Italian Chicken Rotelle W/Broccoli & Cheese.

Good Tuesday everyone! I'm back with a food post. I love cooking, baking, and creating new recipes, but I do also love having breaks from the kitchen. Especially from those nasty dishes. I can pile stacks of dishes in no time....

I still haven't seen Hannah Montana yet due to different complications, but my little sister and older sister got to. They came out raving and raving. I am hoping I can see it this weekend. But Ghosts of Girlfriends Past and X-Men are coming out this Friday and I am being pulled in 3 directions. Not sure what I'll see!

I created this recipe when I saw my Mom had some Rotelle on the shelf. I love pasta....especially when it is cold. I added in some chicken for a more balanced meal. The broccoli and provolane cheese take it up a notch. I was out of the bottled Italian Dressing so made my own. A quick meal for those busy week nights. Chilled or eaten at room temperature, it is good.

Italian Chicken Dressing Rotelle

Ingredients:

1 (16 oz.) bag of Garden Rotelle

2 cups chicken, cubed, cooked, and cooled

1 cup broccoli, chopped in small pieces

1 1/2 cup provolane cheese, cut into cubes

DIRECTIONS:
Cook pasta according to directions. Cool. Combine all ingredients together. Set aside. Make dressing and pour all over Rotelle. Refrigerate 4 hours or until chilled or eat room temperature.

Italian Dressing:

Ingredients:

1 tbsp. garlic powder

1 tbsp. onion powder

1 tbsp. white sugar

2 tbsp. dried oregano

1 tsp. ground black pepper

1 tbsp. Italian Seasoning

1 tsp. dried basil

1 tbsp. dried parsley

1 tsp. salt

1/4 cup white vinegar

2/3 cup vegetable oil

DIRECTIONS:

Combine all ingredients together in a jar or bowl. Stir very well.

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Andrew has always loved sports. He has loved being outside ever since I can remember. Baseball is what he does best. He's never been a big camera lover....he'd take pictures but would never ask to have a picture taken of himself. A lot of times he'll give a look, which means get that horrid thing out of my face. Or he'll do the craziest things for the camera. He can also break out in the cheeseiest grins. The last picture is one of his many cheesy grins.

Have a good Tuesday, hopefully you are having some beautiful sunny weather. We are having cloudy cool weather. See you next with a dessert!

Cake Mix Winner And I'm Boring You.

Good Monday morning everyone! I think weekends need to be much longer. Much longer. But on second thought maybe they wouldn't be as sweet. I love you Saturday and Sunday. Don't ever leave me. Thank you.

Thank you to all of you who made it in my Naturally Nora contest. I enjoyed reading your cake mix preferences! Chocolate edged everything else out by far. A big congrats to the winner picked by random.org:

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Anna who said: Cookie cookie looks and sounds heavenly!!!

Please contact me at priscilla91@iowatelecom.net so you can get your goodies.
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Some of you were asking where you can purchase Nora's cake mixes at. You can find them available here.

And, since I was too busy all weekend to be creative and create something up, I am going to bore you all with more pictures of my friend's senior session. Thank you for letting me bore you.

Have a good one and I will have a recipe post very soon! I am looking forward to a Cubs game tonight....beat them D'backs!

Win Free Cake Mixes And Frosting Mixes!

Good Friday everyone!

I was recently sent a box full of cake mixes from Nora at Naturally Nora for me to try. And let me tell you, they are delicious! But the amazing thing is they are full of all natural ingredients. There are NO artificial colors, flavors or preservatives and there are NO hydrogenated oils or trans fats. While I normally think of healthy and all natural foods as dull, these are not. They are very flavorful.

Here is the fun part. Nora has allowed me to give one of my readers one years worth of free cake mixes and frosting mixes. Which would be 12 free cake mixes and 12 free frosting mixes. One of you guys can get to sample what I am talking about!

To enter, Visit Naturally Nora and then leave me a comment on this post telling me which out of the cake mixes you like best. Surprising Stars is one of my favorites. Contest ends Sunday the 26th at 12 PM CST MIDNIGHT.

Brownies W/Caramels, Coconut, & Chocolate.

Good Wednesday Earth Day (note: not an environmentalist) everyone! Hope you are having a good week so far. I have been really enjoying sunny spring weather. I have waited a long time to be able to not wear a jacket!

There aren't words for these brownies. They are chewy, moist, stomach-pleasing, and eye-catching. I have been seeing other bakers making homemade Somaos all over the internet. I thought why not make a brownie Somaos? I am so glad I thought of making these. They are now my favorite brownies I have ever made and they make for amazing pictures. I also got thumbs up from my brother.

Brownie Somoas

Ingredients:

1 brownie mix

3 1/2 cups shredded coconut, toasted

(2) 14 oz. package of caramels, unwrapped

1/2 tsp. salt

4 tbsp. milk

3 oz. semi-sweet chocolate

DIRECTIONS:

Prepare brownie mix according to box directions. Cool. Place the caramels, salt, and milk in a microwave safe bowl and cook on high for 3-5 minutes. Stop occasionaly to stir. Cook until all caramels are melted and smooth. Add coconut and mix together. Spread over cooled brownies. Refrigerate 4-5 hours or overnight. Cut into bars and drizzle with melted semi-sweet chocolate.

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I bet most of us have little sisters. Anna is 5 years younger than me. Anna loves to laugh at my jokes. I know if I make a joke she will usually laugh, while my siblings usually pass looks that say that was dumb. She says some pretty funny things. She is full of energy. Which is good, because in this family no one is quiet. While my brothers usually say nothing about my baking but keep eating it, Anna is the first to tell me what I made was good. And last year she let me cut her hair for the first time ever in her life. It was also my first time ever cutting hair. That took some courage. She usually does let me do things like to her. Amazing - right?

Enjoy your Wednesday, and I will have a non-dessert recipe next! Got a busy afternoon/evening ahead of me!

What I Shoot With & More Pics.

Some of you guys have been asking what kind of camera I use for shooting and other questions about my photography so I decided to do a post on it for you all and link it on my sidebar.

I am currently using a Canon Rebel xTi with a 50 mm lens. I purchased the body only here and then purchased the lens here. I bought the camera body and the lens separate because I found out from other photographers that buying the 50 mm lens (instead of the whole camera deal like this) gives you a much better lens. One drawback to this lens is you cannot zoom in or out. You have to be the zoom, which gives me more exercise. I love this lens.

I purchased this camera about 2 months ago, and can't imagine taking pictures without it. The pictures straight from the camera are beautiful and stunning. I take my picutres on usually, "Portrait" or "Close-Up". Portrait is my favorite setting/mode to shoot in, it takes 4 or 5 pictures in a row for you. Great setting/mode for action shots. While it is pricey, I personally think it is worth every penny. I saved up for a while for this camera and am so glad I did.

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"Straight Out Of The Camera Pictures"
Senior Photography Session With Katie Jones.

Hope this answered those of you who asked me photography questions and I will see you next with that deadly brownie recipe! Have a great Monday night!

Baseball Season Has Sprung.

Good Saturday night!
Baseball/Softball season is in full swing here. One of the many advantages of having 8 members in a family is you practically have a baseball team right there. After school, many of us will head out to the field and get some practice in. We are going to need lots with our church's softball league starting soon. My oldest brother can crank balls out of the field/diamond like nothing....which leaves me thinking I am so glad I am not the ball.

Have a great remaining weekend and I'll have a diet-damager brownie recipe post soon! And, this is up to you. Would you guys care to see some more of my friend's senior pictures?

Banana Bread Made W/A Chocolate Cake Mix

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Winners picked by random.org:

Natalie who said: i can't believe you're going to make me choose. seriously! they all sound amazing so i'm just going to wait and see if i win (fingers crossed) and then pick if i absolutely have to :)

AND

Abigail who said: Those two ingredient cupcakes look amazing.

Please email me ladies at priscilla91@iowatelecom.net so you can get your treats!

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Good Thursday everyone! Hope you are having a wonderful week with sunny weather. I cannot wait to see Hannah Montana this weekend, I wasn't able to make it last week with my friend for opening week to see it. We can't wait to see it Saturday. My favorite characters would have to be Lilly, Ricco, Jackson, and Hannah. Ricco is so amusing.

I needed to use some bananas up we had and came up with this recipe. I love the addition of a chocolate cake mix. The sour cream and bananas add much moisture to this cake and the chocolate chunks or chips knock this cake up a notch. This was devoured instantly but with 3 man eating brothers I honestly think devouring anything isn't hard.

Chocolate Cake Mix Banana Bread

Ingredients:

1 cup butter

1 cup sugar

3 eggs

1 1/2 cups flour

1/4 tsp. salt

3/4 tsp. baking soda

3/4 tsp. vanilla

3 medium bananas, ripe and smashed

5 tbsp. sour cream

2 cups of a chocolate cake mix, straight out of the box

1 1/2 cups chocolate chunks or chips

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 in pan. Cream butter and sugar together. Add eggs and mix well. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt together and add to creamed mixture. Add vanilla, bananas, sour cream, cake mix, and chunks/chips. Mix very well. Pour into greased baking pan. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until ready.

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I love my friends. But you all know that.

Katie and I are the last two to graduate from high school out of our friend's group. We both leave 12th grade next month. While it sounds exciting to no longer be in high school, it is also scary for me. I am stepping into a place I have never been before. My whole life I have always been in either elementary, junior high, or high school. But I know I have a great big God who will walk with me as I tread these new days. And I have to graduate sometime, I wouldn't want to be 40 and still in 12th grade.

(Easter 2009)



One of my favorite songs by Third Day. I find it simply amazing that the God who holds this world in the palm of His Hands and created this universe, loves me. And died that I might live.

Which Would You Pick If You Won?

A different kind of giveaway. A giveaway where the prize is any of the below desserts.
Yup, 2 of you guys will get to pick which dessert will be mailed to you. 1 dozen of your choice each. Made for you by me. Made just for my readers.

2 Ingredient Cupcakes. Pure bliss. You will want to eat more than you should.
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Classic Crunchy Choc. Chip Cookies W/Brownie Mix. A Brownie mix makes anything taste good.
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Oatmeal, Toffee, & Coconut Cookies. Toffee added in these cookies makes you never want to stop eating them.
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So, it is up to you. To enter, which of the 3 desserts would you pick if you won? I am partial towards the 2 ingredient cupcakes. They are beyond addicting. I think I need to make some more. Right now.

You have until Thursday at 6 o'clock PM. Look for a post soon after announcing the winner. I hope random.org picks you.

My First Photography Session.

I love photography. I love snapping pictures of people. I love capturing people smiling. Laughing. Being Serious. Their mood.
I had my first oppertunity to have a photo shoot last Saturday. My friend Katie needed her Senior pictures taken, and I offered to take them. I shot her pictures at a gorgeous park and downtown. The day couldn't have been any nicer. And it always is helpful when your model is beautiful.

My buddy Morgan ran this photo thru PhotoShop, isn't this stunning?

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2 of my buddies and I are having our graduation party together. Here is a sneak preview of some graduation invatation pictures......

(L to R: Priscilla, Lena, & Katie)

2 Ingredient Cupcakes, Easy Peasy Ones.

Good Saturday evening everyone! I feel like a chicken with my head cut off running all over the place this week. Easter preparations and activites have kept me so busy these past days, but I have been enjoying it.

Today I had my first ever photo session with my friend. It could not have gone better, the lighting was perfect and the day was simply gorgeous. It sure helps when you are photographing a beautiful girl. I'll be sharing some pictures from the shoot in a post in the upcoming week. I adore taking photos of people, I feel better being behind the camera.

These cupcakes were some of the best I have had in a long time. I whipped this recipe up and couldn't believe I hadn't tried this sooner. The brownie mix swirled in the cake mix batter
makes these so tasty. It is hard to believe this recipe only has 2 ingredients, I love simple things.

Double Boxed Cupcakes
Ingredients:

1 yellow cake mix (or any kind would work)

1 brownie mix, with chunks

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare cake mix according to directions. In a another bowl prepare brownie mix according to directions. Grease 2 muffins pans. Fill pans 3/4 full with yellow cake mix batter. Drop a heaping tablespoonful of brownie mix on top of the cake batter in each muffin tin. Swirl with knife. Bake for 20 minutes or until middle is done. Do not overbake.

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Lewis Lewis Lewis. Some days he drives me so mad and other days I feel so happy that he is mine. I have always adored Labs. Lew is my first purebred Lab. And I will have to say I do not adore them as much as I did. Labs are stubborn. Strong willed. Mouthy. Rolly polly. Has a mind of their own. Chews things up endlessly. Gets in the trash. And they make it impossible to catch them. I love Labs but look at them with a realstic view now.

Happy Easter everyone! I hope it is filled with lots of fun and good food. I am hoping for a beautiful sunny day!

A Tasty Dinner Meal In 30 Minutes.

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The winner of the apron is Comment #132:

Maria who said: I like baking with my family! Best times are in the kitchen!

Congrats Maria!! Please e-mail me at priscilla91@iowatelecom.net to claim your prize!

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Happy Thursday everyone! Whew, this week has been busy. I am feeling in much need of a long vacation. I am very excited because at the end of next month I will be going on vacation to California. I will be heading out to see my Grandma and to attend my closest friend's graduation. Ah, I seriously cannot wait. Eating at In-N-Out or Green Burito, seeing Palm trees, swimming, seeing mountains again, embracing the California sun. And much more. California I love you. I also adore you.

Onto a quick dinner meal. I'm sure a lot of you guys are familiar with marinating chicken breasts in Italian Dressing for a couple hours and then grilling it. But I also like to add some Pineapple Juice in with the Italian Dressing Marinade. Mmm, makes some lip smaking good chicken.

The rice and the green beans with eggs is also another favorite meal at our house during the summer with the chicken. The green beans mixed with eggs is my favorite way to eat green beans. We all grew up on Rice Pilaf and eat it all the time. It is a delicious side dish. This whole meal takes about 30 minutes (minus the marinading), it is simple but very appetizing.

Green Beans With Eggs
Ingredients:

5 eggs, beaten

1 can of french cut Green Beans, drained

2 tbsp. butter

DIRECTIONS:

Melt butter in a pan over medium heat. Dump Green Beans in and mix with the butter. Add eggs and stir until eggs are cooked. Sprinkle with salt to taste. Yield: 4 servings

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Rice Pilaf

Ingredients:

1 cup long grain rice, uncooked

2 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup vermicelli, lightly browned (Cracked into 3 inch pieces)

1/4 to 1/2 tsp. salt

4 tbsp. butter

DIRECTIONS:

Brown vermicelli at 400 degrees for 5 minutes or until lightly browned. In a pan over high heat, combine rice, chicken broth, vermicelli, and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer and cover. Cook for 20 minutes or until ready. 5 minutes before ready, drop tablespoonfuls of butter on rice and place top back on to finish cooking. Yield: 4 servings.

Pineapple And Italian Marinated Chicken
Ingredients:
4 skinless and boneless chicken breasts, thawed

1 cup Italian Dressing

1 1/2 cups Pineapple Juice

DIRECTIONS:

Combine Italian Dressing and Pineapple Juice. Place chicken in a pan, pour dressing all over chicken. Cover and marinate for 3 hours. Grill on BBQ on low heat until no longer pink in the middle. Continue to baste chicken in dressing while grilling. Yield: 4 servings.

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I love watching the youngest two out of our family together. Being the youngest out of all of us kids, they have a special something together. Even in a group of people Joe and Anna can usually be spotted together. As long as I can remember they have loved tackling each other to the ground. I sure hope they won't be doing that at 20 and 22 years old. Yes, that would be weird.

Have a wonderful Easter everyone, the days leading up to it is packed with activities! Looking forward to it, hope I can last until Easter and that day too!

Start Your Spring Baking With This Chic Apron!

Contest Is Now Closed! Winner To Be Announced This Afternoon!

Good Tuesday everyone! I am happy to say the snow didn't last long at all. We are back to some nice spring weather. Here is a great way to celebrate spring, with a beautiful apron from SassyApron. Lana makes some gorgeous aprons, makes me want to head straight to the kitchen and start baking! The chocolate with pink polka dot apron is calling my name, so chic! be sure to check her store out, there are many more aprons on there you will love.

The prize is the above apron to 1 of my readers.

To enter, tell me what you enjoy doing most with your family. Maybe you like going to the movies together, spending an afternoon at the park, having a game night together, or going places.

I enjoy lots of things, but I love playing outdoor games. Especially when we have friends over and there are so many kids it makes for amazing games.

Get extra chances by....Following my blog (under Who's In The Kitchen) Leave me an extra comment if you do.

Deadline is Wednesday at 10 o'clock PM CST.

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Have fun guys and I'll be back with the winner and a tasty food post next!

Strawberry And Chocolate Chip Muffins.

Good Sunday everyone! Hope you had a great weekend with good weather. I can't believe this but it is snowing right now. It may be April 5th but that doesn't make any difference to the

snow coming. I am itiching for some spring weather, we have been getting tastes of it here and there.

I am super excited about this weekend, because the new Hannah Montana movie is coming out! My friend Amanda and I are going to see it, my other friends are anti-Hannah Montana so I can't take them. I have been waiting for this for a long time, can't wait to finally see it.

I took our muffin recipe we use and decided to use strawberries and chocolate chips together instead of blueberries. It was delicious. The strawberries make the muffins moist and the chocolate chips add that sweet taste you need. My family loved these and so did my friend. These can't be overbaked because the muffin will lose its moist flavor, which maked this muffin superb.

Strawberry And Chocolate Chip Muffins
INGREDIENTS:
3 cups flour
1 cup sugar
3 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cup milk
2 eggs
1 cup or oil

2 cups fresh strawberries, chopped

1 cup chocolate chips
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 400F. Grease muffin pans. In large bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir in milk, eggs and oil. Mix until flour is not visible. Make sure there are lumps in the batter. Do not over beat. Add strawberries and chocolate chips. Bake for 20 minutes or until top springs back and is golden brown. Yield: 2 dozen jumbo muffins.

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I have the best friends. I am also blessed to have friends that love God. Friends that make me want to pursue more after God.

This is my friend Katie. We are both Seniors this year. We laugh a lot when we are together. Katie is full of energy but says it best with this statement, "I could never be a Emo, I am too happy". When we first started attending the church we now go to, Katie made me feel very welcome and like I had always known her. In the time I've known her, she is the kind of person you love being around. She is also my snowboarding buddy.

Here's to a great rest of your Sunday night and I'll see you with a another post soon!

Cooking And Photography Gone Wrong.

You know the saying, "I am having a bad hair day or I had a marvelous hair day today"? Well, I have those kind of days in the kitchen sometimes (and with my hair!). Some days the food goes along perfectly, lighting for the food is great, and my ideas for a new recipe work. And other days it seems like the kitchen is trying to kick me out and even the recipes or the ideas in my head for a new recipe are flat out against me. I have those days more than I'd like, but it makes me more determined to try again.



These are called Buffalo Chicken Burritos. I was having a hard time eating these and look at that ugly red sauce color. Not very appetizing looking.
I was trying to make some cold coffee for a post on my blog. The coffee was okay but lighting was terrible. The light and I weren't getting along.

A recipe I had in my head but turned out not as I hoped. Puff pastry, vanilla pudding mix, milk, cool whip, and snicker bars.....the ingredients. The verdict was not too good. The lighting again was against me. Not to mention these bars do not make you want to eat them.

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I love this picture of my brother. He isn't mad. He gets in these certain spirts which include running all over, talking more than usual, yelling with his mouth wide open, and trying to jump on anyone in his reach. He isn't normally like this, Joe is more on the quiet and calm side. So when he gets in these spirts it is kinda a surprise. But again not really, cause that is Joe. My little brother is one exciting guy to live with.


Here's to a fantastic day and be back with another food recipe soon!

My Readers.

I have some pretty cute readers. Oh yes I do. The notes some of you guys sent along with the photo were so nice to get, thank you thank you! One of the greatest things to hear from my readers is that you enjoy my blog. You guys also have some pretty cute husbands, kids, friends, or siblings. This contest was the best one to date.

Winner picked by random.org:

Please contact me at priscilla91@iowatelecom.net so you can get your prize!

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Have a fantastic weekend guys and I'll see you with a post about the baking/cooking I have done that went terrible with pictures! I do have some pretty rough days in the kitchen!

(I am excited that I can still get piggy-back rides from my brother...)

Giveaway Time But Not The Normal Way!

CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED!

Nope, this isn't the normal way I hold my contests. This time if you guys are up for the challenge, you will have to do a little work to enter. But don't worry, this work should be fun for you guys.

I'd love to know who my readers are. Love to see who you are.

So, to enter send me a picture of yourself. It can be with a friend, family member, your pet, or just a picture of you.

All the pictures I receive of my readers will be up on my blog with the winner picked randomly.

Send your picture here: priscilla91@iowatelecom.net.

Yes, the prize. The winner will get to pick a bag of your choice from this shop: OliveAndBubby. Terie has some pretty amazing bags, perfect spring bags with spring right around the corner. Will help you get in that much wanted warmer weather spirit.

Deadline is: Friday at 9 o'clock AM and the winner will be announced that afternoon.

My buddy Jack and I. Ah, can't wait to get that tanned again.

Can't wait to see YOU guys!