It's been awhile

Yes, it's been awhile. I've had pneumonia and just haven't felt good! I hope to get back to my creative projects and cooking!! I've started scrapbooking again. It's not as fun as it has been in the past, but I really do want to keep up with it. I love having the books for the years to come.

Pinata Progress

We're making progress on the pinata for Evan's party!! And if I do say so myself, it's turning out SO cute! Brett and I paper mached the little guy today and then it dried so fast, we started with the tissue paper fringe work. Here is the progress thus far!

Wondering if this blog is turning into a food blog?

Ya, well it just might. We'll see. :) Although I am working on some letters right now to go on my mantle for Valentine's Day! Will post when done.

Tonight's dinner, The Pioneer Woman's pork chops! They were tasty! I also made some garlic rosemary mashed potatoes and some steamed zucchini and carrots, lightly salted. My crew gobbled it all up! Here was the deliciousness:

Rainy Days bring on the baking!

In Southern California we really don't get much rain, but when we do, we take advantage of it! There's nothing better than baking on a rainy day! I'd just as soon leave the oven on all today as it heats my house nicely! Another favorite of mine on a rainy day is LAUNDRY! Yes believe it or not, I love doing laundry when it's cold and raining outside. But back to the baking, because that's what I did today.

I've been pouring over recipes in the last couple of weeks. I really have no idea why, but I think because I have been forced to cook all of our meals in an effort to save money by not eating out, I have enjoyed cooking! I typically like it, but I think now I LOVE it! And out of everything, I love to bake. I've come to the conclusion, even though you would never know it by the size of my waistline, that I really do love the process of baking, even more than the results, or the EATING part of the process. I think I just like a good challenge! The sense of accomplishment and pride in creating something for my family and friends to enjoy is so exciting to me!

So today I made snickerdoodles. I haven't made snickerdoodles but once or twice in my adult life. And almost seems like they are a forgotten cookie in the world of sweet goodness. Most people seem to whip up chocolate chip cookies or dare I say roll out those sugar cookies and decorate with sprinkles and frosting. But what about the bazillion other cookies? Mmm...snickerdoodles. I do remember making snickerdoodles with my Grandma Ann. I think there was never a cookie (or sweet) that she didn't like. And the ingredients to a snickerdoodle, you most always have on hand, which is another reason I like them! Easy go to cookie and the payoff is great! My husband, who could pass up a butter cookie any day, even grabbed a hot cookie off the cookie sheet just a few minutes ago! I was quite delighted!! And when asked if they were good, he mumbled, "mmm...ya." That makes for one happy wife here. So thus ends my story of the snickerdoodle, all that buttery goodness, chewy center and crispy outside with that crackling cinnamon sugar. YUM!

So who wants the recipe??

Funny Green Salad

This is a family favorite, but I'm not sure why we call it Funny Green Salad!? Mom, do you know? I think because it's one of those salads where you hear people say, "Ooh, what is in this? This is good!" And the answer is a lot of yummy things!! I'm making this salad for MOMS Together on Thursday. I'm hoping the ladies enjoy it!! Add this recipe to your repertoire and it's sure to not disappoint!

Funny Green Salad

2 heads of curly green lettuce
2 medium apples, cubed
1 medium pear, cubed
4 oz. shredded swiss cheese
bag of craisins or dried cranberries
can of cashews

Dressing

1 cup sugar
2/3 cup cider vinegar
4 T. lemon juice
4 T. chopped onion, finely
1 tsp. salt

Blend everything and slowly
add 1 1/3 cup oil
2 - 3 tsp. poppy seed
blend and chill

Cut recipe in 1/2 for less people

RECIPES...want some?

Since we made the decision to not eat out but once a month now (can you even imagine?), I've been cooking A LOT. And I am starting to enjoy it. I figured I should post some of my most favorite recipes here and ones that I "create." So this one was pretty good. Give it a try! Easy weeknight supper with a lowfat version as well. For amounts, just use what you need for the crowd you are serving. The recipe below made 4 quesadillas which I quartered, so that was quite a bit.

Chicken Quesadillas

Ingredients & Directions:
Cooked chicken- about 1.5 cups
Ranch seasoning packet- 1/2 the packet
Cumin- 1 tsp
Salsa- 1/4 cup
*Heat 1 T of vegetable oil in skillet. Add chicken, ranch seasoning and cumin. Stir together and heat through. Add salsa and turn heat to low. Simmer.

Cheddar Cheese- about 1 cup (or as much as you want! HA!)
8 tortillas
Vegetable oil
*Scoop about a quarter of a cup of cheese onto a tortilla. Then add some of the chicken mixture. Then top with another tortilla. Heat up some vegetable oil in a large skillet. Carefully place your quesadilla in the skillet, heat it up, fry it up, YUM! Then flip, careful not to splatter yourself. Take out and drain on paper towels. Continue process. Cut into quarters. Serve with guacamole and sour cream and more salsa!

ENJOY!!!!

***Lowfat Version: Follow the directions above, but instead of frying in oil, either bake on greased cookie sheet or microwave for a faster version. It's all still yummy!

In Search of the Perfect Cake Recipe

So, yes as many of you know if you've been reading my facebook statuses, that I've been in search of the perfect cake recipe. Well I haven't really found it, but one came close even though it is chocolate and I'm not a fan of the chocolate cake. Yes, I know I am crazy, but I'm much more of a vanilla fan! Anyway, here's the recipe:

http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/dark-chocolate-cake-recipe

Now, onto the vanilla cake I made. Well I wasn't thrilled with it. It is OK, but I'll have to work extra hard on the frosting for it to be a good cake. LOL! I won't post that recipe, because who would want to try it if I said it's not wonderful. HA!

Ok so this is a lot of ramblings, can you tell I'm being distracted by my 3 year old?

So you'll just have to wait for 2 weeks to see the finished result of the cakes! Yes that's right, I made 48 cupcakes for Evan's 1st birthday party. Stay tuned!