SuperCook...Check It Out

Ok...I found this phenomenal recipe website. Its called SuperCook. I posted the link below in my link section but here it is as well supercook.

On here you input the ingredients you have in your house and it will locate recipes which use those ingredients. This is great if you are like myself and have to stretch every dollar. (Bri, I thought you might like it for recipe planning or for stretching those groceries out on that 3rd week) On weeks when you are running low on groceries and can't think of anything to cook, you can input the items you have and come up with something to cook. It will also tell you if you need something you didn't input. For instance, I input ground beef, cream of mushroom, and butter and was given 3 recipes which used only those ingredients (some or all of them). One recipe was for creamy sloppy joes.

The best parts about the site is you can create your own recipe album and add those that you like to it. The other best part is it gives you the complete nutritional value, just like you would find on a box of crackers. This makes it super easy to eat healthy. This is a great site and I highly recommend it to all.

New Housewife and Mini Meatloafs

Ok...It's official. I have become a housewife. Ok, I still work and go to school, but on my days off, I am a housewife. I LOVE IT. Uh-oh I think I'm in trouble. I never wanted to be a housewife, but I love my husband and LOVE making a home for him.

Today, I baked a cake. A HONEYBUN Cake and it is delicious. I washed 3 loads of laundry, dried them, and folded them. I dusted my whole house. I washed dishes and picked up the junk...ok alright, my room is still messy, but hey that's why its our bedroom, no one is supposed to see it ;-) LOL On top of this, I am marinating chicken breasts to make teriyaki chicken with rice and just took mini-meatloafs out of the oven. Oh and did I mention I even slept in til about 10 am.

Here is the recipe for the meatloafs:

1lb ground beef/turkey (I use turkey)
1/2 cup Dale's seasoning
1/2 box stuffing mix
1 tablespoon Heinz 57 sauce
1/2 package (more or less by your own taste) shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 12 cup muffin pan with cooking spray. Mix the first 3 ingredients together. Fill each up on the pan 1/2 to 2/3 full of meat mixture. Once filled, brush Heinz 57 over tops of meat mixture. Bake for 40-45 minutes. Remove and top with shredded cheese. Replace in oven and cook for additional 5 minutes. Let cool and then remove from muffin pan.

I am so enjoying being a housewife (on my days off). I used to couldn't understand for the life of me why any woman would want to stay at home day in and day out and cook and clean. It was a mystery beyond my comprehension, but I had the epiphany today that gave me insight. Its fun and extremely rewarding. I have always had great respect for women who were stay at home moms and wives, and now they have my envy as well because it can be a truly fulfilling way of life, this I learned today. So I say again, my hat is off to all of those women.

Life, and the Pursuit of it

Ok. I returned from my short, need I say very short, weekend trip to Tennessee. Let's face it. If I didn't live in SC, I would be a Tennessean in a heartbeat! I love that state. Memphis, Nashville, Pigeon Forge...the list continues. Rob and I went up with my mom and her best friend Mimi, and of course our two doggies because we do not kennel them or leave them with anyone. It's sort of inconvenient,although worth it since I love 'em so much, because we can't always take them so either mom or Rob stays home depending on the nature of the trip, but I digress.



Back to the weekend. I worked until mid-afternoon Saturday and then we took off. It takes about 3 hours total and this trip was no different. We've made it in less, but don't tell the cops ;-). We piddle around in TN as it rains ALL weekend off and on. We shop, and I must insert here and Bri will know what I mean, my mom is too good to me. She always babies me, but that's ok since it was just the two of us for so long, because I baby her too as I give in to a lot with her. Again, I digressed....we ate, we joked, we slept (not as much as I prefer, but then I swear I was a bear in a past life because I like to hibernate), etc. We had such a good time doing not a darn thing other than goofing off. I realize now more than ever that this is where the goodness of life lies. In the goofing off. You don't have to have tons of money or excessive beauty or lots of possessions or anything, other than good friends and family who you can laugh at or with (depending on the circumstances).



In fact, the funniest thing I have ever done to my husband was from this weekend. I decided I needed some toe nail polish so I painted my toes with my favorite bright red polish one night while we were watching some tv in TN. I raked the brush across my husband's big toe. He never moved, so I looked up to see that he was totally and completely engrossed in the movie. A little while later, I did it again and discovered the same thing so I wink at my mom and lean down pretending to continue painting mine, but I paint all of the toes on his left foot. I started snorting as I tried to hold in the laughter (very ladylike I know but it was just too darn funny). I look at my mom who still hadn't quite figured out why I winked and she looks down and almost fell off of the couch. We both start laughing, then Mimi sees it and starts too. My husband, God I love him, is completely oblivious. He's like what's so funny. I just continue laughing, by this point, I am crying with laughter. I manage to gasp out that he should look at his foot. He holds it up and being my wonderful loving husband, he starts laughing and says that's not really my color. It was so funny, so much in fact that I included a picture.





As you can see, we had fun. (Red really isn't good for his toes, he found out how hard it was to remove the color completely the next morning) Rob and I didn't have a lot of money to spend this weekend. In fact, we had food money and very little free spending money. We were fine with this. We had a great little mini vacation and did nothing important other than spend time with one another. This to me is what life is about. Enjoying the living of it. So I don't know about everyone else, but as for me, I plan to pursue life and enjoy it because it is much too short and holds too much fun and blessings for me to pass up. Enjoy!

Love List

Ok, so I have like a list of things that I have realized today I absolutely LOVE. Here goes.

1. Woman's Day magazine (see my link at the bottom of the page) - they offer uplifting advice, money saving tips, and wonderful recipes. I receive the magazine in the mail, but their website is just as good. They also offer a free $25 to anyone who opens an online savings account with ING Direct. Who can beat that? As the old saying goes, if it's free it's for me!

2. Dirty Dancing (the movie) - ok Jennifer Gray is a bit corny, but it just sends chills down my spine when Patrick Swayze says "Nobody puts Baby in a corner". OHHH! How romantic and sexy.

3. Rereading novels I am absolutely familiar with. Ok so I can probably recite many of the scenes, but they are still as good the second, third, fourth, nineteenth time around.

4. Summer vacation - no school, freedom to goof off, fun straw purses and hats, need I go on?

5. My mommy's macaroni and cheese - let me just say that NO one can make it like my momma. She gets just enough cheese in there. Ok so I will probably have clogged arteries by the time I'm 30 from all the butter and cheese, but let's face it...it's worth it totally! OMG it is so super yummy!

6. Friend time - my hubby and I have gotten lots of invitations to lots of fun stuff this summer already. I can't wait for all my times out. Fun Fun Fun

7. Wine - any kind, just about, from white to blush to merlot. all are yummy and I am desperately in need of restocking my cabinet and I so need to get to Biltmore to get their Spring Festival wine. It was great last year so I'm sure it is this year too.

8. Golden Girls - YES I am a serious addict, to the point that I own the first three seasons on DVD and would own all of them if I could afford it. It doesn't matter how bad my day is, I can come home, watch them and all is right with my world. Who could help but laugh at a tramp, an airhead, a bossy woman, and in Dorothy's words about Sophia a "little sea monkey"?

9. Rocking out as I drive down the road (trying not to speed) - I mean what is better than cranking up the stereo, putting the windown down, and having the wind blow in your hair. Dierks Bentley, AC/DC, Def Leppard, Montgomery Gentry, etc. Oh it's wonderful to end a day like this.

10. Finally, but not last or least something I think is so true, "God is great, Beer is good, and People are crazy". This is a country song by Billy Currington and just awesome because folks, believe it or not, GOD IS GREAT. He answers our prayers and loves us unconditionally. He forgives us and allows us to live this wonderful live everyday. Beer is good if you have an acquired taste for it. I like it but am picky about what kind it is. And PEOPLE are crazy :-) Being crazy isn't necessarily bad, maybe you are just crazy about life, or your family, or your job. At any rate, this song is wonderfully true.

These are the 10 things that I realized today I absolutely love. Here's a quest, see if you can think of 10 off the wall things you love (other than family, pets, and friends). Bet you can, and you will definitely smile as you think of them.

Westerns, Love Stories, and Cold Weather

Today has been a quite frigid day for the middle of May. Usually here in the South, we deal with drought and humidity round about this time of the year. Or at least the beginnings of them. I woke up this morning and smelled bacon frying. My wonderful husband had gotten up before me (I love to sleep and today was NO exception) and was frying bacon. It smelled wonderful. I was burrowed down in my bed with my covers all around me and my Pug (Buckley). My hubby, Robert, comes in and lovingly tells me breakfast is ready. I got up and took my breakfast out on our front porch to admire the beautiful morning creation. And folks let me tell you something, it was COLD. The wind was up and it was quite brisk. I immediately took myself back inside and changed into my fleece pants and long sleeve shirt. Then I finished breakfast.

My husband and I have been married for a little over a year now, and things are better than I could have ever imagined. We have had our issues as any married couple has, but we love one another so much. I am so blessed to have him for my husband, and I can only pray he feels as blessed as I do. We enjoy doing many things together and separate. One of our favorite things to do together is watch movies. We like all kinds, except I detest with a capital "d" horror films. I can't stand anything that scares me so badly I can't sleep.

We both are into westerns. I love the ones that come on Hallmark channel. He likes any and all westerns. To him, John Wayne is the epitome of bad-assness! lol. I am especially addicted to the western love stories which are adapted from the books of Janette Oke. (Just an FYI, if you are interested in buying any books at a cheaper price, go to the bottom of my page and click on the ALIBRIS link) I think that is her first name. It is called the love series. It has Dale Midkiff in them and the first one has Katherine Heigl. There are probably 7-9 of these movies and all of them are about finding love in the west and learning to grow in the Christian faith. These are great wholesome movies, and I just love how the characters continue to love and trust God even though they have hard times to deal with. It helps strengthen me when I feel down and alone. Well thats about all I have for my thoughts today.

Carrot Cake

4 - eggs
1 1/2 c - vegetable oil
2 1/4 c - sugar
2 1/4 c - all purpose flour
2 tsp - baking soda
2 tsp - baking powder
1/2 tsp - salt
2 tsp - ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp - ground cloves
1/2 tsp - ground nutmeg
3 1/4 c - finely chopped carrots
1/2 c - chopped walnuts
1 c - well drained crushed pineapple

Preheat over to 350 degrees. Line bottom of pans (3 - 8in or 2 - 9in) with parchment paper.

Beat eggs and oil for 2 minutes on medium speed. Add 1 cup of sugar, mix for 2 minutes. Add remaining sugar & mix for 3-4 minutes. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. Add to egg mixture beating on low speed until blended. Add carrots, walnuts, and pineapple. Mix until well combined.

Divide batter into pans and bake for 60 minutes or until toothpick comes clean. Cool cakes to room temperature, wrap in plastic wrap or tin foil, and refrigerate overnight.

Next day, ice cake with white chocolate cream cheese icing (see post). OPTIONAL: Chop extra walnuts and place around cake in icing.

NOTE: If you do not have parchment paper, spray pans with PAM, but be careful when removing cakes from pans. The pineapple causes the cakes to want to stick to the very bottom of the pan.

White Chocolate Cream Cheese Icing (way better than regular Cream Cheese)

3 - 8 oz packages of cream cheese (room temp)
2 - 12 oz packages of Toll House white chocolate morsels
3/4 cup - unsalted butter (room temp)
2 tsp - grated lemon rind

Beat cream cheese on medium speed with a mixer until smooth. Melt chocolate, then mix with cream cheese. Add butter a little at a time. Add lemon rind and beat until smooth.

Tip: If icing is too runny to stay on cake, due to the chocolate being warm, place in fridge for 10 mins until cool.

Introduction

This is my first time blogging online. I am quite used to technology, but had quit using it for fun. Recently my friend Bri introduced me to Facebook and suffice it to say, I am addicted. I am also addicted to my Blackberry, i.e. Crackberry. I can't go anywhere without it except to church services. I even take it to choir practice and church meetings, but I draw the line at preaching. My phone was recently a source of contention between my district manager and myself. Needless to say, it is still on at work and that is not going to change. As you can tell, I ramble and ramble from one subject to the next. My name is Brooke and I am sort of scatterbrained. I often joke that if I were a kid in school today, I would have medicine forced down my throat for ADHD. lol. Either that or OCD (obsessive-compulsive). I am pretty particular about certain things such as my flower gardens, my lawn maintenance, and home decor. These are my three favorite hobbies next to reading. Which I guess is pretty good since my yard is two acres, with multiple flower beds, and I am a late in life (27 yrs old) Secondary English Education major in college. Speaking of which...thank you sweet Lord that I am out for the summer and will begin my last year this August.