Super Easy Taco Dip

Hello everyone, my name is Rachel and I am an inner fat kid. A couple of weeks ago, my sister and I, went up to the lake. We laid on the dock, my uncle and Aunt were awesome and took us for a very long wonderful boat ride, we finally, after years of waiting to be old enough, both of us were able to go to the outdoor bar that had live entertainment! It was amazing!!!! We had made plans to make some simple things like chicken salad for us to make sandwiches with, some cherry tomatoes,  lettuce, pita pockets, etc, you know the normal stuff for a girls weekend....oh did I mention the wine! hehe! Anyways, I had been wanting to make a really good dip because that is my new obsession. So here it is, this dip will make enough to feed 10-12 people or 2 girls on a lake weekend hehe. We ate nothing but this dip, it was amazing!

Easy Taco Dip!

1 can each:
black beans
corn
diced tomatoes with green chili's (the green chili's is optional, I personally like it.)

1 packet of taco seasoning, choose your flavor or hotness
1  15-16 oz container of sour cream
8 oz. of cream cheese room temp/sofened
2 cups of cheddar cheese

cream together the sour cream and cream cheese, mix in the other ingredients and stir together. serve cold or hot, we did cold since it was in the 80's or 90's up at the lake. serve with chips, in a pita thin as a sandwich etc. it goes with everything! too bad I didn't get a picture of it!

Summer....Slow Down!!

Well the 4th has came and passed already...ugh. This summer is going by incredibly too quickly, pretty soon it will be time for sweaters and football again...which don't get me wrong, I enjoy those things, its just I don't want what comes after that.

We went to the beloveds parents house for the 4th, His mom is an amazing cook and I stuffed my face with entirely too much food. I contributed to the desserts even though she had already made two. I made a layer cake (I cheated and bought a pound cake premade, but the icing and filling and layering and the decorating with fruit I did hehe) I only cheated because I am a rebel and a rule breaker...I, being a southern-ish woman...don't own a bundt pan...I know...stone me now lol or chime in with a "bless your heart!"


Anywho! here is the recipe for the lemon filling, it is quite possibly better than the lemon filling in the Krispy Kreme doughnuts...and no I'm not kidding or exaggerating.


Lemon Filling

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 6 Tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 3 egg yolks, beaten
• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 1 Tablespoon lemon zest

Directions:

1. Stir together the sugar, salt, and cornstarch in a saucepan. Add in the lemon juice.
2. Cook over medium low heat until smooth. See note at the bottom, Add the egg yolks and butter.
3. It might take a bit for this step to come together but it will, have faith. Stir this constantly until it thickens and comes together.
4. Add 1 1/2 cups boiling water and continue to cook for 2 to 3 minutes more. The mixture will thicken. 

 
*A note on this, I took my step number 2 get smooth and then I had m egg yolkes in a separate bowl and I tempered them a little with the mixture so that way you won't cook your egg.* Tempering means that you take about a 1/4 to 1/2 a cup of your hot mixture and add it in with the eggs and stir fairly quickly so that your eggs don't cook. Then place it all back in the hot pot. 

   

mixture before you add the egg yolks and butter

mixture post egg yolks and butter

Ta Dah!!! Finished Product

cake after it was done

 

Back In the Saddle Again!

Hello!!!!! It has been forever since I have been able to write! I almost feel like Genie on Aladdin, I'm Back!!!!!!

I have made some things since I have been away, just haven't really had the time to sit down and keep you posted.

The kitties have gotten huge, they are running around right now as we speak and are being fun little lovers. The beloved is wonderful. We successfully moved, are unpacked (except one or two boxes of stuff that isn't really necessary). I started a new job working at an assisted living facility and I'm really liking it, its a blessing to be able to help others that need it!

anyways enough of the chit chat, I am severely out of practice for any and all food blogging things, meaning I cook, I just forget to take pics etc. So instead of the food recipe for this post, I wanted to show off my gardening. Usually I have the black thumb of death and destruction (not being dramatic just truthful) for any and all living plants. I even killed a cactus...a cactus...that is supposed to live in the most harsh of climates killed over when I brought it home. BUT maybe the curse of the black thumb has left. I have had these plants for probably over a month and they are still living! I even have grown a couple of seedlings that will soon be foxglove and columbine flowers from seeds, they have sprouted from the ground like happy little green lover plants!!!! I'm happy!!! You can also see that I have way better luck for living creatures as the little lover babes (the cats) are still alive and well!

Loaded Baked Potato Casserole 

1 bag shredded hashbrowns (thawed)
1 16. oz container of sour cream
1-2 cups cheddar cheese (depending on how cheesy you like it)
3-4 oz of real bacon bits/pieces (I cheat and buy them in a bag from wally world hehe)
chives or green onion (optional used as a garnish)

spray a 13"X 9"  dish with non-stick spray set aside. In a large bowl mix together the hash brown, the sour cream, and half of the cheddar cheese (about 1 cup)  and most of the bacon bits, leave enough of them to just toss on the top with the  remaining cheese. spread out into the casserole dish, top with remaining cheese and bacon bits. bake at 350 for about 30-45 minutes. Enjoy!!!!

Does this smell okay to you?

Good news everyone! Spring is here...Bad news everyone...the pollen decided to come along with it haha! Just kidding, it sucks for my allergies and sinuses but its a good thing for the flowers and plants etc.

So I made this awesome not to bad for you dish the other day, I couldn't smell any of the ingredients but I could sort of taste them. Just to be sure that it was okay to eat I had my beloved, David try it and see if it was any good, he seemed to like it pretty well so thats a good thing.

Spaghetti squash, Pretty sure that this little angel was made just for me...and anyone else that really likes spaghetti squash I guess LOL.

Does anyone else watch the other drivers (like the actual person) while they are driving? Any of my readers? I do, but I think that I made several people feel bad this past week. As some of you may know, we moved to a new place in the same town, we had people come and help us with the big stuff and then we (David and I) (along with my saint of a Mother one day..shout out to super Mom!!) moved all of the little stuff. Well...as this past week progressed, all of the moving dust, mixed with pollen, mixed with the new air/heating system of the new house I have looked like a puffy faced, snot nosed, Rudolph resembling, cry baby looking person. Let me set the scene for you, I am driving in my little car down the street. It is piled up to the gills with clothes, dishes, anything else that I/We own. I am looking like I am bawling my eyes out because my eyes are watering so bad, this poor woman next to me facing the opposite way in the traffic jam that it 5 Pm in this place looked over and saw my car was all packed up. I am not sure exactly what she thought, maybe I was moving out of my parents house for the first time, or maybe I had just been evicted (the sloppy way I looked could probably corroborate that theory), maybe even broken up with my boyfriend/husband type situation....I don't know so I can't say for sure but she even tried to check on me by cocking her head to the side and giving me the okay question hand gesture....I nodded and reached over and grabbed the roll of paper towels and blew my nose for the 500 billionth time for that day. Allergies suck. Just sayin.

So back to the spaghetti squash dish.

Spaghetti squash (cooked, seeded, and scraped from the shell)
chicken broth
can of diced tomatoes (you can use the Italian seasoned kind  that would be perfect)
can (big or small depending on your love of) mushrooms
italian seasoning
basil
oregano
lime juice (small squirt)
little  sugar
a small little bit og garlic
onion powder
and surprisingly cinnamon

what you do is spray your skillet ( I use a deep one from Rachael Ray) add in your garlic on a medium heat and let that brown up slightly.
add in the tomatoes
add in the mushrooms
add in the chicken broth to where it comes to the top of the mixture, you can cover it all of the way because the spaghetti squash is going to soak this up.
Season it with whatever seasonings you like, I listed all of the ones I used up top.
 Add in your spaghetti squash and cover the skillet and let cook stirring frequently for about 20 minutes. You may need to add a little more chicken broth, this is 100% okay. Just have fun with it and add in and do what makes you happy.

The time has come

Well moving is slowing coming upon us. We have people coming to move the furniture this week!!! Ahhh! and Eeeeeeeeee!!!! You never really realize how much stuff you can have before you go to pick it up and move it to another location. My little car has been stuffed to the gills with things haha!

No cooking for me this week, so far the only thing that I have made is a box of mac and cheese. Its just to crazy to cook, I have been looking on Pinterest before I go to sleep so once I am settled in the new place you can bet your bottom dollar that I will be churning out some good stuff! I am so excited for this new kitchen, its bigger, and has way more cabinet and counter space...and an island!!! Eeeeeee!!! (hopping up and down!)

Anyways, the kittens have been growing like weeds (my how quickly the time flies) We will be taking them and getting them fixed soon (poor little babies)! They are each developing their own personalities, Moxie is a mommy's girl, she cuddles with me the most and most nights she will sleep with me. Luna is sort of a loner, but she is a jumpy little thing, just about everything scares her, but she is getting better, they both have discovered that they can make it to the top of the cabinets in the upper row of the kitchen, just like little man. Luna makes it up there and sleeps, but when it comes time to get down, I think she gets scared and she freaks out and starts meowing and crying and being crazy until you come and get her down from the top of the refrigerator.

I hope that all of you are doing well, I want to apologize that I haven't been a faithful blogger like I have been previously, but I promise that I will start back up when I have the time.


Thanks for reading this, here is a few pictures that will hopefully brighten up your day!

All Good News

It's all coming up roses or daisies (whichever one sounds right to you)!

Just a quick little backstory for part of the good news this month so far. Isis who was the grouchy little lover girl that we had that didn't like being confined to the apartment that went to stay with my parents ran away. She was gone for a long long time. She had never pent more than an hour probably total outside in her life previously to this time. We all thought that something like a coyote  or a bobcat or something got her. WE WERE WRONG!!!!! Hallelujah!!!! She came waltzing back onto my parents porch and just strutted inside when my Mom opened the door like the owned the place. She is very very skinny but otherwise she looks in good shape for being gone almost a month. The story of her going missing is that she knocked over one of those pretty thermometers with the glass bulbs filled with the different color liquid and got the kerosene smelling stuff on her. Isis being Isis ad the dainty princess she is didn't like this one bit. When my mom went to go let her other cat Cleo in the house Isis darted out and was never seen again until now!!!! But she is back and she is alive!!!!!!! I/we are so happy!!!!

See!! Isn't she beautiful!

Just so you can see the progress of the other little lovers ( I am animal obsessed I know!!)

I might as well just start a list of good things that have happened as well as the negative things jut to give you guys some perspective.

Pro
We are moving into a bigger place!
My beloved (David) had a birthday!
My health is going great so far and so is my family's (sans a poor little cousin with strep...sad face)
The little lovers are growing and being great
My Gerbera Daisy my sister bought for me that i thought died, is sprouting new leaves
I have a something else I want to add here but I don't want to spoil it in case if it doesn't happen. Don't worry its professionally related.

Con
I lost my job last week :-( I really enjoyed it there for the most part and I really loved my co-workers. They are wonderful and I wish each one of them the best of luck, love, peace, happiness, harmony and, any other good wonderful fantastic thing you can think of.

I have been applying to a ton of places so hopefully God will see me through yet another obstacle or as I am beginning to call them lessons/character building times. Prayers are appreciated.

So with just one con on the list I think that so far April might be amazing. I hope that all of you will be having an amazing April as well as the rest of the year. I am making a new resolution for May that I will be more diligent on writing this blog. I really enjoy doing it, but with everything going on so far this month it's been hard to find the time. I will add more recipes etc. I will be throwing together some old reliable favorites for the crock pot these next couple weeks while we move. If you have a recipe that you have tried and liked please feel free to leave a comment or to send me an email and I can feature it! landoffoodandkitties@gmail.com

Stay wonderful, happy and in love!
Rach

Live from the Deck

Hello everyone! Hopefully the week is going wonderful for you all! I am sitting in the sun on my back deck enjoying this glorious weather! Its beautiful here today, and yesterday, and I think the day before that!! I am sooo happy! Spring time is coming (well technically it is already here according to the calendar but you could have fooled me, ice and snow this past weekend, boo!) If you haven't been able to guess, I sort of really have an intense dislike for all things cold, and winter. I am a summer person, and spring. It makes me happy. Being outside is the best thing, especially when you are cramped up in an office all day long like a lot of people are around here. Makes me miss living in the country where you can be outside all of the time.


The recipe of today is something that I made some time ago but forgot to put on here. We were all starving so sorry that I didn't get a good picture before it got half demolished. This recipe is pretty easy to do, bakes up nicely.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

INgredients

1 whole Cooked Chicken, Bones Removed, Meat Diced Or Shredded (rotisserie Chicken Is Excellent, Should Be 5-6 Cups Of Chicken
1/2 pound of thinly sliced ham roughly chopped (I used Honey ham and it turned out great)
1/4 pound of thin sliced Swiss cheese

For the Sauce ingredients

 4 Tablespoons Butter
4 Tablespoons Flour
3-¼ cups Milk (I Used Whole Milk)
2 Tablespoons Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice
1 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard
1-½ teaspoon Salt
½ teaspoons Smoked Paprika
¼ teaspoons White Pepper

For the Topping
 6 Tablespoons Butter
1-½ cup Panko Bread Crumbs (I would recommend only using 1 cup. I used the 1.5 C and it was to much)
¾ teaspoons Seasoning Salt
1-½ teaspoon Crushed Dried Parsley


1) spray your dish with nonstick spray,
2) place the chicken in the bottom of the dish
3) then the ham
4) then the Swiss cheese

5) then you start on the sauce, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
6) stir in the flour and let cook for a couple minutes until bubbling and smooth
7) slowly start to add the milk, cook until thickened.
8) add the lemon juice, the mustard, salt, paprika, and white pepper. Bring to a boil then remove from heat.
 9) pour the sauce on top of the cheese layer of the casserole.

10) to make the topping melt the butter, stir in the bread crumbs, the seasoning salt, and parsley. (I took away the seasoning salt and added Parmesan cheese instead)

11) place the topping on the top of the casserole. Bake at 350 until the top is golden brown and the sauce is bubbling (I baked mine for about 45 minutes or so)