So Kool or Not Kool? White Chicken Enchiladas

So Kool or not Kool?  Kool
Picky Eater's Opinion- Kool
Future Chef's Menu- Definitely!!!

This was a little bit Labor intensive, but the flavors were great.  All of the peppers made it a little bit spicier than I like, but it was still pretty good.  

Broiling the Peppers in the Oven

Steaming the Peppers in the Bag

Love the colors that Pop from all of the peppers.  The skins came right off, just like she said they would.  It was a wonderful treat. 

Adding the Chicken to the onions and peppers in the frying pan

Frying the onions and peppers

The Final Product

I left out a few pictures that I forgot to take :(  The sauce that you pour over the enchiladas was plentiful.  So much so that I actually saved half of it to make this again, very soon.  I followed the recipe as closely as possible.  It did make a huge amount and we had leftovers, but I would make more of the filling next time because I had more than enough of the topping.  Yum!!!

So Kool or Not Kool? Pasta Salad

So Kool or Not Kool?  Kool, but not So Kool
Picky Eater's Opinion?  He did not try it
Future Chef's Menu?  Not a chance... He didn't like it at all

This was an easy Pasta Salad Recipe, but I was the only one in my family who ate it.  I knew my husband wouldn't eat it, so I cut the recipe in half.   It doesn't help that I have a regular pasta salad recipe that I really like...so there was a lot to live up to.  This Pasta Salad recipe, was good, but it didn't have enough flavor in my opinion. 

Chopped up Veggies, would probably use basil instead of parsley if I made this again

Noodles... Next time, I would use the Tri-Colored Rotini

All Mixed Together!!!

When I ate the leftovers, I used a light sprinkling of Oil and Vinegar Dressing and that added just the slight pop of flavor that I was looking for.  I may try this again with the slight changes.  It was good, just not the pasta salad that I love :)

So Kool or Not Kool? Spicy Dr. Pepper Pulled Pork

So Kool or Not Kool?  Sooooo Kool
Picky Eater's Opinion- So Kool
Future Chef's Menu- Definitely

I LOVE pulled pork and I have recently found a recipe involving ginger ale that I really like.  I love pulled pork because it is easy... and it makes enough for more than 1 meal.  That is my type of recipe.  It also only takes 5 minutes to prep... another one of my criteria for AWESOME Recipes.

Onions quartered and placed in the bottom of the pan

Chipolte peppers on top of the roast

I couldn't find the cans of Dr. Pepper individually, so I bought a 2 Liter and measured out 24 ounces. 

You can see the nice Dr. Pepper liquid in the bottom of the pan.

The end Result :) 

I followed this recipe exactly.  I found this to be absolutely delicious.  It had a tiny bit of kick to it, but not much.  Jennifer at Redheads Plus One, said hers had a good amount of kick, but not enough to make it unbearable.  I must have bought a different brand of chipolte peppers than she did.  It all worked out great though, because I don't like spicy things anyway.  This was a huge hit in our house... but I may like my Ginger ale Version Better :) 

Put me in the Zoo

We went to the zoo in the middle of March and the boys loved it.  They are the perfect age for the zoo.  A couple of weeks later, I got an invitation in the mail for a discounted membership that went 14 months from when we joined.  We decided to give it a try, so we joined and went in the middle of the week with my mom.  The animals were all active and we got to see them moving around and doing some really cool things.  My mom loved the aviary and we will be going back the next time she is here.  Enjoy the pictures. 

Can't wait to go back.  I have not liked the Atlanta Zoo before these past two visits... maybe it is having younger people that makes it better :)

Strawberries Everywhere

I love strawberry season and every time I buy a carton of Strawberries, then my two youngest boys eat them in one sitting.  So, when my mom was here, we headed to Washington Farms in Loganville to pick two gallons.  The boys Loved it.  We were going to only make one batch of strawberry jam, but once we got everything out and got started, then we ended up making two batches.  The rest of the strawberries had all been eaten three days later.  Needless to say, we will be going back very soon.  However, I am glad that we made two batches of jam, because it was P.E.R.F.E.C.T.... that's right- PERFECT. 
Here are some of the pictures from that day...

Mom with the boys!!

My tiniest angel

Enjoying the flexibility of my job that allows me to take my boys to do cool things during the day

If I would have let them, they would have started gnawing on them immediately

#90 Mince my own Garlic

I love garlic and use it frequently.  However, up until this point, I have only used pre-minced Garlic that I purchased.  I am just now trying to find the "love of cooking" so I thought this may be a good start.  I found a garlic mincer on clearance and decided to purchase it.

I used the garlic in Pioneer Woman's recipe for Homemade Ranch Dressing.  This recipe was AMAZING and I will certainly make it again... over and over again.  The garlic was an awesome addition and I will be using this tool again :)

#87 Take the Boys Camping at Stone Mountain

Several years ago, I helped chaperon a youth camping trip to Stone Mountain with a friend of mine and really liked the campground.  There are also sooooooo many things to do inside Stone Mountain that make entertainment really easy without leaving the walls of the campground.

Entrance to the park

The campground is HUGE but very nice.

Our  campsite with the lake in the background. 

We set up on Friday night and got everything up just before it started to rain.  It stopped raining Saturday morning before we even woke up.  It was overcast but the temperature was perfect.  We hiked the mountain in the morning, went back to the campsite and had lunch and then went out for a 10 mile ride around the mountain.  Poor David also had to carry the boys (an extra 80 pounds).  Stone Mountain is a great place to ride (even though it is very hilly) and that is the main reason we got the season pass.  The two in the trailer keep saying "Daddy, go super fast," so they LOVED the hills that were there. 

And, we are leaving the campsite

We went down to the covered bridge and then back up :)

By the end of the ride, both of them were dosing off in the trailer... so precious, but it had been a BUSY day for them.  

That night, we walked around the campsite (all 470 of them) and found our favorite for the next time we go back...and we will go back.

#58 Climb Stone Mountain as a Family

I remember climbing Stone Mountain as a young kid... maybe 11 or so and I loved it.  I love being outdoors and so do all of my boys (except David).  I wasn't sure how the two younger boys would do, but I thought now was as good of time as any to try it. 

Getting ready to head up the mountain

At this point, there is NO whining yet :)

Stopping to get some pictures along the way

Getting a good picture of HAS right now is EXTREMELY difficult

Not sure what he is doing

This is the steepest part of the mountain, but they did it :)

Look at that sweet face!!!

We had someone who volunteered to take a picture of the entire family, but as you can see, HAS wanted no part of that... 

Little ham!!!

Hanging out at the top of the mountain.  It was overcast and had rained the night before, but the weather was just about perfect.

They climbed the entire way without being helped up :)

Beginning the descent

LOVE this picture of my boys!!!

Made it back to the bottom

He wanted his picture taken on every rock...we were able to narrow that down, but not much :/

All in all, it was a great time for the family and I was really proud of all three boys.  All of them climbed both up and down and didn't have to be carried at all.  HAS got a little bit cranky towards the end, but he survived.  We had such a great time that we bought a season pass so we can go back for an entire year!!!