Updating the Living Room

We've been looking for a new sofa off and on for a few months now. It's actually been harder than you'd think! They are either too fancy for our house, too small, or make you sit too upright (my biggest pet peeve). Trying to find a comfortable couch you can just lounge on with a huge base, the right look, the right fabric, and the right color (and that isn't too pricey) is a challenge! Anyways, we finally found a winner. It was delivered today and Jase was cracking me up. He went nuts-o and wouldn't stop loving on all of the throw pillows. He carried these furry ones around for like 20 minutes! HA!
Here's a pic of the loveseat. We bought a loveseat & sofa (instead of a sectional) because of the layout of our living room. We have a bunch of weird things in the room that would make having a sectional really inconvenient. Too bad, bc sectionals are cool. But I don't care. I love my sofa!!!!
So this is the sofa. It's nice and roomy. The throw pillows are pretty big and "fancy." I'm not too sure about the leopard print ones! I like the striped ones, and we have 2 of those fuzzy rectangular ones. The cool thing is since the sofa is a neutral chocolate brown color (it's much darker in person than in the pic), I can always buy other throw pillows at TJMaxx, etc to change it up down the road.
Here's a pic of the sofa without all the distracting throw pillows. It's cute & simple, right? Oh, did I mention the cushions are filled with down? Oh yeah, baby. Movie night at my house!!!

Homemade Hamburger Buns

I have been trying to make homemade bread products every now and then at home. I found this recipe online HERE and they came out great! (from "Confections of a Foodie Bride")
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp sugar
1 packet yeast
¼ cup warm water (105°-115°)
1 cup warm milk (105°-115°)
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp salt
3 to 3 ¾ cups unbleached all-purpose flour (I only needed 3 cups)
1 egg beaten with 1 Tbsp cold water
Sesame seeds for topping

In a bowl of an electric mixer, dissolve the sugar in the warm water. Sprinkle the yeast over the surface and let sit for 10 minutes. If the mixture hasn’t started to get frothy, start over. Add the warm milk, oil, salt and 1 ½ cups of flour to the yeast mixture.

Add an additional cup of flour and then the remaining flour 2 Tbsp at a time, until the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl (I use a Bosch mixer). This particular dough should be quite slack, i.e. very relaxed in order to make soft and tender buns. So you want to add only enough more flour, past the 3 cup point, to make the dough just kneadable, sprinkling in only enough more to keep it from sticking to you or the work surface.

Knead until you have a smooth and elastic dough. Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl. Turn once to coat the entire ball of dough in oil. Cover with a dampened towel and let rise until doubled, about one hour.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly oiled work surface. Working with oiled hands, divide the dough into 9 equal pieces (a bench scraper and kitchen scale come in handy here). Shape each piece into a ball, and flatten into 3 ½-inch disks. For soft-sided buns, place them on a parchment or silpat-lined baking sheet a half-inch apart so they will grow together when they rise. For crisper bun, place them three inches apart. Cover with a towel and let rise until almost doubled, about 45 minutes.

15 minutes before you want to bake the buns, preheat the oven to 400°. Just before baking, brush the tops of the buns lightly with the egg wash and sprinkle with any desired toppings.

Bake for 15-20 minutes. When the buns are done, remove them from the baking sheet to cool on a wire rack. This will prevent the crust from becoming soggy.

34th Bday

My birthday was a couple months ago (the big 34--what??) so I made my own BDaY cake using these two 8" square cake pans that I bought. I loved the square look of the cake! I made a whipped ganache frosting (which tasted great) but made the mistake of trying to pipe lettering with it on top of the cake. It looked terrible b/c it was extremely hard to pipe with! So I photoshopped it out (and did a crappy job of it b/c I am in a hurry--But I was too embarrassed to show it with the lettering. It was that pathetic.)

Hello, Lover.

Before we get started, I have to mention that I am a huge, drooling fan of any cooking related gadgets. From cookware, to knives (I could do an entire post on knives, man), to mixers, to cheese graters, to whisks, to pastry brushes, to cookie sheets...I LOVE THIS STUFF. I can spend hours and hours in the stores walking the kitchen aisles (to prove my point, my hubby has banned me from buying any more plates or cups--what?). But let me be more specific. I love the NICE stuff. The QUALITY stuff. (Wait--I do really, really love melamine plates, bowls, etc. I prefer those over glass. I think that might be my one exception). I ABHOR cheaply made cooking gadgets!!! UGH. My goal is to eventually rid myself of the few chincy things I still have lurking around, and replace them all with well-made items. So if it's ever my birthday or Christmas or just a day that you want to be a rockin' friend and send me a present--ya can't go wrong with buying me something super cool & related to cooking/baking. Ok, moving on.

Let me introduce you to my friend, the porcelain-cast dutch oven by Le Creuset. Said item is worth about $300. No joke. It's about a 5.5 quart capacity.
Now, let me introduce you to my lover, the porcelain-cast dutch oven by Lodge Cookware. This one retails for about $65. AND it's a 6 quart capacity. This is my new purchase. I am over the moon about this! Forever now I have wanted a super nice dutch oven like this!!! So when compared to it's top-of-the-line competitor, the only differences I noted were 1.) it doesn't have "le creuset" embossed into the lid, 2.) it's bigger by a half quart, and 3.) the Lodge cookware's knob can only take oven temps up to 400 degrees (which to me, is not a negative because I couldn't think of ONE thing that I would cook any hotter than that in my oven.) Check her out--ain't she a beaut?
Also had to show you her gorgeous insides--makes for easy cleanin'. And the cast iron is freaking awesome at heat distribution--so it's great for stews, braising meats, frying foods, etc. Anything you could do with your typical camping dutch oven, you can do with this (except put it over an open fire)! My favorite thing about it is that it can go from stove to oven! I hate dirtying up extra pots-n-pans, so this is a dream for me!
To celebrate the homecoming of my new lover, I decided to make a copycat recipe of Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana soup in it. It's a creamy soup with italian sausage, potatoes, and a little spice. Roob's favorite. The soup came out great (I can't take the credit, though. I'll have to give it to my lovely Lodge dutch oven!!!) For those of you who might like to try the recipe, I'll post it below. Enjoy....
Makes: 10-12 servings
INGREDIENTS
• 1 lb ground Italian sausage
• 1½ tsp crushed red peppers
• 1 large diced white onion
• 4 Tbsp real bacon, crumbled up
• 2 tsp garlic puree (I used minced garlic)
• 10 cups water
• 5 cubes of chicken bouillon
• 1 cup heavy cream (I used half & half)
• 1 lb sliced Russet potatoes, or about 3 large potatoes
• ¼ of a bunch of kale
1. Sauté Italian sausage and crushed red pepper in a large pot. Drain excess fat, refrigerate while you prepare other ingredients.
2. In the same pan, sauté bacon, onions and garlic for approxiamtly 15 mins. or until the onions are soft.
3. Mix together the chicken bouillon and water, then add it to the onions, bacon and garlic. Cook until boiling.
4. Add potatoes and cook until soft, about half an hour.
5. Add heavy cream and cook until thoroughly heated.
6. Stir in the sausage.
7. Add kale just before serving.

Fun in the Sun

We finally had some sunny weather so mom and I took Jasey to the park! Woo hoo! He loves being outside. He really surprised me when he had "no fear" on this slide...The 2nd video is a clip from Louisiana of Jase & Jazzmyn (my niece) playing in my grandmother's bird bath. Eew, right? But yet, so cute!

Funny Moments

I left Jase alone with spaghetti & a fork--I came back and this is what I found. Take a closer look at his nose! (This is also a good picture of his front teeth. They still haven't come down. We think his other teeth might be in the way. Lovely.)
Nice.
Jase's favorite favorite thing to do. Play in the fridge and mess up all my shelves! Once I found a bottle of BBQ Sauce hanging out by my stereo in the living room a few days later. Had to toss that out! (I know y'all are so jealous of my rockin' yellowed linoleum floor. Heh.)
Jase's super dooper cool All Terrain Radio Flyer wagon. It has big, inflatable tires so you can pull it over just about anything. It even did great over a snowy road (we were desperate to try it out). Now that the snow's melted, he can push & pull it around the yard. We were just out playing this evening. It even has 2 more wooden sides you can put up in the front and back of the wagon, too. Right now we just have the back one on so he can climb in and out by himself. (the pic below is an old one). He looks so excited here, huh?

Editing Takes too Long

I've been wanting to crop and edit my pics before I post them--but so far according to that time line I will NEVER post anything! So, I am just posting more easter pics AS-IS. Here's one of Jase's Easter loot. Most of it is from my sister (thanks, Ash), but we did throw in a few things and the super cool magna-doodle! Jase's favorite of the day was the baseball shaped easter eggs. Adorable.
Having a taste of some yummy candy...
We did an Easter egg hunt for him at my mom's house. She found the cutest egg that "talks" and says "yoo hoo! i'm over here! come find me!" I LOVED it. When Jase first heard it and found it, he said "ooooh!" I think I have video of that someplace...
Playing with the eggs he found in the yard...
My mom was putting those hershey eggs underneath the plastic egg shell and Jase thought it was too cool to try to "find" them again.

Easter Video

This video captures lots of Jase's cuteness Easter morning. He was so excited about all of his treats! The funniest is how "slo-mo" he tries to taste the whopper egg. He does this with any new foods we give him. I love it!

Smoky Pork Enchilada Pizza

Leftover shredded smoky pork—about a pound (see recipe below)
½ can of corn, drained
can of black beans, drained
½ can of diced tomatoes, drained
½ can of green chilis, drained
taco seasoning to taste
pizza crust of choice, uncooked

½ can of red enchilada sauce, medium heat (10 oz size can)
½ block of light cream cheese (the 1/3rd less fat kind)
about a pound of shredded monterey jack cheese

Directions:
Heat pork, corn, beans, tomatoes and green chilis together in a pan. Let simmer for about 10 min+ until the flavors meld together. Add taco seasoning to taste. Meanwhile, simmer the enchilada sauce with the cream cheese in a small pot. Use whisk to smooth.

Press pizza dough into 13x18” cookie sheet. Spread the enchilada cream cheese sauce over your crust. Then top entire pizza with pork mixture. Top that with monterey jack cheese. Cook about 400-425 for 10-15 min until cheese is melted and crust is golden brown. After you take it out of the oven, you can top with fresh parsley (pretty) or maybe even cilantro if you have it on hand. I think that would be yummy. Enjoy!

Smoky Pulled Pork

Sorry I don't have a picture. This is a simple & yummy recipe I came up with the other day. It's awesome.

2.5 lb boneless pork shoulder ribs (or any meat you wish. a more fatty cut will produce greater flavor)
2 Tbsp minced garlic
1 1/4c water
2 tsp beef boullion (I use the creamy kind from Costco), just put enough for the water amount
2 Tbsp liquid smoke
medium yellow onion, roughly chopped

Put onions on the bottom of the crockpot. Place ribs on top of them. Add the rest of the ingredients. Cover and cook on low 8 or more hours. Drain. Shred. Serve. Use leftovers to make Smoky Pork Enchilada Pizza.

Mack Daddy Chicken Alfredo Pizza

I concocted a homemade pizza tonight that was SO GOOD, i MUST share!!!

Ingredients:
Jar of Classico Four Cheese Alfredo (you'll only use about half to 3/4 of the jar.) You could make your own sauce from scratch but I was in a hurry tonight.

Since I was pressed for time (plus i got these on sale), I used 2 cans of pillsbury classic pizza dough. This FILLED an entire cookie sheet's worth of a medium-thick crust (I have one of those stainless steel bigger cookie sheets).

I also used pre-cooked bacon (about 6 slices) and cut it into pieces. I actually threw it in with the chicken when I was cooking it.

Slice (or cube) a yellow bell pepper (mild flavor & pretty color). I used about 3/4 of the bell pepper.

Slice into thin strips (or cube) a purple onion (sweeter than yellow ones). I used about half the onion.

Handful of fresh spinach.

About a pound of mozzarella cheese. Some parmesan for sprinkling.

Cornmeal (optional, but i recommend it)

Saute about a pound of raw chicken cut into slices or chunks (however you like it) in olive oil till browned. I seasoned it with tony's (if you don't have this you could use Lawry's), garlic powder, and some italian seasoning. Set aside.

Directions:
Ok after you get the chicken/bacon mixture cooked, grease the bottom of your cookie sheet. Sprinkle the cookie sheet with cornmeal. I like to use a lot. It makes the bottom of your crust nice & crunchy. Then open the 2 cans of pizza dough. The dough is perforated, so I had to kind of piece it together and pinch the seams closed to make a nice, solid crust to cover my pan. Anyways, then put on the alfredo sauce straight from the jar. This is the part that I sort of "messed up" on. I was scared to overdo it, so I didn't put on enough sauce (I ended up microwaving some and dipping the pizza in it later!). I used about half the jar, but next time I'd use more. Just make sure it is nice & thick when you spread it on--not thin!! Ok after that, sprinkle on your chicken & bacon mixture, onions, and bell peppers. Then put a few spinach leaves all over the pizza. Top with the mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle parmesan on top of that. Bake at 425 for about 17 minutes until the crust is golden brown.

It is soooo pretty, colorful, and yummy! I love all the colors from the brown bacon, yellow bells, purple onion, green spinach, etc. Gorgeous. Looks better than a restaurant's pizza! Tastes better, too. I can't wait to make this with my homemade dough.

Suicide Watch

I can't remember where I heard this, but the other day someone referred to the toddler years as "Suicide Watch." I cracked up laughing because that is TOTALLY what it is!!! And I guess it is even worse in my case b/c he is a boy! Just today he was standing on the bench part of a picnic table we bought him (a kid's version, pictured above) and he started closing his eyes (he does this a lot lately for "fun"). I was sitting on the carpet close by watching him. Well as soon as he closed his eyes I was thinking that he was going to lose his balance. Sure enough, before I could get to him, he stepped backwards off the bench and his tooth and gums hit the edge of the bench! ARGH! Poor baby. Screaming and blood followed, and I was in a panic to see what damage he'd done. After a minute the bleeding stopped (thank goodness) and he calmed down. Looks like he split the connective tissue from the gums (in the middle of the front teeth) to the upper lip. Eew! I called the pediatric nurse, pediatrician and the dentist. Sounds like he is going to be ok and it should heal just fine. I don't know how I am going to survive this boy! He keeps giving me heart attacks! :)

New Orleans Trip

I had the chance to take Jase & myself to Louisiana at the end of March. The plane ride both to and from N.O. was RIDICULOUS. But that is another story in itself! Let's just say a 3.5 hour flight turned into about a 5 hour flight each time! And Jase is not a kid who will fall asleep in your arms (thank you, sleep training). Ok side note about sleep training--since 99% of the time I am home, I love that he goes right down for naps/bedtime. But when you are traveling? OMG kill me. He was fairly good for the first 3.5 hours or so, but then after that he was just done. Ok didn't I say this was a story for another day? Ok moving on...

Here's a cute pic of the 2 cousins hanging out at Aunt June's house. Jazzmyn is my sister's darling little girl. She's about 1.5 months older than Jasey.
Did I mention my camera really stinks at taking indoor pics with bad lighting? Can't you tell below?? Anyways, that's my cute sis on the left, and me on the right. We had just returned from dinner with the whole fam at Medina's in New Orleans. It was good, but we had a crazy bellowing man for a server. Hmm.
This is Grandma Jenith getting a sweet kiss from Jase. We were hanging out at Aunt June's again with Grammy, Uncle George, my dad, and Ashley, Dustin, and Jazz.
So this is the reason I made the trip down. My friend from high school, Maria, got married! Yay! I drove up to a gorgeous plantation home on a beautiful day and hung out with my ol' blast-from-the-past crew. Needless to say I cried about 20x while I was there. I really really miss my friends. High school was serioulsy the TIME of my LIFE. I miss it!!! Oh L to R is Lindi (Laci's lil' sis), Christy, Maria (the blushing bride), Laci, Me, and Babette.
My dad with his 2 grandkids! I don't think Jazzmyn was into this at the time :)
More pics to come!!!