Classic me...

This blog is, unintentionally, a fabulous representation of hundreds- maybe thousands!- of half empty journals left helplessly in the wake of Jody the Unfinisher. Okay, so maybe I'm being slightly dramatic. But really, I couldn't even begin to guess how many journals I've started, wrote in diligently and semi-regularly for a couple months, and then just stopped cold turkey! It drives me nuts! And the reason I start a completely new one is two-fold. 1) Because I am a sucker for buying pretty new journals, and 2) I feel weird picking up an old journal and having 2 consecutive entries dating a good 3 or 4 months apart. I just cannot do it! So here we are....my virtual journal. I started this a couple months ago, wrote 2 entries, and here I am many weeks down the road writing entry #3. Dah! Another weird thing is I started this blog with the intention of no one reading it. Yup, that's right,  I've posted my deepest darkest secrets on the world wide web with the intention of no one reading it. But somehow, without my hundreds of adoring followers begging me to keep posting, it just kind of died. But, I am here to REVIVE it! Yes! And I want to share it with you. Whoever you are, thank you for sticking with me this long into my very wordy disclaimer. I am done. Oh, P.S. Feel free to read my first two posts ;)


But anyway, as of late I have been really into/borderline obsessed with food blogs and websites. Cooking, Baking, Eating, you name it- I like it. I love to find new recipes and try them out on my poor  husband. What a champ... He's been by my side for it all. Many average dishes, one or two (or three) totally inedible ones, the occasional dish dumped all over the floor, and comforted me through more oven burns than I care to count. Which I probably could, since most have left scars :-P But as time goes on and practice makes perfect, I have come a long way from when we were first married.   But I did want to share a couple recipes I've tried the past few days that turned out well!

First things first....everybody loves a good frappuccino. Well, maybe not everybody...but definitely me! I loooove Starbucks and every once in a while, usually while traveling, hubby & I will stop and get 2 tall caramel frapps. Yum!  But no one in their right mind would regularly spend that much money for a drink (though I envy those who do...), so I decided to try & make them at home this morning! So here's how..

3/4 cup of chilled strong-ish coffee ( I don't usually make coffee so not sure what exactly strongish means to normal people)
2 cups of ice ( I used crushed)
1 cup of milk ( I used a little less than 1c of milk and filled it to the 1c mark with flavored creamer)
2 tbsp of sugar
One good long squirt of caramel syrup

I know, these directions are SO exact. But I was just kind of making things up as I went...and they can be tweaked to your liking! But basically trow it all in a blender. Blend. Pour. Drink. Yum.

Also I made this Zesty Italian Crescent Casserole from Pillsbury.com

This isn't by any means a gourmet impress-your-in-laws dish, but it is super easy, quick, and so good! It is usually like pulling teeth to get leftovers eaten around here (okay, they're usually MY teeth) but I love this reheated in the toaster oven covered in foil, and leftovers are gone in a day or two!

INGREDIENTS

1 lb. lean ground beef

1/4 cup chopped onion

1 cup tomato pasta sauce

6 oz. (1 1/2 cups) shredded mozzarella or Monterey Jack cheese

1/2 cup sour cream

1 (8-oz.) can Pillsbury® Refrigerated Crescent Dinner Rolls

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted

DIRECTIONS

• Heat oven to 375°F. In large skillet, cook ground beef and onion over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes or until beef is thoroughly cooked, stirring frequently. Drain. Stir in pasta sauce; cook until thoroughly heated.
• Meanwhile, in medium bowl, combine mozzarella cheese and sour cream; mix well.
• Pour hot beef mixture into ungreased 9 1/2 or 10-inch glass deep-dish pie pan or 11x7-inch (2-quart) glass baking dish. Spoon cheese mixture over beef mixture.
• Unroll dough over cheese mixture. (If using pie pan, separate dough into 8 triangles; arrange points toward center over cheese mixture, crimping outside edges if necessary.) In small bowl, mix Parmesan cheese and butter. Spread evenly over dough.
• Bake uncovered at 375°F. for 18 to 25 minutes or until deep golden brown.

These are the directions copied from www.pillsbury.com. I did make a few tweaks, that I think worked great! I omitted the onion (neither of us love onions) and added a tsp or two of minced garlic and a little Italian seasoning while browning the beef for some extra flave. Also, I added some garlic powder to the butter/parm cheese mixture. I like garlic. I also baked it in an 11x7 pyrex dish. Actually the first time I made this I was (apparently) in a hurry and/or distracted because I accidently mixed the sour cream/cheese mixture right in with the beef and sauce instead of layering it. The second time I followed the recipe, and I actually liked my way better. I am an accidental culinary genius! I think it just stays together better if you mix it all together :)  So there you have it! Easy, yummy, weeknight meal! Serve with a salad and you're good to go.



That's all I have for today...This blog will probably be a bit of everything from my life. Encouraging things of God, my life as a wife & mom, the ministry, food, thoughts, and who knows whatever else will come to my heart and mind :)