Easy Tortilla Pizza

I found this recipe in one of my cooking magazines and fell in love with how easy and TASTY it was. Makes a great dinner or lunch, Sebastian loves them...he doesn't love much when it comes to food.  

Easy Tortilla Pizza

Ingredients per pizza made:

Olive Oil
Small Flour Tortilla

1/4 cup Mozzarella Cheese

1 pinch of Minced Garlic

Cracked Pepper
Garlic Salt
Grated Parmesan Cheese

Toppings:
Pepperoni Slices
OR
Cherry Tomatoes, sliced thinly
Fresh Basil, chopped

Heat oven to 400 degrees. 

Place the tortilla on a cookie sheet and brush each side with a thin layer of olive oil. Sprinkle with cracked pepper then spread mozzarella cheese evenly on tortilla. Spread a pinch of minced garlic on top of cheese. I have an obsession with cracked pepper, so I do another dusting of it after the minced garlic. 

Top with whatever ingredients you LOVE. Jonathan and Sebastian like pepperoni but I love fresh basil and tomatoes. 

Topped with fresh basil and cherry tomatoes from our garden...YUM!

Lightly dust finished pizza with garlic salt and grated parmesan cheese. Cook in over for 10-12 minutes, until cheese is melted and slightly browning. 

Slice into four pieces with pizza cutter and ENJOY!!!

Paisley's Ear Piercing

Less than a minute after they were pierced!

We finally did it! My mama pierced my ears when I was 4 weeks old, I grew up with earrings as a part of my life, no big deal...I could always wear them and had no idea what it felt like to have them pierced until I got my second holes at age 19. I wanted to get Paisley's done early as well. Since she was 4 weeks early, we decided to wait until she was 8 weeks old or 2 months to be sure her earlobes were big enough. I know a lot of people wait until their daughters are much older and give them a "choice" but I have never met a girl who didn't have or want their ears pierced and I feel like it is much better to have them done when they are too young to remember or mess with them. I spoke with several different moms and children who had them done when they were about 6 or 7 and two out of the three wish they had been done when they were a baby. One of them said she messed with the earrings a lot when she was 6 and so they got infected and it was a lot more painful. The other said it was a HUGE ordeal when they went to the mall to have hers done and she cried the whole time (even though she wanted them and had chosen to do it) she said it was very traumatic. Even the third one, although she didn't say she regretted having them done older, she said she had a huge fear of any adult toughing her ears for many years afterwards. 

I also spoke with many moms who had their babies done when they were younger than 6 months and they all said it was a breeze and much better when mom is taking care of them. I agree, I would rather be the one who is taking care of the cleaning and care of the newly pierced ears and I know how much kids mess with things so it is much better when she is too young to know they are even there. 

It was a breeze once we found a qualified place to do it. I had to call around to quite a few places and ended up at the Piercing Pagoda in one of our malls. The two people who did it had been piercing for more than 13 yrs and had done hundreds of babies, so I felt very confident that they were qualified. 

I also got a very sweet email from a viewer of my blog who saw my last post about having them done. She gave me some very useful tips on the before and aftercare. She recommended Tylenol before the piercing and then to apply Origel on her earlobes as we left the house (never would have thought of that but makes perfect sense). 

Believe me when I say, she literally cried for about 20 seconds. She hated having her arms held most of all but as for the actual piercing, they did it and she cried one big whale and then I turned her around and comforted her on my shoulder and she was quiet. They were red for about an hour but no blood, no more crying...she was fine and looking ABSOLUTELY ADORABLE with her little heart studs. Jonathan was indifferent about the whole thing and just said he trusted me to do whatever I thought was best, but he was ooggling over her afterwards exclaiming how beautiful she looked with her earrings.

30 minutes after the piercing, sharing her beautiful smile.

The day after the piercing, not phased at all.

Our beautiful little lady!

So, thank you to all who gave feedback and offered up advice...it was very helpful! She looks beautiful!

Potato Leek Soup

This recipe is one of my ALL TIME favorite soups! My mama has been making this one since I was a wee little one and I LOVE IT! It's very light and simple and delicious!

Potato Leek Soup

Ingredients:

1 stick of Butter (salted)

10 medium sized red potatoes (you can substitute brown potatoes here if you would like)

1 bunch of Leeks (clean thoroughly, they usually hold sand between the leaves)

4-5 stalks of Celery

1 large white or red Onion

1 tbsp minced Garlic

10 Chicken Bouillon Cubes

1 cup of Milk

Salt and Pepper (to taste)

Boil peeled and diced potatoes in large pot. Add Bouillon Cubes to water.  

Meanwhile, chop celery, leeks (white portion only), & onion. In large saucepan, saute celery, onions, leeks, and garlic in the butter (add more butter if mixture seems too dry, should be wet). Add salt and pepper to taste, it should be slightly too salty, cook veggies until tender and golden in color. 

Use a potato masher or sharp knife to smash up (or dice) the potatoes in the water. I like my potatoes more chunky so I do not smash them up very much. Next, add onion veggie mixture to the potatoes in the chicken water. Add milk and let simmer for about 15-20 minutes on low heat.

Serve with saltine crackers and enjoy! The leftovers are fabulous too!

Playset Fun

We love having a play set in our backyard to enjoy at any moment of the day....my highest recommendations go out to any parent who wants to go get one! Sebastian has mastered the ladder and depending on the day, he likes the slide as well. Ours has a very steep and kind of scary slide so sometimes he will venture down it by himself and others he won't even try. The backyard was always of interest to him, I just always felt bad because all he did was walk back and forth looking at the trees, lol. Now, he actually has something to play on, in, and around.

All of our fun on his new toy:

Cream Cheese and Chili Dip

This recipe is a HUGE hit at parties and get togethers, I can't tell you how many times I have shared the recipe. Jonathan acquired this tasty appetizer from a childhood friend. 

Cream Cheese and Chili Dip

Ingredients:

1 pkg Cream Cheese (softened to room temperature)

1 can Hormel with Beans Chili

1 bag (about 1 cup) shredded Cheddar Cheese

1 bag of Tortilla Chips

Heat oven to 350 degrees. 

In an 8x8 glass dish (I have made it in a variety of different pans so whatever you have is fine), spread the softened cream cheese evenly across the bottom of the dish. Next, pour can of Hormel with Beans Chili and spread evenly on top of cream cheese. Sprinkle cheddar cheese across the top.

Heat in oven until cheese is thoroughly melted (approximately 25 minutes). Let cool for about 5 minutes...serve with tortilla chips and enjoy!

I usually have to double this recipe and make it in a 9x12 glass pan, that's how much they love it!

Sweet Jambalaya

Okay, I am not at all a fan of New Orleans cuisine BUT this recipe is amazing! It is sweet, not spicy and for some odd reason, I just can't get enough of it! My dad actually found this one (on Kraftfoods.com, I believe) and made it during our lake vacation...I came home and made it that very next week!

Sweet Jambalaya

Ingredients:

1 tbsp. Oil

1/2 lb. Sweet Sausage, sliced

1 Onion, chopped

1 can (14 oz.) Diced Tomatoes, undrained

1 can (14-1/2 oz.) Chicken Broth

1 Green Pepper

1/2 cup Sweet Baby Rays Barbecue Sauce

1 lb. frozen shrimp, thawed, peeled and deveined

2 cups White Rice, prepared

Heat oil in large skillet. Add Sausage and onion, cook until browned (about 10 mins). 

Add remaining ingredients, EXCEPT RICE. Stir well and cook on low heat until shrimp are thoroughly cooked (about 5 mins). 

Serve over white rice and enjoy!!!

Jonathan doesn't like seafood so his portion was shrimp free!

Paisley's 2 Month Check-Up

We ventured back to the peditrician's office today, thankfully it was for a "well visit!" Between the stitches, stomach virus, sinus infection, bladder infection and stitch removal, it has felt like we spend every week there! 19 months old has not been as good to us as the last 18 were!

Paisley, on the other hand, has been doing great...she had a minor stuffy nose at 1 month but since then has been in excellent health! We so very grateful that although she looks exactly like her brother, her temperament is drastically different. She is happy almost 90% of the time and when she is crying, there usually is a reason. She is a pretty good eater and still gets up twice, in the middle of the night, for feedings but I don't mind, we're in a routine now. 

She LOVES to be held! She talks to mommy a lot and smiles when mommy talks back! She is great at holding her head up, not perfect yet but almost there. She enjoys a bath or shower, but feels most comfortable up against someone. 

She is in love with her brother, she can't keep her eyes off him if he is nearby. 

Daddy is her main man though...he is fun to smile at!

Her 2 month check-up went well, she weighed in at 11 lbs 10 ozs and is 22 inches long. She is in the 35th percentile for weight and 12th for height so she is a petite little thing!

Those were definitely taken before she was given her 5 vaccines! She had that slight cold at her 1 month appointment so she couldn't get her Hep B shot. Unfortunately, she had to make up for it at this appointment.  She actually only cried during the shots, she was easily soothed afterwards...she has just been a little sleepy and grumpy since then. This is exactly why I want to get her ears pierced before she is too old to remember. We are going to try again this weekend...it has been a battle of differing information, lol. They are just earrings for God's sake, I've had mine pierced 6 times! You can have your son circumcised within days of being born but everyone under the sun has something to say about how old your daughter should be before getting her ears pierced!

Anyway, she looks adorable in ANY outfit I put her in...she will be one lucky girl when it comes to shopping cause she looks beautiful in every color.

She was not at all a fan of the nice cool water at the pool...hence the sweaty hair! But once again, she looked beautiful in her bathing suit!

She is becoming quite the lovely lady and is more spoiled than ever, by everyone in the family! We are looking forward to celebrating her baptism on July 6th! We are so thrilled to have her in our lives...I can't imagine this world without her...she completes our family!!!

Daddy was working hard, otherwise he would have been in this picture with us!