2012-The Year of Change-

Happy New Year!!! I took a break during the holiday season but I wanted to get right back into the blogging for the new year. Last year I started setting goals for myself. Not so much resolutions but ways I wanted to change my life. 

I wanted to become stronger spiritually, mentally and physically. I kept the goals broad to see what I could accomplish, and I have to say it was a successful 2012.

Spiritually, I started going back to church a year prior to 2012 but I wanted to increase my knowledge in the Word, get more involved and change my thinking. To my surprise I wasn't the only one. In February a few of my friends and I started a bible study and it has been going strong ever since. We have welcomed new members along the way. Side note is that I have been friends with these ladies for 2-6 years. We started talking and realized we may not all be the same denomination but we all wanted to learn more. Our bible study has raised money for families in need during the holiday season both in our area and internationally. We have donated to families with children in the hospital that are part of the Ronald McDonald house. It amazes me every time I think about how blessed we are to be able to help others and each other. The bible study was not my only spiritual strength I learned this year, it was one of many. The one that has been a testimony to myself and my husband is our finances. I wasn't planning on sharing this but if it helps someone else....why not? I gave our finances to God about a year ago. As a result we have seen Grace, favor and prosperity in every area of our life. 

We had gotten ourselves into a substantial amount of debt. In less than 2 years it is almost gone. Mostly due to the blessings from this year. In a few short months we will be debt free. This is just one example of many. Our house payment has been lowered to a third of what it was before.We have had debt free vacations and another debt free Christmas. We are truly blessed and I could not thank God enough. 

Mentally, I have changed my way of thinking...staying more positive and forgiving others. I also started taking business classes. Ohh and I start Grad School next week!!! We decided to travel more with friends and family. We went to Nashville, Morgantown, Key West, Gatlinburg and Pittsburgh. Lots more to come in the new year. 

Physically, I don't set goal weights anymore. My work requires a certain BMI but I noticed when I focused more on that it was harder for me to lose the weight. This year I wanted to become stronger, healthier and more fit. I learned about clean eating and we are working on complete clean eating for both of us. I pushed myself with weight lifting and running the end result is a 10 lb weight loss in 2012. I weighed myself today to confirm!!! should I have lost more? Well sure but I also had a lot of fun and travel this year lol. 

For 2013 I am magnifying my goals from 2012. I plan to grow more spiritually, straight A' s for my MBA program, travel to three new places, run a half marathon and sign up for warrior dash. Stay tuned to see how the journey goes :). 

Love you all and may you have a blessed new year!!!

NE OH spot of the week: Playmakers Sports Grille

Ohhhh what a weekend. A wedding and tailgating! As you know my husband DJs the home games at the PIT. I did not make it at 7:30 in the morning but non the less I got there at 11:00am. I am sooooo glad I did not miss my boys play! Our first W for the season. More to come...I can feel it! Around half time we headed back home but decided to stop at Playmakers Sports Grille. 

I give this place a 3.5 star rating. 

The food was good and moderate price, the fog horn under the bar after every touchdown was great! They got really excited at one point and horn was going off for every 1st down. 

The service was good but I was surprised you needed to print the yelp deal. Side note-They don't offer the special for Sunday games. At least this was my impression.

HD TVs everywhere and more seating in the back. On Monday night they offer FREE beer until the first team scores. We will be back on Monday night football!

It is worth checking out, located in Garfield Heights right off Transportation Blvd.

http://www.playmakersportsbar.com/

CLE spot of the week: West Side Market

West Side Market

The best part of this blog is it is about living life to the fullest. Believe it or not there are people out there that live in Northeast Ohio and no nothing about it. 

The city of Cleveland is usually one that gets a bad reputation. The city has a lot to offer-great restaurants, local markets, art walks, local runs, sporting events (I know I know even if our team is not that great it is still fun), museums, historical venues and much more. 

I hope to showcase that for you every week with a new place to check out in CLE and places throughout Ohio.  

First up the West Side Market. I usually shop here every week. Here are some tips for shopping at the market and a few of my favorite vendors. 

Tips and Timing:
The market gets packed by 10am on Saturdays no matter what the weather is like. It will not slow down until after 2pm. If you want good deals go around 4pm. The vendors are trying to get rid of their products by the end of the day. Otherwise I recommend going in the morning prior to the rush. Total there are three lots you can park in. If you go at noon you are going to park on the street. 

Top Vendors:
When walking in from the main parking lot the top two vendors for produce are located right when you walk in. The first one is located on the left aisle. They will be your first vendor on the right. Everything is local and organic. Their herbs are $1 each and fresh, you can not beat that! 

If you go straight (a little to the right) the first vendor on your left has excellent pricing and local produce. Make sure no matter what stand you go to check what you are buying first. Once they get to know you they will hook you up with great deals. 

Gyro Stand

Get there before noon. I would try for 11am. I recommend trying these Gyros at least once! It is worth the early lunch. I have not been here since I moved out of Tremont but the line is always long. I assume they are just as good!

Smoothie Stand

A little on the expensive side but it is a tasty treat! All fresh and local fruits. Note:It has the ability to rejuvenate any fun you had the night before :) 

Popcorn Stand 

Over 20 flavors to choose from. Free popcorn samples (to see which one you like of course). 

There are more vendors to choose from and you will get to know your way around after a couple of visits. If you are familiar with the market share who your favorite vendor is! 

Pulled Pork Recipe

Hi friends! 

I told you I would share my pulled pork recipe, here it is!! It is a favorite and affordable. I usually spend $15.00 to feed 10-15 people with 3-4 lbs of pork shoulder.

Easy Crock-Pot Pulled Pork

Ingredients

1/2 Cup Ketchup
1/3 Cup Worcestershire
1/3 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
1 Tablespoon Ground Mustard (optional)
1 Tablespoon Garlic Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Paprika
1/2 Cup Sugar/Cinnamon Mix
1/2 Teaspoon Liquid Smoke
Red Chili Pepper Flakes (add to your liking)
Little season with Salt and Pepper
1 Medium Sweet Onion, Chopped
3-4 Pounds Pork Shoulder, Trimmed of Fat.

1. Combine all ingredients except for onion and pork into crock pot. Whisk all ingredients until well blended.
2. Place pork and onions into mixture, coating both sides of meat.
3. Cook for 8 to 10 hours on low or 4-6 on high.
4. After meat is cooked, remove from slow cooker onto plate and break apart with fork. If meat has any bones, discard.
5. Place meat back into warm sauce to reheat.
6. Serve on hamburger buns or Kaiser Rolls and Sweet Baby Rays if people like more sauce.

Optional: I usually top the sandwich with coleslaw (recipe below)

This is ALWAYS a crowd favorite.


Coleslaw Dressing

Ingredients

1 c. mayonnaise
1/2 c. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt (or to taste)
1 tbsp. white vinegar
1 tbsp. white grated or pureed horseradish
1/4 tsp. celery seed

Blend thoroughly and chill.

Hope you enjoy!!

Bye Bye September, Hello October

Hi Friends!!

September was a busy month-fall festivities, beginning of football season and a trip Gatlienburg, TN. I have said it many times and I will say it again I absolutely love fall!! To start off the Fall season my husband and I went to a few of our local favorite places and of course the Brown's home opener. One of the places if Patterson's fruit farm. If you have not been than you must go! The apple fritters alone are worth the trip. We take our God daughter every year but we went a bit early this year so we will be making our way back this weekend. 

Feeding the goats at the Trout Club in Chardon, Ohio

As for the Browns games...we are die hard fans. We tailgate for pretty much every home game in the PIT with DJ B-low (my hubby). We are part of the greater Bacon Brown's backers-you will see a lot of these guys in the upcoming posts.

We finished up September with a trip to the Smoky Mountains. It is a great experience every time we go. Add this to your bucket list if you have not been there already!

Hillbilly Deluxe

Welcome new members! Just a little update, we finished up the summer at our friends' parents' cabin! Thank you again Jerry and Diana for letting us stay there. It was so peaceful and the perfect way to end the summer. We made some delicious food which I will share on the blog later this week...stay tuned.

Being surrounded by 25 acres of land with nothing to do but relax, ride ATVs, drink and have fun with friends was exactly what we needed. I came back from the weekend well rested and ready for the fall season. Of course we had to go to the air show as we do every year. My husband is a giant fan of planes...you will see this through out the year. Looking back on the summer we did quite a bit and only more to come this fall. 

Enjoy the pics from our hillybilly deluxe weekend!!

Our lovely dog Harley!!!

Hubby getting in some
target practice!

Buffalo Chicken Pierogies

I promised recipes on this blog and so I shall deliver! 

Disclaimer for family: I doubled checked the recipe online to make sure there were others out there like it.  I wanted to make sure I was not giving away a family secret dough recipe.  Plus this dough recipe was given out at my wedding shower so double coverage. 

I took the traditional pierogie and gave a little spice. Note it is better to make the filling prior to the dough. It is a long processes but totally worth it!!!


Buffalo Chicken Filling:

2 chicken breasts
1 bottle of Franks Red Hot
1 stick of butter
1 shredded carrot
1 shredded celery stick

Cook the chicken breasts anyway you normal would but make sure you can pull the chicken. Pull the chicken a little then add to a sauce pan. Add the bottle of Franks, butter, carrot and celery. I usually shred them with a peeler directly into the pan. Let it simmer until the chicken is nice and shredded...about an hour and half. Have crumbled blue cheese off to the side for when you stuff the pierogies.




Potatoes:
5 pounds of potatoes
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 stick of butter (optional)
Sprinkle of crumbled blue cheese

Peel and cook potatoes in water until soft

Drain potatoes, while still hot mix cheese, salt and butter
Use a mixer to combine ingredients
Let potatoes cool before using,, they can be warm but NOT hot.
**It is best to make the potatoes ahead of time before you mix dough

Dough:

8 cups flour
1 stick margarine
4 eggs
1 1/4 cups water
1/2 tsp salt


Put flour into large bowl, mix in salt
Melt margarine in a microwavable bowl, let cool
Mix eggs in separate bowl with water, stir together with a fork
When margarine is cool, mix with eggs and water, stir together with a fork. Pour mixture into flour and salt, start to mix with a spoon, once it's most of the way mixed take your hands and totally mix, take out of bowl and knead dough until it's totally combined, put dough into Ziploc bag and let sit for about an hour in the fridge. 

To make a pierogie:
If you have a pasta maker, cut off a piece of dough, roll thru noodle maker until dough is thin, but not too thin, it is best to roll dough on a thicker setting then take the piece of dough and roll it back thru on a lower setting. If you don't have a noodle maker, you can use a rolling pin. Make sure you have a non-stick surface to work on.

Cut dough into rectangles or squares, the pieces don't have to be perfectly shaped.

Spoon some potatoes onto dough, add a little of the buffalo chicken filling, lastly top with a little bit of crumbled blue cheese-fold over and crimp the edges real well, you can't have any open area. After you have about a dozen made, put pierogie in slow boiling water and cook until they float to the top.

Saute butter to put pierogie's in when finished cooking