Stuffed Zucchini

To go with our Parmesan Encrusted Chicken and Artichoke Dip, we made Stuffed Zucchini.

STUFFED ZUCCHINI
Modified from: Williams-Sonoma Bride and Groom Cookbook
Servings: 2
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 5-7 minutes

Stuffed Zucchini

Ingredients:
2 Zucchini (4-5 inches long)
Olive Oil for greasing
1 cup Ricotta
1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese
1 Tbsp flour
dash of lemon juice
salt and pepper, to taste
2 Tbsp Parmesan Cheese


Instructions:
1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Add whole zucchini and reduce heat to simmer.  
2. Simmer 10-15 minutes until tender.  Drain and let cool.
3. Mix together ricotta, 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese, flour, and lemon.
4. Slice zucchini in half lengthwise and scope out the seeds.
5. Season zucchini with salt and pepper.  Add ricotta mixture in soft mounds.  Top with remaining parmesan cheese.
6. Broil 5-7 minutes until cheese starts to brown.

Enjoy!

Parmesan Crusted Chicken

In addition to the Artichoke Dip, Tony and I made Parmesan Crusted Chicken and Stuffed Zucchini.  They were both yummy.  Here's the super easy recipe for the Parmesan Crusted Chicken!

PARMESAN CRUSTED CHICKEN
Servings: 2
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20-30 minutes

Parmesan Crusted Chicken

Ingredients:
2 Large Chicken Breasts
1/2 cup Mayo
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
4 tsp. of Italian Bread Crumbs

Instructions:
1. Preheat over to 425
2. Mix the Mayo and Parmesan cheese in a bowl.
3. Place chicken in a baking dish and top with the mayo mixture.
4. Top with bread crumbs.
5. Bake for 20-30 minutes until chicken is cooked through.

Enjoy!!

Orange Medley

I'm trying to do better with what I am eating but I have a huge sweet tooth.  This is an old family favorite, usually during the summer.  It's cool and light.

ORANGE MEDLEY

Servings: 6-8

Prep time: 10 minutes

Orange Medley

Ingredients

8 oz. Cool Whip

16 oz. Cottage Cheese

20 oz. Can of crushed Pineapple, drained

3 oz. Orange Jello

Instructions

1. Mix together Cool Whip and Orange Jello.

2. Mix in Cottage cheese and drained pineapple

*Drain the pineapple juice into a glass and enjoy it plain or in a smoothie!

Enjoy!

Artichoke Dip

Sunday night, Tony and I went all out and cooked dinner.  We started with a super easy Artichoke Dip.  Here's the recipe!

ARTICHOKE DIP
Modified from: Williams-Sonoma Bride and Groom Cookbook
Serves: 2-4
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Bake Time: 30 minutes

Artichoke Dip

Ingredients
12 oz can/jar of artichoke hearts
1 tsp lemon juice
1/3 cup mayo
3 Tbsp Parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
2 Tbsp cream cheese

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Drain artichoke hearts and cut into pieces.
3. Mix together artichoke hearts, lemon juice, mayo, 3 Tbsp Parmesan cheese, parsley, and cream cheese.
4. Place in a baking dish and top with remaining (1/2 Tbsp) Parmesan cheese.
5. Bake until golden brown, about 25-30 minutes
6. Serve warm with Naan, Frito-Lay Tortilla Chips, or pita.

Enjoy!

Gizmo: A Diamond in the Ruff

The beginning.

Just over three years ago, I convinced Tony that getting a dog would be a good idea.  Tony was living in NY and working second shift, finding things to do was difficult.  I thought a dog would be great solution.  There's nothing better than coming home and there's someone there that is beyond happy to see you. Tony was hesitant.  I grew up with dogs and couldn't imagine not having one.  The best thing was coming home and there's a dog there wagging their tail so hard that they're shaking their butt. Tony didn't have a ton of experience with larger pets.  His first pet was an ant named Chance.  It was going to be a big step up from an ant to a dog. 

I convinced Tony to go to Centre County Paws, a no kill shelter near State College, PA.  We looked at a couple of dogs that we knew were not going to work.  Tony needed a dog under 25 lbs for his current apartment.  Tony and his mom also have allergies.  We needed to find a hypoallergenic dog.  This narrowed down our options.  A puppy would have been fun but an older dog could possibly be easier.  We asked to look at a 5-year-old Shih-Tzu named Junior.  We were advised against it.  He wasn't the most friendly and had been abused.  We said that's okay, we'd like to see him anyways.

In came Junior... he walked around and wasn't really sure of what to do.  Eventually, he hopped up on the couch next to Tony.  Tony picked him up and held him like a baby.  Tony didn't realize how big of a deal this was but the people at Paws did.  Junior was definitely Tony's dog.  They told us a little more about Junior history.  He wasn't house broken or crate trained.  He wasn't good with kids.  One of the questions that was asked when he was surrendered was, "Does he bite?"  The people that surrendered him answered "Only when he's about to be kicked."  You have to be kidding me!! I'd bite someone too if they were going to kick me.  We knew Junior had had a rough life but we wanted to try.

Tony had to go back to work and needed some time to get his apartment ready for a dog.  He spent that week getting dog bowls, a collar, a leash, and a bed.  The following Friday, I picked up Junior and we took the four hour drive to NY together with him sitting on my lap the entire time.  This was going to be a 2 week trial to see if this could be a permanent solution.

While we're waiting for Tony to get home, this happened...

Tony get's home from work and this happens....

We tried to put Junior in a kennel Friday night.  That did not work well.  Once we brought him upstairs, he was happy as a clam and spent the night in his new bed.

Saturday started off great.  He played around, we went for a walk.  That afternoon, he was playing with a toy and had fuzz on his mouth.  I went to clean it off and HE BIT ME!  How could he bite me?  I was the one that got him to NY.  I had fed him Friday night and Saturday morning.  Apparently, no one told him not to bite the hand that feeds you. I ran upstairs crying.  Yes, crying.  I was more in shock than it actually hurt.  Tony followed and then Gizmo.  He tried to get close and apologize.  Once I calmed down, we realized that it wasn't really his fault.  He was abused.  He doesn't know any better. He does have a good heart.  In reality, it was good that he bit me instead of Tony.

The two weeks went by and he was Tony's dog.  He didn't answer to Junior and it didn't quite fit.  He was really hairy when we first got him so he looked like a gremlin.  Gizmo it was.

Where we are now.

Gizmo knew sit and that was it.  Now he knows "sit," "stay," "paw," "down," "bang, play dead," and "roll over."  I can put a bowl of food in front of him and tell him to stay.  I can walk away and he'll wait until I say okay.  He's a bright dog. 

Gizmo is housebroken and really always was.  He knows that he isn't supposed to go in the house and that it should be outside.  From the very beginning, he would last all day without any accidents.  It was nice not having to potty train him.  The only problem is that he doesn't "tell" us he needs to go out.  We have to be diligent about letting him out and he's usually good.  Unfortunately, he does have an occasional accident.

Biting.  Gizmo does still nip.  There are some people that he doesn't like their feet and we can't quite figure out why.  As for hands, he doesn't like people who have male dogs.  If he smells the other male, females are okay, he gets very defensive.  If you are first meeting him, you've got to go slow near his face.  He's still not overly trusting.  He's gotten better with kids (< 10) but I still stay very close.  My cousins love Gizmo and he's good with them.  Tony's been really good about desensitizing him.  Tony plays with his face, sticks his fingers in Gizmo's mouth, and cleans the goop from his eyes.

Gizmo has been a blessing for us.  When I started work and was living by myself, Tony let me have Gizmo.  Gizmo was there to give me a hug when I was homesick.  He knows when one of us is upset and will try to go be with them.

Gizmo is a very sweet dog.  He just needed someone to be patient, love him, and work with him.  If you have the time and the patience, shelter dogs can be an amazing option!

Crock Pot Fajitas

Here's a super easy recipe for crock pot fajitas.  It's so quick and very yummy!

CROCK POT FAJITAS
Servings: Many!
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 8+ hours

Crock Pot Fajitas

Ingredients:
1 lb chicken (~2 breasts)
1 green pepper
1 red pepper
1 onion
1 can Ro-tel (tomatoes and green chilies)
1 package fajita seasoning

Instructions:
1. Cut peppers and onions into slices.
2. Put chicken, peppers, onion, Ro-tel, and seasoning into a crockpot.  Stir.
3. Cook on Low for 8 hours (or until the chicken is done) *I cooked it on low for 8 hours and then it sat on warm for ~4 hours.  It was perfect!
4. Remove and shred chicken.  Return to crock pot until ready to serve.

Enjoy!

Apple Crisp

A few weeks ago my sister and a good friend came to visit.  Sunday morning, we went apple picking!  I had never been apple picking before so I didn't know what to expect but it was a lot of fun.  I purchased some apples to bring home. 

Here's the first recipe that I tried...

APPLE CRISP
Serves: 5-6
Prep Time: 30 min
Cook Time: 45 min

Apple Crisp

Ingredients:
6 medium apples
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
3/4 cup of flour
3/4 cup of brown sugar
1/2 cup of butter

1. Peel, core and slice apples.
2. Arrange in a baking dish.
3. Sprinkle with a mixture of cinnamon and nutmeg.
4. In a large bowl, mix flour and brown sugar. Cut in butter. Be sure to blend this mixture until crumbly.
5. Pour over the top of the apples.
6. Bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes until apples are tender.

 Serve warm with vanilla ice cream and enjoy!

Spare Bedroom

When we moved into our new house, it was bigger than we needed but figured it would come in handy.  With combining our two apartments, this instantly gave us a fully furnished guest bedroom.  In our guest bedroom, we have a double bed.  This is great when we had friends over but for our parents, they weren't going to sleep in a double bed together.  This meant one parent got the bed and the other got the aero bed.  If we were tight on space, this would have been fine but we had a perfectly good bedroom sitting empty. 

After struggling with what I wanted to do, I settled on wanting a twin bed with a trundle.  This would provide us the most flexibility without taking up a ton space.  Here's the room as it is now.  I HATE the color it's way to dark and makes the room feel small.  I'm reaching out for ideas on what to do with the room.

Any thoughts?  Paint colors? Bed spread? Layout?


I'm hoping to update this room this fall!

Power Loss Hack: Showering in the Dark

A couple of weeks ago, our power went out.  I hadn't showered from the gym yet so I precariously balanced a candle on the edge of the tub and tried not to get the floor wet.



What did Tony do??  Grabbed one of our outdoor solar powered lights.  It was fully charged and they're waterproof!

Next time your power goes out, grab your lawn lights!

Happy 2 Years to Me!

Today marks my 2 year anniversary of my start date with a great company.  It's been a wild and crazy 2 years and a lot has happened.  Looking back has confirmed over and over again that I made the right choice.  Work has given me the opportunity to grow and learn, to travel (Japan & Taiwan), and to meet amazing people. 

Tony and I have been able to move forward with our future together.  In the past 2 years, we've got engaged, bought a house, got married, and bought 2 motorcycles.

It's been a good two years and I'm excited for the many more to come!!

Chocolate Chip Muffins

Tony's parents came to visit during our pantry challenge.  When they were here, we did go out an buy a few things.  Sunday morning, we were planning eggs and sausage for breakfast.  I wanted to do something else with what I had.  Since I didn't have any fruit, chocolate chips were really the only mix in that I had.  They were quite yummy and I've made them a couple times since!

CHOCOLATE CHIP MUFFINS (from Taste of Home)
Makes: 12 muffins
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
3/4 cup milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
Sugar crystals (optional) *my add

Instructions:

1. In a large bowl, combine the first four ingredients.
2. In a small bowl, beat egg, milk and oil.
3. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened.
4. Fold in chocolate chips. 
5. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups three-fourths full.  Sprinkle with sugar crystals (optional)
6. Bake at 400° for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
7. Cool for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack.

Enjoy!!

Pantry Challenge: Completed!

Live has been crazy the past few weeks and I really haven't had time to post.  I'm getting back into it now.  We've gone on vacation, I've traveled for work, and Tony has officially moved to first shift!

We completed our pantry challenge at the end of July.  It worked out really well!  For the month of July, we only spent $38 on groceries.  Here's the final comparison!

Freezer

Fridge

Cabinets

Thanks for stopping by!

Finding Myself

I've been contemplating doing this post for a while.  It may be a bit lengthy, but bear with me...

Over the past 6-8 months, I've been trying to "find myself."  I remember when I interviewed (almost 3 years ago now), the question came up, "What do you do for fun?"  My answer consisted of well in high school, I danced.  In college and grad school, my focus was school and being an RA for 2 years.  I had danced there for a semester and tried ultimate Frisbee for a year.  In grad school, weekly yoga classes with my sister, Amy, became a regular thing.  I found myself asking the same question to an interviewee last fall.  He gave me the "my focus has been on school."  I thought that that was a perfectly acceptable answer just like when I gave it two years ago.  What would my answer be now?  Last year, it was planning a wedding and working on our new house.  After the wedding, things really calmed down.  The house was (and still is) a work in progress.  What was I going to do for fun and for me?  I had to figure it out...  With Tony working second shift, I had to find things that I could do just for me.

Step 1: Join the Gym (lifestyle change)

Okay so I did the very cliché thing of joining the gym after the new year.  However, this was something that I had been thinking about, but "didn't have the time."  My co-worker teaches an amazing Zumba class and that was my main reason for joining.  He had been asking me for several months if I wanted to do it.  The wedding (and work) was always my excuse.  I didn't have a reason to say no.  Plus, my company provides the perk that if you go to the gym 80 times in a year, they'll reimburse you for 75% of your gym membership.  This definitely made it a no brainer!  I am so glad I said yes!  After 7 months, I attend 2 classes a week as long as I am in town.  Zumba gives me my dance fix.  Even though it was cliché, I have stuck with it and love it!

Step 2: Find a dance class (emotional and lifestyle change)

This was a short lived experience.  I found a local studio that had an adult ballet class on Fridays after work.  I loved it!  I was getting my flexibility back and was planning on re-starting Pointe.  Unfortunately, they didn't have the numbers so after May, they cancelled the class.  I am hoping someone else will start an adult class or that the gym will start a barre class.

Step 3: Read more (emotional change)

Sitting and watching TV isn't healthy.  I wanted to read more.  I'm between books right now so this is currently lagging in my life.  Perhaps tonight, I'll start my next book. 

Step 4: C25K (emotional and lifestyle change)

A good number of my friends run and are super athletic.  I HATE running.  I tried it before and couldn't stand it.  My friend, Phil, started the C25K program this summer.  Taking inspiration from him, I started this 5 weeks ago.  It wasn't bad starting out.  I'd listen to a podcast and the 30 minutes would pass quickly.  Week 4 was rough.  The last 5 minute burst was painful.  Looking back, I was so focused on my body and how much longer I had.  When I did Week 5 Day 1, I was fine.  I focused on the podcast and that was it.  For me, running is more of a mental challenge than a physical one.  Running is teaching me to focus on one thing and not multi-task.  This is something I need!

Step 5: Eat better (lifestyle change)

I know a number of people who fast, do juice cleanses, and diet (paleo, gluten free, sugar free, etc.).  I've tried them and it's just not for me.  I've been pretty good since starting the C25K program.  Here's what I am trying to stick to:

- one pop per week
- one sweet per day
- less pasta (mac & cheese is a weakness for me!)
- more water

It is going fairly well.  I slip up every once in a while but I am eating better than I was.

Step 6: Fulfill life goals (emotional and career)

In college, some people said you need to take the FE others said for mechanical, you don't need it.  I didn't take the FE in college.  I now regret that choice.  I don't technically "NEED" my PE but it is now something I want.  So to get to the PE, I have to take the FE.  I bought the books to study and the goal is to take the FE exam in January at the latest.

Mom and Dad, if you are reading, stop here...




I told you to stop reading...




Okay, if you insist...



Tony had been talking about getting a motorcycle for about 5 years.  Last year, he finally did it and loves it.  It would be great to join him and tour the lovely lakes and parks around us.  I have been wavering back and forth about getting my motorcycle license.  I'm not sure if I'd enjoy it or it would stress me out.  There's only one way to find out.  Try it!  I'm planning on getting my permit (tomorrow?) and then taking the motorcycle safety class (this month?).  If I like it, I'll figure out what to do from there.  If I don't, I can say I tried it and will have no regrets moving forward.


That's where I am with life now... I feel I know things will change but I  need to stop focusing on the what-ifs and focus on the now...


What kind of things do you do for you? 

Dressing for a Professional Portrait

At work, they decided to retake our photos for the directory.  Most of the photos were horrible!  They were ususally taken on the first day of work, by HR, in front of the background of the year.  Most of us had a lovely blue background.  Here was my picture...
 

My picture was taken after running around the building an getting all sweaty.  Looking at the photo, I wasn't even sitting up straight!  I was so glad that we were getting the chance to re-take our pictures!

This new picture would be with me for a while.  I had to figure out what to wear (jewelry and clothing) and how to do my hair and make-up.  I started by searching "professional business portraits."  I took note of what I liked and didn't like.  Here's where I ended up.  I would recommend a similar outfit to anyone that is going to have a professional portrait taken.

Clothing
I wanted to wear a suit.  I have a black, navy, and grey suit.  I liked the black but I thought it was a little harsh.  I though dark grey would be better.

For the shirt underneath, I didn't want to go bright or white.  I thought the bright would look a little young and the white would wash me out.  I went with a darker teal shirt.

Jewelry
The necklace would probably be the only thing that would show.  Perhaps my earrings. 
I wanted something simple and classic.  This was easy and I settled on my small pearl necklace with pearl studs.

Hair
My hair is naturally curly so I could have gone curly or straight.  The deciding factor here was the time of day.  I had to wait until 1:30 to get my picture taken.  If I went curly and it rained, it's possible my hair could frizz more than I wanted.  If I went straight, I could run my flat iron through it right before the photo.  I chose to straighten my hair and then run to the bathroom before the picture and do a quick once over.

Make-up
This was easy, I was going to go with my normal everyday make-up.  I was going to go with a lip gloss rather than my normal chapstick.  When I ran to the bathroom, I brushed my teeth (it was after lunch!) and did a quick check and reapplication of mascara and lip gloss.

Voilà!

I'm happy with the new photo.  I can't wait until the replace the old one!

Thanks for stopping by!

Garage Makeover

When we moved in, the garage was a holding place for a long time.  A couple of weeks ago, my parents came to visit and we built the workbench.  In anticipation for the project, I took an hour and moved stuff around or put it away.  There was a huge improvement.  Sweeping out the floor and cleaning up the cobwebs also helped tremendously.

After we built the workbench, we moved other stuff around and swept up.  The garage is now so neat and organized that it's one of my favorite places to be.

Thanks for stopping by!

Pantry Challenge: Update - Week 3

Tuesday was the completion of week two of our pantry challenge.  It is going pretty well!  Last week, we ran out of milk and eggs (and dryer sheets and hair gel).  I had to make a grocery store run to grab those few items. 

In the past two weeks, Tony and I have cleared out our crackers, tuna, yogurt, ground beef, lean pockets, juice and pop.  We ran out of bread so I made wheat bread from some flour we bought when we went to Tennessee.  Last Friday, we had Chicken Continental for dinner.  My mom made it a while ago and it's been in our freezer since.  Since Tony's parents came into town this past weekend, we picked up a few items (milk, cheese, and crackers) at the store before they came in.  We still kept it pretty minimal.

Here's where we are:

Freezer

Fridge

Cabinet #1

Cabinet #2

Cabinet #3

I think that we'll last until Friday but after that, I think we may need to end this and make a run to the store.  It's getting pretty sparse!

Stay tuned for the final outcome!

Fruitshakes

Have you seen the Yonana's product where you take frozen fruit and turn it into ice cream? Why couldn't I turn frozen fruit, specifically bananas, into a milkshake? 

I'm very picky about when I eat bananas. If there is any brown on them, they're bad. I know that they are not really bad but I can't bring myself to eat them. 

I took my magic bullet, a frozen banana, milk, and a little Hershey's syrup and viola, a banana milk shake!

BANANA FRUITSHAKE
Serves: 1
Prep Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:
Frozen Banana
Milk
Chocolate Syrup

Directions:
Blend together.
If you add a few frozen strawberries, it tastes like a banana split!

BANANA SPLIT FRUITSHAKE
Serves: 1
Prep Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:
Frozen Banana
Frozen Strawberries
Milk
Chocolate Syrup

Directions:
Blend together.

Enjoy!!

Pincess: Fix a Broke Compact

 

I saw this pin on Pinterest and I thought I'd give it a try.  What you do is further crush up you make-up.  Then you add Isopropyl Alcohol (found at drug/grocery stores) and mix it well with you broken make-up.  You let it dry overnight and you have a fixed compact.

Here are my results!

Did it work?
Yes but the new compact is not the same as before.  It's much harder.  I have to actually scrap some make-up free to use it.  The brush alone can't get the make-up.

Would I do it again?
Yes. The remaining makeup is lasting.  Just an added step in my morning process.  I'd use this as a final option.

Have you tried this pin?  Did you get the same results?

Grammy's Crab Dip

One of my favorite appetizers is my grandmother's crab dip.  This is something super quick and easy.  There's two ways to serve it and they're both yummy!  If you want something more formal, layering them is the way to go.  If you want something for a larger group, kids, or to take to a party, mixing everything together is the way to go.

GRAMMY'S CRAB DIP
Serves: 2 -8
Prep Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:
Bar of cream cheese
Can of Crab meat
Bottle of Cocktail Sauce

Directions:
1. Layer cream cheese, crab meat, and cocktail sauce. 
               - or - 
   Mix cream cheese, crab meat, and cocktail sauce.
2. Serve with crackers (I prefer Sociables)

Enjoy!