Random Wednesday

This is my Valentine's present from my Mom, cheese rings. She made me 2 big containers of these little things and I have eaten them everyday for lunch and pretty much all day long! They are soo good, I can't even describe how good they are. They just melt in your mouth and I am addicted! That is all I have left so i'm trying to ration them out!

Cheese Rings and Diet Dr. Pepper are like the best thing ever!!

Today Finn and I started off going grocery shopping. Finn has never really been grocery shopping with me before. I kind of keep him in a bubble and I can't help it. It's just in my blood to be very paranoid, my Mom and Sister are the exact same way. I know they say it's better to let them be around germs when they are little, but I just have a hard time doing that. I can't stand it when Finn is sick! I think he really enjoyed it; he just looked around and just took everything in.

 I am trying to plan my meals out and just buy what I need for those meals, we waste so much food! I decided to make Shrimp and Grits for supper tonight. My friend Kathryn gave me the recipe and it was really good, so I'm going to pass it along. I added alot more cheese then it called for, and more salt and pepper. Also, Jared added Franks redhot sauce to his! It actually was really good (it spiced it up abit)!

Shrimp and Grits

Ingredients:

1 14-ounce can reduced-sodium chicken broth

1 1/2 cups water

3/4 cup quick grits, (not instant) (see Shopping Tip)

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, divided

3/4 cup extra-sharp or sharp Cheddar cheese

1 pound peeled and deveined raw shrimp, (16-20 per pound; see Shopping Tip)

1 bunch scallions, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

1.Position rack in upper third of oven; preheat broiler.

2. Bring broth and water to a boil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Whisk in grits and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cheese. Cover to keep warm.

3. Meanwhile, toss shrimp, scallions, oil, garlic powder, the remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper and salt in a medium bowl. Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet. Broil, stirring once, until the shrimp are pink and just cooked through, 5 to 6 minutes. Serve the grits topped with the broiled shrimp and scallions.

 

I also made Paula Dean Banana Bread! It was really good too but I think I over cooked it a little. I added a bunch of chocolate chips to it which made it even better!

This little boy loved him some Banana Bread! He's going to love sweets like his Mama!

On another note (not about food) I am so proud of myself! I'm really trying to be a better person and wanting to focus my life more around God.  I took Finn to the doctor yesterday just to double check and make sure his ears weren't hurting him. I ended up waiting 1 1/2 hours just to get back to a room. My patience was getting pretty thin and I really had to hold back from being ugly. I just kept telling myself to stay calm and was so glad that I did. Once I got back there the Doctor apologized and told me that he was over booked and he had a few Hispanic family's and they couldn't understand each other, so he got really behind. I think that the devil was really pulling at me before and now that I'm focusing more on God, he helped me through that situation and helped me to be strong! 

Jared and I have decided to join our church we have been going to, along with Mindi and Chad. We are all taking a class this Sunday, Rich Fork 101. We have to take it in order to join the church. I am really excited! I am excited to be a part of a church family and I want us to be more involved. I am not perfect and have made lots of mistakes in my life. I am so ready to be forgiven and move on and have a more spiritual life for my family! I want to be a better wife, mom, sister, daughter, friend, and just an all around better person!