I Am Nacho Mama

My First Bolognese - and I'm not talking about bologna with mayo neither

2010-01-06T10:55:00.007-06:00

This is my first time to ever make a bolognese sauce. Do you know how many times I've had to look that word up already to try and spell it? Too many to count.

I always thought bolognese sauce had something to do with bologna and mayonnaise. Wow - I just had to look that word up too. Man, I'm losing my touch. My court reporting skills have just about all gone out the window apparently!

I got the recipe from the January issue of the All You magazine. Here's a link to it.

Here's a picture of it cooking.

It calls for a cup of white wine. I happened to have an extra small bottle of chardonnay that my mother left over here well over a year ago. That whole bottle measured 3/4 of a cup, so I put in 1/4 cup sangria - by far my favorite wine. I'm such a cheap date.

Here's a picture of it after I added the milk and wine. I put the skillet on about 200 to 250 before it would reduce.

And here's the end result:

Kelly and I would both rate this a 9. It was yummy. It makes a ton though. I think next time I make it I'll only use one pound of ground beef and one can of crushed tomatoes.

As a side note, I also made fried wontons which was my first attempt I might add. My grandpa used to drive a truck for FFE. One of the many foods he hauled was frozen wontons. Someone would give him a package of it, and he'd bring them home and fry them in a little oil and put sugar on top - yummy. I put powdered sugar on these. Nobody else liked these. Kelly said they were bland. Maddie said she liked them, but I think she just said that so she wouldn't hurt my feelings. What a sweet little 4-year-old!

Oh, yeah...I had a baby

2009-11-15T13:05:00.002-06:00

So it's been forever since I've updated my blog. But I have a good excuse, people - I had a baby. Yay! On October 16th @ 1:18 p.m., I gave birth to a beautiful 9 pound, 3 ounce; 23-inch-long baby girl. Can you believe she was 23 inches? I can. I felt every millimeter of her - ha! We named her Abigail Wil. Wil is in honor of my grandmother Wilma (everyone used to call her Wil).

Abby's very healthy and we're very happy. Maddie is an excellent big sister - better than I ever could have imagined. We're starting to get a routine down - as best we can with a newborn. Stay tuned to I Am Nacho Mama. I plan on cooking up a storm - maybe even trying some low-fat recipes because Lord knows, I need some LOW fat!

The Firecrackers

2009-09-24T12:19:00.001-05:00

Got this in an email from my sister-in-law. It's amazing. They're called The Firecrackers. Took this from their website:
"The Firecrackers are a performance jump rope team made up of talented 4th-8th graders from the Kings Local School District in Ohio. Coached by Lynn Kelley, they perform at venues across the country."

Thanks for sharing, Laura

Pregnancy Update - Part Five

2009-09-23T20:16:00.003-05:00

Wow. It seems like it's been forever since I've been on here. Thanks to everyone for being so patient.

I found out Monday that I'll be having a planned c-section October 14th - 10 days before the original due date. Maddie's 4th birthday is October 20th, so I'm just glad the c-section isn't falling on that day.

Everything has been going pretty good. I'm feeling super huge about now and am looking forward to being able to walk without pain and being able to stand for more than a few minutes without my back killing me. All this pain will be totally worth it.

I probably won't be updating the blog until sometime after the baby is born, so please keep us in your prayers.

Shepherd's Pie - Recipe R&R

2009-09-23T19:57:00.004-05:00

Last week, Kelly watched an episode of Emeril Green where Emeril made a shepherd's pie. So Kelly asked me to make one. He found this recipe that he liked on Cooks.com. Instead of the creamed corn, I used a can of kernel corn.

This tasted pretty good. Kelly liked it. To me it lacked something. So we came up with a different recipe, just a little bit different.

First off, I made Southern Plate's MeMe's Mashed Potatoes which we both adore. Then I cut up an onion and cooked it with the hamburger meat with a tiny bit of olive oil.

Then instead of the can of peas and can of corn, I used two drained cans of Vegall.

This time it turned out better than before. It was still a little runny, but very good.

Fried Pickles - Recipe R&R

2009-08-15T10:49:00.004-05:00

Yesterday, Kelly and I made fried pickles.

He loves fried pickles - absolutely loves them.

I used the recipe from Cooks.com. They definitely needed more flavor. I think next time I'll use more pepper and a little more salt. I'll for sure use more hot sauce in the liquid ingredients.

Oatmeal, Coconut Cookies - Recipe R&R

2009-07-30T11:58:00.006-05:00

Last night, Maddie and I made Taste of Home's My Kids' Favorite Cookies.

(without coconut - I was catering to Kelly who does not like coconut - I'm sweet like that occasionally - okay, okay, rarely - rarely is better than never, right?)

These turned out okay. Maybe I was expecting more from them because they are called "My Kids' Favorite Cookies."

I'd rate these about a 7.5 or an 8.

Crunchy Beef Casserole - Recipe R&R

2009-07-30T11:51:00.005-05:00

Last night I made Southern Plate's Crunchy Beef Casserole.

YUMMY!

Kelly doesn't like french fried onions (I know...he must be crazy) so I tried to be fair and impartial like the upstanding citizen I am and give him half of this casserole by leaving the french fried onions off of half of it. As you can see, my pregnancy brain took over and decided that 3/4 equals 1/2. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Anyway, I have no idea why this was so dang good, but it was just that...dang good!

We'd both rate this a 9.

Best Home Improvement Tool Ever

2009-07-18T10:49:00.001-05:00

This cracks me up - so much so that I posted it on both my blogs.

Thanks, Mom

What I've Been Up to

2009-06-29T11:56:00.004-05:00

Can't believe it's been almost a month since I've posted anything. I took two sewing classes at Joann's. First one, we made a bag. Second one, we tried to make another bag. For a beginning sewer, boy, it was hard. Here's a few pictures of it:

The lining (don't look at the lovely hand sewn part of it!)

It's McCall's pattern M5866. I had to get help from both my mother-in-law and my mother to help me finish it - thank you!

I'll be taking sewing 301 at the end of July. Hopefully by the time that class is over with, I might actually know what I'm doing!

The baby and I are doing great. While I'm writing this, I feel her punching or kicking away. Saturday I will be six months along. Can't wait until October.

Jalapeno Popper Dip - Recipe R&R

2009-06-08T20:09:00.004-05:00

Today I made Love Deliciousness's Jalapeno Popper Dip.

I was a cooking fool today, wasn't I? Hardy, har, har. This turned out pretty good. I made it for Big Daddy, who absolutely cannot stand mayonnaise. I didn't tell him it had mayo in it until after he'd eaten about 1/2 of the bowl.

I tasted this before and after I added the cheese. I liked it better without the cheese and without heating it up.

My rating: 8.5

Chocolate Chip & Oatmeal Cookies - Recipe R&R

2009-06-08T20:05:00.005-05:00

Today, Maddie and I made Jessa Duggar's Cookies .

They turned out pretty darn good. Crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside. Best cookies I've ever made, but that's not really saying much since this is only about the second or third batch of cookies I've ever made- ha! I only used 1 cup of oatmeal.

I'd rate them an 8.5.

Potato Pizza Casserole - Recipe R&R

2009-06-08T20:01:00.003-05:00

Tonight I made Nom Nom Nom's Potato Pizza Casserole.

It was pretty easy to throw together. Next time I make this, I'm leaving the potatoes out because they were not cooked at all. I sliced them very, very thinly too.

My rating (just the topping w/out the potatoes): 8

I Can Relate

2009-06-06T16:45:00.002-05:00

Hamburger Casserole - Recipe R&R

2009-06-06T12:58:00.003-05:00

This week sometime I made 24-Hour Menu's Hamburger Casserole.

It was so easy to make and tasted pretty good. I think Kelly and I both rated it a 7.5 or an 8.

Also, last week I made Pioneer Woman's Baked Lemon Pasta. Maybe I screwed something up, but I don't really think so...but this tasted horrible. I wound up throwing the whole thing in the creek and calling Pizza Hut and ordering pizza.

Also, last night I made Real Mom Kitchen's 3 Envelope Roast. It was absolutely delicious.

Pregnancy Update - Part Four

2009-05-28T17:42:00.002-05:00

Thought I'd update y'all on what's been going on with the pregnancy. All my bloodwork has come back looking great. We had a sonogram on the 19th. We found out we're having a little girl. Don't know what Kelly's going to do with three females in the house. He's already said he was going to remodel the barn and put a bedroom out there and maybe some satellite TV just to get away from all the estrogen - ha! That's all the news for now.

Cheeseburger & Fries Casserole - Recipe R&R

2009-05-28T17:33:00.003-05:00

I can't believe it's been almost a month since I've posted anything. I don't know what I've been doing really. I know I've been cooking almost every single day - haven't been cooking any new recipes though - well, that is until last night.

I made Lauren's Kitchen's Cheeseburger and Fries Casserole. I think she describes it as "white trash." Well, I think we all got a little bit of white trash in us. Some of us more so than others (yes, I'm talking about myself!)

This was super easy to make. I think it might have tasted a little better if I had used seasoned frozen french fries, but nevertheless, it was good.

Kelly's Rating - 9
My Rating - 7

Mothers

2009-05-04T19:03:00.000-05:00

Roasted New Potatoes - Recipe R&R

2009-04-28T10:02:00.003-05:00

This recipe is from the Neely's as well, but it's for fingerling potatoes. Since they don't sell fingerling potatoes at my Walmart, and since Lord knows I don't like going to 50 million different stores, I used new potatoes.

I have a confession to make...please don't laugh...I have never in my life bought olive oil before. Boy, have I been missing out.

These turned out really good. Possibly had too much garlic, but still good.

My rating - 8

Pot Roast (again!) - Recipe R&R

2009-04-28T09:58:00.003-05:00

Last night I made Momma Neely's Pot Roast. I love watching the Neely's on Food Network. They're recipes are usually delicious.

This one was no exception. Easy to make and tasted delicious. I think a lot of the flavor depends on what kind of red wine you use. Although I personally used a $3 bottle of red wine and it tasted fabulous.

My rating - 8.

Sopapilla Cheesecake - Recipe R&R

2009-04-28T09:53:00.002-05:00

Last weekend I made Real Mom Kitchen's Sopapilla Cheesecake for a get-together we had for my father-in-law's birthday.

It was so easy to make. And HOLY COW it was delicious! I think everyone at the party liked it.

I'd rate it a 9.5.

Peanut Butter Fudge - Recipe R&R

2009-04-28T09:50:00.002-05:00

Last week sometime I made Julie's Fabulous Fudge from Happy To Be @ Home.

Sooooooooo simple to make.

This stuff is very, very rich.

I'd rate it a 7.

Cheeseburger Macaroni - Recipe R&R

2009-04-28T09:45:00.004-05:00

I've been horrible about posting stuff on here. I'm so sorry. I have been cooking, just haven't been posting. I made The Cookbook Junkie's Cheeseburger Macaroni sometime last week.

Easy to make.

Big daddy's rating - 9
My rating - 7

Pregnancy Update - Part Three

2009-04-20T17:19:00.005-05:00

Well, I went to a specialist last week. They took my blood, checking for proteins. Don't have the results on that yet. I did have a sonogram that measured the width of the baby's neck. Everything was excellent. Heard the baby's heartbeat. The baby was moving around like crazy, even though I can't feel it. The sonographer said that movement was involuntary at this stage (I was 12 weeks pregnant at the time.)

I went to my regular ob this morning. After some discussion with him and the maternal fetal specialist, it was decided that I needed to go ahead and have the diagnostic mammogram. I am not at all looking forward to that. My appointment is this Monday and I am absolutely terrified at how much it might hurt. Being 13 weeks pregnant, you can imagine how sore and tender my breasts are anyway, and then to flatten one of them out like a pancake just makes me cringe. Wish me luck.

Enchiladas Verdes - Recipe R&R

2009-04-20T17:08:00.002-05:00

Oh my goodness these were good. I got the recipe from my Taste of Home magazine. It was one of four recipes submitted by Joan Hallford of North Richland Hills, TX, which is just right up the road a piece from me.

These were pretty easy to make and all the ingredients were simple, which I love. (If you're at all familiar with El Rancho Grande restaurant in Fort Worth, the cheese sauce for these enchiladas reminded me of theirs - yummy!!)

Kelly's rating - 9
My rating 9.5