Uh-Mazing Fall Fun!

 Autumn is in full swing here in Indiana, and we've been having some absolutely gorgeous weather. Some days it still feels like summer, but with the sights and smells of fall! 

One of our favorite annual traditions is heading about 20 minutes north of Fort Wayne to the little town of Waterloo where our friends at Amazing Fall Fun Corn Maze and Pumpkin Patch are always nice enough to have us out for an afternoon of fun.  

With their 17 acre corn maze, and super fun activity area, there is always so much to do for kids young to not so young! Of course, for us, it was even more exciting this year because Alex was able to share in the fun with Baby Max, not to mention how special it was for mommy too.

One of the things we love about the incredible event they put on is every year they try to add some new things to keep it fresh. This year was no exception. Right away Alex was quick to point out the baseball throw and bouncy ball area...both of which he found to be great entertainment.

After some time playing around, it was time for him and I to hit the corn maze. Since we had Max in the stroller, we decided Daddy would stay behind with him and the 12 year old and I would conquer the maze on our own. 

It was an absolutely beautiful afternoon to get a little lost, and have some fun trying to find our way out. It wasn't long before Alex was very "corn fused" deciding which way to turn, but pretty sure we found our favorite spot, the lookout, and knew we were on the right path.

I am proud to say we had complete success. We did phase 2, the bigger side, which is supposed to take approximately 40 minutes, and we were out in about 30! Victory!

Oh, that's another thing I love about this corn maze. They split it into two parts, one smaller for little legs that can't maybe last as long in the bigger side. That way the whole family, all ages, can enjoy the fun!

I am so blessed when these work days can be family days as well. If you are looking for a fun fall day for your family, and you live anywhere Waterloo, Amazing Fall Fun Corn Maze and Pumpkin Patch is the place for you! 

For more info, be sure to check them out online and Facebook.

Game Day Food

If you've been logging onto the blog lately, you know new recipes are few and far between right now. I can't help it. Max is keeping me pretty busy, and just getting supper on the table is sometimes a chore, let alone making something new, and then having the camera handy to snap a photo.

I mean, how can you worry about food photo lighting when you've got this face looking at you?

But there was a night last week that Max was napping, and knew it was time to try a recipe a friend had given me back during the summer that I hadn't had the chance to make yet.

She had shared it thinking it would be a perfect idea for summer time cookouts or barbecues, but obviously the time has passed for those. That's okay though, because I don't think anything goes with football better than a great dip. This would be perfect on Game Day! Rather you've got a big crowd coming over to watch, or it's just your family. Maybe you are tailgaters, that's even better. It doesn't matter where you serve it, as long as you've got plenty of chips for dipping!

As we get more of a schedule, I hope to get back to posting new recipes on a more regular basis, but if you follow me on Facebook, I am always sharing photos of Max (and his Big Brudder Alex too) and old recipes too. I haven't disappeared. I promise. In the meantime, enjoy this dip and think of me!

Warm Corn and Bacon Dip

2 (15 oz.) cans NO salt added corn, drained

6 slices bacon, cooked crisp

4 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/4 c. sour cream

2 c. finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese

2 TBS dried chives, extra for garnish

Salt and Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl combine corn, bacon, cheeses and sour cream. Gently stir until well combined. Add salt, pepper and chives. Stir again. Transfer to a baking dish. Bake for 30 minutes until cheese is bubbly and golden on top. Garnish with extra chives. Serve warm with tortilla chips. 

I Am Back

Whew. It's hard to believe my last post was back on July 18th. What can I say? We've been a little busy!!

For those of you who don't know, we welcomed our baby boy on August 11, 2016 at 1:37 pm.

Maxwell Charles Shartle Marshall was 8 lbs. 4 oz. and 19.5 inches long. He was born with a full head of hair, and we were in love at first sight, including Big "Brudder" (as we like to say) Alex. 

Alex was actually given the honor of naming his baby brother, and he chose "Max." The first time they met was one I had waited 9 months for, and one I will never forget.

His two middle names come from both of this grandpas. Charles is my father-in-law's middle name, and Shartle is my maiden name, and my dad is the last one, so we wanted the name to be carried on in some way.

Max is an absolute joyous addition to our family. We have all adjusted well to having a newborn in the house, and almost a month in, he has yet to wake up his big brother at night, which is good because the day I went into labor, was also his first day of 6th grade, at a brand new school.

It's hard to believe Max will be a month old this weekend, and I am simply trying to treasure every single second. Plus, Alex turns 12 on the 16th....so my boys are growing and I'm looking for the pause button.

So, you can understand why things on the blog are a little slow right now. Sure I'm still in the kitchen making sure my family is fed, but I won't lie, suppers are quick and easy right now, and I'm not really ready to try anything new yet.

This happened to be the last new recipe I did make about 2 weeks before Max was born. It's my take on a dish Alex had at Popeye's Chicken and loved. It's a super simple all in one meal with just enough kick to make it exciting. Add a salad or some fresh fruit on the side and dinner is done.

I promise to get back into the swing of things at some point. But right now baby snuggles are a little higher on my priority list!

 Cajun Dirty Rice

4 c. instant white rice, cooked

1 lb. ground beef

1 medium orange bell pepper, finely chopped

1 small red bell pepper, finely chopped

2 tsp. Cajun seasoning, or to taste

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. dried celery flakes

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

2/3 c. beef broth

Salt and Pepper, to taste

Dried Chives, for garnish

In a large skillet over medium high heat, brown beef with peppers until no longer pink. Drain if necessary. Add rice and mix well. Add seasonings and beef broth. Reduce heat to medium low and cook and stir until liquid is absorbed, about 5-7 minutes. Garnish with chives before serving.

Another Recipe Contest

Yep, once again I am trying to see if a recipe I create can be named "best in show." I have to admit, I really enjoy entering recipe contests, but just don't have as much time to do them right now as I would like. (For those of you keeping track, I am almost 9 months pregnant...hence the short on time issue!)

But when I heard about this one from JSL Foods, I decided to make the time to enter one more before my days are completely full of bottles, diapers and cooing!

The idea was simple. They would send me whichever of their products I wanted to incorporate into a recipe and then I got to play and create in my kitchen. How cool!

I decided to use their Teriyaki Yakisoba Noodles, but in a different way than I normally would.

We are Asian food fanatics, but in the summer time, we are also salad ones too. We like eating lighter, cooler and more refreshing meals when the sun is beating down and it's too hot to move. So I decided I could take these tasty noodles, add some fresh ingredients, a tasty sauce and create a salad that is both filling and light at the same time.

This makes a terrific main dish, with some fresh fruit on the side. Or whip up a big batch of it for your next cookout. Feel free to add whatever veggies you think you would be delicious, I think I might add zucchini next time.

If you want to learn more about JSL Foods and all the great products they have to offer, check them out online, on Facebook and Twitter. Or, look for them at your local Safeway or Target store. Oh, and wish me Good Luck!!

Sweet n Spicy Asian Noodles Salad

3 packages Fortune Teriyaki Yakisoba Noodles, sauce packets discarded

1 (12 oz.) bag frozen cooked medium shrimp, thawed and tails removed

1 (8 oz.) bag frozen shelled edamame, thawed

1 lb. fresh broccoli crowns, cut into florets

1 red bell pepper, julienned

1/4-1/3 c. creamy peanut butter

1/4 c. soy sauce, extra for serving

1/4 c. lemon juice

1/2 c. chicken broth

3 TBS sesame seeds, extra for garnish

1-3 tsp. sriracha, to taste

Bring 2 large pots of water to a boil. When they are rapidly boiling, add noodles to one, and broccoli to the other. Cook EACH 2 minutes total. Immediately transfer both the noodles and broccoli to a large bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. Drain well.  In a medium bowl whisk together soy sauce, lemon juice, chicken broth, peanut butter, sriracha and sesame seeds. Transfer noodles and broccoli to a large bowl. Pour sauce over. Add shrimp, peppers and edamame. Toss to combine. Chill for at least an hour before serving. Stir well again. Sprinkle with extra sesame seeds. Serve with extra soy sauce on the side. *NOTES* I use 2 teaspoons of sriracha, because I can't take much heat. Feel free to use less or more depending on the heat level your family enjoys. Or, you can always serve extra on the side. When you pour the sauce down over the noodles, you will notice extra. This is fine because it will absorb a lot while chilling. 

Cookies At Your Door { A Review}

It seems like we are doing more and more of our shopping online. I don't know about your family, but I can honestly say a large majority of our "gift giving" shopping involves me on the Internet instead of me in the car driving around. From online stores to being able to order fantastic foodie gifts, there is nothing you can't order online these days. And if you are like us, and always looking for the next delicious thing to send to your loved ones, I've got a great idea for you today!

Since 1983 Gimmee Jimmy's Cookies has been offering their home baked cookies to the public in simple cookie tins. And today their love of cookies and desserts is shared with sweet lovers worldwide. Their line of fresh baked gourmet cookies and Kosher desserts are:

Baked Fresh, All Day, Every Day

Use All Natural Ingredients

No Artificial Anything

Kosher Certified

Perfect for birthday gifts, fund raising, or "just because", Gimmee Jimmy's Cookies are sure to please the dessert lover in your life. 

Now, for this review I was asked to keep a 7 day diary of our 2 pound cookie tin to show just how fresh they stay, and how they are as delicious on day 7 as they are on day 1. 

I can honestly say it was hard for us to even have any left by about day 5, they are that delicious, but we persevered!!

Day 1: The cookies look like they were just taken out of the oven, fresh baked and taste great.

Day 2: No change. Still taste as fresh as yesterday.

Day 3: No complaints, taste the same.

Day 4: Even the ones that have been laying underneath others taste fresh.

Day 5: These two were the only ones that seemed just a tad dry to me, but I honestly think it was the type of cookie, not due to anything else. My husband ate them and said they tasted just right to him.

Day 6: After almost a week, we are into a layer of a ones we haven't touched and they are soft and yummy.

Day 7: As you can see, they look just as fresh as the ones we enjoyed a week before.

In conclusion, I have NO complaints about the freshness level these cookies maintained after sitting on our counter top for a week. We did nothing special. We kept them in the tin, in a cool dry place in our kitchen, just as was suggested, and honestly where we would have anyway.

I am so impressed with these cookies and would not hesitate to order them as a gift for someone I love. I know their eyes would light up at the variety and freshness of such delicious sweet treats!

Want to know more? Be sure to check Gimmee Jimmy's Cookies online, and on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Disclaimer: I was provided with free samples in exchange for this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.