Baby Times!

So I got the call that my sister is going to have her baby on Monday!  How that girl can seriously pick the week she is going to deliver and then make it possible for everyone to be there for it by being induced is beyond me.  I swear, she is like a machine, in control of EVERY move of her life.  She checks off her life events like a freakin grocery list!  I, however, am the exact opposite.  As Greg and I wade through all of the information on how to conceive, what's best to do, and how to chart your cycles, my head starts spinning.  (and let me make a note here stating that if Greg had it HIS way I would've miraculously given birth to our first child the day we got back from our honeymoon so...no pressure, right?)  Sometimes I wish I could have just an OUNCE of Leah's patience to read and take in all of the information.  What I've learned thus far is that getting pregnant is not a piece of cake.  I always thought, "well people do it by accident all the time, how hard can it be?"  Well, turns out it's a bit more complicated than you'd think.  So, here I am, trying to stay organized, on top of my cycles, and educated on the wonderment of conceiving.  Let's hope for my sake that it just happens easily so I don't have to try to wade through the wonderment of fertilization treatments...

Chicken, Broccoli, and Stuffing Casserole

This is a recipe I came up with after hearing a few different versions.  It baked up creamy and delicious and my husband even went up for thirds!!!  I too couldn't help myself when it came to going up for more.  Greg raved, "this one is a keeper!" 

Ingredients:

1 box wheat or regular stove top stuffing (prepared)

1 bag of broccoli cooked al dente, I used a 16oz bag of broccoli spears which I steamed

2 cans cream of soup.  (can be mushroom, chicken, or celery) I used 98% fat free mushroom and chicken

1 can milk (I used skim)

1 small can of mushrooms

2-4 Cups cooked and cubed chicken, depending on how meaty you like your dish

garlic salt and pepper to taste.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Coat a 9x13 glass baking dish with cooking spray

Mix the cans of soup with one can of milk. Add the mushrooms and season with garlic salt and pepper to taste.  Pour into the bottom of the dish.  Cover with the cubed chicken.  Layer broccoli over the chicken.  Top the broccoli with the prepared stuffing.  Bake for 1 hour, it should be brown on top and bubbling.  Make sure to check it after 45 minutes to make sure it doesn't get too dark on top. Let stand for a few minutes before serving. Enjoy!!!

Now What?!

Wow has posting been lacking...and by lacking I mean 5 months.  That's almost a half a year!  Is my life really that boring?  Unfortunately NOT so much.  Greg and I have had an awesome summer!  One of my closest friends got married, one of his closest friends got married, we've spent a TON of time in Michigan, and visited our family and friends often.  Most recently we went to Frankenmuth for Oktober Fest with my cousin Kim and her husband Michael.  Greg also traveled to their new farm in Nebraska, which I was excited for him to see because I've been being threatened to move there.....hmm....not so much.  He loved it but decided he'd leave that farm to other people and we would continue to grow and stabilize Indiana...but who knows what comes next?!?  Still job hunting, need to give up on finding the perfect job and just figure out a direction to go. I'm getting bored now that harvest is over and things are calming down around here.  Still writing songs and pursuing music.  I just LOVE singing :-)  I'll keep you posted on life as it comes!

Asparagus Tacos

I love this time of year when seasonal veggies begin to pop up at road side stands and in local grocery stores.  I was recently given some fresh picked asparagus and, when I couldn't figure out what to do with it, I decided to take inventory of my fridge and pantry.  I try to peruse my refrigerator often to to make sure I haven't forgotten any of my fresh veggies so they don't go to waste.  It's amazing how fast fruits and veggies go bad and how easy it is to forget them at the bottom of a refrigerator drawer.

After taking thorough inventory I decided to make asparagus and pork tacos.  Now this may sound a little weird but the inspiration came from leftover pork loin I had in the fridge that was just begging to be used. We used corn tortillas and spiced them up a bit by lining them with refried beans mixed with salsa on one side and a southwest dip I had made on the other before loading them up with the filling.

It was a simple little recipe that turned out to be delicious!  What's great about it is that you can swap out both the leftover meat and veggies with anything you want or have sitting in your fridge.  My husband and I enjoyed this "picnic style" on our front lawn under the setting sun with the birds chirping all around.  We had a corona with lime with dinner and some freshly cut up strawberries and kiwis for dessert, which were also things that I found that needed to be eaten.

Here is the recipe for the basic dish.  Whether you eat this at the dinner table, on the porch, or picnic style, I hope you thoroughly enjoy the unique flavors of this simple meal.

Asparagus Pork Tacos


Ingredients:
1 tsp butter
1Tbs olive oil
1 med garlic clove minced
1 med onion diced
1 bunch of fresh asparagus (cut into about 1 1/2 inch bits)
1 lb of cooked pork loin sliced in thin strips (fajita style)
1 10oz can Rotel "Mexican Lime & Cilantro" (diced tomatoes with lime juice & cliantro
1-2 Tbs taco sauce
1 Tbs cumin
dash of cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste
Corn or flour tortillas
Shredded cheese
1 lime cut into wedges

1. Melt butter in a large skillet along with the olive oil over med-high heat.  Add minced garlic and diced onion and let cook 1-2 minutes or until softened.  Next add the asparagus to the pan and sauté until tender.

2. Stir in strips of pork, can of Rotel, , taco sauce, cumin, salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer.   Let simmer until the water in the Rotel has boiled down and the flavors are all combined; about 8 minutes.

3. Serve in corn or flour taco shells with a little cheese and a squeeze of fresh lime on top.  You can also add some of the usual taco fixings, such as tomato, sour cream, guacamole, etc.

Lost a Jean Button?

As I write this blog I would hope that it isn't only my husband and I that have lost the button on a pair of our favorite jeans.  If I'm honest with myself it probably means that either I have grown out of them or that they are just too old to continue wearing.  However, I was not ready to assume defeat and therefore needed to figure out how to repair them.

At first I thought it would be a complicated process involving some sort of "bedazzle" machine.  I was pleasantly surprised, though, that when I asked a worker at JoAnn's how to remedy my jeans, she lead me to the, what else, button section.  It turns out all I need was a hammer and a pack of jean buttons (I got a pack of 6 for $3.79) and I was good to go.  I will caution you to get a good quality button, as the flimsy ones bent as I was hammering them in.

So there you have it.  A quick and easy fix to get those favorite pair of jeans back on your booty.

Ask and you shall recieve

As I started my 45 minute drive to Terre Haute today to do some errands I heard one of my country radio stations running a contest called "Dakota's easy teasy question" for a Gloriana CD.  Now I love this band and have wanted their CD but try not to buy things I "don't need".  I thought, what a great opportunity to get something I really want!  I listened to the question, called in, and after a few tries, I called in and got the answer right!  My first ever radio win!

Fun huh?  Ask the universe and you shall receive ;-)

(as soon as I figure out how I will upload the segment from my iphone)

Cleaning Bathroom Mirrors

I always dreaded cleaning my bathroom mirrors because it would take so long to get those pesky specks of hairspray off.  One day after my husband showered without the fan on I went to clean the bathroom while the mirrors were fogged up and, to my delight, they cleaned with ease!  The fog acted like a pre-soak  and softened up the hardened spray and other bits.  Now every time the bathroom mirrors fog up I do a quick swipe with my a small spray of window cleaner and, wha lah!  An effortless clean every time.