Friday, March 29, 2013

o-h fiesta friday

It's #backthatazzup Friday!

Ghetto Superstar by Mya, Pras And ODB on Grooveshark
This link up is one of my favorite parts of Friday, along with Fiesta Friday, which also means it's MEXICAN NIGHT at mi casa. I can taste the guac and queso already.
My house is invested. hence the cause for my lack of blogging. Gotta love having a kindergartner that brings home all sorts of germs and so kindly shares them with the family. It's usually the kids & I; Shon, for the most part, stays healthy. This time it's just some runny noses and head colds.Tristan threw up one time yesterday, anyone wanna guess where? In my car. Awesome.

On a brighter note, Spring Break started today. It's a beautiful thing, because I didn't have to wake up early to get ^^said kindergartner ready for school. I got to wake up at 9, come downstairs in my jammies and begin working. Which was nice since I stayed up watching the IU game. O-H and the Buckeyes won, which makes me one happy girl!

My girl at their student lead conference. 
Instead of the teacher telling us what they've been working on, the kids told us parents.

I'm excited for a relaxing weekend of watching college basketball and hanging with my fam. No softball means Shon will be home. We probably will not leave the house until Sunday, because we are that exciting. The snow is pretty much gone and it's pushing 50 here. Hello Spring, is that you? 

One more thing before I go, iPhone or Android? I ask because I had an iPhone for 2 years (4 and 4s). I loved it, said I would never not own one. Then, in November, the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 happened. I had to have it. It's huge, it's fast, it's beautiful. I do love it. But I miss my iPhone. Why (asks the husband, who is PRO-android)? I don't know. I don't have a reason why I want to go back to an iPhone. The Note 2 has had no issues but I just do, and I just may. I believe in life you are either an iPhone person or Android person. Which one are you?

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole
  • 1 box stuffing (I used cornbread)
  • 1 can cream of chicken
  • 11/2 tbsp dijon or honey mustard
  • 3-4 boneless chicken breasts (I put mine in the crockpot in the morning with some chicken broth and seasonings; salt pepper garlic powder and onion powder; then shredded, more flavorful than boiling! takes about 4-6 hours on low.)
  • cooked ham (I used the kind that is found by the deli meat, it's diced up real small in a package; I used the whole package, not sure how much it was, sorry!)
  • swiss cheese (again, not sure how much I use, I tend to not always measure, especially things I know that too much or too little won't matter. this time I used 1 block of swiss cheese cut in small cubes)
Preheat oven to 375. Cook stuffing as directed on box. Mix cream of chicken and mustard in a bowl; stir in the chicken and ham. Spray baking dish with cooking spray and pour mixture into it. Top with swiss cheese, then the stuffing. Bake 40 minutes or until heat through and cheese is nice and goeey!

ENJOY!!

Hope everyone has an EGGcellent Easter Weekend!

Mondays Recipe: Hot Roast Beef Sammies (Minus a picture, due to us being starved and scarfing down the food before I was able to snap a shot)

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

finish this

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Linking up with Holly (Where We Can Live Like Jack & Sally)

1. If calories didn't count, I would eat pizza and mexican in a rotation, for realz.
2. On my Prom night, PROM? I didn't go to prom and I don't really regret it either. 
3. When I go to the store, I always buy.. well there's a lot I ALWAYS buy, but milk, fruit, avocados, brownies, chips. Great combination, eh?
4. Family functions typically are relaxing with my fam and cray cray with Shons.
5. I think my blog readers are the bees knees.. new to the blog world, but getting to know lots of awesome ladies!
6. I'd much rather be in Chicago. Need to go ASAP. Shon, if you are reading this, it's a hint demand.
7. I have an obsession with lip gloss, my louis vuitton, leopard print... and Justin Timberlake. (Sick of hearing about him yet?)
8. My work friends are my cat & dog. I work from home. Be jealous, we have some pretty cool conversations.
9. When I created my Facebook account, it was called THEfacebook and it was simple & fun. 
10. My least favorite word is penetrate, moist & crevasse. Don't get me started on using all those together in one sentence.
11. I really don't remember much about Superbowl 44, when my beloved Colts LOST to New Orleans. Thanks Mr. Kendra Wilkinson Hank Baskett. First time drinking since having Tristan = ANGRY drunk, passed out on a bar & then got kicked out. Just keepin it classy over here.
12. Justin Bieber has catchy music but is turning into a little punk. Pull up your pants and leave the high notes to my main squeeze, JT!

Remember yesterday when I said Sunday brought us snow? Yes, indeed it did. Over 9 inches of it. We have some absurd weather here in the midwest, but this was just uncalled for. Ain't nobody got time for that! 


School was cancelled.

All bundled up and ready to play!

Normally I would take the time to get them all bundled up and then they are inside minutes later. Nope, not this time. They played outside for a good hour. Cubbie loved the snow too, which is shocking seeing as how he can be high maintenance and won't even go outside when it rains. Wonder who he gets that from...

Hot chocolate (or coffee in my case) is a must to warm up. Yes, I thought this mug was appropriate for mother natures behavior.

Chicken Alfredo Pizza

  • pizza dough (I buy mine at trader joe's)
  • 1 cup shredded chicken (I boiled and seasoned 1 chicken breast)
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/8 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tbsp flour, plus more for dusting
  • 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp milk (I used 2% milk)
  • 2 oz finely shredded Parmesan cheese (1/2 cup)
  • Salt and pepper
  • 4 oz shredded Mozzarella cheese (1 cup) (I used a pizza blend)
  • 6 slices bacon, cooked and chopped (optional)
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp chopped green onions (optional)
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. I used a stone, so make sure that gets preheated. Melt butter along with garlic powder and onion powder in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour and stir constantly for about a minute. While whisking slowly pour in cream and milk. Bring mixture just to a boil while continuously stirring. Allow mixture to boil for 20 seconds, keep stirring! Remove from heat, add in Parmesan cheese, season with salt and pepper to taste then return to warm heat and stir occasionally until ready to use.
For my dough, I had to flour a clean surface to roll out. Stretch out dough on pan or baking stone. I highly recommend investing in a baking stone if you don't already have one. Pour half of the alfredo sauce over dough, then use the back of a spoon to spread into an even layer. Sprinkle shredded chicken over sauce layer, then pour remaining sauce evenly over chicken. Sprinkle top evenly with Mozzarella cheese then sprinkle with chopped bacon.  Bake in preheated oven 14 - 16 minutes until crust is nicely golden. Remove from oven, garnish top evenly with green onions, cut into slices and serve
.

ENJOY!!

Thank you Jourds (Jourdan Leigh in the kitchen) for this yummy recipe!

Monday, March 25, 2013

weekend update


Linking up with Sami!

Hey guys. oh what a weekend it was. friday we thought it would be a good idea to pack up the kids and meet a bunch of family at buffalo wild wings for dinner.. all 17 of us. Although it was packed, we were able to get seated and had a great time! My Buckeyes won and being an Indiana girl, I was happy to see the Hoosiers win as well. I may not be into college basketball the whole season, but I do love me some March Madness. The upsets this year are crazy, but I still have my FINAL 4! Do you?!
Still no potty hopping for this guy.

Saturday, softball stole my husband. Time to get used to that. The kids and I didn't leave the house, but wish we would of. It got up to about 48 and sunny. We could have definitely got out of the house in that weather. But we were too lazy and I think we were all ok with that. Don't judge us
Kids Choice Awards with my girl.

We were having so much fun that I almost forgot to feed my kids dinner. Quick! Order pizza!!

Sunday, it was party time. Thirty-One party that is. I got to hang out with some awesome ladies and sell some bags! It was a blast.
This is what the evening had in store for us. Seriously?! Real cute, Indiana.

Patty Melts
(2 melts on rye bread)
  • 1/2 stick of butter
  • 3/4 lb ground beef
  • 4 slices of swiss
  • 1 small onion (i used red) sliced. not too thick, not too thin.
  • 4 slices rye bread
  • 3 dashes of worcestershire
  • salt/pepper
I preheated my electric griddle to about 325. I also melted 2 tbsp butter in a saucepan on the stove top for my onions. cook over medium-low for about 20 minutes. Mix ground beef in a bowl with worcestershire & salt and pepper. Form into 2 patties, I made mine sort of oval to fit on my rye bread. Butter 1 side of the 4 pieces of rye bread  Melt remaining butter on griddle and cook patties to. Remove from heat. Place butter side of bread down on griddle, with 1 piece of swiss (i tore the swiss in half to cover the bread, then place the patty on top of it, followed by some onions. on the top piece of bread I put the other piece of swiss. Repeat this step for the other patty melt. Cook until bread it nice and toasted and cheese is melted. Put together & serve!

Crispy Baked Onion Rings
  • 2 onions peeled and sliced into rings
  • about 1 cup of flour (I don't measure this, just a guess)
  • 2 eggs beat
  • about 1 cup of bread crumbs (regular or panko)
  • your choice of seasonings (I use italian, garlic and a dash of cayenne)
Preheat oven to 425. Like a baking sheet with foil and spray. Dip each ring into the flour, then the egg and then the bread crumbs and place on baking sheet. Bake about 15 minutes or until crispy.
ENJOY!!

That was my weekend! How was yours?
Tuesdays Recipe: Chicken Alfredo Pizza

Friday, March 22, 2013

bloggers block

It's #backthatazzup Friday!
My favorite link up.

Liquid Dreams by O Town on Grooveshark
You can thank Justin Timberlake for my boyband pick of the day. 
Ah, Liquid Dreams. Let's just take in the name of this song that targeted teeny boppers in 2000, like myself.

Do any of you suffer from writers bloggers block? I have been in a funk the last couple of days and hope to shake it soon. Do you find blogging in the morning, midday or evening is best? With that being said, my post today is probably going to be pretty short but sweet. And by probably, I mean it's going to be coming to a close.

Italian Chicken & Tomatoes
  • 1 lb chicken
  • 6 roma tomatoes (mine were pretty small, I may have used 1 or 2 more)
  • 3 tbsp EVOO
  • 1/2 cup mozz
  • 2 tbsp flour
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • Spices (salt, pepper, oregano, italian seasoning, basil, garlic powder)
Preheat oven to 350. Core and chop up tomatoes. Put in mixing bowl and add in garlic powder, flour, sugar, olive oil, and salt & pepper, to taste. I also sprinkled a little oregano too. Stir until the tomatoes are all coated. Spray a casserole/baking dish with cooking spray. Place chicken in there (I used boneless chicken tenderloins, if you are using breasts, I would suggest cutting them down in size) Season chicken with salt & pepper. Pour tomato mixture over chicken. Bake until chicken is cooked through. (Mine took about 30 minutes. Sprinkle cheese over chicken and cook a little longer until cheese is melted and bubbling. 

I really couldn't believe how good this was. I have never made something we don't like (I don't recall at least!), but this is a favorite for me! 


Thank you Erin (She's A Big Star) for the delicious recipe!

ENJOY!!

Hope everyone has a great weekend!
Mondays Recipe: Patty Melt & Onion Rings

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

random wednesday


I didn't post yesterday. It's like I was Carrie Bradshaw and had writers block. Sorry friends. I was also busy filling out my bracket. Girly girls can like sports too. O-H-I-O

The kids and I made cookies after school on Monday. I got to use my Kitchen-Aid for the second time since getting it for Christmas. Besides cookies, what are some good things to make with it? I'm willing to try anything so my kitchen doesn't end up in cookie overload. Although I wouldn't complain.

Don't mind the hat. She just got it and can't seem to part with it for any activity, it's difficult to even get it off her to bathe. It's the kind that hangs down and has the built in gloves. Although it's approaching the end of March, it's still freezing in the midwest and if there is any positive in that, it's that she can continue to rock this hat. She did tell me she will wear it all summer too. Please, no.


DWTS (Dancing With The Stars, for those not down with the lingo) started back up. I'm excited about Lisa Vanderpump (& Jiggy), Sean Lowe & Kellie Pickler (who did an awesome job!) Being a former gymnast, I have a spot in my heart rooting for Aly Raisman. Let's get serious though, Val is my favorite, he's a Chmerkovskiy helloooooooo. I will admit, when I saw he was partnered with a Disney star that I wasn't familiar with, I was not thrilled. That has changed after seeing her perform. She's amazing. I hope they make it far or win it all. 

Teen Mom, who watches? It's one I can't stop. Jenelle is a hot ass mess, can't take care of her kid, but smokes allodah weeeeeeed and gets ah boob jahbbbbb. And Leah, god love her, but can you say playaaaa? Homegirl just can't make up her mind. 

Tuesday, never sounded so good. 20/20 EXPERIENCE! To say I've been patiently waiting would be a lie. I've been counting down the days like Christmas. And he definitely didn't disappoint. Lots of babies are going to be made to this CD and if I wasn't fixed, I would probably be part of that statistic. He announced the second half of the 20/20 Experience will be released later this year. Bliss.

Pretty Little Liars, all I have to say is W-T-F?! June can't come soon enough. This show gives me anxiety like it's real life.

Chicken Wonton Tacos
  • 1lb chicken, sliced into small chunks
  • 2 tablespoons sesame oil (or olive oil)
  • 4 tablespoons stir fry sauce
  • 8 tablespoons Asian toasted sesame dressing
  • 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons teriyaki sauce
  • 1 cup coleslaw mix
  • 2 (more) tablespoons Asian toasted sesame dressing
  • 10-12 wonton wrappers
  • sliced green onions (this will be mixed in coleslaw mix, amount to your liking)
  • chopped cilantro (this will be mixed in coleslaw mix, I used a handful and chopped real fine)
  • diced red onion (this will be mixed in coleslaw mix, I used 1 real small red onion, again to your liking)
In a ziploc bag, combine stir fry sauce, Asian toasted sesame dressing, soy sauce and teriyaki sauce, along with chicken and mix well. Seal bag and put in fridge to marinate for about an hour, i've done longer, it won't hurt.

In a medium bowl, combine coleslaw mix, red onion, cilantro & green onion with 2 tablespoons of Asian toasted sesame dressing. Set aside.

Heat oil in a woke (or skillet) over high heat. Add chicken with marinade from bag and stir fry until the chicken is cooked. Remove from heat and transfer to a bowl. Add about 1/2 inch of oil (any kind will do) to wok/skillet over medium-high heat. Use tongs and slightly fold the wonton wrappers into a triangle form but do not seal. Place into the hot oil and fry until golden on one side. Flip and do the same for the other. Drain on paper towel.

To make tacos, place a small amount of chicken mixture into the wonton and top with coleslaw mixture.

Serve with spring rolls or rice! We LOVE these. I can't tell you how good they are. It seems like a lot of work but it's easy and well worth it. You may have to buy the random ingredients but you don't use all of it for 1 meal and will have it all for the next time you make it.

ENJOY!!

Thursdays Recipe: Italian Chicken & Roma Tomatoes

Monday, March 18, 2013

weekend update

Remember when I said I would be spending my weekend potty hopping? Yeah, not so much. Not interested at all. Not a teeny weeny bit. Bahhh.


 
Friday was FIESTA FRIDAY minus the margaritas, because yours truly forgot to get the
goods. We ate until we had food babies and that was the thrill of our evening. Saturday wasn't any more exciting. Shon was gone at softball. I got cleaning, laundry, reading & dishes done. We ordered pizza that night. I do NOT recommend the new steak and cheese pizza from papa johns.

Oh I also watched this. I sobbed a little bit. I was am pretty torn up over their divorce.

Sunday was a little more excited. It was our usual lazy day, which I love.


Started the morning off with green french toast. The kids loved it.
I however was disappointed to find we were out of powdered sugar. Who runs out of powdered sugar? I thought that was a staple, like flour. I have to have my french toast with powdered sugar. Little fact: I hate syrup. The stickiness, the smell, everything about it grosses me out. Call me weird, that's ok. I know I'm a minority on this topic.

Oh and then my BUCKEYES won the B1G TOURNEY. Yeah buddy!

 Ended our night with reubens. It's tradition. Crock it all day. Cut up, sauerkraut, swiss, dressing, rye bread. Donezo!

Crock Pot Chicken Tacos
  • 1-1 1/2 lb chicken (I use frozen breasts)
  • 12 ounces of chicken broth
  • 1 packet fajita seasonings (or taco, we prefer fajita)
  • 1 packet dry ranch season
  • corn tortillas (or your choice of shell)
  • the toppings (lettuce, tomato, mexican cheese, fresh, jalapeno, sour cream)
Put chicken in crock pot with broth & both seasoning packets. Cook for 4-6 hours, shred and let cook a little long. We use corn tortillas and fry them up, but any will do. I also saute a little blend of onions, green peppers & fresh jalapenos for a fajita style taco.

ENJOY!!


Now it's Monday. DWTS starts tonight. JT's new album comes out tomorrow. Life. Is. Good.
That was my uneventful, unexciting weekend. How was yours?
Tuesdays Recipe: Chicken Wonton Tacos

Friday, March 15, 2013

potty hopping


Today I'm linking up with  Whitty (I Wore Yoga Pants) for 
#backthatazzup Friday!

Just Got Paid by *NSync on Grooveshark

Appropriate, right? I did just get paid. It is Friday. But I am not party hopping. More like potty hopping. I hope to make progress on potty training this weekend. Yes, things like that excite me and also give me anxiety. I have to do everything I can to make sure my kid is potty trained before he goes on his first date! We are taking it one day at a time. He hates underpants but right now, he is in a pull up. Keep your fingers crossed for us.


Softball season begins this weekend. I wish it was going to be nice so the kids and I could go and get out of hibernation. You know socialize and be normal human. Bye Bye Bye Husband. (yes there are 3 byes, referencing NSYNC, duhhh)

I am in full fledge boy manband mode this week. All these JT appearances, his album coming out next week. I just can't wait. No shame in my game.

Crock Pot French Dip Sandwiches
This is the perfect amount for my family of 4. My kids just eat the meat and it is enough for Shon & I to have 2 sandwiches.
  • 2-3lb roast (i buy one with minimal fat)
  • 2 pouches of dry onion soup mix
  • 4 cups of beef broth
  • Provolone
  • Bread Loaf (I use a sweet italian loaf from the fresh bread section of the grocery)
Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Shred meat and let cook a little longer to absorb some of the juice. Preheat oven to 400. Slice open bread, place meat on one side and cheese on top (I love cheese, so I put 2 slices) 
Bake for a couple minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve with aus jus from crock pot

ENJOY!!

 

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

bloglovin

Well Google Reader is going away. Time to get on the bloglovin bandwagon. Follow my blog with Bloglovin

is this real life?

This is the shit (pardon my french) that I'm dealing with today. That damn groundhog said spring would be here early, and well uh it's March 13th and it's freezing, snowing. bah. Nothing surprises me in the midwest though.
Too add to my frustration, those weatherman goons are saying we could have a potential large snow storm on Sun night/Mon morning. Large as in a foot of snow. They better be wrong.Ain't nobody got time fo dat.


I also don't know who pissed on my kids waffles this morning. But they are both crazy grouchy today. I was set to start attempting to potty train today (again), well that was shot to hell. He was so mad at me over a wii game, yes a GAME, that he grabbed his blanket and stormed to the coat closet, no clue, and went to sleep. Tough guy. I know they say not to push potty training. I would love some tips. He wants a sticker for his chart, he wants a surprise, he will sit on the potty, but I can't get him in underpants. Fingers crossed we have this in the bag by vacay! Now to the diva, homegirl did NOT want to get out of bed this morning. She finally did and the rest of our morning was smooth sailing. I picked her up and she decides to just whine in the car. So whiney, that I couldn't even understand what she was saying. 5 minutes later, fast asleep. Tumbling will be missed tonight. I don't think she's feelin so hot. :(


Pizza Pasta

I was inspired by Erin's (She's A Big Star) recipe. I altered it a bit, because of the ingredients I had on hand. Next time I will use italian sausage and possibly some veggies.
  • Pasta (I used penne) I never know how much to use. Use your best judgement!
  • Pepperoni 
  • Pasta Sauce
  • Mozzarella (I only had 2 slices, so I took those and shredded it)
  • Parmesean, Garlic Powder, Oregano
Preheat oven to 350. Cook pasta & drain. I toss my pasta in a little bit of pasta sauce. I also chopped up my pepperoni real small and mixed in it during this step. Line the bottom of a oven safe dish with pasta sauce. Pour pasta into dish. Top with cheese & seasonings. Bake for about 10 minutes. I then stirred it which was perfect cause everything was blended together.


 
ENJOY!!

Thursdays Recipe: Crock Pot French Dip Sandwiches