My Life as a Wife

One Ingredient Ice Cream

2010-06-05T18:33:00.000-07:00

I have seen many blogs recently feature this simple yet delectable treat and I knew I had to try it. I have an ice cream maker attachment for my kitchen aid mixer, but it takes several days and multiple steps to complete that task. Sugar, cream, vanilla, eggs, and about 72 hours later, you get to enjoy it. Needless to say, I don't often make homemade ice cream.

How could it be that just ONE ingredient could create creamy, soft, sweet and delicious ice cream? I was so curious to see what that could be, and I bet you are too.

It's bananas, B-A-N-A-N-A-S!

All you have to do is freeze a few bananas (cut them into small chunks first so your blender doesn't die) and then blend those bad boys up for a few seconds. I was so surprised that it tasted exactly like soft-serve ice cream, with banana flavoring of course. I thought for sure that frozen bananas would be icy, flaky, and bitter. Something about the little bit of fat that a banana has allows it to blend into a super creamy treat. Make sure your bananas aren't green or too mushy. A few brown spots makes them perfect! Add in some chocolate syrup, or peanut butter, or honey... just experiment and enjoy!

The best part is, only 2 WW points per banana. I would use at least 3 so that the blender has enough material to work with. 3 bananas would definitely serve 2-3 people. Yum!

Chimichurri Sauce

2010-06-05T18:19:00.000-07:00

I have an obsession with the chimichurri sauce at Los Ranchos and I love eating there just for the chimichurri. This was an attempt to make my own. Although it tasted good, it definitely doesn't compare. I guess we will have to continue to eat there. Oh well! I served it tonight with pan fried chicken tenders, using PAM olive oil spray for less calories.

Ingredients

1 cup fresh parsley or cilantro, or combo of both
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons minced garlic
1/2 tablespoon pepper sauce (hot sauce)

Directions

Place the parsley, olive oil, red wine vinegar, oregano, cumin, salt, garlic and hot pepper sauce into the container of a blender or food processor. Blend for about 10 seconds on medium speed, or until ingredients are evenly blended.

Nutritional Information

3 WW points per serving, makes 12 servings

Amount Per Serving Calories: 133 | Total Fat: 14.2g

With chicken, 5 WW points

Orange Cilantro Rice

2010-06-05T18:08:00.000-07:00

My husband thought this was a bit to sweet for his liking, so next time I will use half the amount of OJ and more chicken broth. I paired it with with chicken and chimichurri sauce (recipe in next post!)

Ingredients

2 teaspoons butter
1/2 cup diced onion
1 cup uncooked long grain white rice
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
salt to taste
1 1/2 cups orange juice
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in onion, and cook until tender. Mix in rice, and season with cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, pepper, cayenne pepper, and salt. Cook and stir until rice is golden brown. Pour in orange juice and broth, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 20 minutes.
Remove cooked rice from heat, and gently mix in cilantro to serve.

Nutritional Information

3 points per serving, makes 6 servings

Amount Per Serving Calories: 172 | Total Fat: 2g

The double BOGO

2010-05-31T19:12:00.000-07:00

If you shop at Publix pretty often like I do, then you are probably pretty familiar with the buy one get one free items that they have. They are on a regular rotation, so typically every 4-6 weeks you will see the same items go BOGO. Well, usually the BOGO items are convenience packaged foods, and my husband consumes a lot of that stuff- corndogs, chicken patties, frozen pizzas, etc since I work late several nights per week. I was reading on the internet about how you can buy coupons off of ebay, and I had never thought to check there before. Lo and behold, I found a lady that was selling 10 coupons for buy one get one free Curly's pulled pork. I remembered that I had bought it BOGO before from Publix or Winn Dixie (I sometimes shop there for BOGO items.) Here is where the double BOGO comes in- if the item is already BOGO at the store, and you have a BOGO coupon, then you actually get both items free. So for 99 cents, I bought 10 of the BOGO Curly's coupons. I was taking a risk because they expire June 30 and I wasn't sure if the Curly's pulled pork would go on sale during that time. Luckily, Wednesday came around and I saw that Curly's was BOGO at Winn Dixie. I got my coupons in the mail Thursday night, went to Winn Dixie Friday morning, and picked up 20 containers of Curly's pulled pork for FREE. At $5.99 each, it was a significant amount of savings. I bought a few other BOGO items while I was there just so that my total would be a positive number. All in all, I spent $17.05 and walked away with $150 worth of groceries. The pulled pork came in handy for Memorial Day weekend, and I now have tons of meat in the fridge and freezer. I won't do this often, but if it's a product I could really use and have the storage for it, I think it's a great way to stretch your budget.

Buttery Lemon Spinach

2010-05-16T15:39:00.000-07:00

Ingredients

2 (10 ounce) bags pre-washed fresh spinach
2 tablespoons garlic, minced
5 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Directions

Rinse the spinach and place the leaves into a microwavable serving dish. Add the butter, garlic and lemon juice. Cover with plastic wrap. Steam in the microwave until the butter is melted and spinach is wilted, about 2 minutes. Remove the plastic wrap and toss to distribute seasoning before serving.

3 weight watchers points per serving, makes 6 servings

Fettucini Alfredo with Bacon

2010-05-10T15:44:00.000-07:00

This recipe came from Cooking Light, and is definitely less fat and calories than traditional Alfredo sauce.

1 (9-ounce) package refrigerated fresh fettuccine (REALLY important to use fresh! Note: we used fresh tri-color tortellini instead because we had that on hand)
2 slices applewood-smoked bacon, chopped
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 cup 1% low-fat milk
2/3 cup (about 2 1/2 ounces) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (I left this out)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain in a colander over a bowl, reserving 1/4 cup cooking liquid. While pasta cooks, cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat 4 minutes or until crisp, stirring occasionally. Remove bacon from pan, reserving drippings. Add garlic to drippings in pan; sauté 1 minute, stirring constantly. Sprinkle flour over garlic; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly; cook 2 minutes or until bubbly and slightly thick, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low. Gradually add cheese, stirring until cheese melts. Stir in salt and reserved 1/4 cup cooking liquid. Add hot pasta to pan; toss well to combine. Sprinkle with bacon, parsley, and pepper.

Rainbow Cake

2010-04-28T15:35:00.000-07:00

I felt like playing with food coloring and this is what I came up with!

Southwestern Turkey Burgers

2010-04-16T15:23:00.000-07:00

I came across this recipe on the back of the Jenny-O Turkey Burgers box. It's simple, tasty, and low in fat!

Grill the turkey burgers according to the package directions. Toast the burger buns (or throw them on the Foreman grill like I did for 3 minutes.) Mix together 1/2 cup of lite sour cream and also 1 teaspoon of taco mix to make a spread for the buns. Top the burgers with a slice of cheese, 2 tablespoons of your favorite salsa (we love mango salsa) and build the burger!

8 points per burger (includes low fat cheese and bun)

Coconut Cream Pops

2010-04-10T15:12:00.000-07:00

Coconut Cream Pops

Servings: 10
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Calories: 93
Points: 2 ww points

1 can fat free evaporated milk
1 14 oz can lite coconut milk
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 tsp coconut extract
cinnamon to taste
1/2 cup of shredded sweetened coconut

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Pour into freezer molds.
Freeze and Enjoy!!

Turkey Meatloaf

2010-03-21T09:45:00.001-07:00

Another one of Gina's fabulous recipes... I finally ordered the mini loaf pan to make the most adorable mini loaves!

Servings: 4 mini loaves Serving Size: 1 loaf • Time: 45 minutes • Points: 4.5 ww points

1/2 small onion, minced
1 tsp olive oil
1.3 lb 99% lean ground turkey
1/2 cup oatmeal
1/4 cup ketchup + 2 tbsp
2 tsp wosterchire sauce
1 egg
1 tsp marjoram
salt

Preheat the oven to 350°. Saute olive oil and onion on low until translucent.
In a medium bowl mix turkey, onion, breadcrumbs, egg, ketchup, salt and marjoram. Divide into four equal loafs and place each loaf into a non stick mini loaf pan or shape into small loafs on an un-greased nonstick baking pan.

In a small cup mix remaining 2 tbsp ketchup with wosterchire sauce and brush onto each loaf to give it a nice glaze.

Bake uncovered for about 40 minutes at 350°. After baking let it sit for 5 minutes serving.

Hello World!

2010-03-07T13:50:00.000-08:00

I haven't been to active on the internet lately what with 90 million things going on lately, most notably WEDDING SEASON! Not only do I have the pleasure of working with numerous brides through Classic Affairs, but my own cousin and good friend are also taking the plunge. My cousin Christina was married last weekend at the Red Fish Grill and the wedding was beautiful. The weather could not have been more perfect for a beach wedding. Having suffered a monsoon on my own wedding day, I was very nervous for her until I woke up in the morning and looked outside. The day before her wedding, my friend since Elementary School (!!!) and who lived 2 blocks away from me for most of my life, also had her bridal shower. It was great to see Shirley again, since it seems like lately it takes a wedding for me to see any of my old friends. After the bridal shower, I headed over to Christina and Alex's rehearsal and dinner, which was definitely a great time. I think the older I am, the more excited I get for family events. Maybe it's because the fearsome foursome of cousins that were never apart growing up now are living in Gainesville, the Carribbean island of St. Vincent (another !!!), Homestead, and Hollywood. Anyhow, when we get together it is always exciting. I felt pretty terrible that I couldn't stay the night with all the girls before the wedding at the gorgeous Mayfair hotel, but my nasty cold got the better of me and I decided to be nice and not infect everyone else. Also, I decided to sleep early so I could attempt to be a lively bridesmaid in the morning.

Although I eventually stopped posting the Love Dares every day, I did follow them religiously and I think it made a big difference in my relationship with my husband, although the benefits would have been amplified if he had been following it as well and reciprocating (just sayin'.) I cannot believe our first wedding anniversary is drawing near and that we won't really be newlyweds anymore. We are achieving some big things right now though and it feels great to move on to other stages of our lives together. Continue reading on for the newest happenings...

There are some goals that have been met on the 101 list I am happy to report, specifically the PAYING OFF OF ALL CREDIT CARDS! This was very exciting for me, since it has been awhile since I have been carrying a zero balance. It wasn't years or anything, but being someone who has always tried my hardest to pay everything off at the end of the month, somehow the tail end of 2009 caught me by surprise and it took a few months to catch up. There were several certifiable reasons for this, so I don't feel too bad. It takes a lot to start up your own business and between my husband and I, we have 3 of them, so there is a big ripple effect. Combined with our North Carolina trip, Christmas, and switching jobs, I am happy it only took until the end of February to fix. My new spending philosophy is to take money out of the ATM, and only use cash. I actually went to Super Target today and bought groceries, spent over a hundred bucks, and paid for my purchase with my green. That is something I have probably never done, but it certainly made me think twice about picking up impulse purchases, although I couldn't resist picking up this adorable dress. It was on clearance, so whatever.

My in-laws also treated us to a wonderful evening at the Rusty Pelican to celebrate my sister in law's engagement, complete with a limousine and tickets to see Alfred Hitchcock's 39 Steps at Parker Playhouse. Seeing a live production was another goal on my list which I didn't even remember was on there until I updated the list, but it still counts! It was great to see Mary and her fiance and of course, the Rusty Pelican does not disappoint. For a few minutes during dinner, it rained so hard that the view of the city disappeared and water started leaking in the window and onto our table. I do not mean a few drops of water either, it was literally raining on our table. Very odd and amusing to us.

In other news, I decided to share what my cryptic announcement on facebook was, since so many people have thought I was pregnant because of it. This is not the case. But we are in the process of becoming homeowners, which is just as exciting for us. Good news was the bank accepted an offer on a home we fell in love with, and we were supposed to close quickly on March 3. The bad news is, that date has come and gone with no closing in sight. We just found out the bank owes 6 figures in fines (a third !!!) to the city of Tamarac, so they need to go to court and pay the fines, bring the house up to code, and then allow us to purchase it. The new proposed closing date is May 5, so we have the option of continuing to look at other houses or stay put with this house and wait it out. We will probably stick to this house because we love it so much, but we will keep our options open just in case an even better opportunity comes along. It's a waiting game that I hate playing, since we are halfway packed and already picking out kitchen appliances, color schemes, and furniture.

I haven't had too much time to play around in the kitchen lately and come up with new recipes and ideas to share, especially since we have been eating mostly grilled chicken, BBQ chicken, roasted chicken, turkey meat loafs, chicken meat loafs, turkey burgers, pasta, and all variations of without cooking any meat or pork. I did break down and had a beef entree at an event lately, but I will not start my "no red meat" pact all over again since it was a special event and I didn't really have another option. I savored it, enjoyed myself, and moved on, and since I made my own rules for my goal list, who really cares? I have also been logging about 50 hours a week at work the past few weeks with weddings on the weekends, so way too busy to experiment in the kitchen like I want to. On the plus side, at my new job I am kicking ass and taking names, and I am number 1 in my department so I really can't complain about all the hours. It was worth it to me to put in the extra time and prove my worth to my new coworkers and supervisors, all of whom I respect and appreciate. I love doing something I can take pride in and with 300 students to account for at all times, there is never a dull moment.

I am very glad so many things are going on right now and keeping me busy. Everything has been keeping my mind off the passing of someone I had grown pretty close to, and I still think of her everyday. She would have been one of my May brides and I should be putting the finishing touches on her wedding projects, but none of that is happening anymore. I hope her family and her husband are doing better, and that she is enjoying her view from above.

Nutella Buttercream Cake

2010-02-14T11:26:00.000-08:00

I came across this idea from a fellow nestie Heather who made a Nutella butter cream cake in her blog. It looked amazing, and we had a huge jar of Nutella from Costco, so I decided to try it out. I was also anxious to play with my new cake decorating tools, so I had fun with it. My cake came from a box unlike Heather's, so I will only post the recipe for the butter cream. Super yummy and the picture speaks for itself!
Ingredients:
1 cup unsalted butter, softened

3 cups sifted powdered sugar

2 tablespoons milk

1 cup Nutella
Directions:

Mix butter until smooth and creamy. Add in Nutella and mix until nice and fluffy.

Add sugar 1 cup at a time until smooth. This will take about 3 to 5 minutes to get the desired consistency.

Hermide's Story

2010-02-06T17:47:00.000-08:00

Today I said good bye to a dear friend of mine, Hermide. It was the first memorial service I had been to where I was older than the deceased. Her death hit me pretty hard even though I know how sick she was and that it would happen sometime soon. The one thing I will always remember is how spunky and full of life she always was. Her Yulee Hall antics, our AIM chats, and her wedding day plans are all swirling in my head and that is how I would like to remember her. I was born the week before her and I was married the week before her. I will always think of her when I celebrate these milestones for the rest of my life. I think this was one reason her passing was so devastating to me; I was faced with my own mortality. The other was knowing the excruciating pain she had been in for the last days of her life.

Hermide's love for her husband Robin was beautiful and profound. I would like to share this story she wrote about their journey together and how hopeful and amazing her spirit was.

On Christmas Eve of 2003 I was home on break from college, and met Robin Toussaint on a popular singles website for young people. He wrote me a note expressing how he enjoyed reading my profile and wanted to learn more about me. I replied to his note and later we exchanged phone numbers. We spoke on the phone for what seemed like hours on end and met in person a month later. When we met we immediately clicked and began to date...we were inseparable! Robin and I dated for two years, he moved to California and we broke up while he was there for two years. During our break up I dated 2 guys both for short periods of times but the relationships always went down hill and no one could make me happy like Robin did. I stayed single for the remaining time in college and decided that when I ran into Robin again, I would express to him how I truly felt. When I graduated college, he moved back to South Florida and we reconnected when he called me up one night. After a short while we began dating again and two years later we began talking about marriage.

Robin and I talked about everything, so we didn't have the typical down on one knee proposal that every girl dreams about. Instead, he told me that he was in the process of paying for a ring that he picked out for me. I was just as excited because I had played in my head for years what it would be like to exchange wedding vows with the only man who made me truly happy. We began to formulate invite lists, perspective wedding venues and reception sites, caterers, brides maids, wedding colors...etc! Around this time however, I started feeling really bad pains in my lower back that I somehow couldn't shake no matter what I tried. Finally I went to my primary doctor and she wrote me a script to get an X-Ray done. The results from the X-Ray were not as clear as she wanted so she ordered a CT scan and ultra sound which revealed the most shocking news a 24 year old could ever find out in her life. Immediately I thought to myself, no more wedding planning...no more happy endings, I'm going to die.

On May 19, 2009 I was diagnosed with stage 4 Renal Medullary Carcinoma-Kidney Cancer. This type of cancer is found primarily in young African Americans with sickle cell or sickle cell trait. I have sickle cell trait. This cancer has no cure and is so rare that no real studies have been done to help fight it...the survival rate is said to be 2%. When the doctor delivered the news of my cancer, he also stated that there was nothing he could do at that point, and that chemo wouldn't be responsive, and surgery wouldn't work in my case because the cancer had already began to metastasize to the lymph nodes surrounding my kidney. Finally I asked the doctor was I going to die, and he looked at me with cold eyes and said "I'm sorry" and shook his head. I left the doctors office that day without a shred of hope inside and kept thinking to myself, I'm only 24 years old...why me???? Being the computer nut that I am, I began to google this cancer and tried to find the cure for what had invaded my body...surely there had to be someone out there that had faced what I'm now facing and could live to tell the story. However, nothing came up to put my mind at ease. Site after site revealed no knowing survivors of this cancer...not one.

My boyfriend began to comfort me and assured me that as long as he had life in his body, he would do all that he possibly could to find a doctor that was willing to fight for me. I began to think that maybe he wouldn't want to be with me anymore for fear that I might die soon. It's almost as if he could read my mind because he began to suggest that we still get married but do a court house style wedding instead because our finances would begin to take us on a roller coaster ride due to medical bills. Thus, this is what we did...On May 31, 2009, we were married in the presence of 5 of my dear friends. Our parents weren't able to make it in such short notice so we proceeded anyway and prayed that the future would allow us to put together a dream wedding someday.

Like any dedicated husband he searched day after day until finally he came across MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston Texas. They requested my biopsy labs, and immediately started working on a plan for me to come to Texas. On June 2, 2009 I met with Dr. Tannir who looked me in my eyes and told me that he was going to fight for my life and I should NOT give up especially not on his watch!

Dr. Tannir started me on an oral chemo pill sutent that began to make me feel awful but I had to take it for one month and return to Texas for testing. Just shy of that four week period, I fell ill and was admitted into the hospital for pneumonia. I stopped taking the pills and was hospitalized for about four days while receiving respiratory treatment for the fluid in my lungs. After being released from the hospital, I returned to Texas only to find that the oral chemo pills weren't working as much as they'd hoped. Without delay Dr. Tannir scheduled me to start chemo treatment and my first round of chemo was administered on July 4, 2009.

As of September 29, 2009 I have completed 7 chemotherapy treatments. I have lost all of my hair, I've been on every pain pill imaginable, I’ve experienced horrifying symptoms, but I have not lost hope. On August 18, 2009 after completing another set of CT scans, the doctor advised that the cancer is indeed shrinking and that I was to continue treatment and I would be able to do chemo back home in Florida. Finally!!! The delivery of good news!! I wasn't going to die anymore!!! I could finally go to bed at night and know that I would wake the next morning. I could even possibly start planning my dream wedding, and have my grandfather walk me down the a isle. Life could and would go on for me!

Words cannot begin to express the true gratitude I have for those who have helped me along this chapter in my life. Even though it wasn't at all how I planned it, I still had a chance to marry my true love who has stood by my side despite hearing bad news after bad news after bad news! Even though the doctor said that I would never be able to have children, God has blessed me with a beautiful 3 year old step daughter that I love dearly and am in the process of adopting. People at my job have donated over 600 hours of sick leave to ensure that I have enough time to recover from my treatments; but most importantly the hope that the doctor took away from me when I was diagnosed on May 19, 2009 has been restored. I count my blessings each and everyday, I’m thankful for second chances, and although I'm not in remission yet, and my medical bills are through the roof...I consider myself very lucky. I'm lucky because most people don't have the support system that I have. And NO ONE has the husband that I do! He loves me through my small spurts of depression, my bald head, my weak fragile moments, and holds me tight every single night and tells me that he loves me and only me and lets me know how beautiful I am.

Hermide Pierre Toussaint

7/30/1984- 1/25/2010

Lemon Herb Chicken in the crockpot

2010-02-02T06:23:00.001-08:00

I did something different with this recipe. I decided to try out plastic liners for slow cookers. I haven't used them before because they are pretty expensive for what they are, but the large crockpot can be quite a hassle to clean, plus when you make a whole chicken there is usually some fat and bones left over and we could just toss it out.

This chicken did not come out as flavorful as Stephanie said hers came out on her blog. She raved about the flavor and I couldn't say the same. Next time I will dump on the seasoning. It looks like she used more lemon slices, although the recipe calls for 2 lemons which is also what I used. We ate this chicken for days on end, about 3 meals each and then I used the last of it to make a chicken pot pie which we ate for another 2 meals each, so 10 meals total.

Ingredients:
One thawed and skinned whole chicken
A head of garlic
2 lemons (next time I will use 3 or 4)
salt and pepper
fresh rosemary (i used dried, maybe it makes a difference)

Directions
Place skinned chicken in crockpot, rub down with salt and pepper, place garlic inside the cavity and around the outside, cover with lemon slices and top with rosemary. Cook on low about 7-8 hours or more. Super simple!

This is also WW friendly, serves about 8 at 3 points per person (depends on size of the chicken)

Woot, I also completed task 48 on the 101 list, recording everything I ate for the month of January. The result was losing about 7 pounds this month, not terrible considering I didn't work out really. Another $10 to savings!

Day 28: Love makes sacrifices

2010-02-02T06:20:00.000-08:00

Today’s Dare

What is one of the greatest needs in your spouse’s life right now? Is there a need you could lift from their shoulders today by a daring act of sacrifice on your part? Whether the need is big or small, purpose to do what you can to meet the need.

Day 27: Love encourages

2010-02-01T06:12:00.000-08:00

Today’s Dare

Eliminate the poison of unrealistic expectations in your home. Think of one area where your spouse has told you you’re expecting too much, and tell them you’re sorry for being so hard on them about it. Promise them you’ll seek to understand, and assure them of your unconditional love.

This dare has already been completed several times over across this whole journey. On a side note, yesterday I completed task 66 on the 101 list, blogging everyday for a month! And $10 goes into savings for it!

Day 26: Love is responsible

2010-01-31T06:15:00.000-08:00

Today’s Dare

Take time to pray through your areas of wrongdoing. As for God’s forgiveness, then humble yourself enough to admit them to your spouse. Do it sincerely and truthfully. Ask your spouse for forgiveness as well. No matter how they respond, make sure you cover your responsibility in love. Even if they respond with criticism, accept it by receiving it as counsel.

Day 25: Love forgives

2010-01-30T06:11:00.000-08:00

Today’s Dare

Whatever you haven’t forgiven in your mate, forgive it today. Let it go. Just as we ask Jesus to “forgive us our debts” each day, we must ask Him to help us “forgive our debtors” each day as well. Unforgiveness has been keeping you and your spouse in prison too long. Say from your heart, “I choose to forgive.”

Day 24: Love vs. Lust

2010-01-29T11:58:00.000-08:00

Today’s Dare

End it now. Identify every object of lust in your life and remove it. Single out every lie you’ve swallowed in pursuing forbidden pleasure and reject it. Lust cannot be allowed to live in a back bedroom. It must be killed and destroyed – today – and replaced with the sure promises of God and a heart filled with His perfect love.

Day 23: Love protects

2010-01-28T11:58:00.000-08:00

Today’s Dare

Remove anything that is hindering your relationship, any addiction or influence that’s stealing your affections and turning your heart away from your spouse.

Day 22: Love is faithful

2010-01-27T06:31:00.000-08:00

Today's Dare

Love is a choice, not a feeling. It is an initiated action, not a knee-jerk reaction. Choose today to be committed to love even if your spouse has lost most of their interest in receiving it. Say to them today in words similar to these, "I love you. Period. I choose to love you even if you don't love me in return."

Day 21: Love is Satisfied in God

2010-01-26T06:31:00.000-08:00

Today’s Dare

Be intentional today about making time to pray and read your Bible. Try reading a chapter out of Proverbs each day (there are thirty-one – a full month’s supply), or reading a chapter in the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John). As you do, immerse yourself in the love and promises God has for you. This will add to your growth as you walk with Him.

Day 20: Love is Jesus Christ

2010-01-25T06:30:00.000-08:00

TODAY’s DARE

Dare to take God at His Word. Dare to trust Jesus Christ for salvation. Dare to pray “Lord Jesus, I’m a sinner. But You have shown Your love for me by dying to forgive my sins, and You have proven Your power to save me from death by Your resurrection. Lord, change my heart, and save me by Your grace.”

Write about what this experience has been like for you. Even if you are only renewing your commitment to receive and express His love, what has He shown you today?

Lighter Chicken Francese

2010-01-24T13:01:00.000-08:00

Yum. Absolutely or favorite low fat recipe so far and doesn't taste healthy at all. Gina and her amazing blog did it again! This dish could have come out of the kitchen of a 5 star Italian restaurant. We loved it and the sauce would be excellent served over pasta, which is how we will eat it in the future.

Ingredients:

4 (38 0z) (2.4 lbs) chicken breast halves, thinly sliced (I used 3 breast halves and butterflied them to make 6 pieces)
1/2 cup unbleached flour
1/2 cup egg whites, beaten
1 lemon, juice of
1/2 lemon sliced thin
1/3 cup white wine
1 can fat free chicken broth
Pam cooking spray
salt and fresh pepper
3 tbsp fresh chopped parsley
2 tbsp butter

Directions:
Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Place the flour in a bowl, and the beaten egg whites in another bowl.

Heat a very large non stick pan over medium heat. When hot spray with Pam to lightly coat the bottom of the pan.

Lightly flour chicken, then dip in eggs and add to the hot pan a few at a time. Saute chicken 2-3 minutes on each side. When cooked, transfer onto a plate. Spray the pan again and repeat until all chicken has been cooked.

Once all chicken is cooked, place the chicken broth in the bowl with the remaining flour and whisk. Add to the pan along with the juice of the lemon, white wine, lemon slices, parsley and butter and simmer on low heat for about 2 minutes so it reduces slightly and thickens. Turn off heat. Return chicken to the pan to combine with the sauce. Serve immediately with a nice big salad.

Makes 6 servings, 8 points each

Day 19: Love is impossible

2010-01-24T12:59:00.001-08:00

TODAY’S DARE

Look back over the dares from the previous days. Were there some that seemed impossible to you? Have you realized your need for God to change your heart and to give you the ability to love? Ask Him to show you where you stand with Him, and ask for the strength and grace to settle your eternal destination.

What do you believe God is saying to you? Is there a stirring in your heart? What decision have you made in response to this?

Now that this challenge is about half way over, I definitely found that a few of them seemed impossible to accomplish and I did not give my best effort on those days. I think we have seen some definite improvements in the way we handle each other, so I will try my best to see the next 21 days out.

Day 18: Love seeks to understand

2010-01-23T16:02:00.001-08:00

Today’s Dare

Prepare a special dinner at home, just for the two of you. The dinner can be as nice as you prefer. Focus this time on getting to know your spouse better, perhaps in areas you’ve rarely talked about. Determine to make it an enjoyable evening for you and your mate.

Day 17: Love promotes intimacy

2010-01-22T15:59:00.000-08:00

Today’s Dare

Determine to guard your mate’s secrets (unless they are dangerous to them or to you) and to pray for them. Talk with your spouse, and resolve to demonstrate love in spite of these issues. Really listen to them when they share personal thoughts and struggles with you. Make them feel safe.

Day 16: Love intercedes

2010-01-21T19:56:00.000-08:00

Today’s Dare

Begin Praying for your spouse’s heart. Pray for three specific areas where you desire for God to work in your spouse’s life and in your marriage.

Day 15: Love is honorable

2010-01-20T18:45:00.000-08:00

Today’s Dare

Choose a way to show honor and respect to your spouse that is above your normal routine. It may be holding the door for her. It might be putting his clothes away for him. It may be the way you listen and speak in your communication. Show your mate that he or she is highly esteemed in your eyes.

I definitely did something out of the ordinary today, I gave my hubby a haircut and did a great job!

Day 14: Love takes delight

2010-01-19T16:10:00.000-08:00

Today’s Dare

Purposefully neglect an activity you would normally do so you can spend quality time with your spouse. Do something he or she would love to do or a project they’d really like to work on. Just to be together.

Some of the other dares lately have been harder to do, but this one seems quite simple and enjoyable.

Day 13: Love Fights Fair

2010-01-18T19:59:00.000-08:00

Today’s Dare

Talk with your spouse about establishing healthy rules of engagement. If your mate is not ready for this, then write out your own personal rules to “fight” by. Resolve to abide by them when the next disagreement occurs.

Diet Coke Cupcakes

2010-01-17T16:42:00.001-08:00

The idea behind this creation is genius and the outcome is delicious. If you have ever done weight watchers, then you know about baking with diet coke. It results in a low calorie, very moist and tasty treat!

Ingredients:
Box of cake mix
Can of diet soda
Container of lite cool whip
Sprinkles if desired

Directions:
Combine any flavor cake mix (I used fudge) with a can of diet soda (I used diet coke). Mix well, and pour into 24 cupcake liners. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes. You can also make a cake instead, just use the time according to the pan size. Top each cupcake with a heaping tbsp of cool whip and decorate with sprinkles.

Serves 24, 3 points each (2 without any topping on the cake)

Day 12: Love lets the other win

2010-01-17T16:39:00.000-08:00

Today’s Dare

Demonstrate love by willingly choosing to give in to an area of disagreement between you and your spouse. Tell them you are putting their preference first.

I don't think I did the best job with this today, but I did my best! It was in regards to a life altering decision, so it was a little hard for me to totally given in.

Day 11: Love is cherished

2010-01-16T17:37:00.001-08:00

Today’s Dare

What need does your spouse have that could meet today? Can you run an errand? Give a back rub or foot massage? Is there housework you could help with? Choose a gesture that says, “I cherish you” and do it with a smile.

Day 10: Love is Unconditional

2010-01-15T18:56:00.000-08:00

Today’s Dare

Do something out of the ordinary today for your spouse --- something that proves (to you and to them) that your love is based on your choice and nothing else. Wash her car. Clean the kitchen. Buy his favorite dessert. Fold the laundry. Demonstrate love to them for the sheer joy of being their partner in marriage.

I brought home a huge meat lover's pizza from Casola's for my hubby to enjoy. That was definite love since I am not eating any meat and couldn't enjoy it!

Day 9: Love makes good impressions

2010-01-14T18:38:00.000-08:00

Today’s Dare

Think of a specific way you’d like to greet your spouse today. Do it with a smile and with enthusiasm. Then determine to change your greeting to reflect your love for them.

Hubby is on his way home so I am ready for this one!

Coleslaw, a lost favorite

2010-01-14T08:51:00.000-08:00

Coleslaw is a new favorite of mine. I used to despise it all my life actually. I am thinking it's because I never had any of the the good fattening kind like you get at BBQ restaurants. I would say maybe in the past 6 months I have taken an interest in it. Well I looked over a few recipes and I figured I could cut out a lot of fat and calories so here is a recipe I came up with and it is my absolute favorite new thing, I could eat it for dessert because of the sweet tangy flavor.

Ingredients
16 oz. bag fresh coleslaw mix (I used Publix brand but Dole is great, too.)
3/4 cup Light Miracle Whip
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp poppy seeds

Directions
1. Mix everything together. That is really pretty much it. To be more organized, I made the dressing first which was everything except the coleslaw mix and I whisked it around for a bit, then tossed in the coleslaw mix.

Makes 8 servings, 2 Points per serving

Chocolate Banana Soufflés

2010-01-13T20:35:00.000-08:00

These didn't photograph too well but they were definitely a yummy treat. Also another great recipe from Gina's blog. The key to making these look pretty is using the right size ramekins.

Ingredients
2 mashed bananas, the riper the better
2 tsp constarch
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 egg whites
3 tbsp sugar
Pam spray

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and spray ramekins. Place on baking sheet or pan.
2. Mash bananas with vanilla in large bowl. Add cornstarch and cocoa and blend well.
3. In another bowl, beat egg whites and sugar until soft peaks form. Add 1/3 of the mixture to the banana mixture. Fold in the rest of the egg whites.
4. Pour into ramekins. Bake at 400 for 15 minutes. Serve immediately or they will fall (we served ours with lite cool whip on top.)

4 servings , 2.5 Weight Watchers points per serving

Day 8: Love is not jealous

2010-01-13T07:12:00.000-08:00

Today’s Dare

Determine to become your spouse’s biggest fan and to reject any thoughts of jealousy. To help set your heart on your spouse and focus on their achievements, take yesterday’s list of negative attributes and discreetly burn it. Then share with your spouse how glad you are about a success he or she recently enjoyed.

I love today's dare and cannot wait to go home and talk!

Day 7: Love believes the best

2010-01-12T06:07:00.000-08:00

Today’s Dare

For today’s dare, get two sheets of paper. On the first one, spend a few minutes writing out positive things about your spouse. Then do the same with negative things on the second sheet. Place both sheets in a secret place for another day. There is a different purpose and plan for each. At some point during the remainder of the day, pick a positive attribute from the first list and thank your spouse for having this characteristic.

This will be my little project on my lunch break. Doesn't sound too hard!

Day 6: Love is not irritable

2010-01-11T12:42:00.000-08:00

-TODAY'S DARE-
Choose today to react to tough circumstances in your

marriage in loving ways instead of with irritation.

Begin by making a list of areas where you need to

add margin to your schedule. Then list any

wrong motivations that you need to release from your life.

I will try my best with this one, I really will.

Crockpot Santa Fe Chicken

2010-01-10T17:13:00.000-08:00

Another one of Gina's fabulous recipes which I made some changes to. A hot thick dish like this was perfect for the 40 degree weather we have been having. Quite chilly for a South Florida winter, I believe it's the coldest winter on record so far. It also gave me a different way to enjoy chicken, since I am not eating beef or pork till April. Anyway, here's what we had for dinner:

Ingredients for Crockpot Santa Fe Chicken:

1.5 lbs chicken breast
1 can of Rotel, drained
1 can of black beans, drained
8 oz frozen corn
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (I used a tsp of the cilantro in the spice jar)
2 cups chicken broth (use one can or make it with bullion like I did)
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp onion powder
1-2 tsp chili powder (your preference)
salt to taste

Combine all but the chicken in the crockpot. Lay the chicken breasts on top and season with salt. Cook on low 10 hours or high 6 hours. Before serving, remove chicken and shred with a fork, then return to the crockpot (I didn't do this, I serve the large chicken chunks because I was lazy.) Serve over rice (count the extra points though.)

Serves 8, 4 Weight Watchers Points

Day 5: Love is not rude

2010-01-10T08:24:00.000-08:00

Today’s Dare

Ask your spouse to tell you three
things that cause him or her to be
uncomfortable or irritated with you.
You must do so without attacking them
or justifying your behavior. This is
from their perspective only.

Eek, not looking forward to asking this one! Don't think I will be reporting back what he says either!

Day 4: Love is thoughtful

2010-01-09T17:17:00.000-08:00

Today’s Dare

Contact your spouse sometime during
the business of the day. Have no agenda
other than asking how he or she
is doing and if there is anything
you could do for them.

I don't know why they came up with this one for a Saturday, but it was easy enough to accomplish since my hubby was at a meeting today and I was at a bridal shower.

Day 3: Selflessness

2010-01-08T06:26:00.000-08:00

Today’s Dare

Whatever you put your time, energy, and
money into will become more important
to you. It’s hard to care for something
you are not investing in. Along with
restraining from negative comments,
buy your spouse something that says,
“I was thinking of you today.”

Yesterday I cooked my hubby a turkey dinner and brought it to him to enjoy in front of the TV while the BCS game is on. Today I think I will go to the store to bring him his favorite beer since we didn't have any yesterday for the game.

Day 2: Love is Kind

2010-01-07T06:20:00.000-08:00

Today’s Dare

In addition to saying nothing
negative to your spouse again today,
do at least one unexpected gesture
as an act of kindness.

I didn't realize they were going to build on one another, this is definitely going to be a challenge by the time day 20 comes along!

The Love Dare begins.. Day 1: Patience.

2010-01-06T09:34:00.000-08:00

Is any relationship truly fireproof? If you have seen the movie, then you know what kind of challenge the Love Dare is all about. The Love Dare is a 40 day journey in which you make concious decisions to treat yourself with respect and love, while doing daily devotionals.The nesties are going to implement the love dare and reflect on it together, so I thought would join them and I could see how it affects my relationship with my husband. Since the challenge ends on Valentine's day, it's the perfect time to smooth any rough waters. You can follow along with KLove as they announce the different dares each day. So today begins Day 1- Patience.

Today's Dare

The first part of this dare is fairly
simple. Although love is communicated
in a number of ways, our words often
reflect the condition of our heart. For
the next day, resolve to demonstrate
patience and to say nothing negative
to your spouse at all. If the temptation
arises, choose not to say anything. It’s
better to hold your tongue than to say
something you’ll regret.

Cauliflower Soup

2010-01-05T20:18:00.000-08:00

I spent a long time on Ginas' blog about Weight Watchers recipes, and I will be trying tons of them out. This soup is very rich, flavorful, and best of all, only 1 point per serving!

Ingredients:
1 head of cauliflower, broken into pieces
4 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 tsp flour
1 tbsp butter
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Melt butter in a large saucepan, and then add the flour. Stir until it becomes a roux.
2. Add the broth, boil.
3. Throw in onions and cauliflower, boil about 10 minutes until soft.
4. Blend in immersion blender. Salt and pepper to taste.

Makes 4 servings, 1 point each.

Avena- healthy oatmeal drink

2010-01-04T18:36:00.000-08:00

I have been drinking this for breakfast on the way to work in the mornings and I love it. I got this recipe from Gina's blog which I only skimmed through for a few minutes, but I know I will be spending lots of time on there in the future because her weight watchers recipes look awesome and she has tons of them.

Avena Ingredients
1/2 old fashioned or quick cooking oatmeal
1 cup 1% milk
3 tbsp sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
2 cups water

1. Prepare oatmeal according to package. Typically I microwave 1/2 cup oats and 1 cup of water for 5 minutes.
2. Blend the prepared oatmeal and all other ingredients in blender.
3. Chill for a few hours or blend with ice.

Makes 4 services, 2 Weight Watchers Points each

The Green Monster

2010-01-03T16:37:00.000-08:00

This is the ultimate health drink to me. You get a serving of dairy, veggies, fruit, and healthy fat all in one shake. And it was delicious and filling. The best thing about the Green Monster shake is you can swap ingredients to fit your likes, and I may play around with what I like, but this is the one I made today.

A handful of spinach
1 frozen banana
1 tbsp peanut butter
1 cup 1% milk
1 tbsp honey

Blend it all together, sip and repeat! 7 Weight Watchers points for the whole recipe.

Zesty Chicken Meatloaf

2010-01-02T16:20:00.000-08:00

I am working on Goal 43 for my bucket list, I am pretty sure I can find way more than 52 new recipes this year, more like 80 or so. We shall see! I am also working on #47, which is no red meat or pork for the next 90 days. Look out for tons of chicken and turkey recipes for the next little bit, hehe. Also working on #45 simultaneously.

So here we go with my latest creation (adapted from allrecipes.com)

Zesty Chicken Meatloaf

Ingredients:
1 pound ground chicken
2 eggs
1 cup plain breadcrumbs
1 packet meatloaf seasoning (taco seasoning is probably also yummy)
3 tbsp salsa
2 tbsp ranch dressing
1/2 cup shredded cheese

Preheat the oven at 350. Combine all ingredients in a bowl, knead with hands and then shape into a loaf form and put in a loaf pan. Bake 50-60 minutes. Serve with shredded cheese and sour cream if desired.

Makes 8 servings
5 Weight Watchers Points (sour cream extra)

We ate this with steamed rice, corn, and a slice of lime, definitely a mexican vibe to this dish. Hubby loved it and thought it was made with ground beef!

Welcome 2010!

2010-01-01T12:56:00.000-08:00

Instead of making new year's resolutions that never seem to happen, I decided to give myself some extra time. 1001 days in fact. There are many bloggers out there who have participated in this challenge and I decided to try it as well. You can check out the Day Zero Project for more information. I have created a Bucket List of goals I would like to accomplish.... 101 goals in 1001 days. I figure if I make the list public and blog about my experiences, then there is a stronger sense of accountability and more motivation to actually follow through. Who knows how many things I will actually accomplish, but I'll have fun trying. I am keeping an updated list linked to this blog in the right column, but I will post it here as well for a quick glance. Hopefully some of the goals I have listed will become habits that continue for a lifetime. Wish me luck, and if you get inspired to write your own list, let me know so I can cross off number 67!

The Challenge:
Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.

The Criteria:
Tasks must be specific (ie. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (ie. represent some amount of work on your part).

Why 1001 Days?
Many people have created lists in the past - frequently simple challenges such as New Year's resolutions or a 'Bucket List'. The key to beating procrastination is to set a deadline that is realistic. 1001 Days (about 2.75 years) is a better period of time than a year, because it allows you several seasons to complete the tasks, which is better for organising and timing some tasks such as overseas trips, study semesters, or outdoor activities.

Items in GREEN have been completed, ORANGE are in progress

MY BUCKET LIST

MONEY MATTERS

1. Pay off my student loans

2. Pay off my hubby's truck

3. Become first time homeowners

4. Transfer entire tax return into savings

5. Transfer $10 to my savings account as I complete each task (0/101)

6. Donate $10 to charity for each task not completed

7. Create a will (just in case!)

8. Establish a savings account for my future children

9. Pay off all credit cards

10. Get a raise at work

11. Buy a new car

12. Leave a 100% tip

13. Sell something I made

14. Buy formal dining room furniture

15. Spend $100 at a casino

16. Give $20 to a homeless person

17. Buy new living room furniture

18. Create a monthly budget

RELATIONSHIPS

19. Send random gifts to 5 friends (0/5)

20. Adopt another kitten or a puppy

21. Make a baby

22. Have a reunion with all of my UF friends

23. Exchange letters with a pen pal

24. Write a letter to my husband on each wedding anniversary (0/3)

25. Attend 4 Nestie GTGs in one year (0/4)

26. Write letters to 5 people expressing what they mean to me (0/5)

27. Send Christmas cards to 100 people one year

28. Call my NJ relatives twice a month for a year (0/12)

29. Have a date night with my husband once a month for a year (0/12)

TRAVEL & ADVENTURE

30. Las Vegas

31. Take an international vacation

32. Tennessee to visit Yvonne

33. New Jersey to visit my family

34. Minnesota to visit my husband's family

35. Shout from the top of a mountain

36. St. Augustine, the spot where we got engaged

37. North Carolina

38. Go on a cruise

39. Update passport with new last name

40. Allow my husband to fly us somewhere without another pilot

41. Go Para sailing

HEALTH & FITNESS

42. Complete Couch to 5K program

43. Try a new healthy recipe once a week for a year (0/52)

44. Bring lunch to work every day for a month (0/20)

45. Lose 50 pounds (0/50)

46. Jillian Michael's 30 day Shred every day for 30 days (0/30)

47. No red meat or pork for 90 days (0/90)

48. Record every calorie consumed for 30 days (0/30)

49. 50 crunches a day for 50 days (0/50)

50. Take a Zumba class

51. Get a professional massage

52. Drink only water every day for one month (0/30)

53. No eating after 8 PM every day for a month (0/30)

FASHION & BEAUTY

54. Buy a pair of jeans that costs more than $100

55. Dye my hair

56. Wear a different pair of shoes to work every day for a month (0/20)

57. Donate hair to locks of love

58. Take boudoir pictures

59. Straighten my hair and wear make up every day for a month (0/30)

60. Get laser hair removal on my legs

61. Wear a bikini in public

62. Get a makeover

63. Refrain from purchasing any clothes or accessories for 2 months

HOBBIES & ENTERTAINMENT

64. Take a cake decorating class

65. Learn how to create floral arrangements

66. Compose a blog entry every day for one month (0/30)

67. Inspire someone to begin a 101 in 1001 list

68. Read one new book each month for a year (0/12)

69. Watch a new movie that begins with each letter of the alphabet (0/26)

70. Take a picture with a celebrity or get an autograph

71. See a psychic

72. Attend a convention

73. Be a guest blogger on someone's blog

74. See a movie on opening night

75. Host a house party

76. See a live production

77. Create 10 DIY projects for our house (0/10)

78. Buy an original piece of art

79. Try 10 new restaurants (0/10)

80. Plan a surprise party

JUST FOR FUN

81. Send a postcard to PostSecret

82. No facebook for one week

83. Buy dinner for a stranger

84. Leave 25 post-its for Operation Beautiful (0/25)

85. Make a snow angel

86. Buy a real Christmas tree

87. Write a letter to my state senator

88. Write 3 letters of praise for a great product or service (0/3)

89. Donate 101 items (0/101)

90. Learn to drive a stick shift car

91. Create my own cookbook

92. Write a letter to my 16 year old self

93. List 100 things I am thankful for

94. Stay home from work one day for no reason at all

95. Execute an April Fool's Day joke

96. Use reusable grocery bags for one month

97. Win a bet

98. Take an IQ test

99. Rearrange all of the furniture in the house

100. Write a new list of 101 things

101. Reflect on this challenge

9 great things that happened in 2009

2009-12-31T15:10:00.000-08:00

1. Finally got married to Ollie after 4 years of dating
2. Moved in together with my hubby
3. Spent a week in St. Lucia for our honeymoon
4. Had a great bridal shower thrown by my awesome bridesmaids
5. Opened my own wedding planning business
6. Adopted a kitty cat named Charles
7. Started a new job as an academic advisor which I love
8. Began the house hunting process
9. Went to Vermont for Yvonne's wedding

I will be rolling out a new project tomorrow and announcing the winner of my DOC contest. Bring it on 2010!

Crockpot Potroast

2009-12-28T16:39:00.000-08:00

Very easy to make and only requires 5 ingredients:

1 2-3 lb beef shoulder or any other cut
Baby carrots, as many as wanted or can fit in the crock pot (I used a 4 quart size)
Potatoes cut into chunks, with or without skin
1 can of cream of mushroom soup, condensed
1 package of onion soup mix

Put the beef on the bottom of the crockpot and top with all of the veggies. Mix the onion soup mix and the mushroom soup together in a bowl until blended, and then dump into the crockpot. Cook on low at least 8 hours, or 4 hours on high. One of our favorites!

Crispy Orange Beef

2009-12-27T17:35:00.001-08:00

Ingredients

For Stewed Meat:

1 lb stew beef
flour (for dredging)
cooking oil (to sauté meat)
dash of salt and pepper

For Sauce:

1 tablespoon cooking oil
1/2 cup teriyaki sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon flour
juice of 1 orange
zest of half an orange
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
pepper, to taste

To prepare meat:

Season stew meat very lightly with salt and pepper and lightly toss in flour. Shake off excess flour. Coat a shallow pan with cooking oil and gently pan fry stew meat. (I prefer the shake and bake method where you throw the meat, flour, and salt and pepper in a baggie or a tupperware and shake it all up, otherwise this could take awhile if the meat is in very small pieces.)

Drain meat and set aside.

To prepare the sauce:

Add cooking oil to sauce pan and gently cook garlic. Add flour to garlic and oil; cook to remove the uncooked flour taste. It will look pasty at first.

Stir in soy sauce and teriyaki sauce, whisking to prevent lumps. Add orange zest, orange juice, pepper, and all sugars.

Allow sauce to come to a boil and it will thicken. Cook to desired consistency. Toss stew meat in enough of the sauce just to coat it. Serve over rice.

This recipe definitely curbs your appetite when you are in the mood for Chinese food, and it cost me about $6 to make 2 large plates of it.

The Best Ever Flan

2009-12-26T17:37:00.000-08:00

This was my first attempt at making my own flan, and it was the best one I have ever tasted, and many of my Cuban family members also agreed. It was also very simple and I had all of the ingredients already in my house. This recipe came from one of my coworkers, so thank you Frances!

Ingredients:

1 can of sweetened condensed milk
1 can of evaporated milk
1 block of cream cheese
4 egg yolks
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 cup sugar

Directions:

1. In a small saucepan, heat the sugar on medium until it melts and caramelizes. The sugar will go from brown, to golden and then to red if it burns, so keep stirring and keep it in the golden shade. If there are a few small lumps remaining, that is okay because they will melt in the oven.

2. While the sugar is melting, turn the oven on to 350 and place your 8x8 square or round pie pan in the oven to keep it hot. If the pan is hot, then the caramel will not harden as quickly. Pour the caramel into the hot baking pan, and smooth it around until the bottom is completely coated.

3. As the caramel cools, you can begin making the custard. Blend the two cans of milk, the vanilla and the cream cheese together in the blender. Drop one egg yolk at a time into the blender and blend for a few seconds in between the yolks.

4. Pour the custard mixture into your baking pan. This pan will need a "water bath" for best results, just like most cheesecakes and custard desserts. To do so, simply use a larger lasagna size pan (9x13 or so) and fill it with enough water so that the water line is halfway up the side of the flan.

5. Bake at 350 for an hour. Let it cool for 15 minutes and then place in the fridge to chill for 3 hours or more. To serve, invert the pan with a large plate and shake the pan to release the flan. We didn't do this part, we just ate it from the pan because everyone was too impatient. It got rave reviews and I will be bringing it to every Noche Buena celebration from now on.

Our First Christmas as Mr. and Mrs!

2009-12-25T17:58:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas to all of our friends and family! Today we celebrated our first Christmas as husband and wife, so I thought I would share a few traditions that we follow.

The first tradition is one that not to many people have heard of, except for anyone with German heritage. I participated in an ornament exchange this year, and the ornament that my elf really wanted was the pickle ornament. I was very excited that someone else knew about this tradition and wanted to partake.

Here’s one version of the “pickle legend” from a website that sells ornaments: “A very old Christmas eve tradition in Germany was to hide a pickle [ornament] deep in the branches of the family Christmas Tree. The parents hung the pickle last after all the other ornaments were in place. In the morning they knew the most observant child would receive an extra gift from St. Nicholas. The first adult who finds the pickle traditionally gets good luck for the whole year.” This Christmas pickle story, with a few minor variations, can be found all over the Web, in printed ads, and inside the ornament package. It says that Germans hang a pickle-shaped glass ornament on the Christmas tree hidden away so it’s difficult to find. The first child to find it on Christmas morning gets a special treat or an extra present.

Here is a picture of the pickle ornament that hangs on my parents' Christmas tree.

Every year on December 24th, my father's side of the family gets together to celebrate my cousin Christina's birthday and Noche Buena. We play board games, drink heavily, and pig out on roasted pig, rice and beans, yucca, salad, and birthday cake. This year, I tried making my very first flan for dessert. Flan is one of my favorites and I have no clue how I went this long without trying to make one. The recipe will follow in the next post. The "cousins" consist of myself, Christina, Amy and Monica. We were inseparable growing up, and although we don't get to see each other too often anymore, we know we will be together on December 24th and we will have to take our "cousin" picture. Here is this years'.

We spent Christmas Eve at my parents' house so that we could all open presents together in the morning. Charles came along with us for the festivities. Normally we would go visit Ollie's family in the afternoon, but they went to North Carolina to celebrate a very white Christmas with a few feet of snow.

We don't have too much space in our house but we did do a little bit of decorating. We had to make sure Charles' first Christmas was a special one!

Our First Christmas ornament, given to us during the ornament exchange. Thanks Gladys!

Our stockings hung off the audio pier... can you guess whose is whose? The one with the "A" belongs to Charles. Doesn't make much sense, I know.

The Mr. and Mrs!

My hubby and our kitty

2009-12-23T18:25:00.001-08:00

I got my eyebrows threaded!

2009-12-23T07:23:00.000-08:00

Holy cow, what a life changing experience! I have never had such perfectly shaped eyebrows in my life. I think my range of facial expressions just doubled. I decided to try threading because my skin is way too sensitive for waxing (need I remember what happened the week before my wedding? shudder....) and with plucking I can never get my eyebrows to look even. It only took 10 minutes and I did it on my lunch break yesterday. I wish I could have watched what she was doing to me, but I had to keep my eyes closed so I am not exactly sure what went down, so I googled some info if you don't know what threading is (info from WiseGeek.)

Threading involves twisting a piece of thread, usually cotton, into a double strand. This double stranded thread is used to pick up a line of hair and then remove it, creating a very clean, precise hairline. Threading is the technique preferred by Indian movie stars, who are often distinguished by their crisp brow lines. Threading can be used to eliminate a unibrow, raise the arch of the eyebrow, or add shape and definition to the brow. Because it removes hair by the follicle, it is a reasonably long lasting hair removal technique as well. Repeat visits after three to four weeks are standard. The technique is also not terribly expensive because it is easy to do quickly and does not require costly chemical ingredients. For women who would like to pursue a more natural beauty regimen, eyebrowis a good choice, since it does not use harmful products.

Done with my holiday baking!

2009-12-20T11:04:00.000-08:00

Organic Laundry Detergent

2009-12-20T08:31:00.000-08:00

I have been introduced to making my own laundry detergent from my friend Jenise. It is even organic too, if you are yuppie like that. I didn't realize how easy it was and it looked like a fun project. Most of the ingredients were found at Publix, but I had to go to Whole Foods for Dr. Bronner's soap, or you can order it online but it isn't really cheaper.

1 bar Dr. Bronner's castile bar soap - finely grated (or you can just chop it up with a knife into small pieces like I did. Jenise's favorites were peppermint and lavender, so that is what I bought as well.) Cost: $4.19 per bar, the most expensive part

1/2 cup Washing Soda Cost: $2.19 for the box

1/2 cup Borax Cost: $3.99 for the box

1/4-1/2 cup Baking Soda Cost $.69 for a small box

In a large pot, heat 3 pints of water. Add the grated bar soap and stir until melted. Then add the washing soda, baking soda, and borax. Stir until powder is dissolved, then remove from heat. This makes your whole house smell so fresh and so clean.

In a 2 gallon clean pail, pour 1 quart of hot water and add the heated soap mixture. Top pail with cold water and stir well.

You can also add 10-15 drops of your favorite essential oil.

Use 1/2-1 cup per load, shaking or stirring soap before each use (it will gel a little).

You can buy jars or containers and package this up very nicely to give as gifts. Great idea for the person who is everything or if you don't know what to get someone. Who doesn't use laundry detergent?

Festive Fudge Blossoms

2009-12-20T08:18:00.000-08:00

I am a big fan of making super easy recipes and letting everyone think you slaved away for hours. This is a very basic recipe that you can play with and make tons of different versions of it.

Ingredients:
1 box (18.25 ounces) of chocolate fudge cake mix (told you it was easy, starts with a box!)
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 egg, slightly beaten
3/4 cup finely chopped walnuts (or any nut)
48 hershey's kisses, or hugs, or peanut butter cups

1. Preheat oven to 350. Cut butter into cake mix in large bowl until it resembles course crumbs. Stir in egg and 2 tablespoons water until well blended.

2. Shape dough into 1/2 inch balls, or use small cookie scooper. Roll the balls into the chopped nuts, pressing nuts gently into dough. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.

3. Bake cookies 12 minutes or until puffy and nearly set. Place candy in center of each cookie, bake one minute more. Cool 2 minutes on baking sheet, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

Chocolate Fudge Cake Balls

2009-12-20T08:09:00.000-08:00

One of the most popular baking sites on the interwebs is Bakerella, and spending too much time on there will make your pants tight. Making truffle like cake balls is so easy though and they come out so amazing, you just have to do it.

Here is what you do: bake a cake from the box, any flavor. I used devil's food cake. After it cools, crumble it up in a large bowl. If you have a kitchenaid mixer or any stand mixer, just throw it there on low and let the mixer break it up. Then dump in a container of icing, and flavor. I used a can of milk chocolate. Once it is all mixed up, roll the mix into little balls or use a cookie scooper, my favorite thing ever. Put them in the fridge to harden for about an hour. Then melt down some of your favorite chocolate chips. The best way to do this is to boil a small saucepan of water, then place a glass bowl on top of the pot and pour the chips in. Do not let the water touch the bowl. Stir until melted and smooth, then roll the cake balls around in there until they are coated, and place on wax paper.

You can decorate them if you wish by swirling different kinds of chocolate on top, sprinkles, nuts, or icing. We had some leftover pink icing so I piped that on top to make it look more holiday like. Refrigerate till it is time to serve them.

Chicken Pot Pie

2009-12-20T07:53:00.001-08:00

I saw this recipe on my friend Devynn's cooking blog, and I have made it several times since then. The good thing about chicken pot pie is you can use whatever you have on hand, so we have never made the exact same one twice. Sometimes I make my own pie crust, sometimes I use pillsbury biscuits on top, and this is the easiest and tastes the best: bisquick mix on top. This particular time, I was lame and used a store bought crust because I had no time to make one.
Anyway, here is the recipe for the inner goods:

CHICKEN POT PIE
Prep: 40 minutes Bake: 35 minutes 6 servings
Oven: 425 degrees Pan: 9x9x2

1 package (10 ounces) frozen peas and carrots (or whatever veggies you want to use, broccoli is REALLY good in this)
1/3 cup butter or stick margarine
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 3/4 cup chicken broth
2/3 cup milk
Pastry crust: make your own or use store bought

1. Please frozen veggies in a bowl and cover in cold water to separate (drain before adding)
2. Melt butter in 2-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add flour, onion, salt and pepper (makes a roux). Cook and stir constantly until mixture is bubbly, remove from heat and stir in broth and milk. Remember to remove from heat so you don't scald the milk. Return to heat and oil, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute. Stir in chicken and veggies, remove from heat.
3. Heat oven to 425 degrees.
4. Make pastry (I do this first) roll two-thirds of hte pastry into a 13-inch square. Ease into an ungreased 9x9x2. Pour chicken mixture into pastry-lined dish.
5. Roll remaining pastry into 11-inch square. You can cut out designs and stuff with a cookie cutter and make it all pretty, I just cut slits in the top on the diagonalto let air vent. Turn edges of the pastry and cut off the excess.
6. Bake about 35 minutes or until golden brown.

My hubby adores this recipe, and we usually serve it with mashed potatoes. Enjoy!

Crockpot Roasting Chicken

2009-12-09T20:12:00.000-08:00

I picked up a 5 pound roasting chicken at Winn-Dixie for 6 bucks yesterday. I have always wanted to make a whole chicken in the crockpot, and after how wonderful my Thanksgiving turkey came out, I was itching to make it this week. I skinned the chicken to the best of my ability, took out the neck parts, and this chicken actually came with a packet of seasoning. I had a recipe I was going to use that involved 6 or so different spices, but I decided to be lazy and use the packet it came with. I coated the chicken on all sides, and turned it on low at 10 AM this morning. When I came home from work at 8:30, this is what I saw:

It looked great and the house smelled divine. You can see just how much seasoning came in the packet! My husband asked me if there was any pepper left in the house. Hmph. I cooked it on low for 9 hours, and then my programmable crockpot switched to warm around 7 tonight and I threw a chicken pasta side in the microwave, steamed some corn, and that's whats for dinner. Holy tenderness batman!

Lemon Cake

2009-12-09T19:59:00.000-08:00

My hubby requested a lemon cake for his birthday back in August, so I asked his grandma for the recipe he loves. I whipped up this super simple cake a few months back, and Yvonne's mom had a slice of it and she loved it. It was so moist even though I had made it almost a week earlier before she tasted it. So when her birthday came around last week, I recreated the cake and brought it to her house, along with all the Christmas gifts Yvonne gave me in NC to bring home to her family. It was fun playing Santa!

Lemon Cake ingredients:

1 package of lemon cake w/out pudding

1 pack lemon jello

¾ cup water

4 eggs

¾ c Wesson oil

Blend all together, beat 4 mins on high, scrape sides as it mixes.

Grease and flour 9 inch springform pan.

Bake at 350 for one hour.

I drizzled half a cup of melted cream cheese frosting over the cake to make a glaze-like topping. Top it with whatever you wish, powdered sugar or white chocolate would also be yummy.

Our Thanksgiving Vacation

2009-12-04T18:10:00.000-08:00

We left South Florida on the Friday before Thanksgiving, and stayed the night at Ollie's grandma's house in Daytona. Charles came with us and she thought he was a very pretty kitty. The next morning we drove the rest of the way to Weaverville, NC which is a few miles outside of Asheville. We were there all the way until the Sunday after Thanksgiving, so we did a lot of things and also had plenty of time to relax. This is pretty much what we did:

Saturday: arrived in Weaverville and visited Ollie's friend Ben in their new home and saw his brand new baby Henry, what a cutie.

Sunday: went food shopping, fixed the water heater so we can finally take showers, and attended Sage's memorial service (see previous post.)

Monday: Went shopping at Asheville Mall and left our wedding rings at Helzberg to get redipped and made all shiny and new again.

Tuesday: We drove to the top of Mount Mitchell, which is the highest peak east of the Mississippi. Then we hiked to the top of Mt. Craig which is the next peak over) and then back down again. To get there you need to drive for a good while up the Blue Ridge Parkway. We were up so high that the weather was below us.

you can see the weather below us in the background

Wednesday: We had lunch at the Moe's in Biltmore Village (yes, there is a Moe's! I can officially live here now) after we visited Asheville's Urgent Care Clinic so I can take my drug test for the job offer I had received earlier that day. We also traveled to the nearby town of Marshall to check out the real estate in the area. It is a dream of ours to move to western NC in the near future, but Marshall was definitely way too much out in the sticks for us. My BFF Yvonne and her husband Tony also arrived super late that night from TN to spend the holiday weekend with us.

Thursday: Before we left in the morning, I prepared my turkey for the crockpot and left it simmering all day. Since we weren't going to be home, we couldn't leave the oven on so this worked out perfectly. We visited the Biltmore Estate, spent some time wine tasting, and just enjoying the life of the ridiculously wealthy. The estate is over 800 acres, and the home is 175,000 square feet. It is the largest private residence in the United States, and this is only the summer home for the Vanderbilt family.

We picked up a foreclosure while we were there...

The view from the terrace

Here we are posing with Charles' older cousin

And then we tasted all the wine we could.... with a baby.

When we got home, the turkey was ready and we were starving. Yvonne and I whipped up the other side dished, and we dove in. This was my favorite turkey I had ever eaten, so tender and juicy it all fell apart. I used a turkey breast, a stick of butter, a can of broth, salt and pepper, and let it go for about 8 hours. Here are some pics of our feast (please excuse the weaponry on the table, silly boys!)

We had tons of leftovers so we had Thanksgiving part 2 on Saturday night.

Friday: This is my first year not braving the crowds at 4 AM to partake in my favorite shopping day. For once, I actually did not need or want anything. I am guessing it is because we got married this year and got our share of stuff for awhile. We did brave the mall later that day to check out new cell phones and see the deals they were offering. I was about to get the Droid but I am still holding out for an iphone, we shall see what happens in a few months. For lunch we had good ole' BBQ at Luella's BBQ. Back at the house, we found some expired cans of food in the pantry, so the guys decided to use them for target practice. The girls got turns too, but the guys were too busy telling us how to shoot to take our pictures. Bah humbug.

We visited with the neighbors that maintain the property that my in-laws own up there (where we were staying) and also went to downtown Asheville that night to eat at Wasabi's for some good sushi. It was freezing outside so there weren't really too many hippies around. I really wanted Yvonne to see how many there normally are around town.

Saturday: Ollie decided to drive us to a different mall instead of the Asheville Mall we had been to many times already that week. It was called the Biltmore Square Mall, and man was it feeling the brunt of the recession. Almost every store had closed down and all we saw were vacant spaces. Oh well, it was worth driving out there because we passed this road on the way, and had to take a picture:

This sign was actually at the intersection of Ollie Weaver and Ayers Road. How crazy is that?
When we got back into Weaverville, we ate at Blue Mountain Pizza which is the local pizza joint, and the hippies there did not disappoint. That afternoon, we saw the Gators demolish the Seminoles in the swamp. Gator games take priority, even on vacation.

Sunday: we left Weaverville at around 10:30 AM, and got back to South Florida at 3 AM. It was a loooong drive, but the most annoying part was the 3 hour holdup in South Carolina because of the accident on the OTHER side of the highway. That's right, our lanes were free and clear, but everyone needed to stop and slow down to investigate the other side of the highway. I still cannot get over that cost us 3 hours.

Here we have some pictures of the property my husband's parents' own. I am so glad we can visit as often as we want. Can't wait to go back next year!

Charles goes for a walk

2009-11-16T18:11:00.000-08:00

It's not often you see a cat being walked on a leash, but we decided to give it a try. We are heading to North Carolina on Friday, and Charles will be going on his first long car ride with us, so we figured he needed to learn how to be walked on a leash at rest stops. My husband had way too much fun doing this. Charles was wary of the harness and leash at first, but now he won't stop scratching at the door to go outside. He is getting pretty big now and is about 8 months old.

GO GATORS!

2009-10-24T15:59:00.000-07:00

If the Gators continue to play tonight the way they have been playing the past few games, I will definitely have heart palpitations. That is all I have to say.

Buffalo Chicken Lasagna

2009-10-24T15:41:00.001-07:00

Ok, so this is the last recipe from A Year of Slowcooking that I absolutely had to try right away. I am sure I will be making more in the very near future, like next week haha. The Buffalo Chicken Lasagna recipe just sounded so delicious, I knew it would be a hit. It definitely would have been out of this world if we had cooked it the correct amount of time. Lets just say ours cooked about 4 hours longer than it was supposed to... not a good recipe to leave cooking for 12 hours straight. Our noodles were soggy and the cheese burned, but it was still actually tasty and it looked good. I was actually worried that uncooked noodles wouldn't cook enough in the crockpot. So I can imagine how awesome it would have tasted when it was cooked correctly, and I will definitely be trying it again.

Buffalo Chicken Lasagna... in the crockpot!

Ingredients:
--uncooked traditional lasagna noodles
--4 already cooked chicken breast halves
--jar of prepared pasta sauce
--1 cup buffalo wing sauce
--3 red, yellow, or orange bell peppers (I didn't use any, we didn't care)
--tub of ricotta cheese (15 oz)
--2 cups shredded cheese (mozzarella and cheddar blend- or whatever your fave is)
--1/2 cup bleu cheese crumbles
--1/4 cup of water (add at very end)

Directions:

use at least a 5qt crockpot, or cut back on the amount of ingredients.

In a large glass bowl, combine cooked and chopped chicken breast, the pasta sauce, and 1 cup of buffalo wing sauce.

Ladle a big spoonful of the sauce into the bottom of your crockpot. Cover with a layer of uncooked lasagna noodles. You'll have to break them to get a proper fit.

Add a smear of ricotta cheese to the top of the noodles. Add a layer of chopped bell pepper. Sprinkle on a handful of shredded cheese.

Repeat layers until you run out of ingredients.

Add the bleu cheese crumbles, if desired. Put the 1/4 cup of water into your empty pasta sauce jar and shake. Pour the liquid over the top of the entire lasagna.

Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours, or on high for 4-5. When cooking time is complete, unplug and take off the lid of the crock. Let it sit for 20 minutes before cutting into. Or it will fall apart. We didn't have this problem though because it was so overcooked.

Crockpot kick continues.... Chicken Noodle Soup

2009-10-24T15:23:00.000-07:00

Here comes another recipe from A Year of Slowcooking. Who doesn't want chicken noodle soup when it is finally cool enough to need long sleeves outside? I busted out the brand new digital crockpot for this recipe, and I can tell it has changed my life already (and you can see it's gorgeousness in the above photo.) This crockpot holds 6 Quarts, so not to repeat the overflowing that occured with the Shepherd's Pie.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups already cooked chicken meat (I used 3 boneless chicken breasts.)
6 cups water
1 or 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and chunked
2 teaspoons chicken bouillon granules
1 cup broccoli florets
1 small onion, diced
1 tablespoon, plus 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
kosher salt to taste (probably a good 1 teaspoon, since the base is water)
50-cent piece size, or so, handful of raw spaghetti noodles to add at the end (I used about half a bag of egg noodles.)
1 large handful raw spinach leaves to add at the end (I forgot to buy the spinach, so we went without.)
Parmesan and Asiago cheese, optional garnish

Directions:

Start with a slow cooker with 6 cups of water, and add chicken. Add all vegetables except for the spinach leaves. Stir in the bouillon and vinegar. Salt to taste. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours, or until sweet potatoes are tender and the onion is translucent.

15 minutes before serving, put in raw spaghetti noodles and a large handful of spinach. Cover and flip to high.

Garnish with parmesan and asiago cheeses, if desired.

We absolutely enjoyed it and it was a definite comfort food!

Shepherd's Pie, crockpot style

2009-10-20T05:48:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite cooking blogs revolves around crockpots, which is great because I am a faithful user of mine. Stephanie O'dea decided to make a new year's resolution to use her crockpot EVERY DAY for the year of 2008. And she did it! Now she has a cookbook out and has made several TV appearances. You can check out her blog here, and this is where I found this recipe.

Well we had a very cold and windy Sunday morning, so when I asked the hubby what he wantes for dinner (I was smart and only gave him a few choices) he quickly chose the Sheperd's Pie because it felt so wintery. I totally agreed, and after our monstrous breakfast at Cracker Barrel this morning, I set up the crockpot and let it cook until we we were finally hungry again, late into the evening. I probably should have used my large crockpot, but I still haven't ever taken it out of the box yet. I definitely will the next time I cook, as you can see how filled this one is. Use at least a 4 Quart crockpot for this recipe (mine was 3.5 Quart, no wonder it was so stuffed!)

Ingredients:

--3 cups leftover mashed potatoes (I made fresh ones in my Kitchenaid Mixer with real potatoes) --1 lb ground turkey or beef
--2 cloves garlic, chopped (I used minced garlic)
--2 cups frozen vegetables (I used 2 cans of veggies)
--1 medium onion, chopped finely, or 1 T onion flakes
--1/2 tsp seasoned salt
--1/2 tsp onion powder
--1/4 tsp black pepper
--1/4 tsp paprika (then a bit more for garnish)
--1 cup water (DO NOT add water if using canned veggies.)
--2 cups shredded cheese

Directions:

Brown the meat and onion on the stove, and drain any fat. Add in the garlic and spices and then remove from the stove.

Spray the inside of your crockpot with cooking spray. Put the meat in the crockpot and stir in the frozen vegetables, and a cup of water. Add two cups of cheese on top. Press the mashed potatoes down on top of the cheese and meat. Sprinkle with a bit of paprika.

Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or high for about 3, then remove the lid and cook on high for 30 minutes to release the condensation and allow the potatoes to brown a bit on top. Everything is cooked already, so you're really just allowing the flavors to meld and the potatoes to get crusty.

The hubby really loved how this came out, he ate two huge plates and then ate the rest for lunch the next day.

40 Clove Garlic Chicken

2009-10-17T12:21:00.000-07:00

I have been insanely busy with work, meeting with brides and vendors, and interviewing for other jobs, I haven't had a lot of time to blog. I generally get home around 9 in the evening on weekdays, sometimes later, so I for sure don't cook a huge meal at that time. Hence my love affair with my crockpot. I currently have 3 of them, but the one I use the most is 3.5 quarts, and was given to my hubby years ago from his mom. Of course he never used it and I had the pleasure of christening it myself. I have been looking through tons of crockpot recipes lately and they are mostly chicken ones because chicken can often be dry, bland, and plain. Therefore I will be posting a bunch of slow cooking recipes over the next few days.

Well my BFF Yvonne has been raving about this dish for awhile, and I have seen several different versions of it on the internet, so I created one based on my own preferences.

40 Clove Garlic Chicken

Ingredients:
1.5-2 pounds any kind of chicken (I use boneless skinless breasts)
1/4 cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (I actually used about a half cup but I think it was way too much)
Salt
Pepper
1 tsp of Paprika
1 onion, any size or color
40 or so cloves of garlic (I used 3 bulbs)

Directions:
First you need to peel the garlic, or throw it in a pot of boiling water for 60 seconds first, which allows you to peel it easier. (Thanks Yvonne and the internet for this trick.)

Slice the onion so that it makes rings and lay them on the bottom of the crockpot. Salt and pepper the chicken on all sides. Put it in the crockpot- the size of the crockpot doesn't matter too much. It is okay to stack meat and chicken on top of each other, it doesn't all have to touch the bottom. Sprinkle the paprika all over the chicken, and cover with the olive oil.

Throw in your peeled cloves of garlic and set on low 6-8 hours or on high 8-10 hours. You can also use frozen chicken, doesn't have to be thawed, just cook a little longer. We will be eating our chicken with leftover potatoes and veggies.

Chicken Florentine Casserole

2009-09-30T19:06:00.000-07:00

I know casseroles don't always look very pretty in pictures, just a pile of jumbled up stuff but they are usually quick, easy and delicious. I made this dish for the first time last week, and my husband pretty much licked the empty casserole dish. I would say it was a hit! It took me about 10 minutes to whip it together and then another 20 minutes in the oven.

Ingredients

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (I used 2 pre-cooked chicken breasts, shredded)
1/4 cup butter
3 teaspoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1/2 cup half-and-half
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 (13.5 ounce) cans spinach, drained
4 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
2/3 cup bacon bits (I used real bacon strips, crumbled up)
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (I used shredded 4-cheese mexican since we had it on hand)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place the chicken breast halves on a baking sheet; bake 20 to 30 minutes, until no longer pink and juices run clear. Remove from heat, and set aside. (I actually skipped this step by using already cooked chicken.
Increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stirring constantly, mix in the garlic, lemon juice, cream of mushroom soup, Italian seasoning, half-and-half, and Parmesan cheese.
Arrange the spinach over the bottom of a 9x9 inch baking dish. Cover the spinach with the mushrooms. Pour half the mixture from the saucepan over the mushrooms. Arrange chicken breasts in the dish, and cover with the remaining sauce mixture. Sprinkle with bacon bits, and top with mozzarella cheese.
Bake 20 to 25 minutes in the 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) oven, until bubbly and lightly browned.

Pork Chops with Apples and Stuffing

2009-09-24T18:58:00.000-07:00

I found this recipe on Sarah's blog, Cooking with Cents. She is also a fellow coupon clipper. When I saw how quick this recipe was and how yummy it looked, I knew I had to try it! It definitely reminds me of fall and has some elements of Thanksgiving (apple pie filling and stuffing) so it is definitely a teaser for the holidays ahead.

Pork Chops with Apples & Stuffing
1 pkg (6 oz) Stove Top Stuffing Mix for Chicken
1 can (21 oz) apple pie filling
6 boneless pork loin chops (1-1/2 lbs), 3/4 in thick

Heat oven to 375 F. Prepare stuffing as directed on the package.

Spread the pie filling onto the bottom of a 13 x 9 inch baking pan sprayed with cooking spray; top with chops and stuffing. Cover with foil.

Bake 30 minutes; uncover. Bake an additional 10 minutes or until chops are cooked through.

Officially a Certified Wedding Planner!

2009-09-22T10:23:00.000-07:00

After a year of kicking the idea around, I finally got into gear and signed up for a wedding planning class and I am officially certified! I also have a booth at a bridal show next month, so I am super excited to build up my clientele and get back to thinking about nothing but flowers, food, and favors. Not that I really stopped since I am currently a bridesmaid in 2 upcoming weddings. Can't wait for more of my people to join me on the other side! My hubby is working on my website right now and it should be up and running in the next week or so. Woot woot! In the meantime you can check out my blog here.

Meet Prince Charles

2009-09-21T19:06:00.000-07:00

This is the newest member of our family, Prince Charles. You can call him Charles. We adopted him from PetSmart on July 11. He is currently 6 months old, and at any given time you can find him snoozing in the bathroom sink. It is his favorite resting place. How cute is he?

TailGATORS!

2009-09-20T08:39:00.000-07:00

We were ecstatic to receive coveted tickets to the Tennessee at Florida game as a wedding gift. We had been planning on going to Gainesville for about 3 months. Unfortunately, life got in the way, and due to work and a series of illnesses, we stayed home on the couch in the nice cold A/C. Anyway, we love making nachos for football games, and this is what we typically do. Our Kitchenaid mixer is essential on game days. We use it almost every day actually, I don't understand when people say they barely use theirs. They are missing out!

We are lucky enough to have a fertile avocado tree, so my hubby plucks those babies and we turn them into homemade guacamole, very simply. We just need an avocado, chopped tomato and onion, and fresh lime juice. Then we throw it in the mixer with the beater blade attachment. And yes, our mixer is Gator blue, as is the rest of our kitchen!

We bring out or favorite platter, a Gator platter that we got as a wedding gift from my fellow gator friend Tara. Thanks love! Here is the finished guacamole with some tortillas. Next we will make the chicken dip.

We use our mixer to shred up chicken instead of pulling it apart the old fashioned way. It's amazing the tips you can learn on the different Kitchenaid forums! We shred up 2 cooked chicken breasts, and throw them in a large bowl with a jar of salsa, 2 cups shredded cheese, and a half cup of Mojo marinade and a few dashes of hot sauce. I microwave it all together for about 4 minutes and mix it all up. These amounts will make the dip less cheesy and more chicken-y, which is how we like it. If you want the cheese to be more stretchy and gooey, use one chicken breast or double up on the cheese. This makes a large bowl, and we scoop about half of it into a smaller bowl to put on the platter. Ollie likes the leftovers to make sandwiches or just to eat with more chips later. We also add some sour cream to the last section on the platter and voila!

We ate this with crystal light cranberry lemonade, sprite, and vodka with crushed ice. We are so thankful that the Gators won, although it was a sloppy win. Oh well, we are still ranked #1!

Coupon Craziness

2009-09-15T16:31:00.000-07:00

For as long as I can remember I lived in a coupon crazy house. My mom never bought anything without a coupon and my brother was obsessed with mail-in rebates. My parents' house was continuously stacked with school supplies, computer stuff, toiletries, extra food, etc. So much so that my brother started stashing stuff at work so my parents wouldn't see it. He was definitely a hoarder, and I never wanted to be that way. My friends and family would always ask for stuff and I would try to sneak it when I could and share with them. When I went to college, there were certain products that I never bought because I knew I could go home and restock my supply for free. Well now I am married and own my own with the coupon clipping, and of course we need to tighten our budget just like everyone else, especially since we now have a kitty cat to feed as well. I thought we spent way too much money at Publix, where I always liked to shop so I can get a Publix sub. I have always used coupons, but never really knew how to maximize their effectiveness. When my awesome wedding photographer Devynn started posting about all these great deals she got, it reignited the shopaholic in me and I wanted to learn what she knew, so I attended one of the coupon classes she went to.

I have always gone to couponmom.com for coupons, but never paid attention to the 8 page guide on how to cut your grocery bill in half. Most of the things in there are common sense, or things I already knew, but she mentions in there some great tips that I never knew until I heard about them at the coupon class. I highly recommend the coupon glass and the guide at couponmom.com.

My favorite tip from the class was this:
When purchasing BOGO items (buy one get one free), you can use 2 coupons, one per each item, even though you are only paying for one. This week, ALL laundry detergent was BOGO ($5.99 each regularly) and there was also 2 coupons for $1 off any ALL detergent. So I bought 2 bottles of ALL and used 2 coupons, therefore only paying $3.99 and purchasing 2 bottles of ALL.

I will be posting some other bargains as I find them in the future =)

Red Velvet Cake with a Cheesecake Layer

2009-09-14T09:32:00.000-07:00

My parents and brothers were coming over to see our house for the first time since the wedding, so I had to impress them by whipping up a great meal and a tasty dessert, along with a clean house. They loved the red velvet cake with the cream cheese layer, and here is the recipe. It does contain many parts and took a good amount of time to put it all together.

Red Velvet Cake

1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 ounces of red food coloring
2 heaping Tablespoons cocoa powder1 cup buttermilk
2 1/4 cups sifted cake flour1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 Tablespoon vinegar
1 teaspoon baking soda

**Buttermilk tip: use one cup of wholemilk and 1 tbsp of fresh squeezed limejuice, and then wait 15 mins for it to curdle. Or if you have 2 cups of heavy cream, throw it in your Kitchenaid mixer on the highest setting for a few minutes. First it will become whipped cream, then it will get beaten and seperated into one cup of buttermilk, and a huge hunk of fresh butter! This is what I did.

Cream shortening, sugar and eggs until very fluffy. Make a paste of the red food coloring and cocoa and add to the first mixture. Add alternately, the buttermilk and cake flour. Then add salt and vanilla. Mix together the vinegar and baking soda and fold into your batter mixture. Bake in 2 layer pans (I used 9″, generously greased the bottoms and sides with butter and lined the bottoms with parchment paper.) at 350 degrees, 25 to 30 minutes.

Let the cakes cool in the pans on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then turn them out onto racks and peel off the paper liners. Let the cakes cool completely, about 2 hours, then wrap each layer in plastic wrap and refrigerate. Refrigeration is crucial to the assembly process.

Junior's Famous Cheesecake (filling part only)

You need this to make the cheesecake layer, but I did not make the sponge cake part because I was using it as a middle layer in the red velvet cake. Therefore I am leaving out the part on how to make the spongecake bottom.

Ingredients for Cream Cheese Filling

4 8-ounce packages cream cheese (the regular variety not light cream cheese), at room temperature
1 2/3 cups sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 extra-large eggs
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

Directions for the Cream Cheese Filling

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F and generously butter a 9-inch springform pan. Make the batter for the sponge cake as the recipe directs Evenly spread the batter on the bottom of the pan, and bake just until set and golden, about 10 minutes. Place the cake on a wire rack to cool (do not remove it from the pan).

2. While the cake cools, make the cream cheese filling: Place one 8-ounce package of the cream cheese, 1/3 cup of the sugar, and the cornstarch in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on low until creamy, about 3 mintues, then beat in the remaining 3 packages of cream cheese.

3. Increase the mixer speed to high and beat in the remaining 1 1/2 cups of the sugar, then beat in the vanilla and heavy cream. Blend in the eggs, one at a time, beating the bating only until completely blended (just like they do at Junior's). Be careful not to overmix the batter.

4. Gently spoon the cheese filling on top of the baked sponge cake layer. Place the springform pan in a large shallow pan containing hot water that comes about 1 inch up the sides of the pan.Bake the cheesecake until the center barely jiggles when you shake the pan, about 1 hour.

5. Cool the cake on a wire rack for 1 hour. Then cover the cake with plastic wrap and refrigerate until it's completely cold, at least 4 hours or overnight. Remove the sides of the springform pan.6. Slide the cake off of the bottom of the pan onto a serving plate. Or if you wish, simply leave the cake on the removable bottom of the pan and place it on a serving plate. If any cake is left over, cover it with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator.

Makes Enough for One 8-Inch Cake, About 2 1/2 Inches High

MISSION: Red Velvet Cheesecake Assembly

When you are ready to assemble the cake, take the cheesecake from the freezer and allow it to stand at room temperature for 10 minutes while you make the frosting. I have heard the cream cheese frosting recipe from Junior’s Cheesecake Cookbook is great, and you would need to double it for this recipe. This is the part where I cheated and used 2 cans of cream cheese frosting.

To assemble:
Choose the best of the 2 cake layers and carefully cut it in half to form 2 half layers. Place one of these half layers (cut side down) on a cake plate. Spread with frosting. (Gently crumble the other full layer to be used to decorate the finished cake.)P

lace the cheesecake, top side down, on top of the frosted red velvet cake layer and spread with frosting. (A Junior’s tip for removing the frozen cheesecake from the pan helped me tremendously! They recommend warming the bottom of the pan by setting it on a hot, wet towel long enough to melt the butter used to grease the pan. Remove the pan ring. Gently insert a long narrow spatula between the bottom of the cake and the pan bottom, moving it slowly in a circle. Then lift up the edge of the cake with the spatula, oh-so-gently, just enough to release the vacuum between the bottom of the cake and the pan.)

Top with the remaining half cake layer, cut side down. Ice the top and sides of the cake with the remaining frosting. Decorate the sides and top edge of the cake with the cake crumbles. Refrigerate the cake until ready to serve (it takes this cake about 2 hours in the refrigerator to thaw enough to easily slice.)

Use a sharp straight-edge knife, not a serrated one, to cut it. If there’s any cake leftover, cover it and refrigerate.

Welcome to my blog!

2009-08-25T09:31:00.000-07:00

I am starting this blog to document my life as a newlywed and the Martha Stewart habits I have been forming. I love to cook and bake, and would like to share my favorite recipes. I have a full time job and work crazy hours, so I am always looking for quick and easy things to make during the week, and then I can spend time on the weekends getting more creative. I also love shopping and bargains, and I may just have to brag about all the money I save when I catch an especially good deal. We are also still in the process of cleaning, organizing, and decorating our house, and will hopefully be shopping for a new house soon. In the very distant future, I would also like to blog about life as a mommy =)