This weekend we celebrated Mister's birthday. On Saturday we went to the Jazz game. We lost, but it was a really fun game to watch. Before the game with ate at Crown Burger. It's our Jazz game tradition. Did you know that you can park at Crown Burger for events? All you need to do is buy $18 worth of food and ask for a parking pass. We figure if we are going to pay for parking we might as well get delicious food out of it. Sunday night we had Mister's siblings over for some dinner and ice cream cake.
Lately we have been so over winter in our house, and been going through a huge salad phase. Cobb salad is one of our favorites. This time we couldn't get to the grill because of all of the snow. We ended up using our George Foreman grill, and it worked out perfectly. This salad it plenty filling with the grilled chicken, hard boiled egg, and bacon. For those of you who hate de-shelling hard boiled eggs check out this post.
Cobb Salad
Ingredients
Tomatoes, diced
Hard boiled egg, sliced
Grilled chicken, sliced
Croutons
Bacon, crumbled
Lettuce
Ranch dressing (or dressing of your choice)
Instructions
Placed desired amount of lettuce (I use Romaine) on plate. Top with remaining ingredients and drizzle with ranch dressing. You can also add bleu cheese (we just aren't fans at our house). Enjoy!
1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 cup apple butter
1/2 cup caramel sauce
1/2 -1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup toffee bits
sliced apples
It snowed more this weekend. We have mounds of snow in our front yard that are taller than four feet. It's insane. It doesn't help that we have a north-facing house, so the snow never melts. Elle loved coming out and helping Mister and me shovel the snow. I don't know for sure, but I feel like we got 6-8" of snow. It really was crazy! I am more than ready for winter to end. Spring could come today and I would cry tears of joy. Today's recipe isn't really a recipe, but it is the most successful way I have had with boiling eggs. I hate when it comes time to peel the shell off the egg, and by the time you are done your egg looks like it has been through the war. This method has proven to create easy to peel eggs time and time again.
Easy to Peel Boiled Eggs
Ingredients
Eggs
Water
Instructions
In a sauce pan, place the amount of eggs you would like boiled. Make sure there is enough room for the eggs to lay in a single layer. Cover the eggs with cold water. Place on a burner and turn it on. Once the eggs start boiling wait 1 minute then turn the burner off. Cover the pan with a lid, and let the eggs sit in the hot water for 10 minutes. After the ten minutes, drain the water out of the pan and immediately run cold water over the eggs. I just fill up the pan with cold water then drain again, and repeat a couple of times. Fill the pan with cold water one last time, but don't drain it out. Take each of the eggs and crack them (but don't peel), then place them back in the pan of cold water and let them sit for about 5 minutes. After they have been in the water for a bit you can go ahead and peel them. The shells should come right off!
I know this sweet and innocent-looking girl may make it seem like we never have to deal with the typical toddler problems. For some reason I never think to pull out the camera while she's throwing herself on the floor in a limp pile while screaming at the top of her lungs. I wonder why that never crosses my mind? To be real, I feel as though we got lucky in the toddler department. She really is pretty good. That doesn't mean we don't have our moments though. Last night at Costco, for example, we were eating in the food court, and the peace didn't last long. I had cut up half of Elle's super large slice of pizza to cut down on the mess. She ate most of it, but as soon as she saw the ice cream Mister bought it all went downhill. I told her she needed to eat three more bites and she could have some ice cream. Seems pretty simple, right? Wrong. Meltdown city. I'm pretty sure all of Costco was staring at us. It is so hard to discipline a screaming, limp child in public. First off, reasoning with a toddler is an art in itself, but if they have already lost it - good luck. We ended up heading straight to the car. We do have some really great moments with Elle though, and that's really what I wanted to talk about.
Elle is very particular. She remembers which basket each of the toys go in without me saying a word to her. To be honest, I don't care which basket the toys go in as long as they get cleaned up. For a few days we were missing the top to a block train we had. Mister found it under the TV stand and set it on the ledge of the stand. It stayed up there for a day or two simply because neither of us really cared enough to put it away. I saw it the other day, and put it back in the box with the other train blocks. This morning, Elle was playing with the train. When she was done she cleaned up the blocks, but she made sure to put the top of the train on the TV stand because that's where it had been the last few days. It's funny to see what she observes.
Elle is working hard on learning the English language. She does pretty good considering that she's only been alive for two years. Here's some of my favorite Elle-isms to date:
Za-pee = Pizza
I carry you = Will you carry me?
Huh on = Take it off
Stin-y = Stinky or poopy
Pood Ke-ee = The kitty needs more food
Naow - Milk
No-man = Snowman
Luh you = I love you
Na-nite = Goodnight
Shash can = Trashcan
Serius = Cereal
Nummy = This tastes delicious
*Grunt or growl* = I do not like it
Me = Mickey
Beh = I'm tired, or I want to go to bed
Dunny = Bunny (her lovey)
Show = Turn on the TV stat
I love how quickly she is learning. It has been so great to have the ability to communicate with her more. Today's recipe would get a big grunt from Elle, but it is a favorite of Mister's and mine.
Bow Tie Chicken Caesar Salad
Ingredients
1 bag of Caesar salad mix (I absolutely love the Marketplace brand from Walmart)
This mix should include lettuce, Parmesan cheese, croutons, and dressing.
1 cup of chicken (cooked and shredded or diced)
1 1/2 cups bow tie noodles (prepared)
1/3 cup bacon (crumbled - I just use bacon bits)
Instructions
Mix everything together and enjoy! We have used this as a meal, but it is also a great side or served at a party as an appetizer.
Asked to bring a salad or dessert? You could just bring both. We jokingly refer to this recipe as a salad because it has fruit in it, but let's be real. It will put you in the creamiest coma you've ever known. It is a fan favorite, and I always leave with an empty bowl. You better believe it will make its appearance at Thanksgiving dinner.
Cookie Salad
Ingredients
1 package fudge striped shortbread cookies (broken into large chunks)
1 lb strawberries (sliced)
2-3 bananas (sliced)
1 small can Mandarin oranges
1 cup buttermilk
1 small package vanilla pudding
1-16 oz container Cool Whip
Instructions
Whisk the buttermilk and dry pudding mix together. Fold in the Cool Whip. Slice up strawberries and bananas, and add to creamy mixture. Drain the can of Mandarin oranges and crush the cookies with your hands (you'll want big chunks). Add the oranges and cookies to the salad and carefully mix it all together. Enjoy!
The other night I offered to bring a neighbor dinner since she broke her leg, and was having a hard time getting around. I made my lasagna recipe, garlic knots, and Caesar salad. I decided to make double, so we could have the same meal. While you're making a mess you might as well get the most out of it, right? As I was working on the meal I received a text message from a friend saying her sweet three-year-old broke her leg clean through. It had been quite a day for them, so I decided to make our dinner their dinner. It was a quesadilla night for our family. The next day my friend informed me that the garlic knots were the only thing she could get her daughter to eat, and asked for the recipe. These garlic knots are the easiest and most delicious side to any pasta dinner. All you need is Rhodes rolls, melted butter or oil, and garlic seasoning. My absolute favorite garlic seasoning is Johnny's garlic spread that you can get at Costco. It is the perfect blend!
Garlic Knots
Ingredients
12 Rhodes rolls
1/4 cup melted butter
Garlic seasoning
Garlic salt (optional)
Instructions
Set out the desired amount of frozen roll dough, and allow to defrost. You just need them to be soft enough that you can mold them. When the dough is soft, mold each roll into a breadstick and then tie into a knot. Place each knot on a nonstick or greased baking sheet. Let them rise for about a half hour. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter. Brush half of the butter on the dough, and save the rest for when they come out of the oven. Bake the knots for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown. Immediately after removing them out the oven brush remaining butter on top and sprinkle desired amount of garlic seasoning and salt. Enjoy!
We love meatball sandwiches at our house. They are messy, but delicious. This recipe is easy, and the cream cheese spread makes them out of this world! The garlic fries are a nod to the garlic fries you can get at Safeway Field in Seattle, Washington. I was introduced to them at my first Mariners game, and I fell in love. We love to dip our garlic fries in ranch or honey mustard.
Meatball Sandwich
Ingredients
Hoagie buns
Meatballs
Marinara sauce
Mozzarella cheese
Parmesan cheese
Cream Cheese Spread (for 2 sandwiches):
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 Tbsp Italian seasoning
Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a saucepan, heat marinara sauce and meatballs until they are heated through. In a small bowl combine cream cheese, mayo, and seasoning. Stir until completely combined. On a cookie sheet, place hoagie buns open and insides up. Bake for a couple minutes until the bread in just starting to toast. They won't even be golden brown, just toasted enough that the bread is starting to crisp (this will keep the sandwich from getting soggy. Pull buns out of the oven, and spread cream cheese mixture on both sides of the sandwich, add meatballs and close up the sandwich. I usually use toothpicks to hold the sandwich together until I am ready to serve. Top with mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Place in oven again and broil until the cheese is melted and the sandwich is a toasty, golden brown color. Serve immediately and Enjoy!
Garlic Fries
Ingredients
Frozen fries (unseasoned)
Minced garlic
Salt
Pepper
Directions
Place fries on a cookie sheet. Make sure to keep the fries to one layer so they cook evenly. Spoon minced garlic on top of fries. I usually do a half teaspoon over every couple of fries. The more garlic you use the more flavor you'll get. You can always take some of the garlic off the fries before you eat them if you don't want to eat the garlic straight. Coat with salt and pepper. Bake according to your fries' directions. I like to broil my fries for a bit after they are done cooking to make them a little more crispy and golden brown. Enjoy!
I can't believe how quickly Halloween is sneaking up on us. I feel like it was just the Fourth of July! I really wanted to make this year special for Elle because she's finally at the age where she gets excited about things. Tonight I made meatball sandwiches for Mister and me, and I decided to make something special for Elle. They were really easy to make, and she loved eating them.
Meatball Mummies
Ingredients - per one mummy
3 meatballs
1 Rhodes roll
1 uncooked spaghetti noodle or wooden skewer
Marinara sauce
Instructions
Defrost the Rhodes roll and meatballs (if they are frozen). Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Stick the three meatballs on the spaghetti noodle or skewer. With your hands form the dough into a very thin rope (about 1/4 inch). Wrap the dough around the meatballs to make it look like a mummy. Carefully take out the noodle or skewer and place the "mummy" on a baking sheet and bake for 17-20 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with marinara sauce on the side. Enjoy!
When I was pregnant with Elle and was going through morning sickness this queso was one of the only things I could keep down. I make this queso for girls' nights, parties, and weekend get-togethers. This recipe uses only four ingredients and is microwavable - no dirty pans! Eat on baked potatoes, tacos, or just dip some tortilla chips. You really can't go wrong.
Beanless Queso
Ingredients
1 13.5 oz can beanless chili
1 small can diced green chilis
1 - 8 oz block of cream cheese
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
Place all of the ingredients in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 4 minutes, or until queso is warm and smooth. Stir after each minute to keep from burning.
