Beef Stroganoff

This is a brand new recipe for me. Love the simpleness of comfort food!

Beef Stroganoff

1 pd ground leanest ground beef ( I used beef tips)
3/4 chopped onion
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
salt and pepper
(cook all together until meat is browned) Drain if needed after meat is cooked.
Then add 3/4 can of beef broth
4 tablespoons of ketsup
one package of chopped mushrooms
(bring to a simmer and set at medium low and cover for 15 minutes) meanwhile start cooking your whole wheat wide egg noodles (one package)
After the strogonof is done simmering, add one container of sour cream and add 1 tablespoon of corn starch to the remaining beef broth and stir then add to the sauce in order to thicken it up. Your noodles should be done. I put the noodles on the plate and then add the sauce over it. This is one of my favorite recipes, it just tastes so good and it shouldnt take you more then 20 minutes to make. 
After the 15 minutes

Easter

It seems like with every year that goes by, holidays are more exciting, the girls' smiles are bigger, and their laughter fills the room just a little bit more. This year was no exception. 

For the second year in a row we experienced the Easter Bunny Train. It's a nice little 20 minute ride on the Adirondack Train, only to be greeted by the Easter Bunny himself at our arrival.  From there they have an Easter egg hunt, animals, and snacks to enjoy. This year Riley was insanely excited. She ran around like a wild woman grabbing every egg she could. Kenzie was just as excited, but especially loved the train ride itself. 

Corn Chowder

Tyler Florence's Corn Chowder

FoodNetwork.com

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 6 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves only
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 6 cups canned vegetable stock
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 2 Idaho potatoes, peeled and diced
• 6 ears corn
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves

Directions

Heat the butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and thyme and cook until the vegetables are good and soft, 8 to 10 minutes. Dust the vegetables with flour and stir to coat everything well. Pour in the vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Add the cream and the potatoes, bring to a boil and boil hard for about 7 minutes, until the potatoes break down (this will help to thicken the soup and give it a good texture).

Cut the corn kernels off the cob and add to the soup. Season with salt and pepper and simmer until the corn is soft, about 10 to 12 minutes. Stir in the parsley and give it another little drink of olive oil. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve!

Chili Cheese Dip

 Chili Cheese Dip

Ingredients

• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 1-2 cups of chili
• 16 ounces shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1 bag of tortilla chips

Directions

1. Spread cream cheese on the bottom of a microwave-safe dish. Spread a layer of chili over the cream cheese. Finish with a layer of shredded cheddar cheese. Bake at 350 degrees until the cheese melts. Serve with tortilla chips.

Bathroom Renovation

Bathroom Renovation

BEFORE:

It went from this-

old, pinkish indoor/outdoor carpet, old vanity, mirror, and funky trim

Why people put carpet in a bathroom is beyond me. 

 Honestly, the vanity and mirror were fine for us, but we wanted an update. Something more modern. PLUS, it's nice to have a vanity with no drawers now (Riley would pull everything out of them anyway, so they were completely pointless to have).

 Check out the hot mustard yellow linoleum that we found underneath the carpet. That's not all though folks, we also found a puke green and powder blue to add to the eclectic mix of flooring.

AFTER:

New floor, new trim, new mirror and vanity

All chrome fixture and lighting

 Clean lines, dark wood, granite counter top

We are still going to pull the towel hangers out of the wall and put up a two small floating shelves to help with storage. But that's for another time....

 

We still have to paint (a soft cocoa color) and add the small details that make a room special, but the major stuff is DONE! We've learned a lot through this process and look forward to our next project.  A big thanks goes out to our friends who helped us out. We couldn't be happier with it!! 

Chocolate Cookies

These cookies are the shit. For real, would I ever lie to you about a cookie? My aunt makes these every-single-time she knows she will see me because she KNOWS how much I (and everyone else) loves them! They never get old.

Chocolate Cookies

Ingredients
4 cups of flour
5 teaspoons of baking powder
1 1/2 cups of sugar
2 cups of Hershey powdered cocoa
2 cups of Crisco
1/2 box of raisins (15 oz)
12 oz chocolate chips
3 cups of walnuts
1 cup of milk

Mix ingredients all together and form little balls
Put on greased cookie sheet
350 degrees for 12 minutes
cookies will come out soft

Frosting for cookies
Mix powdered sugar with milk and add a little vanilla. Pour over top of cookies, let harded and serve.

A typical day....

Just a typical day.....

 ...it's amazing how much they make me smile.....