Off the Deep End?

Is it crazy that I'm seriously trying to talk my friend Haley into going with me on a trip to....




It's official, I'm one of those crazed fans, desperately wanting more of the Twilight saga! I finally finished Breaking Dawn last night. I thought it was the weirdest of the four books and that the true soul of Edward and Bella got lost in the translation. It was still pretty good though, just not as good as Book One (Twilight) and Book Three (Eclipse).
Can't wait for the film version of New Moon to come out in November and then I've read online that the film version of Eclipse is due June 2010. I know the movie does the novel no justice, but I still love "Twilight" anyway.

Completely out of my nature, I've already written the papers and done the projects that are due next week for Finals. No procrastination here, so I'm off to get back to reading the "Midnight Sun", which is Edward's version of Twilight. As expected, it's pretty good so far.

For any Twilight fans that don't know about Stephenie Meyer's personal website it's:
www.stepheniemeyer.com
It's awesome and I love reading all the chapters and story lines that were edited out of the final draft of each book.

And if you are interested in TwiCon too, you can go here for the official site.

Happy Reading!

In the Kitchen with Kebi

Here is my recipe for Enchiladas with Sour Cream Sauce.
I adapted this recipe from the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook and I really love it. It's pretty easy and super yummy.

I used ground beef in my recipe, but I'm sure chicken would work nicely. Also, according to my recipe the sauce is on the thick side, think thick cream gravy. If you'd like it a little thinner, just add some more milk. I also used the Cream of Mushroom soup and loved the addition of mushrooms.

Beef Enchiladas with Sour Cream Sauce

8 oz tub whipped cream cheese
8 oz sour cream
¾ Cup Milk
1 can Cream of Mushroom or Cream of Chicken condensed soup
1 small can chopped fire-roasted green chilies, drained
½ tsp garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste
1 lb ground beef
2 cups shredded cheese, divided
14-16 small corn tortillas


Season and brown the ground beef with some chopped onion and garlic powder. I added some Pampered Chef Southwest seasoning to the meat , but taco seasoning would work well too. Drain the beef and stir in 1 ½ cup cheese until melted through and combined. Set aside.
Heat a half inch of oil in a small pan. Lightly fry the corn tortillas to soften them and then place on paper towels to drain.

Fill tortillas with beef, roll them up, and place seam-side down in greased 13x9 inch pan.

Meanwhile, place cream cheese, sour cream, milk, green chilies and seasonings in a medium saucepan. Heat until barely simmering over medium heat, stirring constantly. (Be careful, it will burn and stick on the bottom really easily) Pour hot sauce over the enchiladas. Cover with foil and bake in a 375 degree oven 20-30 minutes or until bubbly and heated through.
Top with remaining ½ cup cheese and serve when melted.



I got sidetracked and didn't stir the sauce the whole time. It ended up burning and sticking to the bottom of my saucepan. I was just careful not to scrape the burnt portion off when I poured it over the enchiladas and the sauce tasted great. Just don't forget to stir like I did :)

Have you all tried the Rice a Roni Mexican rice? It's delicious and tastes just like rice from a good Mexican restaurant. It went perfectly with this meal.



If you try it out, be sure to let me know if you like it. Enjoy!

Spring Fever

This week has been absolutely amazing. We've had 80 degree weather every day and even a record high of 91 on Tuesday. Spring is definitely here. The fact that the forecast for the next 4 days includes an 80% chance of rain everyday proves it even further. Matt finally broke down and let my buy some hanging flower baskets of petunias for our porch. They look great but it's been so windy around here the poor things have been getting a beat down. It's pretty Springy around here and I couldn't be happier.

We've got some purple Petunias too, but these are by far my faves.

 

Tuesday afternoon I jogged for 45 minutes at the nature reserve on campus. It was so nice. There are several ponds with bridges crossing them and tons of trees and paved paths that wind through it all. It was much nicer to get outside than going up to the Rec Center and running around the indoor track. I think it's my new favorite place to exercise.

Matt's gone this weekend to Red Slough, a wildlife management reserve in about as Southeastern Oklahoma as possible. It's practically on the Texas state line. He usually has at least one weekend trip per semester. Last Fall it was six days in Arizona and New Mexico so I'm glad he's not leaving the state this time and he'll only be gone until Sunday. I decided to stay at our place instead of going back to my parent's for the weekend to get done with all of my Final Papers and Projects. Only next week of classes then Final's come up and then I'm out for the summer! This semester has definitely gone by so fast, I can't believer it's already over.

I'm usually a baby about staying here alone, but this time's not too bad. I had to lock the bedroom door last night, leave the living room lights on, and check the window and door locks (twice). But I made it through just fine. It's actually nice to be here alone and have everything quiet to get done with all of my homework.

Tonight I may get out and go to a play at the school. It' based on Shakespeare's Richard III except it centers around a woman named Rachel who murders and sleeps her way to the top. It should be interesting.

I'll have a recipe for Enchiladas with Sour Cream Sauce up sometime this week. My friend Haley and I made it for dinner last week and it's probably my new favorite dish, yum!

Hope y'all have a great weekend!

Miracle Whip Cake

I posted this recipe over on the Flirty Apron Blog and wanted to share it with all of you too. It's one of my favorite chocolate cakes. It's Miracle Whip Cake.

I know, I know, this recipe sounds funky.
I promise that you can't taste Miracle Whip in the final cake. This is one of my grandmother Nana's recipes, and is my Papa's favorite cake. The cake is not too sweet or rich but the icing really adds a sweet chocolaty punch to it. The icing's so delicious that you could just eat it with a spoon, not that I've ever done that or anything.
Hope you enjoy!

Miracle Whip Cake

Sift together into a large mixing bowl:
2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup cocoa

Add:
1 cup Miracle Whip
1 cup water
1 tsp vanilla

Mix well and pour into a greased 13x9 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Icing
Bring to a boil in a medium saucepan:
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
1/4 cup margarine or butter
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla

Cook for one minute then pour icing over warm cake.
You could also stir some nuts into the icing or sprinkle them over the cake if you like.

Stubborn as a Mule

Last night I played cowgirl.

I rode a horse for the 2nd time ever. Well, it was a mule, but that still counts as a horse right? The momma is a draft horse so this mule's back was well above my 5 foot 8 tall frame. She was big. We rode in an arena so that if I fell I'd only land on the soft dusty dirt, however, this was rather unecessary because she hardly even walked. I nudged her sides with my heels, made kissing and clicking noises, and even slapped her rear with the end of the reigns. She took about ten steps in all then went back to the railing near her other mule friend that we brought to ride too. Stubborn, of course.

It wasn't very exciting but it was fun and I got to learn how to use the reigns to turn her, make her back up, make her stop, and occasionally got to tell her to go.
A couple that we're good freinds with lives out at a ranch here in Oklahoma that's called Dry Gulch. Anyone who's from around here has probably heard of the Christmas train that they do every year. The husband, Shane, of the couple works out there as a ranch hand and he and his wife Haley live out there in a small cabin. It's kindof surreal because it's set up to look like an old 1800s western town. Everything is meticulously painted and all of the buildings have intricate woodworking detail. One of the huge lodge buildings overlooks Hudson Lake and the veiw is amazing. I love it out there, it feels like being on vacation or in some far away place. This weekend they will have the trail horses out so I'm going on Sunday for a ride on the trails, and I'm beyond excited!

I also got to see a newborn donkey that was born yesterday morning. It was ADORABLE, it had the finest, bristly hair that stuck out on end everywhere. It was so tiny too. I made buddies with one of the older donkeys too and it kept walking next to me and nuzzling me with it's nose. Being the animal lover that I am, it was a blast.

This is what the little guy looked like. Cute, huh?


Hope you all had a great weekend!

obsessEd!!!

I've been somewhat detached from anywhere or anything that doesn't involve me curled up on my sofa or in my bed with a Twilight novel ever since Sunday.

Don't worry though, I'm only mildly obsessed.

I finished Twilight and New Moon in less than 3 days, that's only slightly over 1,100 pages though.

I watched the movie last night. Twice. Once with the commentary on and was surprised at Rob Pattinson's English accent, which actually makes him even more intoxicating!

I'm so glad that last week was crammed with tests and projects because that gives me plenty of time to drool over Edward and Bella's twisted romance. I'm obviously a late bloomer to the whole Twilight phenomenon and I seriously can't believe that I've missed out on it for so long. I'm always amazed that a book, simply bound pages of printed paper, can come to life with such passion, horror, humor, and intrigue once I read it. It comes to life. I'm actually in awe of this, and often wonder what amazing journeys and experiences I'm missing out on that are bound in those books I never find time to read. I used to be an avid reader and I really do love it, the Twilight Saga has really rekindled that love for me too. I realize that I've seriously missed the feeling of letting my emotions and my imagination take me away with a good book.

I've gone through all the emotions too. Adrenaline during the passionate kissing scenes, horror through the dangerous vampire adventures, sadness during Book 2 at the heartbreak I felt so much a part of, and of course happiness and humor throughout the cheerful scenes. I've laughed, cringed with fear, and cried throughout it all.

I can't wait to see the outcome of Bella and Edward's romance, guess I'll have to get to working on book 3 tonight!

Even though the movie does no justice to the passion present in the book, I still love it. You can bet I'll be one of the crazies waiting out in line at midnight on November 27th to see "New Moon". I already can't wait!

Thanks to all who recommended the books, of course, I love them! They are amazing!

For anyone who hasn't yet become obsessEd like me, I urge you get to your nearest Barnes and Noble. Click over to amazon.com, and get the books. You won't be sorry. I promise.

I'll leave you with a bit of eye candy ;) One of my favorite scenes...

Friday Fun!

I was tagged by the lovely Whitney over at Such a Life

Here's the rules:
1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Share 7 things that people may not know about you.
3. Tag 7 people to share 7 things and link to them.
4. Let them know they have been tagged.

Well, here goes.

1. I'm a zombie.
Well, not reeally, but I have an awful habit of sleep walking and sleep talking. Mrs. Guru's post today about her husband got me thinking about my weird sleep induced reign of terror! I pretty much yell and talk in my sleep everynight and sleepwalk at least 4 or 5 nights a week and I'm always angry and hostile every time. Matt usually stays up after I go to bed so he's the brunt of my shenanigans. The scariest time was when we were both asleep and he was jolted awake when I thrust my elbow into his chest and pulled myself up on top of him. He said I was yelling and pointing my finger in his face while my eyes were wide open. He finally got me to wake up and I had no idea what was going on. He said he thought I probably would have cracked his ribs had I hit him any harder. Usually I walk to the office room where he is and crack the door open and stick my face throught the gap. Then I'll slowly open it the rest of the way and start yelling at him about my sister, the baby, or unkown people that are apparently pissing me off. He says I'm mad but my face is just a blank expression like I'm still asleep. I could go on forever with more stories, but I do think it's probably time I make an appointment with the sleep doctor, for both of our safety, lol.

2. I have freakishly long toes and can pick up just about anything with them. I know, very sexy....

3. Cedawna (pronounced sah-dawn-ah)is my middle name and was inspired by my grandpa, Don's name. My mom's a huge daddy's girl. Oh yeah, Kebi is prounced like Debbie but a 'K' in case anybody wondered. I get "Keebie", "Kaby", and "Kubby" all the time.

4. I never played sports, except for a stint doing track one spring. I was a die-hard cheerleader though. I love it! My Freshman year in high school, I probably watched Bring It On fifty times.

5. I graduated Valedictorian of my high school class. I made up my mind in middle school that I wanted to do it so I worked my butt off to get straight A's with the exception of one B. It really paid off with a full ride to college. Now I really want to graduate with honors, we'll see...

6. Shhh, I have a secret wish that I could be a Fine Arts major. I have Art Foundations One this semester as a fun elective, and I'm in love!I love getting to do fun and creative stuff for homework. It's just not me though. I want a job that's intellectually challenging and I know that I'd never be satisfied with myself if I wasn't continually learning and challenging myself. Art can just be a great hobby.

7. I like to do stuff the hard way. I don't why I'm like this, but it's a fact. I'd much rather measure, sift, and stir a from-scratch cake recipe than open a cake mix box and throw some oil, eggs and water into a bowl. I make stuff harder than necessary all the time, but for some weird reason it's pleasing to me.

Now that you know a little bit more about goofy ol' me I want to know more about you!
I tag:

Kirby at Good Gals, Inc
d.a.r at Just Another Day in Paradise
Mrs. Guru at Off the Beaten Path
Abbie at Satisfy My Soul
Lani at Triplets: Who Knew
Allison at The Displaced Texan
Mrs. Newlywed at Misadventures of a Newlywed

Have fun Ladies!

And, have a great weekend everyone! I'm babysitting my nephew Levi and my other neice Audry tonight and am so so excited. I miss them both so incredibly much and can't wait to see them. We're also having Easter dinner and an egg hunt for the kids on Saturday, maybe I can get some pics of the girls all dolled up.

Sabbatical

I've forced myself to not log on this week because I've had so much on my plate. From a Microbiology exam, a persuasive speech, a humongous pharmacology exam and an art painting project focusing on the study of tonality, I've been one busy girl!

But, everything has gone very well and I'm pretty confident that I aced everything, woohoo!

I feel like I've missed so much and really want to read all the posts I've put off reading. Hopefully, in the next few days.

I need to give a few thank you's out that are well overdue. Thanks to my partner for the Stationary Swap. She sent some great cards, pens and a really neat magnetic notepad.
Also, huge thanks to Dayna for my Tea for Two Apron swap goodies! She sent a beautiful orange, red, yellow and green teapot print apron, a beautiful Bone China teacup and saucer, some delish teas and some cupcake bath bombs. She also included some vintage handkerchiefs with gorgeous hand embroidery. I'm definitely convinced I got the best partner. Thanks Dayna so much, you really went above and beyond!

This is the apron that I made for her, it's a pink and green fabric with teapots, roses, and pink ribbons that resemble the Breast Cancer awareness ribbons. I loved that the sale of the fabric also went toward a good cause.



Speaking of breast cancer awareness, I got my prize from the "Save the Tata's" giveaway in the mail today. I love love love the black tee!



It fits perfectly and hugs curves in just the right way. I was afraid it might be too small, because let's face it, I've been "blessed" with womanly hips and often medium tops are too snug on my hips and booty, but this tee is perfect! I'd recommend it anyone interested in buying one.

My friend Haley let me borrow her copy of Twilight and I've been waiting until tonight, now that I don't have to study, to start reading it. Several friends have gotten through one book a night so I can't wait to delve into it and get to reading!

I was tagged by Whitney to do a fun survey that I'll post tomorrow.


Goodnight everyone and good morning to you gals across the pond!

Catch-Up

I was looking through my pictures file tonight and saw some beauties that I wanted to share.

I forgot to post about my niece Bailey's Birthday and include the pics of cake my sis Tarra and I made.




Here's Bailey in her ladybug birthday dress.





Here is the Bday cake we made for my nephew Levi last May on his birthday. He loved it. By the way, he picked out the tool candles with my mom so we just had to put them on the cake even though they didn't match the Spiderman theme.




In case you can't tell, we love making cakes :)

Here are someothers that I just really like and wanted to share. Because I love pictures. And I love blogging. So I really love putting the 2 together.

The Incredibly Cute Hulk!



Okay, here's the last because I'm sure you're tired of me doting on my cutie niece.

You do know that something as simple as a spoon can be this exciting, don't you?

Date Night

Last night I got home from working out at the gym and started thumbing through the cookbooks trying to find a suitable recipe for dinner. Matt surprised me when he said we could go out for dinner and to guess where???

Olive Garden! He hates Olive Garden and the only time we get to eat there is when I request it for our anniversary or my bday. It was beyond delicious. I had the Sicilian Scampi appetizer as my entree with the salad and breadsticks added on.
We also indulged in dessert. I had the Torta di Chocolae which is like a flourless chocolate lava cake nestled on a bed of sweet cream sauce. To die for! I was way too stuffed when we left but it was well worth it.


Yumm!

Tonight for dinner I'm making one of my favorite comfort food meals.
Meatloaf and Mashed Potatoes

It's really easy, moist, and delicious. Let me know if you try it out and if you like or loathe it.

Meatloaf

2 lbs of lean ground beef
1 packet Lipton brand Onion Soup Mix
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup Pace Picante Sauce
1 sleeve saltine crackers, crushed

Topping:
1/2 cup ketchup (I substituted salsa and it was delish)
1 Tbs mustard
1/2 cup brown sugar

In a small bowl beat the egg and milk
In a large gallon size Ziploc bag place the beef, onion soup mix, milk mixture, salsa and crushed crackers.
Work the mixture until it's thoroughly. Turn it out into a 13x9 baking dish and form into a loaf shape.
Mix topping ingredients in a small bowl. Spread half over the uncooked meatloaf. Cover with foil which you have cut several slits in to allow the pan to vent.
Bake at 350F for 1 hour or until done. In last 10 minutes spread remaining topping on and remove the foil.
Let set about 10 minutes before serving.

6 or 8 servings. This makes a lot so we'll have leftovers tomorrow night.

Meatloaf wouldn't be complete without a side of buttery mashed potatoes. The only thing I hate about boiling the potatoes or pasta is when it foams and bubbles out of the pot. I heard an awesome tip earlier this week to smear some butter on the pan above the water line before boiling.
It worked perfectly!
This was also the first time I used the ziploc bag and it worked perfectly as well. No hands in yucky raw meat!

Enjoy!


p.s. one of these days I'll figure out how to get the date off my pics, just don't really wanna break out the manual.