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Sunday, February 24, 2013

{ Frittata | Recipe }

I have actually never read a recipe for a frittata so I have absolutely no idea if my version is anywhere near what a frittata actually is, but it's pretty tasty.

I'm fairly certain a frittata involves eggs, and a frying pan, or *saute pan* in our case, and baking. It can also include a various assortments of toppings and fillings from what I understand!

It's like a quiche but minus a crust! (more calories- which I'm not actually looking for right now, but is tasty!)

This recipe came about because I really like omeletes.

Like a lot...

But I cannot make an omelet to save my life. The bottom always ends up too done, and then it tears when I try to fill and flip it. It's just bad.

I'm sure the more professional cooks out there have tips and tricks, but that's so not me! ;)



Tomato-Mushroom Frittata

Ingredients:
2 eggs
1/8 C shredded cheddar
3 T milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
3 T diced fresh tomato
3 T diced fresh mushrooms
3 T diced canadian bacon (optional)


Directions:
1. Pre-heat oven to 400*.
2. Coat or spray a small saute pan (only pans that are oven safe!!) with oil of choice and turn burner on medium-low. 
3. In a separate bowl, combine eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Whisk together.
4. Add vegetables, meat, and cheese of your choice. (I used tomato, mushrooms, and canadian bacon because we had it on hand. Wilted spinach, artichoke hearts, and bell peppers also are a nice addition!)
5. Mix and add to heated saute pan. Run spatula around the edges, and tap in the middle to distribute the egg mixture in the pan. 
6. When bottom and sides become firm, but the top is still runny, turn off the burner, and insert the entire pan in the oven.
7. Bake for 5-7 minutes or until egg becomes firm.
8. Remove from oven with an oven mit, and fold the frittata and slide to a serving dish. Or slice and serve from the dish if you prefer.

Top with desired toppings. My favorite is FAGE Total Greek Yogurt (plain) and a little cheese.





Enjoy! Comment below with your favorite fillings or tips!! LOVE hearing how others make their favorites!

Friday, February 22, 2013

Rejected

So I may have mentioned that our house is now under contract.

If not:

Our house is under contract!!!!

We have had such an amazing experience with our realtor Jason Smith.
He is so honest, and so easy to work. You just feel well taken care of!

This being said, he had our house under contract with our second viewing! Which was surprising and scary and thrilling all at once.

This means that we close in about a month on our home, and need to have a place to live by then.

I have been so thankful for Chase (even while he's been sick with the stomach bug I had last week) he reassured me that the right home would be there for us when we need it.

We made an offer on a home two days ago and it was rejected. Now, this home was super cute as a home, but the location was not super cute. It was right on a major main thoroughfare. We were rationalizing that it was within our budget, and we could possibly use it as a studio later or something of that nature. However, it wasn't going to be an investment property.

That apparently wasn't suppose to be how it goes down, so we're scouring all the listings again, and have a few hopefuls!!

I've had this picture in my head of a cute house that we can slowly renovate to suit our taste on a quiet neighborhood close to a great school for C, because sheesh.. before we know it he will be in school. Maybe some big trees and close to a park even. All of those = $$$. So we'll see where we are led!!

I'm so thankful for all of my friends that have been keeping us in their prayers though. We've felt them!!

Tell me, what do you look for in a home/property when buying?


Tuesday, February 19, 2013

{ Homemade Chicken & Dumplings | Recipe }

One of my all-time favorite meals EVER has to be Chicken and Dumplings.


I've used the same recipe for as long as I can remember, and usually just "wing it." I tried to be a little more calculative tonight, and wrote down some of my measurements.

With the pending Ice-pocalypse (hah) tomorrow, I figured a good soup was in order.

My dumplings are courtesy my Mamaw, who made terrific dumplings!


Here's my recipe:

Chicken & Dumplings

Ingredients:


(Soup)

32 oz chicken broth
2 chicken breasts
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
4 cups water
2 T corn starch
1 C milk

(Dumplings)

3 C flour
1/2 C butter
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 C milk

Directions:


Boil water, and add chicken breasts. Simmer until chicken is fully cooked. Remove chicken, save water. Shred chicken. 


In a large soup pot, combine chicken broth, salt. pepper, and left over chicken broth and shredded chicken. Cook on low while making the dumplings.


Combine flour, salt, and baking powder. Sift together. Cut in softened butter. Add milk and gently mix together. Press out with fingertips on a lightly floured surface. Cut into strips, or use a miniature biscuit cutter to cut dumplings. Add to hot broth. 


Cook for 10 minutes or until dumplings have puffed in size. 


Combine corn starch and milk, and then add slowly to soup. Cook a few more minutes longer, and then remove from heat. Mixture will thicken more after cooling.





That's it! A super simple, and wholesome Chicken & Dumplings. Now go buy yo' eggs, and buy yo' milk, and make some dumplings before the impending doom-storm hits.

{ While You Were Out | Printable }

So, last week my dear friend Jessica sent me a couple photos of printables for your babysitter with the text:

"We need cuter versions of these."

Jessica, I'm trying to rise to the challenge!!

These are first generation, and might need some revisions, but I'm up for a challenge.
We usually have the same babysitter, and with her, Connor's routine is old hat.

However, I made this up just in case we need it for when she moves off to college. *sniff sniff*


So, the quality is a little compressed from this file, but if you'd like the PSD or JPEG version, just leave me a comment with your e-mail, and I'll send it your way!

Shhh!

Sorry for the blog silence!

Last week was a little rough.

I caught "the sickness" aka: norovirus stomach bug, and it knocked me out from Sunday-Wednesday.

I was actually really concerned on Monday because my blood sugar kept dropping, and I was so light headed. When I arrived at the doctor, I was pretty not good.


We were first time patients, and I had paperwork to fill out and Chase was sitting in the car with Connor because I obviously couldn't drive. Thankfully, my friend's husband came and picked up Connor for a few hours while Chase was my amazing nurse. I ended up throwing up in the doctor's office, so he gave me a shot of Phenergan  I don't remember much after getting in the car home. I slept from that afternoon until the next morning.

The next couple days consisted of Chase being Mr. Mom and Nurse... and he was awesome.



It has taken all of a week to actually get caught back up!

We've had two promising showings of our home with good feedback. We are just happily waiting for our buyer to come along. The second showing was last night, and we had some interest from the viewers, so maybe they'll make an offer!

Yesterday was great though. Connor napped until 2:30, and then we cleaned ( C loves to help dust, and vacuum with his own rag and with the attachment to our vacuum) until 6 minutes shy of 5:30.



We excitedly updated our top list of homes last night in Fayetteville. Our goal is to purchase a less expensive house that needs a bit of "fixing up" in Fayetteville. We understandably are going to be getting a house in need of some repairs, so I'm excited to blog about all of the changes coming up in our life. 

Change is great.

Also, in other news... We ate lunch on the counter today. Some days you just pick your battles. It was actually pretty fun for him, and he ate all of his lunch, so I can't complain.



That's all for now. I'm working on a few printables to share with you, so check back soon!!


Sunday, February 3, 2013

DIY- Ana White Reclaimed Wood Headboard

Last year, when I joined Pinterest, I began pinning all sorts of fabulous bedroom remodel ideas.

Our bedroom needed it... (excuse our clutter under the bed!)


Because that's what you do on Pinterest.. post ideas and hope that someday you can do them!

Well, while I have no problem trying loads of new recipes, and making fun crafts for Connor; actually doing a building project was something that I (and by I, I mean hubs....) hadn't completed yet.

After pining over this headboard for a year, going to the lumberyard twice to get materials by myself and chickening out... Chase finally helped me build my dream headboard!

When I say "help" I mean he went to Lowe's, got all of the materials, made the cuts, and put it together... I did help stain and move it to the bedroom though.

I DO take full credit for the styling. *ahem*

Here's a little before/after of our bedroom.


Excuse the orange-y tint.. taking photos at 10PM isn't the greatest lighting, but hubs rocked it out regardless.


Total Cost (materials): $100

I am LOVING the headboard. Hubs is kind of amazing...





I won't try to tell you our "how-to" version, because we basically took Ana White's plans and then made  a few minor adjustments to work with our custom bed frame that hubs build a few years ago. They were so easy to follow and pretty detailed!



Also... we're listing our home for sale tomorrow!
We are excited and at peace with the decision. It has been on our hearts 
for a while to move back to Fayetteville. 

It feels real now!
We're optimistic and realistic... but please pray it sells!

Thanks, friends.