Thankful Thursday: For my mama....

This Thursday, I am once again steering clear of the usual Thankful Thursday topics such as kitchen utensils, appliances and devices and focusing on my mom.

This past week, one of my closest friends lost her mother to a battle with breast cancer. Although they had been preparing for her final days here on earth, who really is prepared for the last day they will hear the voice of their mom? No one really.

I really have never had someone pass away in my adult-life that wasn't ready.  When I say ready I am referring to the average age of when people pass. The funerals I have attended have been for my great grandparents, which although heartbreaking, came to me as no surprise. But to have my friend loose her mother was a true heart wrenching experience. I can only imagine how she is feeling, as I tried to place my self in her shoes.

Of course, my initial reaction was, She is now in a better place, free from her pain, free from her sickness. We should rejoice in the fact that she can now sit with our Father in Heaven, waiting, just waiting for us to reunite someday. 

The morning I found out the news I posted: "Jesus died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him." - 1 Thessalonians 5:10

But then as I sat down and prayed for my dear friend, I realized exactly what a loss she was going through. God reminded me truly of the friendship and relationship that I have with my own mother. God reminded me that my friend's mother was her true best friend...the one there for her when her friends were not....the one there for her drying the tears from her eyes. The best friend of a mother runs far deeper than the best friend of a friend. Although you consider certain people as your best friends and you tell them all of your secrets, your mother is the one that knows you without even having been told your secrets. She's the one who feels what your heart feels. She knows your needs, your fears, your joys. Although she may not technically say what you want to hear all of the time, it's what you need to hear that is important.

I read through some of the things that were written about the loss of my friend's mother, the memories, the joys, and the promises to one day meet again. Tears were brought to my eyes as I thought about having the tables being turned, and me being the one in this situation. The fact that I talk with my mom everyday, gone. The fact that she is here always helping and supporting me, gone.

My friend now lives with the memory of her mother. Knowing that she is still there supporting her from above, but struggling with the daily emotions of not physically having her there.

Because of her mom she is strong. She is beautiful. She is courageous.  She holds the role of motivator, supporter, encourager. She is the one her sisters will look up too. She wears her heart on her sleeve and what a beautiful heart it is. I love her dearly and my heart aches for her.

Hold tight to your mothers. And mothers hold tight to your daughters. There is a bond there, a bond that God specifically made, a bond stronger than any other....hold tight and never take it for granted.

To you mom, I am thankful!




Until We Meet Again - Missing you Pam

Bonus Blog: Pre-Release Party Photos

I just got my photos back from our photographer from last weeks party and I am IN LOVE! For those of you that were unable to make it to the party, I know you'll feel like you were there, just by looking at the pics. Can't wait for our California Release Party too! Enjoy:













































































And a few from beforehand...

Woo-Hoo Wednesday: Time for Tea

Before I had children, I always knew that someday I would have a little girl and would host the most beautiful tea parties for her and her friends. I envisioned little spring time hats, fluffy dresses, tea sandwiches, and little pinkies sticking high as everyone sipped their tea. Yes, I dreamed about things like this.

God blessed me with my beautiful little girl (and boy too--so we'll have to come up with something for him) and just so happened to place her birthday two days before Christmas. Perfect right? Perfect for a half birthday in June of course! And what better way to celebrate than with a TEA PARTY!

We have now celebrated two of my daughter's half birthday tea parties and have had so much fun doing so. The first year, she was only 6 months old and we found a little tea shop in our area. It was nice, but being that it was June in Arizona, a bit hot to walk around all the cute shops downtown.

This year, a few months before my daughters party, my grandma sent me this book...



I fell in love instantly and could not wait for June to come to start making some of the recipes.

Tracy Stern's, Tea Party, book is filled with so many tea party ideas and recipes; it is the perfect gift!

Although the day of my daughter's party I felt a little under the weather, (ok, a lot under the weather), everything came out wonderful! I purchased little spring time hats that we all decorated and now my daughter plays dress up with them all of the time! I am so anxious for next year's party...here are a few of our pictures:

How- To Tuesday: Grill a Hamburger

I'm pretty sure that I could sit here and blog all about coffee all day long............::as I finally sip my coffee that was brewed this morning:: .... but since I already blogged about "How To Make A Pot of Coffee" I'm sure you're ready for me to move on.

Last night, the hubby and I enjoyed the cool evening with the kids outside, while he barbecued us some dinner. It's honestly the first night in quite a while that it has been comfortable outside. Here in AZ you pretty much don't go outside for 3 months out of the year. The season has turned and we are reminded of exactly why we live here!

So I figured it was only fitting that we talk about grilling burgers. Now, you're probably thinking......this girl is a vegetarian...how on earth does she know how to grill a burger?  Remember I'm married to a carnivore? And remember I wasn't ALWAYS a vegetarian? I've grilled a few burgers in my day.

Being married to a meat lovin man has made it necessary that I learn to grill hamburgers. I'm not sure if I'm as great as my hubby yet, but I do a pretty dang good job.

To start you are going to want to form your ground beef into hamburger patties; that is, if you bought ground beef and not the pre-made patties....please tell me you bought ground beef right? When you are forming your patties, you want to make sure they are even throughout. You don't want to be cooking meatballs out there; you'll never get the middle cooked.

If you have extra meat, form into patties as well and wrap individually in plastic wrap. You can freeze these patties to be available for the next time you would like to grill hamburgers. Once patties are formed, place on a plate to take out to the barbecue. You will want to turn the barbecue on and get it nice and toasty before applying the patties.

Once the grill is hot, place all patties onto the grill and shut the lid for 5 to 7 minutes. Check your burgers by using a metal spatula to lift the burger slightly. If it sticks to the grill, it's not ready to be flipped, but if it does not stick then flip all the burgers over to grill the other side. Once again, close the lid for about 5 minutes.

Check to see if the bottom sticks and if it doesn't stick you're almost done. At this point you can add the cheese if you would like. I always get impatient and want to add the cheese to early, but I can't just in case the burger needs to be flipped again. After about 10 to 15 minutes of grilling you can remove one burger patty from the grill and............................HERE'S THE ROOKIE ACTION ON MY PART..........slice your burger slightly open to make sure it is to your desired "doneness," and if so, you are ready to eat. If not, return to grill and shut the lid.

It's okay to be a little intimidated by the barbecue grill - but don't worry, you'll get the hang of it!


*patty melt for my baby

Weekend Wrap: Chicken Cacci-what?

Chicken Cacciatore --- what is it?

For some reason, I was caught up on the fact that Chicken Cacciatore was a dish made with a red sauce, but then mixed with green olives and some sort of peppers, along with chicken. Do not ask me where I dreamed that up from. So any time I ever saw the name of this recipe I always flipped on to the next page in the cookbook, as I knew my husband would freak out not care for this if it was served for dinner.

A few weeks ago, I'm not sure how it was brought up in topic, but I remember my mom saying, "Why not make Chicken Cacciatore?" I looked at her in disbelief that she thought I would make that for the family. She then proceeded to say that she use to make it all the time and that my brother loves it.

No recollection here?

I tried explaining this dish that I had apparently dreamed up and she said all she would do is throw spaghetti sauce and chicken in a crock pot and it made an amazing dinner.

Which brings me back to my first question: What is Chicken Cacciatore?

According to Wikipedia, Cacciatore means "hunter" in Italian. When referring it to a cooking style it means that you cook it "hunting style"; with tomatoes, onions, bell peppers, herbs and mushrooms. (Apparently I wasn't so off base with my dreamed up Chicken Cacciatore now was I?)

I then skimmed through a Google search of Chicken Cacciatore and not one recipe was alike. All made with different ingredients, looking amazing in their own unique ways. (I love recipes! They are so based on ones interpretation of a meal).

Well, I went ahead and made OUR VERSION of Chicken Cacciatore and let me tell you, WE ARE HOOKED! I am so in love with this meal.

And guess what?  I'm even sharing my recipe! Can you believe that?

Little insider tip to our new guilty pleasure. My husband and I took the chicken cooked in tomato sauce, scooped it on to pieces of crispy garlic bread, topped it with mozzarella cheese, and sunk our teeth into the savory flavors of each amazing bite. You seriously need to try this!



Chicken Cacciatore:

3 cans tomato sauce (15 oz. cans)
2 cans tomato paste (6 oz. cans)
1 Tablespoon Garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons Seasoning Salt
1/4 teaspoon Oregano
1/4 teaspoon Cumin
2 teaspoons Roasted Garlic
3-4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts

Mix all ingredients, excluding chicken, in a medium sized Crock Pot. Once well blended, add Chicken. Cook on high for about 4 hours or until chicken can easily pull apart.

Serve over Rigatoni or Spaghetti Noodles. Or like mentioned previously, try the amazing version of Chicken Cacciatore Cheese Bread! YUM

Thankful Thursday: Bundt Pan

I always have, and probably always will be thankful for my bundt pan! (and frankly I'm quit appalled that my spell check doesn't recognize it as a word....hah) I have two that I use quite frequently, but my Aunt gave me a wonderful William's Sonoma pan a few years back and I love it....



I like the fact that many companies have created several different variations and designs for the pan, giving your bundt cakes quite a unique design; great inspiration for decorating with powdered sugar, icing, or even ribbon and flowers.

For my pre-release party I used my bundt pan to make my Good Morning Cinnamon recipe for little take-home gifts. The pan worked perfectly (like always) and everyone loved their little treats....






When I did a little research on the bundt cake, (not the actual pan) I found that it dates back to 1901 where a recipe for a bundt cake was found in the The Settlement Cookbook, written by: Lizzie Kander. (Published in 1903). The actual bundt pan wasn't trademarked until 1950. H. David Dalquist is the man who had it trademarked, and he is also the founder of Nordic Ware. Nordic Ware is one of the last few remaining cookware companies that produce their products almost entirely in the U. S.

Something I found pretty awesome was that the bundt pan didn't really sell very well, UNTIL 1966 when a Pillsbury sponsored baking contest awarded 2nd place to a bundt cake recipe. This new craze of the bundt pan caused it to become the most- sold pan in the U.S. passing up the tin Jell-O mold. (crazy!). Over 50 million of these pans have been sold by Nordic War.

I have found so many wonderfully delicious recipes, including pound cake and monkey bread that call to be made in a bundt pan. I highly recommend this going on your Christmas List, Wedding Registry or even your Grocery List the next time you're out!

What recipes have you made in a bundt pan?