Good evening all! How was everyone's weekend? I actually caught a cold (probably from the late nights and possible drinking on New Year's) and was kind of down for the count this weekend - but we were productive enough that we rented a wood chipper & cleared out the brush in our backyard that had been accumulating for 1+ years. It looks so great back there. This was in preparation for us to build a nice privacy fence in the back of our house for our two dogs & (of course!) for some privacy from our neighbors. This will take a little planning as we have to go through the 'Architectural Review Board' in our town and get their approval before we can even begin purchasing the materials and building the fence. Hopefully I'll get the application in & we'll get the go-ahead by April so we can start working before it gets too hot here.
On to the food!!!
The red wine & goat cheese risotto that I made was very yummy. I think I put a tad too much goat cheese in it, even though I love goat cheese - it was a little too powerful. The recipe calls for 6 ounces, I believe, next time, I will probably put about 3 in.
The baked french toast bites with amaretto were decent. It was a fairly quick meal to prepare, but I just wasn't wowed by it.
Yesterday, I went to the grocery and purchased my food for the week and I bought the items to make the Chocolate Dream Tart from Betty Crocker. I had made this in the past but made a very juvenile error and forgot to bake the crust before putting the other ingredients in it, but this time, I made the crust the proper way. This pie/tart is soo very tasty - but you will only need a small slice as it is very rich.
This week, I'll make:
Monday: Cream-Cheese Stuffed Chicken with Bacon (this is not from a recipe, but from my mom's kitchen! - - I'll explain how she taught me below)
Tuesday: Haystacks from Rachael Ray
I will use no meat for mine, but for my meat-loving boyfriend, I'll probably add some meat & turn his meal in to soft-tacos.
Wednesday: leftovers (lasagna that I've thawed out from a month or so ago, or home-made Chicken Noodle Soup) because I have a meeting after work.
Thursday: Dinner out with my mom!
Friday: Dinner out with the book club ladies!
As for how I'll make the chicken tonight:
I'll use:
4 chicken breasts and do a butterfly fillet/cut to get them to be a bit thinner
2 blocks of cream cheese, softened
fresh chives, minced
Onion
Garlic powder
Bacon
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
I will cut the chicken as stated above & possibly pound them to make them thinner still.
Mix: Softened cream cheese, diced chives, some garlic powder, and minced onion.
Spread this mixture on all 4 flattened chicken breasts
Roll chicken breasts & wrap with 1 slice of bacon
Fasten with a toothpick if necessary
Place rolled chicken in sprayed, or greased baking dish & cover with aluminum foil.
Bake at least 30 minutes. At this point - pull out and check done-ness of chicken.
Cooking time could go up to 45 minutes. Enjoy!!
I hope everyone has had a wonderful Monday!
Monday, January 9, 2012
Monday, January 2, 2012
Cooking/Blogging Delay - but now I'm back!!
Good afternoon everyone (all 2 people that read my blog ( = . ) I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas/Kwanzaa/Hanukkah, etc. & a lovely New Years.
But I do remember whether the food I last talked about was good or not - so here we go!
The Zesty Rice & Beef dish was amazing! Even the boyfriend loved it and scarfed about half of it down in one sitting. This will go on my list of 'to-cook-again's.
The Cheesy Chicken Pasta Primavera, which was a recipe I had cooked in the past, was very good. I love it because it's got chicken, veggies & a lovely alfredo-like sauce. The boyfriend didn't seem to eat too much of it, even though I tried not to give his portion too many vegetables. I did cook it the day before he left to go home for Christmas weekend, so we had to throw out the leftovers.
The Italian Rice & Sausage was okay. Yes, just okay. I probably won't cook it again unless I decide to use a different type of sausage. The kind I used just didn't seem to fit with the taste of the rice, tomatoes, etc.
I did make the white chocolate creme brulee from the back of the Ghiardelli's package & it was sooo good!! It was much better after it cooled down and firmed up.
This week - I've already started eating what I've planned.
Sunday - I made Crock-Pot French Onion Soup (probably should have planned a little better as the thought of cooking & eating this almost made me throw up on the way home from D.C. after New Year's...oh well, I went ahead and made it and ate it anyway)
This was very good. I had it again for lunch today and it was still very tasty. I used Woodchuck Cider instead of beer because I thought it was a waste of $8 to buy a 6-pack of Redbridge so I could use a portion of one beer for one meal. The beer may make it taste more heavy.
Monday (today) - I plan to cook Red Wine & Goat Cheese Risotto from How Sweet It Is
Tuesday - leftovers!
Wednesday - my sisters are coming over (!!) and luckily - I'm planning to make Amaretto-baked French toast with Pecans from Sweet Paul Magazine
Thursday & Friday are a mystery to me. Maybe we'll have some leftovers (if there are any!).
I hope everyone has a lovely week!!
Rachel
Monday, December 12, 2011
week # 8 of meal planning
Goood afternoon all! How is everyone doing? Getting Christmas shopping done? Starting Christmas shopping??
Last week's meals were pretty darn tasty. I shouldn't have held out for so long before making the Scallop & Shrimp Newburg Casserole because it was SOO tasty. I used white rice instead of brown because that's what I had and it tasted terrific.
The Lazy Sunday casserole tasted okay - it wasn't the best meal I've ever had. It kind of reminded me of a pot roast - except using sausage instead of a roast.
The Parmesan, Tomato - Basil soup was FANTASTIC. It was very rich but hit the spot yesterday when I wasn't feeling 100%.
This week - here's what I've got on the 'schedule':
Monday - Zesty Rice & Beef from a one-pot cookbook that I forgot to bring with me and can not find online. Recipe to come!
(which I will probably make tomorrow because I realized I have a Habitat for Humanity meeting tonight that I had forgotten about...)
// edit: The cookbook is called 365 Easy One-Dish Recipes & you can find is on Amazon here
.
Recipe:
1 lb lean ground round steak
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2-1/2 C cooked rice
1 (15 oz) whole kernel corn, drained
1 (15 oz) can Mexican stewed tomatoes
1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 (8 oz) package cubed Velveeta cheese
1 C buttery cracker crumbs
1/2 C chopped pecans or walnuts
2 Tbsp butter, melted
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cook beef, onion, and bell pepper in large skillet or roasting pan over medium heat until beef is no longer pink. Drain well.
Add rice, corn, stewed tomatoes, chili powder, garlic powder, and 1/2 tsp salt and bring to a boil. Remove from heat.
Add cheese and stir until cheese melts. Spoon into sprayed 9 x 13" baking dish. Combine cracker crumbs, pecans and butter in bowl. Sprinkle over top of casserole. Bake for 25 minutes or until casserole is bubbly hot.
Serves 8.
end edit.//
Tuesday - had nothing planned, so leftovers
Wednesday - Cheesy Chicken Pasta Primavera from Ginger Lemon Girl's blog
Thursday - Italian Rice & Sausage (source unknown - recipe below)
Friday - leftovers!
I plan to Make Giardelli's White Chocolate Creme Brulee at some point this week.
I can not find where I pulled the Italian Rice & Sausage recipe, but here it is:
1-1/2 lbs. sweet or hot Italian sausage
1 - 26 oz large can diced tomatoes
1/2 C water
1 large green pepper
1 large red pepper
1 large sweet vadalia onion
3 C minute rice
2 Tbsp ground oregano
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Saute the onions and peppers in the olive oil until tender. Remove the sausage from the casing and cook until brown. Add the canned tomatoes, ground oregano, and water. Bring to a boil, add rice and fold in to tomato/sausage mixture. Cover and remove from heat. Let stand 15 minutes. Serve.
I also plan on getting in to the holiday spirit and making some presents to hand out to the neighbors. I am going to make some chocolate dipped pretzel rods with sprinkles - as found here on Pinterest.
I hope everyone is enjoying their last few weeks before Christmas & the New Years!
Last week's meals were pretty darn tasty. I shouldn't have held out for so long before making the Scallop & Shrimp Newburg Casserole because it was SOO tasty. I used white rice instead of brown because that's what I had and it tasted terrific.
The Lazy Sunday casserole tasted okay - it wasn't the best meal I've ever had. It kind of reminded me of a pot roast - except using sausage instead of a roast.
The Parmesan, Tomato - Basil soup was FANTASTIC. It was very rich but hit the spot yesterday when I wasn't feeling 100%.
This week - here's what I've got on the 'schedule':
Monday - Zesty Rice & Beef from a one-pot cookbook that I forgot to bring with me and can not find online. Recipe to come!
(which I will probably make tomorrow because I realized I have a Habitat for Humanity meeting tonight that I had forgotten about...)
// edit: The cookbook is called 365 Easy One-Dish Recipes & you can find is on Amazon here
.
Recipe:
1 lb lean ground round steak
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2-1/2 C cooked rice
1 (15 oz) whole kernel corn, drained
1 (15 oz) can Mexican stewed tomatoes
1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 (8 oz) package cubed Velveeta cheese
1 C buttery cracker crumbs
1/2 C chopped pecans or walnuts
2 Tbsp butter, melted
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cook beef, onion, and bell pepper in large skillet or roasting pan over medium heat until beef is no longer pink. Drain well.
Add rice, corn, stewed tomatoes, chili powder, garlic powder, and 1/2 tsp salt and bring to a boil. Remove from heat.
Add cheese and stir until cheese melts. Spoon into sprayed 9 x 13" baking dish. Combine cracker crumbs, pecans and butter in bowl. Sprinkle over top of casserole. Bake for 25 minutes or until casserole is bubbly hot.
Serves 8.
end edit.//
Tuesday - had nothing planned, so leftovers
Wednesday - Cheesy Chicken Pasta Primavera from Ginger Lemon Girl's blog
Thursday - Italian Rice & Sausage (source unknown - recipe below)
Friday - leftovers!
I plan to Make Giardelli's White Chocolate Creme Brulee at some point this week.
I can not find where I pulled the Italian Rice & Sausage recipe, but here it is:
1-1/2 lbs. sweet or hot Italian sausage
1 - 26 oz large can diced tomatoes
1/2 C water
1 large green pepper
1 large red pepper
1 large sweet vadalia onion
3 C minute rice
2 Tbsp ground oregano
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Saute the onions and peppers in the olive oil until tender. Remove the sausage from the casing and cook until brown. Add the canned tomatoes, ground oregano, and water. Bring to a boil, add rice and fold in to tomato/sausage mixture. Cover and remove from heat. Let stand 15 minutes. Serve.
I also plan on getting in to the holiday spirit and making some presents to hand out to the neighbors. I am going to make some chocolate dipped pretzel rods with sprinkles - as found here on Pinterest.
I hope everyone is enjoying their last few weeks before Christmas & the New Years!
Monday, December 5, 2011
Meal Planning
Good afternoon!! I'm getting a late start with this today as my day has been sooo hectic.
Yesterday, I didn't grocery shop or plan my meals. My family was over and after they left about 5PM, I just lounged around and watched some football & went to RedBox & rented Crazy, Stupid Love. It was actually very good.
So today, in the middle of my crazy work day - I decided to check out Pinterest for inspiration for this weeks' meals.
But first - a recap of last week's meals - - The potato frittata was awesome! I was tempted to make it for the 'sleep over' that I'm having Friday with my book club ladies, but one of the girls is lactose intolerant so that won't really work.
The chicken with mushroom & white wine sauce was also amazing. The sauce is so good that I should make some and just leave it jarred in the 'fridge for pasta when I need a quick meal.
I didn't get to making the Scallop & Shrimp casserole as the prices for seafood seemed outrageous at the Martin's I shop at - but I checked out Wegman's today and found they were even more expensive.
So...
Today (Monday) I will make the Scallop & Shrimp Newburg Casserole I didn't make last week. I think I'll stop at Harris Teeter and see if they have cheaper seafood. Probably not, though.
Tuesday - leftovers from tonight, or possibly some Dirty Rice from Zatarin's.
Wednesday - dinner out with a friend!
Thursday - Lazy Sunday Casserole (found on Pinterest here!)
Friday - Sleep Over!!! I'm making: Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup (also found on Pinterest)
Saturday morning I will probably just set out some bagels with cream cheese & some coffee.
Anyone do any t.v. or movie watching this weekend? What about choosing not to menu plan??
Yesterday, I didn't grocery shop or plan my meals. My family was over and after they left about 5PM, I just lounged around and watched some football & went to RedBox & rented Crazy, Stupid Love. It was actually very good.
So today, in the middle of my crazy work day - I decided to check out Pinterest for inspiration for this weeks' meals.
But first - a recap of last week's meals - - The potato frittata was awesome! I was tempted to make it for the 'sleep over' that I'm having Friday with my book club ladies, but one of the girls is lactose intolerant so that won't really work.
The chicken with mushroom & white wine sauce was also amazing. The sauce is so good that I should make some and just leave it jarred in the 'fridge for pasta when I need a quick meal.
I didn't get to making the Scallop & Shrimp casserole as the prices for seafood seemed outrageous at the Martin's I shop at - but I checked out Wegman's today and found they were even more expensive.
So...
Today (Monday) I will make the Scallop & Shrimp Newburg Casserole I didn't make last week. I think I'll stop at Harris Teeter and see if they have cheaper seafood. Probably not, though.
Tuesday - leftovers from tonight, or possibly some Dirty Rice from Zatarin's.
Wednesday - dinner out with a friend!
Thursday - Lazy Sunday Casserole (found on Pinterest here!)
Friday - Sleep Over!!! I'm making: Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup (also found on Pinterest)
Saturday morning I will probably just set out some bagels with cream cheese & some coffee.
Anyone do any t.v. or movie watching this weekend? What about choosing not to menu plan??
Monday, November 28, 2011
Meal Planning & Meal Review and a little catch-up
Good afternoon!!
It is beautiful here in VA (around 70 degrees!) but alas, I am inside, working, without even a window to look out of. Oh well - you've got to work, right?!
Thanksgiving was lovely this year - hung out with the family and ate some food. My mom, sisters, and I went shopping Friday - nothing crazy, just a little clothes shopping. I needed a dress for my company's Christmas party & a couple pairs of jeans. We didn't notice anything super exciting, but did hear that security had to use a Taser on someone earlier in the day at the mall we were shopping at.
This weekend I did a little menu-planning on Saturday because my sister was coming over Saturday night and I needed to go to the store to get something for us to eat so I figured I might as well do all of my grocery shopping. Also - the points I'd accumulated at Martin's (for gas) were going to expire Saturday so I definitely wanted to take advantage of $0.20 off each gallon!
So - -
Saturday night we made Pizza
Sunday evening I made a Potato Frittata and I found the recipe on Joy the Baker's website - - it was very tasty and I would really like to make it for my girlfriends when they come to spend the night in a couple weekends. The longest part of the whole recipe is really cutting the potatoes & cooking them.
Monday will be: Mushroom White Wine Chicken with Pizzaz (recipe from Pioneer Woman's Tasty Kitchen)
Tuesday - leftovers!
Wednesday will be: Scallop & Shrimp Newburg casserole which I apparently pulled from a Family Circle magazine about 3 years ago!
Thursday & Friday - leftovers!!
I finally remembered to bring in the recipe for the stir-fry sauce for the Shrimp Fried rice that I made last week (which was, eh, okay).
I used:
1/4 C cornstarch
1/8 C brown sugar
1/2 Tbsp minced, fresh ginger
1 large garlic clove - minced
1/4 tsp ground red pepper
1/4 C soy sauce
1/8 C cider vinegar
1 C chicken or beef broth
1/4 C dry sherry (optional)
1/4 C water
Mix first 5 ingredients. Add soy sauce & vinegar. Shake until blended. Add broth, sherry, and water. Shake. Store in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. May be frozen.
This made about 2 cups of marinade.
The marinade was actually the best part of the stir fry. I didn't really enjoy the vegetables or the shrimp. Oh well!!
Anyone make anything great this weekend? Anyone do any black Friday shopping??
It is beautiful here in VA (around 70 degrees!) but alas, I am inside, working, without even a window to look out of. Oh well - you've got to work, right?!
Thanksgiving was lovely this year - hung out with the family and ate some food. My mom, sisters, and I went shopping Friday - nothing crazy, just a little clothes shopping. I needed a dress for my company's Christmas party & a couple pairs of jeans. We didn't notice anything super exciting, but did hear that security had to use a Taser on someone earlier in the day at the mall we were shopping at.
This weekend I did a little menu-planning on Saturday because my sister was coming over Saturday night and I needed to go to the store to get something for us to eat so I figured I might as well do all of my grocery shopping. Also - the points I'd accumulated at Martin's (for gas) were going to expire Saturday so I definitely wanted to take advantage of $0.20 off each gallon!
So - -
Saturday night we made Pizza
Sunday evening I made a Potato Frittata and I found the recipe on Joy the Baker's website - - it was very tasty and I would really like to make it for my girlfriends when they come to spend the night in a couple weekends. The longest part of the whole recipe is really cutting the potatoes & cooking them.
Monday will be: Mushroom White Wine Chicken with Pizzaz (recipe from Pioneer Woman's Tasty Kitchen)
Tuesday - leftovers!
Wednesday will be: Scallop & Shrimp Newburg casserole which I apparently pulled from a Family Circle magazine about 3 years ago!
Thursday & Friday - leftovers!!
I finally remembered to bring in the recipe for the stir-fry sauce for the Shrimp Fried rice that I made last week (which was, eh, okay).
I used:
1/4 C cornstarch
1/8 C brown sugar
1/2 Tbsp minced, fresh ginger
1 large garlic clove - minced
1/4 tsp ground red pepper
1/4 C soy sauce
1/8 C cider vinegar
1 C chicken or beef broth
1/4 C dry sherry (optional)
1/4 C water
Mix first 5 ingredients. Add soy sauce & vinegar. Shake until blended. Add broth, sherry, and water. Shake. Store in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. May be frozen.
This made about 2 cups of marinade.
The marinade was actually the best part of the stir fry. I didn't really enjoy the vegetables or the shrimp. Oh well!!
Anyone make anything great this weekend? Anyone do any black Friday shopping??
Monday, November 21, 2011
Meal Planning & Meal Review
Good afternoon & happy Monday!! It is supposed to rain almost all week here and I am not looking forward to that. I AM looking forward to Thanksgiving with the family & getting to see my sister who will be home from college. Oh - and some Black Friday shopping!!
Well last week I finally made the Chicken with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and it was very tasty. The boyfriend said the sauce was 'AH-mazing!' and he polished off any traces of leftovers. It was a very easy recipe to make. The thing that took the longest to prep/cook was the chicken. I made some Zatarain's garlic rice with it because we didn't have any egg noodles and I have a feeling the noodles would have been very good under the sauce.
So I didn't get to make the Shrimp fried rice because I pulled the bag of frozen veggies I was going to use from the freezer to realize that this bag included pasta in it. No good. I went to the store yesterday and found a couple bags of veggies that could be used in a stir fry.
So that leads me to:
This week's meal plan - -
Last night (Sunday) - I made a very gourmet dinner of Sloppy Joe's (which was very tasty!)
Monday - I WILL make the Shrimp Fried Rice
Tuesday - leftovers
Wednesday - leftovers or possibly french fries & hotdogs (again - SO gourmet!)
Thursday - Thanksgiving!! I am going to make Snickers Salad which I found on Pinterest here
Friday - ?? I'll be at my parent's house so they are in charge of feeding me!
I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving!!
Well last week I finally made the Chicken with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and it was very tasty. The boyfriend said the sauce was 'AH-mazing!' and he polished off any traces of leftovers. It was a very easy recipe to make. The thing that took the longest to prep/cook was the chicken. I made some Zatarain's garlic rice with it because we didn't have any egg noodles and I have a feeling the noodles would have been very good under the sauce.
So I didn't get to make the Shrimp fried rice because I pulled the bag of frozen veggies I was going to use from the freezer to realize that this bag included pasta in it. No good. I went to the store yesterday and found a couple bags of veggies that could be used in a stir fry.
So that leads me to:
This week's meal plan - -
Last night (Sunday) - I made a very gourmet dinner of Sloppy Joe's (which was very tasty!)
Monday - I WILL make the Shrimp Fried Rice
Tuesday - leftovers
Wednesday - leftovers or possibly french fries & hotdogs (again - SO gourmet!)
Thursday - Thanksgiving!! I am going to make Snickers Salad which I found on Pinterest here
Friday - ?? I'll be at my parent's house so they are in charge of feeding me!
I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving!!
Monday, November 14, 2011
Dinners & a Craft Project
Good morning!
This weekend was beautiful in the Shenandoah Valley & I went wine tasting with the girls on Saturday and worked out in the yard Sunday. It was a great weekend.
Late last week I got to working on my sisters Christmas present and I finished it up Friday night. I pulled some inspiration from Pinterest & Design Sponge and decided to make Steph one of these postcard calendar journals.
Here's how it turned out:
Sorry for the glare on the desk. I think it looks really cute. I ordered the ceramic berry basket from Sur la Table, I used scrapbook paper instead of postcards & I bought the date stamper & index cards. This really only took me about an hour and a half to make total and I think Steph will really enjoy it over the years.
As for the Secret Santa present - I decided to go with the cards and have already cut out her initial from scrap book paper & I have cream card stock that I'll attach the initial to. I will also make envelopes (or try!) to put with the cards.
As for meals - -
Monday I had leftovers
Tuesday was my birthday so I had a large, awesome lunch at the Cheesecake Factory with the family and then decided I wanted something smaller for dinner so we headed to Chipotle then met up with a friend at Sweet Frogs (frozen yogurt place where you add all the toppings you want & then you pay by the ounce) for dessert.
Wednesday - - I can not for the life of me remember what I ate for dinner...
Thursday, I ate Chipolte for lunch (yes, again, I love Chipotle) with my dad and then I had a gluten-free crab cake with Alfredo sauce and spaghetti noodles. These crab cakes were ones my dad bought (he said at Bloom) and they were delicious. I had never had crab cakes but I will be on the look out for these again. I will look up the name of the company soon and let you know.
Friday, I finally made the Corn-Bread topped Sausage Pie and it was very tasty. It was actually a very fast meal to make and I have to say that it actually tasted better as left overs.
For this week's meals:
Monday - Lasagna
Tuesday - leftovers (Corn-bread topped sausage pie & lasagna)
Wednesday - Shrimp stir fry (I have the recipe for the stir-fry sauce but I forgot to bring it to work today)
Thursday - Chicken with Sun-dried Tomatoes (that I haven't gotten to make from last week)
Friday - leftovers
I went ahead and made the lasagna yesterday afternoon since it takes awhile to prepare & I have a meeting tonight & won't get home until close to 8.
The lasagna had no recipe as I just adjust, etc as needed, but here's what I used:
2 lbs ground beef
1 small onion - chopped
2 cloves of garlic - minced
1&1/2 large containers of ricotta cheese
2 eggs
parsley & basil
1 large can tomato sauce
2 small cans diced tomatoes
1 large Ball jar of tomato sauce (canned earlier in the summer - you can substitute another small can of diced tomatoes & tomato sauce & thrown in some herbs)
2 containers of mushrooms - sauteed
2 small packages of shredded mozzarella cheese
1 package gluten-free lasagna noodles
1 box of no-boiling required 'regular' lasagna noodles
I cooked the gluten-free noodles as directed.
Brown the meat, onions & garlic together and then drain and set aside.
Saute the mushrooms with a little garlic powder, minced, dried onions, & a dash or two of red-pepper flakes.
Mix together 1 container of ricotta with 1 egg, some parsley, and basil.
Mix together the tomato sauces & diced tomatoes.
Pull out your mozzarella cheese.
Once noodles are cooked, lay one layer of them in one greased/sprayed casserole pan. Sprinkle a bit of the meat on top of this, add some sauce, some of the mushrooms, spread the ricotta mixture on top, and sprinkle some cheese.
Repeat this process with the 'regular' noodles.
Repeat process again with the gluten-free noodles & again with the 'regular' noodles.
I ended with a layer of noodles, sauce, and then just mozzarella cheese as the last layer.
I have not tasted this yet, but my boyfriend said it tasted very good.
Hopefully I'll be back later this week with some finished cards for my Secret Santa!
This weekend was beautiful in the Shenandoah Valley & I went wine tasting with the girls on Saturday and worked out in the yard Sunday. It was a great weekend.
Late last week I got to working on my sisters Christmas present and I finished it up Friday night. I pulled some inspiration from Pinterest & Design Sponge and decided to make Steph one of these postcard calendar journals.
Here's how it turned out:
Sorry for the glare on the desk. I think it looks really cute. I ordered the ceramic berry basket from Sur la Table, I used scrapbook paper instead of postcards & I bought the date stamper & index cards. This really only took me about an hour and a half to make total and I think Steph will really enjoy it over the years.
As for the Secret Santa present - I decided to go with the cards and have already cut out her initial from scrap book paper & I have cream card stock that I'll attach the initial to. I will also make envelopes (or try!) to put with the cards.
As for meals - -
Monday I had leftovers
Tuesday was my birthday so I had a large, awesome lunch at the Cheesecake Factory with the family and then decided I wanted something smaller for dinner so we headed to Chipotle then met up with a friend at Sweet Frogs (frozen yogurt place where you add all the toppings you want & then you pay by the ounce) for dessert.
Wednesday - - I can not for the life of me remember what I ate for dinner...
Thursday, I ate Chipolte for lunch (yes, again, I love Chipotle) with my dad and then I had a gluten-free crab cake with Alfredo sauce and spaghetti noodles. These crab cakes were ones my dad bought (he said at Bloom) and they were delicious. I had never had crab cakes but I will be on the look out for these again. I will look up the name of the company soon and let you know.
Friday, I finally made the Corn-Bread topped Sausage Pie and it was very tasty. It was actually a very fast meal to make and I have to say that it actually tasted better as left overs.
For this week's meals:
Monday - Lasagna
Tuesday - leftovers (Corn-bread topped sausage pie & lasagna)
Wednesday - Shrimp stir fry (I have the recipe for the stir-fry sauce but I forgot to bring it to work today)
Thursday - Chicken with Sun-dried Tomatoes (that I haven't gotten to make from last week)
Friday - leftovers
I went ahead and made the lasagna yesterday afternoon since it takes awhile to prepare & I have a meeting tonight & won't get home until close to 8.
The lasagna had no recipe as I just adjust, etc as needed, but here's what I used:
2 lbs ground beef
1 small onion - chopped
2 cloves of garlic - minced
1&1/2 large containers of ricotta cheese
2 eggs
parsley & basil
1 large can tomato sauce
2 small cans diced tomatoes
1 large Ball jar of tomato sauce (canned earlier in the summer - you can substitute another small can of diced tomatoes & tomato sauce & thrown in some herbs)
2 containers of mushrooms - sauteed
2 small packages of shredded mozzarella cheese
1 package gluten-free lasagna noodles
1 box of no-boiling required 'regular' lasagna noodles
I cooked the gluten-free noodles as directed.
Brown the meat, onions & garlic together and then drain and set aside.
Saute the mushrooms with a little garlic powder, minced, dried onions, & a dash or two of red-pepper flakes.
Mix together 1 container of ricotta with 1 egg, some parsley, and basil.
Mix together the tomato sauces & diced tomatoes.
Pull out your mozzarella cheese.
Once noodles are cooked, lay one layer of them in one greased/sprayed casserole pan. Sprinkle a bit of the meat on top of this, add some sauce, some of the mushrooms, spread the ricotta mixture on top, and sprinkle some cheese.
Repeat this process with the 'regular' noodles.
Repeat process again with the gluten-free noodles & again with the 'regular' noodles.
I ended with a layer of noodles, sauce, and then just mozzarella cheese as the last layer.
I have not tasted this yet, but my boyfriend said it tasted very good.
Hopefully I'll be back later this week with some finished cards for my Secret Santa!
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