Chicken Carbonara

I love Chicken Carbonara but it can be difficult to make (you know me, I don't often cook difficult things)!  So, here is my "easy" version of Homemade Chicken Carbonara....

Homemade Chicken Carbonara

-6 to 8 Chicken Tenders
-Butter
-Garlic
-1 Package "Philadelphia Italian Herb Cooking Cream" (the lid of this flavor is green)
-1/2 Cup to 3/4 Cup Sour Cream
-2-3 TBL Spoons Milk
-Parsley
-Salt/Pepper (to taste)
-Penne Pasta
-Parmesean Cheese
-Bacon Pieces

1.) Dice chicken into bite size pieces.

2.) Saute Chicken in about 2 TBL Spoons butter with a little garlic and salt/pepper (I just use Garlic Powder).
3.) Mean while, cook penne pasta according to package.
4.) Once chicken pieces are cooked and brown in color, add cooking cream and sour cream, stir to combine.
5.) Add milk one TBL Spoon at a time till sauce is thinned out to your linking.
6.) Add about 1 TBL Spoon Parsley (I use dried Parsley), a TAD more Garlic and Salt/Pepper to taste.
7.) Once sauce has thinned somewhat add a handful of Parmesean Cheese and stir to combine.

8.) Drain pasta and add to sauce.
9.) Sprinkle bacon pieces on top and enjoy!

I actually toss my bacon pieces directly in my sauce and top my pasta off with a little parsley and cheese!

HAPPY 'MOMMYING' :)



Sand Play

As you know, I have been diligently attempting to give Harper new learning experiences in his sensory bucket/tote!  So far, we have done rice play several times (HUGE HIT), ice bricks (first time he wasn't so excited), and water beads (again, HUGE HIT). Despite the fact that we have a sandbox in the back yard, I was thinking how I could incorporate some sand play in our sensory bucket (you know, in a new and exciting way).

Well, here is what I came up with...a little sand with flat marbles and shapes (like you put in floral arrangements etc.)...

This was too easy and obvious, so, I also covered the marbles with sand so that they were "hidden", and added a few shovels, sifters, and a bucket...

This way, he had to dig and really play to find the marbles...at first he was a little unsure what all the hype was about, but after a little help from mom finding a few marbles, it was a huge hit!

It was so HOT Wednesday, we did eventually move into the garage!

Eventually, he started dumping the sang into the mini waggon/wheel barrow!!



Little did I know, he had plans to dump the sand and marbles into the kiddie pool!



Then, he just gave up and started dumping buckets of sand and marbles into the kiddie pool!!!



Overall, the sand and marbles were a big hit.  Actually, so much so, that we have played in sand every day since Wednesday!!!

HAPPY 'MOMMYING' :)

Coloring Activity

Im always looking for fun things to do with Harper inside when the weather doesn't allow for outside play (or when mama and daddy don't WANT to go outside to play)!!!  We try to do books and puzzles every day regardless (you know, for learning activities)!  Coloring always seems like a great choice; however, there are only so many pictures you can draw/color, and only so many coloring pages you can color before coloring becomes old and stale. 

So, what to do?  Well, in search of a birthday present for Mimi, my grandmother, (I wanted something Harper could "make" for her to put up in her room at the Nursing Home), I found nifty wooden hangers (I also picked up a light house, but, Harper was coloring it while I took some pics)...

 I literally found these at the "Dollar Tree" for $1/each!  While I was in the Dollar Tree, I found not only these (and they had TONS of different choices...dogs, dinos, cars, etc.), I also found little wooden figures in multi packs (what a GREAT fair weather activity)! 

FYI: if you havent been to the Dollar Tree, YOU NEED TO GO!  They have lots of nifty stuff like this, and much, MUCH more!!!

Back on track; I picked up Crayola Paint Brush Pens months ago for "painting" during a rainy weekend!  They are always a MASSIVE HIT!!! 

Don't worry, they are more like markers with a paint brush tip. And, they are WASHABLE!!! So, when your child colors himself in addition to the project, it washed right off!!!

I let him color the wooden plackards...

He had a blast (of course, who doesn't like coloring with markers?!)!!  Here is our final product!

Our Mimi loved them!!!  We also want to wish Mimi a HAPPY 80th Birthday (even though its a few days late now!)!!!

HAPPY 'MOMMYING' :)

Bacon Anyone?

I know your wondering what this post is going to be about with a title "Bacon Anyone"!  HA!  Well, let me explain, we love bacon in my house (about as much as we love pizza).  We love to eat BLT'S, breakfast (with BACON), and all sorts of things that contain BACON!!!  The problem you ask?  Well, I HATE COOKING BACON!  It makes a massive mess AND it absolutely makes your home STINK TO HIGH HEAVENS! 

So whats the answer?  Well, after some Google research, here is what I have come up with.  Line a shallow baking pan with tin foil (one that only has about 1/2 inch sides) place bacon on foil (your bacon can touch, just not overlap). 

I have to use 2 pans when cooking a whole package of Bacon (which is ALWAYS).  You simply "bake" the bacon on 350 for about 15 mins (this will depend on how done you like your bacon.).  We like our bacon "medium" so, I watch it very carefully.

Now, this was only my second time using this method for cooking my bacon.  Next time I believe I will place a few metal racks under the bacon and let the fat drip into the bottom of the pan in hopes that the bacon doesnt get quite as crispy (did I mention we DONT like crispy bacon)!!! 

However, I can tell you this method ROCKS.  Clean up is easy, simply throw the tin foil away with all the fat well contained (which makes washing the pan super easy).  It also insures that your house will NOT smell like bacon for days!

Try it, let me know your thoughts!!!

HAPPY 'MOMMYING' :)

Mini Vaca

AGAIN WE HAVE BEEN GONE FOR A WEEK OR SO!  Sorry, for the blogging hiatus....AGAIN!  I promise, we will be around with some great blogs the next few weeks!  WOOT WOOT! I KNOW you are eagerly awaiting new posts!!!

Last week Harper and I went to visit my parents in Live Oak, Florida on their vacation!  Im just going to share a few pics for now...but defintiely check back later today and tomorrow for some great new posts...I have several fun and new tips to share with you guys!!!

This is the Suwanee River (took this picture at the Suwanee River State Park).

We took a few pics and then walked a little "trail" to the water...

We also found a playground and let Harper play...

One final picture...

HAPPY 'MOMMYING' :)

Water Bead Play

This may be the last blog for a few days.  Harper and I are going out of town with Gigi and Papa (my parents) tomorrow for a few days...poor daddy has to stay home and work!  BOO!  However, I cannot express to you how extremely excited I am that we get to go!  I hope to have lots of first experiences with Harper this week...with lots of pics! 

For now, I want to ask if you seen posts about water beads??  I have seen them EVERYWHERE!  Facebook posts, blogs, Pinterest, everywhere; and they looked like THE COOLEST things I have seen since legos were invented!  HA!  If you have absolutely no clue what im talking about, let me fill you in so you can join in on my amusement.  These are little gems that look like marbles but are soft and squishy.  They are generally put in flower arangements as they soak up water and then when needed, supposedly, they then release the water!  They come in all sorts of colors!

I have also seen on the same posts, blogs, and pins people asking where to get them!  I was just like these people....WHERE DO I BUY THEM?!  However, none of these posts, blogs, or pins answered the ever daunting question. 

So, I Googled (duh!)!  And found NUMEROUS websites to order them...except, you had to order them BY THE POUND!  Really?! I didn't want THAT many...just enough to play with and see what kind of hit they were with my monkey!

I decided to go into Michaels' this week in search of the ever aluring "water beads". And I am proud to say that after some quick guidance from a Floral Dept. employee...I found them!!  (High Fives!)

I will also give you a little better pic of the actual water beads...

You can buy them dehydrated...these come in a smaller pack (although im not sure after hydrating them how many you would have) for about $2.99/a pack.  The dehydrated ones look like little seeds and you simply follow the package instructions and soak them in water to get them looking like these.  I decided that Harper wasn't going to be concerned with them going from dehydrated looking seeds to plump looking marbles (but I think older kids might enjoy this!), so I went ahead and got these for $4.99 for the jar.  Simply open and play!!  They really feel like jelly eyeballs!  Just so you know what the inside is like...you know your dying to konw!  I broke one open for you...which really isn't hard, but, at the same time Harper never did it (well until they got thrown everywhere and he stepped on them!)!

I dumped the entire jar into Harper's clear tote (which I filled about half way full with water)...next time I will only use 1/2 of the jar because, after play was completed I retrieved the rest of them out of the tote/water and had close to 1/2 jar I can use again.  I just think only using 1/2 jar would eliminate this step of clean up.

Now, we obviously do all these type things outside.  I also added a few "beach/sand" toys... (Sorry for my shadow!)

It took a little coaxing, look how neat these things are...

After a few mins of trial and error, he was full blown into them!

Eventually, the water beads were being THROWN everywhere and accompanied with a "WEE" and a "YAY"!  But it's ok, that is exactly why we do these things OUTSIDE...easy clean up!!

I think he was trying to decorate the grass actually!

I would say over all a MAJOR hit...and we will definitely be investing in more of these!!!

HAPPY 'MOMMYING' :)

Pizza Logs

I swear to you, I truly believed that summer would be nice and relaxing...well, guess what???  We have been BUSY, BUSY, BUSY!  Welcome to motherhood I suppose?!  I am happy to report though Harper has been in his new "big boy" bed for 3 nights, and has slept through the night all 3 NIGHTS!!!  I know you've been on pins and needles waiting to hear!  WOOT WOOT!!

I also have to tell you what "drama" we had yesterday!  A family in our neighborhood had to call 911 (NO, im NOT nosey enough to know why, so don't ask what happened...cause, I haven't the slightest clue!)!  But I will tell you that we were outside when the fire truck (who arrived first, and couldn't find the house, so my AMAZING hunny had to direct them to it!  GO BABY!) and ambulance arrived.  Harper had a FIT hollering "TRUCK! TRUCK! TRUCK! TRUCK! TRUCK" (do you get the idea?!).  He hauled booty across the yard wanting to see the trucks!  I kinda felt odd standing on the road with him because I didn't want, nor did I intend to snoop and be nosey, but there was no getting him away from the darn trucks.  And holding him was my best bet!  Oh what fun, but the Ambulance driver waved at him a few times and flashed the lights and noise at him!  It was like Christmas in July!

Well, now that you've had a great laugh at the nosey neighbors lets talk pizza!  In my house we LOVE PIZZA!!!  We really like Newman's Own Frozen Pizza's, but like any frozen pizza they just simply cost an arm and a leg!  And, as we all know, ordering take out pizza can be two arms and two legs!!! 

So, I have for you a fantastic Pizza Log recipe that is both tasty and and very inexpensive.  I would say between all ingredients (given that you have a few on hand already) it would only cost around $6 for one-give or take!!!  And depending on your family size you may only need one...one feeds all 3 of us with PLENTY of leftovers!!  WOOT WOOT!!

You simply use frozen bread dough, pepperoni, 2 cheese, butter, and a few italian spices!  How easy!

Since we are avid Publix shoppers this is the only brand frozen bread dough they carry...but I have no complaints!!  There are 3 loaves of bread dough in this package..and, you will see from my picture it makes a GIANT log in the end so you may potentially get 3 dinners from one package (my previous price is dependant on that fact.  But depending on your family size you may need to make 2...or all 3!)

You simply take a loaf of the frozen bread dough out and place it on a pan and cover losely with saran wrap to let it unthaw and and rise...

Once it unthaws and you are ready to cook, flour the surface you wish and a rolling pin...I roll mine out right on my counter!!!

Then just roll the loaf of bread dough into a square-like shape...

                                    

"Paint" melted butter directly on to the dough...

Sprinkle italian spices on...I dont keep an italian spice blend on hand, so I used a little garlic, basil, oregano, and parsley (NO SALT!!  You are going to use Parmesean cheese later which is a salty cheese!)...

Next layer pepperoni on (use as much as you like...)

Then layer on Mozzarela Cheese...

Then layer on Parmesean Cheese...

Roll up, place on pan, and top with melted butter and bake on 375 till lightly golden brown...

While its baking, I open a jar of Ragu Pizza Sauce and warm in a small pot...

Final product (I forgot to take a picture when it came out of the oven...this was after we ate!)!

This was the second time I've made this and Christopher told me that we no longer needed to buy pizza, just make this every time!  WAHOO!!!  I like statements like that!

HAPPY 'MOMMYING' :)