29 May 2012

Pinwheel deliciousness

  I don't know if you have a Costco in your area, (I sure hope you do) but they make the most fantastic pinwheel sandwiches I have ever had. Tonight when the usual, "whats for dinner tonight" question came up, (you know, the one I hate more than stubbing my toe, having a bad hair day, or it raining the day after I get my car washed) I had this thought! YUM pinwheels! It was HOT in San Diego today and I was not about to turn the oven on, so I made a quick stop at Vons, and Pinwheels were made. Here is what you will need:


BURRITO sized tortillas
Deli meat of your choice (we are strictly turkey in this family, Jake shivers at the thought of Ham)
Lettuce
Tomato
Cheese of your choice (I used pepper jack, we like it spicy!)
Salsa
Chive and onion cream cheese


1) Lay out your tortilla and spread with cream cheese and a spoonful or 2 of salsa



2) Layer with thin slices of your meat, and then top with your cheese, be sure to leave a border so it doesn't spill out when you get your roll on!
  

3) Top with a layer of lettuce, then a few thin slices of tomato

4) Time to get your roll on! Roll over, squeezing tightly as you go, like so,

5) Wrap in cellophane, place seam side down on a tray, and refrigerate for at least an hour, but up to 24 hours, the longer the better!

6) Slice the ends off, cut em up, and enjoy!!





p.s. Part 2 of Hatfields and McCoys was AWESOME! I loved every minute.





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This weeks history lesson...

  So Jake is a HUGE history buff, he actually knows way more than I even thought he did, and the more we talk about it the more I find out about the brains he has been hiding upstairs. (wink wink). There is this new show on History Channel called Hatfields and McCoys, and it is AWESOME! I was on the edge of my seat the entire second half of the show, and of course they ended it on a cliff hanger.


this is an original picture of the actual McCoys right after the civil war. Okay, I know i'm losing you...pretty much its about the 2 families feuding (some say it started because the Hatfields stole  one of the McCoys pigs, I would be mad too! Have you TASTED bacon?!) but it's a TOTAL 19th century Romeo and Juliet story, and I am a SUCKER for any romance! The McCoys are classy as heck in their fighting, and the Hatfields are a little more bad-ass, but the show does such a good job of not getting you on one side or the other, after you think you like the McCoys more, the Hatfields do something to suck you right in! Part 2 of the 3 part series airs tonight and I HIGHLY recommend that you watch it, its got action, romance, comedy, I just love it!

This is the cast:


 isn't his wife GORGEOUS?? Total girl crush on that hot 1800 fashion.




(aka Romeo)

(aka Juliet)

I'm just telling you, watch it! 

In other news, how AWESOME are these jugs?!





 I completely freaked out when Jake brought them home. He bought them at the liquor store by our house (actually he just brought 1 home, he's not some alcoholic!) Here is the BEST part...they were 2.99!!!!!!!!! Yes I said it, 3 measly dollars for this awesome piece of home decor. A simple rinse out and these will look so cool in our new home! I love when you find something fabulous that is an awesome price, that will add a vintage looking element to your home. I am all about them! We haven't even packed them away yet because I can't stop gazing at their adorable-ness. Yes adorable-ness is a word, in my vocabulary at least. I also purchased these trunks today,



how dang cute are these?! Another awesome piece to add to my future Arkansas home! I bought them from my friend Rocky and Amy at Vin.Tique. They make the most awesome custom furniture/home decor, and I go to them for ANY custom project. Check em out here. You won't regret it! Thats all for now, my show is starting!







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Strawberry Peach Cobbler

  Happy memorial day to all! Today was spent remembering the many sacrifices made for our freedom. A simple thank you doesn't suffice, but I am eternally grateful for those men and women who have put their lives on the line, and those who have lost theirs so we could continue to be the land of the free. I am so proud to be an American!

  I have a FANTASTIC recipe to share with you tonight, that I originally read about here. Its a FANTASTIC cobbler that only calls for THREE INGREDIENTS! Hey thats MY kind of recipe! All you need is frozen fruit, diet sprite, and white cake mix. (I added some granola which added an awesome texture)

Ingredients:

1.Frozen fruit (I used strawberries and peaches MM!)
2. Sprite zero (12 oz which is 1.5 cups)
3.White Cake mix
4.  Granola (I used french vanilla almond flavor, and it was perfect!)

Pre-heat your oven to 350

Throw one layer of fruit down in your pan


and then your next layer of fruit

(is it just me or does the strawberry on the bottom left totally look like it has a smiley face!)

top with your bag of white cake mix


pour your soda SLOWLY over your fruit/cake mixture, its going to bubble up a lot, so be slow about it! It will look like this:

 

run your finger through the cakey-sodaey foam and taste it...HEAVEN!!

toss some granola on top...



bake for 1 hour and enjoy the way your house smells.

This is what it will look like fresh out of the oven:


and this is what it looks like in my bowl with a nice scoop of chocolate ice cream,


I do not like vanilla one little bit, but I guess that would do just as well :)


I promise you, make this cobbler, and you WON'T regret it! DELISHHH!

-Kylie


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28 May 2012

So how was your weekend?

  Weekends lately have not really been weekends at all. After working all week, nothing is better than kickin back with a beer, sittin by the pool, watchin the game, and so on. Right? Wrong. When your moving across the country, and your a type A, OCD, control freak like I am, your weekends are spent making lists, tackling projects, and organizing every square inch of your home for the move. This weekend was special though, I did spend lots of time organizing, but I spent Saturday catching up with family, and drinking lemonade. It was the life! It's really starting to sink in that we're moving so soon. I mean its almost June 1st here, which means exactly 2 weeks till D-day, and I am really starting to realize that I am going to miss San Diego SO MUCH. I'll touch more on that later. For now, here is a play by play of my glorious half work/half play weekend.

I am now the PROUD owner of this sexy little piece of machinery. Just looking at him (yes my Keurig is a him) makes me weak in the knees.


I drank lots of lemonade on Saturday. My Aunt has a giant lemon tree in her back yard, and she whipped up pitchers of this fantastic elixir. Looking at this picture makes the back of my mouth tense up though, mmm sour!



I ate tacos. Not a whole lot tastes better than some good old fashion ground beef tacos.


That was the fun part of my weekend, Saturday. Sunday was spent going through my home with a fine tooth comb, making sure everything was ready for the movers that will be here in a short 18 days. Don't make fun of me, I beg of you, but this is what under my kitchen sink looked like as of this morning,

Clutter galore, no organization, no rhyme or reason for anything. Just one gigantor mess. Yuck.

but........(cue angelic chorus)


This is what my lovely under-the-kitchen-sink area looks like now. OHHHH what a little organization will do for your sanity. I also cleaned out Jakes closet, under our bed, and pretty much every other area in my house that needed a little sprucin'. I feel at peace this Sunday evening knowing everything is in its home :) However, after all that purgin and cleaning this is what I found:


Can you explain to me how 2 NON-SMOKERS accumulate so many lighters and matches?! Holy smokes (no pun intended), I just kept finding them! If any of you have a favorite lighter you've lost, there is a good chance it somehow ended up in our junk drawer, give me a call and i'll be happy to return it to its rightful owner. he he he..

 In other current events I am also now the PROUD owner of....


and I'm working on a new header, as well as some Absolutely Arkansas graphics, that I should have up before the end of the week! (In hopes that my not-so-tech-savvy self can figure it all out).

  Did you guys all have a great weekend? What are your memorial day plans? I'll be at work...POO!

Until next time,

Kylie

p.s. don't forget to check out the poll on the right hand side, your answers will help me decide which room to tackle first in the new house!




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26 May 2012

Chicken noodle soup.

  First I want to say, yippee! My sweet little corner of the internet is now a week old. I am overwhelmed by how sweet and wonderful you all have been about my cute little blog, and I can't believe in the very first week we reached 1000 views! How awesome!! This is the first thing I have felt so truly proud of in quite some time, so it means the world to me when you all say nice things on facebook, on comments, and when you subscribe. It really means so much, so thank you! And here is to hopeful blog success in the future!

  Tonight I want to share with you one of my FAVORITE fall recipes, in May. We rarely get blustery cool days in San Diego, and we certainly don't get them in MAY, and since fall is my absolute favorite season, I was in 7th heaven with the wind and slight sprinkle. (don't make fun of me rest of the United States, "weather" is not something we're accustomed to here in SD, so i'm enjoying it while I can!)


Phew, I almost broke out the flannel pajamas on the "brisk" Friday night, (keep the eye rolls to yourselves!)

  Anyways, I know everyone and their Mom has a recipe for Chicken Noodle Soup (mmm mm good) but here is my take on it,

 You will need:

                           (ignore the greek yogurt, that is for the tuna sandwich I had to make Jake because, "Soup is not a meal, I need some meat here, Woman!"...Okay he didn't say it quite like that, but you get the idea)

4 medium carrots
1 large potato
4 cloves garlic
1 medium onion
2 quarts chicken stock
2 chicken breasts
fresh tarragon
salt and peppa
cayenne
garlic powder
basil
italian seasoning (basically just dried thyme and oregano)
3 bay leaves
egg noodles
caned green chiles
and a loaf of yummy crusty bread

 1. First and foremost, get your water boilin' and toss your chicken breasts in. I do mine from frozen, so it takes about 45 minutes, if thawed just do it until they are cooked through!

 Shred like so, and set aside


2. Next chop your onion, and THREE cloves garlic very fine, and saute in butter until translucent, or just slightly tannish. (you could use EVOO, I typically do, but I don't count calories on weekends and the butter adds such a delicious richness to the soup)

It should look like this:
 

3. Now add your chiles to the onion mixture, take off the heat, and set aside
 
4. Chop up your potato and carrot, (yes I know chicken noodle usually has celery, feel free to add that as well, I just think celery is DISGUSTING, so I leave it out)

5. Add your veggies, onion mixture, shredded chicken, chicken stock, and spices to a large stock pot and bring to a boil

**I know I didn't put measurements for the spices, that is mostly cause I just throw a dash of this and a dash of that in, do it till it tastes good to you. However, be careful with SALT! You can always put more in, you can't take it out!!

6. Once your soup is at a boil, lower the heat and bring down to a simmer, simmer as long as you can stand it without drooling, (I typically last about 30 minutes)

Your soup will look like this:








  7. As your soup simmers, boil a bag of egg noodles in another pan, until JUST al-dente, as they will continue to cook when you add them to the soup.

8. Toast up a french baguette, and rub with a piece of garlic:



9. Dump your noodles into your soup, simmer another 3-5 minutes and top with some fresh tarragon leaves, MMMMMMM, dinner on a cold night!




10. Pour yourself a glass of your favorite white, (cupcake chardonnay HOLY YUM!) fill up a bowl, and dunk your bread in to soak up the yummy broth.




I hope you enjoy this as much as I did, now time to curl up and watch a movie while I listen to the wind blow.

mmmmmmm mmm goood.


-Kylie

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