Busy Busy...

So 5 am came early this morning. I have the house feeling all clean and sparkly and the pups fed and napping all before 7am. I have to say I was oddly productive for so early. Next up coffee and some book shopping. I have decided to upgrade my nook finally and get the nook simple touch. I am old school with the 1st gen nook. It still works but it's seen better days. Barnes and Nobles lowered their price to 99.00 from the 120.00 and I had another 10% off with an additional 5% off from Upromise which made it 15 bucks cheaper...I can handle that. It paid for the case to protect it in. I opted to have it shipped with free express 1 day shipping so that I didn't have to wait at the store. They were crazy backed up. I can use my old stand by for one more day.

Fayetteville is expected to be drowned in snow starting tonight again. But we shall see. We have plenty of food here so I say BRING IT! I live for more time with my hubby.

This weekend I made some baked oatmeal. Was pretty good I must say. Thick creamy and not to sweet. Makes a 9x13 pan so there is oatmeal for days which if this snow hits may come in handy.

Here is the recipe...

3 c. old fashioned oats

1½ c. brown sugar

5½ c. milk

½ c. peanut butter

3 eggs, beaten

1 c. raisins

1 c. chocolate chips

Instructions

1. In a large saucepan, combine oats, sugar, milk, peanut butter, and eggs.
2. Simmer over medium heat 20 minutes, stirring often, until thickened.
3. Stir in raisins.
4. Pour into greased 9x13 inch pan and top with chocolate chips.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until oatmeal is set.
6. Serve warm; top with milk or additional brown sugar if desired.

 

New career....Mindy's Puppy Love Pet Care Service...TAH DAH!

So since I have had my surgery and had so many complications it has left me unable to hold down a FT job. My hubby works so hard for us and I wanted to contribute in a more tangible way aka financially. Every little helps I figure. So I was thinking one afternoon what can I do???? It hit me. Pet Sitting! I have been wanting to volunteer at the animal shelter around here. I love pets...all kinds...I have had, hamsters, rats, a snake, a bird, dogs of all sizes, and a cat. Heck even a hermit crab and fish! So here I am starting my own business as a pet sitter! Lets pray this takes off! I have accounts at sittercity.com ( https://www.sittercity.com/pet-sitting/nc/fayetteville/11485907 ), care.com (http://www.care.com/p/melindab1186/pc ), and petsitter.com ( http://petsitter.com/mindy-s-puppy-love-service-pet-sitter-dog-walker-fayetteville-nc ). The first two websites even have background checks completed so people know I am not a crazy haha!

New Addition and Slow Cooker Italian Stuffed Peppers

First the most important thing....Our new addition! Her name is Emma.

Buster the chubby boy here loves her and Nana in the back won't even look at me she is so jealous we brought a new lil girl home. I am sure she will warm up to Emma. Such Characters! I love her so much and we just got her today!

Now on to the PEPPERS!

This recipe cooks 3-4 hrs on High. Just a heads up.

6 med green bell peppers
6 oz Italian turkey sausage
1 pound ground turkey
1 cup slightly under cooked with a tad bit of liquid still in the mix.
1/2 cup diced onion
1/4 c fresh parsley (this time I only had dried so about 1.5-2 tbs)
1/4 c fresh basil (same deal as the parsley here)
1/2-3/4 tsp dried oregano
2 tbs grated parm
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1 large egg
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 26 oz  jar of prego traditional
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Now. cut the tops off the peppers, core them, seed them and set aside. You can cut up the bit of pepper from the tops to add if you like.

Mix the rest of the ingredients Italian turkey sausage through prego. BUT ONLY USE about 3 TBS of the Prego. reserve the rest for later.

Now stuff your peppers and set them in the slow cooker upright. Add the red pepper flakes to the prego and pour over the pepper tops. Next add about 3/4 cup water to the bottom of the cooker and set on high3-4 hrs until done.

Remove peppers and if your cooker has a simmer function reduce the sauce down and spoon over. If not you can skip this part or reduce it in a pot on the pan. I like mine saucy so I reduce it and spoon it over and dip some bread in it....

OPTIONAL...because its in the picture....I grate some sharp cheddar over the top at the end because I love cheese!

this is left overs the next day....

New Years Resolutions are for the birds...

Well I gave it a great deal of thought and nope not doing any New Years resolutions but am going to continue like I try to do everyday to keep making wise choices and not fall off the wagon so very often. I am a wagon faller offer now and again. Today for breakfast I had a scrambled egg with some diced ham, cheese, and tomato. I make these little bread crisps to get a nice toast effect for just a couple cals. Lunch is tasty as well with some chicken salad and I use romaine as the bread like little boats kinda. Dinner I am planning oven roasted tomatoes and grilled steaks...yum yum!

As I said Better Choices! And I am really good I will drink a protein shake too! I have a slight confession since this is my blog after all but I went to Hobby Lobby to just check it out and left with fake flowers and some crochet hook grips! Yikes! Naughty Naughty!

Easiest and Best Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge!

I made the best easiest fudge for a Christmas BBQ. Along with my Asian salad. You know the cabbage and ramen one... Both were a huge hit and gone ASAP. People kept raving about both. So on to the fudge!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge (microwave)

2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips (if you don't want to use PB add one extra cup of choc chips)
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 can sweetened condensed milk
4 TBS butter
1 TSP Vanilla (I always splash a bit more in for good measure)
1/4 TSP Salt
Walnuts (Optional)

Line an 8x8 pan with foil and spray with non stick cooking spray. Set aside. Place all the ingredients through the butter into a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high for 1 min and stir. You want to use the heat from the glass bowl to melt the remaining chocolate. If it doesn't completely melt microwave an additional 30 seconds and stir again. Once all Melted add the remaining ingredients and then place into your 8x8 pan and refrigerate for 2.5-3 hours to firm up. Remove and cut into bite size squares.

It literally takes less than 5 min of work!

Tis the season for cookies!

My grandmother told me about making cookies from a box cake mix that my great aunt had told her about so I thought why not give it a try it's the Christmas season everybody loves cookies and I happen to have a box of sugar free chocolate devil's food cake mix sitting in my pantry!
I have to say these were the easiest simplest fastest cookies I've ever made.
And they came out beautifully I had to cook them a little longer than the 8 minutes that my grandmother said. Mine took about 10 to 12 but otherwise they fluffy and wonderful.

Boxed cake mix cookies

1 box chocolate cake mix  (I used sugar free )
2 eggs
1/3 c oil
Powdered sugar to roll balls in which is totally optional

Mix cake mix, eggs, and oil together. Then form one inch balls and if rolling in powdered sugar here is where you would do it. Then place balls on an ungreased  cookie sheet about an inch apart from each other.  Press down with a fork a bit and bake at 350 10 to 12 min

This is why my hubby married me. Well one reason.

Apparently according to my husband I have a knack for making up dishes from random bits of stuff in our fridge and cupboards. This afternoon I made up an Alfredo sauce with pasta, sundried tomatoes, roasted brussel sprouts, and Italian link sausage that we had left over and I re roasted them in the oven. It turned out crazy amazing and it was so easy and probably one of the best things I've made.
There is no recipe with measurements per say but I'll give some approximations and you can fiddle with it to your liking.

4 tbs butter
2 to 3 cloves garlic
1.5 cups shredded sharp cheddar
1/2 to 1 cup parmesan
Milk maybe 1/2 cup
Chicken stock maybe 1/2 cup
Heavy cream 1 cup
Crushed red pepper flakes
Mrs dash
Pepper
Left over sausage 2 links sliced into rounds
10 to 12 brussel sprouts, roasted
2 tbs sun dried tomatoes
Cooked pasta (I cooked a little over 1 cup dried elbow noodles)

Melt the butter and cook the garlic a bit in it adding spices to taste.  Add your cheese,  milk, cream, and stock. It will be thin and runny reduce and melt the cheeses together 5 or so min. Stir in the sun dried tomatoes. If the sauce is still to thin add a little Corn starch to thicken.
During the noodle sausage and brussel sprouts. Enjoy!