Tonight for dinner I wanted to try something new. And I am also still dragging from the heat induced force-myself-to-eat thing that happens from July to September. Many a day passes and I realize that the yogurt I had for breakfast is the only thing that I have eaten.

Back to the real story at hand...

I hit pintrest, hoping that one of the hundreds of recipes that I had pinned would catch my eye and I would actually have the desire to  (a) cook and further heat my house and (b) eat. 
I found this  recipe for a Mexican casserole: http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/mexican-chicken-casserole-10000000223124/

The picture looks awesome...but I read through the ingedients and it sounded more blah than it looked. There were a few things in the recipe that I liked the idea of and as I sat and looked at the picture that I wanted to eat in deep culinary thought, I realized what it was that made me what to eat it. So I  left my computer screen and started to kitchen-sink what I wanted for dinner. (BTW, yes I meant to use kitchen-sink as a verb. Have you ever heard of kitchen sink cooking? Its where people throw all kinds of stuff into a recipe that isn't called for. It's supposed to be slang for "they threw everything in but the kitchen sink..." Now do you get my joke?! Good. Moving on.)

My first thought was to start cooking some quinoa, but when I glanced at the time and saw that the spouse was going to be landing at the Payne house, hungry and wanting instant food in 20 minutes, I decided on the left over rice that was in the fridge instead, next time I will do quinoa.  So I moved on to starting some  (about 1 pound) boneless-skinless chicken breast cooking in chicken broth and a can of green chiles.  Then I grabbed a jar of the enchilada sauce that I canned a few weeks ago and stirred about 1/2 the jar into the 2 cups of rice that I had. I heated it in a pan to get the flavor in it a little better. Put that into a greased 9x9 oven safe dish and then topped it with a few handfuls of crushed tortilla chips.  Once the chicken was done I shredded it and added to the chicken as many of the green chiles that it cooked in as I could get out of the broth  plus about 1/4 cup of the broth. Threw that into the pan that I heated the rice in and melted 1/2 a brick of cream cheese with it. Then put that over the rice/chips that were in the casserole dish.  Topped that with more crushed tortilla chips, grated cheese and chopped tomatoes. It went into my oven for about 20 minutes st 350*

I was at this point a little nervous for my kitchen-sink Mexican casserole. 

 Maybe because I am still trying to recover from the horrible chocolate cupcakes that I made yesterday- recipe found on pintrest- that had to be turned into cakeballs to not call the whole thing a bust.

The spouse got home and the kids started grazing, so it was go time- I had to serve it, good or not. Anderson- the pickiest of any eater alive, looked at it and said "No Way! I said I wanted noodles with butter and cheese, not this...this...whatever it is. I'm not eating it." It's his typical response to anything that is not noodles with butter and cheese on them. But I am that mom that makes my kids eat things that I cook and then they have to wait for a bedtime before they can eat anything else, and that's just a small snack, so they learn to eat what is given to them.
Forks picked at the food and then went into mouths and the score board read 10's all the way around. EVERYONE loved it.
I had to snap a quick picture before it was devoured in round 2.

What am I saying here? Unpin the Mexican casserole that is on your pinboard and
repin this one.

You can thank me later.
WIth  chocolate. :)

I've been a bit of a slacker about sharing recipes and so to make up for it I have decided that I will now share 3 that I have just made and LOVED with you all.

You want to hear about them, right?

I know you would rather taste them, and you are always welcome to stop on over and grab some if you see that I have posted that I just made {whatever} and it is divivne, hop in your car/truck/scooter or just run over. Treats are always better when shared with friends. And I'm the type of person who loves to make a treat, I will eat 1 or 2 servings and then I usually get the craving for a different something and make a new thing. Needless to say I ALWAYS have treats laying around at my house.
Where was I....Oh, Yeah! Recipes!!

Recipe #1
Fresh Lemonade (really its citrus-ade because its not just lemons)

8 (total) lemons, limes or oranges- any combination
1 1/2 cups  sugar
1 1/2 cups hot water

This is the key to good lemonade,I did  a lot of research on this to find the secret to good lemonade last night between the hours of 8:50 and 8:52. Google is fast:
Make a sugar syrup. To do so you heat the sugar and water to a boil, then cool it. This very evenly distributes the sugar flavor instead of letting it sink to the bottom. So do that first thing in the morning and stick it in your fridge to let it cool. About the time that you are wanting to serve the lemonade, squeeze the citrus fruits of your choice. Reserve some of the pulp if you like that kind of lemonade, if not remove it with the seeds. Pour into a large pitcher, add  the chilled sugar syrup and then add enough water to the mixture to make 2 quarts. Feel like getting wild?!? Add some raspberries or stawberries or mango! If you smash the added wildness in the bottom of your glass before pouring in the lemonade, it will mix very nicely together.
ENJOY!!

Recipe #B  I totally did that on purpose to annoy my sister who (I hope) reads this.

Angel food bread pudding.

-Let me explain: I am a sucker for the reduced for quick sale rack at the bakery, except the donuts- NEVER buy day old donuts. So the other day there was angel food cake for 99 cents, we had just gotten some awesome peaches from my sister in law, so for dessert one night we had just that. With whipped cream on top. It rocked. But then I made jam with the rest of the peaches and I had 3/4 of a cake left over. So I Googled angel food cake bread pudding and came up with some whack jobs ginger/lemon/raisen/pecan angel food bread pudding. Did not sound good at all. Except the lemon part- that was intriging. So I looked at the basics of his recipe and got my gear going. This is what I came up with:

Cubed, day old angel food cake (about 4 cups total)
1 cup of milk
4 eggs
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
Zest of one whole lemon

(OOOOH! Add poppy seeds! I didn't  but it would be awesome!)

Pour cubed cake into a greased square pan, in another bowl mix together the other ingredients and pour over cake, making sure to get all the cake wet. I had to smoosh some pieces down to get enough egg mixture on them so that they wouldn't  get toasty burned. Cook for 20-30 minutes at 350* until the center no longer looks runny.

I think making a creme anglaise sauce (another day- its very complicated cooking that would take a long time to explain)  and pouring it on top, sprinking a few dried cranberries on there could possibly win me....what cooking awards are out there?! Look it up and tell me so I can start prepping my acceptance speech. But yeah, its really, really good. Come share it with me before its gone. :)


Okay, recipe # Last  (again, annoying the sister. hehehe)

Get ready people...this one is monumental:

But first,  theres a story.

Hey! Don't skip my story and scroll down to get the recipe. To get my goods, you hear my ramble. Its the rule. That I just made up.

So my kids go through phases of loving bananas and hating bananas. The phase goes something like they love them in the store and ask for them whenever we are there and then hate them when they are home and refuse to eat them. So I am always finding myself with browning bananas on my counters. I sneak them into muffins and make this really good creamy banana bread that has a caramel crunch topping on it, I've tried covering them with chocolate and freezing them- all but 2 are still in my freezer waiting to be eaten...and I ate the 2.  
I was in the mood for something new, so I googled again and saw a recipe for double chocolate banana bread. It won.  But, you know me, I could not leave well enough alone: I changed it- for the better of course. This is the result:


Chocolate peanut butter banana bread (imagine a chocolate peanut butter frozen banana...in bread version)
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/3 cup oil
1 1/4 c mashed banana (lets be honest, no one measures the smashed banana- use the 2 or 3 that are on your counter and call it good)
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup peanut butter baking chips (you know, like chocolate chips, but peanut buter)

Mix the sugar, eggs, oil  and banana until well mixed and add the other ingredients, fold the peanut butter chips into the mixed batter and pour it into a large greased loaf pan. Bake at 350* for 50-60 minutes. 
Let it cool a little bit and then pop it out of the loaf pan and enjoy.
Here's my little tip of the day too: If you use a plastic knife to cut it, it doesn't gum it all up and make a mess. It works for brownies and cake too.
Your welcome! :)
Now that you ahve my weeks creations you can go and do as I did- ignore your mommy chores and bake away, then eat and drink to your hearts delight. As you sit in what is likely to be a very messy kitchen. And house. Cause you ignored your chores.

Yeah, it happened something like that for me.

But it was worth it.

Yesterday in primary we talked of the importance of having good friends and being a good friend to your friends. We watched a very touching message from President Hinkley about a lesson that he learned as a boy. The three times that I watched it while preparing shaing time, I cried, and both times that we watched it at primary today I cried. Maybe its because I really miss President Hinkley, the kind demeanor and soft, gentle, soothing voice that he had. I dearly love that man. Don't get me wrong, I love President Monson just as much; but there is something about the prophet that was presiding while you grew your own testimony that is special to every individual. 
You can watch the video, and I bet you will cry too. If not, something is wrong with you. You should get it checked out.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=naqX9iYE0V0  (that's the link) After watching the video the spirit was very overwhelming and the kids and I were so into talking more about friends. I love when that happens. :)
So I was trying to teach the adorable primary kids about good qualities that a friend should have and that they should be to their own friends. We spelled out the word friend with those qualities.   Forgiving, respects your standards, inspires you to be Christ like, Example for you to follow, nice and kind to everyone, and dependable. We were pulling silver dollars with these key elements out of a work boot for our activity. They dug it.
I came home from my little spiritual high and just had to text my BFF and tell her how much I cherished her. We had a very giggley and touching text conversation and it made my little spiritual high all that much better. And then I began thinking of all these fantastic people that I am surrounded by who are such great examples of all those things that a friend should be. So without naming names (which really if you want the credit I will tag you, or whatever) I really wanted  to tell those people that I really love having them in my life and that you do it for me.  You are the hope at the end of the tunnel and on days when I want to sit in bed and watch Grey's all day and fall apart and not get back up- you are who keeps me going. And even if you are not mentioned specifically, the list is just so long that its hard to remember everyone. But you are there too, promise.

Everyone has that best friend who knows everything about them. Knows so much that you would be in serious trouble if they ever crossed  you. That friend that you never argue with, that you can finish each others sentences, that  you don't even have to ask where you want to go eat just what time. That friend that you gitty when you see that they are calling or texting just because its a releif in the day to day to hear their voice. That friend who knows when you have reached your limit and just steps in to help. That friend who rearranges birthday parties so that your kids can come and who will take off work and rearrange schedules when you are most in need. The only person that you want to talk to when you are in your darkest hour. The person that will show up and help hold your daughter down while she is screaming for her life while getting her teeth fixed. Some how, we have tricked our children into being the best of friends so its fun all around whenever we all get together. I have the best of the best of the best of that friend. There is not a day that goes by, a joke that is not told, a touching moment that passes that I do not think of this friend. She is my rock. She is the one that will help me burry the body and be my aliby if that need ever comes. She and I are like peas and carrots.  You are the whip to my cream. The peanut butter to my jelly. The ice cream to my cone. I simply cannot go through a single day without you.

Without this person's influence and understanding and example for me to follow, I would not be the person that I am today. She welcomed me into her home and trusted me with her 4 beautiful children every day, she and her family coaxed my  shrinking violet of a testimony into the unwavering faith that I have today. She showed me the patient and loving way to raise my children. She took me under her wing and kept many, many secrets for as long as I needed her to. She shared recipes, advise and a place to sit and relax, helped us get into our home and is always looking out for my best interest. Her now grown children are one of very few trusted babysitters for my little ones and they have grown to be remarkable people who I admire so much that I chose to name my baby girl after. I will never forget the day that I was sitting in the foyer at church and over hearing her husband bear his testmony about how much they loved having me in their home and watching their kids. It has impacted my life so greatly and made me want to live up to the person that they saw in me.  You mean more to me and my family and my children than I could ever express and I don't think I will ever ve able to repay all the things that you have done for me. Ever.

I have a fantastic friend who stood and stands by my side and diligently serves with me every Sunday and takes on all this stuff that I really have no idea what it is and whose children I LOVE so much and adore that her chubby little one adores me so much. She brought me a huge divine chocolate cake the day after my dad passed away and it was just the thing that I needed, she is always willing to take on my 3 monsters at the drop of a dime, and loves me even though she knows way too many of my faults. She is such a great example for me to follow.

I have this oher friend that serves with me too, she has a rock of a testimony. Is so incredibly devoted and inspirational to me and so inspiring to watch her work with all the kids in primary. She makes me tear up and get tingly every time that I hear her sing with this voice that the MoTab is regretting not taking. Sh eand my daughter have this little love affair going on that she is just adorable about too. She is this lovely, fantastic, strong person who I am so privelaged to serve with and get to know, she is totally irreplacable and as modest as she is about it, I think she knows. I love co-presidenting primary with you.

This other friend that I have is the one that I owe my marriage to. Her cute little boys really enjoyed when I came to babysit and their mom had this feeling that I needed to meet her brother. He liked the idea so much that he quit his job in Florida and drove out here- homeless and jobless for the chance on a blind date. Good thing that it was a good date...for me. She has been this incredible sister in law who listens to my every gripe about marriage and parenting and shares millions of scrapbook ideas with me. Before our lives became too busy I loved our weekly lunch dates and watching our kids play together. She takes on my kids, even when they scream for hours on end, and lets me vent to her when she is in her busiest times.

My other friend who  has been so understanding and uplifting and empathetic to my every need. She told me once on a very bad day that her mom used to always tell her that never once did the scriptures say "and it came to stay" It always said "and it came to pass" This will get better, this will be over, all I have to do is endure. It has changed my outlook on every trial that has confronted me.

I have a friend who never tells me no when I need a last minute helper in primary or in life, who always has her eye out for people's disposable furniture that I either turn into income or turn into treasures in my house.

I have MULTIPLE friends who's blog entries are the highlight of my day and I try to be just half the writer that they are

 I have friends since childhood who remind me of things that we used to do that make me smile and gitty thinking about all the adventures and camping trips and late nights we shared.

I have friends that pick up my slack and get things done for me when they can see that I am not going to have a chance to do it myself.  When I turn around to ask them to ring the bell for priamry- they have already done it.

Friends that will never call me on my limits and let me bring dinner to everyone and anyone, no matter how bad the reviews were last time. 

Friends that will still be my friend even after I call them to primary to teach nursery or worse- sunbeams.

Friends that call me when there is a sale on scrapbook paper.

Friends that tell me when the donuts are hot at Macey's.

Friends who tell me that Walmart just put all their clearance down to $1 for kids clothes and will even pick out the cream of the crop and pay for them so I don't have to leave my house.

Friends that like my status on Facebook just so I know they care.

My best of friends who I call sisters and Mom that like me even when I claim to only have 2 sisters and 3 half sisiters because I only like them half the time. :)

I have friends.

Friends that are forgiving and respect my standards and inspire me to be Christ like and are examples for me to follow and are nice and kind to everyone and dependable.

I have great friends.

Thanks guys.  Really- T.H.A.N.K.S.

A few days ago i got a call from a friend of mine who said that there was a really nice desk that someone had put on the grassy area of her neighborhood and put a paper on it that said "free." She immediately thought of me because she knows I love refinishing furniture and selling it, and me- always up for a new project- jumped on it.
I made my exhausted husband jump in the truck with me and 5 kids (we were watching my niece and nephew) and we drove over and we  were trash diggers. Or more oppertunists.
We  found this on the grassy patches of Blackhorse:

(To clarify this is a little bit after we picked it up off the grass. I already cut the top off, cut it down 5 inches and reattatched the top in this picture.)

We saw it and and Kevin was a little reluctant to take it. He thought it was a "throw away desk" and thats why it was free. I saw a great find. He though there was no way that I could resell it, and I said maybe we could use it for a desk in our room, because he had been asking me to look around for a cheap one to put up there so  he could work in our room when things got too loud downstairs. THEN he wanted it.
I had to do some quick rearranging of my room and the livingroom, moved the "yellow barn cabinet" upstairs and move the ottoman that I built downstairs- ten year olds can be very helpful with this kind of thing, complainy, but helpful. Then Kevin helped me move the desk up stairs. The spot that I wanted to put it in has a pretty low vaulted ceiling and the desk was 5 inches too tall to fit against the wall. Kevin suggested that we cut the top shelf on an angle so it fit like a built in. I did not like the idea- and really, there are not too many ideas that he pitches about home decor that I do like. I wanted to cut off the top, cut 5 inches from the shelves and reattatch the top. Something told me that if I didn't act quick then Kevin would do me the service of ruining the desk with his idea. So I got started on it pretty quick the next day.
Jig saw, measuring tape and sharpie marker in hand I altered the free desk to fit it where I wanted it. Worked out perfect, fits exactly where I wanted it to. 

But it was still ugly.
So I sat in my bed a stared at it for a good long time and tried to vision it in various different colors of paint that I already had in my stockpile. I was determined to keep this project as free as I could, so I was only going to use things that I had on hand.
Peafowl blue was screaming at me, so I gave in and stared painting.  An hour later 2 coats was on and drying and I again sat in my bed and stared at it trying to vision what else it needed to make it beautiful.
Glazing. And cute little knobs on the single drawer- the ones that I snagged at Hobby Lobby a few months ago when they had them for 50% off.  So I did. And I loved it. And I left it alone for the night. Even got thusbands approal that it was no longer a throw away desk.
The next morning I stared at it while everyone was sleeping and absoutely hated the old, boring office chair that was pushed under it.

See, ugly. I was determined to recover it. So I searched online to see if anyone had tried such a crazy thing and found that a lot of people hate those ugly office chairs as much as I do. I read step by steps and then I recovered mine. It was pretty easy. Unscrew the seat and the back, pop off the plastic backing on the back of the chair, lay the fabric right side down on the floor, place the back on it, cut the fabric about 4 inches bigger, stretch and staple it to the back working in opposite directions, press the plastic back on, and re attatch it to the chair base. same scenario for the seat of the chair. Easy, peasy.
And look how nice it looks!!

I liked it. And then as I sat on my bed and stared at it again, I wanted to tie the fabric from the chair into the desk a little better, and I needed some better storage too. So I turned my left over fabric and the .97 cent storage boxes that I bought for the desk into much cuter storage boxes with  little spray adhesive and hot glue. Then I put them up on the shelve and declared my project done, and done. I also declared the desk that my husband asked for into my new sewing desk. :) He had no faith in the desk, so why should it be his?
 I let him use it when he needs to. For a fee.
Here it is, the throw-away-I'm-keeping-it-forever-desk:

Desk cost: free
Paint cost: Left over from a refinshed chair, so free
Knobs: already had them for a previous cost of $2 each
Fabric to recover shair and boxes: $10.00
Storage boxes:$4.00
TOTAL: $18.00
Pretty cheap for the way it turned out!

But really, thanks to whoever decided that they no longer wanted this desk. I love it.
And, no you cannot have it back.