2 Months Old Already

Good news! Gabby finally likes the camera! It's hard to believe that it's already been 2 months since Gabby was born! Where oh where does the time go? I've been enjoying my snuggle time with this sweet little girl as I know this time doesn't last long. I've also been teaching her how to Zumba in our spare time.

She's pretty good at it and loves to coo along the way. Have you ever done Zumba? It's one of my new favorite ways to work out. I tried it a couple years ago and didn't like it. I tried it again last week and loooooved it! (Just like every other class, the instructor makes a HUGE difference).

In case you're wondering, our mornings still move pretty slow around here. We're lucky if we get moving before 9am. :) Here's a quick peek at how the boys stay occupied while I get Gabby & I ready.



These boys have been so awesome and patient as we transition to a family of five. And they are the best of buds. Giggling, laughing and wrestling throughout the house all day long. I love it and it makes me smile.

A couple of my biggest challenges have been grocery shopping and meals. My new work schedule is from 3-6pm during the week (I work part-time for a community college and have an after school helper). I really have to plan ahead for meals and try to get them cooking before my helper arrives... otherwise we eat a lot of pizza and corn dogs. Which, is okay for now. I have to cut myself slack as I know things will get better. But, I have found some great meals that I really love lately. I thought I'd share them with you.

Buffalo Chicken Tacos via Jamie Cooks it Up!
Though this one doesn't cook while I'm working, it's super easy to whip up.  For the kids, I leave out the buffalo sauce. Also, she taught me one of my new favorite tricks... buy a cooked chicken to use in meals. I'm terrible at remembering to thaw meat. A $5 chicken usually gets us two meals around this house.

Coconut-Macadamia Crusted Shrimp via Our Best Bites
We are trying to eat out less as it's pure craziness when we leave the house these days, but I still like a special treat on the weekends.  This was a lot of fun to make, as well as delicious and easy. I made the sauce, but really don't think it's necessary. There was a lot of waste with the sauce and I don't think it added that much to the dinner.

Shake n' Bake
I've again fallen in love with shake n' bake. It's easy and the kids gobble it up! Also, have you seen the new shake n' bakes in the cheese aisle by Kraft? They are a nice spin on the boxed versions.

Notice I don't have any crockpot recipes listed. All the ones I have tried haven't been that great. If you have any tried and true recipes (or recipe blogs that you love), please share! I get really sick of the same recipes over and over and have noticed that I love being in the kitchen since we don't get out of the house much these days.  Love to you all and hope you're well!

xo

Cook It Up

I'm almost ready for the weekend, which is great because the weekend is almost here!  Here's area few recipes I'd like to try this weekend.



Zucchini and Ricotta Galette



Strawberry Jam



Monkey Bread

Cooking Green

Still trying to decide what you'll be cooking tomorrow in honor of St. Patrick's Day?  Here's a few ideas to get you started!



Mini Mint Cheesecakes



Roasted Pear Salad



Pistachio Cupcakes



Chocolate Baked Donuts

Recipe Roundup

Squash and Goat cheese Wonton Ravioli.  (I've used wonton wrappers before to make cheese and jalapeno poppers that turned out delicious.  Instead of boiling them, I added one 1/2" cube of cheddar cheese and one jalapeno slice and fried in oil.  They were fabulous!)



Cinnamon Spice Pumpkin Pumpkin Bread. (I had some extra canned pumpkin from this fall so I made this and it turned out delicious!  I whipped the cream cheese filling so it made quite a bit, next time I'll try halving it.  I also added some cinnamon to the cream cheese....my husband said it was the best pumpkin bread he'd ever had!)



Nutella Cheesecake Squares. Don't these sound just melt in your mouth delicious!  They do to me!



Cinnamon Apple Pancakes. Sounds to me like a fabulous way to dress up plain pancakes!

Happy Cooking,

Winter Weather Yummies

Welcome to February!  I can't believe the weather though!  This weekend it was a balmy 70+ degrees and now with the wind chill it's less than 0 degrees...which for a Texan is COLD!  I found this recipe to warm me right up!  Usually I make Hot Cocoa from the little packages of mix, but this one is way better!  I did follow the suggestions of others and added a little less sugar.

You can find the recipe here: Creamy Hot Cocoa.

Stay warm and safe!

Recipe Roundup-Soups

January is a great month for soups!  Here’s a few of my favorites:



Tomato Basil Soup from Jenny Steffens Hobick.



Butternut Squash Soup from Habitually Hungry.



Roasted Red Pepper Soup from Good Life Eats.



Four Cheese Tortellini Soup from Apple Crumbs.

Do you have a favorite soup?

Easy Microwave Fudge

Need a quick and easy baking recipe for a last minute party or gift?  I promise this fudge will come out so delicious, and you only have to use one bowl in the microwave!  Making candy couldn't be easier!

Here's the recipe:

3 cups sugar

3/4 cup melted salted butter

5 oz. evaporated milk

12 oz. pkg. chocolate chips

1 -7 oz. jar marshmallow creme

1 tsp. vanilla

Combine sugar, butter, and milk in a 4 qt. microwavable bowl.  Cook on high 5 minutes, or until mixture begins to boil; stir after 3 minutes.  Mix well.  Microwave 4- 5 1/2 minutes; stir after 3 minutes.  Stir in chocolate chips until melted, being careful not to scrape the side of the bowl.  Add remaining ingredients and mix well.  Pour into greased 8" x 8" pan.  Don't scrape the sides, we don't want it to crystallize.  Let cool at room temperature and cut into squares.  Try really hard not to eat it all in one day!  Enjoy!

Baked Candy Roundup

I love spending time in the kitchen baking.  I could do it all day long if I was able too!  This is the perfect season for baking lots of little treats to giveaway (and snack on a few too).  Here are some of my favorite treats to bake:

Peppermint Meringues.

Chocolate Peppermint Bark.

Homemade Taffy.

Homemade Peppermint Patty.

Pie Roundup

Still trying to decide what pies to make for Thanksgiving tomorrow?  (Or maybe I'm the only one!)  Here are a few I'd love to try:



Cranberry Blueberry Pie



Caramel Apple Pie



RazzleDazzle Berry Cheesecake

Thanksgiving: Vegetarian Style

A few months ago I told my husband I would try being a vegetarian with him for 6 months.  (He's been a vegetarian for about 3 years.)  That 6 months started in August, and goes until the end of January.  That means that this includes having a vegetarian Thanksgiving.  (Before he didn't mind just eating the things not containing meat, so I'd have some turkey and gravy and he'd just have everything else.)  And since I really dislike tofu or the thought of a tofu shaped like a turkey this leaves me in a bit of a pickle!  How do I have a traditional Thanksgiving meal without turkey?  I've come up with a few options for our meal this year:



Crispy Phyllo Spinach Tartlets



Mushroom Rice Pilaf (Switching out the chicken broth for vegetable broth.)



Dinner Rolls

Cranberry Sauce (I just make the one on the back of the bag of cranberries) and topped off with a few pies.

Do you have any favorite non-meaty dishes to share?

I {heart} Fall

Fall is one of my favorite times of the year.  Time spent with family and time spent in the kitchen cooking up delicious, spiced foods!  Here are a few recipes I'd like to try out:



Vanilla Spiced Pear Butter from Good Life Eats



Mexican Hot Chocolate Bark from The Moonlight Baker



Inside Out Apple Pie from Tiny Urban Kitchen



Pumpkin Custard, also from Good Life Eats

Have a fantastic Halloween weekend and we'll see you in November!

Cooking with Pumpkin

I love this time of year!  Pumpkins and squash are everywhere!  Here are a few of my favorite pumpkin recipes:



Crock Pot Pumpkin Butter from Baked Bree



Baked Pumpkin Spice Donut Holes from The Craving Chronicles



Pumpkin Pancakes with Cinnamon Butter from Raspberri Cupcakes



Pumpkin Soup with Thai Red Curry from Drizzle and Dip

Recipe: Ranch Chipotle Pasta Salad

This weekend I made one of our favorite pasta salads, Ranch Chipotle Pasta Salad.  It's super simple to put together, makes a whole bunch, is delicious as a leftover, and never survives any picnic I take it to!  In short, it's fabulous!



Ranch Chipotle Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

1 box rotini pasta (cooked and rinsed in cold water)

3/4 cup sour cream (I use the light kind.)

3/4 cup mayonnaise (I use light kind here too.)

3/4 cup milk (any type works fine, usually I just use 1%)

1 package ranch dressing mix (not the dip mix)

1 1/2 tsp. chipotle chili powder

1 cup frozen corn

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 bunch cilantro, chopped

1 small can sliced olives

Tomato and Avocado if desired



Mix sour cream, milk, mayonnaise, ranch dressing mix and chili powder in a large bowl to make the sauce.



Add the corn, black beans, cilantro and olives.  Mix thoroughly.  Add in cooked pasta and top with tomato and avocado!  Enjoy!