{Mozzarella sticks}

It's official. Dear Wally the Watermelon has decided he doesn't want to stick around. I'm sure he will be much happier in the little wooded strip behind our house. I still have a watermelon the size of my head just sitting on my patio. Not sure what to do with it. I also have about three cucumbers on the way, and Tom Mater has gone completely wild again. I give up, there is no way to control that crazy Tom.

ooey & gooey

I know I promised to let y'all in on these delicious, hot and crispy mozzarella sticks. Even my sweetheart likes these! We make these whenever we buy the string cheese for the stuffed crust pizza. The part that takes the longest is freezing the cheese, and that's not even difficult! Here is my adapted version of the original weight watchers friendly version.

This makes 24 pieces, but I usually make a much smaller batch. Sorry about the blurry picture, someone isn't the best picture taker. Just kidding honey! {I wonder if he even reads this?} The full version filled the two of us up, so that we weren't hungry for dinner! Also, I know this takes a lot of bread crumbs, but they are also good for chicken parm!

ingredients.
12 sticks of string cheese (mozzarella, or really any other kind of cheese you prefer)
1 large egg, beaten
2 tbsp flour
5 tbsp Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
5 tbsp panko crumbs
2 tsp Parmesan cheese
1 tbsp dried parsley
olive oil cooking spray

I

Cut cheese in half to give you 24 pieces. Place cheese in the freezer until cheese is frozen. {This usually takes me about two hours.}

II

In a small bowl, whisk the egg. Place the flour in another small dish. In  a sparate bowl, combine the bread crumbs, panko, Parmesan cheese, and dried parlsey. 

III

Here's the fun par! Dip the frozen sticks in flour, shaking off the excess, then into the egg, and then coat with crumbs. 

IV

Repeat this process with the remaining cheese placing them on a tray with wax paper, if you won't immediately cook them. Place the freeze back into the freezer until ready to bake if not immediately baking them. {Super important, because other wise they will melt before the crumbs get crispy.} 

V

Ready to bake? Pop them in a 400 degree preheated oven. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and lightly spray with oil. {I don't always use foil, oops.} Spray the tops of the sticks with a little bit more oil, and then bake in the bottom third of your oven until crisp, which is only about 4 to 5 minutes. Turn and bake for an additional 4-5 minutes watching them closely so they don't melt!

Credit 

maybe stories are just data with a soul

I have to share a video I watched in my Organizational Behavior course last night. Brene Brown is funny {to me, probably because I think I'm a lot like her} but she also has a really good point. Her studies are based on our ability to empathize, belong, & love. Give the video about five minutes. My favorite part is at 11:25..and a minute later..but really just from there on. 

There's no right way to sum up this video, you just have to watch the whole thing. I've already watched it more than a couple times. Hopefully it doesn't have you running for a banana nut muffin at the end.

Struggling with vulnerability is hard, but there's a reason.

shake, shake, shake

shake me!

Check out these cuties! I traipsed around NoDa with a friend of mine yesterday. Before she got there, I found a little uncommon antique store called Fifteen Ten around the corner that we ended up going to after we ate. We ate at The Dish, and had I had the best chicken and dumplings I've had in a loooong time. 

So, I'm somewhat obsessed with chicken and dumplings. I used to eat the canned kind as a kid, and then last year I tried to make them myself. I don't recommend trying to cook it in your crock pot. My recipe called for Bisquick dumplings, and since I do like Bisquick,  I decided to give it a try. It turned into a flour soup. It was so thick, I could barely eat it. Thank goodness Mountain Man was able to stomach some of it. 

Anyway, the mac'n'cheese at The Dish was amazing too. Definitely the home made kind. They even had a deviled egg on each of our plates, which seems very odd to me. I think they served the biscuit with a honey butter drizzle on top too, which I've never had. Definitely want to make it in the future though! Clearly, I need to eat out more often...

I got these cute little salt and pepper shakers, and my friend got some that were sea green, ceramic, ball shaped with the little holes for shaking on the side and with a cork on top. Very different, and so cool.  The guy said that mine are probably replicas. If they are, they were poorly done. I think these might actually be authentic. There are some bubbles in the glass, and you can see that the salt doesn't sit flat at the base of the shaker. 

Authentic or not, how cute!! Just another piece to make our place feel like a home. 

stick around...

Dear Mister Aloe Plant,
I have read every blog and website about aloe plants. I don't understand why you are still turning brown. I put you outside for sunlight, and I'm sorry you got caught in a massive downpour. I hope you dry out soon. Please don't turn brown and wilt away, I want to create chapstick, shampoo, and aloe lotion with you. Don't rob us of our amazing creative potential.
Sincerely,
Becca Anne

{stuffed crust pizza}

I looooove stuffed crust pizza night! We had a huge event in town this week, so I didn't have class again and I've been trying to cook more. I could get used to having a week off about once a month. I may have signed up for an MBA, but all of this group work is a little much. Anyway, here is my adapted version of a recipe I found about a year ago. I can't remember where I got it, but the cheese sticks are great for another recipe that we also made this week. I'll be sure to post about it soon.  It's always exciting when Mr. Mountain Man asks for a recipe, and this pizza recipe is definitely one of our favorites. & yes, we do eat the entire thing between the two of us.

I'm not sure if Bisquick is cheating, but I tend to use it quite a bit. I also love to make cheddar garlic biscuits. Also there is an amazing pancake recipe on the box that uses vanilla extract, it's truly amazing. Even better than ihop if you ask me!

ingredients.

3 c Bisquick
2/3c very hot water
2 tbsp olive oil or vegetable oil
4-5 sticks of mozzarella cheese string cut in half length wise { I even like mozz & cheddar string cheese}
Toppings to taste {we use Ragu sauce with tomato paste mixed for thickness, some pizza cheese and tomatoes}

 I

Mix the water, Bisquick, and oil til dough forms. Then beat vigorously for 20 strokes. 

Cover, let it stand for 8 minutes.

Put rack on the lowest position, and put the oven on 450 degrees. Spray the pan. 

II

Spread the dough out onto the pan. Then you'll lay the already cut cheese along the outside of the dough. Then fold the dough over the cheese, to create the cheesy crust. Pop it into the oven for 6-7 minutes. 

While that's in the oven, prepare your pizza sauce. We mix Ragu sauce with tomato paste until it reaches a good consistency. 

III

Put the sauce & toppings on, and then make for 11-14 minutes until your crust is golden brown. This time, we used our special sauce, some tomato slices, pizza cheese and a little bit of crushed, dried basil. We do something different every time!

Enjoy!!

I think Wally the watermelon has given up. I think he might have a fungus. Little brown and white spots all over his leaves. Does anyone know what that is? There are lots of green tomatoes ripening, too. The itty, bitty cucumber buds are looking good too. They seem to be slow growers, and we only have about 8 weeks left until our expected first frost. I'm already excited about planting next year! I've got to figure out what I'm going to plant. Any ideas??

{diy dish detergent}

Hopefully you are all having a beautiful Monday too! It's been really nice weather here, so hopefully we'll get to spend just a little bit more time left outside before the work week really begins. Thank goodness it will be a short week, for those that had today off! Sundays are usually our day off from any kind of work. They always seem extra special in the afternoon, because those are the last few hours to spend together before the work, school, whatever else, things to do come back.

Today I finally bought a box grater! I guess that's a step towards fancy kitchen tools. Or perhaps that's something basic I should already have? So, while grating some soap for our homemade laundry soap, I decided it's time to share our Dish Detergent recipe! So far, this site has been pretty helpful when trying to find new natural recipes for household things. For the purpose of this recipe, these are my understood main functions of the ingredients:

Citric Acid is an active ingredient in a lot of cleaners as well as a preservative in foods. It is naturally in many citric fruits. From what I gather, it helps to dissolve grime off of the dishes. Keeps away the cloudy look on glass.

Washing soda helps to deodorize, but fighting grease and is one of the the primary purposes.

Borax is an anti-fungal/anti-mold and all-around disinfectant. It's also good for hard water.

Kosher Salt is not absolutely necessary, but helps in softening hard water, helping prevent hard water spots on dishes, and also acts as a scouring agent for dirty dishes.

ingredients.
1 c borax
1 c washing soda
1/2 c citric acid {twice as much for hard water}
1/2 c kosher salt
A container you don't want to keep, that has a lid that can close
White Vinegar {rinse agent}

I

Mix all of the ingredients, except for the vinegar. 

II

  You only need 1 tbsp of this entire mixture per load. {I've attached an old tsp spoon, and marked 'x3' on the handle so my sweetie can't forget.} Use the vinegar as a rinse agent. 

Note:

These ingredients tend to clump, due to the citric acid. So either add a tablespoon of rice {which I do}, or shake the container a few times the first day or two. Or just add 1/2 tsp citric acid in separately. Also, we tend to rinse our dishes before putting them in the dishwasher. If you're allergic to anything in this {like with any} recipe, don't risk it. 

Happy Labor Day!!

{Cookies & Cream Cream Cheese Ice Cream}

I agree, that's a ridiculously long name. But the recipe is also ridiculously delicious! If you've ever had dirt cake, this is the frozen twin. I originally got the idea from one of my new favorite blogs. They post a lot. I mean, a lot.

The original recipe says to wait until the mix has spent 2-4 hours or overnight in the freezer, and then mix in your cookie dough. I wanted cookies and cream, and really like when my Oreos are dunked in milk. I can honestly eat an entire box of Oreos at once. Thankfully, I don't. Or I would have to workout a lot more..which is definitely on my to do list.

ingredients.
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 c heavy whipping cream
1 c whole milk {I used 2% and it's still really good}
3/4 c sugar
pinch of salt
1-2c cookie dough  {I used Oreos, I love them!}

I

In a bowl, blend the cream cheese, milk, sugar and salt together. It's a good idea to blend {or hand mix, for those of us without fancy tools} the cream cheese on its own for a few. They say it's helpful in avoid big lumps, but the little lumps aren't bad. 

II

Add in the whipping cream, and stir until mixed. 

III

Crush up about a cup or so of Oreos, and mix in. After about an hour, I mixed it again to make sure the cookies were through out the whole batch. {& maybe licked the spoon}. Leave the mixture in the freezer for 2-4 hours, or overnight. 

I've realized most of my recipes haven't been the lean, healthy meals that we often try. I really love Tone It Up, but lately I've just been trying to make do with what we've got. It's amazing how different I feel when I'm not eating fruits and veggies regularly! I really crave them now. Any recipe suggestions would be lovely! Thankfully we've been doing a lot of long walks lately. We're both spending more time at work or at school, so it's nice to just get out & enjoy the end of summer! I can't wait for fall! I've been seeing all of the new fun fall stuff up on etsy, and I'm thinking of picking up knitting or crocheting again.

I hope all of you enjoy your Labor Day weekend!! Kick up your feet & relax!