Real life with Lar

Pierogi Casserole This is my favorite brand and flavor. Sometimes I get the urge to try something new with a food we eat a certain way. We love pierogies at our house. They are awesome baked for about 10 minutes and then put in a frying pan with a bit of cooking spray to brown them up. I love eating them with applesauce and sour cream on top. Try it, they're yummy. But like it said I sometimes like to try a new twist on a food. Today, I decided to try making it into a casserole. It turned out really good.  First thing I did was lay frozen pierogis in a pan sprayed with cooking spray.  In a mixing bowl I mixed      1 can roasted garlic cream of mushroom soup     1 c sour cream     1/2 c vegetable broth Spread mixture on to pierogies   I then added 2 c sliced Baby Bella mushrooms. (You can add as many as you like. Next time I will probably add more) Sprinkle with       ...

Night "Beauty" Bag One of the best tips I have ever heard was from a Youtube beauty guru named 'Glamlifeguru' whose real name is Tati. She did a series called Tip Tuesday and it was awesome. She gave weekly tips and tricks that helped her be more consistent with taking care of herself and her skin. My favorite tip, and one I still use to this day is a Night bag . This is a bag that you keep in or on your nightstand; products that tend to be forgotten in a nighttime skincare routine. Whether watching tv or settling in for the night, this bag keeps all the products together and keeps the nightstand free of clutter. The bag I use is one I found at TJ Max for under $5. The print was awesome and I fell in love with it. Here is what I put in my bag... Lip Balm This is such a great product to use at night so your lips stay soft and your lipstick stays better the next day. I use all sorts of lip treatments or balms depending on the time of year an...

Tomato Pesto Tomato Pesto is a very versatile recipe. You can… Spread the pesto on a bagel with chicken and a nice piece of cheese, like Gouda or Provolone. Broil for a minute or so. Put the pesto on sliced french bread top with parmesan. Bake for 15-20 minutes @ 400. Makes a great light dinner  or appetizer with some olives and fruit (melon is a great choice)  My favorite way to make it is with pasta. It's flavorful and quick - perfect to make ahead for an easy weeknight dinner. This recipe makes extra to freeze for a later time. It's always good to have freezer options for the times when life gets super busy.  Start by boiling your pasta as instructed on the package. Make sure to add a good amount of salt, about a 1/4 c, to the water. This will help flavor the pesto later. While that's cooking lets start making the pesto.  In a food processor put... 1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese I put chunks of parmesan and let the food processor...

Meal Planning Part 2 Its 5pm and it has been one of those days. You knew it would be with all your appointments and car pooling. Right about now you are probably thinking,  ‘I wish I would have stuck something in the crockpot’ or ‘These fast food trips are getting too expensive’. There is a solution to the 5pm " whats for dinner?’ ‘  problem...meal planning. Meal Planning does not have to be difficult. You can meal plan for a week, 2 weeks, or a month.  When our daughters were little I planned monthly.  Now, I meal plan every two weeks. Plan as many days as you’d like; it is up to you and your family schedule. First thing I do is ask my family if there is any particular meal I make that they might be wanting. This doesn’t guarantee that I will make it this time around but I will write it down in my planner so I can get it on the schedule.  Next, I gather my supplies which are my planner, a note pad, pen, the weekly grocery ads and my phone (beca...

Peanut Butter Bars Original Recipe I've been in a nostalgic mood lately. It could be because it's the year for my 30th high school reunion. When reminiscing with Smokin hot hubby, he mentioned that at his elementary school they served a Friday box lunch which included Peanut Butter Bars. Thanks to Facebook and an alumni page I was able to find the recipe.  I've included the original recipe as well a note with my own twist on it. This is a perfect dessert for these hot summer months because it's a no bake bar.  Original Recipe: 1 stick of Butter 2 c of Sugar 1/2 c Milk 1 c Peanut Butter 1 tsp Vanilla 3 c Rolled Oats (I used gluten free) In a pan melt the butter over low/medium heat Add the milk and sugar stir frequently till it comes to a boil. Remove from heat Add peanut butter and vanilla This is the peanut butter and Nutela!!! After its smooth add the rolled oats Mix well Pour in a13x9 or 8x8 for thicker squares This is the re...

Meal Planning Series Part One Having a meal plan is one of the best things you can do for your budget and time management. I have found that when I fly by the seat of my pants anxiety and stress are at an all time high. It really doesn’t take a lot of time to do. Before I go into meal planning though I'd like to talk about having a well stocked pantry.  A well stocked pantry gives you endless possibilities when you need to ‘whip something up’. For myself, having a well stocked kitchen was never more important than when we had our first 'surprise’ snowstorm here in KY. Because I had the basics, not being able to go to the store for a few days was not a worry. Now let me state if you don’t have any or all of these things I suggest, don’t feel you need to stock up in one trip to the supermarket. Spread it out over a few shopping trips. Stock up when things are on sale.  You may have a bigger pantry or a smaller one. But the principle still works for keeping it organiz...