The things she continues to say...

Sorry I have been off the radar for a few days! It has been a bit crazy, meetings a work, Easter shopping, and oh yea a sick kiddo. It has been a blast!

I do these posts about the things that come out of my kiddos mouth, because honestly they crack me up. Plus I want to always be able to go back and remember what she was talking about!

1. While shopping with my mom and I on Saturday.

Charlot "Where are we going next"

Me "Hobby Lobby, sweetie is that ok?"

Charlot "OH YES I LOVE Hobby Lobby!!!"

Well she is my child...

2. During the same shopping trip, while at lunch at Ruby Tuesday's

Me"Charlot you need to sit up like a big girl and eat your biscuit"

Charlot "No momma I need to sit like this"

Me "Your grandma is trying to eat please sit up and stop laying on her"

Charlot (as she glares at me) "Grandma she's MEAN"

Talk about wanting to laugh and scream all at the same time!!!

3.Warning potty talk. As I am checking on her in the bathroom one night last week.

Me"Charlot are you ok"

Charlot "Hum yes, leave me alone please"

Me"Ok, are you sure your ok"

Charlot "No momma it is a BIG stinky POOP!

Wow I guess that is what I get for asking again!!!

4. One morning while trying to get her dressed. She was looking at her chest touching her future boobs.

Charlot (pulling at them) "Momma what are these"

Me (giggling) "Well those are your nipples"

Charlot "What!!!"

Me "Hum someday you will have boobs there" I then point at my shirt "See like mine"

Charlot (with really wide eyes) "Oh, well yours are BIG!!!"

Thank you kid for pointing that out for me!!!

5. This morning, she got suck as we were leaving town to go to the doctor. We were cleaning up when this little jewel came out!

Me"Ok sweetie I need to go change my pants"

Charlot "Why"

Me "Well you puked on me"

Charlot "Oh sorry"

Me "It's ok you didn't mean too"

Charlot "Oh ok, next time I'll try to keep my puke to myself"

I may or may not have told her to keep her hands to herself one too many times!!!

You are welcome for that bit of humor tonight!!! Again you may need to keep your kiddos away from my kid! Let it serve as a PSA for you!!!

Thankful Thursday’s…

I received the above picture of Charlot from the hubs the other night. She is basically overseeing all the pigs and directing her father on what to do. They were spending some quality time in the pig barn, picking out her pigs for the summer.


I am so thankful that I have this picture, not just for the cutie in it. But for the fact that her dad and I are able to raise her in the area we grew up so that having livestock with our families isn’t a dream it is a reality. Good or bad it is the amazing dream I had as a young adult and it is now my reality. I am so thankful she will grow up knowing what the joys and sorrows associated with being in this industry. That she will know what it is like to clean a barn, care for sick animals, and she will realize the pork chop on her plate is something she and many others worked very very hard for.

I couldn’t be more thankful to share the love of showing livestock with her. To raise her in 4-H and to watch her grow into FFA those are the small things I am so thankful for. Earlier this week we celebrated National Agriculture Day, I couldn’t be more thankful to celebrate the industry I love and I am raising my child to love!

Chicken Bacon Ranch Tacos… Giveaway winners announced!

Thank you so much for all the wonderful comments and suggestions yesterday for the giveaway! I was excited to see that people actually like what I have going on here!

Winners and Gifts Are

Julie Monnig- Lovely Fun Necklace and Bracelet from Groopdealz
Lindsey Tyre-Pampering Kit (including nail polish, hand cream, a fun file, and cuticle oil)
Diana Venable- Kitchen Gadget
Jane Vogl-Shutterfly Gift Card
Tonya Bagnell- Snack Pack (inculding Pirates Booty, and some other faves of our family)

Congrats to each of you!!! I will be in contact soon about the delivery of your items!
The overwhelming suggestion was more recipes and more Charlot (she provided enough material last night for a whole week of blogs!). So today I am going with a quick and easy mom on the go recipe. This is one of those things that you throw in the crockpot early morning and whether you are gone 4-5 hours or eleven like I was the other day it is still going to be delicious!

This recipe makes a large amount, several meals for our family. The meat is great to use in other ways as well quesadillas, enchiladas, taco salad. I find variety is the best way to keep meals interesting in our home. Which isn’t always easy but if I can make one thing that is used in multiple applications it is a homerun in my book!

In the recipe you will see I use boneless skinless chicken thighs just to change it up a bit. Feel free to use breast meat if you prefer.

Chicken Bacon Ranch Tacos

Meat

9 boneless skinless chicken thighs (I normally just use the big pack from the fresh meat case)
1 packet of Ranch Seasoning

1 packet of Taco Seasoning

1 cup of Chicken Broth/Stock



Toppings

Diced tomatoes

Shredded lettuce (I used romaine because that’s what was in the fridge)

Shredded Cheddar Cheese (Pepper jack would be awesome)

4-6 pieces of bacon cooked to crisp and diced

Ranch Dressing

Taco Shells
Put all ingredients in your slow cooker, turn on low allow to cook all day. When you get home take two forks and shred the meat!

After you have shredded the meat prepare your toppings and heat your shells in the oven. Assemble the tacos with meat on bottom, then cheese (it melts a bit that way), tomatoes, lettuce, ranch and sprinkle the bacon on top. Or assemble how you want just ENJOY!

Happy Wednesday!!! And thanks again for reading; it makes this whole thing a bunch more fun!

Anniversary…and GIVEAWAY!!!

Today I am doing my first ever giveaway, hooray!!! I love giveaways, I really never win but I still love the excitement and chance at winning.

You may be thinking what is the world is she doing this for. Well on Sunday this little old blog celebrated its 5th Anniversary. That’s right 5 years and 15000 pages views later here we are. I am so glad that people actually enjoy my rambling and recipes. If you would like to see how far this little blog has come click Here to check out some of my first posts.

All the pictures in today’s post are some of my favorites over the years of the blog.

Today’s giveaways will consist of five prizes ranging from:

Shutterfly Gift Cards

Jewerly

Pampering Packs

Snack Packs

Fun Kitchen Gadgets

Please note none of this was sponsored by any of the companies I just happen to really like their products! They have no clue who in the world I am.

To Enter:

It is super easy to enter.

All you need to do is either comment on this post on the blog or on my share of this post on my Facebook page. You will get double entries if you comment on both the blog post and the FB post!!!

Your comment needs to tell me “What you want to see more of from this blog!” Recipes, Charlot, Pigs, you name it I’ll try to add it!

All individuals making comments will be entered in the drawing and FIVE winners will be randomly selected!

I will compile all entries at noon tomorrow!

Oh I pray people actually comment or I may just have to keep all this fabulous stuff for myself.

Italian Sloppy Joes…

Let me get this out there in the open! I am not a fan of the traditional Sloppy Joe, the sweet tomatoey sauce it just never really made me jump for joy. I think maybe my dad ruined me on them just kidding dad you didn’t do it I didn’t really like them before your “doctor up the Sloppy Joe’s incident.” Although I don’t like them I like the idea of a simple supper that I can use my pre-browned frozen hamburger for. I just don’t like that sauce. This led me to these jewels.

This is the perfect meal for a momma on the go it took me less than 20 minutes to get these puppies on the table! So if you are sitting at work wondering what in the holy heck you are going to fix for supper tonight that might actually get a decent response (or am I the only one that does that?), give these babies a try.

I served my on garlic Texas Toast and melted provolone over the top I liked the crunch of the garlic toast, but feel free change it up. Use a bun; serve it open face, garlic sub roll, mozzarella cheese, Swiss, parmesan whatever suits your fancy. (or whatever is in your fridge)

If you are wondering about the pasta salad in the pictures I will post that recipe later in the week.

Italian Sloppy Joe’s (Makes 4 Large Sandwiches)

1 lb Hamburger (Browned and Drained)

1 large can Crushed Tomatoes

2 TBSP EVOO

1 TSP Italian Seasoning

1 TBSP Minced Garlic

½ Crushed Red Pepper Flake

Salt and Pepper to taste

8 Slices of Texas Toast

4 TBSP Butter (softened)

2 TBSP Minced Garlic

4 slices of Provolone Cheese

Preheat oven to 375. In a large skillet brown your burger then drain it. In that same skillet add EVOO over medium heat then add in the Italian Seasoning, Minced Garlic, Red Pepper Flake, allow the spices to infuse the oil. Add crushed tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Add burger to the sauce and simmer for at least 10 minutes or until you are ready to assemble your sandwiches.

Mix your softened butter and garlic together spread on one side of each piece of toast. Place toast on a cookie sheet buttered side up. Bake to 10 minutes or until the unbuttered side is nice and browned. Flip the pieces over and top four pieces of bread with your meat sauce and a top with cheese. Put back in the oven for another 2-3 minutes until the cheese is good and melty.

Citrus Grilled Pork Chops with Cilantro Lime Rice and Black Bean Avocado Salsa…

Wow that is quite a title! But this flavorful dish is prefect for a warm Saturday evening on the grill! I was hoping the good old Missouri weather would cooperate so that it would be nice and warm and sunny this weekend! But apparently Mother Nature has other things on her mind! IT IS SPRING LADY GET WITH IT!

Any way I made this dish last Saturday when it was actually warm and sunny! It was a hit at my home! Flavorful, light, tangy, a bit of spice, just the right amount of Cilantro (too much is like eating soap!), overall a delicious dish. Charlot especially enjoyed the rice! I know there are a lot of parts to the dish but each one is great by itself but together it is awesome!!!

Citrus Grilled Pork Chops

6 Boneless Chops (a little thicker is better for the grill)

¼ cup evoo

1 cup orange juice

1 lime (zest and juice)

1tbsp garlic

1tps cumin

1/4 tsp red pepper

salt and pepper

Place the chops in a zip top bag. Mix remaining ingredients, reserve a bit if the marinade, and pour the restover chops.Move them around a bit to coat all the chops. Place bag in a container and then in the fridge. Marinate for at least 3 hours. Oil you grill and lay the chops on it baste with reserved marinade.

Cilantro Lime Rice

2tbsp evoo

1/8 cup orzo pasta (or broken pieces if spaghetti)

1cup long grain rice

1 1/2 cup vegetable or chicken stock

1/2 orange juice

1 lime (zest and juice)

1/8 tsp red pepper

Salt and pepper to taste

Greens and whites of 4 green onions (sliced thin)

A small amount like 10 leaves of cilantro chopped

In a large skillet heat evoo over medium heat, add pasta. Once it is nice and browned add your rice and stir it around a bit. Add your spices and liquids. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Just before serving stir in the onions and cilantro. 

Black Bean and Avocado Salsa

1can black beans drained and rinsed

4 Roma tomatoes (chopped I try to not use a bunch of the center)

2 Avocados diced

Dressing

1/2 cup evoo

1tbsp apple cider vinegar

1tbsp sugar

2 limes zest and juice

Juice of 1 lemon

Salt and pepper

In a jar with a lid mix dressing ingredients, shake them very well! In a bowl add your black beans and tomatoes pour dressing over and refrigerate for a hour or more. Just before serving gently sit ring the avocado.

Thankful Thursday's...

I know this is late...it's has been one of those days. Honestly I thought oh I'll just go to bed and no one will really mind that I didn't blog today. Then I looked in to her room on the way to my bed and stopped  dead in my tracks. And right then and there I thanked God for probably the millionth time for her. Yes I know she is the center of many of my "Thankful Thursday" posts, well all my posts actually. But there are moments just like the one tonight where it just hits me like a ton of bricks how thankful I truly am that God chose me to be her mom.

Supreme Pizza Pasta…

Side note the Married with Pigs blogs this week are going to be kind of heavy on recipes I did a ton of cooking over the weekend!

Finished product!!!

I am always looking for ways to incorporate more veggies into our diet as well as “hide” them in dishes for Charlot. This particular dish happens to encompass two of her favorite’s pizza and pasta. Plus she is eating veggies without even knowing they are in the dish. You can change up this dish with different veggies/meats. Customize it to meet what your family likes on their pizza.

This is a great make ahead dinner it freezes beautifully. It would be a wonderful dish to take to a new momma, someone recovering from surgery, or a neighbor just because.

Let’s make this!

Burger (I was cooking extra you won't need this much)

Sauce (this is the pan I use to make all the elements of this dish in)

1 lb short cut pasta (I used mini bowties)

1 lb hamburger (Italian sausage is great as well)

1 onion diced

EVOO

2 bell peppers diced

1 box of mushrooms diced

2 large cans crushed tomatoes

2 cloves garlic

½ tsp red pepper flakes

Salt and Pepper to taste

3 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese

1 package of mini pepperoni

Cook pasta in salted water just shy of done 6-7 minutes. Brown your hamburger with your onions. Drain and set aside. Next sauté your peppers and mushrooms in EVOO until soft. Remove from pan and set aside. In the same pan, put about two TBSP of EVOO in the pan with the garlic and red pepper flakes stir around for a few minutes until garlic is browned not burned. Add crushed tomatoes. Season with Salt and pepper. Allow sauce to cook down for a bit, usually 30-40 minutes.

Now it is time to layer!

Little sauce in the bottom, then half the noodles, ½ the veggies, ½ the burger, top with sauce. Sprinkle on about 1 cup of cheese. Repeat layers. Once the top is covered with sauce cover it all with cheese and add peperoni to the top! Bake for 30 miutes covered at 350 and 10 minutes uncovered! DELISH!

 

Nutella Rice Krispie Treats…

If you are looking for a quick simple treat that will make you kick up your heels with delight. Then these puppies are it! Warning they are DANGEROUS. I can’t really be left alone with a pan of these, I hate to admit it but I think I have put down four maybe five in one day. Oh the deliciousness! They are sweet, salty, and chocolately good golly they are good.

I swear Charlot can sense I am making these as soon as the butter starts melting. She is in the kitchen begging for a “TREAT.”

Make these bad boys soon!!! You will never look at a rice krispie treat the same again!

Nutella Rice Krispie Treats

½ cup plus 2 TBSP Butter

1 bag of big marshmallows

4 TBSP Nutella (or more if you like)

5 cups Rice Krispie Cereal

1 Tsp Kosher Salt plus more for sprinkling

Grease your pan of choice really well, I use a rimmed cookie sheet. Melt ½ cup butter in a large pot. Once butter is melted add in your marshmallows. Once they are almost melted add in 1 tsp kosher salt. Stir that in really well then add the glorious goodness NUTELLA. Stir until smooth. Turn heat off and add the cereal stir to combine. Pour the mixture into your prepared pan. Press it down firmly. (Hint: Spray your hands with some cooking spray to prevent the mix from sticking to you!) While the mix is still warm sprinkle the top with more kosher salt. Allow to cool and cut into squares.

Simply Tasty Potato Salad

Potato salad is one of those things that is kind of personal, everyone has their own recipe and way they like theirs best. For me this is the one I learned to make as a kiddo and it continues to be a family favorite. If you need a simple easy make ahead dish this is where it is at. To me potato salad screams summer, BBQ’s, and flip flops! Oh I am so ready for flip flops to return to my life. Sorry I got side tracked.

Feel free to take this recipe and make it your own. Spice it up by subbing red pepper for the paprika. Add some zing by using Dijon mustard. And I guess if you must, add some onion, if you are a raw onion lover, unlike me! I won’t judge I promise!

Simply Tasty Potato Salad

5 lbs Russet Potatoes (Peeled and Chunked (is that a word))

5 Hard Boiled Potatoes (roughly diced)

2 cups Mayo (Please use real Mayo)

¼ cup Yellow Mustard

1 small jar Pimentos

1/4 -1/2 cup Sweet Pickle Relish

2 TBSP Sugar

1 TSP Cider Vinegar

2 TSP Salt

1 TSP Black Pepper

¼ TSP Paprika

Boil your potatoes until just before done, you don’t want to overcook or you will end up with mashed potato salad. Which I guess could be good??? Drain potatoes, pour into a large bowl for mixing and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes. You want your potatoes to still be a little warm; they will soak in the dressing better!

In a smaller bowl combine all remaining ingredients except eggs. Taste your dressing for seasoning adjust accordingly. Add eggs in with the potatoes. Pour the dressing over the potatoes and eggs. Gently fold together careful not to mash your potatoes. Once it is all coated pour into your serving bowl and garnish with extra pimentos, relish and chives. Chill for at least 3-5 hours overnight is best!

Thankful Thursday’s…

This just seemed fitting.

Today I was going to tell you guys that honestly I am just thankful that I have made it to Thursday, at all. I was even considering skipping posting today I just wasn’t feeling inspired. Then I was kindly pushed by a kind friend to find something to be thankful for.


And that’s just it each and every day we all have something to be thankful for. The fact that we woke up that morning, the fact that we have a warm home to sleep in, that fact that we will have food in our stomachs more than once today, all of these are things to be thankful for.

I was beginning to feel as I said at the beginning of the blog thankful to have made it this far this week. Because it has been a crazy week and I don’t seem to be getting much done at home. Laundry is piling up, dishes need to be done, Charlot’s toys are taking over my entire house, everywhere I look there is something that probably needs to be cleaned or picked up. So much to be thankful for right Ha!

So today I am thankful for that pile of laundry it means that we have clothes to wear and many to choose from when so many have none.

Those dishes that need to be done mean we have food in our home to provide us the nutrition we need to survive when so many have none.

The toys mean we have a child in our home that is love and cared for when so many so desperately just want one.

All the things that need to be done mean I have the ability to do them and I am healthy enough to get it done. And if the good Lord is willing I will!

Thanks for listening to my babble I am really thankful people actually read this stuff…or at least I think you do??? Please let me continue to think that!

Oh Missouri Fare Missouri...Your Weather...

All winter long everytime we drive by the park Charlot shouts PARK and asks me if we can go. This is my typical response “No sweetie it is wayyyy to cold outside and we don’t want to get to cold.” Her normal response “Oh that right we don’t want to get to cold.” But yesterday was a whole different story. Yesterday was the nicest day we have had in soooo long!

I left work as soon as I could to go pick her up and told her we were going to the park. She was so excited. We played and played and played. She tried out each and every swing, went down the big slide, and checked out the train. Let’s just say she was all smiles, until we had to leave.

Then the cold front moved in about 6:30 last night and we went from sunny and 75 to rainy/snowy and 25! YUCK. The below picture is from this morning. She was shouting it was toooo cold and she needed to go inside! Her face is pretty much my feelings about the change of weather events.

Slim Downed Broccoli Chicken Alfredo

Earlier last fall I started a personal mission to eat healthier, exercise more, and basically become an overall healthier person. I feel great about the results and I am truly enjoying the new lifestyle changes I am making. But there are some things that I truly miss. Rich, creamy, hearty pasta sauces happen to be one of those things.

In an effort to find something to fill this void I turned to, what else pintrest. You can find everything on that site, right? I saw every version of Chicken Alfredo imaginable, man oh man they all looked amazing. Then I started seeing a few for “Skinny” Chicken Alfredo. I read a few and figured hey I can whip something like those together and surely that will fill the void in my life.

My version I tried to add more veggies and I used RonzoniGarden Delight Pasta. If you haven’t tried this pasta do, it has a ½ serving of veggies per 2oz portion. I started using this pasta for a healthier alternative, because the Hubs is NOT a fan of whole wheat pasta. I also stuck with some of the other recipes I read in adding plain Greek yogurt in the sauce.

Smart Broccoli Chicken Alfredo

3 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts

2 Heads of Broccoli broke into small pieces

1 pint Mushrooms (button or cremini) sliced

1 Clove of Garlic (I didn’t have any the night I was making it so I substituted with garlic powder)

1 lb Pasta (I used the Garden Delight Penne Cut)

2 Heaping spoonfuls AP Flour

2 Cups Chicken Stock or Broth

½ Cup Milk (I used whole but 2% would be fine, I’m not sure about skim)

¾ Cup Plain Greek Yogurt

2 TBSP Lemon Juice (this could easily be skipped, I just happen to love lemon)

Salt and Pepper to taste

Shredded Parmesan Cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions. Just before pasta is done throw in your broccoli. Reserve a little of the pasta water (you may need it later to thin the sauce a bit)

Heat 2-3 TBSP of EVOO in a skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Once skillet is good and hot put you chicken in and press it down. This will help form a “Crispy Skin.” And we all know crispy skin = yummy

After chicken is cooked remove from skillet and set aside. Do not clean the skillet throw in the mushrooms and cook them until they are good and brown. Remove from skillet.

Now you may need to add a bit more oil at this point. Add in your garlic cook for a few minutes, sprinkle it all with flour. Stir it around for a minute or so just to cook the raw flour taste out. Now deglaze the pan with your stock scrapping up all the delicious bit from the bottom. Bring this to a boil and allow it to thicken nicely. Stir in your milk and allow it to come back to a bubble. Turn off your heat and whisk in the yogurt. Season the whole thing with salt and pepper. This is the point where you would add the water if your sauce is too thick.

Add broccoli, pasta, and mushrooms to the pan stir to coat in the sauce. Squeeze in lemon juice if you desire. Top with parmesan cheese. I then put my sliced chicken breasts on top. Enjoy.

Sleeping…

Taken her first night at home 1/22/11

Sometimes I look at new born babies and think wow was my little bit ever actually that little. Then it makes me start to look back and remember those days and how they truly seem just like yesterday. I was having one of those moments Saturday and started looking through some of my old pictures on Shutterfly. I knew I shouldn’t have clicked on the album titled “Charlot’s First Days” but then I did. Man she was so so small and wonderful and perfect. Then the flood of tears was coming and I was crying like no bodies business. I am not sad that she is growing I know that is nature and she is so full life and is wonderful and perfect (I know it is truly only in my eyes). But to me those first days seem like a few months ago not three years.

After I pulled myself together and wiped my eyes, I went in to check on Charlot and the below picture is what I found. What a difference a few blinks of the eye can make.

Taken 3/8/14

No I don’t normally allow my child to sleep with weapons; she has some amazing negotiating skills. I am still waiting on my mother of the year award.