Something New Sunday - Sour Patch Grapes

I have been dying to try these spring/summer snacks, since I first saw them on Pinterest a few months ago.  I had volunteered to bring some snack items to our family Easter and I thought this would be something my niece & nephews might like since they aren't a fan of my Rotel wraps.  Boy, was I right! :) They ate them up like candy (which they kind of are) but I was happy to seem them eat them up vs. the chocolate bunnies. 

Also, this has got to be one of the easiest recipes out there, with only two ingredients.  I think next time I make this I will have some of the little ones help me, cause they all like to help out especially in the kitchen. 

All you need is some grapes and your favorite Jello packet. You can use red or green grapes and any flavor of Jello that you like.  Wash the grapes and while they are still damp roll, cover and coat them in the unprepared Jello powder.  Once grapes are covered, placed them in a bowl and continue with clean grapes.  Once you have used up all the grapes (or Jello, whichever one comes first), place grapes in fridge, uncovered, for at least an hour to set coating.  Snack on these yummy grapes!!

 

  Tips:  I started with just a little Jello powder at a time and added more to the bowl as I went through the pile of grapes.  Some of grapes were a little two wet and caused the powder to start to change color and consistency.  Another tip I will give: when your not serving these, keep them cold (whether its a fridge or cooler).  As the grapes start to warm up, the coating starts to get soggy. 

I now can't wait till warmer weather, cause these will definitely be in my cooler on different outings!

~Kellie Anne


P.S - I didn't have my camera, so I had to use Aaron's phone to snap shots and that is why the pictures look so much cooler then my usual blog post.  And since I'm liking the way they look, this may just become a regular occurrence. Hmm.. I wonder what Aaron would say to that ;)

Muscians that I Love - The Voice Coaches

The new season of The Voice started tonight and this has become my new music-based reality show.  I've watched every season and I love it because it really showcases the individual's voice (during the blind auditions) vs. the judges basing their vote and opinion on how the contestant looks & sings.  You also have the opportunity of working one-on-one with some amazing coaches, who have been in the industry and share the secrets to making it successful in the music industry.

There are two new coaches on the panel this year (which is great cause I couldn't stand Cee Lo Green, he always hit on the girls way too hard ) and I think it's going to be a good year.  Shakira and Usher are going to bring a new vibe to the show, with their backgrounds in Latin and R&B respectively.   And when the previews were playing before the show started, they was going through the pasts of all the coaches and playing their greatest hits.  It made me fall back in love with all the coaches and reminded me of all the hits that Usher has had and some great tunes that Shakira came up with.  Here are my favorite songs from each of the four coaches.  Enjoy! :)

Team Adam:
   Lead singer of Maroon 5, Adam Levine "Payphone" in 2012

Team Shakira:
  Shakira "Whenever, Wherever" circa 2001

Team Usher:
   Usher "Burn" via 2004

 

 

 

Team Blake: 
  Blake Shelton "Austin" also from 2001

 

~Kellie Anne

He's got his mother's eyes...

 

It's Saturday night and I am sooo tired from a the long work week and from last night's fish fry outing with co-workers (where too many Budlights may have been consumed), that I am just going to stay at home with Aaron and Oscar.  Oscar has spent the last 24 hours at Aaron's parents, so that his little sister could get some time with him while she's home on spring break.  It was kind of nice not having him wake us up this morning but the minute he came scampering through the door, I difintely missed our little guy.  So, I'm gunna spend my evening doing one of my favorite things...cuddling with Oscar! :) 

~Kellie Anne



 

Aint we just the cutest! :)


My First Roast

I am a meat & potato kind of girl. 

Growing up, we would have roast for Sunday dinner at least once a month and my mom always did a fabulous job preparing the roast.  And she always made it seem so effortless too! Just pop it in the oven and a few hours late, we would be eating the fall-off-the-bone beef dish.  So, I decided for tonight's supper, I would cook my first roast.  Normally I wouldn't be to worried about it, but Aaron's parents are coming over to join us.  I know that they will enjoy the meal, but there is still something about making a new dish for guest that always gets me worked up. 

Ingredients:
3# Rump Roast
1# - Baby Carrots
2 - Yellow Onion
1 cup - A1 Steak Sauce
1 Tbs. - Worcestershire Sauce
1/2 cup - Water
1 packet - Kraft Ranch Dry Mix



Directions:
I started off with a 3 pound rump roast that had been slightly thawed out over night in the fridge.  I put the roast in the crock-pot for an hour by itself on LOW; then drained out all the juices that had filled the pot during that time.  I then mixed the sauces, water and ranch mix together and poured over top of the roast.  Continue to let it cook on LOW for the next two hours.  I then added the carrots and onions; letting them cook on LOW & HIGH settings for five hours, alternating the heat every other hour.  I did this cause when I checked it every hour I didn't think that the meat was getting cooked properly but didn't want it to over cook (hence why I alternated that temperature). 

Total time - roast was in crock-pot = 8 hours.
Total time - vegetables were in crock-pot = 5 hours. 

Reviews:
Zesty! That was exactly what Aaron's parents thought after the first bite (which is always a good review, right!?).  The roast and veggies had a lot of flavor and I kept nibbling and sneaking carrots out of the pot but I will be honest, it wasn't nearly as tender as my mom's roast.  No one complained about having to cut the roast with a knife but I still wasn't happy.  I think next time I will add the sauce as soon as I start the roast and I think I will let the roast cook for at least 10 hours.  I hope that it will help make the roast more melt-in-your-mouth.  But I not realize how easy it is to cook a roast and though my first try wasn't the best, I'm not giving up on this meal.

~ Kellie Anne

Musicians that I Love - Michael Bublé

This video right here is a perfecter example of why I think that Michael Bublé is don't only and amazing singer but has the heart of gold.  A mother at one of his performances stops him during the concert, to what seems to be to be to "brag" about her son and how he is a "singer".  Now, what most artists would do is call security and have the lady escorted back to her seat and proceed with the concert.  Not Michael, he actually takes the time to hear this lady out and well.... (watch and see)

                                  

 

I love Michael's facial expression when he first hears the young boy sing and then let's him continue on stage with him. I'm guessing this kid will never forget the day he got "dragged" on stage by his proud mother and got to sing a line or two with his ideal.  The ending is great too, how Michael pokes fun at the kid for potential stealing his career in the future. 

Just another reason why I think Michael Bublé is not only a heartthrob visually, musically but emotionally :)

~Kellie Anne

Winter Storm - Triton

When it's March 10th and you live in Iowa, you have to except the weird weather. Yesterday it rained from about 3 a.m till the middle of the afternoon, accumulating about an inch. Which I'm not complaining about the rain, since we desperately need moisture in the ground with spring right around the corner. What I am complaining about is after all that rain, what do we get today to add to it...SNOW!

It has been snowing all day and it doesn't help that the wind has been blowing it around at about 30 mph. Aaron and I decided to have a lazy day, since we couldn't go anywhere (I accomplished nothing but read about half of the book I just started and he got a nap in). At about 5 o'clock, I thought it was time we actually got up and did something, so we decided to go out and play in the snow. And when I mean play, I mean with Aaron's new truck and doing donuts with it.  Oscar loved being outside and couldn't sit still while we made circles in the snow.

~KA
*Oh, and since when did we start naming winter storms?! I've vaguely understood why we do it for hurricanes, but is it really necessary to do it to a for a snow storm.  Don't worry, this is just me ranting...
 


View of my backyard from my living room.  If you look closely, you
might be able to see my parents house behind the trees

This is from the middle of the driveway, looking across the
road to where my brother was working in the cattle pens



Oscar and Aaron looking outside as drive around
testing out the roads before we start spinning out of control



yet another Buffalo Chicken Mac 'n Cheese recipe - Crock-pot style

If your a fan of Pinterest like I am, you know that there are a million, probably closer to a billion recipes floating around on the site.  You may have also noticed all of the recipes for macaroni and cheese on the site; it's crazy how many different ways you can make such a staple food (well it is in our house, I guess).  Yet here I am, going to show you another way that you can make mac 'n cheese with the ever popular ingredient of buffalo wing sauce and made in the crock-pot.  Full of kick and easy to make, it's sure to be a hit in your kitchen!

 
Ingredients:
  4 chicken breast - thawed out and cubed
  1 medium onion - chopped
  1 can of Cream of Chicken
  Frank's Hot Wing Sauce - amount is all based on your love for the spicy-ness
  1 cup sour cream
  1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
  1/2 cup ranch dressing
  8 oz of cooked elbow noodles
  Salt & Pepper for taste

  Directions (by pictures):

In a large crock-pot (mine is a 5.5 quart), place the chicken and onion inside.

Combine cream of chicken and wing sauce together.  I used the can from the cream of chicken and used about 3/4 of a can of the wing sauce.  Like stated above its completely up to you on how much of the yummy-goodness (wing sauce) that you'd like to use.

Mix sauce concoction with the chicken & onions; cook on LOW for 6 hours.
 

* * I didn't get a picture of the water boiling or the noodles cooking; but  you all know what that looks like :) **

 

When the noodles are almost done, add the dressing, cheese and sour cream to crock-pot



OMG! It already looks yummy and I haven't even added the noodles yet!!



Noodles have been added and my taste buds are ready to chow down! :)
But wait, once the noodles have been added let everything continue to cook for about 10-15 minutes




Now you can enjoy it! :)
Looks like Aaron is giving this dish a thumbs up and he takes one of his final bites!


I will some day post up the recipe of the Buffalo Chicken Mac 'n Cheese that we also love to eat that is made with a from scratch cheese sauce and done on the stove top and oven-baked.  But for right now, I'm going to add yet another mac 'n cheese recipe to the already growing list on Pinterest! :)

~ Kellie Anne

History of Rap video



I like Jimmy Fallon; he's pretty funny.


I like Justin Timberlake; he's a great artist and also is funny.

 

 

I love all different genres of music.

 

 

I also love YouTube videos.


So when I found this one floating around Pinterest, I just thought this would be a great post to put on my blog.  It's entitled "The History of Rap" and it's bits and pieces of rap songs through the years.  These two comedians play off each other so well and some of the songs are so such classics, that when you hear them you can remember just where you were when they were at the top of the charts.

 

 

I hope you were dancing in your seat like I was when I played this video for the first time! :)

~ Kellie Anne