Lovin the Foreman!

Cheesy Chicken, Bacon & Avocado Quesadillas

4 medium-sized flour tortilla shells or corn tortilla's for (gluten free)
1 lb chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces
salt and pepper
8 strips of bacon, cooked & crumbled
1 avocado, diced
mild cheddar cheese, shredded

I love fast nights mainly because I use my George foreman grill which I got for my parent's last Christmas, but I'm the only one that uses it, so in that case I take advantage of it!

We have panini's once a week with either soup, or fruit.

Plug in the George foreman, spray with Pam Butter and wait till it heats up.
1. Tbsp oil in frying pan, saute the chicken first, i also season it at this time. Cover and cook until chicken is lightly brown and crisp.
2. Cook the bacon, I use the microwave because it's faster but you can do it either way.
3. Slice up the avocado
4, Layer one side of the tortilla with chicken, bacon, avocado, and a little cheese. Use tongs to flip the other half of the tortilla over and press down. Cook the tortilla for about 1-2 mins on each side or until golden brown and crispy.

Serves 4, but I double the recipe because it always goes fast!

Lazy day and snacking.

I love having my Fridays off, but lately I use it as my lazy day and do absolutely nothing and then later in the afternoon I feel completely guilty for doing so;

But today was different well sorta... My one day to sleep in, and I get woken up at 6:45am remembering that the garbage truck comes early and forgot to take the garbage out the night before. Now normally I would have just put shoes on and go out in my PJ's, but since we have construction going on next door I decided better wear something that won't attract me so much. So I put on a hoodie and sweats and and my running shoes. I rolled a 50 pound garbage bin down a 1/2 mile driveway occasionally having to stop to give my hands a break. Note to self, I should have worn gloves! Then I ran my hardest speed back home. So that was my morning workout, as I went back to bed.

Got up around noonish to make me some coffee and snacks, Lately I've been addicted to rice cakes, but today I made Cinnamon sugar chips. I normally make it with corn chips, but since I was the only one eating them I used flour ones.

Baked Cinnamon Sugar Chips
Ingredients:6 taco sized (small) flour tortillas/corn tortillas
1 tbsp. melted butter or spray butter
3/4 cup sugar
4 tsp. cinnamon

Directions:

 

I cut all my tortilla's with a utility scissors into triangles, then I dip the pieces in butter or you can just spray them. then I sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on top. I put them overlapping on parchment paper on a cookie sheet in the oven on 350 for 20 minutes. I experiment on the minutes. Like I said, I never use recipes while cooking I just throw things in.

 

 

MMm Pumpkin Pancakes with Cinnamon Syrup

I love pumpkin! I love carving pumpkins, decorating with pumpkins, and especially eating pumpkin! This was the yummiest dinner I made for tonight. I was craving something sweet! Oh and btw, this made an awesome aroma inside the kitchen! I will definitely make it a few more times before Thanksgiving! Lately I feel like I’ve got to fill myself with all the pumpkin I can before then!

                                                   
First of all, I cheated, I bought a bulk pkg of "Stonewall Kitchen Pumpkin Pancake mix" on amazon a couple of months ago because they were having a good deal on it. You can also make belguim waffles too, as I do with my maker, but I was in the mood for pancakes, and plus you can eat more that way!

I did however make my own syrup. Here's the recipe:
Cinnamon Syrup:
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 Tablespoons all purpose flour
1tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup water

Stir all ingredients together in a small saucepan. Over medium heat, stir occasionally until boiling. Let it boil for a few minutes while stirring until it thickens. Remove from heat and set aside until needed.

Why I love Fall

                  Today I give you the Top 10 Reasons Why I Love Fall!

 1. Cooler Temperatures
Even if all the other stuff didn't come along with Autumn, it'd still be my favorite season for this reason alone. Days are getting shorter, high temps are gradually getting lower, the sky seems to be getting bluer, and it's time to dig out the comfy jeans and hoodies for another go-round.

2. A Busy Kitchen
With the heat of Summer gone, Crock pot cooking begins and then oven is preheated to some yummy delights!  It makes me wanna get in there and whip up some yumminess! Nothing says "Fall's Here!" like a batch of warm Pumpkin  Pancakes, Homemade Apple Sauce, or a pot of Beef Stew!

3. Crackling Fires
Now that we have a fire pit right outside,  I love me a good fire! There's nothing like sitting around the fire pit in hoodies, outside in the cool evenings with friends and family, finishing off the last of the season's marshmallows.

4. Harvest Time
It's mind-boggling to me when I stop to think of how our crops grow. I mean, putting one tiny kernel of corn in the ground that will eventually grow to produce hundreds of kernels. Who else but God, I ask you!? Amazing! I always say that Harvest time in the country is fast and furious, but such a joy to watch as farmers gather in their bounty. And even more fun this year, as my dad is a farmer taking over my grandparent's crop, It's been a fun experience!

5. Road Trips
Road Trips, Those mini road trips that you go for the weekend, and now having Fridays off makes for more of them! I love going on road trips with friends or family enjoying all the sceneries of the fall leaves.

6. Yummy Smells
Fall seems to put me in the mood for candles. How about you? And now that Scenstsy is around it's even better, there's so much Holidays Smells that  fills it with wonderful aromas. I like anything fall-related, like Harvest, Spiced Pumpkin and Mulled Cider.

7. Hot Drinks
Now that the weather is beginning to cool off a bit, I've taken some of my favorite tall mugs out of storage and returned them to their rightful place for the season. For me, they will hold the warm, delicious sweetness of things like spiced cider fresh from the orchard and homemade hot chocolate, as well as cappuccino and coffee with a hint of flavored creamer. My favorite this time of year is Pumpkin Spice.

8. Warm Colors
I think there's just something so delightful about all the warm, rich colors of Autumn, and they speak loudly to me of an awesome Creator! I love the browns and golds of dried crops, Indian corn and mums, and the reds and oranges of the Sugar Maples and pumpkins. It all just gives me a warm fuzzy inside and seems to scream "Cozy!" And this is why I especially want to redecorate my room in browns and deep color's if only I could find something soon!

9. A Slower Pace/Structure
After the busyness of Summer, I really appreciate the fact that Fall calls me to slow down a bit. School has started, fresh new round of babies starting in my class, getting every one's new schedules in tact. It's a bit like Nesting I guess, in that I'm anticipating Winter.

10. Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is a warm Holiday in which it's nice. Someday I hope to Host a Thanksgiving, I love decorating for it, and just being in charge of it would be fun, sometimes when I get to cooking and decorating the table, I feel like a 1950's housewife and I like it. It's a leisurely day to both rest and relax, and just hang out and enjoy each other! No one's out running around, it's not a hard holiday to schedule, and nobody has to bring gifts!

New Blog

I've been wanting to re-create a new blog, mainly a blog with cooking and work. A blog that I can talk about how much cooking means to me, recipes I can have on hand and cuddling with my babies and their artwork and our daily activities or just a blog where I can show all my love of working with babies.

So bare with me on everything, it's been awhile since I've blogged so I'm a little rusty, and btw, I hate the layout of everything why does it have to be so complicated?