It Happened

It has happened.  Kindergarten has begun.  That ball is rolling.  I know in my last post, I was a puddle of mommy emotion, but since school has begun and we have two days under our belt, I'm much better.

This is a picture of the Tiny Teen just moments before she entered the front doors of her new school.  As you can see, she was 100% happy and ready to go.

After choking out the words "good-bye," my husband, the Texas Tornado, and I left school wondering what on earth to do with ourselves.  We did what anyone with nothing to do does...we went wandering around Target.

What is it about Target that can be so cathartic?  I wandered about and picked up plenty of "odds and ends" like only you can there.  We spent the rest of the day busying ourselves.  The three of us went to lunch, hung out, and just wondered how the day was going.

The official report, she loves everything about kindergarten!  Whew!  What a relief.  I figured she would, but you just never know.  She was all smiles, just like in the picture above, when I picked her up.  Granted her smile was a very tired one.

After stopping by Daddy's work to give him the full report, the Tiny Teen was greeted with some "back to school" cookies.

I used the funfetti cookie recipe from back in April, but I tried to use cookie cutters with it.  Clearly, that  didn't turn out as fantastically as I had hoped.  Nonetheless, the Tiny Teen was just happy to get some funfetti cookies!

After I realized that my letter cookies weren't coming out as I had hoped, I switched to just good ol' regular cookies.  Much less effort and actually, they were tastier.

In case you missed the funfetti cookie post back in April, check it out.  They are a yummy cookie that remain quite popular around here.  Enjoy!

Is This Really Happening?

Since my husband and I became parents over 5 years ago, we have had little need for an alarm clock in our lives.  A newborn with colic for the first few months, and then a transition with my husband's job to where he doesn't have to go into work until after lunch, and really...no need for an alarm clock.  

The Tiny Teen has been my alarm clock for years.  She's the earliest bird I've ever met.  She wakes with the sun, bounds happily down the stairs, and greets me most every morning with a "Good morning  Mommy!"  There are the few occasions when I'm actually up before her, but typically that sweet girl is the first little face I see.

What I can't believe is how that's all going to change tomorrow.  You see, tomorrow is monumental in our world, a life defining day for our little sweetheart, our darling Tiny Teen is starting kindergarten.  

Where we live kindergarten starts at the earliest of times, so early in fact, we can't rely on the Tiny Teen to get us up anymore.  I have to leave the idyllic world of sweet "Good morning Mommy," to the annoying world of an alarm clock.  Aside from an early weekend morning, those sweet tender moments are fleeting.

In case you haven't guessed it yet, tears are streaming down my face as I write this.  I haven't shed one single tear about the start of kindergarten, and now I'm here crying my eyes out.  I guess it's better I get my tears out now while that sweet little girl is sleeping, rather than tomorrow when she heads off to her classroom.

Thanks for being my listening ear this evening.  I guess I really just needed to get my thoughts out about all of this.  I am ready for her next step in life, just stunned that it's here already.

I leave you tonight with a picture from the Tiny Teen's first day of preschool 3 years ago.  I remember taking this picture like it happened this morning.  I guess that's really what's making me so emotional tonight.  

If those 3 years went so fast, how fast will the next 13 go?

Crock Pot Italian Beef

Sorry I haven't posted in a bit, but I've been siiiiiiiick.  The thing about being sick is you just don't feel like cooking.  The convienent part is that even if you did cook, no one wants to eat food made by a sick lady anyways, so why bother.

I'm feeling a bit better, and I'm thankfully not contagious, so I did cook a tiny bit.  I got back into the kitchen in the easiest way possible.  I made a crock pot dinner...Italian beef sammies.

Here's a little back story with Italian beef sammies and me...

For this story, we must travel back in time to college.  It was a blissful time.  A Florida girl in a rural Midwestern college town learning about all things Midwest and some things Chicago.  A time when a  girl could get a 30 pack of beer for under $7.  Was it good beer?  Of course not, but it was college, we had no money and it worked just fine.  

If you are properly picturing this world of ramen noodles & macaroni and cheese, then you also understand that we had NO money for any quality food.

To understand my senior year roommates and I, well that would be tough to explain.  Aside from one of my dearest friend's S and I, we were an eclectic bunch.  We ran the gamut of girl drama and emotion, but we always saw eye to eye on one thing...Italian beef sammies.

These sammies were the calm in a sometimes turbulent estrogen sea.  The one thing that we all could agree upon.  As soon as the name (Italian beef) was uttered, we were all reaching for our sad little wallets to fish out our 3 bucks.  See for 3 bucks each, we could get a rump roast, a jar of hot peppers, and sandwich buns to make our crock pot delight.  With said 3 bucks came an unspoken vow of silence.  No one was ever to know what was happening in our apartment on Italian beef day. 

See, it took 8 long hours for our meal to be ready, and the smell was to die for.  If anyone caught a whiff of it, they'd want some.  As I said before, our Italian beef was sacred.  We certainly weren't sharing it!  Plus, we had each kicked in 3 bucks, and college 3 bucks has got to be equivalent to 20 bucks in the regular world.

Every so often, I still make Italian beef sammies and I think back to that much simpler time of life.  I treasure my college memories, especially the one where I met by husband shortly before graduating, but that's a story for another time,.  I'm still wonderful friends with my senior year roomie S too.  I guess that's why I was so excited when she recently posted a new and delicious Italian beef sammie recipe on her food blog.

It's simple and even more delicious than our college version of Italian beef.  It included fresh ingredients, which I love more than our jarred peppers.  The recipe also includes beer, and who doesn't think of college when they think of beer?  Ok, maybe lots of people...

The only changes I made were...

• I used Shiner Bock, like any Texan would, for my beer choice.
• I also topped my sandwich with some shredded mozzarella cheese.  (I would normally use mozzarella slices, but I had shredded on hand from make your own pizza night).

I do hope you enjoy this Italian beef recipe (link below).  If you have never had it, well than goodness, you have been missin' it!!  It's a yummy sammie Chicagoans have been enjoying forever!  Enjoy!  Check out my friend S and her sister's food blog.  These girls can cook!!

Link to Bushels & Babes Italian Beef Recipe

A Creative Salad Option

It has finally reached the triple digits in Texas, so the brutality of summer has descended upon us.  That means that the last thing I want to eat is anything warm or hot...unless it's a baked good.  (I make exceptions for those.)  

I've been busy exploring creative salad recipes because I can get bored soooo easily by standard, boring salads.  Today's recipe is one of the tasty and creative salad options that I found...

It's Rachael Ray's Chicken Salad-Stuffed Tomatoes.  I LOVE chicken salad, almost every variety, as for chowing down on a big tomato, that's not exactly my favorite thing.  Even with that being said, the combination of chicken salad together with a big chunk of tomato is actually quite tasty and refreshing. Who knew?!

This particular recipe is classified under Rach's 15 Minute No-Cook Fast Ideas.  It is indeed fast, especially if you use the recommended rotisserie chicken to make the chicken salad.  I opted for some chicken breast that I poached myself.  I also cooked some frozen corn kernels for the corn.  Finally, the only other change I made was that I did not use the watercress for a salad, but instead some leftover arugula.

If you are hot and looking for a creative way to enjoy some chicken salad, I recommend this tasty option.  Enjoy!

 Link to Rachael Ray's Chicken Salad-Stuffed Tomatoes Recipe

If you are looking for a beauty giveaway, my friend Jordin is offering some color tinted dry shampoo.  Stop by her blog, enter to win, and check out how in mere minutes it turned my dirty, "post workout" hair into a refreshed and fuller look!  It's pretty amazing stuff!!

Broccoli-Quinoa Casserole

Last night's recipe was SO delicious, that I forgot to take a picture...and we ate it ALL!!  I can't believe this.   I type this now with a "leftovers-free" fridge, so I guess I'm just going to have to describe the recipe to you...

Let's start with some clues:

1. Comfort food
2. Potluck staple
3. It contains broccoli

Have you guessed it?  Possibly not, those clues weren't the best.  Last night's recipe was a revamped, healthier version of Broccoli Rice Casserole.  Instead of rice, you use quinoa.  You also use less and lower fat options to recreate this casserole staple.  The recipe link below even provides a gluten free option for those who need it. 

If you are skeptical, it's ok, but I promise...it's awesome!  It's very creamy, and that's all a good casserole really needs at the end of the day.

The only thing that I changed from the recipe is that I added some chicken.  If you eat this as a side dish, it's fine, but if you want to make it a one pot meal, it needs more texture.  I sauteed 2/3 lb. of chicken in olive oil with some salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning.  Once cooked, I cut them into bite size pieces.  I then added it in when you combine the quinoa, broccoli and such.

To create this meal, you cook the quinoa, broccoli, and chicken (if using) and combine it with all of the other ingredients.  What's great is that you can then store the casserole in the fridge and wait to heat it up.  I made this a day in advance and just popped it in the oven for 40 minutes at 350 degrees when we were ready to enjoy it.  For those of you that prepare your meals for the week early, this may be perfect for you!  Enjoy!!

Link to Eating Well Living Thin's Broccoli-Quinoa Casserole Recipe