Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Ice Fishing

A few weeks ago, Gwen and Allie came down this way for a sleepover weekend at Nonni and Poppi's! Of course we headed up early Saturday morning to visit. The guys were going out to fish and after a few hours of playing inside, Gwen and Peter wanted to head down to the lake to check out the action!
saying "BIG FISH!"
They were so cute, you would have thought they caught them themselves, haha
Pete showing Gwen and Peter the bait and all the gear.
holding the bait fish...it's a little easier to manage then the bigger fish!
showing me the bait :)
The crew.... Grampy, Ryan Sullivan, Poppi, Gwen, Pete and Peter

Monday, February 27, 2012

Menu Plan Monday

Wow, am I behind on blogging!! Between Pete and I have food poisioning on Valentine's Day(yeah, that was fun.) and everything else we've had going on (posts are coming), I haven't blogged in forever!! We have another busy week! We're celebrating Dr. Seuss week at the daycare so I have something fun planned for everyday, and Jack's 1st birthday (holding back tears) is this weekend! Enjoy your week!

Monday: Meatball Subs
Tuesday:  Crockpot Chicken
Wednesday: Venison Tacos
Thursday: Dinner out & Eric Church in concert with Ben & Bethany!
Friday:  Dr. Seuss Birthday! Breakfast for dinner(Green Eggs & Ham) as we get ready for Jack's party!


Thursday, February 23, 2012

Gwen's Ninja Party!

Where does the time go?? I feel like I was just posting about Gwen's birth on this blog and now she is 3! We headed up to Farm town for her Ninja themed party!
How adorable is Allie as a Ninja :)

Decorations Nijna Style!
The birthday girl with her Mom :)
The menace turned Ninja!
Gwen and Peter doing some painting with the craft stuff we got her.
Happy 3rd Birthday Gwen, we love you!

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Corn and Cheese Chowder

Confession: I use to be scared of the word chowder.  If any meal had the word chowder in it, I wouldn't go near it. I linked seafood and chowder together. I have been trying to be good about trying new foods and when Kenny Walters gave us Pepper jack corn chowder the week Pete's grandfather passed away, and I had now learned that just because it's called chowder, it doesn't always have seafood in it. Pete mentioned wanting to make some corn chowder after that and we all know that Pete cooks better then me, so I trusted him. This past Saturday, he was online looking for recipes and found this one. I instantly said yes because it was from the Pioneer Women and I love her. Pete remembered that we had got our turkey brine recipe from her and decided this was the one to make! It was SO good! Easy to make and the flavors were spot on. While we were eating it, I asked "Where are the potatoes, don't chowders have potatoes?" Pete replied that the recipe didn't call for them but he thought it would be good with them also. Sunday night we wanted it again! This time Pete added potatoes and it was just as good. The potatoes will be a personal preference for you. Hope you enjoy this meal as much as we did!

Pete adding the green onions
Ingredients
(original source: pioneer women)

3 red potatoes, chopped
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
1 whole onion, chopped
3 slices bacon, cut into pieces
3 whole bell peppers, finely diced (red, yellow, orange)
1 bag of frozen corn
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups chicken stock or broth
2 cups half-and-half
1 heaping cup grated monterey Jack
1 heaping cup grated pepper Jack
1/3 cup sliced green onions
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Oyster cracker as desired

Directions
Boil chopped potatoes in a large pot, drain, then set aside. In the same pot melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook for a couple of minutes. Add the bacon and cook for another minute or so, and then add the bell peppers and cook for a couple of minutes. Finally, add the corn and cook for a minute. 
Sprinkle the flour evenly over the top and stir to combine. Pour in the chicken stock and stir well. Allow this to thicken for 3 or 4 minutes, and then reduce the heat to low. Stir in the half-and-half, and then cover and allow to simmer and thicken for 15 minutes or so.
Stir in the cheeses and green onions. When the cheese is melted and the soup is hot, check seasonings. Add salt and pepper and oyster crackers as needed.



Monday, February 13, 2012

Menu Plan Monday

Pete had some truck issues last week, so we ended up going up to my Dad and Jan's to fix it and not making Chicken Parm in the crockpot, so it's back on the menu to try this week! Chicken parm is probably my favorite meal ever, so I really want to make this :) Have a great week and a Happy Valentine's Day!

Monday: Pulled pork sliders
Tuesday: Crockpot Chicken Parm  Happy Valentine's Day :)
Wednesday: Texas Hash & salad
Thursday: Chicken Marsala, green beans and red potatoes
Friday: Takeout.. of course :)

Saturday, February 11, 2012

happy to see each other :)

Friday, February 10, 2012

Guacamole Bacon Grilled Cheese

Many of you know if my fondness for Pintrest, you can follow me if your on the site! I found a recipe for Bacon Guacamole Grilled Cheese and knew I had to try it! Bethany and Mackenna were coming over and she had seen it on Pintrest as well and was just as eager to try it. Of course my Internet wasn't working at dinnertime to pull the recipe. I remembered that she had cheddar cheese  and crushed tortilla chips on it, and I could pretty much figure out the rest thanks to the name of the recipe!

Some of the ingredients as I begin to make dinner. The wine was for me :) 
not going to lie... I seriously could have eaten just this for dinner and been happy :)
Putting it together. I buttered the bread then added it to the pan. Layered guacamole, 2 slices of bacon, and finely shredded cheddar cheese. On the other piece of bread, I crushed tortilla chips and put a slice of american cheese on.  I then toasted it for a few minutes on each side.
pure enjoyment :)


Monday, February 6, 2012

I've joined the challenge!!!

Check out the challenge on OrgJunkie.com!

Many of you know that I are trying to organize (my mission for 2012)! The worst room.... our bedroom!
When we first moved in we used the front room for office/junk room. Then when I got pregant we moved the office to the guest room in the back. When I decided to start the daycare, the back room because the daycare room, we lost the guest room and the office/junk room became part of our room. I've tried so hard to keep it organzied but it's time to get serious! I even downloaded the calendar she is doing!

Here is a look at the closet... talk about a project!



Menu Plan Monday

Ode to Pintrest :) Like everyone else in the world, I am loving this site and you can tell from this week's menu plan! Yesterday, I was on and noticed a photo that looked familar, Mindi Stavish from Stavish Clan pinned two of my recipe blog posts. Thanks Mindi!!  Follow me on Pintrest if you're interested! I'm always looking for new recipes so if you have one to share, leave a comment below or on my blog facebook page! Have a great week!

Monday: Dinner over at Grammy & Grampie
Tuesday:Bacon Guacamole Grilled Cheese with Bethany & Mackenna joining us
Wednesday: Papa & Mame are bringing over Angelone's
Thursday: Crockpot Chicken Parm
Friday: Garlic & Parmesan Crusted Pork Chops

Friday, February 3, 2012

Tater Tot Casserole

I orginally found a recipe for this on the Loves To Eat Blog. Pete liked it but, after a few times he said, " I thought there was suppose to be meat in this?"  LOL, so using the one I liked as a base, I tweaked it just a little bit!

Ingredients:
1 chopped onion
3 stalks chopped celery
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound hamburg
1 (10 1/2 ounce) can condensed cream of celery soup
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoons milk (or half and half, but I never have that here)
1 (32 ounce) package frozen frozen tater tots
1.5 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:
Saute onion and celery in oil until tender. Set aside to cool slightly. Cook hamburg until browned then set aside to cool before adding it to a mixing bowl. Scrape onion and celery into mixing bowl. Add soup, garlic powder, pepper, and half and half. Mix well. Add frozen tater tots and toss well. Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray. Pour mixture into dish.Cover with cheese. Bake at 350 for 45 to 50 minutes until cheese is melted and just barely starting to brown. Cool slightly before serving.