I'm SO Behind!

I've been so busy lately with school and work that I forgot all about my daily blog posts!  Here are a few of my 'I'm thankful' posts!  Have a great week! :)


Day 2: My Family

My family is amazing.  We might fight about dumb things, but they are still always here for me when I need them!  I can't imagine my life without my family.  They supported me from the beginning with my decision to move and go to school in South Dakota and have still make me feel like it was the best decision of my life.  They are supportive through the good times and the bad times and they always welcome me home with open arms no matter what they have going on that weekend.  They give me advice when I ask for it and even when I don't ask, but I seriously cannot imagine life without them!

 

 

Day 3: My Education

 

I love how fortunate I am for the education that I was able to have growing up and for the education that I am still receiving!  Even though high school was not a great time for me, educationally, I never would have been able to get to where I am today without those struggles.  I have to confess that I was very nervous to come to SDSU because it was so far away and I thought it would definitely be like high school.  I've learned so much from being away from Hudson and being able to become my own person here at SDSU.  Even though there have been struggles, I am finally on the right path and cannot wait to graduate and see what else life has in store for me.

 

Happy November!

Happy November! :)

I love fall and even though it is getting colder and colder up here in South Dakota, I still love it! :)  For the month of November I have decided to try to blog every day about something that I am thankful for.  It may not always be a long and in-depth post, but I will make a point to write every day!  So here it goes...

Day 1

I am thankful for... Life!

This may sound really cliché and everything, but I love being alive.  I love that I am able to do anything that I want and I am thankful for all of the great opportunities that I have.  I am thankful that my life is a beautiful mess every day.  And that there are more reasons than just these to continue this life and to continue being thankful every day that I am alive.

October Update!

I have wanted to post an update for a while now, but every time I go to write a post I get side tracked with homework and other things going on!  Here are some pictures and little stories of things that I've been up to since the last post!  I hope you enjoy the pictures and please stay tuned for my November posts!  I have some fun things planned! Have a great week! :)

I've been at SDSU for almost 3.5 years now and this past summer was the first time that I actually spent a large amount of time in the library.  Now that I know that the library is actually really nice and quiet I have been spending a lot of my homework time during the week at the library! :)

I am a Hy-Vee Fuel Saver addict.  My addiction was really bad this summer and whenever there was any kind of meat sale or frozen food sale I would stock up on everything.  One day I opened the freezer and I was attacked by frozen food and frozen chicken.  After that incident I decided that it was time to organize and throw away everything that had gone bad.  Now there is finally some order in our freezer! :)

Hy-Vee pretzel bread!  This stuff is delicious and I feel bad if the Hy-Vee near you doesn't sell this stuff!  It is super addicting and I think I buy a mini loaf every week!

Hy-Vee has these cool shirts on sale for their employees right now!  They are the softest and most comfortable shirts that I think I have ever worn!  Even though I didn't like working here at first I am so glad that I stuck with it! :)

Over Native American Holiday weekend (Columbus Day for non-South Dakotans) I took a little road trip to Iowa.  It was time to get out of Brookings for a little while since I had been out of town since late July.  I left really early on Sunday morning (I actually took a day off of work!) and I picked up Quentin on the way!  The weather was great on the way down and I wish that I could have stayed a longer than 24 hours!

My real reason for my Iowa trip!  I surprised my friend Bri at her daughters 1st birthday party!  She had no idea that I was even in Iowa, so it was really fun to see her and Kinlee for a little while!  :)

 

I'm officially a staff member at Medary Elementary here in Brookings!  Right now I am just a Playground/ Lunchroom Supervisor 4-5 days a week, but I am hoping that I will be able to do my student teaching at this school next fall!  Fingers crossed! :)

Here's a picture of SDSU in the fall! It was taken from the Campanile on campus! :) 

Crockpot Turkey Chili

I made this chili a few weeks ago when it was really cold for a week!  I really like cooking with ground turkey, and it's almost always on sale and on Fuel Saver at Hy-Vee! :) Mine was in the crockpot for a good 8-8.5 hours because I was working the day that I made it.  I also had a lot of leftovers and just stuck them in some freezer containers and put it in the freezer!  I'm sure it will still be delicious when I thaw them out! :)

Ingredients
1 lb lean ground turkey
1 medium onion, diced
1 red pepper, chopped
2 (15 oz) cans tomato sauce
2 (15 oz) cans petite diced tomatoes
1 (15 oz) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
2 (15oz) cans red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup canned corn
1 tablespoon cumin

Process
1. Place turkey in the skillet, and cook until brown. Pour turkey into slow cooker.
2. Add the onion, pepper, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, beans, corn, and cumin. Stir.
3. Cover and cook on High for 4 hours or low for 6 hours. Serve with toppings, if desired
4. Enjoy! :)

Picture and Original Recipe from: http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/slow-cooker-turkey-chili/

Finally an Update!

Hello everybody!  I know that it has been forever since I posted on my blog, but I have been very busy with work and with school finally starting again!  I wanted to write a quick update about what I have been up to here in Brookings!

Today was officially my last day working at the movie theater here in Brookings!  It was a little sad, but I have a good reason for leaving!  Since I FINALLY turned 21 last month, I was offered a better job at Hy-Vee!  I am now the Alcohol Contact at the front of the store on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights.  It's hard to explain exactly what I will be doing, but basically I'm assisting the manager that's upfront on those nights.  It's nice because I will now have a set schedule and a guaranteed amount of hours, which is something that I wasn't always getting when I was working at the movie theater.  I'm excited to start and officially begin training tomorrow! :)

My second bit of news is that I also got a job in the Brookings School District!  I am a playground/ lunchroom attendant at one of the elementary schools here in town!  I work an hour or two every day, which probably doesn't seem like a lot, but I have a full schedule of classes this semester.  This job gives me the opportunity to be in the school district, be around children, and is also a great time filler when I only have free time between my classes!

I hope that everybody is having a great September!  It has been really chilly these last few days, but I'm loving the fall weather! :)

HOORAY!

Look at my newest purchase!! :)

2014 Chevy Sonic!

Week One & Two

I would be lying if I said that I did an awesome job with the first two weeks of my new lifestyle was easy.  I ran into many road blocks this past week and fell into some bad eating habits again.  I'm going to keep working at these changes though.  I found out last week that I am, for some unknown reason, able to go to the Wellness Center on campus for free.  Normally I would have to pay $50 for the rest of the summer, but now I know that I don't need to spend that money!

I have been tracking my food intake with an app on my iPhone and it seems to be helping!  I have found that it is really difficult to get on an eating schedule because of my inconsistent work schedule.  I think that once school starts I will be able to get into more of a routine, but I'm still going to keep trying for the rest of the summer!

I am a little disappointed in myself right now, but I will definitely keep trying!

Have a great week everybody! :)

ISO: A Major Change

Lately I've been really busy working at both of my jobs and with my summer class.  I've working at least 30 hours a week and have assignments due every Friday.  I feel like I have no social life this summer, but I probably wouldn't have much of one if I was in Iowa either.  I have however, finally made some friends at the movie theater and have been going to movies with them a few times a week. 

There are a lot of things in my life right now that I want to change.  The two major things are that I am for some reason incapable of saving money.  I have this habit of spending money on things that I'll only use once... such as food.  I almost always go grocery shopping after every shift that I have at Hy-Vee.  I'm basically giving them back their money and working for free!  It's a bad habit that I really need to break.  I want to start saving money for a new car.  I think that it is time for me to be in a car that I actually like and want to drive places.  This is difficult when you have poor spending habits, but I'm working on getting a grip on those right now... even if it means I don't get to eat a 4 star meal every night after work.

My second major change is how much food I've been eating lately.  I've always been one of those people that eats when they are bored.  Well I've been majorly bored this summer and this has led to a majorly noticeable weight increase.  I'm not happy with myself right now it really needs to change. 

I'm planning a few changes in my every day life style that will hopefully help me feel better about myself by the end of summer.  These healthy changes will start on June 30th and will continue through the rest of the summer.  I'm going to make sure to share my journey every week, that way I will feel more accountable since I will be living alone for the remainder of the summer starting on July 3rd!

Thank you for listening (and reading) to my rant.  It definitely feels good to express these feelings and concerns that I have been having.  This probably changes the initial dynamic of my blog, but right now I need these changes in my life.

Crockpot BBQ Chicken

Here's a super easy crockpot recipe that I made on Friday when I was working all day!  We had an abundance of frozen chicken (there was a big sale at Hy-Vee a few months ago) in our freezer and I wanted to use it before it got freezer burned.  And you never know when Hy-Vee will have another frozen chicken sale!  This is super easy and it makes your house smell amazing! :)

Ingredients
4-6 pieces boneless skinless chicken breasts (I put them in frozen!)
1 bottle BBQ sauce
1/4 c vinegar
1/4 c brown sugar
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
Process
1. Mix BBQ sauce with all ingredients listed under it
2. Place chicken in crockpot
3. Pour sauce over it and cook on LOW for 4-8 hours.
You don't even have to stir it!

 

Original Recipe and Photo from: http://forkinit.blogspot.com/2010/09/crockpot-barbecue-chicken.html

New Apartment Hassles

Hi everybody!  Sorry I haven't been posting very often, we finally moved to our new apartment and will not have internet or cable until next week!  It's a really big hassle, especially since I just started my summer class last week.

Right now I am writing this post at the laundry mat... yes you read that right, I am sitting in the laundry mat washing my clothes.  We were so spoiled and lucky with our last apartment with having a washing machine and dryer in the actual apartment.  At this new apartment we are not so lucky.  Our new apartment is in a very old building and the washing machines and dryers are not exactly the cleanest and nicest.  I'm sure that in a pinch I may use them, but not today when I have time and need to use the internet anyway!

So far our new apartment is great!  It took some getting used to since it isn't like our old one in quite a few ways, but we're working at giving it those homey touches that it needs and it's coming along pretty well!  I will post pictures sometime in the next few weeks because I want to wait and show everyone my bedroom when my new comforter and shower curtain get here!

That's all I really have to say right now!  I better start doing my homework before my laundry gets done!  Have a good week! :)

How I Feel About Moving...

I absolutely hate moving.  I cannot wait to be in our new apartment and out of our current one forever.  Packing is something that royally suck at, especially when I see and realize how much random stuff I have accumulated over the last 9 months.  One of the only positive things about this move is that Danielle decided to move out last month which left us with an empty room.  I'm currently taking a break from moving everything from my room to her empty room because my room needs a serious deep clean; plus we still don't have the keys to our new apartment (don't even get me started on that whole situation).

Sorry for the packing/ moving rant so late at night!  I hope you all have a great week!  I will update everyone with pictures of the new apartment by this weekend!

Grilled Cheese Hamburgers

We made these like a month ago.  The recipe seems pretty vague but it's pretty simple once you look at the picture!

 

Ingredients

Burgers

Onion, diced

American Cheese (we like it cheesy, I used 3 slices for each burger...no one said this was healthy)

Bread

Butter

 

Process

1. Cook hamburger on the grill until the hamburger is done and place on paper towels to drain the grease. Set aside. 2. Add your chopped onion to a medium skillet along with 1 tablespoon of butter and cook until the onion is translucent and tender. 3. Butter both sides of your bread and place them in a skillet and cook one side until it turns a nice golden brown.

4. Flip the bread over and immediately place your cheese slices on it along with the cooked onion.

5. Once the remaining sides of bread are golden and the cheese has melted add your hamburger and assemble your sandwich. Enjoy! :)

 

Original Recipe From: http://sarahowe.blogspot.com/2013/08/grilled-cheese-hamburger.html

Quentin's Graduation Party!

Here are some pictures from Quentin's Graduation Party! :)

 

Homemade Dog Treats

For one of my classes this semester we were split into inquiry groups and have to investigate a topic that we are interested in.  My group decided to learn more about how to make dog treats because a lot of the treats that we looked at in the stores are made with all human food!  We found this recipe on Pinterest and made them last week!  We present our project next week! :)

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup old fashioned oats
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 large eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin
3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
Process
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. In small bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, salt, and cinnamon; set aside.
3. In a separate large bowl, whisk together the eggs, pumpkin and peanut butter until combined. Using a rubber spatula mix in the flour mixture until combined.
4. Transfer to a lightly floured work surface and roll the dough into a 1/2-inch-thick rectangle.
5. Cut mixture using a canine-themed cookie cutter and place on a prepared cookie sheet.
6. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Remove to cooling racks and let cool thoroughly, about 2 hours. They will harden as they cool.

Recipe from: http://sweetpeaskitchen.com/2012/10/peanut-butter-pumpkin-dog-treats/#fITEr8AMD4UzF0W3.99

My New Favorite Craft!

I just wanted to write a quick post and share what my new favorite craft is.... String Art!  I finally had time last weekend to finish this project that I've been wanting to finish since last semester!  It's really easy and their fun to make... I even thought about making some and selling them for a little extra money this summer! :) Have a good week!

The color of the string is kind of hard to see, but it's a light green! :)

Happy Late Easter!

Hi everybody!

I just thought I would do a quick post while I work on making supper (and since I haven't done one in a while)!  Unfortunately not a whole lot has been going on other than the normal school and work happenings.  School is getting a lot more intense now that we're at the final 2 week mark (YAY)!  And Katelyn and I have been working quite a lot of hours at Hy-Vee and it seems like I've basically been living at the movie theater on the weekends.

Since I chose to work over Easter weekend instead of making the trek back to Iowa, I decided to make some Easter cookies for my movie theater coworkers!  They turned out pretty good and were such a success on Friday night that I decided to make more on Saturday and take them for my Easter coworkers that were also working on Easter!  I tried a new icing recipe and everyone that goes to Quentin's graduation party will be able to try it! :)

I better get back to browning the hamburger so I'll leave you with a picture of the yummy cookies that I created! :)

Have a great week!

Baked Chicken Chimichangas

Ingredients

2 cups cooked chicken, chopped or shredded

1 cup of your favorite salsa

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves, crushed

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

6 (8 inch) flour tortillas

2 tablespoons butter, melted

diced tomato, sour cream, guacamole, salsa, and shredded cheddar cheese for topping

 

Process

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.

2. Mix chicken, salsa, cumin, oregano, and cheese. Place about 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture in the center of each tortilla.

3. Fold opposite sides over filling. Roll up from bottom and place seam-side down on a baking sheet.

4. Brush with melted butter. Bake at 400°F for 25 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.

5. Garnish with desired toppings and serve with salsa on the side.

Original recipe and picture from: http://www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com/2012/10/baked-chicken-chimichangas.html#eui8RlSleIZBmBCZ.99

 

Busy Busy!

In case anybody is wondering what a full time college students schedule looks like... here's mine!

 

Taking 17 credits and having 2 jobs definitely was not what I was planning on doing this semester, but I'm trying to be more financially stable so I guess I'll deal with this for one more month! Have a good week everybody and I hope it isn't as filled up as mine is! :)

Easy Pull Apart Pizza Bread

Now that we are both working our nightly supper routine is pretty messed up!  This week at least one of us have been out of the apartment so supper time gets pretty lonely.  On Tuesday night I was hear alone until Katelyn got off work at 8, so for supper I made this recipe!  It's actually really good with or without pizza sauce and is good as leftovers (which we always have a lot of)!  This recipe would also be really easy to cut in half, but we of course didn't realize it until after we made it!  Enjoy this recipe! :)

 

Ingredients

2 Cans of Pizza Dough

2 cups Mozzarella cheese (or your favorite cheese)

2 tablespoons of parsley flakes

⅓ cup olive oil

1 cup Parmesean cheese

9x13 pan

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

2. Cut pizza dough into quarters

3. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and toss so that the oil is spread evenly on each piece of dough

4. Bake for about 30 minutes (or until the top is brown and the center is thoroughly cooked) TIP: Be sure to check it in the middle before you pull it out. If the middle is still not cooked thoroughly be sure to leave it in another 5 minutes at a time until it’s done.

5. Serve with a side sauce and enjoy!

 

Original recipe from: http://sweetandsimpleliving.com/easy-pull-apart-pizza-bread/

 

Spring Break!

Hi everybody!
I just thought I would pop in and let you know what I'm up to!  I'm on Spring Break right now, so I decided to go back to Hudson for a few days and then to work the rest of break.  I was in Hudson from Friday night to Tuesday afternoon.  It was nice to see everybody that I did! I went and watched the Jazz Band competition that Quentin was in and watched the show choir perform.  I also got to see some of my friends that I haven't been able to come back and see.  While I was home I decided to not work at Younkers because I needed a break from all of the working that I have been doing!

The most recent exciting news that I have to share is that I am now working at Hy-Vee in Brookings!  This might be amusing to some of you because you remember that my dream life in 2nd grade was to live in South Dakota and work at Hy-Vee!  Right now I'm just a bagger since I didn't quite have the right hours for the bakery position that I wanted (darn it!).  It seems like a fun place to work and I can't wait to keep learning more!  I am also still working at the movie theater and will be spending quite a lot of time there these next few days! $$$$ :)

Anyways that is what is going on up here in Brookings right now! Hope you all have a great rest of the week! :)

 

Here's the new Vera Bradley tote that I bought a few weeks ago!  I'm obsessed with this print and with how big it is.  I can carry my laptop, multiple binders, and some books in it all at once! :)

 

The BEST Chocolate Chip Cookies I've ever made!!

These are quite possibly the best cookies that I have ever made and ate!  Make sure to pay attention to the ingredients because their kind of different!  Enjoy! :)

Ingredients
3/4 cup (1.5 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 and 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
***I used regular size the first time and then mini the second time, they both work great! It just depends on how many chocolate chips you want in your cookies!

Process
1. In a large bowl using a hand-held mixer or stand mixer with paddle attachment, beat the butter for 1 minute on medium speed until completely smooth and creamy. Add the brown sugar and granulated sugar and mix on medium speed until fluffy and light in color. Mix in egg and vanilla. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. In a separate bowl, combine flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt. On low speed, slowly mix into the wet ingredients until combined. The cookie dough will be quite thick. Add the chocolate chips and mix for about 5 seconds until evenly disbursed. Cover dough tightly with aluminum foil or plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour and up to 2 days. Chilling is mandatory for this cookie dough.

2. Remove cookie dough from the refrigerator and allow to sit at room temperature for 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.

3. Once chilled, the dough will be slightly crumbly, but will come together if you work the dough with your hands as you roll into individual balls. Roll balls of dough, about 1 Tablespoon of dough each, into balls. Bake for 8-9 minutes, until barely golden brown around the edges. They will look extremely soft when you remove them from the oven. Allow to cool for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet. If the cookies are too puffy, try gently pressing down on them with the back of a spoon. They will slightly deflate as you let them cool. Transfer to cooling rack to cool completely.  Do not drop dough onto warm cookie sheets.  Allow cookie sheets to cool completely between batches.

4.Cookies stay fresh covered at room temperature for up to 1 week. Baked cookies freeze well - up to three months. Unbaked cookie dough balls freeze well - up to three months.

Original recipe and picture from: http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2012/08/06/the-chocolate-chip-cookie/

Creamy Chicken Broccoli Pie Pockets

Here's a good recipe that we made last night because we had some leftover pie crust from a soup recipe that we made last month! :)

 

Ingredients

8 oz. cream cheese

4 Tbsp. butter

1/4 tsp. onion powder

1/4 tsp. garlic salt

1 1/2 cups cooked and shredded chicken

1 1/2 cups frozen chopped broccoli

1/2 cup frozen corn

1 box refrigerated Pillsbury Pie Crust

 

Process

1. In a large microwave safe bowl, combine cream cheese and butter. Microwave in 15 second intervals until slightly melted and able to stir until smooth.
2. Add onion powder and garlic salt to cream cheese/butter mixture and stir well.
3. Add chicken, frozen chopped broccoli and frozen corn to cream cheese mixture. Stir until well combined.
4. Unroll both sheets of refrigerated pie crust dough. Cut each of the round pie crusts into quarters.
5. On one quarter of pie crust dough, put 1/4 of cream cheese/chicken mixture (about 3/4-1 cup.) Place a second quarter of pie crust dough over the top (make sure it lines up with bottom quarter) and pinch seams to seal off. You can flute the pie crust edges for a prettier look.
6. Repeat until you have 4 pie pockets. Cut about three small slits on the tops of each pie pocket for breathing. Place on a greased cookie sheet.
7. Bake at 400 degrees F for about 20 minutes or until tops are golden brown.
8. Enjoy! :)

Original Recipe and Picture from: http://www.chef-in-training.com/2013/05/creamy-chicken-broccoli-pie-pockets/

Peanut Butter Chocolate Pretzels

Ingredients
1 cup creamy peanut butter
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
48 Pretzel Crisps® Original Pretzels
10 oz semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
sea salt, to taste

Process
1. In a stand mixer, combine peanut butter, butter, brown sugar, and powdered sugar -till well combined.
2. Roll peanut butter mixture in 1 inch balls and smash in-between two pretzels.
3. In a medium bowl, microwave semi-sweet chocolate in 15 second increments, until melted.
4. Line countertops with wax paper and dip half of pretzel sandwiches in melted chocolate and set on wax paper.
5. Sprinkle with sea salt and let chocolate harden. (This takes a while, so I think you could put them in the fridge if you wanted to!)
6. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

 

Original recipe and photo from: http://www.thenovicechefblog.com/2012/06/chocolate-peanut-butter-pretzel-bites/

Spaghetti Boats!

Here's a really easy recipe that you can make with either fresh spaghetti or leftovers!  We changed the recipe a little, so I'll put the original link at the bottom of the post! Enjoy! :)

 

Ingredients

Leftover spaghetti (approximately 3-4 cups)

1 loaf of garlic bread  

2 cups mozzarella cheese

 

Process

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2. Make spaghetti with sauce like normal.  Cut spaghetti with kitchen scissors before mixing sauce in.

3. Cut the garlic bread in thirds and then cut through the middle.  Place the 6 french bread pieces onto a baking sheet (line with foil for easy clean up). Bake in oven for 5 minutes or until golden brown.  Remove from oven.

4. Top each piece of bread with about 3/4 -1 cup of spaghetti. Then sprinkle on 1/3 cup of mozzarella cheese. Bake for additional 5 minutes or until cheese is nice and bubbly.

5. Allow to cool and enjoy!

 

Original recipe from: http://www.iheartnaptime.net/spaghetti-boats/

Exciting News!

Hi everybody!

I FINALLY found a part time job in Brookings!!  I am now working at the movie theater here in Brookings!  I'll mostly be working on the weekends because my schedule is kind of funny, but they really needed someone for Fridays and I don't have class on Fridays so it's perfect!  I'm hoping to get one more part time job this summer since the movie theater doesn't pay that much, so I'm still searching for now. 

I'm really busy with classes now and have a ton of homework and projects due this week, which explains why I'm so early on a Sunday.  I'm looking forward to Saturday though because I'm going to Sioux City to see mom and to get out of Brookings for a little while! :)

Just wanted to let everyone know my exciting news!
Have a great week! :)

Rootbeer BBQ Chicken!

Here's a really easy crockpot recipe that we made this week!

Ingredients
4 – 5 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts, thawed
18 oz. Sweet Baby Ray’s Honey Barbecue Sauce
1/2 Can of Root Beer {approx. 6 oz.}
1/8 Tsp. Salt
1/8 Tsp. Pepper

Process
1. Cook chicken in crockpot on high for 3 hours {covered}
2. After 3 hours, drain juices from crockpot
3. Mix together BBQ Sauce, Root Beer, Salt and Pepper
4. Pour mixture over chicken, and cook on high for 30 more minutes {covered}

Original recipe and picture from: http://thefrugalgirls.com/2013/07/crockpot-root-beer-barbecue-chicken.html

Fluffernutter Rice Krispies

Ingredients

10oz bag regular sized marshmallows

1/4 cup unsalted butter

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

5 cup Rice Krispies cereal

1 1/4 cup mini marshmallows

1 bag (10oz) Reese's peanut butter morsels, melted

2 bags (8oz each) Reese's Mini Peanut Butter Cups

 

Process

1. In a large pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add marshmallows and turn heat to low. Stir until completely smooth. Remove from heat and quickly stir in peanut butter. Add cereal.

2. Fold in the mini marshmallows. Pour Krispies treats into a 9inch square baking dish lined with parchment paper (or buttered foil). DO NOT PRESS them in tightly. Just very gently even the top of the treats (I use the butter wrapper or marshmallow bag wrapper to press it in). 

3. Top the melted peanut butter morsels with the peanut butter cups. Press those in so they stick! Allow to set, about one hour. Cut into squares and store in an airtight container. ENJOY.

 

Original recipe from: http://www.shugarysweets.com/2013/04/fluffernutter-rice-krispie-treats

2 Weeks Down, Too Many To Go!

Hi everybody!

I just wanted to give everybody a quick update on everything that is going on here in Brookings!
First, we started school again on the 13th!  I am taking 17 credits this semester which makes me a little nervous, but I know I'll be able to do it.  I don't have class on Fridays which is really nice because I always have a long weekend! 

Second, we are moving!  Well, Katelyn and I are moving to a two bedroom/ 2 bathroom apartment that is only 2 blocks from campus.  Without going into the deep and drama filled details, let's just say that living with 3 people (especially 3 girls) can be difficult, especially when there isn't a lot of communication coming from some of the roommates.  Anyways, we're really excited to move into this new apartment and are really looking forward to the end of May when we are able to move in!

Lastly, I am currently trying to find a job for this semester and for the summer so I am able to live up here for the summer months.  It's nice going back and living at home, but it doesn't make a lot of sense to move all of my belongings back to Iowa when I'm still going to be paying for rent over the entire summer.  I had a job interview last week, but do not know if I will get it.  After the interview I'm sure that it is what really want to be doing 2-3 times a week, but we'll see.  If I don't get it then at least I got some job interview practice since I have not had any since my senior year when I interviewed at Younkers!

I think that's all for now! Have a good week and stay warm! :)

Cheesy Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole

Here's one of our newest recipes that we really enjoyed this week! :)

Ingredients
Main Dish
3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 stalks celery, finely diced
3 carrots, peeled and diced
2 Tablespoons fresh minced garlic
2 Cups shredded, cooked chicken breast
2 Cups steamed white rice
16 oz prepared wild rice
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt

Cheese Sauce
4 Tablespoons butter
1/4 Cup all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 Cups chicken broth
2 Cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 1/2 Cups shredded cheddar cheese for the top of the casserole

Process
1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Heat oil into a medium dutch oven or pot over medium heat.  Sauté celery and carrots until softened, about 10 minutes.  Stir in garlic and cook for 1 minute.  Stir in chicken, both rices (prepared), salt, pepper and garlic salt.  Reduce heat to low.
2.  To prepare cheese sauce melt butter into a medium saucepan over medium high heat.  Whisk in flour, salt and pepper then slowly pour in chicken broth whisking continuously.  Whisk until thick and nearly boiling then stir in cheese until melted.  Pour cheese sauce into rice mixture then transfer to a 9×13 inch baking dish. Top with additional cheddar cheese and bake for 25-30 minutes or until cheese is melted through.  Serve.

Original recipe from: http://picky-palate.com/2010/09/13/cheesy-chicken-and-wild-rice-casserole/

I'm back!

Hi everybody!

I know that I haven't posted in a really long time, but I'm back!  I got a new computer recently and couldn't get it to connect to the internet so I decided to take a break from being on the computer for awhile! 

After a month long break in Iowa I'm finally back in Brookings for the semester.  Right now I'm just getting things put away and settling back in here at home!  Classes start on Monday and I'm than happy to get back at it!

Have a great night everybody! :)