Why I'm Thankful for the Emergency Animal Hospital

See I've got this cat, Rhada, and she's no kitten. She's probably over 10 years old but we're not really sure because she was an adult when we acquired her. She has liver disease for which she was treated in January of 2013 (when I was really sure I'd lost her) and she's been pretty much okay ever since. Except this week she's been acting sick. She was sleeping more than usual and acting more irritable than normal.

Menu for 8/25/14-8/31/14

I seriously have one of the sweetest kids on the planet and she has been extra sweet this week.

Monday night at dinner she stole some snuggle time with Nana. They read all of Nana's books at least twice.

2:00 AM Chili

I have been craving chili for weeks now. Aaron keeps saying he's not in the mood for it but I just couldn't wait any longer. I made the decision during nap time today that it was time for chili and he could just deal with it.

Menu for 8/18/14-8/24/14

I hope everyone had a fantastic week! I certainly did. I have an exciting announcement. I was included in the Reader Love post on Annie's Eats this month. I was so pleased to see the photo of Bailey on her blog but when I read what she wrote about it I was deeply touched. She said such kind things! But then she's such a kind person I should have expected it. Anyway, click the link above if you want to check it out.

Taco Stuffed Shells

I would have to call this meal Tex-Mex/Italian fusion. It's a satisfying combination of Italian pasta and Tex-Mex taco meat smothered in cheese with salsa in place of the marinara sauce.

Menu for 8/11/14-8/17/14

What a fun week!

My cousin's new baby was born Monday. After a tough pregnancy with Li'l P and several weeks in the NICU when he was born 12 weeks early, this pregnancy and birth went quite smoothly. I haven't gotten to meet him yet but I have seen some pictures and he's just beautiful. So congratulations to J and her family!

Chicken Parmesan Sliders

I very rarely get to have a sandwich for dinner and even when I do it's not the kind of sandwich where you just slap some meat and bread together and eat. No, if I'm going to have a sandwich for dinner it's going to be something more sophisticated.

Wishlist Wednesday August 2014

Oh man, I have some exciting wishes this month! I've been thinking about this post for weeks now and I almost couldn't wait until August to share it with you. Let's get to it!

A Wish for a Hearty Breakfast:

Black Forest Oats from An Edible Mosaic

As many of you know, I love oatmeal. I have several recipes I rotate regularly but none are as amped up as this and since cherries are in season now it's the perfect time to try this recipe. Chocolate chips, juicy cherries, and toasty pecans combined with rich, nutty steel cut oats are just what I need to jump start my day.

Menu for 8/4/14-8/10/14

I have been a lazy, lazy, no good housewife this week. I haven't cleaned much except to keep the mess at bay and abandoned my menu for breakfast and lunch, resorting to things like store-bought bagels and simple sandwiches. Poor Bailey probably doesn't want to see another pop-tart or bowl of trail mix for a month.

I don't know what got into me this week but I just couldn't motivate myself to do anything. I slept more than usual. Still not enough though, never enough. I've been unbelievably thirsty too which I think is probably due to the heat. Not that we had any abnormally warm weather for the end of July, but it's still warmer than I really care for and heat always makes me feel like lying around the house, watching television, and generally trying to move as little as possible.

Menu for 7/28/14-8/3/14

A day late, I'm so sorry about that, but our weekend was packed with activities and by the time I got home last night and put Bailey in bed (and then went back in to hold her because the thunder scared her) I was just too exhausted to turn the computer on.

I'm so excited to say that Bailey has been much more tolerant of pulling her hair back the past couple of weeks.

Chicken and Tortellini Soup

Ah, comfort food.

Comfort food is different for everyone. It's usually the foods that you remember from childhood. Meals that your mother made for you, especially the kinds of meals that didn't make it into regular rotation on the menu.

Crock Pot Italian Chicken and Pasta (updated)

Don't worry, I haven't changed the recipe a bit. It's just that the photographs for the original post were so blurry that I wanted to give this recipe a second go. It is one of my favorite recipes. I make it once a month and I wouldn't change a thing.

Lazy Baked Ziti

If you have all day to work on dinner (making homemade sauce and such) I would recommend going with Pioneer Woman's version of Baked Ziti. However, if you don't have the time for all that (or if you're feeling particularly lazy) this is a great alternative.

Menu for 7/21/14-7/27/14

I would like to begin with an apology. I am so sorry that there was no new recipe last week. I had planned on posting the crock pot beef and broccoli recipe but it did not turn out at all like I had hoped. The recipe needs some tweaking before sharing. This week should include an update to one of my earliest posted recipes and three new recipes.

Updates

In case you haven't noticed there are a few updates to the page. I've added some new features to help readers navigate the page and to highlight some of the most popular posts.

There's a search bar at the top left corner where you can type in what you're looking for and get a list of matches or near matches. Also, along the top of the page under the blog title is a sort of index to guide you to a particular type of recipe. For example you can click chicken and you'll get a list of all of the dishes that include or feature chicken.

Menu for 7/14/14-7/20/14

Maybe it's because of the heat or lack of sleep but I've felt like every day of this week has been incredibly long! It's like bedtime can never come soon enough but then when it does finally come I'm suddenly wide awake and can't get any rest.

It has been a good week though. We've had some extra cute moments from Bailey. I've just started a new challenge called 100 Days of Happy. The idea is that you capture one image of happiness every day. It can be food that made you happy or your pets, sports or video games, movies or television, crafts or hobbies, or music. You get the idea. For me it will likely be a lot of Bailey.

Garlicky Pasta with Tuscan Chicken

You know those recipes you see and you keep going back and thinking One day I'll have the courage and energy to try that one? This is one of those recipes.

I read the ingredients list and thought it sounded like a meal that I used to order at Olive Garden. Garlic and herb chicken with broccoli. Lightly breaded chicken served over pasta, tossed in a light garlic, white wine, and Parmesan sauce with crisp broccoli.

Wish Come True: The Best Hamburger Seasoning

Yes, that's right. I couldn't take it any more and had to try the burger seasoning that boasts so shamelessly to be the best and guess what! It was pretty darn good. Maybe not my favorite burger seasoning because it was super spicy and I happen to have a recipe that I use regularly that I love, but man was there plenty of flavor!

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

Besides being sick, last week wasn't too bad. We babysat Li'l P for a few hours on Tuesday and Wednesday. I got the kitchen and living room nice and clean. Our laundry, which is usually an all-day chore, was washed and put away before nap time on Thursday. I got to do the grocery shopping without little hands interfering (cutting my shopping time in half) and Aaron got to spend all day at home with us Friday. I love long weekends.

Skillet Enchilada Pasta

A skillet meal! You know what that means... easy to cook, easy to eat, and easy to clean!

I am all about skillet meals on busy nights. Any recipe that says "One-Pan" in the title usually leaps to the top of my try it list. What's easier than throwing everything in the pan and letting it simmer for a few minutes?