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…
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.
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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:…
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…
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…
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…
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…
This month I was happy about: a change that’s coming soon! This month I was sad about: just really missing my Dad these days. Something I accomplished this month was: not much of anything…or at least that I can remember.
Drew had the opportunity back when he was 9 to start playing mid-season for Auburn Thunder Travel Soccer. It’s like Deja Vu…Just like big brother, Alex has had the same opportunity. The league decided to open up tryouts in January and Alex decided to give it shot. He made it, so here we are again! Since Drew decided not to play travel soccer the last couple of years and just play for the school, we’ve had a nice break from it. This past weekend was their first weekend in action in a tournament about 40 miles from here. Since he…
1. What part of the state do you call home? Auburn 2. How long have you been blogging? In 2004, I started to blog on Xanga. I briefly moved to blogspot and then in September 2005, I moved everything here to my very own URL. 3. Why did you start blogging? I originally started blogging to keep my family who are out of town up-to-date on our family’s life. 4. What do you love most about blogging? I love being able to go back through the years and read about past events. 5. Where do you see yourself in 5…