Whew! I'm exhausted!

Ian is taking a nap, I have a few seconds...blog I shall!

Very busy few weeks...

I did a gall bladder flush. Sorry to disappoint, but I have no pics of that!

I weeded this 8x4 area for an herb bed...by hand!

James put down the retaining wall. I couldn't get the dirt level so I "let" him do it!

 We still don't have dirt.

I made some garden picks to label my seeds and plants in my garden.

Don't have a finished picture yet..they are cute though!

I'll try to get a picture up when I get my other projects done.

Ian was loving being in the garage with me. He just LOVES being outside in general!

 Chicken Florentine...Delish!

Chicken Florentine Recipe

 Packed and ready for Grandma's house!

Ian went to Grandma's because....

I took a motorcycle safety course that focused on familiarizing yourself with a motorcycle.

I only crashed once before passing the class...SUCCESS!!

Not the greatest picture of Ian..but "His Royal Cuteness" still shines!

"MOM!! Are you looking at me!?!"

He walked the whole edge of the couch!

**Gasp! There is stuff on the floor!**

I'm a grown-up now with a Sam's Club membership.

Guess what they give you for your $40 donation???

**That hamburger on the front is Yummo! It involves marinated fresh basil and mozzarella cheese.**

Last picture...Ian likes grass! He was afraid at first but now enjoys it.

**Look at them lil toes!**

Lime Herb Chicken

 Ian's "first" trip outside. He's usually under a blanket!

It was actually fairly nice. We look cold but his carrier was up in this picture.

It was really fun to listen to him giggle about Harley (the dog to the right) running around.

He was getting kind of hysterical!! It was really sweet!

Ok...so this is Week 11 of my recipes. I forgot that last week I made one of my favorites (a cross between Salisbury steak and strogonoff) with a few variations. I will try to put that up later this week...so yummy! Anyway, tonight I made Lime Herb Chicken. It was fairly easy and really tasty! Plus, we made it on the grill so that got us all out of the house. Fresh air does the body good!!



Lime Herb Chicken

Ingredients

1 cup lime juice

2/3 cup Italian salad dressing

2 tsp minced garlic

2 tsp dried basil

1 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 broiler/fryer chicken (3-4 pounds), cut up

 This was the whole chicken. I have never actually cut up a whole chicken to cook, just to make into soup or eat off, so it really didn't matter what it looked like. So I tried my best and I thought the pieces turned out well. I was grossed out though when I got to the guts! I think I would buy the stuff that's already cut into pieces next time.

 How did I do?? The thighs are a little small but overall it went good.

 In a large bowl, combine the first seven ingredients. Pour I cup of marinade into a large resealable plastic bag; add the chicken. Seal bag and turn to coat; marinate for 15 minutes. Set aside remaining marinade for basting.

 Drain and discard marinade from chicken. Grill chicken, covered, over medium heat for 40-45 minutes or until juices run clear, basting occasionally with 1/2 cup reserved marinade.

 Brush remaining marinade over chicken just before serving. Doesn't it look just delish? It was very good...a little limey, if I would have had time to make the rice I was going to, it would have been perfect! Unfortunately, there was a cranky kiddo when it came time to make rice and carrots. Carrots were good with it though! It didn't take the full 40 minutes to cook, only about 25.

My beautiful lime/lemon juicer...that I bought for $2. I was really excited about my bargain...until I finally used it tonight. Two halves of lime into making dinner and the handle cracked right off!! So I had to juice all my limes with a fork...sad! I guess sometimes a bargain isn't really all that great of a deal :o(

Weeks 8 and 9...baby legwarmers...and a cute baby!

 "Are you my mother?" Ian's Christmas gift from Uncle Peppers

 Just being stinkin' cute!

 LOVE YOU!!

By the way...It has been crazy around here the last couple weeks! It may not have actually been busy but running on the little sleep my delightful little boy thinks I need....I'm running on empty. Anyway, I have been keeping up on my cooking just didn't have time to post it! This week (last night actually) Ian rolled all over the floor! He could only go one way until he got stuck and we had to turn him to go the other way! Such a cutie! On to the recipes!! I made Gorgonzola Chicken Penne last week...well kinda. I asked my Gma what kind of cheese Gorgonzola was, and then decided that much of such a strong cheese would be too much for me. So I substituted Parmesan. SO...here we have Parmesan Chicken Penne! This is from...where else...the Taste of Home cookbook I got for Christmas!

 Ingredients
1 pkg (16 oz) penne pasta
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 large garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup white wine
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup chicken broth
2 cups (8oz) crumbled Gorgonzola cheese (I used Parmesan)
6-8 fresh sage leaves, thinly sliced (I used ground sage)
Salt and pepper to taste
Grated Parmesan and minced fresh parsley

Instructions
Cook pasta according to package directions.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat, brown the chicken in oil on all sides. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Add wine, stirring to loosen browned bits from pan.

Add cream and broth; cook until the sauce is slightly thickened and chicken is no longer pink. Stir in the cheese, sage, salt and pepper; cook just until cheese is melted.

Drain the pasta; toss with sauce. Sprinkle with the grated Parmesan and parsley.

This is SO GOOD!! I messed up the chicken so it was a little dry...I'll make it right next time!

This weeks recipe is one that I have had for 5 years!! Can you believe it?!? I think I have had this at my mom's house but I have never made it or helped to make it. So this one is Garlic Salmon Linguine.

Ingredients

1 pkg (16 oz) linguine

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/3 cup olive oil

1 can salmon, drained, boned, skinned

3/4 cup chicken broth

1/4 cup minced fresh parsley

1/2 tsp salt

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

Instructions

Prepare linguine according to package.

In large skillet saute garlic in oil. Stir in broth, parsley, salt and cayenne pepper. Stir in salmon. Cook until heated through. Add salmon mixture to linguine (drained) and toss to coat.

Let set, covered, for 10 minutes. Serve with Parmesan cheese.

I really liked this. James isn't a huge fan of salmon so he isn't over the moon about it. I think next time I make it I will try adding half chicken broth and half whipping cream. Maybe try with different kind of meat sometime...for James...just 'cause I love him!

These are some little baby legwarmers I made. I used a tutorial at Samster Mommy's blog to make them. LOVE THEM!! Can't wait to make more! Do we think Ian needs some little Spider man legwarmers??

Week 7-Yummy Chicken and Crafties!!

This weeks recipe is called Crispy Onion Chicken and I found it in a Taste of Home (of course!) Ultimate Chicken Cookbook magazine (May 2008). Anyway, it is a really easy recipe and super delish! After last weeks flops I needed something to kick me back into gear and want to cook again. So what would be better than chicken covered in crunchy onions? Apparently not much! We both loved it and James got seconds...poor guy was about starving after the yucks I served him last week! I'm hoping this heats up well and doesn't get soggy. I made a little extra so I could bring some to our friends who just had their baby. The husband really hates cafeteria food, eating out, pretty much anything that's not homemade....picky! Since their daughter was born 12 weeks early and will be in intensive care for about up to her due date, I figured I better bring him some food so he doesn't have to try to stomach the cafeteria food :o( Baby Girl is doing really well and has very proud parents! Congrats Nic and Shirley!

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp ground mustard

1/2 tsp garlic salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 can (6 oz) cheddar or original french-fried onions, crushed

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (I think you could use 6 without using extra ingredients)

Instructions

In a shallow bowl, combine the butter, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, garlic salt and pepper. In another shallow bowl, add 1/2 cup french-fried onions. Dip chicken in the butter mixture and then coat with onions.

Place in a greased 9-inch square baking dish. Top with remaining onions; drizzle with any remaining butter mixture. Bake, uncovered at 350* for 30-35 minutes or until chicken juices run clear.

SO YUMMY AND CRUNCHY!!

Since my friend had a little girl, who is much to small to wear the customary tutu I was going to make, I wanted to make her something. So looking on some blogs yesterday I found some very cute stuff. We couldn't find her tiny hats to wear ('cause the hospital ones aren't cute enough for her to wear 3 months!) so I'm gonna make some today...with the help of my Grandma! I'm hoping they turn out...the idea sounds easy and its not a hard pattern or anything but I've never tried sewing knit before...we'll see. I also was inspired to make some headbands for the other babies in my life. I'm going to put pins on the backs of these so they can be switched out from headband, to hats, to clothes, etc. I know they look alike but for $6 for all my flowers I wanted to experiment...gotta love the dollar stores!

 SO YUMMY AND PRETTY!!



I want one for myself!

 I tried to "try one on Ian"...James caught me and said "NO WOMAN! NO flowers on the baby!"

 He looked so cute though! The big reddish flowers are about as big as Ian's head!

This ones my favorite!

I found the tutorial on how to make these at

http://samstermommy.blogspot.com/2009/04/big-bloom-baby-headband.html

I also incorporated elements of another tutorial with the tulle stuff...that can be found here http://samstermommy.blogspot.com/2009/11/no-sew-fabric-scrap-flower.html

These were really fun and easy to make. I am now addicted to making little baby stuff...for girls! If anyone knows of any cute stuff to make for boys let me know...Ian needs stuff too!!

No Bones Chicken Wing Dip

I found this recipe in one of my Grandma's recent issues of Taste of Home. I realize a lot of my recipes I'm trying are from Taste of Home magazines and cookbooks. I think that the recipes they feature are simpler more "normal" food that I like. I'm what my husband refers to as a "picky eater." I beg to differ...I'm just "particular" about what I like and don't. One thing I LOVE is hot wings. I love hot wing pizza as well...yum! So how about a boneless hot wing dip...I'd love some, thank you!

1-8 oz. pkg cream cheese-softened
16 oz. (2 cups) sour cream
1 cup Bleu Cheese salad dressing
1/2 cup buffalo wing sauce
2 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken
1-8 oz. block of provolone cheese-shredded

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, sour cream, salad dressing and buffalo sauce until blended. Stir in chicken and provolone cheese.

Transfer to a greased 2 quart baking dish. Cover and bake at 350* for 25-30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Serve with crackers, carrots and celery. I used tortilla chips...delish!

A few notes:
I used Ranch dressing instead of Bleu Cheese. It made it a little runny so I think I would only use half the amount next time.
For the chicken I bought a couple cans of shredded chicken because I was in a hurry. It probably would be better with actual chicken breast shredded.
Also, I'm kinda "particular" about my wing sauce. I used Franks.
The last note, I mixed it up the night before and refrigerated it. It took about an hour to bake it and then it was in the crock pot about another hour and a half before we ate it. It was good and hot then.

We had a potluck lunch after the morning service at church this week, so I figured they could be my guinea pigs! I forgot to take a picture of it...and there was none left to take a picture of later! It was SO GOOD!! Definitely worth all $15 the ingredients cost me!!

Baby things...my sweet baby boy is 3 months old already! It is just amazing to me how fast he has grown! He has a jump up that he LOVES, and a swing he is outgrowing. He very quickly went from drinking 2 ounces to 7. He loves his grandmas...all 4 of them! The gray haired ones get more of a reaction from him...sorry Mom...you're gonna have to go gray. He still looks so much like his father, it is sometimes scary! When they are cuddled up on the couch, looking up at me with those big dark eyes...just melts my heart. James started his new job last week at a local implement dealer. So far he likes it. I started working out last week with a couple of girls from church. Waking up at 4:30 am to go to the gym is something I never would have thought would be important to me! Yesterday, I found a sitter for Ian so I could go run...weird. This morning, I got to the gym and realized I left my key at home. So I drug my disappointed butt back home and wearily crawled back into bed...this cannot be a trend! **I live 10 miles from the gym, and have to be home before James goes to work**

Later this week I'm making Salmon Spinach Bundles. I just have to make my way to the Big City to purchase the ingredients.