I'm Back!!!

Okay I know it has been a long time since the last time I blogged and a few things have changed here. I am now helping at the shop 4-5 days a week instead of when I started this blog I was a stay at home mommy!! So it is harder for me to find the time to sit and write a blog post. But I will try and do it at night when the kiddo goes to bed!! And the other big thing is I have started weight watchers so I am trying to cook and eat better for me and my family. So the recipes on my blog will now be healthier then they were before. ( But I love to bake so I will still have a few unhealthy items to post!! ) So tonight I made chicken tacos for dinner.....they were so yummy and just by substituting the beef I normally use with just chopped up chicken breasts it was healthier and I didnt lose the flavor. My chicken taco recipe is as follows:

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts (diced)
1 onion (cut up)
1 can corn ( I actually had a few left over cobs of corn and cut the kernels off of the cob)
1 packet taco seasoning
lettuce
tomato
salsa
sour cream
shredded cheese
tortillas

I took the onions and corn and sauteed them in a little bit of oil. ( I had a few mushrooms that needed cooked and I added them also) I added a little seasoning to the veggies and cooked till sauteed. Then I took the veggies and put them on a plate and set them aside. Then I took the chicken and cooked them in a tiny bit of oil until almost cooked through and then I add the seasoning packet and the veggies to the chicken. I finish cooking it till the chicken is fully cooked. Then it is ready to serve. I made mine with all the veggies that I could fit without making my taco shell explode!!! LOL It turned out super yummy and it was a healthier alternative to fatty beef tacos. I know this is a recipe thatmany people make but I thought I would share how I make mine!!!

Pizza Bread!!!!

So Life has not slowed down one bit actually it has become more chaotic!!! I cooked last night for the first time in a week because I have been working alot and we have softball twice a week. So we are going to have a crazy weekend because this weekend is my sisters baby shower which means my mom will be in town and staying with us!!! So I have got to finish up some housework tonight. But last nigh after I got home from work I push mowed the front yard and then asked my daughter what she wanted for dinner.......and she of course said PIZZA. I don't know about your house but at my house my daughter and bf could eat pizza for every meal and be happy. Me on the other hand I can eat it alot but not nearly as much as they can. So I decided to compromise......I would make Pizza bread instead. (or as my bf called it a pizza loaf because there was a lot of pizza bread for just 3 people) So this is how I make my pizza bread:

1 loaf italian bread(we used a whole wheat one)
1 roll of sausage
pepperoni (as many as you like)
pizza sauce (or I used homemade spaghetti sauce last night)
mozzarella cheese-shredded


First preheat your oven to 350 and then while waiting for the oven I brown the sausage in a skillet and crumble it as you cook. When the sausage is done drain the grease and sit aside. Next take your italian bread and slice it lengthwise and lay flat on a cookie sheet. Then lay your pepperoni on the bread and add as many as you like. Then I put my sauce on top of the pepperonis and then the the sausage on top of that. I then add my cheese on the very top and stick in the oven for about 15- 20 minutes or until the cheese has melted and I like my cheese to be really melted so I stick it under the broiler for about 5 minutes or until the cheese starts to look golden.


I was totally in a hurry last night to get dinner on the table so I completely forgot to get pics but I am going to try and get pics of tonights dinner if possible. But I now need to get back to work I have someone coming in to look at a possible pool!!! So I don't think i should be blogging when she comes in!!! LOL

So we have been getting ready for our spring open house this week at work and realizing how much work it has been since I have only made dinner once this week!! :( I really love to cook so this shows how much I have been working. But last night I made my favorite recipe that I kind of created when I was tired of eating the same burgers over and over!!! So the recipe is as follows:

2lbs ground chuck
1 package onion soup mix
3 tbsp of worchestershire sauce (you can add more or less to taste)
season salt
salt
black pepper
cheese (optional) we used American last night but it is really yummy with mozzarella on top!!

I mix everything together in a bowl and form patties to the size desired. I then either grill them or cook them on the stovetop till done to your liking. Add cheese and melt and then they are ready to serve.

 I also love to try new toppings for burgers so last night I had some zucchinni and onions that I sauteed and added them to the top of my burger with a little bit of BBQ sauce instead of the traditional condiments!! It was really good!! What are your favorite condiments on burgers? I like ketchup, mustard, onion, tomato and pickles on a regular burger.

 So now I need to figure out what I am making tonight for dinner. If the weather stays nice and it is not raining I am thinking that I might fire up the grill. I love cooking on the grill!! And in my house I am the one who does the grilling I find it to be relaxing (that is if I can get it lit without any problems.) We use a charcoal can though because I don't like using lighter fluid and sometimes the can makes things a little hard to light.

Also this week I have been a little crafty because I have a baby shower on the 20th of this month for my nephew. I can't tell you what I have been working on just yet but I am excited on how it is turning out!!! I have a feeling it will be my new go to gift for baby showers because it wasn't as difficult to make once I thought it through and did a little research on how to make it!! So that will be something to look forward to later this month.

And today I have had this song stuck in my head but it is one of those songs that just makes you happy so I don't mind having it stuck in my head!!

http://youtu.be/fWNaR-rxAic


Have a great day and a great weekend if I don't have time to update this weekend. But I think I might try making a few new mexican inspired recipes this weekend so stay tuned.

Take out!!

So tonight was my lazy mom night when it came to making dinner. We ordered Pizza Hut. I know that it is not the greatest dinner but my daughter had a book it certificate for her free pizza. So we ordered the pasta which was 2 for 10 and let me just say I was not really impressed. I love pasta but this was definetly something I will get again because I love my pasta not crunchy!! But oh well I guess that is what I get for being lazy and not making something myself. Well I really want to do some baking the next few days but not to sure what I am going to make. I might make some rice krispie treats for my daughter and my neighbor. I know that is not baking but I haven't made them in a while and my neighbor always gets some because he always requests I make them. LOL We are good friends with most of our neighbors which is what I love about living in a small town. I also am thinking I might try making a few more envelope covers for some of my pillows in the living room. My good friend Wendy taught me how to make them this weekend at our sewing class and now I am hooked I want to make more!! :) I love to sew when my sewing machine cooperates!! ;) Well I have had a long day of working, mowing and dealing with a grouchy kiddo. But the good part of my day was hanging out and relaxing in the hot tub with my kiddo and bf. Oh the joys of having a bf who owns his own pool and spa company we have a hot tub and a pool to enjoy!! :) Well it is off to bed for another busy day tomorrow!! :) I hope I can at least squeeze in one baking project or recipe for veryone tomorrow!!

Alrighty I have been super busy this last week trying to figure out what I was going to be doing this summer. (as far as work and childcare goes) I also have not been feeling well so I haven't really felt like cooking. That is how you know I am sick because I love to cook. So a few tips that help me get through a hectic week are I always try to make more of something and then freeze it if at all possible such as this morning I wanted french toast for breakfast and since I had a loaf of bread and eggs that needed used up I decided to make what was left of the loaf and freeze the leftovers. So I made 13 pieces of french toast and seperated them into 2 bags of four  and threw them in the freezer and then we ate the rest for breakfast. I also was the host of sewing group this month and it happened to fall on this last weekend. So I went to my 2 favorite go to party snacks and that is my egg roll wontons ( basically these are the filling from egg rolls wrapped in wonton shells and baked.) I will post the recipe tomorrow if possible. But I think I may have already posted it before but I will do it again as a refresher. I also made buffalo chicken dip. It is so yummy I could eat it as a meal!! :) The recipe for the dip is so simple. The way I make it is as follows:

Buffalo Chicken Dip

1 8 oz package cream cheese (softened)
1 can chicken (drained)
hot wing sauce ( to taste)
shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a cake pan spread the cream cheese on the bottom. Then in a small bowl mix the chicken with the hot wing sauce. I use just enough sauce to coat the chicken. Then add the chicken mixture on top of the cream cheese. Sprinkle the cheese on top and cook for 15 to 20 mins. or until the cheese is melted.

I also made turtle brownies but because I was in a hurry I made boxed brownies and I was not happy with the way they turned out but I guess that is because I know how the homemade ones taste.
Well I need to head to bed because I have to work at the shop the rest of this week so I should try to get some rest so I am not grouchy when I am answering phones!! :)

Alright so I promise that I didn't forget that I had a blog but there has been a lot going on here!! Such as my bf has opened a pool and Spa business. We have been busy to the point where I have been in the shop daily, which means I end up coming home cooking, getting my kiddo ready for bed, and then sometimes I go for a walk with a friend or I go to bed because I am exhausted. Another big change is I have made a lifestyle change meaning I am trying to eat better and exercise. I love food so I am learning how to not over indulge but still eat the things that I love. I also am trying to eat more fruits and veggies to my diet and drin more water and less soda. I gave up soda for lent and didn't drink it at all but the day after Easter I started drinking it again. :( But I have been doing it with moderation. Tonight for dinner I had a spinach salad with ham, free ceasar dressing, croutons and a tad bit of mozzarella on top and I made a hot ham and cheese sandwich on Italian bread with mozzarella and cheddar cheese for my bf and daughter and I had a little piece of that because it is one of my favorite sandwiches. I add a little garlic powder to mine and not the whole sandwich because my bf and daughter don't like garlic. Well enough about me tonight and hopefully I can start sharing some new healthier meals as I try them. Have a great night!! :)

Spring Break

This week has been a super busy week since my daughter has been home because she is off for spring break and she has had softball camp every morning!! :) Also with this beautiful weather we have been doing lots of outside time!! Which means dinner is not always planned out really well. So my goal is going to start trying more freezer meals and also making a menu for each week because I want to be able to be more prepared and organized at dinner time. This week the one new recipe that I made was a veggie side dish!!! It was as follows:


4 or 5 red potatoes sliced super thin
1/4 to 1/2 a head of cabbage thinly sliced
1 large onion thinly sliced
1 can of corn
4 pieces bacon crumbled
about 1/2 cup cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Then I sliced all of the vegetables super thin with my mandolin slicer. ( This is something I recently purchased and I absolutely love and don't know how I did anything before I owned it. LOL ) And I layered them in a 13x9 pan. I layered them onion,potatoes and then cabbage. I then added the can of corn juice and all on top of all of the layers. I then added the cheese on top of that and then crumbled the bacon on the top. Bake in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes of until the potatoes are cooked through.


It was one of the recipes where I had potatoes and cabbage that needed to be used asap so I decided to throw a few things in and see what happened and it turned out to be super yummy!! :) Have a great weekend!! I hopefully can do some more cooking and enjoy spending time with my family!! :)