2011 Comes to a Close

I can hardly believe that today is the last day of 2011. This year has been a rollercoaster ride, full of lots of highs and lows. The lows have seemed to be worse this year than in the past, but because of those lows, this year has disappeared in the blink of an eye.

The major lows for me from this year have been the loss of my mother earlier this year, and my boyfriend moving to Northern Cali {7 hours away}.

My mom, Carol at our favorite desert getaway, La Casa del Zorro in Borrego Springs, CA.

The major highs for me from this year have been meeting some amazing new friends at school, finishing up my first ever semester of college with straight A’s, and of course, starting my blog!

My BFF, Jess, and I on my 22nd bday!

I am not usually one for “New Year’s Resolutions”, but this year I am actually making some. Unfortunately, I am going to be one of those people that has “join a gym/start working out” on my list, but I am in desperate need of it. This past year I’ve put on a lot of weight, which I think is partly due to me being depressed about my mom’s passing. Food has always been one of my loves, but my appetite has really grown this year and I find myself eating a lot more than I have in the past, a lot more than I know I should be. I’m by no means “fat” or “obese” but I’m getting a muffin top… and it needs to go away! I love me some muffins, but not when they stick above my pants!!!

Some of my other resolutions are to really keep up with my blog, especially with my Sweet Saturday/Savory Sunday/Musical Monday posts that I planned to do a few months ago.

I also wanted to spend today reflecting on this past year, and decided to share my Top 10 most visited posts from this year, so I hope you all enjoy them!

#10 on my list. This Creamy Peanut Butter Pie was baked back in August when Jennie, a fellow food blogger, lost her husband and father of her children. A bunch of people from the online food community came together and all baked pies in memory of her husband.

#9 on the list is my World of Warcraft backstory. I posted this back in August because I wanted to share with everyone how I got into WoW, where I meant the love of my life and boyfriend of 4 years, and what had taken up nearly 6 years of my life.

#8 on the list is my grandma's Angel Food Cake Frosting. I baked these cakes back in May for Easter. I absolutely LOVE Angel Food Cake, but only with this frosting. Every year on my birthday my mom would bake me two of these cakes, one for the family, and one for me because I'm a piggy *snortsnort*

#7 on the list are the delicious Individual Gorgonzola Beef Wellingtons. I made these in August for my Dad for Father's Day. These are so simple and are a real crowd pleaser. Plus, these are sure to make you look like you're the best cook in the world if you serve these!

#6 on the list is this sweet Mixed Berry Tart. I made this in late July for a family get together and everyone loved it to death. It is definitely a keeper recipe, and if you like berries, you should check it out!

#5 on the list is this quick and easy Southern Chicken and Dumplings. It has minimal ingredients, and feeds quite a few people. All you need is a crockpot and a few hours.

#4 on the list are my Mom's Sugar Cookies that I baked this month for The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap. My mom and I made these cookies for a lot of holidays, and are a family tradition. I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

#3 on the list are the Ultimate Vanilla Cupcakes I helped crown by Cupcake Project. The other 49 Cupcake Explorers and I went through three rounds before we found this recipe, but it was well worth it. These really are the ULTIMATE Vanilla cupcakes.

#2 on the list are these moist Copycat Sprinkles Red Velvet Cupcakes by Carrot Top Mom. I found her recipe back in January when I was looking for a Red Velvet Cupcake to bake for my mom's 65th birthday. She was in the hospital, so I wanted something small and portable, and these were just the thing! I love them, and I know you will too!

And finally, #1 on the list is this amazing Bacon-Swiss BBQ Chicken crockpot recipe. Like the Chicken and Dumplings {from the same cookbook}, it has minimal ingredients, and is a wonderfully simple summer meal.

Well, that’s it everyone! Those are the Top 10 posts most visited on my blog since I started it back in April! If you want to visit the post and check it out, you can click on the picture.

I hope that you all have a wonderful and safe New Years Eve tonight. And don’t forget, please please please don’t drink and drive tonight! Stay safe, and call AAA if you need a ride, they will tow your car and give you a lift FOR FREE if you need it!!

Stay safe, and I will see you all in the new year!!

 

♥ and harp strings,
Kate

Christmas Vacation in Full Swing

My Christmas vacation is finally in full swing! The past two days I’ve spent exactly how I’ve been waiting all semester to spend… staying up late, sleeping in late, and lots and lots of gaming!

TJ is here until January 2nd, when he has a late evening flight back up to Northern Cali so he can get back to work on January 3rd. But until then, it’s just he and I and the animals at the house because my Dad left early this morning to visit my sister and her fam in Texas.

It’s so nice to be able to spend a lot of time with him, and it’s made me realize how much I miss waking up next to him in the mornings. Unfortunately, we’re both crammed into my twin-size bed… and he’s 6’2″!! Poor guy haha

Yesterday TJ and I managed to get to 27 {my toon} and 26 {for his toon}. I play a Twi’lek Sith Sorcerer {Corruption spec… aka I’m a healer!} and TJ plays a Chiss Powertech {Advanced Prototype spec… aka he does uber deeps!}.

This is my Sith Sorcerer, Anira. Sorry the picture quality sucks, I had to take a picture of my computer screen with my camera =3

Today we have finally finished up quests on Nar Shadaa {with the exception of the bonus quests} and just got to Tatooine, the lovely desert planet.

Once again, sorry for the picture quality... =3

If you play video games/Star Wars, I really recommend playing Star Wars: The Old Republic. This game really pulls you in with the interactive cinematic stories, and helps you build a connection with your character with the light or dark side choices you can make with the quests.

So, other than playing video games, TJ and I have been eating leftovers from Christmas dinner. I decided to turn them into yummy Hot Roast Beef Sandwiches, just like my mom used to do with leftover roast beef, mashed potatoes, and gravy.

Sorry I’m not posting any recipes yet, but I do have some stuff waiting to be posted, but I’m saving them for the weekend So you all will just have to be patient with me!

I hope you all are spending your Christmas/Winter breaks well!

♥ and harp strings,
Kate

How are you spending your Christmas/Winter break? What are you doing with your leftovers from Christmas dinner?

Bacon-Swiss BBQ Chicken (Crockpot)

It’s time for another super delicious and easy recipe for summer! I have been looking at this recipe since I first got my “Super-Fast Slow Cooking” cookbook by Gooseberry Patch back in November. Whenever I go to Carl’s Jr, I always get their Charbroiled Chicken Club, which has my two favorite things ever. Bacon, and Swiss cheese. So what if it’s all going to my butt, it tastes AMAZING and I just can’t help myself. So I invited Carrie, Jeff, and my two nephews over for another Sunday dinner so I had an excuse to try this recipe out.

Now, if anyone is wondering how easy this recipe is, it’s the simplest thing I’ve ever made.

Ever.

Seriously.

You put 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts in a crockpot, top with a bottle of bbq sauce, and cook on low for 8-9 hours.

At some point while it’s cooking, you fry up 6 slices of bacon and make them extra crispy (or more if you are hungry and decide that bacon is the perfect thing to snack on since you’re being taunted by the aroma of bbq chicken coming from your crockpot).

Then 15 minutes before the chicken is done, top each breast with 1 slice of bacon, split in half, and 1 slice of swiss cheese. Turn the crockpot to high and cook for 15 more minutes, or until the cheese is melted.

Voila!

Easy and delicious.

Serve with a garden salad and dinner rolls. Make sure to save some of the bbq sauce from the crockpot to serve over the chicken!

What’s your favorite meal for summertime?

♥ Kate

Sirloin Tips and Mushrooms

This is another recipe that I found at All Recipes, and the edits I made to it are from one of the comments. The steak in this is so yummy and tender, and the sauce is great! You can serve it over pasta, but I prefer to serve it over mashed potatoes. There’s just something about steak and potatoes being together

My only complaint about this dish is that it may not be “kid-friendly” if say… you have a kiddo that doesn’t like “sauce” on anything. Ketchup is just fine, but no… no sauce please and thank-you! However, if you are serving this for a group of friends (who hopefully don’t mind sauce!) they will be astounded at your culinary prowess, I promise!

Panko-Crusted Pork with Plum Sauce

I absolutely love this recipe. It is so simple and it is so delicious! The first time I had this was in our old house when Erin came to visit. She made this for mom, dad, and I and I was amazed then. I hadn’t had it since until when I was at Erin’s house and she helped me make it one night for dinner. It hit the spot that night

I’m personally not a huge fan of Plum sauce, so if you’re like me, don’t worry! This tastes great without the Plum sauce (trust me, I tested it out LOL). However, if you really like Plum Sauce, but it’s a busy night, just substitute jarred plum sauce with some shaved ginger.