Goodbye 2011.

I can't believe it's almost 2012. Lats year, I was pregnant, and now I have my beautiful baby girl. 2011 was a wonderful year, and our family was so blessed. So, while my little one is napping, and I'm watching How I Met Your Mother, I've decided to reflect back to 2011 in pictures, Instagram style. Note, I am missing a few months when I stopped using IG, but it's pretty much accurate anyways.

Bring on 2012, it can only get better <3

Recipe Weekly: Brownie Buckeye Cupcake

 **I've been noticing a lot of visits from Pinterest for these! if you are stopping by, feel free to leave a comment. If you've made these delicious bundles of chocolatey goodness, let me know how they turned out! I would love to hear from you!


The minute I saw these, I knew I had to make them. Luckily, our Christmas party was right around the corner and the best excuse! These were a hit, I made a dozen and they were gone in less than 10 minutes! I didn't make the Ganache, so I just drizzled some chocolate syrup on top.

Brownie Buckeye Cupcakes Recipe:

(Recipe adapted from Tried and Tasty)

Batter:
12-16 miniature peanut butter cups
1 box Duncan Hines® Milk Chocolate Premium Brownie Mix
3 large eggs
1/4 c water
1/2 c oil

Icing:
1/2 c creamy peanut butter
1/4 c butter, softened
2 c powdered sugar, sifted
3 tbsp milk
1/2 tsp pure vanilla
1/8 tsp salt

Topping:
12-14 miniature peanut butter cups

Ganache (from MyBakingAddiction):
4 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped into very small pieces
1/2 c heavy whipping cream
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp light corn syrup
2 tbsp vanilla

-Preheat oven to 350°F. Place paper baking cups in each of 12 regular-size muffin cups. Remove foil and cups from candy pieces. Set aside.
-Prepare brownie mix as described on box to make cakey brownies using the eggs, water and oil. Fill each up about 2/3 full with batter. Place 1 unwrapped candy piece, upside down, on top of batter in each cup. Lightly tap piece down into batter.
-Bake 23 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of cup comes out almost clean. Cool 5 minutes; remove from pan. Place on wire rack; cool completely.

-Make icing by placing peanut butter and butter into medium bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and creamy; scrape bowl. Add powdered sugar, milk, vanilla and salt. Beat on low speed 1 minute; scrape bowl. Beat on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Spread about 2 tablespoons of icing on each cupcake leaving the edge un-iced.

-Prepare ganache: in a small saucepan over medium heat, warm the heavy cream until very hot, but not boiling. Place chocolate pieces in a heat safe bowl. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and allow it to sit for about 5 minutes. Whisk the cream and chocolate until smooth and thoroughly combined. -Whisk in the honey, corn syrup, and vanilla. Allow to cool for about 15 minutes. Do not let the glaze sit for too long or it will harden up before you spoon it over the frosting. Spoon the glaze on the tops of the frosted cupcakes, allowing it to drip down the sides a little bit. Don’t add too much glaze or it will drip all over your liners.
-Top each cupcake with a peanut butter cup. Store cupcakes in the refrigerator. Remove them to room temperature one hour before serving.

***I doubled the frosting recipe so I could generously frost each cupcake. ***

GIVEAWAY- Leapfrog My Pal Violet/Scout & $25 Toys R Us Giftcard!

It's been a while since I have been able to offer a giveaway. So I figured why not have one now?

I'm super excited for this one. Not only does it feature an insanely adorable toy, but also a gift card for your enjoyment!

I will be giving away your choice of a Leapfrog My Pal Violet or My Pal Scout toy. Anyone who has one of these know how awesome they are. I love seeing Hailey's face light up when she plays with her and she says her name.

Yes! They learn your name, favorite food, color and animal. It's the cutest thing ever! We love our Violet so much, we bought two. One for home, and one for Grandmas!

In addition to this already awesome giveaway, I will be offering a $25.00 Toys R Us Giftcard! Hello even more awesomeness!

This will be great to hang onto for some summer toys! You can also use it at Babies R Us, and stock up on some baby necessities, or toys for your little one on the way, possibly?

This giveaway begins today, December 28th, 2011 and will end on my birthday- January 23, 2012 at 1pm EST. This is open to US and Canadian residents only.

MANDATORY ENTRY:

1. Follow my blog via GFC (Google Friend Connect). If the GFC button doesn't work, click here. Comment on this entry to let me know you have followed me, along with your GFC name, and let me know that you want to win!

FOR EXTRA ENTRIES **MUST COMPLETE MANDATORY ENTRY IN ORDER FOR BONUS ENTRIES TO APPLY**

1. Vote for me on Picket Fence Blogs. Button can be found on the right side of my blog. You can vote once a day. Be sure to comment to let me know you voted.

2. Leave a Blog Post Comment on any of my blog posts

3. Add my button to your blog! Comment with a link to your blog!

4. Tweet about this giveaway including a link to this entry, or Post on your Facebook with a link to this entry.Leave a comment with your link to your tweet/FB share (must be public). You can use the handy, dandy share buttons below.

Worth 2 extra entries:

1.  Blog about this giveaway, and comment with a link to your post. You can do this a total of 3different times (cannot be done on the same day). Comment with a link to your post(s).

GOOD LUCK!

Recipe Weekly: Chicken Parm Casserole

I LOVE Chicken Parm. The preparation for it, not so much. So when I found this recipe on Pinterest, I immediately had to make it. And it came out sooo good!! This weeks recipe comes from Food Wishes.

Ingredients: 
 
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
hot red pepper flakes, to taste
6 boneless skinless chicken breasts (I used 5, but they were huge!)
2 cups marinara sauce
1/4 cup chopped basil
8 oz mozzarella, shredded
4 oz Parmesan, grated
1 (5-oz) package garlic croutons 


Steps:


1. On the bottom of your baking dish, add the oil, garlic, and pepper flakes. 
2. Place your chicken in the dish, Add your sauce on top of the chicken, enough so it covers it.
3. Sprinkle the basil on top of the sauce. Then, layer the cheese on top of the chicken. (I love cheese so I added a bunch more).
4. Top it off withe the croutons. I smashed mine up a bit so I didn't have huge chunks. And add some extra cheese on the top.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for about 35 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked.

Hello my baby...

For the first time in what seems like months, I was able to come home and just sit down (after making sure the trash was out for garbage day, and a tidy up of Christmas decoration containers). And it feels nice.

Hailey is asleep in her Pack N Play with the sounds of the Fisher Price Soothing Rainforest...thing. I forgot the full name, sue me...playing in the background. My husband has been glued to his computer since the new Star Wars MMO game came out. Myself- I just put dinner in the oven and made a plan to update my blog. Horray!

Life has been good. Hailey had her 4 month (technically, 4.5 months, but when does a doctor actually go by months exactly. Never!) baby well check up. She is still considered to be in the 25th percentile. She's weighing in at 13lbs and 6 oz. She's still a little peanut, but she's measuring in at 24 inches. My little baby is two feet tall! The doctor said she's underweight, but seriously I don't know what else to do with her, she's on 30-35 oz. per day and eats cereal and baby food. I guess she just burns it off faster?

The main thing is our doctor feels she has Torticollis, which is pretty much her neck muscle in on side of her neck is shorter and causes her to lean her head in a bit to one side. She suggested we go to physical therapy.  The thing is, she barely examined her, and the appointment itself was horrible. So, right now we are doing at home stretches, and she is no longer napping in her Rock N Play Sleeper. She naps solely in her PNP, and she is sitting up on her own and looking up a lot more. I've noticed a dramatic difference in a weeks time. I am going to give it a full month, and if I still see an issue I will make an appointment for a consultation with our PT.

Tomorrow we will officially be retiring our Rock N Play Sleeper. I purchased a new PNP today, and it will be arriving tomorrow. Thank you Amazon Prime membership and your awesome $3.99 overnight delivery! We will be setting that one up in our living room and moving the existing one into the bedroom for sleep time. It will be a few more months until I transition her to her crib because I feel neurotic about her sleeping alone in a room. I still wake up a couple of times at night and watch over her.

Sleep time has been WONDERFUL! I seriously think my child is a gift from god for this reason alone (there are others, relax!). She is sleeping from approximately 8-9pm until 6am. Which allows mommy to get a good nights sleep so she can go to work in the morning.

I do feel like my days just run into each other. I wake up, get ready, bring Hailey to my MIL's, go to work, pick Hailey up, come home, clean a little, make dinner, shower//bathe baby every other night, watch some TV, and bed. Weekends, just get rid of the first few bits, and that is my life. I swear whenever I hear a SAHM complain they have no time to do anything, I cringe. You want to see no time, a messy house, dishes in the sink, laundry to be done? Come visit my house!

Last weekend I finally unboxed our new Christmas tree. Yes, it sat in the bomx unopened in the middle of our living room for over a week. But, in the end it was so worth it. Of course, I had to go out and buy new ornaments because the same two colors year after year got played out. Needless to say, I am ecstatic with this years tree. It's gorgeous and I am in love with it!

And of course, my blogging time has been cut short. A certain little girl wants mommy's time! So I leave you with one photo I actually had the time to edit and upload!

Recipe err...Monday? Pepperoni stuffed chicken

I so wanted to post this on Friday, BUT everyone was sold out of chicken breasts and I just ran out two days earlier. Finally, Saturday, Eric and I went out and got some. Actually, 10.5 lbs of chicken breasts (hello, full freezer!) so I was able to conjure this up on Saturday night. Yesterday I simply didn't have time to post since I was busy all day with seven, yes SEVEN loads of laundry, and putting our Christmas tree up AND taking care of Hailey.

So here is my late recipe of the week. It was soo yummy! Courtesy of BudgetBytes

 Pepperoni stuffed chicken

STEP 1: Trim the chicken breasts of any large clumps of fat that may be still attached. Slice each breast in half diagonally to create two diamond-like shaped pieces. Using a small, sharp knife, cut a pocket into the side of each breast piece. This can be slightly tricky on thinner pieces so be careful. Be sure not to cut all the way through the meat but rather just into one side so that the fillings will stay in. See photos below.

STEP 2: Stuff each piece of chicken with 1/2 oz. of cheese and about 4 slices of pepperoni. Lightly season each piece with salt and pepper. Set the stuffed chicken aside.

STEP 3: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Begin to heat a large skillet with 6 Tbsp of vegetable oil over medium/high heat. Collect three shallow dishes and put the flour in one, the egg in another and the bread crumbs in the third. Beat the egg until it is an even consistency (adding a 1/2 tsp of water helps break it up).

STEP 4: One by one, coat each piece of chicken in the flour, then the egg then the bread crumbs. Use your hands so that you can keep the open side of the pocket pinched closed and keep the fillings in. The flour helps the egg adhere and the egg keeps the bread crumbs in place. This is a basic bread coating.

STEP 5: Test the oil in the skillet to see if it is hot enough by dropping a small pinch of bread crumbs in. The bread crumbs should sizzle and dance A LOT. It is very important that the oil is hot enough or else the breading will soak up a lot of oil and you'll end up with some really greasy chicken!. Place all four pieces of chicken in the skillet and cook until it is golden brown and crispy on each side. This should take no more than 2-3 minutes.

STEP 6: When you remove the chicken pieces from the skillet, transfer them to the baking sheet and place it in the oven. Finish baking the chicken (to cook the inside) for about 25 minutes (longer if you have larger pieces). Remove from the oven (check to make sure the chicken is cooked through) and serve immediately!

Step by Step Photos


I cut each chicken breast in half to make 4 oz. portions.


Slice into the chicken breasts horizontally to create a pocket. Do not cut all the way through to the other side.


Collect the fillings for your chicken.


Stuff the chicken pieces with the mozzarella and pepperoni.


Coat the chicken pieces in flour, then egg, then bread crumbs.


Briefly fry the stuffed chicken pieces on each side until they are golden brown. Finish baking in the oven at 350 degrees. I put mine in a Pyrex glass baking dish, so the juices stayed in and cooked with the chicken. Soo good!!!

Recipe Friday- Slow Cooker Ribs

This weeks recipe comes courtesy of Mmm...is for Mommy . I made these the other night, and they were awesome!

 

Easy Barbecued Ribs

Adapted from America's Test Kitchen Slow Cooker Revolution

1.5 tbsp sweet paprika (3tbsp)

1 tbsp light brown sugar, lightly packed (2 tbsp)

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (1/4 tsp)

S&P to taste (about 1 tsp each is what I used)

2 lbs pork (baby) back ribs (6 lbs) - leave the membrane on the ribs to help hold them together

1 cup barbecue sauce (3 cups)

Vegetable oil spray.  

In a small bowl, mix together paprika, brown sugar, cayenne and S&P.  Rub this mixture all over both sides of your ribs well.  Arrange ribs in the slow cooker by standing them up against the wall of the stoneware pot, thicker side down and meaty side against the pot.  Pour barbecue sauce over the ribs, cover and cook for 6-8 hours on low (I did 7 hours and they were perfect).  

Now comes the only stove/oven work involved, we need to reduce the sauce and then brown the ribs under the broiler.  These steps are what turn the ordinary into the extraordinary, so don't you dare skip them even if your ribs already look pretty good.

Once the initial slow cooking is done, very carefully (as they are tennnnderrrrr) remove the ribs to a baking pan which you have lined with foil and put a rack on (like in my photo collage), bone side up.  Set to the side.

 Skim any fat that has risen to the top and strain all of the remaining juices from the slow cooker through a mesh strainer into a small saucepan.  Bring to boil and allow to simmer and reduce by about a third, approximately 15 minutes.

 Put your oven's broiler on to heat up and make sure that there is an oven rack about 10 inches below the broiler element.  When the broiler is preheated, brush the ribs with sauce and broil for 3 or 4 minutes.

Take them out and very carefully flip them over, brush with sauce and broil again, meat side up, for approximately 9 minutes, taking them out once or twice (I did only once because I forgot) to baste with more sauce.  Serve any remaining sauce on the side with the ribs.

ENJOY!!