Easy as 1-2-3!

Homemade salsa is easy as it gets! And it is VERY cheap to make when you have an abundance of tomatoes, jalapenos, bell peppers and cilantro in your garden :) (Lucky me, huh?) Start by boiling the tomatoes for 15 seconds, then put them in an ice bath to stop the cooking, the skin should slide right off. While this is going on I heat up some oil in a pot and suttee some onion, garlic, bell pepper (green, red, yellow... whatever color you have will work) Let them cook until the onions are golden (if you use yellow onions). I add in lots of spices (or they have pre-made spice packages that are very yummy) and my diced tomatoes and let that all simmer together for about 20 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and let it rest before storing in the fridge. You can either leave it chunky or toss it and a blender if you like a thinner salsa. So good and sooo easy!

Aren't these pictures even delish! Happy Friday!

Sunday Funday

This past Sunday we went to the Chiefs game with my family. We had gotten tickets through my mom's work, $25 a ticket (not bad at all!). So we trucked it out there around 10 got in a little tailgating and then headed in to watch the Chiefs kick the Jaguars butts!

Pictures of the fam :) Grace & Sammie + their 2 boys sat behind us. So I got to chat with the too!

Great Sunday! :)

Pumpkin Patch...

We went out to a pumpkin patch on Saturday.... let me tell you.... it was not everything we thought it would be. We were a little disappointed because none of these attractions were as grand as we had hoped. But hey, it was a perfect activity for a Saturday afternoon with our little man.

Me just being silly.... practicing just in case I ever have to milk a cow?

Aunt Bef being silly with her new friend :)

Aunt Bef and uncle Tev went with us!

The 3 of us being silly :)

My little man loves a good slide :)

Look at PJ's whole body sticking out the side.... he did not get the memo apparently.

Now don't get me wrong, we will for sure go to a pumpkin patch annually from now on, if i can convince PJ. But maybe we will try a new one each year. Plus when Brody hits 3 it will be game on for all this fun stuff! I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!

What's for dinner?

There is no better feeling then knowing fresh lettuce is right out your back door! I have decided lettuce is my new fall plant. I had seeds leftover from the spring that I sprinkled around in late August. Let me tell you the lettuce has taken off! It is a beautiful green, delicious and in plenty. We went and looked at houses after work so i knew that i would have to whip together a quick dinner when we got home. Fresh lettuce with a tuna salad atop, and a thinly sliced radish, also from my garden. Delicious, quick and healthy..... Yes please!

Fresh burpee lettuce from the garden!

Radishes, dirt still fresh from the garden :)

And the final product.... Delicious! Am I spoiled or what!? Happy dinning :)

Growing up....

I can not believe it.... my baby boy is almost 1. In 2 weeks and 1 day we will celebrate the day that Brody Michael Ragan was born. 5:02 PM 8 pounds 2 ounces, 21.5 inches long. Most undoubtedly the best day of my life.

This little baby boy is almost walking, he is talking, he gives "mooches" and hugs. No one prepares you for how fast it goes or the bittersweet taste of the first birthday. We are so blessed to have such a wonderful, healthy, happy baby boy! But wait, hes not a baby anymore!

He is our little man now! On a lighter note we have picked out a theme for the party, invitations are going in the mail today, the cake is ordered. Now all we have to do is make sure we get 2 good naps in that day so the birthday boy is in good spirits!

Favorite Day

I LOVE Saturdays! Literally my favorite day. I always make turkey bacon, eggs and toast for breakfast. I always clean the house while bubs takes his morning nap. I usually spend an hour in the kitchen while he is napping as well. This morning I made salsa from tomatoes and jalapenos from my dads garden. (WAY spicy!) Doing some laundry while Bubs takes his second nap. We had leftover homemade potato soup for lunch (PJ's recipe) SO GOOD! And now I am watching the top chef just desserts from this past Wednesday. Do you notice a theme of food here? lol I am thinking about trying this mini chocolate chip cookies recipe from Two Peas and Their Pod. We are just having an at home family day :) Grilling some chicken for dinner tonight and of course.... The Ohio State game at 7 this evening. What do you have going for your Saturday?

What's for dinner?

In the past few months I have had such a great time experimenting with new recipes. I have been so busy though, so I have not able to post any pics of them during the process but here are a few of the new ones I have tried.

Vegetable curry adapted from The Way The Cookie Crumbles - cauliflower, chickpeas, carrots,onion & tomato (served with pan-seared pork chop) This is one of my new favorite recipes. The day after I blended up the leftover veggie curry mixed in some sauteed chicken and served over rice. PJ even liked it! :)

Taco Pie adapted from Simple Daily Recipes -I added a lot of extra cumin, hot sauce and ground red pepper

Chicken Parmesan from Me - Super easy and delish! I used an old baguette to make the breading for the chicken. No food waste in this house!

Coconut Lime Cheesecake from Our Best Bites. Forgot the toasted coconut to top the cheesecake, but this one is def a keeper!

Homemade pizza with thin crust from Brown Eyed Baker (my favorite crust recipe so far!)

Chicken Alfredo Pasta from allrecipes.com (so rich but so good!)

Broccoli cheddar soup adapted from Annie's Eats. This was one of my best soups so far! I added a few potatoes for PJ, it was GREAT! I totally recommend this one :)

I have had a lot of fun playing with recipes lately! Hopefully I will get my homemade spaghetti sauce up soon! Have some fun in you kitchen this weekend.