Facts and Questions!

11 Facts about Me

1. I love wedges

2. I love wine 

3. I teach Pre-K and I love it

4. I love to get lost in a great book, I will literally stay up until 4 AM finishing it.

5. My favorite movies are Goodfellas and Casino 

6. My favorite holiday is Christmas

7. I love the beach

8. I collect lipgloss

9. I also collect cookbooks and read them from cover to cover.

10. I love hosting parties!

11. My favorite food is Mexican

11 Questions

1. What is your favorite sound?

Christmas Carols

2. What makes your life lovely?

My relationship with Christ, Family, Friends

3. If you had three months off from work and no budget what would you do?

TRAVEL with my husband :)

4. What is your favorite cupcake?

Anything from GiGi's Cupcakes

5. What is your favorite animal?

Cat and Dog

6. What is your favorite quote?

It is actually a proverb " Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own  understanding"

7. What is your favorite caffeinated beverage?

COFFEEEEEE

8. What do you hope to accomplish this year?

My wood floors in december!!!

9.  What is your favorite season?

Late Fall/early Winter..I love the anticipation before christmas..

10. What is your favorite store?

Nordstroms!!

11. What is your favorite hobby?

Cooking!!!!!

Mozerella Stuffed Meatballs

Okay so I came up with this idea after Brandon and I ate at this little mom and pop Italian restaurant behind our house called Figlio's. The spaghetti was thin and the mozzarella was melting out of the bison stuffed meatball. It was amazing. I decided I would come home and try it and ended up finding a similar recipe on Pinterest. This recipe Called for Turkey but I decided to use 100 percent grass fed ground top sirloin. However It would be a lot healthier with turkey but just use whatever you want :)
The mozzarella just sort of oozes out of the meat ball and your mouth will do a happy dance! Thank me...or Pinterest...for this yummy recipe!!

Shopping List

One jar of Marinara sauce of your choice -We used tomato basil but we found it a tad sweet..I would go with simple marinara or maybe a four cheese red sauce.

pecorino cheese-if you don't want to be fancy and buy the block at the cheese market then just get the bagged stuff :) Three cheese italian blend will work nicely too.

Cubed Buffalo mozzarella chunks.

1 LB of whatever ground meat you would like-top sirloin, turkey, bison, Elk

oregeno

Salt/Pepper

Fresh Basil

One cup of Bread Crumbs

One egg 

Procedure

Start by Dumping all of your contents into a mixing bowl

Sauce, meat, pecorino, all spices, egg, and cup of bread crumbs.

mix thoroughly with your hands and mix all of the crumbs in with the  meat mixture.

Take a mozzerella cub and ball the meat mixture around it. ( I made my meatballs large but you could also serve them small and over spaghetti)

Once the meatballs are formed, in a large skillet pour olive oil inside and set to medium high heat.

brown your meat balls on top and bottom for 6  minutes each. Once they are browned on the outside then pour the sauce over them and cover with a lid for 25 minutes. Garnish with fresh basil. 

Serve alongside a caesar salad or on top of some yummy spaghetti. Such a simple dish and super flavorful!!!!!

Chicken & Spinach/Artichoke Casserole

Okay..it was the first day of school..I am exhausted..what am I going to make for dinner??

....two things work for me when I am busy at work during the morning/afternoon and those two things are: The Crockpot and Casserole dishes. Mainly when you think of a casserole you think of something chocked with cheese butter and noodles..however there are ways to make them healthy. And guess what.. They are EASY and QUICK. Just what this busy and tired Pre-K teacher needs after a day at school. The casserole I made tonight was sooooooooooo good. I always say that my recipes are good (heehee) but I'm serious this one is really yummy. It was the perfect balance of cheesy yumminess and healthy veggies:) Give it a try!

Shopping List

one Rotisserie chicken-chopped

A bag of spinach

one zucchini-chopped

one squash-chopped

a bag of blended italian cheese

one onion-chopped and diced

two large red bell peppers-chopped

bag of japanese panko breadcrumbs-italian

two cans of artichoke hearts

salt and pepper 

one jar of alfredo sauce

one cup of quinoa cooked

Procedure

sautee' your chopped onion along with the bell pepper, zucchini, and squash

Once the veggies are soft add half the bag of spinach and let it cook down. Add more oil if you need to. 

While the veggies are browning cook your quinoa

drain quinoa and add to veggie mix

add chicken, artichoke hearts and alfredo sauce

add remaining amount of spinach

stir and fold in the spinach and then add the italian blend cheese

salt and pepper and season to your taste at this point. I just taste and add..taste and add..

when your mixture tastes as YOU think it should " I like lots of cheese and for my veggies to have that charred flavor from my cast iron skillet and olive oil" Top your mixture with a handful of panko crumbs and spray pam on the top for a yummy golden brown topping.

Pour your mixture into a casserole dish and bake at 350 for twenty minutes.

Enjoy :)

Crockpot Lemon Chicken Piccata

Lemon chicken piccata is one of my favorite Italian dishes! This simple version is great for when you are in a pinch for dinner yet it is full of flavor! I have confessed my love for the crockpot in many of my posts and I am using it again! This dinner will not disappoint.

Shopping List

bone in chicken thighs and legs-I purchased eight

capers, olives

juice of two lemons

one sliced lemon

one cup of chicken stock

1/4 cup of flour

2 TBS cumin

salt/pepper

olive oil

Procedure

generously salt and pepper both sides of your chicken

in a pan with oil on medium heat brown your chicken for three minutes on both sides

Transfer the chicken to the crockpot and layer with lemon slices

continue to do these steps until all of your chicken is used. 

layer more lemons on top if needed, add capers,olives ( i used some of the juice as well)

*In a shallow bowl mix the flour, lemon juice, and cumin. Whisk away until flour is dissolved. Then pour this mixture over all of the chicken. Cook on low for 6 hours. I also think it would be amazing to splash a few gluts of white wine...I added some italian blended cheese as well :) My house smells AMAZING. Thank you again crockpot for making my life SO easy!

Apple Butterscotch Bundt Cake

Yep.. its another fall recipe only this time its a DELICIOUS dessert! This was my first ever Bundt Cake and I am telling you this is definitely not my last. My friend @Mixandmatchmama goes through 100 bundt cake recipes all "mixed and matched" so that you can basically take a simple plain bundt cake recipe and just add a few different ingredients here and there and come up with a whole different cake! Genius!!! This was the butterscotch version and it was amazing. I made this cake on Friday and I think there may be a crumb left... i am not sure Brandon probably ate that too. This cake is pretty good just sayin'.

Shopping List

one bundt cake pan -I use a 10 inch one

two small boxes of instant butterscotch pudding

one apple grated-I peeled and grated a Braeburn

one cup of butterscotch chips

one box yellow cake mix

four eggs

 1/2cup of veggie oil

1 1/4 cup water

one cup of praline pecans

one can of butter cream frosting

Procedure

In a bowl combine cake mix, oil, water, eggs, puddings and stir with an electric mixer. Pour in apple and butterscotch chips. Pour into a greased bundt pan

Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Allow the cake to cool for ten minutes before inverting it on another cake plate or stand.

wait until cake completely cools to add frosting and garnish with the praline pecans. 

DELICIOUS

Crockpot Apple Cinnamon Stuffed Pork Loin with Herbed Goat cheese Mashers

Fall is approaching and I am drooling over all of my fall cook books, Pinterest fall board, and every single pumpkin candle I can get my hands on. It's hot, I'm over the Texas heat and I am ready for some freakin' 65 degree weather and some pumpkin spice latte's can I get an amen? So, due to my lust for the fall season I decided to get a little jump start and cook up one of my recipes I had been saving for a cool fall evening. The Frankhousers are in town and I thought they would be perfect guinea pigs to try this dinner out on. There were no leftovers :) Also the BEST part about this dinner is that it basically cooks itself!!! People please invest in a crockpot if you have not done so already. It is a time life saver. There is nothing better to me than when I have been running after four year old preschoolers all day to come home to a delicious aroma in my kitchen and knowing that I don't have to lift a finger!! UM wine time:) Here are the ingredients you will need.

Shopping List

Pork Loin 

one apple Sliced thin ( I used a Braeburn because they have a really nice flavor but any apple will do)

one yellow onion

cinamon

honey

apple juice -optional

BBQ sauce-optional

5 large Gold Yukon Potatoes

a log of herbed goat cheese

salt/pep

whipping cream

Butter

Procedure

Take your pork loin and place it on a cutting board. Cut slits and place the apple inside the slits

turn your crock pot setting on low and place the meat inside.

Sprinkle some honey and cinnamon over the pork-I always eyeball so just do what you think is best. Also add about 1/4 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce to the top of the meat. Top with sliced onions and additional apples. The recipe I found this from called for some splashes of apple juice but I just substituted the juice for BBQ sauce because I knew eventually it would break down with the juice of the pork and provide a fabulous ROUX but it is up to you :) Cook for about 4-5 hours and dinner is DONE!

For the Mashed potatoes

Boil your golden Yukon mashed potatoes for about 15-20 minutes or until a fork can pierce easily through. Drain and place potatoes back in pot. Add about half of the goat cheese log, a few splashes of heavy whipping cream, and half a stick of butter. Also add a generous amount of salt and pepper especially if you are using unsalted butter. Get your handy dandy hand mixer out and whip those puppies up! I like to leave them a little bumpy because I like my taters to have some texture but whip away if you must!

Serve pork and mashed potatoes side by side and top with the amazing juice you have in the bottom of your crockpot :)

Garlic Lime Cilantro Chicken

Everyday when I am contemplating what to make for dinner that night my heart almost always screams three ingredients..garlic...cilantro..and spice. I love mexican food... and while this supper isn't exactly a "Mexican" style dinner, it has a TON of flavor and many of the same ingredients that I use in my other southwest/Mexican dinners. We paired our chicken with roasted sweet potato topped with a corn, black bean,and hatch green chile topping for some spiciness but a salad topped with the same ingredients would be just as yummy and a bit healthier!

Shopping List

four boneless skinless chicken breasts-chunked

cilantro

Garlic

Limes-3-zested

olive oil

cumin

cayenne

avocado-optional

two sweet potatoes peeled and cubed

one can black beans

one can corn

one can rotel

one can hatch green chile peppers

monterrey jack cheese

salt/pep

Procedure

Cut your chicken into chunks, then pour some olive oil in the pan and sauté' garlic. Begin to brown the chicken over medium heat. Once the chicken is browned nicely-with that white line starting to creep up the middle- then generously sprinkle with cumin cayenne and salt/pep. Turn the chicken and let it cook another few minutes and add your lime zest. I also added a little more oil at this point. Juice your lime carcasses over the chicken for a little more tang and add your cilantro. 

remove from skillet and serve.

Sweet potato fiesta

cube your sweet potato and toss with olive oil/salt/pepper

cook on a baking sheet at 400 degrees for about 40 minutes. Mean while add your beans, corn, rotel, and chilled to a pot. Add cumin and cayenne and salt and pepper. cook until hot and flavorful. Add cilantro in the pot and cook to add flavor. When potatoes are done you can add the mixture on top with a little monterrey jack.

Crockpot Hawaiian Chicken

I am a huge sucker for crockpots.. especially in the fall when its cold outside. There is just NOTHING better than coming home to a house that smells of amazing fall food thats been cooking on the slow cooker all day. I do enjoy an easy meal in the summer too if I know I have a busy day. This meal is so easy to make it is literally three ingredients!!! Throw it in your crockpot on low and cook for six hours. Easy!

Shopping List

three-four boneless skinless chicken breasts

BBQ sauce

one can of crushed pineapple 

salt/pep

Procedure:

Salt and pepper your chicken and place in pot

pour a generous amount of BBQ sauce over them

and about half a can of crushed pineapple

simmer on low all day!-six hours

UM EASY?!!!!!

*Sidenote* we served our chicken over brown rice however you could totally shred this chicken and place inside of a whole grain tortilla with a little green onion and you have an amazing summer burrito!

    

Graduation Weekend

This weekend felt so surreal. After seven years of tears, wanting to give up, changing schools, switching to be an online student, wanting to give up, and pushing myself to finish. I finally did it. I finished college. I am so proud of the determination that I always kept in order to push through the hardest times. It was even more amazing because my husband..my soulmate was there to see me walk across that stage and accept my diploma. The sound of my entire family cheering me on in the audience was enough to make this whole thing worth it.  So many people have said "Finally Callie, you FINALLY graduated!" Yes I did. I finally graduated..but see instead of looking at the fact that it took me seven years.. I look at the fact that I never gave up.

A few pictures from this weekend

My supportive husband and myself before we walked in

The fabulous creme brûlée that I devoured at our dinner Saturday night at Amerigos

My BFF Lindie and me got to sit right next to each so other and cheer one another on during the ceremony!