Custom Mixers!

I was looking around for fun ideas for the kids on St. Patty's Day and somehow ran across a blog post where someone made Ree Drumond (The Pioneer Woman) a custom-made Kitchen-Aid Mixer! As curious as I am...I went to her page to see what all the fuss was about. Weeeell....Here it is! TOO cool! I am jealous of the ladies who won this pure baking gadget awesomeness! So I read the comments and one said,

Crystal F On Tuesday, February 22 at 7:03 pm

You can by them at:http://www.unamorecustomshoppe.com/categories/KitchenAid-Mixers/ In fact you can have one painted with your own design or one of theirs, using your own mixer or you can buy one of theirs.

Go click on that website! TOO AWESOME! Like she said, you can have your existing mixer custom painted...for $400!!!  Umm as cool as that is...I am not going to pay someone (MORE than I paid for the actual mixer) just to paint on a mixer I already have....SOO I wonder what kind of paint they are using? I will research and quite possibly paint my own mixer for the price of well, paint! Sounds like a plan to me!! :o)

Loverly Day.

Today was a fun day. I actually got out of the house with the kids! We just bought a new car LAND ROVER! so I finally can leave during the day while Chad is at work! ....and we went to TARGET! :o) We haven't been to this one since we moved to North Carolina and it was completely backwards from the one at home...well Alabama. (I have to keep reminding myself that NC is my home now...Alabama will ALWAYS be called home to me though.) Anywho, I had fun exploring. I have fun in Target anyways. It just has the coolest stuff and the cutest clothes for me and the kids. We didn't get much, but I did buy a new doormat for our house! ....Well I was going to show you a picture from the website, but I couldn't find it...BUT I found this one....and thought, "Why didn't they have this one? TOTALLY woulda gotten it!" (go ahead...click on it! You won't regret it.) SEE!? What'd I tell ya, huh? HILARIOUS, right? I know! :o) PLEASE buy this doormat and take a picture for me will ya? Would love to knock on someones door with this under my freshly pedicured toes! ;o) haha So silly. I love stuff like that.

Anyway...back to the stuff I got at wal-mart..err, Target (that tells you I go to WM too often...) I found a pink jacket on sale for $7.48! and a cute polka dot storage bin to sit on top of the dryer to put single socks in when I can't find the match as the clothes come outta the dryer...(smart, eh?) annnd some ROCKING turquoise sunshades! That's it. But we sure had FUN rummaging through their cool kitchen gadgets & wishing I had a new bed set with 25 matching throw pillows! :o)

Finally came home to make pizza for supper with Reagan while Chad was getting his gear together for tomorrows ruck march (or something...?) Chad goes to bed so early now because he has to get up so early so I am stuck hanging out (& watching Idol) by myself...Reagan went to sleep early tonight as well. I love having time to relax without someone crying and my husband (God love him) asking me where his multi-tool is....it feels nice to not feel needed for a little while and just be....

We had a fun day and now I am ready to go to sleep. OH! Army Wives premieres on Sunday!! IM STOKED!!!!! OH and BTW...I found this awesome blog and I am obsessed with her furniture.and her paintings.and her style.which I could NEVER pull off. CHECK HER OUT... Mrs. Amber Apple you won't regret it! promise. ;o)

Sweet Dreams! ;) -R

Sweet Success

I did it! I completed my very first cake. Although I had some errors It turned out pretty darn cute! I didn't beat myself up too hard about my fondant cracking or the fact that the cake was leaning slightly toward the western hemisphere! It's my first cake...I wasn't expecting perfection...well maybe just a tad bit?! I am proud of myself for accomplishing and totally

dominating the cake hurdle! I can't wait to make another one.

We had fun licking the spoons and mixer attachments! :o) Everything was relatively easy to make, the only thing I really had a problem with was my red & blue fondant. The red fondant was the first color I started to mold because I had to make a "1" and his name. Well..after getting very frustrated because I couldn't find a nice medium between too dry and too sticky I gave up on the red and just made the "1", balls, and polka dots. The bottom tier was supposed to have red stripes and I decided to omit them because the fondant was cracking and just plain getting on my nerves! So...I made it work! The blue fondant was not as temper mental as the red, and the yellow was PERFECT. I don't know what the deal was...but I vow to find out how to do it correctly without cracking! :o)

I froze my cakes a couple of days before I decorated. I had no problems with sweating or anything. I took them out of the freezer first thing the morning of decorating and let them thaw out a little bit in the plastic and then unwrapped them a couple of hours later while I made more buttercream and leveled the cake and crumb coated it.

Improvements can definitely be made...but it's my first cake...give me a break here kids! Practice makes perfect!

Cake Boss...?

I have been teaching myself how to bake and decorate cakes! (don't laugh.) And when I say"teaching myself" I mean being taught by my aunt but because we live 8.5 hours apart...It's more of teaching myself and asking her questions/youtube when I get stuck. My reason for doing this came from inspiration from my aunt because well...I'd rather you SEE why then me explain how AWESOME she is! soo here are a couple of pictures...

She is AHH-MAAAZING! My first attempt at this will be my son's 1 year birthday cake! I am so excited about doing this! I have cake freezing in my freezer right now and Buttercream hanging out in tupperware on my counter and 3 mounds of fondant sitting in my fridge. Yup! FONDANT! I am such a professional! haha I cant wait to start putting everything together and watch it form into a beautiful masterpiece such as the ones above...well hopefully.

I have had fun with my KitchenAid Mixer making my buttercream, which I think was more fun "taste-testing" than actually making it! Reagan thought so as well! (pictures to come!) I can't wait to show y'all the finished project and ALL the fun I had on the way!

non-gourmet hamburger casserole

So in my previous post I mentioned something about making hamburger casserole and how much my husband "loved" it! haha well I made it the other night and I figured I would share the recipe because, well, it really is yummy and, did I mention, SUPER easy? soo Here ya go...I hope your husbands don't have "gourmet" taste buds like mine does...

1 lb. ground beef (I use lean ground beef)

1/2 cup (or more) your choice BBQ sauce

1 16 oz. can baked beans

biscuits*

cheese...lots and lots of cheeeese!

(*Biscuits can be pre-made frozen that you've thawed out or from a can or you make them out of Bisquick mix-just follow directions on the box)

Preheat oven to 425. Brown your meat in a skillet, drain.

Pour in your BBQ sauce and baked beans and stir until it begins to do bubbly things.

Pour it into a 2 qt. casserole dish and arrange biscuits on top of mixture. I line the outside of the dish with them making a circle and if you have any biscuits remaining you can put some in the middle of your Circle O' Biscuits! Place your casserole in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes, until biscuits are pretty and golden colored. MMM...This makes me hungry thinking about it! :o) When your oven timer starts beeping...pull it out and pour 5 lbs of cheese on top...no J-K! haha maybe 1 cup or soo...however much your heart so desires! put back in the oven for about 3 minutes so the cheese is melty and goooey! After the end of that 3 minutes, take it out and cool...or not...and ENJOY it with a huge glass of sweet tea- no lemon! :o)

ZUMBAAAA!

I began working out with Zumba yesterday. I am thoroughly impressed so far! I have been doing some yoga and that’s been fun, but I decided to step it up a bit. Whew boy! What a HUGE step it’s been!

I was watching TV one day and saw an infomercial for Zumba. (I had never heard of it or even knew that they had actual classes in town that were available to go to.) So….I had a wild hair and I dialed the number! (I have never ordered ANYTHING from an infomercial before so this was pretty exciting! Haha) I received my colorful, rectangular Zumba package in the mail one day while I was in North Carolina visiting the hubby so I was super excited to get home and rip it open and start Zumba-ing…yeah.

My laziness kicked in, as usual. I opened the box and looked through all of it but neglected to put the stinkin’ DVD in the DVD player! I started doing Yoga instead… The Zumba package comes with like 25 different DVDs (not really 25 it’s like 5), all with different work outs. So one day I finally stuck in the one that says “Basics and 20 minute Express”. I began the “Basics” portion and it takes you through a step-by-step breakdown of all the steps….yeah…not into that! So I took it out and boxed it back up and stuck in the corner…haha I know…

Well fast forward to today and then rewind to yesterday! (ha) I got another wild hair and thought, “let’s just DO IT!” So, I put in the DVD that says “Sculpt and Tone”. I figured, I was a cheerleader for 12 years, for Heaven’s sake! I can catch on to the moves without the step-by-step breakdown!”….and I DID!! It was sooo much fun and such an incredibly intense work out! The best thing about Zumba is that you’re dancing the whole time so you don’t feel like you are actually working out...well, except for the buckets of sweat dripping from your face, neck, back…and every other body part!

As you’re working out it takes you through different styles of dance

• Cumbia

· Merengue

· Reagaeton/Hip-Hop

· Samba

· Salsa

· Calypso

I think that’s it, but I might be missing one or two styles. Anyways, you go through each style one at a time so it makes it go by fast! And once I saw the screen that says “Cool Down” I was like…”wait, I just started”…but then thought “Thank God!” haha I felt completely rejuvenated afterwards and this morning woke up excited about NAP TIME so I could do some Zumba booty shaking!

If you are looking for a fun way to work out besides the usual aerobics and weight lifting or what nots that you do at the Y…or wherever…, I URGE you to either buy the DVDs and do it in your own home (during nap time is when I do it….I mean really, WHEN ELSE would I have time!?) or find a gym who’s hosting it! I know it’s fun in my living room so I’m almost positive it’s a blast in a gym!

www.Zumba.com

From Housewife to Chef

I am normally not the "chef" of our family, that's my husband's job. After we got married all of my images of me with my apron on, standing in front of a stove while my husband sits on the couch watching "Futbol" (SOCCER!...his preference...NOT mine. Just to make that clear) all went out the window! He enjoys cooking for his family, and frankly I don't mind either! When we were first married it was him with his apron on standing in front of the stove and me sitting on the couch watching FOOTBALL (SEC...Alabama...Roll Tide! I think you get the picture here!).

Now...2 years later I have been forced into the kitchen. Thank you, U.S. Army. I really do enjoy cooking and lately I have surprised myself AND my family. I think my husband underestimated me and my hamburger casserole that I made once and he told me liked it...which, I found out later he didn't. (NICE honey, real niiice!) It really is yummy, I swear! It's just a simple dish and doesn't take too much time to make...which is probably why he didn't like it. You see, when my husband cooks a meal he starts at 5pm...we sit down to eat at around 11pm! That's NOT an exaggeration people! (ASK HIS MOTHER! haha) God love him! His food is reallly yummy and definitely worth the wait...don't get me wrong...but HEAVENS,MAN! I can't wait 6 hours to eat supper!

Plus, I was raised on "throw it in the oven" meals. (wasn't I mom?)

So recently, since I have been forced into my apron, I have made a plethora of meals for me and our children and even my husband when he's home! I actually bought some recipe books (Budget saving meals and The Pioneer Woman's Cookbook! to name a couple) They have been amazing.

Tonight, I made a recipe off of the back of my Bisquick Box!! Ultimate Chicken Fingers...so good! And not fried! It calls for paprika, but I subbed it for Montreal Chicken seasoning because I didn't have paprika. I paired it with some Mushroom Rice (I originally typed Muchroom...ha! it's late guys...give me a break) and it was really scrumptious to say the least! Anyway..here's the recipe for my supper this evening....

Ultimate Chicken Fingers

-Boneless/Skinless Chicken breast/tenders (I used a package of about 8!?)

- 2/3 Cup Original Bisquick Mix

-1/2 Cup grated Parmesan Cheese

-1/2 tsp. salt or garlic salt (I used reg. salt)

-1/2 tsp. paprika (I used Montreal Chicken seasoning *MCS)

-1 egg, slightly beaten

-3Tbsp. butter or margarine, melted

Directions:

HEAT oven to 450. Line cookie sheet with foil; spray with cooking spray. In 1 gallon resealable plastic bag, mix Bisquick mix, cheese, salt, and paprika (*MCS)

DIP half of the chicken into the egg; place in bag. Seal bag (very important!) and shake to coat chicken. Place chicken on cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining chicken. Drizzle butter over chicken.

BAKE 12-14 minutes, turning halfway through bake time, until no longer pink in center.

ENJOY! :o) We sure did....oh! and for the rice...I just bought one of those Rice Side dish packages in the grocery store....soo yummy and soo fast! Reagan loved the chicken! and because it wasn't fried and I used organic chicken tenders it made it even better! :o)