A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes

I am a very ambitious thinker. I think most women are until life gets a hold of them. A 9-5 job, meals that have to be prepared, dishes piling up in the sink, bathrooms that need cleaned, children that need attention, and the never ending laundry piles. I find myself stuck in this routine of life, Get up, get dressed, go to work, come home, cook dinner, clean up, go to bed..... But that's not what life is all about.

I was recently challenged by a friend of mine to create a bucket list of things I want to do for myself. No matter how jumbled and crazy it looked or sounded. So I did just that! It took me about a week of serious thought to create a list that included all the random ideas and thoughts that stay in the back of my mind. So here it is:

• Go to cosmetology school ( been my dream since I was 15 yrs. old)
• Take an interior design course
• Learn how to stage houses
• Get my realtor's license
• Create a company of subscription boxes that send women items each month that will help and encourage them in their daily walk with Christ.
• Write a devotional (currently in progress)

So what's yours? Make a bucket list of dreams and post it somewhere. Inspire yourself daily to do something toward accomplishing at least one of those things! It's amazing how in just a week this has motivated me and transformed my way of thinking!

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Blooming in Love: Part 1

I am madly in love with my best friend.  If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook or stand beside me for more than 30 seconds,  you know just how crazy our life can be sometimes, but I wouldn't trade this adventure for anything! That being said, when I first met Joel I was fresh out of a very broken and confusing and long relationship with a guy that I "thought" was " the one." I was 20 years old, a Junior in college and ready to settle down and get serious. Needless to say, I was a whole lot of broken with a whole lot of confusion. BUT God had better plans for me.

In July of 2010, at the age of 19, and thanks to a family that never gave up on me (props to my sister Megan) I received Christ as my Savior. Within 6 months after that, I lost a lot of things, two of which were: friends that I shouldn't have been associated with, and a boy-man I shouldn't have been dating.  I was battling with self-confidence and learning to love myself the way God intended for us to love ourselves and I swore off dating until I could learn the healthy way to love and be comfortable with myself alone. BUT once again, God had different plans.

2 weeks after my break-up, I was taking interterm classes. Business Statistics in fact. (One of my favorite classes out of my college career and my 4.0 in that class proved it!) When a mutual friend of Joel, me, and surprisingly enough, my ex-boyfriend decided to play match maker.  He convinced this guy he worked with (Joel) to come and meet this girl he was friends with. And one day Joel decided to stop by and meet me...... and I did not like him. Period. No hesitation. I did not like Joel Daniel Best. THE END.......

But God had different plans. Through this mutual friend, and over a period of about a month,  Joel and I exchanged phone numbers and started talking. Maybe once or twice a week. Nothing big. No commitments. And I knew at that point that this guy would make a great friend. Yep. I categorized him into the friend zone. Then one day he invited me to a basketball game on campus. And I said yes.  Then I spent the next week trying to come up with any and every excuse not to go! Even worse, the night  of the game I dragged my best friend (props to Esther for standing by me) with me. I was so nervous. But I was worried for nothing.

That night I did not stop smiling once. We laughed, we talked, I asked "what?" 100 bazillion times because I couldn't understand his North Carolina accent. It was a perfect relaxing night between friends. Yep, I still categorized him into the friend zone.

Fast forward past 3 more basketball game "dates" and to Valentine's Day. Technically we weren't dating, or even close to it. But I still received a large stuffed bear, which I still have, and a card that said " I really, really, really, really, like you."  Talk about cute. But it was what was written inside that meant the most. Joel is not a romantic person (if you don't know him) but he sure tries! The last line of that card read " I think I'm falling in 'like' with you." Well, I was flattered, enjoyed his  company, and still considered him just a friend.

Then one night after church, we were walking back to the dorms and my sister's apartment and he stopped me on the curb beside the huge clock tower in the center of campus and he looked at me and said, "Shelby, I want to date you, BUT, I want you to know I am dating you with the intent that I am going to marry you."

DEEP BREATHE.

I had never had a guy be straight up with me. I got so scared, I just nodded my head in comprehension and basically ran to my sister's apartment to tell her all about it. When she heard me she responded "would you rather a guy date you just to date you or to marry you?" Good point, sis. So when Joel asked me out on our first official solo date, I said "yes." And so the story goes. We dated for 2 Years before getting engaged and 6 months later said "I do." (more on that story later).

 

Our first "official" date

I say all of this to say, single girls and dating girls, If that relationship isn't going to end in marriage, why are you dating him? If he isn't strong in his spiritual life, he isn't ready for you. If you don't worship together, pray together, or talk about Jesus together, his priorities aren't ready for you. Dating without marriage is simply taking a piece of someone's heart and memories that don't belong to you. Those feelings belong to your future spouse. If I could go back and change one thing in my life, I would have waited on God to bring me my spouse instead of going out and looking for him. I wouldn't have given away my feelings, and emotions, and pieces of my heart to someone I wasn't going to marry. I would have prayed about my relationship and not just jumped in with two feet.  Joel never dated before me. He prayed for God to bring him his spouse, and he waited until God gave me to him. It's one thing I appreciate and love the most about my husband. It's never too late to wait on God's perfect match.

Weekend Getaways and New Cities

Very recently my sister and her husband have moved up to Williamsburg, Kentucky. I was so excited when I found out that they were going to be only a mere 4 hours from me! So the first 3 day weekend Joel had off happened to fall on Valentine's day, so we made it a weekend trip to Knoxville (45 min. south of Williamsburg), to see my sister and Joel's best friend.

Of course our first stop had to be Wonderworks in Pigeon Forge!

I had never been to Wonder Works and had such a fun afternoon of hands on activities including rock wall climbing and roller coaster simulators! A definite "must-go" in my book!

I'm not sure what I was expecting, but Knoxville was not it. I was pleasantly surprised by the beautiful downtown and the fabulous shops and local restaurant! Friday evening we went out to eat with Joel's best friend to the Downtown Grill and Brewery. The interior was very industrial, which is something Joel and I love, with seating upstairs and downstairs.  The atmosphere was fun and the service and food was fantastic!

Inside the Downtown Grill and Brewery

Neither Joel's friend or his wife are coffee drinkers so our first stop Saturday morning was to Starbucks!

Then we headed to my Sister's In-laws to met up with her and my sweet nephew before heading to lunch downtown again!

Isn't he just the cutest!?

For lunch we went to Café 4 where they have a small bakery and serve Brunch. You can find their menu here. We all went for a breakfast theme. I had a delicious waffle with their "fruit of the day" topping, along with Greek yogurt with fresh strawberries.

Doesn't that make your mouth water????

I also got to spend some sweet quality time with this hunk o' chunck

He had pees and carrots for lunch.

We spent the afternoon doing some shopping here and there. Then we all met up for some line dancing that night at a local "Honky Tonk." I had know idea how to line dance when I walked in, but it was super easy to pick up and so much fun! It was a sweetheart dance that incorporated some slow dancing, so of course I pulled my sweetheart out with me!

On Sunday, we ended up having to leave earlier than expected because a big snow was coming in and we wanted to make it through Ashville and the mountains before it got too bad, BUT we met up with my sister one last time for lunch at Calhoun's on the River.

The atmosphere here was nice and the view was beautiful. With seating right on the river and skylights throughout you get a full experience of God's Creation. The food was delicious. I couldn't decide what I wanted to eat so, I ordered the Calhoun's Trio, that comes with ribs, Tennessee BBQ pork, and Chicken fingers along with a side of your choice. It was PHENOMENAL. You can find their menu here.

We headed back to NC early Sunday afternoon, but made sure we stopped for a mandatory ice cream date. Even in Sub-freezing temperatures:)

Our weekend was so much fun! I know we will be making a lot more trips to Knoxville as we visit my sister and explore the city. I just love doing life with my best friend and can't wait for the many more adventures to come!

Lasagna Lover's Soup

I am a soup girl. Chicken Noodle, Cheesy Potato, Regular Potato, Minestrone, Chili...... I  just love the cozy feel of soup on a cold day!  So when I found this recipe on Pinterest for a Lasagna Soup , I knew I had to make it! When my husband learned I was going to attempt to put Lasagna in soup form, he wasn't quite sure what to expect, but after his 3rd bowl I'm pretty sure he loved it;) This soup is the perfect winter soup that classifies as some serious comfort food! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Ingredients

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided

1 lb lean ground beef

garlic powder to taste

onion powder to taste

4 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 (14.5 oz) can petite diced tomatoes

1 (14.5 oz) can crushed tomatoes

2 1/2 Tbsp tomato paste

1 3/4 tsp dried basil

3/4 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp dried rosemary, crushed

1/2 tsp fennel seeds, crushed

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp granulated sugar

1 1/2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley, plus more for garnish

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

8 lasagna noodles, broken into bite size pieces (6.5 oz)

1 1/4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (5 oz)

1/2 cup finely shredded parmesan cheese (2 oz)

8 oz ricotta cheese

Directions

Heat one tablespoon olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Once hot, crumble beef into pot, season with salt and pepper to taste and cook, stirring occasionally until browned. Drain fat from beef and set aside. In another pot  Add in chicken broth, diced tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, basil, oregano, rosemary, fennel seeds, thyme, sugar, parsley, the cooked ground beef and season with salt and pepper, garlic and onion powder  to taste. Bring just to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare lasagna noodles according to directions listed on package, reserving 1 cup pasta water before draining pasta.

Add cooked pasta to soup along with 1/2 cup - 1 cup pasta water as desired. In a mixing bowl, using a fork, stir together mozzarella, parmesan and ricotta.

Ladle soup into bowls, dollop with a large scoop of the cheese mixture and sprinkle with chopped parsley (you can help the cheese melt better by cooking in the microwave after dolloping over soup for a bit but mine melted and mixed just fine!)

General Tso's Chicken

I am not a big Asian food eater. I am always a little questionable at the meat and what they consider "real" meat. This annoys my husband, who LOVES to eat Asian food.  So 99% of the time, if we eat Asian food, I cook it at home. This recipe is a little lengthier BUT so worth it! You can make the sauce and breading mixture in advance to make it go quicker the day of as well!

Ingredients

(Chicken)
– 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced into 1-inch cubes
– 1 1/2 cups cornstarch
– 1/4 cup salt
– 3 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
– 3 cups vegetable oil for frying, plus 1 tablespoon for stir-frying
– 5 dried red chilis, roughly chopped
– 2 tsp minced garlic

(Marinade)
– 1 tablespoons soy sauce
– 1/4 C. of Rice Vinegar
– 2 egg whites

(Sauce)
– 1/4 cup chicken stock or broth
– 1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
– 1 tablespoon soy sauce
– 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
– 1 teaspoon hoisin sauce
– 1 teaspoon chili paste (If you don't have this you can substitute 2 tsp cayenne pepper and red       pepper flakes)
– 1 teaspoons sesame oil
– 1 tablespoon sugar
– 1 teaspoon cornstarch

 Steps:
(1) In a large bowl, combine the soy sauce, rice wine, and egg whites. Coat the chopped chicken in the marinade mixture and let sit for 10 minutes.
(2) In a small bowl, combine the chicken stock, tomato paste, sugar, soy sauce, rice vinegar, hoisin sauce, chili paste, sesame oil, sugar, and the 1 teaspoon of cornstarch. Stir until well combined. Set aside.
(3) In a large bowl or deep plate, mix the cornstarch with salt and pepper. Add the marinated chicken and toss to coat. Shake off any excess before frying.
(4) In a large thick-bottom pan/skillet. Heat vegetable oil on high until it begins to bubble and sizzle/pop. Turn heat down to medium, and start frying your chicken.
(5) Working in 4 or 5 batches, add the first batch of chicken cubes (about 6 cubes per batch) and fry until golden brown on the outside and cooked through, about 3-5 minutes. Remove the chicken with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Repeat until all your chicken is cooked.
(6) Turn stove off, drain the oil into a heatproof container and save for discarding. Leave about 2 tbsp oil in your wok.
(7) Reheat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chopped dried chilis and garlic, and stir-fry until just fragrant, about 20 seconds.
(8) Pour in the sauce and stir until it begins to simmer and thicken, about 1 to 2 minutes.
(9) Serve on a bed of rice. Pour sauce over chicken.

Dijon Chicken Panini

It's Here! It's Here! I know you had dreams last night about this recipe and woke up with drool on your pillow.... and rightfully so. This Panini was so delish, it had my husband asking for seconds and thirds and quite possibly fourths! So enough about the amazing-ness of this sandwich, here is the recipe: 

Ingredients
       Dijon Chicken Marinade: 

• 1/3 cup of Dijon mustard
• 2 T. apple cider vinegar
• 2 T. honey
• 1 T. lemon juice
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp. black pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt

       Panini: 

• Slices of whole wheat bread
• Smoked mozzarella cheese
• Cooked bacon
• Dijon chicken
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard

Directions: 

Combine mustard, vinegar, lemon juice, and honey in a small bowl and whisk until smooth. Add spices and stir. Pepare chicken breast and place in a large plastic storage bag. Pour marinade over chicken. Gently shake chicken in closed bag to cover chicken completely. Refrigerate 1 hour. Grill or bake chicken. If baking, preheat oven to 350 cook 20 minutes flip and cook another 20 minutes. Once chicken is cooked, butter one side of each bread slice, spread mustard on non-buttered side of one slice of bread. Add one slice of cheese, as much bacon as you'd like:) and chicken. Top with second slice of bread and toast in a George Foreman Grill, Panini press, or you can toast in a frying pan and flip, or oven. Cook until cheese is melted and bread is golden brown. Enjoy!

Ranch Cheddar Chicken

I know sometimes I get in a rut with my cooking. Working full time with a husband who's schedule is almost never predictable make it hard to enjoy cooking, especially when a lot of nights it's just me. So I get in this rut where I buy the same groceries each week, and make the same meals each week, because they're easy!

Well, the husband challenged me to get creative in the kitchen, like I used to when we were first married. Not such a subtle hint, huh ;) So this week I took the challenge and did, and boy was it worth it. I have the BEST chicken recipe I have ever eaten and it is so easy to make! So here it is.

Ranch Cheddar Chicken:

Ingredients:

•        4 Bonesless skinless chicken breast ( I used tenderloins because they were on sale)
•        1/2 C. Mayonnaise
•        2 T. dry ranch dressing seasoning
•        1/4 C. grated cheddar cheese
•        1/4 C. panko bread crumbs

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place chicken in a large baking dish. In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, ranch, and cheddar cheese. Spread on top of the chicken breasts. Sprinkle the panko crumbs on top and spray lightly with cooking spray. Bake for 25 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

That is it! One of the easiest recipes I've made and perfect for the working homemaker. I made enough to eat leftovers 3 times this weekend for lunch while Joel was at work..... but he ate every last crumb last night! Definitely going on the menu rotation! Hope y'all enjoy this chicken recipe as much as I did!