Recipe: Taco Pizza

Today is New Year's Eve! It has been one year, great and bad. I am reflecting back on my favorite moments, and I really enjoyed this year as a whole. I am making a goal for myself to make 2014 a fantastic year. I have a list of 14 things that I want to do in the New Year. One of those big ones is to cook more at home. I plan to try a new recipe once a week during the new year, so I have taken the last few days to warm up... 

So, I did this! I combined two of my favorite foods into one awesome food. I love mexican food and I love pizza.

What you need:

One refridgerated roll out pizza dough

One small can of no salt added tomato sauce

One can of refried beans

One bag of shredded mexican cheese

One pound of ground turkey

One pack of taco seasoning

Lettuce

Salsa or taco sauce to taste

So, here's how:

Cook the turkey. Add 1/2 cup of water and taco seasoning and coat the turkey. Follow the rules on the pizza dough roll. For mine I had to preheat oven to 400. The pizza dough needs to be "pre-cooked" for about 5 to 8 minutes before you add ingredients in it. So, while I pre-cooked the pizza, I mixed the can of refried beans and tomato sauce into a new mixture, that will be the base of the pizza. 

Once the pizza is pre-cooked, spread out the bean/tomato sauce mixture onto the dough. Sprinkle on the cheese all over the pizza, then spread out the cooked turkey. I should also note, that you don't need turkey, but we wanted healthier, beef is fine too. If you like tomatoes, you can also add a can of drained sliced tomatoes on top of the pizza. Anyway, cook the pizza another 6-8 minutes until the dough browns. 

After cooking, let the pizza set out for a bit. Then add lettuce and salsa or taco sauce to it.And you're ready to enjoy. 

It didn't look fantastic, but man did it tasted great! I put too much tomato sauce on the pizza the first time, so next time I would change from a whole can to a small can.

Alright kids, have a great New Years! See you next year.

Recipe: Pimms' Cup

So, I have a friend who swears by Pimms no. 1. I have never tried it before. I think the only time I really even considered purchasing it, was in this small booze shop in Scotland when I lived there and I was looking at things I had no idea what it was. After passing it for a small, teeny whiskey bottle which was gross, I kind of forgot about it until recently. Keith got me a book, which mentioned Pimms and I decided it was time to try it.

I know, Pimms is suppose to be a more summery drink. That being said, it was in the mid-40s yesterday!! 40S!!! So, of course after walking around without a coat on, it felt like summer. Keith and I whipped up a few Pimms' Cups.

Here's how:

1 and a half ounces of Pimms No. 1
A lemon Lime soda

Ready? It's so hard.... Mix them in a cup. We added an ice cube and some mint and cucumber for garnish. Then enjoy responsibly.

Hope everyone had a great holiday season! My resolution is to post more in the new year, so let's hope I stick to it!

Gift Idea: Monogram Mug

So, I found this cute little pin on pinterest, however every time I saw it it had no link to a directions page. So, I kept putting off trying it. Well, I decided to give it ago, so that I can make someone a special gift this holiday.

It's really easy and really cute. I hope the person who is getting this, likes it!

So here's how to do it:

You need:

• a sharpie, I used gold
• A white mug, got mine cheap from Target
• a letter sticker, found mine in the scrapbook section

Stick the letter to the mug. Slowly start putting small dots, using the tip of the sharpie to outline the letter.

Keep going until you have outlined the whole letter. Then start on the fancy designs you want to make. Like this:

Then once you are done. Peel off the sticker and discard. Then put the mug in the oven at 350 for 30 minutes. Keep an eye on it though. Then pull it out and let it cool down for one hour before giving it a quick wash by hand. This lovely gift is a handwash only present :)

Anyway, happy making! :) 

Gift Idea: Dark Chocolate Gummy Bears

One day, I walked into a small candy shop and saw a bag of chocolate covered gummy bears. Thinking Keith might like them, I bought them, then quickly ate the entire bag. NO JOKE. They were delicious. So, I decided it was time to make some to give out as a small gift for some friends. So, here is the recipe. They sound weird, but really they are quite delicious.

Melt that chocolate. I used dark chocolate and my fancy chocolate melter. You want a smooth consistency, without it burning. Using the microwave is tricky, because chocolate can end up burnt quickly.

Once it's melted, drop in a gummy bear. Be careful not leave it in too long, or it will get gummy and melt. I used a fork to flip it over and cover it with chocolate goodness.

To look like this beauty.

Place on waxed paper to dry. They might not be the prettiest thing I ever made, but man they taste pretty good. I plan on wrapping them out and giving them out to a few people who like candy almost as a much as I do.

I plan on posting a few other gift ideas for the upcoming holidays. So keep an eye out! Happy making :)

Recipe: Crockpot Mac and Cheese

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. I know there hasn't been a blog post in awhile, I had some personal things come up and wanted to deal with them away from the computer. Keith and I changed our plans and ended up heading to my parents to celebrate Thanksgiving. After a normal 5 hour drive turned into a 8 hour drive, we finally got to Detroit.

We had a small dinner, only my mom and dad and Keith and I. My sister, brother-in-law and niece were visiting his mother, and we all needed a small dinner since only a week ago we gathered to say goodbye to my Grandpa. So, my mom and dad cooked a feast for us! Look at the spread.

However, I wanted to share with you my contribution. I made the best mac and cheese in the crockpot. And lucky you, I am willing to share my recipe!

What you need:
-One box of noodles, I used cavatappi this time but shells also are good
-2 cans of Cheddar Cheese Soup
-4 tablespoons of butter
-1/2 cup of sour cream
-1 bag of Colby jack cheese shredded
-1.5 cans of milk
-salt and pepper

Okay, now how do you cook it?
1.) Add noodles to a pot of boiling water. ONLY COOK FOR 6 MINUTES. You don't want to over cook, trust me
2.) Spray the crockpot with cooking spray. Put in the cheddar cheese soup. Measure out a can and half of milk and put that in. Place butter in and sour cream and mix well.
3.) Add noodles and stir well. Add salt and pepper to season
4.) Cook for about an hour on low. Then add bag of cheese and turn crockpot to high setting for 45 minutes.

Do not overcook the macaroni, I cooked it for about an hour and 45 minutes. If you overcook it, the noodles turn all mushy. I have done this recipe twice now and both times it turned out great! It was a big hit at thanksgiving and was always requested for an upcoming family weekend.

Enjoy!

Chicago visit

Two posts in one weekend? GET OUT! I know. I am really trying to get out cleaning my apartment and sorting through household stuff to donate or save. So, I am distracting myself by playing on the internet, and looking through photos from last weekend.

Keith and I went to Chicago for the weekend. We live in the burbs, and we are really itching to get back to the city. We rented a hotel room one block away from the Mag Mile and our adventure began. On Friday we attended a wedding of a friend at a neat venue full of old things for sale. After falling in LOVE with 1930s art deco lamps for $400 a pair, that Keith sweetly talked me out of, we had a blast.

This was the neat-o venue.

 Look at this dream boat

 I seem so unsure about this.. 

Ah, screw it, they had wine. (really, I was getting wine for someone.) the pillars behind me formed a cool room with a vintage couch and coffee tables. The also had a skeeball machine, which Keith told me when we are rich we can have. 

 Anyway, if you are in Chicago and have some money burning a hole in your pocket or just want to see really cool things, you should look into Salvage One. It was pretty neat.

Recipe: The Barbara

So, Keith is a busy man.  This week our first night with any time together, Wednesday, I came home and needed to go to the doctors right away about my knee which has been acting up. After 2 hours and x-rays, we found out my injuries are not too serious, but need to be looked after. But number one, is stay off it as much as possible and take some medicine I got. There's no drinking on my pills, and usually Keith and I unwind with drinks on Friday and catch up. It's like a date night at our apartment. So, instead I made him a drink to try out. This drink is called the Barbara. I found the recipe while searching for 1920s cocktails. 

The Barbara is a earlier version of a white russian. I have yet to try it, but Keith enjoyed it a lot. Here's the (super!) easy recipe.

• 1 and 1/2 oz of vodka
• 3/4 oz of creme de cacao 
• 3/4 heavy cream

Place ice cubes in a cocktail glass. Pour in vodka, then creme de cacao. Lastly float cream. Keith wanted to use milk instead of cream and it was still great!  Don't forget this recipes main ingredient is vodka, so you want to drink responsibly. This drink would be fantastic at a 1920s party.

enjoy.

What to do with that left over candy corn

I love candy corn as much as the next person, actually I love those little pumpkins more. Do you still have some candy corn left over from Halloween?? If so, this fun treat is for you!

I made this chex mix for a team meeting. I don't have a real recipe, I just threw things in a bowl. So, sorry no measurements, but this what I used.

• chocolate covered candies
• chocolate drops
• caramel popcorn with peanuts
• pretzels
• cinnamon chex cereal
• candy corn
• candy corn pumpkins
• chocolate graham cracker bites

Mix them all together. Delish!!! 

Books, Books and more Books!!

So my eyes have recently been opened to a little something called library book sales.  Apparently in the spring and fall seasons, many libraries put on book sales to raise money.  They take place at the library over a couple of days on the weekends.  Anyone can come and buy as many books as they want.  These books were all donated and then sold for anywhere from two dollars a piece to 50 cents.  They seem to start at a price and as the days go on, the prices go down.  My dear friend and I attended two of these sales in the last few weeks and got some awesome deals!  The box of books is from one sale and the bag of books is from a second.  Word on the street is some sales aren't as good as others, but that you can probably always come out with at least a few good ones!

I got so many books and unfortunately realized later that I had actually already read two of the books I purchased(oh, well, they only cost a dollar).  But to not repeat this many more times I took the suggestion of that same dear friend who went with me to the sales and started a "Book Book".  I used an empty notebook I had around the house and began to write down all the books that I got at the sales, all the books already on my bookshelves and other books that I have read in the past(as many as I could remember).  Of course being overly organized, I also coded it.  Check marks are for the books I already read and dots are for books that I already own.

Sounds really nerdy but I did this after the first book sale I went to, and then at the second one I made sure I wasn't buying anything that I already owned or had already read.

These books sales seem to be advertised using signs outside the library and one the library websites.  So come the spring season, go and check out your local library book sale.  You come away with some great books and are helping to support your local libraries at the same time!

Happy Reading!!

Drink Recipe: Apple Sangria Recipe

I love fall. I haven't taken full advantage of it because of a heavy work schedule and other excuses. So Friday, I decided to treat Keith and myself to some homemade apple sangria. Usually, I wing my sangria without any direction, like oh a bit more rum, or a lot more orange juice! This one I found a rough outlined and worked from there. Keith really enjoyed this, I thought it was a bit sweet. Enjoy responsibly:

What you need:

• 1 cup vanilla vodka
• 1/4 sugar to taste (about)
• 2 cups apple cider
• 1/4 teaspoon of pumpkin pie seasoning (this was in the original recipe and was a nice addition!)
• 1 gala apple
• 1 pear
• 1 orange
• 2 bottles of white wine- I used pinot grigio

 How to make it:
In a pitcher, mix vanilla vodka, apple cider, seasoning, sugaring until the sugar dissolves. Cut up apple, pear and oranges and put into mixture. Add the pinot grigio and put in fridge for at least 2 hours. We had some Friday and Saturday.

Enjoy!

Weekend Outings: Pullman House Tour

Jenn's note: This post was originally scheduled to be posted Monday of last week. Let's pretend I posted it then. I have had a crazy busy week with work, and the week got on top of me. Anyway, enjoy.
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This past weekend I went on the Historic Pullman Walking Tour. It was amazing. This town, dating back to the 1800s, was developed by George Pullman of the Pullman Rail Car fame for his employees. The history is deep in this area of Chicago, I am not going to go into it, but serious look it up, super interesting! I have never been here before. Little did I know, I would leave this place in love and inspired.

Everyone we met, or the people who own the houses you toured were such cool people. They all seemed interested in history and most were artists. It was so neat to see this little 4 by 4 block neighborhood in Chicago, that seemed so passionate.

 I even found a house that is not too out of our price range, that has had me drooling. Keith and I keep looking at photos of it. It's so neat. Built in 1870s as a skilled workers home, it has such charm, I felt that click the instant I walked in the door. Who knows what will happen, but that house....man, I will be in my dreams for awhile.

Anyway, here are just a few photos of the adventure I had.

Fall Recipe: Apple Bread

Keith and I went out to the pumpkin patch/apple orchard/corn maze/family fun place on our day off together. The orchard was shut, but we did enjoy ourselves playing all day, and shopping in the store.

 I promise Keith is not as creepy as he looks in this photo.

 I cannot promise I am not this short.

 Keith enjoyed the slide.

Then we went to get the most perfect pumpkin. He is currently on our coffee table, and will be carved soon.

ANYWAY, it was fun. We got pumpkins, squash and a peck of apples. Keith and I have been devouring them because they are oh so tasty. Tonight I grabbed the second to last apple to set aside to make some apple bread. I am made this bread quite a few times and I found the recipe in my handwritten notebook, so I am not sure where it comes from. I believe it's a historic recipe for the 1800s. The breads comes out like a coffee cake, except with more liquid.

Ingridents:
Dough:

• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 2 T butter
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 cup of milk

Topping:

• 1 cup brown sugar
• 4 T butter, soften
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 apple, diced

Okay Now how to make it!
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Mix flour, salt and baking powder. In separate bowl,  cream butter and sugar. Add beaten egg and milk and stir. Then add flour mixture. Pour mixture into a greased 9" round pan, or a loaf works fine too. For the topping, mix together the butter, sugar, and cinnamon. (Personally, I do less of the butter and brown sugar since this is what liquifies and I don't like mine too gooey. I also add more cinnamon.) Put apples on top.  If you bake in 9" round pan, cook for around 30 minutes or until bread is cooked. Timing might change.

Okay, sorry no photos of it, I forgot my camera! So enjoy the bread, but remember it is a bit gooey and messy, but delish!!!

Wedding flashback.

The blog creators- Jenn (mustache) and Meg (Lips) with Meg's sister (Hat) and Jenn's partner in crime (viking hat)

This week has gotten away from me. I have a post waiting in the wings, but I need help from Keith to finish it so that one will have to wait. So I decided to explore a little more of that little wedding we mentioned a few weeks ago. Today, Keith and I have been married 4 weeks (and in 2 days-a month!) So I thought I would share something we did to make the reception more "us." I already posted about the centerpieces, but here is a small thing we added to the centerpieces to make them really Jenn and Keith. 

We added trivia cards!!!! This photo (taken by my photographer) shows the small trivia cards. I went through the internet and pulled my favorite trivia questions together. I had several different categories, including a Jenn & Keith one. Then we put three to a business card, ran them through out printer, divided them and there you go! It took me a longggg time to find these trivia questions, so I thought I would just put a sample of them on here, in case anyone else wants to do them. We did get a lot of GREAT feedback about them.

( just an example of our category) J & K- Where did Keith propose to Jenn? Mackinac Island, Michigan

Science- What is the most abundant element in the universe? Hydrogen

Geography-What is the capital of Maine? Augusta
 

Movies- What government agency did Walter Peck represent when he order the Ghostbusters to shut off their laser protection grid? EPA

States- Tortilla chips and salsa are the official state snack of what state? Texas

Music- What is a gob stick to a jazz man? Clarinet


Sports- What MLB team was first to have cheerleaders? Florida Marlins

So, there you have it! Just a few to get your creativity flowing.