Real life with Lar

Carnitas Tacos It has been so hot I feel another crockpot meal is on order. When I tell my family that I’m making carnitas I know I'm gonna have a full house. The family's new favorite phrase is "Make it for the blog" and then they get to eat it. ;)  Carnitas is an inexpensive, tasty meal that is one of my go to recipes when I am craving some good Mexican food like we had growing up in San Diego.  Here is all you need to do: In the crock pot spray cooking spray and place a 2-3 pound pork roast or loin in it. Season the roast with 1T garlic powde r, 1T onion powder , and 2tsp Lawrys seasoning salt Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours  After it has cooked set your crockpot to ‘keep warm” and shred the meat with 2 forks. (you don’t need to remove the meat just do the shredding in the crockpot) Now, you have two options with the meat… Remove the liquid from the crockpot and take a stick of butter, add to meat and let it melt. OR Do th

Swiss Cheese Chicken Casserole Summer break is here! So that means pool time, fireflies, ice cream, and less rushing around. Well, that last part may be a bit of a fantasy, but hey a girl can dream, right?  ;) I used to think when our daughters were off for summer I would have SO much more time to devote to cooking dinner. Then something happened...it got hot! There was no way I was turning on the oven or slaving over a hot stove! (Wow, I just wrote that and in my head I said it in my Mom's voice LOL) Unfortunately, Smokin and the girls had become accustomed to eating and sandwiches tend to get tiresome after a while. Enter the slow cooker/crockpot - an awesome little kitchen appliance that makes dinner and cooking so much easier. I not sure where the original recipe is from; my best guess is a Campbell's soup label.   Over the 25 plus years I have been making this it has been tweaked several times to make it my own. Here is my version:    You will need

Quick Breakfast Options Growing up, mornings were hard. Until I discovered coffee, in my late teens.  It took me quite awhile to become ‘human’ and not the ‘morning monster’ as my baby sister called me. My Dad had the worse time trying to wake me up. It didn't matter how much sleep I got. I could have had 6 hours of sleep or 16; I just didn’t like getting up in the morning. Dad would start out with his morning playlist of songs singing This is the Day that the Lord has made , followed up by, Rise and Shine and give God the Glory Glory ! When fun loving Dad  would get frustrated, ticked off Dad  showed up,  "Lar you better have your feet on the floor when I come back in here!’ I waited till I could hear him coming down the hall, then as the obedient child that I was,would throw my feet flat on the ground while still laying my upper half on the bed. Fast forward a few decades...  Well, now I have coffee and as long as I can have a few sips before talking to anyone I ca

Desert Island Makeup Must Haves If I was stranded on a desert island what 3 make up items would I want? Every woman has seen a variation of this question. Of course each woman, for the most part, has an item or two that is their go to product even if it is just a ‘stay at home and chill’ kind of day.  Everyone’s 3 will vary but I always find it interesting to see what is people’s favorites.  Here are mine… Too Faced Better than Sex mascara ($23) This product had me at hello. (Cue the cheesy Jerry Maguire movie reference). It lengthens and volumizes the lashes. Although using a lash curler helps any mascara ‘open the eyes’ more, this mascara can do the job quite well without the lash curler.  Its hourglass shape brush is what separates and coats the lashes to perfection. I have found it doesn't smudge and it stays on all day. I don’t use the waterproof one but it's available.  Clinque Long Last Lipstick in Bamboo Pink ($17) I love

Lemon Caper Chicken Smokin Hot Hubby LOVES capers. I wanted to make something simple but tasty and it had to have capers. This dish fits all those requirements. Tender Chicken breast in a fresh lemon wine sauce topped with capers is one of the easiest, delicious, and most elegant-looking dishes I make. What you’ll need… 1 1/2-2 pounds of thinly pounded boneless skinless chicken breast The juice of 1-2 lemons (really just a matter of taste - I like ours lemony) 3 T of butter 1 T of Olive Oil Flour for a light coating on chicken 2-3 c of chicken stock garlic powder, seasoning salt, pepper to taste 1/4 c white wine Capers - as much as you’d like ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Pound the chicken to about 1/2 inch thick. (or you can buy already thin sliced chicken) On a plate put about a cup of flour and then add 1/2 tsp seasoning salt, 1tsp of garlic powder, & 1/2 tsp of pepper Then mix flour mixture with a fork Heat up a skillet (I use an electric skillet but

Top 3 Skincare Products I LOVE skincare products! When you feel good in your own skin it's the best. There are so many options out there. I could write a blog everyday for a month and still not cover all that is available. I am not affiliated with any brand; I recommend these because they work for me. I have normal to dry sensitive skin and of course I need anti-aging products being close to 50 now (whoo Lord I need to sit down to process that thought).  I do have adult daughters who are in their mid to late 20's and I will be posting their favorites at a future time. My first go to product right now is the First-Aid Beauty Face cleanser. It is gentle and removes make up well. I like that it doesn't strip my skin of its oil, and that my skin feels refreshed and not tight after washing. This product can be found at Ulta or Sephora in a 5oz tube  for $20 and will last about 3-4 months. If this is out of your price range a similar product, Cetaphil daily cleanser, c

I love kitchen gadgets. I know a lot of people are with me on that. There is just something so cool about trying out a new tool that works so well. These are my top 3, favorite kitchen gadgets that I use most everyday. They are fun to use and they make life just a bit easier. Lets get started... First, is my Avocado Tool! This baby can slice, take out the pit, and scoop out the luscious glorious meat.  (Can you tell I love me some avocados?) It makes for easy prep work when using an avocado in any dish! You can get it at Bed, Bath, And Beyond for less than $5. Second, is my infusion water pitcher. I use it for different fruits or veggies to flavor my water. Some of my favorite combos are lemon with sliced, fresh ginger. Mint with cucumber is another good one.  Or, you can just put individual fruit in the water like the strawberries pictured above. It provides variety and helps me stay hydrated because I want to drink the water. (Sorry, plain water just doesn't do it for

Broccoli Chicken Casserole Every Church cookbook in America has some version of Broccoli Chicken Casserole. My Mom got her version from our church in Cardiff, California. Chapel by the Sea was an amazing church filled with awesome people. The women there could really cook!! When it was potluck fellowship Sunday all of the kids would be antsy all church service in anticipation. Grandma Webber's meatballs, Ms. Ruth Porter chicken, Ms. Mildred Gunther's desserts were just a few of the many wonderful potluck dishes. My mom often made her Broccoli  Chicken Casserole. Although over the years I've tweaked it to be my own recipe the inspiration came from Mom and those wonderful Potluck fellowships. Broccoli Chicken Casserole You will need.... about 2 pounds of shredded cooked chicken (more if you desire) Two 10oz bags of frozen Broccoli cuts or florets (you can do one of each), thawed 3-4 short sleeves of Buttery crackers (i.e. Ritz) 1/2 stick of melted butter Two 1

Holy Grail Household Cleaning Products Today I will be sharing my top 3 favorite household cleaning products for the last few months. Then on Friday I will be sharing my top 3 kitchen tools/gadgets. I love seeing what people recommend.  I hope you enjoy these reviews and try some of the products. Lets begin... Shout color catcher... This product was brought to my attention by my sister Debbie. Wow what a God-send!! It really works. Just toss a sheet in the washer with each load. (I've even had a lone white sock washed with my red sheets and it came out just fine.) It's 24 sheets for around $3.75. Well worth the extra expense. Add it to you laundry routine today!!  Method Granite cleaner.... My holy grail granite cleaner, hands down. It has a pleasant smell and leaves your granite looking clean and shiny. I spray on my granite then wipe dry with a micro-fiber cloth. Absolutely stunning. It's around $3.99 a bottle and can be purchased at most g

Chocolate Cake!!! So there is a tradition in my family that whenever its your birthday I will make you a cake. Hands down the chocolate lovers pick this! What makes my chocolate cake is the frosting! When I was perfecting the frosting recipe Smokin Hot Hubby kept saying, "needs more chocolate" over and over. I knew I finally hit the perfect amount when I served it to the ultimate chocolate lover of all, my Bestie. She literally stood up out of her seat, walked over, and hugged me. LOL  Now I must confessed the cake is...well, it's not my own recipe it's actually this... I have found this to be incredibly moist and a much easier option. Remember it's ok to cut corners but not sacrifice quality and taste. Actually the real star of this dessert is the frosting. So lets get started! Chocolate Frosting   You will need... 1 cup softened butter (no margarine) 12 heaping T of unsweetened cocoa powder 4 T of vegetable oil (may use