In a Cabin In the Woods

My mom used to sing that little song to us and now I'm using it to describe our NEW HOUSE!!

Back in December we sold our house and then moved into our rental. As of last night we are home owners again.  We purchased a house on SIX acres about 30 minutes from where we are living now.  I don't even really know how to explain this house except lots of wood. Everywhere.  The walls, floors ceilings, doors, covered in wood.  It's pretty much awesome.  

This is the living room from both sides. 

Downstairs bathroom and kitchen. 

Back door that also has the laundry room to the right.  

Dining room and pantry space. 

This is Marley's room. When you walk in the door the room makes an L shape so it's a fairly good sized room.  

This is Mason's room above and below is the upstairs bathroom. Someone apparently tried to paint this wood and didn't do such a good job. It either needs sanded down or a few more coats of paint. We haven't decided what route we're going with it yet. 

This is the master bedroom.  It's the biggest bedroom I have ever had. And it also has the biggest closet I have ever had.  

I was trying to get a picture of the door. Every door in this house is also wooden with fancy little wooden door handles. It's hard to see because it blends it with the wall.  

 Here's the master bedroom ceiling. All the rooms upstairs have vaulted ceilings. The stairway ceiling is so high it's crazy. I tried to take a photo of that too, but with all the wood it was hard to even tell what it was. 

Hallway from the master and back down the stairs. 

These are just small parts of the yard looking out the upstairs windows. 

The rest of the pictures are just of the cleared yard space.  There's lots of woods and even a small creek that runs though the back of the property too. 

So there it is. There's work to be done, but if you know Mike and I, you know we wouldn't buy a house without it having stuff to be done. I think I'm most excited about all brand new appliances and Mike's most excited about the garage and the land.  Just as I did with our old house I will be posting updates on what we've done with the place once we get all moved and settled in.  

Ok, so who's jealous of all the leaves I get to rake? Anyone? =)  I was there for a while today and I already hate the leaves.  They're everywhere! 

Crispy Cheddar Chicken

It has been way too long since I shared a recipe with you all. I had some internet problems and we're in the process of buying a great house so I haven't had the time to stop in and post for a while. 

This recipe is one I saw on pinterest and since I had all the ingredients in the cabinet already I cooked it up a few days later.  It turned out pretty good. I didn't use the cheese sauce but Mike did and said it was so good with it poured over top.  

4 breasts chicken

2/3 cup milk

3 cups shredded cheddar cheese

2 cups italian breadcrumbs

1 (18 ounce) can Progresso Creamy Three Cheese cooking sauce

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Pour milk, cheese and breadcrumbs in to three separate dishes.  Cut each chicken breast into smaller pieces.  Dip into milk, then cheese, then breadcrumbs until well coated. (No pictures of this messy process, sorry)

Lay chicken on baking sheet and bake for 35 minutes or until cooked and no longer pink.  While chicken is cooking, warm up the cheese cooking sauce in a pot.   Pour cheese sauce over chicken before serving.  

Corn Dog Casserole

I've mentioned my love of hot dogs before and when I saw several friends pin this recipe on pinterest I too pinned it and made it for dinner later that week.  I followed all the directions, but mine got a little burnt on the top.  It was still pretty good though. 

2 tablespoons butter

1 1/2 cup diced onions

1 1/2 pounds hot dogs

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups milk

1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 packages (8-1/2 ounces each) corn bread/muffin mix

 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided

celery salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Melt butter in large pan.  Saute onion in butter until softened.  Mix in chopped hot dogs until lightly browned.   Set 1 cup of hot dogs aside. 

In a large bowl, mix eggs, milk and pepper.  Stir in remaining hot dogs, corn bread mix, and 1 1/2 cups cheese.  

Spread mixture into baking dish. Cover with cup of hot dogs and remaining cheese.   Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. 

Christmas 2013

Wow, I was just looking though all my unpublished posts and noticed I never shared our Christmas from 2013. So almost 3 months late, here it is.  We had a nice morning opening presents at home from Santa. We then headed to my parents house for breakfast and more presents.  Around lunch time we headed to my Aunt and Uncles house for the family get together.   It was another great year and we got so much stuff and are so glad we could share it with our families! 

Burrito Bake

A friend of mine pinned this recipe on pinterest and as soon as I saw it I was off to the store to get the ingredients. It was very good and I don't think we had any leftovers.

1 lb ground beef

1 package taco seasoning 

(I made my own taco seasoning a while back)

10 ounce can refried beans

1 cup bisquick

1/4 cup water

1 cup cheddar cheese

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brown and drain ground beef. Stir in taco seasoning. Mix beans, bisquick, and water together in a bowl. 

Spread bisquick mixture in a baking dish. Cover with meat. Top with cheese. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. 

Sausage Burger Sandwiches

I've been wanting to make these little sandwiches for a long time. I finally got around to making them and now I want to make them every week. They were so good. I am actually thinking about making them for the kid's birthday party.

1 lb ground beef

1 lb italian sausage

velveeta cheese

hawaiian rolls or dinner rolls

Brown ground beef and sausage.  Drain. Mix in cheese. Serve on buns. 

Crock Pot Pepperoni Chicken

If you've been reading for a while you know I like chicken recipes. I also like my crock pot. This recipe was quick to prepare and tasted great. Marley loved it.

Chicken Breasts

Pepperoni

Diced onion

Salt

Garlic Powder

Italian Seasoning

Place chicken in crock pot.  Sprinkle on seasonings and onions.  Cover with pepperoni. 

Cover and cook on low 4-6 hours. 

Tortellini Chili

I loved that this recipe was easy to prepare and was pretty delicious. It had more of a soup consistency to it than chili, but it was still good.  AND it made me decide that next time I make my lasagna soup, instead of noodles I am going to use tortellini. YUM! 

1 lb. tortellini

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 cup chopped onion

2 tablespoons fresh minced garlic

1 lb. ground beef

32 ounces chicken broth

15 oz can rotel

1 can red beans

1 can black beans

2 tablespoons ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon garlic salt

1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Cook tortellini according to package directions.  Pour olive oil in a pan and add in onions and garlic. Saute for a few minutes.  Add ground beef and cook until browned. Drain beef and tortellini.  In a large pot mix meat, broth, tomatoes, beans, cumin, garlic salt, chili powder, salt and pepper. Stir in tortellini.  Heat for 10 minutes until hot.