Friday Favorite Finds

First, I'd like to wish my parents a happy 27th anniversary! On this day in 1985, they were married at the Los Angeles Arboretum, in this beautiful gazebo.

Now onto some hot meals that will keep colds and sinus infections at bay. (I could use one of those right about now).


Pioneer Woman's Italian Sloppy Joes. Meat sauce and mozzarella on top of store-bought Texas Toast. I never thought of this - and it's so easy and delicious-sounding. Can't wait for this one!

 

Source: thepioneerwoman.com via Chelsea on Pinterest

Garlic Balsamic Vinaigrette. Carole from My Kitchen Escapades says that salad with this dressing is her most-requested dish. Salad dressing of (most) any kind is my favorite "condiment." So excited to make this one.

Source: mykitchenescapades.com via Chelsea on Pinterest

Cheesy Onion Casserole - think French Onion Soup, minus the broth. It's all the good stuff in a casserole dish - this is a strong possibility for this year's Thanksgiving menu. I may or may not already have a Word document on my desktop titled "Thanksgiving Menu 2012."

Source: instructables.com via Chelsea on Pinterest

Idaho Sunrise Potatoes from Our Best Bites - Omelet fillings inside a baked potato, topped with an egg. My kind of breakfast! I'm thinking this Sunday morning!

Source: ourbestbites.com via Chelsea on Pinterest

Geeze, I am really craving a warm, chewy cookie right about now. I recently discovered a nice Analon 14x16 (I think) cookie sheet amongst a few unused wedding gifts I kind of forgot about. (Oops). It bakes cookies really nicely, even if they are store-bought, pre-cut oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.

Source: sallysbakingaddiction.com via Chelsea on Pinterest

What's on your list this week? This post is linked to Finding Joy In My Kitchen , and all recipes were embedded with Pinterest - so give the original owners/authors some credit!

-Chelsea

(Early) Menu Plan and a wedding!

As I sit here on Saturday (watching Ohio State beat play Cal, and admittedly some Forensic Files and The Voice), I'm surfing Pinterest and Food Network.com for some new ideas. For our menu this week, we are planning hot, easy, and delicious meals, including staples that I don't need a recipe for, and can just throw together in just minutes. Corey's brother is getting married Saturday, and with Corey as the best man, there is much to do before the big day!

Sunday - Beef Stroganoff from The Country Cook 

Monday - Giada's Italian Baked Chicken and Pastina

Tuesday - Hot Dog - Bean Casserole (One of my favorites, in fact since my birthday is approaching, this meal is perfect. I used to request that my mom make it every October 7th, and sometimes she agreed, since I'm just about the only one who eats it - and now Corey does too)

Wednesday - Mr. Food's Bread Bowl Chili (Our go-to recipe)

Thursday - Homemade Stir Fry

Friday - Rehearsal Dinner at The Gate House

Saturday -  Wedding!

*On Monday, I will link this post to I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Menu Plan Monday

It was a great day for football yesterday; The New England Patriots and The New York Jets both won (Mine and Corey's teams)! I'm excited about our menu this week - we've got some new dishes to try and some old favorites. I'm hoping the 60 degree weather also sticks around!  

Monday Crock Pot Cheesy Chicken

Tuesday Taco Pasta Bake (New)

Wednesday Broccoli Stuffed Chicken

Thursday Dumpling Soup (We've had this on the menu for the past 3 weeks and still haven't made it. This week I'm determined!

Friday Beer Chicken (New) - this one I'm hoping is really good. Saturday Soup and Sandwiches

Enjoy your week!

This post is linked with I'm an Organizing Junkie.

-Chelsea

Menu Plan Monday & Our Fun Weekend!

Linking up again to I'm An Organizing Junkie for Menu Plan Monday!

Sunday - Grilled Chicken, Fingerling Potatoes, Crusty Bread, and Salad

Monday - Cheeseburger Pasta (because we didn't make it last week).

Tuesday - Fantasy Football Draft Day! (Big thing for the Cashers (and my Dad, Mr. Adam)) We're having homemade pizza and snacks for later on.

Wednesday - Shake and Bake Pork Chops (With traditional Shake and Bake from the box).

Thursday - Taco Night

Friday - Game Day Beef Stew (From "A Man, A Can, and A Plan"). Pictures and Recipe to come!

Saturday - English Muffin Pizzas (I sometimes serve these with Kraft Mac & Cheese). Kid food is sometimes just so delicious and comforting.


Last Wednesday we made our trip to Pittsburgh, PA to see our favorite baseball team, The Los Angeles Dodgers. The weather was great, and they won the first day we were there. We ate delicious food at Jerome Bettis' Grille 36 , and at The Hard Rock Cafe. Next time I'll act on my Primanti Brothers craving; after burgers for lunch, I wasn't sure I could handle a sandwich topped with french fries. No, seriously, check it out: Primanti Bros.

This is us before the game last Thursday. Yes, that is a sunburn from walking to PNC Park from our restaurant.

Heinz Field, home of the Pittsburgh Steelers NFL team. As a football fan, this place was just awesome up close. Maybe you recognize this stadium, also, from The Dark Night Rises, if you're a Batman fan like me.

Pittsburgh was great, I will definitely be visiting again! Friday we took a day to rest, and Saturday my sister and I went to see Eric Church in concert.

We seriously had the best time ever. I'm sure he's amazing in any seat you have at his concerts, but from the 3rd row, he was seriously fantastic. This was during his super-popular song, Springsteen.

Remember to check out I'm An Organizing Junkie for Menu Planning and more! Hope you all had an amazing weekend, too!

Chelsea

Menu Plan Monday (Our First Official Menu Plan as "The Cashers!")

Happy Monday, friends! We're back with a menu plan - having an iPhone has seriously helped our shopping and planning habits. The Shopping List App won't plan your menu, but adding each item with its quantity, price (including tax), and having the list save the amounts so your next shopping trip you don't have to, is a lifesaver. Best $2.99 I've spent regarding grocery shopping. So, we scour Pinterest and other blogs and cookbooks, make our menu, and add the necessary ingredients and other household essentials to our list. Corey loves it for its exactness - he's the budgeter - and I love it because it keeps him happy during our shopping trips, and it helps me remember everything we need! (Not sponsored or paid for by Apple - I just love this app).

This week is a really fun week - for Corey's Master's graduation, I bought him tickets to see our favorite MLB team The Los Angeles Dodgers in Pittsburgh, and I'm so excited I've already had Corey's team shirts packed since Sunday!

So for the menu...We made a Menu board based on this photo below and the pictures of our menu board will come - we started the week on Sunday since that's when we grocery shop - so our list goes Sunday - Saturday instead of Monday - Sunday.

                                        Source: thestewartestate.blogspot.com via Chelsea on Pinterest

Sunday - Steak dinner at Chelsea's parents. (It was fantastic).
 
Monday (Today) - Cheeseburger Pasta (Easy and Delicious)!

Tuesday -

Source: the-girl-who-ate-everything.com via Chelsea on Pinterest

Wednesday -Pittsburgh - either eating out or at PNC Park for the Dodgers game!

Thursday -Pittsburgh - eating out after the Dodgers game!

Friday - Hot Dogs on the grill - that is if we don't eat hots at the ball game before Friday!

Saturday -  On your own - Chelsea and her sister are going to see Eric Church in concert!

What's your menu this week? Have you been to Pittsburgh? We'd love "good eats" recommendations!

This post is linked to I'm an Organizing Junkie for Menu Plan Monday. All photos were embedded from Pinterest; please link from the author's direct post, and not my blog. Thanks!

Chelsea

Updated: Crunchy Oven-Fried Cheese Ravioli (and good news)!

So first for the good news, I'm HIRED (pending stellar recommendations -- which I have). I'll give more details tomorrow when I have them. Let's just say I'm super excited!

...So we're all experiencing desert-like temps, I'm hardly in the cooking mood. But with a full freezer and cupboards (very grateful for that), I thought I should definitely make something at home tonight.

Here goes: Crunchy Oven-Fried Cheese Ravioli from How Sweet It Is. I know, right? So good. The update to this post will be pics and instructions, and of course, how it tastes. I'm using Wegmans brand frozen Beef Ravioli (not a ricotta fan). So - - enjoy the A/C, pool, fans, or the heat, if you're crazy a summer-lover.

*Update: July 18

Ravioli didn't happen last night. At 7pm I didn't have enough room in the sink for a strainer, so the dishes got washed and I ran to the pizza shop and bought a $1.25 ball of dough. After running into Wal-Mart, the dough was starting to warm up, so by the time I got home, we were ready to stretch the dough. We made a white pizza with regular pepperoni and 2% mozzarella. It was delicious, and it was 8pm. Sometimes dinner doesn't always go as planned, but it was delicious, and we were all happy.

Still waiting to hear on the job! : )

Chelsea

Happy (first Monday in) July! History Lesson.

As I sit on my couch drinking a Diet Coke (I know it's 10AM), watching back-to-back episodes of The Bachelorette before tonight's hometown dates, (don't you just LOVE Emily Maynard?), I thought I'd blog a bit about July 4th. Here's a non-traditional history lesson on the 4th of July. Or if this were a yearbook, let's call it "4th of July...through the years."

1776 - The Declaration of Independence is adopted by the Second Continental Congress.

1802 - In West Point, New York, the United States Military Academy opens.

1803 - The Louisiana Purchase is announced to the American people.

1804 - Nathaniel Hawthorne is born.

1817 - In Rome, New York (semi-close to Rochester) construction begins on the Erie Canal.
 (How many of you know the Erie Canal song)? We'll let The Boss teach you a lesson if you don't.

 

1826 - Thomas Jefferson, and John Adams die on the same day. (3rd and 2nd POTUS, respectively), on the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

1827 - Slavery is abolished in New York State!

1831 - "My Country 'Tis of Thee" was written for 4th of July festivities in Boston, Mass. James Monroe, 5th POTUS, dies.

1865 - Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is published. (See I told you, non-traditional, but fun-to-know facts nonetheless. Thanks, Wikipedia).

1872 - Calvin Coolidge, 30th US President, is born.

1886 - The French offer The Statue of Liberty to the United States. ( I love all the NY-related facts on here)!

1910 - Gloria Stuart (Older Rose Dawson/Rose DeWitt Bukater from Titanic) is born. 

1918 - Twin sisters "Dear Abby" and Ann Landers are born.

1939 - Lou Gherig announced his retirement from Major League Baseball.

1943 - TV Journalist Geraldo Rivera is born.

1960 - The 50-star American Flag debuts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Yay, Hawaii)!

1971 - Koko, the gorilla who learned American Sign Language, is born.

1997 - NASA's space probe, Pathfinder, lands on Mars.

2004 - The cornerstone of The Freedom Tower is laid on the site of The World Trade Center, in New York City.

2009  - The Statue of Liberty's crown re-opens for public viewing; the first time since September 11, 2001.

Corey brings an engagement ring to the July 4th Fireworks, but instead proposes exactly one week later, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at John F. Kennedy Park.

Well, thanks for sticking around for the "Fun Facts of the Fourth." We're hosting a family and friends party for roughly 14, and I'll be sharing a pulled pork recipe, photos of the fun and fireworks, and then putting my feet up on the 5th. What's everyone else doing? Enjoy the holiday, folks!