Friday Favorites

After my almost being hacked incident I'm too afraid to find images for today's post so it's going to be a little boring/wordy - sorry about that.

My favorite TV shows this week:
The Bachelor || Hello, is anyone else sick and tired of Lace?  She's a fruitloop and should probably be on medication.  I'm on Team Olivia but also like Caila.  Your thoughts?  And how embarrassing to be told you smell sour!  Also, who wants to run then be sniffed by the bachelor -- what if your 'coot coot' stinks??  He was sniffing awfully close to that region.  No thank you!

Married at First Sight || OMGeee!!! This show is such a hoot.  I make Andy watch it with me and we do nothing but laugh through the whole thing. It is so super uncomfortable and awkward.  This week one of the couples, who have yet to hold hands after being married for 3 week (the half way point), decided to go on a semi-romantic date.  They go up in a huge ferris wheel where the guy half fakes that he's terrified.  It's going great - she's laughing at him for acting so nervous in it and they're having a great time.  Then, as they're coming back down from the top he decides to make his move and attempt their first kiss.  Remember - they've never held hands before!  He has his arm behind her so puts it around her shoulders and says .... bring it in.  Um, excuse me?? Bring it in?? Isn't that what you say to your 'bros' when you're giving them a bro hug??  So, he says "bring it in" and she turns and gives him the cheek.  Bah ha!!!!  Dang, AWKWARD!!!

RHOBH ||  Any other Housewives viewers/fans?  Any other Beverly Hills fans?  I can't decide if I like BH or OC better. BUT!  I am loving the new housewife Erica this season!  Isn't she the coolest?  Gah, she's just so calm and put together.  I really like her, a lot!

Ed ||  Way back in, I don't know, 2004, this little show on NBC called 'Ed' premiered.  It follows a man who moves back to his hometown called Stuckeyville after finding his wife cheating on him with the mailman.  He buys a bowling alley and fate shows him that he is still destined to be a lawyer, something he was planning on giving up after being fired from his law firm.  So, the show follows him as a lawyer who owns a bowling alley. The court cases are always a little quirky, which is fun, and most of the characters are quirky, too.  Add in his high school crush and you have a hit!  At least in my world.  It only lasted 3 or 4 seasons and I was totally crushed when they cancelled it.  Fast forward to 2016 and the UP! channel has picked it up and is running the original episodes!  Holy smokes, I'm so super happy!


Favorite Song this week:
Thomas Rhett's "Die a Happy Man"

Favorite News this week:
Brennan doesn't need glasses!  At least not right now.  Long story short, Brennan is growing so fast right now that his eye muscles are playing catch up.  When you focus on something close up your eye muscles contract, and then when you look up at something farther away they relax.  So, when he looks up at the board his muscles aren't relaxing enough thus having a hard time seeing the board.  His eye doctor is pretty sure he'll grow out of it but we are going back end of February for a re-check just to be sure that's what the problem is.

Favorite Event This Weekend:
Brunch with my girlfriends!  Sometime in 2014 we started going to brunch every other month together.  It has been so much fun and this month's date is Sunday.  We've tried a few different places over the years and have had some really yummy breakfasts (and lots of fun gabbing)!  It's an easy time for all of us to get together since our husbands can stay home with the kids, no one has to work and it's a lazy day so no one's in a hurry to get anywhere (most times).  I can't wait to stuff myself Sunday, ha ha!

Favorite New Recipe this week:
White Chicken Enchiladas || I saw this recipe floating around FB and thought I'd give it a try.  It was a huge hit with the entire family, even Andy who doesn't like sour cream!  Adding it to my rotation for sure!

What were some of your favorites this week?

Mt Dew Cupcakes

 

So it’s never been a secret, I love Mt Dew!  It’s a problem, I know.

Sometime over the past week or so Andy saw a link to a recipe for Mt Dew Cupcakes on Facebook.  He tucked the idea away and then googled ‘Mt Dew Cupcakes’ to find the recipe.  He went to the store, bought all of the ingredients, and came home to make them with the boys for my birthday.  So super sweet!

I was surprised how many of you asked for the recipe!  Here is a link to the recipe Andy used.  They are very flavorful! Enjoy!

~ Erin

Peanut Butter Goodness

I’m a day late and a dollar short but I wanted to link up with my awesome friend Brew Mama for her Yummy/Healthy food link up. 

 

I was given this recipe years ago, it’s a Weight Watchers one, and I’m sorry but I have no idea how many points it is (I was thinking maybe 2 points per slice?), but it is so dang yummy and definitely does NOT taste “good for you”.  Ok, so it’s not good for you but it is low cal, and a dessert, so that’s a win-win in my book!

Peanut Butter Pie

1 fat-free pre-made graham cracker crust

1/2 c. reduced fat peanut butter

2 tubs fat-free whipped cream

Blend together the peanut butter and whipped cream, pour into pie crust.  Throw into the freezer for at least 2 hours, until set. 

Holy peanut butter yumminess!  Sorry, no pics, but trust me when I say this is super delicious!  It’s been a hit with everyone I’ve served it to.

Go check out the other links on Brew Mama’s page (click on the box above) for other healthy ideas!

Have a great weekend!

Erin

Cookie Swap Recipe

Ugh, this pregnancy brain is going to be the death of me!!!  I totally forgot about Mean Ang’s cookie swap link up today!!! Duh!!!

So, I am sharing with you one of the easiest recipes ever but it is by far my most favorite Christmas cookie/candy EVER!!!  Don’t knock it til you try it!!

Haystacks

1 pkg Chow Mein Noodles

1/2 pkg Almond Bark

1/2 pkg Milk Chocolate Chips

Melt the bark and choc chips in a microwave safe bowl in the microwave. Start with 60 seconds, stir, then another 30 seconds followed by a stir until it is all melted.  Stir in the chow mein noodles until well coated by the chocolate mixture.  Drop by spoonful onto waxed paper.  Let cool/harden and then enjoy!!!

Guess which newly minted gestational diabetic has an entire container full of these delicious goodies who doesn’t get to enjoy anymore this season?  THIS GIRL!  Dang.

Thanks, Ang!!!  Can’t wait to read the other recipes!!!

Burritos Of The Breakfast Persuasion

If you didn’t see them all I had 3 posts yesterday.  I hope you check them out, there were 2 baby updates!

Ok, have you seen this video??  I couldn’t get it to load onto my post correctly so please just click on the link below. I have too many questions about the why’s and the what for’s of this to list.  Just watch it, you won’t regret it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CddMD3QqTFs

So I mentioned yesterday that I took breakfast burritos to the tailgate.  I also mentioned I’d get you the recipe for these.  Well, I can’t say there’s a real recipe, per se.  I just wing it every time.  But here’s what I did Saturday.

Breakfast Burritos

24 tortillas

18 eggs, beaten and scrambled

1 lb. breakfast sausage, browned and drained

1 lb. bacon, cooked and chopped

1/2 package shredded hashbrowns

2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

After the eggs are thoroughly cooked, add the hashbrowns and stir until heated through/cooked.  Mix in the sausage, bacon and shredded cheese.  Stir it all together. 

Spoon the mixture onto the individual tortillas, wrap them up burrito style and then wrap them up in tin foil if using them for tailgating.  Throw them in the fridge overnight, for up to a week (I’d say).  Reheat in a microwave without the foil, or throw onto a grill that is on low and heat until warmed through.

These are fairly ‘plain’, adding onions and peppers, ham, etc. would be great in them too!  Also, you can totally cut the amount in half or less.  I’ve made a batch of a dozen and put them in the fridge for Andy and the boys to have for breakfast before.  They keep fairly well and the guys love how easy they are to warm up. Another plus is they aren’t cereal or toast!

Fantasy Football Update:  I won my first game!  Last week when I was setting my roster for the week I was poking around my FF page.  The power’s that be gave me a D+ on my team! Say what?!?  Needless to say I was preparing myself to lose all of my games, so I was pleasantly surprised to win this week!

Have a happy Tuesday!

Erin

How To Freeze Corn

Hey there!  I wanted to share with you how I freeze sweet corn.
*This is how I do it and was taught, it might not be what is recommended by the powers that be so if you’re worried about safety, etc, check with your local extension office.* 
Living in Iowa we have some of the best tasting sweet corn there is!  My uncle plants a big plot of it and then when it’s ready my aunt sends out the “Its Ready” email.  So a couple of weeks ago Andy, the boys and I went and picked a laundry basket full of corn.
First things first, shucking the corn!  Not a hard job, just time consuming.

Once all the corn is shucked you want to cut off any bad parts and the skinny end where maybe the corn isn’t all the way matured.  Fill a canner or large pot just over half-way with water and bring it to a boil.
While waiting for the water to boil fill your kitchen sinks with cold water and add a bunch of ice – you want to have ice cold water to put the hot corn in to stop the cooking process.  You can buy a bag of ice from the gas station or freeze big cubes in butter bowls or some other plastic containers. 
Add 10-12 ears of corn to the boiling water.  Set the timer for 3 minutes.  When the timer goes off immediately pull the corn from the water and put it in the ice water.  Bring the pot of water back to a boil and repeat.

Once the cob of the corn feels warm, not hot, to the touch transfer the corn to the other sink to cool it down completely.  After the cob is completely cooled pull the corn out of the sink and put into a strainer to drain. Add more ice to the water if it’s warmed up. Next up, my favorite part – cutting the corn off the cob!
Get a shallow container or dish, stand the cob on end and use a serrated knife to cut the corn off the cob.  Don’t get too much of the cob, ick!  Then after the corn’s all cut off go back over the cob with the knife and scrape straight down – this gets all of the yummy juicy cream out of the cob which has a ton of flavor.

Empty the container into a large bowl when it fills up and grab another cob to continue cutting the corn off until all the corn is done.
How much corn you put into a bag is up to you.  How much does your family eat at one meal?  I change mine every year.  This year I did one and half ‘cups’.  I just pulled out one of the boys’ drinking cups.  Some years I’ve used a coffee mug, other years I’ve used actual measuring cups.  Just eye ball it.

Dump the corn into a freezer bag, push as much air out of it as possible and seal it up tight.  I push the corn as flat as I can get it because the flat bags freeze up faster and stack in the freezer easier.  Mark your bags with the year on them and get them to the deep freeze right away.  Yum!  It’s a process, but a fast one, and totally worth the work when you pull that yummy sweet corn out of the freezer in the middle of the winter!
Give this a try next year!  Even if you only get a few bags you’ll enjoy it!
Erin

Salsa Recipe and Misc.

Hey hey!  How’s it going today?  Things here are good, another cool morning and I’m sitting here in pants and long sleeves again!  Ahhh, it feels so good!  I love wearing a pair of jeans in the middle of the summer, it makes me excited for Fall and it feels so cozy.

This week Aiden (7) has been going to Vacation Bible School.  It’s every evening from 5:30-8:30.  The boy has LOVED it.  He has learned some awesome values, like being God’s worker.  They have fun activities, relay races and learn songs every night.  Tonight is their last night and they are having a short program at the end to sing their songs.  I’m glad he is learning so many good things and enjoying doing it. Bren on the other hand gets to spend those few hours with just me and Andy and he’s loving all that one on one attention!

I told you yesterday I’d share a super easy salsa/pico recipe with you so here it is.

Super Easy Salsa

1 can Rotel (diced tomatoes and green chilis)

3-4 Roma tomatoes (or 2-3 regular tomatoes), diced

1/2 medium Red onion, diced

1 jalapeno, seeded (unless you like the heat, then keep the seeds) and diced

a small handful of cilantro, chopped up

Drain the can of Rotel, then throw all the ingredients together in a bowl and stir it up.  Throw in some salt and about a teaspoon of lime juice, stir that in.  Let it sit for about a half hour to let all the flavors marry together.  Enjoy with tortilla chips, over enchiladas and tacos, inside quesadillas…even put it over the top of a hot dog!  So good! And so easy!

 

When I was a kid we spent a week at each of my grandma’s houses every summer.  At my Grandma Marie’s (Marie is a last name here) it seemed like we hit the week of her club’s annual picnic a few years.  There we met 2 other little girls around our ages.  We became summer friends.  Every summer for a few years Grandma would make plans for us to get together with Alyssa and Megan, we either go to their house down the gravel road or they’d come to Grandma’s.  I have wonderful memories of those summer friends and the things we did together.  Yesterday in the afternoon the boys were playing out in the driveway when the neighbor’s granddaughter from Texas rode her bike down past our house (we are at the end of a dead end street, perfect for little riders).  After the boys and this girl,Carly, rode around each other a few times staring at each other Carly went to her grandparent’s house and came back with her little brother, Corbin.  They were standing at the end of the driveway watching the boys kick their ball around.  Carly, age 6, bravely asked if they could play ball too.  For the next hour those 4 kids played together and had a ball. They kicked the balls around, rode bikes, played in the sand box and on the swing set.  My boys made summer friends!  I was so happy and excited.  The memories they’ll have!  And the memories Carly and Corbin (age 2?) will have of those Iowa boys!  I hope it means as much to them as my summer friends meant to me!  We told Carly and Corbin to come back today to play, I can’t wait!

Do any of you know my good friend Becky at Fitzpatrick's Follies?  Her post yesterday was really moving and I’m sure really hard for her to write.  If you don’t mind, please go over and read that post and leave her some words of encouragement.  Help me cheer her on and keep her motivated!  Thanks!

Ok, you’re going to think I’m weird (what’s new) but I love the smell of corn pollen.  This time of year the pollen is flying!  And I can smell it coming through my windows right now! Reminds me of when I was working in the fields as a teenager, we were mainly there to rogue but for about 2 weeks we were pollinators, my favorite time in the field!  It was so fun and smelled SO good!

Have a great Thursday!  I love the feeling of Thursday afternoons, it’s exciting knowing Friday is almost here!

Erin

Jelly, Jelly, Jelly

Happy Friday!  Another week, come and gone.  This was a busy one for us.  The fair, swim lessons, supper with friends.  I’m ready for a relaxing weekend – hope I get one!

Yesterday was a great day at swim lessons!  Aiden and Brennan both went off the diving board!  Brennan was lowered into the water by another instructor down to his instructor in the water, so it wasn’t exactly a ‘jump’.  But Aiden!  Wow, that boy JUMPED off the diving board! 3 times!!!  He loved it!  So glad he conquered his fear and went for it!

We had a great day with Baby Aspen.  She’s still the happiest baby I know, so easy to take care of!  She’s 8 months old already.  She wants nothing to do with crawling or being on her tummy, but she loves standing up.  She’ll be an early walker I think.

Now for my jelly post. 

First and foremost, buy a box of fruit pectin (SureJell or Mrs. Wages Fruit Pectin are the choices in these parts) and read the directions all the way through.  Get familiar with the steps because it can go fast and you don’t want to mess it up because you didn’t pre-measure the sugar.

You start by cooking down your fruit.  The directions called for 14 cups of Black Raspberries, I just dumped all I had in the pan and prayed it’d be enough.  Add 1/2 c. water and bring it to a boil.  Use a potato masher to mash the fruit while it’s warming up and boiling to help extract the juice.

During this process get your jelly jars washed up in hot hot soapy water.

Get some cheese cloth ready for pouring your fruit and juice into.  I used my mom’s handy dandy gizmo to aid in the process.  I just lined it with my cheese cloth (folded so it was 4 layers thick).  If you don’t have one of these at your fingertips (who does?) just line a bowl with it.

After your fruit has been brought a boil and is thoroughly mashed, pour it into your cheesecloth.  Bring the corners up and start twisting, taking care to not let any of the fruit come out of the top.  Keep twisting and squeezing until you  have all of the juice extracted.

This recipe calls for 4 c. of juice.  If you don’t get enough juice (say 1/2 – 3/4 c. short) pour a little water over the fruit and re-squeeze it.

Prepare your hot water bath canner so it will be boiling and ready to can the jelly when it’s been jarred.  You don’t want it sitting around in jars jelling up while you’re waiting for your water to boil.  Also put your canning lids in some water and bring those to a boil, then shut them off.  Get your sugar measured (5 1/2 c. for this batch) and set aside because when it’s time for your sugar you want it right there ready to go. 

Pour your juice into your pan and add your packet of fruit pectin.  Bring it to a boil, stirring occasionally. When it is at a full rolling boil add your sugar. 

Stir constantly until at a full rolling boil again.  Take it off the stove and skim off the foam that gathers on top.  Next, pour it into your clean jelly jars. 

Wipe off the rims of the jars, then put on your lids and jar rings, snug them up.  Put them on the rack in your canner (that has boiling water in it), then lower it in. 

Once it is back to a boil set your timer for 5 minutes.  When that goes off pull the canner off the heat and let it sit 5 minutes. Then remove your jars, set them on a cooling rack or towel.  Wait and listen for all the lids to POP.  The best sound when canning!  DO NOT push down the lids to make them seal, that is a no-no in canning. And there you have it!  Jelly!

Sounds like a lot of steps, but the whole process (which included me running up and down the stairs to bring up all my supplies) only took me 1 hr. 20 min.  Well worth the time and effort when I slap some of that delicious jelly on my toast every morning!

Have a great weekend!

Erin

Tasty Bacon Wrapped Chicken Bites

Happy Thursday!

You might notice things look a little different around here today.  I tried doctoring up my blog a little.  I can’t figure out why my header isn’t centered, but oh well.  It looks a little fancier than before so I’ll take it.

Well, swim lessons were cancelled AGAIN yesterday!  That means Aiden STILL hasn’t gone down the slide. But today, TODAY, he will!

Mean Ang and I have gotten together and decided to do a link up next Tuesday.  The subject is ‘Hot Summer Reads’.  We are always looking for a good book to curl up with, or to pull out when sitting next to the pool or on the beach. Come back on Tuesday and link up with your favorite books so we can all stock pile our book shelves!

<a href="http://homemadehappenings-erin.blogspot.com"><img src="http://i1302.photobucket.com/albums/ag134/aemcguire02/5271_stack_of_books_with_shadow_22_zpsa17e6050.jpg" alt="button" width="350" height="350" /></a>

 

If you’re looking for a no-fail, big hit appetizer at your next BBQ or summer party, try these:

Tasty Bacon Wrapped Chicken Bites

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or a turkey breast)

1 pkg. Hickory Smoked Bacon

1 bottle Zesty Italian salad dressing

skewers

Cut up the chicken into 1 inch cubes. 

Cut bacon slices into 3rds (so you end up with 3 pieces instead of 1 long slice). 

Wrap chicken with bacon then stick onto skewers (soak your skewers first if they are wooden). 

Once your skewers are full place into container that is long enough to hold the skewers so they rest on the bottom completely.  Once all chicken is wrapped and skewered pour dressing over the top until covered. 

Refrigerate 8 hrs., flipping the container at least once.  Grill until cooked through (15-20 minutes). 

And of course there is no ‘after’ picture because the party was rockin’ at this point and I forgot.  Womp womp.

I have to share a picture of our supper the other night.  If this isn’t a typical Iowa supper I don’t know what is!

It was delicious! 

Have a great day!

Erin

Healthy Recipe Link Up

Hey there, friends!  It’s Wednesday!  And I’m exhausted.  I have been walking around for the last few weeks feeling like I’m drugged.  I think part of it is because I have been staying up past 10:00 watching TV with Andy.  I need to hit the hay at 9:00 and see if that helps.

I am linking up with Jodi and Sami today for their Healthy Recipe link up. 

My go-to lunch is what I call Quinoa Salad. You can make it ahead so you can take it with you to work, it still tastes just as good.

Quinoa Salad

1/4 C dry Quinoa (made according to package directions)

1/2 Avocado, sliced and diced

1/4 Red Bell Pepper, diced

1/2 Roma tomato (or whatever tomato, about 1/4 C)

1/4 C grilled chicken breast, diced (I used Oscar Meyer’s, found in the deli section)

While your quinoa is cooking cut up the rest of the ingredients, throw them in a bowl.  Dump in the fully cooked quinoa, mix up and enjoy! So super easy!  It is so delicious, very flavorful.  And those are my go-to veggies to add, you can switch them up however you like.  I’ve used yellow and green Bell Peppers, if you like onions, throw those in there.  Mix and match to your hearts content!

(This pic doesn’t have the quinoa added to it yet, FYI.)

I figured up the calorie content one time and it was under 300 calories for that big ol’ bowl full!  I hope you like it!

I also wanted to share this little gem I pinned on Pinterest.

Now go link up with Jodi and Sami so I can get more healthy recipes!

Erin

Undies, Chicken Parmesan & Crescent Cinn Rolls

Hey there!  Does anyone else have a hard time throwing away your kids’ old underwear and socks?  I mean, it’s not like they wear them out and get holes in them, they grow out of them too quickly, so right there I feel like I’m being wasteful.  And their first pairs of undies? Forget it, they are way too cute to just toss out, right?  But there is no way I’m saving Aiden’s old grown-out-of undies for when Brennan could fit in them, ew!  We just went underwear and sock shopping this weekend so I am tossing all of their old undies and socks and I feel so bad doing it!  I don’t really have an emotional attachment to Aiden’s, they’re bigger and ugly with Lego Star Wars characters on them, but Brennan’s are still small and cute with Toy Story characters on the buns.  I guess I’d better just close my eyes and toss them, how weird would that be in 20 years when I’m cleaning out the basement and run across their old, used undies?

Here are two quick and easy recipes for you.

Chicken Parmesan

2-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (my meat counter gives the full, complete chunky breast so I cut mine in half through the thickness to make 2 thinner breasts out of 1 thick one, you want to end up with 4 either way)

1 jar spaghetti or marinara sauce

1 c. mozzarella cheese, shredded

1 pkg Italian Shake-N-Bake (and I helped!) (this can be left off to save those calories and carbs)

Bake the boobies at 400 degrees for 20 minutes after coating them in the Shake-N-Bake.  Then pour the sauce over and sprinkle on the cheese, bake another 10-15 minutes, until cooked through.  Done!  You can serve over pasta if you like.  And of course I forgot an ‘after’ picture – sorry!

 

Crescent Cinnamon Rolls

I made these up one morning for breakfast.  They are probably a recipe somewhere but I just winged it and made it up as I went.

1 pkg. crescent rolls

butter

cinnamon and sugar mix

Okay, open the rolls and unroll them, but leave them together as a rectangle.  Spread butter over the dough, then sprinkle a good layer of cinn/sugar over them.  This is where you carefully separate the rolls into the triangles and roll them up into the crescents.  Bake as directed but add 5 minutes to the baking time.  Easy peasy!  And super yummy!  And quick!

 

Give these a try sometime, they are quick and easy! 

They are calling for 8” of snow in these parts tomorrow night.  And a lot of wind which will blow that stuff around and make a heck of a mess.  Great.  Why can’t we have an early spring again like last year?  I’m needing it!

Have a great Wednesday!

Erin

What’s On The Menu And What’s The Baby’s Name?

It’s Friday!!!! Woo hoo!  This has been a fast week but boy am I ready for the weekend!

It’s been awhile since I’ve shared a recipe with you so I thought I’d share a nice, hearty, hot dish to make on a cold winter night.  If you’re trying to lose weight just skip ahead past this recipe to the end, you’ll thank me later.

Scalloped Potatoes with Ham

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

5-6 potatoes, peeled, cubed, cooked, and drained (*note- I have found that it’s best to cube them fairly small and to cook them until about 1 1/2 minutes before they are done, they’ll continue to cook in the oven and you don’t want super mushy potatoes.)  If you have a Dutch Oven use it for boiling the potatoes, that way you can combine the potatoes, ham and sauce together in this one pot and throw it in the oven when ready to bake it.

1-2 C. diced ham (again, smaller chunks.  I’m not a fan of Pig’s Butt so the smaller the pieces the better for me.)

While the potatoes are cooking make the following sauce in a medium saucepan:

6 T butter, melted.  Add to that 6 T flour to make a rue.  Let cook on medium heat for about 2 minutes, stirring often so as not to burn it. 

Next, add 2 C. milk.  Cook, stirring often, until the rue thickens the milk, a few minutes.  While this is cooking dice up 1 C. Velveeta cheese into 1” pieces.  Add salt and pepper to taste (not a ton of salt, the ham is salty enough).  Stir in 1/2 tsp. of Worcestershire Sauce.  Last, add the cubed up Velveeta. Stir constantly until the cheese is all melted.

If you have cooked your potatoes in a Dutch Oven add the ham and sauce to that and gently stir together.  Otherwise throw it together in a 2 qt. baking dish. 

Throw it in the oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, uncovered. 

For a little extra pizazz you can top the dish with shredded cheddar for the last 2 minutes of baking or cover the top with French Fried Onions for the last 5 minutes of baking.  Mmm!  Let me know if you try it and like it.  I like to have corn for a side, seems to go well with this. 

---

I have a favor to ask of you all.  Can you please leave me some baby name suggestions in the comments?  We are at a complete loss for names, especially boy names.  So let me know your favorite boy and girl names, or what you would have named your kids if you had anymore.  Or even what your kids’ names are.  I think I am leaning towards a more traditional name but any suggestions are welcome.  You never know when something will jump out at me.  Thanks!

Any plans for the weekend?  We are heading to the big city to get supplies for our closet project.  Hopefully the weather doesn’t make us change our plans.   Wednesday we got 3 or more inches of snow.  It’s hard to tell how much because the wind blew and blew and we have drifts like crazy. Today the roads still aren’t in great condition and schools in the area are still delaying 2 hours.  We are not delayed but the buses are running on hard surfaces roads only.  Doesn’t affect us here in town, we can get around no matter what.

And for your (and my) viewing pleasure, a nice way to end the week.  Love me some Matthew!  And Lance, you ain’t so bad yurself.  Yum!

I hope you give the recipe a try and don’t forget to leave me some name suggestions!  Have a great weekend, see you back here next week!

Erin

Baby Update And Super Bowl Link Up

Hey there!  I’m linking up with Amy today for her Super Bowl Link Up.  As some of you know I am a DIP girl!!!  I love me some dips and appetizers!  Any excuse to get together with friends so I can snack all night long on amazing dips and appetizers is great for me. 

This dip I found via Pinterest – no kidding, like what dips aren’t on Pinterest now?  Anyway, I do not like dips with corn in them normally but this one also has red bell pepper, which I LOOOOOVVVE in dips so I thought I’d try it out.  I made a half batch for a BBQ party we had here last summer with about 8 friends.  While the burgers were burning we sat around the bowl of dip and had it gone in 5 minutes flat!  Seriously!  It was SO.DARN.GOOD!!!  We all loved it and all the girls took the recipe home.  So please give it a try regardless of the corn. Go with a half batch so if you end up not really liking it you’re not throwing out as much money.  Here you go!

Corn and Pepper Dip

1 red pepper, 2 jalapenos (unseeded), 1 can of corn, 1/2 can diced olives, 16 oz. cream cheese (softened), and 1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch dip seasoning mix. Serve with crackers.

I don’t add the olives because most some people are crazy picky and don’t like them.  I used Wheat Thins for the crackers, I just love how they taste with dips.

Disclaimer:  The above recipe is from Pinterest but it didn’t have any source attached to it so I can’t give credit where credit is due.  I am sorry to whomever took this amazing picture! Thanks for the yummy dip!

And I have to share one more because, like I said, I am a dip girl!  This one’s a hot dip and sooooo yummy!

Carrie’s Hot Chicken Dip

4 chicken breasts, cooked and diced into small pieces

4 – 8 oz. pkgs. cream cheese

1 Red Bell Pepper, diced

4-5 jalapeno peppers, diced (seed some to keep the heat down)

1 c. diced onion

1 c. Miracle Whip (NOT real mayo)

1 T. lemon juice

Mix together in crock pot and heat through.  Serve with tortilla chips and crackers. (I use Wheat Thins, they taste good with this dip.)

I call this Carrie’s because my friend Carrie gave me the recipe, but feel free to change it to Erin’s Hot Chicken Dip, I won’t mind. Ha ha!

I can’t wait to see all the other recipes and to try some of them out! YUM!

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And now on to the Baby Update. 

I recorded the baby’s heartbeat on my phone and of course I can’t get it to upload to You Tube. Why oh why doesn’t it work on my phone???  Grr!  Anyway, Baby’s heartbeat sounded like a horse galloping.  Kind of funny, wasn’t the typical whoosh sound you normally hear.  But it was healthy and strong!  Here’s are some other stats.

Weight gained this appointment: 1 lb.

Total weight gained: 1 lb.

Baby’s heartbeat: 160’s

Me: wearing maternity pants now, started that about a week ago.  Some maternity shirts, only to cover the band on the pants, but definitely don’t need them yet.  I’m feeling great, crazy mood swings still.  I told Andy that it must be a girl and it’s telling me that 2 females should no inhabit the same body.  Yea right, I wish. 

Baby: possibly felt a kick last Friday, felt like popcorn, but I haven’t felt anything since.  It’s early, though, so it could have just been gas.  Starting to get a small bump and my BabyBump app on my phone tells me the baby should weight about 3.5 oz. and be approx. 4.5 inches long (head to rump).  About the size of an avocado.  Last week it said an orange which I believe it the same size or bigger than an avocado, but whatev’s.

The boys are still very excited about this and ask me how I’m feeling and how the baby’s feeling often.  They are good, kind, considerate boys.  I am still emotional, but that’s how I am when I’m not pregnant too so who knows if I’m more or less now that I’m preggo.  But I feel ugly and fat all the time, something I didn’t feel a lot of when pregnant with the boys.  Another sign it could be  a girl?  Who knows.

Ok, I need to get moving. Sorry I couldn’t share the sound of the heartbeat with you, just turn on some old western and listen to the horses running, that’ll get you close!

Love, hugs and good wishes to all!

Erin

What’s On The Menu? Chicken Pasta

A couple of weeks ago I was out of ideas for supper.  I had thawed some chicken breasts out but didn’t know what to do with them.  Then genius struck.  I pulled out some spaghetti sauce and noodles and made my own version of Chicken Parmesan.  Here’s what I did.

First, I cleaned the chicken breasts.  I cut off the extra fat (that’s that nasty looking pile in the upper left hand corner) and then cut the 2 boobies in half so they weren’t so thick.  Next, pepper and salt them.

Heat a little EVOO in a skillet.  Dice up some onion and garlic and cook that for a few minutes, until the onion is transparent. 

Add the chicken and cook it until cooked through.  Doesn’t take too long since they’re thinner.  Once cooked through add your jar of spaghetti sauce and simmer until heated through, or let it simmer until your noodles are done.  Either is fine.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, boil your spaghetti noodles according to package directions.  If you really want to impress your family heat up some garlic bread, too.  Then just plate it up.

Really easy and, because it involved spaghetti sauce, my husband loved it.  Oh, and don’t mind the pickles on there.  For some reason I’ve been craving my mom’s homemade pickles lately.  Seriously gals, those things are da’ bomb!  They are dill and delicious! 

Happy Hump Day!

Erin

What’s On The Menu? Enchiladas

I don’t know about you, but I get so tired of my regular recipes.  I am so bored with them that I can’t even think of anything good to make for supper most days.  In the past I have made weekly menus, which do really help me so I don’t have to try to whip up something amazing when I haven’t thought of it until 4:30 that afternoon.

I had some corn tortillas sitting in my pantry just begging me to use them.  Andy doesn’t like the corn tortillas, he’s more into the not-good-for-you flour tortillas.  But I like the corn ones, they add some flavor to the recipe.  So I made up my own concoction for Monday night’s supper, and it was actually pretty darn good!  I am here today to share this most amazing made-up by Erin recipe.  (In all honesty, it’s pretty basic stuff that isn’t really a recipe and really isn’t all that made-up by Erin.)

Made-Up By Erin Enchiladas

Grill, bake, boil or whatever way you want to 1 chicken breast (cook it), then shred or cube it up.

Heat a package of Old El Paso Spanish Rice (the kind you nuke in the microwave for 60 or 90 seconds).

Mix the 2 together.  Pour about a 1/2 –3/4c. of enchilada sauce in the mixture and mix that together.  Oh, and dump a package of taco seasoning in, too.  I buy it in bulk in a container at the Amish store because I don’t like taco seasoning that much, so this way I can control how much I add.  I usually add a tablespoon or two, in case you care.

Then assemble your enchiladas: 1/2 c. of mix in middle of tortilla, a sprinkling of shredded cheese on top, roll up and place seam side down in your baking dish.

Pour another 1/2-3/4c. of enchilada sauce over top of rolled tortillas.  I’m not a huge fan of the sauce so I went with just a little.  Sprinkle some more shredded cheese over the top, pop the dish in your oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or so. 

You can top these babies with some shredded lettuce, tomatoes, black olives, salsa, etc., etc. Heck, you could even pop some of those things into the mix before stuffing the tortillas if you want. But I live with picky men who don’t like any of the above (except salsa) so I just add my goodies to the top.  Voilà!

I hope you give these a try, they are so darn easy.  You can pop your boneless, skinless chicken breast into a crock pot with a little water and seasonings before you leave for work in the morning and it will be cooked and ready to go when you get home, the assembly is the easy/quick part.  What seasonings? Onion flakes, cumin, garlic powder (or the real thing), black pepper.  Any q’s? Did I leave anything out?  It’s not a real recipe so I hope it wasn’t too hard to follow w/ all of my gibberish added in. (Funny, I always thought gibberish was spelled w/ a ‘j’. Thank goodness for spell check! Now I know!)

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I wanted to show you this pretty tree in my back yard.  The yellow is so bright that when I walk by my kitchen window it lights up my kitchen!  It’s just amazing and so pretty. 

Happy Hump Day,

Erin