Summer Recipes

A friend of mine was asking about summer recipes on her facebook page. I started listing different recipes and then I thought, I might as well put them somewhere I can look at it for my own use later.  And if you want to share your recipes that would be SOOO Awesome. :)

So here are a few of my favorite summer recipes that have some how been labeled "summer in my mind and or require minimal heating up of the house.

Southwest Egg Rolls from Sister's Stuff. I love this recipe. It's SO simple for the days I don't feel like cooking.  Granted, I already have chicken cooked and cut up in my freezer so I can just defrost it and throw it in.  I also think this recipe would be fine without the chicken.  I make the Alvocado sauce even though she says she just uses salsa.  And I don't grill it after I assemble them, we just eat them like a burrito or taco.

French Dipped Sandwichs- I just recently discovered these but they are so yummy to me. I originally made the Our Best Bites recipe but I also found this one from Barefoot and Baking I kinda of want to try.

BLT Chicken Salad- I don't know what blog I got this one off. sorry
8c Salad greens
2 large tomatoes chopped
Green onions, sliced
Croutons
1 1/2 lb bonelesss, skinless chicken breasts cooked and cubed
10 Bacon Strips, cooked and crumbled
2 Eggs, boiled and sliced

Dressing
1/2 c Ranch dressing
3-4 BBQ Suace
2 T onion chopped
1t lemon juice
1/4 t pepper

Combine the dressing ingredients, mix well, cover and refridgerate until serving.
Place salad greens on a large serving platter. sprinkle with tomatoes, chicken and bacon. Garnish with egges. Drizzle with Dressing. Avocados also make a yummy addition.

P.S. Plain ol' BLT's are an awesome Summer meal. yumm.

Chessy Rotini and Tuna from Kraft my mom also made one growing up that was served cold. She used rotini noodles, tuna, peas, olives, cubed pieces of cheese and anything else you want to throw in there. And maynoaise I believe. 

Chicken Salad in a Puff Bowl- I love this one. Its one that my mom made. The GG has gotten a little sick of it but I still love it. I'll have to make it one more time this summer.

Puff Bowl

1/2 C water

1/4 C butter

1/2 C flour

1/8 t Salt

2 eggs

Salad

2 C cutup cooked chicken

1 C celery chopped

1/2 C olives

1 small onion, chopped

1 T lemon juice

2 Hard boil eggs, diced

3/4 C mayonnaise

Heat water and margarine to a rolling boil, add flour and salt together and stir over low heat till it forms a ball. Take off heat and stir in eggs, spread evenly in pie plate. Bake 400 degrees for 45-50 minutes (mine gets done in less time than that I'd start checking on it about 25 min). Cool completely. Combine Salad ingredients and fill puff bowl.

Barbecued Burgers from my Sister's blog-not sure where she got it but I LOVE THEM!!!! They remind me of winger's hamburgers maybe because they are yummy messy. You can use the bbq sauce for other things too. My sister used for fajitas (different but still good). We used it on our chicken the other night.

Just some ideas. If you've got them PLEASE share. I love getting new recipes! especially ones that other's say are good. 

My pride and joy

My sister-in-law took some adorable pictures of Miss Boo. Here are some of my favorites:

I love, Love, LOVE this crazy girl of mine!!!!

ps.

don't miss the post below....more pictures.

Family Fun

We made it back from visiting family last night. IT WAS AWESOME! Family is the best thing in the world! They make me extremely happy and thankful for life. I wish I was better at taking pictures but here a few that I got:

at my sister's 50 Birthday Luau party

 Trying to take over her cousin's bike, she's very determined to get on that bike :)

 She looked like something from a Mario Bros game. I loved the helmet on her. She also loved all the doggies she got to meet at all the houses we visited.

So much fun! I'm already missing her cousins and other family members playing with Boo. She's already tearing apart our apartment and she's only been awake for a couple of hours. Oh....... sigh.

Living the Dream

I've been visiting family this last week and have enjoyed every minute of it! The other night,  I was playing pickle (a baseball keep away type game) outside of my brother's home while some of the kids were riding bikes. I asked my brother, "don't you feel like you're living the dream?" He's got great kids, a wonderful wife, a house, a job and we were all outside just enjoying the lovely evening.

Life is good. Sometimes life is stressful or boring for me but overall, I can't deny the feelings that I often get as I look at my family, Life is wonderful and I am blest.

I'll post pictures of the fun we've been having soon. I love summer and GG not being busy ALL the time.

Parenting and Muffins

Hey Hey!!! I'm baking some yummy Apple Pumpkin Muffins(recipe below) while Miss Boo takes a nap. I LOVE nap time. I'm fearing the day that she refuses to take a nap. I think nap time is what keeps me sane.

I'm currently in the middle of evaluating my parenting approach. I feel like a helicopter mom, hovering anxiously waiting for my child to freak out. I keep telling people that my daughter is crazy (she's not really, just busy and hilarious) but I think I'm the one that is on the verge of crazy. When I take her places, like the children museum I feel tense because its a situation I can't control. Church is another place that I get tense just waiting for her to do something that creates a scene. I just find myself trying to take deep breaths. 

When she's in a fight with an object or with another child over an object her eyes get so big and her mouth opens wide for her "AHHH" scream.  She can be a feisty one.

We just need to find a way to teach her how to share, not to hit me, or whine to get what she wants. And I have a suspicion that it will have to do more with training us, the parents, rather than her. 

Despite all this I can't tell you how many times my heart just overflows with love and joy for this sweet girl.  She makes my heart happy.

This is her playing with her newest cousin. She's learning how to be a helpful, loving sibling someday.

 The last few days she's found my old headbands and started wearing them. She also loves playing with my nailpolishes. Taking them in and out and lining them up.

Here's the recipe for the muffins I'm making:

APPLE PUMPKIN MUFFINS..YUM
2 1/2 C Flour (you can sneak in wheat flour here, you really can't tell)
2 C Sugar
1 T pumpkin pie spice
1 t soda
1/2 salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 C pumpkin
1/2c vegetable oil
2 C peeled, finely chopped apples (about 2 apples)

STEUSEL TOPPING
2 T flour
1/2 C Sugar
1/2 t cinnamon
4  t softened butter, cut into dry ingredients

Directions: Combine first 5 ingredients in bowl. Set aside. Combine egg, pumpkin and vegetable oil. Add to dry ingredients. Stir in apples. fill muffin cups 3/4 full. Top with Stresuel topping. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes (I found it takes less, I'd start checking on them 20-25 minutes)

Green Cake

My sisters are in town visiting. So today we had lunch. I left Boo with the Gentle Giant while she napped but my sisters left their 6 kids with Grandpa....poor grandpa....or poor kids. Not sure who to feel more sorry for. :)

We ate at the Green Gateau (french for Green Cake.) I had a French Dip sandwich, I think they called it the French Connection or something like that but GOOOD! Big and messy the way a sandwich supposed to be.

I bought Boo a some sunglasses. I felt like I was paparazzi trying to get a picture of a celebrity here:

This pair might be alittle big but hey, they were only 79 cents.

well that's all I've got folks. see ya!

Its been awhile, or at least I feel like its been awhile since I've posted. Not a lot has happened though. Just bumming through while Gentle Giant finds plenty to keep himself busy...seriously, busy. He's been busy with a tenure class for teaching, started up summer grad classes (getting closer to being done), football camps have begun, and church callings keep him quite preoccupied. And me, well, I take three hour naps while Boo is sleeping. :) I know I should find something to do but I just can't convince myself its worth it, so I dream away.

Boo has been keeping herself busy by pushing around her grocery cart full of toys. Its so funny. I wish I had a picture to share. I just call her cart lady. Seriously looks like a homeless lady.

She also has discovered that she can climb into the tub and thinks that is great fun.

We went to the Zoo (no pics) but while we were waiting for our friends to show up we walked around the rose gardens. I couldn't get her to look at me for a picture. Too busy running.

 This is her signing "water" with her one finger to her lips even though its supposed to be three fingers to form a "w". She's got her own language. :)

I love this outfit but she was not going to let me get a good picture. Feisty one, she is.

 Gentle Giant's brother who came to visit us a couple of times this month. It was fun to have visitors!!!

Our Anniversary Breakfast 

Well, I guess that it. Tomorrow GG leaves for football camp and I'm doing a garage sale at my parents. If I don't make at least $10 I think I might be very upset for how long it took us to set up today.  Anyway, until next time folks!