I got this recipe from a blog called Plain Chicken that I follow. Although I was pretty certain I had messed it up, it didn't turn out that bad. For those of you who are just as shocked as I am that our oven was turned on 2 days in a row for cooking purposes, just slow your roll. This will be tomorrow night's dinner and Jeff will probably grill out for us the rest of the week. I can't have people thinking I might actually have some clue as to what I'm doing in a kitchen.
Taco Cornbread Bake
*1 lb ground beef
*1 packet taco seasoning
*1/3 cup water
*1 can Rotel tomatoes with green chiles
*1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
*1 box Jiffy cornbread mix, plus ingredients to make cornbread
*1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
*Sour cream
*Salsa
In a large skillet, cook ground beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in water and taco seasoning, simmering for 5 minutes. Stir in 1/2 cup cheese, Rotel tomatoes, and black beans. Spoon into 8x8 baking dish. Prepare cornbread according to package directions. Spread over beef mixture and bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and bake for another 5 minutes. Serve with sour cream and salsa.
I will definitely make this again, but might add corn to it on the next try. It tasted fine, but I figure adding another vegetable, even if it isn't the healthiest one, can't be bad!
Monday, August 15, 2011
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins
I had some over-ripe bananas and decided that I'd give chocolate chip banana muffins a try. I have to admit- they weren't bad! Cooper ate about half of his, but then again, he'd already had a bowl full of Honey Smacks. I think the recipe came from epicurious.com
Here it is:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
2-3 large, over-ripe bananas, mashed
1 large egg
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup milk
3/4 semi-sweet chocolate chips
Preheat over to 350 degrees. Mix flour, sugar, and baking powder in a large bowl. Mix bananas, egg, melted butter, and milk in a medium bowl. Combine wet and dry ingredients, then add chocolate chips to the mix. Pour into a lined or greased muffin pan and bake until tops are golden brown- about 32 minutes. Enjoy!
Here it is:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
2-3 large, over-ripe bananas, mashed
1 large egg
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup milk
3/4 semi-sweet chocolate chips
Preheat over to 350 degrees. Mix flour, sugar, and baking powder in a large bowl. Mix bananas, egg, melted butter, and milk in a medium bowl. Combine wet and dry ingredients, then add chocolate chips to the mix. Pour into a lined or greased muffin pan and bake until tops are golden brown- about 32 minutes. Enjoy!
Saturday, August 13, 2011
22 Months
Time is flying by and yesterday, Cooper Boy turned 22 months old. We're hard at work planning the big 2 year old birthday party while trying to keep up with an active toddler.
So what's new these days?
*My personal favorite: Coop saying, "Bless you!" when someone sneezes. "Bless you, Mommy!", "Bless you, Daddy!" When I'm at work and sneeze, I really miss his little voice.
*Not as endearing is "Let go!" It's our fault. When we're changing his diaper, we let him hold the clean one until it's time to put it on. Jeff and I both will say "Let go!" to get it back from him. He's figured out that "Let go!" can be used in any situation. Want Daddy or Mama's cell phone? "Let go!" Wants a toy from his friend, Brody? "Let go!" It's something we're going to have to work on.
*Will repeat anything we ask him to say. We're really working on making Cooper point out what he wants, telling him what the word is for what he wants, and making him repeat it. He also has a very Southern accent and draws out his syllables. Golf comes out "Goooooolf" and mail comes out "maaaaaaiiiillll."
*Loves to point out school buses; cars that look like Mama's, Daddy's, Bob-O's, Nana's, Pops's, and YaYa's; people running and will say "Ha, ha, running!"; babies, puppy dogs, and boats.
*Notices detail..."Glasses off?" when I don't have my glasses on; "Shoes off?" when Jeff and I are barefoot around the house.
*Cooper is still a very picky eater. He will eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches at LaLa's, but not anywhere else. He will eat yogurt at Nana and Bob-O's house, but nowhere else. He will eat grilled chicken at Pops and YaYa's house, but it ends there. I'm glad he still eats apples, bananas, grapes, and oranges, but we work hard to make sure he gets balanced meals and it doesn't always work out.
We're getting ready to attempt potty training. I'm not sure of the route we're taking, but I'm getting ready to order a step stool, potty seat for our's and LaLa's houses, and some books. We've tried putting Cooper on the potty a few times and you can tell he thinks he's such a big boy, but no success yet.
We're also getting ready to take down a lot of Cooper's baby things. It's overdue, really, but we're lazy, busy, and quite frankly, I can't get over the fact that Cooper has outgrown his baby stuff. We'll keep the pack-n-play up because it's where we keep Cooper's toys in the living room and he can reach them easily. The swing and jump-a-roo need to be put in storage.
Everything is changing so much and so fast. It's hard to believe our little boy is almost 2!
So what's new these days?
*My personal favorite: Coop saying, "Bless you!" when someone sneezes. "Bless you, Mommy!", "Bless you, Daddy!" When I'm at work and sneeze, I really miss his little voice.
*Not as endearing is "Let go!" It's our fault. When we're changing his diaper, we let him hold the clean one until it's time to put it on. Jeff and I both will say "Let go!" to get it back from him. He's figured out that "Let go!" can be used in any situation. Want Daddy or Mama's cell phone? "Let go!" Wants a toy from his friend, Brody? "Let go!" It's something we're going to have to work on.
*Will repeat anything we ask him to say. We're really working on making Cooper point out what he wants, telling him what the word is for what he wants, and making him repeat it. He also has a very Southern accent and draws out his syllables. Golf comes out "Goooooolf" and mail comes out "maaaaaaiiiillll."
*Loves to point out school buses; cars that look like Mama's, Daddy's, Bob-O's, Nana's, Pops's, and YaYa's; people running and will say "Ha, ha, running!"; babies, puppy dogs, and boats.
*Notices detail..."Glasses off?" when I don't have my glasses on; "Shoes off?" when Jeff and I are barefoot around the house.
*Cooper is still a very picky eater. He will eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches at LaLa's, but not anywhere else. He will eat yogurt at Nana and Bob-O's house, but nowhere else. He will eat grilled chicken at Pops and YaYa's house, but it ends there. I'm glad he still eats apples, bananas, grapes, and oranges, but we work hard to make sure he gets balanced meals and it doesn't always work out.
We're getting ready to attempt potty training. I'm not sure of the route we're taking, but I'm getting ready to order a step stool, potty seat for our's and LaLa's houses, and some books. We've tried putting Cooper on the potty a few times and you can tell he thinks he's such a big boy, but no success yet.
We're also getting ready to take down a lot of Cooper's baby things. It's overdue, really, but we're lazy, busy, and quite frankly, I can't get over the fact that Cooper has outgrown his baby stuff. We'll keep the pack-n-play up because it's where we keep Cooper's toys in the living room and he can reach them easily. The swing and jump-a-roo need to be put in storage.
Everything is changing so much and so fast. It's hard to believe our little boy is almost 2!
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Fun Weekend
It's the last weekend before school starts back and I can't believe summer is over. I had a haircut appointment Friday afternoon, but ending up having to cancel it and working late. YaYa picked Cooper up, so once I got him, we met Jeff at home and settled in for the night. Saturday morning, Jeff ran out and got us breakfast and we hung out at home- it was way too hot to be outside for long!
Because we had been on vacation the past 2 weekends, Nana and Bob-O (yes, there has been a name change!) were anxious to have Cooper spend the night. Jeff dropped him off at their house, then picked me up for Mass. Afterwards, we ran a few errands, had dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant, then saw Friends with Benefits. It was cute and funny. If you're thinking it sounds a lot like last summer's No Strings Attached, you'd be correct, but I have to say I enjoyed Friends with Benefits much more (Justin Timberlake, maybe?).
I picked Cooper up this morning, then headed to my parents' house while Jeff worked. Unfortunately, we've taken another step towards Cooper being less baby and more kid with his first haircut this morning. No pictures, as it took 3 of us to keep Cooper somewhat still for YaYa to cut his hair, but rest assured, I did tear up and locks of hair were saved. Yes, I am THAT mother.
And if Pops ends up having to have a hip replacement in the near future, you'll know why:
He and Cooper were going down each step on their backsides. Over and over and over again. I prayed the entire time that nothing would pop out of socket.
One of the things Cooper loves to do is play in the sink at my parents' house. YaYa was helping him and all over a sudden, I heard her laughing. I ran in to find this:
Cooper thought it was hilarious!
We spent the afternoon at home, then went to Nana and Bob-O's for dinner. Cooper loves these chocolate covered ice cream bars and Bob-O was nice enough to be the one who helped Cooper...it gets messy!
Bob-O helping Cooper feed the fish.
And anytime we go to Nana and Bob-O's, we have to feed the fish and ducks in their neighborhood's pond:
Three generations of Radford boys.
Hope you and yours had a great weekend!
Because we had been on vacation the past 2 weekends, Nana and Bob-O (yes, there has been a name change!) were anxious to have Cooper spend the night. Jeff dropped him off at their house, then picked me up for Mass. Afterwards, we ran a few errands, had dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant, then saw Friends with Benefits. It was cute and funny. If you're thinking it sounds a lot like last summer's No Strings Attached, you'd be correct, but I have to say I enjoyed Friends with Benefits much more (Justin Timberlake, maybe?).
I picked Cooper up this morning, then headed to my parents' house while Jeff worked. Unfortunately, we've taken another step towards Cooper being less baby and more kid with his first haircut this morning. No pictures, as it took 3 of us to keep Cooper somewhat still for YaYa to cut his hair, but rest assured, I did tear up and locks of hair were saved. Yes, I am THAT mother.
And if Pops ends up having to have a hip replacement in the near future, you'll know why:
He and Cooper were going down each step on their backsides. Over and over and over again. I prayed the entire time that nothing would pop out of socket.
One of the things Cooper loves to do is play in the sink at my parents' house. YaYa was helping him and all over a sudden, I heard her laughing. I ran in to find this:
Cooper thought it was hilarious!
We spent the afternoon at home, then went to Nana and Bob-O's for dinner. Cooper loves these chocolate covered ice cream bars and Bob-O was nice enough to be the one who helped Cooper...it gets messy!
Bob-O helping Cooper feed the fish.
And anytime we go to Nana and Bob-O's, we have to feed the fish and ducks in their neighborhood's pond:
Three generations of Radford boys.
Hope you and yours had a great weekend!
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Vacation 2011
We made it! We survived our annual vacation with a 21 month old! It wasn't the easiest trip, but we had a ton of fun.
We made the trip down in 1 day. 16 hours, in a car, with a 21 month old is a lot different than 16 hours, in a car, with a 9 month old. Sleep is one difference. Screaming is another. Yikes...the last 5 hours of the trip, Cooper screamed the whole time. It was rough, but thankfully, Pops, YaYa, Tada, and all of our friends were ready to greet us when we arrived.
Doesn't this face look thrilled to be at the beach?
Actually, Cooper wasn't a huge fan of the beach. He couldn't stand to have sand of his feet and did okay in the gulf:
This was about as far as Pops got in the water with Cooper and they were right back on the shore in a few minutes.
What Cooper did love was wearing his swimmies and being thrown around in the pool. While he sometimes didn't want to stay in the pool for long (he would rather be running around or looking for lizards), he loved being underwater and would willingly put his own face in the water:
Pops and YaYa gave us passes to the Florida Aquarium for Christmas, so on Sunday, we made the trip over. It was very interesting, but I will say that taking a 21 month old whose attention span is short makes you speed through the tour as fast as you can! Cooper loved the otter playing with a fish and the '70s area that included jellyfish and boxfish, but HATED the alligator and eels. The aquarium had a touch tank and I actually touched a sea urchin and starfish (can you believe it?!?!). Because I was the photographer on the trip, we don't have any pictures of such a momentous occasion, but did get a good one of Pops petting a sting ray:
They would come right up to the tank, flip part of their fin up on the side of the tank- they were so close!
Pops, Cooper, and YaYa checking out the marine life.
Shark tank!
Cooper loved seeing his skin turn green from the lights.
Back at the hotel, all of our friends helped us keep Cooper entertained. Here, you'll see Cooper's "Mamy" (our friends' daughter, Amy), Pops, and Mr. Kent about to help Cooper check out the beach. From afar, you will notice:
Cooper loved looking for the lizards all over the hotel grounds:
And you know what's fun after a heavy rain? Playing in the gutters!
Me with my little sweetheart:
Gorgeous sunset on the last night:
Even Cooper looks sad about vacation ending:
Last year, we stayed with my godfather Mike and his wife Dixie in Atlanta on our way home, but were able to visit with Dixie's daughter Jenni and her son Tilden, who is a few months older than Cooper. It was so cute to see Tilden and Cooper interact with each other. Since then, Mike and Dixie have officially retired to Fairhope, Alabama, so Jenni graciously offered to let us stay with her and Tilden this year. Lucky us, Dixie's other daughter Katie and her son Colin were in town from Denver visiting Katie's husband Mike who is in Atlanta for training. It was just like all the summers we stayed with Mike, Dixie, Jenni, and Katie on our way to and from vacation, but add in a 2.5 year old (Tilden), 21 month old (Cooper), and 6 month old (Colin)!
Cooper and Tilden enjoying a yummy breakfast!
Jenni and Jeff doing a great job of wrangling 3 kiddos under 3!
Jenni, Katie, and me with sweet Baby Colin!
After a quick stop at Einstein Bros. Bagels (my favorite!), we were on the road and made it home around 6pm. I had enough time to get a few loads of laundry done before getting an okay night's sleep and being ready for in-service to start the next day. It's hard to believe the summer is already over and another school year is starting!
So, I leave you with the annual family picture in front of my parents' room:
Our annual family picture in front of my parents' room:
We made the trip down in 1 day. 16 hours, in a car, with a 21 month old is a lot different than 16 hours, in a car, with a 9 month old. Sleep is one difference. Screaming is another. Yikes...the last 5 hours of the trip, Cooper screamed the whole time. It was rough, but thankfully, Pops, YaYa, Tada, and all of our friends were ready to greet us when we arrived.
Doesn't this face look thrilled to be at the beach?
Actually, Cooper wasn't a huge fan of the beach. He couldn't stand to have sand of his feet and did okay in the gulf:
This was about as far as Pops got in the water with Cooper and they were right back on the shore in a few minutes.
What Cooper did love was wearing his swimmies and being thrown around in the pool. While he sometimes didn't want to stay in the pool for long (he would rather be running around or looking for lizards), he loved being underwater and would willingly put his own face in the water:
Pops and YaYa gave us passes to the Florida Aquarium for Christmas, so on Sunday, we made the trip over. It was very interesting, but I will say that taking a 21 month old whose attention span is short makes you speed through the tour as fast as you can! Cooper loved the otter playing with a fish and the '70s area that included jellyfish and boxfish, but HATED the alligator and eels. The aquarium had a touch tank and I actually touched a sea urchin and starfish (can you believe it?!?!). Because I was the photographer on the trip, we don't have any pictures of such a momentous occasion, but did get a good one of Pops petting a sting ray:
They would come right up to the tank, flip part of their fin up on the side of the tank- they were so close!
Pops, Cooper, and YaYa checking out the marine life.
Shark tank!
Cooper loved seeing his skin turn green from the lights.
Back at the hotel, all of our friends helped us keep Cooper entertained. Here, you'll see Cooper's "Mamy" (our friends' daughter, Amy), Pops, and Mr. Kent about to help Cooper check out the beach. From afar, you will notice:
Cooper loved looking for the lizards all over the hotel grounds:
And you know what's fun after a heavy rain? Playing in the gutters!
Me with my little sweetheart:
Gorgeous sunset on the last night:
Even Cooper looks sad about vacation ending:
Last year, we stayed with my godfather Mike and his wife Dixie in Atlanta on our way home, but were able to visit with Dixie's daughter Jenni and her son Tilden, who is a few months older than Cooper. It was so cute to see Tilden and Cooper interact with each other. Since then, Mike and Dixie have officially retired to Fairhope, Alabama, so Jenni graciously offered to let us stay with her and Tilden this year. Lucky us, Dixie's other daughter Katie and her son Colin were in town from Denver visiting Katie's husband Mike who is in Atlanta for training. It was just like all the summers we stayed with Mike, Dixie, Jenni, and Katie on our way to and from vacation, but add in a 2.5 year old (Tilden), 21 month old (Cooper), and 6 month old (Colin)!
Cooper and Tilden enjoying a yummy breakfast!
Jenni and Jeff doing a great job of wrangling 3 kiddos under 3!
Jenni, Katie, and me with sweet Baby Colin!
After a quick stop at Einstein Bros. Bagels (my favorite!), we were on the road and made it home around 6pm. I had enough time to get a few loads of laundry done before getting an okay night's sleep and being ready for in-service to start the next day. It's hard to believe the summer is already over and another school year is starting!
So, I leave you with the annual family picture in front of my parents' room:
Our annual family picture in front of my parents' room:
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Book Reviews
Usually I read a ton over the summer, but it seems like the past few months have flown by and I haven't gotten much done. I have spent a lot of time with Cooper and have also worked quite a bit, so vacation was the perfect time to get caught up.
Before we left, I finished up Steven Tyler's autobiography. Don't bother. It took me longer to read his book than it took me to read Keith Richards's book and it was much less entertaining and believable and much more graphic, crude, and out-of-control. Not that I had the utmost respect for Steven Tyler to begin with, but I definite have very little for him now.
On to Tina Fey's book Bossypants. Two thumbs up! If you like anything Tina Fey does- 30 Rock, SNL, talk shows- you'll like to book. To me, she's so funny, down-to-Earth and, as a working mother, her hilarious viewpoint of having a career with children is dead-on. Love her and love the book!
While on vacation, I read Jonathan Tropper's How to Talk to a Widower. I have loved everything Jonathan Tropper has written- The Book of Joe, This is Where I Leave You, and now How to Talk to a Widower. He writes about topics that normally aren't funny- death, divorce, extra-marital affairs- but his take on them and the situations he puts his characters in are great. He also incorporates lots of touching moments into his books, so the balance is great.
I am about halfway through with J. Courtney Sullivan's new book, Maine. Her last book Commencement was great and so far, Maine has not disappointed. It is about 3 generations of an Irish-Catholic family who struggle with their relationships with each other as it comes time to visit the grandmother at the family's summer house in Maine.
And in other book news, I am seriously considering a Kindle/Nook. I love holding a book in my hands and I've perfected the treadmill workout while reading, but it may be time to bite the bullet. Maybe a birthday present?
Once things settle down, I will post pictures and a rundown of our vacation. Craziness and stressful, but we had a great time!
Before we left, I finished up Steven Tyler's autobiography. Don't bother. It took me longer to read his book than it took me to read Keith Richards's book and it was much less entertaining and believable and much more graphic, crude, and out-of-control. Not that I had the utmost respect for Steven Tyler to begin with, but I definite have very little for him now.
On to Tina Fey's book Bossypants. Two thumbs up! If you like anything Tina Fey does- 30 Rock, SNL, talk shows- you'll like to book. To me, she's so funny, down-to-Earth and, as a working mother, her hilarious viewpoint of having a career with children is dead-on. Love her and love the book!
While on vacation, I read Jonathan Tropper's How to Talk to a Widower. I have loved everything Jonathan Tropper has written- The Book of Joe, This is Where I Leave You, and now How to Talk to a Widower. He writes about topics that normally aren't funny- death, divorce, extra-marital affairs- but his take on them and the situations he puts his characters in are great. He also incorporates lots of touching moments into his books, so the balance is great.
I am about halfway through with J. Courtney Sullivan's new book, Maine. Her last book Commencement was great and so far, Maine has not disappointed. It is about 3 generations of an Irish-Catholic family who struggle with their relationships with each other as it comes time to visit the grandmother at the family's summer house in Maine.
And in other book news, I am seriously considering a Kindle/Nook. I love holding a book in my hands and I've perfected the treadmill workout while reading, but it may be time to bite the bullet. Maybe a birthday present?
Once things settle down, I will post pictures and a rundown of our vacation. Craziness and stressful, but we had a great time!
Friday, July 15, 2011
Manners Much?
I try, and sometimes fail, to be mannerly and polite wherever I go. I have a basic grasp and understanding of social graces and, as a good Southerner, I do my best to put these graces to good use.
Apparently someone missed a chapter in charm school.
I went for a manicure and pedicure today, hoping for a relaxing start to my afternoon. The place I went is in the middle of an upscale neighborhood downtown (this subdivision is its own little town- nail salon, coffee shops, grocery stores, dry cleaners, and a few restaurants) and one of the people who lives in the neighborhood was getting a pedicure in the chair next to mine. You could tell this lady had some "work" done, but she was very well put together and from the way she was talking to everyone who worked at the salon, I can only guess she's a regular customer. Her mannerisms and overall behavior made you believe (and I'm sure was her goal) that money was no object. I'm reading my book and hear a clicking noise. I ignored it at first, but it continued. I start to look around and then I see it. It's the woman next to me. She's biting her nails. Well, biting may be an understatement. She resembled a dog gnawing on a rawhide bone.
Click. Click. Pop. Click. Pop. Pop.
This woman, who at first glance might have fit into the "epitome of class" category, is beginning to have a little pile of nail clippings on the table next to her, none the wiser that I am about to not only lose it because of the clicking and popping, but also the pure disgustingness (yes, I made up a word; I think this calls for it) of her grooming habits. I keep my cool. See? Using those social graces.
The really unbelievable part is that she got a manicure after all this. Could she not have waited 30 minutes and just asked to have her nails cut down like a normal, mannerly human who goes in for a manicure?
Apparently someone missed a chapter in charm school.
I went for a manicure and pedicure today, hoping for a relaxing start to my afternoon. The place I went is in the middle of an upscale neighborhood downtown (this subdivision is its own little town- nail salon, coffee shops, grocery stores, dry cleaners, and a few restaurants) and one of the people who lives in the neighborhood was getting a pedicure in the chair next to mine. You could tell this lady had some "work" done, but she was very well put together and from the way she was talking to everyone who worked at the salon, I can only guess she's a regular customer. Her mannerisms and overall behavior made you believe (and I'm sure was her goal) that money was no object. I'm reading my book and hear a clicking noise. I ignored it at first, but it continued. I start to look around and then I see it. It's the woman next to me. She's biting her nails. Well, biting may be an understatement. She resembled a dog gnawing on a rawhide bone.
Click. Click. Pop. Click. Pop. Pop.
This woman, who at first glance might have fit into the "epitome of class" category, is beginning to have a little pile of nail clippings on the table next to her, none the wiser that I am about to not only lose it because of the clicking and popping, but also the pure disgustingness (yes, I made up a word; I think this calls for it) of her grooming habits. I keep my cool. See? Using those social graces.
The really unbelievable part is that she got a manicure after all this. Could she not have waited 30 minutes and just asked to have her nails cut down like a normal, mannerly human who goes in for a manicure?
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