My Easy Fajitas

This is a quick easy meal.  Slice onions and different color bell peppers into length wise strips (so that they are all long).  Then take cooked chicken breast or steak and cut into strips similar in size.  Throw into a skillet with you favorite taco seasonings and  a little bit of liquid.  Heat until warmed and serve in your favorite tortillas.

Mexi Pizzas

One day I was trying to figure out what to cook.  My kids were young and I was to tired to think of getting to the store.  We had tacos a couple of nights ago and that really did not seem like a good idea again (no the kids fave food).  I also happened to have some canned biscuits in the fridge here comes my creation.

I took my jumbo sized biscuits and rolled them out flat.  Then I took our left over taco stuff.  Some refried beans, seasoned ground beef,  tomatoes, cheese, and some green onions.  I stacked them up my rolled out biscuits and then baked at the temp recommended on the can.  Topped with Sour Cream at the end.  It was simple and a yummy new way to use up my left overs.

Baked Potato Bar

Potatos are one of the most versatile food ever.  They are yummy and nutricious and filling.  They taste good with almost anything on them.  I prefer mine cooked in the oven.  I really like the crispness it gives to the skins.

Favorite toppings in our house:
butter
salt
pepper
sour cream
cheese, any kind
chili
veggies
bacon
BBQ


Have fun and enjoy a no fuss meal with your family.

Hotdog Bar

After years of asking what kinds of topping we wanted on our dogs I came to a realization.  We always have a hot dog bar.  Here are some of our favorites:

Plain old Ketchup
Mayo and Mustard
Western Dog~ This dog has cheddar cheese, BBQ and bacon on it
Chili Dog~ We like Nalley's Chili, cheddar cheese and some of us like onions
Just Plain


So basically we look and see what we have get it ready and let our imaginations go.  Enjoy your next hotdog night.

What happened to my weekend of posts?

Life.  Plain and simple.  In the Northwest Summer has finally began and we took advantage of what might have been our last family weekend to enjoy it together.  Lots of fun outside in the sun together.

We found out my hubby has been promoted to Chief Select and that has been a big moment for a family.  Now we are getting back into real life with his schedule being in the air.  So time to get back to my life and my plans.

Pilaf and Veggie Toss

Pilaf is something my Grandma taught me to make.  It always turned out so yummy when she made it.  And I was truly delighted when she taught me her secrets.  I hope she does not mind my sharing them now.

First you need to know how to make pilaf (at least our version of pilaf). 
~ Very thin pasta.  Grandma taught me Vermicelli but sometimes that is not around I have found Angel Hair and Thin Spaghetti work OK too.
~ Butter, real butter.  Please do not try anything else because it just does not taste as good and you might be sorry.  (Grandma did try this once).
~ Minute rice
~ Bullion.  We moved from cubes to paste.  But stock works too
~Salt.  Just to taste.

I have no real measurements for this recipe so if you like more of this or less of that go for it.  I have found that what started as a recipe Grandma taught me has really turned into a technique that I have built on over the years.

I recommend first breaking your pasta.  Break them into about 1 inch pieces.  This does not have to be perfect.  I use the first section of my thumb to measure this and it works great every time.

Have ingredients ready.  Melt a half stick of butter (4oz) in a nice big skillet (I prefer non stick) on a medium heat.  Butter will burn so try not to be in too much of a hurry.  Once butter is melted add about 2 cups of rice and 3 cups of broken up pasta (more or less you decide).  Stir gently until you start seeing beautiful golden hues in your pasta mixture.  Then add about 5 cups of liquid.  Now you can choose to use your favorite stalk here or you can simply add water and bullion.  If you have a paste such as "Better than Bullion" (which I love) use a couple of good sized Tbsps.  Stir together until all is combined and bullion is thoroughly mixed in, throw in a dash of salt too.  Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low (here you can kick the heat up and get the liquid moving).  Cover with a lid and stir occasionally.  Pilaf is done when rice and noodles are cooked and liquid has been absorbed.

Now that you know how to make a quick pilaf let's play with it.  Let's add your veggies,  whatever you have.  Broccoli, peppers, peas, etc.  You could even add meat if you like.  I usually throw frozen veggies in with a bit of extra liquid before bringing it to a boil.  Then it is all done together. (If you use canned veggies drain them first and remember that they are already soft you might want to add them closer to the end of boiling.)  Once the Pilaf and Veggies are cooked you can add different things to change it up.  Italian dressing and Parmesan cheese or a Feta.  I like Yoshida's Gourmet Sauce if I use stir fry veggies for an Oriental flavoring.  The sky is the limit.  Play with this and let me know what you came up with.

Chicken Nugget Parm

One day I looked at the clock and realized it was 5 pm and I had not thought of dinner yet.  I could change diapers on the babies, pack a diaper bag and load 3 kids into my car and go grab something quick or I can look around my kitchen.  Really looking around my kitchen would be faster and a lot less stressful so I looked.

Freezer looked like payday was about 4 days away and there are only 7 chicken nuggets left.  Fridge had a few remnants of things and only 3 string cheeses left.  What to do?   Time to look in the pantry and this is where our recipe begins:

7 chicken nuggets
3 string cheeses
1 pound of pasta
1 jar of favorite spaghetti sauce
sprinkle with parmesan at the end.

I got my water boiling for my pasta and pulled out another pan.  I lightly toasted the chicken nuggets.  While those are cooking I cut the string cheeses into small rounds.  Then cut each nugget into 4-6 pieces.   Drained my pasta, placed it back in my warm pan (which helps to evaporate left over water drips). Open jar of spaghetti sauce and dump over pasta, add in string cheese pieces and chicken nugget pieces.  Place on plates or in bowls and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Quick, easy and a crowd pleaser.

Food

While talking to my Husband the other day I had to come up with dinner. In a few minutes I decided on meatless spaghetti.  He told me he would have figured there was nothing to cook at the last minute.

This got me thinking.  As a Navy wife I am often home alone with our three young children.  Because they are young they do not always enjoy food that I like.  And making a big meal often turns into making enough to feed us for longer then we want to eat it.  I had to learn how to use what I have creatively and resourcefully.  Three children also means I do not want to be at the store more then need be.

From this have come my quick go to recipes like:
Chicken Nugget Parm
Pilaf and Veggie Toss
Hot Dog Bar
Baked Potato Bar
Mexi Pizzas (great left over dish)

I am going to work on posting the recipes to these over this weekend.  I hope the next time you are low on energy and need to make dinner these will inspire you to look no further then your own kitchen.

Stawberry Shortcake

Ever notice there are a lot of ways to make this.  Everyone has a different favorite.  Some people like the bread to be a biscuit, some like an angel cake, some like pound cake.  I am sure there are many more but these seem to be the norm.  You can make sugary berries, you can squeeze lemon in them to give them zip, there is glaze you can buy at the store.  And then there is the whip.  Buy it in a bucket, or a can or make it yourself. 

My husband likes lots of juice with his.  My kids are all about the whipped topping.  Me I like to make it with pound cake; buttery, slightly sweet and does not fall apart.  I like to make my own whip topping in my blender.  Sometimes I add cream cheese to it for an extra rich flavor.  I do not like soggy shortcake.  I like my berries with some zip and just enough juice to flavor the bread some. 

Last night we enjoyed eating our Strawberry shortcake just the way we each like it.

PCSing with K12

Well, here we are half way into the year and it is time for us to PCS. I cannot believe it has finally got here. We started our school year with many uncertainties. Will we stay in Washington and not change K12 schools? Should we just move to Oregon and possibly not be able to enroll the kids mid year? Will my hubby get home before deployment is over? Will he get home before we move? Will we find a house before we have to be at our next duty station? Can I really buy a house, school 3 kids and move all by myself? Well, I now have some answers to these unknowns. Some were short and easy (not always pleasant) answers and others were more gray areas.


Will we stay in Washington and continue on with WAVA? Or do we try to move to Oregon and enroll our children midway through the year? We had a plan if it was Oregon we would buy the curriculum if we had to. But in the end we chose to stay in Washington. We will be 21 miles from the border. A further commute then we had hoped but a lovely home with lots to do in the area. We also discovered that this means we get to keep our amazing teacher Mrs. Reed. Over the last 3 school years all of my children, and my niece even, have come to love her. They cannot wait to talk with her and share what they are doing. I was ever so pleased to hear that she will still be our teacher even though we will be further away.

Will my hubby get home before deployment is over? Will he come home before we move? I cannot tell you how much this one had me agonizng. I have never moved with out my best friend. Let alone chose our new home with out him or anything of the likes. In the end I am moving next week and he is not here. So yes, I am moving with out him home. Will he be home before deployment ends, probably not, but if you know anything about the military then you know the answer can change tomorrow.

Will we find a house before we have to be at the next duty station? Can I buy home on my own? It turns out the answer to both of these questions is yes. Through lots of prayer by me and for me by my many wonderful friends and family members, God has blessed with me a stress free house buying experience. I just kept praying that His will be done and everything went really smoothly for us. Seriously. From our amazing realtor to finding a great home, for a great price and meets our needs. I feel so truly blessed.

Can I school 3 children while all of this is going on? Well yes I can. I cannot however say that every lesson was from K12. Many came from our frequent travels up and down the highway. Some came from how dirty the house can get when we are all tired, over worked and then take turns getting sick. But in the end they are all learning, happy and thriving. So yes, I can school them in all this craziness. Our choice to use K12 seems to be paying off.

Can I move all by myself? This has been quite a testament to me on how greatly God provides. Everything I have needed just keeps lining up and perfectly timed. I am a planner by nature and I never could have planned things to happen the way that they have.

So we will start out in January behind our goals for school. But our personal goals are right on target. The kids are healthy. I am moving as asked by my wonderful Husband. And school will go on with few changes or challenges. Our first PCS with K12 is definitely a success!!