Creamy Italian Chicken

With the windchill temperature dropping to around -35 degrees F I have been making meals that will warm you up and keep your full and sleepy, not the healthiest choice but hey it is -35 outside I am so not thinking about putting my bathing suit on today.

Last night for dinner I made on of my favorite comfort meals, Creamy Italian Chicken. This is a very simple Monday night crock pot dinner. I prepared the noodles ahead so that way when I got home I only had to shred the chicken and compile them.

What you will need

• 4 boneless/skinless chicken breast
• 1 package of dry Zesty Italian dressing mix
• 1 brick (8oz.) regular cream cheese, softened
• 2 cans cream of chicken soup
• Favorite pasta (I usually use bow tie with this but I had angle hair pasta to use)

Directions

1. Put cream cheese and cream of chicken soup in crock pot and mix together. Then add your packet of Italian dressing mix, and mix thoroughly. Add you chicken breast and cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 6.
2. In your crock pot shred the chicken and mix with cream sauce. Take cooked pasta and top it with your chicken/cream mix.
3. Serve with a side of steamed veggies or cheese bread or whatever your stomach craves.

Until next time,
Olivia

Stay away from these flour free cookies

Wow I am really bad at keeping up with this blog, between having a new husband, the holidays, school, and work I don't really see anything other than my work computer and Chemistry or Biology books..... Coffee is my second favorite drink these days.

Well over the weekend during the arctic snow storm Michigan has been getting I didn't leave my house except to go to boot camp. Trying to stay warm these days is almost impossible, I am even wearing my long underwear to work because of the temps.....  So to try and warm my spirits, since I don't even remember what the s.u.n thing is anymore, I invented the worst, most horrible cookie..... They don't taste horrible they will make you feel horrible because you will try to eat everyone in a single sitting. To make myself feel better I just keep reminding myself they are flour free, butter free, and refined sugar free!

What you will need

• 2 cups peanut butter
• 2 cups brown sugar (I used light brown)
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup of quick oats
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup semi sweet chocolate chips or nuts or dried fruit or whatever you think will taste good (I did chocolate)

Directions
First you will start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees F and then mixing your peanut butter and brown sugar.

Then beat in eggs, one at a time.Then stir in baking soda, vanilla, salt, and oats. Lastly fold in your chocolate chips. After your dough is made roll into 1 in balls and place 2 inches apart on a greased baking sheet. Press into the top using the back of a fork.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes and let them cool thoroughly before removing from baking sheet.

Enjoy, and try not to eat every last one, it's really hard.

Until next time,
Olivia

Meatless Monday, Toss it all in Pasta!

My husband in a total carnivore, he eats veggies but there always has to be meat on his plate. On the weeks that I only cook lean meats he gets moody until I finally cook him some beef, what is it with men and beef? So last week while I was putting together my grocery list I asked him what he wanted me to cook for the week. To my surprise he asked for a total vegetarian meal, now I am not vegetarian but every now and then I like to do a meatless day. He also asked me to make the most insanely easy made from scratch pasta dish.

This pasta dish in so good that it doesn't even need meat, if my husband says that then it is true. I mean look at the picture of when we went to get some BBQ, he is a carnivore.

So I found this recipe on pinterest from this wonderful blog.

What you need

• 12 ounces linguine pasta (I used Alfredo pasta and the added fiber kind, doesn't work well with whole wheat pasta)
• 1 can (15 ounces) diced tomatoes with liquid 
• 1 medium sweet onion, cut in 1/4 inch julienne strips 
• 4 cloves garlic, very thinly sliced
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves
• 4 1/2 cups vegetable broth (use regular broth and NOT low sodium)
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 bunch (about 10 to 12 leaves) basil, diced
• Parmesan cheese for garnish

Place pasta, tomatoes, onion, and garlic in a large stock pot. Pour in vegetable broth. Sprinkle on top the pepper flakes and oregano. Drizzle top with oil.

Cover pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to a low simmer and keep covered and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes or so. Cook until liquid is at desired amount, I cook until there is about 1 inch of liquid.

Now I added to this recipe to put my own little swing on things. I added a green bell pepper, more red pepper flakes (my husband is Mexican and likes things spicy), and I added some mushrooms. This would be really with some asparagus and spinach too, I will try that next time. I tried using whole wheat pasta once and it did not turn out well. This dish needs the starch from pasta to make the sauce so yummy, I have used the vegetable pasta and the added fiber which both work well.



I hope you all can have a very flavorful meatless Monday!

Until next time,
Olivia

Manly Man Stocking Stuffers

So growing up Christmas has always been a very big deal in my family. I remember I would always get so excited/nervous Christmas Eve night that I would end up waking up at 3 or 4 am (yes in the morning) and get sick (yes I would get so worked up I would go vomit..... sorry for that picture) then finally ending in bed with my mom. Only to rise a few hours later for my favorite part, STOCKINGS!!! My sister and I would get up and wake my mom up. Well my mom can not do anything in the morning before she has a cup of coffee in her hand (I never understood this until I myself became an adult). While she was "waking up", it is such a process for her, my sister and I would start to dive into our stockings.

As I am now an "adult" living with my husband I have taken the stocking tradition into my home, but I still have one at my mom's. I put adult in quotation marks because I see it as my personal responsibility to be the child this Christmas since my sister and nephew will not make it home from California, very sad. Anyway, Tony is not a materialistic man in the slightest which is quiet nice but absolutely a headache when it comes to trying to find gifts for him, let alone small stocking stuffers. Therefore I am compiling a list of great stocking stuffers for the man in your life that really doesn't want a lot of clutter.

Manly Man Stocking Stuffers

• Pocket Knife/Box Cutter (I did this one last year and he doesn't leave home without it..I use it a lot as well)
• Beard comb
• After Shave, this one has great reviews
• Beef Jerky, Venison Sausage, any Jerky or Sausage that is high in protein basically
• A smaller hatchet, these are great for camping trips
• Their favorite sweet treat, Tony's is Reese's
• Hunting accessories for a bow, gun, a new call, or scent killer (Here is one idea)
•  Socks, everyday cotton socks or wool socks or dress socks
• Chap stick, not a girly scent or tinted make sure you get a regular chap stick for a man
• Nail Clippers, they always get lost so just get another one
• Gift certificate to their favorite restaurant, coffee place, or manly great outdoors store
• A pocket Bible, even though their is a Bible app now but some men like to kick it old school
• A letter from you expressing your love for them and thanking them for being such an amazing man and for being your hero (men love to be reminded that they are heroes).

I hope that you may have a very very very Merry Christmas and cherish the memories you are making with each other. The true meaning of Christmas is to celebrate the birth of our savior Jesus Christ, the one who gave his life for you and I to have a second chance. For some Christmas can be a very sad time of year because they may not be able to afford to give these gifts to their husband, wife, or children. Just know that Christmas is not about the gifts and turkey dinner, it is about God and His Son Jesus. Instead of getting someone a physical gift, when your budget really doesn't have room for it, try instead to give them the greatest of all gifts by inviting them to church or simply just asking the question, "Do you know who Jesus is?" This is the most meaningful gift you could ever give anyone.

Have a very Happy Birthday Jesus Day!!!

Until next time,
Olivia

Only once a year recipe

This potato dish is only aloud once per year because of how delicious they are, or maybe it's because they are so unhealthy. I always make these for Thanksgiving, used to take them to the fridged morning Lions Fan tailgate Thanksgiving dinner but this year I will not be going to the game (shedding tears right now). Anyway, if you would like to add something to you menu that the entire family will love try these out.

What you will need

• 5 pounds of red skin potatoes
• 1 pound of bacon
• 2/3 to 1 stick of butter
• Grated parmesean cheese
• An entire garlic clove, roasted

Directions

1.)   Wash and cut your potatoes to ruffly 2 inches, see picture below.

2.)   Transfer potatoes to a large pot of water, bring to a boil. Let them boil for around 10 minutes, you don't want them to be to soft yet not firm. I test it with a fork, if the fork goes into the potatoes easily but doesn't drop off then they are done. Drain and cover with cold water.

3.)   While potatoes are cooling start making your pound of bacon, KEEP THE GREASE

4.)   About half way through making your bacon the potatoes should be nice a cooled, transfer to a 11 x 15 oven safe pan.

5.)   After finishing the bacon take the grease and pour half of the grease onto your potatoes (this is just the start of it). Give your bacon a nice chop and add to the potatoes. Chop your roasted garlic and add to potatoes. Now sprinkle on the parmesean cheese, this depends on your taste, I use around 3/4 or a cup.

6.)   Fold your potatoes to mix all ingredients, be careful to not mash your potatoes

7.)   Sprinkle the top with a little more cheese and take thin squares of butter to place on top, see picture below.

8.)   Bake at 350 F for 20 - 30 minuets, until butter is melted and cheese is a golden color.

I hope you really enjoy your Thanksgiving dinner, I know I will.

Until next time,

Olivia

A breakfast fit for a Cowboy

Hello Everyone,

So now that life has calmed down a little bit, or so I like to imagine, Tony and I are back to doing my favorite thing as a couple..... Making breakfast together!!! But this past weekend it was just me making breakfast because Tony went into work but only until 11am. So on his way home I asked him what he wanted to eat for lunch, his response was breakfast. So I looked to see what was available and came up with the Cowboy Scramble.

What you will need

• 6-8 eggs, depending on how hungry/how many you are cooking for
• half a bag of the southwest hash browns
• 1 green pepper
• 1-2 hot peppers, I used the Thai chilli's but jalapenos taste amazing too
• 1 medium white onion
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• Bacon (I used turkey bacon but you can use whatever your taste buds are craving)
• Country pepper gravy mix

Set your stove to a medium heat and add either cooking spray, butter, or what I used coconut oil. Once that has melted add the half bag of southwest hash browns. Once the hash browns are nice and golden brown add your chopped green pepper, hot peppers, and onions. Mix these around until you can start to smell them.

Once you smell your peppers and onion you can add your eggs. I mixed mine up with a little salt and pepper for flavor.

While the eggs start to cook, start your gravy. Once your eggs start to cook and get a little hard then you add your cheese!

If you are a cheese lover that go ahead and toss some more in. Depending on if you cook up all the bacon or just some, determine when you should start it. I usually cook about half of it at a time so I start my bacon when I start my hash browns.

Now your eggs should be done, the cheese should be melted and the gravy should be hot! So time to start stacking it.

Take a scoop on the scrabble eggs, spoon some gravy on top of that, and top it all with a few strips of bacon. I also made a side of toast to scoop up my eggs, yum yum yum.

As with all my recipes please make them your own. Depending on how I am feeling determines what veggies I will be using. Sometimes instead of having it spicy I will use regular hash browns or homemade american fried potatoes, or I will add mushrooms and diced ham. So have fun with it and if your hubby/wifey is home get them in the kitchen with you.

A couple that can cook together will last forever!

Talk to you later now,

Olivia

Wedding Arch

Hello Hello,

I just wanted to take a second and update everyone following this post with a few pictures of the arch from my wedding!

 Here in this picture you will see a chain with two locks locked onto it. Well instead of doing a unity candle or the unity sand we decided to do something a little different.
We had our names engraved on a pad lock to represent us as individuals. Then I got a chain that represented God and we intertwined our locks together and then through the chain to represent the trinity. After that Tony took the keys and tossed them into the river to never been seen again.

Hope you enjoy the pictures!

Below is the original post on how to build this beauty!!!

                                                                                                                                

Hello all,

So my wedding is this weekend and I am so excited! I just wanted to share with y'all how a 30 year old man who seems to really be 12, a father of the bride who says crick instead of creek, a stressed out bride, and two Nana's (my mother and step mom) could all put together the most amazing wedding arch I have ever laid eyes on. This project was incredibly easy just a little time consuming due to the fact of building it 4 hours from my home.

We started it the weekend of July 4th with my fiance and father trekking out into the woods to find some fallen timber. Once they brought it back I showed them a few pictures of what I like and they got to work with screwing the posts together.

I chose the front piece because of how it curved and just looked very unique. The boys had to put some cross pieces to try and stabilize the structure. No worries though, once the cross pieces were put in that thing was not moving. 

And boom it's that easy to put it together, if these two guys could do it than anyone could.

Also my Dad had a few pallets laying around that we used. I really liked the look of the weathered wood up against the natural wood.

After the, now men, finished the task of building it, my mother, step-mother, and I had the task of finishing it. I went to my local Hobby Lobby, or any craft store around you, and picked out some very beautiful fall inspired artificial flowers. This was the only expense of making this arch and came out to be around $75. Now to attach everything we used the small zip ties and placed them so you wouldn't be able to see them. If any zip ties were visible then I would wrap twine around the stems to make it look like they were tied on.

See super easy!!!

I also have made burlap runners, cake plates, my flower girls tutu, hillbilly wine glasses, and a few other things for my wedding. Hopefully after the wedding I will be able to do some more tutorials. In all honesty it's really nice to make your own items for your wedding because to me it makes it more personal.

Hope everyone has an AMAZING weekend..... I am going to get hitched.

Talk to you later,

Olivia