Ah, life. I feel like I'm so busy all the time, but when I look back and try to write about what's been going on that's had me so busy, I come up empty-handed. What have I been doing with myself?? I've come to the conclusion that just life in general is busy and crazy. Even when I don't have events going on. And that's okay. Its my life, and I love it. ( :
Not all the time, of course. Well, maybe I shouldn't say that, exactly. Its not that I have true moments when I just hate my life. Hate certain situations, yes. Either way you look at it, I'm not happy-go-lucky all the time. My glass is not always half full.
I'm on the quest to find a new blog to follow. I know, I know, I need another blog to read like I need another hole in my head. But this blog I'm looking for will be different. All of the blogs I follow are written by stay-at-home-moms. And I love that. For them. I'm truly happy that these women can be with their kids every day. And I love that they have enough time to blog so people like me can read and learn from them.
But its hard to relate to SAHMs. And I feel like maybe they can't really relate to women like me, who have to work full-time and still figure out how to manage a family. I would love to be able to stay home with my daughter (and any future kids we may be blessed with), and I would love to eventually homeschool her, but right now that's not a possibility. No, I'm not giving up my dream of doing just that. Maybe one day it'll happen. But its time to stop daydreaming and start living in the here and now.
I'll still follow my beloved blogs by the SAHMs - they are good inspiration for me, and I truly love reading their stuff. I just want to find a good blogger who is a working mama. There's got to be some of us out there, right? Or are we all just too busy to do it all and blog about it? Cause I know that's my problem. I struggle with keeping up with all my normal, every day stuff - throwing a blog into the mix is almost impossible. Which is why this baby doesn't get updated daily. Or even weekly sometimes.
I want to read about someone else who is struggling like I am. Struggling with having to be away from home 50+ hours a week and not having enough time after work to get things done that need to be done. Struggling with the fact that I leave my child every day to be raised by someone else. Struggling with the fact that I miss out on so many moments with her, and that I missed so many of her firsts. Struggling with coming home and trying to be the wife God has called me to be, and the mother He has called me to be, all while being exhausted from working all day. Struggling to cook good meals for my family when I am home just a few waking hours every day. Struggling with wanting to spend time with my daughter after work, but needing to wash clothes and cook supper, etc.
Don't get me wrong, I know SAHMs struggle, too. I know they're busy. I know that. I know when you're home all day with a toddler or a baby its hard to get stuff done, and I know how an entire day can go by without you realizing it. But its still a different struggle. Cause us working moms have to deal with all that, plus our mommy-guilt over not being with our kids all day. At least, I do. Every day, it kills me to leave C with her grandma. Even though I know my MIL is doing an excellent job with her, and C is shaping up to be a nicely mannered girl.
So when I get home at 5:45 with her, I want to just drop everything and play with her, make memories with her, do stuff with her. Instead, I have time to take just a few minutes to talk with her, maybe read a quick story, then I have to rush around and start supper, do laundry, what have you. Otherwise, I'll spend my entire Saturday doing nothing but cleaning. As it is, I spend at least 1-2 hours on Saturdays just cleaning. And I feel guilty for doing that, cause Saturdays are supposed to be our days together. Guilt is so powerful.
Sure, C helps me around the house. She likes to "help" in the kitchen when I cook - but not all the time. She likes to help get clothes out of the dryer, or put them in. She likes to help hang wet clothes on the drying rack. She likes to "sweep" with her little broom while I sweep the house. So we're spending time together, and I have to remind myself that that's what's important. It doesn't really matter what we're doing. And I know that having her help me do housework is good for her.
But some nights I lay her in her bed and think wow, we didn't do anything fun tonight. We just worked. And it makes me sad.
So, I'm gonna make a few changes in my life. (Again. I feel like I am constantly doing that! But I guess that's good, cause it means I am constantly trying to improve myself, right?) Three weeks ago, my iPhone was stolen. (Yeah, that was a fun day.) Since then, my boss hasn't given me a new one. At first, I was pretty bummed, and couldn't wait for a new phone. Now, though, I kind of like it. I didn't realize how attached I was to that thing. I still have my other cell phone, so I've gone back to using it. I can talk and text on it, and that's it. Sometimes it would be nice to have a smart phone (like when I need directions!), but for the most part, I don't need it. Its been nice to be "unplugged" a bit. I don't have my phone attached to my hand at all times anymore, so I'm not constantly checking facebook and my email. Or taking random pictures. I have, however, taken way more "real" photos with my nice camera.
However, I still have the iPad. Its big and bulky and heavy, and I don't like using it, but its easier than my laptop, so I do use it quite a bit now. I don't use it to check email and facebook as much as I was with the phone, but I still do it more than necessary. So I'm gonna put a stop to that. Starting tonight. Tonight, I will not touch the iPad until I'm rocking C to sleep. Instead of taking a few minutes after supper (and before bath time) to scroll through facebook, I'm gonna play with my daughter. I'm gonna squeeze in as much time with her as possible. When she's asleep and I lay her down, I'm gonna put the iPad away for the night. If I don't go right to bed, I'm gonna talk to my husband. Instead of ignoring him like its so easy for me to do.
And tomorrow morning when I'm eating my breakfast, instead of opening up the iPad and checking facebook and Instagram, I'm gonna do a Bible study. It just hit me earlier today that during breakfast is the perfect time for me to do Bible study. I always eat alone, since DH is gone by then and C's not up yet, but every morning I eat and stare at the iPad. I attempt to do Bible study at night, after C is asleep, but I'm normally too exhausted to do it then, and some nights I don't even lay her down until 11 or after, then I need to get to sleep myself. So breakfast and Bible study it is. I'm kinda excited to start tomorrow. And I wish I had thought of this sooner!
What else? Well, I'm finally gonna make a budget. I've been talking about it for a year almost, and its time to get serious. That's my plan tonight, actually. I want to sit down with DH and get him to help me. I want to be smarter with my money. Even if I'm never able to be a SAHM, I need to do this. And if I'm ever gonna be able to be a SAHM, I need to do this. No matter how you look at it, I need to do this!
Starting this week, I'm also gonna get back into meal planning. I haven't done it for several months, and supper time has been so stressful. This time, though, I want to do it a little differently. I want to meal plan and shop accordingly. The last time I did meal planning, I just planned meals based on what we had already. Which was fine, and its a good way to go through your pantry/freezer/frigde. I'll be doing that again, and then when its time to buy groceries, I want to shop with a plan of what we'll be cooking. Eventually, I want to try once a month shopping, but at first I think weekly or hopefully bi-weekly shopping will do. We need to cut out these little quick grocery store trips. And I want to cut out all this eating out we've been doing lately. (Well, its only once a week or so, but it adds up!)
The last change I want to make is to employ a home management schedule. I started one a while back and stuck to it for a while, but for whatever reason I just abandoned it. I need to go back and think on that, figure out what went wrong so I don't make the same mistakes this time around. My house cleaning goal is to do a little bit every day, so that I can have the weekends to have fun. A little cleaning on Saturdays is okay, but I don't want to be doing heavy cleaning every Saturday. Plus, more often than not, I end up gone for at least part of the day on Saturdays, so my house needs to be in order prior to that.
In reality, I end up just doing the bare minimum during the week (keeping the kitchen clean, washing clothes, sweeping - which is a daily task for me), and on Saturday mornings I find myself having to vacuum, dust, clean the bathrooms, etc. Luckily, it doesn't take me all day since I live in a small house. But I feel like I could be using my time better during the week.
No, I don't have a lot of time between the time I get home from work and the time I put C to bed, and I want to spend as much time with her as possible, but I also want to spend as much time with her on Saturdays as possible. If that means sacrificing just a few more minutes with her each night to do something quick (like wiping down the bathrooms so they don't need to be scrubbed on the weekend), then so be it. More likely, it'll mean "sacrificing" a few minutes on facebook each evening. I can do that. I'm already halfway there, since I don't have the easy temptation of the iPhone to deal with anymore. I can do it!
Okay, normally when I write things down and blog about it, I do it. Hopefully that'll be the case this time. This blog will hold me accountable, like it has for so many other things before. Wish me luck! Oh, and if you know of any bloggers who are in my situation, please share! Cause I truly want to read about other women like me! ( :
Showing posts with label cooking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cooking. Show all posts
11.04.2013
9.18.2013
Breakfast Casserole
Breakfast casserole is one of those dishes that I love but have never attempted to make. And really, the only time I've ever had it has been on holidays. My aunt almost always makes them at Christmas. I think my parents made them a few times when I was growing up. So breakfast casseroles have always been a "special" dish for me.
But the other day, I saw a recipe for one and thought, why does this have to be reserved for Christmas?! Unfortunately, I didn't save that recipe, and later couldn't find it - bummer. Last Friday night, I decided it was the perfect night to attempt my very first breakfast casserole.
I searched the web and found one that sounded delicious: Country Breakfast Casserole at Allrecipes.com. It made way more than my little family needed, but I froze quite a bit, so hopefully it will taste just as good in a few weeks. It was delicious on Friday night, and even more delicious the next morning for breakfast.
Of course, I tweaked the recipe just a bit (cause that's just how I roll). I'll add my changes in italics:
Country Breakfast Casserole
1 (16oz) package breakfast sausage - I have no idea how much I used. I used "our" sausage from the hog killing earlier this year. I had some links in a Ziploc bag, but I didn't count how many. I just thawed them out and cut the casing off to make bulk sausage.
1 chopped green onion - Who keeps these on hand? I just used regular yellow onions.
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese - I used cubes of cheese, cause that's what I had on hand and it needed to be used.
6 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup water
1/2 cup milk - I used Silk, just in case.
1 package country gravy mix
I also added about 6 small potatoes, diced
6 slices of break, cut into 1 inch cubes - I omitted this completely, as we only had a few slices of bread and DH needed it for toast the next morning. I bet it would have been a great topping, though!
2 tablespoons melted butter (optional) - I think I added butter, but I really can't remember now...
paprika to taste (optional) - Totally forgot about this little ingredient!
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease an 11x8 inch baking dish (I used a bigger one; it was all I had close to that size.)
Brown sausage in large skillet; drain fat.
Combine sausage with green onion and spread evenly across the bottom of the baking dish. Top with shredded cheese. Whisk together eggs, water, milk, and gravy mix, add mixture to baking dish. Arrange bread squares evenly on top. If desired, drizzle butter over bread and sprinkle with paprika.
Bake for 40 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Set aside 10 minutes before serving.
We ate it almost straight out of the oven cause we were starving by the time it was ready. It took longer than 40 minutes, too. More like 50-55. Next time I'll bump the heat up to 350. As good as it was that night, I think it actually tasted better the next morning.
It certainly didn't turn out beautiful, but it tasted amazing! I'll definitely be making more breakfast casseroles in the future, especially if it tastes good after being frozen (we'll find that out sometime soon).
But the other day, I saw a recipe for one and thought, why does this have to be reserved for Christmas?! Unfortunately, I didn't save that recipe, and later couldn't find it - bummer. Last Friday night, I decided it was the perfect night to attempt my very first breakfast casserole.
I searched the web and found one that sounded delicious: Country Breakfast Casserole at Allrecipes.com. It made way more than my little family needed, but I froze quite a bit, so hopefully it will taste just as good in a few weeks. It was delicious on Friday night, and even more delicious the next morning for breakfast.
Of course, I tweaked the recipe just a bit (cause that's just how I roll). I'll add my changes in italics:
Country Breakfast Casserole
1 (16oz) package breakfast sausage - I have no idea how much I used. I used "our" sausage from the hog killing earlier this year. I had some links in a Ziploc bag, but I didn't count how many. I just thawed them out and cut the casing off to make bulk sausage.
1 chopped green onion - Who keeps these on hand? I just used regular yellow onions.
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese - I used cubes of cheese, cause that's what I had on hand and it needed to be used.
6 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup water
1/2 cup milk - I used Silk, just in case.
1 package country gravy mix
I also added about 6 small potatoes, diced
6 slices of break, cut into 1 inch cubes - I omitted this completely, as we only had a few slices of bread and DH needed it for toast the next morning. I bet it would have been a great topping, though!
2 tablespoons melted butter (optional) - I think I added butter, but I really can't remember now...
paprika to taste (optional) - Totally forgot about this little ingredient!
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease an 11x8 inch baking dish (I used a bigger one; it was all I had close to that size.)
Brown sausage in large skillet; drain fat.
Combine sausage with green onion and spread evenly across the bottom of the baking dish. Top with shredded cheese. Whisk together eggs, water, milk, and gravy mix, add mixture to baking dish. Arrange bread squares evenly on top. If desired, drizzle butter over bread and sprinkle with paprika.
Bake for 40 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Set aside 10 minutes before serving.
We ate it almost straight out of the oven cause we were starving by the time it was ready. It took longer than 40 minutes, too. More like 50-55. Next time I'll bump the heat up to 350. As good as it was that night, I think it actually tasted better the next morning.
It certainly didn't turn out beautiful, but it tasted amazing! I'll definitely be making more breakfast casseroles in the future, especially if it tastes good after being frozen (we'll find that out sometime soon).
6.03.2013
A Little Bit of Everything!
So. Lots been going on around here lately. Which is why I haven't written anything here in a week. Sorry. I have a crazy busy, amazing life! And really, I don't do anything - go to work, come home and take care of my child and our slew of farm animals, go to bed, and start over again the next day. But somehow, my days manage to fly by and every night I'm left wondering, where did today go??!
I've said it before, though, and I'll say it again - I love my life. I really do. Sure, if I had it my way some things would change - like me working a job outside the home, for instance. Clearly, though, that is not in God's plan for me at this time, so I'm cool with it. My point is, I'm in an incredibly happy period of my life right now, so forgive me while I bask in it. ( :
Here are some super exciting things that have been going on lately (brace yourselves, this is gonna be legend....wait for it....dary! (LOL Yes I love How I Met Your Mother!)
My college friend MM came down last Saturday and spent the day with me and C. We had so much fun. I haven't seen MM much since she got married in 2010 (I was her Matron of Honor when I was 7 months pregnant!) cause she lives 2 hours away now, but every time we're together its like we've never been apart (and how corny does that sound??).
We ended up taking C to my mama's so we could ride the horses. Which is when I finally admitted that something is goin on with Sunshine. The last time I rode her (several weeks ago) she was struggling at the canter and seemed pretty off. I hoped she'd injured herself in the pasture, and decided to let her rest until I did anything about it. (She was totally sound at the walk and trot.) Well, MM couldn't get Sunshine to canter more than a few steps. I hopped on her, thinking she was just bein a brat, but I could barely get her to canter either. And this horse is never a brat with me. I've started Sunshine on a joint supplement in hopes that this is the beginnings of arthritis and the meds will help her feel better. I'm tryin to avoid a huge vet bill. Especially since she's only lame at the canter and seems totally happy otherwise. And its not like she's in regular work anymore (I don't currently have any lesson students and I get to ride so little its pathetic).
I also don't currently have a vet. Mine quit a few months ago, went back to working with small animals. Bummer, cause I really liked her. I have 2 in mind to try. I think they're each about an hour away, just in opposite directions. So I'm sure I'll get hit with a hefty farm call. But I don't have a choice. Large animal vets are far and few between around here. My horses are due for their spring shots (I usually do them in June), so I gotta get on the ball about finding a vet. And I will definitely be mentioning Sunshine's canter issues with the new vet, whoever I choose.
This past Saturday, I made something I've never even tasted before - zucchini bread! I love zucchini and I've heard about the bread, but had never even seen it. Saturday I decided to try it out. I have to say, it was delicious! Unfortunately, I forgot to take any pics. Its not very tasty looking, anyway. C absolutely loved it. DH wouldn't try it, of course. haha.
We planted our garden a few weeks ago, but its gonna be a while before we see any produce. We usually plant much sooner than this, but we've had so much going on. So for now we're getting our produce from a local farm. In fact, on Saturday, DH borrowed their produce trailer and set it up at his business for the day.
C loved that trailer - she said it was her house. She'd get in there and tell me to go around to the side, then say "what do you need?" A little saleswoman! Takes after her daddy, I guess.
DH will have the produce trailer again next Saturday. He really enjoys doing stuff like that. If he knew it would work financially, I think he'd quit his job and be a full-time farmer/small business owner. I pray one day he can do just that.
I have unofficially been dubbed as the social media person for DH's business. So far, I've just created a facebook page, but I'm hoping to do a website/blog eventually (not that I know anything about creating a website, or successfully running a blog, for that matter!). His business is so small, so I'm tryin to do what I can to help him advertise. You gotta do what you can to help your man achieve his dreams. ( :
In case anyone was interested, I have been keeping up with my yoga. I've been surprised (and proud of) myself! I've started getting up earlier every day (except weekends, haha) to feed the horses and then do some yoga and strength training. I feel so good, too. And I've gained like 3 pounds of muscle! Woohoo!
This past week, I have discovered 2 beauty products that have been pretty amazing so far. The first is coconut oil. Now, I've used coconut oil for a few years now - as a diaper cream for C. Its great for cloth diapers, as I'm sure I've mentioned before, and it really helps when she used to get a little red occasionally. Since she's been potty trained, the jar of coconut oil has just been sitting there. I've always had clean hands when I used it, so I wasn't worried about it being gross - I wanted to find a use for it.
And then a blog I follow had a post last week about washing your face with coconut oil. What??! Sounded crazy to me. But I know this girl has sensitive skin (like me) and doesn't use anything outrageous on her face or her hair. After reading her post, I looked further into it. Turns out, lots of people know about washing your face with coconut oil. Where have I been??
That night, I tried it. Uh, I was pretty amazed. I have super dry skin (like I seriously don't think my body produces oil at all, which is not as nice as it sounds, trust me), and the coconut oil really moisturizes my face. I can't tell you how it works to wash your face with oil, but trust me, it does.
I've said before that I am a Mary Kay rep. I love my Mary Kay products and am super loyal to them. I will probably never use another foundation, eye color, or mascara. But I've never been quite satisfied with the skin care products I've tried. Everything just dries my skin out even more. To the point where I'll get literal scales - ew. For a while now, I've been washing my face in the Timewise 3-in-1 Cleanser for Normal/Dry skin, and it did a great job of cleaning my face and exfoliating it. I was using the matching Timewise moisturizer, but earlier this year I discovered an all-natural line at a local shop (its also made locally), and fell in love with their facial cream (which actually contains coconut oil), and it has really helped my dryness. (They don't actually have a cleanser or I'd already be using that, I'm sure! Well, they make soap and have a facial soap, but I'm not about to put soap on my face!!)
Anyway, the coconut oil really works. I just rub a good amount onto my face (sometimes I wet it first, sometimes not), then take a rag that's wet and hot, hold that on my face for 30 seconds or so, then gently wipe everything off. I don't wear a ton of makeup, so its not like "wow! Look at all the makeup that came off!" But I can tell everything comes off. My skin feels very soft and moisturized after washing now, but I follow up with my cream anyway, since I am so dry. So far, so good.
I read that coconut oil is also great for other things beauty-wise. I've used it on my cheekbones to highlight them. It looks really pretty for a few hours, then the oil absorbs into my skin and the effect is gone. Maybe for someone with less dry skin it would last longer?
I also tried using coconut oil to take off my eye makeup. I wasn't crazy about that one. I had to work extra hard to get it off (and again, I don't wear much), and then my eyes felt greasy for a while after, and I had a hard time seeing that night. I'll be sticking with my Mary Kay Oil-Free Eye Makeup Remover, for sure. I've tried a lot of other brands in the past, and they all bother my sensitive eyes. Mary Kay's doesn't.
Finally, I've been using coconut oil as a body moisturizer. I just slather it on right after I get out of the tub or shower, and it doesn't take long to absorb into my dry skin. I have noticed that I stay a little greasy for a while, but I actually like that feeling, since I am so dry normally. Unfortunately, the coconut oil doesn't last all day like I'd hope, or even over night. I still have to apply twice a day. But its cheaper than regular lotion, and until I find a better solution, I'll stick with it. Last night, I even rubbed C down with the coconut oil after our bath, even though her skin's not particularly dry right now. She wasn't greasy at all afterwards. I think its one of those things that works differently on different people. I know my friend Jessica over at Moving Mountains didn't care for using coconut oil as a body moisturizer.
Next, I want to use coconut oil as a hair conditioner. My hair is like the rest of me - super dry. Most people when they condition their hair just condition the ends, right? Well, I rub that junk into my scalp and let it sit a while. Every single time. I've tried lots of different brands of shampoos and conditioners and have yet to find one that handles my dryness (without making my hair limp and lifeless). So this week I'll try coconut oil. We'll see how it goes.
Oh yeah, I also tried it as a shaving cream for my legs. It worked great, but I'm concerned about it gunking up in my razor. So the jury's still out on that one.
The other day I went to Target and found this adorable little container to house my coconut oil, since the bottle it came in was ugly (I got it at the grocery store, FYI, in the section with the other cooking oils).
The lid doesn't screw on or anything, so its probably not great for traveling, but I like it. Plus its easy to reach in and get the oil out (which is solid at room temp but quickly melts to a liquid with a little heat, by the way). I also picked up that cute little tray. I figured it would be nice to house the stuff that I normally have to move individually to clean under.
And this brings me to my newest beauty discovery. See that white and blue spray bottle? Its called Not Your Mother's Beach Babe Texturing Sea Salt Spray. (Say that 5 times fast.) My sister-in-law works at a beauty supply store and gets a good discount on their products. She told me about this spray and let me try hers. Wow. It was love at first spray, haha. If you have any natural texture to your hair at all, I think this spray will work for you. My hair is naturally (dry and) slightly wavy, but not enough that I can let it go all by itself. I normally straighten it, but every summer I try to just let it be natural (since the frizz/dryness conquers the straightness eventually). This spray brings out my natural texture and kind of amps it up. It really does look like I've been at the beach that day, which is a look I love.
It does dry my hair out, but I've been counteracting that with some extra serum while its still wet. This spray I have found works best when I let my hair air dry over night and just spray it on the next morning. I've been so happy with my hair the past few days! No pictures though, sorry. DH even likes it, so its a win-win. ( :
Alright, this post is long enough! Until next time.
Oh, wait. I'll leave you with a comparison pic of C. To the left is her in June of last year, and the right picture was taken this weekend. Time flies! *sniff, sniff*
I've said it before, though, and I'll say it again - I love my life. I really do. Sure, if I had it my way some things would change - like me working a job outside the home, for instance. Clearly, though, that is not in God's plan for me at this time, so I'm cool with it. My point is, I'm in an incredibly happy period of my life right now, so forgive me while I bask in it. ( :
Here are some super exciting things that have been going on lately (brace yourselves, this is gonna be legend....wait for it....dary! (LOL Yes I love How I Met Your Mother!)
My college friend MM came down last Saturday and spent the day with me and C. We had so much fun. I haven't seen MM much since she got married in 2010 (I was her Matron of Honor when I was 7 months pregnant!) cause she lives 2 hours away now, but every time we're together its like we've never been apart (and how corny does that sound??).
We ended up taking C to my mama's so we could ride the horses. Which is when I finally admitted that something is goin on with Sunshine. The last time I rode her (several weeks ago) she was struggling at the canter and seemed pretty off. I hoped she'd injured herself in the pasture, and decided to let her rest until I did anything about it. (She was totally sound at the walk and trot.) Well, MM couldn't get Sunshine to canter more than a few steps. I hopped on her, thinking she was just bein a brat, but I could barely get her to canter either. And this horse is never a brat with me. I've started Sunshine on a joint supplement in hopes that this is the beginnings of arthritis and the meds will help her feel better. I'm tryin to avoid a huge vet bill. Especially since she's only lame at the canter and seems totally happy otherwise. And its not like she's in regular work anymore (I don't currently have any lesson students and I get to ride so little its pathetic).
I also don't currently have a vet. Mine quit a few months ago, went back to working with small animals. Bummer, cause I really liked her. I have 2 in mind to try. I think they're each about an hour away, just in opposite directions. So I'm sure I'll get hit with a hefty farm call. But I don't have a choice. Large animal vets are far and few between around here. My horses are due for their spring shots (I usually do them in June), so I gotta get on the ball about finding a vet. And I will definitely be mentioning Sunshine's canter issues with the new vet, whoever I choose.
This past Saturday, I made something I've never even tasted before - zucchini bread! I love zucchini and I've heard about the bread, but had never even seen it. Saturday I decided to try it out. I have to say, it was delicious! Unfortunately, I forgot to take any pics. Its not very tasty looking, anyway. C absolutely loved it. DH wouldn't try it, of course. haha.
We planted our garden a few weeks ago, but its gonna be a while before we see any produce. We usually plant much sooner than this, but we've had so much going on. So for now we're getting our produce from a local farm. In fact, on Saturday, DH borrowed their produce trailer and set it up at his business for the day.
DH will have the produce trailer again next Saturday. He really enjoys doing stuff like that. If he knew it would work financially, I think he'd quit his job and be a full-time farmer/small business owner. I pray one day he can do just that.
I have unofficially been dubbed as the social media person for DH's business. So far, I've just created a facebook page, but I'm hoping to do a website/blog eventually (not that I know anything about creating a website, or successfully running a blog, for that matter!). His business is so small, so I'm tryin to do what I can to help him advertise. You gotta do what you can to help your man achieve his dreams. ( :
In case anyone was interested, I have been keeping up with my yoga. I've been surprised (and proud of) myself! I've started getting up earlier every day (except weekends, haha) to feed the horses and then do some yoga and strength training. I feel so good, too. And I've gained like 3 pounds of muscle! Woohoo!
This past week, I have discovered 2 beauty products that have been pretty amazing so far. The first is coconut oil. Now, I've used coconut oil for a few years now - as a diaper cream for C. Its great for cloth diapers, as I'm sure I've mentioned before, and it really helps when she used to get a little red occasionally. Since she's been potty trained, the jar of coconut oil has just been sitting there. I've always had clean hands when I used it, so I wasn't worried about it being gross - I wanted to find a use for it.
And then a blog I follow had a post last week about washing your face with coconut oil. What??! Sounded crazy to me. But I know this girl has sensitive skin (like me) and doesn't use anything outrageous on her face or her hair. After reading her post, I looked further into it. Turns out, lots of people know about washing your face with coconut oil. Where have I been??
That night, I tried it. Uh, I was pretty amazed. I have super dry skin (like I seriously don't think my body produces oil at all, which is not as nice as it sounds, trust me), and the coconut oil really moisturizes my face. I can't tell you how it works to wash your face with oil, but trust me, it does.
I've said before that I am a Mary Kay rep. I love my Mary Kay products and am super loyal to them. I will probably never use another foundation, eye color, or mascara. But I've never been quite satisfied with the skin care products I've tried. Everything just dries my skin out even more. To the point where I'll get literal scales - ew. For a while now, I've been washing my face in the Timewise 3-in-1 Cleanser for Normal/Dry skin, and it did a great job of cleaning my face and exfoliating it. I was using the matching Timewise moisturizer, but earlier this year I discovered an all-natural line at a local shop (its also made locally), and fell in love with their facial cream (which actually contains coconut oil), and it has really helped my dryness. (They don't actually have a cleanser or I'd already be using that, I'm sure! Well, they make soap and have a facial soap, but I'm not about to put soap on my face!!)
Anyway, the coconut oil really works. I just rub a good amount onto my face (sometimes I wet it first, sometimes not), then take a rag that's wet and hot, hold that on my face for 30 seconds or so, then gently wipe everything off. I don't wear a ton of makeup, so its not like "wow! Look at all the makeup that came off!" But I can tell everything comes off. My skin feels very soft and moisturized after washing now, but I follow up with my cream anyway, since I am so dry. So far, so good.
I read that coconut oil is also great for other things beauty-wise. I've used it on my cheekbones to highlight them. It looks really pretty for a few hours, then the oil absorbs into my skin and the effect is gone. Maybe for someone with less dry skin it would last longer?
I also tried using coconut oil to take off my eye makeup. I wasn't crazy about that one. I had to work extra hard to get it off (and again, I don't wear much), and then my eyes felt greasy for a while after, and I had a hard time seeing that night. I'll be sticking with my Mary Kay Oil-Free Eye Makeup Remover, for sure. I've tried a lot of other brands in the past, and they all bother my sensitive eyes. Mary Kay's doesn't.
Finally, I've been using coconut oil as a body moisturizer. I just slather it on right after I get out of the tub or shower, and it doesn't take long to absorb into my dry skin. I have noticed that I stay a little greasy for a while, but I actually like that feeling, since I am so dry normally. Unfortunately, the coconut oil doesn't last all day like I'd hope, or even over night. I still have to apply twice a day. But its cheaper than regular lotion, and until I find a better solution, I'll stick with it. Last night, I even rubbed C down with the coconut oil after our bath, even though her skin's not particularly dry right now. She wasn't greasy at all afterwards. I think its one of those things that works differently on different people. I know my friend Jessica over at Moving Mountains didn't care for using coconut oil as a body moisturizer.
Next, I want to use coconut oil as a hair conditioner. My hair is like the rest of me - super dry. Most people when they condition their hair just condition the ends, right? Well, I rub that junk into my scalp and let it sit a while. Every single time. I've tried lots of different brands of shampoos and conditioners and have yet to find one that handles my dryness (without making my hair limp and lifeless). So this week I'll try coconut oil. We'll see how it goes.
Oh yeah, I also tried it as a shaving cream for my legs. It worked great, but I'm concerned about it gunking up in my razor. So the jury's still out on that one.
The other day I went to Target and found this adorable little container to house my coconut oil, since the bottle it came in was ugly (I got it at the grocery store, FYI, in the section with the other cooking oils).
It does dry my hair out, but I've been counteracting that with some extra serum while its still wet. This spray I have found works best when I let my hair air dry over night and just spray it on the next morning. I've been so happy with my hair the past few days! No pictures though, sorry. DH even likes it, so its a win-win. ( :
Alright, this post is long enough! Until next time.
Oh, wait. I'll leave you with a comparison pic of C. To the left is her in June of last year, and the right picture was taken this weekend. Time flies! *sniff, sniff*
4.17.2013
Italian Chicken Stir-Fry - Crock Pot Style!
Lately, I've been more and more into crock pot meals. I used to hate things cooked in the crock pot. But honestly, I'd only had stew beef, and that's not my favorite thing to eat. Recently, I have decided that crock pot meals are awesome! I love coming home from work to a house that smells delicious from the meal that's already cooked.
I have yet to delve into freezer cooking, but that's probably not too far off into the future for me. I don't have a lot of time in the morning to prep food, and there is no way I'm getting up earlier to cook! One of the awesome blogs I follow, Stacy Makes Scents, had a post last week about 6 crock pot freezer meals. They all used chicken, which is good for me cause I've started buying big bags of chicken quarters and freezing them into smaller bags for individual meals. You can find the blog post here.
Here's the recipe I used the other night:
My chicken (I used leg quarters, not breasts, since that's what I had on hand) was frozen, and so were the stir-fry veggies, but everything wasn't frozen together (since I don't do freezer cooking - yet). That morning, I threw the chicken, veggies, and Italian dressing in to the crock pot and went to work.
After work, I whipped up some rice (I don't do minute rice, we just buy the regular white rice in bags, but it only takes 10 minutes or so) and supper was done! It was a good thing, too, since the farrier came that evening to trim my horses' feet so I didn't get inside until close to 8 (and we usually try to eat around 7).
This recipe would have been easier if I had used chicken breasts instead because I had to fish out the chicken and get all the bones out. Not a huge deal, but when its late and you're starving, that process takes forever. I thought it was delicious. DH, not so much. But he's not big on this type of food, so I wasn't too surprised. C liked it until she noticed that her daddy didn't...sigh. Oh well. This dish was even better the next day warmed over for lunch!
If you try this, I'd advice you to use a small bottle of Italian dressing. I used one of the larger sized bottles and it was a little too much. I strained all the liquid out because it was like soup, and the flavor was pretty intense. Also, it probably would have been better for the vegetables if they hadn't cooked all day like mine did. I turned the crock on at around 8:15am and turned it off at 5:30pm. 9 hours is a pretty long time, but it can't be helped in my house. The vegetables weren't mushy, but they had started to turn a little brown where they had sat in the dressing so long. 6 hours like the recipe says is probably perfect. But you gotta make do with what you have, right? ( :
I have yet to delve into freezer cooking, but that's probably not too far off into the future for me. I don't have a lot of time in the morning to prep food, and there is no way I'm getting up earlier to cook! One of the awesome blogs I follow, Stacy Makes Scents, had a post last week about 6 crock pot freezer meals. They all used chicken, which is good for me cause I've started buying big bags of chicken quarters and freezing them into smaller bags for individual meals. You can find the blog post here.
Here's the recipe I used the other night:
Italian Chicken Stir-Fry
- 2 Chicken breasts
- 1 Bag of frozen stir-fry vegetables.
- 1 bottle of reduced calorie or fat free Italian dressing (You can make your own homemade Italian dressing! ~Stacy)
My chicken (I used leg quarters, not breasts, since that's what I had on hand) was frozen, and so were the stir-fry veggies, but everything wasn't frozen together (since I don't do freezer cooking - yet). That morning, I threw the chicken, veggies, and Italian dressing in to the crock pot and went to work.
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| When I opened the crock pot lid and saw this, I got a little upset....looks pretty gross, huh? |
After work, I whipped up some rice (I don't do minute rice, we just buy the regular white rice in bags, but it only takes 10 minutes or so) and supper was done! It was a good thing, too, since the farrier came that evening to trim my horses' feet so I didn't get inside until close to 8 (and we usually try to eat around 7).
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| Much better. This was after draining off all the liquid and tearing up the chicken into chunks. |
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| The final result. Yum! |
4.15.2013
Great Weekend vs. Allergies
This weekend would have been truly awesome if I hadn't developed this sudden allergy to pollen. I spent the entire weekend sneezing, sniffling, coughing, and being stuffed up. Ugh. My regular allergy medicine is not helping at all, so I may have to up my game today. Or just pray the pollen goes away ASAP. For some reason, being outside in the pollen makes me feel great; when I'm outside, I can breathe just fine. Its a cruel joke, I tell you.
I've never had allergies quite like this, so I have no clue how to deal. My allergies consist of itching all over my body until I go mad from it. Or GI issues. Not the typical sneezing, runny nose stuff. Yuck.
Despite my defunct nose, this weekend was awesome. Friday after work, C had a play date (and luckily me and the other mama are good friends, too, haha), that turned into supper at a pizza restaurant. C was extremely well behaved at the restaurant, and I was so proud of her. She had a blast, too.
Saturday, I only did minimal cleaning around the house and spent the majority of the day just playing with C. After lunch, we went to the playground at my mama's church. We met up with a couple others there, and everyone had a great time. It was hot though! I slathered me and C in sunscreen, but I guess I was a little careless with mine; I got burned in a few places. I'm waiting on the allergic reaction to that to start...(yes, I have a weird sun allergy. I'm extremely sensitive to the sun, and if I get burned, I have a reaction that usually ends up with me at the doctor begging for prednisone. Its great. The itching has already started, but I'm trying my best to ignore it...)
After C's nap, we headed back outside to weed the flower gardens. I've been slowly working on the weeds over the past few weeks - there were a ton of them. One of my beds is eat up with fire ants, so I'm waiting for that holocaust to be over before I can get started in there. The plan was to plant some flowers Saturday evening, but DH decided to take us strawberry picking!
DH showed her once and she got the hang of it right away. Surprisingly, C didn't eat a single strawberry while we were in the field. That night, however, she had three bowls of them chopped...haha. We had strawberries for a snack yesterday, and we had them again on homemade waffles last night. And I brought some for lunch today. ( :
Yesterday was another relaxing day. I decided to start playing with the Manual mode on my DLSR camera. I've had that thing almost a whole year now and I always shoot in Auto mode, or one of the other preset modes. I figured it was high time I learned how to shoot in Manual. It is not easy!! I took a bajillion pictures that were completely white or completely black. I need a lot more practice, that's for sure. I did end up with a few gems, though...
Oh, how I love frilly dresses for my girl! She actually wore dresses all weekend. I figure I'll keep her in dresses until she decides they're too girlie. ( :
I had a couple other successes this weekend. Cooking successes, actually! One, I finally made a batch of cookies that turned out absolutely perfect. This was huge for me. I've tried to make cookies so many times over the years, and they always turn out extremely flat and run together. Saturday I made some double chocolate chunk cookies and they were delicious AND looked perfect! I don't have the recipe with me right now, so I'll have to post on that later. If you like chocolate, though, these are the cookies for you. I may have ate the majority of the batch already...Hey, DH doesn't really dig chocolate like I do, I can't let them go to waste!!
My other kitchen success was cooking spinach. I love spinach, but I have never cooked it. DH doesn't care for it, so I've never tried. After we picked strawberries Saturday, the farm owner let us pick out some other things, including some fresh spinach. The farmer's wife told me how to cook it, and I couldn't believe it was so simple.
I didn't get a pic, but everyone knows that spinach looks like, right? ( : After a good washing, I just combined the spinach with some olive oil, salt, and garlic powder (fresh garlic would probably be better), and placed it in a covered frying pan for just a couple of minutes, until the leaves were wilted. And it. was. DELICIOUS! C didn't like it, but she doesn't really go for greens, and DH wouldn't try it, but I couldn't get enough. I can't wait to cook the rest of the spinach later this week. Anyone have another really good (easy) way to cook spinach??
Hope everyone's weekend was as great as mine! Now on to another busy week....starting with the farrier coming tonight to trim the horses' feet. ( :
I've never had allergies quite like this, so I have no clue how to deal. My allergies consist of itching all over my body until I go mad from it. Or GI issues. Not the typical sneezing, runny nose stuff. Yuck.
Despite my defunct nose, this weekend was awesome. Friday after work, C had a play date (and luckily me and the other mama are good friends, too, haha), that turned into supper at a pizza restaurant. C was extremely well behaved at the restaurant, and I was so proud of her. She had a blast, too.
Saturday, I only did minimal cleaning around the house and spent the majority of the day just playing with C. After lunch, we went to the playground at my mama's church. We met up with a couple others there, and everyone had a great time. It was hot though! I slathered me and C in sunscreen, but I guess I was a little careless with mine; I got burned in a few places. I'm waiting on the allergic reaction to that to start...(yes, I have a weird sun allergy. I'm extremely sensitive to the sun, and if I get burned, I have a reaction that usually ends up with me at the doctor begging for prednisone. Its great. The itching has already started, but I'm trying my best to ignore it...)
Yesterday was another relaxing day. I decided to start playing with the Manual mode on my DLSR camera. I've had that thing almost a whole year now and I always shoot in Auto mode, or one of the other preset modes. I figured it was high time I learned how to shoot in Manual. It is not easy!! I took a bajillion pictures that were completely white or completely black. I need a lot more practice, that's for sure. I did end up with a few gems, though...
I had a couple other successes this weekend. Cooking successes, actually! One, I finally made a batch of cookies that turned out absolutely perfect. This was huge for me. I've tried to make cookies so many times over the years, and they always turn out extremely flat and run together. Saturday I made some double chocolate chunk cookies and they were delicious AND looked perfect! I don't have the recipe with me right now, so I'll have to post on that later. If you like chocolate, though, these are the cookies for you. I may have ate the majority of the batch already...Hey, DH doesn't really dig chocolate like I do, I can't let them go to waste!!
I didn't get a pic, but everyone knows that spinach looks like, right? ( : After a good washing, I just combined the spinach with some olive oil, salt, and garlic powder (fresh garlic would probably be better), and placed it in a covered frying pan for just a couple of minutes, until the leaves were wilted. And it. was. DELICIOUS! C didn't like it, but she doesn't really go for greens, and DH wouldn't try it, but I couldn't get enough. I can't wait to cook the rest of the spinach later this week. Anyone have another really good (easy) way to cook spinach??
Hope everyone's weekend was as great as mine! Now on to another busy week....starting with the farrier coming tonight to trim the horses' feet. ( :
3.27.2013
Cheesy Macaroni Bake
I'm back with another delicious recipe!
My husband and I (and our daughter, actually) loooooove Spam. I know a lot of people think Spam is gross, and that's okay. Stop reading now if that's you. ( : I don't think about what might be in a can of Spam. I just know it tastes delicious and its super easy to cook and eat. It used to be "poor man's food," but its actually kind of expensive these days. So we don't eat Spam very often. Growing up, I always had Spam and eggs sandwiches - and yum!! That's still a favorite of mine. But I looked a while back on the Spam website and learned there's a ton of other things you can do with that meaty goodness.
I tried a Spam and potatoes casserole a while back and it was a big hit at my house. I think I may have blogged about it, but right now I'm too lazy to look. Sorry.
Last night I decided to try another Spam recipe I had bookmarked: Cheesy Macaroni Bake (with Spam)!
It. was. delicious. Seriously. Actually, DH said it was good but not that good, but we all know I get a little overenthusiastic about my food. ( : It was super-easy to make, and it only took about 30 minutes of prep before baking for 25 minutes.
You can find the real recipe here. But I'll type it up for ya, too, just in case you're lazy like me.
Ingredients:
I've been a little off of my meal-planning game lately. But I guess that's understandable since we've been under a lot of stress. Which means that tonight we'll likely have sandwiches or bacon and eggs. Can't be super-cooking-mom all the time, right? ( : Maybe I'll be blessed to have my husband decide to whip up something tonight....oh that reminds me! Sunday for lunch he made some crab cakes that were absolutely divine! I'd love to share the recipe but DH doesn't even tell ME how he cooks things, haha. My man can cook, he's just secretive about his methods. ( :
I also haven't forgotten that I said I'd do a hair bow tutorial this week. I did make another bow over the weekend, but I wasn't happy with the way it turned out. Here's a tip: don't buy satin ribbon for hair bows. It just doesn't look at nice. I'll be making another bow either tonight or tomorrow night, though, because C needs it for her Easter pictures Saturday morning (she'll be posing with a live bunny and I am so excited). So look for pictures and a tutorial soon. And yes, I'll share the bow I wasn't happy with, too. ( :
My husband and I (and our daughter, actually) loooooove Spam. I know a lot of people think Spam is gross, and that's okay. Stop reading now if that's you. ( : I don't think about what might be in a can of Spam. I just know it tastes delicious and its super easy to cook and eat. It used to be "poor man's food," but its actually kind of expensive these days. So we don't eat Spam very often. Growing up, I always had Spam and eggs sandwiches - and yum!! That's still a favorite of mine. But I looked a while back on the Spam website and learned there's a ton of other things you can do with that meaty goodness.
I tried a Spam and potatoes casserole a while back and it was a big hit at my house. I think I may have blogged about it, but right now I'm too lazy to look. Sorry.
Last night I decided to try another Spam recipe I had bookmarked: Cheesy Macaroni Bake (with Spam)!
It. was. delicious. Seriously. Actually, DH said it was good but not that good, but we all know I get a little overenthusiastic about my food. ( : It was super-easy to make, and it only took about 30 minutes of prep before baking for 25 minutes.
You can find the real recipe here. But I'll type it up for ya, too, just in case you're lazy like me.
Ingredients:
- I just grated a 1/2 pound of cheddar.
- Heat oven to 400°F. Lightly grease 2-quart casserole. I forgot to grease my dish but nothing stuck.
- Cook macaroni according to package directions; drain.
- In casserole, stir together SPAM® Classic and macaroni.
- In medium saucepan, melt 1 tablespoon butter. Blend in flour, salt, mustard, black pepper and cayenne until smooth. I also added the paprika here because I read the directions wrong. Stir in milk; cook over medium heat, stirring, until mixture thickens and boils. Add cheese; cook, stirring, until cheese is melted. Pour over SPAM® mixture; mix well.
- In microwave-safe bowl, melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter; stir in breadcrumbs and paprika. I did add more paprika in this step. We didn't think it was too much at all. In fact, I think DH would have liked more! Sprinkle over macaroni. Bake 20 to 25 minutes.
I've been a little off of my meal-planning game lately. But I guess that's understandable since we've been under a lot of stress. Which means that tonight we'll likely have sandwiches or bacon and eggs. Can't be super-cooking-mom all the time, right? ( : Maybe I'll be blessed to have my husband decide to whip up something tonight....oh that reminds me! Sunday for lunch he made some crab cakes that were absolutely divine! I'd love to share the recipe but DH doesn't even tell ME how he cooks things, haha. My man can cook, he's just secretive about his methods. ( :
I also haven't forgotten that I said I'd do a hair bow tutorial this week. I did make another bow over the weekend, but I wasn't happy with the way it turned out. Here's a tip: don't buy satin ribbon for hair bows. It just doesn't look at nice. I'll be making another bow either tonight or tomorrow night, though, because C needs it for her Easter pictures Saturday morning (she'll be posing with a live bunny and I am so excited). So look for pictures and a tutorial soon. And yes, I'll share the bow I wasn't happy with, too. ( :
3.06.2013
Homemade Mac 'N Cheese - Strike 2
I still can't figure out why I've been so motivated to cook this week! Normally when I'm this sick I don't want to do anything except sit on the couch and hope that my husband takes care of me, haha. Since I've got a toddler to keep up with, though, that's not really an option anymore. She keeps me on my toes, and doesn't seem to care that mama can't breathe! It amazes me how different being sick is when you're a mama versus before. You don't really get sick days, unless you're on your death bed. But its great because it shows me just how strong I can really be! ( :
Last night I planned to cook some of our ham (from the hogs that my husband's family slaughters every January). I really wanted some mac n' cheese to go with it, but alas, we were out of our beloved blue boxes (that's Kraft if you don't know). So I decided to try my hand again at homemade mac n' cheese.
I tried a recipe last year and it didn't turn out so great. I don't even remember where the recipe came from. I didn't hang on to it since we weren't impressed at all. Last night I went back to trusty ol' Google and searched for a new recipe. This one sounded pretty simple to make and it looked good.
Here's the recipe in case you don't want to click the link:
1 pound pasta, any shape - I used half a box because a pound of noodles sounded like a TON, and a 1/2 pound still made a LOT of pasta.
1 1/2 cups whole or 2% milk - We have farm-fresh milk, whole. Maybe that made a difference for me??
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2-3 cups shredded cheese, like cheddar, monterey jack, or colby
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon powdered mustard
3. Make the Cheese Sauce: Turn the heat to low and begin mixing handfuls of cheese into the milk. Stir in the salt and mustard. Stir until all the cheese has melted and the sauce is creamy. Taste and adjust the seasonings as desired. Remove the sauce from heat.
4. Combine the Pasta and Cheese Sauce: In a large serving bowl, combine the pasta and 1/2 of the cheese sauce. Stir to coat the pasta evenly. Add the second half of the sauce and any extra add-ins.
5. Serving and Storing Leftovers: Serve the mac and cheese immediately while still warm. Leftovers will keep for up to a week and can be reheated in the microwave. If the sauce is a little dry after re-heating, mix in a splash of milk to make it creamy again.
I followed the recipe exactly. I mean to a T. And it turned out okay, but not knock-your-socks-off-good. The sauce had kind of a grainy texture. DH says that happens when your milk gets too hot or something, but I cooked it on a very low temp and stirred that sucker the entire time. So I'm not sure what happened. Strike 2 for homemade mac n' cheese. Maybe I'm just not meant to make this dish??
Actually, I had leftovers for lunch today at work and it tasted much better. And it wasn't bad tasting last night, not at all. I guess DH and I are just so used to Kraft (or Food Lion brand, which I prefer) that anything else just tastes weird.
I may try this recipe again in the future, just to see if it turns out different. But I'm also gonna be on the search for a better one. If anyone has one, please let me know! I'd love to be able to make this dish better. I mean, the blue box is so simple, but it can't be good for you, right? (Not that homemade mac n' cheese is "good" for you, but at least it doesn't have preservatives and who-knows-what-else in it.)
In other news, DH's grandma has been opening her eyes more and more the past few days. This is a good sign! She's still not 100% "awake" but this is progress. If you are praying for her, please keep doing so. She has a long road to recovery ahead of her. Thank you!! ( :
Last night I planned to cook some of our ham (from the hogs that my husband's family slaughters every January). I really wanted some mac n' cheese to go with it, but alas, we were out of our beloved blue boxes (that's Kraft if you don't know). So I decided to try my hand again at homemade mac n' cheese.
I tried a recipe last year and it didn't turn out so great. I don't even remember where the recipe came from. I didn't hang on to it since we weren't impressed at all. Last night I went back to trusty ol' Google and searched for a new recipe. This one sounded pretty simple to make and it looked good.
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| C had a good time helping me make the sauce! |
Creamy No-Roux Stove Top Macaroni and Cheese
Serves 4 to 6Ingredients
1 pound pasta, any shape - I used half a box because a pound of noodles sounded like a TON, and a 1/2 pound still made a LOT of pasta.
1 1/2 cups whole or 2% milk - We have farm-fresh milk, whole. Maybe that made a difference for me??
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2-3 cups shredded cheese, like cheddar, monterey jack, or colby
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon powdered mustard
Instructions
1. Boil the Pasta: Bring about 4 quarts of water to a boil over high heat in the pasta pot. Add the pasta and a tablespoon of salt. Cook until the pasta is al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain and set aside.
2. Warm the Milk: When the pasta has finished cooking, prepare the cheese sauce. Begin warming 1 cup of the milk in the saucepan over medium heat. Whisk together the remaining 1/2 cup of milk and the flour until there are no lumps. When you just start to see tendrils of steam rising from the warming milk, whisk in the milk-and-flour mixture. Continue whisking gently until the milk thickens slightly to the consistency of heavy cream, 3-4 minutes.3. Make the Cheese Sauce: Turn the heat to low and begin mixing handfuls of cheese into the milk. Stir in the salt and mustard. Stir until all the cheese has melted and the sauce is creamy. Taste and adjust the seasonings as desired. Remove the sauce from heat.
4. Combine the Pasta and Cheese Sauce: In a large serving bowl, combine the pasta and 1/2 of the cheese sauce. Stir to coat the pasta evenly. Add the second half of the sauce and any extra add-ins.
5. Serving and Storing Leftovers: Serve the mac and cheese immediately while still warm. Leftovers will keep for up to a week and can be reheated in the microwave. If the sauce is a little dry after re-heating, mix in a splash of milk to make it creamy again.
I followed the recipe exactly. I mean to a T. And it turned out okay, but not knock-your-socks-off-good. The sauce had kind of a grainy texture. DH says that happens when your milk gets too hot or something, but I cooked it on a very low temp and stirred that sucker the entire time. So I'm not sure what happened. Strike 2 for homemade mac n' cheese. Maybe I'm just not meant to make this dish??
Actually, I had leftovers for lunch today at work and it tasted much better. And it wasn't bad tasting last night, not at all. I guess DH and I are just so used to Kraft (or Food Lion brand, which I prefer) that anything else just tastes weird.
I may try this recipe again in the future, just to see if it turns out different. But I'm also gonna be on the search for a better one. If anyone has one, please let me know! I'd love to be able to make this dish better. I mean, the blue box is so simple, but it can't be good for you, right? (Not that homemade mac n' cheese is "good" for you, but at least it doesn't have preservatives and who-knows-what-else in it.)
In other news, DH's grandma has been opening her eyes more and more the past few days. This is a good sign! She's still not 100% "awake" but this is progress. If you are praying for her, please keep doing so. She has a long road to recovery ahead of her. Thank you!! ( :
3.05.2013
Tex-Mex Hamburger Cassrole
In my kitchen, we're still doing a very lose meal-planning system every night. I have an idea every night of what I want to cook, but that idea is subject to change based on my mood or anything that pops up (like all the impromptu hospital runs DH and I have made over the past 2 weeks to see his grandma, who is still in ICU and needs prayers, by the way!). Last night, I had a pound of hamburger thawed out and planned to just cook Hamburger Helper. We keep several boxes of that stuff on hand for quick meals. Since I have a killer sinus infection right now, I figured I wouldn't want to cook anything involved last night.
For some reason, when I got home I was motivated to try a new recipe. I felt terrible, but I had a strong urge to feed my little family somethin better than a from-a-box meal! I am SO not creative when it comes to food, so I did a quick google search for hamburger casserole and whipped up the first result that sounded good: Quick and Easy Tex-Mex Beef and Rice Bake. What a mouthful, huh?
Yeah, that doesn't look very appetizing, does it? I swear it was! Even my uber-picky DH liked it! I think I had too much rice, but I'm not so great at measuring rice for some reason. The rice absorbed a lot of the sauce, so I should have either had less rice or more sauce. Live and learn!
I even whipped up some yummy corn muffins to go with it, though I didn't get a picture of them. Ya'll know what they look like. Yellow muffins. :P And for the record, C went crazy over those babies!
So here's the recipe just in case you don't feel like clickin on the link above. I made a few changes, noted below.
Serves 4 to 6.
I'll definitely be cooking this dish again! This recipe makes a pretty big batch and we had a lot leftover. I froze two big containers full last night, so we'll see how it tastes after its been frozen. I plan on finding out late next week probably. ( :
For some reason, when I got home I was motivated to try a new recipe. I felt terrible, but I had a strong urge to feed my little family somethin better than a from-a-box meal! I am SO not creative when it comes to food, so I did a quick google search for hamburger casserole and whipped up the first result that sounded good: Quick and Easy Tex-Mex Beef and Rice Bake. What a mouthful, huh?
I even whipped up some yummy corn muffins to go with it, though I didn't get a picture of them. Ya'll know what they look like. Yellow muffins. :P And for the record, C went crazy over those babies!
So here's the recipe just in case you don't feel like clickin on the link above. I made a few changes, noted below.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups cooked rice - Not sure exactly how much I ended up with, but I started with a cup of uncooked rice. Too much!
- 1/2 to 1 pound ground beef, chuck or round - I had a little over a pound cause that's how our beef comes to us from the guy who slaughters our cows for us.
- 1/2 cup chopped onion - My onion was tiny and I couldn't taste it at all, might add more next time.
- 1/4 cup chopped green or red bell pepper - DH loved the peppers!!
- 1 can (15 ounces black beans, drained and rinsed - I didn't have black beans, so I substituted kidney beans. DH and I are not fans of kidney beans, so we weren't in love with how that turned out. Next time, if I don't have black beans I'll try pinto beans, as DH says they're not as dry.
- 1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce - Really shoulda used a little more.
- 1 cup corn kernels (use canned, drained or frozen, thawed)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Dash pepper
- 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
- Dash garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin - Why don't I ever have cumin??! I used ground curry and it was delicious!
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro - Yeah, fresh herbs do not happen at my house. Dried cilantro worked just fine. We don't know the difference in taste since we've never cooked with fresh herbs!
- Shredded Cheddar cheese or Mexican blend of cheeses, for topping - I used both!
Preparation:
Cook rice and set aside. Lightly grease a 2-quart casserole. Heat oven to 350°. Cook the beef and onion until beef is no longer pink; add bell pepper and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes longer. Stir in all remaining ingredients except cheese. Stir in cooked rice. Spoon the mixture into a casserole. Bake for 25 minutes. Top with shredded cheese and cook for 5 minutes longer, or until cheese is melted.Serves 4 to 6.
I'll definitely be cooking this dish again! This recipe makes a pretty big batch and we had a lot leftover. I froze two big containers full last night, so we'll see how it tastes after its been frozen. I plan on finding out late next week probably. ( :
7.14.2012
Hello and welcome!
Hey ya'll! I'm Nikki. Being an obsessive blog reader for quite some time now (we won't go into details about just how obsessive I am...!), I decided it was high time I started my own blog. (I've actually had one for years, but its become more of a diary of sorts, so its terribly boring to everyone but me.) Here, you'll find a wide mix of topics, including country life, crunchy living (more on that later), food, cleaning, health/beauty, parenting, and much more - basically, whatever interests me. ( :
To start, here's a little background info on me. I live in a very rural area of North Carolina, born and raised here. I got married back in 2009 to my sweetheart, who would probably prefer to remain anonymous for now. We had our first child in 2010, and she is currently 19 months old (my, how time flies!!). The husband and I both work full-time, and I am blessed with a good mother-in-law who keeps my daughter. We live on a farm of sorts. We have horses, cows, chickens, ducks, and rabbits. And the standard dogs and cats. And a garden. The husband does a little crop farming on the side, and he runs a side business as well (yeah, he stays busy!). I sell Mary Kay on the side, too, though I'm not very successful at it, if truth be told. Oh, and I teach horseback riding lessons, as well.
Having a baby completely changed me. I know lots of people say that, but I can honestly say that every aspect of my life has changed (in a good way) since she's been born. I've learned so much about myself, my marriage, and life. I've become crunchy. (Like I said, more on that later!) I've become so many things I never dreamed I'd be, but I love it. I certainly don't claim to have it all figured out, but I invite you to join me on my journey to learn more. I'm constantly learning ways to be "green," save money, be a better mother, be a better wife, and be a godly woman. (Yep, I'm a Christian.) Its taken me a long time to realize I needed to make some changes in my life, but now I've jumped in with both feet and I'm lovin it! God's got an awesome plan for me, and I'm doing my best to be what He wants me to be.
Stick around, you might learn somethin useful with me along the way. At any rate, you're sure to be entertained! ( :
To start, here's a little background info on me. I live in a very rural area of North Carolina, born and raised here. I got married back in 2009 to my sweetheart, who would probably prefer to remain anonymous for now. We had our first child in 2010, and she is currently 19 months old (my, how time flies!!). The husband and I both work full-time, and I am blessed with a good mother-in-law who keeps my daughter. We live on a farm of sorts. We have horses, cows, chickens, ducks, and rabbits. And the standard dogs and cats. And a garden. The husband does a little crop farming on the side, and he runs a side business as well (yeah, he stays busy!). I sell Mary Kay on the side, too, though I'm not very successful at it, if truth be told. Oh, and I teach horseback riding lessons, as well.
Having a baby completely changed me. I know lots of people say that, but I can honestly say that every aspect of my life has changed (in a good way) since she's been born. I've learned so much about myself, my marriage, and life. I've become crunchy. (Like I said, more on that later!) I've become so many things I never dreamed I'd be, but I love it. I certainly don't claim to have it all figured out, but I invite you to join me on my journey to learn more. I'm constantly learning ways to be "green," save money, be a better mother, be a better wife, and be a godly woman. (Yep, I'm a Christian.) Its taken me a long time to realize I needed to make some changes in my life, but now I've jumped in with both feet and I'm lovin it! God's got an awesome plan for me, and I'm doing my best to be what He wants me to be.
Stick around, you might learn somethin useful with me along the way. At any rate, you're sure to be entertained! ( :
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