Banana Cream Supreme/Pampered Chef

16 graham cracker squares (approximately 1 1/4 cups crushed)
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
3 tablespoons sugar
1 container (12 oz) frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 container (8 oz) sour cream
1 package (3.4 oz) vanilla instant pudding and pie filling
3 medium bananas, sliced
2 tablespoons pecan halves, grated
strawberry fans (optional)

1. Finely crush graham crackers in large resealable plastic food storage bag; place in Small Batter Bowl. Add butter and sugar; mix well. Press crumb mixture onto bottom of Springform Pan.
2. In Classic Batter Bowl, whisk whipped topping and sour cream until blended. Add pudding mix; whisk until mixture is well blended and smooth. Spread half of the filling over crust. Slice bananas using Egg Slicer Plus; arrange over filling. Spread remaining filling over bananas.
3. Grate pecans over top using Deluxe cheese grater. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes.
4. Run Quikut Paring knife around sides of dessert; release collar from pan and carefully remove. Cut into wedges. Garnish each serving with a strawberry fan, if desired.

Yield: 12 servings

Wordless Wednesday~Sneak Peak

Cheesy Chicken Qhilaquiles/Pampered Chef

1 1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tbsp Southwestern Seasoning Mix
1 3/4 cups salsa verde
1 cup 33% reduced-sodium chicken broth
3/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
12 cups authentic restaurant-style tortilla chips
2 cups shredded Chihuahua cheese
1 cup crumbled queso fresco
sour cream (optional)

1. Cook Chicken. Cut chicken into 1-in pieces with utility knife. Combine chicken and seasoning mix in Deep Covered Baker; mix well. Spread chicken evenly over bottom of baker. Microwave, covered, on High 4 minutes; stir to separate chicken. Microwave, covered, an additional 4 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Drain using small colander.
2. Layer chilaquiles. Combine salsa and broth in Easy Read Measuring Cup. Chop cilantro using Santoku knife. Arrange half of the tortilla chips over bottom of same baker, breaking chips; top with half each of the chicken, salsa mixture and cheeses. Sprinkle with 1.2 cup of the cilantro. Repeat layers one time, ending with cheeses.
3. Microwave and serve. Microwave, covered, on High 5-7 minutes or until cheeses are melted and most of the liquid is absorbed. Let stand, covered, 5 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cilantro. Serve with sour cream, if desired.

Yield: 8 servings

I Heart Faces Challenge~ Wind

Wind, a photo by sljonesdesigns on Flickr.

I'm entering my first contest at I Heart Faces.com. This week challenge is Wind.

You can check out the challenge here:
http://www.iheartfaces.com/2011/04/photo-challenge-wind/

Wish me luck!!!

Work, Umbrellas, McDonald's and the Girls

Josie is still coming with me to work on Thursday mornings. I love these mornings cause it's the only time I have that I sit with her and do what she wants for the most part cause I'm not at home staring at everything that has to be done.

This particular morning, even though it was sunny and warm out, she claimed it was raining and we had to have the umbrella out. She kept trying to go inside with it, but this superstitious Mommy kept telling her she had to come back outside. 

 When it's lunchtime, we go pick Kayla up at school and then the girls get to choose where we eat lunch at. Of course about every week it's McDonald's and I always have to get them cookies to eat too. We had our picnic out on the front porch at work. They then went to play on the gravel pile for a while and got hot. So then we had to go inside and eat our cookies. I think Kayla wore more of hers than she ate of it!

Spring Mommy & Me Sessions

Spring MOMMY and ME

Mini Photography Sessions

April 22^nd and April 23^rd

$50 includes:

-          20 to 30 minutes of you and your little ones running around, catch-me-if-you-can, tickling, snuggling, reading books, dancing barefoot- you get the idea

-          10- 15 images in an online gallery

-          1 edited 8x10 photo of your choosing ($50.00 value)

I was thinking of how special it would be to do a mini-session this spring for the Mother’s out there. I am always the one behind the camera so I know how special and rare THE photo of Mom with a Child can be.

How many million photos do you have of your husband playing with the kids and how many do you have of you?

This special photo of you and your child at this time in your lives will become such a treasured memory for your child in his/her adulthood. They will see how much you loved them and there is NOTHING more precious than that.

Really, the sweetest thing you have is that special connection between you and your child. Remember it! Photos are not only the perfect gift to you this Mother’s Day, but for your own mother and mother-in-law as well.

These Mommy & Me sessions will be held on Friday, April 22^nd and Saturday, April 23^rd from 5:30 to 8:00pm at Star of Indiana property on Simpson Chapel Rd.

The Fine Print:

*extra prints and digital negatives can be purchased separately.

*rain dates will happen the days of 05/06/11 and 05/08/11

*limited availability

Call me at 812-327-5962 or email me at ddctphotography@yahoo.com  to schedule

Rosemary Roasted Potatoes/Pampered Chef

Rosemary Roasted Potatoes

1 1/2 lbs "B" size red potatoes, unpeeled

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tbsp fresh rosemary leaves, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, pressed

3/4 tsp salt

1. Preheat oven to 450F. Cut potatoes into wedges using Veggie Wedger. Combine potato wedges, oil, rosemary, pressed garlic and salt in large mixing bowl; toss to coat.
2. Arrange potato wedges in a single layer over Large Sheet Pan. Bake 12-15 minutes; remove pan from oven. Carefully turn potato wedges over and bake an additional 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.

Yield: 4 servings

Look Ma! No Hands!!!

Tony & Christie came over on Friday night (4-1) to order her photos of Caleb. Josie wanted Caleb and Tony to come to the bath to watch her while she took her bath. Christie and I were in the dining room working with the photos and Tony yells for her to come in there. Then Christie yelled for me. When I walk in, Caleb is standing all on his own holding onto the bathtub watching Josie. Course I had to get the camera for it!

Wordless Wednesday

Black Eye and a TV run-in

Josie was at Michelle's house on Wednesday (3-29). She and Kayla were playing around in the living room while Michelle was in the kitchen baking. Michelle said all of a sudden she heard screaming from Josie and went in to get her. She had fallen into Michelle's TV and hit the corner of it. The poor girl ended up with a big goose egg on her eyebrow but the part that bruised the worse was her eyelid. Her first real black eye!

Huge Print! Love it!!!

Christie is like me and loves photos. She is the first person that ordered a print of mine this big in size. I got it in the mail and was so excited and they weren't even my photos. Course my first thought was I wanted a photo of the photos! It didn't turn out nearly as great as they look in person. I'm going to go down and take a photo of them on her wall once they are hung.
Check these out! They are AWESOME!!!

This is a total of four 8x10's and one 20x30 in the center.

This is an 11x14 and an 8x10. She bought these as gifts.

These photos don't do them justice but they are so cool!!!

Banana Caramel Pie/Pampered Chef

Banana Caramel Pie

1/2 pkg (15 oz) refrigerated pie crusts (1 crust), softened according to package directions

24 caramel candies, unwrapped

1 cup plus 2 Tbsp milk, divided

1/2 cup toasted chopped pecans

2 medium bananas

1 pkg (5.1 oz) vanilla instant pudding and pie filling

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1 container (8 oz) frozen whipped topping, thawed

1. Preheat oven to 425F. Unroll crust onto lightly floured surface; roll to an 11 1/2 in circle. Place crust in 9" Pie Plate, pressing into bottom and up sides. Fold and flute edges. line bottom and sides of crust with Parchment Paper; fill with 3-4 cups dried beans. Bake 15 minutes; carefully remove parchment and beans. Bake an additional 6-8 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool Completely.
2. Place caramels and 2 Tbsp of the milk in small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave, covered, on HIGH 1 1/2 to 2 minutes or until smooth, stirring every 30 seconds. Pour caramel mixture over crust. Sprinkle with pecans. Slice bananas; arrange over caramel mixture.
3. Combine remaining milk, pudding mix and juice in large mixing bowl; whisk until smooth. Fold in half of the whipped topping; spread evenly over bananas. Pipe remaining whipped topping around edge of pie. Refrigerate 4 hours.

Yield: 12 servings

I made this a few weekends ago and it was awesome!!! Enjoy!!!

Wordless Wednesday

A Big Time Catch up for March

This is what my "room" looks like after a Pampered Chef party. I have GOT to get more organized.

I only made it to one of Riley's games this year. He did a really good job. Really great on the defense end!

Josie & Kayla played the cheerleaders. Everything Kayla would do or say, Josie would copy.

Caught this sunset on our way home that night on our road. It was alot prettier than this picture captured. Gonna have to work on sunsets more. The bad thing is that I have to leave the house to see them. All of our trees block them.

Thought maybe spring was coming. Course we have found out since then since it is April 4th now, that it was just playing some mean tricks on us. We actually had a day of snow after this photo was taken.

Michelle & I took the girls out to eat to Mother Bear's. Really good pizza and finally used the free coupon from adopting Blue. After we were done eating, we walked over to Sheldon's and took some photos. The girls had a blast!

Hanging out playing in the basement. Mommy practicing with her flash. Still not very good with it. So ready for my class on flash.

Nathan Garrett was at the house this weekend. We went outside and hung out at the swing set. The top photo, I was actually laying under her taking photos laying on a cardboard box. Couldn't get the stink pot to look at me to get the photos and the other stink pot (Levi) thought I was laying down for him to come lay on me.

The tree that fell at Dad & Mom's has a really cool stump now to take photos on. Love the expression in the top photo. We see this one alot and Daddy calls her "Popeye" when she does it.

We met Tony & Christie at Liberty Mall to take Caleb's photos. Josie stood right next to me with her camera and took photos of him also. I wish Mike would have took a photo of her doing that. Anyway, she always wants to hold him, so we let her hold him and Mommy took some photos. He is so cooperative with her. At least for now.

This day, when she went to work with me, it was really nice out so we went out to the gravel pile and she played. She is way too brave for Mommy's taste. She would climb to the top and try and jump. If I wasn't there to catch her, it would have ended up bad. So we went over to the car and she will play in it for hours. Works now anyway while it's not hot out.

I set up a little photo shoot with her, her kitchen and my Pampered Chef items. I'm going to have an Open House this Sunday, April 10th. I'm hoping it turns out good. But even if it doesn't she had so much fun doing her own little "photo shoot" and I got some great photos.
Well I think that finally catches us up. I hope April isn't as bad as March was and I'm able to keep this up to date, like I had been.

Just put it out there!

WOW! What happened here?! I was on such a roll of keeping this blog up to date and then *BOOM* dropped off the face of the earth.
I'm still here and I'm still kicking! Just been extremely busy and my mind running 90 miles an hour. I really need to learn how to slow that down! :-) Maybe a speed bump or two would do the trick.
On my front, my Pampered Chef business has been doing so well, I am completely amazed every time I leave a Host home. I have sold many things and this is the first thing I have sold that I actually have had parties. And this Sunday will be my 19th party and my first with a host that I do not know. While I am ever so thankful for this, I feel like I am leaving part of my "dream" behind me. Which has me constantly contemplating what I am doing with my life. Before Josie, I never really considered what i was doing and where I was going with my life. I just always knew I wanted a family and I didn't have that yet. So I guess that you would say that was my "goal" in life. Now I have that family created by us and our gorgeous and funny little daughter, but now my "goal" is done. So now what?!
I started the Pampered Chef business with the intention of making up my pay if possible from taking one day off of work. Then I had to start working 5 days again, so then it just became "bonus" money to use to buy what I wanted with my photography but to keep photography to a minimum and just concentrate on us. But there is this nagging feeling that is in my brain, you might as well say 24/7 that i should pursue this photography gig again! I have tried to calm my brain by telling myself how I was going to accomplish this and that I wanted everything set up the way it should be from the beginning with the intention of going full time in at least 5 years. But I am a very impatient person, I want it all and I want it NOW! Hmmm, wonder where Josie gets it from?!
I am also very full of self-doubt. Am I good enough? Will someone pay me what it is really worth for my time in taking the photos and post processing every single image? Will I ever be able to make a living from my dream?
I have taken two "photo shoots" this past month and even though everyone has complemented on them, I am always thinking-
Do they really mean it?
Do they really like them?
Are they going to want to put them in their home and show them to their family and friends?
Will those family and friends like them so much that they will contact me to do the same for them?
I just don't know what direction to head! I am still planning on using the Pampered Chef money in purchasing the lenses, flashes and classes that I want. But will it ever come to realization that I can really do this if I put my mind to it?
What are your self-doubts and how did you overcome them? Are you living your dream, or just simply living?