Thinking about our wedding....

Lately, for some reason, I have been looking at our wedding pics and reminiscing about our wedding day... how amazing it truly was, and how much you forget when you are the bride running around answering questions! I wish I could do it all over again and really take in everything... the AMAZING flowers (thanks to Nicole Ha Designs), candles and fabulous friends and family that were there to celebrate with us. For now, I have the pics, and hopefully an amazing album (coming soon).... Here are some of my favorites from our night... Excuse the spacing in between the pics.... I scanned them in, and the sizing is off! :)

Goals

So, I have been thinking lately that I want to make some changes in my life, either things I want to do and never have, or traits I think are important that I never really pursued for myself. Right now, with my job being really slow and lots of time on my hands, what better time than the present to go about making some change, right?

So here it is, the "list" of to do's or to be's before I get too old! (I don't really have a time frame, so I just say, before I get too old!)  P.S, these are in no particular order...

- find a cute look for the house for Fall and Winter (I think I accomplished Fall, still working on Winter.. going for a silver and white theme this year, so excited!)
- keep better track of my friends, where they are at, what they are doing... send cards, make phonecalls... I am really bad at this since I got married (not that I am blaming marriage)... I just don't think about it as often as I should.
- have a girls weekend somewhere where I can just be me and let loose with them... laugh, tell stories, wine possibly?? :)
- travel somewhere with Tyler, just us, to go somewhere where we don't have a schedule to follow, just have some time to be together and have fun! (Hopefully for our anniversary next year)
- be OK with where I am in life, not constantly worried that I have not accomplished enough at 29, almost 30 years of age.
- understand that this is the age of change, friends are moving away, family is changing, finances are different, jobs are different... and to be able to adjust accordingly with a POSITIVE attitude.
- My life is NOT my friend's life... it is so easy to compare what I am going through with where they are, forgettting that we are different people with a different plan from God.
- Find a look/ hair color I really love and stick with it.. I am so indecisive... it would be nice to have something solidified with my look so that I can move forward with it, haha...
- Someday, and prob not this year, I want to seek out a elderly home and plan visits to go see people who have no family and just need a buddy... I would LOVE that... I have a total heart for them...
- take flowers and put them on someone's grave randomly... and then hope that I didn't pick a "bad" person ... I know that sounds mean, I guess they need love too!
- continue with my love for cooking and baking and put together a BIG cookbook of recipes for my kitchen!
- buy a bigger house someday with Tyler so that we can have a big family! (well, by big I mean three... but still)
- Send out Christmas cards... with a note on what our family is up to... every year I mean to do this and every year it passes me by.
- Start family traditions with Tyler for the holidays...
- Continue my blog and be consistent about it
- Have a family and do fun things with them... don't really have specifics since we don't have kids yet!
- Continue the tradition of zoo lights before Christmas with Ashley and Pat, although we complain how busy it is every year, it is so much fun!
- Continue The Nutcracker and Italian dinner with Tyler as our Christmas gift to eachother... it is so fun to get dressed up and go on a Christmas date!
- Aparently... my mind is on Christmas... haha
- Start excercising and eating healthier and really stick to it! No more crash diets!
- Put a backyard in to our house
- Plan a whole day just for Tyler because he does so much for me
- Love with no strings attached...
- Get better about going to church every week
- continue our bible studies
- move to CHICAGO!! Ok, it won't be for a long time, but still, we want to go!
- celebrate Tyler finishing his tests and PASSING!! He is so smart, I know he will do it!
- Give people the benefit of the doubt, even when I don't want to
-AND... continue making lists for myself so that I stay on track!

These are not all of my goals, but they were all on my mind!! I hope I can accomplish them!

Moravian Sugar Cookies with Toffee, Choco Chips, Cinnamon and Nuts!!

So, I maybe added a few things to the topping of these dessert bars, but they are soooo good! Here is the recipe that I found online from Allrecipes.com

Moravian Sugar Cookies with Toffee, Choco Chips, Cinnamon and Nuts

This is a MAJOR close up of one of the bars... doesn't it look soooo good?? :) Oh, it was!

Ingredients:

-1/2 c. butter

- 1 c. sugar

- 1 tsp. baking powder

- 1 tsp. vanilla

- 1/4 tsp salt

- 1 egg

- 1 1/4 c. flour

Topping:

1/4 c. toffee bits

1/4 c. choco chips

1/4 c. nuts

2 tsp. cinnamon

How to:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. Soften butter and then add sugar, baking powder, vanilla and salt. Blend in egg and flour.

3. Grease two cookie sheets well. Spread half the mixture on each sheet into a 10 by 8 inch rectangle

4. Spread mixture evenly onto dough

5. Bake for about 10-12 min. or until edges are golden brown

6. Cut into small bars and ENJOY!!

I LOVE BRIE!!

I LOVE BRIE!! It is a common snack at my house and I love it even more when it is right out of the oven!
Here is a recipe I found in Better Homes and Gardens for Baked Brie with Praline Topping!

Praline Topped Brie

Great appetizer for guests!! Can serve with crackers or apples!

Ingredients:

- 1- 13 ounce round baked brie cheese

- 1/2 c. orange marmalade

- 2 tbs. packed brown sugar

- 1/3 c. coarsely chopped pecans toasted

- apple slices or crackers/bread

How to:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place cheese in a shallow oven safe dish or pie plate. 

2. In a small bowl, stir together orange marmalade and brown sugar. Spread on top of cheese.. sprinkle with pecans

3. Bake about 15 min. or until cheese is softened and topping is bubbly.

Salsa, Black Bean and Rice Salad

Since Tyler LOVED the black bean salad I started making back in September, I decided to try this new one that looks similar to the older one! Hope it is as good as the other salad!!

Salsa, Black Bean and Rice Salad

Looks light and easy to make!

Ingredients:

- 2 c. cooked long grain rice

- 1- 15 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained

- 2 c. chopped tomatoes

- 1 c. chopped red pepper

- 1 c. whole kernel corn

- 2 green onions, thinly sliced

- 2 tbs. snipped fresh cilantro

- 1 c. salsa ( I use deli salsa)

- 4 ounces Monterrey Jack Cheese with jalapeno, cut into small cubes

- 1/4 c. light sour cream

How to:

1. Toss all items in a large mixing bowl!

2. Line bottom of bowl (s) with a lettuce leaf and top with mixture!! Add sour cream to the top!

Hot and Cheesy Chicken Casserole

We ate a lot of casserole growing up, and I love it!! It is total comfort food and is great for leftovers!! Here is another casserole dish I want to make this week:

Hot and Cheesy Chicken Casserole

It looks so good!!

Ingredients:

- 3 c. chopped cooked chicken

- 1- 14 ounce package of frozen broccoli florets

- 2 c. cooked rice

- 1 1/2 c. frozen peas

- 1- 10.75 ounce can of cream of chicken soup

-1-10.75 ounce can of nacho cheese soup

- 1- 10 to 15 ounce can diced tomatoes and green chilies, undrained

- 1/2 c. milk

- 1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

- 1/2 shredded mozzarella cheese

- 1 c. crushed rich crackers

How to:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place chicken in bottom of a 3 qt. rectangular baking dish. In large bowl combine broccoli, rice and peas. Spoon mixture over chicken

2. In a medium bowl, combine cream of chicken soup, nacho cheese soup, undrained tomatoes and milk. Stir in 1/4 c. of cheddar cheese and 1/4 c. of mozzarella cheese. Pour mixture over broccoli mixture in baking dish. Sprinkle crushed crackers evenly over all of it. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top.

3. Bake, uncovered, for 40-50 min. or until heated through

Recipe found in Better Homes and Gardens Magazine

Mediterranean Style Tuna Casserole

I LOVE tuna, so I am excited to try this recipe this week... looks good!!

Mediterranean Style Tuna Casserole

The picture is a little blurry... sorry!

Ingredients:

2 c. dried bowtie pasta

1 small onion- thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic minced

1 tbs. olive oil

1- 12 ounce can chunk light tuna (drained and broken into chunks)

3/4 c. water

1/2 c. dried tomatoes (not oil packed)

1/4 c. oil cured black olives, halved

1 tbs. snipped fresh parsley

1/2 c. finely shredded parmesan cheese

1/2 c. torn basil leaves

How to:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook Pasta according to directions on package, drain well when cooked.. set pasta aside

2. In skillet (oven proof), cook onion and garlic in hot oil on medium heat until onion is tender, stir occasionally. Add tuna, water, tomatoes, olives, and parsley to mixture... stir in cooked pasta.

3. Bake in skillet, covered for 25 min. Uncover and sprinkle with cheese. Bake uncovered for another 5 min. or until cheese is melted.

4. Sprinkle with Basil before serving!!

Enjoy!!

Recipe found in: Better Homes and Gardens Magazine