it's a blizzard!! the perfect soup for snowy days...

It's a blizzard! And a snow day for hubby and I! 

We have well over two feet already and it doesn't appear to be letting up any time soon! 

That used to be our stone wall! It's at least 2 1/2 feet high and we can barely see the top!  My handy husband has been out all morning trying to keep up with the snowfall.  It's a seemingly endless job!

He just came in to eat lunch with me.  We heated up our favorite chicken and wild rice soup! It inspired me to type out this blog and share this deliciousness with you! Hope you love it as much as we do! 

What you will need:

1 medium onion, chopped

4 carrots, peeled and chopped 

4 stalks of celery, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced 

1 cup of uncooked wild rice

2 bay leaves

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp dried parsley 

2 lbs bone-in split chicken breats (about two) (I'm sure this would work with regular chicken breast too)

10 cups chicken broth

Salt and pepper to taste 

What you do:

In your slow cooker, add onion, celery, carrots, garlic, rice, bay leaves, thyme, parsley, salt, pepper.

Top with your split chicken breasts, bone side down.

Add chicken broth.

Cook on high about 6 hours.

Remove chicken breast, fork shred, add meat to soup (discard bones and skin).

Remove bay leave.

Salt and pepper to taste.  Serve and enjoy!! 

..:chocolate chip banana bread muffins

Perhaps this is a strange thing, but I am addicted to baking though I rarely more than sample my finished product.

My love, however, is a different story.  He loves all things sweet and dessert-esque. He is slim and muscular despite his dessert for breakfast habit (he despises regular breakfast foods). 

Yesterday I think I was nesting! I decided store bought soup for lunches for this week was out of the question.  Instead I made my chicken and wild rice soup in the crockpot (look for that recipe later in the week!) for the hubby and I.  In the process, I decided the refrigerator was in DESPERATE need of a cleaning and, while I was at it, the freezer needed to be cleaned out for the freezer meals I will be making for after the baby arrives.  

After all of this, I decided I couldn't let my lovely starve for breakfast and I had four banana that were just going by.  I set to work to make the most delightful chocolate chip banana muffins. I only got about twelve muffins out of this because I used a muffin tin that was a little larger than a standard cupcake size tin. Here is the recipe:

Preheat your oven to 350.

You will need:

4 ripe bananas

1/3 cup melted butter

3/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp baking soda

1 pinch of salt

1 1/2 cup flour

1 cup or so of chocolate chips

Peel bananas into a large bowl, add melted butter, mash together until smooth.

Add sugar, egg, and vanilla.  Mix until just combined.

Add salt and backing soda and stir together.

Add flour and mix until all of the flour is combined (if the batter isn't perfectly smooth, that's ok).

Add in chocolate chips and mix until incorporated. 

Generously grease a muffin tin (they tend to stick to liners... I don't recommend using them).

Fill muffin tins about 3/4 of the way full. 

Put in preheated oven and bake for about 15-20 minutes (until tester inserted into the middle of the muffin is clean).

Place on cooking rack, eat, enjoy!

who doesn't love a good recipe...

Before I give you a delicious and simple weeknight meal recipe, let me first start with a mini freakout!

Ahhhhh! I am almost 30 weeks! Where has the time gone?! This baby boy will be here before we know it! 

I am having trouble getting up off the couch or out of bed, struggling to put on shoes and socks, have been dealing with those precious rib kicks (*sarcastic*), and had to do this:

Which I passed, thank goodness! However, I wouldn't trade that's experience for the world!!! Feeling so happy and so blessed every day!! 

Mommy and daddy are so excited to meet you, little one! 

It my everyday search for easy weeknight dinners (planning ahead for when baby arrives!!!), I came across a recipe similar to this one.

I switched it up a little bit and was pleased with the results! Super fast and super delicious! I made it with an Asian cucumber salad and regular salad with ginger dressing.  It was divine =) I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!!

Asian Scallion Beef

8 or so oz of beef tenderloin - thin sliced (I had a strip steak and used that instead) 

2 1/2 tbsp oil

3 or more stalks scallions - cut into 3" strips

1 onion sliced

3 cloves of garlic - sliced

1 tsp corn starch

1 tsp soy sauce

1 tsp Chinese wine (I used a Chinese rice wine)

2 tbsp fish sauce 

2 1/2 tbsp soy sauce

3 dashes of white pepper (you could probably use regular pepper too)

1/2 tsp sesame oil (I used a hot sesame oil... We like it spicy!!) 

1 tbsp sugar

Salt to taste

Marinade beef for a minimum of 10 minutes in corn starch, soy sauce, Chinese wine mixture

Stir fry beef in heated wok or skillet until half done; Remove and set aside

Drain wok, add oil, stir fry onion and garlic

Add beef; Stir

Add sauce; Stir

Cook until done

Add scallions

Add sugar, salt, pepper to taste (I did not use all of the sugar)

Serve warm with steamed white or brown rice

**As a side note, next time I plan to double the sauce recipe.  My husband and I ate the beef over the rice and would have liked a little more juice! 

Enjoy! 

new year, new baby...

I can not believe it is 2015!

This is the year my darling husband and I will become parents for the very first time! 

It is finally sinking in now.  I have been trying to set up my baby registry (oh my gosh there are so many different products out there!) and that has proven to be more time consuming than I though!  I have decided to set up an Amazon registry and a target registry.  It has been utterly overwhelming, but so much fun! 

Over this holiday break, the hubs and I were able to start on the nursery.  Though I am limited in what I can do to help out, kitty made sure he was right there to pick up the slack:

I can't wait until this room is complete!  We have quite a bit left to do, but it is coming along! 

Also, we have decided upon two names! We will decided officially when he is born, but to have the two options picked out is so exciting!  It has been stressful as of late trying to decide on the right name for our little boy.  What a relief it is to have picked two names we both love! 

It is back to the daily grind for me today! Here is a picture of me giving in to a cup of coffee this morning.  I couldn't get through my 12 day ahead of me without it! 

Happy Monday xoxo

.:Christmas cookies...

JThis weekend was a busy one for us! Working everyday of the week means that there is little time, save for the weekend, to get everything done.  Around the holidays it becomes especially difficult!

This weekend was designated for holiday baking and gift wrapping.  It was a productive weekend, but my goodness am I exhausted today! 

Two batches of cream cheese cookies, two batches of saltine toffe, and a double batch of butternut bisque later, I am in pretty good shape in terms of prepping for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. There will still be food preparation to be done that day, however this puts a pretty good dent in the work!

Our cream cheese cookies are a Christmas tradition in my family.  As my sisters and I get older, the baking ordeal gets larger! Not only do we help mom and mammie (my grandmother) with their cookies,  but we do cookies for our own holiday festivities as well.  

The recipe is too delicious!  Please don't cringe when reading the ingredients list.  Just remember, a cookie or two won't make you fat, just like a salad or two won't make you skinny =) 

What you will need: 

1 lb butter (4 sticks softened)

6 oz. cream cheese (softened)

1 cup sugar

4 cups flour 

1 tsp vanilla 

Red sprinkles 

Green sprinkles 

Cookie press

Preheat oven to 350

In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and cream cheese. 

Add vanilla, sugar, and flour (I recommend not adding it all at once) and combine. 

**I feel here is a good time to mention that I generally switch from using the spoon to cream the ingredients together, to using my hands to knead the ingredients together.  Good arm workout!

Once ingredients are throughly combined, load your cookie press. 

** we have the old fashioned crank kind of cookie press that we use in conjunction with the star plate.

Shape your cookies into candy cane or wreath shapes and place on ungreased cookie sheet. 

**I do mine on two separate cookies sheets so I don't mix the sprinkles!

Sprinkle cookies with red or green sprinkles and bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes until just turning a golden color. 

Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack to cool. Enjoy! 

This recipe yields roughly 4-5 dozen cookies (they are not large cookies by any means!)

Happy Christmasing!! 

it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

The Christmas season is my favorite of the year.  While I love the fall, look forward to the spring, and enjoy every moment of summer, there is something special about the holiday season.

My family has always done Christmas in a big way.  The house is always decorated with the most beautiful and festive decorations (sometimes before thanksgiving!), we have the most precious traditions that we keep to this day despite my sisters and I being 26, 24, 21, and 18, and we do we all can to keep the spirit of Christmas alive and well each and every day.  

My darling husband and I trimmed our tree and hung our stockings (for mommy, daddy, nemo, and rugby this year!) a few weeks ago: 

it looks so cozy! 

also a few weeks ago we had our annual gingerbread house "party" (read: COMPETITION!!).  It is a tradition that was started years ago and one we all look forward to every year:

I love my house this year! In years past I have felt my house was rather lackluster, however this year I was very pleased! 

With a little over a week left until Christmas Day, I have officially finished my Christmas shopping. My sweet husband still has a few things left to get, however with a little persuasion I plan to drag him out of the house this evening to finish! He would wait until Christmas Eve if it were up to him! 

We are enjoying every single day of this holiday season, one that seems extra special because we are eagerly anticipating the birth of our miracle baby boy!  I am just about 26 weeks now!  In two days, my due date count down will be in the double digits! (99 days!!) 

Six month "bumpie" (bump selfie!).  I am feeling great!! I wear out easily, but that isn't anything a few minutes off my feet can't fix!  I have been eating healthy, working out regularly (a post on my pregnancy workouts a little later!), and enjoying this ride! 

Feeling so blessed this holiday season.  I hope that you and yours are enjoying every day.  Love, peace, and happiness today and every day *

pork and littlenecks ... <3

This entry today is copied from my cooking blog that I am phasing out: wicked chic sweets.  My husband and I are planning this for dinner tonight and I needed easy access to the recipe! Enjoy xoxo

Seafood: a New England favorite!  I am a lifelong fan of all seafood dishes, but anyone who knows me knows that my absolute favorite is pork and littlenecks.

Having grown up half an hour south east of Boston, I live in an area that is heavily populated by those of Portuguese decent.  Skilled at both fishing and cooking, it is no surprise some of our favorite seafood dishes are heavily influenced by the Portuguese culture.  Not only are the dishes fresh and delicious, they are also readily available in the area.  Each of my favorite restaurants has a different take on pork and littlenecks, however each one is delicious in it's own way. 

Earlier my love and I were debating going out or staying in for dinner tonight.  We both agreed we needed to get pork and little necks somewhere. Instead of going out to dinner, we opted to stay in and cook instead. I can not take credit for this meal, it was all him (thanks babe)! The recipe is one that has been used in his family for a while now and is absolutely fabulous! The bare-bones recipe is phenomenal, however there are also plenty of modifications you can make (adding Goya seasoning, adding whole garlic, adding shallots, garnishing with hot red peppers, etc) based upon your own personal preference!

Pork and Littlenecks:

1 pound pork loin (cut into 1-inch cubes)

1 tbsp. salt

2 tbsp. paprika

1 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. cayenne pepper

2 bay leaves

4 cloves of garlic (minced)

1 cup white wine (more to taste if desired)

4 medium potatoes (peeled and cubed)

20 littlenecks (rinse well)

5 or more whole cloves of garlic (optional)

3 shallots, thinly sliced (optional)

Vegetable oil for frying potatoes and pork

Portuguese red pepper for garnish

In a small bowl, combine salt, paprika, pepper, cayenne pepper, bay leaves, garlic, shallots, and wine.  Pour over pork cubes and refrigerate for 24 hours.

Drain the pork and save the marinade. 

In a large skillet, brown the pork in the vegetable oil.  Add the marinade and additional wine if you decide you want more (to taste). Over medium heat, simmer the pork until 3/4 of the way cooked through.

Deep fry potatoes in oil until browned and add to the pork and littlenecks pan.

Bring sauce to a boil and add in the littlenecks.  Cover and cook until done (when littlenecks are open).

Garnish with a red pepper if you so choose and enjoy!