Meet the Royal Family

Meet My Prince Charming

DH(Dear Hubby) He is the love of my life, my best friend. We are polar opposites on everything that doesn't matter. I like strawberry preserves, he likes grape jelly. I like like miracle whip, he likes mayo. I like cool whip, he likes whipped cream in a can. I love chocolate he loves candy like gummy worms. However, where it counts he is the one who completes me (I know, can we say "cheeeeesy") But it is true. He is my protector and friend and loves God with all of his heart. He keeps me accountable when all I want to do is be a "B" woman he holds me to a higher standard. He is the head of our household (although I am the neck and sometimes can turn the head in the direction I want...lol) and makes me want to be a better person and live up to the standards we try to live by. He is gentle and kind and the most amazing father I could have ever hoped for my kids to have. I thank God for him every day (well, sometimes I don't, you know how that goes if you're married..but deep down I am always thankful for him.) He is amazing!

Meet Princess8

 This is Princess8. She amazes me every day. I look at her and see such a sweet, kind and caring person. She is loyal and honest and truly cares about others and can empathize with people and put others first, almost to a fault. She is super smart and loves the color purple. She loves to read and loves American Girl.

Meet Princess5

Here is Princess5. She is my little Diva. She loves all think pink and princess. She wears skirts as often as she can and I will let her. Her favorite books are Pinkalicious and Fancy Nancy. She loves to color and draws the most amazingly detailed pictures that would blow anyone away to see a 5 year old do. She's my little princess and I am so blessed to be her mother.

Meet Princess2 

Here's my little Princess2. Isn't she sweet? This little girl is who made our family finally complete. She loves to be girly and has a mind of her own. She is an independent little thing who tries to keep up with her big sisters. However, she has really been the easiest of the three for me and her dad because all we have to do is give her a 'look' and she does what we want. She is a little sensitive and LOVES her Mommy. I love her too and am so glad God sent her into our lives.

Just love this pic! 

More About me and Why the "Princess"

Over the last 11+ years of marital bliss (ha ha), I have developed a knack for the culinary arts. My old next door neighbor, who is a chef, says I'm what the formally educated food experts call a "foodie". I am a self taught, or should I say Web/Food Network/cookbook taught chef. (I also learned a lot from my Momma, who taught me all about cooking from scratch, and is a pretty good cook herself). I love to bake and cook and am a canned food snob. Yes I still use canned goods if I must, with my crazy busy life, but I try my hardest to avoid recipes that are not mostly homemade. [Canned tomatoes are alright:)]Stick with me on this journey and I will share many of my own creations as well as my tried and true recipes from food favorites like Paula Deen and Giada or my personal collaborations.

Additionally, I love to sew, crochet and knit. Pretty much anything crafty (although I'm not a big fan of counted cross-stitch...don't have the patience). I'm a beginner in many respects for these areas but I can follow a pattern, and if I get stuck...I go to my good old trusty teacher...Mr. YouTube...who always gets me out of a jam. This artistic quality, I must attribute to my Dad and my Grandma Ethyl who are two of the most artistic creative people I know, so it must be in my genes. :)

Furthermore, I am an outdoorsy girl and a DIYer. I love camping, and gardening (although I am a novice) and learning how to do things myself. I love being a mom and wife and learn so much every day and will share many of my nuggets of wisdom with you.

Why the "Princess"? Well, for a couple reasons. First, to just be silly....I AM a female after all...and don't we all act like princesses anyway? I mean, we usually want to have our way and everyone is supposed to follow suit. From the time we're little girls we pretend to be princesses, and boys... nothing changes when we are women either...just ask my DH...so get used to it. ;-)
However, on a more serious note, the second reason for the self-title of 'Princess' is because I AM one. No I'm not being snarky... but for real...I am a believer in Jesus, so I am the Daughter of the King of Kings, right??! Well...what's the daughter of a king? A Princess..duh...;-) It's taken me years of personal growth through reading God's Word and many books to really understand WHO I am as well as WHOSE I am . This road of figuring out my self worth and how special I really am through God's eyes has not been an easy one or a short one. Neither has my journey been perfect. Contrary to what I portray, I am highly flawed (though I try to come off like I am not) I have struggles just like the rest and need a Savior more today than ever. So my suggestion to you is..if you have a hard time realizing your worth, I encourage you to read what God says about you in His Word and if you'd like some great book suggestions to help this journey please ask...and know that YOU are a Princess too (if you're a girl;) )

So...will you join me on my continued pursuits in becoming a domestic goddess, the gal who can bring home the bacon and fry it up in the pan...(although I don't bring home a LOT of the bacon..ha ha)...but I can do pretty much anything I put my mind to. [That must be the Croswait stubbornness in me..] Let's get started!

P.S..Did I mention I love the Phillies?! :) AND FYI I am a college student again..so my crazy busy schedule means my blog isn't always consistently updated...it's usually either Feast or Famine....sorry :)

Multi-Grain Bread

Adapted from this Cooks.com Recipe 

2 c. water
3/4 c. multigrain cereal (may substitute oatmeal instead)
1 tbsp. butter
1/3 c. molasses (I used syrup)
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 c. lukewarm water
1 pkg. yeast
4 1/2 c. (approximately) all-purpose flour (I used bread flour)

Ok, so...I've been looking for a multi-grain bread recipe ever since I started getting Panera Bread's whole grain bread rolls. They are soo delicious! So, I came across this recipe and thought I'd try it. It's not like Panera Bread's recipe, however, it's really good besides. I didn't follow the recipe exact, but here's how I did it...

1. Combine 2 cups water and cereal; bring to boil, stirring frequently. Reduce heat and simmer for about 5 minutes or until slightly thickened. Remove from heat and stir in butter until melted, then molasses (I actually ran out, normally I have that in my pantry, but since I've been making my own BBQ sauce, I forgot that I used it all up, and mid recipe, this is all I had on hand) and salt. Let cool completely.

 

 2. Dissolve sugar and yeast in warm water and let stand for 10 minutes or until frothy.

3. In large bowl, combine yeast mixture with cereal mixture.

4. Using wooden spoon, gradually beat in enough of the flour to make stiff dough. Here, I used bread flour instead of all-purpose flour. I had actually intended to use half bread flour and half whole wheat flour, however, it's been quite awhile since I've baked bread and I didn't  realize that my wheat flour was expired.....by 2 years...yuck...so needless to say, I used only bread flour..

5. Turn out dough onto lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes.

6. Place in lightly greased bowl, turning to grease all over. Cover with plastic wrap (I obviously didn't see that it said to use plastic wrap. I always cover it with a clean dish towel) and let rise for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until doubled in bulk.

7.  Place baking stone (if you have one) in the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

8. Punch down dough; turn out onto lightly floured surface and knead into smooth ball. Here's where I differed...I separated the ball into two pieces and rolled to make to rustic loaves, I then used a knife to cut three slits in each loaf. I  Cover and let rise for 10 minutes.

9. Next beat one egg and using a pastry brush, brush all over each loaf. Then sprinkle on the mixed cereal.  

10. Carefully take out the preheated stone and sprinkle corn meal on the bottom. Carefully place both loaves on the stone and put back in the oven. Bake for 35-45 minutes. Voila! So delicious! I'd love to know if anyone tries this recipe...

Shrimp & Grits

Okay Everyone, So here's my first post. I tried this recipe which is from the Food Network's Throwdown with Bobby Flay and it sounded better than some other recipes I've tried for this dish. It has some kick to it with the Cajun seasoning and the grits are soo delicious with the tomato and cheese and sooo creamy. Really delicious..Now my girls are super picky eaters...so they didn't love it as much as I did...such a shame :) here we go...

some of my ingredients

Georgia Shrimp ‘n’ Grits
adapted from Joe Barnett’s Recipe
3/4 lb. wild Georgia shrimp
1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 cups water
2 chicken bouillon cubes (or 2 tsp. instant)
2 tablespoon butter
1 cup quick-cooking grits
3 teaspoons tomato paste
1 cup heavy cream
4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 tablespoon butter
1 large clove garlic, finely minced
4 teaspoons flour
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon Texas Pete (is there any other kind?) :)
1 slice cured country ham, cooked and torn into pieces



1. Peel and de-vein the shrimp. (Okay, so I do my shopping at Walmart, and though I should probably get my shrimp somewhere better, I don't live on the Outer Banks anymore, so fresh shrimp is not so easy to come by. And I know, it's blasphemous coming from there, but I got frozen shrimp...don't yell at me:) ) I put them in a strainer, which I placed in a bowl filled with cool water while I prepped so they could thaw. They were ready by the time I was. I had to peel of the tails though but they were peeled and de-veined.) I just laid them on a paper towel and patted dry.
2.Combine in a small bowl the Cajun seasoning, (I actually make my own cajun seasoning, I will post the recipe later) the paprika, the Italian seasoning, and the pepper. Sprinkle the mixture over the shrimp, tossing until they are well coated. Set aside. (However, I just threw them in a gallon freezer bag, and poured in the seasonings and tossed. Made it much easier.) These were quite spicy, so if you don't like too much of a kick, then I wouldn't coat them fully, just sprinkle it on to your liking.




3. Next, pour the water, the chicken boullion (I use instant boullion powder, I can't stand the cubes, dissolving is a pain) and the butter into a heavy saucepan.



4. Bring the mixture to a full boil. Slowly add in the grits, and whisk constantly, cooking over medium-low heat for 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste, the cream, and the cheddar cheese. Continue to cook and whisk for 2-3 more minutes, until grits become very creamy and thick. To quote the original recipe, “Don’t skimp on the butter and the cream, folks.” I did add more cream to the grits because they were too thick...Man were these good...look how creamy they are!


5. In a large skillet, (One thing you'll learn is thatI love my cast iron skillet, just preheat it for a couple minutes before) melt the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter over medium heat.  (careful not to burn the butter or it doesn't taste good)  Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for about 30 seconds. Pour in the spiced shrimp and cook JUST until they are done and tender, about 2 minutes (depending on the size of your shrimp). Do not overcook or your shrimp will get rubbery. Remove the shrimp from the pan to a clean bowl and set aside.

6. Return the pan to the stove. Add the flour to the drippings, stirring to make the base of a roux. Cook for 10 minutes until medium tan in color. Slowly whisk in the chicken stock and the cream. Cook for 2 minutes, then add the worchestershire sauce and hot sauce, stirring to incorporate.



7. In a small pan add the country ham. (Again, since I am busy with 3 kids and shop at Walmart, I just got a ham steak :) ) And brown on both sides, then dice.
Serve the shrimp on a generous bed of grits, topped with the roux sauce and ham cubes. I know my pictures are not the most amazing, but you can get the gist of what I did at least. If you have any questions feel free to comment! I'd love to hear your thoughts! More recipes to come...

Entering the World of Bloggers

Well, I decided to enter the world of bloggers for real this time...Hopefully I don't get sidetracked, as I tend to do with my busy schedule. Since I'm a mom of three little princesses, with a part-time job outside the home (teaching 2-year-olds) and a husband, as well as an online student...I would say, YEP I'm pretty busy. I DO however find time in all the craziness to pursue new culinary, crafty, or gardening endeavors. So, I decided to share them with the world! Aren't ya'll lucky!?

Over the last 11 years of marital bliss (ha ha), I have developed  a knack for the culinary arts. My next door neighbor, who is a chef, says I'm what the formally educated food experts call a "foodie". I am a self taught, or should I say Web/Food Network taught chef. (Also, I learned much from my mother who LOVES baking from scratch...she's a pretty good cook herself.) I love to bake and cook and am a canned food snob. Yes I still use canned goods if I must, with my crazy busy life, but I try my hardest to avoid recipes that are not mostly homemade. Stick with me on this journey and I will share many of my own creations as well as my tried and true recipes from food favorites like Paula Deen and Giada or my family favorites.

Additionally, I love to sew, crochet and knit. Pretty much anything crafty (although I'm not a big fan of counted cross-stitch...don't have the patience). I'm a beginner in many respects for these areas but I can follow a pattern, and if I get stuck...I go to my good old trusty teacher...Mr. YouTube...who always gets me out of a jam. This artistic quality, I must attribute to my Dad and my Grandma Ethyl who are two of the most artistic creative people I know, so it must be in my genes. :)

So...will you join me on my continued pursuits in becoming Miss Suzie Homemaker, the gal who can bring home the bacon and fry it up in the pan...(although I don't bring home a LOT of the bacon..ha ha)...but I can do pretty much anything I put my mind to. [That must be the Croswait stubbornness in me..] Let's get started!