Chicken Salad

Chicken salad is one of those things that everyone does differently.  A local grocery store here makes fresh chicken salad in their deli with roasted red peppers, Nana makes hers with hard boiled eggs, and my Grandmother's recipe calls for chopped sweet gherkins and pickle juice instead of relish.  Arby's chicken salad has nuts and grapes in it and some other restaurants even add chopped apples, dill relish, grated carrots, or black olives.

Sweet Corn and Bacon Skillet Mac and Cheese

It's new recipe night!

I love new recipe night.  Tonight was particularly fun because the new recipe is one of Aaron's favorite foods.  That's an almost guaranteed hit with him.

Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal

Toddlers get bored with foods so easily.  Bailey loves yogurt one day, but refuses to eat it the next.  Sometimes I put a plate of green beans in front of her and she scarfs them down as fast as she can, other days she throws them on the floor.

Menu for 8/19/13-8/25/13

Normally we do a lot of snacking during the day when we are at home.  I'm the kind of person who eats when I feel hungry, but also when I'm bored.  I'm trying to keep Bailey from picking up that habit so this week I made a meal schedule out for us.  The entire day of food is planned out so we don't do that I'm-bored-so-I'll-see-if-there's-something-good-in-the-fridge thing.

Chicken Alfredo Roll-ups

Tonight I completely threw any thought of a diet out the window.  Let's be honest, you've seen what I normally eat so you know I'm kidding about the diet, but seriously this will explode your calorie tracker if you are dieting.  Gotta love any recipe that includes a stick of butter and a pint of cream!

Lazy Days

Some days you just feel like being a bum... hanging out at home in your pajamas, snuggling on the couch (or in our case the recliner), and snacking while watching Netflix.  I had one of those mornings today.  It's laundry day and grocery day, so we didn't get off completely free of work today, but we did spend the morning munching on dry cereal and watching My Little Pony while the laundry did its thing.

Twice Baked Potatoes

I may have mentioned this before, but a month or so ago I made twice baked potatoes for the first time in six years.  They came out so perfect that I almost forgot why I had ever stopped making them in the first place.  Then I saw Aaron's plate after dinner and realized why... He only eats the inside and throws out that wonderfully crispy, salty skin!  No matter though because I don't mind to eat his shell with a tiny bit of cheese melted into it for lunch tomorrow so I tossed it in a container and put it in the fridge.

Menu for 8/12/13-8/18/13

This is two weeks in a row that Bailey has completely finished all of her fruit before it was time to go to the store again.  I've been trying to keep up with her, but the kid just loves fruit.  I usually buy a pint of blueberries, a quart of strawberries, and then a 6-8 oz container of raspberries or blackberries (or in this case I bought both) and if cherries or grapes are on sale I'll grab a few pounds of those too.  This week I had all of the berries I mentioned before, plus two whole apples, half a bag of apple slices leftover from the week before, and three peaches.  She ate it all!  I'm glad she likes fruit and all but we're going to go broke buying it for her.

Maple Dijon Roast Pork

I don't get to enjoy it often, but pork is one of my favorite meats.  We cook a great deal of chicken here because Aaron prefers chicken and because I can get it pretty cheap, but I've noticed the past year or so that I can usually find pork loin on sale at a decent price too.  I like to buy a 5 lb pork loin and cut it into chops.  I can generally get 10-12 chops out of it which is three or four meals for us.  I've found a few flavorful pork chop recipes this spring and summer that even Aaron appreciated, but this is my first attempt at a pork roast in seven years.

Menu for 8/5/13-8/11/13

We have had one very busy week/weekend.  I feel like I have run around like crazy all week.  I made two trips to the store this week, one to Kroger for groceries and one to Target for diapers and toiletry items.  My very best friend in the whole world accidentally forgot her umbrella in a restaurant on my side of town (about 45 minutes from her house and almost an hour and a half from her office) so I went to retrieve it for her.  We had some fun outside at Yaya's house Monday night chasing wiffle balls in the back yard... until we had an accident with a firefly and decided to go back inside.  The spaghetti and meatballs was a huge hit again when I made it for Aaron's parents Saturday night.

Chicken and Potato Burritos

I love my Mom's cooking.  Like I've said before, she has a certain throw-things-together-and-see-how-they-taste style of cooking.  Most of our favorite original recipes started out as one thing and evolved into something else.  The chicken veggie spaghetti pie started out as spaghetti pie with meat sauce and somehow got mixed with spicy chicken vegetable soup.

Menu for 7/29/13-8/4/13

Some cool stuff is happening this week.  First of all I have two new breakfast recipes that I am super excited about, as well as our "new" recipe this week which is one of my favorite recipes of Mom's.  Second is we are probably going to swim at Nana's tomorrow, one of Bailey's favorite activities.  Well, actually anything involving water is automatically Bailey's favorite activity, but the pool definitely makes that list.  And third is that we get to go to Dollywood again!  We will be spending Thursday at Dollywood with Aaron's sister-in-law, Aunt Shelia.  She says there's a show right now that's all about bubbles and the whole room gets filled with bubbles!  Bailey will love it!

Peach Cobbler

We spent another lovely evening at the lake with Aaron's sister-in-law, celebrating her birthday.

Blueberry Streusel Muffins

I have been wanting to do some fruit muffins for awhile now, especially since I have all the fresh (and affordable) fruit I could ever want.  I keep buying way more fruit than Bailey and I can eat anyway.  I have a freezer stocked full of the "leftovers" to use for smoothies, but this is another perfect use for all that extra fruit!

Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken

I had planned to share two recipes tonight, but I think the rice recipe needs a little tweaking first.  I found some recipes on Pinterest and decided to try them both at the same time.  The rice may have been a mistake, but the chicken... there was no mistake with the chicken.

Mamaw's Fried Okra

Fried okra just tastes like summer to me.  I remember being 5 or 6 years old and Nana had picked the okra out of her garden (which was more like a farm it was so big) and she and Mamaw were frying it in large batches to freeze.  They would lay it out on a sheet pan to cool and I would come in and steal bites.  I say bites... Nana says I stole handfuls.  She said she was afraid they wouldn't have any to freeze because I would eat it all.

Menu for 7/22/13-7/28/13

Tonight was supposed to be big sandwich night, but I made this really awesome new bread (recipe sometime next month) and it wasn't conducive to big sandwich so we sliced it up and had little sandwiches instead.  I was especially excited about this bread because I have been eyeing the recipe for almost a year, but never had an occasion to try it.  It's Challah bread.  I've only ever had it once before.  If I remember correctly my Aunt brought it to our Thanksgiving gathering one year.

Honey Garlic Chicken

When I was pregnant I couldn't get enough Chinese food.  There was a restaurant down the street from my office, China Garden, I would order from on the way home some nights, but Chinese food can get expensive when you order for two and one is extremely picky.  Aaron liked the Honey Chicken which came with Pork Fried Rice, but he only ate the chicken, wasting all that scrumptious rice.  If I was given a choice I would usually order either the Chicken with Broccoli (spicy because they do that for me there) or the Steamed Chicken and Shrimp with Broccoli, also spicy (from the diet menu it comes with garlic sauce on the side and steamed rice), but they're both also a bit pricey and since Aaron will only eat the honey chicken and waste all that rice I sacrificed a little.  I ordered his honey chicken, but with the chicken and rice in separate containers (which by the way also guarantees extra chicken because they use the same size container as before but they almost completely fill it with chicken) and I would eat the rice while he ate the chicken.  If I was really hungry I would order some Chicken Sticks (you know, those ridiculously well marinated chicken thighs they stick on a skewer) and Aaron might get some Crab Rangoon.

Red, White, and Blue Smoothie

I really wanted to post this for Independence Day, but things got so busy that I never did get my camera into the kitchen while making one.  This is kind of a go-to breakfast here.  I've been getting lots of fresh fruits at the store since they're in season, but we can never finish all of the fruit.  I'll buy two pints of blueberries, but only use one before they start to go bad.  I work fruit into the menu whenever possible.  Still, sometimes the fruit goes bad and I feel so lousy throwing it away.

Menu for 7/15/13-7/21/13

I'm not sure how your area has been, but this has been the rainiest summer I can remember.  I can't complain too much since it has kept the heat down some, but it's crazy humid and hardly ever sunny long enough for us to go out and play.  Saturday while I was visiting Mom's cats and picking up her mail we had a downpour so heavy that it flooded my way home.  I had to make a U-turn and find another route.  According to the 5-day forecast here we're looking at 2 days of mostly sunny weather for Bailey to enjoy some outside play time!

Fresh Green Beans and Corn Off the Cob

We spent all day Tuesday freezing corn.  It's all the corn my Nana is getting this summer so we had 7 dozen ears of corn to put back.  It had to be shucked, silked, cut off the cob, cooked, cooled, and bagged for the freezer.  I know my Nana and Mamaw used to do this every year when I was little, but this is the first time I've ever done more than help shuck the corn.  I got to do most of the cooking (which is way too easy because it cooks in the microwave) and bagging.  Each bag gets about 3 ears worth of corn in it and is enough to feed 2-3 people.  It's already cooked and seasoned so all you have to do is thaw it and heat it up before you serve it.  I had a blast but it is hard work.  I'm glad I don't have to do that every day.

Lemon Chicken Romano

Well, this was our new recipe for the week and it turned out spectacular!  I was very pleased, especially for a first attempt.  The chicken was tender and juicy, not overcooked, the crust was crispy, and the cheese was melted and bubbly brown the way I like it.  The breading was delicious and well seasoned.  I think the lemon zest and fresh oregano do a lot for this recipe.

Menu for 7/8/13-7/14/13

I'm hoping to get to share my chicken salad recipe with you this week, maybe my family's fried okra recipe (which is pretty much the best thing in the whole world), and our new recipe for the week which I found on Pinterest.  It looks awesome; I can't wait to try it!  I am also looking forward to making some bread this week.  I need to restock my freezer.  We're almost out of honey yeast knots and sandwich bread.  I have to go grocery shopping tomorrow, but when I get back it's going to be a bread baking festival in my kitchen.

Grilled Meatball and Mozzarella Sandwiches

As I've said before, I eat most of the leftovers around here.  I reheat some leftovers, such as chili, hot dogs, and mashed potatoes, but I will eat leftover chicken, pizza, pasta, steak, and a whole mess of other things cold right out of the fridge.

Pretty much the only leftovers I just don't like to eat are meatballs because they just don't taste good cold or reheated, unless you take the time to reheat them on the stove, and I never seem to have leftover pasta so I have to cook fresh pasta to eat the leftovers.  The only way I can get Aaron to eat leftover anything is to use it in a different way.  We use leftover chicken from dinner to make sandwiches or quesadillas for example.

Cheesy Chicken Baked Potatoes

Happy Independence Day everyone!

Today has been just plain ugly.  It rained almost all day.  It was even sprinkling when we stepped outside to watch our neighbors' fireworks.  That's probably okay since they scared the living daylights out of Bailey.  She was so conflicted, wanting to watch the pretty part but wanting to hide from the sound.

Since the forecast for the day was like 90% rain all day we decided not to do a cookout.  I was fine with that decision being that I would have ended up standing in front of the hot grill either in the rain or in the 90 degree heat.  The only problem was that I didn't know what to make for dinner.  I didn't buy anything to cook tonight and I don't generally keep extras of anything around.  I did happen to have 2 extra chicken breasts for the week, the boxed macaroni and cheese that I keep stocked in the cabinet, half a crown of broccoli from last week that was still good, and some extra potatoes.  I chose to make something new since technically it is new recipe night, and I have been on a baked potato kick for the last few weeks.

I used to order a spud at McAlister's Deli that had deli ham and turkey, cheese, and black olives.  There was another one I used to get that was topped with grilled chicken and mozzarella.  I made a sort of cross of the two.  I used baked chicken, black olives, butter, and shredded colby jack cheese.  It was a delicious combination and a very satisfying meal.  I don't think Aaron was quite as excited about it as I was, but he'll get over it when I make the spaghetti and meatballs tomorrow night.

Creamy, Cheesy Potatoes

Sometimes I find a recipe that seems just too good to be true.  This is one of those recipes.  It's only 3 ingredients!  Despite the excessive amount of time it takes to bake, it is absolutely delicious.

One Christmas my Aunt Chuck came to visit and made these amazing potatoes.  They were sliced thin and layered in a baking dish with sharp cheddar cheese, blue cheese, and cream, then baked in the oven until the potatoes were tender and the cheese and cream had turned into a wonderful melty, crunchy...

Menu for 7/1/13-7/7/13

After the excitement of the hospital Friday I was relieved today when Dad cancelled dinner tonight.  I was looking forward to having some down time.  We did get together for ice cream this evening.  I got to share some wonderful mocha almond fudge with Bailey.  Actually, she ate some of everyone's ice cream.  She kept stealing bites of Dad and CJ's mint chocolate chip too.

This is what it's like having a child with a medical condition.

Well, we got to spend an unexpected 5 hours at Children's Hospital on Friday.  Isn't that what you do when your child has a tummy ache?  No?

Unfortunately because of Bailey's shunt every tiny headache and stomach bug is probably going to mean a trip to the emergency room.  See, some of the symptoms of inter cranial pressure are headaches and vomiting.  So when she woke up Friday morning crying and then threw up before I could even get her some breakfast I called the pediatrician.  I'm assuming that's pretty routine.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

I remember when I was little and Mom would make oatmeal raisin cookies and I thought they were the best cookies ever.  They probably were pretty darn good, but for some reason I can't seem to make good oatmeal raisin cookies.  I thought it was just me.  I thought I was doing something wrong.  I have a friend who is an amazing cook, but can't make a cookie to save her life.  Even frozen cookie dough turns out wrong when she bakes it.  I thought maybe I just wasn't meant to make oatmeal raisin cookies just like my friend.

Herb Crusted Chicken with Basil Cream Sauce

Tonight I was completely blown away by dinner.  I've been anticipating this recipe all month.  It's the one new recipe I picked just for me because I wasn't entirely sure Aaron would eat it.  I put it off until the end of the month, stupidly.  I wish I could make it again tomorrow night, and the next night.  I wish I could eat this sauce on pasta and potatoes and vegetables and pork chops and chicken every day for the rest of my life.  It's so good, I think I could eat it on cardboard and still enjoy it.

Menu for 6/24/13-6/30/13

Well, I finally got my hair cut this week.  I was supposed to have had it cut for my birthday last month.  I love to have my hair short but it doesn't flatter my face.  I have a very fat, square jaw that looks even more fat and square when my hair is short.  I tend to leave my hair shoulder length or longer so my face doesn't look so fat.  I love layers though and they make my fine hair look more full.  The girl cut it shorter than I had expected, but this time it worked out.  Though it took a few days to get used to I'm really happy with it.

Pizza Dough

Ah, this is a go-to recipe for me.  It always turns out perfect and it freezes well.  I have made this dough so many times that I know the measurements by heart.  I use it for pizzas, calzones, and occasionally I will make plain old cheesy garlic bread with it.

Chicken Parmesan Baked Pasta

Oh man, I've been waiting to try this one for months!  It's been calling my name all week... "Sara, cook me."

Seriously, I've wanted to try this since I first pinned it in, like, February.  The pictures on the original post look so appetizing, which is saying a lot because most photographed food doesn't look appetizing at all, including mine.  I frequently wonder how Ree and Annie (Pioneer Woman and Annie's Eats) get such amazing photographs of their food, but then they probably spend hours setting up the food just so and perfecting the lighting and such whereas I usually snap a photo of my plate just before I dig in.

Chicken, Bacon, and Ranch Macaroni and Cheese

Today has been exhausting!  Bailey's last tooth is finally coming in.  She has been refusing to drink her milk (and I won't give her any juice until she drinks at least 3/4 of her milk) and she has completely missed nap time three days in a row.  We ended up getting home from the store too late for her to nap today.  She has been whiny, needy, and clingy.  I really need a break.  Thankfully Mom has the summer off work so maybe she will keep Bailey some day this week so I can go get my hair done and maybe take myself a little nap.

Menu for 6/17/13-6/23/13

Dollywood was a blast!

Bailey spent the whole day soaked from playing in the water areas.  We had to buy her new shoes because hers were wet.

Loaded Potato and Buffalo Chicken Casserole

I know, I know... another casserole.  Another potato casserole at that.  I'm sorry, but I can't help falling for those potatoes every time I see a recipe.

I was skeptical about this recipe.  Like the Buffalo Chicken Pasta Bake from last month, it's made with hot sauce which gives it a buffalo flavor.  I probably mentioned this before, but buffalo sauce turns my stomach ever since I was pregnant with Bailey.

Fried Apple Fritters

Hands up everyone who loves a delicious fried confection for breakfast!  I know I do.  I have an unhealthy relationship with doughnuts as it is, but apple fritters have always been a favorite of mine.

Menu for 6/10/13-6/16/13

Since Dad had plans tonight, my brother came over to our house for dinner.  We made one of his favorite dinners, beef stroganoff.  I'm not really a fan, but I let him choose the meal.  It's one of those things he wants to learn how to cook for himself, so I don't mind making teaching him.

Blackberry Cobbler

One of my favorite things about summer is the fresh produce.  You get strawberries, green beans, corn, blueberries, cherries, and of course blackberries.

When I was little, my Nana would can and freeze vegetables and she made her own jams and jellies (and apple butter, yum) and we would have delicious homemade goodies all year round.  She canned green beans and tomatoes, froze fresh corn off the cob and fried okra, and made blackberry jam and apple jelly.

Glazed Pork Chops

Have you ever pinned something on Pinterest and the description that the previous Pinner wrote was way wrong?  I have been looking at these glazed pork chops for awhile now and the description the previous Pinner wrote said "put them in the crockpot along with about 2-3 cups of apple juice and let them cook on low all day (about 8 hours). SO tender, no need for a knife" so I had been assuming for weeks that all I would need was apple juice.  (My fault for not checking the actual recipe.)  It turns out there is no apple juice involved in the original recipe.

Asian Slaw

So, we've had another change in plans.  My cousin decided she wanted us to cook lunch for Nana and Grandpa together.  She made some delicious grilled chicken and mashed potatoes (and cornbread, apparently she uses Paula Deen's recipe which I am going to have to look up because it was the best cornbread I've ever had) and I brought Asian slaw and blackberry cobbler (more on that later.)  I didn't know what to make since most of the time when I'm asked to bring a side dish I go for a pasta or a potato or rice, but she was already making potatoes.  I looked to Pinterest for some help, but came up pretty dry.  I found a list of vegetable side dishes, but none were really appealing at the moment, and I had this Asian slaw in my "Already Tried It" board.

Menu for 6/3/2013-6/9/2013

As of Friday morning we are a pacifier free house!  We weaned Bailey from her pacifier gently over the last 4 days.  She really only used it during naps and at bedtime anyway so it was easier than I had expected.  I made her take her nap Wednesday and Thursday without a pacifier, then Friday morning I took it from her when she woke up and didn't give it back.  Wednesday was really rough.  We had a 4 hour nap time because she cried for almost 2 hours before she finally fell asleep.  Thursday was almost as bad.  She cried for 20 minutes, slept for 40 minutes, then woke up and cried for another hour.  Friday at nap time she cried for about 20 minutes then slept for over 2 hours.  At bedtime she cried only a few minutes then went on to sleep.  She only woke up once during the night and did not require the pacifier to get back to sleep.  She napped Saturday with no problems and went to bed without crying at all.  We are so lucky to have such a good little girl.

Spaghetti and Meatballs

I have an easygoing style of cooking.  I estimate rather than measure most ingredients.  I improvise when I discover I'm out of an ingredient (though that rarely happens) and I modify recipes to accommodate peoples' preferences.  As a result I have a difficult time giving specific instructions for certain recipes, especially original recipes.

How I spend my Tuesdays

We start with breakfast.  As soon as Bailey wakes up she gets some milk and some breakfast.  Usually I feed her yogurt with multi-grain Cheerios in it.  She likes to drop the Cheerios in herself.  Yogurt requires little effort on my part.  I don't have to cook it or even cut it up like some of her foods.  I rarely feed Bailey breakfast in the high chair except on weekends.  We generally share a bowl of cereal or oatmeal, or I break pieces off of my muffin for her.  On particularly lazy days I pour Cheerios and raisins or cranberries on her high chair tray and let her feed herself while she runs around the house.  I buy baby or toddler yogurt for her which is made with whole milk.

Menu for 5/27/13-6/2/13

Two years ago this weekend Aaron and I were preparing for a Memorial Day cookout with his family.  I was 3 months pregnant, couldn't fit in my normal clothes already, and the best part was that we hadn't told his family about the baby yet.  I remember standing in Aaron's parents' kitchen with his sister-in-law who glanced down at my belly (or probably just blinked but what I saw her do was stare at my belly) and I was thinking Oh my gosh!  Does she know?  Please don't let her tell his parents before we get a chance to.

She still says that she had no idea.  She says that every woman in her family has always assumed that she already knew they were pregnant before they told her.  She says that she is so oblivious to the world around her that she never knows until they tell her.  I'm sure that's true, but it truly felt like she knew.  I kept waiting for her to take me aside and ask me, but she never did.

Memorial Day always makes me think of Grandfather.  Dad's dad.  He was a Colonel in the Air Force.  He died in Vietnam on August 2, 1967.  Dad was only 10 at the time.  Dad is named after him.  Grandfather was a Jr, Dad is the III, and my Dad named my brother (he says) after Grandfather as well, so my brother is the IV.  Although I have no first hand knowledge of Grandfather's personality, Dad and his sisters say that he was a great man and a great father, and I believe it.  I miss him.  How is it possible to miss someone you never met?

My distant cousins found my Grandfather's name on the Vietnam memorial wall.

Anyway, it is Memorial Day weekend and we will be grilling on Monday.  I will be manning the grill again, making some delicious burgers and probably some hot dogs as well.  I may spend Sunday night working on hot dog and hamburger buns because homemade ones are just so much better than store bought.  What else should you enjoy on the unofficial opening weekend of summer?  In my opinion: Barbecue!

Strawberry Buttercream

Tomorrow will be the last time I see my cousin Z for 6 months.  He will be in Kenya doing mission work, helping build schools or something like that from what I understand.  It's a shame he has to leave right now because Bailey is at the perfect age to play with him.  She will miss him so much, but it's a good thing he's doing and I'm proud of him.  He's the youngest of Nana and Grandpa's four grandchildren and this is one of the most independent things he's done so far.

Cheesy Potato and Smoked Sausage Casserole

Well, we have discovered yet another food that Aaron does not like: smoked sausage.  As disappointed as I am, I have come to a point where I just don't think I need to cook around his tastes quite so much.  So what if he doesn't like smoked sausage.  Bailey does.  I think from now on I'll cook around her tastes more than his.

Hysterical Laughter

I've been posting so many recipes lately I feel like all I ever talk about is food.

It's true, food is a passion of mine, but there are lots of other things in my life that I keep meaning to share with you.  Either I'm so tired from cooking or playing with Bailey that I fall asleep typing or I just forget by the time I do get computer time.

Chicken Parmesan

I've been working on a new method for cooking chicken.  I always seem to burn chicken when I cook it on the stove and it never gets the color I like when I cook it in the oven.  I read somewhere (and honestly, don't ask me where because I have completely forgotten) that if you start meat on the stove and finish it in the oven that you get the color without burning it.  I tried it with my Blackened Chicken on my birthday and it seemed to work well.

Menu for 5/20/13-5/26/13

Do you mind if I overload you with adorable for a minute?  Bailey has been wanting to wear her boots ever since her birthday but they were just way too big for her.  She finally fits in them now (well, with 2 pairs of socks on) and she is just the happiest kid ever when I let her wear them.  She keeps bringing them to me so I can put them on her and she stomps on the hardwood floor to hear the neat sound they make.  Isn't it cool when everything is new to you?

Honey Garlic Pork Chops

For some reason we don't eat a lot of pork in our house.  I love pork chops.  When I was young one of the first meals I learned to cook was pork chops cooked in French dressing with broccoli and cheese rice and creamed corn.  Yes, the meal was completely my creation (besides the French dressing, that was my Dad) and I chose the sides and everything.

Menu for 5/13/13-5/19/13

Mother's Day was great!  It's only my second year celebrating as a mother so it's still really special to me.  Bailey and I spent the day with Yaya playing outside with new toys.  We took Yaya out for Mexican for dinner and Bailey got to try her first chips and salsa.  Yaya even helped her dip her chips.

I woke up today in an empty bed, wondering where Aaron had gone.  I checked the bathroom, the living room, the kitchen, looked outside and didn't see his truck, and finally went to get my phone to call him before I realized that it was Monday and Aaron was at work.  I think someone needs more sleep.

Cracker Barrel Grilled Chicken Tenders

Are you one of those people who is always looking for the menu items at a restaurant that sound healthy?  I am.  I'm fully aware that just because something is listed as grilled doesn't mean that the chef didn't drench it in steak butter before putting it on my plate (and in the process make it both totally delicious and totally not fit my allotted calories for the meal), but I feel like a failure when I don't at least order the item that sounds healthy.  Lucky for me I love salads and whether you load them with fatty cheeses, meats, and dressings or not they still sound healthy when you order them.

Butterfinger Buttercream

I scoured my Pinterest "Desserts" board to find a recipe for my birthday cake and finally landed on a pin that was titled "Butterfinger Cupcakes."  I thought, Fantastic!  Cupcakes with Butterfinger in them!  When I looked at the recipe I realized I was mistaken because the recipe doesn't actually cover the cupcakes at all.  It's only a recipe for the frosting.  I was a bit disappointed because I was hoping for the Butterfinger cupcake recipe, but I went ahead and made a batch of these chocolate cupcakes from Annie's Eats.  (Note: The link is actually for her Turtle Cupcakes, but the cupcake recipe is her standard chocolate cupcake base.  She just changes the frosting.)

Blackened Chicken, Roasted Broccoli, and Black Beans and Rice

My two favorite vegetables are asparagus and broccoli.  Aaron doesn't eat either.  I love rice and beans, and black beans and rice used to be one of my favorite meatless meals.  Aaron doesn't eat rice or beans.  I haven't had blackened chicken in over two years.  The last time I had it was my Grandpa's birthday when I was pregnant with Bailey.  It's one of those things that I used to get when we went out to eat, but we go out so seldom now.  Aaron says it's too spicy for him (but he can eat tons of buffalo wings, I don't get the difference) so I've never made it at home before.

Menu for 5/6/13-5/12/13

I've had a fun week.  Bailey had her 18 month physical on Friday and she is a very healthy girl.  Nana and Grandpa bought me lunch after Bailey's appointment and I finally satisfied that craving for Chinese food (ginger chicken with broccoli and fried rice).  To make things even more awesome my birthday is Wednesday!  Tonight we celebrated with my Dad, and his girlfriend made me lemony-garlicky shrimp pasta!  Wow!  It was so delicious!  More awesomeness:  My dad ordered me a new KitchenAid stand mixer.  I cannot wait for it to get here so I can try it out.  It comes with the dough hook, the paddle, and the whisk, and also a pasta attachment.  I've never made my own pasta successfully so I'm just itching to use that.

Buffalo Chicken Pasta Bake

Aaron has an unhealthy obsession with Pizza Hut's boneless buffalo wings.  On Wednesdays they have a deal where the wings are only 50 cents each.  An 8 piece buffalo wings only costs $4.  Back when I used to go to Mom's on Wednesdays instead of Tuesdays Aaron used to order wings while I was out.  He's been trying to find a cheaper substitute because Pizza Hut is kind of expensive, but nothing really compares to Pizza Hut.

Menu for 4/29/13-5/5/13

What an awesome weekend!  Spent a night in NC and got to see Celtic Woman live, lil' P had his first birthday party (where Bailey ate her weight in fruit), and Aaron had his first experience being alone with Bailey overnight.  Needless to say, I am worn out!

Yaya's Sausage and Squash Stuffed Manicotti

I know I've said this before, but there's just nothing like my Mom's cooking.  And my Mom has a very interesting style of cooking.  She will see a picture or description of a recipe and try to make it without actually using the recipe.  Sometimes she totally misses, but most of the time her food is great, and occasionally she hits one out of the park.  This is one of my favorite recipes that is a completely original Yaya creation.

Refried Beans

Awhile back Taco Bell changed their menu (again) and brought back an item that I hadn't seen in at least 12 years.  I used to order them all the time because they were vegetarian and didn't have onions or tomatoes.  Tostadas.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

When I first joined Pinterest I pinned a ton of recipes (and not much else) and then just forgot about my account for awhile.  In the past few months I've come to kind of rely on Pinterest to help me find information quickly.  I use it for everything from knitting and crocheting stitches, to decorating tips (not that I use them that often, but I do get ideas), to organization and cleaning tips (including some recipes for homemade cleaners that cost a fraction what store bought ones do and are less toxic and clean just as well), to tips on parenting, and finally recipes of all kinds.

Menu for 4/22/13-4/28/13

This has been a very relaxing week.  Minus the frantic cleaning on Monday and Tuesday to get the house ready for my Mom to come over for dinner, we have had a week with lots of playing outside, staying in pajamas all morning, and chilling in front of the television.  Friday afternoon Aaron came home from work early and took Bailey out to his parents' house and let me have a few hours off.  I took a shower without listening for a scream, went to the grocery store without having to pry merchandise away from tiny, sticky hands, and then ate lunch while watching television at a volume I can actually hear and without having to hold the food out of reach of a little one.  It was a very nice bit of Mommy-time.

Admiral made fish last night (one of my favorites!) and Bailey sat at the table with us instead of in a high chair.  She did move around quite a bit, turning around in her chair and trying to stand up sometimes, but for the most part she sat and ate, off of a big girl plate, with a big girl fork, at the big girl table.  My dad was surprised by how well she behaved at the table.  She actually didn't turn her plate over either and that is one of her favorite things to do at dinner.  She ate almost 2 whole pieces of fish!  I think she takes after Mommy.

So this week is going to be strange.  Our schedule is getting swapped around some because Nana has a doctor's appointment on Tuesday.  We are going to take her a birthday cake (about a week late) on Wednesday instead of Tuesday.  There is no new recipe this week, but on Thursday I will be attempting to replicate one of my favorite meals that my mom created.  I'm a little nervous because there is no recipe to follow and I have to leave out the veggies that I liked so much in it because Aaron won't eat them.

Friday night I will be going to Cherokee, NC with Aaron's sister-in-law to see Celtic Women.  I'm excited!  We will be spending the night because the show will be ending around midnight (and who wants to drive 2 hours home after the show?) so Aaron will have Bailey all by himself overnight for the first time.  He did great when I went to Atlanta with my brother and I got home around 3:30 in the morning so I'm not worried.  I know he'll do great!  Then when I get home on Saturday we have to pack up to go to my cousin J's house for 'lil P's birthday party.  He's 1 year old as of yesterday!  I hope Bailey is good at the party because it is right around nap time for her and she will probably be super tired.

Honey Wheat Rolls

I absolutely love making bread!  I love eating it too and since I made my own butter for the very first time this week I have been dying to try it on some fresh, hot bread.  I also have been wanting to test some wheat bread recipes.

Bowtie Skillet Lasagna

Today is my Nana's birthday!  That's her on the right with her twin sister on the left.  She is an amazing and wonderful woman!  I love her so, so much, I just wanted to share her with everyone!

Creamy taco mac

Raise your hand if you actually like Hamburger Helper!

Okay, I don't love Hamburger Helper but there's something to be said for a meal that is so easy to get on the table.  It's loaded with all kinds of preservatives and tons of sodium and all that other stuff you don't really want to put in your body, but it's quick, it's hot, and most varieties are pretty tasty.  (I particularly like the Cheesy Chicken Enchilada flavor and I add some black beans to it then bake it in the oven with cheese on top and serve it as a dip with tortilla chips!)

Taco Seasoning

I love tacos, and quesadillas, and taco salads, and... well, you get the picture.  I love tex-mex recipes.  I love almost any recipe that calls for taco seasoning!  What I don't love?  The crazy additives and sodium content of packaged taco seasoning mixes.  In fact, the first two ingredients on the list for my favorite brand are maltodextrin and salt, neither of which are in my recipe.  There is also MSG (yuck), yellow corn flour (why?), partially hydrogenated soy bean oil (gag!), ethoxyquin (preservative, ick!), and silicon dioxide (which is basically sand and while it's supposedly harmless when used in such small amounts in foods to keep powders from clumping, it still bothers me that I'm eating sand).

Taco Tater Tot Bake

Tonight's dinner certainly wasn't pretty, but it was packed with flavor!  I love anything "Mexican" even though most of what we Americans call Mexican is really Tex-Mex.  I like foods with taco seasoning and green chiles.  I adore beans and corn, enchilada sauce, and who doesn't like cheese?  So when you put all of that over delicious tater tots it creates a wonderful mixture of delicious flavors.

Menu for 4/15/13-4/21/13

I spent part of yesterday at my best friend's house for her cousin's wedding shower.  I provided some of the food for it as well.  I made tea cakes and petit fours since it was a tea party.

The tea cakes are a family recipe.  I will be sharing them eventually.  The petit fours were especially simple.  I did have some complications but they were caused by time constraints and not by the instructions.

Banana poke cake

This week I have been completely swamped.  Monday afternoon as I was making dinner, on the phone with my friend, discussing the tea cakes and petit fours for her cousin's wedding shower/tea party, I got another call from a woman who is a sales rep for 31.  She asked if I could make her 8 dozen black and pink, purse shaped cookies by Thursday.  I should have turned her down, especially knowing what all I had on my plate (the wedding shower food, Aaron's mom's birthday cake and dinner, and ya know, all the stuff I normally do during the week) but she said she would pay me double, so I couldn't bring myself to turn down the money.

Menu for 4/8/13-4/14/13

This week is Aaron's mother's birthday.  I am responsible for bringing cake for her birthday and I have decided to go with a banana poke cake (which I found on Pinterest).  I am also providing the sweet goodies for a wedding shower with a tea party theme.  I will be making petit fours and tea cakes.  I'm hoping the petit fours are not difficult because I will be attempting to make them the same day as the cake and the tea cakes, and I will be working Saturday morning (you know, for actual money) so I won't have most of Saturday to get it all together.  I would also prefer not to work on them too late on Friday night since I will have to get up early on Saturday, and Bailey has a habit of being up all night on nights when I need to be sleeping.

Breakfast burritos

I try to keep a variety of foods in our breakfast menu because it seems like Bailey gets tired of things quickly.  I can only feed her Cheerios and bananas and yogurt so many days before she flat out refuses to eat it anymore.  So today I tried out an easy new (to her) meal.

Crock pot Italian chicken and vegetables

I think my family may have discovered a wonderful new idea.  Tuesday night for dinner at Yaya's house we had a leftover swap.  My brother brought leftover pizza, I brought Spicy Sausage Pasta Skillet, and Yaya had a to-go box full of delicious Mexican food.  My brother and I shared Yaya's leftovers and Yaya ate mine.  Bailey had the pizza.  It was a brilliant plan.  We all got rid of our leftovers and got to eat something new.  Bailey particularly enjoyed the meaty pizza.  She's used to having veggie loaded Calzones instead.

Honey white sandwich bread

In case no one had noticed, I make a lot of homemade bread here.  I have nothing against store-bought bread.  I just happen to like the taste of homemade better.  I make my own hamburger buns (in fact, I haven't bought hamburger buns in at least nine months) and several kinds of rolls including garlic knots and honey yeast rolls.  I make some delicious pizza dough with rosemary.  You should smell the house when the pizza is cooking; the whole place smells like rosemary.  I make a peasant bread that doesn't require any kneading and is absolutely fabulous and deceptively easy.

Menu for 4/1/13-4/7/13

How was your Easter?

Mine was great!  Exhausting, but great.  Bailey got to wear her beautiful new dress with her adorable little sweater.  We went to Nana's house for lunch and ate fried chicken tenders and ham and chocolate brownie parfait (someone in my family calls it chocolate lush stuff) and then we went out to Grandmother and Papaw's house for dinner.

Honey yeast knots

Another crazy, busy Saturday for my family.  We showed up at Aaron's parents' house to find out that we had two extra guests for dinner.  Aaron's nephews spent Spring Break at Grandmother and Papaw's house.  Luckily breakfast casserole can be made to feed an army.  I had pre-made a dozen biscuits this morning so dinner only took about 45 minutes to get together.

Italian pasta salad

Hey Ocean was amazing!  I had so much fun at the concert.  The opening bands were great as well.  The first band was The Plainview, then Pocket Dreams played (they were really awesome, I was super impressed), and right before Hey Ocean was We Are the City.  I missed Bailey, but it was a really fantastic night.  I would do it again in a heartbeat.

DIY Chocolate Syrup

Tonight we had pizza baked spaghetti made with my homemade spaghetti sauce.  I made a whole box of linguini, poured the whole recipe of spaghetti sauce over it, covered it with 2 cups of cheese and about 25 pepperonis.  I baked it for about 20 minutes at 375 degrees and it turned out just perfect!  Bailey even ate real spaghetti noodles.  She's only eaten them one other time.

Menu for 3/25/13-3/31/13

It has been another crazy week.  It seems like every week is crazy here lately.  I was going to post yesterday, but by the time I got home last night I was too tired to even turn the computer on.  Yesterday was a busy day anyway.  I never stopped all day.  We were just about to leave the house when my phone rang yesterday.  I was packing the food up to make dinner at Grandmother and Papaw's house and it was Aaron's nephew calling to let us know that he and his brother and sister would be there for dinner too.  They're 10, 12, and 14 years old.  They eat a lot.  I suddenly had to double the recipe.  I grabbed some more chicken out of the freezer and another block of cheese from the fridge.  I had to grab another box of macaroni and Aaron had to run to the store to get cream of chicken soup.

Lasagna soup

It's new recipe night at our house!  I scoured my Pinterest "Dinners" board to find a recipe that Aaron would eat and finally settled on this one:  Lasagna soup!  It's an adaptation of a Paula Deen recipe, and who could possible turn down anything by Paula Deen?

Chicken stuffed shells

Didn't your mom make the best food ever?  When you think of the food of your childhood your mom's food should really stand out.  You will probably always compare everyone else's food to hers, even when you shouldn't.  Men do it all the time.  How many times have you heard a man complaining about his wife's cooking?  "That's not how Mama makes it," they whine.  Well, it may not be how your Mama makes it, but it's how I make it and if you don't like it you can go eat at your Mama's house.

Menu for 3/18/13-3/24/13

Wow!  What a fun weekend we've had!  A very busy week and a fun weekend.  We went to Ripley's Aquarium on Saturday with Grandmother and Aunt Shelia.  Bailey had a blast looking at all of the fish and the sharks and rays.  Her favorite part was the penguins.  They swam right up to the glass!  She even came home with a new stuffed penguin wearing a tutu.  It was a long day, but the look on her face when she saw all the fish was totally worth it.

Chili dog casserole

My house smells so good today!  I had chili simmering on the stove all day for tonight's dinner.

The past few days have been a little hectic.  Monday night we had beef stew and due to a tiny mishap in my grocery shopping I hadn't bought any stew meat.  I ended up running to the store before I could cook dinner and that meant dinner was late.  Tuesday we went to Nana's and Yaya's and got some adorable pictures of Bailey for Easter.

Menu for 3/11/13-3/17/13

Did anyone else have trouble getting up after the time change?  My morning was complicated by having spent half the night in the recliner with a fussy 16 month old.  I'm not sure what was wrong with her, but she had a lot of crying to get out before she finally settled all snuggly on my shoulder.  I'm actually really glad for the opportunity to snuggle because unless she is already asleep she tends to push me away.

Lasagna

The first year that Aaron and I were together I asked him what he wanted me to make for dinner for his birthday.  He said he wanted lasagna.  I had no idea how to make lasagna.  This was nine years ago.  It was before I could just get online and find a recipe for almost anything I wanted to make.  Since I didn't know what else to do I called my Nana and asked for her recipe.

Spicy sausage pasta skillet

I have been so excited about this recipe for weeks.  I don't know if I repinned it from a friend or if I discovered it on my own on Pinterest or when I was blog surfing.  I can't remember, but after making my post on Sunday with my menu for the week I noticed that one of the blogs I follow had the same title for her Sunday night post.  She must have found the recipe and gotten as excited as I did.  Hers sounded almost like mine, except of course I had to make a substitution to please the picky eater around here and hers used a different type of cheese.

Nana's creamed potatoes

A little less than a year ago my cousin had a handsome little baby boy.  He was premature and spent about 12 weeks in the hospital.  When J and her husband finally got to bring their little bundle home everyone pitched in and brought over dinner for a couple of weeks to help out.

Chicken and dumplings

When it comes to chicken and dumplings, I'm not a fan of homemade dumplings.  I don't particularly like fluffy dumplings.  They always just seem soggy to me.  Mom and Nana have always made dumplings with canned biscuits as long as I can remember.  Those are the dumplings I prefer so those are the dumplings I make.  Of all the foods that I make homemade because they are just better/fresher/healthier... I will never add dumplings to that list.

Menu for 3/4/13-3/10/13 and menu planning tips

I'd like to start off with the menu this time.  It will help you understand my process.

Crock pot Italian chicken and pasta

Crock pots are just a really wonderful invention.  For one thing, it makes it a lot easier to clean up dinner when everything has cooked together in the crock pot.  There's no need to keep an eye on dinner so there's more time to finish all of your other chores.  A crock pot meal is perfect for a new mom, a busy day of errands, or during spring cleaning when you just don't have time to stop cleaning and make dinner.  It's a huge help for moms who work outside the home as well.  I don't use mine as often as I'd like to, but I'm hoping that I'll get to use it more as I work through the recipes I've pinned on Pinterest.

Chicken taco casserole

Aaron likes most of what I cook.  He has some very picky tastes that I work around so that he's gotten to where he mostly just eats whatever I cook.

One night, about five years ago, I was at a friend's house and she was making supper for her family and she made this delicious-looking Mexican lasagna of sorts.  It had layers of flour tortillas, beans, rice, ground beef with taco seasoning, salsa, and lots and lots of cheese.  It looked so good that I decided I had to try it.