Summer Got in the Way

So remember how I said I was going to post once a week during the summer and well then I did like once but then I haven't posted anything since? Yeah know why? Summer that's why! It's been crazy, not bad crazy just busy crazy and good crazy! We've had family visit and friends visit, then we went to visit family and friends and I just decided it was too much to keep up with everything! So I let my blog slide for the summer!

It's been a great summer though! So many great memories made! Ones we will cherish and ones we will tell over and over again. Like the one about me falling out of the raft on our rafting trip, yep fun times there! Or maybe the one about the leopard pants I couldn't convince anyone to try on, or how we maybe slightly looked like a paligamist family when we rented a 15 passenger van while my Mom & sister and all the kids were here! Of course there was "freckles" which will forever more be a funny inside joke with my bestie and her family!  And I for one will cherish the baby cuddles I got to enjoy! So many good memories!

So as summer is winding down and we get ready to start Drew's first year of  (gulp) HIGH SCHOOL I am going to get more focused on my blog and find some cool posts to share with you! But no promises I'm going to get any more posts up in the next few weeks, cause well...SUMMER!

Blackberry Sun Tea

I can’t believe that they have school supplies out already in all the stores, I feel like summer is just getting to the good part, and yet it’s almost over. Soon we will be back to school lunches and football games and falling leaves and apple cider… which really I mean won’t be that bad. But I’m trying to enjoy this crazy warm summer that we’ve been having this year and I’m not really ready for it to be almost over!

I still want to sit outside and sip iced cold sun tea and feel the warmth of the sun on my face! And with all that in mind I decided to JAZZ up my regular Sun Tea! I like my Sun Tea just plain usually no sugar no lemon no honey just good ol’ Sun Tea. But I saw this recipe on Pinterest for Raspberry Sun Tea and while the link for it ended going nowhere I decided to try to make a recipe for it subbing in blackberries for the raspberries.

It ended up being really good and refreshing!

Ingredients:

Sun Tea (4-5 tea bags to 1 gallon of water)

2 cups Blackberries

½ cup Sugar

Ice

Directions:

In a small bowl combine the berries and Sugar and smash up the berries. Cover and let sit in the refrigerator for a few hours to bring out the juices of the berries. Strain the berries to remove the seeds (I didn’t do this because I couldn’t find my mesh strainer) In a drinking glass add ice, 2-3 TBSP of the Berry’s and Top with the Sun Tea, stir and enjoy.

ENJOY

Summer

Ok y'all Summer is supposed to be relaxing a peaceful right?! WRONG! It has been crazy busy for us this summer! We had family up for 2 weeks and friends coming up in another week then we are going to see more family for a few weeks, and Man-Child has football 3 days a week and I have my FRG stuff and whew... Is it September yet?! No? Well really I'm not ready for that either, but when you throw blogging in on top of all the other stuff I've been feeling a little overwhelmed!

So I decided that instead of sharing a new post 3 times a week I am going to cut back to just once a week. Then once school starts we will see what happens!

So go out enjoy your summer vacations, find a little time to relax and unwind, I know I'm going to try to find mine!

                                                                      ENJOY

Hot Dogs 3 Ways

OH MY GOODNESS, it is HOT I mean H-O-T hot! Ok so maybe not for a good portion of you reading this, but for the Pacific Northwest it is! We are averaging mid 80’s and it’s supposed to climb up into the 90’s almost every day this week. No big deal you say? Well remember our average temps this time of year are usually in the mid 70’s. So pretty much no one has air conditioning or ceiling fans! So we are sweltering.

In the midst of all this heat you still have to feed your family, at least that’s what they tell me, so I’ve elected to use the grill more nights than not. Cause seriously my oven isn’t getting turned on any time soon!

A few weeks ago we had hotdogs, 3 different ways, and they were all so good. So if it’s too hot to turn on your stove tonight, try one of these hotdogs, heck why not try all 3!

Ingredients:

Hotdogs

Buns

BLT HOT DOG:

Bacon

Lettuce

Tomato

Mayonnaise

CHILI CHEESE DOG:

Chili

Cheese

NACHO DOG:

Shredded Cheese

Jalapenos

Cilantro

Salsa

Sour Cream (I forgot this one)

Directions:

Select which hotdog you are going to make then top with appropriate toppings! Have fun with it! Do what the Hubster did and make an EVERYTHING DOG. Yep you guessed it he put everything on one hotdog! YUM! My favorite though was the BLT dog. Give them a try and let me know what you think

Enjoy

Chicken Parmesan

We’ve been having such beautiful weather here the last few weeks! It’s been crazy warm and sunny! I LOVE IT! It’s going to be a great summer!

We’ve been grilling a ton lately too and I have a bunch of grill recipes coming soon. But I thought I would get one last hearty meal in before we spend the rest of the summer keeping the stove off and the grill on! Which you know is partly because that means the Hubster cooks at least part of dinner! But shh don’t tell him that’s why I like to have him grill so much!

This is a great recipe for Chicken Parmesan, it’s a little different than some recipes since I don’t bread or fry the Chicken. I think it tastes even better this way!

Ingredients:

4 Chicken Breast, boneless, skinless

Italian Seasoning

Garlic Powder

Onion Powder

Salt and Pepper

1 jar Spaghetti Sauce

2 cups Mozzarella Cheese, shredded

½ cup Parmesan Cheese

1 pkg Spaghetti, cooked

Directions:

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat a skillet with cooking spray, and heat over medium heat. Season each Chicken Breast with Italian Seasoning, Garlic, Onion, Salt and Pepper. Place in skillet and cook until each side is browned. Meanwhile in a 13x9 baking dish, spread a bit of the Spaghetti Sauce in the bottom of the pan. Place the Chicken on top. Then cover with the rest of the sauce. Sprinkle both cheeses over the top.  Cover with Foil and Bake for 30 min. Remove Foil and Bake for another 15 minutes. Serve over cooked Spaghetti.

Enjoy

Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls

I can’t begin to tell you how much food is being consumed in my house right now! I swear Man-Child has a hollow leg or something. Every time I turn around I hear “I’m starving, what can I eat?” The other day within 20 minutes of eating Breakfast he was asking about Lunch?! And I’m sure that it’s only going to be worse after next week when he starts football conditioning.

I’m sort of jealous that I can’t eat this way and not gain a million pounds. I mean it’s really not fair! I think I just smell this stuff and gain weight! But I still have to have food for him to eat right?

I’ve been baking/cooking up a storm to have options for him. And these Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls are great for him to grab in the morning or as a snack later in the day!

When I saw this recipe for Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls I knew I had to try it. I mean it’s like two of my favorite desserts all rolled (wink wink) into one! I also liked that it is a quick cinnamon roll recipe instead of one that takes forever to rise!

I decided to switch it up a little and used some things from the original recipe and then I also used my recipe for Cinnamon Rolls.

Ingredients:

3-4 cups Bisquick

1 ¼ cups Milk

1 egg

1/2 cup Cocoa Powder

¼ cup Sugar

2 tsp Cinnamon

½ cup Brown Sugar

¼ cup Butter, melted

1/2 cup Mini Chocolate Chips

Frosting:

Cream Cheese Frosting
Mini Chocolate Chips 

Directions:

Heat oven to 425°F. Spray 9-inch round cake pan with cooking spray. In a small bowl, mix brown sugar and cinnamon; set aside. In a large bowl, stir Bisquick, sugar, milk and egg until dough forms. Place dough on surface sprinkled with additional Bisquick; knead 5 times. Roll dough into 16x12- inch rectangle. Brush with 2 tablespoons of the melted butter; sprinkle evenly with brown sugar mixture then sprinkle the mini chocolate chips over the brown sugar. Starting at short side, roll up tightly; pinch edge of dough to seal well. Cut into 1 1/2-inch slices. In pan, place slices, cut sides down. Brush with remaining 2 tablespoons melted butter, Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 5 minutes. Remove from pan. Top with frosting and mini chocolate chips.

                                                                    Enjoy

Savory French Toast

Whew, what a crazy couple of weeks it’s been. I’d say I’m looking forward to relaxing this summer but really I’m not too sure that’s going to happen! At least not for a few more weeks.

I wish it was going to slow down sometime soon, but it doesn't really look like it. I wanted to get this post in before Fathers Day but that didn't happen! So I guess I will have to settle for the day after. This is really kind of a guys breakfast though! It's good though not as an every day breakfast but definitely good for special occasions! Actually just looking at these pictures is making me want to make this again, hmm what special occasions are coming up? Monday yeah that seems special enough!?! 

This bread makes the BEST French Toast!

Ingredients:

Thick Sliced French Bread

Eggs

Bacon, cooked

Sausage, cooked

Directions:

Heat a skillet over medium heat, coat with a cooking spray. In a pie dish scramble your eggs. Dip each slice of bread into the eggs, then place into the hot skillet, let cook until golden brown, flip and cook until golden brown on both sides. To serve place a slice of the French Toast on a plate then top with Bacon and Sausage, top all of that with another slice of the French Toast. Then add a pat of butter and syrup, or even powdered sugar would be good.

Enjoy