• Beef - Dinner - Recipes

    Philly Cheesesteak Roll-Ups

    September 10, 2015 - By 

    It’s been awhile since I’ve come up with a new variation to my yummy roll-ups. The other night I had a serious craving for Philly Cheesesteaks, but we didn’t have any buns. Then, it occurred to me that I could make Philly Cheesesteak Roll-Ups. These were so delicious and since it was soccer practice night I could have them ready for on the go. Servings: 6 Prep Time: 25 minutes Cooking Time: 20 minutes Ingredients: 1 lb. steak (I used a cheaper cut, like Chuck Steak) Next time I’m going to use frozen thinly sliced steak similar to this: Philly…

  • Travel

    Tennessee Aquarium {Chattanooga, TN}

    September 6, 2015 - By 

    During our 4th of July trip to Chattanooga one of the days we went to Tennessee Aquarium. When Rob and I first got together and even after we had Drew, we enjoyed spontaneous weekend road trips. Chattanooga was one the cities we would go to on those quick little jaunts. Chattanooga’s Tennessee Aquarium was my favorite aquarium (until the Georgia Aquarium opened.) Needless to say I was super excited to get back there. Something we didn’t take into consideration was that we were there around a major holiday…Oops! It was super crowded, which made it really difficult to enjoy ourselves…

  • Appetizers & Snacks - Mexican - Recipes - Sides

    Southwestern Salsa

    September 4, 2015 - By 

    I always enjoy going to “covered dish” events. Being the foodie that I am, I love food and trying new recipes makes me heart and my taste buds happy. When we were at the lake with our Scout Troop, I got to try a few new recipes that I kept a mental note of. One was a salsa similar to this one that I called Southwestern Salsa. This recipe is perfect for a potluck or covered dish event, because you can whip it up at the last minute or make it the night before. One thing to know about this…

  • Life

    Memories of the Month {8.2015}

    August 31, 2015 - By 

    This month I was happy about: getting to go to 2 weddings. 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: Rudy ✓ ✓ Leap Year ♥ Take Me Home ♥ You’re Not You ♥ The Lost World: Jurassic Park 2 ✓ ✓ TV Shows I watched were: Parenthood (Re-watching with Rob – Season 1 Neftlix) The…

  • Life

    18 years, What?

    August 30, 2015 - By 

    Today is Rob and my 18th wedding anniversary! Every year I’m amazed at how quickly time is flying by and it is just incredible. No one realized how life and in turn marriage changes through the years. Rob and Me on New Year’s Eve Day 2014 in Key West FloridaWhen we first got married we enjoyed date nights with deep conversations, staying up late working on little projects around the house, jumping in the car for an impromptu jaunt to where ever our hearts desired, and lots and lots of studying because we were still in college. Then, with kids…

  • Travel

    Hike at Cloudland Canyon

    August 29, 2015 - By 

    Over our 4th of July trip, we decided to go to Cloudland Canyon State Park, which is located in the northwest corner of Georgia about 25 miles from Chattanooga, Tennessee. This Georgia state park covers 3,485 acres on the western edge of Lookout Mountain. Rugged landscaping and views of Sitton Gulch Creek, which splits the mountain. There is a paved, wheelchair accessible for about a quarter of a mile that overlooks the edge of the canyon. There are 4 more hiking trails that are range from moderate to strenuous. The Waterfalls Trail starts off paved and then moves into the…

  • Life

    Auburn Thunder 2.0

    August 28, 2015 - By 

    This past spring Alex decided he wanted to try out for Auburn Thunder travel soccer league again. He played back in 2014 for a half season, but didn’t make the team for 2014. We were surprised when he wanted to try out again. He made the team, but was asked if he would like to transition to the position of Goalie. We left the decision up to him and discussed with him about the amount of extra work he would need to put in to be respectable. He decided that he was up for the challenge. However, from the get-go,…

  • Beef - Dinner - Recipes

    Cheesy Hamburger Potato One-Pot Dish

    August 22, 2015 - By 

    I recently had a week, where I decided I was not going to the grocery store. What we ate for dinner would come only from ingredients we had in the pantry/fridge/freezer. One of the nights, I looked in the fridge and saw a pound of ground beef, an onion, and about a half of red and green bell pepper that needed to be used. I looked in the pantry to find a few more things including some potatoes. I had recently found a recipe on a food website and I thought that I could make it into a one-pot dish,…

  • Travel

    Afternoon in South Beach

    August 21, 2015 - By 

    After leaving Marathon, Florida, we drove through Miami over to South Beach. We stopped in at University of Miami in Coral Gables. Such a pretty entrance into campus. We made a quick stop at Marlin’s Park too. I was so excited to drive near the cruise ships at Port Miami. This is one point of many during the trip when Rob and I were talking about the surrounding areas, “Kids, see the cruise ships out there?” Silence….all three of them staring at their phones or game devices. We drove around for a good 30 minutes looking for parking. There was…

  • Chicken - Dinner - Recipes

    Monterey Chicken {Chili’s Copycat Recipe}

    August 20, 2015 - By 

    I posted this on my old blog way back in 2009, but recently made it again and decided to post it here. This Monterey Chicken is similar to the one that Chili’s serves. It’s got bacon, cheese, and BBQ sauce which creates lots of layers of flavor. You wouldn’t think something this good would be easy to make, but it is really simple. Servings: 4 Prep Time: 20 minutes Cooking Time: 15 minutes Ingredients: 2 tbsp Olive Oil (I prefer EVOO) 4 boneless skinless chicken breast 8 teaspoons barbecue sauce 8 slices crispy bacon 1 cup shredded Monterey jack/cheddar cheese…

  • Travel

    DeSoto State Park Hike

    August 19, 2015 - By 

    During our time in North Georgia, we actually ventured back over to our home state of Alabama. We had spent the morning not to far from the Georgia-Alabama border at Cloudland Canyon State Park. We had planned to be out all day, so we had packed a picnic lunch. We ended up at DeSoto State Park, which is on Lookout Mountain near Fort Payne. It covers 3,000 acres of forests, rivers, waterfalls, and mountainous terrain. The picnic area overlooks the A.A. Miller Dam. We stuffed our faces with fresh cut cold cut sandwiches, chips, cookies, and Gatorades. Our lunch entertainment…

  • Travel

    Alabama Must-Sees for Families

    August 12, 2015 - By 

    This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Alabama Tourism. The opinions and text are all mine. When I moved to Alabama 19 years ago, I didn’t realize how lucky I was to be moving to a state with such rich history, beautiful terrain, and diverse culture. Whether you’re a mountain man or a beach bum, this state has the best of both worlds. There is also something for the science geeks, the History nerds, and even those who have been bitten by the adventure bug. Today I’m sharing with you a little bit of all of…

  • Travel

    Rome, Georgia

    August 11, 2015 - By 

    On our way up to LaFayette, Georgia for our 4th of July trip we stopped in Rome, Georgia for lunch. Downtown Rome is really a quaint little place with lots of cute stores and restaurants. A friend of Rob’s recommended a couple places to eat. We ended up at Schroeder’s Deli. We had Calzones and pizza and fried okra. We noticed a park when were walking to the restaurant from down the street where we had parked. After lunch, we got Daisy out of the car and brought over to Heritage Park to let her run around and use the…

  • Recipes - Sides

    Microwave Mac & Cheese

    August 10, 2015 - By 

    Recently when we were out of town, I was looking for a microwavable meal. I scrounged together these few ingredients and decided to attempt it in the microwave. Since I was taking this side dish and making it into a meal, I needed to add something to it. I had some thick cut ham, so I chopped it into cubes and threw it in to make it more filling. Servings: 4 Prep Time: 0 minutes Cooking Time: 6 minutes Ingredients: 8 oz. of macaroni noodles 1 cup water 1/2 cup half & half 1/2 cup of butter 1 cup of…

  • Life

    Back to School {2015}

    August 7, 2015 - By 

    To my dismay, school is back in session as of yesterday. With a Senior and the other one starting first year in middle school for 6th grade, it’s a big year for us. I have to confess that my stomach has been in knots the last couple weeks with the reality of this. I’ve honestly been in denial. In fact, I didn’t want to shop for school supplies or go school clothes shopping. I had hard enough time dragging myself to schedule a time to take Drew out for his Senior pictures. For Drew, I just can’t believe he’s entering…

  • Beef - Dinner - Mexican - Recipes

    One-Pot Tamale Pie

    August 6, 2015 - By 

    I am constantly on the lookout for new Mexican dishes. I found this recipe for Tamale Pie and knew I had to try it. I decided to adapt it a bit and make into a One-Pot Tamale Pie. This recipe brought me back to the days when my Granddad would crack open a can of tamales, throw them in a pan, and heat them up. Yes, that wasn’t the healthiest of meals, but regardless its a memory and a flavor that I cherish. I’ve never tried making tamales on my own, which would be better for you than from a…

  • Beef - Dinner - Recipes

    Italian Chili {Crockpot}

    August 5, 2015 - By 

    I know it’s been awhile since I’ve posted a recipe. That doesn’t mean haven’t been cooking. In fact, I have such a long list of recipes that I’ve made that I wasn’t even sure where to start. Posting this Italian Chili seemed like a good choice, because with kids starting back to school tomorrow I’m frazzled and when I put dinner in the crockpot that’s once less thing to worry about after work! Who doesn’t love that? Servings: 6-8 Prep Time: 20 minutes Cooking Time: 6 hours Ingredients: 1 lb. ground beef 1/2 lb. Italian sausage 1 can (28 oz.)…

  • Travel

    Bahia Honda State Park

    July 24, 2015 - By 

    One of the things on our to-do-list while in the keys was to go to Bahia Honda State Park. The afternoon after spending our morning at sea, we had a few hours to spare. We decided to go check out this highly regarded state park. After entering the park we turned and headed to the Eastern side of the park, which is where you’ll find a mile long beach called Sandspur Beach. It’s a very narrow beach covered with seaweed the day we were there. There’s restrooms and pavilions there. However, we decided to check out the Calusa Beach that’s…

  • Travel

    Burdines Waterfront Restaurant

    July 23, 2015 - By 

    Burdines Waterfront ChikiTiki Bar & Grill is located on Boot Key Harbor on Marathon Key. We actually passed by it earlier that day in the boat. This place was packed, but we managed to get a table inside. If you go there, I highly recommend eating outside. The inside is small and shares space with the kitchen. It was noisy, and hot. Rob and Drew got the Bacon Wrapped BBQ Shrimp, which looked amazing. I had the fish sandwich, which was also quite flavorful. Nothing was better than our dessert, which was the Deep Fried Key Lime Pie. O.M.G!!! I…

  • Life

    Memories of the Month {6.2015}

    July 7, 2015 - By 

    This month I was happy about: it being summer and just being able to have some downtime. 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: The Best of Me – ♥ ♥♥ ♥ TV Shows I watched were: Grace & Frankie (Netflix) – watched the first episode and the first few minutes of the 2nd episode,…