• Dinner - Recipes

    Spicy Sausage and Potato Soup {Crockpot}

    March 2, 2015 - By 

    Looking for an easy soup? This Spicy Sausage and Potato Soup is cooked in the crockpot and will be ready to eat when you get home from work. Servings: 8 Prep Time: 10 minutes Cooking Time: 6-8 hours Ingredients: 1 diced onion 1 cup diced celery 1 tbs. minced garlic 1/2 tsp. hot red pepper flakes 1 tsp. dried basil 1 tsp. dried oregano 1 large can of pureed tomatoes 1 can fire roasted tomatoes 1 small can of green chilies 5 links hot Italian Sausage 8 cups chicken stock 4-5 large potatoes; diced Directions: 1. Remove sausage from the…

  • Happy Peanut Butter Lovers Day
    Recipes

    Happy Peanut Butter Lover’s Day!

    March 1, 2015 - By 

    How many of you knew it was Peanut Butter Lover’s Day? Well, this year I’ve following along with National Food Days just as a fun way to bring new ideas in to my menu. When I saw that it’s Peanut Butter Lover’s Day, I couldn’t help but write a post for it. I gathered 25 of the yummiest recipes that have the beloved Peanut Butter as one of the ingredients. Give these amazing blogs a shout out! Peanut Butter Cheesecake Brownie Bars Peanut Butter Lover M&M cookies Peanut Butter Chocolate Macarons Peanut Butter Fudge Peanut Butter Marshmallow Brownie Cups Peanut…

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

    Memories of the Month {2.2015}

    February 28, 2015 - By 

    This month I was happy about: getting to eat good food in Texas. 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: Non-Stop TV Shows I watched were: CSI – Can’t believe it’s over! The Mentalist – Great end to the series finale NCIS NCIS LA NCIS NO Scandal Person of Interest Hawaii 50 The Bachelor The…

  • Life

    Granny’s Funeral

    February 27, 2015 - By 

    Family Friday {Granny’s Funeral} Before the funeral the church prepared a lovely lunch for us. We enjoyed fellowship with family as well as the church members. We went to say goodbye to Granny one more time before they closed her casket and then we gathered in the parlor. Rob was a pallbearer and then we all rode in Cadillacs with motorcycle police escorts over to the grave site.

  • 10 Tips for Better iPhone Pictures - Here's a few simples things to remember to make your iPhone pics better!
    Photography

    10 Tips for Better iPhone Pictures

    February 26, 2015 - By 

    It’s Thursday, so I’m looking back at my New Year’s Resolutions. Today I’m getting real with one of my resolutions. #2…There are just some days that I can’t for one reason or another carry my big camera with me. In most situations, I at least have it in my car, but again, there’s just some places and times, I can’t or don’t feel like lugging it along. So with that being said, I think most of us these days have a decent camera phone. If you have an iPhone 5 or greater, they take really darn pics, considering. Today I’m…

  • Cajun Chicken Pasta
    Chicken - Dinner

    Cajun Chicken Pasta

    February 25, 2015 - By 

    Servings: 4 Prep Time: 5 minutes Cooking Time: 20 minutes Ingredients: 1 1/2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breast halves cut into bite size pieces 4 tsp. Cajun seasoning (I used Slap Ya Momma) 4 tbs. Olive Oil 2 cups heavy cream (more if needed) 1/2 tsp. dried basil 1/2 tsp. lemon pepper seasoning 1/2 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. freshly-ground black pepper 1/4 tsp. garlic powder 1 box Penne pasta Grated Parmesan cheese Directions: 1. Cook pasta as directed. 2. While the pasta is cooking, place chicken and Cajun seasoning in a bowl and coat evenly. 2. In a large skillet…

  • Next time you're in Fort Myers and looking for a unique place to eat, I highly recommend Capone's Coal Fired Pizza.
    Life - Travel

    Capone’s Coal Fired Pizza {Fort Myers, FL}

    February 24, 2015 - By 

    On our Florida Tour, on Sunday after leaving Myakka River State Park, we drove the rest of the way down to Fort Myers, Florida where we were staying at the Hotel Indigo. We checked into the hotel, got settled in and then decided to walk around and find a cool place to eat. We ended up at Capone’s Coal Fired Pizza. Many of us weren’t in the mood for Pizza. However, after examining the menu that was displayed outside we decided to give it a try, because it had pasta and paninis. Drew and Caitlyn both got the Fettuccine Alfredo,…

  • Dessert - Recipes

    Chess Cake with Pecans

    February 23, 2015 - By 

    Chess Cake with Pecans is just one of the yummiest desserts I’ve ever had. Now I’ll admit when I indulge on dessert, I usually want it to have chocolate in it. However, on occasion I crave something more like this and I also know that some people don’t care for chocolate as much as I do. I enjoy making this recipe for church potlucks for that very reason. Next time you’re looking for an amazing, non-chocolate dessert, you should give this a try! Servings: 18 Prep Time: 15 minutes Cooking Time: 40 minutes Ingredients: 1 cup chopped pecans 1/2 cup…

  • Life

    Granny

    February 20, 2015 - By 

    Family Friday {Granny} Last week, it was kind of quiet around here, because my Granny passed away and we spent part of the week in Texas. She entered the gates of Heaven on Sunday, February 8th. Rob and I flew out to Texas on Wednesday for the funeral on Friday. Granny was my last living Grandparent, so not only was it hard to lose her, it was hard knowing I now have no Grandparents and I have just 1 parent: my Mom. I never realized when people start losing family members how that really feels. It’s kind of a scary…

  • This Week I Will...(Printable)
    Life

    Keeping Up with Your Goals

    February 19, 2015 - By 

    Remember back when we brainstormed about the new year? Many of you expressed you’d like a way to keep yourself accountable, so I finally came up with a printable sheet to help you with that! This printable sheet can be used for 2 weeks, just cut it half. I like that because I can easily fold it and keep it in my purse to refer back to. I keep one of these Crayola 5 Count Washable Triple Tip Markers in my purse to make the 3 different colors depending on how I feel I’m doing with these things throughout the…

  • Margarita_ChickenSQ
    Chicken - Dinner - Recipes

    Margarita Chicken

    February 18, 2015 - By 

    This Margarita Chicken Recipe is just so easy and full of flavor. Great for those busy week nights. Servings: 4 Prep Time: 1 hour (marinating time) Cooking Time: 20-30 minutes Ingredients: 4 bone-in chicken breast halves 1 can (10 oz.) thawed frozen margarita mix 2/3 cup tequila 1/2 cup fresh chopped cilantro leaves, 2 tablespoons chicken seasoning Directions: In a small bowl, mix together all ingredients except chicken. Put the chicken and marinade in a large ziplock bag. Let marinate in the refrigerator for a couple hours. Directions for Outdoor cooking: 1. Remove the chicken and allow it to sit…

  • Myakka River State Park
    Travel

    Myakka River State Park

    February 17, 2015 - By 

    On Sunday morning of our Florida tour, we got up and took Gramma and Granpa out for breakfast at Susie’s Grill. We dropped back by their house to finish gathering up all our stuff before to Fort Myers. We got a couple family shots as well. Here’s a few scenes along the way including a couple shot of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge. When we were looking for things to do between Spring Hill and Fort Myers, both Caitlyn and I suggested going to Myakka River State Park, which is one of the oldest state parks dating back to 1942 when…

  • Travel

    Weeki Wachee Springs

    February 10, 2015 - By 

    On the 2nd day of our Florida Tour 2014, we took a little break from visiting with Gramma and Granpa and went to Weeki Wachee Springs State Park, home of the Real Live Mermaids! That morning Granpa told us the story of Newton Perry and how he invented the breathing hoses that are used for the show. This is such a neat invention because they don’t have to go to the service for air during the show. There’s 1 mermaid show that they do 3 times each day. I would recommend looking at their website or calling to get show…

  • Easy! Crockpot Mashed Potatoes - save time and still be able to enjoy this favorite comfort food!
    Recipes - Sides

    Mashed Potatoes {Crockpot}

    February 8, 2015 - By 

    For the longest time, I had boycotted mashed potatoes. Even though they are one of my favorite foods, I just couldn’t seem to get them right. Then, not long ago I wondered if I could expedite a meal by cooking the potatoes in the crockpot to help save time. That’s one less component of the meal to deal with in the evening. I decided to give them a try again and I’m so glad I did. The pic above is an example of when I made the potatoes a little chunky. I usually love my mashed potatoes creamy, but these…

  • Chicken - Dinner - Recipes

    Fettuccine Alfredo with Chicken

    February 7, 2015 - By 

    Today is National Fettuccine Alfredo Day! Whaaa??? With that being said, I thought I’d share my recipe for this Fettuccine Alfredo with Chicken. This sauce is smooth and creamy. I think the key to making this meal a step above this dish is to marinate the chicken! I simply marinate the chicken in Italian dressing. This give it a nice flavor that’s goes nicely with the Alfredo sauce and it’s not too overbearing. If you prefer shrimp in your Alfredo, those can be marinated as well. Servings: 4 Prep Time: 5 minutes + marinating time Cooking Time: 15 minutes Ingredients:…

  • Chimichangas
    Beef - Dinner - Mexican - Recipes

    Chimichangas

    February 4, 2015 - By 

    This is a recipe for one of my favorite Mexican dishes, Chimichangas. I could totally eat tacos or burritos once or twice a week with no complaints. However, the fam is not huge fans of tacos. With that being said, I’ve had to come up with some new Mexican dishes. I always know that a dish is a winner when the kids ask for on a regular basis. Makes: 4-8 servings Prep Time: 35 min Cook Time: 15-20 min Ingredients 1 lb. ground beef 1/2 cup finely chopped onions 2 cloves minced garlic 1 tsp. dried oregano leaves 1/2 cup…

  • University of Florida
    Travel

    Quick Stop at University of Florida

    February 3, 2015 - By 

    The day after Christmas was a big day for my family as we got in a rental car and headed south for quite a long journey. You see, last year when my Dad was diagnosed with ALS and we were in Fort Worth discussing with him his final wishes, he said he wanted to cremated and he wanted to have his ashes spread in the keys. So on the anniversary of his death, we started our trek down to the Keys. We had an itinerary that would allow us to not have to drive more 3 hours of total driving…

  • Photography

    iSpy Photo Challenge #4

    February 2, 2015 - By 

    Here are my 3 favorite pics from this week. I’m recovering from being really sick since Thursday, so I didn’t get to really challenge myself like I wanted. However, I’m digging these 3 shots. What did you photograph this week? border=”0″ class=”no pin” src=”https://acameraandacookbook.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/iSpySquare.jpg”/></a> I would love to see what you captured this week, so please link up to your blog using the linkup below. Challenge yourself this week to step out of your comfort zone. Get low, get high, change your angle, get close. Do something different with your shots this week! See you next Monday! Happy iSpying! [symple_spacing…

  • Mexican - Recipes

    Restaurant Style Salsa

    February 1, 2015 - By 

    Today I’m sharing one of my favorite salsa recipes that makes a huge batch, but I love it that way. I usually make it on the weekend and then, have it all week to serve with tacos, chimichangas, or just as a yummy snack. When I made it last time, as you can see from the pics, I kept it pretty chunky. Originally, I had pureed it more, making it smoother, but really it’s all about preference. Servings: lots! Prep Time: 10 minutes Cooking Time: 0 minutes Ingredients: 1 can of 28 oz. whole tomatoes with juice 2 cans of…

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

    Memories of the Month {1.2015}

    January 31, 2015 - By 

    I was happy about: going to Gatlinburg with the Boy Scouts. I was sad about: hurting my back in Gatlinburg. Books I read were: Bread and Wine: A Love Letter to Life Around the Table with Recipes by Shauna Niequist. I didn’t watch any movies this month. TV Shows I watched were: CSI NCIS NCIS LA NCIS NO The Mentalist Hawaii 50 random old game shows The Bachelor The Pioneer Woman Revenge (Season 4 on Hulu) Hart of Dixie (Netflix) Parenthood (Season 1 Neftlix) The Good Wife (Season 1 Neftlix) My favorite song this month was: Something in the Water…