May Day

May!! My second most favorite month of the year. (Side note about me: July is my first and December is my third, only because of Christmas, not for winter and snow ;))

Well the amazing 70+ degree weather came and went last weekend and the forecast is calling for 40's the rest of the week but again warmer temps are to return by the end of the weekend. We were able to get so much done this past weekend as well. The warmer weather came with more energy to get things done. I finished the craigslist project I mentioned earlier (see before and afters below) we cleaned out the garage and opened up our 3-season porch! What a difference it makes!! Eating meals out there as much as we can.

Oakley and I did a tray of planters (we'll see if they sprout out). First year of ever doing this will be trial and error, right?? I have big visions for our garden and flower beds, we'll see if any of them come to be seen.

One new recipe we tried this week:
Definitely not the healthiest (fried in oil) but it was GOOD and we enjoyed ;)!!!!

Bang Bang Shrimp:

Ingredients

1 lb. medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

For the sauce:

½ cup mayonnaise

4-5 teaspoons chili garlic sauce, such as Sriracha sauce

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

1 teaspoon rice vinegar

For the egg mixture:

1 egg, beaten

1 cup milk

For the breading mixture:

½ cup GF flour

½ cup panko breadcrumbs (used kellogs corn flake crumbs)

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

¼ teaspoon onion powder

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

¼ teaspoon dried basil

For frying:

8 to 12 cups vegetable oil

 Serve over rice

 

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients for the sauce in a small bowl; cover and set aside.
2. Combine beaten egg with milk in shallow bowl; set aside.
3. Combine flour, panko, salt, black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and basil in another shallow bowl; set aside.
4. Bread the shrimp by first coating each with the breading mixture. Dip breaded shrimp into the egg and milk mixture, and then back into the breading. Arrange the coated shrimp on a plate and pop them into the fridge for at least 20 minutes. This step will help the breading to stick on the shrimp when they are frying.
5. Heat oil in deep fryer to 350 degrees F. Use amount of oil required by your fryer.
6. When oil is hot, fry shrimp 2 to 3 minutes or until golden brown. Drain on rack or paper towels.
7. When all shrimp has been fried, drop the shrimp into a large bowl. Spoon about ¼ cup of sauce over shrimp and stir gently to coat.

Got to finally go to the park!!!! Looking so grown up!

Last Thursday was a slight devestation in our household.......We were planning on taking Oakley to see Scooby Doo Live in Brookings, when we went to print our tickets the concert was actually held on Wednesday....so we missed it!! Long story short the website said Thursday and tickmaster said Wednesday. So we still did an Oakley night. We ate bad by going to Pizza Ranch and then went to a little arcade play area. And yes, in the picture below it is a straight sugar stick Jeremiah is pouring in Oakley's mouth. It was his night I guess ;)

So excited that I can run outside now!!! I feel like I can do so much more outside than running on a treadmill feeling like a lab rat! Fresh air and open road.

With the amazing weather we could not get this kid inside! He came in only to sleep. He even ate every meal outside. He's just so cute! And big news......finally saying a few more words! It's coming..slowly but surely!

Everybody working for the weekend........

Go on sing the song to my post title, you know you want too. It's so true for Jeremiah and I this week. I think our weather channel app is the most used one on both our phones, we are clinging to the high 70's near 80's that is forecast for this weekend. Lets just say we are especially giddy and cannot wait!!!

It's been a pretty low key week for us, but I needed to share some recipes we've made before the list gets too long.

We finally tried Quinoa for the first time, not sure why we haven't had it sooner, but we will definitely be making it a staple in many upcoming recipes.

Here are all the new recipes and some pics of what I remembered to do :)

Quinoa mac and cheese

• 1 1/2 cups quinoa, cooked
• salt and pepper to taste
• seasoning salt to taste
• sprinkle of creole seasoning
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1 1/2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese (plus loads more for sprinkling)
• bread crumbs for topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook quinoa to packaged instructions and let cool slightly. Coat casserole dish with cooking spray. Whisk eggs, milk, and seasonings in a large bowl. Fold in quinoa and cheese. Stir until combined and cheese is melty. Transfer to prepared baking dish and sprinkle with cheese and breadcrumbs. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until bread crumbs are toasty.

Buffalo chicken quinoa salad

Salad
• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 cups water
• 3/4 pound boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces (we used buffalo marinated chicken we already had in our freezer)
• 1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles, plus more for garnish
• 4 green onions chopped, save half for garnish
Dressing
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup hot sauce (we always use Franks)
• 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
• 
  

Instructions

1. In a fine-mesh strainer, rinse quinoa well and drain. In a medium pot, combine quinoa and water. Bring to a boil, then cover and turn heat to low. Cook until all the water is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat, fluff the quinoa with a fork.
2. While the quinoa is cooking make the buffalo sauce dressing and cook the chicken and broccoli. In a measuring cup or small bowl combine the olive oil, hot sauce, and seasoned salt. Whisk to combine. Set aside.
3. Cook the chicken for about 5 minutes or until cooked through. Add 1/4 cup or so of the buffalo sauce and cook until the chicken absorbs the sauce.
4. When the quinoa is ready add the chicken and as much of the dressing as desired (I ended up using all of the dressing, but we like things extra saucy) toss well. Add the blue cheese and half of the green onions. Toss again and serve warm with extra blue cheese crumbles and green onions. I also had some ranch on the side, just in case ;)

Greek Yogurt Strawberry Banana Bread
(This one I remembered to get a couple of pics)

Ingredients

1 1⁄2 cup GF Flour

3 tablespoons GF Flour

1 1⁄2 teaspoon Baking Powder

1⁄2 teaspoon kosher salt (optional)

1⁄2 cup Brown Sugar (or 1/4 cup honey)

2 large bananas

2 Eggs

6 ounces Chobani Strawberry Banana Greek Yogurt

1 cup Diced Strawberries

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Start by combining flour, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
2. In a separate bowl, mash bananas with a fork until they are gooey and liquid-like.
3. Add eggs and sugar… mix thoroughly.
4. Add greek yogurt
5. Whisk until everything is well combined and there are no lumps.
6. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and mix until just combined.  At this point, fold in the fresh strawberries!
7. Pour batter into a greased loaf pan and distribute evenly.
8. Put into the oven and bake for one hour, or until the top is golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.
9. Transfer to a cooling rack and (try to) let the bread cool for at least ten minutes before slicing.

Note: Since going GF, every baking experience is a trial of how different brands and ingredients mix. In the picture you can see the brand of GF flour I used. I will NOT be using this again. It got extremely sticky and reacted the same as when I made the cream cheese coffee cake I made last week. I'll be going back to my usual stuff. 

April Fools

Totally appropriate post title for this crazy beginning to spring, right?? Well, with more than a foot of new snow last week I thought it had to be the end, but nope, one more round has come our way with about 10in! I need warm weather and sunshine very very soon! Forecast for next week shows 50's though so I'm gonna keep going! Our neighbor stopped by on Wednesday to let us know she was on her way to Texas and to see if we wanted to have her snowblower in our garage for the storm, I of course thought it would just be a few inches that would melt right away, guess I was majorly wrong. In the words of Jeremiah "Who turns down access to a snowblower with snow coming in Minnesota?" Yep, me. So the snow came and it came and it came and I felt guilty for not taking the snowblower so after taking 45 minutes getting the boys and I ready to go shovel the driveway I did it and I felt well accomplished, for my one and only time of helping with snow removal for the year ;) I even found a little piece of grass trying to come out. I know he wants sun and warmth more than me.

Looks pretty good, right?

Last Saturday Jeremiah and I attended a hospice gala held at SMSU, Wells Fargo is a supporter so we had a table with some of his coworkers. It was a fun time. There was a silent auction as well as a live auction. The live auction was too much for our budget, but we were able to contribute to the silent auction and we came home with some great items. Jeremiah did a great job at playing the sheets as it was closing ;) I think my most favorite item we came home with was a gift basket of gardening items. I don't know if I've mentioned in previous posts, but I am beyond excited to finally have a garden this year of my very own. (I'm actually taking on nerd status at the excitement I'm having over it) But none the less this was perfect for me. Here's a photo of what it contained:

Sunday we made a crazy drive over to Brookings in yet another Minnesota snowstorm for a great craigslist item we found. It's a surprise, so be anxious to see photos. After picking up the item and killing some time in Walmart the weather looked like it was easing up so we made the drive down to Sioux Falls to do some shopping and of course a Target run! And we are so glad we did. It was a great day of shopping and great finds!

On Tuesday my dear grandma went to be with the Lord. I will miss her greatly and I know it will hit me even harder when we are not able to see her when we go to North Carolina in July. But I know she is in Heaven celebrating with Jesus and reunited with her husband and siblings so it's a much better place than here. Even though I grew up with her so far away I was able to have so many great memories of visits there and my summers spent with her. 

A couple of recipes I've made lately:
Cheesecake coffee cake
I used GF flour and it seemed to be too thick, so I opted to make muffins instead and they turned out great.

Spinach Artichoke Stuffed Chicken

In the oven before adding cheese

Steak and Cheese stuffed green peppers
This recipes website did not work, so I improvised with my own from seeing the pictures
2 large green peppers
1/2 lb. roast beef (from the deli
1 small container sliced mushrooms
1 medium onion
Worstshire sauce (too taste)
8 slices Provolone or Pepper Jack cheese
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Cook mushrooms and onions, add roast beef and sprinkle in a little worstshire sauce. I think I used about 1 Tbsp. Cut peppers in half and remove seeds. Place one slice of cheese in pepper, top with meat and veggies, top with another slice of cheese. Do all four and bake in the oven for around 20-30 minutes. Your preference on how soft or crunchy you want the pepper to be.

March madness!!

WOW!! I knew I hadn't blogged for a while, but I did not realize it has been over a month! I'm a bit ashamed at myself yet I feel I have very good "excuses" :)

I, of course, don't have the time I would like right now to catch up and fill in everything that has happened over the past month. So I'm going to do a recap, throw in some pictures and be set.

The beginning of March came with a last minute trip my mom and I had to make to go out to North Carolina to visit my Grandmother, who at the time was very ill. She (praise the Lord) is doing well again, but there are never regrets for going out there. Jeremiah did an amazing job juggling work and transporting the boys from sitter to sitter and being a single parent for almost a week. When it rains at times it seems to pour and it seemed everything that could happen to him while I was gone did, but again he did everything without complaint and I came home to a clean house, well behaved children, and a smiling husband.

We had managed to almost get through all of winter with out any of us really getting sick. Again, I say, almost. About three weeks ago I came down with strep and had been out of it ever since then last week the stomach flu moved through the house starting with me and ending with Jeremiah just yesterday. Finally feeling well enough to take care of our house, which looked like it had been taken over by a hoarding family, I can now say everything is clean, disinfected, and ready for Spring!! At least when this snow storm is over.

Of course, I also have had some great new recipes over this month, I will work on getting links and pics on the next post.

Our dryer randomly stopped working for a day so we got to take a field trip to the laundromat. 

Made a trip up to the cities to visit our dear friends the Zimmerman's and made a concert stop at NWC where I got to see the beautiful Quinn Bos!!!

Oakley and I had a date night and we went to his first 3D movie "the croods"

Dinner and a movie with Oakley

Dyed a few Easter eggs...........well maybe a few dozen!

While I was sick with the flu Oakley took on some new responsibilities, he can now make his own sandwiches. This is our new lunch spot and his sandwich station.

I made Red Velvet Cheesecake for Easter dessert. Jeremiah said it was the best thing he has ever eaten. :)