Welcome Home!

I would like to officially tell all of you out there that the Mister and I have purchased our first home! We are completely thrilled with it and are in shock and awe that the Lord picked out this exact house for us. Seriously, we were not planning on purchasing until next spring at the earliest, but this house fell into our laps. After much prayer, we put in an offer and it was accepted! Isn't she beautiful? I can't wait to move in and to "show you all around".

A huge plus of our new home is that we get to pick out all of our own appliances. We are on the hunt for some good ones and after talking to some seasoned people, we still are not a whole lot closer to making a decision-- and we need to be! So, dear friends, I need your help. I am counting on you to bombard me with information. I am going to make you a list so you can answer them by number, if you want. That is my compulsiveness shining right on through.

1. If you have a front loading washer, how have you enjoyed it? Ty had heard from a friend that they have to wipe theirs down on the inside after every wash to insure that it doesn't mold. That is not okay with me. What are the pros and cons to having a front loading both washer and dryer? (Our laundry room is on the first floor and there is a door that we can close when it is running.)

2. We are pretty well set on stainless steel Whirlpool appliances. If you have any Whirlpool appliances (stainless or not), again, what are the pros and cons? We are going to be purchasing a fridge, dishwasher, microwave, and stove. (It has to be an electric stove.)

3. I know that stainless steel shows fingerprints, but again, we are pretty well set. What do you use to clean your stainless steel? I use Method Stainless Steel cleaner for my sink here and I love it, but if you have any other opinions, I would love to hear! FYI, I love Method products. They are all natural and I use them (along with cleaners I make myself) in my house. You can buy them at Target and Biggs, along with some other places. I highly recommend them.

I think that's all for now, but then again, it is 10:42 pm and it is a proven fact that my brain shuts down at 9:36 pm every night. I think it's safe to say that Ty is the same way considering he is passed out on the loveseat. Bless his heart. It's time for bed.

Thanks in advance!

I love food and children... in that order.

Apparently I have no brain left because all I can possibly think to blog about is children and food. Lord, have mercy upon my child and cuisine obsessed soul. Amen.

A few nuggets to chew on (pun completely intended)...

1. Yesterday, I received a hand drawn picture from a student. Nothing brings a teacher of small children more joy than a beautiful picture presented to her of dead stick figures lying in a pile. The explanation? "Never jump on a trampoline with two landmines and a grenade." Okay, then. Boy children are the most hilarious children. Ever.

2. I am going to cook a scrumptious feast tonight because I can. No school tomorrow, or the next day, or the next day. Happy Labor Day weekend which I actually keep calling Memorial Day weekend because I have lost my mind to third grade children and food. On the menu for tonight...

Oven Roasted Ribs

Potato Bundles

Caesar Salad

Individual Raspberry Cobblers

All glory and honor goes to The Pioneer Woman for these amazing and life changing recipes (and photos!). If you don't follow her blog, do yourself a favor and start. It will make your world a better place.

Also, please stop salivating on your computer keyboard. It will ruin it. Trust me, I know. And if you've been invited over for dinner tonight, congratulations. I hope it lives up to your expectations. Ree's recipes usually always do.

Happy Memorial Labor Day!

Yum.

I just wanted y'all to know that we will be having this for dinner.

And we will be enjoying it. Delish.

Oh, and if you're wondering, I will be posting something substantial and not about food in the next week or year, but right now with school starting, I am just so dang-blasted tired every night after being with 15 third graders everyday. Mamaw needs her sleep and has been hitting the hay around 9:30 each night. It's good to be old.

Have a wonderful day. And eat a meatball sandwich.

Great Deal!

I love magazines.

No, I really love magazines.

One of my absolute favorites is Southern Living. Even the website is amazing. I love getting cooking and decorating ideas from it and it is just an all-around great read. However, in the interest of the family budget, I usually just check it out at the library and copy anything I feel I might really need.

Friends, my days of checking out Southern Living are over. I am now a full blown subscriber for the next year. I am also a new subscriber to Country Living as well! Now, I know Tyler is you are asking, "Rachel, WHAT HAPPENED TO THE FAMILY BUDGET?!?!"

Dear ones. Please. I only spent $10 total on these two magazines for the next year.

If you go here, you can get the same deal! It will be $10 upon checkout even though Country Living is listed as $10 itself. Thanks for the tip, Le!

Tasty McTastyness

I don't think it's a secret that I love to eat. I love to cook, bake, look at recipes, cookbooks, pictures of food, food reviews, etc. It is a great wonder that I do not weigh 400 pounds although I could be well on my way if I'm not careful. I was one of those babies who would start to shake with joy when it was time to eat. I may or may not still do that.

Let us move on.

I find great pleasure in going out to eat. I can usually find something to be excited about at a restaurant. During the school year, my coworkers and I will sometimes go to eat at Olive Garden as it is right across the street. My family never went to Olive Garden while I was growing up so I like going now. I do happen to realize that OG does not serve authentic Italian food but that doesn't mean I can't like it!

As much as I love going out to eat, we are trying to save some cash around here, so when I was thinking about one of my favorite OG meals tonight, I thought that I might search the Internets for the recipe. And my word, did I score on this one. I actually found THE RECIPE on the Olive Garden website! I also have the recipes for the salad, salad dressing, and breadsticks from my Food Network magazine.

So all that to say, we are going to have an Olive Garden feast here soon. I would now like to share with you the recipe for my favorite OG dish. I will let you know how it comes out and if I get it all together one of these days, I will type out the salad and breadsticks recipes for you all. That's cause I love you so much. Oh, and if you happen to think this is low calorie, look elsewhere, my friends. Look elsewhere.

Enjoy!

Chicken and Gnocchi Veronese

Ingredients
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 small Vidalia onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, sliced (julienned)
½ zucchini, sliced, (julienned)
Salt to taste
4 chicken breasts, sliced in ½” strips
2 small branches rosemary
1 garlic clove, minced
Juice of ½ lemon

Veronese Sauce
1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
½ cup ricotta cheese
14 fl oz heavy cream


Chicken and Sauce

1. COMBINE garlic, lemon juice, rosemary and chicken slices in a mixing bowl. Let marinate for at least 2 hours.
   
2. COMBINE Parmesan cheese, ricotta cheese and heavy cream in a mixing bowl and set aside.
   
3. HEAT sauté pan on medium high. Add extra virgin olive oil, onions, bell peppers, and zucchini. Saute until onions are translucent (do not brown).
   
4. ADD marinated chicken slices and cook until slices are brown on all sides and internal temperature is 165°F. Reduce heat and add sauce mixture. Bring to a simmer.
   
5. DRAIN cooked gnocchi and add to pan with chicken, vegetables and sauce. Stir to coat gnocchi with sauce.
   
6. SERVE gnocchi topped with extra Parmesan cheese.

**I do not make my own gnocchi. I get the kind that it vacuum sealed as it is fresh and much easier than making your own. I also get the whole grain gnocchi that is made with sweet potatoes for a healthier option. If you would like the instructions to make your own gnocchi, you can click here for the full version of the recipe.

The Blind Side

Today, I saw a Tweet that Krysta wrote. She included a link and something about crying while watching a movie trailer. Well, I happen to think that she has great taste so I was very curious to see what this whole crying business was all about.

Y'all, I cried all my makeup right off of my face.

I am a sucker for a great movie. I am an even bigger sucker for a great movie that is based on a true story. And HAVE MERCY, is this a great true story.

I would give you a little summary, but I think it would be better for you to join me for a boat ride in The River of Tears and watch the trailer before you go any further.



DID YOU NOT HEAR ME SAY HAVE MERCY A MOMENT AGO? Can I get an amen? If you can watch that without crying, you may have to check to see if you're a robot.

It is based on a book that I think is mostly comparing Michael's story to a football move. Now, I know nothing about football, but I am definitely going to try and read this book before seeing the movie. I just put it on hold at the library, as a matter of fact. Although one of my pet peeves is when I read a fabulous book and the movie does it horrible, terrible justice... cough, MY SISTERS KEEPER, cough.

I don't think we're going to have a problem with this movie, folks. I just don't see that happening. After all, it stars my girl, Sandra Bullock, and I've never had an issue with her.

Have a great night and let me know if you've read this book!

Today.

24 years ago, today, I was born!

2 years ago, today, I married my best friend!

All in all, I would say that August 4 has always been good to me. :)