Apples

Brown up butter. Add some brown sugar and kosher salt, then toss in a sliced apple. Cook for awhile, till desired apple softness. I added pecans. Then, pour on a nice amount of Southern Comfort, light it on fire. Serve over ice cream.

John's Zesty Shrimp

Johnny made this for me, so I will just post what I think he did.

1 pound of pealed deveined shrimp
2 cloves garlic
1 cup of tomato sauce
1 cup of orange juice
Feta Cheese

Cook the minced garlic in olive oil for a minute, add tomato sauce and orange juice. Cook for a few minutes on medium. Place the shrimp in the bottom of a baking dish, cover with the sauce, then sprinkle with cheese. Bake for 5 minutes at 350, until cheese starts to melt.

Fiestaware Stamps

My tangerine Fiesta pitcher has it's very own forever stamp now!

Side note: there are also forever stamps out there staring the loveable Pixar characters. Those sound like they would turn into very expensive stickers in my home!

Marshmallow Apples

These are kind of fun. We went to the apple orchard (twice) this past week, so we have plenty of apples.

I don't have an apple corer. Just the ones that slice and peal, so I tried to use a knife to cut out the core, but it just got crazy. So I had to slice the apple in half, then cut out the core. Replace the core with a marshmallow, sprinkle with cinnamon and brown sugar. Put a tiny bit of butter and salt on top, bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Jalapeno Poppers

I know, pretty bad pictures. But trust me, they look better than this. Just bad circumstances of photography!

What you are going to need:

• Jalapeno Peppers
• Bacon
• Steak (I use the cheap stuff)
• Italian salad dressing
• toothpicks

Cut the steak up into one inch cubes or chunks or whatever. Marinate in Italian dressing over night. Or as long as possible.

Get your rubber gloves AND goggles on. Trust me, I have gotten burned too many times not to wear BOTH.
Cut the steams off, and slice the jalapenos in half. Scoop out the seeds, get them all, you don't want it to be too hot. Folks complain.

Slice the bacon in half if regular, or thirds if thick cut. Put the steak into half of a jalapeno, wrap it with bacon and secure with a tooth pick. Toss it on the grill, remember to flip them. If you get too many on the grill, like in the top picture, you are going to get flare ups, and will have to just cook it in the oven. Which works well too.

Rib-Eye Steaks and Caprase Salad

John and I were getting all romantic, and ate a dinner all by ourselves. Well, really, he had volleyball and wasn't home till 9, so we had dinner with out the Connor. But I did break out the place mats!

I like my steaks pretty natural, just fresh cracked pepper with kosher salt. Rub in an extra amount, and I let them sit for a few hours in the refrigerator, then on the counter for a half hour or so. I don't like throwing cold meat onto the grill. I grill on preheated medium-high for about 4 minutes on one side, and another 4 on the other. I would recommend more if you like yours more than medium!

Caprase Salad:

• Roma Tomatoes
• Fresh Mozzarella
• Fresh Basil
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Kosher Salt
• Cracked Pepper

Assemble it cutely. Goes very well with the steak. And wine. Of course.

Fried Egg Salad

As I was running out of food last week, I made up these.
Just a basic green salad with cucumbers, red and yellow tomatoes, green peppers, romaine lettuce. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. Topped with a fried egg, with I managed NOT to break the yolk. I know, real simple, but sometimes the simple recipes with fresh veggies are the best.

Blue Cheese, Lettuce and Tomato Pizza

I made this from a Rachael Ray magazine. So, check out the her's here. Of course, minus the onions and PLUS bacon. Even Johnny liked it.

Just standard crust, with blue cheese and mozzarella baked on to it. Topped with romaine lettuce and cherry tomatoes that were soaked in olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper and basil. Then sprinkled on cooked bacon.

Bathroom Fix

Husband Johnny was away at a convention for a few days.  I couldn't sleep.  The bathroom wallpaper HAD to come down.  So over 2.5 days, I did some changes to the bathroom.

Let me break down the supplies I used:

• White Semi-Gloss Paint for trim $14.97
• Summer Memory Paint $25.74
• Trim Tray Set $2.89
• Paint Tray Set $2.77
• Vent $4.89
• Wall Paper Scrapper $6.97
• DIF Remover $4.97
• Outlet $2.95
• Switch $1.88
• Covers x2 90 cents

TOTAL: $68.93 + tax (but I did use a $10 Menard's rebate check)

The blue paint I used was leftovers from the living room. Menards had a big paint square with several colors on it that they say match and look nice. So I just keep using colors only from that square. They are the experts.

BEFORE:
Hunter green sponge paint, rusty vent, dark trim, icky hinges.
AFTER:
I painted the trim white, painted the walls Summer Memory, painted the cabinet Merced Blued. I bought 8 hinges (at $10.99) to replace the icky ones, but after removing them I noticed they just needed to clean them.  After a good cleaning, they were fine. Which was great, since it saved me $11, and saved me from having to measure and drill new holes.
BEFORE:
Connor removing the wallpaper.
AFTER:
Removed wallpaper. The walls aren't in the best shape, so there are all sorts of bumps. Sigh. Replaced the old tan/off-white/cream colored outlet with a white one. My first time doing that. My good buddy Joel helped me, by guiding me through text messages.
BEFORE:
Connor removing more wall paper. He helped me peal it off. I had to soak it with the DIF spray and scrap off the gluey residue. It was hard work, but the spray worked great. About 90 minutes to get it all down.
AFTER:
No more wallpaper, doors painted white, and light switch replaced with a white one. My first light switch replacement too.
BEFORE:
I forgot to take a picture with the wallpaper still on, so I drew what it looked like in. When we first looked at the house, we were like "Oh my god, we have to fix this bathroom before we even move in!" 5 years later..... Also, notice the weird brown rusty spots under the mirror. I tried to cover those with paint too.
AFTER:
And here I am. Pretty much done. I do need to touch up some spots with white paint, but i am always needing to do that.

Strawberry Float

Strawberry Crush Soda
Vanilla Ice Cream

Together. Love.

Deck

Yikes. It needed re-staining. And it is not done yet.
And, it needs some serious fixing. One thing at a time.

Grill Pizza

Excuse the picture, it's not a good one, but it's hard to photograph with one hand, and hold a smoking hot pizza in the other!

I took my standard pizza crust recipe to make this. Once the dough had a few hours rise time, I used a good chunk. Using my hands, I formed out a circle, covering it in extra olive oil. I preheated the grill to a pretty hot temperature, then tossed it on! After about 3 minutes, I very carefully flipped it. Once the crust was flipped, I put on my toppings and cheese, and continued to grill it with the grill cover on, for maybe 5 minutes. The crust turned out FANTASTIC.

Lego Cars

Check out the cute cars Cobby made by himself. He is a very talented Lego creator.

Salt and Pepper

I haven't been really posting much. Summer, Cabo, Vacations, Laziness.....you get the point.

Anyway.

For my 30th birthday, I went to Cabo San Lucas Mexico. And picked up these lovely salt & pepper shakers. John hates the Fiestaware ones so much that he won't even buy them for me. But we agreed on these cuties. For 100 pesos. (That is about $8.50) They are petty cute, but the holes are really big, so I am going to have to do something about that. I don't really use salt & pepper shakers though, I am a Kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper kind of person (snobby, I know) but they do look cute next to my Tangerine Fiestaware Pitcher!

Vanilla Honey

When I buy yogurt, I HAVE to have a coupon. Period. And, it preferably has to be on sale. I have zero brand loyalty. I do like the Greek style best, but that gets expensive, and I have been known to eat up to 4 a day.

Danon Light & Fit are good, come in a 4 pack, and are responsibly priced. I was at Wal-mart, and they only had vanilla left. Not my ideal choice, but I'm cheap, so hooray. Of course, it's bland. And Greek yogurt with that honey flavor has spoiled me. So, I made my own. I just squirted some honey in, gave it a little stir, and it was wonderful. So great, I bought vanilla on purpose, just so I could do it again.

Since the yogurt is cold, the honey "hardens" a bit, and swirls of honey can be seen throughout it. Making it keep a good strong honey flavor.

Taco Pizza

• 1 Pizza Crust
• 1 can of black beans
• 2 cups shredded cheddar
• lettuce
• tomatoes
• 1 cup sour cream
• cumin
• chili powder
• garlic powder
• chip crumbles
  

Put the dough on a well olive oiled baking sheet. I cook the crust a bit at 475 just to get extra crispy.

Cook can of black beans (with the juice) on stove top for 10 minutes on medium, crushing the black beans with a potato masher. Add some spices, like cumin, chili powder and garlic. Spread this mixture on top of the crust. Then top with the shredded cheddar. Bake in oven for 8 to 10 minutes.

I allowed it to cool just a bit, then topped with lettuce, tomatoes and sour cream. I jazzed the sour cream up by adding the same spice line up: cumin, chili powder and garlic powder.

John wants you to know, add chip crumbles on top. It really makes it.

Puzzles

I have two boys who love puzzles, but I hate all the boxes that come with them. So I cut the covers off, and pop them into a sharpie labeled ziploc bag. Toss them into a giant bin, and we are golden.

Trees

I just wanted to take a picture of the trees in the backyard, I am sad that the one only blossoms for a week or so. It rained last night, so a lot of the pink pedals have already fallen off.

Beefy Beer Stew

• 2 pounds stew beef
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 4 cups of beef broth
• 1 can of the most flavorful beer (Boxer Beer used here!)
• 4 potatoes, cubed
• 4 carrots, french cut, peals on
• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• ground pepper
• parsley

Brown the stew meat with butter and olive oil. Remove the meat, and cook the garlic in the drippings for a few moments, DON'T let it burn. Or your done. Add the beef back in with broth and beer. Add the salt, paprika, and pepper. Cover and cook at a low simmer for 2 hours.

Add the potatoes and carrots and cook for another half hour. Serve topped with parsley and bread.

Jbiz hated it. Too many veggies. I liked it. Sigh, story of my life.

Knock You Naked Brownies

I made this using Pioneer Woman's recipe. I made it for Teacher Appreciation Day. The recipe calls to use a 9x9 pan, but I only have an 8x8 pan. So, I used my 8x8 and 2 ramekins, called it close enough. That way the heart ramekins were leftovers for John and I. I should have cooked the ramekins for a shorter period of time.

Ingredients

• 1 box (18.5 Ounce) German Chocolate Cake Mix (I Used Duncan Hines)
• 1 cup Finely Chopped Pecans
• ⅓ cups Evaporated Milk
• ½ cups Evaporated Milk (additional)
• ½ cups Butter, Melted
• 60 whole Caramels, Unwrapped
• ⅓ cups Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
• ¼ cups Powdered Sugar

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, mix together cake mix, chopped pecans, 1/3 cup evaporated milk, and melted butter. Stir together until totally combined. Mixture will be very thick.

Press half the mixture into a well-greased 9 x 9 inch square baking pan. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove pan from oven and set aside.

In a double boiler (or a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of boiling water) melt caramels with additional 1/2 cup evaporated milk. When melted and combined, pour over brownie base. Sprinkle chocolate chips as evenly as you can over the caramel.

Turn out remaining brownie dough on work surface. Use your hands to press it into a large square a little smaller than the pan. Use a spatula to remove it from the surface, then set it on top of the caramel and chocolate chips.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from pan and allow to cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate for several hours. When ready to serve, generously sift powdered sugar over the surface of the brownies. Cut into either nine or twelve helpings, and carefully remove from the pan.

Sparkle Chucks

How cute are these? I got them at Target for $8.74. Pretty sweet, they were on the clearance end cap, 75% off. I like them, they have no laces, just slip right on for easy AND stylish runs out to the mailbox. Plus, all the toddlers love them. Target has a pair of black ones I have my eyes on right now, but they are still $34.99.

Apple Dumplings

I didn't make these, my friend Joel did. But I'll give a recipe anyway.

• 4 big apples
• 4 pie crusts (I think 2 come in a box)
• Brown Sugar
• Cinnamon
• Soften Butter

Peal, core, then slice the apples in half. Cover the apples in sugar and cinnamon. Then put butter in the core. Wrap with the pie crust, then put more butter on the outside, and more cinnamon too. Bake in a smoker for an hour. Or maybe an oven. He did smoker, and it was fabulous.

Served with Snickers ice cream and caramel syrup.

Week 5: Kitchen, Day 3

BEFORE:
AFTER:
Just a general pull everything out and start over job. I put the cans in order, placing extra ones down in the pull out pantry drawer. On some of the cans, I couldn't see the labels, even though I have that stand. So, I wrote what they were with maker on the top. I also recovered 2 of the over-sized Gladeware from the "to be recycled" zone, and used them to store all my cake decorating sprinkles. Right middle shelf.

BEFORE:
AFTER:
I organized the cans by expiration date, and wrote what they were on the top with a Sharpie. No more digging to find some Dark Red Kidney beans. Side note, I have 5 cans of pumpkin. Gotta do something about that.

Now no judging what we eat! No one in my family is overweight, so we must be doing SOMETHING right.

As days go by, I keep straying away from that scary corner cabinet. The one that goes back 6 feet into darkness. I need back up to tackle that one.

Week 5: Kitchen, Day 2

BEFORE:
AFTER:
I made a decision that Connor is too big for plastic cutlery, so I threw them all away. I also got rid of 4 plastic stir sticks that were broken or icky. Also tossed an old bottle opener. I then had this idea, the tray that holds the cutlery always slides to the back of the drawer, so I put the spare spices in the back to hold it in place. These spices are ones that I use to refill my spices in the pretty rack I have.

BEFORE:
AFTER:
Nothing too crazy here, just got rid of duplicate or expired cleaning supplies. Moved the Windex to the bathroom, where it gets used more.

BEFORE:
AFTER:
This drawer has always been a headache for me. I got rid of this huge paint brush thing that was for basting meats (never been used) along with a device for testing the temp of meat. Connor broke the "toaster tongs" while I was cleaning, took care of that problem. Moved the plastic forks to be with their friends in the cupboard containing disposable dishware.

BEFORE:
AFTER:
Folded the towels and wash rags (crazy idea, right?) Put towels on the left, wash clothes on the right and oven mitts in the center. My chem goggles behind the oven mitts. I use them for when I am cutting peppers. Seriously, it was an issue.

BEFORE:
AFTER:
Just a general cleaning job. Got rid of 2 little cookbooks, some decorate ice trays, vase, lids to ice cream buckets. Made space fro the new coffee grinder.

Whew.

SO, I purged out:

• 5 empty spice bottles
• All plastic kid cutlery
• 4 stir sticks
• Toaster Tongs
• Meat paint brush
• Meat thermometer
• Half dozen gross wash rags
• Expired cleaners
• Vase
• Cookbooks
• Random lids
• Over sized and unused Gladeware
  
• Several rouge half burnt birthday candles