Thursday, March 24, 2011

St. Patricks Day


One tradition I have carried into our marriage is the celebration of St. Patricks Day. My family has celebrated St. Patricks Day as long as I can remember. We are pretty serious about it...the option is wear green OR get pinched! No sooner had I walked out of the room with Jason in our pajamas than my 5 year old niece was pinching us because we didn't have green on yet. I asked her "what if we have on green undies and you just can't see them?" She wasn't buying that explanation. :) We always have on something green, and we always have corned beef, cabbage, carrots and potatoes for dinner. This year my sister even made green noodles for lunch (spinach pesto with pasta).


I should add that we celebrate the day because we are part Irish. We don't just celebrate it as an excuse to drink green beer.

Michigan

A few weeks ago we made the decision to take a quick trip to Michigan to introduce Jason to my family there. It was a great decision and a wonderful trip! We love road trips, but we were slightly concerned that Jason might not love them as much as we do. He did so well the entire time! When he wasn't sleeping he was talking away to his little friends hanging from his car seat. We are certainly blessed to have such a happy, sweet baby.

It was fun to see my oldest siblings and their families, and I loved getting to introduce Jason to them. He got lots of snuggles for sure! We celebrated our Irish heritage with 2 different meals of corned beef, cabbage, potatoes and carrots...YUM!! We basically sat around and visited the entire time and ate lots of delicious food. We also enjoyed a visit from my best friend Andrea while we were there. I wish we lived MUCH closer to Andrea, she is really a great friend, and I miss her so much. It was great to see her again, and have her meet our little man. I would sum the trip up as short and sweet, and I am thankful the Lord gave us the opportunity to go up there.

In other news, well...there isn't much other news. Aaron is playing on a DTC softball league, I am playing Bunco once a month with DTC wives, Jason and I are doing BSF each week, and we are all enjoying all this beautiful weather.

Thursday, March 3, 2011

The remaining 4 of my top 5 favorite foods

For you Kim. : )



#1. World's Best Lasagna (Lasagna has always been my favorite, it is what I choose for dinner on my birthday.)

1lb. ground beef
1/2 c. chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes
2 (6oz.) cans tomato sauce
2 (6oz.) cans tomato paste
1/2 c. water
2 tbls. white sugar
1-1/2 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. italian seasoning
1 tbls. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
4 tbls. fresh parsley, chopped & divided
12 lasagna noodles
16 oz. ricotta cheese
1 egg
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 lb. mozzerella cheese
1 c. parmesan cheese

Directions
1.) In large saucepan cook ground beef, onion and garlic. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce and water. Season with sugar, basil, italian seasoning, salt, pepper and 2tbls. parsley. Simmer covered for about 1-1/2 hours, stirring occassionally.

2.) In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg, remaining parsley and 1/2 tsp. of salt.

3.) To assemble, spread 1-1/2 c. meat mixture in bottom of greased 9x13" baking dish. Arrange 6 noodles over meat sauce. Spread half of ricotta cheese mixture over the noodles. Top with 1/3 of the mozzerella, and 1/3 of the parmesan cheese. Repeat Layers. Finally, spread remaining meat mixture over the cheeses. Top with remaining cheeses. Cover with foil.

4.) Bake at 375 degrees for 30-45 minutes (until heated through.) Cool for 15 minutes before serving.

NOTE: I spray the foil with cooking spray to prevent the cheese from sticking to it.


#2. Wet Burritos

2-6oz. cans tomato paste
3-1/2 c. warm water
1 packet burrito seasoning
2tbls. taco seasoning
-Mix together in a medium bowl

3 lbs. ground beef
1 can refried beans
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 c. of above sauce
-Brown the meat and add the remaining ingredients.

6-8 flour tortillas
Cheddar cheese

To assemble:
Put 1/2 c. meat mixture into each tortilla. Sprinkle desired amount of cheese into each tortilla, then roll up and place in a greased 9x13" pan. (You may need more than 1 pan.) Pour sauce over the burritos and sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

Serve with sour cream and salsa if desired.


#3. Lone Star Roast

Chuck Roast (1-1/2 lbs. approx.)
1 can rotel tomatoes
2 tbls. taco seasoning
2 tsp. beef boullion granules
1 tsp. sugar

Directions:
Brown the roast on all sides in vegetable oil. Place in crockpot, on low. Mix remaining ingredients together and pour over the roast. Cook 3-4 hours on low in crockpot. (The time may be more or less depending on how hot your crockpot cooks.)

Serve over rice.


#4. Marinated Pork Chops

3/4 c. vegetable oil
1/3 c. soy sauce
1/4 c. white vinegar
2 tbls. worcestershire sauce
1 tbls. lemon juice
1 tbls. prepared mustard
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. dried parsley flakes
2 garlic cloves, minced
6 boneless pork chops

Directions:
Mix all ingredients together in a plastic ziplock bag. Add the pork chops and marinate 6-8 hours. Drain and discard the marinade. Place pork chops in a greased baking dish. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, or until juices run clear.


The White Chicken Chili replaced Breaded Chicken Breasts as #5. So as an added bonus, I will include that recipe also.


#6. Breaded Chicken Breasts

3/4 c. dried bread crumbs
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
4-1/2 tsp. fresh parsley, minced
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/3 c. butter, melted
3 tbls. lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, minced
6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
paprika

Directions:
In a shallow bowl, combine the bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, parsley, salt and pepper. In another shallow bowl, combine the butter, lemon juice and garlic. Dip chicken in the butter mixture and then roll in the crumb mixture. Place chicken in a greased baking dish and sprinkle with paprika. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 35 minutes, or until juices run clear.


I hope you enjoy them as much as we do if you decide to try them out.

Friday, February 25, 2011

White Chicken Chili

Let me start off by saying, this recipe = DELICIOUS!! My youngest sister Kathryn made this for us right after Jason was born. It is now in my top five favorite foods.

White Chicken Chili

Sautee 1 large onion in 1/2 stick of butter
Add 1/2 cup white flour and 1/2 stick of butter, whisk until smooth
Add 4 cups of chicken broth
2 cups half-n-half
1/4 cup green Tabasco sauce
1-1/2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. cumin
salt and pepper to taste (I never add salt)
2 cans great white northern beans (or 4 cups of navy beans cooked)
2-4oz. cans green chilies
2 lbs. of chicken cooked and cubed

Cook on low for 2-3 hours.
We serve with sour cream, cheddar cheese and tortilla chips.

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Jason's BIG week

Jason had alot of firsts this week! Not surprising seeing he is only 6 weeks old. :) He took his first trip to Texas. He travelled really well, so we hope he will do well next month when we head up to Michigan. He met all his Texas cousins for the first time. He also met some Aunts and Uncles, and his Great Grandma & Grandpa Thomas. He went to church for the first time (since birth) at MBC and met mommy & papa's good friends there. He went to BSF for the first time and was so good for the volunteers and for his leaders. Just yesterday he went for his first walk outdoors in the beautiful sunshiny weather. And my personal favorite, he started cooing! He has been trying to get noise (other than crying) out since he was born, and now he has it figured out. All I can say is, ADORABLE!! He is 6 weeks old, weighs just over 11 pounds, and is a joy to have around. God is so good!
Smiling away

Look at this cutie in his jeans that are too big!


On his first outdoor walk

Snuggling with Grandma and Noah


Meeting cousin Noah


Meeting Great Grandma Thomas

Meeting Uncle Dave, Aunt Dena and cousin Noah


Jason and Curtis wearing their matching outfits

Meeting his Palmer cousins










Thursday, February 10, 2011

The Long and Short Of It!

You would never know I was a hairstylist by looking at me. My hair is usually in a pony tail, or just pinned back out of my face. It is a rare occasion that I pull out the blow dryer and flat iron, let alone the hair products. The last time I had my hair cut was when I was 4 months pregnant, and it was cut short. It has grown alot over the last 6 months, and is so THICK! I knew I was going to need to have it cut, but I was debating whether to go super short or just have it trimmed. I just couldn't decide. Aaron likes my hair both ways, so he wasn't going to be too helpful with the decision process. Today I decided to put Jason in his car seat and head over to the salon and that I would make the decision when I arrived. I figured the pressure of sitting in the chair would help me make up my mind, and sure enough, it did! My hair was trimmed, the layers were freshened up and it feels 10 times lighter. The lady did an excellent job, and I am so thankful to have it done. I can't guarantee that it will look any better than it did before I had it cut, or that I will do anything with it as far as styling goes, but it sure does feel alot better. Now I have moved on to debating whether or not to get highlights.

And yes, Jason was just perfect while I was having my hair done. He didn't even make a peep! I have to say, I am blessed with a content little guy!

Thursday, February 3, 2011

ALREADY!!

Jason is one month old today!! I can hardly believe it! He is growing and changing so fast. We are so thankful for our sweet little man. We snuggle him as much as possible knowing these days will fly by quickly. Of course, here are two pictures where we aren't snuggling him.

Sleeping on his play gym. I love how his little bottom is up.


Napping in the swing. He really enjoys the swing. Look at his chunky chipmunk cheeks! They are PERFECT for kissing!