Its beginning to look a lot like... Fall.

The past few weeks have been absolutely crazy. My father-in-law came to stay with us for a week, surprising my husband on his 26th birthday. Old man, haha. He left on Halloween, and I had the most adorable little Mario (Tripp) and calf (Easton) to take out trick-or-treating. James thinks they are too young to take out door-to-door, so we did a Trunk or Treat and called it a night. Halloween day, Easton had an evaluation for Speech. It turns out he is in the 85% percentile for his age in speaking, but they went ahead and referred him for 16 visits anyways. He started last week, went twice, and really did very well! I don't know what they do with him in the back room, but I can already see he is trying to say more words! He is being very communicative, too. On Thursday, he will be 2 years old. I won't lie, his birthday snuck up on me. I didn't plan a party, get a cake, or even begin shopping for birthday presents. I feel like a horrible mother. It just seems like we had Tripp's birthday! I guess its because there hasn't been TOO drastic of a weather change here. So this week, I will be working on getting all of that together. And, to wrap up this short and sweet post, I say, thank you. Yesterday was Veterans Day, a very important day in our country's history. Thank you to all the troops who've served in the past, currently those in the past, and all those who've fallen.

Waiting On Payday Casserole

You know when things have been particularly tight, and you are just waiting for the next paycheck to come? You keep thinking, Okay, I have this, this, and this, WHAT AM I GONNA MAKE FOR DINNER!? Welp, this IS a recipe I created on my own, and I'm pretty darn proud of it:) Its very basic, but in a pinch, you can whip this up, and ta-da! No worries, you have something to feed the fam.

Ingredients:
3 boneless-skinless chicken breasts
1 cup white rice
1 can green beans (drained)
1 can corn (drained)
1 Lg can cream of chicken
1/2 cup water
1 cup cheddar
2 cups cracker crumbs

Cook rice and chicken according to instructions
Mix all ingredients, minus cheese and crackers
Pour into baking dish.
Crush crackers, mix with cheese and spread on top.
Bake for 15 minutes at 350°

Alfredo Sauce

I absolutely LOVE chicken alfredo. It is one of my favorite meals, and I've searched long and hard for the "right" recipe. This one is fairly simple, easy ingredients, and it really doesn't  take long to make. Combine it with chicken and noodles, and you have one scrumptious entree!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
1 package cream cheese
2 tsp garlic powder
2 cups milk
6oz. grated parmesan
1/2 tsp. black pepper

Melt butter in medium sauce pan
Add cream cheese, whisk till smooth
Stir in parm, garlic powder, & pepper
Add milk, a little at a time, stirring well
Remove from heat when desired thickness is reached

Italian Chicken

I love my crockpot. It's always there for me when I need it the most, lol. I tried this recipe, and I really liked it. James loved it as well. Its very different than most pasta dishes I make. I will say, its not too great for leftovers, its a little dry. But it IS yummy for dinner!

Ingredients:
2-4 skinless boneless chicken breasts
1 package cream cheese
1 can cream of chicken
1 package Italian dressing seasoning

Cut chicken in strips
Combine all ingredients in the crockpot
Cook on high for 4-6 hours

Twice-Baked Potatoes

I love these!!! They are my husband's favorite food, and its taken me awhile to find the perfect recipe. 

Ingredients: 

3 large baking potatoes

1/2 cup chicken broth

1 cup 2% cheddar

1/4 cup light sour cream

1 tsp. dijon mustard

1/4 tsp. paprika 

Pierce potatoes with sharp knife and bake for 1 hours at 400°

Immediately cut in half and scoop out centers, leaving 1/4 inch in the shells

Beat potato pulp, 1/2 cup cheese, sour cream and mustard till blended

Spoon in shells, top with cheese and paprika

Bake for 20 more minutes  

Laundry Detergent

So, like I said in one of my blog earlier, I am making my own laundry detergent, just to try it out, to see how it works. From what I've seen, I'm very happy with it!! My towels just came out of the dryer, and they look, smell, and feel amazing!! I don't have a recipe link, I got it from my awesome girl Danielle Deckard (props!). This recipe will make a little over 2 gallons of detergent, and I use 2 tablespoons per load, so you can imagine how long this will last! I started using it on November 1st, 2012, so the day I use my last little bit, I will blog about how well it did, and how long it lasted. This experiment isn't just gratifying because "I did it myself," it's also going to save a TON of money! Also, thanks to my husband for being patient with me trying out all this stuff and helping me out:)

What you need:

1 large box of borax
1 4lb box Baking Soda
1 box Super Washing Soda
3 bars Fels-naptha bars, grated (this is a pain in the arse, won't lie, but worth it!)
1 3lb tub oxyclean
1 large container of Purex crystals (this isn't absolutely neccesary, but it is what gives it the "fresh and clean smell.")

Just mix it all together! Make sure you have a large container!

So, here it is! Hope its as successful for you as it was for me! Let me know if you try it!

Garlic & lemon chicken with green beans and red potatoes

I liked this recipe, but it was a little too lemony/garlic-y. I made it a second time, and it seemed to do a little better, so I will post the original source, but listed here is the adjusted recipe.

Ingredients:
6 tbsp olive oil
1 lemon (sliced and juiced)
3/4 trimmed green beans
4 skinless boneless chicken breasts
1 minced garlic clove
1/2 tsp pepper
8 small red potatoes (quartered)

Coat baking dish with lemon slices and 1 tbsp olive oil.
Combine remaining oil, lemon juice, garlic, sald, pepper, potoatoes, and green beans.
Toss.
Remove potatoes and place along the edges of the pan.
Place the green beans on the inside, on top of the lemon slices.
Coat chicken with the mixture left and place on top of green beans.
Roast for 50 minutes at 450°, or until chicken is cooked through.

Source: http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/pan-roasted-chicken-lemon-garlic-green-beans-10000000780291/index.html

Pancakes from scatch

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 egg
3 tsp melted butter
1 1/2 cup milk
1 tbsp sugar

Combine all the ingredients, drop into pan or griddle. Easy peasy!

My Favorite Chocolate chip cookies!

I have tried several recipes to find the best chocolate chip cookies. So far, this is what I found works best! I usually add white chocolate chips and/or peanut butter chips, to mix it up! This is not my recipe, I do not claim it as my own. The source is listed under the recipe.

Makes 4 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup white sugar

1 cup placked brown sugar 

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

3 cups flour

1 tbsp hot water

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips 

Cream together butter, white sugar, and brown sugar.

Beat in eggs, 1 at a time. 

Stir in vanilla. 

Dissolve hot water in baking soda. Add to batter, along with salt.

Stir in flour, then chocolate chips.

Drop spoonfuls onto ungreased pan. 

Bake at 350° for 10 minutes (varying by oven)

Source: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/best-chocolate-chip-cookies/

Dr. Pepper Roast

I LOVE roast, and when I found this recipe, I was very skeptical. But, I tried it, and was just amazed! I was really impressed with how tender the roast becomes. It says to cook for 6-8 hours, but I suggest staying close to 6 hours, so the roast doesn't dry out. There are potatoes cooked with it, but I serve with mashed potates. You could also serve it with rice. This is not my recipe, I do not claim it as my own. The source will be listed below.

Ingredients:
Roast ( I used a shoulder)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2 cans cream of potato soup
2 cups Dr. Pepper
1 package  onion soup mix

Add all ingredients to crockpot and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

 Try it out and let me know what you think! 

Source: http://normalcooking.wordpress.com/2012/08/08/dr-pepper-roast/comment-page-1/#comment-1111

November 1st, 2012

What a crazy few weeks! James' dad came in to surprise James for his birthday, and my wonderful husband turned 26! Old man! As I speak, he is grating my fels-naptha for my laundry detergent. I'm making my own detergent, and am REALLY stoked about it. We go through SOOO many loads of laundry a week, I'm buying a thing of laundry detergent a month (spending $13-$17). To me, that's just CRAZY!! So, I spent $30.00 on all of the supplies to make my own, and its supposed to make 180 loads! We will see, I'm going to make it tomorrow and try it out. If it does well, I will post the recipe and instructions! I'm also going to post my recipe for homemade ranch. It is amazing, super easy, super cheap, and believe it or not, low-cal! I'm on this kick lately of trying to make my own things, do more "from scratch" recipes, and just be creative with the boys. I don't really have a goal right now, I am just experimenting and enjoying:)

Update on Easton: He had an evaluation for speech therapy, and while he isn't in danger of being "behind," they referred him for 16 visits, 2 months, and we will re-evaluate after that. I'm excited for him, I hope he is able to communicate better. :)

End of the summer means...

Fall is here!! The Klostermeyers have been in Texas for  20 months. It's so hard to believe its been that long. We are enjoying Texas; San Antonio has so much to offer, and we've barely touched it, even though we have done so much already. Now, to update!

Tripp has grown SO much. His 3rd birthday was such a hit, and he is a big boy now! Tripp has been in speech therapy since March. When he began, he had less than 10 words in his vocabulary, and now, its endless! He sings, carries on conversations, and can even ask questions. He is a completely different child than a year ago, even 6 months ago. At the beginning of the summer, Tripp also began potty-training. Now, towards the end of October, he finally started going #2 in the potty all by himself! Now, if we could get him to wipe, as well as put his bottoms back on after pottying, he will be officially potty-trained! Yesterday was the 3rd anniversary of his original due date, too. Hard to believe my preemie has progressed this much.

Easton will be 2 next month!! Frustratingly, he won't talk. Last week, he was tested for speech and we are just waiting for a phone call to set up his evaluation. He will be going to the same speech therapy office, and seeing some of the same therapists, as Tripp. Developmentally, though, Easton is on track, even ahead of the game. We are attempting some potty training, but he is very resistant. :) But, that is to be expected since he hasn't hit 2, yet. He can, however, "high-five," and its actually his new favorite thing. He is quite skilled in climbing too, especially the baby gate that is supposed to keep them in their room when I need to do something without them underneath my feet.

James is doing well, enjoying his job. On the 18th of October, he hit 2 years of service in the Army, and I couldn't be more proud of him. He will be 26 on Oct. 24th, be sure to send him some love:) He will be doing a PT test soon, and as soon as he passes that, he will finally be able to rank up! He is excelling at work, too, impressing the pants off of everyone!

And me, well, I'm hanging in there. Not much to update on in that department. I will be posting pictures later:)