Friday, February 26, 2010

Mexican night!

We love MEXICAN NIGHT at the Sullivan house! Dinner was amazing and the movie was pretty good, so definitely rent couples retreat which I wrote about in the previous blog and make enchiladas. Hope you and yours has a happy date night.


Bean Enchiladas

2 cans (larger cans) mild enchiladas
8 tortillas
2 1/2 c pepper jack cheese
1 c red kidney beans
1/4 tsp. cumin
1 tsp chili
3-4 pieces shredded chicken (optional)

Drain and rinse bean. Add cumin and chili powder.

Mash beans with a fork.

Pour 1 cup enchilada sauce and 1/2 cup cheese in bean mixture.

Brush remaining sauce over shells.

Stuff with bean mixture and roll up.

Cover 9x13 pan with a thin layer of sauce. Place tortilla seem side down in pan. Continue stuffing and pour remaining sauce over enchiladas.

You can use whole wheat tortillas as well or white. I use both.

Top with remaining cheese. Cook at 350 for 15-20 minutes.

ENJOY

TGIF

TGIF!!!! I am so excited today is Friday and we have two days ahead of us to do WHATEVER WE WANT!!!! YAY! It sure has been a busy week. Bible study, tennis and girls night...phew I am exhausted. Tonight I have made enchiladas and my hubby and I are going to fill our bellies with good food and dessert and watch a movie!!! The movie is:


Here is the synopsis:
Vince Vaughn leads an all-star cast in the laugh-out-loud comedy about eight friends whose vacation in paradise is one they'll never forget. Their group-rate vacation comes at a price when they discover that participation in the resort's unconventional couples therapy activities is anything but optional. Co-starring Jason Bateman, Jon Favreau, Faizon Love, Kristin Davis, Kristen Bell and Malin Akerman, "Couples Retreat" is a hilarious party in paradise, loaded with laughter and fun!
I sure hope it is good. We love Vince Vaughn! Hope you enjoy your night as much as I am looking forward to mine. Stay tuned for the enchilada recipe!!!!

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Can't live without


Southern Living

YSL's TOUCHE ÉCLAT

Chocolate



Apple Slicer

VOLUME EFFET FAUX CILSLuxurious Mascara
I have been using this mascara for 8 years and LOVE IT and have gotten others hooked.

Cheese


Address Stamper

My mom


Phone


YSL's Golden Gloss


Go Lean Cereal


Kitchen Aide mixer

Dessert

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Guilt Free with Friends

We had supper with some friends on Saturday night and I brought dessert. Everyone loves banana pudding so I decided to make it. Matt and I LOVE peanut butter and when I mean love we go through the JIF extra crunchy, large jars from Costco in a week and a half...maybe less.....CRAZY. I always try to incorporate peanut butter into everything because we love it and it is a great source of protein so I found this amazing recipe. The serving says 12 but I would say 8... am I a PIG?!??!! Hope you enjoy it as much as we did!!!

Peanut Butter Banana Pudding


PREPERATION: Prepare pudding mix according to package directions, using a whisk and 2 cups fat-free milk. (Do not use an electric mixer.) Add peanut butter and sour cream, stirring well with a wire whisk. Set aside.


Line bottom of a 21/2-quart casserole with 14 vanilla wafers. Peel and slice 4 bananas


Top wafers with one-third each of pudding mixture, banana slices, and whipped topping.
Repeat layers twice using remaining wafers, pudding mixture, banana slices, and whipped topping.


Cover and chill at least 2 hours. To garnish, peel and slice remaining 2 bananas; arrange slices around outer edges of dish. Yield: 12 servings.



Friday, February 19, 2010

I love Wolferman's

Not sure if any of you bloggers out there know about Wolfermans's but they have the most scrumptious English muffins and make GREAT gift sets. Every Christmas my aunt and uncle send our family an marvelous gift set of English muffins and we all look forward to it every year. Make it a tradition in your family. It is also great for other holidays, hostess gifts, for new mommies and daddies or whatever your little heart desires.

For Valentine's Day my brothers and I sent my mom a Valentine's gift set that included:
Chocolate Chip Signature English Muffins, Cinnamon Chip Scone, Cinnamon Roll,Old-Fashioned Strawberry Preserves, Cocoa and look at the cute box.


Eater is coming up! Send an Easter basket.


Hungry yet???

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Team Work

Matt and I worked together to prepare one of our favorite dishes for our Valentine's Day dinner. We made Chicken and Artichoke Bake and served it with fresh steamed broccoli, comforting polenta and a mouth watering salad and it was AMAZING!!!!! This was our first time making polenta and we thought it was so tasty. I bought the polenta from Trader Joes, it is packaged just like Jimmy Dean sausage. We just sliced it up and sauteed it with EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) and butter. A little tip to cooking broccoli, steam it with chicken broth to add flavor. Hope you enjoy this dish as much as we do. Happy cooking from our kitchen to yours.



Chicken and Artichoke Bake

Ingredients:
4 boneless chicken breast halves
salt and pepper
flour
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 ounces sliced mushrooms
2 jars or cans artichoke hearts in brine, quartered, drained
1/2 cup drained sun-dried tomatoes
1 can (2 1/4 ounces) sliced ripe olives
1/4 cup chicken broth
juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup white wine

Place chicken breast halves between sheets of plastic wrap and gently pound to a uniform thickness. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper then dredge lightly in flour. Preheat oven to 350°. Heat butter and olive oil over medium heat; add the chicken pieces. Brown chicken, turning to brown both sides. Add mushrooms and continue sautéing for another 2 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Simmer until reduced slightly, then cover and transfer to the oven. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.Serves 4.






Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Meals in a hurry by Homemade Gourmet

Pecan Pie Bars

Ingredients:
1 Homemade Gourmet® Pecan Pie Muffin Mix
2 eggs
1 stick butter, melted


Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350. Make pecan pie batter as directed on label. Prepare 8x8 square baking pan with Pam


2. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 20 minutes, let cool completely before cutting into small bars.



As most of you know, if not all I sell Homemade Gourmet. I decided to show you just how quick and easy it is and know you will fall in love as I have. Check out my website and find something you love that you can whip up in a heartbeat and enjoy with your friends and family. I made a homemade video but I could not get it to work.. Thanks for stopping by!

Valentines Craft!

I was so excited to wake up on Saturday morning and start my fantastic Valentines Day craft idea for my friends, family and neighbors. It is so fun when you get so "giddy" about the little things:). Not sure where I got my inspiration for this but I will have to say it came out of no where so this is what I came up with. Hope you ENJOY it as much as I did.












What you will need:





Pretzels:
Heat the white chocolate bark according to package directions. Simply dip the pretzel rod in the chocolate and turn while you are dipping to make sure you cover it well.


Place it down on a wire rack, (put wax paper under or you will have a mess if you do not)and allow the white chocolate to dry.




Heat your pink and red chocolate separately as directed (about 30 sec, then stir, then another 30-40).

Dip a fork in the red chocolate and shake back and forth over the pretzels, repeat with pink. (you can use whichever utensil you would like but I found the fork to do the trick. Keep in mind you can spread the colored chocolate over 4-6 sticks at a time, much faster that way).

Packaging:
I use Nashville Wraps to order all of my paper, ribbon, bags etc. I started using this site when I needed some items for my guest baskets for the wedding and have been in love ever since. I ordered the raffia ribbon in white, pink and red and then ordered the cellophane baggies. See below:






Labels:

Jennifer told me about the labels she found on one of our favorite blogs we follow, Fly through our window. Check it out it is so easy and fun!





Let me know how it turns out!!! A lot of you wanted to know how I did so here I am to share it with you. Happy Valentines day y'all!!! xoxo

Monday, February 8, 2010

Are you ready for some football?!?!?!

I know this is a day late but we had a busy Superbowl Sunday so I was not able to post. I made this AMAZING, REFRESHING, BEAUTIFUL and most importantly HEALTHY 7 layer bean dip to bring to my inlaws for our superbowl party!

This take on 7 layer bean dip is so great and found it on a blog I follow, ezrapoundcake.com . Who wants to buy the pre-made salsa and guacamole for this dish with all the extra preservatives? Make it from scratch an it might even save you both is carolies and cash.. which we all love.

7 Layer Bean Dip

Adapted from “Cook’s Country.” and ezrapoundcake.com


Layer 1:
2 16-ounce cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 teaspoon chili powder
Pinch of salt

Layer 2:
1 cup light sour cream (or Greek yogurt)
2 cups freshly grated cheese (preferably pepper jack, Mexican blend or Cheddar)

Layer 3: Guacamole
2 avocados, halved, seeded and peeled
Juice of 1/2 lime
1 clove garlic, minced
Pinch of kosher salt
1/4 cup diced red onion
1 tomato, cored, seeded and diced

Layer 4: Simple Salsa
3 large tomatoes, cored, seeded and diced
2 jalapeños, seeded and minced
1 to 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Layer 5:
6 scallions, thinly sliced

Layer 6:
Up to 1/4 cup grated cheese (pepper jack, Mexican blend or Cheddar)

Layer 7:
Chopped fresh cilantro



Directions:

1. Layer One: Combine the beans, chili powder and salt in a small bowl. Mash lightly with a fork, if you like. Transfer the beans to an 8-inch square dish or glass bowl of a similar size. (This makes a lot so if you want to prepare all the layers first then assemble so you can see what you are working with I recommend that). A clear dish is best to use so you can see how pretty the layers are.


2. Layer Two: In a small bowl, stir together the sour cream and cheese. Spread the mixture evenly over the bean layer.


3. Layer Three: Mash avocados, lime juice, garlic and salt. Stir in the red onion and tomatoes. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Spread the guacamole over the sour cream mixture.


4. Layer Four: In a medium bowl, combine the tomatoes, jalapeños and fresh cilantro. Layer the salsa over the guacamole.


5. Layer Five: Sprinkle scallions over the salsa.


6.Layer Six: Top the scallions with the cheese of your choice.


7. Layer Seven: Add as much cilantro confetti as you like.




8. Serve at room temperature with tortilla chips and carrot and celery sticks.