Recipe: Barbecue Beef Sandwiches

I tend to make a lot of casserole dishes. Not only are they pretty quick and easy, but they're pretty economical as well...and usually provide plenty of leftovers. But...Johnny isn't a huge fan. :P So since Johnny has been recovering from surgery, I decided to find a non-casserole and non-pasta recipe for him. ;) I tried this new recipe for barbecue beef in the slow cooker to serve on hamburger buns. It was pretty tasty...definitely Johnny approved. ;) It was also very easy to make...so that's always nice!

Barbecue Beef Sandwiches 

Ingredients:

2-4 lbs chuck roast 
1 cup ketchup
1 cup barbecue sauce
2 celery stalks, chopped 
1 small onion, chopped 
1 tbs vinegar 
2 tbs brown sugar
2 tbs Worcestershire sauce 
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic salt

Directions: 
Combine all ingredients in slow cooker. 
Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours (or high for 3-4 hours). 
Shred meat and serve on hamburger buns with the sauce that remains in the slow cooker.  

I was busy with a work file due tomorrow, so I cheated and served it with store-bought potato salad, baked beans, and cottage cheese. It was yummy though! :)

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A post shared by Candi Pride (@tinycandi) on Jan 30, 2020 at 7:58pm PST

January has been crazy.

I just realized that I hadn't posted anything but recipes lately. :P

It's been a pretty crazy month. The girls went back to school on Monday the 6th and Ashlyn ended up coming home sick from school...and it just lingered forever. We took her to the doctor on the 21st and they did some blood work, but everything checked out fine. She was just very weak, dizzy, and nauseous. She didn't have an appetite so I think the fact that she wasn't eating much was probably making the whole feeling lightheaded and weak even worse. But she was finally able to go back to school today. She got most of her homework done while she was home, but she still has a little bit of catching up to do.

Then Aubry was home sick today. It was her sinuses though...not stomach issues like Ashlyn had. And luckily she's already feeling quite a bit better so she'll be back to school tomorrow.

Johnny will still be home again tomorrow though. He had Mohs surgery today to remove a spot of skin cancer. He actually has four surgeries scheduled between now and March. The two on his cheek and the spot on his ear will all be removed with the Mohs micrographic surgery technique and the spot on his chest will just be a regular excision. They're all basal cell carcinomas but the spot that was removed from his cheek today also had squamous cell cancer present. Lesson learned...definitely wear sunscreen if you work outside!

Today was a pretty sad day as well. Our Australian Shepherd, Bandit, would've been 10 years old today. :( It's still so hard to believe he's gone. :(

Recipe: Cornbread Chicken Pot Pie

This is one of my favorite recipes...but Johnny and the girls are not a fan because somehow I gave birth to two children who don't like cornbread and...well Johnny is just weird. ;) So when I make this recipe, I get a set of two refrigerated pie crusts and make a regular chicken pot pie as well. :P

Cornbread Chicken Pot Pie 

Ingredients:

1lbs cooked chicken breast, cubed
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of celery soup 
1 can green beans
1 can diced peas and carrots 
1 can whole kernel corn
1 cup shredded extra sharp cheddar
1 cup milk, divided
2 pkgs Jiffy corn muffin mix 
2 large eggs

Directions: 
Preheat oven to 425. 
Combine the chicken, soups, vegetables and 1/3 cup of milk in a 9x13 pan. 
In a mixing bowl, combine eggs, 2/3 cup milk, and corn muffin mix. 
Pour cornbread on top of chicken mixture and smooth out to the edges of the pan. Be careful not to mix the cornbread and filling together. 
Bake in oven for 20 minutes or until cornbread is done. 

When I make both the 9x13 pan with cornbread and the regular pie pan, I just add another chicken breast, an additional can of each soup, and an extra can of green beans (because they're Johnny's favorite). I mix it all into a bowl and then just fill the pie plate first before dumping the rest into the 9x13 pan. 

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A post shared by Candi Pride (@tinycandi) on Jan 25, 2020 at 6:43pm PST

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Recipe: Beefy Rotini Skillet

Tried a new recipe tonight! It is actually a recipe I've had from my Campbells Collection cookbook I got in 2003, but I made a few changes and we tried it tonight. It was pretty tasty...Aubry had two bowls and even picky Ashlyn had a full helping! And the best part is that it is SUPER easy to make. :) I served it with a side of green beans.

Beefy Rotini Skillet 

Ingredients:

2lbs ground beef
1 can condensed tomato soup
1 can cheddar soup 
1/4 cup water
2 tbs Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp garlic powder 
16oz rotini pasta, cooked according to package 
1 cup shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese 

Directions: 
Brown hamburger and drain. Return to pan. 
Combine the rest of the ingredients except the shredded cheese and mix well. Heat through on low heat. When finished, top with shredded cheese. 

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A post shared by Candi Pride (@tinycandi) on Jan 23, 2020 at 7:38pm PST

Recipe: Crackpot Chicken

We had Crackpot Chicken for dinner tonight. It's one of Aubry's favorite things to have for dinner. Even picky Ashlyn likes it! This is another recipe that I make in the pressure cooker and it is super easy. I like to serve it with a side of candied carrots (or plain buttered carrots for Johnny). :P

Crackpot Chicken 

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts (I use frozen chicken breasts for convenience)
2 cups chicken broth, divided 
1 pkg dry ranch dressing mix 
8oz cream cheese, cubed 
4 cups shredded extra sharp cheddar 
16oz cooked penne or rotini pasta
top with bacon bits, if desired

Directions: 
Combine 1 cup chicken broth and ranch dressing mix in pressure cooker. 
Add chicken to pressure cooker. Cube cream cheese and place ON TOP of the chicken.
Lock and cook on high pressure for 10 minutes. Naturally release pressure for 6 minutes. 
Remove chicken and cube. Return to pot. 
Add remaining broth and cheddar to pot.
Turn pot to saute function. Cook until all cheese and cream cheese is melted, stirring often. 
Once everything is melted, add cooked pasta to pot and mix well. 
Serve topped with bacon bits. 

*I used the CooksEssentials 8qt Oval Pressure Cooker for this recipe.

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A post shared by Candi Pride (@tinycandi) on Jan 22, 2020 at 9:18pm PST

Recipe: Pressure Cooker Beef Stew

I usually prefer to make vegetable beef soup, but Johnny requested beef stew...so I made beef stew. ;) It smelled amazing while cooking and tastes great. I served it with crackers and biscuits as well.

Pressure Cooker Beef Stew 

Ingredients:

2.5 lbs of stew meat
1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

3 tbs of oil, divided
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1/2 tsp dried minced garlic
1lb carrots, peeled and sliced into 1" pieces
3 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1"-2" pieces
4 cups beef broth
1 tbs Worcestershire sauce
1 can tomato sauce
1 tsp Italian seasoning 
1 can peas

Directions: 
Turn the pot on to Saute setting. When the pot is hot, add 1 tbs oil. 
While pot is heating, whisk together flour, salt, and pepper. Dredge stew meat in flour mixture. 
Sear half of the meat on all sides (3 minutes then stir, 3 minutes then stir, 3 minutes then stir).
Remove the meat to a plate or bowl. Add 1 tbs of oil to the pot. 
Add the last half of the stew meat and sear on all sides as before.  
Remove the rest of the meat. Add 1 tbs of oil to pot. 
Add chopped onion and minced garlic to oil in pot. Saute until onion is soft and brown. 
Add beef broth and stir to get all cooked bits off bottom of pot. Return stew meat to pot.
Stir in carrots, potatoes, Worcestershire sauce, and Italian seasoning. Pour tomato sauce on top (do not stir). 
Close and lock pressure cooker. Cook on high pressure for 35 minutes. 
Let pressure release naturally for 10 minutes before releasing rest of steam. 
Remove lid. Add peas to stew and stir to heat through. 

*I used the CooksEssentials 8qt Oval Pressure Cooker for this recipe.

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A post shared by Candi Pride (@tinycandi) on Jan 15, 2020 at 6:48pm PST

Insomnia strikes!

I hate when you're just watching the hours tick by and counting how much sleep you're NOT going to get when you have insomnia. I've gotten through (re)watching the entire last half of the second season of Scandal tonight. :P

Work has been slow since the holidays. This past weekend I took advantage of the downtime and got some work done around here. All the boxes and stuff of Johnny's mom that we moved out of the storage unit and old house were just haphazardly "organized" so I went through everything and organized them into more logical categories. I also wrote on each of the boxes specifically what are in them so that if we ever need to retrieve something MIL needs, we will know exactly where it is. I got them all sorted and put away (at least where they are temporarily until we clean out the basement and garage) but while I was in the middle of it, our living room looked like a tornado went through. Well...if tornadoes left everything organized into logical piles. ;)

Ashlyn is still sick. Now it's mostly just fatigue and weakness since she hasn't been eating much. She can't stand for very long before having to sit and take a break. So she hasn't been at school. Hopefully she will be feeling better soon. I contacted all her teachers tonight and Aubry is going to pick up her homework tomorrow so she can get started on that while she's home.

Aubry spent the last part of the week and into the weekend at the Kansas Thespian Festival. It was the first time she had gone to something like this and she had a good time. It's still hard to believe that she will graduate in a few short months!

But...I suppose I should try to get some sleep now. :P Goodnight!

One week...

Well, we are now one week in of the new year/decade. The kids started back to school on Monday and it has been interesting, to say the least.

Monday morning I got a call from the school that Aubry was upset and ended up having a panic attack. But the experience ended up being beneficial. She was able to talk to a variety of different people who had a lot of suggestions for coping mechanisms and regulating emotions. It can be so hard sometimes being a teenager. I know it wasn't easy for me! But hopefully we can get on a more positive path and help to find ways to cope with her anxiety and everything.

Then Ashlyn threw up in the middle of class Monday afternoon and has pretty much been in bed ever since. Poor thing! She didn't get up at all Monday night. She ate a little bit of chicken noodle soup Tuesday afternoon and then had a small bowl of mashed potatoes for dinner. Then of course lots of water, 7-up, and some crackers. It seems to be lingering on...but she is starting to feel a little bit better, I think. She came upstairs last night for about half an hour to eat dinner and was wanting to take a shower...so that's progress.

I am still working and still loving my job working from home. I've strictly focused on doing law enforcement transcription. There are other transcription companies, but I only work for one at a time. Luckily there has been a pretty steady flow of work...even though it did slow down a bit throughout the holidays and into the new year. But I do love my job. :)

I got an email yesterday about a new Sims 4 stuff pack coming out. In this blog post, I talked about different ideas for Sims 4 and the very first thing on my list was a tiny homes pack. Well...they're coming out with a Tiny Living addition to the game! It's a stuff pack instead of a game pack, so it is a smaller expansion (and less expensive) that mostly just focuses on new items instead of a lot of changes to game play. But they'll have some space-saving items including Murphy beds which is great, but there was no mention of bunk beds or a way to make lofts with ladders. If it isn't part of the new stuff pack (I don't remember seeing bunk beds or ladders in the trailer), I think they really missed a good opportunity. BUT...it'll still be fun to play around with, I'm sure. One of my favorite things to do with the Sims game is build houses...so I am looking forward to the new stuff pack. :)

This evening we picked up Bandit from the pet cremation and memorial place. It's still so hard to believe he is gone. It's amazing how much pets can become part of your daily routine...and the absence of all their sounds and habits becomes a constant reminder that they're gone. He was such a good boy and we miss him like crazy.

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A post shared by Candi Pride (@tinycandi) on Jan 8, 2020 at 5:27pm PST

I made chicken fajitas for dinner last night...one of my favorites! I never really ate fajitas much before Johnny and I started dating but now I love them. I really like the McCormick fajita mix...I think it made the difference in taste that appealed to me more than the fajitas that I'd previously had in restaurants. Johnny used to be the one to make the fajitas, but I took over when he started working overtime and not getting home until later in the evening. Now I'm a pro. ;) We like making enough so we have plenty of leftovers. I'd made taco meat for burritos, tacos, or taco salads for the last couple weeks in a row on Taco Tuesday so I switched it up this week for some different Mexican food. Mmmm!

Recipe: Volcano

I made Volcano for dinner tonight. Johnny grew up eating this and loves it! I make it just a little bit different than his mom does, but it still tastes great. :) It's also a super easy recipe! I also use Ore Ida Steam & Mash russet potatoes which makes it even faster. I also make biscuits to go with it. 

Volcano 

Ingredients:

3lbs ground beef
2 cans condensed tomato soup
1 can tomato paste 
2 cans cut green beans
1/2 tbs minced onion
1/2 tsp garlic salt
mashed potatoes, already prepared

Directions: 
Brown hamburger with the onion and drain. Return to pan. 
Combine the rest of the ingredients and simmer for 15-20 minutes. 
Serve over mashed potatoes. 

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A post shared by Candi Pride (@tinycandi) on Oct 13, 2018 at 12:45pm PDT

2020?!

I can't believe it's 2020 already! I was going through my old blog trying to decide what I wanted to do for a year-in-review post. The end of a decade seems like it deserves a nice, big recap. I went all the way back to 2009 to see what I'd done for the end of that decade. I had actually written a short little blurb summarizing the major events that had happened each year of the decade. So I think I'll do that again here. I'm even going to include the highlights of what I'd written from my 2009 blog post as well...just to get even more of an idea about how much my life has changed in 10 and 20 years. :)

Twenty years ago! 

2000: Graduated high school. Started college. Got my first computer. Quit as office assistant for the school district. Got job as a receptionist at a mortuary. Kevin and I broke up. Started dating XH.
2001: Flew to Indiana University and Chicago to meet friends. Got job as a reservation sales agent at Royal Caribbean. Bought a 1996 Hyundai Elantra. Got pregnant with my first child. Quit college.
2002: XH and I moved in together. Started working for the USPS as a Data Conversion Operator. Aubry was born. Vacationed at Kaw Lake in Oklahoma with XH's family. XH and I got engaged.
2003: Moved to XH's Gma's house after she died. Got job as bank teller. Got married and honeymooned in Eureka Springs, AR and Carthage, MO. Bought a 2br 1ba house in our hometown.
2004: Vacation in Monarch, CO with my family. Ashlyn was born and rushed to the hospital 3wks later when she aspirated. I got mastitis w/MRSA & had surgery. Went back to work at USPS.
2005: XH and I filed for divorce and settled on shared custody. Moved to a 2br apartment. The girls and I vacationed in Branson, MO with my family. Johnny and I met and dated for about 4 months. 

2006: Got job as an item processor at a bank. Dated Bryan for about 4 months. Started dating Jeff and we were together off and on for six years. I was diagnosed with peripheral neuropathy.
2007: Moved to a 2br apt in nearby town. Moved back to my hometown. Aubry started Kindergarten. I started back to college. Bought my first laptop. Hospitalized twice for MS symptoms.
2008: Got my AA in Psychology from Cowley County Community College. Started at WSU. Bought a 2002 Grand Am. Matron of Honor in my sister's wedding. Misdiagnosed as having seizures.
2009: Ashlyn started preschool. Johnny and I reconnected on Facebook. Bought my first DSLR camera. Had some professional photo shoots but decided I prefer photography as just a hobby.

Ten years ago! 

2010: I was hospitalized for 3 days with gastroenteritis. Had abdominal surgery and hospitalized almost a week. Vacationed at Lake Tenkiller, OK with Jeff. I was diagnosed with hemiplegic migraines with vasovagal syncope. Ashlyn started Kindergarten. Girls started girl scouts. Moved into my 3 bedroom apartment. 

2011: Ashlyn and I got scarlet fever. I got my tubes tied and was diagnosed with pelvic adhesive disease. Vacationed with my family at Great Wolf Lodge in KS City. The girls started cheerleading. I graduated from Wichita State University with a BGS in Criminal Justice, Psychology, and Sociology.

2012: I discovered Pinterest. Ashlyn got glasses. We took a day trip to OKC with my parents to visit the zoo and science museum. Johnny and I saw each other for the first time in 7 years and started dating again. Started my TidyCandi cleaning business. Became the Office Manager for Pride Pools. Bought my Kindle. 

2013: We moved in with Johnny. I started working with Johnny on pools instead of just in the office. We took the girls to the circus. I saw the MS/migraine specialist in June and started new meds. I was diagnosed with trigeminal neuralgia. Johnny bought my first Samsung Galaxy phone for Mother's Day.

2014: Bought a new fridge. Got my engagement ring. Saw Rob Thomas in concert. Aubry started middle school. Johnny's job at the USPS changed from data entry to customer service. I filed to modify custody and XH started a whole bunch of drama because of it. 
2015: The engine went out in my car. We bought a 2005 Ford Escape from Johnny's daughter. Johnny and I were officially common-law married (taxes, insurance). Took the girls to the OKC science museum. Saw Rob Thomas in concert and he grabbed Johnny's hand as he went to stand on our seats and sing from the crowd.
2016: Judge awarded me primary custody and we switched the girls' school. Aubry started high school and AFJROTC. Ashlyn started middle school. We rescued 3 kittens about 4 weeks old. Rehabbed and released 2 orphan bunnies that were just a few days old. Aubry got her drivers license. I got my first Happy Planner.

2017: I started playing Sim4. I had oral surgery. Much of the year was spent planning our wedding. Johnny and I got married on our 5th anniversary! Took the kids to the Pretty Prairie Rodeo. Aubry made the decision to stop having anything to do with her dad. We had unexpected house guests starting in October.

2018: Lots of car problems! Johnny retired Pride Pools. I started working as a transcriptionist and captioner for Rev. Aubry started drama club. After all the houseguests moved out we started rearranging bedrooms, repainting, and reorganizing the house. I drew a picture of Bandit to give Johnny for Christmas.

Last Year! 

2019: After a year of mechanical problems with the Ford Escape, we traded it in for a 2015 Hyundai Sonata. The girls each got a Chihuahua-mix puppy from a friend of Johnny (despite my objections). Aubry started her senior year and Ashlyn started her freshman year of high school. They were both in AFJROTC and stage crew for drama club. Ashlyn got her driver's license. Aubry started her first job. I started working as a law enforcement transcriptionist. Our Australian Shepherd, Bandit, fell ill and unfortunately didn't pull through and we had to put him to sleep. Spent the year focused on getting our finances on track. 

The New Year! 

2020: We're hoping to focus more on our health this year. Maybe we'll start riding our bikes more or taking walks in the evenings. We also want to keep working on the house and getting it all organized and squared away (like organizing the basement and garage). Aubry will graduate high school this year! We'd like to plan a day trip to some Kansas area attractions that I went to as a child and I want Johnny and the girls to see...not sure when though. Overall, we're just hoping for a happy, healthy, and pleasantly uneventful 2020.