Monday, September 26, 2011

Sunday Snack

Welcome to the second edition of Sunday Snack. Today we feature peanut butter. Delicious peanut butter.

This is how it all started:

One monstrous size peanut butter jar. Kyle purchases a lot of things in bulk, and this one of them. There was a brand new one just waiting to be opened.

There is a recipe for peanut butter cookies on the back of the jar. And wouldn't you know that I had an almost full bag of peanut butter chips waiting to be used.

A few ingredients later, and I had created this:

3 dozen peanut butter chip cookies.

Nothing fancy here today, but if you love peanut butter, you need to make these.

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Ranch Bread

This bread is going to blow yo mind. It is so good, and so easy to make. I have to give credit to Kyle on this one. He first saw a commercial for it, and made it and he is been in love with it ever since. I'm pretty sure he would marry it if he could.

So here goes: Ranch Bread

1 loaf french bread


lots of butter
Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing packet 
Cut however much of your french loaf you think you need. And then cut it length ways. Butter the top of each slice, and sprinkle dry ranch seasoning on top. Broil for about 5 min, or until golden on top. 

And then you get this: 

Enjoy!

Monday, September 19, 2011

Sunday Snack

Here at Just Another Day, I like to keep it fresh. I like to keep my readers interested. And if that means I have to start a new tradition, well then I have to start a new tradition. Last night, I thought of what I would do. I would create a post every Monday and call it "Sunday Snack" because that is exactly what it will be. A post about the Sunday Snack I made the day before.

You see, as I have mentioned before, Pinterest has been very good to me. I have been getting all kinds of recipes off of the site, pinning them to my boards, and then filling Kyle and his friends with all of my baking and cooking skills. These skills are newly acquired, and I feel on top of the world! I told Elaina last week the the baking ideas in my head are consuming. I am constantly thinking of what I will make next.

To start this new posting tradition, I will post the Sunday Snack I made yesterday from a recipe I found on Pinterest & with a little twist from Elaina who has made these a few times before.

Pretzel cookies with chocolate & peanut butter chips
Elaina said when she made these she just used the recipe for the cookie on the bag of chocolate chips, so that is what I did. And they were awesome. 5 dozen of these suckers were gone when I got back to Kyle's around 5:30 last night.

I started out the morning by making biscuits and gravy.
*Not my photo* 
This recipe calls for 3 cups milk, and Kyle had exactly 3 cups milk. However, the gravy was somewhat thick and could have used a little more to thin it out. I used Grands Homestyle biscuits and JC Potter original sausage.

A few Saturdays ago, I made this:

Betty Crocker "Brookie" 
This was a brownie mix, with random drops of cookie dough on top. Delicious and I just ran across it in the cake aisle and thought I needed to try it.

Two Sundays ago, I made:

Pretzels with melted Hershey kiss, topped with M&M
 These were a hit for the Sunday football fellas. I made a few special ones and dipped the M&M in peanut butter before putting it in top. Personally, they were a little too chocolate-y for me, so next time I will be using a Rolo or something more fun than a Hershey kiss.
cake batter rice krispies
This cake matter recipe took these Krispies to a whole new level.

Since I have a huge box of Rice Krispies left over, here is what I plan to make this coming Sunday:

Krispie Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
I'll let you know how these turn out!

Now keep in mind, I am by no means Suzie Homemaker or Betty Crocker. If a recipe has more than about 6 ingredients, I won't make it. Or if it calls for something unusual that I am not familiar with, I won't make it.
So if you like easy recipes that are usually really fattening and 6 ingredients or less, you are in the right place.

And the recipe I am most proud of??? My first 2 loaves of Amish Friendship Bread! I made them on Saturday after we got back from Edmond and they turned out awesome! This does have more than 6 ingredients and my kitchen was a mess after I made them, but totally worth it. I brought a loaf to work this morning and put it in the kitchen and it is already gone. Let me know if you would like the recipe!

Friday, September 16, 2011

Fall Fashion

It's time to put my summer dresses away. And I must say I am really happy with my dress selection from this past year. I purchased a few really great dresses for pretty cheap and now my collection is in a good place. I even turned down some stuff at Marshall's recently because I already had too many dresses.

So now that fall is approaching, I am really itching to get some new fall fashion items in my closet. Here are a few things from Gap that need to be in my closet:


Rayon crewneck sweater


  


Basic black skirt

Maroon corduroy leggings
Ballet flat

Tuxedo blouse
One of my favorite things about fall are sweaters, which ironically I don't have many. Lately I have been really into chunky sweaters. The perfect outfit in my head is a great pair of black  leggings, my Steve Madden Intyce boots in Cognac, and a camel colored sweater. Or here is another idea in my head. I love the idea of the button up shirt, black maxi with a belt, and flat: 
Anyone want to fund my fall fashion shopping trips?!

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Fundraisers for Talbey

I know most of you probably have a local Scentsy rep, but in case you don't and would like to raise money for Talbey and his family, below is a link to a Scentsy fundraiser for him:

Scentsy Fundraiser

There is also a Stella and Dot jewelry fundraiser set up:


Stella and Dot Fundraiser


Tonight we kick off fall kickball. Well, it actually started last week but we had to forfeit our first game since we would be missing so many people due to the OSU game in Stillwater.
I started flag football last Sunday and it was so great to do that again! I loved my intramural team in college and have been missing it ever since. My body was so sore for the next few days. I forgot how exhausting that can be. 
This chilly weather is perfect! I look forward to chilly evenings when I can use a blanket! Kyle keeps his house really cold in the winter, and I don't keep mine much warmer. Although I do like to feel the ends of my fingers in my home.

OSU plays TU this Saturday at 9 PM. I am not going to the game; I am going to relax some this weekend since I just counted up the activities on my upcoming calendar. Since I know you are so curious, let me list them for you:

Sept 24: Warrior Dash with Bryan and Erin
Sept 29-Oct 9: Tulsa State Fair 
Oct 4: Sammi's bday
Oct 19-22: Oktoberfest
Oct 29: OSU Homecoming and surely some type of Halloween event
Nov 3-7: Kyle & Heather to Pittsburgh for Steelers game!
Nov 11: Wedding in FTG
Nov 12: Mom's bday
Nov 18-20: Dallas weekend
Nov 24-26: Thanksgiving
Dec 3: Bedlam in Stillwater


After bedlam, it will be time to get ready for Christmas and our New Years Eve trip to Pittsburgh!

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Random Topics

When I don't have one particular topic to blog about, I like to just mix all things up and cover a multitude of things.

I saw a headline yesterday that really annoyed me. It said "Terrell Owens was in tears over finances". I clicked on the story and the byline said this: The NFL star is in tears when faced with his mortgage and other bills during the lockout. Is it just me or does this seem so ridiculous?! I mean this guy is making millions to play football, and he is freaking out over the lockout and not making a few paychecks?! And he has a VH1 reality show that I am sure pays him some dough. Here is my suggestion to T.O.: live within your means! You prob bought a ridiculously expensive house that requires a gigantic mortgage payment. While I bet that was really neat at the time, you probably should have purchased something that comes with a mortgage payment that you could actually afford with your millions of dollars. And T.O. always has some crazy bling. Cut out the bling, dude. I hear Claire's still carries some pretty rad cubic zirconia studs. I know a lavish lifestyle must be awesome, but I can't help but be annoyed when someone that has made that much money cries over a lack of paycheck while there are tons of people who face the difficulty of paying bills every month. End rant.

September 11. The 10 year anniversary is approaching and I have been watching several specials on various stations. Kyle and I watched the George Bush special on National Geographic the other night. While I know many people don't care for our former President, you cannot discount the fact that he unarguably faced one of the most trying times in office. As my cousin Tweeted it best: "Watching 9/11 Interview:no matter what you think of Bush, he led our nation through one of the most horrific moments & still makes me proud." 9/11 changed our world forever. It was said during the special on National Geographic, 'the people alive during that time will forever hold that moment in their heart". I will tell my children one day about 9/11 like my grandma can tell me about Kennedy being shot, and like my mom can tell me about Elvis dying*, and like my grandpa can tell me about Vietnam. *I know that is hardly the same, but my mom remembers it vividly.

OSU football is upon us. Kyle experienced his first game last Sat. He also experienced me sweating more than a 300 lb man on the middle of summer. We are still together today, surprisingly. I finally got to see Laina for the first time since she moved. It was a hot, sweaty, kinda teary reunion but it was so "us".

Have you become addicted to Pinterest? It is wonderful and I have gotten into a cooking/baking kick thanks to it. I have recently made cake batter bars and cake batter rice krispie treats and buffalo chicken dip. Not only has Pinterest given me the cooking bug, I also have several others boards that need some attention. Hopefully I can complete my coaster-making project soon!

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Update on Talbey

Yesterday was a tough day for the Ahlum's. Talbey's legs were amputated just below the knee. This has been a main concern for several days, and we had all prayed that he would be able to keep his legs. They are concerned now that they may not have amputated high enough, and they will assess more on Thursday and decide whether they need to amputate more. My brother said his arms and hands are fine.

His fever spiked to 104 after the surgery yesterday. They got it back down, but were very concerned with the cause of the spiked fever.
Please continue praying for Talbey and the rest of his family through this unbelievably difficult time.