Recipe Review: Chicken Parmigiana

This recipe is from The Pioneer Woman.

MY THOUGHTS: This is a simple, yummy, warm and cozy kind of meal without fried breaded chicken. You do everything in one skillet and its fabulous. I have made some modifications to the recipe based on what I have around the house. I never have any wine around, which the recipe calls for, so I substituted balsamic vinegar in its place and it turned out fabulous...I've made it several times and its a winner with everyone. Ree, over at The Pioneer Woman, gives step-by-step instructions and pictures to follow, so I won't even bother explaining anything...5/5 stars.

DIFFICULTY: Easy.

MAKE AGAIN: Yes, and I have over and over.

Recipe Review: Asian Noodle Salad

This recipe and photo is from The Pioneer Woman.

MY THOUGHTS: I was looking for a salad that the whole family would like and I think I found it. The Pioneer Woman amazes me with her creativity. If you've never checked out her site, you should. Its full of fun stories, great recipes and fun photos of her ranch in OK. Anyway, back to the recipe, this salad uses tons of fresh veggies and is super easy to pull together. The salad tastes professional and it delish. Phil approved too! :) This asian noodle salad is yummy and cool and crisp. I can imagine that in the summer, this will be in our regular dinner rotation! There were a few ingredients that I couldn't find and I added sliced grilled chicken for some protein. We all loved it.

DIFFICULTY: Easy.

MAKE AGAIN: YES!

Recipe Review: Herbed Cheese Pizza

This recipe is from the Sept. 2009 Cooking Light magazine.


MY THOUGHT: This recipe is amazing. It tastes like a pizza made straight out of a wood oven. The ingredients are simple. This is actually really easy to make. My husband traditionally doesn't like pizza crust that much, but he really likes this dough. It does take some time, so unless you make the dough ahead of time, plan on it taking the afternoon to make the dough. However, it makes 8 servings which is 8 little personal pizzas. Last time I froze the left over pizzas and heated them up later and they held up really well and totally worth all the effort. One of the ingredients is for kasseri cheese which I couldn't find anywhere. So, I just substituted mozzarella. If you're family likes pizza this is definitely worth the effort. Even the online ratings at myrecipes.com got five stars and an outstanding title! I too give it 5/5 stars!

DIFFICULTY: Moderate. Not really hard, just time consuming with making the dough.

MAKE AGAIN: Heck yes! In the words of Rachel Ray, "Yum-O". :)

.daily funnies.

Savannah: (pointing to a mole on my face) "What's dat mommy?"
Me: "Its called a mole."
S: "Oh, where did u get dat? Grandma's house?"
Me: laughing..."well, kind of, I guess."

My Recipe: Oatmeal

This recipe, if you want to call it that, is more of an idea for mom's who feel stuck in the rut with their breakfast routine. I guess not just for mom's but for anyone who wants a little different variation of their normal dry cereal routine.

The real reason I like this recipe is you can make extra and freeze it in individual sized portions so its easy to microwave a few minutes and eat again. Yummy!

Recipe:
Oatmeal (see package directions for serving sizes and following instructions for preparation. I prefer the cold-water method on the Quaker Oats box)

1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup raisins
1/3 cup chopped dried apricots
1/2 tsp cinnamon (or more to taste)
dash of nutmeg
1-2 T honey depending on how large of a batch you make

Prepare oatmeal as suggested on package directions (usually add water and oatmeal in a large pot or sauce pan, bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes)

Remove from heat and add all ingredients together, mix and serve. If you are freezing, let cool completely and freeze in larger batches or individual portions. When ready to eat, if using individual portions, heat in microwave for 2 minutes, stir and add a few minutes if needed.

My Recipes: Chocolate Mousse

This is a semi-homemade recipe using packaged chocolate pudding but makes this as easy as pie...

Recipe:
2 pkgs chocolate pudding mix (instant)
3 cups non-fat or 1% milk

2 cups whipping cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla

fruit (for garnish, i.e., blueberries, blackberries or raspberries)

Combine the first two ingredients and set aside in the fridge for a few minutes.

Meanwhile, make whipped cream by combining whipping cream, powdered sugar and vanilla in a chilled bowl with a hand mixer on high speed until soft peaks form.

Fold small portions of whipped cream into the chocolate pudding reserving 1 cup of whipped cream.

In individual bowls or dishes, add chocolate mousse with a dollop of whipped cream and a piece of fruit garnish to top. You can also add shaved chocolate, a mint leaf or whatever inspires you. Delish!

My Recipe: Strawberry Balsamic Shortcake

Recipe:

2 cups strawberries, hulled and chopped
2-3 T brown sugar
2-3 T balsamic vinegar
store bought shortcake/pound cake (chocolate or vanilla)
whipping cream
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 T powdered sugar

Combine first three ingredients in a small bowl and set aside for 5-10 minutes.

Meanwhile, cut pound cake/shortcake into 1-2 inch squares, removing the outer (brown) edges of cake if using vanilla, if using chocolate - no need to remove crust.

Make whipped cream by starting with a chilled bowl (put metal or glass mixing bowl in the freezer for 5-10 minutes prior to making whipping cream for superior results. In the chilled bowl combine whipping cream, vanilla and powdered sugar. Using a hand mixer whip on high speed until soft peaks form.

I like to assemble this dessert in individual bowls but making this into a trifle would be great too. In layers put a few pieces of cake, then a few strawberry pieces and top with whipped cream, repeat as necessary ending with whipped cream on top. Serves: 4-8 depending on size of serving bowls used.

Being Uncomfortable with Being Uncomfortable

Recently its come to Phil's and my attention that to become comfortable or welcomed into a new environment it requires two things. One, it requires that the environment be a place that fosters community and provides opportunities to get involved. Secondly, it requires an act of movement on our part to get involved. Yet, interesting enough, our consumer-based culture tells us that if we're not happy or if we're not satisfied instantly or need to make an effort then whatever we're doing must not be good. Being uncomfortable in a new environment is something that you have to deal with constantly after becoming an adult. It follows you everywhere. Whether in a new job, making a large purchase, having a family, going to a new class or a new hobby or choosing a new church or a new service area...its always uncomfortable at first.

If we simply go to consume, then we're never going to be satisfied. Its like going to a restaurant for the first time. I may go somewhere new and go out on a limb and try something new. The service is great, the atmosphere is fun. What if I taste what I chose for dinner and don't like it, does that mean that the whole restuarant is bad? Probably not. I just made a poor choice. I can't base my whole opinion on the restaurant by only trying one thing. I need to go back and choose something else. The restaurant experience isn't just about food. Its about the experience and how we interact with the environment.

I can't go somewhere new and expect to make instant best friends. It takes work, it takes getting uncomfortable and making an effort. Sharon at SheWorships says it well in her blog post Putting Yourself Out There . Base your decision or opinion by first asking yourself where your heart is at. Are you going to only consume? Are you passing judgments before you've really given it your best effort? Are you willing to put yourself out there?

Recipe Review: Bacon Mac

This recipe is from Cooking Light's Sept. 2009 issue.

MY THOUGHTS: Deep down I always have really wanted to like homemade mac-n-cheese. This recipe, even though interesting still leaves me wanting something else. I love the texture and the consistency (a bit crisp and not so saucy) yet I don't like the combination of the sharp cheddar and hot sauce. The bacon and green onions along with the penne makes for a yummy mixture. Perhaps without the hot sauce and with a different cheese, this might make it... I give it 2/5 stars.

DIFFICULTY: Easy. The recipe was easy to follow and nothing really through me for a loop.

MAKE IT AGAIN: If you like traditional mac-n-cheese, then yes. If you like Kraft box style, then no. :)

Recipe Review: Quick Meat Loaf

This recipe is from the Sept 2009 Cooking Light issue.


MY THOUGHTS: This recipe is DELISH! Yum is all I can say. Even my husband and kids like this recipe. I've made it several times and each time it leaves me wanting more.

Meatloaf can often times be greasy and dry leaving you with nothing more than an upset tummy and unhappy kids. This recipe is fairly healthy and really easy. I love that you form it with your hands on a baking sheet making clean-up easy as pie. The recipe calls for crushed red pepper so if you have little ones and they don't like spicy food, you may want to leave it out. I personally like it best without the crushed red pepper. The magazine suggests serving this with steamed broccoli and smashed potatoes which I happen to agree with...I give this 5/5 stars!

DIFFICULTY: Easy! Couldn't be easier. Super easy to follow directions and simple ingredients!

MAKE AGAIN: Yes, yes, yes!

Forcing Bulbs

During the after-Christmas sale this year at Target they had Smith-and-Hawken forced bulb kits for $2.50. I have always wanted to try to force bulbs but it always looked to difficult, but I was so wrong. It was super simple to do it and even though it took nearly 3 months for the amaryllis to bloom, it was so worth it. They produce such a beautiful flower. The kids enjoyed watching it grow and they waited with anticipation for the flowers to come out...

The kit came with the bulb, pot, soil and instructions. It took me maybe 5 minutes to get it all set up. The hardest part was waiting for them to actually bloom.

I also planted paperwhites, but forgot to take pictures. They grew and bloomed much more quickly and were beautiful...

Teaching Thankfulness

Elijah and Savannah's birthday was a few weeks ago and they had a great time celebrating and thoroughly enjoyed all their new gifts they received. Phil and I feel very strongly in teaching our kids to always have an attitude of thankfulness. At the earliest age we teach them to say please and thank you, but thankfulness goes way beyond that. We thought that this birthday was a great opportunity to take it a step further with Elijah. He's starting to write so I wrote thank you cards to everyone who gave him and Savannah a gift and had him write his name on it after the thank you. I read him what I wrote on each card and we took a moment to remember and talk about the gift. I felt that was an important step so that he wasn't just practicing writing his name but he was able to recognize that he was actually sending each person a thank you. This seems so common sense but I really feel that in this day-and-age, thankfulness is becoming a lost art and a lost characteristic in each of us and especially our children.


There is a quote (I'm not sure who wrote it) that says, "If you want to find gratitude in this generation, you’ll have to look for it in the dictionary." I'm determined for this to not be true with our own children.

.daily funnies.

A few weeks ago the kids and I went over to my parent's house for lunch and my dad was eating a sandwich with a lot of horseradish on it. It was a little too much and he said, "man, I'm dying here".

Later that day after nap, Elijah was eating his snack and came up to me and asked, "Why did Grandpa say he's dying?" He was so serious about it and so concerned. He obviously loves his grandpa a lot and was truly worried that he was dying. I had to explain it was just a figure of speech and grandpa wasn't actually dying...so cute.

.daily funnies.

E: Mom, do people read magazines when they poop for a long time?

Me: (trying not to completely lose it in a fit of laughter) Um, sometimes. (Then I lost it and couldn't help myself)...

My baby is 2!

What? How did she get to be 2 already?

Savannah is such a little tiny girl. She is quite the personality for such a little thing though. She has an excellent sense of humor (for a 2 year old) and is always trying to make you laugh. She is as stubborn as I am and gives me a run for my money but has a sweet tooth just like her daddy and will go to great lengths to get a little taste of something yummy.

Disney on Ice

Instead of having a birthday party this year for the kids, we thought we'd take them to see Disney on Ice. Elijah loves the movie Cars and this Disney show featured the characters of Cars, so we were sold. Savannah could care less about movies and TV, but we knew that she would think the princesses were cool. It was such a fun thing to do.

My oldest turns 4!

Where do I begin? I can't believe he turned 4 this year. Its crazy to me how fast the last four years have gone by. The last year has been really hard with him. The 3's weren't my favorite, I'll be honest. But times are changing and I can see the "real" him coming out. He's a very sweet boy, desperate to please and willing to go to great lengths to make you feel special. He loves to read, color, paint, sing and excels at sports. He has to have a "Mohawk" hairstyle most days and is very particular in the way he does everything. He plays for hours with his cars and skateboards. He loves to put money in the offering at church. He and his sister fight like cats and dogs yet he can't stand to be apart from her...its an odd relationship.

Ever since last year, he told us that he wanted at skateboard birthday party. Being that he's 4, I didn't think it would be the best to have a bunch of kids skateboarding...so we went with a skateboard cake and a little skateboard just for him...it was a good day. And, I love my little boy.

Snow Trip

Our good friends Cortney and Jeff invited up to their parents cabin in Truckee a few weekends ago and we jumped at the chance to hang out with them and our friends Lindsey and Kyle and all the kids...it was a great weekend.

All the kids:
Niah, Elijah, Lola and Savannah

Lola and Elijah

Cort with Jack and Lindsey with Niah