Perfectly Simple Chicken

Well I know that I haven't posted here in forever. That is partly due to the fact that I have received ZERO comments on the blog... and mostly due to my chaotic and busy life! But I have missed you all dearly (whoever you are). A lot has happened since I last posted.. Ryan started preschool! I also started a childcare thing out of my home. AND I've been trying to amp up my Mary Kay business! All efforts to be a successful, single, stay at home mom. OH YEAH!

If you RUNrunRUN all day like I do, then quick and simple meals with minimal ingredients are a must on some nights. Here is a simple chicken rub recipe that will always put out a delicious dish. You can use this rub just on chicken breats, thighs, drumsticks, or whatever.. Or you can use this rub to season your chicken before you use in casseroles, sandwiches, wraps, or whatever. Nothing worse than a casserole with BLAND chicken. Ryan and I use this rub on boneless, skinless chicken breasts with a side of rice and veggies for dinner at least once a week.

All it takes is a few spices mixed together.

Rub your chicken down.

Bake it...

Soooo easy. And sooo freakin yummy.

Perfectly Simple Chicken
What You'll Need:
1 lb. chicken breasts, thighs, drums, whatever
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. paprika

Mix seasonings together in a small bowl and rub all over chicken. Bake at 400 until chicken is cooked through. About 30 minutes. I use a meat thermometer.

OK I promise I won't stay gone so long this time. But please, help me out and leave me some feedback. Let me know what you want to see.

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Easy Crock Pot Steak Tacos AND Homemade Taco Seasoning

YUMyumYUMyumYUMyumYUM

Crock Pot Steak Tacos

What You'll Need:
1 lb. of beef - really any kind will work. sirloin, brisket, flank steak, tenderloin, in this picture I actually used boneless short rib meat that I got on sale

3 T. of Taco Seasoning (my recipe below)

Water

Place beef into crock pot and season well with all of the taco seasoning. Pour in enough water to keep the meat moist, but don't cover it completely. About an inch and a half of water, depending on the cut and amount of meat. Cook on low for 5-8 hours or high for 3-5 hours, again depending on cut of meat. Meat should be cooked and falling apart.

Serve in tortillas (or on chips or whatever) with lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, sour cream, cheese, peppers, etc.

Never buy pre-made taco seasoning again! It is cheaper and healthier to make yourself.

Taco Seasoning

What You'll Need:
1 T. chili powder
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. paprika
1 1/2 tsps. paprika
1 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. black pepper

Mix all ingredients well and store in sealed container. Use 3 Tablespoons of seasoning per pound of meat.

Bolognese Sauce

I'm so sorry I've been away for so long!!! I've had a little trouble with my recovery. My advice to you- listen to your doctor and follow all of your post-op recommendations! REST after surgery and don't try to take on too much, too soon!

But anyways, I've been extremely bored with this whole healing process. It's really getting in the way of all my half-finished projects... Last night, however, I got back in the kitchen. I wanted to make something simple, yet delicious. So, I bring to you: my version of Bolognese Sauce, adapted mostly from a recipe I found in AllRecipes magazine a while back. My photo didn't do this sauce justice, so I decided to leave it out...

Bolognese Sauce

What You'll Need:
1/2 lb. ground beef (I always use 10% Or LESS fat)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 of a large onion, diced
1/2 of a large carrot, grated
1 3/4 tsp. dried oregano
3/4 tsp. garlic powder
1 small bay leaf
salt and pepper to taste, a generous amount
1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
1 1/4 cup water
2 T. butter
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. Heat a large covered pot over medium-high heat. Add beef, garlic, onion, and carrot. Cook until meat is just cooked through and drain out any extra grease.

2. Add the oregano, garlic powder, bay leaf, salt, and pepper. Stir in the crushed tomatoes and water. Bring to a boil, then reduce, simmering for 1 1/2 hours. Keep covered for at least the first hour, so the sauce doesn't concentrate too much.

3. Over medium heat, add the butter and Parmesan cheese to the sauce until melted.
Serve over cooked pasta. Yields about 5 cups of sauce, about 6 servings. I prefer smaller noodles with this sauce, such as Rigatoni.

This is a super simple, yet super scrumptious, authentic Italian dish. Now get to cookin'! And stay tuned- as soon as I get to feeling a little better, I'll be revealing my Renter's Garden and my fool-proof way to paint furniture!!!

Orange White Chocolate Cupcakes

It's time. It's time to write my own cupcake recipe. I'm definitely still learning when it comes to baking and, well, cooking too. So I bring to you- my very first recorded cupcake recipe!

I have a new found love for self rising flower thanks to my mommy, so that's what I'll be using. If you don't have any, you can substitute 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour + 1 1/2 tsp baking powder (No salt because I used salted butter in the recipe). I also have a new obsession with using oranges in baking ever since my amazing Orange Cinnamon Streusel Muffins.

So.. I will be attempting to create some Orange White Chocolate Cupcakes. I'm going to use Cream Cheese Frosting because that's what I have.

Let's do this!

Start melting 3 oz of white chocolate however you like. I use a double boiler contraption made by sitting a thick measuring cup in a small saucepan of water. First, beat the butter and sugar together.

Beat in the eggs one at a time. Beat in the flour, orange zest, orange juice, and white chocolate. Pour the batter into your muffin cups and bake! Soo simple!

And you have these sweet little cupcakes to ice and decorate however you please.

I lightened up a can of premade Cream Cheese Frosting by beating it together with a splash of milk. Would be great with an orange frosting, white chocolate, or whatever you like.

:)

Orange White Chocolate Cupcakes

What You'll Need:
1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup sugar

3 Eggs

1 1/4 cup Self Rising Flour

3 oz. or about 1/4 cup White Chocolate

Juice of 1 Orange or about 1/4 cup pre made Orange Juice

Zest of up to half of of the Orange- get this before juicing!! (if using pre made, can leave out)

Frosting of your choice

1. Preheat oven to 350. Begin melting white chocolate however you like for Step 2. Beat the butter and sugar together with an electric mixer. Beat in the eggs one at a time.

2. Beat in the flour, orange zest, orange juice, and white chocolate. Beat very well. Pour into muffin cups filling each one about 3/4th of the way full.

3. Bake for 12-14 minutes. Remove from muffin pan to finish cooling after a few minutes. When cooled almost to room temperature, ice the cupcakes.

Makes 12 cupcakes.

<3

Stay tuned for my Renter's Garden, my re-fabbed painted book shelf, and the release of bees body butters..

Crock Pot Sweet Ham

Hellooooo all. I'm feeling much better now from the surgery. Still much healing to do, but it was a very minor and mostly pain-free procedure.

I was well enough today to get back in the kitchen! I went over to my mom's house (she's keeping Ryan for the surgery and recovery) stuck a ham in the crock pot, and let her take care of the side dishes. I have been seeing these "Easy Slow Cooker Hams" all over Pinterest and other sites for a while now, and have been dying to try one.. so I did!

And there she is!!!

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Crock Pot Sweet Ham

What You'll Need:
A Ham - I used a Smoked Bone-In Half Ham. You can use whatever kind you want- precooked, sliced or not, half or whole. There is enough sugar and pineapple for a whole ham, I just like extra sauce!!

3 Cups Brown Sugar

1 Can Pineapple Tidbits with the juice (Sliced or Diced or even just pineapple juice would be fine also)

Put most of the brown sugar underneath the ham in your crock pot. Pour the pineapple tidbits and juice over the ham and put more sugar over the top. Cook on High for about at hour to get it cooking, depending on how quickly you want it to be done. And then on Low for about 4-5 hours or until tender and yummmyyy.

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I used The Crockin' Girls' recipe. It can be found here along with other awesome recipes AND a kitchen-worthy cookbook. This ham is AMAZING. And amazingly simple. Try it!

Follow me, request recipes, leave feedback, and stay tuned for the release of Bees new line of amazing Body Butters!

Orange Cinnamon Streusel Muffins

This day.. is NOT what's up. And also- I'm having surgery tomorrow morning at 8:00 am. Only a minor surgery though, not to worry. My landlord brought me a big bag of oranges today "to stay healthy.." SO I've decided to bury my sorrows of this craptastic day in some delicious Orange Cinnamon Streusel Muffins. I made these last weekend for Ryan and Emery's bake sale and they were a hit.

First, mix together the self rising flour and sugar.

In a separate bowl, mix together oil, oj, buttermilk, vanilla, and eggs. Then mix everything together. Lumpies are fine.

Fill muffin cups halfway with mix. In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar and cinnamon. Put a 1/2 tsp. of this into each muffin cup. Then pour over remaining batter filling the cups 3/4 of the way.

Now mix remaining flour, sugar, cinnamon, and butter. Sprinkle this on top of the muffins.

Bake 'em and...

I originally found this recipe here at allrecipes.com!!!

Orange Cinnamon Streusel Muffins

What You'll Need:
2 cups self rising flour (or 2 cups all-purpose + 2 tsp. baking powder + 1/2 tsp. salt)
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup vegetable or canola oil
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup buttermilk (I make mine with regular milk and vinegar)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 eggs
3 T. brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 T. melted butter

1. Preheat your oven to 350. Mix together self rising flour and 3/4 cup sugar in a large bowl. In a seperate bowl, mix together oil, orange juice, buttermilk, vanilla extract, and eggs. Add the wet ingredients to the dry igredients and mix well. Some lumps are okay.
2. Fill muffin cups or greased muffin pan only halfway with batter. In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle 1/2 tsp. of this mixture into each muffin cup.  Put the remaining batter into the cups filling each one 3/4 of the way full. Mix together the all-purpose flour, sugar, cinnamon, and melted butter. Sprinkle this mixture evenly into the cups.
3. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Chocolate Cheesecake like WHOA

HOLY JJEEEZZZZ I just made the BEST freakin' Chocolate Cheesecake I have ever tasted in my LIFE. I don't have pictures or any of that for some reason, (slacking, I know...) but here's the recipe. It was adapted from a Martha Stewart recipe I found. I am giving the recipe for the crust as well, even though I do not make crust for my cheesecake. I'm just not a big fan of crust, on anything really.

Chocolate Cheesecake

What You'll Need:
9 oz chocolate wafer cookies
6 T. unsalted butter, melted
4-8 oz packages of cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
4 eggs
1 cup sour cream
8 oz semisweet chocolate

1. Preheat the oven to 325. Most cheesecake recipes say to use a spring form pan, but I always use a regular glass baking dish. This time I used a round, glass pie dish. If using crust, mix crushed chocolate wafer cookies with melted butter, press evenly over the bottom of your greased dish, bake the crust for 10 minutes, then set aside.

2. Place your semisweet in a double boiler contraption, whatever you have, or melt it however you like to. In a mixing bowl, beat the softened cream cheese, sugar, and salt together with an electric mixer. Add the eggs one at a time. Add the sour cream. Then add the chocolate. Blend it until it is super smooth.

3. Pour the batter into your pan(s) and bake for 1 hour. DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN. Turn the oven off and let it sit for another hour. This prevents the cheesecake from cracking. Mine still cracked a teeny tiny bit. Let it cool completely at room temperature, and then refrigerate at least 6 hours or overnight.

Simply amazing. Everyone has absolutely loved it so far.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Sorry for not getting this recipe up last night. I fell asleep EARLY! And then 5 minutes after falling asleep, I was woken up by the AIR CONDITIONER REPAIR MAN ringing the doorbell at 9:20 pm. Call me an old cranky lady........ but..... 9:20 pm? Really? I have a child. Really? It just blows my mind.

Needless to say, I'll be finding a new air conditioner repair man.

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We are having a yard sale this weekend where Ryan and his cousin, Emery, will have a Bake Sale!! We had the yard sale and bake sale last weekend as well.. and even considering it was Memorial Day weekend, the sale was a success. Hopefully we will have a lot more traffic this weekend and do even better. This is a GREAT way for some extra cash.

All year long I have a designated closet where I store stuff we don't need or use anymore. Old toys, clothes, house decor, EVERYTHING. Then I have a big yard sale and sell it all! This year we will have at least 3 yard sales to try and get rid of it all for a profit. My mom and my sister both brought stuff over to sell as well. We are redoing the sale this weekend because of Memorial Day weekend. My neighborhood always has an annual neighborhood sale, so we will partake in that too. It's amazing the things that sell at yard sales! I even sold used lotions, perfumes, and body washes. Some stuff I put in "Free" boxes.. well, a LOT of stuff.

The night before the sale last weekend, my sister and I baked up some homemade cookies, brownies, cupcakes, and muffins. The toddlers were in charge of advertisement and sales! The bake sale was also a success. All of the proceeds from the bake sale were split between Ryan and Emery, and put into their piggy banks!

The sale was not only great for making cash, but the two days spent outside selling, working, playing, bonding, and in the kitchen cooking and eating together were priceless.

ANYWAYS. The first thing I have made for the bake sale this weekend is chocolate chip cookies. This is just a quick, standard recipe for DEEELICIOUS chocolate chip cookies.

First thing's first: gather your supplies and your helpers.

Mix the baking soda and salt into the flour very well before slowly beating it into the butter and sugars.

Use an electric mixer to beat together your melted butter, white and brown sugars, and vanilla extract. Add your eggs one at a time, beating after each one. Ryan went ahead and added one of our eggs, shell and all, at the very beginning.

Place the dough by heaping tablespoonfuls on your cookie sheet.

Voila!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

What you'll need:
2 sticks (1 cup) of salted butter, melted
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 cups chocolate chips or chocolate pieces (more or less depending on taste)

1. Preheat your oven to 325. Beat together your butter, sugars, and vanilla with an electric mixer. Add the eggs one at a time. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, and salt very well. Slowly beat the flour into the butter and sugars until all blended very well.

2. Drop dough by heaping tablespoonfuls onto greased parchment paper or aluminum foil on cookie sheets. Bake for 13 minutes or until golden.  Cool for a minute or two and then remove paper or foil from the pan to finish cooling.

This made 25 cookies for me. This recipe was adapted from a recipe I found on a bag of chocolate chips.

NOW GET TO BAKING!

The Beginning

AND HERE IT IS! Oh, how I've been waiting for you...................

Welcome to my blog! Welcome to our world!

I'm Kim and that's Ryan. Ryan will be turning 2 at the end of July, so get ready for a choo-choo train birthday party! Ryan and I are always up to something; cooking something, making something, organizing something, rearranging or redecorating something, or strategizing... Well, I'm trying to make all of this rub off on him a little bit anyways.

I've got at least one maybe more recipes coming later, so I'll keep this short and sweet.

Through this blog I'd like to share my own ideas as well as connect with and learn from other people/moms. So here we go!