The Lopez Life

Graveyard Crunch

We love making this snack during the month of October.  I made chex mix for this weeks game, but making Graveyard Crunch for next weeks game.  This stuff is GOOD!  Sorry for the short post.  It's been crazy busy and I have so much to do this week before Jamie gets here on Sunday. 

 

{Cola Burgers & More Halloween Decorating}

 

Wanted to share this recipe that has become one of our favorite ways to make burgers.  These burgers are packed with flavor!  Cola Burgers.  Found this recipe from the Taste of Home website.

Also, here's another corner of my kitchen.  I love Halloween!  I hope I don't run out of Halloween photos before the end of the month.  I guess I will just have to keep decorating! ;)

 

Bread and Pasta

I've been trying a lot of new recipes the past couple of weeks.  This past weekend I made two from The Pioneer Woman's website..  Before I post the two I tried....that meatloaf on her home page right now.....looks awesome!  That's one I am trying this weekend.

**The below photos are from The Pioneer Woman website.  I did not take them.  Just wanted to show you an image.  Recipes always need pictures in my book!

So I made "The Bread!"  Warning....this is not diet friendly.  Total comfort food and totally good!

Along with the bread I made her Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce.  Another hit with my family!  Now this sauce would have been just as good without adding the cream.  I am going to try it that way next time. 

The Pioneer Woman is one of my favorite websites for recipes.  Several of her recipes we make often. 

I'll share more recipes soon! :)  
 
  

{First Day.....}

Robert LOVED his first day of high school!  I honestly thought that I wouldn't get much more than "it was good" out of him for a response when I asked how his first day was.  Instead, he wouldn't shut up.  I, of course, LOVED every minute of that!! :)  And no, I don't have one photo from yesterday.  I'm ok with that.  Instead, I am going to put a copy of his school schedule where the POTD would be  in my Project Life album. 

Robert took the bus to school, which he will do everyday.  He has someone he knows in all of his classes.  He told Dave and I what his goals are and how he intends to reach them.  He's already thinking about college and what career options he's planning to pursue.  After school he had his first practice.  He told me, "Football was hard, but I LOVE it!"  He took everything in that the coaches talked about and can't wait for today's practice.  Today, practice won't start until 4:30 and he gets out at 2:20.  He going to workout out in the weight room from 2:30 to 3:00, then do his homework in the coaches room until practice starts. That way, when he gets home tonight, he can just enjoy the rest of the night.  I'm liking the path he's planning on taking.  So proud of him! 

I do want to share the recipe we tried Sunday for dinner.  I got it from Becky Higgins.  French Dip.  It was so GOOD!  Robert loved it!  So this will be added into our meal rotation.  Note: It took about 5 hours in the crockpot on high for the meat to fully cook and be shredded.  Enjoy!   

Grandmother's Buttermilk Cornbread

I was looking for a really good cornbread recipe to go with our dinner tonight.  No Jiffy cornbread here.  I found this one on allrecipes.com.  This one was SOOO good.  Very moist and not dry like most recipes I've tried. 

Grandmother's Buttermilk Cornbread

1/2 cup of butter

2/3 cup white sugar

2 eggs

1 cup of buttermilk

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup cornmeal

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Grease and 8 inch square pan.

2. Melt butter in a large pot. Remove from heat and stir in sugar.  Quickly add eggs and beat until well blended.  Combine buttermilk with baking soda and stir mixture in pot.  Stir in cornmeal, flour and salt until well blended and few lumps remain.  Pour batter into 8 inch pan.

3.  Bake for 30-40 minutes.  **I cooked for exactly 30 minutes and it was perfect!

Last night a group of kids went to Wazee World to play lazer tag.  Us adults rented Couple's Retreat.  It was an ok movie.  I thought it would have been funnier than it was, but still a good movie.  Here's a photo I took at midnight last night.  I'm getting too old to stay up that late.  These kids can stay up all night long! 

Merry Christmas Eve!

I have about an hour before we leave so I thought I'd share the snicker doodle cookie recipe I made last night.  These cookies are DELICIOUS!!!  You need to try them. 

 

Snicker doodles:

2 3/4 cups all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1 1/2 cups  granulated white sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Coating:

1/3 cup granulated white sugar

2 teaspoon ground Cinnamon

Directions

In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter and sugar until smooth (about 2 to 3 minutes). Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Beat in the vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture and beat until you have a smooth dough. If the dough is soft, cover and refrigerate until firm enough to roll into balls (one hour).

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and place rack in the center of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. 

Shape the dough into 1 inch round balls.

Coating: In a large shallow bowl mix together the sugar and cinnamon.

Roll the balls of dough in the cinnamon sugar and place on the prepared pan, spacing about 2 inches apart. Then, using the bottom of a glass, gently flatten each cookie to about 1/2 inch  thick.

Bake the cookies for about 8 - 10 minutes, or until they are light golden brown around the edges. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.

Can store in an airtight container, at room temperature, for about 10 - 14 days.

Makes about 6 dozen cookies.

We had a little change in plans.  Dave had a 4 hour delay in flying.  Robert and myself with go to Jackie and  Joe's with my parents.  When Dave lands we'll head back home to meet him and then go to my parent's house for some snacks and play games.  Dave has been up since 2:45 this morning so I know he's just going to want to relax.  That's fine with us.  We have games and snacks ready to go!  

Have a safe and Happy Christmas Eve!  

Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup

Here's the recipe I was talking about the other day.  This was the most delicious soup!  Even my picky eater liked it.  

CREAMY CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP

2 chicken bouillon cubes or 2 tsp. granules
2 cans chicken broth (3 if you don't want your soup thick)
1 c. chopped carrots
2 c. chopped celery
1/4 c. chopped onion ( I used minced dried)
Half a can of cream of chicken soup
1/4 c. milk
1/2 cube (4 Tbsp.) butter
1/4 c. flour
2 c. chopped cooked chicken (around two chicken breats)
6 oz. egg noodles

Boil chicken until fully cooked. Cook egg noodles. Dissolve 2 bouillon cubes in 1 cup boiling water. Add chicken broth and vegetables to the liquid until tender. In separate bowl, whisk a half a can of cream of chicken soup and milk until smooth. Whisk soup and milk mixture into broth and vegetables. Melt butter, then stir into flour. Add butter/flour mixture into soup mixture. Add chicken and noodles. Heat until thick! 

**Next time I make this soup I will use 3 to 4 cans of chicken broth just to make it not so thick.  It's good either way! 

 

Tonight I went shopping with Jan.  Got a few more things bought.  I am almost done.  I bought this game for us to play this weekend.

 

Cooking away

Today has been a very fun day.  I've been reading through my new cookbook, watching Food Network, baking and cooking.  I've had to do some not so fun things like wash, dry and put laundry away.  haha!  I even scrapbooked a little.  I made these yummy pumpkin cookies with cream cheese frosting.  This is Melissa's recipe.  Thanks for sharing this recipe, Melissa!  These are SO good!  We'll be having these for dessert tonight.

Here's one of the cards I made today.

Tonight Jan is coming over and I have these cooking in the oven right now.  It smells so good!  I'll let you know how they tasted.  Haven't made anything by Paula Dean that I haven't liked. 

After dinner we are going to scrapbook, play games or watch a movie.  We haven't decided yet.

Dave gets home tomorrow around noon.  Robert and I can't wait to see him!  We are going to go out to lunch, get Robert some more jeans and hopefully buy a new pre-lit Christmas tree.  We are going to put up our tree this week. I'm getting excited for Christmas and I can't wait!  Going to leave it up with just the lights for now.  We'll decorate it over Thanksgiving weekend. 

Random Act of Kindness

Today I got off work early.  Took Robert to the mall to get some new dress pants since his are all way short on him now.  He needs them for his National Junior Honor Society dinner that he has this up coming Monday night.  It was a fast trip.  The first pair he tried on fit and we picked up a shirt and we were out the door.   

Came home and had a couple hours to kill before we leave for the evening.  So I decided to pack up my Halloween decorations (yes I still have my Halloween decorations out.....I've been busy!)  The doorbell rings.  I go to answer it and my friend Monique is standing there.  I didn't know why she was here.  Usually she doesn't just stop by (not that I would mind if she did). Monique then pulls this book out from behind her back and hand it to me.

 Then she tells me to open the book and I see this!

 
 Yep!  That's the Pioneer Woman's autograph!  You see Monique had asked if I wanted to go with her to Changing Hands bookstore last night and I had said yes.  This was about a month ago.  Well I soon discovered that I would not be able to go since Robert had baseball and Dave was going to be in CA.  So Mo went by herself last night and was there inline from 7:00 pm until after midnight.  I never expected her to think of me and get a cookbook for me and then on top of that get it signed?  Not only did Ree sign it, but her mother-in-law and sister-in-law have recipes in the book as well and they signed it too!   WOW!  I was jumping up and down and I am still smiling!!  Thanks Monique!  Love ya girl!  Funny thing.....I was going to buy this cookbook last weekend and with Halloween and all I just forgot.  

I look forward to trying lots of new recipes!!
 

Recipe share

I tried a couple of new recipes and we loved them so much I wanted to share them here.  The first one is Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Pork.  I did follow the reviews and not add 1 cup of water to the crock pot.  I suggest you not add it too.  It makes it's own water and would delute the sauce if you do add the water.  The potatoes were delicious!  The pork just melted in your mouth.  Very good!

 
The next recipe is Chicken Nuggets with Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce.  I made this one tonight after practice and I didn't read the last line that says to make the honey mustard sauce and chill for 2-3 hours before serving.  It was still great and I added an extra 1/2 tablespoon of honey to thicken the sauce since I didn't have time to chill it. 

 
Both of these recipes will be added to our favorites to make for dinner.  I am trying to get better at trying new recipes.  I love to cook, but am always short on time.  I will be trying another new slow cooker recipe this Saturday.  

Another great site is Sandra Lee's Magazine site.  I love her recipes and tips.  I have been using this list to have all my pantry basics on hand.  That way you can pretty much make any recipe as long as you have your meat.  Makes cooking fun and easy when you have all that you need.