What Do I Have?

Now we've all been in those moods, the one were you are kind of hungry, but don't want to cook, and your man is asking what's for dinner. Now luckily I don't work as much as Gabe, so I have time during the day to prep food, clean house, walk the dog, etc. But there are those days when I wake up late, I'm groggy, and I have zero ambition to do anything, especially housework. He's very understanding and doesn't mind coming home to see me lounging in my pajamas, and most of those kinds of nights we either order Domino's or he'll step into the kitchen and whip something up that will feed us for day's to come.
However, tonight I decided that even though I wasn't in the mood to cook, I'd put on my big girl panties and get in that kitchen. Mind you it was close to ten o'clock by the time dinner was on the table, due to my procrastination and trying to get all the attention I could before he left in the morning for drill. As soon as I walked into my small kitchen, I decided that dinner wasn't going to be anything fancy, but it would do the job and fill our bellies. Recently I have been trying a lot of new recipes, mostly because I have the freedom to, and Gabe will eat whatever I put in front of him; and trust me I've tested that limit with my horrible attempt at teriyaki chicken and white rice; and the sweet man ate everything on his plate while lying through his teeth telling me, "It's not that bad, babe."
Hoping tonight's last minute dinner wouldn't turn out quite as terrible as that attempt, I tried to channel my step-mom's famous last minute casseroles. Her motto was simple, you have everything you need in the cupboards, and she was right. Sometimes the simplest meals can taste the most satisfying, it's all in the heart you put into it. So I searched my cupboards for what I was going to scrape together.

Cupboard Casserole:
Ingredients:

• Mashed potatoes mix (I used Idahoan Applewood Smoked Bacon)
• 1 can green beans
• 1 lb ground beef (I always have some stocked in the freezer)
• 1 Zucchini, sliced
• 4 mushrooms, sliced
• Minced garlic (which is a great thing to keep on hand)
• Oil (I used Grapeseed, but any works)
• Cheese (I used Mexican Style Shredded, but whatever you have on hand)
• Bread Crumbs (Progresso Italian Style)
• Seasonings (I used Johnny's Seasoning Salt and Johnny's Garlic Salt)
• 1 can Campbell's Cheddar Cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Following the directions on the packet, make the mashed potatoes. I used the microwave because it's quicker, and they come out much more moist.
3. When the potatoes are finished cooking, press into the bottom of an 8x8 pan and set aside.
4. In a skillet, cook the thawed beef over medium-high heat until brown, seasoning to your taste.
5. When meat is thoroughly cooked, drain of grease and put meat over the mashed potatoes.
6. Pour canned cheese over the meat, and with a rubber spatula, combine.
7. In a separate skillet, pour about a tablespoon of oil and a 1/4 of a teaspoon minced garlic into the pan, and over medium-high heat cook the sliced zucchini and garlic. You may need to add more oil as you go.
8. After about a minute or two, add the sliced mushrooms and another 1/4 of a teaspoon garlic (I'm a huge garlic fan, so add to your own liking) into the pan.
9. Once both the zucchini and mushrooms have softened remove from heat, and spread into the casserole dish.
10. Empty the can of green beans into the skillet and cook for about a minute. Then place on the top mushrooms and zucchini. Season to your liking.
11. Dust the entire casserole with bread crumbs and cheese and cook for 10-15 minutes in the oven, or until cheese on top is melted.

Thank goodness, this turned out to be a great dish, and even though I'm sure it's not the healthiest meal, I will probably be making it on my next lazy night.

Snacking? We're Pros.

Gabe works hard, like eight and a half hours a day, then goes to school full-time. So I decided to be a Suzy-homemaker and make something that will give him the little boosts he needs to work on his homework, or to eat in the car on his way to work. I searched high and low for recipes that included the ingredients I had on hand, or could pick up from the local Fred Meyer, and finally I came up with this healthy treat.
Update: These were a huge hit, and Gabe requested I make more. Yay!

Healthy Oats Bar:
Ingredients:

• 1/2 c. melted butter
• 1 egg
• 1/3 c. brown sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 c. flour
• 1/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 3/4 c. dried cranberries
• 3/4 c. peanuts (or nuts of choice)
• 3/4 c. old-fashioned rolled oats
• 3/4 c. peanut butter
• 1/2 c. white chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease a 9x13 pan, I used Grapeseed oil, but any kind will work.
3. In a bowl, microwave butter till thoroughly melted. Then add the egg, brown sugar, peanut butter, and vanilla extract. Mix on low-medium speed.
4. In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon.
5. Combine flour mixture with butter mixture, then add dried cranberries, peanuts, white chocolate chips, and oats, mix on low-medium until thoroughly combined.
6. Bake in preheated oven for 13-15 minutes, the top should dry, and the edges slightly pull away from the sides of the pan. Wait until it cooled to cut into.

Recent Activities

These sisters danced their butts off! Kickin' it Alumni style!

Happy Easter :)

We got to have Cassie's kids for the day; we had a blast, and so did the kids. Ava really took to Gabe!

What Makes A Good Drink Better? Vodka!

Coming from a big family that always seemed to have guests over, I cooked meals that could feed a herd. So when Gabe and I moved into our new apartment I realized I'd be cooking for just the two of us and I really needed to cut my recipes way down. So this page is dedicated to all my recipes.
Tonight I decided to make a special drink just for kicks, and it turned out to be a huge hit!

picture courtesy of livelovepasta.com

Berry Vodka Lemonade:
Ingredients:

• 2 c. fresh strawberries
• 8 c. water
• 1 c. sugar
• 1 c. fresh lemon juice (about 5 lemons)
• 1 tbsp. raspberry flavoring (optional)
• 1 c. whipped cream vodka (optional)
• ice cubes
• blender and pitcher

Directions:

1. In a saucepan, put one cup water and the cup sugar while heating over medium, this creates a simple syrup.
2. Put the strawberries and a cup of water into the blender and puree.
3. Pour the syrup and puree into the pitcher, along with the six cups of water, raspberry flavoring, vodka,  and lemon juice.
4. Pour over ice and enjoy responsibly.

Just a Spritz.

Gabe has been complaining about his dry skin for about two months now, and I feel like we've tried everything. From changing his body wash, originally Axe, then to Old Spice  then Dove Men's, and now finally we switch between Dr. Bronner Pure Castile Soap and Burt's Radiance Exfoliating Body Wash. We have been very happy with our natural products, for they have eased the irritation and itching a bit.

However, being a girl who has a beauty regimen, I knew washing wouldn't make it better, he also needed to moisturizer. That was another product search, which ended in a lot of unhappy results. He hated the greasy feeling, over-bearing scents, and he always ended up itching again. Our best results came from an aloe vera lotion, but we had to stop using it, because it had hemp in it, which he informed me traces can come up their monthly National Guard drug tests. So we could only use it part of the month, as well as the Dr. Bronner's Castile Soap. Finally, after spending an outrageous amount of money in lotions, I decided to make my own. Which ended up costing under a dollar each bottle!

Now Gabe is a muscular guy with broad shoulders, and he can't reach his back because of it, so I decided that a homemade spray lotion would be perfect for him, and after hours of research, this is what I came up with.

Non-Greasy Moisturizing Spray

Ingredients:

• ¼ c. distilled or filtered water
• 1 ½ tsp. pure glycerin (I got mine at Wal-Mart)
• 1 tsp. grapeseed, sweet almond, or hazelnut oil (I prefer grapeseed, also at Wal-Mart, others at Fred Meyers)
• 4-5 drops Vitamin E Oil (Wal-Mart)
• 8-10 drops essential oil of your choice (optional)
• Bottle (at least 3 oz.)

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients, and carefully pour into bottle. Makes about 3 ounces each, and will keep for several weeks.
2. Shake well before each use.
3. Spray liberally all over body, especially after showering or bathing. Rub in if needed.

Variations:

• Substituting rose water, an herbal tea, or pure aloe vera gel (without thickening additives) in place of water.
• Tea tree and lavender essential oils mix well for moisturizers.

A Twist on the Classic Bacon & Eggs

Like I've said, Gabe works hard. He's up at four in the morning, and out the door to work by five-forty every morning. He takes a much longer approach to mornings then I do. Were he would get up, make coffee and breakfast, take the dog out, and kiss me goodbye, I would get up twenty minutes before I leave, scrambling out of bed, brushing my teeth, and hoping yesterdays make-up looks good enough while yelling 'I love you,' and running down the stairs with my shoes in my hand. When he gets to work, he busts butt all day till he gets off at two-thirty in the afternoon. I however, have the most mindless job in the world, forgive me Costco for I appreciate the paychecks, but honestly, serving samples all day isn't as much fun as it sounds, and it doesn't sound fun.
When I get home, it's already late, and I'm tired of talking to people, so I usually munch on something and relax. When Gabe gets home, he has to start his homework immediately and switch from work mode into school mode. That poor man works from the time he wakes up, until the time he logs off his online courses for the night. So in an attempt to help him lessen his list of to-dos, I decided to make some freezer breakfasts for him, it needed to be something he could just warm up in the microwave and enjoy. I finally found some great recipes for bacon and eggs, and breakfast burritos, and decided to share them.

Bacon Egg Cups: 
Ingredients:

• 8 eggs
• 12 slices of bacon
• Milk
• Seasonings (I choose Johnny's Seasoning Salt)
• Cheese (Chedder or Mexican Style Shredded)
• Oil

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Spray each well in the cupcake tin with cooking oil, or rub with oil (Don't forget this step, I forgot and I'm still trying to clean my tin. Also I am going to experiment and see how doing it in a cupcake liners, I'll let you know how it goes.)
3. Wrap one piece of bacon in each well, starting by covering the bottom then going around the sides.
4. In a bowl, whip the eggs, a splash of milk, and the seasonings together with a fork.
5. Pour the egg mixture into each well, filling it about 3/4 full and sprinkle cheese over the top.
6. Then bake for 30-35 minutes.

The First Month

I have to admit, I knew I had a lot of stuff, but my lord I didn't know I had that much stuff. Between clothing, furniture, high school memorabilia, and books, I could have filled an apartment just from the stuff  I stocked in my room. Of course, I did still need to collect some of the major luxuries like a couch, a television, and my man's dream computer; but we focused on gathering the little necessities also, like dishes, tuberware, and food. Nevertheless, even when you feel like you've gathered all the things you can think of, you always end up making several more trips to the store for random things like a cupcake tin or a light bulbs, it's just inevitable.
Then there was the annoying list of to-dos, like changing your mailing address, running back and forth to fit everything into your tiny car, and if you're like me doing a very thorough cleanse of the apartment. My boyfriend laughed and told me they clean the apartments before we moved in, but I insisted on cleaning the shower before we jumped in and the counters before we cooked, and just as I feared it was dirty. Then we had other things to worry about, like a couch; we were a little tired of sitting on the floor to watch TV,  so we searched Craigslist for free furniture and found something we liked. Unfortunately, the lady that was giving it away apparently didn't know how to clean her couch; it was stained and covered in dog hair. So I did a simple vinegar wash after vacuuming both the chair and couch. There are still a few stains, but the hair is now only from our dog, and the baking soda under the cushions took away the smell of dog.
Now my man needs about as much attention and compassion as a rock, but then there's me, I love attention, and I need compassion, and even though we had a big personality difference, he gives me the time of day and I try to give him all the little things he didn't know he was missing. I try to cook and clean, and keep up the house while he's off at work, and vice versa. We enjoy relaxing at home, food, and watching movies; we also both love our games, him much more than I, but we manage our time well, and make sure we both have time together. So far we are very happy in our new home, and the only thing we have to manage is our small kitchen space and not becoming to comfortable.
Enjoy my recipes, exercises, home management, and natural alternatives! :)

Even our little man is all tuckered out from the move.

Orange You Glad You Saw This?

Here's a sneak peak into my all-time favorite breakfast food, french toast! So after trying it a million times all I could think was, "Umm, how do I make this even better?" Now don't you dare click away and assume you know everything about french toast, cause trust me, you don't. This is the most magical french toast recipe you'll ever try, and don't let other people try to help, cause even though their intentions are solid, they also don't know this wonderful experience yet, and will just get in the way.

The first time I did the usual experimentation, adding nutmeg, vanilla extract, etc. Then I stumbled upon orange extract in someone's cupboard and decided "What the hell." And as soon as that first piece hit my mouth, I knew I was never going back to the old ways. Now I don't usually have orange extract just laying around, and it's not quite as easy to come by as vanilla, so I decided to take an idea from another recipe and apply it here. In my Orange-Chocolate Scones (which I will get around to posting), I use a little orange juice and some grated orange peel for zest, and it worked exactly the same for this. Hopefully you'll find as much enjoyment out of this magnificent recipe as I did.

French Toast with Orange Zest

Ingredients:

• 4-5 slices of toast (Texas Toast is the best)
• 4 eggs
• Half&Half, or milk
• 1 orange
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1tsp. sugar
• Maple Syrup
• Butter

Directions:

1. Grate about a tablespoon of the orange rind, then cut open and using either a a juicer or a fork, collect the juice from the orange in a small bowl.
2. Then in a medium bowl, combine with a fork the eggs, the orange rind and juice, vanilla extract, a splash of half&half, and the sugar and cinnamon.
3. Put the skillet on the stove, and melt the butter over medium heat. Don't get impatient and turn it up on high either, or it won't taste the same.
4. Dip each slice into the egg mixture and put them on the skillet, flip to cook both sides.
5. Serve with warmed up maple syrup and enjoy!

Family Pictures

My mom, me, my sisters Krisi and Cassie.
They came to watch me cheer my senior year at a football game.

Krisi, me, Eli (Cassie's husband), Landen in the car, Cassie (pregnant with Ava), and Angie.
We were on our yearly vacation together, and of course took our sisters picture.

Vanessa (my step-mom), me, and my dad.
This was after I danced my senior year exhibition.

Daddy's little girl.
My last exhibition before my last state. Senior year dance team.

My mom and I after I danced exhibition.

Another sisters picture, after my high school graduation.
Angie (the oldest), Krisi (second oldest), me (the baby), and Cassie (third oldest).