Looks amazing right?

Well, this is what I tried to make for dinner last night. Let me start by saying that I am a wannabe cook. I wish I had the time and wasn't so tired to make amazing dinners each and every night. Most people dread cooking, but to me, it sounds fun and healthy and a great way to save money.

So I have recipes sent to my email and I look at them on a regular basis. I print the ones I think I am able to make and hope that one day I will have a lifestyle where I can make dinner when I get home from work and not feel so tired or be eating when it is 8 pm.

So in looking at many recipes, it appears I confused two recipes and went to the grocery store yesterday after thinking I knew what I needed. I usually make a list of ingredients when I try a new recipe, but yesterday, I was out and thought I could do it from memory.

Here is the recipe:

INGREDIENTS:
1 lb extra-lean (at least 93%) ground beef
1 small onion, chopped (1/3 cup)
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 jar (25.5 oz) Muir Glen® organic Italian herb pasta sauce
1 1/2 cups water
1 tablespoon ketchup
3 cups (6 oz) uncooked mini-lasagna noodles (mafalda)
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
1 cup shredded reduced-fat Italian cheese blend (4 oz)

WHAT TO DO:
1. In 12-inch nonstick skillet, cook ground beef, onion and garlic over medium-high heat for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until beef is thoroughly cooked; drain.

2. Stir in remaining ingredients except cheese. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low; simmer uncovered 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle with cheese.

What did I do? I purchased a rotisserie chicken, shredded mozzarella cheese, pasta sauce, olives and mushrooms (my own little addition).

Now mind you, my sister said healthful skillet lasagna, don't we need ground beef. Oh no, I tell her. This is with chicken. Little did I know.

We get home and I look at the recipe and said uh-oh. I confused two recipes. Combined the ingredients and thought I had the right one. So I prepped everything and put it in the skillet. I made it anyway, my way. It actually was not a total loss, it was good. However, my boyfriend did tell me to never make it with beef because he may like it better that way. But he did go back for seconds. That is always a sign it is good.

I did not take a picture of it, but if you like the idea of mixing it up, buy the above ingredients with a noodle pasta. I used quinoa elbow noodles (gluten free) and saute garlic and mushrooms in a bit of olive oil, then add the chicken (shredded like), olives, pasta and sauce and simmer until it is all blended well. Then top with the shredded cheese. Once it melts, serve. I made a salad to go with it.

For those that like to cook and are good at it; I thought you could use a laugh at my expense.

Happy cooking!
Ashley

What to Write...

So I don't write very often.

I know this and you know this. Well, if I am truly honest with myself, you may not know this. If I wrote more often, you might follow more and not get bored waiting for the next post.

So, why don't I write?!

I think the main reason I don't write often (other than being super busy with 2, no wait 3 jobs) is I may not want to write about jewelry and don't feel like I can post other things here. But why can't I post other things on this blog. I am not just a jewelry designer, I am so much more.

I am a cluttered mess....I am not kidding, if I wasn't just out of space in my home, I would be mistaken as a hoarder.
I am a reader....I read everything I can get my hands on. Magazines, books, pamphlets, everything!
I am a game player....not that kind of game player, I am too old for the head games. I love playing games on the computer or my kindle or friends smart phones...(I am not certain I am smart enough for a smart phone.)
I am a dreamer...I like to think about what my jewelry studio will look like one day, what my dream kitchen looks like, etc.
I love other things that I don't have time for like baking, cooking (sometimes) and gardening (but I am not good at it).

So let me ask you, my dear followers who have stuck with me through the dry spell. Do you care if I don't always talk about my jewelry or etsy? And if you like other topics, what do you want to chat about? Cause let's face it, a blog is just chatting with all of your cyber friends.

Chat again soon.
Ashley