Times Like These

Foodie Friday

2010-07-09T11:05:00.001-04:00

I used to not like spicy foods at all. Really, its true! That all changed with my first pregnancy.. It started with putting Texas Pete in my coleslaw (if you haven't tried it, you totally should.. I like to call it hot-slaw!) and the need for heat never fully vanished. If you like it hot too I've got a couple of recipes you may enjoy.

Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Jalapeños

Ingredients
1 Package of bacon, slices cut in half cross-wise
2 Packages of cream cheese - softened
24-24 jalapeños
1 tbsp garlic powder

The easiest way to cut your bacon strips in half is to leave them in the package. Don't open the bacon, just take a large knife and cut package in half.

Soften cream cheese to room temperature or unwrap, and put in microwave for 20 seconds. Stir in a full tablespoon of garlic powder. or if you are feeling particularly fancy that day you can mince some fresh garlic instead of the powder.

Rinse your jalepenos, cut top off and cut them in half lengthwise. Use a spoon to scrape out the innards of the jalapeño. If you are REALLY into pain you can leave some of the vein in (thus creating a more atomic pepper) I cleaned most of mine pretty good but left a few "shockers" in the mix and you could definitely tell when someone got one of the special ones. Look for red faces, tears in the eyes and hyperventilation.

*note: Its probably a good idea to wear gloves or at the very least be very careful when cleaning the insides of these peppers. Wash your hands meticulously after handling these. The last time (first time) I worked with them I did not know any better and used my thumb to scrape the insides out. NOT THE BRIGHTEST IDEA - Then for the next day or so I had to have a glass of milk nearby for my thumb to soak in to take away the unbearable searing pain*

Preheat oven to 425.

I put the cream cheese mixture into a Ziploc freezer bag, and cut a corner off of it and squirted the mixture into the peppers. Be careful not to overfill.

Take the half slices of bacon and wrap around the stuffed pepper. If needed you can stick toothpicks into them to hold the bacon on.

Place on a cookie sheet and bake until bacon is done and cream cheese mixture may be getting a little brown. Keep an eye on them. Should take anywhere between 10-15 minutes depending on the thickness of the bacon. You can also cook them on the grill!

Buffalo Chicken Pizza

Ingredients

1 1/2 Cup Texas Pete Buffalo Wing Sauce
1/4 Cup Bleu cheese dressing (or pizza sauce if you dont like bleu cheese)
2 14in Pizza Crust (make your own or buy pre-made)
1 lb Chicken breast or tenderloin - Cooked and diced
2 cups shredded mozzerella cheese

Mix the wing sauce with the blue cheese (or pizza sauce if you used that)
Toss diced cooked chicken (I boiled mine to cook it) with the hot sauce mixture.
Use this mixture to top the pizza - Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and bake.

**I used pre-made crusts and just followed the directions for baking that was on the package. It was 425 for 10 minutes. **

Thursday Thirteen

2010-07-08T09:13:00.001-04:00

13 Things that I've enjoyed this week

1. Fireworks
-I'd like to thank my neighbors for travelling beyond the NC border and purchasing illegal fireworks for my personal enjoyment.

2. Friends visiting from out of town ♥♥♥

3. Food
-Lots and lots of food

4. Fresh Veggies
-I swear I'm not trying to make them all start with the letter F.

5. Flip-Flops
-Ok.. so maybe I am.. NOW

6. One on one time with little miss Kay.
-Her brother has been away for swimming lessons with his Nonni.

7. Spending extra time with the Hubs.
-Yay for him finally getting some time off work!

8. Catching up on housework.
-Disclaimer: Its not the housework that I enjoyed, its the clean house that magically appeared once I picked up all the toys, dusted and scrubbed everything.

9. Shopping & Stockpiling.
-You would be utterly amazed at what you can get for next to nothing if you just take a little time to research before shopping. Shopping has become a game for me. I love it! I have begun stockpiling my finds and will not need to buy laundry detergent, toilet paper, shampoo or toothpaste for another year or so.

10. Food
-I know that I've already posted food once before but you must realize that it IS a holiday weekend and therefore COPIUS amounts of delicious foods have been consumed thus requiring TWO spaces on the list of things I've enjoyed this past week.

11. Sleeping in late.
-With Nate at his Nonni's this week I have been able to sleep in until at least 9am most days. Miss Kay likes her beauty rest and then usually plays quitely by herself for a little while upon waking. Shes such an amazing baby!

12. Slightly cooler temps and working in the garden.
-Our poor garden has been neglected because of the seering heat and humidity. It was in need of a major weeding and when the temperatures dipped to the mid 80's this past week, I was able to get out there and do a little digging in the dirt. While out there I became Mayor of Roly-Polyville. 1000's of these little critters were munching on my squash and beans. Anyone know of a natural (no chemical) way to get rid of them??

13. BIG BROTHER 12 BEGINS TODAY!
-I was never really *THAT* into Big Brother until last year. I fell truely, madly, deeply in love with Jeff & Jordan. I got sucked into the live feeds and then it was all over. It got so bad that I actually felt like I was living IN the big brother house with them. I am not ashamed. This is my guilty pleasure. I will indulge.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-07-07T10:10:00.000-04:00

iGrow

2010-07-06T17:36:00.000-04:00

I never would have considered myself to have a green thumb. I still don't. Especially since my poor garden is having some issues with weeds, burnt leaves and pests at the moment. Gardening is tough but very rewarding. I'm learning as I go. Despite my utter lack of knowledge in gardening, we have had quite a bit of success with our modest little garden. (see previous garden post here: Adventures in Gardening) I am very proud of the fact that this is an organic garden. (Despite the one application of Sevindust very early in this gardening process, before I ~~knew better~~ made the decision to fully commit to not using any chemicals)

The green pepper and banana pepper plants are doing quite well and do not seem to be having any issues. The watermelon vine has 3 good sized watermelons growing on it but the leaves have begun to change color and look a little fried.

Some of the other plants seem to be struggling (they have not been pictured due to their sheer pitifulness) The beans have taken a major hit by bugs. A couple of the jalapeño plants have shriveled up and died. I still have a few that are producing peppers. The squash has been utterly invaded by Roly Poly bugs. While I was out weeding the other day I found them all at the base of the plants munching away on the roots. The plants are still producing good sized zucchinis and since getting that area free of weeds I have begun to see lots of new blooms. The 8 tomato plants are doing pretty well and now I am wishing that I had taken a photo of them.. Maybe I'll edit this post later to include a picture.

Elsewhere in the garden we have....

Crabapples

and

GRAPES!!!!

How does your garden grow?

Wordless Wednesday

2010-06-23T11:08:00.000-04:00

2-Year Old Eva Needs Help Bringing Guide Dog Home

2010-06-18T20:05:00.000-04:00

~EVA'S STORY~

Eva Tiede is a 2 year old little girl from Kaukauna, WI in desperate need of a service dog. Eva has a disorder that causes her to stop breathing at any time, without warning.

Eva had a wonderful dog trained to alert her parents when Eva stopped breathing, and saved her life on more than one occasion.

Sadly, her dog had a tumor the size of a soccer ball and had to be put to sleep three weeks ago.

The waiting list is usually 2-3 years long to get another dog. Miraculously, a dog was found for Eva in Canada. "Livia" has been flown into WI and is ready for her. The family will meet Livia next week.
Eva's family is in desperate need of help to raise the money needed to pay for the service dog Eva needs to save her precious little life.

$3,500 has been saved by Eva's family and $4,500 is still needed. Livia will take $8,500 USD to get her home to Eva so she can start watching over her. Please find it in your heart to help out.

Thank you for your kindness.

Click below to be taken to PayPal's 'Send Money' link:
https://personal.paypal.com/cgi-bin/marketingweb?cmd=_render-content&content_ID=marketing_us/send_money

Donations can be made through PayPal by using the following email address:
servicedog4eva@gmail.com

If you have Facebook, join Team Eva to stay most current with how Eva is doing.
http://apps.facebook.com/causes/posts/480088?m=3eeff0a7&user_viewed=1

If you have Twitter, follow us here>>> @TeamEva

Wordless Wednesday

2010-06-16T09:18:00.003-04:00

First Aid Kit for your Critters

2010-06-15T13:24:00.003-04:00

As a pet owner you should make sure you have a few basic first aid items for the furry critters in your life. You'll never know when you will need them. Most pet emergencies will still need to be seen by a veterinarian but having a well provisioned first aid kit will allow you to be more equipped to deal with a medical emergency and increase the chances of a speedy recovery. As with all emergencies the first thing you need to remember is DO NOT PANIC. Breathe and think and try your best to stay calm.

Make sure you have the telephone number to your local veterinarian and the after-hours veterinary emergency clinic that serves your area. Also have this number:

Animal Poison Control Center:

888-4ANI-HELP (888-426-4435)

(there may be a fee for this call)

Pet first-aid kit

ü Thermometer - you should have a dedicated thermometer for your pets and either KY jelly or plain petroleum to ease taking a rectal temperature. (Normal temp -100.5 to 102.5)

ü Hydrogen peroxide (3% solution) - to induce vomiting, administer only under direction of veterinarian (stay away from syrup of ipecac unless your veterinarian recommends it).

ü Syringes - Always good to have on hand, ask your vet for a couple the next time you are in for a regular check up.

ü Styptic powder or sticks - for toenails that you have over-clipped. Regular flour will work as well if needed.

ü Clean towels or bandages - for a temporary fix to stop blood and keep area clean.

ü Neosporin ointment - for scrapes, to be used under the direction of a vet.

ü Blanket - to act as a temporary stretcher to transport your pet to a car.

ü Scissors - for cutting bandages to size.

ü Tweezers - to remove a tick.

ü Eyewash (Plain Sterile Saline - NOT VISINE) - if something gets into your pet's eye, this can be used to flush it out.

ü Plain diphenhydramine tablets (Benadryl) - can be used in dogs that have an allergic reaction, but should only be used as directed by your veterinarian.

ü Muzzle - to minimize the risk of being bitten while trying to help an animal that's in pain.

ü Pet carrier - to make sure your pet is safely restrained for transport to the vet

You know your pet best; If you feel like something isn't quite right about your pets behavior you are probably right. Do not hesitate to call your vet if you aren't sure if your pet should be seen or not.

And just for fun, heres a video two of my critters when they were younger.

Thursday Thirteen

2010-06-10T13:13:00.000-04:00

Thirteen things that made me smile this week

1. Working in the garden with Nate. His watermelons are growing so big and he swears that its his singing to them everyday that is making them grow so big - I must admit, I believe him.

2. Kay hardly EVER wakes up before 9am but yesterday she woke at 6am. I was still very sleepy so I tried to bring her back to our bed with some milk to hopefully get just a few more minutes of shut-eye. As soon as she saw her Daddy in the bed it was over, her face lit up and she said "HEY DADA!" about a zillion times while patting him on the back.

3. These zucchinis.
I did not grow these, they were ~~pawned off on~~ given to me. But their size is massive and laughable.

4. A surprise visit from an old friend.

5. Saving a ridiculous amount of money at Target on things that we really needed. I'm seriously addicted to coupons, I may never pay full price again (if I can help it)

6. Puppy breath. We saw a 6 week old pug puppy at work last night and he was ADORABLE! His owners were really great too. He is really lucky to have chosen good humans. So many other dogs are not as lucky.

7. Francesca Battistelli - Beautiful, Beautiful

This song made me smile and brought me to tears at the same time.

Lyrics:
Don’t know how it is You looked at me
And saw the person that I could be
Awakening my heart
Breaking through the dark
Suddenly Your grace

(Chorus)
Like sunlight burning at midnight
Making my life something so
Beautiful, beautiful
Mercy reaching to save me
All that I need
You are so
Beautiful, beautiful

Now there’s a joy inside I can’t contain
But even perfect days can end in rain
And though it’s pouring down
I see You through the clouds
Shining on my face

(Chorus)

I have come undone
But I have just begun
Changing by Your grace

(Chorus)

8. The super sweet text message that was on my phone this morning from my hubby.

9. Making and devouring something called "Puppy Chow" for the first time. This stuff is magical.

Recipe:

9 c. Chex cereals (corn, rice and/or wheat)
1 c. semi sweet chocolate chips
1/2 c. peanut butter
1/4 c. butter
1/4 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar
Pour cereal into large bowl and set aside. Combine chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter in 1 quart microwavable bowl. Microwave on high for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes or until smooth (stir after 1 minute). Stir in vanilla. Pour chocolate mixture over cereal and stir until all pieces are evenly coated.
Pour cereal mixture into large container (with seal) with powdered sugar. Seal securely. Shake until all pieces are well coated. Spread on wax paper to cool. Store in an airtight container in the fridge. Makes 9 cups.

10. Discovering 100's of crabapples on the tree in my backyard. I had completely forgotten about that tree and its FILLED with apples!

11. Nate picking flowers from the backyard just for me.

12. Dancing like a goof-ball with the kids.

13. Knowing that I'm almost halfway done with Christmas gifts and its not even July.

What made you smile this week?

Wordless Wednesday

2010-06-09T08:21:00.000-04:00

Adventures in Gardening

2010-06-06T12:53:00.000-04:00

During the last week of March we planted what we thought would be a modest little backyard garden. It took a bit of effort, a lot of sweat and earned us quite a few mosquito bites in the process. Here were are in the beginning of June and we are starting to see the fruits (well, vegetables) of our labor.

One vegetable in particular has taken over. Invasion of the squash!

These monsters have taken over. It seems that every day there are 3-4 more ready to pick. I've been finding some creative uses for them but they are still growing much faster than I can use them up.

First I made delicious Zucchini bread.

(I made two and used my food saver to seal and freeze the other one)

Zucchini Bread Recipe

3 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 cup canola oil
3 cups raw sugar
4 whole beaten eggs
1/3 cup apple juice (You can use apple sauce instead)
2 cups grated zucchini
1 tsp lemon juice
Preheat oven to 350
Mix all dry ingredients.
Mix wet ingredients in a separate bowl & add all at once to the dry ingredients.
Mix just until there are no more dry clumps.
Spray 2 loaf pans with nonstick cooking spray (or oil & four)
Pour into pans & bake for about an hour... until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

I also used them in a yummy pork stir fry and I cut a bunch up into strips and slices and vacuum sealed them and put them in the freezer. Ive scoured the interwebs for more uses of this plentiful crop and I think that this will be the next one I try:

Stuffed Grilled Zucchini

(Thanks to www.tasteofhome.com for the recipe)

Ingredients

4 medium zucchini
5 teaspoons olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
1/4 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1 tablespoon minced fresh mint
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

Cut zucchini in half lengthwise; scoop out pulp, leaving 1/4-in.
shells. Brush with 2 teaspoons oil; set aside. Chop pulp.
In a large skillet, saute pulp and onion in remaining oil. Add
garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Add bread crumbs; cook and stir for 2
minutes or until golden brown.
Remove from the heat. Stir in the mozzarella cheese, mint and salt.
Spoon into zucchini shells. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
Grill, covered, over medium heat for 8-10 minutes or until zucchini
is tender. Yield: 4 servings.

Putting the zucchini's aside for the moment, its important to note that the cucumbers have started growing at rapid speed and the dozen or so green tomatoes will be turning red soon and I saw several green pepper and banana pepper buds out there. I think I'll be up to my ears in vegetables for the next few months, so much for a 'modest' garden.

Frugal Friday

2010-06-04T15:51:00.001-04:00

I couldn't help myself, I went back to Target for more!

TARGET

The deal at Target (if you missed my previous post) is Buy 10 Sobe Life Water's and get a $5 gift card. Today I used two buy one get one free coupons, and two $0.50 off coupons from Target.com. My total was $7.00. I paid using the $5 Target gift card I earned from my last purchase of these waters and paid $2.00 out of pocket.

The batteries and the deodorant were FREE!

WALMART

Total Cost before coupons: $15.09

Coupons Tendered $8.00

I paid: $ 7.09

FOOD LION

Total cost before MVP and coupons: $29.78

Saved $3.93 on MVP and used $8.00 in coupons

Paid: $17.80

So for roughly $55 worth of items I paid $26 out of pocket (and earned a $5 gift card) Not too shabby!

I also stopped into the local childrens consignment shop and got a shirt for Nate and a dress for Kay and spent NOTHING! Thanks to the credit on my account with them from selling clothes the kids had grown out of.

Happy Frugal Friday!

Thursday Thirteen

2010-06-03T23:00:00.001-04:00

Tonight hubby and I watched a show called "The OCD Project" on VH1. If you like reality television I highly recommend it. It got me thinking about my own little obsessive behaviors, quirks and habits.

1. I ALWAYS have to put the shopping cart away after shopping. I can't leave it just anywhere in the parking lot, even if its raining, even if I have both kids with me. I just can't do it.

2. I usually check to see if the doors are locked at least twice before going to bed.

3. I won't eat steak but I love hamburger. I have no explanation for this.

4. Whenever I pet an animal I feel for tumors and look in their ears.

5. I have a running list of "Things to Do" and I realize that I'll never ever finish it because I add two more things for every 1 I accomplish.

6. I feel guilty taking breaks and being lazy because of all the other productive things I could be doing.

7. I always look inside the oven before turning it on.

8. I won't eat american cheese, I think its gross and not worthy of even being considered a real cheese.

9. The first thing I do when I get online is check my email. The last thing I do before getting offline is check my email, even if I was only online for a short time.

10. I can't stand starting something and not finishing it.

11. I can't wear socks to bed. (Related: No socks can be worn during 'relations' either, it creeps me out)

12. When eating multi colored candies (Skittles, M&M's ect.) I must eat all the red ones first.

13. I will not leave the house without putting on mascara first.

Everyone is a little OCD, What's one of your little habits?

Wordless Wednesday

2010-06-02T10:40:00.001-04:00

A Tuesday Trip to Target

2010-06-01T23:00:00.001-04:00

I love Target. Tar 'jey'. There are lots of great deals to be found there this week. I saw online that they were having a deal on Sobe Life Water. I'm really bad about not drinking enough water and these are pretty yummy and easy to carry with me to work and such. They usually run about $1 each and the special this week is 'Buy 10 and get a $5 gift card'. So that is half off the original price right there, but then (BUT THEN!) I meandered on over to the coupon section of Targets website and discovered that they had a printable coupon for $.50 off so I printed out one of these and a few other coupons that struck my fancy. Then I came across a manufacturer coupon for B1G1 free on Sobe Life Waters, SCORE! According to Targets coupon policy they will 'accept one manufacturer coupon and one Target coupon for the same item'. So that equals 10 drinks for $3.50. I needed a few other things, did a little bit more coupon hunting on the web and this is what I left the store with.

Grand Total: $84.42

Coupons used: $39.47

Total spent: $44.95

AND I earned $10 in Target gift cards from my purchases.

When the cashier was finished ringing everything up she said "You really did your homework" I did, and it was totally worth it.

Let us not forget

2010-05-31T00:31:00.000-04:00

Gratefully remembering all those who have honorably sacrificed, served and are serving for our freedom.

Muddin' with Daddy

2010-05-30T14:34:00.000-04:00

Daddy took Nate out to the sand mines yesterday to go play in the mud. It was Nate's first time going and he was ecstatic! So I packed some snacks, a change of clothes and some boots and sent my little man out the door to go do manly things.

Now THATS a sandbox!

"And then Daddy got his truck stuck in the mud"

While waiting for someone to come and pull them out of the mud, Nate found this little guy in the woods nearby.

My little man is getting so big so fast.

7 hours later a very tired boy came stumbling in the front door covered in dirt and exhausted from all the fun he had with Daddy out in the mud.

Gotta Start Somewhere

2010-05-30T10:58:00.002-04:00

Hey there! Welcome to my blog. I wanted to have my own personal chunk of space on the internet where I could write what I feel, share things I like and say what's on my mind. The topics that will be posted here will probably include the following; hilarious things my kids say and do, crafts that I embark on, me griping about schoolwork, interesting veterinary cases that I come across at work, recipes (if I continue on this little cooking binge I've been on as of late), jewelry making (if I can find my way back into that little hobby that is in the corner collecting dust), or anything else my heart desires. It's my blog; I'll post what I want. You are more than welcome to follow, post your comments, and participate in this blog with me.

A little about me: I'm 27 years old. (It's totally ok for me to share my age but I will let you know that once I hit 29 I will stay there forever.) I met the love of my life in high school and we are still together after 10 years. We have been blessed with two amazing children. Nate who is 4 (but can tell gross boy jokes better than any 7 year old I've met) and Kay who is 1. I am working on my degree in Veterinary Technology through a distance education program accredited by the AVMA. Upon completion of the program I will be allowed to sit for the Veterinary Technician National Examination (VTNE) and then the Veterinary Technician Examination for the state of NC. Once I do all that I'll get the three little letters after my name that I have been working towards for quite sometime now. (RVT) I also work evenings and weekends at a Veterinary ER Clinic. I love working with animals, it is the owners that sometimes make my job difficult. I'm glad that I can use my knowledge to educate pet owners about things that can improve the lives of their pets. I love my job and I couldn't imagine working in any other profession.