Snow

We have been diving into SNOW! Not here in Texas.....but in my classroom. Lucky for me it snowed on Christmas day here in the DFW so my little southern students were ready for me to teach them with a snow theme.

They have been working hard on their writing these past few weeks. I've been blog and pinterest searching for some pretty awesome ideas to include in my lesson plans.

from The First Grade Parade

Here are some of the maps and anchor charts we worked on in the beginning of January. We read the Hat and The Mitten by Jan Brett. I LOVE these two books! The Mitten is perfect for introducing pairs or counting by twos. The Hat was really cute and the kids loved how all of the animals wanted to follow along with the main character. Jan Brett's books are pretty amazing.

BIG shout out to The First Grade Parade for these wonderful charts.

The next couple of weeks were all about Penguins so look our for those posts coming soon.
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Lobster Quiche

This sounds pretty weird but trust me it is really good. Lobster is not something that I just keep in the house just to have around like toilet paper and eggs.........I actually got it on a really good sale at the local grocery story.

Here's how it went down- My mother-in-law always tells me to check the circular.....you know the papers that come in the mail weekly that highlight the adds at the local grocery stores. Well I just so happened to actually look at it and low and behold there was a sale for lobsters. Buy one get two free. Say What?!? So I made my happy little way over to the grocery store to find out that everyone and their momma heard about the sale and there were no more left. Lucky for me I got a rain check. I put them in the freezer until I could figure out how I wanted to cook them. The first was this amazing quiche.

I'm not big on measuring when I am creating things so I am just going to make some approximations for this recipe.

2 lobster tails and claw meat (discard shells)
3 artichoke hearts in oil (jar)
8 oz. spinach (excess water drained)
2 eggs
3 egg whites
1/2 c. swiss cheese
1/4 c. feta cheese
1-9 in. pie crust (I used deep dish)
1/4 stick butter
salt and pepper to taste

Turn oven to 350. Place pie crust in oven for 5 minutes to slightly brown. Remove and let cool. Chop up lobster meat, artichokes, and spinach into fine pieces. Place 1/4 stick of butter into large skillet to melt. Saute meat, artichokes, and spinach until coated and butter seems absorbed. Turn off heat and let cool. Wisk eggs together and add cheeses. Pour egg and cheese over mixture in skillet to combine. Stir together and pour into pie crust. Bake for 25 min. or until eggs set. Remove from oven and let cool slightly.

The quiche will be puffy but will fall down and cave in as it cools.  

ENJOY!!

Saturday Fun!

After we went to the Stock Show last Saturday, we went to Creative Hands and Brusters Ice Cream. These are two of my favorite places to go in Arlington. Here are some pics from both places.

Creative Hands

Ryan at Creative Hands

At Creative Hands you pick out the ceramic that you like, Ryan liked the 4-wheeler. The prices are written on the bottom of each ceramic. The staff sit you at a table and provide each painter with a paint shirt, paints, paintbrushes, glaze, and/or glitter. 

Brusters Ice Cream

      Silly Ryan 

Silly Kylie

Fort Worth Stock Show Saturday

Last weekend my mother, nephew, and niece went to the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo. We weren't originally planning on going to it....we actually wanted to go to the parade but we are really glad we made the directional mistake. This was our first time to go to the Stock Show in Texas. We have been to many in Harrisburg, Pa, where my mother is originally from. It was fun to take the kids and show them the animals up close and personal. It is really crazy how close you can get to the animals.
It was really informative and very kid friendly. I definitely recommend anyone in the DFW metroplex to check it out. I've seen some coupons on Groupon as well.

Ryan showing how cows chew. Isn't he adorable with his cowboy boots!

RAILHEAD

This food is from one of my favorite BBQ restaurants in Fort Worth. It is right down the street from the Stock Show and the line was wrapped around the building. Railhead is named one of the best BBQ spots in Fort Worth.

The prices were really good and they give a generous discount, 25%, to military, police, and fire.

This picture is the plate that I got for $9.30. It is the sliced beef dinner plate. They give you sooooo much food. Even my hungry butt couldn't finish this plate. Yes the fries were amazing! 

Birchbox: January 2013

Birchbox is a great luxury that I receive every month. Anyone who knows me knows that I love free samples and while these samples are not free.....$10 per month, I feel like the products that they put in the box are worth it. If you want to sign up click here: Birchbox. Be patient! There is a 2-3 month waiting list. They email you when it's your turn to sign up.

I signed up for Birchbox about 4 months ago. I was on the waiting list for about 2 months. I received my Birchbox on Thursday, January 10. They charge me on the first of the month and I usually receive it by the 2nd week.

The box

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This month was pretty nice. It was called The Best Year Ever. They wanted to include some things to bring in the new year and "maximize your individual happiness"

They care....they really care

Here are all of the wonderful goodies for the month. The really try to pack it in there.

GOODIES!!! 

Oscar Blandi pronto

Dry Styling Heat Protect Spray

Eyeko 

Skinny Mini Liquid Liner 

black 

Oscar Blandi 

Hair Lift

Embryolisse 

Lait-Creme Concentre

Viva La Juicy 

Perfume

There was also a poster to highlight 25 ways to be fabulous. I already am so that was my least favorite....JK.....not really though.

The complete package 

I really enjoy getting this in the mail each month. Along with the magazines I receive and the bills, I feel a little more like a grown-up.

BG Time: Cooking Class

Sunday is the day that I attend the Williams-Sonoma cooking classes. I really enjoy them and you get to try new food for free. Why not!

This Sunday it was all about eating raw foods. I know it sounds kind of gross different, but it was really great! We had a fennel and blood orange salad over mixed greens, a zucchini and tomato dish that was delish, a banana and walnut dessert, and a melon drink from a juicer. Here are the pics. 

Associate prepping the fennel and blood orange salad

Zucchini and tomato dish

The fennel salad was gone quickly, but there was a lot of the zucchini and banana left.....It all depends on who is serving the plates.

BG Time: Cooking

Whenever my mother-in-law (GG) and I get together we cook. It is something that we both have a passion for. We will sit up until 2:00 a.m. watching cooking shows, picking through how food is prepped, cooked, and presented. This weekend we decided to cook three things; chicken and vegetable soup, carrot cake, and granola bars.

I have been watching The Pioneer Woman on the Food Network. I have come to realize that while I would never live on a farm......I would definitely live in her kitchen! Her food is gooooood and she definitely knows how to season her foods right. She cooks for her family and really enjoys doing it...my kind of woman. She recently had a show called "Horsing Around" where she showcased her carrot cake and granola bars. I could not wait to make them.

Carrot Cake
from The Pioneer Woman

Cake:

• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 4 whole eggs
• 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups grated carrots
• Butter, for greasing

Icing:

• 1 stick butter, softened
• 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
• 1 pound powdered sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup pecans, chopped finely

Directions

For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Mix together the granulated sugar, oil and eggs in a large bowl. In another bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture and combine. Then add the carrots and mix well. Pour the batter into a greased and floured Bundt pan and bake until done, about 50 minutes. Leave to cool completely.
Meanwhile, for the icing: In a larger bowl, cream the butter and cream cheese together. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and blend. Then mix in the pecans. Spread the icing on the cooled carrot cake.
Eat. Faint. Repeat as needed. 

This cake is so moist and delicious. The icing is what makes it. I made it on Saturday and today, Sunday, it is gone! 

BG Time: Shopping

I will admit that I have a slight shopping problem. I really cannot control myself. There are things that people put in stores to taunt me.......

Dillards is by far one of my most favorite places to go home goods shopping. I am not a big fan of clothing shopping there, its just something about how the clothes are all over the place and you can go from country girl to rocker in two steps. I have a certain style and I like to shop at only a few select stores......Banana Republic....DUH!

BTW: I am extremely upset about Banana Republic being closed down in my nearest mall. I will have to drive almost 30 miles to get to the closest one. What's wrong with these people? Don't they understand that that is MY store!

I digress.. What did make me happy was the awesome steal that my mother-in-law and I got at Dillards. We went to one mall and they had all of their Christmas decor on sale for $1.99. They didn't really have a great selection so we paid it no mind. We decided to leave and go to another Dillards (she shares my same passion for home goods at Dillards) just to see if they offered any thing else. WELL......as we were walking past the Christmas decor we noticed a few Vera Bradley pieces along with some really expensive Christmas ornaments. The prices were not $1.99 though. They were MUCH higher.  BING......Shopping brains are working.......If the other Dillards are selling their Christmas stuff for so cheap then we need to speak to the manager (much to the salespersons demise). We explained while smiling and batting our eyes and he agreed to let us have the stuff for $1.99. Vera Bradley Christmas Ornaments orig. $30.00 for $1.99 and Waterford Crystal Ornaments orig. $75.00 for $1.99. How Fabulous!         

 

These make great Christmas gifts! 

Later we bought out the entire Christmas section shopped for the Lenox Chirp bath set. I am obsessed with Lenox's Chirp Line. It is so dainty and beautiful. I really want to do my guest bath and half bath in their bath line. Dillards is discontinuing it so it was just our luck. 

Unfortunately, we only found a few of the pieces that day. My mother-in-law is also decorating with the same line. She is going with a Tiffany Blue theme for the walls. She love me!

What a Weekend!

My mother-in-law and sister-in-law came to visit this weekend. They came on a Thursday and stayed until Sunday. I really enjoy when they come because it is extra girl time! Here is a breakdown of what we did while they were here:

Thursday: Stayed up watching all of our favorite shows, especially Scandal....LOVE!
Friday: Galleria Dallas Shopping, wine
Saturday: More shopping, LOTS of cooking, and plenty of wine
Sunday: Williams Sonoma cooking class, brunch at Central Market, and more shopping!

Clearly you can tell what we like to do....

This post would be wayyyy too long if I posted all of the pics and info of what we did. I'll label each of the posts BG Time:_______________. Enjoy!

Shrimp Scampi and Tilapia

I LOVE to cook. I married a southern man and he is used to having home cooked meals every night....Thanks mother-in-law! ;-). He likes that his wife cooks and I love to cook so......Perfect Match.

Tonight I made Shrimp Scampi and Tilapia. It was super easy and took me no more than 20 minutes. I got the recipe for the shrimp scampi from pinterest and the tilapia is just something that I easily make with different seasonings. I added some pasta and Voila! Dinner is served.

Baked Tilapia

4 fresh tilapia fillets
1 tbsp. Old Bay seasoning
1 tbsp. Herbs de Provence
2 tbsp. olive oil (I used Gazebo Room Greek Dressing instead)

Gazebo Room Greek Dressing

If you have never heard of this dressing.....GET IT NOW! It is wonderful and everyone I introduce it to falls in love! Click on the link and it will take you to the website.....turn the volume up 'cause there's a jingle to go along with the dressing!  I couldn't make this stuff up.

Preheat oven to 350. Wash and pat dry tilapia with paper towel. Place in baking dish. In a small bowl combine seasonings and pour over tilapia. Place in oven, uncovered, and bake for 20-30 minutes or until fish flakes with a fork.


 Shrimp Scampi:

Melt a stick of butter in the pan. Slice one lemon and layer it on top of the butter. Put down 1 lb. fresh shrimp, then sprinkle one pack of dried Italian seasoning. Put in the oven and bake at 350 for 15 min. Best Shrimp you will EVER taste:)

I boiled some spaghetti noodles and added it to the pan of shrimp once they came out of the oven. I mixed it around and took out the lemons. They can sometimes become overbearing in food. I topped it off with some tomato basal feta cheese on my plate only. 

Athenos Feta Cheese

This was soooooo yummy! Definitely not something for the dieters out there but it's ok to splurge every now and then. Everything in moderation right? Tell that to the Tastykake I ate today.

Kids say the darndest things..

I teach 1st grade, and I love it soooooooo much! Those little ones are super sweet and they love their teacher (ME!) 

Every morning we have meeting time and they can tell me/share with the class one thing. Well this morning was super funny. My little students believe in Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, etc. In 1st grade they also lose a lot of teeth, which leads them to believe that the Tooth Fairy visits them. They all share every time someone loses a tooth and how much the Tooth Fairy brought them.

I swear next year I am going to keep tabs on this by creating a chart.
(mental note)

Well one of my sweet babies lost his tooth the other day. He came in the next day during morning meeting and said that he put his tooth under his pillow and the next morning it was still there. I told him not to fret. Sometimes the Tooth Fairy gets really busy because a ton of 1st graders lose their teeth and she can't always make it to everyone's house. He smiled and another student chimed in and said the same thing happened to him. The next day he came in and wanted to be the first one to share in morning meeting. He was really excited because the Tooth Fairy came last night and put $20 under his pillow. Gotta love that parent Tooth Fairy guilt! I was cracking up laughing. I could totally see myself doing the same thing!

Put a ring on it!

Everybody knows (in my Phaedra Parks voice) that I love, love, love all of the Real Housewives shows. It's a guilty pleasure. I even tried to not watch RHOMiami. I found myself DVR'ing every episode to watch back to back at a later date. I just can't help myself. The first season of Miami was kind of annoying slow but with the new people they added it made it more interesting. #MamaElsa

My favorite, and I believe most popular, is the Real Housewives of Atlanta. Hands down... NeNe makes the show. Her interview comments have me rolling and pressing the instant replay button to laugh even louder. Kenya of course looks ridiculous and Walter is playing her for a fool. Though they say she paid him to be her boyfriend for the show....she needs a refund ASAP. He is the worst. She needs to dump him, have a baby on her own, and be a strong black woman. UGH! She's too old for all this. She stayed quiet for all that time and out of the mainstream limelight. She makes this big appearance on RHOA and BOOM! She's wack.

This is exactly what Kenya needs to do to Walter:

At least my girl NeNe got it right. Well RHOBH is on tomorrow night along with Vanderpump rules....Get excited!

Cooking Day

Today I had the wonderful opportunity to take a cooking class at Williams-Sonoma. Anyone can go, all you need to do is sign up on the Williams-Sonoma website. I went with my Mom, sister-in-law, and friend. It was a fun girls day. The chef prepared two yummy recipes with many of the ingredients that are located in the store. To start we had a ginger and carrot soup, which was heated using the super Vitamix blender. Man, those things are AWESOME, but I feel like I would have to give my first born just to own one. Apparently the soup did not need to be heated because the blender already heats it for you while it is blending......I told you AWESOME! The next meal was a tofu and broccoli stir-fry with a lemon and peppercorn simmer sauce.  I am not a huge fan of tofu so I probably would have added chicken or shrimp instead. Tofu just seems a little weird to me. What can I say I'm a carnivore.......don't judge. The last meal was a lentil and kale mix. This was really good. The lentils were prepared/boiled with thyme and whole garlic cloves. They had a really good taste to them and I think I want to start preparing them this way. They were then sauteed with carrots and onions, adding kale after to slightly wilt. To top it off she added prosciutto. Now were talking! We all really enjoyed the cooking class and hope to go again soon. They usually have the classes on Sunday's, 1-2 hours before the store opens. I suggest trying it out but don't expect huge portions. I think they gave us one piece of tofu and one piece of broccoli, a small scoop of lentil mix, and a small cup of carrot soup. It was free so beggars can't be choosy! 

XOXO
Lovely's Girl