Recipe: Sugar Creme Pie!

Growing up in the small town that I did, every time we would go to Indiana for any reason, my mom made sure that we stopped by Mrs. Wick's for sugar crème pies. They were always amazing and we always looked forward to them. When my parents divorced and we left Ohio to come to Colorado, my mom would often order a case of sugar crème pies from Mrs. Wick's to be sent to us. Sometimes the family would chip in some money for the shipping of the case, and we would enjoy them together, but as most good traditions...this one fell off the face of the earth.

As I was on... you guessed it... Pinterest, I found a recipe for sugar crème pie. I looked at the woman's blog and she was talking about Mrs. Wick's pies too! Holy cow, small world! I didn't bother reading the recipe or reading anything past that point. I immediately pinned it for later. Little did I realize that later would come so soon! Of course, I would have to order the vanilla bean paste before making it, but as soon as it arrived...I made some pie!

Mike and I got together with some friends this past weekend and I was told to bring dessert. I brought my chocolate bread bites with marshmallow and the first attempt of this pie. The pie was a big hit and it was gone!

Yesterday, I made it again, but this time, I tweaked the recipe, converting it to gluten-free so that if it tasted good, I could give it to my mom who has celiac. Turns out...whether from the gluten-free flour or because I changed how I mixed things up, the second attempt was better than the first!

I foresee this pie in my future often!


Ingredients:

For the crust:
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour (or GF  all purpose flour, such as Jules)
1/2 cup cold butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
pinch of nutmeg
1/4 cup cold buttermilk

For the filling:

2 cups sugar
3/4 cups all purpose flour (or GF all purpose flour, such as Jules)
1 1/2 cup buttermilk
1 cup whole milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
1 egg
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
fresh nutmeg for garnish (optional)


For your crust, in a large bowl, add flour, sugar, salt and nutmeg. Cut butter into small cubes and toss into your flour mixture. Using your fingers, work the butter into the flour coating it all, and creating disks or flakes. All pieces should be rough in size, but thin enough to become a pie crust.
Slowly pour in the cold buttermilk, tossing the flour mixture until it is evenly dampened. Carefully knead just a few times until the dough comes together. It might be slightly shaggy or compact...this is okay! Press dough into the shape of a disk. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour or longer.

When you are ready to make your pie, preheat the oven to 450*.
On a slightly floured surface, roll pie dough into a circle, about 1/8 inch thick. Carefully transfer crust to a 10 inch pie plate and crimp edges as desired. (It didn't say about whether to spray the plate or not, but I did with non stick spray)

For filling, in a medium mixing bowl, whisk buttermilk, milk, flour, vanilla bean paste, sugar and egg together. Pour into prepared uncooked pie crust. Using your fingers, leave small dabs of butter on top of your pie.

Bake pie for 10 minutes at 450*. Reduce temp to 350* and continue baking for 30-40 minutes (or longer, in my case) until pie has set in the center and only jiggles slightly.

Refrigerate until cold. Serve chilled, or warm like my mother used to. You can top with fresh berries or freshly grated nutmeg.

Enjoy!

Recipe: Sausage Stuffed Jalapeno Poppers Wrapped in Bacon

When Mike saw that I had pinned this on Pinterest, he came up to me and said that he had been drooling over a few recipes that I've been pinning. He told me that he really wanted to try this one in particular. So, when we went to the store to get our normal groceries, I wrote the ingredients down for this so that we could begin experimenting.

This was one tasty experiment! And we will be making them again!

My one hiccup that I ran into while making these, as I checked on them in the oven (You can bake them or grill or smoke them), the bacon had unraveled and the cheese filling began to seep out from the jalapeno. So, I grabbed my toothpicks...what few I had left and secured them together.

This was our dinner that night, and it was super good!

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients
10 jalapeno peppers
10 bacon slices, cut in half (I think next time, I won't cut them in half)
10 mini sausages or smokies
1 cup cream cheese
1 cup grated Monterey jack cheese
1 teaspoon chipotle powder (I think it could use more)
2 shallots, minced (I didn't use any and it still turned out amazing!)

Slice the peppers lengthwise. Using a spoon, remove the seeds and membrane. If using bell peppers instead, quarter them after seeding.

Mix the cream cheese, jack cheese, chipotle powder and shallots. Fill the hollowed out portion of the peppers with the cheese mixture.

Place the sausage on top of the cheese and wrap the bacon around the jalapeno. Use toothpicks to secure them if they will not stay on tightly!

Bake in the oven at 425* for 20-30 minutes or until the bacon is brown.
Grill them on medium high heat until bacon is browned and pepper is tender.
Smoke in the smoker at 225* for 2-3 hours or until bacon is browned.

Enjoy!

May May Be Busy

 

 

Hello everyone!

I cannot believe that May is already almost over! What the heck happened?!

 

Let me see what I can update you on...

 

 

Earlier in the month, my family had a little shindig, which Mike and I were not invited to, so we didn't go, but after hearing how some things went down, I was upset and wanted to head to the Springs. Unfortunately, I would have to wait, as everyone had plans during the time I was going to show up, so I waited.

 

On the Friday before Mother's Day, I headed to the Springs to see my mom and just spend some time with her before the little get together for Mother's Day. I packed that Friday morning and was running around the house, making sure that I was gathering everything that I was remembering to bring with me. When I rounded the corner, I saw this...

"Mommy, don't go!"

 

Kitty was not happy to see the bag out of the closet again. He climbed onto my bag and gave me dirty looks the entire time I was gathering things. Eventually, he hopped off my bag and pouted in the spare room. He was really depressed that I was leaving, and I guess he was moping around the house the entire time I was gone. When I came home, he snubbed me for a few hours, but then cuddled with me at night, so all was forgiven. I know that he takes it hard when I leave, and I always feel guilty when I do, but...what can I do? I can't take him with me...and I know that Mike was here to keep him company and give him some reassurance. Mike said that Kitty would meow at him every night, and he would tell him that I wasn't coming home yet. Then the night before I was coming home, Kitty meowed and Mike told him I was returning in the afternoon tomorrow. Kitty seemed to be in better spirits after that.

 

The drive to the Springs was nice, aside from the crazy people who drive like idiots, but the roads were all clear. When I drove through Rabbit Ears Pass, I was driving through snow filled areas. The roads were still clear, but the snow was on the side of the road, throughout the landscape from Rabbit Ears Pass all the way to Idaho Springs...lots of snow.

As I was driving down I70, before Eisenhower Tunnels, I saw a stunning image of the mountains, and had to get a picture of them.

 

How I like to see snow...far away and off the roads!

 

 

When I arrived to the Springs, I had some alone time with my mom before my brother showed up. I tried to get him to go out to dinner with me, but since we couldn't agree on a place to go, we ended up calling it a night.

The next morning, my mom and I watched half of Bridesmaids, as my brother and his daughter showed up, so we had to put the movie away. I made some of the Chocolate Bread Bites for mom and we spent some time shopping and hanging out.

 

On Mother's Day, we met up with my mother's parents and one of her sisters for yogurt. My brother and his little family were there as well. We had our yogurt and we talked with them for a while. Willow played with bubbles, getting everyone with them.

 

I surprised the family by my being in the Springs, but hey, I was invited. I don't live in freaking China, so it's not like the drive down is going to be an inconvenience. Granted, I wouldn't come down every time there was an event going on, but I have people there that I was going to see, and I needed some things from stores there anyways. I have learned that the only time that I get invited to come down is through my mother and friends and that is all I need, I suppose. There's no reason to get upset over spilled milk, as the saying goes.

 

My mom had sent a text to both my brother and me informing us that she didn't want anything for Mother's Day. So I replied with a text of my own..."No money spent on you, got it." What she may not have realized was that I had already made her something. I have been doing a lot of crayon art projects and made her a painting. I also gave her one of the cards that I made and was selling at the craft shows. I know that she was not happy that I had a present for her, but I know she really liked what I gave her too. It's the little things that mean the most to me, and I'm happy to do it. She deserves the best, and if that is something homemade from the heart, then so be it.

 

I talked to my grandfather about a lot of different things, and discovered they were returning to Arizona for his health, but decided to stay in the Springs. It's kind of humorous as they were going to move back to AZ, but then decided to stay, but then couldn't find a place in the Springs on the side of town they wanted, so they decided to go to AZ....haha, I know, that's a mouthful to say! The latest update that I have gotten through numerous grapevines is that they have made an offer on a place in AZ that they like. It wasn't the perfect place they wanted, but this one is approved for the reverse mortgage that they wanted/needed? So, I am hoping all goes well for them and that the move will be a permanent one for his health.

 

One of the shopping trips that my mother and I made was to a craft store. I picked up more canvas for my crayon art and some materials to make a dishwasher magnet. I had seen a couple of neat designs for a dishwasher magnet, and figured that Mike and I could benefit with one, as Mike usually has a hard time finding out when the dishes are clean or dirty, so I made one. I think it turned out really well, and since using it, Mike has stated that he now knows when they are dirty and clean because the magnet tells him so!

 

Not too shabby!

 

When I was making the magnet, I realized that in my head, I was thinking the letters would be in calligraphy. One small hiccup...I don't know how to write in calligraphy style. So, I pulled up a letter map on my phone and drew with a pencil on a piece of paper each letter that I needed, then traced it once it was finished. I thought it turned out pretty well for not writing with a calligraphy pen, or knowing how to do it.

 

I met up with the girls for dinner one night and spent some time talking to them. It was nice to catch up and see them again. I know that we have a lot of ideas to get together again soon, and I so look forward to it! Hopefully, I can convince them to head out my way once or twice this summer for spending time out here, but we shall see!

 

On my last day in the Springs, I met up with a dear friend that I worked with at Checks Unlimited and she became like my second mother. She gave me lots of advice as I grew older and pushed me in ways that I needed to be pushed. I became the person I am, partly because of her. It had been 8 years since I've seen her and it was nice to catch up with her again. Mike wanted to meet her as well, but because of the day that we were meeting with her, he was unable to make a trip down. We have plans in the works to get together again soon, so that Mike can meet her. 

 

After spending about five days in the Springs, I headed home. The roads were still completely clear and the snow was disappearing. When I got home, I unloaded the car with everything that I had picked up from the stores as well as my things, and when Mike got home, we went out to dinner.

 

Poor Mike has been suffering from a nasty cold/allergy for a while. Last night was the worst night I've seen him suffer since I've gotten home. I don't know what to do for him, as it really is just a cold. I think lots of rest and fluids will help.

 

A couple of days after returning home, we had code enforcement on our steps. I shook my head, letting out a couple of curses as I was remembering how it was back in the Springs when our jerk of a neighbor would call his buddy in code enforcement to tell us that our weeds were taller than 6 inches. Of course, taking our ruler outside to measure our weeds, they were just barely taller than 6 inches. Anyways...once the guy left the property, I headed outside to grab the slip he left us. Turns out that our half acre lot was littered with Dalmatian Toadflax. It's a noxious weed. Of course, Mike and I had no clue what it was. With the slip the man left us, was a flyer for a weed removing/pest management company. On it was pictures of 7 Noxious Weeds. The one we were dinged with was also on it. Of course, the pictures have yellow flowers on it. I looked outside to see our bush with yellow flowers on it, and I'm thinking, "If he thinks our bush is this weed...this is stupid!"

So, I call Mike, who called me back and I explain the situation. He told me to look at google images to see if I can get a better picture, and agreed with me to call the number on the flyer to have the people come out and take a look to see if it was the bush or if there was something else we weren't seeing. I hop on google images and I see this picture...

Dalmatian Toadflax...Noxious Weed, Pain in the Arse

 

I see this image and look outside again. I now see why code enforcement was at our step. The whole country is littered with them! So, I go outside and start to pull some out. Of course, the ground is dry and it's hard to get them out. After doing a grid of 5x5, which took me about 30-45 minutes to do, I headed back inside, out of the sun and heat and called the number on the flyer. As luck would have it, the company was open Monday through Thursday...this happened on Friday. So, I would have to wait until Monday to call. In the meantime, we were getting rainstorm after rainstorm.

 

Saturday, I was invited to a friend's house for breakfast, and it was a lot of fun. After a couple hours hanging out and talking, and when there was a break in the rainstorm, I headed home and began to clean and organize our garage and basement. Now, what I forgot to mention earlier/above, when I was in the Springs, my niece and I were playing. She would knock me down, giving me a knee to the ribcage and then would help me up, only to knock me down again. (she's two, by the way). When she knocked me down, I grabbed her before she could run away and I lifted her a couple of times, like a bench press before releasing her. What I didn't realize at the time, was that by doing that with her, I created several micro-tears in my shoulder. Certain movements would cause pain in my left shoulder, and of course, it just needs time to heal by doing light duty activities...

Now, with that in mind, I start cleaning and organizing our garage and basement with this hurt shoulder. Mike gave me a small lecture about light duty, but as I explained to him, I want to have some down time, to have fun playing games with him, and not having to worry about all of the things around the house that has to be done.

During my cleaning in the garage, I didn't run into any issues, aside from some old moldy boxes that I threw away, but I knew the basement was going to be a different story. As I started moving things and cleaning, I moved a blanket that was used to keep pictures safe, and I see movement. I groaned and cringed, just knowing what was under the blanket. Of course, I was holding one of my swords as I was using it to move the blanket around. As I got it turned over, I saw what was moving and cringed again. Black widow spider, sitting on the blanket. Ugh! I freaking hate spiders, and it's even worse when you know how dangerous they can be! I grabbed a shoe that Mike left by the back door and used it to kill the bugger numerous times. Ugh! Double ugh!

After running into that wonderful surprise, I continued on my quest to clean and organize the basement. As soon as I pulled out on of the big boxes that cannot be broken down, to use to place more boxes inside, I pulled back the flap to see a big wolf spider. AH!

I grabbed the bug killer that was sitting on the stairs and sprayed it until it was sopping wet, and of course, I was coughing from the fumes, and then I slammed the flap down onto the full box several times, making sure to kill the spider. Once I was satisfied that it was dead, I put the box into the garage, just to be safe that no more eight legged friends could surprise me like that again...If you haven't guess, I hate spiders! I don't care how big or small, how harmless...you come into my house, you die. Plain and simple. Of course, I know our unfinished basement has a lot more than what I saw, and I hate the basement for that reason. I need to figure a way to keep them out of the house!

 

Anyways...so on Monday, I call and leave a message for the weed people, and Mike went to have his eye appointment as well as a couple other errands. I started making some gluten free pudding from scratch when I hear him come home. In his hands, he is holding coffee for the two of us. It made my morning. Once we finished making lunch and the pudding, we played some games and just enjoyed having a nice down day, which we both really needed!

The day went by, no return phone call from the weed people. Okay, we are on a time crunch, people! I'm not sure if it is a small town thing or what, but we have had issues with calling people/companies and not getting any sort of reply or if we set up an appointment, they don't show up or call that they aren't coming! Mike got himself a free membership with Angie's List because no one here had one. So, he's been writing reviews on places!

 

Anyways, so because we are pressed for time, and no one called, I got up yesterday and headed outside to start my project of pulling those stupid weeds. It would have been nice if the deer would just eat them, but I guess they know that those weeds are noxious and not good for them. As I opened the garage to head outside, I noticed something moving quickly into the garage, and I looked down, heart beating fast. I laughed as I saw what was just booking it to get inside. I thought something was after the little guy, but he was just on a mission!

Walking with Purpose!

I took the little guy back outside, where he was determined to head back towards the house again. I scolded him again as I placed him further from the house. I'm sure he found his way back to the house and in the garage, but I was busy working in the yard to keep tabs on him.

 

So, I started where I left off the other day, and it helped that the ground was still slightly wet from all of the storms we were getting. 6 hours and some sunburns later, I finished pulling the numerous weeds out and bagging them. As my luck would have it, as soon as I plopped the bags by the road, weed guy calls me. I didn't answer, and he left a message. I was so angry! I think it's just stupid that this would happen.

This morning, I am walking like an old man. My legs are stiff and hurting, after doing squats for 6 hours, I guess that's just what happens!

 

I forgot to mention earlier, but I picked up a small window herb garden so that Mike and I can have some basil for pesto, and they are starting to sprout! I'm so excited to see that they are growing! I was doubting the window planter, as it was something that I picked up at Barnes & Noble, but I guess they are doing well. They will take a while before growing to full size, but at least they are growing!

 

When I was in the Springs, Mike texted me to tell me that our garbage disposal wasn't working. We both decided that it was time to just replace the kitchen sink and faucet and look into replacing the disposal and getting a water purifier installed as well. We've picked out the sink and faucet, but we are still working on getting this in the works. I think tomorrow we have a guy coming out to look at the sink and pipes for the purifier. Depending on what happens, I guess will depend on how much longer it will take to replace. I'm looking forward to having them fixed and in better condition than what we currently have.

 

I've made a lot of new things, and I have posted the recipes already. I've got a few other things that I am going to be trying soon, so keep a look out for those.

 

Um...I'm not sure what else, and I'm sure that I've left some details out, but I'm all over the place today!

 

I've been keeping up on my writing and reading, and have been getting a lot of great feedback! It's been helping me perfect my skill and continue with the works for publishing!

 

Well, I think that's it...

 

Until next time!











Recipe: Triple Chocolate Pudding - GLUTEN FREE!

I have been experimenting with a lot of different Gluten-Free recipes. This one is a keeper for sure! It was pretty simple to make, and was an instant hit for Mike and me! I have never made pudding from scratch, and was unsure of how it was going to turn out, but OH MY LORD! This is amazing! There were some consistency issues, but I think that was my fault for not stirring constantly, even though the recipe told me not too! I think it would have helped if I had a whisk too! Oh well...still tasty and amazing!

Ingredients:

3 cups Almond Breeze Chocolate Almond Milk, divided
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
pinch of salt
1/3 cup dark chocolate, chopped
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Using a large saucepan, whisk together 1 cup almond milk, and the cornstarch.
Pour in remaining almond milk. Add the sugar, cocoa powder and salt.
Place saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. String the mixture so that it doesn't stick to the pan. Whisk occasionally.
Add the chocolate and continue to stir until it melts. Lower the heat to medium-low and continue to simmer, stirring until it begins to thicken.
Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
Pour pudding into cups or bowl. Allow cups to cool. Refrigerate for a few hours or overnight to allow it to set.

Enjoy!

Recipe: King's Hawaiian Baked Ham & Swiss Sandwich Casserole

Once again, I found a recipe on Pinterest, but as soon as I went to make it, I couldn't access the actual recipe. I think the site was down, as I remember reading the recipe beforehand, so who knows?

I was fortunate enough to have pinned this recipe from someone who listed the ingredients, including amounts in the description, so I just had that to go off of...but that's it. No oven temperature, or directions on how to accomplish this meal.

Lucky for me, I'm not stupid in the kitchen and I can figure things out pretty easily!

Mike really loved this meal. I think it was a little bland, but after adding some Sriracha, it was good! I think it needs some tweaking for me, but as far as the hubby goes, he was satisfied and that's all that matters!

Ingredients:

12 King's Hawaiian Original Rolls (We got a 24 pack, and used more than 12)
1 pound deli ham (We used black forest ham, sliced at about a 3)
1 pound Swiss cheese (We got it at the deli, sliced at a 3 as well)
1 1/2 sticks butter
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
3 teaspoons poppy seeds (optional)
1 onion, chopped

Preheat oven to 350*.
In a saucepan, melt butter. Add mustard, Worcestershire and onion to the butter. Mix until onions start to become soft.
Cut the rolls, separating the tops from the bottoms.
Grease a 9-13 pan and lay the bottoms of the rolls in the pan. (This is where we used more than 12, as the pan needed more to accommodate the empty pan space).
Pour half of the sauce over the top of the bottoms of the rolls. Place cheese and ham, followed by more cheese on top of the sauce. Place the tops of the rolls on top, and pour remaining sauce over the top of the whole dish.
Bake for 35 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

Enjoy!

Recipe: Caramel Marshmallow Popcorn

On one of my many days of sitting next to Mike while he plays a game on the Playstation and pinning on Pinterest, I stumbled upon a recipe that sounded amazing! We eat popcorn frequently, and there have been many nights that Mike had been craving his caramel popcorn, but couldn't remember his recipe (the one that is just tossed together but comes out tasty). When I saw this recipe, I thought this would be a good one to try...of course, the downside came when I went to make it...

The recipe wasn't a recipe. I've run into this problem several times when I've tried to make things on Pinterest. Either the link that is provided is no longer there, or it's by people who just list the basics of what goes into it, but nothing else...for example, this one read something like this:
"Popped popcorn, butter, brown sugar and marshmallows.". Um...that's great and all...but not helpful to anyone trying to actually make it.

Some people just don't get that if you're going to write a recipe for people to try, you have to write it all...maybe that's just me being too nice in the culinary world? =)

So...moving on...this was a really tasty treat, and I will be making it again, and tweaking it some more, but for now...this was really good!

Ingredients:
Popped popcorn (We have an air popcorn maker, so...I guess however you can get it is good and however much you want!)

2-4 tablespoons butter
2-4 tablespoons brown sugar
2-3 large marshmallows

Melt butter and brown sugar in a saucepan over medium-medium high heat. Once it has melted, add marshmallows and stir until it is melted. It will be runny. Pour over popped popcorn and toss to try and coat the pieces (this will be tough).

Enjoy!

Recipe: Chocolate Bread Bites (Gluten Free!)

After making and improving the Brazilian Cheese Bread Bites, and because I had a ton of Tapioca Flour left over, I started to wonder how this recipe would be if I made them in a chocolate form! Oh my goodness! I haven't had a better idea yet!
I used the base of the original recipe (excluding the cheese, of course) and I added chocolate chips and bits of marshmallows. Now, the first batch that I made, was okay, but was feeling like it was still lacking something. So, before I put in the second part of the first batch, I added bits of marshmallow and it was amazing! Top it off with some whipped cream and you're in Heaven!
The second batch that I whipped up, I did the same thing, except that I added some sugar and a little more of some of the other ingredients. I kept the marshmallow bits and with only two of the bites, I added a bit of caramel. The possibilities of these sweet treats are endless! I foresee making these over and over again!
Now, I can teach my mom how to make these and spread the joy!

Ingredients:

1 egg, room temperature
1/3 cup olive oil
2/3 cup milk
1 1/2 cup tapioca flour (order online or grab at the local health food store)
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (or your choice of chips)
2-4 teaspoons sugar
1 large marshmallow, cut into bits (might need 2 depending)
whipped cream for garnish

Preheat oven to 400*. Grease a mini muffin pan and set aside.
Mix together egg, oil, milk, flour, salt, vanilla, sugar and chocolate chips in the blender. (Again, not a typo).
Blend until most of the chocolate chips are no longer visible or tiny bits.
Pour half way into each tin. Add a piece of marshmallow in the center of each tin.
Bake for 16 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on wire rack.
Just before eating, place some whipped cream on top and enjoy!

Note:* Best eaten warm! Pop them into the microwave for 5 seconds.
Marshmallow bits are just a suggestion. You can try adding the caramel bits (bakes the same), or use marshmallow or add some chocolate chips on top of the batter...choices are endless!

Enjoy!

Recipe: Brazilian Cheese Bread (Gluten Free!)

There is a restaurant in Colorado Springs that Mike and I have eaten at several times. It's called Tucanos. It's a Brazilian inspired place and the food is really good! You end up getting stuff before your body realizes that it's full, so it's a dangerous place to eat!
One of the things that we always grab a bunch of is their cheese bread. They are small like a mini muffin and so warm and gooey!
When I saw a recipe on Pinterest (I know, another recipe from there...), I jumped all over it. And bonus, it's a gluten free recipe!
At the restaurant, my mom couldn't have these little bread bites because they were not gluten free, but this recipe is and it's pretty good!
I wrote all of the ingredients down and went shopping. Of course, the one thing that was essential was the Tapioca Flour. Try finding something like that in a small town in the middle of nowhere! Not happening! So, I got online on Amazon and found a really great deal! A case of four, with Prime shipping (meaning free!) sent to me in two days for a little under $11...awesome!
I ordered the case, and when they arrived, I set to work.
The first batch, I followed to the letter of the recipe. It was good, but it was lacking something. A few days later, I made them again, only this time I added just a little garlic powder and on a couple, I sprinkled a touch of cayenne powder. They were better than the first, though I still need to add just a little more garlic and possibly cayenne as what I had added was subtle and somewhat of an after flavor, but still really good. Mike discovered that if you add some butter on them, it helps a lot!
This recipe makes 24 mini muffins per batch, and best eaten warm. So, when you have leftovers, just pop them into the microwave for about 5 seconds each.
The best part about the recipe is this...it took me about 5 minutes to whip up in the blender (That's not a typo...you do mix it in the blender) and 16 minutes to bake...easy peasy.

Ingredients:

1 egg, room temperature
1/3 cup olive oil
2/3 cup milk
1 1/2 cup tapioca flour (Order online or grab it at a local health food store)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon salt
(add some garlic and cayenne for more flavor, to taste)

Preheat oven to 400*. Grease a mini muffin pan and set aside.
Mix all ingredients together in a blender. Again, not a typo.
You may need to scrape the edges of the blender to get the flour off. Once it's mixed, the batter will look watery. This is normal!
Pour batter into the mini muffin tin, about half way. They will bake and rise up, so too much and they will bake over!
Bake in oven for 15-16 minutes, or until puffy and lightly browned. Remove from oven and let it cool on a wire rack.

Enjoy!

Recipe: Tuna Burgers

I am always on the lookout for more recipes that taste good and are easy to make for those days that you don't want to spend a long time in the kitchen. This tasty meal took less than 10 minutes to whip up and only 20 to bake. They are light and super tasty! Did I say tasty already? =)

Ingredients:

2 6oz cans tuna, drained and flaked
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup green onions, chopped
3 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced (I used dried and I eyeballed the measurements)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper (I did less)
juice of half lemon
3 tablespoons sour cream
1 egg
English muffins or other bread
lettuce
tomato, sliced


Combine tuna, bread crumbs, green onion, parsley, garlic, salt and pepper, lemon, sour cream and egg. Mix well with your hands. Form into patties (4-5 patties) {they will be wet}. Place patties on a greased baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes at 400*.
Serve on toasted English muffins with lettuce and tomato slices. Spread additional sour cream on each burger if desired*.

Note*: Mike doesn't like sour cream, so instead of spreading some on his bun, he added some Sriracha sauce instead and loved it! I added the additional sour cream, and some Sriracha to mine and it was amazing!

Enjoy!

Recipe: Pumpkin Hot Chocolate

The other day, Mike had come home and wanted to play video games. Of course most of the games that sounded like fun were one player games, which is fine. Usually when he plays single player games, I sit next to him and either watch or I play on my phone, whether games or browsing on Pinterest. Turns out Pinterest won.
I found this hot chocolate recipe and knew that I had all of the ingredients. I figured that I would pin it and try making it after dinner. It was pretty simple to make, and it tasted pretty good. Mike asked me to make it again for him last night, but I declined. Maybe I'll make him another batch soon!

Ingredients:

2 cups milk
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
2 tablespoons brown sugar
whipped cream or marshmallows for garnish

Heat milk in a small saucepan over low heat.
Stir in pumpkin, seasonings, and sugar. Whisk until smooth.
Add chocolate and heat until it is melted. Stir frequently!
Once all of the chocolate is melted, you can pour through a mesh strainer to remove clumps, or keep the clumps like I did as it was just chocolate that didn't melt, and adds a little bit more texture and flavor.
Top with your choice of garnish and enjoy!

What Happened?

Hello everyone!

I knew that it had been a while since I updated the blog...but I had no idea that it had been this long!

So, I guess that I will just do some base touching on the things that have happened.

Winter is coming...um, wait...no...Winter is still freaking here! It's April, yet we are still getting hammered with snow! Thankfully, today and the rest of the week here in Craig, we are in the 60s and 70s...ah, that's more like it!

I went down to the Springs to visit with family and friends just before a nasty storm hit home. The next day after getting to the Springs, Craig got about 2-4 feet overnight and through the day, while it was still snowing. Of course, because of that, I couldn't get home for about a week. Good thing I planned for something like that and packed enough to get me through!

The visit was a good one. I taught my mom and brother a new card game called Gloom, which I highly recommend people getting! It's awesome! Of course...you do need a certain sense of humor to play. Just saying.
I also taught my mom a tile based game called Tsuro. It won game of the year and is very simple to learn, but you need to plan ahead! Great game, so grab that one too!
Speaking of games, I talked Mike into getting Last Night on Earth. It's a zombie game. Yes, I know what you're thinking...what is it with zombies? Well, I can't answer that, but I can tell you that this game has topped all other games as possibly one of my favorites! Mike and I have played it several times and have enjoyed it each time! We ended up laughing the whole time! We're eyeing the expansions! It comes with a soundtrack, not that we've played it, but the fact that the creators have given you a soundtrack to play the game to make it even more fun...genius! So...while you're out buying Gloom and Tsuro...grab this one too!

As you may have noticed, I posted some new recipes, and more are going to be coming! Be on the lookout!

Last month, Mike and I went to Denver to meet up with my childhood friend, Gayle and her husband David. They came out to visit for about a week, and the last time Gayle and I saw each other was a little over 14 years when my parents' divorce was finalized and I moved to Colorado. Since then, we lost touch, as I wasn't allowed to call her long distance (she was in Ohio) and she didn't have email (this was when email was first coming out)...gosh, I feel old!
Anyways, when I found her sister on Facebook, I friended her, and found Gayle. I, of course, sent a message and friend request asking if she remembered me, and of course she did. We picked up right where we left off as though we had never been apart for so long.
I admit, I was nervous meeting up with her in Denver. I was afraid that things were going to be different in person or that we wouldn't like the other for whatever reason...so not the case!
We are so alike in personality and humor, that we were told by several people, including our family that we are the same.
In Denver, we went to several different places, most closed due to the sudden blizzard that hit Denver, so we made other plans. No biggie. Towards the end of the visit, Mike got food poisoning and was taken out of the picture for the trip to Colorado Springs which was a fun day, but I was sad as he was at the hotel getting sick.
At the end of each day, we would get together and play games which Mike and I brought along. It was so much fun that we kept trying to convince them to move to Colorado. Somehow, I don't think that's going to happen! We made a promise to try and get together again soon, and the visit was over.

Now, way before all of this happened, for February, I wrote on our chalkboard fridge all of these notes for Mike. He even got to write on it a few times and it was nice for him to see all the reasons that I love him.

 He was sad when it was erased...

 

I erased it early because he was having some pretty rough days at work, and I was worried that it might be a repeat of MHS in COS. I didn't want that, so I re-did the fridge...

 

It's still on the fridge, months later.

 

I will eventually come up with something else to write/draw on the fridge, but for now, this is on there.

 

One of the things that I picked up in the Springs when I was down there, was supplies to do an art project. I struggled to find the right heat gun, as the heat tool I bought at Joann's was smoking like a cigar and didn't really get hot enough...so I picked up one at Home Depot and it worked better than the other one...go figure!

I also grabbed material to make the grandparents their blankets. I felt badly when Mike and I came down for our little Christmas with my family and I didn't have blankets for them. I couldn't get material here in Craig, so I had to wait until I got to COS, and unfortunately it didn't happen until this most recent trip. So, my mom and I went over to their house in COS and we made the blankets together. They have since emailed me to tell me that they love them and have used them each day since. I hope they still need them in AZ!

 

I finally got home, with no issues from weather, just in time for another wave of Winter to hit. Ugh...I'm ready for Summer!

 

About three weeks ago, I was about to leave the house to go to the store, when I noticed that my back tire looked really low. Of course...it had to be a flat tire. Mike was at work, but I told him that I would just put the spare on the car and drive it to the tire place and have it patched.

Now...I have never physically changed a tire before. I know how to do it, but never put it into practice. I set to work and managed to do it just fine. The guys at the tire place even said that I did a pretty good job. I thought the words, "for a girl" after they said that, but who knows. $20 and 30 minutes later, I was allowed to leave and get my groceries. My mom was very proud of me that I was able to do it by myself and Mike was glad that I could handle things like that by myself without needing a man to come do it for me. 

As I have told him before, I'm not the kind of woman who needs a man to help me do things like that. I'm fully capable in taking care of myself in most regards. I replaced the stairs by the back door by myself...I used tools and everything! =)

I guess one of Mike's co-workers gave him a little bit of a hard time for not coming home to fix the tire, but I know that it was all in jest.

 

So, yesterday, I decided to try and do the project that I needed the heat gun for, and I think for my first attempt, that it turned out pretty well. I even got a friend's son to approve of it!

 

Pretty pretty, if I do say so myself.

 

 

I have gotten Mike hooked to the series House MD. We have been watching the Voice and Hannibal, even though he isn't a fan of Hannibal...It's a twisted show, that's for sure. A friend of mine is a PA on Ready For Love, and Mike and I have been watching it. Unfortunately, the show has been cancelled, and no one knows how many episodes will air. I hope that my friend finds something else soon!

 

Mike has been playing with his guitar again, and he was able to play a piece of a song that I actually recognized! He has been improving since he started playing with it again, and I told him that with more practice he would be able to play without the game to teach him!

 

I've been keeping up with my writing, and I have been getting a lot of feedback from my online fans. I felt bad the week that I was stuck in the Springs, as I didn't have the ability to update any of my stories, and people kept sending me messages to update...in fact, one kid in Britain thought I had died...um...no...not yet. =)

 

So there you have it. I haven't died, and there have been a lot of crazy things going on, and hopefully it won't take me another almost two months before I update again!

 

Until next time!

 



 

 

Recipe: New England Clam Chowder

Mike loves clam chowder. Me, not so much. The last time that I had chowder, I ended up getting food poisoning and never touched it since...until last night.
Because of a rough month for the two of us, I decided to make him some chowder. Now, living where we do, getting fresh anything is tricky! Thankfully, this recipe required the canned clams and bottled juice, so I figured that it was worth trying out. If I didn't like it, I could just have salad.

I wrote out the shopping list and Mike went with me. We spent about 5 minutes in the spice isle looking for Marjoram, and finally we found it fresh with the rest of the fresh stuff. That stuff is powerful to the senses! I started to cut it up and my nasal passages were opened!

Mike really liked this meal. He said that there was too much marjoram, but I think he was chewing some of the fresh leaves, giving him that overpowering flavor.

The recipe took no time at all to make, but I do have to warn you, that the toughest part is getting it to boil so the potatoes cook. I say that because it is dairy based and if you have milk boil, it can burn and you're going to taste it! Just make sure that you stir a lot as you're cooking!

Ingredients:

1 cup diced onion
2 tablespoons minced fresh marjoram, divided
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup flour
3 cups half and half (I only grabbed a pint, so I used 1 cup milk to make up the difference)
2 bottles (8oz each) clam juice
4 cups red skinned potatoes, diced
4 cans (6.5oz) minced clams
salt and pepper to taste

Saute onion and 1 tablespoon marjoram in butter in large pot over high heat until softened (3-5 minutes). Stir in flour and cook 2-3 minutes.
Whisk half and half and clam juice into flour mixture.
Add potatoes and clams. Bring chowder to boil over high heat; reduce heat and bring to a low boil. Cook chowder until potatoes are tender about 20 minutes.
Stir in remaining marjoram and season with salt and pepper.

Notes*: With the clams, add everything in the can, including the juice.
Stir the chowder as you are trying to get it to boil, and continue stirring so it doesn't burn!

Serve with crackers, Tabasco or lemon wedges! Enjoy!

Recipe: Christmas Sandwiches

Growing up, my family had a tradition for Christmas and that was to have this meal for the day. My mom would prepare it the night before, and on Christmas morning, we would pop them into the oven and when they were finished, we had this for lunch and sometimes for dinner, so that it was a quick meal that wouldn't interrupt our time playing board games and such together. We all loved this meal, and as we got older, and moved to Colorado, we stopped making them.
After having the cheddar bacon loaf that I found on Pinterest, I told Mike about this meal. I had made it for him once before, but he couldn't remember it. So, I made it again. He downed about 2-4 in one serving and then again a few more were eaten at dinner...He claims that we need to do something to kick it up a notch, but who knows...he added some Sriracha, and maybe that's the ticket! =)

This is a super easy meal to make, and gives several helpings. Might be a good dish to have on Superbowl?


Ingredients:

1/2 cup chili sauce
1 pound ham, diced
1 onion, diced
1/2 cup mayo
1/2 pound Velvetta cheese, diced
3 hard boiled eggs, diced
3/4 cup olives, diced (or sliced)
hot dog buns (about 32)

Chop up all the ingredients and mix together. Put as much as desired into each hot dog bun. Wrap in tin foil (I get enough to be able to twist the ends shut).
Bake at 350* for 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted and inside is hot.

Enjoy!

Recipe: "Fried" Baked Pickles

 

When Mike made the Baked Chicken with Pesto, he made these baked pickles as a side. He knows that I like them, if they are done right, and he did a good job making them. He found this on Pinterest as well! I think that if we are going to make them again, he needs to watch the timer, as ours cooked a little too long! (But they were still good!)

 

Ingredients:

 

3 large kosher dill whole pickles

3 eggs

3 tablespoons milk

1 cup flour

1/2 cup bread crumbs (Italian is what we used)

1/4 cup panko crumbs (I think he forgot these)

1/2 cup cheddar cheese (finely shredded)

 

Preheat oven to 425*.

Slice the pickles into chips or spears about 1/4 inch thick.

Take 3 small mixing bowls and put flour in 1, eggs and milk in the 2nd (beating them together) and in the last bowl, combine the crumbs and cheese.

Coat each pickle with flour, then milk/egg mixture and finally the crumb mixture.

Place on an oiled cookie sheet.

Bake for 7-10 minutes or until desired crispiness.

Add a side of ranch to dip.

 

Enjoy!



Recipe: Baked Chicken Stuffed with Pesto & Cheese

When I asked Mike for some menu ideas, he told me that he had found a recipe on Pinterest that he wanted to try. After I stopped laughing, I told him that I didn't want to hear any more jokes about how I'm always finding things on Pinterest. He agreed and began writing down the ingredients that he needed.
It has been a while since Mike has been in the kitchen (excluding breakfast), and it was a nice change of pace to have him cook dinner. I had to help him with locating things throughout the kitchen, but he did a good job regardless.

The meal was pretty easy to prepare, from what I could see, and the meal turned out quite nice! I think that this is one that we will be having again soon!

Ingredients:

2 large chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
2 tablespoons of your favorite pesto (Mike made his famous homemade pesto)
2 tablespoons sour cream
2 tablespoons mozzarella cheese
2 eggs, beaten
3 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons almond flour (or almond meal)
black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375*.
Spray a small casserole dish with non-stick spray.
Trim any visible fat from the chicken breasts. Place one into a plastic bag (sandwich bags are best) and pound the chicken with a meat mallet until the chicken is as thin as you can get it.
In a small bowl, mix together the pesto, sour cream, and mozzarella. Spoon and spread a thin layer of the mixture over each chicken breast, stopping 1/2 inch from the edge so it doesn't run out when it cooks.
Roll up the chicken breasts, securing them with toothpicks. (Remember to remove them when you go to eat them!)
Prepare two bowls, one with the beaten egg, one with the Parmesan-almond flour mixture.
Dip each piece of rolled chicken into the egg mixture followed by the flour mixture. Pat them down to make sure they are all well coated!
Put the chicken into the prepared dish and bake until the chicken is firm and lightly browned. (30-35 minutes)

Enjoy!

Recipe: Cheddar and Bacon Loaf

I ended up finding another recipe on Pinterest that sounded good, and upon trying it, I have learned a couple of things. This recipe is simple to make, but Mike didn't care much for it as it was a bit overpowering in the mustard section. We both agree that it might not be one that we would make again, or if we did, we would most likely doctor it up to make it better.

 

Anyways, here is the original recipe. Mike mentioned that it was a tasty breakfast...even though he didn't like it before...men. =)

 

 

Ingredients:

 

 

1 loaf baguette-style French bread (I just used regular French bread)

1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/3 cup cooked bacon pieces (I think we used more than that)

1/4 cup green onions, sliced

2 teaspoons yellow mustard

1 teaspoon lemon juice

(We also added some regular onions for more crunch)

 

Preheat oven to 350*.

Use a serrated knife to cut bread crosswise into 1 inch slices, cutting close to the bottom, but not all the way through.

In a small bowl, mix together cheese, butter, bacon, onions, mustard and lemon juice. Spread or spoon mixture in between slices. Wrap loaf in foil.

Bake for 10-15 minutes or until bread is heated through and cheese is melted.

 

 

Get creative with this recipe! Add more veggies that you like, cut back on the mustard, add some garlic! The choices are endless...and who knows, maybe you'll find something that will turn this okay dish into something fantastic!

 

Enjoy!



Recipe: Lasagna Soup

Mike loves my homemade lasagna! Even saying that, it's an understatement. If I let him he'd eat the whole dish himself in one sitting...

So, with the weather getting colder, I decided to make this recipe. It would be a fun, different and good meal to keep warm during the winter. It was pretty easy to make, and was very tasty! I think Mike liked it enough to have it again.

For leftover purposes, I cooked the noodles separately and placed them in the fridge separately as well.

So, here is the recipe...

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds Italian sausage (I used one pound)
3 cups chopped onion (I used 2 onions, because that's all I had!)
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons oregano
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
28 ounces fire roasted diced tomatoes (I ended up getting 2 14.5 oz cans)
2 bay leaves
6 cups chicken stock
8 ounces mafalda or fusilli pasta (I used fusilli and it was tough to find!)
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil (I didn't use any as I couldn't get any here)
salt and pepper to taste

For the cheese:

8 ounces ricotta cheese (I used 15oz for "Mike Portions")
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (I used a cup)
1/4 teaspoon salt
pinch of pepper

additional cheese factor, get 2 cups of mozzarella

Brown sausage. Add onions and cook until softened. Add garlic, oregano, and pepper flakes, cook for 1 minute.
Add tomato paste, stirring well to incorporate. Cook for 3-4 minutes, or until it looks like a rust red color.
Add diced tomatoes, bay leaves and chicken stock. Stir to combine, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
Add pasta and cook until al dente.* Do not overcook the pasta as it will get mushy and absorb the broth.
Right before serving, add the fresh basil, if using, and salt and pepper.
While the pasta is cooking, prepare the cheese in a separate bowl.

To serve, add a dollop of the cheese mixture in each bowl and sprinkle the mozzarella on top. Ladle soup over cheese and enjoy!

Note*: If you are not wanting mushy pasta, or are wanting to keep some for leftovers, I would recommend cooking the pasta separately. When you serve, add some noodles into the bowl, before adding the rest of the ingredients, such as the cheese and soup. When you go to put them away in the fridge, put them in separate containers, as it will still soak up the broth and become mushy.

Recipe: Shrimp wtih Spicy Garlic Sauce

I think that I have mentioned that ever since Mike and I returned from Oregon, I've been on a seafood kick. Of course, living here in the Western mountains, we don't have access to fresh seafood. It's a challenge just to get fish here!
So I found yet another yummy shrimp meal, that I wanted to try. It was different from any other recipe that we'd tried, and the blog that I had found it on was written by a woman who had lost 135 pounds and she cooks really healthy. I figured that it was a win-win chance to try this out, and I think her blog is a keeper for recipes.

Needless to say...Mike and I devoured this meal so quickly, we were trying to figure out where it all went! I see this on the menu again soon.


Here is the recipe...

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons soy sauce (we used low sodium)
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar (Rice vinegar is fine)
2 teaspoons sugar
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, grated (I used dried, and only 1 tablespoon)*
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 teaspoons chili sauce (Sriracha is what I used)
2 teaspoons corn starch, dissolved in 4 teaspoons cold water
1 1/2 pounds uncooked shrimp, large (I used 1 pound cooked shrimp)
6 cups fresh green beans, trimmed (I think I had about two handfuls, as that's all the store had)
toasted sesame seeds, for garnish(optional)

Combine the first seven ingredients in a small bowl, and whisk to combine. Add this sauce to a small saucepan set over medium heat and bring it to a gentle boil.  Let the mixture simmer for 2 minutes.

Stir in the dissolved cornstarch into the sauce and stir for about a minute.

In a large pot fitted with a steamer basket set over simmering water, steam the green beans* and shrimp until the shrimp is opaque.
Pour the sauce mixture over the steamed shrimp and green beans and toss to combine. Garnish with seeds and enjoy!

Note*: Dried spices/herbs are more potent than the fresh stuff, hence why I used only half of the ginger in my batch.
Also, with the beans and shrimp, I sauteed my shrimp and beans in a skillet until they were cooked before adding the sauce.

Recipe: Cherry Pie Bars

I am a huge fan of cherry pie. I remember Mike not being a huge fan, but then again, the same could be said about a lot of things that he says he "doesn't" like...like cheese, yet cheese soup is on the menu often. I found this recipe and saw how easy it was to make. I couldn't pass up the chance to try it out and of course, I think I'll be making it again here today...and quite possibly the next week once the second batch is gone.
Mike and I devoured this dessert within three-four days.


So, here it is...

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
21 ounces cherry pie filling (I think it would be better with 2 cans)

For glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 tablespoons milk


Cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs and beat well. Add extracts and continue to mix.

In a separate bowl, combine flour and salt. Add to the creamed mixture. Mix well.

Grease a 9x13 or 15x10 pan. (I used 9x13) Spread 3 cups of the batter into the prepared dish. Spread the cherry pie filling on top, and drop the rest of the batter on top of that.

Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.*

Combine glaze ingredients and drizzle over entire cooled batch. Enjoy!

Note*: An observation to be aware of...even though my toothpick came out clean, it was still pretty under done. I put it in for an extra ten minutes and it was still kind of gooey. If you don't want that yummy gooey texture, try baking the base first, then adding the filling on top and baking again.

Recipe: Bacon-Tomato Jam

 

 

 

I decided to surprise Mike with a jam. I've never made jam before, and this recipe seemed too easy to be true...but my luck turned out pretty good, because it was easy and tasty! Mike had said that he needed protein in his breakfast to be full and happy during the day at work, and that of course, means he would be happy coming home too! So, that was honestly, the main reason that I did this!

 

Needless to say, this jam was practically gone within a day. He has since portioned it out so that it would last a little longer, but it's so good, that it might be gone too soon! I foresee making this often!

 

 

Here's the recipe...

 

Ingredients:

 

1 pound thick-sliced bacon, diced

1 pounds tomatoes, seeded and diced

1 medium onion, diced

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar

3 tablespoons cider vinegar

2 tablespoons minced garlic

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley (I used dried because the store didn't have any fresh)

salt and pepper to taste

 

 

Cook the diced bacon in a large saucepan until crisp. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate, discard drippings.

Add tomatoes, onion, sugars, vinegar, garlic and pepper flakes to pan with bacon. Bring to a boil, stirring often.

Simmer, stirring occasionally, until thick, like a jam. (Roughly 1 1/4-1 1/2 hours)

Stir in parsley and salt and pepper. Put into an air tight container in the fridge.

 

 

Serve on biscuits, burgers, sandwiches, bread or toast.

 

Enjoy!

Recipe: Oven Roasted Sausage & Vegetables



 

 

 

One thing that I have stumbled upon several times during my Pinterest days of gathering recipes, is that not everyone is a skilled blogger.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Pinterest, you create boards and add to them. When you want to view something, like a recipe that you've "pinned", you click on the picture and it will take you to the recipe on the original site it came from.

This is a blessing, but it can be a real pain too. Sometimes, you'll run into people who have posted pictures of the meals, but will not include anything but the bare minimum. That doesn't help anyone who is wanting to make this said meal.

Usually, I will skip those meals, no matter how tasty they look, because I'm not going to figure out the ingredients and how to make it. This recipe, I had already purchased the ingredients, as it was listed, but there were no directions...great.

 

So, this is where the adventure began. Mike helped by cutting up the onions and sausages, as I took care of the rest. Once it was all in the pan, ready to go, I just guess the oven temperature and the length of cooking. An hour later, and we were ready to eat.

 

Another thing that really annoyed me about this blog, was the lady who wrote it. I'm sure she's a lovely person in life, but she shouldn't be posting things online, if she isn't going to include things, and if she insults people! She made a remark about what seasoning she used, "Salt and pepper and rosemary", then she goes on to say that bachelors should just ignore the rosemary because they are simply salt and pepper people. Um...not true. I know a lot of single men, and this includes Mike when we were first together, who know what rosemary and other spices/herbs are...so, I found this to be a little belittling and uncalled for.

 

 

Overall, this meal is really good and filling, while being gentle on the wallet. We had a couple meals out of it too!

 

 

Here's the recipe...

 

Ingredients:

 

1 pound of sausage links (I used Andoullie but will get some polish sausage next time) {Pick something you like}

1 pound of potatoes (I used red potatoes, but yukon or russet could be fine too)

1 small jar of banana peppers (The store hid all of them, so I used a package of sweet peppers, fresh)

1-2 bell peppers (I used one red and one green)

1 onion

Olive oil

salt

pepper

rosemary (Yes, bachelors, you may use rosemary too...)

 

 

Preheat your oven to 350*.

Slice/Dice/Cut your ingredients to the size you want, bite size is usually ideal! =)

Place all of your cut ingredients into a 9x13 baking dish, and toss with olive oil, coating everything to keep from burning in the oven. Sprinkle with your seasonings*.

Bake for 1 hour, or until you can pierce potatoes easily with a fork.

 

Enjoy!

 

Note*: Mike and I added cheese to the top of our finished, plated servings for added flavor, as what was instructed in the recipe, didn't seem to be enough flavor. We are going to try this again, but add more flavor to it, such as garlic and maybe some paprika and hot spices to kick it up a notch!

Recipe: Moscato Cocktail

I love fruity or flavored alcoholic drinks that do not taste like alcohol. I hate the taste of alcohol. Some things that I have tried in the past, make me think that I am better off sucking down hand sanitizer...blech!

This drink allows you to control exactly how much you want in your glass. Plus, you can always add more soda to it to help hide the flavor of the alcohol...which I did the first time I tried this cocktail, but the second time, I did it by the book, and it was still really good!

I love rose wine and this resembles that a lot, and is probably a bit cheaper too, especially if you already have a couple of the ingredients.

Bonus about this drink...serve this with the girls on a girls' night, or bachelorette party...it will be a hit.


Ingredients:

3 ounces Sutter Home Moscato
1 ounce Vanilla Vodka
1 ounce Strawberry Soda
Strawberry garnish

In your shaker, add ice, Moscato and vodka. Shake until well mixed. Pour into glass, and top off with soda. Place your garnish on the rim and enjoy!

Recipe: Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas

Mike is well known for his love of enchiladas. He usually requests it a few times a month. Lately, he hasn't been, but that's because I've been writing out the menu before he's had a chance to ask. Because he has been such a good sport as of late about the menu, I decided to give him a new enchilada recipe. This was very similar to another version, which I think we preferred more than this, but that was simply due to the fact that this version has little spice to it. We like spice and heat to our food.







Ingredients:

1 pound of chicken, diced
1 onion, chopped
1 tablespoon oil (I used olive)
8 flour tortillas
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese (Mexican or Monterrey jack blend)
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
15 ounces chicken broth
1 cup sour cream (I used the whole small container since they don't make 1 cup servings)
4 ounces green chilies, chopped


Preheat oven to 400*.
Cook the chicken and onion together in oil.
Add your chicken and cheese to each tortilla and roll, placing seam-side down in a baking dish. (Don't forget to spray it first with cooking spray!)
Melt butter in a medium saucepan. Stir in flour and cook until bubbly. Whisk broth and bring to a boil.
Remove from heat and add sour cream and chilies. Stir until well mixed.
Pour over the enchiladas and top with remaining cheese.
Bake for 20 minutes of until sauce is bubbly near edges.

Enjoy!


Note*: Mike and I agreed that this was a good meal, but we will be adding more to it just to spice it up. For those of you who would like more spice before eating this meal, try adding some cayenne pepper or cumin, depending on the spice level you want to the sauce as you're mixing the ingredients together.