Very Merry Memories Christmas Card
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Saturday, December 1, 2012
Stationery card
Very Merry Memories Christmas Card
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Sunday, April 15, 2012
Absence makes the heart grow fonder...
I know I haven't posted anything in over a month! Not even a Tasty Tuesday. I started a new job in February and started having more time during the week and the weekends. I guess I just got caught up in having an actual life that didn't revolve around work. I actually get to be a wife and a Momma to Champkins. We have gotten so many projects done around the house and have plans for many more. I have tried many new recipes that will get our Tasty Tuesday section up and running again. My biggest news is that I have booked a trip to Alaska to see one of my very best friends, Lauren Coburn! My next biggest news is that my sister-in-law is pregnant! Hooray! Jim and I are super excited to have a Lambertsen/Hudgins niece or nephew. 2012 is shaping up to be an excellent year :-)
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Tasty Tuesday
Happy almost end of February! I am posting this Tasty Tuesday officially on Leap Day! Hooray for the arrival of March (which happens to be my favorite month)! I love to cook! But, I also get bored with food very easily, so I have been doing a lot of researching for new ways to prepare the same staples. This week I discovered a new way to cook pork chops.
Dijon Grilled Pork Chops
Ingredients:
6 tablespoons of Dijon mustard
6 tablespoons of brown sugar
3 tablespoons of unsweetened apple juice
3 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce
4 (8 ounce) bone-in pork chops (I used boneless pork chops that were a thinner slice)
Directions:
1. In a bowl, combine the first four ingredients; mix well. Pour 2/3 cup of the marinade into a large resealable plastic bag; add the pork chops. Save the remainder of the marinade for basting (be sure to refrigerate).
2. Seal bag and turn to coat. Refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight. (I only marinated my thinner pork chops for a few hours and they were great!)
3. Drain the marinade from the pork. Grill, covered, over medium heat for 6-10 minutes on each side. Baste each side occasionally with reserved marinade.
These pork chops were A-MA-ZING! They are tangy but sweet. I served them with sweet carrots and sauteed spinach. It was overall winning meal. This marinade would work great for any cut of pork chop or a pork tenderloin. Very easy to make. Jim gave it two thumbs up!
Dijon Grilled Pork Chops
Ingredients:
6 tablespoons of Dijon mustard
6 tablespoons of brown sugar
3 tablespoons of unsweetened apple juice
3 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce
4 (8 ounce) bone-in pork chops (I used boneless pork chops that were a thinner slice)
Directions:
1. In a bowl, combine the first four ingredients; mix well. Pour 2/3 cup of the marinade into a large resealable plastic bag; add the pork chops. Save the remainder of the marinade for basting (be sure to refrigerate).
2. Seal bag and turn to coat. Refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight. (I only marinated my thinner pork chops for a few hours and they were great!)
3. Drain the marinade from the pork. Grill, covered, over medium heat for 6-10 minutes on each side. Baste each side occasionally with reserved marinade.
These pork chops were A-MA-ZING! They are tangy but sweet. I served them with sweet carrots and sauteed spinach. It was overall winning meal. This marinade would work great for any cut of pork chop or a pork tenderloin. Very easy to make. Jim gave it two thumbs up!
Tasty Tuesday- Feb 22nd
Again, I must apologize my dear friends, I forgot to post a "Tasty Tuesday" last week. So this week you get two posts! During the winter months, I love a good bowl of soup. Although we haven't had much of a winter this year, I still crave a good bowl of soup from time to time. What better way to achieve this than to make your own soup. I recently discovered a recipe for chicken noodle soup with a twist. It is scrumptious. I am on my second pot and take it almost daily for lunch.
Italian Chicken Noodle Soup
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon of olive oil
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1/2 lb), cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
1 carton of chicken broth (4 cups)
2 cups water
3 medium carrots, sliced (1 1/2 cups)
2 cups broccoli florets
1 1/2 cups uncooked medium egg noodles
1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon garlic-pepper
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Directions:
1. In a 4-quart saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add chicken. Cook 4 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until no longer pink in center.
2. Stir in onion. Cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onion is tender.
3. Stir in broth, water, and carrots. Heat to boiling. Cook 5 minutes over medium heat.
4. Stir in broccoli, noodles, basil and garlic-pepper blend. Heat to boiling; reduce heat.
5. Simmer uncovered 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables and noodles are tender.
6. Serve with shredded cheese on each serving.
I like my soup to have lots of noodles and lots of broth. So I doubled the chicken broth, the water, and the noodles. I also doubled the seasoning but kept the chicken and veggies at the same amount. It was great! It reheats well. I serve with fresh bread or garlic bread. Definitely a yummy way to warm up!
Italian Chicken Noodle Soup
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon of olive oil
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1/2 lb), cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
1 carton of chicken broth (4 cups)
2 cups water
3 medium carrots, sliced (1 1/2 cups)
2 cups broccoli florets
1 1/2 cups uncooked medium egg noodles
1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon garlic-pepper
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Directions:
1. In a 4-quart saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add chicken. Cook 4 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until no longer pink in center.
2. Stir in onion. Cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onion is tender.
3. Stir in broth, water, and carrots. Heat to boiling. Cook 5 minutes over medium heat.
4. Stir in broccoli, noodles, basil and garlic-pepper blend. Heat to boiling; reduce heat.
5. Simmer uncovered 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables and noodles are tender.
6. Serve with shredded cheese on each serving.
I like my soup to have lots of noodles and lots of broth. So I doubled the chicken broth, the water, and the noodles. I also doubled the seasoning but kept the chicken and veggies at the same amount. It was great! It reheats well. I serve with fresh bread or garlic bread. Definitely a yummy way to warm up!
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Tasty Tuesday- Valentine's Day Edition
Since Valentine's Day fell on a Tuesday this year, I decided to incorporate it into my Tasty Tuesday. To celebrate our first Married Valentine's Day, we decided to pick out something to cook together. After an extensive (but limited- due to my lack of culinary exploration) search, we picked Blue Cheese Crusted Filet with Port Wine Sauce and Asparagus Parmesan. It was a great experience and helped us bond as a married couple.
Blue Cheese Crusted Filet with Port Wine Sauce
Ingredients:
Port Wine Sauce
1 tablespoon of butter
1/2 cup minced white onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon of fresh thyme (I used 1/2 tbsp of dried thyme)
3/4 cup of low sodium beef broth
1/2 cup port wine
Blue Cheese crusted Filet
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 filet mignon steaks (1 1/2 inch thick)
3/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
Directions:
Port Wine Sauce:
1. Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and thyme. Cook, stirring constantly, untiil onion is tender.
2. Stir in the beef broth, scraping any onion bits from the bottom of the pan, then stir in the port wine.
3. Bring to a boil, and cook until the mixture has reduced to about 1/2 cup. Set aside. This may also be made ahead of time, and reheated.
Blue Cheese Crusted Filet:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Heat oil in a cast-iron or other oven safe skillet over high heat. Sear steaks quickly on both sides until brown, then place the whole pan into the oven.
3. Roast steaks in the oven for about 15 minutes for medium rare (30 minutes for well done)- with an internal temperature of 145 degrees F. You may adjust this time to allow the steaks to finish just below your desired degree of doneness if medium is not what you prefer.
4. Remove from the oven, and place on a baking sheet.
5. Stir together the panko crumbs and blue cheese. Top each steak with a layer of this mixture.
6. Preheat the oven's broiler. Place steaks under the preheated broiler until the cheese topping is browned and bubbly. 3 to 4 minutes.
7. Remove from the oven, and let stand for at least 15 minutes before serving. Serve with the warm port wine sauce.
We only cooked two steaks, so I cooked the whole recipe for the sauce and halved the steak topping (panko and cheese). Below are some pictures of our wonderful meal. We loved this!
Blue Cheese Crusted Filet with Port Wine Sauce
Ingredients:
Port Wine Sauce
1 tablespoon of butter
1/2 cup minced white onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon of fresh thyme (I used 1/2 tbsp of dried thyme)
3/4 cup of low sodium beef broth
1/2 cup port wine
Blue Cheese crusted Filet
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 filet mignon steaks (1 1/2 inch thick)
3/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
Directions:
Port Wine Sauce:
1. Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and thyme. Cook, stirring constantly, untiil onion is tender.
2. Stir in the beef broth, scraping any onion bits from the bottom of the pan, then stir in the port wine.
3. Bring to a boil, and cook until the mixture has reduced to about 1/2 cup. Set aside. This may also be made ahead of time, and reheated.
Blue Cheese Crusted Filet:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Heat oil in a cast-iron or other oven safe skillet over high heat. Sear steaks quickly on both sides until brown, then place the whole pan into the oven.
3. Roast steaks in the oven for about 15 minutes for medium rare (30 minutes for well done)- with an internal temperature of 145 degrees F. You may adjust this time to allow the steaks to finish just below your desired degree of doneness if medium is not what you prefer.
4. Remove from the oven, and place on a baking sheet.
5. Stir together the panko crumbs and blue cheese. Top each steak with a layer of this mixture.
6. Preheat the oven's broiler. Place steaks under the preheated broiler until the cheese topping is browned and bubbly. 3 to 4 minutes.
7. Remove from the oven, and let stand for at least 15 minutes before serving. Serve with the warm port wine sauce.
We only cooked two steaks, so I cooked the whole recipe for the sauce and halved the steak topping (panko and cheese). Below are some pictures of our wonderful meal. We loved this!
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Tasty Tuesday
From time to time, I like a very low key meal that requires little prep and little cooking. That is when I turn to my crockpot. One of my favorite things to make is a recipe stolen (then tweaked) from a good friend in Pharmacy School, Brynnt Smith DeCheubel. Its a Tex-Mex Chili. My mother lovingly refers to it as the "clean out the bean aisle chili" which is funny because she won't eat chili- period. Jim claims that this isn't spicy enough for him so if you have a love of extreme spice then you will need to tweak.
Tex-Mex Chili
Ingredients:
1 lb. ground turkey
1 can diced tomatoes (low sodium)
1 can diced tomatoes with chilies
1 small can of corn (low sodium)
1 can black beans
1 can pinto beans
1 can northern beans
2 pkg of ranch dressing mix
1 pkg of taco seasoning (low sodium)
Directions:
1. Brown, rinse, and drain the ground turkey. Place in crockpot on low setting.
2. Add both cans of tomatoes (do not drain) to the meat in the crockpot.
3. Drain each of the beans (as best as you can) then dump into the crockpot.
4. Drain the corn and add to the crockpot.
5. Add the packages of ranch and taco seasoning. Stir well.
6. Add water to fill up the crock pot (this step can be optional if you like "hearty" chili). I like this chili with a little more water so that there is plenty of liquid to make my tortilla chips soggy.
7. Let cook for 8 hours on low or 4 hours on high setting of crock pot.
Serve with tortilla chips, cheese, and sour cream (or plain greek yogurt). I made this for my work crew several times and always got rave reviews. I highly recommend it for a group gathering.
Tex-Mex Chili
Ingredients:
1 lb. ground turkey
1 can diced tomatoes (low sodium)
1 can diced tomatoes with chilies
1 small can of corn (low sodium)
1 can black beans
1 can pinto beans
1 can northern beans
2 pkg of ranch dressing mix
1 pkg of taco seasoning (low sodium)
Directions:
1. Brown, rinse, and drain the ground turkey. Place in crockpot on low setting.
2. Add both cans of tomatoes (do not drain) to the meat in the crockpot.
3. Drain each of the beans (as best as you can) then dump into the crockpot.
4. Drain the corn and add to the crockpot.
5. Add the packages of ranch and taco seasoning. Stir well.
6. Add water to fill up the crock pot (this step can be optional if you like "hearty" chili). I like this chili with a little more water so that there is plenty of liquid to make my tortilla chips soggy.
7. Let cook for 8 hours on low or 4 hours on high setting of crock pot.
Serve with tortilla chips, cheese, and sour cream (or plain greek yogurt). I made this for my work crew several times and always got rave reviews. I highly recommend it for a group gathering.
Sunday, February 5, 2012
On to Greener Pastures?
As many of you already know, I recently accepted a new job. Don't get me wrong. I love what I currently do. Taking care of all those kiddos is wonderful and rewarding. It can also be incredibly heartbreaking. I have seen some terrible, awful things that I would hope that none of you all ever have to see up close. I have also witnessed some miracles and have been amazed at modern medicine.
At the same time, my current job is ridiculously stressful. It is high paced and very demanding. It is after all an ACUTE care facility. I respond to emergencies and codes along with dealing with lots of STAT orders and demanding medical professionals. Most days after an 8 hour shift, all I desire is a nap and complete silence.
I am a Type A personality who demands perfection and unfortunately when placed in a high paced environment, I became a whole new level of uptight (this is my nice word). At the end of the day, I was very unhappy and felt like work consumed my life. That had to change. Not just for my own mental health, but for the sake of my family (current and future).
My new job seems to be greener pastures. It is less hours per week. I will work less weekends and less holidays. The trade off is that I will have a smaller salary, but money can't buy happiness or time together as a family. The work will also be very different from what I do now- a lot less order entry and a lot more check pill boxes for nursing home patients. It the opposite end of the spectrum as far as my patient area is concerned- pediatrics to geriatrics. But, I also feel like it will be a new challenge and will force me to bring out information that has long been filed away.
I could very well end up hating my new job because it isn't enough of a challenge. But, I don't believe this. I believe that God sends us what we need when we need it. This job came along after months and months of praying that God help me figure out what was best for my family and for myself. God doesn't make mistakes. Therefore, I believe this job is a blessing that will allow me to pursue the other goals I have in my life aka becoming a mom.
Jim and I are so ready to start a family. We will be doing this soon (but no we are not currently pregnant). I am sure once I am pregnant then this low key job will be just what I need. So despite all the comments that some people have made that I will be "bored out of my mind", I am so ready to be bored for a little while.
So here is to new beginnings and greener pastures!
At the same time, my current job is ridiculously stressful. It is high paced and very demanding. It is after all an ACUTE care facility. I respond to emergencies and codes along with dealing with lots of STAT orders and demanding medical professionals. Most days after an 8 hour shift, all I desire is a nap and complete silence.
I am a Type A personality who demands perfection and unfortunately when placed in a high paced environment, I became a whole new level of uptight (this is my nice word). At the end of the day, I was very unhappy and felt like work consumed my life. That had to change. Not just for my own mental health, but for the sake of my family (current and future).
My new job seems to be greener pastures. It is less hours per week. I will work less weekends and less holidays. The trade off is that I will have a smaller salary, but money can't buy happiness or time together as a family. The work will also be very different from what I do now- a lot less order entry and a lot more check pill boxes for nursing home patients. It the opposite end of the spectrum as far as my patient area is concerned- pediatrics to geriatrics. But, I also feel like it will be a new challenge and will force me to bring out information that has long been filed away.
I could very well end up hating my new job because it isn't enough of a challenge. But, I don't believe this. I believe that God sends us what we need when we need it. This job came along after months and months of praying that God help me figure out what was best for my family and for myself. God doesn't make mistakes. Therefore, I believe this job is a blessing that will allow me to pursue the other goals I have in my life aka becoming a mom.
Jim and I are so ready to start a family. We will be doing this soon (but no we are not currently pregnant). I am sure once I am pregnant then this low key job will be just what I need. So despite all the comments that some people have made that I will be "bored out of my mind", I am so ready to be bored for a little while.
So here is to new beginnings and greener pastures!
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Tasty Tuesday
I love sweets! I am addicted to warm confections that chase all your troubles away! I especially love sweets that contain chocolate (which I consider to be an essential food group). Yesterday, I had an intense craving for something yummy. I asked Jim for his input on what to get or make. He requested "homemade cupcakes". I don't usually make cupcakes from scratch (Betty Crocker does it so much better!), but I decided to give it a try.
My can of cocoa just happens to contain a recipe for Hershey's Perfect Chocolate Cake. I had all the ingredients, but I did purchase frosting. My next goal is to learn how to make yummy buttercream and cream cheese frosting.
Hershey's Perfect Chocolate Cake
Ingredients:
2 cups white sugar
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup HERSHEY®'S Cocoa Powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water
Directions:
Heat oven to 350 F. Grease a pan of your choice (9 inch round, 13x9, cupcakes, bundt).
This was a delicious chocolate cake. I choose cream cheese frosting to top them and it was great!
My can of cocoa just happens to contain a recipe for Hershey's Perfect Chocolate Cake. I had all the ingredients, but I did purchase frosting. My next goal is to learn how to make yummy buttercream and cream cheese frosting.
Hershey's Perfect Chocolate Cake
Ingredients:
2 cups white sugar
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup HERSHEY®'S Cocoa Powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water
Directions:
Heat oven to 350 F. Grease a pan of your choice (9 inch round, 13x9, cupcakes, bundt).
- Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.
- Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks.
- One Pan Cake: Grease and flour 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Heat oven to 350 F. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely. Frost.
- Three Layer Cake: Grease and flour three 8-inch round baking pans. Heat oven to 350 F. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake 30 to 35 minutes. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost.
- Bundt Cake: Grease and flour 12-cup Bundt pan. Heat oven to 350 F. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 50 to 55 minutes. Cool 15 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack. Cool completely. Frost
- Cupcakes: Line muffin cups (2-1/2 inches in diameter) with paper bake cups. Heat oven to 350 F. Fill cups 2/3 full with batter. Bake 22 to 25 minutes. Cool completely. Frost. About 30 cupcakes.
This was a delicious chocolate cake. I choose cream cheese frosting to top them and it was great!
Tasty Tuesday
I know! I know! I did not post a "Tasty Tuesday" entry last week! Forgive me, I was fighting viral bronchitis and didn't work for two days! I am just now feeling better and its been over a week! So, to make it up to everyone, I am going to post TWO (not one, but TWO!) Tasty Tuesday entries this week.
I love mexican food, but I really love quick and easy mexican food! Therefore, the following recipe has become a staple at our house for a quick and easy dinner that is de-lish! Thanks to my big sister, Michelle, for introducing this one to our family!
Taco Ring
Ingredients:
1 lb. of ground hamburger meat
1 packet of taco seasoning
1 cup of shredded cheese (I use the Mexican Blend)
2 packages of crescent rolls
Directions:
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cook ground beef until brown, drain and rinse.
3. Add the taco seasoning and 2 tablespoons of water. (I add them to the packet to rinse out the residual seasoning).
4. Add cheese to seasoned taco meat and stir well to mix cheese as evenly as possible. Set aside.
5. Use a round pizza pan, spray with cooking spray, take the crescent rolls and place them on a pan with the points facing outward in a circular shape. It should look like a sun with the wide ends of the crescent rolls making the inner part of the sun and the tips making the outer part of the sun.
6. Spoon meat onto the inner part of the circle then wrap the tips inward to cover meat. You should get a crescent roll wreath stuffed with meat/cheese mixture.
7. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Slice into sections before serving.
Serve with tomatoes, lettuce, onions, taco sauce, refried beans, and sour cream (or any combination of the above). Jim and I like to pile our Taco ring slices high with various toppings- the more the better! This dish reheats well so makes great leftovers.
I stole this picture from Pinterest but this is what the ring should look like when it is done baking!
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