Homemade Spicy Mac and Cheese

During the school semesters pasta dishes are a big thing for us to make, mainly because they are fairly cheap and there are always plenty of leftovers.  It took me forever to do, but I finally decided to try a homemade mac and cheese.  So I got a recipe, and Asa and I changed it around so that it could have some spice to it.  This is probably one of my favorite meals to make now because Asa and I cook it together 🙂

There are two parts to this recipe, the sauce and then the pasta.

Homemade Spicy Mac and Cheese

Sauce:

2 tbsp unsalted butter                                      1/4 cup Jack cheese

3 1/2 tbsp flour                                                 1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 cup milk                                                    1/4 to 1/2 tsp chili powder

1 3/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese

Pasta:

1 box elbow macaroni                                        1/4 cup Jack cheese

1/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese                          1/2 tsp chili powder

Sauce directions:

1. Melt butter in a heavy-bottomed sauce pan over medium heat and whisk in flour.
2. Slowly add milk, whisking constantly.  Cook until the sauce thickens, stirring frequently.
3. Remove from heat.  Add cheese, salt and chili powder.  Stir until cheese is melted and all ingredients are incorporated.  Add to pasta.

Pasta directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees; cook pasta.
2. Mix pasta and sauce in a bowl.  Mix throughly.
3. Put pasta into a baking dish.  Sprinkle with cheeses and chili powder.
4. Bake uncovered for 15 minutes.

I used a pepper jack cheese which gave it a good spice.  It is definitely a dish that we like to repeat because it is still good left over.  If you are a person who likes creamy mac and cheese then this is a recipe that you would probably have to tweak a little bit, because as it is right now it isn’t a very creamy mac and cheese, but it is still good!  Hope you all enjoy it!!

~SaraNikki

 

Salsa Chicken

I am not going to lie, I am an extremely picky eater.  I stick to my plain foods and I am satisfied with that, but since being with Asa I have been trying to broaden my horizons in the world of food.

One of the easiest things to try new things with is chicken!  So I found this recipe somewhere, I cannot remember where, but I decided to try it.  So here it is:

Salsa Chicken

4 Skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

4 tsps taco seasoning mix

1 cup salsa

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

2 tbsp sour cream

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Place chicken breasts in a lightly greased 9×13 inch baking dish.  Sprinkle taco seasoning on both sides of the chicken breasts.  Pour salsa all over.  Bake at 375 degrees for 25 to 35 minutes, or until the juice runs clear.

Sprinkle chicken evenly with cheese and continue baking until the cheese is melted.  Top with sour cream and serve.

I actually really liked this recipe, which shocked me!  This is definitely a recipe that you don’t have to follow the amounts of the ingredients very closely at all. Not only is it good, but it is a super easy thing to make!  I recommend at least trying it once!!  Hope you enjoy it!

~SaraNikki

 

Where to start when planning a wedding…

Getting engaged is a wonderful thing, but then where do you go from there?  There is so much to think of, wedding dresses, bridesmaid dresses, who is going to be in the bridal party, color schemes, food, reception, the list goes on and on. 

So where did I start?  Well I googled a wedding timeline. What this timeline provides is a general checklist of what should be done and within what time period it should be done.  It doesn’t give you the entire list of everything that needs to get done, but it definitely helps out an awful lot as a guideline for things. 

   

This was an article from http://www.dollylevis.com/In-The-News/wedding-timeline.asp

Even though we will not be getting married for a few years still, this list is definitely helping me plan out the smaller details ahead of time so that when the wedding eventually gets closer, a good amount of things will already be done!  Start planning early, less stress later on!

Hope this timeline will help those who want to get organized!

~Sara

 

Tooth Brush & Tooth Paste Travel pouch….

When it comes to traveling I have always found it to be a pain to pack a toothbrush.  I am not a huge fan of putting my toothbrush in bag, I hate it actually.  The bag gets wet once you are done brushing and if you close it, your toothbrush doesn’t dry like it should.  So, while on Etsy one day, I found this travel pouch for sale.  Since I was new to sewing I decided to just make it myself.  So here are some quick directions on how to make one for yourself.

1. So first off you need to get a wash cloth.

2. Once you have it and are ready to sew, fold the the cloth so that it will create a pouch.    Keep your toothbrush handy to be sure that it will fit your tooth brush size. 

3. Sew the edges together and then sew in pouches.  Once this is done, it should look something like this:

           

4. When you are finished sewing the pouches, sew a small piece of ribbon to one end so that you are able to tie it closed. And ta-da! Done!  

        

Where I have a larger toothbrush, I should have gotten a larger wash cloth, but this still works quite well once it is all rolled up.

                        

I love using this when doing overnight trips now.  It makes carrying my toothbrush so much easier.  Once I am done using it, I can just throw it in the wash and it is clean until the next time I use it!  Which is awesome because I don’t have to keep using new baggies every time I go somewhere!

Like I said, this is pretty easy to make, but if you are not one for sewing here is the link for the etsy shop owner that sells these!

 http://www.etsy.com/listing/85900364/terrycloth-toothbrush-and-paste-travel

If anyone tries it let me know how it turns out!

~Sara

 

Sweet Baby Rays Crockpot Chicken

Something that I have begun to use an awful lot lately is the crockpot.  It is so handy! and the options of foods to cook in it are endless.  There are many things that I have already tried and plan to try in it.

Now on to the recipe!  I love to eat BBQ chicken, and Sweet Baby Ray’s is most definitely my favorite BBQ sauce.  I had stumbled upon this recipe awhile back and it was so good.  It was my first time cooking chicken in the crockpot and I was very happy with the results.

Sweet Baby Ray’s Crockpot Chicken

4-6 pieces boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 bottle BBQ sauce
1/4 c vinegar
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/4 c brown sugar
1/2 – 1 tsp. garlic powder

Mix the BBQ sauce with all the ingredients other than the chicken.  Place the chicken in the crockpot and pour the sauce all over it.  Cook on low for 4-6 hours.  You pretty much don’t even have to touch it the entire time! So easy!

Now, when I made this, it was 4 medium sized chicken breasts cooked for about 3 hours on high.  It came out soo good!  It is most definitely a recipe that I intend to make again!

~Sara

 

The start of a great thing…

Well, I suppose the best way to begin a blog a about wedding ideas is to start with my relationship with Asa.  

                  

Asa and I have been together since high school.  Our relationship has been pretty fantastic, we balance one another out fairly well and he is the best friend a person could ask for.  We got engaged this past summer and it was one of the greatest things to happen to me.  So here is the story of how Asa proposed to me:

So this past summer we were walking on the bike trail near our apartment on a regular basis. On one of our walks we decided to extend it by quite a few miles and go out on the wooded walking trails.   It was pretty warm out that day so when we were getting closer to being at the end of the trail Asa decided he wanted to go see a log over in the woods.  As I believe he said, “it looks like a cool log”.  I was tired at this point and really didn’t want to but he walked off to go look at it and I followed. 

As we got closer Asa said that it looked like something was carved in the log and we had to check it out.  Turns out, he carved “Sara, Will you marry me?”, with a heart around it!!  As I read it part of it, I turned and Asa was on his knee, ring in hand!!

        

                                  

I was completely stunned!  Obviously I said yes!  I was so excited, I couldn’t stop smiling for the entire walk home, and probably the entire week after.  He picked the perfect ring for me.                  

We will not be getting married for a few years still, but that gives me plenty of time to plan an awesome wedding at a reasonable price!

So, after reading of my proposal, this might explain what this section is about.  In this section I will be writing and posting ideas for the wedding.  Decorations, dress, all sorts of things!

Hopefully what I write might help someone else too!

~Sara

                                

 

 

Getting Started

                

Hi there!

To start off, my name is Sara and I am new to the blogging world.  My sister and I have discussed doing different types of things on the internet for awhile now, and she managed to talk me into doing a blog. 

A little information about me: I am recently engaged to my high school sweetheart, Asa, and I am now planning a wedding, which is extremely exciting.  I am a college student studying Bioengineering – I will be so glad when it is over and I can be out in the world with a job :). 

I absolutely love to cook, and I am constantly trying new and different meals.  I also attempt baking as much as I can, but I am not nearly as good of a baker as I am a cook.  I am an animal lover, we have two cats, Thalia the Thundercat and Zelda, and a chocolate lab named Rissa. 

Since creating an account with pinterest, I have become a lot more crafty.  I am slowly learning to sew, and it is quite the process, although I have been successful on some occasions. I have been trying to incorporate many different craft ideas into my life, because everyone should be crafty, it keeps your imagination intact and makes you a creative person!

 

So those are just some things about me.  I chose these things because these are some of the things that I plan to blog about! 
That is all for now, check in for my first actual blog soon!

~Sara