There are three children in this, Z, K and E, and as you can see they are, um... let's say... bursting with the youthful energy of a thousand suns. What you cannot see is that this is at nearly 9pm on a shcool night! I did not take video of the following morning. It wasn't pretty.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Why NOT to feed your children
I have been meaning to post this for a while but forgot about it. You will see why.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Monday, June 16, 2008
Happy BirTher's Day
I hope you all had a great Father's Day. Ours was busy but fun! Steve's birthday is on Flag Day which also is right around Father's Day so it makes for a busy time of year for us. I try so hard to seperate the two but this year I think I fell short.
With finances being tight this year we knew we couldn't do much but I missed even the low bar set. The kids made cards and scrapbooks for both Steve's birthday and Father's Day. I did neither. I didn't even buy a card! I feel so awful! I tried to make up for it but still feel terrible. We had a busy weekend beginning with Steve and I going on our first date in about 18 months (I sure hope I am forgetting something in my counting!), and took the kids out for ice cream. That was Friday night. Saturday we saw the new Chronicles movie (great), went to a late lunch, took a nap and went out for ice cream. Sunday we worked in the yard, went on a hike, went to a park, went on two long walks and had a steak dinner at home. Still I feel like it was not enough. I guess it never is enough for those we love.
This week Steve is off from work. We were going to be visiting his family in Iowa but the gas prices scared us off. Good thing I guess with all the weather issues they have been having, fortunately none near where his family lives. Instead we are doing a vacation at home where we will try to do things that we do not usually have time to do as a family like the zoo, hikes, and so forth. Hopefully not any more ice cream trips - I just started a new diet plan and Cold Stone and Dairy Queen are not recommended.
With finances being tight this year we knew we couldn't do much but I missed even the low bar set. The kids made cards and scrapbooks for both Steve's birthday and Father's Day. I did neither. I didn't even buy a card! I feel so awful! I tried to make up for it but still feel terrible. We had a busy weekend beginning with Steve and I going on our first date in about 18 months (I sure hope I am forgetting something in my counting!), and took the kids out for ice cream. That was Friday night. Saturday we saw the new Chronicles movie (great), went to a late lunch, took a nap and went out for ice cream. Sunday we worked in the yard, went on a hike, went to a park, went on two long walks and had a steak dinner at home. Still I feel like it was not enough. I guess it never is enough for those we love.
This week Steve is off from work. We were going to be visiting his family in Iowa but the gas prices scared us off. Good thing I guess with all the weather issues they have been having, fortunately none near where his family lives. Instead we are doing a vacation at home where we will try to do things that we do not usually have time to do as a family like the zoo, hikes, and so forth. Hopefully not any more ice cream trips - I just started a new diet plan and Cold Stone and Dairy Queen are not recommended.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Yummy!
I am not a good cook. I want to be and even more so I want to enjoy cooking. So tonight when I made a terrific dinner I just had to share!
I love websites like All Recipes and Food Network. I rarely if ever have all the ingredients or gadgets called for or I want to make it healthier, so usually I make things up as I go. Usually it turns out pretty good but there are times when I am thankful we have a quick Chinese delivery place near us with a killer Sesame Tofu.
I found a Bourbon Pecan Chicken recipe a while back and after my mom send me a huge bag of fresh pecans from Oklahoma (thanks mom!) I decided to finally give it a shot. As usual I did not have all the ingredients. I also watched an episode of 30 Minute Meals which had a similar recipe that I blended to create a truly wonderful meal according to my kids and myself!
Deann's JD Pecan Chicken
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 large eggs
splash of milk or half and half
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
1/2 cup finely ground pecans
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs - Italian variety works too
8 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
2 tablespoons canola oil
1/8 cup spicy brown mustard
1/8 cup yellow mustard (prepared)
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
2 2/3 tablespoons Jack Daniel's whiskey
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup butter, chilled and cut into small cubes
1/2 cup sliced green onions (optional)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
If you have whole pecans take 1/2 and pulse grind in a food processor until they are finely chopped. Then take the remaining pecans and grind until they are the same consistency as your bread crumbs.
Combine nuts and bread crumbs and pour onto a plate.
Beat eggs and half-and-half or milk in a shallow dish.
Pour flour out on a plastic board or plate.
Dust both sides of the chicken with flour. Dip the chicken into the egg mixture and then coat with the nutty-breading. (Really press the chicken into the nutty breading for a thicker coating.)
Preheat a nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add oil to coat the bottom of the pan with a thin layer. Brown chicken pieces 2 minutes on each side in hot oil or until evenly light golden in color. Transfer to a baking sheet and cook in oven until juices run clear and breasts are cooked through, about 10 to 12 minutes.
In a small saucepan, whisk together the mustard, brown sugar, bourbon, soy sauce, and Worcestershire sauce until smooth. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat, then remove from the burner, and whisk in the 1/4 cup of unsalted butter one piece at a time. Do not return to the heat. (It will cool so work quickly.)
This is also great cold so feel free to make extra for lunches or to take on a picnic. It would be great on a salad too if you make the sauce a little thinner to use as the dressing.
If you try this let me know. I would love to know if you and yours enjoyed it as much as we did.
I love websites like All Recipes and Food Network. I rarely if ever have all the ingredients or gadgets called for or I want to make it healthier, so usually I make things up as I go. Usually it turns out pretty good but there are times when I am thankful we have a quick Chinese delivery place near us with a killer Sesame Tofu.
I found a Bourbon Pecan Chicken recipe a while back and after my mom send me a huge bag of fresh pecans from Oklahoma (thanks mom!) I decided to finally give it a shot. As usual I did not have all the ingredients. I also watched an episode of 30 Minute Meals which had a similar recipe that I blended to create a truly wonderful meal according to my kids and myself!
Deann's JD Pecan Chicken
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 large eggs
splash of milk or half and half
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
1/2 cup finely ground pecans
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs - Italian variety works too
8 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
2 tablespoons canola oil
1/8 cup spicy brown mustard
1/8 cup yellow mustard (prepared)
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
2 2/3 tablespoons Jack Daniel's whiskey
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup butter, chilled and cut into small cubes
1/2 cup sliced green onions (optional)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
If you have whole pecans take 1/2 and pulse grind in a food processor until they are finely chopped. Then take the remaining pecans and grind until they are the same consistency as your bread crumbs.
Combine nuts and bread crumbs and pour onto a plate.
Beat eggs and half-and-half or milk in a shallow dish.
Pour flour out on a plastic board or plate.
Dust both sides of the chicken with flour. Dip the chicken into the egg mixture and then coat with the nutty-breading. (Really press the chicken into the nutty breading for a thicker coating.)
Preheat a nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add oil to coat the bottom of the pan with a thin layer. Brown chicken pieces 2 minutes on each side in hot oil or until evenly light golden in color. Transfer to a baking sheet and cook in oven until juices run clear and breasts are cooked through, about 10 to 12 minutes.
In a small saucepan, whisk together the mustard, brown sugar, bourbon, soy sauce, and Worcestershire sauce until smooth. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat, then remove from the burner, and whisk in the 1/4 cup of unsalted butter one piece at a time. Do not return to the heat. (It will cool so work quickly.)
This is also great cold so feel free to make extra for lunches or to take on a picnic. It would be great on a salad too if you make the sauce a little thinner to use as the dressing.
If you try this let me know. I would love to know if you and yours enjoyed it as much as we did.
Monday, June 2, 2008
Doe snot
"Doe" and "snot" are two real words, spelled correctly. I know this because I used my trusty spell checker. What my spell checker did not realize was that I was writting my Governor and not about anything regarding woodland creatures or their mucous. Sadly I realized this AFTER it was sent to the Gov by my friend who is probably still laughing at my expense. Next time she can right the letter. (yes that won was on porpoise.)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
