Valentine's Day 2015

Hey There Love Birds!  :)

I hope Ya'all had a good Valentine's Day!  Mine was okay.  I had hoped to be fishing, but the forecast was not favorable, so I stayed at home and cooked.  Not a bad plan B except for I hate seeing the hubby in so much pain, and then the kiddies are like caged wild animals when the weather is nasty, which makes for a challenging combo to deal with.

I let the kids eat there fav breakfast in front of the tv while watching SpongeBob toons.     

  

There ARE still a few spots in the living room that are not STICKY! :)

My toaster has found a companion-- romance at it's finest here--  Glenn got me a coffeemaker!

He was planning to get me a Keurig, but I'm more of a traditional type of gal and opted for the classic model.   Picking out coffee was a nightmare!  Who knew there were a zillion and one choices available?

I've never actually bought ground coffee for myself before!  Gasp. I know!!  Surprise, surprise-- I chose the Original Classic Roast Folgers Brand. I found an awesome mahjong coffee themed game to enjoy as well.

How have I lived all these years without a coffee maker?  I've always liked coffee, ever since I took a sip of Dad's coffee, way back when I was a kid.  Then, Mom has used coffee as a condiment for dipping cookies for as long as I can remember.  :)  On occasion, I would get me a cup and spend more time inhaling the aroma than sipping it.  I quit caffeine, a few hundred times, but recently came to the conclusion that cola is worse than coffee.  So, I broke up with cola and coffee is my Sweetheart now. ;)

Another weird thing about me is that I like spicy foods, now more than ever.  I mean, I've always liked a little heat, but now I really crave that hot sauce kick!  No clue why?!?

A Mexican dish sounded good for lunch; White Chicken Enchilada Casserole.  It's easy to make.  Start off by boiling chicken and whatever spices you like.  I used a Kickin Chicken Mixture.

Next, save the broth and slice up the chicken.  Lightly grease a dish with butter and then get ready to layer up!

Tortilla, Chicken, Cheese, Repeat!

 Stack as high as you like, or until you run out of tortillas, as I did.

Now, back to that broth.  If ya need to, measure out 2 cups of broth, (I just guesstimate).

Whisk-in three tablespoons of flour.

The sauce might not look so pretty, but stay with me here. ;)

Keep whisking and bring it to a boil. The sauce will become smooth and thick shortly after it begins to boil.

Remove sauce from heat and mix in one cup of sour cream.

Then, pour it over the layered stack.  

 

The sauce at this point is mild, but feel free to spice things up with some peppers.

 Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

It's cheesy, creamy and spicy-- YUM.

The kids even liked it, although, they didn't do peppers.

For supper, I made freshly caught Fried FISH.  Yes, I know it's weird too.  It's like I'm a completely different person!  I don't hardly ever cook fish.  More on the fish cooking adventure in the next post. :)

 

So, the weather on Valentine's Day was ridiculously windy.  We all basically hung around the house and watched the snow blow.

 

For a treat, I made Chocolate Lava Cakes from scratch--these are sooo good!

   
We did a jigsaw puzzle.  Note, the chocolate theme. :)

Chocolate!!!

 

Chocolate Lava Cakes

 Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter
4 squares semi-sweet baking chocolate
1 cup powdered sugar
2 whole eggs
2 egg yolks
6 Tablespoons flour

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place butter and baking chocolate into a large microwave-safe bowl then microwave for 1 minute, or until butter is melted, then stir until butter and chocolate are smooth. Add 1 cup powdered sugar then stir until smooth. Add eggs and egg yolks then stir until smooth. Add flour then stir until just combined.
2. Spray 4 custard cups very well with non-stick spray then place onto a baking sheet. Pour chocolate batter evenly into cups then bake for 12-13 minutes, or until the sides are set but center is still soft (not jiggly.) Let cool for 2 minutes, then invert cakes onto serving plates. Enjoy!