Tag Archives: cooking

9/20/17

by

Let’s see, biggest news first… apparently the Pars Planitis is flaring back up again.  I’m really disappointed/discouraged because it’s only been a month since I got cleared after an entire month on hardcore steroids.  So I have another month of hardcore steroids to look forward to.  =(  The good news is they don’t know why I’m having problems with this as all my blood tests came back negative, so at least it’s not something BAD, but it seems to like to pop up when I really NEED my vision to be clear and not have a splitting migraine for days on end.  Oh well, back to the sweat fest that is steroids….  =(

The home reno project is coming along.  The fireplace is looking AWESOME, I can’t wait to post pics of it with the crown molding we’re currently doing up top.  Once this thing is painted and the stone is put it it’s going to look freaking amazing.  Wade is a serious genius.  The tile was supposed to be delivered today, but apparently the delivery guy decided to stack one pallet of it on top of the other, took a corner too fast, and the top pallet came crashing off of it and was completely destroyed.  Then they had to go get another pallet to replace that from another store…. THEN they apparently put all three pallets in the back room of the store and forgot to deliver it.  *sigh*  Ugh.  So SUPPOSEDLY the tile will get delivered tomorrow, but we’ll see.  We’re still on track to start install on Monday the 25th, and my next couple days will be clearing out all the stuff in the pantry, hall closet, and the stuff in the hutch and island so we can move all this furniture out of here.  Seriously, it’s like moving.  I hate moving. =/

I did manage to convince Wade that since we were moving the stove out of the kitchen ANYWAY to tile underneath it that I needed a new stove.  =)  I went out and bought a beaut today and I can’t wait for it to be delivered!  =P

The kiddos are doing great!  Tatum is doing AWESOME with her potty training.  The second we took the pressure off and decided we didn’t care and she could go at her own pace was the second she started being stellar at it!  She even asked to go to the potty tonight out at a restaurant and we had our first #2 away from the house/school.  Woot!!!  We may get her out of pull-ups yet!

We’re still struggling through the formula thing with Wyatt but it’s getting better and he’s still growing so I’m trying not to obsess over it as much as I have been.  My SIL says “Watch the baby, not the oz” and our pediatrician says the same.  That’s tough for me, but I’m trying!  Maybe he just has a better metabolism than the average baby?  =)

Some pictures to round out my post!  Enjoy!

OH! I almost forgot, made this “Inside Out Stuffed Pepper” recipe last night and it was super simple and VERY good!  I added Italian Seasonings to mine and a little extra tomato sauce, but it was Hanchar Fam approved, even by Tatum!!!

8/9/17

by

Well…. I quit my job today.

It’s kind of a shock for me really, I’ve been managing that place for 9 years and it’s become, well, kind of “mine”.  But the time has come for me to try something new, and I really want to spend more time with my kiddos before they’re grown.  This is time with them I’ll never get back and I don’t want to miss out on it.  It was a really tough decision for me to make, but I’m confident it was the right one.  I’ll still fill in here and there for vacations and/or people calling in sick occasionally, but technically as of right now I’m officially unemployed, and it feels kind of weird.

I have to say though, the one thing I won’t miss?  Catering to these crazy-ass high maintenance dog owners every single day.  =)  I don’t think there’s a person in their right mind that would miss that, and it has honestly been wearing on my sanity for a while.  Don’t get me wrong, I loved my job and I loved *most* of my customers, and I loved my coworkers, but there’s that “Special” few, you know?  The absolute crazies.  =)  That’s who I won’t miss.

So this will start the new chapter on my new “Stay at Home Mom” lifestyle, and we’ll see how well I cope. =)  I’m looking forward to spending time with my new booth at Lonestar Mercantile and that’s something I can take the kids with me when I need to as I only really need to go up there to restock and rearrange (and shop!). I’m looking forward to trying new crafts and finally having time to put together those scrapbooks I’ve been putting off for years.  And I’m having fun meal planning and trying new recipes out as well!  I’ve been surprised so far at how full my days have been just with the tasks I give myself to do every day, and how quickly time passes during the day, so I’m hopeful I won’t go too stir crazy.  =)

So here’s to new adventures!  Onward and upward!  ❤

8/8/17

by

Man, rough day today!! Tatum is doing a lot better but MAN she was a handful today and I had them both by myself as my poor mom is super sick too! It also feels like Wade and I are coming down with whatever it is and I'm pretty sure Wyatt has some degree of it as well as he's not seemed to feel very well the last couple days either. Yuck.

As a friend said, her cheese face is on point! 😂😬

In spite of how challenging she was being, I actually got more done than I expected today! I finished up thank you cards, got almost all of the birth announcements addressed and stamped and ready to mail, some laundry done, and I even made dinner thanks to my Instant Pot!

I tried a new recipe tonight! IP Chicken Pot Pie Casserole! It tasted amazing!! Wade went back for seconds and I have a TON leftover for dinner tomorrow. Super easy recipe too:

After dinner I sent Tatum out to the backyard to run off some steam with Wade and Wyatt and I vegged out for a few!

I love his "praying mantis" pose. I trimmed his fingernails again tonight so you can actually see his hands instead of mittens! 🙂

OH!!! I also added some new Pyrex to the collection by way of winning two raffles!!! I'm most excited about the Pink Gooseberry set!! It's been on my wish list for a while but price-wise out of my reach really!!! Thank you raffle!!!! I'm really loving them!

This is also the first two pieces of Snowflake Garland I've gotten, so I have to decide if I'm up to starting a new pattern or not. Lol!! They're really pretty!

Tomorrow I have lunch with my boss, then I'm gunning for a real good nap in the afternoon because Tatum's butt is going back to school!!! Whoop!!!

8/4/17

by

Tummy Time – Not a Fan….

We had a nice day today!  Got a few things done here at the house in the morning, then met Amber and Sadie for lunch at the Chocolate Angel Tea Room.  It was really good!  After lunch I wandered around High Street for a bit and then puttered over to Plano Antique Mall too for a little Pyrex shopping expedition.  =)

IMG_7656

Got some Town and Country and a Butterfly Gold.  =)  I know, I don’t need any more, but hey, my name is Jamie and I have a problem.  LOL

This evening we had a wonderful pot roast I cooked in the Crock Pot today.  It’s funny how our time with Blue Apron and Hello Fresh gave me a new appreciation for spices and seasonings!  I seasoned the meat with Rosemary and Thyme, and it was delicious!  I’ve finally figured out which roast to buy for more tender meat and I’m happy I did!  I had a really hard time getting behind pot roast before that.

Also finished my planning for the next week this evening.  Also funny how I never was able to fill a paper planner when I was working but now that I’m not the dang thing is full.  LOL!

Really looking forward to my parents getting home either tomorrow evening or Sunday morning.  Two weeks is a long time to go without seeing them!  Tatum is going to be so excited to see them!

 

 

8/2/17

by

My main goal today was to get up to Lonestar Mercantile and get my frames moved around so that normal height people can reach them, and I’m happy to say that not only did that get accomplished but a whole crapload of other stuff got done too!

IMG_7623

We still need to add Stacie’s stuff from Tick Tock Crafts, and I have some other things I’m making for opening like some fall/pumpkin themed stuff and more Allen High School spirit necklaces/jewelry, but so far I think it’s really coming along well!  Excited to share my love of crafts AND vintage (especially the PYREX!)

IMG_7625

Speaking of Pyrex, I finished off my Pink Gooseberry Refrigerator Dish set today!  Isn’t it GORGEOUS?  I really love the pink patterns, they’re really filling up my display cabinets too.  LOL!  And of course now there’s this huge surge in the Pyrex craze so I’m sure some of this stuff is going to start getting expensive to get my hands on! (Not like it isn’t already.)

Wyatt spent some time being unimpressed by me while I worked on my TO DO list for the day, but this afternoon with the weather being so nice we took a trip outside to look around.  I don’t think he was much impressed by that either, but at least it was a change of things to be unimpressed by.  *grin*

IMG_7635

And finally here’s a picture of my sad (but delicious) dinner that I ate by myself because Wade is still at work even though it’s almost 9:30pm.  Delicious Chicken Tacos I made with my amazing Crock Pot:

Crock-Pot 6-Quart Programmable Cook & Carry Slow Cooker with Digital Timer, Stainless Steel , SCCPVL610-S

Can you sense a theme with my cooking?  With a newborn (ok, I guess he’s an “infant” now that he’s over a month) in the house, I am ALL ABOUT the quick and easy.  I’ve been relying heavily on both my Crockpot and Instant Pot the last few weeks to get dinner made and on the table with a minimum of fuss, and since I was doing bedtime for both kids by myself tonight I was really relieved to have dinner done and ready to go.  Tatum even approves of this recipe!!

3-Ingredient Slow Cooker Taco Chicken

  • 2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 4 breast halves)
  • 1 tsp. medium-hot taco seasoning or 1 tbsp. mild taco seasoning (adjust to your desired spiciness – this is for mildly spicy)
  • 1 cup mild salsa
  • for serving: tortillas, shredded cheese, avocado or guacamole, tomatoes, additional salsa, etc.
Directions
  1. Place chicken in bottom of slow cooker. Sprinkle with taco seasoning. Spoon salsa on top of chicken and spread to cover chicken.
  2. Cook on low for 3-4 hours, or on high for 2 hours, until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken to a plate to cool slightly, along with any salsa that is on top of the chicken. Shred with two forks or your fingers and place in a bowl. Stir in some of the liquid from the slow cooker, starting with ¼ cup and adding more as desired.
  3. Serve chicken in tortillas with toppings as desired.

Instant Pot Corn on the Cob

by

So the other day I posted the greatness that is the Chicken BBQ sliders, but I also had some amazing corn on the cob on the plate that day, and I wanted to take a second to talk about it.  =)

My hubby LOVES corn on the cob.  In fact, every time I send him to Walmart on his own he comes back with a bag of 25 cent per cob corn that I have to find a way to work into almost every single dinner that week.  But for a lot of ways that it’s cooked, corn on the cob is a royal pain.  You grill it (which I love) but requires constant supervision.  You boil it (also constant supervision). You do whatever to it, but what I do?  I Instant Pot it.

Instant Pot Duo Plus 9-in-1 Multi-Use Pressure Cooker, 6 Qt | Stainless Steel

This baby is my GO TO kitchen appliance.  I love it SO MUCH I have two.  Two.  Yes, I said two.  If I could justify it I’d probably own three, but I can’t.

It’s like a crockpot hyped up on steroids.  I make ALL KINDS of meals in here, but one of the easiest things is perfectly cooked corn on the cob.

INSTANT POT CORN ON THE COB:

-Remove the husks and silk from the corn and rinse.

-Place 1/2 cup water in the stainless steel insert inside the pot.

-Place your corn directly in the pot in the water.

-Salt your corn and I also place about 2 tbsp butter on top.

-Put on the lid and turn the knob to sealed.

-Hit Manual button and set for 3 minutes.

-I usually do a manual release of pressure, but that’s just pure laziness on my part because I’m generally fixing something else at the moment.  You can do a quick release if you like too.

Done.  Perfect, fabulous tasting corn.