A New Set of Knees If You Please

Yesterday I ran 10.19 miles {every inch counts} with my best friend. Which is Mike if you were confused. That is the farthest I have ever run. And it was wonderful. Oh so mentally proud. And oh so physically drained. And sore. So if you feel like you want to donate a new set of hips and knees and the arch from your right foot, me and my half marathon will be more than willing to accept.
But just look at that sunrise shining off the temple. Quite the run.


Yesterday, they changed the missionary age for missionaries in my church. Young men can now leave when they are 18. What a piece of history this is! Yesterday I asked my 15 year old brother what he thought of the announcement. He is so excited! My poor parents on the other hand. When boys leave on their missions, they come home as grown men. All mature and stuff. Which means my parents just lost an entire year of my baby brothers childhood. My dad was putting up baseboards yesterday and was so upset about the announcement, he cut them wrong. Had to replace every last one of them. Grateful he's making good choices, just hard to see the baby grow up.

Pumpkin chocolate chip cookies taste like fall. I would know. I think I've had like 12 today.

Mike got his diploma.
 
Happiness.

Six Things. To Be Exact.

Being sick is a gosh, darn shame. They stuff you so full of immunizations that you think it would take something equal to the plague to infect you. But then they throw you in a miniature cubicle with a sickly and no wonder. Yep. No wonder. By the way, I'm immune to NyQuil. Which is another gosh, darn shame.

I found Downton Abbey season three online! Waiting for the Sir to get home from his run so we can watch episode one. Season Three! And no, I didn't go for a run. Currently, breathing while sitting is enough of a task.

Speaking of, Mike is grocery shopping during his run. That man took a backpack and is picking up a few things. If I didn't marry the greatest man in the world, then that man doesn't exist.

Fighting through the depression of once again being employed is quite the task. All household chores have fallen to the wayside. Wait...I did clean the toilet yesterday. Point for me. My laziness seems to have gotten the best of me. Pathetic. However, I have yet to run out of clean underwear. Thanks to my always energetic husband. Let's just say he's making up for the chores he missed while he was in school. And then my groove will come back and all will be well again.

Hummus is awesome. Long live The Beatles. Peace.

If You Really Knew Me: {1st Edition}

You would know that I love to read. But I don't get to do it very often. Not too mention it usually puts me to sleep.

You would know that Diet Coke is a daily ritual for me. And you would know that I am ashamed of it.

You would know that my sole purpose of exercise is so that I can eat good food. Yes, the sole purpose.

You would know that I have an obsession with sweats. I can rarely make it the entire day in real clothes.

You would know that I was overweight in my early teenage years. It was an extremely difficult on me. My friends became insulting and rude and the summer before high school I lost all but one of my friends. Starting high school with no friends sucked.

You would know that I shy away from social situations. You would know that I never go to "girls night" and that if I am around friends, I prefer it to be just the two of us. I have not always been this way. But girls are too dramatic and it stresses me out.

You would know that I love to sing.

You would know that I would rather hang out with Mike than anyone in the world. Every.single.time.

What We Did: {The Most Important Parts}

This weekend...

We drank ginger ale on an airplane.

We ate 25 chocolate chip cookies in less than 24 hours.

We got told we were a "cute couple" by a lady yelling out her car window while we walked home from church.

We convinced my sister that she and her family should hurry and take a trip to DC while we are still here. And it worked! They come out on the 8th.

We watched and watched and watched the Olympics.

We stayed in bed until 10 AM.



This week...

Mike took the bar.

The rest is moot.

What Our 24th of July Looked Like: {Outside of the Bar Exam}

So yesterday was the 24th of July, which means celebration here in Utah. Thank goodness for those Pioneers coming here so long ago and settling this beautiful valley. But the 24th of July also marked day 1 of the bar exam for Mike. Whoa man.

The best I could get out of him was, "Well it's exactly what I thought it was going to be". So I guess that means he was prepared, right? Currently, he is finishing up with day 2 of the bar exam. Which also happens to be the final day of the bar exam. I cannot believe that this day is finally here. I say that outside of our wedding anniversaries, this could possibly be one of the best reasons for celebrating so far in our marriage. We are celebrating with pizza buffet. I know, isn't that just so us?

Anyway. Back to yesterday. The 24th of July Utah holiday also coincides with Mike's nieces birthday. Double whammy. Which meant a backyard roast and fireworks! {And some nice evening relaxation for the bar exam taker.}

Oh Summer, I love you.

 

What Our Weekend Looked Like: {DC Sites with a Sundae on Top}

Our weekend was filled with sunshine, each other, and walking. And walking. And walking. 

And we were able to cross a bunch more DC to do's off the list!

Above pictures: Lincoln Memorial, Korean War Memorial, Jefferson Memorial and new bacon sundae from Burger King

Included sites were: Arlington Cemetery, Lincoln Memorial, Korean War Memorial, Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, and Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial. 

I love seeing all these wonderful sites around me. And its even more fun to get to see them with Mike. Oh how I cherish those few hours on Saturday of attention!

Aaaaaannd since I know you are wondering, the bacon sundae from Burger King is....okay. I, myself, enjoy a little salty twist to my sweet treats, but I would have much rather preferred a nice sprinkling of peanuts on top than chunks of bacon mixed throughout. However, the fudge and caramel swirled through this soft serve ice cream was so delicious, it made it all worth it. Oh and we shared it. So only half the guilt.

And I told Mike I want a 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee for my birthday, so we'll see if he delivers. 

I leave for Girls Camp tomorrow. I still can't believe I got wrangled into this, but even though I haven't memorized a single girls name, I'm weirdly excited. I can assure you that none of that excitement stems from getting to sleep in cabins and take regular showers.

What I Do: {My Daily Life}

With Mike working 8 1/2 hours a day and studying for the bar another 4 to 5 hours, I spend most of my day alone. And as much as that sounds like I am looking for pity, I am actually pretty good at filling my days.

I've been doing these workouts. This girl is tough. She makes me sore. And that makes me happy.

I watch a whole lot of HBO.

I read {currently reading Killing Lincoln}.

I watch the maids. Yes, we have maids. And its very awkward to sit here while they clean. But on the flip side, I'm not leaving cuz I plain have trust issues. But yay for a clean house!

When I feel excited and like I want to get downright sweaty, I actually do venture outside. Sometimes I'll go down to the mall and hit up a museum. I frequent the grocery store a few times a week. I regularly walk down to Mike's work at quitting time and walk back home with him {that's my favorite 30 minutes of the day}. We walk everywhere {except church}. Which is actually pretty awesome. It gives us more time outdoors. Once you make peace with the fact that you just kinda always have a stench and a small stream running down your back, the walk can actually be quite pleasant.

I eat delicious food.

I play with my blog template. Which you may notice is a bit different today. And don't be surprised if you see some pretty constant tweaks here and there. I have a lot of time on my hands!

So what may seem like a really boring, unemployed life, is actually very scintillating to me. I enjoy my days so much and I am really having a blast here in Washington D.C.

Many of these pictures were taken via instagram. You can follow me @abbys14.

What We Ate: {Turtle Cookies}

I love chocolate.

Mmm.

My mominlaw had these cookies on her Pinterest, so I thought that while they were out, I would make her a treat that she had been meaning to try.

And I'm not kidding when I say that these things were gone like wild fire.

Delicious.

Turtle Cookies

The Stuff:

2 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup cocoa
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
12 oz semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped pecans
3 dozen individually wrapped caramel candies

The Doing:

Preheat oven to 350. In a medium sized bowl whisk together flour, cocoa, salt, and baking soda.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla and combine. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture. Do not overmix. Add chocolate chips.

Roll into balls and dip half of the ball into the chopped pecans.

Place baking sheet with the pecan dipped side facing up. Gently push one caramel candy half way into the center of each ball.

Bake 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees.

What We Ate: {Homemade Lasagna}

I haaattteed lasagna growing up. I never ate it. Then it was like someone flipped a switch, and my grown up palate came on. I was a new woman. It's true.

This is the recipe that I grew up with.
{Except I substitute ground beef with ground turkey.}

Lasagna

The Stuff:

1 jar spaghetti sauce
1 lb ground turkey
1 yellow onion, diced
3 cups of mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 pkg of lasagna noodles
1 16 oz. container cottage cheese
2-3 tbsp parsley

The Doing:

Heat oven to 375. In a large skillet, brown the turkey and the onion. In the meantime boil the lasagna noodles according to package directions. Once the turkey is fully cooked, add the spaghetti sauce to the skillet. Add a few tablespoons of parsley to the cottage cheese container and stir until mixed. Grease a 9x13 baking dish {or we like to do two 8x8 dishes and freeze one of them for later}.

Layer ingredients in the pan as follows:

1/3 of the Sauce/Turkey/Onion Mixture
Noodles
Another 1/3 of the Sauce/Turkey/Onion Mixture
1/2 of the Mozzarella Cheese
Noodles
Cottage Cheese/Parsley Mixture
Noodles
Remaining 1/3 of the Sauce/Turkey/Onion Mixture
The other half of the Mozzarella cheese

Bake 30-40 minutes {or about 25 minutes for 8x8}.

What We Tried: {OK Bucket List-Blue Bell Ice Cream}

Let it be known that I have a bucket list.

There is also a Oklahoma specific bucket list.

We were able to cross something off a couple weekends ago.

Eat Blue Bell Ice Cream.

Its some big name brand ice cream out here, that is super expensive. That 1/2 gallon container that I'm holding is regular price $6.00. {$6.00!!}

It went on sale so I figured that was my chance.
Picking a flavor was tough. But give me peanut butter and chocolate and I'm usually one happy chica.

The verdict?
Totally not worth the money.
I would pick Great Value over Blue Bell any day, even if they were the same price.
Why?
It wasn't creamy. It tasted like they made it with fat-free milk. If I'm going to eat the calories, I want it to at least taste like I'm eating the calories. Am I right or am I right?

But crossing something off the list always feels good, doesn't it?

What We Ate: {Avocado Basil Pasta}

Did I ever tell you how much I loooovve food?

Well I do.

Side note: Mike found a delicious looking recipe on Pinterest a little while ago, and as I was planning the menu for this week, I decided to make it. Bought all the ingredients. Two days {two days!} after looking at this recipe, I get online so that I can make it and this girl has privatized her blog! Two days! Such bad timing.

Unrelated side note: Just started using this Instagram thing. Still figuring it out a bit, and trying to remember that I have it so that I will actually take pictures. Follow me at abbys14.

Today's recipe plain and simple.....rocks. {Except for maybe my over-enthusiasm when adding the basil}. Mike says the leftovers weren't that awesome though. More of a 'day of' meal. But its so so good the day of. I promise.

Avocado Basil Pasta

The Stuff:

8 ounces dried bow tie pasta

2 medium avocados, halved, seeded, peeled, and coarsely chopped
6 slices turkey bacon, crisp cooked, and crumbled

2 tbsp dried basil

2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt

The Doing:

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain. Meanwhile, in a large bowl combine the avocados, bacon, basil, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, pepper, and salt. Add the hot pasta and toss to combine.

Super easy, right?

What We Ate: {Amish Peanut Butter}

Once upon a time, Mike's brother and his family lived in Indiana. And once upon a time, we had the opportunity to go and visit. If you've never been to Indiana, you should probably go. There is a quaintness about it that is adorable and it's so beautiful and green.

 Anyway, while the boys went to the Notre Dame football game my sisinlaw, niece and I went to Shipsheawana. Yes, you guessed it. We went to Amish country. Which is another experience that y'all should be adding to your bucket lists. This town was adorable. We had a great time wandering the shops and purchasing some of the homemade goodies.

{Mom, I took this picture for you!}

One of the specialties that we came across, and which forever changed my life was Amish peanut butter. I cannot even explain to you the deliciousness that is Amish peanut butter. It's like candy, sweet and gooey, but with the delicious peanut buttery taste. I walked away with one single jar and a dream that one day I may have the opportunity to purchase more.

When Mike's brother moved, they made some final Indiana special purchases, and you better believe they got me a jar of this peanut butter. I relished every last drop. And then, it was gone again. And unfortunately, I don't live anywhere near Amish country. You can actually buy it online, that's how awesome it is, however at over $5 a jar, I just can't afford the stuff plus the shipping.

And then came the recipe.

My life was again, forever changed.

Now, from what I remember, it doesn't taste exactly the same, but it's close enough to pacify me until my next trip to Amish country.

Amish Peanut Butter

1 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup marshmallow creme

Mix all in a bowl until well combined. Store in air-tight container.

{So delicious on a nice thick slice of homemade bread....or on a spoon straight from the jar....}

What We Celebrate: {Easter Traditions}

I hope that everyone had a fabulous Easter! Ours was pretty low key. No Easter egg hunts or egg dying over here in the lonely OK. But we have created some traditions of our own since we have been married. Of course, we do the whole Easter basket thing. We won't once we have kids baskets to fill, but until then, we get to fill each others baskets. And being the total cheap skates that we are, we do not put any Easter candy in each others baskets. No way. Because the day after Easter its all marked down to 50% off. And then my friends, I go pretty hog wild. Easter candy is some of the best all year and at 50% off.....yes please. I wait all year for these babies to come out...

Last year I think I bought 6 bags. We ate them all Summer. I have already picked up a package and am headed to Walmart tonight to snag a couple more. It's a sick obsession. They just don't taste like the regular cups. Am I right, or am I right?

Something I learned when I got married. Mike doesn't like eggs. Or didn't. Who doesn't like eggs?! Now he'll eat them scrambled or sunnysideup. But he will not eat a hard boiled egg. Which makes the whole dying Easter egg thing suuuupper lame. Because then I have to race to eat all the hard boiled eggs before they go bad. My body can only have so much cholesterol in a day, people. And since we don't have an Easter egg hunt, just the two of us, dying Easter eggs is even more lame.

So a couple years back, Mike introduced me to something called Angel Eggs. This is poor mans food. That's what we call it. And I quickly became addicted. Apparently Mike's family had it all the time growing up. And the beauty? You used hard boiled eggs in this recipe. Masked under the taste of bread and gravy, Mike will actually eat a hard boiled egg. Hence the Easter tradition of Angel Eggs was born. The perfect way to use up all the hard boiled eggs that you dye on Easter.

Well this year I was feeling particularly lame, and so we didn't even dye the eggs. But we still kept the tradition alive and ate Angel Eggs for dinner {woulda been breakfast but being at church by 9am is hard enough...can't throw a fancy breakfast on top of anything more than the actual getting ready for church}.

Angel Eggs

The Stuff:

4 tbsp butter
4 tbsp flour
3-4 cups milk
Salt and Pepper to taste
4 hard boiled eggs, peeled and chopped
Toast

The Doing:

In large frying pan, make a rue by melting the butter and flour together over medium heat. Add milk and turn up to a simmer. Rue should slowly begin to thicken. If it's too thin, whisk in more flour. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add chopped hard boiled eggs. Let simmer for another minute. Serve over the top of toast {we like to use Texas Toast}.

What We Ate: {Oatmeal Candy Cookies}

Mike found this recipe. He had to have it. I changed it up a bit by throwing in a couple of our favorite candy bars. Nothing is better than a delicious cookie and a delicious candy bar mixed together!

Oatmeal Candy Cookies

The Stuff:

1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup loosely packed brown sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup flour
3/4 cups oats
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 cup chunks of the the delicious candy bar of your choosing {we divided the dough in half and used two candy bars. its how we roll}
optional: 1- 2 tablespoons milk, if dough is crumbly

The Doing:

Heat butter in small pan over medium-low heat. Whisking constantly, cook butter until bubbly and browned – about 5-6 minutes. Watch closely and immediately remove the butter from the heat, whisking for an additional 30 seconds. Set aside and let cool completely, should not be warm to the touch.

In a bowl, combine flour, salt, baking powder, oats and cinnamon, mixing, then set aside.
Once butter has cooled, add to a large bowl. Stir in sugars. Add in egg and vanilla. Slowly begin to stir in dry ingredients. If dough won’t come together, add in milk 1 tablespoon at a time (I didn't have to do this.) Stir in candy chunks. Refrigerate dough for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Form dough into 1 1/2 inch balls and place on greased cookie sheet. Bake for 9 minutes. {Watch closely...the Mr. Goodbar cookies were perfect at 9 minutes but the Hershey's Special Dark cookies burned at 9 minutes.}

What We Ate: Spinach and Sausage Risotto

I had my doubts about this one. It's actually been pinned for quite a while now. But when you run out of new ideas, you turn to the old ideas.

And I'm so glad I did. And Mike is too.

Sausage and Spinach Risotto

The Stuff:

3 cups fat-free chicken broth
1 1/3 cups water
16 oz pork sausage, crumbled
1 Tbsp Italian Seasoning
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup white rice
6 oz baby spinach
Parmesan cheese

The Doing:

Bring broth and 1 cup water to a simmer and keep warm over low heat. Heat large skillet over medium heat. Add sausage to pan and cook until browned. Add onion, garlic and Italian Seasoning. Cook for 1 minuted. Add rice and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in 1/3 cup water and cook until absorbed. Stir in 1 cup broth mixture and cook until liquid is nearly absorbed. Continue to add remaining broth mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring until each portion of broth is absorbed before adding the next. Remove pan from heat and add spinach, stirring until it wilts. Top with Parmesan cheese.

What We Ate: {Spinach Artichoke Pizza}

So I found something. For all you calorie counters/healthy foodies, I found a recipe analyzer. You literally just copy and paste the recipe, enter how many servings it makes, and it will tell you the nutrition content of each serving. Is this not the most fabulous thing in the world? Being healthy has never been so easy! {A little disappointed to find out the sliver of cake that I had yesterday was 350 calories! Sliver. No lie.} Click on the link here.

And now I will proceed to fill your minds with a super delicious {probably don't want to plug this one into the recipe analyzer} recipe!

You have to make this.

You must.

My mouth had never been at its happiest until it had this pizza. I should rephrase that. My TASTEBUDS had never been at their happiest until they had this pizza. {Nothing gets better than a sweet kiss from my hubby.}

The tricky part though is that the crust is really what makes this pizza come to life. Which means you have to make the crust. Which means you have to have some time on your hands.

But it's soooo worth it.

Spinach Artichoke Pizza

The Stuff: {Crust}

1 1/8 cups warm water
3 tsp active dry yeast
1 1/2 tbsp honey
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
3 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried basil
5 tbsp unsalted butter
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tbsp Parmesan cheese

The Doing: {Crust}

{I did all of this in my Kitchen Aid, but you can do it the old fashioned way also.} In mixer bowl, combine water, yeast, honey and olive oil. Stir a bit and let sit until foamy, about 10 minutes. Add in 2 1/2 cups flour, salt, garlic powder and dried basil. Let mix, dough will be sticky. Continue adding remaining 1/2 cup of flour until the dough comes together, you may not need all of the remaining flour. Rub the bowl in olive oil and then turn the dough over in the bowl to coat. Cover with a towel and let rise for about 1 1/2 hours.

Once dough has risen, punch down and turn out on a flour surface. Use a rolling pin to make your desired shape and place on baking pan {cookie sheet, pizza stone...whatever tickles your fancy}. Place the towel back over the rolled out dough and let rise for another 10 minutes. Melt butter, and mix with garlic and Parmesan cheese. When dough has finished rising, spread the butter mixture all over, including the edges. Then add all your delicious toppings!

The Stuff: {Pizza}

2 tsp olive oil
1/2 small onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
6 oz fresh spinach
1 {14 oz} can of artichoke hearts
2/3 cup cottage cheese
8 oz mozzarella cheese
4 oz Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

The Doing: {Pizza}

Preheat oven to 375.

Drain artichokes and press with a paper towel to reduce some of the moisture. Place in a food processor and finely chop. Place in bowl and add cottage cheese.

In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, and some salt and cook until soft. Add in garlic and spinach, tossing until spinach is wilted. Add spinach mixture to bowl with artichokes and cottage cheese, add salt, pepper, half of the Parmesan cheese and half of the mozzarella cheese. Stir.

Cover the pizza dough with the spinach artichoke mixture evenly. Top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan. And then add more mozzarella like we did. Because cheese is pretty much the bomb.

Bake for about 20 minutes, until everything is bubbly and awesome looking!

What We Ate: {Lemonade Cake}

You know what is the worst?

Grabbing a cookie sheet after its been in a BROILing oven with your bare hand.
Now why would I do such a silly thing?

Well lets just say I took it out with a hot pad, set it down, went and did something else and then went back and grabbed the cookie sheet with my bare hand, apparently completely forgetting that I had just gotten it out of the oven 2 seconds earlier.

I guess we can call that a senior moment.

Luckily there was minimal blistering but I did spend the rest of the evening feeling like I was playing with fire, literally. It's not all bad though. It got me out of the huge mess that Mike and I were making in the kitchen. Cute boy finished cooking the meal and washed every last dish.

And today it's not so much on fire. Just tender to the touch. Don't worry, its not my 10-key hand.

Anyway, we had another work birthday last week and he chose this lovely Lemonade Cake. Everyone loved it so much, I'm actually making it again tonight. {Don't worry, I will use the hot pads tonight aaaannd I'll make sure Mike is there to babysit me.}

Lemonade Cake

The Stuff: {Cake}

1 1/3 cups sugar
6 tbsp butter, softened
The grated lemon rind of one lemon
3 tbsp thawed lemonade concentrate
2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
2 egg whites
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 cups buttermilk

The Doing: {Cake}

Preheat oven to 350.

Beat sugar, butter, grated lemon rind, lemonade concentrate and vanilla in a large bowl until well blended. Add eggs and egg whites, one at a time, beating well after each. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately to sugar mixture, beat well after each addition.

Pour batter into to two greased 9-inch round cake pans.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.

The Stuff: {Frosting}

1 stick of unsalted butter, softened
1 {8 oz} package of cream cheese, softened {1/3 less fat}
The grated lemon rind of one lemon
2 tsp thawed lemonade concentrate
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar

The Doing: {Frosting}

Beat the butter, cream cheese, lemon rind, and lemonade concentrate in a medium bowl until well combined. Beat in vanilla. Slowly beat in the powdered sugar. Place frosting in the fridge for a bit to stiffen up.

When cakes are cooled completely, place one cake layer on a plate, and frost the top. Then place the remaining cake layer on top of it and use the remaining frosting over the top and sides of the cake.

Keep cake refrigerated.

It's like summer in your mouth.

What We Ate: {Chicken Bacon Ranch Taquitos}

If that title didn't get you then let me just say that this is seriously on the top five of the foods-made-from-Pinterest-that-are-pretty-much-to-die-for list.

And Miked loooooooved them.

We ate them warm. We ate them cold. And I kinda want to make them every day.

Chicken Bacon Ranch Taquitos

The Stuff:

1/2 package cream cheese, softened {1/3 less fat}
4 slices of turkey bacon, cooked and crumbled
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken {we used thighs}
1/2 packet dry Ranch dressing mix
1 cup cheddar cheese
14 {6 inch) flour tortillas
Non-stick cooking spray

The Doing:

Preheat oven to 425.

Mix together cream cheese, bacon, Ranch dressing mix. Add in chicken and cheese and mix well. Spoon 3 tbsp of mixture into flour tortillas and roll it up. Place seam-side down on tinfoil covered baking sheet. Once all taquitos are placed on baking sheet. Spray the tops with non-stick cooking spray.

Bake for 12-15 minutes or until edges of tortillas start to brown.

{Side note: I modify most of the recipes that I make from the original {this one I modified quite a bit}. I always put my modified version on my blog but remember, you can always see the original recipe that I pulled from {if there is one} by clicking on the title of the recipe {which is always italicized}.}

What We Ate: {Sweet Potato-Cheddar Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies}

Well if that isn't quite the name for a cookie, I don't know what is.

But first things first.

The fun part of March Madness starts today!

Just a little about me, I hate watching basketball on TV {those squeaky shoes just drive me into madness}. If I'm going to watch it, I want to be in the arena. And even then, there are several other sports I would prefer over basketball. But there is a little thing called March Madness. There is also this boy that I live with. Therefore, whether I like it or not, every March, Mike's mind is nearly completely consumed by college basketball. And instead of fighting a battle that I will never win, I get involved. Because when there is a chance that I could beat Mike at something, I'm in full force. So the brackets have been filled out and so far, I'm winning by 1. Thank you BYU for coming back. You saved me.

Today is my shareadelicioussweetrecipe day. But unfortunately, I haven't made anything in the past week. Last night I started a cake, but it's not quite finished therefore it will have to wait until next week. So I had to dig into my archives. Yes, I have been taking pictures of the food I make for years now. So I give you a cookie and a post on my {private} blog from June of 2010.

June 27, 2010 {side note: living in Utah for the Summer for Mike's internship}

Last night I made Sweet Potato-Cheddar and Oat Cookies. Interesting idea, right? I know, that's why I just had to make them. (Side note: thanks to mom and mominlaw for letting me invade their kitchens and use their baking ingredients....you keep my hobby alive!) I have never ever in my life bought a sweet potato. We don't eat many potatoes in our house. Did you know that their are white sweet potatoes? Yeah I didn't either. And that is all that Smith's had so that is what I used. After the boiling the sweet potato and Mike's super awesome mashing skills, oh and Mike's super awesome cheese grating skills, the hardest part was over. (It sounds like I didn't do anything. I helped...I promise!) I try to always use mini chocolate chips because they seem to make everything more chocolaty. All in all, these cookies are fantastic. Super moist and soft. I had fun testing my family as to what they thought the two secret ingredients in these cookies are. You can't taste the cheese or the potatoes. Really, I am sure the potato just makes it softer and the cheese gives it a slightly more savory flavor but really it just tastes like a really good chocolate chip oatmeal cookie. If I made these again, I would probably just omit the cheese because you can't really taste it and it just adds a bunch of extra, unnecessary calories. Who knows though, maybe without the cheese, these cookies would taste awful. Either way, its fun to make a recipe with strange ingredients in it. It makes the outcome so much more exciting!



Sweet Potato-Cheddar Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

The Stuff:

3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temp.
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 cup + 2 TB cooked & mashed sweet potato
1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup quick oats
2 cups chocolate chips

The Doing:

Preheat oven to 350.
Combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt and set aside.
In a big bowl, cream the butter and sugars together. Add eggs, sweet potatoes, and cheddar cheese, combine. Fold in the dry ingredients; then chocolate chips and oats.
Place on a greased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.

What We Ate: {Spinach Salad}

There was a little bit of overconsumption of pizza going on at my house last night. I just couldn't help myself.

So for the sake of my suffering waistline, I bring to you today a salad.
But don't run and hide.
It's absolutely delicious!
{I can even get Mike to eat it, which is truly saying something.}

Spinach Salad

The Stuff:

8 cups of spinach {or enough spinach for two large servings}
1/4 cup green onion, chopped
1 medium tomato, diced
2 hard-boiled eggs, diced
7 slices turkey bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup vinegar
1/3 cup canola oil
1 tsp honey mustard
1 tsp lemon juice

The Doing:

Whisk together honey, vinegar, oil, honey mustard and lemon juice in bowl. Take two strips of bacon and crumble into the dressing. Set aside.

{The next part is personal preference!} You can either throw all the ingredients {spinach, chopped green onion, diced tomato, diced egg, and remaining crumbled bacon} into a bowl, including dressing and then stir so everything is coated with the dressing. {I don't like doing that because it makes any leftovers soggy.} Or you can just prepare salads on plates and then spoon the dressing over the top. We like to do it this way because then we can choose what goes into our individual salads.