• Recipes

    Breakfast Roll-Ups

    April 29, 2015 - By 

    As busy Moms, we find ourselves often scrambling around trying to whip dinner together. These roll-up recipes are such an easy answer to hectic evenings. Every Sunday, I throw the ingredients for pizza dough in the oven, so throughout the week I have it ready for homemade pizza or these easy roll-ups. If you don’t have a bread maker just get some refrigerated dough, which is just as good and easy. I like these because they can be made for breakfast ahead of time. And for those of us who like dinner for breakfast, this is a great option! Servings:…

  • Beef - Dinner - Pork

    Lasagna

    April 27, 2015 - By 

    Lasagna has been one of those dishes that I have struggled with and finally quit trying. Drew gave me a cookbook for Christmas called Gooseberry Patch 5 Ingredient Family Favorites and it has the recipe in there, so I decided to give it a try again. I did have to improvise, because I didn’t have any pasta sauce on hand. I am so glad I decided to give Lasagna! It turned out amazing. I’m not sure what my hang up was before, but whatever it was it seems this recipe resolved it. I’m curious to know what dishes you avoid…

  • Recipes

    Recipe Bucket List

    April 25, 2015 - By 

    I am a list lover. I love making lists of all kinds. I thought it would be fun to have a running list of recipes that I want to make. This way when I’m looking for a recipe to fill a spot on my weekly menu, I can refer to this list for ideas. I will add a link to them as I complete them. So what recipes are on your list to make? Appetizers Mozzarella Cheese sticks – I’ve made these, but didn’t document. Desserts Chocolate cake roll Donuts Gingerbread cookies Texas Sheet Cake Pumpkin chocolate chip cookies or…

  • Life

    Prom 2015

    April 24, 2015 - By 

    Family Friday A couple weeks ago, my heart cringed with angst as I took pictures of this handsome young man and his beautiful girlfriend before releasing them into the jaws of the Junior/Senior right of passage called PROM. In the back of my mind, I feel like it was just a couple years ago that was me going to prom. Anyway, the plan for Drew and Caitlyn was to meet over at a friends house with their group for dinner before going over the Auburn Hotel and Conference Center for the main event. I offered to meet up with them…

  • Chicken - Dinner - Recipes

    Buffalo Chicken Casserole

    April 23, 2015 - By 

    As a busy mom who works full-time, I’m always trying to come up with new recipes that are quick and easy. My family loves Poppy Seed Chicken and Jalapeno Popper Chicken, so I’ve been thinking of similar recipes. This Buffalo Chicken Casserole is so good and can be ready to eat in under 40 minutes. How can you not love that? Servings: 8 Prep Time: 5 minutes Cooking Time: 30 minutes Ingredients: 2 cups cooked and diced chicken 2 tbs. garlic powder 1 cup Buffalo Sauce 2 stalks of celery, chopped 1 (10.75 oz) can cream of chicken soup 1…

  • Cheez-It Breaded Chicken Fingers - Looking for a new way to bread your chicken fingers? This Cheez-it Breaded Chicken is so easy and makes for a wonderfully crunchy batter.
    Chicken - Dinner - Recipes

    Cheez-It Breaded Chicken Fingers

    April 22, 2015 - By 

    Looking for a way to get crunchier chicken fingers? These Cheez-It Breaded Chicken Fingers are so easy to make and are truly delicious. The first time I made these my family was upset that I didn’t make more. Next time I’ll be doubling the recipe. Oh, the life of a house of full males! 🙂 Servings: 4 Prep Time: 25 minutes Cooking Time: 20 minutes Ingredients: 2 lbs. of chicken Breading Ingredients 2 cups of Cheez-Its 1 tbs. garlic 1 cup of flour (I used wheat flour) 1 tbs. Cayenne pepper salt and pepper Egg Wash Ingredients Tabasco sauce 2…

  • Fort Myers, Florida
    Travel

    Before Leaving Fort Myers, Florida

    April 21, 2015 - By 

    On Day 4 of our Florida tour, we woke up from our restful night at the Hotel Indigo got packed up and got ready to site-see the area and then, head further south. While we waited on our car to be brought up from the valet, Drew decided he wanted to climb the large Mangrove tree across the street from our hotel. Here he is after he started coming down. I love this picture of Rob and I, because it shows how mammoth this tree really is. After watching him climb as high as he could go and getting a…

  • Recipes

    Bruschetta with Tomatoes and Spinach

    April 20, 2015 - By 

    The other night I was craving something fresh and I had an Italian loaf that needed to be consumed. I also had some grape tomatoes and spinach on hand. Bruschetta came to mind. It was one of those weekends where my guys were camping, so I was home alone, which means I can eat whatever I want without complaint. Servings: 6 Prep Time: 5 minutes Cooking Time: 10 minutes Ingredients: Italian loaf olive oil Roma (diced) or Grape tomatoes (cut in half or in fourths) fresh spinach leaves (finely chopped) Parmesan Directions: 1. Preheat oven to °375. 2. Cut bread…

  • Beef - Dinner - Mexican - Recipes

    Taco Soup {Crockpot}

    April 18, 2015 - By 

    I am always trying to figure out easy Mexican dishes, as well as meals that can be made quickly or in the crockpot. This recipe fits the bill for all 3 of those requests. I make this in the crockpot, but you could easily put this in a pot and cook on medium-high for 30 minutes or so and it would be just as good. Servings: 6 Prep Time: 15 minutes Cooking Time: 4 hours Ingredients: 2 pounds ground beef, browned 1/2 cup taco seasoning 1-1/2 cups beef broth or water 1 can chili beans, drained and rinsed 1 can…

  • Life

    Alex’s Arrow of Light Ceremony

    April 17, 2015 - By 

    Family Friday Last Friday night was big night in the life of our family for 2 reasons. It was the Arrow of Light Ceremony and for those who are not familiar with Scouts, Arrow of Light Ceremony is the highest award you can receive as a Cub Scout, so it’s kind of like the Eagle Scout for Boy Scouts. Alex earned his Arrow of Light Friday night. This was a big deal for 2 reasons, 1st being after receiving the Arrow of Light it is then time to move on to Boy Scouts and secondly, our family as been a…

  • Life

    Katniss

    April 10, 2015 - By 

    Family Friday {Katniss, the Kat Cat} Today, I thought I’d update you on the newest member of our family. Our Cat, Katniss, fits right in. If you missed all the drama we had with her after adopting her, you can read about that here. I’m glad to say that things are normal now. Katniss has fit in quite nicely. For the first few months, we were scared to let her out at all, for fear she would run away. Then, there came a day that I was sick and tired of having to deal with the litter box, so out…

  • Beef - Dinner - Mexican - Pork - Recipes

    Chorizo Empanadas

    April 8, 2015 - By 

    Happy National Empanada Day! Celebrate by trying these easy Chorizo Empanadas. Servings: 6 Prep Time: 20 minutes Cooking Time: 35 minutes Ingredients: 1/2 lb. ground beef 1/2 lb. Chorizo 1 onion, chopped (1/2 cup) 1/2 tsp. chili powder 1 can (14 1/2 oz) diced tomatoes with mild green chiles, well drained 1 box refrigerated pie crusts 1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese Egg Wash: 1 beaten egg with 2 tbs. of milk Dip 1/2 of Greek yogurt or sour cream 1/2 of cheddar cheese 2 tbs. Green Chilies

  • Chicken - Dinner - Recipes

    Jalapeno Popper Chicken Casserole

    April 7, 2015 - By 

    My family loves the Poppy Seed Chicken recipe that I make and I’ve been trying to think of a spin off of that. I decided that Jalapeno Popper Chicken Casserole could be made similarly. I love both of these recipes because they are both great make-ahead/freeze-ahead meals. Servings: 8 Prep Time: 15 minutes Cooking Time: 25 minutes Ingredients: Mixture 2 lbs. boneless chicken breast; cooked and finely chopped, shredded or chopped to bite sized 1 (4 oz.) can of jalapenos or 2-3 fresh jalapenos (cleaned, de-veined, and diced) 1/2 cup diced onion 1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened 1/2…

  • Memories of the Month - Taking time to document the important memories from January.
    Life

    Memories of the Month {3.2015}

    March 31, 2015 - By 

    This month I was happy about: Rob and Drew getting to go to Florida for Spring Training, while Alex and I hang at home for Spring Break. This year I’m going to rate the books & movies. Here’s my rating system: ♥ ♥ = Love it! A must read/see! ♥ = Really good! Highly recommend. ✓ ✓ = Good, not great ✓ = Not much to talk about X = Awful. Total waste of time Movies I watched were: White Water ♥ – This movie was filed just down the street in our neighboring town of Opelika. Here’s the book…

  • Travel

    Spring Training 2015

    March 30, 2015 - By 

    A few weeks ago, Rob and Drew spent a few days down in the Tampa area visiting with his Gramma and going to Spring Training games. Below I’ve outlined the 4 stadiums with a few pictures from each venue.   Atlanta Braves Champion Stadium located at the ESPN World of Sports at Disney Spring Training home of the Braves from 1998-2019 (see this post for new Braves Spring Training Stadium in Venice) Capacity: 9,500 Lake Buena Vista, FL Things to know… Restaurants and village around ballpark Free parking in the small lots around the park Ballpark food selection was good…

  • Life

    Eagle Project Proposal

    March 27, 2015 - By 

    Family Friday {Eagle Project Proposal} Drew wrote his plan for Eagle Project Proposal and he before the board last week. So exciting! This is one of the first steps in completing the Eagle Scout Project. Now he has to write the Project Plan and then assemble groups of people to carry out the plan. He is doing his project at Alex’s Elementary School. He is working with the P.E. teacher, who was his P.E. Teacher coming through elementary school and he really likes him and finds him easy to work with. I’ll write more about his plan later. Here he…

  • Life

    Spring Break {Flashback}

    March 27, 2015 - By 

    Flashback Friday{Spring Break} I didn’t have much to share about the family this week, which is just crazy. This was Spring Break and Rob and Drew were gone much of the week, I was thinking back to the Spring Breaks of the past. I scrolled through the pictures and found a few and decided to make this little collage. 1999 – Here’s Rob and Drew (14 months) somewhere in Florida. We were with Rob’s Gramma and Granpa staying in a condo they had rented while they looked for places to live. They were getting ready to move from Atlanta to…

  • Mexican Stuffed Shells
    Beef - Dinner - Mexican - Recipes

    Mexican Stuffed Shells

    March 23, 2015 - By 

    Servings: 6 Prep Time: 25 min. Cooking Time: 25 min. Ingredients 24 uncooked jumbo pasta shells 1 lb. lean ground beef 1 large can of enchilada sauce 2 tbs. taco seasoning 1 cup of finely chopped onion 1 can (8 oz.) fire-roasted diced tomatoes 1 cup frozen corn 1/2 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained 1 cup shredded reduced-fat Mexican cheese blend or cheddar cheese TOPPINGS: 8 tablespoons reduced-fat sour cream 8 tablespoons salsa 1/4 cup sliced ripe olives 1/4 cup sliced green onions Directions 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 2. Cook pasta shells according to package directions;…

  • Chicken - Dinner - Recipes

    Unfried Chicken

    March 22, 2015 - By 

    I’m always looking for easy ways to make yummy food a little healthier. I recently watched an episode of Trisha Yearwood on Food Network and decided to give it a try with a couple differences. If you’re kids need something to dip this in, you whip up some Fat-Free Honey Mustard Sauce or Chick-fil-A Honey Roasted BBQ Sauce. Servings: 4 Prep Time: 15 minutes Cooking Time: 25 minutes Ingredients: 1 cup milk 1 tbs. hot sauce (Tabasco) 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts 1 1/2 cups Panko breadcrumbs 1/2 cup powdered Parmesan 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper 1/4 tsp. paprika 1 lemon…

  • Life

    Blue & Gold Banquet

    March 20, 2015 - By 

    Family Friday {Blue & Gold Banquet} Last week was the annual Cub Scout Blue & Gold Banquet. It was our last one, since Alex is moving up to Boy Scouts in a few weeks. This years them was camping in the outdoors. The decorating committee did a great job decorating with tents, sleeping bags, lanterns, fake fire, and even Christmas trees to help really fill it in. The tables were numbered with yellow ‘tents.’ They also made little table decorations that looked like a camp fire surrounded by rocks. Inside of each one they put one of those plastic, battery…