Cover that bare neck!

So last week my mother-in-law and I decided to make some necklaces together and this is how mine turned out. I'm not sure how much I like it yet. I haven't found anything to wear it with. But uhh, I hope it ends up being something I like, since I spent so much money on the materials! :)

True Grit

True Grit ***

Trailer 
I'm not into the whole country western movie genre, but this movie was pretty fun. I thought Jeff Bridges was hilarious which really made the movie worth watching to me. We saw part of the old movie and this one seemed like a pretty good remake. The ending was super lame though. It was just plain depressing! But overall I thought it was pretty good for the type of movie it is! :)

When you need something quick and Mexican!

Nachos Grande

Ingredients:

•  tortilla chips
• beans (refried, black, pinto...)
• meat (shredded pork, ground beef w/taco seasoning, shredded chicken...)
• onion, chopped
• fresh tomato, chopped
• olives, sliced (green and/or black)
• taco sauce
• cheese, grated (cheddar, pepper jack...)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Layer a cookie tray with tortilla chips. Place toppings on tortilla chips and bake for about 10-15 minutes or until heated through.
3. Put salsa and sour cream on top and serve.

An experiment that went pretty well!

Homemade Ravioli

Ingredients:
Dough

• Egg roll wrappers (this is what we did and it was super easy, and it still tasted pretty delicious. But they do fall apart a little bit)

-OR-

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 tablespoons water

Filling

• 2 cups whole milk Ricotta cheese
• 1 heaping tbs chopped garlic
• 1 tsp parsley
• 1 tbs grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 egg

Directions:
Dough 

1. Mound the flour and salt together on a work surface and form a well. Beat the teaspoon of olive oil, 2 eggs, and water in a bowl. 
2. Pour half the egg mixture into the well. Begin mixing the egg with the flour with one hand; use your other hand to keep the flour mound steady. Add the remaining egg mixture and knead to form a dough.
3. Knead the dough until smooth, 8 to 10 minutes; add more flour if the dough is too sticky. Form the dough into a ball and wrap tightly with plastic. Refrigerate for 1 hour. 
4. While the dough is resting, prepare the ravioli filling.

Filling

1. Put all ingredients in a small bowl except the egg and mix together.
2. Taste the ricotta mixture and adjust any of the ingredients to your taste. You might want to add more garlic or more parm or maybe even more salt and pepper.
3. Beat the egg in a small bowl and add it to the ricotta mixture and stir until completely incorporated.

Ravioli

1. Meanwhile, in a separate saucepan, warm the marinara sauce over medium-low heat.
2. Beat the egg with the tablespoon of water to make the egg wash.
3. Roll out the pasta dough into thin sheets no thicker than a nickel. To assemble the ravioli, brush the egg wash over a sheet of pasta. Drop the filling mixture on the dough by teaspoonfuls about one inch apart. Cover the filling with the top sheet of pasta, pressing out the air from around each portion of filling. Press firmly around the filling to seal. Cut into individual ravioli with a knife or pizza cutter. Seal the edges.
4. Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Stir in the ravioli, and return to a boil. Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the ravioli float to the top and the filling is hot, 4 to 8 minutes. Drain well.
5. To serve the ravioli, divide them among four warmed serving bowls. Drizzle the marinara sauce over the ravioli.

We found the recipe for the filling here and the recipe for the dough here! 

If you haven't noticed, easy and delicious meals are my FAVORITE.

Easy Cheesy Chicken Casserole

Ingredients:

• 3-4 chicken breasts, chopped and cooked or 1 (14 oz.) can chicken
• 16 oz. egg noodles, cooked
• 24 oz. sour cream
• 2 cans cream of chicken soup
• 8 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
• 8 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 sleeve Ritz crackers, crushed
• 1/4 c. margarine, melted
• 2 Tbsp. Poppy seeds (optional)

 Directions:

1. Combine chicken, sour cream, soup & cheeses in a large bowl. Stir to combine. 
2. Add the noodles and gently stir till coated. Pour into a greased 9x13 baking dish. Mix crackers and margarine; sprinkle over the top. Sprinkle with Poppy seeds. 
3. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or till crackers are crispy and golden brown and cheese is melted.

 We found this recipe on Mandy's Blog too! SO freaking good. And SO easy. YUM

PERFECT for fast Sunday!

Marinated Roast Beef

Source: Mandy's blog
Ingredients:

• 2-4 lb. roast
• 1 (6 oz.) can frozen apple juice concentrate
• 2 cans water
• 1/2 c. soy sauce
• 1/4 c. oil
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp. minced garlic
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1/2 tsp. ginger
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper

Directions:

1. Put all ingredients into slow cooker. Cook on low overnight or all day. 
2. Make gravy with the drippings. Pour them into a saucepan, remove bay leaves. 
3. Simmer on medium heat. Mix 1/4 c. cornstarch with about 1/2 cup water and add to drippings. 
4. Whisk together until it thickens. If you don't like the consistency, add more water. 
5. Serve over roast and mashed potatoes.

More proof of why we actually like veggies!

Carrots and Dill

Ingredients:

• Carrots, sliced
• butter
• dill
• garlic powder
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. These carrots are all pretty much based on your taste. We don't have any specific measurements... Just add a tablespoon or 2 of butter, a teaspoon or so of dill, a dash of garlic powder and salt and pepper to taste. Cook the carrots in butter and seasonings until tender, about 10 minutes.