Thursday, December 29, 2016

Tuesday, December 27, 2016

Sunday, December 18, 2016

Stuffed Mushroom Recipe

In order to save a little money I decided to try an at home hair color kit. Never having done it before I invited a couple of my close friends over and we had a "ladies" night which included my daughter too. So I decided to make Stuffed Mushrooms!

I love Stuffed Mushrooms but the kids believe that they don't like mushrooms so I never would get a chance to make them. I was pretty pumped to give this basic recipe a shot and see how they would turn out!

Yummy!!

This recipe is so basic but the mushrooms were so unbelievably good. It really made me miss them and I think the kids and I will definitely have to schedule in an appie night for the holidays!

As I read the recipe now I realize that I used way too much onion but it still tasted really good and next time I will use less. The only thing I didn't use was onion powder as I didn't have any but it was definitely a good thing seeing how much actual onion I used.

I would definitely make these again but as you know I will try another recipe first!

You can find the recipe here: http://myuncommonsliceofsuburbia.com/stuffed-mushrooms/


Friday, December 16, 2016

Podcast!!


Ever wondered about the personalities behind your favorite books? Victoria Danann's new podcast with Riley J. Ford has an incredible lineup of authors booked through January. No question is out of bounds. Check it out!

THIS WEEK'S BEST SELLING AUTHOR...
JULIA KENT!

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Julia Kent turned to writing contemporary romance after deciding that life is too short not to have fun. She writes romantic comedy with an edge, and new adult books that push contemporary boundaries. From billionaires to BBWs to rock stars, Julia finds a sensual, goofy joy in every book she writes, but unlike Trevor from Random Acts of Crazy, she has never kissed a chicken.


LITTLE LOVE ON THE PRAIRIE by E.M. Denning

LITTLE LOVE ON THE PRAIRIE
by E.M. Denning

ALL JAZZED UP by Tracy Ellen

ALL JAZZED UP
Book One: Love, Lies, & Ninja Missions
by Tracy Ellen

Sunday, December 11, 2016

Smothered Chile Colorado Burritos (Crock-Pot)

Now that we have begun the crazy busy season I have come to rely on the crock pot once a week. Sometimes it works and other times it doesn't. I sometimes forget which day of the week I am even on so sometimes groceries don't get bought in time, etc.

I find it can be a difficult chore to find food that pleases all three of us. My son will generally eat anything but as you know the daughter is the picky one. My son loves Mexican food so I decided to give this one a try.

Cooking the meat in the slow cooker was awesome and it came out so tender! I did find that this one takes longer with having to cook it in the oven after you assemble everything so don't make this one on a day where you don't have time.

Now one huge problem I had was that I couldn't find enchilada sauce so instead I used a combination of taco sauce and salsa. I don't know what the difference would have been but next time I would find a recipe for enchilada sauce and use that instead. I did use the refried beans from a can as I was short on time but I would definitely love to try making them from scratch at some point.

My son loved them and my daughter thought they were ok. I used a healthy wrap that was full of fiber so that would also affect the taste a little!

Definitely good and I would make them again! You can find the recipe here: http://www.chef-in-training.com/2012/08/smothered-chile-colorado-burritos-crock-pot/


Friday, December 9, 2016

Podcast Time!

Ever wondered about the personalities behind your favorite books? Victoria Danann's new podcast with Riley J. Ford has an incredible lineup of authors booked through January. No question is out of bounds. Check it out!
THIS WEEK'S BEST SELLING AUTHOR...
FAITH ANDREWS!
Hi there and welcome! I’m Faith Andrews and I’m known for writing relatable romance that’s guaranteed to give you all the feels.
I came out onto the indie author scene in 2013 with my debut novel Man of My Dreams and kind of hit the ground running. Writing has always been a passion, as well as being a mommy to my two beautiful and wild young daughters. As a creatively inspired stay-at-home mom and avid reader, I tried my hand at a lifelong dream and the rest, my friends, is history.
I live right outside of New York City with my husband, two daughters, and a furry Yorkie son named Rocco Giovanni. When I’m not belting out a Mumford & Sons tune or busy running ragged as a dance mom, my nose is stuck in a book or I’m sitting behind the laptop, creating my next colorful daydream. Coffee addict, lover of wine and cheese, and sucker for concerts and Netflix, I truly believe in love at first sight and happily ever after.

THE PRINCESS DILEMMA by Heather Hiestand

THE PRINCESS DILEMMA
 by Heather Hiestand

Sunday, December 4, 2016

Shrimp Spaghetti Carbonara

I really had high hopes for this one! Neither of my kids are huge shrimp lovers and I thought that maybe if I made something so good and that included bacon that I'd be able to convince them.

Unfortunately it didn't really work out that way. The pasta was good but I found that the shrimp really didn't absorb the flavour of the bacon grease and therefore tasted too shrimpy. The kids were not sold on it. I think I would have preferred cooking it in lemon butter or something that would have just changed the flavour a little more to convince them.

I didn't mind the pasta and found it was relatively easy to make. I think I should have used a more finely grated Parmesan cheese as mine had some pretty large pieces which definitely made it harder to stir up.

I think if I made it again I would make the small changes but overall it was good but definitely not as good as the last Carbonara that I made.

You can find the recipe here: http://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/recipes/a48682/shrimp-spaghetti-carbonara-recipe/?mag=del&list=nl_dnl_news&src=nl&date=081416



Thursday, December 1, 2016

My review of Keep Me Warm by Jude Ouvrard

One year ago Adele Gordon lost her world when her husband and son died in a fire. Mentally and emotionally she has had a hard time moving on but she has found a job cleaning hotel rooms and is getting through each day. When a guest gives her a tip of $100 to make time for herself she does just that and realizes how much that small gesture meant to her.

When Mason Wilcher gets food poisoning Adele helps him out and he tells her that he hopes that one day she will realize that she deserves to be happy. As the two form an unlikely friendship, will Adele allow herself to be happy or will the guilt she has to that night prevent her from moving on?

I thought this was a very beautiful story about finding that purpose and reason to live fully after you have lost those you love. For Adele she had so much guilt with being out the night of the fire and I believe a huge part of her believed that she should have died in the fire as well.

The small gesture of receiving $100 was so big for Adele as she never had enough money to treat herself and it really made a huge impact on her. As her friendship with Mason grows she learns to let him in and to live in the moment and not be worried about losing him in the future.

I really loved the message of the book in that there can be happiness again when we give ourselves the chance to let love in.

4.5 Stars