Travel Bug

I have this sudden urge to travel! I want to just book a flight and head there with or without anyone with me. I love going new places and seeing new things, especially small hole-in-the-wall places that the locals hang out. I want to take pictures of everything I see so that people can see what I saw and almost experience what I did. I think I might take a few trips while John is away, not that I wouldn't love to have him by my side but with school, my hopeful future job, and him being away it would be a good stress reliever for me I think. I'm definitely ready to test my travel itch next week when I'm in Virginia for 10 days! I've already made a list of some things I've googled of places I'd like to visit. 

Speaking of John being gone :( I'm also going to make a list of things I want to accomplish while he's away so when he gets back I can solely focus on us and creating a life we can settle into. I guess this is just a way for me to get some things out of my system before careers and responsibilities (not like I don't have them now) take over. 

I've been reading up on some things to do in your twenties that you'll regret in your forties and travel is one of them...along with waiting until marriage but I've already blown that out of the water :) haha I guess I have a bug for traveling right now because I'm somewhat smothered at this time of my life. John and I only share one vehicle and he goes to work everyday so its hard for me to explore this city around me without having a mode of transportation, and when I do have the ability to explore I never know where to go because I haven't gone exploring..so its just a big Ferris Wheel that I can't get off of. I only have about two more weeks here so I'm going to use it as best I can and if that means dragging John's butt into the car while I explore so we can "hang out" then so be it. 

I don't want to seem like I'm complaining about my life or that I wish I had something else of anything because that is totally NOT the case! I have a wonderful life that I never would have expected and a life that I wouldn't change for the world. I just feel that since John and I are young we shouldn't have boring nights, go a day without laughing, or hold back from something that we want to do. 

I'm going to be making mini and long term goals and dreams for myself to accomplish, making lists is what I'm good at so why not put it to good use! 

YAY for venting on this blog post! Thanks for reading :)

<3

-Megan

Last Few Days

Last night was kinda tough for me. First I had to finish my 10 page paper that was due today and secondly I was just reminded that John's days left are numbered here..it got me so sad and thinking that I have to make a huge effort to make his days left the best ones. We usually do a lot of stuff together but I think this coming weekend might be the last weekend he'll have here so I'm going to try and plan something awesome for us to do. 

On a positive note, only 11 more days until my best friend flies up here to North Carolina and we drive to Virginia! I'm soo excited! 10 days on vacation with my best friends is going to be amazing. :)

Here is the date on my dry erase calendar:

:)

Another thing that happened last night was making the next delicious meal! 

I got it from Pinterest, of course! Its called Spicy Shrimp Scampi

Ingredients:

4tbsp butter

2tbsp olive oil

1/2 medium onion, sliced

4 cloves of minced garlic

1lb raw peeled and deveined shrimp

1/2c white wine

1 1/2 lemons (for juice)

4 dashes of hot sauce

dash of red pepper flakes

salt and pepper

8oz angel hair pasta

chopped parsley

graded (or shredded) Parmesan

Directions:

Boil water for pasta. Heat oil and melt 2tbsp of butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, cook for 2 minutes. Add shrimp, wine, remaining butter, salt and pepper, hot sauce and red pepper flakes cook for 2 minutes then reduce heat to low. Add pasta to boiling water and cook until almost done. Drain while keeping 1c of pasta water. Add pasta into skillet then add water as needed to thin (you probably won't need it). Mix thoroughly then serve topping it with parsley and cheese. 

Its super yum!!

Hope everyone had a good Monday!

<3

-Megan

Two New Recipes!

I have two new and awesome recipes to share with y'all! The first one is Panera Bread's Broccoli Cheese Soup that I got from a recipe book called America's Most Wanted Recipes by Ron Douglas. It super delicious!

Ingredients:

1/2 medium onion, chopped

5tbsp butter, melted

1/4 c all-purpose flour

1c half-and-half

1c milk

2c chicken broth

8oz broccoli, chopped 

1c shredded carrots

salt and pepper

2c shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

Directions:

Saute the onion in 1tbsp of the melted butter. Set aside.

Using a whisk, combine the remaining butter and the flour in a large pot and cook over medium heat stirring frequently for about 4 minutes. 

Slowly add the half and half, continue stirring. Add the chicken broth while whisking. Simmer for about 20 minutes. 

Add the broccoli, carrots, onion. Cook over low heat until veggies are tender, about 20-40 minutes (depending on how you like your veggies)

Salt and pepper to taste.

By now the soup should be thick, use a hand mixer or a blender mix soup until puree is thin as you'd like. 

place over low heat and add the cheese and nutmeg, stir until well blended. 

Due to the time crunch that John and I were on the veggies weren't as soft as I would have hoped but it was still soo good!

The next meal we had was Paula Deen's Chicken Pot Pie!

I got it from a book that my Meme and Papaw got of me from Savannah and signed by Paula Deen herself! Its called The Lady & Sons, Too! 

I added a few of my own ingredients and changed some directions a little bit*

Ingredients:

2c chopped cooked chicken breast

2 hard-boiled eggs, sliced 

1/2 c of thinly sliced carrots

1/2c sliced celery*

1/2c frozen peas

1/2c corn kernels*

1/2c chicken broth* (her recipe calls for 1c)

1-10.5oz can cream of chicken soup

salt and pepper

1 can of butter milk biscuits* (her recipe calls for biscuit mix and milk)

3tbsp melted butter* (hers calls for 1 stick)

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 and grease a 2-quart casserole dish. Layer the chicken, eggs, carrots, celery, peas, and corn. Mix together the chicken broth and cream of chicken soup until blended, salt and pepper if needed,  then pour on top of layers. Place biscuits (or biscuit mix, mixed with milk) on top of layers. Drizzle butter over the topping. Bake in oven for 30-40 minutes. 

I baked it for about 50 minutes because the middle didn't seam to get hot enough, the best advise I can give is to make it to your own liking. 

On a completely separate note, my best friend Brittany just recently got engaged! I asked her last night if I could throw her and Keegan an engagement party, and she said yes! I am so thrilled and I couldn't be happier for her and Keegan so I am so blessed to be able to do this for her. I'm going to make it the best party ever! :) 

I only have about 11 more days of school until Spring Break so I have to bust my butt for those last days so I can stay ahead and won't be overwhelmed when I get back. I can't wait until Spring Break, especially for being able to spend the whole week with my two very best friends, Paige and Megan! 

<3

-Megan

Couple new things!

Well, its been a while since I've posted a recipe so I have 3 for y'all today! John and I went grocery shopping on Sunday and we got enough groceries for all the recipes to last us a good 10 days. The first recipes I have is from Pinterest! I was going to put the link on here but I had to mix up the recipe a little bit so I'll just type it out. 

This recipe is called Crockpot Ravioli

Ingredients: 

25oz bag of frozen cheese ravioli

1 jar of spaghetti sauce

1 to 2c of water (depending on how saucy you want it)

1c of shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Add ravioli, water and sauce in a crockpot and cook on high for 2-3 hours. 20 minutes before serving add cheese into crockpot and cop until ready then serve.

It was really easy to make and super great to eat!

The next recipe I made was a snack for lunch well its really just throwing a couple things together. Haha

I got the recipe from my grandmother. 

Just chop a tomato and an avocado and mix together with salt and paper.

Its sooo delicious! 

This next recipe is what we had last night. Its also something that I got from Pinterest but because the recipe only calls for 1 serving I had to double it. 

Its called Spicy Shrimp Stir-Fry

Ingredients:

1tbsp canola oil

1tsp crushed red pepper

1/2 a sliced onion

1c of zucchini and squash (thinly sliced) 

1/2c corn kernals

1/2 bag of medium shelled and deveined shrimp (raw)

Directions:

Heat oil in a pan over med-high heat. Add red pepper flakes and onion and cook for 5 minutes until onion is soft. Add squash, zucchini, and corn then cook for 5 minutes until soft. Add shrimp and cook until pink, about 3 minutes. 

This biscuits are from a package of Bisquick Mix Chedder and garlic biscuits.

Just add 1/2 c of water and mix until a soft dough forms

scoop onto a baking sheet and cook on 350 for about 10 minutes. 

This was a good and spicy meal! It was so good and easier than I thought. 

Things here are going great! Its sad to think I only have about 2 more weeks here :( I just hope that I keep up with schoolwork as well as I've kept up with it here. 

John wrote this on our I love you frame.. 

He is so funny sometimes. 

Bentley is loving life here too, he sleeps practically all day long and it the happiest when John gets back home. Now I have to get back to my 10 page paper due on Monday, wonderful. 

I'm so lucky and blessed to have such a great life. :)

<3

-Megan

New Hair!

I got my hair cut today and I love the way it looks! I'm not sure how I feel about it or how well it will go with my laid back style so we'll see! Tomorrow is my sweet husband and Papaw's birthday, I wish I was spending it with them together but I'll have to wait until later. I miss Texas, my family, John's family and my truck. I can't wait to get back but I don't want John to leave..bittersweet I guess.
That's all for tonight, I'll be update my recent recipes tomorrow and a recap of John's big day! :)
<3
-Megan

One Day Closer

John and I did a marriage retreat this weekend for the army before the deployment. I think it made us realize that he's leaving sooner than we think and that each day is one day closer :/ it makes me really sad but I know he'll be back soon and I have school to keep me busy. Only 10 more months until I have that degree! :) I seriously cannot wait. 

<3

-Megan

Date Nights :)

Well, life in NC has been fabulous. I've been making some good recipes and school is going great. John and I have been hanging out a lot before he leaves, which I couldn't ask for anything more. 

Here is a picture of a homemade margarita that John and I made on Friday night:

Also on Friday night we went to Joe's Crab Shack and I was finally able to order some drinks! Haha I don't remember what this was called but its was delicious! 

I actually typed this blog yesterday but I forgot to save it so I am now doing it again..lol 

On Saturday night I made my mom's recipe Gumbo. Its seriously soo good. 

Ingredients:

3 large boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

1/4c veggie oil

1 lb. smoked sausage, chopped

1/2c flour

5tblsp butter

1 large white onion, chopped

8 cloves garlic, minced

3 stalks of celery, chopped

1/4c Worcestershire sauce

1/4 bunch of fresh parsley, chopped

4c hot water

5 beef bouillon cubes

14oz can stewed tomatoes

2c frozen sliced okra

1/2 lb small shrimp

Directions:

Salt and pepper both sides of chicken. Heat veggie oil in deep pot over medium heat. Cook chicken until brown on both sides then remove. Add sausage until brown then remove. Sprinkle flour over the oil, add 2 tblsp of butter and cook until brown, stirring constantly. Let cool. 

Put on low heat and melt remaining tblsp of butter with onion, garlic, and celery-cooking for 10 minutes. Ad Worcestershire sauce and parsley, cook for 10 minutes stirring constantly. Add hot water and bouillon cubes, whisking frequently. Add chicken and sausage, bring to a boil, reduce heat-cover and simmer for 45 minutes. Add tomatoes and okra, cover and simmer for 1 hour. Add shrimp just before serving. 

Monday night we went to our first REAL Military Ball :) it was so great and I had the best date possible. 

John actually had Valentine's Day off the next day!

For V-day John made me dinner, got me flowers and was just perfect. I made dessert for us, compliments of Pinterest!

The dessert is called Chocolate Lovers Cheesecake

Ingredients:

Cheesecake- 1 1/2c semi-sweet chocolate chips

11oz. cream cheese, softened

1/3c sugar

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4c butter

1c heavy cream

Ganache- 4oz. dark chocolate

2tblsp water

Whipped cream- 1/2c heavy cream

2tblsp powered sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

Directions:

Melt chocolate chips in a double boiler over low heat, stir until melted. Combine cream cheese and butter in a different bowl and beat until fluffy. Add sugar and vanilla and beat well. Add melted chocolate to the bowl and beat to combine.

In another bowl add heavy cream and beat until stiff peaks form. Then fold into the chocolate cream cheese mixture. Spoon mixture into desired bowl and refrigerate for 1-2 hours. 

After the cheesecake is settled, time to make the ganache. In a microwaveable bowl add dark chocolate and water and cook for 30 second intervals until melted. Let cool slightly and pour over cheesecake. 

In another bowl, make the whipped topping. Add the heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla. beat until stiff peaks form and fill a pastry bag. top the cheesecake(s) and serve or chill until ready to serve.

And finally, the last thing we did was another Pinterest project. 

I hope you can tell the differences between the paint colors..its John's hand, then mine and then Bentley's paw on top of it :) haha I think we're going to do it every year from now on. 

To wrap up these past few weeks..things have been amazing! This is actually the most stress free I've ever been about school and life. I know that he'll have to leave soon so we're trying to spend as much time as possible together. I already miss him sometimes, but I can't wait to see my bestfriends and my family. Spring Break is going to be so perfect and I'm so excited! Everything is great so far, so I hope all the negativity and the negative people stay away from me and my family for a while because I don't have time to deal with it. 

We also got our wedding pictures back from Linda so as soon as I get them uploaded onto my computer I'll be sure to post a few. This weekend John and I will be going on a marriage retreat for the army before the deployment. :) should be super funn! 

Hope everyone has a great Jersday! 

"Loving life is the easiest thing to do when I'm loving you<3"

-Megan

Appetizers for dinner!

Last night John and I went to our first FRG meeting on post ad I'll tell ya, it definitely wasn't one ilk you see on "Army Wives" haha the soldiers are actually involved..shocking I know. Well the meeting lasted until about 7pm so I didn't have an hour to make some glorious meal. I found these recipes on Pinterest..of course and they're actually made for appetizers, but we made them into a meal. They were quite yummy, even with my tweaks to the recipes. The first picture is what I call Pizza Roll Bites but the blogger just calls them Homemade Pizza Rolls. Her recipe calls for pizza crust, Italian seasoning and different kinds of shredded cheeses but I used:

1 can of crescent rolls

pepperonis 

shredded mozzarella  cheese

Bake for 15 minutes (or until golden brown) 

and done! 

Its seriously that simple. 

I just heated up some marinara sauce and voila! 

The second recipe I used was also from Pinterest and they're called BLT Bites. The recipe calls for mayonnaise but don't fret! You seriously can't even taste it, and I hate mayonnaise! 

Here is the link to this recipe: BLT Bites

They were actually very good! Their recipe calls for alb of regular bacon but I used 1/2 a package of turkey bacon and it worked just fine. 

Its Friday everyone!! 

Have a great day and an awesome weekend! 

<3

-Megan

See? Food!

This week I'm doing two delicious shrimp meals! One of them I did last night and it was soooo good! Its called Spicy Parmesan Shrimp Skillet and its totally worth it. It didn't take much time to cook, the only thing time consuming about this meal is that you have to marinade the shrimp for however long you'd like but at least 30 minutes. Here is the link to this delicious recipe: Spicy Parmesan Shrimp! 

Naturally I got this recipe from Pinterest.com. I think the only thing I would do different is double the amount of marinade and wait to add the cheese on last.. check out the link so you know what I'm talking about. The recipe calls for 1lb of shrimp but i only used 30 shrimp and the marinade barely covered it and hardly coated the pasta. So if you do decide to use this one, double the marinade and add the cheese last after the pasta is cooked and added to the shrimp. 

Have a great Wednesday everyone!

<3

-Megan

Hibachi!

Last night we just went out to eat because over the crazy weekend we forgot to get groceries! Haha so I went shopping today and tonight I'm making something spectacular! :) I'll be sure to post it tomorrow!
-Megan

Makin Me Famous!

Hey! I know it has been forever since I've blogged, I got side tracked. Haha well..I think it was Tuesday night where we had my famous Potato Soup. Its really a copy off La Madeline's but I know the recipe too well and just make it more of the way I want. Here is the link to the soup: Potato Soup.  I think it would be easier for you to just follow the link instead of me explaining the way I do it. the good think about this recipe and I guess cooking in general is that you can make it how ever you like it. Like with the soup, John likes it thick almost mashed potatoes and I like it thin..ya know like soup.. haha so we go back and forth on how the soup should really be. 

On Wednesday night we had what we would normally have if I didn't make a grocery list, chicken and veggies with a side of left over soup. Which is no big deal and probably why John offered to cook that night. 

YUM!

In the spirit of Valentine's Day and the great month of February I made a wreath! It turned out a lot better and a LOT easier than I guessed it would! It only took me 10 minutes and half of the times I was waiting for the hot glue gun to heat up. Haha it worked very well outside for about 5 days until someone (or the wind) pulled it down. Now I have to do some repairs before putting it back outside but it won't take long at all. 

As I stated in a previous post, my birthday was yesterday (Super Bowl Sunday) and on Saturday night John and I celebrated it! He brought some friends and we went to dinner then down town Fayetteville which was surprisingly very nice! It was a lot of fun! This is the gift he got me, very creative I might add. 

This is a craft basket with a balloon, card, 3 bottles of alcohol, margarita mix, a HUGE button that I had to wear all night, a big shot glass, all on top of a North Face pullover. It was the perfect gift! 

We had a lot of fun that night. On Sunday, John sent me to the store to get him some beer and my first time to buy alcohol and the lady didn't even card me! I was so shocked/mad. Haha I guess I'll have to go on post and get carded there. 

Anyways, the weekend was really great and now I have to get back on my school grind and jump on these Thank You cards! Geeze, I know people are waiting on them! Ahhh Thank You cards! :( 

Everyone have a productive Monday! 

<3

-Megan