Wordless Wednesday

(Belated) Tasty Tuesday...

Sorry I didn't get a chance to post yesterday, it was so beautiful outside I finally found a chance to get outside and trim up the fern/bush/nasty growth that was threatening to take over our entire front yard. It's not looking completely as nice as I want it, but a definite start!

Anyway...on to the cooking...

So I have been trying out alot of new recipes lately and surprisingly most of them have been coming out pretty good! So I thought I would post a few of the tastier recipes here a) to share them with you and b) so that I don't have to track them down again when I want to make them :)

For all of the following recipes I recommend you add a heaping helping of super cute...

Dinner # 1 - Pork-u-pie (aptly named so by M...)

Recipe found Here on the Stay at Home Recipe blog

Ingredients

1 pkg. (6 oz.) Stuffing Mix for Chicken
1 can (21 oz.) apple pie filling
6 boneless pork loin chops (1-1/2 lb.), 3/4 inch thick

Directions

Heat oven to 375ºF.

Prepare stuffing as directed on package.

Spread pie filling onto bottom of 13x9-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray; top with chops and stuffing. Cover with foil.

Bake 40 min. or until chops are done (160ºF), removing foil after 30 min.

With only three ingredients these are pretty fool proof (or would have been if I got the thin cut chops...will remember this next time!) I only topped with 4 servings of the Stove Top, next time I think I will use 8, other wise this was Super tasty (something about the apples mixing with the stuffing, sounds weird but it works!) and that coming from a person who used to detest pork chops that means alot!

Dinner #2 - Chicken Sweet Potato Enchilada Casserole

Recipe found Here on the D is for Dinner Blog

INGREDIENTS

2 chicken breasts, diced to bite-sized
3/4 cup frozen diced onions
2 small sweet potatoes, diced
1 can red enchilada sauce
1.5 tsp dried cumin powder
4 garlic cloves, minced (or 1.5 tsp garlic powder)
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
wheat tortillas (or rice)

DIRECTIONS

Put diced chicken, onions, sweet potatoes, enchilada sauce, cumin, garlic and corn in crock pot.
Cook on low for 5 hours.
Add cheese, stir until melted.
Serve on tortillas (or rice).

Another super easy super tasty recipe! I just put everything in the crock pot, let it go for a few hours, made up some rice layered the rice, enchilada and cheese and it was all done, no where near as spicy as it smelled (I would have liked a bit more spice, but M liked it just the way it was)


Recipe #3 Cheesy Ham and Potato Casserole

Recipe found Here on the Stay at Home Meals Blog

Ingredients:

1 package (2 lbs) frozen southern style hash browns (the cube ones)
2-3 cups shredded cheese (I like a Mexican blend, but plain cheddar would work too)
1 pint sour cream
2 cans cream of potato soup
2 tablespoons minced onion (or one packet of onion soup mix)
1/2 cup milk
1-2 ham steaks cut into small pieces/cubes

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Heat soup and cheese until cheese is completely melted in large saucepan.

Take off heat and add other ingredients (leaving a little cheese out to top).

Bake at 325 for at least 2.5-3 hours in covered, greased/buttered casserole dish.

Remove cover and sprinkle cheese on top.

Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes or until cheese on top is browned.

This makes a lot so I usually split the recipe in half before I put it in the oven. I put half in a disposable foil pan covered in foil and in a Ziploc bag in the freezer. The other half, I cook as the recipe says. To cook the frozen one, put it straight in the oven frozen and cook for 3 hours on 325.

Okay, I played around with this one a bit...I added a bag of frozen broccoli, I realized I didn't get enough sour cream so I decided to use a can of Cream of Chicken soup and used 2 cups cheddar cheese and 1 cup Sargento Bistros Italian Blend Cheese (OMG this stuff is so good on everything! A little on some frozen pizza or some eggs really adds some pizzazz :) ) at the end I topped with some Mexican Cheese and Bread Crumbs for some crunch.

And when she says it makes alot she means it, We had enough left over for lunches today and there is another meal in the freezer for some time next week!

So that's it, more to come next week I hope!

Movie Monday

So yesterday we got a chance to go out to the movies (and dinner too!!) so being the upstanding married adult parents out on the town without the kiddo couple that we are we went and saw "How to Train Your Dragon" (in IMAX 3D of course...)yep an animated children's movie. And we loved it. Can't wait to pick up the book now and read it with C :)

And can I just say... Tron Legacy?? Can. Not. Wait.

Good thing it doesn't come out until December so we can save up the $$$ to go see it, these movies seem to get more expensive every time!

Updates and such

Okay, I had been working on a post for the last couple days about how fast a year goes and everything that has changed in the last year, but it was just making me sad so I scrapped that idea...

So...here's an update on Miss Cassie :)

She is growing like a (absolutely beautiful and precious) weed. She will be three months old already in two day's time which is just incredible. She is cooing like crazy telling "stories" all the time, smiling all over the place (until I break out the camera) and though M and the rest of my family tell me I am crazy I believe she is getting our first tooth! I can see something tiny and white popping through that red swollen little gum...not to mention ALL the DROOL!

We took her to the park last week to take her Easter Pictures, can't believe we will be taking her to the park this weekend to take her three month pictures, it just doesn't seem possible.

Also coming up soon will be her blessing, on the 1 year anniversary of my dad's death. We thought it would be a good time to celebrate new life and all the good that is to come instead of dwelling on what could have been. It is going to be a small event with just close family, we wish we could to a big event like we normally would do, but part of the consequences of being a SAHM is the whole making do with one income thing there for we make do with what we got :).

Speaking of being a SAHM I am LOVING being at home with my little girlie everyday. It is by far the hardest job I have ever had (and I have worked with Car Salesmen, Lawyers AND Bridal Consultants...) but it is the most rewarding one too. However as awesome as it is being the one to raise my daughter instead of sending her off to a stranger to do it for me, it isn't without its stresses but it is totally worth every little struggle and every cut we have made or may have to make in the future.

Being a SAHM has put me into nesting phase big time, I want this house clean and am fighting a losing battle trying to keep it that way (trying to spring clean just seems to be making bigger messes!). I have been trying to get more creative with the cooking, which has been quite the experience, my poor husband lol I am glad that waited almost three years to start doing more of the cooking otherwise i'm not sure we would have made it this long.

I also went over to my mom's house and picked up one of her extra sewing machines and decided I am going to just have to learn how to make the clothing and toys that Cassie is just going to grow out of before she gets a chance to wear them out. My mom made a majority of the clothes for my brother and I when we were little so it can't be that hard right?? We will see how it goes, stay tuned for updates!

And, since I haven't posted many in a long time, here are some new pictures of Miss Cassie!

Day 1

Today (January 25) is the first day of my career as a Stay at Home (work from home?) mom. Even though my little girl is 2 weeks old M has been home with us for the past 2 weeks so they don't tecnically count. As of today I start to figure out how to do everything all over again and do it while the baby (hopefully) sleeps. I also need to figure out how to take my photography to the next level...I need to figure out how to use my brand new Nikon D5000, set up my recently purchased backdrops and lights and figure out how to market myself...while I am doing that I need to get my jewelry making in order and figure out how to market that as well and figure out how to get my products in to some local stores...anything and everything I can do to not have to go back to work fulltime so that I can figure out how to be a mom and grow the best little girl that I can...

So it's been a while...

I know it's been quite a while since my last post, but I have a REALLY good reason!

Since December 21 I have been out of work on bed rest due to Pregnancy Induced Hypertension so I was a bit busy trying to keep my bun in the oven...but as of January 8 the PIH officially turned into Preeclampsia and my doctor signed the little Smudge's eviction notice. I was checked into L&D at 1:30 pm at 4:00 the Dr. broke my water and at 10:47 pm weighing in at 6 lbs 15 oz Cassie was officially a part of our life!!

The birth was absolutely nothing like what I expected or was planning on having, due to the PIH/PE I was confined to bed and hooked up to an IV pumping me full of Magnesium (absolutely terrible), Pitocin (not as bad as any of the stories I heard probably because of the Mag) and I am assuming regular fluids. I wasn't allowed to try out any of the alternative pain relieve methods I had planned on in order to avoid the epidural, like walking, showering and/or using the birthing ball...so I ended up getting one, which was also no where near as bad as I had expected and whoa baby did it really work!! less than 2 hours after I got the epi I was told I was ready to start pushing, my doctor got there and after 10 minutes of pushing Cassie was in my arms. It was just plain amazing!

And for your viewing pleasure...

New Things on the Way!!!

Just a quicky update!

I have been working on some new items to share with the world :) soon we will be offering not only square pendants, but rectangle and circle shaped pendants as well!! Also coming soon? Bracelets! Check back soon for more info!