It's March already????

I love this picture of Tiggie

I feel like I'm constantly apologizing for not keeping up more with this blog. I've been so busy lately with so many different (FUN!) things... it's crazy!

About mid-January I took over the Brigade FRG Leader position. I have not had the opportunity yet to be an FRG leader and I was excited to experience this. So far it's been wonderful! Lots of meetings. Lots of learning. But seriously lots of fun! I have a wonderful co-leader and together we are changing the world! :) Well...maybe just the FRG. But that's still a great accomplishment! I've loved meeting new people during my short time as leader already and I know it's only going to get better.

It's been snowing a lot here lately which I was excited about. Last year in Leavenworth, we kept hearing about how much snow they had gotten the year before and how they were snowed in for days, etc. So when we had...oh, maybe two okay snows, I was slightly disappointed. And then this year, of course, they have gotten a ton of snow. I was beginning to think it was because of me. I like the snow here though because it melts fairly quickly. But the absolute best is when it's snowy and you look out towards the mountains, it's just breathtaking. 

So I was super excited to share a craft that I did for my BFF Steph Steph for her birthday/Valentine's Day...but I couldn't share until she got it! It would ruin the surprise! Now I can though! Yay! Ready? Boom. BFF Mugs. Yea. Pretty snazzy, right? I initially was going to do Texas and Georgia (since Colorado is a really boring looking state...sorry..and GA is her home state! So I thought I'd do my home state), but Matt talked me into doing the states that she and I were in at the moment. I did feel bad sending her a square state mug, but it's not totally square. Only slightly.

This was a pretty easy project. I printed out the states and made sure they fit nicely onto the mugs. I then located the cities where we were located for the hearts (yay for being a Geography minor haha)!

I used double sided tape to tape the image down to the mug. I initially used eyeliner to trace around the image, so I could smudge it away if I made a mistake. But I don't think I'd do that again. It clumped in some areas which caused frustration. :)

After the image was traced, I removed the paper and filled it in thicker with my Sharpie.

...and drew the line a little thicker. Then my OCD kicked in and I had to make myself stop and put the Sharpie down. But I had to pick up the red Sharpie and draw the hearts...where I proceeded to make sure that they were as dark as possible. :) It never ends.

And even though they are not geographically correct, I drew some connecting lines to our cities! We will just say the line went westward across the Pacific and all the way through Asia then Europe then back across the pond (and down a bit) to Georgia. It was a long trip, but worth it! :)




The back looked sad, so I wrote this cute little saying on it. Then I wrote our names on the handle. And finally it was time for the oven!






Don't stare too hard in case my oven is dirty. The house is about to get a huge spring cleaning (and yes Matthew, I am asking for your help). Just focus on the mugs...sitting pretty in the oven. I baked them for about 45 minutes in a 325/350 degree oven to seal in the Sharpie. Of course they need to be hand washed, but if they happen to make it into the dish washer, the process is so easy I can do it over again! Pretty neat, huh? I like the white, but I am also curious about doing colored mugs!!

Want a recipe that's awesome?? Good. I'm about to tell you. I was SO EXCITED to share this recipe that I forgot to put it on my blog. Haha...just kidding. I got busy. But better late than never!!! On Tuesday nights now, since I have class, I've been trying to make sure that I choose either a crock pot recipe or a casserole. Something easy for Matt to just heat up and eat. He works so hard during the day and I think he deserves to come home and not have to deal with making anything. That way he can get to his Call of Duty game faster! ;-) So in my quest to make one meatless dinner a week, I came across this little gem....

SPINACH AND RICOTTA STUFFED SHELLS
Serves 6 (hello leftovers)

Ingredients:  

2 cups marinara *
Cooking spray 
2 1/2 cups part-skim ricotta cheese 
1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese 
1/2 teaspoon onion powder 
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano 
1/4 teaspoon salt 
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry 
1 large egg yolk 
1 garlic clove, minced  
24 cooked jumbo pasta shells *

Notes: I used our favorite store bought pasta sauce instead of the marinara sauce suggested. I also did not count out 24 pasta shells. I used the box. Maybe there were 24...maybe not? :) 

Preheat that oven to 350. 

Cook your pasta shells! And beware the shell. Some of them were hiding within each other from me. I'm not scary. So I don't see the problem. 

While the shells were boiling, I threw together the super easy filling! It's the ricotta, Parm, onion powder, dried oregano, salt, pepper, thawed (and drained) chopped spinach {I used the Green Giant one...where you just nuke it for 6 minutes in the microwave and then drain it}, egg yolk, and GARLIC! I'm a little confused because this picture kind of looks like there's parsley in there instead of spinach. I know I used spinach...I can not, however, be certain that I may have added some parsley. Can't hurt! As you can see I used my little hand held mixer to mix everything together! 

Then...the best part. Filling the shells! How can this be fun, you ask? Because look what I used! I know I have pastry bags somewhere, but I couldn't think WHERE so I used a gallon zip lock bag, cut off a bit at the tip there and squeezed the filling into the shells. 

I timed myself, for your benefit of course. Because the directions on the site say to spoon about 2 tablespoons of the mixer into each shell. Do you know how long that would take?? I don't either...because I didn't do it. It took me....3 minutes. No joke. I wasn't even rushing. I was taking my time. So, if you make this...the squeezy method is the way to go! :) 


I then poured the sauce over the shells...added some cheese on top. Popped it in the oven and let it bake for 30 minutes. 

Finished product. Um...hello. How could you not want to eat that? And at 329 calories a serving (which by the way is 4 stuffed shells and they most certainly fill you up), what could be better?? I did not get to eat them on Tuesday night because of class (I have yet to figure that out as far as dinner on Tuesdays for myself. So far it's been an apple and crackers...), BUT when we had leftovers during the weekend talk about YUM! Definitely saving this recipe and making it again!! 
 
Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Shells

What other things have we had for dinner lately? Here's a little list: 

Pineapple Teriyaki Salmon
Quick Pastitsio
Chicken Bruschetta  
Chicken Orzo Skillet Dinner 
Smoked Sausage Cassoulet (this is awesome and HAS BACON!) 


And lastly, because this recipe was amazing and got rave reviews from Matt, I would like to share it with you as well!

CAJUN CHICKEN PASTA...ON THE LIGHTER SIDE
Serves 6 (it says 5..but I think it could definitely serve 6)

Ingredients:

8 ounces uncooked linguine
1 pound chicken breast strips
1-2 tsp Cajun seasoning (or to taste) *
garlic powder to taste
1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 medium yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced*
8 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced
1/2 red onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium tomatoes, diced
1 cup fat free low sodium chicken broth
1/3 cup skim milk
1 tbsp flour
3 tbsp light cream cheese
fresh cracked pepper
2 scallions, chopped
salt to taste
cooking spray

Notes: I used Creole seasoning. Partly because that's what I had and after hearing Matt go on and on about it, I would use it again. It says to taste. Which means you could have no clue how much you put on the chicken (which is my case) or you can follow the directions. All I know is that it wasn't really spicy. It was kind of a hint of spice after I was done cooking it. And I may or may not have put a pound of the seasoning on there. :) Also, I used a green bell pepper instead of yellow. I don't like bland colors. I wanted to have that pop of color that the green bell pepper could give me. It's preference!

Once the chopping of all the veggies is done, the dish comes together super fast. I know I say that a lot, but it's true. The chopping is time consuming sometimes.  So here are all the veggies chopped! :) I think they look pretty.

The next is to make a "slurry." I'm not sure of this terminology, but basically you take your cream cheese, milk, and flour and using a hand mixer, blend everything together until smooth! Set that aside.

Season your chicken! With however much (or little) you want! I actually used garlic salt and the Creole seasoning since I currently do not have garlic powder. But you need salt anyways! So I just omitted the salt from the seasoning of the chicken.





Start cooking your pasta and while you wait, heat a skillet on medium high heat. Spray with your cooking spray and add your chicken. Cook for about 6-8 minutes or until done. When your chicken is done, take it out of the skillet and set it aside. I made it a little cozy tent with foil to keep warm. Then add your olive oil to the skillet and saute your veggies starting with the garlic, bell peppers, and onion...until tender.


Then add your mushrooms and tomatoes and saute everything until tender. Add 1/4 tsp salt (or a few shake of garlic salt in my case), garlic powder (once again...I used garlic salt instead of salt and garlic powder), and your cracked pepper. Reduce the heat to medium low and add your chicken broth along with your "slurry" and stir continuously for 2 minutes. It should thicken up! Add your chicken back in and cook together for a few more minutes.

Combine your linguine and veggies/chicken/yummy sauce. I put it in a 13x9 pan because all of it would not fit in my skillet without making a huge mess. Top with the green onions and serve!!! Total calories per serving is 323.8 and you get a cup and a half to eat! Which was quite a bit for me to eat. Super tasty and creamy!! I encourage you to try it for real!!!

Cajun Chicken Pasta on the Lighter Side


Okay, well I think I've done enough damage on this post for you. I hope you enjoyed yourself and my goal is to have more than one post a month haha!! I expect you to hold me to that! :)