Cranberry – Pineapple Sangria Mocktail

Cranberry – Pineapple Sangria Mocktail

by | Apr 14, 2024 | Recipes

Cranberry – Pineapple  Sangria Mocktail

Ingredients

  • 1 cup ice cubes
  • 1/4 c. pineapple chunks
  • 1/2 small orange, thinly sliced, cut into wedges
  • 1 lime, sliced thin
  • 2 cups diet cranberry/pineapple juice
  • 2 cups ginger beer

Mix all ingredients in a large pitcher, chill in the refrigerator for several hours. Pour over ice and garnish with fresh mint leaves to serve.

Enjoy

Chicken Parmesan Skillet Meal

Chicken Parmesan Skillet Meal

by | Mar 20, 2024 | Recipes

Chicken Parmesan Skillet Meal

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces Barilla Protein Plus Rigatoni ( or pasta of your choice)
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 pound chicken breasts, cut into small bite size pieces
  • 1/2 tablespoon Italian Seasoning
  • 2 cups of your favorite pasta sauce
  • 1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
  • 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1/2 c. fresh chopped basil
  • 1/2 tablespoon red pepper flakes ( optional) or more if you like spicy
  • Additional parmesan for topping

Directions

  • Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook pasta according to the directions on the package. When draining, reserve 2 tablespoons of pasta water.

  • Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add oil and let it get hot. Then add the chicken and garlic and cook completely. Add the  Italian seasoning and salt and pepper.
  • Add pasta sauce and parmesan cheese and stir until well combined.
  • Drain pasta, reserving 2 tablespoons of the pasta water
  • Add pasta and pasta water to the pan and mix well to combine. Finally, top with mozzarella cheese, cover with a lid, and let melt for about 1-2 minutes.
  • Top with fresh basil, red pepper flakes and additional parmesan if desired

Enjoy!

An Encouragement For Young Moms

An Encouragement For Young Moms

by | Mar 8, 2024 | General

Last night as I was getting ready for bed, I was reflecting on my day and mid way through brushing my teeth, I ended up in tears. Why?

I am so grateful for my relationships with our four adult kids. It just so happened that I had talked to each of them yesterday and those conversations were filled with details of their everyday lives and their hopes and dreams for the future. Each call ended in an exchange of I love yous.

Mamas – read the story book ( for the 1,000th) time, make time for snuggles, stay up late and talk to those teenagers and cheer them on in their activities. I am convinced those hours spent long ago were the building blocks to where we are today! Have there been bumps along the way, of course! Parenting isn’t easy but it is easily the best gig on the planet!

You are most likely tired and often feel overwhelmed, honestly – at times I still do because you will always be their mama – but I can tell you your investment today is your reward in the future! God chose you to be the mom to your kiddos and He does not make mistakes. You got this mama!

Patience – It’s Always About the Journey

Patience – It’s Always About the Journey

by | Mar 5, 2024 | General

I spend a lot of time in airports and on planes.  These last few months of travel have been filled with weather delays, cancelled flights, mechanical and medical emergencies.  Oh the glamorous life of travel – haha!

All of these delays and cancellations has really required me to stretch myself in the area of being patient.  I will be honest, it’s not easy and I struggle with being a patient person. Can any of you relate?

My observations have led me to believe there are two camps when dealing with situations that require us to be patient…

Camp 1  These are people who are calm, understanding, compassionate, and persevering.

Camp 2  These are people who are frantic, judgmental, complain and are impulsive

We have all heard the sayings, “Patience is a virtue,” “Good things come to those who wait,” or just the simple phrase of “be patient”.  Easier said than done, right? It doesn’t help that we live in a frenetic world that keeps timing to a hectic pace fueled by modern conveniences, quick fixes and expectations to change over night.

I found some research by Sara Schnitker that said, we need to practice patients in three areas of our lives.

  • Patience with others
  • Patience with life’s hardships
  • Patience with ourselves and our daily routines

I have asked myself some tough questions and I am encouraging you do the same.  When confronted with a challenging situation do you live in Camp 1 or Camp 2?  If you answered Camp 2, you are being super honest and that is a great place to start.  It is our awareness that ultimately can bring about change. So much of life is out of our control but we can control how we react to it.

I am reminded of a passage from the Bible – Ephesians 4:2

God asks us to “conduct yourselves with humility, gentleness and patience. Accept each other with love.”  Accepting and loving are always great guidelines.

Here are a few things I always keep on hand when traveling so that I have what I need to remain calm, understanding, compassionate and ultimately persevere through the situation.

  • a full water bottle
  • several high protein snacks
  • a book ( I am a huge fan of my kindle )
  • a great play list
  • charged headphones 
  • a portable phone charger

I then incorporate prayer, kindness and understanding to those relaying the messaging, and a light hearted approach to those sitting around me.  Always wanting to be part of the solution, not the problem. Do I always hit the mark, no, However; I do feel a sense of improvement as I navigate challenging travel and I believe this  is spilling over into the personal areas of my life too.

I hope this helps just knowing that many of us want to be more patient and there are things we can do and practice to make our responses to life’s quirks and mishaps a bit more doable.  Life is always about the journey.

Hummingbird Cake

Hummingbird Cake

by | Feb 20, 2024 | Recipes

Hummingbird Cake

Cake Layers:

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
  • 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 (8-oz.) can crushed pineapple in juice, undrained
  • 2 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 4 medium bananas)
  • 1 cup chopped pecans, toasted
  • Crisco for greasing the cake pans

Cream Cheese Frosting:

  • 2 (8-oz.) packages cream cheese, softened
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 (16-oz.) packages powdered sugar
  • 2 tsp. vanilla extract

Additional Ingredients:

  • 1 cup pecan halves, toasted
  • 1 c. shredded coconut

Directions

  1. Make cake batter:
    Preheat oven to 350°F. Whisk together flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon in a large bowl; add eggs and oil, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Stir in vanilla, pineapple, bananas, and toasted pecans.
  2. Add batter to cake pans:
    Divide batter evenly among 3 well-greased (with shortening) and floured 9-inch round cake pans.
  1. Bake cake layers:
    Bake in preheated oven until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes. Remove from pans to wire racks, and cool completely, about 1 hour.

  2. Prepare the Cream Cheese Frosting:
    Beat cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer on medium-low speed until smooth. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating at low speed until blended after each addition. Stir in vanilla. Increase speed to medium-high, and beat until fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes

  3. Assemble Cake:
    Place first cake layer on a serving platter; spread top with 1 cup of the frosting.
    Top with second layer, and spread with 1 cup frosting. Top with third layer, and spread remaining frosting over top and sides of cake.

 

      Sprinkle shredded coconut over the top and arrange pecan halves on top of cake in a circular pattern.


Enjoy !