Bacon Wrapped Jalapeño Poppers

So the Super Bowl is Sunday, yeah? You know how that one team and that other one are playing against each other for... something? If that didn't show you how little I care about the Super Bowl then I am not sure what else could. I DO love Super Bowl parties though. The food! The commercials! The yelling! That stuff is the stuff that life is all about. Commercials, food and yelling with the people I love. Mostly just the food and the people I love. Well anywho... here is my all time favorite Super Bowl appetizer.

Bacon Wrapped Jalapeño Poppers!

Those three ingredients turn into spicy little bites of bliss.

First you cut the stem off the jalapeños. Then cut them in half the long way. Once that is done you cut out the ribs and seeds. 

Next you stuff them with cream cheese. All the way full!

Wrap them in bacon.

And then bake them up right. YUM!!

Bacon Wrapped Jalapeño Poppers

8 good sized jalapeños

1 8oz package cream cheese

12 oz package of bacon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cover rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut the stem end off jalapeños then cut them in half lengthwise. Cut out all the ribs and seeds. Take cream cheese and fill each jalapeño half until all the way full. Wrap each half with a piece of bacon. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until bacon starts to crisp. Serve warm or room temperature. 

Tips! Avoid maple bacon because that is yucky. I had to cut a few pieces of bacon in half to have enough to do all 8 jalapeños but it didn't seem to make a difference. In reality you could do twice as many jalapeños if you cut all the bacon in half. Other than that you can't really go wrong. Oh and make sure to thoroughly wash your hands after handling the jalapeños. I thought I was thorough and then ended up rubbing my eyes and my world caught fire! So please be careful.

What are your favorite Super Bowl recipes? I need a good wing recipe!

Peace Out- AnneMarie

Peanut blossoms-A Valentines Twist! Quick Easy and Semi-home made!

This is a quick, easy, Semi-homemade Valentines version of the good 'ol peanut butter blossom cookie recipe! 

I love it and since it is the month O' Hearts here we go!!!

You will need a peanut butter cookie mix (See I told you it was semi homemade) 

and the items you need to make said mix like eggs and oil etc Or of course you could make up your favorite peanut butter cookie dough 

AND

Some heart shaped chocolate candies.

AND

 some white sugar used to roll the dough in this is optional.... 

We are using Reese Peanut Butter hearts and a Betty Crocker Peanut Butter Cookie Mix.

Make up the dough exactly as your mix or recipe instructs. Using a TBS shape the dough into balls and roll the dough balls in sugar.  Place the cookie balls on a parchment lined or pan spray sprayed pan. 

 Cook according to your directions directions. We use the time it is cooking to unwrap the chocolates and do our best to save them all for the cookies. LOL!! As soon as they come out of the oven press the chocolate hearts into the hot cookie. 

BE CAREFUL THOSE BABIES ARE HOT! 

Wah la! 

Valentines Day Cookies! 

Quick Easy Fun and Tasty! 

Perfect! 

LOVES 

EMILY

Fun Inexpensive Heart Garland Tutorial

This garland is fun, cheap and darling. (In my humble opinion). Wanna know how to make one for yourself? Ok..You will need 

4 sheets of card stock

scissors (or a paper cutter)

a stapler and staples

Yep..that is everything

Fold your paper hot dog style or length wise in half. You will then cut it apart down the fold line and repeat 3 times like the pictures below. 

Each sheet will make 8 strips. Once you have your eight strips fold them in half. 

Put a staple at the fold and then pull each side down to get started..

Now take the fold (looks like an alligator jaw) and place the tip of your heart into the fold. 

Staple the 4 thicknesses 

Before you know it you will have a nice long garland! 

CUTE!!

I added my garland to the front of my curtains. This chain only took 4 sheets of card stock! Imagine it in red and pinks too! I think it so cute and adds a little Valentine Day flair to the house! Do you decorate for Valentines Day? We'd love to hear what you do! 

LOVES!

Emily

Fried Chicken

There are a few recipes out there that are my white whale recipes. You know the ones I mean. They are the ones that everyone seems to get right but you. The recipes that you get so close to catching but they always seem to slip through your fingers. One of mine is fried chicken. It never turns out quite right. It is not crispy enough or flavorful enough. Sometimes I don't seem to fry it long enough or maybe not long enough. I want to share my latest attempt. It is close but not quite right. It is delicious, however.

This recipe is modified slightly from a Martha Stewart recipe that was in the June 2014 issue of the Martha Stewart Living magazine. Really the only reason that it is modified is that I didn't have all the right spices on hand. Maybe that is why it wasn't quite right? Check out that picture!

Crispy and yummy!

Fried Chicken

4-5 lbs bone-in chicken

3-4 TBSP coarse salt

2 C buttermilk

2 tsp black pepper

2 TBSP italian seasoning

2 TBSP garlic powder

2 C flour

4 TBSP yellow cornmeal

Canola Oil- for frying

Add coarse salt to about 10 cups of cold or ice water in a large mixing bowl. Add chicken and let soak overnight or at least 4 hours. In another mixing bowl combine buttermilk, black pepper, italian seasoning and garlic powder. Drain chicken pieces and submerge in buttermilk mixture. Cover and refrigerate overnight or at least 4 hours. Pull chicken out while heating oil. Heat oil to 350 degrees in a heavy bottomed pot. Mix together flour, cornmeal, more black pepper  and more garlic powder. Heat oven to 350 degrees and place a pan with a cooling rack over the top into oven. Dredge each piece of chicken in flour mixture straight from buttermilk mixture. Do not tap off excess.  Fry chicken until brown on all sides. After you pull chicken out of the oil place in oven to finish baking. Continue frying all chicken in small batches. Leave in oven 20-30 minutes or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Serve while warm or at room temperature.

Okay so confession time! The Martha Stewart recipe says to let the chicken come to room temperature before frying it. I did not do this. It has to do with my lack of patience. That is most likely why it needed to be baked on top of being fried. But a most delightful thing happened in the oven. The crust became even more crispy, even more oil came off. It was delightful. Kismet if you will. 

What are your white whale recipes? I also have pulled pork, risotto and pie crust on my list. That is just the beginning!

Peace out- AnneMarie

Cioppino-Fastest Dinner In The West!! Low Calorie TOO!!

If you are looking for a fast, and when I say fast I mean like 10 minutes from start to finish, healthy soup recipe this one is for you! This is actually my mamas recipe so when I make it up it smells like home and reminds me of her..AWH!!! I just love it! Its called Cioppino! What is Cioppino you ask?? It is a mediterranean style fish soup. You can really put whatever fish you would like in it but this is what I did. Only approx 160 cals per serving too! 

Enjoy!! 

Cioppino

1 can of spaghetti sauce

1 29 oz can of diced tomatoes

1/2 lb of salad shrimp

2 tilipia fillets

1/2 lb immitation crab

Mix together bring to a boil and serve. (you dont even need to cut the fish...as it cooks and you stir it will flake off nicely. DELISH!! 

A Little Premature Backyard Planning

Martin Luther Kings Junior Day always makes me think of Memorial Day which then makes me think of summer. Which makes me think of backyard barbecues. Which reminds me that our backyard needs some help. So even though it is waaaaay to early be thinking about sprucing up our backyard I can't get my mind off of it. Want to see some of my inspiration, hopes and dreams for our yard this year?

I love this tiled grass. SO much. 

This is just beautiful. I love the fire pit a ridiculous amount.

I am not even sure how I could incorporate these curtains but I want to figure it out!

Wouldn't a little stock tank pool be lovely? Not too mention you could have put it away for next year! Unlike those miserable little plastic pools.

I want to DIY some of these and stick rose trees in them. That would be so pretty.

I think that the kids need a teepee in the backyard this year.

Or at least an A-Frame Tent.

We of course need tons of twinkle lights! 

Those are just a few of the things I would love to do in our backyard this year. Now that I have the inspiration I need to prioritize what needs to be done. I think lighting and shade are going to be the biggest things on my list this year. My dad built a great pergola in our backyard but it provides little to no shade. It is a great blank slate for lighting and shade, however. What are your outdoor projects this year? 

Peace out!- AnneMarie 

Still in the Game! Come see a great resource for healthy eating!

I am excited to say that I am still working on my new years resolution! Woot!! Hey, for me this is a big deal. Most of my resolutions have been pie crust resolutions, easily made and easily broken, and by this time in the month of Jan I would have already fallen off the wagon as it were.  

How am I doing it? 

Well...I have an exercise buddy 

(Hi Kari!! :)) 

She actually introduced me to some free exercise classes being held 5 days a week in a church gym and we are going 2 times a week and then I am doing exercise at home the rest of the week. 

AND 

I have found a wonderful, inspiring website for help in the food dept!! 

Have you heard of 

SKINNY MOM?? 

She offers a supper club with full months of healthy dinner ideas including shopping lists and everything! 

AND

ITS FREE!!

All you will need to do is join her free membership to get access to the supper club.  Its pretty cool! Did I mention all the recipes have all the nutritional stats and even have WW pts if you are doing that?? 

Check her out HERE!!

PS did i mention the meals are actually tasty? So far my kids haven't even realized they are healthy!

PSS I am not being compensated by skinny mom at all. She doesn't even know I exist (unless by maybe my name on her membership list)I just think shes awesome and wanted to share.

LOVES!! 

Orange Honey Butter

Have you ever had Indian Fry bread? Or what Utahns call scones? It is just fried dough. Like thin stretched out bread dough that has been fried to golden perfection but whatever. We love it around our house. Even the kids eat it up. There are crazy easy to make too. As a matter of fact all I do when I make them is use rhodes rolls that have been thawed. No bread dough making for me! The best thing about them is that they are a blank slate. You can use them for something more filling like navajo tacos or just sprinkle them with some powder sugar.  

For a fun twist I made some orange honey butter. Holy bananas it was delicious! 

Orange Honey Butter

1/4 C butter, thawed to room temperature

1-2 Tbsp powdered sugar

1-2 Tbsp honey

6-8 drops doterra wild orange oil

1-2 tsp vanilla paste

Whip honey and butter until pale in color. Add sugar, orange oil, and vanilla paste and whip until well combined and a consistency that you like.

So all my measurements are to your taste. Some people like it more sweet, others like it less sweet. We liked it sweet. Make sure your butter is really room temperature. If it isn't room temperature the butter and honey have a hard time combining. 

Peace Out!- AnneMarie

Homemade Dry Skin lotion..IT really works!

This winter has been so rude to my skin!! It is more dry that I ever remember my poor skin being ever! So I have been searching for a great dry skin solution.  Here is what I have found....It is a lovely little lotion recipe and it has been working for me! Almost immediately too I might add. The only change I think I will be making is adding a little essential oil for smell and some added benefit. (hopefully it wont cause the mixture to break) I will let you all know how that works out when I make the next batch.

Here is what you will need... 

4oz of Vitamin E Skin cream

15 oz bottle of Johnsons baby lotion

1/4 to 1/2 C of vasaline (depending on you liking. To me less is more)

1 capfull of vitamin E oil.

Mix it all up and add to your storage container of choice. I used little containers at first but finally resorted to a big 'un...

(sorry I forgot to get a picture of the finished product. Boo.)

I have been thrilled with the results!! 

Give it a try! You will love it too!

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.....

This my friends... is my BEST friend. 

My lover. 

My confidant. 

My boyfriend. 

My partner in crime. 

The father of my children. 

My hero. 

My person. 

The man of my dreams.

My somebody. 

TODAY IS HIS BIRTHDAY!! 

How does one honor someone so important whom you love more that any word, or gift, or thoughtful service could ever be enough to truly express the granditude of your feelings for?? Or how grateful to the heavens above HE is in your life?? HE is the person I prayed for. The person that I believe with all my heart was intended for me, and my greatest gift from God. He and I are not perfect by any means but he is definitely perfect for me! 

I pledge to do everything I can to be sure he feels as loved unconditionally as I do. Forever, for always, and no matter what!

Happy Birthday JASON!! 

Now lets PAR-TAY!! 

Fun with Kids-How to make a bouncy ball!!

Who wants to make some bouncy balls?? Sarah did!! Here's the recipe! 

You moms out there will love it because its all stuff we usually have around the house...YAY!

½ Cup Warm Water
1 Tb Borax
1 Tb of Cornstarch
2 Tb White Liquid Glue
Food coloring

In a cup mix the warm water and the borax.

In another cup mix the glue, cornstarch, and food coloring.

Pour the glue mixture into the water-borax cup.

The glue mixture will harden after 10 seconds; use a fork to take it out of the water. If the glue mixture is still sticky, squish it with your hands and dip it back in the water.

Roll the mixture in your hands to make a ball. The more you handle the mixture the firmer it will become. Store them in small plastic containers or a plastic bag.

PS... the balls will flatten after resting a while.  If they do roll them between your hands again, this will bring them back to the ball shape.