Skinny Lasgana

Hello y'all!

 Here is your Southern girl take on lasagna rolls!

I went ahead and copied some of the ingredients for you:

Lasagna noodles
15OZ Ricotta
1 Cup Mozzarella
1/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese
1 Large Egg
10OZ Frozen Spinach
Marinara Sauce
Salt & Pepper
Non stick spray

I got this recipe from Pinterest (duh)! I will post the link after.. But overall the recipe was good! I was feeling like lasagna but was not wanting all the meat so that's why I went with a vegetarian lasagna.. Sometimes the meat is just too much for me.

I got almost all my items from Aldi.. If you have read any of my other posts you will know I shop I at Aldi a lot because it's cheaper.

1. Cook the pasta in a large bowl, add either olive oil or salt which ever you desire. Then once done cooking drain; be careful it does not rip... Once drained I laid them out flat.
2. While the noodles were cooking I started on the filling.. I cooked the spinach.. and added mushrooms and onions to mine.

   3. At this point you want to set the oven to 400 degrees... This is also where the non stick spray comes in effect. So spray your pan now :)
4. On a dry surface lay out the noodles and finish preparing your "guts"

5. The filling looks yummy I KNOW!
6. Lay the noodles out fill them each with filling... whatever you feel is appropriate.
7. Put the noodles in a cooking pan.. Put your red sauce on top! And there you go! you made some lasagna rolls!

 

Mine turned out very yummy! Let me know how yours turned out!

Let Go

Have you ever listened to a song from your past and it gives you "the feelings"? Or if you close your eyes you can almost see the past memories and get goose bumps just thinking about it? Yeah we all have those songs. I'm lucky enough to have a few. Basically the whole soundtrack from Garden State does that for me.

I was listening to Adele radio on Pandora earlier in the week and "Let Go" by Frou Frou came on. I haven't heard that song in a good few years. So it really took me back on that rainy afternoon. I was driving so I couldn't really just close my eyes and see the images but I had many flash backs. It's funny how much things change from when you are 16 or 17. I felt so alive. Recently my sister that in high school said to me.... "You are Brooke Davis and i'm Haley James." Which is a One Tree Hill reference (we are rewatching on Netflix right now). I used to wish I never ventured out as much as I did... But now I am thankful. I am thankful for the memories I have made and the people I have met along the way.

When I close my eyes and think of the time of my life that "Let Go" remind me of I see a lot of my friend Porter (who has now passed... I hopefully one day will have the words to write about that). I can still see our group of friends... Me, Porter, Evan, Blake, Wells... a few others. Nights of me staying out too late and doing things I shouldn't of been doing... Or even nights just sitting on Porter's porch talking about our hopes and dreams. It takes me back to video broadcasting when we had to edit videos and the soundtrack was playing in the backgrounds... A time so simple and I didn't even know it.

Another one to take me back is Taking Back Sunday.. It was the coolest "punk" band at the time.. I dated this guy Freshman year of high school. Every time I hear it feelings from that time in my life start rushing back to me. It felt like young love, yet when I hear the songs it didn't feel like young love. He moved away and I haven't really talked to him since. I will forever keep that one close to my heart.

Cashing Cars by Snow Patrol is another one... that one reminds me of the time I looked over  at my high school sweetheart an I wondered if I would ever love him the way the song talked about, and well it turned out I loved him even more than the song talked about. And this one deserves their own post.

More than anything I am thankful so many songs take me to back to so many great memories. I think maybe I get taken back to high school so much because that's where I have learned the most life lessons in my life. That's the time that I had the best friends in my life. I had the best memories. My first time falling in love. The first time I thought I was in love. The time I learned some of my life's toughest trials. I was the most alive. I love Porter for that. He always made sure I was alive and really loving my life. Even if I wasn't with him. He was one of my greatest friends of all.

For anyone reading this there are many songs and people i'm forgetting to mention. There is this one person that song's remind me of him but we never got enough in person time to really have a specific song to make me feel him... I have songs that I listen to that remind me of him... But not really any that give me the feeling because we never shared a song in person together. And I hate that.


What song's give you "the feeling"?

Bride to Be

It's that time of year! Wedding season! I have two engagement parties at the same time the same exact day, go figure.One of which is for one of my sweet friends from high school Madelyn. I met the bride and groom both around the same time.. We all worked at Beef- O-Brady's together.. Just a fun/miserable time of my life. I made life long friends and basically no money. But at least I got some wonderful memories out of the job! I really wasn't sure what you give as an engagement gift... as I have never really been to an engagement party before. So I brainstormed and the couple already lives together... and basically has  everything they could want... plus let's be real they are going to have a few showers in the future and they will get whatever they don't already have. So I decided to make something for the bride! I always see all these cute gift baskets so I thought it would be a good time to try my hand at one.. and I must say I was pretty happy with the way it turned out! And it wasn't too expensive either! All together I think I spent $22.98... so $23.00! Not too shabby if you ask me.

Ok, now let's get to good stuff!

Here is what I put in the basket:

The basket was from Marshalls : $9.99
Champagne glasses Dollar Store: $1.00
Ring Pops Dollar Store: $1.00
Thank you cards Dollar Store: $1.00
Mason Jar mug Marshalls: $1.99
Note book Walmart: 3.99
The Knot magazine Walmart: $4.99
Wine bottle not shown Trader Joes: $2.99

Ok so the total came out to be $26.95 not too bad! I wrapped the notebook and magazine together with some hemp string I already had. 

and I tied the ring pops together and wrote "Because he put a ring on it"

And here was the finished outcome

I was happy with the outcome of the basket! I think the bride was too! So it was a win and I will probably another basket in my near future!!

Paula Deen's Beef Stroganoff

Hello--

I feel like every time I make a post lately it's about how i'm sorry I am not a better blogging. Maybe if I knew anyone read it I would be more likely to keep up.. Anyways-- What's going on in my world is that all I do with my TV time now is watching Food Network Channel. I have been really into the Pioneer Woman... but I actually didn't really like her Beef Stroganoff recipe... So I found Paula Deens... Maybe I was over critical... or expecting something amazing.. my audience enjoyed it more than I did. I would make it again but probably try a different one before I made this one again.

Ingredients needed:

1 1/2 pounds cubed round steak,
Calls for house seasoning
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, sliced
8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 (10 3/4ounce) can beef broth
1 (10 3/4 ounce) can cream f mushroom soup
salt and black pepper
1 cup sour cream
cooked egg noodles

I bought my beef steak strips from Publix (it's the only thing I bought from Publix) I believe I got it for under $7.00. There was a house seasoning Paula made and it consisted of (1 cup salt, 1/4 cup black pepper, & 1/4 cup garlic powder) I didn't use it. I placed the steak in a wooden bowl added salt, pepper, and minced garlic that was in a jar, about two table spoons of that and a generous portion of salt & pepper. I let it sit for a few hours in the refrigerator until I was ready to cook. Before I started cooking the meat I chopped up some onions ( I got 6 for $1.50 at Aldi, along with mushrooms) I chop everything before hand and then started the skillet.

I place the meat in the skillet I put the olive oil in and the butter, throw the meat in add a few sprinkles of flour to the mix; I brown them on both sides( I think next time I will leave them more pink).

 

Once brown I take off put on a plate set aside. I put the onions and mushrooms (both chopped) back into the skillet, with the beef "fat", cook them until tender I added a few sprinkles of flour to this mix. I then added the meat back in, then added the mushroom soup and beef broth, I left on 2-3 heat for 30 minutes; added salt and pepper along the way.

This is how it looked 15 minutes into cooking to give an idea

I let simmer for 30 minutes, but I start warming the water at 10 minutes and put the noodles in at about 20 minutes; When I put the noodles in I put the sour cream in the sauce. When I first saw the sauce I thought it was too liquidey but it was perfect for the noodles. I make sure everything is mixed together perfectly. drain the noodles and everything was ready to go!

Put the noodles in a bowl and add the sauce! Of course I poured myself a glass of wine!

 

I would make it again but i'm not totally sold on the recipe!

 

Here is the actual recipe if you would like to try it!

 

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/beef-stroganoff-recipe.html

 

Thanks for stopping by! 

 

 

 

Turning 25

As my birthday approaches it has made me think a lot more about my life. It's scary to think I am entering my mid 20's... When the heck did that happen? I feel like I have accomplished nothing... But I did look back and think 24 might have been my best year yet. I learned a lot about life, love, and things I'm looking for in life.I have always been one that has wanted to travel and see things... For the first time in my life I can actually say that I went places other then Disney. I hadn't been on an air plane since I was 9 and I flew 3 different times this year! I flew to Tampa in May to see Gio, Chicago to run a half marathon I ended up not running, and to Disney to see my mom run what's called the Dopey Challenge. It was a crazy and exciting year! I lost one of my best friends tragically, got through one my of hardest time thus far, and made new friends.

As a little girl I always thought by 25 I would have a great job, a beautiful husband, kids, and a wonderful life.

My reality::: I have a mediocre job that barely supports my bills or my lifestyle. no degree, a pretty beautiful boyfriend, I don't even want kids, and I do have a pretty wonderful life regardless of the money situation.

I just always thought when I was 25 I would have my whole life figured out and it would be great! Things are different then I ever imagined but I'm ok with that.. Not saying i'm not hitting a quarter life crisis and fully regret turning 25.. but if it is anything like year 24 I think I will be ok.

Let's recap year 24 since I was not all that great with keeping up with my blog.

I met a guy in Florida Feb 2014 that I connected with immediately.. I spent a month talking to him over the phone for hours every night. Y'all I was seriously ready to move down there for this guy, I REALLY liked him. I went down to Florida for my Birthday March 2014 to go visit him for not even 24 hours... I was still ready to move.. April 2014 I lost my license due to a DUI (that I got Nov 2013) for 3 months... 3 months of hell. I kept on with my relationship with Florida boy.. Flew to Tampa the last weekend in April realized our short awesome little relationship was over (I will go into detail at a later blog post). The next day I got back and I had red roses waiting for me from someone else (I have never been sent flowers to work before). May I very unexpectedly met a guy through a mutual friend that I very quickly fell for (I know I sound like I love every guy I come into contact with). We hung out for a few months, nothing serious and even more so it didn't go anywhere. I then met my now boyfriend in September.. Things just really took off with us and things are moving pretty serious with us I would say. Along the way I went to a few concerts over the summer, went to the beach in June with Granddaddy and Sarah, ran the Peachtree Road Race in July, September went to Chicago & Music Midtown, October went to Nashville, and the last couple of months went to Disney, and Feb completed my second half marathon, and here I am now... March 2015 going to the beach with Olivia to bring in turning 25.I'd say year 24 wasn't too bad. Stay tuned for what 25 has in store for me... if anyone is even still reading this.

XOXO-- Andie

It's been too long

Wow has it been a while... I'v been a bad blogger the last year... But here goes nothing!

It's that time again.. The time to start packing my tiara because, I'm going to Disney World for the Princess Half Marathon 2015! A lot has happened since my trip last year, in some ways I feel like a completely different person. Last year when I went I was completely trained, I went for 10 long days, went to St. Pete,Longboat Key, and Disney. I had the most amazing trip ever!! This year i'm feeling a little down. Don't get me wrong i'm still excited but there was nothing that could compare to my 2014 trip.

Like I said a lot has happened since this February and last February. My sweet friend Porter that I went to go see last year? Well he passed away. That is a different story for a different blog post. Last year when I was visiting Porter I happen to meet this incredible guy randomly. The "relationship" was sweet and short, we will just leave it at that. I cherish the memories I spent with him, the long hours on the phone, the couple times I went down to Florida to see him. I can say he opened my eyes a lot and he did teach me a lot. I really do cherish those memories. Last year I was so excited for the race I couldn't take it.. This year I'm just feeling very mehhh about it. I have not trained... pretty much at all. I ran a 15K about a month ago and I have ran on the tread mill a few times. But let's be honest here I am in no condition to run 13 miles. But ready or not it's coming! I'm going as Belle this year.. I'm hoping the costume will come out cute!

When I think about the last year and how much it has changed I don't know weather to smile or cry. Maybe in a post coming up I will talk more about all the changes that happened. but for now I'll just leave it like this. I'm still excited to get down to Disney! I will do a post when I get back letting everyone know if I finished successfully or if I was hanging with the Balloon ladies!

Princess Half Marathon--- I'm comin for ya!!