Chicken & Spinach Pasta Bake

Chicken & Spinach Pasta Bake

8 oz. spiral noodles, cooked
1 T. olive oil
1 c. chopped onion
10 oz. package frozen chopped spinach, prepared
3 c. cooked chicken, diced
2 14.5 oz. cans Italian diced tomatoes, drained
8 oz. chive & onion cream cheese
salt & pepper
6 oz. shredded mozzarella, plus a little extra for the topping

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Saute onion in olive oil. In a large bowl, mix together all ingredients and add the sauteed onion. Mix well. Pour into a greased 9x13 and top with remaining cheese. Bake for 30 minutes or until heated through.

Goodies

On my way home (aka my parents' house out in the boonies) I stopped at an antique store and found all these goodies. I've been wanting some blue Mason jars but they are a little pricey and I found these for $2! The kids' books were 50 cents each and in PERFECT condition. They look like the kind of books we had in Sunday School when I was a little kid. The old cookbooks are for some projects I have in mind. But if those projects don't pan out, I'd like to do this.

The quilt top is going to be a quilt that I am going to finish for Lola's bed when she moves out of her toddler bed. It was only $15 and it's either a full or queen size. Since all of the fabrics are vintagey, I want to get some really pretty modern fabric -- maybe Heather Bailey or Amy Butler -- to do on the backside; create a huge contrast. This, however, is all dependent on if I can get KJ's grandma to help me out :) She's the world's best quilter and has made all the kids, grandkids, and now great-grandkids their own quilts. She's gonna think I'm crazy showing up with this old topper!

The old Christmas ornaments are just bc I love vintage Christmas decor! They're tiny, but will be so cute sitting out with my wannabe collection. I also bought a wooden pop bottle crate but I forgot to put it in the picture. I had so much fun browsing at that store. I want to go back next time without my sidekick Lolabee. She made me a nervous wreck with so many antiques and glassware around. She was an angel, but I just had butterflies the whole time! Next time, I'm on a mission to find vintage Barbie clothes for a project that's brewing in my head....

Fuzzy Navel Cake

I got this recipe from my mother-in-law back when KJ and I started dating. She had baked it for a get-together one evening, and after I tried one bite, I was in heaven! It was so moist and peachy. Earlier this week I baked one to share with my BFF, but I was so stingy that I only gave her half! I took the other half with me to my parents' house where I was going to be staying that night. I had it planned that I'd give them a sliver after dinner, then save the rest to eat while I watched Real Housewives of New Jersey. But, my brother showed up to eat supper too and helped himself to my cake. So, I guess I'll have to make one for myself next week.

The funny thing about this recipe is that it calls for peach Schnapps. I don't touch alcohol in any form, ever. EVER. It's not a judgment I have against others, but just my own personal conviction. So, the first time I baked this, I was too embarrassed to buy the liquor to go in it that I had to have KJ buy it for me. I'm still using the bottle from, like, 3 years ago. I'm such a weinie. Normally, I just leave out the liquor in recipes or substitute them, but this just tastes so good with it that I don't want to mess it up.

Fuzzy Navel Cake

Liquid Mixture:

1 16-oz. can of peaches, undrained

1/2 c. peach schnapps

1 c. sugar

1/4 c. orange juice (I squeeze it fresh)

Cake Batter:

1 box yellow cake mix

1 small box instant vanilla pudding mix

2/3 c. oil

4 eggs

Combine the liquid mixture and refrigerate overnight. (Sometimes I forget to do this part and just pretend I didn't, and the cake still turns out good.)

The next day, preheat your oven to 350. Stir up the liquid mixture and reserve 1 cup. (The sugar tends to settle on the bottom, so stir it up good.) Remove the peaches from the liquid and puree them. Prepare the cake batter. Add the pureed peaches to the cake batter. Add the 1 cup of reserved juice. Mix it up good. The batter will be thick. Bake for about 40 minutes or until done.

I meant to make a simple glaze with some of the remaining liquid mixture and some powdered sugar, but just forgot. You don't need it, but I was curious what it might taste like.

Green Bean & New Potato Salad

I made this recipe last night for supper. I guess it's been kind of a green bean kind of week around here. This is the second time we ate them. It worked well with the Chicken Tortellini Bake we were having. (Thanks, Ashley R. for the tortellini recipe!)

Green Bean & New Potato Salad

2 lb. new potatoes, quartered
2 T. salt
2 lb. fresh green beans, trimmed
Rosemary Vinaigrette (recipe below)

Boil potatoes in salted water for about 15 minutes or until tender. Drain and let cool. Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil with the 2 T. salt; add beans. Cook for about 6 minutes until beans are crisp-tender. Drain. Plunge beans into ice cold water to stop the cooking process. Drain again. Combine all the veggies in a large bowl and top with rosemary vinaigrette; toss to coat. Cover and chill until ready to serve.

Rosemary Vinaigrette

1/2 c. white balsamic vinegar (regular brown balsamic vinegar works just fine, though)
1/4 c. honey
1 T. minced garlic
2 T. fresh chopped rosemary leaves
1/3 c. chopped purple onion
1 T. dijon mustard
1/2 t. salt
Pepper to taste
1/2 c. extra virgin olive oil

Process all ingredients except for EVOO in a blender or food processor for about 15-20 seconds. With the blender still running, gradually add the olive oil in a slow, steady stream. Process until smooth. Pour over veggies and toss to coat. *I didn't use the whole cup bc I didn't want my potatoes getting soggy. I saved it in a little jar in the fridge and it tasted very good on just greens.

My "New" Dishmat

I don't really know the point in having a dishwasher. I have one and use it MAYBE once a week. All it ever washes is silverware and our dinner plates. Everything else, like my pots and pans, bakeware, wooden utencils, can't go in the dishwasher. I follow the manufacturer's suggestions on those things bc I use them so much, I want them to last.

Anyhow, I saw several cute tutorials on making your own dishmat out of an old towel. They were super cute and I since I'm always looking for a cute, functional project, I gave it a shot. I didn't follow any of the tutorials, though. Too technical! I totally made up my own as I went along so a real seamstress would probably croak if she saw my handiwork. I just pieced together a bunch of fabric pieces and sewed them on the old towel, flipped it inside out, and it was done!

I usually just throw out a regular dishtowel, but I have to use two at a time to hold all the stuff I wash. Since I got those pretty aqua towels, it gave me an excuse to cut one of the old bath towels down to just the right size. I think it's cute in a rather boring kitchen. :)

I love fabric. Those red polka dots just keeps giving and giving. I used it on Christmas presents, shower curtain, and now this!

Cookbook

This is my current favorite cookbook. I love it! It has recipes for all year based on what's in season. Southern Living's cookbooks are, in my opinion, the absolute best. Everything I've ever made from them is delicious. I love homestyle cooking, nothing too fancy or complicated, and SL always delivers! I highly recommend this one. I have one other on hand; the rest are packed up in storage with all of my cookbooks. I miss those guys so much...

Roasted Chicken

I stock up on whole chickens when they're on sale. I caught them one time at Target for $2.99 each so I bought 5 of them! My mom thought I was nuts. What's new?! At home, we get one whole meal from a chicken and sometimes enough leftovers for 1-2 people the next day. I use the leftovers for other recipes later in the week as well. Roasting a chicken is extremely easy and pretty much mistake-proof. I got this recipe from the Pioneer Woman's website, but have learned a few things on my own after doing it so many times.

Here's what I do:

Roasted Chicken

1 whole chicken aka "fryer," rinsed and patted dry with a paper towel

Chop up some fresh herbs (whatever I have on hand; this was rosemary)

About 1-2 T. kosher salt

A good dash of pepper

A good dash of garlic powder (or fresh minced garlic when I feel like it)

About 1-2 T. canola oil

Chop up a couple spare veggies or certain fruits I have on hand (this time it was a lemon, part of an onion, and half of an apple)

Stuff the bird's "buns" (as Lola called it) with the fruit/veggies. Mix everything else together and rub all over the chicken.

Place on a foil-lined pan and create a "nest" around the chicken. Don't let the foil touch the chicken. This will serve as a barrier from all of the juices popping up and splattering all over the inside of your oven. Pioneer Woman didn't mention that; I learned it the hard way. Like this.

Throw in a preheated 450-degree oven for about an hour and 15 minutes. Wait for it...

When it's ready, remove it from the oven and let it sit for about 5 minutes before you cut into it. Don't eat the veggies/fruit that you used to stuff it. They just add flavor and keep it moist. You're all done!! The best part is that you don't even have to wash your pan when you're done bc it stayed nice and clean from the foil.

Green Bean, Grape & Pasta Toss

Green Bean, Grape & Pasta Toss

1 c. chopped pecans (I left this out; nuts = yuck!)
8 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled
1 lb. thin fresh green beans, trimmed and cut in half
8 oz. penne pasta, prepared and drained
1 c. mayonnaise
1/3 c. sugar
1/3 c. red wine vinegar
1 t. salt
2 c. seedless red grapes, cut in half
1/3 c. diced purple onion

Preheat oven to 350. Arrange pecans in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for 5-7 minutes or until lightly toasted and fragrant. Cook beans in salted boiling water to cover for 5 minutes or until crisp-tender; drain. Plunge beans in ice water to stop the cooking process. Whisk together the mayo and next 3 ingredients in a large bowl; add pecans, green beans, pasta, grapes, and onion, stirring to coat. Cover and chill for 3 hours; stir in bacon just before serving.

Curly Girly -- Kinda

Lola found some foam curlers in my bathroom and wanted to put them in her hair after I told her what they were. She was hoping to get "curly hair like Jodi," but since her hair is so straight and bc she sleeps like a crazy person, most of her curlers came out overnight. She did get a little volume for church the next day, but, sadly, no curls. She was pretty proud of herself with those curlers.

Fruit & Veggie Phones

Naptime

Back in June there were several days in a row that it rained. I went in to check on Lola during her naptime and found her like this. I guess she thought she'd get rained on inside her room too.

Two days in a row

What happens when your big sister makes you necklaces you don't want. Two days in a row.

Girly baby gift

There's a baby boom going on in my community group from church! Out of eight couples, all of us have had a baby in the past year and several are having their second and third babies this summer! We've been getting together for lots of diapers-and-wipes parties, but I couldn't help but throw in a little onesie. Gifting gives me an excuse to craft! My "baby" has sadly outgrown onesies so these are little fun treats for me. This one I dyed a soft mint and added yoyo flowers and a little green leaf. So easy! I could go nuts making those yoyos. All of Lola's clothes are going to end up with these things on them if I'm not careful :

All because of the towels

Back in the wintertime, I was at Target and came across the most beautiful, soft, and BLEACH-FRIENDLY aqua-colored towels. I always thought about those towels. Then, they went on a heckuva sale in the spring, so I bought some, along with a matching bathmat, with plans of saving them for our "new" house when the time came. Well, here we are about 4 months since buying them, and I decided I wasn't waiting anymore. Out they came. I washed them and they are AWESOME. So, so soft. I love that I can add bleach to them too and really get them germless.

I am obsessed with that pretty aqua color so I made a shower curtain to complement the towels. In my dream world, the walls would be painted a very soft creamy vanilla color; in reality, I have to deal with the khaki. I'm pretty pleased with how the shower curtain turned out. I got it at Kohls on sale, and then added the scrap pieces at the bottom. It's just a mishmash of old Amy Butler, cheapy polka dots, Alexander Henry, and some other stuff that I don't even know the origins of. The next time I make ruffles on something (like later today) I'll know to use almost double the amount that I really think I need. These ruffles were supposed to be more pleated but I ran out of fabric! I was inspired by Gussy's ruffles. She's one of my favorite bloggers :)




This is just some free decor. That blue glass thing was something my mom had. I think it came off of old electric poles or something? The tall glass bottle is being saved until I can do this to it. It was really a used-up bottle of Giada de Laurentis' salad dressing! I have a plan for it, but just haven't got to it yet. The small glass vase/cup was something I picked up a few years ago and had sitting in my closet. I filled it with sand from our recent trip to Mexico, along with the shells we brought home to Lola. The fish is a project Lola made at Bass Pro at Easter. I figured it fit the scheme.
This last pic is a gaudy gold frame that I had in my closet as well. I sprayed it red and added some "art." That's really a t-shirt from my honeymoon in Santa Barbara, CA. Kendall and I fell in love with their food. All of the little surfer diners were so good bc they served like homecooking, but with lots of fresh fruit and stuff. YUM! It's the only thing I really have from the honeymoon so I couldn't bear to throw it away. (It doesn't fit anymore. Can't imagine why.) I just folded up the sleeves and pinned them so they stayed flat, then framed the whole thing. FREE!!! Someday I might make it into a cute dress for Lola, but until then, I needed something on that wall to go with my "new" bathroom.

That's How I Roll

Every weekend, I make out the upcoming week's menu. I love, love, love cooking and baking so planning this way makes it easy to always try out new recipes. It also saves our family SO MUCH money bc we can eat at home all week for about $65 each week. About $25 of that weekly budget goes to fresh fruit and vegetables. When the time comes and we have a house that allows for us to garden, we hope to grow a lot of stuff and live off of its bounty. Until then, I shop mostly at SuperTarget. They always have a good produce area and lots of great sales. I like Walmart too, but I'm usually disappointed in their produce selection. I'm just a big fan of Target.

I make out the menu, fill out my Grocery Store spreadsheet that I made which matches my menu (nerd alert!), and we're all set for the week! We eat supper at 6:00 everyday. My goal is to always have that happen. Extracurricular activities are not going to be a priority in this house. Family meals will be.

As you can see, though, there are times that I grab lunch out somewhere. This week we went to Sonic on our way home from grocery shopping. I make one dessert each week and rarely ever buy snacks. We were in Kansas City over the weekend, so it sort of threw off our usual routine of Monday morning grocery shopping.

And, since I love to craft, I made a little clipboard that holds the menus. I just Mod Podged some cute paper to a little clipboard after I scalloped the edges, and then Gorilla glued some magnets on the back. Easy! And, that's just how I roll...

Cal's Room

Around the time that Cal was born, Kendall and I were already discussing selling our house. Because of that, it made it hard to want to invest much money into really decorating anything. However, we felt that Cal needed to have his own little space for the time being so we opted to paint the walls dark chocolate. I knew I wanted chocolate syrup brown, not brownie mix brown or anything with much red...or gray...just chocolate syrup. We found it! And, that's about the extent of Cal's nursery! My mom bought him some sheets and a mini comforter on clearance at Target. And that's all the room had in terms of decorating until two months ago. I was sick and tired of walking into an empty room, so I decided that I was going to break out some of the stuff I had been saving for Cal's new bedroom. It wasn't a lot, but just some stuff I'd been saving up. It was fun to put them to use to add some "boyness" to his room without caring what future buyers would think. I had been leaving the walls bare bc I didn't want to make nail holes bc we were told by the stager that came over that buyers like getting the feel that it's a brand new house. Well, that was okay for the first part of the year, but at this rate, I'm still the one having to live here and I want a few things on the wall.

These are posters that I had my mom get back home in Hominy. They plaster these posters all over town bc the Pawnee Bill Wild West Show is just a few towns over. Last year's posters looked like vintage prints, so as soon as I saw them I knew I needed them. She hit up several businesses around town to see if they'd let her have them when they got ready to take them down -- and they were kind enough to give them to her! Until I can decide what to do for them, they're just hanging on twine with clothespins from his ceiling.



This is a copy of Kendall's Ferdinand book from when he was a kid. His mom gave us a bunch of his old books a couple years ago and I knew they'd be perfect in a little boy's room -- if we ever had a son. So, now they make their home on Cal's shelf. We read them; it's not just for looks. I thought it was funny that Ferdinand made an appearance on The Blindside.


Just some cowboy pop that I spotted while grocery shopping one day. And a deer antler that Kendall found one afternoon while exploring at my parents' house back home.

Kendall's little wooden toy from when he was a kid. Cal's newborn moccasins. I'm a quarter Osage so my kids have their native cards as well. Cal got his Osage name on his first birthday: Hom-Mah-Saun. It means "sentry elk," meaning he's "outside of the herd, a guard, looks out." Granted, the deer antler above isn't an elk antler, but it's kinda close enough...

We made these shelves after a quick trip to Lowes. Once again, inexpensive was the key. I think they're kind of industrial :) We made the exact same shelves five years ago in our apartment. The framed picture on the top shelf was given to us before a garage sale a few years ago from Kendall's grandma. It's a little funny bc she thought I'd like it since I was Indian. It's really old and dusty. Just another thing I kept in case I ever had a son.

The rest of the stuff is just a little stereo that I use to play classical music during Cal's naptime. Little Golden Books. Piggy bank. I Heart Tulsa postcard. All in all, this stuff was basically free!

I'm Back...Again...For now...

I'm not even going to bother updating since my last post. It's been way too long and way too much has happened, but here's a quick rundown: Cal Rocco Jones was born last year. Lolabee is now 3. I'm a stay-home mama and am thoroughly fulfilled in my new life. Court reporting and my career was my focus for ten years and now that's on the backburner. We're in the process of trying to sell our house to accomodate my lack of income. Plus, we have a desire to live simply and hopefully get a little chunk of land. Our current cookie cutter home is in a wonderful neighborhood, but just doesn't have the outdoor space Kendall and I would like to have. Growing up on a ranch, there literally were no limits to where I could roam; now that I have kids, I see how awesome that was! We want to garden, play, and just have wide open space to let the kids enjoy. I'm currently researching the possibility of home-schooling. I decided to blog again bc I love reading others' blogs and seeing how other people live; thought I'd contribute as well! Now on to the good stuff...

I love it when my friends have babies bc it gives me an excuse to take them a meal. Sharing a meal makes my heart happy. Usually, I just double whatever I make them and save half for my family's meal. It works out well bc we either have supper or I freeze it for later. I'm all about freezing. I recently learned some cool tips on the best ways to freeze food. I'll share that later. This post is all about this super simple cake. I'm so glad that I convinced myself that Jami and her family didn't need the whole thing... :) So rather than make a 9x13, I made two 8x8's. Perfect!

As you can see, I can't seem to stay out of this darn little cake! It's such a light, pretty, summery cake!

Cherry Poke Cake

(or whatever flavor of Jello you want)

1 white cake, prepared according to the package's instructions

1 small package of Jello

3/4 c. boiling water

1/2 c. cold water

Cool Whip frosting, recipe below

Prepare your cake. Poke holes all over the top with a fork or end of a wooden spoon. In a little bowl, combine Jello with hot water and stir until dissolved. Stir in cold water. Pour over the cake. Refrigerate for 3 hours and prepare frosting.

Cool Whip Frosting

1 small package of vanilla instant pudding (you can also use your favorite flavor, but this is mine)

1 8-ounce tub of Cool Whip

1/2 c. milk

Pour milk into a medium bowl and add pudding mix. Beat with electric mixer until thickened, about 2 minutes. Gently stir in Cool Whip. Spread over cake. Keep cake refrigerated.

Mother's Day

On Monday when I picked up Lola from preschool, I was THRILLED to receive the precious little gifts above. Evidently, she had painted the clay pot last week at school and the teacher planted the little flowers. They also did each kid's handprints. LOVE IT. It's so cute to have her little pieces of art scattered around the house. I think I tell her teachers each week when I pick her up how much I love the art projects. We do projects on our own at home too, but there's just something about getting these little handmade surprises that just melts me. I'm going to miss these things over the summer, though, bc there's only two weeks left of preschool. :(

Handstands

Lola loves doing handstands against the wall. She learned it at her preschool's tumbling/gymnastics class. The other night, she wanted to KJ to do it too. Here they are. Of course, she had to show him how to do it her way.

First, do this....

Then this....

Ta-dah!!!

Monkeying Around

Cathedrals

Below is an email I got from my dear friend, Celeste. I'd like to call her my mentor in a way bc I've learned so much from her. She led a couple of my Bible studies over the past few years and she holds a very special place in my heart. She was a very successful businesswoman who left her career behind to raise a family. I'd never known anyone to actually do that until I met her. And, although I was years away from wanting to become a mom, I admired that about her and it made me begin to look at motherhood differently. (She's such a strong, Christian lady. Her family is lucky to have her!) Since that time, I've gotten married and have a child (and one on the way) and have found that my professional life is just not that important compared to raising my babies. So, over the past year and a half I've slowly eased out of the legal/court reporting world and discovered a whole new me. I still work one day a week, but that's not too big of a deal. We've made sacrifices for me to be able to be home more and, quite honestly, the Lord just always provides. It's been tough, but I will never, never, ever regret it. I'll gladly do without "stuff" to be able to be home everyday. I've struggled a lot in getting used to not being on the go all of the time and learning how to just be a mom. That's why I loved this email. I never gave moms enough credit until becoming one myself. This email actually made me get a little teary the first time I read it. (And I am NOT a cryer!) The bold-faced parts are my own; I bolded them bc they're my favorite.

I'm invisible.......

It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, "Can't you see I'm on the phone?"Obviously not. No one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all. I'm invisible.

Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this? Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, "What time is it?" I'm a satellite guide to answer, "What number is the Disney Channel?" I'm a car to order, "Pick me up right around 5:30, please."I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated summa cum laude -- but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again.She's going ... she's going ... she's gone!

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England. Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself as I looked down at my out-of-style dress; it was the only thing I could find that was clean. My unwashed hair was pulled up in a banana clip and I was afraid I could actually smell peanut butter in it. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, "I brought you this." It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe. I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription: "To Charlotte, with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees."

In the days ahead I would read -- no, devour -- the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work: No one can say who built the great cathedrals—we have no record of their names. These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished. They made great sacrifices and expected no credit. The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.

A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, "Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it."And the workman replied, "Because God sees."I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, "I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over.You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become."

At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride.I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.

When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, "My mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand-bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table." That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home.And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, "You're gonna love it there."

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.