So Very Sleepy

Hello Sweets,

I'm tired :(  This whole moving process is wearing me out, and making me sore.  Which is why my post today is going to be a check in/what's up with me post.  I promise tomorrow we'll be back to baking some yummy treats, pinky promise!

So I cleaned out my part of the deep freeze today, along with a good portion of my cupboard (don't worry I left enough for me to survive).  My grandfather and I brought it all over to my new place **happy dance**, and now my kitchen is starting to really come together.  Now with that being said, I'll probably reorganize it a bujillion times over the next week or so, but that is just me and I'll want it perfect lol.  I know for sure there is one cupboard that won't be changed at all.  That is my tea and spices cupboard, that's because it is a small narrow cupboard so it's just the right size for them!  Tomorrow I'll be bringing a little more food over and also a small piece of furniture for my bathroom.  Anyone who knows me knows I love to organize, so this is going to make my bathroom counter clean and that's harder for us girls ;)  I'm also going to pick up some new baking pans, because some were ruined by a cleaning solution and one seems to have disappeared O_o  Luckily there is a sale on Wilton (my favorite baking brand) products so I'm getting the good stuff!  While I'm buying that I also need to buy a step stool since my shoulders are always in pain.  Slowly but surely I'm making my new apartment a home, I'll take some progress pics tomorrow to share with y'all.

For now I am back to my final stages of packing, anyone want to come finish this for me?  Lol can you tell I hate packing, doesn't help that I'm tired and sore already.  *Sigh*  Just thinking about getting to work is making me sleepy, enough procrastinating I am off!  Until next time....

Stay sweet,


Jennifer xoxoxo

Long and Overdue

Hello Sweets,

Well it's been almost two and a half months since I posted :/  Life has been a little crazy lately and busy too, but I had the urge to give y'all an update as to what is going on with me.  I haven't been in the kitchen as much as I would like to be, but that doesn't mean I haven't been creating when I am.  I have a few recipes that I have not shared with y'all, so I should have no reason to not put some posts out for everyone. 

Part of the reason I've been busy lately is that I am searching for a new apartment, well actually I was ;)  Yup I found my perfect apartment and it's even a new build, so everything will be brand new!!  I was starting to feel a little hopeless while searching, then I passed this apartment building and knew I had to apply.  Have you ever had the feeling that something was meant to be?  That is exactly how I felt about this place, I could see myself in the apartment and everything.  I was so confident that this was where I was destined to move to, some people would say that's crazy but it worked for me!  Needless to say I've been going through all of my boxes in storage, purging everything I should have the last time I moved lol.  I move in to my new home on the first of February, and I couldn't be more excited :D  Here are some pics of the building in progress, they're not great but you get the idea;

my apartment is not on the street side, woohoo!

my grandfather measuring the window in my new bedroom

where the kitchen will be, lol wasn't installed at the time

my new little living room, looks smaller in the picture

brand new bathroom

 

it's small, but I don't need a huge space so it's perfect!!

I didn't do anything for Halloween :( but I can thank my fun time health issues for that.  Christmas was quiet too, I spent the holidays with Nathan and his family in Texas.  Nothing too big but just enough of the holiday spirit to make you smile.  Now the way we spent New Years eve was pretty amazing, we flew above the Dallas area checking out the Christmas lights from above until about 11pm.  Then we went home to ring in the new year with a glass of bubbly and some cuddles.  Check out some pretty lights from above;

 

Happy New Years y'all!!  I'm off to make some cookies, but will be back in the next day or two with a yummy recipe to share!

Love of my life and best friend

Doesn't matter where we go, as long as we're together

Stay sweet....



Jennifer xoxoxoxo

Thankful

Hello Sweets,

So I haven't been baking too much lately :(   But that's because I baked a whole bunch only a few days ago lol, and I've currently got something in the oven right now.   I am currently making my great grandma's Christmas cake, and I'm very excited because both loaves are coming home with me :).  Nathan has never had/heard of it so he has agreed to try it, and I'm confident he will like it too!

I realized although I had written a thanksgiving post, I hadn't said what I'm thankful for.  The list isn't very long but none the less it important ;)  I'm thankful for my loving and supportive family, the natural ability to create all things in the kitchen that god has graced me with, the life I've lived thus far.  Most importantly I'm thankful for the wonderful relationship Nathan and I have, full of love, laughs, support, and the friendship that is the foundation of it all. 

I am spending a few days at my grandparents house so I may or may not create something lol.  Oh who am I kidding?  Y'all know I'll be making something, whether it's sweet or savory.  But for tonight I'm going to kick my feet up and wait for this delicious Christmas cake to done ;)  How come when you want to eat something so bad it takes longer to cook?  Until next time.....

Stay sweet,

Jennifer xoxoxoxo

Stick a Fork in Me, I'm Done!

Hello Sweets,

Well I am still very upset and mad at myself :(, but the show must go on right?  I'm really trying to keep myself busy and not think about the colossal mess I've made, unfortunately there are so many things that remind me of him it's kind of hard.  However I figured I wouldn't bum y'all out today with another sad post, instead I am going to write about food something I don't screw up often :s

I just realized that my previous statement is going to be harder to stay true too :(  Why you ask, because this entire meal was made while in Texas and we made it together.  Maybe I can use this little post as a happy memory that will sort of pick my mood up, this is me trying to be hopeful :/  I wrote a post very similar to this earlier in the year (food wise that is), but we chose to do things a little differently this time :)  For me the pressure was really on this time around, you see we were cooking for his entire family and I wanted everything to go perfectly.  I don't know why but I always seem to put pressure on myself in these situations, but I think it works..sometimes lol like this time.  Having a family judge your cooking skills is both stressful and a learning process, I just hoped they would enjoy what they were about to eat.  Thankfully they enjoyed every part of the meal, even Nathan's dad enjoyed my yorkies!  For the record, I knew he would but he still protested lol.

Nathan and Jennifer's Collaborative Roast

Ingredients

Roast, either chuck or rump

red wine

Worcestershire sauce

garlic

garlic powder

meat tenderizer

salt

pepper

seasoning salt

 

Directions:

1)  Tenderize and season your meat to your preference, then place in a gallon zip lock bag and add enough wine and Worcestershire sauce that the roast becomes submerged.  Remember to balance the wine and Worcestershire sauce, I can't give you measurements but you should be able to tell by the smell.  Refrigerate overnight.

 

 

2)  Preheat oven to 375F.  Cut up your carrots, onions, and potatoes (anything else you want to throw in there too!).  Place in the bottom of your roasting pan, surrounding the roast.  Pour your marinade over top of the roast and veggies, add more garlic to the top of the roast.

 

 

 

3)  Cook for about 2 hours (depending on the size of your roast), checking after 1 hour to ensure the veggies aren't drying out.  If they're sort of dry add either beef broth or a dissolved bullion cube.

 

Some people like to cook their vegetables separately, but when you cook them in the roasting pan they soak up the marinade and don't need to be seasoned after :)  This was the dinner that accompanied the super yummy Cherry Dr. Pepper Cupcakes, see;

 

All the work was worth it, not just because Nathans family enjoyed it but because he did and he is a big reason I want to cook from scratch.  He's also the only person that's ever encouraged me to pursue my dreams of Canuckette's Creations as a business.  I'm making cupcakes for a party my mother is throwing tomorrow, and the box that will be carrying them will be adorned with my little logo.  It's a big step and actually kind of scary, but if I'm going to do this I need to be willing to put myself out there.  Maybe he'll read this post, if he does I want him to know how thankful I am for the encouragement and I hope it makes him proud.

Speaking of which I need to get back to the kitchen, I need to crank out two icings tonight and then decorate them too!  Wish me luck and keep your fingers crossed that I do okay tomorrow.  Until next time.............



Stay sweet,



Jennifer xoxoxo

Homeward Bound

Hello Sweets,

I know I've been MIA for a few days, and that's because I'm off to see my soul mate!! So I've been very busy trying to get everything in order so not much creating has happened, but y'all know how much I love spoiling my man's pallet, so I know I'll have lots to write about :)

But in the mean time, I realized I didn't share my Easter weekend meal with all of y'all!  I'm not sure what your holiday meals are like with family but mine is a little different, for reasons I won't delve into, but basically I eat my meals with my grandparents each holiday and we have a nice intimate meal.  Well I have watched my grandmother cook our meals year after year, and slowly but surely she has allowed me to help her more and more.  Since her health has started to decline, she has given me the reins completely (and that's not easy for her lol), and on this Easter Sunday dinner was mine to make from the entire dinner to my homemade dessert (recipe will be included in a later post).  Even though she let me make the dinner she couldn't help but try and assist, and since I love her so much I told her that she could help me by sitting and relaxing ;) after all she has taken care of us for years, now its our turn.

So for our dinner, since it was only three of us, our meal was simply made and delicious :)  I made us some very succulent chicken breast that was simply seasoned and not over complicated, and paired it with home styled mashed potatoes and a fresh garden salad.

 Our salad was made up of ice burg lettuce, carrots, romaine lettuce, baby spinach, and cherry tomatoes.  We topped it with a zesty Italian based dressing that gave it a bit of zing without a whole lot of calories :)

 I roasted our chicken breasts in garlic, crushed red peppers, black pepper, and a little bit of olive oil.  It was only in the oven for about 20-25 minutes at about 400F, the end result is a very flavorful and moist piece of chicken.  The home style mashed potatoes are just a simple and tasty, by leaving the skins on and mashing them with butter, garlic, pinch of salt, pepper, crushed red peppers, and milk to make them creamy :)  If you do the potatoes just right your guests won't need to add any butter or seasoning to them!

This delicious dessert is best served hot right out of the oven with a side of vanilla ice cream.  I won't get in to great detail right now because I have a complete post with recipes and pictures coming soon, but what I will tell you is that it's a crunchy wholesome dessert with some fresh sweetness to it :) I know I know, I'm teasing y'all but trust me it will be worth the wait!

Since it's Nascar Sprint Cup weekend, I'll have a few updates for everyone showing pictures from our weekend and maybe even a recipe or two ;) and for the delicious treats that aren't mine I will be teasing your taste buds with some delicious pictures and tantalizing descriptions.  Until next time..................................


Stay sweet,




Jennifer xoxoxo