Stuffed Shells

We love Italian food in our house as some of you may already know. I'm a pasta fanatic and my mini me is following right behind me. The girl loves her some spaghetti! My Mom requested stuffed shells for dinner a couple of weeks ago and I figured how hard can it be to throw together a recipe? Throw together is exactly what I did and I was actually pretty surprised on how well the meal turned out. In the past I had never been a big stuffed pasta fan usually because it would involved some sort of meat. This time I stuck with cheese and boy was it a winner.



This recipe produces enough to make two 9x13 baking pans. This would be great for serving a crowd, freezing for later, or my favorite idea...sharing with a friend who just had a baby or someone who has a family to feed who may be sick and unable to cook. There's one pan for your family and one for theirs and you don't have double the work! I made mine tonight to celebrate Daniel's 33rd birthday with family. Happy Birthday Sweetie...the girls and I love you dearly!!!

(Sorry for the poor quality of the photo. This was taken by my phone the first time I made them. Last nights batch got a little to brown on top because we were busy playing cards and someone wasn't paying attention.)

Stuffed Shells~


Ingredients:
2 boxes jumbo shells (I only use about a box and a half of the shells)
1- 46 oz. container ricotta cheese
4 eggs
1 tsp. black pepper
2 tsp. garlic salt
3 tbsp. minced dried onion
1 tbsp. dried parsley flakes
16 oz. bag shredded cheddar cheese
16 oz. bag shredded mozzarella cheese
6 oz. bad shredded Parmesan cheese
67 oz. container Prego sauce


Directions:
1.) In a large pot bring water to a boil, salt water, add jumbo shells. Cook until soft on the outside but still hard on the inside. Drain and allow to cool enough to handle. (Have no clue why that's highlighted.)


2.) In a medium mixing bowl add ricotta cheese, pepper, garlic salt, parsley, dried onion, 4 eggs, 1 cup sauce, 1 cup cheddar cheese, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. Mix until well blended.


3.) In baking pan add around 1 cup of sauce to the bottom of the pan. Stuff each shell with about one tablespoon of cheese mixture. Layer shells in one layer to the pan until full.


4.) Top each pan with the remaining sauce, around three cups each.


5.) Top shells with the remaining shredded cheeses starting with the mozzarella.


6.) Cover pan with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for fifty minutes or until heated through. Uncover and bake an additional ten minutes to lightly brown cheese on top.


I served this meal with a side of corn and a nice tossed garden salad topped off with a nice loaf of french bread. Of course since it's Daniel's birthday we had birthday cake for dessert.

One Month

Happy One Month Birthday Cadence Leah!

So, what are you up to? Yeah that's right, not sleeping, that's what you're up to. Oh and crying, lots of crying. Do you seriously have to cry so much?? And can we please discuss why you insist on being held ALL.OF.THE.TIME??? I know you don't really care but I do need to sleep some time and this holding you while trying to sleep just isn't working for me. It keeps me on Mommy alert on night long...must not roll over...must not roll over...DON'T MOVE FROM CURRENT POSITION. And why do you turn your built in furnace on when I am holding you? You make my arm so hot it stings! Please stop crying, start sleeping, and dear God, please start sleeping in your own bed...I'm begging you!

But please do Mommy one big favor! Please don't stop being so adorable. As crazy as you are making me right now I love watching you. I absolutely love hearing you start to talk to us and those gummy grins melt my heart each and every time! I love you baby girl and I know someday you'll let me sleep again!

I could have sworn it's March!

Well it's almost the middle of March and can you guess what it's currently doing outside? SNOWING...come on weather get with the program. We are tired of the snow and we are most definitely done with the rain. It's rained so much here lately that our back pastures are under water as well as the roads near our house. Living next to a river can be good but during heavy rains its bad. You have to drive out of your way to get home when the roads are shut down.

This Momma is ready for spring so we can get out of this house and do stuff...any stuff would work as I am spending entirely way too much time on facebook!

We were fortunate for one day this week where I was able to take Addison out for about ten minutes before the next round of rain hit. She loves being outside and she loves swinging in her new swing.

Everyone...think spring!!

If only I had known...

I knew having two babies so close in age was going to be challenging at times but I had no clue that it was going to be so difficult right out of the starting gate. Cadence was born three weeks ago today and it was exactly three weeks and one day ago that I have gotten an actual nights sleep. I'm realizing now that we were spoiled with Addison. She had her moments of course, but Cadence...Cadence has moments twenty four hours a day...every single day! If she isn't being held she's crying and half the time she's crying even when she's being held. To say I'm on the verge of a complete meltdown would be an understatement.

I don't think it would be so bad if Addison were older but we're talking about a one year old here who is completely clueless to what's going on other than the fact that some little person is hogging her Mother and Grandmothers attention. I pick up Cadence to try to soothe her and Addison wants picked up. I lay Cadence's bottle or pacifier down and Addison snatches them and takes off for the hills. Have you ever tried getting up out of a chair/couch while holding a sleeping baby who you don't want to wake up all so that you can chase after a toddler who apparently runs faster than you do even though her run is more of a waddle? Then there is the whole let's try to snatch sissy's blanket that she's swaddled in while she's laying in the recliner. Thank god Daddy moves quickly or someone would have ended up on the floor of the playroom. Of course there is always Addison who purposefully stops the baby swing from swinging. Did I mention this is after I have struggled to get Cadence to actually fall asleep so that I could put her in the swing? And that Addison stopping it usually always wakes her up?

My all time favorite issue with the girls right now is the fact they are tag teaming me...BIG TIME! One needs a bottle and you get them situated back into bed after what seems like an eternity and then boom...the other kid wakes up and needs a bottle. One needs a diaper change and sure enough you get settled back on the couch when the other needs a diaper change. Is it to much to ask for them to poop at the same time?

This Momma is so tired. I can't find time to shower and half the time don't even get dressed for the day. I'm pretty confident that baby number three won't be coming for awhile as I am going to need about a year or two worth of sleep before I even dream of adding to this chaos...lol. I love my girls though and I am so blessed that I have them in my life. While I was crying alongside Cadence and Addison last night I made sure to remember that in about eighteen years I would welcome the lack of sleep for just another night of holding my little babies!

Long time no post. You'll have to excuse my absence...that last few months of my pregnancy were rough. Trying to take care of an active toddler and be eight and nine months pregnant at the same time is very tiresome. I've actually thought about getting rid of the blog because of my neglect but I figure I will leave it up for anyone that has a favorite recipe on here and I know I will randomly post here and there.

For anyone wanting to see the latest addition to our little family head on over to my baby blog and you can meet Cadence Leah. The link is on the right hand side of this blog.

Anywho...

I haven't done much cooking for the last few months and I am so tired of eating out or eating easily made items like sloppy joes and such that I whipped this meal up earlier this week and I was really impressed with it. Both the hubby and I ate two pieces of chicken a piece and even Addison enjoyed the meal.

Bruschetta Chicken:

6 medium chicken breasts

2 large eggs

1 cup flour

1/2 cup italian bread crumbs

1/2 cup saltine crackers, finely crumbled

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

2 tsp. black pepper

1 tbsp. garlic salt

6 pieces of mozzarella cheese

1 cup bruschetta...our favorite is from Trader Joe's

Directions:

1.) In a large skillet add a few tablespoons of oil along with two tablespoons of butter and set to medium heat. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

2.) In three small bowls/containers add your eggs to one, flour to another, and bread crumb and saltine crackers to a third. Add your pepper and garlic salt to the flour mixture and add the Parmesan cheese to the bread crumb/saltine cracker mixture. You can also add a dash or two of milk to your egg mixture.

3.) Dredge each piece of chicken into the flour mix, then into the egg bath, and lastly into the breadcrumb and cracker mix. Make sure each piece is thoroughly coated.

4.) Add chicken to skillet and brown on each side. On a baking sheet add chicken and stick in the oven for twenty to thirty minutes.

5.) During last ten minutes take chicken out to add cheese and bruschetta. Fold each piece of cheese in half and top each piece of chicken. Add one to two tablespoons of the bruschetta on top of the cheese. Put back in the oven for the last ten minutes or until cheese is completely melted.

I served our chicken alongside of some fettuccine alfredo and some fresh italian bread. This meal was great that night and was just as yummy for lunch the next day.

I apologize in advance if there are some words spelled incorrectly or some sentences that don't make any sense. I have a baby who hasn't allowed me to get a decent nights sleep since her birth three weeks ago.

Happy 1st Birthday Addie...

I can't believe it but my precious little baby is now a year old. This milestone has been an emotional one for me mainly because I can't believe just how quickly this past year has flown by. Up until February 14th she still seemed like this little baby to me but then I went and had Cadence and she is so tiny compared to Addison. It's a constant reminder to me that Addison is no longer my little baby...she's my big girl. She's a big girl with an even bigger attitude. This child keeps us on our toes and she has a mean streak a mile long. As hard as we try to remain composed when dishing out her punishments we can't help but laugh because she is so overly dramatic it's hilarious. Daniel would be the first to tell you she takes after her Mother in the drama department...lol. Here are some notes about what she's up to...

• She has spent entirely too much time with the family dogs. Addie likes to lick everything and enjoys eating food off her tray like a dog.


• She is starting to enjoy TV, if there is music on the TV she will dance to it.


• She is not shy by any means. When I was in the hospital having Cadence, nurses would walk in and Addison would go straight to them with her hands in the air wanting picked up.


• She will eat just about anything but she's like a bird. Sometimes trying to get her to eat isn't worth the fight.


• She stills gets up once or twice a night. I pray that this doesn't last much longer. Even though she stills gets up during the night we can usually put her to bed between 8 and 9 and she can sleep until 9 or 10 the next morning. Of course these past few days she's been getting up around 7:30/8 so we'll see if this is a new phase.


• She says a few words like Mommy and Daddy. On rare occasions she can say Addie and Sissy. I have heard her say cake once and my Mom now has her saying kitty kitty. Even though she is still mumbling it's actually starting to sound like she's trying to say something. I could listen to her talk all day long.


• She is wearing 12-18 month clothing and it's leaning more towards the 18 months more and more everyday. Sister has some chubby feet and she is currently in a size 4 shoe, althought today we put her in a size 5. A month ago she was 20 pounds, not sure what she weighs now but compared to her sister it's a lot. She's also wearing a size 4 diaper which further enhances her behind which my family has affectionately nicknamed the Kim Kardashian butt.


• She has her top two teeth as well as her bottom two teeth and just this week a tooth next to the bottom teeth has started to poke through. With these new teeth she's learned the concept of biting. Girlfriends already gotten a swat or two for biting Mommy.

In honor of Addison's first birthday we had two parties. The first get together was on her actual birthday which was the 17th. It was very low key seeing as I had just gotten out of the hospital with Cadence so it was just us, my Mom, and my brother Steve. We got her her own little cake and she thoroughly enjoyed it. It was good practice for party #2.

We held her second party this past Saturday at my step-dad and his girlfriends house and I think it's safe to say she had an absolute blast. She had lots of kids to play with and had balloons to play with. We know now that if we ever want to entertain her for long periods of time all we have to do is get her a balloon. She was still pulling those balloons along with her today.

The theme in her nursery is farm animals so I decided that was the theme we would use for her party. I had her invites professionally done which I would share with you except for the fact they have my telephone number and the address of my step-dads house and I don't know how to blur it out so for safety reasons I won't be posting it. It was super cute though with a little farm scene, her picture, and lots of pink and green. Her cake and the balloons matched perfectly!

By birthday round two she was a professional at destroying cakes. This pictures cracks me up. Needed a beverage break at half time.

She did pretty good with presents. She didn't concern herself much with actually opening them so I did most of the work but as I would unwrap she would play with the item. She got lots of clothes and very few toys which surprised me but she needed the clothes so Mommy's happy. Her Papaw gave her money so we'll get her a few toys with it. Just this afternoon we purchased a pink tree swing for her with it and she loved swinging so I think she's happy with her loot.

Overall I think she had a great first birthday celebrated with lots of family and friends. She continues to be the light of my life and I think God every single day that he gave me this precious little girl. There are times when she tries my nerves so bad I just have to cry but just minutes later she's walking up to me and resting her head on my shoulder as if she's apologizing. I like to think I am pretty good with words and writing my feelings down on paper but with this little girl I am wordless. There are no words or nothing that I could write that would properly express what I feel for her and what she has brought to my life. Her Daddy and I have had a pretty tough year starting with my job loss. We have lost our home, given up one of our vehicles, and gone without many of things in order for me to stay at home with her and her sister and I am all right with those decisions because spending my every waking moment with these two little girls is worth all of the money in the world. We moved in with my Mom in order to start putting money away in savings and to get ourselves out of debt so that in a year or so we can move out and start fresh without having to worry about where next months rent is going to come from and whether or not we'll be able to afford groceries. We're doing this all for our daughters because at the end of the day they are our light at the end of the tunnel and they make us feel like the richest people in the world.

Happy Birthday Addison Grace, I love you to the moon and back and I look forward to watching you grow into a beautiful young woman!

Well, one kids in bed and the other is currently being held by her Daddy which means Mommy finally has a free minute or two to tell you a little about Cadence's birth story. It's been almost a week and I still can't believe that she is here or that she came so quickly.

As you already know we went in Sunday night to begin the induction process and little did I know how different this induction was going to be compared to Addison's induction. I got my first dose of gel around 9 or so Sunday night and not much happened. I was dilated to a 2 and had been for the past two weeks or so. Shortly before getting my second dose of gel around one Monday morning contractions started. At first we thought it was the gel since it can cause irritability and contractions that don't last long but it wasn't long before I realized this was the real deal. They were coming every two minutes and were extremely uncomfortable. Even though this was my second pregnancy and delivery things were much different than what I experienced with Addison. With Addison my induction was a two day event and when contractions finally started they were in my lower back because Addison was sunny side up. By the time hard contractions started I had already received my epidural and my water wasn't broken until afterward.

With Cadence my contractions started almost immediately and they weren't pleasant. I don't think it helped that I hadn't slept Saturday night and obviously I wasn't going to be sleeping much Sunday night. I was given an ambien pill to help sleep and since my contractions were getting bad I requested my first round of nubain (sp?). The combination of the two knocked me out and I did manage to sleep for a few hours. Even though I was out cold my contractions did continue. They started my pitocin at six Monday morning and broke my water shortly after. If I remember correctly I was only dilated at a three at that point in the game. It wasn't long after this took place that things started moving very quickly. By 8:30 or so I was dilated to a four and my nurse had talked me into receiving my epidural. I was very hesitant to go ahead and get it because I thought for sure I would be stuck laying in the bed for the rest of the day since I wasn't dilating very quickly. I think my fear was it was going to be another two day induction experience and lord knows I didn't want to be confined to my bed that long. The nurse must have insisted while I was experiencing a contraction because I went ahead and decided now was the time. I got my epidural around 8:45 Monday morning and I am glad it's over and done with. It took two tries before they finally got it to work and I was less than impressed with my nurse. I had a mini breakdown before they started the second attempt and wished so badly they would have allowed Daniel in with me. Instead of holding me to keep me from moving like the nurse was supposed to do she kept walking away from me and doing stuff with the computer which meant I would move as hard as I tried not to. I blame her for the anesthesiologist having to do it twice. Anyway, at that time I was at a four and thought I would finally get some time to rest before I finally delivered...boy was I wrong. Next thing I know I was experiencing pain in my "lady region" like I had never experienced in my life. I was holding my cousin Heathers hand like it was the end of the world...lol. I actually became that woman I said I would never be. The one that you can hear screaming down at the end of the hallway. I wasn't screaming but I was definitely doing some moaning and groaning and Daniel said he could hear me in the hallway...I'm not proud of that but man was I hurting. They quickly called for the anesthesiologist to head back down to make sure nothing was wrong with my epidural and he topped me off with some more drugs. The pain finally went away after about ten minutes or so. They discovered that the pain was because Cadence had dropped and had dropped rapidly. I had gone from a four to a nine in about an hour and she was already crowning. I don't remember much with details at that point because everything happened so quickly but I do remember them rushing the residents in because my Doctor wasn't available. The two residents who assisted had me do two practice pushes and next thing I remember everyone was suiting up, the bed was being taken apart and nurses were flooding in. Since they try their hardest to wait for the actual Doctors to deliver they had me hold off on pushing...they did the same thing to me with Addison. I told them this time I didn't care if the Doctor was there or not and they told me it was important to her, seriously, whose in labor here and they think it's important to the Doctor...screw that. Turns out they didn't have a choice though because next thing I know the resident is saying "we gotta go" and next thing I know I have a baby laying on my belly. Turns out I didn't really need to push, my contractions were pushing her out without my assistance and when the resident looked down her head was pretty much out...lol. Delivering Cadence was so much easier than Addison. My pelvic bone caused problems with Addison and she would start to come out and then I would stop pushing and she would go back in. I much prefer having the baby come out on their own...lmao.

I think we were all in a little bit of shock regarding how quickly I delivered. Half the family, including my Mom who had Addison, missed the delivery because everyone was expecting it to be similar to what Addison's was like. I told Daniel today I am almost afraid to get pregnant again because we may not even make it to the hospital for that delivery. It's amazing that I am now the mother of two children. It's still sinking in that I get to say "girls" now. I am truly blessed...extremely tired, but very blessed.

I am still trying to learn how to be a Mother of two young children. Typically whenever I would use the restroom or do something in the kitchen or bedroom I would take Addison with me because I never know what she is going to get into. Just yesterday we were in the living room when Cadence decided she was going to drench both herself and me in puke. I had a brief moment of panic when I realized I was unable to take Addison back to the bedroom with me to change my clothes and get Cadence cleaned up. I finally decided to brave it and leave her out in the living room to fend for herself...you'll be happy to know she survived without incident. My Mom is helping out with laundry since the laundry room is in the basement and I haven't had a shower in three days but I'm adjusting. I know it will get easier as time progresses so right now I am just enjoying the ride.