Saturday, April 28, 2012

Over the bridge & through the woods, moving to our NEW house we go!

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Oh My Gammit(got that from the Fred Show on disney channel lol)...& I say that with the heaviest, almost but NOT, defeated sigh I can make!
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  I am in moving-packing-painting-I don't even want to think about unpacking-hell! And that is the simplest way I can think to put it lol.  I literally just got moved up, unpacked pretty much the end of January-ish, & now it is time to move again! We are not PCS'ing, however, we decided to buy a house that is actually only right up the street from us. I honestly should not complain because 'just right up the street' is actually better than from '4 states away' where I originally moved from! We live off-post in a quiet little old-school neighborhood, I swear to my husband Nephi, that it's where they filmed the Brady Bunch(all the houses were shapely made the same way) years ago haha!
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We've passed this house daily & something about it's charming 'Home Sweet Home' appeal finally caught our attention, then itched at our curiousity, & lured us in. Upon viewing I was THRILLED already, like we had already signed....automatically the HARD WOOD floors & open spaciousness won my heart over! I have SO much to do though....the kitchen is a major down-size from the one we had, but with just my husband & I this is going to be a great starter home! I am doing my small kitchen in pink & CUPCAKES! So if you guys see any cute cupcake plates, cups, dishes, jars, let me know because I have some things already but definitely wanting to collect more! And our bedroom is done in black & white damask print everything(our wedding theme) so I am getting risky & painting the room a darker grey & hand-painting lyrics from a song I love as an accent wall (: It's DEF a work in progress, I will post pics for you guys ASAP! Hopefully with all the painting, moving, & situating, I won't go bald or have a breakdown of some sort hahaha, because in my mind it's picture-perfect, but we all know how that one goes!

This is almost the exact mental picture I had about the Army moving me up the first time...boy was I WRONG! HaHa!!!(:
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 Keep me in mind...Say a lil' prayer!(:






Saturday, April 7, 2012

Country Salisbury Steak

I honestly have NO idea where on earth I got this recipe years ago, but I decided to give it a try. The only other Salisbury steak I have ever had was the kind out of a box from the frozen food section LOL. Every night before payday, I sit down & try to plan out a dinner menu for the next 2 weeks because it is SO much easier than trying to figure out what to have from day to day. Although, I sometimes swap out a meal if there is something the boys & I would rather have different than what is planned for that day. I try to keep an open mind about what to fix & am ALWAYS looking for new recipes to try so we don't get tired of having the same ol' same again & again! When I ran across this recipe I wasn't sure how it would really turn out & I had in my mind that it would taste almost like the one's I had previously eaten...however, it did NOT. It was actually better, then again imagine anything is better than the cheap t.v. dinner ones! *snickers* It's simple, easy, & the boys liked it so I will be cooking it again for sure! It definitely has a home-cooked southern country-ish type taste.

Country Salisbury Steak

1 1/2 lb. ground beef (I used turkey)
3/4 c. onion, thinly chopped
1 1/4 c. water
1 pk. chicken stove top
2 pks. McCormick brown gravy mix 
1 c. sliced mushrooms

  • Preheat over to 425'.
  • In large bowl add meat, onions, stove top, & water. Mix well.  
  • Pat out 6 patties & place in a large baking dish or pan sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.
  •  Bake in oven for 30mins or until cooked through. (During the last 5-10mins I broiled them so they were nice & brown on top)
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  • Meanwhile, saute mushrooms in a sprayed non-stick pan until tender then remove from pan. Add gravy mix to pan & cook as directed; mix the mushrooms in with the gravy.
  • Spoon gravy over steaks, keep warm until serving.
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I transferred mine to a smaller dish due to table space...

    Friday, April 6, 2012


    Homemade Fabric Softener 
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    (he walks outta them as soon as he gets home lol)

    Ok, so I've been seeing so many great peeps making recipes for different detergents, soaps, & carpet cleaners...I must say that one particular re-post of a tried recipe caught my eye: Fabric Softener! As I have mentioned before, my hubbie & I took in a battle(his soldier buddy) of his; and long story short: SOOO MUCH LAUNDRY for the wifey(ME lol) to do! I seriously think that we go through 1 huge bottle of tide & about 2 bottles of fabric softener almost before 2weeks is up! I use a good bit on just our everyday clothes, but when it comes to their uniforms, OMG...I think I have a problem, I mean, admitting it is the 1st step right?! I'm the fabric softener QUEEN! Haha. I'm talkin, at least 2 or 3 caps full, to one load of laundry. Mainly because their uniforms are so stiff & secondly because no matter how much detergent I use it still seems to have that "been worn in the field" smell... LOL! But after I read the following blog post, I seriously give Ms.Hope a HUGE shout-out for being the dare-devilish woman she is with her 'Does that really work' posts! She makes & tries things out for the "Tried & True or Not So Much"! This actually only cost me under $5 to make & it makes so much. And now I have some remaining ingredients on hand to whip up another batch when I'm out. Now where can you buy not one, but *TWO* bottles, a [GALLON-ish] each, for under $5.00?!? (:

    This is all you need, plus some hot water from your faucet & that is IT!
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    ***I am pleased to say that I am with Hope on this one, it isn't as fragrant as the name-brands you would buy, but as I smell my hubbie's shirt right now, it is fresh & between the light fresh scent it does give off & the downey expressions dryer sheet, it smells pretty darn good! And it does give the clothes the softness it should! (And I only used ONE cap full due to I was almost afraid to use more due to the smell as I describe as you read on, LOL) I also added a little extra (about 1/4 cup) conditioner on a whim that it might give off more softness. Now about the vinegar smell after adding it in, I definitely was worried because when I finished & took the cap off, the vinegar smell wafted out first, then the scent of the conditioner followed...but after coming out of the wash, I was impressed that the vinegar smell had disappeared! This is a definite TRIED & TRUE that I will reuse & keep on SAVING! (: ***
    Where I found my inspiration to try this:


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    Thursday, April 5, 2012

    I am pretty much a walking sweet-tooth! I LOVE "ANYTHING" sugary & sweet, however, I am not a big fan of chocolate, too nutsy, or things coconut. My great-aunt & my Granma, both sisters, used to make this cake & it sure is scrumptious (especially to not be 'made from scratch'!)...oh & surprise surprise: IT'S COCONUT!!! (: This is a very moist, sweet but not too sweet, delicious cake. The sour-cream also isn't over-powering, as I had imagined it would be my first time making it. The 3days sitting in the fridge is what gives it that yummy moistness & anticipation that makes my husband want to tear the lid off  & sneak a bite or two, LOL! As I said, I am NOT a usual fan of coconut but I find myself craving this cake more often & to know that it was something my Granma made & loved, makes it even better! It reminds me of HOME & that means A LOT! This go-round, I was in a bit of a rush when I cut the first slice shown below, the hubbie said he was 'just dying for a piece of that cake'...so the pic isn't as pretty as I would've liked, but you get the idea. Haha! (:


    Coconut Sour-Cream Dream Cake
    Photobucket I apologize for the picture quality, I did this w/my phone! 
    ***I apologize for the picture quality, I took this with my phone!***



    1 pk. (18 1/2 oz.) butter cake mix...(I use a coconut cake mix)
    2 c. sugar
    1 (8 oz.) container sour-cream
     1 pk. (12 oz.) frozen coconut, thawed
    1 (12 oz.) container cool-whip 

    • Prepare cake as directed, making two 8inch layers. Meanwhile, blend together sugar, sour-cream, & coconut---let chill until cakes are finished cooling. Split both cakes in half after they cool. 
    • Spread all but 1 cup of the sour-cream mixture between layers as you stack them. Blend the remaining cup of mixture with cool-whip & spread on top & sides of cake.
    • Sprinkle coconut on top & sides of cake, seal in airtight container & refrigerate for 3days before serving. Keep in refrigerate after cutting.