We all need a good girlfriend......

I recently connected again with a girlfriend from high school. It's been fun getting caught up with each other again--chatting about our "real life" adventures since school. She has a daughter that's a few years older than my kiddo. They get along great. She homeschools,too! How cool is that? It's shown me that even happily married,busy moms need girlfriends too. I think we've chatted on the phone lately more than we ever did years ago. I was quiet and kind of reserved back then. I've really enjoyed connecting with her again. We have a few projects in the works. Don't worry,I'll keep everyone updated.

Same old.....Same old.........

There hasn't been much excitement going on in my kitchen lately-it's been a scattered mix of the same old suppers--spaghetti,baked fish,salmon croquettes,chili and I've been utilizing leftovers lately when I didn't want to cook a full meal.I did serve the chili in tostada cups this week and the guys seemed to like it-I guess that counts as something new doesn't it? I am a little excited about something "foodish" though. (Is that a word?) I like tuna fish,but had to stop eating it a few years ago because it "hurt" me. I have very bad reflux and tuna fish-even the cans packed in water didn't agree with me. I could eat tuna steaks but not the tuna packed in the little cans. Well,I have been craving it lately so I decided to try it again. I'm on a different medication for my reflux issues than I was back then. I was thrilled after I was able to eat my first tuna-salad sandwich in years! Now my pantry is packed with tuna. Did you know they make marinated tuna now? I love the yellowfin tuna marinated in garlic and olive oil. OH MAN! They have jalapeno and sun-dried tomatoes too,but I can't eat those. I'm perfectly happy with my other little plain old tuna! I've found that I prefer white albacore to the "regular" canned tuna. I don't use mayo,so I usually put in a couple of TBS of salad dressing (usually caesar or italian oil)and either eat as a salad with lettuce,in a flaxseed wrap, or my newest find kangaroo pockets-which are basicly mini pita shells. I'm so excited that I can have tuna again! It's the little things in life that make me happy!

Angry Birds Birthday...............

Wednesday was a special nephew's birthday. He loves to play video games and phone games.He introduced my son to several Iphone/Ipod games--among them Angry Birds.
I was looking online and saw several ways people had made Angry Birds cakes.I couldn't resist.I thought for sure I'd be able to find little angry bird toys to use as toppers for the cake at WM (they're supposed to have everything aren't they?)--NOT!!! I ended up having to go to Toys R Us to find what I needed. I think it turned out cute.

Hamburger Soup

Hamburger soup was discussed on a message board I frequent,so I thought I would make some for the guys to eat on a few days.And bonus points to me because I can get out of cooking tomorrow!

1lb or more of ground meat (I used turkey)
bag of frozen mixed veggies
bag of frozen corn kernels
1/3 bag of elbow macaroni noodles
1/2 bag frozen diced onion
salt/pepper/seasonings
**stock or water for cooking the soup


In a large skillet,brown the meat until it is cooked--while meat cooking in a large
stockpot,add in enough water or stock to fill the pot about 2/3 full--add in both bags of frozen veggies, 1/2 of the bag of diced onion, and the macaroni noodles--Season with salt/pepper/or any of your favorite seasonings for soup--once the meat is fully cooked,drain well--add to the stock pot and bring to a good boil--turn down to a medium simmer and cook until the noodles are done.

**This is one of those "dump" recipes I like--where you can add in whatever you have in your fridge or whatever veggies you have on hand-if you don't have frozen you can of course use fresh or canned. I didn't really measure anything,I just added until it looked like soup and cooked. EASY!

Something old-Something new---LEFTOVERS

The guys here aren't too big on eating leftovers--at least the husband isn't,I don't think Grandpa minds. A few days ago I made sloppy joe's for supper and ended up with a bowl of leftovers. I added a can of black beans and a can of kidney beans,sprinkled a little cheese on top and topped it all off with a spicy mexican cornbread. After a sniff or two,the husband said "hmm that's not bad"--as if I would make him eat something yucky! He took some of that to work with him today and I gave Grandpa the last little scoop of it for supper tonight. I call that a win-win situation. I didn't have to go all out cooking yesterday or today. How do you turn your old leftovers into something new?

Slow Cooker Honey-Sesame Chicken

I found this recipe online and it sounded quick/easy/delish-so I had to try it. BUT I didn't make it in the slow cookier because I had just gotten back from grocery shopping and didn't want to wait to eat,so I improvised a little.
OK,OK--I improvised ALOT. I also tweaked it to accomidate what I had on hand. I still plan on making it in the crockpot another day,but I thought I would share the recipe NOW.

Honey Sesame Chicken
1 package of chicken tenderloin strips
salt/pepper/seasoning to taste
1/2 onion sliced thin
splash of teriyaki maranade
handful of cooked spaghetti noodles
1 cup or so of shredded plain cabbage
a few splashes of low fat honey-ginger salad dressing (*Newman's Own)
1/2-1 cup of water

In a large skillet,add the water and turn heat on to high-medium high--cut the chicken tenderloins into thin strips--slice the onion into thin strips--add both into the skillet and cook until done--add the seasoning--add in the maranade and stir to coat everything well--cook until all the liquid is gone and there is a slight sauce left--pour into a large bowl--add in a handful of cooked spaghetti noodles---add in the cabbage---add in the salad dressing--mix well coating everything--serve hot or cold--

**I sometimes add a little water or stock to something I'm cooking so I won't have to use cooking oil.
**I used spaghetti noodles because the husband was making spaghetti and it was ready and waiting for me-I usually use the shiritaki noodles (Thanks,Hungry Girl!)
**You can of course,add in any other veggies you like,but I was hungry and not feeling very creative-broccoli and snow peas would be good in this.
**Here's a tip I saw on DR OZ last week--it's for salads,but would work for this too---in a spill proof container add in your salad dressing last,make sure the lid is on tight and shake it until everything is coated.It's supposed to help you coat everything in your salad using less dressing.SMART!!!

Valentine's Day.....Love it or hate it?

I love the IDEA of Valentine's Day---sweet,romantic gestures,flowers and chocolates for your sweetie. But in real life,it's just an over-commercialized holiday filled with alot of hype from the candy and card biz. But then romance isn't "real life" is it? I'm kind of in the middle on how I feel about it all-I mean sure,like every other girl,I like to be pampered and reminded how much my other half loves me,but I'm like if you can't show me on the other 364 days of the year,then don't just go out and buy crap because it's Valentine's Day. Buy me flowers on a Thursday-for no other reason than you were thinking about me and knew it would make me smile. Now for Valentine's Day this year,I told the other half to write me a love letter. That's all I want. I told him he lost the romance about halfway through our first year of marriage. Happens to alot of husbands,doesn't it? I know he loves me and he tells me all the time,but he just isn't good with the romance. OK enough philosophy for one day,it's making my head hurt! I saw these recipes on facebook of all places-well the ocean spray facebook page. Can we say CRANBERRIES!? I love cranberries-add in a little~OK ALOT of chocolate!That's what a girl wants anyway,isn't it? CHOCOLATE-CHOCOLATE and love letters-the perfect Valentine's Day treats!



Ocean Spray Black Forest Cookies

Chewey Cherry Brownies

I made the brownies as a valentine's day treat and the brownie mix I picked up was a MOCHA one--OH MY STARS!!!! I can't wait to try them!