Wishing...

I would give anything to have one of these right now!

Picture from Pinterest

Lizett

Leftovers Galore

And just like that, my fave holiday is over :(

Thanksgiving was so wonderful this year. It was our second on our own and I am proud to say we do it well. We spent our day cooking, drinking, and chatting with family via Skype. Warning; this post will be picture heavy.

Dressed and ready to cook!

The beginning (our kitchen is TINY)

Nothing sexier than a man helping in the kitchen!

Carving the turkey

Deliciousness!

Our turkey came out SO tender. It was pretty amazing (if I do say so myself). My mom always put our turkey in a marinade the night before and now I do the same. I will post the marinade later this week but it really gives it an extra something. 

Sadly, the Cowboys lost and I had to go to bed early to work the Black Friday sale (lame), but it was an amazing day. I love it when The Husband and I can just be home and laugh and be silly. Plus, the leftover will feed us for the rest of the week.

Hope you had an amazing turkey day!

Lizett

Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving week!

Thanksgiving is my absolute favorite holiday. I love everything about it! The food, parade, football, and coziness is tough to beat.

Everyone has things that makes their Thanksgiving the best (in their minds) and I thought I would share some of the things that make my Thanksgiving the best in my mind.

1. Martinelli's Apple Cider- This is like the official drink in my house. Growing up, my mom always served it to us in a champagne flute. Even though I drink wine, I always drink cider with my Thanksgiving meal.

2. The stuffing from inside the turkey- Depending on how you grew up, your turkey is either stuffed with deliciousness or completely alone. My mom always put some stuffing inside the turkey and that is the absolute best! It always saddens me when it's all gone.

3. Watching the Cowboys play- Since I met The Husband, football has become part of my traditions. Watching America's Team play is a must.

4. Pie- Enough said.

5. The Hickory Farms platters- I love the cheese and crackers to snack on while we wait for dinner.

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday!

Lizett

Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes

Talk about yummy!

I love pumpkin pie but The Husband is not a big fan (tragic, I know). So since it is not included in our Thanksgiving menu, I got on Pinterest to find an alternative that would satisfy my craving. The recipe is from this blog.

These were super easy to make and definitely satisfied my pie craving. The recipe makes one dozen.

Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes
2/3 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 15-oz can pumpkin puree
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup evaporated milk

1. Preheat oven to 350F and line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper or silicone liners.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin puree, sugar, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla, and evaporated milk until well combined.
4. Add dry ingredients and whisk until there are no flour streaks.
5. Fill each muffin cup with 1/3 cup of batter and bake for twenty minutes.
6. Cool cupcakes, chill before serving and top with whipped cream. They will sink in a little as they cool.

Lizett

Outfit of the Day

I apologize for how awkward my hand looks but it was the best I could do. I've never done an outfit of the day before but I really like how I feel in this dress. The polka dots make it fun and flirty and the colors are good for fall.

Lizett

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins

Hello all!

This chilly night has turned out to be a delightful one. Although The Husband is away, I have been able to make it pretty enjoyable. Baking and Christmas music are two of my favorite things and I was finally able to do both! There is something so soothing about listening to Christmas music while you have something in the oven that fills your home with the aroma of deliciousness. Two glasses of wine doesn't hurt either.

I found this recipe through Pinterest and it was linked back to this blog. It was super fast and I had the majority of the ingredients in my cupboard. I am attending a jewelry brunch tomorrow and hope the ladies enjoy them as much as I did.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup brown sugar

6 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled

1/2 cup peanut butter (I used creamy)

2 eggs

1 cup milk

3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used the jumbo kind because that's what I had)

1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and brown sugar.

2. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the butter, peanut butter, eggs, and milk until smooth. 

3. Pour liquid mixture into flour mixture and mix until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips. 

4. In a paper lined muffin tin, scoop 3 tablespoon size scoops into each muffin cup. Bake in a pre-heated 375 degree oven for 17-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

* I only cooked mine for about twelve minutes

Is everyone ready for the holidays? I can't believe it's already November but I am so excited for the holidays. I did all my Thanksgiving shopping yesterday and am ready to cook it into a delicious dinner for The Husband and I.

Lizett 

Misery

My best friends right now.

Lizett

Chicken and Cheese Enchiladas

The weather lately has been amazing. I love the chill in the air and the changing leaves make my morning walks so enjoyable. Plus, all I want to do is bake and cook. I will use any excuse to turn on the oven.

The Husband had been craving enchiladas and these are super easy to make. I got the recipe from a magazine and believe it is a Campbell's recipe. As I have said million times, I am not a photographer so the pictures will not do the food justice.

Chicken and Cheese Enchiladas
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup sour cream,
1 cup Pace Picante Sauce
2 tsp. chili powder
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
1/2 cup shredded cheese
6 flour tortillas, warmed
1 small tomato, chopped (optional)
1 green onion, chopped (optional)

1. Stir the soup, sour cream, picante sauce, and chili powder in a medium bowl.
2. Stir 1 cup picante sauce mixture, chicken, and cheese in large bowl.
3. Divide chicken mixture among tortillas. Roll up the tortillas and place seam side up in 2 qt. shallow baking dish. Pour remaining picante sauce mixture over filled tortillas. Cover baking dish.
4. Bake at 350 F. for 40 minutes or until enchiladas are hot and bubbling. Top with tomato and onions if you wish.

*I top my enchiladas with shredded cheese before I put them in the oven.

Lizett

Blog Giveaway!

Hello there!

I have been loving the chilly breeze that requires me to put on a sweater and makes boots a wardrobe staple. Fall is by far my favorite season! To celebrate, I have made a list of my fall plans:

- Bake an apple pie from scratch.
- Visit the zoo. I bet it's gorgeous in the fall.
- Go apple picking.
- Go for as many walks as possible before the cold takes over.
- All the pink stuff the stores put out in October to support breast cancer awareness will make for super fun shopping!
- Fall scented candles.
-Learn to use my sewing machine.

Now for the giveaway! Must be a public follower of Stepford Wife in Training. The link to follow is on the left. Just leave a comment letting me know what you have planned for this fall. The winner will be selected at random and receive a $25 Visa gift card.

The contest will close on October 24th at 11:59 p.m. Best of luck!

Lizett

Pintrosity

I was dreading the day I would have to write this post. Alas, that day has come.

A few days ago, I decided to bake chocolate, chocolate chip cookies I saw on Pinterest. I was so excited to officially be baking in the fall and couldn't wait to have a mouthful of chocolate and giant glass of moo juice. I put on my apron and was rocking out to the sweet sound of boy bands. It was good.

However, after I pulled the first batch out of the oven my excitement faded. The cookies had turned into a giant glob and it was as thin as an Olsen twin. I thought maybe I had made them too big (the recipe said to make the huge) so I made smaller ones on the second batch but it didn't help. The third one was no better and although the cookies were edible, I don't like crunchy cookies and threw them away.

I know the altitude messes things up but I am not experienced enough to know what to change to make it work. Some recipes come with changes for high altitude and others don't but still turn out great. It completely killed my baking buzz and now I have to make something I have made before to erase this error.

Lizett

Motivation and Accomplishment

I want to start by saying that I know I have a wonderful life. My husband is truly amazing, I am educated, my friends are great, and we are lucky enough to not have to worry about whether we can pay rent or eat. However, the thing I focus on the most is the one aspect of my life that I dislike... my job. Everyone else seems to love their job.

I tell myself everyday that if disliking my job is my biggest problem, I have a pretty charmed life. I know I could quit if I really wanted to but since our only debt is my student loans, I like feeling that I am helping pay those off as quickly as possible. Plus, the extra money is nice for spending and setting up for the future.

Although my job makes me unhappy I don't really have an idea of what I would like to do. It has really put me in a rut and that horrible mindset of "this is it. This is where you'll be forever." Rather than using it as motivation, I have been looking at it as roadblock. I'm hoping that by writing my feelings down, I will be able to get past the block and work harder to find something I love.

I have always loved to write. I kept a journal from the ages of eight to twenty and used to write short stories that I would pass around the classroom for my friends to read. Even when there is no audience, writing just makes it better. One accomplishment I've had is I was asked to write something for the Alpha Chi Omega national website in February. I had completely forgotten about it and only remembered when I had one of those "I haven't accomplished anything this year" moments.

The point of this post is that I need to stop looking at my job as a roadblock and see it as motivation to get out and do something I enjoy. It's also to tell myself that I shouldn't focus on the one bad aspect of my life because I'm overlooking other wonderful things that have happened to me. Although I may never write professionally, it's good to have a place where I can just write what I feel.

Have you ever felt like you're stuck in a place? How did you move past it? What are the things you tell yourself that motivate you?

Lizett

What I Love About the Springs

I have really fallen in love with Colorado Springs. There is so much to do and it really is breathtaking. After visiting Utah less than two weeks ago, I've decided my life would be perfect if the people I love moved to the Springs.

Here are the things I have grown to love about Colorado Springs:

1. The rainstorms: Compared to Utah, the thunderstorms here are incredible. I love the lightning and the thunder that lights up the darkness. The heavy raindrops automatically soothe me and make want to read a book or cuddle on the couch with The Husband. Plus, our balcony gives us the perfect view of the storms moving in from the mountains.

The view from our balcony

2. There is so much to do here! I feel like there is always some kind of festival or weekly activity to get involved in. Just this weekend we went to the Colorado Springs Balloon Classic. We went at night when the balloons are all lit up and I seriously felt like a little kid. We went the next day in the a.m. to watch them launch but it was too windy so they couldn't fly. However, between the Zoo and Denver being so close there is just no reason to be bored.

The America balloon was the crowd favorite!

3. The restaurants: There are seriously so many great places around here! I love Jack Quinn's but have a new obsession. At the beginning of August, I attended a baby shower for one of my sorority sisters. It was held at The Golden Bee, a restaurant at The Broadmoor. It's an old English style pub and it's seriously a blast. We had the best apple pie and walked around the hotel afterwards. It was wonderful and I had to drag The Husband there the next week. It has become our new date place. Good thing it's so close to home!

Delicious apple pie!

The Broadmoor

So those are my top reasons for loving where I live. Seriously, it would be perfection if I could get my loved ones to move here. However, the trip home did me good.

The Husband and I at Temple Square in Salt City, UT

P.S. I will be having a giveaway for a $25 gift card. Stay tuned!

Lizett

Lettuce Wraps with Spiced Pork

Finally, I had some time to cook. The Husband and I have been on a health kick lately so todays recipe is super healthy. We got it from the Eating Well Diabetes Cookbook and I was very pleased. In the book, it has a sauce that goes with it but for the sake of saving time I skipped the sauce.

Stir-fry

Lettuce Wraps with Spiced Pork
3 teaspoons canola oil, divided
1 pound thin boneless pork chops, trimmed of fat
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 8-ounce can sliced water chestnuts, rinsed and coarsely chopped
1 8-ounce can sliced bamboo shoots, rinsed and coarsely chopped
8 ounces shitake mushrooms
4 scallions, sliced
1 head iceberg lettuce, leaves seperated

1. Heat 2 teaspoons canola oil over medium heat. Add pork; cook until no longer pink. Transfer to plate. wipe pan clean.

2. Add remaining 1 teaspoon oil, garlic, and ginger; cook, stirring constantly until fragrant. Add water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, and mushrooms. Cook stirring constantly until mushrooms have softened.

3. Return pork to pan and stir. Serve sprinkled with scallions and wrapped in lettuce leaves.

Yummy end result

Lizett

It's Been A Hot Minute

Hello friends! I assure you I have been wanting to blog it's just I haven't had much to blog about. I started working and because of the hours I don't have much time to cook and bake like I used to. Not gonna lie, it's been pretty tragic.

Before I started working, I had signed up for sewing lessons and a cake decorating class. It was pretty sad when I had to get my money back because I would not be able to attend. However, after pouting for almost a month, I have decided to go ahead and try to teach myself. There are so many resources online and I found this for super cheap:

I figure I will try and start out with oven mitts or something small. My main problem is I don't know how to turn on the machine or anything but it came with a DVD that will hopefully help. I also have a few friends that know how to sew and hope they will be a good resource.

Hope you had a wonderful Fourth!

Lizett

Pulled Pork Sandwiches/ Memorial Day Weekend

Our holiday weekend was pretty wonderful. It's so nice to have a few days without The Husband's Blackberry going off every few minutes. We definitely used the weekend to relax, explore Colorado Springs, shop, and eat at new yummy places.

The best thing we did was explore Old Colorado. They have a festival called Territory Days and it was a blast. We had to ride a yellow school bus to get there and for some reason that excited me. I'm odd, I know. They had some exotic birds and I don't know why, but this owl creeped me out:

Isn't his face creeptastic?

Anyway, I asked The Husband what he would like me to cook this weekend and he insisted on pulled pork. I found this recipes from a blog that had Cafe Rio copycat recipes. I miss Cafe Rio very much and have made this several times. The pork tastes exactly like it does at Cafe Rio. All I do is butter some buns, toast them lightly, and add some cheese. Voila! Amazing pulled pork sandwiches. I also love this because it requires my amazing crock pot.

How I toast the buns

Pulled Pork
2 pounds pork (we use boneless pork rib meat)

3 cans Coke (NOT diet)

1/4 c. brown sugar

dash garlic salt

1/4 c. water

1 can diced green chilies

3/4 (10oz) can red enchilada sauce 

1 c. brown sugar

1. Put the pork in a heavy duty ziploc bag to marinade. Add about a can and a half of coke and about 1/4 c. of brown sugar. Marinade for a few hours or overnight.

2. Drain marinade and put pork, 1/2 can of coke, water, and garlic salt in crock pot on high for about 3-4 hours (or until it shreds easily, but don't let it get TOO dry) or on low for 8 hours. Remove pork from crock pot and drain any liquid left in the pot. Shred pork.

3. In a food processor or blender, blend 1/2 can Coke, chilies, enchilada sauce and remaining brown sugar. If it looks too thick, add more Coke little by little.

4. Put shredded pork and sauce in crockpot and cook on low for 2 hours. That's it!

Lizett

Road Trip

This last week was great. I decided to join The Husband on the road and tag along to Las Vegas. We hadn't been there in four years so it was fun to explore and see all the new things. The Dolphin Habitat at The Mirage was my absolute favorite place! It took so much not to reach in and touch them. I wish touching one didn't cost an arm and a leg.

The drive was beautiful!

I should be a photographer

Another thing I loved was getting pictures of the state signs. When I was younger, I always wanted to stop and get pictures but my dad took road trips very seriously and always said it would slow us down. Thankfully, The Husband indulged so I could get my pictures and be happy. I did decide that Nevada has the ugliest state sign of the four.

Lizett

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

I'm not a big chocolate person. I like it fine enough but I prefer vanilla. Vanilla milkshakes, cupcakes, cake, and all other things. However, if you pair chocolate with peanut butter, I die! Something about the combination drives me cuckoo bananas. It's like heaven when those two get together.

I got this recipe from The Pioneer Woman. I'm kind of obsessed with her right now. I watch her show every Saturday and Sunday and wonder if being a cowboy's wife is hard. Never in my life would I want to live in Oklahoma but it suits her well.

In the process of making the pie I discovered that the most delicious smell in the world is crushed up Oreos with melted butter. I seriously had to restrain myself from just scooping it up and eating it. Gross, I know.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

25 whole Oreos

4 Tablespoons butter, melted

1 cup creamy peanut butter

1 package (8 ounces) softened cream cheese

1 1/4 cup powdered sugar

1 package (8 ounces) Cool Whip, thawed

Crush the Oreos until they're fine crumbs. Pour melted butter over the top and stir with a fork to combine. Press into pie pan and bake at 350 degrees for 5 to 7 minutes, or until set. Remove from oven and allow to completely cool.

Beat the peanut butter with the cream cheese until smooth. Add powdered sugar and beat until smooth. Add in the Cool Whip and beat mixture until smooth. Pour filling into crust, evening out the top. Chill for at least an hour before serving.

The Husband got to it before my camera did.  The crust was a little crumbly so the edges didn't turn out as nice as I would have liked. However, it was super tasty. My only warning is that it's super rich so one slice will more than satisfy your sweet tooth.

Lizett

And the Winner Is...

And the winner is....

Michelle Rhea. Congratulations! 

All your stories were hilarious. To pick the winner, I assigned each comment a number 1-6 in the order they were posted. I then used a number generator to come up with the winner. Sorry the picture is gross.

The giveaway was fun and I think I might be doing them more often. I am already thinking of future prizes. Please leave comments of what you would like to see given away in the future. Have a wonderful day!

Lizett

Eggs in a Basket

This weekend was pretty great. Friday we went to Denver to have dinner with one my sorority sisters and her husband.  Katie is so fun and it was great to see her. It was also fun to explore new places and we went to a mall that is much nicer than anything we have around here. I was able to pick up some new lipgloss at MAC and am so excited to wear it.

Russian Red on left, Girl About Town on right.

Yesterday was also fun because I had a sorority event to go to. I love putting on a dress and heels and going somewhere fun. All the women are so nice and I have a great time with them. The event was held at the Garden of the Gods Club and the view was absolutely amazing.

Beautiful Colorado

After all that fun, I was not in the mood to cook anything complicated for breakfast today. The Husband mentioned he had never had eggs in a basket so I thought that was easy enough and would be something new for him.

Eggs in a Basket

Two slices of bread of your choice

Two eggs

Sprinkle of pepper

2 teaspoons butter

1. Heat pan to medium and spray with non-stick spray.

2. Take a slice of bread, cut hole in the middle.

3. Take one teaspoon butter and spread on both sides (I like mine lightly buttered, you could use more).

4. Put in pan and let each side brown a little. Break egg into hole in bread. Sprinkle with pepper.

5. Cook until your egg is the way you like it.

Voila!

Lizett

Cheese and Garlic Biscuits

I love bread! I really do. I'm the type of person that will eat the bread basket at a restaurant by myself. It's just so good! As I sit here, I am drooling because I am thinking about the bread and bread dip at Biaggi's. So yummy!

I got this recipe off the Betty Crocker website and liked it because it didn't involve yeast. You see, I'm kind of afraid to work with yeast. It really intimidates me. My goal is to suck it up and work with it sometime soon but for now, I am happy to work without it.

However, even without the yeast I came across a problem. I wasn't paying attention and mixed all the ingredients together instead of having the separate garlic and butter sauce to brush over them. I was really worried about it but when The Husband sat down and bit into one he replied that they tasted like Red Lobster biscuits. Yay!

Cheese and Garlic Biscuits

2 cups Original Bisquick mix

2/3 cups of milk

1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

Heat oven to 450.

Stir Bisquick mix, milk, and cheese until soft dough forms. Drop dough by spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Stir together butter and garlic powder; brush over warm biscuits.

Don't forget to enter my giveaway. Enjoy!

Lizett

Cinnamon Roll Cake

I love cinnamon rolls. The fact that I don't live near a Cinnabon is both a blessing and a curse. It's sad because I can't have their deliciousness. It's a blessing because have you ever seen a Cinnabon? They're usually bigger than my head.

I made this cake in December and tried it again over the weekend. I think it's amazing. The Husband thinks it's amazing. However, I should warn you about something. The absolute best part of this cake is the gooey center. You will have to fight people to eat it like civilized humans and not try and cut out the center.

I love the cinnamon swirls. Right after the oven.

Cinnamon Roll Cake
Cake:
3 c. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1 c. sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 c. milk
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. butter, melted

Topping:
1 c. butter, softened
1 c. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. flour
1 Tbsp. cinnamon

Glaze:
2 c. powdered sugar
5 Tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix everything except for the butter. Slowly stir in the melted butter and pour into a greased 9x13 pan. For the topping, mix all the ingredients together until well combined. Drop evenly over the batter and swirl with a knife. Bake at 350 for 28-32 minutes. For glaze, mix all ingredients together and spread over cake.

The picture doesn't do it justice. I am not a photographer so it is not the cake's fault if it's deliciousness isn't translated.

Lizett