Bubbly Cranberry Punch

I made this punch for Christmas this year.  Very yummy, everyone loved it!

Bubbly Cranberry Punch:

2 cans (16oz each) jellied cranberry sauce
1 1/2 C orange juice
1/2 C lemon juice
2 liters ginger ale, chilled

In a large pitcher or punch bowl, whisk cranberry juice until smooth.  Whisk in juices. Just before serving add ginger ale.

Lasagna Cupcakes

I just saw these and had to share!  They look yummy and I bet the kids would think they were pretty cool!

http://quick-dish.tablespoon.com/2011/03/31/lasagna-cupcakes/?nicam1=content_pcc&nichn1=Outbrain&nipkw1={ad_title}&niseg1=TBSP_Traffic&nicreatID1=QuickDish

Pesto Rice-Stuffed Pork Chops

When the kids are with their dad Charlie and I like to make things for dinner that they wouldn't like. The recipe calls for no salt but next time I make it I would definitely add some to the rice stuffing and maybe some sprinkled on the pork itself.  Here is last nights dinner:

Pesto Rice Stuffed Pork Chops

1/2 C fresh basil leaves
1/2 C fresh parsley sprigs
1/2 C chopped pecans
3 garlic cloves, peeled
2/3 C wild rice
2 tbl grated Parmesan cheese
2 tbl cream cheese, softened
1 tbl olive oil
1 tsp chili sauce
4 bone-in pork loin chops
1/2 tsp lemon pepper seasoning
1 tbl butter

In a food processor, combine the basil, parsley, pecans, and garlic; cover and process until blended.  Transfer to a small bowl; add the rice, parmesan cheese, cream cheese, oil, and chili sauce.  Cut a pocket into each pork chop by slicing almost to the bone.  Sprinkle the pork chops with the lemon pepper.
In a large skillet, brown pork chops in butter; cool for 5 minutes.  Fill with rice mixture; secure with toothpicks if necessary.  Place in a 13x9 in baking dish coated with cooking spray.
Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 28-32min or until thermometer reads 160 degrees.

This recipe is from Taste of Home

Taco Salad Pie

Last night I had my friend Jana over.  Both of our bf's are in Mexico for the Baja 1000.  We were hungry for some mexican but we had eaten out the night before so we decided to cook something.  I wanted to do something that I had never done before so she suggested this recipe that she had made.  At first I was a little skeptical...pie crust with mexican?  Hmmm...but after an hour of looking through recipe books and not really seeing anything I wanted to make, I decided to give the pie crust idea a try.  Jana couldn't remember where she had seen the recipe, so I just googled "taco salad pie" and this was the first recipe that popped up.  Jana said it looked similar so we decided to make it.

Very easy to make!  However, you know me, I followed the recipe step by step.  It was good, but needs a little something else next time I make it.  Definitely needs some more flavor.  The recipe doesn't call for salt, which I think it needs for sure.

Today I had leftovers for lunch, and before I warmed it up I put a little queso cheese sauce on the top of my slice.  It made it a lot more tastier. So perhaps next time I make it I will omit putting the cheddar cheese in with the meat and add queso cheese sauce instead.  I would say 1/4 cup, maybe a little more depending on your taste.

I got this recipe from www.tablespoon.com

Taco Salad Pie

Ingredients

• Crust
• 1/2 cup crushed tortilla chips
• 1 box Pillsbury® refrigerated pie crusts
• Whole round tortilla chips
• Filling
• 1 lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef
• 1 can (15 oz) spicy chili beans, undrained
• 1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (6 oz)
• 1/2 cup Old El Paso® Thick 'n Chunky salsa
• 1 cup chopped lettuce
• 1/2 cup chopped tomato (1 small)
• 1 green onion, sliced (1 tablespoon)
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup sliced ripe olives, if desired

Directions

1. 1Heat oven to 450°F. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of the crushed tortilla chips evenly in bottom of 9-inch glass pie pan. Make pie crust as directed on box for One-Crust Baked Shell in chip-lined pan. Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup crushed tortilla chips over crust; gently press into crust. Generously prick crust with fork.
2. 2Bake 9 to 11 minutes or until crust is light golden brown. Cool slightly. Carefully stand 1 row of whole tortilla chips around inside edge of baked shell.
3. 3Meanwhile, in 10-inch skillet, cook ground beef over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until thoroughly cooked; drain. Stir in chili beans, 1 cup of the cheese and the salsa. Cook over low heat 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until beans are heated and cheese is melted.
4. 4Spoon beef mixture into cooled baked shell. Top with lettuce, remaining 1/2 cup cheese, the tomato, onion, sour cream and olives. Serve immediately.

Followers

Do I have any followers out there?  I would love to hear your ideas, if you tried any of my recipes, or just anything.  Talk to me! =)

Thanks for following!
Amanda

Coupons

I have only tried it once, but I am already a fan!  Here is the link to my favorite coupon sight thus far.
www.coupons.com

Let me know your comments!

Our Best Bites (recommended by my Mother)

My mom told me to check out this site.  I havent made anything yet but I have found a lot of things I would love to try!  Thought I would share with my readers.

Here is the link:
ourbestbites.com

Hope you find something cool!  If you find something you really enjoy..share it with me.  Would love to know what my readers are making too!

Paula Dean's Chocolate Pecan Pie

I made this for Charlie's dad. It's his favorite dessert and it was his birthday.

I am not a huge Pecan Pie fan but this was pretty good. The only thing that Charlie (who is a huge Pecan Pie fan) said to do was to lessen the sugar and add more chocolate.

Here is the link to the recipe:

Chocolate Pecan Pie on the Food Network

Cheeseburger Soup

I love making this soup for company during the fall and winter months.  I made this for Charlie's family last weekend with homemade bread and pecan pie.  Yumm-O! (As of course Rachel Ray would say =) )

I always double this recipe, but here is the original:

Cheeseburger Soup

1/2 lb ground beef
3/4 C chopped onion
3/4 C shredded carrots
3/4 C chopped celery
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp parsley flakes
4 Tblsp butter, divided
3 C chicken broth
4 C diced and peeled potatoes
1/4 C flour
8 oz American Cheese
1 1/2 C milk
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 C sour cream

Brown beef and drain. Set aside. In large sauce pan saute onion, carrots, celery, basil, and parsley in 2 Tblsp butter...about 10 min.  Add broth, potatoes and beef, bring to boil.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender.  Meanwhile in a small skillet melt remaining butter, add flour.  Cook and stir about 3 to 5 minutes.  Add to soup, bring to boil, cook and stir for 2 minutes.  Reduce heat to low.  Add cheese, milk, salt and pepper.  Cook and stir until cheese melts.  Remove from heat and add sour cream.

Quick Sesame Chicken

I was in a huge hurry for dinner tonight...so I stopped and picked up some popcorn chicken from the local supermarket and turned it into sesame chicken in a real hurry!  I made rice to go along with it and the kids loved it!

Sesame Chicken Sauce:

1 C. Chicken Broth
1 C. Sugar
2 Tbl Lemon Juice
2 Tbl Soy Sauce
2 Tbl Sesame Oil
1/2 tsp Chili Paste (you can add more to make it spicier)
1 Garlic Clove, minced
1/4 C. Cornstarch
1/2 C. Water

Bring broth, sugar, lemon juice, soy sauce, sesame oil, chili paste, and garlic to boil.  Dissolve cornstarch in water and add to boiling sauce.  Simmer until sauce thickens, about 2 minutes. 

Then I just added my cooked popcorn chicken to the sauce and served over rice.  Super easy!

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

Having friends over for dinner tonight and this is what I am making.  I have made this several times out of my Taste of Home Cookbook and it always seems to be a hit!

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

1 8oz package cream cheese, softened
2 Tbl water
2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
5 C diced cooked chicken
20 flour tortillas (6 inches) at room temp
2 10 3/4oz cans condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
2 C sour cream
1 C milk
2 4oz cans of chopped green chillies
2 C shredded cheddar cheese

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, water, onion powder, ground cumin, salt, and pepper until smooth.  Stir in chicken.
Place 1/4 cup down the center of each tortilla.  Roll up and place seam side down in two greased 9x13 pans.  In a bowl, combine soup,  milk, sour cream, and chillies; pour over enchiladas.
Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until heated through.  Sprinkle with cheddar cheese, bake 5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.
Yields 10 servings

Not Lackin' on the Blackenin' Catfish on the Food Network

Not Lackin' on the Blackenin' Catfish on the Food Network

Our Keurig

We have a Keurig Machine and I just wanted to share with you a product that we got on Monday that might help your wallet.  We love the convenience and the flavors of the K-Cups but there are some days (weekends) that we drink too much coffee and the expense of the K-Cups seem a little unreasonable.  We decided last week that we should try the reusable filter and start using our own ground coffee.
We tried the "My Keurig K-Cup" but Charlie didn't like it.  So we decided to get on Amazon and order the "EkoBrew Refillable K-Cup".  We love it!  It took us several tries to figure out what was going on with it at first because the water was coming over the sides and making a huge mess.  Well I finally figured it out yesterday that our coffee grounds were too small.  It wasn't letting the water through like it was supposed to. Now that we have that figured out, it's been fantastic!

Pizza Muffins

My family, like almost every family out there, loves pizza!  I love pizza too!  It's so yummy!  But best of all you can order it on the phone, have it delivered, eat it, and have no clean up. =)  But then you have that bill you have to pay for and the tip you give that wonderful driver that brought you your dinner.  So sometimes when I am in the mood for pizza but don't want the expense I love making my own.  I like to create so its fun and the kids enjoy helping. 
Since moving to Virginia, Charlie has introduced us to Bella's Pizza Muffins.  They are sooo good and the kids love them!  Charlie goes out of town a lot for races and when he comes home his tradition (before me) was to hit up Bella's, get his Pizza Muffins, and chillax for the evening.  Great tradition but sometimes spendy.  So I decided that I would create these tasty things at home.  Go figure right?! =)

So here is my recipe:

Pizza Muffins:

Dough:
2 1/4 tsp Yeast
1 tsp Sugar
1 C Warm Water (110 degrees)
2 1/2 C Flour
2 Tbl Oil
1 tsp Salt
Add yeast, sugar and water together.  Let sit 10 minutes.  Add flour, oil, and salt.  Mix together and let sit 5 minutes.  Roll out to a large rectangle.  Cut rectangle in half and then make squares.  You are going to put this dough in muffin tins, so make the squares large enough to fit in each hole but not so large that they overlap the rest of the holes.  You don't want your pizza muffins to touch, you want them to be individual.  You also will want to spray your pans.

Once you have your dough made, cut, and placed in your muffin tins, sprinkle a Tablespoon of Mozzarella cheese in each muffin.  Then add a Tablespoon of your favorite pizza sauce, then place whatever ingredients you want in them.  I made different kinds.  I used 2 Tablespoons of Sausage for each muffin, I made Veggie ones with Mushroom, Onion, Green Pepper, and Banana Peppers, and I made Pepperoni ones where I added 3 pepperoni pieces to each muffin.  I also mixed some of the ingredients together to make Supreme ones.
Once you're done with that top with more Mozzarella Cheese.
Bake 400 degrees for 10 minutes.

Hope you enjoy!


 

Breakfast Roll-Ups

I made these yesterday morning and they were delicious!

Breakfast Roll-Ups

1 Can Crescent Roll Dough
3 eggs
1/4 pound of Sausage (could also use bacon)
Cheese (any variation...I made different flavors (Colby, pepper jack, and smoked cheddar)), shredded

Crumble and cook sausage until done, remove from pan.  Scramble eggs and place in pan, let eggs cool. Grease cookie sheet and heat oven to 350 degrees.  Remove dough from can and separate each roll.  I pressed them each out a little just to make them bigger.  Then sprinkle each roll with egg, sausage, and cheese.  Roll loosely and pinch seams.  Place on cookie sheet, place in oven and bake 10 minutes or until golden brown.

Enjoy!

Tick Deterrent

Baker's Paradise

My good friend recommended this website to me the other day and it is wonderful!  The site is www.thebakerskitchen.net. I wanted to share it with you as well.  If you are a baker and cake decorator like me you will enjoy this site.  I am always trying to find tools and other little thing that send me all over town and into a ton of stores.  Any website that is this convenient should be shared.  Hope this helps those bakers out there that are always looking for supplies like me.

Daughters

Chicken Potpie with Biscuits Recipe

I found this recipe in one of my Taste of Home Magazines and decided to make it last night.  It was delicious.  The whole family approved!  Even my 4 and 6 year old had seconds. =)

Chicken Potpie:

1 broiler/fryer chicken (3 to 4lbs), cut up
*I used 4 boneless chicken breasts, which made this process a whole lot easier
4 C water
3 medium carrots, cut in half
2 medium onions, quartered
4 chicken bouillon cubes
1 bay leaf
1/2lb whole fresh mushrooms
2 celery ribs, cut in half
3 T butter
5 T all-purpose flour
1/2 C milk
1 C frozen peas
1 t dried basil
1 t salt
1/4 t pepper

Biscuits:
1 1/2 C all-purpose flour
2 t baking powder
2 t sugar
1/4 t salt
5 T butter
1/2 C milk

Place the chicken, water, carrots, onions, bouillon cubes, and bay leaf in large saucepan; bring to boil.  Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 25 minutes.  Add mushrooms and celery; simmer 15 minutes longer or until chicken is tender.

Remove chicken; allow to cool.  Strain broth, reserving vegetables; skim fat.  Set aside to cups of broth (save remaining broth for another use.) Discard bay leaf.  Remove meat from bones if necessary.  Chop vegetables and cut chicken into bite-size pieces.

In large saucepan, melt butter.  Stir in flour until smooth; gradually add milk and reserved broth.  Bring to boil, cook and stir 2 minutes until thickened.  Stir in the chicken, cooked vegetables, peas, and seasonings.  Pour into greased 2-qt baking dish; set aside.

For biscuits, in a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt.  Cut in butter until crumbly.  Stir in milk, just until moistened.  Turn onto lightly floured surface, knead 8-10 times.  Pat or roll out to 1/2 inch thickness; cut into biscuits.
Place biscuits on top of chicken mixture.  Bake uncovered at 400 degrees for 25 minutes or until golden brown.

Smile

Made me laugh... =)

Cooties Joke

Recommend Sweet Potato Orzo

Today I went to Johnson City, TN to hand over paperwork for the house loan.  While in JC, I did a little shopping. =)  Charlie's mother took me to Fresh Market; it's a grocery store/health food store I guess is what you say.  We got an already prepared chicken breast that was stuffed with Spinach and Feta Cheese.  I prepared the chicken breast with some corn on the cob, an easy salad, and Sweet Potato Orzo...Yummy!  I got the Orzo from Pike Place in Seattle when I was there.  If I ever find more of it I will definitely buy some, or if I get really handy with making noodles I might try to make them.  It was so good!!

Chicken Fried Rice with Grilled Vegetables Recipe

Tonight I made Chinese Fried Rice for Charlie's mom.  I wanted something easy and we had left over grilled vegetables in the fridge along with chicken breast that needed to be used so this is what I did:

( I did not follow a recipe I just make it up as I am cooking)

Chicken Fried Rice with Grilled Vegetables
2 Chicken Breasts, cubed
1 C. Grilled Vegetables (They were grilled with Soy Sauce....broccoli, cauliflower, onion, red and yellow pepper, yellow zucchini, green zucchini, and anything else you want to put in there)
2 T. Olive Oil
2 C. cooked Brown Rice
Soy Sauce to taste
Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce

Heat the pan with Olive Oil and add the chicken until cooked.  Toss in the grilled vegetables and rice, stir together.  Add soy sauce to taste (I add quite a bit...at least a 1/4 C) I also add just a tsp or less of Hot Chili Sauce...again this is to your liking.  You can also add two scrambled eggs if you want.  To do this you push the rice mix to the side, cook your eggs in the same pan and then stir in with the rest of the ingredients once cooked.  You may also of course cook them in a separate pan...sometimes its easier depending on how big the pan is that the rice is in.

Hope you like! =)

Moving Part 2

Well...today the moving company arrived.  But not without making me mad first.  They called several days ago and said that they would be here in a couple days.  Then they called and said they would be here today bright and early around 7ish.  So I got down to the storage unit around 6:45am and waited until 8:45am.  At that time I called and asked if they were coming.  I woke them up!!  He says "Oh I wont be there until 1 or 2pm, I will call you at noon and let you know."  I left to go back to Charlie's mom's house (where I am staying for the time being) to wait.  I never got a phone call at noon and by 2:30pm I was extremely mad.  Finally at 4pm they call.  We got to the storage unit and loaded everything in it.  I didnt see too much damage, mostly things that I can fix, but we'll see once I get everything unwrapped and unpacked.  Im just so thankful that it is here.  One less thing to stress about.

P.S...not recommending the moving company

House Hunting

Technically I still live in Montana, but I took this month to come to Virginia, not only to see Prince Charming (aka Charlie) but to find a house and hopefully a job.
Once we got back from Vegas our house hunting began.  While we were in Vegas I had set up an appointment to meet with a realtor on Tuesday.  I let her know what we were looking for, our price range, and some of the houses that we had already picked to look at.  Before we went on vacation Charlie had talked to another realtor about another house we were interested in.  So Tuesday morning we were in house hunting mode.  We looked at the first house with the one realtor, didn't like the house, and then met with Linda our actual realtor.  She had 7 houses set up for us to look at.  The first couple were not even questionable...it was a no right away.  As the day progressed we got more into what we were looking for and then the last 2 were great homes.  We really liked the TC house, that's what we called it because of the road name, it was nice and big, plenty of space for the kids.  The next house, Wagner, we loved!  Very modern and came with 5 acres, no neighbors, could really see my kids grow up there. 
We went home really loving the Wagner house.  It was a little spendy but a beautiful house with all new updates...very modern.  The next day we requested to see the Wagner house again and I went to 2 or 3 other houses with Linda before that.  We met Charlie and his friend at the Wagner house so he could inspect it before making an offer.  There wasn't anything wrong with the house and it was still beautiful but we both felt this vibe...like something wasn't right.  Here we were...ready to make an offer and the next thing we knew we were looking at each other and thinking...lets hold off. 
So we went home.  And that night we decided that house wasn't for us.  It was awesome but in its awesomeness came a lot of extra expenses for what the house was offering.  It had an awesome kitchen and great land but really too small of a house.  It was a great house but too compact.  So we decided it wasn't our house.  We had looked at all the houses that peaked our interest online so now it was time to just sit back and wait for the realtor to come to us with different listings. 
Charlie got an email that night....it was from the realtor that had showed us our very first house.  He was confirming a question we had had about that house we looked at.  Along with his email he posted a few more houses that we might be interested in.  There was one on there that looked really nice....we decided to go look at it.  This was the one!!  We had found our house!  We looked through the entire thing...and while looking we kept looking at each other with big eyes...both thinking the same thing...THIS HOUSE IF AWESOME!
We put an offer in and it was accepted!  We just bought a house!  Now the paperwork begins, but nothing is more exciting than buying a house with the love of your life! 

Surprise Trip (Baja Racing & Vegas)

I didn't arrive in Virginia until late on Wednesday April 18th.  By the time I got to Charlie's moms house it was around 10pm.  I was so excited to see my man!  The last time I had seen him was March 2nd...way too long! 
In the beginning of the week Charlie had mentioned that we were going to a race in Charlotte and I was really excited because I wanted to see the race and to see friends we have down there.  So on Thursday morning I repacked my bags for our weekend trip.  We ran around town that day just doing errands and then went to dinner with friends.  All of them were talking about how we should take a trip together sometime and maybe it could be Vegas.  Wouldn't that be fun!? 
Charlie and I went home and I was making sure that I had everything packed to leave in the morning and Charlie was laying there watching me.  He said "I have something to tell you...we really aren't going to Charlotte, we are going to Vegas."  I didn't believe him and told him to stop teasing me.  I still didn't believe him even later....but then he showed me our plane tickets.  I was still skeptical and didn't truly believe him until he showed me the rental car confirmation.  OMG we are going to VEGAS!!  Haha!  All of his friends and family were in on the surprise.  We left the very next day and arrived there about 7pm.
We then drove an hour and a half north to Alamo for the night.  You see this wasn't just a vacation, this was also work for Charlie.  He was sent there to checkout the race course for his Off Road team. We stayed in the nastiest motel ever!  The name of it was Sunset View Inn right when you get into town.  Nice people that own it but man oh man do they need to do some work.  If you go down the road a little aways into Alamo and then on the other side there is a place called the Windmill Ridge Inn...very cute! 
The next morning we got up and got registered for the pre-run.  Charlie and his crew took off towards Caliente, NV via off-road, while I took the hwy.  I met them for lunch and then checked into our motel there. Nice place...much cleaner than the night before.  This place was called The Shady Motel.  I spent most of the day in the room until Charlie got back from racing.  We went to dinner and then to bed. 
On Sunday I was on my own; Charlie was out racing again.  I checked out of the motel around 11am and headed south to Vegas!  Charlie would meet me there later...it was his Birthday!!  I have been to Vegas before but I had never left the city.  This was my first time seeing the desert and so on my way back to Vegas I stopped along the way to take pictures.  It is very pretty up there...of course a little greener than probably say southern Nevada and Arizona. 
Once I got to Vegas I became very nervous!  This Montana girl was driving in Vegas...on the strip!  I was given a budget for a hotel room by Charlie...oh look the Wynn is in that range. =) wynnlasvegas.com I got the car valeted and checked in.  We stayed in a beautiful room!!  When I got to my room I contemplated on walking somewhere in the 100 degree heat to find birthday decorations but decided against it.  Instead I decorated the room in toilet paper and handmade signs that said Happy Birthday!  After being satisfied with my birthday decor I put my swimsuit on and hit the pool. 
Once Charlie got there (loved the decorations btw) we went downstairs to see if we could get into the SW Steakhouse at the Wynn.  They were booked.  So we decided to head out the doors and hit the strip to find another place to eat.  We ended up in the Venetian at a bar that has tons of beers to choose from.  I had a Bloody Mary that was made with Bacon Infused Vodka...yumm-o!!  We shared a steak dinner and then walked down to the Paris hotel and then to the Cosmopolitan because I had never been in them before.  Once in the Cosmopolitan we decided to catch a cab back to the Wynn.  We got drinks at one of the bars and then on our way back upstairs Charlie stuck $20 in the Wheel of Fortune slot and won $105!  Lucky guy!
We got up the next morning and had breakfast at the buffet downstairs....delicious!  Then we went back to our room, got our bags and headed for the airport. 
First vacation with my Prince Charming and it was wonderful!

Denver Trip

I am in the process of moving to Virginia, but before I went out there for a month, I went to Denver first to see some friends.  I drove my car down on April 16th, which took me about 10 hours.  I met some friends at Jose Oshea's for margaritas and then stayed at my friend Tracy's house.  The next day I went with another friend downtown to eat lunch and get a coffee from Starbucks.  I met back up with Tracy where we went to Colorado Mills Mall and then went to get gelato and checkout Charming Charlies.  That is an awesome store if any of you ladies haven't been in there.  It's an accessory store that is layed out by color.  Purses, hats, jewelry, scarves, watches, shoes, etc fill this fun store. I think you can find it online as well at  charmingcharlie.com. I ended up getting a watch that I absolutely love and it was only $15!  All of their stuff is priced right, it's awesome! Anyway we ended up hitting happy hour in that area and then went to P.F. Chang's for dinner.  Tracy and I then went to a pub where they play Bingo on Tuesday nights.  It was actually pretty fun!  Then unfortunately I had to catch a flight to Virginia the next morning. So glad my car is there so when I fly back I can stay another day and hang out with my friends.  I love Denver!

Moving

I have been soo busy the last couple of weeks!  I currently live in Montana, but moving to Virginia.  I have been sorting and packing, and throwing away, and donating like crazy! In the midst of all that, I threw in a Garage Sale and an Open House.  I hired a moving company, if all my stuff gets there in once piece I will recommend them for those of you who have no other choice.  Me personally will never hire a moving company again.  In the world today, even when you pay good money, people don't treat your stuff the way you would.  I decided to go with a moving company because I didn't want to drive across the country by myself.  Plus with the rate of a UHaul and the price of gas...it was about the same amount.  So why not have someone load all your possessions into a truck, then unload it at your destination AND do all the driving?  It's the easy route, but after seeing the two guys work and load my stuff and thinking about all the places my possessions will be going before actually making it to Virginia...I'm not so sure.  I think a single girl driving a UHaul across country to be with the man of her dreams sounds like quite the adventure. =)

Parks

Today was so beautiful!  It was 75 and sunny when I picked my daughter up from school, so we decided to go to the park, along with the other 500 people that had the same idea.  I know this is horrible, but I really dislike taking my kids to the park.  I like playing with them and seeing their happy little faces while they run around and burn energy, but it's the other kids that really irritate me.  I don't know about you but it annoys the crap out of me when I see kids walking up the slide.  Today there were two older girls (I would say 10-12 years old) that were walking up the slides.  I really wanted to say something, but kept my mouth shut...very rare by the way.  =)  Then of course you have the other kids who are pushy and have no respect whatsoever for other kids and even sometimes mothers.  Going to the park raises my blood pressure and adds another grey hair to my head.  We lasted an hour. =)

After that the kids were hungry and wanted to go to Subway. I don't like eating out if I don't have to so we decided to do Subway at home.  Instead of going there, we got meat, bread, and chips at the grocery store and made our own sub sandwiches.

Tiramisu Toffee Torte Recipe

Tiramisu is Italian for "pick me up".  I love serving this...everytime I do I get compliments for weeks!  I served this at our Easter Dinner as well.  If you have any leftover frosting...it is delicious in coffee! =)

Tiramisu Toffee Torte

1 pkg White Cake Mix
1 C. Strong Brewed Coffee, room temperature
4 Egg Whites
4 Heath Candy Bars (1.4 oz each), chopped
*I actually use the Heath Toffee Bits with the chocolate that you can find in the baking aisle with the chocolate chips
Frosting:
4 oz Cream Cheese, softened
2/3 C. Sugar
1/3 C. Chocolate Syrup
2 t. Vanilla Extract
2 C. Whipping Cream

6 T. Strong Brewed Coffee
1 Heath Candy Bar, chopped

Grease two 9-inch round baking pans, might even consider sprinkling a little flour in the pan as well; set aside.  In a mixing bowl, beat the cake mix, coffee and egg whites on low speed until moistened.  Beat on high for 2 minutes.  Fold in chopped candy bars.  Pour into prepared pans. 
Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.  Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire rack.  When cool, split each cake into two horizontal layers.
For frosting, in a chilled mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth.  Beat in the chocolate syrup and vanilla.  Add the whipping cream.  Beat on high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
Place one cake layer on a serving plate, drizzle with 2 Tablespoons of coffee.  Spread with 3/4 C frosting.  Repeat twice.  Top with 4th cake layer.  Frost top and sides with remaining frosting.  Refrigerate overnight.  Garnish with chopped candy bar.  Store in fridge.

7 Layer Salad Recipe

My Grandmother always use to make this.  My Mom loves it so I decided to make it for our Easter Dinner.

7 Layer Salad
Head of Lettuce, shredded
1/3 C. Onion, chopped
1/3 C. Celery, chopped
1 6oz. can Waterchestnuts, sliced
1 10oz. pkg Frozen peas
2 C. Mayonnaise
1 1/2 T. Sugar
1 jar of Bacos
3 to 4 Hard Cooked Eggs, sliced
3 Tomatoes, sliced
Grated Cheese

Place lettuce in 9x13 pan.  Sprinkle next 3 ingredients on top, in layers, then sprinkle peas.  Spread mayo over top of peas like frosting (seal good), then sprinkle with sugar.  Cover and refrigerate overnight.  Before serving add last 4 ingredients in layers, ending with cheese.

My Easter

I have been so busy this past week!  I hope everyone had a Happy Easter.  My extended family got together on Saturday.  The women of the family decided that we were tired of the same holiday meal, you know...the ham, potatoes, green bean casserole, jello salad, blah blah blah.  This year we decided on Italian!  My Mom made a Lasagna that was delicious, she also made a Strawberry Pie.  One of my aunts made Spaghetti, we had garlic bread, a wheat salad, a broccoli salad, tossed lettuce, and I made a 7 layer salad and a Tiramasu Toffee Torte. Everything turned out great and it was a nice change. 

All the kids got to play together, which was nice to see.  We all live very close and it is very rare that we all get together.  It is pretty sad actually. When my Grandmother was alive we get together practically everyday.  Everyone would stop by her and Grandpas house and usually stay for dinner...and occassionally a game of cards.  My Grandmother has since passed (almost 9 years ago)  and it hasnt been the same.  She was the clay that molded us together.

On Easter Sunday the kids and I went to church and then went to my Mom's house.  She made a hashbrown and egg casserole, ham steaks, and I made Blueberry Muffins.  After lunch we dyed Easter Eggs and then hid them all over the house and yard.  We stayed until about 3pm and then I had to get home to finish packing up my house. (More on that later.)

I will add the recipes that I made for Easter following this posting.

Cooked Carrots with Almonds Recipe

My Mom is also taking a side dish tonight and it's super easy too!

Cooked Carrots with Almonds
Carrots
3 T butter
salt
1/4 C. sliced Almonds

You can use sliced carrots, cut into circles, or baby carrots, whichever you prefer
Cook as many carrots as you would like, just add a little salt.
Once they are done drizzle about 2 T butter over the top, and if you really like salt (I do) then add a little more salt.
In a pan saute 1 T butter and sliced almonds until toasted.
Sprinkle over the top of your carrots and wallah!  =)

Hope you enjoy!

Corn Side Dish Recipes

So tonight I am going to a Seder Dinner at our church.  We were asked to bring a dish and you could choose from Main Dishes to Drinks, and everything in between.  I chose a side dish, so I am bringing this Corn Dish.
I originally had a recipe I would go off of, but as I post more recipes in the future, you will notice that I never use a recipe, or I change it up.
So here is my first submitted recipe...yay!

Confetti Corn
1 16oz bag of Whole Kernel Corn
1 Green Pepper (you can use all or half, chopped into large pieces)
1 Red Pepper (you can use all or half, chopped into large pieces)
1/2 C. Red Onion, chopped
3 T. butter or margarine, divided
1 t. salt

Cook corn according to package, drain water.  In a pan saute green pepper, red pepper, onion, and 1 tablespoon butter.  Cook until tender, add to corn. Melt rest of butter and drizzle over corn combo.  Sprinkle with salt, mix all together.

Corn with Sugar Snap Peas
1 16oz bag of Whole Kernel Corn
1 Red Pepper, chopped
1 16oz bag Sugar Snap Peas
2 T. Butter, melted
1 t. salt
dill

Add corn and red pepper, and sugar snap peas together and cook until tender, drain water.  Drizzle butter over top, add salt, and mix all together.  Garnish with dill
Super easy and my kids love both!

Is it Spring or Winter?

Yesterday we were wearing flip-flops...today we wear snow boots! Yuck!  Welcome to spring in Montana.  =)  My 3 year old son, Gaige,  said this morning as he was looking out the window "Santa must be coming soon.  He is going to have to wake up so he can bring us toys."  Apparently he thinks that Santa sleeps all year except for Christmas.  Haha!

World's Shortest Joke

MirrorMirror

Took my kids to see MirrorMirror today after school.  Very cute movie lots of funnies!  Julia Roberts did a great job!

The Story Behind "Lauph"

You're probably thinking..."What in the world, doesn't she know how to spell laugh!?"  I'll tell you the story...I really wanted to get personalized plates on my car. So one day I was sitting in the Court House, waiting to see if I was going to be selected to be a juror for a court case in my local town.  I was getting bored so I decided to come up with some license plate ideas.  I felt the license plate had to say something about me and mean something.  Well after awhile I decided on the word "laugh".  It seemed very appropriate and described me to a tee!  I was so excited!  When the jury selection was over ( they didn't even get to my name before deciding on their jurors), I went down the hallway to the Motor Vehicle Department and asked if "Laugh" could be put on my license plate.  Turns out someone had it already.  So the lady behind the counter and I went through every combination we could think of and landed on "Lauph"!  Ever since then people always look at my plates and ask what it means!  Really!?  It's the "ph" that throws everyone off..I really didn't think it was that complicated.  A lot of people say "Lowf? What does that mean?"  I just laugh, thinking I should get a bumper sticker that says the "GH" was taken! =)  But since this license plate fiasco, my nickname has become "Lowf".  Who would've known!?! =)