does it REALLY do that

we all love ideas that take not so simple tasks & makes them simple

come on that's why we're all drawn to infomercials...
and the junk products they sell

not only something that simplifies something,
but also does it for little or no cost!

so I'm starting a new series of posts called

...does it REALLY do that....

I know, I know such an original title!

anyways...now with pintrest fever hitting the world lots of new cooking/cleaning/gardening tips have gone viral without many people actually trying them...just pinning them...

so I'm going to start testing them...

my first test...

the shredded chicken test.

have you seen this on pintrest...or even just heard rumor that it's true?

that you can shred your cooked chicken with your kitchen aid (or other stand mixer)?

this is the thing...
they (not sure who they are) say that you can put cooked chicken breast into your kitchen aid...
turn it on...
and then within minutes had shredded chicken...
not chopped chicken like you get with a food processor...
not the claw-hand you get after hand shredding with 2 forks and your hands...
but like honest-to-goodness shredded chicken...

I heard it...
thought, "that's crazy amazing...it can't work!"
I pinned it...
thought, "that'd be crazy amazing IF it worked!"
...
and then YES, I tested it...

 one cook chicken breast in my kitchen aid with regular blade/paddle thingy

 dumped in a package of taco seasoning and onion soup mix
(side note...best seasoning combo E.V.E.R!)

 after 30 seconds...sorta chunky looking

 and at 1 minute...seriously 1 minute!!!  shredded chicken

BLOG Edit...this was on medium speed

it is CRAZY AMAZING!  

By Golly...YES it does!

have you heard any crazy time saving cooking/cleaning/gardening tip 

or pinned any

and you've said to yourself

let me know I may test it out for you!

Sometimes you feel like a dumpling

One rainy week and I was in soup mode...too bad the 80 degrees and sun came back...
okay, not complaining too much about the weather, I love this fall weather it is the best...but I got soup on the brain and now it's warm again...

found this recipe last week when I wanted chicken and dumplings, and since I've only ever made biscuit type dumplings I decided to give it a try.  Everyone like them, I LOVED them, and ate it for lunch for the rest of the week!...but the rest of family voted that dumplings were meant to be in the form of biscuit not cornbread...they did like it just they want 'regular' dumplings next time...we'll see!

Chicken & Cheesy Cornbread Dumplin's
1 Tbs butter
1/2 cup chopped onion
2-3 stalks of celery
3 cups chicken broth
2-4 carrots peeled and sliced
1 cup frozen corn or peas
2 tsp fresh basil or 1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp salt
dash of garlic powder
dash of pepper
1 cup milk
1/2 cup flour
2 + cups cooked chicken, cubed
1 recipe cornmeal dumplings (follows)

In large saucepan saute butter, onion and celery until tender, add chicken broth, carrots and corn/peas and dried basil (add the fresh basil later if using), salt, garlic powder and pepper.  Bring to boil.

In small bowl mix together milk and flour.  Stir into veggie mixture, stir in chicken.  Cook and stir until thicked and bubbly, stir in fresh basil if using.

Meanwhile make cornmeal dumplings.

Drop dumpling dough by rounded tablespoon into bubbling stew, about 8.  Cover and simmer  over low heat for 10-12 minutes.

Cheesy Cornmeal Dumplin's
1/2 cup flour
1/2-3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/3 cup cornmeal
2 tsp sugar (optional) (original recipe didn't call for sugar, but we are a sweet cornbread family)
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
dash of pepper
1 beaten egg
2 Tbl milk
2 Tbl oil

Combine flour, cheese, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, garlic & pepper.  Stir in egg, milk and oil with fork until just combined.

enjoy...let me know if you prefer regular biscuit dumplings or cheesy cornbread dumplings...

it's always fun to try something new

I like to try new recipes, and my family is use to tasting new recipes...only normally those new recipes happen to be in the form of a dessert...so when I put a new dinner recipe on the table I always get interrogated by the girl child...
'what's in this'
'why did you decided to make this'
'will I like this'
'why did you have to put tomatoes in it'
'where were you the night of March 10th'


anyways, I saw this recipe a few weeks ago when I was looking around blog land...can't remember even where I saw it...sorry for not being able to give credit to whoever posted it..it might have been Kelsey over @ We Weren't Crazy....but I'm not sure...

anyways, this is one of those recipes that I like because it's pretty flexible with whatever you have around...
use whatever pasta you have (the original recipe called for rigatoni, didn't have that on hand so I used shells, that's all I had)...

you can use frozen or fresh spinach (again the original recipe called for frozen but I bought a bag of fresh spinach the size of Rhode Island last time I was shopping so I decided to use fresh!)...

you can cooked chicken breast to make this recipe or use leftover chicken from something you had earlier in the week, or use a roisterer chicken from a deli, or use sausage instead of chicken...I was thinking a turkey/chicken kielbasa would be really good with this....

as for the chive and onion cream cheese (the only thing that I had to buy to make this recipe, everything else I had)...I'm sure you could substitute it with a block of regular cream cheese and 
just add some dried onion and chopped up chives to the recipe...

Creamy Chicken Spinach and Pasta Bake
8 ounces uncooked pasta
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onion (about 1 medium onion)

2 grated cloves garlic
2-3 cup chopped fresh spinach, or 1 10 oz frozen package
3 cups cubed cooked chicken breast-

     I used the leftover from this 'roasted' chicken recipe
1 14.5-ounce can Italian-style diced tomatoes
1 8-ounce container chive and onion cream cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella or Italian blend cheese

Preheat oven to 375*

Prepare pasta according to package directions.

Meanwhile, spread oil on bottom of an 13 x 9 x 2-inch glass baking dish. Add onions, garlic and fresh spinach (don't add spinach if using frozen) in a single layer. Bake at 375* for 15 minutes or just until tender. Transfer onion to a large bowl and set aside.

(if using frozen spinach...drain chopped spinach well, pressing between paper towels, toss with onions.)

Stir pasta, chicken, diced tomatoes, cream cheese, salt and pepper into spinach/onion mixture. Spoon mixture into baking dish and sprinkle evenly with shredded cheese.

Bake, covered, at 375* for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 15 minutes more or until bubbly.

Serves 4 to 6. Serve with tossed green salad and garlic bread.

Substition: for Sausage 'n' Spinach Pasta Bake, substitute 3 cups cooked, crumbled hot Italian sausage for the 3 cups cubed chicken.

Tips:
1 1/2 lb. uncooked chicken breasts equals about 3 cups cubed and cooked.
1 1/4 uncooked sausage equals about 3 cups cooked and crumbled.



verdict....
Beau and I loved this recipe and I'm looking forward to leftover buffet night when I get to eat this again!
the kids...not their favorite, but I'm thinking if I just cut the large tomatoes into really small pieces they'll do better with the whole thing..


I think I'd also almost double the fresh spinach, it always looks like so much before it bakes down, it filled the casserole dish that I was baking it in when I put it in the oven with the onions and then when it was all said and done it looked like I had barely put any spinach into the dish!

Gonna Roast Me a Chicken...or not!

oh, I do love a good oven roasted bird...and in the winter it's nice to have the oven on and the smells of cozy food floating about...
but sometimes you need to run an errand...
or you know that the chicken will need to go into the oven half way thru piano lessons/baseball games/doctor appointments all the way across town....

how, oh how, to have a nice Herb 'Roasted' Chicken on the table for dinner when you will be walking in the door just minutes before you plan to eat?

...maybe Herb-Crocked Chicken is better...
so many...maybe all...of our time honored roasting recipes can be easily turning into crock pot favorites....

this is any easy chicken and so nice on a cold winter day...
and also very doable for a roasting July day when the concept of turning of the oven is horrifying!

you can use dried or fresh herbs for this recipe...thinking I might plant a herb garden this year....

Herb-Crocked Chicken
1 3-3/12 lb whole chicken (you can also use breast or chicken pieces...)
2 Tbs butter-soften
2 cloves garlic-grated or minced
if using fresh herbs
1/2 cup chopped basil
1/4 cup chopped sage
1/4 cup chopped thyme
1/4 cup rosemary-stripped off the stem
if using dried herbs
1 tsp basil-crushed
1/2 tsp sage
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp rosemary
for both
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 tsp pepper or lemon pepper

veggies-optional...potatoes, carrots, celery

1.  Rinse inside of chicken and remove all the gross weird parts, and trim off any excess fatty skin or dangling things...Place breast side up into crock...Rub chicken with softened butter and then rub garlic over the top.
2.  In small bowl stir together herbs and seasonings, rub onto chicken and if using fresh herbs place 1/2 of mixture into the cavity of the bird.

found the package of 'Poultry Medley' herbs at the store and added some basil

you may want to pierce the chicken a few times so the flavors will get inside

3.  If using veggies place around the bird.  Cook/Roast/Crock (not sure of the terminology for the cooking in the crock) on high for 4 hours or low for 6-8 hours.

sure does look cozy in the crock

If you would like to check bird for done-ness uncover and place a meat thermometer into center of thigh (not touching a bone) and cover crock back up with lid or foil while the thermometer reaches the temp of 180. blog note...I had trouble with the meat thermometer take an accurate reading inside the crock, once I took the bird out and covered it to rest it read the right temp...
4.  Remove from crock, cover with foil and let bird rest for 10 minutes before carving.

to make a gravy
melt 1/4 cup butter in pan
whisk in  1/4 cup+ flour, salt and pepper until you have a ball
then slowly add the broth from the crock (about 2 cups)
cooking and stirring over medium heat, until you get the consistency and amount that you desire
if needed season with more salt and pepper.

our self-imposed-sometimes-vegetarian-because-meat-has-weird-textures daughter gobbled this up AND had seconds...

serve with whatever you want...
mashed potatoes or the potatoes and veggies you roasted with the chicken...
or a nice spinach salad and some bread
steamed broccoli or asparagus
potato or pasta salad....
baked potatoes...

have you 'roasted' a chicken in the crock pot before...did you use a time honored recipe or a newbie?

Put the Lime in the...Chicken!

side note...
this information may be incriminating for my mother-in-law...I have a wonderful image of my daughter and her Grandma Kathy singing, "put the lime in the coconut," while dancing around with panties on their head...and I chuckle every time I hear that song or a version of the song...

image from google images

anyways, back on track...
Pepper Lime Chicken with Pesto Pasta (recipe follows)
Chicken Breast (I make only 2 for my family, but you can do this for however many you want)
2-3 limes
1 Tbs oil
2 cloves garlic (mined or grated)
1 tsp dried thyme or basil
1/2-1 tsp ground black pepper (more or less depending on your taste*)
1/4 tsp salt

1. Rinse and pat dry chicken and set aside. Slice one lime into circles, juice & zest other lime...you will need about 1/4 cup lime juice & 1 tsp zest.
2.  To make glaze mix together lime juice, zest, oil, garlic, thyme/basil, pepper, & salt.
3.  Place chicken pieces on unheated rack (or pan) of a broiler**, brush with glaze.  Broil for about 10 minutes, turn chicken and re-glaze, place under broiler for another 10 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink (I use a meat thermometer to tell when it's done, 170 degrees for breasts).
4.  Serve warm with sliced limes on top.
*I make my glaze with less pepper, and then while I'm glazing the chicken add more pepper to the chicken piece my husband will eat since he likes more pepper than everyone else.
**I have also used this glaze for chicken on the grill or for a whole chicken in the crock pot.

serve with Pesto Pasta or over rice with broccoli.

Fresh Pesto
1 -2 cups fresh basil-rinsed
1/2 cup pine nuts or walnuts (I've only ever used pine nuts)
1/4 cup olive oil (or walnut oil)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
1-2 cloves garlic

1.  Place basil and nuts into food processor and blend until finely chopped.  Add garlic and oil, pulse until garlic in chopped and oil is incorporated into basil/nut mixture.  Slowly add the cheese until you have a consistency that you want.
Serve over cooked pasta or as a dip or spread.
this recipe makes enough to chill or freeze 1/2 for another time.  Refrigerate up to 2 days, freeze for up to 3 months.

We made the pesto recipe at church with groups of kids when we were learning about Italy.  All the kids helped in the process,  it's a great recipe for them to make all by themselves (with you in the kitchen) since all the cutting is done by the food processor and is nicely contained inside the processor bowl...then they ate it with slices of bread...

How Do I Love Thee....

Let me count the ways....

your Buttery...Flaky...melt-in-my-mouth-crust
your chunky...fresh...creamy...filling
Oh, Chicken Pot Pie you are my one true comfort food!

I was scared of you for so many years...thinking that your perfection would be impossible to re-create...

but there was no need to fear you my belove-ed....
not only are you oh so delicious, but you are oh so easy to make...

just remember the one thing that makes this dish 'hard' is the prep...there is chopping and dicing and measuring....
but if you have everything prepped ahead and in bowls it goes fast and smooth...
and then you can have the bonus of feeling like a food network star as you make dinner....

this is also a wonderful dish to double and either freeze the 2nd one for later, or take to a family in need (new baby, surgery, sickness, moving, etc...I recently took to a friend whose family was quarantined with the POX...Chicken Pox...and we coined the name...Chicken Pox Pie....)

Chicken Pot {Pox} Pie
1 cup frozen peas (optional...I don't like peas...only veggie I can't stand!)
1/3 cup butter

1/3 cup onion-chopped

2-3 stalks celery chopped

1/3 cup flour

½ tea salt

½ tea pepper

2-3 carrots peeled and chopped

1 potato, peeled and diced into 1/2 inch cubes (don't make them too big!)

1 ¾ cup chicken broth

2/3 cup milk

1-3 chicken breast, cooked and cubed up

Pastry for 9-inch Two-Crust Pie (recipe follows)...or you could go for the store bought kind....

1. Rinse peas in cold water, drain, and set aside.
2. Melt butter in 2-quart saucepan over medium heat.  Add onions and celery to butter and sauté until tender.  Stir in flour, salt, & pepper.  Cook, stirring constantly, until bubbly; remove from heat.  Stir in broth, milk, and carrots.  Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally.  Boil and stir 1 minute.  Stir in chicken and peas; remove from heat, and set aside.
3. Heat oven to 425.
4. Prepare pastry (recipe follows).  Roll two-thirds of the pastry to fit a 9-inch pie plate & gently place into pan.  Pour chicken mixture into pastry lined pan.
5. Roll remaining pastry into 11-inch circle.  Cut out designs with 1-inch cookie cutter.  Place circle over chicken mixture.  Arrange cutouts on pastry.  Turn edges of pastry under and flute.
6. Bake about 35 minutes or until golden brown; you may need to protect edges of pastry crust with foil.

Perfect Pie Pastry

¾ cup butter flavored Crisco

2 cups flour

1 tea salt

5 Tbl cold water

1. Mix together flour and salt.  Cut Crisco into flour using a pastry blender or two knives, until mixture is the size of coarse crumbs.  Sprinkle with 5 Tbl water, and mix using fork until flour is moistened and pastry almost cleans the side of bowl.
2. Gather pastry into a ball.  Cut dough in 1/2 shape into 2 flattened round balls...
3. Roll out to the size needed and place in bottom of pie pan...and roll out second ball for the top of pie.

serve up warm...and also wonderful as a leftover....

BBQ Chicken Sandwiches

love an easy chicken dinner with less than 5 ingredients?

and that makes your house smell delish....

BBQ Chicken sandwiches
1 whole chicken (you can use breast or any other chicken pieces that you want)
favorite BBQ sauce (or the one that's in your fridge)
sweet peppers (optional)
rolls
cheese

Rinse off the chicken and get rid of all the gross nasty stuff they put inside...why do they do that...does anyone actual use the neck anymore???
cut off tops of peppers if using them and clean...

place chicken and peppers in crock pot
pour BBQ sauce over the top

high for 5 hrs, low for 8

carve and shred chicken and toss with more BBQ sauce
place on warmed rolls and top with slice of cheese (we used swiss)
....
devour!

sorry I didn't get a better picture, I was hungry and had been smelling the chicken all day...so I snapped a quick pic and gobbled it up...I had plans to take a picture of the chicken all shredded before it went on the rolls...but that also didn't happen...

I've said it before...I think...
but a whole chicken in the crock pot is amazing...real moist chicken and so very tender...I think this bird was in the crock for almost 10 hours and I was worried it was going to be dry, it was fall off the bones tender and melted in our mouths...so good...
I went to make a sandwich the next day with the leftovers and the husband had almost finished it off!

Chicken Tortellini Salad

We've all been there...

you know you need to make dinner but it's just too HOT...

and we all know we're going to be there a few more times this summer... 

especially since it's not even summer yet!

This is a wonderfully easy recipe that I stole from my friend Rayna...

the beauty of this recipe is that you can make it in the cool of the morning or the night before, or whenever and then toss it together when it's time to eat...

it's also an easy meal to throw together for someone if you have anyone that might need a meal this summer 

(well except for the family that I took this meal to last night...

I slaved away in a hot kitchen for you most of the day yesterday!)

...and it's also easy to make a vegetarian version (leave out the chicken) 

or beef it up (with steak strips instead of chicken)...

Chicken Tortellini Salad

Grilled Chicken Breast (as many as you need to feed the people you are making the salad for...

     I used 3 breast and made 2 salads yesterday, 

     one for our family and one for another family...

     for a total of 4 adults and 4 children...)

Italian Dressing or marinade of your choice

1 package of Cheese Tortellinis (fresh or frozen)

Romain Lettuce (or a bag of Romain Salad)

Fresh Parmesan Cheese

Caesar Dressing

Croutons -optional

Marinade the Chicken for whatever length of time you have (Mine sat in some Italian Dressing for about an hour), and then grill (if this is on your menu for later in the week and you fire of the grill earlier, throw the chicken breast on the grill and then just keep them in the fridge until you need them for the recipe...no need to grill them the night/day of!)..slice up chicken into decent strips.

Cook Tortellinis according to package directions, drain and cool. You can also cook these earlier in the day and have them cooling in the fridge.

Chop up the Romain Lettuce, toss in the cooled tortellinis, the sliced up grilled chicken, the Parmesan cheese and either dress with the Caesar or leave that for everyone to dress on their own, add croutons in desired.

pic with maybe a little too much dressing and sans croutons...

and yes on paper plates...

who wants to do dishes on a hot summer night?!

My kids ate all of their dinner last night...both of them love this salad...

and I left out the croutons...

1st because then my kids would have only ate the croutons and forgot there was a salad to eat...

and 2nd I forgot to buy the croutons when I was shopping....

I didn't serve it with anything, but a nice fresh loaf of French Bread would have been nice and maybe a fruit salad on the side...but the salad was enough for my family...

No-Name Chicken...

This recipe stared out a few weeks ago. 

I had a Mothers Day Craft Fair that I was doing with a few friends...

Jody from TheSmithHotel and Rayna from Gotcha' Covered

and I knew after a day making bank (um...yeah...I made $3...) and sitting in the sun I was not going to want to think about dinner when I walked through the door...

...and my husbands good for a lot of things but thinking of dinner before he plans on eating it is not one of his specialties!  ...

So I looked in my fridge and saw a whole chicken and a jar of salsa sitting right next to it...

hmmm.

and thus the Chicken with No Name was born...

names I'm thinking about...

Salsa Chicken, Tex-Mex Chicken, Mexi-Chicken, No Name Chicken

1 whole Chicken (or 2-4 chicken breasts)

1/2 jar of salsa

1 tsp cumin powder

1 can of black beans, drained (optional)

1 can of corn, drained (optional)

place all in crock pot and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6-8 hours...

I pulled all the chicken off the bones and we had chicken tacos...

you could make some rice and just serve this over rice, I made another version yesterday with just chicken breast since that's what I had...and we used the chicken for taco salad bar....

That's Some Garlic!

Tuesday nights we are currently hosting a Bible/Book study at our house and one of the couples that comes has been coming early and having dinner with us...we were having dinner with them about once a week before we started the Bible study so why not continue...

Anyways...yesterday I knew I was going to be running around all day with appointments and meetings and school drop off's and pick up's and piano lessons...etc...

so I turned to my trusty side-kick "Crocky"...

my crock pot...

and made a family favorite (given to me by my good friend Rayna)...

40 Garlic Chicken...

okay, that sounds like a little much right...

40 cloves of garlic?  Really...  The chicken does have a garlic taste, but it's not overwhelming AT all it's more the smell then the anything and your house might end up smelling like a vampire graveyard...but well worth it!

40 Garlic Chicken

1 (4-lb) whole chicken

2 stalks celery, cut into 3-inch pieces

1/2 tsp. black pepper

40 cloves of garlic, unpeeled

2 springs of fresh thyme, fresh rosemary, fresh sage & Italian parsley

Place 1 sprig thyme, rosemary, sage & parsley in chicken cavity. Place chicken in crock pot on top of celery and add the garlic around chicken. chop remaining herbs, sprinkle herbs and pepper over chicken. Cook on low 8 to 10 hours and on high 3 1/2 to 5 hours.

Squeeze the roasted garlic out of skin and use on French bread...ENJOY!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So this is how the recipe was given to me...but I have yet to have all the fresh herbs when I make it, so I use the ones that I have and then toss in some dried ones as well...

This chicken is so good and not overwhelmingly garlicky like you might think...I promise

and what to do with all that garlic when the chicken is done???

take a few (or 20) garlic cloves out, press with with a fork in a bowl and spread it on a loaf of french bread...and then sprinkle with cheese...yummy...

Serving options...

*Garlic Bread (of course!)

*Garlic Rice: sauted 1 cup of rice in 2 Tbs of butter until rice is white add 2 cups of the chicken broth from the crock pot and 1/2 tsp of salt, simmer for 20 minutes (if you don't get enough broth from the crock pot just add enough water to make 2 cups!)...

*Smashed Potatoes using some of the chicken broth to flavor them

*Tortillni Salad-recipe coming soon...(it's what our company brought as the side dish...thanks Rayna!)

*Steamed Veggies

Throw it Down

as moms we need a few of these "throw down meals" to make life doable.

Yesterday some friends came over to "do" hair...I have one good friend that loves to cut and color hair and another good friend and I needed our hair done...

so we made a day of it and spent it at my place getting our hair done...
in my kitchen...

and then I got a text from another friend reminding me that I had signed up to take a meal to a new mom 
(3 kids under 2!!!)...
so now I'm having a hair party...
(color chemicals and pieces of cut hair) 
...in my kitchen 
and... I need to not only at some point today make a meal for my family
...but I need to take one to another family...

...

Time for....Throw Down Meal....

Lemon Chicken with Pesto Tortellini’s 

2 chicken breasts

1 package of dried pesto tortellini’s

1 package of Knorr Creamy Pesto mix (and ingredients to make...olive oil and milk)

Lemon Basil rub

 1.  Grill chicken breast seasoned with lemon basil rub (we have a indoor grill...LOVE IT...but you can do it on an outdoor grill or broil it in the oven) for 10-15 minutes until done. 

2.  Boil Tortillini's, follow package directions, boil and drain...

3.  prepare Creamy Pesto sauce per package directions...

slice up chicken breast, toss into cooked tortellini’s and pour pesto sauce over the top...

Serve with steamed broccoli!

I didn't have enough tortellini’s for the other family so I boiled bow-tie pasta and threw together an Alfredo sauce

Alfredo Sauce

1 Tbl Butter

1 cup grated parmesan cheese (the cheap stuff)

1/2 cup half and half (or milk will do in a pinch)

boil noodles, drain and return to pan and heat, melt butter in the noodles, add cheese and half and half, stir until all is melted...

I try to always keep a package of Knorr Creamy Pesto mix in my pantry and other good items for when a mom's just got to throw it down!

Two dinners for two families done in 20 minutes!!!

and I now have pink hair (Thanks Becca!)...gotta love that throw down!!!

"No Plan" Wednesdays

Wednesday is always one of those crazy days that I plan to, not plan anything ...
and then before I know it, I've planned way too much to do, on my day of no plans!

My "no plan" Wednesday is a very hazy "rule" that I have tried to follow for a few years...probably ever since my daughter started going to school, so I guess that'd be 4 years now...

Why, this "rule", well, being in the church business...
...and kid church business at that...
...(probably not supposed to call it "business")...
Wednesday night means some sort of church activity for the kids at church...
...I'm still wondering how this started...
circa 1952
we're having a Adult Bible Study at church this next Wednesday...but wait, what do we do with everyone's kids?  Well, we can get brother Joe to entertain them, but make sure they're learning God Stuff in there, and make sure it involves them earning badges and how to tie nautical knots...
decades pass and now churches offer a mid week Bible Study for the parents so they can have something to do when they drop their kids off....

okay, minor tangent...
anyways...
Being married to a children's pastor means
Wednesdays = Church night...
side note...we are a one car family....

so my "normal" Wednesdays look like this starting mid day...

12:30-boy child gets out of preschool across town
1:00-pick up the husband because neither him nor I have had lunch yet
1:45-pick up girl child on our side of town
2:00-take husband back to church to finish preparing for "God Stuff" to teach the children
5:30-take a prepared dinner to church so we can eat as a family
6:30-teach "God Stuff" to children
8:00 parents are supposed to be picking up their children
8:30 all kids have now been picked up and we can try to put rooms back together
8:45-leave church campus
9:00-get kids in bed...(another side note, my kids normal bed time is 7...)

so I try to add as little to my Wednesday, morning's included, so I can be prepared for the non stop going from 12:30-9...
okay...this is what my brains says when I need to schedule an appointment, "Hey, you have a free morning on Wednesday, schedule your appointment then!"
so this was my "no plan Wednesday" today

7:30-take girl child to school
8:00-back home still trying to get boy child and husband up and out the door
8:30-drop off husband and boy child at church/meet friend at church to pick up boy child to take to preschool because I scheduled an appointment at the same time as preschool drop off!
9:00-1st appointment of the day...Dr. appointment...

enter weird random dilemma...I have a friend that is a Dr....I met this friend outside of the world of doctors and we became friends outside of the world of doctors, before she was a 100% dr...said friend then becomes 100% doctor and works at the same office as my doctor...so, than once a year when I go to my doctor I always run into my friend...and then without thinking I say, "Hey friend," and we have a conversation and the whole time I am thinking should I call her Dr. Friend...or is that weird, but she's at work and these people all work for her and here I am calling her just Friend...not Dr....does that mean I don't respect her...AGRH...and the whole time she's thinking, "Gosh, Kiera always acts weird when we talk at the office"

...

anyways...

Dr. appointment takes WAY longer than expected...and bonus, I have asthma!

10:30-grocery shopping...in the BIGGEST rain storm of the century!

10:35-realize I left my grocery list in the car but there is NO way I'm going back out in the storm for the list...so goody, I get to wing it!  And I MUST grocery shop, can't go one more day without it!

11:15-husband has a lunch appointment, and I have our one car, so I shove the groceries into the car, drive across town, pick him up and drive him in the other direction to his lunch appointment...

11:45 rush home, take the 2 bags of groceries that need refrigeration into the house and shove them in the fridge...

12:00-2nd appointment of the day...Dentist... got two fillings filled...oh, happy day...but at least I got to sit down for an hour...

1:15-rush across town to pick up boy child from friend who picked him up from school

1:30-pick husband up from lunch appointment

1:45-pick up girl child...across town...from school
2:00-get home and unpack rest of groceries
2:15-run down to blood lab to give blood per request from 1st appointment of the day
2:45-get home and start to think about maybe blogging today
3:00-oh, husband's still home and needs to be at church to finish preparing for tonight's "God Stuff"
3:15-tell kids to get on their shoes
3:20-yelling at kids to get ready so we can take daddy back to work
3:30-I get of facebook and put my shoes on
3:45-take husband back to church
4:15-get home and start dinner...
5:00-take dinner out of oven, wrap in foil and towel to keep warm, pack up kids and ....
5:30-arrive at church in a happy mood to eat dinner as a family!
5:45-girl child is asking if she can eat something else, because she doesn't like the tomatoes in dinner..."Yes, honny, let mommy run right home and make you another dinner!!!"
6:00-happy careless adults stroll into classrooms and begin dropping their kids off so they can go to Bible study, or on a date night...
6:45-kids are watching a movie tonight because it's too stormy to teach them too much "God Stuff"
...just joking the lesson is about God adopting us into his family no matter what
...so..."Ice Age" was the perfect movie to show them...
7:00...I ditch my husband with the kids (he has plenty of other adults to help him) and go to my "office" at the church and blog!!!

okay, so what dinner did I throw together that the girl child didn't want to eat...but ended up eating two servings of???

Chicken Laredo
3 cups shredded chicken
1 onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
2 cans turkey chili (or use any leftover chili you have)
2 cans pinto beans-drained
2 cans tomatoes with green chilies, drained (made it a little spicy for the kids, next time might just go reg diced tomatoes)
8 oz Velvetta cheese (recipe called for Mexi Velvetta, but I used reg)

1.  Preheat oven to 350.  Place shredded chicken in 9x13 pan.
2.  Saute onions and bell pepper in sauce pan in a small amount of oil.  Layer over chicken.  Layer, chili, beans and tomatoes onto of onions and peppers, top with sliced Velvetta.
3.  Bake for 25-35 minutes or until cheese is all nice an melted.
Serve warm with tortilla or corn chips and a nice green salad

This was a perfect dinner for my "no plan" Wednesday....I just had to throw stuff together in the pan...and everyone really liked it...well, minus the tomatoes, but the girl child has never liked tomatoes, and then she ended up having seconds...
I would like to try this recipe with a different "cheese"...
...is or should I say with actual cheese...but not sure it will melt as well, nothing melts like a "cheese product"...
but this will go onto my list of throw down meals...oh, and I actually cut the recipe in half and made it in a 9x9sq pan...and had leftovers...this would be good as a potluck dish or for a night of munching like New Years Eve....

The Previously Alluded to Chicken Salad

In a previous post I made mention of a favorite Chicken Salad recipe...
...and then just left you guys hanging...

This is a recipe...
I use that word loosely because I'm not sure it was ever written down and I'm sure it's been modified a few times since...
that I got from my friend Michelle Anderson at a MOPS retreat
(MOPS=Mother's Of PreSchoolers)...at least I think it was Michelle that made/brought this the first time???
and has since become a MUST have at our annual Summer retreat...

(that I will not go to ever again because I am "graduating" from MOPS since Wilson will be in Kindergarten next year!  GASP...I've been in MOPS for 9 years!)

Okay...focus...this post is about a recipe not about my baby that's all grown up, almost...

BLOG WARNING...PHOTO MONTAGUE....

oh, yeah I was posting a recipe...focus Kiera, focus...

Now, the measurements for this recipe are all pretty vague...just mess with it until you get something that you like...Don't know if there's a name for this recipe so I'll call it

Apple Poppyseed Chicken Salad

Cooked Chopped Chicken, about 1 inch pieces (2-3 cooked chicken breast feeds about 6-8 people, or you can use a rotisserie chicken or left over chicken/turkey...see what I mean about vague)...just enough for however many people you're wanting to feed

apple or two, cored and cubed  (I use a Fuji...and the amount depends on how much you like apples and how many people)

chopped Celery

Chopped white onion (not too much or it will over power the salad maybe 1-2 Tbs)

about 1 cup of red seedless red grapes (cut in half)

a handful or two of dried cranberries (or raisins...I actually use the cherry flavored cranberries)

Cashews...or pecans...or pine nuts...about 1/4-1/2 cup (toasted)

1-2 Tbl of poppy seeds

2-3 Tbs mayo

Mix together and serve on croissants if you're feeling decadent...or on a toasted whole wheat English Muffin or in a pita pocket, or just on a plate with a fork and some crackers...You can also make a bed of lettuce and serve it on top of that...

When I'm making this for a group of people I might not be familiar with I mix JUST the chicken, apple, celery, grapes and mayo together and put everything else in bowls and make it more of a Chicken Salad Bar and then they can add or leave out whatever they want...

It's also a good recipe to make and have everyone bring a piece of the salad...have someone bring the nuts, someone bring the cranberries, the grapes, etc...

Serve with fresh fruit, this is so good with strawberries and pineapple on the side...and even had some people add the strawberries to the salad....

Oh, avocados are also really good on/with this salad...

a Necessary Evil

People ask or tell me all the time,

"you must love to cook," or "you must be a good cook."

...

these are weird statements and or questions for me...

how does someone respond to that?

..."um, thanks"

the truth...

sometimes I enjoy cooking...

but...sometimes...

well, sometimes.... it's just a necessary evil...

   ...those kids get cranky when they don't eat...

and so does their dad...

Am I a good cook?

I make do...and...

sometimes what I cook turns out REALLY good...

...other times just good...or even just okay...

....and then we move down the scale to edible...

and yes, sometimes it's not even edible and it turns into a pizza or In-n-Out night!

not sure how I got the label as "a good cook"...but I'll take it...

I think something that my mother taught me, I think...

...maybe it was her?...

...I think it was more of a learned lesson...

watching her personal actions and reactions in the kitchen...

That the worst thing that could happen is that it will taste not so good...

end result...I learned something that didn't work, getting me closer to something that might work...

and ...now we order pizza!

So...some helpful things that help me in the kitchen...

*a good attitude...

     ...not saying that I always have one when I am in the kitchen,

           just saying that it's helpful...

*research is your friend...cook books and google are my go-to all the time...

*your personal taste...

     if you have eaten something that you like, break down the taste, textures, colors that helped make it appealing to you and try to duplicate them at home...

*figure out why something works (taste/color/texture combos) and why it didn't work...

*when something doesn't work that you made, don't fret, why didn't it work, now fix it...

*ask questions...ask friends...ask for recipes...

all that being said...

I made this recipe out of desperation...

I needed a dinner, I looked through my pantry/fridge and threw this together...and it worked...

How did I know it would work...well, I have a favorite chicken salad recipe that I really enjoy...some of the ingredients, chicken, celery, apples, raisins (or dried cranberries), onions...well I needed a HOT dinner, not a refreshing lunch menu...I had a whole chicken and an apple, some dried cranberries, celery, onions...you get the idea...if it worked in a cold version, why not a hot version...

The first time I made this in the crock pot (yes a whole chicken in the crock pot) the second time I roasted it in the oven using a Reynolds oven bag (buy these...they are A-Mazing!)...both times the chicken was moist and delicious.

Apple Cranberry Chicken

1 whole chicken (or use whatever pieces that you want to feed the amount of people that you need too)

1 apple (any type, I used Fuji)

2 stalks of celery, chopped

1 sm boiler onion, chopped (1/2 cup)

1/4 cup-1 cup dried cranberries (add little or as much as you like, I think I had a little over 3/4 cup)

1/2 tsp sage

1/2 tsp rosemary

1/2 tsp thyme

salt & pepper to taste

1. Wash chicken and remove all those extra gross parts!

2. Mix all ingredients except chicken together and stuff into the cavity of the chicken, shove in as much as you can and then place chicken into the crock pot* and top with any remaining apple/cranberry mixture.

3. Set crock on low for 6-8 hours (keep a meat therm. handy to check the doneness of the bird)

(if using a Reynolds bag, stuff the bird add 1 Tbs of flour to the bag, place the bird in the bag and bake according to package directions...or since I always lose the directions, google Reynolds Oven Bags, and look for the cooking chart and follow the directions for the weight of your stuffed bird!)

This was my first ever 100% made up, what do I have to throw in the crock pot that works with a whole chicken recipe...

and it worked...I was even taking a meal to another family when I made this so I threw in two extra chicken breast with the whole chicken and it all cooked great. My family all really enjoyed the bird, it had a very festive taste with the apple cranberry combo. I used some of the broth (a sweet broth with the apple) to make a gravy for some smashed potatoes for our family and then some of the broth for rice for the family I took the meal to, both ended up with a hint of sweet, and was really tasty!

I would make this again in the future with just 3-6 chicken breast or whatever I had on hand and the amount of people I needed to feed, no reason that it needs to be a whole bird, but it did look pretty on the serving platter with the apples and cranberries cascading down the sides...yes, I said cascading...

...maybe next time I might use orange slices instead of an apple...orange and cranberry is yummy, might leave out the celery when I do that...

do you have any recipes that you "invented" out of desperation that ended up actually working???

A Yummy End to a Lazy Day

Yesterday was one of those lazy Christmas Break sort of days...woke up a few hours before the kids...

finished my book and a few cups of coffee in peace...

played Legos with the kids for a few hours, stayed in my jammies till noon...

when I finally gave myself a time-out and shower...

reluctantly I put dinner in the crock pot around 1...

had a recipe idea in my head and have been wanting to try it out...

Then took the family to run some errands around 2:30...

got stuck in Barnes-n-Noble looking at their clearance items

and then in Target looking for some amazing post Christmas stuff (nothing I couldn't live without...bummer)...

Now I have two cranky kids and a hungry husband

(I had one more stop on my list and they over-ruled me)...

walked in the door at 5:30 and was blissfully happy that I had dinner almost done!

This is a recipe idea that I got from a friend, Jennifer Shawnego Lorenzen, from a post she made on facebook...not entirely sure what sort of pesto she used, but this is the recipe I ended up with...thanks Jen.

Creamy Pesto Chicken (in the crock pot)

1-4 chicken breast (how ever many you think your family needs, I just used one REALLY big one)

1 tea Lemon Herb Seasoning or Lemon Salt or Lemon Pepper  (I used Pampered Chef's Citrus & Basil Rub)

1 package Knorr Creamy Pesto sauce mix (get in the same aisle as the dry taco mix and gravy mixes)

1 1/4 cup milk

2 Tbs olive oil

slices of Swiss Cheese (enough to cover each chicken breast)

zest of one lemon (optional)

pasta or rice of your choice to serve it on/with

1.  Place chicken breast into crock pot and season with Lemon Herb seasoning.

2.  Mix Knorr Creamy Pesto sauce mix with milk and olive oil and pour over chicken.  Cover chicken breast with Swiss Cheese and lemon zest (optional).  Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6-8 hours.

3.  Serve with cooked pasta or rice of you choice.  I removed the Chicken breast and sliced it up, poured the pesto sauce over cooked pasta on a serving plate and topped it with the sliced chicken breast.  To really impress guest you can top with more lemon zest and a piece of fresh basil.

Serving ideas:

Fresh or Frozen veggies

Sweet Potatoes (my family won't eat!)

French Bread

Spinach Salad

~~~~~~~~~

My family devoured this meal...and have asked for me to place it on the menu on a rotating basis!

why'd the chicken cross the road...to get into the crock with some apricot!!!

I'm going out tonight with some friends...love a good girls night out!

And since I love my husband...
or maybe it's because I love my crock pot...
I'm throwing dinner in the crock this morning so he won't have to do anything besides have the kids set the table and then clean up the mess that follows!

So a favorite ChambersMade recipe is Apricot Chicken...the apricot jam that we use is leftover from a huge batch that we made this summer off the tree out front, that the kids spent the morning on the 4th of July picking the fruit off of...

BLOG WARNING
I'm not one of those bloggers with a huge country garden, an organic orchard, and my own free range chickens!  We have 2 fruit trees (3 in you count the mulberry tree that we HATE!  But then our plum tree didn't give us any plums this year, so I guess we're back to two, apricot and stinkin', mess making, bird pooping, mulberry) on our small plot of city land and we have no backyard, no chickens, no country brook meandering thru our land and no organic bee hives!
But I do have two VERY cute children and I will post pictures of them all over my blog until they are legally allowed to stop me!
So if you want the organic, gardening, chicken farming blogger you must stop reading this blog now...if you want some pic of two beautiful children continue!
END OF BLOG WARNING

~~~~~

Apricot Chicken
11 oz jar of apricot jam/jelly/preserves (whatever you want to call it!)
1 t dried minced onion flakes
1 T dijon mustard
1 T soy sauce
1/4 t ginger
4-6 chicken breasts
I used frozen breasts. Drop the chicken into your crockpot. In a small bowl, mix all the other stuff pour on top of the chicken
Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, high for 4-6--if your chicken isn't frozen, your dinner will cook faster.

~~~~~
 Recipe Options:
*If you like your dishes with a little spice you can also add 1/2-1 tea of chili powder to the recipe, I want my kids to eat it so I don't add the chili powder

*You can make this same recipe with Peach Jam or Orange Marmalade
*If you have some fresh apricots around chop one or two up and throw them in
*serve with some sliced almonds and chopped cilantro on top to impress the guests or in-laws**!

Serving Options:
*White or brown rice
*Spinach Salad
*Corn on the cob

Enjoy!


**I don't need to impress my in-laws because they're amazing...
and I'm not sure my father-in-law even eats apricots so I probably wouldn't serve this for them!