Cute as a Button

My students are learning about all the different types of figurative language, including puns, idioms, metaphors, personification, alliteration, etc. They would be thrilled to know that I used a simile in my title! But that's life in the fifth grade for you.

I found a cute idea for a quick and easy button bracelet. They come out pretty adorable, 

but I think this looks a little more appropriate on younger girls than on an adult. 

However, I wanted to share because they are a simple way to add some interest!

 Lay out the pattern you want; I played around with mine for a while before I found one that I liked. After doing this first one, I found that smaller buttons work better.

 Create a loop in your yarn (I used plastic coated but anything durable would work) and knot it off. Begin to "sew" the buttons on to the strands, criss-crossing as you go.

 Ta-da! I made two different ones, but honestly, the possibilities are endless and 

this only took about five minutes to finish. Not to shabby!

Hardest part: Cats wanting to "help"... thanks Ellie.

February Food

No, we didn't go hungry in February (far from it... the workouts start TODAY!) but we weren't quite as creative as in the past. Our "sprinkling" of failures became more of a downpour, so we stuck to simplicity, for the most part. Below are the smattering of successful, and delicious meals we were able to concoct, and weren't too time consuming either.

First up, we have something my husband is very proud of, and it is his favorite food... breakfast! Yes all breakfast foods make him happy, but he made a really delicious cinnamon orange french toast with cheesy scrambled eggs. Yum.

The trick is using really thick, crusty bread to soak up all the custard. The orange zest makes this really delectable, and compliments the cinnamon well. And nobody makes better scrambled eggs then my husband. Sorry, he wins!

Next up we started to have more failures in the kitchen, but something I found on Pinterest that was easy and quite yummy was White Cheddar Mac and Cheese with Broccoli. It was a basic mac and cheese beschamel sauce with broccoli thrown in. I know that everyone says that recipes like this are a "good way to sneak veggies into kids" but get real. Kids aren't stupid. They can see the vegetables and will know that it's broccoli. Who cares if it is Macaroni and Cheese, there are green trees in my food! But, if your child LIKES broccoli, then this is definitely a winner! (Please excuse the gladware container on the counter... kitchen photo-bomb.

Finally, we got ambitious again this week and tried Ricotta Spinach Stuffed Chicken, recipe courtesy of Pinterest (where else?) and it was delicious! A little more labor intensive, but still not too hard, and it comes out really great. The recipe calls for panko bread crumbs, and being the rule followers that we are, willing obliged to this part. However, I think regular bread crumbs, or Italian style ones would work even better.

That looks like it for now. Hopefully more to come soon... and more "light" option will be in our future... like I said, the workout starts today!

For any of the recipes that sound good to you, check out my Pinterest page by clicking the link on the right menu bar.

I'm Back!

I know it's been over  month since I posted anything, but life got quite busy for a while, and basically my creative side was stunted. In the month of February, we didn't do too much, and most of our food consisted of pastas or something equally simple to make. As far as my crafting goes, that was hit or miss on any given weekend, with more misses than hits. I've begun two large sewing projects, which I can't show on my blog yet because one is a gift, and one is still in the beginning stages. I'm not sure if anyone still even checks here, or really how many people checked to begin with, but I will be better about posting now that the depressing "winter" (or what we here in Texas like to pretend is cold) has cleared out, and spring is around the corner.

Tortellini Casserole

Okay. Yum. One simple word, and yet it can create this mass euphoria, by way of food. Well, tortellini casserole is just... yum. Made this last night with the husband and was thoroughly impressed. The quantity of ingredients was a bit higher than most recipes, and it seemed as though there were a lot of steps to manage, but the ending result was amazingly delectable. There were too many things going on at once in our kitchen, so I wasn't able to fully photograph everything that is in the mixture, but you get the idea... Recipe can be found here.

 Cook carrots and sugar snap peas with the tortellini. 

Yeah, I thought this step was weird too.

 Create the sauce.

Then add cream cheese to the sauce. Yup, just got even better.

 Mix, mix, mix. This is a culmination of the sauce, tortellini, cubed chicken, 

carrots, sugar snap peas, cherry tomatoes, and red bell peppers. 

Plus it's an "action" shot as an added bonus...grr. I need a better camera.

Bake in a casserole dish for about 30 minutes, top with Parmesan cheese. I know it doesn't 

look like much and it isn't a fancy, composed restaurant plate, but wow. So good.

Farewell Taco Soup?

Taco Soup will forever live long and prosper in the homes of many across America. Don't know what I'm talking about? Move to the South. And not South Carolina or Tennessee. I know they think they are "Southerners" but come on, really? Not the South. It snows there. If you're still not sure...Go to Texas. After all, it IS the best state in the country.

Anyway, when the few of us out there, who got sick of the infamous soup (gasp!), was looking for something new, we fell upon a recipe for a chicken and black bean chili. Now, don't get me wrong, I live in South Texas, and realize that real chili DOES NOT HAVE BEANS. However, I'm willing to call this a chili despite the plentiful amount of black beans that really make this dish delicious. Mainly because, well...it is too thick to be a soup, and to me, stew shouldn't be spicy. Rachael Ray made up the term "Stoup" for something of this consistency, but I think that's too dumb of a word to use. Stop with the made up culinary terms, Rachael, you're confusing the masses of people who can't really cook, but watch you and think they can. Thus, "chili" it is christened.
You can find the recipe here.

You just have to dump everything in and let them simmer together, melding flavors and getting all tasty. Quite delicious! It is fairly cheap, freezes well too, and makes fabulously filling lunches. Getting protein is often a struggle for me, so the beans and chicken in this really help out a lot. While Taco Soup purists will be clinging to that age-old recipe for decades, I will be trying out new ones, and finding something that, I think, is even better than the original!

Mexican Memories

The first Valentine's Day my husband and I spent together found us going out to a really romantic Italian restaurant in Austin... on the 13th (because, seriously, who can get a reservation on V-Day anymore? Plus they hike up the price so it's almost not worth it!). So, on actual Valentine's Day, we decided to cook, even if it was in my husband's TEENY-TINY apartment kitchen he had in college (I don't think both of us fit at the same time!). I think this is one of the first meals we ever made together, thus embarking on a lifetime of culinary endeavors! We even re-created this meal a year later, once we had both graduated and were working. It will always be a special dinner in our home, despite the simplicity of the actual meal itself.

We made enchiladas. Now, these aren't really authentic, dripping in sauce, enchiladas (but give me a break, I'm originally a New Yorker). But they are delicious, and very simple to make.
You can find the recipe here.

Rotisserie chicken (shredded), onion, bell pepper, salsa, cream cheese... 

how can you go wrong with that combination?

 Fill tortillas...

 Top with salsa...

 and don't forget the best part! I LOVE cheese!

Ta-Da! Not much too it, but makes a lot, and now I've

got something to look forward to in my lunch this week!

Sew Handy!

Okay... excuse the bad pun in the title. However, remember when I got my new sewing machine two months ago and was so excited? And notice how none of my posts have been about sewing? Well, I can finally post my first sewing endeavor because I made something as gifts for my mom and Mother-In-Law, and I wanted it to be a surprise. Now that Christmas is over, I can show my first feeble attempt at sewing. No, I didn't make a great masterpiece, the next new Couture dress for the Runway, or something spectacular for the home. But I did manage to bust out two coffee cozies. You know, the little sleeve that goes over a coffee cup to protect your hand. Well... ta da! Now my mothers can be eco-friendly when going to Starbucks!

 Cut out pieces from your fabrics and fusible fleece. I traced a Starbucks sleeve as a template to create a pattern for these. I also wanted to inside to be a different fabric so had two choices.

 Iron the fleece to the wrong side of one piece of fabric. Sew wrong sides together with a 1/2" seam allowance, leave a small opening so it can be flipped. Clip corners and flip right side out.

 Iron the seams so they lay flat, then sew a top stitch all the way around the 

edge, including closing the small part left open.

 Almost finished!

 Once I got the hang of it, I was able to make my second one with a more decorative top stitch. 

Next, sew a hair band onto one end, making a small loop that will fit over a button. 

Sew the button on in place, and slip the hair band over to close the cozy.

 Voila! Not really hard, but it was a good first project to try with my machine.

The finished projects! Next time, I'm going to make them reversible.

Whoopie!

 For Christmas we were given a Whoopie Pie Pan, a Whoopie Pie Recipe Book, and a box of Red Velvet Mix to go along with. The pan is basically a really really shallow muffin tin, and I bet would make great "muffies" too (muffin tops...which is the best part anyway). Our first go at the pan wasn't quite what I expected. My husband got a little over zealous with filling the tiny pan, and we ended up with Whoopie Bricks instead, but they still tasted really delectable!

 Daniel took the lead on this one, pictures and all! 

He even got all the prep supplies out and ready for use!

 Mixing the batter... Red Velvet looks a bit ominous before it is baked...

 This is where the pan got over-filled. Note to self:  Don't over-fill next time.

 I made the frosting... Cream Cheese, Butter, Powdered Sugar. 

Note to Self: Make sure butter is room temperature next time. 

We used cold butter and it didn't quite come out how I was expecting.

See? Whoopie Bricks. But they were very good, if not a little big!

Here's to a Quiet New Year

As we welcomed in 2012, my husband and I decided to have a quiet night at home with a yummy dinner and a movie. Yes we watched the ball drop, but you can bet I was in bed right after! It was a nice way to end a very busy year. On our New Year's Eve menu was Parmesan-Italian Chicken, Quinoa Primavera, and biscuits. Yum. You can find the quinoa recipe here.

 The chicken was SUPER simple: Lightly wet the chicken with water, coat in grated Parmesan cheese mixed with Good Seasonings Italian Dressing mix, bake until cooked through. Turn the broiler on the last 5 minutes to get a golden brown crust.... it was delicious!

 We've never tried Quinoa before, but it was really tasty and pretty simple. It cooks like rice, and then we added some mixed vegetables, parsley and a touch of cream cheese (it is NYE after all!)...

 Really good! Plus I had leftovers for lunch which made going back to work on January 2 

(yes that's right, we had school on the 2nd...) much better.

Biscuits came from a can, I'm not up to making my own quite yet. Add some wine and a

cozy blanket on the couch... This was a super delicious meal!

A Year in Review

We've had an enormous year, and to commemorate, I wanted to put together a brief overview of what it looked like...sifting through pictures was tough, but to spare you, I just chose a few:

January: 

We rang in the new year from Denver, CO visiting family... and it was COLD!

February:
Nothing major happened... it's kind of the forgotten month.

March: 

I turned 24!

Our good friends got engaged, so we went to Bernhardt winery to celebrate. When Daniel and I got engaged, we went to Messina Hof winery with Rachel and Ross to celebrate, so now it was their turn! Can't wait for their wedding June 2012!

April: 

I had my bridal shower! It was gorgeous and a wonderful time!

 Easter Sunday also occurred in April this year...yeah we were in the hot tub in April...

Ah to live in Texas!

May: 

Was a busy month... the first of many! We celebrated Mother's Day...

 Both Daniel and I had showers at our schools...

 ...and Daniel moved into our little townhouse that we would live in after the wedding!

June:
Oh yeah, and then WE GOT MARRIED!

 ...and took our honeymoon to the Bahamas.

July:  

We spent our first month married adjusting to our new life, introducing our cats to each other, and enjoying time off! My mom got engaged, and I can't wait for their wedding in January!

August: 

Back to school time! Daniel resumed teaching elementary Art, and I started 

5th grade Language Arts and Social Studies.

September: 

Not much happened...Celebrated my sister's and brother-in-law's birthdays

but those pictures are on my mom's camera...

October: 

I started my blog this month, so pretty much everything has been cataloged for the rest of the year... Daniel turned 25! We had our first Halloween passing out candy to the neighborhood (oh adulthood...). And our friend's Matt and Jill had an engagement party in Austin.

November and December:  

Want to see what we were up to? Check out the rest of my blog! We celebrated 

Thanksgiving and Christmas with a lot of family, and tons of food! 

We have been truly blessed this year, and are excited to see what 2012 holds! I already am anticipating my mom's wedding in January, Daniel starting graduate school, my sister having her first baby in June, along with three weddings of good friends... looks like 2012 will be a busy year!

Merry Christmas!

Santa: Myth or Magical?

Teaching fifth grade is tricky around the holidays. Most of my students are still ten years old, and the magical illusion of Santa has not yet been broken. The sweet innocence still glows through their smiles as they talk about the break and Christmas Day. And yet, as my class worked, their conversations drifted to the ever elusive discussion about the reality of Santa, and whether or not you believe. I wandered around listening to what was being said, my curiosity peaked. One group, full of believers, was heatedly talking about what they were hoping to get, while another was debating whether Santa was real, starting to figure out the parental magic at this time of year. The room was dotted with students keeping their mouths shut, uncharacteristic of them, but not wanting to spoil the surprise for their fellow classmates.

My favorite, however, was watching "Mr. Cool" listen to everyone. (Yes, the same boy I wrote a previous blog about, who gave me a huge hug before leaving for break). I knew he had probably known about Santa for years, being a little more "street wise" then I ever want my ten year old to be. He sits next to one of my most intellectual students, who albeit is very quirky, and yet I heard him say "Well of course I believe in Santa!" She looked relieved. When others shot skeptical looks his way, I mentioned, in the words of my mother-in-law "If you stop believing, you'll stop receiving." Well, Mr. Cool thought this was just about the greatest saying he's ever heard, and by the end of the day, I'm pretty sure anyone who thought they knew the secret of Santa, had been persuaded to resume their childhood presumptions, that indeed, Saint Nick is real.

Now I know by next year, all my students will probably know the "lie" cooked up by parents for centuries, but for now, let the innocence remain on their faces for one last year, before the magic is squashed out of their brains, and they are forced to grow up far too fast.

Cuddly Cats

I have been sick all day with a sinus infection and some ongoing asthma issues. After an early morning trip to the doctor, a lecture about not getting a flu shot (way to kick me when I'm down Doc), four hefty prescriptions, and a long nap, I was finally able to get enough strength to move...

...to the couch. Where I am currently laying down. As I sit here and waste time on my computer, my sweet cats came to comfort me. At least that's what I tell myself. I know that they are actually seeking heat from the only warm body in the house, but still, it's nice to have two warm cats snuggling up to you. Boots' peeked his little furry face around the computer screen, while Ellie prefers to monopolize my legs... yes ALL of my legs. But aren't they sweet?

Baking Day!

Today was baking day in the Yager household! While we already made our peppermint meringues on Monday, today was filled with my favorites that always remind me of the holidays, and baking with my mom. I was, and still am, always her helper in the kitchen and seemed somewhat incomplete making these without her today. My first Christmas baking with my new husband, however, made up for it! Nevertheless, the "mom void" will soon be filled as we head to her house tomorrow for another baking endeavour. While in years past, we grew up eating a wide assortment of sweets, we had to keep in mind that we are only two people, and we can't go cookie crazy. We landed on two recipes that are tried and true: Biscotti and Heath Bars! I included the recipes for these two because they are so worth it!

First on the list: Chocolate Chip Biscotti! This cookie is a little labor intensive, but delicious and totally worth the effort. If you have never eaten home-made biscotti before, you are missing out... believe me! Store bought doesn't even compare.

View Biscotti Recipe Here

Heath bars were next on the list, and are basically Christmas crack... be careful! 

Oh, and an added bonus: only 5 basic ingredients!

 Place saltine crackers, salt side up, in a 13x9 baking dish.

 Melt two sticks of butter (Paula Deen would be proud!) and half a cup of sugar on the stove top. Let boil for three minutes and pour over crackers. Bake at 450 for three minutes in the oven. Then pour an entire bag of chocolate chips over the top (yeah, the whole bag!)

Spread the chips when they have melted, and top with chopped nuts 

(pictured here are walnuts, but any of your favorites would work.)

We also made another round of "buttons" that were pictured earlier (pretzels, Hershey kisses, and M&Ms). Although, someone left them in the oven for too long and the chocolate seized up... so the whole tray ended up in the trash. Now who could have done such a thing???

Merry Christmas and Happy Baking!