Mom’s easy bake oven dinner

February 21st, 2013 No Comments

When I was growing up, my mom was rarely in the kitchen. The woman hates to cook! So when she did light up the oven, I knew baked chicken would be on the table within the hour. Her concept was so simple I had forgotten about it until now. I guess I saw it as a cop out while I have been trying to work my way through Bon Appetit recipes and impress my BF.

But sometimes I just don’t have the time (or patience) to go through a lengthy process. One night last week when I was scrambling to put something on the table, Mom’s old faithful baked chicken came to mind. I took out two boneless, skinless chicken breasts, covered them marinara sauce and baked those babies for about 3o minutes. Voila, a delicious dinner. Two nights later I did the same thing with Goode Company BBQ sauce. Same dish, different flavor, new dinner :)

You can pull this off with ANY sauce, soup, or spread you want. Mom loved doing it with Campbell’s mushroom soup. I can’t think of anything that wouldn’t work honestly.

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I finally found the perfect mother’s day card

May 8th, 2011 1 Comment

I finally found the perfect Mother’s Day card!

Most of my friends like my mom more than me, so I’m glad I don’t have to fight the through the crowd. She has a sense of humor that won’t quit and the most infectious spirit. It’s really hard to be in a bad mood around her!!

Honestly, I am blessed to have not one, but two amazing mothers. Kind and supportive, unconditionally forgiving, patient beyond belief, and brutally honest, both my mom and stepmother are my source of strength. When I reach out, they are there with nothing but love and a helping hand. I couldn’t live without either.

Today, I honestly feel like it’s my day…I am the benefactor from all of their love and there is not one material thing I could buy to reciprocate that. I just hope they know that I want to be the same source of love and support that they are for me.

Thank you Mom. Thank you Karen. I love you xxx

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How To – Christmas Lights

December 18th, 2010 No Comments

4 Tips You Need To Know About Christmas Lights, According to Mom:

Plug in lights before you put them on the tree.
Start from the top and wrap downward.
Shove the lights towards the middle of the tree.
Store them wrapped around some kind of roll.

Mom uses an old magazine and then tucks the ends into the tube so it doesn’t come unraveled or get stuck in something else.

Everything I know about Christmas, decorating, and wrapping presents I learned from her. She is the master!

Tonight we put up our tree in my apartment instead of her house. Putting on ornaments is one of my favorite traditions with my mom. Here’s a glimpse of how it all turned out:

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Family Traditions: Thanksgiving Edition

November 24th, 2010

With the exception of one, every Thanksgiving, my mom and I have traveled to South Texas (where she is from) to spend the holiday with my grandparents and my grandmother’s family. Unfortunately she passed away over a decade ago, but we still gather together to celebrate.

The comfort in my family and our rituals is one of the things I have been most thankful for my whole life.

So, if you’re curious to know the simple side of me, here’s a list of the things I love about this holiday:

Catching up with Mom on the drive down south
Being hugged by the most solid man on earth, my Papa
Watching Jerry and Joy fight for the kitchen
Preparing my Memaw’s famous German Chocolate Cake for the next day
Watching Papa prepare the ham and mix up his famous sweet sauce (he could make millions if he put it in a jar and sold it)
Playing Mexican Train and watching Papa squirm when a blank hits the table
Reuniting with family I haven’t seen for exactly one year (this has now changed to asking each other questions from Facebook posts)
Anticipating and enjoying the same signature dishes everyone makes
Jokes about how Mom always brings the paper goods
Hootin’ and hollerin’ while we plav dice after the feast
Falling asleep on the floor amongst my snoring uncles pretending to watch football

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Smile Friday: My Best Friend Edition

September 10th, 2010 No Comments

Love you mom!

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September 2nd, 2010 No Comments

Look how cute my mom is tonight. Excuse me, not cute, beautiful! This pic doesn’t do her justice. We’re at the Houston Fresh Faces event at Tootsies (shocker.)

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Mother’s Day!

May 10th, 2010 No Comments

Happy Mother’s Day!

I’m treating my hard-working momma to a massage and dinner to say thank you for taking such good care of me for….28 years!! Wow, that’s a long time.

And I just have to give a big shout out to my man Emin who gives the best massage in the world. Period.

Sometimes it hurts like a biatch, but my back, that is completely in shambles, really needs the release. I feel better already!

(Full disclosure: I receive a VIP discount from Hotel Zaza. It’s available to guests who frequent the hotel.)

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December 29th, 2009

Mom and I are giving each other mani-pedis tonight. I am wondeing where the hell my ugly feet came from because hers are so normal. Also frustrated, Mason wants to know why there is so much action going on in my lap without him. Now it’s my turn! (Poor mom.)