I Have a Crush on Food Blogs

Okay, so here's the deal: I absolutely love food blogs. As in, I rarely use my recipe books. As in, I read more than a dozen blogs every day. As in, the recipes are so stinkin' good that I just can't help myself! So I've thought about starting a food blog, but I just can't get myself to do it for a couple of really good reasons (at least in my own mind).

1. There are about a bazillion food blogs out there. Food blogs from people who have more cooking experience, more cash for ingredients, and way better photography skills (you've got to have awesome pictures).

2. I'm only what? 22? Pretty sure I have tons of learning and refining to do in the kitchen.

3. And I forgot my last reason. But I'm sure it was a good one. I've got Mommy brain.

So anyway, no food blog for now. But I am making something yummy for dinner tonight. They involve bacon! And cream cheese! And more cheese!

Da-duh-duh! Chicken Rolls! These are based on a recipe that everyone seems to know, but mine are super cool because they have bacon and other yummy twists.

Chicken Roll Bread Dough

6 cups flour

1 ½ tsp salt

1 Tbsp sugar

1 Tbsp oil

1 cup hot water

1 Tbsp yeast

Combine water, yeast, and sugar. Let sit for five minutes. Add oil, salt, and flour. Let dough rise in warm oven for 50 minutes, punching down every ten minutes.

Chicken Roll Filling

8 oz. cream cheese

4 Tbsp. melted butter

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

2 Tbsp chopped green onions

2 cups cooked and cubed chicken

8 strips bacon, cooked and chopped

½ cup shredded cheddar cheese

4 Tbsp milk

1 ½ cups Italian bread crumbs

Blend cream cheese and melted butter until smooth. Add the remaining ingredients. Roll out bread dough and cut into 3 inch squares. Place 1/4 cup of chicken mixture in the center of each square. Pull up the corners and seal the edges. Roll in melted butter and then in bread crumbs. Let rise for ten minutes, but not until doubled in size. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Makes about 12 rolls.

Mini Me

This is why Madelyn is Jason's Mini-Me.

Jason

Madelyn

Megan

It's kind of sad that Madelyn doesn't look anything like me. I just hope Madelyn doesn't look just like her Dad when she grows up. I'm not sure Jason would make an attractive girl.

Oh Me, Oh My

So I'm sitting on the couch, surrounded by Kleenex, hand sanitizer, a plastic bag, and the remote controls. It's the first time I've been sick since Madelyn's birth, and can I say that being a sick mom is stinky? Anyway, it's just a head cold, so I'll survive.

So life at the Wells' apartment has been pretty low key lately. Madelyn is just eating, sleeping, and playing. She is a little bit of a stinker, but she's also super happy. We like her, and we'll keep her. So here's what Madelyn can do:

-Smile! She's really learning how to respond to us, and her happiest time of the day is 6 am.
-Kick. Her favorite places are in the tub and against any flat vertical surface.
-Coo. When Madelyn is happy, she likes to talk. Otherwise, she yells.
-Pout. She's got her daddy's talent for pouting. Nough said.

We love having her home. We fall more in love with her everyday.

Jason is still working in the Church's IT department, and will be switching over from his intern status to contingent staff once school starts. He's pretty awesome at his job, and everybody loves him.

I am at home all day, almost every day. This means that I now follow half a dozen TV shows via Hulu. I'm lame, I know. It does help me get through the 45-minute long feeding sessions (Madelyn likes to goof off while she eats). I'm also having fun sewing things for Madelyn- a blessing dress, a car seat canopy, and a sling, so far. Otherwise, I'm trying to brainstorm what in the world to do for Madelyn's room, at the lowest cost possible. It's interesting.....

And of course, I'm cooking! And baking! And gaining weight....but Jillian Michaels and I are working on that.