Embrace the Camera - Bath Bunny

It's embrace the camera day so here's one of me and my girl after bath time.

I LOVE the bunny towel. Obviously, she cracks me up in it.

So, go, embrace the camera.

Sesame Orange Shrimp

If you have followed this blog for a while, you know I love Martha Stewart's Everyday Food magazine. I love getting that she has pictures of all the recipes and she usually has easy, unique things to try.

Sometimes I have some ingredients on hand that I don't know what to do with and don't really like searching through her books to find a recipe. So instead, I go to her website. I think she publishes most of the recipes online anyway.

I had a bag of frozen shrimp in the freezer so I did a quick search for shrimp recipes and found this one for sesame orange shrimp.

I will say, the shrimp was delicious, however, if you make it, I recommend doubling the sauce recipe and making some noodles to go with it. I made rice but it wasn't the best. I think noodles with extra sauce would have been perfect.



And just because I can, a donut picture. Thanks dad for the dozen Dunkin Donuts! I did share.



Oh, and, since I figured out how to share a pdf file on here, remember these? You can download the file for free here.

Happy Hump Day!

BLT and the Baby

We had another successful afternoon weeding the front flower bed. I have to say, the job is less tedious when you have a little friend to make you laugh.

I had Sweet P in her tent again outside while I pulled more weeds but she did not want anything to do with the tent. She was more interested in the weeds I was pulling.

On that note, why do babies want to play more with weeds or electrical cords (don't worry, I keep those away from her but if she spots one she puts it into super-crawl mode) and not with their bright, noisy, "educational" toys? Baffling.

Anyway, I let her investigate (keeping an eye on her to make sure the weeds didn't make it into her mouth).

Her daintiness really comes out when she's in grass. She hates the dead grass touching her knees so she crawls around on her hands and feet.

She can even do a one-armed push up!

And she's quite friendly with the neighbors.

She's not really waving here, that's how she talks, with one hand in the air. Talking with her hands...I have NO idea where she gets that!

And she likes to cheese for the camera.

After all that hard work it was time to go inside for a sandwich!

Now, if I can only get my tomatoes to grow already so I can have fresh tomatoes on my blt!

I Cheated

I made the Pioneer Woman's chicken pot pie - for the most part.

I made all the filling and started on her crust recipe. Now, either, she has a typo in her book, or I lost count measuring somewhere (which has been known to happen from time to time so we'll go with that) because my dough was a gummy mess.

There was a stage in her book where it was supposed to look like little crumbles. Mine looked like a blob.

I decided to scrap the dough and then I headed up to the store and bought some refrigerated pie dough. (Thank you Pillsbury)

I'm sure her super-flakey crust was WAY better, but my cheater version came out pretty good!

So, sorry P-dub, I cheated.

Friday Freebie

I have seen a couple "family manifestos" around the web and played around with making to share with you guys.

Here's what I came up with.

You can download a 16x20 pdf here and print it off to use for free. I just ask that you don't reproduce and sell it.

Oh, and you better let me know if you printed it off, better yet, send me a picture! Or else.

Happy Friday.

Embrace the Camera - Yay for Spring

I have a love-hate relationship with gardening - both flowers and veggies.

I love the beauty of flowers and the wholesome goodness fresh veggies.

I hate weeds. They really take over and they are a pain to pull.

I had a few hours and some gorgeous sunshine and decided to tackle some weeds in the front flower beds. Sweet P hung out with me in a little tent my sister gave me. I entertained her with toys and finally gave her my iphone so she would stay in the tent a little longer.

She hit her limit and just wanted to be held. That's okay. I hit my limit too. I made it about halfway through the flowers and strawberries and decided to call it quits. Before we went inside I grabbed a quick photo of us.

I'm a little stinky and wind-blown and yes, she has a smidge of dirt on her lip, but it is what it is.

So now it's your turn. Go embrace the camera with Emily.

Sweet P Trys Fish

Our adventures in baby food continues.

The husband has been doing some fishing lately and has been bringing back some really good saugeye. If you've never had it, it's kind of like cod. A thick, white fish.

Anyway, we decided to let Sweet P have some. She seemed really excited about it.

 

I baked her's and made a pecan-panko crust for ours.

Her dinner.

And the reaction.

Not so sure she loved it, but she did warm up to it and ate it after I mixed in sweet potatoes.

And our dinner. Sorry, no reaction, we gobbled it up.

We have already hit that time of year where it's garden fresh salads with dinner every night! I love it!

Signs of Spring

I went outside to cut a little lettuce for a salad and was shocked when I saw all the little greens sprouting up! I guess I shouldn't have been shocked since we planted everything over a week ago, but still, I was.

Our radishes, mesclun mix and tons of herbs have starting growing their first leaves! YAY! And, we even have flowers all over our strawberries. I don't remember them ever blooming this fast in previous years.

I'm starting to salivate as I think of all the tasty strawberry concoctions I'll be making soon!

Another fun thing about gardening this year...

a new little helper! I'm so glad she loves being outside and isn't afraid to get a little dirty.

I'm also thankful I have a husband that really enjoys gardening. And I'm pretty sure he's going to enjoy it a lot more this year since he has a cute little helper.

Look Who's Turning 30!

That's right, I am. This year. In just over 6 months!

I'm sure you can imagine my excitement when I was flipping through a magazine and saw this:

I don't even care about the picture they used - I'm next to J Timberlake!

So take that Monday!

It's so weird to me to know I'm living the last of my 20s. I remember when I was younger and 20 seemed old. Then, when I hit 20, it didn't seem so old anymore, but 30 was still pretty big. Now, 30 is well, 30. Not really sure what I think about it. I guess we'll see in another 6 months.

Ok, so maybe I photoshopped myself in the magazine. Big deal.

Oh Spring

I saw this quote and thought it was very fitting for our family.

And with spring comes one of my favorite things: fresh garden salads!

Bring on spring and bring on the weekend!! Happy Friday!

Embrace the Camera - Daddy's Girl

I saved this photo from our afternoon of gardening for today's "Embrace the Camera" post.

The husband teaching his girl all about gardening.

I love everything about it.

Happy Thursday!

Another Lesson in Cooking

You should read the recipe before you start cooking.

We're trying to eat more chicken these days because people say it's healthy. Blah. I don't like chicken.

Anyway, I saw a recipe in my Everyday Food book that seemed pretty healthy. Chicken, potatoes and peas.

The picture looked good so I thought I'd give it a whirl.

I bought all the ingredients and started cooking. I hadn't actually read the recipe yet, just looked at the picture and list of ingredients.

That looks like the makings of a healthy meal, right?

No.

The chicken was fried and then baked. The potatoes were boiled, then fried. Ooops.

The recipe also called for mixing in lemon juice and cilantro to the potatoes. After I made the most perfect fried potatoes I have ever cooked, I couldn't do it. So, I just added it to the peas. So here's another lesson, don't be afraid to not follow a recipe. I hardly ever follow recipes exactly.

So, our healthy meal turned out to be not so healthy. Chicken. Go figure. Had I read the recipe before starting, I would have realized that everything but the peas were fried.

Oh well, it may not be the healthiest way to eat chicken and potatoes, but it sure was good!

Beautiful Criers

Have you heard of those people? When they get all teary-eyed and have a boo-fest they look just as gorgeous as when they're smiling?

There are a lot of them in the movies.

Around here, we do not cry beautifully. I get red splotches all over my face and my eyes swell up and turn red. Not pretty at all.

I guess Sweet P inherited my lack of crying beautifully, but she's still pretty!

I love this picture of her. Her squinty-eyed-bottom lip-way-out-cry! Cracks me up. I know, bad mom, her cry makes me laugh.

Her Aunt Ashley took her 7 month pictures and that picture was in the mix. Go check out more at her blog!


Thanks Ashley!!

What a Weekend

Thanks to Nana and Pappy watching Sweet P one day this weekend, we did a LOT of house work and got to check a few things off the never-ending-to-do-list. Yay!

The husband worked on the garden planting everything from onions and radishes to lettuce and herbs. And he did a little yard maintenance.

This is leftover from our fall garden! Who knew lettuce could last all winter?

While he was outside, I was inside. I painted the entire kitchen (2 coats even).

Thanks Nana and Pappy!

With all that work and no time to take long breaks, I realized how hard it is to cook, so, we didn't. Instead, we ate super healthy!

After posting my dogs from Sonic, I felt like I was cheating on Jim's so I had to give them some coney love.

After I dropped P off at Nana's, I picked up a little breakfast.

It should also be noted that if you are looking for some of the best donuts in town, go to Daylight Donuts in BA (on 145th by Papa Murphy's). They are amazing and they have these little, square donuts (about the size of a donut hole) filled with bavarian creme. mmm.

Ok, so maybe it wasn't that healthy but they were fast and delicious!

And when P wasn't with Nana and Pappy, she was helping us in the garden!

I think we have a tiny green thumb in the making!

Hope you had a great weekend and hoping this week will be just a productive!

More Changes

Ok folks, stick with me here. I'm doing more changes to the ol blog. I liked my previous header but I kept thinking, this is more than just about muffins!

Ha! Don't know why but that makes me laugh.

Anyway, I changed the name to Recipe for crazy, because, well, that's our life - a little crazy. And I like crazy.

And the definitions of crazy pretty much fit:

• one who is or acts crazy (me, what?)
• full of cracks or flaws (ahem, duh.)
• being out of the ordinary (I like to think so anyway)
• distracted with desire or excitement

And recipe, well, you know, I like food. So, anyway, new name, new header and probably more changes to come. I say all this as if you care!

Later!

Did You Know...

I fired up my old Macbook last night and took a little trip down memory lane now you get to go too.

So, did you know...

1. The husband was once nicknamed mmm-bop? It was lovingly given to him by one of his guys friends when he looked like this.

Apparently, the long hair reminded him of the Hansons. Side note, my sister made Sweet P a onesie that said mmm-bops baby!

2. Then he let the hair go. And go it went. Can we say hill-billy?

3. One of our wedding pictures was used in an ad campaign in New York?

Yeah, I'm kind of famous like that.

4. I met Barry Switzer.

At an OSU-OU football game. And OSU won. And Toby Keith was there.

5. I've had 4 kidney stones. 2 I passed in Jamaica.

6. I have never lost money in Las Vegas.

I've only played a slot machine in the airport, but I won!

So, I bet you didn't know some of those things! Okay, if you're family, you did.

Anyway, happy Friday and have a great weekend!

Embrace the Camera - Remembering When

Sweet P was 5 days old...

photo by ashleyannphotography

I cried almost every day thinking about how she was going to grow up too fast. I wanted to absorb every single moment with her. She was so wee.

I held her.

I cuddled her.

I kissed her.

I rocked her.

I loved her.

These things haven't changed, but she sure has.

That sweet little, fragile baby from 7 months ago has already grown so much.

She doesn't just lay around, staring blankly anymore. She looks at me. She smiles at me. She kisses me back.

And, although I would love to be able to hold her again without her trying to squirm out of my arms, I am embracing her independence. She is beautiful and I love watching her grow.

A Short Little Cooking Lesson

When removing a cast iron skillet from the oven, remember to turn the handle away from you. If you do this, you are less likely to burn your arm.

So, if you ever make the Pioneer Woman's cornbread, you will thank me!



I made her beans and cornbread and it was SO good! She recommends serving it with sour cream and cilantro. That's not how I was raised. We always put a little butter on the beans with couple shakes of Trappey's pepper sauce.

Delicious.

Design Boom

I found this site and first thought of my sister because of these...

Yes, those are palette coasters. The packaging is awesome. I love some good, creative packaging.

And then I stumbled onto this photographer, Irina Werning. She takes an old photo and recreates it in her "Back to the Future" series. Here's one that cracked me up:

'mechi in 1990 & 2010', buenos aires
image © irina werning

So, now I totally want to go through pictures when I was little and do this! How fun!

This has been random!