For the Girls!!

This week, Daisy has not been feeling well. Monday night was the toughest. Miss Daisy was up all night. So was momma. There was a fever, some chills, lots of cuddles. Tuesday was a very slow day. Daisy slept most of the day. That left momma, well hanging around.

I watched a lot of TV this week. Made lots of grilled cheese sammies, with soup. Finally got back on twitter. :) And found some new blogs to read. That includes this one. Loaded with tons of yummy recipes. Including Pink Lemonade Whoopie Pies.

Anna Marie and I, had planned a playdate for our girls. A few weeks ago. For Tuesday. Obviously, that wasn't going to happen. But yesterday afternoon, Daisy was feeling much better. We were itching to get out. I called Anna Marie, and we met at the park. Had some snacks. Including these yummy delights! Let me tell you, this is something that will make any girl's heart sing!!



It was a delicious afternoon!! Perfect for Miss Daisy. As she is now feeling better. It's funny how a little sun, some good friends, and a yummy dessert, do a girl so good! I'm glad that we met up. And I look forward to another yummy playdate. Soon! Before it gets too hot outside. And I start to waddle around. ☼

Sweet Biscuits...These Are Amazing!!

Funny how when you're thinking about something, it starts to appear everywhere! You see, Lola and I were just talking about her stuffed biscuits. Those little pockets of yumminess!! Oh my!! I miss those babies. :)

Years ago, when we were in a class together, we had to come up with a recipe. And Lola came up with these amazing stuffed biscuits. Even our professor was impressed. And that lady, was a tough one to impress! Then Lola started trying all different kinds of flavor combinations. I was gladly the taste tester!

One time, I remember it well, it was so cold outside! And the guys were practicing for an upcoming gig. They had started early, and were prepared for a long night. Lola had told them, she'd cook too. Everyone was happy!! I'm telling you, she spoils the guys to pieces!! :)

Greg called me. Told me to round up the gals, and head over. Why? Because there was so much yummy food. And we needed to help the guys eat it. That was saying a lot!! Being that the guys can eat anyone, out of house and home!! ;)

When we got there, there were stuffed biscuits of every kind!! With a gorgeous salad. Oh, I ate. People, I sat there and ate, until I was sure, my pants were going to bust open. :) It was that good! I remember there being different kinds of biscuit, roll, and crescent type breading. The ingredients inside, were amazing!

Well, since my pal moved, we don't get treats like that anymore. At least not as often. :( I miss it!! More than words can say!! 2 weeks ago, before Lola had invited us over for dinner, I was dreaming about this amazing little pouches of yumminess!

I've already blogged about Lola's chicken. Which is amazing! That same day, I asked her about her stuffed biscuits. Man, it is a process. But the end result is so yummy! Then she gave me a "quickie" version to try out. You know, the one I'm more likely to make. And not mess up. This version, includes store bought dough!! The stuff from the can....

I've had nothing to really do. Today. While Miss Daisy has been sleeping away her sickies. My poor baby girl! We've been in bed all day!! And I've been reading new blogs. Guess what I found? Stuffed Biscuits!! Yes please!! I think the angels are trying to tell me something. :)



Natasha's look amazing!! Don't you think? And I've got Lola's recipe written down. Can you guess, what we're having for dinner tomorrow night? Yum! I can't wait. But honestly, I hope Miss Daisy is feeling better. And soon! We want to enjoy this yummy goodness together. And a little bit of after dinner, doll playing. ☼

Baby Bedding

Today I start my 18th week. And I've got baby on the brain!! Greg thinks I'm a little nuts. This time around, I want to be better prepared. Have all our ducks in a row. Know what I mean?

We have just over 2 weeks, until we find out, if we're having a boy or a girl. Greg and I, just want a healthy baby. But I think, deep down inside, he'd like a boy. :) Since we decided to have 2 more kids, well we have 2 more shots!! ;)

Since I've got baby on the brain, I took to this website. To stare at baby bedding. To dream up ideas for our nursery. I'm limiting myself here. I honestly have 26 saved!! But I'm going to show you my favorite for a boy, and for a girl.

First up, we've got the bedding for a boy. Actually, Greg picked it out. I'm totally loving it too!



Animal Acres. 6 pieces for $130. What else would you expect? A little country, for my country man! I can see this, with some simple furniture.



For a girl, I just couldn't narrow it down!! It was so hard. But I settled on (for now) the Pink and Lavender Butterfly. :) This one is $180 for 9 pieces. I even like the furniture!

Wow! There is so much left to do. I'm feeling a little under the wire. Maybe because I have a toddler this time around. I can't procrastinate. Or pull all nighters, to get the nursery ready. But at least, I'm starting to get some good ideas. :) ☼

A Taste of Spring

Spring is here. And it makes me think of yummy treats. Especially lemons and berries. Yum! These fruits, just make me think of spring. They're light and fresh. It got me thinking, there must be tons of yummy recipes out there. With lemons and blueberries. That's how I found this recipe!

Can we say yum? I'm not going to lie. When I fond this recipe, I almost cried tears of joy! How had I never put 3 of my favorite things together before? You've got lemons, blueberries, and cupcakes!

OK, so I wanted to make these. For my parents. They were here visiting before Easter. I read the recipe over. A few times. OK, like 20 times! It's no secret, I'm not a great cook. Heck, I've never baked anything, that didn't come out of a box. :) My first thought was, I could buy a lemon cake mix, and mix in some blueberries. Then make this icing....

But I said heck with it! And I asked my mom to help me out. In no time, we had 2 batches made. And they are amazing!! You must try this recipe. I promise you, you won't regret it. Oh, and I'm posting the recipe. But remember, it's not mine, it's Krissy's!



Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes
Yield: about 16 cupcakes

Ingredients:
For the cupcakes:
¾ cup plus 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour, divided
¾ cup cake flour
1½ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
8 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
Zest of 1 lemon
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tbsp. lemon juice
½ cup plus 2 tbsp. milk, at room temperature
1 cup fresh blueberries

For the frosting:
8 oz. cream cheese
5 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
Zest of 1 large lemon
Additional fresh blueberries, for garnish

What you'll do:

Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Line cupcake pans with paper liners. In a medium bowl, combine the ¾ cup all-purpose flour, the cake flour, baking powder and salt; whisk together and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter, sugar and lemon zest. Beat together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, blending well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla and lemon juice. With the mixer on low speed, mix in half of the dry ingredients just until incorporated. Blend in the milk. Mix in the remaining dry ingredients, beating just until incorporated.

In a small bowl, toss the blueberries with the remaining 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour. Using a spatula gently fold the berries into the cake batter. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared liners, filling each about ¾ full. Bake 20-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pans 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the frosting, combine the cream cheese and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on medium-high speed until well combined and smooth, about 2-3 minutes. Mix in the lemon juice and lemon zest. Gradually beat in the confectioners’ sugar until totally incorporated, increase the speed and then beat until smooth. Frost cooled cupcakes as desired. Garnish with fresh blueberries.

Yum! Our entire family loved them! They were perfect after dinner. Not too heavy. But a yummy sweet. I'll definitely be trying these again. And soon! Now I can't wait for our blueberries to grow. Imagine how good these cupcakes will taste, with fresh berries? Love I tell you!! ☼

Cooking Tips

You know, every group of friends, has to have a great cook. I'm definitely not that person. Just ask my college professors. Or my husband. :)

In our group, it's definitely Lola! I tell you, there is a reason, that all the guys in the band, were in love with her. Girl had to think on her feet. And set up, all but 4 of the guys, when she first joined the band. Thank you again Lols! That's how I met Greg.

But back to cooking. I know that the band misses her. Lola moved almost 4 years ago. Across the country!! Those rehearsal nights, or poker nights, were always filled with yummy food. For the guys at least. Woman can cook up a flipping feast!! With almost nothing. And no time.

I know the guys miss Lola. They never turn down a gig in NC. Never!! Because they get spoiled with yummy food! I probably should have taken advantage of my friend's cooking skills, years ago!! But I didn't. :(

Never fear. This past weekend, we went over to Lola and Guy's house. They may have just moved in. Have almost no furniture. But they had food!! Yummy food!! Lots of it. My favorite was definitely the chicken. Darn it was good!! My mouth is watering, just thinking about it. :)

While I had my friend nearby, I asked her how she made it. Her secret? A little seasoning, slow cooking, and a little grilling. Oh boy!! I'm excited to try her method out.



First off, Lola buys chicken at the meat market. Fresh. All different pieces....breasts, legs, thighs, etc. She takes it home, and pats it dry. Then she gets a big bowl, and sets it in. The chicken that she made today, she seasoned it with McCormick's Chicken Seasoning, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and added some EVOO. She sets it in the fridge for a couple of hours. Then she takes it out, let's the chill come off, and sticks it in the oven. At 250 degrees, for 90 minutes. Or until cooked.

Lola does all this the day before. Then lets it cool. And refrigerates. The next day, before serving, she takes it out of the fridge. Then places it on a medium high, heated grill. Grills until the chicken is hot and has pretty grill marks. Yum! Can we say, melt in your mouth?

The other version I LOVE, is her chicken breasts. I remember these well. When we'd have lunch together. Lola would make a delicious salad. Then would put a chicken breast, all sliced, on top!! Yum!!

But she didn't stop there. I once asked my friend, with the crazy schedule, how she cooks almost every night. You know what she told me, she bakes 6 or 8 chicken breasts, once a week. That way, she can eat that night. Usually with some pasta or potatoes, and some veggies. Then later in the week, she'll use the chicken to make tacos or enchiladas. And then use it in some sort of casserole. Yum! And that is an awesome tip!!

How does she make these? First you buy skinless, boneless chicken breasts. When you get home, pat dry. Salt and pepper them. Place them in a large Ziploc bag. And add enough Italian salad dressing, to marinate. Leave in the refrigerator a few hours.



Then you take them out, and place them in a casserole dish, with a rack. Bake covered at 300 degrees for 45 minutes, or until done. If Lola is using them for dinner right away, she'll usually take 2 out and brown them, in a skillet with EVOO, for a few minutes. Just to make them a little crunchy. You could even throw them on the outdoor grill.

I feel like this is all common sense stuff. I should have known years ago. But I didn't. And I had to ask my friend. Who is always happy to help. :) Not only that, but girl is a serious master in the kitchen. I wonder if she'll give me a few cooking lessons....

Anyway that you spin this, Lola has helped me out. I'm sure Greg is going to be happy too! He won't have to eat dried out, or even burnt chicken anymore. That's a good thing! Thanks Lols!! ☼

Indoor Playhouse Fun!!

Was there ever something that you saw, and you just knew, you had to have? But at that stage of your life, it was just a tad bit ridiculous? Ya, I'm victim of that. Well over a year, before I got pregnant, and we were thinking about babies, I found Miss Pretty Pretty. And her adorable card table playhouses!!

Well, recently I was poking around Pottery Barn Kids. Looking for Miss Daisy's 2nd birthday present. Greg and I have decided, we want to give our kids, 1 large gift, for big celebrations. Useful things. That they can have for years. Well, I got a little side tracked, and I found this.



The Cottage Playhouse. Do you have a spare $200? How fun would this be, to play in?!? Inside, is a wooden frame that holds up the playhouse. And you can put it away, when not in use. But who wouldn't be playing in there all the time??

Then I thought about Miss Pretty Pretty. And spent another 3 hours, loving all her creations! So many cute ones. :) But I'm really in love with this beauty!



The Garden to Table Playhouse. For $265. This one is gorgeous. Interactive. And designed to go over a card table. How fun is this?!? And for our family, perfection! We own a farm. This would be nice for Daisy, to learn how daddy grows our food, and mommy attempts to cook it!! :)

By now I'm sure, that you know Greg and I. We like to buy Daisy toys that are well made. Maybe they're a bit of an investment. But they're a good deal to us. Usually handmade, or wooden. Things that she'll enjoy, and play with, for a long time. And hopefully, things that our future kids will also enjoy. :)

That being said, both of these are a large investment. But I think they'd be nice to play with, inside. When the weather outside is rainy, too hot, or too cold. Is it birthday present material? I'm not sure. There is something else that we're leaning towards....

But with all that being said, I think either of these playhouses would be fun for Daisy. And a nice toy, to travel with. You just fold it up, and through it in your suitcase. For when we visit my family, or Greg's. I'm telling you, this idea just keeps growing on me!! ☼