To my Daddy...

Today is my wonderful Daddy's birthday. Since we live in different states, we wanted to send this message to my dad via the wonderful Internet.

We love you Dad/Papa!

And because trying to get two kids to stay still on a couch and hold a sign proved to be pretty funny, here are some of our out-takes...

Tackle!

Pryce found a candy cane...

fighting over the sign....

and getting to eat the candy cane Pryce found... :)

Fab Food Friday: King Ranch Chicken Mac & Cheese

Let me start with an, "OH MY HEAVENS this is good!" Yes, that was my first reaction. 

When I was flipping through my December Southern Living I came across this recipe and knew it would be a hit, especially with my hubbs (the ultimate Tex-mex fan himself). I immediately scanned my pantry and figured out we had all the ingredients needed to make it, so I added it to our meals this week. 

This got a big thumbs up AND let me also say that even our VERY picky boys loved this meal....

Ok, on with the show.....and again, I forgot to take a ton of pics, so put on your thinking caps and imagine the first part of this. I did change part of the recipe to suit our tastes, and I put that in parenthesis. 

King Ranch Chicken Mac and Cheese

 

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients

• 
  
  1/2 (16-oz.) package cellentani pasta (I used 8 oz of elbow pasta)
• 2 tablespoons butter (I used olive oil)
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 1 (10-oz.) can diced tomatoes and green chiles
• 1 (8-oz.) package pasteurized prepared cheese product, cubed(I used 2% Velveeta)
• 3 cups chopped cooked chicken
• 1 (10 3/4-oz.) can cream of chicken soup (can use reduced fat)
• 1/2 cup sour cream (can use light)
• 1 teaspoon chili powder (I used a little less because of the little fellas in the house and it was perfect)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 1/2 cups (6 oz.) shredded Cheddar cheese (I used 1 cup of Sharp Cheddar)

The How-To

• 1. Preheat oven to 350°. Prepare pasta according to package directions.
• 2. Meanwhile, melt butter(olive oil) in a large Dutch oven(since I was just going to bake it in a skillet in the oven anyways, I went ahead and sauteed everything in the skillet to save a dish!) over medium-high heat. Add onion and bell pepper(I also added the diced chicken here to give it more flavor), and saute 5 minutes or until tender. 

1. 3. Stir in tomatoes and green chiles and prepared cheese product; cook, stirring constantly, 2 minutes or until cheese melts. 

2. 4. Stir in chicken(unless you add it earlier like I did), next 4 ingredients, and hot cooked pasta until blended. 

3. 5. Spoon mixture into a lightly greased 10-inch(we used 12 and pretty sure it was way to much food to fit in a 10 inch!) cast-iron skillet or 11- x 7-inch baking dish; sprinkle with shredded Cheddar cheese.

4. 5. Bake at 350° for 25 to 30 minutes or until bubbly.



And another shot....

Ok, and another....... :)

I HOPE you chose to make this for your family. It was E-A-S-Y and made for a wonderful comfort food on this chilly night. 

Enjoy Ya'll!

Mad love for the "older" generation...



I took this picture while I was in Scotland. Love!



I have always had a "love" of people of the "older" generation(yes, I mean elderly people, but I'm trying to keep it sweet I guess). Ever since I was younger I have loved hearing their stories, seeing them(yes, they stir up the same feelings babies and puppies do), and learning from them(they have been through A LOT!). Today I have been reminded of that "love."

Ever gone grocery shopping in the morning? Since I stay home with our kiddos I usually try to get my grocery shopping done in the morning. Why? I miss the lunch time and after school rush. Usually the only people who are there are moms like me and many elderly people. Even with the "extras" I have "helping" me shop it usually proves to be a quite peaceful trip.



I'm going to let you in on a secret of the grocery store.....where's the "cool" place to hang out at the store? The produce section. Since our store comps prices, that, as with today, is where the "older" ladies and I swap the best sale prices in order that all of us get a good deal(Like us they are usually on a tight budget). Let me insert here that it is SO worth it to take 10 minutes to browse the local ads to get the best prices(I'll point that out below), but if you don't have the time you are bound to find some friendly faces who will help you along, plus also comment on how cute your kids are (who doesn't like to hear that?!). Sweet people.

Another reason I love the older gen....they are a lot more polite and friendly than most other people(like in the grocery store). Today I happened to see my sweet neighbor who is about the same age as my grandmother. She can barely hear, smiles a lot, and loves my boys. She is a great neighbor. Today I love her even more because of her comment, "Have you lost weight?" I was thinking "no not at all, but MAY GOD BLESS YOU!" Ha, I needed to hear that. Ever since my thyroid started going downhill it has been incredibly hard to lose the rest of my "baby love" weight. Ha, that and the fact that I don't diet well.

Next time you see an elderly person don't shy away, take the time to say hello or sit down and talk with them. It may make their day and surprise you at how much you enjoyed your visit.

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Okay, like I mentioned above I have a savings tip of the day.....Take advantage of the local ads and go to a store like Wal-mart that price matches that way you don't have to go to 5 stores in order to get the best deals. Just make your shopping list for the week, browse the ads an write down next to your item the best price you can find in your area. Tell your cashier at check-out, easy as that!

For instance there is a store about 20 minutes from me who sells bananas on Tuesdays for $.39 a pound, but Wal-mart(who sells them for $.59/lb) is only 10 minutes away, so I can get the same deal without going as far. Need more proof convincing that you need to be doing this? I found a store that is 25 minutes away that had apples for $.88 a pound...Wal-Mart had theirs for $1.77 a pound...I saved about 50%! I call that a deal and because of this I am still able to feed our family healthy food on a small budget.

And before some of you go crazy on me for helping out a power store like Wal-mart, I do make a point of also going to our "home-town" grocery stores as well. I have some awesome local stores by my house, I give them my business first, and then go to the "bigger" stores for the rest of the items that I can't get there for the smaller price :) Just thought I'd throw that out there!