Chicken and Dumplings

The top one is mine- it's looking a little dry.  The bottom one is from the cook book.  Mine when I ate it looked more like the bottom, as far as sauce.  The top was Andrews after it had sat for a little bit and soaked up sauce.  So hopefully, when he reheats his tonight, it will get saucy again!

Here is the adaptation I made to the CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS recipe found in my Complete America's Test Kitchen Cook Book (the white one).  The book involves cooking chicken thighs and such in the stew and letting it simmer for an hour, shredding etc.  I had some left over chicken breasts I had cooked earlier in the week, so I adapted the recipe to do it faster and easier!

Stew
1 1/2 cooked and shredded chicken breasts
2 Tablespoons butter
2 carrots, peeled and sliced 1/4 in thick
1 celery rib, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1/2 onion, minced
3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/8 cup "dry sherry" * I did broth with a little bit of white vinegar in it.  Maybe 1/2-1 tsp, I didn't measure
2 1/4 cups chicken broth
1/8 cup whole milk (it needs to be whole)
1/2 tsp thyme
1 bay leaf
1/2 c green peas frozen
1 1/2 Tablespoon parsley

Dumplings
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup whole milk (again needs to be whole, according to the test kitchen divas)
1 1/2 T butter

1.  Melt butter in Dutch oven over med-high heat.  Add carrots, celery, onion and 1/8 tsp salt and cook til softened, about 7 min.  Stir in the flour.  Whisk in the "sherry", scraping up any brown bits.  Stirin the broth, milk, thyme and bay leaf.  Add chicken.  Simmer til warmed through and slightly thickens and simmers.
2.  FOR THE DUMPLINGS: Stir the flour, baking powder and salt together.  Microwave the milk and butter in bowl until just warm, about 1 min.  Stir the warmed milk mixture into the flour mixture with a wooden spoon until incorporated and smooth. (only make this when you're ready to cook the dumplings- don't do ahead of time)
3. While stew is still at a simmer, stir in the peas and parsley.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Drop golf-ball sized dumplings over the top of the stew about 1/4 in apart (should have about 9 dumplings).  Reduce heat to low, cover and cook until the dumplings have doubled in size. 15-18 minutes.  Serve!

Tuna Cakes

I had extra of these tuna cakes made when my sister and mom were here that were frozen between sheets of wax paper in the freezer.  They came in handy when I needed dinner fast tonight.  This looks like a kids meal or school lunch all portioned out like that.  The kids ate it really well.  My mom looked up the recipe on my dad's iphone last month so I don't have the recipe.  But I'm sure you could google one.

Beef and Broccoli

This one is fast.  I'll put the recipe on soon.

Night 2: Mango Curried Chicken with Yogurt Sauce

This is a crock pot recipe that I've made in the past and liked.  Today it was very meh.  I'm not too excited to really ever make it again.  I'm not super big on curry seasoning but this is one of the dishes that I like it in.  I'm not going to include the recipe because I blogged about it here. (Yes it is called chutney curried but I don't ever have the mango chutney so I do pieces of mango instead)  But it looked pretty!  But it was easy and I did make dinner.  Here's hoping tomorrow is a smash hit!

A New Recipe Called Mushroom Agnolotti with Corn, Tomatoes and Arugula Pan Sauce

Ok, so I cook occasionally. I won't tell you how many times I actually cooked dinner at home during the last 3 weeks because it's embarrassing.  But, I've decided to turn over a new leaf.  I've begun meal planning again.  I've decided to get some different, better food back on the table.  Because, I was in a rut.  I preferred Hamburger Mac (no one was complaining though) to something a little more healthy.

So, my first try back to interesting but easy cooking was something with a crazy name but a pretty yummy and fresh looking picture. I have also wanted to know what the hype was about arugula so, I thought this would be perfect.  Especially since Utah corn is at its prime.  Yum.  Here are a few notes:

1.  I used frozen ravioli. Costco kind with the spinach in it.  They said I could.  Agnolotti is basically ravioli.  It just sounds more special.
2.  My ravioli did not have mushroom in it.   So I actually put in some white mushrooms for my husband.  And picked them all out of my bowl at dinner time.
3. Most important discovery:  I hate arugula.  It's gross. If you like it, pardon.  But if you don't like it, you know what I'm talking about.  Andrew took a bite and said, "What tastes so bitter?"  Yeah, so we both ate around the arugula.  If you want the rest of my arugula in the fridge, it's yours.

So if I were to make this again here are the good things:

1.  Great for meatless Monday.
2. Fast
3. My corn was white and awesome and fresh and inexpensive.  Delish.
4.  It was pretty healthy.
5.  We ate it with garlic bread.   Bueno.
6.  Substitute the stinking arugula with spinach.  That would be good.  And don't put a full 5 oz in.  That's a lot.  Maybe half of that?

Theirs (Better Homes and Gardens)

Mine

The Recipe:

2 ears sweet corn on the cob
18 oz wild mushroom agnolotti or ravioli
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion thinly sliced
1 clove garlic thinly sliced (I have the jar of costco minced for ease)
2 medium tomatoes, cored and chopped
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
5 oz baby arugula (6 cups)  *too much!  Sub spinach if you don't like arugula
2 oz Parmigiano-Reggiano finely shredded (I used shredded parm)

1.  Bring large pot of salted water to boil.  Shave corn off the ears with knife and reserve.  Add the cobs and agnolotti to water, set timer for 6 min.
2.  Meanwhile, for pan sauce, heat oil in large skillet over med-high heat.  Add onion and garlic.  Cook until fragrant about2 min.
3.  Add corn kernels to skillet; cook over med-high heat until bright and crisp tender; 1 min.  Add the tomatoes (and mushrooms if adding) and toss until they begin to release some juices, about 2 min more.
4.  Drain the pasta, reserving 1/4 cup cooking liquid.  Discard cobs.  Add pasta back to the pot with the reserved cooking water, corn mixture and butter.  Gently toss over low heat to melt butter.  Stir in arugula and toss until just wilted.  Divide among four bowls and top with finely grated cheese.
4 servings.

566 cal
6g fiber
(in case you were wondering)

homemade pine wreath

Well, something good had to come out my toppled pine trees in last weeks wind storm.  The top 5 ft of one of them was donated to a family who didn't have enough money for a Christmas tree.  Then, I made a homemade wreath from some of the limbs that were sitting on my curb. 

It was improvised.  I used what I had laying around (as in painters tape, zip ties and hot glue...)  But I don't think it turned out half bad.  Free Free Free.  It also needs a little more stuff on the top left portion- it's a little thin. But, who cares. 

Here is the website that I found the tutorial on.  http://www.save-on-crafts.com/wreatmakandd.html

Shush Kabobs (Apple Meatballs)

I wish this picture did it justice.  This was another good recipe I made lately.  I found it in Parents Magazine as a way to eat more apples.  The sauce that you put on them is really good.  I think I made one and one half the amount here.  I think I'd just double the amount of sauce for the amount of meatballs so that you can get enough on the rice.  Really good wish brown rice.  Yum!  I used gala apples, too.  Oh, and I had sticks and the recipe suggested using sticks to make your kids like them.  I put them on the stick for the picture then promptly took them off.  I didn't even give Nathaniel one so he didn't gouge his eye out.  Cute idea, but I'm definitely losing the stick next time I make these. Also, I didn't put my meatballs into the glaze.  I just put them on the plate and spooned glaze over them and the rice.  I'll try coating them next time and see which way I like better.

1 cup (whole-wheat) bread crumbs (I didn't have whole wheat, use any)

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 medium apple grated coarsely

1 Tbs. Dijon mustard (didn't have so I just sprinkled a little ground dried mustard in there)

1 Tbs. chopped parsley

1/4 tsp. each of salt and pepper

1 lb. ground turkey breast (I used hamburger because I didn't have turkey)

2 Tbs. vegetable oil

1/2 cup apple juice or cider

1/4 cup maple syrup

1 Tbs. balsamic vinegar

1.  In a large bowl, combine bread crumbs, cheese, egg, apple, mustard, parsley, salt and pepper.  Mix well.  Add turkey (or hamburger) meat and fold into wet mixture until just combined.

2. In frying pan (I used my big electric skillet), heat oil on medium.  Roll meat mixture into 12 balls.  Fry, turning frequently until meatballs are browned and cooked through, about 15 minutes.

3. Glaze: In a pot, mix apple juice, maple syrup and vinegar.  Simmer over low heat until reduced by half, about 15 minutes.  Toss meatballs in glaze, thread three onto each stick.  Makes 4 servings.  



Chicken Sausage Oven Roasted Pasta Primavera

I know!  It's a post.  Shocking.  This is a really good one from realmomkitchen.com  Andrew loved the mushrooms and I shoved all of them into his portion.  Great way to get the hubs to eat veggies.  I'm making it again tonight!  Here's the link!

Chicken Sausage Oven Roasted Pasta Primavera

veggies and noodles with thai coconut curry sauce

I got the recipe for this on the Our Best Bites website (linked on the left of the blog). You can find it here. It's a knock off of Noodles & Co Bangkok Curry, which I'm now considering ordering on my next visit there. Yum.

I don't like curry. This doesn't taste like "curry". It uses red curry paste, which I actually had lying around in the fridge. I also happened to have coconut milk in my cupboard. This really hit the spot with me tonight. Even Nathaniel ate it up, which really shocked me!

A couple of notes:

1. I used fresh broccoli and fresh carrots instead of the stir fry mix. I didn't blanch them first, I just threw them in the wok the same time as the red peppers and it was fine. With sitting for 5 minutes in the sauce to thicken, they soften even more. If they're soft once you add the sauce, I'd imagine they'd get a little limp.

2. I did half the recipe. Probably a smart idea. But, after I ate my 3 lbs and Thanny ate some, there's probably enough for Andrew to eat for dinner when he gets home and not a whole lot of left overs. So I may actually make the whole thing next time!

3. As a lover of sweet chili sauce- you do not have to go to the Asian market to find it. They have two brands in the Asian section of Smiths. Just so you know. (P.S. If you've never had sweet chili sauce, try it with sour cream and dip potato wedges in it. I ate this all the time in Australia- they even had sour cream and sweet chili potato chips in the store there, America needs to get with the program and get some of those. yum!)

Follow the link (the word "here") for the recipe.

Potato Leek Soup

This is a recipe that my mom makes. Andrew had it the summer we lived out there and has loved it ever since. I guess I was craving it today and it tasted so good. Plus, it was a good meal for meatless monday. I was going to post another recipe I made last week or the week before. But, it didn't settle well with me and the left overs made me nausiated. Needless to say, I'm not posting that one. I found some yummy rosemary olive oil bread on the reduced price rack at Smith's today that was really good with it. I just toasted it and put a little butter on it. I dipped and just ate. I also ate a little too much... my tummy was kind of in a little pain afterwards. But it was so worth it!

Potato Leek Soup

1 1/2 cups minced leeks

1/4 cup minced onion

1 large garlic clove, minced

3 Tbs. minced carrot

4 Tbl. butter

4 cups chicken stock

1 1/2 cups diced potatoes

1/2 cup heavy cream

salt and pepper

Sautee leeks, onions, carrot and garlic in butter. Add chicken stock and potatoes to large pot, along with sauteed vegetables. Cover and bring to a boil. Simmer until potatoes are cooked. Put the soup into blender to puree, doing a little at a time. Return to pot; add cream. Reheat without boiling. Add seasonings. If too thick, thin with a little half and half or milk.

Day 2: Turkey Burgers, Roasted Broccoli, Roasted Smashed Potatoes

Today I made turkey burgers. They were tasty! I really liked them. The potatoes were not worth the time. I would have rather had red potato oven fries. And they would have been so much easier.

Turkey Burgers

Ingredients

1	turkey thigh , about 2 pounds, skinned and boned (or 1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless thighs) cut into 1-inch chunks; arranged on sheet pan; frozen until semifirm, about 30 minutes
1/2	teaspoon table salt
1/2	teaspoon ground black pepper
2	teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2	teaspoons Dijon mustard
1	tablespoon vegetable oil or canola oil

Instructions

Mix together. I pan-fried them. They would be awesome grilled. I used ground turkey and added a scoop of ricotta cheese (that's would the directions suggested). Definitely a keeper.


Roasted Smashed Potatoes

This recipe is designed to work with potatoes 1½ to 2 inches in diameter; do not use potatoes any larger. It is important to thoroughly cook the potatoes so that they will smash easily. Remove the potatoes from the baking sheet as soon as they are done browning—they will toughen if left too long. A potato masher can also be used to “smash” the potatoes.

Ingredients

2	pounds small Red Bliss potatoes (about 18), scrubbed (see note)
6	tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1	teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
	Kosher salt and ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Adjust oven racks to top and bottom positions and heat oven to 500 degrees. Arrange potatoes on rimmed baking sheet, pour ¾ cup water into baking sheet, and wrap tightly with aluminum foil. Cook on bottom rack until paring knife or skewer slips in and out of potatoes easily (poke through foil to test), 25 to 30 minutes. Remove foil and cool 10 minutes. If any water remains on baking sheet, blot dry with paper towel.

2. Drizzle 3 tablespoons oil over potatoes and roll to coat. Space potatoes evenly on baking sheet and place second baking sheet on top; press down firmly on baking sheet, flattening potatoes until 1/3 to 1/2 inch thick. Sprinkle with thyme leaves and season generously with salt and pepper; drizzle evenly with remaining 3 tablespoons oil. Roast potatoes on top rack 15 minutes. Transfer potatoes to bottom rack and continue to roast until well browned, 20 to 30 minutes longer. Serve immediately.

Check them the last time earlier. They got a little burned. Like I said, I wasn't super impressed.

Roasted broccoli is super easy. Cut, drizzle with olive oil, season with kosher salt and pepper. Roast in a 425 degree oven for about 15 minutes. You will never eat broccoli any other way. Ever.

January

I haven't blogged anywhere since August. And I don't even feel guilty. Something had to go to make my life simpler. But I am going to try something in January-hopefully I will post close to everyday this month.

I frequently get stuck in making the same things for dinner over and over again. This January I am going to try something new-my goal is to not repeat a dinner once. 31 days of 31 new dinners. I hope I can do it. I am well aware that there are days when this might not be possible (you know, working full-time with two little ones and a husband who works more-than-full-time) but I am going to try my best.

So here's January 1st.

Pan Roasted Chicken with Potatoes from Cook's Country
(I am not the best at taking pictures...one day I will improve-when I have some time!)

INGREDIENTS
4 split bone-in chicken breasts
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2pounds red potatoes , cut into 1-inch wedges
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 garlic clove , minced
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves
Pinch red pepper flakes

INSTRUCTIONS
Making the Minutes Count: While the chicken browns, cut the potatoes.

1. Heat Oven: Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 450 degrees.

2. Season and Brown Skin Side of Chicken: Pat chicken dry with paper towels, and season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown chicken well on skin side, about 5 minutes.

3. Microwave Potatoes: While chicken browns, toss potatoes with 1 tablespoon of oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in microwave-safe bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap. Microwave on high until potatoes begin to soften, 5 to 10 minutes, shaking bowl (without removing plastic) to toss potatoes halfway through.

4. Bake Chicken: Transfer chicken, skin side up, to baking dish and bake until thickest part registers 160 degrees on instant-read thermometer, 15 to 20 minutes.

5. Brown Potatoes: While chicken bakes, pour off any grease in skillet, add 1 more tablespoon oil, and return to medium heat until shimmering. Drain microwaved potatoes then add to skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and tender, about 10 minutes.

6. Make Drizzling Oil: Whisk remaining 3 tablespoons oil, lemon juice, garlic, thyme, and red pepper flakes together.

Drizzle oil over chicken and potatoes before serving.


My chicken breasts were huge so I used 2. We feed our family of four plus had enough chicken left over to make something else. I'm thinking maybe a pot pie for dinner tomorrow? That also meant my chicken took a lot more time to cook. I would suggest putting the chicken in a larger pan. I used a small pan and the oil kept popping into the oven. We had the smoke detector going off no less than 3 times. Yikes.

I liked it, though. The drizzling sauce was really good. (We cut the recipe by 1/3m, but it was still too much-I guess it depends on how many people you are serving). It will make it's way into the rotation after January.

A Frost Family First: Christmas Cards!

Well, I couldn't resist the lure of free Christmas cards from Shutterfly. I love the idea of sending out Christmas cards (after convincing myself that maybe I actually do have people to send them to) but never am able to or want to shell out the dough. So what ends up happening: No Christmas cards. Until this year!

Shutterfly has such a cute variety of Christmas Photo Cards that I don't know which ones I'll end up choosing. I just hope that I have a cute enough picture of the family to go with the designs...

Last Christmas, my brother-in-law and his wife made a photo wall calendar for my in-laws. It has been so fun to have up all year long. I've been wanting to make one for myself and have actually already started looking into them from Shutterfly's website. One of the options that I think is really fun is that you not only can put a reminder on the day like December 28 being "Andrew and Victoria's Anniversary" but could put a wedding picture with both of our beautiful faces on that space on the calendar!

I did do a birth announcement for Nathaniel using Shutterfly last year. They were fun to pass out and give to people. My work had it hanging on the teacher's lounge door for months. After I quit teaching and started staying home, someone in the school threw it in the garbage. A few months later, I went back to visit my 1st grade team and Lori, one of my co-workers, had dug it out of the trash and saved it because she thought it was a shame to throw a cute announcement away! The best part was sending a bit of our joy to people out on the east coast who weren't able to meet the boy. Next baby I'll be looking through the options of birth announcements again!

So anyway, I'm excited. If you want one let me know and I'll send you one because the Frost's are sending out Christmas invites compliments of Shutterfly. Thanks Shutterfly! Go check it out for yourself, but the deadline to apply is the 10th!

This is a really weird picture that does not do it justice. The spread that was actually in the Rachael Ray magazine (I know, two recipes in a row) was very pretty. This was kind of a fun dish to make, had lots of good stuff in it and was just different, which is nice sometimes.

This makes one pie pan full.

2/3 cup rice

3 Tbl olive oil

1/4 c grated parmesan cheese

1 large egg, lightly beaten

pepper

1 onion finely chopped

1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced (I didn't have any when I made this, so I used pieces of tomato)

2 cloves garlic, finely hopped

One 10 ounce package frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

2 tsp finely chopped rosemary

salt

1 store-bought rotisserie chicken cut into cubes (I used cooked shredded chicken breast that I have stored in my freezer)

9 ounces cheddar cheese (2 1/4 cups)

1. Preheat the oven to 425. In a small saucepan, combine the rice with 1 1/3 cups water. Cover and simmer over med-high heat until water is absorbed. About 16 minutes. Let cool. (I cooked rice in the rice cooker earlier that morning and saved it for when I was making this recipe for dinner!)

2. Brush the sides of a 9-in pie pan with 1 Tbl olive oil. In a medium bowl, combine the cooled rice, parmesan cheese, egg and a pinch of pepper. Using lightly oiled fingers or a rubber spatula, press the rice mixture evenly into the bottom and up the sides of the pie plate. Bake for 10 min. Set aside to cool.

3. In a large, heavy skillet, heat the remaining 2 Tbl olive oil over med heat. Add the onion, bell pepper and garlic and cook, stirring occassionally, until the vegetables are golden- 15-20 minutes. Stir in the spinach and rosemary, season with salt and pepper and cook for 5 min. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly. Stir in the chicken and 1 cup of cheddar cheese..

4. Lower the oven to 375. Fill the crust with the chicken-vegetable filling, leaving a 1-inch border at the top of the crust. Sprinkle the top with the remaining 1 1/4 cups of cheddar cheese. Bake until the cheese is melted and bubbling, about 30 minutes.

Chicken Satay Noodle Soup

Rachael Ray says that this serves 4. Thinking it really did, I decided to just make it for the 4 servings and have Andrew and I eat it once for dinner and then once for lunch the next day as left overs. We've eaten it for dinner and I've eaten it twice for lunch and there is still TONS of soup left. So my advice is that if you don't have a large crowd to feed, half this recipe for sure!

That being said, this was kind of a fun and different kind of dinner. I would definitely not forget the toppings at the end (cilantro, peanuts, green onions and lime) since I felt like they totally made the meal.

Salt

1/2 lb whole wheat pasta

2 Tbl vegetable oil

3/4 lb chicken, thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

3/4 cup peanut butter

1/4 cup plus 2 Tbl tamari (dark soy) *I used regular soy since I didn't have any

1/4 cup Thai red curry paste

2 Tbl tomato paste

6 cups chicken broth

One 1-inch piece fresh ginger, thinly sliced

1/2 head napa or savoy cabbage, shredded *I only had regular cabbage and it worked fine

1/2 cup apple joice

1 cup bean sprouts

1/4 cup chopped peanuts

green onions thinly sliced

1 Tbl chopped cilantro

Lime wedges

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil, salt it, add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain

2. Meanwhile, in a soup pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the chicken and garlic and cook, stirring until the chicken is opaque, about 5 min. Transfer to a plate.

3. Add the peanut butter, tamari, curry paste and tomato paste to the pot and stir. Increase the heat to meduium-high and whisk in the chicken broth; add the ginger. Bring to a boil, then stir in the cabbage and cook until wilted, about 2 minutes. Return the chicken to the pot and stir in the apple juice.

4. Divide the pasta among 4 bowls. Ladle the soup over the pasta. Top with the bean sprouts, peanuts, green onions and cilantro. serve with the lime wedges.

Broccoli Salad

So I've never actually posted on this blog...and it doesn't look like anyone else has used it for a while, but I made broccoli salad for Thanksgiving this year and Patrick and I loved it. I think other people did too so I thought I'd post it!

Sorry the picture is huge. I can't get it any smaller.

1 head broccoli
6 to 8 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1/2 cup raisins, optional
8 ounces sharp Cheddar, cut into very small chunks
1/2 cup halved cherry tomatoes

Dressing:
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

I got this recipe from Paula Deen. Thanks Paula!

When I made it we actually put in more broccoli than it called for. We substituted craisins for the raisins, left out the tomatoes because my husband and I don't like them, and used less cheese than it called for. Also, we did not use all of the dressing.

When I've had this salad other places I've seen people put sunflower seeds or some kind of sliced nut (almonds maybe?) in it as well which is pretty good.

Enjoy!

Chutney Curried Chicken with Yogurt Sauce

No, I haven't forgotten about this blog. I've just been really, really bad at putting things on it. I have been cooking, just not taking pictures of what I make!

The name of this recipe would not have caught my eye and I would have moved on in my Crock Pot book. However, the picture in the book looked yummy and I did have a mango sitting in my fruit bowl that needed to be used. So I tried it and it was good! Andrew said it was fun. I'll be making it again. Plus, it's a crockpot dinner- I love those!

(I can't get this one to not be flipped sidways, sorry)

1 container (6-8 oz) plain low-fat yogurt
2 tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. garlic salt
1/8 tsp. ground red pepper (I didn't have, so I used red pepper flakes)
4 bone in chicken breast halves, skin removed (2 lbs. about) (I used boneless skinless I think)
1 small onion, sliced
1/3 cup mango chutney (chop large pieces of mango if you don't have chutney)
1 Tbl. lime juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbl. cornstarch
2 Tbl. water
3 cups cooked linguini or lo mein noodles
Optional Toppings: chopped cilantro chopped peanuts, toasted coconut

1. Place yogurt in paper-towel-lined strainer over a bowl. Drain in refrigerator until serving time.

2. Combine curry powder, garlic salt and red pepper; sprinkle over chicken. Place onion in crock pot; top with chicken. Combine chutney, lime juice and garlic; spoon over chicken. Cover; cook on LOW 5 or 6 hours or on HIGH 2 1/2 to 3 hours or until chicken is tender.

3. With slotted spoon, transfer chicken to serving platter and cover with foil to keep warm. Turn crock pot cooker to High. Combine cornstartch with water until smooth. Stir into cooking liquid. Cover; cook 15 minutes or until thickened. Spoon sauce over chicken; serve over linguini. Top with thickened yogurt and garnish as desired.

Don't you wish your sister was cool like mine?

(First, make sure you sing the title like "Don't you wish your girlfriend was hot like mine?" Not even positive that's how it goes. But that's how I sing it.)

So my sister is amazing. She made this all by herself:



How cool is that? I love the color. Tiffany's blue. Here are some more shots.





Of course Elinor loves it. She thinks it's so cool. She walks around saying, "Courtney made me this. It's a cool kitchen."

She got the plans from knockoffwood.com. If you haven't heard of the site, she is a stay at home mom who couldn't afford all the awesome yet expensive furniture/kids stuff that she wanted. So she figured it out. She takes ideas from Pottery Barn and such and figures out how to make replicas (hence the knock off wood name). Then she posts the plans so others can make it. Here is the specific link for the kitchen:

http://www.knock-offwood.com/search/label/Grace%27s%20Playhouse%20Kitchen

Super cute! Here are some tips. She found IKEA coasters at a yard sale for the burners. The knobs for the oven are radio knobs from RadioShak. The handle for the oven is a cabinet pull from IKEA. The fridge handles are also from IKEA-they are towel racks! Courtney got the sink faucet from an RV shop (she gets a discount). The sink basin was a $2 D.I. bowl. Look around and be creative!

Here is my creative contribution to the project-felt food! I am still working on it. So far I have made one doughnut, five chocolate chip cookies, and four pieces of bread. Apparently we love carbs at our house. And yes, those few items really took me a long time. I'm still learning how to sew. And each of these foods had a pretty tricky element. Here is a link to get you started: http://www.onecraftyplace.com/2009/02/27/felt-food-tutorial-round-up/


Thanks Court! It's AWESOME!

Another Giveaway

I want to remember this giveaway because I may just ask for one of these for my birthday or Christmas. I would get one of the charms with Nathaniel's name on it and add on for other babes. Check out the giveaway at Tater Tots and Jello!

DownEast Giveaway!

I love DownEast Outfitters. I actually went shopping there this weekend with Kari and bought two really cute skirts. And now, they're having a GIVEAWAY on Tatertots and Jello (check out the side bar for the link). Go check it out! I'd love to win!