10 Best Father's Day Gifts for 2012

With Father's Day just around the corner, I've come up with, what I thing, are the 10 best father's day gifts for 2012. Here they are, in no particular order. Let me know what you think! You can also check these and more out on my Father's Day Pinterest.


1. Buckyballs
My sister has these little guys and let me tell you, they are, by far, the biggest waste of time, but they're totally freakin AWESOME!!!

2. Porter Grab and Grill
Great for dads that love to grill!

3. Razr Fit Drivers by Callaway

4. Free Father's Day Printable Questionnaire
If you have little ones this is the perfect, and free, gift for dads. I found this on one of my new favorite blogs.

5.  Motorized Tie Rack

My Pop-Pop (grandpa) had one of these when I was a kid and I just loved playing with it...weird, right!?!

6. Wireless Earbuds
Awesome for fathers on the run.

7. Collage Mug
This is a great personalize gift and very inexpensive.

8. F-Bomb Paperweight
This is more for father's with children that have already left the nest or for us spouses to buy our husbands. 

9. 5 Pack Cigar Sampler

10. Keurig
This may not be particularly geared only towards men, but who wouldn't want one of these. 

Quesadilla Casserole

I made this last night for dinner and I have to admit I was a little skeptical as to how it would turn out, but I must say it was really good! Definitely one I will make again and we have plenty of left overs for lunch today. I got the recipe from this McCormick spice packet thing. Sorry for the somewhat fuzzy pictures, I was under serious pressure to hurry up. I had a 1 1/2 year old starting to whine, due to low blood sugar, and a ravenous husband that kept saying "I'm staving" and "what time will it be ready". Anyways, let me know what you think. 

What You'll Need

Not Pictured: Cheddar cheese, Oregano Leaves and Chili Powder

1 lb. ground beef

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 cans (8 oz each) tomato sauce

1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can (8 3/4 oz) whole kernel corn, undrained

1 can (4 1/2 oz) chopped green chiles, undrained

6 flour tortillas (8-inch)

2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp minced garlic

1/2 tsp oregano leaves

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

Instructions

In a large skillet, over medium-high heat brown the ground beef and onion. Drain the beef and return to skillet. Add in the beans, 

corn, 

green chiles,

and tomato sauce.

Stir to combine;

Mix in all the spices (note: I didn't add the crushed red pepper at this time because I have a little person that ate this. Dave and I sprinkled a little on our before we ate it). Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to medium-low and let simmer for about 7 to 8 minutes.

Coat a 13x9x2 inch baking dish with no-stick cooking spray. Spread 1 cup of the mixture on the bottom of dish. 

Top that with 3 tortillas; 

Next, layer half of the remaining mixture and half of the cheese.

Repeat with the remaining tortillas, beef mixture and cheese. 

Can you see the layers? ^

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes or until heated through. 

Serve and enjoy!!!

Chicken-n-Cheese Steak Sub

This is what we had for dinner tonight and it was delicious!!! This is a recipe that I came up with. I was thinking Steak-n-Cheese meets Chicken Parmesan. Next time I'm going to try to make the bread from scratch (wish me luck). If you make it let me know what you think. 

What you'll need

Not Pictured, because I'm a knuckle head, is fresh basil

1 tube Pillsbury French loaf bread

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 boneless, skinless chicken breast, sliced into strips

1 red bell pepper, sliced

1 medium onion, sliced

7 basil leaves, julienned

1 to 1 1/2 cups of marinara sauce

1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded 

Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Cook the bread according to the directions on the tube. (Note: keep the oven on after you're done with the bread, so you can melt the cheese later).

While the bread is cooking, in large skillet, heat 1 Tbsp of olive oil over medium high heat.  Add the chicken strip, salt and pepper. Brown the chicken making sure to stir often. 

Once the chicken is cooked through, remove it from the pan and set aside. 

To same pan add the remaining olive oil and the onion and red pepper. Cook until veggies are tender about 4 minutes. 

Add the chicken and basil and warm through making sure to stir often. 

Slice the bread in half length wise and top with the chicken mixture. 

    

Top that with the marinara sauce.

Then with cheese and place it in the oven for about 5 minutes or until the cheese has melted

Cut into quarters and serve. 

Sebastian loved it :)

and so did Dave!!!

Boys and their Rocks!!!

My son is obsessed with dirt, mud and especially rocks. He loves to dig them up and collect them into little piles. We've already taken a bunch over to grandpas house, who's an avid rock collector. Hmmm...I wonder where Sebastian gets it from!?! Well, I think it's time to start shopping around for a rock tumbler of our own, so we can start a collection Sebastian.

Can you say "Dirty Shoes"!!!

Trying to balance a rock on his leg :)

Yes, that is dirt around his month...did I forget to tell you, that's how he cleans off his rocks. (Note: I do NOT let him do this but sometimes he will slip one in before I have a change to stop him) 

Our two keepers from this morning.

Creamy Lemon Grilled Chicken Pasta

We celebrated my birthday dinner last night, even thought my birthdays not until Tuesday. I made this along with a very chocolaty cake. They were both delicious and kid friendly.

What you'll need

Chicken

Juice of 1 lemon

3 Tbsp olive oil

1 garlic glove, minced

1 tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

5 basil leaves, finely diced

2 boneless, skinless chicken breast, quartered 

Pasta

16 oz dried penne pasta

2 Tbsp butter

Juice of 1 lemon

2 garlic gloves, minced

¾ cup heavy cream

Salt and pepper to taste

½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated

½ cup frozen peas

10 to 15 basil leaves, finely diced

Instructions for Chicken

In bowl, whisk together the first 6 ingredients. 

Place chicken into a large Ziploc bag and pour marinate over top of the chicken pieces. Squeeze any excess air out of bag and make sure marinate is evenly covered over the chicken. 

Refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours. After it has marinated, grill until done. Make sure to let the chicken sit for a few minutes before slicing.

Grilled courtesy of my loving husband.

Instructions for Pasta

While the chicken is grilling, cook the pasta according to box directions making sure to reserve a cup of the pasta water before you drain.  

In large skillet, over medium heat, melt the butter. 

Add the garlic and lemon juice and whisk for about a minutes or 2.

Add the heavy cream and whisk until warmed through. 

Add the cheese, basil, salt and pepper and stir until the cheese has melted. 

Stir in the pasta and peas. Add just enough of the pasta water until it reaches a creamy consistency. 

Serve and enjoy. 

I finally got a...

I finally got a...wait for it...NEW CAMERA!!! We celebrated my 30th birthday at my dads house yesterday and this is what I got from him. It's a Nikon Coolpix S9300 that take HD videos and awesome pictures like this...

My son Sebastian with my sister Andrea 

and this

My niece Ava (aka Buggy)

I can't wait to start taking pictures for my blog, my memories and to start documenting my baby's life with videos!!! Thanks Dad