For David...

My heart is so heavy today, one phone call has completely turned everything upside down. My heart is literally breaking and I'm having a hard time finding the words to comfort my sister, to make sense of what has happened, to encourage family and friends who are hurting. 

David was my sister's fiance, among many other things. He was smart, funny and he loved my sister more than anything in this world. He became a brother to me, my husband and my younger brother Matthew. He became an uncle to my sons. Anytime Noah would see my sister, Katelynn, he would immediately ask where David was. He knew wherever Katelynn was, David was close by. And now he's gone... Just like that...

I don't understand it. It's not fair, it's not right. He was just starting his life, he had received a scholarship, he had proposed to my sister, they were making plans for their future... they were happy. And now his life is over, and she's left to pick up the pieces and to go on with her life without him. All of their plans together have been shattered. He is no longer a part of that future. And I HATE IT! I loved David, we all loved David, we all knew he was going to be a part of our family forever.

I had to sit my 3 year old down and try to explain this to him. I told him David was no longer with us, he is in heaven with the angels. Noah didn't really understand that, but he somewhat grasped that David had been hurt and he wasn't going to be around anymore. I was surprised that my 3 year old understood as much as he did, and he exclaimed, "Oh no!" and he asked if he could kiss David's boo boo to make him better..... I wish it worked like that, I wish it was that easy. I wish a lot of things, but most of all I just wish he was still alive.

Why did he have to get in that car.... why did he have to fall asleep at the wheel.... why did any of this happen? I don't understand it. It wasn't supposed to happen this way!

Life is so fragile. We all know we aren't promised tomorrow... well, at least we say the words, but we never expect for life to be cut so short. 

I hate to know that my sister is hurting, and there is nothing I can do or say to make it better. I can't take this pain from her, I can't carry this for her. God knows if I could, I would! 

She was his angel here on earth, and now he is hers. 

I love you David, I will miss you, you were a part of this family and you always will be!

You may not have made it to the church, my sister may not have made it down the aisle... but in my eyes you were my brother, you were the love of her life and you will always hold a special place in our hearts...

Thank you for loving my sister, for making her the happiest I have ever seen her...

I will always remember the day we spent taking these pictures... climbing over fences, driving around looking for the perfect spots to take the photos, sweating like crazy, lime gatorade, smashing down the tall weeds, trespassing :/ lol It was fun and I'm so glad you guys let me take these pictures.

You will forever be missed!

Shrimp Scampi

Y'all should just know that as far as food goes, I live and breathe for shrimp. If I could, I would eat it daily. 

Just give me a house on the beach, with my family, and all of the fresh shrimp I can eat and I will die happy. That's not too much to ask for, is it?

I hate to use the term 'shrimp snob' when describing myself because the word 'snob' always rubs me the wrong way. And it sounds way too much like 'snot' and 'blob'...gross. Feel free to label me a shrimp connoisseur instead, because as we just covered, snobs are snotty blobs. Not cute.

Now, on to the dish that features my favorite crustacean!

Ingredients

• 1 lb fresh shrimp, deveined, cleaned and butterflied
• milk
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 lb angel hair pasta
• 3 TBS minced garlic
• 1 diced tomato
• 1 shallot, thinly diced
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 pint heavy whipping cream
• olive oil
• 5 fresh basil leaves cut into a chiffonade
• 4 TBS finally grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup shredded Italian cheeses  

Directions

 

Heat large saucepan over medium-high heat, pour enough olive oil into the saucepan to cover the bottom.  Do not use too much oil, just enough to cover the bottom. Toss the shrimp into the milk to soak, I used a small mixing bowl and filled it with milk about 2/3 full. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, 2 TBS of parmesan cheese, salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper. Take the shrimp out of the milk and coat with the dry mixture. Once the shrimp is coated, let them fry in the olive for a couple of minutes per side or until golden brown. You can expect some of the dry mixture to fall off. Once the shrimp is done, place it on a paper towel covered plate and set aside. 

Using the same saucepan (do not rinse out) add the minced garlic to the oil and stir continuously for a few minutes and then turn the heat down to medium-low. Add in the white wine and bring it to a boil. Turn your heat back down to low and cover the sauce pan for about 15 minutes, letting the wine reduce down. 

Go ahead and get a separate pot out, fill up about 2/3 full with water and bring it to a simmer. This is for the angel hair pasta, later on. 

Back to the sauce. Once the white wine has reduced, add in the heavy whipping cream and bring to a boil. Once the sauce strikes a boil turn the heat back down to low and let simmer for 10 minutes. After the cream sauce has simmered add in the diced tomatoes, diced shallot, the chiffonade of basil, the 2 remaining TBS of Parmesan cheese and the shredded Italian cheeses. Stir until combined and then add in the fried shrimp. Remove the saucepan from the heat and let it thicken/cool.

 

Bring the pot of water to a full boil and add in the angel hair pasta. Follow the directions on the box.

 

When you are plating, you can pour the shrimp and sauce directly over the pasta or on the side. Your choice!

It sounds like work, but honey it's worth it! 

My Weekend in Photos

We had a great weekend, but we were short one handsome toddler. Noah is staying at my parents' house while Adam and I get things ready for his big surprise party! And that explains the last picture, that would be the loveable dog, Blue, one of Noah's favorite cartoon characters. I am making everything by hand and that includes little Blue, it's taking a while to get it all made but it's coming along!

Hope you all had a great weekend!

Tomato & Basil Cream Sauce {Over Pan Fried Chicken}

So, let's talk about chicken... my never ending love for chicken... take a peek at my recipes, I think it's prettyyy obvious. It's not a problem... just a minor obsession :)

But what's not to love? Chicken is delicious, cheap and SO versatile. Win, win, win!

Now, let's talk about my love for sauces... cream sauces to be exact. Oh, yesss! I cannot get enough.

I'm addicted and I'm okay with that. More than okay with that.

Chicken PLUS cream sauce EQUALS heaven on the tip of your fork! Word to your mother, this recipe will rock your taste buds... and you will love me forever and ever. Amen.

Cross my heart XX

So I guess you'll be wanting that recipe now, huh? 

I won't be stingy;)

Ingredients

1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup dry bread crumbs

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup chicken broth

3 TBS butter

1 can 10 oz diced tomatoes

1/4 cup fresh, minced basil

1/8 tsp pepper

1/2 cup grated Parmesan  cheese

Directions

 Heat skillet over medium high heat. In separate bowls, place milk and bread crumbs inside (one in each bowl!)

  Coat the chicken in milk, and then coat with the crumbs. Place chicken in skillet with only half of the butter. Cook for about five minutes, add the remaining butter and then flip chicken. Cook for another five minutes or until the chicken is done. 

Once the chicken is done, remove it from the skillet (but don't rinse that skillet out, you will need it for the sauce!)

Next add the broth to skillet and bring to boil over medium heat, take a spatula and scrape up all the yummy bits from the pan(they only add yummy flavor!) Stir in the cream and tomatoes and boil for about 1 minute. Turn the heat down to low and add the parmesan cheese, basil and pepper. Stir the sauce over low heat until completely heated through. Now pour that liquid gold over your chicken and ENJOY!

Seriously, my mouth is just watering remembering how amazingly awesome this dish was. The creamy, rich sauce combined with the savory fried chicken was, in a word, perfect. 

Now go forth and cook{this recipe right here!}

Sweet & Spicy Glazed Pork Chops

Little sweet, little spice, whole lotta flavor!! This dish was amazing and has now become my absolute favorite way to make pork chops. My husband, Adam, is usually not a fan of chops... until THIS dish! He could not get over how well the spices worked together and how savory the meat was.

If you are a fan of pork chops, you must make this dish! And if you aren't a fan, maybe this will bring you over to the pork side!

Ingredients

4 thick cut pork chops

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp garlic salt

1/2 tsp paprkia

1/2 tsp black pepper

4-5 dashes Worcestershire sauce

2 TBS olive oil

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and dry spices (this does NOT include worcestershire sauce.) Once combined, rub the sugar/spice mixture on both sides of all 4 chops, make sure to use up all of the mixture to ensure a good glaze. In a large skillet, heat up 2 TBS of olive oil over medium-high heat. Once the heat is hot, carefully place the pork chops in the skillet and cook 5 mins PER side. Once chops are nicely browned, transfer them onto a foil lined baking sheet and pop them in the oven for 5 minutes. Remove the pork chops and serve!!

Enjoy!!

Jay's Warriors!

I want to take a break today from writing about food or my personal family and talk to you about a young man, age 20, who has been battling cancer for 7 years. His name is Jay Rogers and he is truly amazing.

Jay has never wavered in his faith and love for Christ, even in the midst of more struggle than most of us have ever known. Jay has touched many lives, bringing thousands together in prayer and support. 

Jay is no longer in the hospital, but back at home spending time with his loved ones as this chapter of his story comes to an end. He isn't waking up as often now, but he has been able to let those around him know that he isn't in pain. I am a firm believer that this world is merely a waiting place, there is more love, joy and happiness waiting beyond this life for Jay. His story is not ending... it has only just begun.

Jay's family has set up a Facebook page that has brought thousands of supporters together for Jay. He enjoys the kind words, the encouragement and the prayers. I am asking all of my readers to stop by and let him know that your thoughts and prayers are with him and that he has your support. Let Jay know that the readers of My Sweet Little Steiner Family are Jay's Warriors!

You can find the page here

Jay has also written a book about his journey, you can buy it here!

Milk & Cookies

My oldest son Noah recently spent a week at his "Marmie's" house (his grandmother) and I missed him terribly! So on my way to pick him up, I swung by the store to pick up a few special items.

Noah and I share a common love.... the love for milk and cookies! We both like to dip our cookie into the milk first, I mean it is, after all, the RIGHT way to eat a cookie!

Anyways, we had the sweetest little Mommy and Son date...

It was a Milk & Cookies date, with one super handsome little man :)

He LOVED it and so did I.

I hope we made a memory that he will always cherish... I know I will!

Safari Park

Last weekend, Adam and I took the boys to the local Safari Park. We had initially planned to take them to the pumpkin patch, but we got rained out :( Later on in the evening the rain cleared up, so we made a change of plans... and we had a BLAST.

Noah loves animals, so needless to say he was tickled.

 He was a little excited!

 He'd already spotted some animals

 Out came Jerry the giraffe!

 Sticking out his tongue

 Noah LoVeD Jerry!

 He was a little unsure about feeding him...

 But he did it!!

 He was so proud!

 Sweet Drew, just kicked back and bundled up

 He's precious!

 They are so silly

 Hugs :)

 Noah helping Daddy out through the 'Drive Park'

 He was a happy camper!

Can ya tell?!

I hadn't expected to enjoy it so much myself, but it was definitely a neat experience!

Seuss Stuff

I realize my youngest son is now 4 months old... and his nursery is still not finished... what can I say, I am a procrastinator through and through.

But time is not my friend seeing as I have so little of it with a toddler and a 4 month old. So I have to make progress when I can... it's been kind of a sloooow go.

However, the past week I did accomplish something in 'Seussland,' and I am in love with it! 

I knew from the beginning that I wanted a floating shelf in baby Drew's room, and I fell in love with one that I spotted at Pottery Barn.

  Oh yes, she is beautiful! But I did not like her $85 price tag =/ just a little too steep for a shelf in my son's nursery. 

So I went on the hunt for something within my budget. Goodwill to the rescue!

Obviously she had seen better days, but I believed I could restore her to her former glory. And for $6, I was thrilled with my 4-foot find. 

After some primer and a coat of paint she now proudly graces my son's nursery.

I purchased the shelf and all of its decor for much cheaper than what the Pottery Barn shelf alone cost.

I got the black frame, the two letters (which stand for Andrew,) and the little, red box all from Hobby Lobby...all on sale. The white frame came from Wal-Mart. It was just a plain, wooden $3 frame that I painted white and scuffed up a bit. 

The Seuss pictures are actually fabric left over from Drew's Seuss quilt that I starched, ironed and framed.

I love the way it turned out... and I can honestly say I take way more pride in my frugal finds than I would have if I'd forked over 85 bucks for the Pottery Barn beauty. 

Happy Thrifting!