Oooo, what could this be?!

Yes, I know I’m teasing you all 🙂 I’m so bad hehe…more to come!!!

UPDATE: Wrapping for PCOS Party Tonight!!

It’s FRIDAY!!!! Know what that means?! The Wrapping for PCOS party starts tonight at 8pm!! Got an update for you from Kim Lukowitz Birdsell:

“Good Morning Everyone!! I’m looking SO forward to being here tonight with all of you. If anyone has any questions in the meantime, PLEASE feel free to reach out. I am here to help in any way I can.

And YES, you CAN order BEFORE the party starts. I even have prizes for that! So, pick out those favorites and who knows, you just might be a winner! Please remember to choose party Wrapping for PCOS at checkout.“

 

I hope everyone joins in the fun, there are going to be giveaways within the event that Kim is going to be doing, you’ll definitely want to get in on that 😀 And don’t forget, Night Owl Kitchen will be hosting a few giveaways as well on the Night Owl Kitchen FB page, in order to participate in that you MUST like the NOK FB page. My giveaways are open for international folks as well 🙂

Hope you have a fantabulous day!!

UPDATE: Wrapping for PCOS

Click the picture to join!

Great news everyone, Wrapping for PCOS is up and ready to receive guests!! See the message below from Kim Lukowitz Birdsell who has done an amazing job in getting this all together and keeping me grounded through the set up process 😉 Really could not have done it without her!

 

“Hello Everyone! My name is Kim Lukowitz Birdsell and I am your Jamberry Consultant. Amanda Jones talked with me about doing a fundraiser for PCOS and I was thrilled to be able to say…YES, LET’S DO IT!! With a fundraiser, Jamberry would contribute 10% of our sales to PCOS, which is a wonderful, generous thing for then to do! BUT, I would like to do more than that. So we are set up as a party instead (right HERE, Friday, August 29th at 8:00 PM EST), which allows me more freedom and flexibility. To start, I am doubling the “norm” and will be contributing 20%. And the HIGHER the sales, the HIGHER my contribution. So let’s do this TOGETHER friends. To raising funds! And to raising AWARENESS! Looking forward to a FABULOUS time with all of you!”

 

I echo her words, let’s all come together to raise awareness about PCOS!  I’m beyond giddy, busting at the seams that this is happening! See y’all there, love ya!!

 

~Up and Coming Event~

Afternoon all! Trust everyone had a great weekend 🙂 Mine was productive in that I got more accomplished via the computer lol! The house could stand some more attention, but I won’t go there 😛

So last week I spent a few days talking to a wonderful sweet lady who asked me if I wanted to host an online jamberry nail wrap party. I really didn’t know what to say, I’ve attended such parties in the past. They’re fun but I wasn’t sure if I could handle that on top of our school schedule, my writing, and other responsibilities. So in essence I kind of turned down that offer and proposed another one instead…yeah, as if mine was going to mean any less work or stress(lol)…I asked her if it would be possible to do a month long fundraiser for PCOS awareness, since that’s coming up next month. See, not much more stress or work involved lol…YEAH RIGHT!!! To my surprise she responded with a YES! And what’s even better is that jamberry has changed their policy so now instead of fundraiser lasting for just a week it can last for a month! At first I wasn’t too sure how to metabolize that. It all felt like a dream!

By Friday I had designed a cover for it and this week she’s going to be ironing out the rest of the details, setting up the page, and links will be sent to me later on that way I can share them with you guys! So to break this down because what I’ve just said sounds like a garbled mess…

1. I will be co-hosting a fundraiser on Facebook starting this Friday(8/29/2014). We’re starting it three days early to allow everyone the chance to grab up certain nail wraps that are going to be discontinued, a teal one is going to be discontinued *sniffle*
2. The event is going to be called Wrapping for PCOS, cute right?!
3. This event is going to last until September 27(more details to come on that).

AND!!!

What fundraiser would be complete without a few giveaways?! Seriously, I have got some nice things to give y’all! All the giveaways outside of the fundraiser will be hosted on the Night Owl Kitchen Facebook page, so if you don’t already follow the page but want to have a chance to win something, then head on over and click LIKE! My own mother, who loves to sew, crochet, and knit has offered to make a few things to give away(yes in teal, very nice), y’all don’t want to miss out on that!

The proceeds from this fundraiser will be going to the PCOS Foundation out in Texas. They do a tremendous job educating the masses about what PCOS is, giving support to PCOS women and their families, and every year they host a large symposium featuring a 5K walk/run, food, and music! So if you want to be part of that, head on over their site and sign up! They always have a great turn out 🙂

If you prefer to not buy any nail wraps but want to make a contribution you can donate directly to PCOS Foundation site (click HERE to donate).

I am looking forward to this Friday, I will certainly keep y’all updated with any and all up and coming details! I hope you all will join in on the fun and help spread the word! See you there 🙂

 

Love y’all, Amanda Gayle

#gotteal #womanofteal #pcosawareness

 

What a crock…

🙂 Evening lovelies, my house is quiet except for Owl City playing in the background and a very sleepy dog trying to catch a squirrel in his sleep *wink* To be honest I’m new to listening to Owl City, I’ve heard some songs before but had no idea that that’s who sang them. Adam Young is a talented music artist, with fun songs, no questionable lyrics or suggestive content. Any Owl City fans out there? Give a whooooo if you are 😉

I am so proud of G–Man, he actually ate lasagna for the first time! He is out pickiest eat in the family, the child only has a few items that he will eat with any regularity. So last night was a mini victory 😀 The recipe I used, and monkeyed with, was very tasty! The noodles came out perfectly tender, nothing was burned or stuck to the sides. Just a nice meal that didn’t heat up the kitchen…oh, I didn’t tell you…yeah it cooked itself in the crock pot 🙂 My nephew loved it, of course, but I still contend that my Mom’s lasagna is the best. Nothing can ever replace mama’s lasagna! But the one I made last night is a lovely substitute.

This recipe was quite simple to put together and I serve it up with garlic parmesan crescent rolls, which were a great addition to this meal!

Crock Pot Four Cheese Lasagna

(This was made a 7 qt crock pot, adjust ingredients and directions according to the size of your crock pot)

1 pound ground beef, cooked

1 onion, chopped

1 cup sliced mushrooms

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp oregano

1 tsp sweet basil

A light sprinkle of Sweet Summer Savory

32 ounce jar of spaghetti sauce

1 can tomato sauce

Cheese Filling

24 ounces cottage cheese

3 cups mozzarella cheese, divided

milk or heavy cream(enough to thin out cottage cheese filling)

1 tblsp dried parsley, optional

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

11 slices white American cheese slices

12 uncooked lasagna noodles

Directions

Turn crock pot on low with lid on top to start heating it up.

On the stove in a dutch oven pan, brown the hamburger with onions and mushrooms. Add garlic and cook until onions are transparent. Add in salt, pepper, and seasonings. Stir to combine, pour in spaghetti sauce and tomato sauce. Let simmer for a 10 minutes.

In a medium bowl combine the cottage cheese, 2 cups of mozzarella cheese, milk or cream, dried parsley and parmesan cheese. Thin out this mixture just enough so that it’s spreadable but not soupy. Set aside.

Ladle a spoonful of the meaty sauce into the bottom of the crock pot; spread out to cover. Place three uncooked lasagna noodles side by side and break the fourth noodle in half placing each half at either end to cover the open edges. Spread 1/3 of the cottage cheese mixture over the noodles. Top with 6 slices of white American cheese slices and more sauce.

Repeat noodles, cottage cheese, and meaty sauce for two more layers. After spreading out the meaty sauce take the remaining 5 slices of white American cheese and fold each one from one corner to the other to make two triangles. Place them however you like over the top of the sauce. Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of mozzarella cheese over it and finish with a light dusting of parmesan cheese. Cover with lid and cook on low for 4–6 hours. Serves 8–10

It doesn’t get much easier than that, plus you’ll definitely want to serve it with my garlic parmesan crescent rolls!

Garlic Parmesan Crescent Rolls

1–2 cans crescent dough

Night Owl Kitchen’s Homemade Garlic Butter Recipe

Parmesan cheese

Directions

Open can(s) of crescent dough and separate the triangles. Lightly spread the prepared garlic butter on each piece and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Roll into crescent shape and bake on a release foil lined pan for 10 minutes at 375 degrees. Let cool before serving and enjoy! Yields 8–16 crescent rolls

A quick note about the garlic butter, my recipe makes a pound of garlic butter. If you have no desire to make that much for the crescent roll recipe, just use half a stick of butter(melted), 1–2 garlic cloves (minced) and adjust black pepper, basil and parmesan cheese accordingly. Any leftovers can be brushed on the tops of the rolls before or after baking.

See?! No joke, the child was going bonkers over those rolls!

 

Let me know what you think, I love hearing from you all 🙂 And as always…

Happy Eating!!

S’mores Krispy Treats

Tonight was a great night to serve up some s’mores…s’mores krispy treats that is 😀 These really ought to win some kind of award because seriously they are amazing! My Wednesday night kiddos were in love with them, I’m shocked I came home with any at all! Even my Dad who isn’t even a Rice Krispy treat fan liked these. Oh yes, this recipe is a keeper! My hat goes off to Nikki from Chef-in-Training (<—click there to get the recipe) for creating this recipe and sharing it on her blog.

This is all that’s left, major hit!

Be sure to head on over to Nikki’s blog to get the recipe and to let her know what you think. Honestly I don’t know of any reason to not like these. These are going on my MUST MAKE AGAIN list 😀

Happy Eating!!

Super Quick BBQ Chicken Salad

Yesterday was not a good day, I’m sure Monday’s aren’t really fun for anyone. It was rainy, G–Man was making me go berserk during our school day…all I kept singing in my head was “rainy days and Mondays always get me down”. Oh, btw, I’m a huge Carpenters fan! Just putting that out there 😉  And on days like yesterday, I tend to skips meals it’s a bad habit I know, but it’s even worse when I eat emotionally…can I get a holla?!

So, enter stage right, one of the quickest and tastiest salads I have made yet. I’m a huge fan of the Tyson Grilled Chicken Strips. They’re quick, versatile, and I’ve used them in a number of dishes! Soups, salads, wraps, stir fries, casseroles, crock pot dishes, and yes even vintage recipes.  (<—Click there for TBT recipe. It’s a yummy spin on pancakes and please eat them with a chicken gravy! I tried it with a homemade chicken gravy…I was ready to slap someone it was THAT good!)

 

Your favorite salad mix (I use romaine)
Tyson Grilled Chicken Strips, 1/2pound — 1pound
Favorite BBQ Sauce
1/2 tsp Tone’s Six Pepper Blend seasoning*
1/4 tsp roasted garlic steak seasoning
5 sweet mini peppers, raw rough chopped
1 large tomato, chopped
Your favorite dressing, optional
White American Cheese, broken into pieces

In medium microwave safe bowl, add frozen grilled chicken, both seasonings and bbq sauce. Cover bowl with paper towels and nuke on high at two minute intervals until chicken is completely thawed and hot. Cut bigger slices with kitchen sheers if desired.

To assemble salad, add salad mix to plate, top with chopped tomatoes, sweet peppers, add pieces of cheese(can be shredded if desired). At this point add your favorite dressing if you like and then top with a healthy spoonful of bbq chicken.

**Tone’s Six Pepper Blend Seasoning–This is a seasoning we buy from our local Sam’s Club, but you can also purchase it through Amazon. It’s spicy, so be careful to not use too much. I like an extra kick to my bbq sometimes, a little sweet and a little heat, delicious! You can eliminate this ingredient all together or you can use a pinch of red pepper flakes instead.

Tone’s Six Pepper Blend @ Amazon Click above picture to purchase

 

Let me know if and when you try this, I love hearing from y’all! If you like, you can certainly grill your own chicken which is always nice, especially right now during the summer!

 

Happy Eating!!!

5 Faves and a Granola Recipe…

This weeks 5 faves from FB and Instagram 🙂 Enjoy!!

1)Timehop Memories

I’m kind of unsure about this app. I think it’s great if you have some amazing posts you want to remember but apparently all of mine tend to be meme’s I’ve shared, inane posts about something that makes me go “why did I share that?”, and old political stuff that I don’t care to rehash. Do you timehop? What’s your favorite memory?

 

2)Batman Terra Cotta Pot

 

Going to geek out for a minute here 😉 I am a huge Batman fan! I love the original Batman series with Adam West, I grew up with Michael Keaton as Batman(who in my opinion was the best one of all time and Jack Nicholson was the best Joker second to that of Cesar Romero). Even as a teenager I watched Batman the Animated Series with my nephew. He and I all so watched The Gargoyles but that’s another story for another time. When I saw the above picture I was saying out loud “That is so cool!” Yeah, it really is 🙂 I would also love to have a Robin, Joker, Catwoman, and Poison Ivy to go with it! Not asking for too much, right?! Nah, I didn’t think so either hehe!!

 

3)Aloha!

I tagged a Hawaiian friend of mine to this photo earlier this week. He and I have known each other(online that is) for 14 years…? Goodness, how time flies Well, needless to say, if you have the time and want to brighten up your child’s day then bring them a little plate of palm tree happiness! Of course this works too for the Florida beach goers 🙂 Mmm, don’t mind me as I snag a piece of kiwi there!!

 

4)The South (n.)

 

Ok, I’ve lived in Alabama for 27 1/2 years and I can with great certainty say yes to everything in the above picture(except for the sweet tea, I wasn’t raised on it). In some ways I am southern and others not so much. My accent is more Midwestern thanks to my Mom, but I can sound like the natives if I so choose. I do say y’all quite a lot in casual conversation. It’s just natural for me, and my son says I make the best fried boneless chicken, he asks for it every week. Guess his little life isn’t complete without it 😉 I don’t use darlin’, but most folks get called hon and sweetie(little kids especially). And here’s a question, how do you pronounce pecan? Is it pEE-can or pUH-con? I was raised to say pUH-con, my Mom hails from Illinois so I’m not sure if that really means anything or not.

…and number…

5)Cuisinart 1-cup coffee pot

On my personal instagram I shared this image. I am so happy to finally have an individual coffee maker up in our school room now. It uses K-cups(donut shop being my favorite flavor). Seriously, it’s so nice having it up there. No more trekking all the way from the bonus room to the other end of the house just to get a cup of coffee. Although I could benefit from such a workout, I’m still babying a poorly achilles tendon I’d rather not injure it further. What’s your favorite coffee blend?

 

A couple of weeks ago my Sunday School Class had a brunch get–together. It was the first time since I’ve been there that we did a brunch, most of the time it’s either finger food or simple dinners. But I actually enjoyed the brunch, it was a lovely change! I spent a couple of weeks pouring over the endless recipes that we’ve amassed over the years. That’s when I settled on a homemade granola! It’s delicious on yogurt, over fruit, with honey or cream…it was a hit! The leftovers were gone two days later 🙂 Needless to say I think my family liked it! The recipe I used comes from Summer Harms blog. There was no specification about the oats, I used the quick cooking kind which actually produced a finer texture of granola.However, if you want there to be some chunks then use the original oats.

Click the picture to snag the recipe!

Other than the time it took to actually bake and stirring it around every 20 minutes this recipe was easy to put together from start to finish. I’m sure you can add dried fruit and nuts to this and customize it to your palate. Don’t forget to head on over Summer Harms Blog to get the recipe and leave your comments there for her 🙂

Happy Eating!!

Chocolate Covered Pretzels and Peanuts

Hey everyone, as promised here is my sweet treat recipe that I’ve been taunting everyone with sharing on FB, Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram today. It’s super easy to make, a great snack in the afternoon or after dinner. But first I wanted to share a little tidbit of inspiration for this recipe 🙂 You see, a few weeks ago my Dad left a bottle of unsalted peanuts that he had mixed with chocolate chips in the car…and it was a scorcher of a day too! Naturally you know what happened, the peanuts were completely coated in melted chocolate. Dad was sad that he had forgotten about them being in the car. So that night just as he was about to put the container of peanuts and melted chocolate in the fridge I stopped him and said it would be a pain to get that hard mess out of the bottle later. I assured him I would take care of it.

I lined our 12–inch pizza pan with release foil and poured out the chocolate covered peanuts onto the pan. Spread it out as evenly as possible and placed it in the fridge overnight. The next day I broke it into chunks and put it all in an air tight container, storing it in the fridge to avoid it melting again. And Dad loved it!! Loved it so much he asked me to do that again, only on purpose 🙂 Which now leads us to this yummy treat!

All you need::

4 cups pretzels
1 cup lightly salted peanuts
16 ounces semi–sweet chocolate chips,melted
1/4 brick + 1 Tblsp of Gulf Wax, grated and melted
1/4 cup white chocolate chips,melted

Melt chocolate chips in microwave safe bowl with 1/4 brick gulf wax. Pour melted chocolate and wax over pretzels and peanuts in a medium size bowl. Stir to coat. Pour out onto a wax paper or release foil lined pan. Spread out into a single layer. A few clumps are ok. This will set up fairly quickly!
In a separate bowl melt white chocolate and the grated 1 tablespoon of gulf wax. Stir to make sure all the chips and wax are completely melted together. Pour into a quart size bag, cut a tiny hole in the bottom corner of the bad and drizzle the white chocolate over the pretzels and peanuts.
Leave in the fridge to finish setting up for an hour. Break apart and store in airtight container in the fridge(especially in the summer time).

 

   

This was absolutely amazing! Just sweet enough with a nice light touch of salty goodness. Feel free to use any chocolate or flavored chips you prefer. The gulf wax helps to set up the chocolate faster. 100% edible, safe for candy making(we use it every year in our buckeyes and peppermint bark). I plan to make another batch only the next time I will use white chocolate to coat the pretzels and peanuts and drizzle with butterscotch…I love butterscotch!

Let me know what you think and what flavor combinations you use!

Happy Eating!!