A Few Yummy Treats

First up: Homemade and healthy pumpkin bread with chocolate chips
When you're missing your husband and there's nothing you can do about it, the best therapy is whipping something up that is easy to ship and that he can still enjoy long distance. So, despite the craziness that is my life these days, I recently decided to bake up some of this yummy pumpkin bread and sent off a little piece of home to my sweet guy in California.

And the best part of the recipe..? It makes two! So the boys and I got to enjoy exactly what Jay did. And man did they eat this up, Woah! 

So good. 

Next up: Oatmeal Whole Wheat Pancakes

Pancakes are a weekly occurance (at least) in this Turri house, but it's usually Bisquick or Trader Joe's ready-to-go pancake mix. I'm really not a morning person so if I have to slave over breakfast I'm not going to be a happy camper. But last week I thought "you know what? I'm going to try some from scratch"... So I did. And for once I actually had everything I needed right in the pantry. The recipe I used was another I found on Pinterest (I'm sure you're not surprised) but man were they good! And healthy again too - which is always a bonus. A little sweet and a lot dense from the oatmeal which made them filling and even better than that, they only made 7. Which is perfect these days because I definitely don't know how to cook for just Vincent and I. So this made just enough for two hungry boys and their mom to enjoy without a lot of leftovers. Sylas and I shared one and it was more than enough. Vincent must be growing again so he ate three and wanted more but at least that meant they were good, right?! 

FYI: this stack is minus the three that Vincent had already eaten. Don't look half bad, eh?

These will definitely be replacing the box of Bisquick in my pantry, though I'm sure once our family is reunited I will have to start doubling the recipe ;0). 

And finally: Spiffed up brownies 

It's kind of hard to take credit for this when technically they're just box brownies with a little spiffing up.. but I will take credit for making them just a little more special than normal. So, next time you need to bring a dessert somewhere but don't want to put a lot of effort, maybe try these! All I did was I baked my box of brownies in a pie pan instead and then once they were cooled and ready to eat I made them even more decadent by spreading on some frosting and then topping the whole thing with raspberries. The brownies with the frosting were super super sweet but the addition of the raspberries cut right into the sweetness making it the perfect combination, and the perfect easy dessert. At least I thought so.

Nothing much to say other than YUM! And this made leftovers that actually got eaten for once. YUM YUM! 

Crackers, Anyone?

If your name is Vincent Turri, your answer would be yes! In fact, he would live on crackers if we let him. His fave are gold fish. The backseat of my car is proof enough of that ;0) but recently, I began wondering how much they probably aren't that good for him. Instead of feeling guilty that I'm feeding my son processed foods I decided I'd try making him some homemade crackers. And thanks to Pinterest I found a really quick and easy recipe that Jay and I tried last night. Here's the link if you'd like to try it yourself.

Jay took his rolling job pretty seriously ;0)

We rolled out the dough and used a shot glass to cut out all the crackers.

We poked each one with a fork and baked for about 14 minutes.

After they came out we brushed them with a little bit of butter. It called for salt AND butter, but we decided to leave the extra salt out. Everyone needs more butter. No one needs more salt ;0)

The entire thing went rather quickly and it made about 100 crackers. 

Best of all, they're delicious! 

Vincent didn't get to try one until this morning but I think he liked them. Jay and I will have to keep reminding ourselve that we made them for him. Otherwise, we'll eat them all and that would be a very bad thing!

Happy Monday everyone!

Pistachio Almond Cake - YUM!

In the spirit of the recent holiday, St. Patrick's Day I thought I would post about a yummy green cake that I recently made. It's super easy and delicious, you've got to try it! I found the recipe here but for blogging purposes here's how I made it:

Ingredients:
- 1 box white cake mix - it doesn't have to be anything fancy. I bought store brand white cake mix and it turned out great!
- 1 package instant pistachio pudding mix - again, store brand :0)
- 3 egg whites
- 1 1/4 cups water
- 1/3 cup oil
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
- 7 drops green food coloring

**The measurements for eggs, water and oil may vary depending on what your box of cake mix says. So, if your cake mix says different than what I have above, i'd go with those directions instead. Be sure to do everything else according to the measurements above though :0) **

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 10 inch tube pan. The tube pan just makes it look fancier. And fancier is always better, right?
2. In a large bowl mix together cake mix and pudding mix. Make a well in the center and pour in egg whites, water, oil, almond extract and green food coloring. Blend ingredients together, then beat for 2 minutes at medium speed.
3. Pour into prepared 10 inch tube pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 50 - 55 minutes, or until cake springs back when lightly pressed. **Again, I'd go with the baking time listed on your cake mix box, but that's just me**. Cool in pan 15 minutes. Turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.
4. ENJOY!!

It's so good i'm making it again today for a family dinner. It's a must try for sure!

Staying Busy

A few weeks ago Jay and I were lucky enough to inherit a bread machine - how cool is that?! Jay's grandparents no longer needed theirs so we were happy enough to take it off their hands ;0). Me being someone who loves all things carbs (it's definitely my weakness), a bread machine is seriously my kind of tool to have. We couldn't wait to try it out so after a little internet searching we found a recipe for some honey whole wheat bread. I figured I would probably end up eating a large amount of it so might as well try to make it healthy!

Our first two attempts came out a little bit small but the four hour wait was worth it regardless. That, and the way it made our house smell... wow! I could make bread every day if only to keep that yummy smell around 24/7 :0). We will definitely be making lots more homemade bread - it's too easy not too!

Besides our efforts at baking, I also did a quick crochet project for a friend. One i think many of you may appreciate because it has to do with protecting the love of your life - your friendly e-reader! Our family has a Nook Color and as quickly as we got it we spent way too much on a cover from Barnes and Noble. My friend Chanelle on the other hand geniously asked me to crochet her a cover, and although I instantly kicked myself for not thinking of making my own e-reader one, I obliged and made her this!

 

All she requested was that it be blue, green and purple. Other than that, I got to come up with whatever I thought would work for her needs. I found this pattern for a Kindle Fire cover but midway through decided I had something better in mind. I'm pretty excited with how it came out and luckily her Kindle fits perfectly inside. Now it's protected from anything that can scratch it inside her purse!! It was a fun little project to  distract me from the fact that i'm battling a cold right now but really, I'd do anything for those I love whether I'm in tip-top shape or not. 

Now, to finish Mockingjay, the last of the Hunger Games Trilogy. Eeeek!

Spicing Up Dinner

On any average week one can almost guarantee that we eat pasta for dinner at least one night. Our favorite go-to dish is penne pasta with jarred vodka sauce and a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store. It's so easy for us to just throw together and it actually tastes quite good. If I had the time, I wouldn't mind making my own vodka sauce but why bother when we already like the one we get from the store? In an effort to save time, this works for us. We sometimes pair our meal with a salad but we almost always pair it with some of my favorites, crescent rolls. This week, our pasta night fell on Tuesday. And since i'm home on Tuesdays I decided to spice it up a little by making something extra. Spicy spinach-stuffed mushrooms!

Can you tell this is Jay's plate?

If you're a mushroom lover like I am then, then you will absolutely love this recipe. It's from Pioneer Woman, my go-to gal for tons and tons of delicious food ideas - and this definitely was. You can find the recipe here.
For additional Pioneer Woman recipes that our familyeats on a regular basis, see the list below. You definitely won't be sorry to try any of them.

The Perfect Pot Roast - This is perfect for Sunday dinner. a short prep time, a long cook time and some GOOD eating.
The Best Lasagna Ever - and it really is. The only thing for me is I don't like sausage. Not to worry though, I substituted the sausage for mushrooms and WOW, it was truly the best lasagna ever.
Penne a la Betsy - I've made this twice already and both times there were no left overs. It's that good.
Chicken and Dumplings - Chicken and Dumplings is one of my all-time favorite comfort foods. EVER. And this recipes brings it home for sure. If you're in a time crunch, there's ways to short cut the recipe. Like using a store bought rotisserie chicken instead of cutting and cooking the chicken yourself, but either way it's sooooo gooooood.
My Most Favorite Burger - Only thing we did different to our burger was add a little avacado because we had to use ours up. It was amazing. Although I do think it would still be amazing without it ;0).

**P.S. Sometimes I have to cut her recipes in half because after all, it is just the two of us and she's normally cooking for six. Unless it's the pasta. Then Jay counts as 4 servings and we can normally finish it off. Just so you know ;0)**
Bon Appétit!!

A Bit of Reading

One of my favorite things to do is sit down with a good book and read. While i'm home with my little one there is not much spare time to do such a thing but, thanks to my long hours at work i've been able to find a couple of minutes here and there to read a few good books ;0). And these two were worth fitting in the time to read.

War Horse & The Hunger Games

Both have been made into movies and I can definitely see why.  With War Horse, your inner love for horses is brought to life. Through the trials and tribulations of the main characters your heart strings are pulled so strongly you will find yourself holding back the tears more than once. I know I had to. But, in the end you're happy everyone you care for has made it through. It's a short but easy read that young and old alike will love. Thanks Mom for the recommendation!!

The Hunger Games is another one of those you definitely won't regret reading. The author does an amazing job of making you feel like you're battling for your life right along side Katniss, the main character. It's unlike anything i've ever imagined in my life but the concept is all the more riveting as you go along. I really CANNOT wait to read the next two in the series. And especially can't wait to see the movie. I wouldn't let myself watch the trailer until I finished the book, so as not to give anything away, but now that I have I cannot wait to see it. 

Oh, and in between reads, Jay and I began drinking a new drink that I don't want all of you to miss out on. I recently read about all the amazing reasons drinking lemon water is good for you. So, at the recommendation from someone on Pinterest, Jay and I are now cutting out all sodas to drink this instead.. 

Sparkling water and lemon.

It's Delish!

Just squeeze half a lemon into a small glass, fill with sparkling water and tadahh!!! 

My craving for carbonated soda is quenched by merely saturating my taste buds with lots and lots of tart tart lemon. It really is the most refreshing and healthy thing I've ever drank. 

It's now a regular at our Turri house, and Vincent likes it too ;0) 

Just don't forget to drink it with a straw. Lemon juice is extremely acidic and bad for your teeth. 

  Enjoy!