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!