What a week

Yay for Fridays!

First I want to say welcome to my new visitors! I have noticed a couple of newbies recently and I am glad you stopped by! I hope I don't bore you with my insane ramblings, etc.

Now on to the bloggy part...

Matthew's birthday is next Tuesday so today I threw a little party for him. We went out for pizza and beer (or in my case a salad and diet pepsi haha) and had cake and ice cream back home afterward. We were suppose to have a big group but people kept dropping out. It ended up being our regular group of four: Matthew and me of course and the bestie and her bf. I think he was a little disappointed that more people couldn't come, but I think he enjoyed himself nonetheless. One of his coworkers dropped by the apartment when he got off work though. They are both in the living room talking computer stuff so obviously I had to retreat to my room. It has been a long week and I'm sure all the geek talk would have been enough to bore me to sleep!

I got off topic.. sorry. (although you should be use to it by now!)

Instead of making him a regular birthday cake, I offered to try out a new recipe from HG. I made individual lava cakes! They were really good, super easy, and only 4 weight watchers points a piece. I put a scoop of churned vanilla bean ice cream on top and that just made the whole thing. You can get the recipe here, and I will tell you that it is definitely worth it. Once again I couldn't get any pictures. Everyone's eyes kind of glazed over when I pulled the mini treats out of the oven lol

Tomorrow I'm going to London to visit family. I'm hoping these storms pass quickly so it will be a safe trip. Sunday will probably be reserved for homework since I definitely have a lot of it. What are your plans for this weekend?

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Stress and comfort food.

This week has been interesting to say the least. I have found myself quite overwhelmed most of the week and wondering if I have bitten off more than I can chew. (*Warning, this may turn into a rant. If you wish you can skip on down to some really good recipes. You have been warned). I am currently taking 12 hours, which is the maximum you can take as a grad student. I also have three jobs: Office manager, grader, and babysitter. I think the office manager position causes the most stress of the three because it has the least amount of structure. The grader thing isn't hard, but the class I grade for has close to (if not over) 100 students. Imagine quizzes roughly every week having to grade and then post said grades. I also got an extra credit assignment which was interesting but 100 of them got old fast. (Just in case you are curious they had to break a social norm... yep, everything from standing the wrong way on an elevator to making their own sandwich at Subway. entertaining...). The babysitting thing is relatively easy but it is another 3 or 4 hours added to my day. So currently I have meetings, therapy, work, etc. every Monday through Thursday night keeping me out until 9:30 or so. Can you see why I'm a little overwhelmed?

Anywho, on to the fun stuff. I blogged earlier about Hungrygirl.com. If you didn't go there, shame on you (haha.. jk). So go on over there and sign up for the emails.

It's ok... I can wait....

Alright, did you do it? Good. Now let's continue.

Yesterday the email was all about chicken. There was a recipe for chicken cordon bleu which I just HAD to try... so I did. (You can click the link to see the recipe and scroll down.. I'm feeling lazy today). It was delicious and super easy. (Sorry, I know it isn't veggie... your time will come in a minute though!). I got a pack of 3 chicken breasts. I figured one for Matthew and one for me, then Matthew could eat the other one today. I let him beat the chicken thin then I salt and peppered them, spread on the cheese, layered three slices of ham on each, rolled them and cooked them. They took roughly 35 minutes to bake and were so tender I could cut them with a fork!

For the side dish I used another HG recipe known as apple slaw. This was also super easy to make and pretty tasty. It's also a good way to get in your fruit, veggies, and dairy... you know, your classic two bird one stone scenario. (except in this case it would be three birds right? ah forget it, you get the idea). You can find this recipe here. Just scroll down and it is the second recipe on the page :)

I know I usually post pics, but it all just smelled too good that I forgot. Sorry!

So what have you been up to this week?

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Southern Kentucky Classic

I haven't posted another recipe since my Enchiladas, so I have decided to share another one. (Hold the applause... you are much too kind! haha) Today's recipe is a classic from my southeastern Kentucky roots. My parents practically grew up on recipes like this. Not only is it super easy, it's very very cheap too (the beans may cost a buck or two, and the cornbread mix goes for around .79). If the economy continues like it is, we may be having this a lot more. Good thing it's tasty!

Soup Beans and Cornbread

• 1 bag of dry pinto beans (you can use any beans you like, I just prefer pinto)
• 1 box Jiffy cornbread mix

Go through the bag of beans picking out any that look odd. I only used half a bag, so you can buy as big or as little as you want and just use whatever. There is pretty much nothing exact about this recipe. Rinse the beans well, then put in a big pot and cover with water. Cover, and cook over medium/medium high heat. I like to put them on in the morning and let them cook all day. If you want them finished sooner, put them on high. Stir occasionally, and add water every couple of hours or so (2 to 4 cups a time should do it). Prepare the cornbread based on the directions on the box. Once the cornbread is finished and the beans are soft, crumble a piece of cornbread into the bottom of a bowl, and cover with beans. Add salt and pepper to taste, and voila! Soup beans and cornbread!

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Enchilada Night

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!

I meant to make this post Saturday or Sunday, but turns out my allergies were not allergies at all. I have bronchitis and I was out for most of the weekend (by out I mean passed out, of course). So now that I am somewhat conscious, I can finally make my first recipe post ::cue whistles and streamers::

Friday night, Amanda (known from here on out as the bestie) and her boyfriend came over for dinner. We had enchiladas, salad, and strawberry daquaris. It was suppose to be margaritas, but none of us can handle tequila...

Anywhoodle, here is my recipe for enchiladas :)
You will need:

• 1 lb of ground beef
• 1 box of spanish rice (I like Zatarains)
• 1 can of diced tomatoes (I use a 10oz can with chiles)
• 3 10oz cans of enchilada sauce
• 8 tortilla shells
• shredded cheese

First you prepare the rice as directed on the package. It will call for a 15oz can of crushed tomotoes, but I use the 10oz can and it is just fine. Also, if you like the spice, get it with chiles in it. Brown and drain ground beef. I add a chopped onion into the beef to soften up. You can add whatever you like. Mix the rice, beef, and 1 and 1/2 cans of the enchilada sauce together.

Next, you fill each tortilla with the beef mixture, top with a handful of shredded cheese, and roll it up placing it seam side down in a 9x13 pan. I line the pan with foil for easy cleaning.

Once all the shells are full, top with the remaining enchilada sauce and cheese, then bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes or until the cheese melts.

This recipe is soooo easy, and it is really tasty too :) They are very filling though, but they make excellent leftovers. Make it your own by adding in things to spice it up (or down). If you decide to try it, let me know how it turns out and if you like it! Also, do you like this idea? I don't want to make posts that no one wants to read. Tell me what you think, and what kind of recipes you would like to see. I am very open to your suggestions!

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