Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

In true fall fashion I bring you a new recipe that Kyra and I tried. These turned out delicious, I made a huge batch and they were devoured in a matter of days!!

Not my own recipe,but I only share recipes with you that are worth trying!!! Also on a side note....I don't have it planned yet, but would you all be interested in 25 days of Christmas again this year like I did two years ago? Lots of crafts, recipes, trips, etc? I only wanna do this if it would be interesting to everyone and would get views!

These were delicious, give them a try maybe as a dessert for Thanksgiving!! 

Yonana's Review

So as many of you know with this pregnancy I have had a sensitivity to dairy products. Luckily it seems to finally be getting better!! But all I wanted was what I couldn't have!! And ice cream was the number 1 thing!! Soy Ice Cream was just not cutting it and Sorbet didn't have the same texture!! But I was online watching YouTube Videos when one girl I am subscribed to did a review about her Yonana's Machine. You can see that video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnyzBJVWg2M&list=PL5A6K4T29SbXpgJakFt3UcpcR9Mc7LqRy 

 I looked it up and was so excited, Ice Cream made with no Dairy at all but with the texture and flavor of ice cream. It only took me a couple days to decide I was gonna buy one. It took about a week and a half to get here, Yay for living over seas haha. And than we had to buy bananas and wait for them to get ripe. Than had to freeze them. So it took us a little while before we got to use it the first time!!

It is super easy the main ingredient you need is Bananas (however you can make it without bananas it just wont have the creamy texture just more of a sherbert feel) and than frozen fruit of you choice. You can buy them fresh and freeze them or we just buy the already frozen kind.

Once you have frozen your fruit, you need to than set them on the counter for about 15 mins you want them to be defrosted a little bit before you start to use them or you ice cream is gonna be very crispy which ours was the first time!!

After defrosting you simply stick the fruit in the hole at the top, and out the bottom comes the yumminess!! Than you just simply mix it all up until its well blended and creamy!! And add toppings if you choose, I think like pineapple chunks would have been awesome too!!

Note that I had not mixed it up yet so you can see where the banana flavor and raspberry are separately...

Obviously since I am doing this review in a positive matter I was pretty darn pleased with this machine. Cleaning takes a whole like 3 mins its very easy to clean if you use hot water and all the parts that actually touch food are all machine washable too of course!!

I give this puppy an A+ its worth buying!!!

Recipe: Tortellini Soup!

This recipe was something that was just being spread around Facebook, but looked so delicious. After I looked into it and saw that the recipe was SUPER simple I grabbed the ingredients and got it a cooking. And let me tell you, one of the best soups I have EVER had!!

Ingredients:

1 bag of frozen tortellini

 1 small bag of fresh spinach 

1 can of Italian style diced tomatoes 

1 box or 4 cups or chicken broth 

1 block of cream cheese 

1 lb. of roll sausage

 Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

Brown the sausage and put all ingredients in crock-pot, chunking up the cream cheese. Cook on low for 5-6 hrs.

 

Project 52: Kitchen

So we may not be completely in the kitchen in this picture, but I thought it was so cute how much effort she was putting into frosting her cookie just like a little chef!!

For complete list of all pictures from my Project 52 follow this link to Resolutions which has links to all of my project 52 blogs.

Project 52: Candy

Okay I know this isn't candy. But it doesn't make me think of Germany every time I see them, and they are sweets of a sort!! However they are nicer to look at than to eat they kind of taste like cardboard.

These decadent chocolates are full of marshmallow-y fluff and should be shared with someone as they are very rich...They come in tons of different flavors and are always a treat!

For complete list of all pictures from my Project 52 follow this link to Resolutions which has links to all of my project 52 blogs.

Turkey Sweet Potatoe Shepards pie

This recipe is originally a Rachel Ray recipe. But since I am too lazy to write it word for word it is kinda dumbed down by me. Her version served 4-6 people mine serves about 3.

Need:

1 lb or ground turkey
1-2 sweet potatoes
1/2 onion diced
1 bell pepper (red)
1-2 sweet peppers diced
2 pieces of garlic
1 small can of tomato paste
Shredded chedder
small sour cream
little milk
salt, pepper, paprika, cumin, nutmeg and chili powder to taste

Instructions:

1. Start out by peeling and cubing the sweet potatoes, and put them in a pot cover them with water and boil 10-15 mins until soft.

2. While potatoes boil brown turkey, about half way through add the onions. Season with salt, pepper, paprika, cumin, and chili powder. Once turkey is cooked add the peppers, garlic and tomato paste and let good for another 5-10 mins taste and season as needed. I needed more salt.

3. Once Potatoes are soft drain and mash with a small container of sour cream, nutmeg, salt, pepper, and as much milk as needed to make a creamy texture.

4. Pour the meat into a small baking dish, and cover with the mashed potatoes, add a layer of cheddar cheese and put in the oven at 450* and bake until golden!

5. Serve with a veggie and Devour!!!

Apple butter and pumpkin pancakes

So neither of these were huge undertakings so one shared blog of fall food goodness should subsisse!! The pumpkin pancakes were so easy probably cuz I did them lazy style by just adding pumpkin to the pancake batter only took a couple seconds!!! I was impressed I don't make pancakes after a few morning meltdowns I had given up. But these sounded so good i has to give it a go and they turned out THICK but not burnt so I'm making progress.

And Kyra loved them!

The apple butter,  just grabbed a simple recipe off of Pinterest and dove in. I have never made anything of this sort and although the pictures look like other apple butter pictures it seems odd to me. I guess cuz butter is like thick creamy and this isn't it really should just be simply called what it is, apple jam! Lol either way it tastes good! I refrigerated one and froze two, one I am gonna save for the holidays for Dustin to try!!

Apple butter however is a process to make.

Step 1: peel the apples. Why are peelers made so crappy? They are metal are hard to grip and don't do a good job has to be a simpler idea!! Maybe I just got a cheap one,  but it was all I could find at the px.

Step 2: Slice into quarters. This was like the easiest step for me!

Step 3: Cut out the core. Obviously if you have an apple slicer/ corer you are way ahead of the game and very smart my friend!

Step 4: Cube the rest of the apples, helps it cook faster. Than add 1/4 cup brown sugar, some cinnamon, some all-spice, and about 1/2 cup of water with the apples into the crock pot and let cook on low over night approximately 10 hours.

Step 5: Take a potato masher, and smash it down to mush land!!! Haha I guess you should proceed to cook it for a couple hours longer but I didn't....so mine is a bit more chunky than would be normal so mine is a mix between apple sauce and apple butter!  Also at this step you can stick it in the blender if you would like no chunks at all!!

Step 6: Can it, or in my case Tupperware it!! And store accordingly!! Or just eat it yummy!!

So my verdict on attempting them both for the first time???


AMAZING, MUST HAVE FALL TREATS, they will be made again next year!!

Apple picking: Bucket List

YAY!!! We checked another box on our list off. We headed over to the orchard today and picked apples. The girls just loved it and had fun running up and down the aisles with their treasures (ground apples) to show us!! And the weather was just perfect! Hope you enjoy :D

Beautiful day!

Clara running down the rows!

Kyra was so proud of the apple she found!!

Lilia and Kyra helping put the apples in the wheelbarrow

Lilia picking apples :D

Helping momma out!!

Running in the fall sunshine!

"Wow" she loved this trip!

Lilia helping Kyra up when she fell

Let's Race!!!

3 girls in a wheel barrow!

Just our size!

My cutie pie!!

They are just the cutest!

Yummy Pinterest finds!!!

So as one of my goals for the rest of the year was to try some new recipes...Well its only the 1st of July and I have already found 2 recipes that I wanted to put on my blog because they are THAT GOOD!  And really pretty healthy!! I didn't remember to take a picture of the first recipe as the girls and I were super excited to eat it!!

Chicken and Avocado Enchiladas in Creamy Avocado Sauce

Chicken and avocado enchiladas in a creamy and spicy avocado sauce.

Servings: makes 4 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 cup salsa verde
• 1/2 cup sour cream (or Greek yogurt)
• 2 avocados
• 1 jalapeno, coarsely chopped (remove seeds for less heat)
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 teaspoon cumin, toasted and ground
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 handful cilantro
• 1/2 lime, juice
• 4 cups cooked shredded chicken
• 2 avocados, diced
• 2 green onions, sliced
• 2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
• 2 cups monterey jack cheese, shredded
• 8 (7 inch) tortillas

Directions

1. Puree the chicken broth, salsa verde, sour cream, avocados, jalapeno, garlic, cumin, salt and pepper, cilantro and lime juice in a blender or food processor.
2. Mix the half of the sauce with the chicken, avocado, green onions and half of the cheese.
3. Coat the bottom of a large baking dish with some of the sauce, wrap the chicken and avocado mixture in the tortillas and place them in the dish.
4. Top the enchiladas with the remaining sauce and cheese and bake in a preheated 350F oven until the cheese has melted and the sides are bubbling, about 15-20 minutes.

 Found at www.closetcooking.com 

Comments: The amount of time it took to prep was longer than 10 mins, that is very inaccurate as it does involve a lot of cutting. But it was so worth it. I did a double recipe and put 1 whole Jalapeno, and one with the seeds out and it was like the perfect amount of spicy!! I made 8 for the 4 of us, and 2 kids. And we all only had one each, the avocado and chicken is very filling.

The other recipe was something I made for Kyra and I for dinner tonight. It was amazing, and very simple to make!! If you saw the pictures of both recipes you would laugh I guess I was feeling green, both are very green meals. I was also lucky that a good friend of mine brought me fresh lettuce from her garden!!!

Baked Chicken Stuffed with Pesto and Cheese (Updated Version)

Ingredients:
2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 T Basil Pesto with Lemon or your favorite commercial pesto
2 T low-fat sour cream
2 T grated mozzarella cheese
(I used heaping tablespoons of pesto, sour cream and cheese)
2 eggs, beaten (or if they're large eggs one will probably be enough)
3 T finely grated Parmesan cheese
3 T almond flour (or almond meal, but almond flour is better for this because it's more finely ground)
black pepper to taste

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375F/190C. Spray a small casserole dish with non-stick spray. Trim any visible fat from chicken breasts, then put them one at a time inside a heavy plastic bag and pound with meat mallet until the chicken is as thin as you can get it. Don't worry too much about the shape or whether there are some loose pieces, you can tuck them in when you roll up the chicken.

In a small bowl mix together the basil pesto, sour cream, and grated mozzarella. Use a rubber scraper to spread a thin layer of this mixture over each chicken breast, stopping about 1/2 inch from the edge of the chicken (so it doesn't run out so much as it cooks.) Roll up the chicken breasts and secure them with a couple of toothpicks. (I roll them so the finished piece is as thin as I can get it so they will cook quickly.)

Prepare two bowls, one with the beaten egg and the other with the grated Parmesan-almond flour mixture, seasoned with black pepper to taste. Dip each chicken breast roll first into the egg mixture and then into the Parmesan-almond flour mixture, patting it on so the chicken breast roll is well-coated with the mixture.

Put chicken breasts into the casserole dish and bake until the chicken is firm and lightly browned. (Start checking after about 25-30 minutes; total baking time will be 30-35 minutes.) Serve hot.

Comments: I made the pesto with the pesto packet from the seasoning section at the grocery store, mixed with sour cream and water until it was all mixed in and smooth! Than I added a handful of the cheese. It worked out well, and Im saving the left over sauce for a toasted turkey wrap later this week.

For my Wine Lovers

So to my dear friends and followers,




A friend of mine just the other day showed me this wonderful site where you can design a tee-shirt and make it as personalized as you like. Than if you are able to reach your goal of how many you would like to sell, you can get them printed for a really cheap price.

The cool part about it is not only do I get the shirt I made that is really cool. But I will also make a small portion of the profit!! Which would be so great since getting a job around here and being able to spend anytime with Kyra is really hard to do. It wouldn't be much unless I sell like 100's but my goal is at least 30 for now.

So if you want to be able to help me make a few cents, and get an awesome shirt out of it, just click the link below and press buy now. If I don't reach my goal all money will be refunded and the order will be cancelled....which would be sad to me. We have 2 weeks to reach this goal, I think we can do it!

http://teespring.com/winelove

I would love to do a blog of pictures from everyone who bought them wearing them!!! So buy one and you get a MAJOR shout out on my blog :D I love you all and hope that this being my first "business" attempt will be a good one!!

Sabrina

Last days of Family visit

     Ok I suppose I better get around to finishing off the blog series about my families visit!! I'm sure they would love to have it all in one place to look back on.

    Where we last left off was from a fun night in downtown Amsterdam. And I'll tell you it sure was a good time. But morning came fast and we back on the road. The longest trip of all (according to google maps) so we left early so we wouldn't be getting home too late. We booked it out of town and were at least 45 mins down the road before we stopped for breakfast. And it was only at a truck stop and we were back on the road.

     But somehow the trip seemed to be flying by and litterally before we knew it we were crossing the border back into Germany. And right back into snow, figures. But seeing as it was only about 11 and Koln was only about an hour down the road we decided since Shane had never seen the huge cathedral in Koln we were gonna stop and have lunch and take a look. I think we finally impressed him with this one as far as churches are concerned. It is definatly one of my favorite.

    After making our way around it, we headed into the shopping district just to realize that....it was Good Friday. And NOTHING was open, that is except Subway, so Dustin's hopes to have subway were granted.

    On the way back to the car we walked over the Rhine River across the bridge with the locks of love and my dad made sure to take pictures of all the cool original locks! And after this stop we still made it back to post in time to get the mail and settle back in at home before getting something for dinner.

    All worn out and glad to be back, we rolled into bed so we could get up the next morning and enjoy their last day in Germany!!

    We got up late and dillydallied around before heading downtown to do some last min shopping, and grab lunch. We went to the same little restaurant Dustin and I first went to when we moved here and got some pretty good pizza, and pasta for Kyra. After a big lunch Kyra passed out in the car, we took the opportunity to go for a drive up to the Russian Cathedral as it was the last thing to see in Weisbaden and they couldn't leave without having at least done all the tourist things here in town.

    To celebrate their last night we looked up a nice German restaurant that none of us had ever been to and found our way there...after getting a bit lost, and having a nice conversation in all German to get directions. The food was really good, and the environment was so friendly, Dustin still says Brauhaus is better, but I will certainly suggest eating there when people wanna get dinner!! It was called Zum Hirsch.

All and all I would like to say a big thank you to both my dad and brother for the great 2 weeks of fun. It was so great seeing parts of Europe none of us had ever seen together. And we will have so many memories that can never be replaced. Maybe you can come back and visit again before we leave and we can see the UK or go south to Italy!! We will miss you around here.