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Sunday, August 28, 2011

Home Improvement

I recently decided that I wanted to update our house a little bit. I want to put down newer floors in the bathrooms upstairs and add backsplash to our kitchen. I also want to paint our front door and shutters.. I was thinking of painting them red. But now I want to do the shutters grey, and the door a buttery yellow. Our house is white and I think it would look so good!

I'm also finishing up our home office. I posted earlier about some of the things I had gotten.. I decided to go with an antique re-finished brown desk.. And do it in lime, turquoise blue, and brown.. I'm almost finished and will post pictures soon.. I love doing stuff to our new house. What do you think about my new ideas?

Saturday, August 27, 2011

Mexican Kick

Here lately I haven't been cooking. But I sure have been in the mood for some of my Mexican favorites... So, here's a few that you can make right at home!

Bake Enchiladas

You'll need:
Non-stick foil
1 medium red bell pepper chopped
1 pkg. fresh mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup sliced green onions
1 Tbsp. olive or vegetable oil
1 cup sour cream
1 can cram of chicken soup, undiluted
1 pkg. (8oz.) shredded sharp cheddar cheeses, divided
1 jar of sliced ripe olives, drained (optional)
2 cups chopped cooked chicken or turkey
6 (10 inch) flour tortillas
1 large can of old El Paso enchilada sauce
chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. For easy clean-up, line pan with aluminum foil with dull side toward food. Set aside.
2. Combine red peppers, mushrooms, onion, and oil in a medium saucepan. Over medium-high heat. Stir and cook until pepper and mushrooms are tender. Drain. Add sour cream, soup, half of cheese and olives. Stir in chicken.
3. Drop spoon full of mixture in baking dish. Once all tortillas have been filled, cover with sauce. And sprinkle remaining cheese over top.
*If you know you are going to save some for leftovers. Save a portion of the sauce so they do not dry out. To cover the enchiladas with for future cooking.





Reduced fat chicken taco salad:

You'll need:
1 (6 oz.) chicken breast
spinach or lettuce leaves
baked tortilla chips
reduced fat cheese
reduced fat ranch dressing

Put spinach or lettuce leaves in the bottom of a bowl. Crumble tortilla chips over lettuce. Cover tortillas with chicken. Sprinkle shredded cheese over chicken. Add ranch dressing.

Make sure to use the serving suggestions on the packages of food. It helps when trying to make only one serving and keep it as reduced as possible.
Serves one.



Mexican Lasagna

You'll need:
1 lb. extra lean ground beef
1 (16 oz.) can of refried beans
2 tbsp. dried oregano
1 tbsp. cumin
1 tbsp. garlic powder
12 dry lasagna noodles
2 1/2 cups of water
1 large can of enchilada sauce
2 cups sour cream
3/4 cup chopped green onions
1 (2 ounce) can sliced black olives
1 cup shredded pepper jack or cheddar cheese

1. In a large skillet, cook the ground beef over medium-high heat until evenly brown. Drain. In a large bowl, combine the cooked beef, re-fried beans, oregano, cumin and garlic powder.
2. Place four of the uncooked lasagna noodles in the bottom of a 9x13 inch, baking dish. Spread half of the beef mixture over the noodles. Top with four more uncooked noodles and the remaining half of the beef mixture. Cover with remaining noodles. Combine the water and the sauce in a medium bowl, and pour over all.
3. Cover tightly with foil. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 hours, or until noodles are tender.
4. In a medium, combine the sour cream, green onion and olives. Spoon over casserole, and top with shredded cheese. Return to the oven, and bake for an additional 5 to 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted.




Hope you try these out and love them as much as I do!:)

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Breakfast at Tiffany's Birthday Party


I have been looking on Pineterest for birthday party ideas. I love.love.love themed birthday parties. I know I'm getting old for it but their just so fun! At first I was going to have a pink&blue party complete with fair/carnival foods. Popcorn, mini corndogs, and cotton candy cupcakes. It was going to be adorable!

Now, I've decided to do a Breakfast at Tiffany's party. I'm going to serve mimosas in cute wine glasses, coffee punch, sausage balls, mini pancakes on toothpicks, breakfast casserole, cheese ball with wheat thins, and pinwheels. So pretty much breakfast foods.

The cupcakes are going to be Tiffany blue with white ribbons on top!



I've asked the ladies attending to wear little black dresses and the men to wear a nice pair of pants and button down shirt (well see how that goes). I've just bought Mr. Army Man a Tiffany Blue bow tie. He's going to look so adorable!

I plan on playing the Breakfast at Tiffany's movie for guests to watch or just for so background noise. Everyone will go home with a little blue box of their own!

I cannot wait for my birthday to get here! It's going to be one heck of a party! Will post pictures and tell all about how it went later! :)

It's dinner time!

Easy Beef Wellington

You'll need:
1 bone-in ribeye steak
salt & pepper
garlic powder
1 sheet puff pastry
1/2 cup dijon or spicy brown mustard
1 egg
olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, and preheat grill to medium.

Season beef with salt and pepper and set aside.

Unfold puff pastry and evenly brush 1 sheet with mustard, covering entire surface. Fold over and cut into 4 equal pieces. Press the pastry edges with tines of a fork to seal and cut 3 small slits halfway deep in the center of each pastry rectangle to allow steam to escape when it cooks. Set pastry rectangles on a baking sheet lined with parchment. In a small bowl whisk egg with 1 teaspoon water. Brush pastry rectangle with  and bake 25 minutes, until golden and cooked through.

Brush beef with oil. Season with salt and pepper and grill until it's nicely caramelized, turning only once, approximately 3 minutes each side. Transfer beef to a sheet pan and place in the preheated oven. Roast until medium-rare, another 10 to 12 minutes. Remove beef from the oven and place on a cutting board. Let meat rest 10 minutes before slicing. To serve, place a puff pastry rectangle on each serving plate. Top with beef slices and drizzle mushroom sauce over top. Enjoy!

Mushroom Sauce:

You'll need:
2 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 clove of garlic
1 sprig of fresh thyme
1 box each or button, shiitake, cremini mushrooms (wash with damp cloth, do not rinse)
1/2 cup of heavy cream
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp. Dijon or spicy brown mustard

Melt butter and oil together in a skillet. Add in garlic and fresh thyme. Slice and add in mushrooms. Add in cream, sauce, and mustard. Cook until hot.




You can serve this with a nice, healthy green salad or steamed veggies! Its so delicious and mush simpler than the actual beef wellington. Serves four. Hope you all enjoy!

Monday, August 22, 2011

Ham and Cheese Tortellini

You'll need:
1 package of cubed ham
1 package of Italian or Parmesan cheese
1 large container of heavy cream
1 package fresh/frozen package of three cheese tortellini
1 stick of butter
Salt
Pepper
Nutmeg
Allspice

Take a large pot and fill with cold water and salt. Bring to boil and add cheese tortellini. In a skillet or saucepan melt stick of butter add cooked ham and sprinkle with allspice, cook until hot and some peices begin to crisp. Add in heavy cream and bring to boil. Add in 2 tbsp of pepper and a pinch of salt. Sprinkle in cheese stirring constantly. Bring down to low heat. Sprinkle with netmeg and stir. Once tortellini begins to float, drain and add to the ham and sauce. Stir together and enjoy.

I created this recipe a few years ago. I submitted it for a schlorship competition in early March and one first place which included a thousand dollars toward my tuition. I was so happy and thought it would be a great recipe to share with you all.

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Thirteen Thursday Things



1. Mr. Army Man is away for several weeks for pre-deployment training:(
2. I haven't cooked in five days, so not like me
3. I have school mid-terms this week
4. I cannot wait to go back to Memphis to visit family and friends.
5. My favorite color is green
6. I'm addicted to Pinterest
7. I love Internet shopping
8. Wishes I would hear from Farmer Boo, I miss you!
9. Ramen noodles are cheap and delicious
10. I'm going to paint today
11. I always forget to clean out the lint in the dryer
12. Wants to go on vacation
13. Love my sweet sweet husband and miss him so much!

Hope everyone has a wonderful Thursday!

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Stuffed Mushrooms

Stuffed Mushrooms

What you'll need:
Box of button mushrooms
1 block of cream cheese
1 bag of mozzarella cheese
1/2 stick of butter
Worcestershire sauce
Tbsp of minced garlic
Fresh chopped parsley

To begin wash mushrooms clean with a wet paper towel. Do not let rinse it absorbs too mush of the water. Cut caps off the mushrooms and fill with cream cheese. Place mushrooms in deep skillet with melted butter, garlic and splash of worcestershire sauce. Top the mushrooms with cheese. Cook until cheese is melted and bubbly or liquid has reduced. Top with the chopped parsley. Enjoy! 

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Something different


I want a change with my hair.. I'm thinking about dying it a little bit darker. Or more of what my natural color would be?

This is me now..


Here are some of the colors I've really liked..



What do you think? Should I get it styled different too? Hope everyone has a fabulous day!

Monday, August 15, 2011

Morning Motivation

Great Feelings: (And I don't mean sexual)

1. Doing the right thing
2. Laying down in bed after a long day
3. Getting into a difficult parking spot/finding a parking spot near the door when its raining outside
4. Taking your bra off (ladies you know what I'm talking about)
5. Being complimented when you know you look terrible
6. Being in the right place at the right time.
7. Winning
8. Eating your favorite food
9. Finding something lost that you've been looking for
10. When laughter itself becomes funnier than what you were originally laughing at
11. A baby calling your name
12. Being loved

What are some great feelings you've experienced? Do you enjoy some of the same things?

Sunday, August 14, 2011

Great Friends

Mr. Army Man and me had a great weekend before he leaves for Warrior's Leader Course (WLC), we spent some quality time with some friends. Boo thang and Am came out for dinner last night. We played board games, watched movies, and looked at two houses for sale. They are thinking about moving into our area. We had a wonderful time and they came back over today..

We went to one of our favorite restaurants in Durham and stuffed our faces. We went to Tyler's Restaurant & Taproom. We had garlic fries and fried calamari for appetizers and build your own burgers for the main course.

Mr. Army Man and me

Boo thang and Am


Am and me

 It was so good to have so much time together before mine and Am's men leave. Am's husband is getting deployed in August. I hate it for her. This is his third. For our going away/ my birthday present, boo thang bought us Juicy Couture purses.


Love my bag and my amazing friends!
Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend, because I sure did. Lots of good things to look forward too. God is good, all the time!:)

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Thirteen Thursday Things


I thought I needed a little routine to my blog so I came up with "Thirteen Thursday Things," to do every Thursday. It can be wants, needs, or just random facts or thoughts. Love this cute idea!

1. It's almost 10:30 and I already know I want Chinese for dinner.
2. I love brown sugar oatmeal with frozen blueberries on top.
3. Miss my family.
4. Have two great sister-in-laws.
5. I want to do another home improvement on my house soon.
6. Isn't ready for Mr. Army Man to leave me for a little over 6 weeks.
7. I'm still a big baby.
8. I drive a red Dodge Caliber.
9. I love getting mail, even bills, (it makes me feel important).
10. Painting canvas' relaxes me.
11. Food/cooking gets me through the day.
12. Fries covered in brown gravy make me so happy or fries covered in garlic.. yum!
13. I'm totally and completely happy with the way my life is going.


Hope you like my little Thursday blog!


To all you hometown followers I'm coming to town September 4th. 

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Outfit of the Day

I wore this outfit today to a Family Readiness Meeting for Mr. Army Man's pre-deployment training and/or upcoming events. A lot is going on in our "Military Life."

1. Gold and white flower earrings- Forever 21
2. White shirt- Francesca's Collections
3. Cuff bracelet- Local store in WM called The Gift Cottage
4. Jeans- Citizens
5. Braided sandal- Target
Wore my hair up today because it was scorching! Its in a cute little curled twisted bun.
And you get a better look at my earrings.
On the way...
 I stole/borrowed my hubby's shades because my best friend's little girl sat on my other pair.



Hope everyone had a fabulous day!

Party Time!

I really want to have a sweet little intimate party with some close friends. Not everyone has seen our new home and I'm really ready to show it off. My birthday is coming up and Mr. Army Man decided he should give me a birthday party, but little did we know he would be leaving soon for pre-deployment training schools (NTC). We started inviting people for September 3rd, thinking he was going to be back for it but of course he leaves the day before.

I love being an Army wife, but sometimes it just stinks. Especially being away from the man you love for long periods of time.

My mom will be in town that weekend I want to throw the party, and I still want her to meet all my NC friends. So.. We may have a small shin dig anyways. Here's what I was planning..

Menu:

1. BBQ wieners

2. Corn dip with homemade spicy saltine crackers

3. Veggie tray

4. Cheese ball with wheat thins

5. Sausage balls

6. Grapes marinated in brandy rolled in sugar on a toothpick with cubed cheddar cheese

7. Chocolate covered pretzels with sprinkles

 8. And of course birthday cake!!


As for presents.. That's a whole different story!;)

Saturday, August 6, 2011

Our new home!

We moved into our new home a little over a month ago. And we've already painted three of the rooms to make it feel more like "our" house. The previous owners had great style but it wasn't really our own. We painted the living room a red called "cranberry zing," the dining room, "furry otters tail" and the half bath, "safari green." I'm loving that we're adding our on little touches to the house. BUT I'm so sick of painting.

Our cute little house
So far we have completed the master bath and the guest bath. I know, I know that's not a lot. But we are newly weds and haven't acquired as much furniture and "things," as say a couple who have been married for five years. Mr. Army Man just moved out of the barracks and really all we started off with was a futon (which we've upgraded to a leather sofa).  It all takes time and it will all get decorated and furnished eventually. Here's some more pictures of our first home.

Shower curtain hooks in master bath
Master bath
Master again
Upstairs guest bath
Guest bath again
I hope you like what we've done with the place.

Friday, August 5, 2011

Long, Leisurely Weekend

My Army Man has been off work since Wednesday (thank God). We needed it so much to get lots of house projects finished. So far we have:
1. Painted our dining room
2. Hung up my cross wall


3. Took a 2 mile jog yesterday (I'm dying on the inside, not having jogged since May)
4. Took a long walk today with our two dogs
5. The hubby did all our yard work


6. Painted some really cute canvas' for fun

Tomorrow we will paint our small half bath and have some friends over for game night. I can't wait to play "The Game of Life!"


I'm absolutely loving this long, leisurely weekend. But all good things in life eventually come to an end!

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Fall Must-Haves

I'm so ready for birthday shopping with my precious mom. I've been looking at this fall's must-haves and I am impressed. Everything is so chic for this fall and winter. Here's what I see are most important to have this season.

1. White button down

2. Army green nail polish

3. Smaller bags

4. Brown or tan flat knee boots

5. Blue and white stripes

6. Chunky sweaters

7. Leather leggings

8. Nude heels

9. Red dresses

10. White or tan trench

11. Lace


Do you like any of these new style trends? Are you thinking about getting any of these? I love these chic new styles, do you?

Monday, August 1, 2011

Fall


I'm so ready for fall! There are so many things to look foward too: cooler weather, football, dove season, cute clothes, pumpkins, biking, fall foliage, and Thanksgiving.

Let's go Devils!

Yum!
Do you carve or paint your pumpkins for Halloween?
Cute fall outfits!
I don't know about you but I'm extremely ready for fall and all that it has to offer. Anything is better than this 105 degree heat! Stay safe in this weather and drink lots of water!