Kielbasa and Brussel Sprouts

I might be the worst food blogger ever. I mean really, I don't know how to follow recipes. AT ALL. Every recipe I find I alter in some way. I don't measure ANYTHING, unless I'm baking.

So I will do my best to explain what I actually did here, because it is DEFINITELY worth repeating!

I have been having an insane craving for brussel sprouts! Honestly, I haven't eaten them in years. I don't really know why, they just didn't have a regular spot in our rotation. So I bought a bag and hit up pinterest!

I found a pin that lead me HERE. To allrecipes of all places. But, it looked interesting so I thought why not?

• 1 tablespoon canola oil (I didn't have any, used olive oil)
• 1 (16 ounce) package kielbasa sausage, sliced into 1/2 inch pieces (I used turkey kielbasa)
• 1 red onion, chopped (Didn't have this. Omitted it completely)

• 14 ounces baby Brussels sprouts, trimmed and cut in half (Only cooking for 2, I used half a package.)
• salt and ground black pepper to taste

I added a few ingredients

red pepper flakes
beer (I used coors light, probably ended up being half the bottle)
ground mustard

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and onion. Cook and stir until onion is translucent, 8 to 10 minutes. (Did all that the same, just minus the onion.) Add the Brussels sprouts, enough beer to cover bottom of pan, sprinkle with red pepper to taste, and about a 1/2 teaspoon- 1 teaspoon of ground mustard) and cook 10 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 
 

 

 





This is what it looked like to start. 



And this is what it looked like in the end. 






This is actually even hubs approved! The beer and mustard flavor brought out the kielbasa taste. The red pepper gives it a tiny kick. The beer caramelizes and makes the brussel sprouts to die for!


This is a new favorite for me, and definitely in the dinner rotation! I am already planning on making it for my parents when they come to visit!!!!




As a side I made roasted potatoes. So I got a little bag of the fingerling potatoes, but you could use any just cut to size. 


Preheat the oven to 425
Toss the potatoes in olive oil and ground beer mustard. 
Bake approx 25 min depending on potato size.
Toss in beer mustard and Parmesan cheese. 


Don't be afraid of the potatoes caramelizing and having dark spots. They aren't burnt! Those are actually the best parts!!!




You know this was a good one because I actually wrote the post the same night we ate it! Yayyyyy for brussel sprouts!!!!!!!!




ETA!!! So I made this again last week. It was still super yummy, but I did a few things differently again! 
I sauteed potatoes in the olive oil for about 10-15 minutes first and then added everything else to them. 
And I added about 1/4 cup of beer mustard in with the beer and ground mustard. 






 It was crazy delish again!

Pretzel and Game Night

I have been craving soft pretzels. So the hubs bought some in the freezer section at the grocery store.
Yuck!
While I was in Nashville visiting my parents we decided to have a pretzel and game night. One of my favorite things to do with both my mom and dad is cook. There is something so grounding about standing in the kitchen together and cooking. Of course wine is ALWAYS involved. Besides the yummy super cab the hubs made in our basement, my 2 favorite red wines right now are Apothic and Primal Roots.

So I started pinning pretzel recipes. I pinned lots! I picked one that had a few different options and went from there.
I found this pin and picked the ham and cheese pretzels to make. My little sister doesn't eat red meat or pork products. I don't understand that AT ALL! :) So I needed a non meat option too. The spinach and cheese one looked good too, so I decided to just use one pretzel recipe and use both stuffings. It was too complicated to try 2 different doughs.

So here is the recipe link for the pretzel part along with the ham and cheese bit. 

And here is where I pulled the spinach and cheese filling from.

The only thing I changed was on accident for this one. My mom grabbed the bread flour instead of regular flour. It didn't seem to make a difference. I also didn't measure the ingredients. I don't like to measure.

These pretzels were PERFECT! They were buttery and golden brown, they were gooey, they were insanely good!

These will definitely make the regular rotation! I am already dreaming of other yummy filling option! Including sweets like butter, cinnamon, sugar or nutella!

We even ate them for breakfast the next morning!

And I overheard my dad tell my mom that she needed to remember the recipe to make it for him again! Dad's approval means the world!

So what do I do with all those tortillas you ask???

In another attempt to save money I am trying to get the hubs to start taking his lunch to work!

He spends WAY too much money eating out, and I am sure he is eating WAY unhealthy too!

So in an effort to make him something quick to grab and different than a sandwich I decided to make him frozen chicken burritos!

I took 5 frozen chicken breasts and cooked them overnight in the crock pot on low with a can of rotel.
Then in the morning I shredded them.

I took my flour tortillas and laid them out on the counter on pieces of foil.

I then layered on the chicken, some refried beans, some mexican rice a roni, and cheese.

I rolled them up.

Wrapped them up in the foil and threw them in the freezer!

Now we have quick easy yummy burritos that the hubs can grab and go!

I eat mine with jalepenos and salsa. The hubs likes to add sour cream.

Now if only I can get him to actually take them!!!

My obsession with tortillas!

I am OBSESSED with tortillas! Really almost all mexican food. Fresh tortillas are leaps and bounds better than any store bought I have ever tried! I had an old recipe that was good so I never even thought about looking for better. Then I came across this pin.

So I thought, might as well give it a try!

I AM SOOOOOOO BEYOND HAPPY I DID!

I have made these 4 times in the last 3 weeks. I told y'all I'm obsessed!

It says to use half lard half shortening for the most authentic version, I only used shortening.
Also in the comments below the blog a few people suggested using baking powder. I used 1 tsp baking powder mixed into the dry ingredients. I haven't used it without so I don't know if there is a big difference or not.
I cook mine in a non greased cast iron skillet.

Pity Party/New Lease On Life

I hate to admit it. I mean I am an adult. I am 32 years old. I am a professional. I am a wife. I am a mother. I pay my bills and clean my house. BUT I miss my parents.
They just came to visit. It's always crazy while they are here. You know, try to fit everything in, feel like your running out of time even the day they get here. And then they leave.
EVERY time I go into a funk when they are gone. I honestly just realized it this time. I am lazy, not a very good wife, short with the kids. I couldn't figure out what was going on. Then it hit me, I am sad my parents live far away and I miss them. And I want my kids to grow up with them. I feel like it's getting too late.
I shouldn't take it out on anybody else. But I do.
They leave and I pick apart my life. Everything that isn't how I want it. The main thing not living near them. Then I go into crazy mode and start coming up with ways to get there.
Trust me they have ranged from starting an Alpaca Farm to making an Adventure Camp for Kids. (I don't have the means for either of those.)
I usually realize that moving to Tennessee is an actual possibility, just not yet, and I move on.
I move on to trying to fix what I can.

So this time that means closet organization and starting a budget to save money for our big move!

I'll start easy. Closet organization.
I loathe putting laundry away. Part of the reason is our master closet is not as big as I would like it so everything just gets squished in there wherever it can find a place. So I dread putting the laundry away and just squishing in more. But I am not all that good at parting ways with my old clothes, and honestly the hubs is even worse!
So I found a pin on pinterest, NOW I CAN'T FIND IT! Don't you hate that? So I am in no way taking credit for the idea, anonymous genius out there---THANKS!
You take all of the clothes in your closets and turn the hangers around backwards. Every single item you take off the bar, turn the hanger around, and hook it on from the back. Probably best to do this at the very beginning of a season. As you wear the clothes and wash them you hang them back up with the hanger facing the right way, so hooking from the front. At the end of the season anything that is left hooked backwards gets thrown out or donated. Or heck, save it for a garage sale! The only things that get free passes are special occasion outfits, suits, formal dresses, jerseys, etc.

Here is a pic of my newly still squishy but organized backwards closet!

It feels so much better! Since I did it middle of season I will probably not do a clean out until after winter and do summer next year. Just an excuse to keep hanging on maybe? :)

Saving money Honey!!!

I am trying to budget, save money, eat better, use less chemicals, do the splits.....just checking to see if you're still there! :) Actually, I am trying to do the splits! It was my new years resolution!


I am also trying to save money on groceries. There are SOOOOO many pins about it! I am not a coupon fan, I actually usually spend more money when I try to use coupons. It's mostly because I buy things a. that I would never ever ever actually need/want and b. I buy the brand names instead of generic and spend the same or more!

So I looked at the advertised specials for my local store. I just went straight to their website before I went to the store. I found out they were having a sale on some things we eat often, so I stocked up! Boxes of mac and cheese are in high demand here! So I got 15 of them for $10!!!!! Same thing with tuna cans! And spaghetti o's! Now I know, not the healthiest, but my 4 and 6 year old would starve if I didn't serve mac and cheese!

My initial bill was pretty hefty. Like heftier than my usually already hefty grocery store bill! But, my next 2 grocery store trips ended up being slightly cheaper than usual!

The other major task I hit up was homemade spaghetti sauce, meat, and pizza sauce!

I bought huge things of ground beef, divided into what looked like 1 lb sections, added chopped green peppers and onions, browned it, put it in a baggie in the freezer!

I put 1 onion and 23 tomatoes in a food processor. Then they spent the night in the crockpot on low along with some garlic and italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Divided into baggies 3 cups for pasta sauce, 1 cup for pizza sauce and popped them in the freezer!

Now on spaghetti night I thaw a baggie of meat and a baggie of sauce and then simmer them while the pasta cooks. Voila! Super quick and easy meal!

*I LOVE the way this turned out for pizza sauce. Super yummy! But for me this was a little thin, runny, watery for my spaghetti. I found this recipe through pinterest and I think I will try it for next time.

I made pizza. I am not a pizza fan. This was so super yummy! I think the hubs finally has a pizza partner, but only if I make it!

I used this pizza dough recipe.
Then I topped the kids with pepperoni and cheese. I topped mine and the hubs with pepperoni and pepperoncinis and cheese. Baked for 15-20 minutes, I think mine was 17! Super delish!

Somewhere over the Rainbow Bread

So this pintrial came completely out of necessity! Avery cam home from school with the dreaded stamp on her hand. NO MORE LUNCH MONEY. I didn't have time to get to the store, I HAD to make lunch, I had no bread, I got an idea!

I remembered a pin I did a long time ago. Rainbow bread. I like to make bread at home but I don't have a bread maker. Let me warn you now that the link I will send you to uses a bread maker. She links you to a bread recipe without a bread maker on ehow. I will tell you right now you can use any soft loaf bread recipe you want. The magic comes in the colors!

Now honestly, I haven't even tasted the bread. But both kids, plus the 3 neighbor kids that showed up in my kitchen when they heard we were baking rainbow bread, can attest to the taste! The thing about it that matters, it looks freaking awesome!

Who wouldn't want a sandwich made out of that?????

I followed all the recipes this time. We only used 5 colors instead of 6. We mixed all the colors by hand because it was more fun. And my loaf pans were a little smaller. I chopped off the ends to make it even and just threw those in to free form bake. Kids loved those mini breads the most. Otherwise I was a good little baker and followed directions!

Here is the recipe link that I followed.

My only other mistake is I sliced the bread while it was still warm and I should have let it cool more. But the kids and I were both a little impatient.

I am super impressed with this whole project. The fun of making it, and the outcome. I highly recommend!