Movie Night

We had been having yucky weather all last week so Friday night we decided just to stay in & have movie night. We ordered some pizza & curled up on the couch with two new movies...."Marley & Me" and "I love you Man."

 We loved this movie!! I think I cried about the whole way thru!

This one wasn't very good. Maybe it was because we watched it after Marley & Me so we had higher expectations but it's definitely not one I feel I need to watch again.

Velveeta Vegetable Cheese Soup

It's been raining the last few days so last night we decided that vegetable soup would be good to fix for supper. I've never made it before so I searched online for a good recipe. I went to my trust Kraft website & found Velveeta Vegetable Cheese Soup...it looked delicous so this is what we "attempted" to make.

What the picture was on the website, ours didn't look like this at all. And of course I forgot to take a pic when ours was done.

Velveeta Vegetable Cheese Soup

(Source: Kraft)

Ingredients:

1 pkg. (16 oz.) frozen broccoli, cauliflower and carrot blend (we used a pkg of mixed veggies we had)

2 cans (14 oz. each) fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth

3/4 lb. (12 oz.) VELVEETA Pasteurized Prepared Cheese Product, cut up (we just used shredded cheese)

*Our added items*

Cut up steak fries to add potato flavor

Chicken breast, cut into pieces

Directions:

Place vegetables, & broth in large saucepan...we also added our fries & chicken and put salt, pepper, & some seasoning in it; cover. Bring to boil on medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low; simmer 10 min. or until vegetables are tender.

Mash vegetables with potato masher to desired consistency. (We omitted this step)

Stir in Velveeta; cook 5 min. or until cheese is melted and soup is heated through, stirring frequently.

*We didn't put the cheese in the actual soup ever, we just added to our individual bowls. Overall, it was really good...even though we changed the recipe a bit.*

Candy Kitchen

We finally decided to try our 1st new restaurant for the month. It's a little place in Greenup called "Candy Kitchen." Brandon had a cheeseburger, fries & a Coke & also ordered some fried green beans and I had a horsehoe & water. The food was really good & it filled us up but our bill was $14. I guess maybe that doesn't seem that much with all the food we got but individually the stuff was pretty expensive. Luckily, his was the special...but it was still $6.50. Then he decided he wanted an ice cream cone so he got the pumpkin ice cream....their ice cream is delicious but I wasn't too fond of this...but I'm not a big pumpkin person. It was more a pumpkin spice ice cream & he really liked it. So...overall the food was good, just a little expensive. I'm not sure if we'll end up eating there again or not....

Farmhouse Chicken

I had found this recipe from the Kraft website a week or 2 ago and finally decided to cook it last night....for our 5 year anniversary!!! No, we haven't been married that long, just been together 5 years. It was pretty simple to make, it just look a while.

This is the pic I got while it was cooking. I forgot to take one after it was finished & plated.

Farmhouse Chicken

(Source: Kraft)

Ingredients:

1/4 cup flour

1/2 tsp. pepper

4 small bone-in chicken breast halves (1-1/2 lb.), skin removed

1/4 cup KRAFT Light Zesty Italian Dressing

2 cups baby carrots

1 onion, cut into wedges

1 can (14-1/2 oz.) fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth, divided

2 cups instant brown rice, uncooked

4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA Neufchatel Cheese, cubed

2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

Directions:

1. Mix flour and pepper in shallow dish. Add chicken; turn to coat both sides of each piece. Gently shake off excess flour. Heat dressing in large nonstick skillet on medium heat. Add chicken, meat-sides down; cook 5 to 6 min. or until golden brown. Turn chicken. Add carrots, onions and 1 cup broth; cover. Simmer on medium-low 20 min. or until chicken is done (165°F).

2. Meanwhile, cook rice as directed on package; spoon onto platter. Use slotted spoon to remove chicken and vegetables from skillet; place over rice. Cover to keep warm.
3. Add Neufchatel and remaining broth to skillet; cook on high heat until Neufchatel is melted and sauce is well blended, stirring constantly. Simmer on medium-low heat 3 to 5 min. or until slightly thickened, stirring occasionally. Spoon over chicken and vegetables; top with parsley

Family Pic

Yesterday we went to my family's house so we could have some pictures taken. We hadnt gotten any taken in a long time so I thought it was time we do. Here's a few we took!

My version of Tollhouse Pie

Yesterday we were going to have dinner with my family then get some pictures taken. I decided that I wanted to take something and this pie looked pretty easy. I got the recipe over at Heather Drive. After I had started making it, I realized I didn't have any chocolate chips. So, rather than going to the store, I improvized and used 2 cubes out of a chocolate block I had. Then, I thought well maybe it'll be good with peanut butter so I put in 2 spoons of creamy p.b. Overall, I thought it tasted really good & I got good feedback from my family...however, it's more of a brownie in a pie crust rather than a pie.

Toll House Pie
Source: (Heather Drive...her source All Recipes.com)

Ingredients:
2 eggs
1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup butter, melted and cooled
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (I used 2 cubes from a chocolate bark block)
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch single crust pie (you can use any crust you like, or even a store-bought one, like a graham cracker or chocolate crust)
(I also put 2 spoons of peanut butter in mine)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, beat the eggs until foamy. Add the flour, white sugar and brown sugar; beat until well blended. Blend in the melted butter.
3. Stir in the chocolate chips and walnuts. Pour batter into one unbaked 9 inch pie shell.
4. Bake for 1 hour. Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream, if desired.

My 1st book

On my 101 list I have down to read one book per month. Yesterday I finally started one. I have been looking on ebay at several books I'd like to read but haven't purchased one yet. We were at Dollar General yesterday so I decided I'd check out what book they had. I found this one for $3 and it sounded like it would be good. I'm on page 17 so far and it's for sure one of those books I don't like to put down...unfortunately I've been pretty busy since I've started it so I've had too quite a bit. I'll be sure to review about it as I read more.

*Review*

I just finished this book this weekend. Overall, it was a good book and I would recommend it to anyone to read. It's about a woman who is married with 2 sons and whose mother has breast cancer. She also is intrigued by her mother's plastic surgeon. You'll just have to read the book to find out how everything evolves. ;)

Pulling Debut

Saturday was Brandon's first time pulling his new truck. He has been working on it the past few months & finally just got everything done & ready Friday night. On Saturday morning he got it loaded and washed and by 5:00 we were on our way. When we got there, he actually told me he was nervous. I've never seen him this nervous before! His class wasn't up yet so we walked up to the track, caught up with some of our friends and watched the tractors pull. Finally around 8:00 it was his turn to pull. He was #1 puller which made him even more nervous I think. While he got ready, I went across the track and sat with my family....a little nervous for him too. The class started, the announcer called his name & he pulled up to the sled. The lights turned green & here he come......he ended up just a little under 200 ft. Not bad. He turned that down and decided to come back last. When it was his turn again...here come...just a little over 200 ft that time. After he we was done I went over to talk to him....of course he was flocked by a ton of the guys already. He said he was a little dissapointed and the transmission was slipping. We both agreed it wouldn't be a good idea to pull the next class so he loaded the truck up and we went and watched the rest of the pull. Overall I was very proud of him for doing it. He didn't win or even get close to winning but the rest of the guys that pulled against him have a whole lot more money in their trucks then we do ours. So...the night I feel was a success...he got down the track and didn't break anything!

My camera doesn't take very good night pics....which is why I'll be getting a pro camera soon ;)

Chocolate Cake Cookie Sandwiches

Last night for supper since I had decided to try the Buffalo Chicken dip, I also wanted to make a new dessert. Of course I turned to my trusty Heather Drive. I really like the recipes she tries. I found this one that I thought would be easy & tasteful. Unfortunately, my frosting turned out way too thin so we just kind of used it for a dip rather than frosting in between cookies. Trial & error I guess! Maybe it'll work better next time.

Batter mixed up

After being baked & cooling

Chocolate Cake Cookie Sandwiches

Source: Heather Drive

Ingredients:

For cookies:

1 package chocolate cake mix

1 egg, at room temperature

1/2 cup butter, at room temperature


For frosting:

3/4 cup butter, softened

3 cups powdered sugar, sifted

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

2-3 tsp milk



Directions:

1. To make cookies, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with wax paper.

2. In mixing bowl, combine cake mix, egg, & butter. Beat on low speed until just combined & all ingredients have been incorporated.

3. Roll the dough into 1 to 1 1/2 inch balls, place on the prepared baking sheets & press down to slightly flatten. (I did not do this, I just used my cookie scoop & tried to get as many equal sizes as possible.)

4. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool completely on the cookie sheets.

5. To make the frosting, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the powdered sugar, & beat until incorporated. Add vanilla extract & beat on medium speed until fully incorporated. Add 2 tablespoons of milk & beat on medium-high speed until smooth. If the frosting is too thick, add the remaining tablespoon of milk & beat until incorporated. (I do not have a stand mixer so I just mixed mine together with a spoon...maybe that's why it didn't come out right.)

6. To assemble, pair the cookies based on size on a work surface. Frost the flat side of one cookie from each pair. Place the other cookie of each pair on top of the frosting, flat side down. Lightly press down so that the frosting reaches the edges of the cookies.

7. To decorate, place sprinkles in a small bowl. Dip the sides of each cookie in the sprinkles, pressing down gently & rotating to cover the sides completely.

How they are supposed to look

Buffalo Chicken Dip

Today we had discussed what we were gonna have for supper & we both thought pizza from the pizza place just down the street sounded good. I wanted to have something else to go with it so today while looking around on Allrecipes.com, I found their recipe of the day was Buffalo Chicken Dip. One of my friends had made this before and Brandon loved it so I knew this would be something he would like. Plus, it would go along with the pizza.

I know it doesn't look the greatest but believe me, it's delicious!! The recipe suggest serving with crackers or celery but we just used tortilla chips we had & they worked great.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

Source: Allrecipes

Ingredients:

(2) 10 oz. cans of chicken, drained

(2) 8 oz. packages cream cheese, softened

1 cup Ranch dressing

3/4 cup Sweet Baby Rays Buffalo sauce (or whatever kind you prefer)

1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

1 bunch celery, cleaned & cut into 4 inch pcs.

1 box of chicken-flavored crackers

Directions

Heat chicken & hot sauce in a skillet over medium heat, until heated through. Stir in cream cheese & ranch dressing. Cook, stirring until well blended & warm. Mix in half of the shredded cheese, & transfer the mixture to a slow cooker. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top, cover, & cook on Low setting until hot & bubbly. Serve with celery sticks & crackers.

RIP Patrick Swayze

So I know he actually died a few days ago but since I just now started my blog, I could just now comment on it.

We felt the need the watch Dirty Dancing last night. A couple years ago when I didn't have cable at my apartment, I seriously watched this every day. Now that we have cable, I can't even tell you the last time I watched it...until last night obviously. I forgot how much I loved that movie....I can still recite most of the movie. LOL! But I do have to say that it felt a lot different watching it now that he's dead. He was a great man who did a lot of great movies.

So if you have some free time, watch Dirty Dancing. Such a great movie!

"Nobody puts Baby in a corner"

1 Month Mark

I just realized Brandon & I have been married one month already!! Time is flying by! Our pictures should be ready by the end of the week & hopefully the video also.

101 Things in 1001 Days

I originally got this idea from Heather over on Heather Drive. If you want more information, check out this website.

I decided I haven't really been accomplishing much in my life so I thought this was a great opportunity for me to focus on different things and get them done. I think alot of them will fun to do too!

Start date: September 14, 2009

End date: June 11, 2012

Marriage & Family

1. "Date night" with Brandon once per month (9/34)
2. Surprise my husband with a gift just because (1/34)
3. Get pregnant, have a baby  (+HPT 1/19/10)   Lily Jo 9/21/10
4. Eat dinner with my family once per month (18/34)
5. Eat dinner with Brandon's family once per month (19/34)
6. Go to Brandon's family graves once per month (1/34)
7. Take food to every family dinner in one year (1/2)
8. Watch a new movie once per week (39/142)

Mind, Body, & Soul

9. Lose 25 lbs.
10. Weigh myself every week (17/142)
11. Walk every night for a week
12. Turn walk into run (0/710)
13. No eating after 8:00 pm every night  (125/1001)
14. Give up pop for a week 1/22/10-1/29/10
15. Wake up at 6:30 am for a week
16. Do 30 Day Shred workout every night for a week (0/142)
17. Read one book per month (9/34)
18. Read scripture in The Bible every night before bed (0/1001)
19. Start attending Church every Sunday (0/142)
20. Get my first massage
21. Go to eye doctor, get new glasses
22. Bring lunch to work every day for a week
23. Eat breakfast every day for a month (0/30)
24. Do 50 crunches every night before going to bed (0/1001)

Home is Where the Heart is

25. Buy our own house
26. Empty entire fridge, clean it, and put everything back in
27. Reorganize kitchen cabinets
28. Clean and organize spare rooms
29. Clean the carpets in entire house

All Work, No Play

30. Take a photography class
31. Buy a professional camera Evidence
32. Purchase and learn photoshop
33. Book my first "stranger" photo shoot
34. Start a photography "side business"

Hit The Open Road

35. Go camping
36. Take a group trip
37. Go to a state park and have a picnic
38. Go to Colorado
39. Go to Las Vegas
40. Visit 5 different states (1/5)

I Love Food

41. Try at least 2 new recipes per month (30/68)
42. Go out to breakfast (McDonalds 10/18/2009)
43. Learn how to make bisquits and gravy from scratch
44. Make homemade salsa
45. Bake goodies at Christmas (1/3)
46. Eat at a new restaurant 1 time per month (11/34)
47. Bake a pie
48. Make banana bread (10/4/2009-Evidence)

Friends are Forever

49. Have a girls night/day once per month (3/34)
50. Visit Kyla every 6 months (0/5)
51. Catch up with an old friend
52. Host a purse party
53. Send Birthday cards to my friends/family in 2010
54. Send Christmas cards to my friends/family in one year (2/3)

Pinching Pennies

55. Put $10 per week in savings (0/142)
56. Make supper with stuff we already have rather than going to store for 1 week (1/142)
57. Do not go out to restaurant to eat for 1 week (1/142)
58. Have a garage sale

Cha-ching

59. Pay off personal loans (2/3)
60. Buy a new car
61. Buy a new computer
62. Buy video camera
63. Buy new furniture for living room
64. Buy king size bed 05-31-10

Pay It Forward

65. Clean out closet every 6 months and take to Repeat Boutique (4/5)
66. Donate food @ Thanksgiving (0/3)
67. Buy gifts for 2 kids off of Christmas Angel Tree (1/3)

Just For Fun

68. Go skiing
69. Take Brandon on a plane
70. Go to a concert
71. Visit a Zoo
72. Visit a Museum
73. Go on a wine tour
74. Visit an amusement park
75. Take pics in a photo booth
76. Visit the Arch
77. Gamble on a casino
78. Dress up for Halloween (0/3)
79. Get my ears double pierced
80. Go skinny dipping
81. Go on a hayride 10-11-09
82. Go to a rodeo  12-24-11
83. Chop my hair 11-5-09
84. Clean out my car once per week (2/142)
85. Go to Terre Haute and buy fireworks for 4th of July (0/2)
86. Complete a 1,000 piece puzzle 11-09-09 Evidence
87. Try 1 new wine per month (2/34)
88. Have a 25th birthday party  On bedrest on birthday
89. Start a Blog 9-15-09

Hobbies & Skills

90. Go horseback riding 5 times per year (2/15)
91. Learn to crochet
92. Shoot and kill my first deer
93. Make my own cookbook
94. Grow a garden

Capture the Memories

95. Print wedding photos
96. Make wedding album 6-4-10
97. Make wedding album for my parents
98. Make wedding album for Brandon's parents
99. Get our pictures taken every 6 months (2/5)
100. Get each sides "Big family" picture taken (1/2)
101. Take 1 photo each day (98/1001)

101 in 1001

102. Donate $5 to charity for each item not complete on this list.
103. Make a new 101 things to do in 1001 days list once this is complete.

The Starting Line

This is it - My very first blog!

So...a little about me. My name is Crystal, I just turned 24 in August. I just recently got married on August 15th to my wonderful husband Brandon. We currently are renting a house but hope to soon buy our own....or maybe even build, that's my dream!! We have 2 yorkies...Willow & Marly, I'm sure you'll see them plenty on here! We don't have any kiddos yet but eventually I'd love to have 4!!

That's me in a nutshell I guess....be sure to keep checking back with me for new posts in my Path Thru Life!