An EASY meal

Want to make something tasty, healthy, easy and beautiful?
Here's a delightful meal.
Main Dish: Honey Orange Glazed Chicken (quick prep but cooks 45 min in oven, make sure to allow for cooking time)
Sides: Fresh Spinach Salad, greenbeans, potatoes (boiled new potatoes red or white are wonderful!)

Fresh Spinach Salad:
prewashed baby spinach leaves
dried cranberries
drained light mandarin oranges
toasted almond slices
feta cheese crumbled
store bought Balsamic Vinegrette Dressing

Greenbeans:
Just from the can but if you have a little bacon fat (I know not the healthiest ingred but just use a tiny bit and it will go a long way to add flavor)
add a few toasted almond slices for easy added flare!

Ok the Chicken:
4 Chicken Breasts
1 Tb Olive Oil
4 green onions, chopped
1 Garlic clove, minced
3Tb honey
4 Tb Orange Juice
1 Orange peeled and segmented
2 Tb light soy sauce

Preheat oven to 375
place chicken in a shallow pan, I use a 9x9 pan the chicken should just fit and not touch each other.
Heat oil in a small saucepan. Fry onions & garlic until soft. Add honey, OJ, orange segments, and soy sauce. heat until honey is dissolved.
Pour sauce over chicken & bake uncovered for 45min.
Remove from oven and cover dish tightly with foil and let set for 5-10min. This will lock in the juices of the chicken. Plus it will be too hot to eat right away.
Serve with sauce.

I'm Offically Crazy...or Stupid!

I love foodgawker (see my fav blogs) and I saw these really cute cookies I thought I would give a try. Now making sugar cookie dough, chilling it, rolling it, cooking it, making frosting, and then frosting them is quite a challenge with my non napping baby and the fact I keep forgetting about finishing my project in the evenings. Well today I finished what became a 2 week process, only to yield a minor 13 cookies! Really, that's all I was able to make with the dough recipe! Disappointing! In the end the cookies are cute and they taste good but the effort required did not win me over. Oh, I forgot to add that I bought fondant and colored it and made balls to make snowmen heads and "carrot" noses. After all this complaining here are the results...

Picture of the cookie I found on the internet:

Pictures of my final result:

Christmas

Here are some pictures of our Christmas so far. We still have Christmas with extended family to celebrate on Jan 1 and Jan 3!
Funny story - my family always tells the story of my first Christmas Eve service at church. I was 4 mo old and sucking on a pacifier or a bottle - anyway they were having prayer and it was very quiet. I started making loud funny sucking noises so my grandma pulled the pacifier out of my mouth so I wouldn't be loud during prayer - my response.....SCREAMING! So much for being quiet. :)
So my husband and I take our little angel to our Christmas Eve service. There was a group of gals doing special music - they are awesome. Baby K is sitting on her daddy's lap enjoying the music and movement on the stage. I guess she started dozing off, but we hadn't noticed. The gals hit a loud high note and baby K threw her hands up in the air and started SCREAMING her head off! I guess they startled her. It was hilarious. Daddy put her up over his shoulder and she went to sleep quickly so we made it until the end of church.
Like mother like daughter I guess.
Baby K and I got daddy a low profile floor jack he has been wanting. He was surprised and it looking forward to working on his 1974 GTO without worrying about hurting the cross something underneath it - I can't remember what he called it but he has scratched it up before with a jack that wasn't low enough. I had the jack delivered UPS to the house and then had to call a neighbor to help me get it in the house - I had no idea the thing would weigh 98 lbs!
We are loving our extra family time together this week and have had many chances to stop and reflect on how thankful we are for God's special gift of Grace and Love to His people and to be thankful for each other and the wonderful family he has given us. We are SO BLESSED!

The dreaded day has come...

What day is that? The day my child has her first fever! Ok, so it's not too serious, her fever was 100.1 when taken from her armpit. But still I have been hoping it would be a long time before our little girl was sick, really sick and now at just 15 weeks, she's sick. Poor baby!
She has been congested for over 2 wks now. The past 7 days she has been sleeping in her carseat in our room. Ever since she has been congested she has been sleeping with a humidifier on (in addition to the whole house humidifier we have. We have been giving her saline nasal drops and suctioning out her nose often. And then.....last night she got a fever, just when I thought we were about to kick this thing. I called the dr. he said we could give her some tyl*nol. I just couldn't sit and do nothing so I decided to give her a bath.
I drew her a bath of luke warm water and kept luke warm washcloths on her so she wouldn't get chilled. She relaxed in the tub for 30 min just as calm and happy as could be. By the time she was out of the bath and dressed again her temp was back to normal. She made it all night with no meds and no fever and then at 8am she had a fever again.
She is being such a trooper, still managing a smile and a laugh here and there but her eyes are a little glazed over and she cries like she is uncomfortable at times and she is napping more during the day. Luckily we don't need to leave the house for a few days so we can stay home and rest and get healthy. We may go to the dr tomorrow to rule out an ear infection.
My grandma said that 2 of her children started teething at 4mo old so maybe there are teeth on the way??? I hope not, I'm so not ready for teething yet! :)

Look alikes?

We think Baby K looks like her Grandma Susan. Baby K looks like her daddy and some say she has mommy's eyes but she does look some like grandma too! They even hold their hands the same. :)

SO Sweet!

Cinnadoodles!

I found this recipe via Foodgawker.

After weeks of searching for Cinnamon Chips I finally found some at the Niffty Nut House. My husband said last night, "These are the best snickerdoodles ever!" Then I learned that he doesn't even like snickerdoodles but he loves these.

(Pet Peeve! When Blogger changes the direction of my photo - Grrrrrrr!)

Cinnadoodles

Adapted from Martha Stewart's Cookies

2 3/4 c flour 2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp salt 1 c(2 sticks)unsalted butter, softened 1 1/2c sugar 2 large eggs At least 1c of cinnamon chips 3 Tb sugar 3tsp cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt; set aside. Put butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in eggs. Reduce speed to low; gradually mix in flour mixture. Add in cinnamon chips.

2. Stir together cinnamon and remaining 3 tablespoons sugar in a small bowl. Shape dough into round balls; roll in cinnamon sugar. Space 3 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper or a Silpat.

3. Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until edges are golden, 12 to 14 minutes. Don't overbake. Let cool on cookie sheet for a minute or two, then transfer to a cooling rack.

Gift Update & our Big Girl!

Ok - well my scrapblog turn traveling coffee mug worked! It would take a little explaining that I am too lazy to type but basically I exported my scrapblog as a .jpg and then plopped it into photoshop. In photo shop I changed my image size to fit the mug template and then made the canvas size 8x10 and had the 8x10 image printed at Walgre*ns then traced the template that came with the mug and inserted it! GG likes to buy coffee at McD*nalds when she travels so I am going to put a McD gift card inside - what a fun gift for the woman who has everything but who also loves her great granddaughter! I can't wait to see her open this gift! No one show GG this blog entry until after Christmas you hear! :)

Finally,
Until reading M&Em's connection I had kind of forgotten we had a Bumbo - so I pulled it out and Baby K had a great time hanging out in it for a while. I can't believe she is 14 weeks Big! We sure love our happy girl.

Gift Idea

I made this on Scrapblog.com and I am hoping to print it off and fit it in a travel coffee mug for Great Grandma and it will be what Baby K gives her GG for Christmas. GG loves to travel and usually keeps a small McDonald's coffee cup with her b/c it has a lid. I'm thinking this will make a cute upgrade from her McDonald's cup.

I found an 8oz travel tumbler on Bodum.com however it is out of stock and I'm not sure how long it will be until they have them. I can order a 16oz tumbler but GG likes small cups...but in the end all GG's like to show off pictures of their grandkids so maybe size doesn't matter.

Christmas is so close...maybe I'll just order the 16oz mug and call it good.

Help

So we took some pictures that I plan to use for a "Happy New Year" card
Some are really sweet, some are so-so...I can't decide for sure which are my absolute favorites so I thought maybe you could vote.
I need one of the family and one of Baby K by herself.
There are a few candid shots of the family so I could use more than 2, maybe 3-5 pictures total...can you tell I am undecided? I will need to crop some of the photos as well.
I tried to add captions to most of them so you can vote via the caption name. I would love some input.



**If you drag your mouse over the slide show you will see the Picasa tool bar, click on the album name or the multicolored circle and it will take you to a website for easier viewing of the pictures.

Thanksgiving & Dedication

Here are a few pics of our family with Baby K and pictures from her baby dedication.
So many friends and family came to be with us as we dedicated ourselves to teaching K about Jesus and are committed to praying she grow up to be a woman of God. Such a special day!

As we thought about what we would name our baby it was important that her name have special meaning. The meanings of her first and middle name mean
From the earth (created)
Forgiveness
and God is gracious

We found the perfect Bible verses to sum up the meanings of her name and our heart for her to know God.

Ephesians 2:8-10
"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

We do believe that God has created baby K and pray that she will do good works for His kingdom, that she will know Jesus is her Savior and the forgiveness of God her Father. We pray she has a kind heart and loves others with the grace and forgiveness that God offers her.

Will Post...

Hopefully tomorrow I will post baby dedication pictures of Baby K.
We had a wonderful time spending the past few days with family and topped off our time with baby K's dedication. Several family and friends joined us today and we loved that you were all there to share this special day with Baby K.
Thank you for your support and love; we are SO blessed to have you in our lives!
Can't wait to share pictures of our little princess with you.

Merry Christmas from a Crazy Fan!

Ok, if you know me, you KNEW this post was coming! I'm not sure what I am fomore fond of; K-State football or Coach Snyder. It's strange, I am aware of this but for whatever reasons I am so fond of Coach, his integrity, his leadership, the way he seems to "father" the young men on his team. I actually had a dream after Prince was fired that Bill was rehired and I was appointed his administrative assistant. In my dream he pretty much thought I was awesome and although stressed I was learning to do my new job and be a great mommy too. Like I said - it was a dream and a crazy one at that!
I am totally going to a game in 2009 and dream of having season tickets once again... Bill if you are reading this I would love to have you and Sharon over for dinner.
Merry Christmas and GO CATS! Redemption is on the horizon! To the neh sayers I say - oh, it's not that bad and it's not that crazy that Coach is back - watch and see, we'll get some good coaches in there and restore some confidence to the players and off we'll go...winning seasons here we come.
As a disclaimer to those of you who don't know me, I still believe that Jesus is #1, the real gift of Christmas and spiritual truth is more important than football and that Coach Snyder is an imperfect human like the rest of us.
K-state football is my not so guilty pleasure and probably always will be. :)

Pumpkin Waffles - Oh Yeah!

Pumpkin Waffles with Maple Pecan Apples!

I took a picture of the last quarter of my waffle because at this point I knew I HAD to share this recipe with you! These are heavenly! I made them for dinner tonight and served with bacon. I have been wanting to cook them for almost a year after finding the recipe on the food network website. So yummy and seasonal! Great for breakfast, brunch or anytime.

Waffles: 1 1/4cup flour, 1/3 cup granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon fine salt, 3/4 cup milk, 1/2 cup pumpkin puree, 1/4 cup melted butter, 1/4 cup melted shortening, 1 large egg and 1 large egg white

Topping: 2 to 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, 2 crisp apples peeled and sliced thinly, 1/4 cup pure maple syrup (I just used Aunt Jemima), 1/2 cup toasted pecans

For the waffles: Preheat a waffle iron to medium heat.
Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, spice and salt together in a large bowl.
Beat together the milk, pumpkin, melted butter, and melted shortening, egg and egg white, in a large measuring cup. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. Whisk together to make a slightly lumpy batter.

For the topping: Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the apples and let cook until slightly browned, but still crisp, about 4 minutes. Add the maple syrup and pecans and toss to coat.

Pour and spread about 1 cup batter into the waffle iron. Cover and cook until crisp and a rich golden brown, about 7 minutes. (Try to resist the temptation to open the waffle iron too soon. Steam will puff out of the iron while the waffles cook, when this stops the waffle is cooked.) Repeat with the remaining batter. Serve hot with the apples.

Basement Project...

My Amazing Husband has been working away to finish our basement. He is so talented and such a hard worker. I only wish he could take a couple of weeks off work to work on it so it would get done faster. I am SO SO Proud of his hard work and you have got to check out these pictures of our fireplace mantle he made and his tile work!
It's still a work in progess but hopefully by January it will be done or close to it.

So sweet...

I just LOVE this girl!I'm sad that Blogger is posting this pic vertical and not horizontal. Bummer, it lost some cute factor.

Coffee and Fireworks?

This is not a picture from our date, but it will give you an idea of what I am talking about.

My Husband and I went out to eat for our anniversary - not so creative, but it was fun and we enjoyed dressing nice and eating at a nice place while some friends watched the baby.
At the end of our meal we ordered dessert coffee's and although not on the menu the waiter told us about Flaming Coffee and that it would involve a little show at our table.

I thought, cool. I also thought it would be some coffee with a little alcohol on top and they would light it on fire and then the flames would go out and ta da there ya go....

NOPE, that's not how it was...

SO they bring out this tray of "supplies" a carafe of coffee, tall wine glasses, cream, sugar cubes and a lighter. The wine glasses already had a little alcohol in them. The waiter takes a glass and tips it to the side and strikes it with a lighter. Blue flames swirl in the glass. He has also been hiding something in his right hand, clutched in a tight fist, as the flames are going he starts doing some fancy things with his hands, swirling the glass to make the flames dance around and tossing a dust, he has been hiding in his hand, directly in the flame causing gold sparks to fly around the glass - seriously it looked like gold fireworks in and around the glass. We figured out later that the "dust" was cinnamon. When the fireworks were over he poured coffee in the glass then sugar and cream and ta da the show was over - and the coffee was yummy! Although you do have to wait for the glass to cool down so you can hold it long enough to take a sip. You can eat one of their yummy desserts while you wait.

I'm telling you this was a fun end to a wonderful date. If you like coffee you should go check it out, impress someone you love, spice up a girls night, or if you don't like coffee invite someone who does so you can watch the show. I'm not sure why I am so excited about this, I think b/c someone did something with food that was cool and out of the ordinary.
Check it out.

2 Wonderful Years

Happy Anniversary!

In just 2 years we have....
gotten married

Gone on a fabulous honeymoon

Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and back up




And added a 3rd member to our little family

We've experienced a lot more and shared laughter and tears. I love our little family and couldn't think of a better man to share life with. You are a wonderful husband.

I love you!

10 Weeks

Terry Cloth

I just have to share with you Baby K's favorite things.
Mommy & Daddy
Smiling, smiling and smiling!!!
If you really want to see this kid come alive, get her ready for bath time. She loves loves LOVES being naked and then wrapped in a terry cloth towel.
Oh, she'll smile if wrapped in one of those hooded Carter brand towels but she has two homemade hooded towel made from big terry cloth towels and they are so much more fluffy and evidently Baby K loves fluffy textures because I am telling you she laughs and coos and totally comes alive when she can be naked and wrapped up in her favorite towel.

I love bath time with my baby girl.

Get Up and Dance

Well, if you know me you KNOW that I LOVE my old school Paula Abdul workout video.
I'm telling you no amount of going to the YMCA has ever trimmed up my hips and butt like this fun dance video. Plus the cool down at the end of the tape has an awesome (put killer) ab workout.

I keep intending to hang out with Paula 45min 3times a week and since having the baby I have only made it half way through the tape one time. I always have good intentions but then the baby has needs or I would rather make a cake or take a nap. :) Not helping!

Today, I did it! Baby K is always happiest in the morning so after she had breakfast and a clean diaper I placed her in the bouncy seat in front of the TV facing me and she watched her mommy "Get UP and Dance." Now I am sure it was comical and maybe horrifying at times but she hung in there with me. I laid her on the floor next to me while I did the cool down and she actually fell asleep for 15min. which is a fabulous nap!

Now I have to figure out how to take a shower...but I am on my way to shedding this baby weight. Old pants, I miss you and I'm determined to get you back on as soon as I shrink this bottom.

So Brave

Baby K had her 2 month dr. appt today. She did wonderful, shots and all.
Stats
weight: 11 lbs 56 percentile
height: 23" 76%
head circumference 14.5" 8% (little head - oh well, it is growing)

She screamed when she got her first shot, then she had 2 more and I was able to pick her up, she stopped crying as soon as I picked her up and has been happy ever since so I guess she was not too traumatized. :)
Mommy did not shed a tear - we were both really brave!

Surfing...

Time for Tummy Time
Baby K has always been good at holding her head up ever since the 1st week we were home from the hospital. So we have been working on tummy time, although she isn't too sure what she thinks about it. After about 5-10 min on her tummy I roll her over and she chill's on her surf board lying on her back.

Happy Halloween

These are some pictures my sister took on Halloween. We took a road trip to Pittsburg, saw friends and family and a PSU Football game. It was great to see everyone, wish we had more time.

NO!

I wish these girls were all standing up so you could really get a good idea of what we had in front of us as we watched the PSU football game yesterday. I honestly thought it was some kind of nod to Halloween until the other spectators around us assured me that no, they actually wear these outfits on a regular basis. Oh my! What a shame. These poor girls! The outfit was not flattering on one single dancer - not one! They looked horrible and inappropriate and several of them looked like they were going to fall out of their outfit one way or another. It was a relief at half time when they changed spots with the cheerleaders and went to the opposite side of the stadium. I really really really wanted to ask where their coach was and have a talk with her.
If by some crazy chance there is a crimson & gold dancer reading this - Honey, I am SO sorry someone makes you wear this red sparkle nightmare and I won't even comment on the boots.

Fast Fixin' Chocolate Cake

Today is my husband's birthday and he loves rich chocolate cake.
When I was a kid my mom found this chocolate cake recipe and it has been a family favorite ever since.

1 devil's food cake mix
1/4 cup oil
2 eggs
1 1/4 cup milk
1 (3.9oz) chocolate pudding mix
1 cup chocolate chips
1 Tb flour (optional)
Powdered sugar to dust the top of the finished cooled cake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare cake pan(s) you can use one 9x13" pan or two 8" round pans or two 9" round pans. Grease whatever pan(s) you plan to use. You will have about 4 1/2 cups of cake batter so if you need to divide it into two pans then you can put about 2 1/4 cups of batter in each pan.

Ok - mix together the cake mix, oil, eggs, milk and pudding mix.
In a separate bowl toss the chocolate chips with the flour just to coat the chips - this will help them to stay spread out through out the cake and not sink to the bottom while baking. After the chips are dusted with flour add them to the batter and stir just until they are mixed in.

Pour batter in cake pan(s) and bake.
350 degrees for 30-45 min until cake is just pulling away from the sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

when cake is completely cooled sift powdered sugar over the top of the cake and serve.

Today since it was A's birthday I decided to try my hand at homemade Chocolate Buttercream frosting - YUMMY!
Here is the recipe I used
http://www.recipezaar.com/89207

I used the max amount of cocoa and I added some chocolate fudge ice cream topping we had in the fridge maybe 1/4 cup. SO AMAZING!!

I surprised A and brought the cake to his work, he didn't even know I was making a cake. Lots of people he works with came down to the lobby to have cake and to see the baby.

A said this is the best chocolate cake I have ever made - I think he has had a happy birthday so far.

BOO!

This isn't her halloween costume but I thought we would start getting in the spirit a few days early - BOO!
Of course I put a white shirt on my kid today and she had 2 diaper blowouts!
Now, she is in pink and hopefully she will keep the yuckies to a minimum tonight.
Maybe the ghost on her shirt scared the crap out of her - HA!
Ok - bad joke mom!

Happy Girl!

Baby K is full of smiles these days and is finding her "voice" learning to coo and aww. It is pretty much the cutest thing ever!

Mexican Chicken Soup

Today was a rainy fall day and I made some soup. I really like this soup and thought I would share the recipe with you. Didn't take pictures, sorry. This soup is pretty mild, I don't find it spicy at all but you can cut back on the green chilies if you are worried about spicy foods.

3 1/2 cups Chicken Broth
1 1/2 lbs cooked & shredded Chicken (TIME SAVER: Buy an already cooked rotisserie chicken - about 2 - 2 1/2 cups of shredded chicken should be about right)
1/2c onion, chopped
1/2tsp cumin
1 clove garlic, minced
1Tb olive oil
1 (14.5oz)can of diced tomatoes
1 (8oz)can tomato sauce
1 (4oz)can green chilies
1/4c fresh cilantro
1tsp oregano (1TB if you use fresh not dried)
serve with shredded cheese

In a large saucepan warm the 1Tb OLIVE OIL. Cook the ONION, CUMIN, & GARLIC in the oil until the onion is tender. Now add the CHICKEN BROTH, undrained DICED TOMATOES, TOMATO SAUCE, GREEN CHILIES, CILANTRO, & OREGANO. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 20min. Stir in SHREDDED CHICKEN

I serve with a little shredded cheese on each serving.
Also I love to make Cheese Quesadillas to serve with this soup.
Kind of a tex-mex twist on grill cheese sandwiches & tomato soup - in my opinion it's better b/c I don't like tomato soup (I know..that is so sad, I wish I liked it)

ENJOY!

Chocolate Covered Caramel Apples!!

I love Fall! I love Fall Food! I love making these yummy apples and giving them to friends and neighbors and of course we keep one for ourselves to eat. They are huge and have to be cut into wedges to eat them.
I will share with you how to make these but know they take time but are very rewarding. Also I have embedded a slide show of some of the process although I kept forgetting to take pictures as I went so some steps are missing. But hey, getting some pics is pretty amazing since I was making these while home alone with a 5 week old baby.

I just finished typing the directions and forgot how many steps there are - this is a little crazy. I've been doing it so long I just cruise right through it but some of you may think I am NUTS after you read this.

You will need:
Bamboo skewers
Apples: Granny Smith or HoneyCrip or Jonnygold (a tart apple) -look for ones that are nice and round, sit up straight and have no bruises
Caramels
Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips
Crisco (the white kind NOT the Butter Flavor Yellow kind!)
Favorite Candy (mini M&M's, butterfinger, heath toffee, oreos, etc.)
White Chocolate Chips (or Almond Bark white melting chocolate)

How To:
Wash apples (duh) then put skewer in apple then I use scissors to score the bamboo about halfway down then I break it (otherwise it is way too long or tall)
Then I melt Caramels and add 1-2 tablespoons of cream or milk, whatever you have on hand is fine. Remember to melt slow - 30 sec in microwave, stir, 30 sec, stir, etc. until caramel is nicely melted.
Ok. - dip your apples
I put a cake pan in the fridge lined with wax paper that I have sprayed with spray cooking oil
place caramel apple in fridge to set up caramel.

If you are using mini M&M's then press them on the caramel apple as soon as the apple is cool to the touch. If you want to use another candy then beat the candy into small pieces and press on caramel apple. Put apples in fridge while you melt the chocolate.

While apples are in fridge, In a medium bowl melt your semi sweet chocolate chips & 1/2 -1 Tb crisco (I use the microwave to melt it, same way as before 30 sec, stir, 30 sec, stir, etc. the crisco makes the chocolate shinny and pretty)

In a small bowl melt about 1/2 cup of white chocolate and 1/2 teaspoon of crisco. BE CAREFUL - white chocolate easily overcooks - you'll know it when it balls up on you instead of being smooth and creamy. After the white chocolate is melted let it cool down some and pour into a ziplock sandwich bag (if it is too hot it will melt the bag) you will cut a small hole in one corner of the bag.

Dip your caramel & candy coated apple #1 in the semi-sweet chocolate and place in fridge.
Dip apple #2 in chocolate and place in fridge.
Take Apple #1 back out of fridge and drizzle with white chocolate
Dip apple #3 in chocolate, place in fridge
Take #2 out and drizzle with white chocolate
etc.

Good Luck!
Recently I have just been making them with mini M&M's but my absolute FAVORITE is to smear creamy peanutbutter on the caramel apple and then cover with tiny pieces of oreo cookies and then cover in the chocolate - crazy bad for you but crazy YUMMY!

Accessories - A MUST to finish any outfit

Seriously isn't she the cutest! I went to visit a friend who makes hair bows and headbands for little girls. She makes all different sizes. The bows are interchangeable on the headband and later can be worn just as a hair bow. I just laid some clothing on top of Baby K so she didn't have to put up with me dressing and undressing her several times today just so I could show of her new bows. I love accessorizing my little bald princess! :)
Check out sugarplumboutique blog if you want to see more cute bows or order some of your own.
If you live near Wichita I want to have a bow party probably in January. Sweet treats & cute bows are in store!! Let me know if you want an invite.
ok...now to unloading the dishwasher and starting dinner...what I really should have been doing this whole time.

Today

Rainy Day...

It is a rainy & cool day around these parts today. So Baby K and I are staying cozy in our PJ's and Mommy is enjoying the next best thing to a Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte... coffee made with love by my husband and some $1.50 CoffeeMate Pumpkin Spice creamer....pretty yummy if I do say so myself. In the entry previous to this one you can see a slide show of Baby K in her PJ's. She is smiling now even when it's not gas! So cute. No pictures of mommy in her PJ's because mommy isn't as cute. :)

PJ Day

the answer is Yes

For those of you who had questions about my previous post...
Yes, it tastes just fine defrosted. We have frozen deli meat before - and we don't like leftovers so if we think it tastes fine my guess is you will agree. :)
Yes, Walmart or any grocery store should shave the meat for free. Although, Sams is the only place I've found a fully cooked turkey breast. But all grocery stores have fully cooked ham.
Happy Savings and happy lunches!

Savings!$!$!$! And a LOT of turkey!

Seriously, we buy a pound of deli turkey every week. My hubby doesn't care for ham so we buy turkey - currently at the grocery store and Walmart smoked deli turkey is $6.99/lb - crazy!
My friend Steph shared with me a while back about how she buys a ham or turkey that is already cooked and asks the deli to slice it for her - much cheaper. If your family will eat ham, you can get it around the holidays for 99cents a pound!
Anyway, yesterday I was at Sams and saw they had JenniO mesquite smoked turkey fully cooked for $3.28/lb! So I picked up a 9.62 lb turkey, rang the meat department bell and asked them to shave it for me - they did - no extra charge!
I found that one pound of turkey will fit in a ziplock sandwich bag so I divided it up and put it in the freezer. Now for more than 9 weeks I do not have to stand in line at the deli, I do not have to spend twice as much on the turkey, I can just go to the freezer and pull out a bag.

Ahhhhh.....it feels good to save money!
Thanks Steph for the FABULOUS idea!

Funny Pics

I took these pictures the other day while Baby K was chillin' in the chair. She was making funny faces and I was cracking up! What a sweetie.
She is 4 weeks old in these pictures.

I want to make these...

Strawberries cored and filled with cheesecake then dipped in chocolate - I must eat one soon! hee hee

Found this recipe on my beloved Foodgawker website.

http://tamiskitchentabletalk.blogspot.com/2008/09/cheesecake-filled-chocolate-covered.html

Unrelated info to this food post...
Baby K goes to the dr. for her 1month appt. I can't believe my baby is 4 weeks old. WOW!
Also, soda pop is now a no go for me. I don't drink it often but the last 2 times I've had it have been Baby K's worst days. The kid's tummy can't handle the stuff, I'm pretty sure.
Dang it! Even though I don't drink pop much, now that I need to avoid it I want it more than ever. :)

Exhausted Mother Saved by Exhaust Fan

My sweet baby is very unpredictable these days. One day she is a perfect angel and another day I think she will never stop screaming and eating.

For example on Tuesday I met up with some old friends for coffee at 10am we sat and enjoyed great conversation and coffee (decaf for me of course) and when we finally decided to check the time it was 1:45! My baby was just hanging out in her car seat sleeping and she ate once but was so quiet. Then we all went to a very late lunch and stayed there until 4 then I went to the grocery store - Baby K was perfect.

Two days later I went to the mall to find a dress for an upcoming event Baby K was having a great morning so I thought we would be fine. Turns out she hated the outing. She screamed pretty much the whole time we were in the mall. Even though I fed her in the parking lot before going in (hoping she would be full and asleep for my shopping) we ended up in the dressing room for more than 30 min. feeding her and then ended up leaving b/c the crying would not stop.

Yesterday evening she was the crying machine again. I think she may have had an upset stomach. Neither my husband or I could get her to relax and go to sleep. She really had not taken more than a 15 min. nap here or there during the day so I knew she was very tired.

A friend of mine had told me that when her son was crying a lot that they would swaddle him up, go to a dark room and turn on white noise and he would settle down.

We don't have a noise maker so I swaddled her up, went to the bathroom with the lights turned off and turned on the exhaust fan and in less than 30 seconds she was silent. I just stood there in the dark swaying back and forth and she was sound asleep in just a few min. We put an air purifier in our room that makes a similar noise and turned out the lights and she slept for 6 hours!! This morning she was not going down for a nap so we went to the bathroom again - works like a charm. I love that exhaust fan!

Maybe I will move her bassinet to the bathroom until I am able to go out and buy a noise maker. ha ha

Here is a picture of baby K learning to pose like a model. :)

Here is a picture of dad asleep with baby and the dog. (we had to touch up some spots on the back wall so the paint is a little crazy in the background)

K-State Fan...

Let the brainwashing begin...mommy is going to turn this little one into a K-State fan if she can.

She seems amused, doesn't she?

Daddy thinks the bow is a little over the top - mommy thinks it is cute and keeps strangers from thinking I'm a boy - Baby K doesn't mind the bow unless she hits it with her hand and it ends up over her eye like a pirate eye patch.

Mommy hopes K-State defense and coaching improve so it is easier to hold your head up high while supporting the Cats - these non conference games are making me nervous - what is up? I totally think they have the talent so why isn't it showing up on the field? hmmm...

Go State!

New Pictures

Photo Slide Show (click here)
Ok, well here is a link to a slide show of some pictures we had taken today. I just wanted to have a few pictures to capture how tiny our little girl is right now.
Baby K continues to be a joy and such a sweetheart.
How do I post a Picasa slide show in my blog? I can't figure it out....hmmmm....

A Fall Day...

It is a crisp fall day today. 58 degrees, a big blue sky with hardly any clouds - after days of rain.

The crisp air and sunny skies make me want:
A Pumpkin Spice Latte
A hayride in a pumpkin patch
A K-State home football game
White Chili & Cinnamon Rolls

I will settle for the latte and a nap and maybe a short walk around the block - oh and wearing a Kstate sweatshirt dreaming of a game day. :)

Our First Week

Here is a link for a slide show of some highlights of Baby K's first week.
http://www.members.cox.net/heather_jane/First_Week/

Some words from Baby K:
These new parents of mine are crazy about me & I am loving it!

Why Dad is great: He is the BEST at swaddling me! I love being swaddled as long as I can have at least one hand by my face - I love my hands! Yesterday mom and dad caught me interlocking my fingers and it looked like I was praying.
Dad is also an expert diaper changer now, I was the first baby he ever changed a diaper for.
I love to snuggle on Dad's chest, he gives me lots of kisses and tells me I'm beautiful.

Why Mom is great: She feeds me and I LOVE to eat! She rocks me and talks to me and we have nice late night and early morning chats when the house is quiet and it's just us. We love to cuddle and she also gives me lots of kisses and tells me I'm beautiful.

Some words from Mom:
Baby K is Great, Fabulous, Amazing! She is such a good baby. She cries when she has a need but then quiets as soon as her need is met - food, diaper change, to be swaddled, to be cuddled - that's it. Only a couple of times have we heard her be really upset or angry. She sleeps through the night and has since birth (although until she gains a little weight I do wake her in the night to eat, which she is always happy to do), she loves to just cuddle and stare at us. She has the most attentive eyes. She is making this new parent thing seem like a breeze and very low stress. I know she has lots of surprises and challenges in store of us but this week has been a dream and we are ready to love her through any challenge.

Pictures of Baby K

Baby K was born Saturday September 6th, 2008 at 2:34pm.

She weighed 7lbs 2oz and was 19 inches long.

Her heart rate started doing some funny things as my labor progressed so the doctors decided it was best to go ahead and do a c-section. This was a little scary because things went from going really great and "normal" or "typical" for labor and in less than 5 min. her heart rate started dropping and then coming back up and then dropping really low when I would have a strong contraction or when the doctors would touch the baby. I still had a few hours to go before delivery and the doctors felt the baby was under too much stress. For those of you who don't know her heart rate should have stayed in the 120-140 range give or take but during contractions she began to drop as low as into the 50's and 60's and once dropped into the high 40's! At this point I was like - get this baby out of me and make sure she is ok!! I didn't say that but I was thinking it when the dr. came over and told me they were going to go ahead with a c-section. I was so thankful they did.

After she was born she cried out like all healthy babies do, they checked her out and cleaned her up and her Apgar Scores were 8, 9 and 9 which is awesome! She has shown no signs of health concerns at all! Praise the Lord! The doctors are a little stumped as to what happened but think because she was over due the placenta may have been too old to support her when things got intense. It's a mystery I guess, but we are thankful for a healthy beautiful baby!!

My recovery is going pretty well - especially because I have been able to get a lot of sleep. Baby K is an amazing sleeper and eater! If she sleeps through the night this will be her 7th night in a row...she is 7 days old...Thank you Jesus!!! I do have to wake her up if it has been 4 hours since she last ate, but the dr. is checking her weight on Monday and if her weight is up then he said to stop waking her in the night and let her sleep until she wakes up wanting to be fed.

Here are some pictures of our sweet angel!

Here is one last look of Baby K in my tummy. :)



She's Here!

We are Loving every minute of it!!

The Big Day...

Tomorrow morning, Saturday September 6th, 2008 at 6:00am my husband and I will report to the hospital and I will be induced. 40 weeks and 3 days into pregnancy and I am SO ready to meet our little princess! Above is a 3D sono pic that was taken at 29 weeks. She has her daddy's lips I think. Pay no attention to the fact that the 3d sono makes her arm look a little weird (that happens when they snap the photo and baby is moving) also, pay no attention to the fact that her face is smashed up against my uterine wall (TMI?).

I have been dreaming of what she will look like, what she will be like and what Labor will be like (with drugs of course, hee hee). My husband is excited too and nervous about the unknown - I am excited to see him hold his daughter and cuddle with her and protect her and love her - he is going to be an amazing dad! I am so excited I'm not really sure how I will sleep tonight. I am trying to rest and relax and praying that God will take over my racing thoughts of excitement and make me sleep.

Tonight we went out to dinner at the same restaurant we went on our 1st date, the same place we went to eat the day after our wedding, and again for the 1st anniversary of our 1st date. My husband suggested we go eat their tonight. It's kind of our special place I guess. Lots of good memories surround eating a meal there. Then we went to get Marble Slap ice cream - yummy!

I can't wait to share with you photos of our little angel, our gift from God, in just a few short days. How exciting!

Simple, Small & Scrumptious!

Honestly, I have not tried this recipe yet. However, here is what I love about it...making dinner for two is a bit of a chore especially if you're like us and aren't fans of leftovers. I have figured out how to cook for just the two of us over the past 2 years and I enjoy the challenge. We LOVE dessert but we also do our best to eat fairly healthy and unfortunately it is rare to make dessert that will only serve two people and dessert is one thing we will eat leftover! So foodgawker.com added this recipe today. It only makes apple pie servings for 2! And the ingreds are simple and I am sure delish! I wish I had an apple so we could try this tonight.
The other thing I love about this recipe is you could easily make it for 4 or 6 or 8 or however many servings as long as you have the ramekins. What a cute little easy dessert that will impress anyone from small kids to even the most talented of cooks. Try it!

Makes two mini apple pies.
Ingredients:
1 Granny smith apple, peeled and cut into chunks
1 tbsp. corn starch
½ tsp. cinnamon
¼ cup sugar
1 store-bought pie crust, room temperature
2 tbsp. butter, cut into slices
Directions:
Combine corn starch, cinnamon and sugar in a medium bowl. Toss in apples and stir to coat. Take store-bought pie crust and place empty ramekins on top. Trace around ramekins with a knife, cutting out large rounds of dough. The dough will shrink as it bakes so make sure your circles are larger than the ramekin diameter.
Divide apples evenly into ramekins. Dot with butter, then cover with dough, crimping around the edge.
Place ramekins or bowls on a foil- or parchment paper-lined cookie sheet and bake at 400° for 30 minutes.

I think another great idea would be to make a crumb topping rather than use pie crust - some brown sugar, cinnamon, a little flour and some butter - when done cooking add some pecan pieces and a little caramel ice cream topping - that would be really yummy but require a little more work.

Happy Baking,
Correnta

Coffee Ice Cream Results...

I made the coffee ice cream - actually we should call it coffee custard. AMAZING!!!
The recipe is in my previous post and if you love coffee and you love ice cream and you're looking for something to do - MAKE IT! This isn't your typical coffee ice cream that really tastes like ice cream w/ a hint of coffee flavor - no this is frozen creamy coffee goodness!

It only makes a quart (which is 4 cups) but it is rich rich rich and if you can eat a whole cup you have a stomach for rich things that I could only dream of matching.

In the future I plan to follow the recipe as directed below - however when I add the custard mixture to the ice cream freezer I am going to add 1 cup of whole Milk to the mix. This should actually make it a little less rich. This stuff is thick, it is definitely frozen custard and not ice cream.
Oh, and 1/2 cup of heath bars didn't seem to be enough if you ask me - I used about 3/4-1cup of crushed heath bar - YUMMY YUMMY!

I'm not a photographer and I couldn't get the light right so the camera wouldn't focus correctly, please excuse my very amateur photograph - but you get the idea.

Sweet Treat...

I am bored just sitting around waiting for this baby to come. Baby is due Thursday - I'll be induced if she doesn't make her appearance by next Saturday morning - this waiting is about to make me batty.
Anyway, what's a girl to do while she waits....hmmmmm....Make Ice Cream! :)

I found a recipe today for Coffee Ice Cream (actually a custard based ice cream) a blogger I found had revised a recipe she found in a book and I have revised her recipe so who knows how much of this is other people's recipe and how much is mine. I'll give a shout out to the original author. I plan to take a picture of my finished product but that will have to wait until tomorrow. The custard/ice cream base is all mixed up and chilling in the fridge. Tomorrow, Adam and I will freeze it (hopefully right after church b/c I am really excited about it!) and then I will take a picture and give you a review.
Ben and Jerry's Coffee Heath Toffee Crunch is my favorite ice cream so the bar is set high for this experiment.

Coffee Ice Cream
from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz - revised by Correnta
3 cups heavy cream, divided
3/4 cup sugar
1 3/4 cups coffee beans (whole)-I used Starbucks Espresso Roast b/c the beans are strong and sweet.
pinch of salt
5 egg yolks
1/4 tsp vanilla
Brown food coloring paste - I just threw this in b/c I wanted it to have more color, I am ALL about aesthetically pleasing food.
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate, chopped (optional) - I think I'm going to use crushed Heath Bar
Instructions
1) In a saucepan over medium heat, warm 2 cups cream, sugar, beans, and salt until steamy, but not boiling. Cover with a lid, remove from heat and steep for 1 hour at room temperature.
2) Reheat the milk mixture over medium heat until hot and steamy (but not boiling).
3) In another bowl, whisk the egg yolks and slowly pour the heated milk mixture with the beans into the yolks while constantly whisking to avoid cooking the eggs. Pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan.
4) Set the saucepan over medium heat and stir constantly, scraping the bottom and corners of the pot, until the mixture reaches nappe stage and coats the back of a spoon (about 8-10 minutes).
5) Pour the remaining cup of cream into a medium bowl, place med. bowl over a larger bowl that has ice in it. Set a strainer over the medium bowl.
6) Pour the custard through the sieve and stir it into the cream, pressing the coffee beans to squeeze out as much liquid as you can. Discard the beans.
7)Mix in the vanilla and stir until cool. Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator then freeze according to your ice cream maker’s instructions. Stir in the chocolate and set in freezer to freeze.

I'll let you know how it turns out. I can't wait!!

Sweet Websites!

Ok - so my Pioneer Woman obsession has turned me on to two other sites I am now offically stalking. :)

There are some great ideas and beautiful food pictures on these sites. I hate cookbooks with no pictures so these user friendly - phototastic (I made that word up) websites are right up my ally. I can't wait for you to check them out...
Food Gawker
Picky Palate
Enjoy finding some really yummy dishes. The Picky Palate is a blog written by a mom who has picky eaters - her recipes seem to have reasonable ingreds - nothing hard to find and not too many ingreds in a recipe. She has some great ideas.

The food gawker is actually made up of many contributors so you just click on a picture of something that looks good to you and it takes you to that person's blog or website for the recipe.
At the very bottom of the FG home page there is an index that you can use to find recipes in a more orderly fashion (ie desserts, beef, chicken, breakfast, etc.).

Happy Cooking!
Heather

Craig's List Success...

I have been stalking Craig's List and garage sales looking for a few baby items I think would be nice to have but are not "needs" and I can't justify spending full cost on them or registering for them and having someone else pay that much either...

I found our changing table on Craig's list (a garage sale listing), painted it and made it just right for the baby's room.

I have been looking for a simple rocking chair that won't take up much room but would give me a place to sit and nurse the baby if I don't want to be out in the living room. Still hunting for this because either the chair isn't right or the price isn't right...Adam's dad is keeping his eye out at auctions too - it will come I'm sure.

Finally I have been looking for an exersaucer - those things are expensive and they take up a lot of room. I have been thinking I would just wait until Kaiya is age appropriate for one and then look, but I've kept my eye out for a good deal just in case. I have seen them at garage sales but they have been missing toys and have been pretty dirty and I just can't bring myself to pay $20 for something that needs a lot of clean up - assuming it can be cleaned up - ya know?

So on Craig's list this week was an exersaucer for $25 - the pictures made it look new. I looked it up on the internet and it runs for about $100. I went over to the lady's house to check it out yesterday. She says both her kids used it - she must have the cleanest kids in the WHOLE world because it looks like she just took it out of the box! Not kidding. So I decided I would go ahead and buy it. I had hoped to get one for $15-20 so I ended up spending more than I wanted but the thing is so clean - I couldn't have asked for a nicer one. I figure we can use it, others can borrow it and some day I can sell it on Craig's list. :)
Here's a picture of it - It's folded down and ready for storage.

Something Sweet

So I realized a few days ago that The Sweet Spot has not had a sweet recipe since I posted the chocolate chip peanut butter oatmeal cookies...
That's just wrong! :)
I can't remember where I got this recipe but I tried it tonight and it's yummy and quick!

Rocky Road Popcorn
1 (3.5-ounce) package natural microwave popcorn (not the buttered kind)
1 cup chocolate chips
2 cups mini marshmallows
1 cup salted peanuts, optional
Pop the popcorn according to package instructions. While it's still hot, carefully open and dump into a large bowl. Add the chips and marshmallows. Return popcorn to the microwave. Cook on high until the chips and marshmallows get gooey, about 1 minute. Add the peanuts, if desired, and toss with a spoon until all the popcorn is coated. Cool until chocolate hardens, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a sealed container and tuck in a lunch box.

After the popcorn was coated I poured it out on a cookie sheet I had covered w/ wax paper (so I don't have to wash it) I thought this would help it cool faster and allowed me to go ahead and wash my bowl.

As for my cooking & freezing. I made the Chicken Spaghetti tonight. It's pretty good. Making the recipe whole I split it into one 9x9 pan and one 8x8 pan. The 9x9 I am freezing the other I popped in the oven for dinner tonight. Suggestions: more green pepper - like double. and more chicken - maybe 3 cups instead of 2 cups. use low fat cream of mushroom and low fat cream of chicken, it was still yummy and I can't imagine how rich it would have been if I had not used low fat. Also I used low sodium chicken broth. Serve with something light - raw veggies or salad or fresh fruit.

Enjoy!

I'm Freezing This..

As I venture my way through the Pioneer Woman's Website, I get REALLY REALLY Hungry!!!

This week I am going to make and freeze the Chicken Spaghetti for us to heat up and eat after baby gets here.

Since it's just me and Adam I think 1 recipe split into 2 8x8 or 9x9 pans should work nicely. One we can eat this week, the other pan we can freeze for later this month.

I also want to make the olive cheese bread and freeze some of it too.

Yummy yummy!!

I really need some distractions from thinking about when this baby is going to make her entrance into the world - it could be any day now - my curiosity will drive me crazy if I don't keep busy.

You Gotta Make This...YUM!

Ok so 3 posts in 1 day is pretty ridiculous - oh well, what can I say - I have a lot to share today. :)

My new addiction - The Pioneer Woman - led me to this great potato recipe that we ate tonight along with the BBQ Texas Beef Brisket that I finally cooked. These 2 dishes plus some leftover Mac N Cheese and a fresh peach I cut up made for a wonderful dinner tonight.

All of this good food and really I just keep thinking about having the potatoes again - like more than once a week - I LOVE THEM! And they are easy.

SO make the potatoes! Make the brisket too if you have the time - it wasn't tough at all, tender and juicy - it is spicy so be careful there if you don't like spicy make some simple adjustments and you'll be fine. I am SO glad my brisket is not going to waste. :)

Potato Recipe
BBQ Texas Beef Brisket

Enjoy!

Gift Giving...

I Love buying presents for people and for whatever reason I really like it when the gift can have some kind of theme to it.

Our niece is turning 8 on Saturday and I went to buy her birthday present today. I know she doesn't read my blog so I just HAVE to share what I got her...I'm pretty excited about it. I hope she is excited about it on Saturday.

My inspiration for her gift (other than it's for her) was earring because she recently had her ears pierced. She is very excited about having pierced ears. I thought I would get her some earrings but also one of those stands that has holes in it that you can put your earrings on so they can stay paired up and not get jumbled in a jewelry box. I found a simple - yet cute silver butterfly earring stand. I found 3 pairs of earrings: silver hearts, blue butterflies, and cute flower ones.

Then I went to buy her a card and found one with a cute butterfly on it. At the hallmark store they had little clothing outfits for webkin stuffed animals that our niece loves. I found a shirt and skirt outfit that was pink and purple with a butterfly on it that will look so cute on her webkin puppy - she is going to love it.

And then for the silliest part of all - I stopped by the candy store in the mall and they had gummy butterflies! They were too cute to pass up. I think she will love all these things. I don't think she is really into or not into butterflies but she loves earrings, she loves her webkins and she loves candy so I think I pretty much hit the jackpot!

Here is a picture of the gummy candies I bought. I really hope she shares one with me...they look so yummy and they are big - like almost 2 inches wide.