30th Birthday Gift for Him

August 1st was my husbands 30th birthday.  I wanted to throw him a big party but I was 38 weeks pregnant and wanted to keep our house clean before the baby arrives.  So, in order to make it a special birthday for him I decided to give him a present a day for 30 days leading up to his birthday.  I started shopping months ago for gifts.  Each morning (as long as I was awake) I gave him a gift with a note attached to it.  Each note started with "I love you because...".  I plan on making all the love notes into a book for him.  We ended the month of celebrations with a night out with his friends. I think hubs enjoyed his birthday month and all of his gifts.  But, I know his best present of all is going to be arriving this Friday, 10 days late.  

Happy 30th Love! 

The gifts were small and big. 

Gift Ideas: 

gift certificates (car wash, coffee, movies, i tunes)

polo shirt

ties

socks

phone armband

USF football gear

coffee cups & coffee (we'll have a newborn soon)

favorites (candy, gum, snacks, beer)

running shoes

Herbed Ricotta Pasta with Corn and Zucchini

This is a fabulously fresh summer pasta recipe.  I didn't think I would enjoy it as much as I did.  Next time, I may even add some squash to it.  The only recommendation I have is to sauté the zucchini before adding it to the pasta.  Enjoy!

Herbed Ricotta Pasta with Corn and Zucchini

Recipe Courtesy of Martha Stewart Living 

Ingredients

• Salt and pepper
• 3/4 pound short pasta, such as campanelle
• 1 3/4 cups corn kernels (from 2 ears)
• 1 cup ricotta
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for serving
• 1 cup chopped Zucchini 
• 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, torn, plus more for serving
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

Directions

1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta 3 minutes less than package instructions; add corn and cook until tender, 3 minutes. Reserve 1 cup pasta water, then drain.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup pasta water, ricotta, and Parmesan. Add pasta mixture, zucchini, basil, and dill and toss to combine. Add more pasta water if necessary to create a light sauce that coats pasta. Season with salt and pepper and top with more basil and Parmesan

Classic Baked Ziti

I've made many ziti recipes over the years and I have to say this is my favorite by far.  I'm pretty sure it's because of the chicken stock added to the dish.  The pasta is so moist and full of flavor.  Enjoy!

Classic Baked Ziti

Recipe Courtesy of Budget Savvy Diva

Ingredients: 

1 lb lean ground beef

1 cup onion , chopped

pinch of salt

1 teaspoon of onion powder

1 teaspoon of garlic powder

1 teaspoon of pepper

2 garlic cloves , minced

1 (32 ounce) jar meatless sauce

1 tablespoon of Olive Oil

1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves 

1 (16 ounce) package ziti pasta , cooked and drained

1 cup chicken broth

2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese1 cup grated parmesan cheese

Directions

Preheat oven at 350

In a large skillet – heat oil and cook onions for 8 minutes than add garlic and cook for one minute. Add beef and cook till no longer pink ( drain excess fat). Stir in sauce, chicken broth, pepper, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, and oregano. Heat through.

Stir 1 cup of sauce into the “cooked” ziti pasta.

Place 1/2 of the ziti into a 13×9 baking dish.

Place 1 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese and 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese

Top with rest of sauce.

Top with rest of pasta.

Cover and bake for 20 minutes.

Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese.

Cook till cheese is golden brown

Oven Baked Fajitas

Thanks again to Pinterest, for another delicious recipe.  What I loved about this one is how quick it was.  Usually while making fajitas, I'm spending all of my time over the stove while the meat and veggies cook.  With this one, you just throw it in a casserole dish and then into the over.  I was pleasantly surprised when all the veggies and chicken came out cooked to perfection.  The leftovers were just as good.  Overall, a great meal that we will make again. 

Oven Baked Fajitas

Courtesy of Real Mom Kitchen

• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes with green chilies
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 1 large bell pepper, seeded and sliced (I use half a green and half a red)
• 12 flour tortillas
• Toppings such as cheese, sour cream, and guacamole – if desired

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place chicken strips in a greased 13×9 baking dish.
2. In a small bowl combine the oil, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, dried oregano, and salt
3. Drizzle the spice mixture over the chicken and stir to coat.
4. Next add the tomatoes, peppers, and onions to the dish and stir to combine.
5. Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are tender. Serve on tortillas with desired toppings.

Fudgy Brownie Cookies

If you're looking for a quick and easy dessert to bring to a party or even football tailgate, I would recommend this recipe.  I love brownies but this is a tasty twist on your basic brownies.  I brought these to a 4th of July party & they were a hit.  I did keep some at home and hubs and I enjoyed them for dessert the next week, making them into mini ice cream cookie sandwiches.  YUM!

Fudgy Brownie Cookies

Recipe Courtesy of Tasty Kitchen

Ingredients

• 1 package (18 To 21 Oz. Box) Fudge Brownie Mix
• 1-¼ cup All-purpose Flour
• ¼ cups Packed Brown Sugar
• 2 whole Eggs
• ½ cups Butter, Melted And Cooled

• 2 Tablespoons Water, Or More As Needed
• 1 cup Dark Chocolate Chunks

Preparation Instructions

1. Whisk together brownie mix, flour, and sugar.
2.Using a heavy spoon, stir in the eggs one at a time, followed by butter and 2 tablespoons water. If the batter appears like there is too much flour, add 1 more tablespoon of water. Batter will be very thick.
3. Fold in chocolate chunks
4. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.
5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

6. Grease a cookie sheet.
7. Drop heaping tablespoons of dough on the cookie sheet. You want pretty thick cookies here to get the brownie feel, about 3 inches apart. Press down slightly. Don’t flatten completely. Bake for 8-10 minutes.
8. Remove from oven, allow to cool 2 minutes on cookie sheet. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Pan Roasted Chicken with Lemon Garlic Green Beans

I pinned this recipe a few weeks ago because a. it was very popular and b. had very little prep time.  I made it this past week because I already had red potatoes at home that I was using for another recipe.  When planning my meals for the week, I think it's so important to plan meals that have some of the same ingredients to save money.  So often, I would plan one elaborate meal with a variety of ingredients and I never would end up using them all.  I think we've all been guilty of that one time or another. 

I was very pleased with this recipe.  I used boneless skinless chicken, didn't put lemon at the bottom of the pan, just using one lemon for the juice and it turned out fine.  The chicken was juicy and the veggies were perfectly seasoned.  This recipe will definitely be added to the rotation. 

Pan Roasted Chicken with Lemon Garlic Green Beans

Recipe from Real Simple 

Serves 4| Hands-On Time: 15m| Total Time: 1hr 15m

Ingredients

• 6  tablespoons  olive oil
• 2 lemons, 1 thinly sliced, 1 juiced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1  teaspoon  kosher salt
• 1/2  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• 3/4  pound  trimmed green beans
• 8 small red potatoes, quartered
• 4 chicken breasts (bones left in, with skin, about 3 1/4 pounds)
• 
  

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Coat a large baking dish or cast-iron skillet with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Arrange the lemon slices in a single layer in the bottom of the dish or skillet.
2. In a large bowl, combine the remaining oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper; add the green beans and toss to coat. Using a slotted spoon or tongs, remove the green beans and arrange them on top of the lemon slices. Add the potatoes to the same olive-oil mixture and toss to coat. Using a slotted spoon or tongs, arrange the potatoes along the inside edge of the dish or skillet on top of the green beans. Place the chicken in the same bowl with the olive-oil mixture and coat thoroughly. Place the chicken, skin-side up, in the dish or skillet. Pour any of the remaining olive-oil mixture over the chicken.
3. Roast for 50 minutes. Remove the chicken from the dish or skillet. Place the beans and potatoes back in oven for 10 minutes more or until the potatoes are tender. Place a chicken breast on each of 4 serving plates; divide the green beans and potatoes equally. Serve warm.

Banana Bread with Almond Orange Glaze

It's been far too long since I've made banana bread.  While picking out meals for my "getting ready for baby" freezer meals, I found this bread recipe.  I figured it would probably be good to have some breakfast items along with all the dinners I made, so I made it.  The recipe was easy to follow and I loved the glaze that went on top. The recipe makes 2 loafs.  I ate one this week and froze one for when baby is here.  Enjoy!

Recipe from 36th Avenue 




Ingredients: 
4 large bananas { mashed }

1 Cup Butter (room temperature)

2 Eggs

2 Cups of Sugar

4 Cups of Flour

1/2 tsp. Salt

1/2 Cup Water

2 tsp. baking soda


Directions: 

1. Peel and mash those ripe bananas.

2. Cream the butter, sugar and eggs.

3. Add flour and salt to the creamed mixture.

  4. Dissolve baking soda in warm water and add to mixture.

5. Blend in the mashed bananas.

*I added walnuts to one loaf at this point and chocolate chips to another. 

Bake in a well greased pan at 325º for 1 hour.

About five minutes before the bread is done add in a small sauce pan

1 and 1/4 Cup Brown Sugar

1/4 Cup Orange Juice

and 1/2 tsp. of almond extract.