Engagement Story :]

For anyone that hasn't seen on Facebook, Shawn proposed last weekend! We are FINALLY getting married!! I thought I'd take a second to tell you how it happened.

About two and half years ago, on one of our very first dates, Shawn took me on a 4-wheeler ride (or you could call it Shawn's noble steed HAHA) up to his elk spot that he's been going to for 20+ years. While up there, we shot clay pigeons, had a 'snack picnic', and shot his dad's .44 at this weird old van that somehow made it to the top of the mountain (meth van I'm sure, yikes!). After our date on the 4-wheeler ride back down to the truck, it suddenly struck me that I totally was into this man. Come to find out, that was the same date that he became completely interested in me as well :] Special huh? ha. Every weekend thereafter we were inseparable. Seriously, there was rarely a weekend we spent apart from each other until I moved in.

SOOOO two and half years later (last weekend) we were up elk hunting. We brought Ruger along to get used to the whole camping/hunting life. Shawn told me that we were going to go find some birds for the puppy, so away we went on the 4-wheeler. We ended up at the same spot that he took me on the above date. We were reminiscing about that day and being all lovey dovey (any of you ladies that have a 'manly man' know that you eat up every second of the loveiness when you get it haha). He told me that we were going to walk over to the trees to look for the birds and I told him that I needed a snack before we went. He said "they're in the glove compartment on the 4-wheeler". As I open the little compartment I see a RING BOX! I whip my head around to look at him and he says, "open it." All in shock I said, "I don't want to!". Haha sorry babe!! I finally opened the box to see my big shiny as he got down on his knee and asked me to marry him Of course I immediately said yes!! :]

So now that spot of ours up on the mountain is even more special. He did such a great job :]

Awwww :] SO HAPPY! SO IN LOVE! SO SO SO READY TO BE HIS WIFE!!

BIG SHINY!!! 

Love him!

And there's my little Ruger baby with his first bird!!

'Steakhouse Pizza'

This is a TOTAL man's pizza. Tell your husband/boyfriend/brother/dad/or any other man in your life that you've cooked up a homemade pizza and topped it off with a nice juicy steak, and I'm sure they'll be running through the door drooling. You've been warned :] I made my own pizza crust, but utilizing the pre-made stuff is always a less time consuming option!

Steakhouse Pizza
Retrieved from: thepioneerwoman.com
Adapted by: ME!

1 whole Recipe Pizza Crust 
1 whole Skirt Steak Or Flank Steak 
Salt And Pepper, to taste 
2 whole Red Onions, Sliced Thin 
3 Tablespoons Butter 
4 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar 
½ teaspoons Worcestershire Sauce 
2 cups Marinara Sauce 
12 ounces, weight Fresh Mozzarella Cheese, Sliced Thin (use shredded if you want!)
Shaved Parmesan Cheese 
½ cups BBQ Sauce (I used Bulls Eye)


Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Arrange rack in the bottom half of the oven.

Saute red onions in butter and 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar over medium-low heat until dark and caramelized, about 10-12 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Combine marinara sauce with 2 tablespoons balsamic and Worcestershire sauce. Set aside.

Season the steak with salt and pepper or other desired seasonings. Grill steak over high heat until medium rare. Remove from grill and set aside.

Roll out pizza dough until very thin. Top with marinara mixture and spread to coat dough. Lay caramelized red onions all over the sauce, then top onions with slices of mozzarella cheese.

Bake pizza for 12-15 minutes, or until crust is golden and cheese is bubbly (but watch to make sure it doesn’t burn.)

While pizza is baking, slice steak into very thin slices.

Remove pizza from the oven, then drape slices of steak all over the surface. Drizzle the top of the pizza with BBQ sauce (I just put it into a plastic bag, cut a hole in the corner, and used it as a piping bag) and top the whole thing with Parmesan shavings.

 Pizza Crust (makes 2 crusts)
Retrieved from: thepioneerwoman.com

1 teaspoon Active Dry Or Instant Yeast 
4 cups All-purpose Flour 
1 teaspoon Kosher Salt 
1/3 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Sprinkle yeast over 1 1/2 cups warm (not lukewarm) water.
I
n a mixer, combine flour and salt. With the mixer running on low speed (with paddle attachment), drizzle in olive oil until combined with flour.

Next, pour in yeast/water mixture and mix until just combined.

Coat a separate mixing bowl with a light drizzle of olive oil, and form the dough into a ball. Toss to coat dough in olive oil, then cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and store in the fridge until you need it.

***It's best to make the dough at least 24 hours in advance, and 3 or 4 days is even better.

Sunday Meals!

Shawn's dad came into town last night from Tennessee, it's so great to see him! In preparation for his arrival, we (again I mean ME) had a very productive Sunday. While Shawn so generously helped out by watching football, ha!, I managed to get all of the housework done AND prepare a couple of tasty dishes for the day! Enjoy!

Brunch: Ham, Mushroom, and Cheddar Frittata
Dinner: Chicken Tortilla Soup
Dessert: Pumpkin Bread

Ham, Mushroom, and Cheddar Frittata
Retrieved from: fortheloveofcooking-recipes.blogspot.com

8 eggs
2 Tbsp non fat milk
3/4 cup low fat cheddar, shredded (divided)
1/2 cup of ham, diced
1/2 cup white mushrooms, sliced
1/4 sweet yellow onion, diced
1 tsp butter
Salt & pepper to taste
Green onion for garnish

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Melt the butter in the skillet over medium heat. Add onions & mushrooms and saute until tender, remove from heat & set aside. In a large bowl, beat the eggs and milk together. Add 1/2 cup of cheese, ham, mushrooms, onions, salt and pepper to taste. Coat a tart or pie pan with cooking spray and add the egg mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Top the frittata with the remaining 1/4 cup of cheese and return to the oven for 10 additional minutes. Remove from the oven cool for 5 minutes before cutting.

Chicken Tortilla Soup
Retrieved from: fortheloveofcooking.blogspot.com
Adapted by: ME!


Shredded Chicken:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of any fat
3 cups of chicken broth or water (I used 2 cups of chicken broth and 1 cup of water)
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tbsp sweet yellow onion, diced finely
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp oregano
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients and gently boil for 20 minutes. Let the chicken breasts cool then shred with two forks.

Soup:
2 tsp olive oil
2 cups of onion, diced
1 cup of celery, diced
2 cups of carrots, diced
1-2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped (more if you want spicy)
4-5 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 1/2 quarts of chicken stock
1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
1 tsp of cumin (I used about 1 1/2 tsp)
1 tsp ground coriander seed (I used about 1 1/2 tsp)
Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
1/2 a cup of fresh cilantro, chopped (divided)
6 fresh white corn tortillas

Heat the olive oil in a dutch oven over medium heat. Once hot, add onions and sauté until tender. Add the garlic and stir constantly for 60 seconds. Add the carrots, celery, jalapeno, tomatoes, broth, cumin, coriander, sea salt and pepper to taste and 1/4 cup of cilantro. Cut the 6 corn tortillas in half, then cut them crosswise into 1/2 inch strips and add to the soup. Bring the soup to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes or until the vegetables are soft and the corn tortillas have melted away. Add the chicken, taste and re season if needed.

Corn tortilla strips:
5 corn tortillas
Cooking spray
Sea salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray the baking sheet with olive oil cooking spray. Spray each side of all the tortillas & lay in a pile. Cut into thin strips & spread across the baking dish then season with sea salt. Bake in the oven until golden brown - watch them carefully because they burn easily. It usually takes about 3-5 minutes.

Additional Toppings:
1 - 2 avocados, diced
Cotija cheese, grated
Fresh cilantro (remainder from above ingredients)

Ladle soup into large soup bowls. Add some avocado, tortilla strips, a sprinkle of cheese and cilantro.

**The recipe only called for 2 chicken breasts which didn't seem nearly enough for the large pot of soup. I ended up using 6 thinly sliced chicken breasts.
**PLEASE PLEASE use cotija in this soup, it transforms it!!
**This was the first time I made my own tortilla strips, totally worth it!
**I only LIKE cilantro, don't totally LOVE it, so I didn't add any to the bowls of soup.

Pumpkin Bread
Retrieved from: fortheloveofcooking.blogspot.com
Adapted by: ME!

1 cup of pumpkin puree
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 1/3 cups of white sugar
1 1/2 cups + 1 tbsp of flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 cup walnut pieces

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9x5 inch loaf pan. In a large bowl, mix together the pumpkin, oil, eggs, and sugar. Combine the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger; stir into the pumpkin mixture until well combined, add walnuts and mix. Pour the batter into the greased loaf pan. Bake in the oven for 55-65 minutes or until a tester comes out clean when inserted into the center of the loaf.

**I made two batches, one with walnuts and one without. I prefer the bread without the walnuts!
**Don't hesitate to slather your piece with butter although it's perfectly fine without it :]

Our Favorite Mexican Meal!!

As I mentioned in my post yesterday, it's my goal to start sharing my favorite recipes. If I have fallen victim to a miraculous weight gain because of these tasty dishes, then so should everyone else. Misery loves company, right?? :]


We (and when I say 'we' I mean 'me' since I'm the one that plans the meals and does all of the cooking) LOVE Mexican food. I have this slight obsession with it (and a new obsession with flank steak. I'll admit it, I need help. I have way too many food obsessions these days) Mexican food usually graces our table at least once a week :]

The most common Mexican meal we have is some variation of quesadillas or tacos, stuffed jalapenos, Mexican rice, and guacamole. Below are the recipes and links to my FAVORITES of these dishes and what we had last weekend! So sorry,  I'll add pictures on my following posts.


Flank Steak, Caramelized Onion, and Extra Sharp Cheddar Quesadillas
Retrieved from one of my all time FAVORITE food blogs: fortheloveofcooking-recipes.blogspot.com

Flank Steak Marinade:

1 - 1 1/2 lbs of flank steak
1/3 cup vinegar
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tsp cumin
1-2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp onion powder
1 1/2 tsp oregano
2 limes, juiced
4-5 cloves garlic minced

In a gallon size Ziploc bag, combine all ingredients with flank steak and mix really well. Let marinate for at least 6 hours - overnight if you can.

Caramelized Onions:

1 tsp olive oil
1/2 sweet yellow onion
Salt to taste
Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat; add onions, cook for about 30 minutes or until caramelized. Season with salt and set aside.

Other Ingredients:
Flour tortillas
Extra sharp cheddar cheese, shredded


Grill your flank steak to your liking. Let the meat rest before slicing in thin slices AGAINST the grain.

To prepare the quesadillas, take a little shredded cheese and sprinkle evenly over a flour tortilla. Place a few slices of flank steak over the cheese, add some caramelized onions and a little additional cheese. Place one more tortilla over the top to finish. Carefully place the quesadilla in a skillet over medium heat. Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Remove from heat and let cool for a minute. Slice with a pizza cutter into wedges. Serve with guacamole and salsa.

**I absolutely LOVE cotija cheese (a Mexicacan cheese that is so worth trying, DELISH!) and I usually add a layer on these.


Cream Cheese and Bacon Stuffed Jalapenos
Retrieved from: fortheloveofcooking-recipes.blogspot.com
Adapted by: Yours truly

10 fresh Jalapeños, sliced in half lengthwise, seeds removed
10 oz low fat cream cheese, softened
7-8 slices of lean bacon, cooked and chopped
 Plain panko crumbs

Preheat the oven to 375 degree. Line a baking sheet with tin foil and coat with cooking spray.

Cook the bacon until crisp then drain on a paper towel; chop bacon into very small pieces. Mix the bacon crumbles into the cream cheese until thoroughly combined. Cut jalapenos in half, lengthwise. Wear plastic gloves if possible and carefully remove seeds and vein with a spoon. Smear each jalapeño half with cream cheese and bacon mixture. Pour the panko crumbs onto a plate. Dip the stuffed jalapeño into the panko crumbs cream cheese side down.

Bake on a pan with a rack for 20-25 minutes. If the panko crumbs aren't golden brown, turn the oven to broil and cook them, watching carefully so they don't burn, for a few minutes. Serve immediately.

**I only use 1 8oz. package of cream cheese per 10 jalapenos.
**I omit the panko bread crumb stage and prefer the poppers without them. Who needs the extra calories when you have all this creamy bacon goodness?
**I don't use lean bacon. I prefer the fattiness and extra poundage these put on, thank you very much.
**SERIOUSLY...use gloves if you're going to double this recipe or have sensitive skin. I made 2 batches last weekend and my hands were burning for hours. No bueno.
**Another side note, if you're not a fan of spicy jalapenos, do not fear!! As long as the peppers are seeded and deveined, the majority of the spiciness flies right our the window.


Guacamole
Super simple recipe by me. I love simple recipes haha.

3 or 4 ripe avocados (good avocados are sooooo important in my life, ha)
Garlic Powder to taste
Lime juice to taste (yes, I use the bottled stuff)
Salt and Pepper to taste

Remove the avocados from their skin and place in a small to medium size bowl. Get out a fork and start mashing away, leaving chunks if that's your thing. Sprinkle in the garlic powder, I tend to layer the top of the avocados with it, probably about 1 to 2 teaspoons. Drizzle in the lime juice, at least a teaspoon. Add in your salt and pepper and mix away until desired consistency, adding more spices/juice to your liking.

**Shawn likes to mix sour cream into this, I'm not a fan although I also am obsessed with sour cream :]

Mexican Rice
Retrieved from another one of my favorite food blogs: thepioneerwoman.com

Adapted by yours truly again :]


2 Tablespoons Canola Oil
1/2 whole Large Onion, Chopped
3 cloves Garlic, Minced
2 cups Long Grain Rice
1 can Rotel (10 Ounce)
1 can Whole Tomatoes (14.5 Ounce)
2 cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth (more If Needed)
1 teaspoon Cumin (more To Taste)
1 teaspoon Kosher Salt


Heat oil in a large skillet. Add onions and garlic, then cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Reduce heat to low and add rice and garlic. Stir constantly, making sure the rice doesn’t burn. Cook over low heat for 3 minutes. Add Ro-tel and tomatoes. Stir to combine and let cook for 2 minutes. Finally, add broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 10 to 15 additional minutes or until rice is done. Add more liquid as needed; rice shouldn’t be sticky.


**Rotel brand tomatoes are AWESOME. I found mine at Fred Meyer right by the canned tomatoes, delish.
**My rice was a little bit too soft for my taste so I took off the lid and over low heat let the rice 'firm up' just a tad before serving.


I hope you try and enjoy these as much as I do!! Happy eating :]

I'm back!

After taking WAY too long of a break of blogging, I've decided to come back full force (I know everyone has been dying to see what's going on in my life, ha!). Also, my new obsession with food blogs has definitely contributed to the weight gain in my household (only for Shawn, I'm basically a size 00 ;] ha) and I'd like to start sharing my favorite recipes. Be on the look out, they're FANTASTIC, I promise.

Soooo, what's been going on in my neck of the woods? Well, I'm about half way done with this fall semester, THANK GOODNESS! This brings me one semester closer to graduation which should be reached by the end of 2012. I'm more excited than words can describe :]

I've had some super awesome opportunities open up for me, again super excited. I'll share more when things are finalized :]

I'm STILL trying to talk Shawn into marrying me, I think I'm wearing him down, ha! 

We got a new PUPPY!!! His name is Ruger and he's about 12 weeks old and one of the most precious creatures I've ever laid eyes on. He is such a smart dog and has been pointing since he was 8 weeks, genius dog I swear. Oh, he's totally a momma's boy which melts my heart. I'm totally in love which I think makes Shawn a little jealous because I'm sure he knows I love Ruger more. Actually, I know he knows. I tell him this at least once a day ;]

I'm going to have to share my love even more when we get Daisy, my wittle baby basset hound (MY dog!!) who will come home to us around the beginning of November. She's going to be the most spoiled puppy ever (I wonder if this foreshadows how my kids turn out?!) Poor Shawn. His dog loves me more than him and of course my dog will love me the most. Men always get the short end of the stick, sorry babe! :]

Oh, and I'm also trying to talk him into a THIRD dog. I have this new crazy obsession with blood hounds. My oh my, how I love them. I wonder if he'll be mad if I 'accidentally find a wandering puppy alongside the road and save him'?! Maybe we'll see...muahaha.

Well folks, I think that's about it for now. I'll post some recipes here in the next day or two so you can enjoy them as much as we have :]