May Goals

Warm weather! Flip flops! Ahhh! I hope this weather sticks around and no more surprise snow flurries!

Here were my goals for April:
1. Go to the gym 5 times
2. Make 1 new recipe
3.Choose what we are going to do for curtain rods
4. Blog 1 time other than this post
5. Choose a paint color for master bedroom

I did run in my neighborhood 3 times but work and an annoying cold kept me from my last two times.

I made SEVERAL new recipes this month! For Easter brunch I made Blueberry Pecan Crumble Coffee Cake from Country Cleaver, which was SO delicious and I definitely will make it again. Along side this I made Perfect Roasted Sweet Potatoes from A Kitchen Cafe although I didn't use any oil. Finally, I made Crustless Sausage Broccoli Quiche from LAQ Fitness which was also delicious but took an hour longer to bake than she said so needless to say our brunch was more like Linner (or is it Dunch?) and we were hungry! Part of the difference in baking time could have been that I only used whole eggs instead of any egg whites. While the egg white conversion is 1 whole egg for 2 whites, 10 whole eggs (the 5 she calls for and 5 from the conversion) was not enough to cover my broccoli and sausage so I added 6 more eggs I believe. I would make this again but definitely allow for more cooking time.

Other than the Easter, I also made Perfect Homemade Biscuits from Mom On Timeout which were truly perfect! Very easy to make and went along perfectly with Potato Soup which was a first-time recipe try from my cookbook "Betty Crocker's Cooking Basics". I also made The Marlboro Man Sandwich from The Pioneer Woman. Very happy tummy but I'll use less butter next time. Shhhhh, don't tell Ree! :) And last, but certainly not least, I made a Bacon-Spinach-Chicken-Pesto pizza. SAY WHAT? Yes, it was DELISH! I didn't follow any recipe although this is the pin that inspired me. I used Pillsbury dough and Costco pesto. Lots of fun and tasty cooking this month!

Not only did we choose what we are going to do for curtain rods, but we purchased all the materials and got started! My beloved birdie curtains from Pier1 are up in the office and we're just waiting on the shipment from Target to arrive so we can hang the living room and dining room. The two panels we had for the dining room were different by 2 inches so we had to order a couple more to see which two will match each other. Craziness! Once those are up, I will post about how we did it with step-by-step pictures and prices.

I have yet to narrow down let alone pick paint colors. But I need to get on that ball because my bestie is coming the last weekend of this month to visit and help me paint!

This is gonna stay short and sweet because I'm working hard on grading and lesson plans tonight but also need to pack for a weekend celebrating my "little" brother's college graduation! He's receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Film and Photography. The night before graduation we get to attend a mini Oscars (complete with red carpet, I'm told) for his school called the Tracy Awards. He is nominated for Best Cinematographer and his film is nominated for Best Film along with 8 other nominations! So exciting and so proud of him! I can't wait to see where his career takes him and what kinds of cool projects he gets to work on. He is very talented and loves what he does which is so awesome to see in young people these days!

So here are my goals for May:
1. Go to the gym or run 5 times
2. Make 1 new recipe
3. Hang living and dining room curtains
4. Blog 1 time other than this post
5. Choose a paint color for master bedroom
6. Paint master bedroom
 7. Project Life date with my mom
8. Finish "Love Does"

Happy May Day!

March Goals

Happy March!

I am so excited for this month! First, because it is the month in which winter is NO more. I like all the seasons but winter just sticks around for waaaaay too long in these parts. And most likely even when it is officially spring, I am sure it will still look and feel like winter. But somehow, "the first day of spring" helps me mentally start getting over the freezing cold and never ending snow.

Second--this month ends with the start of spring break! Unfortunately that also means another set of report cards to get done. But this month, I will have loads of motivation! Two days after the quarter ends, we are headed to

 IRELAND!!!

Isn't that beautiful?!?!

Those are the Cliffs of Moher and I will be there!!! I am preparing myself to be wet and cold but taking tons of pictures and soaking up all the amazing landscapes. This will also be my first time to Europe so I'm pretty excited to add another continent (and country) to my (very short) list.

Here were my February goals:

1. Go to the gym 5 times
2. Read 2 books kinda
3. Blog 2 times
4. Cook 1 new recipe
5. Get my Project Life out of the closet and start working on it again
6. Narrow down an idea for the curtains for my living room

While basketball and report cards were not an issue this month, I had so many sick/absent students that it created lots of extra work for me to keep them on top of their work and then I got sick too and lost all energy and motivation to do anything. I did make it to the gym 5 times but my workouts were pretty mild as it would wipe me of all my energy. I finished 1 book and am currently reading 2 different books "Allegiant" by Veronica Roth and "Love Does" by Bob Goff so that kinds counts as read 2 books since I didn't say "finish". :) I blogged once and have another post 90% done but it just didn't get finished before March. I did cook something new and it was very yummy. I made Balsamic Glazed Lamb Chops. Thanks to Kayley at "The Kitchen McCabe" for the recipe. Sadly, I never did get my Project Life out. I planned to do it last night after Wyldlife but we decided to hang out with some friends and I'm glad we did. Depending on your definition of narrow, I have narrowed down my ideas for curtains. It's actually the blog post in progress so you will hear and see more about it soon! So not amazing but not terrible! And hey, in my defense....February shorted me by 2 days!

Here are my March Goals:
1. Go to the gym 6 times
2. Finish "Allegiant" and "Love Does"
3. Brush up on my photography skills and how to use my camera beyond Auto so that I can fully capture Ireland with awesome picutres
4. Get my Project Life out and start working on it again
5. Make a March Madness Bracket
6. Blog 2 times other than this post
7. Make 1 new recipe
8. Really narrow down curtain options and buy some--or the fabric to make some.
9. Do 1 crafty thing! March is National Craft Month and I feel like I should partake even if it's in a small way.
10. Decorate my house for spring!

Wow, way more goals than previously. But I'm feeling motivated and 80% of my lesson planning is already done for the next 6 weeks since I'll be out of the country for all of break and don't want to come home and write lesson plans. We'll see how I do!

Any tips for international travel? 

What to pack? (I HATE packing and tend to over-pack every trip) 

How to survive the looooong overnight flight? (I will NOT be watching the new movie "Nonstop" despite how much my husband wants to see it!)
Do you have any goals for this month?
Do you decorate your house for spring?
Do you watch March Madness at all?
Will you be crafting at all for National Craft Month?

February Goals

We are one twelfth of the way through 2014, woot!

How was your January? Mine went by so fast, but was great. Disneyland was a blast! We were so exhausted each day and didn't ever stay til closing, but we did make it on every ride! I plan to post pictures and more about our fun adventures this month so stay tuned. :)

Once we got home and school started again it was go, go go. We finished the second quarter so the last two weeks I have been crazy busy with catching up on grades, report cards, half of my conferences, and trying to plan lessons at least a month out. My students finished their semester strong with awesome reports about an animal of their choice accompanied by a model of it's food web and a presentation. I love seeing what they are capable of doing!

When I haven't been stuck in teacher mode, I have been the videographer, biggest fan (read loudest screamer), and sugar supplier for my husband's basketball team. Last year, I started this thing where I would bake a dessert for the team whenever they won a game. This was a) my way to get involved and b) an excuse to bake and eat only 1 of whatever it was since my husband doesn't care for sweets and I could but shouldn't eat a whole batch of anything alone. Well, last year it was all fine and dandy. I baked every other week or so. This year...not so easy. They have been winning maniacs! They just finished the regular season yesterday and have a 11-3 win-loss record! They are second place going into the tournament next weekend. It has been SO much fun to watch and cheer for the team and they have played some amazing ball. However...all this winning has caused a bit of dilemma because I can't keep up with the baking! Guys, I'm 4 wins behind and the season is almost over. It has been a lot of fun to be involved more with the team this year. I've gone along on all the van rides, attended both out-of-town trips, and became a team favorite as made apparent by walking into practice with a plate full of warm cookies and not a single player can focus on what Coach is saying anymore. :)

Last night was senior night. It's so bittersweet (especially more so for my husband than me) to recognize the guys who won't be back next year. Two of them have been in the program since my husband started coaching so this year is even more significant as he says goodbye to his first batch of 4-year players. This year has just been so much fun and it will be hard to not have those four guys around. After a particularly rowdy game the other day where I had to sit in the other team's fan section for the best filming angle, I told my husband about how annoyed I was with some of their comments and cheers. I realized that it bothered me so much because I've almost adopted those 11 guys and feel protective and proud of them. When, I first met my husband, coaching and basketball was HIS thing. I had no desire or intention for it becoming MY thing. But it just goes to show that when your spouse is so passionate, invested, and good at something, you can't help but come along side them and support, cheer, and invest in it yourself. We are having the whole team over for dinner and a movie ("Glory Road") on Wednesday night and while I am a little bit daunted by the idea of cooking for 11 teenage boys (that's a lot of spaghetti!), I am excited to host them and know that the moments they spend with my husband and the other coach will remain as some of their favorite memories from basketball and even high school. We have high hopes for the tournament next weekend and a good end to this incredible season.

Well.....I certainly didn't intend to get all sentimental when I sat down to blog tonight. I was just going to tell you how I met and failed my January Goals and move on to this month. Ahh but that's the fun of writing...you never know where one thought will lead you.

So without further ado thought, let's recap on my January Goals:

1. Go to the gym 4 times
2. Read 1 book
3. Blog 2 times (other than this post)
4. Cook 1 new recipe

I barely accomplished the first goal, but made it for the fourth time yesterday morning. I read "Divergent" by Veronica Roth in 5 days (SOOO GOOD! I cannot wait for the movie). I (barely) got even 1 blog post in for the whole month (11pm last night). The new recipe was a cookie for the basketball team, which they loved so much they asked for it a second time. Thank you to Taylor at Trendy Schmendy for these easy and delicious cookies.

Here are my goals for February:
1. Go to the gym 5 times--with no report cards to worry about and the basketball season ending in one week, I think I can increase my presence in the gym.

2. Read 2 books--I'm already half way through "Insurgent" and have a few other books in mind to read.

3. Blog 2 times (other than this post)--since I didn't meet this one, we'll try again.

4. Cook 1 new recipe--I like cooking so I like challenging myself to try something new every so often

5. Get my Project Life out of the closet and start working on it again--I'm not setting a goal for how much gets done as long as SOMETHING gets done, I will be happy :)

6. Narrow down an idea for the curtains for my living room--I have NO idea what I even want

Did you have any goals for January? How did you do? What are your goals for February?

Homemade Hummus

Hummus is one of my favorite dips. I use it for veggies, chips, and as a spread on turkey sandwiches. YUM! Bonus: it's cheap and easy to make.

Drain and rinse 1 can of garbanzo beans (chick peas)

I always roll my lemon a couple times while slightly 

pushing down--a trick I learned from Rachel Ray "to get the juices flowing."

Squeeze the juice of half a lemon. I love this lemon juicer. So worth the $5. It has a strainer, squeezing cap, pouring spout, and is a measuring cup. That Martha, she's a genius.

Another one of my favorite kitchen tools--my OXO garlic press.

Crush 5 cloves of garlic, or 6, or 7. In my opinion there's no such thing as too much garlic :)

Add some fresh ground pepper.

I don't have a food processor so I use my immersion hand blender. It works great!

Add a little bit of cold water at a time as needed to reach the right consistency. With an immersion blender, you need to add some right away to help get it going.

This makes enough for me to have it for two lunches on all my veggies! Let me know if you try it and how you like it!

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Titus 2 Tuesday

Outrageous Caramel Brownies

This is seriously one of my favorite desserts. I LOVE chocolately desserts that have other flavors involved. These fudgy brownies have crunchy pecans and gooey caramel! YUM! Hopefully the pictures and step-by-step directions will make you want to go make these...like right now! :) And yes, I just finished licking caramel off my fingers from eating one!

Here we go! The ingredients:

~1 bag of caramel squares--unwrapped (my mom added DUH! in her recipe here which cracks me up every time I read it)

~1/2 cup evaporated milk

~1 cup butter/margarine

~2 tsp vanilla

~2 cups sugar

~4 eggs, slightly beaten

~1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

~3/4 cup cocoa powder

~1/4 tsp salt

~2 cups semisweet chocolate chunks/chips, divided

~1 1/2 cups chopped pecans, divided

~1 tsp vegetable oil

Heat oven to 350 and grease a 9x13 pan...or use non-stick foil, which is what I did.

Heat the caramels and milk in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir frequently, until caramels are melted and smooth.

  

 Melt butter in a large saucepan over low heat.

 I actually have both meltings going on at the same time. So that the caramel is still warm when the batter is ready.

Before I even turned on the stovetop, I "Rachel Ray'ed" the rest of the recipe. To "Rachel Ray" a recipe is a term that my mom and I came up with. It means to pre-measure all the ingredients and have them in various dishes and containers ready to just pour as you go. You know...just like you see on Rachel Ray or any cooking show where they just grab a little bowl that has the pre-measured ingredient in it and they don't have to get out their measuring cups/spoons. I find that I then only have to read the ingredient list once and the baking part is much smoother with everything ready to go. Here all all my ingredients lined up in the order I need to add them.

 Once the butter is melted, stir in sugar, vanilla and eggs until well blended.

Stir in flour, cocoa, and salt.

Stir in 1 1/2 cups of the chocolate chips and 1 cup of the pecans.

Spread the batter evenly in the 9x13 pan.

 

Gently and evenly drizzle melted caramel over the batter preventing caramel from reaching the bottom of the bars. Caramel will cover the entire surface of batter.

 

Bake 35-40 minutes or until set.

  Heat remaining 1/2 cup of chocolate chips and the oil in a saucepan over low heat.

Stirring frequently until smooth.

 Drizzle over warm brownies. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup of pecans.

Cool 20 minutes. Refrigerate for 1 1/2 hours or until chocolate is set before cutting.

I personally like to let my brownie be at room temperature for a short while before I eat...that way the chocolate softens up to a fudgy yumminess  and the caramel is soft and gooey...oh yum!

Let me know if you make these and what you think! Happy baking!

Homemade Taco Seasoning

I have had a lot of frozen chicken that I have been planning to thaw and cook in the crockpot for tacos, burritos, and other Mexican dishes. When I saw this idea on Pinterest, I knew it was the perfect time to do it.

The pin led me to the blog Rachel Shultz for the recipe. I had all but two of the spices so I got them at the grocery store this morning and then got to making it this afternoon.

 I used the small Rubbermaid container to shake all the spices together. I looked at a package of taco seasoning at the store and the serving information said it contained 12t of mix. The recipe for my crockpot taco chicken said to use one packet. I did the math and realized Rachel's recipe made about 7t of mix so I doubled it. 

Here is the beautiful mixture of spices before I added the cumin, salt, and pepper. 

I added the taco mix and one can of chicken broth to about 15 pieces of frozen chicken tenders. Cook in the crockpot on low for 6-8 hours.

Take the chicken out and let it cool on a cutting mat. 

 Then use two forks to shred all the meat up.

You can save it in the refrigerator for use that week or freeze it for future use.

Thanks Rachel for a great (and healthier) substitute to taco seasoning!

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner

I love Pinterest! Have I ever said that? Well I do. I love it even more when I make something I find and it is a big success! And I love pinning delicious, easy dinners that I already have all the ingredients for because then I am way more likely to actually make it!

I had a bunch of leftover rice and wanted to find a good meal to go with it. I found a tasty looking recipe from Comfy in the Kitchen. You can get her recipe HERE!

I didn't follow her recipe exactly. However, I didn't marinate my chicken, I didn't use chick peas or feta cheese, and I used walnuts instead of pecans. I heated up our leftover brown rice and steamed some broccoli to go along with it. Doesn't it look tasty???

It's so fun to be able to make a great dinner for my husband and enjoy it together in our house!

My husband absolutely LOVED this dinner. He told me he would expect to see it in a restaurant! I love hearing that, especially when it was an easy meal to make. He rated this as a 9, saying you can never rate something as 10 so that there is room to grow. :) In other words, he told me he wanted it every night that week! Let's just say I will be making this again. Thank you so much Janelle from Comfy in the Kitchen for this wonderful recipe!

I Can Can

No, that wasn't a typo and no, I don't mean the dance. I mean canning food and now I can do it!

Ever since we planned on going to Green Bluff, I knew that I wanted to pick our own apples, make homemade crockpot applesauce and then can it. Sometimes my lofty homemaker plans come true, and this one did.

I had two different recipes pinned and kinda combined/spun off of both of them. Here are the two blogs I referred to: SkinnyTaste and Women Living Well. For my recipe, we used 5 varieties of apples: Jonathan, Jonagold, Gala, Honeycrisp, and MacIntosh. We used 2 crockpots, 26 apples, 3tsp of lemon juice for each crockpot, about 1/2 cup water in each, and I didn't measure how much cinnamon I sprinkled in each one. I did not use any sugar (hubby is anti-sweets haha). The applesauce is kind of tart so adding brown sugar might help with that but we both really like the tart flavor. I put the crockpots on high and it was done in 3 hours. I used an immersion blender to get the chunks out and then we canned 6 pints of our applesauce and had a bit leftover to eat now.

Here are the pictures of our applesauce adventure!

Attaching the apple peeler/corer/slicer to the counter.

Oh yah, tools in the kitchen! Hubby loved doing this!

Apple slinky

Apples

Peeling away

Adding lemon juice

Love having his help in the kitchen

Apples and cinnamon all ready to become applesauce

Adding a bit of water

Blending out the chunks

Nom nom nom

How many jars will we get?

6!

Applesauce takes a bath

Woo hoo!

We did it! We made our own applesauce and canned it!

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