I'm so excited to try this out tomorrow night. I just finished getting all the necessary supplies needed! Eric and I will be salad-eating-fools! :)
Learn about it here - http://www.salad-in-a-jar.com/skinny-secrets/salad-in-a-jar
Showing posts with label recipes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label recipes. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Salad in a Jar
I'm so excited to try this out tomorrow night. I just finished getting all the necessary supplies needed! Eric and I will be salad-eating-fools! :)
Learn about it here - http://www.salad-in-a-jar.com/skinny-secrets/salad-in-a-jar
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Candy Corn Cakes
I'm not much of a baker, so when I decided to make a candy corn cake recipe I found in a magazine I knew I was taking a risk.
Don't they look pretty though?
I attempted this one Saturday night a few weeks ago, and it was pretty much a flop. After spending half an hour running all around Wal-Mart and getting back home, I realized I didn't have parchment paper. So by the time I ran back out to the grocery store, I didn't get started until 9pm. You see that 45 minute prep time there at the bottom? Yeah, um, try 3 hours. ;) I went to bed after midnight only to wake up the next morning to bake sugar cookies to use up the rest of the icing (I only used less than 1/4 of what the recipe called for!)
The end result - cookies with a huge hint of flour taste and cakes that I gagged at. And I promise I followed the directions to a T!
It was funny nonetheless, but sad when I was too embarassed to share them and ended up throwing them out. Eric somehow managed to swallow down one cake though.
Here's the original recipe - try at your own risk ;)
Candy Corn Cake Wedges (via here)
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Bake: 25 minutes
Yield: 12 wedges (serving size: 1 wedge)
Cost per Serving: $.66
Ingredients
Cake:
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup milk, at room temperature
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
Frosting:
3/4 cup vegetable shortening
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 cups confectioners' sugar
6 tablespoons milk
Yellow and orange food coloring
Orange sprinkles, optional
Preparation
1. Make cake: Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease a 9-inch round cake pan; line with parchment paper. Grease parchment. Lightly coat bottom and sides of pan with flour, knocking out excess.
2. In a bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk milk, eggs and vanilla. Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter and sugar until light, about 2 minutes. Lower mixer speed; beat in half of flour mixture. Beat in milk mixture, then remaining flour mixture. Increase mixer speed to medium-high; beat just until smooth.
3. Scrape batter into pan; smooth top. Bake until cake is light golden and starts to pull away from sides of pan, about 25 minutes. Cool in pan on wire rack for 15 minutes. Invert onto rack, peel away parchment, turn cake right side up and cool completely. Cut into 12 wedges. Place wedges on a parchment-lined baking sheet; freeze for 30 minutes.
4. Make frosting: Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat shortening, butter and vanilla. Add confectioners' sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition. Add milk; beat until frosting is fluffy.
5. Reserve 1 cup of icing in a small bowl. Divide remaining icing between 2 medium bowls and tint 1 bowl with yellow food coloring and 1 with orange.
6. Working with 1 wedge at a time, leaving remaining cake wedges in freezer, frost pointed end with white icing, middle portion with yellow icing, and outer portion with orange icing. Repeat with remaining cake wedges and frosting. Press sprinkles on outside of wedges, if desired. Chill until ready to serve.
Don't they look pretty though?
I attempted this one Saturday night a few weeks ago, and it was pretty much a flop. After spending half an hour running all around Wal-Mart and getting back home, I realized I didn't have parchment paper. So by the time I ran back out to the grocery store, I didn't get started until 9pm. You see that 45 minute prep time there at the bottom? Yeah, um, try 3 hours. ;) I went to bed after midnight only to wake up the next morning to bake sugar cookies to use up the rest of the icing (I only used less than 1/4 of what the recipe called for!)
The end result - cookies with a huge hint of flour taste and cakes that I gagged at. And I promise I followed the directions to a T!
It was funny nonetheless, but sad when I was too embarassed to share them and ended up throwing them out. Eric somehow managed to swallow down one cake though.
Here's the original recipe - try at your own risk ;)
Candy Corn Cake Wedges (via here)
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Bake: 25 minutes
Yield: 12 wedges (serving size: 1 wedge)
Cost per Serving: $.66
Ingredients
Cake:
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup milk, at room temperature
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
Frosting:
3/4 cup vegetable shortening
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 cups confectioners' sugar
6 tablespoons milk
Yellow and orange food coloring
Orange sprinkles, optional
Preparation
1. Make cake: Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease a 9-inch round cake pan; line with parchment paper. Grease parchment. Lightly coat bottom and sides of pan with flour, knocking out excess.
2. In a bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk milk, eggs and vanilla. Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter and sugar until light, about 2 minutes. Lower mixer speed; beat in half of flour mixture. Beat in milk mixture, then remaining flour mixture. Increase mixer speed to medium-high; beat just until smooth.
3. Scrape batter into pan; smooth top. Bake until cake is light golden and starts to pull away from sides of pan, about 25 minutes. Cool in pan on wire rack for 15 minutes. Invert onto rack, peel away parchment, turn cake right side up and cool completely. Cut into 12 wedges. Place wedges on a parchment-lined baking sheet; freeze for 30 minutes.
4. Make frosting: Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat shortening, butter and vanilla. Add confectioners' sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition. Add milk; beat until frosting is fluffy.
5. Reserve 1 cup of icing in a small bowl. Divide remaining icing between 2 medium bowls and tint 1 bowl with yellow food coloring and 1 with orange.
6. Working with 1 wedge at a time, leaving remaining cake wedges in freezer, frost pointed end with white icing, middle portion with yellow icing, and outer portion with orange icing. Repeat with remaining cake wedges and frosting. Press sprinkles on outside of wedges, if desired. Chill until ready to serve.
Friday, March 19, 2010
Bummer.
Just when spring was a day a way and you thought you were done with snow for a good 250 days or so... the weather decides it's going to snow again.
Really?! Come on. :(
Eric and I had plans to split paths this weekend and go each home, but after getting new tires this week, packing the car all up and planning on leaving after work, I'm actually staying in Columbia now because of the 1-3+ inches that's supposed to hit NWA. Frustrating. Especially in mid-March. With my luck now, it probably won't even do anything to the roads down there and it will be fine. But, we can't afford more car repairs right now so I'd better not take a chance - I think my 2 week trip to the service center, Eric's new brake pads, my new tires, and the small windshield cracks that we need to get fixed ASAP are enough for the this month. I'm surprised we still have some savings left after all of that.
So, with Eric on his way to Memphis right now, what's a girl to do with a whole weekend to herself?
Looks like I'll be catching up on some painting, working out (I've slacked on The Shred all week!) maybe doing some cooking, getting groceries, and hopefully some shopping...hopefully I don't break the bank with that. ;) Maybe it won't be so bad.
This week was pretty uneventful. Here are the recipes we tried this week from e-Mealz...
Meat and Three
1/2 to 1 lb top round steak, trim & cut in chunks
1 can French-style green beans, drain
1 large potato, slice thin with skin on
1 small onion, slice thin
In crock pot, layer 1/2 cup water, then all of the steak. Season with salt and pepper. Add 1 can green beans, 1/2 of onions, 1/2 of potatoes. Repeat onions and potatoes. Cook on low for 6 hours.
Chicken and Brocolli Stir Fry
1/2 lb boneless chicken breasts
1/2 bunch of brocolli
8 oz can sliced water chesnuts
Stir Fry Mixture:
1 can chicken broth
3 T corn starch, 1/4 c orange juice, 3 T sugar, 3 T soy sauce, 1 t ginger, 1/2 t garlic powder, 1/2 t salt)
Slice chicken and broccoli florets in bite size pieces. In large non-stick skillet, saute broccoli and chicken on med-high for 2 minutes. Cover and let steam on low for 5 minutes. Pour stir fry mixture over chicken and broccoli and stir constantly until thickened. Serve over steamed rice.
And that's about it, really. Hope you all have a good (and hopefully snow-free!) weekend!
Really?! Come on. :(
Eric and I had plans to split paths this weekend and go each home, but after getting new tires this week, packing the car all up and planning on leaving after work, I'm actually staying in Columbia now because of the 1-3+ inches that's supposed to hit NWA. Frustrating. Especially in mid-March. With my luck now, it probably won't even do anything to the roads down there and it will be fine. But, we can't afford more car repairs right now so I'd better not take a chance - I think my 2 week trip to the service center, Eric's new brake pads, my new tires, and the small windshield cracks that we need to get fixed ASAP are enough for the this month. I'm surprised we still have some savings left after all of that.
So, with Eric on his way to Memphis right now, what's a girl to do with a whole weekend to herself?
Looks like I'll be catching up on some painting, working out (I've slacked on The Shred all week!) maybe doing some cooking, getting groceries, and hopefully some shopping...hopefully I don't break the bank with that. ;) Maybe it won't be so bad.
This week was pretty uneventful. Here are the recipes we tried this week from e-Mealz...
Meat and Three
1/2 to 1 lb top round steak, trim & cut in chunks
1 can French-style green beans, drain
1 large potato, slice thin with skin on
1 small onion, slice thin
In crock pot, layer 1/2 cup water, then all of the steak. Season with salt and pepper. Add 1 can green beans, 1/2 of onions, 1/2 of potatoes. Repeat onions and potatoes. Cook on low for 6 hours.
Chicken and Brocolli Stir Fry
1/2 lb boneless chicken breasts
1/2 bunch of brocolli
8 oz can sliced water chesnuts
Stir Fry Mixture:
1 can chicken broth
3 T corn starch, 1/4 c orange juice, 3 T sugar, 3 T soy sauce, 1 t ginger, 1/2 t garlic powder, 1/2 t salt)
Slice chicken and broccoli florets in bite size pieces. In large non-stick skillet, saute broccoli and chicken on med-high for 2 minutes. Cover and let steam on low for 5 minutes. Pour stir fry mixture over chicken and broccoli and stir constantly until thickened. Serve over steamed rice.
And that's about it, really. Hope you all have a good (and hopefully snow-free!) weekend!
Monday, March 8, 2010
Our Weekend in Photos...
We did our usual Friday night Wal-Mart run. At least we tried to make it a little fun...would you buy him? ;)
Stopped by a flea market and Goodwill on Saturday. I got some frames to make this little necklace board (see my art blog for full "tutorial!"):
We did a little spring cleaning...
And I organized all my shoes. (From left to right I've got sandals, work flats, heels, causal/non-work shoes, and tennis shoes...Hopefully, that'll make getting dressed for work a little easier in the mornings)
Then we went to go see Alice in Wonderland (in 3-D of course!)
For dinner, we tried a new slow cooker recipe - orange chicken! It was a little too orange-y, so perhaps the 4oz vs. 8 oz of orange juice will work better in the future. The recipe is below with the tweaked / less amount of OJ.
And went to church on Sunday. Of course, I had to go pick up the paper for coupons afterwards!
Then we went to the park! Unfortunately, I couldn't get a good photo of the two of us to document that fun run, but it's FINALLY warming up outside!!! :)
Hope you had a great weekend!
Stopped by a flea market and Goodwill on Saturday. I got some frames to make this little necklace board (see my art blog for full "tutorial!"):
We did a little spring cleaning...
And I organized all my shoes. (From left to right I've got sandals, work flats, heels, causal/non-work shoes, and tennis shoes...Hopefully, that'll make getting dressed for work a little easier in the mornings)
Then we went to go see Alice in Wonderland (in 3-D of course!)
For dinner, we tried a new slow cooker recipe - orange chicken! It was a little too orange-y, so perhaps the 4oz vs. 8 oz of orange juice will work better in the future. The recipe is below with the tweaked / less amount of OJ.
2 chicken breasts, cut into chunks
1/2 cup flour
olive oil, for browning the chicken
1 tablespoon kosher salt
4 ounces (1/2 can) frozen orange juice concentrate (no pulp), thawed
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons ketchup
Use a 4 quart slow cooker for best results. Dredge the chicken pieces with the flour, and shake off the excess. Go ahead and throw away any remaining flour, we won't need it. Heat olive oil in a large skillet on the stove and brown the chicken on all sides. There is no need to fully cook it, just sear it enough for the flour to stick and get a nice coating.
Plop the chicken pieces into your slow cooker. In a small mixing bowl, combine the orange juice concentrate, brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, salt, and ketchup. Taste. If you'd like the chicken to be a bit sweeter, add a touch more sugar. Pour sauce mixture evenly over the chicken, and toss gingerly to coat.
Cover and cook on low for 6 hours, or on high for 3 to 4. Serve over white or brown rice.
1/2 cup flour
olive oil, for browning the chicken
1 tablespoon kosher salt
4 ounces (1/2 can) frozen orange juice concentrate (no pulp), thawed
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons ketchup
Use a 4 quart slow cooker for best results. Dredge the chicken pieces with the flour, and shake off the excess. Go ahead and throw away any remaining flour, we won't need it. Heat olive oil in a large skillet on the stove and brown the chicken on all sides. There is no need to fully cook it, just sear it enough for the flour to stick and get a nice coating.
Plop the chicken pieces into your slow cooker. In a small mixing bowl, combine the orange juice concentrate, brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, salt, and ketchup. Taste. If you'd like the chicken to be a bit sweeter, add a touch more sugar. Pour sauce mixture evenly over the chicken, and toss gingerly to coat.
Cover and cook on low for 6 hours, or on high for 3 to 4. Serve over white or brown rice.
And went to church on Sunday. Of course, I had to go pick up the paper for coupons afterwards!
Then we went to the park! Unfortunately, I couldn't get a good photo of the two of us to document that fun run, but it's FINALLY warming up outside!!! :)
Hope you had a great weekend!
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Thursday
So I decided the ol' blog needed a spruce-up yesterday. I'm very ready for spring - this Midwestern, freezing cold winter has lasted long enough! I hate the dry hands and chapped lips, waiting on the car to defrost every morning, having to dress in 5 layers (and not being able to wear half my shoes because they'll be too cold), etc. Maybe this background will help spring to hurry up! :)
I worked on the chair a little more last night...the arms are being a little tricky. I was going to post a sneak peek photo today, but I ran out of time this morning {story of my life it seems like}. I never feel like I have enough time just to chill and get things done at home - Eric came home early from class last night and I barely had enough time to clean the dishes and vacuum up the staples from the chair in the carpet in the office...plus I had about 5 canvases thrown out to dry all across the living room! I've got two canvases to finish before I ship a big box out...hopefully I can get those done by next Monday so the apartment will be picked up and more presentable.
I found this recipe this morning, looks delicious! I may have to try it out soon:
----------
Strawberry Soda Cake
1 - package Strawberry Cake mix (any brand)
1 1/3 cups Strawberry Soda
(strawberry soda is substituted for the amount of water on the cake mix)
2 - 3 Eggs (if you want it lighter and fluffier use three eggs)
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 – 2 lbs Fresh Strawberries (Sliced)
Add cake mix to a large mixing bowl. Add egg, oil and strawberry soda. Beat until smooth. Pour into two round cake pans that have been greased and floured. Bake as directed on cake mix or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. When cake is done remove from oven and cool in pans for 15 minutes. Then remove to a wire rack and completely cool. Frost first layer with icing and arrange sliced strawberries on top. Add the second cake layer and frost top and sides with more icing and top with more sliced strawberries. Save one whole strawberry for the middle of the cake. Gently slice and fan the whole strawberry, Place on top in the middle of the cake.
Measurements vary depending on what brand of cake mix you use. Follow the directions on the back of the box substituting strawberry soda for the amount of water listed. Also add the amount of eggs and oil stated on the mix, I use Duncan Hines.
***For my icing, I made a typical cream cheese kind. Cream Cheese, Powdered Sugar and Vanilla!
----------
I'm attempting to get more caught up on the Dave Ramsey series since I only have 9 weeks left to access the website (a huge thanks to Grandpa Art and Grandma Ivah for getting me set up on it!!).Unfortunately, my internet browser likes to give me trouble with the video and I can only watch it on my laptop, so I've been a little slow with it.
I listened to the section this morning on creating a budget - something I wish I started a LONG time ago! Eric and I started creating our own monthly budget right before we got married, and it took us (well, me) several months to get into the swing of it. I was so used to spending basically all my paycheck on eating out, shopping, getting my hair done, etc. Then, if I had a little leftover at the end of a payperiod I would put a little bit into savings. I had a semi-decent amount saved up by the time I graduated, but looking back, I wish I would've disciplined myself to have a little more. So now, here we are as newlyweds living on one income...goodbye $100 hair color appointments, ordering whatever off the menu out at dinner, shopping every few weekends, etc! Definitely a big change, but we're doing well with it. When we did our budget, we actually had calculated my pay at about $50 less than what it actually is so we have a little extra savings each month. And, I transfer money to savings on payday, not later on - definitely helps to just make that money "disappear" before you can spend it. :) Now, if only the economy were better so I could get more interest off of it! Having a strict budget in place definitely makes me think twice before I go spending money.
That's about it for today...I'm ready for an early Valentine's dinner at Olive Garden tonight!
I worked on the chair a little more last night...the arms are being a little tricky. I was going to post a sneak peek photo today, but I ran out of time this morning {story of my life it seems like}. I never feel like I have enough time just to chill and get things done at home - Eric came home early from class last night and I barely had enough time to clean the dishes and vacuum up the staples from the chair in the carpet in the office...plus I had about 5 canvases thrown out to dry all across the living room! I've got two canvases to finish before I ship a big box out...hopefully I can get those done by next Monday so the apartment will be picked up and more presentable.
I found this recipe this morning, looks delicious! I may have to try it out soon:
----------
Strawberry Soda Cake
1 - package Strawberry Cake mix (any brand)
1 1/3 cups Strawberry Soda
(strawberry soda is substituted for the amount of water on the cake mix)
2 - 3 Eggs (if you want it lighter and fluffier use three eggs)
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 – 2 lbs Fresh Strawberries (Sliced)
Add cake mix to a large mixing bowl. Add egg, oil and strawberry soda. Beat until smooth. Pour into two round cake pans that have been greased and floured. Bake as directed on cake mix or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. When cake is done remove from oven and cool in pans for 15 minutes. Then remove to a wire rack and completely cool. Frost first layer with icing and arrange sliced strawberries on top. Add the second cake layer and frost top and sides with more icing and top with more sliced strawberries. Save one whole strawberry for the middle of the cake. Gently slice and fan the whole strawberry, Place on top in the middle of the cake.
Measurements vary depending on what brand of cake mix you use. Follow the directions on the back of the box substituting strawberry soda for the amount of water listed. Also add the amount of eggs and oil stated on the mix, I use Duncan Hines.
***For my icing, I made a typical cream cheese kind. Cream Cheese, Powdered Sugar and Vanilla!
----------
I'm attempting to get more caught up on the Dave Ramsey series since I only have 9 weeks left to access the website (a huge thanks to Grandpa Art and Grandma Ivah for getting me set up on it!!).Unfortunately, my internet browser likes to give me trouble with the video and I can only watch it on my laptop, so I've been a little slow with it.
I listened to the section this morning on creating a budget - something I wish I started a LONG time ago! Eric and I started creating our own monthly budget right before we got married, and it took us (well, me) several months to get into the swing of it. I was so used to spending basically all my paycheck on eating out, shopping, getting my hair done, etc. Then, if I had a little leftover at the end of a payperiod I would put a little bit into savings. I had a semi-decent amount saved up by the time I graduated, but looking back, I wish I would've disciplined myself to have a little more. So now, here we are as newlyweds living on one income...goodbye $100 hair color appointments, ordering whatever off the menu out at dinner, shopping every few weekends, etc! Definitely a big change, but we're doing well with it. When we did our budget, we actually had calculated my pay at about $50 less than what it actually is so we have a little extra savings each month. And, I transfer money to savings on payday, not later on - definitely helps to just make that money "disappear" before you can spend it. :) Now, if only the economy were better so I could get more interest off of it! Having a strict budget in place definitely makes me think twice before I go spending money.
That's about it for today...I'm ready for an early Valentine's dinner at Olive Garden tonight!
Monday, January 11, 2010
Weekend Update
Happy Monday! Hope your weekend was went well and didn't feel as short as our's! :)
We had the delight of several tasty meals this weekend, including a new recipe we tried out. Friday dinner was delicious Ruby Tuesdays (I'm in LOVE with the way they cook their broccoli! I never ate broccoli until this past summer and now I'm addicted!). Saturday lunch was the wonderful Harry & David chicken noodle soup mix...
Saturday dinner Eric cooked steak and potatoes...
And Sunday we tried out this new recipe:
--------------------------------------------------
Chicken and Pineapple Slow Cooker Recipe
Ingredients:
-2 Chicken breasts cut up into cubes
-1 can of canned pineapple chunks
-1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon Teriyaki sauce
-Dash of ginger
-Dash of cayenne
-Thawed bag of sugar snap peas (we used mixed veggies above)
Directions:
Mix pineapple, chicken, Teriyaki, ginger, and cayenne in slow cooker. Cook on low for 6 hours. Add in sugar snap peas for the last 30 minutes.
*NOTE: I couldn't find a bag of just sugar snap peas at the store, so I picked up a mix of veggies. It was really good, but ended up being a little too "busy", so you might try to swap out the pineapple chunks with either juice or of larger pieces of pineapple.
--------------------------------------------------
On Sunday, we got a nice little surprise outside our back window (that even almost made us late to church we were staring for so long!)
Eric opened up the blinds to find this...
Look closely or click to enlarge...
You'll see 5 deer hidden in the trees! :)
We've never seen them behind our building before - it's always been behind some of the other buildings. One of them actually got so close that I thought he was going to fall off the edge of the brick wall and land in the alley!
Speaking of church, we went to The Crossing again yesterday. It's a Presbyterian-based contemporary church that started in 2000 (that's always filled to the brim!), and to be completely honest, it's been a lot different than what I'm used to. Very casual, a lot of technology, and a more "loose" structure to the service. The church has theater seating (much more comfortable though than Catholic pews! :), screens everywhere, coffee bars in the lobby (and everyone drinks coffee during the service) and a large stage. No altar, no pulpit, and I don't even think there was a cross on the stage this week. I'm still not used to the lighting effects and amped-up musicians. The service consists of a lot of singing, a few readings/prayers, and the sermon. They pretty much always have a really good message, but I'm still warming up to the whole "pop concert feel on a Sunday" idea...I'm much more traditional.
In other news, I'm currently working on some blog updates (you'll notice I got the comments link to work thanks to Kalyn pointing it out!, and I've added labels to the left) so be looking for more little changes soon! :)
We had the delight of several tasty meals this weekend, including a new recipe we tried out. Friday dinner was delicious Ruby Tuesdays (I'm in LOVE with the way they cook their broccoli! I never ate broccoli until this past summer and now I'm addicted!). Saturday lunch was the wonderful Harry & David chicken noodle soup mix...
Saturday dinner Eric cooked steak and potatoes...
And Sunday we tried out this new recipe:
--------------------------------------------------
Chicken and Pineapple Slow Cooker Recipe
Ingredients:
-2 Chicken breasts cut up into cubes
-1 can of canned pineapple chunks
-1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon Teriyaki sauce
-Dash of ginger
-Dash of cayenne
-Thawed bag of sugar snap peas (we used mixed veggies above)
Directions:
Mix pineapple, chicken, Teriyaki, ginger, and cayenne in slow cooker. Cook on low for 6 hours. Add in sugar snap peas for the last 30 minutes.
*NOTE: I couldn't find a bag of just sugar snap peas at the store, so I picked up a mix of veggies. It was really good, but ended up being a little too "busy", so you might try to swap out the pineapple chunks with either juice or of larger pieces of pineapple.
--------------------------------------------------
On Sunday, we got a nice little surprise outside our back window (that even almost made us late to church we were staring for so long!)
Eric opened up the blinds to find this...
Look closely or click to enlarge...
You'll see 5 deer hidden in the trees! :)
We've never seen them behind our building before - it's always been behind some of the other buildings. One of them actually got so close that I thought he was going to fall off the edge of the brick wall and land in the alley!
Speaking of church, we went to The Crossing again yesterday. It's a Presbyterian-based contemporary church that started in 2000 (that's always filled to the brim!), and to be completely honest, it's been a lot different than what I'm used to. Very casual, a lot of technology, and a more "loose" structure to the service. The church has theater seating (much more comfortable though than Catholic pews! :), screens everywhere, coffee bars in the lobby (and everyone drinks coffee during the service) and a large stage. No altar, no pulpit, and I don't even think there was a cross on the stage this week. I'm still not used to the lighting effects and amped-up musicians. The service consists of a lot of singing, a few readings/prayers, and the sermon. They pretty much always have a really good message, but I'm still warming up to the whole "pop concert feel on a Sunday" idea...I'm much more traditional.
In other news, I'm currently working on some blog updates (you'll notice I got the comments link to work thanks to Kalyn pointing it out!, and I've added labels to the left) so be looking for more little changes soon! :)
Monday, January 4, 2010
Happy New Year!
Happy 2010!
I don't have a whole lot of interesting things to blog about - it's been a fairly uneventful weekend of staying in town and catching up on cleaning.
Clayton came over to watch the Mizzou game with us on New Year's Eve (they lost, unfortunately), and Eric and I's evening was spent making a quick trip to Wal-Mart. It was so exciting that I fell asleep on the couch at 9:00 (no joke!). Needless to say, neither one of us made it up till midnight. Friday we went to the movies and I made chicken cacciatore in the crock pot for dinner (mmmmm...!). I even tried the recipe my mom gave me for roasted broccoli. See below...
------------------------------
(it's so hot in the picture you can see the steam!)
Chicken Cacciatore
{my slightly tweaked version from the original recipe which I'll post later :) }
Ingredients:
-2 chicken breasts, thawed
-1 can Hunt's diced tomatoes
-2 cans Hunt's tomato sauce
-Dashes of pepper, garlic powder, oregano, and thyme - I don't really measure it out, I just dash it in :)
Cut chicken into small cubes. Combine above ingredients in crock pot. Cook on low for 8 hours. Serve over pasta.
Roasted Broccoli
Ingredients:
-Fresh broccoli
-Parmesan cheese
-Olive oil
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Break up broccoli into small clusters on a large pan and baste with olive oil. Cook for 15 minutes. Take pan out and flip broccoli. Sprinkle parmesan cheese on each piece. Cook an additional 5 minutes.
------------------------------
The rest of the weekend was just spent running errands and relaxing at home (and watching the hogs' LUCKY win). I think we're both about to freeze to death here with the below-freezing temperatures. This morning it was -3...I've never experienced so much pain from being cold in my life. My office has been heating up for 3 hours now and still isn't to 70, too. Brrrrr. Apparently my closet isn't good enough for this weather! Here's at least a pretty picture of Jesse Hall on campus in the snow... I tried to get a quick shot as we were driving to church.
And Charise, this is for you! Eric in his Christmas sweater...
Happy New Year!
I don't have a whole lot of interesting things to blog about - it's been a fairly uneventful weekend of staying in town and catching up on cleaning.
Clayton came over to watch the Mizzou game with us on New Year's Eve (they lost, unfortunately), and Eric and I's evening was spent making a quick trip to Wal-Mart. It was so exciting that I fell asleep on the couch at 9:00 (no joke!). Needless to say, neither one of us made it up till midnight. Friday we went to the movies and I made chicken cacciatore in the crock pot for dinner (mmmmm...!). I even tried the recipe my mom gave me for roasted broccoli. See below...
------------------------------
(it's so hot in the picture you can see the steam!)
Chicken Cacciatore
{my slightly tweaked version from the original recipe which I'll post later :) }
Ingredients:
-2 chicken breasts, thawed
-1 can Hunt's diced tomatoes
-2 cans Hunt's tomato sauce
-Dashes of pepper, garlic powder, oregano, and thyme - I don't really measure it out, I just dash it in :)
Cut chicken into small cubes. Combine above ingredients in crock pot. Cook on low for 8 hours. Serve over pasta.
Roasted Broccoli
Ingredients:
-Fresh broccoli
-Parmesan cheese
-Olive oil
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Break up broccoli into small clusters on a large pan and baste with olive oil. Cook for 15 minutes. Take pan out and flip broccoli. Sprinkle parmesan cheese on each piece. Cook an additional 5 minutes.
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The rest of the weekend was just spent running errands and relaxing at home (and watching the hogs' LUCKY win). I think we're both about to freeze to death here with the below-freezing temperatures. This morning it was -3...I've never experienced so much pain from being cold in my life. My office has been heating up for 3 hours now and still isn't to 70, too. Brrrrr. Apparently my closet isn't good enough for this weather! Here's at least a pretty picture of Jesse Hall on campus in the snow... I tried to get a quick shot as we were driving to church.
And Charise, this is for you! Eric in his Christmas sweater...
Happy New Year!
Monday, December 21, 2009
I actually cooked a successful dinner :)
So as some of you may already know, Eric cooks 95% of the time in our house. I haven't had much of a chance to learn some cooking skills, but I'm not complaining. :)
Yesterday I decided to do a little something somewhat fancy for dinner. Here's the recipe, feel free to tweak the amounts for your specified serving size:
-3 Chicken breasts
-3-4 cups Kelloggs Cornflake Crumbs
-1/2 cup Milk
-2 tbsp Margarine
-Dash of Paprika
-Dash of Salt and Pepper
Preheat the oven to 350F. Coat the chicken breasts with milk, then cover with a mix of cornflake crumbs and a dash of salt. Place on pan and then add paprika and pepper to the top of each chicken. Drizzle each piece with some melted margarine. Cook in oven for 1 hour (yes, that's a long time but definitely worth it!)
Mmmm can't wait to have leftovers for lunch today!
Yesterday I decided to do a little something somewhat fancy for dinner. Here's the recipe, feel free to tweak the amounts for your specified serving size:
-3 Chicken breasts
-3-4 cups Kelloggs Cornflake Crumbs
-1/2 cup Milk
-2 tbsp Margarine
-Dash of Paprika
-Dash of Salt and Pepper
Preheat the oven to 350F. Coat the chicken breasts with milk, then cover with a mix of cornflake crumbs and a dash of salt. Place on pan and then add paprika and pepper to the top of each chicken. Drizzle each piece with some melted margarine. Cook in oven for 1 hour (yes, that's a long time but definitely worth it!)
Mmmm can't wait to have leftovers for lunch today!
Monday, October 19, 2009
Delicious Recipe
I thought I would start the week off by sharing one of my (newer) favorite recipes! Granted, I don't cook very often because I have a wonderful husband that would rather cook instead :), but I got to take over the kitchen and make this over last weekend.
Although the original recipe is from Real Simple (see link here), I like to tweak it a bit and make it more of my own...
Caroline's Favorite Orange Chicken and Potatoes Slow Cooker Recipe
(serves 2)
Ingredients:
-2 chicken breasts
-salt and pepper
-6 red potatoes
-1 orange, cut into slices
-1 can Campbell's chicken broth
-1 tablespoon honey
-dashes of thyme, basil, and oregano
Directions:
-cut the chicken into small squares and season with salt and pepper
-combine broth, potatoes, chicken, honey, and seasoning in the slow cooker
-place orange slices along the top layer of the food
-set the slow cooker to high and cook covered for 2.5-3 hours
-enjoy :)
Although the original recipe is from Real Simple (see link here), I like to tweak it a bit and make it more of my own...
Caroline's Favorite Orange Chicken and Potatoes Slow Cooker Recipe
(serves 2)
Ingredients:
-2 chicken breasts
-salt and pepper
-6 red potatoes
-1 orange, cut into slices
-1 can Campbell's chicken broth
-1 tablespoon honey
-dashes of thyme, basil, and oregano
Directions:
-cut the chicken into small squares and season with salt and pepper
-combine broth, potatoes, chicken, honey, and seasoning in the slow cooker
-place orange slices along the top layer of the food
-set the slow cooker to high and cook covered for 2.5-3 hours
-enjoy :)
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