Spring has Sprung

Even though we still have a few days of lingering cold weather the upcoming forcast indicates the outside may soon match the inside.  Now is the time of year when we switch out closets and bring back the bright colors and lightweight fabrics and we dust off the sandals and flipflops.  There is just something energizing about this time of year.  One of my most favorite places to decorate is my mantle.  Here's my take on a spring mantle.........

Happy Spring!!!!!

What's for Dinner?

Last night I experimented yet again with a couple of new recipes I found on Pinterest.  Both were a big hit.  I am a huge crockpot fan and this first recipe did not disappoint.  In the words of someone we all know and love.."Best Dishes!"

Crockpot Beef & Broccoli

1 lb. boneless beef chuck roast, sliced into thin strips
2 cups beef broth
1 cup soy sauce
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons sesame oil
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 bag frozen broccoli florets
4 tablespoons cornstarch
4 tablespoons sauce from the crock pot after being cooked
(Serves 4-5)

Place beef in a crock pot.  In a small bowl, combine the beef broth, soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil and garlic.  Pour over the beef.  Cook on low 6-8 hours.  In a cup stir cornstarch and sauce from the crock pot until blended.  Add to the crock pot and stir well.  Add the broccoli florets to the crock pot and continue cooking for 30 minutes to 1 hour on high (the sauce must boil for it to thicken).  Serve over hot rice.

Dr. Pepper Cake

1 box yellow cake mix

1 box instant vanilla pudding

4 eggs

3/4 cup oil

1 10oz. can Dr. Pepper

3/4 cup chopped walnuts

 

Mix all above ingredients and place in greased/floured bundt pan.  Bake at 350 for 55 minutes or until cake tests done. 

 

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

Extra Dr. Pepper for glaze

 

Mix powdered sugar, vanilla and enough Dr. Pepper to make a thin glaze.

Pour over the cake.

 

 

 

 

 

A Little Game of "Pinterest Says"

Today is my turn to participate in a little challenge circulating in the blog world.
Here was my Pinterest Inspired Outfit:

 

Here was my own adaptation:

Yellow Jacket - Belk

Black Pants - Belk

Leopard Scarf - Christmas gift

Black Flats - Rack Room

Leopard Clutch - Christmas gift

 

Pinterest may very well revolutionize my wardrobe!!

 

Happy Twilight Day!

It's true I'm a twihard.  I didn't join the group initially....I fought it as most of us 40-something moms would do.  But then I rented the first DVD - Twilight and that was it.  I was completely sucked in.  I love the story line, love the characters and the actors that portray them, however, what I love most about being a twihard is that I share it with my girls...or my chicks as I lovingly refer to them.  Over the last 4 years we have watched each DVD in the hundreds of times, we have attended midnight premiers together, attended midnight DVD release parties together and I even hosted our very own Breaking Dawn Part 2 Premier party.  Tonight marks the end of an era...the very last Twilight Saga event...the midnight release party for the final DVD - Breaking Dawn Part 2.  And you can bet my chicks and I will be in Target at midnight buying our copy.  And then we will come home and watch it together (AGAIN) until the wee hours of the morning.  And one rainy Saturday in the not too distant future we will have our Twilight Saga marathon and stay in our pj's and watch all 5 movies back to back.
We are sad that this saga is coming to a close....but the bond we share over Twilight will last forever!!  As my daughter so sweetly said to me this morning... Happy Twilight Day!!

(Just a few pics from our Breaking Dawn Part 2 Premier Party back in November...what a fun night!!!

Why?

I never said anything to my family about starting a blog but my social media expert daughters immediately saw it on Twitter and Facebook.  They said..(and I quote) "MOM what are YOU blogging about?!"  The answer is simple...whatever I want! :)
The truth is I enjoy reading blogs.  It's reality tv for the web.  I have stumbled on a couple in recent days that I thoroughly enjoy and it inspired me to start my own.  (Pinterest Told Me To) and (Mix and Match Family)
We all have changes in the seasons in our lives (thus the name for my blog) and I thought it might be fun to chronicle mine.  Each season comes with new and difficult challenges and sometimes journaling about them is therapeutic....so here we go!
Oh...and who in the world doesn't love Pinterest!?  So you will see lots of what inspires me from Pinterest!

Made this for dinner last night.  A little effort but well worth it!! Yum-oh!

Chicken Alfredo Roll-ups

12 lasagna noodles
Alfredo sauce (recipe below)
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
oregano
garlic salt
3 cups shredded Mozzarella, or cheese of your choice

Spray an 9x13 pan with non-stick spray and pour ½ cup alfredo sauce, or just enough to cover the bottom of the pan. Boil 8-10 cups water in a large pan, cook lasagne noodles until al dente. (I usually cook 1 or 2 extra just because lasagna noodles always seem to break on me when I am stirring them.)
Now this is the important part! Drain and rinse the noodles with cold water to prevent them from sticking to each other. Then, lay out each noodle individually and blot dry with a paper towel.

Spread about 2 Tbs. alfredo sauce over each noodle. (if there is too much sauce you will have a big mess on your hands!) Sprinkle oregano and garlic salt on top of sauce. Take 1/12 of the shredded chicken and spread it out evenly over each noodle. Add approx. 3 Tbs. cheese. To roll up, start at one end and roll the noodle over the toppings. You will need to lift the noodle a little to prevent squishing out the inside ingredients while rolling.

Place the roll-ups in the pan, one by one, seam-side down so they don't come undone. Once they are all in the pan, pour the remaining alfredo sauce over the top. Top with remaining cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until the cheese is completely melted on top.

Serves 4, 3 roll-ups each


The Best Garlic Alfredo Sauce

½ cup butter
2 ounces cream cheese
2 cups heavy cream (or substitute half and half)
1 tbsp. fresh minced garlic
salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ tsp dried oregano
⅔ cup parmesan cheese

In a medium to large saucepan melt the butter over medium heat. Add fresh minced garlic and cook for 1 minute, or until fragrant. Add the cream cheese and whisk to smooth and melted. Whisk in the heavy cream.
Season with the oregano, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and whisk frequently until sauce thickens, around 15 minutes. Stir in the cheese and when melted, remove from heat and serve.

Makes 2 ½ cups

A Change of Seasons: Let the Journey Begin....

Brand new to the blogging world....not sure anyone will care what I have to say....but that's never stopped me before!  Still figuring all this out...more soon!