What's Cooking Wednesday! (2)

Here it is my second edition of "Whats Cooking Wednesday"

My recipe tonight is...

Chicken Squares

(this is improvised from a recipe I found on Pillsbury.com)

What you will need

1 package of cream cheese softened (3 oz but if you want it creamier you can use more)

1 tablespoon butter softened

2 chicken breasts cooked and cubed

1/8 cup of chopped onions (more or less depending on your preference)

Seasons to your liking (I use salt pepper and garlic powder or minced garlic)

2 tablespoons of milk

1 can of Pillsbury Crescent Recipe Creations dough sheet (you can also use crescent dough if you cant find the sheets and just press the seams together)

To top before baking

1 tablespoon butter melted

and seasoned breadcrumbs enough to sprinkle on tops

Heat oven to 350

In a bowl mix softened cream cheese and butter till smooth

add chicken, seasons, onions, and milk mixing well

Cut dough into 4 rectangles

spoon approx half a cup of mix into the center of each

Fold edges of dough in and press together to seal

place on ungreased cookie sheet

then brush tops with butter and sprinkle over bread crumbs

Place in oven and bake for 25-30 mins (should be really pretty golden brown)

These are absolutely my favorite!

Don't have a picture of the food tonight since I'm getting ready for my holiday vacation and eating leftovers, but I just wanted to share another great recipe.

As an apology for not having a picture of the food I'm gonna post a picture of my new kitchen assistant.

His name is Lenny and he helped me out over Thanksgiving and proved to be a wonderful helper...

plus I needed someone to barter over  at Cecile for time with one of her studs

*giggle*

Happy Cooking everyone and have a great hump day!

The End of a Series!

So I bought Last Sacrifice, the final installment in the Vampire Academy series last night on my Kindle (I got impatient...what can I say) and I'm feeling a lot bittersweet about this being the end.

I actually started reading this series as a joke.  My ex said that I was obsessed with vampires (yes I do love me some fanged night walkers, but I'm really just in love with all things paranormal have been since I was little starting with myths and legends, my first were egyptian curses and the greek goods, and it has expanded from there) and I set out to read as many vampire books as I could to piss him off.  On a side not that may have been one of many reasons why we didn't work out starting with the fact that he didn't really know what makes me tick.  So I found this series and got the first book and started reading.

It didn't take me long to get sucked into the characters and I have absolutely loved watching them develop and grow.  That may be my favorite thing about good YA writers.  The character development is amazing.

Another reason why I think I get so attached is that series span out a long time and in the ones that are set as continuous tales you wait and anticipate and invest so much time with all these characters when the time comes for the series to end its like your losing an old friend or friends.  They have been with you for so long you just don't want to let them go yet.  Of course you can read them over again and go through the journey again, but its never as good as your first time with the anticipation and surprises along the way.

In the end I cried...Yes I'm the sappy chick that cries over really good romance...It felt like i absolutely had to have that cathartic release (great term I learned in psych)

It's times like these where I really remember why I am going to college to be an English Major.  People can joke about never getting a job or being a teacher.  Honestly I don't care if i get a job writing.  That would be amazing and I would love to get the things in my head out and on paper, but that's not what I love the most.  Its the inspiration in others and for people to be to feel like I feel .  My love of literature is probably over the line of normal and into the obsessed, but its amazing.  Its my escape, my sanity, my life, and my love and I want other people to see the amazing things that I see and learn what I have learned about myself.

Its absolutely beautiful when an author puts together something so spectacular that it transports you yo somewhere else and incites feelings like a racing heart, a fast beating pulse, fear, love, and so many other emotions just by the written word.  Thank you to any author in the world for doing the things you do, because somewhere somebody was effected by you and if I happen to join the ranks some day that would be amazing, but if not I'll be teaching others about the joys of a good book and the effect of the written word!

*Yes all this came out because of the end of a book series...told you...sappy*

In My Mailbox (2)

Here it is...My second edition of In My Mailbox.

This is hosted by The Story Siren.  Its a meme that was created to bring attention to new books or books others may not have cheked out otherwise.

Here are my books this week

These are the books that I bought

(I really have a book buying addiction, but these were from big lots and were only $2 each so I dont feel so guilty)

Queen of Song and Souls by C.L. Wilson

Someone Like You by Leigh Greenwood

Soultaker Bryan Smith

Pleasuring the Pirate by Emily Bryan

One Bite Stand by Nina Bangs

Night Bites by Nina Bangs

The Captive by Amanda Ashley

Sunlight, Moonlight by Amanda Ahsley

 This book I got from Paperbackswap
The Kitchen Witch by Annette Blair

These are free books that I downloaded from amazon

(I actually learned about these through a few other bloggers)

Christmas Scandal...Not! by Jeanne Savery

Stuck in the Middle by Virginia Smith

Reaper by Rachel Vincent

Merlin's Harp by Anne Eliot Crompton

Fire Lord's Lover by Kathryne Kennedy

Heart of the Wolf by Tery Spear

I was super excited about finding the "dirty books" section hidden in Big Lots...They really do hide them well at my store.  On the back of the shelf with tons of stuff in front of them.  It made me giggle that they were hiding the romance books.

Happy Holidays to everyone!!

History of Kissing under Mistletoe

I love learning about lore and mythology.  Since its the Christmas season I thought I would share a story I found that is from Norse Mythology about the custom of kissing under the mistletoe.

The Norse god Balder was the best loved of all the gods. His mother was Frigga, goddess of love and beauty. She loved her son so much that she wanted to make sure no harm would come to him. So she went through the world, securing promises from everything that sprang from the four elements--fire, water, air, and earth--that they would not harm her beloved Balder.

Leave it to Loki, a sly, evil spirit, to find the loophole. The loophole was mistletoe. He made an arrow from its wood. To make the prank even nastier, he took the arrow to Hoder, Balder's brother, who was blind. Guiding Holder's hand, Loki directed the arrow at Balder's heart, and he fell dead.

Frigga's tears became the mistletoe's white berries. In the version of the story with a happy ending, Balder is restored to life, and Frigga is so grateful that she reverses the reputation of the offending plant--making it a symbol of love and promising to bestow a kiss upon anyone who passes under it.

*story was originally posted on http://www.candlegrove.com/mistletoe.html*



So I'm breaking out my mistletoe and I am puckered up...

What's Cooking Wednesday!

I cook a lot.  Mostly it is just quick and easy things, but I have a few recipes that I rotate into my schedule about once a week.  Even though I only cook for me and my little man and it can be tedious to make nice sit down meals every night I was raised in a sit down household and I want to instill the same values in my son.

So this is the start (hopefully if I remember to keep up with it) of a weekly routine where I share a recipe that is fairly easy to make, but good enough for a whole family to sit down with real dishes and have conversation to.  I don't exactly stick to a strict recipe so if your straight out of the book kind of cook this may not work for you, but for those of you that are creative these are easy to make your own!

Tonight my recipe is...

Easy Chicken and Rice Bake

(this was originally improvised from a Campbell's soup recipe)

Its all in one dish so you have easy clean-up too!

There are many ways you can change this to make it to your liking

2-4 uncooked chicken breast (I only use 2 but the recipe works for up to 4)

1 can of cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup (this is your preference)

3/4 cup uncooked rice

1 1/3 cup of water

Season as desired

(I add salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic salt, and paprika for the rice mixture and the chicken)

Preheat the oven to 375%

Add rice, water, soup, and your desired seasonings in a shallow baking pan and stir together

Season chicken (again to your preference, but you should go a little on the heavy side since it can taste a bit bland if you under season it)

Place chicken breasts into the soup mixture

Cover and bake for 50 mins

That's it!

And for dessert...

Baked apples

Super simple to make

cut up 4 apples into slices and spread them on the bottom of a small baking dish

Mix together about 4 tablespoons of brown sugar and 2 teaspoons of cinnamon (more or less of either its up to you)

Sprinkle sugar and cinamon mixture over apples

melt 2 tabelspoons of butter and pour over apples

Add enough applejuice to just cover the apples and cover to bake

This bakes at 350% so after you take out your chicken just lower the temp and wait a few mins then pop them in.  Bake for about 30-40 mins just until the apples are tender.

These are great with ice cream or by themselves



In My Mailbox (1)

This is the first time I'm doing this and its late.  Not a great way to start something, but better late than never right?

This is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren to show off the books you bought or recieved over the week.

For full details on it click here.

and so without furter ado...

Here is what was in my mailbox this past week

The first set are those that purchased this week:
(Books I got from Amazon with a gift card from trading in a textbook)
Rampant by Saskia Walker
Beauty Emerges by Dominique Adair
Seducing the Highlander by Emma Wildes
Seduced by a Highlander by Paula Quinn
Taken by Midnight by Laura Adrian
(Purchased from Big Lots)
Wet & Wild by Sandra Hill

Second set is books recieved from PaperBackSwap
(I selected these titles for my library for keeps I love the series')
Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison
Born to Bite by Lynsay Sands
Kiss of Crimson by Laura Adrian
(This was picked at random because it had the word "Scot" in the title and I do love my highlanders)
The Scot, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by Annette Blair
I also got the cute postcard from the person that sent this book!


I'm stocked up for my vacation!
(If I can wait 2 weeks to read them all that is)

Confessions of a drugged up sick girl!

I was very productive tonight even with this crap that is running through my system. I got fed up with my room being a mess and my books everywhere while I'm waiting on my new bedroom set. So I hopped in my car and drove the 2 blocks to Big Lots and got some shelves and crates. I'm putting this all on Jessica's shoulders...She posted her nice fancy shelves with them all organized and I walked into my room and damned if I couldn't take another minute.

Here is what I accomplished

The whole thing

Here is some chick lit, suspense, and misc others (baby, school, self help, ect..)

Most of these books are series that I only have one or two of, bottom is more misc books, and top shelf is mostly classic lit

*Notice the side of the shelf is backwards so you can see the particle board edge...that is what happens when you asemble furniture sick as a dog and hopped up on meds!*

Here are my series books

There you go Jessica! Thats what I got so far. I am sure in a few days I will be pissed with my organization of the shelves and arrange them all over again. Your not the only one with OCD. Those damn books on top of the to side shelves are driving me crazy already.

Mmmmm...Irish Catholic Boys.

I absolutely love The Boondock Saints! One of my favorite of all time movies. I really don't know what it is about hot men in a blood bath, but I freakin love it. I know I am weird, but I love watching men be alpha men. Especially in movies. The whole good guy vigilante thing is super awesome as well. Anyway...I decided to watch it again today for fun and did not fail at putting me in a better mood. So in honor of such an awesome movie I found some movie themed items on ETSY.
Vinyl Wall Art Decal Sticker The Boondock Saints

From the seller pedped

$39.99

THE BOONDOCK SAINTS Set of 8 - 1 Inch Buttons Pins Badges

From the seller buttonpalooza42

$3.49

Boondock Saints Veritas Aequitas Macbook 15 inch Decal

From the seller HotMopsDecals

$12.99

Etsy is one of my favorite shopping places online. There are all sorts of creative people that sell there and when you want to find something original and not just plain store bought merchandise you should check it out.

Anyway back to the movie. Sean Patrick Flanery and Norman Reedus are super hot and they both play amazing characters, but my favorite character in this movie is the one played by Willem Dafoe. He is absolutely outrageous and absurd and makes the movie so delightful.

So if you like a little gore in your great movies and you haven't seen it...you should absolutely jump on it. Its great.

Work in Progress...

Here is the one shelf that I finally got organized! It has taken several days (mainly due to procrastination) but I got most of the series books that I have read up and on the bookshelf.

Now on to the harder part. Since I haven't bought any more shelves I had to find a temporary place for my books. So the solution was pretty much put them on the open space in my room. Lord knows i would throw a fit if my little man decided to hijack some of mommy's books (he has done it many times before and I love that he loves books, but hes got tons of his own) and hide them.

I knew that my one shelf was getting a little crowded, but you really can't tell when they are stacked on top of each other.

This is what was left without a home after pulling everything down and separating them. Most are Paperback Swap bookshelf books that I have posted and stand alone books. Though I still have a few series that didn't make it on the series shelf.

I vow to never let it get to this point again!

Yeah I know that will last till I run out of room on the new shelves that I am going to get :)

Veteran's Day!

I normally live in the fantasy world in my head, but days like today that I make it a point to spend some time with reality.

There was a dedication ceremony along with the observance of Veterans Day at my college. To say that it was emotional for me would be an understatment. The mother was there for the ceremony and she got up before the dedication and spoke to us all about her son and his life. The strength in that woman amazed me. She lost her son to war 3 short years ago and she was able to stand strong in front of a packed lawn on the campus and speak. I have so much respect that she was able to live on and carry on the memory of her child.

I could harldy imagine the pain of a loss like that. I left the military not very long after I had my son. I could not imagine the pain of leaving my son without his mother. I was not brave enough to face that burden, but so many people live with those fears every day and so many more had those fears realized and are living with the pain of those losses every day.

The observance included several speeches from the staff of the college and a veteran student, but one of the most moving parts of the ceremony involved no speeches at all. Before the conclusion of the ceremony they had a moment of silence for all the veterans that have been lost to war and the clock tower chimed once for each of the students that have been lost and dedicated on the memorial at the college. Standing there in silence listening to the chimes you could hear many of the other students off in the distance laughing and going about their day. It seemed very symbolic to the fact that on this day during this ceremony there were still people who didnt know or care to know what some of us sacrifice every single day.

Those that sacrifice for us all have such a large extra burden on top of all the other every day life issues that we have to deal with. We need to take a moment to appreciate those extra sacrafices that our military make and have made. I believe it is our duty as americans to honor those and thank a veteran today or any other day.

No longer a Ren Faire virgin!!!

Today was a wonderful day. I am gonna go ahead and call it fansatical! Yeah it was that good. My best friend and I have been trying to get together some time so I could attend a Ren Faire together. She is a regular attendee and I have always wanted to attend. How could I not love it... with the faries, goblins, knights, courts, and there was even a ninja. My favorite fantasy world come to life. I'm a big fan of paranormal, science fiction, and fantasy. If you didnt know before now you do. The mixture of this all in a park with port-a-potties and cars right next door was delightfully absurd. I even got offered up for flogging by my friend that attended with me!

I also got to see a pirate and a ninja face off (why the damn ninja was there I'll never know) Here is a picture of one of the goblins So many more great pictures, but there were several hundred after the day was over so I'm just gonna post a few more samples of the delight that I shared in today!ABSOLUTELY AMAZING Celtic Band

Fire Juggler

Man with kilt (I love kilts)

This lady waiting on her champion had a little something extra under her skirts!!

Just look at it...I mean do I really need to explain?

(only authentic kilt wearers in the whole faire)

Pirate snoozing

Captin Jack Sparrow

(He did an amazing kids theater act)

More kilts

(not so hot but hey they get credit for trying)

My wenchy outfit!!

He was loving that severed head

Just cool all around!

Then there was a Fey King

All in all it was amazing. Not bad for having my Ren Faire virginity good and sullied!