What a week!

And what a week it has been!!

Tony had that job interview and it's not what we need. He's interested in maybe doing it part time but it's definitely not a full time position for him. And it's straight commission. We definitely don't need that right now. But, we do have some great news this week!!

HE HAS A JOB INTERVIEW AT BARNES!!!

YAY!!! I am so excited for him. It's definitely not a glamour position but it's a way to get his foot in the door to something else...AAANNNDDD...they offer tuition reimbursement and he really wants to go to school! That's just fine by me. He is more than welcome to go to school and continue his education! I am very proud of him and all that he is doing to try and better our situation! Go on honey!! I'm rootin for ya! The only thing that I'm worried about is he has to have a checking account when you work for barnes, and he can't have one really because they will put a freeze on his account...and that can't happen. I wonder how we can get away from that! I might have to look into that and then talk to payroll next week to see what we can do! Wish us luck and please pray for us!

So I haven't posted a recipe in a long time. I haven't been feeling really good lately and so I haven't been cooking much and what I have been making, really doesn't need to be shared!!! BUT...I did find a recipe that I am dying to try and will make it this week on Monday. At least, that is my goal. I believe I will share it with you now and then let you know how it is. It's in March's Everyday with Rachel Ray. I hope you enjoy it. It looks fabulous!

Special Sausage and Kale Soup

Ingredients:

4 cups Chicken stock
1 oz dried porcini mushrooms
2 Tbls extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1 lb bulk sweet Italian Sausage (I used Salcissia sausage from Di Greggorio's)
1 lg onion, quartered lengthwise and then thinly sliced crosswise
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
5-6 cups packed sliced caolo nero (also called tuscan kale, dinosaur kale or lacinato kale)
Salt and Pepper
Freshly grated nutmeg (I don't like nutmeg so I am going to leave it out)
1 c mini penne or mezzi rigatoni pasta
1 15oz can white or cannellini beans, rinsed
freshly grated pecorino-romano cheese
ciabatta bread, for mopping

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan, combine the chicken stock and porcinis. Simmer until the porcinis are tender, 8-10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, in a soup pot, heat the EVOO, 2 turns of the pan, over medium-high heat until hot. Crumble in the sausage, then add the onion and garlic and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Add the kale and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Cook until softened, about 5 minutes.

3. Remove the porcinis from the stock and chop; stir into the soup. Stir in the stock and 2 cups of water, covber and bring to a boil. Add the pasta to the soup and cook until al dente, 6-7 minutes. Stir in the beans and heat through. Serve in shallow bowls with lots of cheese on top and the bread for mopping!

Sounds so yummy right!! I can't wait to try this. I have a similiar recipe that I found on allrecipes.com. It's Sicillian Sausage Soup.

I hope you like it. I can't wait to try this version! I just might try to make both at the same time and see which one I like best! I'll let you know the verdict!

Have a great weekend!!

A new day

So life has been pretty frustrating lately. We still don't have plates for our car because everytime we come close to getting enough money to pay for them, something happens. We keep getting pulled over in St. Peters and given tickets over and over again. It's getting really old. We are now up to four tickets that need to be paid and I'm the only one working. My entire paycheck seems to go to bills and doctor's visits. It's so expensive to be sick these days. Maybe life will eventually get better. Tony went to a job interview today but didn't arrive in a suit and tie...little did we know that's how they wanted him to dress. He doesn't own a suit as the one he has doesn't fit and hasn't fit in a long time...like 5 years! So they didn't even interview him. He came home upset and said how he embarrassed himself. Really, truly..I'm glad he didn't get an interview...oh, but here's the best part of the story. They...the company...then called him at 6:02pm today and had some "interesting news" for him. Too bad they screwed up already. Well, it's up to him if he wants to interview with them, but I was pretty annoyed with that company. I would have told them to go somewhere...but Tony is pretty desperate for a job. We have a lot of tickets to pay off!

So, no fabulous cooking stories or recipes today. We have just stuck to the normal everyday cooking. I made Cinnamon French Toast this morning and we had McDonald's dollar menu for dinner as we didn't wake up until 20 minutes til I had to leave for work.

Life is sometimes just so confusing! Oh, I guess I should tell you that I had a job interview the other day for a Unit Secretary position for the 13100 floor at Barnes Jewish Hospital. This could be my lucky break! I am wanting to get out of my current position and this just may be my ticket to lucky town! Wish me luck! I am shadowing on Thursday and will definitely let you know how things go!

Well, lunch break is almost over...Time to get back to the old grindstone!

Sleep Study Part I

Oh joy...so i went to this new doctor yesterday and explained to him my many many health issues. He decides that the reason I'm so tired is because I may have sleep apnea. Well, I totally know why I'm so tired. Duh!!! I work midnights. Everyone who has ever worked midnights will tell you that they are almost always tired. On top of that, I am a person who requires lots and lots of sleep every day that I don't always get. So those reasons alone are enough to make someone tired. So, since I have fabulous medical insurance, I am going to appease him and take this sleep study tonight. Should be just a blast :0P I totally want to spend my nights off with my husband...not in some twin bed with people watching me sleep. How freaky is that??? Anyway, we shall see how it goes. I will update you later on in the week to let you know the results...that i already know. But on the off chance that I do have sleep apnea..I am not going to be a happy camper and there will be a major weight loss program begun because I am NOT sleeping with some stupid machine stuck to my nose every day that I get to sleep. Besides, those things are major expensive!!!

Okay, so here are my rules for this sleep study:

1. I can't take a nap. That's like letting a little child run around in the middle of winter with no clothes on outside with 6 feet of snow on the ground....absolutely retarded. You are telling me that I am going to be awake for over 24 hours just to take this stupid test....I don't think so! But I was stupid and told my mom that I couldn't take a nap and that it was her responsibility to keep me awake. Oh well, gotta follow the rules!

2. No caffeine after 12:00 noon. Ugh...that's taking away my diet coke or diet pepsi and expecting me not to have a massive headache....I told Tony that the first thing I want when I get out of this sleep study is a huge diet Pepsi!!! YUMMY!!!!!

And now I can't even remember what the other rules are but I do know that I get to dress in my pajamas and have other people watch me sleep. Ugh...wish me luck!!!

Well, I'm gonna go for now! Next time I write maybe I will get to have fabulous news to share but I don't want to spoil it just yet!!! So exiting!

A successful day

Wow...so yesterday was a successful day. I had made some really cute valentine's day gift bags the other day for my bosses for valentine's day. They turned out really cute...thanks oh so much to my cricut! I gave the bags to my bosses and scored some major points I think! I really need to find my camera so that I can show you pics! I think you might like them!! They were so easy to do and so cute! Well, one of the ladies that I work with is in the Cardiac ICU and I thought it would be cute and a nice gesture to make a card for her! I went to my sister's house for some help and we ended up making a really cute card...it took us forever but it did turn out really cute. I think Ms. Shirley will like it!! I'll have the office sign it and we can send it to her on Friday if she's still there...I hope not. I hope we can get it signed and not have to give it to her because she will already be out of the hospital...but I tend not to think so. I think she will still be there. But no matter, it's a cute card and hopefully one that she will like a lot! OOOHHH...I just thought of something I could do that's really cute! I hope I will have time to do it and make it for the card before we send it to her! I will have to go home and do it quickly!!! I'm a freakin genius! GO ME!

Anyway, I will try and find my camera...if it's not in any of my boxes...that means it was stolen by our old roommate...and I will definitely not be happy. Ugh..this is so frustrating.

Well, I have no interesting recipes to give to you...Oh wait...that's not true! I have a great link to give you all with a fabulous recipe that I made for valentine's day. I hope you all enjoy it!

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Cajun-Chicken-Pasta-2/Detail.aspx

Here it is if you can't access the link!


Cajun Chicken Pasta

Ingredients:

4 ounces linguine pasta
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast
halves, sliced into thin strips
2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
2 tablespoons butter
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
4 fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 green onion, minced
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon lemon pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
1.
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add linguini pasta, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until al dente; drain.
2.
Meanwhile, place chicken and Cajun seasoning in a bowl, and toss to coat.
3.
In a large skillet over medium heat, saute chicken in butter until no longer pink and juices run clear, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add green and red bell peppers, sliced mushrooms and green onions; cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce heat, and stir in heavy cream. Season the sauce with basil, lemon pepper, salt, garlic powder and ground black pepper, and heat through.
4.
In a large bowl, toss linguini with sauce. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese.

Now this recipe only makes 2 servings...I tripled it and didn't have a problem! I do hope you enjoy it! It was very very yummy. And just as good the day after!

Bye for now!

A venting session

It seems like I have a lot to vent about these days. Today started out horribly, got a lot better, and then went downhill again. See...here's what happened. A lot of you know that Tony has lost his job and we are pretty desperate for money right now. All that said, I am looking for as much overtime as possible. I have told my boss that I needed it and if she had any, please let me know. I will be glad to take it. Well, this morning is the perfect example of favoritism towards someone other than me! I heard that one of the evening girls called in and I immediately stood up from my desk and said that I would be happy to work the overtime. I'm in desperate need of it and all that. Anyway, after I said something about needing the OT...my lead calls someone else and asks her to work the OT. WHAT??? Did I miss something here? So needless to say, that really ticked me off. I know she hates me but I didn't realize the extent. It really hurts when someone knows that you are really needing overtime to make ends meet and then they turn to someone else...who by the way, already had 16 hours. Just thinking about this makes me want to just cry. When I need it soo badly...I just don't get it. What did I do to piss her off that much??? Ugh...anyway, from that fabulous start to my day, Tony and I went to the Hill. This is where things start to look up! I love the Hill in STL. It's one of the nicest and just fabulous places in the city. Everyone is really nice and kind and they just seem to greet you with open arms. Tony and I found a place to live there about a month ago and we keep going in to check and see if it's still available...I think it's destined to be ours because it hasn't been rented yet. Please pray for us that we can get Tony a job so we can get this place. I love it! It's so cute and comfy...and the kitchen...oh yeah!!! I can't wait to start cooking in there! I loved it!...and still do! She doesn't mind the dogs...in fact, she loves them. And here's this...she doesn't mind the cat either. We can keep all three animals and still have a place to live all on our own! YAY!! Going to the Hill just makes me happy. Maybe living there will make me happier and life more fulfilling if I was living on my own and having lots of sunshine and awesome Italian food!!! Yep...sounds great to me!

So after going to the Hill and me being in a much better mood, my husband and I made it to a 7-11. I have been dying for a peach vess soda. Sometimes, there just isn't anything better than a peach Vess Soda. I loved it as a kid but didn't get it much. Anyway, I was craving it and couldn't find it in St. Charles...so my husband and I are driving all over creation trying to find once...we stumbled across this 7-11 and low and behold...there was my peach vess. Oh to say I was excited is an understatement. I was in heaven so I bought 3....you know the slogan for 7-11 right...."oh thank heavens, for seven 11!!!" That's exactly what I thought today.

So after that wonderful, happy thing today...we went to Archivers. I am a big scrapbook nut. I love it. I didn't realize how much I missed it and how much fun I had while doing it. So Tony and I are wandering around St. Louis Mills Mall today and we happen to come across this perfume/cologne store...Tony is almost out of his cologne that I bought him. So I'm like, let's go check out some of the colognes that they have here...because his has been discontinued. We found a perfect one for him...talk about expensive! But...we got it on sale!!!! I love it when we stumble into the perfect sales. So my husband's valentines day gift was a bottle of Ferrari Black...wow does it smell amazing on him...so nice! Very excited about that.

So after we got the cologne, we went to my heavenly store...ARCHIVERS!!! And guess what...they are hiring!!! I'm soo excited...I can feed my habit! Ooohhh...I would love to work at Archivers. It would be soo much fun. The ladies there are so helpful and sweet. I just know I will love working there...so I'm gonna try. In fact, I'm gonna fill out the application tonight while I'm at work...think i'll get in trouble for that...ask me if I really care???

Anyway, so Tony and I are working on some really cute bags to hand out to the bosses and Ms. Evelyn for valentine's day...now if only I can find my stupid cricut cartridges....so frustrating. But anyway...very excited about the prospect of a new part time job doing something that I love.

Okay, so I was great until I woke up from my nap realizing that I was going to have to go back to my job. What is it about this place that really makes me unhappy?? Why do I have such a hard time wanting to come to work? It's been like this since day 2. After my first day, I didn't want to come back....isn't that horrible. I had absolutely no desire to come back to this office. I have hated it since. Oh, I have tried to like it...tried to force myself to realize that it's really not that bad and it's just a job that barely pays the bills. And that worked for like a day....but after that, i just haven't been happy. I really just want to own my own store...I know most of them fail but I really want to try and have a fabulous store...like either scrapbooking or beading or both!!! How cool is that...I can introduce scrapbookers to beading and vice versa....that might be pretty neat!! And a new concept....yep...i think that's what I want to do...eventually. Okay, so I'm done venting I guess....I think i'm going to go and fill out the Archiver's application! Talk to you later...oh, and thank you for letting me vent...sometimes that's all a person needs to do to feel better and I do. So if you are still reading this...Thanks for reading my rampage!

A bit of relief

So we got a bit of relief yesterday in the mail. Tony's 401k check came in the mail...thank goodness. Time to get ourselves out of debt a little more!! Duckett Creek will be paid as will the checking account. We can move on with life now. Darn it I hate being broke.

Tony applied for a job last night with Barnes. Hopefully we can get him hired on here so that we can move soon. I really would like to get out on my own and move on with our life. He's really excited about play D&D in a few weeks. I'm glad that he has something to look forward too.

Anyway, I don't have any recipes to share today and I don't really have much to say so I guess this will be brief!! Talk to you another day!

A budget disaster

You know, I HATE budgeting. Ever since Tony lost his job, we have had a really strict budget. So difficult. I absolutely hate being restricted in any way and when it comes to finances, ugh. No thank you. Well, this week has been tough. We overdrew the account again due to my stupid mathematical error and Duckett Creek still wants to get paid. Does it ever end?? We are anxiously awaiting Tony's 401k check to arrive so that we can get the account out of negativity, and pay duckett creek. He is getting ready to start a Dungeons and Dragons game that he is going to be game master at and he needs to get a couple of things. I really wish life wasn't so expensive. I totally can't tell him not to do his D&D game...after all, he supports my beading and scrapbooking hobbies. But still, I really hope he can get a new job soon. He put in a few applications today but they are for jobs that he really doesn't want. I think right now he needs to focus on getting something that 1. will help pay the bills but 2. something that he can sink his teeth into and enjoy for a while...not something that will suffice for now. Oh well...he will do what he feels is best. He's a good man and wants to be able to support his family and do the right thing and pay his child support. I can't believe we still have forever and a day to pay on that...sometimes it feels like it is never going to end.



Oh well...let's talk food now that I have vented. So I went on a cooking rampage yesterday. I had so much fun cooking all day. I even cleaned up my own mess!!! So proud. So lets see...what did I make...Oh yeah...mexican dip. This is so tasty! Here's the recipe:



Tiffany's Mexican Dip:

1 can black beans, drained

1 can rotel tomatoes

1lb ground beef

1lb sausage

1/4 block velveeta cheese, i like the mexican flavor

1 block (8 oz) monteray jack cheese



Directions:

Brown sausage and ground beef together. Add all the other ingredients...stirring constantly so it doesn't burn.



Serve with tortilla chips and enjoy! Such a simple, yet tasty treat.



I also made a mac and cheese that isn't worth sharing the recipe. It was gross. OH!!! I made my own tortilla chips...well, i used flour tortillas instead of corn but they are fabulous! I will definitely do that again. It was so easy I have no idea why i haven't done it before. All you do is cut your tortillas in triagles...I used the smaller tortillas and just cute them with my kitchen shears, and fry them. Add a little salt after they came out of the oil and yummy!!! Loved it and it's a great way to used some older tortilla shells!



HHHMMM...what else did I make yesterday...Oh, my cookie bars...totally yummy! Here's how to make them:


Cookie Bars

1 cup butterscotch chips

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 can sweeten condensced milk

1/2 c butter, melted

1 1/2 c graham crackers, crushed



Melt the butter in a 9 x 13 baking dish. Add crushed graham crackers and spread evenly over the bottom of the dish. Evenly spread the sweeten condensced milk over the graham cracker crumbs. Add butterscotch and chocolate chips to pan and press down firmly...covering everything. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Wait a few minutes until cool. Serve and enjoy!



I love making things that are easy and not very time consuming. These things that I made are exactly that...easy. Before I go, I wanted to give you one more thing to try. We discovered this by accident...totally a mistake. I'll tell you the story behind them!



Tony and I wanted to make ravioli...homemade...because we are poor. We went to an Italian market on the Hill in st. louis. I had a brilliant idea of getting pasta dough already made and frozen and turning them into raviolis...well, that doesn't work that way. Before I go any further, we also got some precooked hot italian sausage for pizza at Di Greggorio's. So anyway, we were going to make raviolis and it turns out that the dough we had wasn't going to work. So here's what my mom and my husband came up with after i stomped out of the room...totally like a child. It was really awesome.

Italian Burrito:

1lb frozen pasta dough (Di Greggorio's is awesome!)
2lb precooked hot italian sausage (again, from Di Greggorio's)
1 egg, lightly scrambled

Directions:
Heat sausage in pan and then spread about 1/4 c on a defrosted sheet of pasta dough. Wrap like you would an open ended burrito and brush with egg. Place in ungreased cookie sheet. Cook at 350 degrees for about 20 min or until lightly browned and crispy. Enjoy!

Now, to save face, I have to tell you. It had been almost 24 hours since I had slept and the messed up ravioli was just about all I could take. Hope you enjoy the recipes. Let me know if you try any of them and let me know what you think!

Bye for now!