best cornbread ever..

I made this recipe this week (the full recipe). It made about 48 muffins. I halved the recipe for y'all but you can certainly double it easily. The dry measurements should be weighed not "measured." This is standard for anything because the volume is not equal to the weight. DUH! So measure all "dry" aka non-liquid ingredients.

Anyway, I made so many muffins I was handing them out to the neighbors. Here you go Hash just for you!
Jalapeno corn muffins:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

You'll need:
6 oz. all purpose flour
6 oz. corn meal
1.5 oz. sugar
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
12 oz. buttermilk
3 eggs
4 fl. oz. oil
3 oz. corn kernels
3 oz. cheddar cheese
2 oz. jalapeno pepper

*The highlighted items I normally add to my liking.

Sift all dry ingredients into a bowl. Add all wet to another bowl. Combine wet into dry. Don't over mix. Place into muffin lined muffin tins. Bake 20-25 minutes or until brown and a toothpick is clean if stuck in the middle.



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Fill in the Blank Friday

1. My favorite place I've ever traveled to is New York. Italy is somewhere I'd love to go someday.
2. I pass the time on a plane(or bus, or car ride, or train) by reading, sleeping, eating, or playing games.  
3. My three must-haves when I travel are snacks, comfortable/cute clothes, & money. Hah!
4. My favorite travel companion is my mom or hubby. Love to travel with them both.
5. The craziest thing that ever happened to me while traveling is 1.) going through the mountains where there is no gas stations and running out of gas! 2.) Having a panic attack on a cruise around Manhattan and never leaving the dock. 3.) Passing out on a train in Denver & waking up in some strange woman's arms with a huge bruise on my chest. (more on these stories later..)
  
6. The most exotic food I've ever tried while traveling is rocky mountain oysters, alligator, shark, and bear.

7. If I could live anywhere else, I'd live wherever my hubby is.. "Home is where the Army sends me.."
 
8. I've been to different 14 states in the U.S.

 Happy Friday!

Precious Girl

This precious girl is my niece from my hubby's side. But I've claimed her as mine from day one (before the hub's and I were together.) She was born on my mom's birthday and is a crazy little sticker. My mom has called her "stinky" forever. Her mom is probably going to kill me, for her blog name. But it's definitely Stinky.

Stinky has strep. She stayed home with her Nanny (not Mr. Army Man's mom) today instead of going to pre-school. She got to keep A-man's iPod home to help cope. ;) A-man was not thrilled according to my SIL. But he got a movie after school, no worries! On my way to school, Stinky got ahold of the iPod touch and face timed me 7 times! She is a mess! She told me she didn't feel better when clearly you could tell she did! Hah! And all she wanted to do was talk to her Umpa _____! Of course she calls me but wants to talk to him! Lord, help me!

I love this amazing little girl and my whole family. Isn't family the best!

French Onion Soup

A good friend requested this recipe for her husband, one of his favorites. I made this is culinary school and for my mom over Christmas break. She loved this recipe, but my brother, Farmer Boo said it tasted like soup with slimy worms (the onions) in it. Hope your try it out and your take is better than his on this amazing recipe.

You'll need:
2 oz. clarified butter
2 lbs. yellow onions
4 oz. dry red wine
1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves
48 oz. brown stock
salt and pepper, to taste
8- 1/2 in. french bread slices
Gruyere cheese, grated

Place a 3/4 quarts pot over medium heat. Add butter, melt. Caramelize onions until brown. It will take about 45 minutes. Don't burn. Add wine and thyme and reduce by half.

Add stock, simmer, season. Simmer 25-30 minutes. Taste. Adjust seasoning. Ladle into oven safe bowls (ramekins are good for this) place two slices of bread on top. Add desired amount of cheese. Place on sheet pan. Broil until bubbly. Enjoy!!

Scallop & Corn Chowder

I just made this for Mr. Army Man he is feeling somewhat under the weather..

You'll need:
1/2 med. white onion
1 stalk of celery (optional)
2 potatoes
1 can creamed corn
2 bags of baby scallops (they come in frozen section & are in tiny packages.. sold for like 99 cents a pack)
1 cup of milk
1 cup of chicken stock
1 T. paprika
salt & pepper
garlic powder
1 T. butter
1 T. flour
Cut up all veggies.. Dethaw scallops beforehand. Add butter to a large soup pot. Melt and add onion, celery and potatoes in a small dice. Sprinkle with flour. Cook until soften. Add chicken stock. Add seasoning. Add scallops. (wash & drain). At the end add the milk. (can use heavy cream, but I use soy milk.)

*I cut my celery up into a small dice and put them in tuperware or a plastic baggy and freeze. Just remove and throw into pot. I do this because I never use a full bag of celery and there is no point in wasting. Also do this with green onions.

Book Club Friday

This is my first time to link up with Heather @ Blonde.. Undercover Blonde for her Book Club Friday.

I've got three books to share.

1. The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks

It was about a Marine who found a lucky picture while stationed in Iraq for one of his many tours. He began on this long journey to North Carolina to to find the woman in the picture and to find the true meaning of being "the lucky one."

This book is being made into a movie and will be out in theaters on April 20th, starring Zac Efron.

2. 365 Deployment Days: A Wife's Survival Story by Sara Dawalt

This book regardless of if you are military of not is a must read! It is a wife's tale of the year she experience while her husband was away. This book is raw and rare for someone to truly express how they fill. It teaches you how most military wife's feel, me included. It shows us her sorrow, joy, and everything in between. It taught me the right and wrong way to deal with things and that at the end of this journey everything will be okay.

3. Faith Deployed: Daily Encouragement for Military Wives by Jocelyn Green

This book gives you tips and Bible verses of things to help you stay/be encouraged while deployed. It gives you tips on things you can do to get through it with Christ. Over all a great book that has helped me tremendously and that I will reread while my husband is away.

I hope you all check these books out. Regardless of if you are military or not. It helps to see things from there perspective instead of just saying to that person "you are stronger than I'll ever be.. or how do you do that.." Some of the things I've heard too often to count. Happy Friday y'all!

My New Car

Everyone was so shocked when I got my new car on Tuesday, but nobody knew that we've been looking for about four months for that perfect car to come along. We've been looking at Volvo's, Hyundai's, and pretty much anything that gets good gas mileage. I found a great deal on a midnight blue 2011 Hyundai Sonata and I am completely smitten. Just look at this little baby!

Isn't it gawgeous? And it came with all the amenities! Blue tooth calling, satellite radio, roughly 35 mpg highway, the seats pump up (for the vertically challenged/ME!) and the steering wheel goes in and out (instead of just up & down)... Need I say more. The dealership we bought it at also gave us 10% off for being a military family. Go Army! And they also have a policy for military where as long as you own the car, you have free interior/exterior cleaning for your car as well as free oil changes. Did you just say free oil changes?? yea.. That was my response! As many miles as I put on my car, this will come in handy often. I'm so happy I got a new car. Let's just say someone is a lucky man for getting me this little baby. ;)