[Recipe] Corn and Red Pepper Quiche

Let me just start off by saying.... WOW. Honestly, this recipe was AMAZING. DELICIOUS.
TOTALLY WORTH TRYING.
honest.

Day 3 : Corn and Red Pepper Quiche

This one again is from one of my favorite blogs : MixandMatchMama
http://www.mixandmatchmama.blogspot.com/2013/05/corn-and-red-pepper-quiche.html

courtesy of MixandMatchMama

ours

Seth followed the instructions exactly except we put regular breakfast sausage (next time chicken apple sausage for sure!) and he found that it filled up 2 pie crusts instead of just 1. Maybe we had smaller pie crusts? Either way, I highly recommend this. SO GOOD.

Just to reinforce the fact that it is so good... I'm off to have some for breakfast!

Have a great day!

[Recipe] Pasta w/ Bacon & Corn and Farmer's Market Skillet

I am happy to report that Day 2 and Day 3 were just as delicious as Day 1!

Day 2 : Monday night

Tonight's dinner was from a blog I follow called MixandMatchMama. She called this her favorite pasta meal supper meal ever so I definitely had to try it!

Pasta with Bacon and Corn
http://mixandmatchmama.blogspot.com/2012/04/dinner-tonight-pasta-with-bacon-and.html

courtesy of mixandmatchmama.blogspot.com

ours

She was right! It was amazing!

Day 3 : Tuesday night

Tonight's dinner involved a drink... because it was just one of those days!

1 shot midori

1 shot malibu rum

the rest pineapple juice

ice

Farmer's Market Skillet
http://iowagirleats.com/2012/05/14/farmers-market-recipe-collection-farmers-market-skillet/

courtesy of the fabulous iowagirleats.com

ours

I must admit though... I did not shop at the farmer's market. I would love to but I didn't have time to this weekend and to be honest, it's cheaper to shop at the grocery store. I love love love the farmer's market but sometimes it's just not practical. I also added avocado (which wasn't in the recipe) purely because I love love love it! And we had salmon (from Costco) also. The whole meal was DELICIOUS! I highly recommend it!!

[Recipe] Chicken Lettuce Wraps and Reese's Pieces Cookies

I love Pinterest. But you wouldn't know it because I almost NEVER make anything I pin. The only thing I have actually made is a couple things for Christmas gifts.
I pin.
And I pin.
And I pin.
And I pin pin pin pin pin.
And I pin some more.
And... you get the idea.

I probably have thousands of pins that I have never done anything with. I have the best of intentions. But I never do them. Most of these pins and recipes. Recipes I SHOULD try because I complain every week that we eat the same boring thing. SO... this week I decided every day we are going to have a new thing that I found on Pinterest. (And actually I have to admit... a couple are from other blogs I read, but I think that counts too, right?)

On tonight's menu : Imitation P.F. Chang's Chicken Lettuce Wraps and for dessert : Reese's Pieces Cookies.
Yum, yum, yum!!!!

The recipes are too long to type out and since it would probably print badly from here anyway, I will just link you to my new favorite items!

Chicken Lettuce Wraps : http://iowagirleats.com/2011/04/26/p-f-changs-lettuce-wraps-remade/
It is from a new blog that I just stumbled upon based on trying this item. And I love it! iowagirleats.com. She has some amazing sounding and looking recipes!!!!

courtesy of iowagirleats.com

my lettuce wraps

Mine didn't look quite the same as the website's but they tasted great!! I highly recommend them. We had ours with a side of potstickers from Costco.

Now onto dessert... the best part of course!

Reese's Pieces Cookies : http://www.averiecooks.com/2013/06/reeses-pieces-soft-peanut-butter-cookies.html

Please, please, please. If you listen to nothing else from me, listen to this. Read the instructions! I didn't read the whole thing and was completely disappointed when I read that I had to let the dough refrigerate before I could make the cookies. Total bummer.

I had my expert taste taster, Seth, try the cookies and this is what he said (he had his mouth full of cookie at the time) "therrrrr freakinnnnn gooood" which means he really liked them. LOL. I would have to agree. Not to toot my own horn but... they are freakin' good! But don't forget a glass of milk...you'll need it!

courtesy of www.averiecooks.com

love, love, love my kitchen aid mixer!!!!

it was a hand-me-down from my step mom and i use it ALL the time

mixing

my cookie

didn't quite look the same but

tasted amazing!!

Enjoy!!! Oh, I'll end with a picture of my big boy... holding his own water cup now! He picks it up, sips his water, and puts it down throws it on the floor all by himself!

[Mason] 11 Months.

Happy eleven month birthday to my baby boy!

I can't believe I am even saying that. Each month that goes by, I say the same thing. But now... just ONE MONTH from today, my BABY turns ONE. Where has the time gone?!?!

eleven month stats :

- i don't go to the doctor until my one year check up but i probably weigh about 22-23 lbs
...that's mommy's guess
- i wear mostly t-shirts and shorts (or pants when it's cold) now...no more onesies! i'm a big boy :)
... i wear 6-12 month shorts, 6-12 month pants and 6-12 or just 12 month t-shirts
- i still wear size 3 diapers
- i have discovered my pee-pee (for lack of a better word while writing on the internet lol) and like to touch it EVERY TIME i get my diaper changed
- i still hate getting my nails cut. i sit still for the majority of my finger nails being cut but hate, hate, hate, hate my toe nails to be cut!
- mommy thought i was getting my 7th tooth but i tricked her! when she put her finger in my mouth to check on my 7th tooth, she felt FOUR more teeth! FOUR. i am getting 2 more teeth on the bottom and 2 molars!
... mommy was in SHOCK. how is her baby old enough for MOLARS?!?
- i'm still sleeping from about 8pm-6am everyday... sometimes waking up slightly before 6am
...usually on weekends...when mommy and daddy want to sleep in!
- i took my 2nd trip to urgent care and had my 2nd really bad sickness. i had the stomach flu for over a week!
- i am amazing at crawling and crawl ALL over the house!
- i love to climb. i climb up mommy and daddy and try to climb on to the couch
- i say mama and dada all the time
- i can clap, wave, and high five...with help
- i am a world record holder! i got a free crazy hat at an Angels game and me and everyone in the stadium wore it at the same time and set a world record!
- mommy and daddy had to move my crib all the way down because i can sit on my knees and look over the edge and mommy got scared
- i can stand by myself if i hold on to something (toy, couch, etc)
... and if i hold on reallllllllll tight, i can move my feet a litttttttttle bit and take a few steps!
- and when i'm done standing, i can sit down with grace
- i tried ice cream for the first time... and really liked it! despite my face of horror at how cold it was!

i do the splits to sit down

mommy is impressed with how flexible i am!

Happy 11 months Mason!

Mommy and Daddy love you so much!

xoxoxoxoxoxo

Happy Father's Day!

Dear Dad,

Happy Father's Day! 

And Happy 1st Grandpa's Day! 

Though you have been a father for 28 years and had 28 Father's Day's, today's is extra special. 

Mason is so, so lucky to have such a great grandpa as you.

 Even though you guys don't get to see each other very often, he knows he is loved and 

you think of him all the time. Thank you for being such an amazing grandpa to my son!

Dear Seth,

Happy 1st Father's Day!

Last year we said it was our first Mother's Day and Father's Day but this little guy right here truly made this year even more special. This little guy is the reason we celebrated you today. You are the most amazing father to our son that I could have ever asked for. Without hesitation, you will do anything at all for Mason. When he is sick, you have no problem staying home with him all day. When he is hurt, you pick him up and dry his tears. You make him laugh. You make him smile. You make him know just how much you love him. You are the best role model I could ask for for our son. You are so caring, loving, and hands on. I don't know how I got so lucky. Happy Father's Day!!! We love you so much!

Daddy's presents from Mason

Love love love these two!

Father's Day

I miiiiiiiiiight have dressed Mason like Daddy :)

(sorry for the blurry-ness... someone was just so happy

he was waving his hands around!)

Happy Father's Day!!

[Recipe] Sangria

Sangria?

What is a post about sangria doing in a baby blog?!

This blog has mainly been all about Mason and our family so typically a post about sangria would not be found here. BUT this is my very favorite recipe for sangria and I just have to share! We are having our belated Memorial Day celebration tomorrow and having friends over and I'm making this sangria for all the girls (guys would probably like it too but it is kind of fruity so my guy friends at least don't like fruity and prefer beer).

This sangria recipe is perfect for big summer parties - always a favorite, you may consider doubling the recipe! (which is exactly what I did for tomorrow!)

Prep Time : 5 min.

Total Time : 5 min.

Ingredients :

• 1 bottle of red wine (Cabernet Sauvignon is my favorite but you could use Merlot, Shiraz, or any other red wine of your choice.)
• 1 lemon cut into wedges
• 1 orange cut into wedges
• 1 lime cut into wedges
• 2 tbsp sugar
• splash of orange juice or lemonade (I used orange juice)
• 2 shots of gin or triple sec (optional - I left this out)
• 1 cup of raspberries or strawberries (may use thawed or frozen - I used frozen strawberries)
• 1 small can of diced pineapples (with juice)
• 4 cups of ginger ale

Preparation :

Pour wine into a large pitcher and squeeze the juice from the wedges of lemons, oranges, and limes into the wine. Toss in the fruit wedges (leaving out the seeds) and add the pineapple. Then add sugar, orange juice and gin. Chill overnight.

Add ginger ale, berries, and ice just before serving (I usually just chill overnight and don't add ice so it doesn't get watery). Remember, the best sangrias are chilled around 24 hours in the fridge - allowing the flavors to really marinate into each other.

All I need to do is add the ginger ale tomorrow and it's ready to drink!

Enjoy!!

[Home Tour] Update. And Amazon Mom

I thought I was all good on posting Mason's room yesterday and then this happened... as I am posting my blog post, I check the monitor to check on Mason and he is sticking his leg through the crib slats (yes, even WITH the bumper there. Apparently the bumper is not THAT tall or Mason just has super long legs). At first I'm thinking "aww, how cute" until it looks like his foot is stuck. He's pulling and pulling and starting to whine and I realize... his foot is stuck. He starts crying and I run upstairs to try to get his foot out. It was stuck. I actually started to get kind of worried and thought I would need to call Seth to come help but then I realized it was just stuck because of the angle he was laying at. So I straightened him out and was able to get his foot out. Needless to say, I checked on him constantly until he fell asleep to make sure he didn't get his foot stuck again. This also led me to my second blog post title...

I joined Amazon Mom! I've been toying with the idea for months now... actually probably a year. I've wanted to but didn't know if I would use it that much so I just procrastinated. I don't know why though...it is free to join and you get free 2-day shipping! It's basically a free 3 month trial to Amazon Prime that they call Amazon Mom because you have to be expecting or a mom in order to join (I think... though I don't know how much they check).

My first purchase? A new, taller bumper for Mason's crib!

Before

After

The shipping was ridiculously fast. I don't know why I didn't join earlier!

One last picture to end on... a post can't be a post without this face.

Rockin' his new shades.

[Home Tour] Mason's Room

I've been wanting to post pictures of our new place for forever now....but as much as I hate to admit it, we are not totally unpacked yet or totally, completely moved in yet. I know, I know...we have lived here for over a month now so we totally should be but with work and a baby and life happening... it hasn't happened yet. Over 99% of the boxes are opened and put away but there are still a few with pictures that I don't know where to put yet.

Without further ado...here is Mason's room!

standing in the doorway, looking in

crib

can't live without our sleep sheep

changing table/dresser

changing table/dresser

pictures and "M" above changing table/dresser

i love love love these

window and closet

directly across from window,

next to door

bookcase

signed baseball

signed by Mike Scioscia, manager of the Angels

hand and foot prints from when Mason was 1 month old

rocking chair

no post would be complete without a picture of the boy :)

i think he likes his room!

It is still a small work in progress but it is the room that is the most done :) I need to hang a couple more pictures and then we need to figure out where to hang I need to figure out how I want to hang some baseball stuff. We went to Ikea this past weekend to try to find something but I had commitment phobia and couldn't commit to buying anything. Hopefully soon!

More home tour's when a few things happen...

- master bedroom : we get the new part for our bed that broke in the move so we can finally put our bed frame back together
- living room : i make my chalkboard
- kitchen : when i finish figuring out where i want to put everything away (there are so many cabinets here but somehow i can't figure out where to put anything!)

Enjoy!