Chili cook-off

I am so excited. Our culinary school which is located next door to my work has invited the staff to participate in a Chili Cook-off on Friday, Feb 21st. I am super excited and yet a little scared. I have never cooked chili from scratch and definitely not ever in a chef's kitchen. I know my friend Ashley will be by my side so that is reassuring but I am still a little nervous. We are also cooking against the chef students, I am not expecting to win by any means, I just don't want to embarrass myself either.

Do you have any good red chili recipes you would like to share? Or any good tips?

We can use can tomatoes but nothing with a premade chili seasoning. They will supply me with the ingredients but I will have to do everything myself. Did I mention I have to make a gallon of chili. Oh goodness.....what did I sign myself up for?

So wish me good luck and send those recipes my way. I will be sure to take pictures and document my day for a follow up post.

So in love....

I have been away from the blog world for a hot second or a few weeks but life just gets busy and sometimes I just am not motivated to put my thoughts into words and sentences and to add pretty pictures. So today I am going to make it easy on myself but share with you a little bit of my world. I want to show you some things I am in love with. Now that it is Spring here in Indiana (although today it is a blistery 39 degrees but just yesterday it was warm and 70. Stupid Indiana weather. oh well.) Now that it is Spring....I am in a much better mood and feeling "in-love" Here are some of my loves...

My handsome husband

 

My girls

 

This girl (Lilly) so sweet and innocent and now ready for Kindergarten

 

My $10 flea market find includes a bowling ball that fits me perfect. Bowled a 130

 

My new friend Ashley. She has been such a blessing to me at work. We clicked almost immediately and are so much alike.

 

Pad Thai! Love it, want to only it Pad Thai items! Seriously it's that good. I just stay away from curry.

 

This FABULOUS lady, my mom, who turns 50 tomorrow.

I know, we can't believe it either. She gets prettier and younger looking every year. Sure hopes she passes that down to me

 

 



I am addicted to Candy Crush. I was stuck on level 23 for 3 days but finally beat it yesterday and emailed my mom right away b/c I knew only she would be just as happy as I was. She was been stuck on level 29 for a few days now. Danny asked me how many levels there were and I said over 100. His reply was, well that's just worthless then. lol

 

*****

Working out. We have a gym at our Corp. building. I have gone each day this week. Getting in shape for my vacation in just a few weeks.

 



Dreaming of our vacation spot and knowing we will be there soon.

 

 

Craving Lemon Bars and making them tonight. Yummy!

 

 

My new favorite show. My husband and I totally jumped on the bandwagon and haven't looked back. Love it and love them. I crack up randomly just thinking about what Si or Jase said on the latest episode. Love when I find someone who also loves the show! I get so tickled.

 

******

 

So what are your current loves? Any you want to share with me?

Aunt Marcia's Saturday morning donuts

As a kid growing up I used to spend a lot of time with my cousin TJ. We are 9 months apart. My mom only has 1 sibling, my aunt Marcia. So for the first four years it was just TJ and I. We were really close and did a lot of things together. I remember staying all night at Marcia's house and it seemed that every Saturday morning she would make these really delicious donuts. They were your basic refrigerator biscuits donuts. I always thought they were such a treat and so neat that she would make just for us. So I decided to make the same treat for my girls.

We started out with generic biscuits from Kroger (.49) we flattened them and then used a glass bottle cap. You remember the kind, like the ones from he old Pepsi glass bottles. You can use anything round or a cookie cutter but this is how my aunt did it so I am keeping with tradition. The girls helped me do this part. Although I did have to help pull the dough out of the bottle cap.

 

I then heated up a pan of oil ( I used Sunflower) and dropped in the biscuits. (Note: do not let kids around hot oil, Adults only) I recommend only frying 2 at a time. Don't overcrowd the pot. It only takes about 60 seconds on each side or until golden brown. Then place the baked donuts on a paper plate covered with a paper towel. I made a cinnamon and sugar mix which I dipped the baked donuts in after ever so slightly drying off on the paper towel.

 

Don't they look yummy? I also added dark chocolate sauce, carmel, and grape jelly to cute little dishes for easy dipping. I thought the girls would really enjoy this but Danny and I ate most of the toppings.  I also made a pumpkin pie mixture which I added to the cinnamon sugar mixture. It was tasty (side note: I made two pumpkin donuts. 1 for danny and 1 for myself. They were placed on top and Danny and I ate them first. Every donut Gracie picked up she said, oops I think I got the pumpkin one, No you didn't grace...Mom, is this one the pumpkin one...on and on it went. ☺)

 

The girls enjoyed their special treat and I enjoyed telling them the stories of our Aunt Marcia making these donuts for me when I was a little girl. I love passing down traditions and memories.

 

What will you share with your children/family this weekend?

Carmel apple salad

For those of you on Pinterest you have probably seen the pictures of the Carmel Apple Salad or also called Candy Apple Salad. Let me just tell you it is Delish! A co-worker made this salad yesterday and I loved it. It really does taste like a carmel apple.

The great part is the recipe is so simple:

Cool Whip

Apples - peeled, cored, diced

Grapes - sliced

Snickers bar - Frozen, chopped up

Mix it all together.

That's it. And oh so good. It would be perfect to make for any potluck.

Enjoy!!!

two yummy drink ideas

Two lights drinks you will love both taken from a WW website laaloosh

An easy DIY Frappuccino like from the ones we love at Starbucks



Or a delicious Mocktail (non-alcoholic) from Crystal Light. I just love fruity drinks.



So give them some love and check out their page for these delicious recipes.

Trader Joes

I am so excited! My mom and I are going to Trader Joes for the 1st time. I hear people talk about this place all the time and another WW blog I read always mentions food items in low points you can get at Trader Joes.



I am not really sure what to expect but am super excited. So is there anything special I just have to get there??? Any suggestions....




These sure do look delicious!


I am hoping to find Lilly some GF items cheaper than what my Kroger carries. And if not then at least I can say I experienced the store. Wish me luck.

Hog roast Birthday party

Danny turned 31 on July 11th. I always enjoy his birthday for a couple of reasons but mainly because we all get together at his parents house. Both my family and his. It's nice for everyone to catch up plus we all just have a good time. This year Danny wanted to have a hog roast. He researched it for a couple of months. At first we were going to do the whole hog then after he cam across a couple of blogs, yes blogs, he decided he was going to make a cinder block pit and roast pork butts. Pork butts really aren't butts but actually shoulders. A pork butt is also called a Boston Butt.

My mom has Danny and I hooked on Cherry Salsa. She usually orders it online from Wisconsin. I know it sounds weird but the sweetness is subtle and oh so good!

Danny's BIL Brian bought him an old school Track Ball Game. Brian actually bought Danny his first set when he was a little boy. Apparently it got broken....

Family and friends.

My bubbs, DJ ( isn't he handsome!) and his GF and our mom

As I was taking photos of the roasting process Danny made sure I got a picture of the fire with the pit so everyone got the ambiance. hehe

Raw butt with a mustard glaze - to keep all the juices in

The birthday boy and his homemade roaster/pit

He kept it covered with a piece from a shed.

Don't those look Yummy!

They cooked in 300 degrees for about 6 hours - Until the internal temperature of the hog was 175 degrees.

We ended up getting 3 butts to serve 30 people. That was WAY too much but it was nice because I bagged it up and gave several away. Plus the two of us ate on it for about 3 days. I highly recommend this to everyone.

When I find the original blog site I will post it on here. I want to give credit where credit is due! :)

Last night's dinner

So last night I went to the store again and bought $27 worth of fresh fruits and vegetables. I also bought the Ezekiel bread at $4.99 for a loaf. Honestly I wasn't' that impressed and a friend has actually suggested another brand. Danny liked it though but we are still going to try to other brand.

So for dinner, I marinated fish in a little bit of olive oil, fresh lemon juice, herbs, a garlic clove and just a tad of honey. I also marinated asparagus in olive oil and lemon juice.

It was a nice fresh meal and it was super easy to cook.

I needed a few more ideas so I looked up Cooking Light's website. I found some really good recipes.

Tonight I will marinate chicken breast in this sugar-free, 100% nectar and Orange juice I bought and add in lemon zest, garlic and a tad bit of salt and pepper. I will also make a fresh salsa with tomatoes onions and cucumbers. Since Danny can have potatoes and real butter I will probably try to fry him some since he has been doing so well.

Cooking Light, Done right, Oh so good for us! hehe

is this a new journey...

Ever since Lilly was a newborn she has always had a pooping problem. (warning-if you don't want to hear about poop skip down to the next paragraph) Sometimes it would be as hard as a rock. There would be a lot of crying (her and me) pain, bleeding, doctor calling, and sacredness of the "next" time. After talking with the doctor she prescribed Miralax. A tasteless powder substance that I mix in with her drink. The powder worked and sometimes a little too much. Her "issue" would go from one extreme to the other. I personally just didn't feel right constantly giving her medicine. I felt like she relied on the medicine and her body needed this to be able to regulate itself. Even though the doctor's office/nurse said it was completely ok for her to take it everyday, I didn't. I was told she will just grow out of it. Well she is turning 3 in a couple of months and guess what she still has this problem. Anyway about a year ago, after doing some reach, I found that she has what I believe to be a gluten allergy - celiac disease. When we watch her gluten intake she doesn't suffer the problems. And when she does eat it, well it starts to get miserable again. Thankfully she has a good palate and loves all kinds of fresh vegetables and fruit. I said all of that to say this, I think I need to change my families diet. My husband has been experiencing a rash. He went to his doctor. Long story short, he was told he has been eating to much sugar,yeast. He can eat unprocessed meats, fresh fruits and fresh vegetables, eggs, honey and natural oatmeal. He was also told to buy Ezekiel bread, which will be good for him and Lilly. Besides my grocery bill sky rocketing, I am now trying to think of fresh food ideas to use that are sugar/yeast free and gluten free. I sure am glad that we are getting ready to start our garden. Looks like I will be canning a lot more than last year. But if it means a healthy family I will do it. All of this has really had me thinking about all the processed foods we eat and how they are negatively effecting my family's health. If you have any good websites or good meal ideas let me know. I am always open to suggestions and help. Let the journey begin...

Recipe - Parmesan Meatloaf

Last night a made a new dish. Parmesan Meatloaf. I love meatloaf my husband, not so much. So I found a recipe for Chicken Parmesan Meatloaf here. The only problem was I didn't have some of the ingredients so I just kind of played Chef!

My husband doesn't really like ground turkey or ground chicken - it taste funny he says

So I used ground beef. I also didn't want to dice my onion or get the frozen onion pieces out of the freezer so I just sprinkled in some dried onions. And who really has fresh Parmesan cheese at home, so I used the Kraft Green Parmesan shaker.

I paired it with a box of tomato Parmesan noodles from Rice a Roni and the result was amazing! We loved it and actually my hubby said it is his new favorite dish! Score one for me.

Well I wanted to share the recipe with you all. It almost reminds me of a pasta-less lasagna.

Hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Peas....

Have I mentioned before that I love peas, Cause I do. I brought a whole bowl full to work today but didn't get to eat them for lunch. I helped out with a Lunch at work and got to eat their food.

Back to the peas....Well now it's time to go home and I am thinking....should I take the peas home with me or should I save them for tomorrow's lunch?

Well since Danny doesn't like peas I guess I should just save them for tomorrow's lunch.

Now I have something to look forward to!

Oh and today was a lot better than yesterday. Go Me!

Are you eating anything good tonight?

Need some ideas? Check out some of my favorite food blogs....

http://farmersdaughter-me.blogspot.com/2011/02/jelly-roll.html

( My sister in-laws blog)

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/02/chicken-and-cavatelli-soup.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+weightwatcherspointsrecipes+%28Gina%27s+Skinny+Recipes%29

http://kaitlininthekitchen.blogspot.com/2011/02/super-bowl-recipe-round-up.html

Have a great Evening.

Sunday Sunday Sunday

It's almost game day, do you have any big plans? Are you cheering for a specific team? Today I accidentally wore Green and Yellow. The Steeler fans at my work weren't happy. I told them that it wasn't b/c I was cheering for GB b/c I seriously couldn't care less. The Colts are my only team, if they aren't playing I only watch the Superbowl for the commercials, halftime show and for all the great food.

So what are you eating this Sunday? What are your favorite eats/treats

I found these and they look Delicious

http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2011/02/chewy-pretzel-bites.html

Or this

http://thegirlwhoateeverything.blogspot.com/2011/02/meatball-sliders-super-bowl-food.html

Apparently the top 3 food items are Wings, Pizza and Specialty dips. I have a good recipe for Buffalo Chicken dip so I might end up making that too. Although I might use actually buffalo dip instead of the hot sauce.

http://www.buffalochickendip.com/

New Favorite Website...

I am in love.

In love with My new favorite site!

If you like to cook or bake you need to check this site out here. Just on the first page there are about 10 items I want to make this week! :) I just keep scrolling and saving to my favorites. And they are items that I think Iwill actually make, not just a "wish list"

Good news, there are lots of Holiday cookie, snacks, treats and recipes too!

What's your favorite dish?

Start baking Ladies ( and Gentlemen)

My Thanksgiving food

My contributions to Thanksgiving dinner

Betty's Pumpkin Pie. I thought of the cute leaf design all by myself. :) It was pretty tasty too.

Jiffy Corn Pudding

Shrimp ( this unfortunately didn't get eaten b/c I left it out and forgot it. Dang it)



Danny's Top Secret Cranberry Sauce


PS. Do you spy the awesome glass milk container in the background? I will talk more about this in another post.


Apple Cream Pie

featured in the previous post.


Chocolate covered Oreo's with peppermint sprinkles. I found the coolest sprinkle twister at the Dollar Store. You just twist and little bitty peppermint pieces come out.

I also made a 7-layer salad that was also pretty tasty.


Now it's time for leftovers. Yummy Yummy.

last minute dessert idea

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Hope your weekend is spectacular, safe, tasty, wonderful and just right.

For those of you that are still trying to find a last minute dessert, I have a delicious recipe for you. It is from a dear friend. She makes it every year for my BFF's birthday and it is always devoured. I will be bringing this dish to my in-laws for them to enjoy.

It comes from the 1999 Pillsbury Bake Off recipes

Glazed Apple Cream Pie

1 15 oz Pie crusts

Filling

1/2 C sugar

1/2 C milk

1/2 C whipping cream

1/4 C butter/margarine

2 Tablespoons cornstarch

2 Tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

Apple Layer

2 Washington State Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored, and cut into thin slices

1 Tablespoon flour

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Glaze

1/2 C powdered sugar

1 Tablespoon milk

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

1 Tablespoon butter/margarine, softened

Directions:

1. Prepare pie crust according to package directions for two-crust pie using 9-inch pie pan

2. Heat oven to 400F. In medium sauce pan combine sugar, 1/2 c milk, whipping cream and 1/2 c butter. Cook over medium-low heat until hot and butter is melted, stirring occasionally.

3. In small bowl, combine cornstarch add 2 TBS of milk, blend until smooth, add to mixture in saucepan, cook 7 minutes or until thickened stirring constantly. remove from heat. stir in 1 tsp of vanilla.

4. In medium bowl, combine apples, flour and cinnamon; mix well. Pour filling into crust-lines pan. arrange apple mixture evenly over filling. Top with second crust; seal edges and flute. Cut slits in top crust.

5. Bake 400F for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown and apples are tender. Cool 30 minutes.

6. Meanwhile, in small bowl, combine all glaze ingredients; blend until smooth, Pour and spread glaze evenly over warm pie. Refrigerate 1/12 hours before serving.

Happy Thanksgiving.

$1

I just thought of a neat game. Want to play?

Note: this is not my meal, mine was a lot smaller!

Today I went to Arby's and bought a small roast beef, fries, diet Pepsi and cherry turnover all for a dollar each. As I was eating/drinking each item I thought how wonderful a dollar taste.

Another example, mine are all food items, is McDonald's Tea (unsweet with 3 equals) I do not like their food but love their tea.



What do you just love or have to have that is only $1 (plus tax) Are their any good non food deals out there I am missing?

My Thanksgiving gift to you

Happy almost Thanksgiving. I have a treat for you all. Do you like cranberry sauce well you will once you see this cute recipe.

Isn't it adorable. Well it is from my husband when he was in Kindergarten. So it is 24 years old. And in pretty good condition. Legend goes that Danny made it every year for Thanksgiving. I guess that was until I met him because that boy hasn't made it since. lol Don't you love how it reads "top-secret" at the top! :)

I know a lot of people don't like cranberry sauce but believe me this recipe is delicious. Both sides of our family demand it every year. One year I forgot to bring it to my aunt Marcia's and i thought she was going to cancel Thanksgiving. haha

So give it a try this year and let me know what you think

2 cans of Cranberry sauce

2 oranges

1 orange jello

1 half a cup of hot water.

Peel and cut of the oranges in little bite size pieces, put them to the side. Mix together the cranberry sauce, orange jello and hot water, then add in orange pieces. Refrigerate for 45 mins. It actually better the next day!

It's Fair Time

One of my favorite things to do in the summer is to visit fairs. Our County Fair is always in July, right after the Hubby's birthday. I seriously start counting down till fair time in May. I love the food, seeing old friends, taking the girls to see all the animals and people watching. And this year my niece entered a couple of drawings, which she won awards for, so we also enjoyed seeing that.

We let Gracie play a couple of games. Lilly just watched.

she wasn't so good at this one, but when she played the next game she won...

"woofie"

She was in love with this dog right away.

Danny got the typical fish sandwich with cole slaw and baked beans

I got a rib eye sandwich and a delicious piece of corn. It was so good that I couldn't even put it down to take a picture of. So that's why you see just the cob. I seriously think that the Johnson County fair has the best corn. But hey, there is more than corn in Indiana. :)

Can't forget Danny's funnel cake, which let's face it, one of the reason's why we all go to the fair. It was good, I usually like toppings on mine but he wanted it plain. It was still good.

Can't wait to report back from the State Fair. We are going on Tuesday and I am so excited. I really want to try the Garbage burger, the fried butter and maybe even the Krispy Kreme Doughnut burger.

Wow, now that I think about all the fried food I have been eating, I really need to start exercising! Can't wait to eat my 0 point soup all week long! haha

O'Charley's Sweet Potato Fries

Have you been to O'charley's lately? Have you tried their amazing new Sweet Potato Fries? Well you should!

(Side note) Danny and I have a love for anything sweet potato. Anytime we go to Texas Roadhouse we always get a loaded sweet potato with Cinnamon,sugar and toasted marshmallows. This is how I knew Danny was the one for me. We went out with a group of friends before seriously dating and we both ordered our sweet potato the same way. I often keep can's of them at my house too. Oh and my Aunt makes the best sweet potato dish you have ever had, but don't try to recreate b/c it just won't work.


On Danny's birthday we met my mom and step-dad at O'Charley's for lunch. And all three of them ordered the sweet potato fries. I was being good that day and stuck with my favorite salad, the California Chicken Salad. (and no, I am not being paid to write this, just sharing my love of food! :) )


Well these fries are absolutely amazing. I ate a good portion of Danny's. The rest of the day they were all I could think about. So a few days later I decided to treat myself to them again. And they were still amazing. So please do yourself a favor and stop by O'Charley's to try out their new amazing menu items. Or at least order a side of fries, their only $2.69. You can't pass that up.