I've been Cooking.

This January & February I haven't been as busy with work as July-December.  I have done the same amount of business, it just hasn't taken me as much time.  It used to take me 4 hours to do one 50 picture funeral video and now it taken me about 2 1/2 hours and we have only shot 1 wedding so far this year.

As weird as it is to not always be running around like a chicken with my head cut off it has been so nice!  And Ben has definitely been reaping some of the benefits, especially when it comes to dinner  :)

One of my favorite blogs ever is "Pioneer Woman".  She posts every day and she is witty and sarcastic  ;)  She posts about her everyday life, kids-husband-family-new puppy, and she also is in the middle of writing all about how her and her husband ended up together.  But one of the BEST things about her blog is she cooks, and takes pictures of it all AND trust me, these pictures make you want to cook -if you like to cook at all-if you don't like to cook at all they probably would make you want to eat.  :)

All the pictures I have posted are her pictures from her recipe site.  I didn't realize how many I have tried!  I pulled pictures of all of the ones I have  tried.

Like these.  These little cinnamon & sugar french puffs were the first thing I ever tried of hers.  I tried them because I already had all the ingredients and I was bored.

This I tried about 2 weeks ago.  Ben came in the house and the first thing he said was "Wow, it smells good in here"  Then he tried it.  It was so good he asked me to marry him all over again.  Thank you Pioneer Woman.
I also have discover that sauteing onion-for everything- makes everything take good and smell yummy.  And I don't really like onion.
Pioneer Woman also inspired me to try to make quesadillas.  I didn't make them like hers, but I made them like Ben orders them and they were good.  Like restaurant good. 
Then I discovered this combo.  At first the Lemon Pepper scared me.  I have yet to taste the Lemon part of it yet.
It turns this...
...into this, and it is good!
I recently mentioned my fascination with making really good mashed potatoes.  That was from her too.
I don't do roasts.  I have been married 6 years and I had never made one.  I tried out this one and discovered 1. roasts take a long time to cook & 2.  They actually can book yummy!  Ben thought it was really good too and he doesn't really like roasts either.
I also tried this out.  I didn't do it right though  :)
Last night for dinner I made meat loaf, I make it about once a year.  I used to make it more often because when Kobe was 2-3 three he would eat it all the time.  Now, he has decided he isn't that into it.  So, I made corn on the cob (because Kobe will eat that) and this bread.  I know, it is a weird combo but it hit the spot.
But now I think it is all going to be over.  Why?  Because of this.  Apple Dumplings.  They just look WAY too good. I don't make dessert very often but this just looks TOO good.  I am going to have to quit checking her blog if she keeps this up!