Collage

Collage

Monday, February 25, 2013

Quick Menu

Today's Monday is brought to you by a head cold :( This post is going to be a short one!

Monday: Leftover subs and wings
Tuesday: Crispy burritos
Wednesday: Cheesy Vegetable Chowder with Cheesy Italian Quick Bread
Thursday: Dinner out
Friday: Jalapeno Popper Dip and homemade pizza

I also want to make some version of these this week/weekend, but I'm toying with the idea of doing a different fruit. We'll see! Sorry this is so short, but the Wednesday post should be better :)

Friday, February 22, 2013

Too much Pinterest?

Friends, I feel the need to apologize. I think I maybe spent too much time on Pinterest. I have a lot of pins to share with you, and I'm afraid this is going to be a long post. I thought about only picking a few to share, but I love them all! I think you will too.

This just seemed like an easy meal to throw together before going to work


I feel like this skirt would be perfect for the summer! Dress it up or wear it casually.


Slow cooker lasagna sounds good, slow cooker Chicken Alfredo lasagna sounds even better!


I bet if I made this without the hubs seeing he would never know it is healthy!


Homemade ranch seasoning- make a ton and store it! No more little packets.


A different way to fix your spaghetti. We aren't big red sauce fans, so I think this looks great!
Source: piarecipes.com via Kim on Pinterest


Cheesy buffalo chicken pizza sticks- YUM. I think this would be great for a party!


Make your own ranch dressing to keep in the fridge!
Source: winkchic.com via Kim on Pinterest


Baked hummus and spinach dip- healthier version of spinach artichoke dip!


Crock pot cheesy vegetable chowder- this just looks SO GOOD right now.


Blueberry pie bars- my dad loves fruit pies, and I think he would love this spin!


Cheesy honey mustard chicken- I might try this with pork?


I just love this staircase.


These cats CRACK ME UP. So cute!
Source: kwejk.pl via Kim on Pinterest


Bench in a nook created by the staircase. I think this would be great in an entryway.


Oreo brownies- these must not be made while no one is around to help me eat them!


I just thought this was neat to read through.
Source: etsy.com via Kim on Pinterest


For when those chocolate peanut butter cravings hit... Skinny Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirl cupcakes.


Mmmmm... I know pumpkin is more of a fall flavor, but these Pumpkin Cinnamon Buns look yummy!


Pumpkin butter made in the crock pot... clearly I was in a pumpkin mood!


DIT citronella candles... we need these on our porch in the summer :)

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

WIP Wednesday and a finished book

This week I didn't get a ton of knitting done. The one exception is the new pair of socks I started- turns out I can knit stockinette and read on my nook at the same time. Since a few of my textbooks are on my nook, this works out pretty well! I have to read anyway, so I might as well get some knitting done too. Here is the progress I made since Saturday:


The weird looking tube thing is actually my dpn protector/container. I have this project in a fabric project bag that I have been throwing in my book bag, and this keeps the dpns from being broken and the stitches from coming off the needles. Lifesaver! 

The other project that has seen a little love is my sweater. I never thought I would say this (as a garter  and stockinette in the round lover) but I think the sleeves are boring me. Usually I love a good slog that I can bust out with some podcasts or TV, but I haven't been excited about working on the sweater. Nevertheless, it is coming along, and the sleeve is more than have done.


The front edges are curling so you can't see the cable detail, but I do still really like this sweater and hope to finish it in time for the KAL and to wear it before it gets warm (ha!). 

While I still haven't been able to read anything for pleasure, I did finish one of my textbooks this past week. Satisfaction Guaranteed is a look at the history of consumerism and the mass market. It was a little dry to read at times, but if you are interested in advertising, marketing, and how our shopping habits have changed over the past 150 years, I would suggest it.


I'm woefully behind on my Goodreads goal, but I'm hoping to work in some audio books soon. Finishing up more textbooks will help out as well. Besides, it not like anything will happen if I only read 46 books instead of 50 ;)

This post is linked up with Ginny over at Small Things

Monday, February 18, 2013

Menu for an Unusual Week

This week deviates from our schedule that has been going on for about a month now. The hubs doesn't have to student teach because the school is on winter break. This means we can sleep in an extra half hour, yay! I don't have to work my second job today because it is President's Day. The hubs leaves Thursday for a few days, so meals will look a little different. In a way it's kind of nice (especially the extra sleep!) but part of me thinks it might be easier to just continue with "business as usual." Oh well, such as life!

This weekend wasn't really exciting, but I do have a few photos. Diesel was quite the cuddle bug, and even when we were working on stuff and didn't want him laying on top of us, he got as close as he could!


I worked Saturday, and Saturday mornings are usually pretty slow, so I got in some reading and knitting time.


The rest of the weekend was more homework, a little bit of house work, family time, and some TV/knitting. Neither the hubs or I had much motivation to do anything crazy, which worked out just fine since it was a low key sort of weekend. We did have dinner with some friends Saturday night (which was delicious!) but I forgot to take any photos. Oh well!

Anyway, this week's menu will probably go something like this:

Monday: Pasta with polska kielbasa and broccoli (this looks a little familiar because I had it down for last Friday, but it never happened!)
Tuesday: Quesadillas or take out? (something quick!)
Wednesday: Family meal with my parents, brother, and his girlfriend. I'll be contributing the fresh stuff for salads and a batch of the Peanut Butter Pretzel m&M cookies I mentioned last week.
Thursday: My first night as a bachelorette! I'm thinking a big salad with avocado, tomato, cottage cheese and lots of other yummy stuff.
Friday: I'm thinking appetizer like foods- maybe leftover veggies, whipped feta, and crackers?

The weekend is up in the air as far as meals- since the hubs will be out of town I might eat lots of healthy stuff, some really weird thrown together meals, or be eating with friends or family. I'll have to report back on what happens. This has shown me how much more I need to use my "things to try when the hubs isn't home" board on Pinterest! There wasn't much in there, and it took me a while to try and come up with some ideas. Sad!

Friday, February 15, 2013

Weekly Pinterest Finds

I managed not to have every single pin be a dessert recipe this time, promise! A few did sneak in there though...

First up is a cool pin featuring measuring guides for decorating your home. I plan to be hanging a lot more framed photos up in the next few weeks, so I'll definitely be referring to this!


Sally's Baking Addiction slays me again. I tried not to see these Caramel Snickers 7 layer bars, but once I did I knew I'd have to make them sometime soon!


I don't know what is up with me pinning puppy chow lately, but Cookies and Creme? Come on!


I love this idea for a desk! Funky and modern, and you can have two people working near one another.
Source: bhg.com via Kim on Pinterest


I LOVE oreos, so this pin was a no brainer.
Source: lilluna.com via Kim on Pinterest


I'm always interested in trying to make my own granola bars, and this recipe seems promising.


A massive Death by Chocolate cookie? Sign me up!


This soup seems like something that would be right up the hub's alley.
Source: bhg.com via Kim on Pinterest


I used to like McDonald's Shamrock Shakes until one day I looked at the nutrition facts. ::shudder:: Now I can make my own!


I think these breakfast cookies would be great to grab on a busy morning!

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Wip Wednesday


This week has been pretty monogamous as far as the knitting goes. The KAL for the Sunshine group ends tomorrow, and I haven't had much spare time to knit. This has resulted in some harried knitting on my scarf, and the jury is still out on whether or not I will finish in time. Ether way, I am really liking the scarf, and I'm sure the finished product will get a lot of use! Here is my progress so far:


Its getting long enough that it is hard to show! I'm about 80% through my yarn, so we'll see how far I get by the end of tomorrow.

As far as reading, its all the same books from last night: textbooks. I'm hoping to start listening to a new audiobook, but I haven't had a ton of time for audiobooks. 

In other news, I made a breakfast casserole out of what we had leftover in the fridge. I shredded 3 potatoes and added breakfast sausage, ham, cheese, 1 egg, greek yogurt and milk. I mixed that all up and put it in the oven. When it was mostly cooked, I cracked 4 eggs on top and added a little more cheese. 


It actually turned out pretty good for just whipping it together. I roasted some asparagus to round out the meal and it was pretty tasty. I think I'm going to go make some chocolate chip cookies... I can't stop thinking about all those cookies I blogged about last week!

This post is linked up with Ginny's Yarn Along

Monday, February 11, 2013

Cookies, Menus, Mexican, and Penguins


How's that for a nice, random title? It really does capture most of what I have to share today though, so it works! This weekend was nice and low key- I had a lot of reading to do for school, and the hubs worked and had stuff of his own to do. One of the things I did to break up all the reading was to make one of the desserts I shared on Friday. Peanut Butter Pretzel M&M cookies= WIN. I made them regular cookie sized even thought the recipe calls for bite sized cookies because, well, who wouldn't want more cookie? They were still soft and chewy 2 days later and had a great flavor from the combo of the salty, crunchy pretzels and chocolately m&ms. YUM


Another thing I did was make a little gift. My brother's girlfriend lives several hours away, and we don't get to see her much. They had planned to visit together in January, then it didn't happen. As a result, I still have her Christmas gift! Plus her birthday is in January, and looking over her stuff I realized it needed one final thing.


Isn't he adorable? Amy loves penguins, and as soon as I saw this pattern I knew I had to make one for her. If it weren't for all the reading I had to do for school I would have made a few more- the pattern is easy and entertaining. If you are interested in making your own Penguin Popper, you can find the pattern here

The hubs and I actually planned ahead and did our grocery shopping yesterday, at the beginning of the week. Usually we end up running out of a lot of stuff and stopping after a long day of work and school Tuesday or Thursday. We're tired, usually hungry, and its just not a good time! 

While we were out and about, we stopped to get dinner at Azteca, which is a small Mexican restaurant in Fredonia. We had eaten there a few times before but it had been a while. I practically had to beg the hubs to eat there- for some reason he wasn't feeling it. Boy, was he glad we went!

They give you a warm bowl of corn tortilla chips and homemade salsa while you decide what to order. Any restaurant that gives me complimentary food while I browse the menu gets a gold star! It turns out we were pretty hungry, so there's no photo of the chips, but I did manage to snap a photo of the salsa that was left! 


Then it came time to order. The hubs got the burrito tejano, which the menu describes as "One large burrito filled with steak, beans, rice and pico de gallo.  Served with melted cheese on top; lettuce and guacamole on the side." I only nabbed one bite of it, but it was good! 


The photo doesn't do it justice- this was a BIG burrito! He ate just over half and then decided my dinner looked good, and helped me out :)

I ordered the Chilaquiles, which are "Nachos stuffed with nacho cheese, chicken and grilled mushrooms.  Served with Spanish rice and guacamole salad." This dish isn't as unhealthy as it sounds, the corn tortilla chips are only on the bottom with plenty of chicken and grilled mushrooms on top. There wasn't a ton of cheese (but still enough to have the melty factor!) and I only ate about half (with the hub's help). 


It was good good good. And I love that they serve you a plate with rice and lettuce, tomato, and guacamole on the side. You can customize your meal as you like!


We couldn't finish our plates, so we both took some home for leftovers, which brings me to my menu for the week!

Monday: leftover Mexican
Tuesday: leftover casserole from Saturday (potato, ham, and cheese with corn!)
Wednesday: Breakfast Casserole (using up some ham, sausage, potatoes, cheese, and maybe eggs?)
Thursday: either pack or eat out
Friday: Pasta with aspragus, broccoli, and polska kielbasa

I also plan to do more baking this weekend. It works out well to bake and then send at least half to work with the hubs! That way we still can enjoy treats without having an entire batch taunting us :)
I'll probably go with the chocolate chip cookies from Friday's post since I had such good success with the other recipe!

Friday, February 8, 2013

Pinterest Finds- Dessert Takes Over!

I'm not really sure how it happened, but all I pinned this week was food. Desserts, to be exact. This is pretty surprising since I haven't been baking as much in an effort to drop a few pounds. I was sneak-attacked by a blog though- ALL these recipes are from one blog, and let me just say I had to stop looking at the blog because I'm pretty sure I could pin everything on there. My new time suck is Sally's Baking Addiction, and if you guys haven't checked out her site before, you NEED to.

Anyway, onto the desserts!

Mmmm. I'm a big fan of the peanut butter and chocolate combo, and I have been craving fudgy brownies for two weeks or so!

Another healthy(ish) one is her Skinny Chocolate Banana Fudge Muffins
Do you think these count as breakfast? It has muffin in the title...

Salted Peanut Nutella Puppy Chow sounds really good right about now- but we might skip the peanuts.
I've never actually made puppy chow before, but we're big fans, and the Nutella factor is intriguing to me!

For the chocolate lover (aka mom!) Death By Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies!
 If I did make these for mom though, I think I would only use regular chocolate chips. You know, because there wasn't enough chocolate already ;)

I'm always on the lookout for a chocolate chip cookie that is a classic, but has something a little different from the Toll House recipe. I feel like Sally's THE Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe is perfect!
I've been seen a lot about adding cornstarch to your cookies, and I think I need to try this out!

Last but certainly not least, the Bite-Sized Peanut Butter Pretzel M&M Cookies. There are a lot of my favorite things in that title!
These just seem so happy and flavorful that I think they need to be made soon. Maybe tonight? I'm having a hard time deciding what recipe to make first! 

If you don't hear from me on Monday, its possible I'm in a sugar coma from too many delicious desserts :)