30 things my best friend knows about me

If your not my best friend then you probably don't know a lot about me.
If you want to be my best friend I'll make a list for you.
So lets get started their is a quiz at the end.

1. I love ice in my milk or super cold milk. or just milk all the time.
2. I have a thing for middle names. No ones middle name is as cool as mine. It's Jo by the way.
3. I like to play with peoples ears or just touch them a lot usually their head or face. It could possibly annoy you.
4. I hate running.
5. For fun I plan trips through the internet and fantasize about traveling.
6. If you didn't figure it out I love to travel. I will go any where with you! because its probably on my list.
7. I can be pretty assertive when I want to be I've come to deal with this fact. But I also can be a shy person before I get to know you.
8. I do love making friends so your in luck!
9. I am a night owl do not text me before 9am.
10. I love making things and would love to do a craft with you! But expect it to take a while, I am serious about where I glue things! lol
11. I hate being alone. I sometimes can't even go to the grocery store alone.
12. I can't watch the same move over unless I love it.
13. Same with books I've never ever read the same book twice. (It's all about the for shadowing for me I love the guessing game and if I already know the ending their is no fun)
14. Yup I love reading! My favorite author is Richard Paul Evans and I love dramatic books about death and love.
15. I have a journal and I have always kept one since I could write pretty much. I will probably read it to you though until your bored to tears.
16. I sing constantly in the car or whenever their is a song on.
17. I dance when I love the food I am eating. Or bust my moves whenever I am happy and excited.
18. I make noises a lot for the dramatic effect of course.
19. Did you know I am a Girl Scout of 16 years and a lifetime member and its pretty much my passion?
20. Speaking of passion, I am a passionate person I absolutely love love the things I love and I mean it.
21. I have mexican taste buds, I could have a salad with every meal, I love hot spicy things, I could have chips and salsa or dip every day, I don't like cold cereal, I eat anything but breakfast for breakfast, unless its dipped eggs and toast with ketch up.
22. I sleep with lots of blankies and yup my baby blanket.
23. My hair takes two hours to dry but no I can't cut it. Its bone straight and wont curl to save my life.
24. I love facts of history and mostly I love knowing them. I absolutely love history. Specially American revolution history.
25. I drive like a grandma. and I do lots of other things like a grandma. I love grandma stuff. You can just call me an old soul.
26. I have a thing for trees, desert tortoise and the color purple.
27. I miss my maiden name.
28. My favorite movies are romance.
29. My favorite holidays are Thanksgiving, 4th of July, and Valentines day!
30. I over use the word or phrase "I love that!" in many forms.

A Baby!?!

I haven't written on my blog in a little while. 

Other things have been on my mind like....

Pregnancy! 

Yup were pregnant! 

Its been a whirlwind of emotions!
I am still trying to grasp it in. 

I have been sick. Not fun. I don't have any energy and its hard to get things done. School being one of those things make it extra hard to do anything. I can barely make it to class let alone stay up to do homework after work. 

But I am doing it.

I had my first Dr. visit last week.

Brent loved it!

He will be a great dad! I can't wait for it! 

Baby is so small right now. Like a little raspberry. Moving around but I can't feel it. A big heart beat that I just love! 

We have a baby developing its needs for the world to come! 

I am excited for our family to grow! To provide love and safety! 

Amazing Sweet n Sour Meat Loaf

When thinking of Meat Loaf you don't think of it as amazing usually, but taste this recipe and you will from now on.

I made this for Brent after we first got married as I was trying to find ideas for dinner. He loved it so much that it is now his favorite meal. He begs for it often. It is moist, tasty and sweet. I enjoy too! What better recipes then the ones that come from Mom! 

Ingredients:

11/2 pound ground beef

1 cup oatmeal

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

2 eggs

1 teaspoon onion minced

1 can (15oz) tomato sauce

Topping Ingredients:

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons vinegar

1/2 cup sugar

2 teaspoons prepared mustard 

Mix and form into bread pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook for 50 minutes. Combine topping bring to boil careful so as not to burn. Pour over meat and bake for additional 10 minutes. 

Using oats is a key ingredient.

Don't be afraid of the meat. Using hands to combine is a must.

Form into pans. I doubles this batch I made because we love it so much!!

The Glazed Meat Loaf

Grilling Your Sandwich!

I loved Grilled cheese! I could make it every night and dip it in fry sauce!
Lately I have been making some variations too the classic Grilled cheese sandwich, and loving it!

Some ideas:




1. I love Tuna melts! Use some tuna with pickles and cheese and melt it in the broiler or on top of the stove fry both sides. Don't forget to butter both sides of your bread! I always dip mine in ketchup. Pickles make it the best though!



2. Pesto Mozzarella melt! Take some pesto and spread it on your bread, put some tomato slices and mozzarella slices on it also. Butter your bread and fry it up!

3. Taco! Put some taco ingredients like peppers tomato, ground beef, and lots of cheese on your sandwich and grill it up! Don't forget the hot sauce!

4. Breakfast grilled! I fry an egg first, love it with the yolk runny! and add the ingredients to my buttered bread that I want like tomatoes, avocado, bacon, ham, etc. I also put some mayo on the bread and fry it up!

There are so many options with having a grilled sandwich!

like:

5. Grilled cheese pizza.

6. Grilled cream cheese with fruits.

7. Grilled macaroni and cheese.

8. Grilled BLT.

9. Hawaiian grilled cheese with Swiss cheese, ham and pineapple.

10. Fetta and avocado with spinach

and sooo much more!!

These are just some of my favorites what are some of yours?

Great Recipe Finds!

Some times we scroll through pinterest looking at really yummy foods and treats, thinking that one day we will make them! 

As in my tips I say just do it! Make it already! 

Practice all the recipes you find appetizing and if they don't work out it is okay! 

Some times pinterest is mis-leading and it could be hard to trust everything on the internet of course, so here are some recipes that I have found, tried, and love! Ready for you to take the test and bite cravings away! 



http://www.lifewithmylittles.com/2013/10/cook-off-winning-chili.html

This Winning Chili made in the crock pot by Chelsea from Life With My Littles, is amazing! 
It is also super easy! She calls for a couple cans of that and some seasoning and bam you have it! I made some corn bread to go with it and it was divine! 



http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2013/03/slow-cooker-chicken-gyros.html

This next one is from Six Sisters' Stuff. I love their blog and recipe book. Some great ideas. I also very much love Greek food!! My favorite! So when I found an easy Gyro recpie from chicken I was so excited! I made this and cut up tomatoes, red onion, and cucumbers to go on top. Come on over to Topper Bakery to get your freshly made pita bread and have your self an amazing Gyro! I also made the suggested Taziki sauce to put on top of it! That was really easy too. I modified it to make it even more simpler. I didn't have any dill on hand so I used greek yogurt and put cucumber in it, oil, pepper, salt, and lemon juice. Let it sit up and it turned it tasting the same! 



http://www.highheelsandgrills.com/2013/05/wingers-sticky-fingers-copycat.html

This one we made tonight! I love a good Sunday diner! This was way too easy and yummy served with fries or a baked potato was great! Just buy any breaded chicken really and use this sauce and you have a meal in 30mins! 


So there you have it some great recipes that I know you will love! Let me know what you think!

German Pancakes!

I have some family recipes that I love! I have some recipes that I have collected over the years and would love to share them with you!
I also want to start sharing some new recipes that I try and share them in hopes that you find something yummy for dinner to make and let me know what you think too!

For starters German Pancakes!
Now I have heard these called a million things with the same recipe and I really don't know how our family started calling them German pancakes. But they have been in our family recipes for generations!

I am going to be making them as a transitional Christmas breakfast in our home! Can't wait!
Our first Christmas together was me spend sick in the bathroom all Christmas eve and by morning I was making anything for breakfast. I was super bummed.
I will just have to make them extra yummy this year!
Don't worry we do have them more then just once year though and Brent loves them!





INGREDIENTS
1/2 cube butter
1 c flour
1/2 t. salt
1 c milk
6 eggs

DIRECTIONS
1. In a rectangular baking dish melt butter in oven until bubbling
2. Mix all the ingredients together and pour into hot butter
3. Bake at 450 for 14-20 min or until golden brown

and yes they will be puffy and cooking over the top of your pan!
Top it with your favorite pancake toppings!
I prefer syrup with powdered sugar or jam!

10 Tips from my Kitchen

I love to cook! I enjoy making some thing delicious, and I specially enjoy eating it!

Brent says that the color Red means confidence. Before he explained this too me I had chosen Red as my kitchen color. I have a red kitchen aid, red silverware, red plates and bowls, etc. I wanted my kitchen to be a fiesta. I love when a kitchen is the gathering point of a home! 

I have considered culinary school. I have 3 years experience in a bakery. and I cake decorate from home and in a bakery. 

I wanted to share with you some tips about my kitchen. Now that I have been in practice in own kitchen for a while now.

First: of all we don't have a dish washer. 

Its not fun doing dishes. I am so good at dirtying them though. 

I cannot focus or find clean things if the dishes are not done. 

Brent and I take turns doing the dishes. He may actually do them more often then I do because he is so good at them haha. 

So don't let them pile up too much. We try to do them first thing after dinner, but most of the time after dinner we like to talk and relax so we do them first thing in the morning. 

Second: Making up your own recipes is really not that hard after you have been practicing recipes. 

I love just seeing what is in the fridge and putting together a vegetable soup or a warm pasta with sauce. Take the ingredients you think would go good together and just make it! 

You don't have to rely on a recipe all the time! 

Third: After practicing with recipes I have learned that its really not that hard to make home made of anything! 

I try my best to make up things that we could buy in a box or mix at the store. 

This saves money! and it also is a whole lot better for you! 

In boxes and ready to eat food at the store they use a lot of preservatives. Chemicals that we really shouldn't be taking in a whole ton, but we do. 

I completely understand though that life happens and making every bread, and every ingredient all the time takes a lot of time. While I am going to school and working full time I don't home make everything I want to be. I try though. 

Fourth: I wish that from the start that I had started making a list of things that I have made. 

Specially of the things that I just kind of made up.

Now we remember that one time I made this super yummy thing and I have no clue how to make it again. I try sometimes and come up with something whole new. 

So make a list of things you make. and then make a list of the things you loved and things  you would never make again.

I have a photo album I have written down all of my favorite recipes and family recipes. I have divided it into sections and put taps on the side so that I can easily find them. 

Fifth: I know that we all drool over the things we see on pinterest! I have hundreds of foods pinned to my board! 

Now what you need to do is start making them! 

I delete the things that I tried and didn't like. and I save the ones that I did to another board so that they can be an easily find when I want to make them again. 

Also when their is a recipe that you love and know you would be making many times write it down and add it to your recipe book! 

Sixth: you can substitute so many ingredients for other things. Like if you don't have eggs you can substitute them! 

On those Sundays and you realize you forgot to buy something look up what else you could use! 

Seventh: Make yourself aware of cooking talk! If you don't know what "cutting in shortening" is make sure you find out! 

Eight: Cooking does not have to be a chore! If you make it fun then it is so very much rewarding when you sit down to something scrumptious to eat! Bake something that you have been craving! or bake or cook something your spouse has been craving! 

Ninth: The crock pot can be your best friend! Specially if you are busy like we are! I will put food into the crock pot and get home from work or church and dinner is ready to be served! Stick what you want into or their are hundreds of recipes! 

Tenth: Brent works nights and the first semester he did this it was so hard for me to want to cook for myself. I kept eating ready to eat things and junk. 

This time around I made a plan and shared it with Brent.
I wanted us to eat good. I have a menu made up for the month and we go grocery shopping every month for everything we will need to make the menu. I cook most every night now and Brent gets to enjoy it the next day for his dinner. He packs it with him and it saves us a ton of money just by having a plan!