Everything's better...with cheddar!

2 Corinthians 5:15 "And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again." What a humbling realization that we are not placed on this earth to live for ourselves, but for the Lord Jesus Christ. It can be so easy to get wrapped up in our own little worlds, solely focusing on what I want, I need, I deserve. But we were not created to glorify ourselves, we were created to be a living testament to the holy Father, glorifying Him in everything. Let us keep this mindset throughout today and strive to live for the most holy and awesome God!!

This weekend we traveled to Fort Worth to celebrate my sweet sister-in-law's birthday. Although we felt we needed another weekend after Sunday to catch up, it was a great time celebrating with close family! I had the most amazing enchiladas Saturday night that still leave me drooling every time I think of them....avocado and artichoke enchiladas! Who knew those two delicious foods (two of my absolute faves) could be so good together but it's true!! It got me dish-inspired and wanting to put avocado and artichokes together in everything! Excuse me while I mop of my keyboard....it got a little bit o' drool...

We drove back super early in time for me to chill with my Wobblers (babies starting to walk/wobble) on Sunday morning. After our weekend of Mexican food and a post-church lunch at Chili's (oh skillet queso, why do you have to be so tempting??) we felt the need for a nice, light dinner Sunday night. And that could mean one thing....Chinese Chicken Noodle Salad! For a guy who doesn't care for green things, the fact that he liked it tells you a lot! I added the chicken to this dish I got from my wonderful mama to beef it up a bit (or I guess it'd be poultry it up a bit?) Anyhoo, it makes a lot so I was in heaven when it came to making my lunch for work on Monday...and Tuesday...

Chinese Chicken Noodle Salad

2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

1/2 head Chinese cabbage, chopped

2 c. fresh spinach, torn (I had a ton of lettuce already chopped at home so I used that)

1/2 c. green onion, chopped

2 Tbsp. olive oil

3 oz. Ramen noodles, broken

1/4 c. sesame seeds

1/2 c. almond slivers

Dressing:

1/4 c. olive oil

1/4 c. rice vinegar or white vinegar

1/4 c. sugar

2 Tbsp. soy sauce

1 Tbsp. sesame oil

1. Saute ramen noodles, sesame seeds, and almonds in olive oil until brown; drain.

**Sidenote: it says to break the Ramen noodles. I might have gotten a little carried away, or felt the need to release stress, but my Ramen noodles were smashed to smithereens. I suggest leaving little chunks instead of tiny noodles pieces.

2. Toss cabbage, spinach, and green onions. Add chicken.

3. Whisk together ingredients for dressing.

4. One hour before serving, add nuts, noodles, and dressing. Chill in refrigerator.

Enjoy!

This next recipe has become a permanent staple in my recipe book. Seriously. James and I scraped our plates completely clean and both agreed we could eat it again for dinner tomorrow! I found this recipe on Pinterest, originally from jamiecooksitup.blogspot.com. Thank you sis-in-law for getting me hooked on this enormous collection of the best ideas EVER!! I sense a serious addiction coming on. Crispy. Cheddar. Chicken. Obviously anything with cheese draws me in but I had no idea it would be this delicious!! And I actually had every ingredient needed to make it...no fancy things that require a trip to the store. The best part about it is the sauce. I almost didn't make it because I'm not a huge sauce/condiment person but O.M.G. the sauce is to die for! It would be amazing literally on anything. We were fantasizing about this creamy-dreamy sauce poured on top of a mountain of homemade mashed potatoes. See why we needed that gym membership? HA!

Crispy Cheddar Chicken

4 large chicken breasts

2 sleeves Ritz crackers 

(Ok, when I halved the recipe I thought an entire sleeve for 2 chicken breasts sounded like a lot. I used about half of 1 sleeve and still had some left over.)

1/4 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

1/2 cup milk

3 cups cheddar cheese, grated

1 tsp. dried parsley

Sauce:

1 can cream of chicken soup

2 Tbsp. sour cream

2 Tbsp. butter

1. Cut each chicken breast into 3 large chunks (I just did 2 because my chickens were smaller).

2. Grind up (or just use your hands to smash up) Ritz crackers.

3. Pour milk, cheese and cracker crumbs into 3 separate pans.

4. Dip each piece of chicken into milk, then cheese, then cracker crumbs.

(My toppings didn't stick to my chicken as well as the pics on the blog showed so I just kinda smooshed it on there then sprinkled some more on top once it was in the pan)

5. Spray a 9x13 pan with non-stick spray. Place chicken in pan and sprinkle with dried parsley.

6. Cover pan with foil and bake for 35 minutes at 400 degrees. Uncover and bake for an additional 10 minutes until edges are crispy.

7. In medium sauce pan, whisk together cream of chicken soup, sour cream, and butter. Stir over medium heat until hot. Serve with chicken (this is a must. I am telling you.)

SO DELISH!

We are most likely going to have it again this weekend.

Happy eating and Happy Halloween everybody!

Taste and See!

Psalm 34:8-10 "Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him. Fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear him lack nothing. The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing." We serve such a good God! There are some days when I am just astounded and amazed by His goodness. I mean, the very fact that we get another day on this earth is a testament to His goodness! And what a promise - that if we seek His face, we will lack no good thing. He so yearns to pour out blessings and every good thing on His children. All we have to do is turn to Him and open our hearts. And if there seems to be lions at your door or around every corner, don't worry! Because they, unlike us, will grow weak and hungry! Amen to that!

So I am so happy to say that I finally reached week 9 of Couch to 5K! I must say, I would have thought that Clarisse would show a little more enthusiasm. She was just "You've made some progress (said with a long O sound) over the last few weeks". Uhhh you think?? Of course, I only listened to her introduction to make sure I was supposed to run for 30 minutes, then switched over to Forrest Gump at the gym instead of her strange compilation of musical items. Forrest and I actually "just started runn-an" together (please read that in a Forrest Gump accent), which made the time fly by. I cannot believe and would have never guessed that I would actually get to the end of this program! I don't have a very good track record at keeping at things...softball...soccer... If you have started KEEP GOING! YOU CAN DO IT!

We tried several new Mexican recipes this week and both were absolutely delicious. I found both on one of my most frequently visited blogs "Pearls, Handcuffs, and Happy Hour". I highly recommend both those and the couple recipes to follow! You can't go wrong with any of them this week!

Mexican Casserole Tostadas

2-3 chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces

1-2 tsp cumin

1/2 yellow onion, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped (I omitted since I didn't have it on hand and those red ones are expensive! Preschool teacher budget rules the grocery list)

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 can black beans, drained

1 1/2 cups salsa

4 oz. cream cheese

2 tomatoes, chopped (I omitted...not a fan)

1/2 - 1 cup shredded cheese

Corn tortillas for tostadas

Oil for frying

1. Spray large skillet with cooking spray. Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces and add to skillet with onion and cumin. Saute until chicken is cooked.

2. When chicken is cooked, add bell peppers and saute for 2 minutes.

3. Add salsa and cook for 2 minutes.

4. Add cream cheese and stir until melted.

5. Add black beans and tomatoes, stir well, and transfer to 8x8 baking dish.

6. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Remove from oven, top with cheese, and return to oven for an additional 5 minutes.

This dish is so delicious and versatile you can literally put it with anything (rice, tortilla, chips, etc.) I tried out making my own tostadas (uhh who knew it was so easy and why have I not been doing this my whole life??) Just heat some oil in the bottom of a skillet, pop those corn tortillas in, and turn when golden and crispy. Don't forget to poke some holes in them before frying and drain excess oil off on a paper towel. Scoop a big ol' helping of the casserole onto each tostada and enjoy!!

 Chicken Enchilada Pasta (and so much more!)

This recipe is seriously the best bang for your buck. I made it as it was originally intended, as a pasta sauce, and ended up with about a gallon of leftover sauce. I ended up taking it to work one day as a tortilla soup (just added some black beans and topped with crushed chips) since it already has chicken in it. Then I used it another day as enchilada filling (added black beans, roll it up in a tortilla, oh yum). If you want something to stretch for all kinds of meals, this is the one for you!

2-3chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

2 Tbsp. oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 medium onion, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced (I used green again)

1 4-oz. can green chiles

1/2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. cumin

2 10-oz. green enchilada sauce

2/3 cup red enchilada sauce

2 cups shredded cheese

1 cup sour cream

Penne pasta

1. Cook chicken and shred. Boil pasta according to pasta and chop all veggies.

2. Heat oil in skillet and cook onions for 3-5 minutes. Add garlic and peppers and cook another 3-5 minutes.

3. Add cooked chicken, green chiles, cumin, chili powder, salt, and enchilada sauces. Simmer for 8-10 minutes.

4. Add cheese and stir until melted. Add sour cream and cook on LOW until well mixed throughout.

5. Drain pasta, return to pot, and pour sauce over noodles.

Seriously, you have to try it!!! Mexican flavor with pasta....my two favorite things in the world!

We've been talking about fall the past couple weeks at the preschool....although these poor Texan children are seriously deprived of any fall colors outside. Since we've been exploring apples, pumpkins, gourds, and the like, on Friday we made homemade applesauce! So easy and made the room smell delicious!

Homemade Applesauce

8 red apples

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup water

1 tsp. cinnamon

1. Peel, core and cut apples into bite-sized pieces. This is the most time-consuming part...everything else is a breeze!

2. Add apples, sugar, water, and cinnamon to crockpot. Cook on high for 2-3 hours.

3. When apples become soft, mash using a potato masher.

4. After the first few hours, reduce heat to low and cook for another 2-3 hours.

5. Mash periodically until you get your desired consistency. Add more sugar if desired.

I believe I ate more than all my kids did combined! Except my little cowboy who would just walk over and help himself to more...and was surprisingly good at wielding the giant ladle! Of course I had two picky ones that wouldn't even try it, despite how excited they were as they helped me prepare it, simply because it was a darker color than store bought applesauce. Seriously kids?? Its apples, sugar, and cinnamon...there is nothing in there that you don't like. I really had to fight the urge to ban them from leaving the table until they tried one bite like my mom used to do and I will do with my own kids. The argument "you don't know if you like it unless you try it" had no effect on these pickies. I used all sorts of method of persuasion to attempt to get them to try one teeny-tiny bite but once the whining and brink of tears came, I surrendered. Their loss means more for Mrs. Sawah!

So I just thought I'd share a really easy way to make a super fast and super yummy meal. Many of you probably know this trick already but I'm still going to share it with those who may have been like me for most of my life and had zero kitchen sense (what do you mean you have to turn on the burner to make a grilled cheese? Ohhhh I accidentally turned on the fan...whoops.) So a staple in our place is a jar of alfredo sauce. I know many have reservations about jarred alfredo but the Classico Four Cheese is actually pretty good. Normally I make my chicken, boil my pasta, toss it in with a nice helping of sauce (don't even bother heating it up), add some pepper, Italian seasoning and cheese and we're good to go. Well this time I thought I'd try to put a tiny bit of effort into it and oh my goodness what a difference it made...yet still took no time at all! First I sauteed some green onion and garlic in olive oil until I could start to smell the garlic and the onions were becoming transparent. Then I added the sauce to the pan and thinned it out with a splash of chicken stock. Let it simmer. To the linguine I added zucchini ribbons (saw this on Rachael Ray one time and was intrigued.) Peel your zucchini with a vegetable peeler and make long "ribbons". Pop those in with your pasta for the last 4 or so minutes of cook time. I normally just cut up zucchini or squash to add to the pasta but this looked so much prettier and was easy to twirl on your fork with the long pasta strands. Drain the pasta and zucchini, pour doctored sauce over everything, top with Italian seasoning (we like alot of it in our household) and lots of cheese. I swear, the garlic, onions, and chicken stock make all the difference in the world!! I'm never plopping the sauce in the pot and calling it good again.....well, I say that now....

Flat Pasta with Creamy Corn

Don't let the name fool you ...and don't think of old people creamed corn!! I got this recipe from Rachael Ray's website and for some reason was just drawn to it. We tried it out last night and oh my goodness....so tasty! The sauce was very light and buttery, leaving us full but not miserable like many cream sauces can do. So good and so easy to make...the only effort you put in is chopping up some veggies! I halved it and had just the right amount leftover to take to work tomorrow. This is the un-halved recipe:

6 ears of corn on the cob, husked (or 3 cups thawed frozen corn or canned corn)

2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1/4 pound pancetta or lean, center-cut bacon (I used Great Value bacon...surprise surprise)

1 Fresno chili pepper, seeded and finely chopped OR 1/2 small red bell pepper, finely chopped

2 Tbsp. thyme, finely chopped (I used dried)

1 small red onion, very finely chopped

3-4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 cup shelled fava beans (or defrosted shelled edamame or lima beans...I used the latter)

1/2 cup dry white wine or chicken stock

3 Tbsp. butter

1 pound egg tagliatelle or other wide-cut pasta

1/2 cup flat leaf parsley, finely chopped (I had plans to use dried....just realized I completely forgot it ha!)

Grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano cheese, for topping (Or if you are like me....GreatVal Italian blend shredded cheese for $2!)

1. Into large bowl, scrape corn off of cobs, as well as cobs themselves, catching juices. Or open up a can of sweet corn and keep a little bit of the juice.

2. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and bring large pot of water to boil for the pasta.

3. Add olive oil to the hot skillet and add bacon. Cook to render the fat and crisp, 3-4 minutes.

4. Add corn and juices and cook for 3-4 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.

5. Add the peppers, onions, and garlic; stir for 5 minutes.

6. Add fava beans/edamame/lima beans and deglaze pan with chicken stock or wine.

7. Stir in butter and reduce heat to low. (I might have added a little extra butter)

8. Salt boiling water and boil pasta according to package directions. Add 1 cup of starchy cooking water to corn mix (next time I'd add less than that. I ended up draining some excess liquid from the leftovers).

9. Drain pasta, toss with corn, top with parsley and cheese.

Taste and see :)

Stuff Yourself!

2 Corinthians 1:20 "For no matter how many promises God has made, they are 'Yes' in Christ". We serve the most faithful and constant God. In a world where many people have issues trusting others, where many have been taken advantage of by others or been exploited, we can stand firm in the knowledge that our God is true to His word and to His promises. Jesus Christ, God's perfect Son, is the answer to all of God's promises. The sacrifice that Jesus made for each and every one of us allows us to have a close, intimate relationship (not religion!!) with the Father. Who else can wipe away our sin and destroy the barrier that keeps us separated from God? Only Jesus Christ. And the best part about it....He is the same yesterday, today, tomorrow, and forever. So God's promises will always stand. And always be answered with a "yes" in Jesus!

It is a cool, rainy Sunday in Aggieland and I cannot quit thanking God for this rain!! We needed it so badly...although when I discovered my umbrella refused to open and it was pouring when we got out of church, my thanks might have been somewhat subdued. But now that I'm inside in my pj's I am very, very thankful :)

I had one of the best Fridays ever this week.....only 5 kids! Then one left during nap time so I only had 4 little ones Friday afternoon. It sounds terrible, and of course I don't want any of my kids to miss school (most days....ha!), but it was just a very peaceful and calm day. Rather than spending the majority of my time making sure these little people don't kill one another, I got to sit on the floor and just play. We are in our "I Can Discover Autumn" unit, which in my opinion is a little early (but sometimes it seems that fall never gets here in Texas!) but still very fun. We made pumpkin pie before lunch time and let it chill in the fridge until our afternoon snack. Now, before you envision lovely thoughts of a homemade pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving - and let me tell you, my mom's side of the family completely reigns in pie. We are absolute pie fanatics and have incredibly high standards when it comes to the crust. Must be homemade. Must be flaky. Must be the perfect balance of saltiness and buttery wonder. So shake all those illusions from your mind and picture this.....one can of pumpkin, one package of instant vanilla pudding, one cup of milk, and cinnamon in a pre-made pie crust. Oh dear. While the kids had so much fun stirring and smelling all of the ingredients, I knew that very few would actually try it. One of my girls tried it without any convincing from me and loved it (I was calling it pumpkin pudding, which was a much more accurate description of the consistency). One of my girls licked a minuscule amount off of the very end of the spoon, only because I was holding it up to her mouth and pleading for her to try one little bite, and declared that she did not "yike" that at all. Both of my boys refused to try even one bite. I don't know what I'll do if our future kids take after their picky dad. I kept telling them, "You don't know if you like it unless you try it!" That was met with less than pleasant looks. One of my favorite things that has been happening alot recently is that the kids will accidentally call me "mom" instead of "Ms. Sawah". Just shows how much time I get to spend with this little people! OH, and the best quote of the week came from my sweet little man who informed me that "Ms. Sawah, I'm Iron Man.......but I took off my suit (pronounced goot)". Love him to death!

In C25K news, I finished week 7 (I can't believe it's been that long already!) and will start week 8 (hopefully) today. Clarisse had me running for 25 minutes solid, something I would have never, ever thought possible! That just goes to show that this program really does work! So if you have started it....keep going!!! It really does pay off. Take this from a definite, non-runner. This week I have gotten into "Big Cat Diary" while working out. Allow me to explain...when there is a small TV fixed directly in front of your face with very few options at 5:45 in the morning, you take whatever non-infomercial material you can find. Now I fill James in on the status of Bibi, the single lioness mom just trying to make it on the savannah, and her two cubs, along with Bella the cheetah and her brood. There's also Kike, another cheetah mama. One morning James and I were there at the same time and he came up behind me as I was watching this great Animal Planet find. A sweet, but sympathetic -almost pitying- smile and the slow shaking of his head. Hey those cubs are cute! I can't help but wonder, however, if the people who dedicate their lives to keeping tabs on these animals realize that animals have been surviving without the eyes of humans on them for centuries! And why do they all have some sort of accent?? Australian...British...I'm thinking it might be a requirement. But hey, kudos to you for doing what you love.

I tried a couple new recipes this week, followed by some tried-and-true ones. On Monday, I made Paula Deen's spinach stuffed zucchini. I saw her make these when I was laying on my near-death bed and oh man, did they look delish! So I thought, why not? I'll try them out with my I-don't-like-many-things-that-are-green man. He actually liked them! Well, the flavor at least. He said the texture was a little different but I was in creamy-dreamy heaven. I'm also a fan of spinach, spinach artichoke dip, and more. Another bonus....they are SO easy to make and look pretty impressive! I told James that if we ever have a dinner for people we need to impress, I'd definitely make these. Two words: Stuff yourself!

Spinach Stuffed Zucchini

5 large zucchini, or squash, halved lengthwise

2 Tbsp. olive oil

3/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

2 Tbsp. butter

1/2 cup onion, diced

**I also added some green onion, thinly sliced

1 cup chicken flavored stuffing mix

1 (10 oz.) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

1/2 cup sour cream

1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Brush cut side of zucchini with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper.

3. Place zucchini, cut side down, on a lined baking sheet.

4. Bake for 15 minutes, or until tender.

5. Scoop out pulp, keeping shells intact. Reduce heat to 350.

6. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion and cook for 5 minutes, or until transparent.

7. Add stuffing mix, spinach, sour cream, cheddar, and zucchini pulp. Mix together and add salt and pepper to taste. Cook for 5 minutes.

8. Spoon mixture evenly into zucchini shells and place on baking sheet. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until heated through.

Oh spinach and zucchini, I never thought y'all could taste this good. I'm sorry you've made a bad name for yourselves at times, but this will surely change the heart of those anti-green people out there. (cough*James*cough).

It seems my husband and I have been out of town, either together or in two separate places, every weekend this semester. This weekend was the first in a while that we have both been home and had no major obligations. So I thought we were in need of a yummy Saturday morning breakfast to celebrate! I made a cinnamon coffee cake (who doesn't love eating cake for breakfast, and not feeling guilty about it because it was meant to be a breakfast food in the first place??) I believe I previously posted this recipe on here so just click on the link below and it will take you right to the recipe!

Cinnamon Coffee Cake

Saturday night we had some friends over to watch the Aggies beat Tech (and thankfully, for the sanity of my husband and therefore my own sanity, they did!) We kinda did a potluck where everyone brought over ingredients to grill out burgers, which made it super easy on us. I did make a beverage and a dessert that I just have to share with y'all! The beverage of choice: Mambo Margaritas. Anyone who has been to a get-together at my parents' lake house has more than likely sampled this tasty concoction. We owe this recipe to the sweet mama of one of my best friends from junior high. It is one you will make over and over for every occasion! I'm not a fan of beer at all but I like these because they are not super sweet and sugary like regular margs. The funniest thing is that every guy that has tried it has loved it! All of the guys last night just kept commenting, "Man, this is tasty!" Dang straight. Now get away from my pitcher.

Mambo Margaritas

1 bottle of Corona light beer

1 can of frozen limemade, thawed

1 can of Diet 7-Up

Tequila (do half the can of limemade per batch)

Fresh limes

Mix up and enjoy!

 I also made my mom's apple crisp for all the guys and I'm very sad to say (although my jeans probably aren't), that it was completely gone by last night. A 9x13 pan entirely wiped clean. It is the best apple crisp ever and yet so simple, I am almost embarrassed to tell you how easy it is! It's one of those homemade, not entirely from scratch, but still tastes like it recipes.

Apple Crisp

2 cans of apple pie filling

1 box of white cake mix

1 stick of butter, melted

Cinnamon

Sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Melt butter and mix with white cake mix.

3. Place apples in bottom of 9x13 baking dish.

4. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. 

4. Pour (or in my case, I kinda broke up the bigger pieces and crumbled it) cake/butter mix on top of apples.

5. Bake for 30 minutes or until lightly golden on top.

This is a must: Serve warm with vanilla ice cream! It's just not the same without! And I actually used one can of regular apple pie filling and one can of no sugar added/made with Splenda. Shhh...don't tell my husband! This saved about 70 calories per serving....7 servings in a can....I'd say that's a pretty significant calorie saving! And with the other can of regular, you couldn't tell a difference at all.

To All Who Can Wield A Can Opener

Colossians 3:23-24 "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving." This completely changes how I view my daily life, especially work! We all have days when we just really do not feel like doing whatever we need to (or have to) do. Just this morning it was (almost) impossible to get out of bed without the assistance of a small bulldozer. We must change our mindset, and remind ourselves of this new mindset throughout the day, to one in which we work for the Lord, not for the approval of people around us. When we strive for perfection for those around us, we will without a doubt fail. But the Lord constantly loves us like crazy and when we work for Him, our relationship is strengthened and blessed even more!

Well, after taking Monday off to continue the recuperation process, I was finally able to walk farther than from the bedroom to the couch without requiring a resting period. I was extremely thankful for my crock pot (which sounds so incredibly house-wifey but I don't care....it was true!) and made some yummy feeling sick/needing comfort food for James and myself. Poor guy, he was also feeling under the weather with a sore throat. It was not a good week in terms of health in the Sebesta household last week. Comfort dish numero uno: chicken tortilla soup! This delicious and so-easy-it's-almost-embarassing soup doesn't actually have tortillas so the name still remains one of the greatest mysteries of this day and age.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

4 chicken breasts

2 15-oz. cans black beans, undrained

2 15-oz. cans of Mexican stewed tomatoes or Rotel (or 1 of each)

1 cup salsa

4 oz. can chopped green chilies

14.5 oz. can tomato sauce

Tortilla chips

Shredded cheese

1. Combine all ingredients except for chips and cheese in crock pot.

2. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.

3. Just before serving, take out chicken and slice into bite-size pieces. Stir back into soup.

4. Top with crunched-up chips and cheese.

Yum!

This stuff reheats so well which just makes it even better when your recuperation process takes a couple days. Thank you Lord for comfort food:)

To accompany our soup, and since the only work required was operating a can opener, I was craving some cornbread. Because getting behind the wheel to go get some fabulously inexpensive and beloved Jiffy was out of the question, and because I happened to have some yellow cornmeal on hand, I decided to try making my own. I just googled recipes and found this awesome one from Food Network's The Neelys. Although this couple personally annoys me to no end (I'm sorry if you are a fan) - I mean really, what couple is that lovey-dovey in the kitchen?? I find myself gagging slightly at the ooey-gooey things they say over simple things ("Alright baby now I'm just gonna go over here and slice these zucchini" "You're gonna slice them?!!!" "Oh yeah, baby I'm gonna slice 'em" "Oh look at you go, mmm mmm mm those are gonna be so good!" "Oh baby I just can't wait"). When I cook and have 3 things going at once and am profusely sweating over the kiln we call an oven, James will come in and attempt to give me a hug. Let's just say my response is not very Neely-like. Sorry, that was a long side note. Personal differences aside, they have a fabulous recipe for some honey cornbread muffins! You can taste just the right amount of honey (and butter) in each bite. My stomach was still a little off after the flu bug and lucky for me, these muffins were one of the few things that sounded and tasted delicious :)

Honey Cornbread Muffins

1 cup yellow cornmeal

1 cup flour

1 Tbsp. baking powder

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp. salt

1 cup whole milk 

(I just had 1% in the fridge and they came out great...plus saved a few calories)

2 large eggs

1/2 stick butter, melted

1/4 cup honey

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Mix cornmeal, flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt.

3. In another bowl, whisk together milk, eggs, butter, and honey.

4. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir until just mixed.

5. Line muffin tin with paper liners (or just spray it with cooking spray), divide batter evenly, and bake for 15 minutes until golden.

Make these - you will love them!!!

I managed to get back to work on Tuesday and was greeted by some very excited, very energetic little people. One of my girls asked if I was feeling better in a very concerned, very grown-up voice...so sweet! After making colored pasta collages in the morning as part of a unit about how God gives us all things we need, like food - especially yummy carbs like pasta - and cutting cooked noodles to practice scissor skills in the afternoon, needless to say I was craving some comforting pasta at the end of a very long day. Comfort dish numero dos: mainstay macaroni! I've posted the recipe before so just click on the name and it'll take you back to the page:

Mainstay Macaroni Casserole

As I finally get back into my normal routine, I thought I'd just briefly tell you about our lunch routine at school. After getting the kids' hands all washed and seated at the table, which is a whirlwind in itself, we always say a prayer. I vary between having the kids say one and having them repeat my words. My prayers always contain pleas such as "Help us be nice to our friends", "Help us share", or "Help us use our gentle hands", especially on days when those three behaviors are especially absent. But no matter if I pray or if one of the kids prays, one of my girls adds "and take care of our school" (one of our classroom guidelines) and one of my main little men adds "and help the fire alarm not go off" (in reference to the day when the alarm went off ALL. DAY. LONG. and loud noises were particularly upsetting to this little guy). Every single time. Morning snack. Lunch. Afternoon snack. Hey, a good lesson in learning that we can pray to God about the smallest things, even fire alarms. After the prayer there is a rush of activity opening lunch boxes, opening juice straws, etc. Then I get my way-cool boy's lunch box and have a seat on our carpet to enjoy my lunch alongside the kids. Without fail, literally every single day, they ask me, "What do you have for lunch?". I tell them. "Do you have an apple today?" If the answer is yes, "Is it real?" Why yes, yes it is. So cute!

This weekend my mom and I hosted a lingerie shower for my sister who is getting married next May. My parents have a beautiful lake house on Lake Travis and the weekend was just perfect.....perfect weather, tons of girl talk, yummy food, even yummier drinks, boat rides, martini glass-etching craft, and some shower games (details to follow). I offered to bring the desserts and had so much fun making lots of hot pink and black decor. James thought I was absolutely insane as I was surrounded by scrapbook paper, hot glue guns, and ribbons galore. Here's a little view of what I made:

Before I allowed my sister to open her gifts Saturday night, I had a few questions to ask her. I had previously emailed her fiance these questions, got his responses, and quizzed her to see if their answers matched. I got the idea from one of my friends' showers and it actually is so much fun! I asked questions such as "If you could throw away one thing from her closet, what would you pick?" followed by "What would she throw away from your closet?" as well as questions about favorite athlete by first and last name, first date, favorite dessert, etc. Throughout the gift-opening the girls played bridal bingo (a bingo card with things like "something white", "something matching", "something wild", and so on) for the chance to win a fabulous prize! As my sister opened gifts, I secretly wrote down phrases she said and shared them with the group at the end as things she will say on her wedding night. Oh my goodness, it was so hard not to laugh as she said priceless things. The top ones were: "It was gently used by a large woman before you", "Tracy can make magic happen", and "Sorry for the funny smell". We were rolling on the floor in our tears!

For the desserts, I made two types of cupcakes and some of my grandma's sugar cookies. They were seriously insanely addicting. I think I might still be coming off of my sugar high :) They even got my very, naturally-healthy (aka weird) dad to eat a whole one! I will definitely be making them again! I got both cupcake recipes from a blog I love (Une-deux senses).

Mint Chocolate Cupcakes

Cupcake:

1 box of chocolate Devil's food cake

1 box of Andes mints, finely chopped (I used half a cup of Andes mints baking chips)

5 Thin Mint cookies, finely chopped

1/4 tsp. mint extract

1. Make cake batter according to the directions on the box.

2. Add the Andes mints and thin mints to the batter.

3. Add the extract and mix well.

4. Divide the batter among a cupcake pan lined with liners. 

5. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

6. Let cool completely before frosting.

Mint Cream Cheese Frosting:

4 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

4 Tbsp. butter, room temperature

1/4 tsp. of mint extract

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1-2 drops green food coloring (I went slightly overboard and it kinda reminded me of toothpaste haha)

1. Using an electric mixer, whip the butter and cream cheese until smooth and creamy.

2. Add the mint extract, then the powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, until well combined.

3. Add the food coloring to your preference.

Toothpaste-look aside, these are hands-down the moistest cupcakes I have ever had!!!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cupcakes

These seriously blew my mind. They literally taste exactly like a chocolate chip cookie but in an incredibly fluffy cupcake!

Brown sugar cupcakes:

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature

3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed

2 large eggs

1 1/3 cups flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/8 tsp. salt

1/2 cup milk

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Combine butter and brown sugar in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat on medium-high until light and fluffy. 

(I only have a hand mixer and it worked just fine!)

3. Mix in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

4. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in medium bowl, stir to blend.

5. Add the dry ingredients to the mixer bowl on low speed, alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix each addition until just incorporated.

6. Blend in vanilla.

7. Fold in chocolate chips with a spatula.

8. Divide the batter evenly among cupcake pan lined with liners and bake for 18-20 minutes or until toothpick test comes out clean.

Cookie dough frosting:

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter

1/4 + 1/8 cup light brown sugar

1 3/4 cups powdered sugar

1/2 cup flour

large pinch of salt

1 1/2 Tbsp. milk

2 1/2 tsp. vanilla

1. Beat together butter and brown sugar until creamy.

2. Mix in the powdered sugar until smooth.

3. Beat in flour and salt.

4. Mix in milk and vanilla until smooth and well blended.

$9.99 Frosting gun from Target.....you are my hero!!!

Grandma Mary Jane's Sugar Cookies

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

1 cup butter, softened

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. almond extract

2 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cream of tartar

1. Mix sugar and butter.

2. Add egg, vanilla, and almond extract. Mix thoroughly.

3. Sift dry ingredients together and blend in.

4. Cover with saran wrap and refrigerate 2-3 hours.

5. Heat oven to 375.

6. Divide dough in half and roll 1/4 inch think on lightly floured pastry cloth.

7. Cut with cookie cutter, sprinkle with sugar if not frosting.

8. Place on lightly greased cookie sheet and bake for 7-8 minutes until delicately golden.

Frosting:

5 Tbsp. butter, softened

3 cups powdered sugar, sifted

3 Tbsp. cream or milk

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

1. Blend butter and sugar.

2. Stir in cream and vanilla.

3. Add food coloring, if desired.

 

A look at the whole spread!