7.28.2011

allllll fruuuuuuu tooooooown... (aka bonus post for the grandparents)

omelets...or not.

so, we had omelets for dinner last night...well...we had attempted-omelets.  i have NEVER been able to make a good omelet.  say nothing of the fact that when i started to pull out the ingredients from the refrigerator, i realized were were OUT of cheese.  what's an omelet without cheese?  eh.

earlier in the day i had been reading this book...
...and happened upon Julia's wisdom for making omelets...which i found so...er...well...here's what she had to say...

"Set the omelet pan over highest heat, add the butter, and tilt pan in all directions to film the bottom and sides.  When the butter foam has almost subsided but just before the butter browns, pour in the eggs.  Shake the pan briefly by its handle to spread the eggs over the bottom of the pan.  Hold still for several seconds while the eggs coagulate on the bottom.  Then start jerking the pan toward you, throwing the egg mass against the far edge.  Keep jerking roughly, gradually lifting up by the handle and tilting the far edge of the pan over the heat as the omelet begins to roll over on itself.  Push any stray egg back into the mass with the rubber spatula, then bang on the handle close to the pan with your fist and the omelet will start curling at its far edge.  To unmold, rapidly turn the pan handle to your right and grab its underside with your right hand, palm up under the handle and thumb on top.  Holding the plate in your left hand, tilt pan and plate toward each other, turning the pan down over the plate, and the omelet falls into place."

uh-huh.  anyone else confused?  that's a lot of jerking, lifting, tilting, banging, and turning...  just sayin'.  SO...we had scrambled egg mess with some ham, green peppers, and tomatoes thrown in to make it SEEM like an omelet.    currently taking all advice regarding making omelets...but NOT if it resembles the above... 

7.27.2011

wednesday wardrobe...

it's been awhile since i posted one of these, but as i was getting C dressed yesterday, i knew i HAD to take a picture.
shirt & skort (Target), shoes (Walmart), glasses (Dollar General)

i picked up the skort on friday at target because 1)i love yellow, 2)it was on clearance, and 3) i had in mind that she would wear it with this shirt. i was excited to put it on her today and when i asked her whether she would like to wear pink crocs or pink flip-flops, she said "butterfly sandals". heh...if you've already got a lot of color, why not add some more?!? and the glasses...those were her idea too. :-)

7.26.2011

mouth-watering...

so...maybe i should declare this week book-week around here since i seem to be heading in that direction. but sure as i do, i'll think of some great non-book post and won't be able to come up with any more book posts. so, no...nothing official. we'll just see what happens...

i love to cook. i love to read cookbooks. my favorite things to cook usually fall into the categories of italian, mexican, or traditional southern, so when i saw this book on pinterest, i knew i had to read it. my library was quick to get it in for me and i browsed the entire thing yesterday afternoon.
CLICK HERE to go to amazon.

and, as i always do when reading cookbooks, i complied a list of recipes that i want to try...only trouble is, the list is rather long, and i can only keep the book for 6 weeks (at max!)... i may be looking for a used copy as i could see this becoming a go-to book. oh...and just in case you weren't already curious enough...here's my list to provide further temptation...my comments in italics. ;-)

Yazoo Cheese Straws (ultimate baby/wedding shower food)
Sold My Soul to the Devil-ed Eggs
Pimiento Cheese
Chicken Salad
Lunch Counter Egg Salad Sandwich
Three-Day Slaw
Homemade Mayonnaise
Monday Red Beans and Rice
Proper Fried Chicken (pretty sure I'm not currently making PROPER fried chicken)
Chicken Pot Pie
Barq's Root Beer Glazed Ham
Blue Cheese Porterhouse
Country-Fried Steak
Crumb Cauliflower
Baked Macaroni and Cheese
Sweet Potato Souffle
Inside-Out Sweet Potatoes (you should SEE the picture for THESE!)
Apron-String Biscuits
Sweet Potato Biscuits (with a slice of that root beer glazed ham...yes, please!)
Blueberry Muffins
Biloxi Banana Bread
Banana Pudding (individual servings in mason jars!)
Ginger Molasses Cookies
Fresh Coconut Layer Cake
The Devil's Own Red Velvet Cake
Ponchatoula Strawberry Cupcakes
Cream Puffs
Buttermilk Peach Ice Cream (current pregnancy craving...)

(while it occurs to me that i already HAVE several of these recipes, i feel quite certain that the recipes i am using are not quite as authentic, so i'm anxious to try the "real deal.")

7.25.2011

favorites...

C has formed quite an attachment to a couple library books recently...which means, we read them several (3, 4, 5, 8, 24...) times a day... she adores these books.

THIS ONE is pretty neat because it's an easier version of "i spy."

THIS ONE she likes because it has photographs of real children doing things that she does all the time. and...she loves the page with the "i'm a little teapot song" and the last page of counting.

7.22.2011

italian chops

when i think italian, i think red sauce and some heavy seasonings, such as oregano and garlic. these are not quite that...but i think they could be considered american-italian.

this is one of my favorite cookbooks, especially as i LOVE crockpot cooking.
this is my go-to book when i want to cook something in the crockpot, but i'm not sure if i can, or need a good recipe for it. most of the recipes use normal ingredients and many are what you keep in your pantry anyway. CLICK HERE to go directly to amazon.

for this recipe, start by slicing an onion and layering it in the bottom of the crockpot.

next, place 4-6 pork chops on top of the onions.

wash, and cut potatoes (& carrots if desired) and layer on top of pork.

pour a bottle (16oz) of italian dressing on top.
cover and cook on high 6-8 hours (mine was ready in 5, but my crockpot cooks fast).
we all enjoyed this recipe...my 2 year old LOVED the meat (and beans) and ate a few of the potatoes (she prefers her potatoes mashed or as fries). it has a bit of a tang to it because of the dressing, but it's a nice change.

7.21.2011

one website you should check out...

there are LOTS of coupon websites out there, and i use several of them. but this one is a little different. this one is called:


it's a linky...click on it. ;-)

for this one, you plug-in your store rewards card numbers once you set up an account, and then you "load" the coupons to your account. BUT, they don't come off of your total at the register. instead, when you purchase one of the items at one of the stores with your reward card, the amount of that coupon is put into your savingstar account, and once you reach a certain amount ($5.00, i think) you can cash it in for gift cards, etc.

now...you could spend time matching these "coupons" with your other coupons and grocery sales and if you have time to do that, it's probably the best way to use the site. i choose to load up all the coupons i think i MIGHT use at the beginning of each month, and then i don't think about it again until the next month when i log in to load up my cards. it's kind of a fun surprise to see if i've gotten any money in my account over the past month, and i don't spend much time on it at all. (note: because this does not affect your total at the cash register, it is not like the cellfire coupons that will cancel out your paper coupons at Kroger and other stores. you can still use paper coupons with these.)

let me know if you're already using savingstar and any tips you have...

7.20.2011

summer reading

here in the south, summers are HOT and HUMID, and even at 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. it is muggy outside. we love the days when the humidity is low and a gentle breeze makes it pleasant to be outside. otherwise, we are looking for things to keep busy inside (praise the LORD for air conditioning), or we head to the pool. two of our inside activities have been watching movies (when mommy is nauseous or exhausted and needs to rest!) and reading books. we've been regulars at the library...they're starting to recognize us...our once every 4-6 weeks visit have been once every couple of days visits. today, we LOADED up on books (thanks Mom for that library bag on WHEELS!)...in fact, i was worried i might be over the maximum number of items and have to pull out G's card...but i was alright.

i'm excited that i've finally been able to use some of the books that i purchased (or was given) way back when i was single and had some expendable cash that i used to buy books. i have used them at times when babysitting and tutoring, but THIS is the use for which they were intended and i'm so excited to be teaching my own child and using these resources. so -- here are three books that i've been looking through before we head to the library to get some ideas of books for us to read... (blogger hates me today, so instead of clicking on the pictures to be redirected to amazon, you'll have to click on my descriptions underneath...)

7.18.2011

crock-pot chicken and dressing



this is one of my favorite recipes to use when we have fellowship lunch after church on sunday. since it only cooks for about 2 hours, i can prepare everything on saturday, throw it in the crockpot before we walk out the door on sunday, and cook it during church. it is a bit rich, but i have a feeling that may be because of the adjustments i've chosen to make. if you stick to the recipe precisely, it may not be so. (my adjustments will be listed in parentheses)  Click here for printable version.

2 eggs
2 sticks butter, melted
2 cups cooked corn bread
1 cup bread crumbs (i use a box of stuffing mix and i use all of it)
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
salt and pepper to taste (i omit this as the stuffing mix has seasonings)
4 chicken breasts, cooked and de-boned (i usually use 2)
2 cans cream of chicken soup

combine all ingredients except for 1 can of cream of chicken soup. rub crock-pot bottom and sides with remaining can of cream of chicken soup. pour mixed ingredients into crockpot. cook on LOW for 2 hours (mine ususally cooks for about 3), do NOT lift lid while cooking. stir before serving.

ps - i forgot to take a picture, so i found a pretty one online to use. it is also from a crockpot chicken and dressing recipe, but i have not tried it...it certainly looks good though!

7.11.2011

him...

i love this man. i adore this man. i respect this man. more than i did 7 years ago when i married him...which i didn't think was possible at the time. this is the man that gets up early to read and study to help him grow as a man of God, as my husband, and C's daddy. i can't say it enough. i love this man.

"Behold, thus shall the man be blessed who fears the Lord."
Psalm 128:4

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