I used to hate cooking. Anything that didn’t go past boiling water or slapping bread together was not an option. I was laaazzzy. There was no way I was cracking open a cooking book. Even my mom, on a lazy Sunday, would try to coax my sisters and I into the kitchen to try and learn the trade. Clearly whatever was on the TV was way more important back then. This I regret.
As life started to progress I started having to fend more and more for myself and started lightly cooking for myself. Grilled chicken breast here, pasta dish there. Basic, bland, affordable. Ah the life of a college student.
Then I became a wife and mother and realized people would depend on my culinary efforts to survive. I kicked my self into gear. Reading and following recipes at first, then doctoring them, and eventually dabbling in making my some of my own recipes. This is still a work in progress for me. I love adding my own twists to other recipes but it’s hard for me to leave the safety of my cookbooks. Mostly for the safety of others 
.
Meatballs. My family loves them. E + B ask for them. Meatballs were my first recipe where I left my comfort zone and stepped out on my own. My family never had a meatball recipes passed down through the ages, nothing to swear by. I started by scouring the Internet, different websites for a recipes I could trust. I’ve tried many. Many I’ve liked. Never the same one twice. Delicious and confusing at the same time. Breadcrumbs or not? Olive oil? I decided to cut down on confusion and throw caution to the wind and slap my own together. I used the ingredients I liked best. Meatballs.
Ps. They are easssssy. 5 ingredients!
Baked Parmesan Meatballs
Makes about 20 1-inch meatballs
1 pound ground beef- lean is fine
1 egg
1/4 c + grated Parmesan cheese
garlic powder (a few shakes)
Parsley flakes (a few shakes)
Salt & Pepper to taste
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.
Spray a rimmed baking sheet with olive oil.
Combine all ingredients in large bowl. For the cheese I use the lid of its container to measure how much. I believe it’s about 1/4 cup give or take a few.
I mix using my hands, no other way right?
Next, using your hands, roll mixture into one inch balls.
Place on baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes, turning meatballs once halfway through.
et voila! Meatballs! They may not be the prettiest thing on the block but you wont be disappointed with the taste.
Disclaimer: I’m sure I didn’t invent this recipe. Many people have there own versions out there. This could be just like someone else’s. However this one is mine. Slapped together in my own kitchen, no book or guide.
Why can’t I keep up with this blog? If you know me well then I guess you know. One husband, two kids and three part time jobs. I can’t commit. I miss this though. I read so many blogs when I sit down at night, why aren’t I working on my own? So I’m not going to promise consistency, or frequency, but I will promise stick-to-itiveness.
I’ve recently had a small addiction with gourmet ice pops. Pictures, not making. They are so beautiful! All colors, some artistically layered. Pieces of whole fruits. Homemade with ingredients from your cabinets. Food porn, or so they say. However, I’m partial to anything frozen and sweet.
(picture on left, A Beautiful Mess )
Strawberry Yogurt Pops. Adapted from the kitchn
Makes Eight 3oz Pops
1 pint + strawberries, hulled and quartered (I filled a 16oz Pyrex measuring cup with strawberries all the way to the top)
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 contain strawberry or plain Greek yogurt
Place hulled and quartered strawberries in a dish and cover with sugar. Let this mixture sit for about 45 minutes. Doing this will allow the fruit to develop a syrup.
Place fruit with syrup and lemon juice in food processor with lemon. Blend until chunky, for those who like, or smooth.
Add in yogurt and pulse again.
Distribute into ice pop molds evenly.
Let set for 8 hours or overnight.
Run under luke warm water for 20 seconds, loosen from mold and enjoy!
Because I don’t have 79 trillion things to do today I decided to make donuts. Easy donuts. Disgustingly easy donuts. And they are good. Really good.
This donut (doughnut for you english professors) is the antithesis to what you would consider the “traditional” donut. It is fried, dipped in butter and rolled in sugar…(i actually have come across recipes that wanted me to bake their donuts… Uh yuck?) it tastes like heaven.
The secret to these heavenly little treats are *drumroll please* REFRIGERATOR BISCUITS!!
Now I know your all thinking WHAT?
You can use any canned refrigerator biscuit you like, just please don’t use the flaky kind. One can of biscuits yields 8 donuts plus holes.
Ps: I adapted this recipe from one I found on The Kitchn
I don’t have the original link, so I’m sorry for the minor plagiarizing.
1 stick of melted butter in shallow dish
1 can of biscuits
Cinnamon and sugar mixture in a shallow dish
Vegetable oil for frying
Something to cut the holes. I used a shot glass but that was kind of big for a donut hole.
Heat your oil over medium heat in a deep-ish frying pan. It took a while for my oil to heat and while that’s happening you can cut holes in your biscuits. You will also want to prepare a plate lined with paper towel for putting the donuts on after the come out of the oil.
Once your oil is ready dip your donuts in the oil, flip to the other side, using tongs, once golden brown. Get both sides nice and golden brown but watch carefully as to not over cook.
Let fried donuts drip dry on paper towel.
Once they are cool to the touch dip both sides in melted butter and then both sides in cinnamon sugar.
Et viola! Donuts!!!
Feel free to eat them like cavemen as my children do.
The Kohler Family Christmas Tree 2011
Each year as Christmas approaches I like to pick out new ornaments for our tree. The kids each get a new one and we get a family one. This year I can’t quite seem to find anything halfway meaningful with out breaking the bank! Ornaments are expensive!!!
But it’s tradition …
As a kid I remember decorating my moms Christmas tree with Salt Dough ornaments that we’re probably from the seventies. I THINK they were shaped as pretzels. I remember thinking they were always cool though because they looked like cookie dough (yum)!
… This past Wednesday I incorporated these two thoughts and it lead me to salt dough ornaments of my own! Easy to make, fun for the kids and you probably already have everything you need in your cabinets!
Welcome to my first DIY!
You will need:
4 cups of flour
1 cup of salt
1/1/2 cups of warm water
Straw
Cookie cutters
Twine, bakers string, or ribbon
Hot glue or craft glue
Start by preheating your oven too 200 degrees. The combine your flour and salt. Whisk together until well incorporated. Then, using your stand mixer and dough hook, gently add water until dough ball forms.
On a well floured surface, roll out your dough ball to desired thickness. This dough will not rise in the oven so make sure it’s as thick or as thin as you would like.
Cut out your favorite shapes with the cutters! Use the straw to poke a hole for the ornament to hang. This recipe will yield about 30-40 ornaments.
Transfer dough to parchment lined baking sheet. (if enough flour was used you will not need parchment paper).
Bake ornaments at 200 degrees for 2 hours. After 2 hours, TURN OVEN OFF but leave ornaments in for another hour.
Now remove ornaments from baking sheets and let cool. Dust excess flour off.
I used twine to hang my ornaments. I cut pieces about 5 inches long, looped through the ornaments and hot glued the ends together. You could used anything you like to hang though and craft glue would work just fine. Or even a knot.
Viola! Inexpensive, gorgeous ornaments!
Anni, myself and our kids had a blast making these! It did make a mess! They were covered in flour. They loves pressing out the shapes and were so excited to see the end result!
Enjoy!
(now to kill myself on finals forever!!) wish me luck!!
It’s a nice thought… And it doesn’t have to be with water…
Anything…
Ps its the season of Advent! My favorite time of year in church! Grab an Advent calendar ( I like to get two, one with chocolate and one with scripture) and a Bible and follow along! Tis the season!
<3
I am the worst “blogger” in the world. Seriously.
I read so many blogs during the day and I just look at them and feel exhausted. Some of these bloggers don’t even get paid to do it!!
School has been sucking my life, this is one of the most challenging semesters I’ve ever had to face. (insert age/school jokes here) (even though I will have my third piece of paper telling me I graduated college) ( college and I just love each other so much) ( also I love parentheses)
School will be slowing down soon (THANK GOD) and I can devote more time to more trivial things, which are the things I like best. I wish the world would start paying me for DIYS, editing favorite recipes and assembling gingerbread houses. I’d make millions.
Some of my favorite blogs:
The Kitchn
Apartment Therapy
ohdeedoh
These are the everyday regulars I read. There are thousands of others I stumble upon though. My favorite being the Kitchn.
Things I’d like to do when school ends:
-make time to see all my friends and family, everyone gets a decent chunk of time with me and munchkinland (if wanted)
-clean up my computer and get all my photos off my camera plus editing
-workout everyday
-make dinner every night for my family
Empty cookie jar momma 
…
