change of address notice

For those who are following this blog, I have moved on back to blogger so redirect to http://www.itkwib.blogspot.com and enjoy!!

change of address

Just FYI for those who follow this blog. I am not going to continue paying for domain mapping from wordpress, (wordpress.com is evil remember….stick with blogger). So in a couple days the URL will be changing to http://www.itkwib.wordpress.com but everything will still be on here so no worries!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Love

Do you see this little morsel of heaven? I mean seriously. I have serious FP (fat potential). So there I was thinking I needed a sweet treat, and this great idea came into my mind…

Before I start that story, I would first like to say recently on my ever going quest to misplace weight. I gave almost all of my baking supplies away (meaning chocolate chips, and puddings, cake mixes… blah, blah). Well around that same time I had planned a family reunion and started couponing for all the food, which included mallows, sugary cereals, chocolate bars…you know, the good stuff. Bad idea!

So back to my story about needing something sweet. I maybe kept to many key sugar making ingredients like sugar, and corn syrup. And because of my master couponing I had Cocoa Pebbles lying around. So I created this masterpiece, and I was so ravenous I couldn’t even wait to take a picture before I had devoured like half of it. What the f? Seriously I will be on the Biggest Loser someday.

But all you need to know is that these are AMAZINGGGGG!! All I did was take this recipe and switch the Rice Krispies with Cocoa Pebbles. Brilliant, I have no idea why I didn’t think of this sooner. Maybe because I typically don’t buy sugary cereal because they taunt me. I also happened to keep a bag of butterscotch chips lying around…weird. So I melted some and spread it on the top of half, but I liked it much better without any topping.

Then the camping trip was cancelled and so I quickly got rid of all my sugar foods. True story, I actually did this time. Minus the powdered sugar I had on my pancakes this morning! WHAT? haha, I really have an addiction problem.

With that all off my chest I would like to say that I hope this is the last sweet treat posting you will ever see from me because I am trying to change my ways here!! Do yourselves a favor and never get your body fat checked. Who wants my powdered sugar?

Strawberry Crumb Cake

I have noticed that it is becoming strawberry season again. Woohooooooo! I love strawberries and I recently got some for $.98 a lb so I have been freezing and cooking these delicious morsels of fruit.

In my quest to make some strawberry goodness I came across this recipe that I tweaked to my liking and it actually came out pretty dang tasty. The only thing that  would have made it better…..ice cold scoop of vanilla ice cream to top it off . (Is there anything ice cream doesn’t make better?)

First you make the cake batter and top it with the strawberries.

Then you make the delicious crumb topping and bake. It really is super easy.

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 1/2 cups sliced fresh strawberries

Topping:

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup cold butter
1/4 cup chopped pecans (or walnuts)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 F and lightly grease a 8 x 8 pan.
2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, beat the egg, milk and butter. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Pour into baking dish. Top with strawberries.
3. For topping, combine flour and sugar in a bowl; cut in butter until crumbly. Stir in pecans and sprinkle over strawberries.
4. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cut into squares; serve warm. And don’t forget the ice cream or whipped cream to make it extra yummy!

Recipe from www.allrecipes.com.

Ham and Potato Casserole

I don’t know about your family traditions, but on Easter my family eats ham. And since I am cheap, I didn’t want to buy a whole ham. So I bought some ham slices and made ham and potato casserole. It was so creamy, warm and delicious and would make the perfect meal for your ham leftovers. It is also super quick prep time which is a huge plus in my book.

Ingredients:

1 (approx 30 ounce) package frozen hash brown potatoes
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1 (16 ounce) container sour cream
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 onion, chopped
1/2 cup butter
2 cups diced ham
3 cups crushed corn flakes

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F, lightly grease a 9 x 13 baking dish.
2. In a large bowl, combine the hash browns, cheese, sour cream and soup.
3. In a large skillet over medium heat, combine the onion with 1 stick butter and saute for 5 minutes. Add this to the mixture. 
4. I browned my ham cubes a little, so you are free to brown them in a skillet with some butter or just add them pre-cooked to the mixture and pour into the baking dish.
5. Bake at 425 degrees F  for 45 mins.
6. Pour the crushed corn flakes over the top and bake for 15 more minutes.

pic of the week

One of my favorite hobbies is taking nature pictures and pics of my Lil Sas. Sadly, I don’t really do it as much as I would like. I used to have dreams of printing out my pics and selling them at Farmer’s Markets. But for now, I am going to start posting my favorite pics I have taken in my travelings. Big Daddy has also gotten pretty good at taking pics as well so I will sometimes be posting some of his too. Unlike most photographers today, I like to keep my pictures for the most part un-edited (I have been known to lighten a few pics). I like the natural look because that is how things and people really look.

I took these pictures while I was in WA last week. They are from the Grist Mill we went to in the middle of nowhere really.

Chicken Parmigiana

Big Daddy is a big fan of this dish and thanks to my investigation skills, I have found the perfect recipe. Thank you Bobby Flay! This chicken is perfect served over noodles, with a simple veggie like a salad on the side.

Salt and pepper your chicken breasts then cover in flour.

Soak it in the eggs.

Cover in bread crumbs and fry.

Cover with your favorite tomato sauce and cheese, bake and enjoy.

mmmmmmmmmmm……
Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded thin
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups all-purpose flour, seasoned with salt and pepper
4 large eggs, beaten with 2 tablespoons water and seasoned with salt and pepper
2 cups bread crumbs
1 cup vegetable oil or pure olive oil
Tomato Sauce
1 lb fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Season chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. Dip each breast in the flour and tap off excess, then dip in the egg and let excess drip off, then cover in the bread crumbs.
3. Divide the oil between 2 large saute pans and heat over high heat until almost smoking. Add 2 chicken breasts to each pan and cook until golden brown on both sides, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a baking sheet and top each breast with some tomato sauce, a few slices of the mozzarella, salt and pepper, and a tablespoon of Parmesan.
4.  Bake in the oven until the chicken is cooked through and the cheese is melted, about 5 to 7 minutes.

Recipe from www.foodnetwork.com.

Homemade Oreos

Since you are all aware of my cookie addiction, I thought in celebration of posting more recipes (I needed a cooking break) I would make some homemade Oreos. I searched and searched for the perfect recipe and I think I found it. Big Daddy said they were even better than Oreos, and that means a lot coming from him. Make sure you have a big glass of cold milk ready when you eat these bad boys.

The first step is to let your crazy kiddo mix all the dry ingredients.

Then beat in the butter and egg until the dough comes together.

Next is the fun part, just use you hands and form little circles as thick as you want. I did mine a little on the thin side because I wanted the outside crunchy like a real Oreo, but I think the next time I make them I will do them a little thicker.

Then make your frosting. Be sure to get messy while enjoying the beaters.

Then plop a generous spoonful of frosting onto one cookie and smash another one on top! Mmmmmmm.

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp butter, room temperature
1 egg

Frosting:

1/2 cup butter, room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Lightly grease a cookie sheet.
2. Mix all the dry ingredients in a medium mixing bowl.
3. Add the butter and egg and beat until well mixed.
4.  Place a ball of dough on the cookie sheet and press flat with your hands. You can also use cookie cutters if you would like, once the dough is flat.
5. Bake for approx 9 mins. Place on cooling racks to dry.

Frosting:

1. Beat all the ingredients together  on a medium speed for at least three minutes (this is important, it makes it light and fluffy)

Recipe from www.cupcakeproject.com

Idaho Falls Airport Review

Flight time 6:40 am.

5:11 am alarm goes off.

5:42 am leave apartment.

6:06 am arrive at airport, notice no one is in line at the counter so I take my time saying bye to BD.

6:10 am walk into the airport.

6:11 am arrive at the check-in counter, where a rude worker (who is on the phone) informs me that I can no longer check my bag because it is less than thirty minutes before my plane is supposed to leave, so I can either condense everything into a carry-on or change flights. I look at her in disbelief because I have arrived at larger airports with much less time and have no problem. I pull out my phone and it does indeed say 6:11 am. I feel my blood instantly boil and start to get real angry. I’m sure my face gets bright red like it usually does when I get mad. She continues to tell me there is nothing she can do about it, and all I can think of is, “really? Are you feet broken because the airplane is about 20 ft from where we are standing and you could easily walk yourself out there and personally put it in the plane with plenty of time left before my plane leaves.”

She also says, “you really should be here an hour before your plane leaves.”

Then I say, “Yes in a perfect world I would have been here an hour before but I had no idea about your policy.” I continue being irritated and she is still holding the phone to her face so whomever she is talking to can hear this whole conversation (great customer service).

Then she looks at me and says, “so are you going to compact it into a carry-on?”

So I say, “what carry-on? I am just going to pull one out of my butt?” Ok, I didn’t say that but it is what I thought. What I really said was, “I obviously don’t have a carry-on, so I guess, change my flight.”

You still may be asking yourself…why didn’t they just check your bag? I assure you I am still asking myself this same question. When I asked why not this is all she said, “the thing just doesn’t work anymore and we can’t do it.” The thing? If I wasn’t so pissed and it wasn’t so early I would have had great things to say about that.

Anyway, she proceeds to help the trainee book my new flight (and yes, she is still on the phone). $50 and a new flight later, I am then given a sticky note with a number on it. I am then told to walk over to the self check-in kiosk and check myself in with my confirmation number on the sticky note. I am still the only one at the counter with no one in line behind me. So, I walk over and check myself in ( I am still to flabbergasted at this point to really get angry with people). Then the beast on the phone finally leaves.

I walk back to the counter check my bag, that can magically be checked for a different flight just not for mine. I am about to walk away and start to see clearly so I ask, “did you happen to add a lap child onto my ticket.” Of course not. So back I go and the trainee did it wrong (I don’t blame her I blame the crazy lady on the phone). Then lady number three comes to help redo my ticket. Blah, blah, blah. It gets fixed and I inform the new lady how rude the first lady was and that maybe since they had lots of people standing around doing nothing and they don’t inform people of their retarded policy (I could see it being valid in an airpot with more than three gates) and they could clearly see I had a bag that needed to be checked they could have come and told me I had limited time…and then I walk away, slowly getting over my irritation because life happens.

We fly to Salt Lake….Lil Sas entertains the crowds with her cuteness and licks a garbage can….it was a fun day.

A couple days later when the customer service/bag checking survey came from Delta I could not have been happier to fill it out for them.

The end.

FASHION FRIDAY!!!!! March, 25

I bet you all thought I forgot about you…well, I didn’t. I am just in Washington for a bit helping watch some crazy little boys. Anyway, I have limited access to cameras and computers so I will try to post when possible. So the pics today are taken by my awesome phone, and I am blogging on a Mac computer (it is like a foreign language).

This Fashion Friday is brought to you by Macy’s and there fantastic sale I partook of yesterday. I can’t wait to live by a real mall with real stores!!!!! There is nothing for sale this week (sad for you, I know) but these sexynesses should get you excited for future FFs.

LOOK AT THESE SEXYYYYYYYYYY BOOTS! My life will never be the same. (Keep in mind it is a Mac and I don’t have any idea how to flip the picture…my bad). The best part about both of these as they were only $20 a piece! If you have a Macy’s by you I suggest checking out the sales this week.

So todays fashion is fun on the go. Easy to accomplish…all you need is a face. And isn’t that just the cutest little baby in the back? She was free with the shoes!!! Woohoo.