{Heavenly} Deviled Eggs

I feel like I missed the boat here on getting this recipe to you. For me deviled eggs are a backyard BBQ kind of food. Summer is over and fall is quickly turning to winter (at least here in the mountains of Colorado). But with the holidays quickly approaching I am sure there will be plenty of opportunities to throw these babies into the food mix. And trust me they are worth it.

By the way this is not my picture. I got it off of a google search fo deviled eggst since I didn't have time to make these tonight (crying baby and all....) so thanks to whoever took this wonderful picture. Mine never look so pretty!

A woman at church once told me that the word "deviled" in deviled eggs means that they are spiced. These eggs are the opposite of being spiced so I've decided to call them Heavenly eggs. This recipe comes from my husband's grandma. The first time I tried one I knew I was in love and just had to have the recipe. For fear that this was some secret recipe that no one else knew it took me a couple of years to work up the courage to ask for it. When I finally worked up the courage her response was "oh, I don't have a recipe. I just do it by taste."  WHAT?! I was so bummed. I needed this recipe! She proceeded to tell me what ingredients were used and approximately how much she used of each but the rest was up to me. 

I've made several attempts at this and the recipe here is the best I've been able to come up with. With each attempt my husband gave the same response ("yes, they are good"), but my response was always the same: "But do they taste like your Grandma's?!"  I doubt I'll eve match hers exactly but these are pretty darn close. I hope you enjoy!

Leonna's Heavenly Deviled Eggs

6 eggs, hard boiled, peeled, and halved
2 Tbsp mayonnaise
1/8 tsp ground mustard
1/8 tsp salt
5 drops Tarragon vinegar
1 Tbsp Splenda
Paprika

Mix yolks with mayo, mustard, salt, vinegar, and splenda. Spoon back into egg white halves. Sprinkle with paprika.

For my part I've found that it is crucial to use the Tarragon vinegar. It may not be as dire as I think but the one time I attempted to make them with a different vinegar it was a disaster! (Sorry to my extended family that tried my deviled eggs at Karra's house this summer! These are not those!) I'd be careful about using anything else though.

Don't wait until next summer to try these! You'll be sorry you waited so long.

Homemade Chicken Nuggets

My kids LOVE when I make these homemade chicken nuggets. But, let's get one thing out in the open right now. These are NOT the good for you version. They are fried! Which makes them a special occasion food at our house. And this week, the special occasion was that dad was out of town, and I was really not in the mood to make anything the kids could even remotely complain about eating.

This recipe is one that I got from my mom, but I have no idea where she got it from. We usually had these for dinner when it was someones birthday, which means that we had them almost every month. And with nine mouths to feed it seemed like there was a mountain of chicken nuggets on the table, but they always got finished off.

For my family I usually do 3-4 chicken breasts and then make sure to have a few different vegetables to go with it, so I don't have to make quite as many, and I don't feel completely guilty about what they are eating.

OK, enough talk. The first thing you need to do is make a cute apron! Or make one for your mom, and then find out two years later that she doesn't use it because her boobs are too big for it, and take it back feeling slightly depressed that you obviously don't have that problem! Buying an apron would work too, but whatever. Put on an apron. Unless you like grease stains on your shirts.

In a mixing bowl combine:

1/2 C Flour (whole wheat works great)
2 TB Corn starch
1 tsp Sugar
3/4 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Pepper
1/8 tsp Baking Powder
2 TB Vegetable Oil
2/3 C Water

Cut up 3-4 uncooked chicken breasts in 1 inch cubes and toss into the bowl. Mix to coat all the piece.

While you are mixing and cutting, you also need to get a frying pan with 3/4 of and inch of vegetable oil in it heating up. Start on medium, and then turn it down or up slightly if you need to.

You won't be able to toss in all the chicken at once, but with my frying pan I can usually put in 12 -15 pieces without having them touch. Cook the chicken for 3-4 minutes and then flip them over and cook another 3-4 minutes.

Place the chicken on a paper towel lined plate or serving dish and serve hot. I usually keep my plate in a warm oven until I am finished, since you have to work in batches.

So, it's not going to win you any healthy mom points, but for a fun dinner when it's your childs birthday, or if your just the kind of person who doesn't worry about eating fried food once in a while, it sooo beats McDonalds!

Make Your Own Cheese

The other day my husband was watching Rick Bayless on his cooking show and suddenly announced that he wanted to make his own cheese. So, we went to the store to buy a few simple ingredients, and while I made fresh tortillas he got to work making Queso Fresco Mexicano. This is sooo simple to make and our kids were fascinated by the process. Oh, and the cheese tastes really good too! You should try it.

Start by heating up a gallon of 2% milk and 2 cups of buttermilk over medium heat until it reaches 75 degrees. Then, turn off the heat, cover the pot, and let sit for 3-4 hours.

Next you are going to separate the curds from the whey by adding 1 tsp of citric acid dissolved in 1/4 C cold water, OR 1 cup of fresh lime juice. Heat the milk again over medium heat until it reaches 195 degrees, stirring occasionally The whole process takes about 20 minutes. We could not find citric acid at any of our local grocery stores so we went with the lime juice. I was a little bit worried about having lime flavored cheese, but the lime flavor was pretty subtle and I think it made the cheese even better. And really, this is Mexican cheese, so any dish you add this too is going to go great with a little lime.

Once all the curds have separated, turn off the heat and let the pot sit for about five minutes before scooping the curds out onto cheese cloth.

...eating her curds and whey...seems kind of weird now huh?

OK, so there will be a little bit of moisture still in the cheese. Instead of just squeezing the cheese cloth, you need to gently push on it with the back of a spoon.

I don't have any pictures of the next few steps, but basically you sprinkle the cheese with salt (in my opinion Rick's recipe called for a little too much and the cheese was just a little too salty) Form the cheese into a disk (or just push it down into the bottom of a bowl like my husband did), cover and chill in the refrigerator.

Once it's chilled you can eat it any way you darn well please. We ate ours with warm fresh tortillas, and then ate then rest straight out of the bowl.

Overall the process is kind of long, because it has to sit for several hours, but it's not hard, it tastes really good, and it's just kind of fun to say that you made your own cheese!


Queso Fresco Mexicano
Slightly adapted from Rick Bayless, and by slightly adapted I mean I used table salt instead of sea salt so I used less. Otherwise, I wouldn't have a clue how to change a cheese recipe.

1 Gallon whole or 2% milk
2 C buttermilk
1 tsp citric acid OR 1 C fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp salt
Cheese cloth
Thermometer that goes as low as 75 degrees

Combine milk and buttermilk in a large pot and heat over medium heat until the mixture reaches 75 degrees. Tun off the heat, cover the pot and let sit for 3-4 hours.

If you find citric acid, start by dissolving 1 tsp in cool water, otherwise squeeze enough limes to get 1 cup juice. Add the citric acid mixture OR the lime juice to the milk and turn the heat back on to medium, stirring occasionally until it reaches 195 degrees. Remove from heat and let sit 5 minutes.

Using a slotted spoon scoop out the curds onto cheese cloth that has been placed over a colander.

Gather up the cheese cloth and gently press the curds with the back of a spoon to expel the remaining whey.

Open up the cloth, sprinkle with salt and work it in with your hands,

Press the curds into a 1-inch disk. Cover and chill.

Then wow everyone by telling them that you made your own cheese!

Do Anything Fun Today?

Me. I spent my day searching high and low for cinnamon bears. No where to be found! Which was so disappointing, because I had my heart set on chocolate covered cinnamon bears. I haven't had any in a so long and after my husband came home a few days ago with chocolate covered jelly beans (75% off in the Easter candy section) I haven't been able to get them out of my head.  A few awesome friends suggested on facebook that I try gas stations, so all hope may not be lost.

 And, during my city wide search this afternoon I didn't come away completely empty handed. There is a candy store in the mall that exclusively sells gummy candies. Some that are pretty unique. No cinnamon bears though! There were so many that I wanted to try, but alas, the price per pound did not allow it. I snagged a few bags that I thought would be good though (they were also on the buy 2 get 1 free table) and spent most of the late afternoon and evening dipping, licking, and sampling.

Sadly, the red hot chili pepper turned out to be anything but red hot, but the chocolate-chili combo still tasted pretty good. I think my favorite was the banana-orange, although the plum-pomegranate were really good too. 

So obviously, most of you don't live by a candy store that sells red-hot chili pepper gummies, but I did grab a few cinnamon jelly bellies while I was at the grocery store and they were pretty darn good covered in chocolate as well. My 4 year old couldn't get enough of them. I'm wondering now how good the other flavors would be. And what about the sour ones? Or even sour patch kids! OK, I need to stop.

Maybe one of you could try it for me and let me know! I'm pretty sure you won't be disappointed. 

Oh, and if you do decide to try chocolate covered jelly bellies or any other small candy. Just toss a handful into your bowl of melted chocolate and then scoop them out with a slotted spoon. 

Heaven on Earth a.k.a Honey Butter {Recipe}

The first time I tried this delicious honey butter I thought I had died and gone to heaven. Seriously. Although I was 8 1/2 months pregnant at the time so I wasn't hard to please. But I have since tried it again and can say without hesitation that it really is like a little piece of heaven here on earth. So a big thanks to my amazing sister-in-law Alicia for sharing this recipe with me and of course allowing me to share it with all of you. Prepare to be amazed!

All you need is three simple ingredients. Yes three. It's not just honey and butter (though I'm sure that would be good too). The magic ingredient? Marshmallow creme!  

Honey Butter

4 Tbsp butter (softened)
4 Tbsp honey
1-2 Tbsp marshmallow creme (I don't actually measure this I just throw in a big spoonful so 2 Tbsp is my best guess)

*Update* 

I tried the Cinnamon and it is very good. It reminds me of the honey butter they have at Roadhouse Grill. If you want to try it add 1/8 tsp. of cinnamon.
Creme together well.

I tried over and over again to take a picture that would do this stuff justice but I just couldn't. I added a picture anyway because one of my pet peeves is a recipe with no picture of the finished product.

My next batch I'm going to try adding a touch of cinnamon. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Linked up Here and Here

For Jenn...Sneaky Good {For You} Muffins

When Jenn and I were growing up, there 3 things that I remember hearing my dad say a lot. 1) Never spend more money than you make. 2) A moment on your lips, forever on your hips (by the way he said this in a teasing way, not a don't eat that or you will get fat, kind of way. and 3) You don't have to be like everybody else. It was the 3rd one that I remember hearing the most and is the one that has really had the most impact on me. Although I also try really hard to avoid any type of debt. Anyway, the point is that because of my dad's advice, I'm generally always late to the party so to speak when it comes to trends. I try to avoid doing anything that everyone else is doing. Of course, when I decide that I actually do like something, it's usually about the time that it's going out of style. So, of course when everyone started talking about green smoothies, naturally I was determined not to try it. Then, my mom came out to visit when Laila was born and started telling me that she makes them all the time. After she left I decided I might a well give them a try, and now I'm hooked. I make them for breakfast at least 4 times a week and my oldest two kids also really love them.

Are you wondering yet what the point is? So, a couple weeks ago, Jenn called me worried, because she had been to the doctor's office and found out that her iron was really low. It was so low that the nurse told her that if she didn't get it up, they would not let her leave the hospital after she has the baby. We talked about how we both really don't love red meat, which has tons of iron, so I suggested drinking a green smoothie every morning.

I'm not exaggerating when I tell you I could hear the disappointment in her voice as she said "You do green smoothies too!?" It's like I had broken our unspoken pact.

After we hung up I decided to find a way for her to incorporate spinach into her breakfast in a non smoothie form. So what did I do? I followed a different trend. Baking with Greek Yogurt. At least it's not a smoothie recipe!

I actually came up with two different muffin recipes, but I'm still tweaking the chocolate banana one, so today I'm just going to share my Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins. Yes, I realize that most people only bake with pumpkin in the fall, but this about not following trends, remember.

I'm actually pretty proud of these muffins, because as I've mentioned before, bread and I don't usually get along and these don't just taste good, they are packed full of good for you stuff. Including spinach!

You are going to start by throwing some canned pumpkin, pureed carrots, or more pumpkin if your not in the mood to cook and puree your own carrots, spinach, Greek yogurt, and skim milk into a blender. It will look something like this.

PS. I'll tell you a secret that my kids do not know. I didn't actually puree my own carrots. I accidentally bought the chunky carrot baby food and my picky selective baby won't eat them, so they got thrown in the muffins.


Now, if you are making these for yourself or you happen to not have children who don't mind if they don't look quite as orange as the "normal" ones, than continue on. I know my children though, so I added a few drops of yellow and red food coloring to the mix, and the world was right again.

Dump this mixture into a mixing bowl and add some eggs, agave nectar, oil, sugar, spices, whole wheat flour (I actually used white whole wheat), and chocolate chips. Mix just until blended and divide into muffin cups. Bake and enjoy!

And If your wondering what in the world Agave nectar is and why I would use it, click here. Don't worry, it's not some obscure ingredient that you will have to drive all over town for. You can find it at most grocery stores on the top shelf of the sugar isle. I actually use it mostly to sweeten my smoothies, but I've started using it more in baking. The only reason I even use white sugar at all in this recipe is because agave nectar costs quite a bit more than sugar.

What's great about these is that they can be either naughty or nice. I've obviously given you the very nice version, but you could easily make them very naughty by leaving out the veggies, using white flour, and adding more sugar.

Sneaky Good For You Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins 

In a blender combine:
1 C canned pumpkin
1/2 C pureed carrots
1 C raw spinach
6 oz plain non fat greek yogurt
1/4 C skim milk

Pour into a mixing bowl and add:
2 eggs
1/4 C vegetable oil
1/2 C agave nectar
1/2 C white sugar
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp ground nutmeg
3/4 tsp ground cloves
2 C whole wheat flour

Yields 24 muffins

Mix until just blended. Bake @ 350 for 18-20 min. (I've found that my oven cooks way different than most modern ovens, so check them around 15 minutes to asses how long you will need)

My kids have been loving these for breakfast and they have no clue how good for them they really are.(compared to the muffins I usually make!) Each muffin has 4.6 grams of fat, 135 calories, 2 grams of fiber, 3 grams of protein, 4.6 % of the daily recommended amount of iron, and tons of vitamins.

If anyone tries these, I would love to know what you think. And I am definitely open to suggestions of improvement.

Awesome Dinner Rolls

Well apparently I lied. I can manage to ruin these rolls. Not completely. They were still edible. They were just very well done. If you don't have your oven turned up too high though you should be fine.

I actually think my mother in law Betty makes rolls very similar to these, but only on Christmas, because you have to start them the night before. I really like that fact though because I can make the dough, throw them in the fridge and then not worry about them until late in the afternoon. Even if you do see think it is slightly inconvenient, it is worth it, because they are so good.

The original recipe that I got from my friend made a ton of rolls, so I have cut it in half and usually end up with two dozen and a few more. So go ahead a double it if you are making it for a large group.

Start by dissolving 2 1/2 tsp of yeast (or 1 package) in 1/4 C warm water and set it for aside for 10-15 minutes or until it's nice and bubbly.

Next, you should probably put a pot of water on the stove to boil because you are going to need some boiling water in just a minute.

In a large mixing bowl cream together 1 stick of butter, 1/4 plus 2 Tbs of sugar, and 1 tsp of salt. Add to that 1/2 C of boiling water and stir until smooth.

Next, add your yeast mixture and then 2 beaten eggs.

Finally,  add 3 3/4 C of sifted flour, (although I've done it without sifting the flour and I honestly didn't see a difference) and 1/2 C cold water alternating between the flour and the water.

The dough will be very wet and sticky. Don't add more flour! It will firm up in the fridge.

All that's left to do is cover it in tinfoil and stick it in the fridge over night.  

About 2 1/2 hours before you want to eat is when you will take the dough out and roll it out onto a floured surface and cut out circles like you would sugar cookies. I use one of our glasses and it is the perfect size.

Take those little circles and dip them half way into liquid gold

Lay the butter side on a cookie sheet and fold in half.

Let those beauties rise until they are delightfully plump and them bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Or, if you have an oven that cooks hot like mine, you would do better to do 375.

We enjoyed our homemade rolls this week with our family favorite manicotti and my personal favorite strawberry and feta green salad.

It really doesn't matter what you eat them with though, just eat them!

Dinner rolls

1 scant Tbs yeast (2 1/2 tsp, or 1 package)

1/4 C warm water

1/2 C butter

1/4 + 2 Tbs sugar

1 tsp salt

1/2 C boiling water

2 eggs, beaten

3 3/4 C sifted flour

1/2 C cold water

Linked up at i heart naptime

Easy Cupcakes & Frosting

This year for my daughters 4th birthday we had a Fancy Nancy themed party. I wasn't adventurous enough to get too fancy with the decorating (which would have been so fun) and games but I decided the least I could do was make my own cupcakes. I found this really easy recipe from Our Best Bites that was "part from scratch" and used an easy frosting recipe from my sister-in-law and this is what we got:

 As you may or may not know Fancy Nancy loves everything pink and purple and over the top fancy. I was given instruction on the proper way to frost a cupcake (so it looks like it came from a bakery) but that is WAY too much frosting for me. I still think they turned out cute though.

Cupcake Recipe: EASY WHITE CAKE from Our Best Bites

Frosting Recipe:

1 part butter

2 parts cream cheese

3 parts powdered sugar

I found that the frosting blended best in my kitchen aid rather than trying to use a hand mixer. To color your frosting I was told its best to use a color paste (I found it in the bakery section at Walmart) rather than using food coloring. FYI: a pea size amount of paste was PLENTY to color the frosting. I then used the Wilton tip # 1M with a frosting bag to frost the cupcakes. I started in the center and worked my way out. To make extra fancy cupcakes start in the center, work your way out, then work your way back in to the center. Decorate as desired.

Coming Back To Life {and a recipe}

I can't believe it. After 4+ months of construction and the disaster that goes with it my house is almost done. Our final inspection is set for Tuesday and then I will hopefully be able to convince my husband to move me in. (I'd do it myself if I could but being 6 1/2 months pregnant makes things a little difficult).

Once I get settled in our new addition I will actually have a craft room (I know! I can't wait!) and I look forward to being able to post some of the fun stuff I do again. Plus I have a new kitchen in which I can try out all sorts of fabulous new recipes. And of course with baby #3 on the way I'm sure I'll have tons of parenting stories to share. So I hope, at least until baby comes, I'm back.

And to start, since my craft room is ready, I'm going to share a super duper yummy recipe. I got this from my Aunt, who got it from her daughter-in-law, who probably got it from someone else, and so on. I don't know what they call it so I've made up my own name. Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Thai Wraps

1/4 C. Peanut butter
2 Tbsp. Seasoned rice vinegar
2 Tbsp. Honey
2 Tbsp. Sugar
1 Tbsp. Water
1 Tbsp. Soy sauce
1 1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
pinch of crushed red pepper

Combine all with a whisk and set aside.

16 oz. coleslaw mix (don't let this turn you off...I promise it's yummy)
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 cucumber, peeled, diced
1 C. chopped peanuts
Edamame (for some reason I don't have an amount on this so just throw in as much or a little as you like)

Toss all together.

Put coleslaw mix on tortilla (I prefer the ones you buy raw and cook at home...SO YUMMY!!) and drizzle with peanut butter dressing. Wrap and enjoy.

Marshmallow Fondant

Last week my oldest daughter turned 9 and she had a very specific request for her birthday cake. Normally I just ask them what flavor they want, but she had seen a cake at Sam's Club that she really liked and asked me if I could make one just like it. I told her I couldn't promise anything, but I would do my best. It looked simple enough, except I had never used fondant before so I wasn't sure how that would go.

The day before her birthday I went to the store to buy the fondant and about died when I saw the price. $22 for a box of 3 different colors! I don't think so. For that price I would have just bought her the cake from the store.

So I did a little Internet searching (actually my mom did it for me while I was on the phone with her and on my way to the store) and it turns out there are many different recipes out there. They can basically be divided into two different categories though, traditional fondant and marshmallow fondant. Since the marshmallow fondant seemed much simpler and more kid friendly taste wise, we went that route, and I was very pleased with the results. It was very easy to make and work with.

I'm glad I didn't take a picture of the cake from the store, because it would make mine look that much worse, but for my first fondant attempt and considering I had help from a nine year old and three year old, I would say it turned out pretty good.

I will say it was a little bit of a messy, sticky project, but that was part of what made it so fun.

I would definitely recommend giving this a try if you are looking up your cake decorating game a little. Keep in mind that this makes a HUGE batch (I didn't even use half of it) and it does need to sit in the fridge over night so you have to plan ahead.

Marshmallow Fondant (recipe adapted slightly from This recipe)

16 oz Mini Marshmallows
4 Tbs Water
1 tsp Vanilla Extract (or other flavor of your choice)
2 Pounds + 2 Cups Powdered sugar (You may need a little more or less than this)
Butter or Crisco for greasing your hands
Food Coloring

Place the marshmallows in a large bowl and microwave in 30 second increments until completely melted. Carefully stir in the water and vanilla and mix until smooth.

Slowly stir in some of the powdered sugar until you have sticky dough.

Grease your counter or table with butter and then generously sprinkle with powdered sugar. pour the dough onto the counter. Grease your hands well, and knead the dough adding more powdered sugar until the dough is no longer sticky.

Add a few drops of food coloring and continue to knead until it is uniform in color.

Form the fondant into a ball, lightly grease with butter and wrap tightly in plastic wrap.

Put the fondant in the fridge to sit over night, and then let it sit out on the counter until it is room temperature before you use it.

Sprinkle the counter with more powdered sugar to roll it out and then get creative!

Peanut Butter Madness

A few weeks ago I found myself scrambling to make a plate of goodies for some women at church that I am supposed to visit once a month but have so far neglected to do this summer... I just can't bring myself to drag 3 kids with me, so each month I have knocked on their doorstep with a loaf of bread or a plate of cookies apologizing profusely. They are all sweet women with kids of their own though and completely understand what it's like when kids are home for the summer so they take my humble offering and reassure me that they are doing just fine.

Anyway, back to the cookies. We suddenly have an over abundance of peanut butter at our house right now so instead of the standard chocolate chip cookies that I always go to, I dusted off my peanut butter cookie recipe. It has been a long time since I made these and since I was making a plate for three families plus my family would want some I decided to double the recipe. Oops! I forgot how many cookies one recipe actually makes. I ended up making half the dough and sticking the rest in the fridge.

After finishing up the already made cookies on our counter, I got out the cookie dough to make the rest but I was so over them at that point that I secretely wanted to just toss it in the trash and forget about it. The practical side of me just couldn't do it though, and then as I was sitting there staring at all that peanut butter cookie dough, I suddenly had an epiphany. At the time I called myself a genius, but have since come to discover that peanut butter sandwich cookies are nothing new. Have I been living under a rock my entire life?

Ok, so I started with my basic peanut butter cookies. I wanted them to be really soft and chewy though, so I made sure to take them out of the oven a tiny bit early when they still had that "I'm not sure if they are actually done" look. For me that was 9 minutes, but it probably depends on your oven and altitude.

Peanut Butter Cookies:

Cream together 1 C Butter
                        1 1/4 C Sugar  
                        1 1/4 C Brown Sugar
                        3 Eggs
                        1 C Peanut Butter  
                        2 tsp. Vanilla

Mix in 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
           1/4 tsp Salt         
           2 1/4 C flour

Place balls of dough on a cookie sheet, do the fork thingy and bake @ 350 for 10 minutes (less for softer cookies)

While your cookies are cooling, mix up a batch of peanut butter cream cheese frosting! I actually didn't follow a recipe when I made mine, because like I said I thought I was coming up with something purely genius, so I just threw some stuff together to make cream cheese frosting and then added some peanut butter to it, but just in case you've never made cream cheese frosting before, this is a pretty basic recipe.

Mix together 8 oz softened cream cheese (I actually used low fat because that is what I had. Still yummy!)
                     1 Stick of softened butter
                     2 Cups Powdered Sugar 
                     1/2 tsp Vanilla
                     1/2 C Peanut Butter

Now you can grab two of those delightfully soft cookies, slather a little bit of heaven in between them and glory in your awesomeness, because trust me, your family will think you are awesome. My husband and kids were peanut butter cookied out after the first round, but couldn't get enough of these!

 

I still have not thought of a suitable name for them though. Peanut Butter Sandwich cookies just doesn't do them justice.

Two Things I Can't Live Without This Summer

If the last two months of pregnancy weren't hard enough, throw in record highs and you've got a recipe for one very grumpy momma. I don't handle heat well under normal circumstances, but with this miniature built in oven I've got right now I feel like the only way to top sweating is sit in a bath of ice water. That just doesn't really sound fun though. Instead I've discovered two things that make each day just a little more tolerable.

The first thing is this jersey knit skirt from Old Navy. I have this one in plum, one in dark heather gray, and one in navy blue from last year. I also have a green and white stripped one that I bought at Fossil a couple years ago.

What I love about these skirts is that they are super stretchy (a must when you are the size of an elephant) soft and comfortable (another must) and they make them for tall girls like me. I'm not kidding when I say I wear one of these skirts every single day. The other thing I love about them is that even though they are perfect maternity skirts, they aren't maternity at all, so I don't have to stick them in a box once the baby is born.

And what is my other can't live without? Well, did your mom ever make you an Orange Julius as a special treat when you were a kid? Ours did and I loved them. Somewhere along the way though I forgot about them until just recently when I was looking through my recipes. I added a few things to the basic recipe to make them more tropical than plain orange, and once the kids are in bed I get out the blender and my husband and I sit down in the basement with one of these in hand to cool off .

Start with a basic Orange Julius recipe

4 oz Frozen orange juice concentrate

3/4 C Milk (half and half if your having a bad day)

1 tsp Vanilla

1/4 C. Sugar

10-12 Ice Cubes (I use less if I am adding frozen berries)

Next toss in half a banana, some fresh or frozen berries (I usually have strawberries) a few chunks of fresh pineapple and a splash of coconut extract

Blend everything together and pretend that you are on a beach somewhere instead of sweating in your basement.

Apple Dip {Recipe}

I don't know about you but my favorite way to eat just about anything is dipped. Chips and dip, fruit and dip, veggies and dip, and my personal favorite, bread in soup! Oh yummy! This recipe is one of my absolute favorites. I don't make it often because it is so not healthy, but then again I am eating it with apples so that balances things out, right? Hmmm.......

Anyway, I got this recipe from a friend of mine a long time ago who I have now lost contact with so maybe I'll start claiming it as my own. It's a super easy recipe, perfect for summer time, and a fun snack for kids. I call it "Yummy Apple Dip" for lack of a better name. (Maybe we should have a contest to see who can come up with the best name!)

Yummy Apple Dip

8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 C. brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 C. toffee bits (with or without chocolate....found in the baking isle by the chocolate chips)

Cream together the cream cheese, brown sugar, and vanilla. Stir in toffee bits and refrigerate 1-2 hours before serving.

Enjoy!

Spanish Rice

Wow, is it Friday already? The days seem to be flying by so fast that I can't keep track anymore. I realized the other day that I don't have nearly as much finished for the baby's bedding as I was hoping to have finished at this point. I tried to get the bumper pad finished yesterday, but projects always seem to take 3 times as long as I think they should. And I won't be getting anything done this week because as of five minutes ago my husband is officially on a 10 day vacation!!! Our kids our not out of school yet but that is not going to stop us from having some fun.

Monday morning we are going to pack up and head to Michigan Adventure for some roller coasters and water slides. I of course will be watching all the fun from the ground since I don't think my big belly will be allowed on most of the rides, but if I'm being completely honest I really don't care. I'm not much of a ride person.


We will also be spending some quality time over here. Sorry, small picture. That is Lake Michigan though, I promise.

Anyway, I am so ready for this little vacation of ours since we didn't really do anything during spring break when my husband had his last vacation. I am not totally thrilled about having to put on a swimming suit right now, but I'm sure I will survive. I am however really excited that after this month my husband will officially be a 2nd year resident instead of an intern and will be able to ask for the vacation dates that he wants instead of it being assigned to him.

OK, really moving on. I'm sure you really don't care where I spend my vacation. Here is my super easy version of Spanish Rice.

The first thing you need to do is whip up a batch of home made salsa. I suppose you could use the store bought stuff in a pinch, but really don't!

Saute 1 Cup of rice in a little bit of oil over medium heat until the rice is golden brown.

Add 3/4 Cup of salsa to the rice

Then add 1 1/2 Cups of chicken broth

Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes and your done.

My kids don't really love rice so I try and keep it as simple as possible, but some sauteed onion would also taste great in this dish.

Also, this has a pretty mild flavor to it, so if you like some more spice you could definitely add more salsa or just sprinkle in a little cumin and chili powder. This is just a basic recipe so have fun changing it up to your own families likes.



PS. I may be back on Wednesday, or I just might be enjoying the beach still. Please don't be mad if my Wednesday post turns into a Thursday post.

Yummy Home Made Salsa

Guess who's camera is broken AGAIN? Yep, just two months after I paid $100 bucks to have the lens fixed it is having the same exact problem. I can't take a single picture and I'm not all happy about it. Good thing I took these pictures a while ago in anticipation of one day posting about my Mexican side. OK, I don't actually have any Mexican in me, but if I had to pick just one type of food to eat for the rest of my life it would be anything in a tortilla or anything that looks pretty on a plate next to one. Preferably topped with cilantro!

My husband doesn't exactly share my same enthusiasm for all foods south of the border, but he doesn't mind eating it occasionally. The one thing he does love is salsa. I used to buy the nasty jarred stuff for him and he liked it just fine, but then one day I got a recipe from my friend Heidi for home made salsa and we have never gone back. I don't think I could get him to eat the store bought kind now if I paid him.

I know there are plenty of recipes out there for home made salsa but honestly I've never wanted to try any other ones because we like this one so much. I'm pretty sure you will love it too.

Here is what you need...

2 Large cans (29 oz) of whole peeled tomatoes, drained

1 Can (14.5 oz) Petite diced tomatoes, drained

1/2 Bunch of Cilantro

1 Stalk of green onions

1 Jalapeno with or without seeds

2 TBS Minced garlic

2 tsp Salt

2 tsp Pepper

1 tsp Italian seasoning

1 tsp Crushed red peppers (1/2 tsp for less kick)

1-2 Shakes cumin

1-2 Shakes oregano

Roughly chop cilantro and green onions and place in your blender. Add the rest of the ingredients on top EXCEPT the petite diced tomatoes. Blend well. Add the drained diced tomatoes and stir with a spoon. Or, if your husband hates chunks in his salsa just blend it all.

Enjoy your salsa with tortilla chips (we prefer hint of lime) or on top of just about anything. It would be great with Jenn's Fiesta Lime Chicken!

On Friday I will show you how I use it to make easy Spanish Rice.