MIA

Well the cookie thing didn't go as planned as I am sure you all can tell. I did make several of the cookies but I just never got around to actually blogging about them. It's been a very stressful week at our house and the enthusiasm that I had for my holiday baking was flushed down the toilet along with my vehicle.

Yes, my vehicle has temporarily been sent to it's maker...quite literally, it's sitting at the Chevy dealership as we speak. Due to stupidity on our part my three year old vehicle with only 30,000 miles on it has to have a complete engine overhaul at the tune of $5000. Like most families right now $5000 might as well be a million dollars. The money is available if we need it thanks to our 401K's but I refuse to touch that money unless we absolutely have to as we can't really afford the interest payments or having that extra money taken out of our paychecks each month to pay it back. Thankfully my in-laws have a car that they have graciously allowed us to use while we weigh our options and Daniel is hoping that by some miracle he and a few of the others boys will be able to fix the motor without having to replace the entire thing. The problem is the vehicle is going to be stored at my Uncle Dan and Aunt Robins and with these guys working full time, fixing our vehicle will be a weekend project only. The day the news was delivered to us was a very, very bad day but since then we have come to terms with the Equinox's fate and after having a much needed conversation about monetary expenses we have come up with ways to save money that will begin right after Christmas.

The first being no carpet for the babies room. She isn't exactly going to be in there just yet so we're cleaning up the ceramic tile that is in there currently and buying an area rug just to help our poor feet when we are in the there changing diapers. I guess the former owners laid carpet down over the tile for a reason...can you imagine if we just had the bare concrete. The second cost saving measure is groceries! The one joy I had and it's being taken from me...lol. There are going to be a lot of casseroles in our future and we are going to start shopping at Aldi's in order to reduce our costs. Farewell Jungle Jim's...I will be back one day!

It is on that note that I have decided to take a bit of a break from the food blogging world. Sure I will have the occasional post since one of the new groceries rules is no more store bought baked goods, they are cheaper to make at home and provide us with a lot more for our buck. Another reason is the little girl currently growing in my belly. Our due date isn't until February 10th but the way my body is currently reacting it appears that she may make her appearance sometime next month. She is already head down and face down and trust me when I say this...my body is gearing up for the delivery...I can barely walk because of all of the changes "down there". The fact I am a Crohns patient is another reason why I fear an early delivery. Allowing this child to go to term can do some serious damage to my insides from pushing, so I may not be allowed to go all the way into February. The goal is not to have a c-section however because of my health issue the longer I go, the greater my chances of having one are.

I look at the drama we have had this past week along with the upcoming, possible early arrival of our daughter and I am well aware that things could be much worse even though I felt like throwing in the towel at the time.

Who cares that I can't just go to the grocery whenever I want or that I have to get a second job once the baby is here and then stress about having a c-section. I have a roof over my head, a job that allows me to pay our bills...just not the new engine bill...lol, and even with a c-section...a healthy baby that I will get to love for the rest of my time here on earth. Christmas isn't just about the gifts. It's about stepping back and realizing that in the grand scheme of things, life can be much worse. I have a wonderful husband (even though we have our days of turmoil), a supportive and loving family who is generous beyond their means, wonderful friends and co-workers, and most importantly, a child who I thought I would never be blessed with who is busting at my seams ready to come out and join this party! How can a person ever be miserable with all of that?

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to each of every one of my blogging buddies. May God bless each and every one of you with good health, a happy home, and wonderful people to fill that home with! If I am not back with new recipes in the next month or so you can bet your bottom dollar that I will be back with a big announcement and a picture of a very loved little lady who will be all mine...and Daniels I guess since he did help to create her!

Oh yeah...get your oil changed! That has now become my new motto since all of this engine crap started. If I can save you $5000 then I will sleep better at night! :) It makes me feel a little like Bob Barker/Drew Carey when they say, "don't forget...have your pet spayed or neutered...good bye everybody!"

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Cookie #2

I know, I know, I'm a little behind with this cooking baking deal that I promised everyone but honestly did you expect any differently? Procrastination...isn't it wonderful? Anyway, here is cookie number two and it is really yummy.


Mrs. Sigg's Snickerdoodles~
allrecipes.com

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Directions:
1.) Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2.) Cream together butter, shortening, 1 1/2 cups sugar, the eggs and the vanilla. Blend in the flour, cream of tartar, soda and salt. Shape dough by rounded spoonfuls into balls.
3.) Mix the 2 tablespoons sugar and the cinnamon. Roll balls of dough in mixture. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets.
4.) Bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until set but not too hard. Remove immediately from baking sheets.

I got a little under three dozen cookies out of this batch which means lots of snickerdoodles to munch on during the week!




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Broiled Tilapia Parmesan

We tried out another new recipe this week and I must say it was pretty tasty. Another one of Daniel's favorite is fish. He'll eat just about any fish there is and unfortunately having not grown up being served fish I don't cook much of it. We have both agreed that when Addison is old enough to start eating big kid food she will be forced to try different things, she may not like it but she needs to at least try it. We don't want her to be afraid to try new and exotic things when she's older. Since I married Daniel I will admit my tastes have improved because he has forced me to try things I wouldn't have touched before...can somebody say fried oysters...lol. I don't want my daughter to be 26 years old before she tries something so we're starting her off early.

Like I said he loves fish and I have slowly been trying my hardest to incorporate it more into our meals. Thursday I made this broiled tilapia parmesan and I actually enjoyed it. I always know when Daniel enjoyed something because when he does he always tells me "good dinner". This is definitely going to be going into rotation!


Broiled Tilapia Parmesan~
allrecipes.com

Ingredients:
1/2 C. parmesan cheese
1/4 C. butter, softened
3 tbsp. mayo
2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/8 garlic power*
1-2 dashs hot sauce*
1/8 tsp. onion powder
1/8 tsp. celery salt
2 lbs. tilapia fillets

Directions:
1.) Preheat your oven's broiler. Grease a broiling pan or line pan with aluminum foil.

2.) In a small bowl, mix together the Parmesan cheese, butter, mayonnaise and lemon juice. Season with dried basil, pepper, onion powder and celery salt. Mix well and set aside.

3.) Arrange fillets in a single layer on the prepared pan. Broil a few inches from the heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the fillets over and broil for a couple more minutes. Remove the fillets from the oven and cover them with the Parmesan cheese mixture on the top side. Broil for 2 more minutes or until the topping is browned and fish flakes easily with a fork. Be careful not to over cook the fish.

*Were my own little additions!

BBQ Pulled Chickenx2

Today I made the most wonderful pulled chicken in the slow cooker that I have ever tasted and what makes it even better is there is enough for two very different meals. Tonight we are just eating pulled chicken sandwiches but tomorrow...oh my goodness tomorrow...we are trying it a new way and I can't wait to share it with you.

Anyway, this was so simple and the best part...my slow cooker did the majority of the work. I filled the sucker up at 11:30 and by 4:30 the chicken was so tender it was breaking apart when I was spooning it out to shred. The juice it created was another story...was it wrong of me to take a couple of sips and save a glass for later. BBQ sauce and mashed potatoes are so good, but than again that may just be one of my weird things.

Katie's Pulled BBQ Chicken~

Ingredients:
2 bottles BBQ sauce*
6 md. to lg. pieces of frozen chicken...yes frozen!
1 cup water
1 lg. onion thinly sliced in half

Directions:
1.) Pour some BBQ sauce into the bottom of your slow cooker and then layer chicken, onion, and more BBQ sauce. Add water. Only use one bottle of sauce for this step.
2.) Turn slow cooker to high and allow to cook for 4 hours.
3.) Remove chicken and 3/4 of your onions from sauce and shred. Set aside half of your chicken and store for later making sure to add a few tablespoons of the cooking liquid to help keep it most.
4.) Add one to two cups of rice to remaining juices, cover and allow to cook on high until rice has absorbed liquid, it took about 10 minutes for mine. Keep your eye on the rice to prevent it from burning!! Once liquid is fully absorbed add a handful of shredded cheese and mix to allow the cheese to melt.
5.) Add about a half a cup or so of extra BBQ sauce from the second bottle to chicken and mix. Serve on bun of your choice with rice and a nice green salad as your sides.

* I used two 18 ounce bottles of regular Budweiser BBQ sauce. I allowed my husband to pick it out, can you tell??

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Katie's Smothered Porkchops

I enjoy pork chops however I seem to be in rut when cooking them. I pretty much just season them up and brown in some butter and call it a day. I don't think Daniel could take eating another pork chop cooked this way so I thought it was about time I try something different. I did a mental scan of everything I had stocked in the pantry and this is what I came up with. These were awesome served over pasta but can you imagine if it was served with a side of garlic mashed potatoes. Excuse me while I wipe the drool off of the keyboard! Anyway, I hope you enjoy.

Katie's Smothered Pork Chops~

Ingredients:
4-6 boneless pork chops
6 tbsp. butter or margarine
1 md. onion, thinly sliced in half
1 pint of baby bella mushrooms
1/3 C. beer
1 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. dried parsley
1 (28oz) can crushed tomatoes
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. garlic powder

Directions:
1.) In a large skillet add 3 tbsp. butter and begin browning pork chops seasoned to your liking.
2.) Remove pork chops from skillet once browned on each side, add onion and mushrooms to pan along with the remainder of the butter. Allow onions and mushrooms to soften. Add beer and seasonings.
3.) Allow beer to cook down for roughly ten minutes and then add crushed tomatoes.
4.) Add pork chops back to sauce and simmer for thirty minutes allowing all of the flavors to blend together.

Cookie #1

Cookie number one has been baked and is ready to go. I must say for as simple as this cookie is it packs a powerful flavor punch. For those of you who like lemon anything this is the cookie for you. The downfall is that people will know when you have had one because the powdered sugar drops all over your "girls", or wait...maybe that is a problem that only I have...LOL.


Lemon Coolers~

Ingredients:
1 (18.25 oz.) package lemon cake mix
1 (8 oz) whipped topping, thawed
1 egg
2 cups powdered sugar, I only needed about one cup.

Directions:
1.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2.) Mix together cake mix, whipped topping and egg. Drop by teaspoonfuls into bowl of confectioners' sugar and coat. Shape into balls. (Putting dough in the freezer for a few minutes really helps)
3.) Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Do not brown.

Tis' the Season

I absolutely adore this time of year. I think it has something to do with the Christmas carols, decorations, and the sense of family that seems so strong during these times. Another one of my favorite things about the Christmas season are cookies, lots and lots of cookies, and I think my husband couldn't agree more.

I am going to branch out of just doing cookies and hopefully incorporate quick breads to go along with all of the other baked goodness in our home. I am excited for our 2nd annual cookie exchange as well as baking for gifts and those just because moments.

I have compiled a list of items I hope to make during the next 24 days. Thank goodness my MIL Sue stocked piled our freezer with butter, I do believe I will use every last pound over the course of these next few weeks. The goal is to make two to three different kinds each week, I will be more than happy if I can knock out one. I have listed each cookie that will be made for each week but in true Katie fashion, please do not hold this to me as things change with my moods daily...LOL. For all I know I may not feel like snickerdoodles on snickerdoodle day and instead throw together some peanut butter cookies...who knows, it's all a part of the fun!

Week One:

Festive Shortbread- Can you go wrong with shortbread?

Lemon Coolers- My sister Nikki loves lemon and this seemed really refreshing.

Double Chocolate Cookies by Eagle Brand- Double chocolate...enough said!

Week Two:

Dutch Apple Loaf- I have a bushel of apples coming my way, need recipes to use them up in.

Snickerdoodles- Simple and easy to make, what child doesn't love cinnamon and sugar combined?

Peppermint Cookies- Cookies with a nice little crunch.

Week Three:

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies- The family favorite which I have never made all by myself.

Traditional Christmas Sugar Cookie- Because everyone needs to decorate cookies at least once during the season!!

Strawberry Bread- I love strawberries and who can resist a layer of cream cheese goodness in between layers?

I am still deciding if week one will start this week or if I will push it off until next Monday. If that is the case I will do my best to knock one recipe out this week that may or may not be listed above. That will also mean some additions for the week of Christmas. Here are a few more that I would like to include but we will see how far I get. I wanted to share them just in case they float your boat further than the items listed above!

Muddy Buddies- Something sweet to munch on without having to babysit the oven!

Holiday Tree Brownies- For those of us that don't necessarily have to bake from scratch to enjoy a good treat. I will save these for the cookie exchange since we all sit around and decorate then!

Holiday Thumbprints- These are most definitely going into rotation, it's a just matter of when.

I wonder if I have bitten off more than I can chew? My kitchen aid is definitaly going to get a workout this month and can I let you in on a little secret? I can't wait!!!!!

What are some of your favorite holiday baked goods that you find yourself making year after year? Feel free to share the links or the actual recipe so that everyone else can enjoy!

Here are some of the sites I stumbled upon the recipes at! For those of you with young children or who are young at heart like myself...whoever said Santa doesn't exist needs to be whipped, here is a great site to visit.

northpole.com
bettycrocker.com
allrecipes.com



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