Moments.Memories.Life.

Lorman Drive

2013-05-29T11:59:00.001-04:00

Pride, Love & Home....are the three new words I think of every time I drive by this house, but the not how I have always felt since Maggie's passing back in December.

This is the home of my Uncle Donny & Maggie that they lived in, and loved since the mid 90's. My Uncle LOVED his house and took so much pride in fixing it up...HIMSELF! He worked so hard to make his yard look 'yard of the month' perfect. Flowers were incredible and bird feeders everywhere. Green plush grass & not a weed to be found. It was not unusual to drive past his house on any given day and hear his "Polkies" as he referred to them, blaring out the windows while he washed his truck in his driveway, and as Maggie cooked her famous Pork & Sauerkraut dinner!

How I loved visiting this house. It was small. Very small. Not exactly up to date, and by no means perfect. But you just felt good every time you entered it. Everyone did. You couldn't help it. I don't ever remember a time ever walking into this house that I didn't come out feeling good. I can still hear to this day Donny saying " Hey Michella!" or Maggie saying " Heyyyy girl" when I would walk in the door.

But that has all changed. My Uncle passed back in 2007 and we lost Maggie last year. The house is empty, the weeds have sprouted up and little by little the house is changing from its happy, warm loving home...to an empty shell. The first few times I went by it to get the mail...I couldn't even look at it. Every time I opened that mailbox and could see the background of the home in my view, I would get this huge lump in my throat. I told my husband I couldn't do it anymore. It was just too much.

I took this picture a couple of days ago, because I'm afraid if it gets any worse I might forget what it was at one time. It also reminds me to always appreciate the little things. Like they did. A simple 30 minute visit, a simple hello like the one from my Uncle ...or the sounds of Maggie's sweet high pitched voice screeching with excitement from just a simple visit from me...is something I don't ever want to forget. Its a reminder to all of us the importance of family and our time that we give to each other.

Maggie taught me a lot. More than any school or college degree could ever give me. She loved unconditionally. Everyone. She could be sick, in pain, depressed or exhausted...and she still had a smile for everyone. Even in her last days and heavily sedated, she smiled and waved as they wheeled her out of her room for more tests. This woman nearly never spoke an ill word about anyone. She welcomed the positive and avoided the negativity of family gossip & drama. Like I said, she taught me a lot.

My Uncle Donny was so proud. He was proud of his house and how he made it a home. He was proud of how he moved from that little town Pittsburgh, Pa. to the big city of Jacksonville and made it work. He loved to show off his home to his close family. I only wish more family would have stopped by a little more often....it meant more to him than those close to him will ever know.

People leave us, and houses can change...but the memories left behind are whats most important. We can make the life we live now a heaven or hell, but its up to each person to change to make it better. Live. Love & Laugh a little more every day...its how Don & Madge would have wanted it. :)

My little house thats full of BIG memories!

2013-05-20T09:47:00.000-04:00

Over the past couple of months, I cant tell you how many times people have asked me why my husband and I just don't BUY a new house vs. all of the changes & remodeling we are currently doing to our 1977 home here in Jacksonville, Florida. Even in line the other day at Home Depot I had a woman start up a conversation with me, where she too made the comment that it is cheaper to buy a new home than to do all the intensive remodeling such as what are doing. "Out with the old!" i hear..."In with the new" they say. Really?

The little "blue" house

I love my house. I love that it is small ( sometimes) and I love that my son can say that this is the house that he grew up in. I love sitting in my living room and remembering all the moments that happened there. Remembering our first night in our FIRST house, remembering calling my Mom and shrieking with joy as I told her "I'M PREGNANT! I remember my first Christmas here...my first party...I remember the first time I heard LB call me Mom. There are so many firsts that I could never leave. Like sitting on my couch next to my husband, as we stared into the bassinet that held our son that we just brought home. All the while, wondering, what the heck do we do now?

I get that bigger is better sometimes, and trading the time to update our house for a new one would surely be allot less work and possibly even money....but I just cant fathom walking away from a home that has brought me & my family so much happiness.

So yeah, I guess I'm that crazy girl that keeps ticket stubs and candy wrappers from first dates ( Superman Movie 1988, Pizza Hut receipt & a Peppermint Patty wrapper in my keepsake box from my first date with my husband LOL)...and keeps little wood houses built in 1977 that are full of more love and joy than any mansion or new house could ever hold.

Neglecting a blog: Guilty as charged!

2013-04-22T16:09:00.002-04:00

I cannot believe its been over a year since I posted to my blog! OMG! I was doing so good with keeping up with it only to lose my posting momentum and fall behind! Thanks to some great friends ( and actual email requests to start doing it...again!) I am back! and hopefully going to be around for while. After all, Im a girl...and I have lots to say!!! :)

Creamy Spaghetti Bake!

2012-02-01T09:20:00.001-05:00

This recipe was found on Pinterest and advertised as "Scooter's Spaghetti". Since this was purely to identify the persons name who made it, I renamed it & changed up a few things! This dish was awesome! WOW! So flavorful and in the top 5 for our house. Easy to make ahead and great with a great big salad! Here is the recipe:

Ingredients

1 lb. uncooked spaghetti
1 pound ground beef
1 large can spaghetti sauce (26.5 ounces) + more if you like a saucier spaghetti
1 tablespoon butter
1 chopped green pepper.
1/2 cup chopped onions (1/2 of an onion)
1-2 blocks of cream cheese ( two for cheesier one for less. I used one and wish I had used two!)
2 tablespoons milk
1/4 grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 grated mozzarella cheese
French Fried Onions (small can)

Directions

Cook spaghetti according to directions on the package. Cook to al dente, drain and set aside.
Brown ground beef. Drain excess grease. Add spaghetti sauce to skillet and heat.
Combine onions, peppers and butter in small glass bowl. Cover and microwave 4 minutes on HIGH until soft.
Add cream cheese and milk to vegetables and stir well. (If cream cheese is not soft, nuke it for 20-30 seconds to make it easy to spread.)
Using a 9 x 13 glass dish, assemble in the following order:
Thin layer of spaghetti sauce on the bottom of the casserole dish.
Spaghetti
Cream cheese/vegetable mixture
Cover the cream cheese/veggie mixture with the Parmesan Cheese & Mozz cheese
Spaghetti/meat Sauce
If you have any extra cheese, you can sprinkle it on top of the sauce mixture.
French Fried Onions (added during last 5 minutes of cooking)

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Top with French Fried onion and continue baking 5 more minutes. (This is the secret ingredient–don’t let them burn.)

Notes

Make this ahead of time and refrigerate or freeze without the French Fried onions. Don’t forget to add them 5 minutes before casserole is finished cooking.

Marshmallow Fudge cake!

2012-01-30T12:41:00.001-05:00

This cake was realllly good! So easy and inexpensive!

I just made a Betty Crocker Devils Food cake mix, according to the directions for the Bundt cake and then iced it with this amazing Marshmallow frosting recipe I found on Pinterest:

4 large egg whites
1 Cup ordinary sugar (white or brown)
1 pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla essence

Place all ingredients except the vanilla essence into a bowl which you can place over a pot of simmering water.

{You could use a double boiler here instead}

Whisk the egg white mixture constantly over simmering water until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is hot to the touch. {It takes around 5 minutes}.

Pour the mixture into a bigger bowl, take off the heat, and beat with an electric mixer for 8 minutes. {Add the vanilla while beating}. After 5 minutes, the mixture will be lovely and fluffy. Once it looks like you can frost something without it dripping? Its done.

I love using disposable piping bags – {or you could even use a plastic bag, which is what I did} without a nozzle, I simply piped straight out the end of the piping bag directly onto the cake.

Hope you try this recipe. It sounds like a bit of work, but really it takes very little time and effort and they are so easy to pipe as the icing is very soft and much easier to squirt out than buttercream.

Kindness.....

2012-01-30T12:25:00.001-05:00

..as I was standing at my counter rolling dough for my pitas last night.....I was able to witness a pretty awesome thing that made me smile for the rest of the day...and most importantly made me proud to be called "Mom".

Brian has always been a good kid. He was a good baby too. Even gave me a good pregnancy! Although sometimes hes been a little awkward with things. Always seems to be runnin' about 6 months to a year behind every one else his age, but never the less a good kid. As a new first time Mom worrying about how to raise your child, I always questioned where I could have done better. Im sure letting him keep his bottle till he was almost 4 wasnt the best idea LOL....and I still regret to this day not reading to him more! OH and not giving him a baby sister or brother when he was still little!!...But we did our best, and pulled from our own child hood the most important things that both my husband and I could remember. Respect & Kindness was two of the biggest.

Im sure some people, other kids in particular may view a sensitive child as a dork. Or worse..a NERD! But I think just like with anything else in life, if its done the right way, with the right balance..it works out perfectly and that it what i worked the hardest on with Brian.

There is so many things to be cautious about with our kids these days. Much more than when I was a child. Trying to balance self respect and morals, along with the idea of dealing with whats going on in the world around them can be so very hard. I will never forget the time Brian told me that someone was hurt on the bus by another child, and that when the bus driver asked who did it, Brian told him...but yet was given several dirty looks by the rest of the kids for telling. He couldnt understand why doing the right thing was so wrong. Teaching your kid to do the right thing vs. doing the socially right thing can be hard. But I think with allot of talking and teaching, we were able to get that balance just right.

Sunday afternoon Brian had a friend over from in the neighborhood that he goes to school with. Both of them have been working on fixing up an old lawn tractor to use to cut grass with, and make money. Brian, just like his Daddy, has always loved tinkering with engines & building things. Since as far back as 4 years old I can remember him trying to work on his cars and tractors with pretend tools. He loved it!

His buddy that came over isnt really all that experienced when it comes to this sort of thing though. Probably never touched a wrench until he started hanging around with Brian. Good kid, kind, but more of a book smart, artsy kind of kid with allot of talent. Just not much of a grease monkey, but his excitement and thrill when working on this tractor is insane and fun to watch!

Finally, after weeks of the both of them working on this thing..they finally ( With Dads help of course!) got it running and it was time to drive it!! I had my kitchen window open and could hear Brian talking to his buddy about driving it. I could see the concern in his buddy's eyes, the worry and basically the "Oh shit I dont know how to do this, so I just will say no" look. I heard Brian telling him and reassuring him he can do it and that he will teach him and to not be scared. That alone almost made me cry, but then when he said "Ill walk right next to you"...it really made me see the type of kid I raised.

(I snuck a picture through the window. I knew if I came out there they wouldnt let me! )

He never laughed at him or made fun of him cause he was scared, even though he knew he was...and he never thought twice about what to do , to ease his fears. He just knew. He knew the right thing to do and he knew what to do to ease that fear, which is exactly what I have taught Brian all these years in everything. Ive taught him that you only fear things your not sure of, and doing the right thing is never wrong.

(Then I snuck out and took another picture...and yes they saw me! LOL)

He made me so proud of him on Sunday, not just because I'm the one he calls Mom, but because he took a situation and figured out how to do not just the right thing, but the kind thing too. Probably a lesson some adults could learn from too. I love this kid, and I cant wait to see the wonderful adult that he is going to grow into one day...and probably the amazing Father hes going to be to his own children too.

Be kind to someone today. You never know just how far that kindness will & can go.

My simple ways to pinch pennies in 2012

2012-01-25T09:53:00.000-05:00

I absolutely love January. Its the start of the new year. A fresh clean slate that could be the start of wonderful things. Whether its budgeting your money or a change in your diet to start eating healthy...its the beginning of many good things for many people. What I see most in the blogs I follow is people wanting to save. Or, at least find ways to get the most for their dollar. What a better time to start than now!

My passion for pinching pennies over the years has always been one of my favorite things to do. Finding ways to stretch a dollar as far as I can, to me? is fun. Five years ago, I decided to seriously look into all this couponing talk that I was reading about online and seeing on TV. I read allot of blogs, and taught myself how to do it. Binder in hand and 6 newspaper a week I started my venture into the world of clipping coupons and saving. I remember my first trip with my binder and lists of deals. I saved 62% ( yes, I kept a log) on my grocery bill! I couldn't believe it! It was from that point on, that it became almost a game to me. A challenge to see how much I could get for the smallest amount of money. Within a few months, I had a stock pile of enough razors, shampoo, deodorant, shampoo, toilet paper, detergent, cleaners, pasta, sauce, cereal & breakfast bars to last me at least 6 months...all while cutting my bill in half if not more. I recall a few trips where the cashier actually had to pay ME! It cant get any better than that!

I think sometimes people are embarrassed to use coupons..almost as if that is just admitting your "cheap" or poor. Or worse, I hear people say "I just don't have the time". Using coupons to me , simply put..IS SMART! Why pay more for something if you don't have to? It doesn't matter if your rich, poor or middle class..saving money just makes sense. Its not a matter if you HAVE to.

Over the years, I have found so many ways to cut my expenses other than just couponing. From eating out, to car repairs, to doing things differently home. Here are some of my ideas on how to S-T-R-E-T-C-H a dollar without a whole lot of work!

NEVER buy anything online without looking for a coupon code first. www.retailmenot.com is the BEST place for codes. If your ordering something online and it has a space that says "Enter coupon code here"? ..then that means there is one. Go find it!
If you shop allot online consider joining Ebates (www.ebates.com ). Its free to join and so simple to use. I joined them last year just prior to doing allot of online shopping for Christmas. I will be getting my second Ebates check in the mail in February for $48.54! How awesome is that? That is close to being my weekly spending for groceries. Taking this a step farther, also look for deals on things like optical or health needs. I paid only
Plan your meals around sales. If chicken is on sale this week for $1.99 lb..but ground beef is $4.29 a lb. this week? Guess what? Chicken it is. I just makes sense. Keep a watch too for the best season for fruits and veggies. Whatever is being harvested that month, is most likely going to be your best deal at the grocery store.
Take about 10 minutes out of your day to figure out where the bulk of your expenses are going. Whether its going out to dinner, or entertainment like movies or bowling...look for coupons or special savings for those events on certain days. Mondays and Tuesdays are great days to go out to dinner if you have kids. Allot of places have "kids eat free days" on those days. Eating out for less is also pretty easy. Take time to flip through those magazines you get in the mail, or just google for your favorite place to eat for coupons. Saving as much as 1/2 off your bill, if not free meals is NOT uncommon.
Make meals that can stretch into a different meal the next day. BE CREATIVE! A roast with veggies and potatoes one night can be creatively turned into a stir fry the next day. ( veggies cut up, meat sliced thin or chunked, and tossed in your favorite Asian sauce over rice) Voila, one dinner turned into two! You can do this with SO many different dishes. Just takes a bit of thought!
No matter what you are getting ready to buy? Check Amazon FIRST! I cannot tell you how many purchases that I was getting ready to make in a brick and mortar store that I found for sooo much less on Amazon.
Have family nights on Friday nights instead of going out. Find a great pizza deal in your local area ($5 pizzas here in Florida @ Little Caesar's), rent a couple $1 movies from Redbox, get some $1 candy & munchies from your local Dollar Store, turn out the lights and get out the sleeping bags! Done. Fun night and cheap!
Did you know that rinsing out your detergent bottles can give you at least 2-3 EXTRA loads of wash? With the price of Tide these days, this is a must!
Is Milk a huge expense in your house? Buy a gallon of Whole Milk, pour half of the gallon into a empty gallon and dilute it with 1/2 water in each. Tadah! 1 gallon is now 2 and tastes pretty much the same as 2 % or 1%!
Use your plastic grocery sacks as mini garbage bags in your kitchen sink and in your bathrooms. While cooking dinner or cleaning out your fridge, place one of these bags in your sink and open up. Place all your trash or scraps in this bag and take directly to the outside cans when you done. Garbage bags are expensive! This cuts down on how many big garbage bags you use a week! I can get by with only 1 a week sometimes. This could be stretching a box of 20 garbage bags into 5 months!
Don't throw out over ripe fruit! Make a quick bread or cake! Apples & Bananas are great for this, as is Peaches or Pears. A quick crust or a few eggs & flour and voila! You have a great cheap dessert!
Re-cycle your clothes. Kids clothes sell at Garage Sales for maybe 50 cents...and adult clothes? maybe a few pennies more..Consider selling them on Craigslist or Ebay instead and then use that money to rebuy clothes from the same source! I hated buying NEW play clothes for my son when he was smaller and was outside getting them tour up all the time. Buying a lot of jeans for $10 or shorts for the summer was so much less expensive than buying new! Shop Thrift stores too!
Turn off the A/C and use fans. Don't turn on the heat and wear socks! We bought two of those in/out fans and put one at each ends of our home. Pulls out the heat..pulls in the cool air. No A/C needed and we cut our electric bill by 47% for the past 3 months. When its cold? Open your blinds. Use mother natures heat to warm your rooms! Put on an extra blanket and trade in the Florida flip flops ( Florida's state shoe!) for some warm fluffy socks or covered toe slippers! Got a fireplace? Use it! and reverse all your ceiling fans to pull that heat throughout your home!

Saving money can be fun and quite an adventure. Keeping a log of how much you spend is also pretty exciting and a great way to reward yourself with something extravagant like a manicure or pedicure! Or in my case, MODS FOR MY CAR! lol. Always keep a sharp eye on the big picture, and not "just" saving 50 cents on a loaf of bread. Remember: Saving just .50 cents on ten items..equals $5. Do this just 4 times a month? its a $20 savings per month or $240 a year!!. Add in all the other ways to save and you will be on your way to a better and FATTER wallet. Now, if I only could do the opposite with my waist!!!!

White Chicken Enchiladas

2012-01-23T20:41:00.001-05:00

Ahh yes another recipe! I have had the BEST time trying out all these awesome recipes on Pinterest. Yet again, another one is a huge success! Easy to cook and my family loved it! These would be great to make ahead of time and cook when you come home. Also a great recipe to add things too..( salsa, peppers, taco seasoning, rice, etc.) Here is the recipe:

10 soft taco shells
2 cups of cooked shredded chicken ( about 3 breasts)
2 cups of shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
3 Tbls. butter
3 Tbls. flour
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup sour cream
1 chopped Shallot ( I added this for extra flavor)
1 4oz. can of diced green chilis (these have no heat. Add Jalapenos (chopped) if you want to add spice!

preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9 X 13 pan.
mix chicken & cheese together and put into 10 soft taco shells (place in pan)

in a sauce pan, melt butter and then gradually add the flour...cook 1 minute. Gradually add the chicken broth.and whisk until smooth. Cook until thick and bubbly.
Stir in sour cream & chilis
Pour over tortillas and top with remaining cheese
Bake for 22 minutes, and then bake for 3 minutes under the broiler untl cheese bubbles & browns!

Great served with a salad or some Mexican rice!

Veggie & Potato bake

2012-01-23T10:21:00.000-05:00

I made this "pretty healthy" side dish with yesterdays hamburger sliders. It was really good! I will be definitely be making this again with a few additions. Im going to add more veggies! Maybe some squash, or even thinly sliced carrots.

1 medium yellow onion, sliced thinly
2 garlic clove, minced or grated
3-4 medium potatoes, peels on and cleaned
4 medium zucchini
3 yellow squash
5-6 small to medium tomatoes
sea salt
freshly ground pepper
dried thyme (or fresh thyme, if you have it)
1/2 cup of Gruyere (any harder cheese will work--Parmesan is good)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

drizzle some olive oil in a pan and saute onions for about 8 minutes, until soft and carmalized. Add garlic and cook for another 2 minutes. Spread in the bottom of a greased 9 X 13 pan.

Slice all your veggies at about a 1/4 inch thick and arrange as pictured above. Drizzle with additional olive oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper & thyme. Cover and bake for 30 minutes @ 375.

Uncover and sprinkle with the 1/2 cup of cheese. Bake an additional 30 minutes and serve warm!

Vanilla Cream Cheese Pound Cake!

2012-01-21T12:47:00.002-05:00

This is one of the best cakes I think Ive ever made. It reminds me of the cakes that Barkus Bakery use to sell in my home town in Pittsburgh, Pa. Very good and wonderful just the way it is. I bought some fresh strawberries and whipped cream for this cake, however it didnt need any of it. Very rich and very filling. A small slice goes a very long way. I will definitely be making this cake again.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups butter, softened at room temp
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened at room temp
3 cups sugar
6 large eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Preparation

Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy (do not over beat). Gradually add sugar, beating well. Add eggs one at a time. Sift the flour and salt and gradually add to butter mixture until combined. Stir in vanilla. Pour batter into a greased & floured bundt pan. Sprinkle a little powdered sugar in the pan also, to give the crust that added crunch! ( WORKS!!). Bake at 300 degrees for 1 hour and 40 minutes. The directions originally said to let it cool for 10 minutes, however the last time I did this with a bundt cake pan, i couldnt get it out! SO with this cake, I let it sit for maybe 2 -3 minutes and the flipped it over onto a cake stand. It came out perfectly with nothing sticking!

The crust is the best part!!!!!

Chicken & Spinach Pasta Bake!

2012-01-18T20:35:00.000-05:00

Yes! Another Pinterest recipe today! It was pretty good...but I know now the next time I make it that I will add some additional ingredients such as some spaghetti sauce perhaps (red), additional onion, and some more cream cheese or sour cream! Hubby & the boy loved it so it was a hit! Here is the recipe:

8 oz uncooked rigatoni
1 T olive oil
1 c chopped onion ( at least if not more!)
1 (10 oz) pack frozen spinach, thawed
3 c cubed, cooked chicken breasts ( i used 3)
1 (14 oz) can Italian-style diced tomatoes, drained
1 (8 oz) container Philadelphia chive & onion cream cheese ( I used 2, but could actually use more!)
½ t salt, ½ t pepper
1½ c shredded mozzarella cheese

Prepare rigatoni according to pkg directions. Spread oil on bottom of 11x17 in 9 X 13 in baking dish; add onion in a single layer. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes or just until tender. Transfer onion to large bowl, set aside.

Drain chopped spinach well, pressing between paper towels. Stir in rigatoni, spinach, chicken, & next 4 ingredients into onion in bowl. Spoon mixture into dish & sprinkle evenly with shredded mozzarella cheese. Bake covered at 375 for 30 minutes; uncover & bake 15 more minutes or until bubbly.

Cheese Biscuits- JUST like Red Lobsters!

2012-01-16T16:03:00.003-05:00

I cant believe how easy these were to make. I will be making these with MANY dinners. I cant imagine how good they would be with Chili! Here is the recipe:

1 pack buttermilk biscuit mix (I used Bisquick, about 1 1/2cups). You can buy single packs at Walmart, instead of having to buy a whole box of Bisquick mix)
1 1/2 cups sharp shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup milk
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp oregano
3/4 tsp garlic salt or garlic powder.

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Spray cooking sheet with non-stick spray.

2. Put biscuit mix, cheese and milk in a bowl and mix well to form a sticky dough. Will be very very
thick. You can almost mold the rolls in your hands.

3. Using spoon, drop lumps of dough onto cookie sheets 1.5 in. apart. Bake for 10min.

4. In a bowl, melt butter and mix with oregano and garlic salt OR garlic powder.

5. When they are done... take them out and brush with butter mixture, Then bake 5min at 400 degrees... and another 5-6min at 350F. Brush with more butter mixture if you have more left.

6. Transfer into a plate and serves immediately. These are amazing!!

Lemon Pull Aparts-melt in your mouth good!

2012-01-16T15:52:00.001-05:00

If you need a quick-looks-like-you-baked-all-day kinda dessert this is for you! I don't think I have ever made something that was so good and was so easy! These were amazing hot from he oven with the drizzled lemon icing on top. You could also make these with different citrus flavors like orange or lime. Orange would be really good. Here is the recipe:

12 Rhodes dinner roles, thawed but still cold
zest of 1 lemon
1/2 C. of sugar
3 Tbs. butter (melted)

Glaze:
1/2 C. powdered sugar
1 Tbs. lemon juice

Cut the rolls in half with scissors and line up in a greased or sprayed 9 X 13 pan. Make three rows of 8. Cover with the butter. Then mix the lemon zest and sugar together. Sprinkle HALF of that over the rolls and cover with a towel to let rise till they double in size. This is a great dessert to make before dinner and let rise while your eating. Keep the oven pre-heating @ 350, and have the rolls on top the stove rising. That way after dinner, you can pop the rolls in the oven for a warm, sweet dessert!

After they rise, they should look like the picture below:

Before baking, sprinkle with the rest of the sugar. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Remove from the pan immediately. If you don't, the carmelization from the butter and sugar will make them stick. ( this is the best part!!!). After you remove them, mix together the powdered sugar and lemon juice to create a glaze. Drizzle over and enjoy!!

Pub Chicken!

2012-01-13T13:12:00.001-05:00

This recipe was posted in last weeks Publix ad. It was close to the most flavorful chicken I have ever had! A definite "make again" dinner!

4-5 boneless skinless chicken breast
1 Tablespoon molasses
1/4 cup of low sodium or light soy sauce
1/2-1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 -teaspoon of pepper
1/4 -teaspoon of salt
2 large sliced onions
1 cup shredded cheddar
1/4 cup of french fried onion rings ( I didn't have these but the recipe was still excellent!)

Place chicken, molasses, soy sauce and garlic in a Ziploc bag. Marinate for 10 minutes or as long as possible (even over night). Longer the better. While marinating, slice two onions thinly and mix with oil, salt & pepper and lay in the bottom of a 13X9 pan. Lay chicken over the onions and place covered with tinfoil in a 400 degree oven.

Bake until chicken reaches 165 degrees ( about 45 minutes depending on thickness of chicken. I baked mine for almost 2 hours, because I like WELL done chicken and mine were very thick!). When its just about done, top with cheese and then the french fried onions. I didn't have any onions so those are missing from my dish.

I made my "Crack Potatoes" with this dish and added some green beans. There were only clean plates left in our house yesterday!

Crack Potatoes!

2012-01-13T12:52:00.002-05:00

Last night I made a new recipe I found on Pinterest ( ha imagine that huh? my crack (Pinterest) site gives me a recipe for potatoes called CRACK potatoes! LOL). They were amazing! I tweaked the recipe they gave me a bit, but they were still awesome! I cannot wait to make them again along with this pretty awesome chicken (recipe to follow this post) that Publix had in last weeks ad. Both were a huge success with my family!! Here is the recipe I used for the potatoes:

5-6 medium potatoes ( red or russet)
2 cups of shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup of sour cream
1/2 cup of milk
3 Tablespoons butter or margarine (melted)
3/4 tsp. black pepper
salt to taste

Peel & slice the potatoes as if you were making shoestring french fries!

Mix 1 cup of the sharp cheddar cheese, the black pepper and salt, & the 1/2 cup of sour cream with the potatoes. Add potato mixture to a greased ( spray with Pam) 13 X 9 baking dish. Pour the milk and the melted butter over the top and cover the dish with the remaining cheese. Bake covered in a 400 degree oven for 2 hours ( or test them about half way through. Depends on how thick your potatoes are)

I ended up mixing all the cheese with the potatoes, so this picture is a little off. You should mix half the cheese and keep the other half to top the potatoes.

You could really add whatever you want to these, ham? bacon? parsley?....but they are incredible just the way they are.

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

2012-01-11T16:21:00.001-05:00

I expected today to be one of those " I dont wanna do nuthin' " kinda days, since they were predicting a 90% chance of rain. I even rescheduled some warranty work on my Challenger with the dealership because I dont like to drive my car in the rain LOL. Well, apparently...once again, I would be better off predicting the weather with a weather rock ( if its wet its raining kinda logic) since it only sprinkled for maybe 5 minutes and the sun has been shining about 80% of the day! It is beautiful outside. Suns just warm, wiith a cool to warm breeze. I even made sun-tea! You shouldnt be able to make sun-tea on a day when they are predicting theres only a 10% chance you WONT get rain!

Still was able to accomplish something, even though my mind was really set on the rainy day do nothing plan. Which makes it REALLY difficult to get motivated. As does Pinterest. OMG! That place is like crack for a stay at home Mom. The ideas. The recipes. The decorating ideas? Insane. I could easily spend more than 1/2 of my days on there collecting all the very cool knowledge from other creative people.

I am so happy to report that my little Beagle "Lucy" is being much better behaved these days.Ever since we returned from our trip to Wisconsin last November, she has been one little PITA! Getting into everything. Driving my cats nuts. Eating everything in site, along with destroying anything that was within her beagle nose. I seriously didnt know what to do with her. We ended up leaving her in her crate in the evenings because I was tired of getting up 50 times to see what she was into. I think, this was her way to let us know shes not super keen on the idea of us leaving her LOL. Even though she was taken care of by some very caring sweet people that enabled her to stay in her OWN home...she didnt like it. Took almost 2 months to get her back to the way she was before we left. Not to mention, in early December she went into heat. I had no idea that dogs went into heat this young. She wasnt even a year old yet. UGH! Not nice and I will spare all the non-female dog owners of the details. That also is finally over (4 weeks worth!!) and I now have back my sweet, kind, loving, snuggling little beagle that waits for me every morning on the back of the couch to come home from taking LB to school. We will be getting her fixed within the next few weeks!

Spent much of the day on Pinterest. I feel like I need to confess that to someone. *Creeking dungeon door sounds inserted here:* "Hello, my name is Michelle and ive been addicted to Pinterest for 4 days". Its crazy, but so much fun and VERY inspiring!. The ideas are just endless and I love all the recipes. I guess I could have worse addictions. Like alcohol or drugs LOL. Although I probably feel just as guilty after spending much of my day surfing page after page of way cool "stuff". Tomorrow will be different. Only morning surfing :) I promise ;)

Happy Me-Happy Life

2012-01-08T16:30:00.002-05:00

I sometimes wonder or feel that there must be something wrong with me. I almost feel ashamed at times to tell people Im happy and love my life. I dont have a long list of things to complain about. I dont wake up miserable. I dont ever feel sorry for myself, or wake up with long list of things to bitch about for the day! Im simply happy.

Times havent always been like this. Several years ago, there were times when I would second guess my choices in life...and wondered if it was heading in the right direction. I wasnt happy and probably rarely portayed that negativity or unhappiness on the people I was the closest to. I suppose I was settling and didnt think it would ever change.

And then, it did start to change. I opened up more to my husband and did that thing that many couples dont do after being together for over 20 some years...we communicated AND often.. Suprisingly enough? It worked and continues to work in really amazing ways. Im happy. We are happy and I cant imagine ever feeling any better than I do today. Anything more would just be a bonus!...Who wouldnt want to be able to say that? I worked for it and it was worth it times ten!

So I guess I dont really need to apologize to anyone for being happy..or be ashamed that I dont wake up miserable, or feel sorry for myself. I dont feel like Im missing out on anything...I feel like I have everything I need right here, right now. I have an amazing son that I'm more proud of everyday..I have a very loving and caring family and husband that amazes and surprises me every day of my life...and a close group of the most amazing friends that have became as close as family.

We all have a choice to wake up happy or wake up miserable. Aches and pains are treated with medicine, but changing our attitude or outlook on life is something you have to do yourself. Make the changes you need to be happy, why would you ever want to live any other way? Life is way to short and I learned that very quickly in 2006 when Brian's parents died. What was once something that was taken for granted (them) was suddenly gone, and something clicked that day that made me very aware of just how short life is. Not to mention, you dont get a redo. Ever.

Be kind. Be honest. Be the friend to others that you want others to be to you, and most importantly Smile :)

Happy Birthday Judy!

2012-01-06T22:58:00.001-05:00

Today would have been Brian's Mom, Judy's Birthday. I thought about her alott today. I dont think I have ever
met a kinder, sweeter, more generously caring woman in my life. She is missed so much everyday, especially by my son. Judy loved Hallmark ornaments and we always bought her one for her Birthday, since all the new ones would come out in December. Happy Bithday Judy!...till then :)

Homemade Salsa!

2012-01-05T18:23:00.001-05:00

...I decided that tonight was going to be a "Taco Night" and wanted to have some salsa and chips on the side. However, I hate buying pre-made jars of salsa because of all the sodium. Not to mention, homemade tastes so much better! Usually I do make Semi-Homemade salsa with cans of diced tomatoes, onions, limes & peppers...but after being inspired by my friend Kim's son Zach, who made homemade salsa at their NYE party this year, I decided to make my own!

1 Chopped Green Pepper

1 Chopped Jalapeno Pepper ( more if you like it hotter!)

5 chopped green onions ( white & green part)

I dont like cilantro, so I used flat leafed parsley ( about 3 tbls)

I also added about 4 cloves of garlic, about 1/2 teaspooon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of fresh cracked black pepper and also about 1 teaspoon of cumin. To me this really gives an authentic Mexican taste!

Voila! Homemade "Michelle's" Salsa! This will probably be better tomorrow after it sits for a day, but it will go great with our taco's tonight! :)

Much love.....<3

Wednesday, January 4th 2012

2012-01-04T16:56:00.001-05:00

What a beautiful day it was today in typically HOT Florida! I woke up this morning to temps in the mid 20's, and 3 orange cats all cuddled under my comforter :). I love it, which I'm sure is hard for most northerners to understand. We hardly ever get temps lower than 70 degrees here and the humidity more than 50% of the year is just crazy hot! So yeah, Ill take the 40's and even the 20's! Ill have my share of hot days soon enough!

Spent most of the morning sending a ton of emails to various vendors and companies that sell and service Mopar vehicles. I am helping out my good friend Kim with the event that we attend in Gatlinburg in June. "Mopar-Nation Meet in the Mountains 5.0". I cannot wait! Its a week full of fun with good people and some great friends. By far, one of my favorite places to go in the Summer. I cant believe its only 5 months away! Ive got allot to do to prepare.

After finishing up the emails and phone calls, I set the table for dinner , washed and put away 2 loads of laundry, prepared some left over turkey for dinner and made a chocolate cake! We still have cookies left over from Christmas, however they arent exactly fresh anymore LOL. It was nice having a variety of cookies and candy to pick from for dessert every evening during the holidays....however, I think Im pretty cookied out!

Spent the rest of my day reading some chapters in my new James Van Praague book, before LB got home from school. We made a fire in the fireplace and also made some popcorn in my new hot air popcorn maker, while he worked on his homework. I love that thing. Its been probably 25 years since I used one, but I remember like it was yesterday when my parents got one. It was THE thing to own! LOL.

Now its time to check over his homework, put away some more laundry, and get ready for dinner. Ahh the exciting life of a Stay at Home MOM and Wife...a job I wouldnt change for the world!

Much love <3

Happy New Year!

2012-01-03T19:40:00.001-05:00

Its been a little over a year since I wanted to start a blog/journal about my family, hobbies and interests. I figured there is no better time to start than the first month of a new year. So, FINALLY I am doing it!

My new year started off fantastic with some great friends, food and laughs. Our friends Kim & Bill had a New Years Eve party at their home and invited our car club family. It was allot of fun. I really love those people. Its been years if not since I moved away from Pittsburgh over 25 years ago, that Ive connected so well with such a great bunch of folks. I feel so blessed and so lucky to have them in our lives. Probably one, if not THE reason I love my car so much! If it wasnt for my car? I would have never met them!

Cyndi, Doyle, Sheila & Jesus...just a few of our friends that were there

We ended up coming home early, left about an hour before Midnight to avoid the drunks leaving parties around town! Ended up seeing some awesome fireworks when we were passing through downtown Jacksonville and once again, just like years before...brought in new year with kisses & high fives from the 3 of us! A really nice night :)

Sunday was a day of De-Christmasing our house! Lights put away, tree down...and an overall freshening up of the house! We were able to get it all down, put away, house cleaned, gutters cleaned and grass cut in less than 2 hours! LOL We had to...Maggie was having a pork & sauerkraut dinner at 2:30 so we were on a mission! We then headed over to there to enjoy a nice dinner with her and Johnny, my Mom & Dad, Janet & Ronnie, Lindsay &Lucas, Uncle Butch & Aunt Dolly and Diane. It was fantastic and so was the company. I love when extended family is here for holidays. It really makes me miss home and miss "old times".

Fast forward to today, Tuesday....kids back to school, hubby back to work and no more sleeping in! Decided to make the Turkey for dinner that hubby got from work for Christmas ( Whoo freakin whoo a turkey as a Christmas bonus! LOL I guess I should be thankful, some people get nothing or worse dont even HAVE a J-O-B!). House seemed so quiet and empty. No decorations and no one but me, the cats and Lucy. It was peaceful...but Id rather have them home!