Spaghetti Sauce-Stove Fixed!!

Last night we had the missionaries over for dinner. Because they like to be feed by 5pm and Jace and I both work it was a bit of a struggle trying to get everything together by 5pm. Also because our stove has been broken for about a month now, I resorted to my crockpot for some Spaghetti Sauce. It was also nice that it could cook all day while I was at work. I called my mom and asked her what she always uses and I was informed of the following:

Spaghetti Sauce in Crockpot

I used a mixture of sausage and hamburger (cooked and drained first)

I added 2 jars of Ragu sauce

Seasoned with garlic salt, garlic powder, onion salt, onion powder, Italian seasoning, Parmesan cheese and the secret (according to my mom) was about ¼ cup brown sugar. I would never have guessed that on my own but I think it turned out really good.

Didn't take a picture until I cleaned up everything and it was in tupperware.

Then I rushed home a little early from work to throw some noodles on my handy stove top and a salad together. All in all it turned out pretty good for the minimal effort it took. But speaking of my oven being broken, Jace fixed it last night after the missionaries left!

A couple weeks ago when we realized unplugging it and trying all the blog recommendations out there wasn’t going to fix it, Jace determined that it was the control board that needed to be replaced. So he got online did some research and was able to order replacement parts for about $125. The parts finally came in yesterday and he was able to fix it and put everything back together. I won’t lie I was a little doubtful that he would be able to get everything back together but of course he proved me wrong and its back and working great! I will be happy to have my stove back since it’s been a little difficult trying to cook with a toaster oven and on a camper stove. Thanks again Jace for fixing it and saving us the money of paying someone else to do it!!

This is what the stove looked like after Jace took it apart 

He insisted I take pictures of the wires to help him put it back together...Not sure how he was able to understand it all but he did. Just looking at it stressed me out.

All fixed!! (Just needs to be cleaned now)

Valentines Day

So of course last night was Valentine’s day. Jace and I went to work then came home to spend time together. We exchanged gifts and my amazing husband got me a Ninja blender. I’m so excited to try it out to make different things. It came with a recipe book full of some really yummy looking recipes. Then I gave Jace a gift card to go out to lunch and a few different things for around the house. Jace is always wanting a dog so I got him a dog statue from Z Gallery-I think that’s a pretty good compromise :) Anyways after exchanging gifts we went to dinner at Texas Roadhouse then came home and just relaxed the rest of the night.

My Ninja blender 

The dog statue I got Jace...

I know it sounds cheesy but to me Valentine’s day seems like just any other day with Jace. I just like coming home from school or work and spending time with him which is really all we did on Valentine’s day and even though it wasn’t a big fancy night it was all I really wanted to do for the night. Thank you Jace!

Weekend Update-Gelato and Boat Show

This past weekend we didn’t have a lot going on but it was still a good break from work and everything. Friday night Jace and I ran over to the gym after work then came home and watched our nephews for the night. We just watched movies and took them to Harmon’s for some gelato. It was a fun night.

Jace, Kayton and Noah eating gelato. 

Owen's sour face, he got lemon...

Kayton 

Noah-words can't describe how much this face cracks me up! 

Owen found a chair his size and he got pretty comfortable...

Then Saturday of course was our standard clean the house, wash the cars, Jace work on the Teryx, etc. kinda day. It seems repetitive but it’s nice to have a day that’s just for getting everything ready again for the week. Then we went to dinner at Chipotle, which has become our most recent favorite place to eat. Then we had an exciting night of running around doing errands. We got home and watched some Tivo-American Idol and Greys Anatomy (Jace acts like he doesn’t like it but gets mad if I watch an episode without him because then he doesn’t know what’s going on…)  Sunday was church in the morning and then Jace and I went down to the boat show. If only I had an extra $130K lying around…I’m defiantly in love with Master Craft by far but it was fun to walk around and look at all the boats there.

Jace checking out the boats... 

Me by my favorite...Master Craft of course

Then we went to my mother-in-law Janalyn’s for a yummy Valentines dinner. Since it decided to snow for about the first time all year, trying to get home was entertaining. We went up the hill in my good faithful Audi (I’m at 130,000+ miles on it and I’m going to cry the day it dies on me…) no problem to get to the plowed roads. We weren’t sure we could make it down the slick roads that weren’t plowed in Bountiful due to this video. So we made it but Jace’s younger brother Jedd was behind us and they didn’t quite make it. So Jace and his sister-in-law Bonnie had to help push the car along up the hill (I wasn’t very helpful since I was in high heel boots and kept falling down). We eventually all made it safely to the plowed roads and home. Not a very exciting weekend but a good relaxing one which is just the kind of weekends I enjoy! Then of course tonight is Valentine’s day. We wont be doing too much, just going to dinner and spending some time together.

New Couches

In an earlier post I had mentioned that we were getting some new couches. Well they arrived today! I’m so excited about them. Jace and I went and picked them up and got them all moved in and set up where we wanted. I think they fit the room pretty well but we defiantly need a different and bigger ottoman. I also want to get an end table to go in the corner of the two and put a lamp on it. Will have to look around and find what we like but the room is coming together. The room is coming more and more together how we want it to. The couches also make the mirror fit in the room well. We got the couches from Pier One here  in color Brownie. They are my early Valentines present from Jace, he is amazing!

The new couches, the coffee table looks too mini now ha.

Notice the burnt orange pillows match the mirror we just did.

But if anyone wants our sectional that was in our family room before its for sale for $450. It was my brother and sister-in-laws couch that they let us use. It is a 4 piece sectional in a mocha brown. The shorter end is 101”, the longer end is 140”, its 38” deep and the part where the foot jets out is 60” long. It’s in really good condition and a nice large sectional if anyone is interested just contact me and let me know.

The sectional

Weekend Update-Facials, Brio, Birthday Parties...

So this weekend was pretty busy but very productive and fun. Friday night after work Jace and I ran to the gym then came home and got ready to go to dinner with my roommate from college, Stephanie and her husband Ryan. We went to Brio in Fashion Place mall. (We actually had our wedding dinner at Brio-down in the Vegas location though). We try to get together as often as possible with them and were going on 2 visits in the last couple months so were on a roll right now! Anyways we had dinner with them which was yummy and good to catch up with them, wish they were closer to us!

Stephanie and I at Brio (notice my new emerald green pants I got this weekend-I love them!)

Then Saturday I got up and went to my friend Lindsey Cowdin’s down the street who dose facials. I’ve never had a facial before but it was amazingly relaxing and wonderful. I will defiantly be making it a regular thing! I would highly recommend Lindsey to anyone interested in getting one themselves. Then I ran home did some cleaning/laundry and got ready to go to a baby shower for a lady in my ward. After the baby shower I finished cleaning the house and Jace and I finished up the mirror project (talked about in my last post). Then we went to a birthday party for Kody our friends who use to be in the ward but moved away L It was good to see them. Then Sunday we had church and the superbowl of course. We went to my bosses’ house for a big super bowl party he had which was fun. Then we came home and Jace worked on some laptop work while I continued to work on this project (its taking awhile I know I’m slow…) I also caught up on my Grey’s Anatomy and Private Practice for the week which was a must and now I’m ready for the new week. Don’t have much planned for this upcoming weekend but glad we had such a fun and busy one this past weekend.  

Mirror Project

So about a year ago Jace and I bought a huge mirror from our friends Fred and Jen that had been above their fireplace that they didn’t need anymore. We loved the size and shape of the mirror but the color of the frame didn’t quite go with our home but we couldn’t decide what color we wanted. We knew where we wanted to hang the mirror but needed to figure out what color to do. Then last week we ordered some new couches. They are chocolate brown and we found some great burnt orange pillows to go with them and then we both knew what color we wanted the mirror.

So I went to superior paint supplies last week and got some custom paint to match the pillows. Then this weekend we (mostly Jace) pulled apart the mirror and painted it the burnt orange. I think it turned out awesome and I love it. It’s defiantly a little bold on our red wall but I think it turned out great and it makes our family room more colorful. It was super simple and I’m loving it more and more every time I walk by it. So even though it sat in our house for over a year, we finally got around to it and it was worth waiting to figure out what we wanted I’m glad it’s up now.

The mirror before.

Jace working on the mirror.

The finished project, hanging on the wall!

Shred Chicken-Chicken Alfredo Lasagna Crockpot

So I’m still without an oven/stove (Jace is ordering replacement parts to the control board this weekend and hopefully fixing soon!) I looked through the 365 Days of Slow Cooking by Karen Peterson cookbook (it has all crock pot recipes). I have tried quite a few out of this cookbook (introduced to me by my sister in-law Marci-thank you!) And most have turned out pretty yummy. I tried the Chicken Alfredo Lasagna and it was ok, a little bland but pretty easy.

Chicken Alfredo Lasagna

365 Days of Slow Cooking-Karen Peterson

Ingredients:

6 lasagna noodles, uncooked

1 (16 oz) jar Alfredo sauce

2 T water

¾ cup chicken cooked and diced/shredded

8 oz. cottage cheese or ricotta cheese

1 cup mozzarella cheese

Break 2 noodles to fit into bottom of slow cooker. Layer a third of Alfredo sauce, half water, half of chicken over the noodles. Spread half of cottage (or ricotta) cheese and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Add another layer repeating with everything. Cover and cook on LOW for 4 hours.

Like I said it was just ok, I wasn’t crazy about it-defiantly needs a little more flavor. I hate the flavor of Alfredo sauce from the jars so I need to add more flavor to that and I think possibly even a little flavor to the chicken. One thing I did try with this recipe is shredding chicken in my Kitchen Aid mixer. I had been told by my sister in law, Marci that you can shred chicken really easily in the Kitchen Aid food processor. But that is a lot more parts to take out and clean then the mixer so while I was on Pintrest one day I found this link. (Number 21) I’m sure lots of people already knew this but I didn’t and I tried it and it was the greatest thing ever! It was so quick and easy and shredded perfectly. I was pretty excited about it.

What the chicken looked like after shredding and the attachment I used.