goodbye, 2011!

Wow. It does not seem like another year has passed by already. I can remember sitting here last year writing a blog along the same lines about 2010. Well, not HERE, because I lived in a different spot. Anyway, let's review our highlights from 2011.

January: The beginning was just like any other time. Christopher's parents came to visit towards the end. We took them to all the cool site seeing places around here and had another 'Christmas' with them. 

February: Oh, February. The very beginning, we had a crazy snow storm that knocked most everyone's power and water out for like 3 weeks. This is when I met Jess and Shaun! We hadn't lost electric or water yet, so I offered for anyone to come to our house for a hot meal and shower. They took us up on it, and thus began our friendship. Really glad I let strangers into my house in this instance lol. I also started seeing an ENT about the issues with my esophagus, but they didn't want to listen to what I had to say. We also had some sad news towards the end. Christopher's grandfather was in the ICU again, and this time didn't look so good. We took most of our tax return and flew home for emergency leave. We never got to say goodbye to Christopher's other grandfather or mine, so we wanted to be sure we were able to see him again. 

March: On March 1st, Grandpa Don passed away. We were able to attend his wake and funeral before flying back home. I prefer it a celebration of life. We had to say goodbye, but we know it's not forever. While we had been in Illinois, we had gotten a call from Balfour Beatty. They said they had a house for us. Awesome, since we'd been on the waiting list for over a year and our lease was up and we did NOT want to renew from all the issues we had at the apartment. Turns out, the lady I talked to DID NOT put us down for that house and we ended up having to fight with them over finding us one. We ended up have a whole day to move from the apartment to the house by ourselves and clean the apartment for inspection. Oy.

April: On April 1st, I miscarried baby Myrda. The irony is ridiculous. While everyone else was joking about (not really) being pregnant, I was beyond devastated. Anyway, this house wasn't in the best of conditions. We had to go all the way up the management chain to get all the issues taken care of. Our biggest one was that the carpet in our front room was full of animal urine. They claimed it was brand new, but we had no animals (at that point we didn't). Then they tried to say it was Conner and that he had had an accident in there. Once again, had to go up the management chain and eventually to our garrison commander to get the carpet replaced. While they were replacing it, we took Conner to the beach for his first time. Well, as close of a beach as you can get in the desert. We went to Elephant Butte, NM to their man made lake/beach. We celebrated Easter with the Brady's, Evanko's, Jess J. and her son Joel, and some of the single soldiers. We all pitched in to cook and did a little egg hunt for the kids.

May: We celebrated our 2 year wedding anniversary. We also said 'see you later' to our Army parents, Susie and Bill. Oh how we miss them! Not too much else happened this month.

June: Christopher had his massive field time this month, so Conner and I flew home to visit. We spent our time split up between Oswego with Kari and Stephen, Leland with my mom, sister and Bob, and Rochelle with Krissa and Gene. We celebrated Makayla's 3rd birthday and got to spend a bunch of time with her. Conner and Makayla had a lot of fun together. Went to the Brookfield Zoo with my cousin, Ashley. Also went to a Crosstown Classic with Aunt Kari. And of course, of the 3 games in the first part of the series, the one I bought tickets for was the one we lost. Boo. I went to Six Flags with Ashley somewhere in this month lol. Also spent some time with one of my best friends, Patrick, and caught up with my Megyn <3. We tagged along with Megan and her kiddos to Swedish Days. Conner got to ride a bunch of rides with Brody and Caity. Met up with Jackie and Kenzi in Mendota. I landed myself in the ER with not being able to even drink water. All of my suspicions came to light in a matter of 5 minutes. The doctor on call said she thought I had GERD.

July: Megyn and I went and got our tattoos that we've had planned for years. So glad we did. Now we have constant reminders of why we are still here. Went to Nate and Lora's bonfire and Conner got to hang out with their kids. It was awesome catching up with them and watching fireworks with Conner. Then to my best friend Wes's insane 4th of July party. Yeaaa. Mom, me and Bob took Conner to Leland's 4th of July parade and then later that night they took him to the fireworks there. Then was Warped Tour 2011 with Megyn and Kacie! This is where I decided I am far too white and definitely can not go outside without sun screen. Ever. Flew back home the day after and Kim and Vicki picked me up from the airport. Chris was still in the field at this point. Got everything at home situated and settled back in to our routine.. very briefly. I had an appointment to tell my PCM what the ER doctor had said, and they set up a procedure to get an official diagnosis. When he got back from the field, we took the loooong drive home for 2 more weeks. While there this time we had a small family get together. We also went for Warped Tour (round 2 for me) in St. Louis. While we were there, we also went up the Arch. It was awesome! 

August: Took the long drive back to El Paso. This time we stopped at a hotel halfway through. This month, we also added a new fur baby to our family, Ranger! We got him from my friend Janae, who had rescued him from the Humane Society. 

September: I had my lovely procedure this month. It didn't take them long to give me my diagnosis. I had a follow up appointment a week later, and received some news that shattered me. Instead of just having GERD, they also found some lumps of tissue that were not ulcers that they needed to biopsy for possible cancer. This started the never ending wait for my referral to go through and be accepted by the doctor who would be performing the biopsy. All I had to do was wait a month to get an appointment set up. I was also advised that I should try a meatless diet, since meat seemed to be one of the biggest things that made the GERD flair up. We started a temporary vegetarian diet.

October: Conner turned 2! We had a small party at our house with some friends. I took to my crafty side and made all the decorations and food. And then came the bad news again. I called Texas Tech to see what was up with my referral and why I hadn't been called for an appointment. Seems they 'never received' my paperwork. I know that was some crap, because I got the confirmation that it had been received. Ugh. So since we had this issue, I had to wait another TWO MONTHS before I could be seen to just have a consultation! Tyler and I went to a Taking Back Sunday concert for our (early) birthday present. Conner got his first haircut after Chris had a mild meltdown in Costco from someone calling him a girl lol. Chris was gone again for field time during Halloween, so Conner and I met up with some people along the way. He was scared of his own Halloween costume, even though he picked it out, so we had to throw a last minute one together. 

November: My birthday came and went. I was supposed to go to the Rock Yourself To Sleep Tour with Tyler, but she had just found out she was pregnant and was sick and I ended up getting sick the day before, too. Bummer we had to miss it. This month was full of FRG events. We did the Children's Fall Festival and a few fundraisers at the company. Thanksgiving came around and I cooked an awesome dinner. We had some friends come over. Thanksgiving was the first time I had meat in 2 months. Since it went well, I was cleared to slowly start adding meat back into our diets. I also managed to give myself a mild concussion and had a nasty sinus infection that forced me to go to WBAMC to get some medical help. Yea, only me.

December: Oh this was a full month, too. Had another FRG fundraiser, the Polar Bear Plunge. We had our company Christmas party which was a big success. Some friends and I had a small gift exchange. This year, I went into full craft mode for Christmas. We had decided against shipping gifts since it cost so much last year to ship them, and opted for gift cards. I had my consultation and they explained exactly what they will be doing during the biopsy, and also gave me a little hope! My chances decreased from a 50% chances of the masses being cancerous, to 33% when another option (a hernia inside my stomach) was put on the table. He quickly set me up a pre-op appointment. My dad flew in and spent Christmas with us. At the pre-op appointment, they re-explained everything, and surprisingly set me up for my surgery on January 4. I don't really consider it a surgery, even though it is invasive. They will just be taking a little bit of the mass out, but I had to be sedated and they will go in via a tube in my throat. 

Anyway, here I sit writing this. Thinking of 2011, it wasn't too awful. My family faced some serious hardships, but it is all starting to look up. We have so much to look forward to in 2012. I have my promises (not resolutions, I always break those) in hand and I'm ready to prove to myself that 2012 will be my year. I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe New Years Eve. 

cookie dough dip

Yes, you read that correctly. Cookie. Dough. Dip. And it's completely safe to eat raw. There are no eggs in it. We used graham crackers to dip in it. So delicious! 

Ingredients:

2 cups of all purpose flour

1 cup of packed brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1 tablespoon of vanilla extract

4 tablespoons of milk

3/4 cups unsalted butter, melted

3/4 cup of chocolate chips

Mix everything in a big bowl. Cover and put in the refrigerator for about an hour and then serve! That simple!

help find haley faith wilson

Hi followers. I know my blog is usually just my ramblings of life and recipes, but today there is a much more important issue I want to write about. I got on Facebook and saw a video posted from a friend. It was just titled 'Haley'. I watched it, holding back tears the entire time. This father, Ray Wilson, made this video in hopes to reach a larger crowd to find his daughter, Haley, who ran away on December 26, 2011. 

First, I would like to say how disgusted I am at many of the user comments on the youtube video. You can find it here: Haley. Yes, he used notecards instead of talking, just like Ben Breedlove did in his video. Did it ever occur to you that Mr. Wilson is shattered inside that he can not communicate his thoughts vocally? I know if it were Conner who had just up and left without a trace, I'd be so distraught. I highly doubt I'd be able to voice anything at all. Second, THIS IS A MISSING CHILD! Take it a little seriously, alright?! She needs to be found, safely, and her family once again completed. If you have ANY information at all, please contact the Amarillo Police Department at 806-378-3038. You can also find her father on Twitter @raywilson. Please, no negativity. Just help him find his daughter. 

So here are a few facts:

- Haley is 17 years old, 5'6", about 120 pounds

- She is driving a Silver 2003 Ford Focus Station Wagon

- She left her cell phone behind, along with a map marked with these points: 

1. Bisbee, AZ

2. Arcata, CA

3. Humboldt, CA

- She loves singing, playing guitar, wearing bracelets and tie dye

chicken and dumpling bake

I'm breaking out my inner Paula Deen for this one. I say that because it uses a shitload of butter, pardon my french. And to Paula, butter is everything. Haha. I love some chicken and dumplings. Especially from Cracker Barrel! However, I suuuuck at making them without it turning out just weird. So here is a way to bake it.. which is my forte!

Ingredients:

1/2 stick of butter

3 medium sized chicken breasts

2 cups of chicken stock

1 cup of milk

1 cup of all purpose flour

1 can of cream of chicken soup

In a pot, bring chicken stock to a boil. Add in the chicken and bring back to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cover and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until chicken is cooked thoroughly. Set chicken aside on a plate to cool. Reserve the broth! You'll need it later. Preheat the oven to 400F. Melt the butter and pour it evenly onto the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. Shred chicken (I used 2 forks) and lay out across the butter. In a medium size bowl, whisk together the milk and flour until smooth. Pour over the chicken slowly, so that the chicken doesn't move (like a second layer). DO NOT STIR. Strain the chicken stock into another medium bowl and add the cream of chicken soup. Whisk until smooth and pour slowly over the milk/flour mixture, again layering it. DO NOT STIR IT! Bake uncovered for approximately 40 minutes, until the top is golden brown. Spoon out some of the deliciousness and devour it. NOM!

*NOTE! You can add in some cooked vegetables to make this an all in 1 meal. Sort of like a chicken pot pie, in casserole form!

christmas 2011

This year has gone by so quickly. That is for another blog post. Yesterday was Christmas. A very good one! My Dad got here on Wednesday. Well, pretty much Thursday. I picked him up at the airport around midnight. We went out and did some Christmas shopping on Thursday. He and Chris went first while I stayed to watch movies with Conner. Then it was my turn to go with him to shop for Chris and Conner. It wasn't as crowded as I had thought it would be. Friday it snowed so we stayed in. Didn't want to kill my dad with the crazy drivers here. He got to go out and play in it for a few minutes with Conner. Saturday I went to watch Jessica's girls for a little bit so she didn't have to take them out in the cold weather. I made some cheesy chicken spaghetti that night and she joined us for dinner. Then was Christmas!

Conner gave us a little trouble getting to bed Christmas Eve. I think he was really excited for opening presents. I'm currently debating on whether or not we want to continue with the whole Santa thing or just tell him the truth. When I had found our Santa wasn't real, it made me so sad, and I don't know that I want to do that to Conner. I remember telling my mom she was a big liar and I'm pretty sure it was the first time I said I hated her. Of course that wasn't true, but I was a little kid and upset. We have an entire year to figure that out. We put the gifts under the tree and the small gifts in the stockings and headed to bed.

I woke up a little earlier so that I could make breakfast and we could all eat before opening presents. I figured Conner would give me trouble with eating before, but I made Christmas tree pancakes that were red and green and he loved them! I handed out the gifts and he dug right in. We had the ones from us, the ones from my dad, one from Jessica and a ton from Chris's parents. I'll try to name them all, but he was literally swimming in a floor full of gifts! We got my dad this Chicago Bears six pack holder that has an ice pack in the middle to keep it cold. He doesn't drink, so he will use it for Dr. Pepper. :) We also ordered something to be sent to his house. He's a truck driver, so we got him one of those heated massaging cushions for his back. I got super spoiled this Christmas. Chris's parents got us a new Canon camera with a tripod and carrying case. It's beautiful! Chris got me a Nook 1st edition with a reading light attachment and a few seasons of Dexter, my dad got me two $50 gift cards to get books for the Nook, and Conner got me this amazing Harry Potter mug that changes when you put hot liquid in it and the Harry Potter dvd box set. Jessica also got me the most adorable Cheshire Cat ornament! Chris got a new MP3 player with a Chicago Bears speaker attachment, a hoodie, a Shaun White snowboarding game for the Wii (which he has played more in the past 24 hours than the entire time we've had the Wii!), and a gift card and new running shoes from my dad. Now Conner.. let me attempt this lol. From us he got a huge Mickey Mouse Clubhouse with all of the characters, Thomas the train pj's, Cars 2 dvd, some new art supplies, a hopper (those balls you sit and jump on) and some miscellaneous stocking stuffers. From my dad he got all new themed stuff for his walls (sports theme), some Cars pj's and a bunch of dvd's. From Chris's parents he got Mater and Lightening McQueen cars, big Elmo floor puzzle, a Cars play tent, a big thing of puzzles, a Farmhouse play set, a big tree house play set, some new clothes, a nice new jacket and a ton of other stuff that I can't remember off the top of my head. He also got some Mickey Mouse pj's from Jessica and a jacket and pants from Uncle Mark.

I told you, the kid made out like a bandit. I made a late lunch/early dinner of ham with a homemade brown sugar glaze, green bean casserole and deviled eggs. Overall, this has probably been the best Christmas we've had as a family. I'm glad my dad got to come be a part of it for a second year in a row. We dropped him off at the airport this morning. Goodbyes suck. Conner was so sad. He's gotten used to the last few days of waking up and Papa being right there. The first thing he'd do would say good morning and give him a hug. Tomorrow will  be heartbreaking for him. But he had a blast, as did Chris and I, over the past 4 days. I wouldn't have changed a thing.

Now we're just sitting around. Conner and Chris are playing with their new things and I'm writing this. The year is almost over and I only have a few days left to reflect on it. I'll write a different blog for that, though. For now, I'm just going to enjoy the next few days with my little family and be thankful for all the love and generosity that resides in everyone we know.

ham with brown sugar glaze

Christmas for us means ham for dinner. We did a late lunch/early dinner and will eat the leftovers this evening. Everyone buys a ham at the store. I don't like the glaze that sometimes comes with the hams, so this year I made my own.

Ingredients:

1 cup finely packed brown sugar

2 tablespoons of flour

1/2 teaspoon of mustard

1/8 teaspoon of cinnamon

3 tablespoons of white vinegar

3 tablespoons of water

Combine brown sugar, flour and cinnamon in a medium sized bowl. Add in the mustard, vinegar and water. Stir until the brown sugar is mostly dissolved. Trim fat from ham and place in the middle of a shallow baking dish. Spread glaze all over ham before cooking. Cover with foil to prevent outside from burning. We bake our ham on 325F for approximately 15 minutes per pound. The inner temperature of the ham should be about 160F when it is done.

christmas tree pancakes

Merry Christmas, everyone! This morning before we opened gifts, I made us a little Christmas themed breakfast. :) We also did 'snow' under the trees made of eggs.

Ingredients (for pancakes):

2 cups Bisquick

1 cup milk

2 eggs

In a large bowl, mix together the 2 eggs and milk. Add in the Bisquick and stir until all of it has made a batter. Split in half. In one bowl, add in red food coloring and sir. In the other, add in green food coloring and stir. Once  pancakes are cooked, cut into fours (triangles). Layer on top of each other, alternating colors. Add a scoop of whipped cream to the top for the 'star'. Make eggs and place under the trees.

soft sugar cookies

This is by far the best soft sugar cookie recipe I have found. They are super soft and delicious. My only issues was that even after chilling the dough, it was still too sticky to use cookie cutters on. If you use too much flour, the cookie loses the sweet taste and starts tasting like flour (blech). Hopefully I can find a different way to be able to use cookie cutters next year. This recipe makes approximately 24 cookies. 

Ingredients:

1/3 cup and 1 tablespoon of butter or margarine

2/3 cup of white sugar

1 whole egg and 1 egg white

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 and 1/3 cups of all purpose flour

2 teaspoons of baking powder

1/4 teaspoon of salt

Cream the butter and then add sugar gradually, beating until fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time (whole egg first then the 2nd egg white). Mix well after each addition of egg. Stir in vanilla. Add baking powder and salt and stir well. Slowly add in flour, stirring by hand. Cover and chill dough for 24 hours. Preheat oven to 375F. You can attempt to roll the dough on a floured surface, but I had a lot of difficulty with it. Instead, I put olive oil on my hands lightly and rolled the dough into small balls. These blow up so you really don't need to much dough for the cookie. Bake for 8 minutes, until cookie has a golden appearance. Let cool completely before frosting.

holiday rice krispie treats

I have been making cookies and treats so much in the past month and realized I haven't shared any of my recipes! Everyone knows how to make rice krispie treats. If not, it's super simple. I made these for Christmas treats. You can also add some green bakers chocolate to make it more festive. I only had red lol. 

Ingredients:

6 cups rice krispies cereal

10 oz marshmallows

3 tablespoons of butter

1/4 cup of red bakers chocolate, melted

In a large pot, melt butter and marshmallows. Once it is an even consistency, add in the cereal. In a greased 13 x 9 baking dish, pour the mixture and pat out evenly. Melt the chocolate and drizzle over the top. Let it cool down. Cut into squares. Best if eaten within the first few days.

tex-mex meatloaf

I have never been a huge fan of meatloaf. Chris is. The normal meatloaf is just so.. bland. So I found this Tex-Mex version and figured I'd give it a shot. Not too bad. Still not a big fan of meatloaf, though! Haha.

Ingredients:

1.5 lbs of ground turkey or beef

1 can (10 oz) diced tomatoes and green chiles, undrained

1 egg

1/4 cup bread crumbs

1 teaspoon garlic & herb seasoning

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon chili powder

Salsa

breakfast pizza

Teamwork! Chris cooked most of it, and I put it together and tossed it in the oven. I'm glad he's getting more interested in cooking with me. I pretty much have no hobbies aside from cooking and reading. Here is our delicious breakfast pizza! I didn't make my own crust this time. It's snowing and I was being lazy lol.

Ingredients:

Pizza crust (thin or regular)

4 eggs

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1/4 cup red bell pepper, chopped

8 oz sausage

Preheat oven to 400F. Place crust on ungreased pizza pan. Sprinkle with 1/2 of the cheese. Brown the sausage and drain. Set aside in a bowl. In the same skillet, cook 1 egg. We did sunny side up eggs, so once the egg is white and fluffy round, take it out of skillet and place on cheese on crust. Repeat with remaining eggs. If you want, you can beat eggs prior and then while it is cooking, lift the cooked parts slightly to let uncooked parts fall over and cook. Don't let it get hard though, just white and fluffy. Once all eggs are on the pizza, sprinkle with the sausage and red bell pepper. Top with remaining cheese and bake for 8-10 minutes, until cheese is melted.

baked taco ring

I love tacos. I love crescent rolls. I love both of them together even more! My dad is in town for Christmas so I decided to make this little meal.

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef

1 packet taco seasoning

2 tablespoons of water

2 packages of crescent rolls

shredded lettuce

4 oz shredded cheddar cheese

red bell pepper

1 cup of salsa

Preheat oven for 375F. Brown meat and drain. Add in water and taco seasoning and simmer for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, spray a pizza sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Place crescents around making a 'sun', with big parts overlapping each other and the small points hanging off the edge of the pan. There should be a 5-6 inch open center. Spread taco meat around the bases of the crescent rolls and fold the small end of the crescent rolls over the filling. I tuck in the tiny tops to hold it in. Not all of the meat will be covered. Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until crescent rolls are golden brown. Cut the top off of the red bell pepper and take out the seeds and ribs. Pour in the salsa. Place the red bell pepper in the center of the open circle. Place shredded lettuce and cheese around the bell pepper. Serve with sour cream if you'd like.

mini chicken empanadas

Alrighty. Chris had these at the company Christmas party and wanted me to try them out. The recipe I found was for mini ones. I feel like I tasted too much crust and it was missing something, so next time I'll have to mess around with it until I can figure it out.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups chopped, cooked chicken

4 oz shredded mozz cheese

4 oz cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup red bell pepper, chopped

1 jalepeno, seeded and chopped

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 package refrigerated pie crusts

water

Preheat oven to 400F. Lightly grease a baking sheet. In a large bowl, mix chicken, cheese, cream cheese, red bell pepper, jalepeno, ground cumin, salt and pepper. On a light floured surface, roll out one of the pie crusts. Cut out 3 inch rounds (cookie cutter works great). Repeat with remaining pie crusts. You should have about 12 mini circles. Lightly brush edges with water. Put a heaping teaspoon of the chicken mixture into the middle of the circle. Fold over the crust and press closed with a fork. Place on baking sheet and repeat with remaining circles. Bake for 15 minutes. I served these with salsa.

potty training adventures

I know most of you won't care, but I'm stoked and I want to write about my child's accomplishments. Plus, nobody made you click the link to read this! So about a month ago Conner started to show extreme interest in the potty. He would follow us in there, hand us toilet paper, flush the toilet and tell us to wash our hands. I went to WalMart and got him a potty seat. I broke it out and put it in the living room where most people told me to and left him naked, again like most people told me to. He was on and off the potty all day but would not go in it. He was holding it in and it was hurting him. So we gave in a put a diaper in because I didn't want to make him afraid of the potty. After a few days of that, I was ready to give up. 

One night just when we were about to give in and put another diaper on, I told Christ to take Conner in the bathroom and convert the potty seat into a step stool and see if he will go standing up, like daddy does. Sure enough, he did it. But, only that time. We would try to get him to do it more by asking if he needed to go and he always said no. Then he'd do a little 'I have to pee so bad, so I'm crossing my legs but refuse to go' dance and we had to put a diaper on him. He was going just once a day, every other day. The rest of the time, he'd flat out refuse and we'd just put the diaper on him. 

Everyone is on leave right now so Chris is working half days. I told him that I wanted to seriously start working with Conner and get this potty training thing down. Just yesterday I was complaining to some friends how this is the hardest thing so far I've done as a parent and that I HATE IT! Today, he completely shocked us! This morning he would not go on the potty. However, when Chris got home from work, he was still dry. So I took it off but kept his shirt on. Chris kept taking him in there every 15-20 minutes and told him he had to rather than asking him if he had to. Finally he peed! Then he did again. Wooo! Two stickers on the chart in one day.

This afternoon, Chris was making a phone call about a piece he needs for his car and I was reading a book. Conner came out of the bathroom and said he pooped. You could tell he attempted to get up on the big potty, but he couldn't sit up there by himself, so he pooped on the floor next to it. At first I was bummed that he didn't tell us before so we could help, but now I see that it's a sign of independence for him. He wants to do most of it on his own. I was just impressed that he has finally associated the bathroom with peeing and pooping. So we cleaned it up and told him to tell us next time before he did. 

We went about the night and got done eating dinner. Chris started cleaning part of the kitchen where I had stopped and I started to read again. I heard what sounded like water. I asked Conner what he was doing and he came running out of the bathroom and said 'pee pee mommy!' and ran back in there. I walked in there, and sure enough, he got his step stool over there and was peeing all by himself! We make a big deal out of it after he flushes. High fives and 'yay's and he got to put a THIRD sticker on his chart for today! This is a big deal! He's finally getting it! 

Right now he gets a pull up at night and is naked on the bottom for the day unless we have to go somewhere, then we put him in a diaper. We don't have to go anywhere for the next few days, so if he shows the same improvement that he did today during the next few, I'm going to do a trial run of big boy underwear and go on an outing with him. I'm so excited that he's finally getting it. :)

ham and cheese pretzel bites

These take time, but it's worth it. Extreme note of caution: when a recipe calls for the use of wax paper, remember to remove it from the baking sheets BEFORE placing food in the oven. If you do not do so, the result is very smoky and awful smelling. Yes, it did happen tonight. Second cooking flub in the same week. Can you tell it's been hectic around here?

Ingredients:

1 package (1/4 oz) active dry yeast
2 Tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon packed brown sugar, divided
1/4 cup warm water (110-115˚F)
1 cup warm milk (110-115˚F)
2 1/2 to 3 cups flour
1/2 cup finely chopped ham (about 3 ounces)
1/2 cup shredded cheese of choice
6 cups water
4 teaspoons baking soda
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1-2 Tablespoons coarse salt

In a large bowl, combine the yeast, 1 tsp. brown sugar & warm water. Let stand until foamy. That takes about 5 minutes.  In a small bowl, stir together 2 tbsp. brown sugar and warm milk until brown sugar is dissolved. Add 2 1/2 cups flour & the milk mixture to the yeast. Stir until a soft dough forms. If it is too sticky, add in the other 1/2 cup of flour. On a floured surface, knead dough a few times and make into a smooth ball. Lightly oil a large bowl and place dough in it. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let stand in a warm, draft free area for 2 hours. The ball should be doubled in size and little bubbles will appear on the surface. 

Once the dough has risen, separate into 4 equal balls. Roll one section of the dough into a rectangle. With the long side facing you (like this [     ] ), spread 1/4 of the ham and cheese into the bottom section of the rectangle (like this [__] ). Roll dough upwards, as tightly as possible, starting with where the filling is. Cut into 1 inch pieces and place on a baking sheet covered with wax paper. Repeat with the remaining 3 sections of dough. Let stand, uncovered, for 30 minutes. 

Preheat the oven to 400F.  In a medium size pot, boil 6 cups of water. Once water is boiling, add in baking soda. Reduce to a simmer. Place 4-6 pretzels in the water at a time, for about 20 seconds, turning once each. Use a slatted spoon to remove them. Place onto a baking sheet WITHOUT the wax paper (you can spray the sheet with non-stick spray to make removing them easier). Once all the pretzels have had their boil bath, bake for 15 minutes. They will be slightly browned. Melt butter and brush over the pretzels and sprinkle with salt. I did only a few at a time in sections so that the butter didn't soak in before the salt got on there. Serve alone or with a favorite dipping sauce. I recommend honey mustard!

chocolate cupcakes with cream cheese filling

Back in October I made some vegan cupcakes for Conner's birthday party. I forgot the almond milk, so I had to do regular ones this time. Today marks 5 years of my love and I becoming a couple. I wanted to do something sweet (pun intended) for our anniversary. Yes, we celebrate both our 'couple' and 'marriage' anniversaries. He has taken over potty training duty and I am off to the kitchen like a typical housewife. Bahaha.. seriously though, I love cooking and baking. This recipe was supposed to be for 12 cupcakes, but I was able to make 24! Here's how they turned out!

Ingredients (cupcakes):

3 cups of all purpose flour

2 cups white sugar

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking soda

2/3 cups vegetable oil

2 cups water

2 tablespoons white vinegar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350F. Line the cupcake pan with cupcake liners. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, cocoa powder, salt and baking soda. Stir in oil, water, vinegar and vanilla extract. Mix until well blended. Pour batter into cupcake liners until 2/3 full. 

Ingredients (filling):

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1 egg

1/2 cup white sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

In a medium bowl, beat together cream cheese, egg, sugar and salt until light and fluffy. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop a teaspoon full into the middle of each cupcake. Bake for 25 minutes. Allow to cool before eating. 

My filling ended up being more of a topping, but this is also my first attempt ever making 'filled' cupcakes. Either way, soooo yummy!

fiesta chicken pasta salad

There are so many things you can do with pasta salad. Here's my third version!

Ingredients:

1 package of Betty Crocker Suddenly Salad original pasta salad mix

1/3 cup sour cream

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

3 tablespoons water

1 cup of cherry tomato halves

1/2 cup of green bell pepper, sliced thin

1 cup cooked chicken, cubed

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

tortilla chips

Cook chicken and set aside to cool. Bring a pot of water (2 quarts) to a boil. Add in pasta mix. Save the seasoning packet for later. Bring back to a slight boil for 12 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water to cool pasta. Drain again. In a large bowl, mix sour cream, seasoning packet, chili powder and water. Add in pasta and mix until coated. Add in vegetables and chicken and stir. Line a serving bowl with tortilla chips and put pasta over that. Sprinkle with cheese.

slow cooker bbq chicken

I will never boil or bake my chicken again after discovering this. The chicken was seriously falling apart. Mmmm! The best part? These can be tossed in frozen or thawed!

Ingredients:

4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 bottle of barbecue sauce (I use the Hickory Smoke flavor)

1/4 cup white vinegar

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon garlic powder

Mix all ingredients except chicken in a bowl. Put chicken in the crock pot and add sauce over it. Cook on low for about 5 hours. No need to even stir! Serve with your favorite sides and enjoy!

enchilada stacks

Which I will refer in the future as 'Mexican Pizza on Steroids'. This thing is massive, and so good!

Ingredients:

1 lb lean ground beef

2 (10 oz) cans of red enchilada sauce

6 (8 in) flour tortillas

8 oz shredded cheddar cheese

1 (16 oz) can of refried beans

2 (4 oz) cans of diced green chiles

Preheat oven to 400. Brown meat and drain the grease. Add in 1/2 cup of red enchilada sauce. On a greased baking sheet, place 1 flour tortilla. Top with 1/3 of the meat mixture and 1/4 of the cheese. Place a tortilla on top of that and add 1/2 can of the refriend beans, 1/2 cup red enchilada sauce, 1 can of drained green chiles and 1/4 of the cheese. Repeat layers one more time. Once you place the last tortilla, top with remaining beef, cheese and enchilada sauce. Cover with foil. I put toothpicks in the top so that the foil didn't stick to the cheese. Bake for 40 minutes.

sloppy joes

I'm usually not a big fan of sloppy joes. Mostly because I hate the 'sauce' in the can. So, I found a recipe from scratch. Worked out perfectly since we had a company Christmas party today. I was able to make the recipe in bulk. I forgot to take a picture until after, so there isn't much left in the crock pot.

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef

2 stalks of celery, diced

1 small onion, chopped

1 (8oz) can of tomato sauce

1/4 cup of ketcup

1/4 cup of barbecue sauce (I used hickory smoked flavor)

1 tablespoon of firmly packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon of dry mustard

1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce

In a large skillet, brown meat. Drain and return to skillet. Stir in remaining ingredients. Simmer covered for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. If they appear too 'loose', continue to cook with the cover off until it is the consistency you like. 

Now I made mine for a party, so I browned the meat and added all the rest of the ingredients to the meat in a crock pot. On low for 3 hours and it was perfect!

slow cooker french dip sandwiches

Still on an Arby's kick. Another of my favorites is the french dips with au jus. This is not their recipe, but it was just as good! Annnnnd, I got to cook with wine.. and add it to the food.

Ingredients:

Approximately 3.5 lbs of chuck roast

1 can (14.5 oz) beef broth

1 can (10.5 oz) condensed french onion soup

6 oz red wine

1 tsp garlic powder

salt and pepper to taste

french rolls

sliced provolone cheese

Trim excess fat off of the meat. rub with salt and pepper to season. In your crock pot, add soup, broth, garlic powder and wine. Add meat into it. Cook on low setting for 7-8 hours. Take out beef and place on plate. Cover with foil for 15 minutes. Slice the beef (or shred) and place back into the liquid. Cook an additional 30 minutes on low setting. Lightly toast the bread and add cheese. Add meat to sandwich. Place au jus in a small bowl and enjoy!

broccoli and cheese soup

Who loves Panera? THIS GIRL! My favorite thing is the broccoli and cheese soup. So, I happened to stumble upon the Panera recipe *insert evil laugh*. And to spruce it up a bit, I added some grilled cheese sticks to the side. Delicious! Whoever had the idea to do that is a genius. Makes my soup nights much easier!

Ingredients (Soup):

1/4 cup melted butter

1/4 cup flour

2 cups half-and-half cream

2 cups chicken stock

1/2 lb fresh broccoli

1 cup carrot, finely shredded

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

8 ounces grated sharp cheddar cheese

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Cook melted butter and flour using a whisk over medium heat for 3 minutes. Stir constantly. Add in half and half until well blended. Add chicken stock and simmer on low for 20 minutes. Add in carrot and broccoli. Cook over low heat for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add salt and pepper. Add in cheese slowly until melted and well blended. Add in nutmeg. Remove from heat.

Ingredients (Grilled Cheese Sticks):

5 slices of bread

5 slices of cheese

Preheat oven to 350. Remove the crust from the bread. Flatten bread. Put the cheese on the bread (trust me, you only need 1 piece!). Roll tightly and place on an ungreased cookie sheet, seam side down. Bake for about 7 minutes, until cheese is melted and bread is slightly browned.

nutella puppy chow

This was always one of my favorites throughout high school. I actually discovered Nutella while over in Europe in 2006. Nom!!!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter
1 cup Nutella
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips 
3/4 cup white chocolate chips
2/3 cup hazelnuts
 12 oz box of hearty wheat cereal (I used Chex)
3 cups powdered sugar

Put the cereal in a large bowl and set to the side. In a medium sauce pan, melt the butter, semi-sweet chocolate chips and white chocolate chips. Once melted, remove from heat and add Nutella. Mix well. Pour over the cereal and stir until evenly coated. I used my hands, because it's easier than trying to stir with a spoon since the chocolate sauce is thick. After cereal is coated, dump in to a gallon size zip lock bag. Add in powdered sugar, half a cup at a time and shake like crazy. I actually split the cereal mixture into two different bags to make coating them with powdered sugar easier. And now, EAT!

spinach manicotti

So, Chris loves Italian food. I'm not so big on the red sauce, but I need to also feed him things he likes lol. Tonight he wanted manicotti. Since we are just slowly introducing meat back into our diets, we kept it vegetarian. 

Ingredients:

1 box of manicotti shells (14 shells)

2 cups of shredded Italian cheese blend

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 container (15 oz) ricotta cheese

10 oz frozen spinach, thawed, drained and squeezed dry

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1 egg, slightly beaten

1 jar of pasta sauce, any flavor

Preheat oven to 375. Cook shells according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water. Drain again. In a medium bowl, stir together 1 1/2 cups of the Italian cheese, red pepper flakes, ricotta cheese, spinach, garlic and egg. Spread 1 cup of the pasta sauce in the bottom of an ungreased 13x9 inch baking dish. Spoon cheese mixture into the shells. Place over sauce in dish. Pour the rest of the pasta sauce over the shells. Cover and bake for 25 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake uncovered for an additional 5 minutes until cheese is melted.

cheesy chicken spaghetti

I stumbled upon this recipe. Unfortunately, I had to make my own guesstimates at how much of everything, because the lady who posted it originally didn't post any of that. I also wish I would have found this a little sooner. We could have used our leftover turkey instead of chicken. :) Idea for next year! Anyway, here you go.

Ingredients:

chicken breasts (I used 2 decent sized ones)

1 can (10 3/4 oz) cream of chicken

1 can chicken broth, halved

8 oz velveeta cheese, cubed

1 can (4 oz) black olives, drained

spaghetti noodles

Cook chicken how you prefer (I boiled mine). Set to the side to cool. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook spaghetti according to package directions, but add 1/2 can of the chicken broth. While that is cooking, dice up your chicken. In a medium microwave safe bowl, mix 1/2 can of broth, cream of chicken, and cubed velveeta. Microwave in intervals of 2 minutes and stir in between until velveeta is melted. Drain your noodles and add back into the pan. Add chicken and stir. Add in cheesy mix and stir until evenly coated. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Pour in your chicken spaghetti mixture. Top with black olives. You can also add some extra shredded cheese if you like. Bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes, until cheese is bubbly and slightly browned on top. Soo yummy!

chicken salad

I used to be a manager at Arby's and my favorite thing they have is the Chicken Salad Sandwich/Wrap. It's Heaven wrapped in carbs. Wonderful. We had to make gigantic batches of it. That was the highlight of my (every three) days. This may or may not be the recipe on a much smaller scale ;). 

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts, cooked and diced

1/2 cup low fat mayonnaise

1/2 cup pecan pieces

1/4 cup celery, diced

1/4 cup apples, diced

1/4 cup seedless red grapes, halved

Cook the chicken breasts fully. While it's cooking, chop up the remaining ingredients and set aside. I decided instead of dicing the chicken to put it into my nifty food processor. In a large bowl, mix all ingredients together until well blended. Serve as a sandwich, wrap, bagel or even on it's own. We chose the bagels. Nom nom nom!

mini deep dish pizzas

Alright now, let's face it. Chicago has the BEST pizza in the entire world. Admit it. The deep dish is the way to go. Well, in Texas this is as good as it gets. Trust me, Peter Piper Pizza can not recreate such a magical dish. Neither can I, but here's a miniature version!

Ingredients:

3-4 whole wheat tortillas

1 (15 oz) can pizza sauce (you may have some left over)

3/4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

1 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp garlic powder

mini pepperonis (and any other pizza toppings you would like to have)

Preheat oven to 375. Spray a muffin pan with nonstick spray. Use a cup or cookie cutter to press out 12 medium size circles in the wheat tortillas. Press each wheat circle into one of the muffin cups. It doesn't have to cover the entire side of the cup, just to fit snuggly. Pour pizza sauce in a medium size bowl. Add in parmesan, oregano, and garlic powder. Stir together. Drop about 1-2 tbsp into each wheat cup (depending on how much sauce you like). Sprinkle mozzarella cheese evenly over each mini pizza. Top with pepperoni (and other toppings). Bake for 7-10 minutes until cheese is bubbly and starting to brown. Let them cool for about 3 minutes and you should be able to pop them right out with a fork.

turkey lettuce wraps

Since Thanksgiving went well, meat will slowly be introduced back into our diets. Here's the first meal. Our spin on the lettuce wraps from P.F. Changs. Not anywhere close, but it is still delicious. Gotta figure out their secret ingredients.

Ingredients:

1 lb 99% lean ground turkey

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon oregano

3/4 cup of water

1 can (4 oz) tomato sauce

8 large leaves from iceberg lettuce

Brown turkey in a large skillet. When it's no longer pink, add in all the dry seasonings and mix well. Add in water and tomato sauce. Stir and then cover. Simmer on low for 20 minutes. Wash and dry lettuce. Place meat in center of lettuce leaf and top with whatever ingredients you'd like. We used shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream.

thanksgiving 2011

So ladies and gents, today was the first time since the beginning of September that I have had any meat. Now let me explain this before people jump on my case: the only reason we started doing the vegetarian meals was because I was diagnosed with GERD and it was suggested that I try it since meat made it flair up. All went well and everything started looking up. I had made a promise to my husband that if he did this with me, come Thanksgiving we would have a traditional dinner and if it went well, we could start introducing meat into our diet again.

Everything did go well! We had the turkey, stuffing, green bean casserole, baked mac n cheese, cheddar biscuits, deviled eggs and mashed potatoes and gravy. We had apple and cherry pie for desert. Now, usually when I make a food post I add in recipes. So I'll just throw some of them out here. I didn't make some of it from scratch since I had a child at my feet nonstop. The gravy, stuffing, and potatoes were from a box! Lol

TURKEY:

I used an 8 pound turkey since there were only a few of us. Preheat the oven to 325. Clean the bird well (especially inside the cavity) and pat dry with a paper towel. I brushed the bird with melted butter and seasoned it with Mesquite seasoning. I put my bird in an oven bag with about 5 slits on top to allow steam to come out. It makes it nice and juicy! Cook for about 3 1/2 hours. Make sure the internal temperature is 165 degrees in the fattest part of the turkey.

CHEDDAR BISCUITS:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. I use Bisquick normally. 2 cups of Bisquick, 1 1/4 cup of water, 1/2 cup finely shredded cheddar cheese. Drop biscuits in equal amounts about 1 inch apart from each other on a greased baking sheet. Bake for about 15-20 minutes (until golden brown). 

DEVILED EGGS:

I prepped these the night before. Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil. Add 12 eggs in one layer. Cover and boil for 20 minutes. Remove from heat but keep covered for an additional 10 minutes. Submerge eggs in COLD water. Tap egg all the way around on counter and peel shell. Cut in half lengthwise. In a small bowl, use a fork to smash the cooked yolks. Add in 1/3 cup of fat free mayonnaise and 1/3 cup dijon mustard. Mix well. I usually go by taste at this point, depends on how you like them. Sprinkle with paprika (I also added bacon bits to half of them). 

GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix 1 can of cream of mushroom and 3/4 cups of milk in an 8x8 baking dish. Stir in 2 cans of drained french style green beans and 3/4 cups of french fried onions. Cook about 20 minutes. Sprinkle the rest of the french fried onions on top and bake an additional 5 minutes, until onions are nice and brown. 

I've already shared my baked mac n cheese recipes. You can view it here. Hope you all had a blessed day with the ones you love. Don't forget to say an extra prayer tonight for those families who have paid the ultimate sacrifice and will always have that empty seat they will be unable to fill.

vegetarian chili

This is actually the second time I've made this. The first time was for a FRG fundraiser and I had totally forgot to take a picture and post the recipe. So here it is!

Ingredients:

8 oz tomato sauce

1 can (14 oz) vegetable broth

1 can (15 oz) pinto beans, drained and rinsed

1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed

1 bag of MorningStar Crumbles (or 1 lb of ground beef if you aren't vegetarian)

1 jar of salsa

1 can (11 oz) Mexicorn

1 can (4 oz) chopped green chiles, undrained

1 tablespoon of chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

sour cream (if desired)

Mix all ingredients except sour cream in a crock pot. Cook on low for 6 hours. Top each serving with sour cream!

baked pickles!

Ohh, I so went there. Lately, all I could think about if fried pickles. But they are so not good for you. Not to mention expensive! Well I have pickles here and I was thinking.. what if I bake them instead!? So I gave it a shot. And the verdict is... SCREW YOU  BWW AND HOOTERS! I'm making my own from now on!

Ingredients:

Pickles (hamburger dill slices)

about 1/2 cup of Italian bread crumbs

1 teaspoon of pepper

1 egg

Preheat oven to 375. Put however many pickles into a strainer to drain. Rinse with water to get some of the excess sodium off. In a bowl, whisk together bread crumbs and pepper. In a separate bowl, whisk egg. Dip the pickles in the egg and then in the bread crumb mix to completely coat. Bake for 7 minutes!

tortellini in basil-balsamic vinaigrette

Not much to say but nom nom nom!

Ingredients:

1 package (9 oz) cheese-filled tortellini

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon dried basil leaves

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1/4 teaspoon of paprika

1/8 teaspoon of salt

1 clove of garlic, finely chopped

1 medium carrot, sliced

2 cups of broccoli florets

Cook and drain tortellini per package directions. Rinse in cold water and drain. In large bowl, mix vinegar, basil, oil, paprika, salt and garlic with whisk until well blended. Stir in carrots, broccoli and tortellini until coated. Serve.

veggie burger pitas

The vegetarian friendly version of a hamburger! We have to head to bed early tonight, so this was a quick, easy fix. Very tasty!

Ingredients: 

4 frozen veggie burgers (I used MorningStar brand)

1 medium green bell pepper, cut into thin strips

1 medium red bell pepper, cut into thin strips

Cooking spray

1/4 teaspoon of seasoned salt

2 pita breads (6 in) cut in half to form pockets

4 leaves of lettuce

Topping Ingredients:

2 tablespoons fat-free mayonnaise 

2 tablespoons fat-free sour cream

1 tablespoon chopped cucumber

1 teaspoon dried dill weed

Preheat oven to 450. Spray a 15x10 pan with cooking spray. Place burgers on one side, bell peppers on the other. Spray vegetables with cooking spray for about 3 seconds and sprinkle with seasoned salt. Bake for 10 minutes. Flip burgers and veggies. Bake for an additional 7 minutes, until burgers are heated thoroughly and veggies are tender. In a small bowl, mix all ingredients for topping. Spread topping on insides of pita pockets. Fill each pocket with lettuce, burger, and veggies. Voila! A healthy alternative to the greasy burger!