Thursday, February 19, 2015

Recipes to make and make again!

So this past week I decided to try making a couple easy recipes that I put together in my head...... Let me just say that they both turned out DELICIOUS!! Like hubby and I both wanted more but we had already finished the pan delicious! But we are both excited to make them again!!

They are both super easy to make, although one is a little more prep work than the other. But they are both well worth the prep and cooking time! Both are comfort food, good for cold winter nights or snowy days stuck inside, especially if you are a big vegetable fan or simply go to the store before the store hits! One of these would also be delicious during the summer when you are trying to figure out what to do with all of those vegetables from the garden.... You know the really fresh, just picked, worked hard all summer to have them grow veggies!

Are you ready for this.....?

I'll go easiest, quickest recipe first!

Sausage & Potatoe skillet! 

Ingredients needed:

5-6 medium potatoes pealed and diced
1/2 package of kielbasa sausage
1/3 yellow onion diced
1 bell pepper color of your choice!
Lawrys seasoned salt,pepper and garlic powder to taste
1 TBS olive oil
Heat the oil in a skillet and once hot put your potatoes in and allow the to start cooking. Add in some
of your seasoning while these are cooking. Cover and let them keep cooking stirring occasionally
until almost soft all the way.

While your potatoes are cooking chop up your onion, sausage and bell pepper up. Once potatoes are about done add the rest of your ingredients to the pan and stir to incorporate them with the potatoes. Once again add seasoning to taste.  Once potatoes are all the way done and peppers and onion have softened you are ready to eat!!

This is a quick and easy recipe that takes about 30 minutes until you are ready to eat. Your prep work is done in two stages once with the potatoes and the rest while they are cooking! This will feed about 2 people! If you are really hungry add about 2-3 more potatoes, and more of everything else to have left overs! Which you will want!

Zucchini  Lasagna  

Ingredients 

3-4 medium zucchinis
1lb of ground beef
1 medium yellow onion
1 bag Italian blend shredded cheese
2 cans crushed tomatoes ( you will have sauce left over)
2 tbs minced garlic
1 can mushrooms
1/2 cup diced carrots
1 cup cottage cheese
Salt and pepper

Chop your oinion and split between your pan for the ground beef and your sauce pan for the tomato
sauce after adding a little bit of olive oil to pan first. Once onion starts to turn clear add in a teaspoon of garlic to each pan. Add ground beef, salt and pepper and cook until done the. Drain grease. Set Side until you layer your lasagna.  Add your crushed tomatoes to the sauce pan and let its simmer for about 15 -20 mins will adding salt and pepper before you simmer.

While your sauce is simmering cut your zucchini into strips. Turn your oven on to 400 degrees. Put your zucchini strips onto a cookie sheet and sprinkle with salt. Allow it to bake and draw some of the extra water out of the zucchini while your sauce ia simmering. After 15 minutes take your cookie sheet out of the oven.

Now you will begin to layer your lasagna!! Put enough sauce to cover the bottom of your cake pan and then put your first row of zucchini down. On top of the zucchini you will put some of your meat, shredded cheese, and your cup of cottage cheese. Put just a little more sauce on top of this and then layer with more zucchini. Now add your mushrooms, diced carrots ( any other veggies that you love!), the rest of your meat and zucchini, another layer of sauce and the rest of your cheese.

Bake for 45 minutes to one hour in the oven at 350. I covered mine and it became really soupy with
all he liquid from the veggies. I haven't tried it uncovered yet but uncovered might make it less soupy! But soupy or not it was SUPER DELICIOUS!!  This one will make enough for 4-5 people.

This lasagna would be fantastic with fresh summer veggies from your garden. If you don't want to use your oven in the summer get out your trusty crockpot and cook it on low!

I hope that you enjoy! We sure did! Just remember when you cook to add a little bit of your own flair! Be adventurous, try new things! I do and for the most part they always turn into something you love! 



Friday, February 6, 2015

Can't into can

I decided to make goals for 2015 that are ACHIEVABLE and REALISTIC. Everyone has different goals and different ways of achieving them. ( yes I know most people set up goals in January but its NEVER to late to make goals for yourself!!!) I challenge each of you to make goals for yourself and try everyday to reach them.

                There are different ways to achieve goals and I want to name just a few:

                                                

1.       Write your goals down! This way you can see them, keep yourself motivated and challenged to reach your goals. If you see them they are gentle reminders to stay focused and to just remember a month later what you want to accomplished!

2.       Dream Big!! Challenge yourself! Try something new, make a new hobby, do something that you have always wanted to do.  When you are making a goal that is  long term  make smaller goals inside of that goal! Keep yourself motivated to reach that big  goal by making smaller goals and reaching them! Check those smaller goals off when you reach them.

3.       Think realistically!!  Don’t make goals that you know you wont reach. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t dream big!! Always dream big!! Smaller goals inside of larger goals help you to stay on track and help reach that DREAM!

4.       Track your progress! You are more likely to reach your goals if you can see how far you have come since you started! Plus it keeps you motivated to see how far you can go!

5.       HAVE CONFIDENCE in yourself to make your dreams a reality! Don’t hold yourself back…You are your biggest obstacle to get over. Go for your dreams!

 

 

In challenging you to write down and chase your goals and dreams I want to do the same. So here goes!

*      Read my scriptures every day! I always want to invite the spirit of Lord to be with me and by saying my prayers and reading my scriptures everyday I can achieve this easily!

*      This blog! I started blogging a couple years ago and would get write once every few months. I want to change that! I want to write about something at least once a week… something that I did, something that happened, a recipe that I tried, a craft that was done, something that has inspired me! So in making this goal I renamed and redesigned my blog to Scribbles and Sketches! In keeping with the name I want to add pictures, something that I sketched out and add it along with the post. 

*      Draw more! I want to start drawing again. In the game of life we all face we get busy with work, school, obligations, family and so many other things that sometimes we forget or say we don’t have the time to do the things we love! 

*      Be more crafty!! I want to continue to learn and teach myself how to crochet and now also learn how to knit! There are so many things that I could make if I just took the time to figure out what to make and then make it! But I want to do more than just crochet and knit. I want to do other crafty things as well. This is also something that I can do with my mom and sisters!

*      I want to get into shape! I just want to be more physically active. This is something that I work on while at work (for the time being) and also at home. Just going on walks or doing yoga is a great way to do this. I don’t always have to go down to the gym and do a work out. 

*      Try new recipes! Make new recipes! Find recipes from other people! I LOVE cooking and want to experiment and try new things.

*      Be more organized! Write down appointments, make lists of things to do for the day.

*      Coupon more! I love looking at the ads and seeing what’s on sale and then getting and even better deal because I have a coupon for that item. Its fun to see how much you can save (side note: I am not an extreme couponer!)

 

Challenge and inspire yourself! Go for your dreams!