Maggie Diaries: Week One

Its been one full week with our new canine bundle of joy and already we love her so much. And Even though it has been a little bit of adjustment having a puppy around the house- one of us has to go home at lunch to let her out, have to get up in the middle of the night and no more going straight from work to happy hour - we love having her around. As I mentioned to Mr. C when we first brought Maggie home "This will be a good trial run for when we have kids!"

 Pooped after playtime

January's Recipes: Part 1

If ya'll remember one of my first posts was all about new year resolutions. So far I am doing pretty good with following through on them (with having a new puppy - the getting organized one as kind fell through the cracks). One of my goals was to make at least two new recipes a month. Well I am half way there. 

On New Year's day I tried my hand at collard greens - you know to bring wealth and prosperity in the new year - and I must say they turned out pretty darn good. I found a great recipe on AllRecipes.com that is definitely a keeper. If I had to find one thing to critique, it would be to let them cook a little longer. As Mr. C put it, "You can never cook collards too long."  Of course we didn't have just collards, we also enjoyed black eyed peas, cornbread, and homemade mac n' cheese.

slow cooked mac n' cheese

Recipe for Kickin' Collard Greens

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 slices of bacon (I think I used 6 slices)

1 large onion, chopped

2 gloves of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 pinch red pepper flakes
1 lb. fresh collard greens

Directions:
1. Heat oil in a large dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add bacon, and cook until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, crumble and return to the pan. Add onion, and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, and cook until just fragrant. Add collard greens, and fry until they start to wilt.

2. Pour in chicken broth, and season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes, or until greens are tender. (I let mine simmer for about 3-4 hours to really soak up all the yummy flavors.)


My second recipe for the month will be coming soon! :)

Freebie Friday

If your like me and plan to cook more this year, you might like today's freebie. One of my dear friends introduced me last year to this great Web site called You've Got Supper.

Here's how it works. Every Thursday they e-mail you 7 quick & easy recipes (5 entrees, 2 side dishes) for the upcoming week. You can also find tutorial videos and search for recipes on their site. Oh and did I mention that it is FREE to sign up.

One of my favs so far is the Thai Beef with Chiles. It is delicious!

Meet Maggie

It has been a few days since my last post, but things have been pretty busy around the household - just trying to get back in the daily routine of things. And, know our days are going to be getting even busier as Mr. C and I have a new addition to the family.  Meet Maggie, our little Rottweiler/German shepherd mix girl.

Mr. C and I have been playing around with the idea of getting another dog since our last dog, Roxy (the best dog ever and I dearly miss) passed away last August.  However, we didn't think we would become parents this weekend!  On Saturday, Mr. C and I decided to stop by the pet store and just see if they had any animals for adoption. Sure enough there was this little puppy just chillin'. She looked up at us with her puppy dogs eyes and "BAM!" we were puppy bitten. We decided however to wait until Sunday to go get her from the shelter - thought it might be good to sleep on it just to be sure we were ready for the ALL  responsibility again.

I forgot how cute it is to just watch puppies explore their new home. Maggie is adjusting well, but I am sure I will have many more stories to come as she gets bigger!

 Playing outside

Mags and Mommy at nap time.

Sweet Dreams!

It is amazing how fast the weekends fly by, especially when we are busy visiting with family and moving furniture. This past weekend we went home to the beach to see my sister's new home and visit with my little nephew, but we also had something else on our agenda - a NEW bed! 

If there is one thing that Mr. C and I constantly bicker about it is the bed. You would think that a queen bed is good enough, but no. I can' t even count how many times a night I hear, "Move over," or " Quit stealing the covers." So we have solved the problem and this weekend we trailored a king size bed home with us! Let me just say it has been glorious and the past two night have just been simply bliss. It is amazing how a couple more inches can make a big difference.

Freebie Friday

My addiction to blogs began when I started planning my wedding. Reading blogs like Style Me Pretty and Project Wedding quickly became a part of my morning routine. They always had such great ideas and I loved how they would share ideas they saw from other blogs they read. One thing I started coming across was all these different free downloads that people would share - from invitations, labels and fonts to just about anything! So with that, I wanted to share one with you on this fabulous freebie Friday.

I came across these wraparound mailing labels at  A Very Chocolate Life when I was searching for ideas for my sister's baby shower. They are so much fun and add some pop to any plain envelope. Enjoy!

Polka Dot Labels

New Year, New Resolutions

I defintely wouldn't say that January is one of my favorite months, but I do like the idea that with January comes new beginings, the chance to get a fresh start in the new year. In the past, I have made resolutions that are a little lofty and within a couple months they are out the door! So this year I am going for the more realistic approach. Not to mention, I am hoping with writing them down on this blog that will put even more pressure on me to follow thru. Here we go...

1. Be more active. - I hate going to the gym, but if I can go a couple days a week inconjuction with some other outside activity that would defintely work!  Thinking about taking up biking.

2. Make at least 2 new recipes a month. - I love to cook and because of my subscription to Cooking Light magazine last year there are SO MANY recipes I am itching to try, which I will share down the road. Not to mention since saying "I do", I have somehow started being the one to cook every night. Don't know how this happen since Mr. C always said before we got married that HE loved to cook, so this is one resolution we both commited to!

3. Get organized. - Usually I am always so organized, but last year just seem to fly by. My wedding album still is not finished and since joining the JL I have a lot more commitments. (I got jump start on this one today with the purchase of a new daily planner. Check out some fabulous planners from Censtational Girl. Love them!)

Looking back on 2010

It is hard to believe that 2010 has come and gone already, but I guess time flies when your having fun. Last year was definitely one for the record books. Not only did Mr. C and I celebrate our first anniversary, but we also got a little nephew, Eli! There is so much that I am thankful for and I can not wait to see what is in store for us in 2011. 
 

Eli Thomas born October 4, 2010.

At Epcot for our 1st anniversary