busy in the kitchen

Hello my name is Aimee and this is a real life adventure...


As promised I am (slowly) becoming more domesticated through activities such as sewing, cooking, and crafting. This week my Momma decided we should serve enchiladas for family dinner. Of course I was her right hand man up until the rice started to burn and my wonderful 13 year old sister dropped the I'm-going-to-switch-schools-hope-that's-okay-with-you bomb. Then I was in charge. After adding more water, bullion, and garlic the rice was on it's way to saved and a bottle of wine later my Momma felt better. :)

The meal took about an hour and a half to make from start to finish. We made both red and green sauce enchiladas, however I much prefer the green ones.

Here's what you'll need:

1lb of boneless chicken breast
15-20 corn tortillas (the small ones)
cooking oil
salt
pepper
red chili flakes (optional- adds spice and flavor!)
1 bulb of fresh garlic (I guess garlic powder is okay too)
1 10.5 oz can of cream of chicken soup
1 7 oz can diced green chilis
1 28 oz can green enchilada sauce
2 cups (1 pkg) shredded cheese

1. Boil the chicken until it is cooked all the way through (at least 10 min)
2. While the chicken is boiling, coat the bottom 1/2 in of a frying pan with cooking oil and put over medium-high heat.
3. After oil is heated, one by one, place the corn tortillas in the oil for about 30 seconds on each side. This will make them pliable when stuffing. Set aside.
4. Shred the chicken (I do it with two forks)
5. Combine shredded chicken with salt, pepper, garlic and red chili flakes(to your liking), green chilis, and soup.
6. Place about 2 spoonfuls of mixture in each corn tortilla and roll up leaving both ends open. Place in a casserole dish.
7. After filling all the tortillas, pour green sauce on top of the enchiladas and cover with cheese.
8. Cover with tin foil and place in the oven at 350F for about 25 minutes.

Serve with re-fried beans and Spanish rice. Enjoy!

Here I am channeling my inner Betty

On leftover night I whipped up these guys to celebrate finishing off the enchiladas

These homemade ice cream sandwiches are super easy to make and can be done with homemade cookies (like I did) or store bought ones. I used chocolate chip cookies and stuffed them with vanilla ice cream, but you can choose any cookie and any ice cream to make endless amounts of delicious concoctions!

I hope you enjoy the recipe!

and the winner is

Hello my name is Aimee and this is (part II) of the FREE GIVEAWAY adventure...

After drawing the winner's name out of my trusty sombrero (used for codewords and ridiculousness only) I am excited to announce the winner of the Gorgeous Teacup Giveaway is Sheryl W. from Chandler!

I want to thank everyone who entered, I hope you continue to read.

I hope our winner can't wait to sip tea from those gorgeous cups.

zoologist: what I don't want to be when I grow up

Hello my name is Aimee and this is a real life adventure...

One of my New Year's Resolutions was to be even more adventurous than I usually am. I know reading about my statistics class was ever so interesting, but I'm gonna try and amp it up a little. First adventure of the new decade: the Wildlife World Zoo. As fate would have it my new comrade and prospective dating future invited me to tour the zoo and aquarium with his family.

Since they didn't know better they let me be in charge of taking all the pictures.

Among the many great caged species to gawk at, my favorite happened to be the flamingos. They had not one, but two exhibits at this particular zoo.

I was most excited to see the lions and tigers. The king of the jungle was strategically placed at the back of the zoo so we had to see all the other animals first....

We even got to ride the skyline to get an aeriel view of the park.

We had finally made it to the back of the park only to read a sign informing zoo goers that these particular lions were past their prime and were being made comfortable for the time being. What?!?! This explained why both lions and both tigers were sleeping. I guess I'm glad lions have a good hospice system, but I couldn't even get a good picture because the fence was good for providing a barrier between the spectators and the animals and not very good for seeing.

Thankfully, in the gift shop I was able to find a lion to take a picture with.

Right after gift shop visitation time everyone started to mood crash. We ended up splitting up in search of lunch and reprieve from the gross smell wafting from the petting zoo thus ending our epic visit to the Wildlife World Zoo.

I'd like to give huge thanks to the Nelson Family Clan for inviting me along on their zoo adventure. Without them the photo documentation (and the whole trip itself) would not have been possible.

Here's a cute pic of me and my prospective dating future. :)


I hope you're enjoying the wildlife in your backyard

Gorgeous Teacup Giveaway

Hello my name is Aimee and this is a FREE GIVEAWAY adventure...


So I'm sitting in my office on some idle Tuesday afternoon sipping some home brewed Earl Grey in my favorite blue Dutch Bros. mug when I get an email from The Promotional Team at CSN Cookware. Apparently they want to give my readers some free stuff from Rachael Ray Cookware. Tea literally shoots out of my nose and gets in the keyboard and on the computer screen (don't tell my co-workers).

After perusing the site my caffeine addicted self decided that everyone needs a fashionable means of which to sip their tea, coffee, hot cocoa, or anything else you drink.

How would you like to be the proud owner of a brand new set of gorgeous tea cups?
Think of all the tea parties you could host! These are practical for any occasion, whether you are enjoying tea in the afternoon with a few close girlfriends in large hats or serving coffee to your soon to be mother-in-law after a dinner party. Heck, they would even be a great wedding gift for those couples who are illiterate to the registry world. The possibilities are limitless.

Here's How to Enter:

Simply post a comment to this article and you will be entered in the drawing to win a set of (4) teacups. The Gorgeous Teacup Giveaway starts NOW and will close next Tuesday January 5, 2010 at 12:00pm. I will do a random drawing and the winner will receive these adorable cups in the mail.

Could it be easier? Tell your friends and family about the Gorgeous Teacup Giveaway so everyone has a chance to enter! After all, who doesn't love free stuff?

southwest chicken casserole

Hello my name is Aimee and this is a real life adventure...

Winter break has given me seemingly more time to do the things I normally do not have time for. For instance the other night I went to my Mom's to work on my sister Bee's super secret Christmas present and decided to make dinner. Of course everyone else was busy shopping (Mom), out with friends(Abbey), and visiting Sedona (Bee, p.s. I am super jealous) so Emily and I invited my prospective dating future (more on him later) over to help eat the giant casserole I concocted.

I would like to pause here and point out that this is the beginning of a new series I am titling "Queen of Domesticity" cause it's kind of ironic.

After slaving away for forty minutes we ended up with a version of a southwest chicken casserole, Spanish rice, re-fried beans and tortillas. I made Emily and Prospect boy try it first.

*It was delicious*

So here's the recipe:

3/4 28 oz can of diced tomatoes

1 4 oz can of diced green chilis (the small cans)
1 4 oz can of diced jalapenos
1 10 oz can of cream of mushroom soup (you can use cream of chicken instead, if you prefer)
1 bulb of garlic
1/2 yellow onion (diced)
1lb of chicken
2 cups of mexican blend shredded cheese (or any type of cheese you choose)
salt
pepper
garlic powder (my dad says you can't get enough garlic, it keeps the vampires away!)

1. Boil the chicken in a stalk pot (or any pot you can fit it into) until the middle is white.

2. Shred the chicken on a plate (I usually do it by using two forks).

3. In a frying pan combine a little oil with the entire bulb of garlic (crush it either with a knife or a garlic press) and the diced onion.

4. After the onion and garlic brown, add in the shredded chicken and sprinkle generously with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.

5. Add in soup, tomatoes, green chilis, and jalapenos.

6. Stir the mixture and let it sit over medium-low heat for a few minutes.

7. Transfer mixture from frying pan to a casserole dish and cover with cheese (I suggest piling it on so you can't see anything but cheese).

8. Set oven to broil and bake casserole until cheese is melty and brown.

9. Serve with Spanish rice, re-fried beans, and tortillas. Enjoy!

After consuming almost the entire pan the three of us agreed that adding a small can of diced black olives would be heavenly.

Do you have a favorite recipe to share?

where are you christmas?

Hello my name is Aimee and this is a Christmas adventure...

Just when I think things couldn't become more outlandish and ridiculous than they already are something so terrible happens and I am left with my mouth hanging open and tears threatening to stream down my cheeks. My family will never cease to amaze me. My father called me today to discuss the details of Christmas. I had been prefaced earlier in the day with a text message around 10:00 am proposing the holiday be postponed a mere two days in order to have our entire "family" present. This was code for we haven't finished our Christmas shopping and Jessie (the youngest of the to-be step siblings) is spending Christmas at her Dad's.

Haleigh was repulsed at the idea of inconveniencing the entire family for one person. Emily was visibly upset as well. Abbey inserted our terrible step mother to-be's name in the song "Mr. Grinch" and I was silent. Yes it was unfair to make everyone wait for one person, but I could see both sides. I would want my family to wait for me.

This request was not what left me standing in shocked silence on the light rail platform on Christmas Eve. It was that my Father was going to treat Christmas like "any other day". He did not insist that we all come up and spend the night to wake up and eat a big breakfast together despite having to wait to open presents. He did not even suggest coming to the house to share a Christmas dinner.

Have you ever been not wanted by somebody? Have you ever been unwanted by one of your parents? On Christmas?

The feeling is core shaking and has made me reconsider who exactly my family is and what it means. My optimistic self quickly contrasted the pros and cons of the situation. I would have more time to finish my hand crafted Christmas presents. My sisters would be heart broken. Wrapping paper would be on sale the day after Christmas. I would wake up on Christmas alone.

My greatest fear, not of spiders or heights, but of spending a holiday alone would consume me. I had the sneaking premonition of what may come, but I had not realized that it would come after a short 21 years.

I am disappointed in my Dad for choosing his new family over his old one. I am disappointed in my sisters for not overcoming the materialistic American ideals of Christmas. I am disappointed in myself for not being able to stand being alone.

Christmas cheer and spirit has escaped the Williams family this holiday season.

Can you help me find it?

let it snow

Hello my name is Aimee and this is a Christmas adventure...

Every year my Aunt Lani puts on a fabulous event at her house called "Ornament Making Night". Each year we make differently themed ornaments, for instance one year we all decorated clear glass balls, and last year everyone made birds.

This year the theme was snowflakes. Each attendee was given a large sheet of colored paper and a pair of scissors. The craft table was covered in glue, paint, and four different kinds of glitter leaving only your imagination and heart's desire to limit the possibilities of decorating your snowflake.

I love this night because not only do I get to spend time with my family, but there are always littles (little kids) running around the house screaming out with delight at the sight of glitter and paint stuck in the dog's hair, sneaking cookies to the siblings who can't quite reach the counter top, and emitting pure joy for the season. Their innocence takes away the stressors of unfinished shopping and to-do lists by replacing my diminished Christmas spirit.

The snowflake decorating was accompanied by Godiva hot cocoa and lavishly decorated cookies from Barbs Bakery. The night came to a perfect close when the group of littles, moms, aunts, cousins, brothers and sisters gathered around the sparlking Christmas tree in the front room to sing Silent Night by candellight. The off-key, off-pitch, slightly sped up version of the song was the most beautiful rendition I have heard yet, leaving me grinning ear to ear for the remainder of the night.



Tis the season to be grateful for the important things in life.