The Magic Mommy

Well, we all made it through the wedding. It was beautiful! And we even managed to get the happy couple off to their honeymoon.

Hopefully everyone also had a nice Mother’s Day.  Ours was very relaxed.  I even got my Mother’s Day present a few days early.  We were at the mall and we got a pretty little ring with Emma’s birthstone, an emerald.  I don’t have it yet, since it’s being resized.  It’ll be done in a couple of weeks.  I can’t wait!!!

Monday
Lemon Chicken
Last week was so crazy that this never got made.

Tuesday
Pork loin

Wednesday
Noodles & Company
(Mother’s day coupon)

Thursday
Buffet

Friday
Probably Thai
Friends are coming over

Saturday
LO Thai

Sunday
???

5minutesformom.com is having another run of contests just for us Moms. Go check out their website and leave comments. You never know what you may win.

This is going to be a busy week for us. My baby sister, Crystal, is getting married this weekend and 3 of the 4 people in our family are in the wedding. I am a bridesmaid, Matthew is the ring bearer, and Emma is the flower girl. Jon gets the honor or holding Emma after she makes it down the aisle with Grandma. Let’s hope she is a happier girl for this wedding than Matthew was for Kimberly’s wedding. He screamed the entire time. I don’t think Jon got to see any of the ceremony.

Coming next week, wedding pictures of the kids in their outfits!

Monday

Ravioli
Garlic Bread

Tuesday

Spaghetti

Wednesday

Lemon Chicken - from Simply Recipes
Salad
Rice

Thursday

LO Lemon Chicken
or we’re eating out at the mall. Gotta get Matthew’s tux.

Friday

Rehearsal dinner

Saturday

Wedding!!!!

Sunday

Whatever we can find. After 2 days of being away, I’m not planning anything. We could be having wedding leftovers for all I know.

This soup is yummy!  You could even leave out the shrimp and have a good base for any kinda of creamy corn chowder.  Matthew enjoyed it as well and ate it for another meal.  It did not thicken up much, even after the next day.  I have never used Wondra flour before, so I’m not sure if more is needed or what happened.  So thicken as desired.

On problem I had was the kind of shrimp I bought.  I grabbed a bag of deveined, shelled, uncooked shrimp.  I completely missed that the tails were still on.  So I had to remove the tails from the frozen shrimp.  My fingers were very cold.

The only thing I would do next time I make this, besides buy the right shrimp, is cut the shrimp up into bite-sized pieces.

The recipe came in a digital magazine from Betty Crocker, so I can’t post a link or a pictures.  However, I will post the recipe.

Corn & Shrimp Chowder
Serves 7

4 slices bacon, cut into 1/2″ pieces
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped (1/2 cup)
1 medium stalk celery, coarsely chopped (1/2 cup)
6 small red potatoes, cut into 1/2″ pieces
2 cups frozen corn
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
4 cups chicken broth
1/4 Wondra quick mixing flour
2 cups half and half
12 ounces frozen uncooked medium shrimp, peeled, deveined, and tail shells removed (do not thaw)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

In 5-6 quart Dutch oven, cook bacon over medium-high heat 5-6 minutes, stirring frequently, until crisp.  Stir in onion, celery, potatoes, corn, and thyme.  Cook 5-6 minutes, stirring frequently, until onion and celery are softened.

Beat in broth and flour with wire whisk.  Heat to boiling; reduce heat to medium.  Cover; cook about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are tender and soup is slightly thickened.

Stir in half-and-half, shrimp, salt, and pepper.  Cover; cook 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until shrimp are pink.

Monday - Pecan-Crusted Chicken - This is a carryover from last week.

Tuesday - LO Corn & Shrimp Chowder (review coming soon)

Wednesday - grilled steak, corn on the cob

Thursday - breakfast

Friday - grilled chicken, Peanut-Sesame Noodles

Saturday - LO grilled chicken

Sunday - risotto

While I posted the link in my sidebar, I completely missed that I didn’t make a post about the giveaway at 5minutesformom.com.

You still have time to go sign up for any of the giveaways they are having. All of them are toys! All types and for all ages. Go check it out and leave all the comments you can.

This was pretty good.  I thought there was going to more of a cornbread, and while it wasn’t, it was still good.  We don’t eat olives, so I did omit that ingredient.  I also misread the ingredients and thought it called for chili powder, when it calls for chili seasoning.  I had to improvise that.  I found that I liked it more the next day.  Though I’m not sure why.  Overall, a good dish to make.

You can find the recipe here.

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 egg
• 1-1/2 cups milk
• 3/4 cup cornmeal
• 1 can (15-1/4 ounces) whole kernel corn, drained
• 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 can (2-1/4 ounces) sliced ripe olives, drained
• 1 envelope chili seasoning
• 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

In a skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. In a bowl, combine the egg, milk and cornmeal until smooth. Add corn, tomatoes, olives, chili seasoning, seasoned salt and beef.
Transfer to a greased 3-qt. slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 3 hours and 45 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese; cover and cook 15 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Yield: 6 servings.

We first made this recipe as something to eat during Lent for a friend. It turned out really well. It had been a long time since we’ve had it so I decided to try it out again.

This time, I did not add the extra salt. Soy sauce is so salty that I didn’t really think it needed it. I also had some rotisserie chicken that I shredded and added to this. We eat this with the wheat tortillas that it recommends. Yummy!

You can find the recipe here.

• 1 cup uncooked long grain white rice
• 2 cups water
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 small zucchini, chopped
• 1 small yellow squash, chopped
• 1 1/4 cups teriyaki sauce
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 4 (10 inch) whole wheat tortillas

DIRECTIONS

1. In a saucepan bring 2 cups of water to a boil; add rice. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.
2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute onion, bell pepper, zucchini, and yellow squash until onions are tender. Stir in the teriyaki sauce. When the vegetables are tender, stir in the cooked rice, soy sauce, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Simmer for 3 to 5 minutes.
3. Place 1/4 of the rice and vegetables in each tortilla, and roll up.

Well, it’s been a year. Life has been so busy lately, that I totally missed it!

My baby sister is getting married in May and I was off at a dress fitting and bachelorette party. We had a blast!

So, how appropriate is it that I celebrate (belatedly) my first blogoversary with my first tagged meme. Our friend Trista tagged me on her blog. I considered asking Jon to write this for me, but the possibility of what he would say scared me! So, here are 6 random things about me!

1. I wasn’t sure I wanted kids. I never thought that I would be good at it. Jon finally convinced me that I would be fine. We obviously have 2 kids now. And I joke with Jon about how much fun Cheaper by the Dozen looks. I don’t think that I could handle that many kids, but being a Mom is definitely what I enjoy doing. I’m sure that I’m not the perfect mom, but I’m not sure I would want to be.

2. When I was younger (high school), I had a serious bout of confusion. While on vacation, we walked up to a store with double doors. One of the doors had a sign on it…”Please use other door.” I couldn’t find the other door. It’s been over 10 years and my family and Jon never let me forget it.

3. I think I was a horrible big sister when I was younger. It wasn’t pretty. I really hope that I’m doing an OK job of making up for that now.

4. I was just talking to my sisters the other day about braces.  Both my sisters had braces.  I never had them.  I do have a guard for sleeping at night.  I grind my teeth when I sleep.  Jon appreciates the night guard.

5. On the other hand, I can barely see.  My eyesight is horrible.  I know my sisters have contact/glasses, but I don’t think their sight is as bad as mine.

6. Growing up, I didn’t have many friends. I was always a little sad that I didn’t have more good friends. I still don’t have a huge social circle. Thankfully, it’s all about quality and not quantity.

If you’re reading this, and you have a blog, consider yourself tagged.  If you take part in this, drop me a comment to let me know.  I’d love to know a little more about you.

Monday - tacos

Tuesday - nachos

Wednesday - Pecan Crusted Chicken

Thursday - quesadillas / sandwiches

Friday - grilled sausage, Cornbread Vegetable Cobbler I changed my mind.  We’ll just have peppers, onions, & cornbread.

Saturday - Corn & Shrimp Chowder

Sunday - LO