Still cooking!

Does anyone else get in a dinner rut? I sure do and have been in one lately. Ugh...

Last night I was talking to my mom and she happened to mention a new recipe she was going to try. So she asked me if I wanted to try it and it sounded do-able so I did!

Saute onions until they're carmelized & add garlic ( I did 3 cloves - so it was stronger)

Add 1+ cup of milk, 2 cups of cooked noodles, and cooked chicken - cut up.

Then 2+ cups of shredded parmesan cheese.

Bring it all to a boil and coat the noodles with the sauce then serve!

It was delicious! I'm sure you could add veggies too. I had broccoli on the side though. My husband told me it tasted like he would be served at Macaroni Grill - but way less $$$ of course!

I've actually been watching the Food Network at night and feeling a little inspired to try new things and be more creative with my cooking. It's been so interesting to watch the Challenge cooking show and Cupcake Wars too. I think it would be SO fun to try something like that with my girl friends - just need to find a place that has more then one stove/oven!

I tried growing a garden this year and can definitely see areas I can improve on. Most things are doing pretty good. Although for some reason all I can grow is a lot of zucchini flowers. NO actual zucchini's! Grrrr!!! I have been able to get 2 green peppers, several banana peppers, green beans, cucumbers, sugar snap peas, and tomatoes! I have a lot more tomatoes then I thought I would - which is nice. I have a compost bin and out from under it has grown about 5 or 6 tomato plants! Then I found one up front in one of my flower beds - which I'm not sure how it got there but can think of a number of possibilities.

Anyway, yesterday I went to the grocery store and it was fun not buying so many veggies because I have some growing at home!

I'm also learning new area's that I need to grow in the Lord. Finding the balance of caring about people without taking their problem's on as my own. Which actually tries to take the place of God in their lives. My struggle especially is when it comes to children. Yesterday I saw a lady about 5 months pregnant standing outside smoking. I thought about saying something to her but, no doubt, she's heard it all. Then I started thinking - what's going on in her life that she's so stressed and has to smoke? Is she okay? Or is it just a nasty habit that she can't quit and doesn't care about hurting her unborn child? Either way - I KNOW there's power in prayer so I'm going to pray for her. I may never see her again - but God will.

I have to remind myself that God loves everyone SO much more than I do or am capable of.

3 cheers for Summer!

Summer is here! YAY!

First I have a HUGE praise! My kiddies were playing in their little pool this morning and a 4-5' tree branch fell about 30' and hit the other side of the pool 1-2' from where they were playing! Thank you God for watching over them!

I like living in an area that has 4 seasons but summer time is my favorite! I think it's a combination of things like the smell and taste of bbq (it doesn't taste the same to me during the winter), the smell of a fresh mowed lawn, fireflies - our ALL time favorite, knowing when you get up in the a.m. you can dress like it's summer - no more sweatshirts on the 4th of July! (if you've lived in the Pacific Northwest - you know what I mean by this), the kiddie pool, the ice cream truck, and I could go on and on.

So I've decided to start some experimental cooking - well not really - just some new dishes for us. Last night was bbq'd spare ribs with a dry rub and sauce, baked potatoes, and broccoli. Tonight I'm trying bbq'd jerk chicken! I've been marinating the chicken since this a.m. and decided to give Tyler Florence's recipe a try. I'll report back.

It's been a few days since I've made my Jerk Chicken and I posted it on the comments but meant to add it here!

The recipe was actually really good! The taste wasn't what I expected - I think of Jerk chicken as more of a BBQ flavor but this was more spice. Not hot spicy - just a lot of spice flavor! So maybe I haven't been clear on Jerk Chicken flavor or maybe this is an offshoot of it. Either way - I'd definitely make it again!

The Winter

So we're at the tale end of our winter now and it's been a doozy! We've had snow on the ground for almost 2 months straight. This year, all the snow hasn't really bothered me that much. I've decided to try and change my outlook on things out of my control. It's definitely still a "work-in-progress" but that's life in general.

So instead of hating all of the snow, and snows not my thing that would be my husband's thing, I decided to like it and not wish for hot summer day's again, when all I hear is complaining about how hot it is. I've really noticed how I view the grass is always greener on the other side of things...and I don't want to do that anymore - it just makes for a miserable life and I know that's not what God wants for us.

What's wrong with 2 feet of snow? I get stuck inside until they plow my neighborhood and that's about it. I have a warm home and can spend time with my kids and they LOVE playing in the snow. It really makes all of our bare trees look so much better during winter time too! Now if I had a job that I had to be out in it, that might be a different story but I don't so no sense in complaining about all the snow that I have no control over.

Is anyone truly happy where they are or are we always wishing for something different? I've done that so much in my life and I don't want to do that anymore. I guess it helps us "escape" a bit because reality isn't always fun and excited or new. So in my small effort I really have enjoyed this winter but I don't want it to stop there. I want to enjoy every day life too.