Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Peppers

Once again, I am inspired by Pinterest, and my husband's belly rejoices!

I found this blog/photo linked to a pin and was slightly discouraged when there was no actual recipe to follow.  I thought, "Aw MAN!! I really wanted to make these..."  And then, it occurred to me that I have been cooking while intermittently (and often not at all) following recipes for 4 years.  I am not a SLAVE to RECIPES! I AM WOMAN!!...I digress...

I feel like I have a pretty good palate and according to hubby I am "horrible at making bad food." So I gave it a shot using only the picture in my head, from the picture on this blog, as a guide.

**Note: I generally loathe stuffed peppers...but enjoy sauteed peppers in fajitas, philly cheesesteaks, etc, so I figured it can't be TOO bad...and I was so right, they're not bad, these are AMAZING

Here is what I did:

Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Peppers

3 Green Peppers
2 Packages of Roast Beef sandwich meat (I used Aldi's brand that comes in the tiny                tupperware container)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 and 1/2 yellow onions sliced
2 cloves of garlic
3 small cans of mushrooms
1 cup of beef broth
salt, pepper, spices to taste
a little bit of mayo (optional)
About 1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese
6 slices of mozzarella cheese  (You can sub the shredded for the sliced and use either 2 c                of shredded cheese or 12 slices)

First, I cut the peppers in half from the stem to the bottom, like pictured above.  I pulled out the seeds and the stem.  I sprayed a baking dish with non stick spray and placed the peppers in the pan, open side up.  Place some shredded mozzarella in the bottom of each pepper (or one slice if you're using only slices)

I sliced the onion and chopped the garlic while my olive oil was heating in a LARGE skillet over medium-med/high heat.  Once the oil was hot, I put the onion/garlic in the pan and sauteed it until the onions began to caramelize.  I like deliciously soft onions bursting with savory sweetness so I sauteed mine for about 10-15 minutes.  If you want yours firmer, lessen that time.  Don't let them burn, if they start to, turn the heat down.

I usually use fresh mushrooms, but I cook on a budget, and my favorite discount grocery store, Aldi, was out of fresh mushrooms, so I went with canned.  If you substitute fresh, you could probably go with 2 small tubs from the produce aisle.  I dumped in the mushrooms and sauteed for another few minutes to let the flavors marry.

While this was going on, I took the roast beef out of the packaging an cut it into squares/chunks.  This part doesn't have to be perfect, as long as its in bite-size pieces like a philly cheesesteak.  I put the meat in when it was cut and stirred it in.  I then added a cup of beef broth to the mixture and brought to a boil.  I added salt and pepper and a few dashes of Emril's Essence spice because I had it laying around.  If you don't, you can use steak seasoning or just salt and pepper and add whatever you like.

Once most of the liquid from the beef broth has evaporated, the mixture should look like the filling for a philly cheesesteak.  Spoon some of the mixture into each pepper, filling them to the brim.  Bake the peppers at 375 for about 20-30 minutes until the peppers are soft.

I then took the peppers out, then I spread a little bit of mayo on the tops of each pepper because my hubby likes mayo on his philly cheesesteak, but if you don't it shouldn't affect the flavor.  Top each pepper with a slice of cheese or some shredded cheese and put back into the oven for another 10 minutes (make sure the cheese is melted a bubbly).

I would suggest letting them cool a few minutes before serving...they were pretty inside when we ate them and I burned my mouth a little haha  I served the peppers with biscuits.

Enjoy!! 

   

Makeup Post!!

So I have been watching a lot of YouTube makeup reviews and tutorials by Emily on Beauty Broadcast and Lauren on Laurenbeautyy.  I recently bought a few products and tried some of the looks on the videos, especially Emily's because she has brown eyes and brown hair like I do.  I tried Lauren's New Years Eve silver eye look (minus the glitter) and LOVED it.  Emily has several eye tutorial videos that I have really enjoyed emulating.

I went to Target this evening and picked up some e.l.f eye products, a Revlon lip gloss, a Rimmel lipstick, and two eye quads: one Maybelline, and one Cover Girl. 

e.l.f. Liquid Eyeliner: Black and Copper

e.l.f. Cream Eyeliner: Coffee and Plum Purple

e.l.f. eye primer

Revlon Colorburst lip gloss in Rosepearl

Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick in Paradise

 

 Maybelline Eyestudio quad in Smokey Night 

Cover Girl Eye Enhancers quad in Crystal Waters 

SO,
After having tried (almost) all of these products, here is what I think.

The e.l.f. cream eyeliners are great.  I love the texture, and the tiny brush that comes with them keeps things easy because each product has its own brush and I didn't have to buy additional tools to use the product.  As Emily says in her videos, there is a heck of a lot of packaging surrounding a seemingly small amount of actual product.  I have found however, that even though it looks like a very small amount in the jar, it doesn't take much to get the desired effect and it looks like the liner will last for a long time.  At the bargain price of $3 per jar, this liner is a must!

As far as the e.l.f. black liquid liner...I have a confession, until this week, I have never used liquid eyeliner before...*NOTE, do not use it for the first time ever when you are getting ready for work in the morning and are on a time crunch...it will undoubtedly cause you to have to start your eyes all over twice and be 5 minutes late for work...OTHER than that, I found the brush applicator to be fine enough to make a good line, and the product went on smoothly.  I made some mistakes, but that's because I'm a newbie to liquid eyeliner.  I'll update when I have mastered it.  I haven't tried the copper yet because its rather eccentric and I imagine it will be a special occasion (NYE, Christmas parties, special dates out, etc) staple instead of an option for an everyday look.  Lauren's post for her NYE look featured a sparkly liquid liner, so I plan to use it like that for a look sometime as well.  I have no qualms about buying either of these to try because both were only $1 each!!  If I am going to try out something new, I might as well get a deal on it :)

The e.l.f. eye primer was a bargain as well at $1.  It has a very silky satin texture when it is blended on the lid and I have used it exclusively since I bought it.  It blends in well with my skin tone and has kept my shadow in place and crease-free.  Totally worth the price :)

I bought my first Maybelline Eyestudio quad a little over 3 months ago after seeing a video from Emily's youtube channel.  I didn't get the exact green shades she used, but I absolutely adored the Green with Envy quad I picked up.  I love the sponge applicators.  One end is thicker and the other is tiny.  I use the thick end for lids and the tiny end to add the shadow under my lower lash line.  I am usually a neutral browns/pinks/golds or grayscale eyecolor person, but I have thoroughly enjoyed this quad.  The shadows have all day staying power, are creamy and very pigmented and blend very well.

For the way I wear it, I apply the light green to the lid all over, then add the dark green to the outer corner and crease.  With a brush, I blend the crease area with the copper/gold color.  I add the white high light color to my browbone, and the inner corner of my eye near the tear duct.  I use the tiny end of the sponge tip to put a thin line of light green under my lashes and then a thin line of dark green to the outer corner right under the lashes.  I TOTALLY love this quad.  I have brown hair, brown eyes, and fair skin by the way...it may not work for all eye colors/skin tones, but if you're feeling adventurous pick it up.



Now, because I loved this quad SO much, I wanted to get another color palette in the same formula.  I picked up the Smokey Nights quad with the brownish purple, purple, blue, and gunmetal colors.  I figured they would be good for a night out look, or a daytime look as a crease color.  I was a little disappointed at first.  The colors are not as creamy in texture and have bigger glitter chunks than the Green with Envy quad.  The first time I used the quad, I hated the look and had to start over...it was partly because I royally screwed up my liquid liner, but I wasn't super happy with the shadow look before I went in with liner anyway.
HOWEVER, today, I used the purple in the crease with a light gray on the lid and lined with my new e.l.f. purple plum cream liner, and I'm loving the look :)  This quad has yet to prove its value of $7.94 like the green one has, but I'll keep giving it a chance.

I wanted to try a teal look because I have never had the nerve before, so I picked out the Cover Girl Crystal Waters quad.  The colors were unique and looked very pigmented.  The price was right at under $5, so I added it to the cart.  I used the quad yesterday with the mint green color on the lid, the medium teal on the outer corner, and a blend of the dark blue and teal in the crease.  I enjoyed the look, but the shadows weren't as build-able as I had hoped.  It took quite a lot of the teal to make it pop like I wanted.  Also, as you can see from my love of the Green with Envy quad, I am a sucker for sheen...the Cover Girl quad is almost matte, and I am just not used to that I suppose.  It was a good change up, but it isn't my favorite.  Additionally, I hate to buy a quad with a color I will not use, and the lightest color in this quad is more blue than I thought.  It seemed to be a white highlight in the store, but when I got home I saw that it was a baby blue, and I am not going to highlight my browbone in baby blue...maybe its just me, but that seems a little much :)

The lipstick from Rimmel, Lasting Finish Lipstick in Paradise, is probably my favorite of the products in this post (except maybe the Green with Envy quad...but it's very close)  The color is outstanding for me.  Its like my natural lip color, but just amplified and enriched.  The product glides on easily, smells gorgeous, and has beautiful pigment.  It is pretty long lasting and the color has me beaming...I will certainly try more Rimmel lipsticks in the future.  In addition to it being amazing, it was a DEAL at $3.99!

Per Emily's advice on her video highlighting Revlon lip products, I picked up Revlon's Colorburst lip gloss in Rosepearl.  I enjoy the gloss,  I just put it on and it glides on beautifully, just the right amount of product comes out on the applicator and the color is richly pigmented.  It isn't overly sticky, although I don't mind a sticky gloss as long as it looks good on my lips.  I've been so in love with the Rimmel lipstick that I haven't given the Revlon much of a chance for very long so I can't speak much on the staying power, but it seems like a great gloss, with or without lipstick underneath.  It was $6.49, but the tube is very long and seems like it contains a good amount of product.  I hope it proves worth it's cost :)

Below I have swatched all of the products I purchased

 

e.l.f. eyeliners



Black (liquid)

Copper (liquid)

Purple Plum (cream)
Coffee (cream)






Same order, e.l.f. liners, with flash

Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick in Paradise

Revlon Colorburst lip gloss in Rosepearl

Maybelline Eyestudio quad in Smokey Nights

swatched in order from left to right the same as it is in the packaging.

The first four are the Cover Girl quad in Crystal Waters.  You may not be able to see the first shade, but its on the far left of the photo.  The colors are swatched in reverse order of how they are in the packaging.

 

The second four are from the Maybelline Eyestudio quad in Green with Envy.  They are swatched in the same order from left to right as they are in the packaging.

Snickerdoodle Cupcakes

Merry Christmas Everyone!

I have been decorating and baking away this year thanks to no more 12 hour shifts!!  I am pleased to announce that our tree is NC State themed!  (GO WOLFPACK) and so are our presents...I may have gone overboard, but its Christmas, so I am allowed :)

I have baked several batches of yummy Christmas Funfetti cookies using the Pillsbury box recipe and my new festive cookie cutters, but the BEST cookies by far, I baked to garnish a new cupcake recipe.  I had never made Snickerdoodles before, and I don't think I had had them very often, but they are now my (and Hubby's) FAVORITE!!

I did use Pinterest to compile several aspects of recipes from other Bloggers to make these.  They are as follows:  cookies, brown sugar cinnamon frosting, cinnamon sugar cupcake batter

PS: the cake batter is a semi-homemade recipe, but its incredible

For convenience I will write my recipe here so you don't have to jump around on different pages and tabs to bake these delicious beauties.  Give them a try, you and all of the friends you share them with, will NOT regret it :)

Snickerdoodle Cupcakes

For the Batter (adapted from the above listed)
1 White Cake Box Mix
3 eggs
1 stick of (real) butter melted *I use unsalted*
3 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 c buttermilk
1/2 c water
1 tbsp cinnamon

Optional Topping:
2 tbsp melted butter
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon




Mix all ingredients well in a large bowl.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line two cupcake pans with papers.  Using an ice cream scooper (like this) fill each cup with about 1/2 a scoop of batter.  It should make 24 if you really portion them correctly, but I have had times where I only got between 20-22 so don't worry...They will RISE significantly in the oven, you shouldn't have any that were filled about 1/3 of the way to not rise above the paper.
On the first batch of these I made, I brushed the tops with melted butter and dipped them in a mixture of cinnamon & sugar.  This is optional, but its a delicious option :)

For the Frosting
1 stick of (real) butter
1/4 c light brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
4-5 c powdered sugar
2 tbsp-4 tbsp milk or half & half

Mix first 4 ingredients well until fluffy.  Add sugar a little bit at a time and mix until combined.  Add milk to thin out enough to pipe.

For the Cookies

1 c butter, softened

1 1/2 c sugar

2 eggs

3 c flour

2 tsp cream of tartar

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp salt

Cinnamon Sugar Coating:

3 tbsp sugar

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Cream the butter and sugar for at least 3 minutes until fluffy.  Use a paddle attachment on your stand mixer.  Add eggs and cream another 2-3 minutes.  This is an important step to make sure the cookie are chewy and light once they are baked.

Combine the rest of the dry ingredients (not cinnamon & sugar).  Add to butter mixture slowly until combined.  Mix together cinnamon & sugar in a bowl.  Make small balls (about 1tbsp full) and roll in the cinnamon & sugar mix.

Bake on a greased/parchment lined cookie sheet at 375 degrees for 7-8 minutes.  They won't look done, but take them out when the tops begin to crack and set out on the cookie sheets until they settle.

To build the cupcakes, pipe the frosting onto the top of the cooled cupcakes and top with a snickerdoodle cookie.  (you will have a ton of leftover cookies...you're welcome :) )

 

Maple Bacon Cupcakes

Well folks, I have successfully created a man's favorite desert...a cupcake with BACON in it!!

At first you might be thinking, "gross!" but if you're like me, you LOVE breakfast, and if you're like me, you LOVE bacon and pancakes, and the best part of bacon and pancakes is that the yummy sweet syrup gets all over the salty savory bacon and it is a flavor profile so delicious and complex it is hard to match!

I have put it into a cupcake...try these, they are phenomenal :)

Maple Bacon Cupcakes with Maple Bacon Buttercream

12-14 strips of center cut bacon 
For the cupcakes:
1/2 cup butter softened
3 eggs
2 cups All Purpose Flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp maple flavoring

For the Frosting:
4 tbsp butter, softened
6 oz cream cheese at room temperature
4 cups confectioner's sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup maple syrup

Pan fry all of the bacon and reserve the drippings.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line cupcake pan with liners.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, beat the butter for 30 seconds until fully and add the sugar.  Add eggs one at a time and combine.  Add vanilla flavoring and maple flavoring.  Alternatively, add some of the flour mixture, mix, then add some of the butter milk and mix.  Add half of the drippings from the bacon.  Continue until all of the ingredients are combined.  Fill cupcake liners 2/3 of the way full.  Bake for 15-18 minutes.

Count how many cupcakes your batter came out to be.  Mine usually falls somewhere between 20-24.  Divide your number by 3 and thats how many bacon strips you should reserve.  Chop all of the rest of them very finely!  The strips you reserved should be cut into thirds to use as garnishes for the frosted cupcakes.

For the frosting, combine the butter, cream cheese, maple syrup, vanilla and powdered sugar.  I usually pour the sugar in a little at the time so as not to become covered in it :)  Add in the rest of the bacon drippings and finely chopped bacon and combine.  Pipe onto completely cooled cupcakes.  Enjoy!!

Long Week

Friends,
It has been a tough week.  I was sick Monday, mostly due to my lack of sustenance before & after my first day of 30 Day Shred with Jillian Michaels.  I couldn't stand up without feeling like I was gonna hurl, and feeling like that makes me not want to eat, which makes it worse, which meant that I called in sick, went back to bed and slept for 4 more hours...

In retrospect it was kind of sad that I had that much trouble after a 20 minute workout...but I got up the next day and did it again, this time with some Trop50 (lower calorie orange juice) thanks to Hubby and I didn't have any problems :)

Stig Before our walk

Stig After our walk...passed out lol

Monday, after Jillian almost killed me, I had class and a paper due, which I had struggled with.  It was probably the most difficult assignment I have ever had in school.  I am taking Ethical Problems in the Law, a philosophy class, and I chose, on purpose folks, to give myself extra work and take the Honors option, which means 4 additional papers to write on top of the regular classwork.  The first paper....didn't quite go as planned, and the second...well I asked for more help along the way, which just held a mirror up for me showing me how inept I am at analyzing and breaking down a philosophical essay.  I am disappointed at myself, but I am going to make it.  My second paper was due Monday, and I knew it wasn't up to par with what my professor wanted, but I turned it in anyway.  She could tell I was disappointed with it, so she gave me until tomorrow (Friday) to re-write and email it to her.  I am trying to muster through, but its a tough paper...I can usually figure out how to get through just about any type of writing assignment but this type of gleaning of information and extrapolation is really difficult.

Wednesday, and Thursday (today) I worked extra hours at my wonderfully flexible law office to make up the time I missed from Jillian Michaels induced nausea on Monday, so I worked from 9:30-5 both days, leaving less time for other things (PS. I used to work 12 hours shifts...which often turned into 14-18 hour shifts...so I am no stranger to hard work, I am just used to working my little part time job right now :) )

Friday, our Community Group(CG...bible study group of amazing friends) is putting on a cookout for the neighborhood in which three of the families in our group live.  We are doing it up big with burgers, hot dogs, sides, games, and drinks.  We are really hoping that we can show Jesus to the neighborhood and love some people.  I am stoked...getting to make cupcakes, pasta salad, and grilled zucchini & squash.

I stepped out of my office for a few minutes a couple weeks ago, and I came back to find these from Hubby

Saturday, Hubby and I got (cheap groupon) tickets to go see the Carolina Ballet.  He is such a great date :)  He always comes up with fun and enriching things for us to do together.  We go to the Art Museum, Go Karting, out to new restaurants...Hubby is always coming up with fun things for us to do together.  We are also going out to dinner beforehand with our friends Josh and Ashley.  Cant wait, but I'll be so glad when Sunday comes and I can take a BIG breath and relax...

Well That's Embarrassing...

Last night Hubby and I were talking about how much we have both changed our eating habits over the past few months.  It really has been a complete turn-around for me...when I was still working as a police officer I had crazy hours (6AM-6PM) for about 4 days a week and I couldn't count on my scheduled days off because we were having to pull a lot of overtime.  I used that as an excuse to quit playing in my kitchen, as I so love to do...

Hubby and I joked that we were going to calculate a "typical day" of eating into My Fitness Pal to see just how many calories we used to eat daily without even thinking...I did

it
is
so
morbidly
embarrassing

BUT
I will share this with the world, because I never want to eat like this (regularly) again!  Indulgences have their place and I definitely want the freedom to splurge on a sweet treat or a big restaurant meal sometimes, however, this type of eating would have eventually killed me...which is scary.  

I didn't eat this badly on days I wasn't working, but seeing as I worked about 18 out of every 30 days, it was still pretty detrimental.

Here is a screen shot and calorie count for my breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and dessert
YES YES I ate donuts as cop...don't hate ;)
Donuts are delicious...

ugh...I feel so bad for ever having done this to my body...I have made a change though...and as of this morning, lost another 1.5 lbs...yay!  Not to mention, I was subpoenaed to testify for an old arrest I made in a case from my police days, and I was able to wear a skirt & suit jacket that hasn't fit for a year...NSV! (for those who don't know, that means Non Scale Victory...I had to Google to decode most of what people post on my fitness pal message boards lol)

Hubby Said...

So apparently, I haven't blogged in about a month.

My husband is going to lose his mind over it, so here I am :)
(I know you're reading, so loooove you hubby ;) )

I have been feverishly reading Can You Stay For Dinner?  It is a blog written by the gloriously eloquent and hilarious Andie Mitchell, who lost 135lbs and has kept it off for about 5 years.  She has been inspiring with her recipes and memoirs about weight loss and maintenance as well as her humor and zest for life.  It has been a joy to get to know her through her blog and I have almost read it all the way to the beginning.

On that note, my own journey with weight loss has been quite the slow moving roller coaster, if you will.  In all my years of being the chubby girl, I have never lost a significant amount of weight...probably because I have never lived with much sense of moderation in my eating either.  I can remember one summer during high school, between my freshman and sophomore year when I lost some weight because I was working from 7:30 AM until 10 PM most days and eating only one (fried/takeout) meal a day.  I was about to start school and my second season of cheerleading with Manteo High School's JV squad.  It had been my dream since middle school to don that pleated black and gold skirt and I made the squad for the first time for basketball season in 2001.  I couldn't be happier, but I became painfully aware of how different I was than all of the other girls on the squad with me.  I wasn't "popular," not that I was a total loser in school, but I knew I wasn't going to be best friends with the girls I cheered with...high school just doesn't work like Clueless folks, lets be honest.

 epic bangs...and silver eyeshadow

Not only was I not as cool as the other girls, I was definitely not as thin.  Looking back, I wish I could have that body again, because now it would be an improvement, but then, I was just as uncomfortable in my skin as I am now.  I wonder if it will ever get better?  Anyway, coming back for Football season, I was feeling a little better about things sans-15lbs, but I was nowhere close to where I should have been to "fit in" among the 100lb chicks.

Today, 5lbs less than I was a few weeks ago, I am on my way.  Slowly, surely, but mostly slowly...my goal is approaching.  I have a long way to go, but I want to do the things that Andie Mitchell has done.  Find my perfect weight, and keep it, forever hopefully.  My Fitness Pal has been a great help... the mobile app along with the website make it easy to log foods and keep myself accountable for the amount of calories I eat daily.  Like I said, I have never lived with any sense of moderation to my eating.  I ate what I wanted when I wanted to eat it and mostly when I wasn't hungry.  Now though, I am monitoring my eating with success, so far.

I had the same issues that Andie talks about in her blog, in that I ate to feel good instead of for sustenance alone.  If I was sad, or lonely (which was a lot, as an only child with two working parents), or happy, or bored, I ate something yummy, which rarely manifested itself as a veggie or a salad.  Chocolate was my sister and pizza was my brother growing up.  They stuck with me (mostly around the middle) all the way through college and into my 20's, but now, I am done.*  I have begun my transition into a healthier relationship with food, where it provides me with energy and I eat only when I am hungry, not when I feel some (in)significant emotion.

*not with pizza and chocolate completely...everything in moderation :)

I am hoping that in a years time (or less?), I can blog embarrassing before photos and empowering after photos and I will be happy and comfortable with my body...for the first time since I was 5 years old, I will be thin, or at least able to classify myself with the "normal" people.  Thanks for reading (Hubby).

cute 5 year old me...last skinny year I had lol