better late than never

Well, here I am.  Almost 2 months later.  And I am alive.

And so is Mia.  Maybe we will have a guest post from her before we turn 80.   Although she has been M.I.A (how appropriate is her name?) from the blog for the past year, my love for that girl hasn't waned even one tiny bit!  We don't get to spend nearly as much time together as we'd like, but we touch base often and never have quite enough time to talk.  I'm here to tell you she is doing great, looks the same, (fab) and has been really busy with projects around her home.  She's done some amazing things lately, and if she doesn't blog about them, I will! Here's a peek at a super cool wall treatment we did in her dining room recently.

So much has happened since my last post.......SO MUCH!

First of all, you may be shocked to learn that I decided to stay in the position I was in at work instead of moving up to be a Gate Agent. The main reason was because I was eligible to start dropping and trading shifts on May 18th.  If I had started the training to be a  Gate Agent, I would have been in training full time for five weeks and then on probation (again) for another three months.  Which would have resulted in NO travel with my family this whole summer and I just couldn't comprehend all that work with no play.  At the end of three months, I have to have worked 60% of my total scheduled hours.  I can work really hard for a week or two (picking up extra shifts) and then take a month off at a time.  I've been working a lot the past month, so this summer is going to be full of lots of time off and abundant traveling.  We are all super excited about it!

Just in case you were wondering, I have worked the last eight holidays.  (Valentine's Day, Presidents Day, St. Patrick's Day, Good Friday, Easter, Cinco de Mayo, Mother's Day and Memorial Day)   I send pictures like this to my friends and family on Easter Sunday while I'm sitting in the break room eating my dinner and feeling sorry for myself.

I have tried to make each holiday up to my family if I have a day off before or after.  We had a lovely Easter dinner out back on the patio this year on Saturday night.  The weather was perfect and we had such a nice evening together.

 Andrew took this picture of the kids after church on Easter Sunday and I really love it. So much.

We moved Jaci to Utah because she had some friends that needed another roommate for a few months.  She decided that since she had flight benefits and could come back and forth to Arizona, she would love to have the fun experience of living away from home for a short spell.  Me and the little boys flew to Utah to see her this past week and help her organize her tiny space.   It's tricky getting everything a girl needs into such a small space, but we did it and had some fun cheering up her miniscule bedroom.

We walked around the Provo Temple while we were there, and I've never seen such beautiful pink roses in my life!  It seems like they went on for miles!  This picture doesn't do them justice, and I loved being there with my kids.

Jaci won a contest on Instagram for two free tickets to the Karmin concert in Salt Lake City.  Andrew loves Karmin, so Jaci called and told him she wanted him to be her guest to the concert, but he would have to catch the next flight out of Phoenix to make it on time. (the flight was leaving in an hour)  Fortunately, he works about 10 minutes from the airport.  He hopped in his car, got through security, ran through the terminal, and got to the gate just as they were giving the final boarding call. (just like in the movies....)  A quick trip to H&M in Salt Lake where Jaci helped transform him from businessman to a hip concert goer, and they were off!.  They had an absolute blast and I'm so happy that through my job I am able to provide fun experiences that my family wouldn't be able to have otherwise.

Jaci flew in on Mother's Day and the boys and Andrew came to the airport to pick her up and got to see me in action at work.  It was so much fun to see them for a few minutes on the very day I was feeling very thankful to be their mom!

Are you already trying to think of some easy summer meals to make while your kids are home?  I kid you NOT, I am Mother of the Year when I make this very simple dish.  The kids love it so much.  Make (or buy) some basic pizza dough.  I love The Pioneer Woman's {recipe} for pizza dough.  I actually love every single thing she makes and I wish she was my twin.  Trader Joes has some good, pre-made dough if you aren't in the mood to make your own.

Get a little ball of dough, spread it into a circle the size of your palm, fold a pepperoni in half and then in half again, place it in the middle of the dough and add some mozzarella cheese, fold the edges in and seal it up really well into a circle.  I just hold the dough in my palm the whole time and roll it back into a ball shape.  Then I submerge that whole ball into some melted butter seasoned with a little bit of garlic powder and place it in a bundt pan.  I just keep rolling and filling until it's a little more than halfway full.  If there is any extra seasoned butter, I drizzle it over the top.  (I'm confident the Pioneer Woman would be proud)

I throw a towel over it and let it sit for about 30 minutes, then bake it at 350 for around 25-30 minutes or until the top layer is lightly browned.   Let it cool for about 10 minutes, then invert onto a plate and serve with your favorite pizza sauce.  They pull apart into the perfect kid-sized food.  I'd be lying if I said I didn't love them, too.

So, what are you doing for fun this summer?  Since we are already well into the triple digits, we are going to escape this furnace as often as possible.  I'd love to hear some of your favorite summer destinations that are low key and family friendly!  Maybe we will meet you there.....

your girl,

jilly

 

recipes you want

Hello friends!  Seems like blogging takes the furthest backseat in my life these days, and I'm sad about it, because I miss all of you! 

I'm a working girl now, remember?  I work at Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix, loading and unloading bags on planes.  But I only have 10 more shifts and then I'm going to start the training classes to be a Gate Agent.  Although I can honestly say that I enjoy the hard work, I will be super happy to get out of the sun, the fumes, the dangerous equipment and the inappropriate language. :)  Did you know that they recently gave me a headset?  I was so pleased about it that I sent this picture to Andrew right away!

Copy That.

For Spring Break, we took the boys to Newport Beach for a few days and stayed at our darling friend Jennie's beach house.  She lives 50 steps off the sand in this quaint little home built in the 50's by her grandparents.  We had the most relaxing and restful time while we there. We even got to witness some dolphins playing one morning.

Jennie is a foodie (a true kindred spirit) and she made us the most delicious salad the night we got there.  It is a MUST for the spring season and will carry right on into summer beautifully.  It's a simple salad, bursting with flavor and texture.  I just know you'll enjoy it as much as I do!

Jennie's Salad

baby spinach
crisp pear, cut in bite-sized pieces and sliced very thin
crumbled goat cheese (I get mine from Trader Joe's) or gorgonzola
sugared pecans (or toasted pine nuts)

Dressing:

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/3 – 1/2  cup fresh squeezed lemon juice

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp lemon extract (optional)

1/4 cup lemon curd (Trader Joe's or homemade)

2 T honey

1 tsp Dijon mustard

Jennie told me about a delicious new pizza she'd recently tried called the "fig and pig".  I was intrigued to say the least.  I made it for my family a few days later, along with a delicious margherita pizza, (this {recipe} from from The Pioneer Woman) and documented it with this picture on Instagram. (@jillmariemckee)

Mia and her man stopped by the next day and finished it off and loved it!  So with their seal of approval,  here is the recipe!

Fig and Pig pizza

pizza crust of your choice (make your own or use the whole wheat pizza dough from Trader Joes)

roll (or stretch) (or throw it in the air!) your dough out and place it on a greased pan.  Spread Trader Joe's Fig Butter over it, shredded mozzarella cheese, and bite sized pieces of prosciutto.  Put it in a very hot preheated oven (450-500 degrees) and bake until cheese starts to bubble and brown. (10-12 minutes)  Take out of the oven and top with arugula and fresh grated parmesan cheese.  I also sprinkled some toasted pine nuts on top.

It's fancy.  And real good.

I hope you are all enjoying this beautiful Spring!  I can't ever decide if I like Spring or Fall better because I really love them both so much.  I have some honeysuckle vines on my back porch that are blooming and it smells like heaven out there.  Jaci's very talented friend, Tyson French, was in town last weekend to shoot a wedding with her.  {Jaci} did the videography and {Tyson} did the photography.  They are quite the young, talented duo.  On a whim, he snapped some quick pictures of her in our backyard.  I absolutely adore this one.  It might be my favorite picture of her.  Ever.

 

G came over and gave my chalkboard a happy facelift and I made the circle garland to finish it off. 

I just punched a ton of paper circles and sewed them together.  It was a fast, easy, and basically free project.  Even though it's a simple thing, it makes me so happy every time I see it.  I hope every one of you has something simple in your home that makes you happy, too!

your girl,

jilly

hungry?

I had a happy accident in the kitchen on Sunday.

Mia and her family were coming over to enjoy some Peach Pasta with us when I decided to whip up some kind of pumpkin cookies. You know, because it's less than 100 degrees at midnight here now. And when the back door is wide open in the morning and the boys complain about being freezing while eating breakfast, it's officially Fall in my book.  So something with pumpkin was in order.

But first, a word about the pasta I was making......If you don't know what Peach Pasta is, well you better get yourself educated because it's literally one of the best meals on this planet. I make it a little bit different every time depending on what I have on hand.  I omitted the asparagus and alfredo sauce, but added grilled and sliced gourmet chicken sausage this time.   Find the recipe {here}.

Back to the pumpkin craving.....I had been drooling over all sorts of pumpkin recipes on Pinterest, but one had really piqued my interest. It was a recipe for Pumpkin Sugar Cookies and one of the ingredients was powdered sugar.  My very favorite sugar cookie recipe of all time includes powdered sugar in the dough, and I believe that it's inclusion is what makes the best texture in a sugar cookie. Find the recipe {here}.

So, I started mixing the wet ingredients and had the dry stuff already measured out and in a separate bowl when I realized I didn't have any pumpkin! GASP!! Running out of pumpkin as a baker is like running out of toilet paper at home and feeling like a failure as a mother. As I was wildly fumbling through my canned goods, I found this little treasure from Trader Joes.

When I read the ingredients, I realized it was simply pumpkin puree plus a lot of other good stuff!  I had read some of the reviews for the original recipe and some girls had commented that it didn't have a lot of pumpkin flavor.  I knew the pumpkin butter would definitely add some oomph to the flavor factor, so I substituted it for the pumpkin called for in the recipe and crossed my fingers. The only other change I made was substituting some cream for some of the water in the glaze. A touch of cream is always good. And I mean always. In anything and everything. 

They were a big hit!  Mia had four, and she is not so much a dessert gal. So this means something.....

The original recipe can be found {here}, and the picture above is from Lauren, whose blog this recipe came from.  Mine looked just like hers, except that they were inhaled before a beautiful picture could be taken.

Suffice it to say I will be stocking up on pumpkin butter before I hunker down for this 80 degree weather.

potty break

I'm tired of the bathroom.  The kids can shower AND use the toilet in there now.  They just have to walk about 15 steps to the laundry room to wash their hands and brush their teeth.  Vanities are overrated.  And I'm tired.  I'm praying for another burst of energy next week.

And I'm praying hard.

I had the extraordinary privilege to host {Club Project} at my house last week.  Despite the prep that goes into getting ready for it, it's one of the best days of the whole year for me!  I have at least a thousand things we could have worked on, but I narrowed it down to some upholstery pieces I've been wanting to transform.

A piano bench (bought at a thrift store for $10) that needed to have the hot pink Asian silk retired.

A neo-classical bench (bought on Craigslist for $25) that also needed some fresh upholstery.

A very puffy, upholstered queen headboard (Craigslist, $30) that had seen better days in the early 90's.  We had already started tearing it apart..... 

And six parsons chairs ($20 apiece on Craigslist)  upholstered in a very neutral, but ugly southwest print.  I love their boxy shape and non-rolled backs.

I'm putting the finishing touches on each piece, and I'll blog about the "afters" soon.  They are all SO much better.

For lunch that day, I duplicated a delicious salad from one of my favorite places called Pita Jungle.  It's a roasted vegetable salad with  chicken, feta cheese and toasted pine nuts, tossed in a vinaigrette. I paired it with a garlic focaccia bread that I found in the refrigerated section at Costco.  It was really good.

For the salad, you can use any vegetables you have on hand or that your family likes.  I used fresh corn on the cob, french green beans, zucchini, red bell peppers, onions and carrots.  I cut the corn off the cob, cut the green beans in half so they were shorter pieces, cut each zucchini in thirds, then in spears, sliced the onion and bell pepper in bite sized strips, and I left the baby carrots alone.  I put all my veggies in a huge bowl and tossed them with olive oil, salt and pepper.  I spread them out in a single layer on two jellyroll pans (because I had so many) and put them in the oven on 400 for about 35 minutes.  When I'm using two trays, I just switch their positions halfway through the cooking time.  I also broiled them each on the top rack for 5 minutes when they were done just to crisp them up a little.  I did this in the morning so that they would be room temperature by lunchtime.

For the greens, I used a mix of baby spinach and romaine.  I got a rotisserie chicken and took the meat off the bone.  To toast the pine nuts, place them in a single layer in a dry skillet and cook them over medium-high heat, stirring them around frequently so they are evenly toasted.  As SOON as they are brown, take them off the heat and OUT of the skillet.  If you leave them in the pan, they will continue to cook and be black in no time.  At $23.99 a pound, we are definitely into babying the tiny nuggets of gold.

Toss the greens, room temperature roasted vegetables, chicken, crumbled feta cheese, toasted pine nuts and your choice of vinaigrette together in a large bowl and serve immediately.  Mia made the dressing because she is literally the dressing master and I'm terrified of making dressings.  She just makes it up every time as she goes.  It's never the same, but always delicious!  This particular one was a creamy vinaigrette.

I'm sad I didn't take a picture of my salad all done, but here is a picture of a very similar one.

A day spent with my project girls is good for my soul.  They are all like sisters to me and I feel like the luckiest girl in the world to have them as a part of my life.  We treated ourselves with a trip to Southern California a couple of weeks ago and it was a ball.  We laughed and cried so much that I never wanted the trip to end!  We are good for each other.  I love my dear friend {Katie's} post on Why Women Need Women.  It's so, so true. If you want to be a better wife, mother, daughter, friend, neighbor, grandma, aunt, cousin, or anything really, spend some time on Katie's blog, {The Vintage Mother}.  This girl has got it figured out.

Another highlight of last week was getting to tour my new friend {Dorie's} home.  It looks even better in real life than it does in the beautiful pictures she puts on her blog, if that's even possible!  Dorie and her husband are so friendly and kind, and their work is impeccable.  The white, six burner Viking stove stole my heart.

And her French Bulldog Wallace.....oh my, is he ever cute!

Thanks Dorie!  It was such a treat for me!

Check back next week.  Hopefully there will be some progress on something to share!

this and that

Mia might have started something when she blogged about completely unrelated things last week.  Since my life has been a series of random activities over the past few weeks, I thought I'd share a snippet of a couple non-related things myself.

First up, my sister was searching for a blessing dress for her darling, tiny Bentley.  Since I knew right where Jaci's was, I snapped a quick picture and sent it to her. Kind of as a joke.

Imagine my shock and delight when she decided to use it!  Who knew that the dress I made when I was 20 years old would turn into a family heirloom of sorts?  Back in 1994, I checked a book out at the library to teach myself how to smock the bodice. (there were no blogs or you-tube videos) I remember keeping myself busy after work and on weekends, finishing it just before Jaci was born.

I made a few changes to it, and Erica soaked it and brought it back to bright white.  Bentley looked like a little angel wearing it.  Here is a picture from the special day.  In case you can't tell, I'm beaming!

In other news, Phoenix had a very unusually rainy and cold day a couple of weeks ago.  It's a good thing I don't live in Seattle, because when the weather is dreary, I just want to be in the kitchen!  I whipped up a huge pot of one of my all-time favorite soups,  Chicken Ghocchi.  Thankfully, we had a steady stream of kids and adults in and out of the house all day and didn't have a drop left.  I posted this picture on Instagram (follow me! @jillegal) and had lots of friends call or email me for the recipe.

It completely defines comfort food.  If you are planning a day indoors, or need to take a meal to a sister in need, I highly suggest this recipe. As an added bonus, when I can get my family to eat this much spinach without complaining, I call that a motherly victory.

In case you don't know what gnocchi is, I thought to take a picture of the box before I disposed of it. Gnocchi is a petite bundle of love in my humble opinion, a little potato dumpling that is sure to please.

You can find it lined up with all the other dry pasta at your grocery store.  I have found that the texture of the gnocchi changes if it's refrigerated and reheated, so it's definitely best the day it's made.

Chicken Gnocchi Soup 

1 T. olive oil

1 small onion, diced

3 stalks celery, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 carrots, shredded

1 pound cooked, cubed chicken(rotisserie chicken works great!)

4 cups chicken broth

1 (16 oz) package potato gnocchi

1 (6 oz) bag baby spinach

1 T. cornstarch

2 T. cold water

2 c. half and half

salt, pepper, and a few shakes of red pepper flakes (optional)

Heat olive oil in large pot over medium heat.  Cook onion, celery, garlic, and carrots in the hot oil til onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.  Stir in cubed chicken and chicken broth, bring to a simmer.

(OR, just put about 4 cups of water in a pot, add a pound of raw chicken, add all the veggies and a little bit of chicken bullion, salt and pepper and cook til chicken is done.  Cube up your chicken and you're at the same spot!)

Stir gnocchi into the simmering soup and cook until they begin to float, 3 to 4 minutes.  Stir in spinach; cook until wilted, an additional 3 minutes or so.

Whisk cornstarch into cold water until smooth.  Stir cornstarch mixture and half and half into simmering soup.  Cook until soup thickens slightly, about 5 minutes.  Season to taste.

And finally, tis the season for a little Spring Cleaning.  I have decided to sell my {gallery wall of mirrors} as well as the two lamps I did a tutorial on way back in 2011. I'm selling all the mirrors together, and the lamps as a pair.

I've had so many compliments, and I have really enjoyed the mirror wall, but I'm ready for a little change in there.  I feel like with the accessorized {bookcases} in the same room, it's just too busy.

I'd really love to do one large thing over the buffet, and have the Thrifting God's aid me in finding two big lamps at Goodwill for $7.99 each.  I'm going for a much more clean lined and simple look to balance out the ornate sideboard.  Who has an idea for me?  I'd LOVE to hear what you think I should do!   I'm really at a loss.....

Email me at meandjilly@gmail.com or leave a comment with your email address if you are interested in purchasing the mirrors, the lamps, or the whole package.

And that concludes MY most random post to date.

perfect sugar cookies

If you are on the hunt for the perfect sugar cookie recipe to mix together, cut into hearts and frost for Valentine's Day, your search has just ended. I've tried dozens of recipes over the years but they have all come up short.

Until now.

I can't even describe to you how perfect these cookies are.  They are beyond exquisite.  I'm confident that the addition of powdered sugar in the dough is the secret weapon.  The cookies have the most amazing texture, and topped with a light pink butter-cream frosting lightly laced with almond flavoring, they simply can't be beat!

So, go on, whip up a batch and have one for me.  I chased the escaped herd of sheep around the block in my rain boots this morning, so I can handle the extra calories.

Perfect Sugar Cookies

1/2 cup butter, room temp(please don't even consider using margarine)

1/2 cup Crisco

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 1/4 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

Mix all ingredients and chill.  Roll out nice and thick (around 1/4") on a lightly floured surface.

Bake at 350 degrees for 6 to 8 minutes.  

The edges might start to barely get golden.  Don't overbake! 

Cool completely before frosting. 

Frosting

3 cups powdered sugar

1 cup butter, room temp (again, use the real stuff)

1 teaspoon vanilla (or almond extract, which I prefer)

2 teaspoons whipping cream

drop of red food coloring, optional

Beat powdered sugar and butter til well mixed, 

then add the extract and whipping cream.

Add more cream if necessary to develop a spreadable texture.

To get a perfectly smooth top, after frosting the cookies, dip a butter knife in water and lightly run it over the surface.  Works every time.

Today is my Mom's birthday.  She has been in the Philippines for 6 months now, and I miss her more every day.  I'd give anything for a hug from her, or to spend a day sewing and baking along side her.  Here is a recent picture of her in the front room of the home she and my Dad are living in for 18 months.  Isn't she so darling?

 Happy Birthday Mom.  I love you.