Slow Cooker Sunday: Will someone please make this and let me know how it tastes?

Due to unforeseen circumstances and poor planning, we ate Subway instead of the recipe that Brooklyn chose for tonight. We plan on making this Thursday, but if anyone wants to give it a go before then, you can just let me know how it turns out. :-) I've made a crock pot mac and cheese before, but that one included eggs, so it was more like a casserole. I'm anxious to see how this one turns out.

Crock Pot Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients:
1 box (16 oz) elbow macaroni noodles
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 cups shredded sharp chedder cheese
1 can (13 oz) evaporated milk
1 1/2 cups of milk
1/2 cup of butter, melted
1 teaspoon of salt

Directions:
1. Cook macaroni in boiling salted water, following package directions. Drain well.
2. Grease bottoms and sides of crock pot well.
3. Toss in hot macaroni and vegetable oil and then add all other remaining ingredients.
4. Stir gently to combine; Cover and cook on low 3-4 hours.

Backing up a bit....Trip to the Dairy Farm

Two weeks ago, I went on Brooklyn's class field trip to the Dairy Farm in Julian, NC. It actually was a lot of fun..and super interesting.

And kinda smelly in some places...

We saw pregnant cows...

And went on a hayride...

And stuck our heads in holes...

And practiced milking a cow...

And gave a baby calf a bottle...

And spent time with friends...

And saw tons of new things!

It was a great morning at Homeland Creamery!

Brooklyn's Stage Debut

If you know Brooklyn at all you know this was a HUGE deal. After 3 failed pre-school Christmas shows and getting a big fat negative from her on the church kids choir, my daughter finally decided to show the world (well, her school) what she could do.

A lot of build up for a short video where she is by no means the star of the show, but the mere fact that she is standing up there and shed not one tear is huge.

And my battery decides to die right at the end of the song. I apologize for the shaky camera work but when I saw that light flashing I tried to search for new batteries while continuing to film.

And no, I didn't have spare batteries so this was the only proof I collected that morning.

But it's ingrained in my memory forever. :-)

Way Back When-esday

Around here, we are having days in the mid to upper 90's. So, for today's Way Back When-esday, I decided to look back at some pictures of warm summer June days in years past...

2005:
2006:

2007:

2008:

2009:

2010:

(Poor Jake...Brooklyn just loves him soooooooo much!)

Slow Cooker Sunday: The Slacker Post

Not that I think you guys are waiting on baited breath to see what's coming out of the Johnson Slow Cooker each Sunday night, but I do kinda feel like I forgot to turn in my homework when I forget to make a Slow Cooker Sunday post.

This weekend, I did a repeat of a popular dish- Sweet Baby Ray's Ribs. And again, it did not disappoint!

I'll try to be more creative next weekend. :-)

I'm feeling the love, y'all!

So, what a nice surprise when I logged in to facebook today and saw this announcement in my news feed. Thank you all so much for all the clicks! You all are the best! :-)

In other news, I purged these clothes from my closet this weekend and went on a mini shopping spree for new clothes. It was finally time to rid myself of the clothes that were too big. I have been in a bit of a weight loss lull the last 3 weeks so I needed an incentive to keep going. No bigger incentive than buying clothes that just fit...no room for extra pounds in my new shorts and skirts. :-)

I itemized for Goodwill and came up with 7 pairs of jeans, 18 shirts, 2 track pants, 2 long sleeved shirts, 1 dress shirt, 1 pj's, 7 skirts, 2 dresses, 2 capris, 7 khakis, 2 bras, 1 shorts, 5 dress slacks, 1 cotton shorts, 1 skort, and 4 bathing suits. A value of $960.00 to write off on my taxes. Not too shabby.

Way Back When-esday!

I may not have time to formulate witty thoughts at the moment, but I can post a pic of my two favorite babes Memorial Day last year. :-)

Have a happy and safe holiday weekend, y'all!

It's not you...

...it's me.

I'm sorry I have been ignoring the blog lately.

Life has been crazy.

I got quite a big promotion at work, and it's been an awesome, awesome change...however, I am currently doing 2 jobs until I can hire my replacement.

The kids are great and cute and smarter every day.

I have some awesome pictures from a dairy farm that I can't wait to post.

I'll be back soon.

Promise. :-)

Slow Cooker Sunday: Chicken and Dumplings

From the Crock Pot cook book and very yummy and flavorful!

Like Grandma's Chicken 'n Dumplings

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked chicken
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 soup cans of water (I used the chicken broth after I boiled the chicken.)
4 teaspoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons chicken bouillon granules
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 can refrigerated buttermilk biscuits (8 biscuits)

Directions:
1. Mix all ingredients, except biscuits, in the Crock Pot.
2. Cut biscuits into quarters and gently stir in the mixture.
3. Cover and cook on low 4-6 hours.

Slow Cooker Bonus Meal: Philly Cheese Steaks

I am trying to find some good meals that I can make in the crock pot during the week (that can cook for 8 hours and not get overdone). Today, we tried...

Philly Cheese Steaks

Ingredients:
2 pounds of round steak, sliced
2 tablespoons of butter, melted
4 onions, sliced
2 green peppers, sliced (we had to omit- remember my sweet, picky husband?)
1 tablespoon garlic pepper blend (not sure what this was but I just mixed garlic salt and pepper together and measured a tablespoon's worth)
Salt, to taste (I omitted since I used my garlic salt.)
1/2 cup of water
2 teaspoons of beef bouillon granules
8 Italian or French rolls, sliced in half
8 slices of cheese cut in half (the recipe called for chedder but I used provolone)


Directions:
1. Combine steak, butter, onions, peppers, garlie-pepper blend, and salt in crock pot. Stir to mix.
2. Whisk together water and bouillon in small bowl; Pour into crock pot.
3. Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours.
4. Remove meat, onions, and peppers from crock pot and pile on rolls.
5. Top beef with cheese and place under broiler until cheese is melted.

Oh.my.word was this tasty!!! It was so yummy! This make rank up there as one of my favorite crock pot meals. The meat was flavored just perfectly and with a little mayo on the roll...YUM! My only critique is that I could have sliced the meat a bit thinner, but really it's all going the same place anyway. :-)

Happy 18 Month Birthday, Jake!

As we approach Jake's 19 month birthday next week and the fact that he visited the doctor for his 18 month check up today, I am reminded that it's been a while since I did a monthly update for this little man.

He's feeling pretty neglected, can't you tell?

Jake is such a monkey right now!
He easily gets distracted and bounces from one activity to the next.

He makes funny faces just to make us laugh.

He gets in trouble often, but always seems to have the "what? what did I do?" face.

Overall, Jake is such a happy, friendly little boy. He always greets people with a "hey!" and dismisses with a hand bob and soft "bye bye." He suffers from a bit of stranger anxiety so he may not say much in between but the greeting and goodbye are always there.

Jake still loves baths- specifically pouring water on his head and sneaking in a drink of the bath water now and again.

He's very inquisitive. Yes, Jake, I am also wondering why there was an ant crawling on our table 3 days after we called Terminix. Ugh.

Jake's vocabulary has exploded lately. He knows tons of animal names and noises. He also knows every character in Dora. He repeats everything you say and definitely knows the difference between "yes" (hmm umm) and "no" (nough). He's great at all calling family members by name and has a distinct sound with correct syllables for each of his classmates.

Jake's still a great eater. He'll eat anything we serve, but some favorites throughout the day are:

Breakfast: yogurt, banana, cheerios, nutri-grain bars (calls them cookies)

Lunch/Snacks: jelly sandwiches, mandarin oranges, cheetos, pretzels, goldfish, rice cakes

Dinner: spaghetti, chicken pie, meatloaf, french fries, corn, baked beans, corn on the cob, mac and cheese, green beans, peas

He still has the most darling curls that appear on the back of his head when he gets warm.

But really the curls are just the icing on the cake. He's pretty much pure adorableness all around. :-)

Stats at the doctor's office today:

Weight: 29 pounds, 15 ounces (90%)

Length: 34.5 inches (95%)

Slow Cooker Sunday: Shredded Pork Tacos

I seem to be on a Mexican kick lately, but hey, it's been muy bueno!

These tacos were FABULOUS! My only snaffoo was that I must have overcooked it a teeny bit because it didn't shred with forks and I ended up with "chunks of pork tacos." But yummmmmm regardless. :-)

Ingredients:
2 pound boneless pork roast
1 cup of salsa
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
4 ounce can of green chiles

Directions:
1. Mix the salsa, salt, pepper, and chiles in a bowl.
2. Place pork roast in the slow cooker.
3. Pour salsa mixture on top of roast.
4. Cook on low 8 hours (I'm gonna have to say maybe 6-7 hours).
5. Remove pork and shred with fork (ahem, or cut in chunks).
6. Eat with flour tortilla shells and garnish with lettuce, cheese, sour cream, etc.

Slow Cooker Bonus Meal: Philly Cheese Steaks

I am trying to find some good meals that I can make in the crock pot during the week (that can cook for 8 hours and not get overdone). Today, we tried...


Philly Cheese Steaks

Ingredients:
2 pounds of round steak, sliced
2 tablespoons of butter, melted
4 onions, sliced
2 green peppers, sliced (we had to omit- remember my sweet, picky husband?)
1 tablespoon garlic pepper blend (not sure what this was but I just mixed garlic salt and pepper together and measured a tablespoon's worth)
Salt, to taste (I omitted since I used my garlic salt.)
1/2 cup of water
2 teaspoons of beef bouillon granules
8 Italian or French rolls, sliced in half
8 slices of cheese cut in half (the recipe called for chedder but I used provolone)


Directions:
1. Combine steak, butter, onions, peppers, garlie-pepper blend, and salt in crock pot. Stir to mix.
2. Whisk together water and bouillon in small bowl; Pour into crock pot.
3. Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours.
4. Remove meat, onions, and peppers from crock pot and pile on rolls.
5. Top beef with cheese and place under broiler until cheese is melted.

And what a happy Mother's Day it was...

I have always said and will always continue to say what a blessed life I lead. I am so incredibly lucky to have such a caring, supportive husband and such beautiful, healthy children. Sometimes I feel like every day is Mother's Day. But when Hallmark deems it appropriate to mark one particular Sunday a day to honor Mothers, I'll embrace it. :-)

We went to church in the morning and then had a wonderful, yummy (and non-diet friendly) brunch at my parents' house with all 4 (grand)parents and 3 (great)grandparents.

Here is my favorite gift from the day. Brooklyn made this for me at school. I don't know what made me smile more. The fact that she (1) told everyone and their brother what she did the week before but still managed to keep it a secret from me, (2) was so proud that she sewed it herself, (3) told me exactly where we needed to hang it...

...OR (4) the card that accompanied it.


Translation: J is for Jake, A is for apple, C is for cat, L is for like, Y is for yo yo, and N is for Nanny. I love you mom. You're the best mom in the whole wide world. Love, Brooklyn

Translation: I love you Mom. I love you more than a honey comb. [And she was sure to point out that she drew musical notes in the "M" because I like to sing.]

We also made homemade gifts for the grandmas this year. Here are garden pavers with the kids' handprints for Gramma and Nanny.

And finally, I was so excited to meet this precious one on Mother's Day. Bryker Jon was born to McKenzie and Jon on Saturday, May 7. What a perfect, teeny reminder of God's love for us.

Slow Cooker Sunday: Chicken Enchiladas

It's kinda more of a casserole, but still really yummy regardless what you call it. And Chad said "I will totally take the leftovers for lunch tomorrow." So, I am thinking he gives it a thumbs up, too. :-)

Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients:

6 boneless chicken breasts

1 (19 ounce) can of enchilada sauce

2 cans cream of chicken soup

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 can (4 ounces) of chopped mild green chiles

16-20 corn tortillas

16 ounces of shredded sharp chedder cheese

Directions:

1. Cook chicken and shred.

2. Mix soup, chiles, and onions.

3. Cut tortillas in wedges.

4. Layer crock pot with sauce, tortillas, soup mix, chicken, and cheese all the way to the top, ending with cheese. (I did three layers.)

5. Cover and cook on low for 5-7 hours.

A change of plans...

We had full intentions of pulling out the corn hole game last weekend...

But someone else had a different use for it.

I guess we can loan it out for a few more weeks so these precious baby birds can grow big and strong. :-)

I just love Spring Time!

Meat...It's what for dinner.

Despite many attempts to do "Meat-less meals," we cannot deny it any longer. My family loves their meat. But I do try to be creative in how we consume it and how often we consume red meat. We have always enjoyed chicken, pork, recently branched out into ground turkey, and I see some ground chicken tacos in my near future.

Here are two new recipes that we have tried...and everyone from 18 months to 33.5 years LOVED.

Cheeseburger Pie

Ingredients:

1 can crescent rolls (I used reduced fat.)

1 pound of ground beef

1/4 cup finely chopped onion OR 1 tsp onion powder (I used the powder.)

1/3 cup chopped dill pickle slices (I had to omit this because Chad HATES pickles even more than he hates green peppers.)

2 tbsp ketchup

1 tsp mustard

2 tbsp flour

2 tbsp of dill pickle juice (I did not omit this and Chad was fine with it.)

2 tbsp milk

2 cups shredded chedder cheese, divided

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Unroll crescent rolls and press into bottom and up the sides of an 8 inch pie pan.

3. Cook ground beef in a skillet until browned and drain well.

4. Stir in onion, pickle, ketchup and mustard.

5. Sprinkle with flour and add milk and pickle juice. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly.

6. Remove from heat and add 1 cup of cheese.

7. Pour into crescent crust and bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

8. Remove from oven and top with remaining cup of cheese. Let stand until cheese melts.

Italian Turkey Sliders with Honey Dijon Mayo

Ingredients:

20 ounces lean ground turkey

2 tbsp parmesan cheese

1 clove of garlic, minced

1/2 tsp basil, dried

1/2 tsp oregano, dried

1 tsp salt

16 rolls (I used Sister Shubert Dinner Rolls fresh from the oven- YUMMY!)

Directions:

1. Mix turkey, cheese, seasonings, and garlic together and form into 16 small patties.

2. Place on a greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

3. Place turkey burger on roll and top with honey dijon mayo (recipe below).

*I also placed a small pickle disc on top of my burger- yum!

[Honey Dijon Mayo: Mix 1/3 cup of mayo with 1 tbsp of dijon mustard.]

Makes My Monday...

It's things like this...

...that just Makes My Monday.

Slow Cooker Sunday: Pineapple Chicken

So, no plate-lickin' was done this evening, but another great Slow Cooker meal that was quite tasty, easy and cheap to make, healthy for your diet, and served well over white rice.
I chose this dish for one reason....I already had all the ingredients at home. :-) But yes, I did love it and would make it again.

Pineapple Chicken

Ingredients:
1 pound of boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp tumeric (*I did not have this spice so I just used a pinch of chili powder.)
1 tsp black pepper
20 oz. can of pineapple chunks
2 tbsp mustard
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
1 medium green pepper, diced (*Though I would have loved to have added this, Chad is not a fan of green peppers so I omitted.)
Red pepper flakes to taste


Directions:
1. Arrange chicken in the bottom of the slow cooker.
2. Sprinkle with pepper, tumeric (*chili powder), and paprika.
3. In a small bowl, combine pineapple (with juice), chopped green pepper (*if using), mustard, soy sauce, and garlic.
4. Pour over chicken.
5. Sprinkle on red pepper flakes.
6. Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours or high 3-4 hours.

Easter Sunday Morning...and that's all folks.

Had I known how our day would turn out, I would have tried to fight for better pictures this Easter Sunday morning.

However, these were the few that I did get before we were dressed and ready for church.

Easter baskets ready to go Saturday night...


And after the Easter Bunny made his visit overnight...

Jake had a terrible cough and cold all day. He fought a fever on and off and pretty much only napped about 30 minutes all afternoon. Brooklyn went home with her grandparents after church to play so I didn't even get a picture of her all pretty and dressed up.

Then, after begging both kids to go to bed after evening church, Brooklyn visited me three times in my bed before 11pm and then again at 4pm when she decided she needed to throw up in my bathroom. Lovely.

But, hey, she threw up on Christmas morning and now Easter, so maybe it's just her "thing."

Oh well! There's always next year! :-)