Chess Brownies :)

1 c. chopped pecans
1/2 melted butter
3 eggs
1 package of yellow cake mix
1 package of cream cheese
1 box of powdered sugar

Mix one egg, pecans and melted butter. Spread un bottom of greased 13 x 9 inch pan  VERY IMPORTANT.. I used a 9 x 9 pan and it didn't turn out right!!). Mix remaining 2 eggs cream cheese and powedered sugar. Top cake mixture with cream cheese mixture and cook for 40 minutes @ 325. Cool completely prior to cutting. Sooooo yummy!

pending inspiration............

These egss are the eggs my cockateil laid a while back. I have been holding on to them since then waiting for something special to do with them, I'm thinking a cute shadowbox or something. I found this nest @ the petstore and when I took the dog on a walk I found these beautiful feathers to incorporate somehow.. stay tuned for the finished project :)

Best Baked Scallop Recipe Ever!!

2 lb sea scallop
salt & pepper
1 tsp fresh minced thyme
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 cups of crushed Ritz crackers
1/2 cup melted butter
juice of 1/2 lemon

Pre heat oven to 400. Place scallops in a oven safe casserole dish and pour buttermilk over scallops and mix in thyme. Crush up Ritz crackers and top casserole. Drizzle butter over top. Bake 20 min.

Jalapeno Cornbread

I found this reipe on a blog I follow called Closet Cooking. He makes the most amazing and creative dishes.. he is one of my favorites! The only recomendation I would make to this dish is to add more sugar or even honey.. didnt seem sweet enough for my taste but was sooo good and super easy to make! I used the picture from his website but I swear mine turned out just as beautiful (amazingly!!) I made sure to make a batch of 5 alarm chili as well so we can enjoy left overs for the rest of the week!


Tis the season for holiday eatin' :)

Jalapeno Cornbread

• 1 cup buttermilk (or milk)
• 1/4 cup oil, butter or bacon grease
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely diced

1. Mix the buttermilk, oil and eggs.
2. Mix the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.
3. Mix the dry ingredients in to the wet and then mix in the jalapeno peppers.
4. Pour the Mixture into a grease 9x5 inch loaf pan and bake in a preheated 375F oven until a toothpick pushed in the center comes out clean, about 30-40 minutes.

Bill's Babybacks & Homemeade sauce... mmm mmm GOOD!!!

4  racks baby back ribs
1.5 cup water
1 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup tomato paste
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp yellow mustard
1.5 tsp salt
1 tsp liquid smoke (hickory flavor)
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp paprika
and of course we add hot sauce (like we do to just about everything)

Sauce: combine all ingredients, bring to a boil, reduce heat simmer - stirring often - 45-60 min until thick   (p.s. we double the sauce recipe.. because trust me you will want extra!)


Pre-Heat oven to 300


Brush sauce over ribs, wrap each rack tightly in aluminum foil. Arrange packets on baking sheet or pan with seams facing up. Bake 2-2.5 hours until meat has pulled from bones at tip @ 1/2 inch.


Pre-Heat grill to MED heat

Remove ribs from foil, BBQ 4-8 minutes on each side. Brush BBQ on both sides a few minutes before removing from grill.

I looooove the view of my backyard :)

Although our home is still in town our backyard is on a preserve that spreads out miles into the country of a still unpopulated area... we have the most AMAZING wildlife right in our backyard even though we are in a gated community. We apparently have a bear back there that comes out to feed in the trash cans on trash day (I have never seen this but my neighbors have.. dangit!!) but we have seen 2 deer walk by, bundles of bunnies, a family of 3 otters bouncing by (never seen that before.. sooo cool) fancy woodpeckers, tons of blue jays..and now this week we saw this cute racoon at the top of a flimsy tree eating berries..look really close and you can see him... little surprises like this make life sooo wonderful :)

not sure I will be attempting this again...

I sure LOVE to cook delicious meals but I am noooo baker.. I think it's due to the fact that baking requires so much patience and there is no room to improvise or tweak things.. after all I have never been a fan of playing by the rules. But thanks to my sweet MIL, I  received one of those swanky Kitchen Aid mixers for my birthday this year and I just had to put it to good use. So here is the final result.. 2 full days of baking with 2 young boys.. wheeeew-weeeh!!  The kitchen was so wrecked by day 2 I wish I had a picture of my husband's face when he came home from work...priceless!! I am trying to forget the whole exhausting experience and vow to use my mixer for more exciting things like homemade pasta or bread.. now thats what I'm talking about! But here are my pics to prove I was a good mommy this year and did the whole Betty Crocker bake-with-your-kids thing.. and even better used all Mrs. Field's cookie recipes :))))))))

My delish homemade salsa :)

14 1/2 ounces can tomatoes and green Chills (like Ro-Tel)

14 1/2 ounces can whole peeled tomatoes plus the juice

1-2 tablespoon jalapenos (canned, diced, not pickled)

1/4 cup diced onion

3/4 teaspoon garlic salt, to taste

1/2 teaspoon cumin, or more to taste

1/4 teaspoon sugar, to taste

Place jalapenos and onions in processor; process for just a few seconds.

Add both cans of tomatoes, salt, sugar and cumin.

Process all ingredients until well blended, but do not puree.

Place in covered container and chill.

The Tick Jar

For those of you who thought I was exaggerating the tick fiasco! Keep in mind these are in the bottom of a HUUUGEE pickle jar. I had to zoom in big time to get them big enough to see. Crazy huh?!!

a healthy lunch for you working ladies!!

I wanted to have something healthy on hand and quick to eat and use up all my produce at the same time so I made this chilled tuna salad (which my hubby managed to gobble up in one sitting.. so it must be good!) 2 cans drain solid albacore tuna, 1 can drained & rinsed black beans, 1 can drained sweet corn, halved cherry tom, chopped red onion, chopped red, yellow or green peppers (I diced yellow and quickly sauteed them with red pepper flakes to make them a bit sweeter and not as bitter) chopped fresh cilantro, drizzled EVOO, s & p and juice of one lime. Chill and now you have  lunch to pack for when you are on the run :)

batch of my yummy yummy pico de gallo :)

I love love love this on black bean burritos, pulled pork carnitas w/ fresh corn tortillas or even just on black beans & rice with sliced grilled chicken on top. Chop up what you see above (red/yellow peppers, fresh jalapenos, onion, halved cherry tomatoes or diced reg, garlic, fresh cilantro, s& p and oil and white vinegar. In my opinion the more vinegar the better.. it gives it a good tang! I also had some super hot ghost pepper hot sauce.. but we like it hot hot hot :)

Once upon a time in a place called Tick Safari....

Normally I only post about cooking, decorating and books but I figured this horrific tale I am about to tell will either amuse you or horrify you and either way it's free entertainment courtesy of me :) This two week journey into hell all started last Tuesday when my son was in our home office playing Wii and he found one teeny tiny tick on our off white carpet (never thought I would be thankful for white carpet). I put it in a ziplock and told Bill so he could see it and gave Sandy (our dog) a thorough check. No ticks.. Im thinking no big deal. Next day off to pick the kids up at school. I park, roll down the windows, open my mathbook and prepare to wait my glorious 1 hour in the parent pickup line.  Bell rings, kids coming out, lines moving up and my car wont start! Great. Cones go up around me, hoardes of cars are being waived around me while I wait for the PE teachers to literally push my car out of the line and off to the side. Go to grab my phone to call hubby to save me and my phone is dead. (Gotta love Droids). I retrieve my sweet boys from the office and we do the walk of shame out of school and then bravely cross the psychotic intersection filled with excessively oversized gas guzzling SUV's driving 90 mph so we can go to Dunkin Donuts for a treat and to sweet talk my way into charging my phone so the kids and I dont have to walk 2 miles home. Battery got jumped and seems to be working now? (whew & wth?) Off to Little League only to realize it's game day and kids dont have their hats... haul butt home & back again. 7:00 is approaching and at this point I am literally having the shakes I am wanting to go home and have a HUGE glass of Chardonay so bad. I am thinking I will be able to decompress for the night.... but ooooohhhhh nooooo.. this is where my nightmare begins. Husband finds another miniscule tick crawling on the white porceline tile in the dining room and he is flipping out. He has a major phobia and is freaking out looking for more bugs for the next 3 hours and what will soon to be next 2 weeks... this flashlight is now literally attached to his hip and he is twitching. He finds 2 more in the office, runs off to the 24 hour Walgreens and puts off 3 bug bombs in the office. I seal  the door up with tape, give the kids a bath and go to bed with them hoping Bill will be calmer the next day. Morning comes he has been up all night and is stiiiiill freaking out. Make the kids their waffles and pack their lunches and off to start our day.. ugh oh... I am not feeling so hot... make an appt to see the doctor to find I have a kidney infection. Get meds - check. Come home to inspect the home & one is crawling up the white wall above the white sectional couch..again only time I will be so happy to have so much white!! I keep this to myself to save myself from hubby's ranting. Thur night Bill comes home from work and immediately starts looking for ticks.. we move the leather couch in the office that we bombed and no joke find like 10 of them there just sitting on the carpet still ALIVE.  We pick them up add them to our collection and start throwing out nearly all of our belongings. Unfortunately all 3 of our leather couches were the kinds that the pillows dont lift up so you cant see in them or clean well... sooooo ADIOS to all 3. Bill made 5 trips to his warehouse to put them by the dumpster because we'd prob get kicked out if we put them on the curb in here.. scary part is someone took all 3 and prob have ticks of their own now!! Friday morning we rip out the carpet in the office. Truly Nolen to comes out and we buy the most expensive quarterly package they have... inside and out, lawn included we douse the place & off to the hotel in which we will stay at for an entire week (that I am unaware of at this time). First night hotel all is good, Im thinking things are going to get better and we will be home by Mon. Sat morn kids off to baseball while I stay behind to take my Probabilty test that I have studied NONE for in the mist of all this mess. Fail miserably (and I have been obsesive about studying and doing soo good up to this point.. whahhhh whaaaahh.. I am so depressed) That eve we are getting ready for the Everblades game, Bill realizes he left all 3 sweatshirts and jackets at the baseball field and rushes off to the closest mall to buy 3 more because we sit down on the ice and its freezing. While he is gone Rory starts hystericlly crying out of the blue about his ear..  Call ER walk in clinic in Naples & we are 30 minutes away in Estero.. they close in 45 minutes.. Rory & I hop in the car & BOOK IT! Make it, get Meds go to both my pharmacies and they apparently close at 6.. nice.. go to new one.. wait. HAUL butt back to Estero to make it to hockey game (Bills Aunt & cousin were there and this night was our birthday present for his 18th bday). STRESSED but we made it! Sunday... go back to the house to check on Sandy and house. House still infested after being sprayed , dog still tick free but now her ear is swollen up the size of a ballon (literally) from an ear infection that turned into a aural hematoma (this is the 2nd time she has got one.. only way I know the term). I am feeling totally defeated and so sad for my dog. Book her into the vets office which is also a boarding facilty named Animal Safari aka Tick Safari (this is where this whole mess apparently started when we boarded her there in Sept when we went to Disney World.. and yes before you ask.. she is on Frontline Plus). Vet says Sandy must have gotten a tick that jumped off her and laid a nest in our house.. they go thru cycles and this is going to continue on for a few months..Sandy stays for 2 nights to get laser treatments, possible surgey and a tick dipping just in case. I am off to pack supplies for the week at the hotel, clothes, bookbags,  library books, lunch boxes, food supplies ect...this week is goiing to suck! Monday & Tuesday while the kids are at school I come back home during the day and disasemble and move every piece of furniture in every single room in this house and disinfect, vacumm, mop, wash everything we own and go through all of the kids toys.  I am feeling confident that I will beat this thing. Go pick up Sandy from the vet, pay my 300 bill and put her in the backseat of my pretty little car... pull out of the parking lot and I hear the sound of floodgates opening.. Sandy is pissing GALLONS OF PEE all over the backseat of my car. I am seething...she stays at the shop. My car breaks down two more times that day.. after I get the kids from school I go get a new battery and make it to baseball practice. Thursday we are still in the hotel and I am sick of it.. beg and plead to come home.. I miss cooking, I miss my home.. I need to feel grounded. He agrees , after i drop the kids at school I go back to the hotel and round up 2 times on the bellhop cart pay our ginormous hotel bill and happily make my way home to find Bill on a break from work and in our room with 6 more ticks.. they are inside the electrical socket that sits above where the dog bed used to be. I refuse to leave...he buys a cot and sleeps in the empty family room (new furniture isnt delivered yet) and I bunk with the kids in Rorys room because it is the only one that hasn't had any ticks and still has beds set up. Truly Nolen comes back Sat for another round of spraying. We leave and take the kids to the mind-numbing horribly awful Happy Feet 2 movie and want to blow our brains out. I beg Bill to bring Sandy home.. I miss her terribly while he is hating on her and swearing she is the root of all problems. He reluctantly brings her home and we take her out on the hour because she is on Prednisone steroid and apparantly it makes her pee uncontrollably?? We go to bed and I'm in a deep sleep on the bottom bunk with Rory (Sandy sleeps under the bunk in his room) and I wake to the sound of gushing UNDER the bed.. she is peeing gallons all over herself and wont come out. It is 5 am and we r awake for the day.. let's whip up the pancakes.. trying to keep up as much normalacy as I can cuz otherwise we are sucking as parents.. We are stressed and snapping and have a eggnog iv attached to our arm nightly just to sleep. What I would give to have a support system or what other moms seem to call their "village". After breakfast we rip up the carpet in Rorys room and move all Rorys stuff into Tylers room.. we are hoping it is ok because we had only found one in the entry to his room. We set his beds back up & I am sooo thankful to have 2 sets of bunkbeds because now we are down to one bedroom out of 4. Unfortunately Tylers bunks are both twins so now Rory and I sleep pretty much on top of eachothers feet. Sandy is sleeping on the garage and luckily the new furniture came so Bill can sleep on the couch. We are still finding ticks daily.. all 4 bedrooms are ripped of carpet and of course its Thanksgiving so the tile guy wont start the work till the first of Dec.. hope he gets done fast. Now I am stressing about if its safe to bring a tree in.. how can I decorate, will wrapped presents provide hiding places for them? I am a big believer in karma.. but what did we do?? For u readers be thankful this Thanksgiving that you are not me! LMAO (in a madly hysterical fashion)... and stay tuned to see if we survive this!

Sauteed shrimp w/ roasted red pepper cream sauce

Ok.. this is soooo super easy to make and literally takes 5 or so minutes. Buy a large jar of sweet roasted red peppers and drain. Dump in blender with a light cream cheese package and a little chicken broth to thin. I add chopped fresh basil, red pepper flakes for heat and salt and pepper.. but be creative and add what you like. Now blend! If I don't want to use it right away I pour it back in the red pepper jar and store it in the fridge till I'm ready. I sautee up large shrimp with garlic and EVOO and then toss some pasta in w/ the sauce & voila! My hubby and kids aren't a fan of shrimp so I make them crispy breaded chicken breast with the sauce on top. Its a win win for a busy night!

Red White & Bean Minestrone

1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup Italian turkey sausage (hot or sweet, even doubled if u want)
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped carrots
2 tbsp minced garlic
1 tspn dried oregano
1 16oz can diced tomato
5 cups chicken stock
1 can cannellini beans, drained
1 can red kidney beans, drained
2 cups zucchini cut in 1/2 in peices
2 cups fresh baby spinach ( I did a whole bag)
1 cup pasta (I used ditallini)
Parm cheese

Heat oil, brown sausage (taken out of casing) and brake in to pieces while cooking. Add tomato paste, cook 5 min. Add onion, celery, carrots and oregano, cook 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and chicken stock simmer. Add zucchini cook till tender. Cook pasta, drain & set aside. Add spinach to soup and stir until it's wilted. Serve over pasta (or without if you want).  Top with parm cheese & dig in!

Chili Roasted Salmon with Cilantro Cream

4 tbsp fresh lime juice
4 garlic cloves, smashed
2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp cumin
3 tsp olive oil
(4) 5-6 oz salmon fillets, skinned
1 1/2 cup frozen corn, thawed
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 poblano pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
Salt & ground pepper
1/3 cup light sour cream
2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

Preheat oven 425• mix1 tsp olive oil & 2tbsp lime juice and spices, pour over salmon & marinate• In separate bowl mix corn,peppers onion and remaining olive oil• Transfer salmon to baking dish and surround with corn mixture• Drizzle both with remaining marinade• Salt and pepper & cook 10 minutes (I did mine close to 20 because my fillets were huge & better safe than sorry!) Mix together cilantro, remaining lime juice and sour cream to dollop yummy salmon with:) Enjoy!

Kristin Hannah - 2 Novels

Between Sisters:  This book centers on two sisters (obviously)! They had a mom, for lack of better words, whom was self-absorbed and seeking fame.  When the mother abandoned the children unsupervised for an extended amount of time the older sister located the younger sisters biological father whom neither has ever met.  They go to stay with the man and the older sister is very jealous of the relationship the two have, as she doesnt even know who her father is because her mother never would tell her.  The oldest girl begins to act out and is then asked to leave.  They grow into their lives without one another.  The older sister becomes a rich, sucessful and lonely divorce attorney. The younger sister has a very simple and poor life but is filled with good friends and love from her father and her daughter.  The younger sister meets a man, falls head over heels and rushes into a marriage that the other sister does not approve of but the older sister must learn to bite her tongue and be supportive in order to rebuild their broken relationship. After the marriage the plot thickens and becomes wonderful and teary- just like I like em!!

Winter Garden :  This book did not captivate me at all and I have liked ALL of her other novels up to date.  Too much time was spent on these weird fairy tales of a winter garden passed down froma Russian mother who was very cold & distant.  It was like prying teeth to see into this character.  Subconciously you find yourself skimming over the text to further yourself along inthe book. I never do this.. but halfway through the book I gave up, quit reading and returned this book. I dont recommend this book - save your precious time :)

Great - Great - GREAT Book Reviews!!

Prayers & Lies:  Southern families who keep secrets for generations.  Story centered on two young girls from different means whom become the best of friends.  One family has a nice home and a stable life with problems of their own only they know about,  The other girl is from a broken home and lives with her broken mother whom she must care for.  This story incorporates chilling subjects such as incest, rape, mental health, alcoholism and suicide. Fabulous read from a first time author!!

Up from the Blue:  This book centers on a brother and sister being raised in a dysfunctional home.  The story starts on a military base - as the father is employed as a general prior to being promoted to work at the pentagon.  The father is very strict/militant and emotionally unavailable to his children.  The mom, although in the home, is non-existant in her kids lives. The responsibilty of being a parent and all it entails ruins her.  She is irrational, unpredictable and irresponsible.  You find yourself wondering if she is on drugs, depressed or just menatlly unstable.  The daughter deeply loves her mother despite her flaws.  Once the family moves for the fathers job extreme changes take place which literally break the childrens themselves and the ties that bond them.  LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS BOOK!!

Home Stories A to Z Inspirations

 

How great is the mirror

with the shutters

 in a dining  room with no windows?? 

These 3 are photos of Beth's home are found on her facebook page.

I personally plan to copy the wine cork frame and display of baby spoons! 

Pottery Barn Inspirations

 How incredible are these!!

Again, I have the problem of not knowing where to put them....

but they sure are inspirational!! 

Family Tree Inspiration

I stumbled acrost this photo on FB. A friend of a friend (you know how that goes on there) is an artist and painted this "treescape" on her wall to serve as a family tree for photos. I LOVE THE IDEA!!  So much so that I found an artist to do it for me.. but I am in "the chickening out stage" and I am not quite sure where to put it... over the couch or in a hallway? IDK!!  We have been in our new home for 8 months now and I am still just too scared to put paint on the walls. Hopefully soon I shall persevere!!  :) But how cool is this idea?

"Whistlin Bill" aka "Superbird" is actually a GIRL !!

On Fathers day we were in for quite a surprise when my son came running out to say the bird just laid an egg. My husband and I initially didnt believe him and went running in to see. We were told the bird was a he and all his markings were pointing to this assumption as well. My hopes that it was a real egg came crashing down (we adopted him recently from my vet- he was found in the wild) when a few friends told me this is actually very common that their birds did the same thing. My son said to me "she laid an egg on fathers day as a present" it melted my heart away as he always does :)  I am however starting feel bad for the bird... she keeps sitting on it and is very protective of it. Eventually I am going to be a bird abductor when I take that egg away!!

Kathryn Stockett - The Help

I am pretty sure every woman on the planet has read this best seller.. but I just wanted to put it out there!!  This book is amazing. It is a bit hard to get into the characters voices at first due to the slang/speach patterns of the south but once you are adjusted you are hooked. Really gives such a heartbreaking perspective of how unfair life was to those born into slavery/race. I found myself seething at "the white folk" until the book turns around when a few of the women have the courage to stand apart from the norm of their social circles and stay true to their hearts and what is right. I loved this book- looking forward to another book from this new talented author!

Nicholas Sparks - Author of my heart!!

Just when I thought Nicholas Sparks couldn't get any better!!!  My first novel of Mr. Sparks was The Notebook.. wow. I was one of the few who had not seen the movie and I feel so lucky for that!!  Reading a book before seeing it on film is so much better because the canvas of your mind is empty... there are no images or preconceived impressions of the character's personality (which on film often reflects the actor rather than the true written character).  I cried my eyes out over the pages of this book- then watched the movie and was not impressed by the cheesy love scenes and felt so much was lost!! Well, on to Last Song and Dear John.....  more gutwrenching crying and heartfelt ooey gooey good emotion!!  I cannot say enough about this author.. I plan to read every single one of his books by the end of the summer :)

Book Review: Anna Quindlen

Every so often I go through reading spurts where I read 6-8 books in a month. The problem is after all the crying and hysteria of the is done I forget what the book was even about. I thought this blog would be a good place to help me keep my memory intact. Recently I read two of Anna Quindlen's novels: Black and Blue and Every Last One.  Both were exceptional books pertaining to a mothers love of her children and what she will or will not do to protect them.  Both books take you through the journey of a mother loosing it all and starting over.. but in extremely different situations & eventual outcomes... I wont give away the storyline.. but I will say both are a must read!!

artscape window film for eyebrow window

Daytime glows inside the home

@ night film glows on the outside