Feeling Pregnant!

To me this is a GREAT thing. With my miscarriage I had VERY LITTLE symptoms of being pregnant. This time is the total opposite. I won't go into detail of all of my lovely symptoms, but I am happy to say they are the exact same things I experienced with Landon and so strong. This makes me so happy. I will gladly experience these symptoms over not being pregnant.

David and I were talking names last night. With Landon it was so easy for me to pick out a boy name and a girl name (even thought I was convinced Landon was a girl up until I stared at the ultrasound for forever and it proved me wrong). This time around I am leaning more towards boy names. Not to say that I wouldn't love a little girl, but I know what to expect with a little boy. Also, the Chinese Gender Chart says this one is a little boy as well. Check it out and let me know if it was right for you! I would love to get some feedback on this. Anyway...needless to say we have a long way to go until we NEED a name and we have a lot of discussions to have between now and then!

Smashed Potatoes

I got this wonderful idea from Pioneer Woman Cooks and adapted it to fit us.
Basically you take potatoes, boil them and then smash them. I put a thin layer of olive oil on the pan so they wouldn't stick. I then took a potato masher and smooshed the potatoes. I brushed a little bit of olive oil on top and added salt and pepper. I let them bake for about 30 minutes at 350F. After that I put some cheese on top and stuck them back in for a few minutes to let the cheese melt. We added sour cream later.
These turned out great! The above picture doesn't do them justice. They are a lot like baked potatoes only better! They have that little bit of crunch on the peel that is needed to make they oh so yummy!

Creamy Lemon Bars

I made these for David for his birthday and they are wonderful!
Ingredients:
20 Nilla Wafers, finely crushed
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) cold margarine
1 pkg cream cheese
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 Tbsp flour
3 Tbsp grated lemon peel
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350F. Line 8-inch square baking pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides of pans; set aside. Combine wafer crumbs, 1/2 cup flour and the brown sugar in medium bowl. Cut in margarine with pastry blender or two knives until mixture resembles coarse crumbs; press firmly onto bottom of prepared pan. Bake 15 min.

Meanwhile, beat cream cheese and granulated sugar with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add eggs and 2 Tbsp flour; mix well. Blend in 1 Tbsp of the lemon peel, lemon juice and baking powder; pour over crust.

Bake 25 to 28 min or until center is set. Cook completely. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and garnish with remaining grated lemon peel, if desired, just before cutting into squares to serve. Store leftover squares in refrigerator.

Taco Bake

Ingredients:
1 pkg. Kraft Deluxe Macaroni and Cheese Dinner
1 lb. ground beef
1 pkg. taco seasoning
3/4 cup water
3/4 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese
1 cup salsa

Preheat oven to 400F. Prepare dinner as directed on package. While macaroni is cooking, brown meat; drain. Add taco seasoning mix and water to meat; simmer 5 min.

Stir sour cream into prepared dinner. Spoon half of the dinner mixture into 8-inch or 9-inch round baking dish; top with layers of the meat mixture, 2 cup of the cheese and remaining dinner mixture. cover.

Bake 15 min. Top with salsa and remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Bake, uncovered, an addition 5 min or until cheese is melted.

Makes 6 servings, 1 cup each

Jazz it up: For extra crunch, prepare and bake as directed, topping with 1/2 cup coarsely crushed tortilla chips along with the salsa and cheese.

Sloppy Joes

(Sorry for the crushed bun, that's what you get when they were frozen)
I made them extra sloppy for ya! :)
Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef
1/4 cup onion
1/4 cup bell pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon yellow mustard
3/4 cup ketchup
3 teaspoons brown sugar
salt
ground pepper

Brown your ground beef along with onion and bell pepper. Once browned drain and return to pan. Add garlic powder, mustard, ketchup, brown sugar, salt, and ground pepper. Heat well and simmer for however long you wish.

Wordless Wednesday

Check out more WW here.

Hot Fruit Casserole

Ingredients:
1 can sliced pineapple
1 can pears
1 can apricots
1 can sliced peaches
1 jar apple rings
1/2 cup sugar
1 stick butter, melted
1 cup juice from drained fruit

Layer fruit in buttered casserole, pineapple first, apple rings on top. Boil sugar, juice, and melted butter until it thickens, stirring frequently. Cool and then pour over fruit. Refrigerate overnight. Bake at 250F 30 to 40 minutes. Serves 8 to 10.

I couldn't find apple rings since they are considered "seasonal."

Southwestern Ham, Cheese, and Potato Casserole

Ingredients:
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1/4 pound sliced cooked ham, cut into strips
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 baking potatoes, scrubbed and thinly sliced
1/2 cup shredded cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Spray a baking dish with nonstick spray.

2. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the red and green bell peppers and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the ham and chili powder; cook until heated through, about 2 minutes.

3. Spread half of the potatoes in the baking dish, top with half of the bell pepper mixture. Repeat layering once more. Cover with foil and bake until the potatoes are tender, about 45 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with the cheese, and bake until the cheese is lightly browned, about 10 minutes longer.

Heaven on a Ritz

The real title for these wonderful things is:

Tres Gourmet: Quick, Sticky, Delicious “Marguerites”

This recipe was found on the Pioneer Woman-Cooking blog. I love this thing! She has some great ideas and this was one that I had the ingredients for in my pantry already. The only difference is that I used the small marshmallows and she used the big ones. Either way they turned out great. Landon LOVED them and wanted more after he ate 3!

Herb Cheese-Stuffed Shells

Ingredients:
16 jumbo pasta shells
1 (15-ounce) container fat-free ricotta cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 large egg, beaten
parsley
oregano
basil
garlic powder
spaghetti sauce

1. Cook pasta shells according to directions and allow to cool.
2. Mix ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, egg, parsley, oregano, basil, and garlic powder together.
3. Stuff mixture into cooled shells.
4. Place shells in greased pan and cover with spaghetti sauce.
5. Cover and cook at 350 for 30 minutes.

Pair this with breadsticks made from the pizza dough recipe posted a while back. Top with garlic butter and pair with a salad and you are ready for dinner!