Happy August!

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Happy August, friends!

I can't believe its already here. The summer has really flown by with the summer heat being ridiculously hot. I am determined to enjoy the rest of my summer and attempt to be outside as much as I can. More swimming, walking, biking...hopefully no more staining the fence {see photo below}

That's me after 8 hours of staining our fence in the 100+ degree weather. The only good thing about this photo is that I look like a BA {Bad Ass}. And I wanted to kick one certain fellow's arse after shaking his finger at me for not staining the fence 2 months after he power washed it. But, HELLO!? Its seriously seriously hot out there. HOWEVER, I do think I lost like 5 lbs. of water from working outside, which made me smile when I stepped on the scale.

Anyways, I am a bad person. BECAUSE, I'm looking forward to the fall. UGH, I know, I know. Wasn't I just saying I was determined to enjoy the rest of the summer!? And I am. Seriously, I am. But, a girl can day dream, right?

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I am down for all the things listed above. And little does the hubs know, but he is too!

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{Pumpkin Pancake recipe}

{Banana Nutella Pumpkin Bread recipe}

What's not to love?

The Hubs and I love to embrace our roots, specifically our Irish roots. Even non-Irish folk love to say there Irish especially on St. Patty's Day. But, we took it to the extent of visiting the motherland, and getting engaged on the Cliffs of Moher. You might remember this little beauty.

Yea, that really happened, and it was awesome.

Our love for Ireland brings me to my Hubs' birthday cake, which I created thanks to the help of Smitten Kitchen. The recipe is originally for cupcakes, but I tweaked here it and there to make the Hubs the the most awesomely delicious birthday cake EVA!

The cupcakes are awesome too, but the ganache melts into the cake and it is truly to die for.

Guinness Chocolate Cake with Jameson Whiskey Ganache and Bailey's Irish Cream Frosting

 So I made everything the same. Yup, didn't change a thing when it came to the ingredients. It was perfect exactly the way it is. But I did change the way I cooked the cake.

I greased 2 cake pans (cake pans for 2-layer cakes - don't know the exact size) and evenly poured the batter into the cake pans. Then, I cooked the cakes for 40 minutes. Next, I spread the ganache in between layers after letting the cakes cool for 30 minutes. Once the ganache was on the bottom layer, I added the top layer and started spreading on the icing. We immediately cut the cake, ate a piece or four and passed out on the couch. It was the best sweetest thing I've ever eaten. 

So go make it. Like now. You won't regret it. And you're welcome.

If it ain't one, then it's the other

Well, I'm sick. Not by far what the Hubs had, but I am sick enough to be annoyed by it. I've got a sore throat, headache, and restless legs = sleeplessness. However, I did go to bed at 7 p.m. last night and woke up at 7 a.m. the next day. It was good, but not full sleep. I kept waking up periodically through the night, but was still dreaming while awake. I think the Hubs was annoyed by it because it resulted in me getting up a lot and kicking my legs around. Hopefully, tonight will be a better night's rest, but at least I got some rest out of last night's sleep marathon.

I had a request (YAY!) for my chicken noodle soup recipe, but to be honest, I stole it from the Reames bag and barely tweaked it.

Reames Classic Chicken Noodle Soup
With minor tweaks by me to make it extra fatty for my poor dehydrated Hubs.

• 1 pkg. (24 oz.) Reames Homestyle Egg Noodles
• Rotisserie chicken - removed skin, bones and shredded with a fork.
• 2 cups carrots, chopped
• 1 cup celery, chopped
• 2 cups onion, chopped
• 3 T. olive oil
• 2 tsp. dried parsley flakes
• 2 tsp. dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 8 cups water
• 8 tsp. chicken bouillon granules
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 can of cream of chicken soup
• Milk
• 1/2 cup flour

Preparation:

1. In a large pot, add olive oil, carrots, celery and onion and cook till tender - about 3 minutes. 
2. Meanwhile, boil 8 cups water and then add 8 tsp. of chicken bouillon granules and mix together. (I didn't have any chicken stock on hand, so I made it with what I had :))
3. Add parsley, thyme and pepper, stir and cook for one more minute. 
4. Add the chicken broth, shredded rotisserie chicken and bay leaves to the pot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
5. Add noodles, cream of chicken soup and 1 cream of chicken soup can filled with milk, and return to a boil.
6. Reduce heat and cover; simmer 20 to 30 minutes or until done.
7. Meanwhile, mix together 1 cup of milk and flour and stir together till smooth. Add to noodle mixture.
8. Continue cooking over medium heat until thickened and heated through.

And tada! YUMMY Chicken Noodle Soup :) We were done eating it this weekend, so I froze it, per my mother's instructions, in freezer bags. May have to bust some out tonight!

We've got germs, folks

We are sick around here folks. Sick I tell ya! Well, I'm not sick yet, but the Hubs is sick, poor guy. He is never sick and he is all about sucking it up and going to work despite sickness. But on Wednesday night, the flu got the best of him, and he actually asked me to stay home and take care of him - new stage in our relationship. I have never taken care of a sick person before (besides myself), and I was bound and determine to nurse and bring him back to good health. I made homemade chicken noodle soup (a very fatty, but delicious kind), bought 2 things of Pedialyte, Gatorade and Tylenol, changed the sheets and cleaned up after him. Unfortunately, his stomach was only in the mood for Pedialyte, water and Gatorade. Fortunately, he is on the mend, and now let's just pray that I don't get sick because it didn't look like fun. 

On a different note, here is my menu for the week. I'm going to let the Hubs finish off the chicken noodles. Can you freeze chicken noodles? I made a lot. 

Friday: Leftovers

Saturday: Coconut Chicken Salad with Warm Honey Mustard Vinaigrette

Sunday: Carne Asada Taco with Avocado Pico de Gallo and Rice

Monday: Smoky Roasted Chicken Corn Chowder

Tuesday: Leftovers

Wednesday: Maple-Thyme Pork Chops  and brussels sprouts

Thursday: Leftovers

The holidays

{Me, the Hubs and my Sister-in-Love on Christmas Eve}

I am still recovering from the holidays. What a whirlwind of fun and cheer that was! It was my first Christmas away from my parents, and I have to say it was a success! No tears. Yay, I'm a big girl! haha. How old am I again? Oh that's right. I'm 28 years old. 

I worked all the way up to Friday evening, and was ready to hit the road when I got home. Once we arrived at the in-loves' house, we didn't meander too much because there was a lot to do the next day for Christmas Eve. My mother-in-love and I woke up (not so bright and early) to go get our fitness on at the gym, and then we headed home to start cooking. The hubs and I made a quick trip to Red X, an interesting little grocery store that has anything and everything you could want and not want, for some vino and brussels sprouts. Then it was back to the house where I made roasted brussels sprouts and holiday brie en croute. It was my first time making the brie and it was delicious!

{via puffpastry.com}

My mother-in-love is Italiano and makes some amazing and delicious food for the holidays. She made two types of pasta sauce (puttanesca and a meat sauce with chicken and meatballs), yummy pasta noodles, tons of olives and cheese...oh the cheese. Best Christmas Eve meal I've ever had. And she did all the work. I tell ya, the lady is awesome and has mad skills when it comes to pasta sauce.

After dinner, we opened a few presents, drank some wine and played a White Elephant game. Then it was off to bed so we could wake up at noon to unwrap presents on Christmas Day! I think that was the first time I slept in on Christmas morning and it was glorious! I got a Swiffer Sweeper, some yummy fuzzy socks with aloe in them, fleece pajamas, scarves, candles, a sweater and a jacket! I am spoiled rotten, I tell ya. 

We stayed in Kansas City for two more days, and then it was back home where I got to enjoy two more days off work. 

On New Year's Eve, the Hubs and I were recovering from a cold so we decided to start the year low key and stay at home. I went out and bought some white tuna, salmon and sashimi tuna so we could make our own sushi from home. I also purchased avocado, cream cheese, cucumbers, jalapenos and mango to add to the sushi. It was so good and we had a lot of fun making it together.

Our ingredients.

My sous chef hard at work slicin' and dicin'.

The final product was delish!

After sushi, we played some Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3, where I kicked major booty, and finished the evening watching Ryan Seacrest wear way too much bronzer and Lady Gaga dress as a human whisk. What a way to end 2011 and ring in 2012 :)

Boil, boil, toil and trouble...

{Happy Doodle Land}

It is the last weekend before Halloween, and I'm SOOOOO excited! I love LOVE this weekend! So many things to bake, cook, decorate, make, etc. And I just don't think I'll be getting it all done. At least the flavors of pumpkin continue to go into the month of November. Mmm...pumpkin. {Sigh}

{Making Pumpkin Whoopie Pies for the Hubs!}

Annnnd....Here is our weekly menu:

Friday: Crockpot 3 Bean Turkey Chili and Pumpkin Beer and Pumpkin Bread

Saturday: Leftovers

Sunday: Seared Steak with Caramelized Onions and Gorgonzola

Monday: Smokey Roasted Chicken Corn Chowder and Caramel Apples

Tuesday: Leftovers

Wednesday: Spaghetti Squash Lasagna  and Roasted Acorn Squash

Thursday: Leftovers

Have a wicked, spooky, haunted, pumpkiny weekend!

 

Weekly Menu 10/14/11

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This week was Homecoming Weekend and I really did not feel like doing much in regards to food. Just ask the Hubs. He was (and I quote) "Scrounging for food" on Saturday. Oh well. I can't be on my A-game ALL the time :)

Here is this week's menu...I'm planning for lots of leftovers so I can relax!

Friday: Pasta with Sauce and Bake Zucchini Sticks

Saturday: Leftovers

Sunday: Flank Steak with Chimichurri Sauce and asparagus

Monday: Crock Pot Turkey White Bean Pumpkin Chili

Tuesday: Leftovers

Wednesday: Eggplant Parmigiana and salad

Thursday: Leftovers

Recipe FAIL

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Ok, so yes. Not everything I cook is like "butta." I admit it. I never said I was Paula Deen, for goodness sakes. Nor would the Hubs want me to be Paula Deen...Mmm brown sugaaaa (inside joke). 

Anywho, I had a recipe FAIL. Big time. Let me just clarify that I did not make this recipe. I simply found it and thought it sounded good. But trust me folks, Pumpkin Sweet Potato Bisque Recipe does not taste good. There are way too many flavors going on - carrots, onions, tomatoes, pumpkin, cloves, nutmegs, barf, etc. It even has the texture of barf. The Hubs, God bless his sweet little heart, ate it. But I protested my own food. I ate a bean burrito, and dumped the rest of the soup down the drain. Yup. It was that bad. Not even starving kids in Africa would want to eat this yuckiness.

Hello Monday!

With my first cup of coffee in hand and first gulp of the sweet caffeine {aaah}, I look back at the weekend and think of how incredibly blessed I am. What a great, fall weekend!

{Pioneer Woman}

Saturday started off with homemade cinnamon rolls that were TO. DIE. FOR! I did a little bit more cooking than I had hoped...what I thought was "8 servings" as the recipe said, was actually "8 batches" of cinnamon rolls. I have about 56 cinnamon rolls in my kitchen. I made the Hubs share some with his dad, so FIL, if you don't get cinnamon rolls, the Hubs is hoarding them. They are, and I quote "the best cinnamon rolls [he's] ever had!" Yea, I'm that good...actually the recipe is that good. Pioneer Woman is a master chef when it comes to cinnamon rolls. YUM!

I also spent Saturday catching up on some projects that I've been putting off. I finally sanded and glazed my bench and touched up our DIY chalkboard that was flaking paint. Works like a charm, now, and the Hubs added his one item he's been begging to add since I first started working on the chalkboard - ground red pepper. Do they even sell that at grocery stores? I have yet to find it at Hy-Vee!

By the Hubs - Check out the green fangs!!! Seriously!!!

By the Hubs

By the Hubs

By the Hubs - Can you see his green fangs!?

Saturday also involved a visit from a new friend. We named him Fang. And no, we didn't kill him. He is too cute and very helpful. He kills all the bad bugs in the house :) haha. And of course, the Hubs had to bust out his camera and take photos.

On Sunday, I got to volunteer for our Church's Fall Festival. I signed up to Face Paint, and got a little bit more paint on myself than on the kiddos :) I love my curly mustache and Harry Potter scar!

Hope you all had a fabulous weekend, too! Now let's tackle the week!