Seriously simple, yet so delicious!

Dinner Tonight


Mac n' Cheese with a Facelift!
(got this idea from a friend and will never go back to plain ol' Kraft!)

1 box Kraft Macaroni and Cheese
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup Hidden Valley Ranch dressing
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1/4 cup shredded mozzerella cheese
1-2 chicken breasts cooked as desired and cubed

Directions:
Make boxed mac n' cheese according to directions on box. After stirring in the milk, butter, and powdered cheese, stir in parmesan, mozzerella, and ranch dressing over low heat until cheeses are fully incorporated. Serve with chicken on top. So good!

Dinner Tonight!

Oven Fried Chicken

2 1/2 lbs chicken parts (thighs and drumsticks)
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp shortening

Mix flour, salt, paprika, garlic powder, and pepper. Put chicken pieces into bag with mixture and shake to coat. Heat oil and shortening in a 9x13 inch pan in 425 degree oven until melted.

Place coated chicken in pan, cook uncovered for 30 minutes, then turn chicken over and cook for another 30 minutes.

Serve with mashed potatoes and country gravy, and a side of sweet cornbread. Yum!

Dinner Tonight

Meatloaf, Baby!

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
• 1 large onion, chopped
• salt to taste
• ground black pepper to taste
• garlic powder to taste
• 6 slices white bread, cut into cubes
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 egg
• 3 tablespoons yellow mustard, divided
• 1/2 cup ketchup, divided
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, thoroughly mix ground beef, onion, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Mix in bread, milk, egg, 2 tablespoons mustard and 1/4 cup ketchup.
3. Press the meat mixture into a 9x5 inch loaf pan. In a small bowl, stir together remaining mustard, ketchup and brown sugar; pour on top of the meat loaf.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 2 hours.

New Goals!!! Can you believe it?!?!

This past winter has been a long one full of lots of illness and stress. But with new spring comes new hope, and a new season of goals!

Happy Mom Goal

This week, find a friend or sister with kids around the same age as yours. Have all their kids over to your house for a playdate one afternoon, and then send your kids to them for another afternoon. You both get a whole afternoon of kid-free relax time! It's beautiful!

Happy Kid Goal

This one works in conjunction with Dinner Tonight. This super fun, super easy dinner is an excellent way to lighten up the mood in your home if the family has been bored and whiney. Ever had a Barbarian Dinner?
Here's how it works.
Tell family members that you are planning a very special evening meal. Give them a specific hour and tell them you would like them to be on time. As they arrive, hand out old shirts or aprons to put on over their clothes.
At the table, they will find nothing but a disposable tablecloth (you can find vinyl ones at the dollar store) and mugs for drinks--no silverware, plates, or napkins. Once everyone is seated, begin to bring out the food. For the most fun, try using this menu: Spaghetti in sauce, green salad with dressing, french bread, spinach or corn, and chocolate ice cream for dessert.

Begin serving each family member by walking around the table behind them, stopping to plop down a heap of spaghetti on the table in front of them. Continue by serving each item on the menu, dropping it on the table in front of them. They must eat their meal barbarian style, using only their fingers--no forks or spoons allowed! Now the fun begins! Don't forget to break out the chocolate ice cream....and the camera for some memorable photos!

Happy Husband Goal

This week, find some time to just sit and talk to your husband. Take a nice evening walk, or go for a drive. Focus on him. Try your hardest to not vent to him about the kids, the laundry, the house, etc; Let him talk about work, school, whatever. And ask him if he needs anything from you as a wife and a support to him. Just knowing that you are there for them in every way they need you to be lifts a huge burden off their shoulders - and that makes for a much happier man!

Happy House Goal

Okay, this one snuck up on me, and I just had to do a post about it. Have you ever had the heart-warming experience of opening up the dryer door and finding bright red, blue, or green crayon melted all over every article of clothing in the laundry? Well, just such a thing happened to me a couple weeks ago. Apparently one of my little dearies had left a blue crayon in their jeans pocket when they put them into their laundry hamper. Now, this particular load of laundry had a bunch of our favorites in it; some super cute (expensive) clothes the kids had gotten from my mother in law, the baby's brand new hoodie from the GAP, and of course, my favorite shirt that I wear all the time. Yep. Blue crayon EVERYWHERE. I was so mad! That doesn't even begin to describe it, actually. But instead of taking my anger out on my kiddos (though I admit I was tempted to) I jumped on the web and started researching ways to get melted-on crayon O.U.T!
After an hour of searching, here's the recipe suggestion that I decided to try:

2 max amounts (line 3) of concentrated Tide (any good laundry detergent will work) 1 cup Oxiclean 1/2 cup 20 mule team Borax 1 cup Shout liquid 1 cup white vinegar

I went with HOT water (but warm may work and be best for fabrics. Let this agitate for a minute, then add clothes, agitate for another minute to work through, and soak for about an hour and run on a regular, long cycle with extra rinse.

I repeated this two times just to be safe, and voila!- crayon gone! There are only a couple tiny light blue stains left on a few of the lighter colored clothes. I decided to share this in case any of you happen upon this same unfortunate experience. It'll save you from all the research, but get you the same awesome results!

Dinner Tonight

Spaghetti, salad, and bread! *see happy kid goal =)

Where do I Turn?

You're a small child.
You wake up from a nightmare in the middle of the night.
It's dark.
It's silent.
Where do you go for comfort?


You're a small child.
Your chest is aching.
Your throat is sore.
Your head throbs.
Who do you turn to for comfort?

Someone pulls you into their warm arms.
They lay your head in their lap.
They stroke your face and hair.
They whisper that everything will be alright.
They softly hum and sing to you.
You are comforted.

Now, you are a mother.
Your children cry for you.
You comfort them.
They are hungry.
You make them a meal.
They are sick.
You nurse them back to health.
They are afraid.
You rock them.
You hold them.
You kiss them.
You love them.
You are their comfort.

You are a mother.
You wake in the night.
You are afraid.
You are alone.
You are sick.
Where are you to turn for comfort?

The lord is there.

As the mother now, He is all I have.

I miss having a mother. I mean, I still have mine; She is very much alive and well. But when I feel afraid, alone or uncomfortable, I sometimes wish I could still just crawl up into someone's lap. That someone could hold me and comfort me in the way only a mother could. As a mom, there are just days when I feel that I've given so much of myself and not gotten anything in return. I feel so drained and alone. Like no one even notices that I have needs too. No one asks me what I want for dinner. No one asks me if I'm alright. If I'm unhappy, no one sees it and gives all they can to comfort me and make it all better. Is it so much to ask for? I'm grateful that I have the Lord there to talk to. That he is there to hear, answer, and comfort me. Like he takes me into his arms, strokes my hair, and whispers that it will all be okay.

Dinner Tonight

Is it cheating so tell you to order pizza? That's what I'm doing tonight...

Cache Valley Unit:

Who's ready for some Happy Hours and a Guilty Pleasure or two??

Any fun ideas??

Comment!

Loves =)

For the next week or so...

Happy Mom


Re-organize a space. Pick a room in your home that maybe doesn't get as much attention. I find that I am constantly cleaning and arranging my kitchen and living room because that is what everyone sees, while upstairs the black hole of a bedroom I sleep in every night is in MAJOR need of some help. I am happy to report that this post is something I have actually accomplished!

Start by straitening the room you want to change, it makes it easier to start with a clean room. Try moving furniture to a new spot, or if your space is limited and you cant make big changes try moving a lamp, or even the pictures on your wall. Rearranging elements of your home is one of the fastest ways to get a little face-lift. It doesn't take to much time (like painting) and is inexpensive because you are using things you already own. You can also try moving things from room to room, to mix it up a little.



Happy Husband



Give your hubby a little extra attention tonight by giving him a foot rub. Men enjoy this just as much as we gals do! If you happen to have some baby oil, or non-scented massage oil use a little to sweeten the deal. If you are like me, and are a little frightened of what is lurking under the socks at the end of the night, sweetly suggest a shower before you spring your surprise! (wow look at that alliteration, I wasn't even trying!)



Happy Kids


Ok, really this is the cop-out event of parenthood, but the kids never know that. Take to McDonald's and let em run free. We all need a little time when our kids are free to run and jump and climb without worrying that they are doing so on your cousins lamp, or your newly repaired bed....

If you don't want to spring for a whole meal get cookies at 3/$1 or an ice cream cone for $.79, your kids will enjoy the treat and you will enjoy some stress free playtime! Also check out other places in your area that offer cheap or free playtime. For instance, at our mall there is a lillte play area with large foamy type things they can climb on and run around. My kids LOVE to play there, and it is warm inside, and completely free. There is also another business that has a large soft play area and costs only $3.



Dinner Tonight


Chicken and Rice Casserole – 4-6 servings

I added the changes i would make to this recipe in ( )

2 tablespoons butter or vegetable oil
1 medium onion, peeled and diced
3 cups diced, cooked chicken
2 (14 ½-ounce) cans green beans (or frozen peas), drained and rinsed
1 (8-ounce) can water chestnuts, drained and chopped
1 (4-ounce) jar pimentos (not even sure what this is?)
1 (10 ¾-ounce) can condensed cream of celery soup (or cream of chicken)
1 cup mayonnaise
1 (6-ounce) box long-grain wild rice, cooked according to package
directions
1 cup grated sharp Cheddar
Pinch salt

1. Preheat oven to 350. Heat butter or oil in a small skillet over
medium heat. Add onion and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes.
Remove from heat and transfer to a large bowl.
2. Add all remaining ingredients to bowl and mix together until
thoroughly combined.
3. Pour into a greased 3-quart casserole dish. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes
or until bubbly. Let stand for a few minutes before serving.