Christmas nails

Christmas tree nails!  Thanks Pinterest blog post.

I only did one per hand because I didn't want to push my patience.  Wanted to do something fun before hopping on a plane and going homeward bound, tomorrow! (Woot woot)

Sunday recipe

After buying some needed ingredients for this recipe a few days ago, I finally cooked up this butternut squash stew recipe tonight, inspired by Pinterest, of course.  You can find the recipe and a better picture here. It actually turned out surprisingly well, and husband approved.

To be honest though, the chances of me making it again are pretty slim, or at least not something I would do often, because it took FOR.E.VER.  At least for my standards, and maybe I'm just slow when it comes to cooking.

Today my neck is still a little messed up, but it has definitely approved in some ways.  It makes me grateful for medical insurance...that I currently don't have.  It kind of freaks me out to look at myself in the mirror, because I think my neck is a little crooked b/c of how I have to hold my head...or am I just imagining it? Who knows.  I'm sure I'll be 100% straight-neck-free within a few days. Today I wore a scarf to church b/c I'm self conscious about it, and because it's cold of course.

Have a fantastic week!

**added note: I'm sorry that the word "here" is an eye piercing color...I'll figure out how to change it...later.

loyal.

Tonight I found this on Pinterest

I had an "awww" moment as I remembered how my childhood dogs were like this; such loyal creatures.

Then I asked Wolfgang for the 20 billionth time if we can have a dog. Someday I'll break him.

This week

Wolfgang claims that, "Pinterest is the best thing that had happened to you." I kind of have to agree with this statement. The reason he agrees, is because I now try new recipes that he most of the time enjoys.

The reason I agree, is similar. I really wish I would have discovered it earlier on in my unemployed phase, because it has really given me fun things to do, and I have discovered that I enjoy cooking and baking {new things especially}- It's relaxing and somehow feels rewarding, although that doesn't make sense to me, because once your done, it doesn't last very long.

Anyway I know you've heard enough of me talking about Pinterest, so instead of me going on about it, how about I just share with you some things I found on it, and actually executed this week, shall we?

I did two simple crafts this week. I am not a crafty person, so I like to keep it as simple as possible. I haven't taken any decent final pictures of them, so you'll just have to check out the websites that I got them from. My first craft I combined this idea with this idea. I know, it's a little late in the year to be starting this, but there's still some time, right? And I'm going to add memories that we remember thus far.

For the other little project, I used this idea. My mom kindly let me take and use her cute button collection {thanks Mom!} and make one of my own. The difference between the one on the website and mine is that I didn't have all of the same type colors, so I used all different colors, so it turned out more interesting {funky or tacky?} than the one you see. Wolfgang claims he likes it, and I'm still getting use to it.

As for recipes, here's what I made this week:

Chicken and Cheese Lasagna Rolls

Picture and recipe taken from here.

These turned out really good, and easy- just my type. If you go exactly by the recipe/directions, you should know that A. it won't look like what it does in the picture and B. It will not make 8. It ends up making only 6, but that was ok we didn't need 8 anyway. so If you want the full 8, don't use the directed 1/2 cup mixture for each noodle.

Stuffed Green Peppers with Brown Rice, Italian Sausage, and Parmesan

Picture and recipe taken from here.

These turned out good as well, but the lasagna rolls are still the favorite of the two. I did a slight variation; Although I love brown rice, Wolfgang doesn't, so I decided to be nice and compromise and use white rice. I also just used plain ground turkey, and instead added some spices. I only made 3 {so I used less of everything} which was plenty, and one is filling to eat.


To satisfy our sweet tooth this week, I made these:

All Natural, No-bake Energy Bites

Picture and recipe taken from here.

I don't know if these are really all natural, but whatever.
These are SO good! We love them. I feel like I'm eating cookie dough, minus the raw eggs and I feel like they are a little more healthy, but that is to be debated.

The first batch it made only about 14, so maybe I made them too big? The next time I just doubled the batch, and made them a little smaller than before. There are all sorts of variations you can do with these, but this is what I used and they turned out great:

-Almond butter
-Oatmeal oats {same as "old fashioned rolled oats," right? ..}
-Honey
-Flakes from 'Special K w/strawberries' and 'Raisin Brand Crunch' {my favorite} cereal, and I just took out the raisins and strawberries and crunched n' smashed them flakes.
-Chocolate chips
-Craisins
-Vanilla
-A lil' bit of cinnamon

Dang, they're so good. I'm going to go have one right now.

What's for dinner?

About a week ago before we came up to stay at my parents' place, I talked to my dad on the phone. Kind of out of the blue in the middle of our conversation, my dad asked, "Are you a good cook?" I was confused as to why he was asking me, but I responded with something on the lines of, " I'm not an amazing cook, but I can cook." I thought maybe it was just him trying to make conversation as to how I am doing being a wife, or something.

Then it dawned on me. I thought, My mom isn't going to be in town for the duration of our stay, so he's wondering if I can cook for him! I see how it is. Sure enough, the next thing he said was something like, "Because I'm not (a good cook)."

I thought it was kind of funny, and decided to make it a little challenge for myself. As mentioned in a post or two ago, my mom had told me I had free reign on buying whatever I wanted/needed for cooking, etc. Also, I was very excited to use all the things I don't have, when it comes to any kitchen appliances.

Needless to say, I tried a few new recipes on my dad and husband. I do have to admit that I didn't cook/bake as many new things as I wanted to, but I did make a small dent. Here are some of those things that I had tried for the first time:

Roasted Red Pepper and Basil Pesto Penne

Picture and recipe found here.

This was easy and pretty good. I was expecting more of a bold flavor, but it wasn't bland by any means either. Wolfgang was a big fan.

Rachel Ray Chickpea Burgers

Picture and recipe found here.

For some reason, I was really excited about this one. The men on the other hand? Not so much. Considering I was the cook, I made them anyways. They turned out ok, but I did have too high of expectations. If I were to make them again, I would cook them on a grill or George Foreman, etc instead of a skillet like I did. I also would use original bread crumbs and not Italian flavored...I didn't take a good look at the label that my mom had, until it was the last minute.

And of course, a dessert:

Chocolate Coconut Bars

Picture and recipe found here.

This turned out really good. Not in any way healthy, but that's why they are so yummy, right? One person who had made these described them as tasting "Just like Samoas Girls Scout Cookies" which led me to them. I do have to say they definitely don't taste just like them, but they are still delightful.

I'm really enjoying trying new things. Once again, thanks Pinterest.

Tried and tested: Approved.

Remember how I was hatin' on Pinterest? Well, now I'm obsessed. I really like how I can get ideas about ways to decorate our apartment, how to make a lil garden in tight spaces, and most importantly...how to make delicious food.

With that said, here are some recipes I have tried this week that I wanted to share.

Mozzarella, Tomato, and Avocado Salad

Picture and recipe taken from here.

I couldn't find the mozzarella pearls anywhere, so I bought a small block of it and just cut it up in little cubes. I thought this recipe was good, but nothing amazing. I think it would have been better if I had bought a baguette to eat it with, but I didn't. I may or may not try it again, we'll see.

Crock Pot Chicken Taco Chili

Picture and recipe taken from here.

I'm sure you've all had some form of this, one way or another. It reminds me of my mom's delicious taco soup, with some slight variations. This is really good and has a slight spice to it (I can't handle spice too well, so I thought it had a small kick to it, but others may not) Super easy to make, especially if you use "Slow Cooker Liners." Best thing that ever hit the earth. (thanks Amber!)

Peanut Butter Pretzel Bites

Picture and recipe taken from here.

Isn't that love at first sight?

I made them yesterday, and they turned out really good. They were a big hit, especially with the husband; he's pretty obsessed with peanut butter and chocolate combined (more specifically, nutella and peanut butter). I'm not a super huge fan of peanut butter, but I still like these. You can't go wrong with sweet n salty. They are a little time consuming, but not hard at all.

A few specific tidbits: use mini pretzels, and when making the dough into little balls, you really do want to make sure that they are little, otherwise they squish out too much when you sandwich them between the two pretzels. Also, when melting the chocolate, I used about half the bag of a big bag of chocolate chips (so about 12oz worth) and the amount turned out great with just a little bit to spare, enough to dip a few strawberries into :)

Can't wait to try more recipes this weekend/next week. I'll be at my parents house, and I'll have free reign over all my mom's appliances and ingredients! Yesssss.

Damn you, Pinterest

Have you heard of this? Most likely, yes. If not, it's a website where you can "pin" things; for example I see something I like on a website, I click the button "Pin it" (after signing up) and wah-la! It's "pinned" onto a digital pin board where you can refer back to.

Well, I had heard of it through several friends, and I decided that it wasn't a good idea for me, because it seemed like something that would just make me more consumer-oriented, and I didn't like that.

Then, I read a blog post from a friend I knew from when I was going to school in Idaho. She talked about she liked it, and how it gave her ideas of things to do for her home, things she wants to see, etc. (something along those lines). I liked her perspective about it, and realized it didn't have to be all about buying and wanting.

So, I gave in, of course. I was soon turned off by the website when I had to be "invited" and had to wait several days to get the show on the road. Really? Come on now, people. Then once I was finally dubbed a proud owner of a Pinterest account there were all sorts of little glitches, and that was annoying too.

Anyway, let's get to the point, shall we?

So now I'm an official Pinterest-er. Still trying to get use to it, but it did exactly what I predicted in the very beginning- made me want and covet things that I don't have money for! Ridiculous.

I got a little carried away today with gazillions of cute dresses I like.

Sigh.

I'm going to try to chill out in the consumer department, and maybe try to find other things like recipes, inspirations for DIY and such.

Someday, I'll have a job and be able to pay for some of these things. Someday...