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Showing posts from April, 2019

Happy Homemaker Monday

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. Our weekend was busy but fantastic! We had dance class, an art show, 2 ballets, 2 soccer games, a baseball practice, 2 birthday parties, a trip to the farmers market, a trip to Costco, a big clean of the house, a much needed mowing the lawn, and had a great big family dinner that we hosted and I cooked for. The weather::: Weather this week doesn't seem awesome. I see us spending a lot of time inside. Monday  - Cloudy, 69º Tuesday  - Thunderstorms, 64º Wednesday  - Thunderstorms, 68º Thursday  - Rainy, 67º Friday  - Cloudy, 69º Saturday  - Sunny, 75º Sunday  - Thunderstorms, 77º On my reading pile::: Miracle Creek by Angie Kim, This Will Only Hurt a Little by Busy Philipps, Love Poems for Married People by John Kenney, The January Children by Safia Elhillo Movies or Shows I watched this weekend::: I think the only thing I watched all weekend was Game of Thrones. On my TV this week::: Good Girls Vlogs ...

Happy Homemaker Monday

Hope everyone had a wonderful Easter. Our Easter included family, yummy food, beautiful weather, and a kickball game. The weather::: Monday  - Cloudy, 74º Tuesday  - PM Showers, 67º Wednesday  - Cloudy, 73º Thursday  - AM Clouds/PM Sun, 80º Friday  - Sunny, 76º Saturday  - PM Thunderstorms, 80º Sunday  - Partly Cloudy, 76º On my reading pile::: Yes Please by Amy Poehler Love Poems for Married People by John Kenney Miracle Creek by Angie Kim A Lily in the Light by Kristin Fields The January Children by Safia Elhillo Movies or Shows I watched this weekend::: Last week's Grey's Anatomy, a couple episodes of The Office, and the new Game of Thrones. On my TV this week::: Vlogs Grey's Anatomy Game of Thrones Super Store Good Girls On the menu for this week::: Monday  Easter Leftovers Tuesday  Hamburgers with potatoes, asparagus and corn on the cob Wednesday Ham and cheese sandwiches Thursday Pork Tenderloin with swee...

Instant Pot Macaroni and Cheese

My kids are mac and cheese addicts. I found this instant pot recipe for macaroni and cheese here and it has taken over as a common food in our house. When I make it for lunch while the kids are at school, Ben comes home so upset we cooked it without him. Instant Pot Mac n Cheese 1 box (16 ounce) elbow macaroni 1 cup of heavy whipping cream 3 tbsp butter 2 tsp salt 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese 4 cups of water Put macaroni, water, salt, and butter. Set the instant pot on manual high for 4 minutes. Quick release. Set pot on sauté and add whipping cream and stir. Slowly add the cheese at is melts.

Instant Pot Smoked Sausage White Bean Vegetable Soup

I love soup, especially when it's cold outside. Because we do soup so much, I'm constantly looking for new yummy soup recipes. I found this recipe here . The kids and I had it while Shawn was out of town and we loved it!!! Instant Pot Soup with Smoked Sausage, White Bean & Vegetables 1 lb bag dry navy beans, soaked for several hours 1-2 tbsp olive oil 14 oz smoked turkey sausage, sliced into medallions 1/2 onion, diced 2 cloves garlic, minced 3 carrots, peeled and chopped 2 stalks celery, chopped 1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped 2 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped 7 cups vegetable broth 3 cups fresh baby spinach 1 tsp salt (plus more to taste) 1/4 tsp black pepper Using the sauté function, add olive oil and cook sausage until browned. Add onions and sauté until translucent. Add garlic and sauté for one minute. Turn sauté off. Rinse the beans and add them to the pot, along with the remaining ingredients. Set pressure cook (manual) on...

Raspberry Sherbet Party Punch

For my sister in law's baby shower, I made a delicious punch that I found here . It was so good I ended up having to make two rounds of it. The kids kept coming up for seconds and thirds. Raspberry Sherbet Party Punch 2 Liter Bottle Sierra Mist, chilled 2 Liter Bottle Club Soda, chilled 1 Fruit punch can (12 oz), or pink lemonade, thawed in the fridge 1 Pineapple juice can (12 oz), thawed in the fridge 6-8 scoops Raspberry Sherbet ice cream, or any flavor you have available (If you can't find fruit punch or pineapple juice, then 2 cans of pink lemonade will work as well) For Garnish Fresh or Frozen raspberries Pineapple slices (canned or fresh) Combine all the ingredients in a punch bowl and serve. As the sherbet melts the punch keeps getting sweeter.

Sweet and Sour Cocktail Meatballs

We did a baby shower for my sister in law in January and I was asked to bring meatballs. I've never made cocktail meatballs before. I found a pretty typical recipe here . You can find my meatball recipe here . Sweet and Sour Cocktail Meatballs 2 lbs meatballs 1 1/2 cups ketchup 3/4 cup grape jelly Put all the ingredients in a crockpot and cook on high for 2-3 hours. Super simple but sooo good. I probably doubled the recipe and didn't have any to bring home. Everyone loved them.

Happy Homemaker Monday

The weather::: It got so cold last week, but today is magical. Monday  - Sunny, 77º Tuesday  - Cloudy, 83º Wednesday  - Storms, 82º Thursday  - Rainy, 54º Friday  - Windy, 66º Saturday  - Sunny, 76º Sunday  - Cloudy, 80º On my reading pile::: A Lily in the Light by Kristin Fields, Love Poems for Married People by John Kenney, and Yes Please by Amy Poehler. I just finished This Is Me: Loving the Person You are Today by Chrissy Metz. It was soooo good. Movies or Shows I watched this weekend::: Game of Thrones is the only thing I watched all weekend. There were so many gasping moments. On my TV this week::: Will and Grace New Amsterdam Superstore Grey's Anatomy  Vlogs On the menu for this week::: Monday  Buttermilk roast chicken, broccoli and potatoes Tuesday  Going out to our favorite Greek restaurant for Scottie's birthday. Wednesday Pork roast with brussels sprouts  Thursday Something with chicken breast   Friday...

Easy Traditional British Rice Pudding

We very rarely make desserts from scratch, outside of cookies, but we are trying to do more home cooking. Shawn found this recipe and thought it looked interesting. It was all made with stuff we already had in the fridge and pantry. We put a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top and it was really good. The kids weren't in love with it but Shawn and I enjoyed it. Easy Traditional British Rice Pudding 1 ½ pint/850 mL whole milk ½ pint/285 mL double cream 1 vanilla pod (split) 4 oz./110 g. short grain (pudding) rice 1 oz./25 g. golden caster sugar 2 strips of lemon zest 1 nutmeg 1 oz./25 g. butter (use a little for greasing the dish) Preheat the oven to 300 F Lightly butter a 1.25-litre ovenproof pudding dish. Place the milk and cream into a saucepan. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla pod using the back of a knife. Add the seeds to the pan stir then finally add the vanilla pod. Heat the milk and cream through very gently and do not boil. On...

Asparagus Parmesan

When you eat green veggies with every dinner, you have to find new ways to keep them from getting boring. I found this Asparagus Parmesan on all recipes and it was really good. Asparagus Parmesan 1 tablespoon butter 1/4 cup olive oil 1 pound fresh asparagus spears, trimmed 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese salt and pepper to taste Melt butter with olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add asparagus spears, and cook, stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes, or to desired firmness. Drain off excess oil, and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.

Sous Vide Steak

I love steak, but sometimes when it's cold out, who wants to stand at the grill? Not me. We decided to use the sous vide.  We got the recipe from Anova which is the brand of sous vide we have. I don't know if I can even call this a recipe since its so simple. Sous Vide Steak 1- 8 to 12 ounce boneless steak kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil Set the Sous Vide to 130° Generously season the steak with salt and pepper and seal in a ziplock bag. Use the water immersion technique to get as much air out of the bag as possible Place the bag in the water bath for 2 hours. When done, remove the steak from the bag and pat dry with paper towels. Heat oil in a cast iron skillet over high heat. Once hot, add the steak and seer until well browned (about 30 seconds per side.) Move to a cutting board and let rest about 5 minutes before serving.

Insant Pot Sloppy Joes

I've been all over trying to find yummy instant pot recipes and anytime we can use ground beef is a bonus. I found this Instant Pot Sloppy Joes recipe and it was a hit for the whole family. Instant Pot Sloppy Joes 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 lb ground beef or ground turkey, 85% lean or greater 1 red or green bell pepper, diced 1/2 C. ketchup 2 Tbsp brown sugar or Coconut Sugar 1 can (6 oz) tomato paste 6 oz water 3 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce 1/2 tsp garlic powder 1/2 tsp onion powder 1/4 tsp black pepper, or more to taste hamburger buns In your Instant Pot using the saute feature, add the garlic, ground beef, and optional red bell pepper. Season with onion, garlic powder and black pepper. Saute until the meat is browned, then turn OFF the saute function. Add the brown sugar, tomato paste, water, and ketchup and give it a stir to combine. Place the lid on the Instant Pot and seal the valve. Set the timer for manual (high) for 4 minute...

Instant Pot Rice Pilaf

We have a Greek pork recipe that we absolutely love but I'm always looking for sides to go with it. I stumbled across this rice pilaf recipe here , and it was soooo good. It might be better than the rice pilaf at my favorite Greek restaurant. Instant Pot Rice Pilaf 1/4 c. olive oil or butter  1/3 c. orzo or vermicelli  1 c. white rice, rinsed  1 1/2 c. low-sodium chicken broth  1 tsp. garlic powder  3/4 tsp. coarse kosher sea salt  1/4 tsp. ground black pepper  1/4 tsp. onion powder  1/4 tsp. paprika  1 tbsp. freshly minced parsley OR 1 tsp. dried parsley Turn Instant Pot on SAUTE mode. Add the olive oil (or butter). Once hot, add the pasta and cook for 2-3 minutes or until browned. Add the rice and cook until it turns bright white, about 3-4 minutes. Carefully pour in the broth along with the garlic powder, salt, pepper, onion powder, and paprika. Place the lid on. Make sure valve is switched to s...

Happy Homemaker Monday

The weather::: We had a super chilly morning today. Thank goodness it's warming up because it was 32 degrees when I took the kids to school this morning. Monday  - Partly Cloudy, 56º Tuesday  - Sunny, 61º Wednesday  - Cloudy, 64º Thursday  - Cloudy, 62º Friday  - Partly Cloudy, 69º Saturday  - Thunderstorms, 74º Sunday  - Rain, 69º On my reading pile::: A Lily in the Light by Kristin Fields and A Bollywood Affair by Sonali Dev Movies or Shows I watched this weekend::: I'm trying to catch up on This Is Us because somehow I got super behind. On my TV this week::: This Is Us Superstore Will and Grace Grey's Anatomy Vlogs On the menu for this week::: I'm still trying to work this out. Monday  Steaks with asparagus, potatoes, and watermelon Tuesday  Instant Pot Pork Sirloin Tip Roast, rice, brussels sprouts Wednesday Chili and Corn bread Thursday Meat loaf, mashed potatoes, cauliflower, broccoli F...