Taken with my iPhone

A beautiful fall Saturday turned into an impromptu maternity session for my sister Lindsey.  Assuming Baby T cooperates, we should find out tomorrow whether she is expecting a boy or a girl.  I can’t wait!

Taken at an old church in Powell

Taken at the historic Powell bridge

Taken on Lindsey & Grayson's farm in Rocky Comfort

All of the photos from this session are available here.

Cream Cheese Sausage Balls

I definitely recommend these.  They aren’t as dry as normal sausage balls.  Definitely perfect for football season.

Strawberry Lemonade Bars

Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

I was intimidated at first by the thought of having to cut the pork tenderloin open so it can then be rolled back up.  After doing a quick google search, I found a couple of good videos that demonstrated how to do it.  Mine wasn’t exactly as pretty as the examples I found but I think it’ll get better the more I do it.  Also, I didn’t have any kitchen twine so I used large wood skewers to hold the tenderloin together after I rolled it back up.

I don’t have photos but here are a couple of other recipes I’ve tried recently.

Creamy Chicken Picasso

Jalapeno Popper Dip

My sisters have both tried the following recipe & loved it.  I can’t wait to try it out.

Taco Pizza

You should definitely give these recipes a try.  And, join Pinterest if you aren’t already a member.  It’s awesome!

I don’t think I will ever forget the morning of September 11, 2001.  I went to class at the University of Arkansas like it was any other day of the school year.  I was in my Principles of Tax class when the attacks began.  We were clueless.  My 3rd class of the morning was cancelled (unrelated to the events unfolding) so I got on the transit bus to take me to my car like I did many times before.  They always had the radio going on the buses.  As we were riding down the hill, we all started realizing that it wasn’t just the radio playing.  It was the news reports of the planes hitting the World Trade Center towers.  I heard the news but still didn’t quite realize what it was saying and what it meant.  I got back to my apartment, turned on the tv, and immediately watched as the first tower fell.  It was literally unbelievable.  I sat for probably an hour trying to catch up on everything that happened (and watched the second tower fall).  I decided to go to work at that point.  Kind of weird, I know.  My family was in school and at work and I just didn’t want to sit in an empty apartment by myself in that moment.  I guess it’s the sign of a great job & company to work for when I think of work as a 2nd family at times like 9/11.

My prayers go out to everyone who lost a loved one because of the attacks that day.  I’d like to thank everyone in the armed services, firefighters, police officers, & first responders who helped that day and help every day to protect and help all of us.

Never forget!

Fruit Salsa with Baked Cinnamon Chips

2 kiwis, peeled and diced
2 Golden Delicious apples – peeled, cored and diced
8 ounces raspberries
1 (16 oz) carton of strawberries, diced
2 tablespoons white sugar (more or less to taste)
1 tablespoon brown sugar (more or less to taste)
3 tablespoons fruit preserves, any flavor

10 (10 inch) flour tortillas
melted butter or butter flavored cooking spray
2 cups cinnamon sugar

1. In a large bowl, thoroughly mix kiwis, apples, raspberries, strawberries, white sugar, brown sugar and fruit preserves. Cover and chill in the refrigerator at least 15 minutes.

2.Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

3.Coat one side of each flour tortilla with melted butter or butter flavored cooking spray. Sprinkle tortillas with desired amount of cinnamon sugar. Cut into wedges and arrange in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Spray again with cooking spray (not necessary if using melted butter).

4.Bake in the preheated oven 8 to 10 minutes. Repeat with any remaining tortilla wedges. Allow to cool approximately 15 minutes. Serve with chilled fruit mixture. Best when made and eaten the same day otherwise the fruit gives off so too much juice and it gets runny.

Tara’s Notes:  I used strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, & pineapple and then strawberry preserves.  I think you could use any variety of fruit you wanted.  Also, I made the chips the first time I fixed this but needed a no-prep alternative the second time I made the fruit salsa so I got the brown sugar cinnamon Ritz crackers.  They worked perfectly & will probably be the route I take every time I make fruit salsa.

Chicken Crescent Roll Casserole

2 (8 ounce) cans Reduced Fat Pillsbury Refrigerated Crescent Dinner Rolls
1 (10 3/4 ounce) can 98% fat free cream of chicken soup, undiluted
3/4 cup grated cheddar cheese or swiss cheese (or any cheese of choice)
1/2 cup milk

Filling
4 ounces cream cheese (very soft)
2 tablespoons butter (very soft but not melted)
1/2-1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tsp minced onion flakes
2 large cooked chicken breasts, finely chopped (or use about 2 cups, can use cooked turkey)
1/2-3/4 cup finely grated cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp seasoning salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper (or to taste)
2 Tbsp. milk
1-2 cup grated cheddar cheese (for topping)

Set oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×13 dish with cooking spray. Mix together milk, 3/4 cup cheese and undiluted chicken soup (can season with black pepper if desired).

For the filling — (make certain that the cream cheese and butter are very soft) in a bowl, mix the soft cream cheese with butter until very smooth, then add in garlic powder. Add in the chopped chicken, onion and cheddar cheese; mix well until combined. Add in 2 tablespoons milk; mix to combine (add in a little more if the mixture seems too dry). Season with seasoned salt or white and black pepper to taste. Unroll the crescent rolls. Place 1 heaping tablespoon chicken mixture (or a little more) on top of each crescent triangle, then roll up starting at the thicker end. Drizzle a small amount of soup mixture on the bottom of the dish. Then place the crescent rolls seam-side down on top of the creamed mixture in the casserole.
Drizzle the remaining sauce on top (you don’t have to use the full amount of cream sauce, just use as much as desired) and sprinkle with 1 cup (or more) grated cheese, or amount desired. Bake for about 30 minutes.

Tara’s Notes:  This was very good as-is.  I’m a spicy food eater, though, so this was a little bland for my taste.  I think next time I may add some roasted red peppers to the filling to give it a little pick-me-up.  I ended up baking the dish for a total of 45 minutes.  I thought the crescent rolls needed a little more browning at the 30 minute mark.  This may depend on your oven.

If you give either of these recipes a try, let me know how you like them.

For those that don’t know, this is my sister Lindsey and brother-in-law Grayson.  Last weekend, we took this special photograph at the end of our family photo shoot.  We didn’t explain anything.  Shelby just handed them the picture frames and I snapped away.  I’m not sure who realized what this meant first but there were a lot of excited screams in my ears.

That’s right!  I’m going to be an Aunt!!!

Aren’t the next two pictures precious?

Congratulations, Lindsey & Grayson!  I can’t wait to meet Baby Taylor in March 2012!

Here is our family portrait.  (Yes we all stayed in a lodge together plus my sister’s boyfriend, my cousin’s boyfriend, & my grandmother’s sister.)

My Grandparents – Papa & Nana Pat (or Jay & Pat, if you aren’t a grandchild)

Here are my grandparents plus my mom, her sister, my 2 uncles, & their spouses.

Here are the Papa, Nana Pat, & the grandchildren (plus Lindsey’s husband Grayson).

I love these 2 pictures.  Papa is grinning so big in the first one with Nana looking at him (not a pose).  Then, Avery & Jeff decided to be goofy when we were taking a picture.

Then, came the smaller family photos…

Finally, we took our picture.  I’m sad my dad couldn’t be included.  He had to stay home and take care of his mom.

My grandmother’s sister Sandra even got into the picture taking.  There is a story associated with this picture.  Someone joked with her about coming with us and told her she could bring her boyfriend.  Here is Sandra & her boyfriend George…

In case you can’t tell, George = George Clooney.

I don’t know how many total pictures we took & I’ve edited.  We took pictures of every possible combination of people plus a couple of surprise photos that I’ll share in a couple of days.  The lodge we stayed at was a perfect setting for these.

I don’t even know how many concerts I’ve attended in my lifetime.  There are a handful, though, that I’ll remember forever – Garth Brooks in Kansas City in 2008, Newsboys in Tulsa in 2000, New Kids on the Block in Atlanta in 2009, NSync in Little Rock in 2001, and DC Talk in Springdale when I was in 7th grade.

Last Wednesday night I added another one to the list (although, it still includes one of the afforementioned artists) – NKOTBSB (New Kids on the Block + Backstreet Boys).  I saw them in Atlanta with my friends Penni & Karah.

We had a great view of the stage.  We were 4 rows up from the floor down beside the tip of the stage.  Both groups spent quite a bit of time all over the stage so we had a great view.  (As Penni said, the guys were lifesize.)

Highlight of the concert was this…

This is NKOTB’s Joey McIntyre standing right in front of me.  The guys came down in the audience at one point and Joey ended up in our section.

Here are some more pictures from the concert (& then a link to a slideshow of all of my pictures).  Enjoy!

Flowers are a bloomin’.

Calves are a bein’ born.

Summer is here in full force.  It’s hot.  (Although, I’m pretty sure it will be hotter before too long.)

Speaking of heat, I’m going on vacation in Florida & Georgia starting next weekend.  What was I thinking?  Well, I was thinking – NKOTBSB (New Kids on the Block + Backstreet Boys)!  The heat part is an unfortunate byproduct.

What about y’all?  How are your summers so far?  Anything major planned?

Words cannot express today how thankful I am to the men & women who have served & are serving the United States.  A very special thank you also to those that gave their life for us.

On this Memorial Day, I’m also remembering the victims of the recent tornadoes.  My thoughts & prayers are with you!

Congratulations, Shelby!

I posted a sneak peak of Shelby’s senior photos in March.  Here is a slideshow of those photos and many more.  Enjoy!