May 15, 2012

crunch wrap supreme

my friend whitney told me about this recipe and since mr. barlow and i dont 
frequent taco bell we thought we'd give the look a like a try.

oh man! it was good.
mr. barlow wanted to make sure his looked exactly like a crunch wrap!
i went with the easy way.

it was delish.
do yourself a favor and try it.
now.

thank you team lawter.

recipe here >>> taco wrap deluxe


May 10, 2012

have you heard of Portal?!

"Fast thing goes in fast thing comes out." - GLaDOS


i would not call myself a video game player in the least.
ask my sisters. then ask my husband. 

BUT..

mr. barlow would call himself a video game man.
he teaches all about the types of games, the different systems and how to use a controller.
AND i didnt ever know a video game had a story. they do. its cool.

my little sister in law hannah was trying to get us to play Portal with her right after our wedding but i sadly turned her down.
mr. barlow cannot pass up a deal and he got Portal 1 & 2 for like $10!
a steal one would say.
it is the funnest and funniest game!
i am kinda obsessed.
and this come from the girl that doesnt play video games.


May 09, 2012

May 08, 2012

i ran 8 miles today.

almost made it to utah lake. couldn't of done it without kim and her stories.

now my body is going to get some much deserved sleep.

May 05, 2012

cinco de mayo!

we celebrated our cinco de mayo outside in the sun watching BYU Rugby!
very fitting for the holiday i know.
but seriously, rugby is so interesting to watch!

we went with the Lowrys from our ward and Matt played rugby in high school.
he did an excellent job at explaining all the rules to us!

BYU is pretty bomb at rugby. 
they played against UCLA on saturday and dominated.
BYU [103] - UCLA [27]

it was a beautifully fun day.
we gave Mountain West Burrito a try that night to commemorate the holiday.
it was delish.




May 03, 2012

raspberry oatmeal cookie bars

jacob & i were assigned to the treats for Barlow FHE a couple Mondays ago and i wanted to make something fruity.
i got this app [for android] and found this recipe on there >>> all recipes 
it was delicious!

the recipe you can find online here >>> Raspberry Oatmeal Cookie Bars

i doubled the recipe for the FHE and i also added cinnamon to the oatmeal mixture.
and i added cream cheese to the top!
i found those little additions in the reviews part.


pre baked cookie bars!
i just randomly dolloped [is that even a word?] the cream cheese everywhere. 
[it is, just looked it up in the dictionary.]


baked raspberry oatmeal cookie bars!
and you can try it with any fruit you'd like. so yum!

southwest pasta salad

pammy jo black, her sister brittany and mama black came over a couple sundays ago for a 
little meet mr. barlow/catch up/goodbye lunch before pammy jo went to Jerusalem for the summer. 

i wanted to make something that could be made the night before since we had our lunch date right after church.
it turned out awesome and it could totally be a side dish to a party or a main lunch dish.

i found the recipe here >>> Southwest Pasta Salad

some things i changed were using red and green bell peppers and i forgot the chives!
i also added little cubes of pepper jack cheese.
and there is chicken in mine as well!
i just grilled some chicken breast with spices and shredded it.


i didnt use the dressing from this specific recipe because i didnt have the ingredients.
and i wanted a creamy dressing so i thought, "hey the cafe rio one would be good!"

so this is the dressing i made for the pasta salad >>> Creamy Lime-Cilantro Dressing
i googled a lot of the knock off recipes and i decided to go with this one bc i have no idea what a tomatillo is! 
[this sauce is also so yum on tacos!]
we all really liked it! i had it for lunch again the next day and it was still so good.

broccoli cups

instagram food photography isn't that great but trust me these are delicious!

my sister in laws and i started a food/craft blog [barlowbakingandbits.blogspot.com
together and heidi is the genius behind this recipe. 
i made them the other night and mr. barlow couldn't stop eating them.
i took that as a good sign!


You can use reduced fat cream cheese and reduced fat crescent rolls to make it a little healthier. You could also substitute the broccoli for any vegetable you or your family like. We eat it as a main dish, but you could easily serve them as appetizers. 


Ingredients:
1 (3 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened (or neufatchel cheese)
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted, divided
1 tablespoons minced chives
1 tablespoons milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic
2 cups cubed cooked chicken
1 1/2 cups cooked broccoli
1 (8 ounce) can refrigerated crescent rolls

Directions:
In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, 1 tablespoon butter, chives, milk, garlic, salt and pepper until smooth. Stir in the chicken and broccoli. 

Unroll crescent roll dough and separate into eight triangles; press triangles into greased muffin pan to make a cup shape. Spoon 
about 1-2 Tablespoon chicken mixture into each cup. 

Bake squares at 350 degrees F as directed on crescent roll package or until golden brown.

Number Of Servings:4
Preparation Time:20 minutes

baked pesto ravioli with chicken

i think it was my sister in law heidi who first had this recipe then it was passed onto mama barlow then to my other sister in law amber and now to me!
and i prob missed a couple barlows it was passed to in there somewhere.
i first tried it at our girls weekend in Branson and now i am hooked.

i want it again right now as i type this.
leftovers are really good too!

and if you are feeling fancy serve it up with a caesar salad and garlic bread.


INGREDIENTS

2 lbs. cheese-filled ravioli, fresh or frozen
1 lb. cooked chicken breasts in 1/2 in. slices
2/3 c. chicken broth
2 c. zucchini, cut in 1/2 in. rounds
½ c. red bell pepper, chopped into 1/2 in. pieces
½ c. chopped scallions
½ c. store-bought basil pesto sauce
½ t. kosher salt
½ t. pepper
1 c. parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS
Spray one 9 X 13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Transfer to baking dish and bake at 350 for 1 hr.

tomato basil bisque

this is from my sister in law holly!
i am not sure where she got it but it is the bomb.
best tomato soup i've had.

i love eating it with a pepper jack grilled cheese.
it just makes me happy and warm inside.
this recipe makes a good amount so invite some friends over!


use butter or olive oil for saute'
1 large sweet onion, diced
2 stalks celery
2 carrots
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour
1 tbsp fresh basil or 1 tsp dried
1 tbsp minced garlic
2 15 oz cans tomato sauce
2 14 oz cans chicken stock
1 tbsp sugar, or to taste
2 14.5 oz cans diced tomatos, chopped
2-3 cups heavy whipping cream
1 bay leaf
salt & pepper to taste

saute' onion, celery, & carrots in butter/olive oil. add garlic & basil, cook till basil is aromatic, just a few minutes. add salt & pepper to vegetables as they saute'.
transfer to stockpot and ass tomato sauce, chicken stock and sugar. cook for about 20 mins on medium heat, stirring often.
make a roux with the butter and flour and add to soup.
puree all the soup in blender till smooth, return to stock pot, add diced tomatoes and heavy whipping cream, bay leaf and more salt and pepper to taste.
simmer on low for about an hour. remove bay leaf before serving.

May 01, 2012

oh hello may!

aren't you pretty with your sunshine, green grass, and puffy clouds?