Butterscotch Chocolate Chip Cookies

I couldn't get enough of these.  I made them for a friends birthday party, and they were all gone by the end of the day.  I can't explain how good these were.  You'll just have to make them and see for yourself.  I ended up cooking some too long, so they weren't as soft anymore.  In my opinion, they were great whether you cooked them less and had a softer cookie, or you cooked them longer and had a crunchier cookie.  In a way it was like two different cookies, but the same.  I will definitely make these again, and I will make some both ways.

Butterscotch chocolate chip cookies

3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup butter flavored Crisco stick
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 (3.4 oz) package butterscotch instant pudding mix (the store didn't have butterscotch, so I used vanilla)
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp baking soda*
3 to 3 1/2 cups flour
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the sugars, butter and Crisco until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then the vanilla extract. Add pudding mix; stir until incorporated.

In a small bowl, whisk together 1 cup of the flour with the baking soda and salt. Blend into the egg mixture.

Add additional flour 1/2 to 1 cup at a time until reaching desired consistency. I use a total of 3 to 3 1/2 cups flour, depending on the humidity level of the day.

Fold in chocolate chips and butterscotch chips.

Drop spoonfuls of dough on cookie sheet. (To achieve a more round, cleaner look, roll the balls of cookie dough in your hand instead of just dropping on the cookie sheet.) Bake exactly 10 minutes, rotating cookie sheets halfway through. The cookies may not look done, but that is the trick to keeping them puffy and soft. Let cookies cool on the cookie sheet on top of wire racks for 5 minutes. Remove from cookie sheets and cool completely on the cooling racks.

*Recipe Note: Make sure your baking soda has not been opened over 1 month.

Adapted from Pennies on a Platter

Velveeta Taco Dip

Ok, so this may not look that good.  Believe it is very very good.  I eat it with the scoopable chips.  It's very addicting.  I made this when we had a grill out with friends.  Some of them even tried it with the puffy Cheetos, and said it was good.  I got this recipe from a friend that made it for a birthday party.

Velveeta Taco Dip

1 lb. ground beef
1 packet taco seasoning
2 lb. block velveeta cheese
1 cup milk
1 can diced tomatoes

Directions
Brown the ground beef, and then add 3/4 of the taco seasoning.  You can probably add as much as you want really.  Set that aside.  Cut the velveeta up, and put it in a microwave safe bowl.  Add the 1 cup milk, and melt in microwave.  Do this until you can combine the milk with the velveeta cheese and it becomes a smooth consistency.  Add the meat mix and diced tomatoes and stir.  I'm sure you can play with this a bit and add other things to it if you desire.

Red Velvet Puppy Chow

I LOVE puppy chow, so I thought I would try other flavors of it.  My husband loves red velvet cake, so I decided on red velvet puppy chow.  It was good, but honestly they turned out with a stale feel.  I think the cereal got soggy from the sauce, but I'm not sure what can be done to avoid that.  It was good anyway.

Red Velvet Puppy Chow

Ingredients:
1 cup white chocolate chips
2 Tbsp. cream cheese
2 Tbsp. milk
5 cups rice Chex
1 cup boxed red velvet cake mix
1/2 cup powdered sugar 

Note: I did steps 1-4 in a bowl in the microwave.
Step 1: Make a double broiler with a pot filled with an inch or so of water, place a glass bowl that fits inside the pot- but the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water. Basically, the steam from the pot is going to slowly, delicately melt the chocolate. Turn the heat to medium.  
Step 2: Toss the white chocolate chips in the bowl.
Step 3: Stir, and stir, and stir until the chocolate melts.
Step 4: Turn off the heat and add the cream cheese and milk. Stir until the cream cheese is melted and everything is combined.
Step 5: Stir the chex and the melted chocolate together until the cereal is fully coated.
Step 6: In a separate, smaller bowl whisk together the cake mix and powdered sugar. 
Step 7: Transfer cereal to a tupperware container, top with cake mix and close tightly. Shake, shake, shake!


Adapted from unBearablyGood

S'mores Cupcakes

We were having friends over for a grill out and fire.  I decided to make these for dessert.  They were better than the traditional s'more.  At least in my opinion.  I love to experiment with cupcakes because that's what I like to bake the most.  I'm not sure why, but I always feel great after making some for other people.  The original recipe had a lot of frosting on the cupcake, and honestly that would have been great.  I didn't put that much on because there wouldn't have been enough frosting to go around for all the cupcakes.  The original recipe also called for only 1/2 cup marshmallow cream, but I didn't feel like it was enough marshmallow taste.

S'more Cupcakes

Chocolate Cakes

1 ¾ cup sugar

¼ cup brown sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 cup sour cream

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 eggs

2 cups flour

1 cup cocoa

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

¾ cup boiling water

Graham cracker crumbs (fine crumbs)

Marshmallow Cream Centers

4 oz cream cheese

1 container marshmallow cream

1 ½-2 cups powdered sugar

Graham Cracker Buttercream

8 oz cream cheese

½ cup butter, softened

4 cups powdered sugar

¾ cup graham cracker crumbs (fine crumbs)

1 teaspoon vanilla

2-3 tablespoons whipping cream or milk

mini marshmallows and chocolate for decoration

Directions:

1.    Preheat oven to 360 degrees and line cupcake pans with liners (24).

2.    Mix sugar, brown sugar and oil for 3 minutes until smooth.

3.    Add sour cream and vanilla extract stir well.

4.    Add eggs one at a time and mix only until incorporated.

5.    In a separate bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

6.   Add dry ingredients and boiling water to sugar mixture alternating between the two.

7.    Spoon ¾ teaspoon of graham cracker crumbs into the bottom of each cupcake liner. (I mixed some melted butter with the graham cracker crumbs, so it would be sturdier)  Shake pan to spread evenly.

8.   Fill liners ¾ full and bake for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

9.   Mashmallow Cream Centers: Beat cream cheese, marshmallow cream and powdered sugar.  Add more powdered sugar to taste.  

10.When cupcakes are cooled, cut out a small area from the top of the cake and pipe marshmallow cream into each cupcake.

11.   Graham Cracker Buttercream: Beat cream cheese and butter until light and creamy.  Add powdered sugar, vanilla and graham cracker crumbs.  At this point, the buttercream will look like cookie dough.  Add heavy cream a little bit at a time until buttercream consistency is reached.

12.  Pipe onto cooled, marshmallow filled cupcakes and top with mini marshmallows and melted chocolate.

Adapted from Your Cup of Cake

Carne Asada w/ Chunky Guacamole

I had this at a friends house when we had a girls night in.  I had never even heard of these before.  They were amazing.  Very very good.  The marinade on the steak was phenomenal.  Of course I wanted to try and make them at home and have my husband try them.  I asked my friend for the recipe, and of course she gave it to me.  She told me to use honey instead of sugar because it's a natural tenderizer, so I did.

Carne Asada

Ingredients

2 pounds flank or skirt steak
Olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Marinade
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeño chile pepper, seeded and minced
1 teaspoon freshly ground cumin seed (I used the stuff in the jar)
1 large handful fresh cilantro, leaves and stems, finely chopped (I used the stuff in the jar)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 limes, juiced
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1/3-1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup olive oil

Directions

1 Lay the flank steak in a large non-reactive bowl or baking dish. (I poked holes all over the steak before covering with marinade) Combine marinade ingredients and pour the marinade over the steak. Make sure each piece is well coated. Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or for 1-4 hours if pressed for time. (note: I put mine in a 1 gallon bag)

2 Preheat your grill over medium-high flame (you can also use a cast iron grill pan on high heat for stove-top cooking). Brush the grates with a little oil to prevent the meat from sticking. Remove the steak from the marinade. If you are cooking indoors, you may want to brush off excess marinade as the bits may burn and smoke on the hot pan. Season both sides of the steak pieces with salt and pepper. Grill the pieces for a few minutes only, on each side, depending on how thin they are, until medium rare to well done, to your preference. You may need to work in batches. Remove the steak pieces to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes. Thinly slice the steak across the grain on a diagonal.

Serves 4-6.

Chunky Guacamole

1 white onion diced
3 tomatoes diced
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 jalapeno diced (optional)
sprinkle of cumin
handful of cilantro chopped (Again I used the stuff in a jar)
juice of 1 lime (I used a lemon because that's what I had)
3 haas avocados

Serving size:4-6


Directions
1) Mix everything except avocados together in a bowl. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours, but no more than 24.
2) Before serving, add diced avocados. Mix well. Add salt to taste.


Adapted from The DIY Frau - Carne Asada
                      The DIY Frau - Chunky Guacamole

Biscuits & Gravy

I have also made these before, and they are fantastic.  I know they are typically a breakfast food, but I made them for supper.  I love making everything from scratch.  It gives a sense of accomplishment.  Also, it makes it feel healthier even if it isn't.  The recipe I followed didn't give specific measurements for the milk and flour in the gravy, but just add a little at a time.

Biscuits & Gravy   


Biscuits

6 cups Flour
1 cup Crisco
3 tablespoons baking powder
2 cups buttermilk*
1 tablespoons salt

Mix all dry ingredients together in a bowl, cut in shortening. Stir in milk and mix, making sure the dough is moistened. Mix in enough flour to make a soft dough adding more flour as needed. Turn out onto floured surface adding more flour  a little at a time until dough can be formed into a ball. Knead 15 times. Gently flatten dough with your hands. Using a biscuit cutter, cut out biscuits and place on baking sheet, bake at 425 degrees until tops are golden brown, between 10-15 minutes.

**Buttermilk Tip: Take Milk or Powdered Milk and add 1 tsp of Vinegar, per cup.

Gravy

4 sausage patties

dollop butter

flour 

milk

If you use sausage patties, then use 4, or if you use a tube, then make 4 patties. Fry them up, drain off most of the oil, break up the sausage into pieces, and add a dollop of butter.  Add some flour to coat the sausage.  Fry for a few minutes, and then slowly add some milk.  Mix and stir and allow to thicken a little.  Continue to add milk* and repeat.  Add in salt, pepper and butter.  Southern Sausage Gravy is peppery, so make sure you add enough pepper! 

Adapted from http://frugalgravy.wordpress.com/2009/09/18/homemade-biscuits-and-gravy-recipe-southern-recipe/

Sweet & Sour Chicken w/ Fried Rice

I've made this before starting my blog, so I didn't have a picture.  It was no big deal making it again because it's soooo delicious.  I think the sweet and sour chicken is better than any I've had at any restaurant.  The fried rice was very tastey too, but I plan to play with it next time to see what different flavor I can get.  I will definitely be making this often.  It's also nice that you don't have to dip the chicken in the sweet and sour sauce.  It's just easier to pop it into your mouth.


Sweet & Sour Chicken w/ Fried Rice

The chicken coating

3-4 boneless chicken breasts

salt + pepper

1 cup cornstarch

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 cup canola oil

The sweet and sour sauce

3/4 cup sugar

4 tbs ketchup

1/2 cup distilled white vinegar

1 tbs soy sauce

1 tsp garlic salt

       Start by preheating your oven to 325 degrees. Rinse your chicken breasts in water and then cut into cubes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Dip chicken into the cornstarch to coat then dip into the eggs.  Heat your 1/4 cup oil in a large skillet and cook your chicken until browned but not cooked through. Place the chicken in a 9x13 greased baking dish. Mix all of your sweet and sour sauce ingredients in a bowl with a whisk and then pour evenly over the chicken. Bake for one hour and during the baking process you will need to turn the chicken every 15 minutes.  

Fried Rice                                                                                             

3 cups cooked white rice (day old or leftover rice works best!)

3 tbs sesame oil

1 cup frozen peas and carrots (thawed)

1 small onion, chopped

2 tsp minced garlic

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1/4 cup soy sauce

On medium high heat, heat the oil in a large skillet or wok.  Add the peas/carrots mix, onion and garlic. Stir fry until tender. Lower the heat to medium low and push the mixture off to one side, then pour your eggs on the other side of skillet and stir fry until scrambled. Now add the rice and soy sauce and blend all together well. Stir fry until thoroughly heated.

From Life is a Lofthouse

Lasagna

We like to use paper plates, and I forgot to put in on a different on for the picture.

My husband loves lasagna, so I thought I would make some.  It's been awhile.  I wanted to try something new, so I put some hot sauce on the top layer.  We couldn't taste it at all really, so next time I will put more.  I like my lasagna pretty plain, but you can add whatever you want.  I didn't have much time to think about it.
Lasagna

12 lasagna noodles
1 lb. ground beef
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese(I used the container kind)
1-24 oz. jar marinara sauce
2-24 oz. containers cottage cheese(I used only about 1 1/2)
1-8 oz. bag shredded cheddar cheese
Hot sauce(optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook the noodles in a large pan with water and olive oil.  While the noodles are cooking you can brown the ground beef and cut up the onion and garlic.

Strain the noodles and ground beef when done.  Season the meat with whatever you like.

Mix ground beef, onions, garlic, and Parmesan cheese.  I sauteed the onions and garlic before mixing with ground beef.

Cover the bottom of a 9x13 inch pan with a layer of marinara sauce.  Line four lasagna noodles across the bottom.  Spoon half of the meat mixture onto the noodles.  Spread half the cottage cheese over meat, and then repeat with marinara sauce, noodles, meat mixture, and cottage cheese.  Before putting the top layer of lasagna noodles sprinkle with hot sauce.  Then put the last layer of lasagna noodles and sprinkle the cheddar cheese on top.

Cover with aluminum foil and cook for 45 mins.  Take the foil off and continue to cook for another 15 mins.

Grilled Avocado w/ Hot Sauce & Parmesan Cheese

I'm not a huge fan of avocados.  I can eat them, but if I don't have to I won't.  I saw these and figured I could give them a try because maybe the avocado taste wouldn't be so prevalent with the hot sauce.  I was right.  I really enjoyed these.  I used buffalo sauce because that's what I grabbed without realizing it.  I will definitely make these again.  I made these with lasagna which I will be posted after this.  You can probably eat a whole one of these for a meal because avocados are actually high in calories compared to other fruit.  A half of a avocado is about 160 calories which I didn't know.  I don't know this for a fact, but that's what it said when I looked it up.


Grilled Avocado w/ Hot Sauce & Parmesan Cheese

 Ingredients:
1 avocado
1 tablespoon hot sauce(I used buffalo)
1 tablespoon lime juice
¼ cup parmesan cheese(I used the shredded in the container)
Salt and pepper

Method:

1. Slice the avocado in half and remove the stone. Prick all over with a fork, or cut criss-cross patterns with a knife. This allows the sauce to penetrate the flesh.

2. Pour the sauce over each half, then top with lime juice and salt and pepper.

3. In the cavity where the stone has been, put a fourth of the cheese on each avocado half. Place under the hot grill for 2 minutes. 

4. Top with remaining cheese and grill (broil for Americans!) for another 2 minutes until completely melted and avocado warmed through.

Adapted from Morsels & Musings

White Chocolate Cheesecake w/ Caramel Sauce

I'm not the best with pictures

I wanted to make something for my friends birthday party.  We were all going out to eat at this great Italian restaurant  but I thought it would be nice to have some dessert afterwards.  There was this cheesecake that I wanted to try.  It was a salted caramel cheesecake, but the dulce de leche didn't turn out.  I'm not sure what went wrong because I followed the directions.  They were pretty simple, but I didn't have enough time to try it again.  I will at a later date though because I still want to attempt that cheesecake.  I had planned for this, so I decided to make this cheesecake instead.  Well I thought I had planned for this, but forgot the heavy cream for the caramel sauce.  Luckily my husband got off work just in time to run to the store and get me some.  I did attempt the caramel sauce with substitute for the heavy cream, but for this it definitely didn't work.  It turned out to be too much butter.  Anyway, I was able to get the caramel sauce done in time.  It smelled soooo good in my kitchen when I was making it.  I wanted to just eat it all up then and there, but would have burned my mouth.  I used all the caramel sauce, but I think it might have been a little too much.  With that said the cheesecake was still delicious, and that is what everyone at the party said too. I mean how could it not be.  Sadly, my husband didn't get to try it, but I'm sure it will be make again.  Any flavor of cheesecake would be good.


White Chocolate Cheesecake w/ Caramel Sauce

Caramel Sauce
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 3/4 teaspoons lemon juice
1 pint heavy cream
4 tablespoons unsalted butter

In a medium sauce pan over medium high heat combine the sugar and lemon juice. Stir with a wooden spoon(I used a plastic one) until the sugar is mostly melted then set aside the spoon and swirl the pan over the heat to keep the color even throughout. 

Continue to cook and swirl until the sugar turns a medium amber color. Watch it carefully, the sugar will quickly darken and should it become dark brown or black it will taste bitter and unpleasant. 

When the sauce turns the right color slowly whisk in the cream. If the caramel hardens with the addition of the cream, do not worry. Just continue to add the cream and bring the mixture back to a a boil over medium heat. Continue to stir until the sugar has remelted. Allow to boil for 5 minutes then remove from heat and stir in the butter. 

Pour into a heat safe container and chill until ready to use. 

Crust
10 ounces graham crackers(19-20 crackers), crushed into crumbs
7 tablespoons unsalted butter

Cheesecake Filling
3 8-ounce packages of cream cheese, room temperature
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
8 ounces good quality white chocolate, chopped
5 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
pinch salt

boiling water

Pre-heat the oven to 375°F. Combine the graham cracker crumbs with the melted butter and press into the bottom and 1 1/2 inches up the side of a 10 inch spring form pan.

Bake for 10 minutes and then allow to cool completely on a wire rack. 

Reduce the heat to 325°F and prepare the cheesecake batter. 

Place the chopped white chocolate into a heat safe bowl and set aside. Bring the 1/2 cup of cream to a simmer over medium heat in a small sauce pan. Pour the hot cream over the white chocolate, jiggle the bowl to submerge it and allow to stand for one minute. Stir the chocolate gently until melted completely. 

In your mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese until smooth and lump free. Add the sugar and mix, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. 

On medium speed, slowly add the white chocolate ganache. Once combined you can add the eggs, one at a time, beating on low speed until each egg is incorporated. Once you've added all the eggs, mix in the vanilla and salt and pour into your prepared pan. 

Set the pan onto a couple large sheets of aluminum foil and smooth them up the sides of the pan to waterproof. 

Set the cheesecake into a large roasting pan and then place in the oven. Pour the boiling water into the roasting pan, filling to about one inch (no higher than the lowest edge of aluminum foil). Allow to make at 325°F for one hour then reduce heat and bake at 300°F for an additional 60-90 minutes until the center is just set. 

Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely on a wire rack. Once cool chill for at least 4 hours before serving. 

To glaze, gently warm the 1 cup of the caramel sauce on the stove or in the microwave until slightly runny and then pour onto the cheesecake. Smooth the caramel over the cake and you're ready to serve. 


Adapted from Not So Humble Pie

Strawberry Pink Lemonade Cupcakes

A friend of mine was having a birthday party for her two girls.  She wanted a cupcake that was girl, and decided on pink lemonade.  I searched the internet for pink lemonade cupcakes and found that I like the way these were made the best.  Actually I've done a few recipes from the website I got this one form.  I test made these a couple weeks before the party to make sure I could make them good, and to make sure they tasted good.  They tasted delicious, and that's what everyone told me when I made them for the party as well.  The recipe called for strawberry puree in the frosting, but I left it out.  I did this because when I did the test, the amount needed to taste the strawberry, made it too runny.  It was probably because it's summer and hot out.  If I made these in the winter I would probably keep the strawberry puree.  If you want to do this just blend 1 cup of chopped strawberries.  Add the puree after you blend the rest of the frosting ingredients one tablespoon at a time until you get the consistency you want.

Strawberry Pink Lemonade Cupcakes

Yield: about 23 cupcakes

Ingredients:
For the cake:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. lemon zest
12 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup milk
2 cups fresh strawberries, chopped

For the lemonade syrup:
1 cup pink lemonade concentrate, thawed
3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar

For the frosting:
12 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
18 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 2/3 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
3 tsp.  fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. vanilla extract

For garnish:
Fresh strawberries

Directions:
To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.  Line muffin pans with paper liners.  In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and lemon zest.  Stir together with a fork and set aside.  In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until it is light and fluffy.  Add the sugar and beat until well combined.  Beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition.  Add half of the flour mixture to the bowl and beat on low speed until just incorporated.  Add in the milk and mix until smooth.  Add in the remaining flour mixture and mix on low speed until just blended.  Fold in the fresh strawberries with a spatula.

Divide the batter evenly between the paper liners, filling them about 3/4 full.  Bake about 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Allow to cool in the pan 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Once the cupcakes have cooled, whisk together the pink lemonade concentrate and confectioners’ sugar in a small bowl to make the lemonade syrup.  Poke several holes in the top of each cupcake with a toothpick and pour the syrup over the cupcakes, allowing it to soak in.  (Place wax paper underneath your cooling rack so you don’t make a mess!)

To make the frosting beat the cream cheese and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth and very fluffy, about 5 minutes.  Add the powdered sugar and mix until smooth.  Add the lemon juice and vanilla extract and mix until incorporated.   Frost cupcakes as desired and garnish with fresh strawberries.

Adapted from Annie's Eats

Southwestern Stuffed Peppers

I wanted something that was healthy and tasted good.  I had never had stuffed peppers, so I thought I would try them.  I was a little leery because I'm not a big fan of peppers plain, but I figured it would be ok with all the other ingredients.  This recipe called for ground turkey breast.  1) I don't have the equipment to grind up some turkey and 2) I could have got just ground turkey, but I'm not a fan of it at all.  I tried some with zucchini boats, and I didn't like it at all.  You could still use it if you like it, but I used ground beef.  I also only made only two peppers.  My husband and I were the only ones that would eat them, so there was no point in wasting any food.  I had a bit of leftovers, but I'm sure you can halve it.  I didn't because I was going to make more, but then realized my kids wouldn't eat it.

Southwestern Stuffed Peppers

Olive Oil
1/2 lb ground beef
1 cup chopped onions
1 heaping tbsp taco seasoning
2 cups of cooked rice (I used brown)
3-4 organic bell peppers, halved and seeds removed
1 can of black beans, drained & rinsed
½ cup of organic frozen corn
1 (15 -16 ounce) jar of salsa
Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Pre heat the oven to 400 degrees. Lightly coat the peppers with olive oil and roast in a baking dish about 20-25 minutes just until cooked thru. Remove the peppers from the oven and allow to cool until you can handle them.

Cook ground beef.  I sauteed the onions after cooking the ground beef.

In a bowl add the taco seasoning, cooked ground beef, chopped onions, black beans, corn and rice. Add in the jar of salsa and mix well.

Carefully spoon the ground beef mixture into each half of the bell peppers and place back into the baking dish. Cook the peppers for another 15-20 minutes or until the peppers are cooked all the way thru. Before removing from the oven sprinkle the tops of each pepper with shredded cheddar cheese. Place back into the oven just until the cheese has melted.

Remove from the oven and top with whatever you want.

Adapted from Simply Love Food

Getting back on track

First off we went to a marriage retreat through my husband's company.  That was actually great, and if I get the chance to do it again I definitely will.  It was a 2 night stay for free.  We also got breakfast and dinner for free.  The classes weren't very long at all, and we got to see some fantastic views.  This was the view from our hotel room.

The first day we didn't do much, but the second day the class got done early, and we didn't need to pick up the kids for a few hours.  We were going to enjoy every minute of it.  There was this thing called the Zugspitz where we took a cable car all the way up to the highest mountain in Germany.  It was a little scary because you watch everything below become so small, but the views were gorgeous.  This is what we rode in on the way up.

This is a view from the top.  Gorgeous I know.

There was one view that wasn't very pleasant.  We at at one of the restaurants that were up on the mountain.  A couple that was sitting in front of us had a 8 or 9 year old boy with them.  He was drinking a glass of beer, or at least that's what it looked like to the four of us.  I couldn't believe what I had seen.  He was chugging it like it was a glass of pop.  That's just crazy.  I would never let my child drink any sort of alcohol at that age.  Anyway the entire trip was good.  

Back to the point of the title.  The whole trip I at horribly.  I figured I'm on vacation so why not.  I also didn't exercise, except a little in the pool.  I don't count that though.  Every since I got back I just haven't been able to get back to eating good and picking back up on workouts.  I worked out maybe once, and I feel like I don't have much motivation anymore to try.  In fact, I should be working out right now.   I always start my day off good with eating, but then I get crazy for sweets so bad I tend to give in.  I know you can have sweets in moderation.  I'm not that type of person.  I can't just eat a little bit and put it away.  If it's in my house I will eat it, and I usually eat a lot if not all.  Oh well I just got to let it go.  Today is a new day.  I have a Zumba class tonight, and I'm excited for it.  Once the kids start school it will be a lot easier.  I will have to get up early and take them to school.  This will give me no excuse to not to go workout because I'll already be up and awake for the day.  Plus I have a friend that says she will go to the gym with me after we drop them off.  It's easier to keep on track when you have someone else willing to do it with you.  

Kids and what they say

I asked my 2 year old daughter to give me a hug.  This was the conversation:
 Me-"I want a hug."
Daughter-"No."
Me-"Fine be that way."  My 4 year old son then comes over.
Son-"I want a hug."  He give me a hug then says, "Not Arianna.  She's being a jerk."  Yes, my 4 year old son said that about his sister.  I tried to explain to him that no she just didn't want a hug right now.  Actually she says no to me wanting a hug a lot.  I can tell she does it because she thinks it's funny.  Anyway, after he said that my husband and I looked at each other and laughed.  It was hard not to.  Yes, he got that from me.  I haven't said it in awhile though.  When he would be mean to his sister I would tell her he's being a jerk.  Sometimes he would get so mad when I would tell her that.  It never made him any nicer though.  I was surprised to hear him say that because he knows it's a bad word.  He also knows not to say bad words, and he usually doesn't.  It's our daughter that doesn't quite understand that yet.  Kids are so funny sometimes with the things they say, and the faces they make.  My son's new saying now is..."I'm mad now."  He says this when he doesn't get him way, so it's quite often.  It's just so funny because right after he says it he crosses his arms in a huffy puffy way and puts his head down.  I laugh every time, and it just makes him more mad.  It's so easy to get mad at my kids, but looking at their face when I yell at them makes it hard.  I admit that I yell at my kids a lot.  They are just so frustrating sometimes.

A little about my kids...
Trayvon- He is 4 years old.  I think he's very smart, but that could just be me.  He's fully potty trained except at night which I have a feeling it will be awhile until he gets over that.  He loves just about anything.  His biggest things are playing and watching angry birds, watching mario, and dinosaurs.  He's obsessed with playing and watching these things on my computer.  When we shut it off he cries hard.  He has a fantastic imagination, and sometimes will pretend he is an angry bird.  He will throw himself at a pillow on the couch, and even explode like the black angry bird.  He's quite amusing sometimes.  I can rarely video tape him because he just likes to look at himself while I'm trying to film.  He has a temper like his mom for sure.  He will go out of his way sometimes to bother his sister and make her cry.  He is also a huuuuuuuuuuuge whiner. I mean majorly.  This kid whines about everything.  When he asks for something he whines.  He can be a little rough sometimes, but he's a boy.  At the end of the day he's a great kid.

Arianna- She just turned 2 a couple months ago.  I think she is also very smart.  This is probably because she has her big brother to repeat after.  She is also potty trained.  She has pooped on the floor a couple times, and once in her underwear.  I never had that problem with my son.  Both of them I let them decide on their own when they were ready.  It just seemed easier that way instead of forcing them.  We haven't taken her anywhere though to know if she does good outside of the house.  I really hope so.  We have a birthday party this weekend, so I'll guess we will find out.  She pretty much loves to do whatever her brother does.  She too will go out of her way to bother brother.  She gets a kick out of it.  Now this child is crazy.  She lives in her own world, and by her own rules.  She does listen for nothing.  I've tried everything, and I mean everything aside from hitting her.  I would NEVER do that.  She is very stubborn.  You tell her not to do something and punish her for it she will go two minutes later and do it again.  Her obsession is the bathroom sink.  She has flooded the bathroom twice, by stuffing toilet paper down the drain.  We pretty much have to keep anything that can make a mess, harm her, etc. in a place she can't get to.  Sometimes she still finds a way to get to it.  There's been a few things broken, lotion in places, baby powder, and pretty much anything you can think of she's probably done it.  When you yell at her for something she looks at you and smiles like it's nothing.  She is the one we definitely have to keep an eye on all the time.  She has no fear and will do dangerous things.  This scares me a bit, but she's really tough.  When she first started walking she fell a lot and not softly.  Everyone would always gasp, but she would just get back up as if nothing happened.  She loves to see her brother get in trouble.  They have started tattling on each other.  Her favorite food is string cheese.  This girl can eat six or more in a day, and still poop.

They both are starting a German Kindergarten next month.  They will go five days a week for four hours, and I can't wait.  It will be a nice break.  My son went for a year to a different one, and he seemed to like it a lot.  It's nice because the teachers will speak to them in German, but will speak to them in English if need be.  They will pick up on German a lot faster going to this school.  I just can't wait because four hours of me time.

Workouts

So, like I said in the about me page, I'm trying to lose weight.  Well about three weeks ago I got an invite to go to a Zumba class.  I have never done Zumba, and really I didn't know too much about it.  I was super excited because I had heard it was fun, and it's exercise.  Of course I would go.  This fat isn't going to go away by itself.  I was a little nervous though because it is out in the economy.  Needless to say that me and the girl I went with were the only Americans that were there.  It was ok though.  The teacher speaks English.  Most of the time she speaks German, but that doesn't bother me.  We are in their country, so they have every right.  I just had to watch what she was doing and copy her.  All the other people that have been there since have been really nice, and I haven't gotten one nasty look yet.  Well I have a lot of fun.  I actually laughed at some parts the first day.  Just because they are moves that I have never done before.  Let's just say that you shouldn't bring your little kid.:)  I even have caught myself during that last two singing parts of the song out loud.  How embarrassing, but I don't think anyone has heard me yet.  What can I say.  The music is catchy.  It's more expensive than going on the base, but it's at a more convenient place and time.  I look forward to it every week.  I'm even thinking about doing some zumba youtube videos.  That is if I ever have the time and space with my kids.  I do Blogilates, which I will talk about in a minute, at home.  If my husband isn't home it's not so much fun.  My kids like to run back and forth all around me.  I have to admit, I've kicked them a couple times.  On ACCIDENT, I swear.  That's what they get though for running in circles so close to me after I've told them time and time again to move back.  It must not bother them much because they go right back doing the same thing.  If my husband is home I can go up in the room and do it while he keeps them downstairs.

Ok, so now to Blogilates.  First here's the website: www.blogilates.com.  It is a must check out.  I promise.  I first heard of this website about a month ago from a friend.  Not sure if she's ok with giving her name, so I won't.  She told me about this website and about Cassey Ho, she's the girl on the website.  We were having a girls night, and she made us do part of a video.  Well, ok she didn't make us, but we had fun trying in non workout clothes.  That night we were also talking about losing weight, and how there is nothing so far that has been able to motivate me.  Anyway, I think the next day or a couple I decided to check Cassey out.  I love her!  She is motivational throughout all her videos.  She talks throughout all of them as well which I like. For some reason that is motivational to me, but she also keeps telling you to not stop and keep going.  I highly recommend checking her out.  She also has a lot of workout gear you can buy.  I'm still too big for any of them, but hopefully some day I won't be.  I haven't stopped doing her videos.  I do more than one video each time.  The videos aren't that long, so if you only have a few minutes that's fine.  They do give you a good workout.  Some of the moves I can't even do, or I can't do the full count with her because I'm not there yet.  What I really want to say is that she helped motivate me to want to keep working out.  Now I so Blogilates about three times a week, zumba once, walking six miles when I can, and hiking some too.  I have also been eating less.

I joined this website: www.loseit.com.  You are able to put in your information, how much you want to lose, and then it tells you how much you should eat.  You then put in what you eat throughout the day, and it calculates your calories.  It's not a diet, but just eating less.  I like it because I can still occasionally have the foods I like.  There are also forums where people ask questions, so you can get a lot of information and support through others in the site.  It gets hard sometimes, but then I just remember what I want to be able to fit into someday soon.  I hope everyone got some useful information.

What's in a name...

By this I'm referring to the title of my blog.  I sat at this computer for a very long time last night trying to figure out what a good blog title would be.  I didn't want anything that is common or something that wasn't really thought through.  I guess it wouldn't really matter because I could probably just change it if I though of a better one.  Anyway, I thought of one that, I think, fits pretty well.  When I first chose the name it was because, hopefully, someday there will be lots of people reading my blog.  Hence they probably wouldn't know me.  In which case I'm a stranger to them.  Duh, I'm sure you figured that out already.  Then as time passed I began to think on it more, and a thought came to mind.  I don't know how many people ever feel this way, but I do sometimes.  I feel like a stranger to myself in a way. There are times when I do something and I can't believe I did that.  Also, there are always those certain things everyone says they would never do.  Well of course I do sometimes, and I'm sure many of you do too.  You just never know until you're in a certain situation what you will or won't do.  Afterwards you may be surprised, and yep, feel like a stranger to yourself. It happens, and it's no big deal.  Well maybe it is.  I guess that would depend on the situation.  Sometimes I look at my life and can't believe this is what I have.  It's crazy, sometimes, to think that I've been married for 6 1/2 years and have two kids.  Another meaning that came to me is that I'm only 25, and I'm still figuring out who I am.  I don't fully know who I am, and maybe who I even want to be.  It's actually kind of hard to explain the meaning of the title in words.  When I said it in my head it came out smoother, and it made more sense.  Now when I read back it doesn't sound as good, but that's like sometimes.  Right?