Dynamite Shrimp

My sister Jordan & her husband gave my family an adorable gift basket for Christmas. Inside was lots of home baked goodies and a jar of her Dynamite Sauce. She was inspired by the Dynamite Shrimp from Applebee's which is delicious! And Yes, she designed her own label. Too cute.
Jordan also has a blog with more info on her Dynamite sauce. I served the shrimp on a bed of fresh & crisp coleslaw with a side of Caramelized Pan Potatoes. My new recipe!

Caramelized Pan Potatoes

I made up this recipe as I went tonight and it turned out amazing! I love potatoes. When I was in high school I made something similar to this with canned whole potatoes. That will work but will not taste as good.

Caramelized Pan Potatoes

3 medium sized potatoes, peeled & sliced into circles
2 T. olive oil
1 tsp. minced garlic
3tsp. sugar
1/4 cup. diced white onion
1 tsp. kosher salt
a few dashes of pepper

1.Turn a large non-stick skillet on medium high heat. Warm up olive oil. Add onions & sugar. Cook until they start turning brown.

2. Add in the garlic and cook until lightly browned. Then lay the potato slices on top of it all. Sprinkle on salt/pepper and cover and cook on medium heat for 10-15 minutes. Then stir and remove lid and cook until all the potatoes are lightly crisped & caramelized.

These potatoes were so good & quick to make. I can't wait to make them again!

My First Birch Box-December 2011

After reading so much about Birchbox I decided to join. What is Birchbox? Well, for ten dollars a month (can cancel at any time) you will receive a box of deluxe sized samples delivered to your door. I absolutely love getting stuff in the mail and of course beauty products so I'm giving it a try!

I must admit my first box did not leave a good impression on me. My sis was over when I got the mail and I was so excited. She glanced over and was like "you paid how much for that?!" Because I got tiny stuff as you can see. The only decent sized sample is the face primer The Porefessional by Benefit. I actually like that a lot. It smells good, fills in pores and dries to a silky finish.

I also got a perfume sample of Ageless by Harvey Prince which I think is a terrible name. However the scent was impressive. Here's the description from their website

"Inspired by scientific research and crafted with love, Ageless by Harvey Prince defies your skin’s natural age-revealing scent. Its notes are an inviting blend of pink grapefruit, pomegranate, luscious mango, with a dry down of jasmine and natural musk."

The lipgloss is Birchbox Pink by Jouer. It's okay and goes on very sheer.

The Loreal Mythic Oil made my dry hair shiny and smooth. Smells nice. "Enriched with a special blend of avocado and grape seed oil, this lightweight oil cares and pampers all hair types. Nourishing even the finest hair, the formula leaves hair looking shiny, feeling nourished and supple."

I have not tried the EBoost Health Booster drink mix yet.

Not sure what I will do with the Showstoppers fashion tape!

I considered canceling my subscriptions but I've seen a lot of nice looking samples on other blogs. So, I'm going to try another month. Please be a good one!

Some Christmas Pics

My little ones are just too cute! I took some pictures of them all dressed up for our Christmas cards. Only 6 days until Christmas!

NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream-Tokyo

My sister and I went Christmas shopping last week. We went to Ulta. I love that they carry a huge selection of NYX products! I picked up the pale pink lip liner and Tokyo matte lip cream to try. I'm wearing both in these pics. This cream goes on silky smooth like a gloss. Then dries to a matte finish that last all day! It also has a nice vanilla scent. This is one of those lip products that will show every crack or flake on your lip so make sure to exfoliate and moisturize beforehand. Think I will get some more shades to try!

I'm also wearing Benefit Hoola with MAC My Highland Honey on my cheeks. I'm not wearing any eyeshadow. Just a little liquid liner on top and a lavender liner on my lower lids. Since I'm a stay at home mom I like easy looks like this!

Weekly Meal Plan

pic from Spiral Bakes.com

Dinners-

Cheese Tortellini, Chicken Smoked Sausage & Alfredo Sauce with rolls. (New family favorite! this is so easy. Just use frozen tortellini and a jar of Alfredo sauce. Slice & brown up the smoked sausage. Stir all together. Not much prep involved.)

Chicken Pillows with corn.

Lasagna Soup with ciabotta bread.

S.O.P.P. (Chicken Sausage, onions, peppers & potatoes.)Simple and delicious. Served with a side salad.

Steak, peirogies and salad.

Breakfast- french toast sticks or sausage roll-new freezer friendly recipe!

Lunches- Southwestern Egg Rolls (Freezing some for Christmas) leftovers, nuggets or sandwiches for the kiddos.

Sweets- Colorful Spiral Cookies from Spiral Bakes. these cookies are so festive. Hope mine turn out cute!

Go to Organized Junkie for more dinner ideas!

Beauty Products I'm liking right now..

1. Neutrogena Microdermabrasion System. This is awesome! If you haven't tried one of these electric face cleansing brushes, go do it now. My skin felt amazing after the first wash. So soft! I have been using it every other day. Since my skin is less rough & flaky afterwards I've noticed my moisturizer soaks in better. Makes sense to me! I'm sure it would help with wrinkles as well.
2. Burt's Bees Baby Creme. After washing my face I put this on. I like to use it as eye cream as well. It's all natural and made from aloe vera juice which is moisturizing and soothing for irritated skin. But I wouldn't recommend using this before applying makeup! It's more of a night time lotion.
3. Maybelline Line Stiletto. Quick and easy liner pen!
4. St. Ives Naturals body lotion with coconut milk and orchid extract. I put this on after showering and before bed. Keeps my dry skin from getting itchy from this cold weather and smells nice.
4. Alba Un Petroleum. I put this on my face after using the Burt's Bees cream. Kandee recommends this and I'll pretty much use whatever she says! Works wonderfully for dry & sensitive skin.
6. Loreal Non Sulfate Smoothing Shampoo & Conditioner. I have very dry & wavy hair. I use the shampoo like normal. Then I wrap my hair in a towel. After that I add a quarter sized amount of the conditioner and I leave it in my hair to air dry! This method makes my hair less frizzy.

New Dinner Recipe-Teriyaki Pork Stir Fry

Last week I came across this recipe on food.com. I had boneless pork chops that needed to be cooked and this recipe had a short list of ingredients that I had on hand. Love when life works out like that. For even faster food prep try using already minced garlic and ginger. I found the jarred ginger at HEB. Don't you love the smell of ginger? I do! My husband and daughter said they would like to eat this for dinner again.

~Teriyaki Pork Stir Fry~

2/3 cup soy sauce. I will use low sodium next time.
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 T. cornstarch
2 tsp. minced ginger
2 tsp. minced garlic
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes-optional. my 4 year old thought it was a little spicy.
1 pound of boneless pork cut into thin strips
1.5 cups fresh broccoli florets
1/4 cup minced onion
1 T. olive oil

optional- make a pot of rice

1. In a large bowl whisk together soy sauce, brown sugar & 1 T. cornstarch.
2. Add ginger, garlic & red pepper to the sauce.
3. Put pork in the sauce & marinate for 15 minutes.
4. Turn skillet on medium high heat. Add olive oil and then saute onions and broccoli. I added a splash of water to help soften the broccoli. Cook until onions are soft. Remove broccoli & onions and set aside.
5. Now cook the pork. Once the pork is browned. Add the rest of sauce and bring to a boil. Let cook until the sauce has thickened. At least one minute. Then combine the broccoli with pork.
Enjoy over rice.