Friday Favorites

1. Kind nut butter bars. I got the Chocolate peanut butter bars. It's so good. This is my new late morning snack.

2. New flowers we got at Home depot.

3. This cute guy, Bianco. He loves the sun, so every day he's been trying to catch the sun in the kitchen, through the skylight. He's been getting up on the counter & laying there. So we started putting the chair there, so he won't get on the counter.

13 year wedding anniversary

13 years ago we got married in Bermuda. It was a beautiful day & it was magical. We were so happy back then. 

This is my Mom & I. She passed away in April, so she isn't here to say "Happy anniversary" or send a card. I'm so glad that she was at my wedding.

My Dad & I.

Wordless Wednesday-My cutie

Happy Memorial Day

Nail Files. Week # 314

This week I've had on Essie-Play date. I haven't worn it in a while, I thought it would be a pretty color to wear for the warm weather that we are having this weekend finally.

Sometimes you need a break

Sometimes you need a break for whatever reason. You need a break from work or school or from people, family, running around etc... Make sure you take time for yourself. Take a day off of work or school.
-Go get a special coffee or tea.
-Get your nails done or do them yourself.
-Take a nice bubble bath.
-Go shopping.
-Take a walk
-Go for a run

Just make sure that you do something that makes you happy.

Wordless Wednesday-The Kids

Tasty Tuesday-Macaroni Bianco with Ricotta & fresh mozzarella

Macaroni Bianco with ricotta & fresh mozarella

Active time: 10 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: serves 4


Ingredients:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small cubes, plus more for greasing  
8 ounces fresh mozzarella, grated or cut into small cubes
1 1/2 cups fresh ricotta
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
8 ounces medium pasta shells
1/4 cup fresh bread crumbs
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

How to Make It

Step 1    
Preheat the oven to 375°. Butter a shallow 2-quart gratin dish.
Step 2    
Stir together the mozzarella, ricotta and black pepper in a large bowl.
Step 3    
In a large pot of boiling well-salted water, cook the pasta until al dente. Reserve about 1 cup of the pasta cooking water, and then drain the pasta well.
Step 4    
Add the pasta to the cheese mixture and toss well to coat. Add about 1/2 cup of the cooking water, or as needed, to loosen the sauce. Pour the mixture into the buttered gratin dish.
Step 5    
In a small bowl, stir together the bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese, then sprinkle the mixture evenly over the pasta. Dot the top of the dish with the butter cubes.
Step 6    
Bake until the dish is hot throughout and the topping has melted, about 15 minutes. Turn on the broiler and broil the macaroni and cheese until the crumbs are golden brown, about 3 minutes. Serve immediately.
* Recipe from food & wine.com

Monday motivation

Nail Files. Week # 313

This week I'm wearing China Glaze-Flip flop fantasy this is 1 of my Summer faves. I wanted to wear something so Summery.

Happy Weekend

May is Fibromyalgia month

Having fibro is a hard thing. I was diagnosed 4 years ago. I feel like I've been in a flare ever since then. It's hard to get things done when you are exhausted & achey. I rest a lot of the day & then by dusk I'm ready to do some things. During the week we get up at 6am, those days I do house stuff early & then go back to bed for a while. I do some house chores & then rest for a while. I also make to-do lists. That helps me remember what needs to be done. You have fibro fog with fibro, so it really helps to write down what you need to get done for the day. It feels good crossing things off of the list, but not every day we can get everything done. All you can do is try your best. Don't be so hard on yourself & ask for help.

Tasty Tuesday-Chicken parmesan casserole

Chicken parmesan casserole

ingredients

• chicken breasts (however many you want/need)
• olive oil (just one dollop)
• minced garlic (a smattering…a little more than a smattering if you really like garlic)
• red pepper flakes (leave these out if you don’t like any heat)
• marinara sauce (probably won’t need more than one jar unless you are a marinara fiend)
• Parmesan cheese
• mozzarella cheese (you will need twice as much mozzarella as Parmesan)
• croutons (we used Italian-seasoned)

Directions:

Into the bottom of a casserole dish goes some olive oil, some minced garlic, and some red pepper flakes. And yes, those are the technical measurements. Use exactly “some.” No more, no less.
Then you cover the chicken with as much marinara sauce as you deem necessary.

Then you cover the marinara sauce with a 2 to 1 mozzarella to Parmesan ratio. The original recipe called for grated Parmesan, but we opted for shredded (again…because we had it in the fridge), and it was still delicious. As long as you use Parmesan, it probably doesn’t matter what kind.

You also cover the layer of cheese with a layer of croutons. The original recipe called for garlic croutons and keeps them whole. We opted for Italian seasoned croutons (because they were already in Caroline’s cabinet) and crushed them up.

Then another layer of 2 to 1 mozzarella to Parmesan goes on top of that. (We love cheese. Therefore, we love this part of the recipe.)

Then you bake it for about 35 minutes at 350 degrees.

*This recipe is from Our Pinteresting Summer.com

Shop with me at Dollar tree & Haul

My new you tube video is up. I went to Dollar tree yesterday & they have a bunch of new stuff for Summer. Leave me some comment love. Don't forget to subscribe & give it a thumbs up if you like it.

Happy Mother's Day

This is my 1st Mother's day without my Mom. It's only been a month since she passed away. So I've been sad & dreading Mother's day. I know I really shouldn't let it bother me. My Mom never liked Mother's day & I see why. I think you should always call your Mom & visit her, not just on Mother's day. I think that day is more for people who never talk to their Moms.

What I'm reading now-My (Not So) Perfect Life

I started reading this book about a week ago. It's about Lononder Katie Brenner. Everywhere she looks, she sees someone else living the life she longs for. Especially her boss. Katie's life is a daily struggle. She gets fired & retreats to her family's farm to help them open up a rental business. Her ex-boss ends up as a guest. See what happens next. 

Sophie Kinsella is 1 of my fave authors. I've read a bunch of her books & she always has cooky characters.

Wordless Wednesay

Tasty Tuesday-Whoopie Pies

Whoopie pies

Ingredients:

2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp b. soda
1 tsp. b. powder
4 tbl cocoa
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 cup milk
2 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat the oven to 375. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl mix flour, salt, b. soda, b. powder, cocoa & sugar. Stir to mix. Set aside. In a bowl, add milk, egg yolks, shortening & vanilla use an electric mixer, cream together, mix well.
Slowly add dry mixture to the bowl with the wet mixture & mix well. Drop by tsp onto prepared cookie sheet.
Bake on 375 for 10-15 minutes.

Filling:

2 egg whites

2 cups confectioners sugar

pinch of salt

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup shortening

 Once the cake mounds have cooled completely, prepare the filling by combining the egg whites, conf sugar, salt, vanilla & shortening in a bowl & mix with a mixer until completely combined.
 Place a dollop of the filling in the center of the flat side of once cake. Place matching piece of cake against the filling & push to spread the filling evenly between two halves. Repeat until all of the pies have been filled.

1. 1. 
      

Nail Files. Week # 312

I just bought this nail polish today. It's so pretty. It's Essie-Watermelon. I think this is going to be a new Summer favorite.

May Goals

1. Decorate the house with some new stuff. Switch things around from other rooms.
2. Vacuum the stairs. It's so bad & I've been wanting to do it for a few months & haven't gotten it done. ( I really should do it once a month).
3. Do meal planning on Sundays.
4. Have lunch or tea with a friend.
5. Have a date night. Maybe for our anniversary.
6. Organize my magazines.
7. Organize my desk in my office.
8. Buy or pick some fresh flowers.

Stuff & Things

*Things have been pretty bad here lately. With trying to get T to go to school. Her anxiety is so bad that she hyperventilates & can't go in. She's missed so much school. She is going tomorrow for an anxiety evaluation. The place is an hour & 1/2 away. Near the border of Vermont.

*Thinking about my Mom a lot yesterday. I thought I was doing okay, but not the past few days. Especially with Mother's day coming up. I don't have a Mom anymore, so I really don't want to celebrate mother's day. My Mom never liked Mother's day anyway, now I know why.

*I started reading a new book last night. I decided to not read another cozy mystery right now. Instead I picked a Chick lit humorous book.

Wordless Wednesday-Houseplants