Friday, April 24, 2020

Salted Caramel Peach Cobbler

Hi!
  I combined a couple of different recipes to make this one and my husband loves it.


Salted Caramel Peach Cobbler

2 29oz cans sliced peaches in syrup (drained, reserve juice)
1 box white cake mix
½ cup (1 stick) butter, melted
Cinnamon
Ghirardelli’s Salted Caramel sauce

  •          Preheat oven 350 degrees
  •         Grease bottom or 9x13 pan
  • ·      Pour drained peaches in bottom of the pan
  •         Sprinkle cinnamon on top of peaches
  •         Drizzle caramel sauce on top of the cinnamon covered peaches
  •         Sprinkle white cake mix on top of cinnamon/caramel covered peaches
  •         Pour 12oz of the reserved peach juice on top of the cake mix, make sure there aren’t any dry spots of cake mix.
  •         Pour butter on top of the peach juice
  •         Drizzle caramel sauce on top of liquid covered cake mix
  •          Bake at 350 for 60 minutes


Chicken Enchilada Bake

Hi!
  I'm needing to put my recipes somewhere that I'm not going to loose them and an easy way to send to my friends. This is one that my family loves.


Chicken Enchilada Bake
1 29oz can green enchilada sauce
16 oz chicken broth
1 block cream cheese
1 can chicken (or use rotisserie or whatever kind of chicken, you will want it precooked and shredded)
1 can black beans (drained and rinsed)
1 ½ cups uncooked rice
4 corn tortillas cut in half, cut in half again and then half again so they are smaller triangles
1 oz package Queso Fresco
Cumin
Coriander
Onion powder
Garlic powder

  • In a saucepan heat the enchilada sauce, chicken broth and cream cheese till the cheese is melted.
  • Once the cheese is melted add the spices, chicken, black beans and rice.
  • Put half the sauce mixture on the bottom of the crock pot top with two tortillas cut into the smaller triangles and add half the Queso Fresco crumbled up.
  • For the second/last layer add the rest of the sauce, the last two tortillas cut into smaller triangles and the last of the Queso Fresco crumbled.
  • Cook on high for 3 hours.


Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Why is it usually my child???

Today we (Luca & I) went to toddler time at our library; the attending of the toddler time was completely accidental because lately we can't seem to get out of the house until 11. Anyway, we left the house at 11:15 to start running errands and we needed to stop by the library to pick up the next audio book in the Leven Thumps (Obert Skye) series we have been listening too since Nick will be home in a couple of day. My goodness this is getting into a long explanation. So anyway, we arrived and spur of the moment, went to toddler time.
   All the other kids were sitting on the mat reading books waiting to the teacher to show up, Luca runs in and starts jumping all over the place. When the teacher gets there the kids are sitting on the mat patiently waiting, Luca is trying to take her stuffed animal from her and to plug in the CD player. The teacher has all the kids sit down and they do a song, Luca jumps up and starts dancing, mind you he is the only one standing up. In a hissing whisper I tell him to sit down; that lasts for 5 seconds and then he is up again.
  After the song the teacher reads a book and Luca keeps yelling, "Waz dat?" and stands up and points to something on the page of the book, again more hissed whispers to sit down, again 5 seconds. Are we noticing a pattern?
  I eventually sit on the mat so I can keep Luca more or less contained to a certain area and during this time Luca's silliness has warn off on another little boy and he hops up and starts walking around. The mother grabs the boy and has a very in-depth conversation with him and the little boy sits down. At this point the mother glares at me and moves away from where I am sitting. Nice! We are already making so many new friends!
  The rest of the toddler time progresses where Luca jumps up, runs around, I wrangle him in and he sits for 5 seconds. Thank goodness the 30 minutes is almost up and we can go. As everything finishes a mom kneels down and to talk to her son and says, "Aren't you so glad that you were a good little boy and stayed in your seat." and then the mom looks at me. This is a different mom from the other mom who moved. Then two moms who are apparently friends look at me and shake their heads, not in the sympathetic way like, poor mom; she sure has her work cut out for her. It's more like, that mom needs to try harder to contain her son because my child is quiet and amazing. Tut Tut!!!
  I didn't know there were so many snobbie moms in my area, we don't live in an upscale neighborhood, more along the lines of quaint in oldness. I was really proud of myself when I left today because I didn't cry, I didn't give them an evil stare or say something along the lines of how intelligent or not their child is. I went outside, took a deep breath and chased after Luca. I think we may go back next week.

Keep breathing!!!

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Chris Freytag - My new best friend

I have weight to loose. I have muscle to build and I have a long way to go with both. I found the most amazing workout program that I am doing from the comfort of my own home. I first found out about this program when I was, of course, pinning on Pinterest. I went to the sight immediately and was surprised to find my friend Chris. I call Chris my friend because I have one of her workout DVD and over they years I have gotten to know and sometimes dislike Chris very much. She is always telling you that you can do it, finish strong; sometime I get so sick of her positive upbeat attitude I turn the volume off. Chris, who always looks so amazing and never changing in the videos can sometimes be a bit much. I kid, I love doing my 3-2-1 workout and try to do it a couple of times a week.
  When I found this new plan I was so excited I started that same day. On day 4 I thought I was going to die because my thighs were burning so bad and it hurt to move. I thought back to the old adage "no pain, no gain" and using logic I must be gaining at an astounding rate. I would be fit in like 4 more days the rate I was going.
  I was well on my way to being in shape and looking and feeling awesome but due to an ankle injury  (my husband calls it a cankle injury) I had to stop working out and then I got out of the habit. I just recently started up again while dealing with my injury. A friend of mine said she had an injury like mine and it took 6 month before the pain went completely away. 6 months!!! Yuck!!! At this rate I should be pain/injury free in 4 month, at least that is something to look forward to.
  Back to giving Chris props. Prevention.com is wonderful and one of the reasons they are wonderful is because of Chris. Even though Chris is not my BFF now that isn't to say she can't become mine in the future. I'll attach the link to those who might be interested in her program. Do it, you will feel better and hurt, but it is a good hurt. I don't think Chris is trying to be mean; she just wants to help us out. =)

Get that heart rate up!!!
http://www.prevention.com/twoweekturnaround/main.html#/Fitness-Body by Design-Total Body Toning-Two Week Turnaround Tool- Day 0 Overview

Monday, May 20, 2013

A clean house in 45 minutes a day

I have been trying to organize my life and I've pinned so many helpful ideas from Pinterest so that I can be awesome and someday maybe even Super Woman. I came across an interesting looking post about having a clean house in only 45 minutes a day. The post looked interesting so I looked further and clicked on the link leading to this lady's blog.  She is a stay at home mother of two girls and she also home schools, already this is looking bad because she is doing so much more than I am at this point. I started reading her post.
     She stated that she often gets complements about how clean and organized her house is and that you can get the same compliments or similar ones if you follow her cleaning regime. By this point I'm getting a little intrigued, compliments? really? for my house? well that would be fantastic.
     As I lay my head down at night and dream fantastic dreams about being wealthy  having a well behaved son and loosing many, many pounds; I fantasize about the little Home and Garden faeries that visit deserving women's houses while they sleep and organize, paint and completely makeover the house so that when you wake up you are so amazed and blessed that you may have a coronary on the spot and die of pure joy and happiness. Alas, no joy, no organization and luckily no coronary's. But I digress.
     Below I've copied part of her post: Her post is in blue. So I don't get into too much trouble if she see this here is where I got the original information. http://www.livingwellspendingless.com/2010/09/08/speed-cleaning/  Credit where Credit is due.

My comments are in red


Here is my (her) system:
General Guidelines:
  • Start at one end of the house.  (I start in our Master Bedroom and work my way through the living room and kitchen to the girls’ room and bathroom.)
  • Cleaning is much easier when everything has a home.  Work on creating organized storage for all of the things that end up being scattered around the house, like papers, mail, shoes, & toys. Agreed 
  • Use a large laundry basket to collect items such as toys or clothing that need to be returned to a different room.  If you have multiple offenders, use multiple baskets.  After you have finished tidying every room, take 5 minutes (5 minutes if you are lucky) to put away the collected items.
  • Save sweeping/mopping and vacuuming until the end, then do it all at once.  We have mostly hard surface floors, so I use an industrial dry mop to wipe the floors each day.  It takes only a couple minutes to run it over all the floors and then shake it off outside.  About once a week, I do a really thorough sweep and then use a Swiffer WetJet to mop.  I vacuum the rugs about 3 times a week. (Apparently she doesn't have a two year old or pets)
  • Likewise, save the glass cleaning for the end as well.  Once the house is completely clean, I will grab my windex and rag and run around doing spot checks on the glass doors and windows.  I wipe the bathroom mirrors as well as the fixtures and sink.
  • Keep daily shower cleaner in the bath/shower and spray down after each use.
Bedroom(s) (5-10 minutes each, depending on how much to pick up): 20 minutes each, we have a lot of toys and a playroom
  • Always make the bed.  Even if there are other things laying around, the room will look much, much cleaner.
  • Quickly pick up any clothes, toys, or dishes that are lying around. Quickly is a relative term
  • Use a duster or dry rag to quickly dust all surfaces, including the headboard and footboard.
Bathroom(s) (5 minutes each): 10 minutes each, again, we have a lot of toys
  • Squirt toilet bowl cleaner around the rim; let sit.
  • Use disinfectant wipes or a wet rag and disinfectant spray to quickly wipe down the sinks, tub, and shower.
  • Use toilet brush to quickly scrub toilet, rim, and seat.
  • Use disinfectant wipes or a wet rag and disinfectant spray to wipe down toilet & surrounding floor.
Living Room/Dining/Home Office Areas (10-15 minutes): 45-60 minutes, because I've had to clean the same area 3 times because my two year old keeps playing while I am cleaning, it doesn't matter if I turn on the TV he still brings new stuff out when I put the other stuff away.
  • Quickly pick up any shoes, dishes, toys, or other items laying around.  (Put them in basket to put away later.)
  • Use duster to quickly dust all surfaces.
  • Use damp cloth to wipe down furniture (if leather), table(s), and dining chairs. I have to wipe down the couch daily, it is microfiber so it takes a good 10 minutes
  • Tidy desk area and make sure all paperwork & mail is filed & sorted in its proper spots.
Kitchen (10-15 minutes, depending on how many dishes): 30-45 depending on how much stuff has been spilled on the table and if the blinds have food on them or fingerprints. Also cleaning up toys twice.
  • Quickly pick up any items that don’t belong in kitchen and place them in basket(s).  Gather any dirty dishes and put them next to sink.
  • Quickly unload (if necessary) then load diswasher.
  • Hand wash dishes/pots/pans as needed
  • Spray all counters with disinfectant spray, then use soapy water and wet sponge to wipe them all down.
  • Wipe down stovetop.
  • Dry and put away any hand-washed dishes, then drain and rinse sink–the secret to a truly clean-looking kitchen is clutter-free counters and a nice clean sink.
Finishing Up:
  • Use a dry mop to clean hard floors.  Spot clean with a sponge if necessary. Daily
  • Vacuum rugs/carpet. Daily
  • Clean glass surfaces & mirrors as needed with glass cleaner and a lint-free rag.  Don’t forget to spray & wipe the bathroom fixtures for extra shine!
  • Put away items collected in baskets while cleaning.
It may take a little getting used to, but once you are in the habit of speed cleaning each morning, you will be done in no time and free to enjoy a clean house for the rest of the day!
I love the last line of the article, enjoy a clean house for the rest of the day! WOW - Not in my house!
I agree on a lot of this article but after trying it and it taking me 4 hours to do a couple of things popped into my head. 1) I am truly terrible at cleaning.  2) I have an incredibly messy house.  3) This lady is on crack.  4) There is something wrong with me.  5)All of the above. 
As the day wore on I felt frustrated at this stupid post, at myself and at my house. So I decided that maybe my house was to blame. It wasn't the cleanest when I started so maybe if I clean my house really good then it won't take as long. Sound logic. So I started the deep cleaning; I cleaned my windows inside and out, washed the blinds slat by slat. I scrubbed the bathrooms top to bottom, washed the walls, baseboards, anything that could possibly be washed. Maybe now I was ready to try to have my house cleaned in 45 minutes. I was stoked and had the music going and I was going to do this. And off I went. 2 hours later I was done. Enough said - I don't think my house can be cleaned in 45 minutes. 
Happy Cleaning

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Snow Basin Hike

It was a beautiful day outside and we didn't have much going on so we went for a Luca sized hike up Snow Basin. Luca is a pretty good hiker and doesn't complain too much, we do stop a lot and look at bugs, rocks and are constantly answering "Waz dat?" It is so fun to see him pump his arms and try to keep up with Nick. There was still a tiny bit of snow but the trail was clear and it was pretty warm. There weren't many flowers out yet and the trees were still budding. We loved it. I didn't realize there were so many pictures of Nick's backside. =)





Friday, May 3, 2013

Fire Pit

One day a few days ago Nick said, "I'm board, let build a fire pit." I said, "ok" and that was the starting of our fire pit. Nick got online and watched a video on how to build one so we decided what we needed and made the call that made this all possible. Nick called Shawn because they had some old bricks in their garage taking up space, Shawn & Linda said we could have them. After we got the bricks we dug out the pit, gathered up a bucket full of rocks from the yard and had our sand. We dug down a foot, Nick made the drainage hole, we used the bricks to line the pit and put in a bunch of sand. In a couple of house we had an awesome fire pit. It's not completely done, we have some ascetic things to finish on it, Nick wants to line it with river rock and then flat rock outlining that. It is so fun to have a fire at night and just sit in the back yard and roast marshmallows.




Even Luca is helping