My Valentine's Day Bucket List Adventure

What do you want for Valentine's Day he asked? My response?

Let's cross some things off my 30 before 30 bucket list! He said okay. Our adventure began.

Our first course stop of the night took us to a restaurant featured on Diners. Drive Ins and Dives. This place is kind of off the grind, road side place that is easily looked over, but that's part of the adventure right?

We had to sit outside and it was a little chilly. The Hubs and I both ordered the Triple D Sandwich. I chose this because I wanted to eat something I've never had before (bucket list) and I wanted it to be apart of what Guy Fieri ate on his visit.

The sandwich itself was a large portion. It better of been for almost $10 each. I thought it was very tasty, but honestly it wasn't the best sandwich in the world. The flavors were a very nice combo, but if you didn't eat it quickly it did get soggy. Yuck! I was kind of proud of the Hubby for trying something new too! He is a picky eater and not always willing to try things that he's never had before. I can'y blame him. Meals should be enjoyable and over all this one was for our Valentines Day dinner. 

Next we went to the shooting range. I was scared because I have never shot a real gun before. My Hubby loves shooting!  

Here is the lovely wall decor!

 Like I said before, my Hubby loves to go shooting and he is pretty good at it. We used a couple different targets. Again, I was very nervous. This was a very powerful gun. I think it would have been more enjoyable for me if I used a lower caliber, but this was a spur of the moment trip so we used what we had.

 I on the other hand was not as accurate. Can't you tell?

 It made me quite nervous of the bullet casings kept popping out of the gun after each shot. That is not how it looks in the movies!

Would I go back? I think I would go back with the Hubs, but like I said another gun would be preferred and I think I would also like to have a mouth guard because I was biting down really hard.

Side note: I really like the complimentary coffee station! It was a perfect ending to my first visit to a gun range.

10 Quickie Things

Here is a quick recap of the last couple days for me:

1. I did three blog posts this week! This one makes four. I usually am able to keep up with th blogging more when I am on vacation from work!
2. My cousin Kaitlin got engaged on Christmas Eve while she was in the North Pole! No joke. How magical is that?! It's straight out of a Hallmark movie. I totally want to do their engagement pictures when they return to Florida.
3. Little Miss had a great Christmas! She is one lucky little girl. I don't think there is one present she loves the most. She wants to open them all and I am doing my best to avoid hints getting lost in the shuffle.
4. I got two new nutcrackers this year to add to my collection. So far I am at seven nutcrackers. I am going to try and buy at least one more with an after Christmas price tag!
5. My hubby and I hosted Christmas dinner for the first time. It was a combination of his family and mine. It was nice to have everyone over. The food was delicious. We cooked prime rib. It was a huge roast at 23 lbs. I think we over cooked it a little bit. I know some people like it on the more rare side.
6. I am going to try and make a soup with some of the leftover meat. Any good suggestions for a recipe?
7. Our new dog Sally has to go to the Vet for a pre-spay exam and she has an infection that has to be addressed.
8. As much as I love the holidays and Christmas visits and family gatherings, I am tired and ready for a couple of hours of nothing but lounging.
9. I want to to to a craft store and check out their clearance items. The hard core shoppers probably already wiped out the good stuff.
10. I want....nay need a pedicure and to get my hair did.

BONUS: The Hubby forgot to set the alarm and I was late getting up today. Luckily, Little Miss decided to sleep in today too so it worked out.

London Broil Recipe

I wouldn't say I was the best cook in the world. You won't be seeing me on Master Chef or running my own restaurant. I will say that I can read and thus I can follow a recipe so it works out. I like attempting new stuff because the same old gets old real quick.

Pinterest is a great resource for search for recipe links and organizing said links on your boards. I wanted to share with you one of my Pinterest finds and my personal modifications of the recipe.

My local Winn-Dixie had a sale on London Broil for Buy One Get One. I had never cooked one before, but I was willing to try. I found this recipe on Pinterest. There was no home site link, but someone left the directions in the comments. I didn't want to use the marinade and rub posted so I used the ingredients I normally use for a pot roast (another Pinterest find).

I preheated the oven to 500 degrees. I covered the London Broil in a mixture of the "gravy". To make the "gravy" I used one brown gravy packet, one dry ranch packet and one dry Italian dressing packet and mixed together in 3/4 cup of warm water. I placed the London Broil on top of a bed of onions and poured the gravy on top.  As soon as I was done with the super easy prep, I put it into the preheated oven. I immediately dropped the heat down to 225 and let the broil cook for 45 minutes. Do not open the oven....you'll let the heat out!

After 45 minutes, I increased the heat to 350 for 25 minutes. I prefer my meat on the medium well side hence this step. If you like more of the medium rare your roast will be done by now.

Here is what is it looked like after it was done and resting. Yummy right?

After the meat rested, the hubs sliced away and our dinner we did enjoy!

I hope you found this little recipe rundown helpful and give it a try. I am positive that you will like it.

Taste of Childhood

Is there a food that takes you back to your childhood? I do. It's Wal-Mart brand Mac and cheese! Who would have "thunk" it! Haha.

We had this for dinner the other night and I couldn't get the thought of growing up on this stuff out of my head! It's such a simple thing to trigger a memory. What is it about that powdered, buttery cheese?

Leave a comment about what food distinctly reminds you of childhood!

Ode to Coffee Creamer

I thoroughly enjoy coffee. I drink at least one cup--sometimes two per day. I take it with cream and sugar. I am not a "straight up, industrial strength black coffee."

I can handle powdered creamer when it is the only option, but when I have the choice I prefer flavored creamer. The hubs and I agree on this issue specifically. I usually buy French Vanilla because it's something we both like.

However, it's the holiday season so there are lots of yummy flavored creamers out there and this blog post is in honor of them! It wouldn't be fall without a shout out to Pumpkin Spice!

I recently saw a commercial for Thin Mint creamer! Say what? I love those cookies. I am interested to see what this tastes like.

Did you know that you can freeze liquid creamer? Yes, you can. I scored a great deal on creamer one time at Publix with store and manufacturer coupons and they froze beautifully. You don't have to open them or anything. I've never had one bust or anything!

So thank you Coffemate, International Delight, and Bailey's for making delicious flavors to make my mornings and afternoons more tolerable LOL!

Until next time......keep your coffee strong, but a little sweet!

A Simple Dinner In

Sometimes the best weekends are the ones the Hubs and I spend at home. I am not always interested or in the mood go out and about. What would my 20 year old self say to me now? It was one of those days for me this Saturday.

After a long day of grocery shopping and looking for toddler toys and organizers for Little Miss' makeover, I was pooped and thankful that we had no plans and would be staying in and chillaxing. Have I mentioned that Hubby can cook? He's great in the kitchen and tonight he decided to cook up some steaks.

It's still so freaking hot outside---90 degree fall here in Florida, so he opted to cook them up inside than rather on the grill.

To go along with our pan fried steaks, I made green beans and baked potatoes. The green beans were seasoned with salt and pepper to taste, lemon juice, bacon and kalamata olives.

Do you like my cutting board? Yea, it's a paper plate. All of my other cutting boards were dirty! Don't judge!

Our dinner was delicious! Our steaks were perfectly medium well. Yummo. I ate till I couldn't eat another bite. Later, I chased my dinner with some Ben & Jerry Coffee Heath Bar crunch!

All in all it was a simple meal, but significant in our lives. What do you do on you nights in? What makes it unique or special?

Rainy Day Homemade Soup

I live in Florida and we are no stranger to rain during summer time. So as life would have it, it's been raining off and on the last few days. This past Sunday was quite dreary as I was trying to figure out what to do for dinner. And then it hit me....homemade soup!

One of my favorite homemade soups is a copycat recipe of Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana so this is what I went with because I had almost everything I needed it get it going at home. I did have to do a quick trip to Winn Dixie in the rain, but it was worth it!

Here is what you need:

(1) package or roll of mild Italian sausage (ground, not links)

 Bacon (I used precooked bacon salad pieces because it was easier not to cook something else)

crushed red peppers flakes

4 cups water

1 32 oz box chicken broth (this is 4 cups as well)

 approximately 10 small red potatoes, skin on, cubed

2-4 garlic cloves – minced

1 medium onion – diced

2 cups chopped kale (some sites offer kale in a bag. That is what I used. It is chopped already but you could give it another rough chop later)

1 cup heavy cream (I used half a cup because I planed on freezing half of the soup)

salt and pepper to taste

Combine broth, water,  potatoes, onion and garlic to a large pot and cook until potatoes are tender. Next, cook and drain sausage at set aside until potatoes are done.

Once potatoes are done cooking, you can add sausage, crushed red pepper and salt and pepper for preference. You may wish to add a little more chicken broth if you want because some of the liquid has been absorbed or cooked off at this point.

I like my soup to be a little chunky, but not overly chunky so I used a potato masher to break up the potatoes a little bit. I let the soup simmer for a little while longer because it was too early for dinner but if at this point you are ready to eat you can after the final steps.

Add you kale and cam and let them heat through for approximately 10 minutes.

Tip: this recipe make a lot for just me and th hubby, so I usually separate out half the soup (before adding cream) because I will freeze this portion for another meal. If you freeze the soup with cream, it will break apart during the defrosting process.

To round out the meal, I cracked open a Pilsbury French bread loaf and cooked it as directed so we had some "fake homemade" bread for our meal.

I hope you enjoy this recipe! I do each time I cook it! What's your go to rainy day meal?

Day 8: I can't get no--Satisfaction. Just Kidding

Today's topic asks me to consider and reflect upon a time when I felt satisfied with my life.

I'll be perfectly honest I am usually most satisfied with my life after a good home cooked meal or when the day is done, my daughter is sleeping and I can curl up in bed and chillax.

When my daughter was born, I kind of had to step out of the kitchen for a little bit. I love to cook and try out new recipes. My husband has taken over more of the cooking duties while I "entertain" or watch our little Miss. However, I do get the chance to jump in there are whip something up more now that she is older. Side note: How is it that I can keep her busy and out of the kitchen when my hubby is cooking, but when I am cooking my daughter is usually trying to claw up my leg? haha

Eating a good meal does something for the soul especially when it is made from love. Yes, we have a physiological need to eat, but there's something about the experience of that first bite or looking forward to your favorite meal or dish and then relishing in the after glow of a "meal well done." I am by no means a foodie. My palate isn't complex. I do not have a state of the art kitchen stocked with the best equipment money could buy, but we make it work.

Sleep, oh glorious sleep! I feel quite satisfied with life when I am well rested. I had post partum insomnia and it was no bueno. You know that old adage sleep when the baby sleeps? Yea, not so much for me! I was miserable and in turn quite emotional as a result. You will never take for granted a good night's sleep after it has been systematically denied to you by a newborn and new mommy stress.

I am a working mom so after a long day at work, dealing with other people's kids, it is nice to be able to let it all go and relax! I may not know what it is like to sleep in a lot, but I am thankful for the rest I do get now.

When you look at your life can you find satisfaction there? I hope so. If you can't find ONE thing, you might want to make some changes, a life overhaul if you will. No matter how small or how simple there are things, ideas, routines, people, actions that are quite significant if you only allow yourself to see and believe them. You just might find something pretty special.

A family that eats together

#1 “A tree without roots will fall over” -unknown
#2 "How will our children know who they are if they do not know where they came from." unknown
#3 "Heirlooms we don’t have in our family. But stories we’ve got."   -Rose Cherin

When was the last time that you sat down with your extended family for a dinner and it wasn't a holiday? After a WONDERFUL easter dinner this year, several of us thought that it would be a good idea to make more time for one another with a monthly dinner. Each dinner has a theme, everyone brings a dish and a different person hosts each time. A couple weeks ago was our most recent dinner and it was great. Our theme was "comfort food."

Family get togethers such as ours don't have to be large elaborate events where people spend hours in the kitchen preparing a 4 course meal. Last time I checked, my life and family was not living in a Norman Rockwell painting and it is not worth the stress to try because it's not the point. This time should be used to focus on positives. We don’t use mealtimes and family dinners as a time to criticize, complain, or argue (okay, maybe we do a little, but not to the point where it ruins the time together). We treat each other with respect and affection and let the little things ride. We share stories, books, play games, and sit around and "shoot the breeze."

I enjoy our family dinners so much because it gives me a chance to talk with my aunts, cousins, and family friends. When we are not around one another most of our "keeping in touch" takes place over Facebook, emails and texts. And don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with that, but it doesn't quite hold a flame to real hug and kiss. Another personal benefit for me is that my daughter, who is the family baby, gets a chance to be loved on and played with by someone other than me. Some of my fondest memories of growing up are the ones I spent with my cousins and aunts doing sleepovers, going shopping or to the movies. I want that for Avery because the bonds/relationships that that time built has been a lifelong connection and I wouldn't trade it for the world.

I leave you with this thought, "In truth a family is what you make it. It is made strong, not by number of heads counted at the dinner table, but by the rituals you help family members create, by the memories you share, by the commitment of time, caring, and love you show to one another, and by the hopes for the future you have as individuals and as a unit." (MARGE KENNEDY)

How Cheesy is Your Chicken?

Here is another yummy crock pot recipe which is simple, quick and easy! This recipe was found on Pinterest and from Southernplate.com so please check out their site & show them some love!

Here is what you need:
1 package of skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 medium onion
1 package of yellow rice
1 can of cream of chicken
1 can of whole kernel corn
1 cup of of shredded american cheese (I used extra sharp)

Directions:
Place you chicken breasts on the bottom of your crockpot and top with chopped onions. Next, dollop the the chicken and onions with the cream of chicken soup and cook on low for 7-10 hours, whatever setting your crockpot has. As the chicken cooks, you might want to stir here and there to disperse the sauce the bit.

While the chicken is cooking you can cook the rice in advance and reserve in the fridge or you can cook the rice closer to dinner time if you prefer.

Now that several hours have passed and you have been smelling your dinner simmer all day, it's time for the finishing touches. To your crock pot add the rice, cheese and corn (drained from can) and stir until cover. I would give the crock pot an additional 10 minutes or so in order to let the rice, corn and cheese heat through. Salt and pepper to taste.

The last and final step is to EAT!!! This was a very yummy meal with little to no clean up #awesomeness.

Titillating Tortellini

Another Pinterest recipe supplies my family with a delicious dinner. This whole try out began with Publix having tortellini on sale for BOGO. I was interested in trying something new with the tortellini what didn't include tomato sauce. Lucky for me, my Pinterest board had exactly what I was looking for! Most of the ingredients that the recipe called for I already had in my kitchen.

Now, this recipe does call for some kitchen time. It is not a plop and drop in the crock pot sort of thing. There is frying, chopping, boiling, whisking, and taste testing involved, but trust me friends it is worth the effort.

Here is what you need according to the recipe
12 oz bag Barilla Cheese & Spinach Tortellini (find them in the dry pasta aisle) ***I used (2) 9 oz bags of Buitoni Tortellini***
4 oz bacon or pancetta, (about 4 strips bacon)***I used thick cut bacon***
3 cloves garlic, pressed in garlic press or finely minced
2 Tbs flour
2 C milk
¾ tsp kosher salt ***Regular table salt works fine***
⅛ tsp black pepper
1 1/2 tsp dry basil
¼ tsp red pepper flakes (1/2 tsp or more if you like spicy)
1 medium lemon ***I used lemon juice***
2 C loosely packed fresh spinach, roughly chopped
¾ C grated mozzarella cheese, divided
¾ C grated Parmesan cheese, divided

So begin by preheating your oven to 350 and cook your bacon until crisp and set aside. In the same pan, sauté your garlic. Be aware that your pan may be a little to hot at first and you could burn your garlic. In the meantime, bring your pasta water to a boil and cook tortellini according to package. When the pasta is done cooking drain and return to pot.

Next, you are going to create a rue in the pan you cooked the garlic in by adding 2 Tbs of flour. The recipe says to use some of the bacon grease/fat for the rue.  You can substitute 2 Tbs butter instead of the bacon fat.

Then, you are going to add the 2 C of Milk and your spices. I don't know about you, but I don't always add spices in exact measurement. When I made this, I "eye-balled-it" and did taste tests and added as needed. Continue to stir your sauce because it takes about 5 minutes or so for it to thicken. Bring it back to a boil and then lower temp to simmer (at that point it should thicken).

When your sauce is done you are going to add it to the pasta along with spinach, some of the bacon, mozzarella and parm. Stir until covered and then transfer to baking dish. Before covering with foil, top the mixture with the rest of bacon and cheese.

Bake in oven for 20 minutes with foil on and then 5 minutes with foil off.

I hope you enjoy this meal as much as we did. Thanks again Pinterest for another good food find.

Here is the link for the original recipe because we must give credit where credit is due!

Cobble, Cobble, Cobbler!

Okay, so I tried out another pinterest recipe and I am glad to report that it was a SUCCESS! Thank you "Living a changed life" for posting it! What adds to its success and makes it more awesome is that is SO EASY because it only calls for 3 (yeah, you read that right) 3 ingredients and BAM you've got a cobbler in less than an hour.

Here is what you need:
2 (12oz) Bags of Frozen Fruit--When I made this I used a Mixed Berry
1 Box of yellow cake mix
1 can of Sprite--I used Sprite Zero. You can also substitute for 7-Up.

Directions:
In a greased 9x13 baking dish, pour out the frozen fruit. Try and disperse it as evenly as possible. Next, cover the fruit with the boxed cake mix. DO NOT STIR--just cover as best as you can. Lastly, you cover the the cake mix with Sprite. Be sure to use all the sprite. Put the cobbler in the oven at 350F for 45-55 minutes or until golden on top and that's it.


If you were to compare the taste of this cobbler to other homemade recipes, I would say this crust has a lighter taste to it. It isn't heavy. As a tweak to this recipe, you could add a tablespoon to sugar to the fruit or top of the cobbler crust for a little extra sweetness.

These three ingredients could be something you keep on hand for the unexpected dinner guest or invite. This recipe would also be a good edition to any potluck too. This dessert recipe is definitely worth a try and a special shout out to my family who let me try this recipe out on them at this month's family dinner! I love you guys.

Veggie Galore!

Veggies, veggies everywhere and what are you to think? Oven roasted veggies are a great addition to

any meal because they are yummy and healthy. And that combination works well for this lady who is on a mission to loose the rest of this baby weight and get back into those old navy pre-baby jeans :)
Here is a simple oven roasted veggie recipe that I found on pinterest and have cooked twice already.

You will need: Potatoes, zucchini, baby carrots, sweet potatoes, whole garlic cloves, onions and tomatoes according to the original pinterest postings.

When I made this I skipped the sweet potatoes and just cut up a couple small red potatoes. Additionally, I have added cauliflower to the mix as well.

Preheat your oven to  350 and be sure to spray your baking sheet or lightly drizzle with EVOO.
Chop and cut your veggies to desired thickness. I lightly seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic and some cajun seasoning.

Then, pop in the oven and bake  for 45 minutes. You can dust with Parmesan for the last 10 minutes if you so desire.

Quick, simple, easy and delicious! What more can you ask for! My hubby and I ate it up. I hope you enjoy this recipe and as Julia Childs would say, "Bon Appetit!"

How do you crock pot?

I la la love my crockpot! It was by far the best wedding gift ever! (Thanks again Adrienne BTW). So the other night, I tried a new recipe for cube steak in the crock pot. Of course, it was one of my many foodie finds on pinterest.

Here is what you need:One package of cube steak (at least 4 pieces to family size)
Two cans of cream of mushroom
One package of onion soup mix
3/4 cups of water
1/2 of a medium sized onion chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

All you have to do is mix the all the ingredients into the crock pot and cook on low for 8 hours and VOILA! Dinner is done. Normally, cube steak is a tough meat to eat, but when you slow cook it all day you can cut it with your fork! For reals. It was very easy and very yummy. Plus, if you use a reynolds wrap crock pot liner you will have very little clean up! Bonus.

This is a great alternative to frying cube steak which as we all know is awesome, but not so healthy.

Recipe Rundown

I love to cook! And I love to eat really good food which does not bode well for my attempt to loose the rest of my baby weight. Nonetheless, I wish to share with you one of my recent adventures in cooking.

One of my absolute favorite restaurants is Carrabbas Italian Grill. My husband and I both love their Mama Mandola's Spicy Sicilian Chicken Noodle soup. I get it everytime I eat there. So in one of my recent internet search explorations, I came across the following copycat recipe and I decided to give it a try. Here is the orignal link.

I did not follow the recipe exactly because my pot was not big enough! So here is what I did.
In my food processor I diced: 10 (or so) baby carrots, 3 stalks of celery, one med. onion and about 4-5 fresh garlic cloves. I them put veggies in my pot with some EVOO and salt and paper and had them "sweat out" while I did the rest.

After I chopped the veggies I opened one can of peeled Italian plum tomatoes and drained the juice into the pot with veggies and then chopped the tomatoes in the food processor ( and then I added tomatoes to the pot).

Next use 3-4 box cartons of chick broth---add all to the pot. For an extra kick to the soup add one to two table spoons of crushed red pepper flakes (optional because it will make it a little spicier)
Then, I shredded a store bought rotesserie chicken and added meat to the soup. Bring up to a boil on a low heat and let simmer for a few hours (or however long you need). Stir often and salt and pepper to taste.

 I cooked the noodles seperately and added them right before it was time to eat. I used Barilla ditilini (any smal noodle will do). And I have to say that it turned out pretty good! My husband even said that it was better than Carrabba's version because it tasted more fresh! Awh, love him. He knows what I like to hear. There's the picture of the final product!

Happy cooking people. I looking forward to sharing more with you soon.