Busy Weekend...

It's going to be a very busy weekend in my kitchen. I thought I would go ahead and share with you this weekends menu so that you know to stay tuned!!

Saturday~
Lunch:
Chicken Quesadillas
Taco Dipping Sauce
Dinner:
Pulled Pork
Baked Beans (Daniel's version)
Million Dollar Cake (It's absolutely heavenly!)

Sunday~
Breakfast:
Bisquits & Gravy
Dinner:
Fish Tacos
Pulled Pork Tacos (gotta love leftovers)
Cilantro Sauce
Mexican Cornbread Salad

We're doing a little bit of Southern and a little bit of Mexican both days...I am so excited I can hardly wait to dig in!

Absence makes the heart grow fonder...

Yes I am aware that my last post was on Monday, not three months ago, but I can't help but feel like I am neglecting everyone in my blogging family. This is has turned into a stressful week for me which is evident with the fact my stomach has been bothering me again.

First of all our new little man Lennon has already cost us a small fortune. Great Danes are known for their long tails and unfortunately many of them end up breaking their tails at some point in time caused by knocking them on doors and walls. I have never had a Great Dane that has done this but I have seen it first hand and have always been grateful it has never been something that I have had to deal with...until NOW!!! On the Sunday Daniel met and brought Lennon home he broke his tail on a door while being brought out to Daniel. They wrapped it up and Daniel proceeded to bring the poor guy home. I think we both were thinking, "we'll keep it wrapped and cleaned and he will be good as new within a week or so." WRONG!!!! Two weeks later and we have now had to schedule the amputation of his tail. He keeps taking the wrappings off it and every time that tail hits a wall I just cringe. My house looks as if though he have had several shootings occur, there is blood splattered on every wall and on every door. I spent about an hour this past Sunday with a mixing bowl full of hot water and soap trying to get as much of it cleaned up as I could. I don't know why I even bothered. The vet thought it was broken when we took him to see her on Friday and we now think he has broken it again in another spot because now not only is it bleeding but it's crooked as well. We made the decision to have it amputated after noticing that he is biting through his skin on the upper portion because it is bothering him so much. Poor dog is not only blind, deaf, and dumb when it comes to his squeaky toys, but now he is going to have a stub for a tail...what will all the other doggy kids think of him??

On top of my crazy dog issues my Uncle Dan was admitted to the hospital on Monday night. This man has had some severe health issues for the past four or five years that has left him in constant pain. It is something that he has to deal with on a daily basis and the amount of drugs he has to take just to try to alleviate some of it is ridiculous. He has congestive heart failure, COPD, which is something involving the lungs, and he also has some disorder where his body produces too much blood. He has to have the excess blood drained once a month or so. He was in bad shape over the weekend and his body swelled up to the point Doctors were giving him a drug intravenously to help rid his body of the extra fluids. What we didn't know at the time was that they were actually dehydrating him to the point that by the time he got to the hospital his kidneys were starting the process of shutting down. I stopped by the hospital yesterday and he was in much better spirits and was up walking around which was a 100% improvement from how he was during our Saturday night dinner. The Doctors said he was having a flare up of the COPD which was why, along with the kidney issue, he was so weak and felt so bad. They still aren't sure why he is swelling everywhere but in my opinion the swelling had gone down some which is a good thing. I informed him yesterday he had missed some of my posts and he said that he was missing it. It's good to have fans out there! :)

I am also dealing with the fact that my Husband is in the process of making a very, very big decision in regards to his employment situation. I can't give details at the moment as he plans on discussing the matter with all of the family on Saturday during his birthday dinner. What I can tell you is that it would require his leaving this country for a year, only getting to come home once every four months.

Now after just forcing you lovely individuals to read my moments of worry, I must admit I feel a little better to get the stuff off of my chest. I am a firm believer that when feeling bad about something no matter how frivolous you may think it is, you should share it with someone else. So since I feel better I think it's only fair that you should feel better. I want everyone to leave a comment to this post telling me one of their current worries. I don't care if it is as sad as having a relative pass away or as crazy as having to keep pulling your underwear out of your tushy because you gained five pounds. I want to know and trust me, it will make you feel better!! :)

Also, I promise my next few posts will go back to being about food. My daring husband has a birthday sneaking up on him and we are celebrating this Saturday so you all know that there will be food involved.

Down on the farm...

As some of you may already know thanks to my profile, I grew up on a farm raising Clydesdale's. It's quite apparent that the motto in our family is "go big, or go home". We always had the biggest dogs and we obviously had the biggest horses. Yesterday Daniel and I made the trip to my Mom's place to snap a few pictures of them. After years of raising these gentle giants my Mom has decided to get out of the business and put all but one up for sale in preparation of selling the farm.
When we first moved to the farm I hated it. I was a born and bred city girl who wasn't use to living so far away from the nearest grocery store. I quickly adjusted and there was never a dull moment for us four kids. We were fortunate in the fact our parents didn't make us work during our school years as long as our grades were up to par. The rule no longer applied once you hit the in between high school and college phase of your life so you were given a choice. You can either go out and get a full time job working until you leave for college or you can take over all of the barn chores, which includes feeding and mucking out stalls. Now being the typical lazy teenager that most are I had to weigh each of my options, go out and get an 8-5 job or work in the barn maybe three hours out of the entire day going back to bed after the morning feeding. I don't think I need to tell you which one I chose. Does anybody have any experience with mucking out horse stalls full of saw dust in 90 degree weather? The heat, smell, and the thin layer of sawdust that settles on your skin and hair was enough to make me question whether or not a 8-5 job would be easier. I stuck it out though and the day I left home I swore I would never set foot in that barn again. I love the horses but I hate the work and smell associated with having them.

I unfortunately married a man that dreams of one day having the exact set up that my Mom currently has. She had Great Danes and now we have Great Danes, she has Clydesdales and now Daniel wants one so bad he can't see straight, I try to limit the amount of times I tell my Husband no when he wants something, this time however I say NO and I mean it, no arguing. We can barely feed the dogs so can you imagine what it would cost to feed a Clydesdale?? Because of my Husband's love of the family horses my threat of never stepping foot in that barn again was a lie. I have stepped foot in that barn way too many times and I have also cleaned out a few of the stalls, like when Mom goes to Vegas and leaves Daniel and I in charge of the entire operation. I need a vacation just to recover from those stays.

Never did I ever think I would be sad to think about not having the farm and all of it's creatures as a part of my life, but seeing how happy they make Daniel and knowing just how badly he wishes we could afford to buy the place, it does make me sad. It makes me sad to think we won't have any more Sunday afternoon outings at the place, walking in the pastures with the Clydes trailing behind us like lost little puppy dogs.

Mom...you wouldn't happen to be willing to consider a lease to own option would you? We will let you come live with us instead of putting you in a nursing home later on down the road. Just something for you think about, maybe you should weigh your options? :)

Here shrimpy, shrimpy...

Growing up my Mom never cooked fish and because of that I never really had any interest in trying it when I grew up. I have slowly been trying to incorporate more fish in my diet so after having this shrimp dish on Friday night at my Step-Dad's, I thought I would give them a whirl at my house for Daniel. FYI, if I eat anything that swims, then you know it has to be good or else it wouldn't make it on to my dinner plate.
Shrimp~
Ingredients:
1 lb. shrimp, shelled and deveined
1 can diced green chilies, sm. can
1 tbsp. lime juice
1 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. red pepper flakes
Essence of Emeril Seasoning

Directions:
1.) In a large skillet over medium high heat add your butter, green chilies, lime juice, and shrimp.
2.) Sprinkle red pepper flakes and about a tablespoon or so of the Essence of Emeril seasoning. Saute until your shrimp are a nice pink color.

You can serve this over angel hair pasta, in taco shells, or just eat plain like we did. Also, if you have trouble finding the Essence of Emeril in stores like yours truly did, make your own essence using the recipe below. This is supposed to the exact replica of how Emeril makes his.

Essence of Emeril~
2 1/2 tbsp. paprika
2 tbsp. salt
2 tbsp. garlic powder
1 tbsp. black pepper
1 tbsp. onion powder
1 tbsp. cayenne pepper
1 tbsp. dried oregano
1 tbsp. dried thyme

Mixed Berry Pie

It's another Saturday night dinner and this weekend my sister has taken over the reigns. I decided after having homemade apple pie at my Step-Dad and his girlfriend Kathy's house last night that I would attempt a homemade pie on my own tonight. I love berries so I thought a mixed berry pie would be awesome to try.

Mixed Berry Pie~

Ingredients:

1 C. fresh strawberries, quartered

6 oz. fresh raspberries

6 oz. fresh blueberries

6 oz. fresh blackberries

1/2 lemon, juiced

1 C. white sugar

3 tbsp. cornstarch

Pie crust

Directions:

1.) In a large mixing bowl stir together sugar and cornstarch. Add fresh fruit and gently toss. Add lemon juice.

2.) Add your pie crust to a 9 in. pie pan or to your already made pie crust, add your fruit mixture. Top with your second crust or make a lattice work.

3.) Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 45 to 50 minutes or until the top is golden brown.

4.) Cool on a wire rack.

I attempted to make my own pie crust and I will be honest, never again will I make one on my own. I just don't have what it takes, couldn't roll it out to save myself. Next time I will be making the pre-made store boughten kind and I assure you, I will still be able to sleep at night. Other than having trouble with the crust, the smell of this pie was unbelievable and I can't wait to tear into it night after dinner.

Not another pasta recipe...

If you didn't believe me about the pasta addiction mentioned before I hope you do now. Here we are two days later and I have made yet another pasta dish. My Hubby requested this one so I am not totally at fault, but it was on the list of meal possibilities that I gave him so it's not like he pulled it out of left field.

Does anyone else feel like your pulling teeth when asking your significant other what they would like for meals through out the week? I despise trying to get that sort of information out of Daniel. One of the last times I asked him you know what he said...hot dogs? Hot dogs?? You have a wife who loves to cook, is willing to cook just about anything, and has a food blog to top it all off, and all you can think about is hot dogs? How am I supposed to blog about hot dogs...geesh.

Anyway, I am slowly realizing that my husband doesn't have a fancy palate, he is happy with down home simple meals such as a good casserole. I know this probably isn't considered a casserole but it's down home and very easy. Some may know it as Johnny Marzetti as my family does, others may know it as Goulash, either way I hope you enjoy!!!

Katie's Johnny Marzetti~

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef, cooked and drained
1/2 onion, finely chopped

1 green pepper, finely chopped
1 lb. elbow macaroni, cooked and drained
1- 14.5 oz petite diced tomatoes
1- 6 oz. tomato paste
2/3 C. tomato sauce
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper

Directions:
1.) In a large pan, bring to a boil elbow macaroni.
2.) In a skillet brown ground beef, add green pepper and onion. Drain grease.
3.) Add ground beef mixture to drained elbow macaroni and add your diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and tomato sauce. Stir together and add salt and pepper, stir once again.

Now if it were up to me I would add a couple of cups of shredded cheese and throw that bad boy in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 30 minutes. Since Daniel is picky and I want him to enjoy this I am going to leave as is. You do whatever floats your boat!

Great Danes...

Can't live with them, can't live without them! I thought this disease that my hubby has in regards to raising the biggest dogs he can possibly find was just something he suffered from, my favorite pioneer lady however, has proven me wrong.

I don't know if it's the sad puppy dogs eyes that they have from the time of birth to the time of death or the need to sit on the couch as if they were human beings or what. You just can't say no to these creatures they are pathetic sad saps that you just can't help but take aside and squeeze until they almost burst from your love. Meet Mr. No Name, this lovely little fellow showed up on The Pioneer Womans front porch this morning and I'll be darned if she didn't let him in just like my Husband would have done. She also fed him and now I wonder if she will keep him. What kind of power do these wonderful creatures hold that makes people unable to use Great Dane and heck no in the same sentence?? Click on "The Pioneer Womans" and go directly to her blog to read more!

Picture provided by Ree Drummond @ The Pioneer Woman