"I Smell a Winner" Scentsy GIVEAWAY!

*This giveaway is now closed*

Exciting news!  The time has come for me to host my very first giveaway!  You all know how much I love giveaways.  And this one's pretty fantastic, if I do say so myself!  Make sure you tell your friends.

Amy, my awesome Sentsy Consultant, has graciously put together a fabulous giveaway for you all--my faithful readers who give me a daily morale boost with each visit to my blog and the comments that you leave. 

And this is what one lucky reader will win:

"Bloom" Plug-in Scentsy Warmer from the Black & White Collection

AND the "You go, Girl" Sentsy Bar

Now the important information you need to know to enter the giveaway:

*open to U.S. residents Only*

1.) You MUST visit Amy's website https://aavaritt.scentsy.us/Home. On the right side of her page you'll see Kristy's Girl's Night Scentsy Party, click on "buy from party" (A purchase is NOT a requirement to enter this giveaway) and then leave me a comment on this blog post telling me one thing you love from her catalog.

Additional enteries are as follows, please leave me a seperate comment for each one you do as each comment will serve as an entry (these are not required; just additional chances to win)

2.) Follow my blog (click "follow" on the right side bar) or tell me that you are already a follower

3.) "Like" Darn Near Domestic on facebook or tell me that you already do

4.) "Like" Amy Avaritt Scentsy Wickless Candles Aroma Therapy For Your Home on facebook

5.) Blog about my giveaway and leave me a link to your post

A total of 5 chances to win!  :)  Enteries must be received before midnight (CST) on Wednesday, February 2nd.  Winner will be announced on Thursday, February 3rd. 

Peanut Butter Cookies...sans the fork prints

Umm, one word...YUM!  I'll admit that I've been a bit of a copy-cat blogger.  It's just that I keep finding such fabulous recipes and, seeing as how I have no will power, I feel the need to make them immediately.  I saw these recently on Sing For Your Supper and she called them "soft and crumbly peanut butter cookies".  Now, how good does that sound, right?  And then she did something completely crazy with them and topped them with mini marshmallows and a chocolate glaze!  I wasn't so much feeling the marshmallows, but the chocolate glaze? Yes, please.  If ever there were two things in this life destined for one another, it is chocolate and peanut butter. 

The chocolate glaze did set up better than this in the end.  But I have no patience to wait for such things before taking pictures, much less digging in. 

A funny little thing happened while making these.  I had planned the whole day that I was going to try this recipe, but it was such a gorgeous day outside that the baking kept getting postponed.  The boys and I thoroughly enjoyed some sunny, outdoor time!  So the baking would take place after dinner.  Except the 2 yr old didn't touch one bite of his dinner and I had to deliver the sad news, "No cookies if you don't eat your dinner".  Anyway, as I'm working away in the kitchen he seems to have helped himself!  I heard "Ohhh, yummm" and turned around to see that the cooling rack was within 2 yr old stand-on-tippy-toes reach and he had, in fact, helped himself.  He's so stinkin' cute I let it slide.  But I pushed the rack to the back of the counter.  And it happened again.  Only this time I took the cookie with one bite missing away from him.  I'm a mean mom :)

Peanut Butter Cookies
Recipe from Sing For Your Supper, original source Allrecipes

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

Directions
Combine the flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl, set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer or with a hand mixer, beat the butter, peanut butter and sugars for 2 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add in the egg and vanilla.
Gradually add in the flour mixture on low speed. Chill dough 15 minutes in the refrigerator.
Place by rounded spoonfuls on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 8-10 minutes, until edges are very lightly browned (cookies will not spread much at all). Do not overbake.
*Makes approximately 2 dozen cookies

Chocolate Glaze
Recipe from Sing For Your Supper

3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/2 cup powdered sugar, sifted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-2 tablespoons milk, depending on how thick you want it

Directions
In a small sauce pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the cocoa powder and mix until smooth. Remove from heat and add in the vanilla.
Slowly stir in the powdered sugar, gradually adding the milk as needed to get it to the desired consistency (you want it thin enough to drizzle, but thick enough that it won’t run all over- a little thicker than molasses).

Enchilada Casserole

Confession time: Yesterday I called these enchiladas "world famous".  Yeah, about that...Not even close.  But, hey, they're still good!  My mom, my sister, and I all make this casserole, and we all make it a little bit differently.  But we all make it the lazy way, meaning we don't bother to roll up individual enchiladas.  I'm actually suprised that this wasn't the first recipe I ever posted.  Because it's a bit of a signature recipe for me.  A good ole' stand-by.  Company's coming?  Enchilada Casserole!  What to bring to a potluck? Why, Enchilada Casserole!  And it's one of those things that doesn't even require that I consult a recipe.  Handy, no? 

The 7 yr old has been eating this casserole since he was a tiny little thing.  The 2 yr old won't touch it.  Not even almost.  But, then again, we all suspect his very existence is something of a miracle seeing that he only consumes milk, dry cereal and frozen waffles.  And candy. 

Enchilada Casserole
Recipe by Yours Truly, Darn Near Domestic

1 lb ground beef, cooked, drained
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
8 to 12 corn tortillas (6 inch) (I was using Extra Thin, so I used 12)
1 pkg McCormick Enchilada Sauce Mix
1 8 (oz) can tomato sauce
2 cups water

Directions
Stir Sauce Mix, water and tomato sauce in medium saucepan. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally.
Brown meat in large skillet on medium-high heat. Drain fat. Stir in ½ cup of the sauce.
Spray an 8 x 8 casserole dish with cooking spray.
Dip four tortillas, one at a time, into sauce to coat and cover the bottom of the casserole dish.  Layer half of the meat mixture followed by a third of the cheese.  Then add another layer of tortillas, dipped in sauce to coat, the remaining meat mixture, and half of the remaining cheese.  Top the casserole with a final layer of tortillas, dipped in sauce to coat, and the remaining cheese.  Pour any remaining sauce over the top.  Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes.

PW Restaurant Style Salsa

The Pioneer Woman knows her salsa!  I saw this just a few days ago and I instantly knew I would be giving it a try.  There have been plenty of salsa recipe experiments at my house, usually attempted by the husband, but something is always amiss.  I actually thought this was a really, really good salsa.  And you know what? I didn't realize it until I went to post this recipe that I had forgotten the garlic!  Wonder if I can go back and add it now? 

The 7 yr old said, and I quote, "This salsa fills my mouth with all kinds of yummy stuff!".  He's a funny boy, you will soon learn.    There's a slight possibility he gets it from me.  Right?  Right?
Well, the husband called this salsa bland.  And I would have been really offended by his comment if not for the event that occurred concering the Pioneer Woman herself last week.  So, she had it coming.  Wait, what?  Some of you don't know the story?  Lemme explain.  She was giving away 5 copies of her new book Black Heels to Tractor Wheels.  I, of course, entered because I enter every contest, sweepstakes, you-name-it, known to man.  And despite the fact that there were 22,397 enteries, I still had really high hopes of winning one.  I've never won anything. Ever.  But this time was going to be different; I could just feel it!  But the following day she announced 5, yes f.i.v.e, winners.  And I? Was not one of them! 

And, in my disappointment, I wouldn't have made her salsa recipe except I needed (ok, wanted) it to go along with my world famous enchiladas.  I suppose you want that recipe too? :)  Tomorrow, friends. Tomorrow.

PW Restaurant Style Salsa
Recipe from The Pioneer Woman

1 can (28 Ounce) Whole Tomatoes With Juice
2 cans (10 Ounce) Rotel
¼ cups Chopped Onion
1 clove Garlic, Minced
1 whole Jalapeno, Quartered And Sliced Thin
¼ teaspoons Sugar
¼ teaspoons Salt
¼ teaspoons Ground Cumin
½ cups Cilantro
½ whole Lime Juice

Directions
Combine whole tomatoes, Rotel, onion, jalapeno, garlic, sugar, salt, cumin, lime juice, and cilantro in a blender or food processor. Pulse until you get the salsa to the consistency you’d like. 
Refrigerate for at least one hour.

Lemon Poppy-Seed Cake

A dessert recipe was definitely overdue, don't you think?  Now, chocolate will always be my first love.  But lemon desserts are a close second.  And I LOVE this cake, with it's nice lemon flavor and cinnamon-sugar topping that gives it a slight crispness around the edges.  So good! 

I actually ran out of poppy seeds making this.  I found only a teeny tiny amount remained in the jar.  Bummer. So, apparently it isn't enough to simply verify that the ingredients exist in the cabinets when making out a shopping list.  Who knew?  That explains the scarceness of the poppy seeds in the pictures.  Sorry about that! 

My kids also love this cake.  But, then again, I've taught them well.  They expect dessert.  Everyday.  In fact, the 7 yr old has been known to ask for dessert after breakfast!  Fortunately, the sensible adult inside of me usually denies these requests!

Lemon Poppy-Seed Cake

Recipe given to me by my sister-in-law. Original source unknown

For cake:

1 box lemon cake mix

1 large pkg vanilla instant pudding

1 cup orange juice

5 eggs

1/3 cup vegetable oil

3 tbls poppy seed

Topping:

3 Tbls sugar

1 Tbls cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a bundt pan with Pam.  Mix the topping ingredients in a small bowl and then sprinkle around to coat the bundt pan.  Dump out excess.

Mix together all the cake ingredients, except the poppy seeds, in a stand mixer.  Once well mixed, stir in the poppy seeds.  Pour into the prepared bundt pan and bake for 55 minutes.  Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes and then invert onto your favorite cake plate.

Photography Homework

I have to say, this weather we're having is the pits!  It sure doesn't make it easy to get out and practice taking pictures.  But here's what I've come up with to turn in this week:

Rule of Thirds:

I cut the left edge of the plate off, which is a no-no.  So I'd like this one a lot more if the whole thing was shifted a bit to the left.  Live and learn, right? :)



Framing:

Ok, the idea is that the trunk and the limb of the tree are framing the ducks...or that giant shadow in the dead center. Whichever.  

Home Tour Tuesday

 

1/25: Pantry Raid---Show us your pantry and tell us about your favorite snack

So here's the pantry...locked up all Fort Knox style. Because, Heaven forbid, somebody (whose height is still measured in inches) be allowed free reign over his snacks!

And here's the inside of the world's most inaccessible pantry.  I really shouldn't complain because it's a nice amount of space.  But the outer doors are prevented from opening any further than this.  And then there are the inner swinging shelves that bounce back and are generally a pain.  I asked the husband to remove them as soon as we moved in since they don't really contribute a useable amount of storage.  But, alas, there they are.  In his defense, though, we've only lived here slightly over 5 years.

And here's a look with those inner swingy shelves open.

And, yes, I'll admit to slightly tidying up a bit before snapping any pics :)

Now, my favorite snack.  I'd have to say it is currently Eggo waffles with Nutella!!  

Do you want to play along?  (And I know you do because it's tons of fun) Click the badge at the top to link up!

Giveaway hosted by Webbisodes!

 

It's no big secret that I love a giveaway!!  And I'm totally not cool enough to host my own giveaway yet.  But, you can enter this one by checking out Shannon's blog Webbisodes!  Or at the very least, check out her daughter sporting some of the cutest little boots :)

So, if I win...I've totally got my eye on this:

Ok, wow, that's a tiny picture!  But it's super cute. I promise

Chicken and Rice Casserole





It seems I may have jumped ahead of myself last Sunday when I mentioned the chicken casseroles headed for the freezer.  I had no idea it would be a week later before I got around to sharing recipes.  So sorry.  But finally, chicken and rice casserole!  Which we shall take up forthwith, as in right now.  I LOVE this dish. Do I say that a lot? But this one might be one of my all time favorites.  Since it freezes well, I have made it for friends who are recovering from surgeries, having babies, etc.  And I think I'm going to claim this recipe as my own (so long as no one out there is offended) because it is seriously such a conglomeration of several recipes, of which I just picked and choosed the parts that I loved and left out the rest. 

 

I have to encourage you though, even if you think you don't like carrots or celery, to give them a try here.  Just once.  I'm not a huge celery fan, but for some reason I am in love with it in this dish!  It just isn't the same without it.  And one short cut I like in this recipe is using rotisserie chicken.  It's super easy and super flavorful.  Do we like short cuts?  Here's another for you.  Chop up and flash freeze your onions, carrots, and celery when you get home from the store.  Not only is it a time saver at dinner time, but it keeps your vegetables from going bad while sitting in your crisper waiting for the next recipe to call for them. 

 

Both the 7 yr old and the 2 yr old are a fan of chicken and rice.  The 7 yr old loves carrots, so no problem there.  He has a serious adversion to the celery though so he's allowed to pick around it.  He's quite fond of telling me things like "It's not your cooking that's bad, Mom, cause your cooking is good.  It's just the celery that's bad."  Now how sweet is that??

 

Chicken and Rice Casserole

Recipe from Yours Truly, Darn Near Domestic

 

2 cups cooked chicken, shredded (Rotisserie chicken works great)

1/3 cup margarine

1/2 cup onion, chopped

2 carrots, shredded

3 ribs celery, chopped

1 can cream of chicken soup

2 can chicken broth

2 cups Minute rice

1 tsp salt

1 tsp Italian seasoning

1/4 tsp pepper

 

Directions

Saute the onions, carrots, and celery in margarine for about 5 minutes or until soft.  Add in the cream of chicken soup and chicken broth.  Stir and heat to boiling.  Add in salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning.

 

Grease a 9 x 13 pan.  Add chicken in an even layer over the bottom of the pan.  Pour the 2 cups of (uncooked) rice over the chicken.  Pour the hot soup mixture over the top.  Cover and bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes.  If planning to freeze for a future use, allow to cool slightly then cover with foil and freeze.  To use frozen casserole, thaw overnight in refrigerator (for best results) and then bake. 

 

 

Canadian Bacon-and-Brie Quiche

Is this ever a step outside of my comfort zone!  But, in the interest of trying something new, here we are once again.  Can I just say I'm pretty darn proud of this quiche?  It IS pretty, no?  :) 

So. Brie.  It's a new experience for me.  I unwrapped the wedge of cheese and literally didn't know what I was looking at.  Paper? Rind? Edible? Inedible?  I hastily removed this rind with a sharp knife.  After a bit of googling, and of course some facebook consultations (thanks girls!), I learned that the whitish moldy rind of Brie is often eaten.  But in this case, removing it turned out to be a good idea since it doesn't melt so well.  And moldy?  Once I read that it would have come off anyway!

The 7 yr old removed and ate the Canadian Bacon, leaving the rest of the quiche on his plate.  He was quick to explain that it, in fact, was not a testament to my cooking, but rather the food itself.  Thanks, kid!  The 2 yr old ate it.  Yes! Ate. it.  I won't even tell you how the husband ate it.  Ok, yes I will.  He put Bacon Ranch dressing and Louisiana hot sauce on top.  Mmmmkay.  And I?  Am not so much a fan of Brie after all :(

Canadian Bacon-and-Brie Quiche

Recipe from Southern Living All Time Favorites, pg. 122

16 Canadian bacon slices

1 (8 oz) Brie round

8 large eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 tsp white pepper (or black pepper if you're me)

1/2 tsp grated Parmesan cheese (Really? This must be a typo. 1/2 cup maybe?)

1/2 tsp Italian seasoning

Directions

Arrange bacon slices on bottom and up sides of a lightly greased 9-inch pie plate, slightly overlapping slices.

Remove rind from Brie, and cut cheese into cubes.

Stir together eggs, cubed Brie, mayonnaise, and next 3 ingredients in a bowl.  Pour mixture into prepared pie plate.

Bake at 375 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean.  Let quiche stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Taco Style Lentils and Rice

So right about now I'm totally laughing at myself for using the cookie scoop on the sour cream!  I had to do something to make this unappetizing dish look a little more, well, appetizing.  Here's the story on this one.  When my older son was a wee baby, I met a group of ladies who were seasoned stay-at-home-moms.  Frugal living was often a topic of discussion since we were all in the business of managing a family on one income. And I listened (usually) intently as they waxed wise on all sorts of things from child rearing to cooking and cleaning to managing finances.  On one occasion, this particular recipe was tossed out by a mom with a large family claiming she could feed them all for under $1.  I know, right?  So.  You want something healthy?  You want something cheap?  Have I ever got the receipe for you!  For me, this one is all about the toppings!  I don't recommend that you attempt this one without a variety of toppings on hand, because you'll no doubt find it quite boring.  My preferred way of serving it is actually wrapped up in a tortilla and topped with whatever you normally like on a burrito.  Cheese, onions, sour cream, salsa, jalepenos, lettuce, tomato, guacamole.  You get the idea :)

And...and the kids will actually eat this!  How could I almost forget to address that issue?

Taco Style Lentils and Rice

Recipe source: a girl by the name of Bridget, mom of 6

3/4 cup dry lentils

3/4 cup brown rice

4 cups water

4 beef bouillon cubes

2 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp cumin

1 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp garlic powder

salt & pepper

Directions

Place everything in the crockpot on low for 6 to 8 hours.  Yep, that's it.  So long Taco Bell drive-thru!

Photography homework

Remember the photography class I mentioned here?  It turns out there is an assignment each week to practice the things that we've learned in class.  So each week I'll share with you here what I'm turning in for homework. 
If photography is your thing, I more than welcome any advice, tips, suggestions. Whatever you've got.  Because I.know.nothing.  And this week I'm a bit frustrated because I'm getting better results on Auto mode than when I play around with f stops and ISO.  So the camera still knows more than I do? Apparently.

Something square:

By the way, thanks for all the suggestions on this recipe.  I'll definitely give them a try and report back with the new and improved version!

Something red:



Home Tour Tuesday

Lights Out!  Show us what's on your nightstand

Let's see.  On top you'll find 1.) the laptop, which the husband claims I am attached to like an IV (I don't deny it), 2.) a tube of Carmex, of which I have exactly 3 of at all times (one beside my bed, one in my makeup drawer, and one in my purse. Always.) and 3.) the alarm clock, which I have owned for exactly 20 years (no, I'm not making that up nor am I rounding).
What am I reading?
Making the "Terrible" Twos Terrific by John Rosemond
Parenting by The Book by John Rosemond (I've read it 4 times so far)
The Out-of-Sync Child by Carol Stock Kranowitz
Disconnected Kids by Dr. Robert Melillo (Yes, I'm a believer in the Brain Balance Program!)
My Bible
Chronological Bible Study

Link up with Webbisodes or Flip Flops and Pearls and play along!!  It's fun!

Breakfast Burritos

I L.O.V.E breakfast burritos!  I make them all the time. Breakfast. Lunch. Dinner. I don't care.  And just about any combination is good with me.  This one is just some American cheese (real American cheese, not that stuff in a plastic wrapper that the husband loves so much), scrambled eggs, left over Christmas ham, jalepenos, and some taco sauce.  Yes, just to clear the air, I made a ham at Christmas for 3 and 1/2 people  :)  And now my freezer has tons of sliced ham.  Which worked out perfectly for this occasion, no?
But I don't discriminate; bacor or sausage is always welcome too.  As are potatoes.

So tell me.  What goes in YOUR breakfast burrito?

A well stocked freezer

I'm having trouble remembering if I've ever mentioned my minor obsession with my freezer.  Kidding!  Surely there are worse things to obsess over in life.  Well, said freezer is now well stocked once again.  And it makes me feel pretty darn happy.  Weird? Probably.  But lately I've been feeling the pressure of these never ending after-school obligations that we have and they're really cramping my cooking style!  I mean, how on Earth is one supposed to cook dinner when you don't even get home until, uhh, dinner time?  Fear not.  Dinner is now in the freezer! (cue chorus of hallelujah)  I've been a busy little bee today.  Here's whats currently renting space in my freezer:
* 2 different chicken casseroles.  Recipes will soon follow.  But you already knew that
* 6 chicken breasts, marinated, grilled, and individually frozen.  (Like these. Except I learned my lesson on the SS sauce) Where are the normal sized chicken breasts anymore?  Every one of these is huge.  I mean majorly huge.  It's kinda unnerving, don't you think?
* 16 Hearty Burritos for the husband's lunches
* Homemade refried beans.  Lots and lots of squished pinto beans.  Frozen into several small containers and ready to throw together a quick meal of bean burritos.  Take that Taco Bell drive-thru. 

What's in YOUR freezer? 

Baked Potato Soup

Ok, maybe not the healthiest of meals but it sure was good on our snow day!   This has been my go-to recipe for potato soup for a few years now.  And I love it.  But speaking of eating healthy, I've made a few alterations to this recipe that are at least a step in the right direction.  Actually, I do the same thing with pretty much everything I make.  If a recipe calls for sour cream or cream chesse, I use the light version; if it calls for heavy cream, I use half-and-half; if it calls for milk, I use skim; if it calls for butter or margarine, I use Smart Balance.  Except for baking.  Smart Balance isn't always a good idea.  I learned that one the hard way.  I now keep my refrigerator stocked with sticks of unsalted butter and just go for it.  But back on task!  I dunno, maybe I'm delusional in what I consider to be healthier options.  What do you think? 

You can ponder my deep question while you enjoy yourself a nice bowl of this soup!  :)

Baked Potato Soup
Recipe from a local publication (which I won't name because, well, it's local)

4 large baking potatoes
2/3 cup margarine
2/3 cup all purpose flour
6 cups skim milk
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper (or to taste)
4 green onions (I just went with a white onion)
1 lb bacon fried crisp
1 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
8 oz light sour cream

Directions
Bake potatoes as usual. (I highly recommend baking them in the oven if you have the time) Cool and cut into small to medium pieces.  Melt butter; add flour stirring constantly for 1 minute.  slowly stir in milk and continue stirring until sauce is blubbly and thickened.  Add potatoes, seasonings, and part of the cheese.  Continue cooking until cheese is melted.  Stir in sour cream until heated thoroughly.  Top with onion, bacon, and cheese.

Blognonymous

<center><a href="http://thedailydribbles.com" mce_href="http://thedailydribbles.com" target="_blank"><img border="0" alt="The Daily Dribbles" src=" http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y14/kdawley/BlognonymousButton.jpg " mce_src=" http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y14/kdawley/BlognonymousButton.jpg "/></a></center>

I have some splaining to do for my regular readers!  I am participating in The Daily Dribbles and Domestically Challenged Blognonymous Blog Hop.  The post below is NOT my own.  I'm hosting a post for someone else, and in turn, someone else is hosting a post of mine, all anonymously. 



When Family Attacks

I grew up in a small family, with small family ties. My mom's side is rife with emotional burdens that kept everyone apart. My fraternal grandparents moved to Arizona when I was in the fifth or sixth grade. Friends become family. But I always longed for a large, close knit family that knew my history. I wanted to raise multiple children in a family where my kids were friends with their cousins. Where Sunday dinners were large and loud and full of chaos. So when I met my husband and discovered that he had two sisters, and his mom had seven brothers and sisters, I was delighted. Aunt's just waiting to cuddle new babies. Uncle's eager to bounce a crying toddler on their knee. Two women to be my new found sisters.

It was great. For awhile. Then . . . well. I was informed that I was in fact not family.

It seems that some members of my husbands family feel that you are only "family" if you are born with their last name. When this vile statement was flung at me, I came unglued. I believe the words were something along the lines of, "You just got here. You're not even "family." You're an 'in law.' You married this name. If you're not careful we won't bother with you."

Actually, those were the exact words.

Because, seven years later they still draw blood.

The next few minutes were not pretty. The next months even uglier. I was devastated. I was assured that the entire family did not feel this way. But at least one person did. And when I finally broke down and told my mother in law why her one daughter and I were not speaking, why she wasn't invited to my home? Well, she kind of shrugged her shoulders and said, "You did marry into the family.You are an 'in law.' "

(You're waiting for me to make some grand reveal here right? Like our last name is Corleone or something? Yeah, not so much.)

Eventually, the event passed. We all moved on.

This year is my husband's Grandmother's 90th Birthday. For her Birthday she's having a party.

With just her family.

And can you guess who is not invited?

But wait. Not only are the "in law's" not invited, her grand children are not invited.

Just her children. Her family.

Oh, and the two or three remaining neighbors she has.

AND she and grandpa did the very same thing, excluding spouses and their children, for their anniversary party years ago.

So. All these years I've been harboring this deep, dark resentment toward one sister in law and her definition of family. And suddenly I see that it is learned. That of course, to her, I am not family.

I am not pretending to understand this, or to excuse her dreadful behavior. My husband, upon seeing my look of utter horror at this discovery, has tried to explain the whys and how's of it to me endless times. My other sister in law does not think this way, and has always assured me that I am family.

But now? I don't think it matters. What does matter is that my kids are friends with their cousins. They run and yell and fight and scream with laughter every time we see them. And we see them often. It matters that I've found an Aunt and two Great Aunts who always want to love on my kids. It matters that I can finally laugh about this without any anger or resentment.

It matters that my children will grow up knowing that 'family' is many things. You make it. You keep it. You cannot escape it. And no matter what, you treasure it.



Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole

I had strong reservations about posting a recipe that I don't love.  I went back and forth over whether to include this one or not.  I guess we know what I finally decided.  I had high hopes for this recipe when I saw it on Taste of Home.  After all, 90% said they would make it again.  But, for me, it ended up being just okay.  It needs something.  It needs salt for sure.  But something else.  Hit me with your ideas!  I'm not ready to give up on this one yet!

Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole

Recipe from Taste of Home

4 cups frozen shredded hash brown potatoes, thawed

1-1/2 cups egg substitute

1 cup finely chopped cooked chicken breast (I used rotisserie chicken I had stored in the freezer)

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon pepper

3/4 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese

Directions

In a large bowl, combine the hash browns, egg substitute, chicken, garlic powder and pepper. Transfer to an 8-in. square baking dish coated with cooking spray; sprinkle with cheese.
Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 40-45 minutes or a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Fontina Mac n Cheese

This is some seriously yummy mac n cheese.  This whole mac n cheese from scratch is sorta new for me, but I think I'm officially a convert!  Hunting down the Fontina cheese was an adventure in itself.  And when I finally found it, I got the only wedge they had left.  I've never tried Fontina before so I was curious to give this recipe a try.  And it's really good!  But a tad difficult to shred the cheese.  You see, it's a softer cheese and every second it's out of the refrigerator it seems to get more tricky to shred.  Before it was all over with it basically amounted to me pushing it through the cheese grater.  Oh well. 

I made this mac n cheese to go with a meatloaf.  I'm a firm believer that mashed potatoes are the perfect accompaniment to meatloaf, but the husband says Nope, it's mac n cheese.  Alrighty then. 

I only made half of this recipe.

Fontina Mac n Cheese
Recipe sources: From My Teeny Tiny Kitchen via Ezra Pound Cake, original source Jack Bishop's The Complete Italian Vegetarian Cookbook    (Whew! I think that covers everyone!)

1 pound small shells
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup heavy cream
8 ounces (about 2 cups) Italian Fontina cheese
Salt
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
1/3 cup plain bread crumbs
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Directions
1. Prepare shells according to package directions, but cook only until they are 1 to 2 minutes shy of al dente. Then drain.
2. Meanwhile, dice 4 tablespoons of the butter and place in a large bowl. Warm the cream in the microwave, about 1 minute. Cover to keep the cream warm. Shred the Fontina.
3. Stir the shells into the bowl with the butter. Toss to coat well. Stir in the warm cream and Fontina, and stir until the cheese starts to melt. Season with salt to taste and the nutmeg.
4. Pour the mixture into a greased 13-by-9 ceramic or glass baking dish. Combine the bread crumbs and Parmigiano-Reggiano, and sprinkle over the pasta. Dice the remaining tablespoon butter, and dot the crumb topping with small pieces of butter.
5. Bake until the sauce is bubbling and the topping turns golden brown, about 20 minutes. Serve immediately.

Home Tour Tuesday

  

Today's topic is "Air your DIRTY laundry--Show us your laundry room"

I just started this blog a little over a month ago and one of my first posts was a quick look around my kitchen and laundry room.  And since my laundry room amounts to little more than a passage way from the house to the garage, I'll just link back to the original post instead of re-photographing the tiny "room".

Thanks for stopping by! I love having friends over ;)

What I'm looking forward to in 2011

Day 11:  What are you looking forward to in 2011?

Well, I've been keeping this a secret until now!  And I want you all to be the first to know that I have purchased my very first REAL camera!!  Exciting, right? 



It's a Canon Rebel T1i with a EF-S 18-55mm lens kit.  I have no idea what that means.  But I soon will.  Because I'm going to take a photography class too!  Even more exciting, right? 

Sooo, hopefully gone are the days that you must endure looking at my subpar photos :)  It's totally looking good so far.  I've managed to 1.) charge and install the battery, 2.) locate the card slot and shove the SD card inside, 3.) install the software onto my computer, 4.) attach the lens, 5.) turn the camera ON, 6.) set the date, and 7.) take a picture on auto mode.  Woohoo!  And here it is:

And may I just share one thing with you from page 4 of the instruction manual?  It says Basic Assumptions: All operations explained in this manual assume that the power switch is already set to ON.
Yeah buddy, me and this owners manual are gonna get along juuuuust fine!







Favorite Girls Night Out Events

Day 10: Favorite Girls Night Out Events

Ummm, I don't understand the question.  What, exactly, is this "Girls Night Out" of which you speak? 

Sometimes I go walk the mall with a friend.  No? That doesn't qualify?  Ok. Well, I'm currently trying to convince another friend that we should do the Couch to 5k.  No? Not that either?  Hmm, I'm fresh out of ideas then.

Quick! There must be some way to salvage this wreck of a post.  Perhaps an episode of RBTs. Random but True.  I just now made that up.

1.) The other day I opened the silverware drawer and found a sippy cup of milk.
2.) The 7yr old calls tissue paper "tennis shoe paper".
3.) And he plays waaay more Mario than any "good" mother would allow.
4.) The local weather guy has apparently reached celebrity status.  I find it annoying.
5.) The Pillow Pet is, indeed, machine washable.  Ask me how I know.
6.) I feel badly that my boys do not own a pet.  But not bad enough to actually get them one.
7.) There is an elephant in my washing machine.

 

 

Stacked Green Chile and Chicken Enchiladas/11 in 2011 Day 9



Day 9: Favorite things to do on a cold winter day

Umm, cook.  And eat.  Like this:

Yep, I'm feeling warmer already

If there was an award for how frequently one cooks and/or eats Mexican food, I'd totally be in the running.  Heck, I might even win!  Nah, I wouldn't go so far as to say that.  I never win anything.  And believe me, it ain't for a lack of trying.  But this isn't a contest; it's fork lickin' good enchiladas.  And this is, what, probably the third green chile recipe in under a week?  Yeah, I like green chiles. 

This is a recipe I couldn't get the kids to eat.  They both ate some plain chicken and mexican rice.  The husband and I both love these enchiladas.  He even said he thinks this is one of his favorites.  Which is saying a lot!  :)

Stacked Green Chile and Chicken Enchiladas
Recipe adapted from Fine Cooking

2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
3 Tbls vegetable oil; more as needed
12 small corn tortillas
28 oz can Green Chile Enchilada Sauce
6 oz. grated Monterey Jack (ohhh, just use the whole 8 oz block!)

Directions
In a small skillet, heat the 3 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat until very hot. Using tongs, set a tortilla in the hot oil and cook until soft and lightly brown on each side, 15 to 20 seconds per side. Transfer to paper towels to cool and drain. If the pan gets dry, add another tablespoon of oil.

In a baking dish large enough to accommodate four separate stacks of tortillas (a 10x15-inch Pyrex dish is good), (I didn't have a pan that size so I used 2 13x9 inch dishes and made two stacks in each) ladle a thin layer of sauce. Lay four tortillas in the dish and ladle about 1/2 cup of sauce over them. Divide half the chicken among the first layer of tortillas and top with another 1/2 cup of sauce and a third of the cheese. Stack on another four tortillas, and top with the rest of the chicken, then more sauce and another third of the cheese. Finish with a third tortilla layer, and top with the remaining sauce and cheese. Bake until the sauce has thickened somewhat, about 20 min. The edges of the top tortilla in each stack will turn golden, but if they look like they’re drying out too much or burning, occasionally spoon some sauce over them. Let rest for 5 to 10 min. before serving. To serve, transfer each stack with a spatula to a dinner plate.

Favorite Healthy Snacks. And kid friendly too

Day 8:  Favorite Healthy Snacks

Ambria, you get credit for the inspiration today!  :)  The 2 yr old thanks you as well because he got to eat these when the photo shoot was finished.  Well, after he promptly removed the pretzel antenna with a look that said "THESE do not belong"

How about a Nutella-banana caterpillar?

Or a peanut butter-apple butterfly?

Favorite Memory of 2010

Day 7: Favorite Memory of 2010

My favorite memory from last year is the vacation that almost wasn't.  Who could forget that catastrophic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico!?  We had made June reservations for a beach front condo in Destin, FL, which later had to be cancelled as oil started washing ashore.  I don't mean to minimize the horrible effects to the environment and wildlife by any stretch of the imagination, but I was seriously bummed about missing our beach vacation. 

By August, reports of oil washing ashore in that area had all but cleared up.  So the last week of summer vacation we went for it!  We saw NO oil (we won't discuss whether or not we were swimming in invisible dispersants which may or may not cause us to one day grow extra appendages) and we had a great time.  Here's a few pics from Okaloosa Island, August 2010:

These seagulls will take the frito right from your hand! Awesome

Organization Tricks

Day 6: Best Organization Tricks

Y'all, I've got IT!  A homerun of an idea.  It just came to me.  Are ya ready for this? Because it could be my best idea. Ever.  I'm going to completely empty my bottom cabinetry of all things glass, breakable, and pretty much anything I don't want the 2 yr old to bother.  Then I'm going to dump the toy box and store all of MY kitchen stuff in there!!  Cause we all know he won't touch it then, right?  Next, I'll re-stock my cabinetry with his TOYS.  Huh?  Huh?  Are ya with me? Some of you know that I've just stumbled onto genius here.  Some of you are thinking "This girl is crazy. Like, really crazy."  Yes. Yes, she is :)

Ok, I've gotten that out of my system now.  I'm ready to play right. 

The question is really a simple one: To FlyLady or not to FlyLady?  For me? Right now?  It's not to FlyLady.  There's a season for everything, right?  I learned a great deal about organization from following FlyLady when I found myself at home full time after having my first child.  Plenty of which probably laid the ground work for the way I run my house even to this day.  What drew me in was her humorous question: Are YOU living in CHAOS (Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome)?  Umm, yes.  I was.  And she got me headed in the right direction.

Now I follow my own lead.  What can I say? I'm a control freak.  And a spaz.  That pretty much sums me up :)  So, here are some things that are working for me:

1.)  Monday is my Home Blessing day (it's a FlyLady word).  This is the day when the house gets it's major cleaning.  Bathrooms get done, vacuum gets ran, debris gets sucked from the couch cushions, the kitchen gets a top to bottom cleaning...except mopping, that doesn't always happen. 

2.) I tend to some amount of laundry nearly every day.  It's so much easier to deal with in small doses! 

3.) The kitchen usually gets cleaned every morning.  I enjoy a clean kitchen all day.  Well, until it gets dirty again from cooking dinner.

4.) I try to plan meals for 2 weeks at a time and gather all those supplies in one shopping trip.  But I won't lie to you.  It almost never works out.  I forget something and end up making another trip.  But it's a good effort.  And that's what counts, right?

5.) I recently started a family calendar system.  Until that point I had kept everything, and I do mean everything, stored in my little brain.  I have a monthy calendar hanging on the side of the refrigerator with all of our activities and appointments.  And directly below it is a dry erase board which showcases the current week's Parade of Daily Adventures.

6.) Clear.Plastic.Bins.  They're a must for organizing kids' toys!

Chocolate Lava Cake/11 in 2011 Day 5

Day 5: Places you hope to go this year

(photo from here)



France, anyone? Anyone?  Ok, so there isn't even remotely going to be a trip to France this year.  But I did make a real-deal French dessert:  Moelleux au Chocolat.  I don't actually speak French, so I can't verify the accuracy of my translation.  But around here we call it Chocolate Lava Cake!  Under my breath I called it "Heart Attack in a Little Bowl".  But only once.  I have to give credit to my friend, Amy; for without her inspiration this dessert would never have come to fruition.  Ask and you shall receive, my friends!  No short cuts here.  I even used a bain-marie (a glass bowl over a pan of water).  Thank goodness for Food Network, huh?



I don't actually own ramekins so I used little fruit bowls.  Here's one little pearl of wisdom: grease those things ever so generously!  Nothing like a little stickage to create an ugly cake.  But what it lacked in beauty, it more than made up for in deliciousness.  And it just wouldn't be right if I didn't share the recipe with you.  It's actually so easy, you'll all be running to the kitchen!!  Unless a stick and a half of butter goes against your New Year's resolutions.  Notice I conveniently skipped Day 3 of the challenge?  Favorite work out tips, right?  Yeah...  But, hey, at least I didn't post it on Favorite Healthy Snack day :)

Chocolate Lava Cake

Recipe from Famous French Desserts

6 oz. Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate
6 oz. Butter (diced, room temperature)
3 Eggs
1/2 cup Granulated Sugar
1/3 cup Flour
Butter for Ramekins
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F
1. Melt chocolate on low flame in a bain-marie (double boiler). When melted, take off flame, and…
2. Stir in diced butter, until it melts.
3. In another bowl, beat eggs and sugar, until it starts to whiten.
4. Stir in melted chocolate and then the flour.
5. Butter 4 individual ramekins, and pour in chocolate batter.
6. Cook for about 10 minutes.  (Maybe it's just my oven, but mine took over 20 minutes)
7. Tip ramekins upside down onto dessert plates and serve.
Voilà!


Now that I chased that rabbit, I'll get back to the question at hand.  Here is where I REALLY hope to travel this year...Destin, FL!  Love that Emerald Coast!!

(picture from here)

Home Tour Tuesday

I'm linking up with the lovely gals at Flip Flops and Pearls and Webbisodes for Home Tour Tuesday. The theme today is "Out with the old, in with the New!: Show us your one room remodel or makeover"

This is my screened-in deck project from last Spring.  It's old news for some of my facebook friends, but y'all can take the walk down memory lane with me.  The rest of you get ready, I'm going to show the good, the bad, and the Seriously?!  :)

We already had this deck.  In this photo, the lattice has been removed and the concrete footings poured to support the new roof.

And there's the new roof!

A smaller, step-down deck was added to the left side.

The contractor thought I was crazy when I requested siding on the ceiling. Clearly I made the right choice!

Nearing completion and ready for screens.

All this little guy needs is a coat of stain.

Stain! I said stain.  I left the house for 3 hrs this day and returned to this.  Who paints a brand new deck?

Now I'm no painter, but even I know about overspray! 

No one's happy.  Not us because, well, just look at it! And not the contractor because he later had to come out and clean the overspray off the floors.

The husband with the power washer trying to remove the paint before it dries. Just so you know, the temperature is barely hovering at freezing that day.

Not bad, huh?

Finished.  Beautiful!  I've since stained the smaller deck a nice Natural Cedar (all the staining was done by hand, the only proper way)

Everybody's happy :)

And now a peek inside.

Lovely!