And better still? It's working better than I hoped!
Sunday, November 3, 2013
Ribbit
There is nothing quite as insane, yet oddly satisfying, about completely frogging a half complete hat just to try out a new starting technique you just found online.
Sunday, July 21, 2013
Em's Birthday Picnic
Emily turns SEVEN on Wednesday, but since she'll most likely be spending the week with her Mommy, we had our party yesterday.
She was amazed we knew EXACTLY what she wanted. Haha!
Gifts from friends makes this girl HAPPY.
B got owned...by a girl...that he's got a crush on.
Nope, these boys aren't related..not with those noses...
D enjoying the cake pops that Grampa made since he couldn't make it.
Most of my friends wouldn't get why I geeked out when I saw this on the picnic table, but fans of Doctor Who will get it.
Perfect end to a perfect day
Our backyard is unfortunately barren of grass, toys and a playset. And I've been so busy that making game stations was...well...not happening.
So we met up with everyone at the park here in town. It's funny because initially we were only expecting a HS friend and her crew of 5 and a new friend with her 3 plus 1. We wound up with friends showing up that we hadn't seen in years. It was so awesome for us AND all the kids.
For the food, we grabbed a big pack of 24 hot dogs from Aldi for $3.99 and 3 packs of buns for $0.79 each. I boiled the hot dogs and then put them in the buns. We had a big container that some storage containers came in. It was perfect. It kept everything neat and the lid kept the steam in so the buns didn't get crusty.
Saturday, July 13, 2013
Slow Cooker Chicken Parmesan
I've seen recipes on Pinterest for making chicken parm in the crock pot and I've been wanting to do it for a while now. Yesterday, I didn't plan ahead for dinner before I left for work, but I was contemplating making the chicken parm. When I left work, I called T to ask what was for dinner, and the first thing out of his mouth was...Chicken Parm!
When I got home, the internet was being wonky and wouldn't load Pinterest on my phone so I could get to the recipe. I remembered that it had bread crumbs involved and the chicken was supposed to have that nice crispy crust. Well...mine didn't get the crispy crust, since I didn't get to reread the recipe. But when I bit into the chicken, my reaction was "Holy COW, this is AMAZING". We will DEFINITELY be making this meal again when the kids get home. And if My Fitness Pal is to be believed, it's roughly 375-400 calories per serving, too!
Slow Cooker Chicken Parm
Ingredients
Frozen chicken tenders - I used about half the 2.5 lb bag from Aldi
1Jar spaghetti sauce - I used the mushroom kind from Aldi, but any of their sauces would be great
2-3 Tbsp minced garlic (I LOVE garlic, so you can do more or less, depending on your taste)
1 box whole wheat thin spaghetti - Aldi has fit and active brand
1 small can mushrooms
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
Parsley, Basil, Oregano
Onion Powder
Salt
Pepper
I started by layering the chicken tenders in the bottom of the crock pot, and then sprinkling the onion powder, salt, pepper and Italian herbs on top.
Next I dropped the healthy dose of garlic on top, along with the bread crumbs and grated Parmesan. And then you pour in the spaghetti sauce. Once I poured the sauce in, there was still a good bit in the jar that I wanted to use and not waste. Rather than using a spatula to try and scrape it out, inevitably getting sauce all over my knuckles, I poured in a little bit of water, no more than 1/4 of the jar, put the lid on and shook it until the sides were clear. Then I just dumped it, water and all into the crock pot.
I didn't have all night to wait, so I put the lid on the crock pot and set it to high. If I'd been smart and set it up before I left for work, I would have set it for low and just let all the ingredients make friends through the day. But it's nice to know that I can set it for high and have a delicious meal in about 2 hours (during which I watched a couple episodes of Orange is the New Black on Netflix.
Once the chicken was cooked through, I put the pasta on to cook. In it's own pot. On the stove. Haha...after the rice fiasco the other night, I wasn't taking ANY chances with dinner. So I just cooked the spaghetti like normal on the stove. Once it was done, though, I just drained it and dumped it into the crock pot with the chicken and sauce. I mixed it all through and then sprinkled some more Parmesan on top (I'm a firm believer that you can almost never have too much cheese).
This was so good that we were all fatties and ate the WHOLE THING. No leftovers.
So do yourself a favor - make this for dinner. You can thank me later.
When I got home, the internet was being wonky and wouldn't load Pinterest on my phone so I could get to the recipe. I remembered that it had bread crumbs involved and the chicken was supposed to have that nice crispy crust. Well...mine didn't get the crispy crust, since I didn't get to reread the recipe. But when I bit into the chicken, my reaction was "Holy COW, this is AMAZING". We will DEFINITELY be making this meal again when the kids get home. And if My Fitness Pal is to be believed, it's roughly 375-400 calories per serving, too!
Slow Cooker Chicken Parm
Ingredients
Frozen chicken tenders - I used about half the 2.5 lb bag from Aldi
1Jar spaghetti sauce - I used the mushroom kind from Aldi, but any of their sauces would be great
2-3 Tbsp minced garlic (I LOVE garlic, so you can do more or less, depending on your taste)
1 box whole wheat thin spaghetti - Aldi has fit and active brand
1 small can mushrooms
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
Parsley, Basil, Oregano
Onion Powder
Salt
Pepper
I started by layering the chicken tenders in the bottom of the crock pot, and then sprinkling the onion powder, salt, pepper and Italian herbs on top.
Once the chicken was cooked through, I put the pasta on to cook. In it's own pot. On the stove. Haha...after the rice fiasco the other night, I wasn't taking ANY chances with dinner. So I just cooked the spaghetti like normal on the stove. Once it was done, though, I just drained it and dumped it into the crock pot with the chicken and sauce. I mixed it all through and then sprinkled some more Parmesan on top (I'm a firm believer that you can almost never have too much cheese).
Thursday, July 11, 2013
Sriracha Chicken
Hi. My name is Megan. And I'm addicted to Pinterest.
There. I said it.
And I made it, too.
Sriracha Chicken, that is.
I have this bad(?) habit of looking at the name of something and the picture and saying to myself "You can make that, you don't even need to look at the recipe!"
That's what happened here.
I saw the Honey Sriracha Chicken on Pinterest and despite my lack of love for the spicier foods in life, I decided it was a must for our lives.
I decided that I would throw this one together in the crock pot. I want to sound cool and say that it was because I knew the flavors would meld together and it would make everything super flavorful and delicious. Really, though....I didn't want to stand and baby it at the skillet and the chicken was still frozen. :)
Chicken tenderloins - I used about 2 lbs because I wanted to have leftovers
Edemame - this is optional, but they are spicy delicious!
Corn - 1 can
Crushed Pineapple - About 3 Tbsp
Sriracha sauce - I used about 4 Tbsp, but it really depends on your preference
Honey - We only had about 1/4 of the small bear left, and I used half of that
Plain Yogurt - approximately 1/2 cup
Salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder to taste
I layered the chicken on the bottom, then threw the edemame and corn on top. Add the crushed pineapple and the rest of the ingredients on top, pour in some water (how much sauce do you want? Don't forget that the chicken will release a decent amount of juice, too). I was in a hurry so I put it on high for about 2 hours, but this would be PERFECT to set up before work, set it to low and let it cook until you get home. **Wait until just before serving to fold in the yogurt. It seems like it tempers the spice of the sriracha more than if you let it cook in there from the beginning.**
I have to put a disclaimer in here. Travis doesn't like rice. He grew up with rice at meals like I grew up with mashed potatoes...except I still love mashed taters. Instead of letting me make the pasta I had intended to put this deliciousness over, he suggested rice.
In my head, I KNEW that making the rice in the rice cooker and then adding it was the way to go. And then my laziness and desire to do nothing took over and I dumped the rice in the crock pot, convincing myself that it would be fine and the rice would be done in 20 minutes or so.
Don't do this. Either cook it separately or make pasta. The rice didn't cook. It stayed crispy inside and mushy on the outside...and it's gross.
But there's light at the end of the tunnel for this mess! There's hope for you yet!
D LOVES the cheese roll up from Taco Bell. We pulled the chicken out and shredded it. T had a quesadilla and D and me had chicken and cheese roll ups. DELICIOSO!
There. I said it.
And I made it, too.
Sriracha Chicken, that is.
I have this bad(?) habit of looking at the name of something and the picture and saying to myself "You can make that, you don't even need to look at the recipe!"
That's what happened here.
I saw the Honey Sriracha Chicken on Pinterest and despite my lack of love for the spicier foods in life, I decided it was a must for our lives.
I decided that I would throw this one together in the crock pot. I want to sound cool and say that it was because I knew the flavors would meld together and it would make everything super flavorful and delicious. Really, though....I didn't want to stand and baby it at the skillet and the chicken was still frozen. :)
Edemame - this is optional, but they are spicy delicious!
Corn - 1 can
Crushed Pineapple - About 3 Tbsp
Sriracha sauce - I used about 4 Tbsp, but it really depends on your preference
Honey - We only had about 1/4 of the small bear left, and I used half of that
Plain Yogurt - approximately 1/2 cup
Salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder to taste
I layered the chicken on the bottom, then threw the edemame and corn on top. Add the crushed pineapple and the rest of the ingredients on top, pour in some water (how much sauce do you want? Don't forget that the chicken will release a decent amount of juice, too). I was in a hurry so I put it on high for about 2 hours, but this would be PERFECT to set up before work, set it to low and let it cook until you get home. **Wait until just before serving to fold in the yogurt. It seems like it tempers the spice of the sriracha more than if you let it cook in there from the beginning.**
I have to put a disclaimer in here. Travis doesn't like rice. He grew up with rice at meals like I grew up with mashed potatoes...except I still love mashed taters. Instead of letting me make the pasta I had intended to put this deliciousness over, he suggested rice.
In my head, I KNEW that making the rice in the rice cooker and then adding it was the way to go. And then my laziness and desire to do nothing took over and I dumped the rice in the crock pot, convincing myself that it would be fine and the rice would be done in 20 minutes or so.
But there's light at the end of the tunnel for this mess! There's hope for you yet!
D LOVES the cheese roll up from Taco Bell. We pulled the chicken out and shredded it. T had a quesadilla and D and me had chicken and cheese roll ups. DELICIOSO!
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