Happy New Year!!

I can't believe it's come and gone. One of the craziest, scariest, best years of my life! 2013. The year we found out I was pregnant. The year the best little girl ever came into our lives. James likes to say the year went by fast. I however remember every slow uncomfortable minute of being pregnant. Every tear I shed, good and bad, waiting for our bundle of joy to get here. This has been one of the longest years of my life but I wouldn't trade it for anything. I am now a mother. Something I always knew I was meant to be. Something I plan on being the best I can be at it. 

I mean look at that face, how could you not want to be the best mother to her that is possible.

James got off of work early New Year's Eve and came and picked Zara and I up to go out to lunch. After, we braved the crowds at the grocery store to pick up a couple bottles of champagne to celebrate the ball dropping. We also picked up some crispex cereal so I could make some Puppy Chow, something James has been asking for for a while now but I had never made it before. I'm glad I made it the day before the new year cause I almost ate all of it, it was delicious! For dinner I made a Pot Roast in my new Pressure Cooker James got me for Christmas. It works awesome! I was able to make a roast with all the trimmings in 2 hours instead of 8!

First I took a 5 lb roast. Next time I would cut it in half and it would have been even shorter to cook. I browned it in a Dutch oven, this was before I knew that my pressure cooker could sauté and brown. I sprinkled it heavily with salt and pepper. And put it in at high heat with veggie oil.

After about 6 minutes I flipped it over.

Then browned the other sides and threw in an onion quartered. Then I put in a tbls of tomato paste into the pressure cooker bottom.

Put the roast on top, put in 2 cups of beef broth into the Dutch oven and scraped up the brown bits and poured it over the roast.

Then poured over a pouch of dried onion mushroom soup mix.

Added some worchesterchire sauce.

2 tbls of brown sugar.

A tbls of apple cider vinegar.

Then put the lid on, cooked for an hour and a half. Released the pressure, added 4 peeled and chopped carrots and 2 peeled and chopped russet potatoes. Then set it for 30 more minutes.

For the Puppy Chow. I took a bowl and put in 1/4 cup of butter. I didn't have a full cup of semi sweet chocolate chips so I used some Christmas milk chocolate bars that were in our stockings and chopped them up to fill the other half cup.

Then added half a cup of Reese's Peanut butter.

Melted in the microwave for 1 minute.

Stirred then added half a teaspoon of vanilla.

Put 9 cups of the crispex cereal in a large bowl.

Then poured the chocolate mixture over it.

Used a spatchula to mix it in evenly.

Then put 3 cups of powder sugar into a ziplock bag and in small batches added the chocolate covered cereal and shook the powder sugar to coat. Then put in another serving bowl.

Soooo yummy!

Today we are watching football and cleaning the house. Starting new for the new year with a clean slate. My babies are both passed out while I write this.

Lovin life :) Hope you all had a wonderful New Year!!