Enchilada Skillet, on the menu for lunch today

Lunch is the most consistent meal of the day around here.  My hubby works mostly nights, so I like to make sure he's eaten before he goes to feed everyone else.

On the menu for today, Enchilada Skillet!  It was super easy & even better, I had everything here at the house to make it.  The longer I stay at home, the more resourceful I have become.  No doubt, the internet has gave me great ideas.  Most of all, I am inspired by others creative cooking.

Growing up my dad was incredibly picky.  Needless to say, our dinners were not so flavorful & there wasn't much variety. My mom probably felt so free in the kitchen once they split up, lol.  But seriously, I noticed a huge difference in her chili, for instance.  Finally, she could kick it up a bit on the seasonings.

Enchilada Skillet

1 Pound Ground Beef

2 Tablespoons of Taco Seasoning

1/2 can of Red Enchilada Sauce

1/2 can of Green Chiles

1 packet of Velveeta Toppers Queso Blanco Sauce

2-3 Cups Egg Noodles

First brown the Ground Beef.  Season the meat with the Taco Seasoning.  Drain any grease from the pan.

Next stir in the Enchilada sauce, green chiles & the cheese sauce. Stir until blended.

Add the cooked egg noodles.  

I didn't measure it.  I used the rest of an opened bag.

Top with what ever feels right.

As you can see here I used crushed corn chips, taco sauce, cheese & sour cream for the hubby.

I made mine a little lighter with some crushed corn chips & salsa.

Either way you top it, it's a quick lunch time meal that took less than a half an hour to whip up.  I wanted to make sure I shared this since the weekend is almost here.  It would be a quick meal before or after the pool. Enjoy!

Where did the last year go?

Seems like the last year has really gone by fast.  I realized this as I was downloading pictures so I could use my Shutterfly gift certificate, yes, I am only now getting around to printing off wedding pictures. Last year at this time I was a frantic Bride-to-Be trying to get everything ready for my beach destination wedding. Everything did not go quite as I had envisioned, but all of the important things fell into place.

We had a reception party back home after our nuptials. I wouldn't say I regret it.  Having a destination wedding makes it hard to celebrate your union with everyone. At our reception, we got to have a great time will all of our friends & family that were not at the wedding.  It was worth every penny & all the hard work.

We did so much of our wedding at the beach. We were on a tight budget & I love to be creative. I'm sharing some of the DIY projects that I did for my "Big Day".  That was probably one of my favorite parts. Party planning is my passion after all!

Centerpieces from my Bridal Shower were 

recycled from my sister's Wedding

Then used for our Beach Wedding

And ended up being the centerpiece at our reception at home.

Talk about getting your money's worth!

Found this great idea on Pinterest.

Looks like a Life Preserver

But it's really there to freshen your breath!

What's more "beachy" than 

Salt Water Taffy?

I monogrammed bags that I purchased

 from Uline & filled them with taffy

BTW-I got those for a steal,

200 burlap bags (with shipping) for under $70!

We aren't huge fans of cake, 

so it wasn't the most important thing to us.

I bought a regular round store cake for us to cut & decorated it ourselves.

My best friends cousin is a baker in Richmond, VA

so we asked her to make cupcakes for us. 

Unfortunately, her cupcakes looked more like a Pinterest Fail.

(We were too upset to even take pictures)

So my future Sister In Law worked her magic on the existing cupcakes. I loved the way our cake table turned out.

The dining area was inside as well as on the deck.

The table cloths were a last minute purchase & matched perfectly

Appetizers for Cocktail Hour

-Caprice Salad Bites

-Veggies & dip cups

-Taco Dip Cups

-Cheese & Cracker Tray

-Pickle & Olive Tray

Dinner Menu

-Chicken Marsala

-Brown Sugar & Garlic Chicken

-Tortellini & Marinara

-Red Skinned Potatoes w/Parsley

-Green Beans

-Salad Bar

Since we have our son, we wanted to incorporate him into the Unity Sand part of our ceremony. When I started to look for bottles for the sand, I couldn't believe the prices. I wasn't overly concerned about what the sand was in, so I didn't need something super fancy.

I went to my favorite local craft store, Pat Catans.

I bought 3 Oil Pourers & a Bottle with a cork.

We put 3 differnt colors of sand in each one, representing each one of us.

Including the 3 bags of sand, our Unity Sand cost under $20.

We put sand from the beach at the bottom & eventually filled it the rest of the way with more sand from the beach. I loved the way it turned out. I have it with a picture from our wedding on a shelf.

I had a few more projects that I, honestly, just forgot to take the time to take pictures.  I re-used a bouquet that I caught at a friend's wedding.  It was artificial Jasmine flowers.  I just simply changed the ribbon to match our wedding colors.  I have since made a similar one for another friend's wedding.  I like being able to keep it. It was my something "old" at my reception.

Your special day is what you make of it.  At the end of the day, as long as me & my hubby were married, that was all that really mattered!

STOP! Potty Time

This winter I had decided that my son will once & for all be potty trained! With nothing but cold weather for as long as the forecast was showing, I felt this was probably the best time to do it.  Let me tell you, it was more work than I ever thought it could be.

I had a lot of great advice from people.  From my friends from school to my close girlfriends, from old neighbors & even guys chimed in, everyone has great tips.

The biggest debate was small potty or the grown up potty.  Being that I was trying to teach my son how to pee standing up like his dad, I felt the big potty with the little seat was perfect.  I thought for sure I could entice him with a Lightning McQueen potty seat & stool. Not so much. He was having difficulty going #1 on the little potty (pee everywhere) so I told him it was broken.  He eventually warmed up to it.

One classmate from grade school suggested having him play target practice with Cheerios.  While this worked for the first day, the novelty of hosing down one of his favorite breakfast cereals faded quickly. Guess my big hungry boy figured that he'd rather eat them. Luckily he took to standing up peeing with out much hesitation. Unfortunately, he has some real issues with going #2 on the royal throne.

This is where bribery came into play.  I am not sure that is even worked either.  I hung a Matchbox or Hot Wheels car from the bathroom door.  I thought of it as inspiration.  My little guy wasn't fully convinced that he really wanted the cars THAT much to just go poop.  As terrible as this may sound, it was actually kind of funny. He would sound like he was giving birth trying to go.  There wasn't anything wrong, he was just simply terrified!

After a few weeks of this, Mason had to stay with his Grandparents for the night.  Funny how he had NO problems going up there.  And he didn't need anyone there for moral support while he went. I am very thankful that now he goes to the bathroom on his own.  We still have the Night Time Pull-ups for bedtime.  Even though most of the time he wakes up dry.  I will take those off of him once I get the proper mattress pad for his bed.  

Every kid is different & one thing may not work that worked for someone else. Patience was the key for both of us.  We both would get frustrated, but we survived! And here I thought boys would be easier, lol!

Home Sweet Home

It's always nice to be home.  I LOVE my in-laws house & being up there.  But there is nothing like being in your own home.  For me, I greatly miss my computer.  My 3 year old couldn't wait to get home to play his Cars game.  Needless to say, we are both happy campers!

We had a nice break in the country.  My husband was working hard at landscaping the back yard for a surprise Anniversary party for his parents this September...shhhhh.
(Good thing I know they don't ever read my blog. Who am I kidding, they probably have no idea I even have it, lol.)

Here is a little preview of his work.

While my honey was showing that back yard who was boss, I relaxed.  I got to catch up on my recipe reading & did lots of cooking. My hubby's parents have the best kitchen!  I LOVE to cook when I am there. My MIL knows this. When ever I am coming up, she buys groceries for me to cook.

This weeks menu included the MIL's picks, lasagna, ribs & vegetable pizza.  I was thrilled to make lasagna.  We have been talking about me making it for months, since I was staying up there helping with my FIL.  I decided that some pasta salad was the perfect quick side for the ribs. I was floored when they had never had pasta salad the way I make it. I think they liked it though!

Cooking while I am there gives me something to do & it gives someone else a break. Plus it's fun for me! They have all the fun gadgets to make cooking & baking a little easier.

Like this little helper. An actual Lasagna Pan.

At first, I thought, I don't need one of these. 

After using it I am a believer....I NEED one!

I also made Mojitos.  

It's always a good thing when your mother in law suggests a great summer time drink! 

For the first time, I made simple syrup. 

Simple Syrup Recipe

Combine equal parts Sugar & Water (I did 1 cup of each)

Heat on Low 

Stirring often.   

Once it's all liquid, remove from heat & let it cool down.

It really is simple. I will NEVER buy it again. 

I will however, be purchasing some squeeze bottles to put it in though.  

For now I have mine in my old reliable, a Mason Jar. 

(I am obsessed with Mason Jars, BTW! 

We will save that confession for another day)

I came home from the In-Laws and made sure I bought a bottle of  Bacardi Rum for my summer time adult beverages. The big guy was on sale & I couldn't pass that up.  I love mojitos, they are so refreshing.  Looks like I need to experiment with different fruits & find a friend who is growing mint in their garden.  We can trade mint for simple syrup! 

Hope you find time this summer to enjoy a cool, refreshing Mojito!

The Calm After the Storm

To say the last few weeks has been crazy would be an understatement.  I have had 2 weddings, one of which I helped plan &  had my in-laws stay with us while my FIL went to the Dr. here.  Now I am looking forward to heading North to my in-laws for some R&R this week before my weeks get busy again.

My June calendar is booking up with Party Lite shows & I am NOT complaining.  Summer is always such a great time to get friends together & catch up.  It's also a great time to switch up the decor to make your home bright & cheerful.

Here are a few ideas to make your home look

 ready for the sunny weather!

Keeping it short & sweet today so I can finish packing for my weekday getaway!

Have a safe & Happy Memorial Day 

and don't forget why this day exists.

I love weddings

Party planning is my passion.  I always seem to be planning some kind of party or helping with one. My most recent project was helping my "sister from another mister" plan her wedding.

My 2 best friends are sisters.  Their youngest sister tied the knot in a "Destination Wedding" here it Pittsburgh. Having had my own wedding away, I tried to help her make the wedding as painless as possible.

The theme of the wedding was "Travel".

Each table had a theme of places 

they have been together & their home towns.

Los Angeles

Pittsburgh

Antigua

Las Vegas

San Diego

Wine Country

We did floral centerpieces & the tables had "hints" of each destination on the table. I used artificial flowers to do the centerpieces, hoping she wouldn't be able to tell.  Obviously the shredded paper was a dead giveaway, but there weren't any on the head table. She had no idea they were artificial until she picked it up.  

Operation "Fake Flowers" was a success!

I got the flowers from Garden Ridge.  Why I never stepped foot in that store until now is beyond me.  I always thought it was like Home Depot or Lowes.  Boy was I wrong!  I was pleasantly surprised at all of the beautiful things they had.  Their flower selection was great. They had flowers for any budget.

It's been fun & a bit challenging.  

The Bride gave suggestions & I went with it.
She was so excited when I told her I wasn't telling her anymore about the wedding. 

 It was great, I got to play "David Tuturo" for her.  

Mr. & Mrs. Thomas

Unfortunately, playing wedding planner did not give me time to go around & take pictures of each table theme.  The photographer gladly took pictures for me & is going to send them to me when she is done editing.  I will be sharing those & the rest of the Travel themed creations I made.

Technically I didn't drink beer....

I was raised Catholic, not so much a practicing Catholic these days.  But during Lent I don't eat meat on Fridays & this year I actually gave something up for lent...

This year I gave up beer.
Let me tell you, that was a long 40 days.

I am a huge fan of beer.  I like all different kinds of beers, except IPA's...I just can't do all the hops.  I felt like I was consuming a bit too much beer recently.  So when my best friend decided to give it up for Lent (by the way, she is NOT Catholic, lol)  I decided to join her.  I must say it is always easier to give things up with someone.  We have really helped each other.

Giving up things & sticking to it has never really worked out for me.  I am proud to say we didn't have a single beer.  I made it through my Girls Weekend with no beer, even though that strawberry ale was calling my name!

As I have mentioned before, I am an Independent Party Lite consultant along with being a stay-at-home momma.  The first of the year, they discontinued their Two Sisters Gourmet line.  So disappointing.

One of my favorite products was the beer bread.  I know those other companies have their own, but I've always leaned towards TSG.  It's not because it was a product I sold, I honestly liked it much better!  And then you serve it with the TSG Outrageously Garlic as a dip.....yummy stuff.  It was always my go to when people were over to watch some Steelers football or even for game night.

For my weekend away with the girls, I wanted to make beer bread.  Aldi's has their own, but I heard it just wasn't the same.  So while away at the in-laws, I decided to find a recipe!  Little did I know how easy it was.  And with a little Shock Top Belgian beer added, it was perfect! Sure you can use a good ol domestic, but there is something about a craft beer that makes the bread that much better.

Beer Bread

3 C Self Rising Flour

1/3 C Sugar

12 oz Beer
1 Tbsp Butter melted

Preheat oven at 375 degrees
Spray a bread pan with cooking spray
Mix flour, sugar & beer
Pour batter into pan
Top with melted butter...this will prevent the top from burning
Bake for about 35 minutes or until slightly browned on top

This is the perfect "dish" to take to a party or picnic.
Just pair it up with a dip and you are sure to have a crowd pleaser.