If you don't have anything nice to say, come sit by me

3 cup chicken

2012-01-18T06:09:00.001-06:00

I got this recipe from a fabulous cook-book called Ching's EVERYDAY EASY CHINESE. It was delish! Here is the recipe.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon peanut oil
5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
One 1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and sliced into thin coins
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 6), cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/4 cup light soy

1/4 cup Shaohsing rice wine or dry sherry
1/4 cup toasted sesame oil (see Cook's Note)
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 small handful Thai basil leaves, or Italian basil, plus extra for garnish

I served my chicken with a side of stir-fry broccoli, onions, ginger, garlic, celery & mushrooms in a little bit of sesame oil & soy sauce.

For the chicken: Meanwhile, heat a wok over high heat and add the peanut oil. When it begins to smoke, add the garlic and ginger and stir-fry quickly for a few seconds. Then add the chicken and let it settle in the pan for 30 seconds before stir-frying for 2 to 3 minutes until it browns.

This is the sauce

Add the soy sauce, rice wine and toasted sesame oil; reduce the heat to medium and cook for 6 minutes. Stir well and add the brown sugar. Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat to medium-low and simmer until the sauce is reduced to a thick, sticky consistency and the chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes and let sauce thicken.

Once the sauce thickened, I added my veggies to the chicken and sauce mixture. It was better than a lot of local chinese take-out I had.

Chicken divan

2012-01-17T20:57:00.004-06:00

I found this recipe on Skinny Taste site, do yall read it? She has great low-cal recipes and provides the WW point value too, which is so nice. I made Chicken Divan, Lightened Up this week. It was good.

Servings: 6 • Serving Size: 1/6th • Old Points: 7 pts • Points+: 8 pts
Calories: 335.7 • Fat: 12.3 g • Protein: 34.5 g • Carb: 19.8 g • Fiber: 4.1 g
· 1-1/2 lbs broccoli (3 large heads) chopped
· 24 oz boneless skinless chicken breasts (or 18 oz cooked)
· salt and fresh ground pepper
· 1 tbsp butter
· 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
· 2 cloves garlic, crushed
· 2 tbsp shallots, minced (onions would work too)
· 4 tbsp flour
· 1 cup fat free chicken broth
· 1 cup fat free milk
· 2 oz dry sherry (white wine would work)
· 6 oz shredded reduced-fat swiss
· 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
· 1/4 cup seasoned whole wheat breadcrumbs
· cooking spray

I added the lemon zest and lemon, cause I like things a little "zingy" and it didn't add any calories or fat.

I quickly sauteed my broccoli in a saute pan, cause it keeps the nutrition's better than boiling and it adds a nice crunchy texture.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the broccoli and blanch 3 minutes. Rinse with cold water to stop the cooking. Drain well and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with cooking spray.

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Using a grill pan or Forman grill, saute chicken on medium-low heat on both sides until browned, and just about cooked through, about 5 minutes on each side. Remove from heat and transfer chicken to a cutting board. When cooled, slice chicken into bite sized pieces.

Heat a medium skillet on medium heat. Add the butter and oil until melted and then add garlic and shallots. Sprinkle the flour and whisk until smooth. Stir in broth, milk and sherry and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in half of the swiss cheese (I used skim-mozzarella, cause I don't dig swiss cheese). Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Arrange the broccoli in a casserole dish and pour half of the sauce over the broccoli. Arrange the chicken on top and cover with remaining sauce. Sprinkle the remaining swiss cheese, grated parmesan and top with breadcrumbs (I used a combination of whole wheat breadcrumbs and panko to make it crispy). Spray a little oil on top.Bake 30 minutes, serve hot

Venture '12

2012-01-16T18:31:00.009-06:00

This past weekend was Venture at church. This was my 5th year in a row of being a leader and/or host home. I LOVE this weekend, it's always super encouraging way to start the new year, lots of great worship time, good messages, free food (OK, I admit it), fun & lots and lots of laughter.

Cole and his band provided the music all weekend. They did an excellent job.
Check out these snacks. I mean, these 8th graders were SERIOUS!
They only stayed 2 nights, but I took one look at the luggage and began to wonder if they were moving in?
All snuggled up for their "talk-back" time
Sleeping.....FINALLY! This was Friday night, about 3am.
They were very respectful of my house. Such sweet girls.

Saturday morning we made 330 cards for elderly people in Rockwall. This ended up taking a lot longer than it sounds like it would. But the girls took their time, were creative and did a great job.

They made 165 Valentine cards and 165 Easter cards

The whole group!
The 8th graders that stayed at my house.

The end of the weekend is always bitter sweet. If I'm being honest, one of the reasons I love this weekend so much, is that it reminds me of being back in high-school. I know most people hated school, but I happened to LOVE it. A lot of my wonderful memories involved church functions with my friends; and so this weekend just floods my heart and mind of sweet memories. And just when I feel like I'm back in high-school again, my body reminds me that high-school was 15 years ago, and I was asleep by 9pm last night. HA! Until next year.............

Car dent

2012-01-12T06:10:00.001-06:00

I've had my first experience with the ole hit-n-run!

Several people have made the obvious...well, don't you have insurance "joke"? And of course I do, but it's still going to cost me a big deductible and the hassle of having to be without my car, etc. Don't ya wish, everyone could play nice? And did I mention, that this happened in the church parking lot? NICE!

Plampia's birthday

2012-01-11T06:20:00.001-06:00

We all celebrated Plampia's birthday the Saturday after Thanksgiving (for those of you know don't know, Plampia is Landry's bitty baby, and there is no way you could convince her that she isn't a real person!)

party hats & presents!

Landry is SUCH a good mommy to her!

The Big Waste

2012-01-10T09:13:00.006-06:00

Did you catch Food Network's "The Big Waste”? As with all Food Network specials, it will be rerun. You should try to watch or dvr, if you missed it. It’s playing again Jan. 14 at 4 p.m. ET/PT or Jan. 15 at 5 p.m ET/PT.

The show explained why food can get thrown out before it even hits the store shelves (carrots with bumps on them, blemished fruit or eggs not big enough to fit securely in a carton). It also showed that this food is perfectly edible. I also loved it, because my 4 favorite chefs from Food Network were in it.

Here's the information about the show from Food Network's website: First-class chefs Bobby Flay, Michael Symon, Anne Burrell and Alex Guarnaschelli tackle one of the most massive problems in food today — waste! Divided into two teams, with only 48 hours on the clock, they are challenged to create a multi-course gourmet banquet worthy of their great reputations, but with a big twist; they can only use food that is on its way to the trash. The chefs' hunt takes them from grocery aisles to produce farms, and orchard lines to garbage piles, as they attempt to source enough ingredients to feed a gathering crowd. Bobby and Michael square off against Anne and Alex, as they challenge their views of food waste and how and why it is created. Oh, and they did have a food safety expect that came in and tested all the food, before they served to the 100 guests.

It was a great program, that really will make you think! Educational programming AND cutie-pie chefs? YES PLEASE!

Their meal came from nothing, into dinner. I have a different definition of waste now, when it comes to food. Don't mind natures imperfection. Buy the lonely apple with the spot.

Celebration Weekend

2011-12-26T07:15:00.001-06:00

We had such a great weekend, all together celebrating Nana & Papa's 60th wedding anniversary.

Friday night we went and saw The Gift of Christmas at Prestonwood. It was SO good.

We did the Kung Fu Panda snowhill tubing. That was really fun!

We spent Saturday at the Gaylord. We got to see santa and all the pretty decorations.

Thank you, Nana and Papa. XOXO

Gaylord

2011-12-25T07:58:00.001-06:00

All the family went to Dallas and stayed together at a hotel to celebrate Nana & Papa's 60th wedding anniversary. (more on the trip later)

We stayed at the Hyatt Regency and it was decorated so pretty

We also spent one of the days at the Gaylord Texan, their decorations are SO pretty

I've had SUCH a wonderful Christmas season this year. Not ready for it to be over!

Christmas decor continued

2011-12-24T06:22:00.001-06:00

Here is a little tour of my christmas decor, 2011 edition

These old lights belonged to my Dad-o. I thought they were so cute in this big jar.
(thank you Pinterest)

This tree was from memaw & dad-o. It looks red, but it's actually white.

Front door

snowmen collection (clinton kelly on the tv)

Santa collection

pretty little bird ornament I got at my work exchange

thanks for stopping by for the tour!

Mr. Prickle pants

2011-12-23T05:58:00.001-06:00

I just LOVED seeing all the things that everyones Elf on a Shelf have been doing.

my babies elf is named Mr. Prickle Pants and he's been naughty & nice this season!

Snowflake tree

2011-12-22T06:22:00.001-06:00

Snowflake tree in the dinning room

My EVERYTHING tree

2011-12-21T05:19:00.001-06:00

Sewing machine table

2011-12-20T08:17:00.001-06:00

this is a sewing machine table that used to be my memaw's

I'm using it as an side table in my living room and just love it

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-12-19T06:25:00.000-06:00

Angie hosted a wonderful thanksgiving 2011
Pioneer Woman, corn casserole

Nana's yummy dressing

Papa of course carved the turkey

Angie did such a great job on the table scape

the best mashed potato I ever ate!

macaroni and cheese

And moms green-bean bundles.

I'm embarrassed to say, that wasn't anywhere near all the food we had that day.

But boy was it delish!

Thanksgiving turkey

2011-12-18T06:24:00.000-06:00

I had the pleasure of making the holiday bird this year. Here is what I did.

I made an herb butter, in the food processor. I added two sticks of butter, a handful of parsley & rosemary, grated onion and garlic. Salt & pepper.

I filled the cavity of the turkey with onion, apple, lemon, garlic, rosemary, parsley, salt & pepper

then slathered the bird with the herb butter

Isn't she a beauty?

Moms Christmas Decor

2011-12-17T20:20:00.002-06:00

Mom and I were both off from work the week after thanksgiving and I was able to help her get all her Christmas decorations out.

I love all her stuff

Turkey Brine

2011-11-22T19:11:00.003-06:00

Welcome to turkey brine 2011 edition

Start with a BIG-OLE-POT

Brines are so easy and you can really use any flavors you like. Here is what I used: a carrot cut into a few pieces, an onion cut into quarters, a handful of garlic cloves smashed, a cup of salt, 1/2 cup soy sauce, a cup of brown sugar, a few tablespoons of honey, a few tablespoons of pepper, a few sprigs of rosemary, parsley & thyme, a big pinch of crushed red pepper flakes and 6 quarts of hot water. Stir vigorously so that all the seasoning dissolve into the water. I let it sit for about 2 hours.

here is what it looks like, while it's just chillin out. Once the solution is totally dissolved and it has cooled, add the turkey and hold it down into the solution, so that the cavity fills with liquid, so it doesn't float to the top. Put the lid on and put in fridge for 2-3 days.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Garland initial

2011-11-18T08:09:00.004-06:00

I saw this darling idea on Pinterest, to cover a big initial in Christmas garland and use a decorations during the holidays.

I had both of those things already, so last night I decided to make myself one

But unfortunately, when you cover a big A in Christmas garland, it ends up looking more like a tree than an A. Just a little warning to all my other A friends.

Occ 2011 is Complete

2011-11-15T06:27:00.001-06:00

Another successful Operation Christmas Child season has come & gone

Me, mom, Angie & Landry made a shoe box packing assembly at my house; I will admit, after all the years, we've gotten pretty dang good at packing them!

These are the boxes that I was able to collect from friends (Jeri, Sharron & Sarah Beth) & the ones that we packed. Special thanks to those who donated shipping as well (Lauren & Holly).

We totalled 63 boxes! Thanks to Logan & Layton for packing them up and delivering to church

Sunday afternoon the GA's had a packing party of their own. And then helped carry all the boxes that they church members donated. Thank you girls!

Here we are packing the OCC u-haul. The official count was 334! It warms my heart to think of those 334 faces that will be touched by the generosity of my family, friends & fellow church members.

Until next year....................................

Pumpkins 2011

2011-11-14T14:25:00.001-06:00

Instead of carving pumpkins the babies, decorated them!

I think they each nailed their own personalities in their pumpkins

Halloween 2011

2011-10-31T21:13:00.005-05:00

Halloween 2011

Harry Potter (10), Prize fighting boxer (6) and Rapunzel (4)

Halloween tradition continued...Angie invited families over for snacks and fun before we hit the streets begging for candy

The Girls

The group!

There are several houses in the 'hood that really go all-out decorating

the kids love it

The moms all wearing something from their kids costumes

I think from the huge pile, it was a very successful night!

Happy Halloween

2011-10-31T09:43:00.004-05:00

Happy Halloween

Hope everyone has a great day & night, filled with fun, lots of candy & laughter.

Be safe!

Operation Christmas Child

2011-10-25T16:05:00.003-05:00

A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed. Proverbs 11:25

Lake

2011-10-24T08:35:00.002-05:00

I had the privilege of spending some girl time on lake Palestine this weekend. So relaxing.

The weather was perfect & the views from the porch were beautiful

The house looks like something straight from the pages of Southern Living magazine

Very relaxing time, with sweet friends

And of course a girls trip isn't complete until you hit the antique junk stores!

Chairs

2011-10-23T11:22:00.001-05:00

I always need something to somewhat "obsess" about

and pinterest has filled that role

this week, my obsession is CHAIRS

New Pictures

2011-10-20T06:07:00.002-05:00

I've been wanting something for above my bed for a long time. Here is the "before".

Mom got me these VERY cool pictures for my birthday

we hung them inside this big grapevine wreath and I just love the way it turned out

Here is the "after"

Jimmie elves

2011-10-19T06:13:00.001-05:00

I know that it's barely fall...and I also know that I jump every single season

BUT............

I'm already getting excited to get the elves out!

A little sewing!

2011-10-18T08:21:00.001-05:00

Mom got a sewing machine from Nana and Papa for her birthday and then promptly tore her right rotator cuff and had to have surgery, be immobile for 8 weeks then re-hab. Well she is mending nicely and has knocked the cobwebs off the sewing machine.

She made Landry a cute Halloween skirt & of course one to match for Plampia

I told her, she'd have her own etsy shop before she knew it!

Fall is in the air

2011-10-17T10:12:00.001-05:00

Which means, cute Halloween clothes

And pumpkin patch pictures

And LOTS of allergy problems for Sis!

But couldn't resist the cute pictures :) Happy Fall Y'all!

Happy Birthday Angie

2011-10-09T00:01:00.002-05:00

I wanted to take a minute to celebrate Angie on her birthday. She is SUCH a great sister to me. Gives advice, WHEN SHE IS ASKED. Supports my decisions and interests, as well as encourages me. I'm so lucky to have her....I do feel sorry for girls that don't have sisters!

She is also.....SUPERWOMAN, I truly am in awe of what she accomplishes on a daily basis.

A thoughtful friend

Supportive wife

Great shopper

Fun & enthusiastic fan and sports mom

As well as, a sweet and sensitive girly, girl mom

Happy Birthday Angie

The world became a better place on October 9th.

LYLAS

New TV Shows

2011-10-06T08:30:00.003-05:00

Here are the new shows I'm loving

The Chew
Revenge

Pan Am

Hart of Dixie

What are you loving?

OCC Table

2011-09-30T08:34:00.006-05:00

Operation Christmas Child campaign kicks off this Sunday

Mom helped me get the table all set

Angie and "the littles" helped me with the posters

We will be collecting filled shoe boxes throughout the month of October. Hoping this is the BEST collection year yet!

Blackened tilapia

2011-09-22T20:06:00.005-05:00

I went to Restaurant Depot & got a HUGE box of tilapia...so I'm going to be exploring all the different ways to prepare it. Last night I had it blackened. It was yummy. Here is what I did.

1 ½ T. smoked paprika
½ t. salt
½ T. onion powder
½ t. ground black pepper
½ t. cayenne pepper
½ t. dried ground thyme
½ t. dried oregano
¼ t. garlic powder

In a small bowl combine all spices. Press a heaping tablespoon of the mix onto each fillet so that both sides are liberally coated. Allow the fish to sit for 15 mins at room temp prior to cooking.

Press a heaping tablespoon of the mix onto each fillet so that both sides are liberally coated. Allow the fish to sit for 15 mins at room temp prior to cooking. In a large skillet heat the oil over medium-high heat. Once the oil is almost smoking, add the fillets and cook for 2 to 3 mins on each side

Sprinkle with lemon juice and transfer to fillets to plate.

While the fish cooked I sauteed a shallot with garlic & sliced mushrooms to serve alongside

Here is the finished product with a side of broiled broccoli, it was so easy, healthy & delish

Shoe Boxes!

2011-09-21T09:59:00.004-05:00

Big request to my locals...I need you to save me

your old shoe boxes.

It's Operation Christmas Child time of the year and we need tons of boxes to fill with items to send to kids all around the world that would otherwise have nothing.

2 of the big suppliers (DSW Shoes) couldn't help us this year for various reasons. So if you have shoe boxes laying around, please save them for me. I'll come get them! Or this is a perfectly noble reason to rush out and buy new shoes!!!

Also, if you have any connections to large shoe stores or warehouses that would be interested in donating that would be awesome too.

Thanks!

Season 4 of The Next Iron Chef

2011-09-19T12:15:00.004-05:00

I am SO pumped about Season 4 of The Next Iron Chef on Food Network. I’ve watched the past 3 seasons and enjoyed it…but it was always a 7 or 8 people I’d never heard of and then 1 or 2 chefs I knew about.

Not this season, I know and like ALL 10 of them. Will be so fun to watch. Here is the lineup & where you've seen them:

Anne Burrell: Secrets of a Restaurant Chef, Worst Cooks in America (Food Network) Marcus Samuelsson: Top Chef Masters, Chef of Red Rooster Harlem & Chopped

Geoffrey Zakarian: The Lambs Club (New York), 24 Hour Restaurant Battle, Chopped (Food Network)
Spike Mendelsohn – Season 4 Top Chef, Good Stuff Eatery (Washington D.C.), Kelsey & Spike Cook (Food2.com)

Beau MacMillan – Worst Cook in America (Food Network), Iron Chef America – challenger (Food Network)
Alex Guarnaschelli: Butter, The Darby (New York), Alex’s Day Off, Chopped (Food Network)

Robert Irvine: Robert Irvine’s eat! (Hilton Head Island), Dinner: Impossible, Restaurant: Impossible, Worst Cooks in America (Food Network)

Chuck Hughes: (he is Ryan's food boyfriend) Garde Manger (Montreal), Chuck’s Day Off (Cooking Channel), Iron Chef America – challenger (Food Network)

Michael Chiarello: Bottega Restaurant (Napa Valley), Easy Entertaining with Michael Chiarello (Cooking Channel)

Elizabeth Faulkner: Citizen Cake, Orson (San Francisco), Iron Chef America – challenger (Food Network)

Will anyone else be watching? It starts Sunday October 30th at 8pm central. My money is on Marcus or Spike!

9-11-01

2011-09-11T00:01:00.002-05:00

Where were you when the world stopped turning on that September day?

This day, of course will go down in history as perhaps the most surreal day ever. Everyone was just paralyzed by all the emotions of the day. Of course I was glued to the television, in awe of what was happening. Although the tv I was watching was in the hospital waiting room, on the maternity floor. YEP, we were all there waiting on little Logan to be born.

He was the perfect light we all needed that terribly dark day....and he has continued to be a fabulous ray of sunshine in my life for the last 10 years. I can't believe how fast you've grown into a smart, handsome & funny kid. I'm a very proud Aunt Sis.

I love your guts............

Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day?

Philadelphia Cooking Cream

2011-09-08T06:08:00.001-05:00

Ingredients:

Chicken

Broccoli

pasta

lemon

olive oil

Philadelphia cooking cream

I boiled the pasta according to package directions and the last 3 mins of cooking I tossed in my broccoli florets; drained and set aside.

I sauteed a medium size red onion and removed from pan.

Added some more olive oil to the pan and added the chicken and cooked through

then added cooked pasta, broccoli, zest & juice of 1 lemon & the sauteed onions

then I stirred in 1 container of the cooking cream & top with Parmesan cheese

You could also add lots of other veggies; mushrooms, bell peppers, spinach, whatever is your favorite! I cooked about 3/4 of the box of pasta, 2 small heads of broccoli & 3 chicken thighs, but you could easily make a smaller portion or double or triple it for a large crowd. I had it for dinner & for lunch the next day and still have a lot leftover.

Has anyone else used this cream before? If so, what did you think?

Pumkin Man 2011

2011-09-06T14:48:00.008-05:00

Welcome to the pumpkin man tour of 2011. I hope you aren't bored by the end....cause there are lots this year. I feel like I can brag on how cute they all are, because 95% of them were gifts from sweet friends and family.

These little babies are new this year, from Dee & Ryan found me a set of 4. And they didn't even duplicate them. Worked out perfectly.

Gerhart Gang got me this darling tin pumpkin for my front door. I'm sure my neighbors think....whose the crazy lady with the pumpkin out when it's 106. But I don't care :)

These little gems were from the Dollar Tree, I have lots in all different colors

This was the REAL pumpkin man. He was the first and only truly authentic one.

this is my "spooky" corner, I try to only use happy, folks~ey Halloween decor, but I just couldn't pass on the black glitter skeleton heads!

That cutie on the left was from Ryan for my birthday, it was waiting for me when I arrived, my first trip to Florida. The darling one riding the cat was also a birthday gift from Mom last year.

Dee got me this precious witch, and I bought that cool feather tree at Home Goods, last year

Tara got me this fabulous boa feather tree

My newest addition is the precious pumpkin man in the left corner...he is from Monica

From the babies...I mean is this perfect or what?

love this witch night-light from Jennifer
that one dressed up like the black cat, it one of my favorites. Ryan named him "jimmy", I found him at Ross a few years ago

Thanks for indulging the crazy pumpkin lady!

Happy Decorating

Pooh Times Two

2011-08-30T16:19:00.008-05:00

So if you know me very well, you know my disdain for all things Winnie The Pooh. It's just a running joke in my family and has been for years & years. Remember back in January when Gerhart Gang did THIS? Well guess what....they struck again, on my BIRTHDAY no less.

Pooh Invasion Part II

How appropriate is this BIG inflatable waiting for me when I walked in the door!

These adorable book-ends were nestled in my entryway

Oh look, a big "hunny" pot piggy (or shall I say piglet) bank, sitting high atop my refrigerator

Stuffed Pooh on my pot-rack, I think this one was Layton's idea

music box on a table in the living room

everyone needs a nightlight

hidden in my tv cabinet

Powder blue pooh hanging in the hall

Hugging pooh waiting for me on my pillow

music box on my night stand

Good-night pooh alarm clock

band-aid across my mouth guard

and lots of tiny figurines

these were neatly put away in the cabinet with my other plates,
took me two days to discover them

not to mention the coffee mug that was in the dishwasher

man they are SNEAKY!

It was a fun way to end a birthday!

(locksmith is coming on Saturday)

2011-08-18T11:35:00.002-05:00

I got this via email and wanted to share. I choose to believe it!

"I just finished taking an evening class at Stanford. The last lecture was on the mind-body connection - the relationship between stress and disease. The speaker (head of psychiatry at Stanford) said, among other things, that one of the best things that a man could do for his health is to be married to a woman, whereas for a woman, one of the best things she could do for her health was to nurture her relationships with her girlfriends.

At first everyone laughed, but he was serious.

Women connect with each other differently and provide support systems that help each other to deal with stress and difficult life experiences. Physically this quality “girlfriend time" helps us to create more serotonin - a neurotransmitter that helps combat depression and can create a general feeling of well being. Women share feelings whereas men often form relationships around activities. They rarely sit down with a buddy and talk about how they feel about certain things or how their personal lives are going. Jobs? Yes. Sports? Yes. Cars? Yes. Fishing, hunting, golf? Yes. But their feelings? Rarely.

Women do it all of the time. We share from our souls with our sisters/mothers, and evidently that is very good for our health. He said that spending time with a friend is just as important to our general health as jogging or working out at a gym.

There's a tendency to think that when we are "exercising" we are doing something good for our bodies, but when we are hanging out with friends, we are wasting our time and should be more productively engaged—not true. In fact, he said that failure to create and maintain quality personal relationships with other humans is as dangerous to our physical health as smoking!

So every time you hang out to schmooze with a gal pal, just pat yourself on the back and congratulate yourself for doing something good for your health! We are indeed very, very lucky. Sooooo let's toast to our friendship with our girlfriends. Evidently it's very good for our health."

Food

2011-08-15T06:08:00.001-05:00

I've had some dang good food the last few weeks.....

JUMBO STUFFED (with garlic creamed cheese) 'SHROOMS (then fried) with creamy horseradish sauce.

TUSCAN WHITE BEAN SALAD V with goat cheese,
tomatoes, balsamic and Tuscan toast

These were from Houlihans with Jeri, Monica, Laure, Mom & Angie

Goat cheese & prosciutto deep fried and served on garlic toast with marinara & pesto sauce

These fabulous treats are from Timothy's Grill with Lesli in Texarkana

Raw sushi tuna tartare served on avocado salad and sesame crisps

Baked crab dip with Parmesan crisps

Foot Update

2011-08-13T06:33:00.001-05:00

I got a great report at my 6 week check-up. I'm free of the boot, the extra 5lbs & 20 degrees. And it came not a moment too soon. I still have lots of restrictions but what I can do...sleep without that boot. I slept SO good that first night without it. Will continue to keep you posted.

Anyone know of a cute hard sole shoe that doesn't look like an orthopaedic, that isn't a tennis-shoe and that doesn't cost $150 bucks? Anyone?

Pizza

2011-08-12T08:52:00.002-05:00

Here is a make at home pizza that isn't bad for you

I found these pita flats. They are super food coming in at 90 calories, 2.5 grams of fat and a whopping 9 grams of fiber (1 WW point) and they are really big. Much bigger than a tortilla or pita.

I made a quick pizza sauce, I used crushed tomato & sauce, sauteed onions, garlic, s&p, crushed red pepper flakes & oregano and let it simmer for 20 mins or so. While that cooked I put my flat on a grill pan sprayed with cooking spray and got it nice and crisp.

Then topped with grilled onions, tomato slices & skim mozzarella cheese & put in the oven for 10 mins

It was good. The flat was a bit "wheat~ey" & you could taste that flour taste. Certainly not as good as a REAL pizza, but for about 80-90% less calories & fat, I promise you'll feel better about eating this one. I'll be anxious to try other toppings like turkey sausage & mushroom or turkey pepperoni.

Shower

2011-08-04T16:00:00.001-05:00

A few weeks ago I helped host a babyshower for my dear friend Lauren

Babies

2011-07-22T07:02:00.001-05:00

Sis loves her babies!

And yes, when they are grown & have babies of their own, I'll still call them the babies!

I'm Bored

2011-07-20T12:50:00.003-05:00

( with life)

Foot update--Week 2

2011-07-14T08:47:00.005-05:00

Week 2 foot update

I went back to work on Monday (day 5). Thought it was only fitting that I use a USPS box as my foot rest...considering that was the scene of the crime.

That hardly looks human! Look at the indentions from the sock on my ankle!

Icing it at work. These "pea" ice-packs are terrible, go with the old-fashioned kind.

If I'm not at work, this is what I'm doing, either on the couch or in bed.

Getting excited for halloween

2011-07-13T06:58:00.001-05:00

I figure if Hobby Lobby can put out their christmas decor in June, I can get excited about halloween in July!

Dee Foust is my favorite halloween folk art designer

This is some of her work

Can't wait for Pumpkin Man to make his way out of storage

And now that we have a HOME GOODS in Rockwall, I'm hoping to get a few more things for the 2011 season. YIPPEE!

Glass

2011-07-12T07:15:00.001-05:00

I'm very much loving glass jar collections for summer decorating

School supplies for OCC

2011-07-11T15:01:00.002-05:00

School supplies are on sale at walmart. I'm already stocking up for my Operation Christmas Child boxes. Markers & colored pencils, large pack of pencils & crayons were 97 cents & glue was 40 cents. Lots of other charities will be asking for school supplies in the coming months as well. This is a good time to load up!

Best friends best friends

2011-07-08T06:31:00.001-05:00

2 of my best friends (Ryan & Lesli), childhood best friends (Jac & Ali), had babies just a few weeks apart. I found these very BOY~ish love~ey's & just had to send to them!

This is SUPER WYATT for Ryan's best friend Jaclyn

And this one is for John Morris & Ali

Sam embroidered their names on them for me

I love knowing that I have built in friends via my other friends!

4th of July

2011-07-07T07:29:00.001-05:00

Nana and Papa came to town to help mom after her surgery & ended up waiting on the crippled foot girl too. It was nice to be able to spend the 4th with them, despite the situation!

Nana & Papa made us a yummy dinner of ribs, salad and corn

Angie and the babies made a refreshing dessert drink; frozen lemonade & strawberry, YUM!

Then we loaded everyone up and watched the Rockwall fireworks show

Even Plampia watched!

Left foot BROKEN!

2011-07-05T07:05:00.002-05:00

Wednesday after work I ran by the post office, I parked really close to the curb and there wasn't room between the curb and my car to walk in between, so I hopped up on the curb, where I immediately rolled my ankle right off and FELL. It sounded like someone popped all 10 knuckles at the same time. Or almost like a deck of cards was being shuffled. It HURT!

WARNING: gross pictures to follow

I went home and immediately iced it and within an hour, I had this ping pong ball sticking out of the side of my foot. Houston we have a problem! I still wasn't convinced it was broken. I could move my toes and my ankle, I was staying positive. Not that there is any good time to break your foot...but this was especially bad timing. Mom was scheduled for surgery on Friday and would be without the use of her RIGHT arm for 6 weeks. I needed to be healthy and able to help.

I woke up Thursday and tried to walk and nearly hit the ground. I was in terrible pain. Went to my regular doctor and they took an x-ray, confirmed it was fractured and sent me to an orthopedic. The orthopedic doc took more x-rays and confirmed that not only one, but TWO bones were broken. GO BIG OR GO HOME!

I made it almost 32 years without a broken bone, or even an x-ray for that matter.

Not sure how long I have to wear this. I go back in 3 weeks for follow-up. Will keep you posted.

Baby Decor

2011-06-30T06:21:00.001-05:00

I have a new found love affair with pinterest (an online photo album of all things lovely) I click on a picture and it will take me to something else and then I realize I've been looking at baby bedding for 45 minutes!

No, I'm NOT having a baby and have NO REASON to be thinking or looking at baby stuff, except that I LOVE it.
~~When~~ If I have a baby, I want an old rickety, antique bed like this one. Angie tells me I can't because their heads will get stuck between the bars and they'll eat the lead paint? Whatever, it looks fabulous!

Here are some more modern nurseries for you to feast your eyes on

STUFF

2011-06-29T06:17:00.001-05:00

I LOVE the more is more idea when it comes to decorating

If 3 are cute, than 5 are FABULOUS! My house needs more STUFF!

Pork chop brine

2011-06-28T06:31:00.001-05:00

Brining foods in a saltwater mixture before you cook them adds flavor, tenderness, and reduces cooking times. I usually buy the smaller (cheaper) pork-chops and they get tough, VERY easily. Here is a method I use to help with that.

1/2 cup kosher salt

1 tablespoon pepper

1/3 cup sugar

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 rib of celery

lots of garlic

water

pork chops in a large zip-lock bag

combine all ingredients and add enough water to cover the chops

let sit in the refrigerator until ready to cook at least 30 mins or overnight is better
remove chops from the brine discarding the solution and cook

I grilled mine on an indoor grill pan, but you can cook them however you want, because the brine doesn't alter the taste of the meat.

VBS

2011-06-27T08:32:00.001-05:00

The cutest VBS'ers ever!

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3 (hip-hop day, Logan fit right in!)

Last day

Buffalo Chicken-Noodle Soup

2011-06-22T06:54:00.002-05:00

I had some veggies that needed to be used, and I'm obsessed with all things buffalo (my mom thinks I should be on that "freaky eaters" show, cause I love it on everything)

Start with: carrots, celery, onion and garlic

Saute in olive oil with salt & pepper until soft 10 mins

I added some lemon rind, it gave it a light citrus taste to the broth

Add in 6-8 cups of chicken stock & diced cooked chicken

& diced cooked chicken

Depending on how spicy you like stuff, add buffalo sauce or Louisiana hot sauce

I added about 1/2 a cup

then I added cooked pasta, covered it and let it barely simmer on low for all the flavors to come together

The finished product. I LOVED it. Fresh veggies, flavorful broth, chunks of chicken & pasta

ENJOY!

2011-06-17T10:48:00.002-05:00

Sushi

2011-06-17T06:55:00.001-05:00

this is one of the best things I've eaten in a long time

it's not fancy, only a few ingredients, but the flavor combination is killer

sliced jalapeno, stuffed with cream cheese & crab meat, then they put the pepper put back together batter in tempura and fried. Pulled back apart and soy glaze drizzled on top. WOWZA!

Then we washed it down with a boatload (literally) of sushi

This beauty, is a roll, COVERED in buttery, sauced scallops. Delish.

And not to get on my soapbox, but it still hurts my feelings that so many people turn their noses up at sushi. What is there to dislike about buttery scallops? NOTHING! So do me a favor and try it for crying out loud!

Chicken enchiladas

2011-06-16T06:56:00.001-05:00

I made chicken enchiladas for Sam & her family a few weeks ago.

Here is the homemade tomatillo sauce

Cilantro rice....very lime~ey!

The finished product!

Way to go Mav's

2011-06-15T05:00:00.001-05:00

Well done Mav's

We all REALLY enjoyed this playoff season

2011 NBA Champions!

Flag Day

2011-06-14T09:35:00.002-05:00

when we raised ole glory to the top of the pole, we all sang the freedom song

Babycakes Catering

2011-06-13T06:13:00.001-05:00

I catered an end of the school year luncheon last week, they ordered all kinds of yummy salads and dips

chicken salad & pimento cheese

pasta salad

creamy artichoke & spinach dip

Texas caviar

Black bean & corn salsa & several others

email me if interested!

Family Reunion

2011-06-10T07:57:00.002-05:00

I'm going to a family reunion this weekend

Don't forget to order some salsa to take to your next family reunion

or Summer BBQ

Boots

2011-06-08T06:41:00.001-05:00

I'm coveting these boots. I know I shouldn't but I am.

Babycakes By Angie Assistant

2011-06-07T11:13:00.001-05:00

A few weekends ago, I went with Angie as her Babycakes assistant

She made the brides cake & the grooms cake

we had such fun together

Don't correct the color of your screen....that IS a blue wedding cake

To each bride their own...and it ended up looking SO pretty in front of that beautiful stained glass

I am thankful!

2011-05-29T22:05:00.002-05:00

Special thanks always, but especially on memorial to ALL the faithful troops for allowing the US of A to have our freedom. THANK YOU military & the families that support them!

Chicken & Mushrooms in garlic sauce

2011-05-27T06:05:00.001-05:00

Servings: 4 • Serving Size: divide between 4 • Old Points: 4 pts • Points+: 4 pts
Calories: 169 • Fat: 5.5 g • Protein: 22.8 g • Carb: 4.9 g • Fiber: 1.2 g • Sugar: 1.7 g
8 chicken tenderloins, 16 oz total
2 tsp butter
2 tsp olive oil
1/4 cup all purpose flour*
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
12 oz sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup white wine
1/3 cup fat free chicken broth
salt and fresh pepper to taste
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 200°. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Lightly dredge in flour. Heat a large skillet on medium heat; when hot add 1 tsp butter and 1 tsp olive oil. Add chicken to the skillet and cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes on each side, or until chicken is no longer pink. Set aside in a warm oven.

Add additional oil and butter to the skillet, then garlic and cook a few seconds; add mushrooms, salt and pepper stirring occasionally until golden, about 5 minutes.Add wine, chicken broth, parsley; stir the pan with a wooden spoon breaking up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan.

Cook a few more minutes or until the liquid reduces by half. Top the chicken with the mushroom sauce and serve.*I only used 1 tbsp of flour and tossed the rest, so calculations were for 1 tbsp flour only

I found this recipe from Skinny Taste, her site is HERE

Pictures from the storm

2011-05-25T09:39:00.007-05:00

Some pictures from the storm, May 24th 2011

The sun came back out about 7:15pm

Take cover!

Rockwall peeps spent the better part of 2 hours taking cover
Tornado sirens were going off....and it wasn't Wednesday at 2pm (testing day)

The Gerhart gang took shelter in the closet under the stairs

Gracie & I went to the hall bathroom with some blankets & pillows

Sweet baby Ruby slept soundly in the tub

Storm didn't seem to bother the little ones

Thank you Jesus for keeping us all safe. I really enjoyed reading all the FB messages & knowing just about everyone was hunkered in their bathrooms too.

Now that it's over & no one was hurt...I think it was a fun memory

25 years have gone...........

2011-05-24T08:36:00.002-05:00

Wednesday night I will be sad. There will be tears involved. And yes, it will be because I will have just watched the last Oprah Show. Tears come easily to me, so this won’t surprise many. I’ve cried at the end of all my favorite shows. I BAWLED, heaving when Friends ended. MY significant other at the time looked at me and said, you do know this is a TV SHOW, right? But not to me, to me they were my FRIENDS and had been for the last 10 years. Oprah is no different.

I’m not going to pretend I’m an extreme viewer, going to the show wasn’t on my bucket list. I didn’t plan my vacations around going to see her. I never wrote in to try to get on the show. I’ve also not watched for the whole 25 yrs (no, my mom didn’t let me watch Oprah at 6 yrs old). But, I can honestly say I’ve been a loyal viewer for at least 15 years. And I’ve loved Oprah the whole time.

There has been lots of talk about Oprah and her “spiritual~ness”….religion, who God is, whether or not she is a Christian (which isn’t ours to say) But I don’t go to Oprah for knowledge on religion, she isn’t my spiritual guru, I didn’t learn my core beliefs from her. I go to Oprah for ENTERTAINMENT. And she has done pretty darn good at entertaining me for those 15+/- years. I’m not exactly sure when or where the Oprah haters got started. Perhaps when she openly supported Obama? My moms group of friends even went as far as to call a boycott of her. I think the word “Anti-Christ” was used. I thought that was ridiculous…but hey, we are all welcome to our opinion & I’m just expressing mine!

So looking back on many years of fun celebrity interviews, trips, FAVE-O-RITE THINGS, medical advice, fashion, weight-loss, financial advice, make-overs & even make-unders, gut wrenching shows about finding family members, stories about precious lifelong friendships, amazing stories about kids, relationship advice, eye opening accounts of the dangers of drugs & alcohol, hundreds of millions of dollars given to charities all over the WORLD, a campaign to put an end to texting while driving and I could go on and on. THAT is what I will miss every afternoon. Sitting down on the coach after a long day at work & knowing I can escape into an hour of entertainment, with my good friend Oprah.

Purple berri

2011-05-23T08:25:00.001-05:00

The babies LOVE them some

PURPLE BERRI

Fun iphone photo app

2011-05-22T06:13:00.001-05:00

Jennifer introduced me to a fun new photo app called Fotolr PS

It's FREE!

obviously you can add fun photo boarders & frames

You can also add text, change & add hair color,

add filters to make it look old & distressed & all kinds of other fun stuff

ENJOY!

California Baptist College

2011-05-21T06:41:00.001-05:00

California Baptist College, choir & orchestra came to First Baptist Church last Friday for a concert. WOW, they were un-believable.

130 college students

The kids were darling & so talented

If you ever get the chance to see them, I'd recommend it!

Fish Camp

2011-05-19T06:57:00.002-05:00

Nana & Papa came to town last month to celebrate Adam, Layton & Mom's birthdays. All the family went out to Fish Camp in Royse City to celebrate & have some yummy dinner.

After dinner we did a little fishing

Yeah for Dee & Layton

BIG catch!

Angie caught several

What they used as bait!

UH-OH, Landry's fell off the hook. No worries, they managed to get it back into the pond!

Guess Adam was still hungry?

Logan's turn. I think he caught the most.

Was a very fun family evening!

Furniture re-do

2011-05-17T06:24:00.002-05:00

Mom found this old chest at an antique store, while visiting Nana & Papa

It was fairly in-expensive, so she bought it for me

It had definitely been ~~used~~ LOVED by many people before me & needed some TLC

So, I borrowed Adam's hand-held power sander

Got the whole thing sanded + the drawers & it was ready for some paint

I painted the whole chest & drawers, a very dark brown color
after it dried I re-sanded the frame

then I added a thin coat of bright turquoise

& used a dry brush on top of it to spread out the paint

Then I went back over the turquoise with the dark brown & used the same dry brush technique

Here is the finished product. The turquoise is very subtle & just gives it a nice antiqued look

Turkey burgers with zucchini

2011-05-14T08:23:00.001-05:00

Turkey Burgers with zucchini

Serving Size: 1 burger Old Points: 3 pts (bun extra) Points+: 4 pts

Calories: 156 Fat: 6.8 g Protein: 18.6 g Carb: 5.5 g Fiber: 1.3 g

1lb. 93% lean ground turkey

1 small zucchini, grated

1/4 cup breadcrumbs (I used panko)

1 clove garlic, grated

1 tbsp red onion, grated

S&P

Oil spray

I also added a dash of soy sauce, worchestershire & tabasco to add more flavor

grate zucchini, onion & garlic

In a large bowl, combine ground turkey, zucchini, breadcrumbs, garlic, onion, salt and pepper.

Heat a large skillet on high heat. When hot, lightly spray oil. Add burgers to the pan and reduce the heat to low. Cook on one side until browned, then flip. Flip over a few times to prevent burning and to make sure the burgers are cooked all the way through

It was good, but I couldn't taste the grated veggies AT ALL. I guess the zucchini made it moister, but didn't add much in my opinion. Would be a good way to sneak veggies into kids!

Mav's Sweep Lakers

2011-05-12T06:19:00.004-05:00

Me, Angie & the boys were able to go to the Maverick's game

BEAT LA!

Lots going on at Victory Park

We got there early, to check out all the sights

A litte pre-game warm-up

Logan had such a blast!

Here come the Mav's

The time is NOW!

Logan was so excited that the Mav's "busted a bill"

Mav's SWEEP LA

The boys pose with the Mav's Maniacs

More crazy fans. Layton kept saying, are they captain underpants?

Thanks for inviting SIS to go to the game, it was a blast!

GO MAV'S

What I'm loving Wednesday

2011-05-11T08:49:00.012-05:00

Big leather hobo bagsFeather hair extensions

Fike & Dana (I get to see them tonight, so they are on the brain)

And I love to watch her facial expressions while she sings, makes me laugh

Baked pretzels chips, BUFFALO flavor. YUM & 110 calories per serving

And my biggest love of today are these fabulous Olive Bungalow stack rings

I've loved these for years. In a former life I was planning on these as wedding bands.

LOVE!

Layton's 6th Birthday Party

2011-05-10T09:04:00.001-05:00

For Layton's 6th birthday he had his 3 best buddies over for a backyard camp-out

Angie got all kinds of fun camping goodies

The tent was HUGE!
Fire-pit for roasting marshmallowsSissy is ready to make smores!

Babycakes made an awesome iced in camo, cookie cake.

Happy Birthday Layton!!!

Food Banks need us

2011-05-07T08:57:00.001-05:00

With school coming to an end in the near future, tons of children will not be getting free (or very low cost) breakfast & lunches. Which means the lines at the food banks get longer.

Seems as if there is always a big surge of donating around thanksgiving & Christmas, but please remember people are hungry YEAR ROUND.

Next time you are at the grocery store, grab an extra bag of non-perishables and drop off at your local food pantry!

Easter 2011

2011-05-06T08:14:00.002-05:00

A few snap-shots from Easter Sunday

Girls of Grace

2011-05-05T09:15:00.001-05:00

Here are a few pictures from landry's dance recital

She was a pretty, pretty princess...AS USUAL!

I'll have my cake

2011-05-02T08:48:00.005-05:00

And eat it too!

We celebrated Adam & Mom's birthday this weekendAdam got a DUKE cake that was chocolate Chocolate chip. He was excited!

This is Mom's favorite sweet treat

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Happy Born Day to Mom & Layton

2011-04-28T05:00:00.002-05:00

Today is a very special day...

Cause it's Mom's Birthday

AND Layton's birthday!

Layton; just a few days old, getting ready to come home from the hospital

I can't believe this little monkey is turning SIX today. It hardly seems possible.

Layton, you've had a special "spunk" since the day you were born!

9 years old

Happy birthday to two of my favorite people.

You are both very special and SUPER-DOOPER loved today & always.

xoxox, Sis

Easter pooh invasion, the sequel!

2011-04-25T12:28:00.002-05:00

I got POOH'ED on again.....

we had such a nice day at church, visited with family, played outside, had a delicious dinner

And then I went to my car and saw these ~~darling~~ pooh decals on the INSIDE of my car windows. Those little boogers snuck in my purse got my keys, went out to my car and vandalised it and I never even saw them leave the house!

Sneaky little boogers!

Never miss....

2011-04-20T08:11:00.007-05:00

An opportunity to play in the rain!

Happy Birthday Adam!

2011-04-19T05:38:00.001-05:00

Wanted to take a moment to celebrate the best brother in law EVER!

Happy Birthday Adam!

You are a great husband FatherAnd such a loyal friend We are lucky to know you & have you as part of our lives!

Love, Love

Sis

Saturday with Sissy

2011-04-18T10:47:00.004-05:00

I got to hang out with Sissy all day on Saturday. We had lots of fun!

We went by and saw Sam & Mommy at their Aspasians Booth

And did a little looking around

Had a red & blue SlurpeeWatched Layton's t-ball game & played with friends

Then came back to Sis's house for a nice soaky bubble bath and coloring time!

Love your guts Sissy!

Nike baseball caps

2011-04-16T00:49:00.002-05:00

Be sure and stop by booth A103 and grab an embroidered Nike baseball cap supporting your Rockwall Yellowjackets or Heath Hawks.

Aspasians art show THIS Saturday

2011-04-12T13:43:00.001-05:00

This Saturday is the annual Aspasians art show in downtown Rockwall. They always have lots of great stuff for your home, jewelry, baby clothes and other fun stuff you just NEED! This year my friend Sam is going to have a booth with all her adorable embroidered stuff. Be sure and look for Studio S Embroidery. Check out her site HERE

Here are some examples of her great stuff

she'll have a variety of stuff to buy, as well as taking orders for specifics

Happy Shopping!

Chicken stuffed w/ spinach & tomato

2011-04-11T05:20:00.002-05:00

can you tell I went to costco & have lots of tomato & spinach to use up?

Cast of characters: boneless skinless chicken breast, baby spinach, cherry tomato, salsa, garlic red wine vinegar, S&P I thawed a cheap ole bagged boneless skinless chicken; (I like the cheap kind, cause they are small prob 4oz. because they have lots of fat, but that is easily trimmed away & worth the price to me) I sliced in half from right to left, but not all the way through & season with salt & pepper

For the stuffing I used, baby spinach that chopped into small pieces. I also sliced a handful of cherry tomatoes, a splash or 2 of red wine vinegar, a sprinkle of garlic powder, salt & pepper stir and let marinade. place "stuffing" into the pocket of the chicken, secure with a wooden skewer and place into a greased baking dish. I topped the stuffed chicken with a little salsa and cooked in a 350 oven for about 25-30 mins or until cooked through depending on the size of chicken breast. It was a beautiful presentation! Would have been even better with some bacon & cheese stuffed inside! I served mine with some rotel rice. Actually could be stuff with tons of different options! Let me know if you try it and what you use!

Salsa

2011-04-08T10:39:00.005-05:00

I'm officially in the SALSA business

Let me know if you need some!

Quart size (32oz) are $11 and pint size (18oz.) are $8

Tilapia & sauteed spinach with tomato

2011-04-06T08:22:00.008-05:00

Cast of characters: red wine vinegar, lemon, garlic, crushed red pepper flakes

baby spinach

sliced cherry tomato

heat saute pan, add spinach and several dashes of red wine vinegar

as the spinach starts to wilt, add in garlic, s&p, crushed red pepper flakes & tomato and cook until your desired consistency. I don't like my spinach super wilted, so I just cooked for a min or so. Squeeze lemon juice once it's finished cooking. Tilapia cast of characters: fish fillet, flour, non-stick cooking spray, lemon you only need a few tablespoons of flour, this kinda looks like a lot, but that is a smaller saucer, not a dinner plate. Season flour with garlic powder, s&p

lightly flour each side of the tilapia

coat a saute pan with a generous of non-stick cooking spray of your choice

add fish to hot pan. again, this looks humongous, but it's just the picture! It also looks like it's swimming in grease, but it's not greasy at all! Cook on each side about 3 mins.

Once fish is browned, I squeezed the other have of the lemon onto the fish and served with spinach and tomatoes. Yummy & super healthy dinner!

(I had some leftover sauteed onions from the night before so I added to the top of the fish)

Pho

2011-03-30T06:41:00.001-05:00

Pho is a Vietnamese noodle soup that I just adore. I crave it really. Jennifer introduced me to it, 10+ years ago, when we worked together the first time. Then I moved to Austin, and they had TONS of yummy pho places, so I continued to feed my habit. By the way it's pronounced Fah, not FOE. We have a place in Rockwall that we like called Pho Garden.

Pho comes out bubbling hot, it's a broth with slicked onions, chopped green onions, rice noodles, and very thinly sliced round eye beef (can also get brisket, shrimp, chicken, tripe or combination) I always get beef. The beef comes out un-cooked and the second they sit the bowl down, you flip the very thin meat to the bottom of the bowl and the hot broth cooks the beef.

Then comes the fun of "decorating" your bowl with all kinds of yummy seasonings & condiments. I've never seen two people eat Pho the same way. This is the way I do it: soy sauce, a heavy amount of sirachi sauce (angry cock), huge handful of bean sprouts, torn Thai basil leaves, lots of torn cilantro and lots of lime juice. {limes are so dang expensive, my little pho place is using lemons, NOT the same, insert sad face}

It's spicy, and flavorful & warms my soul
Isn't it beautiful? Do you eat Pho? If so, share how you like it!

Baked Ziti with Turkey Sausage

2011-03-28T08:05:00.001-05:00

Baked Ziti with Turkey Sausage

PointsPlus™ Value: 7

Servings: 8

Ingredients

¾ pound(s) Sausage, turkey, raw, casings removed (I found it w/o the casing)

1 medium Onion chopped

1 medium Pepper green, chopped

28 oz Canned diced tomatoes

2 Tbsp Tomato paste

1 tsp Dried oregano

1 tsp Dried basil

½ tsp Dried thyme

½ tsp Fennel seed

½ tsp Salt or to taste

½ tsp Pepper, black, freshly ground

12 oz Pasta, whole-wheat, uncooked, ziti, cooked according to package directions

6 oz Cheese, mozzarella, fat free, shredded

Crumble the sausage meat into a large saucepan and brown over medium heat, stirring often, about 4 minutes, remove sausage and discard any fat

add the onion and bell pepper (I hate bell peppers so I left out) Cook, stirring often, until softened, about 3 minutes. I also added about 3 cloves of garlic minced

add oregano, basil, thyme, fennel seeds, salt and pepper. I didn't have fennel, so I left out and added crushed red pepper flakes to add a kick of heat, let cook a minute or two. Boil noodles according to package directions while sauce is cooking.

Add sausage back to onion & herb mixture. Then stir in the tomatoes, tomato paste. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat and cook uncovered 5 minutes, stirring often. (forgot to snap a picture of this!)

Stir in the cooked pasta and half the grated cheese. Spread evenly into a 9X13-inch baking pan. Top evenly with the remaining cheese. (I also added a tiny bit of panko breadcrumbs, cause I can never leave well enough alone!)
Bake until the cheese has melted and the casserole is bubbling, about 20 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes at room temperature before slicing into 8 pieces and then serve.

The turkey sausage I used was only 2 points. I'm so excited I found it, will be using that all the time. The package said "breakfast sausage" but it's just regular ole crumbled sausage. Enjoy!

Iphone photo apps

2011-03-26T07:29:00.003-05:00

I'm in love with this app. Seriously, it does the coolest stuff

takes a plain ole picture and makes them unusual & so fun

And the most fun part to me, is that you can share your pictures with other instagram users

and comment and "like" them. This has become my new facebook!

Another fun app is called OldPhotoPRO

Takes a regular picture & makes is look really old

This one is called Labelbox

It allows you to add these labels/tags to your photos,

there are 9 free options & 4 more you can pay for

And after you add the tag, you can then load it to instagram and share with your friends

Toe--WARNING

2011-03-25T07:07:00.002-05:00

This post is not for the weak stomach folks!

A few months ago, my toenail got stepped on (while wearing flip-flops) at just the right (or wrong) place, and it caused my nail to just split. It gushed blood and was pretty darn painful. It was still attached on the side, but just hanging on for dear life. I had to just YANK it off. I live alone and was able to YELL. LOUD. Thankfully it wasn't my whole nail, just the top right section. Angie called it to "B quadrant" (she is such a teacher). It got doctored & I continued to take excellent care of it, cleaning it and keeping it covered, in darling band-aids I might add.

So here are, the toe chronicles:

Getting better!

Baked Shells with spinach

2011-03-23T06:11:00.002-05:00

Ingredients
5 tablespoons EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil, divided
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped, divided
1 large or 2 small to medium onions, finely chopped, divided
1 small carrot, finely chopped or grated
Salt and pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons oregano or marjoram, half a palmful
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, 1/3 palmful
1 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed by pressing under flat of your knife
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme, 5 to 6 sprigs
1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
1/2 cup dry white or red wine
2 cups chicken stock
2 28-ounce cans Italian crushed tomatoes
1 pound medium or large shell pasta (not extra-large stuffing shells)
2 boxes frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and wrung dry in clean towel
Freshly grated nutmeg, about 1/4 teaspoon
2 cups fresh ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus some to pass at table
2 large egg yolks, lightly beaten

Preparation

In a large pot, heat 3 tablespoons EVOO, 3 turns of the pan, over medium heat. Add 4 cloves of chopped garlic, 3/4 of finely chopped onion and the carrot.

Season with salt, pepper, oregano or marjoram, red pepper flakes, fennel seeds and thyme, and gently sauté 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add in parsley, stir, then add wine and reduce a minute. Add stock and tomatoes, bring sauce up to a bubble and reduce heat to simmer. Simmer sauce 45 minutes.

After sauce has been simmering for 30 minutes, preheat oven to 375˚F. Bring a pot of water to a boil for the pasta. Salt water and cook pasta 5 minutes

While pasta water comes to a boil, heat remaining 2 tablespoons EVOO in a small skillet over medium heat. Add remaining garlic and onion and sauté to soften, 5 minutes. Add spinach, pulling it apart and separating it as you add it to pan. Stir to combine well and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Turn off heat.

Drain undercooked pasta and return it to the hot pot. Add spinach mixture to pot along with ricotta and grated Parm. Stir to combine, adjust salt and pepper then add eggs and stir.
Pour a thin layer of marinara sauce into the bottom of a casserole dish. Fill dish with pasta then top with another thin layer of red sauce. Save remaining sauce to pass at table. Bake 30 minutes until bubbly.

Serve casserole directly from casserole dish, passing extra sauce and cheese at the table.

If I make this again, I'll only use 1 box of spinach or maybe even fresh spinach. I like spinach, but TWO boxes was A LOT & a little too spinachy~ey for me.

Sissy

2011-03-22T07:04:00.001-05:00

Valentines Day Present. She loved decorating it

At Mam's house playing in the jewelery!

SUCH a big girl after getting her 4 year old shots

Big girl on her Barbie bike

Miss Priss!