A Womans Love/Hate Relationship With "The Home Improvement Store"

So as I have mentioned before...I'm a renter, but I ain't no baby.

I'm not going to call my landlord to fix every little problem that pops up. If it's inexpensive to fix, I will usually just do it myself. In fact I have this nifty thing called a boyfriend who actually knows how to fix just about anything buuuuuut I'm not that patient of a soul.

I mean if I wanted something to be done within this decade, I would ask him...I'm not exaggerating.  To really be honest I love learning how to do things myself.

If he does end up fixing something for me I'm usually hovering over his shoulder watching, and asking a billion questions so I can do it myself next time.

It seems like something is always in need of some tweaking in this place, which takes me to "the home improvement store". 

The actual name of this place may change depending on where you live, but I'm sure they are all the same.

This is a tricky place for a woman, full of both love and hate.

•  This place is a playground for your expensive imagination, and it can be very dangerous. I mean, you can practically plan out your entire dream home in one store!!!! For God's sake they have miniature kitchens set up for you to drool over. After you are done in the kitchen section you can go one aisle over and pick out all of your appliances, and then stroll right on over to the flooring section. You can even pick out your paint colors and front door while your at it!!! By the time your drug out of the store by your very frightened partner, you're on a design high and your house just won't cut it anymore...it's time to gut the place. 

• Apparently they employ wizards because it seems as though everyone who works there can magically disappear as soon as you need some help. Why is it that when you know exactly what you want and know where you are going, you are hounded by employees asking if you need any help, but as soon as you need something the place turns into a virtual ghost town???? These are the questions that haunt me I tell you. I just want to know what flapper to buy for my toilet and no one will help me!!! Usually this ends up turning into some other experienced customer taking pity on me and giving me some much needed advice.....along with their business card, because they are a plumber. 

• That stupid rolling lift is everywhere!!! You know what I'm talking about. That lift that they drive around the store at a snails pace to get things off of the top shelves, that always happens to be in the aisle that you need to be in.....I hate them. Either they have already blocked it off, or they need to be in the aisle that you are shopping in and awkwardly try to push you out. I refuse to leave until I'm done and try to ignore the radio conversation between employees going on.  

"Hey Bob, did you get that pallet on aisle seven yet?"

"No, we have a customer still in the way and are waiting to close it off"

I'm not leaving until I pick out the right air filter damn it!!!!

• This place is a pick-up hot spot for a poor woman. No joke, I absolutely HATE going to this store without Kevin because I feel like I am being gawked at the entire time. Usually the store is packed with men and there are just way to many stares for my comfort level. This could be good or bad for you based on your answer to two questions:

1. Are you single?

2. Are the men staring at you, worth a glance back?

There is no shortage of sweaty men at this place, but what kind of sweaty man are we

 talking about?

I'd say this is what we are going to for here ladies...

Oh Mike from Desperate Housewives....we all miss you!!!

• Those billion paint swatches can be both good and bad. Like any other person, I have an idea in my head about what color I'm looking for before I go to the store to find just the right one. Please tell me that I am not the only one who ends up with something looking completely different?!?! The color that ends up on the walls is never what I imagined and I just end up asking myself, "where did I go wrong?" It's gotten to the point where I just don't trust myself anymore because somehow this vision, turned into this reality....yeah they're not quite the same color.

Well regardless if I love it or hate it, I don't see my need for this store weaning anytime soon because this just happened....I guess I'm just too strong for my own good. 

Crunchy, Sweet and Spicy Chicken Tenders

So last weekend I was at my parents house.....which never stops me from cookin' up something tasty.

While I love giving up the chef reins to my momma, when the two of us are in one kitchen magical things happen.

This time while my family was out on the boat, I decided to whip up a quick and easy lunch for them before I had to make the drive back down south. 

There is a lack of pictures for this post because, well....it's just so darn simple that it felt ridiculous taking pictures of the process.  

I love this recipe because not only is it really simple, but it satisfies my love of chicken wings while not having to make or buy chicken wings!!!

Making chicken wings involves a fryer (which I hate using) and buying chicken wings IS FRIKEN EXPENSIVE, so tenders are a nice compromise.

The panko adds a really great crunch that you just won't get with regular bread crumbs (also much healthier than frying!!) and this sauce is sweet while having that heat that everyone loves. 

Ingredients: 

12 pre-cut raw chicken tenders

2 eggs

1/2 cup flour

1 cup panko bread crumbs

1 1/2 cups of brown sugar

1/3 cup Frank's Original Hot Sauce

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

2 tablespoons water 

Ranch dressing for dipping

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees.

Grease a baking sheet with cooking spray.

Set up your breading station with three bowls.

In one bowl add the flour, in the second add 2 eggs with about a tablespoon of water and whisk together, and in the last bowl add the bread crumbs. 

Bread the chicken by first coating with flour.

Give it a bath in the egg, and then completely coat bread crumbs.

Place onto the greased baking sheet, 

Once all of the tenders are breaded and on the pan, spray them down with the cooking spray.

THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT!!!

If you don't do this step, your tenders won't get brown and crispy.

Place in the oven for 15-20 minutes until they are browned and completely cooked.

Meanwhile, make the easiest sauce know to man.

In a large saucepan, add the brown sugar and hot sauce.

Cook on medium heat until well blended and it starts to boil, stirring frequently. 

Remove from the heat and add the garlic powder and water.

Whisk until blended and set aside until the tenders are done cooking.

Once the tenders are out of the oven and cool enough to handle without burning your hand off, dip each one in the sauce to completely coat it and place on a plate. 

Once each tender is coated, drizzle the excess sauce over the tenders.

Serve some ranch dressing on the side, or drizzle over the top and your done!!!

Creamy Feta, Garlic, and Jalapeno Dip

Happy Super Bowl Sunday!!

I'm a bad super bowl watcher because I am "watching" the game as I'm writing this, but it's worth it because I have to tell you about the best dip ever created!!! Plus I only watch for the commercials...

Not only is this dip unique because it uses feta but it is packed with flavor!

I doubled the recipe so that I would have plenty to go around...and some left over for myself later because it is THAT GOOD!

Ingredients:

8 oz. softened cream cheese

3 oz. room temperature feta

1 tablespoon shallot, chopped 

1/2-1 jalapeno, chopped depending on how spicy you want it

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon dried parsley

2 teaspoons red wine vinegar

3 tablespoons olive oil 

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon lemon juice 

Salt and Pepper to taste 

*Makes about a cup and a half of dip

Bring both cheeses to room temperature so that they will blend easily and get creamy.

Put them both into a food processor or some other sort of blender/chopper....whatever gets the job done.

I don't have one so I borrowed one from my friend Kera. (Thanks Kera!!) 

Pulse until blended and creamy with no chunks. 

Add all of the other ingredients to the cheeses. 

Blend until all of the ingredients are equally distributed. 

Pour into cute bowls and serve with chopped veggies and slices of bread. 

That's it....really that has to be the easiest recipe I have ever put on this blog and probably one of the best tasting!

I gotta go....Katy Perry is going to be on soon. 

Frozen Key Limey Pie

Hey everyone!!

This time of year is always crazy for me. From the beginning of January to May there is a birthday just about every week with Valentines Day, Mothers Day, and a couple other holidays sprinkled in. (We are about to add another birthday to the list because my nephew is due this May!!)

Here's the thing....cakes get real boring. 

Enter, the key lime pie. 

Today....my love turns 24. 

Even though 24 is not old, when you've been with someone since they were 17 it definitely feels old, so tonight we are going to stuff our faces with key lime pie.

This is not your old fashioned key lime pie. 

A lot of traditional recipes use eggs but as you know I'm not big on eggs so this was a great alternative to the norm. 

Plus, there is absolutely no baking involved AT ALL, so it is super easy!!!

To make this recipe as easy as possible, you can buy a pre-made graham cracker crust but I wouldn't even bother because making your own is easy enough!

Ingredients: 

1-1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs

1/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup of melted butter 

1 (14 oz.) can of sweetened condensed milk

1 teaspoon of lime zest

1/2 cup of key lime juice 

2 cups whipping cream 

In a medium bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs and sugar. Drizzle in the melted butter and mix with a fork, making sure to break up any clumps. 

Press evenly into the bottom and onto the sides of a 9 inch pie pan. 

Cover and chill for about an hour or until it hardens. 

In a medium size bowl combine sweetened condensed milk, lime zest, and key lime juice. Mix until completely combined. 

Now, your going to make whipped cream. 

There are three things you have to consider when making whipped cream; time, speed, and temperature. 

To get your whipped cream to form "stiff peaks" you need to make sure your cream stays cold while mixing. An easy way to accomplish this is to get a metal mixing bowl really cold. Stick the bowl in the freezer for about 10 minutes before making the whipped cream. 

Pour 1 cup of whipping cream into your chilled bowl and use an electric mixer on medium speed to whip the cream. Keep mixing until it becomes thick, which may take some time...so stay patient and keep mixing. 

Fold your whipped cream into your lime and condensed milk mixture. 

Spread evenly into your pie crust, cover, and put in the freezer for 2-4 hours.

Once ready to serve, use the remaining 1 cup of cream to make the rest of the whipped cream for the top.

Garnish with slivered almonds and a slice of fresh lime. 

Ham And Bean Soup Over Rice

Don't know what to do with that leftover holiday ham every year and tired of making countless sandwiches to get rid of it?

This stew is a family favorite of mine, and I look forward to it every year after the hustle and bustle of Christmas has ended. 

For the most part you will follow the recipe for Hurst's Hambeens 15 Bean Soup with just a couple of changes. 

We always use the leftover ham from Christmas but I think it would taste really good with smoked sausage as well!!

Ingredients:  

20 oz. bag of 15 Bean Soup

1 cup of onion, diced

1/2 cup of carrots, diced

1 (14.5 oz.) can of petite diced tomatoes

1 teaspoon of chili powder

Juice of 1 lemon

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 (14 oz.) can of chicken broth

1 packet of Sazon Goya Con Culantro Y Achiote seasoning

1 lb. of ham, ham hocks, or smoked sausage

First things first, go out and buy yourself a bag of Hurst's HamBeens 15 Bean Soup. It comes with a packet of seasoning inside, which you will use in addition to some other seasonings.

Pic From Hurst's HamBeens

It's important that you set enough time aside to soak these beans before you try making this recipe. The water will hydrate them and make it so that they don't take FOREVER to cook. 

They will need to soak in a large bowl and be covered completely with water overnight or for at least 8 hours. 

Once they are thoroughly soaked, drain and rinse them off. 

Make sure you remove the seasoning packet before you dump the beans in
 the water!!

Place the diced onion and carrots in a large pot. The carrots are not in the original recipe but they make a great addition. 

To the pot, add the beans and the meat.

I added some big slices of ham, but they will break down while cooking. 

Pour in 1 (14 oz.) can of chicken broth and 6 cups of water. 

The chicken broth also isn't in the original recipe but it just adds more flavor!!

Bring the beans to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer covered for 2 hours, stirring occasionally. 

After simmering, add 1 (14.5 oz) can of petite diced tomatoes, chili powder, lemon juice, and garlic to the pot.

Simmer, covered for another 30 minutes.

Finally, add the packet of seasoning provided with the beans, as well as the Sazon Goya seasoning packet. The Sazon Goya seasoning is amazing and should be added to everything possible, so therefore....I added it. It gives so much flavor!!

Taste your soup and season with salt and pepper if needed. 

On the bag of beans they call this recipe a "soup" but to be honest, I struggled with what to call this recipe because it tastes the best, in my opinion, over rice....and then it really doesn't look like soup anymore. So if your looking for something really hearty you can make it like I do and pour it over rice or you can leave it more like a "soup".  

Stir it all up, and chow down!!

Mom's Mac N Cheese

Just about everybody loves macaroni and cheese and just about everybody's mom makes it a little bit different. 

Since I was home for the holidays this past week I thought I would have my mom make her beloved macaroni and cheese.....and I pretended to help, but really just took pictures. 

This recipe is great for an entire family or just for two. A single batch fills a 8x8 inch pan or you can do what we did and split it into smaller containers...so that I could steal the rest to stash in my freezer for later.

Ingredients:   

1/4 cup of butter

1/4 cup of flour

2 1/2 cups of milk

8 oz. of shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1 1/4 cups of elbow noodles

Bring a medium sized pot of water to a boil over high heat.

Pour in the uncooked elbow noodles, and continue to boil for about 10-12 minutes or until they are al dente.

Pour the noodles into a strainer and set aside for later. 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

First you make a rue (butter, flour, milk)!!

Add 1/4 cup of butter to a pot and melt over medium heat. 

Once the butter is melted, remove from the heat add a 1/4 cup of flour and combine using a whisk. 

Gradually add the milk while continuing to whisk. 

Once combined, return to the burner at medium heat. 

Bring the mixture to a simmer, while stirring frequently to keep the sauce from burning to the bottom.

As your stirring your mixture and bringing it to a simmer, it should start to thicken...you now have a "white sauce". 

Now that your sauce is simmering, it's time to add the best part....the cheese!!!

Add the shredded cheddar to the sauce and stir until it is completely melted.

Add in the cooked elbow noodles and stir together. 

Pour the mixture into a greased 8x8 inch pan or multiple smaller dishes. 

Bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until the top starts to brown.