Abigail-Madison Chase's Blog: Chasing Abigail , page 11

Abigail's New Washer & Dryer

I was asked last year what I thought the most essential household appliance invention was and I stated the washer and dryer. To me having a washer and dryer is an essential part of life. While doing laundry last week my twelve-year-old washer went on the fritz. Out of warranty, I decided to invest in a new washer and dryer rather than just replace the washer.
Shopping for a washer and dryer twelve years ago there were fewer choices. This time around I was overwhelmed with choices in colors, styles, makes and models. In the end I bought a tried and true Whirlpool set with few bells and whistle. I just want to wash clothes not create a dry cleaner in my home.


Abby

Abigail's Baked Spaghetti

Lately I have found myself depressed and cooking. I have dusted off my favorite internet cooking blogs, my favorite pot and pans and cooking skills. I am not gaining any weight because I am very careful what and how much I eat.
One of the things I love to make and rarely have time for is baked spaghetti. The best recipe that I have found is simple, easy and can be frozen. This is my all-time favorite recipe that I just made.
Abby http://www.plainchicken.com/2014/10/t...
The Best Baked Spaghetti serves 10-12
16 oz thin spaghetti1 lb italian sausage or hamburger, cooked24 oz jar spaghetti sauce2 eggs1/3 cup parmesan5 tbsp butter melted15 oz ricotta3 tbsp parsley1/4 cup sour cream4 cups mozzarella cheesePreheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a 9x13-inch pan with cooking spray. Set aside.

Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Drain. Whisk together eggs, parmesan cheese and melted butter. Toss with pasta. Set aside.

Combine ricotta, parsley and sour cream. Set aside.

Combine spaghetti sauce and cooked sausage/hamburger. Set aside.

Layer half of pasta mixture, half of ricotta cheese mixture, half of meat sauce and half of mozzarella. Repeat layers.

Cover pan with aluminum foil and bake 35 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 10 minutes (until cheese is bubbly).

Read more at http://www.plainchicken.com/2014/10/t...

Abigail's Kitchen Cuties

I am a sucker for cute things in the kitchen. One of my all-time favorite things to buy are glass or clear jars for cereal, sugar, flour and other ingredients. Last week I found the perfect set of clear glass Round chalkboard jar with tight lids on Amazon. The set of 3clear round chalkboard jars are beautiful and practical. The chalkboard in front allows you to write the name of whatever is in the jar right in front. I was so excited when my jars arrived and I was able to fill and display them.

Abby

Abigail's Go To Meal

My go to quick meal is the BLT. One of my favorite recipes is one that I found online a couple for the most delicious BLT and herb mayo.  This is the ultimate BLT. It has roasted tomatoes and a herbed mayo that is most delicious on my sandwiches I have ever had.


Abby
http://www.veggiesbycandlelight.com/b...

Olive Oil Mayo with Herbs & GarlicPrep time20 minsTotal time20 minsAuthor: Sexy VeggieServes: 16 ServingsIngredients2 large egg yolks1 Tbsp distilled white vinegar1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice + more to taste1 tsp dry mustard1 tsp kosher salt + more for seasoning¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper + more for seasoning1½ cups olive oil2 Tbsp chopped garlic1½ Tbsp chopped chives1½ Tbsp chopped parsley1½ Tbsp chopped tarragonInstructionsPlace a large bowl on a folded damp kitchen towel to keep bowl from slipping.Vigorously whisk yolks, vinegar, 1 Tbsp. lemon juice, mustard, 1 tsp. salt, ¼ tsp. pepper, and 1 Tbsp. water in bowl to blend.While whisking continuously, slowly add oil drop by drop to form an emulsion.Continue whisking, slowly adding the remaining oil, until mayonnaise is smooth and creamy.Fold in garlic, chives, parsley, and tarragon.Season to taste with salt, pepper, and more lemon juice, if desired.
Roasted Tomatoes Prep time15 minsCook time25 minsTotal time40 mins Author: Sexy VeggieIngredients12 plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise, cores and seeds removed4 Tbsp good olive oil1½ Tbsp balsamic vinegar2 large garlic cloves, minced2 tsp sugar1½ tsp kosher salt½ ttsp freshly ground black pepperInstructionsPre-heat the oven to 450 degrees F.Arrange the tomatoes on a sheet pan, cut sides up, in a single layer. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.Sprinkle the garlic, sugar, salt, and pepper over the tomatoes.Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, until the tomatoes are concentrated and beginning to caramelize.Serve warm or at room temperature.[image error]<img itemprop="image" src="http://veggiesbycandlelight.veggiesby..." width="205"/>

Shower of April Flowers

Winter Blues bring Spring Fever
Flowers blossom, Pollen falls like snow,
April Shower, May Flowers all in a row

Abby

Abigail's Rainbow Smoothie

I am a smoothie girl. I love the frozen treats for breakfast and lunch. Not only are they good to drink they can be extremely healthy. While cruising on the internet yesterday I found a fabulous recipe for a Rainbow Smoothie. 7 layers of delicious goodness in a glass. Peaches, oranges, pineapple, strawberries, blueberries, and mangos and mixed berries. This is the recipe for champions!
Abbyhttp://thefirstyearblog.com/rainbow-s...
Rainbow SmoothiePrint RecipeYield: 3-4 cups of each color of smoothie
Ingredients:Red Layer1 frozen banana1/2 cup greek yogurt, vanilla or plain1/2 cup frozen raspberries1/2 cup frozen strawberrieswater or liquid for blendingOrange Layer1 frozen banana1/2 cup greek yogurt, vanilla or plain1/2 cup frozen peaches1 small orange1/4 cup frozen mangowater or liquid for blendingYellow Layer2 frozen bananas1/2 cup greek yogurt, vanilla or plain1 cup frozen pineapplewater or liquid for blendingGreen Layer2 frozen bananas1/2 cup greek yogurt, vanilla or plain1 handful (or more) spinach1 cup frozen pineapplewater or liquid for blendingBlue Layer2 frozen bananas1/2 cup greek yogurt, vanilla or plain1 cup frozen pineapplesmall amount of blue food coloringwater or liquid for blendingPurple Layer1 frozen banana1/2 cup greek yogurt, vanilla or plain1 cup frozen mixed berrieswater or liquid for blendingMagenta Layer1 frozen banana1/2 cup greek yogurt, vanilla or plain1/2 cup sliced beets1 cup frozen strawberries or raspberriesDirectionsFor each smoothiePlace all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Add more liquid to help it blend if it's too thick.Transfer the smoothie to a bowl or container, rinse the blender and prep the next smoothie.To assemble the rainbow smoothieCarefully layer each color smoothie in glasses in rainbow order. If desired, blend the smoothie using a straw or stir stick. Top each smoothie with a toothpick filled with leftover fruit.I was able to make 8-10 rainbow smoothies using 15.5 oz glasses. If you are opposed to using a small amount of blue food coloring to achieve the blue layer, it's totally fine to skip that layer! If you want to go the all natural route, here is a tutorial for how to make natural blue food coloring, or you can buy natural blue food coloring here or here as well.

Abigails Doldrums of Midlife

 “Rainy days and Mondays always get me down”

I think I am in the middle of midlife crisis. Now I really do. The doldrums of life have stolen my joy and life just seems blah on most occasions. I am not sure what the answer is but something has me misty eyed and wondering why rainy days and Mondays seem to be every day. 
Misty are the days
Weepy are the nights
Misty weepy days of doldrums
Lost in a sea of unforgiving scrolls of denial
O’ how I wish for the days of woe to be gone
Abby

Abigail's Long, Slow, Goodbye to Dish

DISH Network and I continue to have a misunderstanding. Dish understands I love cable and I don’t understand why they think I’ll pay for channels I don’t watch. This is a real misunderstanding.
Since the Summer I have worked hard at cutting the cable cord. Slowly but surely I am backing off the huge cable bill and moving to services that I like Netflix’s, Hulu and my new Roku 3 with voice which I absolutely LOVE.
Now that the kids are heading out the door and only Ayden is left I have decabled from premium channel subscriptions that I had, HBO, Showtime, Cinemax and Starz. Now I have less channels and more options available from other sources. My new bill is so affordable I almost cry with joy when I pay my bill $11.99 for Netflix’s and Hulu each and a one-time fee of 79.00 for my Roku 3 with voice which is a reduced price from Amazon Warehouse.  I am over joyed that I cut my entire cable bill in half. 
Abby

Umbrella Junkie Abigail

I am an umbrella junkie although it never rains for long where I live. I am your average six umbrella junkie who loves to decorate overhead in a rain storm. Possessing so many umbrellas, I finally decided to buy myself an umbrella stand.  Once I decided on an umbrella stand I had to create an area for all my shoes and new umbrella stand. In the end I created a small area that looks marvelous and was on Pinterest. Sigh, I started out an umbrella junkie and ended up with a nice little area in my foyer.
Abby

Abigail Purges Her Closet

   The loftiest goal I have in 2016 is to purge until I have gotten all of the excess out of my life. So far I am doing a pretty good job of it. When we moved to our new home last month I did a lot of soul searching and purging. It was a difficult task since I like to hold onto things. But in the end I was able to leave half the clothes I never wear and almost all of the appliances that I never use.
I am pretty proud of myself for purging last month. I have reached a point in my life where keeping things seems to be a great idea. When my children were smaller I made sure to keep every picture and report card they received. Now that they are older I have laminated most of it and stored it away in my now pristine storage unit in back of the house. In not so many years each of the kids will inherit their lives from birth to college.
My goal seemed lofty when I made it last year. Yet as I glaze in my closet that should be in a magazine I realize that I have purged my life and I am all the better for it.
Abby