all day in the kitchen!!

*Please ignore grammer and sentence structure mistakes... I tend to write the way I think*

Some women clean, some go for a ride, some (like me) cook!  ...When they are angry!
Last night, the husband and I got into a fight (dont ask cause not going there) ended up with him sleeping on the couch. Needless to say, I have not been in a good mood today... When I get upset, I cook. A LOT!!! With a 2 year old running around, I didnt cook as much as I normally would but still made a crap ton of food. Even better, my daughter helped :) 2 years old and loves to help mommy cook in the kitchen!!
First thing was start the cake to get it in the oven. Just a basic yellow cake (from scratch) but nothing fancy. While that was in the oven, made huge batch of pancakes that I can Freeze and grab what I need in the mornings. In between that, started the bread. Pull cake from oven let cool on a rack, continue bread. Set the bread aside so it could rise, finished pancakes, started on cream cheese mints (which I realized I havent had since my daughters baby shower). Took a short break to put my lil one down for a nap and catch up on dishes.
*breathe*
Finish the mints and put in the fridge, crap almost forgot to make icing.
Yes I prefer to make my icing from scratch. I plan on a tutorial for this in the future.
Get icing made, colors combined and all tools set up.
But first have to put bread in oven. And grab a quick bite to eat...
Decorate cake, unload dishwasher and put in almost a full load pull bread from oven. Its 2!! Had to be at the lawyer's at 3 so needed to wake up daughter and she. was. pissed!! She cried til 5 minutes before we made it to lawyer. Got that taken care of, had to get home to start dinner.
About 5 started by first making a salad then started on the chicken parmigiana which consists of breaded chicken in plain bread crumbs with shredded parm. and italian blend of spices. In the oven (much better than fried) spaghetti, marinara, and some mozzarella to top it all off.
*breath* I think that about covers everything... Oh.. pictures?? *smiles* thought you would never ask!!

Delicious English Muffin loaf bread.

I'm not posting a pic of the pancakes... I mean come on... its just pancakes...

cream cheese mints *drool*

rather tropical I think...

Close up on mints. Adam has declared these are his favorite things EVER!!! :)

Top of cake. As it says, its just because I wanted to... and I needed to practice. It's been awhile since I made a cake.

Side details. Maybe a bit overboard, but oh well. By the way... I hate wilton's "leaf tip" it sucks!! Need to find just a "v" tip.

Simple salad of shredded carrot and Romain lettuce. ...yes its a pic of a salad... yes I'm just that board..

Chicken with moz. And let me just say... Holy crap are chicken breasts ever huge!! I wish I lived closer to Springfield so I could buy organic...

When you put it all together.................. here you go...

I know my chicken parm isnt the normal way, but I like it.
And I'm going to let you all assume *waves hand across screen* I clean as I go.
......what?? you dont believe me?? damn gotta work on that Jedi stuff...
You really dont want to know how big of a mess I can make in a single kitchen. It was damn scary here! 3 loads of dishes, a bottle and a half of cleaner, and a full roll of papertowels... just imagine the craziest mess and I probably did worse... lol!! I hate cleaning as I go. I would rather just get everything done THEN clean!!

cleaning out the cupboards (and fridge)

Today was a *long* day! To begin, my daughter wasn't acting her normal self. She didn't eat much breakfast which should have been the first warning flag... Dropping her off at daycare and she wasn't excited, wasn't reluctant, she just went like it was no big deal (she NEVER does this). In the mornings, the daycare has little wading pools before it gets too hot. They called me around 11 saying she wasnt acting herself and had a fever.
So the majority of my day was trying to take care of a sick child. Then had to meet with my lawyer at 5 and back home around 6 to start on dinner.
I forgot to set out the chicken to dethaw... what is a  mom to do??
Raid the cabinets!! and fridge... Half a box of penne noodles with 2 different types of leftover sauce... 5 cheese alfredo and some cheesy spaghetti sauce (I believe Bertolli brand), left over corn, left over mashed potatoes and country gravy, and some frozen rolls.
Did I forget anything??

I'm so happy that my daughter no longer sits in a high chair. It makes family dinner a bit easier. We have had sit down dinners with her in a "big people's" chair for about a week now and she is loving it!! As you can see, no luck in transitioning to a "big girl" cup but we are working on it.

All it all, it turned out to be a wonderful dinner. Completely random!! And even though my poor girl didnt eat too much (still not feeling good) it was a nice dinner.

what am I??

This shall be a rather short post but i felt i needed to post it anyway...
I've been thinking a lot about what it means to be a republican or a democrat. What exactly does each side stand for?

This all come about while watching an episode of south park. (rather odd way to start thinking about real life things). But anyway... I know I am liberal. But does that automatically mean I'm democrat?? I do tend to vote democrat but its purely based on the issues.

I know politics is one of those "no-no" topics your not really supposed to talk about with other people because it can become overly heated and possibly offensive but I want to open this up to conversation. I'm not necessarily looking for person opinions (although if you wish to share I will not judge) but instead, I'm hoping someone can help clear the air on what exactly each party is.

Cooking adventures with pics!!

Tonight's delicious homemade meal was meatloaf, mashed potatoes and peas and carrots followed by semi-homemade mini pie!!

I never really had meatloaf very much growing up. My loving husband is a big fan of meatloaf!! Trying to be the good wife I decided I was going to make it for him. Apparently there is a never ending list of ways to make meatloaf... This is what has worked for us
Here is my extremely easy (and rather basic) way to make it.
First begin with 2 pounds of extra lean ground meat.

My daughter loves to help me cook! She even got involved in mooshing meat!! Yes, you have to use your hands!! Really dig into the meat and moosh mooosh moosh it up!

Next thing is to add 2 eggs and 3/4 cup of milk. I prefer to whip the eggs and milk together before adding them. I think it incorporates better.

Time to really get those hands dirty!! completely work in the egg mixture.
Now add in 2/3 cups bread crumbs (plain or Italian) and your spices of choice. I personally used some italian seasoning, a little bit of black pepper and a dash of salt.

Work in the bread mix. Time to put it in the pan!!

Bake in the oven at 350 degree for an hour (or until meat thermometer reads 160). Slice and serve with sides of choice!!

Now time for my favorite part of this!! MINI PIE!!
For the record, I have never made this before! This came about because I still had some unused pie filling sitting in the fridge and I didnt want to through it out. Had some extra pie crust so thought "why not??!!"
To begin, make sure to spray your tart pan so it doesnt stick. Then roll out your pie crust and use a cup to "cut" circles.

Then use you wooden tart tool... thingy (i dont really know what to call it, its something i picked up at a pampered chef party) and push the crust into the pan.

 Do whatever kind of pie crust decorating you want, being as they are small, I just wanted to be done with them so I didnt get too fancy...
Then Fill with whatever pie filling you want. I used cherry and blueberry

Bake in a 325 oven for about 20 minutes... well, I honestly dont know how long to cook them... I checked ever 5  minutes or so until they were done and i lost track of time. As long as they dont jiggle and the crust looks golden you will be fine.

add a little bit of whipped cream...

and enjoy :)

But i highly recommend waiting for them to cool off before chowing down. That pie filling is really hot!!

veggies... might as well

Today has been a rather weird day for me. I re-read my entry from yesterday about my addiction to sweets and I also read a post from my daughter's aunt about eating veggies. This all got me thinking about my diet as a whole.
It's true I cant really control my sweet intake and I guess just snacking in general but I do believe I am making better decisions in other areas.

Breakfast...
I never eat sugary cereal for breakfast anymore. The occasional lunch maybe, but as a start to the day, absolutely not! During the week, I enjoy English Muffin with either a small amount of butter or a poached egg. It's small, but enough to hold me til lunch. The weekends are fun for me because my daughter loves to help me cook. The usual line up is buckwheat pancakes with sugar free syrup (takes getting used to) with eggs and occasionally bacon. Rarely will I have more than 1 piece of bacon. After just 1 buckwheat pancake, it can be hard to eat much else!!
Lunch....
Unfortunately, lunch is a bit hard during the work week. Wednesday the shop always closes and we all go to lunch together. We have a handfull of places we go but Donnies Diner is the best!! They have an extremely simple salad that is perfect for me! Its just Romain lettuce, little bit of fresh Parmesan and baked Chicken. Half the time I cant even finish the chicken! Its the days we dont go there that i fall. Between all-you-can-eat pizza, chinese, and only-thing-we-have-is-burger joints, its kinda hard on the other days.
It's easier when I'm home because I usually have leftovers from whatever I cooked the night before.
Dinner.....
Thankfully, I have been planning out meals and that really helps with choosing much healthier options. I honestly can't remember the last time we had pizza... Its really been forever... I've been having so much fun exploring new recipes that we never get bored and we dont repeat recipes very often in a month. We try very hard to portion control and there is always... ALWAYS at least one real vegetable side.
My daughter truly loves her vegetables. Ever since she started on solid foods, she has refused to touch the main part of her meal until she ate all her vegetables. I can only hope this continues for a long time! But in watching her always eat her veggies, it made me realize I should be doing the same. So, I can proudly say, I too eat ALL my vegetables. It's a step in a better direction.
I still cant stomache onions and i don't think i ever will. I can tell when an onion is present from the moment i take a bite and my gag reflex starts acting up.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that even though I grew up hating vegetables, I've really changed my mind on them. I'm open to exploring different recipes and trying new things. There are still some that I will be somewhat stand offish to but I think I can guarantee I wont turn away veggies if someone offers them to me.

Love Affair

Yes... I am in the midst of a love affair... there I said it...

Oh... I guess I should mention Im having an affair with food!!
Confused?? Good...
It's no secret I enjoy food. If I didn't, I wouldnt still be holding on to all my pregnancy weight from 2 YEARS AGO!!.... anyway...
 There is nothing wrong with having a relationship with food. You kinda need it to survive... But there are days that its goes beyond the need of sustenance.

I realized its a problem when I'm sneaking food so that no one knows I'm having it. It's not always a daily struggle but lately I know I have gotten worse. For the record, I refuse to buy little debbie snack foods. I havent bought them in over a year because I know I have almost no self control when it comes to food. So I abide by "out of sight out of mind" if its not in the house, i wont eat it!! The problem comes when someone else buys them... I mean i seriously have NO control.... it was having them in the house that i realized i do have a food problem... It goes beyond just snacking... I literally hide all evidence of ever having it. For starters, I will only eat them if my daughter is awake (and i do share) or sister is around (easy scapegoat). I split it with my daughter but if its my sister, she gets one and i wait til she is out the kitchen to get mine. I only eat where no one can see (sadly admitting to eating in the bathroom) and I usually hide the wrapper in a papertowel so no one will see it in the trash.
Thats just the snack cakes...
When i make chocolate chip cookies, I always make sure there is extra chocolate so I can make sure I can have a hand full... or 3.... 
I do admit that I'm a lot better with having my meals planned out! It really helps me focus and knowing that I;m trying to keep my husband on portion controls, it helps me not eat so much. But as soon as I finish, half the time I only think about desserts!
I even dream in chocolate!! No seriously!! Last night's dream was everything was made of chocolate. even me! It was weird...

I daydream about the next type of dessert I plan on making, from the brownies with powdered sugar art to the amazing cakes i have inside my head!

I do feel insanely guilty every time i partake in my forbidden endeavors, but i still have no self control. So maybe there is hope...

"It's not pink! it's lightish red"

Really enjoyed tonight's baking experience!! Decided to make red, white, and blue cupcakes and make a tutorial to go with it!
But first... extra points to the person who can name where the title came from!!

Let us begin the tutorial...
Start by making up a batch of white cake. White cake IS a must since we will be coloring it. If you try any other cake, the colors just dont work.  (at least for what i am doing right now...)
Once the cake is mixed, divide it evenly into 3 different bowls.

Then add your color. All I had on hand is the cheap mccormicks liquid drop stuff, but it still works... probably added a bit too much but i wanted the color to be dark

grab some spoons and start stirring!!

hooray... now comes the kinda annoying part... getting it into the cups. Begin with your color of choice. I did blue.

Then add your second color. Mine was white. Leave a little bit of the bottom color exposed. This way, when they bake, the middle color will be a nice little surprise!!

oh... ya and whatever you do... do not get the little cheap crappy cupcake flutes. seriously! spend a little more for the nicer ones that dont make you fight to keep them where they belong!!
Finally, add the last color. I forgot to take a pic of red alone so here is what it looks like when you are completely finished filling.

Pop them in the oven til toothpick (or in my case, a knife) comes out clean. Remove them from the trey and allow to cool on a rack.

 Anyone taking a quick glance would not know that there is more than one color in these :) but guess what....

SURPRISE!!!!! red white and blue!!

After they have plenty of time to cool, time to decorate!! I chose rather simple since the cupcakes are the main focus. Just some regular vanilla icing and some sugar crystals.

I actually ran out of red by the time i was at the end... soooo here is the saddest cupcake from the night...

The tiny "special" cupcake that also got a little overdone... still yummy :p


Even though I chose red, white, and blue as my colors for this tutorial, the options are seriously endless!! you can do as many colors and you think of! I'm wanting to do a neon green, lightish blue, and white cupcakes for my daughter.

Hope someone finds this extremely helpful. Enjoy baking
Til anon

Finally getting things done!! with pics :P

Well well :) Yesterday was 4th of July and to be honest... it was a slow day here. Adam had to work so I was home alone most of the day. Finally got laundry done, cleaned most of the house, and cleaned out the desk (yay boring list done... cause i know thats not what you are here to read about...)

Being as it was the 4th of July, I made a beautiful Pie. A blueberry and cherry pie

I was supposed to make this for when we went out on the boat for our city fireworks but i honestly didnt feel like it that day. Im actually quit happy that I waited. I meant to take pics of the whole process but the camera battery was barely alive. Honestly, it is really easy. Just place a sliver of pie crust in the shell in a form of square to "hold in" the blueberries and then just lay "stripes" across the cherry. Give it an egg wash and bake. Turned out soooooo yummy!! Tomorrow I want to make an apple pie... we shall see...

The other project in the works is getting the daughters room finished. She no longer sleeps in a crib so we are transitioning into a big girl bed. So far, she has done so amazing. I honestly thought it would be harder than this but she loves it! Next week we are getting her a new bed. (she has been sleeping in the spare bed in her room) We already bought her new bed covers (which I will post when the room is completely finished) as well as a beautiful blue shag rug. One thing I really wanted to do was a hand-painted name plaque..thingy...

This was step one... outline for some and solid for others

Finished product. Adam thinks that the bottom letters need a third color but i honestly don't know. Im kinda thinking that I'm gonna redo the L Y and N to be more like the A's. I dont know... Once I put them all on the wall, I will decide what I want to do... More than anything, I worry that if i try to change them it will just screw them up.

I cant wait to get the new bed for my daughter and get her room completely put together :)

Things that i need to get done...
* Go through my daughters baby clothes to see what i want to save.
* Go through MY clothes and do some seriously cleaning out. I think that for my own sanity, i should get rid of my jeans and shorts I owned before having a baby.
* De-clutter the bedroom. I dont mean to be, but i've kinda turned into a pack rat. Thank goodness for my cedar-chest. plenty of storage!!
* De-clutter on top of the desk. Too many freakin papers and just junk... ugh...
Boring things to do really but things that need to be taken care of non the less... who knows, maybe be by putting into to writing and posting it, i will be much more motivated.
Til anon

randomness of the day...

Too much babble babble... too many thoughts and I really don't want numerous posts in one day.

to begin...
* Yesterday night was the city fireworks. One of the better ones I believe. We live a stone toss from Table Rock Lake so we went out on my Dads house boat to enjoy the nights festivities.

Here is my husband and I being cute couple in the front of the boat. The fireworks were ok... there were some new things they've never done before but it was the finale that was amazing. It was set to Lee Greenwood's "God bless the USA" (one of my fav songs). It was pretty sweet!

* My stargazing lilies FINALLY bloomed!! I was starting to think they weren't going to but they did! By far some of the most beautiful flowers I've ever seen (or owned for that matter...) 

* Adam and I went to see Transformers 3 today. First about the movie...  Going in with absolutely NO expectations, I rather enjoyed the movie. It was not anywhere near as good as the first movie but I think it made up for the second. Micheal Bay has never really been known for his comedy so some of the humor seemed rather forced and a bit out of place but I can forgive that... Some of the dialogue was VERY forced. that is a bit harder to overlook but not impossible... Adam thought the storyline wasnt fast enough, that too many scenes drug out way too much and for me, there was really only one particular. One of my favorite aspects of the movie is my all time favorite band, Linkin Park, not only contributes to the soundtrack, but to the movie itself!!  So overall, go with no expectations and i think most people would enjoy it...
                now for the not so nice part about the movie experience... WHAT THE F*** is wrong with people!!!! It's as people have forgotten that a pg 13 movies is supposed to be for people 13 or older... but no! More than one family had 5 years or younger. the assholes sitting behind had a 5 and 7ish year old kids that kept kicking the back of our seats and the kids kept talking and fighting through the movie. First off, I dont give a fuck if you are on vacation! BE A PARENT!!! Dont take your kids to a movie that is not age appropriate. If your gonna take kids that young to a movie, go see something that it supposed to be for their age.

* I've realized I just cant enjoy movies the way i used to; not all movies, mind you, just ones that have any amount of military use. With Adam going into the Air Force (which I am FULLY supportive of) I'm starting to see things in a whole new light. Now I know what your thinking, "Jess, They are just movies..." yes I know this but it doesnt change how i react or feel about it. I already have nightmares of Adam not coming back from duty and he hasnt even gone to basic yet. I know its only going to worse before it gets better and its all a process... Adam has wanted this for so very long that I'm sure he has had time to come to an understanding that that's just how things are but I've never seen myself as a military wife. I want him to pursue his dreams and I proudly stand by and support him but I've never had a chance to fully grasp just what this all means. I'm just now dealing with the very real possibility he might not come home some day... And it already scares the living hell out of me. I cling so much tighter to him at night and I dont think he has realized why. I silently cry in action movies thinking "that could be him...". As i said, I cant really watch movies the same because even though I'm watching CGI and special effects, all i see is him being in the air force plane that gets hit the hardest...

*enough of the heavy... I am looking forward to tomorrow. I will be making a beautiful 4th of July pie and working on some hand made decorations for My daughters room. hopefully i will remember to charge my camera so i can take some pictures of progress

Til anon

I will not apologize!

I was raised as an only child (well until my 18th birthday and my dad gave me a baby sister...) but the point is, only child!! I remember always wanting a big family. I dreamed of having 4 or 5 kids (and yes, even more).
My mother came from a family of 7 kids. It's so awesome having that many aunts and uncles not to mention all the cousins!! Family reunions were so much fun!! To this day, I still hold on to the notion of having a big family. Truth is, I'm sad that my daughter is 2 and half and she doesnt have a lil brother or sister.

There are plenty of my friends and family that either just had a baby or are currently pregnant and I do feel slightly jealous. Admittedly a bit more towards my best friend June who just had her second daughter. (did i mention she a few years younger than me) and I am happy for her  but my reasons for wanting to be pregnant and have another kid have NOTHING to do with everyone else being pregnant. I'm happily married and the sad truth is... we just cant right now...
My husband, Adam, is currently waiting to get into the Air Force. He is the Delayed Entry Program so basically, he is in unless he does something to get disqualified... and because we already have one kid, if we get pregnant BEFORE he goes to basic, he gets disqualified.

Last night we were cuddled on the couch and i mentioned how exciting it will be to be assigned to a base and try to have another kid.
"I hope thats not the only thing on your mind" was his reply...
Initially I told him it wasnt, but you know what... so what if it is! I am not going to apologize for wanting a bigger family. Yes, I love what I have  but there is no crime in wanting another baby.

So here I am. Sanding tall in saying I am NOT going to apologize for wanting this so badly. You're just gonna have to deal with the fact that I am gonna bring up baby conversations a lot. It doesnt mean there aren't other things i think about, it's just this is one that is more important to me.
til anon