Easy, Yummy Chicken Stir Fry

My daughter and her friend wanted to try making a stir fry-- I told them I didn't mind although I wasn't going to eat it-- I am not a veggie lover lol- she started looking online last night for a recipe and came up with tons of course- and seemed to like bits and pieces of each one- in the end, this is what they did:

Purchased a stir fry seasoning mix from the grocery store- added it to water and sugar, but did not add the soy sauce- this was just directions from the packet- then set it aside --then they used 1 red pepper, 1 green pepper, a few green onions, a regular onion, cut/sliced carrots, 2 cloves of garlic, garlic powder and onion powder -- they mixed all this together - then they sliced two boneless chicken breasts into small pieces/strips and cooked them in a bit of oil until almost done- once almost done-- they added in the mixture of veggies - let them cook about 5-6 minutes and added in the stir fry seasoning mixture and cooked for a couple of more minutes until it was all blended together - they then took flour tortilla wraps and made wraps out of the stir fry-- they both agreed it was really yummmy, but they put in to many veggies for the amount of chicken- they also were going to make rice to go with it, but forgot until almost done eating LOL -- a good afternoon project for the girls though!

Niagara Falls Here We Come

Tuesday can't get here fast enough! The kids and I really need a break from the house and we are on our way to Niagara Falls first thing Tuesday Morning- so excited- my mom is coming along too!

I have planned so far to leave around 6 in the morning, stopping for lunch some place and then on to the falls- I think we will go to the maid of the mist tour when we get there and then the snow park Tuesday night from 7-9 because they have discounted admission-- other attractions we are hoping to get to are the Aquarium of Niagara, The Hard Rock Cafe, the observation tower and Martins Fantasy Island- and whatever else we find - then when we leave on Friday- I'm hoping to go to the Buffalo Zoo- if it gets to late, we will stop some where along the way home for the night- most likely the Syracuse area.

Hoping the trip is relaxing and not stressful! lol
Will let you all know how it went when we get back and I'll be posting pics too!

Happy August Everyone!

Husband REFUSED to be looked at by the Doctor today!!!

Saturday evening, my husband started to get really congested -- now it's Monday and he's worse - not to be gross, but he is hacking up yellow and green stuff and his nose is filled with it, etc. - obviously (to me anyways) he has an infection that's started and should be seen by doctor before it gets worse -- SO, he is a war time vet ( Desert Storm ) and goes thru the Veteran's Administration for all of his treatment- we live about 45 minutes to the closest clinic that he can use- but, the treatment is free so it's worth the gas to drive there-

So I called the clinic this morning, talked with the receptionist and then the NURSE-told the NURSE exactly what was going on and EXACTLY when it started, etc. - she first gave him an appointment for tomorrow- but then called ME back and says, we just had a cancellation, and while it's not his regular doctor, he can and SHOULD be seen - so can he come at 2:30-- SURE I said-- great-- no problem- we will be there- I also said he is also scheduled for some routine blood work-- can we get that done as well since we are going to save a trip in a few weeks-- SURE - no problem- so I get hubby up and we trek the journey to the clinic-

First thing he does is go to the window and checks in and asks for the blood work papers so he can go do that while waiting for the appointment- the receptionist looks at the clock and says -- ohhh it's 2:10 - you can't do it- blood work must be done BEFORE 2:00 PM--- BIG SIGH-- A LITTLE frustrated the nurse didn't mention this earlier when I talked with her-- but oh well- he will come back- what can you do about it now-- frustrating-- annoying-- so we were a little early for the appointment now- but no biggie- we just sat and waited-- and waited and waited-- typical clinic were you wait longer than it takes to be seen- after a LONG while, this lady comes to get us who I'm assuming is the person he's seeing- (she did not introduce herself at all)-- doesn't hold a conversation on the way to the room-- nothing-- ok-- no biggie I guess-- so we get to the room and hubby sits up on the exam table and she sits down at her desk in the chair there and says so what can I do for you- hubby STARTS to explain how he is hacking up the yellow and green stuff and can't breathe etc - she interrupts him and says when did this start - he said Saturday and she SNOTTILY says well I'm not going to do anything for you it's not been at least SEVEN days-- I said what-- she says I'm not going to even examine him because it's not been seven days - I'm like WHAT? Why aren't you going to examine him? She said well he never should have been given an appointment-- I said well he WAS and we discussed SPECIFICALLY that the nurse addressed on the phone when it started, etc. - she was like well, she didn't have the knowledge to tell you to come in, only an RN would - I said then why didn't I talk with an RN then- she is who they gave me- she said, oh we don't have one -- HELLO-- what am I missing here?!!?!? By this time, I'm livid-- and so I'm like well we are here, it's his time- can't you just look at him and see what's up-- maybe there is an ear infection-- maybe it's in his lungs-- maybe he has swine flu-- I don't know- I'm NOT the doctor, but I'm not stupid either-- but NO NO NO- she would not even take two seconds to LOOK at him- to EXAMINE him at all even though she THINKS we should not even be there? I'm beside myself-- I can not believe it-- I'm like why did they tell us to come in then!?!? More to hubby that her and she puts her fingers and thumb together and says money-- that's why!! I had to walk out at that point-- I couldn't take her anymore- so I walked out to the receptionist and asked who I would make a complaint to and she asked why-- and I told her he was being refused treatment-- by this time hubby walked out the door he was so angry and upset- so then the receptionist, the nurse I'd talked to earlier, the Doctor ( or whatever she is-- prolly a PA) and another lady were all discussing why he was there and that it wasn't seven days, etc etc and all bickering among themselves and I gave up and left!!

I told hubby I'd stop at the clinic in Lisbon on the way home and see about getting him in there-- and of course they happen to be on vacation this week - lol- so he still hasn't been seen- he's in bed, feeling terrible- and I'm going to call the Syracuse VA tomorrow (or someone) which sponsors the clinic and see about reporting what happened today-- not that he's dieing by any means- I'm just beyond disbelief in the chain of events today and feel it's completely wrong- she could have said I normally don't see people until it's at least seven days, but since you are here- lets take a look-- and then decide if he should have something- if he should wait- call back in a few days if your still not better or whatever-- but we were THERE in her office, HIS appointment time- and he was refused treatment- I can not believe it.

Chicken Wing Dip

Megan and her friend have been raving about Chicken Wing Dip for a few months now- so I had her get the recipe from her friend's Mom and I just got done making it - Meg says it's AMAZINGLY good - so I must have done something right! lol

Here is the recipe:

Chicken Wing Dip:

Cook 4-5 skinless boneless chicken breasts and let cool.
Chop chicken in food processor.
Add in 8 ounces Cream Cheese
Add in 8 ounces Shredded Cheddar or Monterrey Jack Cheese I used a combo pack made by Kraft that contains both kinds)
Add in 1/2-3/4 cup Moore's Buffalo Wing Sauce
Add in 1/2-3/4 Cup Ranch Dressing

Mix well in the food processor if you have one or by hand.

Place in crock pot of low for 3 hours- it will melt down - stir occasionally.

Serve with Taco Chips - we are using tostito scoop chips

YUMM-- great snack tonight!

If you try it let me know what you think!

Summer Storm

This afternoon we had one of the worst storms we've had in a very long time- it only lasted about 1/2 hour or so, but boy did it do some damage- we have several BIG maple trees in our front yard and the winds took down another big branch from the tree-- this time, it was covering the road, so I called 911 to have them dispatch people to come get it out of the road as I certainly wasn't able to do it. The first big branch of the tree went down during the winter when we had a bad storm- so, we've made the decision that the rest of the tree should come down - if it were to fall, then it is risking falling on the neighbors cars or the house across the road and I'd hate to have either happen. We will have to plant another in it's place.

Below are some of the photos of the storm today- we had high winds, down pouring rain, HAIL- so much that the ground looked white- it was a crazy 1/2 hour or so-
now, it's sunny and nice out- you'd never know a thing happened- but, I'm told we are in for another shot of the storm yet tonight.

Wagonteamster.com Bob is back!

A few months ago, you may have read here on the blog where I mentioned that Bob from wagonteamster.com had been hit by a tractor trailer at full speed while in his horse drawn wagon. Well, I'm happy to say Bob has made a full recovery from his many broken bones and is back on the road again!

Last summer, Bob started out from NH and had made it all the way to Mississippi over the course of several months, then just a few days before he was going to take a much needed rest and attend Mardi Gras, his wagon was hit by a loaded semi - this ended him up in the hospital for several weeks and caused the death of two of his horses. However, Bob has a new wagon, a new team of horses and is picking up where he left off-- sorta-- he has now started off in Indiana and I'm not sure where he is headed - but I certainly enjoy checking in daily with Bob and see where he's been and what he's up to. Personally, I could never (unless I had to) travel the way he is for very long - but if you get a chance, check out his website- Wagon Teamster

Are improvements always for the best?

I used to love Banquet Pot Pies since I was a kid- I always picked out the veggies, but none the less, loved them- this continued into my adulthood- UNTIL they decided to make them microwaveable a few years ago- since then, I've never ever been able to get one to cook correctly in the oven NOR in the microwave- I finally gave up - and really miss them-- this is just one example - but, this leaves me to my pet peeve of today -

My son loves gum- he doesn't like the big chunky gums- but does like Wrigley's doublemeint and Juicy Fruit to name a few - I have always loved the fact that they come in a 10 pack for less than $2 for the pack- he grabs a pack in the morning before school - and sometimes comes home with a partial pack of 5 sticks and sometimes doesn't- I don't mind him sharing a piece or two either with friends- after all, it's gum and not something that's going to break the bank- UNTIL NOW - tonight when I went to pick up a few things- he asked me to grab him some gum as he was out- well I'll be- they have changed the packages to now include 3 packs of gum that contain 15 sticks each - called the "slim Pack" and of course none of the 'old' packs of 10 available at all- WHY? WHY must companies do this- new and improved is not always the best- we as moms for one, would never ever give a kid 15 sticks of gum at once - regardless of the age- no longer does it fit into a pair of jean pockets nicely- but it's bulky - who decided this was now the convenient way we should buy gum after 50 or so years of it being the same way?? I really wish companies would think sometimes before changing their products to new and improved- because like the pot pies- it's not always as grand as they think!