Friday, September 14, 2012

Hungry? Try one of these...UPDATED for 2012!

Here are some recipes that we are loving over here. All are "new" to us in that I have only been making them since the New Year started. If you try one and enjoy it, let me know!

I have been posting most of my new recipe finds over on Pinterest.  Come and take a look!

Pepperoni Rolls.  I've made this three times since I pinned it to my Pinterest board a few months ago.  It is one of Ivan's favorites.  When he sees it on the menu board, he gets so excited.  I like to make this tomato sauce to dip it in.  Mmmm.  Enjoy!  (9/14/12)

Navy Bean and Smoked Sausage soup - a clear winner with J. This has become his favorite soup. It makes a ton, but the leftovers are really good too. (3/1/10)

Fire-Roasted Tomato Chipotle soup - this is now one of my favorite soups. I really do not like tomatoes as a general rule so this was a risk for me to try. However, fire roast those things and I LOVE them. We have found that the tortilla chips are completely unnecessary but smoked cheddar is a must. Good stuff. (3/1/10)

Chicken Divan - my sister has been raving about this dish for a long time now. I finally tried it a few weeks ago. It's good, not great. A little heavy to have in the regular rotation, but we made two and now have one in the freezer for an easy meal one evening. (3/1/10)  I feel compelled to add:  I made this again last night with much more appealing results.  I used a little less curry than it calls for (personal taste) and a different and more appealing wine.  Oh, and a roasted chicken that I got on sale at the grocery store.  All of these minor changes added up to a much more satisfying meal!  So now I can heartily recommend this meal...go and enjoy.  (11/23/10)

Teriaki Chicken with a side of snark by TirienneAnne - I made this for dinner tonight. It was delightful. I served the chicken and sauce over brown rice (family preference) and sauteed some snow peas and tossed them into the bowl as well. A definite keeper! (3/1/10)

Shrimp Tacos from Southern Living September 2009 issue - we tried these on the Fourth of July and they were delicious! If you try them feel free to make the batter as follows: 1 egg, 1 cup beer, 1 cup flour, and 2 tsp. fajita seasoning. Don't forget the Mexislaw either...it adds great flavor and crunch. (7/24/10)

Emeril's uber rich and oh so good BBQ shrimp.  Wow, and double wow.  This was so scrumptious I can't even explain how authentic it tasted.  Well worth the effort, which wasn't as much as you would think.  Try it, you'll love it! (8/28/10)

Ellen's Tex-Mex Stuffed Peppers.  I found this recipe on one of my favorite blogs last month and finally got around to trying it tonight.  It made a ton of food so I hope the leftovers are as good as the original!  J and I enjoyed it and I plan to make it again soon.  Perhaps next time making it in two dishes and sending the second dish to my parent's house.  Try it, you'll like it!  (10/11/10)

New England Clam Chowder.  What a warm and creamy treat.  I used inexpensive, canned chopped clams to help keep this affordable.  A great bowl of warmth on a cold Sunday afternoon.  This was easy and quick.  Yum. (10/17/10) 

Seared Duck Breast.  J made this last year for Christmas and we decided to make it again this year.  Wow and double wow.  That pretty much sums it up folks. (12/25/10)



As you can clearly see I love to search for recipes on The Food Network. They have so much variety and it's easy to search. I love to serve soup on Sunday evenings so that is why there are many soups recipes. Bon appetite!

Saturday, September 01, 2012

In the groove again...

I can't believe it but Ivan has been in school for three weeks now.  His first day was August 13.  He appears to be enjoying his new teacher, Mrs. Perry.  She has taught third grade at his school since 1998, so she knows how things run and what to expect from third graders.  J and I really like her too.  She is loving and kind, but clearly in control of her classroom.  I foresee another good year for Ivan.

On another note, Ivan finally reached his $127.32 goal and purchased the Hogwarts Castle Lego set.  He earned the money to do so by saving his birthday money, doing his weekly chores for which he is paid a (very small) commission, and by picking-up pine cones in Nana and Papa Wayne's yard.  We pay him a penny per pine cone and I think he has picked up something like 5000 in the past couple of months over there.  I wish I were exaggerating.  He has been saving right along since March when he decided that he really wanted this Hogwarts set.  J and I have tried to help by offering him opportunities to earn an extra $.50 here and there.  He has been very disciplined with his savings and has denied himself many times when we have gone to Target or Wal-mart and he has seen something less expensive that he wanted in the moment.  However, whenever I would say "It's fine with me if that's what you want to spend your money on, but remember it will take XX dollars away from your savings for the Hogwarts set."  Hogwarts won every time and now it is finally here.  He is putting it together as I write this.  1200 plus pieces of pure
Lego joy for my little boy.