recipe: bacon cheeseburger rice

say what?

 that's what you are thinking, right? 

if it is then you'd be like the hubs & the dude.  

especially when they saw their plates!  



is that pickles on top? 

why yes, yes it is!

and yes. this is a crappy cell phone picture.

in my 'i'm gonna eat my shoe in a minute' state, this was all i got before i shoveled it in my mouth.

i know. i am so lazy.

but please don't judge this delicious dish on my crappy photo.

see this one is a MUCH better visual representation of how it tastes.

FOR SURE.

so obviously i can't claim rights to the recipe because it's totally not mine.

but i did think to myself  'hmm, i wonder if you could make cheeseburger rice?'

cause you know, it was getting close to payday...

& i was about out of everything except for cheese, rice & ground beef!

 you know google is a girl's best friend.

well, for a girl like me who has no talent for concocting recipes.

so that's what i did.

and here is where i landed.

first look, then cook.

and here is her bacon cheeseburger rice recipe.

and you are gonna love the crunchy, salty pieces of pickles.

PROMISE.

it totally makes this dish!

trust me, skip the hamburger helper (gag!) and make this.

xo-k

linking to:

whipperberry

tidy mom

tatertots & jello

recipe: super simple microwave caramel corn

(do you say care-a-mel or car-mel? :)

i'm pretty sure boredom is the arch enemy of my appetite.

well, boredom AND pinterest.

(ya, i've said that before, and i'm sure i will again!)

so i poked around in my kitchen the other day..

trying to figure if i had ingredients for ANYTHING..

i flipped through my recipes binder & my cook books..

then i stumbled on this recipe.

it's from the same cookbook that brought you mayonnaise rolls.

i'm telling you. southern women can cook & that's not to say i think northern woman can't.

it's just.. well c'mon, tell me you don't know a southern mama that isn't known for some good cookin'.

i can't. they may not be gourmet cooks, but they certainly hold their own weight.

hell, look at paula deen. she's a southern cooking empire.

(and we all know the hubs is head over heels for mrs. deen)

SO. this recipe comes from a charity cookbook i have in my possession thanks to my husbands aunt in georgia.  

(i'm really beginning to like this cookbook. it has easy recipes & ingredients i can FIND, which is always a plus)

microwave caramel corn

-7 large marshmallows

-1/2 cup brown sugar

-1 stick butter (1/2 cup)

-1 tsp vanilla

-3 quarts popped popcorn

1. combine marshmallows, sugar, butter & vanilla in microwave bowl. cook 2 1/2 minutes.



2. stir after cooking until marshmallows are melted. i ended up using a whisk to help break up the bits of marshmallow. cook 30 seconds more.



3. spread popcorn out on baking sheet lined with foil.



4. pour marshmallow mixture over top of popcorn, using forks to combine.

enjoy the ooey gooey goodness!

the best part of this caramel corn is it doesn't get hard like the regular stuff does.

(translation: easy on the teeth)

even after a few hours it stays soft & chewy, but the popcorn doesn't get stale.

i sprinkled a little salt over the top of mine afterwards..
but i used unsalted butter, so that may make a difference.

it was SO good...

which of course means it was gone by the next day :)

xo-k

ps. i'm going to start posted the complete recipe together at the bottom of my post. is this helpful for printing & using the recipe?

microwave caramel corn

-7 large marshmallows

-1/2 cup brown sugar

-1 stick butter (1/2 cup)

-1 tsp vanilla

-3 quarts popped popcorn

1. combine marshmallows, sugar, butter, & vanilla in microwave bowl. cook 2 1/2 minutes.

2. stir after cooking until marshmallows are melted. cook 30 seconds more. 

3. spread popped popcorn out on foil lined baking sheet.

4. pour mixture over top of popcorn, using forks to toss.

linking to:

whipperberry
house of hepworths
somewhat simple
tidy mom
fingerprints on the fridge
friday favorites

tatertots & jello
something swanky
polka dots on parade

recipe: 'perfectly chocolate' chocolate cake

so, baking this THREE layered cake for the hubs birthday last week made me realize a few things...

i need to beg one of my cake stands back from my mama...

i need more than one cake pan.. it doesn't pay to be cheap..

i am in serious need of some new rubber spatulas, i'm down to one..

sometimes it is necessary to pawn off as much cake as you can on willing family members, otherwise the exercise to food intake ratio will have to drastically tip in the direction i hate most!

but seriously.. look at how GOOD that looks.

my first from-scratch cake ever.

with from-scratch icing too!

i'm pretty pleased with myself.

(please excuse the sloppy icing at the bottom..

some little fingers tried to be sneaky when i wasn't looking!) 

there is nothing quite like spending all day making & icing only to find out that in 10 years of marriage your husband failed to mention that chocolate cake was his least favorite cake.

in fact, he doesn't really like it at all.

.........

my eyes probably bugged out at his confession..

i mean, it's a WELL known fact that we in my dad's family are professed chocoholics.

heck, i collect hershey's memorabilia tins for goodness sake.

he could have spit in my face & i'd have been less shocked.  

so, i tried to rescue myself from a breakfast of chocolate cake for the next two weeks..

( uhm, not that i would do that. )

& called my dad & aunt (his sister) to come take some cake off my hands.

my dad asked why after 10 years of marriage i didn't know my hubs didn't like chocolate cake,

to which i replied that he must have withheld that tidbit of information knowing it would have been dealbreaker in getting married :)!

anyways..

so my secret chocolate cake recipe isn't so secret.
i got it off the back of the hershey's unsweeetened cocoa box.

it's also available here on their website.
i figured the hershey's people have had a few years practice...
so it was a good starting place to make a cake from scratch. :)

....now don't get all snobby on me because it's not godiva or some other snooty chocolate.

don't get me wrong.. that stuffs okay for sure.

but i'm american & i like my good ol' fashioned hershey's chocolate just fine! :)

xo-k

ps. i should mention i ended up with 3 layers because i used 8" pans instead of 9".

linking to:
all thingz related
sugar bee crafts
ladybug blessings
whipperberry
house of hepworths
somewhat simple
tidy mom
fingerprints on the fridge
simply sweet home
tatertots & jello

lego birthday: the invitation

so before you shake your finger at me for my super-unimpressive invitations, hear me out.

i've done the fishing pole invitation, the message in a bottle.. i've done the super duper intricate invites..

but.. i've decided, after seven years, to take it down a notch.

'cause let's face it. they get thrown out.

as much as we want to think that people value all our hard work..

part of you knows they aren't keeping a hundred invites to some other kids birthday party.

they just aren't.

(and that's ok, cause you aren't keeping theirs either)

so here's what i did.

i took a green base plate & had the dude help me put together a #7.

i took a picture of it..

downloaded the picture from my camera..

used the lego font to add 'we're building some great lego fun' on the bottom..

then sent it off to walmart to be made into a post card

with the party info pre-printed on the back.

i printed off the address labels using the same lego font & mailed them off. 

simple? yes.

totally unimpressive? absolutely.

but the dude helped me make them AND i got 20 of them printed & shipped for less than i could have ordered a fancy digital design & had them printed.

i consider that a win.

i'm on a budget & i'd rather use the money somewhere else (like more dessert!).

andddddd i taste tasted the recipe i'm going to use for his cupcakes for the hubs birthday..

that's right..i made my first ever cake from scratch!

(check that off the 2011 to do list)

including the icing!

(check plus)

and there were layers!

(check plus plus)

want the recipe?

ok.

i'll have it for you tomorrow! :)

xo-k

lego font: type now

linking to:
skip to my lou
the girl creative
keeping it simple
c.r.a.f.t
craftomaniac
the blackberry vine
sugar bee crafts
ladybug blessings
all thingz related
whipperberry
733
house of hepworths
somewhat simple
tidy mom
fingerprints on the fridge
simply sweet home
tatertots&jello

life: babe on the move

and into EVERYTHING!!
this may explain why i feel like i can't get anything done these days! :)

working on editing some pictures tonight & putting together some posts..
my brain is lego mush these days.. :)

xo-k

life: summer weekends

i love summer weekends.

birthday parties.

bbqs.

fireworks.

sunscreen.

flip flops.

pools.

long days.

laughs.

friends & family.

hope you had a good one :)

xo-k

ps. don't you just wanna squeeze this lil' guy? i do, but i think i'll leave him sleeping!                                                                

recipe: cheesy bacon hasselback potatoes

the hubs birthday is today.
he turned 32.
he's been threatening to shave off his goatee because he swears there are gray hairs popping up in it.
i keep telling him they are actually blond & he should be more worried about his failing eye sight.
or his receding hair line.  
he doesn't think i'm very funny when i say things like that :)

but he's pretty safe, seeing how i personally think bruce willis, who is most definitely bald,  is pretty much the sexiest man ever.
as long as he keeps me laughing, i plan on keeping him around....even if he is bald, blind & has gray in his 'stache.

when they say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, they are TOTALLY talking about my hubs.
he is without a doubt a steak & potatoes man.
i haven't been able to get him a gift yet..
so i figured the least i could do was cook him up a good meal of steak & potatoes for his birthday.

pinterest is both a blessing & curse were food is concerned.
i saw these hasselback potatoes with bacon on pinterest a few weeks ago & knew i had to try them out.

and just so you don't feel alone, i had NO IDEA what hasselback potatoes were either.
still really don't.
but they are good.
i added cheese at the very end.. soo good.

hasselback bacon & cheese potatoes

-potatoes
-few slices of bacon
-olive oil
-salt
-shredded cheese

1. preheat oven to 400. scrub potatoes. make vertical slices the length of the potato, but do not cut all the way through. place potatoes on foil lined baking sheet.
2. cut bacon into 2" pieces. insert bacon into every other opening in potato.
3. drizzle olive oil over potato. sprinkle with salt.
4. cook for 1 hour, or until done. remove from oven & sprinkle with cheese.

they were so good & so easy! even the hubs who normally has gobs of sour cream on his potato ate them just like i served them!

be back tomorrow with the recipe for the cake i made for him! :)

xo-k

lego birthday: party prep

i fell asleep last night thinking about legos.

i woke up this morning thinking about legos.

i spent some time doing my 'chores'..

cleaning the kitchen, sweeping the floors, straightening the living room..

then i got busy immersing myself in lego world.

i finished coloring & cutting out names for favor bags..

and then i spent about 3 hours sorting legos.
ya... THREE HOURS.

(during which i discovered my yellow sharpie bled all over my coffee table.. boo.)

i brought home three buckets of legos from my moms house...

they are a combination of all the legos my brother & i accumulated over the years..

 there were ALL kinds of non-lego things in there!

(remember micro machines & those plastic chain necklaces from the 80s..)

so why sort them?

i mean, since i plan on having small children go at them during the party?

well, first to get all the above mentioned non-lego crap out of there..

along with the legos that apparently were too tough to take apart, so they have chew marks on them.

........ ya. gross much?

but mostly because i have a few game ideas in mind that will be easier with all the little pieces sorted out.

and i must admit.

i kinda had fun putting all these minifigures together..

bad guys beware..

we've got a pretty thorough assortment of heros..

policemen, astronauts, some merry men, knights & colonial soldiers..

not to mention the odd overall clad guys in ball caps with beer steins water glasses.
no darth or luke or captain jack here.

but my back is screaming at me to get out of legoland for a little bit & stop hunching over the coffee table..

too bad i have to suck it up & fold 4 loads of laundry tonight!  

xo-k

lego birthday: party prep

it's sunday morning here.

we got an early start today..

the sledgehammer was knocking away concrete at 8am this morning..

outside the hubs & a friend are working on framing out a slab to extend our existing patio.

by the end of may we should have a screened-in porch!!

i'm getting excited about having someplace to eat dinner outside during the summer sans bugs!

inside there is evidence of the dude's birthday drawing close..

my BABY is going to be 7. i'm trying hard to digest that one.

i am the parent of a 7 going on 17 year old. i feel old. (mostly in that respect only)

i have legos on the brain all day....

& catch myself falling to sleep thinking about what food i could possibly find in lego blue.

the party planner in me finds this both a blessing & a curse.

(and the mom in me who requires more sleep decided it was time to take tylenol pm to shut my brain up & to ease the pain of my neck from being hunched over the coffee table making banners all day)

and things are finally starting to shape up.

i'm doing my best to stay on budget.

so far i'm doing a bang up job of that.

even with having to purchase some new icing tips & bake ware!



it's shaping up to be a busy day around here..

time for me to get back to work.

just wanted to pop in & say..

"yes. i am still alive!"

hope you are having a great weekend!

xo-k

book: water for elephants

wow.

water for elephants.

it took me four days to read it.

it took me four days to fall in love with it.

i surprised even myself by how much i loved it.

and while i am a rob pattinson fan..

let it be said that i DID NOT read this because he is in the new movie version.

i actually purchased it a year ago after a friends recommendation..

and sadly it's taken me until now to start & finish it.

it definitely starts out a little slow..

but it is soo worth it.

it does have some offensive language, but nothing that seems out of the ordinary for the setting of the book.

and of course now that i finished it..

i find i keep thinking about the story..

and c'mon..

is there anything so lovely & magical as the circus?

(and i very much feel torn because i know some of the animals are mistreated..)

i've found myself looking at circus & elephant inspired things on etsy..

there is this print available on a tshirt from elemental shop
i'm all about the printed tees ya know!

 and this beauty of a ring from wild woman jewelry

and i really had a hard time narrowing down just two bracelets from this shop that i love...

the lucky elephant

i mean i really love ALL of them!

i love this necklace, created after having read water for elephants.

in lbjohns shop blaine.

i love this elephant print from east witching shop.

so full of movement!

and i totally love this print from phoenix firestarter!

if you haven't read water for elephants..

you should consider it.

so so good!
definitely added to my list of favorite books!

between reading & crafting for the dudes party..
i don't have much to share right now.
i did pick up something today to work on..
it's sorta inspired by maryjanes & galoshes doodled embroidery sampler here.
it may take me a bit to finish it, but i'll be sure to share when i do.
(right now i'm up to my eyeballs in lego font!)

xo-k

recipe: frozen creamsicle dessert

and i love my mama.

i'm not gonna tell you i was her biggest fan growing up..

because that would be a lie, and she always taught me to tell the truth.

when i was a teenager and would argue with her, saying hateful things i'm sure..

she'd cling to this poem called 'the meanest mom'. 

if you are a mom, i'm sure you'd heard of it, if not, take a peek at it.

i'd like to go back and take back all the things i said, all the things i thought.

i wish i could take back the hurt i must have caused her.

i know so many things now that i couldn't have possibly appreciated back then.

i love my mom. she is my best friend.
i can not even begin to imagine life without her.

despite all the horrible heartache i caused her back then, she never once failed me.

she took the tongue-lashings, & never gave up on me.

and she had it rough i'm sure, i was one heck of a smart mouth.

(funny how we manage to forget the horrible things we said, but the guilt of it lingers long after)

we had a few bumps along the way, were i'm sure she doubted what she was doing was right..

she's told me so herself since.

we had some.... not your average teenage girl vs. mom problems.

nothing life changing. nothing horrible.

issues over teachers. over hating school. over being late to school.
over friends. over family. over my bad attitude.
(i was a good kid, don't get me wrong. never in trouble, straight A's & that bit..)

i can't imagine being in her position.
i was not a pleasant teenager, by any means.

and now i can't imagine not being able to call her up & talk to her at a moments notice.

(given she actually answers the darn thing)

my heart was a little heavy yesterday at the thought of her not having her mom to enjoy mother's day with.

her mom raised 6 children, on her own, sans government help.

talk about strength.

my mom & aunts have an enormous well of love for their mom & rightfully so.

(i feel like i could have learned a thing or two from her determination for sure)

but, my mom being who she is..

she never ASKS for anything..

and as it's difficult to come up with anything to give her..

i made her something instead.

something yummy.

she loves this frozen creamsicle dessert & is always after me to make it for her..

so i did.

i suffered a few strange looks from family

as they watched me take step by step pictures to share with you as well :)

frozen creamsicle dessert

(i saw this dessert somewhere in a magazine..but never saved the recipe

when i decided to make it i just wung it, sans instructions)

(those are my mom's new kitchen counters.. aren't they pretty :)

ingredients:

-1 box nilla wafers

-1 1/2 gallon vanilla ice cream

-1 tub of orange sherbet (i've used a few different kinds, of varying sizes)

-1 stick butter

 1. take your ice cream & sherbet out of the freezer about 1/2 hour before you intend on starting to soften it for spreading. put your nilla wafers in a ziploc bag & smash them up. meanwhile, melt your stick of butter in the microwave.

2. spread your nilla wafer crumbs in the bottom of a 13x9 inch pan. pour the melted butter over the top, stirring to combine with the crumbs. press mixture down. it will not be completely stuck together, that's okay.

3. dump your softened vanilla ice cream into a bowl & stir to break up the center which is still semi-solid. it's important to do this in a separate bowl (trust me) because if there is a lump once you get it onto your crust, your stuck.

4. pour the ice cream out on top of your crust, smoothing out the layer. put pan into the freezer for about 15 minutes to re-harden the ice cream before the next layer.

5. as with the ice cream, put your sherbet into a bowl & stir to break up the middle.

6. take the pan out of the freezer & then top with the sherbet, spreading out an even layer.

refreeze until it's time to serve!



xo-k

linking to:
the diy showoff
skip to my lou
the girl creative
craft
craftomaniac
whipperberry
tatertots & jello

recipe: horchata

feliz cinco de mayo!

we don't normally do anything to recognize the day..

but it seemed like a good idea today!

i made taco's for dinner,

(of course the dude was thrilled... he's one burrito lovin' boy!)

and then decided to try making horchata.

i've never had horchata before..

but when i saw marcela valladolid one morning on food network..

i kinda mentally dog-eared the idea to make at a later date.

today seemed sorta like the perfect time to make it.

i've seen other recipes that call for rice, but this one calls for rolled oats..

the dude & i are oatmeal eaters, so i thought i'd give it a go.

oh. YUM!

you can get the recipe here

so so easy to make..

and delicious!

especially if you like oatmeal & cinnamon!

gonna go fight the dude for the last glass!

xo-k

linking up:
gluesticks
ladybug blessings
house of hepworths
tales from bloggeritaville
a glimpse inside
tatertots & jello

recipe: garlic parmesan green beans

it's really no secret in my family that i'm not much of a vegetable eater.

(i'm thinking i can blame that one on dad, who gags at the sight of peas)

i'm good with some raw veggies... lettuce, onions, cucumbers, carrots, celery, green peppers..

you know your regular everyday ones..

but the cooked list is waay shorter... green beans, carrots, onions, peas, broccoli, corn...

and ya. that's pretty much it.

OH! and i like green peppers, but only raw.

drives the hubs insane!

and i hate to admit it, but we have always been a canned vegetable kinda family.

the fresh stuff too often goes bad before we can consume it.

& that's just what my mom always bought, so it's what i always bought.

but in the past few months i've been DEVOURING bags of frozen broccoli & edamame like nobody's business.

so when the hubs wanted to bring home a 5lb bag of frozen green beans this week, i was like..

SURE!! let's do this thing!

(ok, maybe it was more like a 'if you want them' kinda response)

so panic sorta set in today when i decided to try and cook these guys..

i mean.. the most i've ever done to green beans is added in salt pork.

what the heck was i supposed to do with fresh, green, lovely long beans that weren't cooked & sealed in a can full of liquid with ginormous amounts of salt?

so i turned to pinterest.

who knew there were so many ways to cook green beans?!

i swear i may have lived under a rock before now.

so here's what i went with tonight.

paired with a honey glazed ham & some scalloped potatoes..

the hubs said it was the best dinner i had made in quite awhile.

(oh really, thanks for the compliment, jerk!)

but he hardly batted an eye when i hopped online & ordered the newest sookie book from walmart..

(no, i don't have it yet! i'm not paying $10 more plus gas to get to the bookstore, so i have to sit with a pouty face & wait because the local 'marts don't have it yet!)

anyway!

back to the beans.

garlic parmesan green beans to be exact.

i mean really, how could you not want to try something with garlic & cheese on it?!

(picture from a sweet pea chef's blog, we ate ours too fast to snap off a picture!)

soooooo i didn't get a picture of ours...

partly because we were literally eating them off the plate before we sat down to eat..

and also because i just didn't want to stop licking the spoon with the ham glaze on it long enough to get my camera.

don't judge me!

but here's a picture from the blog that i got the recipe off of..

& here is a link to the recipe itself.

YUM!

so, frozen may not exactly be fresh..
but it's one step closer than the canned crap.

so long canned green beans. you've been replaced!

xo-k



life: recharged



(print available on etsy here)

i feel as if i've abandoned my blog as of late.

i don't really have an excuse as to why either.

we've been a little busy with the business of life..

but nothing that would warrant the lack of blogging.

i finished re-reading all 10 previous sookie stackhouse books..

just in time for #11 releasing tomorrow.

& while i was reading them i discovered (as i usually do)

that i have a deep love for the written word.

i love movies...but i LOVE reading.

i love where your mind takes you.

i get pretty absorbed.

when i finished the sookie books i decided to start reading the other books on my shelf i've never managed to finish.

(some of which, sadly, were ones i was SUPPOSED to read in high school & just faked it)

i'm working on the 'the wizard of oz'..

& i've finished 'water for elephants'

'alice in wonderland'

& next up is 'little women' on loan from a friend.

reading has served to recharge my creative batteries so to speak.

i have even found myself writing stories in my head.

crazy?

i am so not a writer, let me make that clear..

(even though i have had a poem published..)

but in my daydreams i write books about funny, clever women leading average interesting lives.

or.

i write childrens books about lovable little creatures.

A N Y W A Y....

i DO have some diy ideas brewing in my brain..

i had some easter gifts in mind for the boys,

but the dude is smart as a whip & starting to wonder about the validity of the easter bunny.

(he totally called out the person in the bunny costume..)

so i decided to scrap the idea of putting them in his easter basket..

& save them for his birthday... which is this month.

so of course i have a to-do list a mile long for his party.

and i couldn't be more excited about tackling them.

we (mom, aunt & i) worked on making those yarn balls floating around the web for my aunt's wedding..

and all attempts to make them work ended horribly.

i'm not sure what we were doing wrong....

whether it was the glue combo, or the fact we were using wool yarn or what....

but my craft ego was severely deflated when we had to scrap the idea for something else.

total disappointment.

so ya, i'm ready to pick up something diy & make it work.

enjoy the end result ya know?

(instead of being covered in glue & feeling deflated over limp yarn.)

off to clean up the house so i can focus on fun stuff the rest of the week! :)

xo-k