Skillet Potatoes

Skillet Potatoes-1

Before I start talking food, I just want to give a giant thanks to those of you who were so sweet about my last post. I was mostly being cheeky (not surprising, really), but I’d be lying if I said that wasn’t completely based on truth. I really appreciate the encouragement and support from you guys. What a great group of people you are!

Now food. Potatoes are something I always have on hand. Always. I roast ’em, mash ’em, french fry ’em…let’s just say I think they’re pretty great. Something I love but never think to do is breakfast-style potatoes, aka skillet potatoes. So I just jumped right in and made some the other night to go along with ham and egg biscuits for dinner. They were so simple and had such a great flavor. I always keep chopped onions and peppers in my freezer, so throwing these together took hardly any effort. They’d also make a great base for a hash; just top them with any kind of meat (shredded roasted pork would be awesome), then a runny egg and you’ve got a meal! So versatile.

Skillet Potatoes-2

Skillet Potatoes

2-3 small/medium-sized red potatoes, cut into 1-inch chunks
1/2 a small onion, chopped
1/2 a bell pepper, chopped
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
salt and pepper

Heat the oil in a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Cook the onions and peppers for about 5 minutes, until beginning to soften. Add potatoes and season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10-15 minutes, until the potatoes are soft. Keep an eye on them and make sure you stir them often so they don’t stick. Serves 3-4.

Sing For Your Supper original

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An Open Letter to All Blogging Moms

Dear Blogger Mom:

I’d really love for you to tell me how you do this. Because, frankly, I don’t freaking know how you manage to keep posting perfect pictures of perfect meals day after day after day. I don’t. I am trying. I am. I try SO hard to cook original meals every night. I will happily admit, however, that I don’t do research to find out “what’s in”. I get that rainbow food is hot-hot-hot right now, but dangit, I don’t really have the time or the patience to lay all that crap out in perfect ROYGBIV order. You know why? Because 6 month olds don’t care if their food is ROYGBIV’d or not. They like it smashed up and in their mouths, thank you. And good luck getting my 3 year old to eat a purple potato. Just…good luck.

I love how the quality of your photos didn’t change one bit after you had kids. How’d you do that? Because my pictures….well, my pictures look like my 3 year old took them. It’s dark outside at dinnertime! Mama’s gotta use the flash! And yes, Joel bought me Lightroom for Christmas, but danged if I know how to use it! I’ve watched youtube videos but golly…this stuff is COMPLICATED! I have maybe 20-30 minutes of editing time each night and pretty bad ADD. Throw a glass or two of wine into the mix and we wind up with this scenario (try to imagine this in my voice, k?):

 

Edit, edit, edit…ok, this is going pretty good. ::sips wine:: 

Edit some more. Did I remember to cover Elliott up? What is this that Joel’s watching? Oh, some ridiculous Marvel show…WOAH THAT DUDE JUST GOT SHOT! This show is dumb.

Edit, edit, edit. ::sips wine:: You know what, I’m just gonna listen to some music while I work. Just to get the creative juices flowing. Man, I really love this new One Direction song. Everybody wanna steal my giiiiiiirl… Maybe I should preview the rest of their album. That won’t take long. Oooh, look, a youtube video about how two of them are secretly in love! I’ll just watch part of it. Wow, those guys are totally in love. Whoops, I just watched all 21 minutes of that video! Ok, Amy, FOCUS.

::sips wine:: Crap, I forgot to put the wet laundry in the dryer! Meh, I’ll just blog tomorrow…

 

See what I mean? I also love how you’re still able to put together those cool little lunches for your kids. You know, the little cups of hummus, the fresh-cut veggies, and the pizza with the cute faces on them? Super cute. My kid usually gets a pb&j or a grilled cheese. She hates hummus. Or like yesterday, how she only wanted two pieces of pita bread, some cherry tomatoes, and chocolate cake.

It’s really cool how you still find time to write thoughtful, interesting posts. My brain is so fried after 9 hours of wiping bottoms, cleaning dog vomit out of the carpet, brushing 8,000 tangles out of extremely curly hair, and getting everybody fed, cleaned up, pajama’d, teeth-brushed, bathed, read-to and sung-to, that I don’t have a single interesting thought left in my head. The only thing going through MY head at the end of the day is “MY BED! Haaaaaallelujah!” Even if I do have something interesting I’d like to sit down and type out right then (hey, it happens occasionally), as soon as I get the laptop turned on and type out ONE word, I hear the baby cry. Or Cass starts doing the pee-pee dance and it’s a mad dash to get to the potty in time. It’s amazing to me how you have carved out the time in your day to take time for this. Inspiring, really.

I also love those perfectly happy, content, smiling pictures you post on instagram, facebook, etc. of your happy babies. Or pictures of you and your kids doing some awesome craft together as a family. That’s cool. But you know what? I DON’T BUY IT. Not for one second. Nope. Those of you mom bloggers who just had babies, especially. I’m not buying for a single second that everything is as perfect and happy as it appears in your picture. I just went through the newborn phase and lemme tell ya- it sucked. Yes, of course there were so, so many of those happy, “I’m going to cry because I love you so much” moments. There were. But there were a lot more “I’m going to cry because I’m so dog tired and at this particular moment in time I pretty much want to strangle my husband and WHY WON’T THIS KID STOP SCREAMING AT ME?!” I get that nobody really wants to post those kinds of pictures on social media, but we all know they’re there. Even if you won’t admit it on your blog how tired you are. I know you are. It doesn’t mean we don’t love our babies and kids to absolute pieces…but I’m still not buying that things are as perfect as those perfect pictures you post on instagram.

And you know what? I’m pretty guilty of that too. I’ve been known to post a few “perfecthappyfamily” pictures here and there. Usually before all hell breaks loose and I end up with glitter literally covering my kitchen floor and my toddler’s hands.

I don’t mean for this letter to sound as snarky as it’s coming across. Really. I guess I just really get down on myself for my lack of motivation to actually sit down and make this stuff happen. I just don’t know how you do it, is all. Granted, my ad revenue fell to like, peanuts. My monthly checks went from a nice, hefty amount to…womp, womp. I know a lot of you make a LOT more money than me, so it’s more like an actual job for you to blog. You wouldn’t just skip out on your well-paying job, I get that. I guess I’m still just baffled at how you find the time for all this. Like, really- HOW DO YOU DO IT? Could you help a sister out and give me your secret? Nanny? Live-in maid? What? Maybe I’ll never know. Maybe I’ll never get on top again. Maybe my blog will just quietly drift off into obsoleteness. I’m pretty much there already. I don’t want to be, but nevertheless, I can’t seem to get into the groove again.

So, I guess just think of me…think of me tonight, while you’re posting beautiful pictures of beautiful meals. Because I’ll be right there with you, drinking wine, getting sucked into some dorky tv show, listening to boy bands, and trying, by gosh, to actually get something posted before I become completely irrelevant. Ugh. Send prayers. And wine.

Sincerely,

Crazy, maxed out, washed up blogger lady

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Raspberry-Filled Chocolate Ganache Cake

Chocolate Ganache Cake with Raspberry Filling-3

So, first my kids were sick. For like, 3 weeks. Then Joel was sick (and ladies, I think we can all agree that “man colds” are the WORST). So, 3 weeks of snotty noses, sneezes, tissues, and Joel’s booming, earth-shaking cough. Then the delightful freaking polar vortex. With all that loveliness going on, nobody’s left the house, we’ve all been in rotten moods, and mama is TIRED.

Mama needed cake. Mama deserved cake. Preferably one with lots of deep, dark chocolate. Yeah, that’d be good.

Chocolate Ganache Cake with Raspberry Filling-1

So I just made one. A whole cake for me. Of course I shared, but deep down in my heart I knew it was my own, special “Amy cake”. Cake and I share a special bond, see.

This particular cake is my favorite chocolate cake recipe- Hershey’s- filled with raspberry jam and topped with smooth, rich chocolate ganache. Not too shabby. I love the raspberry/chocolate combination  (especially dark chocolate) so this cake is right up my alley. Just a little slice’ll do ya, though, since this is some heavy stuff! VERY rich!

Chocolate Ganache Cake with Raspberry Filling-2

 Raspberry-Filled Chocolate Ganache Cake

2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

3/4 cup raspberry preserves

8 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
3/4 cup half and half
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans.

Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Gradually stir in boiling water (batter will be thin), then pour into prepared pans.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 20 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely.

Heat raspberry preserves in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, until bubbling and slightly thickened; about 5 minutes. Let cool.

Heat half and half (you can also use cream if you want a richer ganache) over medium heat until almost at the boiling point. Pour over the chopped chocolate and stir until well-combined. Stir in sugar and salt. Let sit for about an hour, until thickened slightly. You could also refrigerate it for a few minutes to speed up the process; just not too long, or it’ll solidify.

Spread cooled raspberry preserves onto the bottom layer of cake, then top with second layer. Spread ganache all over the cake. Store in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before serving. Serves approximately 8-12.

Recipe source: adapted from Hershey’s.

 

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Six Months…

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So…this happened last week. I’ll spare you all the “my baby’s growing too fast! Wah!” stuff and just talk about what a joy it is to have a happy, chubby, giggling baby like Elliott. This kid….he’s seriously just the BEST. He’s so happy all the time. He adores his bouncer and spends a good chunk of his day there- sometimes he even falls asleep bouncing and takes a little catnap right there. Adorable.

He has his last feeding and goes to bed around 7:15, then sleeps until 7:00 or so. During the day he eats, bounces, naps a couple of times, snuggles with mommy, and rolls around/scoots across the floor. He’s *THIS* close to crawling; I feel like it’ll be any day now. He can really scoot, though, and he’s great at getting to where he wants to be. He can change directions super quickly and get across a room in no time.

This kid has a major appetite, so we’ve been working on solids for a few weeks now. Mostly just oatmeal, but I’ve been slowly introducing a couple of vegetables here and there. I really hate baby food and would love to do baby-led weaning if possible. We’ll see where that goes.

Elliott LOVES his big sister. LOVES. He cackles at her. Everything she does is just hilariously entertaining to him and he watches her every move. And she loves him. Cassidy is such a sweet little helper and loves making her brother laugh. I could just sit and watch them together all day. Oh wait, I do. 😉

AB17

[photo taken by my friend Cassandra]

 

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Chicken Fajita Quesadillas…

Moist, flavorful chicken, sautéed peppers and onions, and pepperjack cheese get cozy and melty inside toasty flour tortillas to make the ultimate quesadilla. Another weeknight winner!

Chicken Fajita Quesadillas

I wish I had some funny, quirky story to share about something that happened to us recently, but in all honesty, NOTHING has happened to us lately (except sickness, and that’s anything but fun). In fact, the most exciting thing I’ve done this week is walk to the mailbox. And you can only do that once a day.

Yes, we’ve been confined to our house for like, a month (ok not quite that long), and I’ve HAD it. I need out. I need air. That’s why, this weekend, come hell or high water, we’re busting out. The kids are going to their grandparents’ house and Joel and I are going on a date. I don’t care if it’s 50 below outside. I’m going. Wish me luck.

Chicken Fajita Quesadillas 2

Anyway, these quesadillas. These are soooo good. So cheesy and full of flavor. There’s really not much else to say about them. Other than they’re perfect for busy weeknights or quick lunches. I use a liquid fajita marinade/seasoning called La Fabulosa that’s easily found in my local grocery stores here in Texas, but if you don’t have access to something like that, you can use any other kind of fajita seasoning or marinade. Easy, quick, super delicious. Boom.

Chicken Fajita Quesadillas

2 chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch chunks
2 bell peppers, cut into strips
1 onion, sliced into thin rings
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon liquid fajita marinade/seasoning
salt and pepper
1 teaspoon brown sugar

flour tortillas
pepper jack cheese, shredded

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Melt butter in a large pan over medium-high heat. Cook the onions and peppers until beginning to soften; about 5-7 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Add the water to deglaze the pan and scrape up all the brown bits.

Add chicken and season with salt, pepper, liquid seasoning, and brown sugar. Cook until no longer pink, about 5 minutes.

Place the cheese, veggies, and chicken between 2 tortillas and bake for about 5 minutes, just to melt the cheese. Makes approximately 4 large quesadillas.

Sing For Your Supper original recipe

 

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New Year’s Blogging Resolutions…

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Happy New Year, friends! I hope everyone had as wonderful a Christmas as we did! Santa Claus left Cassidy a shiny red tricycle and Elliott a Mozart Cube (I couldn’t resist it; especially since it plays songs from 3 different operas I’ve been in). This year was just such a blast since Cassidy really ‘gets’ it now. She loved singing Christmas songs, baking cookies, watching A Charlie Brown Christmas (seriously, we watched that no less than 10 times…), and talking about Baby Jesus (that one was a bit over her head, but that’s ok). And she was SO excited for Santa to come visit. It was adorable.

New Year’s Eve was pretty anti-climactic since we were all starting to get sick. And we’ve all been sick since then- it’s made its way through each member of our family, but I think it’s finally on its way out. Ugh. Mama needs a break, let’s just say that.

Ok, so, New Year’s resolutions! Who does them? Not me, really. I always try, but I’m so flaky that I usually fizzle out about 2 weeks in. Usually my resolutions are all about being more assertive, planning less, and usually just freaking out less in general (if my routine or expectations get thrown off by even a little bit, look out.).

This year, instead of making personal resolutions I’ll never keep, I thought I’d get a fresh start with my blog. My blogging resolutions!

1.) Gain back all the bajillions of readers I lost when I took a massive hiatus. While I was pregnant and after having Elliott, I just sort of lost the will to blog. And nobody wants to read a blog that never gets updated, so there you go. I really regret letting it go so long and losing so many of you. I’ll getcha back, though! 😉

2.) Better my photography and editing skills. Joel bought me Lightroom 5 for Christmas and I’m really looking forward to learning the ins and outs of it.

3.) Putting more time and thought into my photos. I’m so lazy here. When I photograph food, there’s usually 2 other hungry people sitting around the dinner table just waiting to eat, so I don’t put much time or effort into styling or plating. I throw it on a plate, snap a few pictures and call it good. Then I wonder why my pictures suck….

4.) A new look. Eventually. I really want a facelift. I love the look of my blog and it’s served me well over the years, but it’s time for a fresh face. Plus, it’s pretty much the opposite of user-friendly, so there’s that.

5.) MAKE TIME. Period. I’m ready to jump back in and that means devoting TIME to blogging. I think I can do it! Maybe. Definitely. Yes, definitely.

Bring it, 2015! Cheers!

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