Dinner TONIGHT v.1

 

 

DINNER TONIGHT:

mini breakfast pizza's! =) eek!

I'm so excited to try these. Once or twice a month I try to do breakfast for dinner, as a nice change.

 

http://pinterest.com/pin/281475045432148458/

 

 

Thanks to InspiredByCharm for the recipe! I'll let you know if it's a hit or miss!

Frankenmuth Chicken

One of my favorite places in the world is Frankenmuth, MI. It just feels like you aren't even in Michigan, the sights, smells, and locals are just fabulous. I haven't been there in years, but I remember their CHICKEN! There are a few restaurants (The Bavarian Inn and Zehnders) known for their famous chicken dinners. This seasoning is SO similar to what they make that when I whipped it up for dinner one night with some hollandaise sauce, it was literally a memory in my mouth! I seasoned chicken breast cutlets with this mixed with a TB of flour to "dredge" it, and then pan-fried them in a few TB of oil. Buttered egg noodles were made, with a TB of the frankenmuth chicken seasoning mixed in, parmesan cheese put on top, and then placed into a 350 oven for about 15 minutes to help it all get together! PS- Knorr's makes a fantastic hollandaise packet mix ;)

 

I will be posting recipes more often on Tuesdays now, so keep your eye out! I've
joined up with 33 Shades of Green's TASTY TUESDAYS 



Pins I'm lovin

 

 

Hi, my name is Stephanie,

and I'm a pin-aholic. ^_^

 

 

Pinterest is the website I've waited for my whole life. My husband loves it b/c now I'm not spending as much money on magazines, and I don't have clippings scattered all over the place for my "ideas." Don't get me wrong, I still have my "dream book", a binder with all my house sketches, ideas, pictures, and crafts... but this website is just phenomenal. I've been trying to give more control for my pins, and actually DOING the pins I've saved rather than just pinning everything and letting them sit. Here are a few pins I'm super excited about this month, either for my October "to do" list or just an exciting find!

 

 

Cute Fall Things:

 

12 Toddler Fall Crafts from Toddler Approved.

 

 

How to keep your pumpkins longer! =) from myscienceproject

 

 

 

Make a paper bag pumpkin (how country-esque, love it) from Someday Crafts

 

 

Good To Know Tips:

 

 



Homemade Hair Detangler from LifeLoveLarson's Blog

 

 

Love Actually has some adorable Date Night Ideas. It's harder for me to think about dates when it's getting colder, and I get tired easy of the default dinner&movie thing ;)

 

 

Food & Drinks To Try:

 

 



Betty Crocker's Mini Chicken Pot Pies... HELLO! so cute and perfect for a fall get-together too!

 

 

Nutmeg Nanny's (how cute is that blog name?) delicious Honey crisp Apple Sangria...
fall, in a nice toxicated glass!!!! ;)

 

 

 

What are some of your favorite pins this month? Anything you've already done for the fall season that was pin-inspired? Let me know in a comment! I'd love to see what everyone is working on!

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 







 



Quick Pickles!

Sorry this is more of a summer recipe.... but I love pickles year-round! In august I attempted to tackle refridgerator pickles (a bucket-list item, actually) - and they were a SUCCESS! =)

There's just something about that tangy, crunchy little slice that just screams SUMMER! I love kosher dill. What makes it "kosher"? It does not mean it is a jewish recipe, made by jewish dietary guidelines. The difference between just regular "dill" pickles and "kosher dill" is that there is both garlic AND dill added to the brine.

Without further adieu, here is my quick pickle reciple! This recipe will make you 2 pints. It can easily be doubled, quadroupled ;)

 

special thanks to Ted Allen's refrigerator pickles at foodnetwork.com for
inspiring this recipe. I've tweaked it to suit my tastes, but he at least gave

a clue on how to do the whole fridge-canning thing! he also put cauliflower,
carrots, and other veggies in his mix. let me know if you give it a try!

June Faves (list)

My favorite things from JUNE 2012:

---favorite book:

Yes, I gave in to this reading frenzy. Read 1 book a week during June. It was more than I expected, and if you're a somewhat open individual, I highly suggest you read it! Check it out *HERE* on amazon. It is about 12+ (each book) at stores like Walmart.

---favorite hair product:

Hast_Placenta: Henna 'n' Placenta deep conditioning treatment. For about a buck (give or take some change) you can get a packet with more than enough conditioner, even for those with long hair. It does NOT smell unpleasant, and I was literally blown away at how my hair felt after. We live where there is well water, and combine that with every few months of hair color and summer sun= very brittle curly hair. It was such a pleasant surprise, and I will be using this monthly!

---favorite "find":

This month we went to Metamora, OH's 120-mile-yard/barn sale. I only spent $25 all day, and sometime in there I picked these little cuties up for only $2 each!

---favorite funny:

---favorite drink:

Amaretto Sour

Ingredients:

1 1/2 oz Amaretto
3 oz Sour mix
1 maraschino cherry

Mixing instructions:

Shake and strain. Garnish with a cherry. I love to pour a splash of the cherry "juice" into it, since I'm not a fan of eating maraschino cherries.

---favorite moment:

Becoming closer to my husband. This month has opened up so many doors for us. We have bonded deeply in a way we haven't done in years. And I haven't ever been as hopeful as I am now.

hello 22.

I am so thankful my husband was able to be home for our sons bday & my own. It has been nice (most of the time, heh) having him here. He has a seasonal job right now, and keeps getting interviews for bigger/better jobs (which I hope is a good sign the "right one" will come along). Next week I will post my son's train party pictures. This year for my 22nd, I was very spoiled. DH got me a brand new bike, WITH a backseat for little man! It is so cute. I spent the day doing traditions- starbucks with my baby for an iced mocha & BIRTHDAY CAKE POPS (loveeeeeeeeeee), and lunch out (this year with mom).

~how cool is this fortune? usually i only get proverbs/quotes, not an actual "fortune." I hope it's good luck! It's saved in my wallet. When DH came home from work that day he told me "I don't think Hershey is doing too well, want to come take a look at her"? (hershey is my choclate lab, and is 11). Worried, I rushed out, only to find my Hershey smiling, happy, and completely fine, and this bike instead! It was pretty creative and I was definitely happy but told him to not use our animals as coverup, it's not fair! =)

An extra treat, I made Ninja Turtles:

If you like Sweet & Sour...or Mt. Dew... or anything lime-y & sweet, you'll like these. Now this is just "MY" version, adapted from a local bar where I first tried them. I researched the web & there are many different ways to make it. NINJA TURTLE: 2oz apple pucker 1oz spiced/gold rum 1oz blue curacao add the alcohol to a glass with a few ice cubes in it already. pour mt. dew to the top. =)

Apple Croissants

Need a quick dessert for your family? Or, if you're like me, there's a few apples sometimes that really need to be used up. Come fall we'll be up to our armpits in apples (almost every family member has some sort of apple tree), and I can use every single apple recipe there is!

INGREDIENTS:
2-3 apples, peeled & sliced
1 can croissants (in the refridgerator section of your store)
1 TB butter
1/4 C splenda
1/2 - 1 tsp of cinnamon (I love cinnamon, so I do 1tsp)
quick dash of nutmeg

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add apples into the hot skillet. Cook and stir for about 5 minutes. Add the sugar, cinnamon & nutmeg, cook for about 2 minutes more. Turn off the heat. Seperate the croissant triangles from the roll of dough. Approximately 2-3 slices will fit in each croissant. Roll them up (they won't be perfect, this is a rustic dessert), and bake according to the croissant directions. Place into a bowl with a towel to keep their warmth. If you want you can make a quick frosting with equal amounts of confectioner's sugar & milk, with 1/2 tsp vanilla...and drizzle that over the croissants... oh... yum!

Pirate Jack Chicken

Last year I started eating healthier, and trying to cut some of the processed foods from our lives. In the summer I looooove bbq like no other, but realize some of the sauces aren't the greatest for you. Somehow I stumbled up this marinade from Eating Well, and as I tasted it thought "hmm, pepper jack cheese would be awesome on this" so melted some ontop of the breasts for and it added a whole new dimension to this dish. My husband claims to not like fruit mixed with his meat, but he thought this was good--so it's a keeper in our house! This isn't always our "go-to" alternative for bbq sauce but it's a freqeunt flyer on our grill during summer.

Ingredients
4-6 chicken breasts (steak would also be awesome)
1oz slices of pepper jack cheese per breast
MARINADE:
1/4 cup canola oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
1/2 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup red-wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest
1/4 cup orange juice
3 tablespoons packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground allspice
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
5 dashes hot sauce

1. Mix up the marinade, and let the meat soak 2hrs to overnight. My sweet spot for this marinade was about 6hrs, I didn't want to let the orange overpower for my husband.
2. Over medium heat, grill, or pan cook 6-12 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of meat. During the last minute of cooking, throw on the pepper jack cheese to get it all nice & melty!
3. Serve with whatever sides you wish, the tex-mex kind pair nicely with this! =)

Thanks to Eating Well for this fabulous marinade *here*

Black Bean Tacos

As I'm writing this the next day, I am very tempted to go heat one up to eat. I love when a recipe turns out better than I had planned. I know there are hundreds of bean tacos, this is just my spin on it!

INGREDIENTS:
~2 cans black beans, drained & rinsed
~1 can fire roasted salsa/tex mex style tomatoes, strained/seperated from juices
~2 TB olive oil
~1 TB minced garlic, or 2 cloves smashed&minced
~1/2 large red onion, diced
~1 green pepper, diced
~half of your choice red, yellow, orange pepper, diced
~2 tsp Adobe seasoning
~Your favorite shells & toppings!

DIRECTIONS:
In a skillet (prefereable with raised edges) over medium heat saute onions & peppers in olive oil for about 3-5 minutes, until they're tender (but not mushy). Add in black beans, and garlic. Let that mingle for another minute, but not too long or else the garlic may brown (which is a legal kitchen offense, bytheway). Turn heat to low, add the strained tomato mixture. Season with Adobe, and salt & pepper if you choose.

Assemble your tacos however you please. I put down the black bean mixture, cheese on top to get it all nice & melty, fresh chopped onions & lettuce, with some sour cream. YUM! If you wanted to make it a wee bit spicy add in a couple dashes of hot sauce or even chopped jalapenos to the black beans! I have to keep it kid friendly, so everyone is responsible for their own level of hotness on their own plate. Enjoy!

Do you (or a certain manly man of the house) absolutely HAVE to have meat on this? Grilled chicken would pair wonderful with this mixture.