Cardinals Training Camp

Who said Mondays have to be so horrible? Today we ventured over to the west side and spent the day at Arizona Cardinals training camp held at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale. The 45 minute drive was well worth it, especially since the admission and parking were free. We arrived super early, about 20 people in line in front of us, and waited about 30 minutes to go in and get the best seats in the house!

over here Larry!!! 

Practice lasted about 2 1/2 hours, seeing all my favorite players was amazing, game or not. We saw them all, Larry Fitzgerald, Patrick Peterson, Darnell Dockett, Carson Palmer and rookie Tyrann Mathieu. Michael was a bit bummed they weren't playing football, instead they were doing drills and  practice throws. 

Michael was invited to the Kids Interactive Zone where he got to practice himself - and scored a free frosty for making the quarterback toss!

Next year, Manny can join him!

At the Kids Interactive Zone, Michael was also given a wristband to attend the children's autograph experience after the practice. This was upstairs limited to kids only which meant we had to split up for OPERATION LARRY! I wanted one thing - Fitz autograph! So Jesus and Manny stayed at our seats while I took Michael upstairs. We waited about 30 minutes and Michael was able to get his hat autographed and paper autographs from 4 players - 3rd string QB Ryan Lindley, ILB Karlos Dansby (pictured), RB Stepfan Taylor, and  DE Matt Shaughnessy. 

Michael and I are headed down to our seats, and I hear people start yelling so I look up. Yes, there it is, #11, MR LARRY FITZ  walking across the field to sign autographs!! I grabbed Michael so fast and we darted down to our seats where Jesus and Manny are already yelling. We hopped over the seats. I took my Fitz jersey off hoping hoping hoping that he would come our way! Wait - yes I took my jersey off but I had an undershirt on, I'm not that desperate for an autograph! Well not in front of my kids anyway! Some very sad results followed my adrenaline rush, Larry took off back across the field after a very short 2 minutes! Why Larry?!?! Why?!? Michael, yelling Larry! Come back! was so sad that Larry left, even though he didn't know he was - just a football player. Manny had even learned to yell Larry. Which I heard from both of them on the drive home until they snoozed off. 

Overall, cards camp was everything I thought it would be (minus the Fitz autograph)! We all had so much fun and became more familiar with the team we love! Oh and I forgot to mention that while Michael and I were upstairs getting autographs, Jesus and Manny scored autographs from Darnell Dockett, Patrick Peterson, Mike Gibson, Bobby Massie, Nate Potter and Deveric Gallington. 

Good job Daddy!

-Kayla

Foodie Friday - Creamy Shrimp Fettuccine Alfredo

This creamy shrimp fettuccine alfredo is the real deal! Get ready to burn some calories tomorrow because this pasta is rich and full of heavy cream and butter and is DELICIOUS!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb fettuccine pasta
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 1 medium tomato, chopped
• salt and pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of water to a boil while adding salt and 1 tsp olive oil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente, drain pasta and return to pot.

In a large skillet, saute garlic in the butter then add shrimp and cook for 1-2 minutes . Pour in heavy whipping cream and stir. Slowly add the parmesan cheese and stir constantly. Add parsley, tomatoes, salt and pepper. Stir frequently, do not boil. Once sauce thickens, add to pot of noodles, stir and serve warm.

Buon Appetitio!

Foodie Friday - Homemade Chicken Pizza

This one is pretty simple and the kids will love to help! I love making pizzas and it is quite easy to throw your favorite pizza toppings together and make quite the pizza pie.

You can either buy your favorite pizza dough (like Pillsbury Pizza Crust!) or make your own.

Ingredients:

• 1 store bought pizza crust or homemade pizza dough recipe
• 8 oz. jar of tomato sauce
• 1 cup fully cooked shredded and seasoned chicken
• 2 large tomatoes, sliced
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1/2 Tbsp. dried oregano
• 1 cup shredded colby-jack cheese
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese

I made my own pizza dough in the hand-me-down bread maker my Mom gave me. Once I rolled my dough out, I coated the bottom and sides of a 9x9 square tin pan. After shaping the dough in the pan, I spread tomato sauce over the dough then had my little helper arrange the shredded chicken, then the sliced tomatoes. We then added chopped white onions, oregano, parmesan cheese, and lots of shredded colby-jack cheese. Bake for 25-30 minutes at 350. Slice & Serve!

Another pizza I like to make is chicken and spinach alfredo pizza with carmelized onions. Come back soon for the recipe!

D.I.Y. Coffee Filter Flower

D.I.Y coffee filter flowers are the perfect alternative to any kind of flower! Flowers die too quickly and can be expensive if you choose to purchase artificial floral arrangements from craft stores. I plan on hanging my coffee filter flowers on a strand of white Christmas lights to make a cute garland for my office.


                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Step 1. Fold a single coffee filter in half,  place a small dot of hot glue at the bottom center and fold in half again. Do this with 15-20 coffee filters.









                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Step 2. Cut waves into the top of the folded coffee filter to give it a ruffled look.









                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Step 3. Take an unfolded coffee filter and place it flat on your work surface. Glue each folded coffee filter to the center of the flat coffee filter at the tip. Do this in a clockwise rotation making sure the filters overlap until all the coffee filters are glued down. If there is open space in the center of the flower, use extra coffee filters folded 3 or 4 times and glue them to the center to fill in the gaps.











Step 4: Now that the flowers are made, place a dot of hot glue at the base of the bottom coffee filter and add a twist tie. Wrap the twist tie around the cord on the Christmas lights.

Foodie Friday - Summer Ceviche!

In our house, it's not a good summer unless we have some delicious homemade ceviche! It's one of Michael's favorites too. Ceviche is very easy to make and is perfect for the weekend since it takes some refrigerator time while you're out running errands, doing laundry or watching football!


Ingredients:

• 1 lb thawed, medium sized RAW shrimp (cooked shrimp won't taste the same!)
• 2 cups fresh squeezed lemon juice ( 5-6 lemons)
• 1 large purple onion, diced

• 2 large tomatoes, diced
• 2 cucumbers, peeled, seeds removed, and diced. 
• 1/2 bunch of cilantro, chopped
• 1 cup clamato juice
• 2 tsp salt

Peel and dice shrimp. Combine diced shrimp and onion in a large bowl. Add enough lemon juice to cover the top. Chill in refrigerator for 3-4 hours.

Meanwhile, prepare the tomatoes, cucumbers and cilantro. Once the shrimp is completely pink, add the vegetables to the bowl and mix. Then add the clamato juice and salt.

I've also made ceviche with a seafood mix (which is even better!) that has crab meat, tilapia and scallops. Ceviche is commonly served on a tostada shell with mayo, your favorite seafood hot sauce like 7 mares, and a nice cold corona!

Enjoy!

Foodie Friday - Cashew Chicken!

Happy 4th of July & Welcome to Mommatastic!

It's the 4th of July and my first blog post... how exciting! Hope you all had a fun and safe holiday. We went to my sisters house and had some amazing food and tons of fun on the water slide. The kiddos loved the fireworks and sparklers, this holiday never seems to bore us! 

Thanks to all those who have served our country and to those that still are. Without you we wouldn't have this wonderful holiday to celebrate our beautiful country that we love! Everyday I am thankful for my freedom. God Bless the USA!

Oh and guess what! Tomorrow is Foodie Friday so check back and see what I've done in the kitchen!

-Kayla