How to Make Skillet Chili Mac

ingredients

Ingredients:
1 cup of cheddar cheese
1 – 1 1/2 lb of ground beef
1 1/2 cups of pasta shells (medium)
1 or 2 cans of Rotel with green chilies
1 (8 oz) can of tomato sauce
1 can kidney (red) beans
1/2 tea dried oregino
1/2 tea cumin
1 1/2 tablespoon of chili powder
1 tea salt
1 tea of garlic minced
2 cups of water
1 bell pepper (chopped)
1 med onion (chopped)

*optional toppings can be: green onions, sour cream, additional cheese…

1. Chop your green pepper.

green pepper

2. Chop your onion.

onion

3. Saute your onion and green pepper in oil until light browning occurs. Then add raw ground beef and continue to saute until meat is fully cooked (no pink).

saute

4. Add in to skillet: cumin, chili powder, oregano, garlic, salt, shells, Rotel, kidney beans, tomato sauce and water. Mix well and cover. Cook for 20 minutes or until shell are fully cooked.

cooking

5. Once fully cooked add in the cheese and stir well.

final

Additional toppings are optional.

Stuffed Breakfast Rolls

Stuffed Breakfast Rolls

Breakfast for dinner, anyone?!

Ingredients:

8 Breakfast sausages
5 Eggs
1 Can of crescent rolls (8 rolls)
4 Slices of cheese
salt

First, scramble your eggs LEAVING 1 to 2 tablespoons of raw egg for later.

eggs

Cook your breakfast sausages (I prefer stove top over microwaving).

sausage

Now break your cheese slices in half.
Unroll the can of crescent rolls and separate (they are triangle shaped).
Lay the cheese on the roll. Place 1 sausage and 1 tablespoon (or more) of egg on roll. Roll up as if making a regular roll. Pull sides to make ‘larger’ and pull over to cover the ends. Doing this will keep the stuffing in.

wrapped

Once stuffed and sealed turn over to help seal them during the cooking process.
Now take that left over raw egg and brush the tops of your rolls.
After they are glazed with the raw egg sprinkle with salt (I used Pink Himalayan).

brush

Bake at 375 degrees for 15-18 minutes.

done

Enjoy!!

inside

How To Make Your Own Coffee Creamer

I have been trying to have less and less chemicals and preservatives in my families diet. While we are a far cry away from being a chem-free family, I do my best. I am currently nursing my youngest so I am really trying to watch what I take in, being that I am his primary food source. Below is my recipe for homemade coffee creamer. There are some preserves and chemicals in it but it is far far better then other premade flavored creamers you would buy off the shelf at your local grocer.

creamer monkey

2 cups milk
1 cup flavoring
1 can sweentened condensed milk
Mix well every time! The condensed milk will settle to the bottom of container.

Cilantro Lime and Avocado Southwest Salad

I love a crisp salad. Here is my version of a southwest salad.

cilantro dressing

Ingredients:

Salad:
Romain lettuce (chopped into strips)
Green onions (chopped finely)
1 Can of corn (rinsed)
1 Can of black beans (rinsed)
1-2 Large colorful bell peppers (chopped finely)
Pint of cherry tomatoes (sliced in halves)

Dressing:
1 avocado
1 bushel of fresh cilantro (break off stem **where the rubber band is)
1 lime (roll before squeezing to loosen liquids to make it easy on yourself)
1/4 cup of olive oil (California is a nice option but use whatever you have on hand)
1 teaspoon of salt
1 tablespoon of cider vinegar

Blend dressing in whatever blending device you like…I used my infants baby bullet because it was on my counter at the time. If it blends it will work!

Have You Reached Your Friendship Quota?

My husband and I have had this conversation on many occasions, which has lead me to believe we can’t be the only ones who are having it.
Can you hit a limit on the amount of friends you can have? Have you reached your friendship quota?

As adults, we all know forming new friendships is a whole new ball game. The delicate dance of adult friendships: awkward, off balanced, forced, scarey, nerve wrecking. The general consensus is that they are not as easy as a “I sit next to you in Chemistry and you have cool gen pens so I will be friends with you from now on”. As adults our free time is limited. We have jobs. We have children. We have responsibilities and commitments. We like to be in bed by 10 pm. We don’t like to take off our slippers and sweats if we don’t have to. Our version of “going out” means running to the grocery store, which is a planned and a highly enjoyed activity when done alone.

We all know how easy it is to get bogged down by the trials and tribulations of everyday life. And though your partner should “know” that you love them, “there is nothing quite like a reminder each day to remind them that they are loved” according to DatingPilot. Whether it is an “I love you” whispered in their ear before they fall asleep at night (or when they are waking up in the morning and you are leaving for work), or a sweet text sent in the middle of the day when they least expect it, never forget to remind your partner how much they are loved. Taking care of your husband is important and so is having adult friends.

As social beings (Genesis 2:18) we thrive and look for companionship in others. We love our spouses but we like to talk, and be with others, as well. My husband believes that he has hit his friendship quota and is at max capacity. He talks about how a few times he has opened his friendship portfolio and let a new person in. How it pushed his limits but now he is now at his all time max.

My husband and I have under 10 couples we consider friends (we don’t discriminate, we have single friends too but this isn’t post isn’t about them okay). I am a highly social and talkative person. I thrive on human contact and interaction. Talking is my thing. My husband talks for a living as a salesman. He likes to not talk and not think when he is out of work. Not talking or thinking doesn’t really scream “Hey! Let’s be friends!” Often I will talk to a new potential friend, have a great time, and hit some fun topics. Later I will tell my husband about how much fun I had and how it would be fun to be friends with them. This is the point in the conversation where he points out that he has no more room for friends. He is happy with the friends he/we have and he has no more room for new friends. I, however, lean towards the Girl Scouts song “Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver and the others gold”. I will always have room for more friends. Facebook hasn’t put a limit on my friend requests. Twitter hasn’t capped my followers. I say: the more the merrier! He says “We barely have time to see these friends on a rare occasions, what makes you think we have time to see new people?” Fair statement. With all of our running around and other obligations, when do we really see our current friends? We do see them at fun annual events like an ugly sweater Christmas party, a surprise 30th birthday party, the 4th of July barbeques, helping them move…there are a handful of times we see them in a quality time setting. We are blessed that we have a weekly bible study that 80% of our previously mentioned adult friends attend. Our friendships stay strong because we see each other weekly and we have the common goal of edification. Those new friendships, even if we did try, would they last? Will the dwindle away? Will they work with our schedule and life? I say a resounding YES! He side eyes my enthusiasm.

Occasionally there will be a time when my husband agrees that a couple seems nice and maybe we should try to get to know them and hang out. Then we think about the details of how an endeavor like this would pan out. Should we ask if they want to do a play date? This could work. We met because our kids are in the same swimming/dance/Gymboree/music (insert your expensive child experience class here) class. But, you don’t want to use your child as a crutch in your efforts. Plus in reality its the adults you want to see. Should you ask them out to dinner? Whoa, that’s forward. You don’t want to come off too strong and scare them off. Then there is the “We are going to the zoo/park/mall (large populated area that is easy to “lose” someone in) this weekend. Maybe if you aren’t doing anything we could meet up there?” tactic. Safe. Social. No pressure. No bad feelings if things aren’t reciprocal. If things get awkward you can say its nap time or “its been a long day for the kids” or your gout is acting up.

Let’s say that you do manage to hang out with these new people and you hit it off. You like each other. You get the excited fun goodness. Light inside jokes might start to happen. You plan another hang out. Then you start to think of the future. Can you afford to keep these friends? When old friends are getting together will they be cool with you bringing new friends? Will the old and new friends get along? Will they want to meet? What if they have nothing in common? How will you separate your holiday celebrations? Then those odd feelings of being a child of divorce pop in (check here). I need to divide my time evenly.

There are no doubts about it, being a child of divorced parents had a profound impact on me. And although my parents ended up being happy and content in their separate lives thanks to the great support they had from these new york city lawyers, it has still affected me to say the least. That being said, if anything, it also taught me how important it is to have a prenuptial agreement in place. In fact, nowadays, prenuptial agreements are fairly commonplace. To be honest, most of my friends that are married have completed a prenup as a way of safeguarding their assets. Of course, no one really goes into a marriage thinking about their relationship coming to an end, but divorces can be tricky to navigate and future planning is fundamental. Plus, putting a prenup in place before getting married can make the divorce process much easier. You can learn more about divorce and the prenuptial agreement process by researching Los Angeles prenup attorneys online.

Anyway, I suppose what I am trying to say is that relationships can be hard work at the best of times. So I say, Babe, let’s just watch Hell’s Kitchen in our PJ’s while eating cookies and pray that our kids stay asleep, it’s almost 10 o’clock.

From Doormen to City Blocks to Mini Malls to Pastures

When people talk about where they are from they typically mention whether it is a suburb, the city life, rural, country, urban….whatever key word works for them due to their views of their habitat. In my mind I am from a north shore Chicago suburb. Born and raised with some very wealthy people. My family was never wealthy, we just happened to have a house there before it got like that. Because it became a more affluent area I was able to attend a wonderful schools, saw very nice things and went to a school where going to a musical on the weekend was the cool thing to do and international travel was what everyone did during the summer. I loved these affluent suburbs but it never felt like home. When I turned 18 I left my family behind and moved several states away, to Ohio.

In Ohio I chose a urban school. I wanted to live in a city life now. I didn’t want to worry about being in the wrong area or right area so I wanted a city too small to really have definable zones. I choose Akron, Ohio. What a town. It has the urban feel without being too overwhelming. I was able to walk down blocks of city without my feet wanting to fall off like in a city like New York or Chicago. I could see the artsy areas and the ghetto areas all within a few blocks from each other. This was just what I was looking for. It was great for a college gal looking for a new adventure.

After college I needed to get out of the baby city and get into a suburbs. In the suburbs is where I will fit in perfectly. I can get a nice mid size car, start my post college graduate career, find a husband, start a family! Boom! Did it! The suburbs are great for popping in and out of mini malls. Man they are everywhere. You can find a mall within any 20 mile radius. Gas stations on every corner. And no where near as many pan handlers as Akron (I’m talking to you “Aliens stole my beer money” sign guy). Here in middle class suburbs I found a wonderful husband, a job I loved, accepted Christ as my Savior, had 2 beautiful babies and became a stay at home mom. Now that I am a mom and living in an apartment (as beautiful and safe as it was) it was too small for our growing Fox Den. My husband and I often took day drives (before children of course, no one with kids has time for leisurely drives through Amish country unless their lucky enough to have their kids all nap simultaneously which is the holy grail of parenting). When driving through the country we always talked about how cool it would be to live in the country; the rural life.

After outgrowing out of our apartment we decided to rent a house in the country. We knew that one day we would go back to an apartment once the kids have left home. Lucky for us there are various real estate firms we could go, one being very similar to Richman Signature. The best part is that we can bring our pet dog! We would love to buy a home but those roots are so permanent. Plus, what if we don’t like rural living? Naw, renting a house would be the perfect move for restless Foxes. So we found a quaint 3 bedroom ranch in a small town about 15 minutes from a bumping suburban with a mall. This is the country! We have horses and a pasture in our backyard. I am writing this and while drinking my coffee and watching a pony and a horse (and a pony is not a baby horse, I have learned this recently) eatting grass in a pasture IN MY BACKYARD! Who would have thought I would be in such a picturesque situation. Some of the things I was unaware of (okay ignorant too) were the amount of bugs. Holy bugs Batman! I have never seen spiders this large and didn’t know they come in so many forms (I double-dog dare you to Google crab spider. They are what nightmares are made of). After moving in I promptly called a pest exterminator birmingham (or an exterminator more local to me) and they managed to sort the bugs out. I am no longer living in constant killing bug mode. My 2 year old had not seen any bugs before living here. Fruit flies were horrifying to her. Being in an upper level apartment with 2 cats previously there was never a chance for a bug to live. When we first moved in she would scream with fear and cry when she saw them. I was so worried about her seeing one of those huge wolf spiders (yes, they are called that for a reason). Thankfully the exterminator did an amazing job and her bug induced scream fests have stopped. If you have the same problem, either with fruit flies or another critter, it’s best to call pest control companies like Economy Exterminators as soon as possible to rectify the situation. Being in the country you also hear guns. A lot. This is because a neighbor has a shooting range on their land. It’s just them that use it and its not all the time. In the beginning I was like “someone was shot!” Then I remembered I am not in the city but the country. People shoot guns here even more then the city. It’s also legal here, though whilst many have guns many also have airsoft replicas. I’ve found that M4 / AR-15 style airsoft rifles are the most popular style of airsoft guns, funnily enough. They shoot for fun and for sport. Surprisingly, I have quickly grown accustom to the sounds of gun shots. Now it can been soothing in the afternoon to hear the pop and echo of a barrel gun….says the girl who’s driver instructor told her she didn’t need to learn how to parallel park because “everywhere you go will have valet”. Here I can let my daughter play in the muck (that is what she lovingly calls the dirt and mud). I can plop her in a sub tub and not have to take her through an apartment buildings common halls all covered in muddy mess. We have a field mouse living in our garage. All the rat poison is gone but the mouse is still here (there was a TON of poison. My husband and I think there is a mutant animal living on poison out there getting stronger and stronger…). We can yell and play outside and there is enough room between houses to where it doesn’t bother anyone. We can burn our cardboard boxes for entertainment in our backyard without having the cops called out. My kids will learn how to ride a quad like other kids learn how to ride a bike. For this phase of life, the country is suiting us just fine.

There are different habitats for different animals. There are different environments for each person. We may grow up and stay in one town our whole life. We may move across the global. We may be without shelter or home to live in. The concepts are endless.

I have moved 23 times now in my 32 years. Some may call me a drifter, but I know my real home was never meant to be on earth. Hebrews 13:14 “For here we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the city which is to come”.

I Butchered a Chicken Like a Masterchef

My husband and I love to watch cooking shows and get super hungry doing so.
Masterchef is one of our current favorites. While watching we are always commenting,
“oh I can so do that!”
“What are they thinking?! Apples with turmeric, in THAT dish?! Come on!”
“What is that? Is that alive?”
….you get the idea.

I decided that since I am raising 2 kids under 2 that I should take and put more challenging things on my plate, like recreated things they do or other crazy Pinterest ideas (***Side note: DH hates to go out to eat in a restaurant so if I want something fancy more then 4 – 6 times per year I have to create it myself …. and no darling, Wendy’s drive-thru isn’t ‘going out to eat’).

I found a local farmer from a lower west-side Cleveland farm and bought a few half chickens from her. I love a good free range/hormone free chicken. Below is a picture of my first attempt of butchering my own chicken. I am quite pleased with how it turned out. The breast was cut short and that thigh has seen better days. However, for a first try I think I did fairly well.

butchered
I watched a video on YouTube.com to get a grasp on how to this this magic with a knife. I wanted to share the URL, but it has been deleted. Probably had hidden Nazi subliminal messaging in it, like most YouTube videos do. ***Side note: this was butchered with your basic table steak knife. I was unable to get threw the skin (yes, I also removed the skin myself) with the huge butcher knife, so the good old trusty table knife it was.

A week after attempting this I visited the West Side Market in Downtown Cleveland, Ohio. I found beautiful skinned and separated, yet bone in, chicken parts and will be purchasing my parts from them in the future.

Here is a link to the butcher:
http://westsidemarket.org/vendor/kauffman-poultry/?portfolioID=955