Grateful For:

       Over the past week it was Thanksgiving. This past Thanksgiving, I think I noticed many more things I was Thankful for this year than any other year before. Everyday I had to think of something I was thankful for, doing that everyday really helps you notice the blessings you are given, helps you see why and what you stand for, and also everyday it just made me happier, to see what have instead of the things I wished I had or what I think I'm missing.           This year my top things I am thankful for are:

1. Family & Friends & My Counselor ~ These people are always there for you and always will be. They know you and how to work with you when you are sad, mad, or happy. They tend to be what you rely on & I love them and would be lost without them.

2. Memories ~ What would we do without memories? Memories can give you every type of emotion but in the end you are always happy you have them. Some memories help you notice things you learned, made you happy, gave you butterflies, gave you hope and sometimes help you remember someone you love, very much.

3. Possessions ~ Possessions are sometimes the only things that give you those good ol'memories. And they will always be there to remind you of them.

4. Music ~ I would say music is my top therapy for anything. Every song can make me feel better, sometimes you just need to cry, dance, or sing. I LOVE music!

5. Cooking ~ ummmm cooking & baking is just plain amazing..(: its fun and you get food of all sorts! 

6. Prayers ~ I am so thankful for prayers. Oh my gosh. I don't think they have ever helped me so much in my  life and they overall just make me feel so much better.

Pesto Pasta with Chicken Sausage Roasted Brussels Sprouts

  First, I would say I'm sorry! :P Because I went to Zion's this weekend so I did not cook. Well not for the blog, mostly my aunt(s) and Uncle(s). so kind! 
  So I don't know how I came over this recipe. I think maybe my aunt, Kasey, found it and was like "sounds DELICIOUS." So decided to make it! It was a fairly easy & quick recipe to follow, overall taste was pretty good, but I would suggest to add more salt or more pesto. Also the Brussels Sprouts, I mean I love, love Brussels Sprouts I think that they are way delicious, but I don't think i prefer them roasted. Best Brussels Sprouts I have ever had is when they are steamed, but sounds a little risky with this sorts of recipe, so the only think I would suggest about the Brussels Sprouts is to cut them up into smaller pieces for this recipe. Overall, it was a good recipe but I would change it up a bit!

Quesadillas!

Quesadillas! I am the best babysitter! You see, I didn't just make quesadillas, I made "pizza" quesadillas, says Jake.  I started cooking the tortillas, and I couldn't think of anything creative. Than I remember my daddy used to add Oregano, to EVERYTHING he ever made, so I tested it, not so bad!(; Than I noticed the seasonal spices, so again I went for it.....BEST quesadillas I have ever made. So, I started cooking them, than of course you need to have warm Garlic Spaghetti sauce to drizzle over the tortillas. All the kids loved it, not to mention all the music behind them eating. With a side of Apples covered in lemon juice. Great, yet very simple dinner! So, if your ever babysitting or just want a lazy dinner, it looks and tastes delish! (:

Night Of Excellence

Night of Excellence was tonight. I was really nervous that, Night of Excellence would be really scary, and to be completely honest I have never done it before. Before my whole family kind of avoided it and to be honest I really don't know why, because in the end, although I messed up a bit, I'm glad I went. I made a new friend, she kind of reminds me of myself...oh yea except her talent is singing and I totally do not have a voice!(; 

For Night of Excellence I am doing this project, with making the food menu's and preparing it for 2 weeks, so tonight I made...Caprese Grilled Chicken! It was DIVINE! Definately a meal I would recommend and have again & again! We added pasta to this meal, with our pasta, we added a little Garlic and some Parmesan cheese. We also had side of steamed Broccoli. It was a delicious meal, that I think many of you should at least try. And again surprisingly wasn't that hard, which is always nice!

Ingredients

• 6 grilled boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 6 slices mozzarella cheese
• 6 slices tomato
• 6 large basil leaves

Instructions

1. Prepare chicken on the grill. As chicken is cooking, pour balsamic vinegar into sauce pan or skillet and cook until reduced by half. Add in butter and stir with a flat whisk until completely combined. Set aside.
2. Top chicken with mozzarella cheese, basil leaf, and then tomato slice.
3. Drizzle with balsamic reduction and serve warm.

For Night of Excellence, Kasey decided I should make something for some people to sample. So thank you to Pinterest, for both of these recipes, I made white cake, cupcake...with a TWIST! I added food coloring to these cupcakes and with a toothpick I twirled the colors into the cupcake mix, just before they were put into the oven. And also, they turned out great! I think they seemed a slight thicker at the top where food coloring was, but surprisingly I liked it!  & even if its just for fun, I think this would be a fun, creative thing to do! ....only if it was possible to have invisible frosting!! 

In the end...I thank Pinterest today!

Pioneer Woman's Asian Noodle Salad

    So, today I'd like to start off with my  results of my little Cookie Cook off with my friend Andi. So I made Chocolate Chip Cookies last night for the Cookie Cook off, and today they were tested by a random sophomore, Keller. I was a little nervous only because Andi decided to make Oreo cookies. Keller took a bite from Andi's than a few of mine, then decided....MY COOKIES MADE THE CUT! I was very happy & I hope to have more contests with anyone because it puts my cooking to a challenge!

     Today for dinner we decided to make the amazing Pioneer Woman's Asian Noodle Salad. It was my aunts idea, and it was fantastic & surprisingly not that hard! It was definitely a test for my salad making, it also had ingredients I'm kind of careful with such as, green onions and bell peppers. I think green onions have the strongest off taste, and I also think bell peppers can send an off taste only because they tend to be sweeter. But it also had some things I cant resist, I am a love sucker for Cilantro & Bean sprouts, But in the end this salad was absolutely fantastic and all ingredients went perfectly and I will definitely suggest it to others. Good Job Pioneer Woman with your great ideas & cooking skills! I hope to use more of your recipes and of course we must all use Pinterest! 

Cookie Wars

So when someone tells you that they make better cookies than you, you have to prove them wrong. Me & my friend, Andi, were talking about my Young Women's Project and how my uncle loves my cookies and all the sudden she said "but they can't be better than mine." So we have decided to have a cookie cook off. Tomorrow we are both bringing cookies we made today to have random people taste and decide who's cookie makes the cut, which will be me! So tonight I made Nestle Chocolate Chip Cookies, doubling the batch to make just enough for the cook off and my uncle!

Seriously, she has no chance, look at them!

I'll post the results tomorrow!

Look Out Pioneer Woman

    My name is Shiney, I'm 15, and I love to cook. I have always loved cooking and baking. I love trying new things and taking the time to make them. I just started a new Young Women's Project for Young Women's and I have to make a menu and cook dinner for 2 weeks. I was excited to start this project because it involved cooking. Although I just started this project my aunt, Kasey, decided that I should make a cook book with all the recipes that I used and I could slowly add to it, then it all came down to a Blog. On this Blog, I will try new recipes, treats, sweets, and meals. I hope to try new, weird, things that many people will like and enjoy. Move over Pioneer Woman Shiney's got a new spoon!