potted pork chops (and modified cookies)

I ran across a sale at the grocery store a while back for pork chops. I forget how much they were, but it was something ridiculous, so I loaded up. We had a freezer full of pork chops. I did everything I could think of with them. I baked them with 2881 different seasonings and fried them up for breakfast, and then I ran out of ideas, and still had half a freezer full of pork chops.

So I went to one of my favoritestest sites for recipes, Pioneer Woman's Tasty Kitchen. If you've never been, go now! You won't be disappointed.

Anyway, while browsing recipes and drooling on my keyboard, I found a recipe for potted pork chops. It looked like a big girl recipe (aka, it had peppers and onions), but I was feeling kinda rebellious, so I tried her out.

And I wasn't disappointed! Of course, I picked out the peppers and onions because I'm a wussie, but the porkchops were muy tasty and incredibly juicy. This one has been a keeper in my kitchen for a while now. It's easy to make, and the ingredients are simple, a necessity for me! Plus, it makes it look like you worked way harder than you actually did, so you can fix it when company comes to make yourself feel cool.

Or at least that's what I do.
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Here's the recipe from Pam (I've modified it just a tad):

Pork Chops ( I usually use 5 or 6)
1 yellow onion
1 red bell pepper
1 orange bell pepper (optional)
1 can beef broth
1 clove garlic
salt, pepper, olive oil

Preheatcha oven to 350 degrees. Begin by seasoning the chops with salt and pepper and browning each side in a dutch oven with olive oil (if you've got a dutch oven, or a skillet if you don't). I use a skillet to brown the pork chops and covered baking dish to bake them.

Remove the pork chops when both sides are browned. In the same skillet, add the diced onion, pepper, and garlic and saute them a bit. I usually add a little more olive oil.

Remove the peppers, onions, and garlic from the skillet.  Now, in the empty skillet, add a can of beef broth and simmer it. Use a whisk to scrape all the yummy flavor from around the skillet. Let the broth simmer for 2-3 minutes. Then, place your pork chops and onion/pepper mixture in a baking dish. Pour the beef broth over top of your chops.

Pop this baby into the oven for 20-30 minutes or so, and you're done! No after picture, though. Cooking times and temps could vary, so make sure you check your chops to see if they're done before you eat them.

Also, in other food-related happenings, Monday night I made my granny's holiday party cookies (aka chocolate chip cookies).

Ben and I ate 7 1/2 cookies in about 5 minutes. I'm not even kidding you. I don't know what happened, but these were, by far, the best cookies I've ever made. I've been seeing cookie recipes using instant jello pudding all over pinterest, so I decided to add a little to my granny's recipe. Friends, magical things happened. We ate on these things all week. The flavor was out of this world, and these babies stayed so soft and chewy.

So here is my slightly modified holiday party cookie recipe, again:

1 cup shortening (Crisco)
2 eggs
2-3 tbsp vanilla
1/2 cup white sugar
1cup brown sugar
2 1/4 cups flour
3/4 packet of instant vanilla Jello pudding (oowder)
chocolate chips (the more the merrier)

Preheatcha oven to 350 degrees. Combine shortening, eggs, vanilla, and sugars in a bowl. Mix well. Slowly add flour and instant pudding, mixing as you go. Add in your chocolate chips. Drop spoonfuls of cookie dough onto a greased cookie sheet or baking stone and bake them until they're light golden brown, maybe 10-15 minutes or so? I always just keep an eye on them.

They're good, y'all.

Have a blessed and 'fallish' weekend!

thankful thursday: work and family

It has been a week.

PB has been cutting more teeth which means he feels bad, doesn't sleep well, and is generally more fussy.

Ben has a man cold. Not just a regular cold, but a man cold. Has your husband or significant other ever dealt with a man cold? In case you're not familiar with it, a man cold is about 157x worse than a woman cold or a child cold or any cold for that matter. It's a debilitating illness, really. The slightest sneeze, cough, or body ache will send the man to the couch for an untold number of days. He will complain more than anybody you've ever heard, and he will require more attention than a newborn baby. So, yea, Ben's got one of those.

And, on top of that, my pets' heads are falling off! (Not really, but name that movie!)

I feel stretched very thin, to say the least.

I struggle during weeks like these. Growing up, I always wanted to be a career woman. I knew I wanted to have kids, but I never even thought about the implications of having a career and having kids. I would simply send my kids to daycare and wouldn't think twice about it. Or so I thought.

And then I actually had a baby. And now, I do think twice about it. I think about it every day. I wonder what he's doing at daycare. Is he having fun? Does he wonder where I am? Does he miss me? And then I think about all that I'm missing out on while he's there. I'll run an errand during lunch and I'll see a young mom out and about with her young babies, and I want to cry. I feel like I'm robbing my son of precious time with me. That mom is spending time with her babies, and I'm spending time at work. It breaks my heart.

I never, in a million years, would have imagined just how much I am struggling with sending my baby to daycare. And its weeks like these that make my struggle even harder. I come home and get to spend about 4 hours with him in the evenings. I walk through the door, and I'm off. I rush around trying to make sure I play with him as much as I can, while trying to put food on the table, and get us all ready for bed (and take care of the puny) only to wake up and do it all over again. I find myself yearning for the weekends so I can have time with my family.

This has been one of the hardest, biggest adjustments for me as a new mom. I spent so much time and effort to get my career. I do enjoy working and helping provide for my family. But, I miss my son. I miss the time that I'm missing out on. Don't get me wrong, we have him in a terrific daycare. I am so very pleased with them and I know, as he's a little older and can actually play with other kids, it will be wonderful for him. I'm just sad to leave him there now. For pete's sake, WHERE IS THE BALANCE, MAN?

I know that, if this is the only thing I've got to complain about, then I am blessed beyond belief. I really do realize that. The fact that I'm complaining about finding a balance between work and family means that I'm blessed to have both.  But I guess I'm just struggling with trying to find that balance. I thought for sure I would have found it by now. And I thought for sure that it would get easier every day. And some days, it is easy. But other days, when I break down in Target after seeing a mom and her baby boy together while I'm on a lunch break, and I want to lay down in the aisle and throw a kicking, screaming fit, it's hard. I'm mature like that. How do you working moms do it? How do you stay-at-home-moms do it? Can't we all just go back to Mayberry for crying out loud!?!?!

So today is Thursday, and I am thankful. I'm thankful for an incredible job. And I'm even more thankful for a super duper awesomely incredible family. And, I'm praying to find a balance for both.

No matter what, though, I rest in the fact that God does always provide.

working hard to fix the weedeater. i love that kiddo.

What a beautiful fall day today! It's a great day to be alive :)

Have a blessed Thursday!

100

Today marks 100 posts on my blog! That's kinda crazy. You mean I've actually written 100 semi-lengthy posts about random nothingness on the internet? Wow. I should get a life.

I hear its a customary blog thing to write 100 things about yourself on your 100th blog post. Well, I'm not going to do that. I don't even think I know 100 things about myself. So would you settle for 25? It's the number of the year, you know.

1. My favorite tv show of all time is The Golden Girls. Hands down. I have the entire DVD collection, except for Season 7 (hint, hint, mom). I told you I was a granny at heart.
2. I have a bachelor's degree in Administration of Justice, a master's degree in Communications/PR, and now, I'm finishing a K-6 teaching certificate. Perhaps someone is a little indecisive, no?
3. I played basketball, volleyball, softball, and ran track in high school. I could eat a whole large pizza by myself back then. Today, I have to unbutton my pants after 3 slices.
4. My favorite movies are Conair, Inside Man, and National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. I hate sad movies and usually refuse to watch them.
5. If I had money, I'd buy all my clothes from J. Crew. I don't, so I'm a Target kinda-gal.
6. I've had the same best friends since kindergarden. We grew up together, went to college together, and were in each others' weddings. 20 years later, they're still my favorite people.
7. I smell clothes before I buy them. I know, that's really weird.
8. I have a brother. He's 22. He's a terd.
9. I don't watch any modern tv shows, except for Criminal Minds and The Bachelor. Other than that, I'm a TV Land chick.
10. My nose holes wiggle when I laugh.
11. I'm petrified of needles.
12. I'm a freckle face.
13. I still count with my fingers.
14. I'm a hermit. I like to be at home in my 'play' clothes.
15. I write with my right hand, and do everything else with my left hand.
16. I'm already running out of things I know about myself.
17. I listen to old-school rap, country, and Christian music. What does that say about me?! I'm a 'gangsta', hillbilly, Jesus-lover? The many hats I wear......
18. I wore a size 8-8 1/2 shoe when I was in high school. Now, I can wear a 7. What can I say? If the shoe's on sale, wear it!
19. I love to fish. Give me a late summer evening, a creek bank, a fishing pole, and a pack of Big League Chew, and I'm in heaven.
20. I'm seriously running out of things I know about myself. Wow, I'm boring!
21. My all-time favorite game is hide and seek. Is it inappropriate for adults to play this? Monopoly is a close second.
22. I don't hold still for very long. I'm always either tapping my foot, biting my nails, or I'm up walking around. I get this from my dad. He doesn't sit still. Ever.
23. I'm a small-town girl. Like seriously small-town. And I love it. My graduating senior class in high school had around 60 kids.
24. I love plastic food. You know the stuff you play with when you're 25 little? Man I used to love to play restuarant with my Little Tykes kitchen.
25. I've been called alot of things in my life, but so far, 'mamamamamamama' is my favorite.

So, there's a little about the gal behind the blog. I want to thank each and every one of you who stop by and take the time to read this little ole' thing. Your kind words, advice, and encouragement mean so much to me.

You ROCK!

 Here's to 100 more :)

Have a blessed Wednesday!

i heart technology

This was my dear, sweet cell phone for the past couple of years:

She's been with me since before I was married. I've carried her many places, and proudly whipped her out in front of people with fancy iphones, droids, and blackberries.

See the broken screen? The chipped paint? In her last few days, she would sporadically turn off and on. And then she would make funny hissing noises. I didn't care. I saw past her outward beauty and malfunctions. We had a special bond, that ole' flip phone and me.

I'm sad to say that she croaked a few days ago. She now rests in my diaper bag. PB uses her to make very important phone calls to his lady friends.

A couple of days ago, I had to make the dreaded trip to the Verizon store. I walked in and went up to the counter. I told the salesman I was looking for a new cell phone.

"Great, come around here and let me show you what we've got on display. We've got some really nice touch screen..............."

"Sir, what I'm looking for will not be on your display. It's most likely in your storage room, collecting cobwebs and dust. You may not even have them in stock. You better hope they are. If they're not, I will melt into a puddle of tears right here in the floor and throw a kicking-screaming fit."

Or something like that.

An eternity later, I walked out with this tough guy:

I feel like such a bad-butt carrying this thing. Sometimes, when I'm in public and I answer my phone, I could almost promise you that I hear 'Bad to the Bone' playing in the background and I suddenly feel the need to wear a leather jacket and drive a Trans-Am.

She reminds me of another phone I used to know:

Ah, the Zack Morris phone. If only they still made these.

I'm working on some technical things with my blog this week. It's almost as easy to figure out as my new, rockin' phone.........

(Make sure to read that last sentence with a wee bit of sarcasm).

Have a blessed Tuesday!

granny's recipes (and 3 weeeeiners)

My (great) granny was a dear, sweet lady. She passed away when I was 5, but I'm lucky enough to still have a few vivid memories of her. One of the most clear memories I have of her was cooking with her in her kitchen (which is now my kitchen). I would walk out to her house and she would let me 'cook'. I would mix up a bunch of flour, mayonnaise, mustard, ketchup, eggs-whatever I could find-and then she'd let me bake it in her oven. When it was 'finished' I would try to feed my creation to my dog, to which she would take a sniff and walk away. Talk about a confidence booster!

My granny was an exceptional cook. I can remember eating some wonderful things from her kitchen, and now her talent lives on through her recipes. My mom has been making many of my granny's recipes for years and they're just doggone good. Broccoli casserole, granny's rolls, holiday party cookies, that's the stuff dreams are made of right there.

So you can imagine my sheer excitement when I stumbled on this:

That's my sweet granny's recipe box. I love how worn and stained it is. Oh, talk about finding a gold mine. I stole borrowed this from my mom this past weekend and had a field day looking through that old box. I started digging around in it and found some real gems.

Sybil's buttermilk rolls, coconut creme pie, 6 loaf bread, woop, woop! I love the simplicity of all of her recipes. No fancy ingredients. No recipes printed from a computer. No colorful, pretty pictures. Just simple, handwritten recipes on plain index cards, weathered from time, and stains from use in her kitchen. I was born in the wrong generation. I'm a granny at heart.

This one is for Mexican relish or, as I thought, Mexican 'rubbish'. Handwriting analysis is not my strong suit.

I love to imagine how she got these recipes. Like this one:

This one is for Dill Okra. It is written on the back of an envelope, addressed to my great granddad and postmarked 1975. Did a friend share this with her? Did she whip up some Dill Okra and grab the first piece of paper she saw and record as she went? I just love her old handwriting.

And check out this one:

This is for her Italian Cream Cheese Cake. This here is a special cake. I've yet to make it, but my mom whips this baby up for special occasions. It's the 'special occasion cake' around our parts. Look at the first ingredient. Oleo!

These sweet recipes are priceless to me. Is there anything better than good ole' fashioned food, made from old, weathered recipes? I think not.

In an effort to preserve these old, weathered recipes, I've started rewriting them. Most of the handwriting is faded, and in some parts, barely legible. It's my plan to cook some of them along the way and share them on the ole' bloggarooksy. There may or may not be some buttery, sugary goodness in the near future ;)
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In other notes, I'm going to be making some changes to the blog in the next couple of days, so please excuse my mess. I am beyond technologically challenged, and its very frustrating for me to try and make changes because I have no clue what I'm doing. So, you can expect a very slow process of change. Wamp, wamp.

And FINALLY, the weiners of the Randi Jasmine Photography giveaway!

I used www.randomizer.org to choose the winners:

1st place, receiving 10 edited photos of their choice: (comment # 9) TamsynRiley
2nd place, receiving 5 edited photos of their choice: (comment # 22) Jen B
3rd place, receiving 1 edited photo of their choice: (comment # 15) Adcole

Congrats, y'all! Please contact me at therookieyears{at}gmail{dot}com to claim your prizes! Thanks to all that entered! Be sure to check out Jasmine's blog. She offers an awesome photo-editing service at a great price!

Have a blessed Monday!

trendsetter

I always found it quite ironic that Google would place ads in the header of my inbox that were eerily related to me or my interests. When I was pregnant, there were all sorts of ads about pregnancy. Post-baby, there were ads about losing baby weight. Now, there are ads about food. And baby toys. And food.

"Free cookbook. Offer ends today"!

"50% off toys sale today!"

"Discount on bakeware for your cakes!"

Google, are you watching me?

Whatever, I thought. Though I rarely clicked on the ads, they could be helpful. They showed me ads for things I would find appealing and things that coincided with my interests or my place in life. Google shared sales and discounts with me and showed me new, marvelous things that I needed for my life. We were friends!

And then this showed up in the ad placement of my inbox header:

"Rider's by Lee. Relaxed fit jean."

Hmm. What is that?

This is Rider's by Lee relaxed fit jean in medium stone, my friends:

image via ridersbylee.com

Now I know I'm not a stylish gal.  And I know I'm always a day late and a dollar short when it comes to fashion trends. I also know I'm a mom now, and that I turned a quarter of a century old a couple of days ago.

But, really?

Realllllllly?

Google, do you really think I'm ready and worthy of Rider's by Lee relaxed fit casual jean in medium stone?

SNL's "MOM JEANS". Image via google.

This is my life now, folks.

Holla.

Have a blessed and mom-jean-free weekend!

hamburger steaks and gravy

I've got a special treat today! Man, I'm excited. Brandie, from The Country Cook, is here. As in she is actually writing on my blog today. I feel like I should go vacuum. Or make sure the commode is flushed. I discovered Brandie a while back on Tasty Kitchen. I bookmarked her Butter Crumble Apple Pie and it is my #1 go-to apple pie recipe. I love it. It's so simple to make and is just so stinkin' good. Brandie is taking over the reigns today and sharing a delicious recipe with y'all: hamburger steaks and gravy. Nothing screams comfort food like this dish. It's an easy, wallet-friendly dish to make that's filled with simple ingredients and packed full of flavor. In case you haven't noticed, these are the 'prerequisites', if you will, for food in my house. As a working wife and momma, I want my food easy, simple, tasty, and budget-friendly. It's my hope that the recipes you find here fit that bill :) Take it away, Brandie!

Hello everyone! First let me start off by saying a big THANK YOU to Brittany for letting me have some fun on her blog today. It is such a special treat to be here and to have a chance to share a recipe I hope y’all will really enjoy. 


Let me introduce myself…


My name is Brandie, the cook over at The Country Cook.  I live in beautiful Southwest Virginia near the Appalachian mountains. I’m a jack-of-all-trades, like most women. I’m a momma and a wife. I also work outside the home. I love to make comfort food and I like to eat it (who doesn’t?). I do my best to get supper on the table every night – which can be a challenge some nights. My food may not be considered gourmet or fancy but it feeds my family and it gathers us around the table each day. I cook a lot of the same foods my own Mom made and if my husband and son are real quiet while they eat– then I know I did good. And those are the recipes I share with everyone.


So, let’s get to the food, shall we? 


I’m sharing one of my favorite comfort meals.  I’m pretty sure half the meals on my blog have the words “..and gravy” attached to them. I can’t help myself. I’m a gravy loving girl. This next recipe is not only super tasty but affordable as well and should only take about 30 minutes to get on the table. I’m gonna get on with the recipe or I’ll start sounding like Rachel Ray here in a minute.

Hamburger Steaks and Gravy

Ingredients:

For the patties:

1 pound ground beef

1/3 cup crushed crackers (or bread crumbs)

1 egg

½ green pepper, diced

½ small yellow onion, diced

1 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce

1 tsp. salt

½ tsp. ground black pepper

For the gravy:

1 package Brown Gravy

1 can French Onion Soup (low sodium)

1 can Cream of Chicken soup (low sodium)

¼ cup water

Directions:

In a bowl, combine ingredients for patties. It’s best to just get in there with your hands to make sure it is combined together well.  Heat sauté pan (or cast iron skillet) on medium-high heat.

Begin forming hamburger steaks into an oval shape (this recipe makes 4).  If you aren’t using a nonstick skillet, you may want to spray pan with nonstick spray. Place patties onto preheated pan.  Brown both sides. You aren’t going to cook them all the way through. Cook about 3-4 minutes on each side.

Take browned patties out of pan and set aside.  Add all the gravy ingredients to the pan and whisk together well to remove most of the lumps.  It will take a minute or two of whisking.  Add patties back to pan. Cover and turn heat down to a lower setting. Let cook for another 10 minutes or so until no longer pink in the middle.

Enjoy!

Brandie

www.thecountrycook.net

I’m also on facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/thecountrycook

And twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/Country_Cook

Thank you so much, Brandie! I'm going to plop this baby in my recipe binder tonight. Make sure you check out Brandie's blog. She has an awesome collection of good ole' country recipes on her blog. And nothing beats good ole' country recipes to me! 

Make sure you enter the giveaway for edited personal photos by Randi Jasmine. Deadline to enter is Saturday at 11:59 p.m. By this time, I will have been in bed for approximately 5.73 hours. I'm hip like that.

blogging

As I am quickly approaching 100 blog posts, I took the time yesterday to pause and think about why I'm blogging, what my limits are, and where I want to go with it. It was a nice little break to reevaluate my priorities.

I actually started this blog in early 2010. One of my best friends, Whit, has the most awesome scrapbook you've ever seen in your entire life. She is so talented and crafty anyway, but when it comes to scrapbooking, she takes it to a whole new level. She has a scrapbook of her and her husband that goes back to when they first started dating. It is so sweet. I loved the idea of a scrapbook like that, but unfortunately, I am nowhere near that talented. I do like to write, though. Well, actually let me rephrase that: writing is fairly easy to me. Not that I'm a good writer, because I'm not, but I find it easy to put words on paper. So I thought blogging would be the next best thing to scrapbooking. I signed up on blogger, decorated my page a little, and wrote one post, the entire year.

Fast forward to late April 2011. I totally forgot about the blog and happened to stumble on it one day. I laughed at that first post. It was about adjusting to living with Ben. It brought back sweet memories of that first year together. It reminded me of things I had already forgotten.

I decided to give blogging another try, so I deleted that first post (wish I hadn't now) and started from scratch. And now here I am, almost 100 posts later.

I want to focus my direction, my priorities, and my limits.

So, here's why I'm blogging:

1. Record. This is my online scrapbook, if you will. I write about my life adjusting to marriage and parenthood. My goal, with every post, is to look back on it 10 years from now and laugh. Or learn. Or remember. And always smile.

2. Share. When I first discovered blogs a couple of years ago, I thought I hit the jackpot. I found blogs that shared recipes, DIY crafts, home improvement, devotionals, and lots of other goodies. They gave me tons of wonderful ideas. And then later, I found blogs about marriage and motherhood. And they talked about things that I was feeling and dealing with, and I realized that I wasn't alone. So I share what I like and I share what I feel. Maybe it will help someone. Maybe someone will help me. Maybe someone will learn from my mistakes. Maybe someone will tell me how to get rid of my deflated tummy.

3. Gain. As much as I like to share, gaining is one of the biggest perks of blogging. And I'm not talking about money, fame, or prestige, because I have none of those things. I'm talking about the comments you leave or the email you send or the links you provide. I wanted a recipe for canned tomato sauce and someone sent it. I wanted advice for cutting back on spending, and several people responded with a wealth of information. The encouragement, advice, and support is priceless, and I'm so very thankful for it.

4. Witness. I'm a child of God, first and foremost. And as a child of God, the most important responsibility I have is to lead others to Him. It seems I've often failed at this, but blogging is providing me with a unique platform to share His love, grace, and mercy. I never know who is going to stumble on this little ole' blog and who might need to hear about an awesome fella named Jesus.

5. Community. When I started blogging, I had no idea about the 'blogging community'. But this has been one of the biggest blessings and most awesome perks of blogging. The friendships I've made, the inspiration I've gained, and the people I've met have made this such a fun adventure. There are some pretty incredible people in this world, and I'm pretty fortunate to have met them through blogging.

And here are my limits for blogging:

1. Priorities. Blogging will never be a priority for me. It's something I like to do for fun, and the minute it becomes anything more than fun for me is the minute I'll quit.

2. Time. Again, blogging is something fun for me. Right now, it doesn't take up much time. I do it in my spare time, usually right before bed while Ben is showering or getting ready for bed, or I'll do it during lunch. The minute it starts to take cut in on family time, I'll stop and reevaluate.

3. Be myself. If my writing is being influenced by anything other than myself, it's time to hang up the keyboard.

And finally, where I want to go:

I started this blog as an online scrapbook, with stories about my life as a wife and as a momma. That is the basis for this blog, and I will always keep it that way. As I've continued to write, though, the ole' blog has evolved a little to include a couple of my favorite recipes and even a little craft stuff along the way. I started a Thifty Life series, too, to include- get this- stuff to make your life thrifty. I like food, food, saving money, food, cheap crafts, food, cheap stuff, and food. I like to write about these things. I don't know what this means. I'm an overeating cheapskate?

So, as I'm nearing 100 posts, I'm not really sure what direction I'm going. I'm going to keep writing about my life as a wife and mom, guts and all. And I know I'll sprinkle in some recipes, and some other things I enjoy along the way. What do you think? What would you like to see?

And finally, thank you for reading my little ole' blog. It's not much, but I want to thank you for taking the time to read, to comment, to email and to share your words of encouragement and inspiration. You have been such a blessing to this awkward girl. Y'all are legit!

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As a tiny, tiny, peewee-size thank you, I hope you'll enter my second giveaway, to win some of your own edited photos. Deadline is Saturday night at 11:59 p.m.

Have a blessed Wednesday :)

another geeeeevaway

Friday, we turned on the gas logs because it was cold, man! Saturday, I bought 984 pumpkins for my front porch. Sunday, I ate 4 bowls of taco soup. Today, I'm approaching 100 blog posts.

And I turned a quarter of a century old last week. EEK.

And PB is walking. Double EEK.

Let's celebrate!

Today, I'm partnering with an uber-talented photographer and photoshop whiz, Randi Jasmine for an awesome giveaway.

I'm giving away 16 edited photos of your choice, for a total value of $125.

Word to ya mother.

Here's the skinny:

The 1st place winner will receive 10 edited photos of their choice.
The 2nd place winner will receive 5 edited photos of their choice.
And the 3rd place winner will receive 1 edited photo of their choice.

What does this mean:

If you win, you'll submit 10 (or 5, or 1) of your favorite high resolution pictures to Jasmine (via email), tell her what you'd like to have changed/enhanced, and she'll transform them with her photoshop wizardry.

So, let's say you've got an engagement picture that you took 1 day after you got engaged. You were so excited that you were finally engaged (because you were near breakup after you strip-searched his car and found no engagement ring) that you grabbed your point and shoot pocket digital camera, propped a couple of towels on the sand, and set your auto timer. The end result was a less than flattering 'engagement' picture.

But, alas! You sent your picture to Jasmine and she made it look wayyyy nicer. So, now you have a beautiful engagement picture 3 1/2 years after the fact. You are left wondering how your teeth were ever that white, how in the bleepity bleep you ever fit into those skin tight pants that now double as arm warmers, and what the heck is wrong with your husband's hair.

Here's another example of my sweet PB eating his Easter eggs:

And another of my favorite boys:

And here's an example from Jasmine:

This is perfect if you've got a favorite digital picture that could use a little boost, and you don't have (or know how to use) photoshop. Or, its perfect if you don't have the funditos to have a professional photographer right now. You could run out in your yard, snap a picture of your honey, baby, fur kid, or the whole family, and then send it to Jasmine and have her whip it into shape! You could frame your new, fancy picture, or use it for Christmas cards or birthday invites. Whatever floats your boat, man, it's up to you!

So, here's the deal:

To enter, leave a comment and tell me what picture you'd enhance (or take to enhance) if you won.

That's it.

Make sure you provide a valid email address so I can email ya if you win.

All entries must be received by 11:59 p.m. Saturday, September 24. I'll use randomizer.org to choose the winners. The first comment picked will win 10 photos. The second comment picked will win 5 photos. And the last comment picked will win 1 photo.

You can check out Jasmine's blog for all of her photography services, including photo editing. Thanks, Jasmine, for sponsoring this awesome geeeeevaway!

Have a blessed Monday :)

granny's creamy broccoli casserole

I'm a terribly picky eater. It's embarrassing, really. My family often tells lies to get me to eat certain foods. They're supportive like that.

"Mom, what the heck are these brown things in this casserole? Are these mushrooms? If these are mushrooms, I won't touch it with a ten foot pole".

"No Brittany, they are little specks of chocolate chips. Eat up!"

Okay, she's never said this to me, but I wouldn't put it past her. My mom, she's a sneaky little thing.

Anyway, for years, I've had a little obsession with my granny's broccoli casserole. I love it. It's my favorite casserole. It's cheesy. It's creamy. It's buttery. It's the stuff dreams are made of.

So when my mom gave me granny's broccoli casserole recipe and I saw the list of ingredients, I felt betrayed. Cream of mushroom soup? Mayonnaise?

My entire life was a lie.

Never in a million years would I eat mushroom or mayonnaise anything. Just the thought of it makes me sick. And now, I find out that I had unknowingly consumed approximately 742 cans of cream of mushroom soup and 52 jars of mayonnaise? Who was I? Is my name really Brittany?

But there's something magical that happens with this casserole, friends. Something so magical that I was oblivious that it contained such vulgar ingredients. The mayonnaise, the mushroom soup, the cheese, the broccoli, they are mixed together and baked in perfect harmony. It is a glorious blend of creamy broccoli goodness. So if you're a picky eater like myself, ignore the ingredients. I promise you won't taste anything but good things.

This casserole is deliriously easy to make. And it contains simple ingredients. That's what I love. Old recipes with simple ingredients. None of that fancy stuff for me.

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Here's the recipe:

Granny's creamy broccoli casserole

1 large bag of broccoli florets (frozen)
2 eggs
1 cup mayonnaise
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 to 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese

Preheatcha oven to 350 degrees. Boil your broccoli florets until they are tender (about 5-7 minutes).

In a seperate bowl, add the 2 eggs, mayonnaise, cream of mushroom soup, onion. and cheddar cheese.

Not very attractive, eh?

Stir it up, and this:

This is when it starts getting magical, friends.

Stir it until mixed well. Drain your broccoli and add it to the cheese mixture. Spread it into a 9x13 greased glass pan.

For the topping, you need:

1 cup of butter
6 slices of bread
15-20 Ritz (or butter) crackers

Melt the cup of butter and pinch up (finely) 6 slices of bread and add to the melted butter. Then crush the crackers and add this to the butter/bread mixture as well. Sprinkle this on top of the casserole.

Next, use your durable oven mitts, and pop this baby into the oven at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

These are my oven mitts. Is this sad?

Sorry, I've got no after picture of the casserole. I got a little side-tracked. But imagine a crispy, golden brown crust covering a creamy sea of broccoli goodness. That is what you'll find in your oven!

Finally, call your butler and tell him you need your dishes washed.

When he doesn't show, fire his butt, and beg your husband ;)

Have a blessed weekend!

thankful thursday: testimony

I accepted Jesus into my heart when I was in the 6th grade. I've talked about it here. After that, I led, what I considered, to be a decent Christian life. In high school, I went to church most Sunday mornings, said a prayer at night, and cracked open my bible every couple of days. I took part in the FCA in the mornings and even kept a little prayer journal. That seemed good enough, I thought.

And then college came along. I made less and less time for Christ. I still went to church most Sundays and still participated in some college fellowship events, but my bible got dusty and my prayers got short. I was too busy chasing a brown-headed boy named Ben. I thought I had more important things to do.

Ben and I went on a mission trip to the Dominican Republic when we were in college. I started to feel a little tug at my heart then to do more. To be more for Christ. To sacrifice more for Him. After all, look at what He had done for me! I was surrounded by awesome, Jesus-lovin' kids, and I saw their relationships with their Savior and I realized I was missing that deep connection. But yet, I still found myself too busy or too uninterested to make that next step and really commit myself to Christ.

When Ben was a junior/senior in college, he really started working on building his relationship with Christ. He suffered a couple of football injuries and realized that God was ultimately in control. He considered playing football one of his top priorities, and he quickly saw how fast that could all be taken away from him. He started to invest more time in Jesus and he made his relationship with Christ his top priority. I'm so thankful he did that. I was proud of Ben, but I was still a 'good enough' Christian in my mind. Besides, I was in graduate school, and I didn't have the time to make a commitment like Ben did. So there I sat, for several years, as a lukewarm Christian.

Lukewarm Christian. That's not a good place to be. Revelation 3:16 says "So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth." In the dictionary, lukewarm means having little zeal or enthusiasm, or being indifferent. Yep, that was me.

Ben and I got married and started our new lives together. Ben was becoming an incredible man of God and I was still content being lukewarm. His strengthened relationship with Christ had changed him. I saw the peace and faith that Ben had and I yearned to have it. But ultimately, I'd end up watching and encouraging Ben in his mission, and I would decide I didn't need to do that. I didn't have time. I was too busy with work and school. I became the queen of excuses.

And then, I got pregnant.

I was going to be a mom. A MOM. A mom who had a son. A son who would look up to me.

I want so many things for PB, but most of all, I want him to grow up to be a man of God. I want him to have a strong relationship with Christ. I want him to be 'hot' for God, instead of lukewarm. How was he going to learn this if his momma wasn't leading by example?

Ben has always told me that the only way to build your relationship with Christ is to spend time with Him. That makes sense because that's true with relationships in life. You get closer to someone because you spend more time with them.

So, I started gradually making changes in my life. Now, I'm nowhere near where I want to be, but every day, I'm working on strengthening my relationship with my Savior. I dug into that dusty ole' bible. Ben and I started getting more involved in church. We helped create and lead a youth program. It's so awesome to work with these kids. To see what God does in their lives and how He uses even the most unlikely people in His work is nothing short of amazing. 

And, I finally got baptized. I had been putting it off for years, and I'm not really sure why. Too lazy? Not ready? Unsure of the significance? I don't know what the deal was, but 13 years later, I finally sealed the deal. We went down to the creek near our house with the church and the youth group. We had a feast of a dinner, y'all, right there beside the creek. Then Ben and I walked into the cool creek water (Ben got baptized with me) and, with my dad and Ben holding my hand, my preacher prayed and dipped me in the water.

And with that dip, the old gal, the one who was too busy for God and was too lazy to spend time with Him, was gone....washed down the little creek. It is amazing that I serve such a loving and forgiving God.

I ask, He forgives. I pray, He listens. I need Him, He's there.

I'm a work in progress, y'all. Sometimes I fall asleep while reading my bible. And I still struggle while dropping that 10% of my income into the tithing plate. And just last night, I cussed when I smashed my finger in the door.

I fall short of His mercy every day. He blesses me and provides for me far more than I deserve. So today, I'm thankful I serve a loving, forgiving, and faithful God. I'm thankful He sees past an ole' sinner like me. I'm saved by His grace today, and washed by His blood. There's no greater gift.

"Therefore, know that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments" (Deuteronomy 7:9).

In the DR with some super kids!

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Stay tuned for some new stuff on the ole' bloggaroosky, including an awesome giveaway. I'll give you a hint....if you're photographically challenged like myself, you'll be in for a major treat :)

Ahh, and I've got a Q & A session up today on Chaunie's blog. When she contacted me to ask me some questions, I almost peed my pants. She's like, a real-live writer, y'all. Her blog is a daily, hilarious read of mine. She's legit!

Have a blessed & thankful Thursday!

growing up

We celebrated PB's 10-month birthday a couple of days ago. 10 months. TEN MONTHS. 2 months away from 1 year. ONE YEAR. Yikes!

I remember when PB was a newborn, it would drive me nuts when people would pass on the little cliche sayings, 'they grow up so fast', 'it flies by', or 'enjoy them while they're young because it doesn't last long'. At the time, I had bags under my eyes. I was functioning on .92 hours of sleep a night. I was drowning in feedings and dirty diapers. There was NO way that this would 'fly' by.

And now, here we are, 2 months from his one year birthday. As overwhelmed as I was those first few weeks, I wish I would have cherished them a little more. I was talking to one of my best friends (hi, W!) the other day (she's pregnant with a baby girl, PB's future wife ;) and she said something that really stopped me in my tracks. She said she'd been talking to some other moms about how fast that first year goes by. She said that it seems that you're always waiting and anticipating that next milestone, and before you know it, that first year is gone. So stinkin' true. I wanted to crawl under my bed, suck my thumb, pour a tall glass of milk, and eat a whole dozen of my granny's holiday party cookies. Rebellious, I know.

This entire year has been nothing but waiting and anticipation for the next milestone. It's not because I don't like the stage he's in right now, it's just that I love to watch him learn and grow. Sometimes I feel guilty, though, because I feel like I've wished his life away. When he was a newborn, we couldn't wait until he'd get to take a big boy bath. When he started taking big boy baths, we couldn't wait until he started smiling at us. Once he started smiling, we couldn't wait until he was sitting. And now, he's started to walk. How did all of this happen so fast?

I find this true with myself often times, too. I'm always waiting and anticipating that next step, whether it was going to college, getting married, having a baby, or now, building a house. I remember saying, "I can't wait until Ben and I get married", and here we are today, married for 2 1/2 years with a 10 month old son. I don't want to wake up 50 years from now and realize that I have spent my entire life wishing and waiting for the next big step or milestone. I don't want to measure my life by the milestones I've hit. I'd rather be too busy enjoying each and every day to even think about the next step.

Walking is just another milestone that PB's reached and Lord willing, he'll reach many more. Today and everyday, I want to make a point that I will be so busy playing Ninja Turtles and trucks with PB that I won't even think about or care about what happens next.

They do grow up fast, you know.

2nd day at the hospital. Look at them jaws, man!

Have a blessed Wednesday :)



this did happen.

Saturday night, Ben, PB, and I went to a wedding. This is wedding numero 84720 for the summer for us, but I'm not keeping count.

The wedding started at 6:30. We needed to leave our house absolutely no later than 5:45. We were running way behind. I was trying to find a dress that hid my deflated spare tire. Ben and PB were watching 6 football games at the same time. Raise your hand if your husband does that! We've got two tv's in our house. Ben turns both on to different football games, and runs back and forth to each tv watching the games. And then, he proceeds to watch at least 3 different games on each tv, flipping the channels like a mad man. It's incredibly entertaining for me to watch.

So I put on my bossy pants and told Ben he had 10 minutes to be ready to go out the door. I dressed PB, which takes every bit of 45 minutes. At one point I decided it would be just fine if he went naked to the wedding. He screams and kicks and tries to climb off of the table. I would rather put pants on a rattlesnake than to dress my son.

At 5:57, we walked out the door. I put my makeup on in the car. We got about 10 minutes down the road, and I realized I forgot the directions.

"That's okay", Ben says, "I know a shortcut."

Dear friends, if your husband ever uses the phrase "I know a shortcut", demand immediately that he stop the car and give you the wheel. This is a lie. There is no shortcut. Don't you remember what happened to Little Red Riding Hood when she took a shortcut? Don't.do.it.

"Whatever you say", I grumbled.

At 6:20, we were 10 minutes into our 'shortcut' route, with no end in sight. I was getting fidgety. To be late to a wedding makes it almost pointless to go.

It was now 6:25. I was mad. The wedding would start in 5 minutes. We were nowhere near the venue. We started arguing. It's my fault because I left the directions at home. It's my fault because I made Ben shower. It's my fault because I had to dry my hair. It's my fault because I let Ben take the shortcut. Is it me, or do men not like to own up to their mistakes sometimes?

Finally, at 6:29, Ben admitted, "I think I went the wrong way". We made up.

We stopped and asked for directions. At 6:47, we found the wedding site. We were late. We'd missed the entire wedding. People would notice that we were late. They would probably ask questions.

Before we got out of the car, Ben looked back at a peacefully sleeping PB, and he said, "Britt, can we just tell people that PB pooped on himself and we had to stop and change him?"

The things your children do for you........

Please note the foreign object that my child has in his mouth. Nothing screams good parenting like someone capturing a picture of your child with a strange object in his mouth.

Have a blessed Tuesday :)

EEK, as a side note, I forgot to mention my first guest blog was posted yesterday! Check out Life Blessons to see it. I've you've never read Carmen's blog, you're in for a real treat. She's an incredible woman of God, and writes passionately about her faith, marriage, and living a Godly life. She one of my favorite bloggers :)

peggy's fresh apple cake

Fall is here, man! The weather was just perfect this weekend. I could just go outside and roll around in the grass all day long. PB and I may have did this Saturday evening.

I usually count our church homecoming as the unofficial 'kickoff' to fall. That, and the opening Saturday of college football, and the first night my nose stops while I sleep, which, coincidentally, happened on the same night.

So....it's fall, y'all!

I can think of no better way to celebrate my favorite season than with my favoritestestest dessert of all time: Peggy's fresh apple cake with caramel icing. Hark! Did you hear that? Angels just sang.

 Let me give you a little background behind this glorious cake. My mom first made this cake a couple of years ago. I, a certified picky eater, was skeptical at first. It had no sprinkles, hot pink, chocolate, or glitter, four essential characteristics for a cake in my mind. In fact, the cake was brown and had a light brown icing topped with nuts. Nuts, people. That's what grown-ups eat. If you want to kill a good bowl of ice cream (or cake), add nuts. Glitter and sprinkles are where its at, friends. Anyway, this baby was fresh out of the oven and smelling delicious, so I was intrigued. I took a bite.

I can't even remember what happened next. I might have cried, sang, scream, jumped up and down, or kissed my mom. All I can remember is from that moment on, I vowed that this would forever be my favorite dessert. And many years later, no dessert tops this sucker in my mind.

My mom got this recipe from her dear friend Peggy. I love Peggy for many reasons, this cake being one of them. This cake is perfect, perfect, perfect for fall. It's not too sweet and perfectly moist. Sometimes I pretend its a breakfast cake, and thus, I eat it for breakfast!

I made Peggy's fresh apple cake with caramel icing this past weekend to celebrate fall. And the church homecoming. And the fact that I got to cook in my kitchen without a baby clinging to my ankles. Ben and PB were outside doing man things, so I cranked up some Alicia Keys and Young MC and got busy.
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Here's the recipe: (please note, I made cupcakes instead of the actual cake because I figured it would be easier to hide some at home tote to church. The recipe is originally for a bundt cake. I think it actually tastes (and looks) better as a bundt cake).

Peggy's fresh apple cake with caramel icing

3 eggs
1 1/2 cup oil
2 cups sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
3 cups flour
3 1/2 cups chopped apples (I used Granny Smith apples. Who the heck is Granny Smith anyway?)
1 cup pecans
1 tsp. vanilla

Peel and chop your apples. I actually used a cheese grater. I think the smaller pieces of apple hold up better in the cake.

Mix eggs, oil, sugar, salt, and baking soda together well with a mixer. Then add the flour, apples, and chopped pecans. Mix well.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes-1 hour for the cake (15-20 minutes for cupcakes).

Now, whip up some caramel icing:

1 stick (or less) of butter (I usually use about 2 tblsp less than 1 stick)
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup milk
vanilla
confectioner's sugar (to taste)

Melt butter over low heat on the stovetop, cooking it for about 2 minutes. Add brown sugar and bring it to a boil. Bring it down from boiling and add milk, and then bring it back to a boil, stirring frequently. Remove it from heat and put it in a cold water bath (I usually put the pot in my sink with cold water). And then pat your head and rub your tummy at the same time......

Let it cool, and then add vanilla and confectioner's sugar to taste. I usually start with a cup and go from there. If you want it thicker, add more.

Now, hold on to your britches. Drizzle this over your bundt cake, or spread this over your cupcakes. Top with some chopped pecans (or sprinkles and glitter, whatever floats your boat) and, alas:

Eat this warm. Eat it anyway you like, but warm fresh apple cake really does it for me. So I always pop a slice in the microwave for about 10 seconds, pour a ice cold glass of milk, and kick back on the couch and watch reruns of Friends. All is right in the world again, folks.

If you know Peggy, thank her for her delicious fresh apple cake with caramel icing. If you don't know Peggy, thank any Peggy that you know just because its that good.

Have a blessed Monday :)

heroes

image via google

Today, I remember the lives lost and the families broken 10 years ago on this day. 

I'm thankful for my country, and for those who serve and protect it every day, whether it's in a military uniform, a fire suit, or the like.

God bless you, heroes.