Goal #27. Grow garlic (1/2 Done)

Last night I planted my garlic cloves. I've read in several places online that garlic is traditionally planted on the shortest day of the year and harvested on the longest day of the year (Winter and Summer Solstices). Hopefully by June 21st I'll be eating homegrown garlic.

I took a bunch of cloves off some store bought garlic heads and planted them in a couple of planters I keep on the front porch. I also had some hard little cloves that were in the bottom of a bag of garlic heads that our "garlic guy" at my old job grew. I wasn't sure if these were viable seeds but I'll try it anyway. They probably won't do anything...

I might plant a few larger cloves out on the side of my house to see if they grow better in different soil.

Garlic is cheap at the store but I thought it'd be fun to eat something I grew.

Over the past couple of years I've planted tomatoes, cucumbers, and herbs. Every year the deer or rabbits eat my tomatoes. Right when they are about to start turning from green to yellow I'll go out and the whole bush will be completely bare of.

The cucumbers were ok. If I ever do those again I'll chose a different variety. The ones I planted were like pickling cucumbers. Someone gave me a recipe for pickles but I'd rather buy them. My mom never really taught me how to can stuff...

The herbs...well the herbs aren't really my friends either. I was trying to grow mint when I was on a Mojito kick but I couldn't ever get it to produce enough to harvest before the bugs ate it. I've had chives growing in a planter for 4 years. Whenever I think the winter cold has killed them they come back even bigger in the Spring. We hardly ever eat chives though. I killed a rosemary plant twice now and my parsley and basil never does right either.

My friend gave me a butter lettuce plant last year which was doing great until one day I went to water it and it was missing....There was a fat caterpillar in the planter that scarfed down the entire plant.

If I didn't have a sneaky/curious toddler and and sunny window sill in my kitchen I'd grow more indoors. I saw a book on Martha Stewart's show about growing ANYTHING indoors. Pineapple, passionfruit, dragonfruit, citrus, and on and on and on....

Fingers crossed on the garlic!

Goal #78. Eat at 5 local restaurants we haven't tried yet (3/5)

I forgot to post about 2 of the local restaurants I've tried.

About a month or so ago my friend, Kandyce, and I met up at Peppers Market and Sandwich Shop in Morrisville. I had a coupon from my CitiPass book for BOGO entree and figured since we hadn't ever eaten there we'd try it. I looked at the menu online and everything sounded so good.

I ended up getting their:

Black Bean Burger ... $ 8.35

"This house-made Black Bean Burger is unlike any you have had before. Combined with vegetables, fresh herbs, topped with provolone, lettuce, tomato, avocado, and Peppers Light Herb Sauce. Served on a fresh baked ciabatta roll."

It came with a choice of chips, pasta salad, and some other sides but since I LOVE pasta salad that's what I got.

I had never had a black bean burger before but it was really good and filling. The pasta salad did not disappoint either.

Kandyce got a grilled chicken sandwich. I'm not seeing the one she got on their online menu. She said it was really tasty.

I gave her my punch card that I got since the shop is closer to her house. I told her she might want to bring her husband there but she said he probably wouldn't eat there. He'd take one look at the menu and say "Where are the wings?"


Today we met for lunch again since our husbands were at a Panther's football game in Charlotte. I was really wanting some Greek food so we went to Neomonde Baking Company. I had heard good things about a different location they have.


I tried their:

Lunch Box Special

"Half-sandwich or wrap, two of our delicious salads/sides, and one pastry. Mmmm!"


For my sandwich choice I got the Chicken Shawarma Sandwich, my sides were Tabouli and Hummus and I got pistachio baklava.


Chicken Shawarma Sandwich
"Grilled chicken with our authentic garlic paste. Topped with ripe tomato, pickles, and our delicious lemon-tahini sauce."


It was delicious. My bill was over $9.00. I'm not used to spending that much on lunch. Kandyce said Greek Fiesta was just as good and cheaper (I think it's a chain).


Either way, I got my Greek fix!!

Goal #95. Create 10 things found on craft blogs (4/10)

We've been needing a new tree topper for our naked tree. We used to have a lighted angel that was really pretty but the way it was supposed to attach to the tree was really flimsy. I had some leftover wired ribbon from the ribbon we use as streamers down the tree. We didn't put those on this year because we weren't sure if Ryan would mess with them.

 I decided to make a large bow to top the tree. I finally sat down today and did it. Here's the link to the video I used as a guide.




And here's the final product. Mind you, it's the first bow I've ever made with wired ribbon. It was really fun to make. I think I'll make one for the mailbox too!

Next year maybe we can add the streamers too!

Roasted Red Pepper Stuffed Chicken Breasts

I made these last night along with a Normandy vegetable medley with garlic butter sauce. The original recipe came from Rachel Ray. I can't find it online but I'll just tell you my version. Ryan liked it too!

Stuffed Chicken Breasts
Serves 2 (or however many you need :)

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded to 1/4" thickness
1 jar of roasted red peppers
Laughing Cow spreadable swiss cheese (Garlic Herb is what I use) 30 calories per triangle!

Spread an entire triangle of swiss cheese over one chicken breast (I patted them dry with paper towels). Place a single layer of the roasted red peppers over the cheese, roll up and secure with toothpicks. Sprinkle salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder on the outside of the chicken. Rachel did hers in the skillet but last night I just put them on a baking sheet, covered in foil and sprayed with cooking spray, in the oven at 350. I think they baked for about 30 minutes but I kept checking them with the thermometer. They were at 160 when I pulled them out. It's reccommended that poultry be 180 but mine is ALWAYS dry when I let it get to that.

You can make quite a few of these roll ups with one jar of peppers and 1 package of the cheese. I had about 1/2 a jar of peppers left over after making 3. I think there are 8 triangles of cheese in a package. Just adjust your chicken breasts accordingly!

Edamame Dumplings

Another one for Eileen. :)

This came from a Cooking Light Magazine probably about 6 years ago. I've made them several times but not recently. I've been wanting to make them again though! I really like them because they aren't fried.

These make a great appetizer.

Sauce
2 T. chopped green onion
2 T. low sodium soy sauce
1 tsp. honey

Dumplings
1 cup frozen shelled edamame (green soybeans)
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. dark sesame oil
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/3 tsp. salt
20 wonton wrappers
2 tsp. cornstarch
Cooking Spray
1/2 cup water, divided.

1. Combine ingredients for sauce, stirring with a whisk. Set aside.
2. Cook edamame according to package directions; drain. Rinse edamame under cold water; drain well. Combine edamame, juice, sesame oil, cumin, and salt in a food processor and process until smooth.
3. Working with 1 wonton wrapper at a time (cover remaining wrappers with a damp towel to prevent drying), spoon about 1 teaspoon of the edamame mixture in the center of each wrapper. Moisten edges of dough with water, fold opposite corners to form a triangle, pinching points to seal. Place dumplings on a large baking sheet sprinkled with cornstarch.
4. Heat a large non-stick skilled over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Arrange half of the dumplings in a single layer in pan, reduce heat to medium. Cook 1 minute or until bottoms begin to brown; turn. Add 1/4 cup water to pan; cover. Cook 30 seconds; uncover and cook 1 minute or until liquid evaporates. Repeat with the remaining wrappers and filling. Serve immediately with sauce. Yields 4 servings of 5 dumplings each and 1 tablespoon of sauce.

**You could probably serve these in one of those bamboo Chinese/Japanese steamers to keep them warm. Good presentation too.

Goal #85. Get an advent calendar for Ryan

I totally forgot that I picked up an Advent calendar at Hallmark weeks ago. It's really a countdown to Christmas calendar. I wanted to make him one that had parts of the nativity story on each day but...there was no time. Maybe next year. This is the one I got him.

It's a magnetic cookie sheet to put on the refrigerator. Each day has a cookie shaped magnet.

A few recipes...for Eileen

I figured I'd post a few of my favorite recipes that I know my Aunt Eileen will like!

I like this recipe because it's easy to whip up, filling enough for dinner, and is even better the next day. The garlic is pretty strong in this dish so make sure you aren't the only one eating it!

from FamilyTime.com

Tuna and Tortellini Alfresco

1 package (9 oz.) BUITONI® Refrigerated Three Cheese Tortellini, cooked, drained and kept warm (I just use dry tortellini and cook it according to the package, it's much cheaper--$1.50 vs. $3.50 or more for refrigerated)

1 large tomato, chopped

1 can (3.8 oz.)sliced ripe olives

1 can (7 oz.) white tuna in water, drained and flaked

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons capers

2 tablespoons finely chopped, fresh basil or tarragon

1 tablespoons finely chopped, fresh parsley

2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped

COMBINE tortellini, tomato, olives, tuna, oil, vinegar, capers, basil, parsley and garlic in large bowl. Serve warm or cold. Season with ground black pepper.

SO GOOD! I might make this over the weekend.
................................................................................................................

This one is vegetarian. It's hearty and delicious.

from Allrecipes.com

Farmer's Market Vegetarian Quesadillas

1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper

1/2 cup chopped zucchini

1/2 cup chopped yellow squash

1/2 cup chopped red onion

1/2 cup chopped mushrooms

1 tablespoon olive oil

cooking spray

6 (9 inch) whole wheat tortillas

1 1/4 cups shredded reduced-fat sharp Cheddar cheese

1. In a large nonstick pan, cook red pepper, zucchini, yellow squash, onion, and mushrooms in olive oil over medium to medium-high heat for about 7 minutes, or until just tender. Remove vegetables from pan.
2. quesadilla from pan, and repeat with remaining ingredients. Cut each quesadilla into 8 triangles with a pizza cutter. Serve hot.

Several Goals...

Goal #11: Try 75 New Recipes

I keep a binder with recipes I've printed off and I found one I put in there a long time ago but haven't tried yet.

Chicken Piccata Salad

1/4 Cup Extra Light Olive Oil
1/4 Cup Fresh squeezed lemon juice
5 teaspoons white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons minced shallots
Black pepper to taste
1/2 of a 4 lb. Rotisserie chicken, shredded
1 1/4 cups orzo, cooked per package directions
14 oz. package of frozen broccoli, cooked per package directions
1/3 cup capers, drained

Whisk olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, shallots and pepper in a small bowl. Set aside. Combine remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Pour dressing over everything and toss to make sure everything is coated well.

**Side Notes** I sauteed 2 chicken breasts (seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic and onion powders) in olive oil instead of using a rotisserie chicken. I did not have a shallot so I used a little onion and a clove of garlic. Also, I used Real Lemon Juice instead of fresh.

This was a very good, light, dinner. Ryan couldn't get enough of it. He like tangy things. I think it would have been less tangy if I used a fresh squeezed lemon.

Goal #53: Cook 3 things from every cookbook I own

I have a recipe book I inherited. I'm not sure from whom but I think it was my late Grandma BeeBee's. It's from the Junior League of Baton Rouge. I couldn't figure out the year it was printed but in the front it had a list of all their editions starting in the 1959 and the last was 1972. I'm thinking this was the 1972 edition. Either way, there are some weird recipes in there. Turtle soup to name one. I might have trouble finding 3 recipes out of this one...I might stick to the desserts or breads.

I chose to make cabbage rolls. I saw Giada on Food Network make some that were very similar.

Cabbage Rolls
1 large head of cabbage
1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground pork
1 T. butter
1 T. Salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
2 small onions, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup cooked rice (I used brown rice)
1 No. 2 can of tomatoes (wasn't sure what No.2 meant but I ended up using 2 14.5oz cans)

Gently pull off eight large cabbage leaves from the head. Simmer in 1" boiling water, covered for 5 minutes. Drain and lay out for filling. Combine ground beef and pork. Saute in butter until brown. Add salt, pepper, onions, garlic and rice. Fill leaves with mixture, using 1/8 of it for each. roll up each, folding ends to center. Secure with toothpick. Place in greased skillet. Add tomatoes, cover and simmer for 45 minutes. Or may be cooked in oven at 350 for 45 minutes. Remove toothpicks. Serves 4.

**Notes** I did not saute the meat in butter. There's already enough fat. I couldn't successfully pull off cabbage leaves from the head so I dropped the entire head into a pot of boiling water then once they softened up a little I pulled them off. I filled each leaf with as much as I thought it would hold, rolled it up and put it seam side down. I don't think I would make these again. Although they were tasty it just took too much to prepare.

Goal #36:Walk 20,000 steps in 1 day

Over Thanksgiving we went down to Orlando, FL to visit some friends we haven't seen in years. We had the opportunity to go to Disney World. After walking ALL DAY LONG we all decided that I had more than likely walked at least 20,000 steps. I didn't have a pedometer with me but the only way to get around was to walk. If you've ever been to Epcot and Animal Kingdom you know it's BIG!

Goal #95. Create 10 things found on craft blogs (3/10)

Here are the two crafts (and a bonus craft) I made for a friend's baby shower.


Diaper Cake


The main hostess of the baby shower asked if I could make a diaper cake. I had never made one but a friend made me one for my shower so I knew how they were constructed. I used this video to make sure I had it right.

You can Google or Youtube search just about anything. It's great!

And here's the finished product!!

Sock Cupcakes

Also, I made these ADORABLE sock cupcakes. Everyone thought they were real. So easy to do, just follow the tutorial below!

Personalized Letters
I didn't find this tutorial online but I made the baby's monogram with paper mache letters and acrylic paint and a damask stencil. These match the bedding for the nursery.

Tortellini Florentine Soup

I found this recipe in a Better Homes & Gardens magazine 3 years ago on my way back from an Atlanta business trip. It's been awhile since I've made this one but it's simple, quick, and delicious. I made it with the leftover chicken from Tuesday night.

 

Tortellini Florentine Soup

Ingredients

• 1  9-oz. pkg.  refrigerated 3-cheese tortellini
• 2  14-oz. cans  reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1  10-oz. container  refrigerated light Alfredo pasta sauce
• 2  cups  shredded deli-roasted chicken
• 1/2  cup  oil-packed dried tomato strips, drained
• 3  cups  lightly packed packaged fresh baby spinach
• 1  oz.  Parmesan cheese, shaved or shredded (optional)

Directions

1. In 4-quart Dutch oven cook tortellini according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
2. In the same Dutch oven combine broth and Alfredo sauce. Stir in chicken and tomato strips. Heat just to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes.
3. Add cooked tortellini and spinach to chicken mixture. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes to heat through and wilt spinach. To serve, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Makes 6 servings.

Tonight's Dinner - Scrumptious!

I didn't try any new recipes but I could not stop eating what I made for dinner tonight. If you do not have one of these:

get one ASAP! I have the Deep Dish Chicken Cooker (linky). They make the juiciest chicken, ever. Tonight, I smeared the rinsed and dried chicken with olive oil and made a dry rub of Tex Joy Original, garlic powder, onion powder and pepper. In the well I put some of the rub, a chicken bouillon cube and filled with water. I usually use beer but I didn't want to waste 3/4 of a beer. It's alcohol abuse! I also dropped in 2 fresh cloves of garlic into the chicken cavity. I think I baked it for about 2.25 hours. It was 180 degrees when I pulled it out.


I also made roasted red potatoes tossed in olive oil, kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper, oregano, basil, garlic and onion powders. I baked them for 40 minutes, stirring twice. I served those with a hollandaise sauce (the McCormick brand sauce mix). This is the part I could not stop eating...and the chicken skin.


And last but not least, mom's squash. 3 quartered and sliced crook neck yellow squash, 1/4 of a large onion chopped, 3 small garlic cloves minced. I melted 3 big spoon fulls of bacon grease in a skillet then dropped in the garlic and onion. Once that was soft I added the squash, and lots of pepper. Pop a lid on it and cook til soft. I don't know how my mom makes hers but I think it tasted like hers.


I can't wait until leftovers for lunch tomorrow. Stay tuned for the Tortellini Florentine Soup I am making with the leftover chicken. So easy and delicious!!

(Addicting) Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins

I got this recipe from my mom and I always look forward to making these in the fall. I make them sometimes throughout the year. I stock up on pumpkin puree and freeze bags of whole, fresh cranberries so I always have them on hand. For whatever reason the stores around here don't stock pumpkin puree until at least October.

So here it is! I hope you enjoy them as much as my mom and I do!

Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins

2 eggs, slightly beaten
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup cooking oil
1 cup pumpkin puree
2 1/4 cup flour
1 T. pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cup chopped cranberries (when I used frozen cranberries I put 2 cups in a bowl and let them thaw. This yields about 1 1/2 cups chopped)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all wet ingredients with sugar. Combine dry ingredients in a separate larger bowl.

Make a well in the dry ingredients and mix in wet ingredients. Do not over beat. Fold in cranberries.

Spoon into muffin tin filling each cup 2/3 of the way.

Bake for 30 minutes. Test doneness with a toothpick.

**Note**Sometimes I use liners and other times I don't. I don't like to fuss with the wrappers when I'm ready to eat them so I prefer my muffins without the liner. Also, my mom freezes some muffins after they are baked for a treat later. I prefer to eat all mine at once...

Bon Apetite!

Busy, Busy, Busy

I feel like I've been so busy. I've been cooking new recipes, and lots of old recipes, and crafting. I can share the craft I did last night but you'll still have to wait for these other 3 things I've made!!

Goal # 95: Create 10 things found on craft blogs (1/10)

So I'm going to a birthday party for a 2 year old girl next Saturday. I figured I'd handmake her something since she'll probably get tons of toys anyway. I decided to make her a fleece blanket.

I found several sites and videos of how to make a no sew fleece blanket but here's one of them...No Sew Fleece Blanket Video

The fleece print choice this lady made reminds me of those t-shirts people, especially older men, wear that have wolves or deer on them. Ha!

When I bought the fleece and the girl was cutting it I decided to go with 1 yard instead of 1.5 yards. I wasn't thinking of the width of the bolt of fleece. Obviously it was folded in half on the bolt. The blanket is a little long compared to the width but I'm sure a 2 year old won't mind. It's so cute though. I want to make a giant one for me to cuddle up in when I watch TV!

Here's a picture of my finished product. This project took me about and hour and a half.

Goal #  : Cook 75 new recipes (4 and 5 of 75)

YUMMY, YUMMY, YUMMY!!!!!

Last week I made Chad's Slow Cooker Taco Soup. I put the crock pot in the garage so I wouldn't have to smell it cooking all day. Last time I made something in the crock pot I didn't want to eat what I made for dinner because I was sick of smelling it. Keeping it in the garage worked great!

The soup was delicious! The only thing I did wrong was putting Miller Lite in it instead of a dark beer. I should've just used beef broth. I could taste the beer the first night but the second day for lunch I couldn't taste it at all.

This past weekend I made some pumpkin pancakes. They are called Candied Ginger Pumpkin Pancakes. I didn't have the crystalized ginger but since the pumpkin pie spice had ginger in it I didn't worry about it. If you make these, thin the batter down more with buttermilk. My batter was too thick and the center of the pancake was just a little gooey. They were still outstanding!! Jimmy kept saying "Wow, these are really good!"

I made some for Ryan without the pecans before I stirred them in. He ate it but I think it was a take it or leave it for him. Jimmy dipped a few pieces in my lower sugar syrup and he really liked them then!  

Goal #11: Try 75 new recipes (3/75) & Halloween!

On Saturday we carved our pumpkins....

 Since Jimmy had never eaten pumpkin seeds I told him I'd make some. I was in search of a sweet recipe for the seeds. I found this one: Sugar and Spice Roasted Seeds.  I didn't have allspice but I did have pumpkin pie spice. I subbed the pumpkin pie spice for the allspice and nutmeg and reduced the amount of cinnamon and once they were on the baking sheet I sprinkled just a little bit more sugar on top. I guess I really didn't use that recipe at all... I made 2 cups of seeds and they were very good!!

Ryan was enjoying himself while we carved.

Jimmy took Ryan Trick-or-Treating with our neighborhood kids on Sunday night. He said that Ryan did really well. He walked some, got carried some, and rode in a wagon some. 

It was bed time by the time they got back & he was pooped!

Rewind back to Saturday. Our town had a fall festival with lots of vendors and stuff for kids to do like bounce houses and rides. This was one of the 2 rides that was small enough for Ryan.

He just kept staring at the motor in the center. I know he was getting dizzy. This ride was not going very slow!!

Then we took him over to the petting zoo. He saw a miniature horse, or pony. What's the difference?

Then he saw the goats.

There was a llama that didn't look too happy. I was waiting for it to spit. All I could think of was that line from Napoleon Dynamite where he goes out to feed their llama and says "Tina, you fat lard, come get some DINNER!... Tina, eat. Food. Eat the FOOD!"

Rabbits.

And the sweetest cow. A little sour towards the end. She got up and pooped everywhere.

  

I guess my child has that effect on animals.

 One thing is for sure - he's not scared of animals.

Teaser:
I have been working on some crafts recently for a friend's baby shower. I would love to post the pics and tutorials but I'm not sure if she reads this blog. I want it to be a surprise! After her shower I will post all of the things. Check back after the beginning of December for all of that fun stuff!!

Goal #71: Take Ryan to a Pumpkin Patch

Last Saturday we took a trip to the Green Level Gourd Farm in Apex. They had a hay ride, donkey/pony rides, face painting, a corn maze, etc. Ryan was so excited when we got out of the car. The first thing he saw was a coop full of fluffy chickens. We had to drag him away from them so we could get on with the rest of the activities.

We went on the hay ride first. The tractor pulled us through the woods where they had a series of hanging "scary" things that moved or dropped down when you clapped at them. Ryan likes getting startled and hardly anything scares him. I think he was just laughing at most of the things.

Next, we let Ryan ride the donkey. She was so lazy and had this look on her face that said "could you get these crazy kids off of me?" Jimmy was holding on to Ryan's leg so he would slide off and Ryan kept shoving his hand away. He held onto the horn of the saddle like a champ. I guess he knew what he was doing... The lady leading the donkey said she'd never seen a kid not want their parent to hold onto them.

Whenever I would say "Gideeyupp" Ryan would rock his body and kick his legs to try to get the donkey to go faster.

He also got to ride the horse tire swing which he wanted to hold onto by himself as well.

Oh my gosh, this next thing was so cool. If we ever have room in our yard I'm going to have Jimmy put one in for Ryan. They just took a huge pipe and angled it up. They had some slippery plastic like feed sacks to sit on and slide down. Since Ryan is only 22 pounds he flew down the slide. He absolutely LOVED it. I think Jimmy sent him down the slide at least 10 times.

I think his face tells you how much he liked it.

He rode the tractor...

And finally picked out a pumpkin.

Family photo.

They had TONS of small pumpkins. Ryan was trying to get all of them.

He got a Frankenstein tattoo the day before. He kept trying to get it off of his arm but then realized it wasn't a sticker or band aid.

MMM. Pumpkin..

I'm not sure how the Green Level Gourd Farm was actually a gourd farm. I didn't see anywhere where they would grow pumpkins or gourds. Either way, we had a good time. We ended up getting our large pumpkins at Wal-Mart since they wanted $15+ for a larger pumpkin. They didn't really have too many left anyway.

We had a really good (and cheap) time. This was a great place to take a younger child.



Goal #6 - Read 50 Books (2/50)

I just finished reading "The Stormchasers" by Jenna Blum. I went to the library last week to find a book and it was sitting up on a shelf by the "New Releases" on a book stand. I figured someone must have liked it enough to put it out like that. Not squished between all the other books on the shelf. Ryan was wanting to get down and pull all the books off the shelf so I grabbed it and jolted.

Jenna Blum is a New York Times bestselling author. Her best seller is called "Those Who Save Us". I'll have to check this one out too. I think it's about the Holocaust..

In the book, Karena (the main character) has a twin brother whom she has not seen in 20 years, since their 18th birthday. He is a stormchaser with bipolar disorder. After receiving a call from a hospital that treated her brother she joins a Storm Chasing Tour in hopes of running into him. The parallel between the storms and her brother's bipolar disorder is no coincidence.

Halfway through the book right when there is an "Oh my gosh!" moment the book changes. If you read it you will see what I mean. I've never read a book in this format, but I liked it. Just when you think you are going to find out some answers there's a switch.

There is a lot of information about tornadoes in the book. You feel like you are right there with them in the middle of the storms. I can't imagine the amount of research Jenna Blum had to do in order to write this book.

The book was an easy read. I won't say it was quick because it is a pretty long book. At some points I think I was reading 2-3 pages a minute because I was in suspense.

Check it out!!

So Sorry!

I'm sorry I've been MIA for a little while. I've been a little busy but it seems like I haven't done anything. Ryan's been sick with a cold and the 3-4 teeth he's got coming in still haven't broken through. This has made for a very cranky baby.

We took him to a Panther's game on Sunday. The temperature was around 1000 and the sun was beating down on us. We left after the 2nd quarter. The Panther's were losing and there was no sign of them turning their act around. We ate lunch at this little biker bar looking place called Mac's. Our friends Rob and Kandyce went with us to the game and recommended we eat there. It was really good! We ordered a barbecue plate that came with a few sides. We got mac 'n cheese which was just heavenly and some black eyed pea something or another that really didn't have much flavor. The meat was awesome. The plate had brisket, beer can chicken, pulled pork, and ribs. The brisket was my favorite but all the other meat was really tasty as well. We were stuffed when we left there.

I haven't cooked anything new that I can count towards my goals. I made the Pioneer Woman's Chicken Spaghetti again and froze half of it for a lazy day when I don't feel like cooking. My aunt told me that a similar recipe is in our family cookbook. I looked it up but there were some missing ingredients. I like the addition of the pimentos.

Last night I cooked Sausage Pepper and Onion Hoagies by Rachel Ray. I made them a long time ago when I was living in Greensboro. I had forgotten how spicy "Hot Italian Sausage" is. The recipe calls for Cubanelle peppers but I could only find Anaheim which was ok since they are milder. I still got a contact burn from the Anaheim. I need to get some gloves to use when I cut peppers. This usually happens with a jalapeno but I didn't think a mild pepper like that would do it too. This is a 30 minute recipe but it took me 45 minutes since I had to feed Ryan his dinner in the middle of all of that. I only made half the recipe and there was enough for 4 sandwiches. As Rachel says "Yum-O!"

I just got back from the OB and I got my first ultrasound with baby #2. I'm a week behind from what we originally thought. They pushed my due date to May 31st. Everything looked good and there was only one in there! It sure is amazing how that little 1.5cm baby can make you feel so sick at times. Hormones..ugh. I read the other day that morning sickness is a good indicator of a healthy pregnancy though. My appetite sure hasn't suffered with the nausea either.

Last night I watched the 33rd miner being pulled from 2,300 ft. below ground in Chile. It is a miracle that they all survived, much less survived down there in that small room for 70 days. I pray that their lives can get back to normal, that there will be no long term health or mental effects, and that this will never happen again! It's rare that we hear about survivors from mining accidents. God was definitely watching over all of them and guiding them to their safe room. Kudos to the drilling team from Texas that was able to drill that hole to get them out.

Goal #11: Try 75 new recipes (2/75)

We went to my friend Amanda's house for dinner about a month ago and she made this Chicken and Broccoli Braid thing. I didn't get the recipe from her while I was there but I found several variations online. I settled on this one from www.allrecipes.com.... Chicken and Broccoli Braid.


The hardest part was getting the crescent rolls to not fall apart when I was "braiding" the dough. I wish I had sauteed the vegetables a little as well before adding the mayo, cheese, and seasonings. Although it was really good, the vegetables weren't cooked enough. I don't remember Amanda cooking her veggies (and I don't think she put red bell pepper in it) but it was really good.


I do like this version since it has the red bell pepper!

Goal #53: Cook 3 recipes out of every cookbook I own (6 of ?)

Last week I made Lemon Chicken Pasta from the Southern Living Comfort Foods cookbook. It had chicken, peas, pasta, lemon and some other things. I can't remember all of what was in it but it was good. Good enough to eat for lunch the next day too! The fresh lemon in the dish was a nice surprise and really rounded it out.

update 12/16/10: Someone requested I post the recipe so here it is!
Lemon-Chicken Pasta
Southern Living Light & Easy Comfort Food

Cooking Spray
1 tsp. olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
6 oz. skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into 1/4" wide strips
1/2 cup frozen green peas, thawed
1/3 cup shredded carrot
1/2 cup condensed low-sodium chicken broth, undiluted
2 T. tub style light cream cheese
2 cups hot cooked farfalle (about 1 1/4 cups uncooked bowtie pasta, cooked without salt or fat
3 T. grated parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. grated lemon rind
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
Fresh chives (optional)

1. Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray; add oil, and place over medium-high heat until hot. Add garlic; saute 15 seconds. Add chicken; saute 1 minute. Add peas and carrot; saute 1 minute. Remove chicken mixture from skillet; set aside.
2. Add chicken broth and cream cheese to skillet, and cook over medium-high heat 3 minutes or until cream cheese is melted, stirring constantly with a whisk. Return chicken mixture to skillet. Stir in pasta, parmesan cheese, lemon rind, salt and pepper; cook 1 minute. Garnish with chives if desired. Yield: 2 servings of 1 1/2 cups each.

Goal # 11: Try 75 new recipes (1/75) and Goal #63: Baby sit for a friend

This weekend was in a word - crazy. It was a whirlwind. I don't even know where to start.

Let's try Friday....My pregnant neighbor called me and told me she'd been having contractions about 3-5 minutes apart for 4 hours and asked if I minded watching her kids that night if she had to go to the hospital.  Of course I was happy to help. She, like me, doesn't have family close by to come watch her kids at the drop of a hat.

Her kids are 7, 4, and 3. They are well behaved and are pretty independent.

I took her my exercise ball to sit on during contractions. That really helped me when I was laboring with Ryan. I asked her if she wanted to go walking to get her contractions on a roll. At this point she wasn't even flinching with her contractions and didn't even have to stop talking. We walked up and down the road in our neighborhood several times. I pulled Ryan in the wagon along with us.

Around 8:30 she said the doctor wanted her to come in to get checked so I headed over to her house. The kids were excited and wired so we played some Wii games and then watched Madagascar. I had the younger kids go to bed at 10:30. Late, I know, but it was a special occasion.

I did not get a lick of sleep but it was worth helping out a friend in need. Their cats were going crazy. They knew something was up. I'm not a cat person but their cats are nice. At one point, I think it was 4 a.m., one of the cats was batting at the plastic wrap that was over the carseat. UGGGHHH!!!

She and I were texting throughout the night when she got updates. Her labor was creeping along.

In the morning I brought the kids to our house and Jimmy made them breakfast. Then I took them to the park. They played for a bit then we walked around the lake.

After lunch the younger kids took a nap.

At 12:04 p.m. the baby was born. Healthy. She was 4 weeks early and perfectly fine.

After the nap I took the kids to the hospital to meet their new baby sister. They were so excited. Mommy and baby were doing great. She was so tiny. 6lbs. 14 oz. and just as cute as can be. I got to hold her and she was a little feather.

I went home and left the kids at the hospital since their grandma came.
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We had a birthday party to go to on Saturday night. Another neighbor was turning 30 and since she was born in 1980 she had an 80's party.

I made some Ham and Cheddar Pretzel bites I found on the Pink Parsley blog. The recipe is from Gourmet magazine. They were a little time consuming just because I had to let the dough rise for 2 hours and then once I rolled them up I had to let them rise for another 30 minutes. I think I cut that part short since I was in a hurry. They tasted really really good but I think the texture would've been better if I let them rise more.

The serving platter was cleaned off so I guess everyone liked them. I will make these again...when I have ample time.

The party was great. Everyone dressed up in clothes from the 80's. I haven't uploaded our pictures yet but I will add them to this post when I do. Just a tease - I had big hair and Jimmy had a rat-tail...
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Today we took Ryan on the American Tobacco Trail. We rode our bikes and had him in his new child carrier seat he got from his Aunt Linda for his birthday. The trail is like a packed sandy road and is very smooth and pretty level the whole way. There was only 1 hard hill and a few easy hills. We rode 6 miles total. Ryan kept going "ooooooooooohhhhh, eeeeeeeeeehhhhhh". He saw horses and lots of dogs on the trail. The weather was so nice and there were lots of people out there.

I took a really good nap when we got home. I am just so tired from everything that went on this weekend.

Goal # 5: Get Pregnant

I am so excited to announce this goal is complete!!!!!!

I found out Monday that I am expecting. This will be our 2nd child. I'm glad this time around I get to go through the winter pregnant. I'm positive that it will be way better than going through the entire summer.

We keep telling Ryan that he's going to be a big brother but he just gives us a crazy look. He has no clue what he's in for.

My first ultrasound is October 14th. Jimmy and I can't wait to see out little butterbean.

We packed up all of Ryan's baby stuff like the swing, vibrating seats, infant carseat, etc but we'll be getting all of that back out before we know it. I'm not sure where all of this stuff is going to go!

Our estimated due date is May 24, 2011.

Goal #53: Cook 3 recipes out of every cookbook I own (4 and 5 of ?)

I bought a Southern Living cookbook awhile back at one of those parties. You know the kind I'm talking about. All I remember is the food being really good. I discovered my favorite pimento and cheese recipe there. I had my friend copy it down for me and it's the only one I use now. I'll post that another day.

There was a consultant that showed us a few pieces then we got to order from the Southern Living catalog. I got a really nice cross that is now hanging in my dining room and this cookbook.

I've had the book for at least 4 years and have only ever cooked one thing out of it. Last night I made 2 things. Sloppy Joes (because Jimmy likes them) and Sweet Potato sticks.

The sloppy joes were really good. Jimmy likes Manwich - I do not. I'd rather have homemade than from a can any day. I thought the joes were worth the effort. While Ryan was having a snack I prepped everything, browned the meat then dumped in the tomato sauce mixture. I put it all in the fridge so I'd just have to heat it up when Jimmy got home.

I prepped the Sweet Potato sticks too. The hardest part was cutting the sweet potatoes since they are a pretty dense vegetable..are they even a vegetable? They just had vegetable oil and Parmesan cheese on them.

When Jimmy was on his way home I popped the sticks in the oven and heated the sloppy joe mixture. The recipe says to stir the sticks every 10 minutes. I did it more often. For some reason everything sticks to my baking pan. I think it's time for a new one.

The Sloppy Joes will be flagged but the Sweet Potato Sticks will not. They weren't all that crispy and I just wasn't feeling them. I recently tried Sweet Potato Fries at a restaurant and these were not even close to tasting as good as those. Disappointment..

I think Jimmy still likes Manwich better but he'll eat whatever I put in front of him. Homemade again next time!



Goal #8: Donate my hair to "Locks of Love"

Yesterday I got 10+ inches of my hair cut. I have had long hair for at least 8 years. I was ready for a change in style. Not only because I have had my long hair for awhile but also because Ryan likes to pull it if it's not up in a bun...OUCH!!

I went to Salon Suzanne Marie in Apex and DeeDee was my stylist.

I'm always a little nervous when I get a drastic hair change but I know I can always just take biotin and it will grow out fast!

I like how light my head feels now. Jimmy likes the fact that there will not be long hair all over the bathroom anymore. After I had Ryan it fell out like crazy. I had to clean the floor every day!

He says it also shows off my long neck.

I'm donating my hair to Locks of Love. They will make a hair piece for a child with cancer or Alopecia. 

Even if I didn't like my haircut I probably wouldn't care since it's for a wonderful cause.