This Week's Dinner Line Up

Smitten Kitchen's Black Bean Tacos with Feta and Slaw

Here is our menu for the week!
Monday: King Ranch Casserole
Tuesday: Crock Pot Orange Chicken with rice
Wednesday: Crisp Black Bean Tacos with Feta and Slaw
Thursday: Grilled Chicken, Baked Apples , and baked potatoes
Friday: Homemade Cheese Pizza
Saturday: Chicken nuggets with cauliflower and Yogurt Fruit Salad
Sunday: Eating with the in laws

Happy Eating!

Muffins, and Eggs, and Smoothies, Oh My!

Breakfast is my favorite meal to make. It can make your entire house smell delicious for the rest of the day, depending on what you choose to make. It might be debatable whether some find the bacon aroma superb or not, but I LOVE it! Mixed with the fragrance of my fresh brewed cup of coffee, I believe that bacon plus coffee, should be bottled up and sold!
I always enjoy making muffins because it allows me to have something on hand for the entire week. Penelope occasionally likes a muffin with her lunch, or for a snack when she wakes up from nap with a big cup of cold milk. I have tried a zillion muffin recipes and not until recently have I hit the jackpot. I think what I was always missing was the crumb topping.
Here it is in all its crumb topping glory!

Blueberry Muffins
(sorry for the fuzziness, the camera had some smudges on the lens!)

I've stated before that I often simplify a recipe if I can. This recipe instructs you to brown the butter in a skillet and instead, I chose to just microwave the butter. Many other muffin recipes I've tried have you microwave the butter so I thought why not use this method instead. I'm sure browning the butter in a skillet will give you a different taste (and maybe even better if that's possible!) but as far as I'm concerned, this effortless method still created a phenomenal muffin.

Another breakfast we enjoy around here is something that combines the egg with the toast in a most fabulous marriage! It's extremely easy and tasty and if it weren't for my dear friend Dena, I never would have learned about it. It's the Pioneer Woman's egg in the hole.

Egg in the hole

And here is a happy girl eating her egg in the hole!



And last but not least, another Pittman fave is smoothies. I always keep plain yogurt, frozen bananas, and frozen blueberries in my fridge. Some mornings I break out the blender and make Penelope and myself a hearty smoothie. I also incorporate oatmeal in my smoothies, even if it doesn't call for it. I find that I like the thickness it gives the smoothie. And it never hurt anyone to have a dash of more oats in your diet! Here are some of the recipes I have enjoyed.

Banana Oatmeal Smoothie

(instead of the ice it calls for, I use frozen bananas which give it a thicker texture!)

Your Southern Peache's Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie
(again, I substitute the ice with frozen bananas)

Martha Stewart's Oatmeal Smoothie

I hope this has inspired you to try something new! If you have a favorite morning meal, please do share and leave your recipe in the comments section! I'd love to test it out!

Beautiful Mayhem

Wednesday afternoon, the girls and I had to meet Brandon at church for Ash Wednesday service. As we were preparing to head out the door, I had a moment that felt worthy of blogging about.
Since Brandon was at work, I was on my own to get bags packed, girls dressed, and get myself looking somewhat presentable. We had to be at church at eleven, which meant in the car, pulling out of the driveway, by ten thirty.
I decided to prep Penelope first since she was awake and what do you know. She had already gotten herself "dressed." Dressed these days consist of three random mismatched items that she has compiled together in addition to two unmatched socks. Well I had to give it to her, she was ready. After letting her choose one of the items on her body to leave on, (she chose the shirt), I grabbed a pair of jeans, a sock that matched one that she had already put on herself and shoes. Done. Then I prepared her backpack with books, snacks, and water bottle. Penelope was completely ready and so that left Scarlett and myself.
I hurried and picked out my clothes, got dressed and threw on minimal makeup. Scarlett had woken up early from her nap which left her in a very grumpy state. This resulted in me having to hold her as my attempts to find something to soothe her failed. I was running around the house with baby in arms trying to get everything else done (Lionel Richie outside with water, find my keys and phone, make sure stove was off, yada yada, and the list goes on!) I got Scarlett in her onsie and socks and then loaded her into the carseat. The clock was ticking and it looked like I was making good time. I had to get Scarlett's diaper bag prepped and then I was ready to head out the door!
But then something happened, the pivotal moment that made my time go from good to bad, the moment I can attribute for my tardiness. A moment that you can not prepare for. Double meltdowns!
As Scarlett sat so nicely and patiently in her car seat, I gathered the last few items for the diaper bag. But then just like that, her disposition went from content to angry! Her loud screams let me know that she no longer wanted to be in that car seat. Hearing Scarlett screaming must have reminded Penelope that she too was frustrated, because just like that, Penelope starting crying. The cries in my household can often times be contagious. If one girl starts whaling, the other feels it is necessary to cry as well, regardless of their prior happy disposition.
Running into the living room, I saw Penelope attempting to put on a jacket, but with one arm in the wrong hole (not to mention it was also inside out). Her extreme irritation expressed that she wasn't going to figure this one out on her own, and needed mommy to come to the rescue. In my greatest efforts to somehow keep on schedule, I quickly helped her out of her entanglement and put her jacket on correctly. However, this was only the beginning of her meltdown.
I was still helplessly listening to Scarlett screaming, knowing that she would only calm down if one of two things occurred. A) I got her out of the carseat or b) if I could get her loaded into the car and start moving. Since I needed to leave, option a was not a choice and I would have to continue to hear her angry sobbs for a bit longer. These are the times when my mantra comes into play. When I am unable to get Scarlett at her sobbing moments, like when I am helping Penelope go potty, or I'm pulling dinner out of the oven, or my hands are tied up doing something else, I repeat, "all right, all right, all right, all right." This translates into, "Hold on baby for just one more second, I'm coming!"
With Scarlett still screaming, I grabbed the diaper bag, Penelope's backpack and placed Scarlett in carseat, on my arm. Penelope was still crying (playing the "who can cry the loudest?") but this time she was crying about her lost baby. I told her to run into her room to search in the bed.
I felt I was forgetting something and with absolutely no hands available to even grab something if I wanted to, realized my untouched (and most likely cold) coffee was still on the bar.
My first cup of joe in the morning is the most critical part of my day. Without it, I cannot exist and carry on throughout the rest of my day. At this point, I had a screaming baby in a carseat and my two year old shouting at me from her room and I knew I had to leave the house. I yelled to Penelope to worry about baby when we got back, and headed out the door. My plan was to get Scarlett in the car, Penelope situated in her carseat, then make a run back into the house for my coffee cup. As I sprinted back into the house to retrieve my coffee, I stood at my door way for a split second. I laughed at how crazy hectic it was for me to get both girls ready and how frazzled we all got.
On the way to church, I was reminded that I needed to do one more thing before I left the house, use the restroom! I had actually been holding it for some time and kept telling myself I'd do it. First it was after I got the diaper bag packed, then it turned into, after I got Scarlett in her carseat, and so forth and so forth . Unfortunately, my need to use the restroom was not on the mommy mental checklist and was easily forgotten.
Later that evening, I shared with Brandon how insane my morning went. I told him that I truly didn't know how I was going to do it with two more children, and I didn't understand how parents made it look so easy.
I got to thinking about back when I had no children and only had to worry about myself. Prechildren life. I remember I would sleep in as late as possible to maximize my time in bed. I would get up, have a cup of coffee, sit on the couch, watch the news and then get ready. I would leave thirty minutes before I had to be at my destination, with TWO free hands, no, maybe just one because my left hand would be holding my coffee cup and my right hand would be available to open the door, close the door and lock it. I wouldn't have to turn back around for a second trip to retrieve anything else, because I did it all in my first trip. And the most shocking part, I was actually PUNCTUAL! That's an old concept now.
But the thing about my prechildren life, was that there was obviously something missing. A love that can only be summed up in one word, indescribable. Wednesday, when I stood back and observed my five month old Scarlett screaming in her carseat, and my two year old Penelope whaling with her arm swinging to get into her jacket, I realized that my life is a beautiful mayhem and I wouldn't want it any other way. I would never trade my two a.m. disturbances when I go to check on my crying Scarlett and along the way, stub my toe from a toy that was left out, for the nights I used to get a full ten hours of sleep. I would never trade the worrisome and self consuming anxiety I feel when I leave my girls, wondering if they're all right, for the unattached luxury of coming and going as I please. I would never want to go back to the days when I was able to eat my food hot, because that would mean I wouldn't be getting a little girl her "dip", chocolate milk, and more chichin as she calls it (translation, chicken!) . I would never want to go back to the days when my house was neatly kept, with clean floors, no traces of playdough in the carpet, or blue crayon lining the wall. I would never want to go back to the days when I only had Brandon's and my clothes to wash, because that would mean I wouldn't have sweet little pink onsies to put away, or red Elmo pajamas to fold up and ruffled dresses to hang up. I would never trade the loud public restroom announcements that "Mommy goes peepee," for convenient in and out bathroom breaks, because that would mean, I wouldn't get to hear a beautiful voice calling me mommy. I would never trade my late morning starts for my seven am ones now, because that would mean I wouldn't start my day with an amazing little girl who coos when I talk to her and wraps her little hand around my pointer.
My life is so much more fascinating and fulfilling with these two amazingly delicate miracles. I am beyond blessed to be a part of this beautiful mayhem and only hope that they too, feel the same.

Taking Risks

Lately, I've been inspired by two things, deer skulls and gallery walls. Yes, skulls. But don't judge yet. I think you might see what I'm talking about after see you these beautiful rooms.

Pinterest

Pinterest

Pinterest

See? What did I tell you? Changed your mind now? They're quite the conversational pieces.Now my other obsession is gallery walls. I like the eclectic, yet cohesive look it gives to a room.

Pinterest

Pinterest

Pinterest

So where am I going with all of this? Hanging a skull in a room is a huge risk. It can either make a room look interesting, or it can make the room look awkward, and make your guests question, why in the world does this house have a dead animal's skull hanging in it? I decided to take the plunge. That's the great thing with decor. If you don't like it, it's easy to take down, and ta-da, quick fix.
I also decided to create a gallery wall, but on a smaller scale. Brandon's philosophy is less is more. He doesn't like to have too much on the walls, so actually, I was a bit worried he'd see my end product and veto it. I created two little clusters, and while I continue to change it, I'm happy with the end result for now. I'm sure tomorrow I'll take one of the pieces down and replace it with something else. Taking risks in my home is something that I get great joy out of. I know that if I'm not happy with my product, I'm not married to it, and I can start all over. Here are some photographs of my gallery wall and our new addition to the family, Mr. Skeletor.

Say Hello to my little friend!

gallery wall for now...



Our other little friend, the peacock...

Where have you taken risks in your home? If you haven't taken any risks, go for it! You've got nothing to lose and everything to gain!

This Week's Dinner Line Up

Here is this week's dinner line up! And for us Catholics, Lent starts this week which means Fridays will turn into cheese pizza nights (olives for Penelope and I), and ex naying the pepperonis! Later in the week, I'll post some of the Pittman's favorite breakfast dishes!

Monday: Chicken Enchiladas with refried beans
I made these tonight and the sauce was really yummy! I simplified the instructions a bit because I have a two year old and an almost five month old who both long for my attention around dinner prep time. The recipe instructs you to separate the onions and tomatoes out from the sauce by straining it and I wasn't about to make things so complicated. I simmered the sauce a little longer which brought the tomatoes down more and then simply used the sauce just as so, no straining, and they turned out most perfectly.
Tuesday: Frito Pie
Wednesday: Hearty and Healthy Bean and Cheese Nachos (and by healthy, I mean that they will have two wholesome dairy products on them, an abundance of cheese and all natural sour cream)
Thursday: Glazed Pork Chops with baked potatoes and veggies
Friday: Homemade Cheese Pizza and below I've included the recipe that I've adapted. I included it in another post but I thought I'd break it down more for you since I tend to ramble on about what I've changed and haven't changed in a recipe.
Saturday: Chicken nuggets, fresh fruit, and carrot sticks
Sunday: Chicken Vegetable Soup

Here is the pizza crust recipe I've adapted from the brown eyed baker

Pittman Perfect Pizza Dough:

Ingredients
½ cup warm water
1 envelope (2¼ teaspoons) of Fleischmann's Pizza Crust Yeast
1¼ cups water, at room temperature
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
4 cups bread flour (or I used 4 overflowing cups of All Purpose Flour and it worked!)
1½ teaspoons Kosher salt

Directions:
1. Measure the warm water into a 2-cup liquid measuring cup. Sprinkle in the yeast and let stand until the yeast dissolves and swells, about 5 minutes. Add the room temperature water and oil and stir to combine.

2. Combine the flour and salt in a mixer using the paddle attachment (at a speed level of 2) and then pour in the liquid ingredients. If the dough does not readily form a ball , you may need to add a tiny bit of water. It should do this after approximately three to five minutes. If the dough looks too sticky then a bit of flour will help it to ball up. The dough's consistency should end up being smooth and elastic.

3. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead by hand for a few strokes to form a smooth, round ball. Put the dough into a deep oiled (again I used EVOO) bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled in size, 1 to 2 hours. Press the dough to deflate it.

4.Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Divide the dough into two pieces. Form each piece of dough into a smooth, round ball and cover it with a damp cloth. Let the dough relax for at least 10 minutes but no more than 30 minutes. If you are only wanting to make one pizza you can store the other ball of dough in the freezer for another day. Wrap it up in some seran wrap and then throw it in a freezer bag. The day you want to use it, throw it in the fridge to thaw it out.

5. Preheat your oven to 500 and start assembling your pizza. Place the pizza crust on a lightly oiled (EVOO) baking sheet and stretch out to resemble a circle. Then slop some tomato sauce on it, then some mozzarella cheese or any other cheese your heart desires, and lastly, any other toppings you crave.

6. Bake it for 8-12 minutes or if you like it a bit crispier like myself, I venture closer to the 15 minute range.

7.Now go and enjoy your masterpiece pizza pie!

This Week's Highlights

This week started out beautifully! Tuesday was Valentine's Day, and Penelope and I decided to get our aprons on and bake up some cookies. I am elated to share with you the greatest sugar cookie recipe on earth, and it's no surprise that I found it through Pinterest! I'm not a huge sweet, cookie fan, but this sugar cookie has got it going on and has permanently bumped my old one out! Thanks to Bee in our Bonnet for this superb cookie recipe!

Sugar Cookie Recipe:

2 cups of butter (room temp, set it out before you make)

2 cups sugar

3 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. almond extract

1 tsp. lemon extract

6 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

Cream the butter and sugar first, add the rest of the wet ingredients. Mix the dry ingredients in separate bowl, then add dry ingredients as you mix. Wrap the dough in saran wrap and let it chill. I left mine in the fridge overnight.
Then roll it out, cut out your cookies, and bake them in the oven on 375 for six to eight minutes. Bee in our bonnet says that the time will vary depending on the thickness of the cookie.

Sugar cookies are the GREATEST because they're such a versatile cookie and can reflect any holiday! In honor of Valentine's Day, Penelope and I broke out the red and pink sprinkles and got to shakin'.


These cookies were DELISH! They reminded me of the super soft sugar cookies you buy at the grocery store. You know, the ones that crumble in your hand because they're so soft! Be sure to check out the link to get an all comprehensive 101 on royal icing. I didn't use the royal icing on my cookies because the recipe produced A LOT of icing and I didn't have the time to divvy it up and create the various colors I wanted, but I will go back and try it. I always use royal icing on my Christmas sugar cookies so I'll be testing it out before the holidays.


The rest of the week carried on and then came Friday. Friday was a GREAT day for me. I found a new treasure! I was really excited to find this table! I've been on a hunt for a table of this size to either put in our bedroom or the living room, and after trying it out in the living room, I decided to place it in the master.
(I know it's not the greatest picture and please don't take notice of the crooked frames and the pictures slipping in the far right frames! Read on to find out why they're crooked and I'll put on my to do list this week, fix frames!)

Funny story about this table. I've wanted to change out my nightstand with something different. I've been on a hunt for a small three drawer dresser or a table like this. I thought it might work so I attempted it and here is what it looked like.

I had to push the bed more to Brandon's side in order for it to fit in the space. When I stepped back to observe the new arrangement, I wasn't completely thrilled with the look. I thought that perhaps it was the location of the bed and that maybe it would look better if the bed was on the other wall. So what did this crazy woman do?I moved every last single piece of furniture in our bedroom. The girls were napping so I knew I had to make it quick. I didn't take a picture of the new layout, but needless to say, I wasn't happy with that arrangement either. So I put everything back the way it originally was, and placed the table under our photo wall. I have learned that the bed itself is not the heavy part, it's the mattress and the box spring that weighs a ton! After placing the table under the photos, I observed the room as a whole. I was very pleased with the new addition. I love incorporating natural wood furniture with our white furniture. I believe it brings a sense of masculinity to the room and helps anchor it. That being said, Brandon asked me last night if I really liked the piece. Of course I do, I bought it, didn't I? Then he told me it looked like it came from the 80's. Lovely. Now he's got me second guessing myself, and now I'm thinking I should strip it and refinish it. Not quite sure...But for now, it houses itself under the crooked pictures until I decide otherwise.
And speaking of moving furniture, yesterday, my lovely sister in law invited us over to assist in creating a more warm and inviting space for her office, and naturally I jumped at the opportunity! No one loves moving furniture and hanging pictures more than yours truly! After a couple hours of moving furniture, photos, and other items around, we accomplished a more cohesive look. While I felt I could have done more, I left with a feeling that we had an overall productive evening. I was so grateful to my sister in law who was extremely kind to even consider me for this undertaking, and I look forward to seeing the next room in her house be transformed, her sweet nursery.
I hope this upcoming week holds as many great moments as this week did. My little Scarlett is about to turn five months and I'm beside myself. As cliche as it sounds, I don't know where the time has gone! To all the readers, thanks for taking the time to read my blog, and please feel free to leave a message letting me know you too think my new treasure is from circa 1980! ☺

Organized Chaos

Organized chaos, this is what we call an oxymororn. A figure of speech that combines opposite terms. When I think of the girls' closets and the toy closet, this is what comes to mind, organized chaos. It's where the closet can be in complete shambles but you still know exactly where everything is. I've never been one to care too much for structured, presentable closets. Penelope's closet is always in a disarray. She loves to change her clothes multiple times a day, and the unwanted items get thrown just about wherever looks like a great place to home them. I am never phased by this until the day when I go in to look for something, and I can't find it. Then the frustration begins...I start throwing things to one side of the closet, clearing out that side, and then repeat this when I get to the other end of the closet. One big MESSY attempt to find an item that could have easily been found, had I kept her closet clean. This weekend was my last frustrating meltdown. I couldn't find her second plaid rain boot, nor could I find her khaki jacket. After looking for what seemed to be thirty minutes, and finding things that I wasn't even looking for, I started tossing everything out that had been nestled in the back of her closet for who knows HOW LONG! I decided this was going to be my weekend project. So on Saturday morning, I made this my undertaking and stayed in my pajamas until two thirty in the afternoon. My motivation stemmed from my latest pins on Pinterest. I am absolutely inspired and stunned by these exquisitely created and organized closets.
Pinterest
HGTV
JudithHeadtoToe

After I pinched myself and came back to reality, I knew that I didn't have the funds to go out and purchase shelving, baskets, floor storage, or matchy matchy hangers. I did on the other hand, have items in my house that were FREE (I love that word!) and not being utilized. So with pajamas and cape on, Super Mommy committed to OPERATION CLEAN CLOSETS! And may I say, how tickled I am with the end results!

Here is a before picture of Penelope's closet.




And here are the after photos:




I felt an amazing sense of accomplishment after looking at this, and so guess what this little Martha Steward did? I went to the toy closet. That's right. I felt so productive and I wasn't going to stop at just Penelope's closet. Here is a before picture of the toy closet.


And the after:


Last but not least, is the kitchen pantry. It's a work in progress and I continue to work on it, and I am pleased with it as of today. I would love to get wooden crates, but every time I find them, they seem to be more than I'm willing to pay. Maybe this year at Antique Alley I'll get lucky!



Do you see the dangling label hanging from the bottom left basket? That's my failed attempt at putting labels on my baskets. When you have successfully organized a closet, you should stop there. I got too ahead of myself, and this is what I get, a dangling label!

Scarlett's closet is my next conquest. However, I'll be in my pajamas all day for that showdown!