30 Day Shred - Day 1

Well, I just finished my first workout of "The 30 Day Shred" and I'm feeling a bit tired, but motivated. Mack was my coach, pushing me through. I know I'll be sore tomorrow, but I have 30 days before our vacation and I want to be able to show my abs in my swim suit. OK, so it's just Mammoth, but still, it is for my own personal goal to lose some weight and get fit. Heres to healthy............

Create your own iPhone ringtone

If you want a customized ring-tone for your iPhone,

Try this....

if I can do it, so can you!

For Mac users: 

1. Open iTunes select the file/song that you want for make a ring-tone.
2. Control Click on the song, select Get Info, select Options.
3. Edit the Start and Stop times to be the 30 seconds (or less) segment that you want as the ring-tone, click OK.
4. With the song still highlighted, Click on the Advanced Menu, and select Create AAC Version. (This will create what looks like a copy of the original song, but note the length of time, it should be 30 seconds or less. It will have the same name as the original and will show up BELOW the original.)
5. Select the new file and drag it to the desktop. Click on the title to edit it. Change the extension from .m4a to .m4r (This makes it a ring-tone.)
6. Back in iTunes, delete the duplicate file that you created that was only 30 seconds or less, as well as change the start and stop times back on the original song.
7. Now drag the ring-tone from the desktop into your iTunes library, and it should now show up in the ring-tones section.
8. Finally Sync your iPhone and you are done!

PC Users:

Same as above, except in step 2, you will right click to get the menu to change the start & stop time.

Good Luck and have fun creating your own iPhone ring-tones!

It's Friday during Lent

It's Friday during Lent......What is your family eating?

If you are like my family we are tried already of cheese pizza and grilled cheese, and Filet-O-Fish won't be consumed by some of us. So picky eaters, here you go!

Lent is a time of year when feeding the family can get really interesting, because some of us don't like fish, and staying healthy is always a concern. I saw this recipe for Macaroni & Cheese on the Food Network and made some modifications and it was a huge meal that was perfect for my brood....

If you want the comfort of a home baked meal BUT are really busy,

Try this easy Mac & Cheese....

if I can do it, so can you!

Here the link to the actual recipe, but in this post I'll add my "chef's notes." Please note that I have corrected the errors on the online recipe as well as posted my modifications.

Ingredients

• Salt
• 1 pound elbow macaroni
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups milk
• 1 cup fresh bread crumbs   *I suggest Panko for a crispier topping
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves
• 1 tablespoon canola oil  *You can use EVOO 
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 (8-ounce) block Cheddar, grated  *I would add 4oz of Gruyere in addition to what is listed here.
• 1/2 cup cottage cheese
• Freshly cracked black pepper
• Cooking spray

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium heat. Add the macaroni and cook until slightly underdone, or very al dente, about 7 minutes. Drain the pasta and return it to the pot.
3. In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and stir in the flour. Cook, stirring constantly, until the roux turns a very pale golden color. Add the milk and whisk well to remove any lumps. Bring to a simmer over low heat.
4. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together the bread crumbs, (or panko) 1/4 cup of Parmesan, parsley and canola oil. Reserve.
5. Add the paprika, the 8 ounces of Cheddar, the cottage cheese the Gruyere, and salt and pepper, to taste, into the milk mixture. Pour the cheese sauce over the pasta and stir to combine.
6. Spray a 9 by 13-inch ovenproof baking dish with cooking spray. Pour in the macaroni and cheese and spread it evenly in the pan. Sprinkle with the bread crumb mixture and bake for about 30 minutes until the bread crumbs are toasted and golden.

 

I also choose to sprinkle Cheddar over the top, (see photo.)

This was a hit and a great Lenten Friday meal.

Peanut Butter Filled - Chocolate Sandwich Cookies

Here is the scoop on these YUMMY cookies. My toddler son was recently very sick and instead of putting him in the hospital, his pediatrician and nurse practitioner, saw him 5 out of 7 days at the office, even on the weekend. I wanted to show my thanks to them by baking something from the heart....this seemed like just the thing! I pulled it out of Rachel Ray's Magazine, and it was super easy. They loved them!

If you want to be a hero BUT are really busy, make a batch of these....

if I can do it, so can you!

Here the link to the actual recipe, but in this post I'll add my "chef's notes."



Peanut Butter-Stuffed Milk Chocolate Sandwich Cookies
Makes: 8
Prep + Bake: 1hr or less
----------------------------------------

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups (15 ounces) milk chocolate chips
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. In a medium, microwavable bowl, melt together 2 cups chocolate chips and 2 tablespoons butter on medium power until almost melted, about 1 1/2 minutes; stir just until smooth.**Shannon's Note: Don't melt the chocolate until AFTER you have mixed the sugar/egg mixture below. I'll mark it for you.**
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Using an electric mixer, beat together the eggs, granulated sugar and vanilla at high speed until thickened and fluffy, about 5 minutes. **While beating this mixture, melt the chocolate, and get it ready to mix in here.** Mix in the melted chocolate at medium speed; whisk in the flour mixture. Stir in the remaining 1/2 cup chocolate chips. Refrigerate the dough until firm enough to scoop, but still soft, 10 to 15 minutes.
3. Onto each prepared pan, drop 12 rounded tablespoons of dough 2 inches apart. Bake, switching and rotating the pans halfway through baking, until the cookies appear bubbly and still soft, about 15 minutes. Let cool completely.*I put on a cooling rack.*
4. In a medium bowl, beat together the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and the peanut butter. Sift in the confectioners’ sugar and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt; beat until fluffy. On the flat side of each of 8 cookies, spread about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the peanut butter mixture; sandwich with the remaining cookies.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

My cookies were not as flat as the ones in the magazine, (see photo) I think I should have made sure that they were really "rounded." Also, you will have extra cookies after you cream the 8, JUST EAT 'EM! You could also just make another batch of the cream and make more sandwiches The magazine had a "tip: Use the peanut butter filling between your favorite chocolate chip or sugar cookies."

Bake like a professional with this easy recipe.

What is this all about?

As of lately I have been feeling the need to document some things I've done. These events are by no means monumental, but to me they are meaningful. I decided that I could write about some of them here and let you (whoever might read this) that if I can do these things, then so can you. What are you talking about? Is what you might be thinking, well for example, I recently have been baking and cooking more than I ever have in my life. As my family will attest, this is silly because I am not really the "cooking type." I married the cook! But due to recent household changes, I am now home and watching way too much Food Network, and so I set out on a personal journey that hopefully will make me a more well rounded person as well as a better cook....

Personal Journey. Yes. I have defined this chapter of my life as a personal journey. In this blog I might discuss anything from parenting a teenager, a preteen, and a toddler at the same time, to cooking, to marriage to money to the weather. It's all about my personal journey.

I hope to not let you (whoever decides to read this) down, and I hope you enjoy the highlights of my journey...