like a used car lot but hopefully with the sprinkling we won't have any more hay grass. My husband will probably turn into a crazy yard man now.

I'm hoping by tomorrow at least one bathroom will be completely painted. I will try to post our menu for the week, but it will likely consist of pizza and things I made then froze.

Have a great Sunday!!!

Where I Would Spend $400

2009-04-16T07:46:00.006-04:00

Today I am doing another writing assignment from Mama Kat. I love her funny writing assignments and it always gives you something to write about!! The prompt I chose was:

1.) If I sent you four hundred dollars today what is ONE thing you would spend it on and why. ps I want my change.

Well this shouldn't be too hard!!! First off I would probably put it towards our bedroom/bathroom project. For those of you that don't know, the people that built our house put wood floors in the bathroom. Yeah. So we are getting them ripped out this weekend. Then all this weekend and next week we will be painting both bathrooms. Then next weekend they will be tiling! Currently we are also using hubby's old high school furniture for our bedroom and it's about to break. So, we are looking for a big dresser and a couple of night stands from Ikea. I'm going to do a whole other post on this but for now I would buy this dresser:

Or maybe I would save it to put towards a trip. Hubby and I want to have a baby in the next couple of years and we want to take a unique wouldn't-ever-go-with-a-baby trip first. I was surfing the internet last night and found this really cool site. I've always wanted to go to Ireland but thought that it would be hard to see just one thing. This package was so appealing, one, because it is so cheap and, two, because you can choose where you want to go. I love love love that it includes a car!

So that's what I would do with an extra $400 laying around. What about you??

Have a great day!!!

What Makes My House a Home

2009-04-15T09:33:00.014-04:00

I am so excited to be participating in Lucy's House a Home Giveaway! Not only do I love the idea for the post, but the prizes are fantastic too. Anyone reading should definitely go check her blog out. It has full of great recipes that I have tried and many other fabulous tips too!

Okay so on to the assignment!! We are supposed to blog about 10 things that make our house a home. You can take pictures, write, whatever! Here 10 things were very creative, mine not so much :) But lets just get on with it!

1. Our Kitchen
The kitchen is where I spend a giant amount of my free time. If I'm not actually cooking or baking I'm thinking about cooking or baking. This kind of attitude really does a lot for a girl's rear end. But, being in the kitchen makes me happy so I'll settle for a little junk in the trunk.

2. The Food in my Kitchen

I love the set up and functionality of my kitchen but let's get real, it's all about the food. So, I present to you the messiest place in my whole house:

Sometimes it's really clean in there, but that just means I need to go shopping :)

3. China

When we first got married I thought the idea of china was a little old fashioned. Then we went and registered and I fell in love. Hubby wasn't quite convinced, but I think he saw the little twinkle in my eye and indulged me. Our china sits in a little white corner cabinet that I painstakingly refinished. It was so much work, but worth it.

4. Our Couch

This is not only the most comfortable couch in the entire world, it holds a lot of significance for Hubby and I. It is the first major purchase that we made together and something that we both loved. We looked and looked and would go back to the store to make sure they still had it. Shortly after we got engaged we bought it together. It is a great place to relax and the end of the day.

5. Our Entertainment Center

This is what we see when we sit on our couch. We love to watch movies and yes too much TV (gasp!). The mantle itself is a big reason why we bought the house. It is an old piece of petrified wood that the previous owners sawed down to make a mantle. I love it and I think it gives our newer house a little bit of charm. I think Hubby loved it because he knew we would need a big TV to fit the space.

6. Pictures

I love having pictures all around our house. It allows me to see friend and family everyday that I normally don't and adds some of our personality to our house. My Hubby is a huge UofM fan and we got some engagement pictures taken at the "Big House".

7. A Favorite Saying

We received this little plaque from the place that we had our wedding. I love it and I think it is totally true!

8. Books

I really love to read both books and magazines. And blogs!!!! This is something we usually do right before going to bd. It's super relaxing! While I read about girls who grew up in a castle hubby reads about business. I don't think that's very relaxing, but to each their own.

9. A Flower Garden

No I did not take this picture now. It was from last year, unfortunately. I can't wait for it to look like this again though! I think a yard is the first impression of your house and I really love to take care of it. Hubby mows it and I like to mess around with the flowers.

10. Love

I know. Totally cheese. But I guess most of all we make a house our home. If we didn't share it together, I think it would just be a box :)

Ok now post your own 1o things and go on over there!

Have a great day!!

Carrot Cheesecake

2009-04-14T14:58:00.005-04:00

Here is the recipe for the Carrot Cheesecake that I made on Easter. Even though it has the little carrots, I would really eat this anytime of year. It was so good!! I chose to put the little marzipan carrots on it, but you definitely wouldn't have to. This recipe came out of Martha Stewart Living magazine.

Cheesecake Ingredients:

Crust:

1/2 cup toasted pecans

8 graham crackers, finely ground

4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

3 tbsp sugar

1/4 tsp salt

Cheesecake:

1 tbsp unsalted butter

2 medium carrots, peeled, finely grated

1 1/2 cups sugar

4 pkgs (8 oz ea) cream cheese, softened

4 large eggs, room temperature

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ginger

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350. Pulse pecans in food processor until finely ground. Place in medium bowl with graham crackers, and stir in butter, sugar, and salt.

2. Wrap outside of a 9-inch springform pan in two layers of foil. Press crumb mixture firmly into bottom of pan. Bake until golden brown around edges and firm, about 15 minutes. Let cool on wire rack. Reduce oven temperature to 325.

3. Make the cheesecake: Melt butter in medium pan over medium heat. Add carrots and 1/2 cup sugar, and cook, stirring often, until carrots are soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer with pan juices to a bowl, and let cool.

4. Beat cream cheese and remaining cup sugar with a mixer on medium speed until fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add eggs 1 at a time, scraping down the sides of bowl as needed. Add carrots and pan juices, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, salt, and vanilla, and beat until incorporated. Pour into crust.

5. Set springform pan in a large roasting pan. Fill roasting pan with boiling water to reach half way up the sides of the springform pan. Bake cheesecake until set but slightly wobbly in center, about 80 to 90 minutes.

6. Transfer springform pan to a rack, and remove foil. Let cool. Refrigerate, uncovered, at least 6 hours (or overnight). After, cheesecake will keep covered and refrigerated for up to 3 days. Run a hot knife around edges of cheesecake to loosen, then release sides of pan. Decorate with marzipan carrots before serving.

Marzipan Carrots

Marzipan is a mixture of almonds, sugar, and sometimes egg whites. Its soft, pliable texture makes it ideal for sculpting and decorating. It's available in the baking aisle of supermarkets.

Ingredients:

1 oz marzipan

Orange gel food coloring

Unsweetened cocoa powder, for decorating

Small carrot fronds (I used parsley)

1. Tint marzipan with orange coloring a little at a time, to reach desired color. Divide into 12 pieces. (Cover with wrap when not using.) Shape each piece into a ball, then roll into logs, tapering 1 end to resemble carrots.

2. Dip a paring knife into cocoa powder. Make tiny indentations in each carrot with cocoa-dusted knife to evoke the vegetable's texture. Carrots will keep, covered, for up to 1 week. Push fronds (or parsley) into top of each carrot before serving.

To check out more great Tasty Tuesday recipes go to this great blog here.

Have a great day!

Stuffed Green Peppers

2009-04-13T08:18:00.003-04:00

This is seriously one of my very favorite things to make. It is of course tasty, but I also love how easy it freezes. This is a major time saver for me. I like to make two of something and freeze one. This is the perfect dish to do that with. The recipe below is only for one pan however. It you want to make two pans, just double it! I am making this today and will take picture and post them later :)

Ingredients:

4 large green peppers

1 lb ground turkey

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 large onion, chopped

1 can diced tomatoes, drained

1.5 cups cooked rice

1/2 cup queso cheese

1/2 cup sour cream

2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350. Slice the pepper in half length-wise. Remove stem, white parts, and seeds. Set aside.

2. Saute the turkey, onions, and garlic until turkey is cooked and onions are translucent. Mix in the rice, tomatoes, queso cheese, sour cream, salt, and pepper. Taste mixture to make sure seasonings are correct.

3. Pour one cup hot water in the bottom of a 9x13 dish. Stuff each pepper with the mixture and place in pan. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 20 minutes. Periodically spoon some of the juices over top of the peppers so they don't dry out. This is usually enough time in the oven when I make this, but if you want the peppers really soft, you may want another 10-15 minutes.

Have a great day!

Menu Plan 4/13 - 4/18

2009-04-13T07:29:00.011-04:00

Whew, I had a crazy weekend!! After leaving right after work on Friday to go back home to Ann Arbor, I had a slumber party (yes I said slumber party) with my friends from when I was younger. That was a lot of fun and we went out to sushi too. I miss delicious sushi!!! Saturday, hubby and I went to Ikea to see about getting some things to buy for our bedroom. We are FINALLY getting our two bathrooms tiled this weekend and decided that if we are going to repaint and tile those we might as well get our bedroom looking good too! Later that day we went back home so I could make this Carrot Cheesecake for Easter:

It was really yummy and the carrots turned out pretty cute. Later Saturday the hubby and went to go visit his best friend in Detroit where he lives. We had lots of fun and I won $36 at the casino!!!!! Easter was great and we didn't get home until really late because hubby had to stay to watch the Masters. Men.

Well after that giant re-cap here is my menu for this week!

Monday: Stuffed Green Peppers (this is on a separate post so it isn't so long)

Tuesday: Left over Stuffed Green Peppers

Wednesday: Asian Peanut Stirfry from Lucy's Life

Thursday: Chicken Piccata, roasted potatoes, and snap peas

.Friday: Left Over Asian Peanut Stirfry

Saturday: Pizza because we will be painting!!

To check out more menus go to Organizing Junkie's blog here.

Have a great week!

Friday Funny

2009-04-10T11:15:00.003-04:00

I've always wanted to put a peep in the microwave but I thought it would blow up and then I'd have to clean it. Anyway, nothing much happens I guess. Here is the most ridiculous video I could find about putting peeps in the microwave. Wow.

At least only two peeps were harmed.....

Happy Weekend!!!!!!!!

Dressings

2009-04-09T09:32:00.005-04:00

I am really not trying to turn this blog into something that is all about food, but I made Caesar Salad last night and had a request for the dressing, so I thought I'd share. Also, when I don't have anything else to write about, I can go on for days about food :) I typically am not a giant fan of mayo and this dressing doesn't have any which I love. I wouldn't exactly say this dressing is healthy, but it definitely doesn't have all the added preservatives, etc. that other store bought ones do. I also think it tastes a lot better.

Classic Caesar Dressing:

Ingredients

3 medium garlic cloves, chopped

2 tsp dijon mustard

4 tbsp fresh lemon juice

2 tsp heavy cream (I have used milk)

Dash of Worcestershire sauce

6 anchovy fillets, chopped (see note)

2 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup olive oil

Freshly ground black pepper

"Combine all the ingredients except the olive oil in a blender or food processor. Mix. Add the olive oil in a steady stream until combined. Transfer to a medium bowl. Dressing keeps in the refrigerator for 5 days"

Okay that was what the recipe said. Now, when I make mine I really don't like to dirty my food processor for something so little. Also, I usually plan on serving the dressing right away so it is not a big deal for me if the dressing separates a little. What I do is press the garlic either into a shaker or in a little mixing bowl. I then add everything except the oil and shake (or whisk) together. Then I drizzle in the oil and shake (or whisk) again. This honestly works fine for me. The reason you would do it in the food processor or blender is to really emulsify it so it doesn't separate as badly. If you are serving for a party or something, I probably would.

Note: About the anchovies. I personally love them. Some don't. If you don't, then just completely leave them out. Also, I am really cheap. I hate buying a whole can and wasting half of it. So, I buy anchovy paste and use like a teaspoon of it. It keeps in the fridge forever and I'm not wasting.

Here is another dressing that I like. It has a zip and and is creamy without being super duper fattening.

Tangy Buttermilk-Horseradish Dressing

Ingredients

1/2 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup sour cream (I use light)

1 1/2 tbsp prepared horseradish

2 medium garlic cloves, chopped

1 1/2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup chopped flat leaf Italian parsley

Pinch of sugar

1 tsp lemon zest

Salt and Pepper

Mix all the ingredients together with a whisk in a medium bowl. Keeps for five days in the fridge.

Have a great day!!!

Black-and-White Cheesecake Squares

2009-04-08T08:32:00.010-04:00

Oh Martha, you make my tummy so happy. I found these delicious squares in a recent issue of Martha Stewart Living. I knew I had to make them for something. So when my hubby asked me to make something for a work party I thought about these right away. They were so moist and yummy! There are a few added steps to these, but it's honestly really worth it. Also, just for Lindsay, "in these economic times", they are really inexpensive to make and I actually had all the ingredients on hand. Ok here it goes:

Ingredients:

Cooking Spray

2 cups plus 2 tbsp flour

3/4 unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

10 oz (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened....I never said it was healthy!

2 cups granulated sugar

3 large eggs

2 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

1. Coat a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. Line dish with parchment, leaving a 2-inch overhang on both long sides, then spray parchment.

2. Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl. Cream butter and granulated sugar with a mixer until smooth. Add 2 eggs and 2 teaspoons vanilla, and beat until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl. Reduce speed to low; add flour mixture. Increase speed to medium; beat until incorporated.

3. Preheat oven to 325. Reserve 1 cup of dough; cover, and refrigerate. Press remaining dough into bottom of prepared dish. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Bake until base is set and edges are puffed, about 25 minutes. Let cool in dish on a wire rack.

4. Mix cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, remaining egg, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla in medium bowl. Spread over cooled base; crumble reserved dough on top.

5. Bake until filling is set, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool in dish on wire rack, then lift out using overhang. Cut into 24 squares. Squares will keep, covered and refrigerated, for up to 3 days.

Eat or give to someone you love!!

Have a great day!!

Award Time

2009-04-07T09:17:00.008-04:00

Yesterday I was pleasantly surprised that I got a couple of awards from one of my favorite bloggers NYC H.I.T! I have a secret desire to live in NYC and it's fun reading about someone who does! I never thought I would have more than 3 followers much less get one of these so "Thanks"! In keeping with tradition I think have to choose 5 people to pass these on to. These are a few of the many blogs I enjoy reading everyday and keeping up with their interesting lives!

1. Lucy @ Lucy's Life

2. Tecia @ The Kirven Crew

3. Michelle @ Little Moments

4. Lindsay @ The Musings of the Mrs

5. Rona @ BerryMorrins Bits and Tips

Have a great day!

Menu Plan 4/6 - 4/11

2009-04-06T07:27:00.007-04:00

Well I hope everyone had a great weekend! Mine was full of relaxing things. Hubby and I went to see Duplicity on Friday. I love Julia Roberts and Clive Owen is a major cutie, but this wasn't my favorite. I usually love movies that make me think, but this one was even a little too much for me. I felt like it just needed a little more....something.

On the other hand, I started a new anti-biotic about an hour before we got there (for a UTI, can we spell FUN?) and had a reaction to the medicine. I have never had that happen before and my lip swelled up and I was super itchy. It was really wierd. So I think I was a little distracted because of that. When I got home I took a Benadryl and all was better.

Okay so on to Menu Plan Monday. I am really slacking these days. Sometimes it is just so much easier to go out! Anyway here is what I got planned this week:

Monday: Left over Spaghetti with Shrimp & Garlic Sauce

I completely forgot to take a picture, but here the is recipe:

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp butter

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 tbsp finely diced red bell pepper

2 tbsp tomato paste

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 lb spaghetti

12 oz raw shelled shrimp

1/2 cup heavy cream (I didn't have this so I used light cream cheese with a little milk)

salt and pepper

parsley to garnish

Directions:

Cook the spaghetti in salted water until done and drain.

Heat the oil and butter in a pan over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and bell pepper and saute until the garlic just begins to color. Stir in the tomato paste and wine. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring.

Add the shrimp to the sauce and raise the heat to medium-high. Cook for 3 minutes or until the shrimp are pink. Reduce the heat and stir in the cream (or cream cheese) stirring constantly until thickened. Season with salt and pepper.

Stir in the spaghetti and sprinkle with parsley.

Serves 4

Tuesday: Baked Chicken with Rice and Roasted Broccoli

Wednesday: Caesar Salad using left over chicken from Tuesday with Homemade Dressing

Thursday: Seared Salmon with Homemade Mashed Potatoes and some kind of veggie

Friday-Sunday: Going back to Ann Arbor to be with the family for Easter!

To see more Menu Plans go to Organizing Junkie's Blog!

Okay bless your little hearts if you actually read that giant post. Here is a picture of Clive Owen the cutie as your prize:

And here's another more rugged look because I like you and him:

Have a great day!

Cheap Purse Alert!

2009-04-04T06:00:00.000-04:00

I got an email earlier today about a sale that The Sak is having on their website. They have some really cute purses on sale right now with a discount code for another 50% off. This makes them very inexpensive and right up my budgeting alley! Here is the little cutie I have my eye on:

They have a lot of choices but I believe the sale ends on the 6th. You can see what all they have here. The code that you need to get the extra 50% off is TSWS33009. The little bag I like is $23.30 plus and additional 50% off. So I'd say that's a good price!

Have a great day!!

Friday Funny

2009-04-03T09:31:00.002-04:00

Okay so this Friday's video isn't actually funny, it's just super sweet. I saw the story about Christian the lion on The View a couple of weeks ago and of course had to find the YouTube video. I am a giant dork and cry and lots of things, but this one really got to me. I actually can hardly watch it with out getting teary even after seeing it like 38 times.

For those who haven't heard the story basically these two guys bought a lion from a pet shop years ago and raised it until it got too big to live in a house. They took it to Africa and this video shows what happen when they return to visit.

When you watch make sure to listen to it to. The music really makes it great. Have fun crying!

Happy Weekend!!

PS. I actually think Operation Make Dinner on Friday may actually happen. ***applause*** I think I really am going to make something, but then we're going to a movie. Any suggestions of something to see?