Monday, September 30, 2013

Weekend Recap: Pictures

Perfect fall festival: balloons, face painting, and pumpkins!


Elkin, North Carolina - A beautiful fall day in the Yadkin Valley.














That's our Saturday morning.






Hope you had a great weekend.


Sunday, September 29, 2013

Sunday 10K


Happy Sunday to you all.  

I wanted to take time out of this busy day to say (once again) thank you.


A Brownie World is now over the 10K viewing mark.  Wow.

I wish you all a blessed day of rest.  Today we will be saying goodbye to my husband's last grandfather who passed away due to Alzheimer's and other complications.  Say a prayer of thanks for your health, loved ones, and the fact you are even able to open up a computer and read a blog or send an email or post a picture on Facebook.  

See ya'll later in the week.

Saturday, September 28, 2013

What's For Dinner?


Hi honey!  It is time to whip up some good recipes for the week ahead.  Are you ready?  Good c'mon!

This week I'm craving soup.  Oh my gosh I think soup is probably one of my most favorite foods on the face of the earth.  I adore the rich creaminess of cream based soups.  I love the lightness of the broth or water based soups.  Right now, as I type this, I am salivating.  

Jamie Cooks It Up!
Meal Number 1:  Potato Soup

If I could have any soup right now I would want potato soup.  To me nothing screams fall or winter as much as piping hot bowl of this carbohydrate goodness.  I have made several recipes for potato soup and I am always searching for a new one.  I stumbled upon this one on The Nest and it linked me to {Jamie Cooks It Up (cool site)}!  I am so trying this out this week.

I can tell you if you want to save on cash and calories you can opt for bacon bits in place of bacon and the milk of your choice in place of half and half.  Just remember when you take cream away and use milk you will lose a lot of the thickness of the dish.  Don't worry about the taste!  Also, if you want to purchase some chicken stock in place of bullion cubes you can do that too.  As always if you are afraid of trying substitutes then just do not do it!

Making our Marx


Meal 2:  Crock Pot BBQ Chicken


We haven't had bbq chicken in a long time.  I am not a big fan of barbecue sauce so when I decide I want some you better watch out.  I was playing on Pinterest and stumbled upon this awesome make ahead for the freezer to eventually throw in the crock pot. Actually, its more than just an awesome pin it is a freakin' awesome blog and this one pin led me to the mecca of freezer meals destined for the crock pot.  {Go here, learn here, love here!}

Pizzetti [Pizza & Spaghetti Casserole]

Meal 3:  Easy Go To?



Duh guys....spaghetti!  If you have small kids you know the power of the "sketti" just make sure the baby is diaper only and the big kid is wearing play clothes!  If you want to change up your spaghetti night then how about this really cool recipe? {Pizetti}!  Part pizza part spaghetti!  Mama Mia!  This comes from the blog:  The Best Blog Recipes.  Now that's a cool blog for you guys to check out!

Image for Chicken Fajita Grilled Cheese
Ziplist is where I found this deliciousness!

Meal 4:  Tex Mex Grilled Cheese

You knew I had to throw in something Mexican right?  I decided to totally mix it up this week and do a sandwich to serve up with some veggie sides.  This caught my eye and my taste buds!  Check it out by going to {Ziplist!}

Lets chat briefly about making things healthier:
Instead of ground beef?  Ground Turkey
Cheese?  Use half the amount and remember to buy cheese made with skim or 2% milk
High fat?  For nearly every high fat item there is a lower fat substitute, do your research.
Grease?  Blotting really takes TONS of calories away.
Salt?  Cut it!  Make yourself purchase LOW SODIUM options.
As always compliment your meals with a nice glass of water - zero calories, fat, sodium (sometimes).

So there are my four for the week....what are you eating on?  I love new recipes so shoot them my way and you'll get all the credit on the blog!  Thanks for reading!

Have an awesome Sunday & Catch me Monday!




Friday, September 27, 2013

Five on Friday!

(In your best cheer voice:)
Hey hey
What do ya say?
Here's my five for
Friiiiii-day!

1.  Kid chatter.

Kids say some hilarious things.  One of the little girls in our class let us know she never did anything she wasn't supposed to like Adam & Eve.  Why?  Because she doesn't have apples on her trees.


Merona® Women's Ultimate Long Sleeve Crew Neck Tee - Stripes
Target baby $12.  Yeah that's not me.

2.  My new striped long sleeve tee.

Got it at Target a couple weekends back when I had my day date with my best friend.  Love it.  Could wear it every day.  


3.  Fall Festivals.

I had said we weren't doing any festivals just maybe one fair.  Yeah we're doing a festival this weekend.  It is time to enjoy this weather, some yummy bad for me food, and pumpkins/cider/apple pie/coffee....all things fall!


4.  The start of October.

I think, if I am totally honest with myself, my favorite months of the year are October and November.  You just cannot beat the weather and everything they offer --- with no rush at all.  The speed at which they pass....well that's sadness.  I am happy to report that this year October means the actual START of our home remodel.  Yes, folks, that is correct!  We are starting the demolish, gutting, complete chaos that is creating the home of our dreams in our humble abode.  I just sent the kitchen guy the go signal.  Holy Moly.


5.  To yard sale or not to yard sale?

So I have more things to get rid of and I'm debating on whether to have a yard sale - you know a real one, in my yard.  There is also the idea of just posting things on the local Yard Sale Facebook page (but I really hate that one because people are dunces).  I just don't know what to do....hmmm?





Thursday, September 26, 2013

Beards

I think I may have mentioned before my feelings on beards.  I don't know exactly what has tipped this whole men and beards trend but at least it isn't women and beards.  Sometimes I think the blame lies on Duck Dynasty and then sometimes I blame Zac Brown and then sometimes I blame laziness.

I hate beards...personally.  Facial hair is all itchy, scratchy, and often ends up unkempt.  Boo.  The only people I allow beards on are Santa Claus and now Adam Levine.


I gotta admit I'm not a Maroon 5 fan.  I just don't much care for them.  I never really cared for this dude either.  At first he struck me as arrogant.  However, after checking out The Voice (NBC Mondays) this week I got to tell you....this man can rock a beard and look terrific doing it.  It just really made him look....well....good.  Kudos dude.  I will enjoy looking at you now.

Somebody who totally wrecks himself with a beard?  Yeah that dude below.


What the crap Don Draper er Jon Hamm.  His beard makes him look old and dirty and possibly Biblical.  I mean seriously home skillet this is not a good move for you.  When I saw him on the Emmy Awards I was like pass me a tissue this guy is going down the tube of heroin or some hallucinating delusion that this makes him attractive.

I just had to share that.  See ya'll later.  Demented Thursday will return next week.


Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Weekend Recap



After yesterday's post you are probably going "what" on today's post.  Trust:  I know it isn't the end of the weekend but nearly the start of a new one.  I just have to tell you, I wasn't sure I wanted to relive the weekend of dairy take down.  So I'm going to recap the weekend minus any mention of burps, sulfur, death by moo cow, etc.

My baby is one!  Photo:  Nicole Koontz Photography



Friday

My son is one. When you turn one you get to go to the doctor.  We spent Friday afternoon at the doctor for his well baby check.  He was a charmer and quite the pick pocket!  While the doctor was chatting with me he decided to empty her pockets without either of us noticing.  OH MY!

He did great and checked out textbook style perfect.  That is a blessing!  Our little guy weighs 24lbs and is 32 inches long and made it through five vaccinations like a charm (a crying charm but a charm).

Friday night was lazy.  It started raining and I picked up chicken wings and beer to celebrate a lazy evening in.  I enjoyed the wings as did my hubby.  

I was in bed by 8:55PM.


Saturday

My hubby had to work so the kids and I went to IHOP.  I decided my normal 2x2x2 wasn't what I really wanted on this particular morning.  I opted to try something new and am I happy I did?  Yes!  I opted for the Bananas Foster Briochet.  Get it, get it, get it.  It is basically french toast but ermagherd ya'll.  I could only eat one piece of the three they served me.

Aldi was our next stop.  Pretty boring trip.

The rain was coming down and the sky was terribly grey.  My daughter made her way to her favorite aunt's for the afternoon.  I decided staying in the house would be mentally unstable so me, hubby, baby, and my brother headed to the mall.  I tell you if you need to feel semi normal just go to the mall on a Saturday afternoon.  In one trip we saw the Hispanic Dolly Parton, the cast of the new Revenge of the Nerds 2013 edition, and some things I don't think my eyes were meant to see.  I expected to have nightmares for many nights ahead but luckily haven't had a one.


The daughter decided to spend the night with Nana.  Me and the hubby curled up on the couch and watched Dr. Pol.  I was in bed by 10PM.



Sunday

Sunday started super early for me as the alien in my intestines was birthed.  I slept most of the Sunday morning.  My husband rocks because he cleaned the house while I was sleeping.  Sunday afternoon was kick butt awesome.  The baby took a really long nap and the hubs and I did some yard work.  We love yard work.  My butterfly bushes are cut back until next year and my beautiful flower bed in the back is cleaned up and ready for some fall decor.

I made those Crock Pot Steak Fajitas for dinner....very delicious.  You guys should try them, you will love them.

It felt great to be feeling 100% again.

The daughter came home and I reminded her that Monday was pajama day at school to which she thought I was lying.  

Turns out she wore her pajamas to school.....just like everyone else haha!


Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Three Things Tuesday!

And it is time for another edition of Three Things Tuesday!


1.  I'm LOVIN' It!

What is the it?  It isn't McDonald's!  Its......FALL!  Oh my goodness guys the weather is pretty much on target for perfect this week!  I have thoroughly enjoyed coming home from work and going outside to feed my chickens and mess in the yard and clean out my car.  Seriously....love this season!

On Sunday, when fall officially birthed itself for 2013, I even put some blogs together while sitting on my porch.  How ahhhh-mazing is that?  Very!

The only thing that bums me out is how badly I am wanting coffee but how I am steering clear of it.  I have to have a splash of coffee with my cream and right now cream is out of the picture for this girl.

Bah humbug.


2.  Caffeine made me do it....but not right now.

As mentioned above I really want a cup of coffee.  I really want to use my Keurig.  I really want to hit up Dunkin Donuts before work.  But I'm not.  Since my dairy incident I'm like the helicopter parent of my gut.  Is that dairy six miles away?  STEER IN THE OTHER DIRECTION!  Seriously, I'm losing it.

I told myself to get some nondairy creamer and have at it.  Have I yet?  Negative.

I wonder if DD has nondairy creamer?  Hmm.  Anyone?

Is this not hilarious?  http://www.themetapicture.com


3.  Since I'm admitting to losing my brain....


I have decided to take my grandmother, who doesn't know me, who has dementia out to dinner on Thursday.  Um yeah.  So here is the back-story on that:  She doesn't cook (thank God) and she likes to go out (understandable).  Most evenings my mom finds her dressed up and ready to go out for dinner.  My extended family isn't known for going out every night for a meal.  I have heard from my aunt, uncle, and mother about how much she wants to go out to eat all the time.  I decided I would take her out.  Here's the deal:  I can understand how going crazy and being in the house 24/7 can make for a disaster (Alzheimer's or no Alzheimer's) so why not take her with me when I take my girl to dance on Thursday.

We'll have an hour give or take five minutes to grab a bite to eat.  No biggie right?  (Just so you know I hear you saying wrong and I see you rolling your eyes and I also saw that smirk...)  Ok so I know this will be challenging.  We'll have a time limit and that can be bad news but hey she's getting out of her house.

There are my three things.  What are yours? 








Monday, September 23, 2013

Fall Television Woot Woot

What are you watching this premier week?  Here are some shows I have picked to tune into this week!

1.  How I Met Your Mother - final season, CBS 8pm Mondays

I don't really know what life will be like minus Marshall, Lily, Ted, Barney and Robin.  My hubby and I adore this show to no end.  However the end is now in site.  We will learn this year exactly how the mama was met....and I'm not ready!

2.  The Goldbergs - premier season, ABC  9pm Tuesdays


So here's what I get from this:  a 1980s family, total comedy.  I think it is worth a viewing to see if it lives up to all the hype around it.


3.  Brooklyn Nine Nine - premier season, Fox 8:30pm Tuesdays

Andy Samburg has left SNL and now is doing prime time.  It looks funny I hope it can prove to be a winner.

4/5/6.  The Middle, Modern Family, Nashville - ABC 8pm, 9pm, 10pm Wednesdays

Yep the classics are back!  I call them classics because they are not new shows.  Wednesday has always been my personal TV night so I'm stoked their all coming back to their regular air times.

7.  The Michael J Fox Show - premier season, NBC 9pm Thursdays

I have a feeling this show will tank.  Seriously, how many Parkinson Disease jokes can one show handle?  I hope I'm surprised.

What are you watching?





Sunday, September 22, 2013

Sour Stomachs! It must be fall!

I can only hope your weekend was a bit better than mine.  No, I didn't have a horrible weekend but it could have went a tad bit better as far as my gastrointestinal tract goes.  

So I can't really indulge in dairy....and maybe I've known this for a long time....and maybe by long time I mean close to 17 years.

Friday I woke up in some kind of weird pain.  It was gas....ouch.  I also had many frequent belches of what seemed to be straight sulfur coming up.  (Are you grossed out yet?)

I phoned the doctor after a couple hours.  I gave a quick synopsis of all things I had ingested in the past 48 hour period.  Common factor:  dairy.

Oops.

I had been skipping ice cream and milk and only having those here and there but it was the cheesy dishes I had been making and the pumpkin spice lattes I had been enjoying that were waging war against me.

A few packets of Lactaid and a box of Gas X and eventually I'd be back to normal.

The height of the hell that is lactose allergy or lactose intolerance came around noon on Friday.  I seriously thought I was in labor.  For any of you who thought you'd go it minus any pain medication do you remember when the pain really started kicking in?  It was that pain that made you think:  If I can just get up and move I'll be ok.  Um yeah....I experienced that for about an hour.  However, I was behind the wheel.  

Saturday was ok....still had the burps and due to the gas coming from the rotting dairy in my gut I wasn't too terribly hungry.  

It was the wee hours of Sunday morning that the final battle was fought.  I woke up at 12:50AM and knew that the nazi facist in my stomach was about to go down in flames.  I made my way to the bathroom and stuck my head into the toilet.  Ever want to puke so bad you're begging God to help you vomit?  Yeah that was me.

Finally....out came the vile mess of cow byproduct.  I cleaned myself up, brushed my teeth, grabbed some water and made my way to the couch.  

The remaining dairy hell would exit my system later in the morning and would leave me feeling happy yet super weak.  I napped for just under two hours and that is so not Brownie to do.  After getting up and showering I probably could have slept the rest of the day.  I don't think my hubs would have been too thrilled about that though.

So why am I sharing this dairy diary hell with you?  So you do not go to Web MD and get some screwball "GO TO THE MORGUE NOW YOU ARE DYING" alert.

I have been sensitive to dairy for a long time but I just chose to stay away from it.  As years have passed I've not paid too much attention to my dairy intake having ingrained in my brain that I cannot have a lot of it.  The moral of the story is if you have an issue with anything and think you are handling it ok you may need to take a step back and check yourself!  I had been cooking with more dairy and devouring more dairy based drinks (thanks fall) and therefore I was setting myself up for a really bloated, painful, dreadful few days.

With fall now being here (officially) we'll be pleasing our palate with a lot more not so good for you treats.  Pumpkin pie, muffins, cake, cookies, etc.  Apple pie, cake, cookies, bread, etc.  Every type of candy made under the sun (thanks Halloween).  Those listings don't even compare to what we find within our reach when November rolls around.  

Be cautious as you snack, drink, and eat this fall.  We always talk about watching our waistline but we need to watch the lining of our tum tums too.  

Here's to keeping your tummy intact!





Saturday, September 21, 2013

What's For Dinner?


After a really bad case of lactose intolerance/allergy rearing its head I am steering clear of all things from the milk cow.  (Not the beef cow though!)  Many of my picks for this week do not mirror that choice but I am going to play with the recipes to cut the dairy at least in half.

----

Well my mom has sent a sloppy joe recipe my way.  She claims it is similar to an old scratch recipe my late Mammaw made.  I believe my Mammaw used a canned version called Manwich but hey whatever!

Here's what she shared - some people would rather make their own sauce anyway.

1 tsp of salt
1 onion chopped
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp of vinegar
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 cup of ketchup
1/4 cup of water
cayenne pepper as you choose

Brown your ground meat of choice (we use turkey in Brownie Land) season with salt & pepper, cayenne.  Drain off the fat or water after its cooked.  Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 30 minutes.

--

Last week I shared the following recipes that we would be having for the week:

Yes it was delicious and we will have it again.  My one year old killed it!  My six year old was down with the white chili.  My husband said he liked it. That's a freakin' kitchen score!  Next time I may add in some more seasonings.

Sloppy Joe's
Yep, finger licking good.  I love these because they are so fast to make.  Of course I just used Aldi's brand and it was great but you could so make your own sauce if you want to.

Baked Ravioli

Very yummy!  The whole family enjoyed it.  Next time I'll have to tone down the cheese considering mine consisted of ALL cheese and left me in a world of hurt. (As did the 2 PSL's I had and breakfasts that consisted of milk and cereal...)

Steak Fajitas

I haven't made these yet.  They are going to be tomorrow's dinner!

*******

Ideas for this week's dinners:

My Own Traditional Chili

Basically its my throw it together recipe that honestly is no recipe.  I just chili beans, black beans, some ground beef or turkey, corn, diced tomatoes, chili powder, a packet of ranch dressing mix, black pepper...and top it with cheese (if you wish).

--

Harvest Butternut Bowtie Pasta

Harvest Butternut Bowtie Pasta with Bacon #fall #dinner @babycenter
Here's the Pin!

I like this because nothing screams fall to me like butternut squash.  Guess I'm weird like that though - owning it!  We won't be having this until I have my GI issues under control but it looked so good I had to share!



Chopped Taco Salad

Click here for this jewel from The Nest


I have to have something tex mex ya'll!

--

Vegetable Cheddar Chowder
Perfect Fall Dinner: Vegetable Cheddar Chowder & Pumpkin Chocolate Chip bread
Pin it here!


There is also a holy mother of our Lord recipe for some yummy dessert bread on this same pin!

Yumm-o!

--

If you have a recipe you want to share with me and my readers feel free to pass it along!  I love new recipes!

Happy eating!


Friday, September 20, 2013

Friday 5!


Well hello Friday!
I have an admission:
I am not looking forward to you very much.
Why Brownie?
Because we have the baby's one year check up today.
That translates to:  shots, blood draw, and having to sit in a closet of a room for endless amounts of time because as everyone knows a doctor's office is the closest thing to purgatory we non-Catholics get.

Ok lets focus on the five things for this week.


1.  Mean Moms Rule!

 I'm what society calls a mean mom and I'm pretty damn proud of it.  My kids are not my mirror they are my humans I was put in charge of to make sure they do not grow up to be a slack, hands out, evil, sociopaths.  

You can imagine the absolute joy I felt when I found the book Mean Moms Rule.  LOOK BROWNIE YOU ARE NOT ALONE!  It was as if God Himself shifted my vision to the book sitting there on the library shelf.  The book is terrific.  Its perfect for a new parent who is so screw balled from parenting books and magazines and what mom of the minute is saying you should do.  I highly recommend this read to anyone who needs some assistance in trying to correct the damage they are doing to themselves and their children in the area of parenting.

*Disclaimer - I love my kids a whole lotta bunches.  I'm just way over the masses of parents who are raising their kids to think the world owes them something or the earth was created just for them and it is all rainbows and butterflies.

Yeah she was stoked to say the least.  She unwrapped it, read the directions, and said "mama you have to make some coffee!"


2.  My new Keurig.

It came on Wednesday morning.  Had the FedEx guy been literate it would have came on Tuesday.  My child was more excited than me!  She carefully dismantled it from the box, read the instructions to me, and then with great passion said, "Mama you have to make you some coffee NOW!"  I did!  Yummy!


3.  Practicing my Mary-ness.

This week I have practiced my Mary self.  Remember my blog post back when about being more of a Mary than a Martha?  Yeah so this week I have allowed myself some time before work to get coffee and a muffin and hang out alone in the Dunkin Donuts with no worries.  I have also allowed myself some time to just sit back and read (even though it was like ten minutes).  I'm also giving myself some blog reading time for a few minutes a day to keep up with my blog friends.  You should practice your Mary-ness unless you're always a Mary and need a can of Martha opened up on you.


4. Fall

So Sunday it will be officially fall.  I have made peace with the end of summer and am very happy that fall is officially starting.  I really do love the season - secretly it may just be my favorite when I think of all the fun things we do in the two months we actually lump in the fall category (Oct/November).  I love the weather....pumpkins.....mums....Halloween....fall festivals.....hayrides.....birthdays.....


5.  That chili!

Last Saturday I featured a {chili recipe} from a reader.  Um yes we will be eating it again!  IT was delicious!  I love when readers share recipes.  Feel free to share one with me and I'll spot light it on Saturdays!