Chicken Pesto Panini's

I've linked to this recipe on the blog before, but I decided to show you how I make them. The recipe is from Kraft foods and it's so easy. If you don't have a panini maker you can use a large skillet. We have had an abundance of basil from our garden so I love to make pesto with it. I don't love how expensive pine nuts are though (I need to look into buying them in bulk at Sams or somewhere).

Ingredients

1/2 cup shredded rotisserie-cooked chicken (I just cut up the whole chicken and make lots of sandwiches or save it for other meals.

1 Tbsp.  Pesto

2 slices Multi-grain bread (I used Italian bread cut into inch slices)

1/4 cup  Shredded Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese 

PREHEAT panini grill to high heat. Mix chicken and pesto; spread onto 1 of the bread slices.
TOP with cheese and remaining bread slice.
GRILL 3 to 5 min. or until cheese is melted and sandwich is golden brown on both sides.
I also added a few pieces of lettuce to mine.

For the leftover pesto, if you any, a great trick is to put them in ice cube trays and freeze them. As soon as they are frozen pop them out and put them in an airtight container or zip-lock bag for later back in the freezer. You can then use it as individual toppings for other panini's, sandwiches, pasta, whatever.

I made these while David was out of town and I was a cooking machine. I brought some in for the girls at work. These are great for an easy dinner meal with side of chips or fresh fruit and veges.

New Technology All Around

Last weekend we had a crazy thunderstorm with tons of lightening that knocked out the internet and cable. Thank goodness for my iphone with internet access or I would have been lost. One of the tv's upstairs worked, but not any recording device. I had to watch things live, how awful is that?! Of course it happened to all coincide with David leaving town. Why would anything work right when hes not home? So I spent hours on the phone with Dish network and Comcast trying to fix all these devices. My conclusions were: The wireless router was blown and so was the dvr. They sent me a new dvr box and we had to go buy a new router. We also tried to fix our nice big Laser printer that David got when his company was moving buildings.

It had ********** all over the display screen. By the time we were done trying to troubleshoot it ourselves it went to a blank screen. If I had known how much this printer was, we could have sold it when we got it. It's worth over $700 used! Big bummer! We are still going to try to fix it, but needed something reliable for right now. I scoured the internet and newspaper ads for the best deal and this is what we got.

 I got this for $65 at staples. They were the winners because they had a $5 off coupon! We are happy with our purchases. So we spent the weekend hooking up all these fun devices. I hooked up the dvr all by myself with lots of complaints. We took a pic of the back of the dvr so I could hook it up just like it was, good thing David was around because that was the best idea we had all day.

I wish we had a more exciting weekend to share, but had to get this stuff done. We also did have dinner with David parents at Olive Garden for never ending Pasta bowls! Thanks to my Mom and Dad for the gift card!

Molly at the Lake & Recipe Pick from Michelle!

I'm sure you're sick of seeing our dog, Molly going swimming in the lake. She is just too cute not to show again. Since she tore her acl back in April she is still recovering and swimming helps her a lot.

She looks like a little seal.

So into her big log David is about to throw. Wait till you see how big it is.

Love her! 

I also wanted to share with you some bolognese sauce Michelle made. The recipe comes from Pioneer woman and Michelle rates it 2 thumbs up! She did say it takes a lot of time and patience. Her other comments were the sauce was a little watery, but full of flavor. So might be good for a Sunday meal. If you have a favorite recipe you'd like to share or pass on, let me know!

Stuffed Pizza Bites

I really thought I had posted this recipe before, but I couldn't find it on here so if I did here is a refresher. These are stuffed pizza bites from Our Best Bites. They are so good and different from your average pizza night pizza. You can really fill them with anything. I made my dough and went with pineapple, ham and mozzarella cheese.

Ingredients-

1 roll refrigerated pizza dough* (click here to make your own)

marinara/pizza sauce 

2 T grated Parmesan cheese

1 T olive oil or melted butter

1/2 t garlic powder
1 t dried Italian seasoning
mozzarella cheese
Pizza toppings of your choice: ie, ham and pineapple, pepperoni slices, sausage, etc.

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Preheat oven to heat specified on pizza dough package. Usually it's 400 degrees. If you make your own dough, 400 is usually a good heat as well.

Unroll your pizza dough onto a lightly floured surface. Pat or roll the dough so it's about 12" by 8". You're going to want to cut it into 24 squares, so just eyeball it if you need to. Use a pizza cutter to slice the dough into 24 square. I used homemade dough so I split my big ball into 2 so it was easier to work with. I just made squares and didn't worry about how many there were. As you can see, mine aren't perfect squares either, it doesn't matter. 

Place cheese and desired toppings on each square. (Note that you're not putting the marinara sauce on the dough- it's for dipping after). Leave rooms on the sides of your squares to wrap them up.

When all of your dough squares have cheese and toppings on them, carefully lift up each square and wrap the dough around the toppings. Pinch to make sure each ball is sealed shut and then place them seam side down in a lightly sprayed pie pan (or similar sized dish).

Brush the tops of the dough balls with olive oil or melted butter and then sprinkle with the garlic and Italian seasoning and top with Parmesan cheese.

Cook them in the oven for about 15-20 minutes or until golden brown on top. Keep an eye on them! Doughs vary, so I'd check them after even 10 minutes.

They are really good and would make great appetizers for gatherings, too.

It's not a fish, it's not a mermaid...

It's David swimming in our pool! He was trying out his new diving swim fins. Sorry the pictures are a little blurry, I was trying out the new zoom feature on my phone.

He gives them 2 thumbs up! And yes, he does have a snorkel and mask on as well.

We were night swimming with Dana and David on saturday night and we went back to our house and had smores. Mmm!

My love for noodles!

I am sure most people know this about me, but I LOVE noodles. Anything from spaghetti, to lo mein noodles. At work we do potlucks and Vivi's husband makes the best asian noodles. She won't get us the recipe, because she swears she doesn't know how to make it.

Here is a photo from the last company party with her noodles. She serves hers cold and they are amazing. They have a hint of spiciness and its just perfect.

Leah and I got caught taking all the noodles at the last party. We are so into it and this photo is hilarious, we had no idea we were being photographed. So I have always been on the hunt for something similar and I think I may have just found it, thanks to the Pioneer Woman. She posted a simple sesame noodle recipe and you must give it a try!
Ingredients-

• 12 ounces, fluid Thin Noodles, Cooked And Drained (I just used thin spaghetti)
• ¼ cups Soy Sauce
• 2 Tablespoons Sugar
• 4 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 2 Tablespoons Rice Vinegar
• 3 Tablespoons Pure Sesame Oil
• ½ teaspoons Hot Chili Oil
• 4 Tablespoons Canola Oil
• 2 Tablespoons Hot Water
• 4 whole Green Onions, Sliced Thin

Whisk all ingredients (except noodles and green onions) together in a bowl. Taste and adjust ingredients as needed. Pour sauce over warm noodles and toss to coat.

 Sprinkle with green onions and toss. Serve in a bowl with chopsticks. Yummy!

 Look how delicious that looks. I brought the rest into work today to share! I know I shouldn't be this excited about noodles, but I am!

Audrina's 3rd Birthday

Friday night we went over to Amber's for a birthday celebration. It looked like Christmas in there with all the presents this little girl received. It was great to actually see her enjoy it this year.

The theme of the party was "Under the Sea".

Audrina insisted we start the party by opening some gifts. This kept her occupied for a long time and then when she'd get bored we'd open some more gifts.

This is Amber's Dad and Judy. They were the chefs for the evening. We had hamburgers and Zweigle's hot dogs. These are the best hot dogs ever. They are a Rochester, NY thing. They recently took a trip up there and stocked up with cases of this stuff.

Take a look at my plate. I seriously ate all of it, but had a little of the burger left. I don't know how I fit it all in, but it was so good I went back for the rings (macaroni salad). We also had baked beans and potato salad.

Group shot of everyone playing and hanging out.

Audrina playing with one of the gifts we got her. She just loves Tinkerbell and Littlest Pet Shop.

This is what great grams sent for her to open. She loved it all.

Me and Amber

Bob and David

Cake time!

Mmmm so yummy. We had a great time celebrating Audrina's birthday.

Homemade Granola

I decided I wanted to try something more healthy for breakfast and a snack. I looked up this recipe for Granola and gave it a try.
Ingredients-

• 4 cups Old Fashioned Oats
• ½ cups Chopped Almonds
• ¼ cups Packed Brown Sugar
• 2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
• ¼ cups Honey
• 2 Tablespoons Pure Maple Syrup (I used regular pancake maple syrup because at $9 a bottle, I couldn't do it and it tasted just fine)
• 1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
• 1-½ teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
• ½ cups Raisins
• ½ cups Dried Cranberries
• ¾ cups Shredded Coconut (optional-I don't like it so I left it out)

In a large bowl, combine oats, almonds and coconut; set aside.

In a saucepan, combine brown sugar, oil, honey, maple syrup and cinnamon; bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and stir in vanilla.

Pour over oat mixture; stir to coat. Spread in a large shallow baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cool. Add raisins and dried cranberries. Store in an airtight container. 

 

You can create yummy food like the above. Photo taken from the Tasty Kitchen, where I got the recipe.

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday Audrina! One of my favorite little ones turned 3 today! Isn't she so cute in her outfit? We are celebrating this weekend with lots of festivities.

Audrina age 3! Check out these photos I stole from Amber's facebook of her at her younger year birthdays.

Audrina age 2!

Audrina age 1! Can't believe she barely had hair, shes grown up so much! Time to start gymnastics! I remember visiting amber in the hospital 3 years ago, and falling down inside the publix where we were getting flowers. Fun times, time sure does fly!

Wordless Wednesday- Relaxation in the Hammock in FL

Georgia's Hidden Treasures

On Sunday evening we caught a special on channel 2 news about Georgia's Hidden Treasures. It wasn't a very exciting show, but we had it on while working on our computers. We discovered a lot of things we had no idea were in the state of Georgia. I know we want to do at least 1 before the summer is over. Speaking of summer, I am so ready for it to be over. It's been so hot. We have a few more bathing suit events happening, but after that I'm ready to put it away for the season and go pick some apples and have cider.

I just wanted to highlight some of the things we learned about the state where we live. In the north Georgia Mountains they went and explored Georgia’s highest peak. It's called Brasstown Bald.They also went to a couple of waterfalls that we have here. They went to Tallulah Falls and Amicalola Falls. I have always wanted to go see one and I think this is one we want to do. 

They also went to Noah's Ark. It is an animal rehabilitation center. They have over 1,000 animals. Do you remember the story about the zebra that was wandering the highway in Atlanta? Well, he was hurt and no one else would take him in so Noah's Ark did. It is free to visit, but they take donations. I didn't know until I looked at the website that they also take 24 children in. Do you have any interesting places in Georgia that you have been? We're always looking for fun weekend activities.

Tutti Frutti!

This weekend we tried to lay low since we've been so busy lately. We did go to Darrin and Stacey's to celebrate Ashley's new job and enjoyed margaritas Friday. We got new tires on my car saturday and ran a bunch of errands. Yesterday was a cleaning day and we went and got a yummy treat after dinner. Lacey at work has been talking about frozen yogurt for a week now and I have just been craving it so we went to Tutti Frutti. David had never been so it was fun. You grab a bowl, then you go to the wall of yogurt flavors and choose any combination. I chose peanut butter and swirl. David got one of everything, he liked pomegranate the best. After selecting your yogurt you move down to the toppings bar. They have everything from fresh fruit to fruity pebbles and yes david got those. The cost is .39 per ounce. We had about 1.5 lbs total. Here is our finished products!

Florida- Birthday Celebration!

We got together with some of our Jacksonville friends for my birthday this past Saturday Night. We went to dinner at Urban Flats. They have flat bread pizza's with a variety of toppings. I had Chicken Cesar flat bread and David got Italian Sausage. Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures. It was more about the people than the food this time. We enjoyed yummy beverages and good times were had by all.

Here we are in the car on our way to the restaurant.

 Waiting for our table to be ready.

Inside of the place. It is a loft type of feel. 

Table group shot. (Jason, Jessica, Katie, Joey, David, Me, Marla, Chris)

Girl Shot

Guy shot. Can you tell they were uncomfortable posing together. They acted like it was the weirdest thing when I asked them to stand together.

Do I really need to explain this one? Free test tube shots at Whiskey River. They were nasty. 

End of the night cupcake. Chris and Marla got me balloons and cupcakes to help celebrate. I was joking around about eating the whole frosting topper. Don't mock my outfit, it was cold, Go Buffaloes! Hope you enjoyed our weekend trip to Florida. Thanks to C & M for letting us stay with them. It was great to see everyone.