Categories
Everything Else

Moe-Kitty

Meet Moe! aka Moe monster, Moester, fatty, fluffy, etc etc! I thought I’d post a picture or two of our “child” 🙂
In the first picture, I found him hiding under the dining room table in his favorite chair.
Here, I’d interrupted a leg bath and he was a lil annoyed with me.
Moe LOVES the penguin fleece blanket and especially if he can also cuddle with his mom!

Categories
Food

Chicken Cranberry Ranch


This has quickly become one of Jason & I’s favorite recipes. I can’t remember who posted it first on the nest, but I’m so glad they did!
Ingredients
boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into bite-sized pieces
can of whole cranberry jelly
1/2 jar of ranch dressing (I just squeeze until the mixture is pink)
1 packet of dry onion soup mix
Directions
preheat oven to 350 degrees.
mix the onion soup mix, ranch & cranberry jelly in a small bowl.
cut up the chicken. mix in the bowl.
pour into 9×13 and bake for 1 hr.
We usually serve this over brown rice. The original recipe is for up to 3 or more lbs of chicken but I usually make it with about a lb and just pour the rest of the sauce over the rice. Enjoy!

Categories
Everything Else

Wideacre

I found this book at the library. I have really enjoyed reading Philippa Gregory’s The Other Boylen Girl & The Constance Princess, so I thought I’d start the beginning of the trilogy. I told a co-worker I was reading this and she warned me that it was really bizarre. She was RIGHT! It was more than a lil too incestual for me, but I was still interested in the overall story. I was very happy to finish it last night, but of course now I want to see what happens to the characters (the children from Wideacre), so I’ll probably start The Favored Child tonight. Happy reading!

Categories
Food

Banana Creme Bundt Cake

I found this recipe on recipezaar last week and my mom & I made it over the weekend! So yummy & moist! We added an extra banana and less pecans b/c I don’t love nuts in cakes. We’d eaten it up before I thought to take a picture~ sorry! (EDIT~ I made it again for Jason & I so I took a picture this time.)

Ingredients
2 bananas
1 (3 oz) package of banana instant pudding
1 c water
1 yellow cake mix
4 eggs
¼ c oil
½ c finely chopped pecans
Directions
In large mixing bowl, mash bananas.
Add rest of ingredients, except pecans and mix for 2 minutes at medium speed of mixer.
Add chopped pecans.
Pour into greased and floured bundt pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for 60 minutes.
Cool in pan for 15 minutes.
Remove from pan and let cool.
Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving.

Categories
Food

Oatmeal Cookies

I’ve been craving sweets (I think its the PMS) so I decided to try Daddy’s Oatmeal Cookies from Bride & Groom First and Forever Cookbook. The recipe is a favorite of the daddy of the authors of this book. They are delicious!! Jason & I (and our co-workers) are really enjoying them! Here’s the recipe:
Ingredients:
2 c all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt (all I had was normal & they were still good)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 eggs at room temperature
2 tsps vanilla extract
1 c (2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
2 c firmly packed light brown sugar
2 c rolled oats or quick-cooking oaks
1 c raisins (I don’t like so I left out)
Directions
Position rack in center of oven and preheat at 350. Spray 2 or more cookie sheets with cooking spray or line with parchment paper.
Stir together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Set aside.
Stir together the eggs and vanilla in a small bowl. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and brown sugar on medium speed until creamy and blended. Alternatively, use a electric hand mixer. (What I did b/c I don’t have a KA mixer) Add the egg mixture to the butter mixture in two additions and beat until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Reduce the speed to low, slowly add the dry ingredients, and beat until just incorporated. Scrape down the sides if necessary. Stir in the oatmeal (and raisins).
Drop rounded tablespoons of dough about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
Bake until the edges of the cookies are golden and the centers are barely cooked, about 10 mins.
Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 2-3 mins, then transfer the cookies to wire racks and let cool completely.
I found that 10 mins wasn’t quite enough so I cooked them for 12-13 mins, but we like cookies soft & chewy. Enjoy!